Accounting for material scatter in sheet metal forming simulations

Robust design of forming processes is gaining attention throughout the industry. To analyze the robustness of a sheet metal forming process using Finite Element (FE) simulations, an accurate input in terms of parameter variation is required. This paper presents a pragmatic, accurate and economic approach for measuring and modeling one of the main inputs, i.e. material properties and its associated scattering. For the purpose of this research, samples of 41 coils of a forming steel DX54D+Z (EN 10327:2004) from multiple batches have been collected. Fully determining the stochastic material behavior to the required accuracy for precise modeling in FE simulations would involve performing many mechanical experiments. Instead, the present work combines mechanical testing and texture analysis to limit the required effort. Moreover, use is made of the correlations between the material parameters to efficiently model the material property scatter for use in the numerical robustness analysis. The proposed approach is validated by the forming of a series of cup products using the collected material. The observed experimental scatter can be reproduced efficiently using FE simulations, demonstrating the potential of the modeling approach and robustness analysis in general

Women's migration to cities

This study investigates the consequences of female rural-urban migration with respect to their education, career, and relationship and family formation in the Netherlands. The study is based on four birth cohorts of Dutch women born in 1970-1973 in rural areas, comparing those who had migrated to urban areas before the age of 25 with those who had remained behind. Outcomes were measured at age 42. The data were derived from administrative registers available at Statistics Netherlands. The results show that female migration to cities served to increase women’s resources: they were more often university educated and had better paid jobs, in line with the idea of cities as socioeconomic escalators. The city also functioned as a relationship market with a relative abundance of men with resources. Both lower and university educated city women were more likely to be in a relationship with a highly educated man compared to their rural peers. However, lower educated women had an increased probability of being single at age 42 when they lived in cities at age 25. This was not the case for university educated women. In conclusion, for lower educated women urban migration may entail risks as well as benefits, especially with respect to family formation. University educated women on the other hand benefited both in terms of their own socioeconomic outcomes and in terms of their partners’ resources

Healthy living the the Amsterdam region:Housing market, environmental quality, health and inequality in the metropolitan region

De centrale vraag was in hoeverre veranderde planning in de Amsterdamse regionale woningmarkt bijdraagt aan verschillen in de mate van blootstelling aan omgevingseffecten voor kopers en huurders, en in hoeverre omgevingskwaliteit en vervuiling te koppelen is aan gezondheidsuitkomsten.Het onderzoek bracht hierom unieke, grootschalige kwantitatieve datasets over woonomgeving, individuele bewoners en medische gesteldheid bij elkaar. Hierdoor kon de blootstelling aan luchtvervuiling, geluidoverlast, groenvoorzieningen en hittestress vergeleken worden, en konden de effecten van blootstelling op psychische en lichamelijke gezondheid geschat worden. Het onderzoek laat verschillen zien zijn tussen kopers en huurders in blootstelling. In de meest recente nieuwbouw is dit verschil met name groter voor particuliere huurders. Dit lijkt een gevolg van recente verstedelijking langs infrastructuur en in bevolkte gebieden (verdichting in de stad). Ondanks aanzienlijke blootstellings- en gezondheidsverschillen tussen huurders en kopers, is het verband tussen verschillen in blootstelling en gezondheidsuitkomsten echter zwak, en behoeft verder onderzoek.De uitkomsten dragen bij aan academische debatten over milieurechtvaardigheid, ruimtelijke gezondheid, en het cumulatieve karakter van ongelijkheden. Daarnaast biedt het inzicht in de opeenstapeling van verschillende dimensies van ongelijkheid en kunnen de bevindingen bijdragen aan de ontwikkeling van interventies en beleid voor een duurzame, gezondere, en rechtvaardigere ruimtelijke ordening, buurtontwikkeling en woningmarkt. Om beleid en interventies te helpen zijn samen met maatschappelijke partners vijf beleidsdilemma’s opgesteld.Het twee jaar durende onderzoek is uitgevoerd door een interdisciplinair team van geografen, planologen en medisch onderzoekers van Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR) en van Amsterdam UMC, onder leiding van dr. Wouter van Gent (Urban Geographies, UvA). Maatschappelijke partners zijn GGD Amsterdam, Amsterdamse Federatie Woningcorporaties, Stichting de Gezonde Stad, en de Gemeente Amsterdam. Het project is gefinancierd door Kenniscentrum Ongelijkheid

Anti-Inflammatory Role of the cAMP Effectors Epac and PKA: Implications in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Cigarette smoke-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-8 (IL-8) from inflammatory as well as structural cells in the airways, including airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells, may contribute to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite the wide use of pharmacological treatment aimed at increasing intracellular levels of the endogenous suppressor cyclic AMP (cAMP), little is known about its exact mechanism of action. We report here that next to the β2-agonist fenoterol, direct and specific activation of either exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac) or protein kinase A (PKA) reduced cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced IL-8 mRNA expression and protein release by human ASM cells. CSE-induced IκBα-degradation and p65 nuclear translocation, processes that were primarily reversed by Epac activation. Further, CSE increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation, which was selectively reduced by PKA activation. CSE decreased Epac1 expression, but did not affect Epac2 and PKA expression. Importantly, Epac1 expression was also reduced in lung tissue from COPD patients. In conclusion, Epac and PKA decrease CSE-induced IL-8 release by human ASM cells via inhibition of NF-κB and ERK, respectively, pointing at these cAMP effectors as potential targets for anti-inflammatory therapy in COPD. However, cigarette smoke exposure may reduce anti-inflammatory effects of cAMP elevating agents via down-regulation of Epac1