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Purpose: The purpose of this work is to present a method based on the application of method engineering, in order to eliminate downtime and improve the manufacturing cell.Design/methodology/approach: The research strategy employed was a case study applied to a manufacturing company to explore the causes of excessive dead time and low productivity. The methodology used was divided in five steps. The first corresponds to the analysis of the lathe and grinding process; the second is the elaboration of the man-machine diagram to identify dead times; the third is the application of the improvement proposal; the fourth is the redistribution of the cell to optimize the process; the fifth is to conclude from the results obtained.Findings: With the proposed method, the downtime was reduced by 41% and only 50% of the available labor is required, therefore, it is concluded that the method can be used to redesign manufacturing cells.Research limitations/implications: This research was limited to analyzing and improving human-machine interaction, since work is not just the machine, or the individual alone, or the individual manipulating the machine, therefore, no other tools were used to improve the time of machines operation.Practical implications: Designing a manufacturing cell that allows the operator to do his job with less fatigue and not adapt the operator to the job, as commonly happens.Social implications: Companies must show a greater interest in occupational health by including human capital in their optimization plans to avoid future harm to workers.Originality/value: The key contribution of this paper focused on developing a novel and practical methodology to design or re-design manufacturing cells to improve productivity considering the human factor, inspired by the main concepts of method engineering.

RESUMEN Un gran número de fracturas de húmero proximal están siendo tratadas con osteosíntesis. Sin embargo, la pérdida de reducción sigue siendo un problema grave, lo que lleva al recorte de tornillo en la articulación humeral y la reoperación. De acuerdo con la teoría del strain interfragmentario, se debe considerar el equilibrio entre una fijación flexible, que estimula la formación de callos, y una fijación inestable, que conduce al fallo del implante. Los principales elementos implicados en este caso son las condiciones fisiológicas de carga, la configuración de los tornillos de soporte, el material del implante y la calidad ósea. El objetivo de esta investigación es detectar la influencia de los elementos anteriores para formular una escena positiva que minimice el riesgo de fracaso. Se utilizó un diseño de experimentos de tipo factorial en combinación con el uso del método de elementos finitos para dar lugar a la recogida de datos. Las condiciones de carga asemejan a: “sostener un peso muerto” (tensión), “levantar frontalmente un peso muerto” (flexión) y torsión. Los resultados sugirieron que el material del implante es el elemento con mayor influencia y contribuye a estabilizar la fijación de la fractura, siguiendo la configuración de soporte. La práctica de incluir un soporte medial con tornillos calcar en diferentes calidades de tejido óseo ofrece una rigidez favorable que aquellos que no los utilizan. Esta afirmación es apoyada por resultados de informes publicados recientemente. Además, el soporte medial reduce el strain en la interfaz hueso-implante. Aunque estos resultados mostraron una evaluación demasiado moderada por el uso de un modelo isotrópico, son eficaces para conocer los elementos biomecánicos y su influencia para describir una tendencia de comportamiento y crear una base para futuros estudios. Además, el tiempo de cálculo disminuyó considerablemente.

Sorafenib is a multikinase inhibitor widely used in cancer therapy with an antitumour effect related to biological processes as proliferation, migration or invasion, among others. Initially designed as a Raf inhibitor, Sorafenib was later shown to also block key molecules in tumour progression such as VEGFR and PDGFR. In addition, sorafenib has been connected with key signalling pathways in cancer such as EGFR/EGF. However, no definitive clue about the molecular mechanism linking sorafenib and EGF signalling pathway has been established so far. Our data in HeLa, U2OS, A549 and HEK293T cells, based on in silico, chemical and genetic approaches demonstrate that the MEK5/ERK5 signalling pathway is a novel target of sorafenib. In addition, our data show how sorafenib is able to block MEK5‐dependent phosphorylation of ERK5 in the Ser218/Tyr220, affecting the transcriptional activation associated with ERK5. Moreover, we demonstrate that some of the effects of this kinase inhibitor onto EGF biological responses, such as progression through cell cycle or migration, are mediated through the effect exerted onto ERK5 signalling pathway. Therefore, our observations describe a novel target of sorafenib, the ERK5 signalling pathway, and establish new mechanistic insights for the antitumour effect of this multikinase inhibitor.

La producción agrícola en el valle de Mexicali ha tenido una historia llena de contrastes. Aunque la actividad agrícola se encuentra en una recesión de la que apenas puede recuperarse, las prácticas agrícolas continúan sin cambios significativos, con la conservación y la gestión sostenible de los recursos como una prioridad. El siguiente estudio busca evaluar el perfil productivo tradicional del cultivo de alfalfa utilizando el sistema de riego por gravedad y lo compara con un sistema de riego por goteo subterráneo. El Marco de Evaluación de Sistemas mediante Indicadores de Sustentabilidad (MESMIS) se utilizó para definir el sistema que ofrece mejores condiciones en términos sustentables para la realidad actual del Valle de Mexicali. Los resultados proponen un escenario favorable para el sistema de riego por goteo en ocho de los 10 indicadores propuestos y analizados. En términos de sustentabilidad, el sistema de riego por goteo mostró superioridad en los atributos de productividad, equidad, resiliencia y adaptabilidad; mientras que el sistema de riego por gravedad presentó predominio en autogestión.

Proximal humerus fractures are becoming more common due to the aging of the population, and more related scientific research is also emerging. Biomechanical studies attempt to optimize treatments, taking into consideration the factors involved, to obtain the best possible treatment scenario. To achieve this, the use of finite element analysis (FEA) is necessary, to experiment with situations that are difficult to replicate, and which are sometimes unethical. Furthermore, low costs and time requirements make FEA the perfect choice for biomechanical studies. Part of the complete process of an FEA involves three-dimensional (3D) bone modeling, mechanical properties assignment, and meshing the bone model to be analyzed. Due to the lack of standardization for bone modeling, properties assignment, and the meshing processes, this article aims to review the most widely used techniques to model the proximal humerus bone, according to its anatomy, for FEA. This study also seeks to understand the knowledge and bias behind mechanical properties assignment for bone, and the similarities/differences in mesh properties used in previous FEA studies of the proximal humerus. The best ways to achieve these processes, according to the evidence, will be analyzed and discussed, seeking to obtain the most accurate results for FEA simulations.

The human factor is becoming increasingly relevant for its role in industrial development; therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the machine–man–environment system in an integrated and not isolated way, as is commonly done, for evaluating the sustainability performance of manufacturing practices. For this reason, in this paper, an ergonomic triad model is proposed for calculating a novel Sustainable Work Index, (SWI), made up of the factors: human work, workstation design, organizational environment and sustainable environmental conditions. The methodology consists of defining the productive time, interviewing the workers, taking anthropometric measurements, assessing the environmental conditions, obtaining the indicators for each factor, calculating the index and interpreting the results to define improvement actions. The model was applied to a manufacturing industry obtaining a regular status with an index of 63.6%. Improvement actions were implemented, and it was possible to increase the index to 73.9%, which represents a good commitment of the company towards occupational health. The development of the new triad model to calculate the SWI will allow industries to visualize indicators of the interaction of the ergonomic triad, identify its current condition and propose actions to physically, organizationally and environmentally improve human well-being and system performance.

Purpose: Identifying possible ergonomic risks generated by the implementation of Lean Manufacturing in organizations. Shows a need to integrate ergonomics and productivity indicators in process analysis, thus giving place to the ErgoVSM methodology, which is VSM (Value Stream Mapping) complemented with ergonomic analysis.Design/methodology/approach: This literature review aims to refer to the methodology and instruments used for its application, as well as the benefits obtained and the challenges that arise when applying it.Findings: This article presents a review of 26 publications regarding the ErgoVSM methodology. The ErgoVSM is mainly based on the VSM methodology developed by Rother & Shook that is most applied in the healthcare sector with ergonomic analysis instruments that focus on the physical and psychosocial factors of the workers.Originality/value: The review revealed that when using ErgoVSM, processes can be improved from the ergonomic perspective without negatively affecting productivity. Even though ErgoVSM requires more time for application compared to VSM, the value of the ergonomic data for decision making in process changes justifies the extra time.