Chinese classical gardens are a significant cultural heritage in the history of world gardening, with their central architectural principle of "scenes changing as steps move" (步移景异) embodying traditional Chinese aesthetic ideals. This study employed the variation of visual complexity during a tour as a representation of this principle, using Jingxinzhai (静心斋) Garden as a case study. The visual environmental characteristics were quantified using the Fraclab box-counting, Canny edge detection, and DeepLab V3 + model, and the spatial distribution of fractal dimension and visual index of landscape elements were analyzed. Through partial correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and one-way ANOVA, the relevant factors (BVI, RVI, GVI, WVI) and influencing factors (BVI, RVI, GVI) and the differences among landscape element combinations of visual complexity were identified. Furthermore, the distribution patterns and causes of visual complexity in Chinese classical gardens were then discussed. This study proposes an effective method for quantifying the visual environmental characteristics of Chinese classical gardens and provides an explanation of the concept of "scenes changing as steps move" from the perspective of visual environment. It offers important references for a deeper understanding of Chinese classical garden design and planning.
The diachronic evolution of ancient Chinese military science is replete with profound philosophy and rich practical experience. This paper aims to delve into the diachronic evolution of the content of ancient Chinese military texts from the perspective of information science, utilizing information technology to address the primary research problem of how ancient military thought and practices evolved over time. By collecting representative military texts from various historical periods in China and supplementing the data with translations via machine translation technology, a comprehensive corpus of ancient Chinese military texts has been constructed. Based on this corpus, various methods such as BERTopic topic modeling, automatic summarization, and named entity recognition have been employed to meticulously explore and analyze the themes, ideas, and technologies within these ancient military texts. The results indicate that the inheritance of the ideas from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu is primarily concentrated in the Warring States period and the Song and Yuan dynasties. Moreover, the themes and technologies in ancient Chinese military texts exhibit a trend of gradual enrichment and diversification over the course of history.
AbstractFungi have an essential role in deterioration of historical leather bindings, leading to major problems in the preservative state of these artifacts. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of some fungicides and nanoparticles materials against fungal activity of historical leather bindings. Historical leather binding from an illuminated paper manuscript dating back to the Mamluk period (1250–1516 AD) at the Al-Azhar library, Cairo, Egypt was examined for fungal infection, and isolation. Results of the present study showed, 21 fungal isolates were isolated and identified using morphological and molecular techniques as Alternaria alternate (5%), Aspergillus fumigatus (43%), Aspergillus niger (43%), Aspergillus terrus (5%), and Penicillium chrysogenum (5%). All fungal isolates exhibited proteolytic activity. Aspergillus niger (2–7) and Aspergillus fumigatus (3–4) achieved the highest proteolytic activity amongst obtained fungal strains. Seven fungicides, difenoconazole, propiconazole, azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, boscalid, dimethomorph, and thiophanate-methyl as individual active ingredient and two mixtures [difenoconazole combined with propiconazole (1:1)] and [boscalid combined with pyraclostrobin (2:1)] were evaluated at different concentrations against A. fumigatus and A. niger. Additionally, the effect of titanium and silicon dioxides nanoparticles, against the highest proteolytic fungi A. fumigatus and A. niger was evaluated. The fungal growth inhibition was assessed by the disc diffusion method (DDM). The results revealed that individual or mixed boscalid and pyraclostrobin fungicides at 300 ppm achieved the highest inhibition activity against A. fumigatus, but the linear diagram showed that individual boscalid and pyraclostrobin fungicides at 200 ppm was the ideal concentration for application with the leather samples in the future study. The mixture of boscalid + pyraclostrobin (2:1) exhibited the best preservation effect against A. niger achieving 65.9%, and 82.4% microbial inhibition at 150, and 300 ppm, respectively, followed by individual boscalid fungicide.
Clay sealing represents the key physical example of the document sealing system of the Qin dynasty in ancient China. However, only the inscriptions and aesthetic values of clay sealings have been discussed until now, and the relevant sources have not been traced from the perspective of scientific analysis. A total of 81 clay sealings unearthed in Xi'an were studied via ultra-depth field microscopy, petrographic microstructure analysis and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. The relevant methods of tracing and making clay samples are discussed based on the results of the literature investigation and elemental analysis. The composition, technology and spatial links between different clay sealings collected from all over the country show that highly organized sealing materials and systematic processes are important parts of the establishment of unified China. They also provide detailed and effective scientific information that is useful for the future preservation of clay sealings protection and further archaeological research.
Abstract In the late Anatolian Seljuk period (1243–1308), architectural design took on new symbolic significance, focusing on grandeur and ornamentation as a response to the shifting political landscape. One of the critical features of this era is the transformation seen in the geometric layouts of some muqarnas designs, exemplified explicitly in Konya Sahip Ata mosque muqarnas (1258). While the arrangements may appear irregular at first glance, closer analysis reveals that they are structured according to a dodecagonal system. This study focuses on the geometric layouts in the plan projections of Sahip Ata mosque muqarnas, showing that dodecagrams were used to organize these complex patterns, reflecting an advanced and deliberate approach to design during this transitional period.
AbstractThis article describes a quantitative assessment method proposed to quickly identify the degree of deterioration of hardened leather artefacts. We used three techniques to artificially age samples, namely, dry-heat ageing (DH), UV-ageing (UV), and alkali-thermal ageing (AT). The deterioration mechanisms were studied via thermogravimetry/derivative thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Combined with amide III band deconvolution and second derivative fitting, we constructed a method for assessing the degree of deterioration by the relative content of random coils (referred to as R) in the secondary structure of the protein. The results show that with increasing ageing time, the macrostructures and microstructures of the leather changed to varying degrees. This study elucidates the differential behaviour of vegetable-tanned leather collagen under oxidative and hydrolytic mechanisms. Based on the deterioration characteristics and fitting results, we divided the hardened leather into the following three levels. Mild deterioration: 0 ≤ R ≤ 5%; leather with reduced pores and slight dryness and hardness but with a stable collagen structure; if the β-sheet content is ≥ 68% at this point, the leather may be recrosslinked by ultraviolet irradiation. Moderate deterioration: 6 ≤ R ≤ 25%; partial hydrogen bond breaking in leather, loosening of the collagen–tan matrix, dry and hard curling of the leather surface, and fibre cementation. Severe deterioration: R ≥ 40%, β-sheet ≤ 24%, and the α-helix is higher; surface reflection, severe macroscopic deformation and embrittlement, and the breakdown and gelatinization of the three-stranded helical structure of leather proteins. The quantitative analysis method was suitable for studying the deterioration mechanisms and assessing the degree of deterioration in Heishanling leather artefacts, which also provides a new practical scheme for assessing the degree of hardened leather. Graphical Abstract
This study addresses the issue of the existence of a considerable number of ancient ceramic fragments within the gene pool of ancient ceramics in Jingdezhen, as well as the limited efficacy of manual restoration techniques. To this end, an ancient ceramic restoration method based on the stitching of ancient ceramic textures through image processing is proposed. By employing the optimal single responsiveness matrix and state transfer equation, coupled with a random sampling strategy to ascertain the precise matching points and a consistency checking mechanism to preclude erroneous matching, the optimal single responsiveness matrix is devised to meticulously transform and stitch ancient ceramic textures. The dynamic programming idea is employed to identify the optimal stitching path, thereby enhancing the quality of the stitching and facilitating the precise, seamless, and natural integration of the ancient ceramic texture. The average peak signal-to-noise ratio of the stitched image of ancient ceramics is 58.7554, and the mean square error is 0.0866, which demonstrates the efficacy of image processing technology in the restoration of ancient ceramics and facilitates the intelligent advancement of cultural protection.
In this work, a novel Zr-based MOFs material (D-NH2-UiO-66) with multi-stage pore structure was prepared by introducing defects in NH2-UiO-66 through a ligand regulation strategy, aiming to enhance the SO2 adsorption performance and be applied to purify the cultural relic storage environment. The research demonstrated that the defect engineering effectively increased the pore diameter of the precursor material, leading to the exposure of internal adsorption sites within the framework and the utilization of defect sites, thereby increasing the number of adsorption sites. Moreover, the enlargement of pore diameter facilitated the diffusion of gas molecules within the framework, which enhanced the mass transfer process. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to deeply investigate the impact of defect structures on the adsorption mechanism. In addition, breakthrough experiments were conducted to assess the adsorption performance of D-NH2-UiO-66 towards SO2, and the material's potential application in cultural relic storage environments was explored through controlled laboratory tests. The results indicated that this material possesses outstanding SO2 adsorption performance, effectively improving the integrity of paper fibers and enhancing the tensile strength of the paper. This study not only provides new insights into the application of MOFs materials in environmental protection but also offers an effective solution for the preservation of cultural heritage.
Cultural diversity conservation is crucial for global sustainability, especially in rural areas facing challenges such as shrinking settlements and integration into nature reserves. However, existing research lacks discussion on how to establish cultural diversity conservation areas while considering the trade-offs with nature reserves. To address this gap, we employ the SCP method to develop a planning framework that balances ecosystem service benefits for nature conservation with the effectiveness of cultural diversity conservation, applied in rural Southwest China. Our findings indicate that overly ambitious or conservative conservation goals hinder cultural diversity conservation, whereas a value-based scenario enhances conservation effectiveness and reduces conflicts with rural natural ecosystems. We propose rural cultural diversity conservation networks comprising 9 cultural diversity areas, 33 core conservation areas, and 233 subcatchments. Compared with existing systems, our new conservation networks improve effectiveness by 29.62% and reduce the impact on the ecosystem service benefits of ecological conservation by 23.65%. These findings provide guidance for global cultural diversity conservation planning and sustainable development across various regions and scales.
Abstract The eco-industry is an effective path to achieve ecological and economic sustainable development. However, the role played by Rosa roxburghii Tratt (R. roxburghii) industry in karst desertification control still needs to be determined. In this study, we predict the suitability probability and driving variables of R. roxburghii's distribution through a Maximum Entropy model, combining climate, population, vegetation, and soil data, and conducted a sample plot survey in a high-suitability area to explore the role of the R. roxburghii industry in ecological services by using adjacent non-R. roxburghii patches as comparisons. The results showed that South China Karst, with its simultaneous rain and heat climate characteristics, was the most suitable area for the industrialization of R. roxburghii in the world. In South China Karst, the area of no, low, medium, and high suitability zones for R. roxburghii was 4.2 × 105, 6.12 × 105, 4.64 × 105, and 4.42 × 105 km2, respectively, and population distribution was the dominant variable controlling its distribution. The net primary productivity, soil conservation, water conservation, mean species abundance, and aboveground biomass of the R. roxburghii monoculture plot in the high-suitability area were significantly lower than those of adjacent non-R. roxburghii lands and forest patches. Furthermore, the monoculture had higher trade-offs between provision, regulation, and support service. This study found that the monoculture of R. roxburghii industry, dominated by human activities, failed to improve ecological services and exacerbated the trade-offs between services. Therefore, future karst desertification control still needs to follow the agroforestry development path.
Ancient murals, invaluable cultural artifacts, frequently suffer damage from environmental and human factors, necessitating effective restoration techniques. Traditional methods, which rely on manual skills, are time-consuming and often inconsistent. This study introduces an innovative mural restoration approach using a generative adversarial network (GAN) within a UNet architecture. The generator integrates Transformer and convolutional neural network (CNN) components, effectively capturing and reconstructing complex mural features. This work's novelty lies in integrating the Group-wise Multi-scale Self-Attention (GMSA), an Encoder-Decoder Feature Interaction (EDFI) module, and a Local Feature Enhancement Block (LFEB). These components allow the model to better capture, reconstruct, and enhance mural features, leading to a significant improvement over traditional restoration methods. Tested on a dataset of Tang Dynasty murals, the method demonstrated superior performance in PSNR, SSIM, and LPIPS metrics compared to seven other techniques. Ablation studies confirmed the effectiveness of the heterogeneous network design and the critical contributions of the GMSA, EDFI, and LFEB modules. Practical restoration experiments showed the method's ability to handle various types of mural damage, providing seamless and visually authentic restorations. This novel approach offers a promising solution for the digital preservation and restoration of cultural heritage murals, with potential applications in practical restoration projects.
Abstract Under the background of the transformation of resource-based cities, heritage as the symbolic cultural representation plays a synergistic role in revitalizing urban vibrancy. A majority of contemporary research focuses on specific heritage restoration and renovation. However, scant literature has been concerned with an integrated heritage corridor upgrading framework from the spatial quality perspective, which has limited effects on promoting urban socio-cultural development. This research aims to evaluate the heritage corridor through the GIS-based environmental spatial model (ESM) with multi-source data and verification through AI-based image semantic segmentation analysis, cultivating suggestions for heritage restoration and management to revitalize the holistic urban–rural areas. The research takes a resource-based city, Fengfeng Mining District (FMD) in Handan, China, as a research case. The research found heterogeneity of the heritage evaluation results and their geographical distribution, and image-based spatial quality verification evidenced the suitability and reliability of ESM for heritage assessment. This research proposes a quantitative and holistic evaluation framework for assessing and improving heritage corridors. The restoration and optimization of heritage corridors should combine a comprehensive, precise, and people-oriented spatial quality assessment, and the GIS-based ESM analysis method could be an effective decision-making support system.
Abstract Forty-six ceramic shards from the Early Bronze Age (EBA) archaeological site of Tappeh Gabri (the archaeological site 013), dated back to the latter half of the third millennium BCE and located at the Varzaneh Plain, central Iran, were studied using micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (µ-EDXRF) and petrographic analysis. The precision and accuracy of quantitative data obtained by µ-EDXRF were tested using a series of geological certified reference materials (CRM). The expanded uncertainty and the Mantel test on data obtained by µ-EDXRF showed accurate and precise quantitative µ-EDXRF estimation of elements present in the CRMs above their quantification limit. We show that the majority of the ceramics at the Varzaneh Plain is most probably local product. Discussions prompted collecting further compositional data and performing petrographic investigation from the ceramic shards from southern and south-western Iran in order to shed light on the origin of the ceramic shards excavated at the Varzaneh Plain.
In order to protect the precious cultural heritage of the pagoda in the mountainous area from the damage caused by falling rocks, we provide targeted and effective research support and protection strategy basis. ABAQUS finite element analysis software is used to accurately simulate and analyze the response of the pagoda under the impact load of falling rocks. Firstly, the geometric modeling of the tower structure is carried out in a meticulous manner to ensure that the model accurately reflects the real shape and structural characteristics of the tower, and the material properties are assigned to it rigorously and accurately, so as to construct a finite element model that is highly adapted to the actual situation. Subsequently, the impacts of falling rocks on the pagoda under different working conditions, such as different velocities, radii, impact angles and impact heights, are comprehensively and systematically simulated to assess the structural safety and stability of the pagoda from all angles. This paper clearly reveals that the velocity, radius, impact angle and impact height of falling stones are the core key position in the structural safety assessment of the pagoda, and they are the decisive factors affecting the structural safety of the pagoda. These findings not only deepen the scientific knowledge of the response mechanism of the pagoda under the impact of falling rocks, but also provide a solid theoretical foundation and a clear direction for the subsequent development of accurate and efficient protection measures against falling rocks.
The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) is vital for stabilizing climate in East and South Asia and its glaciers and snow meltwater nourish key continental rivers. The region's forests are not only ecologically essential but also fragile. The practices of local herdsmen, shaped by long-standing cultural traditions, significantly affect forest dynamics. This study examines the vital role that Tibetan Buddhist monasteries play in forest conservation on the QTP. We utilize data sources including extensive field surveys and geospatial data to assess the impact of monastery and village locations on forest conditions. Spatial analysis techniques, such as Moran's I and Ripley's K function, reveal significant clustering of monasteries and villages, which are closely linked with forest conditions. Our findings indicate that forests near Buddhist monasteries have higher aboveground biomass and better quality compared to other areas, suggesting that their presence supports better forest conservation practices. This positive influence is attributed to the cultural significance of these sites and the environmental consciousness promoted by Buddhist cultural teachings. Additionally, this study employs analytical methods including Random Forest and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to explore the drivers of forest quality. Initial aboveground biomass, climatic factors, and monastery density emerge as key influences on forest quality within monastery buffer zones, indicating that cultural factors are crucial in shaping forest landscapes.
As one of the pioneering nations to heed the Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) initiative, China has implemented a comprehensive evaluation and protection framework for China's Nationally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (CNIAHS). This research concentrated on 188 CNIAHS sites, utilizing methodologies including spatial information entropy, kernel density estimation and hotspot analysis to scrutinize the spatial configurations and evolutionary trajectories of CNIAHS throughout six historical epochs; combined with the history of agriculture in different periods, the laws of the formation of CNIAHS spatial distribution are discovered, and a foundation for the construction of CNIAHS protection system under the background of national spatial planning are provided. The results disclose: (1) CNIAHS manifests a clustered spatial distribution, predominantly situated in the southeastern sector of China's Yangtze River Basin, with Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Jiangxi provinces emerging as significant hotspot areas; (2) concerning spatial pattern evolution, heritage sites experienced a phased transitional process, migrating from western frontier areas to the central Yellow River Basin, subsequently concentrating in the southeastern Yangtze River Basin, and then redistributing back to frontier regions. This progression has cumulatively formed a spatial pattern mainly concentrated in southeastern China; (3) pertaining to typological patterns, high-value crop and spice systems exhibit a clustered spatial distribution, whereas other types display uniform or dispersed configurations; and (4) the complexity of spatial patterns in various regions increased over different periods, with the number of heritage sites demonstrating cumulative characteristics. The spatial patterns indicated weakly correlated transitional shifts, signifying a non-linear progression in the spatial patterns of CNIAHS. (5) The subsequent excavation of CNIAHS should fan out from point to area to promote the exploration of various types of CNIAHS in northeast and southwest China; and the excavation of marine heritage in the southeast China. These insights provide substantial references for the future exploration and preservation of CNIAHS.
As a vital carrier of traditional culture, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) not only preserves historical value but also fosters cultural identity and confidence. This study utilizes explainable machine learning and coupled coordination models to analyze the spatial distribution and formation mechanisms of ICH resources in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai (Jiang-Zhe-Hu). The results indicate that (1) ICH resources in the Jiang-Zhe-Hu exhibit a clustered distribution pattern characterized by "three primary cores and two secondary cores." The primary core areas are Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou, while the secondary core areas are Yangzhou and Nanjing. (2) Population, number of religious places, and GDP have a significant positive impact on the distribution of ICH in the Jiang-Zhe-Hu. NDVI and road mileage have relatively minor effects on ICH distribution. (3) In terms of ICH resources, Zhejiang Province overall has a higher level than Jiangsu Province, with Lishui having the highest evaluation value and the most abundant resources. Regarding the level of tourism industry development, Shanghai has the highest comprehensive evaluation value, followed by Suzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou, all of which have relatively high levels of tourism development. (4) According to the coupled coordination model analysis, Shanghai demonstrates the best coupling degree between ICH resources and the tourism industry, achieving a good coordination level. In Jiangsu Province, the integration of ICH resources and the tourism industry is relatively better in the southern (e.g., Nanjing, Suzhou), but there are still imbalances in development in the northern. Zhejiang Province has an overall higher degree of integration between ICH and the tourism industry compared to Jiangsu, with more balanced development. However, there is still room for improvement in the deep integration of ICH resources with the tourism industry.
Thangka image captioning aims to automatically generate accurate and complete sentences that describe the main content of Thangka images. However, existing methods fall short in capturing the features of the core deity regions and the surrounding background details of Thangka images, and they significantly lack an understanding of local actions and interactions within the images. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Thangka image captioning model based on Salient Attention and Local Interaction Aggregator (SALIA). The model is designed with a Dual-Branch Salient Attention Module (DBSA) to accurately capture the expressions, decorations of the deity, and descriptive background elements, and it introduces a Local Interaction Aggregator (LIA) to achieve detailed analysis of the characters' actions, facial expressions, and the complex interactions with surrounding elements in Thangka images. Experimental results show that SALIA outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations of Thangka image captioning, achieving BLEU4: 94.0%, ROUGE_L: 95.0%, and CIDEr: 909.8% on the D-Thangka dataset, and BLEU4: 22.2% and ROUGE_L: 47.2% on the Flickr8k dataset.
Point cloud completion technology is used to address incomplete three-dimensional point cloud data, predicting and reconstructing the original shape and details to achieve virtual restoration. While existing learning-based methods have made significant progress in point cloud completion, they still face challenges when dealing with noise and invisible data. To address these issues, this paper proposes a multi-layer upsampling network based on a graph attention mechanism, called GANet. GANet consists of three main components: (1) feature extraction; (2) seed point generation; (3) State Space Model-based Point Cloud Upsampling Layer. GANet demonstrates exceptional robustness in handling noise and invisible data. To validate the effectiveness of GANet, we applied it to Terracotta Warrior data. The Terracotta Warriors, as important cultural heritage, present a challenging test case due to damage and missing parts caused by prolonged burial and environmental factors. We trained and tested GANet on both the PCN dataset and Terracotta Warrior data, comparing it with several recent learning-based methods. Experimental results show that GANet can effectively reconstruct missing or damaged parts of 3D point clouds, providing more detailed and structurally accurate completion results. These completion models not only validate GANet's effectiveness but also offer valuable references for cultural heritage restoration work.
Abstract The excavation of ivory and other artifacts from the Sanxingdui Ruins holds profound research significance in tracing of both the ancient Shu and Chinese civilizations. After being unearthed, a large quantity of ivory encountered issues such as dehydration, pulverization, and cracking, resulting from poor preservation conditions. To establish effective long-term conservation strategies for the excavated ivory, this paper takes the dentin of excavated ivory from the No.7 Sacrificial Pit (K7) at the Sanxingdui Ruins as the research object, focusing on the primary correlation between its microscopic porous structure and moisture states. The results show that the organic collagen protein component of the excavated ivory has already undergone basically diagenetic degradation. The remaining main mineral phases are hydroxyapatite and carbonated hydroxyapatite, exhibiting a mixed crystal structure with mainly needle-like and secondary lamellar. The porosity of the excavated ivory, as measured by dry and wet methods, is approximately 62 and 60%, respectively. The pore size distributions are primarily concentrated in the ranges of 5–100 nm for the dry method and 10–200 nm for the wet method. These diverse and heterogeneous pore structures store approximately 35–38% of water as free water and adsorbed water. Free water is primarily found in dentinal tubules, interlayer gaps and cracks, providing volume support and stabilizing equilibrium with the external environment. Adsorbed water is mainly present in the pores (d < 100 nm), providing support function through intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonding. The deterioration of excavated ivory is positively correlated with the loss of moisture. This is due to irreversible structural damage caused by the loss of water’s supportive, bonding, and stabilizing effects. Among them, the rapid migration and evaporation of free water affect the expansion of cracks and the formation of new fissures. This study offer a robust scientific basis and valuable insights for the subsequent conservation of excavated ivory, and also provide guidance for the research of other fragile bone and horn relics.
