Fit and added value of Blockchain Technology in today's Supply Chain

Throughout history, companies have had to deal with constant changes in technology (Awati, 2021). Technology is advancing faster and faster, and some companies are having trouble keeping up with these changes. That is why, this project aims to bring companies closer to a new disruptive technology, the Blockchain technology, it will deal with how this technology fits and what is the added value it offers to the supply chain activities of the companies. To this end, a template will be created that will collect all the tasks that should be done to reach the initial state of implementing this technology. This template will also be a roadmap that companies should follow, with relevant information about the resources involved in each task: money, time, and people. Moreover, this research project aims to generate this template so that companies will be able to solve the questions, such as: what does blockchain provide that is new, what does it do for me and how do I get started

Optimización de procesos operativos de planificación en la industria alimentaria

Este proyecto de fin de máster se basa en una optimización de procesos operativos para la planificación en la organización Idilia Foods, empresa líder en el sector del cacao en España, con marcas icónicas y reconocidas como ColaCao, Nocilla, Paladin o los batidos Okey. Mediante la implementación de una modelo de datos robusto, automatizado y seguro que permita la integración y coherencia de la información, se busca mejorar la eficiencia y efectividad del departamento de planificación. Para lograr el objetivo, primero se ha hecho un estudio de la estructuración de la carga de trabajo y de las rutinas asociadas a un equipo de planificación. Tales rutinas como SPQDC (Seguridad, Personas, Calidad, Entrega y Costos) o S&OP (Planificación de Ventas y Operaciones) que permiten un análisis continuo y mejora de las operaciones diarias, semanales y mensuales. Para que estas rutinas sean posibles, detrás hay una arquitectura de modelo de datos, la cual ha debido de ser analizado al detalle para entender, todavía más, cómo funciona el equipo de planificación. Identificando todas aquellas necesidades específicas del equipo, definiendo las múltiples fuentes de orígenes y todos los archivos para el tratamiento y visualización de datos. El nuevo modelo propuesto, se basa en el desarrollo de arquitecturas modernas de base datos, incluyendo diversas capas por donde fluyen dichos datos para su ingesta, procesamiento y visualización. La implementación de herramientas como Microsoft Azure, SnowFlake y Power BI, ayudarán a un aumento en la eficiencia de la gestión de los datos, una mayor seguridad e integración de estos y una mejor en la toma de decisiones basadas en dicha información tratada. El proyecto contempla una inversión en tecnologías, las cuales se prevé que sean superadas ampliamente por los beneficios en reducción de tiempo y errores y la mejora de la satisfacción del equipo. En conclusión, dicho proyecto no solo optimiza los propios procesos de un equipo de planificación, sino que sienta las bases para una transformación digital completa a nivel corporativo de Idilia Food

Simulating the interaction of electrostatically charged particles in the inflow area of cabin air filters using a fully coupled system

Precise simulations of particulate flow through fibrous filters are essential in order to predict and enhance filtration performances. To run the computation in reasonable time, a continuum approach is commonly used to emulate the air flow. The software GeoDict [1] allows for the simulation of the complete process, ranging from calculating a flow field, tracking particles inside that field to finding collisions with porous filter media. However, this approach completely neglects particle-particle interactions although particles often carry electrostatic charges [2]. Comparing the results of GeoDict to a fully coupled system shows the influence of this simplification. The software ESPResSo [3, 4] uses such a four-way coupling combining a molecular-dynamics-like approach for partricle simulation with an integrated Lattice-Boltzmann fluid dynamics solver. Already for a simple scenario, which represents the filter media as a mesh consisting of cylindrical fibers, significant influences of the full coupling on the particle trajectories and even the collection efficiency can be observed. We decribe the modeling and setup for both approaches and present numerical results for simplified yet meaningful test cases

Анализ экономической эффективности саморегулирования в строительной отрасли

Авторами исследован вопрос экономической эффективности процессов саморегулирования в строительной отрасли в Российской Федерации с использованием сравнительного анализа норм законодательства и статистических данных. На основании анализа, проведенного авторами, показано, каким образом идея замены формы государственного участия в отношениях экономических субъектов была воплощена в принцип саморегулирования. Авторы полагают, что практика внедрения саморегулирования в строительной отрасли не может отвечать признакам экономической эффективности. Предложен вариант достижения экономической эффективности процесса саморегулирования

Biomimetic spinning of recombinant silk proteins

In the past, we have successfully designed and produced a variety of engineered spider silk-like proteins (eADF3 and eADF4) based upon the primary sequence of the natural dragline proteins ADF3 and ADF4 from the spider Araneus diadematus [1]. Genetically engineered spider silk proteins can be modified at the molecular level to optimize the biochemical and mechanical properties of the final product. Although engineered spider silk proteins can be processed into fibers using different spinning methods, our group is interested in the technical realization of a biomimetic approach. Here, we present an overview over our biomimetic fiber production process

Tobacco use in patients with ENT tumours: Deficits in the provision of education and smoking cessation support

Purpose Smoking is not only one of the main risk factors for the development of most malignant and numerous benign ENT tumours but also has an important influence on therapy and prognosis. Even quitting smoking at the time of diagnosis significantly reduces mortality. Patients have a particularly strong desire to stop smoking when they are diagnosed. The present study investigated to what extent patients were aware of the relationships between smoking and the development and prognosis of tumours and how much information and smoking cessation support they were offered by physicians. Methods A total of 194 patients (74.7% male, 62.0 ±10.6 a) with malignant primary ENT tumours, pre-cancerous tumours, Reinke’s oedema and salivary gland tumours were interviewed. Results 22.7% were nonsmokers, 49.5% were cigarette smokers and 27.8% were ex-smokers. A total of 57.0% of the smokers said they would have quit before the onset of the disease if they had known about the association. Forty-one percent did not receive information about the association between smoking and the development of their disease, while 45.5% did not receive information about the relationship with their prognosis. The provision of information lasted less than 5 min for 40.4% of the patients and more than 10 min for only 13.5%. In total, 50.7% of the patients were directly requested not to smoke. A total of 7.7% received offers of smoking cessation support from otolaryngologists and 18.2% received such offers from family physicians. Conclusions There is a pronounced need for improvements in the provision of medical information about the health risks associated with smoking and offers to support patient efforts to stop smoking. In particular, the appointment during which the diagnosis is communicated to the patient should be considered a ‘teachable moment’ that can lead to smoking cessation