Incorporation of form deviations into the matrix transformation method for tolerance analysis in assemblies

Comunicación presentada a MESIC 2019 8th Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference (Madrid, 19-21 de Junio de 2019)Mathematical models for tolerance representation are used to assess how the geometrical variation of a specific component feature propagates along the assembly, so that tolerance analysis in assemblies can be carried out using a specific tolerance propagation method. Several methods for tolerance analysis have been proposed in the literature, being some of them implemented in CAD systems. All these methods require modelling the geometrical variations of the component surfaces: parametric models, variational models, DoF models, etc. One of the most commonly used models is the DoF model, which is employed in a number of tolerance analysis methods: Small Displacement Torsor (SDT), Technologically and Topologically Related Surfaces (TTRS), Matrix Transformation, Unified Jacobian–Torsor model. However, none of the DoF-based tolerance analysis methods incorporates the effect of form deviations. Among the non DoF-based methods, there are two that include form tolerances: the Vector Loop or Kinematic method and the Tolerance Map (T-Map) model, although the latter is still under development. In this work, a proposal to incorporate form deviations into the matrix transformation method for tolerance analysis in assemblies is developed using a geometrical variation model based on the DoF model. The proposal is evaluated applying it to a 2D case study with components that only have flat surfaces, but the proposal can be extrapolated to 3D cases

Polypill in cardiovascular disease prevention: recent advances.

Triple therapy with lipid‑lowering, antihypertensive, and antiplatelet agents reduces the risk of recurrent cardiovascular fatal and nonfatal events, cardiovascular mortality, and total mortality in secondary prevention. In real life, however, effective implementation of these optimal treatments both in primary and secondary prevention is low, and thus their contribution to cardiovascular prevention is much lower than it could be, based on research data. One of the main barriers to the adequate implementation of these strategies is low adherence to the elevated number of pills, as adherence is adversely affected by the complexity of the prescribed treatment regimen, and can be considerably improved by treatment simplification. This review updates the findings provided by recent epidemiological and clinical studies favoring a polypill‑based approach to cardiovascular prevention. The increased prevalence of patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors and comorbidities provides the rationale for a therapeutic strategy based on a combination of drugs against different risk factors in a single pill. Pharmacologic studies have demonstrated that different cardiovascular drugs can be combined in a single pill with no loss of their individual efficacy, and this favors adherence to and persistence of treatment, as well as multiple risk factor control. Recently, a randomized clinical trial SECURE (Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly) has shown a significant, 30% reduction in cardiovascular events, and a 33% reduction in cardiovascular death in patients after myocardial infarction treated with a polypill, as compared with usual care, thus supporting the polypill use as an integral part of any cardiovascular prevention strategy.S

Histopathologic and Radiologic Assessment of Chemotherapeutic Response in Ewing's Sarcoma: A Review

Ewing's sarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that metastasizes rapidly and is thus associated with a low survival rate. The intensification of chemotherapy has been shown to improve the overall survival of patients with Ewing's sarcoma. However, intensified chemotherapy can lead to increased toxicity or even the development of secondary malignancies. The stratification of patients with Ewing's sarcoma into “good” and “poor” responders may help guide the administration of progressively more intensified chemotherapy. Thus, an accurate assessment of the chemotherapeutic response, as well as the extent of chemotherapy-induced tumor necrosis, is critical for avoiding potential treatment-related complications in these patients. This paper reviews the methods currently used to evaluate chemotherapeutic response in Ewing's sarcoma, focusing specifically on histopathologic and imaging analyses, and discusses novel therapies and imaging methods that may help improve the overall survival of these patients

PREVALENCE OF UNKNOWN DIABETES AND IMPAIRED GLUCOSE TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH IMPAIRED FASTING GLUCOSE

There are many community-based studies on the prevalence of diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). However, studies on the prevalence of IGT and diabetes unknown in patients with IFG, by 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), are few and small.CIBEROBN is an Instituto de Salud Carlos III initiative. This work has been co-financied by CIBEROBN, Research Grants of the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (Instituto de Salud Carlos III: PI10/00913), and Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucía of Spain (PI-0037/2008 and PI-0112-2013).Peer Reviewe

Diseño de un Kit Modular para Mejorar el Aprendizaje de los Conceptos de Diseño para Ensamblaje (DFA)

Comunicación presentada al XXVII Congreso Universitario de Innovación Educativa en las Enseñanzas Técnicas (Alcoi, 17-19 Junio, 2019.)Students show significant difficulties when having to acquire and take in certain concepts present in some courses in the field of Manufacturing Engineering. Generally, theoretical concepts taught in class are supported by the use of visuals and graphic material. In addition, application cases are solved in practical sessions to complete the acquisition of related skills. However, it has been proved that a considerable amount of students still misunderstands some concepts and finds their application troublesome. In particular, this is the case of some concepts related to the application of Design for Assembly (DFA). In order to enhance the understanding of the concepts and the acquisition of the required skills for their right application, in this work, the design of several DFA modular kits to be experimentally used by students is proposed. The kits will allow students to practise with various product configurations, each of them including different functional inconsistencies. Product features will be modified by replacing portions of the same component (modular kits) rather than by using a large number of different components with the purpose of simplifying the process and illustrating the idea of modifying a component feature instead of replacing it.Los estudiantes presentan dificultades significativas en la adquisición y asimilación de ciertos conceptos presentes en algunas asignaturas del ámbito de la Ingeniería de Fabricación. Generalmente los conceptos teóricos explicados en clase se complementan con material gráfico. Además, la adquisición de las destrezas relacionadas se completa con la resolución de casos de aplicación en sesiones prácticas. Sin embargo, se ha comprobado que una cantidad considerable de estudiantes sigue mostrando dificultades en la compresión de algunos conceptos y encuentra su aplicación problemática. Este el caso de algunos conceptos relacionados con la aplicación del Diseño para Ensamblaje (Design for Assembly, DFA). Con el fin de mejorar la comprensión de los conceptos y la adquisición de las destrezas necesarias para su correcta aplicación, en este trabajo se propone el diseño de kit modular de DFA para ser usado por los estudiantes de forma experimental. Los kits permiten a los estudiantes practicar con varias configuraciones del producto, cada una de ellas con diferentes anomalías funcionales. Se modificarán algunos rasgos característicos del producto sustituyendo partes de un mismo componente (kits modulares) en lugar de utilizando un elevado número de componentes diferentes con el propósito de simplificar el proceso y de inculcar la idea de modificar un rasgo de un componente en lugar de sustituirlo

Tactical Voting in Plurality Elections

How often will elections end in landslides? What is the probability for a head-to-head race? Analyzing ballot results from several large countries rather anomalous and yet unexplained distributions have been observed. We identify tactical voting as the driving ingredient for the anomalies and introduce a model to study its effect on plurality elections, characterized by the relative strength of the feedback from polls and the pairwise interaction between individuals in the society. With this model it becomes possible to explain the polarization of votes between two candidates, understand the small margin of victories frequently observed for different elections, and analyze the polls' impact in American, Canadian, and Brazilian ballots. Moreover, the model reproduces, quantitatively, the distribution of votes obtained in the Brazilian mayor elections with two, three, and four candidates.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Oleanolic Acid-Enriched Olive Oil Alleviates the Interleukin-6 Overproduction Induced by Postprandial Triglyceride-Rich Lipoproteins in THP-1 Macrophages

Oleanolic acid (OA), a triterpene that is highly present in olive leaves, has been proposed as a component of functional foods for the prevention of metabolic syndrome, due to its anti-inflammatory activity. We analyzed the effects of OA on inflammatory parameters and signaling proteins in LPS-stimulated THP-1 macrophages. Thus, THP-1 macrophages were incubated with LPS for 48 h after pretreatment with OA at different concentrations. Pretreatment with OA was significantly effective in attenuating IL-6 and TNF-α overproduction induced by LPS in macrophages, and also improved the levels of AMPK-α. We also evaluated the effects of human triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) derived from individuals consuming an OA-enriched functional olive oil. For this purpose, TRLs were isolated from healthy adolescents before, 2 and 5 h postprandially after the intake of a meal containing the functional olive oil or common olive oil, and were incubated with THP-1 macrophages. THP-1 macrophages incubated with TRLs isolated at 2 h after the consumption of the OA-enriched olive oil showed significant lower levels of IL-6 compared to the TRLs derived from olive oil. Our results suggest that OA might have potential to be used as a lipid-based formulation in functional olive oils to prevent inflammatory processes underlying metabolic syndrome in adolescents.Andalusia 2014–2020 European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Operative Program, grant number B-AGR-287-UGR18

Cabazitaxel for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: safety data from the Spanish expanded access program

[Abstract] BACKGROUND: Based on the TROPIC study results, cabazitaxel was approved for the management of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) progressing on or after docetaxel. METHODS: This multi-centre program provided early access to cabazitaxel to patients with mCRPC before its commercialization. Safety data from 153 Spanish patients receiving cabazitaxel 25 mg/m(2) i.v. Q3W, plus oral prednisone/prednisolone 10 mg daily, are reported. RESULTS: Median age of patients was 70 years (26.8% ≥ 75 years), 94.1 and 26.8% had bone and visceral metastasis, respectively. Most had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ≤ 1 (88.9%) and had received a median of 8.0 cycles of last docetaxel treatment. The median of cabazitaxel cycles and cumulative dose were 6.0 (Interquartile range [IQR]: 4.0; 8.0) and 148.9 (IQR: 98.2; 201.4) mg/m(2), respectively. Adverse events (AEs) possibly related to cabazitaxel occurred in 143 (93.5%) patients. The most frequent grade ≥ 3 AEs were neutropenia (n = 25, 16.3%) and asthenia (n = 17, 11.1%). Febrile neutropenia and grade ≥ 3 diarrhea occurred in 5.2% of the patients each. There were five (3.3%) possibly treatment-related deaths, mainly infection-related. G-CSFs were used in 114 (74.5%) patients, generally as prophylaxis (n = 107; 69.9%). Grade ≥ 3 peripheral neuropathy and nail disorders were uncommon. CONCLUSIONS: Cabazitaxel administration, in a real-world setting, is tolerated by Spanish patients with mCRPC, and the AEs are manageable

Development of a modular kit to improve DFA learning

Ponencia presentada en: 9th Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference (MESIC 2021) 23-25 jun 2021, Gijόn,DFA (Design for assembly) is an important part of the contents included in some of the manufacturing courses taught at Jaume I University. DFA is a tool to analyse and improve product design from an assembly point of view. Although DFA contents had been covered using different teaching activities (theoretical, problem and laboratory sessions), the results in students’ assessment revealed that the expected learning outcomes were not being achieved. In particular, results were especially unsatisfactory in the practical application of DFA. Students misunderstood concepts such as “handling” and “insertion” operations, and failed at identifying assembly problems related to thickness or alignment among others. A learning by doing approach has been proved to improve students’ learning and engagement, as they take an active role and have the opportunity of doing things themselves. In a previous work, a specific modular and reconfigurable kit to improve DFA learning by experimentation was designed. Based on this work, this paper presents the analysis of the results obtained in two different courses where the modular kit has been used by students in a new seminar session