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All projects take place within a context of uncertainty. That is especially noticeable in complex hydroelectric power generation projects, which are affected by factors such as the large number of multidisciplinary tasks to be performed in parallel, long execution times, or the risks inherent in various fields like geology, hydrology, and structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering, among others. Such factors often lead to cost overruns and delays in projects of this type. This paper analyzes the efficiency of the Earned Value Management technique and its Earned Schedule extension, as means of forecasting costs and deadlines when applied to complex hydroelectric power production projects. It is worth noting that this analysis was based on simulation models applied to real-life projects. The results showed that cost forecasting becomes very accurate over time, whereas duration forecasting is not reliably accurate.

A methodology developed specifically for the evaluation of requirements of materials intended to high-demanding applications is the stringency levels methodology. The objective of this work is to perform a sensitivity analysis of the methodology of multicriteria stringency levels for the evaluation of technological requirements of materials, creating a new methodology that provides a final results studying variability that let us make an objective decision. The case study has been the evaluation of steels used in the manufacture of components housed in the primary loop of a nuclear power plant. To ease the calculation of the stringency levels, the algorithm has been computed in Labview®. Considering the dispersion that can generate the numerical weighting process, the analysis has shown that the variability in calculated values is not significant. The analysis proposed with this methodology could be used, in the future, for the selection of materials for innovative manufacturing processes.

This work aims to show the current level of dissemination of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies (also known as 3D Printing) in the syllabus of mechanical engineering education, by sampling the main engineering colleges in Spain. The results of this study will define the current state of the matter and, hence, the starting point for any modifications that syllabuses must undergo for engineering students to acquire the knowledge and skills required in the future to use Additive Manufacturing in their professional careers. The results of this survey will contribute to profiling how Additive Manufacturing can be included in the syllabus and when professors believe that this change should take place.

There is a substantive disagreement with regard to the characterization of pre-reflective self-awareness despite the key role that is supposed to play for the distinction between conscious and unconscious states. One of the most prominent ones—between egological and non-egological views—is about the role that the subject of experience plays.I show that this disagreement falls short to capture the details of the debate, as it does not distinguish phenomenological and metaphysical disputes. Regarding the former, the contenders disagree on whether pre-reflective self-awareness concerns the subject of experience or the experience itself. I first argue that such an awareness has to be indexical—de se or de mentis respectively—, and then show that de se awareness can straightforwardly address classical objec­tions against egological views, whereas de mentis awareness fails to support epistemological arguments in favor of non-egological ones. The metaphysical commitments of a phenomenologically egological view depend on what the corresponding de se awareness demands from reality. I consider two alternatives, the structural and the representational approach and offer some consid­erations in favor of the later and its prima facie neutrality with regard to the metaphysical dispute.

This paper presents the new transfer standard for torque measurements in the MN·m range and its metrological characterization through FEM analyses. Current methods used for torque measurements in such measuring range are not traceable to international standards; this situation has a deep impact in several industries, being especially important in wind energy generation. In order to improve the quality of torque measurements during wind turbine tests, the “EMPIR 14IND14-torque measurements in the MN·m range,”a new European funded project has been launched. This project aims to develop new transfer standards for obtaining accurate, reliable, and traceable torque measurements in the facilities used for testing wind turbine's performance. Within this project, CEM (Spanish Center of Metrology) has designed a new transfer standard for torque measurements named “force lever system.”Modeling and simulation technologies have been used not only for designing and testing the proposed system but also for enabling the estimation of its future associated uncertainty even before it is being manufactured. The results have proven that the expected metrological behavior of the designed system will ameliorate the accuracy of current measuring methods while ensuring torque measurements' traceability. The improvement of the torque measurements' reliability will make it possible to better diagnose its behavior and to improve wind energy generation efficiency.

Although several Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) methodologies have often proven effective in industry they generally lack for the ability of update on a real-time basis offering a static perspective of industrial risks. In recent years this situation has been treated by the development of the Dynamic Risk Assessment (DRA) methodologies updating the analysis and frequency of the accident precursor events by means of the application of the Bayesian inference method. Additional dynamic methodologies have emerged but in order to obtain an analysis in parallel with the evolution of the process, it is necessary to incorporate the characteristics of prevention, simultaneity and immediacy that allow corrective actions to be carried out sufficiently in advance because the industrial process is showing a risk situation outside control limits. In this work a new methodology based also on the dynamic risk assessment approach and on the application of control charts together with the use of the Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods are used to monitor the causes of accident with a concept of Statistical Risk Control (SRC).

Many subcomponents of nuclear equipment are manufactured using polymers, where it could be highlighted the role of elastomers as sealants. The aim of this work is to analyze several mechanical and thermal properties of BUNA-N, Neoprene and Viton intended to nuclear power applications. Neoprene (polychloroprene) is the better option if the levels of irradiation are the highest postulated and it exhibits the most balanced performance between required properties, showing also the best mechanical behaviour. On the other hand, the analysis of activation energies provided by EPRI 1009748 exhibits that BUNA-N shows the greatest qualified lifetime.

This work exposes the development of an infill optimization methodology and its integration into a optimization global methodology previously developed by the authors. Optimization is usually focused on the main boundary geometry of the pieces and its infill is defined separately in the slicer software. By integrating the infill optimization into a mayor optimization methodology the design becomes more flexible and effective, increasing its stiffness while reducing amount of material and therefore its weight. Finite Element Method is applied to the lattice infill size optimization, therefore the infill structure is modified along the work piece depending on the load.

"Academic Lives in Industrial Engineering" is one of the different initiatives developed by PATRIF, a Working Group of the Manufacturing Engineering Society (MES) / Sociedad de Ingenieria de Fabricacion (SIF). This activity intends to create a sound recording archive with interview format, in order to disseminate the trajectory of great professors of the Spanish Industrial Engineers Faculties. It seeks to preserve and bring closer the professors experiences and the personality to the new generations, with a story told in first person. This work aims to show the this activity characteristics, presenting the interviewees profile, pointing out the most outstanding aspects of their interventions, carrying out an analysis of the broadcasted interviews and assessing their impact. Despite other engineering areas that are covered in this initiative, present work limit its analysis to the professors group who have developed their academic and professional life within the Manufacturing Engineering. Also, this study wants to serve as tribute and recognition to their trajectories and dedication to the Spanish Manufacturing Engineering.

The research described within this paper has aimed to develop new methods for determining torque in an accurate, traceable way. The proposed methods must suit the operating conditions on nacelle test benches, which are facilities where wind turbines are tested. The operating conditions in these facilities are quite different from the standard machines used to calibrate torque. Normal torque calibrations are performed in static standard machines, while nacelles are tested under rotation. As a consequence, the new proposed methods must operate under dynamic conditions. Therefore, different approaches have been studied, each of them based on different techniques: small scale investigations, new torque transfer standards, etc. All these studies aimed to estimate the performance of the new methods and their associated uncertainties. This article specially describes the force lever system, a new torque transfer standard developed within this research. This new system will not only ensure torque traceability by means of direct mechanical measurements, but also will provide a new way of obtaining torque measurements with a much lower uncertainty than current employed methods.

Industry 4.0 brings opportunities for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but SMEs are lacking Industry 4.0 knowledge, and this might result in a challenge to support SMEs’ competitiveness and productivity. During recent years, the European Commission and some government initiatives have been fostering the transition toward Industry 4.0 for SMEs through the creation of Digital Innovation Hubs, the Plattform Industrie 4.0, and some other initiatives. Nonetheless, the authors consider that the lack of knowledge is still a risk toward Industry 4.0 transformation for SMEs. New ways to improve Industry 4.0 knowledge management and especially the knowledge transfer must be developed. When SMEs start the transition to Industry 4.0, first of all, they do not want to start from scratch, and secondly, it can be easy to get lost in the multitude of technologies and tools that are available in today’s market. There is a gap in which to provide a collaborative Industry 4.0 knowledge transfer platform or hub designed for SMEs. Therefore, this research aims to enhance Industry 4.0 knowledge transfer through the development of a collaborative, web-based knowledge transfer Industry 4.0 platform. The outcome of this research is a developed platform that will be referred to as Industry 4.0 HUB.

Rock art is one of the most fragile and relevant cultural phenomena in world history, carried out in shelters or the walls and ceilings of caves with mineral and organic substances. The fact it has been preserved until now can be considered as fortunate since both anthropogenic and natural factors can cause its disappearance or deterioration. This is the reason why rock art needs special conservation and protection measures. The emergence of digital technologies has made a wide range of tools and programs available to the community for a more comprehensive documentation of rock art in both 2D and 3D. This paper shows a workflow that makes use of visible and near-infrared hyperspectral technology to manage, monitor and preserve this appreciated cultural heritage. Hyperspectral imaging is proven to be an efficient tool for the recognition of figures, coloring matter, and state of conservation of such valuable art.

As a typology of cultural heritage, a wide range of singularities must to be taken into account when analysing industrial heritage assets. Graphical resources have been usually employed in heritage assets research. Nowadays, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer the possibility to obtain images of complex and difficult access areas that cannot be observed on the ground. Furthermore, aerial images allow to analyse heritage assets as a whole. Therefore, in this work, different photographs and videos has been carried out in the San Joaquin sugar cane factory and in the Aguila aqueduct, located in Nerja (Spain). These images have been used to analyse both assets as a set. Different indirect measurements on the factory chimney and irrigation water pond were taken. A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) about the use of UAV graphic applications in heritage assets was developed. Finally, the possibilities of conventional photograph technologies and UAV application were compared. Using UAVs allows more image acquisition possibilities than conventional systems. However, both technologies can be complemented and applied together when analysing heritage assets.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is presented as a set of alternative technologies to conventional manufacture. AM can cause profound changes in the industry, the economy, and the society of the future. These changes will affect in different degrees, all aspects that make up the current manufacturing landscape. The Delphi method is a technique that allows collecting the opinion of a group of individuals (experts) using repeated inquiries. This method is used, among other cases, when attempting to have a vision about future events. The main objective of this work is to analyze the responses to a Delphi inquiry addressed to Spanish experts from the professional and university field committed to the manufacturing and engineering sector. The consensual answers to the issues this consultation raises can provide a horizon indicating what changes the Additive Manufacturing will bring to the manufacturing scene. The issues that arise revolve around groups of technologies to be established in the future, to the different business models that will be used, and the standards and regulations that will be required.

Emerging risk models are still scarce and far from agreed upon. They are currently the focus of increasing interest in the occupational context. Consequently, frameworks that deal with emerging risk management in industrial contexts are very recent or, even still, in the development and maturation stage. Uncertainty should be considered as the main characteristic of emerging risk in this context. It is as such that the main objective of this paper is to develop a qualitative approach inspired by meta-learning lessons to the selection of strategies for emerging risk management, considering uncertainty as the main decision variable in occupational contexts. To this end, uncertainty has been integrated, as a combination of knowledge and understanding, in a theoretical framework on emerging risk. An emerging risk classification scheme has been developed with the results obtained. This scheme makes it possible to estimate the level of emerging risk and management strategies based on the combination of uncertainty and the potential consequences of emerging risk. Such approach has been applied to three case studies with different evolutionary degrees of emerging risk: exoskeletons; nanomaterials; and industrial automation. The proposed approach could be considered primarily as a qualitative tool applicable to the process of pre-assessment and communication of emerging risk. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with the title: “Analysis and Assessment of technological requirements for the design of a New and Emerging Risks standardized management SYStem (A2NERSYS)” with reference DPI2016-79824-R.

The Industry 4.0 era has resulted in several opportunities and challenges for the manufacturing industry and for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME); technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Virtual Reality (VR) or Cloud Computing are changing business structures in profound ways. A literature review shows that most large-sized enterprises have rolled out investment plans, some of which are reviewed during this research and show that Industry 4.0 investments in such companies exceed the turnover of SMEs in all cases (

To evaluate the health systems' response capacity according to the perception of chronic patients, and the factors related to that perception.Source of data: patients diagnosed with at least one chronic disease who visited primary care centers during June and July 2015 in a basic health area of La Rioja.cross-sectional descriptive study based on interviews to over 18s who visited primary care centers. The dependent variable was the health systems' response capacity and independent variables were sociodemographic and health related. In order to collect data, trained interviewers conducted a short questionnaire in Spanish from the World Health Organization Multi-country Survey Study with 403 subjects. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were performed.The overall health systems' response capacity was considered good by 87.10%. The domains that scored highest were: confidentiality (99.3%), dignity (98.3%) and communication (97.3%). Those evaluated worst were: rapid service (38,6%) and quality of basic services (31.8%). Low social class was the most important factor associated with the responsiveness, mainly with autonomy and rapid service. Sex, educational level, and occupation were related to communication domain, and patients with worse perceived health rated the general response worse. The domains considered most important were dignity (33.5%) and rapid service (30.5%).The domains best evaluated were those related to respect for people. Rapid service has a low health systems' response capacity, but a high importance, and therefore requires priority action.

Additive manufacturing technologies offer important new manufacturing possibilities, but its potential is so big that only with the support of other technologies can it really be exploited. In that sense, parametric design and design optimization tools appear as two appropriate complements for additive manufacturing. Synergies existing between these three technologies allow for integrated approaches to the design of customized and optimized products. While additive manufacturing makes it possible to materialize overly complex geometries, parametric design allows designs to be adapted to custom characteristics and optimization helps to choose the best solution according to the objectives. This work represents an application development of a previous work published in Polymers which exposed the general structure, operation and opportunities of a methodology that integrates these three technologies by using visual programming with Grasshopper. In this work, the different stages of the methodology and the way in which each one modifies the final design are exposed in detail, applying it to a case study: the design of a shoe heel for FDM&mdash, an interesting example both from the perspectives of ergonomic and mass customization. Programming, operation and results are exposed in detail showing the complexity, usefulness and potential of the methodology, with the aim of helping other researchers to develop proposals in this line.

The use of current computer tools in both manufacturing and design stages breaks with the traditional conception of productive process, including successive stages of projection, representation, and manufacturing. Designs can be programmed as problems to be solved by using computational tools based on complex algorithms to optimize and produce more effective solutions. Additive manufacturing technologies enhance these possibilities by providing great geometric freedom to the materialization phase. This work presents a design methodology for the optimization of parts produced by additive manufacturing and explores the synergies between additive manufacturing, parametric design, and optimization processes to guide their integration into the proposed methodology. By using Grasshopper, a visual programming application, a continuous data flow for parts optimization is defined. Parametric design tools support the structural optimization of the general geometry, the infill, and the shell structure to obtain lightweight designs. Thus, the final shapes are obtained as a result of the optimization process which starts from basic geometries, not from an initial design. The infill does not correspond to pre-established patterns, and its elements are sized in a non-uniform manner throughout the piece to respond to different local loads. Mass customization and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) systems represent contexts of special potential for this methodology.

In occupational exposure to vibration, the risk assessment process is defined through a regulatory framework that presents some relevant metrological problems. This framework considers methods based on estimation and on measurements. Estimation methods could employ existing information that is provided for each manufacturer to each individual tool or application to carry out such estimation. The use of estimation methods has some problems, such as substantial uncertainty. When using measurement methods, some metrological aspects are not fully defined. Therefore, a new and emerging risk appears due to certain methodologic limitations. Consequently, the variation between the estimated and the actual values could overestimate the level of occupational exposure to vibrations. Thus, with this paper, a critical analysis of this emerging metrological problem is provided. For this, a critical analysis of the metrological requirements regarding European standards is developed. To this end, the estimation method and measure method are investigated, considering, in both cases, the main factors related to uncertainty, reliability, and traceability. With this structure, a set of metrological limitations have been identified, thus pointing towards future lines of research that allow the improvement of the process of assessing the level of occupational exposure to vibrations. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with the title: “Analysis and Assessment of technological requirements for the design of a New Emerging Risks standardized management SYStem (A2NERSYS)” with reference DPI2016-79824-R.

The application of advanced automation technology in manufacturing process has increased manufacturing flexibility tremendously. The reasons to automate manufacturing processes include increased quality and efficiency demands, as well as improve the occupational safety and health. However, the fast pace of innovation and the rapid roll-out of new technologies and new products, as well as the creation of new jobs or modification of traditional jobs, requiring new skills, mean that a wider working population faces new risks. Thus, besides traditional occupational risks, automated manufacturing processes can generate others, referred to as “new and emerging risks” (NERs). These NERs may be linked either to the manufacturing process as a whole (system) or to specific components. This connection presents at least two complex problems in the field of occupational safety and health. Firstly, there is currently no technique aimed at identifying and characterizing these risks in order to explain the features that confer them the status of new and/or emerging. Secondly, it is not possible to study the complex interrelations between the features of the system NERs and its components. With the aim of resolving these problems, with the present work a technique in order to identify and characterize the NERs generated by a system and its components has been developed. This technique has been applied to a case study in the context of automated manufacturing processes. This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, with the title: “Analysis and Assessment of technological requirements for the design of a New and Emerging Risks standardized management SYStem (A2NERSYS)” with reference DPI2016-79824-R.

Ever since the early days of quantum mechanics it has been suggested that consciousness could be linked to the collapse of the wave function. However, no detailed account of such an interplay is usually provided. In this paper we present an objective collapse model (a variation of CSL) where the collapse operator depends on integrated information, which has been argued to measure consciousness. By doing so, we construct an empirically adequate scheme in which superpositions of conscious states are dynamically suppressed. Unlike other proposals in which "consciousness causes the collapse of the wave function," our model is fully consistent with a materialistic view of the world and does not require the postulation of entities suspicious of laying outside of the quantum realm., Version accepted for publication in Synthese

Higher-order thought (HOT) theories of consciousness attempt to explain what it takes for a mental state to be conscious, rather than unconscious, by means of a HOT that represents oneself as being in the state in question. Rosenthal (in: Liu, Perry (eds) Consciousness and the self: new essays, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2011) stresses that the way we are aware of our own conscious states requires essentially indexical self-reference. The challenge for defenders of HOT theories is to show that there is a way to explain the required reference-fixing mechanisms that is compatible with the theory. According to Rosenthal, the reference to oneself as such is grounded in the disposition to identify the individual the HOT refers to as the individual who has that HOT. I argue that this leads to a vicious infinite regress on the more than plausible assumption that our cognitive capacities are limited. This leaves such theories without a foundation, since self-reference is thought essential to consciousness.

In this paper, a methodology for selecting a combination of polymers and their associated additive manufacturing (AM) routes is presented. The binomial consisting of materials performance for the intended application and the most suitable AM process and its production strategy is solved by the application of a multicriteria approach along with a stringency level methodology. The case study has been the analysis of physical and radiation tolerance features of thermoplastic nature candidates for the additive manufacture of mechanical, electromechanical, and electrical components for harsh environments in a nuclear power plant. The obtained results allow select an AM route along with a production strategy based on large batches or small batches. Using a selective laser sintering additive manufacturing route, PP + EPDM can be a good option to manufacture mechanical heavily stressed components, whereas PA can be a versatile material to manufacture friction components or films and sheets for electrical applications. In addition, PE would be a good option for high voltage insulation. Finally, PS would be used in radio frequency and microwave applications. On the other hand, fused deposition modeling techniques are more suitable for several materials, such as PC for mechanical applications, PE for electromechanical applications, and IR for electrical/electronic applications.

There is a growing demand for measurements of natural and built elements, which require quantifiable accuracy and reliability, within various fields of application. Measurements from 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanner come in a point cloud, and different types of surfaces such as spheres or planes can be modelled. Due to the occlusions and/or limited field of view, it is seldom possible to survey a complete feature from one location, and information has to be acquired from multiple points of view and later co-registered and geo-referenced to obtain a consistent coordinate system. The aim of this paper is not to match point clouds, but to show a methodology to adjust, following the traditional topo-geodetic methods, 3DTLS data by modelling references such as calibrated spheres and checker-boards to generate a 3D trilateration network from them to derive accuracy and reliability measurements and post-adjustment statistical analysis. The method tries to find the function that best fits the measured data, taking into account not only that the measurements made in the field are not perfect, but that each one of them has a different deviation depending on the adjustment of each reference, so they have to be weighted accordingly.

Industrial heritage, as a historical and cultural heritage typology, can be considered a new opportunity to generate tourism interest in a zone. Along the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, the oriental coast of Málaga (Spain) was considered a reference area in the sugar cane cultivation and manufacturing. Nowadays, different sugar cane factories assets remain. These assets can be considered an opportunity to increase visitors and to improve the economy of this area. In this work, six sugar cane factories have been evaluated. Different characteristics has been proposed and a value has been assigned to each one. Finally, a route to visit the proposed sugar cane factories has been designed. The main advantage of this tourism route is that can be done in one day, reinforcing the current touristic offer and attracting new visitors to this area.

The cataloguing experience presented addresses two key challenges of cataloguing industrial heritage assets. On the one hand, despite their value and interest, some of these assets are little known and difficult to identify. Moreover, on the other hand, this heritage typology needs further promotion and valuation. In this context, collaborative cataloging responds to both challenges from its initial approach. Unlike cataloging tasks developed by small teams, involving many people throughout the territory allows to take advantage of the local knowledge of each participant. However, in addition, each participant contributes to the dissemination of the goods collected in the generated catalog. First in a passive way, when knowing the contributions of the rest of the participants. Secondly, actively, by disseminating the cataloging initiative developed among their contacts. This cataloguing experience has been developed with the students of the subject Environmental Project Management during the last four courses. The assets selected by the students (106) as case studies to develop a reuse project are shown in an open web map, which includes the narrated video presentation of the proposal developed for some of them (25). The obtained results contribute both the identification and promoting of this kind of assets.

In this paper, a systematic analysis of different methods of δ-ferrite estimation is carried out based on the well-known relationship between δ-ferrite content and hot cracking in stainless steels. Additionally, the influence of certain chemical requirements on δ-ferrite stabilization and their relationship to hot cracking is evaluated by the application of a deterministic algorithm based on stringency levels. The results obtained from the application of the stringency level method and prediction diagrams permit the selection of the best option among materials according to their standardized specifications. In addition, the advantage of this integrated method is that we can evaluate particular elemental influences and assign relative weightings to create a database for materials selection.

A methodology for evaluating different combinations of materials specifications for extreme environment applications is presented. This new approach addresses the materials selection problem using a multicriteria stringency level methodology that defines several thresholds obtained by analyzing different prediction models of irradiation embrittlement and hot cracking. To solve the conflicts among thresholds as provided by the different prediction models, a multiobjective approach is carried out. Materials for reactor pressure vessels have been considered as case study. It has been concluded that the best option to manufacture a pressure vessel for a pressurized water modern reactor is the selection of German manufacturing standards. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the proposed methodology has been performed to evaluate the divergences between the single stringency level methodology and the new proposal including multicriteria decision making aspects.

espanolEn un articulo publicado recientemente (2014) en esta revista, Javier Vidal argumenta que toda creencia de primera persona es una creencia consciente, una conclusion que pone en jaque ciertas teorias de la consciencia, como el mismo expone. El razonamiento de Vidal se basa en un argumento que muestra que uno conoce toda creencia de primera persona que tiene y en un principio (SC*) que vincula conocimiento y consciencia. Mi objetivo en este trabajo es mostrar que el razonamiento de Vidal no es solido. En particular, hago patente que el argumento depende de rechazar la relacion ampliamente aceptada en epistemologia entre creencia y conocimiento. Ademas, argumento que SC* o bien prejuzga la cuestion o bien involucra una nocion de consciencia no relevante para la discusion. EnglishIn a recent paper in this journal (2014), Javier Vidal has argued that every first-person belief is a conscious one, a conclusion that jeopardizes certain theories of consciousness as he shows. Vidal’s reasoning is builded upon an argument to the effect that one knows all first person beliefs that one has and a principle (SC*) that links knowledge and consciousness. My aim in this paper is to show that Vidal’s reasoning is unsound. In particular, I show that the argument depends upon the rejection of the relation, widely accepted in epistemology, between belief and knowledge. Moreover, I argue that SC* either begs the question or involves a notion of consciousness that is not relevant for the discussion.

Besides traditional occupational risks (TR), industrial processes can generate other risks described by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) as “new and emerging risks” (NER). The basic definition of NER is that of “any occupational risk that is both new and increasing”, existing several studies carried out by the EU-OSHA where the set of the above mentioned risks is identified and analyzed, both general and specific. However, as demonstrated in recent studies, the direct use of this set of NER in risk assessment techniques, generally applied in industrial processes and in particular those characterized by advanced technology, may result in the identification of TR instead of NER, mainly due to the fact that they have been defined without following a risk reference model. In order to solve this problem, a risk model that improves and complements the EU-OSHA’s NER definition has been developed with the abovementioned investigations. However, this model has two limitations. First, the model does not contemplate the possibility of considering independently the new risks (NR) and increasing risks (IR). Second, this model does not allow monitoring NER evolution over time, therefore it is not currently possible to determine, in general, the temporary validity of such risks. Thus, the main objective of this work is to develop a theoretical framework for the modeling of the NER that allows its monitoring through the technology lifecycle (TLC), especially in industrial processes. To develop this framework, first it has been carried out an analysis of the limitations previously mentioned as well as the related literature. In this way, a theoretical context that allows to justify and argue properly the development of three new models for the NER, NR and IR has been set up. These named models allow, on the one hand, characterizing and differentiating the new qualities from the increasing qualities associated to risk. On the other hand, these models allow defining a set of risk typologies. These typologies have been associated with risk evolutionary phases likely to be integrated into the TLC, especially of a given industrial process, allowing monitoring over time of its NER.

In this essay we discuss recent attempts to analyse the notion of representation, as it is employed in cognitive science, in purely informational terms. In particular, we argue that recent informational theories cannot accommodate the existence of metarepresentations. Since metarepresentations play a central role in the explanation of many cognitive abilities, this is a serious shortcoming of these proposals.

An educational software, called CalSev 1.0.2, has been developed for supporting the teaching in materials selection seminars. As a case study, a selection of materials for nuclear reactor pressure vessels has been chosen, because it is a representative example of the relationship between chemical composition, mechanical properties, and in-service behavior. This software has been developed to improve the students’ understanding of the materials selection tasks, providing an interactive user-friendly platform that allows to modify—in real time—the content of chemical elements and mechanical requirements to obtain a materials performance evaluation. Due to its versatility, this informatics tool represents a great value for educational purposes, with special impact in blended and distance learning, by simplifying the arduous task of materials selection for a wide range of applications and promoting a collaborative working environment by easing the creation of small groups analyzing different study cases. Finally, to evaluate the functionality, interest, user-friendliness and the educational characteristics of CalSev 1.0.2, a survey among 36 undergraduate students has been carried out.

The selection of materials for the reactor pressure vessel manufacturing is a complex process that involves great responsibility because small differences in chemical composition can adversely affect the manufacturing process and the in-service behavior of the material. Thus, it is recommendable to perform previous materials pre-selection stages based on the state-of-the-art knowledge, integrating research results with standardized requirements and using simplifier materials selection methodologies like the stringency level method. To address this issue, an evaluation of the influence of chemical composition on the shift of the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature has been performed using the most used and consolidated prediction models that are R.G. 1.99 Rev.2, NUREG/CR-6551, and ASTM E 900-02. A proposal of maximum limits for copper, nickel, and phosphorous to avoid irradiation embrittlement has been presented to carry out the process. The results have been analyzed by using the stringency level methodology to support the decision process. To this end, a materials data collection has been carried out to analyze the requirements described by 20 different specifications of materials from first to fourth generation of light water reactors, covering the main designs of pressurized reactors from Western Europe, North America, Japan, and Russia. It can be concluded that more recently developed materials exhibit more stringent requirements than earlier developed materials.

Materials technology is a matter of great applicative and crosscutting interest, as evidenced by their presence in most curriculums of the current industrial engineering degrees. During the development of this matter, it is crucial that the student assimilates not only the relationship among composition, processing and mechanical properties, but also, how all these technological features interact facing the in-service behavior of the material. That is why, within a Doctoral dissertation developed at the Department of Construction and Manufacturing Engineering at the National Distance Education University (UNED), it has designed a computer tool to quantify the stringency level of technological requirements of materials (especially suitable for high demanding applications), characterized by its suitability as interactive teaching material used in the teaching of materials engineering. As a case study, we have chosen a selection of materials for nuclear reactor pressure vessels, because it is a very representative example of the relationship between chemical composition, mechanical properties and in-service behavior.

Additive manufacturing is a growing field of study. Among these technologies, 3D printing, which has traditionally been associated with products obtained by deposition of polymer layers, is becoming more and more accessible. Today, these kind of technologies are not only common as professional tools, but also as teaching resources and they are present in our homes too. Thus, the incorporation of these technologies as a teaching strategy in courses in the area of manufacturing and design is analyzed.

The new training plans of the European Higher Education Area recommend the implementation of new teaching methods, which poses new challenges. Different teaching methods have produced successful results by applying collaborative methodologies. This paper evaluates adapting a collaborative methodology for engineering project subjects at a university school of engineering. A statistical analysis that employs a multifactor analysis of variance was performed to identify the factors that influence the success of implementing this approach in engineering project subjects. The results indicate that the size of the group is the most influential factor in implementing a collaborative methodology. With an analytic hierarchy process, a value function was defined to compare the behavior of the proposed collaborative methodology with the behaviors of other methodologies. Using this value function, the results of the proposed collaborative methodology were compared with those of lectures. Relating the comparison criteria to the skills that are acquired by the project subjects, better results are observed with the collaborative methodology.

In this work, the activity “10 images about...”, based on cooperative and distance work, is described. Members of PATRIF select sets of ten photographs and elaborate an information sheet for an element of the industrial heritage, which can be a movable or immovable asset. This activity is open to a wide range of elements. Both, the ones included in previous catalogs or under some level of protection, as well as the ones which are not in any of these situations. Tech or ethnography museums, interpretation centers, ruins, or any element that contributes to record our industrial past, are considered of interest for this activity. All photographs must be taken by the member which makes the new contribution and not be linked to any commercial activity. The results of this activity are analyzed and evaluated taking into account different criteria as typologies of considered elements, geographical location and distribution of industrial sectors.

The selection of the manufacturing code in components for high demanding applications is crucial. A new methodology is developed to solve the problem of manufacturing codes selection. This methodology allows to obtain an integrated approach that considers a technical evaluation that consists of quantifying the stringency of technological requirements together with an economic study. By the implementation of the new methodology, an alternative that combines the benefits of both standards from a multi-criteria perspective based on functional and economic criteria has been proposed. This proposal represents a saving of 5.8% with respect to the use of KTA standards, without diminishing of technical stringency.

Traditional cost assessment systems pass over certain group of quality costs, which are intangible costs due to there is not a trustable method to measure them. However, it is a fact that automotive companies that consider all quality costs (tangible and intangible costs), are in a competitive advantage position, comparing to their competitors. In this context, the main objective is to develop a decision support system with empirical base that helps manufacturers to decide the priority for improving the quality of parts that have a high impact in warranty spend, taking into account, historical warranty costs and intangible costs.

This work analyzes the industrial heritage of Galicia by the application of the methodology for the study of this typology developed by the authors in previous works. The main basis of the methodology are exposed and the sample of immovable goods considered on this territory is significantly increased. Then the whole criteria structure of the developed catalogue is applied to all the identified assets. Thus, many aspects of interest for this typology are analyzed. Traditional productive sectors in the area of study are identified and exemplified with the assets of interest currently preserved. Preindustrial and industrial assets are differentiated. And, in the same way, the direct or indirect link to the productive process is analyzed. The current state and, when it exists, the new use, are considered too.

This works exposes de criteria considered in the selection of an appropriate design software when optimization is included as one of the objectives of the design and productive process. Different approaches to optimization concept are identified. Main aspects for topological optimization are exposed and then analyzed on different software. Finally, obtained optimization results are shown and compared, and when it is possible, the exportable model for 3D printing is included and analyzed.

This work shows the initial results obtained from a work developed as part of a doctoral thesis focused on the optimization of 3D printing pieces. By using the software Grasshopper, included in Rhinoceros, two optimization methodologies were developed. One with only one optimization solver, and the other one considering more than one solver simultaneously. This work shows the main criteria applied in the design of this methodologies and the initial results obtained.

Occupational exposure to vibrations, regulated by Directive 2002/44/EC, is currently on the rise. This situation makes it necessary to increase knowledge of the exposure, considering amongst other factors, its nature as an emerging risk. To do so, a methodology has been developed for application in manufacturing environments. This has been designed by combining the principles of the DMRA Technique with a theoretical framework of new and emerging risks established from recent research. This methodology grades the Emerging Risk Level (ERL) on 9 levels, from ‘not at all significant’ (ERL=1) to “fully significant” (ERL=9). This methodology has been applied to hand-arm vibrations generated by using an electric disc grinder. Thirty-two entries from the National Institute of Safety and Health at Work (INSHT) ‘Vibra’ database have been considered for this. The main findings indicate that 55% and 36% of cases give rise to ‘moderately significant’ (ERL=7) and ‘very significant’ (ERL=8) emerging risk, respectively. This work was funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain, title: “Analysis and Assessment of technological requirements for the design of a New Emerging Risks standardized management SYStem (A2NERSYS)” with reference DPI2016-79824-R.

The lack of specific standards for characterization of materials manufactured by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) makes the assessment of the applicability of the test methods available and the analysis of their limitations necessary, depending on the definition of the most appropriate specimens on the kind of part we want to produce or the purpose of the data we want to obtain from the tests. In this work, the Spanish standard UNE 116005:2012 and international standard ASTM D638&ndash, 14:2014 have been used to characterize mechanically FDM samples with solid infill considering two build orientations. Tests performed according to the specific standard for additive manufacturing UNE 116005:2012 present a much better repeatability than the ones according to the general test standard ASTM D638&ndash, 14, which makes the standard UNE more appropriate for comparison of different materials. Orientation on-edge provides higher strength to the parts obtained by FDM, which is coherent with the arrangement of the filaments in each layer for each orientation. Comparison with non-solid specimens shows that the increase of strength due to the infill is not in the same proportion to the percentage of infill. The values of strain to break for the samples with solid infill presents a much higher deformation before fracture.

BackgroundSocial inequalities in obesity have been observed not only by gender but also between ethnic groups. Evidence on combined dimensions of inequality in health, and specifically including indigenous populations, is however scarce, and presents a particularly daunting challenge for successful prevention and control of obesity in Bolivia, as well as worldwide.ObjectiveThe aims of this study were i) to examine intersectional inequalities in obesity and ii) to identify the factors underlying the observed intersectional inequalities.MethodsAn intersectional approach study was employed, using the information collected in a cross-sectional community-based survey. The sample consisted of youth and adults with permanent residence in Cochabamba department (N = 5758), selected through a multistage sampling technique. An adapted version of the WHO-STEPS survey was used to collect information about Abdominal obesity and risk factors associated. Four intersectional positions were constructed from gender (woman vs. men) and ethnic group (indigenous vs. mestizo). Joint and excess intersectional disparities in obesity were estimated as absolute prevalence differences between binary groups, using binomial regression models. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition was applied to estimate the contributions of explanatory factors underlying the observed intersectional disparities, using Oaxaca command in Stata software v15.1.ResultsThe prevalence of abdominal obesity had a higher prevalence in mestizos (men 35.01% and women 30.71%) as compared to indigenous (men 25.38% and women 27.75%). The joint disparity was estimated at 7.26 percentage points higher prevalence in the doubly advantaged mestizo men than in the doubly disadvantaged indigenous women. The gender referent disparity showed that mestizo-women had a higher prevalence than indigenous-women. The ethnic referent disparity showed that mestizo-men had a higher prevalence than indigenous men. The behavioural risk factors were the most important to explain the observed inequalities, while differences in socioeconomic and demographic factors played a less important role.ConclusionOur study illustrates that abdominal obesity is not distributed according to expected patterns of structural disadvantage in the intersectional space of ethnicity and gender in Bolivia. In the Cochabamba case, a high social advantage was related to higher rates of abdominal obesity, as well as the behavioural risk factors associated with them.

A general framework of the emerging risks linked with advanced manufacturing processes and technologies is showed. For this, the systemic and occupational nature of said risks is considered. To achieve this general objective, the chapter is organized in two parts. In the first part, a theoretical basis is developed. This theoretical basis is configured by an explanation of the emerging risk concept, as well as by the development of an overview of advanced manufacturing processes and technologies. In the second part, contents and tools of practical application are exposed. To do this, the main emerging risks are shown first. Among the fields of application of these risks, some of the most important cross-cutting manufacturing technologies have been selected. One of the main risk governance frameworks is shown. Subsequently, this framework is deployed with two of its main applications on emerging risks: the management and characterization of the risk.