Vertical alignment of process models – how can we get there?

There is a wide variety of drivers for business process modelling initiatives, reaching from business evolution and process optimisation over compliance checking and process certification to process enactment. That, in turn, results in models that differ in content due to serving different purposes. In particular, processes are modelled on different abstraction levels and assume different perspectives. Vertical alignment of process models aims at handling these deviations. While the advantages of such an alignment for inter-model analysis and change propagation are out of question, a number of challenges has still to be addressed. In this paper, we discuss three main challenges for vertical alignment in detail. Against this background, the potential application of techniques from the field of process integration is critically assessed. Based thereon, we identify specific research questions that guide the design of a framework for model alignment.

Vertical displacement measurement using fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors for structural health monitoring of bridges

This thesis developed a practical, cost effective, easy-to-use method for measuring the vertical displacements of bridges using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, which includes the curvature and inclination approaches. These approaches were validated by the numerical simulation tests on a full scale bridge and the laboratory-based tests. In doing so, a novel frictionless FBG inclination sensor with extremely high sensitivity and resolution has also been developed and validated.

Large networks of vertical multi-layer graphenes with morphology-tunable magnetoresistance

We report on the comparative study of magnetotransport properties of large-area vertical few-layer graphene networks with different morphologies, measured in a strong (up to 10 T) magnetic field over a wide temperature range. The petal-like and tree-like graphene networks grown by a plasma enhanced CVD process on a thin (500 nm) silicon oxide layer supported by a silicon wafer demonstrate a significant difference in the resistance-magnetic field dependencies at temperatures ranging from 2 to 200 K. This behaviour is explained in terms of the effect of electron scattering at ultra-long reactive edges and ultra-dense boundaries of the graphene nanowalls. Our results pave a way towards three-dimensional vertical graphene-based magnetoelectronic nanodevices with morphology-tuneable anisotropic magnetic properties. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013.

Plasma break-down and re-build : same functional vertical graphenes from diverse natural precursors

Plasmas, the 4th state of matter, uniformly transform natural precursors with different chemical composition in solid, liquid, and gas states into the same functional vertical graphenes in a single-step process within a few minutes. Functional vertical graphenes show reliable biosensing properties, strong binding with proteins, and improved adhesion to substrates.

Vertical graphene gas- and bio-sensors via catalyst-free, reactive plasma reforming of natural honey

A rapid reforming of natural honey exposed to reactive low-temperature Ar + H2 plasmas produced high-quality, ultra-thin vertical graphenes, without any metal catalyst or external heating. This transformation is only possible in the plasma and fails in similar thermal processes. The process is energy-efficient, environmentally benign, and is much cheaper than common synthesis methods based on purified hydrocarbon precursors. The graphenes retain the essential minerals of natural honey, feature reactive open edges and reliable gas- and bio-sensing performance.

Tuning of magnetization in vertical graphenes by plasma-enabled chemical conversion of organic precursors with different oxygen content

Different magnetization in vertical graphenes fabricated by plasma-enabled chemical conversion of organic precursors with various oxygen atom contents and bonding energies was achieved. The graphenes grown from fat-like precursors exhibit magnetization up to 8 emu g−1, whereas the use of sugar-containing precursors results in much lower numbers. A relatively high Curie temperature exceeding 600 K was also demonstrated.

Structure-controlled, vertical graphene-based, binder-free electrodes from plasma-reformed butter enhance supercapacitor performance

Vertical graphene nanosheets (VGNS) hold great promise for high-performance supercapacitors owing to their excellent electrical transport property, large surface area and in particular, an inherent three-dimensional, open network structure. However, it remains challenging to materialise the VGNS-based supercapacitors due to their poor specific capacitance, high temperature processing, poor binding to electrode support materials, uncontrollable microstructure, and non-cost effective way of fabrication. Here we use a single-step, fast, scalable, and environmentally-benign plasma-enabled method to fabricate VGNS using cheap and spreadable natural fatty precursor butter, and demonstrate the controllability over the degree of graphitization and the density of VGNS edge planes. Our VGNS employed as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes exhibit high specific capacitance up to 230 F g−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1 and >99% capacitance retention after 1,500 charge-discharge cycles at a high current density, when the optimum combination of graphitic structure and edge plane effects is utilised. The energy storage performance can be further enhanced by forming stable hybrid MnO2/VGNS nano-architectures which synergistically combine the advantages from both VGNS and MnO2. This deterministic and plasma-unique way of fabricating VGNS may open a new avenue for producing functional nanomaterials for advanced energy storage devices.

Deterministic control of structural and optical properties of plasma-grown vertical graphene nanosheet networks via nitrogen gas variation

The effect of nitrogen on the growth of vertically oriented graphene nanosheets on catalyst-free silicon and glass substrates in a plasma-assisted process is studied. Different concentrations of nitrogen were found to act as versatile control knobs that could be used to tailor the length, number density and structural properties of the nanosheets. Nanosheets with different structural characteristics exhibit markedly different optical properties. The nanosheet samples were treated with a bovine serum albumin protein solution to investigate the effects of this variation on the optical properties for biosensing through confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. © 2012 Optical Society of America.

Self-organized Au nanoarrays on vertical graphenes : an advanced three-dimensional sensing platform

A three-dimensional surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)/plasmonic sensing platform based on plasma-enabled, catalyst-free, few-layer vertical graphenes decorated with self-organized Au nanoparticle arrays is demonstrated. This platform is viable for multiple species detection and overcomes several limitations of two-dimensional sensors.

Plasma enables edge-to-center-oriented graphene nanoarrays on Si nanograss

The formation of clearly separated vertical graphenenanosheets on silicon nanograss support is demonstrated. The plasma-enabled, two-stage mask-free process produced self-organized vertical graphenes of a few carbon layers (as confirmed by advanced microanalysis), prominently oriented in the substrate center–substrate edge direction. It is shown that the width of the alignment zone depends on the substrate conductivity, and thus the electric field in the vicinity of the growth surface is responsible for the graphene alignment. This finding is confirmed by the Monte Carlo simulations of the ion flux distribution in the silicon nanograss pattern.

Plasma-assisted self-sharpening of platelet-structured single-crystalline carbon nanocones

A mechanism and model for the vertical growth of platelet-structured vertically aligned single-crystalline carbon nanostructures by the formation of graphene layers on a flat top surface are proposed and verified experimentally. It is demonstrated that plasma-related effects lead to self-sharpening of tapered nanocones to form needlelike nanostructures, in a good agreement with the predicted dependence of the radius of a nanocone's flat top on the incoming ion flux and surface temperature. The growth mechanism is relevant to a broad class of nanostructures including nanotips, nanoneedles, and nanowires and can be used to improve the predictability of nanofabrication processes. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Theorizing in design science research : an abstraction layers framework

For Design Science Research (DSR) to gain wide credence as a research paradigm in Information Systems (IS), it must contribute to theory. “Theory cannot be improved until we improve the theorizing process, and we cannot improve the theorizing process until we describe it more explicitly, operate it more self-consciously, and decouple it from validation more deliberately” (Weick 1989, p. 516). With the aim of improved design science theorizing, we propose a DSR abstraction-layers framework that integrates, interlates, and harmonizes key methodological notions, primary of which are: 1) the Design Science (DS), Design Research (DR), and Routine Design (RD) distinction (Winter 2008); 2) Multi Grounding in IS Design Theory (ISDT) (Goldkuhl & Lind 2010); 3) the Idealized Model for Theory Development (IM4TD) (Fischer & Gregor 2011); and 4) the DSR Theorizing Framework (Lee et al. 2011). Though theorizing, or the abstraction process, has been the subject of healthy discussion in DSR, important questions remain. With most attention to date having focused on theorizing for Design Research (DR), a key stimulus of the layered view was the realization that Design Science (DS) produces abstract knowledge at a higher level of generality. The resultant framework includes four abstraction layers: (i) Design Research (DR) 1st Abstract Layer, (ii) Design Science (DS) 2nd Abstract Layer, (iii) DSR Incubation 3rd Layer, and (iv) Routine Design 4th Layer. Differentiating and inter-relating these layers will aid DSR researchers to discover, position, and amplify their DSR contributions. Additionally, consideration of the four layers can trigger creative perspectives that suggest unplanned outputs. The first abstraction layer, including its alternative patterns of activity, is well recognized in the literature. The other layers, however, are less well recognized; and the integrated representation of layers is novel.

ZnO layers for opto-electronic applications from solution-based and low-temperature processing of an organometallic precursor

As printed and flexible plastic electronic gadgets become increasingly viable today, there is a need to develop materials that suit the fabrication processes involved. Two desirable requirements are solution-processable active materials or precursors and low-temperature processability. In this article, we describe a straightforward method of depositing ZnO films by simple spin coating of an organometallic diethylzinc precursor solution and annealing the resulting film at low temperatures (≤200 °C) without involving any synthetic steps. By controlling the humidity in which annealing is conducted, we are able to adjust the intrinsic doping level and carrier concentration in diethylzinc-derived ZnO. Doped or conducting transport layers are greatly preferable to undoped layers as they enable low-resistance contacts and minimize the potential drops. This ability to controllably realize doped ZnO is a key feature of the fabrication process that we describe in this article. We employ field-effect measurements as a diagnostic tool to measure doping levels and mobilities in ZnO and demonstrate that doped ZnO with high charge carrier concentration is ideal for solar cell applications. Respectable power conversion efficiencies (up to 4.5%) are achieved in inverted solar cells that incorporate diethylzinc-derived ZnO films as the electron transport layer and organic blends as the active material. Extensions of this approach to grow ternary and quaternary films with organometallic precursor chemicals will enable solution based growth of a number of semiconductor films as well as a method to dope them.

Vertical graphene nanosheets coated with gold nanoparticle arrays: Effect of inter-particle spacing on optical response

Vertical graphene nanosheets have advantages over their horizontal counterparts, primarily due to the larger surface area available in the vertical systems. Vertical sheets can accommodate more functional particles, and due to the conduction and optical properties of thin graphene, these structures can find niche applications in the development of sensing and energy storage devices. This work is a combined experimental and theoretical study that reports on the synthesis and optical responses of vertical sheets decorated with gold nanoparticles. The findings help in interpreting optical responses of these hybrid graphene structures and are relevant to the development of future sensing platforms.

Asymmetric price range effects on vertical extensions

Vertical line extensions, both step-up and step-down, are common occurrence in consumer products. For example, Timex recently launched its luxury high-end Valentino line. On the other hand, many companies use downscale extensions to increase the overall sales volume. For instance, a number of luxury watch brands recently introduced watch collections with lower price points, like TAG Heur’s affordable watch the Aquaracer Calibre 5. Previous literature on vertical extensions has investigated how number of products in the line (Dacin and Smith 1994), the direction of the extension, brand concept (Kim, Lavack, and Smith 2001), and perceived risk (Lei, de Ruyter, and Wetzels 2008) affect extensions’ evaluation. Common to this literature is the use of models based on adaptation-level theory, which states that all relevant price information is integrated into a single prototype value and used in consumer judgments of price (Helson 1947; Mazumdar, Raj, and Sinha 2005). In the current research we argue that, while adaptation-level theory can be viewed as a useful simplification to understanding consumers’ evaluations, it misses out important contextual influences caused by a brand’s price range. Drawing on research on range-frequency theory (Mellers and Cooke 1994; Parducci 1965) we investigate the effects of price point distance and parent brand’s price range on evaluations of vertical extensions. Our reasoning leads to two important predictions that we test in a series of three experiments...