We study the mortgage rate channel of monetary policy transmission under two different mortgage regimes by analyzing the United States with primarily long-term fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) and Spain with mainly annually resetting adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). We find a robust transmission of mortgage rate changes to spending in both regimes, with marginal propensities to consume ranging between 0.58–0.67 in Spain and 0.27–0.52 in the United States. Under ARMs, transmission is stronger when rate changes are expected to persist, whereas under FRMs, the effect is larger when rate changes are expected to revert. We further document the important role of mortgage type in shaping the variation in transmission across mortgagors—while the mortgage rate effect is fairly homogeneous across diverse household characteristics under ARMs, it is more heterogeneous under FRMs and largest among potential refinancers.

This study analyzed medium-to-long-term trends in long-term care insurance expenditures in Katsurao Village, which underwent complete evacuation following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, to elucidate the disaster’s impact on care needs. Long-term care insurance expenditure data of Katsurao Village from 2010 to 2023 were analyzed. Per capita long-term care expenditure was calculated by dividing the total long-term care insurance benefits by the population aged ≥65 years and compared to national averages. In 2016, when evacuation orders were largely lifted, per capita long-term care insurance expenditure reached JPY 562,970, approximately three times pre-disaster levels (JPY 197,461 in 2010). Although expenditures gradually decreased thereafter, they remained high at JPY 415,884 in 2023. Evacuation due to nuclear disaster leads to sustained increases in long-term care burden.

The increasing levels of job demands and work stress experienced daily by workers in multiple contexts have increased the experience of the need for recovery after work. This study aims to provide validity evidence for the Danish Need for Recovery (NFR) Scale. We analyzed the psychometric properties of the scale, its factor structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance, and validity based on relationships with other variables (job stress, general health, and affective states) in two samples of Spanish workers. The results obtained through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses strongly support the unidimensional structure of the Spanish version of the NFR in its full eight-item version after eliminating one item not applicable in our cultural context, with good data fit. The values obtained regarding internal consistency, besides measurement invariance across groups, ensure the scale’s reliability and applicability. The validity and associations with other constructs tested were also confirmed in the hypothesized relationships with the respective variables analyzed. However, the short three-item version does not present a better fit compared to the full version in its Spanish validation. The Spanish adaptation of the Danish NFR scale in its full eight-item version constitutes a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of this construct. The methodological and practical implications of the Spanish version of the NFR scale are detailed in the discussion.

“Dual disorders” (DD) refers to the co-occurrence of addiction and other mental health conditions, which often interact and complicate care. Despite scientific evidence showing shared brain mechanisms, current diagnostic systems treat them separately, leading to fragmented treatment and stigma. The World Association on Dual Disorders urges adopting “dual disorders” as a unified term to improve clarity, care integration, and outcomes.

Women’s labor in African urban centers permeates every sphere of urban life, yet its full scope remains understated in scholarly accounts. Akinwole introduces “holistic articulation” as a method for reading African women’s discursive labor. Holistic articulation names an analytical strategy of linking discursive fragments about women’s labor across multiple archives: social history, African literature, popular journalism, mythography, and everyday expressions. By tracing these connections, holistic articulation highlights the breadth of African women’s space-making and performative labor. This approach extends existing frameworks for analyzing African women’s labor by foregrounding its discursive and imaginative dimensions.

On April 28, 2025, a large-scale blackout affected mainland Spain and Portugal for over ten hours, severely impacting Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Although the cause remains uncertain and initially cyberattack was a concern, it has most probably been related to infrastructure failure. This event exposed critical vulnerabilities in EMS preparedness, as no region had a specific contingency plan for power outages.

The blackout led to wide-spread disruption, including traffic signal failures that caused accidents and delayed emergency response, and the collapse of communication networks that affected 1-1-2 emergency calls. Fuel shortages also emerged as gas stations became non-operational. Patients using home medical devices faced life-threatening situations, with at least one death reported due to a ventilator failure. The reliance on technology proved to be a major weakness, as many EMS systems lacked backup communication tools like satellite phones or analog radios, and many hospitals and ambulance bases were not prepared with stable generators and adequate fuel access.

Coordination between EMS, hospitals, and other emergency services was challenged by incompatible protocols and equipment. Despite these difficulties, EMS demonstrated adaptability by prioritizing urgent care and reallocating resources. The event exposed systemic fragilities and underscored the need for robust emergency planning, interagency drills, technological redundancy, and investment in resilient infrastructure. This incident serves as a global wake-up call, emphasizing that health systems must be prepared for increasing risks from climate change, cyber threats, and energy insecurity. Emergency preparedness should shift from being reactive to proactive, focusing on flexible systems, coordinated action, and workforce training to ensure continuity of health care during future blackouts.

Metabolomics of faecal samples offers a non-invasive method to monitor gastrointestinal (GI) development and microbial activity in dairy heifers during key physiological transitions. In this longitudinal study, faecal metabolites from 10 Holstein heifers were analyzed from birth to first calving using targeted metabolomics. Faecal samples were collected at 12 h post-birth, week 6 (pre-weaning), week 14 (weaning), 8 months (post-weaning), and at first calving (26 ± 2.3 months). Calves were fed 3.8 L of colostrum within 2 h of birth, followed by 6 L of maternal transition milk for 5 days, then 6 L of milk replacer twice daily. Group housing began at 14 days. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) showed distinct temporal clustering of faecal metabolites. Heatmap analysis revealed significant metabolite alterations, particularly between pre- and post-weaning stages. A linear mixed-effects model identified significant stage effects for all 17 amino acids. Of the 55 biogenic amines and amino acid-related metabolites, 48 significantly differed across stages. Elevated amino acids and polyamines early in life reflected colostrum intake and immature digestion, decreasing post-weaning, indicating improved nutrient absorption and rumen functionality. Increased microbiota-derived compounds, including β-alanine, serotonin, and indole derivatives, reflected microbial colonization and co-regulation with the host. Elevated dopamine, homocysteine, and phenylethylamine in late gestation indicated neuroactive and redox adaptations. Overall, faecal metabolite profiles provide insights into metabolic remodelling related to nutrition, GI maturation, and reproductive development, highlighting faecal metabolomics as a useful non-invasive tool for monitoring heifer development.