Set-Based Concurrent Engineering Model for Automotive Electronic/Software Systems Development

Organised by: Cranfield UniversityThis paper is presenting a proposal of a novel approach to automotive electronic/software systems development. It is based on the combination of Set-Based Concurrent Engineering, a Toyota approach to product development, with the standard V-Model of software development. Automotive industry currently faces the problem of growing complexity of electronic/software systems. This issue is especially visible at the level of integration of these systems which is difficult and error-prone. The presented conceptual proposal is to establish better processes that could handle the electronic/software systems design and development in a more integrated and consistent manner.Mori Seiki – The Machine Tool Compan

Radiologic features of small pulmonary nodules detected in initially negative screening CT examinations: a step towards personalized screening strategies?

Results of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) have invigorated the discussion around performing lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) of the chest. The NLST trial demonstrated a clear benefit of LDCT screening in reducing lung cancer and all-cause mortality, by showing reduced lung cancer mortality in high-risk individuals by about 20%, and allcause mortality by 6.7%, compared to a control group of subjects receiving chest radiographs

Metavolcanic rocks from schistose domain of Galicia-Tras-os-Montes: petrography, geochemistry and tectonic environment (Galice, NW. Spain)

[Resumen] Se estudia el vulcanismo intercalado en los grupos litoestratigráficos inferiores que integran el Dominio Esquistoso de Galicia Tras-os-Montes (DEGTM) denominados de muro a techo Santabaía, Nogueira y Paraño. El grupo de LalínForcarei que completa la secuencia no será tratado en este trabajo. La edad de estos grupos debe comprender desde el Precámbrico hasta el Devónico Inf. Los tres grupos tiene un cierto carácter vulcanosedimentario, más marcado en el grupo de Santabaía que en los dos grupos superiores. Se encuentran en ellos diferentes niveles volcánicos y vulcanosedimentarios de espesor y continuidad lateral variables, correspondientes a neises microporfídicos de dos micas y ortoneises biotíticos, además de algún nivel de riolitas y tranquitas presentes hacia la parte alta del grupo de Paraño. Geoquímicamente se caracteriza por ser un vulcanismo ácido de naturaleza calcoalcalina en el que predominan los términos riolíticos y iodacíticos de alto contenido en K, posiblemente originado en la zona externa de un margen continental pasivo existente durante el Ordovícico-Silúrico en el NO. de la Península, en el que tendrían lugar diferentes episodios o etapas de aportes volcánicos alternando con etapas más largas de sedimentación detrítica.[Abstract] The Vulcanism interbedded in the lower litostratigraphic groups of the DEGTM is studied. Those gruoups are known as Santabaia, Nogueira and Paraño from bo~tom to top; The sequence is completed with the Lalín-Forcarei group that is not studied in this paper. The age of the whole sequence is probably, from Precambrian to lower Devonian. The three groups show volcano-sedimentary features which are dominant in the Santabaia group. Several volcanic and volcano-sedimentary levels with different thickness and extension are found; these correspond to two mica microporfidic gneisses and biotitic ortogneisses and seldom ryolites and trachites in the uppermost pan of the Paraño group. Geochemically correspond to acid calcoalcaline vulcanites with ryolites and K rich ryodacites as main types. These rocks are possibily related to an external area of a continental margin which existed during Ordovician-Silurian time in the NW of the Iberian Peninsula. Several volcanic stages would alternate with sedimentation in this geotectonic environment

Local Isometric immersions of pseudo-spherical surfaces and evolution equations

The class of differential equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces, first introduced by Chern and Tenenblat [3], is characterized by the property that to each solution of a differential equation, within the class, there corresponds a 2-dimensional Riemannian metric of curvature equal to $-1$. The class of differential equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces carries close ties to the property of complete integrability, as manifested by the existence of infinite hierarchies of conservation laws and associated linear problems. As such, it contains many important known examples of integrable equations, like the sine-Gordon, Liouville and KdV equations. It also gives rise to many new families of integrable equations. The question we address in this paper concerns the local isometric immersion of pseudo-spherical surfaces in ${\bf E}^{3}$ from the perspective of the differential equations that give rise to the metrics. Indeed, a classical theorem in the differential geometry of surfaces states that any pseudo-spherical surface can be locally isometrically immersed in ${\bf E}^{3}$. In the case of the sine-Gordon equation, one can derive an expression for the second fundamental form of the immersion that depends only on a jet of finite order of the solution of the pde. A natural question is to know if this remarkable property extends to equations other than the sine-Gordon equation within the class of differential equations describing pseudo-spherical surfaces. In an earlier paper [11], we have shown that this property fails to hold for all other second order equations, except for those belonging to a very special class of evolution equations. In the present paper, we consider a class of evolution equations for $u(x,t)$ of order $k\geq 3$ describing pseudo-spherical surfaces. We show that whenever an isometric immersion in ${\bf E}^3$ exists, depending on a jet of finite order of $u$, then the coefficients of the second fundamental forms are functions of the independent variables $x$ and $t$ only.Comment: Fields Institute Communications, 2015, Hamiltonian PDEs and Applications, pp.N

Long term biotransformation and toxicity of dimercaptosuccinic acid-coated magnetic nanoparticles support their use in biomedical applications

Although iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) have been proposed for numerous biomedical applications, little is known about their biotransformation and long-term toxicity in the body. Dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA)-coated magnetic nanoparticles have been proven efficient for in vivo drug delivery, but these results must nonetheless be sustained by comprehensive studies of long-term distribution, degradation and toxicity. We studied DMSA-coated magnetic nanoparticle effects in vitro on NCTC 1469 non-parenchymal hepatocytes, and analyzed their biodistribution and biotransformation in vivo in C57BL/6 mice. Our results indicate that DMSA-coated magnetic nanoparticles have little effect on cell viability, oxidative stress, cell cycle or apoptosis on NCTC 1469 cells in vitro. In vivo distribution and transformation were studied by alternating current magnetic susceptibility measurements, a technique that permits distinction of MNP from other iron species. Our results show that DMSA-coated MNP accumulate in spleen, liver and lung tissues for extended periods of time, in which nanoparticles undergo a process of conversion from superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to other non-superparamagnetic iron forms, with no significant signs of toxicity. This work provides the first evidence of DMSA-coated magnetite nanoparticle biotransformation in vivo.RM holds a post-doctoral contract supported by EU-FP7 MULTIFUN project (no. 262943), LG holds a Sara Borrell post-doctoral contract (CD09/00030) from the Carlos III Health Institute, Spanish Ministry for Health, Social Services and Equality (MSSSI), and TMZ received a FPU pre-doctoral fellowship from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). This work was partially supported by grants from the MINECO (SAF-2011-23639 to DFB and MAT2011-23641 and CSD2007-00010 to MPM), the Research Network in Inflammation and Rheumatic Diseases (RIER) of the ISCIII-MSSSI Cooperative Research Thematic Network program (RD08/0075/0015 to DFB), the Madrid regional government (S009/MAT-1726 to MPM), and EU-FP7 MULTIFUN project (no. 262943 to DFB and MPM).S2009/MAT-1726/NanobiomagnetPeer Reviewe

Diagnostic yield of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy is highly dependent on the presence of a Bronchus sign on CT imaging: results from a prospective study

Electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy (ENB) has been developed as a novel ancillary tool for the bronchoscopic diagnosis of pulmonary nodules. Despite successful navigation in 90% of patients, ENB diagnostic yield does not generally exceed 70%. We sought to determine whether the presence of a bronchus sign on CT imaging conditions diagnostic yield of ENB and might account for the discrepancy between successful navigation and diagnostic yield. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, single-center study of ENB in 51 consecutive patients with pulmonary nodules. ENB was chosen as the least invasive diagnostic technique in patients with a high surgical risk, suspected metastatic disease, or advanced-stage disease, or in those who demanded a preoperative diagnosis prior to undergoing curative resection. We studied patient and technical variables that might condition diagnostic yield, including size, cause, location, distance to the pleural surface, and fluorodeoxyglucose uptake of a given nodule; the presence of a bronchus sign on CT imaging; registration point divergence; and the minimum distance from the tip of the locatable guide to the nodule measured during the procedure. RESULTS: The diagnostic yield of ENB was 67% (34/51). The sensitivity and specificity of ENB for malignancy in this study were 71% and 100%, respectively. ENB was diagnostic in 79% (30/38) patients with a bronchus sign on CT imaging but only in 4/13 (31%) with no discernible bronchus sign. Univariate analysis identified the bronchus sign (P = .005) and nodule size (P = .04) as statistically significant variables conditioning yield, but on multivariate analysis, only the bronchus sign remained significant (OR, 7.6; 95% CI, 1.8-31.7). No procedure-related complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: ENB diagnostic yield is highly dependent on the presence of a bronchus sign on CT imaging

From modular to centralized organization of synchronization in functional areas of the cat cerebral cortex

Recent studies have pointed out the importance of transient synchronization between widely distributed neural assemblies to understand conscious perception. These neural assemblies form intricate networks of neurons and synapses whose detailed map for mammals is still unknown and far from our experimental capabilities. Only in a few cases, for example the C. elegans, we know the complete mapping of the neuronal tissue or its mesoscopic level of description provided by cortical areas. Here we study the process of transient and global synchronization using a simple model of phase-coupled oscillators assigned to cortical areas in the cerebral cat cortex. Our results highlight the impact of the topological connectivity in the developing of synchronization, revealing a transition in the synchronization organization that goes from a modular decentralized coherence to a centralized synchronized regime controlled by a few cortical areas forming a Rich-Club connectivity pattern.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures. Final version published in PLoS On