New ventures on the search for viable business models: Taking into account levels of uncertainty / ambiguity.

There exists evidence that most initial selections of business models by new ventures have to be adapted later on and that minor this need for adaptation stems from the high degrees of uncertainty and ambiguity new ventures are confronted with, both on the technology and the market level. The main research question of this paper is whether different levels of uncertainty and ambiguity have an effect on the appropriateness of different search strategies new ventures can use to adapt their business model; and if yes, what this effect is. We first present the relevant literature. We then put forward a simulation model - based on the model developed by Kauffman (1989, 1993) - as a formal basis for addressing our research question and analyze the simulation results. To conclude, these results are discussed in the light of existing research on entrepreneurship and innovation and some limitations of our research methodology are presented.Innovation; Market; Model; Models; Research; Selection; Simulation; Strategy; Technology; Uncertainty;

First Experience in the Mass Production of Components for the LHC Dipoles

This paper reports on the manufacturing features and difficulties experienced for the preliminary mass production of the main mechanical components of the dipole cold mass. The production of about 600 km of superconducting coil copper wedges, 5'000 coil layer jump spacers and boxes, 12'500'000 austenitic steel collars and 5'800'000 low-carbon yoke laminations is spread over 4 European countries and involves 6 manufactory firms. The general technical requirements for the manufacturing process as well as the imposed production checks and quality controls are reviewed. An overview of the preliminary results is presented with an outlook towards the analysis and statistical which are in a process to be implemented for the follow-up of the mass production

Nine Principles of Semantic Harmonization

Medical data is routinely collected, stored and recorded across different institutions and in a range of different formats. Semantic harmonization is the process of collating this data into a singular consistent logical view, with many approaches to harmonizing both possible and valid. The broad scope of possibilities for undertaking semantic harmonization do lead however to the development of bespoke and ad-hoc systems; this is particularly the case when it comes to cohort data, the format of which is often specific to a cohort's area of focus. Guided by work we have undertaken in developing the 'EMIF Knowledge Object Library', a semantic harmonization framework underpinning the collation of pan-European Alzheimer's cohort data, we have developed a set of nine generic guiding principles for developing semantic harmonization frameworks, the application of which will establish a solid base for constructing similar frameworks

Parallel functional and stoichiometric trait shifts in South American and African forest communities with elevation

The Amazon and Congo basins are the two largest continuous blocks of tropical forest with a central role for global biogeochemical cycles and ecology. However, both biomes differ in structure and species richness and composition. Understanding future directions of the response of both biomes to environmental change is paramount. We used one elevational gradient on both continents to investigate functional and stoichiometric trait shifts of tropical forest in South America and Africa. We measured community-weighted functional canopy traits and canopy and topsoil delta N-15 signatures. We found that the functional forest composition response along both transects was parallel, with a shift towards more nitrogen-conservative species at higher elevations. Moreover, canopy and topsoil delta N-15 signals decreased with increasing altitude, suggesting a more conservative N cycle at higher elevations. This cross-continental study provides empirical indications that both South American and African tropical forest show a parallel response with altitude, driven by nitrogen availability along the elevational gradients, which in turn induces a shift in the functional forest composition. More standardized research, and more research on other elevational gradients is needed to confirm our observations

Controlling the interfacial conductance in LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ in 90∘ off-axis sputter deposition

We report on the fabrication of conducting interfaces between LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 by 90 ∘ off-axis sputtering in an Ar atmosphere. At a growth pressure of 0.04 mbar the interface is metallic, with a carrier density of the order of 1 × 10 13 cm − 2 at 3 K. By increasing the growth pressure, we observe an increase of the out-of-plane lattice constants of the LaAlO 3 films while the in-plane lattice constants do not change. Also, the low-temperature sheet resistance increases with increasing growth pressure, leading to an insulating interface when the growth pressure reaches 0.10 mbar. We attribute the structural variations to an increase of the La/Al ratio, which also explains the transition from metallic behavior to insulating behavior of the interfaces. Our research shows that the control which is furnished by the Ar pressure makes sputtering as versatile a process as pulsed laser deposition, and emphasizes the key role of the cation stoichiometry of LaAlO 3 in the formation of the conducting interface

Electronically coupled complementary interfaces between perovskite band insulators

Perovskite oxides exhibit a plethora of exceptional electronic properties, providing the basis for novel concepts of oxide-electronic devices. The interest in these materials is even extended by the remarkable characteristics of their interfaces. Studies on single epitaxial connections between the two wide-bandgap insulators LaAlO3 and SrTiO3 have revealed them to be either high-mobility electron conductors or insulating, depending on the atomic stacking sequences. In the latter case they are conceivably positively charged. For device applications, as well as for basic understanding of the interface conduction mechanism, it is important to investigate the electronic coupling of closely-spaced complementary interfaces. Here we report the successful realization of such electronically coupled complementary interfaces in SrTiO3 - LaAlO3 thin film multilayer structures, in which the atomic stacking sequence at the interfaces was confirmed by quantitative transmission electron microscopy. We found a critical separation distance of 6 perovskite unit cell layers, corresponding to approximately 2.3 nm, below which a decrease of the interface conductivity and carrier density occurs. Interestingly, the high carrier mobilities characterizing the separate electron doped interfaces are found to be maintained in coupled structures down to sub-nanometer interface spacing

The 0 and the pi phase Josephson coupling through an insulating barrier with magnetic impurities

We have studied temperature and field dependencies of the critical current $I_{C}$ in the Nb-Fe$_{0.1}$Si$_{0.9}$-Nb Josephson junction with tunneling barrier formed by paramagnetic insulator. We demonstrate that in these junctions the co-existence of both the 0 and the $\pi$ states within one tunnel junction takes place which leads to the appearance of a sharp cusp in the temperature dependence $I_{C}(T)$ similar to the $I_{C}(T)$ cusp found for the $0-\pi$ transition in metallic $\pi$ junctions. This cusp is not related to the $0-\pi$ temperature induced transition itself, but is caused by the different temperature dependencies of the opposing 0 and $\pi$ supercurrents through the barrier.Comment: Accepted in Physical Review

M & L Jaargang 6/1

GeneriekMieke Verbeeck Van herberg tot café. [The story of beerhouses, inns and pubs in Flanders.]Heden zomaar in een café aan een tafel schuiven en de ober vragen om een kopje gelijknamige, welgeurende hete drank, getuigt voorwaar van enige stoutmoedigheid.Het café is immers lang reeds geen caffé meer, en veeleer ware bier hier op zijn plaats: maar hoe dan weer het cliché-matige, traditioneel of retro-decorum verklaard? In haar zoektocht naar het heden en verleden van taveernen, guinguettes, estaminets, herbergen en hoe zou het anders cafés, treft Mieke Verbeeck alvast één constante aan: de dorst.D. Colard Over de vergankelijke glorie van het Brusselse drankhuis. [The transient glory of the Brussels drinking-houses.]Metropolis is een hoofdstedelijk begrip, niet in het minst nu eerlang het Brussels nachtleven met weelderig iconografisch materiaal het daglicht dreigt te halen, ja voorwaar: de spotlights van een heuse tentoonstelling.De verleiding was dan ook té groot om niet voor deze stad de negentiende-eeuwse zelfingenomen opgang van café en estaminet te illustreren, tot hun jazzy nabloei halverwege de jaren 1920 met de dancing.Enige ongebruikelijke verve, wat fotos en bijwijlen schitterende ontwerptekeningen zijn helaas maar al te vaak het weinige dat overblijft om enigszins nog in verbeelding hun herinnering in stand te houden.K. Lanclus De opera van Gent. [The opera house at Ghent.]Onder dit motto schenkt M&L voortaan en systematisch 8 van kleur en illustraties ruim verzadigde bladzijden lang aandacht aan Vlaanderens meest monumentale, meest gevulgariseerde maar minst gekende, moeilijk toegankelijke monumenten. Een extra aansporing om dit tijdschrift onder de arm, de deuren-ontsluitende tips op zak nu eens bijvoorbeeld... de Opera van Gent van binnenuit te verkennen. Een gloednieuw verhaal in talrijke afleveringen, ontworpen en samengesteld door vele dames en één heer: de inventaris-teams van het Bestuurd voor Monumenten en Landschappen.SummaryM&L Binnenkran

Optimized fabrication of high quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films considering all essential characteristics

In this article, an overview of the fabrication and properties of high quality La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) thin films is given. A high quality LSMO film combines a smooth surface morphology with a large magnetization and a small residual resistivity, while avoiding precipitates and surface segregation. In literature, typically only a few of these issues are adressed. We therefore present a thorough characterization of our films, which were grown by pulsed laser deposition. The films were characterized with reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, magnetization and transport measurements, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The films have a saturation magnetization of 4.0 {\mu}B/Mn, a Curie temperature of 350 K and a residual resistivity of 60 {\mu}{\Omega}cm. These results indicate that high quality films, combining both large magnetization and small residual resistivity, were realized. A comparison between different samples presented in literature shows that focussing on a single property is insufficient for the optimization of the deposition process. For high quality films, all properties have to be adressed. For LSMO devices, the thin film quality is crucial for the device performance. Therefore, this research is important for the application of LSMO in devices.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics D - Applied Physic