University of Neuchâtel

Multigene, genus-wide phylogenetic studies have uncovered the limited taxonomic resolution power of commonly used gene markers, particularly of rRNA genes, to discriminate closely related species of the nematode genus Heterorhabditis. In addition, conflicting tree topologies are often obtained using the different gene markers, which limits our understanding of the phylo- and co-phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the entomopathogenic nematode genus Heterorhabditis. Here we carried out phylogenomic reconstructions using whole nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and whole ribosomal operon sequences, as well as multiple phylogenetic reconstructions using various single nuclear and mitochondrial genes. Using the inferred phylogenies, we then investigated co-phylogenetic relationships between Heterorhabditis and their Photorhabdus bacterial symbionts and biogeographical patterns. Robust, well-resolved, and highly congruent phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed using both whole nuclear and mitochondrial genomes. Similarly, whole ribosomal operon sequences proved valuable for phylogenomic reconstructions, though they have limited value to discriminate closely related species. In addition, two mitochondrial genes, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox-1) and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (nad-4), and two housekeeping genes, the fanconi-associated nuclease 1 (fan-1) and the serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 4 regulatory subunit 1 (ppfr-1), provided the most robust phylogenetic reconstructions compared to other individual genes. According to our findings, whole nuclear and/or mitochondrial genomes are strongly recommended for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships of the genus Heterorhabditis. If whole nuclear and/or mitochondrial genomes are unavailable, a combination of nuclear and mitochondrial genes can be used as an alternative. Under these circumstances, sequences of multiple conspecific isolates in a genus-wide phylogenetic context should be analyzed to avoid artefactual species over-splitting driven by the high intraspecific sequence divergence of mitochondrial genes and to avoid artefactual species lumping driven by the low interspecific sequence divergence of some nuclear genes. On the other hand, we observed that the genera Heterorhabditis and Photorhabdus exhibit diverse biogeographic patterns, ranging from cosmopolitan species to potentially endemic species, and show high phylogenetic congruence, although host switches have also occurred. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the biodiversity and phylo- and co-phylogenetic relationships of an important group of biological control agents and advances our efforts to develop more tools that are compatible with sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural practices.

Integrating the diversity‐as‐separation perspective with the uncertainty‐threat principle from the field of political psychology, we introduce the notion of ideological separation in top management teams (TMTs) and examine its effects on strategic change in an uncertainty‐threat context that requires executives’ adaptive action (i.e. turnaround situations). We argue that, in turnaround situations, differences in values (i.e. political ideology) between executives activate ideological separation in the TMT, which causes decision paralysis in the executive group and lessens its ability to enact strategic change. Our research also considers the contingent role of two external environmental factors that may heighten uncertainty‐threat for executives in turnaround situations and strengthen the hypothesized main effect – that is, shareholder unrest (i.e. the degree to which shareholders submit complaints against corporate leadership and proposals for remedy) and industry performance decline (i.e. the degree to which the turnaround firm's industry experiences declining performance). Data from S&P 1500 firms show that TMT ideological separation inhibits strategic change in turnaround situations. They also highlight the dark side of shareholder democracy, by showing that – in turnaround contexts – shareholder unrest intensifies this relationship. Implications for upper echelons, strategic management, TMT diversity, political ideology and turnaround research are discussed.

Energy and electron transfer interplay in a supramolecular system formed by a tetrapyrenyl functionalised porphyrin and arene–ruthenium metalla-prisms.

This study presents the synthesis and thorough characterisation of a hydrazine-hydroxy-pyran-2-one derivative referred to as compound (L 1 : 3, 3-[(1E.2E)-hydrazine-1, 2-diylidene-dieth-1-yl-1-ylidene] bis(4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one). Structural elucidation using UV-vis, FT-IR and single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) confirmed tautomeric forms of L 1. The SC-XRD analysis revealed a bi-zwitterionic form (BZL 1), stabilised by the intramolecular proton transfer between two enol units and azine tautomerism. The planar molecular structure, supported by XRD, DFT and Hirshfeld surface analysis, showed charge-assisted hydrogen bonds [N + −H...O − ] forming S(6) ring motifs. Crystals were stabilised by C-H...O hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking, analysed through Hirshfeld surfaces and 2D fingerprint plots. Compound L 2 : 3-[(1E)-1-(9H-fluoren-9-ylidenehydrazinylidene)ethyl]-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one), is illustrated in this paper to compare two derivatives of dehy-droacetic acid (DHA) and to enrich this study. Molecular docking revealed binding affinities of hybrid compounds with target proteins. DFT and TD-DFT analyses examined structural, electronic and optical properties, aligning well with experimental data. BZL 1 exhibited higher electronic hardness (3.632 eV) than L 2 (3.506 eV). Variations in α, α and ρ values were observed, with L 1 showing stronger γ (0; 0, 0, 0) and γ (−ω; ω, 0, 0) while L 2 excelled in γ (−2ω; ω, ω, 0). Consequently, these results highlight the potential of these compounds as promising candidates for use in third-order nonlinear optical applications. ARTICLE HISTORY

Despite its commercial success, intensive oil palm monoculture is facing both social and environmental constraints. Adapting the traditional plantation model towards more resilient and climate-smart farming systems will require deep changes. Agroforestry offers great potential for biodiversity and carbon storage benefits while maintaining high palm oil yields. The TRAILS multidisciplinary research project has installed a 39-ha prototype experiment in Sabah, Malaysia. The project includes different planting designs (interplanted rows, mixed tree plantation and forest islands) aimed at providing information about: i) the ability of oil palm to grow in competition with forest trees, ii) the best combination of tree species and their compatibility with the oil palm constraints for co-cultivation, and iii) the growth and developmental characteristics of a selected number of native forest species of interest. More specifically, we plan to describe changes in biodiversity and ecosystem services together with oil palm performance.

Background Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are among the most frequent infections and a significant contributor to inappropriate antibiotic prescription. Currently, no single diagnostic tool can reliably identify bacterial pneumonia. We thus evaluate a multimodal approach based on a clinical score, lung ultrasound (LUS), and the inflammatory biomarker, procalcitonin (PCT) to guide prescription of antibiotics. LUS outperforms chest X-ray in the identification of pneumonia, while PCT is known to be elevated in bacterial and/or severe infections. We propose a trial to test their synergistic potential in reducing antibiotic prescription while preserving patient safety in emergency departments (ED). Methods The PLUS-IS-LESS study is a pragmatic, stepped-wedge cluster-randomized, clinical trial conducted in 10 Swiss EDs. It assesses the PLUS algorithm, which combines a clinical prediction score, LUS, PCT, and a clinical severity score to guide antibiotics among adults with LRTIs, compared with usual care. The co-primary endpoints are the proportion of patients prescribed antibiotics and the proportion of patients with clinical failure by day 28. Secondary endpoints include measurement of change in quality of life, length of hospital stay, antibiotic-related side effects, barriers and facilitators to the implementation of the algorithm, cost-effectiveness of the intervention, and identification of patterns of pneumonia in LUS using machine learning. Discussion The PLUS algorithm aims to optimize prescription of antibiotics through improved diagnostic performance and maximization of physician adherence, while ensuring safety. It is based on previously validated tests and does therefore not expose participants to unforeseeable risks. Cluster randomization prevents cross-contamination between study groups, as physicians are not exposed to the intervention during or before the control period. The stepped-wedge implementation of the intervention allows effect calculation from both between- and within-cluster comparisons, which enhances statistical power and allows smaller sample size than a parallel cluster design. Moreover, it enables the training of all centers for the intervention, simplifying implementation if the results prove successful. The PLUS algorithm has the potential to improve the identification of LRTIs that would benefit from antibiotics. When scaled, the expected reduction in the proportion of antibiotics prescribed has the potential to not only decrease side effects and costs but also mitigate antibiotic resistance. Trial registration This study was registered on July 19, 2022, on the ClinicalTrials.gov registry using reference number: NCT05463406. Trial status Recruitment started on December 5, 2022, and will be completed on November 3, 2024. Current protocol version is version 3.0, dated April 3, 2023.

In the field of educational robotics, it is important to understand the processes trough which child-robot interactions are established during play activities. In terms of socio-material characteristics, robots can vary widely, from more mechanical robots to more anthropomorphic ones. Research has shown that the degree of anthropomorphization of the robot has an impact on how children perceive and interact with the robot. The role of the socio-material characteristics is still poorly explore in the 18–36-month age group. The aim of the study was to investigate how the presence of two robots, which differed in their socio-material characteristic of anthropomorphization, shapes both the individual and group play activities of 25 children aged 18–36 months. The children were observed during free group play sessions in which they had access to two types of robots: Idol, with more human-like features, and Pixy, a more mechanical robot with minimal anthropomorphism. Observations made through video recordings were transcribed. Qualitative analysis was conducted, and six units of analysis of children’s interaction with robots were identified. The main finding from our study is that children as early as 18 months are sensitive to the socio-material characteristics of the robotic artefact, influencing the way they interact with the robot and with each other. Notably, children displayed more imitation behaviors and social interactions with Idol, the more anthropomorphic robot, while Pixy, the mechanical robot, was primarily explored for its mechanical features. From an educational point of view, we highlight the importance of the construction of the learning environment and the choice of materials to propose to the children in play; the robot could be used to reinforce symbolic play, imitation, and to support group interaction.

Aim The role of environmental factors that shape the large‐scale distribution of eukaryotic microbes remains understudied. We aimed to disentangle the impacts of latitudinal and longitudinal gradients on the distribution of Sphagnum‐ dwelling testate amoebae in mires and to understand the influence of environmental factors related to both local habitats (hummock—lawn—hollows) and regional climates. Location A range from temperate to subarctic and from the European part to the Far East of Russia (51°–70°N, 32°–158°E). Taxon Testate amoeba (Arcellinida, Euglyphida, and Amphitremida). Methods We analysed the testate amoeba (TA) composition and abundance data from 816 samples collected in 75 peatlands. Linear mixed‐effects models and redundancy analysis were applied to determine the likely environmental drivers of TA α ‐ and β ‐diversity. Results We identified a significant reversed latitudinal gradient in α ‐diversity which negatively correlated with the mean annual temperature. This gradient is microhabitat‐specific, being prominent in lawn and hollow microhabitats, but not in hummocks. Longitude, which corresponds mainly to a gradient of precipitation seasonality, was a significant predictor of TA β ‐diversity, especially in hollows. Main Conclusions Our findings identify climatic factors (e.g., mean annual temperature and precipitation seasonality) as likely shaping the continental‐scale TA α ‐ and β ‐diversity patterns, emphasising the microhabitat‐specific nature of these relationships. The absence of pattern in hummocks is interpreted as evidence for a predominant microhabitat stress (i.e., low moisture and pH) in this habitat.

The profound effects of urbanization on groundwater recharge rates are investigated by conducting a comprehensive land use and land cover analysis in Arusha, Tanzania, using the WetSpass model. Between 1995 and 2016, the urban area has expanded from 14 to 45% within the study area. This rapid urbanization has resulted in the conversion of forested areas, agricultural land, shrublands, and bare soil into urban zones. Results indicated that under preurban conditions, groundwater recharge from precipitation was ~116 mm/year, which increased to an average of 148 mm/year by 2016. When accounting for anthropogenic factors such as drinking water leakage and on-site sanitation, recharge further increased to 195 mm/year. These supplementary recharge sources, along with reduced evapotranspiration due to land-use changes, contributed to the increase, despite higher surface runoff. These findings underscore the significance of land use and leakage management in urban areas, as well as the spatial variability in groundwater recharge rates across different urban zones, emphasizing the importance of local factors. This study advances the understanding of the intricate relationship between urbanization and groundwater dynamics, and provides insights for future water resource management in rapidly growing urban regions.

Background and Aims The cosmopolitan Botrychium lunaria group belong to the most species rich genus of the family Ophioglossaceae and was considered to consist of two species until molecular studies in North America and northern Europe led to the recognition of multiple new taxa. Recently, additional genetic lineages were found scattered in Europe, emphasizing our poor understanding of the global diversity of the B. lunaria group, while the processes involved in the diversification of the group remain unexplored. Methods We conducted the first global phylogenetic study of the group including 533 ingroup accessions sequenced for four plastid loci. We compared results of Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood based methods. We used the phylogenetic relationship we recovered to estimate the timing of divergence with BEAST. We explored ecological segregation between species with climatic variables (CHELSA database) and soil pH measurements. The ploidy level and genome size were estimated with flow cytometry. Key Results We recovered nine well-supported clades, although relationships between clades were inconsistent between Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses. We treated each clade at the species level, except for one clade including two ploidy levels and one including two recognized diploid species one of which appeared as subclade (B. nordicum) of the other (B. lunaria), resulting in the recognition of 11 species, 4 of which are unnamed. In contrast to previous studies, we found species diversity to be equally distributed across the northern hemisphere, with 6-8 species per continent. We estimated the stem age of the B. lunaria group at 2.5-5.3 million years, with most species 1.5-2.6 million years old, and subclades 0.2-1.0 million years old. Diversification thus coincided with Pleistocene climatic fluctuations that strongly affected the areas inhabited by the group, suggesting that diversification was driven by climatically induced cycles of extinction, dispersal, and migration. Furthermore, ecological differentiation between species suggests these complex population dynamics were associated with adaptations to specific environmental conditions. We found limited evidence that speciation is driven by polyploidization and hybridization. Conclusions The B. lunaria group radiation was most likely driven by the Pleistocene climatic shifts. For the first time, we show that ecological drivers may have played a role in the diversification of this group, rather than polyploidization. Furthermore, the B. lunaria group has greater species level diversity than previously assumed and we suspect that further cryptic species may await discovery, especially in the B. neolunaria clade.

Ambiguity acts as a veil that can help conceal and justify dishonest behavior. While an individual’s ability to disambiguate information in a task may help remove the veil of ambiguity and thus promote honesty, the relationship between ambiguity, ability, and dishonesty is currently unexplored. To investigate this, we employed an experimental design where participants attempted to resolve an ambiguous task and reported their performance. Results showed that ambiguity and dishonesty increase in unison. Importantly, the participants who resolved ambiguity acted less dishonestly (Study 1). In Studies 2a, 2b, and 3, we increased participants’ ability by briefly training them to disambiguate the information presented in the task. The results showed that participants acted less dishonestly when their ability levels were increased. Overall, the findings indicate that dishonesty can be reduced not only by making tasks less ambiguous but also by enhancing an individual’s ability to successfully resolve ambiguity.

Adaptation to new climates poses a significant challenge for plant pathogens during range expansion, highlighting the importance of understanding their response to climate to accurately forecast future disease outbreaks. The wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici is ubiquitous across most wheat production regions distributed across diverse climate zones. We explored the genetic architecture of thermal adaptation using a global collection of 411 Z. tritici strains that were phenotyped across a wide range of temperatures and then included in a genome-wide association study. Our analyses provided evidence for local thermal adaptation in Z. tritici populations worldwide, with a significant positive correlation between bioclimatic variables and optimal growth temperatures. We also found a high variability in thermal performance among Z. tritici strains coming from the same field populations, reflecting the high evolutionary potential of this pathogen at the field scale. We identified 69 genes putatively involved in thermal adaptation, including one high-confidence candidate potentially involved in cold adaptation. These results highlight the complex polygenic nature of thermal adaptation in Z. tritici and suggest that this pathogen is likely to adapt well when confronted with climate change.

Corridors entail and promote pervasive logics of (dis)connectivity. Over the years, corridors have become increasingly predominant across a range of spaces, places and territories. Their prevalence reflects a critical global shift in planning approaches, urban-regional governance, investment trends, circulation regimes and broader urbanisation processes. This article engages with this paradigm shift to critically interrogate the term corridor and its various usages and dynamics, considering its analytical purchase and socio-spatial dynamic for urban studies. We provide a genealogical reading of the term corridor, examining its usage and conceptualisation in different contexts, to ask what these different interpretations and analytical functions of the corridor can offer to urban studies today. Through this critical review, we assert that the meaning and usage of corridors are permeated by heterogeneity and multiplicity that define their current dynamic. This leads us to problematise their linear delineations across space (and time). Thereafter, we offer a typology of different corridors, which helps us to address its analytical valence for urban studies and social science. We conclude by setting out four research directions in scholarship that offer a platform to develop further research imperatives and debates in relation to the growing urban corridorisation and its effects on urbanities, cities and everyday life.

In the beginning of 2020 a novel coronavirus, COVID-19, spread from China to firstly Europe and then the rest of the world provoking a global health and economic crisis threatening well-being and quality of life in all countries across the globe. This chapter introduces the edited volume and its 12 contributions examining the impact of COVID-19 on four core aspects of well-being: subjective well-being, employment and workers’ well-being including work-life balance, sociability and solidarity, and children’s and youths’ well-being. Highlighting the global, comparative perspective adopted in the present volume, including both the experiences of countries from the Global North and the Global South, this chapter introduces the core concepts and measures of well-being employed in the contributions of this volume, discusses the relationship between crisis and well-being, and the various economic, social, political, cultural, and demographic factors impacting on well-being, and explains the focus of this volume. The chapter concludes by summarizing the parts and chapters included in the present volume.

The purpose of this application, under Article 75.5 of the Code, is to conserve the current usage of the specific name Andrena ovatula (Kirby, 1802) by setting aside all previous types and designating a neotype for Melitta ovatula. The name Andrena ovatula has been used as the senior name for what is a complex of species for more than 100 years. The principal confusion has been with Andrena afzeliella (Kirby, 1802), described from a female specimen, whereas Andrena ovatula was described from three male specimens. Within this group, males are morphologically more challenging to recognise than females, and as the existing male type material of A. ovatula possibly does not conform to the current use of A. ovatula, this poses a risk of nomenclatural instability. A female neotype is designated for Andrena ovatula, fixing the current interpretation of Andrena ovatula as distinct from A. afzeliella.

Strontium isotope (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) analysis with reference to strontium isotope landscapes (Sr isoscapes) allows reconstructing mobility and migration in archaeology, ecology, and forensics. However, despite the vast potential of research involving ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analysis particularly in Africa, Sr isoscapes remain unavailable for the largest parts of the continent. Here, we measure the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in 778 environmental samples from 24 African countries and combine this data with published data to model a bioavailable Sr isoscape for sub-Saharan Africa using random forest regression. We demonstrate the efficacy of this Sr isoscape, in combination with other lines of evidence, to trace the African roots of individuals from historic slavery contexts, particularly those with highly radiogenic ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios uncommon in the African Diaspora. Our study provides an extensive African ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr dataset which includes scientifically marginalized regions of Africa, with significant implications for the archaeology of the transatlantic slave trade, wildlife ecology, conservation, and forensics.