Improvement of Shape Error for Slender Parts in Cylindrical Traverse Grinding by Part-Deformation Modelling and Compensation

Achieving geometrical accuracy in cylindrical traverse grinding for high-aspect slender parts is still a challenge due to the flexibility of the workpiece and, therefore, the resulting shape error. This causes a bottleneck in production due to the number of spark-out strokes that must be programmed to achieve the expected dimensional and geometrical tolerances. This study presents an experimental validation of a shape-error prediction model in which a distributed load, corresponding to the grinding wheel width, is included, and allows inclusion of the effect of steady rests. Headstock and tailstock stiffness must be considered and a procedure to obtain their values is presented. Validation of the model was performed both theoretically (by comparing with FEM results) and experimentally (by comparing with the deformation profile of the real workpiece shape), obtaining differences below 5%. Having determined the shape error by monitoring the normal grinding force, a solution was presented to correct it, based on a cross-motion of the grinding wheel during traverse strokes, thus decreasing non-productive spark-out strokes. Due to its simplicity (based on the shape-error prediction model and normal grinding force monitoring), this was easily automatable. The corrective compensation cycle gave promising results with a decrease of 77% in the shape error of the ground part, and improvement in geometrically measured parameters, such as cylindricity and straightness.This research was funded by The Basque Government and ELKARTEK program within the project OPTICED “Process optimization for Zero Defect Manufacturing of Big Parts”, grant number KK-2021/00003

Analysis of the dressing process using stationary dressing tools

Grinding process is a very important process in machining industry to manufacture high quality part. The correct preparation of grinding wheel involves dressing process taking importance to optimize grinding process. Due to the different dressing tools types, it is very difficult to find the most adequate tool for a particular application. In this work, a systematic analysis of stationary multipoint and blade dressing tools have been carried out attending to the influence of dressing parameters in wheel performance and in its wear. The obtained results reflect the importance of a correct choosing both of the dressing tools and dressing parameters

Co-Creation of Knowledge for Ecosystem Services Approach to Spatial Planning in the Basque Country

Sustainable development has to be based on scientific knowledge, social agreements, and political decisions. This study aimed to analyse the implementation of the ecosystem services approach (ESA) in the spatial planning of the Basque Country, via the co-creation of knowledge. This paper uses a proposal for a regional green infrastructure (GI) to examine the co-creation of knowledge process. It addresses the community of practice; a process of co-creation of knowledge through workshops and meeting, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis using an online survey, and mapping and identification of the multifunctional areas that provide ecosystem services (ES) to develop a GI. Results indicate that ESA has been included in spatial planning actions at different scales (biosphere reserve, metropolitan area, and region). This subsequently created an avenue for understanding the political necessities at play, so that scientists can develop useful tools for sustainable development. The findings also draw attention to the importance of establishing a constructive and mutually comprehensible dialogue between politicians, technical experts and scientists. For ES to be part of spatial planning, ESA has to be taken into account at the beginning of the planning process. We conclude that building bridges between science and spatial planning can help establish science-based management guidelines and tools that help enhance the sustainability of the territory.This research was funded by the Department of Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing of the Basque Government, and by the Department of Sustainability and Natural Environment of the County Council of Biscay

Sustainable Bio-Based Epoxy Resins with Tunable Thermal and Mechanic Properties and Superior Anti-Corrosion Performance

Bio-based epoxy thermoset resins have been developed from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) cured with tannic acid (TA). These two substances of vegetable origin have been gathering attention due to their accessibility, favorable economic conditions, and convenient chemical functionalization. TA’s suitable high phenolic functionalization has been used to crosslink ESO by adjusting the −OH (from TA):epoxy (from ESO) molar ratio from 0.5:1 to 2.5:1. By means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, resulting in thermosets that evidenced optimal curing properties under moderate conditions (150–160 °C). The thermogravimetric analysis of the cured resins showed thermal stability up to 261 °C, with modulable mechanical and thermal properties determined by differential scanning calorimetry, dynamical mechanical thermal analysis, and tensile testing. Water contact angle measurements (83–87°) and water absorption tests (0.6–4.5 initial weight% intake) were performed to assess the suitability of the resins as waterproof coatings. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were performed to characterize the anti-corrosive capability of these coatings on carbon steel substrates. Excellent barrier properties have been demonstrated due to the high electrical isolation and water impermeability of these oil-based coatings, without signs of deterioration over 6 months of immersion in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. These results demonstrate the suitability of the developed materials as anti-corrosion coatings for specific applications.R.T. wants to thank the Basque Government for funding under an FPI grant (PRE_2023_2_0276). The authors acknowledge the Basque Government for Grupos Consolidados grant IT1756-22, ELKARTEK program KK-2021/00082, KK-2021/00131, and KK-2022/00109

Developing As and Cu Tissue Residue Thresholds to Attain the Good Ecological Status of Rivers in Mining Areas

[EN] The study was performed on residue-effects datasets from polluted and unpolluted sites in the Nalon River basin (northern Spain). The effects were measured in terms of alteration of field macroinvertebrate communities, and measured as ecological status scores, and number of families and abundance of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera (EPT). Non-linear regression models of the field-measured tissue residues in 10 taxa related to the ecological status of the macroinvertebrate communities were used to derive effective tissue residues (ERs). These were estimated for the good/moderate boundary defined by the ecological quality ratio (EQRs) score and for the 50% reduction of EQR and EPT metrics. As, Cu, Hg and Se ERs were calculated for several macroinvertebrate taxa with different feeding styles. The ER dataset allowed us to estimate As and Cu hazardous concentrations (HC), using species sensitivity distribution models, and were interpreted as community thresholds. Further studies for Hg and Se are needed to complete the database required for HC estimation. The reliability and differences of the several thresholds were tested in a risk assessment using a tissue-residue approach (TRA) conducted with field organisms from Cauxa Creek, a tributary from the same basin exposed to high levels of metals in the sediments due to gold mining activities. This risk assessment identified that As and Cu tissue residues satisfactorily explained the reduction in the ecological status of the macroinvertebrate assemblages. Our results indicate that TRA can help in setting future environmental quality standards for the protection of aquatic biota.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. Funding was provided by Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, (Grant no. CGL 2013-44655-R), University of the Basque Country, (Grant no. PIF16/162

Polysaccharide-Based In Situ Self-Healing Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications

In situ hydrogels have attracted increasing interest in recent years due to the need to develop effective and practical implantable platforms. Traditional hydrogels require surgical interventions to be implanted and are far from providing personalized medicine applications. However, in situ hydrogels offer a wide variety of advantages, such as a non-invasive nature due to their localized action or the ability to perfectly adapt to the place to be replaced regardless the size, shape or irregularities. In recent years, research has particularly focused on in situ hydrogels based on natural polysaccharides due to their promising properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and their ability to self-repair. This last property inspired in nature gives them the possibility of maintaining their integrity even after damage, owing to specific physical interactions or dynamic covalent bonds that provide reversible linkages. In this review, the different self-healing mechanisms, as well as the latest research on in situ self-healing hydrogels, is presented, together with the potential applications of these materials in tissue regeneration.This research was funded by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERFD) through the project PID2019-106099RB-C43/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the project MAT2016-76039-C4-3-R (AEI/FEDER, UE) and from the Basque Government Industry and Education Department under the ELKARTEK (KK-2020/00068, KK-2020/00099, KK2019/00039 and KK2019/00101), HAZITEK and PIBA (PIBA-2018-06) programs, respectively

Proposal of integrative scores and biomonitor selection for metal bioaccumulation risk assessment in mine-impacted rivers

Development of sound criteria for metal and metalloid bioaccumulation risk assessment in river basins affected by mining activities is a necessary tool to protect the aquatic communities. The aim of this study is to propose integrative scores for tissue residues that are suitable for surveillance programs and readily interpreted in terms of risk assessment in mining impacted rivers. Tissue residues of 7 trace metals and 2 metalloids were measured in ten macroinvertebrate taxa from the Nal ' on River basin (Spain), affected by Hg, Cu and Au mining activities. Compared with reference sites, biomonitor taxa from Hg and Au mining districts showed the highest bioaccumulation. However, low or non-significant bioaccumulation was found in sites influenced by historical Cu mining. Multivariate analyses (ANOSIM) performed on individual taxa revealed significant differences in tissue residues between sites classified according to their ecological status. The bioaccumulation risk assessment was based on the average ratio of the actual metal tissue residues in each macroinvertebrate taxon to the corresponding Ecological Threshold tissue concentration (Tissue residue Ratio to Threshold, TRT). The suitability of the biomonitors was evaluated using linear regression models fitted to the relationships between TRT scores and site sediment pollution or ecological status scores. Biomonitor selection also considered differences in invertebrate functional traits, which can influence metal and metalloid bioavailability. Site bioaccumulation risk was assessed on an Integrated Tissue concentration score (INTISS), calculated over a selection of the most relevant chemicals (As, Cu and Hg) and 3 biomonitor taxa (Baetidae, Hydropsychidae, Microdrile oligochaetes) comprising a set of feeding styles. Based on INTISS, it was possible to predict community alteration scores, using linear regression models. A comparison of site bioaccumulation and ecological status assessments based on the departure from reference conditions showed that operational monitoring programs in basins impaired by mining can be optimized by combining both approaches.This investigation was sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Econ-omy and Competitiveness (MINECO) through the CGL 2013-44655-R research project. Inigo Moreno-Ocio was granted a PhD fellowship from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) . We thank Steven V. Fend for the English revision and his useful comments on the pre-liminary version of this paper. We greatly appreciate the support pro-vided by Amanda Miranda and the staff of the Cantabrian Hydrographical Confederation, who assisted in the selection and sam-pling of the sites of the Nalon River and their encouragement and generous attitude along the study

Seed Carotenoid and Tocochromanol Composition of Wild Fabaceae Species Is Shaped by Phylogeny and Ecological Factors

Carotenoids distribution and function in seeds have been very scarcely studied, notwithstanding their pivotal roles in plants that include photosynthesis and phytohormone synthesis, pigmentation, membrane stabilization and antioxidant activity. Their relationship with tocochromanols, whose critical role in maintaining seed viability has already been evidenced, and with chlorophylls, whose retention in mature seed is thought to have negative effects on storability, remain also unexplored. Here, we aimed at elucidating seed carotenoids relationship with tocochromanols and chlorophylls with regard to phylogenetic and ecological traits and at understanding their changes during germination. The composition and distribution of carotenoids were investigated in seeds of a wide range of wild species across the Fabaceae (the second-most economically important family after the Poaceae). Photosynthetic pigments and tocochromanols were analyzed by HPLC in mature dry seeds of 50 species representative of 5 subfamilies within the Fabaceae (including taxa that represent all continents, biomes and life forms within the family) and at key timepoints during seedling establishment in three species representative of distinct clades. Total-carotenoids content positively correlated with tocopherols in the basal subfamilies Detarioideae, Cercidoideae, and Dialioideae, and with chlorophylls in the Papilionoideae. Papilionoideae lacked tocotrienols and had the highest total-carotenoids, chlorophyll and gamma-tocopherol contents. Interestingly, lutein epoxide was present in 72% of the species including several herbs from different subfamilies. Overall, species original from temperate biomes presented higher carotenoids and lower tocochromanols levels than those from tropical biomes. Also shrub species showed higher carotenoids content than herbs and trees. During germination, total content of photosynthetic pigments increased in parallel to changes in relative abundance of carotenoids: zeaxanthin and anteraxanthin decreased and beta-carotene augmented. Notably, the highest contents of nutritionally valuable carotenoids were found in Papilionoideae subfamily to which all pulses of socio-economic importance belong. The major differences in carotenoids and tocochromanols composition across the Fabaceae are apparently related to phylogeny in conjunction with ecological traits such as biome and growth form.This work was supported by the Basque Government [UPV/EHU-GV IT-1018-16], and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) and the European Research and Development Foundation (FEDER) through (i) [CTM2014-53902-C2-2-P] national grant and (ii) a "Juan de la Cierva-Incorporacion" postdoctoral grant [IJCI-2014-22489] to BF-M. BF-M, FM, and LM-F received a postdoctoral fellowship from the Research Vice Rectorate (UPV/EHU). The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, received grant-in-aid from DEFRA

Co-creación de conocimiento para la inclusión del enfoque de servicios de los ecosistemas en la ordenación del territorio del País Vasco

El tipo de desarrollo sostenible al que aspiramos necesita, entre otras cosas, una base de conocimiento científico, acuerdos sociales y decisiones políticas que encaminen la gestión hacia una ruta de sostenibilidad. Por lo tanto, es fundamental identificar el conocimiento necesario para la parte política y técnica, y el tipo de ciencia que se requiere desarrollar para este fin. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar el trabajo desarrollado a través de una comunidad de práctica, que contribuye a una eficiente colaboración entre la investigación y la gestión. La experiencia de trabajo transdisciplinar está basada en un enfoque holístico y colaborativo entre equipos de la universidad y equipos técnicos de la administración pública a diferentes escalas. El objeto de estudio de esta comunidad de práctica es la aplicación del enfoque de los servicios de los ecosistemas a políticas de ordenación territorial. Se analiza la co-creación de conocimiento para la aplicación de políticas orientadas a la gestión sostenible del territorio. Como resultado del trabajo colaborativo se ha incluido el enfoque basado en servicios de los ecosistemas en las Directrices de Ordenación Territorial de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, lo que tiene como consecuencia que los diferentes departamentos de la Administración, y a diferentes escalas, deberán implementar acciones para el mantenimiento de los servicios de los ecosistemas y la promoción de una infraestructura verde local. Los resultados demuestran que los puentes entre ciencia y gestión pueden ser exitosos para establecer directrices de gestión con base científica.The type of sustainable development to which we aspire needs, among other things, to be based on scientific knowledge, social agreements and political decisions that direct management towards a sustainability path. Therefore, it is essential to identify the knowledge needed by the political and technical community and the type of science that is required to be developed for this purpose. The objective of this study was to analyze the work developed through a community of practice, which is contributing to an efficient collaboration between researchers and managers. The transdisciplinary work experience is based on a holistic and collaborative approach between university teams and public administration technical teams at different scales (Government, County Councils, Town-halls). The object of study of this community of practice is the application of the Ecosystem Services Approach in land management policies. The aim is the sustainable development of the territory based on the co-creation of knowledge for the application in policies. Because of the collaborative work, the approach based on ecosystem services has been included in the Guidelines for Territorial Planning of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. This means that all the different departments of the Administration at different scales must implement actions to maintain ecosystem services and the promotion of a local green infrastructure. The results show that the bridges between science and management can be successful in establishing scientific-based management guidelines

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group