The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of progesterone supplementation using 2 different commercially available intravaginal progesterone (P4) devices during a 7 d Ovsynch protocol on pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI) in lactating dairy cows. We hypothesized that cows receiving an intravaginal device with 1.55 g of P4 have increased P/AI compared with untreated controls or cows supplemented with 1.0 g of P4 and that there is an association between vaginal discharge score (VDS) after removal of intravaginal device and vaginal pH. A total of 731 lactating dairy cows, including 1,064 inseminations were randomly assigned to a modified Ovsynch protocol. Cows in the control group (n = 353) received no P4 supplementation during Ovsynch protocol (control: d 0 GnRH; d 7 PGF2α; d 8 PGF2α; d 9 GnRH). Cows in the bovine intravaginal device (DIB) group (n = 354) received an intravaginal P4 releasing device with 1.0 g P4 from d 0 until d 8 during the Ovsynch protocol as described, and cows in progesterone releasing intravaginal device (PRID) group (n = 357) were supplemented with a device containing 1.55 g P4. On d 0, transrectal ultrasound assessment of the ovaries was performed to determine the presence and size of a corpus luteum (CL). On d 8, after removal of the devices, VDS was evaluated and pH value from vaginal discharge was measured. All cows received timed artificial insemination (AI) ∼16 h after the second GnRH treatment. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed using transrectal ultrasound at d 38 ± 3 after AI and reconfirmed at d 80 ± 7 after AI. Pregnancy per AI at d 38 ± 3 did not differ among treatments. For cows without a CL at enrollment, there was a tendency toward a treatment effect regarding P/AI at d 38 ± 3 (control 26.1% ± 4.0%; DIB 29.2% ± 4.4%; PRID 38.1% ± 4.8%). Cows treated with an intravaginal P4 releasing device containing 1.55 g P4 had increased P/AI at d 38 ± 3 compared with untreated controls. For cows receiving a P4 device containing 1.0 g P4, there was no difference in P/AI compared with control cows or cows receiving a PRID device. The distribution of VDS at d 8 of the protocol differed among treatments. More cows in the control group had a VDS of 0 (62.0% [199/321]) compared with DIB (1.5% [5/330]) or PRID (2.1% [7/334]) cows. Vaginal discharge had no effect on P/AI at d 38 ± 7 or 80 ± 7 after AI. Pregnancy loss was not affected by VDS. Vaginal pH was affected by VDS at d 8. Vaginal pH differed among the different VDS significantly (VDS 0 = 7.87 ± 0.08; VDS 1 = 7.70 ± 0.02; VDS 2 = 7.18 ± 0.11). Cows without a CL at the beginning of the timed AI protocol benefited the most from supplementing 1.55 g of P4 for 8 d, whereas cows with CL at enrollment had no advantage regarding fertility outcomes.

Review studies suggest that results that are statistically significant or consistent with hypotheses are preferred in the publication process and in reception. The mechanisms underlying this bias remain unclear, and prior research has focused on between-subjects rather than within-subjects designs. We conducted a within-subjects study, grounded in dual-process decision-making theories, to examine these dynamics. Across four online experiments, 303 clinical-psychology researchers evaluated 16 fictitious abstracts varying in statistical significance and hypothesis consistency. Participants provided fast, intuitive judgments about each abstract’s likelihood of being submitted, read, or cited, rated their feeling of rightness (FOR), and gave deliberated evaluations. We analyzed the data using multilevel and mediation models. Researchers rated statistically nonsignificant abstracts as less likely to be submitted, read, or cited compared with significant ones. No such bias was found for hypothesis-inconsistent results. Intuitive judgments were rarely revised, and FOR did not predict response changes. Overall, researchers favored statistically significant results, with deliberation and FOR playing minimal roles.

This study investigates the relationship between a web application-based load and recovery score (LRS) and established load parameters. Seventy-eight elite youth soccer players were recruited from a single top-tier Swiss club. All participants were healthy and injury-free at baseline and actively competing at the highest national youth level, participating in five training sessions per week. Players with recent injuries or chronic health conditions were excluded. Seventy-one players (32.4% female) with an average age of 18 years (SD = 1.2) met the inclusion criteria and were monitored throughout ≥ 35 days, applying a repeated-measure design. Daily assessments of the self-reported LRS, along with measurements of player and trainer session ratings of perceived exertion, total distance covered, and total distance > 20 km/h, were collected. Linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the influence of load parameters on the following day's LRS. All training and match load parameters demonstrated significant negative correlations with the subsequent day's LRS. Player and trainer session ratings of perceived exertion had similar fixed effects (−0.013, 95% CI [−0.017, −0.010] vs. −0.008, 95% CI [−0.011, −0.006]), whereas total distance covered exhibited stronger associations (−0.668, 95% CI [−0.979, −0.355]) than total distance > 20 km/h (−0.009, 95% CI [−0.012, −0.006]). The impact of the different load parameters varied across groups and individuals. The LRS provides an easy-to-use digital tool that summarizes multiple training and recovery factors into one score, helping coaches and staff monitor player readiness in daily field settings. By offering accessible daily feedback, the LRS may help tailor training loads, manage recovery, and reduce the risk of overtraining and injuries.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent worldwide, yet its phenomenology and prevalence vary according to individual and contextual factors. Due to heightened exposure to (post-) conflict environments, many Arabic-speaking individuals are at high risk of PTSD. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a widely used screening tool for PTSD symptoms, validated in several languages, including German and Arabic. However, despite its frequent cross-linguistic and cross-cultural use, a comprehensive cross-linguistic and cross-cultural validation of the PCL-5 Arabic version still remains outstanding.

Objective: To ensure the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparability of the PCL-5 German and Arabic versions, this study examined the measurement invariance in a heterogeneous sample of German-speaking (n = 283) and Arabic-speaking individuals (n = 295).

Method: Sociodemographic data and characteristics of stressful life events were assessed. Subsequently, we examined the internal consistency of the PCL-5 Arabic and German versions and broaden current investigations on structural validity as conducted via confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) by multi-group confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) across both language versions.

Results: The present findings show that the Arabic-speaking subsample reported more man-made trauma, which was associated with higher PCL-5 sum scores compared to the German-speaking subsample. The PCL-5 showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .96). CFA indicated good model fit for all models tested, favouring the Anhedonia and Hybrid models. While MGCFA confirmed configural, threshold, and metric invariance, the scalar invariance could not be established.

Conclusions: The present study supports previous research indicating that the factorial structure of the PCL-5 is consistent across both language versions in the CFA. Nevertheless, our findings show a lack of scalar invariance in the MGCFA, which suggests potential bias in the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparability of the PCL-5 sum scores between the Arabic and the German versions. This highlights the need for context-, language-, and culture-sensitive diagnostics to ensure accurate PTSD assessments.

Light-mediated methodologies for the reduction of acylazolium species generated during N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed reactions have been developed. Employing the simple amine, DIPEA, as the terminal reductant, products resulting from overall 2-electron or 4-electron-reduction processes could be obtained using either a photocatalytic approach under blue light irradiation or directly under UV-A light irradiation without an additional photocatalyst. Moreover, under the same photocatalyst-free conditions, UV-A-light-mediated reduction could be achieved using triethylsilane as the only reductant with subsequent desilylation and NHC elimination with fluoride delivering the corresponding aldehyde product.

This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of automated activity monitoring (AAM) in detecting estrous expression and ovulatory status in cows during the voluntary waiting period (VWP). A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar using specific search terms. Inclusion criteria focused on studies that assessed estrous expression within the VWP using modern AAM systems alongside blood progesterone (P4) measurements. Four manuscripts involving 2,198 cows were included. Data extraction was performed by a single investigator and validated by a coauthor. The analysis considered estrous expression and ovulatory status determined through serial blood P4 measurements. Cows were classified based on P4 concentrations and estrus alerts into true positive, false positive, true negative, and false negative categories. Statistical analyses were conducted using MedCalc, incorporating 7 experimental groups from the selected manuscripts. The pooled proportion of ovulatory cows with P4 ≥1 ng/mL by 49 DIM (in most studies) was 79.8% (95% CI: 74.9%–84.3%), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 86.1%). The proportion of cows with estrous expression detected by AAM by 60 DIM (in most studies) was 64.0% (95% CI: 48.3%–78.3%), also showing significant heterogeneity (I2 = 98.1%). Sensitivity and specificity of AAM systems to identify ovulatory cows were 70.3% (95% CI: 55.1%–83.4%) and 60.0% (95% CI: 42.5%–76.3%), respectively, both with significant heterogeneity. Positive predictive value was 88.1% (95% CI: 84.9%–91.0%), and negative predictive value was 35.3% (95% CI: 26.3%–44.7%), indicating variability among experimental groups. The findings suggest that although AAM systems show promise in confirming ovulation in early lactation, the lack of estrus detection by AAM does not confirm anovulatory status. The heterogeneity in the data suggests there might be inconsistencies in the precision or configuration of the AAM systems across farms and studies.

Research on temporary organizations such as projects acknowledges the interplay between the temporary and the permanent. However, we still lack deeper understanding of the processes responsible for (re)producing and transforming permanent structures for temporary organizing. We present an ethnography of collaborative emergency response operations in a major German city – a setting providing an example of temporary organizing including more permanent structures drawn from intra- and interorganizational processes. Revealing the recursive interplay between the permanent and temporary across multiple levels, we explore practices of temporary organizing in situations that require both routine and highly situated responses. We also show how more permanent structures are co-fabricated in the process of temporary organizing. Furthermore, our study addresses the intricate interplay between organizing for the temporary and the permanent in relation to the tensions associated with the duality of stability and change. Finally, we outline implications for the effectiveness of emergency management and planning.

Background: Upon arriving in host countries, forcibly displaced people face psychological, cultural, as well as sociostructural challenges. Access to mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) remains limited, affecting both refugees and host country structures. Digital services offer promise in addressing these challenges, given their potential for scalability and accessibility. Despite the increasing use of digital MHPSS, cultural and contextual adaptation remains insufficiently documented, requiring systematic documentation.

Objective: This study aims (1) to assess the psychosocial needs of newly arrived refugees in Switzerland and identify potential digital support solutions and (2) to participatorily develop and culturally adapt the Sui app to address those needs for Arabic-speaking refugees.

Methods: We used a 2-phase adaptation process, structured using the RECAPT (Reporting Cultural Adaptation in Psychological Trials) framework to ensure systematic documentation. The preparation phase (2019-2021) included a desk review, needs assessment interviews, and conceptualization discussions. The development phase (2021-2022) included iterative development loops with a user advisory board (UAB) and a beta test, followed by final adjustments.

Results: The desk review provided 5 key insights guiding development: mental health stigma, health literacy, sociostructural aspects, adherence to digital interventions, and task-shifting approaches. Findings from the needs assessment with 22 asylum care interviewees, 2 intercultural interpreters, and 4 target group interviewees confirmed the importance of integrating sociostructural and psychological factors. Through conceptualization discussions with a consultancy agency and 4 UAB (n=9) meetings, the scope of the Sui app was drafted: 9 relevant, everyday life topics (eg, asylum process, housing, and work), 5 psychological topics (eg, stress, sleep, and emotion regulation), and 1 peer-guided chat support feature. A multilevel translation process, involving 5 Arabic speakers from different countries, ensured linguistic accessibility. This allowed the UAB to focus on surface, content, and delivery during 19 development loops. The app’s content was delivered in various formats, including text, illustrations, video testimonies, and audio exercises. The beta test revealed high acceptability, with most users engaging with the app several times a week. However, technical challenges such as slow loading times hindered the full exploration of the features. Participants valued the peer support function, highlighting the importance of faster response times and personalized messages. Based on the beta test, technical and content refinements were made to prepare the app for a future quantitative evaluation.

Conclusions: Through engagement with stakeholders and adherence to the RECAPT framework, we carefully considered the cultural and contextual circumstances of Arabic-speaking refugees newly arrived in Switzerland. The iterative participatory development process, spanning a preparation and development phase, ensured usability, accessibility, and relevance, while highlighting challenges in technical implementation and peer support. This study contributes to the existing knowledge of mental health and the needs of refugees and provides insights for future cultural adaptation of MHPSS interventions.

We initiate a study of local operator algebras at the boundary of infinite tensor networks, using the mathematical theory of inductive limits. In particular, we consider tensor networks in which each layer acts as a quantum code with complementary recovery, a property that features prominently in the bulk-to-boundary maps intrinsic to holographic quantum error-correcting codes. In this case, we decompose the limiting Hilbert space and the algebras of observables in a way that keeps track of the entanglement in the network. As a specific example, we describe this inductive limit for the holographic Harlow-Pastawski-Preskill-Yoshida code model and relate its algebraic and error-correction features. We find that the local algebras in this model are given by the hyperfinite type II infinity factor. Next, we discuss other networks that build upon this framework and comment on a connection between type II factors and stabilizer circuits. We conclude with a discussion of multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz networks in which complementary recovery is broken. We argue that this breaking possibly permits a limiting type III von Neumann algebra, making them more suitable ans & auml;tze for approximating subregions of quantum field theories.

We unambiguously document unrest at Taftan volcano. Summit uplift was detected using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar time series and its timing tightly constrained applying a new common mode filtering method. Uplift started and ended gradually lasting 10 months (July 2023 to May 2024). Uplift peaked at 11 cm/year rates, and during slowing-down several gas emission events occurred. Unrest was triggerless, uncorrelated with rainfall or seismic events. We favor internal driving processes with two possible scenarios: (a) dynamic hydrothermal alteration leading to permeability changes, shallow gas storage and pressurization, followed by opening of degassing pathways; or (b) a minor, undetected deep magmatic intrusion causing volatile exsolution and pore pressure increases within the hydrothermal system. Lack of post-unrest subsidence suggests persistence of hydrothermal high-pressure conditions at the summit and associated hazards. Our study shows how satellite imagery reveals hidden volcanic hazards at Taftan, and the need to implement a holistic volcano risk reduction strategy.

Stock market participation among working household heads jumped upwards in 2020 - in Germany by about 25 %. A major cause is the required use of work from home (WfH). We show this by adding WfH to a large set of explanatory variables. Moreover, we implement an instrumental variables estimation based on industry-specific levels of WfH-capacity. The transmission channels seem to work via increased available time and time flexibility. Moreover, we show that WfH makes the stock market accessible to a broader population, including lower income groups, which may contribute to lower income and wealth inequality in the future.

Glycoproteins cover the surface of enveloped viruses such as herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). Whilst essential for cellular attachment and entry, they also are excellent targets for host immune responses. This dichotomy culminates in an evolutionary struggle in which receptor recognition and immune escape are intricately balanced. Herpesviruses feature a variety of different glycoproteins with diverse molecular functions. Here, we describe the rapid evolution of HSV-1 towards syncytial plaque phenotypes in Vero cell culture, as well as anti-gD antibody resistance in human foreskin fibroblast cells. Using a mild hypermutator virus to accelerate experimental evolution, we identified multiple genetic variants leading to syncytial plaques. Strikingly, these variants differentially affect interactions within viral populations. Whilst gK mutants engage in collective syncytia formation upon entry, accelerate superinfection exclusion and maintain fitness advantages at high multiplicities of infection, gB and gD mutants do not. Furthermore, we find gE mutants which lead to mouse anti-gD antibody resistance and cross protect wt virus in mixed populations. Our findings suggest complex social interactions within herpesvirus populations and illustrate the evolutionary plasticity and diverse function of their glycoproteins.

In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated whether language production and understanding recruit similar phoneme-specific networks. We did so by comparing the brain’s response to different phoneme categories in minimal pairs: Bilabial-initial words (eg “monkey”) were contrasted to alveolar-initial words (eg “donkey”) in 37 participants performing both language production and comprehension tasks. Individual-specific region-of-interest analyses showed that the same sensorimotor networks were activated across the language modalities. In motor regions, word production and comprehension elicited the same phoneme-specific topographical activity patterns, with stronger haemodynamic activations for alveolar-initial words in the tongue cortex and stronger activations for bilabial-initial words in the lip cortex. In the posterior and middle superior temporal cortex, production and comprehension likewise resulted in similar activity patterns, with enhanced activations to alveolar- compared to bilabial-initial words. These results disagree with the classical asymmetry between language production and understanding in neurobiological models of language, and instead advocate for a cortical organization where phonology is carried by similar topographical activations in motor cortex and distributed activations in temporal cortex across the language modalities.

This study investigates the expression of predicative possession in Argentinian Spanish, focusing on the alternation between two constructions: tener (‘have’) + NP and estar con (‘be with’) + NP. Building on previous research, we explore the factors that determine speakers’ choices between these constructions, particularly the influence of temporal context and the presence of adverbs. Using a forced-choice experimental design, participants were presented with vignettes varying in temporal duration (durative vs. non-durative) and adverbial modification (extending, limiting, or none). Results show a strong overall preference for the tener + NP construction, particularly in durative contexts. However, the estar con + NP construction is more likely to be selected in non-durative contexts, especially when a limiting adverb is present. These findings suggest that the distinction between the two constructions is not purely semantic but also pragmatically modulated by temporal and contextual factors. We argue that this pattern reflects a subset-superset relationship between the two constructions, where tener + NP can cover a broader temporal scope than estar con + NP. This overlap mirrors cross-linguistic findings on possessive constructions and aspectual distinctions, with implications for understanding grammaticalization processes in Romance languages.

The Hadamard test is one of the pillars on which quantum algorithm development rests and, at the same time, is naturally suited for the intermediate regime between the current era of noisy quantum devices and complete fault tolerance. Its applications use measurements of the auxiliary qubit to extract information but disregard the system register completely. Concomitantly, but independently of this development, advances in quantum learning theory have enabled the efficient representation of quantum states via classical shadows. This Letter shows that, strikingly, putting both lines of thought into a new context results in substantial improvements to the Hadamard test on a single auxiliary readout qubit, by suitably exploiting classical shadows on the remaining 𝑛 -qubit work register. We argue that this combination inherits the best of both worlds and discuss statistical phase estimation as a vignette application. At the same time, the framework is more general and applicable to a wide range of other algorithms. There, we can use the Hadamard test to estimate energies on the auxiliary qubit, while classical shadows on the system register provide access to additional features such as (i) the fidelity of the initial state with certain pure quantum states, (ii) the initial state’s energy, and (iii) how pure and how close the initial state is to an eigenstate of the Hamiltonian. Finally, we also discuss how anticontrolled unitaries can further augment this framework and explain how this Letter settles the exploitation of the Hadamard test for intermediate applications.

New designs for molecular switches are essential for driving the development of nanoelectronics. The effect of quantum interference in cross-conjugated structures such as anthracene have already been thoroughly explored. A similar structural motif can be found in diboracenes, whose unsubstituted variants could only be synthesized recently. In this contribution, we explore the potential of these structures to produce similar quantum interference effects varying with substitution and how these could be used to produce a spin-filtering device. We investigate the eletronic properties of diboracenes through density functional theory and the global and local transport properties at the quasi-stationary limit using nonequilibrium Green’s function methods. Our findings show how the current may be tuned through the substituent and that larger unsubstituted diboracenes favor a triplet ground state with a destructive quantum interference effect for one of the spin channels.

The coefficients of elastic and dissipative operators in a linear hyperbolic SPDE are jointly estimated using multiple spatially localised measurements. As the resolution level of the observations tends to zero, we establish the asymptotic normality of an augmented maximum likelihood estimator. The rate of convergence for the dissipative coefficients matches rates in related parabolic problems, whereas the rate for the elastic parameters also depends on the magnitude of the damping. The analysis of the observed Fisher information matrix relies upon the asymptotic behaviour of rescaled M, N-functions generalising the operator cosine and sine families appearing in the undamped wave equation. In contrast to the energetically stable undamped wave equation, the M, N-functions emerging within the covariance structure of the local measurements have additional smoothing properties similar to the heat kernel, and their asymptotic behaviour is analysed using functional calculus.

Objective

Chronic stress is a risk factor for developing stress-induced mental disorders like major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Low-grade inflammatory processes seem to mediate this association. The sphingolipid metabolism with its most important lipid messengers ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders and inflammation.

Method

We conducted an exploratory trial to investigate the effect of intensive psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment of stress-induced disorders on the biological level. Before and after eight weeks of treatment, blood plasma of 67 patients was analyzed for sphingolipid levels and their metabolizing enzymes. Symptom severity of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and somatization (PHQ-15) was assessed in parallel.

Results

During psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment, symptom severity of depression, anxiety, and somatization decreased significantly. Levels of the stress molecule cortisol decreased upon treatment. Enzymatic activities of secreted acid sphingomyelinase (S-ASM) and neutral sphingomyelinase (NSM) increased significantly upon treatment, as well as of neutral ceramidase (NC). Regarding the lipid level, the molar ratio of ceramide species Cer16:0 and Cer18:0 decreased upon treatment, whereas sphingosine and S1P levels increased.

Conclusions

Psychosomatic – psychotherapeutic treatment was associated with a reduction in specific ceramide ratios and an increase in sphingosine and S1P levels potentially resulting from increased activity of sphingolipid metabolizing enzymes. Stress-induced mental disorders might be associated with disturbed sphingolipid levels that seem to be balanced during psychosomatic treatment. This study offers a further piece of evidence that the sphingolipid metabolism could be involved in the pathophysiology of stress-induced disorders, and its analysis could be helpful for treatment monitoring.

A series of bidentate quinoline/quinoxaline-NHC ligands were coordinated to an iron(II) metal centre with the aim of taking advantage of the combined effect of NHC σ-donor and quinoline/quinoxaline π-acceptors on the excited-state stabilization of the resulting Fe(II) complexes. Excitation of these complexes at 530 nm promoted excited state formation with lifetimes of up to 74 ps. A detailed study combining spectroelectrochemistry, UV/VIS transient absorption spectroscopy as well as steady-state and time-resolved luminescence concludes that these long-lived triplet states display spectroscopic properties compatible with both MC and MLCT character, with a degree of mixing that depends on the precise ligand structure.