bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Polyurethane Recycling Through Acidolysis: Current Status and Prospects for the Future
Authors: Gama N. , Godinho B. , Madureira P. , Marques G. , Barros-Timmons A. , Ferreira A. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPolyurethane (PU) stands out as a crucial category of polymers which have become indispensable in improving our quality of life, revolutionizing various aspects of human existence. However, this convenience comes with a dark side – the environmental impact associated with its disposal. Nevertheless, recycling presents a promising solution, aligning with the principles of a circular economy by transforming polymer waste into new materials. A notable focus within this realm is the utilization of dicarboxylic acids (DA) as depolymerization agents, achieved through a process known as acidolysis. This method has proven to be an exceptional solution, primarily explored for recycling PU foams and subsequently employed in the production of new foams. The resulting recycled polyol finds successful applications in various PU products, including rigid and flexible foams, adhesives, and coatings. Analyzing the impact of recycled polyol on the properties of new PU products reveals interesting insights. While it slightly affects the morphology and color of foams, there is no significant impact on density or thermal conductivity. Notably, flexible foams exhibit increased stiffness when produced using recycled polyol. Additionally, the strength of PU adhesives and the surface hardness of PU coatings are enhanced with the incorporation of recycled polyol, albeit with a reduction in gloss. The recycled PU coatings also display a more hydrophobic surface. Considering both environmental and economic benefits, the advantages of this approach are evident. With the aim of catering to the needs of both the academic and industrial sectors, this review delves into the subject of PU recycling via acidolysis, subsequently exploring the utilization of recycled materials in the creation of new PU products. The review offers an in-depth explanation of the acidolysis process and thoroughly examines the degradation mechanisms involved. Additionally, it scrutinizes the impact of reaction conditions on the properties of the recycled materials and investigates their applicability in the production of novel materials. Moreover, the review presents an analysis of the environmental and economic implications associated with these processes. In summary, this review overviews the current status of acidolysis of PU and prospects for its future.
Urban Churches Show an Increase in Attendance, Donations, and Finances During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA: Evidence from the United Methodist Church
Authors: Niazi Anum G. , Ahmed Nayab , Kifayat Shandana , Kifayat Shanlina , Niazi Mohammad Asad , Khan Muhammad Salar 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on religion and its practice. This paper aims to examine how the pandemic affects religious activities, donations, and finances over time and across regions within the United Methodist Church (UMC) in the USA. To address this question, we analyze survey data collected during the pandemic from 2963 churches in the USA by United Methodist Communications. Our analysis utilizes several quantitative techniques, including Z-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multinomial logistic regressions. The results indicate a decrease in church attendance over time, with a more pronounced effect observed in non-urban areas (suburban, small town, and rural). Similarly, while church donations and finances mitigate over time across churches, churches in urban areas experience a quicker rebound compared to those in non-urban areas. Lastly, we find that church attendance and donations positively affect finances. These findings hold important implications for churches in various regions, offering insights to develop strategies for navigating the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adult learning and education in the Mediterranean – a view from southern Europe
Authors: Mayo Peter 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis article examines the key role that adult learning and education (ALE) has played and continues to play in addressing the challenges faced by critical engagement with identities and crossing borders in the Mediterranean region. Despite the great cultural, economic and educational diversities characterising the region, the author explores whether a distinctive and recurring pattern of ALE exists or is likely to emerge. His analysis highlights historical and contemporary landmarks (features) of ALE in the region which exist alongside others from “mainstream” European education put forward by such funding agencies as the European Union (EU). While the landmarks are distinctive, they do offer recurring patterns which are characteristic of social-purpose ALE provision in the region. Much can be drawn from ALE in the Mediterranean, together with useful insights from other parts of the world, to foster intercultural engagement in response to mass migration in the region.
Species richness and ecological connectivity of the mammal communities in urban and peri-urban areas at Mexico City
Authors: Hernández Romero Pablo César , Von Thaden Ugalde Juan J. , Muench Carlos E. , Magaña Rodríguez Diego , del Coro Arizmendi María , Botello Francisco , Prieto-Torres David A. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractUrban expansion has emerged as a pervasive driver of biodiversity loss in Mexican cities due to shifts in landscape composition and configuration. Hence, the preservation of forest cover, green spaces and isolated trees assume a critical role in conserving the biodiversity within urban areas. We compared mammal assemblages across 520 sites in Mexico City examining the impact of local vegetation and site characteristics (e.g., patch size, isolation distance) on diversity patterns. Then, we used a generalized linear model to evaluate the relationship between mammal assemblages (including both alpha and beta diversities) and the level of structural and functional connectivity across the landscape. We collected 5,063 records of 38 species from the sampled sites. Mammalian richness ranged from 1 to 9 spp./site, and the mean of taxonomic and functional (Functional Distance [MFD]) alpha diversities were 1.9 ± 1.3 spp./site and 0.41 ± 0.60 MFD/site, respectively. The average size of habitat fragments was 0.41 hectares, and the percent forest cover per site ranged from 0.5 to 100%. Both species and functional alpha diversities were different among the land-use and vegetation types (including protected vs. non-protected areas). There was a clear distinction (β value > 0.40) in species composition across the landscape, which was positively related to geographical distance and negatively related to connectivity between sites. We identified four main patches especially important to connectivity across the city and argue that conserving them is critical for restoring key components of biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban and peri-urban areas of Mexico City.
Gamma Irradiated Pasteurella multocida Vaccine induces strong humoral immunity and protects rabbits from disease
Authors: Ahmed Sahar , Nemr Waleed Abdelgaber , El-Shershaby Asmaa , Fouad Ehab Ali Mohamed , Mahmoud Mohamed Abd El-Fatah , Liaqat Fatima , Wijewardana Viskam , Unger Hermann 
Published: May 2024

AbstractPasteurella multocida is affecting a multitude of animals and severely affects livestock production. Existing vaccines are mostly chemically inactivated and do not lead to wide protection. Irradiated vaccines are enjoying a renaissance and the concept of “replication defficient but metabolically active” vaccines was recently evaluated in several vaccine trials. P. multocida was isolated from the nasal swab, blood, and lung swab samples from infected rabbits. Gamma irradiation of P. multocida for inhibition of replication was evaluated at an optimized irradiation dose of 10 Kgy established. Four groups of rabbits were (mock) vaccinated with a commercial P. multocida vaccine and three irradiated formulations as liquid, lyophilized formulations with added Trehalose and lyophilized-Trehalose with an “activation” culturing the irradiated bacteria for 24 in broth. Evaluation of humoral immune response by ELISA showed that all three irradiated vaccines produced an effective, protective, and continued IgG serum level after vaccination and bacterial challenge. The IFN-γ expression is maintained at a normal level, within each individual group however, the lyophilized trehalose irradiated vaccine showed peak mean of IFN-γ titer at one week after booster dose (day 21) which was statistically significant. Cumulatively, the results of this study show that gamma-irradiated P. multocida vaccines are safe and protect rabbits against disease. Moreover, Rabbits’ immunization with the three irradiated formulations avoided adverse side effects as compared to commercial polyvalent vaccine, the body weight gain for the irradiated vaccine groups indicates less stress compared to the commercial polyvalent vaccine.
Finite element analysis of a new preoperative traction for cervical kyphosis: suspensory traction
Authors: Chen Hongyu , Wu Tianchi , Pan Shengfa , Zhang Li , Zhao Yanbin , Chen Xin , Sun Yu , Lu William W. , Zhou Feifei 
Published: May 2024

AbstractA finite element model of cervical kyphosis was established to analyze the stress of cervical spine under suspensory traction and to explore the mechanism and effect of it. A patient with typical cervical kyphosis (C2-C5) underwent CT scan imaging, and 3D slicer was used to reconstruct the C2 to T2 vertebral bodies. The reconstructed data was imported into Hypermesh 2020 and Abaqus 2017 for meshing and finite element analysis. The changes of the kyphotic angle and the von Mises stress on the annulus fibrosus of each intervertebral disc and ligaments were analyzed under suspensory traction conditions. With the increase of suspensory traction weight, the overall kyphosis of cervical spine showed a decreasing trend. The correction of kyphosis was mainly contributed by the change of kyphotic segments. The kyphotic angle of C2-C5 was corrected from 45° to 13° finally. In cervical intervertebral discs, the stress was concentrated to anterior and posterior part, except for C4-5. The stress of the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) decreased from the rostral to the caudal, and the high level von Mises stress of the kyphotic segments appeared at C2-C3, C3-C4, and C4-C5. The roles of the other ligaments were not obvious. The kyphotic angle was significantly reduced by the suspensory traction. Shear effect due to the high von Mises stress in the anterior and posterior parts of annulus fibrosus and the tension on the anterior longitudinal ligament play a role in the correction of cervical kyphosis.
Graphical Abstract
Software and hardware realizations for different designs of chaos-based secret image sharing systems
Authors: Sharobim Bishoy K. , Hosam Muhammad , Abd-El-Hafiz Salwa K. , Sayed Wafaa S. , Said Lobna A. , Radwan Ahmed G. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSecret image sharing (SIS) conveys a secret image to mutually suspicious receivers by sending meaningless shares to the participants, and all shares must be present to recover the secret. This paper proposes and compares three systems for secret sharing, where a visual cryptography system is designed with a fast recovery scheme as the backbone for all systems. Then, an SIS system is introduced for sharing any type of image, where it improves security using the Lorenz chaotic system as the source of randomness and the generalized Arnold transform as a permutation module. The second SIS system further enhances security and robustness by utilizing SHA-256 and RSA cryptosystem. The presented architectures are implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA) to enhance computational efficiency and facilitate real-time processing. Detailed experimental results and comparisons between the software and hardware realizations are presented. Security analysis and comparisons with related literature are also introduced with good results, including statistical tests, differential attack measures, robustness tests against noise and crop attacks, key sensitivity tests, and performance analysis.
Sozio-emotionale Schulerfahrungen von Schüler:innen – Theoretische Grundlagen, methodische Herausforderungen und empirische Befunde
Authors: Schlesier Juliane , Raufelder Diana 
Published: May 2024

ZusammenfassungSoziale Interaktionen und Beziehungen im Schulkontext sind nicht nur einer der wichtigsten Bausteine für gelingende Lehr‑/Lernprozesse, sondern auch zentral für eine gesunde Entwicklung von Schüler:innen. Mit diesen Beziehungen verwoben sind Emotionen von Schüler:innen, welche ebenfalls eng mit dem schulischen Erfolg zusammenhängen und die das Erleben der individuellen Schulrealität maßgeblich prägen. Daher gibt der folgende Stichwortbeitrag einen Überblick über theoretische Grundlagen, methodische Herausforderungen und aktuelle empirische Befunde zu (a) emotionalen Schulerfahrungen, (b) sozialen Beziehungen von Schüler:innen mit Lehrkräften und Peers, (c) der Integration sozialer und emotionaler Schulerfahrungen im Konstrukt des schulischen Wohlbefindens sowie (d) evidenzbasierte schulpraktische Gelingensbedingungen für positive soziale und emotionale Schulerfahrungen von Schüler:innen. Dabei steht vor allem auch die Frage im Fokus, wie man die in der Forschung bislang vorwiegend isoliert betrachteten Konstrukte zukünftig besser miteinander verknüpfen kann. Dazu führen wir nach der Einleitung im zweiten Kapitel zunächst in den Themenkomplex der emotionalen Schulerfahrungen ein und beleuchten dabei insbesondere die Genese und Regulationsprozesse von Emotionen im Unterricht. Anschließend stehen die sozialen Schulerfahrungen von Kindern und Jugendlichen und dabei vor allem die Komplexität des Beziehungsgeflechts und die sich daraus ableitenden theoretischen und empirischen Desiderata im Fokus. Im Weiteren wird das Konstrukt des schulischen Wohlbefindens vorgestellt und aufgezeigt, inwiefern sowohl emotionale als auch soziale Schulerfahrungen darin integriert sind. Wie sozio-emotionale Erfahrungen im Schulkontext gefördert werden können, wird im darauffolgenden dritten Kapitel thematisiert. Abschließend wird in einem Fazit erörtert, wie sozio-emotionale Schulerfahrungen zukünftig in der Forschung durch das Zusammenführen der beiden Forschungsstränge und -traditionen stärker als verwobene Entitäten gefasst werden können.
Effectiveness of dietetic care for cancer survivors in the primary care setting: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Authors: Ryding Henriette G. , Mitchell Lana J. , Rigby Roshan R. , Ball Lauren , Hobby Julie , Williams Lauren T. 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Nutrition plays an important role in cancer survivorship. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to critically assess and quantify the effectiveness of nutrition care interventions provided by dietitians to survivors who have completed treatment for cancer.

Methods
A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2004 to November 2023 reporting the effectiveness of primary care dietetic interventions with adult cancer survivors was conducted. PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Embase, ProQuest and PsycINFO databases were searched for key terms. Meta-analyses were conducted where there were sufficient studies of the same cancer type and outcomes.

Results
Twelve RCTs representing 1138 cancer survivors (519 breast cancer; 75 prostate cancer; 544 colorectal cancer) were included. Primary outcome measures included weight loss (n = 6), quality of life (n = 2), reducing lymphedema-related arm volume (n = 2), nutritional status (n = 1) and increasing fruit and vegetable intake (n = 1). Weight loss was observed in studies where this was the primary outcome. Results for quality of life varied. Meta-analyses of RCTs with breast cancer survivors showed that dietitian intervention achieved a mean of 3.7 kg greater intentional weight loss and 2.3% greater body fat decrease than control (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions
This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of primary care dietetic interventions by dietitians with cancer survivors, particularly with respect to intentional weight and fat loss in breast cancer survivors.

Implications for cancer survivors
Dietitians can play a key role in managing weight and improving long term health outcomes and prognosis for cancer survivors beyond the acute care setting.
Perceptions on the Ethical and Legal Principles that Influence Global Brain Data Governance
Authors: Ochang Paschal , Eke Damian , Stahl Bernd Carsten 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAdvances in neuroscience and other disciplines are producing large-scale brain data consisting of datasets from multiple organisms, disciplines, and jurisdictions in different formats. However, due to the lack of an international data governance framework brain data is currently being produced under various contextual ethical and legal principles which may influence key stakeholders involved in the generation, collection, processing and sharing of brain data thereby raising ethical and legal challenges. In addition, despite the demand for a brain data governance framework that accounts for culture, there is a gap in empirical research and actions to understand how key stakeholders around the world view these issues using neuroscientists who are affected by these ethical and legal principles. Therefore, using the research question how do ethical and legal principles influence data governance in neuroscience? we attempt to understand the perceptions of key actors on the principles, issues and concerns that can arise from brain data research. We carried out interviews with 21 leading international neuroscientists. The analytical insights revealed key ethical and legal principles, areas of convergence, visibility, and the contextual issues and concerns that arise in brain data research around these principles. These issues and concerns circulate around intimately connected areas which include ethics, human rights, regulations, policies and guidelines, and participatory governance. Also, key contextual insights around animal research and ethics were identified. The research identifies key principles, issues, and concerns that need to be addressed in advancing the development of a framework for global brain data governance. By presenting contextual insights from neuroscientists across regions, the study contributes to informing discussions and shaping policies aimed at promoting responsible and ethical practices in brain data research. The research answers the call for a cross cultural study of global brain data governance and the results of the study will assist in understanding the issues and concerns that arise in brain data governance.
Development and Validation of SCACOMS, a Composite Scale for Assessing Disease Progression and Treatment Effects in Spinocerebellar Ataxia
Authors: L’Italien Gilbert , Popoff Evan , Rogula Basia , Powell Lauren , Potashman Michele , Dickson Sam , O’Keefe Patrick , Beiner Melissa , Coric Vlad , Perlman Susan , Schmahmann Jeremy D. , Hendrix Suzanne 
Published: May 2024

AbstractSpinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are rare inherited neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a progressive impairment of gait, balance, limb coordination, and speech. There is currently no composite scale that includes multiple aspects of the SCA experience to assess disease progression and treatment effects. Applying the method of partial least squares (PLS) regression, we developed the Spinocerebellar Ataxia Composite Scale (SCACOMS) from two SCA natural history datasets (NCT01060371, NCT02440763). PLS regression selected items based on their ability to detect clinical decline, with optimized weights based on the item’s degree of progression. Following model validation, SCACOMS was leveraged to examine disease progression and treatment effects in a 48-week SCA clinical trial cohort (NCT03701399). Items from the Clinical Global Impression—Global Improvement Scale (CGI-I), the Friedreich Ataxia Rating Scale (FARS) – functional stage, and the Modified Functional Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (f-SARA) were objectively selected with weightings based on their sensitivity to clinical decline. The resulting SCACOMS exhibited improved sensitivity to disease progression and greater treatment effects (compared to the original scales from which they were derived) in a 48-week clinical trial of a novel therapeutic agent. The trial analyses also provided a SCACOMS-derived estimate of the temporal delay in SCA disease progression. SCACOMS is a useful composite measure, effectively capturing disease progression and highlighting treatment effects in patients with SCA. SCACOMS will be a powerful tool in future studies given its sensitivity to clinical decline and ability to detect a meaningful clinical impact of disease-modifying treatments.
Smartphone Use and Mindfulness: Empirical Tests of a Hypothesized Connection
Authors: Woodlief Darren , Taylor Stephen G. , Fuller Morgan , Malone Patrick S. , Zarrett Nicole 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Objectives
Previous research has shown the capacity for mindfulness to be strongly associated with psychological well-being, that components of mindfulness show significant growth through young adulthood, and that this developing, malleable capacity is vital as individuals learn to deal appropriately with negative thoughts and unwelcome emotions. Smartphones, typically used in an automatic or experientially avoidant way, can undermine this development, leading to a decreased capacity for mindfulness. The purpose of these studies were to examine the extent to which smartphone use is negatively associated with young adults’ mindfulness and the degree to which increased cognitive and behavioral involvement with smartphones may exacerbate this relation using a newly developed conceptual model.

Method
Study 1 was conducted using self-report measures of mindfulness among a cross-sectional sample of university students aged 18–20 years (n = 668). Study 2 augmented Study 1 using objective measures of smartphone screen time and the cognitive regulatory components of mindfulness in a planned missingness design.

Results
Results indicate smartphone involvement (a compulsive pattern of use and cognitive preoccupation with one’s smartphone) to be significantly associated with lower trait mindfulness. Additionally, exploratory analysis of smartphone involvement as a mediator of the effect of smartphone use on mindfulness demonstrated a significant estimated indirect effect.

Conclusion
These results provide preliminary empirical support for the newly proposed conceptual model which posits associations between mindfulness and the use of smartphones in a cognitively and behaviorally involved way.

Preregistration
This study is not preregistered.