Value stream analysis in military logistics: The improvement in order processing procedure

Military logistics is a complex process where response times, demand uncertainty, wide variety of material references, and cost-effectiveness are decisive for combat capability. The demanding flexibility can only be achieved by improving supply chain management (SCM) to minimize lead times. To cope with these requirements, lean thinking can be extended to military organizations. This research justifies and proposes the use of lean methodologies to improve logistics processes with the case study of a military unit. In particular, the article presents the results obtained using value stream mapping (VSM) and value stream design (VSD) tools to improve the order processing lead time of spare items. The procedure starts with an order generation from a military unit that requests the material and ends before transportation to the final destination. The whole project was structured, considering the define-measure-analyze-improve-control (DMAIC) problem-solving methodology. The results show that the future state map might increase added-value activities from 44% to 70%. After implementation, it was demonstrated that the methodology applied reduced the lead-time average and deviation up to 69.6% and 61.9%, respectively

¿A qué jugamos? Influencia de los juegos reducidos y condicionados para mejorar el rendimiento fisiológico y físico del alumno

Resumen: Introducción: los juegos reducidos y condicionados (JRC) son una herramienta ideal para combatir una práctica deportiva descontextualizada en educación física (EF). Objetivo: el propósito principal de este estudio ha sido cuantificar el rendimiento fisiológico y físico de un JRC 3vs.3, un JRC 4vs.4 y una tarea técnica analítica mediante el índice global TRIMP Edwards, la percepción subjetiva del esfuerzo (PSE) y la distancia total recorrida. El objetivo secundario fue analizar la relación existente entre mencionadas variables fisiológicas y físicas. Métodos: estudio cuantitativo, cuasi-experimental y transversal, aplicado con una muestra de 80 alumnos desde tercero hasta sexto curso de educación primaria (9,61±1,15 años). Para la cuantificación de las variables se ha empleado la tecnología Polar Team Pro® y la escala de Percepción del Esfuerzo Percibido. Resultados y discusión: se establecen diferencias significativas en las cargas de entrenamiento entre los juegos 3vs.3 y 4vs.4 respecto a las tareas analíticas (p<0,001). También se observan diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los juegos 3vs.3 respecto a los 4vs.4 (p<0,001), y una correlación positiva significativa entre las cargas de juegos y tareas. Conclusiones: los JRC suponen herramientas metodológicas útiles para mejorar el rendimiento fisiológico y físico en EF y, en definitiva, la salud de los escolares, en comparación con una práctica más descontextualizada basada exclusivamente en tareas técnicas. Por ese motivo, se recomienda, por un lado, la implementación de JRC en las unidades didácticas escolares y, por otro, el empleo de herramientas tales como la PSE para controlar las variables fisiológicas y físicas de los alumnos.Abstract: Introduction: the small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) are an ideal tool for overcome a decontextualized Physical Education (PE) sport practice. Aim: the main purpose of this research was to quantify and compare the physiological and physical performance from a SSCG 3vs.3, a SSCG 4vs.4 and a technical analytical drill through the global indicator Edwards’ TRIMP, the response perceived-exertion (RPE) and the total distance covered. The secondary objective was to analyze the relationship between the mentioned physiological and physical variables. Methods: a quantitative, quasi-experimental and cross-sectional study was carried out on a sample of 80 students from third to sixth grade in Elementary Education (9.61±1.15 years old). Technology Polar Team Pro™ and the Response Perceived-Exertion have been used to quantify both physiological and physical variables. Results & discussion: results establish significant differences at 3vs.3 and 4vs.4 SSCGs against the drills (p<0.001). Moreover, it was also observed significant differences at 3vs.3 in contrast to 4vs.4 SSGs (p<0.001), and a significant positive correlation was observed among the loads of the games and drills. Conclusions: the SSCGs in PE supposed useful tools designed to improve the physiological and physical performance as well as promoting healthy habits in contrast to a more decontextualized practice based on technical task exclusively. For that reason, it is recommended, on the one hand, to implement SSCGs at the lessons plans and, on the other hand, to use tools such as the RPE to control the students’ physiological and physical variables

Trajectory definition with high relative accuracy (HRA) by parametric representation of curves in nano-positioning systems

Nanotechnology applications demand high accuracy positioning systems. Therefore, in order to achieve sub-micrometer accuracy, positioning uncertainty contributions must be minimized by implementing precision positioning control strategies. The positioning control system accuracy must be analyzed and optimized, especially when the system is required to follow a predefined trajectory. In this line of research, this work studies the contribution of the trajectory definition errors to the final positioning uncertainty of a large-range 2D nanopositioning stage. The curve trajectory is defined by curve fitting using two methods: traditional CAD/CAM systems and novel algorithms for accurate curve fitting. This novel method has an interest in computer-aided geometric design and approximation theory, and allows high relative accuracy (HRA) in the computation of the representations of parametric curves while minimizing the numerical errors. It is verified that the HRA method offers better positioning accuracy than commonly used CAD/CAM methods when defining a trajectory by curve fitting: When fitting a curve by interpolation with the HRA method, fewer data points are required to achieve the precision requirements. Similarly, when fitting a curve by a least-squares approximation, for the same set of given data points, the HRA method is capable of obtaining an accurate approximation curve with fewer control points

Hacia un comportamiento más social y cooperativo en educación física: aplicación del modelo de educación deportiva

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate and to compare the Sport Education Model (SEM) implementation together with the presence or the absence of pedagogical strategies, which encourage prosocial behaviour among the participants. The sample consisted of two Primary sixth level classes (n = 51; 10.72 ± .66). Among group A, methodologies oriented to foster the prosocial behaviour were developed. Among group B, strategies centred in the individual improvements were developed. Though a one-way ANOVA, pre-test and post-test results of the Antisocial Behaviour Questionnaire (Martorell y González, 1992) were analysed. Results shows significant differences among scores in both classes before starting the model and after it (p = .000). It is observed a significant reduction of antisocial performances among the total scores of the post-test in group A (p = .000). Model-based implementation in Physical Education, Sport Education between them, should be complemented with methodological strategies that encourage prosocial behaviours because it favors positively the students’ values education.&nbsp; Resumen: El propósito de esta investigación es evaluar y comparar la implementación del Modelo de Educación Deportiva (MED), junto con la presencia de estrategias pedagógicas que fomenten conductas prosociales entre los participantes. La muestra constó de dos clases de sexto de Primaria (n = 51; 10,72 ± ,66). En el grupo A se desarrollaron metodologías orientadas a fomentar conductas prosociales. En el grupo B se desarrollaron estrategias centradas en las mejoras individuales. Mediante el ANOVA de un factor, se analizaron los resultados pre-test y post-test del Cuestionario de Conductas Antisociales (Martorell y González, 1992). Los resultados muestran diferencias significativas entre las puntuaciones en ambas clases antes y después de realizar la implementación (p = ,000). Se observa una reducción significativa de actuaciones antisociales en el total del post-test del grupo A (p = ,000). La implementación de modelos-basados en la práctica en Educación Física, entre ellos el MED, se debe complementar con estrategias metodológicas que fomenten conductas prosociales, pues ello favorece positivamente la educación de valores en los escolares

Metodología de autocalibración para un sistema de sensores láser 2D

Este trabajo define un m&eacute;todo de autocalibraci&oacute;n para un sistema de sensores l&aacute;ser 2D a lo largo de un rango de trabajo de 50 mm x 50 mm con incertidumbre submicrom&eacute;trica. Un encoder de malla 2D es usado como artefacto no calibrado. El correcto funcionamiento del m&eacute;todo es comprobado, primero usando datos virtuales y luego experimentalmente

An Ecological Alternative to Snodgrass & Vanderwart: 360 High Quality Colour Images with Norms for Seven Psycholinguistic Variables

This work presents a new set of 360 high quality colour images belonging to 23 semantic subcategories. Two hundred and thirty-six Spanish speakers named the items and also provided data from seven relevant psycholinguistic variables: age of acquisition, familiarity, manipulability, name agreement, typicality and visual complexity. Furthermore, we also present lexical frequency data derived from Internet search hits. Apart from the high number of variables evaluated, knowing that it affects the processing of stimuli, this new set presents important advantages over other similar image corpi: (a) this corpus presents a broad number of subcategories and images; for example, this will permit researchers to select stimuli of appropriate difficulty as required, (e.g., to deal with problems derived from ceiling effects); (b) the fact of using coloured stimuli provides a more realistic, ecologically-valid, representation of real life objects. In sum, this set of stimuli provides a useful tool for research on visual object-and word- processing, both in neurological patients and in healthy controls

Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at s=900\sqrt{s} = 900 GeV with ALICE at the LHC

The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 900$ GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region $(|\eta|<0.8)$ over the transverse momentum range $0.15<p_{\rm T}<10$ GeV/$c$. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also studied. Results are presented for inelastic (INEL) and non-single-diffractive (NSD) events. The average transverse momentum for $|\eta|<0.8$ is $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>_{\rm INEL}=0.483\pm0.001$ (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$ and \left_{\rm NSD}=0.489\pm0.001 (stat.) $\pm0.007$ (syst.) GeV/$c$, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger $\left<p_{\rm T}\right>$ than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/390

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the Pierre Auger Observatory and the Telescope Array: Joint Contribution to the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC 2015)

We have conducted three searches for correlations between ultra-high energy cosmic rays detected by the Telescope Array and the Pierre Auger Observatory, and high-energy neutrino candidate events from IceCube. Two cross-correlation analyses with UHECRs are done: one with 39 cascades from the IceCube `high-energy starting events' sample and the other with 16 high-energy `track events'. The angular separation between the arrival directions of neutrinos and UHECRs is scanned over. The same events are also used in a separate search using a maximum likelihood approach, after the neutrino arrival directions are stacked. To estimate the significance we assume UHECR magnetic deflections to be inversely proportional to their energy, with values $3^\circ$, $6^\circ$ and $9^\circ$ at 100 EeV to allow for the uncertainties on the magnetic field strength and UHECR charge. A similar analysis is performed on stacked UHECR arrival directions and the IceCube sample of through-going muon track events which were optimized for neutrino point-source searches.Comment: one proceeding, the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference, 30 July - 6 August 2015, The Hague, The Netherlands; will appear in PoS(ICRC2015