Experimental study of the compression behavior of mask image projection based on stereolithography manufactured parts

The article presents the results of a series of compression tests on samples manufactured by means of the mask image projection based on stereolithography additive manufacturing technique (MIP-SL). Recent studies demonstrate the orthotropic nature of the MIP-SL materials. A research is initiated by the authors to attempt to predict the degree of anisotropy from the manufacturing parameters of the MIP-SL parts. The article focuses mainly on the development of the experimental compression tests of the first stage of the research. Special attention is paid to the four methods used to obtain the stress-strain curve of the material: strain gages, 2D Digital Image Correlation, extensometer measurements and crosshead displacement measurements. The article shows the advantages and limitations of each method. Finally, the anisotropic behaviour is verified and a testing procedure is set to obtain the constitutive parameters of the MIP-SL tested materialsPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Online drawings for dementia diagnose: in-air and pressure information analysis

In this paper we present experimental results comparing on-line drawings for control population (left and right hand) as well as Alzheimer disease patients. The drawings have been acquired by means of a digitizing tablet, which acquires time information angles and pressures. Experimental measures based on pressure and in-air movements appear to be significantly different for both groups, even when control population performs the tasks with the non-dominant hand

Learning in engineering through design, construction, analysis and experimentation

The experience presented is part of the teaching of two subjects of the Mechanics discipline: Continuum Mechanics and Strength of Materials, in the field of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. In the bachelor’s degree at the ETSEIB-UPC, the first semester of the third academic year is devoted to Continuum Mechanics and the second one to Strength of Materials. Both subjects integrate theory and practice: applications, lab and coursework. The article focuses on the coursework or also named course project, which consists of designing/optimizing, analysing, manufacturing and testing a mechanical/structural element subject to stresses and strains. This paper aims at showing the benefits of combining practice, theory, simulation and experimentation, as well as some of the limitations and difficulties encountered in its implementation, such as the evaluation of the degree of involvement of each team member and the lack of correlation between the mark of the coursework and examinations’ scores. An important conclusion is that students enjoy the project, get deeply involved and work hard, making the subject more attractive.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Design of a multicentre randomized controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of dose titration by specialized nurses in patients with heart failure. ETIFIC study protocol.

Heart failure (HF) is associated with many hospital admissions and relatively high mortality, rates decreasing with administration of beta-blockers (BBs), angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists. The effect is dose dependent, suboptimal doses being common in clinical practice. The 2012 European guidelines recommend close monitoring and dose titration by HF nurses. Our main aim is to compare BB doses achieved by patients after 4 months in intervention (HF nurse-managed) and control (cardiologist-managed) groups. Secondary aims include comparing doses of the other aforementioned drugs achieved after 4 months, adverse events, and outcomes at 6 months in the two groups. Methods We have designed a multicentre (20 hospitals) non-inferiority randomized controlled trial, including patients with new-onset HF, left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40%, and New York Heart Association class II-III, with no contraindications to BBs. We will also conduct qualitative analysis to explore potential barriers to and facilitators of dose titration by HF nurses. In the intervention group, HF nurses will implement titration as prescribed by cardiologists, following a protocol. In controls, cardiologists will both prescribe and titrate doses. The study variables are doses of each of the drugs after 4 months relative to the target dose (%), New York Heart Association class, left ventricular ejection fraction, N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide levels, 6 min walk distance, comorbidities, renal function, readmissions, mortality, quality of life, and psychosocial characteristics. Conclusions The trial seeks to assess whether titration by HF nurses of drugs recommended in practice guidelines is safe and not inferior to direct management by cardiologists. The results could have an impact on clinical practice

Automatic Analysis of Archimedes’ Spiral for Characterization of Genetic Essential Tremor Based on Shannon’s Entropy and Fractal Dimension

Among neural disorders related to movement, essential tremor has the highest prevalence; in fact, it is twenty times more common than Parkinson's disease. The drawing of the Archimedes' spiral is the gold standard test to distinguish between both pathologies. The aim of this paper is to select non-linear biomarkers based on the analysis of digital drawings. It belongs to a larger cross study for early diagnosis of essential tremor that also includes genetic information. The proposed automatic analysis system consists in a hybrid solution: Machine Learning paradigms and automatic selection of features based on statistical tests using medical criteria. Moreover, the selected biomarkers comprise not only commonly used linear features (static and dynamic), but also other non-linear ones: Shannon entropy and Fractal Dimension. The results are hopeful, and the developed tool can easily be adapted to users; and taking into account social and economic points of view, it could be very helpful in real complex environments.This research was partially funded by the Basque Goverment, the University of the Basque Country by the IT1115-16 project-ELEKIN, Diputacion Foral de Gipuzkoa, University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia under the research grant R0947, and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation TEC2016-77791-C04-R