bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Basic Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brazil: Education That Suits Capital
Authors: Previtali Fabiane Santana , Fagiani Cílson César 
Published: August 2023

In Brazil in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bolsonaro administration further solidified its neoliberal policies of dismantling public services while imposing denialism and antiscientism in fighting the virus, imposing new forms of subjection on the working class. Public basic education, which accounts for around 80 percent of enrollments of children and young people and employs approximately 1,700,000 teachers, was part of this scenario. In 2020, as a result of social isolation, teachers were forced to reinvent themselves for remote teaching without any emphasis on their working conditions. In 2021, education entrepreneurs and the authorities demanded a return to in-person learning despite an increase in COVID-19 cases, shedding light on the true interests of capital. No Brasil, o Governo Bolsonaro, ao longo dos anos 2020 e 2021, no auge da pandemia da COVID-19, aprofundou as políticas neoliberais de desmoste dos serviços públicos, além de ter imposto o negacionismo e o anti-cientificismo no combate ao vírus, penalizando drasticamente a classe que vive do trabalho e impingindo-lhe novas formas de sujeição. A educação básica pública, que responde por cerca de 80% das matrículas de crianças e jovens e emprega aproximadamente 1.700.000 professores, não ficou alheia a esse cenário. Em 2020, em função do isolamento social, os professores foram obrigados a se reiventar para o ensino remoto e o teletrabalho sem atenção às condições laborais. Em 2021, empresários da educação e poder público passaram a exigir o retorno às aulas presenciais mesmo diante do aumento dos casos de COVID-19, lançando luzes sob os reais interesses do capital.
RIM Nylon Foam
Authors: Penny M.T. 
Published: August 2023

In light of the growing interest interaction injection moulding process, a research project was undertaken at Rapra Technology Limited to investigate the possibility of manufacturing nylon foam products by this means. The main part of the research concentrated on the selection of a suitable blowing agent and included studies on the use of chemical agents and aprotic liquids. The later approach appeared to be the most promising: ethyl benzene, for example, gave foams with densities from 0.3 to 1.0 mg/m3. Trials were also undertaken on the suitability of phtholocyanine blue and cadmium yellow as pigments for the foams.
Tailor Made Polyester Polyurethane Elastomers for Shoe Soling
Authors: Schwab J. , Bagaglio G.C. , Bentley J.M. , Christfreund A. 
Published: August 2023

The production of shoe soles using cellular polyurethane elastomers on an industrial scale has been in progress for almost 20 years. Now, polyurethane shoe-soling systems are used not only for house and town shoes but also for work and safety boots as well as sport and leisure shoes. With the development of dual-density technology a large number of polyurethane soling systems are offered today. Further progress depends on improvements to processability and certain properties. This publication gives details of those in polyester-based systems. Developments reported in this paper include: • a new prepolymer, PBA 2224, with improved resistance to freezing • a new range of polyester polyols with improved storage stability that remain processable for more than 6 days under machine recirculation conditions at 45°C • a new range of polyesters that allows greater mixing ratio latitude • special, tailor-made polyesters and prepolymers optimised for special applications such as systems with improved – humid-ageing resistance – flexlife at low temperatures – light stability – particularly of white-coloured shoe-soling systems Such developments have led to an improved robustness in processing which, the authors postulate, should lead to an increase in market demand for polyurethanes as shoe-soling materials.
The Surface Coating of Polyurethane Substrates, Part 3: Some Properties of Polyurethane Surfaces and Interfaces
Authors: Heath R.J. , Bidari K. 
Published: August 2023

The adhesion properties developed between a PU substrate coated with a PU-based paint are normally excellent. However, the industrial tendency to readily accept such adhesion without relating it to the theories of surface and interfacial science, means that commercial systems often will underperform. In a long research programme, attempts have been made to identify and quantify the order and magnitude of interfacial properties of coated PU substrates used commercially: some of this work is reported here. The approach was to produce conditions that would ‘age’ a substrate in some appropriate way. It was hoped this would allow the isolation of particular interfacial phenomena: this has had some success. Electron microscopy and spectro-analysis of PU/PU surfaces and interfaces were used, although x-ray photospectrometry (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) techniques need to be refined for the molecular subtlies of joined PU systems. Research provided some predictions as to the types of bond and their strengths that may be expected for particular PU/PU systems. Such predictions made with some free interpretation of test findings, married together current interfacial theories. With a ‘well-made’ post coated product there will be expectations of most interfacial bonding types contributing to the total adhesive properties, although electrical double layer effects are a matter of debate. With in-mould coated systems there are indications that chemisorption may occur along with every other interfacial effect, especially with two-pack and possibly with one-pack paints.
Progress in the Reduction and Elimination of the Use of CFCs in Rigid Polyurethane Foam
Authors: Jeffs G.M.F. , Sparrow D.J. 
Published: August 2023

There is a growing consensus that CFCs will be phased out by the year 2000. Finding other ways of blowing polyurethane foams whilst retaining their excellent insulation properties is the major technical challenge currently facing the polyurethanes industry. The most promising technical solution to date is the replacement of CFC 11, the principal blowing agent for rigid polyurethane foams, by either HFA 123 or HFA 141b. Both are proving to be viable alternatives.Significant progress has already been made in reducing substantially the amount of CFC 11 needed for foam manufacture by using a dual-blowing approach – up to 50% of CFC 11 is replaced by an equimolar amount of carbon dioxide. This has been achieved by systems optimisation without compromising insulation values or other properties. Such systems are in production in the appliance industry in Western Europe and are now being commercialised in the USA and Far East. Similar technology has been developed for panels and laminates in the construction industry and systems are now being commercialised.A variety of options to replace CFC 11 totally is under investigation. Complete blowing with carbon dioxide has several drawbacks, but has to be given further consideration. The development of a wider range of air-impermeable facing materials to eliminate rapid λ-value ageing is seen as a key technical requirement.However, hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) products are seen increasingly by the polyurethanes industry as the most viable alternatives for polyurethane foam blowing. HFA 123 and HFA 141b have greatly reduced capabilities for ozone depletion and their global warming potentials are also significantly less than CFC 11. Since toxicity testing is not yet complete, commercial production of either product is unable to start before 1993, given the most optimistic progress. Short-term solutions are being developed for some markets before these alternatives are introduced, but availability of at least one of these HFAs is considered to be essential for polyurethane foam manufacture over a 30 to 40 year timescale.
Progress in Reducing CFCs in Polyurethane Foams
Authors: Mann M. , Weigand E. 
Published: August 2023

This paper reports on recent developments pertaining to a reduction in CFC usage and an eventual phase out of CFCs in PU foams. For some integral skin foam applications it has been possible to introduce new solutions into the market that do not require a physical blowing agent at all. In other cases, predominantly in the rigid PU foam field, HCFCs with an acceptable compromise between their effects on the environment and the resulting k-factors of the foams are still our best bet for a quick and responsible phase out of the fully halogenated CFCs. In some cases the complete phase-out of CFCs will have to wait for the completion of toxicological and ecotoxicological tests and subsequent commercial availability of newly developed alternatives, e.g. HCFC 123. This may be as late as 1994/95. Benefitsand limitations of other blowing agents, especially for rigid PU-foams are discussed as well.
Novel Rigid Polyurethane Foam Systems in Support of CFC Reduction/Elimination and Energy Conservation Standards
Authors: Jeffs G.M.F. , Rosbotham I.D. , Thomas A.K. 
Published: August 2023

The U.S. domestic refrigerator appliance industry is currently facing two challenges. It has to reduce its use of CFC's, including CFC-11, which endows the insulating foam used in the appliances with excellent energy saving properties whilst it has to meet increasingly stringent energy standards culminating in the 1993 D.O.E. measures. Significant reductions in CFC-11 use without any change in energy consumption can be achieved with novel foam systems which are now in commercial use. Systems have also been developed, and are undergoing application testing, where the CFC-11 is replaced by either HFA 123 or HFA 141b. Similar thermal conductivities are achieved to those for systems based on CFC-11. The options available to help meet the 1993 DOE standards are discussed. These include increased wall thickness and the incorporation of vacuum panels. The characteristics of optimised foam systems for use in these options are presented.
Dietary Patterns and Physical Activity Levels Among People With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Rashid Thamina , Afnan Badder Hina , Baloch Akhter Ali , Mughal Saba , Hasan Mohammad , Khan Muhammad Umar 
Published: August 2023

Objective: The aim of our study was to assess the association of eating habits with the dietary patterns of people with diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at National Institute of Diabetes and Endocrinology (NIDE), Dow University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. A total 301 patients aged >18 with type 2 diabetes came to Outpatient department were recruited. Structured questionnaire was used to assess general characteristics, Anthropometric measurements, biochemical markers, and dietary intake. Results: A total of 301 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in this study. The average age of patients was 51.6 (SD ± 11.1) years which ranged from 21 to 80 years whereas the average BMI was 27.2 kg / m2 (SD ± 5.6). Overall, 42% of patients were found to often have less than 1 serving of fruit, and 45% had less than 3 servings of vegetables daily. Of all, 77 (26%) patients often distributed carbohydrates all over the day. Results revealed that HbA1c was higher in those patients who took more than 3 roti (approximately each roti weight 60-80 g) ( P-value < .001) and full plate rice approximately 300 to 355 g cooked weight in a whole day ( P-value < .001) as compared to those patients whose intake of roti was 3 or less than 3 and rice was a half plate. Moreover, out of 301 patients, 102 were found physically active (52% females and 48% males), while 199 were not active. Pain in legs and lack of motivation were common barrier to physical activity. Conclusion: Our study revealed that patients’ fruits and vegetable intake was not optimum, diet was not balanced and the quantity of starchy carbohydrates was not controlled which may affect their HBA1C levels. Proper counseling and awareness about the importance of a balanced diet and portion control in diabetes are needed.
Risk Factors and Population-Attributable Fractions for Incident Hip Osteoarthritis
Authors: Runhaar Jos , van Berkel Annemaria C. , Agricola Rintje , van Meurs Joyce , Bierma-Zeinstra Sita M. A. 
Published: August 2023

Background: Despite the huge burden of hip osteoarthritis (OA) and the lack of effective treatment, research into the primary prevention of hip OA is in its infancy. Purpose: We sought to evaluate risk factors for incident clinical and incident radiographic hip OA among middle-aged and older adults, to evaluate the importance of risk factors from a preventive perspective, and to estimate the percentage of new cases attributable to these risk factors. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from the Rotterdam study, an open-population cohort study of individuals aged 55 years or older. Data including baseline age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, education level, diagnosis of diabetes, C-reactive protein (CRP), cam morphology, acetabular dysplasia, radiographic thumb OA, radiographic hip OA, and hip pain were assessed for their association with incident clinical hip OA and incident radiographic hip OA separately, after 11 years of follow-up. The population-attributable fractions (PAFs) of statistically significant modifiable risk factors were calculated, as well. Results: New onset of clinical hip OA was seen in 19.9% (544 of 2729) and incident radiographic hip OA in 9.9% (329 of 3309). Female sex, education level below average (PAF 21.4%), and radiographic hip OA (PAF 3.4%) were statistically significantly associated with incident clinical hip OA. Female sex, age, overweight (PAF 20.0%), cam morphology (PAF 7.9%), acetabular dysplasia (PAF 3.6%), and radiographic thumb OA (PAF 4.7%) were statistically significantly associated with radiographic hip OA. Conclusions: Our retrospective analysis suggests that, from a primary prevention perspective, the most important modifiable risk factors among middle-aged and older individuals may be low educational level for incident clinical hip OA and overweight for incident radiographic hip OA. Further study is warranted.
Plate fixation versus flexible intramedullary nails for management of closed femoral shaft fractures in the pediatric population: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the adverse outcomes
Authors: Singh Abhinav , Bierrum William , Wormald Justin , Ramachandran Manoj , Firth Gregory , Eastwood Deborah 
Published: August 2023

Purpose: Fractures of the femoral diaphysis are associated with a risk of morbidity in children. Various fixation methods have been developed, but with only limited evidence to support their use. This systematic review assesses the evidence regarding clinical outcomes of closed femoral diaphyseal fractures in children treated with plate fixation or flexible intramedullary nails. Methods: A PROSPERO-registered, PRISMA-compliant systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science (WoS) databases were searched from inception to February 2023. Inclusion criteria included clinical studies reporting adverse outcomes following surgical treatment of pediatric closed femoral diaphyseal fractures using plate fixation and flexible intramedullary nails. The ROBINS-I and RoB 2 tools evaluated the risk of bias. Results: Thirteen papers (2 prospective randomized controlled trials and 11 retrospective cohorts) reported 805 closed diaphyseal femoral fractures in 801 children (559 males, 242 females). There were 360 plate fixations and 445 flexible intramedullary nails. Two cases of osteomyelitis and one nonunion were reported. Meta-analysis showed that plate fixation had a lower risk of soft tissue infection (relative risk 0.26 (95% confidence interval 0.07–0.92)). There was no difference in the following outcomes: malunion (relative risk 0.68 (95% confidence interval 0.32–1.44)); unplanned reoperation (relative risk 0.59 (95% confidence interval 0.31–1.14)), and leg-length difference (relative risk 1.58 (95% confidence interval 0.66–3.77)). The risk of bias was high in all studies. Conclusions: An analysis of 805 fractures with minimal differences in meta-analyses is considered high quality even when the quality of the evidence is low. The findings are limited by important flaws in the methodology in the published literature. Well-designed multicentre prospective studies using standardized core outcomes are required to advise treatment recommendations. Level of evidence: III.
Optimizing the predictive power of depression screenings using machine learning
Authors: Terhorst Yannik , Sander Lasse B , Ebert David D , Baumeister Harald 
Published: August 2023

Objective Mental health self-report and clinician-rating scales with diagnoses defined by sum-score cut-offs are often used for depression screening. This study investigates whether machine learning (ML) can detect major depressive episodes (MDE) based on screening scales with higher accuracy than best-practice clinical sum-score approaches. Methods Primary data was obtained from two RCTs on the treatment of depression. Ground truth were DSM 5 MDE diagnoses based on structured clinical interviews (SCID) and PHQ-9 self-report, clinician-rated QIDS-16, and HAM-D-17 were predictors. ML models were trained using 10-fold cross-validation. Performance was compared against best-practice sum-score cut-offs. Primary outcome was the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve. DeLong's test with bootstrapping was used to test for differences in AUC. Secondary outcomes were balanced accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and number needed to diagnose (NND). Results A total of k = 1030 diagnoses (no diagnosis: k = 775; MDE: k = 255) were included. ML models achieved an AUCQIDS-16 = 0.94, AUCHAM-D-17 = 0.88, and AUCPHQ-9 = 0.83 in the testing set. ML AUC was significantly higher than sum-score cut-offs for QIDS-16 and PHQ-9 ( ps ≤ 0.01; HAM_D-17: p = 0.847). Applying optimal prediction thresholds, QIDS-16 classifier achieved clinically relevant improvements (Δbalanced accuracy = 8%, ΔF1-score = 14%, ΔNND = 21%). Differences for PHQ_9 and HAM-D-17 were marginal. Conclusions ML augmented depression screenings could potentially make a major contribution to improving MDE diagnosis depending on questionnaire (e.g., QIDS-16). Confirmatory studies are needed before ML enhanced screening can be implemented into routine care practice.
Nanometric Cutting Mechanism of Cerium–Lanthanum Alloy
Authors: Zhao Chenyu , Lai Min , Fang Fengzhou 
Published: August 2023

AbstractCerium–lanthanum alloy is widely used in the green energy industry, and the nanoscale smooth surface of this material is in demand. Nanometric cutting is an effective approach to achieving the ultra-precision machining surface. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is usually used to reveal the atomic-scale details of the material removal mechanism in nanometric cutting. In this study, the effects of cutting speed and undeformed chip thickness (UCT) on cutting force and subsurface deformation of the cerium–lanthanum alloy during nanometric cutting are analyzed through MD simulation. The results illustrate that the dislocations, stacking faults, and phase transitions occur in the subsurface during cutting. The dislocations are mainly Shockley partial dislocation, and the increase of temperature and pressure during the cutting process leads to the phase transformation of γ-Ce (FCC) into β-Ce (HCP) and δ-Ce (BCC). β-Ce is mainly distributed in the stacking fault area, while δ-Ce is distributed in the boundary area between the dislocation atoms and γ-Ce atoms. The cutting speed and UCT affect the distribution of subsurface damage. A thicker deformed layer including dislocations, stacking faults and phase-transformation atoms on the machined surface is generated with the increase in the cutting speed and UCT. Simultaneously, the cutting speed and UCT significantly affect the cutting force, material removal rate, and generated subsurface state. The fluctuations in the cutting force are related to the generation and disappearance of dislocations. This research first studied the nanometric cutting mechanism of the cerium–lanthanum ally, providing a theoretical basis for the development of ultra-precision machining techniques of these materials.
Cutaneous allodynia as predictor for treatment response in chronic migraine: a cohort study
Authors: Pijpers Judith A. , Kies Dennis A. , van Zwet Erik W. , de Boer Irene , Terwindt Gisela M. 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Central sensitisation is an important mechanism in migraine chronification. It is presumed to occur in second and third order neurons sequentially, resulting in an analogous spatial distribution of cutaneous allodynia with cephalic and extracephalic symptoms. We investigated whether allodynia, and its subtypes based on spatial distribution and type of stimulus, predict response to treatment in chronic migraine patients.

Methods
This study was conducted as part of the CHARM study (NTR3440), a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in chronic migraine patients with medication overuse. We included 173 patients. The presence of cutaneous allodynia at baseline was established with the Allodynia Symptom Checklist. Primary endpoint was reversion from chronic to episodic migraine.

Results
Of all patients, 74.6% reported cutaneous allodynia. Absence of allodynia compared to presence of allodynia was predictive for reversion from chronic to episodic migraine, odds ratio (OR): 2.45 (95% CI: 1.03–5.84), p = 0.042. The predictive value was more pronounced when subdivided for spatial distribution, for participants without allodynia versus cephalic (OR: 4.16 (95% CI: 1.21–14.30), p = 0.024) and extracephalic (OR: 7.32 (95% CI: 1.98- 27.11), p = 0.003) allodynia. Mechanical, but not thermal, allodynia, was associated with outcome.

Conclusions
Cutaneous allodynia, an important marker for central sensitization, likely has predictive value for treatment response in chronic migraine.

Graphical Abstract
Gut microbiome causal impacts on the prognosis of breast cancer: a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Hong Weimin , Huang Guoxin , Wang Danhong , Xu Yadan , Qiu Jie , Pei Bin , Qian Da , Meng Xuli 
Published: August 2023

Abstract
Background
Growing evidence has shown that gut microbiome composition is associated with breast cancer (BC), but the causality remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the link between BC prognosis and the gut microbiome at various oestrogen receptor (ER) statuses.

Methods
We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to analyse the gut microbiome of BC patients, the dataset for which was collected by the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). The analysis was executed mainly via inverse variance weighting (IVW); the Mendelian randomization (MR) results were verified by heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, and pleiotropy analysis.

Results
Our findings identified nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and total BC cases, with ten and nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and ER-negative (ER-) and ER-positive (ER+) BC, respectively. The family Ruminococcaceae and genus Parabacteroides were most apparent among the three categories. Moreover, the genus Desulfovibrio was expressed in ER- BC and total BC, whereas the genera Sellimonas, Adlercreutzia and Rikenellaceae appeared in the relationship between ER + BC and total BC.

Conclusion
Our MR inquiry confirmed that the gut microbiota is causally related to BC. This further explains the link between specific bacteria for prognosis of BC at different ER statuses. Considering that potential weak instrument bias impacts the findings and that the results are limited to European females due to data constraints, further validation is crucial.