Discovering phase and causal dependencies on manufacturing processes

Discovering phase and causal dependencies on manufacturing processes. Keyword machine learning, causality, Industry 4.

CIPCaD-Bench: Continuous Industrial Process datasets for benchmarking Causal Discovery methods

Causal relationships are commonly examined in manufacturing processes to support faults investigations, perform interventions, and make strategic decisions. Industry 4.0 has made available an increasing amount of data that enable data-driven Causal Discovery (CD). Considering the growing number of recently proposed CD methods, it is necessary to introduce strict benchmarking procedures on publicly available datasets since they represent the foundation for a fair comparison and validation of different methods. This work introduces two novel public datasets for CD in continuous manufacturing processes. The first dataset employs the well-known Tennessee Eastman simulator for fault detection and process control. The second dataset is extracted from an ultra-processed food manufacturing plant, and it includes a description of the plant, as well as multiple ground truths. These datasets are used to propose a benchmarking procedure based on different metrics and evaluated on a wide selection of CD algorithms. This work allows testing CD methods in realistic conditions enabling the selection of the most suitable method for specific target applications. The datasets are available at the following link: https://github.com/giovanniMenComment: Supplementary Materials at: https://github.com/giovanniMen/CPCaD-Benc

Mesothelioma incidence in the neighbourhood of an asbestos-cement plant located in a national priority contaminated site

Background. An epidemic of asbestos-related disease is ongoing in most industrialized countries, mainly attributable to past occupational exposure but partly due to environ-mental exposure. In this perspective, the incidence of pleural mesothelioma close to a former asbestos-cement plant in a national contaminated site was estimated. Methods. The census-tracts interested by atmospheric dispersion of facilities in the contaminated site were identified. Two subareas with different estimated environmental asbestos impact were distinguished. An ecological study at micro-geographic level was performed. The standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for study area and the two subareas, in comparison with region and municipality were computed. The standardized incidence rate ratio (IRR) between the two subareas was computed. Results. Mesothelioma incidence in the study area was increased: 46 cases were ob-served with respect to 22.23 expected (SIR: 2.02). The increase was confirmed in analysis considering only the subjects without an occupationally exposure to asbestos: 19 cases among men (SIR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.49-3.88); 11 case among women (SIR = 1.34; 95% CI: 0.67-2.40). The IRR between the two subareas is less than one in overall population considering all age-classes and of 3 fold (IRR = 3.14, 95% CI: 0.65-9.17) in the age- classes below 55 years. Conclusions. The findings indicate an increased incidence of pleural mesothelioma in the neighbourhood of asbestos-cement plant, and a possible etiological contribution of asbestos environmental exposure in detected risks

automatic process modeling with time delay neural network based on low level data

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New methodologies in Reliability-Based Design Optimization for structures

In the last decades, also due to the ever increasing importance assumed by civil air transport and its deregulation, the aeronautical structural design results to be characterized by two contrasting needs: on the one hand, the reduction of costs, and, on the other hand, the increase of the aircraft reliability. The costs minimization often results in fuel saving and, hence, in a mass optimization of the airplane; however, this risks to collide with the necessity to maximize the system reliability. The probabilistic approach to structural design, as it is proposed by the Reliability-Based Design Optimization (RBDO) phylosophy, allows to combine these antithetical requirements. After all, the traditional deterministic approach, which is based on the use of safety factors, often proves to be inadequate, since it can cause both a structural overweight and an underestimation of risks. Probabilistic optimization consists of two separate processes: an external loop of deterministic optimization and an internal reliability assessment loop; these two steps are executed repeatedly, until the optimal configuration is reached; this condition is such that one or more performances are maximized and, at the same time, the feasibility constraints result to be respected with the desired level of likelihood. Despite the growing interest towards the RBDO methodologies in the aeronautical field, to this day some applicative areas remain, which have not been sufficiently treated in literature; one of them is the aeroelastic field. Moreover, it is important to higlight that every single applicative case requires a deep study at a numerical level, aimed at determining which are the optimization and reliability assessment algorithms which are best fit for that particular situation; next, the two chosen algorithms have to be interconnected, to create a single probabilistic optimization loop. One of the novelties that are proposed in this thesis consists on the use of RBDO in the frame design of a wing section, in order to prevent aeroelastic instabilities and to optimize such a structure; this optimization methodology, based on the elastic axis, had been previously applied by following a deterministic approach only (even though on a three-dimensional case). Another subject matter that was treated is essentially numerical: the creation of a simple RBDO algotithm, that was then successfully applied to the sizing of a beam. Subsequently, two analyses were carried on, aiming at applying RBDO first to the structure of a rectangular wing, and then to a shear web, and promising results were obtained in both cases. In the future continuation of the present work, the various subject matters that have been treated will converge towards the determination of a global, unified procedure for the probabilistic optimization of a wing structure. Such an approach, that will also aim to prevent aeroelastic phenomena, will be devoted to reproduce as more realistically as possible the system and the surrounding environment; therefore, it will reckon with both structural nonlinearities and the forces generated by random gusts

Mesothelioma incidence in the neighbourhood of an asbestos-cement plant located in a national priority contaminated site

Background. An epidemic of asbestos-related disease is ongoing in most industrialized countries, mainly attributable to past occupational exposure but partly due to environ-mental exposure. In this perspective, the incidence of pleural mesothelioma close to a former asbestos-cement plant in a national contaminated site was estimated.Methods. The census-tracts interested by atmospheric dispersion of facilities in the contaminated site were identified. Two subareas with different estimated environmental asbestos impact were distinguished. An ecological study at micro-geographic level was performed. The standardized incidence ratios (SIR) for study area and the two subareas, in comparison with region and municipality were computed. The standardized incidence rate ratio (IRR) between the two subareas was computed. Results. Mesothelioma incidence in the study area was increased: 46 cases were ob-served with respect to 22.23 expected (SIR: 2.02). The increase was confirmed in analysis considering only the subjects without an occupationally exposure to asbestos: 19 cases among men (SIR = 2.48; 95% CI: 1.49-3.88); 11 case among women (SIR = 1.34; 95% CI: 0.67-2.40). The IRR between the two subareas is less than one in overall population considering all age-classes and of 3 fold (IRR = 3.14, 95% CI: 0.65-9.17) in the age-classes below 55 years.Conclusions. The findings indicate an increased incidence of pleural mesothelioma in the neighbourhood of asbestos-cement plant, and a possible etiological contribution of asbestos environmental exposure in detected risks

Prospective Analysis of Short- and Mid-term Knowledge Retention after a Brief Ultrasound Course for Undergraduate Medical Students

OBJECTIVES: The benefits of implementing point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in the emergency department are well established. Ideally, physicians should be taught POCUS during medical school. Several different courses have been designed for that purpose and have yielded good results. However, medical students need specifically designed courses that address the main objectives of knowledge acquisition and retention. Despite that, there is limited evidence to support knowledge retention, especially in the mid-term. The purpose of this study is to evaluate short- and mid-term knowledge retention after a student-aimed ultrasound course. METHODS: Medical students participating in a medical student trauma symposium (SIMPALT) in 2017 were included. Their profiles and baseline ultrasound knowledge were assessed by a precourse questionnaire (PRT). The same questionnaire was used one week (1POT) and three months (3POT) after the course. RESULTS: Most of the participants were 1st- to 4th- year medical students. None had prior ultrasound knowledge. They reported costs as the major barrier (65%) to enrollment in an ultrasound course. A comparison between the PRT and 1POT results showed a statistically significant difference (po0.02), while no difference was found between 1POT and 3POT (p40.09). CONCLUSION: Our findings support the use of a tailored ultrasound course for medical students. Knowledge acquisition and mid-term retention may be achieved by this specific population

Como reduzir complicações relacionadas à drenagem pleural utilizando uma técnica guiada por ultrassom

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Molecular analysis of the effects of Piroxicam and Cisplatin on mesothelioma cells growth and viability

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been proposed for prevention and treatment of a variety of human cancers. Piroxicam, in particular, has been recently shown to exert significant anti-tumoral activity in combination with cisplatin (CDDP) on mesothelioma cells. However, the mechanisms through which NSAIDs regulate the cell cycle as well as the signal pathways involved in the growth inhibition, remain unclear. In the present study, using two mesothelioma cell lines, MSTO-211H and NCI-H2452, we have investigated the influence of piroxicam alone and in association with CDDP on proliferation, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis. In both cell lines a significant effect on cell growth inhibition, respect to the control, was observed with all the drugs tested. Moreover, treatment with piroxicam or CDDP alone altered the cell cycle phase distribution as well as the expression of some cell cycle regulatory proteins in both cell lines. These effects were increased, even if in a not completely overlapping manner, after treatment with the association of piroxicam and CDDP. In particular, the two drugs in NCI cell line had a synergistic effect on apoptosis, probably through activation of caspase 8 and caspase 9, while the most evident targets among the cell cycle regulators were cyclin D1 and p21waf1. These results suggest that the association of piroxicam and CDDP specifically triggers cell cycle regulation and apoptosis in different mesothelioma cell lines and may hold promise in the treatment of mesothelioma

Outcomes of Elderly Patients Undergoing Emergency Surgery for Complicated Colorectal Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent types of malignant neoplasms. Age is a risk factor for this disease, with 75% of cases diagnosed in patients older than 65 years. Complications such as obstruction, hemorrhage, and perforation are present in more than one-third of cases and require emergency treatment. We aim to analyze the profile of elderly patients undergoing surgery for complicated colorectal cancer, and to evaluate factors related to worse short-term prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent emergency surgical treatment for complicated colorectal cancer was performed. Demographics, clinical, radiological and histological data were collected. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were analyzed. The median age was 72 years, and almost half (46%) of the patients were female. Obstruction was the most prevalent complication at initial presentation (72%). The most common sites of neoplasia were the left and sigmoid colon in 22 patients (32.8%), and the right colon in 17 patients (25.4%). Resection was performed in 88% of cases, followed by primary anastomosis in almost half. The most frequent clinical stages were II (48%) and III (22%). Forty-three patients (65.7%) had some form of postoperative complication. Clavien-Dindo grades 1, 2, and 4, were the most frequent. Complete oncologic resection was observed in 80% of the cases. The thirty-day mortality rate was 10.4%. Advanced age was associated with worse morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with complicated colorectal cancer undergoing emergency surgery have high morbidity and mortality rates. Advanced age is significantly associated with worse outcomes