Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) - A Potential Future for Tennis Racket Production : Could 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing eventually replace the current manufacturing method?

Currently, tennis racket production is lengthy and labour-intensive, using carbon composite materials, produced mainly in the Far East to keep production costs low, keep companies competitive and profitable. The main objective of this thesis was to establish what production advantages additive manufacturing (AM) could have, if it were to become the new generally-accepted method of racket production. The method involved understanding aspects of innovation, racket production history, 3D printing (3DP) history, types, and solid modelling, to produce a standard tennis racket design process framework, to then produce a standard, full-length, 1:1 scaled, tennis racket prototype – including final assembly parts for the stringing of the racket – made of PA2200 Nylon, within the constraints of a SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3DP machine. An aesthetically different variant of the original “basic” model, keeping within the external surface boundaries of the racket’s main body, was produced to highlight the potential of future racket production with 3DP. Theoretically, a standard tennis racket of 685.8 mm, could have been produced as one part, in the then-largest, commercially-accessible SLS 3D printing machine, the EOSINT P760, whose length is 700 mm (according the manufacturer’s (EOS) documentation). However, the key technical challenge, was that the racket length dimension exceeded 650 mm (the limitation set by the service provider, Shapeways) to limit production risk associated with large parts. The solution resulted in a multi-part racket, designed in Dassault Systèmes’ SolidWorks: The main part was set to a length of 650 mm, while one removable “Outer Grip”, which, when produced twice, and added to the final assembly, would create the grip. Once the “Basic” model was created, including grommets and bumpers, the variant, “Hexa”, could be designed and produced, keeping in mind that the Basic’s bumpers, grommets, and grips, could be interchangeable between rackets. By comparing two current production methods, by production activities, the ability to produce custom-designed and -produced 3D printed rackets, production could require less labour, machinery and tools at the production site, while resulting in innovation developing more rapidly, giving focus to creativity, and potentially, the democratization of racket design and production

STYLISTIC AND STRUCTURAL VARIATION IN THE LANGUAGE OF FINANCE

The article is concerned with presenting financial lexis from the vantage point of sociolinguistics and lexicography. The research described dissects financial lexis and aims to prove that it shares the characteristics of standard language. The article will strive to demonstrate that financial language displays stylistic variation and a multitude of morphological structures. Additionally, the author will endeavour to demonstrate that financial language is highly metaphorical. Theoretical assumptions will be amply supported by citational corroborations

Lifestyle as an important factor in control of overweight and obesity among schoolchildren from the rural environment

Introduction: Lifestyle of an individual is responsible for sixty percent of his/her state of health. Many studies of this problem indicate that in the style of life of schoolchildren, anti-health behaviours dominate over health promoting behaviours. Objective: The objective of the presented study was recognition of the lifestyle of the rural adolescents with overweight and obesity. Material and methods: The study covered adolescents aged 15-19, living in the rural environments of the West Pomeranian Region. Finally, the analysis covered 2,165 schoolchildren, and was performed with the use of a self-designed questionnaire form and the BMI was applied. Results: The study showed that overweight occurred more often in the group of examined girls than boys, while obesity was twice as frequent among boys than among girls. Overweight schoolchildren (35.1%) had an adequate diet, while those obese – inadequate (78.3%). In the group of schoolchildren with overweight, passive leisure prevailed over active forms of leisure, 83.8% and 16.2%, respectively. Passive leisure was also dominant among obese respondents. Among as many as 81.8% of schoolchildren with overweight, physical activity was mediocre, while only 8.1% of them were active. The highest percentage of respondents with obesity were totally inactive physically. Obese schoolchildren relatively often experienced stressful situations. It is an alarming fact that both overweight and obese schoolchildren relatively often used psychoactive substances. Conclusions: A considerable number of respondents with overweight and obesity applied an adequate diet, preferred passive forms of leisure, experienced stressful situations, were characterized by low physical activity, and systematically used psychoactive substances

Risk factors for the spread of parasitic zoonoses among dog owners and their families in rural areas

Introduction. Close animal-human contacts are risky for people, especially in cases of any negligence towards proper veterinary care, deworming procedures, as well as human and dog hygiene. Among possible risks there are parasite zoonoses threats. Material and methods. The study involved 176 dog owners from rural regions in Lublin province. The original Parasitic Zoonoses Transmission Risk Score (PZTRS) method was used to determine the risk for humans, a method based on the analysis of such criteria as animal-human coexistence conditions and dog hygiene, as well as dewormings negligence. The resulting score ranges from 0–8, where. ‘0’ is a perfect score, ‘8’ is the lowest and means high health risks for humans. Results. Obtained PZTRS values were in the 1-6 range. Median as well as modal values were equal to 4, which means the presence of significant risk of parasitic zoonoses transmission to dog owners and members of their families. Conclusions. In Polish rural areas, negligence of dog owners’ duties, including improper hygiene and dewormings, as well as risky conditions of human-dog coexistence, increase the potential risk of zoonotic parasite diseases spreading. Nowadays, veterinary practices and media have the important responsibility of educating dog owners about the potential risk of zoonotic parasites