Road freight transport promotes economic development while impeding the future of green development due to excessive fossil fuel use. Road freight enterprises need to adapt to stricter environmental regulations while maintaining a reasonable level of profit. However, this is not easy in a growing economy such as China’s, whose domestic freight demand is increasing rapidly with economic growth. The development of emerging transport technologies (ETTs) creates great potential for reducing the negative environmental impact of road freight transport. This study considers five candidate ETTs: eco-driving, fleet platooning, vehicle utilization, optimized vehicle design, and renewable energy trucks. A system dynamics analytical framework is established to explore the long-term impact of ETTs on road profit and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the uncertainty of macroeconomic development. Road freight enterprises affiliated with the Qingdao port in China are taken as a case study. The economic and environmental impact of their adoption of ETTs is projected from 2020 to 2035. The results show that the economic growth in the port hinterland leads to an increase in road freight volume and profit, but it also yields a greater amount of GHG emissions from road transport. All of the candidate ETTs exhibit a positive effect on reducing GHG emissions from road transport, but they also cause profit losses due to a high application cost, even though they reduce transport operating costs by fuel savings. The results of the Sobol sensitivity analysis show that GHG reductions are sensitive to the adoption of ETTs. Thus, a carbon-based compensation mechanism is introduced. With this mechanism, road freight enterprises should prioritize vehicle utilization, optimized vehicle design, and eco-driving in their adoption of ETTs for more sustainable development. The results provide systems-based insights into ETT deployment decisions for road freight companies. Freight transport connects the supply and demand for materials and finished products in the production process. It also provides opportunities for creating jobs and economic growth during the construction of transport infrastructures. Thus, freight transport plays an important role in supporting the regional economic development and economic performance of freight enterprises . HoweverThe Outline of Building a Powerful Country in Transportation, which highlights the goal of establishing high-quality and energy-efficient regional transport systems. This goal involves efforts at both the policy level and the technology level. Policies facilitate the design and construction of infrastructure networks and tax and fee reductions to increase the efficiency of the entire freight market [In such circumstances, it is important to limit the negative impact of freight transport on the environment while ensuring the support of freight transport for economic development. In 2016, the State Council of China released t market . In acadt market . Technolt market , vehiclet market , optimizt market , and rent market . These EThe Kinetic Conversion from Old to New Industries implemented in Shandong Province (the main economic hinterland of Qingdao port) [In addition to the impact of ETTs, the profitability and environmental performance of road freight enterprises are influenced by economic circumstances, such as economic structural changes , shipperao port) .The aim of this study is to explore the long-term impact of ETTs on complying with the targets of improving operational efficiency and environmental protection while considering the uncertainty in macroeconomic development. Specifically, this study attempts to answer the following two questions.The Kinetic Conversion from Old to New Industries initiative aims to reduce traditional coal- and metal-related industries while stimulating new high-value-added industries in Shandong Province. This transition in the structure of the hinterland economy will influence the throughput of Qingdao port and further influence the freight demand of road freight enterprises.First, what are the potential impacts of the economic transformation in port hinterlands on the operation of road freight enterprises? Second, how does the adoption of ETTs affect the operational efficiency, profitability, and environmental performance (primarily in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) of road freight enterprises? The adoption of ETTs changes the structure of transport costs and further affects road freight companies’ competitive position in the freight market. Thus, its systematic influence on the profitability and environmental performance of road freight companies deserves dedicated investigation.This study investigates the above two issues in a holistic manner by developing a system dynamics analytical framework. This research makes two main contributions. First, the proposed system dynamics framework integrates the econometric method and the classic four-step transport model. It uses the econometric method to link port throughput  to economic variables and transforms the uncertainty in the economy of the port hinterland into a change in port throughput. Subsequently, it simulates the dynamic interactions among shippers, road freight companies, and railway competitors within a classic four-step transport framework. Thus, this framework provides a more in-depth understanding of the dynamic interplay between freight transport systems and the macroeconomic environment. Second, the system dynamics framework presents a more nuanced analysis of the economic and environmental impacts of ETTs. The causal interlinkages between the adoption of ETTs and the freight market are considered, and the impact of ETTs on the cost structure, transport efficiency, and pricing of road freight enterprises is explored. In this manner, the impact of the adoption of ETTs on the profit and GHG emissions of road freight enterprises is investigated. Considering the trade-off between economic performance and environmental performance, implications regarding the adoption of ETTs and the sustainable development of road freight companies are provided.The remainder of this paper is framed as follows. Road freight enterprises affiliated with ports are responsible for the transport of goods between ports and inland destinations. They play an essential role in all port-related logistic chains . The ecoThe Kinetic Conversion from Old to New Industries [In addition to the factors related to freight transport, macroeconomic and social changes also influence the economic and environmental performance of road freight enterprises. Regarding the case of the present study, Shandong Province implemented dustries . This madustries . On the dustries . In recedustries . ETTs haIn recent years, road freight enterprises in China have been under the pressure of both growth in economic profits and mitigation of climate change. Multiple scholars have explored feasible solutions for improving the operational efficiency and profitability of road freight enterprises ,22,23. TEco-driving. Road freight enterprises retrofit freight vehicles with fuel-efficiency improvement systems to instruct alternative fuel-efficient driving behaviors. Barth and Boriboonsomsin  applied Fleet platooning. Employing intelligent vehicle communication and automation technologies achieves shorter distances between trucks on highways . Thus, fVehicle utilization. This ETT refers to increasing the load rate of trucks and reducing empty vehicles. This involves the utilization of information technologies to form a vertical collaborative relationship between shippers and road freight enterprises . As a reOptimized vehicle design. Via optimized vehicle design  and transmission system improvements, energy use intensity during freight transport is reduced . DelgadoThe Kinetic Conversion from Old to New Industries initiative [Renewable energy trucks. Chu and Majumdar  summarizitiative .In summary, the mechanism of ETTs in increasing transport efficiency and reducing negative environmental impacts has been investigated in existing studies through truck experiments  or simulIn addition, there is a lack of understanding of the costs and benefits in the application of these ETTs. Particularly under an uncertain macroeconomic environment, the impact of ETTs on road freight profit and GHG emissions has not been investigated. As a traditional energy-intensive industry, road transport needs to adapt to stricter environmental regulations while maintaining a reasonable level of profit. Exploring both the economic and the environmental impacts of ETTs is meaningful to the sustainable development of road freight enterprises.This study aims to explore the holistic impact of both the economic uncertainty in the port hinterland and the adoption of ETTs on the profitability and GHG reduction in road freight enterprises. Four types of stakeholders are involved in freight transport related to ports: shippers, road freight enterprises, railway competitors, and government authorities. We establish an analytical framework based on a view of stakeholders’ interaction. The approach for establishing the framework is system dynamics, which is particularly suitable for problems with continuous and dynamic quantities interconnected in feedback loops and circular causality . The intThe theoretical framework is conceptualized in a qualitative causal loop diagram, which illustrates the interactive relationships among the main factors within the framework. The economic and environmental performances of road freight enterprises are influenced by three balancing loops and one reinforcing loop, as shown in Balancing loop B1 illustrates that the growth in road freight volume tends to increase road congestion and, in turn, limits the increase in road market shares. Hu et al.  explaine® software package . According to the classic four-step transport theory, the stock–flow model consists of four inter-related parts, which are specified as follows. Details of the model implementation are available in The causal loop diagram is transformed into a quantitative stock–flow model, which is implemented using the Vensim DSS1. Freight generation. Ore, coal, liquid bulk, and containers in Qingdao port correspond to the demand for materials of production and the export of manufacturing by hinterland industries. Therefore, port throughput (which serves as shippers’ aggregate freight demand) is related to the economic development of the port hinterland. This study uses the econometric approach to convert hinterland economic trends into the estimation of aggregate port throughput ,32. FurtHere, 2. Freight distribution. Port throughput is the aggregated freight demand of the local freight market. It is converted into freight flows tances L .(2)flt=3. Mode split. The aggregate freight flow is assigned to different transport modes according to the market shares of the transport modes. Modal freight flows determine the business of freight enterprises, while mode shares depend on shippers’ mode choices. Railway transport is more efficient (with lower transport cost), which is conducive to reducing negative environmental impacts, but its greater waiting time leads to a lower preference of shippers . Mode sh4. Traffic assignment. Both the traffic volume and the capacity of the road network determine road transport time and fuel consumption. With an increase in traffic flow, congestion occurs more frequently . The extThe impact of the adoption of ETTs is explored within the above four-step transport model. Road freight enterprises own trucks and provide transport services for shippers. They set the optimal freight pricing to obtain profits. Based on the cost structure proposed by Bösch et al. , this stBased on the simulation of the truck fleet evolution, the freight cost and optimal pricing are derived in Equation (6).g theory . eP is tFinally, road freight profit and GHG emissions are estimated using Equations (7) and (8).Most of the exogenous parameters of the system dynamics framework were informed by the realistic status of the real system. The values of these exogenous parameters were obtained by either official statistics or onsite surveys or interviews. For example, the throughput of Qingdao port was extrapolated from the historical trend of economic development using econometric models. Data on port throughput were collected from the Wind Database , and theThe Kinetic Conversion from Old to New Industries initiative implemented in Shandong Province has a profound impact on the throughput of Qingdao port. This uncertainty in economic development is reflected by different predefined economic scenarios. The baseline scenario assumes a 5.5% growth rate in the macroeconomy of Shandong Province, according to the trend during the last decade. The high scenario assumes that the industrial upgrade will succeed and sets a 6% growth rate according to the goals set by the initiative [Road freight enterprises affiliated with ports operate in an uncertain economic environment. The dynamic nature of the economic environment complicates the investigation of the impact of ETTs. Regarding the case of this study, itiative .The adoption of different ETTs influences the operation of road freight enterprises from different aspects. On the one hand, it exhibits potential for fuel savings and GHG reduction in road transport. On the other hand, the adoption of ETTs increases enterprise operation costs. Road freight enterprises compensate for the increase in operation cost by raising freight rates to shippers, which eventually affects shippers’ mode choices. This study considers five ETTs: eco-driving, fleet platooning, vehicle utilization, optimized vehicle design, and renewable energy trucks. The parameters corresponding to the application of these ETTs are listed in The proposed system dynamics framework needs to be validated before it is used to project the long-term impact of ETTs. The framework was tested by applying the classic system dynamics modeling validation procedure , which iAs the main economic hinterland of Qingdao port, Shandong Province is undergoing a major industrial upgrade. Road freight profit and GHG emissions are determined by road freight volume, which depends on two factors: macroeconomic trends  and freight market competition (which determines the market share of the road). The impacts of macroeconomic uncertainty on road freight volume, profit, and GHG emissions are illustrated in The results show that, in the baseline scenario, which assumes an increase of 123% from 2020 to 2035, the throughput of Qingdao port  will increase by 64%. As a result, the profit of road freight enterprises will grow by 78% , introducing ETTs to road freight is necessary. We consider five candidate ETTs for road freight. The specifications of these five ETTs are explained in Next, we further explore the effects of ETTs on road freight profit and GHG emissions when these ETTs are implemented concurrently. The results are shown in In https://github.com/SALib/SALib (accessed on 10 October 2021)). The results are shown in 2) and the accelerated effort (AE) scheme (USD 52/tCO2) [The results show that both road freight profit and GHG emissions are most sensitive to the macroeconomic environment. This is because economic growth leads to an increase in freight demand, which directly determines the amount of road freight activities as well as road freight profit and GHG emissions. 52/tCO2) . Via theIn Existing studies have investigated the fuel-saving potential of ETTs via vehicle experiments. This study extends the analysis from a freight-market-wide context. Introducing technology penetration to the simulation of truck fleet evolution, the impact of ETTs on reducing GHG emissions from the entire road freight industry is explored. For some of the ETTs, the results of this study are close to the values reported in existing studies. For example, the GHG reduction potential of vehicle utilization in this study is close to the results of Wong et al.  because The system dynamics assessment framework integrates econometric estimation and freight transport simulation. Thus, it provides a holistic view of the impact of ETTs on road freight profit and GHG emissions under a changing macroeconomic environment. Regarding the hinterland transport of Qingdao port, policy implications are provided as follows.In a growing economy, it is difficult to coordinate the demand for freight delivery and the goal of GHG reduction. Economic growth in Shandong Province will lead to increased freight demand in Qingdao port. The environmental issues arising from freight traffic are a major challenge for road freight companies and port authorities. In this circumstance, the adoption of ETTs is an effective means to satisfy freight demands while mitigating negative environmental impacts.ETTs are conducive to improving transport efficiency and reducing operational costs. However, their adoption cannot fully offset the cost of equipment installation. Thus, economic incentives are necessary to raise freight companies’ intention to adopt ETTs. General policy levers include subsidies or carbon trading schemes.Regarding the case of this study, optimizing vehicle design and improving the efficiency of vehicle use are currently plausible options. In contrast, the adoption of eco-driving and fleet platooning is either too costly or only being piloted. Nevertheless, companies can partially realize the benefits of both options through driver training .ETTs have the potential to increase fuel efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from freight transport. A system dynamics analytical framework is established to explore the impact of ETTs on the profitability and GHG emissions of road freight enterprises affiliated with ports, especially under the uncertainty in macroeconomic development trends. The proposed framework simulates a series of transport activities that are related to the operation of freight enterprises, such as freight demand, mode choice, truck fleet evolution, cost structure, and pricing mechanism. Therefore, the framework is able to estimate and compare the impact of different ETTs on the economic and environmental performance of freight enterprises. In this study, road freight enterprises affiliated with Qingdao port in China are taken as a case study to demonstrate the proposed analytical framework. Notable results are summarized as follows.With regional macroeconomic growth, the throughput of Qingdao port increases. This leads to an increase in the aggregate freight demand for local freight companies. As a result, the profit of the road freight enterprises affiliated with Qingdao port will reach USD 2.38–2.76 billion by 2035, which is an increase of 58–83% compared to the profit in 2020. Meanwhile, GHG emissions from road freight will increase to 3.8–4.5 million tons by 2035, an increase of 34.5–45.4% compared to the emissions in 2020 due to the growth in freight demand.All of the candidate ETTs exhibit a positive effect on reducing GHG emissions from road transport, but they also cause profit losses due to a high application cost, even though they reduce transport operating costs by providing fuel savings.Both road freight profit and GHG emissions are most sensitive to macroeconomic development because economic growth leads to an increase in freight demand and transport activities. GHG reductions are sensitive to the adoption of ETTs.A prioritization of the candidate ETTs is necessary for road freight enterprises, whose expenditure is usually limited; this entails the introduction of a carbon-based compensation mechanism. Vehicle utilization, optimized vehicle design, and eco-driving take the first three priorities during adoption by road freight enterprises. Other ETTs may be more feasible over a longer time horizon.There are some limitations of the present study. First, this study assumes a linear penetration process of ETTs, which reaches full application within local road freight industry by 2035. In future work, a technology diffusion model can be introduced to simulate the ETT penetration process more accurately. Second, this study does not consider the long-term improvement in technology performance and the utilization of financial instruments. In view of a high cost in adopting ETTs, green financial instruments can be considered. Using the proposed framework, we can explore the implementation scheme of green financial instruments for a wider adoption of ETTs.


Rabies virus (RABV) is a cunning neurotropic pathogen and causes top priority neglected tropical diseases in the developing world. The genome of RABV consists of nucleoprotein (N), phosphoprotein (P), matrix protein (M), glycoprotein (G), and RNA polymerase L protein (L), respectively. The virus causes neuronal dysfunction instead of neuronal cell death by deregulating the polymerization of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton and subverts the associated binding and motor proteins for efficient viral progression. These binding proteins mainly maintain neuronal structure, morphology, synaptic integrity, and complex neurophysiological pathways. However, much of the exact mechanism of the viral-cytoskeleton interaction is yet unclear because several binding proteins of the actin-microtubule cytoskeleton are involved in multifaceted pathways to influence the retrograde and anterograde axonal transport of RABV. In this review, all the available scientific results regarding cytoskeleton elements and their possible interactions with RABV have been collected through systematic methodology, and thereby interpreted to explain sneaky features of RABV. The aim is to envisage the pathogenesis of RABV to understand further steps of RABV progression inside the cells. RABV interacts in a number of ways with the cell cytoskeleton to produce degenerative changes in the biochemical and neuropathological trails of neurons and other cell types. Briefly, RABV changes the gene expression of essential cytoskeleton related proteins, depolymerizes actin and microtubules, coordinates the synthesis of inclusion bodies, manipulates microtubules and associated motors proteins, and uses actin for clathrin-mediated entry in different cells. Most importantly, the P is the most intricate protein of RABV that performs complex functions. It artfully operates the dynein motor protein along the tracks of microtubules to assist the replication, transcription, and transport of RABV until its egress from the cell. New remedial insights at subcellular levels are needed to counteract the destabilization of the cytoskeleton under RABV infection to stop its life cycle. Actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments are the 3 main components of the cell cytoskeleton. Actin filaments are composed of globular proteins that form small aggregates of actin monomers, and these actin monomers rapidly grow at the plus end of the actin filaments as compared to the minus end through a process called polymerization or nucleation , 2. TherThe actin and microtubule-binding proteins are the key elements that regulate the shape, structure, and polarity of actin and microtubule filaments, respectively , 4. For The various functions of these cytoskeleton binding proteins have been shown in It is a bullet-shaped virus of around 180 nm long and 90 nm diameters. The virus is formed by an internal and an external unit linked together. The internal unit is composed of a nucleocapsid (NC) that includes the genomic RNA tied to the phosphoprotein (P), nucleoprotein (N), and viral polymerase (L). The external unit is formed by protruding spikes of the viral glycoprotein (G) and a bilayer lipid envelope acquired from the host cell membrane. These two units are linked by the matrix protein (M) which interacts with the G protein and condenses the NC  Figure .Rabies virus (RABV) proteins  are multifunctional. The N protein ensures the protection of the viral genome from RNAse and is the major component of the NC core. During transcription and replication, the N protein interacts with P and L proteins. The P protein participates in the replication and transcription process as a noncatalytic cofactor for the L protein and disrupts the host interferon-mediated antiviral response , 17. DurThe life cycle of the RABV is dependent upon the clathrin-mediated endocytosis and acidic environment of the cytosol. RABV is coated with a spike-like G protein which is embedded in the lipid layer. The G protein of RABV is an essential indicator to induce pathogenesis inside host cells, and it also helps in the attachment of the RABV to the host cell surface. Moreover, it also assists in the long-distance transport of RABV from the neuromuscular junction to the central nervous system. After the attachment with the host cell receptors, various conformational changes occur in the G protein that uncoats the RABV genome inside cytosol through an endocytic pathway . The negin vitro and in vivo studies. These results have also been categorized in different subheadings to segregate similar findings under one subheading. Materials in a language other than English were excluded, while unindexed journals, websites, thesis reports, and magazine reports were also excluded  develop neurodegenerative diseases, and rabies is one of the leading infectious diseases of the nervous system . RABV hain vivo and in vitro studies that RABV and related genotypes modulate the gene expression of cytoskeleton-related proteins in a variety of cell lines. Even humans nerve cells showed disturbances in the biological pathways of cytoskeleton organization or dynamics which control retrograde axonal transport, synaptic activity, and signaling events  is a fundamental protein required to sustain neuronal shape and structure through the polymerization of dynamic microtubules. Most importantly, it also cross-links many biological pathways of neurotransmitters and maintains the assembly of other molecular trails involving different proteins of the cytoskeleton components , 28, 29.Rabies virus (RABV) causes depolymerization of microtubules by reducing the acetylated a-tubulin and this process facilitates the formation of RNA particles, while the M protein of RABV also up-regulates the gene expression of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) which is a major structural protein to optimize actin and microtubule dynamics through the deacetylation of α-tubulin and cortactin. Moreover, the inhibition of HDAC6 also reduces the formation of RNA synthesis . The degIn vivo and in vitro experiments show that street strain (MRV) of RABV causes dendritic injuries and depolymerization of actin filaments as dendritic spines are mostly enriched with filamentous actin , it then moves back to initiate its exit pathway once again using the stable tracks of microtubules. This reverse transport of the genome is designated as anterograde transport of the RABV which is accomplished by the kinesin motor proteins. These kinesin proteins harbor the fully replicated genome or the naked G protein of RABV and slide toward the cell periphery or the positive directed end of the microtubule to start the process of budding. The budding phenomena need the phosphorylated cofilin and M protein of RABV to exit and join the next cycle of infection.Nevertheless, experiments with HEP-2 and BHK-21 cells demonstrate that RABV might also employ additional passageways to enter the non-neuronal cell types , 46. ForViruses recruit motor proteins with the help of accessory proteins and employ the tracks of microtubules as pathways for the anterograde and retrograde transport of whole or partial viral parts for successful completion of the life cycle , 13. TheThe mixed polarity of these microtubules in dendritic spines ensures the slow and fast axonal transport (adopted for RABV) inside the cells depending upon the availability of motor proteins in the absence of antiviral drugs, while plus ends are usually laid out in the axonal shaft as compared to the dendritic microtubules , 13. ThiDynein deficient drosophila neurons produce transport defects leading to the misguided minus-end directed microtubules in axons . This suNocodazole inhibited the dynamics and growth of microtubules. The RABV-infected BSR cells (cloned cells from the BHK-21 cell line) were treated with this drug that prevented the formation of “late” negri body-like inclusion bodies in the cells , while ivia microtubules using dynein-dependent transport. Microtubule inhibitory drug treatment increased the size and number of negri bodies per cell which further evidenced the fact that polymerization of microtubules coordinates the composition of negri bodies .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.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


Observing later-life health outcomes using a life-course model uncovers critical periods of influence. We investigated the relationship between five multi-component measures of childhood disadvantage  and risk of cognitive impairment (determined by the Langa-Weir Classification) in later life. Data from the Health and Retirement Study  were used. We conducted a multivariable parametric survival analysis to examine the relationships between the early life predictors of low socioeconomic status (SES), childhood impairments, risky adolescent behaviors, risky parental behaviors, and childhood chronic illness and the risk of developing later-life cognitive impairment between 2006 and 2016. We found that each additional indicator of low SES, risky adolescent behavior, and impairment in childhood increased the risk of developing cognitive impairment over the 10 years studied . Additional indicators of risky parental behaviors, however, were related to a smaller risk of developing cognitive impairment over time . Childhood chronic illness was not significantly associated with the risk of developing cognitive impairment. These results show that early-life factors might have long-term implications for the development of cognitive impairment in later life and display differential relationships with risk when parsed into competing categories. Measures of disadvantage indicating smaller risk may point to the resilience and plasticity of the brain in early life and highlight the need for the study of multiple life stages in order to track predictors of cognitive impairment throughout the life course.


Overall, the effectiveness of smart bricks in strain monitoring and crack detection is demonstrated.A diffuse and continuous monitoring of the in-service structural response of buildings can allow for the early identification of the formation of cracks and collapse mechanisms before the occurrence of severe consequences. In the case of existing masonry constructions, the implementation of tailored Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems appears quite significant, given their well-known susceptibility to brittle failures. Recently, a new sensing technology based on smart bricks, i.e., piezoresistive brick-like sensors, was proposed in the literature for the SHM of masonry constructions. Smart bricks can be integrated within masonry to monitor strain and detect cracks. At present, the effectiveness of smart bricks has been proven in different structural settings. This paper contributes to the research by investigating the strain-sensitivity of smart bricks of standard dimensions when inserted in masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear loading. Real-scale masonry walls instrumented with smart bricks and displacement sensors were tested under diagonal compression, and numerical simulations were conducted to interpret the experimental results. At peak condition, numerical models provided comparable strain values to those of smart bricks, i.e., approximately equal to 10 To enhance the safety of new and existing buildings, as well as that of their occupants, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems can be used to assess the structural performance of constructions in real-time ,2. The dThis paper aims to investigate the strain-sensitivity of smart bricks when inserted in masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear loading through experimental tests and numerical simulations. The use of smart bricks for strain monitoring and crack detection in this typical structural setting represents a novelty. In addition, smart bricks are produced in standard dimensions, and were then adopted for the first time to construct and instrument real-scale masonry structural elements. The paper is organized as follows. This section recalls the meaningful concepts that form the basis of the smart brick technology that was used to monitor strain in real-scale masonry structural elements; considering this, the smart sensors were tailored, sized, and characterized for adoption as standard clay bricks during the construction of the tested masonry wall specimens.The strain-sensing capability of smart bricks derives from the contributions of the piezoresistivity of the doped clay matrices and the contact resistance developed at their electrodes . HoweverThe geometrical dimensions of the smart bricks used in this experimentation were equal to those of the conventional clay bricks used to construct the masonry wall specimens described in y weight . Specifiy weight . Figure b is a positive constant referring to the contact resistance, Smart bricks can exhibit changes in their electrical outputs while strained under compression. A specific electromechanical model, named the series resistors model, was developed by linearly combining the contributions to the strain-sensing capability due to the piezoresistive behavior and the contact resistance that develops at the electrodes of the sensors. The series resistor model, upon proper calibration, can be used to estimate strain measurements from the electrical outputs monitored from smart bricks as follows :(1)ΔRRi,This section describes the tested masonry wall specimens and their instrumentation. The experimental testing procedure is also outlined.Smart bricks’ effectiveness at measuring strain when inserted within masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear loading was investigated by testing two full-scale double-leaf masonry wall specimens, with different characteristics, under diagonal compression. Both the specimens had geometrical dimensions of 1290 × 250 × 1290 mmn-th smart brick of the sensor network, V is the positive value of the voltage input signal provided to each smart brick (+10 V), n-th channel [e represents the baseline measurement of the LVDTs, which was equal to 400 mm.Diagonal compression tests were conducted under displacement control by applying displacements with increasing magnitude until failure of the wall specimens occurred. A multichannel approach , develop channel . Strain t brick +0 V, Vdro channel  that invE, compressive strength, v were estimated from experimental tests, while the fracture energy in compression, The Finite Element Method (FEM) was used to simulate the mechanical response of the two masonry wall specimens tested under diagonal compression. Two-dimensional numerical models, shown in terature , and henThis section outlines the experimental and numerical results obtained in the presented study.The results obtained by testing the masonry wall specimens under diagonal compression loads demonstrated the effectiveness of smart bricks at measuring strain when inserted within masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear loading. In addition, the experiments also showed that smart bricks could detect the formation of shear-induced damage at a very early stage of development, by demonstrating marked changes in their strain outputs corresponding to crack initiation. Despite the differences between the sensing principle of smart bricks and LVDTs, the comparison of these two sensing technologies denoted good consistency between their strain outputs. In fact, strain measurements from the smart bricks that were centrally positioned in the wall specimens and corresponding LVDTs were comparable both in terms of trend and magnitude. A satisfactory agreement was also found between the experimental results and those obtained from numerical simulations until peak conditions were reached. Experimentally, the presence of smart bricks at both the front and rear sides of specimen A may have influenced the shear response of the wall specimen. Indeed, specimen A, with intact mortar layers, cracked at a lower shear stress than specimen B, which simulated an aged masonry panel with degraded mortar joints. This unexpected mechanical behavior may be caused by the mechanical weaknesses that developed at the contact interfaces between mortar layers and the insulating tape covering the smart bricks. As the novel sensors were embedded in pairs within the thickness of specimen A, this masonry panel may have been more affected by the supposed weak contact between smart bricks and mortar layers compared to specimen B. Nevertheless, given the limited number of tested wall specimens, it is not impossible that the obtained experimental findings may be due to the statistical variability of the results. Considering this, further investigations would be necessary to characterize the interface between smart bricks and mortar layers under shear stress conditions. In a first approximation, the FE models of the wall specimens were constructed assuming the presence of mechanical weaknesses at the interface between smart bricks and mortar layers. The numerical models were able to simulate the mechanical response of the wall specimens until the achievement of peak conditions, as demonstrated by comparing experimental and numerical shear stress–strain curves, but misinterpreted their post-peak behavior. This was particularly evident in the numerical simulations that were carried out for specimen A. However, numerical models are reliable when interpreting the strain measurements outputted by smart bricks up to peak conditions. In confirmation of this, it is worth emphasizing that the numerical analyses showed higher strain concentrations at the edges of the compressed diagonals of the tested wall specimens with respect to their central areas. Similar results were experimentally determined through the smart bricks’ outputs. For instance, the smart bricks positioned at the edges of the compressed diagonal of specimen B were more strained in compression than the smart bricks placed in the middle area of the structural element. In addition, at peak condition/crack formation, numerical models provided strain values in the proximity of the smart bricks’ positions that were of a comparable magnitude to those outputted experimentally by the novel sensors, i.e., approximately equal to The paper proposed an experimental investigation of the effectiveness of smart bricks of standard dimensions in strain monitoring and crack detection when inserted within masonry walls subjected to in-plane shear loading. Numerical simulations were also carried out to interpret the experimental outcomes.The main concepts behind the smart brick technology were recalled by presenting the strain-sensing principle and production process of the novel clay-based sensors. Then, the paper presented an experimental program that was carried out on two masonry wall specimens instrumented with full-scale embedded smart bricks and LVDTs. The methodology that was adopted to test the structural elements under diagonal compression was described, together with the approaches adopted to retrieve strain measurements from smart bricks and LVDTs. Details related to the construction of the two-dimensional FE models used to numerically simulate the performed experiments were also provided.Almost all the smart bricks outputted an increasing compressive strain as the load applied on the tested wall specimens increased. Furthermore, the novel sensors provided variations in the trend of their strain outputs that were clearly attributable to crack initiation in wall specimens. A good agreement in terms of strain magnitude and trend was found by comparing smart brick and LVDT outputs. Limited discrepancies were observed, which can reasonably be attributed to the different nature of these sensing technologies. Numerical models were able to interpret the mechanical response of the wall specimens up to the formation of cracking patterns in the structural elements. This was demonstrated by comparing the experimental and numerical shear stress–strain curves. Numerical simulations were used to interpret the trend and extent of the strain measurements provided by smart bricks up to crack formation. A more than acceptable agreement was found, even under this circumstance, between numerical and experimental results.Overall, the experimental and numerical outcomes obtained in this research work demonstrate that smart bricks of standard dimensions can be used for strain monitoring and early crack detection in masonry structural elements subjected to in-plane shear loading. These monitoring capabilities make the smart brick technology an attractive approach for the SHM of masonry constructions. This is furthered by the well-known susceptibility of masonry structures, especially existing ones, to shear-induced damage. However, as anticipated in


Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is a microorganism discovered only 40 years ago but since then its importance has grown in many pathologies as chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric carcinoma, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, as well as other endothelial dysfunctions leading to vascular diseases  is taken into consideration in a group of subjects hospitalized in Korea. It was noted that in patients who underwent the BQT (Bismuth Quadruple Therapy) for 14 days and in those with no MZ previous treatment, the eradication rate was higher than in subjects who underwent the BQT for less than 14 days or in patients with MZ previous use.The influence of previous therapies in Hp to antibiotics in the different niches of the stomach (antrum and corpus) is another issue based on the microorganism heteroresistance. The authors Goni et al. take into account the severity of atrophic gastritis from the antrum and corpus biopsies, where H. pylori strains were isolated and tested for antibiotics susceptibility. The severity of atrophy seemed to be correlated with the increase in MZ and clarithromycin (CLA) resistance. Thus, the severity of atrophy was a crucial element in order to establish a correct treatment. The high CLA and MZ resistance in atrophic gastritis should be carefully considered.The susceptibility of Guo et al. in which the genetic methods  and the phenotypic method (broth micro-dilution) were compared in H. pylori-infected patients with treatment failure for at least twice in order to assess the efficacy of different antimicrobial resistance–guided quadruple therapies in refractory H. pylori infection. As such, the genotypic resistance determined using gastric biopsy specimens correlated well with the phenotypic resistance both achieving high eradication rates.As far as antibiotic resistance is concerned, interesting is the article by The question of whether susceptibility testing is essential in guiding therapeutic strategies has been debated in many studies  is prescribed.In this Research Topic, two articles play an important role for this purpose. The first one by Li P. et al., both susceptibility-guided therapy based on the resistance of CLA or minocycline and empiric quadruple therapy containing furazolidone may achieve the same level of eradication. The empirical quadruple therapy containing furazolidone, bismuth, and esomeprazole might be selected as a correct first-line regimen.In the same way in the article by Hp infection  takes into consideration the Jinghua Weikang Capsule (JWC) that is the first patent medicine approved in China for the treatment of gastritis and peptic ulcers caused by Hp. Its major component Chenopodium ambrosioides L. inhibits biofilm formation even though the exact mechanism of its efficacy against drug-resistant Hp is still uncertain. It also seems to be able to induce the reversal of MZ resistance.The following three articles of this Research Topic concern other compounds included in the group of non-antibiotic substances showing an antimicrobial activity. The first study -based antihypertensive drug, which seems to exhibit a strong bactericidal activity against Li R.-J. et al. selected from the natural product forsythia, the Phillygenin, an effective antibacterial component against Hp even if the values of MICs and MBCs are shown to be quite high (16 μg/ml). It was found to be non-toxic to gastric epithelial cells and its mechanism of action was mainly associated with the inhibition of biofilm formation. Phillygenin could also cause ATP leakage in a concentration and time-dependent way. This mechanism seemed to be multiple targets.In the third study, Hp infection either alone or associated with antibiotics, probiotics play a crucial role. They might interact with the gastric microbiota bringing benefits in the clinical Hp management. These concepts are discussed in the last article by Marinelli et al. who studied Lactococcus rhamnosum (LG) supplementation in combination with BQT (Bismuth Quadruple Therapy) to determine a possible improvement in eradication rate, tolerability, and compliance. The authors found that the influence of LG to BQT in the management of Hp-related infection was very useful in terms of efficacy and tolerability but mainly in the persistence decrease of post-treatment dyspepsia.In the context of products that can be suitable for helping to combat Hp antibiotic resistance has been increasing all over the world in recent years, and this phenomenon constitutes an important challenge for the treatment of this fastidious bacterium (Hp eradication might be achieved in almost all patients even without susceptibility tests that are expensive and time-consuming.In conclusion, acterium . This haMM organized the editorial and wrote the paper. SP revised the manuscript. AV checked the references. PM gave a complete overview of the whole article. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.


In the mouse olfactory system, odor signals detected in the olfactory epithelium are converted to a topographic map of activated glomeruli in the olfactory bulb. The map information is then conveyed by projection neurons, mitral cells and tufted cells, to various areas in the olfactory cortex. An odor map is transmitted to the anterior olfactory nucleus by tufted cells for odor identification and recollection of associated memory for learned decisions. For instinct decisions, odor information is directly transmitted to the valence regions in the amygdala by specific subsets of mitral cells. Transmission of orthonasal odor signals through these two distinct pathways, innate and learned, are closely related with exhalation and inhalation, respectively. Furthermore, the retronasal/interoceptive and orthonasal/exteroceptive signals are differentially processed during the respiratory cycle, suggesting that these signals are processed in separate areas of the olfactory bulb and olfactory cortex. In this review article, the recent progress is summarized for our understanding of the olfactory circuitry and processing of odor signals during respiration. In mammals, the olfactory system plays an important role in searching for food, avoiding danger, and finding partners for survival of the individuals and species. Odor information is detected by odorant receptor (OR) molecules expressed by olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) in the olfactory epithelium (OE) . In eachSeparately from the memory-based learned decisions, odor signals from a specific functional domain of the OB are directly transmitted by mitral cells (MCs) to valence regions in the amygdala to elicit innate odor responses . AlthougOlfactory perception takes place in relation to the respiratory cycle . An inteIn response to the orthonasal signals, MCs and TCs are separately activated during respiration in the direct and multi-synaptic pathways, respectively . In addiIn mice, olfactory map information in the OB is transmitted by TCs to the AON for odor identification and recollection of associated scene. The recalled memory-engram further activates the valence network that was connected in the previous odor experience . In cont–/Sema3F+ OSNs project their axons to the dorsal (aversive/fear) domain in the OB, whereas the Nrp2+/Sema3F– OSNs project to the postero-ventral (attractive) domain  axis of the OB . A pair ) domain .– MCs transmit the negative-valenced signals, whereas the Nrp2+ MCs convey the positive-valenced orthonasal/exteroceptive signals to the amygdala  and attractive (Nrp2+), each connecting to the posteromedial cortical amygdala (pmCoA) and the anterior region of the medial amygdala (aMeA), respectively  .Imprinting was discovered in the bird visual system by Odor experience during the critical period induces olfactory imprinting by increasing the sizes of responsive glomeruli in the neonatal OB. This enlargement causes an increase in the sensitivity to the imprinted odor. A pair of signaling molecules, Sema7A and its receptor Plexin C1 (PlxnC1), are responsible for enlarging the odor-stimulated glomeruli by inducing the post-synaptic events and primary-dendrite selection . Sema7A Elevated sensitivity is a form of olfactory imprinting that is established at the level of glomeruli, and the blockage of Sema7A signaling can be explained by the impairment of odor-evoked synapse formation. However, lasting interest or positive response is another feature of olfactory imprinting. How is it that the perceptive change occurs for the experienced odors? What is responsible for establishing smooth social interactions by imprinted memory? Oxytocin in neonates appears to be involved in olfactory imprinting . In the Tufted cells and MCs transmit inhalation-phased external signals at different but overlapping time windows of the respiratory cycle. The OB contains at least four distinct types of projection neurons: external TCs, middle TCs, internal TCs, and MCs . RecordiDuring inhalation, external TCs mediate the earliest transmission of odor signals to small areas in the olfactory peduncle, showing high-frequency burst discharges beginning at the rising phase of inhalation and lasting through the end of inhalation. Middle TCs also mediate the early transmission mainly to the olfactory peduncle in the OC, demonstrating high-frequency burst discharges starting at the rising phase of inhalation and continuing until the middle part of exhalation. During inhalation, the high-frequency burst discharges of TCs generate gamma-oscillatory local-field potentials that travel to the anterior piriform cortex (APC) through the AON . This obIn contrast to the TC pathway, MCs convey the external odor signals mostly during exhalation, directly to widespread areas in the OC and CoA, and show low-frequency burst firing starting at early exhalation and lasting through the end of exhalation. This suggests that the direct MC pathway conveys the external odor information to the OC and amygdala during exhalation for innate behavioral decisions.The pattern and duration of the inhalation/exhalation cycle correlate well with various behavioral states, e.g., movement state, awake resting state, and eating state . RegardlWhen in the respiratory cycle, does the brain make orthonasal odor-based behavioral decisions? The amygdala plays a key role in establishing the memory of sensory input - reward/punishment association . The CoAThe MC-mediated innate-valence signals and the TC-mediated learned-valence signals may also converge in the olfactory tubercle, another key area involved in odor-induced motivated behaviors . It is yOlfaction is tightly coupled with respiratory cycles during feeding. OSNs in the nasal cavity receive the orthonasal signals of environmental odors during inhalation, whereas they detect retronasal odor signals of food being chewed during exhalation. The brain receives odor information from the external world via inhalation-phased orthonasal inputs, whereas it detects food-odor information from the oral cavity via exhalation-coupled retronasal inputs . In contEating is a goal-directed behavior that is critical for the survival of animals. Naturally, the activity of searching and discovering food precedes eating. During food searching, the brain attends to exteroceptive information such as visual and somatosensory cues. Orthonasal odor information is also exteroceptive. It is needed for finding food and also for deciding whether it can be taken into the oral cavity. During the food-consumption behavior, however, the brain switches its attention to interoceptive information such as taste and exhalation-coupled retronasal information. The taste and retronasal olfactory signals within the mouth are parts of interoceptive information of the physiological state in the oral cavity . These sAt the end of eating, exhalation-phased retronasal signals and visceral signals from the digestive tract play roles as interoceptive information in evaluating the swallowed food . Even afIt is well-established that OSNs expressing the same OR species converge their axons to a specific pair of glomeruli in the lateral and medial sides of the OB . Thus, tIt has long been puzzling why there are two redundant maps in each OB. Are the lateral and medial maps functionally the same, or do they possess separate functions? In the neocortex, sensorimotor areas processing the exteroceptive information that guides the somato-motor activity are spatially segregated from those processing the interoceptive information that controls autonomic function . AnalogoImaging studies in rodents demonstrate that individual glomeruli in the OB respond to both orthonasal and retronasal stimulation . CompariOlfaction has two distinct modalities; one is retronasal and the other is orthonasal inputs, although both activate the same set of OR species . This obOptogenetic inhibition experiments revealed that the insular cortex is needed for the retronasal preference task that requires the memory of retronasal odor - reward association. In contrast, the insular cortex is not needed for the orthonasal preference task that requires the memory of orthonasal odor - reward association, despite that the same odor is used for both the orthonasal and retronasal stimulations . These rAxonal projection of TCs in the medial map is rich in the medial area of the olfactory peduncle including the medial and posterior parts of the AON (AONm and AONp) and tenia tecta (TT) .Because TCs in the lateral OB project their axons mainly to the lateral olfactory peduncle . Thus, tIn this review article, we summarized the recent progress in the study of olfactory circuitry and processing of odor information during respiration. In mammals, odor signals are perceived by OSNs in the OE and converted to a combinatorial pattern of activated glomeruli in the OB. This map information is then transmitted to the AON by TCs for odor recognition and behavioral decisions based on memory . Input oIt has been reported that olfactory decisions are made in relation to the respiratory cycle . The braThe central olfactory circuitry is designed to perform sequential transmission of odor signals, first by the multi-synaptic learned pathway and then by the direct innate pathway, to assure that the learned decision precedes the innate decision. Since the cooperation of experience-dependent learned decision with the hard-wired innate decision generates better and faster performance in odor-guided tasks than the innate decision alone, precedence of the learned decision appears to be reasonable. Thus, the central olfactory circuitry provides us with an excellent model system for the study of differential cortical processing of sensory inputs for innate and learned decisions.Respiratory cycles also correlate with food-searching and eating behaviors. We assume that during food-searching and object-detecting behaviors, the brain attends to the exteroceptive lateral OB and the exteroceptive OC areas to facilitate the processing of inhalation-phased orthonasal information. Orthonasal/external odors activate OSNs during inhalation and the OSN activity subsides during the subsequent exhalation. During the inhalation of external odor, the brain detects the increased OSN activity and interprets it as the appearance of external odor. During the subsequent exhalation, the brain detects the diminished OSN activity but does not interpret it as the disappearance of the odor. The exteroceptive areas of the central olfactory circuitry may detect inhalation timing via corollary discharges of respiratory-center neurons in the brainstem . It is pWe also speculate that during food-consumption, the brain attends to the interoceptive medial map in the OB as well as to the interoceptive area in the OC to facilitate the processing of exhalation-phased retronasal information. Retronasal/internal odors activate OSNs during exhalation and the OSN activity may subside during the subsequent inhalation. During the exhalation, the brain detects the increased OSN activity and interprets it as the appearance of internal odor. During the subsequent inhalation, the brain detects the diminished OSN activity but does not interpret it as the disappearance of the internal odor. We assume that the interoceptive area in the olfactory circuitry may detect exhalation timing and differentially perceive the OSN activity during exhalation as well as subsequent inhalation. Agranular insular areas (AIv and AIp) and the lateral orbitofrontal area (OBRl) receive the inputs not only from the OC but also from the neocortical interoceptive areas such as the gustatory area . TherefoHow does the orthonasal activity in the exteroceptive areas of the OB and OC interact with the retronasal odor-induced activity in the interoceptive areas? This is an important issue to be studied in the future for our understanding of not only the olfactory system but also the whole brain. The mouse olfactory system will continue to serve as an excellent model system for the study of sensory processing in relation to the respiratory cycle in mammals.Both authors contributed equally to this work.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.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


Innovative Surgical Sciences include some excellent examples of the comprehensive medical care as well as the academic spectrum of pediatric surgery.Pediatric surgery is an independent specialty providing surgical care to patients from newborn age until young adulthood. One of the main areas in this discipline deals with the correction of congenital anomalies. Other important areas of pediatric surgery are pediatric gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary surgery, pediatric urology, pediatric oncological surgery and pediatric orthopedic surgery. The scientific articles presented within this special issue of The paper by Derikx et al. contains a well-conducted systematic review and meta-analysis on the incidence of various forms of ileus following surgery for congenital abdominal malformations. This article shows that ileus is a common complication following surgery of congenital anomalies of the abdomen, requiring immediate treatment. Further research is warranted to identify risk factors and potential preventative measures.The paper by Uecker et al. deals with an indispensable aspect in the management of patients with congenital malformations, which is the transition of care. Nowadays, survival is no longer a major outcome measure in this cohort of patients, rather long-term quality of life is more significant. The provided overview summarizes relevant surgical-treated congenital anomalies, focusing on long-term morbidity and quality of life assessment to demonstrate the necessity of a structured and standardized transition of care.Another major aspect of pediatric surgery, namely innovation in surgical techniques, are presented by Privitera at al. Their paper describes novel approaches for intraoperative visualization and image-guided surgery. The utilization of these newly developed technologies in pediatric surgery will lead to a better and more detailed visualization of small anatomical structures, resulting in less surgical complications and improved outcome.I wish to thank the journal to for giving the opportunity to showcase important aspects of clinical care and surgical innovations in pediatric surgery.


Adolescents tend to be less physically active and thus become more vulnerable to health risks. Engaging adolescents becoming agents of their active lifestyle could potentially catalyze the impact of interventions. Therefore, the effects of an asset-based physical activity promotion intervention on the physical activity behavior and physical fitness of pre-vocational students was evaluated, taking into account the extent to which the students were involved in the design and implementation of the interventions.This randomized controlled trial included 2286 prevocational students divided between an intervention and control group. Innovative triple-i interactive research methods were used to develop and implement tailor-made interventions in co-creation with students and teachers. Self- reported physical activity behavior and direct assessments of physical fitness levels were determined on baseline and two annual follow-ups. Student involvement was determined by validated questionnaires. Generalized estimating equations were performed to determine intervention effects over time. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the effects of the extent of student involvement.No intervention effects were found for total physical activity level, screen time, active transport and sports activities . Positive effects of the intervention were found for the long jump , the handgrip strength , the shuttle run test  and the sum of skinfolds . Subgroup analyses on the extent of student involvement showed mixed results. Students at intervention schools where students involvement was more successful showed no alterations in physical activity levels and higher scores on shuttle run scores  compared to controls. Students at intervention schools that were less involved, showed higher scores on long jump , grip strength , and sum of skinfolds .The participatory physical activity intervention in this study does not change physical activity level but does improve some elements of physical fitness. The research methods used in this study offers a protocol to align intervention plans to the students' assets by co-creation which is feasible to use in the school context.


A sample of working adults in Beijing (N = 207) filled surveys in two waves during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural regression analysis showed that physical exercise moderates the impact of the COVID-19 stressors on sleep disorder via somatic complaints , rather than psychological worry complaints . Specifically, the COVID-19 stressors increase somatic complaints for people with a low amount of physical exercise , while the COVID-19 stressors are not significantly related to somatic complaints for people with a high amount of physical exercise . This research extends the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis and provides evidence on an individual intervention of physical exercise to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.This research aims to explore whether physical exercise can buffer the impact of the COVID-19 stressors. Based on the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis, we proposed a moderated mediation model relating the COVID-19 stressors to sleep disorder  The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced individual’s cognition ) but not significant via worry complaints . It supported Hypothesis 3 but failed to support Hypothesis 4. Specifically, the indirect effect relating the COVID-19 stressors to sleep disorder via somatic complaints was significant for people who are achieving less physical exercise , but not for those who are achieving more physical exercise .The moderated mediation index was significant in predicting sleep disorder via somatic complaints . Written informed consent for participation was not required for this study in accordance with the national legislation and the institutional requirements.JQ and JT contributed to the study conception and design. JT wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors performed the material preparation and data collection and analysis, commented on previous versions of the manuscript, and read and approved the final manuscript.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.All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.


Ingestion of dental instruments is rare during dental surgery but can result in serious complications. Here we describe a case in which an endodontic hand file was accidentally misplaced in situ during endodontic  therapy. Plain radiographs were used to identify its location, and serial imaging was used to monitor passage of the endodontic file through the gastrointestinal tract, and it ultimately passed without intervention. We conclude by describing methods for surveillance and management of ingested dental instruments.A 62-year-old Caucasian male presented to the Emergency Department approximately 2 hours after suspected ingestion or inhalation of an endodontic hand file. He had experienced two episodes of excessive coughing and dyspnea while undergoing endodontic therapy, and was promptly referred by his dentist for further investigation. On admission, plain abdominal radiographs confirmed the position of the file in the duodenum, and serial radiographs were used to monitor its transition and clearance through the gastrointestinal tract. During this time, the patient did not demonstrate any clinical signs of bowel perforation, nor was there any radiographic evidence of pneumoperitonium. The patient was discharged after a final radiograph confirmed the absence of the foreign body.Ingestion and inhalation of dental instruments can be life threatening and should be managed cautiously, with early input from general surgeons, gastroenterologists, or respiratory physicians for possible endoscopic retrieval, emergent laparotomy, or surgical intervention. Imaging studies are useful for discerning the position of the foreign body and to determine whether retrieval is possible, and the management will ultimately depend on the position and characteristics of the foreign body, as well as risk factors from the patient which may increase the likelihood of perforation, obstruction, or impaction. Accidental ingestion or inhalation of dental instruments occurs infrequently during dental treatment. Although rare, the consequences can be dramatic; impaction, perforation, and obstruction of the digestive or respiratory tracts are all possibilities . Some inA 62-year-old Caucasian male self-presented to the Emergency Department (ED) at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) approximately 2 hours after the suspected ingestion or aspiration of an endodontic hand file Fig.  during hFrontal chest and abdominal radiographic imaging confirmed the presence of a 27-mm linear radiopaque foreign body located to the right of the midline of the abdomen, approximately at the level of the L2/3 disc , the mainstay of therapy is conservative with serial radiographic monitoring. Higher-risk objects such as endodontic files or other sharp instruments should be retrieved if possible, or monitored vigilantly with routine radiographic imaging if they have progressed beyond the reach of endoscopic retrieval.


Disasters such as rock bursts and mine earthquakes became increasingly serious with the increase in mining depth in Erdos Coal Field and became serious problems that restrict high-strength continuous mining of coal mines. In this study, strata movement and energy polling distribution of ultrathick weak-bonding sandstone layers were controlled by the local filling–caving multi-faces coordinated mining technique, which was based on the analysis of subsidence and overlying structural characteristics in the Yingpanhao mining area. Moreover, the influencing factors and the control effect laws were investigated. Surface subsidence and energy polling distribution control effects of different mining modes were compared, which confirmed the superiority of local filling based on the main key stratum. According to the results, the maximum surface subsidence velocity of the first mining face was 1.24 mm/d, which indicates the presence of a logistic functional relationship between the mining degree and subsidence factors. When the mining degree was close to full mining, the practical surface subsidence was smaller than the corresponding logistic functional value. The largest influencing factor for the strata movement control effect of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum was the width of the caving face, followed by the filling ratio, section pillar width, and width of the filling face, successively. With respect to the influencing degree on the energy polling distribution of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum, the order followed as section pillar width > filling ratio > caving working face > width of backfilling working face. Additionally, the comparative analysis from the perspectives of control effect, resource utilization, and cost-effectiveness demonstrated that partial filling mining based on the main key stratum was one of the techniques with high cost-effectiveness in controlling strata movement and relieving rock bursts, mining earthquakes, and subsidence disasters. The deep mining areas of Erdos Coal Field are ideal for high-strength large-scale mining of deep coal resources because of their rich coal reserves, simple geologic structures, extensive territory, and small population. At the same time, high-strength large-scale mining of coal resources in the deep mining areas of Erdos Coal Field is facing various problems, such as rock bursts, frequent occurrences of mining earthquakes, lowering of groundwater levels, and serious surface salinization. Therefore, it is crucial to study the regional strata movement control during the deep mining of Erdos Coal Field. At present, common strata movement control techniques mainly include techniques centred on the filling body and coal–rock pillars.Research on strata movement control techniques centred on coal–rock pillars mainly focuses on the stability of coal pillars and coal pillar-overlying strata collaborative deformation. For example, considering the coal pillar loads, the effective region theory, pressure arch theory, and two-region constraint theory could completely interpret the stress concentration in coal pillars and overlying strata under different mining conditions . ConsideResearch on strata movement control techniques was centred on the filling body, mainly on compressive deformation of the filling body and composite support, as well as strata movement during filling mining and relevant control. For compressive deformation of gangue, Guo Guangli  and WangConsidering the collaborative loading of the deep filling body–coal pillar composite carrier, Wang Fangtian investigated the influences of filling ratio and strength on filling body–coal pillar stress distribution and fracture development laws of the overlying strata in the ultrahigh filling working face by using the discrete element PFC numerical simulation software. They disclosed the ultrahigh water-filling body–coal pillar collaborative bearing mechanism by combining theoretical analysis. Moreover, when the filling ratio of ultrahigh water filling materials was higher than 90% and the water–cement ratio was lower than 95%, the filling body–coal pillar could achieve the optimal collaborative bearing effect and could effectively control the overlying strata movement . Based oResearch concerning filling mining-induced strata movement and control mainly focuses on full filling in the goaf and partial filling mining based on the key stratum structure. Studies about strata movement laws and control during partial filling mining based on the key stratum structure mainly focus on local filling in the goaf, or filling practices in the caving zone or overlying strata separation zone formed after the collapse of the direct roof, and realized three aspects of subsidence reduction through joint control over the filling body, separation coal pillars, and key stratum structures of overlying strata . For insConsidering studies on strip mining and partial filling mining, much research was conducted to construct collaborative mechanical models of coal pillars, composite carriers and key layer structures of overlying strata. It could provide references to study regional strata movement during deep mining of Erdos Coal Field. Moreover, existing research results demonstrate that ultra-thick sandstone in overlying strata in the deep mining areas of Erdos Coal Field had a strong control effect. These strata movement and energy polling distribution characteristics are some of the major sources of rock bursts and frequent mining earthquakes during large-scale continuous mining.Hence, a local filling–caving multi-faces coordinated mining method was proposed to control regional mining-induced strata movement in deep areas. The goal was to determine the coordinated development between high-efficiency safety exploitation of coal resources in the deep regions of Erdos Coal Field and surface ecological environmental protection. Additionally, the intention was to decide the influence of ultra-thick sandstone in deep overlying strata with high considerations for mining efficiency and filling cost. Meanwhile, influencing factors and response laws were discussed.Subsidence monitoring and hole detection in mining areas are important means to understand strata movement principles in the region. In the following text, the strata mining deformation laws and overlying structural characteristics in deep mining areas in the east  and west  were compared through monitoring data. The results provided reference data for designing regional strata movement control during deep mining of ultrathick weak bonding overlying strata in Erdos Coal Field.In this study, Yingpanhao Coal Mine was chosen as the major research object. In Yingpanhao coal mine, the caving mining and full-seam mining method are used to manage the roof now. The coal cutter model is MG1100/3050-WD, the hydraulic support type is ZY20000/33.5/68D, and the working face end support model is ZYD17000/24/45D. Its geographical position and mining progress are shown in To analyze the special mining-induced movement and deformation laws in the deep mining areas of Erdos Coal Field, the C46 point on the 2201 working face in the Yingpanhao Coal Mine and the S30 point on the 3305 working face in Jining Well #2  were chosen for comparison. Subsidence and velocity curves at corresponding points were obtained through data processing . V/t repAs shown in As shown in Additionally, a genetic algorithm was used to fit the measured data of the observation line subsidence along the surface strike and the probability integral method was inversed to calculate parameters. The results demonstrate that when the 2201 working face advanced by 1634 m, the major influencing angular tangential and deviation of inflection points in the surface movement basin were in accordance with the reference ranges determined in the Guideline for Buildings, Water Body, Railway and Major Roadway Coal Pillar Setting, and Coal Mining . HoweverSurface measured data for the shallow and deep mining areas in the east and west were collected to thoroughly examine the difference in the coal mining-induced surface movement and deformation laws. Moreover, corresponding surface subsidence factors of coal mines were obtained through inversion . For an For comparative analysis of the overlying strata structural characteristics between the east and west deep mining areas, a case study based on Jining Coal Field and Dongsheng Coal Field was carried out. Some strata structural distribution characteristics of Yingpanhao Coal Mine, Bayan Gaole Coal Mine, and Nalinhe Well #2 in the deep mining areas of Dongsheng Coal Field are listed in According to the borehole and three-dimensional earthquake disclosure, Dongsheng Coal Field was composed of Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation, Lower Jurassic Fuxian Formation, Lower-Middle Jurassic Yan’an Formation, Middle Jurassic Zhiluo Formation, and An’ding Formation. It also consisted of the Lower Cretaceous Zhidan Group, Paleogene and Neogene, and the quaternary system (from old to new) without folds and faults. Some rock samples from the surface to the coal seam borehole are shown in To further determine the structures and physical as well as mechanical properties of the main key stratums in the overlying strata, sandstones from the Zhidan Group, Anding Group, Zhiluo Group, and Yan’an Group were selected for component analysis test, mechanical test, scanning electron microscope (SEM) test, and Qinshui test. According to the test results , althougAccording to the overlying structural characteristics and the physical, as well as the mechanical, properties of weak bonding sandstone in the deep mining areas of Erdos Coal Field, the local filling–caving multi-faces coordinated mining method based on the main key stratums was proposed. It could decrease the intensity of the dynamic appearance of overlying rocks and the degree of surface failure. The mining scheme design is shown in Coal mining-induced strata movement is a complicated problem that combines time and space. It takes place under the influence of multiple factors. It is determined by geological mining conditions , mining mode, and mining space together. The strata movement and energy polling distribution control methods during local filling–caving multi-faces coordinated deep mining based on the main key stratum not only make full use of the control effect of the key stratum and advantages of partial filling mining but are also restricted by corresponding influencing factors. Based on the comprehensive analysis, the major factors could be divided into three types: (1) mining scale, filling scale, and section pillar scale; (2) filling technology; and (3) geological mining conditions .(1) Mining scale, filling scale, and section pillar scaleThe mining scale, filling scale, and section pillar scale had direct relations with coal yield, stability of the composite filling body, and overlying strata movement. They were major factors that influenced strata movement and energy polling distribution control.(2) Filling technologyFilling technology factors include filling–roof space, roof-to-floor convergence, mechanical properties of the filling body and mechanical properties of the composite filling body. The filling–roof space refers to the spaces between the filling body and the roof, which was generally between 0 and 650 mm. The roof-to-floor convergence refers to the phenomenon when the roof and floor move toward the goaf due to the delayed filling after coal seam mining. It is generally within 100~400 mm. This might be relatively large for deep mining. The mechanical properties of the filling body and the composite filling body have a direct influence on the strata movement and energy polling distribution. Instead of lifting the gangues from the shaft, the proposed control methods of strata movement and energy polling distribution aim to digest gangues in the shaft while accomplishing the control effect. Hence, the proposed filling body in this study primarily referred to the gangues, whereas the composite supporting structure refers to the composite structure composed of gangues and section pillars. The gangue block size and cracking–swelling performances can significantly influence the mechanical properties of the gangues and the composite supporting structure.(3) Geological mining conditionsThe proposed geological mining conditions in this study include lithology, thickness, and height of the coal seam main key stratum, mining depth, and mining thickness. All of these factors have significant influences on strata movement and the energy polling distribution control methods of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum.Based on the above analysis, influencing factors, such as geological mining conditions, could not be manually changed. Many filling technology factors could influence strata movement and energy polling distribution. However, they could influence the effective subsidence space of the roof. The influences of filling technology on surface subsidence control could be simulated by changing the filling ratio.Hence, the influence of filling technology and mining–filling pillar scales on the control effects of the proposed method was investigated through a case study based on the Yingpanhao Coal Mine. The details  are intrMoreover, the physical and mechanical parameters of the gangue filling zone determined with reference to previous studies  and modeIn the paper, the FLAC3D 5.0 numerical simulation software was applied. The constitutive model of this numerical model  was the To check the reliability of the model, we mined two working faces based on the actual situation of the Yingpanhao Mine. The working face was 300 m in width and 2000 m in length, and the two working faces were separated by the 300-m-wide coal pillar. Based on the measurement results of the surface, the subsidence of Point C52 was 326 mm, and the subsidence of the corresponding position in the numerical simulation was 350 mm. As one working face of the Yingpanhao Mine was 1800 m in length and the other was 1900 m in length, both of them were shorter than that of the working face in the numerical simulation. Thus, the simulation result was faintly larger than the actual subsidence value. The simulation results were basically consistent with the actual situation, and the established model was reliable.According to the design scheme in To determine the influences of the filling ratio on the control effect of surface subsidence and energy polling distribution of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum, a statistical analysis of the maximum surface subsidence and maximum energy polling distribution values under different filling ratios was conducted. The corresponding relation curves were plotted. The results are shown in 2 = 0.998. As shown in 2 = 0.98.As presented in (1) Width of filling faceAccording to the design scheme in To determine the influence of the filling face scale on the control effect of the surface subsidence and energy polling distribution of partial filling mining based on the main key layer, a statistical analysis of the maximum surface subsidence and maximum energy polling distribution values under different filling face scales was conducted. The corresponding relation curves were plotted. The results are shown in 2 = 0.997. As shown in 2 = 0.85.As shown in As shown in (2) Width of caving faceAccording to the design scheme in To determine the influences of the caving face scale on the control effect of the surface subsidence and energy polling distribution of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum, a statistical analysis of the maximum surface subsidence and maximum energy polling distribution values under different caving face scales was conducted. The corresponding relation curves were plotted. The results are shown in 2 = 0.999). As shown in 2 = 0.989).As shown in As presented in (3) Section pillar widthAccording to the design scheme in To determine the influence of the section pillar scale on the control effect of surface subsidence and energy polling distribution of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum, a statistical analysis of the maximum surface subsidence and maximum energy polling distribution values under different section pillar scales was conducted. The results are shown in 2 = 0.87). As shown in 2 = 0.89.As shown in As present in Based on the above analysis, the strata movement and energy polling distribution were influenced by the filling ratio, caving face width, filling face width, and section pillar width. A comprehensive analysis was required to determine the order of these influencing factors. The range standardization method was used to execute dimensionless treatment of factors in order to eliminate differences in units among the different influencing factors. The parameters were then transformed into numerical values within 0~1. The range standardization formula was as follows:Before the dimensionless treatment of factors, it was necessary to determine the ranges of the factors. With reference to the relevant cases of deep long-walled caving mining, the width of the working face could reach 400 m at most. Therefore, the range of the caving face width, the filling face width, and the section pillar scale were 0~400 m, 0~400 m, and 0~60 m, respectively. Considering the limitation of the current filling mining technology, the filling ratio of the working face ranged between 50% and 95%. After dimensionless treatment of the influencing factors, the corresponding control effect relation curves were plotted .As shown in To verify the superiority of partial filling mining based on the main key stratum, the degree of surface subsidence and overlying strata failure was simulated during full caving mining, complete filling mining, wide strip mining, mixed filling mining, large mining , and partial filling mining. The corresponding mining schemes are listed in The corresponding three-dimensional numerical models were constructed according to the mining schemes in The program for extracting overlying strata failure volume was developed based on the Fish language, which was used to extract overlying strata failure volume and energy polling distribution values in the corresponding numerical model. The overlying strata failure diagram is shown in In For the intuitive analysis of the surface subsidence and strata failure under different mining modes, the corresponding filling ratio, yield rate, coal pillar ratio, maximum surface subsidence volume, maximum energy polling distribution, and overlying strata failure volume were extracted and calculated .As present in In order to further explain the superiority of this control method, the control mechanism of this method is also described briefly . The comIn conclusion, the composite support and main key strata (main key strata and sub-key strata) forms a dual control system of coordinated deformation, which step by step realizes the control of the movement of the overlying strata: the sub-key strata is close to the coal seam, which directly limits the damage height of the overlying strata and reduces the effective sinking space for upward transmission. The chief key stratum limits the upward transmission of the wave-shaped sinking basin, causing the overlying stratum to be a single gently sinking basin.Through studying the strata movement control method in this paper, we can reduce the damage of coal mining to geological environment and realize green mining on the premise of ensuring efficient and safe coal mining c.A local filling–caving multi-faces coordinated mining approach based on the main key stratum was proposed as a strata movement control method after the investigation of subsidence and overlying strata structural characteristics in the Yingpanhao Coal Mine. Relevant influencing factors and influencing laws were explored. Moreover, the superiority of this method was investigated from numerous perspectives, such as overlying strata failure and surface damage degree. Some major conclusions could be drawn as follows:(1) The maximum subsidence velocity at monitoring points during the single working face of the Yingpanhao Coal Mine was 1.24 mm/d, which was lower than the limit (1.67 mm/d) in the active phase determined in the Guideline for Buildings, Water Body, Railway and Major Roadway Coal Pillar Setting and Coal Mining. Additionally, prediction parameters, which mainly influence angular tangent and offset of deflection points, were within the reference ranges. However, the subsidence factor, which was a key prediction parameter, was only 47.5% of the lower limit of the reference range.(2) Although sandstones in the Zhidan Group were relatively soft and there was rich porosity, most bonding materials had calcite cementation and a few clay minerals. Cement composition was almost consistent with detritus, which did not disintegrate in water. The strata were found to be relatively thick, while hardly developed fractures and vertical joints. There were almost no faults or folds. The strata generally had great rigidity and presented very strong control effects. They made up the key stratums in the overlying rock structure.(3) The influences of the filling ratio, caving face scale, filling face scale, and section pillar scale on the control effects of strata movement and energy polling distribution were analyzed. The results show that with the increase in filling ratio, surface subsidence presented a linear functional reduction trend and energy polling distribution presented a parabolic functional reduction trend. With the increase in the filling face width, surface subsidence presented a logarithmic functional reduction and energy polling distribution presented a linear functional reduction. With the increase in caving face width, surface subsidence and energy polling distribution both presented parabolic functional growths. With the increase in section pillar scale, the surface subsidence and energy polling distribution presented a linear functional reduction trend.(4) Relative influencing degrees of factors on the control effects of strata movement and energy polling distribution during partial filling mining based on the main key stratum were analyzed by the range standardization method. The following criteria were ranked from high to low in terms of their ability to restrict strata movement while the main key stratum could still bear overlying strata loads: caving face width > filling ratio > section pillar width > filling face width. The influencing factors of the energy polling distribution were also list in order from high to low degrees as follows: section pillar width > filling ratio > caving face > filling face width.(5) Control effects of strata movement and energy polling distribution in full caving mining, full filling mining, wide strip mining, and mixed filling mining were investigated by numerical simulation. Considering the surface subsidence reduction effect, the factors were ranked as wide strip mining > full filling mining > large mining width small reserved width > mixed filling mining > partial filling mining based on the main key stratum > full caving mining. Considering the groundwater protection effect, the factors were ranked as wide strip mining > full filling mining > mixed filling mining > large mining width small reserved width > partial filling mining based on the main key stratum > full caving mining. With comprehensive considerations, partial filling mining based on the main key stratum demonstrated the highest cost-effectiveness.


Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of anxiety. However, inconsistencies between parent and child reports may complicate the assessment of anxiety in this population.The aim of this study is to investigate discrepancies between parent and self-reported anxiety among children with high functioning ASD.Children aged between 8 and16 years with high functioning ASD, followed in the outpatient unite of child psychiatry at the University Hospital of Monastir, Tunisia and their parents, were invited to complete the Arabic version of the Anxiety Scale for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASC-ASD). The ASC-ASD is a 24-item questionnaire with six sub-scales, designed specifically for the assessment of anxiety symptomatology in children with ASD. A total score of ≥ 20 indicate significant levels of anxiety.We recruited 66 children and their parents. The mean age was 10 years old. High rates of anxiety were found: children’s reports revealed that 70% of them present anxiety and 60 % were coated anxious by parent’s reports. Performance Anxiety, Uncertainty and Social Anxiety were the most frequent types of anxiety reported by both parents and children. We did not find a significant difference between the parents and children rating of anxiety except for the apprehension subscale.This is one of the first studies to compare between parent and self-reported anxiety among children with ASD using an autism-specific measure of anxiety. No discrepancies have been found between parents and children report, however others studies are needed to investigate discrepancies in children with severe ASD.


We read with interest the article by Kajüter and colleagues about the relative survival of 2,327 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) diagnosed from 1993 to 2016 in Münster, Germany [Relative survival is a frequently used measure in population-based cancer research to assess progress in patient management over time. Seeing the comparatively favorable prognosis of CLL patients in modern times, other survival measures may be more informative because relative survival does not inform on patient survival across the entire remaining life span.The application of the loss in expectation of life (LEL) has recently entered the arena of population-based cancer research to assess the impact of a cancer diagnosis on the patients’ life expectancy and the average number of life-years lost . As the We selected CLL patients diagnosed between 1989 and 2018—with survival follow-up through December 31, 2020—from the nationwide Netherlands Cancer Registry (NCR) using the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology morphology code 9823. The NCR includes all newly diagnosed malignancies in the Netherlands since 1989, with nationwide coverage of at least 95%. Further details about the registry are published elsewhere [We report four statistical measures to evaluate life expectancy. The first measure is LEL, quantifying the difference in life expectancy between patients and the general population, of which the latter is matched to the patients by age, sex, and calendar year. Here, the LEL is interpreted as the average number of life-years lost due to a CLL diagnosis. The LEL can vary markedly across ages because life expectancy is age-dependent. Therefore, the proportional LEL (PLEL) was estimated as a second measure to assess the prognostic effect of age on survival. The PLEL was calculated as the LEL divided by the population life expectancy. Since excess mortality may diminish with each additional year survived post-diagnosis, we estimated the LEL conditional on surviving each additional year up to ten years post-diagnosis . Lastly, the CLEL was also corrected for the prognostic effect of age, yielding the proportional conditional LEL (PCLEL) as a fourth measure.The survival measures were modeled using restricted cubic splines within the framework of a flexible parametric relative survival model . The sexOur analytic cohort included 23,692 CLL patients  diagnosed in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2018 Table . The lifThe increase in the life expectancy of CLL patients was greater than in the general population. Consequently, the LEL Fig.  and PLELOverall, the CLEL decreased with each additional year survived post-diagnosis, irrespective of age and sex Fig. . For patThis nationwide, population-based study demonstrates that the life-years lost decreased in CLL patients diagnosed in the Netherlands between 1989 and 2018, regardless of age and sex. This study, which is the first of its kind, complements and extends the findings by Kajüter and colleagues [The steady progress in CLL management across several treatment lines over the past decades is a credible factor contributing to the continuous increase in the life expectancy of CLL patients. The improvement in life expectancy during the 1990s and early 2000s may be attributed to the broader application of purine analogs in combination with alkylating agents, particularly fludarabine-cyclophosphamide , 6. BetwThe strengths of our study include the use of population-based data from a long-running and well-established cancer registry. As such, we could estimate life expectancy from historical and contemporary perspectives. Limitations of our study encompass the lack of detailed patient and CLL characteristics, such as socioeconomic status and Rai stage, to further stratify life expectancy according to these baseline characteristics. Also, LEL estimates for more recently diagnosed patients rely on extrapolation. Then again, extrapolation was reasonably accurate in previous studies with comparatively short survival follow-up . NeverthIn summary, the life expectancy of CLL patients diagnosed between 1989 and 2018 increased steadily in the Netherlands. This increase is likely attributed to the broader application of more efficacious therapies over time. Notwithstanding, continuous population-based surveillance is essential to assess the impact of the rapidly evolving management of CLL on survival since excess mortality is still a threat in contemporary diagnosed and managed patients.Online Appendix