Union Bank of Switzerland

We present the LunarLeaper mission concept, which aims to robotically investigate volcanic pits on the lunar surface. Volcanic pits, or skylights, are collapse features that may provide access to subsurface lava tubes, which could serve as shelters for future human explorers and offer insight into the volcanic history of the Moon by exposing ancient lava flows. The existence and extent of large caves are still debated today and require in situ analysis. The Marius Hills site in particular offers a potential entry point to a cave system in a volcanic region on the lunar nearside. Our mission aims to deploy a payload-equipped 15kg-class legged robot that can approach a pit, such as the Marius Hills pit, while taking measurements during the traverse. During the mission, measurements from a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and a gravimeter will allow us to survey the subsurface and map any underlying lava tube, if present. The mission will investigate key questions regarding lunar volcanism, such as the existence and geometry of subsurface caves and the magnitude and timing of lava flows, while assessing the site’s suitability for future human utilization and habitation. Furthermore, the mission will demonstrate key enabling technologies such as legged robots, serving as building blocks for the next generation of planetary missions. • The LunarLeaper mission concept proposes a 15kg-class legged robot to investigate the existance of lunar lava tubes and volcanic pits. • Autonomous, legged robotic exploration enables geophysical surveys and high-resolution imaging of the Marius Hills Pit within one lunar day. • Legged locomotion technology demonstrates enhanced mobility for traversing complex lunar terrain.

We extend the literature on volatility-managed portfolios to convertible bonds. Our volatility-managed convertible bond strategies take less risk when volatility is high, entail economic utility gains of up to 53%, increase Sharpe ratios and returns, and substantially reduce tail risk over their unmanaged equivalents out of sample and including transaction costs. The strategies exploit the mispricing of long-term options that results from the overextrapolation of short-term realized volatility. Their outperformance is concentrated in high-sentiment periods, during which they reduce exposure to sentiment-induced low market prices of risk and produce significant alphas and higher Sharpe ratios. As convertible bonds outperform equities in high-sentiment periods, they provide a valuable supplement to conventional portfolios. Combining volatility-managing with Markowitz’s optimal portfolio allocation out of sample expands the mean–variance frontier. An E-GARCH model enhances economic performance for volatility-managed convertible bond strategies compared to standard volatility-forecasting models.

IntroductionThis study evaluated the usability and patient experience of the Vivatum Alba Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)-System™, an integrated Bluetooth-enabled platform designed to enhance peritoneal dialysis (PD) delivery. Objectives included assessment of patient satisfaction, procedural competence, data accuracy, and reliability of transmission to the remote patient care (RPC™) platform. Such technology may help strengthen the safety and consistency of CAPD delivery, particularly where in-person follow-up is limited.MethodsA prospective, two-phase, multi-centre cohort study was conducted at two South African sites. Adults on stable PD for ≥3 months were enrolled. In Phase-1, participants received education and completed a usability questionnaire. In Phase-2, they were trained on the Alba system and performed supervised simulated and live PD exchanges. Outcomes included structured observations of procedural competence, patient satisfaction, and accuracy of data capture.ResultsOf the 41 participants enrolled, 30 completed both phases. The median age was 49 years; 52% were male. Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (88%), while fluid overload, defined by bioimpedance or clinical assessment, was present in 58%. Structured observations showed strong procedural competence with consistent adherence to aseptic technique. Patient satisfaction was high (97.5%), and participants valued the system's intuitive interface, infection control prompts, and integrated vital sign monitoring. Vital sign and ultrafiltration measurements obtained via the Alba system correlated closely with manual values, and data transfer to the RPC™ platform was reliable.ConclusionsThe Alba CAPD System™ demonstrated high usability, strong satisfaction, ultrafiltration accuracy, and reliable data transmission, offering a feasible approach to enhance PD delivery. Further evaluation in home environments is warranted.

Research questionTo what extent have fertility preservation interventions evolved between 2014 and 2023, and what factors have influenced changes in their utilization and prevalence?DesignBased on the FertiPROTEKT registry, comprising 163 centres across Germany, Austria, and parts of Switzerland, the quantitative development of ovarian stimulation for oocyte cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation was evaluated from 2014 to 2023. Analyses were stratified according to the kind of participating centre, patient age, and the spectrum of underlying diseases. In addition, data were statistically compared for the periods 2014/2015 (P1) and 2022/2023 (P2).ResultsApproximately 14,000 women received counselling across all three countries between 2014 and 2023. Among these, 3,996 females underwent ovarian stimulation for oocyte cryopreservation, and 3,478 underwent ovarian tissue cryopreservation. The number of oocyte cryopreservation cycles increased substantially from P1 to P2, whereas the number of ovarian tissue cryopreservation procedures remained relatively stable. The increase in oocyte cryopreservation was substantially greater in private centres (197% increase: 308 to 916 cycles) compared to public institutions (39% increase: 818 to 1,136 cycles; p < 0.001). The rise in oocyte cryopreservation cycles parallels an increase in breast cancer cases presenting for fertility preservation; this temporal coincidence suggests a potential association but does not establish causation. The predominance of breast cancer patients also influenced the age distribution of oocyte cryopreservation cases. Among oocyte cryopreservation procedures, absolute numbers increased across all age groups up to 40 years, with the largest absolute increase in women aged 31–40 years (212 to 732 cycles, 245% relative increase).The overall age distribution of procedures changed only slightly, although younger patients were more likely to undergo ovarian tissue cryopreservation. Additionally, new indications such as endometriosis and gender dysphoria have become increasingly relevant over the past 5 years.ConclusionThe number and distribution of fertility preservation procedures have changed notably during the last decade, driven primarily by shifts in the reimbursement strategies and the type of centres providing care. These developments should be carefully considered in the future design and implementation of fertility preservation programmes. However, decisions regarding specific fertility-preserving interventions must also be guided by scientific evidence.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00404-025-08253-7.

The 2025 Nobel prize in Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for unravelling the basis of peripheral immune tolerance: regulatory T (Treg) cells. Treg cells are a subset of CD4+ T helper cells characterized by the expression of the transcription factor Foxp3 and the surface receptor CD25 (IL-2 receptor alpha subunit) and are key for maintaining immune homeostasis and preventing autoimmunity. In this minireview, we trace the discovery of Treg cells, their phenotype and function and how these findings are employed in generating safer and more efficient therapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.

Most distribution system operators may not accurately record or completely maintain the phase connections for the numerous LV customers. Different consumer phase identification (CPI) approaches based on voltages, powers or other measurements are proposed in the literature. Due to the technical challenges in collecting voltage measurements, power measurement based approaches are preferable. Hence, this paper proposes a novel power based CPI methodology applying Graph Neural Networks (GNNs). The CPI methodology generates synthetic transformer power profiles assuming random combinations of phases for the measured load profiles, which are used altogether to train the GNN model. The GNN model is then tested using measured transformer and load power profiles. The performance of the methodology is evaluated in a test low voltage grid of 55 loads under various conditions of Photovoltaic penetration, Photovoltaics under maintenance, measurement errors, unmetered consumption, uncertain grid asset parameters and inaccurate phase connections. Further tests on a real low voltage grid with 111 loads prove the scalability of the methodology. The attained results show that the GNN model can achieve accuracy above 90% in most cases, outperforming various state-of-the-art methods. • The Graph Neural Network identifies the phase labels with accuracy higher than 90%. • Under noisy or unmetered demand, the Graph Neural Network achieves accuracy over 90%. • Under various Photovoltaic cases, the Graph Neural Network yields accuracy over 90%. • The Graph Neural Network yields accuracy of 92% in case of multi-phase connections. • The grid losses and uncertain assets’ parameters have minor impact on model accuracy.

Abstract This study provides the first culture-based survey of archaeal diversity in Moroccan Atlantic solar salterns (Oualidia and Khenifiss), using sediment samples collected across a gradient of moderate to extreme salinities (16.7–29.2% w/v) and slightly alkaline pH (7.4–7.5). A total of 67 representative strains were isolated, all belonging to the class Halobacteria. The community was dominated by the genus Halorubrum , with additional genera ( Haloarcula, Haloferax , Natrinema , Halobacterium , Halogeometricum , Halococcus , Halomicrobium , and Halostagnicola ) exhibiting site- and phase-specific distributions, likely influenced by salinity fluctuations, microhabitat availability, and harvesting stage. Phylogenetic analyses revealed several isolates with ≤ 98.65% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to known taxa, forming distinct clades and suggesting the presence of putatively novel species. Antagonism assays demonstrated widespread inhibitory activity among isolates, with Natrinema and Haloferax strains exhibiting the strongest antagonism against co-isolated haloarchaea, indicative of bioactive compound production (e.g., halocins, lanthipeptides, or halolysins). These results expand our understanding of haloarchaeal diversity in Atlantic salterns, underscoring their potential as reservoirs of extremophiles with biotechnological applications. Furthermore, this work highlights the necessity of integrating polyphasic and culture-independent approaches to resolve the taxonomy and chemical ecology of these dynamic hypersaline environments.