The evolutionary state and fundamental parameters of metallic A-F giants

Using Hipparcos parallaxes, we show that the metallic A-F giants found by Hauck (1986) on the basis of their high Delta m_2 index in Geneva photometry are on average more evolved than their non-metallic counterparts. Their mass distribution, rate of binaries and vsini are shown to be incompatible with those of Am stars, so that they cannot be descendants of the latter. They might be former normal stars going through a short metal-rich phase at the very end of their life on the Main Sequence.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, to appear in: Proc. of the 26th workshop of the European Working Group on CP stars, eds. P. North, A. Schnell and J. Ziznovsky, Contrib. Astr. Obs. Skalnate Pleso Vol. 27, No

The role of finance in the development of technology-based SMEs: evidence from New Zealand

Purpose- In this paper we discuss an exploratory study that involved face to face, qualitative inter-views with 20 technology-based small firms (TBSFs) and seven qualitative interviews with key in-formants and funders. The TBSFs were all located in New Zealand (NZ), a small open economy with a limited domestic market, a population of 4.3 million, current GDP per capita of US$32,260 (2010) and arguably an immature and limited financial infrastructure. The central research question for this study was whether TBSFs can raise appropriate finance that allows them to start, develop and remain in NZ? Design/methodology/approach- An exploratory study has involved a programme of 20 in-depth, face to face qualitative interviews with the founders and chief executives of TBSFs drawn from three contrasting locations in New Zealand and from across different technology-based sectors. A further seven interviews have been conducted with key informants drawn from the three locations. Findings- As might be expected from theory, there was a heavy reliance on internal funding and bootstrapping methods, although a number of TBSFs had in addition managed to raise additional private capital through their own contacts and networks. All the sample had relied upon internal fund-ing to some extent. However, a total of 13 (65 per cent) either relied totally on internal funding (from the initial start-up) or relied upon a combination of internal funding, bootstrapping and private inves-tors. Context was important with New Zealand being a small open and relatively remote economy when compared to the UK; where the EU provides a significant market for TBSF development. In contrast, NZ TBSFs, of necessity were heavily involved in distant overseas markets. Research Implications- There was evidence of a distinct finance gap in the external equity market in New Zealand. For amounts below NZ$1m, these could be sought from networks of business angels, even though such sources were limited and restricted. If the funding sought was in the range NZ$1m -$5m; this was likely to fall between the informal and formal venture markets. Associated with this was a distinct preference for relying on internal funding by NZ TBSFs. Originality/value- This paper provides a contribution by being the first serious study of TBSF devel-opment in New Zealand, specifically focusing on the role of finance. The example of TBSF develop-ment in New Zealand’s small, open economy is significant and comparisons are drawn with the extent of funding gaps and similar issues in TBSF development from a UK based study. These comparisons enable the findings to be set in context and implications developed

Stochastic Perturbations of Periodic Orbits with Sliding

Vector fields that are discontinuous on codimension-one surfaces are known as Filippov systems and can have attracting periodic orbits involving segments that are contained on a discontinuity surface of the vector field. In this paper we consider the addition of small noise to a general Filippov system and study the resulting stochastic dynamics near such a periodic orbit. Since a straight-forward asymptotic expansion in terms of the noise amplitude is not possible due to the presence of discontinuity surfaces, in order to quantitatively determine the basic statistical properties of the dynamics, we treat different parts of the periodic orbit separately. Dynamics distant from discontinuity surfaces is analyzed by the use of a series expansion of the transitional probability density function. Stochastically perturbed sliding motion is analyzed through stochastic averaging methods. The influence of noise on points at which the periodic orbit escapes a discontinuity surface is determined by zooming into the transition point. We combine the results to quantitatively determine the effect of noise on the oscillation time for a three-dimensional canonical model of relay control. For some parameter values of this model, small noise induces a significantly large reduction in the average oscillation time. By interpreting our results geometrically, we are able to identify four features of the relay control system that contribute to this phenomenon.Comment: 44 pages, 9 figures, submitted to: J Nonlin. Sc

Probabilistic models of planetary contamination

Likely fundamental inadequacies in the model of planetary contamination advanced by Sagan and Coleman are discussed. It is shown that a relatively minor modification of the basic Sagan-Coleman formula yields approximations that are generally adequate with data in the range of interest. This approximation formula differs from the original Sagan-Coleman version only through an initial conditioning on landing outcome. It always yields an upper (conservative) bound for the total probability of contamination, this appealing feature is lost if the conditioning on landing outcome is deleted

Binaries with total eclipses in the LMC: potential targets for spectroscopy

35 Eclipsing binaries presenting unambiguous total eclipses were selected from a subsample of the list of Wyrzykowski et al. (2003). The photometric elements are given for the I curve in DiA photometry, as well as approximate Teff and masses of the components. The interest of these systems is stressed in view of future spectroscopic observations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; poster presented at the conference "Close binaries in the 21st Century: new opportunities and challenges", Syros, 27-30 June 200

Mystery shopping the early stages of the Business Link service

This mystery shopping project tested the early stages of contact when businesses seek advice from Business Link, focusing on the level of responsiveness, professionalism and timeliness of the service. The study was carried out across all nine English regions and involved recruiting 159 businesses to act as ‘mystery shoppers’. The research tracked the participating businesses through their Business Link journey. The results showed that overall there is widespread satisfaction and approval of the Business Link response and services received. Where dissatisfaction exists, much of it relates to failures in communication at the initial stages. The level of satisfaction increased as the customer journey progressed

The role of technological business incubators in supporting business innovation in China: a case of regional adaptability?

This paper examines the extent to which both the support services of Technological Business Incubators (TBIs) and exogenous local factors facilitate the innovation activity of incubated new ventures. Using data on all 215 surviving Chinese incubators and their incubated firms from government surveys conducted over five consecutive years from 2009 until 2013, combined with information from nine case studies, we examine the effects of four incubator services on three levels of innovation in incubated firms, whilst also taking account of key exogenous factors. Technical service support from an incubator was found to have had a positive influence on all levels of innovation activity across all regions whilst incubator financial support had a positive effect on the making of more advanced innovations. The availability of venture capital had a significant impact on making lower order innovations whereas the availability of scientific knowledge resources influenced more advanced innovation activity. Whereas TBI support services in the more developed Eastern region are mainly concerned with leveraging external resources, those in the less developed Central and Western regions are more concerned with compensating for the lack of external resources to support innovation

The graduation performance of technology business incubators in China's three tier cities: the role of incubator funding, technical support, and entrepreneurial mentoring

This study examines the effects of technology business incubator (TBI)’s funding, technical support and entrepreneurial mentoring on the graduation performance of new technology-based firms in China’s three tier cities. Using new dataset on all TBIs and incubated new technology-based firms from government surveys conducted over five consecutive years from 2009 to 2013 combined with archival and hand-collected data, we find the effects of incubator services on the early growth of new technology-based firms vary according to the local context. Technical support facilities and entrepreneurial mentoring from TBIs are found to have significantly and positively influenced the early development of the firms in the four most affluent tier 1 cities, whilst these effects become less pronounced for the tier 2 and tier 3 cities. These two services are also found to influence graduation performance in the government and university types of TBI respectively. Results support the notion that the effectiveness of an incubators services is shaped by the level of a city’s socio-economic development and that the city location of a TBI does impact the graduation performance of its incubatees

Between economic competitiveness and social inclusion: New Labour and the economic revival of deprived neighbourhoods.

Following the election of the first New Labour government in 1997 the revitalisation of deprived neighbourhoods quickly became a central feature of the policy landscape. Motivated by the desire to tackle processes of social exclusion and find a new economic basis for these areas, an array of policy experiments and interventions emerged. An increasing focus of these was to improve the economic conditions of deprived neighbourhoods with a particular emphasis upon tackling worklessness and promoting entrepreneurial activity. Yet despite this sustained activity, 13 years later the gap between the poorest neighbourhoods and the rest persisted. This paper reflects critically upon the development of this policy agenda, its aims, outcomes and effectiveness, and identifies the factors that constrained its ability to transform the economic fortunes of England’s most deprived neighbourhoods