bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Coffee pollination and pest control are affected by edge diversity at local scales but multiscalar approaches and disservices can not be ignored
Authors: Hohlenwerger Camila , Spake Rebecca , Tambosi Leandro R. , Aristizábal Natalia , González-Chaves Adrian , Librán-Embid Felipe , Saturni Fernanda , Eigenbrod Felix , Metzger Jean-Paul 
Published: March 2024

AbstractContextManaging landscapes to increase multiple services provision in search of higher agricultural yield can be an alternative to agricultural intensification. Nonetheless, to properly guide management, we need to better understand how landscape structure affects multiple services at different scales.ObjectivesFocused on synergies and trade-offs in real-world landscapes, we investigated how and at which scale landscape features related to the supply, demand and flow of services act as a common driver of pollination and pest control in coffee plantations.MethodsConsidering landscapes in an important coffee-producing region in Brazil, we tested the effects offorestandcoffee cover,distance to forest,forest-coffee edge densityandcoffee edge diversityat multiple scales on pollination and pest control by birds, bats and ants.ResultsCoffee edge diversity (number of land uses in contact with coffee) was an important driver of pollination and pest control, being consistently relevant at local scales (up to 300 m). However, services were also affected by other landscape features and the ‘scale of effect’ of these relationships varied. Additionally, results show the complex nature of pest control once the direction of effect revealed services and disservices.ConclusionsBesides reinforcing the importance of known landscape effects, this study adds to previous studies by showcasing the relevance of diverse land uses around coffee crops as a common driver of pollination and pest control provision by different species. Moreover, we highlight how understanding the combined local and landscape effects may aid in offsetting disservices and tackling the variety of ‘scales of effect’ found.
Why Aristotle Isn’t a Virtue Ethicist. Living Well and Virtuously in Aristotelian and Contemporary Aretaic Ethics
Authors: Kaya Deniz A. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDrawing on Anscombe, in this essay I argue that we should not take Aristotle to be a moral philosopher, nor a virtue ethicist. This is because contemporary virtue ethics has little to do with Aristotelian ethics. While contemporary virtue ethics (or aretaic moral theory, as one may call it) operates on the level of moral and thus categorical norms, Aristotelian ethics—an aretaic life ethics—is primarily concerned with pragmatic norms. The main question for Aristotle is what a good general conduct of life is. The major concern of aretaic moral theory, on the other hand, is to provide a criterion of morally right action and hence to define the concepts of the morally right, the impermissible and moral duty in aretaic terms. This shows that contemporary authors assume a primacy of virtue, while Aristotle assumes a primacy of eudaimonia. I illustrate this distinction by addressing the question of how the virtues benefit their possessor.
Use of wildlife-friendly structures in residential gardens by animal wildlife: evidence from citizen scientists in a global biodiversity hotspot
Authors: Van Helden Bronte E , Skates Laura M , Close Paul G 
Published: March 2024

AbstractPrivate gardens comprise a large component of greenspace in cities and can offer substantial conservation opportunities. There has been strong advocacy from researchers, policymakers, and conservation practitioners to engage householders in wildlife-friendly gardening practices to increase the quantity, quality and connection of habitat resources for urban wildlife. Despite this call to action, there remains limited knowledge on the use and benefit of some wildlife-friendly structures within gardens, such as artificial refuges and water sources. In collaboration with 131 citizen scientists in southwestern Australia, we examined the use of seven wildlife-friendly structure types by four vertebrate taxa groups. Following 2841 wildlife surveys undertaken between 31 July 2022 and 22 February 2023, we found that all structures were used primarily by target taxa, water sources were often used by relatively common species, certain structures such as possum shelters were used by rare and threatened species (e.g. western ringtail possum), and that there was evidence of animals making use of the wildlife-friendly structures for reproduction (e.g. bird eggs in nest boxes and tadpoles in water sources). Water sources were used more frequently and by a greater diversity of wildlife than artificial refuges. In particular, bird baths were used by the highest number of species (mainly birds) while ponds were used by the greatest variety of taxa (birds, reptiles, frogs, mammals). Our findings provide evidence-based support for the advocacy of wildlife-friendly gardening practices and further highlight the role of residential gardens for biodiversity conservation.
Creating valid adversarial examples of malware
Authors: Kozák Matouš , Jureček Martin , Stamp Mark , Troia Fabio Di 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBecause of its world-class results, machine learning (ML) is becoming increasingly popular as a go-to solution for many tasks. As a result, antivirus developers are incorporating ML models into their toolchains. While these models improve malware detection capabilities, they also carry the disadvantage of being susceptible to adversarial attacks. Although this vulnerability has been demonstrated for many models in white-box settings, a black-box scenario is more applicable in practice for the domain of malware detection. We present a method of creating adversarial malware examples using reinforcement learning algorithms. The reinforcement learning agents utilize a set of functionality-preserving modifications, thus creating valid adversarial examples. Using the proximal policy optimization (PPO) algorithm, we achieved an evasion rate of 53.84% against the gradient-boosted decision tree (GBDT) detector. The PPO agent previously trained against the GBDT classifier scored an evasion rate of 11.41% against the neural network-based classifier MalConv and an average evasion rate of 2.31% against top antivirus programs. Furthermore, we discovered that random application of our functionality-preserving portable executable modifications successfully evades leading antivirus engines, with an average evasion rate of 11.65%. These findings indicate that ML-based models used in malware detection systems are sensitive to adversarial attacks and that better safeguards need to be taken to protect these systems.
Cultural Evolution of Religion, Spirituality and Ritual: Impacts On Human Cooperation
Authors: McNamara Rita Anne 
Published: March 2024

AbstractFrom the classic gene-centred view of evolution, cooperation is a mystery. This paper reviews the cultural evolutionary approach, which asks how genes and culture both carry information across generations to produce adaptive responses. Cultural evolution approaches ritual, religion and spirituality as collective responses to cooperation challenges. Ritual engages with individual and collective neuro-biological responses that cue group cohesion and facilitate trust. Ritual simultaneously cues social learning and can alleviate anxiety by downregulating neurological arousal. Religion forms a complex set of socio-cultural behaviours and beliefs that facilitate group identification and may help to resolve classic dilemmas of cheaters and free-riders who threaten the long-term survival of cooperative systems. Spirituality engages ways of being that are targeted at relational, holistic, and communal awareness that facilitates healthy relationships among individuals, communities and ecosystems. The cultural evolutionary view can reveal an underlying sensibility to beliefs and behaviours that seem on their surface nonsensical to an outside observer—helping to explain why they persist across groups despite costliness to individuals. It can also help to shed light on why some religious and spiritual forms spread while others do not, providing insight into how these forms change when groups mix.
Gene Editing for the Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia
Authors: Hoekstra Menno , Van Eck Miranda 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose of Review
Here, we summarize the key findings from preclinical studies that tested the concept that editing of hepatic genes can lower plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels to subsequently reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk.

Recent Findings
Selective delivery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing tools targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) to hepatocytes, i.e., through encapsulation into N-acetylgalactosamine-coupled lipid nanoparticles, is able to induce a stable ~ 90% decrease in plasma PCSK9 levels and a concomitant 60% reduction in LDL-cholesterol levels in mice and non-humane primates. Studies in mice have shown that this state-of-the-art technology can be extended to include additional targets related to dyslipidemia such as angiopoietin-like 3 and several apolipoproteins.

Summary
The use of gene editors holds great promise to lower plasma LDL-cholesterol levels also in the human setting. However, gene editing safety has to be guaranteed before this approach can become a clinical success.
Gravity-Dependent Modulation of Downbeat Nystagmus and Subjective Visual Vertical in the Roll Plane
Authors: Macher Stefan , Dunkler Daniela , Fiehl Anuscha Theresa , Rommer Paulus Stefan , Platho-Elwischger Kirsten , Schwarz Felix Konstantin , Wiest Gerald 
Published: March 2024

AbstractDownbeat nystagmus (DBN) is the most common form of acquired central vestibular nystagmus. Gravity perception in patients with DBN has previously been investigated by means of subjective visual straight ahead (SVA) and subjective visual vertical (SVV) in the pitch and roll planes only during whole-body tilts. To our knowledge, the effect of head tilt in the roll plane on the SVV and on DBN has not yet been systematically studied in patients. In this study, we investigated static and dynamic graviceptive function in the roll-plane in patients with DBN (patients) and healthy-controls (controls) by assessment of the Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) and the modulation of slow-phase-velocity (SPV) of DBN. SPV of DBN and SVV were tested at different head-on trunk-tilt positions in the roll-plane (0°,30° clockwise (cw) and 30° counterclockwise (ccw)) in 26 patients suffering from DBN and 13 controls. In patients, SPV of DBN did not show significant modulations at different head-tilt angles in the roll-plane. SVV ratings did not differ significantly between DBN patients vs. controls, however patients with DBN exhibited a higher variability in mean SVV estimates than controls. Our results show that the DBN does not exhibit any modulation in the roll-plane, in contrast to the pitch-plane. Furthermore, patients with DBN show a higher uncertainty in the perception of verticality in the roll-plane in form of a higher variability of responses.
Evaluation of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) Program
Authors: Schmidt Michael , Boulanger-Espeut Corinne , Liou Grace , Ma Nan , Torres Sasha , Cersosimo Susan , Bogler Oliver , Zahir Nastaran 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe National Cancer Institute (NCI) K99/R00 award is intended to help postdoctoral scholars transition in a timely manner to research independence and to foster their development of an impactful cancer research program that is competitive for subsequent independent funding. Here we analyzed factors that impact peer review outcomes and evaluated whether NCI K99/R00 awardees have achieved the goals of the K99/R00 funding mechanism. Our analysis of the K99/R00 review criterion scores demonstrates that while all review criterion scores are positively correlated with the overall impact score, the Research Plan criterion is the strongest predictor of the overall impact score and funding outcomes. In addition, our analysis shows the NCI K99/R00 award facilitated the successful transition of postdoctoral scholars to research independence and enhanced the likelihood of K99/R00 awardees to secure subsequent R01-equivalent NIH grant support although not in an accelerated fashion as originally intended. An NCI K99/R00 award was not determined to be a prerequisite to obtain a faculty position, but for some awardees, it was an asset in that transition. Our results suggest that the NCI K99/R00 award is an important component for training and retention of the next generation of independent cancer researchers and to increasing the percentage of women and promoting the diversity of the cancer research workforce.
Bone health status evaluation in men by means of REMS technology
Authors: Giovanni Adami , Luisa Brandi Maria , Carla Caffarelli , Ernesto Casciaro , Francesco Conversano , Marco Di Paola , Angelo Fassio , Davide Gatti , Francesca Giusti , Stefano Gonnelli , Anna Lombardi Fiorella , Maurizio Muratore , Paola Pisani , Maurizio Rossini 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Background
Osteoporosis in males is largely under-diagnosed and under-treated, with most of the diagnosis confirmed only after an osteoporotic fracture. Therefore, there is an urgent need for highly accurate and precise technologies capable of identifying osteoporosis earlier, thereby avoiding complications from fragility fractures.

Aims
This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and precision of the non-ionizing technology Radiofrequency Echographic Multi Spectrometry (REMS) for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in a male population in comparison with conventional Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA).

Methods
A cohort of 603 Caucasian males aged between 30 and 90 years were involved in the study. All the enrolled patients underwent lumbar and femoral scans with both DXA and REMS. The diagnostic agreement between REMS and DXA-measured BMD was expressed by Pearson correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman method. The accuracy of the diagnostic classification was evaluated by the assessment of sensitivity and specificity considering DXA as reference.

Results
A significant correlation between REMS- and DXA-measured T-score values (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) for lumbar spine and for femoral neck (r = 0.90, p < 0.0001) documented the substantial equivalence of the two measurement techniques. Bland-Altman outcomes showed that the average difference in T-score measurement is very close to zero (−0.06 ± 0.60 g/cm2 for lumbar spine and − 0.07 ± 0.44 g/cm2 for femoral neck) confirming the agreement between the two techniques. Furthermore, REMS resulted an effective technique to discriminate osteoporotic patients from the non-osteoporotic ones on both lumbar spine (sensitivity = 90.1%, specificity = 93.6%) and femoral neck (sensitivity = 90.9%, specificity = 94.6%). Precision yielded RMS-CV = 0.40% for spine and RMS-CV = 0.34% for femur.

Conclusion
REMS, is a reliable technology for the diagnosis of osteoporosis also in men. This evidence corroborates its high diagnostic performance already observed in previous studies involving female populations.
Overt hypothyroidism in pregnancy and language development in offspring: is there an association?
Authors: Menotti S. , Mura C. , Raia S. , Bergianti L. , De Carolis S. , Romeo D. M. , Rota C. A. , Pontecorvi A. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
Overt hypothyroidism during pregnancy is linked to various obstetric complications, such as premature birth and fetal death. While some studies have shown that maternal hypothyroidism can impact a child's Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and language development, findings are controversial. The aim of this study was to explore the connection between treated maternal hypothyroidism during pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopment, focusing on learning and language and examining related maternal obstetric complications.

Methods
Group 1 included 31 hypothyroid women with elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (> 10 mU/L, > 10 µIU/mL) during pregnancy, and Group 2 had 21 euthyroid women with normal TSH levels (0.5–2.5 mU/L, 0.5–2.5 µIU/mL). Children underwent neuropsycological assessments using the Griffiths-II scale.

Results
Pregnancy outcome showed an average gestational age at delivery of 38.2 weeks for hypothyroid women, compared to 40 weeks for controls, and average birth weight of 2855.6 g versus 3285 g for controls, with hypothyroid women having children with higher intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) prevalence and more caesarean sections. The 1-min APGAR score was lower for the hypothyroid group's children, at 8.85 versus 9.52. Neuropsychological outcomes showed children of hypothyroid mothers scored lower in neurocognitive development, particularly in the learning and language subscale (subscale C), with a notable correlation between higher maternal TSH levels and lower subscale scores.

Conclusion
Fetuses born to hypothyroid mothers appeared to be at higher risk of IUGR and reduced APGAR score at birth. Neurocognitive development seemed to affect language performance more than the developmental quotient. This alteration appeared to correlate with the severity of hypothyroidism and its duration.
Relationship between diabetic peripheral neuropathy and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: an observational study
Authors: Zúnica-García S. , Blanquer-Gregori J. J. , Sánchez-Ortiga R. , Jiménez-Trujillo M. I. , Chicharro-Luna E. 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
Purpose
The main study goal is to assess the relationship between adherence to the mediterranean diet (MD) and the presence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

Methods
Observational pilot study of 174 patients diagnosed with T2DM. Sociodemographic and anthropometric variables, physical activity, smoking habits, blood biochemical parameters and comorbidities were recorded. The presence of alterations in sensitivity to pressure, pain, thermal and vibration was explored. Good MD adherence was a score  ≥  9 the 14-point MD adherence questionnaire (MEDAS-14).

Results
The study population consisted of 174 patients (61.5% men and 38.5% women), with a mean age of 69.56 ± 8.86 years; 19% of these patients adhered to the MD. The score obtained in the MEDAS-14 was higher in patients who did not present alterations in sensitivity to pressure (p = 0.047) or vibration (p = 0.021). The patients without diabetic peripheral neuropathy were more likely to comply with the MD and had a higher score on the MEDAS-14 (p = 0.047). However, multivariate analysis showed that only altered sensitivity to pressure was associated with adherence to the MD (altered sensitivity OR = 2.9; 95%CI 1.02–8.22; p = 0.045).

Conclusions
Although the patients with DPN had lower scores on the MEDAS questionnaire and therefore poorer adherence to the mediterranean diet, the only parameter significantly associated with the MD was that of sensitivity to pressure (monofilament test).
In a world of Open Finance, are customers willing to share data? An analysis of the data-driven insurance business
Authors: Grassi Laura 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn the financial system, the customers’ willingness to share their data is pivotal, because otherwise, banks and insurance companies are powerless to build on customer data. The key step now is to understand whether there is such willingness and what form it takes. In this study, we investigate how willing customers are to share various kinds of data (on physical health, home, driving style, travel, family, social networks) with their insurance company, in return for different rewards (customised products and services, reduced insurance claims risk and insurance premiums adjusted to personal habits and behaviour). Applying the privacy calculus framework to 1501 responses in a web-based survey, we found that rewards, especially when financial, such as insurance premium benefits, play a pivotal role in driving customer decisions about sharing data. Furthermore, customers associate the data they are asked to share with different levels of privacy, influencing their willingness to share. We also found that, when customers are asked to share various kinds of data in return for different rewards, their own personal innovativeness comes into play. Our findings suggest that, in the data-driven insurance business, different rewards offered in return for specific types of data could help companies minimise the “data acquisition cost” and maximise the data collected. In the era of open data, insurers can explore the many opportunities for segmentation, but new kinds of financial exclusion could emerge, resulting in potential biases and thus misinterpretations should analytics and artificial intelligence models be built upon these premises.
Greener and cheaper: green monetary policy in the era of inflation and high interest rates
Authors: Aguila Nicolás , Wullweber Joscha 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIn recent years central bankers have devoted increased attention to the question of whether and how to intervene to address the growing environmental and climate crisis. The climate intervention debate gained momentum during a period of low inflation and loose monetary policy in core economies – a time characterised by near zero interest rates and large asset purchase programmes. Since 2021, however, the macroeconomic context has changed. Against this background, the paper analyses the contradictory and problematic nature of the direction monetary policy has taken in reaction to higher inflation. It argues that higher interest rates delay the green transformation by raising the cost of sustainable investments, and that the resulting delay also hampers prospects for achieving price stability. The paper concludes that the present macroeconomic environment demands a ‘greener and cheaper’ monetary policy approach designed to address the environmental and climate crisis and also to simultaneously fight inflation.
Building Detection from SkySat Images with Transfer Learning: a Case Study over Ankara
Authors: Sawa Kanako , Yalcin Ilyas , Kocaman Sultan 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThe detection and continuous updating of buildings in geodatabases has long been a major research area in geographic information science and is an important theme for national mapping agencies. Advancements in machine learning techniques, particularly state-of-the-art deep learning (DL) models, offer promising solutions for extracting and modeling building rooftops from images. However, tasks such as automatic labelling of learning data and the generalizability of models remain challenging. In this study, we assessed the sensor and geographic area adaptation capabilities of a pretrained DL model implemented in the ArcGIS environment using very-high-resolution (50 cm) SkySat imagery. The model was trained for digitizing building footprints via Mask R‑CNN with a ResNet50 backbone using aerial and satellite images from parts of the USA. Here, we utilized images from three different SkySat satellites with various acquisition dates and off-nadir angles and refined the pretrained model using small numbers of buildings as training data (5–53 buildings) over Ankara. We evaluated the buildings in areas with different characteristics, such as urban transformation, slums, regular, and obtained high accuracies with F‑1 scores of 0.92, 0.94, and 0.96 from SkySat 4, 7, and 17, respectively. The study findings showed that the DL model has high transfer learning capability for Ankara using only a few buildings and that the recent SkySat satellites demonstrate superior image quality.