Cuando la nueva tecnología se une a los documentos antiguos y el oriente se encuentra con el oeste: la reconstrucción virtual del faro pagoda de Fisher Island (China)

[EN] Located on the route between Xiamen and Taiwan (China), the Penghu (Pescadores Islands) are an archipelago and the site of a military garrison. The second largest island, Xiyu or Fisher Island, was accordingly an obvious point to build a navigational marker to guide sailors. Records indicate that some type of a marker, in the form of a tower or pagoda, was constructed in the 17thcentury. However, in 1778the original was replaced by a different sort of pagoda tower. The new structure has long been known to have been a purpose fully designed lighthouse. Although today’s Yuwengdao lighthouse, built in 1875, has become a famous heritage landmark, the earlier 1778 structure, it can be argued has greater heritage significance in that it was an entirely original creation preceding the introduction of western lighthouse technology in China by nearly a century. Thanks to the fortunate discovery of a hitherto unknown photograph of this earlier lighthouse backed by further research in early navigational documents, gazetteers, charts and inscriptions and The authors have been able to make a 3D virtual reconstruction using state-of-the-art Revit software and thus answer several research questions about this old lighthouse pagoda, including dimensions, location, orientation, function and materials.[ES] Situado en la ruta entre Xiamen y Taiwán(China), Penghu (Islas Pescadores) es un archipiélago que históricamente tenía una guarnición militar. La segunda isla más grande, Fisher Island, era por lo tanto un punto obvio para construir una señal de navegación para guiar a marineros. Los registros muestran que un tipo de torre o pagoda sirvió también como señal de navegación, que se construyó en el siglo XVII. Sin embargo, en 1778 fue reemplazado por una pagoda conocida por haber sido diseñada principalmente como un faro. Aunque hoy en día el faro de Yuwengdao, construido en 1875, se ha convertido en un hito famoso de la herencia cultural, la estructura anterior de 1778 se puede argumentar que fue de mayor significancia patrimonial porque era una creación enteramente original, precediendo la introducción de la tecnología occidental de un faro en China casi un siglo. Gracias al afortunado descubrimiento de la fotografía hasta ahora desconocida de este antiguo faro, respaldada por investigaciones adicionales en los primeros documentos de navegación, nomenclátores, tablas e inscripciones, los autores han sido capaces de hacer una reconstrucción virtual 3D utilizando el software de última generación Revit y responder consiguientemente a varias preguntas de investigación sobre este antiguo faro pagoda ,incluyendo sus dimensiones, ubicación, orientación, función y materiales.The lead author is grateful for support from Prof. Steve Ching and Prof. Stephen Davies during the exercise. We also owe a debt of thanksto support from The Royal Geographical Society Picture Library for providing the 1875 terrestrial image.Leung, AK.; Davies, S.; Ching, SH. (2018). When new technology joins old documents and east meets west: virtually reconstructing the Fisher Island Pagoda Lighthouse (China). Virtual Archaeology Review. 9(18):12-27. doi:10.4995/var.2018.7982SWORD122791

Conservación del patrimonio cultural utilizando nuevos métodos de comunicación: la Pagoda de madera de Yingxian, China

[EN] Architectural landmarks that represent a culture’s identity are also sanctuaries for cultural heritage preservation. The tallest and oldest wooden multi-story structure in the world, the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda of China is tilting at an ongoing rate that requires an urgency to find solutions to revert the damage. To preserve the evolving humanistic and artistic understandings of ancient Chinese architecture, and to cultivate the scientific reasoning behind ancient Chinese carpentry, new media allows digital and computational methods to replace human users who once manually analyzed data and information from cultural sites and artifacts. This article will exemplify new media tools such as animation via 3D/2D modeling, 3D scanning and virtual reality photography to examine material evidence of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda of China, and the role new media can assist in its fight to sustain its originality since 1056.Highlights: Examination, documentation, research and education of architectural heritage sites using new media methods.Integration of old archives and digital/computational software to represent the outstanding value of the oldest and tallest wooden skyscraper in the world.Use of 2D/3D modelling and virtual reality photography developing information to increase awareness on cultural heritage sites suffering wood deterioration.[ES] Los hitos arquitectónicos que representan la identidad de una cultura también son santuarios para la preservación del patrimonio cultural. La pagoda de madera de Yingxian en China, la estructura de madera de varios pisos más alta y antigua del mundo, se inclina a un ritmo constante que requiere encontrar solución es urgentes que reviertan el daño. Para preservar la evolución humanística y la comprensión artística de la antigua arquitectura china, y para cultivar el razonamiento científico detrás de la antigua carpintería china, los nuevos medios de comunicación permiten asistencia digital y computacional a los usuarios humanos que analizaban manualmente los datos y la información de los sitios culturales y los artefactos. La evidencia alcanzada a partir de las investigaciones previas unido a que los métodos de documentación clásicos requerían una comprensión sólida de la información realizada por el investigador, conlleva a que los registros se puedan describir como estáticos y anticuados, y que solo pueden ofrecer información tal y como se presenta. Los nuevos medios de comunicación ofrecen a la Pagoda de madera de Yingxian la última asistencia digital para encontrar descubrimientos que no eran posibles de llevar a cabo en investigaciones anteriores usando los métodos clásicos. La ayuda de programas y herramientas computacionales amplía la evidencia ocultada en los sitios patrimoniales. Este artículo ejemplificará las nuevas herramientas de comunicación, como la animación a través del modelado 3D/2D, el escaneado 3D y la fotografía de realidad virtual para examinar la evidencia material de la Pagoda de madera de Yingxian, y el papel que los nuevos medios pueden desempeñar en su lucha por mantener la originalidad de esta pagoda budista de madera desde 1056.Lai, DS.; Leung, AK.; Chan, D.; Ching, SH. (2019). Cultural heritage preservation using new media methods: Yingxian Wooden Pagoda, China. Virtual Archaeology Review. 10(21):103-115. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2019.11071SWORD1031151021ACRL, (2015, February 9). Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. American Library Association. (p. 7-8)Ching, H.S. (2018, March). Turning a Service Learning Experience into a Model of Student Engagement: The Lighthouse Heritage Research Connections (LHRC) Project in Hong Kong. Elsevier BV: The Journal of Academic Librarianship, ISSN: 0099-1333, Vol: 44, Issue: 2, (p. 196-206).Eggers, R. (2017, January 9). Virtual Reality: The Future of Photography?. Retrieved from http://www.direporter.com/products/360o/virtual-reality-future-photography.Heidegger, M. (1971). 'The Thing'. In Poetry, Language, Thought, translated by A. Hofstafter. New York: Harper & Row.Hernandez, M. (2018, June 11). The Dougong: A nailless Chinese construction method. Retrieved from https://multimedia.scmp.com/culture/article/forbidden-city/architecture/chapter_02.html. South China Morning Post.Hou, W.D (侯卫东). (2016). Ying Xian Mu Ta Bao Hu Yan Jiu (应县木塔保护研究). Beijing, China: Beijing Shi : Wen Wu Chu Ban She (文物出版社).Jia, D.Y. (2015). Principles for the Conservation Heritage Sites in China. Beijing, China: Beijing Shi : Wen Wu Chu Ban She (文物出版社). (p. 100).Lai, D. (2018). (Director). The Preservation of the Yingxian Wooden Pagoda. Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://www.cityu.edu.hk/cityvod/video/play/LIB/Yingxian_Pagoda.aspxLeary, C. (n.d.). 360 VR Panoramic Photography. Retrieved from http://chrisleary.photography/360-vr-panoramic-photography/Manovich, L. (2001) The language of new media. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. (p. 36)Malpas, J. (2008) New Media. Cultural Heritage and the Sense of Place: Mapping the Conceptual Ground. International Journal of Heritage Studies. (p. 198)NOAA. (2018). Significant Earthquake Search - sorted by Data. Retrieved from https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?bt_0=1056&st_0=2018&type_17=EXACT&query_17=30&op_12=eq&v_12=CHINA&type_12=Or&query_14=None%20Selected&type_3=Like&query_3=Shanxi&st_1=&bt_2=&st_2=&bt_1=&bt_4=&st_4=&bt_5=&st_5=&bt_6=&st_6=&bt_7=&st_7=&bt_8=&st_8=&bt_9=&st_9=&bt_10=&st_10=&type_11=Exact&query_11=&type_16=Exact&query_16=&bt_18=&st_18=&ge_19=&le_19=&type_20=Like&query_20=&display_look=1&t=101650&s=1&submit_all=Search%20Database. National Centers for Environmental Information.Thompson, R.M. (2017). Firearm Identification in the Forensic Science Laboratory. 10.13140/RG.2.2.16250.59846. (p.7)Tian, W., Wang Y.R., 山西省应县县志办公室. (1984). 应州志. China: 山西省应县县志办公室重印.Tollefson, J. (2017, May 17). The wooden skyscrapers that could help to cool the planet. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/news/the-wooden-skyscrapers-that-could-help-to-cool-the-planet-1.21992UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2013). Wooden Structures of Liao Dynasty-Wooden Pagoda of Yingxian County, Main Hall of Fengguo Monastery of Yixian County. Retrieved from https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5803

CISH and susceptibility to infectious diseases.

BACKGROUND: The interleukin-2-mediated immune response is critical for host defense against infectious pathogens. Cytokine-inducible SRC homology 2 (SH2) domain protein (CISH), a suppressor of cytokine signaling, controls interleukin-2 signaling. METHODS: Using a case-control design, we tested for an association between CISH polymorphisms and susceptibility to major infectious diseases (bacteremia, tuberculosis, and severe malaria) in blood samples from 8402 persons in Gambia, Hong Kong, Kenya, Malawi, and Vietnam. We had previously tested 20 other immune-related genes in one or more of these sample collections. RESULTS: We observed associations between variant alleles of multiple CISH polymorphisms and increased susceptibility to each infectious disease in each of the study populations. When all five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (at positions -639, -292, -163, +1320, and +3415 [all relative to CISH]) within the CISH-associated locus were considered together in a multiple-SNP score, we found an association between CISH genetic variants and susceptibility to bacteremia, malaria, and tuberculosis (P=3.8x10(-11) for all comparisons), with -292 accounting for most of the association signal (P=4.58x10(-7)). Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells obtained from adult subjects carrying the -292 variant, as compared with wild-type cells, showed a muted response to the stimulation of interleukin-2 production--that is, 25 to 40% less CISH expression. CONCLUSIONS: Variants of CISH are associated with susceptibility to diseases caused by diverse infectious pathogens, suggesting that negative regulators of cytokine signaling have a role in immunity against various infectious diseases. The overall risk of one of these infectious diseases was increased by at least 18% among persons carrying the variant CISH alleles

Measurement of the isolated diphoton cross-section in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The ATLAS experiment has measured the production cross-section of events with two isolated photons in the final state, in proton-proton collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV. The full data set acquired in 2010 is used, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 37 pb^-1. The background, consisting of hadronic jets and isolated electrons, is estimated with fully data-driven techniques and subtracted. The differential cross-sections, as functions of the di-photon mass, total transverse momentum and azimuthal separation, are presented and compared to the predictions of next-to-leading-order QCD.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (27 pages total), 9 figures, 2 tables, final version to appear in Physical Review