The Geology of Ukhaa Tolgod (Djadokhta Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Nemegt Basin, Mongolia)

The lithostratigrahy and sedimentology of the fossiliferous Upper Cretaceous strata exposed in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia at Ukhaa Tolgod are described and mapped on aerial photos. Topographic features are also mapped by plane table and alidade. Five lithologic and sedimentologic facies are described: E-1, distinctly cross-stratified sandstone with fine structure, interpreted to represent eolian dune deposits; E-2, vaguely bedded sandstone with cross-stratified concretionary sheets, interpreted to represent eolian dune deposits modified by diagenetic formation of slope-parallel concretionary sheets of pedogenic calcite; S, structureless sandstone lacking concretions or cross-strata, interpreted to represent sandslide deposits generated by mass wasting along the lee slopes; C, conglomerate interpreted to represent basin-margin conglomerates washed into the dune field from adjacent topographic highs; and M, mudstone and siltstone interpreted to represent interdune deposition in ephemeral ponds and lakes. Facies E-2 and S have not been reported previously. Eleven stratigraphic sections at various localities within the Ukhaa Tolgod drainage basin are documented. The exposed composite section consists of about 75 m of pale orange sandstones, greenish-brown conglomerates, and brown siltstones that are products of an arid environment. Four schematic cross sections are documented to illustrate the lateral relationships among the five facies. In the Ukhaa Tolgod area, the beds dip about 2.5u to the south, away from the nearby Gilbent Range. This structural attitude is interpreted to be related to the uplift of the Gilbent block along normal faults exposed at the base of the range. The dune-derived sandslides of Facies S contain a rich skeletal fauna of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, mammals, and lizards. Essentially, all the skeletal remains collected at Ukhaa Tolgod come from Facies S. Facies E-1 does contain numerous, concave-up depressions in the cross-strata interpreted as vertebrate tracks. Facies E-2 contains abundant cylindrical structures interpreted as burrows. The strata at Ukhaa Tolgod are referred to the Djadokhta Formation. As seen in the Bayn Dzak Member at Bayn Dzak, facies E-1, E-2, S, and M dominate the lower part of the section at Ukhaa Tolgod, with prominent beds of Facies C exposed near the top. Accordingly, the exposures at Ukhaa Tolgod are referred to the Bayn Dzak Member of the Djadokhta Formation. Classic exposures of the Barun Goyot Formation at Khulsan differ in having units of flat-bedded sandstone intercalated with beds of Facies S near the top of the section. To date, over 1,000 vertebrate skulls and skeletons have been collected from Facies S. Most are preserved as float contained in small calcareous nodules; however, some were found in situ. Many specimens represent either fairly complete skulls or skulls with articulated or associated postcranial skeletons. Based on faunal similarities between Bayn Dzak and Ukhaa Tolgod, the fauna at Ukhaa Tolgod is interpreted to reflect a Campanian age. The rich assemblage of fossils makes Ukhaa Tolgod one of the richest Late Cretaceous vertebrate fossil localities in the world, and the fossils provide unique insights into evolutionary developments of mammals, lizards, and dinosaurs, including birds, less than 10 my before the terminal Cretaceous extinction event

BMJ Open

INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, 2 million patients aged 18-50 years suffer a stroke each year, and this number is increasing. Knowledge about global distribution of risk factors and aetiologies, and information about prognosis and optimal secondary prevention in young stroke patients are limited. This limits evidence-based treatment and hampers the provision of appropriate information regarding the causes of stroke, risk factors and prognosis of young stroke patients. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The Global Outcome Assessment Life-long after stroke in young adults (GOAL) initiative aims to perform a global individual patient data meta-analysis with existing data from young stroke cohorts worldwide. All patients aged 18-50 years with ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage will be included. Outcomes will be the distribution of stroke aetiology and (vascular) risk factors, functional outcome after stroke, risk of recurrent vascular events and death and finally the use of secondary prevention. Subgroup analyses will be made based on age, gender, aetiology, ethnicity and climate of residence. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for the GOAL study has already been obtained from the Medical Review Ethics Committee region Arnhem-Nijmegen. Additionally and when necessary, approval will also be obtained from national or local institutional review boards in the participating centres. When needed, a standardised data transfer agreement will be provided for participating centres. We plan dissemination of our results in peer-reviewed international scientific journals and through conference presentations. We expect that the results of this unique study will lead to better understanding of worldwide differences in risk factors, causes and outcome of young stroke patients

Global Outcome Assessment Life-long after stroke in young adults initiative-the GOAL initiative : study protocol and rationale of a multicentre retrospective individual patient data meta-analysis

Introduction Worldwide, 2 million patients aged 18-50 years suffer a stroke each year, and this number is increasing. Knowledge about global distribution of risk factors and aetiologies, and information about prognosis and optimal secondary prevention in young stroke patients are limited. This limits evidence-based treatment and hampers the provision of appropriate information regarding the causes of stroke, risk factors and prognosis of young stroke patients. Methods and analysis The Global Outcome Assessment Life-long after stroke in young adults (GOAL) initiative aims to perform a global individual patient data meta-analysis with existing data from young stroke cohorts worldwide. All patients aged 18-50 years with ischaemic stroke or intracerebral haemorrhage will be included. Outcomes will be the distribution of stroke aetiology and (vascular) risk factors, functional outcome after stroke, risk of recurrent vascular events and death and finally the use of secondary prevention. Subgroup analyses will be made based on age, gender, aetiology, ethnicity and climate of residence.Peer reviewe

Implementation of green development policy based on vulnerability assessment: Khovd aimag's case study

Includes bibliographical references.Presented at the Building resilience of Mongolian rangelands: a trans-disciplinary research conference held on June 9-10, 2015 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.In 2014 the Mongolian parliament approved the Green Development Policy. Out of 21 aimags, Khovd, Arkhangai, Uvurkhangai, Khentii and Bulgan aimags set an objective of prioritizing green development on their local level. This paper is based on the project "Conducting environmental and social vulnerability research of soums in five aimags leading in green development and developing strategy recommendation" and it is written using Khovd aimag as a case study. Here, in Khovd aimag's 17 soums, we evaluated eight variables including drought-dzud index, vegetation index, preventable livestock loss, prepared hay and fodder, pasture use index, degree of desertification, land degradation and surface water loss, allowing us to make an integrated assessment of ecological vulnerability. According to our analysis, the Gobi desert steppe region was defined as most vulnerable among environmental zones, and out of a total of 17 soums Altai, Uyench, Zereg, Chandmani and Duut soums were defined as most vulnerable, followed by Must, Darvi, Munkhhairkhan, Mankhan and Myangad soums. There is a need to give top priority to the planning and implementation of green policy in these ecologically more vulnerable soums by increasing their "green" budget. This will allow them to develop their capacity to adapt to climate change, decrease their vulnerability, to conduct optimal management of pasture use and have targeted preparation of hay and fodder

The geology of Ukhaa Tolgod (Djadokhta Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Nemegt Basin, Mongolia) /

no. 361

Cyclooxygenase inhibition targets neurons to prevent early behavioural decline in Alzheimer’s disease model mice

Identifying preventive targets for Alzheimer’s disease is a central challenge of modern medicine. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which inhibit the cyclooxygenase enzymes COX-1 and COX-2, reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in normal ageing populations. This preventive effect coincides with an extended preclinical phase that spans years to decades before onset of cognitive decline. In the brain, COX-2 is induced in neurons in response to excitatory synaptic activity and in glial cells in response to inflammation. To identify mechanisms underlying prevention of cognitive decline by anti-inflammatory drugs, we first identified an early object memory deficit in APP Swe -PS1 ΔE9 mice that preceded previously identified spatial memory deficits in this model. We modelled prevention of this memory deficit with ibuprofen, and found that ibuprofen prevented memory impairment without producing any measurable changes in amyloid-β accumulation or glial inflammation. Instead, ibuprofen modulated hippocampal gene expression in pathways involved in neuronal plasticity and increased levels of norepinephrine and dopamine. The gene most highly downregulated by ibuprofen was neuronal tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase ( Tdo2 ), which encodes an enzyme that metabolizes tryptophan to kynurenine. TDO2 expression was increased by neuronal COX-2 activity, and overexpression of hippocampal TDO2 produced behavioural deficits. Moreover, pharmacological TDO2 inhibition prevented behavioural deficits in APP Swe -PS1 ΔE9 mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate broad effects of cyclooxygenase inhibition on multiple neuronal pathways that counteract the neurotoxic effects of early accumulating amyloid-β oligomers