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This paper aims to present an optimal prototyping technology for the manufacture of occlusal splints.

To carry out this study, a comparative technique was used to analyze models obtained by different prototyping techniques. Subsequently, further tests were carried out with respect to the manufacturing of splints by means of thermoforming in a vacuum. This involved an analysis of the most important variables such as prototype material, geometric accuracy, surface finish and costs.

It was found that there is a group of prototyping technologies that are suitable for the manufacture of the models used in the thermoforming of correction splints, the most appropriate technologies being based on ink jet printing (IJP-Objet), ultraviolet photo polymerization and fused deposition modelling due to the fact that they offer an optimal relationship between the cost and the quality of the model required for thermoforming.

The application of rapid prototyping techniques in medicine makes the production of physical models from three-dimensional medical image processing and their subsequent use in different specialties possible. It also makes preoperative planning processes, the production of prostheses and the preparation of surgical templates possible, thereby offering a higher quality of diagnosis, safer surgery and cost and time savings compared to conventional manufacturing technologies.

This paper suggests that there exists a group of prototyping technologies for the manufacture of splints that offer advantages over existing technologies. The results also suggest that, in many cases, the most expensive technology is not the most appropriate: there are other options that provide an optimal model in terms of the cost and the quality needed for thermoforming.

Align Inc. is a start-up company with a revolutionary, patent-protected new technology for straightening teeth called Invisalign. Invisalign is a set of invisible plastic aligners made to each patient's specific needs that substitute for metal or ceramic braces in adults (it is not sold for children's orthodontic needs). The company has created tremendous consumer awareness and affect for its product, yet sales results are dismal. Requires the reader to analyze the reasons for such poor sales and what to do to remedy the problem.

To examine distribution channel issues as well as the marketing mix for a new product introduction.

Stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing (AM) technique has enabled the production of inconspicuous and aesthetically pleasing orthodontics that are also hygienic. However, the staircase effect poses a challenge to the application of invisible orthodontics in the dental industry. The purpose of this study is to implement chemical postprocessing technique by using isopropyl alcohol as a solvent to overcome this challenge.

Fifteen experiments were conducted using a D-optimal design to investigate the effect of different concentrations and postprocessing times on the surface roughness, material removal rate (MRR), hardness and cost of SLA dental parts required for creating a clear customized aligner, and a container was constructed for chemical treatment of these parts made from photocurable resin.

The study revealed that the chemical postprocessing technique can significantly improve the surface roughness of dental SLA parts, but improper selection of concentration and time can lead to poor surface roughness. The optimal surface roughness was achieved with a concentration of 90 and a time of 37.5. Moreover, the dental part with the lowest concentration and time (60% and 15 min, respectively) had the lowest MRR and the highest hardness. The part with the highest concentration and time required the greatest budget allocation. Finally, the results of the multiobjective optimization analysis aligned with the experimental data.

This paper sheds light on a previously underestimated aspect, which is the pivotal role of chemical postprocessing in mitigating the adverse impact of stair case effect. This nuanced perspective contributes to the broader discourse on AM methodologies, establishing a novel pathway for advancing the capabilities of SLA in dental application.

Dentists once believed that toothbrushing alone helped prevent dental decay. Opinion soon changed when they found the chief culprit was a bacterial film called Plaque that formed round teeth and gum margins. Normally invisible, Plaque is startlingly revealed by using special crimson‐stained disclosure tablets; without correct and regular brushing of teeth and gums, precious molars can loosen, decay, and be lost for ever.

Due to the inability to directly apply an intra-oral image with esthetic restoration to restore tooth shape in the computer-aided design system, this paper aims to propose a method that can use two-dimensional contours obtained from the image for the three-dimensional dental mesh model restoration.

First, intra-oral image and smiling image are taken from the patient, then teeth shapes of the images are designed based on esthetic restoration concepts and the pixel coordinates of the teeth’s contours are converted into the vertex coordinates in the three-dimensional space. Second, the dental mesh model is divided into three parts – active part, passive part and fixed part – based on the teeth’s contours of the mesh model. Third, the vertices from the teeth’s contours of the dental model are matched with ones from the intra-oral image and with the help of matching operation, the target coordinates of each vertex in the active part can be calculated. Finally, the Laplacian-based deformation algorithm and mesh smoothing algorithm are performed.

Benefitting from the proposed method, the dental mesh model with esthetic restoration can be quickly obtained based on the intra-oral image that is the result of doctor-patient communication. Experimental results show that the quality of restoration meets clinical needs, and the typical time cost of the method is approximately one second. So the method is both time-saving and user-friendly.

The method provides the possibility to design personalized dental esthetic restoration solutions rapidly.

The paper aims to reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

More than ever before, the world needs women leaders. A recent meta‐analysis demonstrates that the most effective model of leadership is transformational. Transformational leaders are facilitators who act as role models to other team members and use innovative problem‐solving approaches. Transformational leaders adopt a mentoring role with their followers, encouraging self‐development and increased responsibility within the organization. This contrasts with the transactional model of leadership characterized by a top down definition of role responsibilities combined with a system of rewards and punishments used to ensure that subordinates meet management‐defined organizational goals. Women are more likely than men to adopt a transformational leadership style and therefore it could be argued that women should be running the world's major corporations as well as playing key roles in national and international politics. However, a review of the CEOs of major US and European firms or a quick scan of the world's political leaders indicates that a resource with the potential to bring about much needed changes in both business and politics is being squandered.

The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Based on their size, disposable income, and purchasing power, generation Y (Gen Y) consumers are viewed as the Holy Grail for marketers. Conversely, some of this group's behavior disturbs public policy officials, particularly when dealing with issues such as poor financial planning, bulimia and anorexia nervosa. The key question for both marketers and policy makers is what is the best way to understand the Gen Y segment? The vanity concept is used in this study as a way to understand the Gen Y consumer segment. The purpose of this paper is to examine vanity perceptions (cross‐nationally and by gender) as well as social and business implications with vanity.

Key research expectations are proposed that are related to cross‐cultural and gender differences on vanity perceptions. A sample of approximately 125 Gen Y consumers in two eastern and two western cultures was used to find support for the research expectations. Statistical results are reported.

The results clearly show that both gender and country have an impact on vanity perceptions. Concern for both physical appearance and professional achievement are higher in eastern cultures as compared to western cultures. Both males and females are highly concerned about physical appearance and professional achievements. However, self‐assessment of physical appearance and professional achievement are significantly lower among females as compared to males.

In future studies it would be interesting to study differences among other countries and consumer groups.

The results of this study provide evidence to marketers that vanity appeals can resonate well with Gen Y especially those in China and India. For consumer protection advocates, results offer insights about the extent to which importance of vanity is likely to increase, especially in countries that embrace globalization.

So far, no study has applied the vanity scale to understand the Gen Y segment, despite the financial power of this group in purchasing both desirable and undesirable products; nor has any study examined whether vanity perceptions vary cross‐nationally, especially between economically developed western cultures and developing economies with large populations representing eastern cultures.

Much research has been conducted regarding leadership success challenges. However, few are practically oriented on whether the success of women's leadership aligns to organisational, personal and societal contexts as glass cliffs. Thus, this study aims to examine these factors and introduce how they inhibit women from leadership success.

This research examined the glass ceiling effects Ethiopian women leaders face. This research focused on adjusted clusters and a survey of 446 female employees from zones, woreda and kebeles. The data was processed through SPSS 25.0 to regress the values.

Breaking the glass ceiling, the glass cliffs effects on women’s income levels, the lack of an arena for self-improvement, the nature of organisation policies and challenges in teamwork were found to contribute to women’s under-representation in top leadership positions.

The results focused only on the 94 public organisations in Ethiopia that were selected by adjusted cluster sampling.

Realizations of substantial change and refocusing on bringing a significant number of women to the boardrooms in the public bureaucracy, besides glass cliffs.

Enhancing the importance of accepting women leaders.

To add value to the stock of literature in gender equality, this research brings a strategic focus on factors that inhibit women from top leadership positions.

The novel structures and properties of nanostructure and nanomaterials give people perfect artistic expression of feeling and sense, then the nanoart discipline is developed and is closely related on the nanotechniques. The many achieved novel nanostructures with strong anti-corrosion prepared by the anodization have been reviewed. The paper would raise public awareness of nanotechnology, nanomaterial and their impact on our lives.

Anodization is a very effective and simple technique to form various nanostructures of metal oxide. It includes hard anodization, mild anodization and pulse anodization. Many measures have been introduced anodization process to improve the quality of formed nanostructure and enhance its properties, such as anti-corrosion.

The formation mechanism of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) by using the mild, hard and pulse anodization has been discussed. The pretexture process and many other measures have been taken in mild and hard anodization to improve the regularity of pore array and greatly accelerate the formation rate of AAO. The pulse anodization has been used to prepare the multilayer Y-branched AAO film, which exhibits steady rich and vivid structure colors and gives a very good artistic expression. Furthermore, many other metal oxide nanostructures such as TiO₂ and CuO have also been fabricated using the anodization techniques.

Various nanostructures of metal oxide prepared by anodization have been reviewed and are itself a perfect artwork in mesoscale. Also, many nanostructures have exhibited steady, rich and vivid structure colors and give people a very good artistic expression.