Examining ecosystem(dis-)services on liver fluke infection in rural Northeast Thailand

Background The direct reliance of humans on and their interactions with freshwater ecosystems in the Lower Mekong Basin have given rise to parasitic infections,which is particularly prevalent in Northeast Thailand where raw fish consumption is practiced.This study examined the interactions between environments,ecosystem(dis-)services,human raw fish consumption habits,and raw fish dish sharing on liver fluke infection risk.Method Water fecal contents and the first intermediate snail host were sampled between June and September of 2019.One hundred twenty questionnaires were surveyed in two villages of different environmental surroundings,one next to a river and the other located inland,in Northeast Thailand.Multivariate regression analyses using linear mixed effect models assessed the influence of social,behavioral and perceptual factors on raw fish consumption frequency,willingness to avoid consumption and liver fluke infection status.Social network analysis compared the degree of raw fish dish sharing between the villages and assessed the probable influence of connections to fish procurement locations and sharing activities on liver fluke infection risk.Results High abundance of the first intermediate snail host and presence of fecal contamination in water could endanger both villages to ecosystem disservices of parasitic transmission.The river-side village relied more on provisioning ecosystem services than the inland village(29.7%vs.16.1%of villages)to consume raw fish as their main source of protein.Males in both villages(64.5 and 40.4 days/year for the respective villages)are also likely to consume koi pla and pla som,higher risk fish dishes,more frequently than females(4.1 and 4.3 days/year for the respective villages).The consumption habits of both villages were driven mostly by deriving cultural ecosystem services.Participation in raw fish dish sharing activities significantly reduced the odds of an individual being willing to avoid the consumption(Odds ratio=0.19).Network analysis suggested that river-side villagers had a more direct raw fish dish sharing interaction and they procured fish from multiple locations;these characteristics might potentially account for more liver fluke infected households in the village.Conclusion Villagers’raw fish consumption is driven by deriving cultural ecosystem services,and the geographic settings of the villages potentially affect villagers’fish procurement locations and infection risk.The findings underscore the linkages between villagers and their surrounding ecosystem environments as pertinent determinants for foodborne parasitic disease risk.

Computing for Chinese Cultural Heritage

Implementing computational methods for preservation,inheritance,and promotion of Cultural Heritage(CH)has become a research trend across the world since the 1990s.In China,generations of scholars have dedicated themselves to studying the country’s rich CH resources;there are great potential and opportunities in the field of computational research on specific cultural artefacts or artforms.Based on previous works,this paper proposes a systematic framework for Chinese Cultural Heritage Computing that consists of three conceptual levels which are Chinese CH protection and development strategy,computing process,and computable cultural ecosystem.The computing process includes three modules:(1)data acquisition and processing,(2)digital modeling and database construction,and(3)data application and promotion.The modules demonstrate the computing approaches corresponding to different phases of Chinese CH protection and development,from digital preservation and inheritance to presentation and promotion.The computing results can become the basis for the generation of cultural genes and eventually the formation of computable cultural ecosystem Case studies on the Mogao caves in Dunhuang and the art of Guqin,recognized as world’s important tangible and intangible cultural heritage,are carried out to elaborate the computing process and methods within the framework.With continuous advances in data collection,processing,and display technologies,the framework can provide constructive reference for building up future research roadmaps in Chinese CH computing and related fields,for sustainable protection and development of Chinese CH in the digital age.

An Outline of"Holistic Poetics"

In terms of technical approach,holistic poetics takes the Lord-Foley oral-formulaic theory as the main line,and partially absorbs the concepts,tools and models of"ethnopoetics"and"performance theory";in methodological terms,it borrows Smuts'concept of"holism"to grasp the whole picture and characteristics of oral literature from the holistic point of view,while at the same time endeavoring to combine the analytical method with the holistic one;and in terms of world view,it starts with historical materialism as the basis for understanding and analyzing the internal and external laws of oral literature.While emphasizing the synchronic method and paying attention to the relationship and interaction between different factors,holistic poetics introduces the dimension of historical development,thus presenting the artistic features and social functions of oral literature from multiple aspects.Compared with the written word and the Internet,"orality"is an information skill that has a long history but always remains new.As it has been dominant for a long time,it is a reasonable starting point for the"holistic view."