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Tremendous Amount (tremendous + amount)
Selected AbstractsGenetically Engineered: Why Some Venture Capital Firms Are More Successful Than OthersENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009Jennifer M. Walske While venture capital has received a tremendous amount of attention, prior research has predominantly looked at venture capital firms (VCFs) post raising their first fund. In this paper, we move the point of analysis back further and ask what type of founding team experience best predicts VCF success, controlling for firm strategy, firm size, and the environment upon which the firm was born. Empirical results show that venture capital, senior management, and consulting experience aids VCF success, while entrepreneurial experience impedes it. None of the control variables affect a VCF's ability to raise subsequent funds. [source] CMP wastewater management using the concepts of design for environmentENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, Issue 1 2002Gordon C. C. YangArticle first published online: 20 APR 200 Application of design for environment (DfE) concepts to management of wastewater from chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes are presented in this paper. Today, DfE is a prevailing concept and is widely adopted by advanced nations in lieu of the traditional "command and control" approach to control waste and toxic emissions. Designing environmentally-benign processes and products is a new and challenging frontier for engineering professionals, including those in the semiconductor industry. An insatiable need for water and subsequent wastewater treatment has imposed a chilling effect on semiconductor industry growth. It was estimated that semiconductor producers consumed more than 5.523 × 108 m3 of water in 2000. Of this amount, CMP processes accounted for 40% of the total. The CMP tool market and CMP slurry market are estimated to have 36% and 29% annual growth rates, respectively between 2000 and 2005. Inevitably, a tremendous amount of waste slurry and post-CMP rinse water will be generated and have to be managed properly. CMP wastewater is characterized by its high content of suspended solids having sub-micron particle sizes, high turbidity, and high conductivity. Traditional wastewater treatment technologies, such as chemical coagulation/precipitation, do not work well for CMP wastewater, because it would generate a large volume of sludge, which might cause disposal problems in many countries, such as Taiwan. Therefore, utilizing pollution prevention principles in the design of CMP tools, development of new CMP slurries, and improved plant operations are necessary to minimize environmental damage. Reclamation of process water is also a common requirement in the semiconductor industry. To this end, several alternatives for source reduction of CMP wastewater and water reclamation are presented in this paper. [source] Empirical Bayes estimators and non-parametric mixture models for space and time,space disease mapping and surveillanceENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 5 2003Dankmar Böhning Abstract The analysis of the geographic variation of disease and its representation on a map is an important topic in epidemiological research and in public health in general. Identification of spatial heterogeneity of relative risk using morbidity and mortality data is required. Frequently, interest is also in the analysis of space data with respect to time, where typically data are used which are aggregated in certain time windows like 5 or 10 years. The occurrence measure of interest is usually the standardized mortality (morbidity) ratio (SMR). It is well known that disease maps in space or in space and time should not solely be based upon the crude SMR but rather some smoothed version of it. This fact has led to a tremendous amount of theoretical developments in spatial methodology, in particular in the area of hierarchical modeling in connection with fully Bayesian estimation techniques like Markov chain Monte Carlo. It seems, however, that at the same time, where these theoretical developments took place, on the practical side only very few of these developments have found their way into daily practice of epidemiological work and surveillance routines. In this article we focus on developments that avoid the pitfalls of the crude SMR and simultaneously retain a simplicity and, at least approximately, the validity of more complex models. After an illustration of the typical pitfalls of the crude SMR the article is centered around three issues: (a) the separation of spatial random variation from spatial structural variation; (b) a simple mixture model for capturing spatial heterogeneity; (c) an extension of this model for capturing temporal information. The techniques are illustrated by numerous examples. Public domain software like Dismap is mentioned that enables easy mixture modeling in the context of disease mapping. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Effects of Market Segmentation and Bank Concentration on Mutual Fund Expenses and Returns: Evidence from FinlandEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2004Timo P. Korkeamaki G15; G18; G20 Abstract A tremendous amount of research examines US mutual funds, but fund markets also thrive in other countries. However, research about these fast growing markets is lacking. This study addresses Finnish funds. Fast growth of the Finnish fund industry, strong bank dominance in the industry and recent EU membership make it an interesting market to examine. The Finnish fund market is also of particular interest since it had the fastest growth among the EU countries during 1996,2000. We find evidence that bank-managed and older funds charge higher expenses but investors are not compensated for paying higher expenses with higher risk-adjusted returns, suggesting a potential agency problem. Overall, Finnish fund expenses have decreased over time, consistent with EU membership reducing market segmentation and generating competition. [source] State of the Art: Catheter Ablation of Atrial FibrillationJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 6 2008MATTHEW WRIGHT M.B.B.S., Ph.D. Curative treatment of atrial fibrillation with catheter ablation is now a legitimate option for a large number of patients. In the last decade a tremendous amount has been discovered about this fascinating arrhythmia, yet there is still much that is understood. A number of different ablation strategies have been used including pulmonary vein isolation, targeting of fractionated electrograms, compartmentalising the atria with linear lesions and various combinations and modifications of these lesion sets. The optimal ablation strategy for both paroxysmal and long-lasting persistent atrial fibrillation is unknown. In this review the possible mechanisms underlying atrial fibrillation are examined along with the current catheter ablation techniques used in the treatment atrial fibrillation. [source] Liposomes in investigative dermatologyPHOTODERMATOLOGY, PHOTOIMMUNOLOGY & PHOTOMEDICINE, Issue 5 2001Daniel B. Yarosh Liposomes are microscopic spheres, usually composed of amphiphilic phospholipids. They may be useful without skin penetration if they simply protect or sequester compounds that would otherwise be unstable in the formulation. Liposomes that remain on the skin surface are useful as light-absorbers, agents to deliver color or sunscreens, or as depots for timed-release. Liposomes that penetrate the stratum corneum have the potential to interact with living tissue. Topically applied liposomes can either mix with the stratum corneum lipid matrix or penetrate the stratum corneum by exploiting the lipid-water interface of the intercellular matrix. There are at least four major routes of entry into the skin: pores, hair follicles, columnular spaces and the lipid:water matrix between squames. A major force driving liposome penetration is the water gradient, and flexible liposomes are best able to exploit these delivery opportunities. Some liposomes release their contents extracellularly. Topical application of photosensitizers may be enhanced by encapsulation in liposomes. Higher and longer-lasting drug concentrations may be produced in localized areas of skin, particularly at disease sites where the stratum corneum and the skin barrier function are disrupted. The liposome membrane should be designed to capture lipophilic drugs in the membrane or hydrophilic drugs in the interior. Other types of liposomes can be engineered to be taken up by cells. Once inside cells, the lysosomal sac and clatherin-coated pit are the dead-end destinations for liposomes unless an escape path has been engineered into the liposome. A novel method has been developed to allow delivery into cells of the skin, by escape from the lysosomal sac. These liposomes have been used to topical deliver active DNA repair enzymes from liposomes into epidermal cells and to enhance DNA repair of UV-irradiated skin. From these studies a tremendous amount has been learned about the relationship of DNA damage and skin cancer. Both mutations and immunosuppression appear to be essential to skin cancer and both are induced by DNA damage. DNA damage produces immediate effects by inducing the expression of cytokines, which means that DNA damage can induce signaling in neighboring, undamaged cells. The repair of only a fraction of the DNA damage has a disproportionate effect on the biological responses, clearly demonstrating that not all DNA damage is equivalent. This technology demonstrates that biologically active proteins can be delivered into the cells of skin, and opens up a new field of correcting or enhancing skin cell metabolism to improve human health. [source] Martin Stutzmann: Editor, Teacher, Scientist and FriendPHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 2 2005Manuel Cardona On 2 January 1995 Martin Stutzmann became Editor-in-Chief of physica status solidi, replacing Professor E. Gutsche, who had led the journal through the stormy period involving the fall of the Iron Curtain, the unification of Germany and the change in its Eastern part, where physica status solidi was based, from "socialism as found in the real world" (a German concept) to real world capitalism. In 1995 it was thought that the process had been completed (we should have known better!) and after the retirement of Prof. Gutsche the new owners of physica status solidi (Wiley-VCH) decided that a change in scientific management was desirable to adapt to the new socio-political facts and to insure the scientific continuity of the journal. Martin had moved in 1993 from my department at the Max-Planck-Institute to Munich where he soon displayed a tremendous amount of science man- agement ability during the build-up of the Walter Schottky Institute. The search for a successor as Edi- tor-in-Chief was not easy: the job was not very glamorous after the upheavals which had taken place in the editorial world following the political changes. Somebody in the Editorial Boards must have suggested Martin Stutzmann. I am sure that there was opposition: one usually looks for a well-established person ready to leave his direct involvement in science and take up a new endeavor of a more administrative nature. Nevertheless, the powers that be soon realized that Martin was an excellent, if somewhat unconventional candidate who had enough energy to remain a topnotch scientist and to lead the journal in the difficult times ahead: he was offered the job. In the negotiations that followed, he insisted in getting the administrative structures that would allow him to improve the battered quality of the journal and to continue his scientific productivity. Today we are happy to see that he succeeded in both endeavors. The journal has since grown in size and considerably improved its quality. Martin Stutzmann's scientific output has continued and today he can be found listed among the 400 most cited physicists worldwide. According to the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) he has published nearly 400 articles in source journals; they have been cited over 4600 times. His scientific visibility has been partly responsible for the success of the journal under his leadership. When he took over in 1995 the Impact Factors of physica status solidi (a) and (b) were about 0.5. Now they oscillate around 1.0. The journals occupy places 30 (a) and 29 (b) among the 57 condensed matter publications listed in the ISI. Six years ago these places were 34 (a) and 30 (b). The journal is even better placed with respect to the so-called cited half-life which is 8.2 years for pss (a) (place 16 among 57) and 6.7 years for pss (b) (place 20 among 57). Martin, of course, has contributed with his original publications to the success of the journal, having published 36 articles in pss(a) and 32 in pss(b). I would like to some of the editorial decisions implemented under Martin's leadership. They have been largely responsible for the quantitative improvements just described. Martin introduced international standards of peer review, usually involving two anonymous referees: The increase of the rejection rate from ca. 20% to 60% followed. He discontinued the Short Notes, which had become nearly irrelevant, and replaced them, in 1997 by Rapid Research Notes (today Rapid Research Letters) with especially strict reviewing rules and a rather attractive layout. Martin's participation in many international conferences and their organization gave him a handle to acquire the publication of conference proceedings. Organizing committees usually prefer publication in international journals rather than special books because of their guaranteed future availability in libraries and the partaking in the reviewing procedure. The journal became increasingly popular along these lines, a fact which moved Martin to launch in 2002 part (c) of the journal, devoted mainly, but not exclusively, to conference articles. Martin also introduced the publication of Feature Articles, topical issues, and the instrument of the Editor's Choice to highlight articles deemed to be especially interesting. He appointed Regional Editors (6 at this point) which represent the journal in important geographic regions. He also brought the journal online, a must these days. The upheavals that followed the collapse of most of the communist world, the rapid development of science in many emerging nations and the enhanced competitiveness, even in the developed countries, have not ebbed out. Some of them are particular damaging to the reputation of science in a world increasingly skeptical of its values. I am thinking of scientific misconduct and outright fraud, in the form of plagiarism and data fabrication. physica status solidi was also afflicted by this plague: after all, it happened in the best of families. Two of the most notorious offenders of the past decade, J. H. Schön and Y. Park, also visited physica status solidi. In two courageous editorials Martin Stutzmann and Stefan Hildebrandt (Managing Editor of the journal) rapidly exposed these cases of misconduct together with other cases in which there was also good reason to suspect misconduct. Some of the articles involved were rapidly retracted by the authors, others were not. It is reassuring to say that none of them had any impact worth mentioning (1,3 citations, mostly by the authors themselves or in the editorials just mentioned). Only few journal editors dared to convey to the readers a warning that some work of those authors may be faulty even if no air-tight proof was available. However, Martin and Stefan did. We wish that Martin will remain at the helm at least another decade, before he switches to research on the liquid state as practiced in Southern France. [source] ICPLQuant , A software for non-isobaric isotopic labeling proteomicsPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 2 2010Achim Brunner Abstract The main goal of many proteomics experiments is an accurate and rapid quantification and identification of regulated proteins in complex biological samples. The bottleneck in quantitative proteomics remains the availability of efficient software to evaluate and quantify the tremendous amount of mass spectral data acquired during a proteomics project. A new software suite, ICPLQuant, has been developed to accurately quantify isotope-coded protein label (ICPL)-labeled peptides on the MS level during LC-MALDI and peptide mass fingerprint experiments. The tool is able to generate a list of differentially regulated peptide precursors for subsequent MS/MS experiments, minimizing time-consuming acquisition and interpretation of MS/MS data. ICPLQuant is based on two independent units. Unit 1 performs ICPL multiplex detection and quantification and proposes peptides to be identified by MS/MS. Unit 2 combines MASCOT MS/MS protein identification with the quantitative data and produces a protein/peptide list with all the relevant information accessible for further data mining. The accuracy of quantification, selection of peptides for MS/MS-identification and the automated output of a protein list of regulated proteins are demonstrated by the comparative analysis of four different mixtures of three proteins (Ovalbumin, Horseradish Peroxidase and Rabbit Albumin) spiked into the complex protein background of the DGPF Proteome Marker. [source] The evolution of the gas content of galaxy groupsASTRONOMISCHE NACHRICHTEN, Issue 9-10 2009E.M. Wilcots Abstract We examine multiple facets of the evolution of the gas content of galaxy groups. Complementing building evidence that a tremendous amount of galaxy transformation takes place in the group environment we find evidence of similar transformation of the gas content. In dynamically young groups galaxy-galaxy interactions appear to be responsible for depositing large quantities of neutral gas into the intergalactic medium. The gas content of dynamically evolved groups, however, is characterized by extended halos of diffuse hot gas. We also find that groups may harbor significant quantities of heretofore undetected baryons and that feedback from AGN may be responsible for heating the intragroup medium (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] | ||||||||||||||||