The human occupation history of Southeast Asia (SEA) remains heavily debated. Current evidence suggests that SEA was occupied by Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers until ~4000 years ago, when farming economies developed and expanded, restricting foraging groups to remote habitats. Some argue that agricultural development was indigenous; others favor the "two-layer" hypothesis that posits a southward expansion of farmers giving rise to present-day Southeast Asian genetic diversity. By sequencing 26 ancient human genomes (25 from SEA, 1 Japanese Jōmon), we show that neither interpretation fits the complexity of Southeast Asian history: Both Hòabìnhian hunter-gatherers and East Asian farmers contributed to current Southeast Asian diversity, with further migrations affecting island SEA and Vietnam. Our results help resolve one of the long-standing controversies in Southeast Asian prehistory.

Although free-cement-based alkali-activated paste, mortar, and concrete have been recognised as sustainable and environmental-friendly materials, a considerable amount of effort is still being channeled to ascertain the best binary or ternary binders that would satisfy the requirements of strength and durability as well as environmental aspects. In this study, the mechanical properties of alkali-activated mortar (AAM) made with binary binders, involving fly ash (FA) and granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) as well as bottle glass waste nano-silica powder (BGWNP), were opti-mised using both experimentally and optimisation modelling through three scenarios. In the first scenario, the addition of BGWNP varied from 5% to 20%, while FA and GBFS were kept constant (30:70). In the second and third scenarios, BGWNP (5–20%) was added as the partial replacement of FA and GBFS, separately. The results show that the combination of binary binders (FA and GBFS) and BGWNP increased AAM’s strength compared to that of the control mixture for all scenarios. In addition, the findings also demonstrated that the replacement of FA by BGWNP was the most significant, while the effect of GBFS replacement by BGWNP was less significant. In particular, the highest improvement in compressive strength was recorded when FA, GBFS, and BGWNP were 61.6%, 30%, and 8.4%, respectively. Furthermore, the results of ANOVA (p values < 0.0001 and high F-values) as well as several statistical validation methods (R > 0.9, RAE < 0.1, RSE < 0.013, and RRSE < 0.116) confirmed that all the models were robust, reliable, and significant. Similarly, the data variation was found to be less than 5%, and the difference between the predicted R2 and adj. R2 was very small (<0.2), thus confirming that the proposed non-linear quadratic equations had the capability to predict for further observation. In conclusion, the use of BGWNP in AAM could act as a beneficial and sustainable strategy, not only to address environmental issues (e.g., landfill) but to also enhance strength properties.

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61. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license It is made available under a was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/278374 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Mar. 8, 2018; and directly test the two competing hypotheses. We find that early genomes from Asian phenotypic affinity, suggesting that human diversity in SEA was strongly influenced by 82 population expansions from the north (4). Yet, the extent to which the movements from East 83 Asia (EA) impacted on the genetic and cultural makeup of the people of SEA remains 84 controversial. 85Two distinct population models have been proposed to account for the biological and was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. hybridisation to baits that cover the entire mappable human genome (15). 119We performed comparative testing of three different capture approaches for human was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/278374 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Mar. 8, 2018; Biosciences) -with the aim of applying the most effective method to ancient human remains 124 from tropical SEA (SOM1). We found a modified version of MYbaits Whole Genome 125Enrichment to be the best-performing method. We applied this method, in combination with 126 shotgun sequencing approaches where sufficient endogenous DNA allowed it, to samples from 127 Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos, dating between 0.2 and 8 kya 128 (SOM2). We obtained 25 low-coverage ancient genomes (Table 1), along with mtDNA and 129 nuclear DNA from an additional set of 16 individuals (Table S3), belonging to hunter-gatherers 130 from the Hoabinhian culture, as well as Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age farmers (SOM3). 131All samples showed damage patterns typical of ancient DNA (38) ( Table S3). 132To address the genetic relationships among the ancient individuals, we performed a constructed solely with present-day samples (40) (SOM4). We then used ADMIXTURE (41) 136 to find reference latent ancestry components that could best fit our present-day data, and then Vietnam, Laos and Thailand) populations, along with a broad East Asian component. 152We used outgroup f3 statistics (f3(Mbuti;X,Ancient samples)) to determine which 153 populations have the highest levels of shared drift with each of the ancient individuals (SOM6). 154. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license It is made available under a was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.The copyright holder for this preprint (which . http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/278374 doi: bioRxiv preprint first posted online Mar. 8, 2018; Group 1 shares the most drift with certain ancient mainland samples ( ...

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Forensic facial approximation was applied to a 5000-year-old female skull from a shell midden in Guar Kepah, Malaysia. The skull was scanned using a computed tomography (CT) scanner in the Radiology Department of the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia using a Light Speed Plus scanner with a 1 mm section thickness in spiral mode and a 512 × 512 matrix. The resulting images were stored in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. A three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull was obtained from the CT scan data using Blender’s 3D modelling and animation software. After the skull was reconstructed, it was placed on the Frankfurt plane, and soft tissue thickness markers were placed based on 34 Malay CT scan data of the nose and lips. The technique based on facial approximation by data extracted from facial measurements of living individuals showed greater anatomical coherence when combined with anatomical deformation. The facial approximation in this study will pave the way towards understanding face prediction based on skull structures, soft tissue prediction rules, and soft tissue thickness descriptors.

This chapter covers the performance of structural stone masonry bridges, which is examined by studying such structures located at the North-West area of Greece which have been declared as cultural heritage structures. The dynamic characteristics of four stone bridges, obtained by temporary in situ instrumentation, are presented together with the mechanical properties of their masonry constituents. The basic assumptions of relatively simple 3D numerical simulations of the dynamic response of such old stone bridges are discussed based on all selected information. The results of these numerical simulations are presented and compared with the measured response obtained from the in situ experimental campaigns. Different Solutions for Dissipation of Seismic Energy on Multi-Span BridgesThis chapter deals with the application of various methods for the dissipation of seismic energy in order to adjust the response to seismic forces of an existing bridge with multiple spans. Fluid Viscous Dampers and Shock Transmitters in the Realisation of Multi-Span Steel-Concrete ViaductsThe chapter discusses the methodology for the dissipation of seismic energy, designed for the construction of a steel-concrete viaduct in a variable orography land. The viaduct has a total length of 1,102 m and a typical span of 75 m, with piers of a maximum height of 65 m. The viaduct is subjected to a redesign step in order to adapt it to the requirements of Italian standard "D.M. 14/01/2008". The new design has reformulated the sequence of spans and consequently redefined the structures constituting the foundations, piles, steel girders, inferior bracings and especially the typology of bearings and seismic devices. Nondestructive Testing Structural Bridge IdentificationThis final chapter presents the determination of bridge responses during their service life, which has gained great importance using non-destructive test methods with the change of aims, usage, environmental conditions, material deterioration by time and damages during certain dramatic events. In this chapter, non-destructive experimental measurement test results of bridges are presented for structural identification. The measurements are conducted under environmental excitations of pedestrian movement, traffic and wind-induced vibration, while the response signals are collected using uniaxial and triaxial sensitive seismic accelerometers.