Training Competences in Industrial Risk Prevention with Lego® Serious Play®: A Case Study

This paper proposes the use of the Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) methodology as a facilitating tool for the introduction of competences for Industrial Risk Prevention by engineering students from the industrial branch (electrical, electronic, mechanical and technological engineering), presenting the results obtained in the Universities of Cadiz and Seville in the academic years 2017–2019. Current Spanish legislation does not reserve any special legal attribution, nor does it require specific competence in occupational risk prevention for the regulated profession of a technical industrial engineer (Order CIN 351:2009), and only does so in a generic way for that of an industrial engineer (Order CIN 311:2009). However, these universities consider the training in occupational health and safety for these future graduates as an essential objective in order to develop them for their careers in the industry. The approach is based on a series of challenges proposed (risk assessments, safety inspections, accident investigations and fire protection measures, among others), thanks to the use of “gamification” dynamics with Lego® Serious Play®. In order to carry the training out, a set of specific variables (industrial sector, legal and regulatory framework, business organization and production system), and transversal ones (leadership, teamwork, critical thinking and communication), are incorporated. Through group models, it is possible to identify dangerous situations, establish causes, share and discuss alternative proposals and analyze the economic, environmental and organizational impact of the technical solutions studied, as well as take the appropriate decisions, in a creative, stimulating, inclusive and innovative context. In this way, the theoretical knowledge which is acquired is applied to improve safety and health at work and foster the prevention of occupational risks, promoting the commitment, effort, motivation and proactive participation of the student teams.Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities / European Social Fund: Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC-2017-22222

Individualization and Electrical Characterization of SiGe Nanowires

SiGe nanowires of different Ge atomic fractions up to 15% were grown and ex-situ n-type doped by diffusion from a solid source in contact with the sample. The phenomenon of dielectrophoresis was used to locate single nanowires between pairs of electrodes in order to carry out electrical measurements. The measured resistance of the as-grown nanowires is very high, but it decreases more than three orders of magnitude upon doping, indicating that the doping procedure used has been effectiv

SiGe nanowires grown by LPCVD using Ga-Au catalysts

The use of Ga-Au alloys as metal catalysts for the growth of SiGe nanowires has been investigated. The grown nanowires are cylindrical and straight, with a defect-free crystalline structure, sharp nanowire-droplet interfaces and an almost constant Ge atomic fraction throughout all their length. These features represent significant improvements over the results obtained using pure A

SiGe/Si nanowire axial heterostructures grown by LPCVD using Ga-Au

The use of Ga-Au alloys of different compositions as metal catalysts for the growth of abrupt SiGe/Si nanowire axial heterostructures has been investigated. The heterostructures grown in a continuous process by just switching the gas precursors, show uniform nanowire diameters, almost abrupt compositional changes and no defects between the different sections. These features represent significant improvements over the results obtained using pure Au

The Relationship between Building Agents in the Context of Integrated Project Management: A Prospective Analysis

The increasing complexity of building projects, with high quality standards, integrated technologies and strong management restrictions, demands the intervention of numerous and diverse specialists. This requires an intense leadership, organization and coordination effort. However, building regulations, such as the Spanish Law on Building Management (LOE) 38/1999, only formally consider developers, project designers, project and work supervisors, quality control entities, construction companies, owners and final users as building agents. However, these categories are insufficient to represent the interests of all the stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to carry out an analysis of the agents that are currently part of the entire building process. If their relationship of influence and dependence, as well as their alignment with the overall objectives of the project are studied, potential convergences, divergences, agreements and disagreements can be established. To do this, the authors conducted a prospective analysis through the MACTOR (Matrix of Alliances and Conflicts: Tactics, Objectives and Recommendations) strategic planning simulation tool, for which the rules of the Delphi technique were applied and a consultation with technical experts, both professionals and academics, was held. The research provides insight to assess the power relationships between the building agents, as well as to measure the alignment of objectives with their interests. Results show that, in the context of integrated project management (IPM), the influence of technical agents is reduced by limiting their functions to those marked by their regulatory framework, allowing them to focus on their legal powers, and the room for manoeuvre of the professional agents, who are subject to systematized monitoring and control, is also reduced. The prospective analysis also highlights the importance of defining the scope from its early stages, as well as the need to reach multilateral agreements based on the other two main constraints: time and cost.All authors acknowledge the help received by the research group TEP-955 from the PAIDI (Junta de Andalucia, Spain). The first and last authors acknowledge the help received by the research project PIN-0053-2019 by the Fundacion Publica Andaluza Progreso y Salud (Junta de Andalucia, Spain)

The Influence of Knowledge on Managing Risk for the Success in Complex Construction Projects: The IPMA Approach

[EN] Organizations undertaking construction projects often deal with uncertainty and complexity. Risks include a wide range of occurrences that can lead to project failure. However, these difficulties may be minimized if risks are properly managed. In addition, knowledge management may emerge as a key element in facing unforeseen events and detecting the actions that are working well in other projects. In this context, this study intends to demonstrate the influence of managing organizational knowledge on risk management and the impact of both on the success of projects and associated businesses. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed among construction technicians, practitioners and managers in order to assess the importance of factors managing knowledge and risk and of success criteria. Thanks to the participation of almost four hundred respondents, cause-and-effect relationships are characterized by means of structural equation modeling, statistically confirming them. The specific links between the knowledge-management projects and the skills and abilities to face risks provided by the International Project Management Association (IPMA) standards, with a relation of 0.892 out of 1, justify the 75.1% of the success of the venture. These findings prove that the application of IPMA proposals enhances the required knowledge that leads to improved completion and delivery of complex construction projects in risky environments.All authors acknowledge the help received by the research group TEP-955 from the PAIDI (Junta de Andalucia, Spain).Cerezo-Narváez, A.; Pastor-Fernández, A.; Otero-Mateo, M.; Ballesteros-Pérez, P. (2022). The Influence of Knowledge on Managing Risk for the Success in Complex Construction Projects: The IPMA Approach. Sustainability. 14(15):1-30. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159711130141

Reinvención de la educación presencial frente a Pandemia del Covid-19

EnsayoTeniendo en cuenta la problemática social en que se encuentra el país debido a la pandemia del COVID-19, en la cual un gran porcentaje de la población no está preparada para asumir y afrontar los retos que se tendrán en un corto, mediano y largo plazo por las repercusiones en la vida social, el trabajo y la educación; comenzamos a analizar los procesos de cambio en las metodologías de estudio, en la infraestructura tecnológica y sobre todo en la forma de pensar de cada una de las personas.1. Resumen 2. Palabras Claves 3. Postura del cambio 4. Reto de los docentes y estudiantes 5. Romper esquemas en el uso de la tecnología 6. Cualidades de modelos semipresenciales o educación a distancia 7. Aprender a ser autodidactas: 8. Internacionalización de manera remota: 9. ReferenciasEspecializaciónEspecialista en Análisis y Administración Financier

Análisis de la ejecución del control y seguimiento de un proyecto de construcción de viviendas sociales ubicadas en la ciudad de Quilpué, Quinta Región de Chile, mediante el método del valor ganado

127 p.En esta tesis se da a conocer la aplicación de una técnica de control y seguimiento en cuanto a costos y duración de un proyecto de construcción de viviendas sociales, ubicadas en la ciudad de Quilpué, Quinta región de Chile, mediante el Método del Valor Ganado. Para lograr una correcta aplicación de esta metodología, es necesario explicar los diversos elementos constituyentes de esta técnica, para que así el lector pueda interesarse e introducirse más sobre esta temática. Es por esto, que se darán a conocer conceptos como: estructura de la descomposición del trabajo (EDT), planificación, presupuesto, línea de base, diagrama de precedencias (PDM), métricas e índices de rendimiento, proyecciones en cuanto a costos y a duración, análisis de riesgo (SRA), entre otros. A su vez, se guiará en la toma de decisiones que debe tomar el administrador de obra en lo que respecta a los costos y a la duración del proyecto, entregando al Project Manager, el tipo de seguimiento más eficiente de acuerdo a la topología de las actividades del proyecto analizado, para que así el administrador de la obra, obtenga un mejor y correcto seguimiento tanto de las actividades de forma individual como conjuntamente (paquetes de trabajo). En cuanto a Análisis de Sensibilidad del Riesgo del proyecto, se enseña a cómo interpretar de manera correcta los índices obtenidos mediante el uso del software Pro-Track, tales como: el Índice de Criticalidad (CI), Índice de Significancia (SI), Índice de Sensibilidad de la Planificación (SSI) e Índice de Crucialidad (CRI), con la finalidad de determinar las actividades sobre las que el Project Manager debe tener mayor grado de cuidado y de supervisión. También se enseña a interpretar las métricas e índices de rendimiento de la programación y de los costos de la técnica en estudio, la cual se conoce por el nombre de “Método del Valor Ganado” (Earned Value Management, EVM). Además, se introducirá a parámetros más modernos, mediante: el uso del Índice de rendimiento de la Programación en base a la Programación Ganada (SPI(t)) y la incorporación del factor p de adherencia, con el cual poder obtener un análisis complementario más potente para el análisis de las acciones correctivas que se deben elaborar para el mejoramiento del proyecto, ya sea en cuanto a costos o a duración. Se utilizó la información gráfica obtenida de las métricas e índices de rendimiento en cuanto a costos y en cuanto a duración del proyecto para ser una herramienta más ágil y rápida para la toma de decisiones en el momento en que el proyecto tenga oportunidades o problemas. Y lo más relevante de esta tesis, es entregar a los administradores de obra, una técnica bien estructurada para lograr potentes análisis en cuanto a costos y a duración en cualquier tipo de proyectos no solamente en el ámbito de la construcción sino que también en el área de los negocios

Knowledge as an Organizational Asset for Managing Complex Projects: The Case of Naval Platforms

Knowledge management (KM) involves learning from past experiences to avoid or correct scope misalignments, quality deviations, safety problems, time delays and/or cost overruns. KM is frequently materialized as a risk management (RM) plan. An RM plan allows for anticipating, avoiding, mitigating, or reducing potential problems impacting project performance. However, despite their high complementarity, KM and RM are not the same, nor share the same purpose. In the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, managing complex projects involves many KM-related challenges, such as differential competitiveness enhancement and value chain streamlining. Naval platforms are complex projects that require the integration of multiple sources of knowledge and information. They also need to keep on integrating latest digital technology innovations in their production processes. In this context, streamlining the requirements management may become a differential asset for project stakeholders of naval platforms. Namely, enhancing requirements management can make the customers' needs easier to meet, shorten the projects duration, reduce costs, optimize resources, and allow for higher flexibility. However, requirements management has KM as pre-requisite and RM as consequence. Unfortunately, potential synergies between KM and RM have remained largely unexplored in the project management literature, and so has requirements management as a potential bridge between both concepts. In this paper, a holistic model for shipbuilding organizations linking KM and RM is proposed. The model draws from existing KM and RM models while considering organizational factors, technological platforms, and competitiveness factors. A case study of a naval platform showing the model's applicability is provided. It is shown how the model can allow shipbuilding companies to sustain a competitive advantage by facilitating more robust decision making in dynamic project environments. Furthermore, the model also facilitates the identification of the companies' core competences to reach and keep a strong position in current global markets

Use of Low-Cost Devices for the Control and Monitoring of CO2 Concentration in Existing Buildings after the COVID Era

[EN] In the COVID-19 era, a direct relationship has been consolidated between the concentration of the pollutant carbon dioxide (CO2) and indoor disease transmission. For reducing its spread, recommendations have been established among which air renewal is a key element to improve indoor air quality (IAQ). In this study, a low-cost CO2 measurement device was designed, developed, assembled, prototyped, and openly programmed so that the IAQ can be monitored remotely. In addition, this clonic device was calibrated for correct data acquisition. In parallel, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling analysis was used to study the indoor air flows to eliminate non-representative singular measurement points, providing possible locations. The results in four scenarios (cross ventilation, outdoor ventilation, indoor ventilation, and no ventilation) showed that the measurements provided by the clonic device are comparable to those obtained by laboratory instruments, with an average error of less than 3%. These data collected wirelessly for interpretation were evaluated on an Internet of Things (IoT) platform in real time or deferred. As a result, remaining lifespan of buildings can be exploited interconnecting IAQ devices with other systems (as HVAC systems) in an IoT environment. This can transform them into smart buildings, adding value to their refurbishment and modernization.All authors acknowledge the help received by the research group TEP-955 from the PAIDI, the ERGOMET Project of the Program for the Promotion of Research Activity of the UCA, the Project "Design of a low-cost non-invasive ergonomic capture system for the analysis of musculoskeletal disorders" of the Program for the Promotion of Research and Transfer of the UCA and the National Plan Research Project PID2019-108669RB-100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.Pastor-Fernández, A.; Cerezo-Narváez, A.; Montero-Gutiérrez, P.; Ballesteros-Pérez, P.; Otero-Mateo, M. (2022). Use of Low-Cost Devices for the Control and Monitoring of CO2 Concentration in Existing Buildings after the COVID Era. Applied Sciences. 12(8):1-35. https://doi.org/10.3390/app1208392713512