Análisis y mejora de los procesos excepcionales de una multinacional del sector de la electrónica utilizando la metodología Business Process Management

El presente documento ilustra la aplicación de la metodología Business Process Managementpara el caso de una empresa multinacional del sector de la electrónica. Para ello se han tomado los procesos excepcionales de Supply Chain Operations en el área EMEA (Europa, Oriente Medio y África). Se ha analizado la situación inicial, donde la aparición de incidencias de calidad en productos terminados y listos para entregar a clientes generaba una serie de acciones descoordinadas y con resultados insatisfactorios. Todos los departamentos implicados comprometían recursos, tiempo y esfuerzo, sin estar alineados entre sí. A partir de la aplicación sistemática de la metodología BPM definida en 10 fases, se ha desarrollado una solución completa para los procesos excepcionales. El documento describe con detalle en proceso de Reflash y la documentación necesaria para poner el proceso bajo control y en mejora continua.

Report on a review of the Transportation Enhancement Program of the Iowa Department of Transportation for projects closed out during the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2009

Report on a review of the Transportation Enhancement Program of the Iowa Department of Transportation for projects closed out during the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2009

The optimal dividend barrier in the Gamma-Omega model

In the traditional actuarial risk model, if the surplus is negative, the company is ruined and has to go out of business. In this paper we distinguish between ruin (negative surplus) and bankruptcy (going out of business), where the probability of bankruptcy is a function of the level of negative surplus. The idea for this notion of bankruptcy comes from the observation that in some industries, companies can continue doing business even though they are technically ruined. Assuming that dividends can only be paid with a certain probability at each point of time, we derive closed-form formulas for the expected discounted dividends until bankruptcy under a barrier strategy. Subsequently, the optimal barrier is determined, and several explicit identities for the optimal value are found. The surplus process of the company is modeled by a Wiener process (Brownian motion).

Gaussian process framework for pervasive estimation of swimming velocity with body-worn IMU

Presented is an accurate swimming velocity estimation method using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) by employing a simple biomechanical constraint of motion along with Gaussian process regression to deal with sensor inherent errors. Experimental validation shows a velocity RMS error of 9.0 cm/s and high linear correlation when compared with a commercial tethered reference system. The results confirm the practicality of the presented method to estimate swimming velocity using a single low-cost, body-worn IMU.

Evaluating solutions to process, view and listen mathematical formula within an accessible context

Proves de conversió de fòrmules matemàtiques des d'editors de text ofimàtics i des de Làtex. Visionat en HTML i MathML. El millor resultat s'aconsegueix amb MSWord+MathType i IE+MathPlayer.

The activation process of the alpha1B-adrenergic receptor: potential role of protonation and hydrophobicity of a highly conserved aspartate.

In this study, a quantitative approach was used to investigate the role of D142, which belongs to the highly conserved E/DRY sequence, in the activation process of the alpha1B-adrenergic receptor (alpha1B-AR). Experimental and computer-simulated mutagenesis were performed by substituting all possible natural amino acids at the D142 site. The resulting congeneric set of proteins together with the finding that all the receptor mutants show various levels of constitutive (agonist-independent) activity enabled us to quantitatively analyze the relationships between structural/dynamic features and the extent of constitutive activity. Our results suggest that the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character of D142, which could be regulated by protonation/deprotonation of this residue, is an important modulator of the transition between the inactive (R) and active (R*) state of the alpha1B-AR. Our study represents an example of quantitative structure-activity relationship analysis of the activation process of a G protein-coupled receptor.

Editorial research and the publication process in biomedicine and health: Report from the Esteve Foundation Discussion Group, December 2012.

Despite the fact that there are more than twenty thousand biomedical journals in the world, research into the work of editors and publication process in biomedical and health care journals is rare. In December 2012, the Esteve Foundation, a non-profit scientific institution that fosters progress in pharmacotherapy by means of scientific communication and discussion organized a discussion group of 7 editors and/or experts in peer review biomedical publishing. They presented findings of past editorial research, discussed the lack of competitive funding schemes and specialized journals for dissemination of editorial research, and reported on the great diversity of misconduct and conflict of interest policies, as well as adherence to reporting guidelines. Furthermore, they reported on the reluctance of editors to investigate allegations of misconduct or increase the level of data sharing in health research. In the end, they concluded that if editors are to remain gatekeepers of scientific knowledge they should reaffirm their focus on the integrity of the scientific record and completeness of the data they publish. Additionally, more research should be undertaken to understand why many journals are not adhering to editorial standards, and what obstacles editors face when engaging in editorial research.

Industrial agglomerations and wage gradients: the Spanish economy in the interwar period

This paper gives new evidence on the relationship between integration and industrial agglomeration in the presence of scale economies, by testing directly one of the predictions that can be derived from Krugman (1991), that is, the existence of regional nominal wage gradients and its transformation following changes in trade regimes. Our case study analyzes the effects of the substitution of an open economy by a closed economy regime, exactly the opposite process studied by Hanson (1996, 1997). In Spain, during the interwar period, protectionist policies would have favored the loss of centrality of the coastal location (Barcelona) and the relative rise of central locations (such as Madrid). Our results indicate the existence of a wage gradient centered in Barcelona during the interwar period (1914-1930) and its weakening after 1925.

A gated single-photon avalanche diode array fabricated in a conventional CMOS process for triggered systems

A bidimensional array based on single-photon avalanche diodes for triggered imaging systems is presented. The diodes are operated in the gated mode of acquisition to reduce the probability to detect noise counts interfering with photon arrival events. In addition, low reverse bias overvoltages are used to lessen the dark count rate. Experimental results demonstrate that the prototype fabricated with a standard HV-CMOS process gets rid of afterpulses and offers a reduced dark count probability by applying the proposed modes of operation. The detector exhibits a dynamic range of 15 bits with short gated"on" periods of 10ns and a reverse bias overvoltage of 1.0V.

Avoiding sensor blindness in Geiger mode avalanche photodiode arrays fabricated in a conventional CMOS process

The need to move forward in the knowledge of the subatomic world has stimulated the development of new particle colliders. However, the objectives of the next generation of colliders sets unprecedented challenges to the detector performance. The purpose of this contribution is to present a bidimensional array based on avalanche photodiodes operated in the Geiger mode to track high energy particles in future linear colliders. The bidimensional array can function in a gated mode to reduce the probability to detect noise counts interfering with real events. Low reverse overvoltages are used to lessen the dark count rate. Experimental results demonstrate that the prototype fabricated with a standard HV-CMOS process presents an increased efficiency and avoids sensor blindness by applying the proposed techniques.

Max-convex decompositions for cooperative TU games

We show that any cooperative TU game is the maximum of a finite collection of convex games. This max-convex decomposition can be refined by using convex games with non-negative dividends for all coalitions of at least two players. As a consequence of the above results we show that the class of modular games is a set of generators of the distributive lattice of all cooperative TU games. Finally, we characterize zero-monotonic games using a strong max-convex decomposition

Von Neumann-Morgenstern solution and convex descompositions of TU games

We study under which conditions the core of a game involved in a convex decomposition of another game turns out to be a stable set of the decomposed game. Some applications and numerical examples, including the remarkable Lucas¿ five player game with a unique stable set different from the core, are reckoning and analyzed.