Comfort Driven Redesign: The Case of Library Chairs

AbstractUniversity students spend most of their time in a sitting position. Prolonged sitting on ill-fitted furniture and the resulting lousy posture is making students having different musculoskeletal disorders and is strictly related to students learning outcomes. This study aims to improve postural comfort of chairs placed inside the Science & Technology Library at the University of Salerno. A previous study about these library chairs showed that the lumbar area was the most suffering part while perceived (dis)comfort was dependent on time. Based on this, an ergonomic redesign and, consequently, manufacturing of the chair has been done. A perceived-comfort comparison between the library chair and the redesigned one has been performed. A statistical sample of 28 healthy students performed a 20-min experiment two times, alternatively on the library chair and the redesigned one. The 20-min experiment was divided into two 10-min tasks ("Reading & Writing" and "Laptop use") to simulate a study day. The participants' postures were acquired non-invasively using cameras and processed by Kinovea; questionnaires were used to rate the perceived subjective (dis)comfort. A procedure for improving an existing product through a comfort-driven redesign is proposed. Results showed the redesigned library chair lead on increasing postural comfort (particularly in the lumbar area) thanks to the new design and modifications

Peripheral blood cellular profile at pre-lymphodepletion is associated with CD19-targeted CAR-T cell-associated neurotoxicity

BackgroundInfusion of second generation autologous CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in patients with R/R relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma (BCL) is affected by inflammatory complications, such as Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS). Current literature suggests that the immune profile prior to CAR-T infusion modifies the chance to develop ICANS.MethodsThis is a monocenter prospective study on 53 patients receiving approved CAR T-cell products (29 axi-cel, 24 tisa-cel) for R/R-BCL. Clinical, biochemical, and hematological variables were analyzed at the time of pre-lymphodepletion (pre-LD). In a subset of 21 patients whose fresh peripheral blood sample was available, we performed cytofluorimetric analysis of leukocytes and extracellular vesicles (EVs). Moreover, we assessed a panel of soluble plasma biomarkers (IL-6/IL-10/GDF-15/IL-15/CXCL9/NfL) and microRNAs (miR-146a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-126-3p, miR-150-5p) which are associated with senescence and inflammation.ResultsMultivariate analysis at the pre-LD time-point in the entire cohort (n=53) showed that a lower percentage of CD3+CD8+ lymphocytes (38.6% vs 46.8%, OR=0.937 [95% CI: 0.882-0.996], p=0.035) and higher levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP, 4.52 mg/dl vs 1.00 mg/dl, OR=7.133 [95% CI: 1.796-28], p=0.005) are associated with ICANS. In the pre-LD samples of 21 patients, a significant increase in the percentage of CD8+CD45RA+CD57+ senescent cells (median % value: 16.50% vs 9.10%, p=0.009) and monocytic-myeloid derived suppressor cells (M-MDSC, median % value: 4.4 vs 1.8, p=0.020) was found in ICANS patients. These latter also showed increased levels of EVs carrying CD14+ and CD45+ myeloid markers, of the myeloid chemokine CXCL-9, as well of the MDSC-secreted cytokine IL-10. Notably, the serum levels of circulating neurofilament light chain, a marker of neuroaxonal injury, were positively correlated with the levels of senescent CD8+ T cells, M-MDSC, IL-10 and CXCL-9. No variation in the levels of the selected miRNAs was observed between ICANS and no-ICANS patients.DiscussionOur data support the notion that pre-CAR-T systemic inflammation is associated with ICANS. Higher proportion of senescence CD8+ T cells and M-MDSC correlate with early signs of neuroaxonal injury at pre-LD time-point, suggesting that ICANS may be the final event of a process that begins before CAR-T infusion, consequence to patient clinical history

CAD ACTIVE MODELS: AN INNOVATIVE METHOD IN ASSEMBLY ENVIRONMENT.

The work deals with the application of Cad active parametric/variational model in the mechanisms’ modeling in “physically based design” field of research. The term “active Cad model” means a parametric/variational Cad model, geometric one, whose dimensions can vary according to the Physical laws, that describe their original mechanical behavior. For example, if the specimen is subjected to a traction stress and a moving law is imposed to one of its ends, it must not only be able to stretch indefinitely, but it will have to show the same physical phenomena happening in the real test (elastic extension, strain and plasticization till the break point). Such model can be obtained imposing the characteristics of the material to the model under the feature of CAD’s parameters, that will be used to refresh dimensions and shape of the own model. Modern CAD systems offer to users several programming tools that can be used to manage the model. In particular it is possible to impose on a model a whole series of geometrical and dimensional constraints, that allow us to manage the shape, modifying the parameters’ values. Such constraints are managed through functions opportunely defined. In the active model, the function depends also on the parameters representing the mechanical characteristic of the simulated materials. The aim of this work is to show the use and the versatility of the active models in different applications. It has been realized an active model of a cylindrical spring and it has been applied in two mechanisms, different for typology and for backlash loads. The first example is a dynamometer in which the cylindrical spring is loaded by traction forces, while the second example is made up from a pressure valve in which the cylindrical-conic spring works under compression. The imposition of the loads in both cases, has allowed us to evaluate the model of the mechanism in different working conditions, also in assembly environment

Using Virtual Prototyping and Rapid Prototyping to evaluate, for industrial benchmarking, Pedestrian Safety performances of the front part of a vehicle

All over the world, and mainly in United States [10], since 1977 to 1991 the research centers of the main automotive companies had processed several statistical data on real accidents between vehicles and pedestrians taking care, obviously, to pedestrians' injury [7]. In latest years a research group of EEVC (European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Committee) had examined the statistic works of past twenty years and subsequent several scientific papers, and had realized some documents about "pedestrian test" procedures [2,6,7]. In reference papers of period 1977 - 1997 and in EEVC documents, the scientists describe a proposed homologative test for child-head impact; an impact simulation of a standardized impactor on car bonnet represents it, in order to evaluate the child-head injury as deceleration of its center of gravity [1,4,5]. Injury evaluation criteria is an energy criterion and is quantified by the HPC index (Head Performance Criteria also called, without distinction, HIC - Head Injury Criteria) defined as follows: HPC = [1/t(2)-t(1) (t2)(t1)integraladt ](2.5) (t(2)-t(1))max in which t(1) and t(2) are respectively initial and final impact's instants (t(2)-t(1) is the integration range) and a is acceleration resultant vector, measured by an accelerometer mounted in the head-impactor. The HPC index became very high if the bonnet, during its deformation, hits the under-bonnet very hard part. In past researches we have used a laser reverse engineering facilities for reconstruct the geometry of the external frontal part of a car in order to virtually evaluate, with a numerical/experimental correlated methodology, the performance of the bonnet for Child-Head impact tests. Now we want to evaluate if, in all parts of the under-bonnet area, we can underline a potential impact with under bonnet hard parts. Our research was propose a new method based on virtual reconstruction of the surface that envelopes all the deformation surfaces in internal part of the bonnet. The deformed shapes of bonnet will be evaluated using FEM explicit codes PamCrash. Using a Pre-processor we will reconstruct, starting from a points (FEM model's nodes) clouds, a new surface of maximum deformed bonnet. This surface will be processed and rapid prototyped as a puzzle of shells with their support. This prototyped surface will be super-imposed on the real under-bonnet layout of car and will allow to easily evaluate where and how much our deformed bonnet could hit the hard-parts of the Engine Lay-out. Our results will show a new easy and fast method to evaluate the potential performance of the front part of a vehicle in Child head impact only reconstructing, with a reverse engineering operation, the bonnet shapes (surface) and, after a simple processing, rapid-prototyping the deformed bonnet-shape, in order to avoid to take all the under-bonnet layout with a reverse engineering operation that could be less easy and very time-consuming

Methodology development of human task simulation as PLM solution related to OCRA ergonomic analysis

In the current demanding global marketplace, ensuring that human fit, form and function are comprehensively addressed, is becoming an increasingly important aspect of design and, in particular, obliges the most important automotive industries to develop more flexible assembly lines and better methods for PLM solution. In the meantime, designers attempt to elaborate product development methodologies that conform health and safety standards while still maximizing the productivity. The aim of this work consists in developing a methodology based on preventive ergonomics and feasibility analyses of assembly tasks, simulating a work-cell, in which acts a digital human model (manikin), in order to maximize human safety and performance and analyze manikin interaction in the virtual environment. In ergonomic analyses the OCRA protocol will be used, evaluating different involvement degrees of upper limb segments. The methodology is carried out by ergonomic tool of DELMIA software, using Digital Human Models technology

State of the art on Pedestrian Safety Simulation

Purpose: The aim of this work is to explain the work of Design Methods’ research group of Department of Mechanical Engineering of Salerno University, in the field of research regarding vehicles pedestrian safety problem, taking care to finite element methods and models used and developed for vehicle design and optimization. Design/methodology/approach: Our developed models show a very good Numeric/Experimental correlation, and we’ve numerically certified our virtual impactors, designed following EEVC-WG17 specification. These impactors have been tested also at higher speed and we have obtained a good correlation with some problems because of the critical behavior of the foam solved following different model-design optimization methods. Findings: Best results obtained and explained in this paper are concerning impactors modeling and certification, and Experimental/Numerical correlation of full impact tests. Research limitations/implications: The achievement of the maximum possible pedestrian safety performance, compatibly with the others, sometimes conflicting, performances, is one of the main objectives to reach, for the automotive industry by now and, above all, for the future. Practical implications: According to a surveying by European Community research committee, the risk of die for pedestrians and cyclists because of street incidents is eight/nine times higher than one of the occupants of motor vehicles. From statistics we’ve found that the greatest part of these accidents is due to the collision of the pedestrian on the front part of motor vehicles, and that fact affects the considerations on the passive safety. Originality/value: The most Important Automotive industries had understood the impact of new regulations about homologation and began to study the problem and particularly how to introduce new Homologation parameters in their Product development cycles, today based on Virtual Prototyping of the Whole Vehicle and final Physical testing of few physical prototypes

Implementation of integrated nuisances action plan

In everyday life people are simultaneously exposed to several annoying sources (sounds, vibrations and odours), which emerge from background of considerable variability of land uses, infrastructures, residential patterns, topography, meteorology condition, and standards quality of life. The European Union has provided in recent years (and is going to update) several tools to harmonize noise mapping methodologies and relative Noise Action Plans through directives and guidelines. Unfortunately the same efforts have not been put in the harmonization of approaches in other annoying sources like odours. As a consequence, each European Member State at national or even at local level defined its own direct or indirect approach to limit odour impacts, usually considerably different one from the others. The most common approach to deal with noise impact at a policy, economic and strategy level is the use of priority indices focused to highlight areas more sensitive and where mitigation actions will be more advisable or urgent. Locations that for their specific land use are more sensitive to noise impacts (e.g. residential areas) are generally also sensitive to odour impacts. According these, the aim of the present research is to provide a brief review of the most used European strategies in noise action plans end try to extend their approaches for the definition of a nuisance action plan, able to control both odour and noise. Paper present a possible implementation of integrated nuisances action plan in the municipality of Palma Campania (Campania Region, Italy). The analysis underlines that is possible define, under the same set of nuisance indicators, the degree of sensitivity of areas according to population, land uses, levels of exposures and/or distance from the annoying sources. Nuisance acceptability levels are then definable according to the sensitivity degree of the locations. Factors related to vibrations and visual perception of the landscape can further contribute to control total sensorial annoyance in the land planning