Predictive Maintenance in the Production of Steel Bars: A Data-Driven Approach

The ever increasing demand for shorter production times and reduced production costs require manufacturing firms to bring down their production costs while preserving a smooth and flexible production process. To this aim, manufacturers could exploit data-driven techniques to monitor and assess equipmen’s operational state and anticipate some future failure. Sensor data acquisition, analysis, and correlation can create the equipment’s digital footprint and create awareness on it through the entire life cycle allowing the shift from time-based preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance, reducing both maintenance and production costs. In this work, a novel data analytics workflow is proposed combining the evaluation of an asset’s degradation over time with a self-assessment loop. The proposed workflow can support real-time analytics at edge devices, thus, addressing the needs of modern cyber-physical production systems for decision-making support at the edge with short response times. A prototype implementation has been evaluated in use cases related to the steel industry

Wonen op niveau : archeologie, bouwhistorie en historie van twee percelen aan de Langestraat

K. Nederland-Wes

Fire management in Mediterranean-climate shrublands : a case study from the Cape fynbos, South Africa

CITATION: Van Wilgen, B. W. et al. 2010. Fire management in Mediterranean-climate shrublands: a case study from the Cape fynbos, South Africa. Journal of Applied Ecology, 47(3):631–638, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01800.x.The original publication is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.comSummary: 1. Fire is an important process in Mediterranean-ecosystem shrublands, and prescribed burning is often used to manage these ecosystems. Analyses of past fire regimes are required to interpret biotic responses to fire, as well as to assess the degree to which management interventions have been able to influence the fire regime. 2. We used a spatial data base of fires within 10 protected areas covering >720 000 ha to examine the frequency, seasonality, size and cause of fires over four decades. Our study covered five fire climate zones and a range of mountain fynbos shrubland types. We examined whether regular prescribed burning would be necessary to rejuvenate the vegetation, and also to reduce the incidence and extent of wildfires. 3. Cumulative fire frequency distributions indicated that the probability of fire was not strongly affected by post-fire age, with 50% of the area experiencing a successive fire within 10–13 years after the previous fire in most areas. This suggests that the accumulation of fuel did not limit the occurrence of wildfires, and that regular prescribed burning would not necessarily reduce the risk of wildfires. 4. Inland zones experienced more severe fire weather than coastal zones (∼35% vs. 11–19% of days with high to very high fire danger, respectively). Despite these differences, fire return periods were similar (10–13 years), suggesting that the availability of ignitions, and not fuel or weather, limited the occurrence of wildfires. 5. Despite a policy that promoted prescribed burning, a relatively small area (between 4·6% and 32·4% of the area of all fires) burned in prescribed burns. Seasonal restrictions for safety and ecological reasons, the imperative to integrate planned fires with invasive alien plant treatments and unplanned wildfires have all contributed to the relatively small area that burnt in prescribed burns. 6. Synthesis and applications. Recurrent wildfires, and not prescribed burning, are providing sufficient opportunities for fire-stimulated regeneration in fynbos ecosystems. Because of this, and because burning to reduce fuel loads is unlikely to prevent wildfires, there should be less pressure to conduct prescribed burning. The predicted growth in human populations in all areas is expected to increase the number of ignition opportunities and the frequency of fires, with detrimental consequences for biodiversity conservation and the control of invasive alien trees. Fire frequency should thus be monitored and steps should be taken to protect areas that burn too frequently.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01800.x/abstract;jsessionid=62732499C580F8EE846FB793F076E75F.d03t02Post-prin

Tussen Zwaard en Fortuin : opgravingen in Alkmaar 2002-2005

Lit.op

Scapular muscle exercises following neck dissection surgery for head and neck cancer: a comparative electromyographic study

Background: Shoulder pain and dysfunction can occur following neck dissection surgery for cancer. These conditions often are due to accessory nerve injury. Such an injury leads to trapezius muscle weakness, which, in turn, alters scapular biomechanics. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess which strengthening exercises incur the highest dynamic activity of affected trapezius and accessory scapular muscles in patients with accessory nerve dysfunction compared with their unaffected side. Design: A comparative design was utilized for this study. Methods: The study was conducted in a physical therapy department. Ten participants who had undergone neck dissection surgery for cancer and whose operated side demonstrated clinical signs of accessory nerve injury were recruited. Surface electromyographic activity of the upper trapezius, middle trapezius, rhomboid major, and serratus anterior muscles on the affected side was compared dynamically with that of the unaffected side during 7 scapular strengthening exercises. Results: Electromyographic activity of the upper and middle trapezius muscles of the affected side was lower than that of the unaffected side. The neck dissection side affected by surgery demonstrated higher levels of upper and middle trapezius muscle activity during exercises involving overhead movement. The rhomboid and serratus anterior muscles of the affected side demonstrated higher levels of activity compared with the unaffected side. Limitations: Exercises were repeated 3 times on one occasion. Muscle activation under conditions of increased exercise dosage should be inferred with caution. Conclusions: Overhead exercises are associated with higher levels of trapezius muscle activity in patients with accessory nerve injury following neck dissection surgery. However, pain and correct scapular form must be carefully monitored in this patient group during exercises. Rhomboid and serratus anterior accessory muscles may have a compensatory role, and this role should be considered during rehabilitation

Socio-Environmental Systems (SES) Research: What have we learned and how can we use this information in future research programs

The call for integrated social-environmental science, complete with outreach to applications and solutions, is escalating worldwide. Drawing on several decades of experience, researchers engaged in such science, completed an assessment of the design and management attributes and impact pathways that lead to successful projects and programs and to understand key impediments to success. These characteristics are delineated and discussed using examples from individual projects and programs. From this, three principal lessons leading to successful efforts emerge that address co-design, adaptive or flexible management, and diversity of knowledge. In addition, five challenges for this science are identified: accounting for change, addressing sponsorship and timelines, appreciating different knowledge systems, adaptively communicating, and improving linkages to policy.Fil: Turner, B.L.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Esler, Karen J.. University of Arizona; Estados UnidosFil: Bridgewater, Peter. The Australian National University. Centre for Museums and Heritage; AustraliaFil: Tewksbury, Joshua. University of Colorado; Estados UnidosFil: Sitas, J. Nadia. Stellenbosch University. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; SudáfricaFil: Abrahams, Brent. Stellenbosch University. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology; SudáfricaFil: Chapin, F. Stuart. University Of Alaska; Estados UnidosFil: Chowdhury, Rinku Roy. Clark University. Graduate School of Geography; Estados UnidosFil: Christie, Patrick. University of Washington. School of Marine and Environmental Affairs; Estados UnidosFil: Díaz, Sandra Myrna. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Firth, Penny. National Science Foundtion; Estados UnidosFil: Knapp, Corrine N.. Western State Colorado University. Environment and Sustainability; Estados UnidosFil: Kramer, Jonathan. National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center; Estados UnidosFil: Leemans, Rik. Wageningen University. Environmental Systems Analysis Group; Alemania. National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center; Estados UnidosFil: Palmer, Margaret. National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center; Estados UnidosFil: Pietri, Diana. Blue Earth Consultants; Estados UnidosFil: Pittman, Jeremy. University of Waterloo. School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability; CanadáFil: Sarukhán, José. Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad; MéxicoFil: Shackleton, Ross. Stellenbosch University. Department of Botany; SudáfricaFil: Seidler, Reinmar. University of Massachusetts Boston. Department of Biology; Estados UnidosFil: van Wilgen, Brian. Stellenbosch University. Department of Botany; SudáfricaFil: Mooney, Harold. Stellenbosch University. Department of Botany; Sudáfric

An expression profile for diagnosis of lymph node metastases from primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Item does not contain fulltextMetastasis is the process by which cancers spread to distinct sites in the body. It is the principal cause of death in individuals suffering from cancer. For some types of cancer, early detection of metastasis at lymph nodes close to the site of the primary tumor is pivotal for appropriate treatment. Because it can be difficult to detect lymph node metastases reliably, many individuals currently receive inappropriate treatment. We show here that DNA microarray gene-expression profiling can detect lymph node metastases for primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas that arise in the oral cavity and oropharynx. The predictor, established with an 82-tumor training set, outperforms current clinical diagnosis when independently validated. The 102 predictor genes offer unique insights into the processes underlying metastasis. The results show that the metastatic state can be deciphered from the primary tumor gene-expression pattern and that treatment can be substantially improved