Energy loss due to defect formation from 206Pb recoils in SuperCDMS germanium detectors

The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory studied energy loss associated with defect formation in germanium crystals at mK temperatures using in situ 210Pb sources. We examine the spectrum of 206Pb nuclear recoils near its expected 103 keV endpoint energy and determine an energy loss of (6:08 ± 0:18)%, which we attribute to defect formation. From this result and using TRIM simulations, we extract the first experimentally determined average displacement threshold energy of 19.7+0.6−0.5 eV for germanium. This has implications for the analysis thresholds of future germanium-based dark matter searches

Welche Fähigkeiten benötigen Eltern und Kinder um mit modernen Medien umgehen zu können?

Diese Arbeit greift die Entwicklung der Medien in den letzten Jahren, insbesondere die Konzentration aller medialen Inhalte im Internet auf. Die Frage nach einem reflektierten Umgang der Medien von Kindern, Jugendlichen und Erwachsenen wird gestellt. Ebenso wird die Frage gestellt wie besonders junge Menschen befähigt werden können mit den modernen Medien umzugehen und sich stets selbst reflektieren zu können. Es werden verschiedene Konzepte der Medienkompetenz und der Medienbildung verglichen und die Chancen und Risiken für Politik und Gesellschaft aufgezeigt

Inter-industry generic Lean Six Sigma project definitions

Purpose - The objective of this research is to provide practitioners with inter-industry applicable rules and guidelines for the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project definition phase. This research resulted in 13 inter-industry generic project definitions that are divided by four performance dimensions: quality, dependability, speed and cost efficiency. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 312 previously executed LSS improvement projects in a broad variety of industries at black belt or master black belt level are analyzed. All these projects have followed the LSS methodology and are characterized by the use of critical to quality (CTQ) measurements and the structured improvement method of define, measure, analyse, improve and control for operations improvement. Findings - This research resulted in 13 inter-industry generic project definitions that are divided by four performance dimensions: quality, dependability, speed and cost efficiency. Three factors that have stood out in this research are; the difficulty to capture the performance dimension flexibility in LSS project definitions, the strong focus on internal organizational benefits in defining CTQs for LSS project definitions and the unclear alignment of LSS project definitions to existing strategic objectives of the company. Originality/value - This research established useable generic LSS project definitions including generic CTQ’s measures, applicable to multiple industries. These generic LSS project definitions provide useful guidance in the initial LSS project phase, helping to decompose strategic focal points into clear and measurable project objectives

Lean Six Sigma deployment and maturity models: a critical review

For guidance in implementing Lean Six Sigma (LSS), both the academic and the practitioners’ literature offer deployment models and models for assessing the implementation’s maturity. This paper makes a critical appraisal of the quality and usefulness of a sample of 19 such models. The appraisal follows a set of review criteria developed on the basis of theory. The analyzed models appear disconnected from established theory in organizational development, and the given advice lacks in specificity and operationality. The underlying notion of deployment processes seems an exclusively programmatic view, leaving little room for idiosyncrasy and learning elements. The study signals an important need for scientific insight in the process of implementing approaches such as LSS, and for a more effective translation of established theory in organizational development to forms practitioners can use. The paper also bridges the gap between academic literature on organizational development and practices in the field as codified in practical deployment models, and identifies how the former could have more impact on the latter

Perceptions of Lean Six Sigma: a multiple case study in the financial services industry

From 2001 onward, books and papers about the application of Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in service industries describe typical LSS deployment characteristics, such as the human element. The objective of this paper is to identify which LSS attributes affect employee and management attitudes and how the contextual frame affects this relation during the LSS change initiative. This study was conducted in the financial services industry. The research examines how the attributes of LSS affect attitude in terms of acceptance, contribution, or rejection of the LSS change initiative by managers and employees. A thorough qualitative multiple case study comprising five companies and 25 interviewees is seeking to answer how the attitudes toward the LSS change initiative differ per case. After exhaustive withinand cross-case analysis, theoretical and practitioner conclusions are drawn and the three main findings are discussed: 1) of all aspects of LSS, cost saving is the likely candidate to receive long-lasting attention; 2) the tendency to simplify the accounts of the LSS change initiative forms a fertile basis for misconceptions and extreme interpretations; and 3) the drive required to keep the LSS initiative going comes from a gradual and incremental implementation of LSS. The implications for LSS practitioners and managers implementing a LSS change initiative are discussed