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Previous research has produced mixed results on the question of whether confidence in ad hoc veracity judgments can be used as an indicator of judgment accuracy. These studies have used a variety of measures to analyze the confidence-accuracy relationship; however, they have rarely explicitly addressed why a particular measure was chosen and what its properties are. We theoretically and empirically examined previously used measures of metacognition in lie detection and report the results these measures yielded in re-analyses of 12 lie detection studies (total N = 2817 participants). Regardless of the measure, none of the studies found a confidence-accuracy relationship. Discrepancies between the measures are likely due to conceptual differences between them, emphasizing the importance of carefully selecting appropriate measures for the research question at hand. More work on the underlying processes of confidence judgments in lie detection is needed to improve the assessment of confidence and the selection of appropriate measures.

Lying is cognitively demanding and presumably requires self-regulation. According to ego depletion theory, a task that requires self-regulation should therefore impair an individual’s ability to tell a convincing lie in a later task. Consequently, it was hypothesized that a manipulation of ego depletion would enhance behavioral differences between liars and truth-tellers. To manipulate ego depletion, participants worked (vs. did not work) on a task in which they had to suppress dominant responses while copying a text. Subsequently, they talked in a simulated job interview about a job they had previously held (vs. not held). In the sample of 164 participants, there was no evidence to support the hypothesis; the expected Ego Depletion x Veracity interaction was not significant for any of the 15 behavioral cues coded in the videotaped interviews. Although the main effect of ego depletion was significant at the multivariate level for the first of two parts of the interview, none of the univariate main effects reached the significance level corrected for multiple testing. Bayesian analyses rendered moderate to strong evidence in favor of the null hypothesis. Possible implications of the results are discussed, also those related to ego depletion theory.

The neurotrophic growth factor brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in various neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and depression. BDNF has been proposed as a potential biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring therapy. Understanding the factors influencing BDNF levels and whether they follow a circadian rhythm is essential for interpreting fluctuations in BDNF measurements. We aimed to investigate the circadian rhythm of BDNF by collecting multiple peripheral venous blood samples from young, healthy male participants at 12 different time points over 24 h. In addition, vital parameters, cortisol and insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF1) were measured to explore potential regulatory mechanisms, interfering variables and their correlations with BDNF concentration. The findings revealed that plasma BDNF did not exhibit any significant fluctuations over 24 h, suggesting the absence of a circadian rhythm. However, serum BDNF levels decreased during sleep. Furthermore, serum BDNF showed a positive correlation with heart rate but a negative correlation with IGF1. No significant correlation was observed between cortisol and BDNF or IGF1. Although plasma BDNF suggests steady‐state conditions, the decline of serum BDNF during the nocturnal period could be attributed to physical inactivity and associated with reduced haemodynamic blood flow (heart rate reduction during sleep). The type of sample collection (peripheral venous cannula vs. blood sampling using a butterfly system) does not significantly affect the measured BDNF levels. The sample collection during the day did not significantly affect BDNF analysis, emphasizing the importance of considering activity levels rather than timing when designing standardized protocols for BDNF assessments. What is the central question of this study?How does the circadian rhythm potentially influence peripheral brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, and what has to be taken into consideration when interpretating BDNF levels in serum or plasma as potential biomarkers in neurodegenerative or psychiatric diseases?What is the main finding and its importance?Although plasma BDNF levels remain relatively stable over 24 h, serum BDNF exhibits a significant nocturnal decline, potentially linked to physical inactivity during sleep. Understanding this rhythm and the factors influencing BDNF levels is crucial for accurate interpretation of BDNF measurements, emphasizing the need to consider activity levels in standardized protocols for BDNF assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous delivery robots offer a promising solution to the challenges of last mile logistics, a crucial topic in times of increasing logistics volume, environmental concern, and ongoing urbanization. This study investigates the acceptance of such robots in various application scenarios for last mile delivery in Germany. A first, quantitative, study investigating the overall acceptance of autonomous delivery robots for the primary predominant usage scenarios of meal and package delivery tested an adapted technology acceptance model via a structural equation model. A second, qualitative, study was conducted to better understand possible future use cases for these robots included semistandardized interviews with 14 individuals and employed a qualitative content structuring analysis method for data analysis. The results of Study 1 confirm that performance expectancy and effort expectancy influence the acceptance of delivery robots, with performance expectancy and behavioral intention being significantly higher for the package than for meal deliveries. However, in both cases, the average intention to use these robots only slightly exceeded the scale mean. Study 2 reveals that autonomous delivery robots are perceived as more convenient than existing alternatives in grocery and pharmaceutical delivery and return processing. The further application of emergency situations, such as illness or the risk of infection, also emerged from the data; even respondents who generally reject the idea of such robots would still use them in such exceptional situations. These results should be considered in the further development of autonomous delivery robot systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preserving health and physical fitness is critical to ensure independent living across the lifespan. Lower levels of physical fitness are associated with age-related cognitive decline and a higher prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Thus, this study investigates the influence of a six-month dance intervention on selected measures of physical fitness in older adults with MCI. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 55 patients with MCI were randomized into a sportive dance training (IG; n = 26; age: 70.7 ± 5.6 years; 62% female) or an inactive control group (CG; n = 24; age: 69.1 ± 6.8 years; 46% female). The dance group received two 90 min dance training sessions per week over a duration of six-months, which focused on learning dance movement patterns. During the training sessions, heart rate was measured to control exercise intensity. Physical fitness was assessed using cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), lower limb functional fitness via sit-to-stand test, handgrip strength, and heart rate variability (HRV). Results: We observed that the dance intervention preserved the cardiorespiratory fitness as measured by maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) during CPET, which decreased in the CG. Furthermore, participants in the IG demonstrated increases in leg and handgrip strength, although these were not statistically significant. HRV displayed a non-significant decrease following the intervention. Conclusions: The results of this randomized controlled trial suggest that sportive dance training can preserve elements of physical fitness (i.e., cardiorespiratory fitness) in older adults with MCI. Although improvements in the other parameters (i.e., leg and handgrip strength) were statistically non-significant, likely due to the small sample size, stabilizing muscular fitness and preventing age-related decline in older adults with MCI is important for maintaining functional independence. For future studies, we recommend a longer training duration paired with precise control of regular physical activity levels, an important confounding factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast beam collinear laser spectroscopy is the established method to investigate nuclear ground state properties such as the spin, the electromagnetic moments, and the charge radius of exotic nuclei. These are extracted with high precision from atomic observables, i.e., the hyperfine splitting and the isotope shift, which become possible due to a large reduction of the Doppler broadening by compressing the velocity width of the ion beam through electrostatic acceleration. With the advancement of experimental methods and applied devices, e.g., to measure and stabilize the laser frequency, the acceleration potential became the dominant systematic uncertainty contribution. To overcome this, we present a custom-built high-voltage divider, which was developed and tested at the German metrology institute, and a feedback loop that enabled collinear laser spectroscopy to be performed at a 100-kHz level. Furthermore, we describe the impact of field penetration into the laser–ion interaction region. This affects the determined isotope shifts and hyperfine splittings if Doppler tuning is applied, i.e., the ion beam energy is altered instead of scanning the laser frequency. Using different laser frequencies that were referenced to a frequency comb, the field penetration was extracted laser spectroscopically. This allowed us to define an effective scanning potential to still apply the faster and easier Doppler tuning without introducing systematic deviations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detecting lies is crucial in numerous contexts, including situations in which individuals do not interact in their native language. Previous research suggests that individuals are perceived as less credible when they communicate in a nonnative compared with native language. The current study was the first to test this effect in truthful and fabricated messages written by native and nonnative English speakers. One hundred native English speakers judged the veracity of these messages, and overall, they proved less likely to believe and to correctly classify nonnative speakers' messages; differences in verbal cues between native and nonnative speakers' messages partly explained the differences in the judgments. Given the increased use of nonnative languages in a globalized world, the discrimination against nonnative speakers in veracity judgments is problematic. Further research should more thoroughly investigate the role of verbal cues in written and spoken nonnative language to enable the development of effective interventions.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a crucial mediator of neuronal plasticity. Here, we investigated the effects of controlled normobaric hypoxia (NH) combined with physical inactivity on BDNF blood levels and executive functions. A total of 25 healthy adults (25.8 ± 3.3 years, 15 female) were analyzed in a randomized controlled cross-over study. Each intervention began with a 30 min resting phase under normoxia (NOR), followed by a 90 min continuation of NOR or NH (peripheral oxygen saturation [SpO2] 85–80%). Serum and plasma samples were collected every 15 min. Heart rate and SpO2 were continuously measured. Before and after each exposure, cognitive tests were performed and after 24 h another follow-up blood sample was taken. NH decreased SpO2 (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.747) and increased heart rate (p = 0.006, ηp2 = 0.116) significantly. The 30-min resting phase under NOR led to a significant BDNF reduction in serum (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.581) and plasma (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.362). Continuation of NOR further significantly reduced BDNF after another 45 min (p = 0.018) in serum and after 30 min (p = 0.040) and 90 min (p = 0.005) in plasma. There was no significant BDNF decline under NH. A 24 h follow-up examination showed a significant decline in serum BDNF, both after NH and NOR. Our results show that NH has the potential to counteract physical inactivity-induced BDNF decline. Therefore, our study emphasizes the need for a physically active lifestyle and its positive effects on BDNF. This study also demonstrates the need for a standardized protocol for future studies to determine BDNF in serum and plasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the transition from non-covalent reversible over covalent reversible to covalent irreversible inhibition of cysteine proteases by making delicate structural changes to the warhead scaffold. To this end, dipeptidic rhodesain inhibitors with different N-terminal electrophilic arenes as warheads relying on the SNAr mechanism were synthesized and investigated. Strong structure–activity relationships of the inhibition potency, the degree of covalency, and the reversibility of binding on the arene substitution pattern were found. The studies were complemented and substantiated by molecular docking and quantum-mechanical calculations of model systems. Furthermore, the improvement in the membrane permeability of peptide esters in comparison to their corresponding carboxylic acids was exemplified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Change can affect employee work behavior and well-being in a variety of ways. The mediating and moderating factors that produce these effects, however, are not fully understood. This study examines the mediating role of uncertainty on affective commitment and organizational attractiveness and assesses whether psychological empowerment can mitigate the effects of change-related uncertainty. Survey data stems from 971 young German banking sector employees during a change period. Results reveal a negative relationship between change and affective commitment as well as between change and organizational attractiveness, with both relationships mediated by uncertainty. Furthermore, empowerment does not moderate this mediation for affective commitment but does for organizational attractiveness. Thus, there are fewer negative effects of uncertainty on organizational attractiveness when psychological empowerment is high. This has several implications for practice: uncertainty should be counteracted during change processes, for example, through transparent communication, and psychological empowerment should be promoted before and during change processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]