Water and energy footprint of irrigated agriculture in the Mediterranean region

Irrigated agriculture constitutes the largest consumer of freshwater in the Mediterranean region and provides a major source of income and employment for rural livelihoods. However, increasing droughts and water scarcity have highlighted concerns regarding the environmental sustainability of agriculture in the region. An integrated assessment combining a gridded water balance model with a geodatabase and GIS has been developed and used to assess the water demand and energy footprint of irrigated production in the region. Modelled outputs were linked with crop yield and water resources data to estimate water (m3 kg−1) and energy (CO2 kg−1) productivity and identify vulnerable areas or 'hotspots'. For a selected key crops in the region, irrigation accounts for 61 km3 yr−1 of water abstraction and 1.78 Gt CO2 emissions yr−1, with most emissions from sunflower (73 kg CO2/t) and cotton (60 kg CO2/t) production. Wheat is a major strategic crop in the region and was estimated to have a water productivity of 1000 t Mm−3 and emissions of 31 kg CO2/t. Irrigation modernization would save around 8 km3 of water but would correspondingly increase CO2 emissions by around +135%. Shifting from rain-fed to irrigated production would increase irrigation demand to 166 km3 yr−1 (+137%) whilst CO2 emissions would rise by +270%. The study has major policy implications for understanding the water–energy–food nexus in the region and the trade-offs between strategies to save water, reduce CO2 emissions and/or intensify food production

Interface tool for human communication to integrate psychophysical inputs with rapid manufacturing technologies

People with Special Needs (PSN) are people conscious or unconscious with limited motor skills (possibly owing to a post-surgical situation). A large number of these persons have problems in body areas in contact with support surfaces. They do not have the capacity for autonomous movement, which results in excessive skin pressure and restricted blood circulation. This can lead to the development of pressure ulcers (PU). These people do not have the opportunity to communicate their needs to qualified care givers/helpers in the area to obtain appropriate products based on recent technologies. It is important to have integrated tools which allow PSN to interact with the technologies that surround them. This system permits strategies that allow personal psychophysical data to be analysed by a specialised technician (highlighting the user’s verbal and nonverbal signs), originating data that can be of assistance in the process of conversion into 3D computer aided design (CAD) models. From these models is expected a shape/base with better pressure distribution and able to be manufactured using technologies such as rapid manufacturing. This analysis considers user communication with a specialised technique based on pressure measurements, dynamic body posture and comfort/discomfort as verbal or nonverbal signs. The aim is to create an integration system that induces human communication, as a bridge between psychophysical data and a technique to use rapid manufacturing technologies for highly personalised product development

Study of the Pore Formation on CoCrMo Alloys by Selective Laser Melting Manufacturing Process

AbstractCobalt-base alloys are widely used in medical applications as is the hardest known biocompatible alloy along with a high wear and/or corrosion resistance. The manufacturing process used on these alloys strongly influences the features produced, therefore it should be carefully controlled to attain the desired quality. Selective laser melting (SLM) is a novel process proposed for the fabrication of biomedical implants with cobalt alloys. In this technique, density is the most important concern as it has a direct influence on the component performance. Due to its different energy inputs given by its processing parameters, it has the potential to control porosity through them. In this work, SLM experiments were carried out on a CoCrMo alloy to study the formation of pores. The analysis showed that the SLM technique enables the building of high dense samples up to 99%, resulting in a mean of porosity of 5.77% and a pore mean size of 0.759μm2

Stent’s Manufacturing Field: Past, Present, and Future Prospects

From the introduction of stents, nobody was able to predict the advances that will occur in stent technology over the upcoming decades. Since their appearances, it became evident that this device had significant limitations, such as vessel occlusion and/or restenosis. Despite that, this medical device is the best clinical solution for cardiovascular vessel occlusions. Stents require a deep analysis, in terms of thrombogenicity, manufacturing process, geometrical aspects, and mechanical performance, among many other characteristics. The surface quality obtained in their manufacture process is crucial to blood compatibility, prevents the activation process of thrombosis, and improves the healing efficiency. The forecast stent market makes necessary continuous studies on this field, which help to solve the medical and engineering problems of this device, which are in constant development. Stents have been the center of many research lines over the last decades. The present chapter aims to summarize the state of the art of this medical device in the last years in the fields of design, manufacturing, and materials

Customization tool for people with special needs

There are people with limited skills due to different causes like post-surgical situation as an example. These people are considered people with special needs (PSN). Large number of persons has pain in his body because the contact with support surfaces for long time. This paper aims to design and implement one tool to help design and manufacture customized devices in order to reduce the pain. UCD (user-centered design) methodology in combination with psychophysical user data generates a 3D ge-ometry that can be produced in a rapid manufacturing environment. One tool is developed in Labview com-posed by three modules; a) import and treatment of psychophysical data, b) data analysis and reconfiguration into new geometries, and c) build point cloud data that considers materials deflection which can be used by CAD systems for rapid manufacturing. The result obtained after utilizing the tool is a product capable of re-ducing/delaying the onset of pressure ulcers.(undefined