HOW TO MANAGE SISTER SHIPS ON A SHIPBUILDING CAD TOOL. THE APPLICABILITY CONCEPT

As a result of the increased pressure to reduce cost and delivery times of modern ships, many shipyards are revising their processes and tools to manage and share information across all shipyard departments. An important part of this process is in many cases the implementation of PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) Systems or an extended use of the PLM Systems to manage all the information that must be shared by the shipyard departments (engineering, purchasing, planning, operations, production, etc.). The solution presented in this paper for an advanced integration between the CAD and the PLM intends to comply with the most demanding requirements of the shipyards as well as to maintain the efficiency, the scalability and the performance of the shipbuilding CAD tool. This paper presents in detail the architecture of the applicability solution as well as the expected advantages and benefits for any shipyard. The use of specialized shipbuilding CAD Systems in a shipbuilding environments is crucial for the efficient design and manufacturing of ships. The scalability refers to both the number of CAD users and to the number of vessel items to be handled. Vessels are very complex products that may be composed of millions of items, requiring a large number of designers, accessing concurrently to the vessel product model. The design cycles of these vessels are usually very long and there are many design changes along the whole vessel lifecycle. Performance is another critical requirement, especially in the detail design and manufacturing stages, when the detail design is almost complete, there are hundreds of users working on the model, model changes are constant and information for the production processes must be provided continuously

Efficient power, performance and thermal aware strategies over heterogeneous platforms

This project aims the implementation of efficient resource manager strategies in a local platform which includes a server and a FPGA and a testing phase where the implementation will be deployed over a 16 server cluster with 16 FPGA each. In order to achieve optimal solutions a resource manager (SLURM) in addition to other services will be deployed as first step. This other services will conform all the necessary plugins to connect SLURM with the current local resource manager.Resource Management is a widely studied field in computer science and of utmost importance for the adequate operation of data center infrastructures. Efficient resource management policies enable to improve the energy consumption of these facilities, thus reducing operational costs. Furthermore, in High Performance Computing (HPC) environment, as is the case of the MANGO H2020 project, allow to improve performance and execution time of applications. The main objective of this project is the design, implementation and test of a resource manager able to allocate incoming applications to the different servers of the data center, while providing the necessary tools to deploy power, performance and thermal aware policies over an heterogeneous cluster. This cluster, will be composed by regular Intel based servers and FPGA based accelerators. The resource manager will work as a single entry point for all the applications involved in MANGO project. By the end of the project, we have shown how applying simple yet effective allocation policies without controlling fine grain accelerators and with and overview of the system it is possible to improve performance by 10% by lowering power and temperature and reducing the above mentioned operational costs. The resource management tool developed in this MSc thesis has been deployed in a real prototype infrastructure composed by 8 and 128 FPGAs

Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation (rPMS) in Subjects With Migraine-Setup Presentation and Effects on Skeletal Musculature

Purpose: Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) has been successfully applied recently in migraineurs to alleviate migraine symptoms. Symptom relief has been achieved by stimulating myofascial trigger points (mTrPs) of the trapezius muscles, which are considered part of the trigemino-cervical complex (TCC). However, effects on musculature have not been assessed in detail, and the specificity of effects to muscles considered part of the TCC yet has to be elucidated. Against this background, this study presents the setup of rPMS in migraine and evaluates effects on skeletal musculature. Materials and Methods: Thirty-seven adults (mean age: 25.0 ± 4.1 years, 36 females) suffering from migraine and presenting mTrPs according to physical examination underwent rPMS either to mTrPs in the trapezius muscles (considered part of the TCC; n = 19) or deltoid muscles (considered not part of the TCC; n = 18) during six sessions over the course of 2 weeks. Standardized questionnaires were filled in to assess any adverse events and experience with rPMS as well as satisfaction and benefits from stimulation. Algometry was performed to evaluate changes in pressure pain thresholds (PPTs). Results: All stimulation sessions were successfully performed without adverse events, with 84.2% of subjects of the trapezius group and 94.4% of subjects of the deltoid group describing rPMS as comfortable (p = 0.736). Muscular pain or tension improved in 73.7% of subjects of the trapezius group and in 61.1% of subjects of the deltoid group (p = 0.077). PPTs of the trapezius muscles clearly increased from the first to the last stimulation sessions—regardless of the stimulated muscle (rPMS to the trapezius or deltoid muscles). However, depending on the examined muscles the increase of PPTs differed significantly (subjects with stimulation of trapezius muscles: p = 0.021; subjects with stimulation of deltoid muscles: p = 0.080). Conclusion: rPMS is a comfortable method in migraineurs that can improve local muscular pain or tension. Furthermore, it is able to increase directly and indirectly the PPTs of the trapezius muscles (considered part of the TCC) when applied over mTrPs, supporting the role of the TCC in migraineurs

Immediate effects of neurodynamic versus muscle stretching on hamstring flexibility in subjects with short hamstring syndrome

To compare the effectiveness of an isolated neurodynamic sciatic sliding technique (Neurodynamic group) versus static stretching (Stretching group) in comparison to a Control group receiving a placebo intervention

Receptor for advanced glycation end-products expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue is related to coronary artery disease

OBJECTIVE: Obesity, a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), is associated with inflammation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, while advanced glycation end-products, through their receptor (AGER or RAGE), play an important role on these processes. The aim of this study was to analyze the expression levels of RAGE, NADPH oxidase subunits, and catalase in adipose tissue in relation with CAD. DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients undergoing heart surgery were included in two groups: with and without CAD. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) biopsies were analyzed for gene expression by RT-quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, or western blot. RESULTS: RAGE mRNA and protein expression in SAT from patients with CAD was lower than in patients without CAD. However, there was no change in EAT from patients with or without CAD. P22-PHOX and RAGE gene expression were higher in EAT than in SAT, whereas catalase mRNA levels were lower. NADPH oxidase subunits and catalase mRNA expression were not influenced by CAD. Whereas NADPH oxidase-dependent oxidative response of SAT and EAT to lipid circulating levels could be different; glycemic levels were not related with the analyzed genes expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that RAGE expression in SAT, but not in EAT, is down-regulated in patients with CAD with respect to those without CAD. Although changes were not observed for NADPH oxidase subunits or catalase expression between CAD and non-CAD patients, a possible relationship between ROS production and RAGE expression in adipose tissues cannot be ruled out

Effectiveness of manual therapy compared to usual care by the general practitioner for chronic tension-type headache: design of a randomised clinical trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with Chronic Tension Type Headache (CTTH) report functional and emotional impairments (loss of workdays, sleep disturbances, emotional well-being) and are at risk for overuse of medication. Manual therapy may improve symptoms through mobilisation of the spine, correction of posture, and training of cervical muscles.</p> <p>We present the design of a randomised clinical trial (RCT) evaluating the effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) compared to usual care by the general practitioner (GP) in patients with CTTH.</p> <p>Methods and design</p> <p>Patients are eligible for participation if they present in general practice with CTTH according to the classification of the International Headache Society (IHS).</p> <p>Participants are randomised to either usual GP care according to the national Dutch general practice guidelines for headache, or manual therapy, consisting of mobilisations (high- and low velocity techniques), exercise therapy for the cervical and thoracic spine and postural correction. The primary outcome measures are the number of headache days and use of medication. Secondary outcome measures are severity of headache, functional status, sickness absence, use of other healthcare resources, active cervical range of motion, algometry, endurance of the neckflexor muscles and head posture. Follow-up assessments are conducted after 8 and 26 weeks.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This is a pragmatic trial in which interventions are offered as they are carried out in everyday practice. This increases generalisability of results, but blinding of patients, GPs and therapists is not possible.</p> <p>The results of this trial will contribute to clinical decision making of the GP regarding referral to manual therapy in patients with chronic tension headache.</p

Living with chronic migraine: a qualitative study on female patients' perspectives from a specialised headache clinic in Spain

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore the views and experiences of a group of Spanish women suffering from chronic migraine (CM). SETTING: Headache clinic at a university hospital in Madrid (Spain). PARTICIPANTS: Purposeful sampling of patients that attended a specialised headache clinic for the first time between June 2016 and February 2017 was performed. The patients included were females aged 18–65 and with positive diagnoses of CM according to the International Classification of Headache disorders (third edition, beta version), with or without medication overuse. Accordingly, 20 patients participated in the study with a mean age of 38.65 years (SD 13.85). DESIGN: Qualitative phenomenological study. METHODS: Data were collected through in-depth interviews, researchers’ field notes and patients’ drawings. A thematic analysis was performed following appropriate guidelines for qualitative research. RESULTS: Five main themes describing the significance of suffering emerged: (a) the shame of suffering from an invisible condition; (b) treatment: between need, scepticism and fear; (c) looking for physicians’ support and sincerity and fighting misconceptions; (d) limiting the impact on daily life through self-control; and (e) family and work: between understanding and disbelief. The disease is experienced as an invisible process, and the journey to diagnosis can be a long and tortuous one. Drug prescription by the physician is greeted with distrust and scepticism. Patients expect sincerity, support and the involvement of their doctors in relation to their disease. Pain becomes the main focus of the patient’s life, and it requires considerable self-control. The disease has a strong impact in the work and family environment, where the patient may feel misunderstood. CONCLUSIONS: Qualitative research offers insight into the way patients with CM experience their disease and it may be helpful in establishing a more fruitful relationship with these patients

Getting to Know the Gut Microbial Diversity of Metropolitan Buenos Aires Inhabitants

In recent years, the field of immunology has been revolutionized by the growing understanding of the fundamental role of microbiota in the immune system function. The immune system has evolved to maintain a symbiotic relationship with these microbes. The aim of our study was to know in depth the uncharacterized metagenome of the Buenos Aires (BA) city population and its metropolitan area, being the second most populated agglomeration in the southern hemisphere. For this purpose, we evaluated 30 individuals (age: 35.23 ± 8.26 years and BMI: 23.91 ± 3.4 kg/m2), from the general population of BA. The hypervariable regions V3-V4 of the bacterial 16S gene was sequenced by MiSeq-Illumina system, obtaining 47526 ± 4718 sequences/sample. The dominant phyla were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria. Additionally, we compared the microbiota of BA with other westernized populations (Santiago de Chile, Rosario-Argentina, United States-Human-microbiome-project, Bologna-Italy) and the Hadza population of hunter-gatherers. The unweighted UniFrac clustered together all westernized populations, leaving the hunter-gatherer population from Hadza out. In particular, Santiago de Chile?s population turns out to be the closest to BA?s, principally due to the presence of Verrucomicrobiales of the genus Akkermansia. These microorganisms have been proposed as a hallmark of a healthy gut. Finally, westernized populations showed more abundant metabolism related KEEG pathways than hunter-gatherers, including carbohydrate metabolism (amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism), amino acid metabolism (alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism), lipid metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, and sulfur metabolism. These findings contribute to promote research and comparison of the microbiome in different human populations, in order to develop more efficient therapeutic strategies for the restoration of a healthy dialogue between host and environment.Fil: Belforte, Fiorella Sabrina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez, Natalie. Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai; Estados UnidosFil: Tonin Monzón, Francisco. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Rosso, Ayelen Daiana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Quesada, Sofía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Cimolai, María Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján; ArgentinaFil: Millán, Andrea Liliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Cerrone, Gloria Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Frechtel, Gustavo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Burcelin, Rémy. Inserm; Francia. Université Paul Sabatier; FranciaFil: Coluccio Leskow, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; ArgentinaFil: Penas Steinhardt, Alberto. Instituto Universidad de la Fundación "Héctor Barceló"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Luján. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas; Argentin