Source Reduction and Recycling Programs at a Joint Venture Automobile Assembly Plant

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) is a vehicle assembly plant in Fremont, California. NUMMI began operations in 1984 as ajoint venture of General Motors Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. In 1995, NUMMI produced 94,280 Geo Prizms, 135,112 Toyota Corollas, and 123,257 Toyota Tacoma trucks. NUMMI conducts its manufacturing operations using the Toyota Production System (TPS). A key element of TPS is the elimination of waste. This includes wasted energy, space, labor, and production materials. Waste reduction, i.e., source reduction, is part of NUMMI\u27s corporate culture and every team member is encouraged to continuously seek out new waste reduction opportunities. NUMMI\u27s management believes that the team members who actually do the work are the people most effective in reducing waste. To motivate team members to aggressively seek out waste reduction opportunities, NUMMI has a very liberal and generous suggestion program. Each year millions of dollars are saved by adopting team member suggestions. Management\u27s responsibility is to work with the team members to develop and implement ideas for reducing waste. Management supports the team members with the technical and financial resources necessary to successfully implement a waste reduction project. Waste reduction projects are often classic examples of labor-management teamwork in problem solving, and process improvement. Last year NUMMI and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, conducted a joint waste reduction study. Graduate and upper division environmental engineering students came to NUMMI to evaluate certain waste producing operations for possible reductions. The students prepared detailed analyses of the operations and suggested ways to reduce waste. The project is now at the stage where NUMMI team members and management are reviewing the suggestions for implementation. This paper will discuss ongoing waste reduction and recycling activities at NUMMI and the preliminary results of the Cal Poly student project

Solid Waste Resource Recovery Alternatives, U.S. Facility, Subic Bay, Philippines

The U.S. Navy Public Works Center, Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines (PWC Subic Bay) is responsible for the collection and disposal of almost 300,000 yd3 of solid waste annually. A portion of this solid waste is manually sorted and recycled, resulting in gross revenues of over $200,000 in FY82. The present manual sorting and recycling system is considered by PWC Subic Bay to be inadequate in terms of sanitation, safety, and recyclable materials recovery. Therefore , PWC Subic Bay requested that the Naval Civil Engineering Laboratory (NCEL) study the system and recommend improvements

Acompañamiento para el autoconocimiento y toma de decisiones en jóvenes universitarios que cambian de carrera.

El cambio de carrera por jóvenes en etapa de adultez emergente, inspira el presente trabajo y plantea la pregunta: ¿de qué manera el acompañamiento desde el Enfoque Centrado en la Persona al universitario dentro de una problemática personal, familiar y social en torno al cambio de carrera, le serviría para llevar un proceso en congruencia consigo mismo? A través de una investigación- acción, cualitativa, fenomenológica y de ECP a modo de taller de acompañamiento para la escucha y reflexión, con estudiantes de una universidad privada de Guadalajara, México, se obtuvieron datos sobre emociones, acompañamiento, consciencia y autoconocimiento, que muestran que el problema se debe en parte, al haber tenido una deficiente orientación vocacional escolar previa, al encontrarse en una etapa de edad de cambio y exploración propia de la adultez emergente, al desconocimiento de las propias habilidades, así como a presiones familiares y sociales.ITESO, A. C

Effects of Acute Low-Intensity Cycling on Perceived Stress, Arousal, and Attention

Generally, acute bouts of aerobic exercise have been shown to enhance psychological measures of emotion, mood, and affect. Previous investigations suggest that perceived stress and arousal levels are especially influenced by exercise. Interestingly, very few studies have examined the influence of exercise on attention and whether changes in stress and arousal may augment adaptations in attentional orientation that are often required during exercise. Furthermore, very little is known about the timing of the effects of exercise on these psychological outcomes. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of low-intensity aerobic exercise on stress, arousal, and attention. A secondary aim was to evaluate the time-course effects of exercise on stress, arousal, and attention. METHODS: Twenty (Mage = 23.2 ± 3.1 years old) college-aged individuals were counterbalanced into low-intensity exercise (LI) and seated control (SC) conditions. During each condition, participants completed a 10-minute resting baseline period, 20 minutes of either sustained cycling or seated rest, and a 20-minute recovery period. Primary outcomes of stress, arousal, and attention were assessed at 10-minute intervals throughout each condition via a Visual Analog Scale for Stress (VAS-S), Felt Arousal Scale (FAS), and Attentional Focus Scale (AFS), respectively. RESULTS: For the VAS-S, a Time main effect was revealed, F(4,16) = 5.76, p = .005, suggesting general reductions in stress following both LI and SC conditions. A Time main effect was also found for the FAS, which was superseded by a Condition x Time interaction, F(4,16) = 3.08, p = .047, indicating a greater increase in arousal levels during the LI condition compared to the SC condition. Lastly, a Time main effect for the AFS was found, F(4,16) = 3.05, p = .049, indicating general shifts from internal to external focus during each condition. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the current results suggest that exercise at lower doses (i.e., low-intensity for 20 minutes) may have minimal influence on more complex psychological perceptions of stress and attention. These results may help us better understand the complicated interactions between common psychological measures used in exercise science research. Additionally, this study may aid in the development of appropriate exercise prescriptions for populations looking to specifically target stress, arousal, and attention

Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron (HOPE) Mass Spectrometer for the Radiation Belt Storm Probes Mission

The HOPE mass spectrometer of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission (renamed the Van Allen Probes) is designed to measure the in situ plasma ion and electron fluxes over 4π sr at each RBSP spacecraft within the terrestrial radiation belts. The scientific goal is to understand the underlying physical processes that govern the radiation belt structure and dynamics. Spectral measurements for both ions and electrons are acquired over 1 eV to 50 keV in 36 log-spaced steps at an energy resolution ΔE FWHM/E≈15 %. The dominant ion species (H+, He+, and O+) of the magnetosphere are identified using foil-based time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry with channel electron multiplier (CEM) detectors. Angular measurements are derived using five polar pixels coplanar with the spacecraft spin axis, and up to 16 azimuthal bins are acquired for each polar pixel over time as the spacecraft spins. Ion and electron measurements are acquired on alternate spacecraft spins. HOPE incorporates several new methods to minimize and monitor the background induced by penetrating particles in the harsh environment of the radiation belts. The absolute efficiencies of detection are continuously monitored, enabling precise, quantitative measurements of electron and ion fluxes and ion species abundances throughout the mission. We describe the engineering approaches for plasma measurements in the radiation belts and present summaries of HOPE measurement strategy and performance

The meaning of parenteral hydration to family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer receiving hospice care.

CONTEXT: In the U.S., patients with advanced cancer who are dehydrated or have decreased oral intake almost always receive parenteral hydration in acute care facilities but rarely in the hospice setting. OBJECTIVES: To describe the meaning of hydration for terminally ill cancer patients in home hospice care and for their primary caregivers. METHODS: Phenomenological interviews were conducted at two time points with 85 patients and 84 caregivers enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial examining the efficacy of parenteral hydration in patients with advanced cancer receiving hospice care in the southern U.S. Transcripts were analyzed hermeneutically by the interdisciplinary research team until consensus on the theme labels was reached. RESULTS: Patients and their family caregivers saw hydration as meaning hope and comfort. Hope was the view that hydration might prolong a life of dignity and enhance quality of life by reducing symptoms such as fatigue and increasing patients\u27 alertness. Patients and caregivers also described hydration as improving patients\u27 comfort by reducing pain; enhancing the effectiveness of pain medication; and nourishing the body, mind, and spirit. CONCLUSION: These findings differ from traditional hospice beliefs that dehydration enhances patient comfort, given that patients and their families in the study viewed fluids as enhancing comfort, dignity, and quality of life. Discussion with patients and families about their preferences for hydration may help tailor care plans to meet specific patient needs

AMPLIACIONES DEL TEOREMA DE PITÁGORAS A TRAVÉS DE LA HISTORIA, PARA POLÍGONOS REGULARES

The objective of this article is to highlight how captivating and transcendent the Pythagorean theorem is, as well as, how striking and beautiful it is to go beyond verifying that it is true only for squares built on the sides of a right triangle; and that, it ceases to be perceived as a simple formula that is recited mechanically and coldly.  Two famous proofs of this theorem are presented, then this theorem is extended to equilateral triangles, regular hexagons, and semicircles until it is generalized to all regular polygons.El objetivo de este artículo es resaltar lo cautivador y trascendente que es el teorema de Pitágoras, además de lo llamativo y hermoso que resulta ir más allá de verificar que se cumple solo para cuadrados construidos sobre los lados de un triángulo rectángulo; y que se deje de percibir como una simple fórmula que se recita de forma mecánica y fría.  Se presentan dos famosas demostraciones de este teorema, luego se amplía este teorema para triángulos equiláteros, hexágonos regulares y semicírculos hasta llegar a generalizarlo para todo polígono regular

Traffic jams and ordering far from thermal equilibrium

The recently suggested correspondence between domain dynamics of traffic models and the asymmetric chipping model is reviewed. It is observed that in many cases traffic domains perform the two characteristic dynamical processes of the chipping model, namely chipping and diffusion. This correspondence indicates that jamming in traffic models in which all dynamical rates are non-deterministic takes place as a broad crossover phenomenon, rather than a sharp transition. Two traffic models are studied in detail and analyzed within this picture.Comment: Contribution to the Niels Bohr Summer Institute on Complexity and Criticality; to appear in a Per Bak Memorial Issue of PHYSICA

ELABORACIÓN, VALIDACIÓN Y CONFIABILIDAD DE UNA PRUEBA DE CONOCIMIENTOS MATEMÁTICOS PARA DOCENTES DEL NIVEL PRIMARIO

This article describes the process that was carried out for the elaboration, validation and reliability of a test of mathematical knowledge, which allows determining the level of management that primary level teachers have, specifically those who attend sixth grade, in terms of to the addition and subtraction of whole numbers.  The initial test consisted of twenty items and after validation, by expert judges in this discipline, it was made up of fifteen items; seven in the whole number exercises section and eight in the whole number application problems section.  The average Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient obtained in the validation of this test was 0.832, indicating a good internal consistency of the test.  Subsequently, the pilot version of the test was applied to ten teachers, after the evaluation based on the pre-established criteria for each section, the analisis of the Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient was applied, obtaining a value of 0.802, which indicates that the test is reliable and allows to achieve the objective for which it was designed.En este artículo se describe el proceso que se llevó a cabo para la elaboración, validación y confiabilidad de una prueba de conocimientos matemáticos, que permita determinar el nivel de manejo que tienen los docentes del nivel primario, específicamente los que atienden sexto grado, en cuanto a la suma y resta de números enteros.  La prueba inicial constaba de veinte ítems y después de la validación, por los jueces expertos en esta disciplina, la misma quedó conformada por quince ítems; siete en la sección de ejercicios con números enteros y ocho en la sección de problemas de aplicación con números enteros.  El coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach promedio obtenido en la validación de esta prueba fue de 0.832, indicando una buena consistencia interna de la prueba.  Posteriormente se aplicó la versión piloto de la prueba a diez maestros, después de la evaluación basada en los criterios preestablecidos para cada sección se aplica el análisis del coeficiente Alfa de Cronbach obteniéndose un valor de 0.802 lo que nos indica que la prueba es confiable y permite alcanzar el objetivo para el cual fue diseñada