What Christian Leaders Can Learn From Lean

The term “Lean” was coined by researchers at MIT in the 1980s to describe the methods developed by Toyota in post-war Japan to first survive, then thrive, and ultimately dominate the global automotive industry. Beyond shop floor techniques for setup reduction or just-in-time inventory control, Lean evolved into a management system with principles that apply in any context. This paper presents the foundational principles of Lean and explores their striking similarities with biblical teachings. These similarities are both noteworthy and surprising, since Lean was developed in a non-Christian cultural and religious context. We contend that Christian leaders can learn from Lean and suggest ways of applying Lean principles that will strengthen their work, be it in business, ministry or church

Evidence for a Crossover from Multiple Trapping to Percolation in the High-Temperature Electrical Conductivity of Mn-doped LaCroO₃

We explain the deep electrical conductivity minimum near x=0.05 in the perovskite-type ceramic LaCr1-xMnxO3 as a crossover between two different regimes of hopping conduction. At low Mn concentrations the diffusion of small polarons among Cr ions is limited by multiple trapping at energetically lower Mn sites. At higher concentrations a percolating path of Mn sites forms and direct transport between Mn ions dominates the conduction process

Transport Anomalies in the High-Temperature Hopping Conductivity and Thermopower of Sr-doped La(Cr,Mn)O,₃

A minimum exists in the electrical conductivity of the perovskite-type ceramic LaCr1-xMnxO3 as a function of Mn content near x=0.05. This minimum has been explained in terms of a crossover from multiple trapping to percolation among energetically lower Mn sites. In this paper electrical conductivity and Seebeck measurements are presented on a similar series in which 10 mol % Sr was substituted for La in order to increase the small polaron concentration through the compensation of Sr ions according to the Verway mechanism. The data suggests that there is an apparent suppression of the Verway compensation mechanism in all Mn-doped samples. The hopping crossover observed in the Sr-free series is retained with Sr doping, although the position and depth of the electrical-conductivity minimum are altered. Difficulties in the present understanding and interpretation of the electrical conductivity and Seebeck measurements as a function of Mn and Sr content in these materials are discussed. An electronic structure is suggested, which seems to resolve many of these problems

Cigarette smoking worsens systemic inflammation in persons with metabolic syndrome

Background Emerging data suggests that the combination of smoking and metabolic syndrome (MetS) markedly increases cardiovascular disease risk well beyond that of either condition. In this study we assess if this interaction can be explained by an additive increase in the risk of systemic inflammation by MetS and cigarette smoking. Methods We evaluated 5,503 healthy non-diabetic Brazilian subjects (mean age of 43 ± 10 years, 79% males). Participants were divided into sub-groups of smokers and non-smokers with or without MetS. High-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) was measured to assess degree of underlying inflammation. Results Overall (19%) had hs-CRP \u3e 3 mg/L. In adjusted regression analyses, compared to non-smokers, there was a 0.19 mg/L (95% CI: 0.05, 0.32) increase in hs-CRP among smokers in the entire population and 0.63 mg/L (95% CI: 0.26, 1.01) increase among smokers with MetS while there was no significant increase among smokers without MetS (β = 0.09 95% CI: -0.05, 0.24). In a fully adjusted logistic regression model, smokers compared to non-smokers were 55% more likely to have elevated hs-CRP in the entire population (OR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.92) and more than twice as likely to have elevated hs-CRP if they had MetS ( OR 2.05, 95% CI: 1.40, 3.01) while the risk was non-significant among those without MetS (OR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.98, 1.69). Conclusion The study demonstrates an additive effect of cigarette smoking on the risk of systemic inflammation in MetS thus highlighting the need for determining smoking status among those with MetS and aggressively targeting smoking cessation in this population