A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
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| Beta is conventionally the coefficient of
systematic risk used in the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) for considering riskless
assets. Technically, the beta of an investment is the covariance between the investment's
returns and those of the market, divided by the variance of the returns of the
market. To
interpret this, a beta of zero means that there is no systematic risk, while a beta of one
means that the risk is at the same level as the overall market. Beta-Rubicon uses beta as
an index but computes its value using a comparative decision analysis approach rather than
the CAPM mathematical model. |
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| Bioinformatics is the
application of computer technology to biology; a combination of techniques
and models in statistical, computational, and life sciences to understand
the significance of biological data.
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| Biomanufacturing is industrial production using scalable, validated processes that use biotechnological and/or biochemical steps to produce molecules and materials for commercial purposes. (Note: Beta-Rubicon developed this working definition for the National Institute of Standards and Technology for our 2003-2004 Biomanufacturing White Paper project.) | |
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C |
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| Chemoinformatics is
the application of computer technology to chemistry; a combination of
techniques and models in statistical, computational, and analytical
sciences to understand the significance of chemical data. |
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| Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) is a method for transmitting simultaneous signals over a shared portion of the spectrum. The foremost application of CDMA is the digital cellular phone technology from QUALCOMM that operates in the 800MHz band and 1.9GHz PCS band. CDMA is less costly to implement, requiring fewer cell sites than the GSM and TDMA digital cellphone systems and providing three to five times the calling capacity. It provides more than 10 times the capacity of the analog cellphone system. CDMA uses a spread spectrum technique to assign a code to each conversation. After the speech codec converts voice to digital, CDMA spreads the voice stream over the full 1.25MHz bandwidth of the CDMA channel, coding each stream separately so it can be decoded at the receiving end. |
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| Computational Biology
is the mutual application of computers and biology to questions of
biological and medical importance. |
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| Computational
Chemistry is the application of computers in the physical
sciences; an interdisciplinary approach involving theoretical chemistry,
computer sciences, mathematics, and numerical analysis to define research
needs and address challenging problems. |
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Computer Numerical Control (CNC)
is the basis for automated machine tools, such as drills, lathes, and laser cutters that operate from instructions in a program and with control and response to feedback from the machine by a computer. Dedicated microcomputers are programmed using a high-level languages, such as APT, which automatically generate an appropriate tool path (physical motions required to perform the operation). CNC machines are used in manufacturing tasks, such as milling, turning, punching and drilling. |
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D |
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Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is a category of techniques that analyze signals from sources such as sound, weather satellites and earthquake monitors. Signals are converted from analog form into digital data and analyzed using various algorithms such as Fast Fourier Transform. Once a signal has been reduced to numbers its components can be isolated, analyzed and rearranged more easily than in their original analog form. |
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Due Diligence, in the conventional
sense, is an in-depth analysis of the financial and operational
conditions of a company targeted for investment, merger, or
acquisition. It may be as detailed as an accounting audit, but
it is much broader in scope because the operational condition and
efficiency of the target's assets are investigated as well. Due
diligence is used to ascertain the economic values and results
of operations and to express them in financial terms. The
objective is to find, to identify, and to estimate the impact of
purchase price or investment conditions. |
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E |
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e-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and
selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the World Wide Web.
In practice,
this term and a new term, "e-business," are often used
interchangeably. The term "e-tailing" is sometimes used
for online retail selling. |
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F |
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Fuel Cells function in a manner similar to a battery in that both use an electrochemical conversion process. Fuel cells typically take in hydrogen and oxygen (from air) and convert them into electricity and heat. The waste product is water. Some predict fuel cells will be the basis of a large industry in this century, although there are substantial obstacles to overcome. Hydrogen is difficult to store and distribute, and installing hydrogen pumps in every gas station will be a very expensive undertaking. Natural gas, propane and methanol, all of which can be converted into hydrogen, may be candidate fuels as well. |
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G |
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Genomics the scientific
discipline of mapping, sequencing, and analyzing genomes, particularly the
human genome, in an effort to understand the structure and function of
genes. |
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I |
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| Information is stimuli that have meaning
in some context for its receiver. Some (if not all) kinds of information can be converted
into data and then passed on to another receiver. Relative to the computer, we can say that
information is made into data, put into the computer where it is stored and processed as
data, and then put out as data in some form that can be perceived as information. |
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| Information Technology (IT)
is a term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and
use information in its various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images,
motion pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms, including those not yet
conceived). A convenient term for including both telephony and computer technology
in the same word, IT is the technology that is driving what has often been called
"the information revolution." IT includes matters concerned with
furthering computer science and technology, design, development, installation, and implementation
of information systems and applications. |
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| Intellectual
Property (IP) traditionally includes the three legal areas of patents,
trademarks, and copyrights. While not statutory, common usage of
"intellectual property" also includes trade
secrets, potentially patentable works-in-progress, and certain
institutionalized practices and procedures that are maintained on a confidential
basis and that contribute value to an enterprise. As is true of most legal matters, intellectual property
is complicated by overlapping with other legal concerns, particularly
torts and property law. |
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M |
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Metabonomics consists of
metabolite identification dealing with theory and key experimental
features of hyphenating NMR with chromatographic techniques for
bioanalysis. |
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Micro/Nanomachining involves making microminiaturized devices using the same or very similar manufacturing techniques as are employed by the semiconductor industry. |
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Nanotechnology is the science of building devices at the molecular and atomic level. For example, a single data bit might be represented by only one atom some time in the future. Beyond being used in computers and communications devices, nanotechnology could be used to build devices, change the properties of materials, and extensively in biotechnology. |
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P |
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Photonics are systems that generate and transmit light (photons). Most photonic systems use electricity and electronic circuits as their source of energy. Photonics is related to electro-optic technology, that is, the combining of electronics and optics. For example, a laser is pulsed with electricity to produce modulated light pulses to transmit data. |
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Proteomics attempts to
catalog and characterize proteins derived from genetic code, compare
variations in their expression levels under different conditions, study
their interactions, and identify their functional role. See also
Genomics. |
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T |
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| Technology as used by Beta-Rubicon is
carefully defined as applied science, that is, natural science and the scientific method
applied to solving practical problems. It usually considers
at least the potential for
commercial exploitation. Natural sciences, in this context, may include agricultural
sciences, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, information technology, medical science, mathematics, and all fields
of engineering. The social and political sciences are excluded. |
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| Technology Assessment
includes a detailed review and analysis of the technology development proposal
documentation and literature, verification of the representations made by the proponent,
and a reviewer's conference. There must be a review of the technology plan; an evaluation
of the depth of proponent's in-house expertise; and a search and analysis of state of the
art in the proponent's area of technology. In addition, there should be a search and
analysis of related and competitive technologies; a detailed analysis of the technology
and development plans, schedules, budget, and its management capabilities to respond to
the opportunity; and structured interviews with key personnel. Conclusions and
recommendations must be formulated, and full details of methodology, sources, and
references must be documented. |
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| Technology Due Diligence,
as developed and used by Beta-Rubicon, is analogous to classical due diligence but
focuses
on opportunities that are primarily technology-based, technology-driven, or both.
Technology due diligence requires an intimate knowledge of the state of
the art in
technology, as well as of technology trends, R&D management, and management
technology. It requires a high degree of research and scientific sophistication,
teamed with a
well-developed analytical methodology to provide accurate evaluations of the relative
risks and potential rewards of the acquisition of, the merger with, or the investment in
technology-based enterprises. Technology due diligence requires extensive data-gathering and information
extraction capabilities, along with the ability to translate technical details into terms that make
relative potential risks and rewards meaningful to the investment community. |
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| Transforming
Technology is a technology used to implement radical redesigns
of business practices to achieve dramatic improvements in measures of
performance such as cost, quality, service, and timeliness. Transforming technologies are providing the most important means for
substantially modifying existing enterprise operations or for creating new
enterprises by creating new opportunities. A prime transforming
technology is the application of information technologies, such as in the
burgeoning area of e-commerce and in corporate infrastructure resource
upgrading. While there are no fixed rules for ensuring the
effectiveness of transforming technologies, effectiveness consistently
and critically depends on due consideration of human
factors. |
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W |
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WCDMA (Wideband-CDMA) is a third generation (3G) technology that increases data transmission rates in Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications is the digital cellular phone technology |
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| The 1-10-100 Rule is a rule of
thumb that indicates that, if there is a flaw detected and corrected for
$1.00 at the specification or design stage of product development, that
same flaw will cost $10.00 to correct if first detected at the
implementation stage and $100.00 to correct if not detected until after
the product has been delivered. |
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| The 50-50-90 Rule holds
that anytime there is a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there
is a 90% probability of getting it wrong. |
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| The 80/20 Rule is a rule of
thumb that implies that the first 80% of project development work typically takes only 20%
of the time and resources, but the last 20% of the work takes 80% of the time and
resources. |
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