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.
