Predictive Maintenance Platform Based on Integrated Strategies for Increased Operating Life of Factories

Process output and profitability of the operations are mainly determined by how the equipment is being used. The production planning, operations and machine maintenance influence the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the machinery, resulting in more 'good parts' at the end of the day. The target of the predictive maintenance approaches in this respect is to increase efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing the way machines are being used and to decrease the costs of unplanned interventions for the customer. To this end, development of ad-hoc strategies and their seamless integration into predictive maintenance systems is envisaged to bring substantial advantages in terms of productivity and competitiveness enhancement for manufacturing systems, representing a leap towards the real implementation of the Industry 4.0 vision. Inspired by this challenge, the study provides an approach to develop a novel predictive maintenance platform capable of preventing unexpected-breakdowns based on integrated strategies for extending the operating life span of production systems. The approach and result in this article are based on the development and implementation in a large collaborative EU-funded H2020 research project entitled Z-Bre4k, i.e. Strategies and predictive maintenance models wrapped around physical systems for zero-unexpected-breakdowns and increased operating life of factories

Predictive Maintenance Platform Based on Integrated Strategies for Increased Operating Life of Factories

Part 5: Industry 4.0 - Digital TwinInternational audienceProcess output and profitability of the operations are mainly determined by how the equipment is being used. The production planning, operations and machine maintenance influence the overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) of the machinery, resulting in more ‘good parts’ at the end of the day. The target of the predictive maintenance approaches in this respect is to increase efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing the way machines are being used and to decrease the costs of unplanned interventions for the customer. To this end, development of ad-hoc strategies and their seamless integration into predictive maintenance systems is envisaged to bring substantial advantages in terms of productivity and competitiveness enhancement for manufacturing systems, representing a leap towards the real implementation of the Industry 4.0 vision. Inspired by this challenge, the study provides an approach to develop a novel predictive maintenance platform capable of preventing unexpected-breakdowns based on integrated strategies for extending the operating life span of production systems. The approach and result in this article are based on the development and implementation in a large collaborative EU-funded H2020 research project entitled Z-Bre4k, i.e. Strategies and predictive maintenance models wrapped around physical systems for zero-unexpected-breakdowns and increased operating life of factories

The Expression of IL-1β Correlates with the Expression of Galectin-3 in the Tissue at the Maternal–Fetal Interface during the Term and Preterm Labor

The inflammatory processes that occur at the maternal–fetal interface are considered one of the factors that are responsible for preterm birth. The pro-inflammatory roles of the Gal-3-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and the consecutive production of IL-1β have been described in several acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, but the role of this inflammatory axis in parturition has not been studied. The aim of this study was to analyze the protein expression of Gal-3, NLRP3, and IL-1β in the decidua, villi, and fetal membranes, and to analyze their mutual correlation and correlation with the clinical parameters of inflammation in preterm birth (PTB) and term birth (TB). The study included 40 women that underwent a preterm birth (gestational age of 25.0–36.6) and histological chorioamnionitis (PTB) and control subjects, 22 women that underwent a term birth (gestational age of 37.0–41.6) without histological chorioamnionitis (TB). An analysis of the tissue sections that were stained with anti- Gal-3, -NLRP3, and -IL-1β antibodies was assessed by three independent investigators. The expression levels of Gal-3 and IL-1β were significantly higher (p p = 0.008), villi (R = 0.301; p = 0.042) and the fetal membranes (R = 0.428; p = 0.002) in both of the groups, PTB and TB. In addition, the expression of Gal-3 and IL-1β in decidua and the fetal membranes was in correlation with the parameters of inflammation in the maternal and fetal blood (C-reactive protein, leukocyte number, and fibrinogen). The strong correlation between the expression of Gal-3 and IL-1β in the placental and fetal tissues during labor indicates that Gal-3 may participate in the regulation of the inflammatory processes in the placenta, leading to increased production of IL-1β, a cytokine that plays the main role in both term and preterm birth

Antioxidative Effects of Standardized <i>Aronia melanocarpa</i> Extract on Reproductive and Metabolic Disturbances in a Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) represents the most common endocrinopathy among childbearing-age women, with oxidative stress (OS) underlying its etiopathogenesis. Metformin (MET) represents a frequently used agent in PCOS. However, weak results encourage alternative treatments. We aimed to investigate isolated and synergistic effects of Standardized Aronia melanocarpa extract (SEA) and MET for alleviating reproductive and metabolic PCOS abnormalities. PCOS induction was followed by 28-day treatment with MET, SAE, or MET + SEA. Bodyweight (BW), cyclicity, histological, and ultrasonographical ovarian analyses were performed. Hormonal, glycemic, and lipid profiles were accessed, as well as systemic and ovarian oxidative status; BW, cyclicity, ovarian histomorphology, ovarian volume, testosterone and progesterone levels, as well as LDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels were aggravated after PCOS-induction and improved after MET, SEA, and MET + SEA treatment. MET + SEA had the greatest impact on glycoregulation. Alterations in OS parameters (TBARS, O2−, H2O2, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and reduced glutathione) could be responsible for observed differences; (4) Conclusions: Our findings confirmed that SAE alone or along with MET was capable of ameliorating reproductive and metabolic disturbances in the PCOS rat model, with the restoration of OS parameters. SAE alone did not alter the protective effects of MET in PCOS

Preparation of cellulosic fibers with biological activity by immobilization of trypsin on periodate oxidized viscose fibers

In this study, a biologically active fibrous material was designed by immobilizing trypsin on viscose fibers. The viscose yarn was first oxidized with sodium periodate to produce aldehyde groups and then employed as a support for subsequent immobilization of trypsin through bovine serum albumin. The oxidation by sodium periodate caused changes in the chemical and physical properties of the modified yarn samples, which were evaluated by determining the aldehyde group content, fineness and tensile strength of yarn. The viscose fibers oxidized under the most severe conditions (0.4 % NaIO4, 360 min) exhibited the maximum amount of introduced aldehyde groups (1.284 mmol/g), but also the highest decrease in tensile strength. The trypsin activity was assayed with N-alpha-benzoyl-DL-arginine p-nitroanilide hydrochloride, whereas the amount of bound trypsin was determined by Bradford method. Trypsin immobilized on oxidized viscose yarn retained 97.3 and 83.8 % of the initial activity over 60 days of storage at 4 and 25 A degrees C, respectively, and remained firmly attached to the carrier. The potential application of obtained bioactive fibers is in the treatment of wounds