Hidden Signs Research Articles

Эзотерический смысл мира «непреходяще ценных сутей» Жусупа Баласагуни в «Кутту билим»

В статье рассмотрена эзотерическая составляющая мира ценностей Жусупа Баласагуни в «Кутту билим». Цель — прояснить, не только и не столько внешний очевидный смысл текста, как управлять государством и обществом так, чтобы достичь «справедливого» и «разумного» «просвещённого» состояния не только правящей элиты, но и «счастливого», самодостаточного, мудрого» состояния общества. Кроме того, привлечь внимание к ещё становящейся в XI веке (время жизни и творчества поэта), возникшей в Х веке и развивавшейся по XV век средневековой классической мусульманской поэтической традиции, сердцем, которого был суфизм. Для достижения указанной выше цели были использованы историко-культурный, герменевтический, компаративистский методы, в том числе и метод контрастного понимания. Результатами статьи являются рекомендации к прочтению и актуальной интерпретации текста читателями, для адекватного раскрытия образов поэмы, артикуляции концептов, лакун и скрытых значений символов, намёков, которые невольно упускаешь из виду, если не учитываешь контекст эпохи, нацеленность автора, а также способность аудитории воспринимать знание. Текст Жусупа Баласагуна — это сложный синтез, чрезвычайно ценный, и как классический поэтический тюркоязычный шедевр, и как своеобразный тюркский (ни арабский, ни персидский) сводпрагматических «поучений владыкам», и как утонченный суфийский философский источник.

Hidden Signs? Postcritique to Solomon Marcus’s Final Article

Solomon Marcus’ final article “Hidden signs” (2016) is no coherent story but gives the sketchy outlines of his lecture notes. Marcus call needs a further explanation to his intellectual background. Marcus advanced mathematical poetics interacting between the “natural” form of literature and the “artificial” scientific fields, to be epitomized by mathematical or statistical rules. Literature and the sciences share the use of linguistic signs and symbols, but French structuralism refused to recognize the transdisciplinary relations of literature with sciences. Thus Marcus’ mathematical poetics can be set against Barthes’ negative contention by agreeing and disagreeing with the “subversive” structuralists (Lévy-Strauss and Calvino). By positioning the idea of mythical and playful interactions of science with literary phenomena, Marcus positioned this tentative hypothesis to accept the revolutionary understanding of his thoughts. The grounds of Marcus’ debate accept the understanding of his revolutionary thoughts, but the postcritical response advances the intellectual conditions and political implications of Marcus’ scholarship, which caused him to abandon the method of structuralism and embark on the semiotic expansion of the dynamism of Peirce and Derrida.

КОНЦЕПТОСФЕРА САКРАЛЬНОГО У ЗБІРЦІ "САД БОЖЕСТВЕННЫХ ПѢСНЕЙ" ГРИГОРІЯ СКОВОРОДИ

The collection of metaphysical poems by Hrihory Skovoroda "The Garden of Divine Songs" is considered from the standpoint of biblical hermeneutics and cognitive literary studies. The question of the relevance of the study of baroque lyrics through the use of modern literary methods is clarified. The expediency of using the concepts "concept" and "Christian concept" in relation to the study of the sphere of the sacred is determined. Particular attention is paid to the variety of approaches found in scientific studies of the "sacred" as a category. Analysis of poems from the collection - 30 (thirty) - presented in the form of a table with the definition of ideas, main concepts and conceptual metaphors. On the basis of the conceptual analysis, the basic concepts that form the conceptual sphere of the sacred in the collection "Garden of Divine Songs" and explained in other philosophical and poetic works of the Ukrainian artist are highlighted, namely: SIN AND ATONEMENT, GOD (CHRIST, SPIRIT), FREEDOM, HAPPINESS, SALVATION, CROSS and others. Since hermeneutic analysis is connected with the universality of linguistic structures, it seems natural to combine it with conceptual analysis in order to clarify the textual meanings in metaphysical lyrics, which, in fact, is mostly expressed by hidden signs, symbols and authorial hints in the form of intertextual inlays. The artistic interpretation of the text, which is assumed by the hermeneutic analysis, is closely related to the cognitive and evaluative characteristics of both the hidden meanings themselves and the determination of the degree of the "author's presence" in the artistic text. Therefore, the axiological component mutually determines the application of conceptual analysis, and as a result, the definition of the conceptosphere of the sacred in the above-mentioned collection of poems. Special attention is paid to the figure of Hrihory Skovoroda as an extraordinary creative nature and baroque personality who was ahead of his time and remains relevant both by himself and by his creative achievements to this day.

Невидимата антология. Литературата в последните български банкноти

There is an invisible anthology of the Bulgarian literature that we literally carry along with us and hold in our hands every day. Its “pocket edition” is constantly before our eyes. And precisely because of that, it remains invisible and hidden from us. I am speaking about the texts printed on the last Bulgarian banknotes, those that we use now and that one day will be replaced by the common European currency. we’ll demonstrate how through the selected 7 figures and their texts the ‘canon of the banknotes’ is slightly retreated from the national-revolutionary canon, yet remains in the patriotic register. There is an accent on culture and its institutions, on the openness to the European space and the world. Part of the figures that appear on the banknotes are canonical yet presented with less known para-canonical works. what I will try to do in this text is to provide a magnifying glass for seeing the hidden signs and reading the texts and stories inscribed on today’s banknotes, including the delicate female presence on one of them.

Search for statistically approved criteria for identifying money laundering risk

The paper focuses on the theoretical justification and theoretical foundations of using statistical criteria for identifying money laundering risk as a tool to prevent and counteract the legalization of bank clients’ proceeds. The hypothesis is that the coefficient of variation can be appropriately used as an identifier for money laundering risk. To prove this hypothesis, a special methodology was used: generalization, grouping, statistical analysis of time series, and correlation analysis – to identify and analyze the hidden signs of the customer income legalization in the financial activities of a bank; mathematical statistics and scaling – to determine the quantitative values of risk levels for the use of bank services for legalizing customer income. The analysis of financial activities of 32 Ukrainian banks aimed at identifying money-laundering risks showed that banks in which the National Bank of Ukraine revealed suspicious transactions with money-laundering features (16 operating banks) had much higher coefficients of variation in the volume of cash flows, in cash flows for on-demand accounts of economic entities, in cash flows of on-demand accounts for individuals, compared with banks in which violations of legislation in the field of financial monitoring were revealed (eight banks), and with banks where violations were not found (eight banks). This proves that sudden changes in customer transaction volume can be a sign of money laundering risk. AcknowledgmentState grant for fundamental scientific research “Risk-oriented approach in countering money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction” (state registration number 0118U000058).

The Technique of Security Print on Textiles with a Hidden Sign in the Near-Infrared Spectrum

The Technique of Security Print on Textiles with a Hidden Sign in the Near-Infrared Spectrum

SCANNING FOR CRITICAL EVENTS DURING DRIVING: VISUAL SCANNING USING EYE TRACKING TECHNOLOGY ON A DRIVING SIMULATOR

This study explored age differences and scanning strategies for critical events using a driving simulator with eye-tracking technology. One critical skill in driving is to efficiently scan the environment. Ten young(M=26y) and 10 old(M=65y) healthy adults drove a wearing Tobii-Pro Glasses. The software analyzes areas of interest (AOI) for “percent time of fixation” as well as illustrative “heat maps” of duration of fixation. At a four-way-stop, the young fixated at the road ahead (25% fixation time), dashboard (29%), more often than left/right of their car (15%). The old fixed on the road ahead (21%) but spent more time outside the car (23%). At the hidden sign, older drivers fixated on the environment outside the road ahead more than younger drivers (26% versus 20%), but both had increased fixation to the right side of the vehicle (Y-23%, O-24%) with this event, likely looking for the sign. Heat maps of the hidden sign illustrate this, suggesting older drivers may more efficiently scan their environment. Other possibilities include the young trusting the simulator, young/old scan differently, or interference of previous simulator experience. Simulator outcomes showed age differences on gas-pedal-reaction times suggesting that older adults are more cautious, slowing down faster with critical events. Limitations include small sample and limited studies have used eye-tracking technology in driving. This study raises interesting questions, especially for medically-at-risk drivers with visual impairments. Using the eye-tracking may enhance targeting specific strategies for a variety of impairments as well as establishing a baseline of typical drivers’ visual scanning habits.

The Comic at the Crossroads: The Semiotics of ‘Voodoo Storytelling’ in The Hole: Consumer Culture Vol. 1

This article focuses on the use of religious semiology in the 2008 Black graphic novel The Hole: Consumer Culture Vol. 1 by Damian Duffy and John Jennings. Both creators use hidden signs taken from Haitian Vodou and other Afro-American literature tropes in order to give their story multiple meanings. To accomplish this, they utilize the Afro-American rhetorical figure Signifyin’ (or Signifyin(g)). This meta-speech plays with signs and their attached meaning in a way that could be summarized as ‘saying (or showing) one thing, but meaning something completely different.’ With this technique, the authors are able to mislead and exclude readers from the intentional meaning of the graphic novel by emphasizing ambivalent signs. By using cultural signs taken from Vodou, they are able to imply a spiritual reading experience in which the graphic novel becomes a ritual object and vehicle of the Vodou god Legba, lord of the crossroads and of interpretation. Modeled on Legba’s qualities, the story becomes an interactive system of reading paths that changes its reception depending on the reader’s interpretation of those ambiguous signs. This essay hence discusses the authors’ narrative strategy and how it changes the narrative. It thereby builds on the theory of Afro-American Signification presented in the book The Signifying Monkey by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and expands it.

Parabolic Structure of Essay/Short Parable Story “Za Hotar” by Olha Kobylianska

The paper deals with the story “Za hotar” (“Beyond the Boundary”) by Olha Kobylianska from the point of view of modernist sacral aesthetics, since, as it has been observed, its architectonic structure comprises the parable of the Good Samaritan. It is proven that the relationship between the parable and the story is displayed at different levels of the literary text.
 The plot of the story “Za hotar” has many obvious parallels with the Christ’s parable, down to the coincidences in the image of a merciless priest. The modernist sacral perspective of the literary work by Olha Kobylianska makes it possible not only to observe the presence of hidden signs of the New Testament parable, but also to interpret the possibility of a genre shift. This procedure allows denoting this literary work not as an essay, but as a short story, since the parable of the Good Samaritan has a characteristic feature of a short story (its main idea is represented in showing mercy by one of the Samaritans, who in biblical times were considered as people lacking any sympathy towards strangers).
 The work by Olha Kobylianska provides an extremely powerful and philosophically deep insight. The plot includes the death of a daughter. On the one hand, it is perceived as quite substantiated (the child ran outdoors undressed in winter), but in terms of the mystical perspective it becomes a symbol of Christian mercy, or even a Christian self-sacrifice.
 Thus, the literary work “Za hotar” by Olha Kobylianska is based on the architectonical ground of the parable about the Good Samaritan. From the realistic perspective it may be interpreted as an essay revealing the mental traditions, everyday life, ideological foundations of the Bukovynian village contemporary for the writer. Although it becomes a parable in the modernist sacral perspective, which hides the fundamental gospel basis behind a realistic plot.

LINGUISTIC FUNCTIONS OF ADVERTISING IN SEMIOTIC COMMUNICATION

The main objective of this paper is to provide definitions to understand how the message transmitted in advertisements is interpreted Semiotics is the science that studies signs and symbols. Semiotics deals with symbols- texts and pictures- with their underlying meaning and the way they may be interpreted. As a science, semiotics studies the signs of a language, which can be verbal or nonverbal; it is the discipline that can be used to access different areas, including advertising. One of the goals of semiotics is to convey and interpret the messages of advertisements. It aims to study in depth the text by reading between the lines and to analyze the meaning structures, their syntactical and semantic peculiarities. Advertisements carry many hidden signs and meanings within them, because advertising is communication. The messages involved in them transmit content, which refers to different language communication functions. Key words: advertising, communication, semiotics, language functions

The identification method of 6-7 year-old-children’s «duovector» giftedness in the art-creativity process

The paper deals with one of the aspects of early identification of giftedness: the establishment of the relationship between its types. The authors see a solution of the problem in the development and validation of the methodology based on the integrated modern scientific knowledge psychological, pedagogical and art criticism, in the field of contemporary art. This technique is expected to meet the conditions of efficiency and accessibility in the application of teachers working with children. Clarifications have been made to the basic concept of giftedness for the paper. The authors propose a term describing the interrelated manifestation of two types of giftedness duovector talent. The method is aimed at finding hidden signs of duovector giftedness: musical mathematics, in the field of fine art and sports, musical and linguistic. The basis of this approach is the idea of the dependence of the frequency and brightness of giftedness manifestations on the conditions, the most important of which is the aesthetic environment enriched with multi-modal material for creativity. At the same time, it is advisable to involve children in accessible and aesthetically valuable works of modern art, in the search for new knowledge in the same ways that adult authors of the XXI century use. Modeling directly perceived creative techniques and forms, the child masters the world, structures it non-linearly, on the principle of creating a rhizome. As a catalyst of creative activity, a set of tasks-subtests adapted to the age peculiarities of children is offered. The procedure of the experiment in a specially organized educational environment (an art workshop) is characterized. Plunging into the atmosphere of fruitful disorder, the child will act freely and directly, engaged in creativity as a game, creates an art product that has value as a marker of his talent. The content of creative tasks is presented, according to the results of work on which the diagnostic card is filled, in turn, which is the basis for the conclusions about the presence of the childs duovector talent. At this stage of the study, the authors have prepared a method for validation by comparing it with tests and subtests of other methods. The materials of the paper logically continue the research in the field of finding reference points for the development of individual educational routes of students, preparing them for lifelong learning.

Is the turn of the month effect an “abnormal normality”? Controversial findings, new patterns and…hidden signs(?)

This study’s main objective is to examine the controversial issue of the existence of calendar anomalies, focusing on the turn of the month effect (TOM). Using a wide data sample of the eleven countries that initially adopted the EURO as their official currency in 1999, this study provides empirical evidence at least for the following: (i) the trading days which are defined as the TOM period should be regularly revised, (ii) when the suitable TOM definition is adopted, the empirical findings suggest that the TOM effect is confirmed in the long term, therefore TOM is not a long lasting anomaly, but an “abnormal normality”, (iii) there could be a strategy based on the TOM which suggests that, in the long term, the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) may be violated in two ways (outperformance and/or lower risk taking), and (iv) there is an interesting pattern based on the TOM signs, which could be an indicator for the financial trend changes. Finally, using the existent data there is no evidence that the TOM effect exists since there is increased liquidity (due to the salary payments) during the TOM days, while several ideas for further study are suggested.

Развитие купеческого предпринимательства на Русском Севере в XVIII веке в аспекте идеи нестяжания (на материале исторической прозы)

The article studies the most important paradigm of the existence of entrepreneurship in Russia – the idea of poverty on the basis of analysis of literary and historical sources that contains descriptions of the events of the merchant environment in the Russian North. It is illustrated by the historiographic overview of texts-sources of the XVIII century. In the analysis of the narrative intentions of the Northern Russian historiography we can clearly identify semantic strategy – existential model of life as a debt (responsibility, obligation), love (kindness, mercy, unity, catholicity), faith (trust in a higher principle, faith, hope), and sacrifice (dedication, donations, help, support). All these vital vectors intersect in the semantic space of historical essays and emanate from a single semantic paradigm of “poverty”. These principles have a great influence on the development of the business environment in Russia. From the standpoint of the theory of everyday life it is important to explore historical documents in the framework of the semiotic approach and reveal the specific social actions and communicative acts in them. The literary fact is fixed in culture, while continuing to live in the space of this culture in the form of characters, plots, motives. And this literary sign always points to another sign, leading in turn to a new, hidden sign of the culture. The research intention in this case is directed towards the interpretation of a text sign, opening the code and the comprehension of cultural meaning. In this context, the signs and meanings of historical documentary sources are not just verbal constructions, but the complex cultural forms which keep all strata and sections of past cultural epochs and fixed “nobiological collec- tive memory” (Lotman). In addition, studying historical texts it is necessary to consider the modern anthropological theory of culture, in which the latter is regarded as a value space (C. Geertz).

Insights from Science into Business and Economics: Roadmap to a Fiasco Prevention Theory

The purpose of this initial work is to explore insights from science into business and economics for a road map to a prevention theory on corporate fiasco, market turmoil and economic crisis. First, we use as scope the natural continuum, which encompasses particles, protoplasm, cell, organism (e.g. human), community (institution), ecosystem (market), biosphere (economy) and transcendental systems. This scope would guarantee a solution to any problem within it. Second, the primary focus is on the human component since human is the most intelligent of all organisms. Human has the highest ability to think and make decisions driving institution, market and economy (psychology). Third, as part of the natural continuum, the four components in italic would obey the laws of nature, as do the other components. These laws range from Newton gravitational laws to Einstein's relativity. While institution, market and economics can be considered as physical mass, human decisions can be viewed as force moving them from one situation to the next. Decisions can also energize them (physics). Fourth, insights from one known component into another can be drawn by analogy such as a disease in humans is analogous to a fiasco in institutions in terms of hidden signs and symptoms (biology). Fifth, one component is the extension of the lower component, e.g. market is an extension of institution, allowing homeomorphism to be identified (topology). Finally, decisions can be emotion-driven. Thus, insights from neurological and psychological processes in human brain and mind into business decisions can help understand them (neuroeconomics).

Stress in Executives: Discussing the 'Undiscussable'

Purpose – Tackling stress is a common challenge for executives but many leaders are reluctant to recognize it, or talk about it. Executive coaches are many times aware of how leaders feel as they work very closely with them. However, they are often not sufficiently equipped to recognise and deal with stress. Hence there is a need for practical guidance in diagnosing hidden signs of stress that can be addressed in coaching. Approach – This article introduces an interpretative protocol to evaluate senior executive stress, combining a cognitive approach with a psychodynamic focus.Findings – Based on a literature review on common workplace stress factors and symptoms, we identified five areas of senior executive stress. In a next step, following a psychodynamic, hermeneutic approach, we developed an interpretative protocol that allowed us to evaluate stress in these areas and achieve a delicate balance between flexibility, face validity, and academic rigour. It allows for stress indicators to be detected and interpreted by coach and coachee despite possible self-deception and impression management.Originality/value – Given its design, this protocol provides professionals with a solid framework and a common language to evaluate stress in senior executives. It can be used to identify key areas of concern and to develop focus points for coaching relationships.

Mona Lisa’s Mysterious Smile

The article discusses the view, held by many nineteenth-century authors, of Leonardo da Vinci as an esotericist, and his La Gioconda as mysterious, sinister and filled with hidden signs. This “esoterization” of the painting and its creator was part of a broader tendency to view artists, both historical and contemporary, as magicians and mystics in some sense. Hereby, art became integrated into the endeavors of various esoteric groups and thinkers, and an originally secular Renaissance work was absorbed into a nineteenth-century “occulture” or “cultic milieu.”

Earthquake-induced soil displacements and their impact on rehabilitations

A large earthquake can trigger long lasting geotechnical problems, which pose serious issues on both rehabilitations and land conservations. Therefore one of what required of us is to deduce as much hidden signs as possible from observable changes of landforms. Though serious, damage caused by the October 23rd 2004, Mid-Niigata Prefecture Earthquake has given us a rare opportunity to study the landform changes in mountainous terrain hit by this earthquake. An attempt was made to convert changes in elevation in Eulerian description for images obtained from remote-sensing technologies to Lagrangian displacements, because Lagrangian displacements can directly describe behaviors of soils, which are typically history-dependent. This paper documents some big pictures of earthquake-inflicted landform changes obtained through this attempt.

A decision support framework for the discrimination of children with controlled epilepsy based on EEG analysis

BackgroundIn this work we consider hidden signs (biomarkers) in ongoing EEG activity expressing epileptic tendency, for otherwise normal brain operation. More specifically, this study considers children with controlled epilepsy where only a few seizures without complications were noted before starting medication and who showed no clinical or electrophysiological signs of brain dysfunction. We compare EEG recordings from controlled epileptic children with age-matched control children under two different operations, an eyes closed rest condition and a mathematical task. The aim of this study is to develop reliable techniques for the extraction of biomarkers from EEG that indicate the presence of minor neurophysiological signs in cases where no clinical or significant EEG abnormalities are observed.MethodsWe compare two different approaches for localizing activity differences and retrieving relevant information for classifying the two groups. The first approach focuses on power spectrum analysis whereas the second approach analyzes the functional coupling of cortical assemblies using linear synchronization techniques.ResultsDifferences could be detected during the control (rest) task, but not on the more demanding mathematical task. The spectral markers provide better diagnostic ability than their synchronization counterparts, even though a combination (or fusion) of both is needed for efficient classification of subjects.ConclusionsBased on these differences, the study proposes concrete biomarkers that can be used in a decision support system for clinical validation. Fusion of selected biomarkers in the Theta and Alpha bands resulted in an increase of the classification score up to 80% during the rest condition. No significant discrimination was achieved during the performance of a mathematical subtraction task.

The Specifics of Mircea Eliade's Fantastic Novels

One of the world's most famous historian of religions, as Mircea Eliade's reputation goes, is maybe less known outside his Romanian cultural origin area as one of the most skilful and talented novelist of fantastic prose. Oriental type of fantastic (typical for Eliade) takes a deeper glance at the meaning of the real life things. In the Romanian writer's fantastic prose, we can find a world that looks simple but is full of mysteries, privileged places and exceptional moments invested with the double capacity to allow access into the superior knowledge and also to many enigmas and key mysteries of life. The novelty and the originality of his literary works consist mostly in the specific of the definition of fantastic. One cannot look into his literary works without proper understanding that the author valued a great deal the implication of fantastic into daily reality, as a hidden sign, not an exterior reality, but part of the same reality that everybody is sharing.

From La petite Peule

From La petite Peule* Mariama Barry (bio) Translated by Carrol F. Coates For several days, I had been in the grip of a vague uneasiness, without knowing why. I could have figured out a real threat by hidden signs, the way you stalk small game on the savannah. I was powerless when it happened. Even yesterday, I was happy just listening to the sound of the beads strung around my skinny waist. These beads were on several strings of multi-colored lozenges and crescents. I also had a number of charms—some slashes and crosses (to protect me against the evil eye and gossip); I was wearing a copper ankle bracelet instead of the little bell I had worn to keep my mother aware of my whereabouts when I was little. I was wearing; dibés (earrings). All these decorative objects together were fairly heavy. I didn’t even know how long I had been wearing them. Forever! Mama was embroidering some other charms on a piece of white cloth to wear around my neck. “We’re going to Fann to stay with your uncle. Now I’m going to take off all those charms you’re wearing.” For the first time in my life, I found myself without a single string and I had the impression of being completely naked. What kind of bizarre ceremony was I headed for without my beads? Under any other circumstances, I would have done anything to go to Fann! There were playing fields and toboggans there. I loved to go, which was a way of getting out of our ghetto. But now, I was stripped of all jewelry and light as a leaf that might be blown away at any instant by a whirlwind. “We’ll go to the dressmaker’s first to get your outfit.” The outfit was a red boubou printed with drawings of ducks. “You’ll find some other girls there. . . .” Mama had begun to list the names of girls who were not my usual playmates. The only thing these unknown girls and I had in common were the customs our parents persisted in making us follow by all possible means. We were ndjouddou (Peul children born in Senegal), part of the first or second generation of Peul parents from Guinea. We used to see each other when we attended Peul festivities with our families, but not very often. My own playmates were the ones I played with all the time around home—we shared everything, including punishment. I had simply been separated from them all day. I wasn’t free to do anything. I couldn’t go play. Strange! There wasn’t even the sound of their games. Had they been playing? I would never know. [End Page 844] I kept asking my mother why we didn’t leave. Mama knew I was impatient as soon as there was any talk of travel or play. “Your friends won’t be long coming,” she repeated. The muezzin’s call rang out for the last evening prayer and I was beginning to ask myself questions. Papa had not come home; he was with my brother, Laye; even when he was late, Papa usually came home to sleep. I would have liked for him to be there. He would touch our breasts in a habitual gesture, as if he wanted to make sure we were still alive. Since I was very little, I had always played a game by lying down in a place other than my own and pretending to be asleep. Then, my father would come to pick me up and carry back to my own sleeping place. I would hug him and burst out laughing. He always answered, “You won again!” Only then could I go to sleep. Instead of the routine, my mother was standing guard, without making it obvious, as if she thought I might escape. She gave me a ritual bath, made me drink some holy water, and massaged me with the rest of it. Someone knocked at our door. A middle-aged woman (about 45 years old) came in—someone who was always at our feasts. I didn’t like her. She was followed by...