bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Does Perceived Nuisance Abundance of Water Plants Match with Willingness-to-Pay for Removal? Contrasts Among Different User Categories
Authors: Vermaat Jan E. , Thiemer Kirstine , Immerzeel Bart , Schneider Susanne C. , Sebola Keneilwe , Coetzee Julie , Petruzzella Antonella , Motitsoe Samuel N. , Baldo Mathieu , Misteli Benjamin , Thiébaut Gabrielle , Hilt Sabine , Köhler Jan , Harpenslager Sarah Faye 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Dense beds of water plants can be perceived as nuisance, but this perception, however, may not be similar for different user categories, and this may affect their willingness-to-pay (WTP) for plant removal. A questionnaire survey was used to test this for residents and visitors and find underlying socio-cultural or economic drivers. We studied five cases where nuisance water plant growth is managed: the rivers Otra (Norway) and Spree (Germany), and the lakes Kemnade (Germany), Grand-Lieu (France), and Hartbeespoort Dam (South Africa). We used a different payment vehicle for residents (annual household tax) and visitors (tourist tax). The survey included questions on days spent on specific types of activity per year, the importance attached to different functions and activities, overall environmental attitude, perception of the plants, socio-demographic respondent characteristics and WTP for increased plant removal. We observed no increase in WTP for increased removal in most sites. The two most important drivers of variation in current WTP were income, and whether respondents were engaged in boating and angling and thus perceived the plants negatively. Variation in WTP among sites was considerable, and mainly related to the mixture of activities among respondents. Differences between residents and visitors were less important than those among sites. Our observations bear importance for water management: information on differences in experienced nuisance among user categories and the frequency of use by these categories is useful as guidance for the design and implementation of any plant removal plan.
“Animation” URL in NFT marketplaces considered harmful for privacy
Authors: Callejo Patricia , Gómez Fernández Ignacio , Bagnulo Marcelo 
Published: September 2024

AbstractNon-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are becoming increasingly popular as a way to represent and own digital property. However, the usage of NFTs also prompts questions about privacy. In this work, we show that it is possible to use NFTs to retrieve enough information to fingerprint users. By doing so, we can uniquely associate users with blockchain accounts. This would allow linking several blockchain accounts to the same user. This work focuses on the vulnerabilities presented by some popular NFT marketplaces. Since NFTs may have HTML files embedded, they allow the use of fingerprinting techniques if not handled carefully. Finally, we provide recommendations and countermeasures for the different actors in this ecosystem to avoid these kinds of tracking methods and, in doing so, safeguard user privacy.
On effects of the null energy condition on totally umbilic hypersurfaces in a class of static spacetimes
Authors: Wolff Markus 
Published: September 2024

AbstractWe study the effects of the null energy condition on totally umbilic hypersurfaces in a class of static spacetimes, both in the spacelike and the timelike case, respectively. In the spacelike case, we study totally umbilic warped product graphs and give a full characterization of embedded surfaces with constant spacetime mean curvature using an Alexandrov Theorem by Brendle and Borghini–Fogagnolo–Pinamonti. In the timelike case, we achieve a characterization of photon surfaces with constant umbilicity factor similar to a result by Cederbaum–Galloway.
Timed topical dexamethasone eye drops improve mitochondrial function to prevent severe retinopathy of prematurity
Authors: Yagi Hitomi , Boeck Myriam , Petrishka-Lozenska Mariya , Lundgren Pia , Kasai Taku , Cagnone Gael , Neilsen Katherine , Wang Chaomei , Lee Jeff , Tomita Yohei , Singh Sasha A. , Joyal Jean-Sébastien , Aikawa Masanori , Negishi Kazuno , Fu Zhongjie , Hellström Ann , Smith Lois E.H. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractPathological neovascularization in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) can cause visual impairment in preterm infants. Current ROP treatments which are not preventative and only address late neovascular ROP, are costly and can lead to severe complications. We showed that topical 0.1% dexamethasone eye drops administered prior to peak neovessel formation prevented neovascularization in five extremely preterm infants at high risk for ROP and suppressed neovascularization by 30% in mouse oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) modeling ROP. In contrast, in OIR, topical dexamethasone treatment before any neovessel formation had limited efficacy in preventing later neovascularization, while treatment after peak neovessel formation had a non-statistically significant trend to exacerbating disease. Optimally timed topical dexamethasone suppression of neovascularization in OIR was associated with increased retinal mitochondrial gene expression and decreased inflammatory marker expression, predominantly found in immune cells. Blocking mitochondrial ATP synthetase reversed the inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on neovascularization in OIR. This study provides new insights into topical steroid effects in retinal neovascularization and into mitochondrial function in phase II ROP, and suggests a simple clinical approach to prevent severe ROP.
Foreword to the special issue “Adjacent Interacting Masonry Structures”
Authors: Beyer Katrin , Butenweg Christof , Penna Andrea , DeJong Matthew 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThis special issue focuses on the seismic performance of adjacent interacting masonry structures, particularly in historical European city centers. The AIMS project provided unique data on interacting masonry structures through large-scale shake table tests on two adjacent half-scale stone masonry buildings. The experimental campaign was accomapgnied by a blind prediction study where participants modeled the aggregate’s seismic response. Findings highlight challenges in accurately predicting displacement demands and failure modes, providing critical insights for improving future modeling techniques for masonry buildings.
CO-Free Fuel Processing of Water Gas Shift Feedstocks: Effect of Support on CuMn Spinel Performance
Authors: Dasireddy Venkata D. B. C. , Viswanadham Balaga , Likozar Blaz , Valand Jignesh 
Published: September 2024

AbstractCleaning up carbon monoxide (CO) in water gas shift feedstocks is crucial for fuel cell applications. The catalytic transformation of CO in hydrogen-rich feeds poses a significant challenge in environmental catalysis. To address this issue, a range of Cu–Mn-based monometallic and bimetallic catalysts with diverse supports (such as alumina, silica, zirconia, and titania) were employed. Temperature programming techniques were utilised to observe the reduction and oxidation behaviours of these catalysts. The investigation involved testing CO oxidation at various temperatures over copper and manganese-based supported catalysts in the presence of H2O and CO2 (simulating realistic conditions). A positive impact of H2O on catalytic performance was noted, whereas CO2 had a suppressive effect. Furthermore, the specific support materials (Al2O3, SiO2, TiO2, and ZrO2) were studied to understand their roles in CO oxidation under realistic conditions. In the presence of water, alumina catalysts containing bimetallic metals (Cu–Mn) exhibited 100% CO conversion even at a lower temperature of 160 °C. Conversely, under the predominant influence of CO2, alumina catalyst (Cu–Mn) showed 55% CO conversion. The exceptional performance was attributed to CO preferential adsorption on highly active Cu–Mn sites and a small H2-oxidative atmosphere of the catalysts. The activity results highlighted the strong dependence of CO conversion on reaction temperatures, the presence of metals, and the types of supports. Overall, these findings suggest the potential use of these catalysts for H2 purification under realistic conditions.
Graphical Abstract
Genetic differentiation and diversity do not explain variation in heterosis or inbreeding depression: empirical evidence from a long-lived iteroparous plant
Authors: Söderquist Linus , Karrenberg Sophie , Sletvold Nina 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAssisted gene flow can restore genetic diversity when genetic drift has driven deleterious alleles to high frequencies in small, isolated populations. Previous crosses among 20 populations of Gymnadenia conopsea documented the strongest heterosis and the weakest inbreeding depression in sparse and small populations, consistent with fixation of mildly deleterious alleles by genetic drift. We genotyped the populations used for crosses, and used 1200–1728 SNPs to test the following predictions: (1) heterosis increases with genetic differentiation (FST) to donor populations and decreases with genetic diversity in the recipient population, (2) inbreeding depression increases with genetic diversity, and (3) genetic diversity increases, and mean FST to other populations decreases, with population size and density. Pairwise FST ranged from very low to moderate (0.005–0.20) and genetic diversity varied moderately among populations (proportion of polymorphic loci = 0.52–0.75). However, neither FST between populations, nor genetic diversity in the recipient population, were related to the strength of heterosis. There was also no association between genetic diversity and the strength of inbreeding depression. Genetic diversity increased and mean FST decreased with population size, consistent with reduced diversity and increased differentiation of small populations by genetic drift. The results indicate that the loci conferring heterosis are not mirrored by overall population differentiation, and limited additional information on potential source populations for genetic rescue is gained by the genetic data. Instead, the use of controlled crosses can directly reveal positive effects of introducing new genetic material, and is a simple method with high potential in conservation.
Effect of different drying methods on the nutritional composition and phenolic compounds of the brown macroalga, Fucus vesiculosus (Fucales, Phaeophyceae)
Authors: Dhakal Sachin , Pandey Deepak , van der Heide Marleen Elise , Nørgaard Jan Værum , Vrhovsek Urska , Khanal Prabhat 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThe application of macroalgae for food and feed has been increasing continuously due to their nutritional and health-promoting properties. Efficient post-harvest drying is needed to remove moisture content from macroalgal biomass without negatively affecting its nutritional value. We hypothesized that low-temperature oven drying would preserve most of the nutrients and polyphenols in macroalgae. The polyphenol-rich brown macroalga, Fucus vesiculosus, was exposed to one of the following treatments: freeze-drying (FD; for 72 h), oven drying at 40 ℃ (OD40; for 24 h), and oven drying at 80 ℃ (OD80; for 24 h). The concentration of total fatty acids and the sum of saturated, mono-, and polyunsaturated fatty acids exhibited a decreasing trend with higher drying temperatures (FD > OD40 > OD80), indicating the sensitivity of fatty acids to a high drying temperature. However, the sum of total or essential amino acids was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in OD80 compared to OD40 and FD biomass. In this study, the average N-protein-conversion factor for dried F. vesiculosus remained relatively stable (~ 4.64) across drying treatments. The total polyphenol content remained unaffected by the drying treatment, although it tended to decrease with increasing drying temperature. Targeted metabolomics revealed three classes of phenolic compounds: phenylpropanoids, flavones, and flavonols. A low-temperature oven drying appears to be a suitable method to preserve nutrients and polyphenols in brown macroalgae. Future studies are needed to evaluate the impact of drying methods on other bioactive compounds and to understand the economic sustainability of oven drying.
Sibling-Mediated Early Start Denver Model Support for Young Autistic Children
Authors: Waddington H. , Wilson E. , van Noorden L. , Macaskill A. C. , Carnett A. , Vivanti G. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractYoung autistic children and their siblings often need support to play and engage with each other. The inclusion of older siblings in the provision of support may improve outcomes for autistic children and strengthen the sibling relationship. This study evaluated the inclusion of older siblings in the delivery of Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) support to autistic children aged between 3 and 4 years. It used a non-concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the effects of sibling-mediated ESDM for four young autistic children and their older, non-autistic siblings. For most dyads, there were improvements in autistic child engagement and in sibling initiations during the sibling-mediated ESDM, which were generally maintained at follow-up. There was some improvement in sibling responses and minimal improvement in autistic child imitation and functional utterances. Sibling initiations and responses were generally positively correlated with autistic child engagement, functional utterances, and imitation. The parents of children in all four dyads found the sibling-mediated ESDM to be acceptable. These preliminary results suggest that sibling-mediated ESDM may be beneficial for improving the interaction between autistic children and their non-autistic siblings while benefits for teaching additional child skills might be more limited.
How Curiosity Enhances Performance: Mechanisms of Physiological Engagement, Challenge and Threat Appraisal, and Novelty Deprivation
Authors: Kaczmarek Lukasz D. , Kashdan Todd B. , Enko Jolanta 
Published: September 2024

AbstractResearch has shown that curiosity plays a crucial role in human performance and well-being. Based on multi-dimensional models of curiosity, we examined potential underlying mechanisms for this relationship. Extending prior research, we expected state and trait variants of curiosity to predict more challenge and less threat appraisals for novel tasks (i.e., joyous exploration dimension), stronger dissatisfaction when denied opportunities to do something interesting (i.e., deprivation sensitivity dimension), and persist longer under stress states (i.e., stress tolerance). We asked 123 participants to prepare and deliver a speech titled "Why are you a good friend?" After preparation, participants were informed that they were randomly selected not to perform the task. Throughout the experiment, we recorded heart rate reactivity as a physiological indicator of task engagement. We found that individuals curious about the upcoming task felt more challenged, less threatened, and presented longer physiological engagement than less curious individuals. Curious individuals expressed more disappointment about the missed opportunity to deliver the speech. In summary, this study revealed theoretically derived mechanisms that partially account for associations between curiosity and positive life outcomes while also indicating adverse effects.
Cassirer’s functionalist account of physical truth: object, measurement and technology
Authors: Spigola Benedetta 
Published: September 2024

AbstractIn this paper I focus on Cassirer’s functionalist theory of truth in order to argue that the Positivistic theory of knowledge fails to explain how it is that physics provides us with truth-evaluable and reliably objective descriptions of the world. This argument is based on Cassirer’s idea that what the Positivistic theory of knowledge normally considers as the “factual” of physics is, in fact, unachievable and falsely conceived. I show that Cassirer’s focus on how measurement is made possible, as well as how technological instruments are put to use in physical research, enables him to offer an alternative account of truth, i.e., a functionalist theory of truth, which is philosophically attractive and rationally plausible.
A note on generalized Floater–Hormann interpolation at arbitrary distributions of nodes
Authors: Themistoclakis Woula , Van Barel Marc 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThe paper is concerned with a generalization of Floater–Hormann (briefly FH) rational interpolation recently introduced by the authors. Compared with the original FH interpolants, the generalized ones depend on an additional integer parameter $$\gamma >1$$

γ
>
1

, that, in the limit case $$\gamma =1$$

γ
=
1

returns the classical FH definition. Here we focus on the general case of an arbitrary distribution of nodes and, for any $$\gamma >1$$

γ
>
1

, we estimate the sup norm of the error in terms of the maximum (h) and minimum ($$h^*$$

h
∗

) distance between two consecutive nodes. In the special case of equidistant ($$h=h^*$$

h
=

h
∗

) or quasi–equidistant ($$h\approx h^*$$

h
≈

h
∗

) nodes, the new estimate improves previous results requiring some theoretical restrictions on $$\gamma $$
γ
which are not needed as shown by the numerical tests carried out to validate the theory.
Multi-population mortality modeling with economic, environmental and lifestyle variables
Authors: Dimai Matteo 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThe premise of multipopulation mortality models is that pooling multiple populations can help identify more stable trends and diminish statistical noise. However, many existing models fail to contextualize mortality trends, treating them as isolated phenomena. This article introduces a comprehensive multipopulation mortality model that incorporates a broad spectrum of economic, environmental, and lifestyle factors to predict mortality trends. The factors are obtained with principal components analysis, extending current models which employ external variables beyond GDP. The model is applied to 33 countries present in the Human Mortality Database, divided into 9 clusters. Expanding the scope of covariates improves model fit for 29 countries out of 33 compared to GDP alone, and consistently outperforms the Li-Lee model. Furthermore, forecasting accuracy surpasses that of the Li-Lee model across various jump-off years and matches or exceeds models limited to GDP as a covariate. This study advances the field by demonstrating that a multipopulation approach, enriched with a wide array of covariates, significantly refines mortality forecasts, challenging the reliance on extrapolative or GDP-only models. It offers actuarial practitioners and policymakers a more nuanced tool for scenario planning, emphasizing the interconnectedness of mortality rates with broader socio-economic and environmental factors.
Near Real-time Leak Location by Inverse Analysis Integrating Measurement Uncertainty
Authors: Ferreira Bruno , Carriço Nelson , Covas Dídia 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
This paper presents a novel model-based method for near real-time pipe burst location in water distribution networks by integrating measurement uncertainty into inverse analysis. The method accounts for expected errors between measured and computed values, providing a pipe burst location area whose size varies according to the expected error level and the burst size. The proposed method is demonstrated and compared with the traditional inverse approach using a real case study with artificial bursts of different sizes and with different pressure signal noise levels. The performance of both methods is also assessed and discussed considering the effect of seasonal water demands. The traditional inverse analysis fails to accurately locate the pipe burst events, and depending on the expected error level and pipe burst size, the obtained locations may be significantly further away from the real burst location. Conversely, the proposed method does not point to the exact burst location but provides an approximated area in which step-testing can be carried out to pinpoint the exact burst location; the size of this area can be larger or smaller depending on the burst flow rate and signal uncertainty.
Calorie restriction increases the sensitivity of progeroid Ercc1Δ/− mice to acute (neuro)inflammation
Authors: Reitsema V. A. , Schreuder L. , Gerrits E. , Eggen B. J. L. , Goris M. , Laman J. D. , de Rooij S. E. , Wesseling E. M. , Bouma H. R. , Henning R. H. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractHospitalized elderly patients frequently suffer from delirium, especially in the context of sepsis-associated encephalopathy. Current treatments of delirium are merely symptomatic. Calorie restriction (CR) is both a promising strategy to protect against sepsis and has beneficial effects on aging-induced neurodegeneration. In this study, we investigated whether six weeks of 30% CR had protective effects on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced (neuro)inflammation in wild-type (WT) and progeroid mice deficient in the DNA excision-repair gene Ercc1 (Ercc1Δ/−). While CR did not affect the LPS-induced inflammatory response in WT mice, CR exaggerated the peripheral inflammatory response in Ercc1Δ/− mice, as evidenced by an increase of pro-inflammatory serum cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ) and kidney injury marker Ngal. Neuroinflammatory effects were assessed by RNA-sequencing of isolated microglia. Similarly, CR did not affect microglia gene expression in WT mice, but increased neuroinflammation-associated gene expression in Ercc1Δ/− mice. In conclusion, CR increases the peripheral and brain inflammatory response of Ercc1Δ/− mice to a systemic inflammatory stimulus.
Applying palaeoecological analogues to contemporary challenges: community-level effects of canopy gaps caused by systematic decline of a prevalent tree species
Authors: Webb Julia , Goodenough Anne E. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractTemperate woodland vegetation is initially determined by spatiotemporal and historical factors, mediated by complex biotic interactions. However, catastrophic events such as disease outbreaks (e.g., sweet chestnut blight, ash dieback), infestations of insect pests, and human-accelerated climate change can create canopy gaps due to systematic decline in, or loss of, tree species that was once an important part of the canopy. Resultant cascade effects have the potential to alter the composition of woodland ecosystems quickly and radically, but inherent lag times make primary research into these effects challenging. Here, we explore change in woodland vegetation at 10 sites in response to canopy opening using the Elm Decline, a rapid loss of Ulmus in woodlands across northwestern Europe ~ 5800 years ago that coexisted alongside other stressors such as increasing human activity, as a palaeoecological analogue. For arboreal taxa, community evenness significantly decreased, within-site turnover significantly increased, and richness remained unchanged. Changes in arboreal taxa were highly site-specific but there was a substantial decline in woody climbing taxa, especially Hedera (ivy), across the majority of sites. For shrub taxa, richness significantly increased but evenness and turnover remained consistent. Interestingly, however, there was a significant increase in abundance of shrubs at 70% of sites, including Calluna (heather), Ilex (holly) and Corylus (hazel), suggesting structural change. Surprisingly, there was no change in richness, evenness or turnover for herb taxa, possibly because change was highly variable spatially. However, there was a marked uptick in the disturbance indicator Plantago (plantain). Overall, these findings suggest that woodlands with sustained reduction in, or loss of, a tree species that once formed an important part of the canopy has profound, but often spatially idiosyncratic, impacts on vegetation diversity (richness), composition (evenness), stability (turnover), and on abundance of specific taxa, especially within the shrub layer. Use of this palaeoecological analogue, which was itself complicated by cooccurring changes in human activity, provides a valuable empirical insight into possible cascade effects of similar change in canopy opening in contemporary settings, including Ash Dieback.