The mediating effect of institutional trust in the relationship between precarity and conspiracy beliefs: A conceptual replication of Adam-Troian et al. (2023)

The paper reports the results of registered conceptual replications of the indirect effect of institutional trust in the relationship between precarity and the endorsement of conspiracy beliefs (CB). The original study of Adam-Troian et al. (2023; British Journal of Social Psychology, 62(S1), 136-159) indicated that subjective appraisals of economic hardship are associated with lower trust in governments and institutions, which in turn is associated with stronger endorsement of CB. Our Studies 1 to 3 report a series of replications using Slovak panel data. Study 4 reports a replication of the mediation model using data from the European Social Survey Round 10 collected in 17 countries. To provide a quantitative synthesis of these and previous results, we conducted mini meta-analysis (N = 50,340). Although the strength of the observed relationships differed across the studies to some degree, the original patterns of relations remained robust, supporting the original model. The study corroborates the view that to curb the spread of CB, it is necessary to address structural issues, such as growing financial insecurity, socioeconomic inequalities, and the deficit of institutional trust. Finally, we discuss the role of cultural and political settings in conditioning the mechanisms through which precarity enhances the endorsement of CB.

Numerical and Experimental Analysis of Stress-Strain Characteristics in DP 600 and TRIP 400/700 Steel Sheets

The body constitutes the largest proportion of the total vehicle weight. Recently, increasing efforts have been made towards reducing its weight and improving its crashworthiness. By reducing its weight, fuel consumption will be reduced, and this will also translate into lower CO2 emissions. In terms of safety, vehicle body components use high strength steel which can absorb a substantial amount of impact energy. The present study pays attention to DP 600 and TRIP 400/700 stress-strain characteristics at quasi-static strain rates. The stress-strain characteristics of absorption capacity, stiffness, and deformation resistance force were investigated experimentally by tensile tests, three-point bending tests, and numerical simulations. The results indicate the potential for increasing the absorption capacity, stiffness, and deformation resistance force of the vehicle body's deformable steel components. The present study verified the possibility of replacing physical testing with numerical simulation. A reasonably satisfactory agreement between the experimentally determined stress-strain characteristics and the numerical simulation was achieved, which can reduce the development time of deformable vehicle body components, reduce costs and optimize the selection of materials. The results extend the state of knowledge on the deformation characteristics of high-strength materials and contribute to the optimization of body components in terms of passive safety and weight.

Alterations in the Glycan Composition of Serum Glycoproteins in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Changes in protein glycosylation are associated with most biological processes, and the importance of glycomic analysis in the research of disorders is constantly increasing, including in the neurodevelopmental field. We glycoprofiled sera in 10 children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 10 matching healthy controls for 3 types of samples: whole serum, sera after depletion of abundant proteins (albumin and IgG), and isolated IgG. The analytical methods used were a lectin-based glycoprotein microarray enabling high-throughput glycan analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) as a standard method for the identification of glycan structures. For microarray analysis, the samples printed on microarray slides were incubated with biotinylated lectins and detected using the fluorescent conjugate of streptavidin by a microarray scanner. In the ADHD patient samples, we found increased antennary fucosylation, decreased di-/triantennary N-glycans with bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), and decreased α2-3 sialylation. The results obtained by both independent methods were consistent. The study's sample size and design do not allow far-reaching conclusions to be drawn. In any case, there is a strong demand for a better and more comprehensive diagnosis of ADHD, and the obtained results emphasize that the presented approach brings new horizons to studying functional associations of glycan alterations in ADHD.

The Application of Additive Composites Technologies for Clamping and Manipulation Devices in the Production Process

Additive technologies have been widely adopted in various industries. The choice of additive technology and material directly affects the functionality of the manufactured components. The development of materials with better mechanical properties has led to a growing interest in replacing traditional metal components with those manufactured using additive technologies. The application of Onyx as a material comes into consideration, which contains short carbon fibers to increase the mechanical properties. This study aims to experimentally verify the viability of substituting metal gripping elements with nylon and composite materials. The design of the jaws was customized to meet the requirements of a three-jaw chuck of a CNC machining center. The evaluation process involved monitoring the functionality and deformation effects on the clamped PTFE polymer material. When the metal jaws were applied, significant deformation of the clamped material occurred, which varied with the clamping pressure. This deformation was evidenced by the formation of spreading cracks on the clamped material and permanent shape changes in the tested material. Conversely, nylon and composite jaws manufactured using additive technology demonstrated functionality across all tested clamping pressures, without causing permanent deformation of the clamped material, unlike the traditional metal jaws. The results of this study confirm the applicability of the Onyx material and provide practical evidence of the potential for reducing deformation caused by clamping mechanisms.

Comparison of Continuous and Pulsating Water Jet during Piercing of Ductile Material

More efficient ways to process materials are constantly being sought, even in the case of continuous water flow technology, which acts on materials mainly by stagnant pressure. An alternative method is an ultrasound-stimulated pulsating water jet, the basis of which is the repeated use of impact pressure, which reduces the time interval for mechanical relaxation. This article focuses on a comparative study from the point of view of water mass flow rate on material penetration and its integrity. Relatively low pressures (p = 20, 30, and 40 MPa) with varying nozzle diameters (d = 0.4 and 0.6 mm) were used to identify the effectiveness of the pulsating water jet. The time exposure of the jet at a fixed place was varied from t = 0.5 to 5 s for each experimental condition. The results showed that with an increase in the pressure and diameter values, the disintegration depth increased. In addition, the surface topography and morphology images showed signs of ductile erosion in the form of erosion pits, upheaved surfaces, and crater formation. The microhardness study showed an increase of 10% subsurface microhardness after the action of the pulsating water jet as compared to the original material.

Irreversible and Self-Healing Electrically Conductive Hydrogels Made of Bio-Based Polymers

Electrically conductive materials that are fabricated based on natural polymers have seen significant interest in numerous applications, especially when advanced properties such as self-healing are introduced. In this article review, the hydrogels that are based on natural polymers containing electrically conductive medium were covered, while both irreversible and reversible cross-links are presented. Among the conductive media, a special focus was put on conductive polymers, such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, polyacetylene, and polythiophenes, which can be potentially synthesized from renewable resources. Preparation methods of the conductive irreversible hydrogels that are based on these conductive polymers were reported observing their electrical conductivity values by Siemens per centimeter (S/cm). Additionally, the self-healing systems that were already applied or applicable in electrically conductive hydrogels that are based on natural polymers were presented and classified based on non-covalent or covalent cross-links. The real-time healing, mechanical stability, and electrically conductive values were highlighted.