bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of the informal sector in waste sorting, collection, and recycling in Tan An City, Long An
Authors: Thi Thanh Duong , Thi Le Lien Nguyen , Cong Chinh Duong , Thi Long Trinh , Nguyen Hoang Giang Vu 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Despite efforts to adopt at-source waste separation, Tan An city’s solid waste management is under strain due to a lack of infrastructure. The demand of the scrap recycling market has resulted in the forming of a network of informal scrap trading establishments everywhere. Informal garbage workers efficiently collect (pick, buy) scraps from homes, grocery stores, businesses, workplaces, schools, parks, dump sites, and landfills. This boosts waste segregation at the source. Therefore, in Tan An city, most households separate recyclables for sale to informal waste workers. According to survey results, there are approximately 247 informal waste workers in Tan An City engaged in recyclables collection at a daily average rate of 69.66 kilograms per person. Thus, the total quantity of recyclables collected by this sector is approximately 17,260 kg per day, contributing to the daily diversion of 11.4% of waste from landfills. It helps that the annual savings to the city are estimated at VND 2.75 billion for waste collection and transportation and VND 2.47 billion for waste treatment. It also contributes to the creation of jobs, and the reduction of plastic emissions into the ocean because approximately 28.39% of recyclables are plastic waste, and the reduction of approximately 3.076 tons of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere if this amount of waste is transported to a landfill. This study could initiate further research to find a way to introduce modern initiatives that aim to improve working conditions and the environmental impact of the informal sector and include the informal sector into the EPR scheme as their integration is related to social, labor, health, economic, and other issues.
Feed Forward Modeling: an efficient approach for mathematical modeling of the force frequency relationship in the rabbit isolated ventricular myocyte
Authors: Silva Robson Rodrigues da , Motta Gabriel Marcos de Sousa , de Camargo Matheus Leonardo Alves , Goroso Daniel Gustavo , Puglisi e José Luis 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Background and Objective. This study addresses the Force-Frequency relationship, a fundamental characteristic of cardiac muscle influenced by β
1-adrenergic stimulation. This relationship reveals that heart rate (HR) changes at the sinoatrial node lead to alterations in ventricular cell contractility, increasing the force and decreasing relaxation time for higher beat rates. Traditional models lacking this relationship offer an incomplete physiological depiction, impacting the interpretation of in silico experiment results. To improve this, we propose a new mathematical model for ventricular myocytes, named ‘Feed Forward Modeling’ (FFM). Methods. FFM adjusts model parameters like channel conductance and Ca2+ pump affinity according to stimulation frequency, in contrast to fixed parameter values. An empirical sigmoid curve guided the adaptation of each parameter, integrated into a rabbit ventricular cell electromechanical model. Model validation was achieved by comparing simulated data with experimental current–voltage (I-V) curves for L-type Calcium and slow Potassium currents. Results. FFM-enhanced simulations align more closely with physiological behaviors, accurately reflecting inotropic and lusitropic responses. For instance, action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) decreased from 206 ms at 1 Hz to 173 ms at 4 Hz using FFM, contrary to the conventional model, where APD90 increased, limiting high-frequency heartbeats. Peak force also showed an increase with FFM, from 8.5 mN mm−2 at 1 Hz to 11.9 mN mm−2 at 4 Hz, while it barely changed without FFM. Relaxation time at 50% of maximum force (t50) similarly improved, dropping from 114 ms at 1 Hz to 75.9 ms at 4 Hz with FFM, a change not observed without the model. Conclusion. The FFM approach offers computational efficiency, bypassing the need to model all beta-adrenergic pathways, thus facilitating large-scale simulations. The study recommends that frequency change experiments include fractional dosing of isoproterenol to better replicate heart conditions in vivo.
Evaluation of urban low-carbon development efficiency: evidence from 30 cities in China
Authors: Xiang Chenyu , Li Yang , Liu Ning 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
With the acceleration of global urbanization, the issues faced by urban development are becoming increasingly apparent. Some countries and regions have placed less emphasis on low-carbon emissions in the development process and prioritized urban development. However, blindly pursuing rapid urbanization has led to excessive urban carbon emissions, which outweigh the gains. Therefore, based on panel data from 30 cities in China from 2010 to 2019, this study combines the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model and the Malmquist index, taking urban carbon emissions as undesirable outputs, to evaluate urban development efficiency. Through a multidimensional comparative analysis, this study reveals the developmental challenges encountered by various cities. The results show that: statically, the overall urbanization progress of these 30 cities is commendable, but significant fluctuations are observed in the development trend. The mean super-efficiency of cities in the eastern coastal areas is relatively high, whereas other regions exhibit instances of ineffective mean super-efficiency. Dynamically, there are few periods of efficiency improvement during 2010–2019, and there is an imbalance in the sources of efficiency improvement. Shanghai and Hangzhou exhibit the best continuous dynamic improvement status, with small fluctuations in dynamic efficiency, whereas Guiyang has the worst dynamic efficiency improvement status, indicating poor urban development. This study underscores the urgent need for a balanced approach to urban development that incorporates low-carbon initiatives to ensure sustainable progress and mitigate adverse environmental impacts.
Angle-dependent ion-beam etching of RuAl thin films for structuring GHz-frequency electronics
Authors: Hampel Nils Alexander , Seifert Marietta , Leszczynska Barbara , Gemming Thomas 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The ruthenium aluminide (RuAl) alloy is a promising electrode material for wireless surface acoustic wave sensors working under harsh conditions at high temperatures. However, during the structuring of RuAl thin films using ion-beam etching, etched material can redeposit at the edges of the electrodes and form objects, so-called fences, on top of the structured features. These decrease the high-temperature stability and lead to an undesired alteration of the sensor performance. In this work, the angle-dependent ion-beam etching of RuAl thin films was investigated to inhibit the formation of such fence structures. The etch rate was determined as a function of the etching angle between ion-beam and sample surface in a range between 90° and 40°. Furthermore, finger structures with pitches below 500 nm, which are required for devices working in the intended GHz regime, were patterned to study the influence of the etching angle on the profile of the RuAl electrode fingers using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The results show that an etching angle of 50° results in the highest etch rate. For etching angles of 50° and below, the width of the fences is reduced below 10 nm, so they break off during standard resist removal procedures. Such low etching angles lead to shadowed areas on the side of structured features in which unetched material remains. However, this material can be removed by using a two-step etching process combining a 50° step with a 90° step. This process is capable of structuring fence-free trapezoidal-shaped electrode finger profiles. Therefore, the developed process is well suited for the fabrication of high-temperature GHz-frequency RuAl electrodes.
Keeping Teens Safe at a Time of Risk
Authors: Kurz Demie 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Chapter 3 examines the challenges mothers of adolescents face in keeping teens safe while letting go and allowing them more freedoms. Teens want to be out more and doing new things. They have increased access to information and activities, some of which parents consider risky. Mothers negotiate with their teens about where they can go and monitor their teens’ whereabouts as they go places on their own. As they work to keep teens safe, mothers debate with themselves about how to ensure the safety of their teens while not being too controlling or, as one mother said, how not to be “policing my teens all the time.” Mothers with resources are able to move to neighborhoods where they feel their teens will be safer. African American mothers face more challenges in keeping their teens and young adults safe given the possibility of police harassment and violence toward young African American men.
The Long-Term Associations of Perinatal Obesogenic Environment with Offspring Biological Aging
Authors: Shapiro Ilona , Youssim Iaroslav , Israel Salomon , Friedlander Yechiel , Hochner Hagit 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Biological age (BA), reflecting aging-related health decline beyond chronological age, varies among individuals. While previous research explored associations of maternal pregnancy-related body size with offspring health outcomes, its implications for BA in young adults remain unclear. Utilizing longitudinal data of 1,148 mother-offspring pairs from the Jerusalem Perinatal Study, we analyzed associations of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) with offspring Klemera-Doubal method (KDM)-based BA at age 32, and potential familial life-course underlying mechanisms. Maternal pregnancy-related body size, adjusted for sociodemographic/lifestyle factors was associated with offspring BA (βmaternal pre-pregnancy BMI=0.183,95%CI:0.098,0.267;βGWG=0.093,95%CI:0.021,0.165). Association of GWG with BA was largely direct (90%,95%CI,44%,100%), while association with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was partially mediated through adolescent BMI (36%,95%CI=18%,75%), with both associations eliminated after adjustment for offspring adult BMI. Associations persisted after adjusting for offspring polygenic risk score for BMI (βmaternal pre-pregnancy BMI=0.128;95%CI=0.023,0.234; βGWG=0.102;95%CI=0.006,0.198), and somewhat altered after adjustment for maternal cardiometabolic conditions (βmaternal pre-pregnancy BMI=0.144,95%CI=0.059, 0.230). Impact on GWG associations was negligible. Thus, perinatal obesogenic environment contributes to offspring BA beyond sociodemographic factors and maternal cardiometabolic history, yet intergenerational transmission of obesity seems to underlie these associations. Nonetheless, the period between adolescence and young adulthood could be targeted for weight-reducing interventions, ultimately promoting healthy aging.
Competitiveness without Competition: The Role of Antitrust Law in the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Authors: Svetlicinii Alexandr 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
The economic integration of the constituent jurisdictions in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) involves an enhanced market connectivity and an asymmetric opening up for trade in goods and services. The development of the GBA presents a unique case study for understanding the role of the competition law and policy in the context of regional economic integration. In contrast to the regulatory experiences of other economic integration projects around the world, such as, for example, the European Union, where harmonization of competition laws and their coordinated enforcement became the norm, the GBA explicitly abandons this approach. The regulatory framework for the GBA development does not envisage common competition rules or policies. Equally, it does not seek to harmonize the existing divergences in competition laws. This article analyses the specifics of the GBA economic integration in the context of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and explains the reasons behind the distinct role of the competition law and policy in this process.
Explanatory Games in International Relations
Authors: Lenine Enzo 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Explanation plays a central role in international relations (IR). However, as different conceptions of explanation inform our conduct of practices in IR inquiry, such centrality is far from being a settled matter in the discipline. These conceptions tend to be subsumed under broad dichotomies—such as explanation vs. understanding, constitutive vs. causal explanation, and positivism vs. interpretivism—which, in turn, generate a sense of a perennially divided discipline, obfuscating in this process the explanatory pluralism that characterises IR research. In this paper, I argue that different approaches to explanation coexist in IR, with different explanatory games being played by scholars in various fields of international inquiry. Explanatory games are characterised by constitutive rules, rules of representation, rules of inference, and rules of scope, all of which provide the basis for tailoring explanations. Scholars play the game that works best for their explanatory puzzles, following a specific set of rules that validate their form of explanation and thus achieve their research goals. Ultimately, explanation in the discipline is inherently plural. Examining this explanatory pluralism, therefore, requires investigating the rules of our explanatory games.
Efficient computation of Katz centrality for very dense networks via negative parameter Katz
Authors: Noferini Vanni , Wood Ryan 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Katz centrality (and its limiting case, eigenvector centrality) is a frequently used tool to measure the importance of a node in a network, and to rank the nodes accordingly. One reason for its popularity is that Katz centrality can be computed very efficiently when the network is sparse, ie having only O(n) edges between its n nodes. While sparsity is common in practice, in some applications one faces the opposite situation of a very dense network, where only O(n) potential edges are missing with respect to a complete graph. We explain why and how, even for very dense networks, it is possible to efficiently compute the ranking stemming from Katz centrality for unweighted graphs, possibly directed and possibly with loops, by working on the complement graph. Our approach also provides an interpretation, regardless of sparsity, of ‘Katz centrality with negative parameter’ as usual Katz centrality on the complement graph. For weighted graphs, we provide instead an approximation method that is based on removing sufficiently many edges from the network (or from its complement), and we give sufficient conditions for this approximation to provide the correct ranking. We include numerical experiments to illustrate the advantages of the proposed approach.
Smad1/5 is acetylated in the dorsal aortae of the mouse embryo before the onset of blood flow, driving early arterial gene expression
Authors: Daems Margo , Ponomarev Ljuba C , Simoes-Faria Rita , Nobis Max , Scheele Colinda L G J , Luttun Aernout , Ghesquière Bart , Zwijsen An , Jones Elizabeth A V 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Aims
During embryonic development, arteriovenous (AV) differentiation ensures proper blood vessel formation and maturation. Defects in arterial or venous identity cause inappropriate fusion of vessels, resulting in atypical shunts, so-called AV malformations (AVMs). Currently, the mechanism behind AVM formation remains unclear, and treatment options are fairly limited. Mammalian AV differentiation is initiated before the onset of blood flow in the embryo; however, this pre-flow mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we aimed to unravel the role of Smad1/5 signalling in pre-flow arterial identity and, in the process, uncovered an unexpected control mechanism of Smad1/5 signalling.

Methods and results
We establish that despite Notch1 being expressed in the pre-flow mouse embryo, it is not activated, nor is it necessary for the expression of the earliest arterial genes in the dorsal aortae (i.e. Hey1 and Gja4). Furthermore, interrupting blood flow by using the Ncx1 KO model completely prevents the activation of Notch1 signalling, suggesting a strong role of shear stress in maintaining arterial identity. We demonstrate that early expression of Hey1 and Gja4 requires SMAD1/5 signalling. Using embryo cultures, we show that Smad1/5 signalling is activated through the Alk1/Alk5/transforming growth factor (TGF)βR2 receptor complex, with TGFβ1 as a necessary ligand. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that early arterial gene expression requires the acetylation of Smad1/5 proteins, rendering them more sensitive to TGFβ1 stimulation. Blocking acetyl-CoA production prevents pre-flow arterial expression of Hey1 and Gja4, while stabilizing acetylation rescues their expression.

Conclusion
Our findings highlight the importance of the acetyl-CoA production in the cell and provide a novel control mechanism of Smad1/5 signalling involving protein acetylation. As disturbed canonical Smad1/5 signalling is involved in several vascular conditions, our results offer new insights in treatment options for circumventing canonical Smad1/5 signalling.
Atrioventricular node ablation and the pathological findings of a refractory ectopic atrial tachycardia in a small infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a case report
Authors: Mori Masayoshi , Ichikawa Chihiro , Matsuyama Taka-aki , Nawa-Hasegawa Risa , Aoki Hisaaki 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

Background
An atrioventricular node (AVN) ablation and permanent pacing have been previously reported as effective treatments for patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias. However single-ventricle patients requiring chronic ventricular pacing are at a higher risk of developing ventricular dysfunction and atrioventricular valve regurgitation. We report a case of successful AVN ablation in a 3-month-old infant with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and ectopic atrial tachycardia (EAT).

Case summary
A boy with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who had a refractory EAT resistant to various medications. At 2 months old, we performed an urgent radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation of the EAT and the applications delivered at the cavo-atrial junction. Although it disappeared after the first catheter ablation for 2 weeks, it recurred on the next day after the diaphragm plication. At 3 months old and weighed 3.1 kg, we decided to perform an urgent AVN ablation of the EAT. The application was performed on the mid-septum of the tricuspid septum. A permanent pacemaker was implanted after the ablation. After the AVN ablation, the haemodynamics stabilized during the EAT. However, he died from a bacteraemia infection at 4 months.

Discussion
This patient received an AVN ablation due to failure to previous RF catheter ablation and was haemodynamically stable with the dual-chamber pacemaker. The AV block was successfully created by RF energy on the mid-septum of the tricuspid annulus in this hypoplastic left heart syndrome patient. Pathological findings exhibited that the compact AVN was totally ablated without damage to the tricuspid leaflets or coronary artery.
Preliminary experience of the isolate left subclavian artery in-situ fenestration during ‘zone 2’ thoracic endovascular aortic repair
Authors: Piffaretti Gabriele , Gaggiano Andrea , Pratesi Giovanni , Tolva Valerio , Pacini Davide , Pulli Raffaele , Trimarchi Santi , Bertoglio Luca , Angiletta Domenico ,   AIDA (Ankura Italian Data Collection) Group, Piffaretti Gabriele , Gaggiano Andrea , Pratesi Giovanni , Tolva Valerio , Pacini Davide , Pulli Raffaele , Trimarchi Santi , Bertoglio Luca , Angiletta Domenico , Franchin Marco , Piacentino Filippo , Ferri Michelangelo , Quaglino Simone , Bastianon Martina , Esposito Davide , Compagnoni Nicola Monzio , De Febis Erika , Di Marco Luca , Murana Giacomo , Fargion Aaron Thomas , Speziali Sara , Lomazzi Chiara , Grassi Viviana , Fulgheri Irene , Bonardelli Stefano , Verrengia Apollonia , Zacà Sergio , De Santis Lucia , Veraldi Gianfranco , Mezzetto Luca , Moniaci Diego , Frigatti Paolo , Scrivere Paola , Dall’Antonia Alberto , Ippoliti Arnaldo , Fazzini Stefano , Tshomba Yamume , Tinelli Giovanni , Porretta Tiziano , Tadiello Marco 
Published: September 2024

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the results of isolated left subclavian artery in-situ fenestration (ISF) during ‘zone 2’ thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) using a new adjustable needle puncturing device system.

METHODS
It is a multicentre, retrospective, physician-initiated cohort study of patients treated from 28 July 2021 to 3 April 2024. Inclusion criteria were isolate left subclavian artery revascularization for elective or urgent/emergent ‘zone 2’ TEVAR. The primary outcome was technical success and freedom from ISF TEVAR-related reintervention or endoleak.

RESULTS
We treated 50 patients: 28 (56.0%) atherosclerotic thoracic aneurysms, 12 (24.0%) type B aortic dissection and 10 (20.0%) penetrating aortic ulcers. Elective intervention was carried out in 46 (92.0%) cases. ISF was successful in all cases, with a procedural primary technical success in 47 (94.0%) cases. The median time of intervention was 184 min (interquartile range 135–220) with a median fenestration time of 20 min (interquartile range 13–35). Operative mortality did not occur. We observed 1 case of spinal cord ischaemia and 2 cases of bilateral posterior non-disabling stroke. Mortality at 30 days occurred in 1 (2.0%) patient (not aorta-related). The median follow-up was 4 months (interquartile range 1–12.25). Bridging stent graft patency was 100% with no ISF-related endoleak. ISF-related reintervention was never required

CONCLUSIONS
ISF TEVAR using the Ankura™-II device with the self-centring adjustable needle system showed high technical success, promising stability and stable aortic-related outcomes. Owing to these results, it represents a safe and effective alternative for standard ‘zone 2’ TEVAR.