The status of Portulaca oleraceal in Tenerife, the Canary Islands

La recolección de material perteneciente a Portulaca oleracea y especies afines en Tenerife y algunas otras islas del archipiélago reavivó nuestro interés en este complejo poliploide. Con la intención de homogeneizar el tratamiento de los taxones relacionados a Portulaca oleracea L., se propone elevar el rango subespecífico de alguno de ellos a rango específico. Se describe por primera vez para la ciencia Portulaca canariensis. El estudio de Portulaca oleracea y especies afines en Tenerife y otras islas del archipiélago revelan los siguientes hechos: a. Tres niveles de ploidía (diploide, tetraploide y hexaploide) están presentes en las islas, b. Se observaron poblaciones simpátricas de especies diploides, de tetraploides, de tetraploides más hexaploides, de hexaploides y de diploides más tetraploides y hexaploides y c. Las especies tetraploides fueron las más frecuentes, seguidas de las diploides, siendo las hexaploides las menos frecuentes. Los resultados de los recuentos cromosómicos concuerdan con los estudios previos realizadosFollowing a comprehensive collection of Portulaca oleracea-related species in Tenerife and a few other Canary Island renewed interest this polyploidy complex led to another progress in its investigations. In order to equalize the treatment of the taxa related to Portulaca oleracea L., its subspecies are raised to the specific rank. A new species, P. canariensis is described. Our study of the Portulaca oleracea-related species found in Tenerife and a few other Canary Island reveal the following facts: a. The three ploidy levels (diploids, tetraploids, and hexaploids) are well represented there, b. Sympatric populations of diploid plus diploid, tetraploids plus tetraploids, tetraploids plus hexaploids, hexaploids plus hexaploids, and diploid plus tetraploid plus hexaploid were discovered there and c. The most frequent species found were tetraploid, then the diploid and the least were hexaploids. Chromosome count followed our findings in previous studies

A Lattice Boltzmann method in generalized curvilinear coordinat

A second-order central time-explicit method is implemented to solve the Lattice Boltzmann Equation in generalized curvilinear coordinates in order to simulate fluid flows with non-uniform grids and curved boundaries. Several test cases are used for verification, including the Taylor-Green vortex in two-dimensions, the square lid-driven cavity and the 2D circular cylinder. The Taylor-Green vortex is a classical benchmark test that is compared with the analytical solution using a non-uniform grid. The 2D lid-driven cavity is solved for moderate Reynolds numbers, where a clustering function is employed to stretch the mesh and increase the resolution in the cavity corners. The boundary conditions for these two test-cases are relatively straightforward to implement since there are no curved walls. Therefore, the 2D circular cylinder is used to demonstrate the capacity of the present method to perform steady and unsteady simulations with curved boundaries. Our results have been compared with the literature available, and the outcomes of this method are consistent with other results, confirming the feasibility of the implemented scheme. In addition, the present method has been compared to our own standard Cartesian lattice Boltzmann solver with adaptive mesh refinement for the 2D circular cylinder problem

Beyond Lean Manufacturing and Sustainable Performance: Are the Circular Economy practices worth pursuing?

Purpose - The need to improve sustainability in manufacturing firms, which would allow them to reduce the emission of pollutants and the generation of industrial waste, has stimulated the adoption of Circular Economy (CE) alongside lean manufacturing practices to significantly improve the sustainable performance of organizations. However, empirical evidence provided in previous studies and that has related the practices of lean manufacturing, CE, and sustainable performance does not allow establishing an interconnection between these three concepts. Therefore, this paper fills this gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between these three concepts. Design/methodology/approach - A quantitative study in which data was collected from 460 managers working in the automotive industry in Mexico was conducted. The data allowed the testing and validation of four hypotheses through the use of partial least squares structural equation modelling. Findings - The results obtained suggest that lean manufacturing practices have a significant positive influence both on sustainable performance and CE. In turn, the results also demonstrate the existence of a significant positive relationship between Circular Economy and the sustainable performance of manufacturing firms in the automotive industry as well as that CE has a positive role in mediating the interconnection between lean manufacturing practices and sustainable performance. Originality – This is one of the first studies that have investigated the relationship between lean manufacturing, CE, and sustainable performance, particularly, in the automotive sector. Practical implications – The results obtained from the present study will allow entrepreneurs in the automotive industry and industry professionals as well as government authorities to formulate more effective policies and strategies to support the improvement of environmental sustainability performance in the manufacturing sector

The circular economy impact on small to medium enterprises

In recent years, the literature surrounding the circular economy has grown. While the notion of reducing, recycling and reusing have become adopted practices in many organisations under the umbrella of sustainability, having a circular economy is arguably the next generation step, in terms of sustainability. A systematic literature review on the circular economy identified a gap in the research, regarding the impact at the micro level to be placed on small to medium enterprises. The research concludes that a paradigm shift in circular thinking at the micro level is required, and that further research is needed to identify new skills, resources, approaches, and business models to enable subject matter experts (SMEs) to adopt a circular practice.N/

Optimisation of a distribution system in the retail industry: An Australian retail industry

This paper develops a mathematical model based on inventory routing problem that aims to minimise transportation cost, inventory carrying cost and optimises delivery schedules in a retail Australian industry. A supply chain is considered which comprises of a single distribution centre, having homogenous fleet of vehicles, supplying a single product to multiple retailers having deterministic demand. The mathematical model takes into account varying level of road congestion.N/

Industry 4.0 Maturity Assessment: A multi-dimensional indicator approach

Purpose - Industry 4.0 has offered significant potential for manufacturing firms to alter and rethink their business models, production processes, strategies, and objectives. Manufacturing organizations have recently undergone substantial transformation due to Industry 4.0 technologies. Hence, to successfully deploy and embed Industry 4.0 technologies in their organizational operations and practices, businesses must assess their adoption readiness. For this purpose, a multidimensional analytical indicator methodology has been developed to measure Industry 4.0 maturity and preparedness. Design/methodology/approach- A weighted average method was adopted to assess the Industry 4.0 readiness using a case study from a steel manufacturing organization. Findings- The result revealed that the firm ranks between Industry 2.0 and Industry 3.0, with an overall score of 2.32. This means that the organization is yet to achieve Industry 4.0 mature and ready organization. Practical Implications- The multi-dimensional indicator framework proposed can be used by managers, policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to assess the current status of organizations in terms of Industry 4.0 maturity and readiness as well as undertake a practical diagnosis and prognosis of systems and processes for its future adoption. Originality/ value- Although research on Industry 4.0 maturity models has grown exponentially in recent years, this study is the first to develop a multi-dimensional analytical indicator to measure Industry 4.0 maturity and readiness

Investigating the Influence of Total Productive Maintenance Key Success Factors on the Social Sustainability Dimension of Manufacturing SMEs

Key success factors (KSFs) of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) have historically played a vital role in attaining economic and ecological sustainability but have overlooked social sustainability. Hence, this study analyses and ranks the most significant TPM KSFs for attaining social sustainability in manufacturing SMEs. The research employs a deductive methodology to identify the relevant TPM KSFs and social sustainability indicators and then uses Fuzzy TOPSIS to rank the TPM KSFs in order to achieve social sustainability, followed by a sensitivity analysis to assess the methodological robustness. The findings indicate that the top five TPM KSFs influencing social sustainability are employee health and safety, organizational culture, top management commitment, employee engagement and effective communication, and effective workplace management. In addition, the results indicate that effective equipment utilization is the least significant TPM key factor affecting social sustainability. In the existing literature, little emphasis has been paid to social sustainability and how SMEs may implement these practices. This research adds to the current theory of TPM and social sustainability and sheds light on how SMEs might use TPM to advance toward more socially sustainable operations. SME manufacturing managers don't need to worry about all of the TPM KSFs if they only concentrate on the ones that will have the most impact. If managers use the top 5 TPM KSFs as a starting point, they may create customized TPM training programs for their companies. As a result, this will facilitate the efforts of their personnel toward social sustainability

A C-LEAN Framework for Deploying Circular Economy in Manufacturing SMEs

The adoption of Circular Economy (CE) is challenging, especially for manufacturing SMEs. Without SMEs, CE’s full spectrum cannot be realised, since they contribute to around 50% of the national GDP, globally. This research proposes a novel framework (C-LEAN) to facilitate the implementation of CE in manufacturing SMEs by combining the principles of CE and Lean, as both foci on waste elimination and value creation/preservation. The framework utilises Lean tools/methods mingled with CE principles to achieve circularity, efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing SMEs. The proposed framework was conceptually developed based on an extensive review of the existing scholarly literature and verified by a panel of field experts, through a Delphi study, from academia and industry. The model was further validated to assess its practical relevance through a case study approach in an SME manufacturing company. The results derived from the verification and validation of the proposed C-LEAN framework suggest that CE can be effectively and efficiently adopted through its amalgamation with Lean. The C-LEAN framework provides a systematic approach for manufacturing SMEs to simultaneously adopt CE and Lean practices in their existing operations. The proposed C-LEAN framework can support and guide managers in the concurrent deployment of CE and Lean for their organisations to enhance both their operational and sustainability performance. This research provides a novel framework that converges CE and Lean as no such framework exists to date. C-LEAN is attractive for manufacturing SMEs due to its dual nature of achieving operations excellence in a sustainable circular manner

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Drivers and Barriers in the Ethiopian Manufacturing Sec-tor

The prime essence of this paper is to identify the drivers of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) and determine the barriers to its implementation in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector. Studies related to SSCM mainly from 2010 onwards are reviewed, analysed and discussed using exploratory and meta-synthesis analyses. The findings indicate that there is an absence of a clear connection between SSCM practices and performance among the manufacturing industries in Ethiopia. This creates a hindrance for manufacturing firms in Ethiopia seeking to implement SSCM

A Proposal for New Evaluation Metrics and Result Visualization Technique for Sentiment Analysis Tasks

Proceedings of: 4th International Conference of the CLEF Initiative (CLEF 2013). 4th International Conference of the CLEF Initiative (CLEF 2013). Valencia, Spain, September 23-26, 2013.In this paper we propound the use of a number of entropybased metrics and a visualization tool for the intrinsic evaluation of Sentiment and Reputation Analysis tasks. We provide a theoretical justification for their use and discuss how they complement other accuracybased metrics. We apply the proposed techniques to the analysis of TASS-SEPLN and RepLab 2012 results and show how the metric is effective for system comparison purposes, for system development and postmortem evaluation.FJVA and JCdA are supported by EU FP7 project LiMoSINe (contract 288024). CPM has been partially supported by the Spanish Government-Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología project TEC2011-26807 for this paper.Publicad