Diseño de un Modelo de Presupuesto de Capital para la evaluación de un proyecto de expansión de la empresa La Feria del Colchón

Proyecto de graduación (Licenciatura en Administración de Empresas. Enfasis en Finanzas) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Escuela de Administración de Empresas, 2015Se desarrolla un trabajo de campo para la empresa “La Feria del Colchón”, se pretende una posible expansión, se dan especial atención a los datos numéricos. Utiliza un enfoque descriptivo con un diseño cualitativo y cuantitativo por la información que se necesita recaudar, estudiando directamente las tiendas de esta empresa por medio de observación directa, además de entrevistas no estructuradas a ciertos colaboradores para obtener información contable. Se recolectan los datos necesarios para desarrollar un modelo de presupuestación de capital acorde a la actividad económica de la empresa y se concluye con el análisis de la información. También se sugiere un plan estratégico para mejorar el desarrollo de la empresa y su proyecto de expansión

Formability of the 5754-aluminum alloy deformed by a modified repetitive corrugation and straightening process

Sheets of 5754-aluminum alloy processed by a modified repetitive corrugation and straightening (RCS) process were tested in order to measure their formability. For this purpose, forming limit curves were derived. They showed that the material forming capacity decreased after being processed by RCS. However, they kept good formability in the initial stages of the RCS process. The formability study was complemented with microstructural analysis (derivation of texture) and mechanical tests to obtain the strain-rate sensitivity. The texture analysis was done by employing X-ray diffraction, obtaining pole figures, and the orientation distribution function. It was noticed that the initial texture was conserved after successive RCS passes, but the intensity dropped. RCS process did not induce ß-fiber, contrary to common deformation process. The strain-rate sensitivity coefficient was measured through tensile tests at different temperatures and strain rates; the coefficient of the samples processed after one and two passes were still relatively high, indicating the capacity to delay necking, in agreement with the good formability observed in the initial passes of the RCS processPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Evaluación de las necesidades de pacientes oncológicos en etapa terminal (a través del instrumento ENPOET): comparación entre muestras

The purpose of the present study was to compare the way in which terminal cancer patients and their doctors assess the necessities of this particular type of patient. The sample was constituted by 91 patients and 85 doctors selected from different hospitals in Mexico City. The participants from the two samples were asked to answer a printed questionnaire that assessed the relative relevance of medical, psychological, social, economic and spiritual needs of the patients. The questionnaire Assessment of Terminal Cancer Patient Needs (ATCPN) was built based on other similar questionnaires and complemented by items designed by the present work group. The final questionnaire was composed by 38 items that explored the needs of the patients in 5 different areas: medical, psychological, social, economic and spiritual. The questionnaire produced data that suggested its reliability, validity and internal consistency. The results also showed a considerable homogeneity in the assessments produced by the two samples. The highest priority of the patients was having faith in god or in a supreme being; the doctors favored the ability to cope with the feeling of being forsaken. Results were discussed in terms of their congruence with other studies on the subject.El propósito del presente estudio fue el de comparar la forma en que pacientes con cáncer en etapa terminal y médicos evalúan las necesidades de este tipo de pacientes. La muestra estuvo constituida por 91 pacientes y 85 médicos seleccionados de diferentes hospitales de la Ciudad de México. Los integrantes de las muestras contestaron un cuestionario en el cual evaluaron la importancia de las necesidades médicas, psicológicas, sociales, económicas y espirituales de los pacientes. Para evaluar las necesidades de los pacientes terminales se construyó un cuestionario, Evaluación de las Necesidades de Pacientes Oncológicos en Etapa Terminal (ENPOET), basado en otros instrumentos similares y se complementó con reactivos diseñados por el grupo de investigación. El cuestionario fi- nal utilizado estuvo compuesto por 38 afirmaciones que exploraban las necesidades de los pacientes en cinco áreas diferentes: médica, psicológica, social, económica y espiritual. El cuestionario mostró ser válido, confiable y mostró una consistencia interna apropiada. Los resultados mostraron una considerable homogeneidad en las evaluaciones de las dos muestras. La necesidad evaluada más relevante para los pacientes fue “tener fe en Dios o en un Ser Supremo” y para los médicos “no sentirse desamparado”. Los resultados se discutieron en términos de su congruencia con otros estudios sobre el tema

Texture and strain rate sensitivity analysis of solid solution and precipitation hardening aluminum alloys processed by repetitive corrugation and straightening

The potential of improving the mechanical strength by the RCS process is evaluated on the 5754, 6061, and 7075 aluminum alloys, which present different hardening mechanisms related to their respective alloying elements. This work compares the evolution of the texture and the mechanical properties of the different alloys through the RCS processing. The mechanical properties were evaluated by micro-hardness measurements, tensile tests at different temperatures, and strain rates to evaluate the strain-rate sensitivity. The results showed that after two RCS passes, the 6061 and 5754 alloys showed a relatively high strain-rate sensitivity at 300°C. In addition, an increment of 27%, 22%, 15% in hardness was obtained for the 5754, 6061 and 7075 alloys, respectively. Showing the potential of improvement in the mechanical resistance due to the different hardening mechanism. Furthermore, the crystallographic texture was characterized by the obtention of pole figures by X-ray diffraction and the calculation of their orientation distribution functions. The results showed the same trend in the three aluminum alloys, i.e., the initial texture components were conserved, but the texturized volume decreased.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior of an Al-6061 alloy processed by repetitive corrugation and straightening

The repetitive corrugation and straightening process is a severe plastic deformation technique that is particularly suited to process metallic sheets. With this technique, it is possible to develop nano/ultrafine-grained structured materials, and therefore, to improve some mechanical properties such as the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and fatigue lifetime. In this study, an Al-6061 alloy was subjected to the repetitive corrugation and straightening process. A new corrugation die design was proposed in order to promote a heterogeneous deformation into the metallic sheet. The evolution of the mechanical properties and microstructure obtained by electron backscatter diffraction of the alloy showed a heterogeneous distribution in the grain size at the initial cycles of the repetitive corrugation and straightening process. Uniaxial tensile tests showed a significant increase in yield strength as the number of repetitive corrugation and straightening passes increased. The distribution of the plastic deformation was correlated with the hardness distribution on the surface. The hardness distribution map matched well with the heterogeneous distribution of the plastic deformation obtained by finite element simulation. A maximum average hardness (147 HV) and yield strength (385 MPa) was obtained for two repetitive corrugation and straightening cycles samplePeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Situational analysis of the subjective well-being of university software developers in Puebla

Integral well-being is vital for the optimal functioning of people. The requirements for a software developer in the performance of their professional activity are varied and complex. These requirements range from working in multidisciplinary and multilingual teams, going through the challenge of technological advances of the discipline to commit to quality and innovation. To face these demands, it is essential that the developers have an optimal functioning, where the experience emotional and satisfaction with life play an important role. The objective of this article is to analyze the subjective well-being of university software developers in Puebla. The research is a quantitative cross-correlation study to identify statistically significant relationships between the different welfare variables. The study involved 47 university software developers from the city of Puebla. We use Pearson's multivariate correlation to validate the instruments and find relationships between variables, and Chi-squared statistics to calculate the dependency between them. The results reveal that the university software developers experience with higher incidence and intensity, the positive affections over the negatives. The affective balance (Net Affect), calculated as the difference of the weighted averages by duration between positive affective states and negative, was positive (mean = 1.31). "Concentrated" is the positive affective state with the highest incidence and with the highest reported intensity. "Tired" is the most experienced negative affect and highest in intensity. Developers spend 40% of their time experiencing negative affective states (U-index) and are moderately satisfied with their lives in general

Assessment of terminal cancer patients needs (through the ATCPN questionnaire): a comparison amongst different samples

The purpose of the present study was to compare the way in which terminal cancer patients and their doctors assess the necessities of this particular type of patient. The sample was constituted by 91 patients and 85 doctors selected from different hospitals in Mexico City. The participants from the two samples were asked to answer a printed questionnaire that assessed the relative relevance of medical, psychological, social, economic and spiritual needs of the patients. The questionnaire Assessment of Terminal Cancer Patient Needs (ATCPN) was built based on other similar questionnaires and complemented by items designed by the present work group. The final questionnaire was composed by 38 items that explored the needs of the patients in 5 different areas: medical, psychological, social, economic and spiritual. The questionnaire produced data that suggested its reliability, validity and internal consistency. The results also showed a considerable homogeneity in the assessments produced by the two samples. The highest priority of the patients was having faith in god or in a supreme being; the doctors favored the ability to cope with the feeling of being forsaken. Results were discussed in terms of their congruence with other studies on the subject

Mineral content in four browse species from Northeastern Mexico

The aim of the present study was to determine and compare macro (Ca, K, Mg, Na and P) and micro (Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn) nutrient foliar content in Acacia amentacea (DC.), Celtis pallida (Torr.), Forestiera angustifolia (Torr.) and Parkinsonia texana (A. Gray). Leaf samples were collected monthly from January throughout December 2009 in China, Linares and Los Ramones counties in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. All nutrients were significantly different among sites, months and species; double and triple interactions were also significant. Among sites, samples from Los Ramones County showed the higher macronutrient content, followed by China and Linares. As for species, Celtis pallida showed the highest values while A. amentacea had the lowest macronutrient content. Micronutrient content showed the following decreasing order: China>Los Ramones>Linares. Parkinsonia texana was characteristically the most abundant in micronutrient content, while, A. amentacea was the poorest in this respect. Regardless of species, site or timing, Ca (total mean = 30 g kg-1), K (15; except A. amentacea), Mg (5.2; except A. amentacea), Na (1.9; only F. angustifolia), Fe (100 mg kg-1), Mn (51; only F. angustifolia) and Zn (35; except A. amentacea) were determined to be present in suitable amounts to meet nutritional requirements of range ruminants, while Na (1.9; except F. angustifolia), P (1.3 g kg-1) and Cu (6 mg kg-1) were marginally deficient throughout the year

Deposition of micro-elements through leaf fallen from different types of vegetation, north-eastern Mexico

The aim of the study was to determine monthly (2007) the content and deposition of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in leaf fallen litterfall samples collected in four sites, northeastern Mexico. Site 1 was located at 1600 m of altitude in a pine forest, mixed with deciduous trees; site 2 was at 550 m in the ecotone of a Quercus spp. forest and submontane scrub; sites 3 and 4 (at 350 m and at 300 m, respectively) were located in the Tamaulipan Thornscrub vegetation. Leaf fallen litterfall samples at each site (2,500 m2) were obtained from ten canisters of 1.02 m that were randomly situated at each site. The Cu annual deposition (g ha-1 yr-1) was significantly different among sites being higher in site 4 (23.2) and lower in site 1 (4.1). Fe deposition was also significantly higher in site 4 (522.2) and lower in site 1 (120.0). Mn was higher in site 2 (479.4) and lower in site 1 (64.6). Zn was significantly higher in site 1 (62.8) and lower in site 1 (24.3). Micronutrient annual order deposition was as follows: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cu. Differences in deposition may be attributable to environmental conditions and plant species composition at each studied plant communit