The Tibetan Plateau is the highest and one of the most demanding environments ever inhabited by humans. We investigated the timing and mechanisms of its initial colonization at the Nwya Devu site, ...located nearly 4600 meters above sea level. This site, dating from 40,000 to 30,000 years ago, is the highest Paleolithic archaeological site yet identified globally. Nwya Devu has yielded an abundant blade tool assemblage, indicating hitherto-unknown capacities for the survival of modern humans who camped in this environment. This site deepens the history of the peopling of the "roof of the world" and the antiquity of human high-altitude occupations more generally.
Self-assembly of fundamental elements through weak, long-range interactions plays a central role in both supramolecular DNA assembly and bottom-up synthesis of nanostructures. Optical solitons, ...analogous in many ways to particles, arise from the balance between nonlinearity and dispersion and have been studied in numerous optical systems. Although both short- and long-range interactions between optical solitons have attracted extensive interest for decades, stable soliton supramolecules, with multiple aspects of complexity and flexibility, have thus far escaped experimental observation due to the absence of techniques for enhancing and controlling the long-range inter-soliton forces. Here we report that long-range soliton interactions originating from optoacoustic effects and dispersive-wave radiations can be precisely tailored in a fibre laser cavity, enabling self-assembly of large numbers of optical solitons into highly-ordered supramolecular structures. We demonstrate several features of such optical structures, highlighting their potential applications in optical information storage and ultrafast laser-field manipulation.
Plastic film mulching has played an important role in Chinese agriculture due to its soil warming and moisture conservation effects. With the help of plastic film mulch technology, grain and cash ...crop yields have increased by 20-35% and 20-60%, respectively. The area of plastic film coverage in China reached approximately 20 million hectares, and the amount of plastic film used reached 1.25 million tons in 2011. While producing huge benefits, plastic film mulch technology has also brought on a series of pollution hazards. Large amounts of residual plastic film have detrimental effects on soil structure, water and nutrient transport and crop growth, thereby disrupting the agricultural environment and reducing crop production. To control pollution, the Chinese government urgently needs to elevate plastic film standards. Meanwhile, research and development of biodegradable mulch film and multi-functional mulch recovery machinery will help promote effective control and management of residual mulch pollution.
Highlights • Gastrodin improves learning and memory abilities of Tg2576 mice. • Gastrodin attenuates intracellular oxidative stress in hippocampi of Tg2576 mice. • Gastrodin suppresses BACE1 ...expression and PKR/eIF2α pathway in hippocampi of Tg2576 mice. • Gastrodin suppresses BACE1 via inhibiting PKR/eIF2α in SH-SY5Y cells under oxidative stress.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The Brownian motion of molecules at thermal equilibrium usually has a finite correlation time and will eventually be randomized after a long delay time, so that their displacement follows the ...Gaussian statistics. This is true even when the molecules have experienced a complex environment with a finite correlation time. Here, we report that the lateral motion of the acetylcholine receptors on live muscle cell membranes does not follow the Gaussian statistics for normal Brownian diffusion. From a careful analysis of a large volume of the protein trajectories obtained over a wide range of sampling rates and long durations, we find that the normalized histogram of the protein displacements shows an exponential tail, which is robust and universal for cells under different conditions. The experiment indicates that the observed non-Gaussian statistics and dynamic heterogeneity are inherently linked to the slow-active remodelling of the underlying cortical actin network.
The effects of nonlinear energy sink (NES) on vibration suppression of a simply supported beam are investigated in this work. The slow flow equations of the system are derived by using ...complexification–averaging method, and the validity of the derivation is verified. By comparing the vibration absorption of single and parallel NESs of equal mass, it is found that the latter exhibits superior vibration absorption performance. In addition, the parallel NES can eliminate higher branch responses of the system under the harmonic load. Furthermore, it is found that parallel NES can eliminate the higher branches of the system more effectively by tuning nonlinear stiffness and damping. Moreover, the thermal effect on natural frequencies of the simply supported beam is considered, and the influences of the parallel NES’s parameters on the energy dissipation rate under shock load are investigated. The nonlinear responses of the simply supported beam with parallel NES under harmonic load and with the increase of temperature are described.
Full text
Available for:
EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Although flow diverters have been reported with favorable clinical and angiographic outcomes in various literatures, randomized trials determining their true effectiveness and safety are still in ...lack. The Parent Artery Reconstruction for Large or Giant Cerebral Aneurysms Using the Tubridge Flow Diverter (PARAT) trial was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Tubridge flow diverter in the treatment of large or giant aneurysms in comparison with Enterprise stent-assisted coiling.
This prospective, multicenter, randomized trial was conducted at 12 hospitals throughout China. Enrolled adults with unruptured large/giant intracranial aneurysms were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either Enterprise stent-assisted coiling or Tubridge flow diverter implantation. The primary end point was complete occlusion at 6-month follow-up, while secondary end points included technical success, mortality, target vessel-related stroke, aneurysm bleeding, in-stent stenosis, parent artery occlusion, and the frequency of all adverse events.
Among 185 enrolled subjects, 41 withdrew before procedure initiation. Overall, 82 subjects underwent Tubridge implantation, and 62 subjects were primarily treated with stent-assisted coiling. The results of 6-month follow-up imaging included complete occlusion rates of 75.34% versus 24.53% for the Tubridge and stent-assisted coiling groups, respectively, with a calculated common odds ratio of 9.4 (95% confidence interval, 4.14-21.38;
< .001). There was a higher, nonsignificant frequency of complications for Tubridge subjects. Multivariate analysis showed a decreased stroke rate at the primary investigational site, with a marginal
value (
= .051).
This trial showed an obviously higher rate of large and giant aneurysm obliteration with the Tubridge FD over Enterprise stent-assisted coiling. However, this higher obliteration rate came at the cost of a nonsignificantly higher rate of complications. Investigational site comparisons suggested that a learning curve for flow-diverter implantation should be recognized and factored into trial designs.
In this paper, an analytical pulse model for velocity pulses observed in near-field ground motions has been proposed for a systematic design and assessment of seismic protective systems. The proposed ...pulse model utilizes pulse period, decay factor, and shape parameters to model both buildup and decaying phases observed in recorded ground motions. It is demonstrated that the proposed model can successfully simulate observed ground motion pulses. Peak displacement, velocity, and acceleration of the analytical pulse model are directly correlated with peak ground motion parameters and the pulse period. The response spectra and displacement reduction factor using the pulse model correlate well with those using recorded ground motions for structural periods close to or longer than the pulse period, although there is lesser correlation for shorter structural periods because of exclusion of high frequency components in the pulse model. For a base-isolated building with
2.5
s
natural period and equipped with supplemental viscous dampers, it is demonstrated that supplemental dampers are the most effective when the structural period is close to the pulse period. Displacement reduction using supplemental passive dampers is smaller when the pulse period is longer or shorter than the structural period, although the displacement demand is quite significant.
Full text
Available for:
DOBA, FGGLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aim To establish a predictive nomogram for high-grade prostate cancer (HGPCa) in biopsy-naive patients based on the Prostate Imaging–Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2), magnetic ...resonance imaging (MRI)-based prostate volume (PV), MRI-based PV-adjusted prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD), and other classical parameters. Material and methods Between August 2014 and August 2015, 158 men who were eligible for analysis were included as the training cohort. A prediction model for HGPCa was built using backward logistic regression and was presented on a nomogram. The prediction model was evaluated by a validation cohort between September 2015 and March 2016 ( n =89). Histology of all lesions was obtained with MRI-directed transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided targeted and sectoral biopsy. Results The multivariate analysis revealed that patient age, PI-RADS v2 score, and adjusted PSAD were independent predictors for HGPCa. The most discriminative cut-off value for the logistic regression model was 0.33; the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 83.3%, 87.4%, 88.4%, and 81.2%, respectively. The diagnostic performance measures retained similar values in the validation cohort (AUC=0.83). Conclusion The nomogram for forecasting HGPCa is effective and potentially reducing harm from unnecessary prostate biopsy and over-diagnosis.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
PDF
