Study for a failsafe trigger generation system for the Large Hadron Collider beam dump kicker magnets

The 27 km-particle accelerator Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which will be completed at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) in 2005, will work with extremely high beam energies (~334 MJ per beam). Since the equipment and in particular the superconducting magnets must be protected from damage caused by these high energy beams the beam dump must be able to absorb this energy very reliable at every stage of operation. The kicker magnets that extract the particles from the accelerator are synchronised with the beam by the trigger generation system. This thesis is a first study for this electronic module and its functions. A special synchronisation circuit and a very reliable electronic switch were developed. Most functions were implemented in a Gate-Array to improve the reliability and to facilitate modifications during the test stage. This study also comprises the complete concept for the prototype of the trigger generation system. During all project stages reliability was always the main determinant for the chosen circuit design

Namen und Informationsmodellierung in frühneuhochdeutschen Bergbaudokumenten

Names perform a key function in texts: through their direct reference to extra-linguistic objects, they provide immediate information about who is doing what, who is affected by what, and about the places involved. Thus, names also play a key role in the computer-based processing of texts. For the use of semantic technologies, names and definite descriptions must be marked up in texts. This set of references to extra-linguistic objects is largely subsumed beneath the term ‚named entities‘ (NE) in information technology. This paper discusses, first, the technical processes, methods and possible ways of representing the contexts of large sets of names/named entities and, second, the challenges posed by allonymic and orthographic variants of names in text processing. Third, the substantive focus is on the differentiation between name and definite description in the Early High German mining documents „Schwazer Berglehenbuch“ and „Verleihbuch der Rattenberger Bergrichter“, which provide information on individuals, places, mines and dates linked by the legal act of lending

Branding instead of product innovation: a study on the brand personalities of the UK’s electricity market

This study extends understanding of and demonstrates the importance of corporate branding in the energy sector. We analyse the relationship between branding and consumer switching behaviour among the UK’s Big Six electricity providers. Since privatisation companies have competed against each other, but to the consumer they often appear to have very similar product offerings; firms also face criticism from consumer groups regarding confusing and difficult to compare pricing schemes. This study examines the use of corporate branding to enhance differentiation and specifically examines the influence of brand consistency and brand personality on the retention of customers. Consumers, who find it difficult to compare tariffs, may be influenced by more demonstrable factors like branding. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal brand consistency, as well as the personality dimension Excitement, which when communicated strongly has the greatest influence on customer retention levels. This work contributes to branding theory, demonstrating that brand personality does differentiate otherwise homogeneous (and low-contact) services. Managerial implications are presented for brands seeking to improve consumer retention

The use and misuse of student samples: An empirical investigation of European marketing research

In spite of the five decade old debate on the merits of student samples, to date, no systematic review of the practice is undertaken. The need for such a review is warranted considering the impasse in the debate and inconsistencies among scholars in their approach to student sample usage. This paper thus presents a systematic review of student sample usage in European Marketing Research (EJM, IJRM and IMR during 2005–2014, inclusive) to highlight existing reporting practices, identify sub-domains of marketing where the usage is more prevalent and to report best practices. Results demonstrate that 99 (19.96 per cent) papers making generalization claims used student samples exclusively, had inconsistent reporting practices (e.g. demographic profile, limitations) and demonstrated trivial concern (e.g. bias estimation treatment, identification of moderators) for the implications of student sample usage on their study findings. In addition, 11 clusters representing sub-domains of marketing research and where the practice is prevalent are identified. These clusters provide novel direction to the debate on student sample usage by framing it away from the broader discipline of marketing and bringing it closer to the interests of scholars, i.e. linking it to sub-domains of marketing research. Finally, best practices related to student samples usage are reported to help academicians enhance the validity of their findings. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Branding Instead of Product Innovation: A Study on the Brand Personalities of the UK's Electricity Market

This study extends understanding of and demonstrates the importance of corporate branding in the energy sector. We analyse the relationship between branding and consumer switching behaviour among the UK’s Big Six electricity providers. Since privatisation companies have competed against each other, but to the consumer they often appear to have very similar product offerings; firms also face criticism from consumer groups regarding confusing and difficult to compare pricing schemes. This study examines the use of corporate branding to enhance differentiation and specifically examines the influence of brand consistency and brand personality on the retention of customers. Consumers, who find it difficult to compare tariffs, may be influenced by more demonstrable factors like branding. We demonstrate the importance of longitudinal brand consistency, as well as the personality dimension Excitement, which when communicated strongly has the greatest influence on customer retention levels. This work contributes to branding theory, demonstrating that brand personality does differentiate otherwise homogeneous (and low-contact) services. Managerial implications are presented for brands seeking to improve consumer retention