Spatial dimensions of cooperation aimed at innovation

In the contemporary debate on innovation and economic development, innovation is associated with economic networks and co-operation between innovating firms. Moreover, innovation is associated with regional clustering of activities. Most research on clusters employ case study research. This research takes a different perspective by combining regional input-output data and results of the European Community Innovation Survey. On this empirical material, a model has been developed that aims to quantify regional dimensions of innovation. Conclusions focus on the character of clustering. Regional presence of innovators has a significant effect for the innovative output of innovators, innovating in partnership. Regional thickness in the production chain, as measured through intermediate deliveries and supplies, does not have a significant effect on the innovative output of innovators. For innovating firms which do not innovate in partnership we did not find statistically significant effects of clustering on innovative output. International partnerships seem, compared to local networking, more decisive for innovation. Furthermore, we found indication that partnership is complementary to the use of external information.

Thickness and dielectric constant determination of thin dielectric layers

We derive a method for the determination of the dielectric constant and thickness of a thin dielectric layer, deposited on top of a thick dielectric layer which is in turn present on a metal film. Reflection of p- and s-polarized light from the metal layer yields minima for certain angles of incidence where the light is absorbed by the metal. The thin dielectric layer causes shifts in the angles at which the minima occur, from which the thickness and dielectric constant can be obtained. The model is tested for 3.5 and 14 nm thick photoresist gratings

Determination of thickness and dielectric constant of thin transparent dielectric layers using surface plasmon resonance

The determination of the thickness and dielectric constant of thin dielectric layers by means of surface plasmon resonance is discussed. It appears to be impossible to determine these parameters from one surface plasmon response experiment. This is illustrated theoretically. Variation of the refractive index of the solution in which surface plasmon experiments were performed allowed us to determine these parameters separately

The silent victims of humanitarian crises and livelihood (in)security: a case study among migrants in two Chadian towns

Once a humanitarian disaster receives coverage in the global media, the international community usually mobilises to reduce the most severe consequences. However people in Chad are experiencing endemic crises that are detached from speci!c triggers, and they are not receiving any international assistance to help relieve the hardships they face. "is study involves 111 migrant households from central Chad that, as a result of war and drought, have lost everything and now have to live in squatter areas of N’Djamena and Mongo, facing uncertainty and threats while negotiating their livelihoods. Qualitative and quantitative methods have been combined in this study to reveal the intriguing story of their daily lives in the face of complex and endemic crises. Anthropometric and health data were generated to determine the nutritional status of mothers and their children under !ve. Life histories, in-depth interviews and participatory observation allowed the researchers to capture the negotiation strategies they use to access food and shelter, their experiences of food insecurity and sanitary vulnerability, and the consequences these have on daily life. Results indicate that 62% of households were female headed, there were high rates of acute (40-50%) and chronic (35-40%) malnutrition and 46% of the mothers were underweight and anaemic. Infant mortality rates were also high at 30%-42% and 97% of the children had had incomplete or no vaccinations. No households had access to clean water, sanitation or public-health services. Endemic corruption and abuse by the authorities were identi!ed as major sources of day-to-day insecurity. "ese migrants were not expecting any improvement in their livelihoods in the foreseeable future and saw these miserable conditions as norma

Building theories from case study research: the progressive case study

Meredith (1998) argues for more case and field research studies in the field of operations\ud management. Based on a literature review, we discuss several existing approaches to case\ud studies and their characteristics. These approaches include; the Grounded Theory approach\ud which proposes no prior literature review in the substantive area under study (Glaser, 1992:\ud 31) versus Eisenhardt (1989) and Yin (1994) who propose a more directed study with a priori\ud constructs. We then propose an alternative approach which we call the progressive case\ud study. This approach combines strengths of both approaches such as the informative aspect of\ud Grounded Theory and a more plan able approach such as Yin and Eisenhardt propose. We\ud also describe that case studies are not simply a set of interviews and provide examples on the\ud amount of data that might be collected in a detailed case study. Furthermore, we provide\ud direction for analyzing qualitative data in cases

Measuring Symbol and Icon Characteristics: Norms for Concreteness, Complexity, Meaningfulness, Familiarity, and Semantic Distance for 239 Symbols

This paper provides rating norms for a set of symbols and icons selected from a wide variety of sources. These ratings enable the effects of symbol characteristics on user performance to be systematically investigated. The symbol characteristics that have been quantified are considered to be of central relevance to symbol usability research and include concreteness, complexity, meaningfulness, familiarity, and semantic distance. The interrelationships between each of these dimensions is examined and the importance of using normative ratings for experimental research is discussed