Digital Anthropology and the Renewal of Waishengren Studies: From Digitized Tombs to Identity Claims

In this study we illustrate the potential contribution of digital archives to the study of variation among Taiwan’s Waishengren. Using the digital archive ThakBong of gravesites in Taiwan, into which the census data of 1956 have been merged, we show thatWaishengren varied in their practices and their social structure from North to South and through time in yet unobserved patterns. Our interpretation is that Waishengren assimilated and potentially even merged into existing Holo communities in the South, while in theNorth, Waishengren developed social distinctions through these practices to reflect power and ethnicity. Regional distinctions will thus be central in future Waishengren-studies.V tej študiji predstavljamo potencialni prispevek digitalnih arhivov k študiji variacij med tajvanskim ljudstvom Waishengren. Z uporabo digitalnega arhiva ThakBong, ki ponazarja pozicijo grobišč na Tajvanu, ki vključuje popis prebivalstva iz leta 1956, prikazujemo, da se je ljudstvo Waishengren na severu in jugu kot tudi skozi čas razlikovalo med sabo v svojih običajih in družbeni strukturi v vzorcih, ki še niso bili opazovani. Naša interpretacija pravi, da se je ljudstvo Waishengren asimiliralo in potencialno tudi spojilo z obstoječimi skupnostmi Holo na jugu, medtem ko so na severu razvili družbene posebnosti skozi svoje običaje, da bi izrazili njihovo moč in etničnost. Regionalne razlike bodo tako središče prihodnjih raziskav ljudstva Waishengren

Effects of nerve block in different areas on opiate dosage and stress response in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer

Objective: To explore the effects of ultrasound-guided serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) and thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) on opiate dosage and stress response in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer. Methods: A total of 130 patients undergoing elective thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer in Changshu Second Peoples Hospital between June 2019 and January 2022 were enrolled. According to the random number table method, they were divided into SAPB group (65 cases, ultrasound-guided SAPB before anesthesia induction) and TPVB group (65 cases, ultrasound-guided TPVB before anesthesia induction). After surgery, all underwent patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with analgesia pumps. The timepoints including preoperative, thoracic closure, and postoperative 2, 6, and 24 hours were set as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5, respectively, and the intraoperative blood loss and fluid supplement, operation time, intraoperative dosages of sufentanil and propofol, and postoperative cumulative dosages of sufentanil at T3, T4 and T5 in the two groups were recorded. At T3, T4 and T5, pain changes were evaluated by Prince-Henry scores. The levels of prostaglandins E2 (PGE2), norepinephrine (NE) and cortisol (Cor) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The partial pressure of arterial oxygen was detected by a blood gas analyzer, and oxygenation index (OI) was calculated. The occurrence of postoperative adverse events (PAEs) in the two groups was recorded. Results: From T3 to T5, levels of PGE2, NE, and Cor in SAPB group were significantly lower than those in TPVB group (P＜0.05). OI at T2 to T4 was significantly lower than that at T1, while OI at T5 was significantly higher than that at T2, T3, and T4 in both groups (P＜0.05). From T2 to T4, OI in SAPB group was significantly higher than that in TPVB group (P＜0.05). Compared with TPVB group, the cumulative consumption of sufentanil in SAPB group slightly decreased from T3 to T5, but the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The incidences of nausea and vomiting (6.15% vs 18.46%, χ2=4.561, P=0.033), atelectasis(3.08% vs 12.31%, χ2=3.900, P=0.048) and hypotension (7.69% vs 20.00%, χ2=4.127, P=0.042) in SAPB group were lower than those in TPVB group. Conclusion: Compared with TPVB, ultrasound-guided SAPB can relieve stress response, promote the recovery of pulmonary oxygenation and reduce PAEs in patients undergoing thoracoscopic radical resection of lung cancer, but whether it can significantly reduce the dosage of opiates needs to be further explored

Homogenisation of water and sediment bacterial communities in a shallow lake (lake Balihe, China)

Planktonic and benthic bacterial communities hold central roles in the functioning of freshwater ecosystems and mediate key ecosystem services such as primary production and nutrient remineralisation. Although it is clear that such communities vary in composition both within and between lakes, the environmental factors and processes shaping the diversity and composition of freshwater bacteria are still not fully understood. In order to assess seasonal and spatial variability in lake bacterial communities and identify environmental factors underpinning biogeographical patterns, we performed a large-scale sampling campaign with paired water and sediment sample collection at 18 locations during four seasons in Lake Balihe, a subtropical shallow fish-farming lake in mid-eastern China. Pelagic and benthic bacterial communities were distinctly different in terms of diversity, taxonomic composition and community structure, with Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria dominating lake water, and Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria dominating sediment. Nevertheless, these two communities had stronger spatial concordance and overlap in taxa during spring and autumn seasons. Together, the main drivers of both the spatial and temporal variations in Lake Balihe bacterial communities were identified as water temperature, turbidity, nitrogen and phosphorus availability, and thermal stratification controlled by wind-mixing and activity of the dense farmed fish populations. Notably, populations affiliated with Firmicutes, known to be abundant in fish gut microbiome, were especially abundant in the summer season and locations where high fish biomass was found, suggesting a potential link between fish gut microbiome and the pelagic bacterial communities. Our findings demonstrated seasonal homogenisation of pelagic and benthic bacterial communities linked to marked shifts in a set of seasonally-driven environmental variables including water temperature and nutrient availability

Observation analysis of "5.22" extreme rainfall event in Guilin

An extreme heavy rainfall event struck the northern part of the Guilin urban area in the early morning of May 22, 2023, breaking local historical records for both hourly and three-hourly precipitation, resulting in severe urban waterlogging. Analysis was conducted using data from routine observation, ground-based dense automatic stations, Doppler weather radar, and ERA5 reanalysis. The results are as follows. (1) This event occurred on the edge of the subtropical high-pressure system, with the continuous strengthening of the southwest jet stream providing abundant moisture and energy for the extreme rainfall under the influence of the low-level shear line and the southward movement of the surface cold front. (2) The echoes of heavy rainfall evolved into a linear convection, which changed the direction and shape when timely met with the surface cold air. Meanwhile, the continuously developing new individual cells on its western side joined to form a "train effect," leading to extreme rainfall. The echo exhibited characteristics of low core and high efficiency. (3) The timely intrusion of weak cold air intensified convective rainfall and enhanced cold pool outflow, triggering new convection in the warm and moist region ahead of it, which favored the development and persistence of heavy rainfall. (4) During the eastward movement of individual convective cells, they merged through cloud bridges and expanded through cloud development, forming new cloud clusters and rapidly intensifying precipitation. The interaction and merging of convective cells were the main mechanisms for the prolonged and intensified heavy rainfall. (5) Various numerical models underestimated the intensity of this event, with biases in forecasting the rainfall center mainly due to deviations in the timing of forecasting the influence of surface cold air

The role and characteristics of low-level jet during a persistent rainstorm in Guangxi

In 2022, Guangxi experienced the strongest Dragon Boat Precipitation since the founding of the People's Republic of China. The persistent rainstorm process from 17 June to 22 June 2022 had large accumulations and overlapping falling areas, leading to floods, torrential floods, landslides, and other disasters. The impacts of the low-level jet and its characteristics during this process were analyzed based on multi-source observation data and ERA5 reanalysis data. The results show that: (1) The low-level jet enhanced significantly during the night, and the convective system developed on the north side of the jet core. During the daytime, the low-level jet weakened and the convective system gradually disappeared, resulting in the heavy precipitation being mainly concentrated during the night. (2) During the night, the positive vorticity zone on the left of the 850 hPa low-level jet coincided with the exit zone of the 925 hPa boundary-level jet in the northeast of Guangxi, which combined with the mountain terrain barrier, and caused deep low-level convergence. The low-level convergence was conducive to the enhancement of the upward movement in northeast Guangxi and favored the continuous development of the convective system. At the same time, the convective instability in the lower atmosphere also increased rapidly, which provided a favorable unstable stratification environment for heavy precipitation. (3) The variation of the low-level jet can be well explained by the inertial oscillation mechanism. During the day, the surface heating in the central and southern regions of Guangxi led to the gradual enhancement of turbulent friction, resulting in jet deceleration with the characteristics of sub-geostrophic. During the night, the turbulent friction was weakened, and the jet accelerated, which gradually presented the characteristics of super-geostrophic. The Coriolis force acting on ageostrophic wind was the main contributor to the momentum of the jet, while friction dissipation and vertical transport were the momentum sinks

JNK Pathway-Associated Phosphatase/DUSP22 Suppresses CD4+ T-Cell Activation and Th1/Th17-Cell Differentiation and Negatively Correlates with Clinical Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

This study aimed to investigate the role of JNK pathway-associated phosphatase (JKAP) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). JKAP expression was analyzed in the intestinal mucosa of 81 IBD patients and 25 healthy controls (HCs) by qPCR and immunoblotting. The correlations of JKAP with clinical activity and inflammatory cytokines were performed. JKAP expression before and after infliximab treatment was also measured. CD4+ T cells were isolated from peripheral blood in active IBD patient and HCs and transduced with lentivirus-encoding JKAP (LV-JKAP), anti-JKAP (LV-anti-JKAP), or empty vector (LV-scramble), and JKAP functions on IBD CD4+ T cells were subsequently investigated. JKAP expression was decreased in inflamed mucosa of active IBD patients and was negatively correlated with disease activity [Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI), Mayo index, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate], interleukin-17, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels. Anti-TNF-α treatment up-regulated JKAP expression in CD patients, and baseline JKAP expression was elevated in response patients than in failure patients. Transduction of LV-JKAP into CD4+ T cells inhibited the percentages of CD25+ and CD69+ cells and proliferation. Moreover, inhibition of JKAP promotes Th1/Th17 cell differentiation. Our data indicated that the decreased expression of JKAP in intestinal mucosa contributed to the pathogenesis of IBD, through facilitating CD4+ T-cell activation, proliferation, and Th1/Th17-cell differentiation

A novel method for objectively, rapidly and accurately evaluating burn depth via near infrared spectroscopy

The accurate and objective evaluation of burn depth is a significant challenge in burn wound care. Herein, we used near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology to measure the different depth of thermal burns in ex vivo porcine models. Based on the intensity of the spectral signals and the diffuse reflection theory, we extracted the optical parameters involved in functional (total hemoglobin and water content) and structural (tissue scattered size and scattered particles) features that reflect the changes in burn depth. Next, we applied support vector regression to construct a model including the optical property parameters and the burn depth. Finally, we histologically verified the burn depth data collected via NIRS. The results showed that our inversion model could achieve an average relative error of about 7.63%, while the NIRS technology diagnostic accuracy was in the range of 50 μm. For the first time, this novel technique provides physicians with real-time burn depth information objectively and accurately

Rapid diagnosis of duck Tembusu virus and goose astrovirus with TaqMan-based duplex real-time PCR

The mixed infection of duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) and goose astrovirus (GoAstV) is an important problem that endangers the goose industry. Although quantitative PCR has been widely used in monitoring these two viruses, there is no reliable method to detect them at the same time. In this study, by analyzing the published genomes of DTMUV and goose astrovirus genotype 2 (GoAstV-2) isolated in China, we found that both viruses have high conservation, showing 96.5 to 99.5% identities within different strains of DTMUV and GoAstV, respectively. Subsequently, PCR primers and TaqMan probes were designed to identify DTMUV and GoAstV-2, and different fluorescent reporters were given to two probes for differential diagnosis. Through the optimization and verification, this study finally developed a duplex TaqMan qPCR method that can simultaneously detect the above two viruses. The lower limits of detection were 100 copies/μL and 10 copies/μL for DTMUV and GoAstV-2 under optimal condition. The assay was also highly specific in detecting one or two viruses in various combinations in specimens, and provide tool for clinical diagnosis of mixed infections of viruses in goose

Helper T Cell (CD4(+)) Targeted Tacrolimus Delivery Mediates Precise Suppression of Allogeneic Humoral Immunity

Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) is a major cause of dysfunction and loss of transplanted kidney. The current treatments for ABMR involve nonspecific inhibition and clearance of T/B cells or plasma cells. However, the prognosis of patients following current treatment is poor. T follicular helper cells (Tfh) play an important role in allograft-specific antibodies secreting plasma cell (PC) development. Tfh cells are therefore considered to be important therapeutic targets for the treatment of antibody hypersecretion disorders, such as transplant rejection and autoimmune diseases. Tacrolimus (Tac), the primary immunosuppressant, prevents rejection by reducing T cell activation. However, its administration should be closely monitored to avoid serious side effects. In this study, we investigated whether Tac delivery to helper T (CD4(+)) cells using functionalized mesoporous nanoparticles can block Tfh cell differentiation after alloantigen exposure. Results showed that Tac delivery ameliorated humoral rejection injury in rodent kidney graft by suppressing Tfh cell development, PC, and donor-specific antibody (DSA) generation without causing severe side effects compared with delivery through the drug administration pathway. This study provides a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing humoral rejection in solid organ transplantation. The specific and controllable drug delivery avoids multiple disorder risks and side effects observed in currently used clinical approaches