PLOS ONE Alerts: New Articles

1. Correction: Back to normal? The health care situation of home care receivers across Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on health

   by Michael Bergmann, Melanie Wagner

2. Understanding disability from a secondary data lens perspective: Evidence from consultations with members of the public with disabilities in the UK

   by Eirini-Christina Saloniki, William Lammons, Sarah Markham

   Disability is a multifaceted phenomenon, which complicates data collection about people with disabilities in surveys and censuses. A central issue is that the multiple underlying theoretical models about disability are seldomly made explicit yet strongly determine how data are collected and analysed by governments and organisations. It is crucial that such models together with other information about disability and its measurement are accessible and understood by everyone. This study comprised several UK survey searches for disability or disability-related questions and a series of consultations with members of the public with lived experience of disability to understand their perceptions of theoretical models of disability in survey questions. The findings highlighted the importance of continued involvement of people with lived experience in technical research activities. They further revealed that members of the public with lived experience can effectively become familiar with theoretical models of disability and how to analyse them in relation to survey questions subject to careful preparation, including practical examples.
3. Expression of concern: Differential effects of UCHL1 modulation on alpha-synuclein in PD-like models of alpha-synucleinopathy

   by The PLOS One Editors

4. Effect of layering characteristics on compressive mechanical properties and damage mechanisms of rocks: Experiments and models

   by Chong Chen, Aixiang Wu, Shaoyong Wang, Wutian Gong, Wei Sun, Tong Gao

   The investigation of layered rock mechanical properties is important for rock stability analysis. To examine the effects of layer inclination angle (LIA) and layer thickness (LT) on the compressive mechanical properties and damage mechanism of layered rock, this paper proposes a new method of preparing layered rock specimens using similar materials and conducting uniaxial compression tests. At the same time, PFC2D numerical analysis software is used to establish the discrete element numerical model of layered rock under uniaxial compression to deepen its microscopic damage mechanism. The results show that the LIA significantly affects the anisotropic mechanical properties of the rock, and the different LIA lead to significant differences in the crack extension paths and failure modes, which can be summarized into four types of cracks and four failure modes. The increase in LT under the effect of different LIA shows different mechanisms of action, which is enhanced in 0° and 90°, weakened in 45° and 75°, and insignificant in 15°, 30° and 60°. In addition, the expansion of micro-cracks in layered rocks are all dominated by interlayer shear cracks first, and then conduct to the rock portion to tensile cracks. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for stability assessment and design of layered rock structures in engineering applications.
5. An analytical delay model for multi-class and lane-free traffic condition

   by Vinaya S. Mattungal, Lelitha Devi Vanajakshi

   This study emphasises the criticality of delay as a performance metric for signalized intersections and the challenges associated with its estimation, particularly in the context of Multi-class and Lane-free (MCLF) traffic conditions. Traditional delay models are often inadequate for such conditions, necessitating the development of a tailored approach. A novel delay equation is proposed, integrating insights from queuing theory principles with consideration of multi-class of vehicles and lane-free movement. Key features include assumption of random arrival and departure pattern as well as distribution, incorporation of Passenger Car Equivalent (PCE) and virtual lane concepts to account for the diverse vehicle classes and lane-free movement prevalent in Indian traffic. The model’s efficacy is demonstrated through comparison with conventional in practice delay models, showing its superior performance. This tailored approach enhances the accuracy of delay estimation and also highlights the importance of accounting for specific traffic characteristics in optimising signal design for intersections under MCLF traffic conditions.