Thermo-Mechanical Behavior and Strain Rate Sensitivity of 3D-Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) below Glass Transition Temperature (T).

This study investigated the thermomechanical behavior of 4D-printed polylactic acid (PLA), focusing on its response to varying temperatures and strain rates in a wide range below the glass transition temperature (T). The material was characterized using tension, compression, and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), confirming PLA's strong dependency on strain rate and temperature. The glass transition temperature of 4D-printed PLA was determined to be 65 °C using a thermal analysis (DMTA).

Thermo-Mechanical Characterization of 4D-Printed Biodegradable Shape-Memory Scaffolds Using Four-Axis 3D-Printing System.

This study was conducted on different models of biodegradable SMP (shape-memory polymer) scaffolds. A comparison was conducted utilizing a basic FDM (fused deposition modeling)/MEX (material extrusion) printer with a standard printing technique and a novel, modified, four-axis printing method with a PLA (poly lactic acid) polymer as the printing material. This way of making the 4D-printed BVS (biodegradable vascular stent) made it possible to achieve high-quality surfaces due to the difference in printing directions and improved mechanical properties-tensile testing showed a doubling in the elongation at break when using the four-axis-printed specimen compared to the regular printing, of 8.

Multi-Criteria Decision Making Methods for Selection of Lightweight Material for Railway Vehicles.

This paper deals with the selection of the optimal material for railway wagons, from among three different steel and three aluminium based materials, by using four different Multicriteria Decision Making Methods (MCDM) and comparing their ranking of the materials. We analysed: Dual-Phase 600 steel, Transformation-Induced Plasticity (TRIP) 700 steel, Twinning-Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steel, Aluminium (Al) alloys, Al 6005-T6, and Al 6082-T6, and porous Al structure with closed cells. Four different MCDM methods were used: VIKOR, TOPSIS, PROMETTHEE and the Weighted aggregated sum product assessment method (WASPAS).

Influence of Porosity on the Mechanical Behavior during Uniaxial Compressive Testing on Voronoi-Based Open-Cell Aluminium Foam.

We have studied an application of the Voronoi tessellation method in the modeling of open-cell aluminium foam under uniaxial compressive loading. The Voronoi code was merged with computer-aided design (CAD) for converting the polyhedral model into an irregular open-cell cellular structure to create porous samples for compression testing simulations. Numerical simulations of the uniaxial compression uniformly over the upper surface of the sample in the -axis direction at a constant 20 N load was realised.

Prescribing practices in Southeastern Europe - focus on benzodiazepine prescription at discharge from nine university psychiatric hospitals.

There is much concern about the widespread long-term use of benzodiazepines. Our manuscript addressed its use in the region of Southeastern Europe, which seems extensive, but insufficiently explored. At nine university psychiatric hospitals (Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia), we retrospectively analyzed discharge summary documents to find the prevalence of discharge benzodiazepine prescriptions and the prescribed benzodiazepine doses.

Statistical analysis of electromagnetic radiation measurements in the vicinity of GSM/UMTS base station installed on buildings in Serbia.

As a result of dense deployment of public mobile base stations, additional electromagnetic (EM) radiation occurs in the modern human environment. At the same time, public concern about the exposure to EM radiation emitted by such sources has increased. In order to determine the level of radio frequency radiation generated by base stations, extensive EM field strength measurements were carried out for 664 base station locations, from which 276 locations refer to the case of base stations with antenna system installed on buildings.

Structural basis for catalysis in a CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase.

The CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase (CDP-AP) family of integral membrane enzymes catalyses the transfer of a substituted phosphate group from a CDP-linked donor to an alcohol acceptor. This is an essential reaction for phospholipid biosynthesis across all kingdoms of life, and it is catalysed solely by CDP-APs. Here we report the 2.

Quantitative X-ray computed tomography peritoneography in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma patients receiving intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Background: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy is used to treat peritoneal surface-spreading malignancies. We sought to determine whether volume and surface area of the intraperitoneal chemotherapy compartments are associated with overall survival and posttreatment glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) patients.

Methods: Thirty-eight MPM patients underwent X-ray computed tomography peritoneograms during outpatient intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

[Quality of life of patients with unipolar depression].

Introduction: Quality of life has gained increasing attention as an important component of functional outcome in mood disorders. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between unipolar depression and quality of life.

Material And Methods: The group consisted of 84 patients with unipolar depression (depressive episode or recurrent depression, without psychotic presentation) and 30 healthy controls.

Serum levels of the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor in individuals exposed to arsenic in drinking water in Bangladesh.

Epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent mechanisms have been implicated in growth signal transduction pathways that contribute to cancer development, including dermal carcinogenesis. Detection of the extracellular domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR ECD) in serum has been suggested as a potential biomarker for monitoring this effect in vivo. Arsenic is a known human carcinogen, producing skin and other malignancies in populations exposed through their drinking water.

[The effect of knowledge regarding the importance of oral health in pregnancy].

Introduction: Although in modern dental medicine a pregnant woman and her foetus are completely safe during all dental procedures, the prevention is still the most effective measure for the preservation of oral health in pregnancy. However, pregnant women often visit a stomatologist only when there are already serious disturbances, regardless of the fact that they are referred to a stomatologist even at their first visit to a gynaecologist. The aim of the study was to investigate (possible) changes in pregnant women's attitudes toward oral health during pregnancy according to our educational programme.

Depressed serum erythropoietin in pregnant women with elevated blood lead.

During the course of a prospective study of lead exposure and pregnancy outcome in 1,502 women, we tested the hypothesis that environmental lead exposure is associated with depressed serum erythropoietin concentration. At mid-pregnancy and at delivery, blood samples were stratified by hemoglobin concentration; within each hemoglobin stratum, sera of women with the lowest and highest whole blood lead concentrations were selected for serum erythropoietin analysis. Analysis of variance revealed that women with higher blood lead levels had inappropriately low serum erythropoietin at both mid-pregnancy and at delivery.

Effects of nifedipine on diffusing capacity and pulmonary capillary blood volume in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A controlled study.

The acute dose-dependent effects of nifedipine on the pulmonary diffusing capacity for CO and other lung function indices were investigated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a randomized double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled trial. Seventeen successive, clinically stable, moderate COPD patients with pulmonary hypertension and 15 control subjects were included in the study. The diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was measured with the single-breath method.

Erythropoietin level and macrocytosis in patients with chronic pulmonary insufficiency.

In 30 patients with respiratory insufficiency due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and with normal red blood cell counts, the effect of hypoxia on erythropoiesis was studied. Pronounced hypoxaemia was ascertained in all the patients by measuring PaO2. The calculated HbO2 saturation was less than 85% in group I and greater than 85% in group II, each consisting of 15 patients.