Calibration curves and the chronology of key monuments at Sayan-Altai

Studies of the chronology of the elite barrows at Sayan-Altai are of a great importance for the determination of the origin and development of the cultures of the Scythian period. In this work dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating have been combined. Statistical calculations were used to obtain the best fit of the radiocarbon dates for the tree-ring series to the bidecadal calibration curve and thus to determine the zero point of the floatin g tree-ring chronology on the calendar time scale. The results obtained position the zero point of the floating tree-ring series in the calendar time period 380–420 BC with the confidence probability of 0.95. The goodness of fit can be improved by shifting the Arzhan tree-ring dates relative to the other tree-ring scale by 40 years. For all cases the age of the Arzhan barrow lies in the limit of 800 years BC. The results from chronological investigations of the constructions at the elite barrows of Sayan-Altai are summarised

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

Subcortical volumes across the lifespan: data from 18,605 healthy individuals aged 3-90 years

Age has a major effect on brain volume. However, the normative studies available are constrained by small sample sizes, restricted age coverage and significant methodological variability. These limitations introduce inconsistencies and may obscure or distort the lifespan trajectories of brain morphometry. In response, we capitalized on the resources of the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to examine age-related trajectories inferred from cross-sectional measures of the ventricles, the basal ganglia (caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens), the thalamus, hippocampus and amygdala using magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from 18,605 individuals aged 3-90 years. All subcortical structure volumes were at their maximum value early in life. The volume of the basal ganglia showed a monotonic negative association with age thereafter; there was no significant association between age and the volumes of the thalamus, amygdala and the hippocampus (with some degree of decline in thalamus) until the sixth decade of life after which they also showed a steep negative association with age. The lateral ventricles showed continuous enlargement throughout the lifespan. Age was positively associated with inter-individual variability in the hippocampus and amygdala and the lateral ventricles. These results were robust to potential confounders and could be used to examine the functional significance of deviations from typical age-related morphometric patterns.Education and Child Studie

Studies of interstate electric ties in Northeast Asia

The formation of common electric power space (CEPS) in Northeast Asia (NEA) is considered; the prospective electric power demand of the NEA countries and potential electricity market niches in the region up to the year 2020 are evaluated; export power projects from Russia to other NEA countries are analysed and ranked by priority; the mathematical model for economic effectiveness assessment of interstate electric ties (ISETs) in Northeast Asia is developed; model-based calculations and their analysis for the economic effectiveness assessment of one of the primary ISETs in the region are carried out, and a reliability study and analysis of some ISETs and electric power systems (EPSs) to be interconnected are fulfilled.common electric power space; power systems interconnection; electricity demand; power generation; mathematical model; economic effectiveness; reliability analysis.

The Arctic lithosphere: Thermo-mechanical structure and effective elastic thickness

For the first time, lithospheric temperatures, strength, and effective elastic thickness (Te) distributions are estimated for the Arctic region north of 68°. To this aim, we use ArcCRUST, a recent model of the Arctic crust, which includes the thickness and density of the crust and sediments, the boundaries between the continental and oceanic crust, and the age of the oceanic lithosphere. We estimate the temperature variations in the continental lithosphere assuming steady-state conditions, for a constant surface heat flow of 50 mWm−2 and 62 mWm−2 for the onshore and offshore regions, respectively. In the oceanic domain, the temperature variations are estimated adopting a global depth and heat flow model. We discuss the robustness of the results by comparing the new thermal field with temperatures obtained from inversion of a regional seismic velocity model. The results are used as input for estimating integrated strength and Te, assuming a mafic crustal rheology. Our models predict a sharp transition between cratonic areas, characterized by high strength and Te, and tectonically active areas with a weaker lithosphere, corresponding to the continental shelves and the oceanic spreading ridges. The significant lateral change in our modeled strength and Te at the edges of Greenland and Canadian Arctic and along the active mid-ocean ridge in the NE Atlantic corresponds to increased observed seismic activity

The Arctic lithosphere: Thermo-mechanical structure and effective elastic thickness

For the first time, lithospheric temperatures, strength, and effective elastic thickness (Te) distributions are estimated for the Arctic region north of 68°. To this aim, we use ArcCRUST, a recent model of the Arctic crust, which includes the thickness and density of the crust and sediments, the boundaries between the continental and oceanic crust, and the age of the oceanic lithosphere. We estimate the temperature variations in the continental lithosphere assuming steady-state conditions, for a constant surface heat flow of 50 mWm−2 and 62 mWm−2 for the onshore and offshore regions, respectively. In the oceanic domain, the temperature variations are estimated adopting a global depth and heat flow model. We discuss the robustness of the results by comparing the new thermal field with temperatures obtained from inversion of a regional seismic velocity model. The results are used as input for estimating integrated strength and Te, assuming a mafic crustal rheology. Our models predict a sharp transition between cratonic areas, characterized by high strength and Te, and tectonically active areas with a weaker lithosphere, corresponding to the continental shelves and the oceanic spreading ridges. The significant lateral change in our modeled strength and Te at the edges of Greenland and Canadian Arctic and along the active mid-ocean ridge in the NE Atlantic corresponds to increased observed seismic activity