Tool wear monitoring using neuro-fuzzy techniques: a comparative study in a turning process

Tool wear detection is a key issue for tool condition monitoring. The maximization of useful tool life is frequently related with the optimization of machining processes. This paper presents two model-based approaches for tool wear monitoring on the basis of neuro-fuzzy techniques. The use of a neuro-fuzzy hybridization to design a tool wear monitoring system is aiming at exploiting the synergy of neural networks and fuzzy logic, by combining human reasoning with learning and connectionist structure. The turning process that is a well-known machining process is selected for this case study. A four-input (i.e., time, cutting forces, vibrations and acoustic emissions signals) single-output (tool wear rate) model is designed and implemented on the basis of three neuro-fuzzy approaches (inductive, transductive and evolving neuro-fuzzy systems). The tool wear model is then used for monitoring the turning process. The comparative study demonstrates that the transductive neuro-fuzzy model provides better error-based performance indices for detecting tool wear than the inductive neuro-fuzzy model and than the evolving neuro-fuzzy model.

Life cycle assessment as a policy-support tool: the case of taxis in the city of Madrid

This paper examined the potentialities of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as instrument for policy-support. To this respect, the adoption of an initiative within the Madrid Air Quality Plan (AQP) 2011–2015 regarding the substitution of diesel taxis with hybrid, natural gas and LPG alternatives was studied. Four different scenarios were elaborated, a business-as-usual scenario (BAU), the scenario of the AQP, and two extreme-situation scenarios: all-diesel (ADI) and all-ecologic (AEC). Impacts were characterized according to the ILCD methodology, focusing especially on climate change (CC) and photochemical ozone formation (PO). SimaPro 7.3 was used as analysis and inventory-construction tool. The results indicate that the shift to ecologic alternatives reduced impacts, especially those related to CC and PO. For the complete life cycle, reductions of 13% (CC) and 25% (PO) were observed for AQP against BAU (CC:1365 GgCO2, PO:13336 MgNMVOC). Deeper reductions were observed for AEC (CC:34%, PO:59%), while ADI produced slight increases in impacts if against BAU. The analysis of the use-phase revealed that the central and highest speed zones of the city benefit from the adoption of AQP. This is especially evident in zone 7, with reductions of 16% in CC and 31% in PO respectively against BAU (CCzone1:3443 kgCO2/veh·km, POzone7:11.1 kgNMVOC/veh·km).

OPPL-Galaxy, a Galaxy tool for enhancing ontology exploitation as part of bioinformatics workflows

Biomedical ontologies are key elements for building up the Life Sciences Semantic Web. Reusing and building biomedical ontologies requires flexible and versatile tools to manipulate them efficiently, in particular for enriching their axiomatic content. The Ontology Pre Processor Language (OPPL) is an OWL-based language for automating the changes to be performed in an ontology. OPPL augments the ontologists’ toolbox by providing a more efficient, and less error-prone, mechanism for enriching a biomedical ontology than that obtained by a manual treatment. Results We present OPPL-Galaxy, a wrapper for using OPPL within Galaxy. The functionality delivered by OPPL (i.e. automated ontology manipulation) can be combined with the tools and workflows devised within the Galaxy framework, resulting in an enhancement of OPPL. Use cases are provided in order to demonstrate OPPL-Galaxy’s capability for enriching, modifying and querying biomedical ontologies. Conclusions Coupling OPPL-Galaxy with other bioinformatics tools of the Galaxy framework results in a system that is more than the sum of its parts. OPPL-Galaxy opens a new dimension of analyses and exploitation of biomedical ontologies, including automated reasoning, paving the way towards advanced biological data analyses.

A graphical tool for designing interactive video cognitive rehabilitation therapies

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) has become one of the most common causes of neurological disability in developed countries. Cognitive disorders result in a loss of independence and therefore patients? quality of life. Cognitive rehabilitation aims to promote patients? skills to achieve their highest degree of personal autonomy. New technologies such as interactive video, whereby real situations of daily living are reproduced within a controlled virtual environment, enable the design of personalized therapies with a high level of generalization and a great ecological validity. This paper presents a graphical tool that allows neuropsychologists to design, modify, and configure interactive video therapeutic activities, through the combination of graphic and natural language. The tool has been validated creating several Activities of Daily Living and a preliminary usability evaluation has been performed showing a good clinical acceptance in the definition of complex interactive video therapies for cognitive rehabilitation.

Quantity of CO2 Emissions in the Life Cycle of a Highway Infrastructure.

The complexity of climate change and its evolution during the last few years has a positive impact on new developments and approaches to reduce the emissions of CO2. Looking for a methodology to evaluate the sustainability of a roadway, a tool has been developed. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is being accepted by the road industry to measure and evaluate the environmental impacts of an infrastructure, as the energy consumption and carbon footprint. This paper describes the methodology to calculate the CO2 emissions associated with the energy embodied on a roadway along its life cycle, including construction, operations and demolition. It will assist to find solutions to improve the energy footprint and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. Details are provided of both, the methodology and the data acquisition. This paper is an application of the methodology to the Spanish highways, using a local database. Two case studies and a practical example are studied to show the model as a decision support for sustainable construction in the road industry.

Influencia de un programa de ejercicio aeróbico en la calidad de vida de pacientes afectadas por cáncer de mama = Influence of an aerobic exercise program on breast cancer patients’ quality of life

INTRODUCCIÓN Actualmente las supervivientes de cáncer de mama viven durante más tiempo. Sin embargo, los tratamientos utilizados presentan importantes efectos secundarios que afectan y marcan su calidad de vida. Numerosos estudios han mostrado que el ejercicio es una herramienta apta, segura y efectiva reduciendo algunos de estos efectos secundarios y, en suma, mejorando la calidad de vida de estas pacientes, aspecto que presenta al ejercicio físico como una intervención integral para ellas. Por el contrario, se ha observado que las supervivientes de cáncer de mama reducen la cantidad de ejercicio que realizan después de dichos tratamientos. Por ello, el objetivo de este proyecto es examinar los efectos de un programa integral de ejercicio en la calidad de vida y la cantidad de ejercicio físico que realizan las pacientes con cáncer de mama en su tiempo, tras finalizar sus tratamientos. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS Se diseñó un Ensayo Clínico Aleatorizado. Noventa pacientes diagnosticadas de cáncer de mama en estadios tempranos que habían terminado sus tratamientos de radioterapia y quimioterapia recientemente, fueron reclutadas por la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, desde enero de 2013 hasta junio de 2014. Las pacientes fueron aleatorizadas tras las mediciones iniciales al grupo control (tratamientos habituales) o grupo intervención, durante tres meses. La intervención consistió en 24 clases de ejercicio combinando práctica aeróbica y de fuerza con el fin de reducir los efectos secundarios de dichos tratamientos. La calidad de vida, la cantidad de ejercicio físico realizado en tiempo de ocio, VO2max, la fuerza, la movilidad articular del hombro, la fatiga, la depresión y la ansiedad fueron medidos al inicio y después de los tres meses en todos los pacientes. RESULTADOS Un total de 89 pacientes con una media de 49.06±8.75 de edad fueron finalmente analizadas. El grupo intervención (n=44) mostraron significativamente mejores resultados en calidad de vida (p=0.0001; d=0.85), cantidad de ejercicio en tiempo de ocio (p=0.0001; d=2.77), en variables de la composición corporal, en variables físicas y en variables psicológicas comparado con el grupo control (n=45). Además, se observó una correlación significativa entre la calidad de vida y el ejercicio realizado en tiempo de ocio en el grupo intervención (r= 0.58; p=0.001), que no fue patente en el grupo control. Se observaron cambios significativos en el grupo de intervención relativos a la composición corporal, con aumento de la masa muscular (p=0.001) y reducción de la masa grasa (p=0.0001). Tanto las variables físicas como psicológicas también mostraron diferencias significativas a favor al grupo de intervención en las comparaciones entre grupos. CONCLUSIONES Según estos resultados, un programa de ejercicio físico específico es una intervención integral que mejora los hábitos y la calidad de vida de las supervivientes de cáncer de mama, lo que reduce determinados efectos secundarios de los tratamientos y aumenta la salud física y psicológica general de estas mujeres. Este tipo de intervenciones pude ser una herramienta barata y efectiva para ofrecer a los pacientes, integrada en los tratamientos habituales. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION It is well known that breast cancer survivors are living longer. However, breast cancer treatments present serious side effects, which could affect breast cancer survivors’ (BCS) health and quality of life (QoL). Exercise has been presented as a feasible, safe and effective tool in reducing some of these side effects and to improve survivors’ QoL, acting as an integrative treatment for them, although it has been observed that BCS reduce their leisure time exercise (LTE) levels. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effects of an integrative exercise program in QoL and LTE in BCS after the completion of their adjuvant treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was designed. Ninety patients diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer and who recently finished chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments were recruited by the Technical University of Madrid from January 2013 to June 2014. Patients were randomized after baseline assessments to the intervention group (IG) or to the control group (CG) (usual care) for three months. The Intervention consisted in 24 supervised exercise classes, combining aerobic and resistance exercises in order to reduce the most common side effects of the treatments. QoL, LTE, body composition, VO2max, strength, shoulder range of motion, fatigue, depression and self-esteem were measured in all the patients at baseline and after three months. RESULTS A total of 89 patients aged 49.06±8.75 years were finally assessed. IG (n=44) showed significant better results in QoL (p=0.0001; d=0.85), LTE (p=0.0001; d=2.77), in body composition, in the physical variable and in psychological outcomes, compared with the CG (n=45). In addition, a correlation between QoL and LTE (r= 0.58; p=0.001) was found in the IG, while CG did not show this correlation. Significant changes in body composition were observed in the group comparisons, especially in lean mass (p=0.001) and body fat mass (p= 0.0001). Positive changes were also observed in the physical and psychological variables in comparisons between groups. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that this exercise program may be an integrative intervention, which is able to improve QoL and LTE levels in breast cancer survivors, reducing breast cancer side effects of treatments and improving their physical and psychological general health. Exercise may be an effective and inexpensive strategy to be included in patients integrative care.

Promotion of intangible heritage as a tool to strengthen revitalisation of historic centres: the case of de Monumenta Programme in the City of Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul State) Brazil

The preservation of tangible cultural heritage does not guarantee effective revitalisation of urban historic areas as a whole. The legacy of our history consists not only of paintings, sculptures, architectural monuments and public spaces, but also the safeguarding of immaterial aspects of social life, such as oral traditions, rituals, practices, knowledge and craft skills. From 1999 to 2013, 26 Brazilian cities benefited from the Monumenta Programme - a national cultural policy that involved institutions, the private sector and the local community. The purpose of the programme was to stimulate economic growth and increase cultural and social development of the historic centres. Moreover, it sought to increase the number of residents in the benefited areas as defined in its agenda (IDB, 1999; MinC & Programa Monumenta, 2006). Using the Historic Centre of Porto Alegre as a case study, this paper examines how this cultural programme enables demographic change through the promotion of intangible cultural heritage, e.g. by supporting educational projects. The demographic flow was analysed using the microdata of the Populations Censuses (years 2000 and 2010) available from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The results showed an increase in low-income residents the areas that participated in the programme. This increase may have been motivated by a set of cultural-educational projects under the auspices of the Monumenta Programme. The retraining of artisans of Alfândega Square, the training of low-income youth for restoration work and the implementation of the "Black Route Museum in Porto Alegre" (Bicca, 2010) are just some examples of what was done to improve the local community's economy, to encourage social cohesion and to enhance the awareness of cultural diversity as a positive and essential value in society.