AN APPROACH TO CREATING A SIMPLE DIGITAL TWIN FOR OPTIMIZING A SMALL ELECTRIC CONCEPT VEHICLE DRIVETRAIN

Since modeling and simulation are integral tools in engineering, the question is not if they should be used in a design process, but rather how they should be used to deliver the best solutions. The objective of this pa-per is to outline an approach to creating a simple Digi-tal Twin for a small electric vehicle drivetrain utilizing only parametric 3D CAD models, widely used simu-lation tools and some programming libraries. First, the concept of the Digital Twin, its benefits, then the possibilities of using Generative Design are briefly in-troduced, afterwards electric vehicles’ advantages are reviewed. In an example project the properties and opportunities of the 3D CAD- and simulation models are demonstrated. Finally, future improvements and automated optimization opportunities are discussed.Da Modellierung und Simulation integrale Werkzeuge im Ingenieurwesen sind, stellt sich nicht die Frage, ob sie in einem Entwurfsprozess eingesetzt werden sollten, sondern vielmehr, wie sie verwendet werden sollten, um die besten Lösungen zu liefern. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, einen Ansatz zur Erstellung eines einfachen Digi-tal Twin für den Antriebsstrang eines kleinen Elektrofahrzeugs zu skizzieren, bei dem nur parametrische 3D-CAD-Modelle, weit verbreitete Simulationswerkzeuge und einige Programmierbibliotheken verwendet werden. Zuerst wird das Konzept des Digitalen Zwillings, seine benefits, dann die Möglichkeiten der Nutzung des Generativen Designs briefly vorgestellt, danach werden die Vorteile von Elektrofahrzeugen überprüft. In einem Beispielprojekt werden die Eigenschaften und Möglichkeiten der 3D-CAD- und Simulationsmodelle demonstriert. Abschließend werden zukünftige Verbesserungen und automatisierte Optimierungsmöglichkeiten diskutiert

Management of Sporadic Renal Angiomyolipomas: A Systematic Review of Available Evidence to Guide Recommendations from the European Association of Urology Renal Cell Carcinoma Guidelines Panel

CONTEXT: Little is known about the natural history of sporadic angiomyolipomas (AMLs); there is uncertainty regarding the indications of treatment and treatment options. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the indications, effectiveness, harms, and follow-up of different management modalities for sporadic AML to provide guidance for clinical practice. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A systematic review of the literature was undertaken, incorporating Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library (from 1 January 1990 to 30 June 2017), in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. No restriction on study design was imposed. Patients with sporadic AML were included. The main interventions included active surveillance, surgery (nephron-sparing surgery and radical nephrectomy), selective arterial embolisation, and percutaneous or laparoscopic thermal ablations (radiofrequency, microwaves, or cryoablation). The outcomes included indications for active treatment, AML growth rate, AML recurrence rate, risk of bleeding, post-treatment renal function, adverse events of treatments, and modalities of follow-up. Risk of bias assessment was performed using standard Cochrane methods. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Among 2704 articles identified, 43 were eligible for inclusion (zero randomised controlled trials, nine nonrandomised comparative retrospective studies, and 34 single-arm case series). Most studies were retrospective and uncontrolled, and had a moderate to high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: In active surveillance series, spontaneous bleeding was reported in 2% of patients and active treatment was undertaken in 5%. Active surveillance is the most chosen option in 48% of the cases, followed by surgery in 31% and selective arterial embolisation in 17% of the cases. Selective arterial embolisation appeared to reduce AML volume but required secondary treatment in 30% of the cases. Surgery (particularly nephron-sparing surgery) was the most effective treatment in terms of recurrence and need for secondary procedures. Thermal ablation was an infrequent option. The association between AML size and the risk of bleeding remained unclear; as such the traditional 4-cm cut-off should not per se trigger active treatment. In spite of the limitations and uncertainties relating to the evidence base, the findings may be used to guide and inform clinical practice, until more robust data emerge. PATIENT SUMMARY: Sporadic angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign tumour of the kidney consisting of a mixture of blood vessels, fat, and muscle. Large tumours may have a risk of spontaneous bleeding. However, the size beyond which these tumours need to be treated remains unclear. Most small AMLs can be monitored without any active treatment. For those who need treatment, options include surgical removal of the tumour or stopping its blood supply (selective embolisation). Surgery has a lower recurrence rate and lower need for a repeat surgical procedure

A strongly selected mutation in the HIV-1 genome is independent of T cell responses and neutralizing antibodies

Background: Mutations rapidly accumulate in the HIV-1 genome after infection. Some of those mutations are selected by host immune responses and often cause viral ftness losses. This study is to investigate whether strongly selected mutations that are not associated with immune responses result in ftness losses. Results: Strongly selected mutations were identifed by analyzing 5′-half HIV-1 genome (gag/pol) sequences from longitudinal samples of subject CH0131. The K43R mutation in the gag gene was frst detected at day 91 post screening and was fxed in the viral population at day 273 while the synonymous N323tc mutation was frst detected at day 177 and fxed at day 670. No conventional or cryptic T cell responses were detected against either mutation sites by ELISpot analysis. However, when ftness costs of both mutations were measured by introducing each mutation into their cognate transmitted/founder (T/F) viral genome, the K43R mutation caused a signifcant ftness loss while the N323tc mutation had little impact on viral ftness. Conclusions: The rapid fxation, the lack of detectable immune responses and the signifcant ftness cost of the K43R mutation suggests that it was strongly selected by host factors other than T cell responses and neutralizing antibodie