Der Einfluss kultureller Unterschiede beim IT-Offshoring

Recently, offshoring of information systems (IS) services to external vendors has seen considerable growth. Outsourcing to vendors in foreign countries causes unique challenges which need to be understood and managed effectively. This paper explores cultural differences in IS offshoring arrangements involving German client organizations that outsource application development activities to Indian vendors. For this purpose, a research framework is developed based on both theoretical considerations and specific empirical observations from multiple case studies. The goal is to (1) explore the nature of cultural differences in offshoring arrangements in depth and to (2) analyze the relationship between those cultural differences and offshoring success.     

SMRs – overview,international developments,safety features and the GRS simulation chain

The Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) gGmbH as the main technical support organization for the German Federal Government in nuclear safety has been dealing with small modular reactors (SMRs) for about one decade since SMRs are one interesting option for new builds in most countries worldwide which continue to use nuclear energy for commercial electricity production. Currently four different SMR designs are in operation, four in construction, one is licensed, and further 12 are in a licensing process. In this paper, definitions, history, and current developments of SMRs are presented. Subsequently, selected trends of SMR development such as factory fabrication and transport, compactness and modularity, core design, improved core cooling, exclusion of accidents, features for preventing and limiting the impact of severe accidents, economic viability, competitiveness and licensing are discussed. Modeling gaps of the GRS simulation chain programs with a view to applications in nuclear licensing procedures are identified and a strategy for closing these gaps is presented. Finally, selected work on the extension and improvement of the simulation chain and first generic test analyses are presented.     

Demontage von Komposit-Bauteilen – Potenzial energetischer Materialien zur Demontage von Rotorblättern

Rotor blades of wind turbines are a challenge for recycling due to the composite materials used and their large-volume construction. The article presents a new approach for the disassembly of composite components with energetic materials. The results illustrate the different disassembly effects of detonating cords and cutting charges as well as the dependence on the material fractions, the material thickness, the layer structure or even the fibre architecture.     

Alkaline hydrogels as ion-conducting coupling material for electrochemical chloride extraction

One method to rehabilitate chloride-contaminated reinforced concrete structures is electrochemical chloride extraction, by which chloride ions are extracted from the pore system of the concrete using an externally applied voltage. Although many factors influence the efficacy of electrochemical chloride extraction, a number of these, such as the concrete cover and the chloride profile, are predefined by the structure. One factor with major influence that can be improved is the coupling material. In this contribution, we present a suitable coupling material in the form of a highly alkaline hydrogel, with which the applied voltage can be reduced from 40–50 to 1 V under laboratory conditions. The reduction is due to the high conductivity of the gel and its excellent electrolytic contact with concrete. In a field test on chloride-infested car-park columns, more than 95% of the chloride could be extracted with 2–3 cycles, each comprising of 21 days of extraction and 7 days of rest. During the entire treatement, the gel did not require any attending to, such as replacing evaporated moisture.     

Solvent extraction and separation of light rare earth elements (La,Pr and Nd) in the presence of lactic acid as a complexing agent by Cyanex 272 in kerosene and the effect of citric acid,acetic acid and Titriplex Ⅲ as auxiliary agents

At present, the use of rare earth elements(REEs) has become an inevitable necessity in many modern industries. In general, liquid extraction is the best commercial method for extracting REEs due to its ability to control high volumes of liquids with electrical load. With the aim of improving a separation technology that would be superior to the existing extraction systems, the extraction behaviors of La(Ⅲ),Pr(Ⅲ), and Nd(Ⅲ) from an HCI medium with Cyanex 272 in the presence of the complexing agent lactic acid(HLac) and auxiliary agents citric acid(H_3 Cit), acetic acid(HAc), and Titriplex Ⅲ have been reported.The effect of pH and lactic acid concentration has been examined. The use of lactic acid as a complexing agent leading to a high extraction of REEs with Cyanex 272 at pH = 5 was compared with systems without lactic acid. The results show that the use of acetic acid along with lactic acid leads to an increase in the extraction percentage of LREEs. While use of citric acid and Titriplex Ⅲ reduces the extraction percentage of LREEs. Finally, the presence of Titriplex Ⅲ together with lactic acid could lead to an increase in the separation factor of Pr and Nd.     

Power and area efficient MOSFET-C filter for very low frequency applications

New circuit design techniques for implementing very high-valued resistors are presented, significantly improving power and area efficiency of analog front-end signal processing in ultra-low power biomedical systems. Ranging in value from few hundreds of M\Upomega\hbox{M}\Upomega to few hundreds of G\Upomega\hbox{G}\Upomega, the proposed floating resistors occupy a very small area, and produce accurately tunable characteristics. Using this approach, a low-pass MOSFET-C filter with tunable cutoff frequency (f _C  = 20 Hz–184 kHz) has been implemented in a conventional 0.18 μm CMOS technology. Occupying 0.045 mm²/pole, the power consumption of this filter is 540 pW/Hz/pole with a measured IMFDR of 70 dB.     

N‐Type Self‐Assembled Monolayer Field‐Effect Transistors and Complementary Inverters

This work describes n‐type self‐assembled monolayer field‐effect transistors (SAMFETs) based on a perylene derivative which is covalently fixed to an aluminum oxide dielectric via a phosphonic acid linker. N‐type SAMFETs spontaneously formed by a single layer of active molecules are demonstrated for transistor channel length up to 100 μm. Highly reproducible transistors with electron mobilities of 1.5 × 10^?3 cm² V^?1 s^?1 and on/off current ratios up to 10⁵ are obtained. By implementing n‐type and p‐type transistors in one device, a complimentary inverter based solely on SAMFETs is demonstrated for the first time.     

Die zweite Geo‐Geum‐Brücke in Südkorea – Schrägkabelbrücke und Vorlandbrücke für Straßenverkehr mit Verbundfachwerkträger

The 2nd Geo Geum Grand Bridge in Korea – cable‐stayed bridge and approach bridge with composite truss girder for roadway traffic. The 2nd Geo Geum Grand Bridge forms part of the fixed connection from the mainland to the Island of Geo Geum in South Korea (Fig. 1). This high level crossing is composed of a 912 m long approach viaduct and a 1116 m long stay cable bridge with a main span of 480 m. The approach viaduct is a continuous girder with regular spans of 120 m. The superstructure of both bridges is a composite truss girder bridge, which carries a 2 lane highway on top and a pedestrian and bicycle way on the lower deck. The main design considerations were function as a high‐way, innovation in design and visual harmony with its surround‐ings. The stay cables are arranged in a single plane at the centre of the bridge, their semi‐fan arrangement with bundled configur‐ation gives a very special and unique appearance.     

Comparison of p-n junction and inversion-layer silicon solar cells by means of experiment and simulation

Inversion-layer solar cells can be fabricated on crystalline silicon in a time- and energy-efficient way. In this article we experimentally investigate inversion layer cells of the type developed in the 1980s at the University of Erlangen. The best cell has an independently confirmed one-sun efficiency of 15.7%, the highest reported to date for this simple cell technology. In order to gain insight into the performance-limiting mechanisms, these cells are compared to p-n junction cells fabricated on identical substrates. Subsequently, the impact of the most important emitter parameters on the performance of both cell types is determined by means of two-dimensional numerical modelling. These simulations reveal that inversion-layer cells can principally produce the same efficiencies (> 23%) as p-n junction cells, provided the emitter parameters are properly adjusted and the front contact is of a sufficiently high quality. Therefore, a research project is presently under way at ISFH aiming at an improvement of inversion-layer cell efficiency above 18%. The basis for these new cells is the fact that silicon nitride films deposited at higher temperatures (∼400°C) demonstrate strongly improved passivation properties compared to the present 250° C silicon nitride films.