Mapping the DMAIC Tool in the Public Sector: A Bibliometric Literature Review

The quality and continuous improvement of products and processes continue to play an essential role in the business context, with the need for more responsive, flexible, and responsive organizations. Among the many tools and methodologies employed, DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control), linked to Six Sigma, is used to improve existing products or organizational processes. Nevertheless, if in the private sector, the adoption and practice of these tools and methodologies are widely used, in the public sector, in turn, the applicability of DMAIC is little employed. In this perspective, and using the methodological resource of systematic literature review, this article aims to identify the applicability of the DMAIC tool in the public sector. The review indicates that while DMAIC still has low public evidence, the tool can be efficiently applied across the industry, enabling positive results for organizations, reducing costs, delivering efficient processes, and increasing customer satisfaction

Utilidad del 1-3-beta-d-glucano(BDG) y los anticuerpos antimicelio (CAGTA), en el diagnóstico de la candidiasis invasiva en pacientes críticos no neutropénicos.

La alta morbilidad y mortalidad de las candidiasis invasivas implica la necesidad de un diagnóstico rápido para instaurar un tratamiento antifúngico dirigido eficaz con rapidez. El método diagnóstico de referencia es el hemocultivo, pero debido a su baja sensibilidad y lentitud, hace estrictamente necesario buscar alternativas diagnósticas. Entre los métodos diagnósticos alternativos se encuentran los biomarcadores anticuerpos antimicelio (CAGTA) y 1-3-Beta-D-Glucano (BDG). El objetivo principal del estudio es analizar la utilidad y el rendimiento de los biomarcadores, CAGTA y BDG, tanto de forma individual como combinada, en el diagnóstico de la CI en el paciente crítico no neutropénico

Spontaneously formed porous and composite materials

In recent years, a number of routes to porous materials have been developed which do not involve the use of pre-formed templates or structure-directing agents. These routes are usually spontaneous, meaning they are thermodynamically downhill. Kinetic control, deriving from slow diffusion of certain species in the solid state, allows metastable porous morphologies rather than dense materials to be obtained. While the porous structures so formed are random, the average architectural features can be well-defined, and the porosity is usually highly interconnected. The routes are applicable to a broad range of functional inorganic materials. Consequently, the porous architectures have uses in energy transduction and storage, chemical sensing, catalysis, and photoelectrochemistry. This is in addition to more straightforward uses deriving from the pore structure, such as in filtration, as a structural material, or as a cell-growth scaffold. In this feature article, some of the methods for the creation of porous materials are described, including shape-conserving routes that lead to hierarchical macro/mesoporous architectures. In some of the preparations, the resulting mesopores are aligned locally with certain crystallographic directions. The coupling between morphology and crystallography provides a macroscopic handle on nanoscale structure. Extension of these routes to create biphasic composite materials are also described

Alumina reinforced eucryptite ceramics: Very low thermal expansion material with improved mechanical properties

[EN] Composite materials formed by a LAS matrix reinforced with second phases are promising materials in many applications where better mechanical properties than those corresponding to conventional low thermal expansion coefficient materials are required. In this study we will show the capability of the design of a LAS-alumina submicron composite. The main scope of this work is to test the sinterability of the composites and to design a composition for a very low thermal expansion submicron composite. For this purpose, Taimei alumina (TM-DAR) powders and an ad hoc synthesized beta-eucryptite phase were used to fabricate the composite. XRD phase compositions and microstructures are discussed together with data from dilatometries in a wide temperature range. The results obtained show the possibility of designing a submicron composite with a very low thermal expansion coefficient and improved mechanical properties that can be used in oxidizing conditions. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.We would like to thank Prof. Salvador de Aza and Prof. Serafin Moya for the thorough discussion of LAS-Al2O3 solid state compatibility and comments on a first version of the manuscript. The authors greatly appreciate the support of the EU for the IP-Nanoker NMP3-CT-2005-515784 in the frame of the 6th Framework Program. Garcia-Moreno is working for CSIC under a JAE-Doc contract co-funded by the ESF. A. Borrell is working with financial support of National Plan Project MAT2006-01783 under FPI contract.García-Moreno, O.; Borrell Tomás, MA.; Bittmann, B.; Fernández-Valdés, A.; Torrecillas San Millán, R. (2011). Alumina reinforced eucryptite ceramics: Very low thermal expansion material with improved mechanical properties. Journal of the European Ceramic Society. 31(9):1641-1646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2011.03.033S1641164631

Nível de Maturidade na Indústria 4.0 - Estudo de caso de uma indústria de eletroeletrônicos do parque industrial de Manaus

Os avanços tecnológicos e o advento da internet nas atividades de produção de bens e serviços são considerados os percussores da quarta revolução industrial. O presente artigo traz um estudo de caso de uma indústria de eletroeletrônicos, localizada no polo industrial de Manaus, com o objetivo de identificar o grau de maturidade na transição de sua planta fabril para o novo modelo de produção, denominado Indústria 4.0. A metodologia foi baseada em dados secundários, coletados no sistema PIMM4.0, sistema informatizado que foi desenvolvido para mensurar os níveis de maturidade da transformação industrial para novas tecnologias. Por meio dele foi possível verificar que a indústria em questão segue o nível de maturidade da manufatura brasileira, ainda em transição para o 4.0, utilizado tecnologia avançada somente em áreas pontuais da organização, buscando formas de se adaptar ao modelo e manter a competividade de mercado

Fabrication of near-zero thermal expansion of fully dense beta-eucryptite ceramics by microwave sintering

Microwave heating is proposed as non-conventional technique for the sintering of optimal lithium aluminosilicate compositions of β-eucryptite system. The coefficient of thermal expansion and mechanical properties of the sintered samples has been studied under the influence of microwave heating. The ad hoc synthesized β-eucryptite together with the microwave sintering technique developed in this work open the opportunity to produce breakthrough materials with low or negative coefficient of thermal expansion and excellent mechanical properties, as a Young s modulus of 110 GPa. The combination of rapid heating with low energy applied by the microwave technology (eco-friendly process) and the dramatic reduction in cycle time allows densification without glass phase formation. Results of the coefficient of thermal expansion of the β-eucryptite ceramics presented here under cryogenic conditions will be of value, for example, in the future design of new composite materials for space applicationsThe authors would like to thank Dr. Emilio Rayon for performing the nanoindentation analysis in the Materials Technology institute (ITM) of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) and your financial support received of UPV under Projects SP20120621 and SP20120677 and Spanish Government through the Project MONIDIEL (TEC2008-04109). A. Borrell, acknowledges the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for a Juan de la Cierva contract (JCI-2011-10498) and SCSIE of the University of Valencia.Benavente Martínez, R.; Borrell Tomás, MA.; Salvador Moya, MD.; Garcia-Moreno, O.; Penaranda-Foix, FL.; Catalá Civera, JM. (2014). Fabrication of near-zero thermal expansion of fully dense beta-eucryptite ceramics by microwave sintering. Ceramics International. 40(1):935-941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2013.06.089S93594140

O Impacto da digitalização no processo produtivo de injeção plástica

A competitividade perpassa vários fatores organizacionais, dentre eles o controle por meio de indicadores da produtividade. Nesse sentido, a digitalização da manufatura tornou-se necessária para o efetivo controle da função de produção nas indústrias. Com essas premissas, o presente estudo procurou avaliar o impacto da digitalização na gestão da produção em uma empresa do Polo Industrial de Manaus que utiliza a injeção plástica como processo produtivo. Para avaliar o grau de impacto da digitalização foram coletados dados e a forma de controle do processo, por meio dos registros históricos da produção nos últimos seis meses. As variáveis consideradas foram: índice de rejeição por problemas de qualidade, produtividade e custos de produção. Com a digitalização do processo de gestão, os resultados mostraram melhoria no índice de defeitos, aumento das quantidades produzidas e redução de custos de produção

Fabrication of full density near-nanostructured cemented carbides by combination of VC/Cr3C2 addition and consolidation by SPS and HIP technologies

The aim of present work is to study the effect of VC and/or Cr3C2 in densification, microstructural development and mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline WC-12wt.%Co powders when they are sintered by spark plasma sintering (SPS) and hot isostatic pressing (HIP). The results were compared to those corresponding to conventional sintering in vacuum. The density, microstructure, X-ray diffraction, hardness and fracture toughness of the sintered materials were evaluated. Materials prepared by SPS exhibits full densification at lower temperature (1100 degrees C) and a shorter stay time (5 min), allowing the grain growth control. However, the effect of the inhibitors during SPS process is considerably lower than in conventional sintering. Materials prepared by HIP at 1100 degrees C and 30 min present full densification and a better control of microstructure in the presence of VC. The added amount of VC allows obtaining homogeneous microstructures with an average grain size of 120 nm. The hardness and fracture toughness values obtained were about 2100 HV30 and close to 10 MPa m(1/)2, respectively. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The work is supported financially by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation by means of the project MAT 2006-12945-C03-C02 and MAT 2009-14144-C03-C02.Bonache Bezares, V.; Salvador Moya, MD.; Fernández Valdés, A.; Borrell Tomás, MA. (2011). Fabrication of full density near-nanostructured cemented carbides by combination of VC/Cr3C2 addition and consolidation by SPS and HIP technologies. International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials. 29(2):202-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2010.10.007S20220829