A Functional Performance Study of The Wondaleaf Female Condom

A recent series of experiments suggests that fostering superstitions can substantially improve performance on a variety of motor and cognitive tasks ( Damisch, Stoberock, & Mussweiler, 2010 ). We conducted two high-powered and precise replications of one of these experiments, examining if telling participants they had a lucky golf ball could improve their performance on a 10-shot golf task relative to controls. We found that the effect of superstition on performance is elusive: Participants told they had a lucky ball performed almost identically to controls. Our failure to replicate the target study was not due to lack of impact, lack of statistical power, differences in task difficulty, nor differences in participant belief in luck. A meta-analysis indicates significant heterogeneity in the effect of superstition on performance. This could be due to an unknown moderator, but no effect was observed among the studies with the strongest research designs (e.g., high power, a priori sampling plan).

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Custom Presurgical Planning for Midfacial Reconstruction

Facial Plastic Surgery ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1721812 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (06) ◽

pp. 696-702

Author(s):

Nolan B. Seim ◽

Enver Ozer ◽

Sasha Valentin ◽

Amit Agrawal ◽

Mead VanPutten ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Multidisciplinary Approach ◽

Functional Performance ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Free Tissue Transfer ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Presurgical Planning ◽

Dental Rehabilitation ◽

Midface Reconstruction ◽

Reconstructive Algorithm

AbstractResection and reconstruction of midface involve complex ablative and reconstructive tools in head and oncology and maxillofacial prosthodontics. This region is extraordinarily important for long-term aesthetic and functional performance. From a reconstructive standpoint, this region has always been known to present challenges to a reconstructive surgeon due to the complex three-dimensional anatomy, the variable defects created, combination of the medical and dental functionalities, and the distance from reliable donor vessels for free tissue transfer. Another challenge one faces is the unique features of each individual resection defect as well as individual patient factors making each preoperative planning session and reconstruction unique. Understanding the long-term effects on speech, swallowing, and vision, one should routinely utilize a multidisciplinary approach to resection and reconstruction, including head and neck reconstructive surgeons, prosthodontists, speech language pathologists, oculoplastic surgeons, dentists, and/or craniofacial teams as indicated and with each practice pattern. With this in mind, we present our planning and reconstructive algorithm in midface reconstruction, including a dedicated focus on dental rehabilitation via custom presurgical planning.

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Design, construction and performance study of a cascade impactor for reducing diesel particulate emission

Journal of Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.3329/jme.v39i0.1830 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Md Shamim Akhter ◽

SM Najmul Hoque ◽

Md Nurun Nabi

Keyword(s):

Cascade Impactor ◽

Performance Study ◽

Particulate Emission ◽

Diesel Particulate ◽

And Performance ◽

Design Construction

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Performance study of RTV-2 Silicone Rubber Material For Soft Actuator by Experimental and Numerical methods: The Effect of Inflation Pressure and Wall Thickness

International Journal of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.15282/ijame.17.1.2020.01.0556 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 7524-7532 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deepak D. ◽

Nitesh Kumar ◽

Shreyas P. Shetty ◽

Saurabh Jain ◽

Manoj Bhat

Keyword(s):

Numerical Methods ◽

Wall Thickness ◽

Silicone Rubber ◽

Inflation Pressure ◽

Performance Study ◽

Rubber Material ◽

Soft Actuator ◽

Alternative Materials ◽

Load Carrying ◽

Influential Parameters

The expensive nature of currently used materials in the soft robotic industry demands the consideration of alternative materials for fabrication. This work investigates the performance of RTV-2 grade silicone rubber for fabrication of a soft actuator. Initially, a cylindrical actuator is fabricated using this material and its performance is experimentally assessed for different pressures. Further, parametric variations of the effect of wall thickness and inflation pressure are studied by numerical methods. Results show that, both wall thickness and inflation pressure are influential parameters which affect the elongation behaviour of the actuator. Thin (1.5 mm) sectioned actuators produced 76.97% more elongation compared to thick sectioned, but the stress induced is 89.61 % higher. Whereas, the thick sectioned actuator (6 mm) showed a higher load transmitting capability. With change in wall thickness from 1.5 mm to 6 mm, the elongation is reduced by 76.97 %, 38.35 %, 21.05 % and 11.43 % at pressure 100 kPa, 75 kPa, 50 kPa and 25 kPa respectively. The induced stress is also found reduced by 89.61 %, 86.66 %, 84.46 % and 68.68 % at these pressures. The average load carrying capacity of the actuator is found to be directly proportional to its wall thickness and inflation pressure.

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