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Lubricants, such as any types of greases and oils, are usually used to reduce the effect of friction. However, they also have multifunctions that increase the overall performance and application life. To clarify how lubricants decrease friction and reduce friction-related issues, this study evaluated the performance of specific fuel consumption and exhaust emissions (such as hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter) of motorcycle with nanosilica (nano-SiO2) added to the original lubricant. Lubricants with 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 wt.% nano-SiO2 were evaluated after testing their basic properties and conducting tribology tests. The lubricant with 3.5 wt.% nano-SiO2 was the best candidate for the four-stroke engine motorcycle experiments. The results of the tribology experiment with nano-SiO2 lubricant showed that the abrasion loss corresponding to the 3.5 wt.% nano-SiO2 lubricant decreased by an average of 42.43 %. Overall, the 3.5 wt.% nano-SiO2 lubricant improved the effect of lubrication. The primary focus of the current study was the development of nano-SiO2 lubricant technology for applications in industry environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we address the question whether there exists differences in the determinants that support survival versus success of small and medium-sized high-tech firms. We examine this question in the context of Finnish biotechnology industry by analyzing the survival of all dedicated biotechnology firms in the period of 1978-2008. We argue and show that the success and survival of firms are not necessarily driven by similar determinants. Specifically, we find that while the role of different types of alliances, focused market scope as well as legitimacy of the industry seem to be important both in ensuring survival and enhancing successful performance, determinants related to sources of financing, clustering, and patenting show differences in terms of how they relate on survival and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New venture formation by academics has recently been recognized as an important source of knowledge spillover and technology transfer. However, the majority of studies have focused on the factors leading to academic entrepreneurship, while only few study the performance of these ventures. Moreover, this strand of the literature has focused solely on start-ups by university faculty. This study adds to these by including university graduates in the definition of academic entrepreneurs and controlling for the industry environment in which the new venture is founded; both aspects, which are recommended in recent studies. Longitudinal register data combined with responses from 1,151 first-time entrepreneurs in 2004 are used to explore the self-selection of individuals into certain industry environments and their subsequent performance-survival and growth-in the chosen environment. This study works from the hypothesis that university education (technical and non-technical) and industry experience increase new venture performance in high-profit and high-uncertainty industries, respectively, because of increased knowledge and skills; in addition, education and experience engender higher absorptive capacities and adaptability. The analysis controls for personal traits, social capital, and financial capital. Technical academics are found to perform better in both profitable and uncertain industries, whereas non-technical academics perform better only in profitable industries. Nevertheless, both types of academics are more likely to enter uncertain industries. The absorptive capacities of technical academics make these individuals particularly important in technology transfers to new ventures in unstable environments, which are important in developed economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]