Industry 4.0-based human-in-the-loop cyber-physical production systems are transforming the industrial workforce to accommodate the ever-increasing variability of production. Real-time operator support and performance monitoring require accurate information on the activities of operators. The problem with tracing hundreds of activity times is critical due to the enormous variability and complexity of products. To handle this problem a software-sensor-based activity-time and performance measurement system is proposed. To ensure a real-time connection between operator performance and varying product complexity, fixture sensors and an indoor positioning system (IPS) were designed and this multi sensor data merged with product-relevant information. The proposed model-based performance monitoring system tracks the recursively estimated parameters of the activity-time estimation model. As the estimation problem can be ill-conditioned and poor raw sensor data can result in unrealistic parameter estimates, constraints were introduced into the parameter-estimation algorithm to increase the robustness of the software sensor. The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on a well-documented benchmark problem of a wire harness manufacturing process. The fully reproducible and realistic simulation study confirms that the indoor positioning system-based integration of primary sensor signals and product-relevant information can be efficiently utilized in terms of the constrained recursive estimation of the operator activity. In the age of digital transformation, human operators are still applied in manufacturing processes. The Operator 4.0 concept aims to create human-cyber-physical production systems (H-CPPS) that improve the abilities of the operators’ thanks to the dynamic interaction between humans and production systems . Smart sTracing hundreds of primary activities is critical due to the enormous variability and complexity of products. As every operator performs sequentially a specific set of actions over a period of time, our goal is to develop a sensor system that continuously estimates the time consumption of these elementary activities. We model the time consumptions of these actions by activity time models and compare the estimated activity times to the performance of operators and generate early warnings when their productivity decreases.For the cost-effective and robust measurement of assembly times, sensors were developed to record the timestamps related to the activity when the components are pushed into the fixtures by operators. As the activities of operators depend on the type and number of the built-in components, the production flow is tracked by an indoor positioning system (IPS). For the localization of the products and identification of the status of the conveyor system, Ultra-Wide band (UWB) IPS technology is applied with its low energy demand for transmitting information over a broad bandwidth (>500 MHz) and its accuracy with the range of 30–50 cm, which is significantly better than the one-meter uncertainty of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)-based solutions ,12.a priori knowledge concerning the activity times, the estimated parameters were optimally projected on to a set of linear constraints by quadratic programming [To integrate measurements originating from the IPS, a varying number (10–100) of active or passive fixture sensors, and other information sources of the production management system, a multi-sensor data fusion (MSDF) algorithm has been developed. Multiple sensors provide redundancy enabling the robust recursive estimation of the unmeasured primary activity times of the operators. To constrain the model parameters to lie within a reliable region and incorporate important gramming . This cehttps://www.abonyilab.com/soft-sensors).The development of the proposed fault-detection algorithm is motivated by the analysis of an industrial wire harness manufacturing process which is a typical complex modular product manufacturing system ,15. To eThe remaining part of the paper is structured as follows. The developed IIoT-based sensor system is shown in In the present section, first the conveyor and the modular production systems are characterized, then the fixture sensors and the indoor positioning system as information sources are described. This is followed by the mathematical formulation of the multi sensor data fusion-based recursive estimation model and finally by the local estimation and monitoring with regard to the activity times of operators.The development of the proposed fault-detection algorithm is motivated by the analysis of an industrial wire harness manufacturing process. Wire harnesses are produced by a typical complex modular production system ,15. The k-th production cycle.The key idea is that in the case of modular production, the expected activity times are estimated based on the Bill of Materials (BoM) of the manufactured products. The manufacturing is modular meaning that the products m1,…,mNm . The strnowledge  as presehttps://www.abonyilab.com/soft-sensors).To ensure fully reproducible results, only openly available information on wire harness manufacturing technologies was utilized during the development of this case study. To stimulate further research, the resultant algorithm of the developed model of the production system and the details of the products and sensor placements are publicly available on the website of the authors :i-th activity depends on how many elementary activities of a given type should be performed  Indoor Positioning System (IPS) technology with its low energy demand for transmitting information over a broad bandwidth (>500 MHz) and accuracy within the range of 30–50 cm, which is significantly better than the uncertainty of one meter that the BLE based solutions posses [As s posses ,12, was In comparison with outdoor environments, sensing location information in indoor environments requires higher precision which is a more challenging task because various objects reflect and disperse signals. Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is an emerging technology in the field of indoor positioning  that hasThe concept of identification of the products at workstations to extract product-relevant information from the Bill of Materials (BoM) and other structured information sources are widely used to support production management , value sMultiple sensors provide redundancy which enables the robust recursive estimation of the unmeasured primary activity times of the operators. Therefore, the estimation problem is defined as a sensor-fusion task . The prek-th cycle of the conveyor:The fusion center receives and synchronizes all the The linear structure of the developed production-monitoring model (see Equation ) is adeqWhen the observation errors of the workstations are assumed to be independent, the covariance of the The central estimation enhances the confidence of the nominal model which improves the performance of fault detection based on the reconciliation of the local measurements .Based on When the positive-definite weighting matrix function .The covariance matrix of the estimation error The recursive estimation of the primary activity times The recursive estimation consists of prediction and correction steps as follows.At the prediction step the state vector and its covariance matrix is calculated based on information available at the The correction step utilizes the measured a priori knowledge of the activity times, the estimated parameters were optimally projected on to the set of linear constraints by quadratic programming [To constrain the model parameters to lie within a reliable region and incorporate important gramming .The local (operator-related) projection of the unconstrained estimate ncreased .The following section demonstrates how the estimated and expected primary activity times are used for production monitoring.To validate the reliability of the proposed model, the distribution of the activity times collected from real production lines was studied. As is illustrated in The identifiability of the model is determined by the rank of the covariance matrix The information content of the available data can be evaluated based on the eigenvalues or determinant of the covariance matrix When only one product is produced, The production of 1000 products was studied. The production sequence contained all 64 types of products with an average batch size of 10 products/batch. The rank of the covariance matrix ored see .When the raw material, design or the processing of a component in a cost-cutting or quality-improvement project is changed by the supplier, this change may influence the activity times of the operators. Such operator-independent loss in performance can occur when a shorter length of wire increases the time required to lay and arrange the cables. In this case study, such effects are monitored. In the studied case, the new wires between the As The means of detecting individual losses in operator performance losses and sensor faults (due to delayed registration and IIoT communication) were also studied.In terms of fault detection, the prediction error used in Equation  can be uwth block matrix of The global performance of the model is reflected byBased on the analysis with regard to the rank of the ng error ,32 . One weakness of this procedure is that it assumes that conditions were comparable over the two time intervals. A more problematic issue is what happens when a significant change occurs in the process and product. For such applications precedent-based targeting models can be over simplistic. Activity-based targeting is particularly appropriate when the clear drivers of performance are known .Automatic monitoring and targeting schemes attempt to compare performances very short time intervals  which is ideal for fault detection. The most important key performance indicators (KPIs) of the production system are the station times which reflect how well the production line is balanced. The concept of calculating the station time is depicted in Human-in-the-loop cyber-physical production systems are transforming the industrial workforce. Due to the enormous variability and complexity of products, the tracing of hundreds of activity times on production lines is a critical problem. To handle this problem a software-sensor-based activity-time and performance measurement system was proposed. To ensure a real-time connection between operator performance and varying degrees of product complexity fixture sensors were utilized and designed and an indoor positioning system used to merge this multi-sensor data with product-relevant information.The presented sensor fusion algorithm combines all sensory and production data such that the estimates of the activity times have less uncertainty than would be possible when these sources were used individually. The estimation of the activity times is based on a linear-in-parameters model. The linear structure of the developed production-monitoring model is adequate as the time consumption of the activities linearly depend on how many primary activities should be performed and what is the number of the built-in components.The number of parameters of activity time estimation models is comparable to the number the number of measurements, the identifiability of the parameters of the model has to be carefully analyzed. For this purpose, we studied the Fisher information/covariance matrix of the estimation problem. The identifiability of the model and the information content of the available data can be evaluated based on the rank, the eigenvalues and the determinant of the covariance matrix. When the rank is smaller than the number of measurements , only a subset of the parameters is identifiable. As the placement of the sensors significantly influences the identifiability of the parameters, tools of D-optimal experimental design can be used to optimize the proposed system.The determination of the optimal number of sensors and features has crucial importance as redundant sensors can generate correlated features which decrease the efficiency of the algorithm. The analysis of the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix can highlight these negative effects. As this analysis is identical to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the multisensor data, the proposed methodology can utilize the reduced and transformed uncorrelated features, which results in a Principal Regression-based process monitoring algorithm. The second approach of avoiding correlated features is the application of feature selection algorithms that should be based on the previously discussed experimental design optimization task.As the estimation problem can be ill-conditioned and poor raw sensor data can result in unrealistic parameter estimates, constraints were introduced into the parameter-estimation algorithm to increase the robustness of the software sensor.The proposed model-based performance monitoring system tracks the recursively estimated parameters of the activity-time estimation models, while the sensor-relevant fault detection functionalities are based on the modeling errors which can be evaluated by classical residual-based fault detection algorithms.The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on a well-documented benchmark problem of a wire harness manufacturing process. The presented example demonstrated the benefits of multiple sensors as they provide redundancy which enables the robust recursive estimation of the unmeasured primary activity times. The fully reproducible and realistic simulation study also confirmed the efficiency of the proposed constrained estimation algorithm regarding fast convergence and giving reliable estimates.The results illustrate that indoor positioning system-based integration of product-relevant information and sensor signals and can be efficiently utilized to design on-line performance management systems.The developed benchmark problem can be used to study fault detection and sensor placement algorithms which is the objective of our further research.


Nature leads off this week with by speculating on the possible science policy consequences of the soon-to-be-inaugurated Bush administration. The top Science story this week is the announced budget increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


The monitoring of the activity of alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase is an important tool for studying their role in the hydrolysis of starch. Here we introduced an improved method capable to measure the activity of alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase from different sources based on a quantitative starch-iodine assay. The developments of the assay sought the consistent preparation of the reagents, the rescale of the assay and the adjustment of the sensitivity. This was complemented by a glucose yield assay for amyloglucosidase that allowed a secondary source of information when insoluble starches were studied. The proposed method showed high precision in long-term use (RSD < 6.3%). Furthermore, all experimental conditions can be adapted according to the equipment available at each laboratory, transforming this method in a broadband analytical tool for screening alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase activities.•Tailorable assay based on the starch-iodine staining for the determination of alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase activities.•Enhanced consistence of reagent preparation.•High intra-day and inter-day reproducibility. Specifications TableStarch is a widespread raw material with several application fields that cover food (including confectionery and drinks), feed, pharma, chemical, and paper industries . In moste.g. phenol). On the other hand, the measurement of the substrate’s consumption is possible using the starch-iodine staining. This method is based on the binding of iodine to terminals of the starch’s polymeric chain .Fig..Fig.2 ≥ The present method describes an improved experimental protocol that can be used to monitor the activity of two amylolytic enzymes: alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase. This method intends to facilitate the implementation of a new routine determination of alpha-amylase and amyloglucosidase activities in any laboratory that could deal with amylolytic enzymes by providing all the necessary experimental details and conditions that could maximize the performance of the method. The long-term use of the method also showed a high-precision for both intra-day and inter-day measurements. In the case of amyloglucosidase, it is also possible to measure glucose yield using a protocol similar to the one applied to the enzyme activity. Furthermore, this improved method is very flexible and allows a broadband application, being able to be easily adjusted according to the requirements of each study or the equipment and instrumentation available at each laboratory.


The following information is missing from the Funding statement: The work by Quijano-Sanchez has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation grant FJCI-2016-28855.


The development of age-friendly cities and communities has become an important area of work in the fields of public health, ageing and public policy. This development reflects several larger trends including the complexity of demographic change and the recognition of the role of the environment in healthy ageing.In 2017, there were an estimated 962 million people aged 60 years or older worldwide, that is, around 13% of the global population. This part of the population is growing at an annual rate of about 3% and further growth is almost inevitable.Age-friendly city guide in 2006.In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated a programme specifically targeting the health of urban residents aged 60 years and older, linking the challenges of urbanization and ageing. This collaborative programme aimed to identify which features of the built and social urban environment are essential in creating sustainable and supportive environments for older residents, and culminated in the publication of the An age-friendly city was defined as a place that encourages active ageing by optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security to enhance quality of life as people age.The network has reached several of the guide’s objectives, such as generating greater recognition of the implications of population ageing on urban planning and involving stakeholders at multiple governmental levels.With increasing population ageing and urbanization, the development of age-friendly environments is a topic that demands the attention of both researchers and policy-makers. Two approaches hold the potential to move age-friendly city research forward: integration of determinants of ageing at multiple levels and the dynamics of urban environments. The guideA recent publication builds on these findings by exploring the prevalence of the tendency “to focus on the characteristics of ageing individuals and their immediate milieu, while paying little attention to the interaction between the micro-individual traits and the macro-level workings.”An example of how micro and macro processes are intertwined in the age-friendly city context is that of the prioritization of working-age families in urban renewal processes. This prioritization marginalizes older people from urban renewal, which implicitly creates a cultural bias towards age-segregated residential landscapes.While many studies investigate micro-level indicators of age-friendly cities, such as accessibility or individual safety, relatively few studies investigate how large socioeconomic and sociospatial developments impact ageing communities and the cities they live in. An example is the seesaw effect between urban greenness and urban density: both an increase in the amount of urban green areas and the development of more compact cities have been linked to better health.As with many other public health challenges, a systems approach may be a promising strategy to analyse such effects. Two sample research questions exemplify this integration of cross-level interactions. First, what multilevel processes of sociospatial transformation are driving urban change and how do these forces impact the health of ageing urban populations? Second, how can we use system-based approaches to simulate the effect of prevention and early identification policies specific to urban environments on the trajectories of ageing and well-being? To answer these questions, engaging in current debates in the fields of urban geography and complex system science is necessary and can provide new perspectives.A second important approach to consider relates to the temporal character of urban environments. Cities are dynamic and constantly evolving,An example is the effect of life-course neighbourhood exposures on health. The life-course perspective informs understanding of how at later periods in life, health is affected by earlier experiences. This perspective also draws attention to historical circumstances and periods that are vital in shaping people and places.Two sample research questions are relevant to this approach. First, how are life-course histories of ageing individuals connected to the sociospatial histories of urban environments, and how does this combined effect influence health? Second, how do individual space-time constraints and temporal rhythms of activities affect health and health behaviour in ageing urban populations? Answering these questions will not only contribute to a better understanding of how the space-time of individuals and places relate to current health, but will also provide better insight on how age-friendly developments are influenced or limited by other historical urban developments. Building the evidence base this way will provide both researchers and policy-makers with tools to better design age-friendly communities.The public health challenges of ageing and urbanization are likely to intensify in the coming decades. Age-friendly cities still hold potential for both researchers and policy-makers. This potential should be further explored as the age-friendly city will never be an achieved condition, but an offer of an open horizon to work towards sustainable and age-friendly environments.


As our society continues to age and family size decreases, there is increasing concern about lack of caregiver availability. This may be especially important in the context of end-of-life decision-making. The goal of this study was to characterize the size and composition of the family network of adults at the time of death using a population-based register study. All adults in Denmark who died of natural causes 2009-2016  were linked to living adult family members . While the majority of decedents were linked to multiple family members (median =5), 21.6% had no identified living family at the time of their death. Kinlessness was especially common among older women and those with dementia. In addition to supporting caregiving families at the end-of-life, we must also recognize that there are many kinless individuals who may benefit from early formal care planning services to facilitate end-of-life decision-making.


A sixteen-year-old patient consulted for right hip pain, with limited mobility and no fever. Standard radiograph of the hip shows widening of the joint space with organized calcifications of the roof of the acetabulum (A). CT scan showed many intra-acetabular osteochondroma (B). The hip was approached anteriorly, without dislocation of the femoral head. Multiple free chondromes and some adherents to the acetabulum were found (C). The diagnosis was confirmed by anatomopathological study. The follow-up was good with recovery of mobility. Primary synovial chondromatosis is a benign synovial dystrophy, characterized by the formation of cartilaginous nodules (chondromas) that may ossify secondarily in a joint or synovial sheath. Its evolution is slow and asymptomatic at its beginning. It is a cause of lameness in children and often poses a problem of differential diagnosis with rheumatic arthritis.


The goal of PCC is to enhance quality and bring meaning to the lived experience in long-term care. This requires attention to patterns of life, and the creation of residential experiences within the environment. Ten case studies of homes participating in a pay-for-performance PCC program in the Midwest reveals how environmental affordances may be critical in the implementation and sustainability of PCC. Data collected through an in-depth environmental assessment revealed multiple strategies and attributes related to organizational, operational, and environmental practices. This presentation will demonstrate a diagrammatic and empirical comparison of the environments of those early in the process and those who have fully implemented and sustained PCC practices. Specific features will be highlighted and patterns discussed.


Correction to: BMC Evol Biolhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-018-1309-8Following publication of the original article , we haveOne of the authors (WM) notes that he has also been involved in the development of state-of-the-art software, data management and mining tools; some of them were commercialized by HKL Research.None of commercial software was mentioning in the paper but because knowledge gained during research may be in future used in commercial software, WM has disclosed a financial interest in this research as WM is the co-founder of HKL Research and a member of the board.The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.


Scientific Reports 10.1038/s41598-018-25664-6, published online 08 May 2018Correction to: The Acknowledgements section in this Article is incomplete.“This work was funded by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), by the University of Trieste (UNITS) and by the FORMAS grant 214-2013-1600 to Nina Kirchner. We acknowledge the CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative, for the availability of high performance computing resources and support. Parts of the computations were performed on resources provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at PDC Center for High Performance Computing at KTH. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper.”should read:“The research reported in this work was supported by Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and CINECA under HPC-TRES program award number 2016-03, by University of Trieste (UNITS) and by the FORMAS grant 214-2013-1600 to Nina Kirchner. We acknowledge the CINECA award under the ISCRA initiative, for the availability of high performance computing resources and support. Parts of the computations were performed on resources provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at PDC Center for High Performance Computing at KTH. The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper.”


An attempt is made to assess the present knowledge about the methods of determining mercury (Hg) exchange at the air-water-soil interface during the past 20 years. Methods determining processes of wet and dry removal/deposition of atmospheric Hg to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as well as methods determining Hg emission fluxes to the atmosphere from natural surfaces (soil and water) are discussed. On the basis of the impressive advances that have been made in the areas relating to Hg exchange among air-soil-water interfaces, we analyzed existing problems and shortcomings in our current knowledge. In addition, some important fields worth further research are discussed and proposed.


This interdisciplinary symposium focuses on the Voices in Motion (ViM) choir, a novel social intervention to address issues of stigma and social isolation among older adults with dementia and their caregivers. ViM is an intergenerational choir for community-dwelling older adults with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers. Local high school students participated in the choir and added to the lively social interactions. Two professionally directed ViM choirs were fully implemented in 2018-2019 with a public performance in the Fall and Spring seasons. This symposium brings together multiple methodologies to investigate the effects of choir participation on cognition, social connections, stigma, and quality of life for the dyads. Results in the individual papers demonstrate the positive impact of choir participation on dyads (n=26) for measures that includecognition , well-being and quality of life (Sheets), and social connections (Smith). Taken as a whole, the papers indicate that this social intervention offers an effective non- pharmacological alternative approach for older adults with dementia. Choir participation has important and significant impacts on psycho-social well-being and quality of life. The body of evidence presented points to the importance of intergenerational programs that are dementia-friendly and that support meaningful participation by older adults with dementia in the broader community. Discussion focuses on implications for social policy with attention on the replication and sustainability of the program.


Instituto Estadual de Florestas), regulatory deliberation 86/2005 of the state of Minas Gerais, law 12040/1995 of the state of Minas Gerais, law 18030/2009 of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazilian law 9985/2000, and some laws/decrees that created municipal protected areas. The data was used to analyze the influence of the ecological fiscal transfers (EFT) in the policy-making process of adopting protected areas by municipal governments in the state of Minas Gerais. It has the potential to be reused in other studies to analyze the EFT at the local level. The related research article that uses this database was published under the title “Ecological Fiscal Transfers for Biodiversity Conservation Policy: A Transaction Costs Analysis of Minas Gerais, Brazil” [1].This dataset was collected in the state government of Minas Gerais, Brazil ( The data were gathered from the State Government of Minas Gerais under the Brazilian law on access to public information . Also, additional data were collected from laws/decrees of the municipal governments that created PAs.The dataset contains raw and analyzed data of protected areas (PAs) created by municipal governments in the state of Minas Gerais from 1966 to 2013. The data files (do-files) were deposited at Mendeley , environmental protected area (APA), biological reserve (REBIO), natural monuments (MONA), municipal forest (FLOMA). The categories of protected areas are classified into two groups: sustainable  and integral protection . The name and the measurement of the variables used in the study are described in 2To perform the analysis to understand the influence of EFT in the policy-making process of adopting PAs by municipal governments , a compr


Injury and injury prevention of the drivers, passengers, and vulnerable road users are one of the most important issues in vehicle accidents and cannot be overlooked. The challenges of this issue focus on the following aspects: (a) the accident conditions causing injuries and mechanisms of these injuries; (b) the effect of characteristics of an injured person, e.g., age, gender, and types of vulnerable road users, and the development of computational models for the injured-included accidents; and (c) the methods and designs for injury prevention. In this special issue on injury analysis and prevention in vehicle safety, we have invited a few papers that address such issues.The first paper  develops experiments to study the thoracoabdominal injuries suffered from caudocephalad impacts using pigs. 21 adult minipigs divided into three groups are tested in different impact velocities, and the mechanical responses are then analyzed. The second paper  investigates the effect of neck muscle active force on whiplash injury of the cervical spine to indicate that the neck active force influenced the head-neck dynamic response and whiplash injury during a collision, especially in a low-speed collision. The third paper  studies the effect of the neck muscle activation on head and neck injuries to find out that the activation of neck muscles can lower not only the head horizontal acceleration under different impact intensities but also the head angular acceleration in medium- and high-speed impacts. The forth paper  uses a numerical method to study the risk factors affecting lumbar spine injuries. The effects of coefficient of friction, impact velocity, cushion thickness and stiffness, and cushion angle on the risk of lumbar spine injuries are analyzed.The fifth paper  investigates the dynamic response and head injuries of standing subway passengers during collisions based on the MADYMO models to provide guidance for the safety design of the subway and some advices for standing subway passengers. The sixth paper  analyzes the injury of the riders upon car-electric bicycle accident. After accident reconstruction, data acquisition, data verification, and screening of 57 car-electric bicycle accidents wherein riders are hit to the engine hood and thrown to the air, the data obtained from the remaining 53 cases were analyzed. The seventh paper  focuses on the head and brain injuries of one new vulnerable road user which is a rider using electric self-balancing scooters. The eighth paper  develops the age-specific lower extremity finite element model for simulating pedestrian accidents. The development of the age-specific lower extremity models will lead to an improved understanding of the pedestrian lower extremity injury mechanisms and injury risk prediction for the whole population in vehicle-pedestrian collision accidents.The ninth paper  analyzes the effects of curtain airbag (CAB) on occupant kinematics and injury indexes in a rollover crash. The simulation results indicated that the occupant kinematics and most injury indexes were improved with the help of CAB in such rollover scenario. The tenth paper  investigates the relationships between the front-end styling features of SUVs and head injuries at the styling design stage for pedestrian protection performance improvement and product development efficiency. The eleventh paper  designs a conceptual bumper energy absorber coupling pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements. The new X-shape energy absorber can meet both pedestrian safety and low-speed impact requirements well by altering the main deformation modes according to different impact energy levels.


We present the results of theoretical studies of formation and evolution of the current sheet in a colliosionless plasma during magnetic reconnection in relativistic limit. Relativistic magnetic reconnection is driven by parallel laser pulses interacting with underdense plasma target. Annihilation of laser created magnetic field of opposite polarity generates strong non-stationary electric field formed in between the region with opposite polarity magnetic field accelerating charged particles within the current sheet. This laser-plasma target configuration is discussed in regard with the laboratory modeling of charged particle acceleration and gamma flash generation in astrophysics. We present the results of 3-dimensional kinetic simulations and theoretical studies on the formation and evolution of the current sheet in a collisionless plasma during magnetic field annihilation in the ultra-relativistic limit. Annihilation of oppositively directed magnetic fields driven by two laser pulses interacting with underdense plasma target is accompanied by an electromagnetic burst generation. The induced strong non-stationary longitudinal electric field accelerates charged particles within the current sheet. Properties of the laser-plasma target configuration are discussed in the context of the laboratory modeling for charged particle acceleration and gamma flash generation in astrophysics. Various impulsive phenomena in space plasmas can be attributed to MR such as solar flares6, coronal mass ejections8, pulsar winds11, open and closed planetary magnetospheres14 and gamma-ray bursts18. In laboratory plasmas, MR is related to the nuclear fusion plasma dynamics22 and the weakly ionized plasmas23.Magnetic reconnection (MR) is a fundamental process in astrophysical and laboratory plasmas which provides a mechanism to convert the magnetic field energy to the energy of plasmas and charged particles accompanying with the topology variation of the magnetic field linesAgile and Fermi-LAT in 2010 is tightly related to MR27. According to refs. 28, the underlying mechanism of gamma-flares in the Crab Nebulas is based on the electron acceleration during magnetic reconnection in the relativistic limit. The features of the time dependence of gamma-flares indicate that the electron acceleration occurs in non-stationary electric field. Modeling of such the phenomena under the conditions of terrestrial laboratories is an intriguing problem.The observations of high-energy gamma rays from the Crab Nebula reported by 32 to provide a framework where MR can be investigated in the regimes of interest for astrophysical environment. One of the pioneering experiments on MR studying in laser-plasmas was proposed by Nilson et al.33 with two nanosecond laser beams and a planar solid target. Li et al.34 irradiated a thin plastic (CH) foil with two or four 1-ns long OMEGA laser beams. Both experiments observed the plasma jets with keV energy in the reconnection region. Recent experimental works with intense and high-energy laser pulses have shown plasma outflows with keV electrons and plasmoid generation in current sheets formed during reconnection on the time scale of nanoseconds35. Fan-like plasma outflows with MeV electrons and a plasmoid were obtained in a similar setup with Al foils by Dong et al.36. Lezhnin et al. presented the results of the magnetohydrodynamics simulations of driven magnetic reconnection on colliding magnetized laser-produced plasmas37. In the presence of a very powerful (petawatt) short laser pulse MR transits into the collisionless relativistic regime. Several numerical studies have been performed in the relativistic regime. Ping et al.39 reported a fast reconnection driven by two ultra-intense laser pulses using 3D kinetic simulations and the corresponding change of the topology structure was observed. MR driven by nonthermal and relativistic electron beams have been discussed recently in refs. 43. Magnetic reconnections under the extreme condition of QED critical field are proposed in refs. 45.The dynamics of laser produced plasmas has been shown in refs. 46. Recent numerical studies with particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations presented clear signatures of the particle acceleration in the magnetic annihilation regime50.In ultra-relativistic regime, the MR acquires novel features. Due to the relativistic constraint on the electron velocity, the variation of the magnetic field cannot be sustained by the upper limit of the electron current. The magnetic annihilation is principally dominated by the displacement current and the corresponding inductive electric field. This so-called dynamic dissipation of the magnetic field was first proposed by S. I. SyrovatskiiIn this paper, we present the results of kinetic simulations on the collisionless relativistic MR regime in the 3D configurations. The purpose is to investigate the electron acceleration via the MR generated electric field. We consider the configuration in which two sub-petawatt short laser pulses interact with the hydrogen plasma target comprising two density steps. The magnetic fields with opposite polarities generated by the laser driven electron current is expected to annihilate in the low density region due to the transverse expansion of the magnetic field. In such the non-adiabatic region where the magnetic field freezing-in breaks, the plasma cannot react collectively anymore. The fast annihilation creates strong electric field accelerating electrons up to high energy.The paper is organized as follows. First we describe the simulation setup. Section of Electron Current Filaments and Strong Magnetic Field Generation presents the results of the kinetic simulations showing two electron current filaments generated by two laser pulses interacting with underdense plasma target and the associated magnetic field configuration produced by these electron current filaments. The next section is devoted to the description of opposite magnetic polarities merging resulting in the magnetic X-line formation and its evolution to thin current sheet. Then we discuss the excitation of the electromagnetic burst and the corresponding charged particle acceleration. The dynamics of the electrons and the typical trajectories are presented. Reconnection of the magnetic field lines in collisionless plasmas is closely related to the Hall effect resulting in the transverse electric field and current excitation. The Hall effect and the quadruple magnetic field formed in the vicinity of the X-line are considered. The tearing mode-like instability leading to the current sheet break-up into magnetic islands is described. The last part contains discussions and conclusions.Two linearly polarized Gasussian pulses with the peak intensity of 51. Due to the self-focusing effect of the laser field, et al.52 as: The laser pulses generate plasma channels in the underdense hydrogen target since the power of the pulses is higher than the relativistic self-focusing threshold, Figure The radius of the magnetic dipole structure depends on the radius of the plasma channel With the expansion of the channels, the size of the magnetic dipoles also increase in the transverse direction. As illustrated in Fig. The When the two regions with opposite polarity magnetic field merge, the so-called X-line structure in MR is formed. Fig. 53, second type Fermi acceleration by turbulence54, the reflection in magnetic islands55 and the direct acceleration by reconnection electric field56. Here we proposed the regime of dynamic dissipation of the magnetic field and electromagnetic burst in the ultra-relativistic regime. Recalling the Ampere-Maxwell law As mentioned in the previous section, the current sheet is formed due to the particle acceleration in the region where the magnetic fields with opposite polarities annihilate. The particle acceleration in the X-line of MR has been interpreted by several mechanisms including fast shock wave57. Here we employ the main conclusions suitable for our case. The electric and magnetic field around the reconnection region can be approximately described as: The dynamics of the particles in the vicinity of the X-line has been discussed in ref. In the ultra-relativistic case, the scale-length (Larmor radius) characterizing the electron trajectory is 60). The Hall effect is closely related to the in the transverse electric field and current excitation, seen in the quadruple magnetic field formed in the vicinity of the X-line. With the magnetic field annihilation and the inductive field increasing, it generates in-plane currents due to the decoupling between electrons and ions. The plasma transversely drifts according to the distribution of the magnetic fields and the inductive electric field with the drift velocity The Hall effect manifests the basic properties of the magnetic reconnection in collisionless plasmas (e.g. see refs. 61. However, in incompressible plasmas where the density does not change but the magnetic islands can be formed, as in the tokamak plasmas where the plasma incompressibility is provided by strong toroidal magnetic field20 or in the EMHD magnetic reconnection where the electron density remains unchanged due to electric charge separation electric field effects59. Since in the case under consideration the charge separation electric field also contributes to the electron density evolution the relationship between the electron density distribution and the magnetic field configuration is quite complicated. The filamentation and the breaking consistent with the electron trajectories shown in Fig. The current sheet is unstable and it may break-up into filaments due to the development of the tearing mode instability. The corresponding schematics are shown in Fig. 62. The regime proposed can be used for formulating the program of forthcoming experiments, including the research in laboratory astrophysics60. The diagnostics for the backward accelerated electron beam will be one of the signatures for the relativistic magnetic reconnection. Furthermore, the growing of the displacement current generates a low frequency wave which has a characteristic wavelength about In conclusion, we investigate the magnetic reconnection driven by laser-plasma interaction by using the 3D kinetic simulations. It presents the formation and evolution of the current sheet in a collisionless plasma during magnetic field annihilation in ultra-relativistic limit. The accelerated electron beams generated in the gas jet plasma create strong magnetic fields. The annihilation of opposite magnetic polarities is accompanied by an electromagnetic burst generation whose strong non-stationary electric field accelerates the charged particles within the current sheet. It is found that the displacement current plays important role in the ultra-relativistic MR to induce the significant growth of the longitudinal electric field. In the vicinity of the magnetic null line, charged particle acceleration is observed. Since the inductive electric field moves in the forward direction with respect to the propagating of the laser field, the electrons, which are accelerated in the backward direction, experience only an instantaneous kick. Therefore the corresponding electron bunch has a relative small energy spread. The dynamics of the particles accelerated by this field in the region in the vicinity of the X-line has been studied. Narrow energy spectrum electron beam is obtained which will be useful in explaining the radiation spectrum obtained in the astrophysics. One of the intriguing problems standing in astrophysics for a number of years is explanation of the detected gamma-ray spectrum pointing towards a very narrow particle spectrum, which is one of the arguments against the shock-acceleration regime. Our results of the mono-energetic bunch generation provide a clear signature to support the particle acceleration via MR regime. Due to the development of the tearing-like mode instability, the current sheet breaks into separated pieces. It leads to formation and evolution of the secondary magnetic islands in the current sheet. The requirement of the laser energy can be expected to be fulfilled by the upcoming facilities like ELI-Beamlines64 in 3D cases. Two linear-polarized laser pulses with the peak intensities of The simulations are performed with the relativistic electromagnetic code EPOCH


Triceps nerve-to-deltoid nerve transfer requires the identification of the axillary nerve in the quadrilateral space. This may be difficult especially for residents-in-training. The senior author is a Professor of Hand Surgery at a teaching institution and has devised a new technique of identification of the axillary nerve and its cutaneous branch using surface land-marks and on-table ultrasonography.The axillary nerve and the quadrilateral space is first identified using anatomical landmarks. The ultrasound probe is the used to identify the quadrilateral space and the axillary nerve which appears as hyper-echoic oval-shaped structure. The ultrasound probe is then moved to scan the cutaneous branch of the axillary nerve as it branches-off the main nerve trunk. Finally, the cutaneous branch is traced superficially till it becomes subcutaneous. This point is marked and the skin incision is made along this marked point. During surgery, the cutaneous branch is followed retrograde to the axillary nerve in the quadrilateral space.Ultrasound guidance for localization of various nerves is now routinely done by anesthetists in the Operating Room. This localization is used for nerve blocks and in patients with brachial plexus injuries. Hence, the ultrasound machine and the expertise are already available in the operating room; and no special arrangements with the Radiology Department are needed.A technique of identification of the cutaneous branch of the axillary nerve using anatomical landmarks and ultrasonography is described. The localization is accurate and is of help in patients undergoing triceps nerve-to-deltoid nerve transfer. The senior author (MMA) is a Professor of Hand Surgery at a teaching institution and has devised a new technique of identification of the axillary nerve and its cutaneous branch using surface land-marks and on-table ultrasonography. The technique may also be helpful for experienced surgeons in difficult cases such as obese patients and in case who had previous surgery in the arm. We describe the technique using demonstrative case. The work has been reported in line with SCARE criteria .2The patient is positioned in the prone position. Localization of the axillary nerve and its cutaneous branch is done prior to prepping and draping. A longitudinal line is drawn from the postero-lateral acromion to the olecranon. A second transverse line is drawn from the axillary fold to intersect the first line at 90° angle. Anatomically, the quadrilateral space should be 2 cm cranial to this point of intersection . This po3Previous authors mentioned that the easiest way to identify the axillary nerve in the quadrilateral space is through retrograde dissection of the cutaneous branch of the nerve .With ultrasound guidance, we found it is easier and more reliable to scan the main axillary nerve trunk in the quadrilateral space and then trace the cutaneous branch antegrade without ultrasound guidance, localization of the cutaneous branch of the nerve may be difficult especially in obese patients and in patients with previous surgery in the arm. Furthermore, residents-in-training usually take a long time localizing the cutaneous branch even in straight-forward cases. Hence, the above ultrasound-guided technique for pre-operative nerve localization is now preferred at our teaching institution.Ultrasound guidance for localization of various nerves is now routinely done by anesthetists in the Operating Room. This localization is used for nerve blocks  and in p4A technique of identification of the cutaneous branch of the axillary nerve using anatomical landmarks and ultrasonography is described. The localization is accurate and is of help in patients undergoing triceps nerve-to-deltoid nerve transfer.None.None.The study was approved by the research committee, National Hospital (Care), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by Editor-in-chief of this Journal on request.All authors contributed significantly and in agreement with the content of the manuscript. All authors participated in data collection and in writing of the manuscript.Not relevant here.M M Al-Qattan.Not commissioned, externally peer reviewed.


Pharmacists worldwide, including Saudi Arabia, are now increasingly expected to play a more patient-centred role. The transition of pharmacists from a dispensing role to a more patient-centred clinical role requires the adoption of innovative learning techniques in pharmacy teaching and learning to transform the future pharmacy workforce. One such innovation in pharmacy education is simulation-based pharmacy teaching. The use of simulation in pharmacy education allows pharmacy students to not only improve their clinical knowledge and skills, but also serves as a tool to improve their critical thinking that is a pre-requisite in sound clinical decision-making. Given the importance of patient-oriented teaching in pharmacy education, the majority of institutions offering pharmacy education in the developed countries have successfully integrated simulation-based teaching in their respective curricula to meet both patient and practice needs. However, most of the universities offering undergraduate pharmacy programs in the developing world, including Saudi Arabia, have limited application of patient-focused teaching in their respective programs. This article aims to highlight the importance of introducing simulation-based teaching in pharmacy education in Saudi Arabia. Pharmacists worldwide are now increasingly expected to play a more patient-centred role. For example, in the United Kingdom (UK), the White paper titled “A vision for pharmacy in the new National Health Service” (NHS) outlined the UK government’ vision for community pharmacy . It callThe transition of pharmacists from a dispensing role to a more patient-centred clinical role requires the adoption of innovative learning techniques in pharmacy teaching and learning to transform the future pharmacy workforce. One such innovation in pharmacy education is simulation-based pharmacy teaching. Simulation has been defined as ‘(an) event or situation made to resemble clinical practice as closely as possible’ . The useGiven the importance of patient-oriented teaching in pharmacy education, the majority of institutions offering pharmacy education in the developed countries have successfully integrated simulation-based teaching in their respective curricula to meet both patient and practice needs. For example, the council responsible for accrediting pharmacy education in the USA has approved up to 20% use of simulation in the practical component of pharmacy practice education . HoweverPharmacy education in Saudi Arabia started in 1959 for the first time with the introduction of a four-year bachelor of pharmacy and medicinal chemistry program . The iniAlthough the academics in Saudi Arabia intend to align the PharmD curriculum on the lines of PharmD program offered in Canada and USA, this alignment is not possible without addressing some of the barriers to successful implementation of PharmD program in Saudi Arabia. Some of these challenges include lack of qualified clinical faculty coupled with a limited number of hospital training sites  and non-Simulation-based clinical teaching can address some of these challenges. Simulation-based labs can accommodate a maximum number of students without the fear of slashing the number of students’ intake in the training program. The controlled and risk-free environment for patients in simulation labs allow students to work on different patient scenarios that may not be presented to them during their traditional clinical placement. Furthermore, simulation labs led by qualified faculty can also ensure the delivery of a standardized training program to all students. The clinically oriented PharmD program in Saudi Arabia promises to open new horizons for future pharmacists by allowing them to play an active role in the expanding healthcare system. However, successful implementation of the PharmD program in Saudi Arabia faces many challenges. Given the importance and utility of simulation-based teaching in pharmacy practice, academic institutions in Saudi Arabia should move towards integrating simulation in their curricula to overcome these challenges and to better prepare the future pharmacy workforce in the current era of constant change.


This paper presents learning analytics data for measuring the impact of study satisfaction on students' academic self-efficacy and performance. For this purpose, a specially designed questionnaire was developed and distributed across 124 undergraduate students. Preliminary analysis using descriptive statistics for items and confirmatory factor analysis is provided. The analysis provides evidence for the relation between students' satisfaction, self-efficacy, and academic performance, and evaluates the role of academic information resources in fulfilling students' information needs. These data are of importance for researchers and practitioners involved with budgetary decisions in academic collections as well as the influence of research specific (rather than training specific) information resources in student satisfaction. Therefore, the objective of this dataset is biforld. First it aims to provide raw survey data for measuring students' academic satisfaction, self-efficacy, and performance. Second it aims to provide evidence on the impact of study satisfaction on students' academic self-efficacy and performance. A hard copy questionnaire was developed and administered to students who attended an undergraduate course at a Greek regional university. An outline of basic insights using descriptive statistics and confirmatory factor analysis is provided in the sections that follow.2The survey was conducted during the second semester of the academic year 2017–2018 and included a total number of 124 undergraduate students in Greece. Consent was given by the school board and the data collection procedure was compliant with the privacy policy of the University. Hard copy response forms were distributed to all students of the academic program and no sampling was performed. The distribution was done in classroom before lecture and the forms were collected by a volunteer student and provided back to the researcher in a closed envelope. Section A: Demographics: five (5) variables .Section B: Self-assessment of academic satisfaction, self-efficacy, and performance: nine (9) items obtained from established scales in the literature Section C: Self-assessment of information resources usage: ten (10) variables . This can also be considered an outcome variable.Section D: Self-assessment of information needs fulfillment: one (1) variable . Items from Sections A to C have been also utilized by other studies in the literature In order to provide a meaningful structure and usefulness to other researchers, especially in relation with latent factors involved with the design of the questionnaire, we followed all the procedural remedies for confirmatory factor analysis discussed in Ref. To evaluate cases of multicollinearity between factor items and outcome variables, the item-correlation matrix  is proviThe factor correlation matrix between the three identified factors  and the two outcome variables of interest  is provided in This dataset shows that factors such as study satisfaction combined with a sense of self-efficacy may act as an essential mechanism for improving students' academic performance and the overall satisfaction with their studies. On the other hand, academic information resources usage assessment is continually improving affecting students' academic performance as well, especially in cases of research-oriented instruction. This dataset can help researchers and institutions  to comprehend the important role and the impact of academic program satisfaction to students' academic self-efficacy and performance. With the ongoing trend in the deployment of learning analytics, the outcomes showcase that potential investments in academic information services to support the educational and research process may result in an improvement in students' academic performance. The latter is important to administrators and policymakers considering the important budgetary decisions related to the allocation of funds for academic subscriptions of teaching and learning vs. research-oriented material. Enrichment activities of the presented data could also target areas of improvement related to assessment and other primary sources of academic achievement This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.


Correction to: Cell Death & Disease10.1038/s41419-019-1856-y, published online 13 August 20191], it was realized that an error was made in typesetting which resulted in a change in the ordering of the last two authors. The correct ordering of the authors for the paper is as follows:Following publication of this article We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused the readers.


Dear Editor,Cutaneous infections by herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV), both of which belong to the alpha subfamily of herpes viruses, are relatively common.A 78-year-old man presented to our dermatology clinic with multiple painful vesicular lesions located on the left forearm and left hand (C6–8 dermatomes) and left lumbar region (T12 dermatome), for four days . Prior tHSV and VZV are DNA viruses that share some biologic attributes but, at the same time, differ significantly; such differences may explain why concurrent reactivation is rare.4Concurrent reactivation of VZV and HSV is possible in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients, although it is more common in the latter group.We report a case of concurrent reactivation of VZV and HSV in an immunocompetent elderly male with no clinical history of herpes simplex but with serologic evidence of past infection. The combination of high sensitivity and specificity, low contamination risk, and speed has made real-time PCR technology an excellent testing method for diagnosing many infectious diseases. The closed system for amplification and detection used with real-time PCR virtually eliminates amplicon contamination.Simultaneous infection with VZV and HSV was suspected due to the atypical clinical presentation. Dermatologists must be aware of this possibility to assure the correct diagnosis is obtained and that the appropriate treatments are performed.None declared.Miguel Costa-Silva: Approval of the final version of the manuscript; conception and planning of the study; elaboration and writing of the manuscript; obtaining, analyzing and interpreting the data; effective participation in research orientation; intellectual participation in propaedeutic and/or therapeutic conduct of the cases studied; critical review of the literature; critical review of the manuscript.Joana Sobrinho-Simões: Approval of the final version of the manuscript; conception and planning of the study; effective participation in research orientation; intellectual participation in propaedeutic and/or therapeutic conduct of the cases studied; critical review of the manuscript.Filomena Azevedo: Approval of the final version of the manuscript; conception and planning of the study; intellectual participation in propaedeutic and/or therapeutic conduct of the cases studied; critical review of the manuscript.Carmen Lisboa: Approval of the final version of the manuscript; conception and planning of the study; effective participation in research orientation; intellectual participation in propaedeutic and/or therapeutic conduct of the cases studied; critical review of the literature; critical review of the manuscript.None declared.


While the differential diagnostic clinical work-up of patients with neurodegenerative diseases contains magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as one of the core elements, the search of neuroimaging-based biomarkers in neurodegeneration is still an ongoing process, although tremendous advances could be reached in the last two decades. The additional value of advanced MRI, including but not limited to the potential use as a technical biological marker and phenotype characterization at the individual level with absolute quantification of regional alterations, remains a subject of investigation by multiparametric MRI protocols, including volumetry/morphometry of T1-weighted 3-D MRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and intrinsic functional connectivity MRI (ifc MRI). For neurodegeneration , neuroimaging will be one major tool to elaborate the concept of computer-based neuroanatomy and pathoneuroanatomy, also for studies on functional reserve and compensation in aging and disease so that advanced neuroimaging (which is descriptive as a technique) has recently moved away from mere qualitative characteristics of the brain's structural and functional organization to quantitative measures and predictive models or treatment monitoring tools in disease , movemenThe goal of this Research Topic was to report and reflect recent applications of multiparametric MRI to patients with various neurodegenerative diseases. Starting from applications at the group level, continuous progress of a transfer to individual diagnostic classification is reviewed and discussed. The Research Topic includes six articles and provides a synopsis of the variety of approaches of computerized MRI-based neuroimaging to neurology with the special focus on neurodegenerative diseases.Liu et al. show changes in global brain lateralization in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared to controls by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The abnormal rightward dominance observed in the patients with MCI and AD may indicate that these patients use additional brain resources to compensate for the loss of cognitive function, and the observed disappearance of the leftward laterality in the patients with AD was likely associated with the damage in the left hemisphere. That way, this study is a good example for the deepened insight into neurodegeneration on the one hand and conclusions about potential compensation by addressing differences between MCI and full dementia on the other hand. Also technically, the study shows how multisite data sharing improves the power of this kind of analyses, since the imaging data used were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (http://adni.loni.usc.edu/).As an example for dementia syndromes, Lahr et al. studied working memory-related effective connectivity in early Huntington's disease (HD) patients and pre-symptomatic HD mutation carriers by task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and dynamic causal modeling. They were able to characterize effective connectivity in a WM network of HD mutation carriers by evaluating HD-related changes in the neural network underlying working memory (WM). Given that presymptomatic mutation carriers were investigated in this study, this is a blueprint of how neuroimaging in subjects with mutations for a neurodegenerative disease but without clinical symptoms can improve the understanding of disease progression and its effect on network connections in the central nerve system, with the aim to identify biomarkers and targets for potential disease-modifying interventions as early as possible.In the field of neurodegenerative multisystem disorders, Prell), as well as the structural and functional brain mapping correlates of impaired eye movement control in PD patients . In addition, an overview was given on the disruption of the inferior longitudinal fasciculus microstructure as assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and its clinically significant correlation with PD symptoms, most consistently with tremor, depression/negative emotion recognition, color discrimination deficit, and cognitive decline in several domains . These advanced MRI studies address the deepened understanding of the underlying pathophysiological abnormalities in PD by the correlations of the clinical motor and non-motor syndrome with structural and functional brain network alterations (DTI and rs-fMRI).Further studies have reviewed multifaceted aspects of computerized MRI applications to Parkinson's Disease (PD), with a focus on correlates of non-motor clinical symptoms. The structural and functional brain patterns associated with non-motor syndromes in PD were reviewed  disease, In conclusion, this Research Topic offers an overview in the field of advanced MRI-based analyses and their application to neurodegeneration and aging. These MRI-based techniques have the potential for future use in the work-up of individual patients by potentially enlarging the spectrum of non-invasive biological markers as neuroimaging-based candidate read-outs for clinical studies and by providing target information to currently available scores for longitudinal screening, Furthermore, these techniques are also prone to be used for the stratification of patients for future clinical trials in disease-modifying strategies. Further studies will complement this Research Topic, and we are looking forward to the translation of the neuroscientific evidence generated from neuroimaging progress into the clinical context.All authors listed have made a substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


However, this number was significantly decreased following disclosure of a list of hospitals with MERS-CoV cases . Disclosing the list of hospitals exposed to MERS-CoV was critical to the prevention of further infection. It reduced the number of confirmed MERS-CoV cases. Thus, providing accurate and timely information is a key to critical care response.This study examined the effect of disclosing a list of hospitals with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) patients on the number of laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases in South Korea. MERS-CoV data from 20 May 2015 to 5 July 2015 were from the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare website and analyzed using segmented linear autoregressive error models for interrupted time series. This study showed that the number of laboratory-confirmed cases was increased by 9.632 on 5 June ( The first case of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 . The firMERS-CoV crisis not only exerted massive social and economic impact on South Korea, but also revealed drawbacks in South Korean public health and infection control of the healthcare system. Large-scale MERS-CoV infection in South Korea occurred by intra- and inter-hospital transmission . The firThe Ministry of Health and Welfare supervises infectious-disease disaster management in South Korea while the Ministry of Public Safety and Security supports disaster control . After tThe government revised its policy to disclose information in accordance with the public’s opinion that nondisclosure of information would in fact cause MERS-CoV to spread and generate public anxiety. However, the South Korean government restricted and controlled information regarding MERS-CoV during the initial response. It has been claimed that inadequate information disclosure was the main reason for the spread of MERS-CoV. The lack of an appropriate management system and a prevention strategy for infectious disease has been raised as additional reason for the initial failure to contain the outbreak .The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of policy to avoid disclosure of information, the most controversial issue regarding the initial response, on the spread of MERS-CoV in South Korea. The study sought to determine whether changing this strategy and releasing a list of hospitals treating infected individuals was associated with containment of the disease .http://mers.go.kr/) managed by the Korean Ministry of Health & Welfare. This website provides information regarding the statistics and management status for MERS-CoV [Data were obtained from the MERS-CoV information website , Time was a continuous variable initiated on 20 May 2015 (daily), disclosure was binary variable representing disclosure of the hospital list , Quarantines was a continuous variable representing the daily number of quarantined individuals, Time_after_disclosure was a continuous variable initiated on 5 June 2015 (daily), and Segmented linear autoregressive error models for interrupted time series were used to assess the effect of disclosure of hospital names and disease-related hospital management on the number of laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV cases . Segmentp < 0.001). The number of confirmed cases was increased by 9.632 on 5 June (p < 0.001). It showed a significant downward trend following disclosure of hospital list . The spread of the disease ceased because potential MERS-CoV patients were screened. Results of segmented regression for confirmed cases are shown in The study aimed to analyze the effect of disclosing a list of hospitals exposed to MERS-CoV on the spread of the disease. On the day when the list of hospitals that MERS-CoV patients had visited or attended for treatment was disclosed, the number of confirmed cases was increased. However, a downward trend was observed thereafter. This result implies that disclosing the hospital list was very effective in preventing people from further infection of MERS through timely provision of information.The following two mechanisms were presumably involved in the downward trend of infection. First, the information dissemination was likely to lower the possibility of the public’s further contracting MERS-CoV, as it helped members of the public to avoid exposed hospitals with the given information by the health authority . FollowiThis study showed that the Korean health authorities’ decision to disclose information regarding hospitals exposed to MERS-CoV contributed to the prevention of further MERS-CoV infection during the outbreak, despite the criticism that the disclosure occurred too late. In addition, findings of this study indicate that health authorities should disseminate information regarding facilities affected by an outbreak of infectious diseases as soon as possible to ensure that people are able to avoid the risk of infection. This confirms the risk communication principle of timely provision of information in coping with outbreaks is so important. It is inappropriate to withhold information that is crucial to decision making for members of the public not only from a communication perspective, but also from epidemiological and clinical perspectives. Therefore, authorities should pay greater attention to risk communication . FollowiThese results also suggest that Korea health authorities should consult with experts and produce a crisis and risk communication guide to develop communication strategies such as informing the public and providing training for communicators who possess the necessary competence and expertise . OverallThis study had several limitations. First, we did not analyze the effects of other noteworthy variables such as the increased number of health authorities’ staff, medical facilities’ capacity bolstering, the strengthened engagement of media, and other private sectors over time. For example, increases in the number of staff members in the Central MERS Management Task Force played an important role in preventing and controlling the outbreak. Therefore, the size of the MERS Rapid Response Team dispatched to exposed hospitals should be included in further studies. Besides, hospitals regardless of having MERS patients at that time in Korea had been more involved in detecting and controlling outpatients and visitors as time went by. Therefore, this factor could be one of the reasons to help decrease the number of Patients during this outbreak. For instance, some hospitals started to set up the system of screening the ER patients by their disease of communicable and non-communicable type. Plus, private organizations such as media, transportation, many business associations had done their job to raise awareness of the importance of hygiene campaigns like proper and frequent handwashing and coughing on sleeves. These voluntary movements also could be an element of dealing with 2015 MERS-CoV in Korea. Second, some individual- and hospital-level information was not adjusted for in this study because of data limitation. The transmission of MERS-CoV in Korea occurred mainly in hospitals . We assuIn summary, we found that providing timely and accurate information to the public during an outbreak was crucial to both risk communication and the control and prevention of further infection. Therefore, health authorities should bolster their capacity to disclose information in a timely, accurate, and transparent way.


The journal retracts the 6 September 2017 article cited above. Following publication, the publisher was alerted to potential instances of image manipulation. In accordance with our established procedures, an investigation was initiated. The investigation revealed image duplication in Figure 8 and copy-paste marks and image manipulation in western blot gels . The authors and their institution have remained unresponsive to multiple requests for the raw data for this study. Given the authors' unresponsiveness and extant concerns over the validity of the study, the article has been retracted.The retraction of the article was approved by the Chief Editors of Cellular Neuroscience and the Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers.


The authors noticed the erroneous duplication of an image between the 60- and 120-min time points in the top row of Both the HTML and PDF versions of the article have been corrected. These errors appear only in print and PDF versions downloaded on or before August 21, 2018.


Nature Communications 10.1038/s41467-018-07709-6; published online 02 January 2019Correction to: In the original HTML version of this Article, the order of authors within the author list was incorrect. The IMEx Consortium contributing authors were incorrectly listed as the last author and should have been listed as the first author. This error has been corrected in the HTML version of the Article; the PDF version was correct at the time of publication.


In the original publication of this article , an authMelissa Ward-Petersen’s name should be corrected to Melissa Ward-Peterson.The correct name has been included in the author list of this Correction article and has already been corrected in the original article.


Post-annealing treatment is a necessary process to create/eliminate/repair defects in self–assembly (SA) metal oxide by providing enough thermal energy to the O atoms to overcome the migration energy barrier in ZnO. The height of migration energy barrier is dependent on the depth from the surface, which is hard to be estimated by theoretical calculations, as well as the optical analyses. SA ZnO nanorods (ZNRs) have high surface-to-volume ratio to provide complete picture between the optical and surface properties obtained by photoluminescence (PL) and ultraviolet/X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (UPS/XPS), which is used to investigate the evolution of structure and chemical states of the surface layers to reveal mutual agreement on all observations in PL, XPS, and UPS. We demonstrate variation of the surface structure of SA-ZNRs by scanning over a range of annealing temperatures and time to regulate the structure variation of SA-ZNRs, and their optical analyses agrees well with PL, XPS and UPS, which indicates the dependence of migration energy barriers on the depth from the surface of ZNR. The results reveal the well ZNRs formed at 570 °C and the further oxidation process and the formation of hydroperoxide on the Zn-rich surface of ZNRs at 640 °C. Metal oxides and their nanostructures are popular subjects because of their applications in photoelectric , photo-cbE) of ZnO is a defined quantity between the equilibrium configuration and the saddle point along the migration path, which can be obtained from first-principles calculations  Some of the existence bottlenecks on analyzing ZNRs are to separate the optical response of ZNR surface from whole ZNR and controllable modification on the structural variation of ZNR surface. In order to realize the structural evolution and migration energy barriers of ZNR surface, the methods of multi-optical analyses with distinguishable depth resolution and post-treatment with precisely controlling annealing conditions are provided to overcome the bottlenecks. Additionally, the knowledge about the surface migration energy barriers on ZNRs is helpful for design ZNR sensors  whose seAbove inspections on PL, XPS, and UPS for annealed SA-ZNRs with scanning temperature provide the quantitative analyses on the restructure and annihilation of deficiencies. As the discrepancy on PL and XPS, the structure evolution in depth can be inspected and reveal activation energies with the dependence of depth. The restructure and the elimination of deficiencies of SA-ZNRs occur in the limited depth if the annealing temperature is limited within 470–540 °C even at longer annealing time. It is obvious that the annealing treatment with specific temperature can only restructure the SA-ZNRs with certain depth which determines the corresponding activation energy. The amplitude of activation energy is certainly correlated to the depth of ZNRs. Moreover, the surface layers of SA-ZNRs were not only restructured but also create another set of deficiencies according to the annealing environment if the annealing process lasts longer time at higher temperature. The further application based on the knowledge about the evolution of the migration energy barriers on ZNR surface would improve the fabrication of ZNR sensors . The sen


Several states have adopted Medicaid Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) programs over the last several years. At this point at least 30 states are either administering such models or have plans to in the near future. We do not, however, know much yet about the relative cost-effectiveness of the MLTC model when compared to the traditional non-profit model of Medicaid LTC. Is the for-profit MLTC model actually generating savings in the Medicaid program while improving the quality of care? This symposia is designed to address the question through three presentations on experiences with MLTC programs in the states of Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania and a fourth presentation offering a national overview and critique of Medicaid MLTC in comparison to the traditional Medicaid LTC program still administered through non-profit Aging Network organizations. The state focused presentations describe the current status and results of MLTC in three states that vary in their specific features, extent of formal accountability for outcomes and the political contexts in which the programs currently function. The presentations also include discussions of the implications of each states experiences for the future of Medicaid LTC policy at the state and federal levels. The fourth presentation is a critical analysis of the main differences between the traditional non-profit model of Medicaid LTC services and the for-profit MLTC programs in terms of commonly accepted criteria of cost-effective LTC services, such as access, quality of care and per-person costs and differences in the roles of advocacy and accountability.


A new joining by forming process that combines lancing and shearing with sheet-bulk compression is utilized to assemble thin-walled crash boxes utilized as energy absorbers. Process design and fabrication of the new crash boxes are analyzed by finite elements and experimentation. Axial crush tests were performed to compare the overall crashworthiness performance of the new crash boxes against that of conventional crash boxes assembled by resistance spot-welding. Results show that the joining process is a good alternative to resistance spot-welding because the new crash boxes can absorb the same crushing energy, and because the new process helps to overcome typical manufacturing problems of welding. An energy absorber is an important element of a vehicle because it protects the lives of passengers by managing the absorption of energy and collapse of its structure during an accident. One of the strategies currently employed by vehicle manufacturers to meet the increasing requirements on safety and the diminishing weight targets is the utilization of energy absorbers made of high-strength materials in lightweight body structures. However, the search for more effective energy absorbers is wider and includes new geometries and materials with the potential to enhance the crashworthiness performance of the structures under different types of loading. These trends are comprehensively discussed in two recently published state-of-the-art reviews on energy absorbers ,2.The search for new processes to manufacture energy absorbers has so far received little attention. Most of the publications in the field make use of energy absorbers produced by conventional extrusion ,4 or by Joining by forming  can alsoThis paper is focused on the assembly of thin-walled crash boxes with double-hat shaped sections made from individual formed panels. The aim and objective is to present a new fabrication process that combines lancing of the tenons, in which specific areas of the panels are sheared and bent in a single press operation a, sheariThe new fabrication process draws from two previous investigations on joining by forming in which “mortise-and-tenon” joints were successfully utilized to fix two sheets longitudinally in position by sheet-bulk compression. The two sheets were joined either perpendicular  or paralThe main challenge of applying the “mortise-and-tenon” joint concept in the assembly of crash boxes e derivesThe crash boxes assembled with the new proposed “mortise-and-tenon” joint concept are subjected to static and dynamic axial crushing and its overall crashworthiness performance is compared against that of resistance spot-welded. Results show that the new crash boxes are a good alternative to those assembled by resistance spot-welding.The new proposed joining by forming process can easily assemble thin-walled crash boxes with individual panels made from dissimilar materials with different thicknesses. However, it was decided to select a single high-strength low alloy steel (HSLA 340) with 1 mm thickness and 7 µm thickness galvanized coating to ensure a fair comparison of the crashworthiness performance of the new crash boxes against those assembled by resistance spot-welding.The mechanical characterization of the HSLA 340 steel was performed by means of stack compression tests  due to iThe thin-walled crash boxes with double hat-shaped sections were made from two individual formed panels that were assembled by sheet-bulk compression with “mortise-and-tenon” joints placed every 40 mm along their flanges. Conventional thin-walled crash boxes assembled by resistance spot welding were included in the experimental work plan for reference purposes. The welding parameters were selected by finite element modelling refer to  and the The crash boxes were tested for quasi-static and dynamic axial crushing at room temperature. The quasi-static crush tests were performed in the hydraulic testing machine (Instron SATEC 1200 kN) that had been used in the mechanical characterization of the material. A cross-head velocity The dynamic crush tests were performed in a drop weight testing machine that was designed and fabricated by the authors. The machine and its main components are schematically shown in The tool utilized in the quasi-static and dynamic crush tests is shown in The assembly of the individual panels of the thin-walled crash boxes by means of sheet-bulk compression with “mortise-and-tenon” joints was simulated with the finite element computer program I-form. The computer program was developed by the authors and is based on the irreducible finite element formulation,eference .The numerical simulation made use of two-dimensional plane strain deformation models and the cross section of the tenons and mortises were discretized by means of approximately 1000 quadrilateral elements. The tools were modelled as rigid objects and their geometries were discretized by means of linear contact-friction elements.The assembly of the individual panels of the thin-walled crash boxes by means of resistance spot-welding was simulated with the commercial finite element computer program SORPAS , which iThe first term is related to heat conduction through the conductivity eference .The stress-strain curve of the HSLA 340 steel obtained from the stack compression tests is shown in The reference joining process was simulated by the commercial software SORPAS . The simThe assembly of the thin-walled crash boxes by the novel sheet-bulk compression process with “mortise-and-tenon” joints required the tenons to be cut and bent out of the panels by lancing a, and sung punch a and a tbuckling b.Successfully compressed tenons are needed for the second stage of the sheet-bulk compression, during which a flat heading punch assembles the crash boxes by mechanically locking the individual formed panels to each other. As seen in In the above equation, ool part a. The maAs seen, the overall trend of the dynamic force-displacement curves is similar to that of the quasi-static tests a but theThe crashworthiness performance of the new crash boxes with “mortise-and-tenon” joints raises the question of the alignment of the protrusions of the flat-shaped surface heads of the tenons above the adjacent sheet panel, after compression. Should the flat-shaped surface heads be collinear or perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the crash box?Experiments performed by the authors revealed that the flat-shaped surface heads must be perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the crash boxes because if they are collinear, they are easily pulled-out during axial crushing, diminishing the overall performance of the crash box .The evolution of the force with displacement for the quasi-static and dynamic axial crush tests performed with the two different types of crash boxes allow concluding that the new proposed “mortise-and-tenon” joints can successfully replace resistance spot-welds. In fact, The energy refer to .The results are shown in The maximum absorbed energy in the dynamic tests, is approximately 30% higher than in the quasi-static tests. This increase of crashworthiness performance with velocity is attributed to the strain-rate sensitivity of the HSLA 340 steel . HoweverAnother result that is relevant from a manufacturing point of view is the total energy required to fabricate a “mortise-and-tenon” joint and a resistance spot-welded joint. From the experimental and numerical evolution of the force with displacement for the first and second stages of the sheet-bulk compression of the tenons it may be concluded that approximately 7 J and 10 J will be needed to accomplish both stages. Thus, by considering these values of energy as well as that required to perform the lancing operation, it is concluded that the total amount of energy to fabricate a “mortise-and-tenon” joint is a very small fraction of that required by a resistance spot-welded joint . This isThe fabrication of crash boxes by sheet-bulk compression with “mortise-and-tenon” joints can successfully replace conventional production processes based on resistance spot-welding. The crash boxes with “mortise-and-tenon” joints can absorb the same amount of energy as those with resistance spot-welding joints in quasi-static and dynamic axial crush tests. They can also avoid the problems caused by residual stresses in the resistance spot-welding of panels made from dissimilar materials with different thicknesses.The greater applicability of the new crash boxes comes with a disadvantage regarding productivity due to the multi-stage characteristics of the proposed joining by forming process. However, this disadvantage can be offset by the environmental friendliness resulting from the total required energy to assemble a crash box by sheet-bulk compression with “mortise-and-tenon” joints being a very small fraction (1.3%) of that required by resistance spot-welding.


In this work, the non-uniform corrosion characteristics of steel bars in stressed reinforced concrete beams after accelerated depassivation and seven-year outdoor natural corrosion is analyzed using fractal theory. 3D laser scanning and 3D reconstruction technology are applied to collect the cross-sectional area along the steel bars and obtain the corrosion curves. The non-uniformity of corrosion is analyzed by fractal dimensions which is calculated by variation method. The results indicate that the initial loading level and loading zone have some influence on non-uniform characteristics of steel bars. For an ordinary concrete beam, the increase of load can cause a reduction of fractal dimension of corrosion curves by 5%, which indicates the non-uniformity of corrosion will increase with the increase of load level. The fractal dimension in the bending zone is lower than that in the tension–shear zone, which indicates that corrosion is more non-uniform in bending zone. However, the loading level and loading zone have a slight influence on corrosion level, and the maximum difference of corrosion level caused by load is merely 0.23%. Furthermore, the corrosion level increases with the decrease of fractal dimension, suggesting that the non-uniformity of corrosion increases with the growth of corrosion level. The incorporation of slag powder can help reduce the non-uniformity of corrosion, but the influence on reduction of the corrosion level is about 0.25%. For concrete structures under marine environment, application of slag powder is a good method to slow down the corrosion and reduce the non-uniformity of corrosion. As corrosion of steel reinforcement causes a remarkable performance deterioration of concrete structures, reliable monitoring and assessment methods of corroded reinforcement have drawn significant attention. For a long time, the steel reinforcement in concrete is assumed to be uniformly corroded, partly for simplicity of analysis ,2. HowevIn order to characterize the non-uniformity of corrosion along the steel bars, lots of efforts have been made. For instances, Wang et al. defined the non-uniform corrosion coefficient R by calculating the ratio of the maximum corrosion rate to the corresponding average corrosion ratio of a corroded steel bar . ConsideFractal theory was developed in the 1970s, which shows its advantages in the study of complex shapes and patterns from a multi-scale perspective , and theIn this study, the fractal theory was utilized to characterize the non-uniformity of corrosion along the steel bars obtained from long-term outdoor naturally-corroded reinforced concrete beams after being dispassivated by wetting–drying cycles under different load levels. Two types of concrete, including slag concrete and ordinary Portland cement concrete, were studied to evaluate the influence of slag incorporation on the corrosion of steel bars. All the concrete beams were placed under ambient conditions for seven years to achieve the natural corrosion of steel bars. The 3D laser scanning technique was applied to obtain the morphology of cross-sections along the steel bars. The corrosion level was also calculated to evaluate the corrosion degree of steel bars. The influence of loading level, stress state, and slag incorporation on the non-uniform corrosion of steel was analyzed through fractal dimension and corrosion level analysis. In the end, the relationship between non-uniformity of corrosion and corrosion level is studied by fractal dimension for this case.2/kg and the corresponding mineral composition is given in 2/kg, according to the Chinese standard ; S is the sum of the area of the shifting windows.A parameter D based on the variation method, all the fractal dimensions of the cross-sectional area curves for the twelve corroded steel bars are calculated and shown in According to the arithmetic of fractal dimension It can be seen from The relationship between fractal dimension and load level is shown in The concrete in the pure bending zone suffers tension stress, resulting in the micro-cracks generating vertically to the steel bars in the concrete beam. Therefore, the chloride ions will transfer to the steel bars from the surface of the beam more quickly through the shortest path. As a result, a higher free chloride ions concentration leads to more severe corrosion of the cross-section. Several typical cross-sections in these two load zones are shown in The fractal dimensions of steel bars in different loading zones are shown in The corrosion level of the full-length steel bars under the same load level also exhibit a difference, as shown in It can be concluded from A quantitative analysis on the corrosion level and the fraction dimension of steel bars is further performed, as demonstrated in The non-uniformity of corrosion along a reinforcement bar can be expressed by the fractal dimension; the smaller the fractal dimension is, the higher the non-uniform corrosion degree will be.The load level has a slight influence on corrosion level and it has some influence on non-uniform corrosion along the reinforcement bar embedded in the ordinary reinforced concrete beam. A larger load level will result in a higher corrosion level for the CO group. Meanwhile, the incorporation of mineral powder helps to reduce the corrosion level and the non-uniformity of corrosion.The loading zone leads to different stress states, which induces non-uniform corrosion along the reinforcement bar. The average loss fraction of cross-sectional area and non-uniform corrosion degree in the pure bending tension zone are generally higher than that in the tension–shear zone.In this case, there is a positive proportion correlation between the average loss fraction of cross-sectional area and the non-uniformity of corrosion along the reinforcement bar.In this paper, the non-uniform corrosion characteristics of reinforced concrete beams after depassivation under different load levels and seven-year outdoor natural corrosion is studied by fractal dimension. The following conclusions can be drawn based on this study:


The majority of Americans overwhelmingly prefer to age in place and in the communities in which they reside. Age-friendly communities support aging in place by focusing attention on features both inside and outside of the home. The global age-friendly community model provides a framework that requires assessing community-based older adults’ needs and preferences about, and developing subsequent action towards, features of the social, service and built environment including housing and transportation which are considered essential to aging successfully at home. This presentation discusses the intersect between research, policy and practice in an age-friendly community which utilized micro-level findings from older adults  to enact macro-level collaborations across local and statewide government and professional groups to facilitate aging in place across the domains of housing and transportation.