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E-commerce represents a rapidly growing share of consumer spending in the United States. We use transactions-level data on credit and debit cards from Visa, Inc. between 2007 and 2017 to quantify the resulting consumer surplus. We estimate e-commerce reached 8 percent of consumption by 2017, yielding the equivalent of a 1 percent boost to their consumption, or over $1,000 per household per year. While some of the gains arose from avoiding travel costs to local merchants, most of the gains stemmed from substituting to merchants available online but not locally. Higher income consumers gained more, as did consumers in more densely populated counties. (JEL D12, E21, G51, L81, L86)

Physicians and pharmacies often do not have access to relevant and comprehensive information needed for safe drug prescribing and comprehensive pharmaceutical consultations [1]. Medication errors based on information deficits are frequently observed in routine care, which leads to patient harm [2–8]. About half of adverse drug reactions are traced back to medication errors and inadequate prescriptions and are thus preventable [5, 9–14]. This is often caused by physicians’ lack of knowledge of prescription standards [15–17]. Shortcomings in communication within the health sector, including between physicians and pharmacists, are common factors causing adverse drug events [18]. Insufficient information for patients about their medication further favours errors in drug use. Several digital interventions for safer drug prescription, administration and management have been proposed, developed and tested [19, 20]. Despite the increasing availability of digital interventions, few show health improvements or sustained use by patients or providers. This is often explained by a disconnect between users and developers, who do not take users’ perspectives and needs into consideration [21]. Usability is a key determinant for implementation and sustained use of new (digital) interventions [22]. Through (1) early engagement of target users and (2) user testing, user-centered designs can help overcome implementation challenges and user dissatisfaction [22] and improve the translation of evidence-based interventions from health research into routine care [23]. The Living Lab, a collaborative and iterative process for intervention design, is part of a larger interprofessional project with a mixed-methods design funded by the Innovation Fund of the Federal Joint Committee. The aim of the digital eRIKA intervention itself is to facilitate communication on pharmacotherapy information between physicians, pharmacists and hospitals alongside the introduction of the German ePrescription to ensure safer pharmacotherapy for patients with polypharmacy. The intervention will be implemented and tested in the regions Saarland, Westfalen-Lippe and Berlin-Brandenburg. Characteristics of eRIKA will be (1) the use of the ePrescription in accordance with the legal framework, (2) the use of dispensing data to enable a continuous, comprehensive and up-to-date electronic medication plan (BMP), (3) central storage of patients medication data through the BMP and electronic patient records, which is usable and editable for physicians and pharmacists, (4) electronically supported assessments of each prescription in the current medication plan, (5) optimized pharmaceutical consultation when filling a prescription through the availability of the complete medication plan and patient individual factors, (6) easier communication between physicians and pharmacists through KIM (Kommunikation im Medizinwesen – communication in medicine), the communication service provided for medical practices, (7) batch-specific traceability of drugs to the patient, (8) drug safety assessments at the point of prescription.

A plethora of daily motor tasks consist of sequences of movements or steps that need to be performed in a specific order. Yet, it remains unclear how the brain represents sequential motor actions in a way that preserves their temporal order. Here, we used multivoxel pattern similarity analysis of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data acquired during motor sequence practice to investigate whether the hippocampus, a brain region known to support temporal order in the non-motor memory domain, represents information about the temporal order of sequential motor actions. We also examined such representation in other regions of the motor network (i.e., the premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), anterior superior parietal lobule (aSPL) and striatum) known for their critical role in motor sequence learning. Our results show that hippocampal activation patterns carried information about movements in their learned temporal position in the sequence, but not about movements or positions in random movement patterns. A similar pattern of results was observed in the striatum. Our data also indicate that multivoxel patterns in M1, SMA and aSPL carried movement-based information while the PMC represented both movement- and position-based information. Altogether, our findings provide novel insight into the role of the hippocampus in the motor memory domain and point to its capacity to bind movements to their temporal position in a motor sequence. Our results also deepen our understanding of how striatal and cortical regions contribute to motor sequence learning via position and movement coding.

Functional brain responses in hippocampo- and striato-cortical networks during initial motor sequence learning (MSL) are critical for memory consolidation. We have recently shown that prefrontal stimulation applied prior to initial MSL can alter these learning-related responses. In the present study, we investigated whether such stimulation-induced modulations of brain responses can influence motor memory consolidation at different timescales. Specifically, we examined the effect of prefrontal stimulation on the behavioral and neural responses associated to (i) fast consolidation processes occurring during short rest episodes interspersed with practice during initial learning (i.e., micro timescale) and (ii) slow consolidation process taking place across practice sessions separated by 24h (i.e., macro timescale). To do so, we applied active (inhibitory or facilitatory) or control theta-burst stimulation to the prefrontal cortex of young healthy participants before they were trained on an MSL task while their brain activity was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Motor performance was retested, in the MRI scanner, after a night of sleep. Both our behavioral and brain imaging results indicate that while stimulation did not modulate consolidation at the macro timescale, it disrupted the micro-offline consolidation process. Specifically, our behavioral data indicate that active - as compared to control - stimulation resulted in a decrease in micro-offline gains in performance over the short rest intervals. At the brain level, stimulation disrupted activity in the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus during the micro-offline intervals. Additionally, multivariate pattern persistence from task into inter-practice rest episodes - which is thought to reflect the reactivation of learning-related patterns - was hindered by active prefrontal stimulation in the hippocampus and caudate nucleus. Importantly, stimulation also altered the link between the brain and the behavioral markers of the micro-offline consolidation process. These results collectively suggest that active prefrontal stimulation prior to MSL disrupted both the behavioral and neural correlates of motor memory consolidation at the micro timescale.

Increasing evidence suggests that reactivation of newly acquired memory traces during postlearning wakefulness plays an important role in memory consolidation. Here, we sought to boost the reactivation of a motor memory trace during postlearning wakefulness (quiet rest) immediately following learning using somatosensory targeted memory reactivation (TMR). Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we examined the neural correlates of the reactivation process as well as the effect of the TMR intervention on brain responses elicited by task practice on 24 healthy young adults. Behavioral data of the post-TMR retest session showed a faster learning rate for the motor sequence that was reactivated as compared to the not-reactivated sequence. Brain imaging data revealed that motor, parietal, frontal, and cerebellar brain regions, which were recruited during initial motor learning, were specifically reactivated during the TMR episode and that hippocampo-frontal connectivity was modulated by the reactivation process. Importantly, the TMR-induced behavioral advantage was paralleled by dynamical changes in hippocampal activity and hippocampo-motor connectivity during task practice. Altogether, the present results suggest that somatosensory TMR during postlearning quiet rest can enhance motor performance via the modulation of hippocampo-cortical responses.

The functional interaction between hippocampo- and striato-cortical regions during motor sequence learning is essential to trigger optimal memory consolidation. Based on previous evidence from other memory domains that stress alters the balance between these systems, we investigated whether exposure to stress prior to motor learning modulates motor memory processes. Seventy-two healthy young individuals were exposed to a stressful or nonstressful control intervention prior to training on a motor sequence learning task in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Consolidation was assessed with an MRI retest after a sleep episode. Behavioral results indicate that stress prior to learning did not influence motor performance. At the neural level, stress induced both a larger recruitment of sensorimotor regions and a greater disengagement of hippocampo-cortical networks during training. Brain-behavior regression analyses showed that while this stress-induced shift from (hippocampo-)fronto-parietal to motor networks was beneficial for initial performance, it was detrimental for consolidation. Our results provide the first experimental evidence that stress modulates the neural networks recruited during motor memory processing and therefore effectively unify concepts and mechanisms from diverse memory fields. Critically, our findings suggest that intersubject variability in brain responses to stress determines the impact of stress on motor learning and subsequent consolidation.

Axial flows in tube bundle geometries are omnipresent in nuclear power plants, including fuel assemblies and heat exchangers. The tubes are often long and slender which makes them susceptible to flow-induced vibrations. Current reactor research investigates the use of wires helicoidally wound around each rod, to preserve their mutual distance. This poses new challenges for numerical simulations. The wire-wrapped geometry is complex, among other things due to small gaps, making the meshing process complicated and cumbersome. This research explores the use of overset grids for such wire-wrapped tube bundles. This meshing method allows grids to overlap and the flow solution is interpolated between the different grids, providing more freedom for meshing. In this case the approach consists of making one grid for a single tube with a wire, termed the component mesh, and placing this grid in a so-called background mesh that takes into account other geometrical features (e.g. the bundle duct). In the case of bundles, the same tube mesh can be repeated several times without additional meshing effort, regardless of the bundle size. The approach is verified using 4 cases found in literature, using the same component mesh either one or multiple times for each case, thus reducing the meshing effort to a minimum thanks to the freedom and re-usability overset offers. The first two cases involve a fluid-structure interaction simulation of a single wire-wrapped tube in a cylindrical domain, the first one simulating a steady deformation and the second one a free vibration of the tube. Good agreement with results in literature was found. The latter two cases are Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations of a 7-pin and 19-pin bundle in a hexagonal duct, and excellent agreement with literature results was obtained. The overset approach was proven beneficial for simulating wire-wrapped bundle geometries: with largely reduced effort the same predictive capabilities can be obtained and potentially even extended.

Advanced healthcare materials 11(24), 2200989 (2022). doi:10.1002/adhm.202200989 special issue: "Special Issue:Biofabrication Applications", Published by Wiley-VCH, Weinheim

© The Author(s) 2021. Motor sequence learning (MSL) is supported by dynamical interactions between hippocampal and striatal networks that are thought to be orchestrated by the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, we tested whether individually-tailored theta-burst stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) prior to MSL can modulate multivoxel response patterns in the stimulated cortical area, the hippocampus and the striatum. Response patterns were assessed with multivoxel correlation structure analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging data acquired during task practice and during resting-state scans before and after learning/stimulation. Results revealed that, across stimulation conditions, MSL induced greater modulation of task-related DLPFC multivoxel patterns than random practice. A similar learning-related modulatory effect was observed on sensorimotor putamen patterns under inhibitory stimulation. Furthermore, MSL as well as inhibitory stimulation affected (posterior) hippocampal multivoxel patterns at post-intervention rest. Exploratory analyses showed that MSL-related brain patterns in the posterior hippocampus persisted into post-learning rest preferentially after inhibitory stimulation. These results collectively show that prefrontal stimulation can alter multivoxel brain patterns in deep brain regions that are critical for the MSL process. They also suggest that stimulation influenced early offline consolidation processes as evidenced by a stimulation-induced modulation of the reinstatement of task pattern into post-learning wakeful rest. Belgian Research Foundation Flanders (FWO; G099516N); KU Leuven; FWO (G0D7918N, G0B1419N, 1524218N); Excellence of Science (EOS, 30446199, MEMODYN); European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (703490); FWO (132635) postdoctoral fellowship; Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR, Virginia, USA; FA9550-16-1-0191).

Previous research has demonstrated that stress modulates the competitive interaction between the hippocampus and striatum, two structures known to be critically involved in motor sequence learning. These earlier investigations, however, have largely focused on blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) responses. No study to date has examined the link between stress, motor learning and levels of striatal and hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This knowledge gap is surprising given the known role of GABA in neuroplasticity subserving learning and memory. The current study thus examined: a) the effects of motor learning and stress on striatal and hippocampal GABA levels; and b) how learning- and stress-induced changes in GABA relate to the neural correlates of learning. To do so, fifty-three healthy young adults were exposed to a stressful or non-stressful control intervention before motor sequence learning. Striatal and hippocampal GABA levels were assessed at baseline and post-intervention/learning using magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Regression analyses indicated that stress modulated the link between striatal GABA levels and functional plasticity in both the hippocampus and striatum during learning as measured with fMRI. This study provides evidence for a role of GABA in the stress-induced modulation of striatal and hippocampal systems., Using fMRI and MRS measurements from healthy, young adults, Dolfen et al examined the effects of motor learning and stress on striatal and hippocampal GABA levels, as well as effects on neural correlates of learning. They demonstrated that stress modulated the link between striatal GABA levels and functional plasticity in the hippocampus and striatum, which reveals a role for GABA in the stress-induced modulation of these systems.

While it is widely accepted that motor sequence learning (MSL) is supported by a prefrontal-mediated interaction between hippocampal and striatal networks, it remains unknown whether the functional responses of these networks can be modulated in humans with targeted experimental interventions. The present proof-of-concept study employed a multimodal neuroimaging approach, including functional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and MR spectroscopy, to investigate whether individually-tailored theta-burst stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can modulate responses in the hippocampus and the basal ganglia during motor learning. Our results indicate that while stimulation did not modulate motor performance nor task-related brain activity, it influenced connectivity patterns within hippocampo-frontal and striatal networks. Stimulation also altered the relationship between the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the stimulated prefrontal cortex and learning-related changes in both activity and connectivity in fronto-striato-hippocampal networks. This study provides the first experimental evidence, to the best of our knowledge, that brain stimulation can alter motor learning-related functional responses in the striatum and hippocampus. This work was supported by the Belgian Research Foundation Flanders (FWO; G099516N) and internal funds from KU Leuven. GA also received support from FWO (G0D7918N, G0B1419N, 1524218N) and Excellence of Science (EOS, 30446199, MEMODYN, with SPS and DM). MAG, ND and MPV received salary support from these grants. MAG is funded by a predoctoral fellowship from FWO (1141320N). Financial support for author BRK was provided by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement (703490) and a postdoctoral fellowship from FWO (132635). This study applies tools developed under National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grants R01- EB-016089, R01-023963, and P41-EB015909; RAEE also receives salary support from these grants. NAJP receives salary support from NIH Grant R00-MH-107719. EMR received salary support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR, Virginia, USA; FA9550-16-1-0191).

We will compute relative Gromov--Witten invariants of maximal contact order by applying the virtual localization formula to the moduli space of relative stable maps. In particular, we will enumerate genus 0 stable maps to the Hirzebruch surface 𝔽₁ = ℙ(𝒪_ℙ¹ ⊕ 𝒪_ℙ¹ (1)) relative to the divisor 𝐷 = 𝐵 + 𝐹, where 𝐵 is the base and 𝐹 the fiber of the projective bundle. We will provide an explicit description of the connected components of the fixed locus of the moduli space 𝑀̅₀,𝑛 (𝔽₁ ; 𝐷|𝛽 ; 𝜇) using decorated colored graphs and further determine the weight decomposition of their virtual normal bundles. This thesis contains explicit computations for 𝜇 = (3) and 𝛽 = 3𝐹 + 𝐵), and additionally 𝜇 = (4) and 𝛽 ∈ {4𝐹 + 𝐵, 4𝐹 + 2𝐵}. The same methodology however can be applied to any other ramification pattern 𝜇 and curve class 𝛽.

Nonprofit organizations actively shape the political agenda and engage in the public discourse around animal protection. The landscape of animal welfare and animal rights associations in Germany is diverse. A way to cluster the variety of organizations is to analyze their ideological approach. Organizations can be ascribed to the animal welfare or the animal rights movement. Although both are animal advocacy movements and try to pursue animal interests in human society, they are ideologically distinct. Furthermore, the organizations use different advocacy activities, attempting to influence politics in line with the organization��s goals. The paper compares advocacy strategies of animal rights and animal welfare organizations in Germany by focusing on the ideological distinction between both movements. The first part of the paper discusses ideological differences between animal rights and animal welfare organizations. Secondly, the concept of advocacy is introduced to define categories for analyzing advocacy strategies of respective social movement organizations. Finally, the third part of the paper conducts a qualitative comparative case study of four German social movement organizations. The findings indicate that the advocacy strategies of animal rights and animal welfare organizations are different due to distinctive ideological approaches. On the one hand, the animal welfare movement is a moderate movement with an anthropocentric approach, seeking to reform existing policies to enhance animal welfare. Hence, animal welfare organizations pursue a balanced mix between insider and outsider advocacy activities. On the other hand, the animal rights movement has a radical approach, which includes fighting for abolishing all animal exploitation in human society. Consequently, animal rights organizations primarily focus on outsider activities to reach as many people as possible.