Lean Production, Fluoridation Debate, Smell Perception, and MONA Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes covering lean production systems, the fluoridation debate, the science of smell, and the cultural impact of MONA.

Craft production

A manufacturing process where highly skilled workers use simple but flexible tools to make customised items one at a time according to exact customer requests.

Mass production

A system using narrowly skilled professionals and single-purpose machines to churn out high volumes of standardized products, often at the expense of variety.

Lean production

An innovative system combining the advantages of craft and mass production by using less human effort, space, and investment to produce high volume and variety with far fewer defects.

Just-in-time

A production method where components are supplied to subsequent processes at exactly the right time and in the correct quantities to eliminate superfluous inventories.

Autonamation

Automation equipped with automatic checking devices and stopping mechanisms to detect abnormalities and prevent the multiplication of defects.

Superfluous inventories

Excessive or unnecessary stocks of components and finished goods stored in warehouses.

Fluoridation

The addition of fluoride to public water supplies with the aim of reducing tooth decay in the population.

One part per million

The standard desired concentration level of fluoride added to drinking water, varying depending on regional temperature.

Compulsory medication

An ethical objection to public fluoridation, viewing forced water treatment as an infringement on individual rights.

Sociology of science

A perspective challenging traditional views by asserting that scientific knowledge is socially negotiated and inevitably linked to social values.

Methodological shortcomings

Failings or flaws in the design and execution of scientific studies that cast doubt on their findings.

Olfactory sense

The sensory system responsible for smelling and processing airborne chemicals.

Olfactory stimuli

Chemical molecules and scents that interact with smell receptors to produce olfactory sensations.

Limbic system

The brain system intimately linked to the olfactory sense, memory, and emotional processing.

Amygdala

The brain region dedicated to handling emotion and olfaction, helping lay strong foundations for scent-evoked memories.

Museum of Old and New Art (MONA)

A major underground art gallery in Tasmania that transformed Hobart into an international cultural hub.

Bilbao Effect

The phenomenon where a spectacular cultural or architectural development dramatically transforms a city's economy and tourist appeal.

Subterranean maze

An underground network of paths and rooms, such as the gallery layout at MONA used to present antiquities alongside modern art.