Recent research has begun to identify the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of mindfulness meditation training (MMT) on health and cognition. However, little is known about the effects of MMT on the global interplay of large-scale networks (LSNs) in the brain. In the present study, healthy, meditation-naïve adults (N = 46) underwent resting state fMRI prior to and upon completing 31 days of MMT or an active control intervention. Independent component analysis, sliding time window, and seed-based correlation analyses were performed to assess training-related changes in functional connectivity (FC) within and between networks with relevance to mindfulness meditation. Across sliding time window analyses and seed-based correlation analyses, we found increased FC between nodes of the default mode network (DMN) and nodes of the salience network (SN) in participants of the MMT. Seed-based correlation analyses revealed further connectivity increases between the SN and key regions of the central executive network (CEN). These results indicate, that, among multiple LSNs, one month of mindfulness meditation effectively increases interconnectivity between networks of the triple network model (DMN, SN, CEN), hereby introducing a potential mechanistic concept underlying the beneficial impact of MMT.Clinical trial registration: This study is listed as a clinical trial on the ISRCTN registry with trial ID ISRCTN95197731 (date of first registration: 15/02/2022).

This paper focuses on the description of damage propagation around rivets in multiple joined single lap carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP)-steel structures due to loads as a consequence of different coefficients of thermal expansion. Materials and rivets were chosen according to automotive body shop applications. Specimens were evaluated non-destructively in ultrasonic C-scans to characterize damage behavior of blind and self-piercing rivets in CFRPsteel-connections before and after the application of thermal loads. An algorithm for an automated detection of damage size on ultrasonic C-scan images was developed as the basis for further damage classification. The results show that blind riveting (BR) causes crack-like initial damage that broadens to roundish plane defects due to heating. Initial extensive damage due to self-piercing riveting (SPR) propagates in elliptic shape. Additionally, tension tests revealed a loss in ultimate load by 10-15 % induced by thermal loads and associated with damage propagation. A correlation between initial damage, relative displacement, and thermal loads was observed.