bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Late-Time Mild Inflation: A Possible Solution of a Dilemma: The Cosmic Age and the Hubble Parameter
Authors: Fukuyama Takeshi , Miyoshi Masae , Hatakeyama Mikiko , Morikawa Masahiro , Nakamichi Akika
Published: October 2003

We explore the cosmological model in which a late-time mild inflation (LMI) is realized after the star formation epoch. Nonvanishing curvature coupling of a classical boson field yields this mild inflation without a cosmological constant. Accordingly the lifetime of the present Universe is remarkably increased in this LMI model. Thus we show that the present observed high value of the Hubble parameter H0 ≈ 70–80 km/sec/Mpc is compatible with the age of the oldest stars 14 Gyr without introducing the cosmological constant or the dilute Universe model. Moreover in this LMI model, the local Hubble parameter becomes larger than the global one. Thus we show that the present observed local Hubble parameter measured by using the Cepheid variables is compatible with the global Hubble parameter measured by using the Sunyaev–Zeldovich effect. Furthermore we examine several aspects of the LMI model: (a) The energy conditions are violated. We examine the consequences of these violations. (b) There is a natural evolution of the effective gravitational "constant" in high redshift region. This yields a drastic change of the stellar luminosity through the constructive equations of a star. We point out that a distant galaxy becomes much dimmer by this effect. (c) This varying gravitational "constant" affects the cosmic expansion speed and the nucleosynthesis process in the early Universe. We point out that this effect constrains the parameters of the LMI model though fine tuning is always possible.
On the Energy of a Charged Dilaton Black Hole
Authors: Yang I-Ching , Hsu Rue-Ron , Yeh Ching-Tzung , Lee Chin-Rong
Published: October 2003

Employing the energy–momentum pseudotensor of Einstein, we obtain the energy distribution of a dyonic dilaton black hole. The energy distribution of this black hole depends on mass M, electric charge Qe, magnetic charge Qm and the asymptotic value of the dilaton ϕ0. We also make some comparisons between the results of Virbhadra et. al. and ours.
Limits on the Validity of the Semiclassical Theory — A Minisuperspace Example
Authors: Sriramkumar L.
Published: October 2003

For want of a more natural proposal, it is generally assumed that the back-reaction of a quantized matter field on a classical metric is given by the expectation value of its energy–momentum tensor, evaluated in a specified state. This semiclassical theory can be reliable only when the fluctuations in the energy–momentum densities of the quantum field are negligible. Based on this condition, Kuo and Ford have constructed a dimensionless quantity, whose magnitude reflects the amount of fluctuation in the back-reaction term and hence on the validity of the semiclassical theory. In this paper, we evaluate this quantity for the minisuperspace model of a quantized massless scalar field in a Friedmann universe. We conclude that the semiclassical theory for the model we consider here can be relied upon only if the scalar field is in states like coherent states. The implications of our investigation on the complete field theory are also discussed.
Cosmological Dark Matter
Authors: Schramm D. N.
Published: October 2003

The basic arguments for cosmological dark matter are reviewed. It is shown that the Big Bange Nucleosynthesis constraints on the cosmological baryon density, when compared with dynamical arguments, demonstrate that the bulk of the baryons are dark and also that the bulk of the matter in the universe is nonbaryonic. The recent extragalactic deuterium observations as well as the other light element abundances were examined in detail as is the argument on the number of neutrino flavors. Arguments from recent MACHO/EROS observations of halo dark matter seem to imply that at least some of the dark baryons are in the halos of galaxies. Comparison of baryonic density arguments with recent x-ray cluster data is also made. Discussion of the interface of density and age arguments is also presented.
Wave Function of a Supersymmetric FRW Model with Vector Fields
Authors: Moniz P. V.
Published: October 2003

A specific Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) model derived from the theory of N = 1 supergravity with gauged supermatter is considered in this paper. The supermatter content is restricted to a vector supermultiplet. The corresponding Lorentz and supersymmetry quantum constraints are then derived. Nontrivial solutions are subsequently found. A no-boundary solution is identified while another state may be interpreted as a wormhole solution.
Noncovariant Gauges in Simple Supergravity
Authors: Esposito Giampiero , Pollifrone Giuseppe
Published: October 2003

A gauge-averaging functional of the axial type is studied for simple supergravity at one loop about flat Euclidean four-space bounded by a three-sphere, or two concentric three-spheres. This is a generalization of recent work on the axial gauge in quantum supergravity on manifolds with boundary. Ghost modes obey nonlocal boundary conditions of the spectral type, in that half of them obey Dirichlet or Neumann conditions at the boundary. In both cases, they give a vanishing contribution to the one-loop divergence. The admissibility of noncovariant gauges at the classical level is also proved.
Nöther Symmetries in Bianchi Universes
Authors: Capozziello S. , Marmo G. , Rubano C. , Scudellaro P.
Published: October 2003

We use our Nöther Symmetry Approach to study the Einstein equations minimally coupled with a scalar field, in the case of Bianchi universes of class A and B. Possible cases, when such symmetries exist, are found and two examples of exact integration of the equations of motion are given in the cases of Bianchi AI and BV.
Structure of the Polarization Field Around High Peaks of the CMB Anisotropy
Authors: Arbuzov P. , Kotok E. , Naselsky P. , Novikov I.
Published: October 2003

We present computations of the statistics of the polarization field around high peaks of the cosmis microwave background anisotropy. We studied the correlated and uncorrelated with the anisotropy parts of polarization in the vicinity of isolated peaks of anisotropy in order to demonstrate how these peaks determine the structure of the polarization fields. We have shown that the level of cross-correlation between anisotropy and polarization increases in ν times around ν-heigh isolated peaks of anisotropy. Such a peak forms the specific shape of polarization around itself. The polarization of the cosmic microwave background correlated with 3σ-peaks of anisotropy is formed mainly between the cross-levels 1.5σ and 2.5σ. This polarization has a local maximum ~30÷45% around 3σ-peaks and looks like "rings" around the peaks. This specific structure of the polarization field would be effective for further investigation of the primordial signal and noise in the maps of anisotropy and polarization of the cosmic microwave background.
Constants of Motion and the Conformal Anti-De Sitter Algebra in (2+1)-Dimensional Gravity
Authors: Moncrief V. , Nelson J. E.
Published: October 2003

Constants of motion are calculated for (2+1)-dimensional gravity with topology ℝ×T2 and negative cosmological constant. Certain linear combinations of them satisfy the anti-de Sitter algebra so(2,2) in either ADM or holonomy variables. Quantization is straightforward in terms of the holonomy parameters. On inclusion of the Hamiltonian, three new global constants are derived and the quantum algebra extends to that of the conformal algebra so(2,3). The modular group appears as a discrete subgroup of the conformal group. Its quantum action is generated by these conserved quantities.
Some Thermodynamic Aspects of Black Holes and Singularities
Authors: Lousto C. O.
Published: October 2003

We review and correct the classical critical exponents characterizing the transition from negative to positive black hole's heat capacity at high charge-angular momentum. We discuss the stability properties of black holes as a thermodynamic system in equilibrium with a radiation bath (canonical ensemble) by using the Helmholtz free energy potential. Finally we analytically extend the analysis to any value of the variables in the Helmholtz potential and show that this leads to the consideration of negative mass holes. We then study their curious thermodynamical stability behavior.
Possible Quantum Interpretation of Certain Power Spectra in Classical Field Theory
Authors: Srinivasan K. , Sriramkumar L. , Padmanabhan T.
Published: October 2003

In this paper we report an analogue for the vacuum state in classical field theory and its Planckian nature with respect to uniformly accelerated observers. When a real, monochromatic, mode of a scalar field is Fourier analyzed with respect to the proper time of a uniformly accelerating observer, the resulting power spectrum consists of three terms none of which have a simple classical meaning. Specifically, the three terms are (i) a factor (1/2) that is typical of the ground state energy of a quantum ascillator, (ii) a Planckian distribution N(Ω) and — most importantly — (iii) a term [Formula: see text], which is the root mean aquare fluctuations about the Planckian distribution. It is the appearance of the root mean square fluctuations that motivates us to attribute a "thermal" nature to the power spectrum. Such a power spectrum also arises when we Fourier analyze a real, monochromatic, plane electromagnetic wave in the frame of a uniformly accelerating observer. We also present a model of a detector whose response is the Fourier spectrum of the field with respect to its proper time, which illustrates that it should, in principle, be possible to physically measure the power spectrum we have obtained. These results show that some of the "purely" quantum mechanical results might have a classical analogue.
Bremsstrahlung and Pair Creation by a Photon in the Spacetime of a Cosmic String
Authors: Bayer Rolf M. , Lotze Kaerl-Heinz
Published: October 2003

We consider two tree-graph processes in the spacetime of an infinite, straight and static cosmic string, namely Bremsstrahlung and electron–positron pair production. Results based on a simplified model with scalar fields which were obtained by other authors are extended to the more realistic QED case.

In empty Minkowski spacetime, energy and momentum conservation preclude these processes. In spite of the local flatness of the metric, it is a topological defect that gives rise to non-conservation of momentum in the plane perpendicular to the string.

Analytic expressions for the total transition probabilities and, in the case of Bremsstrahlung, the total radiation energy are found and compared with the results for the scalar field model. In a sense, the cylindrical mode solutions of the Dirac equation allow a spatial localisation of the decay processes relative to the string axis.
Tensor Distributions in the Presence of Degenerate Metrics
Authors: Dray Tevian
Published: October 2003

Tensor distributions and their derivatives are described without assuming the presence of a metric. This provides a natural framework for discussing tensor distributions on manifolds with degenerate metrics, including in particular metrics which change signature.
On a New Family of Stable Relativistic Star Clusters
Authors: Merafina Marco , Ruffini Remo
Published: October 2003

The properties of equilibrium of a novel family of collisionless relativistic star clusters shown to be stable in a recent paper1 are investigated. Each equilibrium configuration is composed of a central relativistic core and an almost Newtonian halo. The central gravitational redshift of these configurations can become infinite.
Recent Light Particle Correlation Data from Heavy Ion Collisions at Intermediate and Low Energies
Authors: Ardouin D.
Published: October 2003

We present a review of recent two-particle interferometry data for heavy-ion collisions in the domain of energy between ten and a few hundreds of MeV/nucleon. Not only identical particles but unlike particle correlations have been used successfully as a probe for space-time dynamics of the collision process. Due to the availability of new dedicated charged particles or photon multidetectors, the field of particle interferometry is moving to a good level of quantitative description: excitation energy and impact parameter dependences are now provided which should stimulate additional theoretical calculations for two-particle cross-sections and emission of light fragments.
Linear Nuclei: A Density Functional Interpretation
Authors: Kolehmainen J. , Häkkinen H. , Manninen M. , Koskinen M.
Published: October 2003

We show that linear shape isomers of small even-even nuclei exist with nearly any internucleon interactions. The shapes of the linear isomers look like chains of alpha-particles, but single-particle spectrum reveals that alpha-particle interpretation is not needed. Indeed, the same shapes are obtained even with noninteracting particles in a rectangular cavity. Linear shape isomers are shown to exist also in metal clusters.
A Gluon Plasma Giant Resonance at Finite Temperature
Authors: Paria Lina , Mustafa M. G. , Abbas Afsar
Published: October 2003

It is shown that a heavy gluon giant resonance state which is highly collective exists in a gluon plasma. This arises when the finite size effects are taken properly into account.
Neutron Star Properties in the Thomas-Fermi Model
Authors: Strobel K. , Weber F. , Schaab Ch. , Weigel M. K.
Published: October 2003

The modern nucleon-nucleon interaction of Myers and Swiatecki, adjusted to the properties of finite nuclei, the parameters of the mass formula, and the behavior of the optical potential is used to calculate the properties of β-equilibrated neutron star matter, and to study the impact of this equation of state on the properties of (rapidly rotating) neutron stars and their cooling behavior. The results are in excellent agreement with the outcome of calculations performed for a broad collection of sophisticated nonrelativistic as well as relativistic models for the equation of state.
Scattering in a Shallow Ocean with an Elastic Seabed
Authors: Gilbert R. P. , Lin Zhongyan
Published: October 2003

In this paper the boundary integral equation method is used to solve a scattering problem in a shallow ocean with an elastic seabed. The Hankel transformation and Mittag–Leffler decomposition were used to construct the propagating solution for both far-field and near-field. In particular, necessary and sufficient conditions are found for the existence of the propagating solution. Using the propagating solution, the scattering problem is recast as a boundary integral equation. A numerical algorithm is developed for solving this boundary integral equation and its implementation on a T3D parallel computer is used to compute an illustrative example.
Conditional and Weighted Measures of Ecological Diversity
Authors: Guiaşu Radu Cornel , Guiaşu Silviu
Published: October 2003

Shannon's entropy and Simpson's index are the most used measures of species diversity. As the Simpson index proves to be just an approximation of the Shannon entropy, conditional Simpson indices of diversity and a global measure of interdependence among species are introduced, similar to those used in the corresponding entropic formalism from information theory. Also, since both the Shannon entropy and the Simpson index depend only on the number and relative abundance of the respective species in a given ecosystem, the paper generalizes these indices of diversity to the case when a numerical weight is attached to each species. Such a weight could reflect supplementary information about the absolute abundance, the economic significance, or the conservation value of the species.
Normalizing Possibility Distributions Using t-Norms
Authors: Recasens J. , Lawry J.
Published: October 2003

A new approach to normalizing fuzzy sets is introduced where it is assumed that the normalization method is compatible with a given t-norm. In this context it is proved that the most usual ways to normalize fuzzy subsets correspond to the most common t-norms.

For a given fuzzy subset μ, the corresponding normalized fuzzy subset [Formula: see text] can be viewed as the distribution of μ conditioned on the (degree of) existence of its elements with maximal membership. From this view point we investigate the less specific normal fuzzy subset of X among the most similar fuzzy subsets to μ and the normal fuzzy subset generating the same fuzzy T-preorder as μ.
Interval Methods in Knowledge Representation
Authors: Kreinovich Vladik
Published: October 2003

This section is maintained by Vladik Kreinovich. Please send you abstract (or copies of papers that you want to see reviewed here) to vladik@cs.utep.edu, or by regular mail to: Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
A Bayes Continuous Reliability Growth Model with Two Categories of Failures
Authors: Lin Daming , Chiu W. K.
Published: October 2003

A Bayesian continuous reliability growth model is presented. It is assumed that the development phase of a product consists of m stages. In each stage, the failure mechanism of the product follows a competing risks model with two specific failure modes: inherent and assignable-cause. The hazard rate for each mode is time-invariant within one stage. Under the assumption that modifications of the product improve its reliability, we assign a reasonable joint prior distribution for the hazard rates. Then Bayesian analysis is carried out using this prior distribution. It turns out that the posterior pdf of the hazard rates of interest is just a weighted average of pdf's which have the same form as the prior pdf. A numerical example is given for illustration.
Parametric Study of Competing Risk Model Involving Two Weibull Distributions
Authors: Jiang R. , Murthy D. N. P.
Published: October 2003

The competing risk model involving two Weibull distributions is characterized by four independent parameters. The shapes of the density and failure rate functions for the model depend on the parameter values. In this paper a complete parametric characterization of these shapes is presented.
Reliability-Based Design of Systems Considering Preventive Maintenance and Minimal Repair
Authors: Monga Amit , Zuo Ming J. , Toogood Roger W.
Published: October 2003

A reliability-based design (RBD) of a mixed series–parallel system with deteriorative components for minimal life cycle cost is presented in this paper. Two formulations are presented based on the type of preventive maintenance modeling. These formulations incorporate the effects of preventive maintenance and minimal repairs to adjust the system failure rate. Genetic Algorithms are used to obtain an optimal system design. The economic life of the designed system is also evaluated. The results have practical applications in the area of computer integrated manufacturing where a system must perform below a given failure rate.
Safety and Reliability Analysis of Repairable Fault-Tolerant Systems
Authors: Bridal Olof
Published: October 2003

A methodology for reliability and safety analysis of a certain class of repairable fault-tolerant systems is presented. The analysis leads to a closed-form approximation of the probability of an absorbing state in a state transition diagram. This expression can provide insight into the relationship between various system parameters and system reliability and/or safety. The approximation technique is based on the combination of results from the analysis of several failure mechanisms, each studied by itself, into an expression for the approximate reliability of a system. The resulting approximation error can be analyzed in order to evaluate whether or not the approximation is useful in a given situation.
A Two-Step Robust Design Procedure of Linear Dynamic Systems for Reducing Performance Variations
Authors: Chen Guangming , Kapur Kailash C.
Published: October 2003

Systems can be classified as dynamic or static depending on the nature of the performance. A static system has a fixed target value for the performance characteristic while a dynamic system has a variable performance characteristic. This variable characteristic can be adjusted by a signal factor based on the requirement of the user. Due to this nature, modeling and optimization methods of dynamic systems may be different from those for static systems. This paper presents a two-step approach to the optimization modeling and design of linear dynamic systems. The approach is based on the concepts of quality engineering, experimental design, loss function, signal-to-noise (SN) ratio and optimization methodology. The motivation, justification and computation of SN ratios for linear dynamic systems will be discussed. As an illustrative example, a circuit design problem is given to demonstrate the method.
Identification and Extensions of Quasiconvex Quality Loss Functions
Authors: Cho Byung-Rae , Leonard Michael S.
Published: October 2003

This paper presents a set of related quasiconvex quality loss functions. Characteristics of quasiconvex functions that are desirable for modeling quality loss are noted. Three frequently used univariate quasiconvex quality loss functions are discussed. Bivariate and multivariate quasiconvex quality loss functions are developed. A set of necessary and sufficient conditions is established for the quasiconvexity of multivariate quality loss functions. An industrial product example is used to illustrate the development of a bivariate quadratic quality loss function.
Optimal Software Release Policies with Debugging Time Lag
Authors: Dohi Tadashi , Kaio Naoto , Osaki Shunji
Published: October 2003

This paper presents a new stochastic model for determining the optimal release time for a computer software in testing phase, taking account of the debugging time lag. In the earlier works, most of software release models were considered, but it was assumed that an error detected can be removed instantaneously. In other words, none discussed quantitatively the effect of the software maintenance action in the optimal software release time. Main purpose of this work is to relate the optimal software release policy with the arrival-service process on the software operation phase by users. We use the Non-Homogeneous Poisson Process (NHPP) type of software reliability growth models as the software error detection phenomena and obtain the optimal software release policies minimizing the expected total software costs. As a result, the usage circumstance of a software in operation phase gives a monotone effect to the software release planning.
Optimal State-Dependent Replacement Policy for Deteriorating Systems
Authors: Yeh Ruey Huei
Published: October 2003

This paper investigates the optimal state-dependent replacement policy for semi-Markovian deteriorating systems. It is assumed that the replacement time, replacement cost, operating cost rate and sojourn time distributions are all state-dependent. The optimization criterion is to minimize the expected long-run cost per unit time. Under some sufficient conditions on the cost and time parameters, we show that the optimal policy is of control limit type and has monotonic properties which facilitate the derivation of the optimal policy. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the structure of the optimal policy.
A Generalized Age Replacement Model in the Presence of Inventory Constraints
Authors: Sheu Shey-Huei
Published: October 2003

Many authors in the literature have studied the age replacement problem and its various modifications. One, generally, is asked to assume that at any time there is an unlimited supply of items available for replacement. This is often not a very realistic assumption. In this article we will examine a generalized age replacement model with age-dependent minimal repair when replacements are constrained by two simple inventory model. Various special cases are included. A numerical example is given to illustrate the method.
Optimal Checkpoint Policies Attending with Unsuccessful Rollback Recovery
Authors: Fukumoto Satoshi , Nakagawa Sayori , Kaio Naoto , Osaki Shunji
Published: October 2003

Checkpoint policies have been studied by several researchers. In this paper, we propose a new model for evaluating the database recovery actions and for determining an optimum checkpoint interval. Taking account of unsuccessful rollback recovery after system failure, we derive the stationary availability as a function of the checkpoint interval under the assumption that the failures occur at a Poisson process. We further discuss the optimum checkpoint interval which maximizes the availability above. The influence of unsuccessful rollback recovery on the system is illustrated by numerical examples.
Towards Better Control of Sol-Gel Film Processing for Optical Device Applications
Authors: Horowitz F. , Dawnay E. J. C. , Fardad M. A. , Green Mino , Yeatman E. M.
Published: October 2003

This paper reviews work carried out by the authors in developing nanoporous sol-gel films as hosts for semiconductor crystallites, for applications in nonlinear integrated optics, including aspects of fabrication, characterisation and modelling. Particular attention is given to three novel techniques — optospinography, molecular probe ellipsometry and pore capping, as well as prospects that have been raised from their outcome.
Bound States of Envelope Solitons in Coupled Nonlinear Schrödinger Equations
Authors: Mahmood M. F. , Zachary W. W. , Gill T. L.
Published: October 2003

Interaction of strongly and weakly overlapping solitons of two independent modes is analyzed in the framework of a system of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger equations with oscillating terms. A Hamiltonian formulation is employed. Our analysis reveals that the solitons form a strongly bound state with their centers coincident and weakly bound states with their centers separated from each other.
Birth, Evolution and Annihilation of Phase Singularities in the Propagation of a Laser Beam Passed Through a Self-Focusing Strontium Barium Niobate Crystal
Authors: Ilyenkov A. V. , Kreminskaya L. V. , Soskin M. S. , Vasnetsov M. V.
Published: October 2003

We report the first observations and the mechanism of natural nucleation, propagation and annihilation of optical vortices in a laser beam with initially smooth Gaussian wave front passed through self-focusing photorefractive strontium barium niobate crystal. Wave-front distortions due to the formation of thermal-induced nonlinear lens lead to the origin of phase singularities. Pairs of opposite topological charge screw wave-front dislocations nucleate and annihilate through a formation of limited edge dislocations. In a free-space propagation the alternating sign vortices array nested in the beam has the form of quadruple.
Clinical Relevance of the SYT-SSX Fusion Gene in Synovial Sarcoma
Authors: Hashimoto N. , Araki N. , Fukuda H. , Kudawara I. , Yoshikawa H. , Uchida A. , Ochi T.
Published: October 2003

Recent molecular analyses have reported that the specific translocation t(X;18) (p11.2;q11.2) in synovial sarcoma induces the fusion of the SYT gene on chromosome 18 to either of two duplicated genes on chromosome X, SSX1 or SSX2. As a result, two types of fusion genes SYT-SSX1 and SYT-SSX2, whose products play major roles in tumorigenesis, are formed. However, the precise function of the fusion genes is still unclear.

To determine clinical relevance of the SYT-SSX fusion genes, we analyzed the fusion transcripts in 13 synovial sarcomas by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and also determined the subtype by restriction enzyme assay. These molecular results were compared with certain clinical features of the tumors.

The SYT-SSX fusion transcript was detected in the majority of the cases (11 / 13) with synovial sarcoma, suggesting that it is a useful diagnostic marker. The subtype analysis showed that only the recurrent tumors expressed SYT-SSX2. This may indicate that there are some biological differences between the two subtypes, such as transforming activity. On this basis, SYT-SSX2 may correlate with the progressive character of this tumor and could be a predictor of prognosis.
A Recognition Method of Lung Nodule Shadows in X-Ray CT Images Using 3D Object Models
Authors: Takizawa Hotaka , Shigemoto Kanae , Yamamoto Shinji , Matsumoto Tohru , Tateno Yukio , Iinuma Takeshi , Matsumoto Mitsuomi
Published: October 2003

In this paper, we describe a recognition method of lung nodule shadows in X-ray CT images using 3-dimensional nodule and blood vessel models. From these 3D object models, artificial CT images are generated as templates. The templates are then applied to input images which comprise of suspicious shadows. If any parameters of the suspicious shadow matches a nodule template rather than any blood vessel template, then it is determined to be abnormal. Otherwise, it is determined to be normal. By applying our new method to the actual lung CT images of 38 patients, the false positive ratio is reduced to 4.31 [shadow/patient] with the sensitivity exceeding 95%.
Extraction of Dermo-Epidermal Surface from 3D Volumetric Images of Human Skin
Authors: Wang Jiahui , Saito Hideo , Ozawa Shinji , Kuwahara Tomohiro , Yamashita Toyonobu , Takahashi Motoji
Published: October 2003

Analysis of the dermo-epidermal surface in three-dimensions has great value in evaluating cosmetics. One approach is based on the active contour model, which is used extensively in computer vision and image processing applications, particularly for local object boundaries with closed curve form. The dermo-epidermal surface, however, is a plane with open form. We have developed a method of automatically extracting the dermo-epidermal surface from volumetric confocal microscopic images, as well as constructing a 3D visual model of the surface by using the geometric information contained in the control points. Our method is a 3D extension of the active contour model, so we call it the active open surface model (AOSM). The initial surface for AOSM is an open curve plane, guided by a 3D internal force, a 3D external constraint force, and a 3D image force, which pull it towards the objective surface. The proposed tecnique has been applied to extract actual dermo-epidermal surface in the given volumetric confocal microscopic images.
Nanofabrication of NSOM Probe on the Cantilever Array
Authors: Choi Seung S. , Jung M. Y. , Chun C. K. , Kim J. W. , Boo J. H. , Yang J. S.
Published: October 2003

In this paper, a new process to fabricate nanosized silicon oxide apertures on a cantilever array is presented. The various semiconductor processes such as alkine etching, stress-dependent thermal oxidation, dilute HF etching and Au sputter deposition were utilized. With the dilute HF etching process, the opening of the nanosized oxide aperture could be fabricated in a controlled manner. The Au thin layer was deposited on the oxide apertures on the cantilever array so that the 160 nm apertures on a (5×1) cantilever array were successfully fabricated.
Width of Raman Line from Porous Silicon Independent of Total Charge Consumed During Anodization
Authors: Ohmukai Masato , Taniguchi Masaki , Tsutsumi Yasuo
Published: October 2003

We investigated the Raman spectra as a function of the total electric charge consumed in forming porous silicon. It was found that the Raman peak shifted to the lower wave number side as the total electric charge increased. However, the width of the Raman line was insensitive to the total electric charge. It shows the size of nanocrystallites can be widely ranged regardless of the degree of electrochemical reactions during anodization.
Calculations on Electronic States in QDs with Saturated Shapes
Authors: Cheng Wei , Ren Shang-Fen
Published: October 2003

Electronic States of Si and Ge QDs of 5 to 3127 atoms with saturated shapes in a size range of 0.57 to 4.92 nm for Si and 0.60 to 5.13 nm for Ge are calculated by using an empirical tight-binding model combined with the irreducible representations of the group theory. The results are compared with those of Si and Ge quantum dots with spherical shape. The effects of the shapes on electronic states in QDs are discussed.
Fluorescence Spectrum of an Atom Interacting with a Quantized Cavity Field with Arbitrary Nonlinearities
Authors: Abdel-Aty Mahmoud , El-Shahat Tarek M. , Obada Abdel-Shafy F.
Published: October 2003

We present a detailed theory of a general formalism of a nonlinear JC-model. In particular we explicitly take into account forms of nonlinearities of both the field and the intensity-dependent atom-field coupling and study the properties of the fluorescence spectrum in this system. The exact solution for time-dependence of the atom-field system is obtained, by means of which we analyze the analytic form of the fluorescence spectrum produced by an atom in an ideal cavity using the transitions among the dressed states of the system. We investigate the influences of the nonlinearities on the fluorescence spectrum, for initial squeezed, thermal and coherent states. It is shown that features of the fluorescence spectrum are significantly influenced by the kinds of nonlinearities of the single-mode field.
Complexity, Networks & Learning: Integrative Themes for Research on Innovation Management
Authors: Tidd Joe
Published: October 2003

Research on the management of innovation has been highly fragmented, and to a large extent non-cumulative. Much of the research has been conducted within three separate disciplines, with relatively little overlap or interaction: the management of research and development or technology; new product development and marketing; and organisational development and change. In this paper, we identify a number of emergent themes which have the potential to integrate these diverse streams of research, and result in a more comprehensive model of the innovation process: complexity, networks and learning. We argue that the innovation process is inherently complex, and therefore we need better characterisations of the technological, market and organisational contingencies which affect the opportunity for innovation. With growing complexity, the focus shifts from competencies based on internal assets such as R&D activities and intellectual property, to the position of a firm within an innovation network and competencies based on its relationships with other organisations. Finally, too much research has been pre-occupied with how firms develop and exploit narrow competencies based on prior experience, rather than how firms acquire new competencies. A focus on organisational learning may provide a richer explanation of the organisational factors which affect the acquisition of new technological and market knowledge.
R&D/Marketing Interface in a Firm's Capability-Building Process: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Firms
Authors: Wang Qing
Published: October 2003

A considerable number of studies have been assembled over the last decade on the management of the R&D/marketing interface in product innovation. Most of these studies focus on the R&D/marketing interface as a self-contained unit of analysis, offering little explanation of the interface's contribution to a firm's competence building in ways essential to innovation success. This paper is based upon research that demonstrates that the importance of the R&D/marketing interface lies in its dynamic capability in influencing the direction of product development projects towards enhancing existing, or building new, competencies. The case study results show that the shared tasks performed by R&D and marketing departments are concentrated in three areas, i.e. corporate conceptual development (CCD), product conceptual development (PCD) and project implementation (Ip). The results reveal that the performance of the cross-functional team in general, and the R&D/marketing interface in particular, during a project's implementation, is heavily dependent on earlier activities in the areas of CCD and PCD. The former usually involves a sustained period of company-wide strategic preparation, which may or may not be directly targetted at a specific project, whilst the latter refers to previous co-operative experience at the project level. The evidence shows that, even when top management attempts to build an instant platform (e.g. by means of heavyweight project management), in the absence of such earlier activities, the effectiveness of this kind of platform has been far from satisfactory, thus pinpointing the vital importance of learning-before-doing in the innovation process.
Learning to Innovate — Korean Style: The Case of Samsung
Authors: Dodgson Mark , Kim Youngsoo
Published: October 2003

Large Korean electronics companies are confronted by the enormous challenges of technological leadership. Past reliance on technology acquired overseas is no longer a viable strategy for those Korean electronics firms which have caught up with the rest of the world in the development of key technologies. No company has faced these challenges more keenly than the $62 billion Samsung Group. From a highly centralised and bureaucratic organisation with almost entirely Korean-based production, Samsung is in the process of transforming itself into the flexible, trans-national organisation necessary to compete in the next century. From a company dependent upon overseas technology and licenses, Samsung has developed advanced R&D capabilities and is developing the innovation management skills needed to compete as a technological leader. This transformation has to occur on a substantial scale and is difficult and incomplete. Samsung has traditionally been a conservative and bureaucratic company: characteristics unhelpful to innovation. This paper analyses the major factors driving the need to improve technology and innovation management in Samsung and the ways in which it is learning to innovate. It describes how this new learning about the need for innovation is beginning to manifest itself in new innovation management practices.
Dialogue with Customers: Secret to Innovation Strategy
Authors: Amidon Debra M.
Published: October 2003

Enterprises are discovering a rededication to customers in ways rarely practised other than by the entrepreneurial firm. However, quality and restructuring methodologies have returned executives to their own raison d'etre by positioning customers at the heart of business survival. At the same time, cross-boundary alliances are demanding new partnering techniques with all stakeholders, including customers. New initiatives are commonplace, but are generally without an understanding that something is fundamentally different between customer satisfaction and the success of your customers. This article introduces the concepts in ways that are easily practised. Simply stated, treat your customers as sources of knowledge, not someone to whom you solely deliver products and services. By practising value-system (rather than value-chain) strategies, companies can take advantage of the business opportunities afforded by a collaborative economy. Similarly, by defining Strategic Business Network (SBN's) rather than Strategic Business Units (SBU's), companies can leverage all available knowledge sources. Most importantly, a symbiotic relationship with consumers, customers or clients can help a company envision products and services for unarticulated needs and unserved markets. Companies which are practising new ways of interfacing with customers are realising significant business results. A profile of customer innovation at Steelcase North America provides an illustration of this new partnering relationship.
Realising the Shift Towads Closed-Loop Recycling: Strategies of the Japanese Firms
Authors: Baba Yasunori , Yarime Masaru , Hatashima Hiroyuki
Published: October 2003

A sign of the shift towards closed-loop recycling has emerged in Japan. By referring to eight firms in the "film with lens", electronic photography, and electric and electronic appliances industries, this paper demonstrates how and why these firms have adopted recycling strategies. Our observation identifies the industrial taxonomy which determines a particular type of corporate strategy, based on three factors: market structure; user characteristics; and technological characteristics. First, a dominant firm, with profits due to the market structure, can bear the cost of recycling privately, while no surplus profits accrue to firms in a competitive market. Second, the type of users, i.e. end users or system users, influences the firm's cost of recovering products. Third, the match between the pace of a product's technological changes and its life-span determines the technological possibility of recycling.
Corporate Governance and Top Management Team Demographic: A Longitudinal Analysis of Their Effects on Innovation
Authors: Steven McMillan G. , Beldona Sam
Published: October 2003

This paper examines the impact that the educational level of a company's outside directors and top management team (TMT) has on the firm's commitment to innovation and its innovation outcomes. A 13-year study of 17 pharmaceutical companies was conducted. The results show that TMT demographics are significant predictors of commitment to innovation, while the demographics of outside directors predict outcomes in innovation. The future research opportunities of these findings are discussed.
Characteristics and Performance of Organisational Change Teams: An Empirical Study of Korean Large Firms
Authors: Park Joon-Ha , Bae Zong-Tae , Lee Jinjoo
Published: October 2003

This study explored direct relationships among top management support as the major organisational context, the characteristics of organisational change team (OCT), and OCT performance. Based on the previous studies on change agents and organisational groups, and the practices of change efforts in Korean large firms, six hypotheses were generated and tested through questionnaires culled from 58 teams among four Korean conglomerate groups. The four OCT characteristics studied were professionalism, functional diversity, team position and team size. By controlling for the group difference, it was found that the professionalism and functional diversity of OCTs were significantly correlated to managers' satisfaction with the OCTs. Beyond our expectations, strategic support of the top management had more direct effects on the performance of the OCTs than the OCT characteristics. This study suggests that getting the strong support of the top management as well as having their own professional knowledge and abilities are very important for OCTs to achieve higher performance.
State Development Strategies for Small Enterprises: The Role of Structural Service Agencies
Authors: Carney Mick
Published: October 2003

How can small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), collectively and individually, improve their capacity to compete in international markets dominated by large, resource-rich firms? Beyond providing financial assistance or market protection, can the state contribute to the development of SME capabilities? The creation of structural service agencies in certain Italian industrial districts suggests that the state may promote the development of specific competencies and capabilities among populations of small firms. This paper describes the logic and operation of structural service agencies, quasi-public organisations, which offer services possessing scale and scope economies to spatially clustered industries. Examples from Asia, North America and Europe are used to illustrate the discussion. The environmental conditions and organisational choices facing agency managers are examined. A transactions costs perspective frames the discussion but also draws upon the literature on organisation trust and industry clustering.
EDI Innovation Patterns and Dimensions
Authors: Drury D. H. , Farhoomand A.
Published: October 2003

Management systems are critical to exploiting technological, process and product innovations. This paper examines the adoption of a particular systems innovation, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This empirical study of 379 organisations compares organisations in the stages of adoption. A systems innovation approach is used in order to examine the internal effects of adoption. The specific issues evaluated are the effects on users regarding satisfaction with training, involvement, participation, and the MIS/User interface. Implementation issues are found to be the principal difference between adopters and non-adopters. Different factors are found to affect the timing of the adoption. Organisation size and systems satisfaction discriminate between early and late adopters. This indicates that future adoptions are likely to be influenced more by a new set of characteristics that are primarily internal rather than external to the organisation. Adoption patterns are found to vary between industries. Adoption choice is affected by the type of pressure experienced by the organisation. The type of pressure is also found to have an impact on internal management practices. Recommendations are made for addressing the internal issues which will be affected by the changing pattern of EDI adoption.
Innovation Management — Is There Still a Role for "Bootlegging"?
Authors: Pearson Alan
Published: October 2003

It has been suggested that "bootlegging" can lead to a special type of bottom-up innovation. Some recent research indicates that bootlegging is being carried out in over 75 per cent of laboratories in technology-based firms. It should therefore have a significant impact on innovation. However, it might be assumed that, by its very nature, it cannot be managed and hence the potential more effectively realised. By definition, it is an activity which does not fit within the normal programmed activity and, in some cases, is actually undertaken against the expressed wishes of the organisation. Using a simple framework which was developed to consider aspects of R&D project management and innovation strategy, it is argued that bootlegging can arise for many different reasons, such as "curiosity", to attack technical problems which have resulted in the disbandment of a project, or to assess markets which the organisation does not believe are viable or is not prepared to consider. If this is the case, one can conclude that the innovative performance of many organisations could be improved if more attention was paid to managing the process.
Mature SMEs and Technological Innovation: Entrepreneurial Networks in the United Kingdom and Portugal
Authors: Jones Oswald , Cardoso Carlos Cabral , Beckinsale Martin
Published: October 2003

This research examines the links between national culture, entrepreneurship, networks and innovation. Both networking and entrepreneurship are seen as central to the innovative capacity of smaller firms. At the same time, the cultural environment in which such firms operate will influence the ability of entrepreneurs to develop new products and processes. We consider these problems by examining five SMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) and five in Portugal. All 10 companies are manufacturing-based and operate in "traditional" (low-technology) sectors. The case studies are utilised as a means of identifying the problems confronting owner/managers in such companies as they try to access newer technologies. We conclude that Portuguese managers are less likely to have been exposed to management education and tend to place greater reliance on family members for creating networks. Hence the options for innovation tend to be much narrower than small firms in the UK.