Do women's preferences for masculine voices shift across the ovulatory cycle?

Are estrous mate preference shifts robust? This question is the subject of controversy within human evolutionary sciences. For nearly two decades, mate preference shifts across the ovulatory cycle were considered an important feature of human sexual selection, directing women’s attention towards mates with indicators of “good genes” in their fertile phase, when conception is possible. However, several recent studies on masculine faces, bodies or behaviors have failed to find evidence supporting this account, known as the good genes ovulatory shift hypothesis. Furthermore, evidence that preferences for masculine characteristics in men’s voices are related to women’s cycle phase and hormonal status is still equivocal. Here, we report two independent within-subject studies from different labs with large sample sizes (N = 202 tested twice in Study 1; N = 157 tested four times in Study 2) investigating cycle shifts in women’s preferences for masculine voices. In both studies, hormonal status was assessed directly using salivary assays of steroid hormones. We did not find evidence for effects of cycle phase, conception risk or steroid hormone levels on women’s preferences for masculine voices. Rather, Study 2 suggests cycle shifts in women’s attraction to men’s voices regardless of masculine characteristics, though Study 1 provided only partly evidence for such attraction shifts. Women’s relationship status and self-reported stress did not moderate these findings, and the hormonal pattern that influences these shifts remains somewhat unclear. We consider how future work can clarify the mechanisms underlying psychological changes across the ovulatory cycle

Holistic quality model and assessment : supporting decision-making towards sustainable construction using the design and production of graded concrete components as an example

This paper describes a holistic quality model (HQM) and assessment to support decision-making processes in construction. A graded concrete slab serves as an example to illustrate how to consider technical, environmental, and social quality criteria and their interrelations. The evaluation of the design and production process of the graded concrete component shows that it has advantages compared to a conventional solid slab, especially in terms of environmental performance. At the same time, the holistic quality model identifies potential improvements for the technology of graded concrete. It will be shown that the holistic quality model can be used to (a) consider the whole life cycle in decision-making in the early phases and, thus, make the complexity of construction processes manageable for quality and sustainability assessments and (b) make visible interdependencies between different quality and sustainability criteria, to help designers make better-informed decisions regarding the overall quality. The results show how different quality aspects can be assessed and trade-offs are also possible through the understanding of the relationships among characteristics. For this purpose, in addition to the quality assessment of graded concrete, an overview of the interrelations of different quality characteristics is provided. While this article demonstrates how a HQM can support decision-making in design, the validity of the presented evaluation is limited by the data availability and methodological challenges, specifically regarding the quantification of interrelations.the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy—EXC 2120/

„Bilanz der deutschen Judenheit“. Nekrolog auf das deutsche Judentum an der „Zeitenwende“ 1929–1942 [“Appraisal of German Jewry“. Obituary for German Jewry at the crossroads, 1929–1942]

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An Bord des Lebens - Die Schiffspassage deutscher Juden nach Palästina 1933 bis 1938 als Übergangserfahrung zwischen Raum und Zeit

This article deals with the passage of German Jews to Palestine between 1933 and 1938 and concentrates on the ship passage itself. I focus on the stories, descriptions and reflections of the travelers that can be found in diaries, letters, travelogues, or even novels, which some of them wrote after the trip. On the ship these travelers found themselves torn between different spaces: Europe, Asia, and “the Orient” and also between different times: the Old Europe of the enlightenment of the individual and the New Jewish Homeland of the redemption of the Jewish collective. The overall topic that came to the fore in the reflections of the travelers is the search for the meaning of contemporary Jewish life as well as future prospects under worsening conditions not only in Germany but also in many other parts of Europe