Successful lean implementation: Organizational culture and soft lean practices

This work explores the differences between successful and unsuccessful lean factories in terms of organizational culture dimensions and use of soft lean practices.The analysis of more than 300 factories shows (1) which organizational culture characteristics are peculiar of successful lean factories and (2) that they implement more extensively lean practices concerning people and relations – i.e., soft lean practices

Artificial pancreas development in type 1 diabetic patients

Introduction and background: In type 1 diabetic patients good glycaemic control is associated with complication reduction. Nevertheless a minority of patients, also treated with insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring (SAP therapy) achieve a satisfactory metabolic control. Several researchers are developing automatic systems, called artificial pancreas (AP) or Closed Loop Control (CLC). This system are composed by an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitoring device and a control algorithm which modifies insulin infusion from data derived by continuous glucose monitoring. Several AP models exist, composed by different insulin pumps, different continuous glucose monitoring system and by different control algorithms that determine the precision of glucose control. Method: we evaluated our AP model efficacy and safety at patients home compared to SAP therapy. In our AP model, the Algorithm is installed in a smartphone (DiAS, Diabetes Assistant) that communicate with pump and CGM thought blue tooth connection. We developed 5 studies that tested the system in free life condition, first during evening and night, than for 24 hours and for longer period (6 months). We finally evaluated this system in pediatric population. Results: In a randomized cross over study of 2 month AP use during evening and night vs SAP therapy, system usage improved time in target (70-180 mg/dl) from 58.1% to 66.7% ( P < 0.0001), reduce mean glucose concentration (162 mg/dl vs 167 mg/dl, P=0.0053) and time spent in hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dl) from 3.0% to 1.7% (P < 0.0001) and lead to reduction in HbA1c values. Extension of this study for a month using AP 24 hours/day demonstrated an improvement of time in target vs SAP (64.7 ± 7.6% vs. 59.7 ± 9.6%, P = 0.01), reduction of time below the target (1.9 ± 1.1% vs. 3.2 ± 1.8%, P = 0.001). A third trial evaluated a different algorithm for 2 weeks during overnight e for 2 weeks for 24 hours, comparing these period with 2 weeks of SAP therapy. In overnight period AP improved glucose metric vs SAP: time spent in hypoglycaemia dropped from 3.0% to 1.1% (P < 0.001), time in target increased from 61% to 75% (P < 0.001) , time spent above 180 mg/dl dropped from 37% to 24% (P < 0.001), the mean glucose concentration dropped from 163 to 150 mg/dL (P = 0.002). Similarly, metrics of glucose control in the 24-hour AP usage vs SAP demonstrated reduction of the time below target from 4.1% to 1.7% (P < 0.001), increase of time in target from 65% to 73% (P < 0.001), decrease of time above target from 32% to 25% (P = 0.001). Comparing the overnight and 24 hours CLC, a reduction in time spent in hypoglycaemia was observed when AP was used for 24 hours. A subgroup of patients extended AP use for other 5 months, confirming AP efficacy (time in target:77% vs. 66%, P<0.001, time in hypoglycaemia: 4.1% vs 1.3%, P < 0.001, time above target 31% vs 22%, P = 0.01). Finally we tested the system in paediatric population, enrolling in a summer camp 30 subject 5-9 years old. During the night AP reduced time in hypoglycaemia (P < 0.002), with no difference in time in target. During 24 hours we observed reduction of the time in hypoglycaemia, from 6.7% to 2.0% (P < 0.001), but an increase of mean glucose (147 mg/dL vs. 169 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and a decrease of time spent in target (63.1% vs. 56.8%, P = 0.022) Conclusions: These results demonstrated our model safety and efficacy. Some improvements are necessary to ameliorate glycaemiec control on pediatric population and during day time

Lean systems effectiveness and transferability across multinational corporations: the role of culture

Lean management is a managerial approach widely recognized as powerful in reducing waste and continuously improving production processes of a factory. Many manufacturing organizations worldwide have implemented it obtaining significant enhancement in operational performance. Besides adopting it locally within a single factory, in recent decades a growing number of multinational corporations (MNCs) have sought to implement lean across their foreign factories. However, several lean projects at both single- and multi-factory level encountered problems, and some even failed to achieve such benefits. Culture is widely considered to be a critical success factor for lean implementation. There is yet a strong debate whether societal culture or organizational culture is most important in determining the success of lean implementation projects. Therefore, this thesis aims to enhance the understanding of the role of culture – both at societal and organizational level – in lean implementation by examining two related topics: 1. The distinctive characteristics of a successful lean manufacturing unit; 2. The transferability of successful lean systems across dispersed manufacturing factories within MNCs. To that purpose, two main research projects have been conducted. The High Performance Manufacturing project, involving 317 manufacturing units in 3 sectors and 10 countries, was used to explore the first topic according to survey methodology. For what concerns the second topic, I studied 7 successful lean transfer projects by mean of a multiple case study and an in-depth case study. The projects involved European sources and Chinese and U.S. recipients belonging to 4 different multinational corporations; in-depth case study focused on one of such project, launched by an Italian MNC towards its subsidiary in China. The findings of my research indicate that successful and unsuccessful lean factories differ for some organizational culture dimensions and for the extent of adoption of soft lean practices (i.e., lean practices concerning people and relations). Therefore, these characteristics are likely to make the difference in the successful implementation of lean. With regard to transferability of successful lean systems, results from in-depth case study stress the influence of cultural differences – in terms of extent of difference between source and recipient as well as peculiarities of the latter – on the success of the lean transfer project, and the importance of adopting a transfer approach that take into account such differences. Moreover, results from the multiple case study suggest that major problems in transferring a lean system are context specific – i.e., similar within a context and different between China and U.S.. In order to succeed in transferring lean, source should adapt their projects; as shown by the cross-case analysis, the level of adaptation can be affected by the socio-cultural characteristics of a recipient unit and the organizational culture of the source. Collectively, these results contribute to the literature by providing a better understanding of the role of culture in lean implementation not only within local factories, but also in manufacturing subsidiaries overseas. Results can be particularly useful also for practitioners that are facing the challenging of implementing lean at international level

Captive Breeding Programs Based on Family Groups in Polyploid Sturgeons

In species with long life cycles and discontinuous availability of individuals to reproduction, implementing a long-term captive breeding program can be difficult or impossible. In such cases, managing diversity among familiar groups instead of individuals could become a suitable approach to avoid inbreeding and increase the possibility to accomplish a breeding scheme. This is the case of several sturgeon species including the Adriatic sturgeon, whose recovery depends on the management of a few captive stocks directly descended from the same group of wild parents. In the present study, relatedness among 445 potential breeders was inferred with a novel software for pedigree reconstruction in tetraploids ("BreedingSturgeons"). This information was used to plan a breeding scheme considering familiar groups as breeding units and identifying mating priorities. A two-step strategy is proposed: a short-term breeding program, relying on the 13 remaining F0 individuals of certain wild origin; and a long-term plan based on F1 families. Simulations to evaluate the loss of alleles in the F2 generation under different pairing strategies and assess the number of individuals to breed, costs and logistical aquaculture constraints were performed. The strategy proposed is transferable to the several other tetraploid sturgeon species on the brink of extinction

Analyses of rare collection samples as conservation tool for the last known Italian population of Graphoderus bilineatus (Insecta: Coleoptera)

Graphoderus bilineatus is a predacious diving beetle, widely distributed across Europe. Its poor dispersal ability and the fragmentation and deterioration of its habitats have been indicated as the major causes of decline. In several western European countries, the species is extinct, justifying its inclusion as "vulnerable" in the IUCN red list. Aiming for the conservation of the last known population of G. bilineatus in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, at the lake Pratignano, we surveyed its genetic diversity at the mitochondrial COI gene and compared it to that of other European populations. Two fixed COI haplotypes were found in the Italian and Austrian populations, respectively. Both haplotypes were unique among the European populations surveyed, suggesting these populations suffered a bottleneck and geographic isolation. Populations in western Europe showed lower genetic diversity and higher degree of differentiation than eastern populations. The uniqueness of Pratignano haplotype makes it difficult to choose a source population from which to transfer animals for a possible restocking. Selection of the source population should be based mainly on ecological considerations, but at the same time ensuring a good genetic diversity to maximize the adaptive potential

O DESIGN APLICADO A LIVROS DIDÁTICOS INFANTIS

O presente projeto aborda as contribuições do design na alfabetização, direcionado ao público infantil. O tema proposto foi escolhido pela importância que possui na sociedade atual como forma de aquisição de conhecimentos e criação de opinião crítica e fundamentada. Ainda, a temática aborda a significativa relevância de se utilizar o design gráfico, a ergonomia cognitiva e suas ferramentas para desenvolver peças gráficas e sistemas que auxiliem no processo de desenvolvimento de crianças nas séries iniciais. Assim, o estudo teve princípio nas pesquisas bibliográficas referentes à abordagem sobre design, adentrando em assuntos relacionados ao público citado. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com profissionais da área, a fim de entender as dificuldades encontradas no universo envolvido, além de compreender hábitos e preferências na abordagem didática. A metodologia seguida para o projeto foi baseada no método de Bruno Munari, pelo qual foram definidas as etapas de andamento. Inicialmente, abordando as etapas de definição de problema e análise de informações e verificação e, por fim, são realizados os desenvolvimentos criativos e o modelo final. Como resultado, obteve-se a escolha de um produto gráfico de simples compreensão e de fácil acesso, observando que o caráter ergonômico é fundamental no aprendizado, levando o público-alvo a uma rápida compreensão, utilizando todos os sentidos como auxiliares, sendo eles paladar, tato, olfato, visão e audição. Acredita-se que este projeto veio a atingir os objetivos, uma vez que induz a fixação do conteúdo abordado.Palavras-chave: Design. Design editorial. Livro infantil. Ergonomia cognitiva

Parental evaluation of a telemonitoring service for children with Type 1 Diabetes

Introduction In the past years, we developed a telemonitoring service for young patients affected by Type 1 Diabetes. That service provides data to the clinical staff and offers an important tool to the parents, that are able to oversee in real time their children. The aim of this work was to analyze the parents' perceived usefulness of the service. Methods The service was tested by the parents of 31 children enrolled in a seven-day clinical trial during a summer camp. To study the parents' perception we proposed and analyzed two questionnaires. A baseline questionnaire focused on the daily management and implications of their children's diabetes, while a post-study one measured the perceived benefits of telemonitoring. Questionnaires also included free text comment spaces. Results Analysis of the baseline questionnaires underlined the parents' suffering and fatigue: 51% of total responses showed a negative tendency and the mean value of the perceived quality of life was 64.13 in a 0-100 scale. In the post-study questionnaires about half of the parents believed in a possible improvement adopting telemonitoring. Moreover, the foreseen improvement in quality of life was significant, increasing from 64.13 to 78.39 ( p-value\u2009=\u20090.0001). The analysis of free text comments highlighted an improvement in mood, and parents' commitment was also proved by their willingness to pay for the service (median\u2009=\u2009200\u2009euro/year). Discussion A high number of parents appreciated the telemonitoring service and were confident that it could improve communication with physicians as well as the family's own peace of mind

Projeto de Extensão Broto do Galho

O Projeto de Extensão Broto do Galho realizado pelo curso de Design da Unoesc Videira, SC, em parceria com a Associação de Artesanato Broto do Galho, que é apoiada pela indústria IRANI, situada em Vargem Bonita, SC tem como objetivo realizar serviços de consultoria e desenvolvimento de novos produtos a partir de resíduos de celulose gerados pela empresa. A associação já desenvolve produtos como porta-canetas, quadros, luminárias etc. Foram recrutados alguns dos acadêmicos bolsistas do curso de Design, que desenvolveram novos produtos como bijuterias, nichos, cama para pet, entre outros. As atividades foram realizadas ao longo do ano de 2016, com visitas à empresa, reuniões entre os acadêmicos e professores orientadores, bem como, a criação e desenvolvimento dos produtos.

Projeto de Extensão COMAD

O presente Projeto de Extensão é realizado pelo curso de Design da Unoesc Videira, SC, em parceria com o Conselho Municipal de Políticas Públicas sobre Drogas (COMAD), situado na cidade de Fraiburgo, SC. O mesmo tem como objetivo desenvolver folder de divulgação, material de papelaria e web banners para veiculação nas redes sociais. As acadêmicas Samara De Pieri, da 4o fase, e Andressa Tonello, da 6o fase do curso de Design, desenvolveram os materiais solicitados. As atividades foram realizadas ao longo do 2o semestre letivo de 2016, com reuniões entre as acadêmicas, professores orientadores e responsáveis pelo conselho

EMBALANDO O PASSADO: O design aplicado na música

Edições especiais com capas e encartes de CDs diferenciados tem sido a grande cartada das gravadoras na busca de aumentar as vendas. Dessa forma, foi criado um layout para embalagem (capa) de CD, juntamente com o encarte, promovendo uma coletânea da banda de rock Scorpions, focada nos anos 1960/1970. Para a confecção desse material, buscou-se, com a ajuda dos elementos do design gráfico, proporcionar um layout agradável, visando a escolha do melhor material para esse projeto, visto que foi estudado e abordado desde a criação do design, sintetizando o surgimento das primeiras capas de vinil e até mesmo conhecendo melhor a banda que será retratada; dessa forma, consolidando bases sólidas para o resultado final, mostrando qual o melhor material para a confecção desse produto, visando não degradar o meio ambiente. A metodologia é algo muito pessoal para o designer, visto que, por vezes, na execução de um projeto, usa-se uma metodologia própria. Nesse caso, foi usada a metodologia aprendida durante o curso, ensinada por Alexandre Schermach, que possibilita o designer a ter mais liberdade. Essa metodologia usada é baseada no Design Thinking e de Bonsiepe. Cada lâmina do encarte representa uma fase da banda, mostrando curiosidades e remetendo o fã musical à sua história, passando a ideia de ser um material guardado por anos por eles. Aos fãs da música, a relação foto/texto faz com que o material tenha maior interação com eles. Após a criação do layout, houve uma dedicação em relação ao material usado. O miolo foi feito em papel fotográfico fosco, pois por meio das pesquisas, notou-se uma qualidade superior de impressão, apresentando boa resistência e superfície, fazendo com que o consumidor tenha um apreço maior, aumentando a vida útil, e não gerará mais lixo, diferentemente do papel reciclado, que não apresenta uma impressão perfeita, amarela com o tempo e gasta mais recursos para sua produção. A capa é baseada nas primeiras embalagens de discos, sendo usadas sobras de cadernos capa dura. As edições especiais são uma alternativa para as gravadoras na busca de aumentar vendas, dessa forma, é necessário ter um material atraente. Quando se compra alguma edição especial, busca-se guardar o registro, para que possa ser repassado de geração para geração, mantendo-se intacto, rico em detalhes e resistência mesmo com o passar dos anos, evitando o seu descarte no lixo, prolongando sua vida útil, diferentemente do papel reciclado.Palavras-chave: Design gráfico. Encarte. Papel reciclado. Vinil