Historical Investigation Research Articles

Heritage Characterisation and Preservation Strategies for the Original Shantung Christian University Union Medical College (Jinan)—A Case of Modern Mission Hospital Heritage in China

At the turn of the 20th century, Christian and Catholic churches in Western nations established numerous mission hospitals in non-European regions. In China, mission hospitals represent a significant category of modern architectural heritage, symbolising advancements in healthcare and medical education while also serving as historical artifacts of early cultural interactions between China and the West. With ongoing developments in medical technology, these mission hospital structures no longer meet contemporary healthcare demands; many have been repurposed or temporarily abandoned. Preserving and effectively repurposing mission hospital heritage has thus emerged as a critical issue. In the present study, the Shantung Christian University Union Medical College was examined as a case study in addressing this challenge. The site retains the original Outpatient Building, Inpatient Building, Medical Teaching Building, and other architectural heritage and has preserved the original mixed Chinese and Western architectural styles. A combination of historical research, field investigation, and historic layering was adopted in the present study, drawing primarily on data from historical maps, satellite images from different periods, aerial photography from drones, architectural drawings, and other relevant historical data. Through case studies, methods for characterising and identifying the landscape and architectural heritage of mission hospitals were explored. Principles for the preservation and regeneration of the heritage of church hospitals were also proposed, with a view to providing a reference for the study and preservation of this type of heritage.

Pathology and visual culture: The scientific artworks of Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot and the Salpêtrière School

In art historical investigations of Dr Jean-Martin Charcot and his work at the Salpêtrière, the focus has largely been on the representation of hysteria. Seminal texts have pioneered investigations in this field, and many students in art history are as acquainted with the key debates of photography and hysteria as they are with studying the Old Masters. Natasha Ruiz-Gómez's book breaks new ground by turning much of her attention away from the representation of hysteria, to explore the 'pathological drawings, photographs, casts, and sculptures' (4) of neurological diseases that the clinicians and artists of the Salpêtrière created. Pathology and Visual Culture offers a case study of how these scientific artworks 'combined scientific knowledge and artistic expression' (4). Ruiz-Gómez presents a commendable study, situated within the fields of art history and visual culture, on how the scientific artworks trouble the binary between science and art, objectivity and aesthetic, and forwards an interpretation of the artworks that considers how the c

From epidemics to infodemics: historical investigations on information manipulation and technoscientific risk

From epidemics to infodemics: historical investigations on information manipulation and technoscientific risk

Association between all-cause mortality and triglyceride glucose body mass index among critically ill patients with sepsis: a retrospective cohort investigation

BackgroundWe determined utilizing a sepsis participant cohort whether there is a significant association between TyG-BMI (triglyceride glucose body mass index) and mortality rates at any stage.MethodsHerein, a historical cohort investigation approach was adopted, using information provided by the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV). We categorized the included individuals in accordance with their TyG-BMI data quartiles, and the primary outcomes were mortality during the hospital stay and death rate due to any reason at postadmission day 28, 90, and 365. To evaluate TyG-BMI mortality’s relationship with sepsis-induced mortality risk, we employed restricted cubic spline regression (RCS) and Cox regression models. Additionally, we confirmed TyG-BMI’s significant predictive value for mortality via machine learning methods. Furthermore, we performed subgroup analyses to investigate possible differences among various patient groups.ResultsThe cohort included 4759 individuals, aged 63.9 ± 15.0 years, involving 2885 males (60.6%). The rates of death that took place during hospital stay and at 28, 90 and 365 days postadmission were respectively 19.60%, 24.70%, 28.80%, and 35.20%. As reflected by Cox models, TyG-BMI was negatively associated with mortality risk at various intervals: in-hospital [hazard ratio (HR) 0.47 (0.39–0.56), P = 0.003], 28 days postadmission [HR 0.42 (0.35–0.49), P < 0.001], 90 days postadmission [HR 0.41 (0.35–0.48), P < 0.001], and 365 days postadmission [HR 0.41 (0.35–0.47), P < 0.001]. Additionally, the relationship between TyG-BMI and death rates was L-shaped, as reflected by the RCS, with a TyG-BMI of 249 being the turning point.ConclusionsAmong sepsis patients in critical care, TyG-BMI is negatively correlated with mortality possibility at various intervals: during hospital stay and 28 days, 90 days, and one year postadmission. TyG-BMI is a beneficial parameter for categorizing risk levels among sepsis patients and for predicting their mortality risk within one year.Graphical

Diversified Communication and Harmony of Chinese culture: a historical investigation into the religious-culture exchanges among the Hans, Tibetans, and Mongolians

How can harmonious communication, integration, and coexistence among different ethnicities with distinct cultures be achieved in a multi-ethnic country? What lessons can we draw from China’s multi-ethnic cultural exchanges throughout history? Are Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism exclusive to the culture of the Central Plains? These questions are essential for forging a sense of the Chinese nation as one community and building a shared cultural home of the Chinese nation. Throughout Chinese history, the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnicities have engaged in mutual exchanges and integrations of their respective religious-cultures, fostering mutual promotion and collective growth, leaving behind valuable experiences that shaped the Chinese cultural pattern of “Diversified Communication and Harmony.” Drawing upon extensive literature and materials documenting the religious-culture exchanges and interactions among the Han, Tibetan, and Mongolian ethnicities since the Tang and Song dynasties, this article investigates the interaction, exchange, and integration history of religious-culture among these ethnicities, aiming to explore the historical evolution of this pattern of “Diversified Communication and Harmony”.

Historical Depictions of the Brain: The Origins from the Non-Western World.

Any written work concerning the history of neuroanatomy would be difficult to imagine without acknowledging the pioneering works of Santiago Ramón y Cajal and Camillo Golgi. Cajal improved upon Golgi's staining technique at the turn of the 20th century. He implemented it to deliver the world's first incredibly detailed visualizations of cellular networks of the nervous system. Dating further back to the 15th century, most students of neuroanatomy or of the philosophy of science are familiar with René Decartes' depiction of mind-body dualism which illustrates the passing of visual information to the brain. These illustrations (i.e., mostly Cajal's) have gone on to significantly influence future research, commonly featured as visual aids in neuroscience presentations. Like most of the historical depictions of the brain, including medieval illustrations of trepanning, these drawings are of western European origin. Little, if any work has attempted to compile or assess historical depictions of the brain from outside of the western world. It is very likely that non-western historical depictions of the brain exist, but are less popularized and have been scarce in the circulating historical literature. Thus, more historical investigations are required to balance these views for a complete historical lens on neuroanatomy. Since early civilizations existed far across the globe, it is likely that depictions of the nervous system have existed before the aforementioned scholars who make up the mainstream approach to neuroanatomy history education. The present work aims to introduce students and instructors of neuroscience, and particularly neuroanatomy, to other early illustrated neuroanatomical works which may be less popularized. Additionally, this assessment seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the historical emergence of neuroscience and more specifically, neuroanatomy. This article attempts to start this conversation, utilizing what are thought to be the first modern neuroanatomical analyses of some of the cited illustrations from the non-western world.

A proposito di alcune formule nella prosa agiografica e cavalleresca castigliana

Abstract The combination of hagiography and romance of the manuscript Escorial h-I-13 is an interesting testimony to the Iberian propagation of French literature in translation, especially from the point of view of historical and interpretative investigation. The paper, however, will delve into those elements, generically defined as formulae, that the preparer of the miscellaneous codex had to recognise, if not actually introduce, in order to define the points of tangency of two discursive universes potentially coexisting in the same framework. Fixed word sequences and recurring syntactic structures will therefore be explored, as these help to define the implicit competence of speakers and writers even across different Romance languages.

Different Stories for Different People - Engagement with the Archaeology of HS2 Area North

The UK high-speed railway High Speed Two (HS2) will link London and the Midlands following the route of the 19th-century London and Birmingham Railway. After years of work, including the largest programme of historic environment investigation in the UK across a swathe of the landscape over a number of years, the construction stage is now in progress. The lead document for the delivery of the historic environment works is HS2's generic Written Scheme of Investigation, the Historic Environment Research and Delivery Strategy (HERDS). One of the central principles of HERDS is to derive public benefit from the historic environment works, by meeting community engagement objectives and building a legacy of knowledge and skills. This article was delivered as a paper at the European Association of Archaeologists' (EAA) conference in 2023, themed 'Weaving narratives', in an HS2 session entitled 'Different stories for different people'. It discusses some of the principles of audience and narrative development that can be transferred to other archaeological projects from the discoveries in the Midlands (HS2 Area North). Three steps are highlighted. Firstly, engage with and listen to stakeholders and community representatives early in the project lifespan, using professional expertise. Secondly, assimilate key themes and local issues, create partnerships, and identify heritage champions to support the design of activities. Thirdly, work together to deliver a range of events and activities tailored to a variety of audiences using bespoke platforms and styles. Adopting this approach, and having clearer mechanisms for measuring and evaluating the benefit of the outcomes, demonstrates worth and benefits the sector. For project legacy, the goal is to use the stories to transfer skills, information, good practice and ownership.

The Garden at Pingle Farm: An Unsettling Investigation

AbstractThis paper presents a reflection on the process and results of an historical archaeological investigation of a South Australian colonial farm garden. It demonstrates how the researcher allowed the emotions evinced by the site’s history as a frontier site to contribute to the discussion of the research’s relevance for contemporary Australian society, related to themes of national identity and coming to terms with a colonial past.

The visual construction of the people’s country and the Chinese nation: political aesthetics in the Ethno-documentaries of New China

This paper discusses the political positioning of the people and the cultural image of the Chinese nation through the lens of the Social-historical Scientific Documentary Films of China’s ethnic minorities (hereafter referred to as “the Ethno-documentaries”) by restoring the problem to the site of the investigation of humanities and social sciences and the General Surveys on (Folk) Arts in the early years of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in the 1950s. Through detailed analysis of specific Ethno-documentary films, this paper explores how the social sciences conducted its “Social and Historical Investigation of China’s Ethnic Minorities” via the medium of film to convey the advanced social concepts and ideological work of the new regime through the historical narrative of art and politics. This study highlights three key points. First, the “Chinese nation” as a modern political concept dates its origins back to the 1920s with the emergence of the “National Heritage Reorganization Movement” and the “Doubting Antiquity School.” However, it was only through the medium of the Ethno-documentaries that this concept was visually and aurally represented in films for the first time, which draws our attention to the fact that the entry point for understanding modern China lies in discerning the relationship between culture and politics. Second, when discussing the relationship between culture and politics, this study juxtaposes the Ethno-documentaries and “art for workers-peasants-soldiers,” which developed during the same period. These two forms of art focus respectively on national history and the suffering of the lower classes of society, and it is this intertextual nature of the historical narrative that jointly anchors the cultural and historical view of New China. Lastly, historical view is the core of the humanities, social sciences, and art disciplines in New China. Previous studies have mainly attributed certain phenomena to the “politicization” or “pan-politicization” of a particular historical period due to disciplinary barriers and cultural trauma and have stopped discussing such topics in depth. In contrast, the significance of the political aesthetics in the Ethno-documentaries is to have transformed classical Chinese artistic language into a modern one to represent the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. It also raises a question of re-sinicization of many modern political issues that have persisted until now: How do today’s Chinese art works vividly depict the prosperity of this country and its hardworking and courageous people?

Self-supporting thin Shells in Italy. Space and Structure of the Industrial Buildings (1930-1970)

In the Twentieth Century, the industrial buildings featured a broad experimentation on the load-bearing structures suited to the production spaces. Among the structural elements explicitly designed for factories were reinforced concrete thin shells. In Italy, where reinforced concrete was the predominant construction technique for the entire century, the evolution of the thin shells for industrial buildings traced a significant story: starting from the introduction of foreign systems and patents in the 1920s, the design and construction of the thin shells gradually stacked to national productive and technological specificities. This paper presents a historical investigation of the application of thin shells in Italy between 1930 and 1970, remarking, thus, the local contribution of Italian contractors and designers in the evolution of both the design solutions and production process. Furthermore, the study presents a systematic historical and technical framework related to thin shells to support the actions of knowledge and safeguard the industrial building heritage.

Tamil Schools in the Federated Malay States under British Colonial Rule 1895-1941

In the time of British rule of the Federated Malay States (FMS) from 1895 to 1941, many Indians, especially the Tamils from South India, were brought in as labourers. Long-term Tamil primary schools were established to cater to their children's educational needs. This article presents a historical investigation of the development, challenges, and disparity faced by Tamil primary schools in the FMS between 1895-1941. The study employs thematic content analysis to study the primary and secondary historical sources. The findings report that four themes surrounding challenges and disparity emerged among Tamil schools in the FMS, namely building and equipment; subjects and syllabi; schoolteachers; and teacher training. The study underscores the development of Tamil schools in the FMS, the significant issues faced by the schools under British colonial rule, and the implications for children of Tamil migrants. Significantly, this study contributes new knowledge towards the history of education during British colonialism, emphasising the crucial role of Tamil schools in preserving language and culture and potentially shaping future research in this area.

An Evaluation of the Safety of Half-Dose Direct Oral Anticoagulants Following Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Pilot Study.

Background Total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients on preoperative anticoagulation therapy present a challenge for adult reconstructionsurgeons. The goal in managing such patients is to limit bleeding complications associated with administering the medications while preventing medical complications from withholding them. At our institution, we began a protocol in 2017 that utilizes a half-dose direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) regimen for one week followed by resuming of the full-dose regimen in select patients who underwent TJA. This study investigated the 90-day safety profile associated with this protocol compared to previous literature. Methodology A retrospective review of 898 patients from a single institution was conducted including allpatients receiving a half-dose DOAC protocol for one week followed by resuming of the full-dose regimen after total knee and total hip arthroplasty between 2017 and 2022. Data were collected on patient demographics, type of surgery, and DOAC dosage. Ninety-day complications were collected and separated into reduced dose complications of DOAC (such as cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) or venothrombotic events (VTEe)) and DOAC therapy-related complications (including wound and bleeding complications). Results In the total hip arthroplasty (THA) subgroup (n = 396, 44.10%), there were four major VTE occurrences, aligning with therange seen in historical protocols. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) incidents were three and one, respectively, both within the historical range. In the total knee arthroplasty (TKA) subgroup of 502 (55.90%) patients, there were seven major VTE events, with five DVTs and two PEs, also aligning with historical ranges. Medical complications in the THA group included no CVA events and one myocardial infarction, with the latter slightly higher than the historical range. In the TKA group, there were two medical complications, both being CVAs. Regarding bleeding complications, THA patients showed four major bleeding incidents, two blood transfusions, and two hemorrhages, with these numbers comparable to or lower than historical ranges. There were seven minor bleeding events. For TKA, there were two major bleeding events, two blood transfusions, no hemorrhages, and five minor bleeding events. Wound complications in THA included five surgery-related complications, two cases of wound dehiscence, and three infections. TKA patients experienced 17 surgery-related complications, six cases of wound dehiscence, and 11 infections. Conclusions This study suggests that the half-dose DOAC protocol in patients undergoing TJA is non-inferior to historical full-dose DOACprotocolswarranting further investigation to generalize across broader populations.

Unveiling Vernacular Features: Interdisciplinary Knowledge for the Conservation of Villa Murat in the Sorrento Peninsula

The Sorrento Peninsula is characterized by a significant occurrence of examples of vernacular architecture, which exhibit distinctive morphological and constructive features. These have been the subject of numerous studies. However, some buildings have undergone a process of transformation over time, the details of which have yet to be investigated. Architectures that initially held a rural character were enlarged and ennobled, thereby becoming what could be termed as “villas of delights”. However, these clearly manifest their origin based on the permanence of some vernacular features. This paper focuses on the analysis of a case study, Villa Murat, which is exemplary in illustrating this process. This thorough interdisciplinary research combines historical investigation, based mainly on archival documents, with a direct examination of the Villa. This has enabled the retracing of the building’s evolution and of the events that occurred in it. An integrated survey, which employed photogrammetry and laser scanning, enabled the assessment of the current state of conservation. The ultimate objective of this research is to propose conservative interventions which, in conjunction with the suggested new intended use, could ensure the preservation of the Villa.

Heritage Regeneration Models for Traditional Courtyard Houses in a Northern Chinese City (Jinan) in the Context of Urban Renewal

The fundamental disputes in urban heritage regeneration stem from variations in power dynamics and inherent value systems among stakeholders. Addressing conflicts and power differentials involving governmental bodies, market forces, community residents, experts, and scholars is crucial for fostering sustainable urban heritage development. Recently, these contradictions have grown more pronounced as China’s urbanization has transitioned from rapid expansion to a phase focused on existing urban assets. In the present research, the typical traditional courtyard-style residential buildings in Jinan, a historic city in northern China, were selected as the object of study. These houses often suffer from problems such as outdated infrastructure and low living conditions and have become difficult to adapt to contemporary urban life. A case study approach was employed focusing on a representative courtyard house to develop models for renewing and regenerating urban heritage, specifically tailored to traditional courtyard houses. The aim was to address conflicts and power disparities among urban heritage stakeholders through diverse mechanisms. Methodologically, the research integrates historical study and field investigation, participatory analysis, and policy analysis. Primary data sources include field surveys, historical research, oral interviews, and drone aerial photography. Models were constructed in the present study—namely, the heritage self-renewal, heritage revitalization, and heritage transformation models—for traditional courtyard houses. These models were designed to foster sustainable urban heritage development through collaborative efforts across various stakeholders and administrative levels. They will optimize the renewal mechanism of urban heritage, thus providing diversity and multiple possibilities for the preservation and reuse of architectural heritage in China. They aim to realize comprehensive urban heritage values, including vitality, health, efficiency, and equity, while accommodating the interests of diverse stakeholders.

Settler Colonialism and Infrastructural Decay: A Historical Perspective

Abstract: This essay provides an overview of analytical possibilities provided by a historical investigation of infrastructure's temporal fragility within a settler colonial context. Since infrastructure was a tool for forging white supremacy through the creation of a capitalist and exploitative plantationoscene, the essay suggests that the tropicality-induced accelerated decay of plantation works, dwellings, and roads worked to both entrench and subvert colonial power relations. Examining infrastructure as assemblages of human and non-human animals, matter, space, labor, and emotion can bring out the tensions embedded in Enlightenment racial thought, European imperial power, and economic, ecological, and epistemological subjugation of colonized space. Moreover, the essay concludes, such analyses can help us shift our analytical gaze towards less anthropocentric actors, agencies, and histories.

Quantifying the contributions of precipitation, topography and human activity and their coupling to the development of permanent gully

Gully erosion poses greater threat to ecological and food security globally. The gully development rate and the contributions of primary influencing factors have not been thoroughly understood, primarily due to the complicated environmental conditions characterized by climate, soil, topography, and human activities. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the gully development and contributions of its driving factors from 2013 to 2021 based on historical Google Earth images and field investigation in a typical rolling hilly watershed of northeast China. The climatic factors reflected by precipitation, topographical factors related to gully, and anthropological factors reflected by tillage ridge orientation and linear anthropological factors (LAF) including roads and shelterbelts were obtained. The tillage effect index (TEI), LAF effect index (LEI) and the distance from gully to LAF (DL) were calculated to analyze the influence of anthropological factors on gully development. The results showed that the linear, areal and volumetric gully development rates (RL, RA and RV) showed great variabilities in different periods with the average of 5.69 m year−1, 137.37 m2 year−1 and 428.54 m3 year−1, respectively. The accumulated RL, RA and RV increased exponentially or linearly with accumulated precipitation amount (P), erosive rainfall duration (RD), erosive rainfall (ER), maximum 30-min rainfall intensity (I30) and rainfall erosivity (RE) increased (P < 0.001). The slope of the gully head (HS) was identified as the primary topographic factor influencing RL. Both RA and RV showed positive power relationships with the drainage area of the gully (CA) and the upstream gully head (HA). The human activity reflected by tillage ridge orientation, unpaved road and shelterbelts had different effects on RL and RA. The increased orientation angle between gully and tillage ridge (ROA) mitigated headcut retreat for normal precipitation year but it would aggravate headcut retreat in the periods of continuous heavy rainfall. Gully bank with the ROA of 30−90° was more prone to areal development. The TEI, LEI and DL had significantly positive linear, power or exponential relations with gully development rates. The PLSR and VPA analysis indicated that topography, the interaction between topography and human activity, and the coupled effects of precipitation, topography and human activity were the main contributor of RL, RA and RV, respectively, and accounted for 34 %, 50 %, and 40 % of total variability of RL, RA and RA, respectively. This study can provide guidance for the control of gully erosion and the optimization of land use structure in the gully catchment.

A Review of Genetic Diversity Based on the Y Chromosome in the Romanian Population.

Y chromosome analysis is used in a number of practical applications, including investigations of criminal cases, establishment of paternity, searching for missing persons, studies on human migration, evolutionary research, and historical and genealogical investigations. Questions about the origin of individual ethnic groups are addressed not only through archaeological, linguistic, and ethnographic methods but also through molecular genetics methods. The study of genetic diversity in Romania is particularly interesting from several perspectives because Romania, located in Southeast Europe, is distinguished by the fact that the Carpathians and the Danube served as natural barriers against the migrations of peoples for centuries, thus influencing the genetic mixture of the population. This is relevant for understanding the history and formation of ethnic groups in the region. In addition, many ethnic minorities live in Romania, which adds an additional dimension of genetic and cultural diversity. This article aims to provide an updated picture of the genetic diversity in Romania and to highlight the significant studies carried out among the Romanian population. By analyzing the articles published in the Web of Science, Scopus, or PubMed databases, which explore genetic diversity using the Y chromosome, the aim is to better understand the current genetic panorama in Romania.

Preserving Literacy for the Transmission of the Traditional Folk Song “Hehuang Huaer” in Qinghai Province, China

Preserving literacy for the transmission of the traditional folk song “Hehuang Huaer” in Qinghai Province, China, by emphasizing literacy for transmission, demonstrates a comprehensive endeavor to protect cultural heritage and promote communal harmony. This comprehensive undertaking involves multiple facets, including historical investigation, educational endeavors, and creative rejuvenation, to guarantee the ongoing vitality and significance of “Hehuang Huaer” for future generations. By employing rigorous academic research, active involvement with the community, and creative advancements, Qinghai Province has effectively safeguarded the intricate linguistic and cultural aspects inherent in this cherished folk culture. By developing a more profound comprehension of the lyrical substance, vocal methods, and emotional portrayal inherent in “Hehuang Huaer,” practitioners and admirers actively contribute to its continuous transmission and enjoyment. Moreover, preserving “Hehuang Huaer” is evidence of Qinghai’s abundant cultural heritage, promoting cohesion, esteem, and a feeling of inclusion among its heterogeneous populations. Overall, preserving literacy for the transmission of “Hehuang Huaer” highlights the significance of cultural preservation in upholding the liveliness and distinctiveness of Qinghai’s cultural heritage.

Too Religious to Protest? Contested Thresholds of Catholic and Muslim “Intransigence” in the French Public Sphere

This article examines French Catholics’ recruitment, organization, and policing of Muslim participants in the 2012 to 2013 anti-same-sex-marriage protests La Manif Pour Tous. It argues that French Catholics are alert to forms of public participation which suggest religious “intransigence” (strict religious observance) and can be said to transgress the secular character of the public sphere. Instead, they craft a public presence that can be interpreted as secular, or “liberally” religious-and-secular, without passing the implicit threshold of intransigence. But French Catholics’ efforts to police Muslims’ and their own public visibility reveal the subjectivity and impermanence of the thresholds that are held as proof of religious intransigence. This article contributes ethnographic evidence to the historical and sociological investigation of “liberal” versus “intransigent” forms of French Catholicism and advances the anthropological study of the inequalities and privileges of Muslim and Catholic representation in secular French politics.