The Historical Development of Literary Anthropology in China

From a perspective of the correlation between literature and anthropology,this paper unveils the background and characteristics of literary anthropology as an emerging subject.Through contrastive analysis of two correlative fields,this paper focuses on "literary issues" and "anthropological issues," highlights literature's anthropological turn and the interaction between anthropology and literature,and reviews the brief history of literary anthropology in contemporary China.

Digital Forensics for Skulls Classification in Physical Anthropology Collection Management

The size,shape,and physical characteristics of the human skull are distinct when considering individual humans.In physical anthropology,the accurate management of skull collections is crucial for storing and maintaining collections in a cost-effective manner.For example,labeling skulls inaccurately or attaching printed labels to skulls can affect the authenticity of collections.Given the multiple issues associated with the manual identification of skulls,we propose an automatic human skull classification approach that uses a support vector machine and different feature extraction methods such as gray-level co-occurrence matrix features,Gabor features,fractal features,discrete wavelet transforms,and combinations of features.Each underlying facial bone exhibits unique characteristics essential to the face’s physical structure that could be exploited for identification.Therefore,we developed an automatic recognition method to classify human skulls for consistent identification compared with traditional classification approaches.Using our proposed approach,we were able to achieve an accuracy of 92.3–99.5%in the classification of human skulls with mandibles and an accuracy of 91.4–99.9%in the classification of human skills without mandibles.Our study represents a step forward in the construction of an effective automatic human skull identification system with a classification process that achieves satisfactory performance for a limited dataset of skull images.

Exchange of Presents:The Name and Nature of Chinese Red from the Perspective of Anthropology of Art

Chinese red refers to a key visual symbol of the multiethnic Chinese nation. From naming to local color preference, the visual experience accumulation in Chinese red lies not just in the solitary and fossilized historical relics, but in a ceaseless and dynamic process of formation, recognition, conversion and transmission. Moreover, the symbolic constitution and ethnic identi cation of Chinese red exempli es historical accomplishments in local exchanges of artifacts, technologies, systems, and outlooks with foreign partners. Therefore, as part of the country's cultural heritage, Chinese red also encompasses two aspects, cultural integration based on its identification and artistic productivity with a focus on di erentiation.

Cultural Sharing, Connectivity and Road Expansion——Cultural Transformation and Anthropology Study of World Care from the Belt and Road Initiative

The era of cultural sharing marks itself mainly in the following three aspects: First, the virtual presence which bridges the world together and further broadens our horizons to observe the world in an even more extensive way. Second, the formerly stable structural relationship between peripheral regions and central regions gradually grows uncertain. Third, the establishment of cyberized roads or the cyberized expansion of roads leads the advance toward a global connectivity where the virtual world closely interacts with the real world. After "the Belt" concept comes into being, the anthropologists must upgrade their research from previously established fixed-point perspective to a more extensive observation over the "Belt" or a wider range, while the concept of "the Road" encourages anthropologists to study the culture of the other half of the world, namely, to read the world history as a whole new picture from a Chinese or eastern point of view. It is necessary for anthropology to break the geological and cultural borders in the real world to extend its antenna to a more extensive range, which will also bring the "otherness" of this field to a more prominent and obvious play. It is inevitable that all human cultures are about to take a core standing in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Functions and Characteristics of Verbal Discourse:From Rhetoric to Anthropology

The essay describes a common research field between rhetoric and anthropology composed by these elements:(1)the forms and model of verbal language;(2)the analysis of the peculiar properties of orality;(3)the elements of distinction between orality and literacy;(4)the study of factors and conditions that make the spoken word effective,and in the fact that it can exercise persuasive power over the people to whom it is addressed.These topics have been analyzed by prominent authors such as Gorgias,Aristotle,Cicero,Perelman,Goody,Lévi-Strauss.

Observation of Medical Anthropology on Covid-19 Variants Epidemic Prevention Based on the Community-Level Governance Experience of Shenzhen in 2022

In recent years,the thinking and research on the prevention and control of Covid-19 Variants Epidemic is not only the technical operation level discussion in the public health and disease prevention academic circles,there is also growing academic interest in comparative research on public health governance and different paradigms.Based on the experience of Shenzhen's epidemic prevention and control team at the community governance level in 2022,based on the observational perspective of medical anthropology,and through comparison with Hong Kong's anti-epidemic experience,this paper deeply analyzes the function and impact of traditional medical methods in epidemic prevention and control.Then the authors cite the paradigm of‘systems medicine’and research results in recent years,closely link the research topic with community governance in methodological sense,so as to promote public health and epidemic prevention research that aim at the combination of technology and humanities.

Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Research

The Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)takes pride in its timehonored academic research covering an extensive and refined disciplinary spectrum of paleontology and paleoanthropology,spanning from invertebrate paleontology,vertebrate paleontology,biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy,to paleoanthropology.Over the past four decades,a lot of heart-stopping discoveries have emerged from these fields,thanks to the long-term efforts made by generations of CAS scholars and their cooperators.

Virtual anthropology-a brief review of the literature and history of computed tomography

Computed tomography(CT)has influenced numerous fields since its inception in the 1970s.The field of palaeoanthropology significantly benefited from this efficient and non-invasive medium in terms of the conservation,reconstruction and analysis of fossil human remains.Over the past decade,there has been a steady increase in the number of forensic anthropological studies incorporating virtual osteological analyses.Because of the increasing importance of these modern cross-sectional imaging techniques and the requirement for standardized parameters in forensic science,we deemed it important to outline the history and development of CT applications in these related academic areas.The present paper outlines the history of“virtual anthropology”and osteological multi-detector CT in the context of palaeoanthropology and forensic anthropology.

Reflections on Studying Huang Di Nei Jing in the West

Huang Di Nei Jing(《黄帝内经》The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) has been the source text of Chinese medicine knowledge and innovation for over two thousand years. Despite this key relevance, many of its ideas and practices have proven difficult to understand and implement fully into clinical practice. Cultural and language differences can be compounded with these challenges but may also present new opportunities for advancement and insight when studied by researchers outside of the originating culture. This article introduces the method of Classical-Text Archaeology and delves into the author’s two-decade journey of researching this text, with a discussion on cultural differences and issues of medical scholarship.

A Few Important and Original Aspects of Carlo Cattaneo’s Philosophical-Linguistic Ideas

The essay has two main purposes.The first is a general reconstruction of Cattaneo’s linguistic thought,highlighting the most important aspects of both his reflections on the connection between language and the community of speakers,and his study of the functions and properties of language.The latter includes an analysis of the influence Cattaneo’s philosophy had on the sphere of Italian linguistics at the turn of the 20th century.

Virtual anthropology:a preliminary test of macroscopic observation versus 3D surface scans and computed tomography(CT)scans

Virtual anthropology(VA)is based on applying anthropological methods currently used to analyse bones to 3D models of human remains.While great advances have been made in this endeavour in the past decade,several interrogations concerning how reliable these models are and what their proper use should be remain unanswered.In this research,a fundamental assumption of VA has been investigated:if the way we perceive and apply an anthropological method is truly similar when looking at bones macroscopically and through various 3D media.In order to answer,10 skulls of known age and sex were scanned using a computed tomography(CT)scanner and a 3D surface scanner.Two observers separately applied a defined staging method to eight suture sites on these skulls,first looking at the bone macroscopically,then at the 3D surface scan,and finally on the CT scan.Two rounds of observation were carried out by each observer.Intra-and inter-observer error were evaluated,and two sample t-tests used to evaluate if the different types of medium used yielded significantly different observations.The results show a high degree of inter-observer error,and that data obtained from 3D surface scans differ from macroscopic observation(confidence level 95%,P≤0.05).CT scans,in these settings,yielded results comparable to those obtained through macroscopic observations.These results offer many possibilities for future research,including indications on the kind of anthropological methods and anatomical landmarks that might be reliably transferable to the virtual environment.All current methods used in traditional anthropology should be tested,and if they prove unreliable,new techniques to analyse bones from virtual models should be developed.

Recent applications of isotope analysis to forensic anthropology

Isotope analysis has become an increasingly valuable tool in forensic anthropology case-work over the past decade. Modern-day isotopic investigations on human remains have integrated the use of multi-isotope profiles (e.g. C, N, O, H, S, Sr, and Pb) as well as iso-topic landscapes ("isoscapes") from multiple body tissues (e.g. teeth, bone, hair, and nails) to predict possible region-of-origin of unidentified human remains. Together, data from various isotope analyses provide additional lines of evidence for human identification, including a decedent's possible region-of-birth, long-term adult residence, recent travel history, and dietary choices. Here, we present the basic principles of isotope analysis and provide a brief overview of instrumentation, analytical standards, sample selection, and sample quality measures. Finally, we present case studies that reflect the diverse applications of isotope analysis to the medicolegal system before describing some future research directions. As shown herein, isotope analysis is a flexible and powerful geolocation tool that can provide new investigative leads for unidentified human remains cases.

The role of forensic anthropology in disaster victim identification(DVI):recent developments and future prospects

Forensic anthropological knowledge has been used in disaster victim identification(DVI)for over a century,but over the past decades,there have been a number of disaster events which have seen an increasing role for the forensic anthropologist.The experiences gained from some of the latest DVI operations have provided valuable lessons that have had an effect on the role and perceived value of the forensic anthropologist as part of the team managing the DVI process.This paper provides an overview of the ways in which forensic anthropologists may contribute to DVI with emphasis on how recent experiences and developments in forensic anthropology have augmented these contributions.Consequently,this paper reviews the value of forensic anthropological expertise at the disaster scene and in the mortuary,and discusses the way in which forensic anthropologists may use imaging in DVI efforts.Tissue-sampling strategies for DNA analysis,especially in the case of disasters with a large amount of fragmented remains,are also discussed.Additionally,consideration is given to the identification of survivors;the statistical basis of identification;the challenges related to some specific disaster scenarios;and education and training.Although forensic anthropologists can play a valuable role in different phases of a DVI operation,they never practice in isolation.The DVI process requires a multidisciplinary approach and,therefore,has a close collaboration with a range of forensic specialists.

Contributions of forensic anthropology to positive scientific identification:a critical Review

This review covers previous and current literature on the impact of forensic anthropologists on the positive scientific identification of human remains and aims to provide an under-standing of what information a forensic anthropologist can contribute to an investigation. Forensic anthropologists looking to identify human remains study traits of the skeleton and any orthopedic devices present. In order to obtain a positive scientific identification, evi-dence that is both sufficiently unique to the individual and comparable to available ante-mortem data from that individual must be found. The increased availability of radiographs, scans and implants in recent decades has facilitated the identification process. When these records are unavailable, other techniques, such as craniofacial superimposition and facial approximation, can be employed. While these methods may assist the identification process, they are most useful for exclusion of certain individuals and gathering leads from the public. Forensic anthropologists have heavily relied on the skull and its complexities for identifica-tion – typically focusing on the frontal sinus and other unique traits. Post-cranial remains can provide important information about bone density, possible disease and other character-istics that may also be utilized. Techniques used to positively identify individuals are not limited to medicolegal death investigations, and have been useful in other legal contexts. In the future, a team approach, utilizing all the information gathered by multiple forensic scientists–including forensic anthropologists–will most likely become more common.

The impact of scavenging:perspective from casework in forensic anthropology

Forensic anthropology casework frequently encounters evidence of animal scavenging asso-ciated with fragmentation and loss of skeletal material.Published research demonstrates that patterns of destruction in bone can suggest the size and type of animal involved.This study analyzes 107 cases reported on by the first author at the Smithsonian Institution to investigate patterns of scavenging in forensic anthropology casework.This investigation reveals that the extent of scavenger impact varies across the body,but primarily is concen-trated in the central body area.Although extensive animal scavenging can limit analysis,some evidence of foul play can be preserved.

Recent advancements in the analysis of bone microstructure: new dimensions in forensic anthropology

Bone is a mechanically active,three-dimensionally(3D)complex,and dynamic tissue that changes in structure over the human lifespan.Bone tissue exists and remodels in 3D and changes over time,introducing a fourth dimension.The products of the remodelling process,secondary and fragmentary osteons,have been studied substantially using traditional two-dimensional(2D)techniques.As a result,much has been learned regarding the biological information encrypted in the histomorphology of bone,yielding a wealth of information relating to skeletal structure and function.Three-dimensional imaging modalities,however,hold the potential to provide a much more comprehensive understanding of bone microarchitecture.The visualization and analysis of bone using high-resolution 3D imaging will improve current understandings of bone biology and have numerous applications in both biological anthropology and biomedicine.Through recent technological advancements,we can hone current anthropological applications of the analysis of bone microstructure and accelerate research into the third and fourth dimensional realms.This review will explore the methodological approaches used historically by anthropologists to assess cortical bone microstructure,spanning from histology to current ex vivo imaging modalities,discuss the growing capabilities of in vivo imaging,and conclude with an introduction of novel nonhistological modalities for investigating bone quality.

Recommendations for procedures related to the evidence chain of custody in forensic anthropology in Brazil

Forensic anthropologists perform specialised analysis,mainly involving skeletonised human remains,cadavers in advanced stages of decomposition,disassociated elements from the human body,and human remains in extreme carbonisation.The main objectives of the forensic anthropology expertise are human identification and assisting in determining the cause and manner of death.Estimating the time since death is also a priority for some cases,especially ones involving missing persons.This science works on individual cases,violent deaths,missing persons,mass disasters,suspected violations of human rights,and crimes against humanity.Forensic anthropological evidence is,in general,very sensitive.Thus,it is important to detail aspects relevant to the maintenance of the chain of custody at all phases of the investigation,as well as standardise the actions of the individuals involved.This aims to preserve the evidence integrity and sameness(Sameness:free translation of the Portuguese word“mesmidade”,derived from a Spanish word that does not possess a translation to Portuguese.Sameness of evidence is understood as the guarantee that the evidence under valuation(or under analysis of its probative value)is exactly and integrally the same one which was collected,corresponding,therefore,to“the same”(and not“part of”,“derived from”),safeguarding its value.Brazil Law No.13.964 of 14 December 2019 establishes and lists 10 phases related to the evidence chain of custody that must be followed.These newly introduced requirements resulted in the need for adaptation of the forensic,investigative,and legal actors involved in an investigation,and in the detailed description of the procedures for the different areas related to criminalistics,including forensic anthropology.The information provided in this article should be interpreted as recommendations,even though their non-compliance may weaken the investigative and forensic analysis processes in whole or in part.

Identification of a decedent in a 103-year-old homicide case using forensic anthropology and genetic genealogy

Anthropologists are often the custodians of long-term unidentified human remains though their positions as curators of university or museum skeletal collections.Various factors decrease the solvability of these legacy cases including the passage of time,the loss of provenience for specific cases,and lack of documentation or case records.While anthropologists can contribute important information toward identification,it is often necessary to explore novel and cross-disciplinary strategies to resolve difficult cold cases.In long cold cases,the postmortem interval,in particular,may be difficult to estimate leading to further challenges in achieving identification.Modern advances in radiocarbon bomb pulse dating,isotope analysis,and actualistic studies have contributed to positive identification of unidentified human remains in some legacy cases,but may not be available to all forensic practitioners and law enforcement from resource-poor agencies.Pooling resources,as well as collaborating with professionals outside of forensic anthropology,is a useful strategy to pursue when anthropological methods are exhausted.The case study presented here demonstrates a collaborative approach between forensic anthropologists,forensic genetic genealogists,and law enforcement in a century-old homicide.The dismembered and mummified parts of a male body were recovered in a remote cave in 1979 and again in 1991.Despite forensic anthropologists creating and updating the biological profile over the decades from recovery to present,no identification was made until the application of forensic genetic genealogy(FGG)to the case in 2019.New interpretations of bone microstructure and trauma analysis are presented for the case,alongside the historical documentation and“proof of life”evidence used by the genealogy team.A review of the FGG methods underscores the challenges in this case(e.g.significant endogamy,multiple aliases used by the victim)and the steps taken toward resolution.Ultimately,a combined anthropology and genealogy approach resulted in a confirmed identity for a man who was murdered in 1916.

Estimation of age in forensic anthropology:historical perspective and recent methodological advances

Estimation of age represents a central focus of forensic anthropological analysis of human skeletal remains and of the living. Advances registered in recent research include the topics of taphonomic impact, new anatomical areas of interest, histology, population variation, the dental pulp chamber, technology, mathematical approaches, biochemical analysis and techniques specifically targeting the living. This article reviews the historical development of age estimation methods and considers likely future directions.