Training and assignment of multi-skilled workers for implementing seru production systems

Confronted with high variety and low volume market demands, many companies, especially the Japanese electronics manufacturing companies, have reconfigured their conveyor assembly lines and adopted seru production systems. Seru production system is a new type of work-cell-based manufacturing system. A lot of successful practices and experience show that seru production system can gain considerable flexibility of job shop and high efficiency of conveyor assembly line. In implementing seru production, the multi-skilled worker is the most important precondition, and some issues about multi-skilled workers are central and foremost. In this paper, we investigate the training and assignment problem of workers when a conveyor assembly line is entirely reconfigured into several serus. We formulate a mathematical model with double objectives which aim to minimize the total training cost and to balance the total processing times among multi-skilled workers in each seru. To obtain the satisfied task-to-worker training plan and worker-to-seru assignment plan, a three-stage heuristic algorithm with nine steps is developed to solve this mathematical model. Then, several computational cases are taken and computed by MATLAB programming. The computation and analysis results validate the performances of the proposed mathematical model and heuristic algorithm. © 2013 Springer-Verlag London.

Impact of Brunswick river mouth training walls on adjacent beaches, Brunswick heads, New South Wales, Australia

River training walls have been built at scores of locations along the NSW coast and their impacts on shoreline change are still not fully understood. In this study, the Brunswick River entrance and adjacent beaches are selected for examination of the impact of the construction of major training walls. Thirteen sets of aerial photographs taken between 1947 and 1994 are used in a CIS approach to accurately determine tire shoreline Position, beach contours and sand volumes, and their changes in both time and space, and then to assess the contribution of both tire structures and natural hydrodynamic conditions to large scale (years-decades and kilometres) beach changes. The impact of the training walls can be divided into four stages: natural conditions prior to their construction (pre 1959), major downdrift erosion and updrift accretion during and. following the construction of the walls in 1959 similar to 1962 and 1966. diminishing impact of the walls between 1966 and 1987, and finally no apparent impact between 1987 similar to 1994. The impact extends horizontally about 8 km updrift and 17 km downdrift, and temporally up to 25 years..

Exercise training can induce cardiac autophagy at end-stage chronic conditions: Insights from a graft-versus-host-disease mouse model

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a frequent cause of morbimortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and severely compromises patients' physical capacity. Despite the aggressive nature of the disease, aerobic exercise training can positively impact survival as well as clinical and functional parameters. We analyzed potential mechanisms underlying the recently reported cardiac function improvement in an exercise-trained cGVHD murine model receiving lethal total body irradiation and immunosuppressant treatment (Fiuza-Luces et al., 2013. Med Sci Sports Exerc 45, 1703-1711). We hypothesized that a cellular quality-control mechanism that is receiving growing attention in biomedicine, autophagy, was involved in such improvement. Our results suggest that exercise training elicits a positive autophagic adaptation in the myocardium that may help preserve cardiac function even at the end-stage of a devastating disease like cGVHD. These preliminary findings might provide new insights into the cardiac exercise benefits in chronic/debilitating conditions.

Muscle function and body composition profile in adolescents withrestrictive anorexia nervosa: Does resistance training help?

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of short-term resistance training on the body composition profile and muscle function in a group of Anorexia Nervosa restricting type (AN-R) patients. The sample consisted of AN-R female adolescents (12.8 ± 0.6 years) allocated into the control and intervention groups (n¼18 each). Body composition and relative strength were assessed at baseline, after 8 weeks and 4 weeks following the intervention. Body mass index (BMI) increased throughout the study (p = 0.011). Significant skeletal muscle mass (SMM) gains were found in the intervention group (p = 0.045, d = 0.6) that correlated to the change in BMI (r = 0.51, p < 0.031). Meanwhile, fat mass (FM) gains were significant in the control group (p = 0.047, d = 0.6) and correlated (r > 0.60) with change in BMI in both the groups. Significant relative strength increases (p < 0.001) were found in the intervention group and were sustained over time.

Improving bilingual higher education: Training university professors in content and language integrated learning

With increasing international mobility, higher education must cater to the varying linguistic and cultural needs of students. Successful delivery of courses through English as the vehicular language is essential to encourage international enrollment. However, this cannot be achieved without preparing university professors in the many intricacies delivering their subjects in English may pose. This paper aims to: share preliminary data concerning Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) at Laureate Network Universities worldwide as few studies have been conducted at the tertiary level, reflect upon data regarding student and teacher satisfaction with CLIL at the Universidad Europea de Madrid (UEM), and to propose improvements in English-taught subjects.

The What? and How? of education and training for information professionals in a changing world: some experiences from Wales, Slovakia and the Asia-Pacific region

Tedd, L.A. (2003). The What? and How? of education and training for information professionals in a changing world: some experiences from Wales, Slovakia and the Asia-Pacific region. Journal of Information Science, 29(1), 79-86.

Systematic assessment of the training needs of health library staff

Urquhart, C., Spink, S., Thomas, R. & Durbin, J. (2005). Systematic assessment of the training needs of health library staff. Library and Information Research, 29(93), 35-42. Sponsorship: National Library for Health (NLH)

Training needs analysis of healthcare library staff, undertaken for South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation

Urquhart, C., Durbin, J. & Spink, S. (2004). Training needs analysis of healthcare library staff, undertaken for South Yorkshire Workforce Development Confederation. Aberystwyth: Department of Information Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth. Sponsorship: South Yorkshire WDC (NHS)

Assessing training and professional development needs of library staff. Report for National Library of Health

Urquhart, C., Spink, S. & Thomas, R., Assessing training and professional development needs of library staff. Report for National Library of Health. (2005). Aberystwyth: Department of Information Studies, University of Wales Aberystwyth Sponsorship: National Library for Health (NHS Information Authority)

Training for professional librarians in Slovakia by distance-learning methods: an overview of the PROLIB and EDULIB projects

Tedd, L.A., Dahl, K., Francis, S.,Tet?evov?, M.& ?ihlavn?kov?, E.(2002).Training for professional librarians in Slovakia by distance-learning methods: an overview of the PROLIB and EDULIB projects. Library Hi Tech, 20(3), 340-351. Sponsorship: European Union and the Open Society Institute

Lessons learned in an information skills training programme for a mental health Trust

Parker, R. & Urquhart, C. (2007). Lessons learned in an information skills training programme for a mental health Trust. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 24(1), 58-61.

A modified TRIMP to quantify the in-season training load of team sport players

Thatcher, Rhys, et al., 'A modified TRIMP to quantify the in-season training load of team sport players', Journal of Sport Sciences, (2007) 25(6) pp.629-634 RAE2008

Learning from triads: training undergraduates in counselling skills

Background: Research has shown that counselling skills training in undergraduate programmes is effective. However, there is potential that premature intimacy and disclosures during triad work may impact on relationships which must be maintained out-with the counselling component of the course. Little research has examined individual pedagogical practices within training. Aim: The aim of this research was to explore the experience of the practical skills training component of a counselling course for a cohort of undergraduate students, and the impact of this learning experience. The objective being an evaluation of the use of this approach for this group and of the impact of personal sharing within cohorts of undergraduates. Method: Semi-structured interviews focusing on the experience of skills training and self-disclosure during training were carried out on 12 undergraduates taking counselling skills modules as part of their BSc Psychology and Counselling degree. Thematic analysis was carried out on the interview transcripts. Results: As a result of engagement in skills training and acting as ‘clients’ for one another, individuals perceived the formation of a positive group identity with implicit ‘rules’, but also an impact of training on relationships within the group which relied on the ability to maintain boundaries and personal identities with peers, and this influenced the learning experience. The ability to manage their engagement on the programme was dependent on ongoing support and guidance from tutors. Discussion: While this pedagogical approach appears appropriate for facilitating learning and potentially provides a rich learning journey for undergraduate students, tutors must act proactively to ensure a safe learning environment.

Efficacy of a four-week uphill sprint training intervention in field hockey players

Current evidence increasingly suggests that very short, supra-maximal bouts of exercise can have significant health and performance benefits. The majority of research conducted in the area however, uses laboratory-based protocols, which can lack ecological validity. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a high intensity sprint-training programme on hockey related performance measures. 14 semi-professional hockey players completed either a 4-week high intensity training (HIT) intervention, consisting of a total of six sessions HIT, which progressively increased in volume (n=7), or followed their normal training programme (Con; n=7). Straight-line sprint speed with and without a hockey stick and ball, and slalom sprint speed, with and without a hockey stick and ball were used as performance indicators. Maximal sprint speed over 22.9m was also assessed. Upon completion of the four-week intervention, straight-line sprint speed improved significantly in the HIT group (~3%), with no change in performance for the Con group. Slalom sprint speed, both with and without a hockey ball was not significantly different following the training programme in either group. Maximal sprint speed improved significantly (12.1%) in the HIT group, but there was no significant performance change in the Con group. The findings of this study indicate that a short period of HIT can significantly improve hockey related performance measures, and could be beneficial to athletes and coaches in field settings.