This article aims to expand the scope of experimental archaeology to emphasize multilevel variation and interactions across the levels of perception, actions, and outcomes. Such an approach, loosely formulated as the Perception-Process-Product (“Triple P”) framework, offers a more grounded and richer explanation of the past archaeological record. It consists of three principles: (1) acknowledging the inherent trade-off between control and generalizability in the experimental research design; (2) encouraging collaborative projects that involve geographically diverse and nontraditional research participants, such as hobbyists and novices; and (3) adopting a workflow that normalizes the collection and curation of ethological and ethnographic data in experimental projects. Serving as a heuristic device, this alternative mode of knowledge production is highly flexible in nature, where each single component is detachable as dictated by individual research questions.

The impact of long-term nocturnal warming on soil aggregate stability and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sequestration was examined in agricultural fields. Employing a passive warming system, the nighttime warming experiment involved two treatments: a control check (CK) and a nighttime warming treatment (WT), spanning the entire growth seasons of wheat from 2013 to 2021. The annual average temperature increase ranged from 0.3 to 1.3°C, with an average increment of 0.71°C over the eight years. Both dry and wet sieving methods showed that nighttime warming reduced the proportion of macroaggregates and increased microaggregates compared to CK, thereby diminishing soil aggregate (SA) stability. While nighttime warming had the potential to elevate the concentrations and contents of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), significant effects were only observed in the concentrations and contribution rates of SOC and TN. The C/N ratios across different particle sizes within SA were not significantly affected by nighttime warming. Additionally, no significant correlation was found between the SOC/TN contents and contribution rates and the stability of SA. These results suggest that eight years of nighttime warming could undermine the stability of SA, yet it did not impact the pools of N and C in the agricultural lands of central China.

The vitamin K (VK) levels vary greatly among different populations and in different regions. Currently, there is a lack of reference intervals for VK levels in healthy individuals, The aim of this study is to establish and validate the reference intervals of serum vitamin K1 (VK1) and vitamin K2 (VK2, specifically including menaquinone-4 (MK4) and menaquinone-7 (MK7)) levels in some healthy populations in Beijing. Serum VK1, MK4, and MK7 were firstly measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry in 434 subjects. The reference intervals for three indicators were established by calculating the data of 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles. Finally, preliminary clinical validation was conducted on 60 apparent healthy individuals undergoing physical examination. In the young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, the reference intervals of VK1 were 0.180 ng/mL ∼ 1.494 ng/mL, 0.247 ng/mL ∼ 1.446 ng/mL, and 0.167 ng/mL ∼ 1.445 ng/mL, respectively. The reference intervals of MK4 were 0.009 ng/mL ∼ 0.115 ng/mL, 0.002 ng/mL ∼ 0.103 ng/mL, and 0.003 ng/mL ∼ 0.106 ng/mL, respectively. The reference intervals of MK7 were 0.169 ng/mL ∼ 0.881 ng/mL, 0.238 ng/mL ∼ 0.936 ng/mL, and 0.213 ng/mL ∼ 1.012 ng/mL, respectively. The reference intervals had been validated by the samples of healthy individuals for physical examination. In conclusion, the reference intervals of VK established in this study with different age groups have certain clinical applicability, providing data support for further multicentre studies.

Polarization smoothing can effectively improve the uniformity of focal spots. In this study, we theoretically and experimentally investigated the polarization synthesis of the focal spot under a birefringent wedge (BW) and speckle under the coupling of the BW and continuous phase plate. Polarization distribution was experimentally obtained using rotating quarter-wave plate measurement under a specific wedge angle. The simulated and experimental results are consistent, demonstrating that the focal spot is in a state of coexistence of elliptical and linear polarizations. In addition, the polarization state is determined by the ratio of the amplitudes and the phase difference between the sub-beams. The simulation results showed that the proportion of linear polarization increased with the separation angle of the sub-beam. In contrast, it decreased with the incident light aperture. This research is crucial for accurately describing the polarization distribution and further understanding the laser–plasma interactions.

We welcome Stibbard-Hawkes's empirical contributions and discussion of interpretive challenges for archaeology, but question some of his characterizations and conclusions. Moving beyond critique, it is time to develop new research methods that eschew simplistic modern/premodern binaries. We advocate an inductive, probabilistic approach using multiple lines of evidence to infer the causes and consequences of behavioral variability across time and space.

While estimation bias is a primary concern in psychological and educational measurement, the standard error is of equal importance in linking key aspects of the assessment structure, especially when the assessment goal concerns the classification of individuals into categories (e.g., master/non-mastery). In this paper, we show analytically how standard error of ability estimates affects expected classification accuracy and consistency when the decision is binary. When standard error decreases, the conditional classification accuracy and consistency increase. Given an examinee population and a cut score, smaller standard error over the entire latent trait continuum guarantees higher overall expected classification accuracy and consistency. We were also able to show the interrelationship between standard error, the expected classification consistency, and reliability. Utilizing the relationship between standard error and expected classification accuracy and consistency, we derive the upper bounds of the overall expected classification accuracy and consistency of a fixed-length computerized adaptive test. The lower bound of the expected classification accuracy and consistency is also derived given a number of stopping rules of variable-length computerized adaptive testing. Implications of these analytical results on operational tests are discussed.

Objectives: Depression is the second most prevalent mental illness among the elderly. Nonetheless, treatment- resistant depression (TRD) is prevalent among the elderly; one-third of elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who received antidepressant treatment failed to achieve remission. Although there have been several studies regarding the associations between MDD and increased mortality and suicidal risk, studies between TRD and mortality/suicidal risk in the elderly still remains limited. In this national cohort study, we examined the association between TRD, non-TRD MDD, and non-depression with all-cause mortality, accident mortality, and suicide mortality.

Methods: For this retrospective longitudinal analysis on the entire population, the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, which comprises claims data from a lifetime insurance program and provided comprehensive medical inpatient and outpatient information categorized by ICD-9-CM and ICD-10. The National Mortality Registry offered information regarding mortality resulting from all causes, natural causes, suicide, and accidents. A cohort of ≥60-year-old patients, including both those with and without MDD, was observed between January 2003 and December 2017. Individuals were classified as TRD if they had undergone aminimum of two distinct antidepressant trials within the current episode’s two-year duration and dose, as documented in the prescribing records. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for mortality risk utilizing Cox regression models.

Results: Among those >60 years old, after adjusting with sex and comorbidities, TRD was associated with increased risk of suicide (aHR 7.4, 95% CI [5.6-9.8]; MDD without TRD 4.4 [4.1- 4.6], compared with non-MDD group). Simliar risk of accident mortality was observed among three groups (TRD aHR 1.3 [0.9-1.9]; MDD without TRD 0.9 [0.9-1.0], compared with non-MDD group). Surprisely, TRD might presented lower mortality risk of natural mortality than the non- MDD group (TRD aHR 0.8 [0.7-0.8]; MDD without TRD 0.9 [0.8-0.9], compared with non- MDD group).

Conclusions: The suicide mortality among elderly patients with TRD is higher in comparison to non-MDD patients; nevertheless, accident mortality does not appear to have increased and the natural mortality rate is reduced. The lower mortality may reflect patient selection, and the contributing factors need further evaluation.

The proton–boron ${}^{11}{\text{B}}\left( {p,\alpha } \right)2\alpha $ reaction (p-11B) is an interesting alternative to the D-T reaction ${\text{D}}\left( {{\text{T}},{\text{n}}} \right)\alpha $ for fusion energy, since the primary reaction channel is aneutronic and all reaction partners are stable isotopes. We measured the α production yield using protons in the 120–260 keV energy range impinging onto a hydrogen–boron-mixed target, and for the first time present experimental evidence of an increase of α-particle yield relative to a pure boron target. The measured enhancement factor is approximately 30%. The experiment results indicate a higher reactivity, and that may lower the condition for p-11B fusion ignition.

Aircraft ground taxiing contributes significantly to carbon emissions and engine wear. The electric towing tractor (ETT) addresses these issues by towing the aircraft to the runway end, thereby minimising ground taxiing. As the complexity of ETT towing operations increases, both the towing distance and time increase significantly, and the original method for estimating the number of ETTs is no longer applicable. Due to the substantial acquisition cost of ETT and the need to reduce waste while ensuring operational efficiency, this paper introduces for the first time an ETT quantity estimation model that combines simulation and vehicle scheduling models. The simulation model simulates the impact of ETT on apron operations, taxiing on taxiways and takeoffs and landings on runways. Key timing points for ETT usage by each aircraft are identified through simulation, forming the basis for determining the minimum number of vehicles required for airport operations using a hard-time window vehicle scheduling model. To ensure the validity of the model, simulation model verification is conducted. Furthermore, the study explores the influence of vehicle speed and airport scale on the required number of ETTs. The results demonstrate the effective representation of real-airport operations by the simulation model. ETT speed, airport runway and taxiway configurations, takeoff and landing frequencies and imbalances during peak periods all impact the required quantity of ETTs. A comprehensive approach considering these factors is necessary to determine the optimal number of ETTs.

An improved Monte-Carlo algorithm is proposed to address the problem of an unclear workspace boundary in a multi-robot coordinated lifting system. The spatial configuration of a multi-robot coordinated lifting system with rolling base is analyzed, and the kinematics and static workspace of the system are established. To solve the workspace boundary, first, the error introduced by the layers is reduced using an intra-layer thinning method. Second, each layer is divided simultaneously based on rows and columns, and the initial boundary points are extracted by searching for the best value. Third, random three-dimensional points are added in the neighborhood, and pseudo-boundary points are removed using three-dimensional local spherical coordinates to achieve a high-precision solution for the workspace boundary. Finally, the workspace volume is used to analyze the influence of structural parameters on the workspace boundary. The results show that the lifting system has limited carrying capacity and a data reference for selecting the structural parameters by analyzing the factors that affect the workspace. Findings provide a basis for further studies on the structural configuration and optimization of the lifting system.

Motivated by new examples of functional Banach spaces over the unit disk, arising as the symbol spaces in the study of random analytic functions, for which the monomials $\{z^n\}_{n\geq 0}$ exhibit features of an unconditional basis yet they often don’t even form a Schauder basis, we introduce a notion called solid basis for Banach spaces and p-Banach spaces and study its properties. Besides justifying the rich existence of solid bases, we study their relationship with unconditional bases, the weak-star convergence of Taylor polynomials, the problem of a solid span and the curious roles played by c0. The two features of this work are as follows: (1) during the process, we are led to revisit the axioms satisfied by a typical Banach space of analytic functions over the unit disk, leading to a notion of $\mathcal{X}^\mathrm{max}$ (and $\mathcal{X}^\mathrm{min}$), as well as a number of related functorial constructions, which are of independent interests; (2) the main interests of solid basis lie in the case of non-separable (p-)Banach spaces, such as BMOA and the Bloch space instead of VMOA and the little Bloch space.

China is still among the 30 high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries in the world. Few studies have described the spatial epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary TB (PTB) in Jiangsu Province. The registered incidence data of PTB patients in 95 counties of Jiangsu Province from 2011 to 2021 were collected from the Tuberculosis Management Information System. Three-dimensional spatial trends, spatial autocorrelation, and spatial–temporal scan analysis were conducted to explore the spatial clustering pattern of PTB. From 2011 to 2021, a total of 347,495 newly diagnosed PTB cases were registered. The registered incidence rate of PTB decreased from 49.78/100,000 in 2011 to 26.49/100,000 in 2021, exhibiting a steady downward trend (χ2 = 414.22, P < 0.001). The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB was higher in the central and northern regions. Moran’s I indices of the registered incidence of PTB were all >0 (P< 0.05) except in 2016, indicating a positive spatial correlation overall. Local autocorrelation analysis showed that ‘high–high’ clusters were mainly distributed in northern Jiangsu, and ‘low–low’ clusters were mainly concentrated in southern Jiangsu. The results of this study assist in identifying settings and locations of high TB risk and inform policy-making for PTB control and prevention.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a large group of mycobacteria other than the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and Mycobacterium leprae. Epidemiological investigations have found that the incidence of NTM infections is increasing in China, and it is naturally resistant to many antibiotics. Therefore, studies of NTM species in clinical isolates are useful for understanding the epidemiology of NTM infections. The present study aimed to investigate the incidence of NTM infections and types of NTM species. Of the 420 samples collected, 285 were positive for M. tuberculosis, 62 samples were negative, and the remaining 73 samples contained NTM, including 35 (8.3%) only NTM and 38 (9%) mixed (M. tuberculosis and NTM). The most prevalent NTM species were Mycobacterium intracellulare (30.1%), followed by Mycobacterium abscessus (15%) and M. triviale (12%). M. gordonae infection was detected in 9.5% of total NTM-positive cases. Moreover, this study reports the presence of Mycobacterium nonchromogenicum infection and a high prevalence of M. triviale for the first time in Henan. M. intracellulare is the most prevalent, accompanied by some emerging NTM species, including M. nonchromogenicum and a high prevalence of M. triviale in Henan Province. Monitoring NTM transmission and epidemiology could enhance mycobacteriosis management in future.

This article investigates the cultural politics of the Beijing subway. Drawing on diverse sources, we trace the evolution of the subway over the last half-century to reveal that it transcends its fluctuating, time-specific practicalities to serve as a potent conduit through which the Chinese state consistently shapes subjecthood. The article begins with the subway’s Cold War inception as a military enterprise, spotlighting its deliberate concealment to safeguard the echelons of power and obscure both international and domestic tensions. The second section delves into the subway’s rebirth in the wake of China’s opening-up reform and rapid economic rise, as it transforms into a mobile gallery of political aesthetics that extols China’s cultural heritage and triumphs, cultivating national pride under siege from unleashed market and social forces. The final section dissects the subway’s orchestration of undesirable passengers, sculpting a socioeconomic hierarchy in the city’s commuting system. As a multifaceted prism, the Beijing subway encapsulates a range of covert and overt, pragmatic and aesthetic, and inclusive and exclusive elements in the cultural politics of Chinese infrastructure at large; and it illustrates the sustained centrality of state power in shaping individual subjectivities and defining the cultural and representational significance of Chinese infrastructure, albeit amid growing contestation.