Lean production management model under the change management approach to reduce order fulfillment times for Peruvian textile SMEs

Currently, small- and medium-sized enterprises face order fulfillment issues, thus generating reduced service levels. In addition, these companies are usually not aware of the importance of continuous improvement tools or of training staff as a mitigation strategy for this situation. Within this framework, the authors performed a literature review to compile production models through which downtimes could be reduced. The production model designed therefrom comprises Lean Manufacturing and work study tools within a Change Management approach. This design focuses on model implementation by small companies without requiring large investment, cutting-edge technology, or qualified personnel. Finally, an application case study was conducted in a small textile manufacturing company located at the Gamarra Fashion Center in Lima, Peru. The results that were reported revealed that late order fulfillment instances reduced by up to 18%, which had an impact on downtimes, unnecessary movements, and in-process inventory levels, thus increasing productivity by 85%

Does Selective Migration Explain the Hispanic Paradox?: A Comparative Analysis of Mexicans in the U.S. and Mexico

Latino immigrants, particularly Mexican, have some health advantages over U.S.-born Mexicans and Whites. Because of their lower socioeconomic status, this phenomenon has been called the epidemiologic “Hispanic Paradox.” While cultural theories have dominated explanations for the Paradox, the role of selective migration has been inadequately addressed. This study is among the few to combine Mexican and U.S. data to examine health selectivity in activity limitation, self-rated health, and chronic conditions among Mexican immigrants, ages 18 and over. Drawing on theories of selective migration, this study tested the “healthy migrant” and “salmon-bias” hypotheses by comparing the health of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. to non-migrants in Mexico, and to return migrants in Mexico. Results suggest that there are both healthy migrant and salmon-bias effects in activity limitation, but not other health aspects. In fact, consistent with prior research, immigrants are negatively selected on self-rated health. Future research should consider the complexities of migrants’ health profiles and examine selection mechanisms alongside other factors such as acculturation

Genome-Wide Search Reveals the Existence of a Limited Number of Thyroid Hormone Receptor Alpha Target Genes in Cerebellar Neurons

Thyroid hormone (T3) has a major influence on cerebellum post-natal development. The major phenotypic landmark of exposure to low levels of T3 during development (hypothyroidism) in the cerebellum is the retarded inward migration of the most numerous cell type, granular neurons. In order to identify the direct genetic regulation exerted by T3 on cerebellar neurons and their precursors, we used microarray RNA hybridization to perform a time course analysis of T3 induced gene expression in primary cultures of cerebellar neuronal cell. These experiments suggest that we identified a small set of genes which are directly regulated, both in vivo and in vitro, during cerebellum post-natal development. These modest changes suggest that T3 does not acts directly on granular neurons and mainly indirectly influences the cellular interactions taking place during development

Understanding Mexican-American Marriage Patterns Using a Life-Course Approach

Guided by a life-course framework that incorporates the interconnection between marriage, migration, and other transitions, we critically examine the familism explanation for the earlier age at marriage among Mexican Americans. Copyright (c) 2004 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.

Migration and Father Absence: Shifting Family Structure in Mexico

This study uses multistate life tables with data from the Mexican Family Life Survey to examine the contribution of migration to children’s time apart from their fathers. Other common sources of parental household absence, such as divorce, non-union fertility, and death are considered as well. Results suggest that more than a third of Mexican children experience some type of household disruption during childhood. As a population, Mexican children spend nearly equal amounts of time living with a single mother following a father’s migration as they do living with a single mother following union dissolution. Additionally, 7 percent of Mexican children in 2002 have migrating fathers, yet multistate estimates suggest that 17 percent of children born into two-parent homes are expected to experience a migrating father at least once during childhood. Other results highlight key differences in children’s experiences by urban status at birth and by the education level of their mothers