An almost learning curve model for manual assembly performance improvement

In this paper, an almost learning curve (ALC) model is presented. This provides a more accurate approximation of the production data than the traditional log-linear learning curve model. The proposed ALC model is based on the solution of differential equations and still has all the necessary log-linear learning curve function properties. The ALC model was tested on the wiring harness manufacturer production data. Findings suggest that the ALC model approximates data accurately and is superior to the classical learning curve (CLC) for various manufacturing situations. Moreover, the use of the ALC showed an additional insight into the analysis of learning and skill development

Effects of contextual socioeconomic stressors on adolescents: mediation and moderation by marital and parent-child relationships

This study presents different methods of longitudinal data analysis used to model continuity and change in family research. Innovative modeling techniques such as auto-regressive models, cross-lagged models, latent growth curves, interlocking growth trajectories, latent class growth analysis, and general mixture modeling are used to model the mechanisms in the family stress model. According to the family stress paradigm, negative stressors such as economic stress, work-related stress, and negative life events lead to poor mental health in parents, negatively impact the marital relationship, and undermine effective parenting. In turn, poor parental mental health, marital distress, and ineffective parenting are expected to have a cumulative negative impact on adolescent well-being. The purpose of this study is to explore the mechanisms through which contextual socioeconomic stressors may negatively impact parental and adolescent mental health and undermine effective parenting skills among single-parent mothers. It was expected that the negative effects of these distal stressors on children are mediated through their parents. In addition, this study investigates the possible role of spousal support from the single-mothers\u27 former spouse as moderator of these contextual stressors. Specifically, it was expected that a positive relationship with the former spouse will significantly buffer the effects of these negative stressors on parenting and on the mental health of the single mothers and their adolescent children. The implications of such findings would be that the benefits of positive spousal support may not be limited to married couples. Rather, divorced parents may also benefit from receiving support from their former spouses, particularly in the form of supportive parenting. Hence, the long-term outlook on the well-being and parenting effectiveness of divorced single-parents does not necessarily have to be as bleak as many make it out to be

Modelling Operative and Routine Learning Curves in Manoeuvres in Locks and in Transit in the Expanded Panama Canal

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade da Coruña/CISUG[Abstract] Piloting in the Panama Canal is exceptional as, due to its importance, the functions of the captains of vessels are taken over by pilots. Hence, prior to inauguration of the expanded canal, a limited number of pilots experienced on the existing canal were certified for the transit of Neopanamax vessels by means of planned and innovative individual learning. After this organisational training through operative training, with the implementation of the expanded canal in June 2016, the routine training started. Hence the learning curve in the performance of these manoeuvres will represent the growing skill acquired by both the pilots and the organisation. Given that the learning effect is measurable, this paper has the dual objective of determining two curve models: the organisation operative learning curve model and the routine learning curve model for pilots performing transit manoeuvres in the expanded Panama Canal waterways and the Cocolí and Agua Clara locks. Manoeuvre times in locks and transit in the whole of the canal were followed up continuously in the first 42 months of operation.The research of Salvador Naya and Javier Tarrío has been supported by MINECO grant MTM2017-82724-R, and by the Xunta de Galicia (Grupos de Referencia Competitiva ED431C-2020-14 and Centro de Investigación del Sistema universitario de Galicia ED431G 2019/01), all of them through the ERDF. This work has been funded in part by Project 1-FACINA of the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP).Xunta de Galicia; ED431C-2020-14Xunta de Galicia; ED431G 2019/01Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá; Project 1-FACIN

The Drivers of Eco-innovation in Internationalized Firms

Dissertação de Mestrado Gestão e Internacionalização de EmpresasWith the constant degradation of the environment, more and more people are looking for environmentally sustainable products and as such, eco-innovation has acquired greater importance. This subject has gained more recognition in recent years and is a topic that is beginning to be increasingly studied, hence its relevance. This study aims to explore the influence that internationalization, cooperation and innovation have on eco-innovation, as well as to understand what factors contribute to firms adopting eco-innovations. To achieve this main objective, as well as the specific objectives, two studies were carried out. In a first study, the influence of cooperation on innovation and eco-innovation is studied as well as the factors that lead firms to adopt eco-innovations. The CIS 2014 database was used to collect information on the four types of innovations as well as issues related to eco-innovation applied to Portuguese firms. To achieve this objective, univariate and multivariate analysis techniques were used, in particular association between variables, MANOVA and multiple linear regression models. In the second study the influence of internationalization and eco-innovation on the firm’s performance, as well as the influence of cooperation on eco-innovation are explored. A primary database was created through an online questionnaire and a final sample of 102 portuguese internationalized firms was considered. To achieve this objective, the PLS-SEM (Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling) technique was performed using the SmartPLS software. The results of the first study show that cooperation has an influence on at least three types of innovation, therefore, the more cooperation there is, the greater the existing innovation in firms. Cooperation, innovation and eco-innovation are interrelated, and the results shows that there are significant correlations between them. Lastly, the factors found that most contribute to the adoption of eco-innovations are essentially the current or expected market demand for environmental innovations, the improvement of the firm’s reputation and the high costs of energy, water or materials. The results of the second study show that in addition to influencing the firm’s performance, internationalization is also influenced by eco-innovation practices. On the other hand, it was not possible to present statistical evidence that show the influence of internationalization and cooperation on eco-innovation.Com a constante degradação do meio ambiente, cada vez mais as pessoas procuram por produtos ambientalmente sustentáveis e, como tal, a eco-inovação tem adquirido uma importância cada vez maior. Este assunto tem ganho mais reconhecimento nos últimos anos e é um tema que começa a ser cada vez mais estudado, daí a sua relevância. Este estudo tem como objetivo explorar a influência que a internacionalização, a cooperação e a inovação têm na eco-inovação, bem como compreender quais os fatores que contribuem para as empresas adotarem as eco-inovações. Para atingir este objetivo principal, bem como os objetivos específicos, foram realizados dois estudos. Num primeiro estudo, estuda-se a influência da cooperação na inovação e na eco-inovação, bem como os fatores que levam as empresas a adotarem a eco-inovação. A base de dados CIS 2014 foi utilizada para recolher informação sobre os quatro tipos de inovações, bem como questões relacionadas com a eco-inovação, aplicada às empresas portuguesas. Para atingir esse objetivo, foram utilizadas técnicas de análise univariada e multivariada, em particular a associação entre variáveis, MANOVA e modelos de regressão linear múltipla. No segundo estudo, é explorada a influência da internacionalização e da eco-inovação na performance das empresas, bem como a influência da cooperação na eco-inovação. Foi criada uma base de dados primária através de um questionário online e foi considerada uma amostra final de 102 empresas portuguesas internacionalizadas. Para atingir este objetivo utilizou-se a técnica PLS-SEM (modelagem de equação estrutural de mínimos quadrados parciais) realizada pelo software SmartPLS. Os resultados do primeiro estudo mostram que a cooperação tem influência em pelo menos três tipos de inovação, portanto, quanto mais cooperação existir, maior será a inovação existente nas empresas. A cooperação, a inovação e a eco-inovação estão inter-relacionadas, e os resultados mostram que existem correlações significativas entre elas. Por fim, os fatores encontrados que mais contribuem para a adoção de eco-inovações são essencialmente a procura atual ou esperada no mercado por inovações ambientais, a melhoria da reputação das empresas e os elevados custos de energia, água ou materiais. Os resultados do segundo estudo mostram que, além de influenciar o desempenho das empresas, a internacionalização também é influenciada pelas práticas de eco-inovação. Por outro lado, não foi possível apresentar evidências estatísticas que mostrassem a influência da internacionalização e da cooperação na eco-inovação

Reconciling Discontinuities and Disruptions: The Construction of an Integrated Typology

Radical innovations are often characterized by a rapid shift from one dominant design to another. The theories of discontinuous and disruptive innovation present two important and independent explanations for why these shifts occur. This research tests the usefulness of combining these two theories into a single integrated typology. First, a typology is constructed that classifies shifts in dominant designs according to the theories of discontinuous and disruptive innovation. Next, the usefulness of this typology is tested with a taxonomy derived from 100 randomly selected shifts in dominant designs from across a broad range of industries. This research reconciles the theories of discontinuous and disruptive innovation and proposes an integrated typology to assist managers in determining the circumstances under which each theory is best applied. Additionally, the resulting taxonomy suggests anomalies—shifts in dominant design that are not well classified by either theory—that illuminate promising avenues for future research

2023 Medical Student Research Day Abstracts

Medical student research day is designed to highlight the breadth of research and scholarly activity that medical students have accomplished during their education at The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. All medical students are invited to present research regardless of the area of focus. Abstract submissions represent a broad range of research interests and disciplines, including basic and translational science, clinical research, health policy and public health research, and education-related research

Head and Neck Critical Illness

There are various malignant tumors in the head and neck area, including oral cavity, pharynx, sinonasal cavity, and salivary glands. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common cancer among head and neck cancers. In salivary glands, there are many types of malignancies that can develop, such as malignant lymphoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and mesenchymal tumors. In a clinical setting, imaging, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), is very important in terms of the prediction of the histological type and the evaluation of the extent of invasion of adjacent structures. In basic research, there are few animal models in head and neck malignancies. In this Special Issue, we broadly discuss the basic and clinical research in head and neck malignancies

Perceptions of elementary teachers on the characteristics of gifted students in general versus gifted Hispanic limited English proficient students

The purpose of the study was to determine whether teachers\u27 perceptions of characteristics of gifted students in general differed from perceptions of gifted students classified as Hispanic and limited English proficient. The study also sought to determine whether the teachers\u27 perceptions differed based on their ethnic backgrounds. Three-hundred seventy-three teachers from nine elementary schools in Dade County, Florida completed a 34-item Likerttype survey on gifted characteristics. The survey contained an open-ended question at the end to elicit comments beyond those covered by the items. Randomly, one-half of the teachers in each school received the survey labeled Gifted Hispanic LEP and the other half received the survey labeled Gifted. Subjects were not made aware that they were given surveys with different labels. Results of a two-way MANOVA indicated that there were significant differences in responses by survey group and by ethnicity, and there was no significant interaction between group and ethnicity. Results of a Spearman Rho test on the rank ordering of responses for the groups found a significant positive correlation, suggesting that both groups perceived a similar order of importance for the characteristics. However, relative importance differed significantly in languagerelated items. There were also significant differences between the groups in the degree to which they rated the characteristics as important. Generally, means of the highest ranked items were significantly higher for the group responding to the survey labeled Gifted than for the other group. Similarly, subjects who completed the survey labeled Gifted rated the lower ranked characteristics significantly lower than the other group. Neither group viewed artistic, musical, and kinesthetic abilities as important characteristics of giftedness. However, teachers in the Gifted Hispanic LEP group rated these characteristics significantly more favorably (although still low). Hispanics tended to rate the items higher than the other two ethnicities, although significant differences existed among all three