A Star God Is Born: Chintaku Reifujin Talismans in Japanese Religions

This article examines a talismanic culture in Japanese religions through the case of the Chintaku reifu 鎮宅霊符 (“numinous talismans for the stabilization of residences”). Whereas previous scholarship viewed the set of seventy-two talismans as having an ancient Korean origin or connection to the Onmyōdō 陰陽道 tradition in Japan, my analysis of the talismans suggests that they arrived in Japan directly from Ming China around the late Muromachi period. Once introduced, the talismans were widely adopted across different religious traditions such as Buddhism, Shinto, Confucianism, and Shugendō under the name Chintaku reifujin 鎮宅霊符神 (the god of Chintaku reifu talismans) in Japan. Locating the talismans as a major force that shaped the medieval and early modern Japanese religious landscape, this article argues that the worship was not an extension or variation of Chinese Big Dipper worship but a sophisticated form of religious mosaic, which allowed an array of different forms of doctrinal thinking, cosmological knowledge, and ritual logics to coexist

Studija o analizi međuodnosa između Epa o Gilgamešu i Biblije pomoću rudarenja teksta; fokusiranje na epizodu velikog potopa

The development of human civilization is a continuous process of imitation and creation  based on exchange. Most historical research is performed qualitatively, so consequently, historical interpretations tend to be biased with personal or subjective viewpoints. In this context, Bible is the most-read book in history and comparative studies are steadily conducted owing to its similarities with the myths of ancient civilizations. This study combines qualitative and quantitative analysis to analyze the interrelationship between a myth and the Bible. Specifically, intertextuality analysis was performed around the great flood episode in Mesopotamia’s Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible’s Genesis. Text mining–based association rule analysis and word cloud analysis were combined to verify this. Intertextuality analysis revealed the interrelationship between the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible; moreover, text mining helped verify the association in intertextuality analysis. Through this, the study proposes a research method for civilization exchange studies by objectively approaching the flow and directionality of exchanges among civilizations in the ancient Mediterranean regions. Furthermore, along with civilization exchange studies, a practical convergent research method for studies in the areas of humanities, regional studies, and history was suggested.Razvoj ljudske civilizacije kontinuirani je proces oponašanja i stvaranja temeljen na razmjeni. Većina povijesnih istraživanja provodi se kvalitativno, zbog čega su povijesne interpretacije nerijetko pristrane, s osobnim ili subjektivnim stajalištima. U tom pogledu Biblija je najčitanija knjiga u povijesti te su komparativne studije često rađene zbog njezinih sličnosti s mitovima drevnih civilizacija. Ova studija kombinira kvalitativnu i kvantitativnu analizu kako bi analizirala međuodnos između mita i Biblije. Točnije, analiza intertekstualnosti provedena je na osnovi epizode velikog potopa u mezopotamskom Epu o Gilgamešu i biblijskom Postanku. Analiza pravila asocijacija temeljena na rudarenju teksta i analiza oblaka riječi kombinirane su kako bi se to potvrdilo. Kao rezultat analize intertekstualnosti, potvrđeno je da je otkriven međuodnos između Epa o Gilgamešu i Biblije, a kao rezultat rudarenja teksta, povezanost se može provjeriti u analizi intertekstualnosti. Slijedom rezultata studija predlaže istraživačku metodu za proučavanje civilizacijske razmjene objektivnim pristupom tijeku i usmjerenosti razmjene među civilizacijama u drevnim mediteranskim regijama. Štoviše, uz studije civilizacijske razmjene, predložena je praktična konvergentna istraživačka metoda za studije u područjima humanističkih znanosti, regionalnih studija i povijesti

Acupuncture for cancer patients with nausea and vomiting : A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Peer reviewe

At the Foot of the Candle, It is Dark: Kyunggi Province News Coverage in Korean Terrestrial Broadcasting

This research aimed to analyze the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of Kyunggi province news reporting by the 3 major terrestrial TV stations in Korea. For this, news content analysis, audience survey, and in-depth interview were carried out. First, the content analysis shows that Kyunggi news is quantitatively insufficient compared to Seoul news. Kyunggi news was mainly composed of simple police case/accident news, lacked diversity and revealed a relatively high ratio of negative orientations. Second, the audience survey show the demand for Kyunggi news was high, but the major terrestrial broadcasting news did not correspond to it. Third, the in-depth interviews of news reporters show why the Kyunggi news came to have such problems. There are physical constraints such as coverage limits with several reporters covering a vast area, and the broadcast media characteristics of limited time slots of news. However, the more important factor is that news value decisions centered on "national-level influence" result in passive awareness of the importance of Kyunggi local news. Despite recent awareness of the importance of Kyunggi news, without enhanced manpower and allocation of news time slots, Kyunggi local news will not be able to overcome its limits

Detection of Absorbing Aerosol Using Single Near-UV Radiance Measurements from a Cloud and Aerosol Imager

The Ultra-Violet Aerosol Index (UVAI) is a practical parameter for detecting aerosols that absorb UV radiation, especially where other aerosol retrievals fail, such as over bright surfaces (e.g., deserts and clouds). However, typical UVAI retrieval requires at least two UV channels, while several satellite instruments, such as the Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI) instrument onboard a Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), provide single channel UV radiances. In this study, a new UVAI retrieval method was developed which uses a single UV channel. A single channel aerosol index (SAI) is defined to measure the extent to which an absorbing aerosol state differs from its state with minimized absorption by aerosol. The SAI qualitatively represents absorbing aerosols by considering a 30-day minimum composite and the variability in aerosol absorption. This study examines the feasibility of detecting absorbing aerosols using a UV-constrained satellite, focusing on those which have a single UV channel. The Vector LInearized pseudo-spherical Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (VLIDORT) was used to test the sensitivity of the SAI and UVAI to aerosol optical properties. The theoretical calculations showed that highly absorbing aerosols have a meaningful correlation with SAI. The retrieved SAI from OMI and operational OMI UVAI were also in good agreement when UVAI values were greater than 0.7 (the absorption criteria of UVAI). The retrieved SAI from the TANSO-CAI data was compared with operational OMI UVAI data, demonstrating a reasonable agreement and low rate of false detection for cases of absorbing aerosols in East Asia. The SAI retrieved from TANSO-CAI was in better agreement with OMI UVAI, particularly for the values greater than the absorbing threshold value of 0.7

Pressure changes in the endotracheal tube cuff in otorhinolaryngologic surgery: a prospective observational study

ObjectiveInflation of the endotracheal tube cuff is needed for providing ventilation. Cuff pressure should be maintained inside the appropriate range to prevent critical airway complications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the pressure changes in the endotracheal tube cuff during otorhinolaryngologic surgery.Design and methodThis single-center observational study was conducted at Severance Hospital in Korea between April 2020 and November 2020. Patients aged >20 years scheduled to undergo otorhinolaryngological surgical procedures were enrolled. Patients undergoing planned tracheostomy and those who were slated for uncuffed endotracheal tube use were excluded. Intubation was performed after the induction of general anesthesia. A pressure transducer was connected to the pilot balloon of the endotracheal tube, and cuff pressure was continuously monitored until extubation. If the cuff pressure was not appropriate for more than 5 min, it was adjusted to the appropriate range by injecting or removing air. The percentage of time for which the cuff pressure remained within the appropriate range was calculated and defined as the time in the therapeutic range (TTR). The presumed cause for the rise or fall in cuff pressure was identified.ResultsIn total 199 patients, alterations in cuff pressure outside the appropriate range occurred in 191 patients (96.0%). The mean TTR was 79.7% (SD 25.0%), and head and neck surgery had the lowest mean TTR of 69.0% compared to ear and nose surgeries (94.2 and 82.1%, respectively). Sixty-eight patients (34.2%) demonstrated inadequate endotracheal tube cuff pressure for more than 20% of the total anesthesia time. Twenty-six patients (13.1%) demonstrated optimal endotracheal tube cuff pressure for less than 50% of the total anesthesia time. The causative factors inducing inappropriate cuff pressure were found to vary, including positional changes, surgical procedure, anatomical manipulation, and anesthetic procedure.ConclusionIn otorhinolaryngologic surgery, cuff pressure increased or decreased outside the appropriate range due to various factors. Therefore, we suggest close continuous monitoring of cuff pressure during anesthesia for otorhinolaryngologic surgery.Clinical trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT03938493

Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor Activates MEK/ERK Cell Signaling Pathway and Stimulates the Proliferation of Chicken Primordial Germ Cells

BACKGROUND: Long-term maintenance of avian primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro has tremendous potential because it can be used to deepen our understanding of the biology of PGCs. A transgenic bioreactor based on the unique migration of PGCs toward the recipients' sex cord via the bloodstream and thereby creating a germline chimeric bird has many potential applications. However, the growth factors and the signaling pathway essential for inducing proliferation of chicken PGCs are unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate the effects of various combinations of growth factors on the survival and proliferation of PGCs under feeder-free conditions. We observed proliferation of PGCs in media containing bFGF. Subsequent characterization confirmed that the cultured PGCs maintained expression of PGC-specific markers, telomerase activity, normal migrational activity, and germline transmission. We also found that bFGF activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase/extracellular-signal regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) signaling. Also, the expression of 133 transcripts was reversibly altered by bFGF withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that chicken PGCs can be maintained in vitro without any differentiation or dedifferentiation in feeder free culture conditions, and subsequent analysis revealed that bFGF is one of the key factors that enable proliferation of chicken PGCs via MEK/ERK signaling regulating downstream genes that may be important for PGC proliferation and survival