Parallel Plots Research Articles

Optimizing Wind Speed Predictions in Bangladesh: Unveiling the Power of Machine Learning Approaches

Wind speed is a naturally occurring phenomenon that arises from the intricate interplay of various atmospheric processes. Wind speed prediction is pivotal in various sectors worldwide, and Bangladesh is no exception. Beyond its impact on agriculture, water management, and disaster preparedness, wind speed also plays a crucial role in urban planning and construction projects. Architects and engineers rely on accurate wind speed forecasts to design buildings and infrastructure that can withstand local wind conditions. Furthermore, the aviation and maritime industries heavily depend on wind speed predictions to ensure the safety of flights and shipping routes. Predicting wind speeds in Bangladesh poses a significant challenge due to the region's susceptibility to frequent seasonal changes influenced by its coastal location and complex, nonlinear climate patterns. To address this important aspect, we leverage Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, including Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Classification and Regression Trees (CART), Random Forest (RF), K Nearest Neighbors (K-NN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) to forecast wind speeds at various weather stations in Bangladesh. We utilized various accuracy metrics, including precision, sensitivity, specificity, F-measure, and overall accuracy, to evaluate the performances of the algorithms. The RF model outperformed the other models with an overall accuracy of 94.73% for predicting wind speed conditions in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the LDA model exhibited the lowest performance, achieving an accuracy of 93.27% in comparison to the other models. It is noticeable that the aforementioned five models showed more than 90% accuracy for windspeed prediction. Additionally, we complement our analysis with visual representations such as box plots, density plots, dot plots, parallel plots, and scatterplot matrix plots. These empirical results also highlighted the RF as the most suitable method for predicting contemporary wind speed patterns in Bangladesh. International Journal of Statistical Sciences, Vol. 24(2), November, 2024, pp 137-154

Genesis of the Late Cretaceous mafic–intermediate intrusions in the giant Gejiu Sn–Cu ore field and its metallogenic significance

The giant Gejiu ore field, located in the southeastern Yunnan Province, China, developed a large-scale Sn–Cu mineralization related to the Cretaceous felsic–mafic magmatism. However, the genesis of Cretaceous mafic–intermediate intrusions remains controversial, which limits our understanding of the Cu source, Sn–Cu symbiotic mechanism, and geodynamic setting of the Gejiu region. To elucidate these issues, we conducted geochronological and geochemical evaluations on the Gejiu mafic–intermediate intrusions, including gabbro, syenite, and monzonite. The mafic–intermediate intrusions formed in 82.1–83.8 Ma, which are contemporaneous with ore-forming granites and ore bodies within the error range. Combined with the cumulus texture in gabbro, linear or parallel elemental plots, and similar and enriched Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes ((87Sr/86Sr)I = 0.708870–0.709811; εNd(t) = − 5.24–−7.70; εHf(t) = − 4.8–2.5), the gradually increased Sr isotopes from gabbro through syenite to monzonite indicated that the Gejiu mafic–intermediate intrusions were formed by fractional crystallization and varying degrees of crustal assimilation of partial melts of an enriched lithospheric mantle.Based on the above research, we compiled geochronological and geochemical data of magmatic–metallogenic events in the region. The Sr–Nd isotopic and elemental ratios (i.e., Zr/Hf, Nb/Ta, Rb/Sr and Ba/Rb) of the Gejiu granites are located between the mafic–intermediate intrusions and spatially temporally connected Laojunshan granites, which indicate that the magma mixing between the enriched mantle–derived Cu-rich magma and metasedimentary rock–derived Sn-rich granitic magma generated Sn–Cu-rich granitic magma. This magma then evolved into the giant Gejiu Sn–Cu deposit via crystal fractionation and fluid exsolution. Combined with the regional geological data and spatiotemporal framework of Sn–polymetallic deposits, the magmatic–metallogenic model of the giant Gejiu Sn–Cu ore field further demonstrates that the southwestern slab rollback of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic plate during the Late Cretaceous controlled its formation.

Com as cordas à vista: raça, objetos e abolicionismo em Quanto vale ou é por quilo?, de Sérgio Bianchi, e “Pai contra mãe”, de Machado de Assis

ABSTRACT Having premiered in 2005, the film Quanto Vale Ou É Por Quilo? is Sérgio Bianchi's creative adaptation of Machado de Assis' short story “Pai Contra Mãe” (published in Relíquias da Casa Velha, 1906). In the film, Bianchi unravels two parallel plots, each taking place in a different historical period. In this paper, I will address the relationship between Sérgio Bianchi's film and Machado de Assis' short story, focusing on the material elements that create a symbolic portal between the world of Machado and that of Bianchi. I am especially interested in how artifacts of the pre-abolition society are paralleled by artifacts in contemporary Rio de Janeiro. These relationships, which emerge through my reading of Bianchi's film, complicate common ideas about historical continuities and ruptures in everyday life in that city. I argue that these objects are themselves interpreters of Brazil in the sense that they create, organize, and transform meaning around them. I find, in particular, an engagement between the rope of the short story and the police cars of the film, pointing toward a critique of the police apparatus as an afterlife of slavery, but also a controversial and complex critique of the “nonprofit economy” and the maintenance of structural inequalities. These networks of meaning, I propose, only become entirely visible once we understand Bianchi's film as a mode of dialogue with Machado de Assis' story.

B - 49 Exploring the Factor Structure of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Impact on Processing Speed Performance.

The present study investigated: 1) factor structure of the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) sub-scale from the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale-4th Edition (BAARS-IV) and 2) the association between SCT sub-factors and processing speed. Cross-sectional data were collected from 586 adults undergoing neuropsychological evaluation for suspected attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) at an academic medical center. Patients were excluded if they failed two or more performance validity tests and/or had not completed all measures. Final sample included 155 patients (Mage = 28.52; Meducation = 16.26; 63.2% female; 38.1% White, 21.9% Hispanic, 20% Black, 12.9% Asian, 7.1% other race/ethnicity; 69% diagnosed with ADHD). Factor structure of the SCT sub-scale was investigated via exploratory factor analysis with Oblimin rotation. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to assess the relationship between SCT sub-factors and processing speed (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-4th Edition, Processing Speed Index), controlling for estimated intelligence (Test of Premorbid Functioning) and self-reported inattention (Clinical Assessment of Attention Deficit-Adult). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure [KMO = 0.78] and Bartlett's test [χ2(36) = 469,p < 0.001] suggested the data were factorable. Parallel analysis scree plot suggested a two-factor solution: "Cognitive Complaints" and "Lethargy" accounting for 46.3% of SCT scale variance. Only Lethargy predicted processing speed in the first (beta = -0.221, p < 0.05) and final models (beta = -0.197, p < 0.05). The overall model including estimated intelligence and inattention accounted for 6.2% of the variance in processing speed (F(4,150) = 3.57, p < 0.05). Previous studies demonstrated mixed results of two or three sub-factors of SCT including daydreaming, lethargy, and/or cognitive complaints. Present findings support the more parsimonious two-factor solution in a clinical sample. Higher lethargy complaints are modestly associated with poorer processing speed.

PARALLELISM OF THE PLOT BETWEEN NOVEL AND FILM LITTLE WOMEN

In this study, the writer analyzed the plot comparison in two literary works, namely the novel and the film Little Women. The purpose of this study is to found out the differences, similarities and parallels between the two literary works. The method used by the writer in this study is qualitative research. This study used the first theory from Drs. Meiliana Sylvie explained about comparative literature. Secondly, the writer used Shiquan Cao's theory that explained about the parallel. This study was conducted to found out the similarities, differences and parallel plots in the two literary works. The study focused on the plot in the story.The results of this study show that between the novel and the film Little Women have similarities and differences, namely exposition / equilibrum, rising action / distrubtion, climax / recognition, falling action / repair and resolution / equilibrum again, and also parallel, namely, parallel in differences, narrative and character. This study will identify important elements in the plot present in both works, and compare how the plot is presented and interpreted in the form of novels and films. This undergraduate thesis thus provides a more in-depth look at the way the two media convey the same story in different ways.

Visualization facilitates uncertainty evaluation of multiple-point geostatistical stochastic simulation

Stochastic simulation is an essential method for modeling complex geological structures in geosciences. Evaluating the uncertainty of the realizations of stochastic simulations can better describe real phenomena. However, uncertainty evaluation of stochastic simulation methods remains a challenge due to the limited data from geological surveys and the uncertainty in reliability estimation with stochastic simulation models. In addition, understanding the sensitivity of the parameters in stochastic simulation models is invaluable when exploring the parameters with a higher influence on the uncertainty associated with predictions generated from stochastic simulation. To facilitate uncertainty evaluation in stochastic simulation methods, we use the circular treemap as an interactive workflow to explore prediction uncertainty in and the parameter sensitivity of multiple-point geostatistical (MPS) stochastic simulation methods. In this work, we present a novel visualization framework for assessing the uncertainty in MPS stochastic simulation methods and exploring the parameter sensitivity of the MPS methods. We present a new indicator to integrate multiple metrics that characterize geospatial features and visualize these metrics to assist domain experts in making decisions. Parallel coordinates-scatter matrix plots and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) plots are used to analyze the parametric sensitivity of MPS stochastic simulation methods. The realizations and parameters of two MPS stochastic simulation methods are used to test the applicability of the proposed visualization workflow and the visualization methods. The results demonstrate that our workflow and the visualization methods can assist experts in finding the model with less uncertainty and improve the efficiency of parameter adjustment using different MPS stochastic simulation methods.

Victorian Women Writers and the Other Germany: Cross-Cultural Freedoms and Female Opportunity

Victorian Women Writers and the Other Germany: Cross-Cultural Freedoms and Female Opportunity

Loose Ends: A Mixed-Initiative Creative Interface for Playful Storytelling

We present Loose Ends, a mixed-initiative co-creative storytelling play experience in which a human player and an AI system work together to compose a story. Loose Ends specifically aims to provide computational support for managing multiple parallel plot threads and bringing these threads to satisfying conclusions—something that has proven difficult in past attempts to facilitate playful mixed-initiative storytelling. We describe the overall human-AI interaction loop in Loose Ends, including the implementation of the rules-based AI system that enables this interaction loop; discuss four examples of desirable mixed-initiative interactions that are possible in Loose Ends, but not in similar systems; and present results from a preliminary expert evaluation of Loose Ends. Altogether, we find that Loose Ends shows promise for creating a sense of coauthorship in the player while also mitigating the directionlessness reported by players of earlier systems.

Русское летописание и западноевропейский рыцарский эпос: две возможные параллели

The article is devoted to the comparison of accounts of Russian chronicles of the pre-Mongol time and episodes from the West-European chivalrous epic. Two parallel plots are considered, in which the author sees certain similarities. First, an account of the Novgorod First Chronicle on the conflict in Novgorod in 1015, in the course of which some noble Novgorodians were killed on the order of Prince Yaroslav, and an episode from "The Song of Roland", which refers to an attempt of barons of Charlemagne to intercede for the traitor Ganelon. It is concluded that both stories are based on similar ideas. Both the words of Yaroslav in the chronicle and those of the barons in "The Song of Roland" point, first of all, not to the promise of real reward, but to the medieval warrior ethic, according to which real live soldiers were more important than regrets about losses. If losses nevertheless occurred, they still cannot be fully compensated by money, treasure, or property. Second, I compare a fragment from the Hypatian Chronicle on the Prince Igor's campaign against the Polovtsians with some scenes from Thomas Malory's "Le MorteDarthur". It turns out that they present a similar arrogant attitude of a part of the military elite (prince's retinue, knights) towards ordinary infantrymen.

DILEMA SOSIAL DALAM THE SOCIAL DILEMMA Analisis Naratif atas Absennya Wawasan Kewargaan dalam Film The Social Dilemma

In general, the present narrative related to social media is its positive contribution to society. Social media is considered to contribute to a balanced relationship between the state, industry and citizens. Social media is assumed to improve a truly citizen-focused democracy. However, there is a different narrative in the docudrama film entitled The Social Dilemma. This film tells the story that social media as a product of a large information and communication technology company has a negative impact on society because their main goal is to make as much profit as possible. This research aims to analyze the narrative brought by a film that is different from the mainstream narrative. By using the narrative analysis method, it is found that this film has its own dilemma because in the end it is found in this film that civic insight tends to be inadequate or even absent from the narrative under study. It was found that there are four distinct social dilemmas in The Social Dilemma film, namely dilemmas in the aspects of character and characterization, series in the narrative, narrative plot, and the end point of the narrative. Real and fictional characters provide dilemmas for each element in the narrative that do not bring up civil society as the final form of citizens, the series in the narrative shows dilemmas in problem solving by citizens, linear and parallel plots create dilemmas in the narrative over the relationship between issues, the public, and citizens. The last dilemma is the presence of the state that replaces citizens as a dilemma at the end of the narrative, which shows the most unique dilemma of the content that actually provides an alternative narrative

The Invalid's Future: Queer Negativity in The Portrait of a Lady

The Portrait of a Lady is the story of Isabel Archer's search for a suitable husband, haunted by the sickly presence of her dying cousin Ralph Touchett. The novel is energized by the search for marital success yet driven by the patient, yet inevitable, culmination in Ralph's death. The two plots of death and marriage come to mirror each other through a dynamic affective exchange between Ralph and Isabel. While the marriage plot envisages what Lee Edelman calls reproductive futurism, the parallel death plot defies the logic that present decisions ought to be subservient to a prosperous future.

Effects of shrub-grass cover on the hillslope overland flow and soil erosion under simulated rainfall

Vegetation plays a vital role in regulating hydrological cycle and controlling soil erosion at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Establishing shrub-grass community is one of the widely adopted practices to increase rainfall infiltration and reduce soil erosion in water-limited and highland regions. To understand the effects of such vegetation communities on soil erosion and overland flow under different rainfall regimes at the hillslope scale, we conducted rainfall simulation experiments by setting up parallel plots at fixed slope of 15° including unvegetated (coverage 0%), shrub only (coverage 50%), grass only (coverage 50%), and shrub-grass covered (coverages 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) and constant rainfall intensities of 30, 60, and 90 mm h−1 rainfalls lasting 60 min each after the initiation of overland flow. Two native species Lespedeza bicolor and Carex giraldiana, distributed in the soil sampling region were planted on the plots to achieve designed coverages. We found that the overland flow and sediment load from vegetated slopes were reduced by 9%–58% and 27%–98%, respectively, compared with unvegetated slopes while the infiltration rate increased by over 45%. Shrub-grass community reduced the overland flow and sediment yield more significantly than shrub only and grass only treatments with the same coverage of 50% under three rainfall intensities. In addition, the overland flow rate linearly decreased while the mean sediment yield exponentially reduced against the increase in shrub-grass community coverage. Hydrodynamically, shrub-grass communities not only increased the critical hydrodynamic forces for the initiating soil erosion but also increased the resistance coefficient leading to reduce overland flow velocity, stream power, and thus soil erosion from the vegetative slope even under extreme rainfalls. Our research highlights the importance of developing the shrub-grass communities to reduce the quantity and energy of overland flow and control soil erosion on the hillslopes in water-limited and highland regions.

Using data visualization to detect patterns in whole-person health data.

Data visualization techniques are useful for examining large multidimensional data sets. In this exploratory data analysis (EDA) study, we applied a visualization pattern detection and testing process to deidentified data to discover patterns in whole-person health for adults 65 and older. Whole-person health examines a person's environmental, psychosocial, and physical health, as well as their health-related behaviors; and assesses their strengths, challenges, and needs. Strengths are defined as assets and capabilities in the face of short-or long-term stressors. We collected data using a mobile application that delivers a comprehensive whole-person assessment using a simplified version of a standardized instrument, the Omaha System. The visualization pattern detection process is iterative, includes various techniques, and requires visualization literacy. The data visualization techniques applied in this analysis included bubble charts, parallel coordinates line graphs, box plots, and alluvial flow diagrams. We discovered six patterns within the visualizations. We formulated and tested six hypotheses based on these six patterns, and all six hypotheses were supported. Adults 65 and older had more strengths than challenges and more challenges than needs (p < 0.001). Strengths and challenges were negatively correlated (p < 0.001). Unexpectedly, a subset of adults 65 and older who had many, but not all, strengths had significantly more needs (p = 0.04). The use of standardized terminology with its inherent data interrelationships was key to discovering patterns in whole-person health. This methodology may be used in future EDA research using new data sets.

Kaplinski joon ja Rummo sädemed. Struktuurivõrdlus / Kaplinski’s Line and Rummo’s Sparks: A Structural Comparison

Artikkel analüüsib Jaan Kaplinski ja Paul-Eerik Rummo luuletuste struktuuri visualiseeriva pragmapoeetika abil. Käsitlus lähtub Roman Jakobsoni loodud poeetilise funktsiooni lingvistilisest teooriast, mis tõlgendab luulet kui seotud kõnet. See tähendab keele paradigmavälja elementide projitseerimist kõne süntaksiteljele ehk keelevaramu parallelismide korrastatud suunamist värssidesse. Kaplinski tekstide semantiline kumulatsioon, mis koondub luuletuse kujundliku sõnumi kui juhtmotiivi ümber, ilmutab tavalisest suuremat paradigmaühtsust. Rummolik struktuur läheneb veelgi enam sünkroonilisele paradigmaväljale, millega kaasneb süžeelisuse tugevam fragmenteerumine. See võib viia nii narratiivi kui ka keelelise sidususe kohatise vaibumiseni.&#x0D; ---&#x0D; The article discusses the structure of Jaan Kaplinski’s and Paul-Eerik Rummo’s poetry through making use of visualising pragmapoetics. The discussion proceeds from Roman Jakobson’s linguistic theory of the poetic function that treats poetry as bound speech. This involves projecting elements from the paradigm field of language on the syntax axis of speech, that is, systematised directing into verse of parallelisms to be found language.&#x0D; The semantic accumulation of Kaplinski’s texts that condenses around the poems’ figurative message emerging as a leitmotif demonstrates a paradigmatic unity greater than that commonly found in traditional poetry, which finds expression in the amplification of catalogues or lists of words and concepts. For instance, the ballad “Üks kuningas oli kord maata” (“Once there was a king without a kingdom”) contains 22 references to the motif of land/earth and 27 to the king and his crown/throne. Around this, motifs of waiting, feeling sad, growing old, dying and decaying, as well as a rich vocabulary connected with burials become consolidated. The 18-sentence text “Luuletused on elanud maakeral juba eotseenist saadik…” (“Poems have been living on Earth since the Eocene epoch”), that reminds of an entry in a reference work, includes altogether 23 references to the word/concept “poem” that is in a substitutive dialogue with the word and concept “elephant” that the text proceeds from; thus, it contains twice 23, that is altogether 46, accumulating references. These form a dense paradigmatic web (rhizome) with points of converence that is brought together into a plotted narrative that dynamically sketches the semantic field and foregrounds it.&#x0D; The catalogue structure of Rummo’s poetry is similar to that of Kaplinski, but it often comes even closer to the synchronic paradigmatic field, which is accompanied by an increased fragmentation of a lyrical-narrative plot. This may lead to a noticeable decrease of both thematic and linguistic coherence, which on occasion can even approach glossolalia. If Kaplinski is consistent in retaining his ideological plotline that runs through the expanded paradigm field of his text as a leitmotif and keeps it together, Rummo in his “casting of sparks”, as he puts it in one of his poems, can employ parallel alternative plot rudiments and a narrative that has a tendency to disperse. To put it as a metaphor, one is characterised by a method reminiscent of a single-furrow plough, the other has the effect of a hay rake with multiple teeth. It can be claimed that, in comparison with Kaplinski’s structure, Rummo’s structure as a secondary modelling system employs an additional formal filter of the next level that finds expression in an increased fragmentation of the expression axis and a more pluralised explication of the paradigm field than in Kaplinski’s case. If Kaplinski’s model represents a clear creation of clarity, then Rummo’s is more of a dispersed creation of clarity. The former as a “less complex” method has proved to be quantitively more fruitful, the latter seems more “experimental” in its turn. Their similarities and differences prove them both to be of a high artistic value.

An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the National Institutes of Health Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System and the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation in Knee Surgery Patients.

Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) have been suggested for use in measuring treatment effectiveness. To minimize patient burden, two approaches have been proposed: An orthopedic-specific Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) or computer adaptive testing methods such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). The goal of this work was to examine the constructs measured by the SANE and PROMIS system in a military orthopedic population undergoing knee surgery. In 732 patients and 2,166 complete observations, the SANE-Knee PRO and PROMIS surveys for Depression, Anxiety, Pain Interference, Sleep Disturbance, and Physical Function were obtained. A correlation matrix between the PROs was calculated, the number of latent factors to extract was determined via parallel plot, and the final principal axis exploratory factor analysis was performed. The parallel plot analysis indicated that two latent factors existed. One latent factor corresponded to measures of psychological distress (PROMIS Sleep Disturbance, Depression, and Anxiety) and the second latent factor corresponded to physical capability (SANE, PROMIS Physical Function, Pain Interference, and Sleep Disturbance). Both PROMIS Physical Function (0.83) and Pain Interference (-0.80) more strongly weigh on the physical capability latent factor than SANE (0.69). In a knee surgical population, the SANE, PROMIS Physical Function, and PROMIS Pain Interference measure the same human dimension of physical capability; however, PROMIS Physical Function and Pain Interference may measure this construct more effectively in isolation. The SANE may be a more viable option to gauge physical capability when computer adaptive testing is not possible.

Between Homo and Ludens: The Dichotomy of Subjectivity in The Snail on the Slope

The Strugatsky brothers' novel Snail on the Slope (Ulitka na sklone, 1966-68) marks a turning point in the imagining of utopian subjectivity in the Soviet context. This paper argues that the ubiquitous instability in previously coherent subject-positions emphasizes the ludic aspects of realism which become a central feature of the Strugatskys’ later work, most strikingly illustrated through their exploration of the concept of homo ludens. Late-Soviet science fiction’s incorporation of ludic elements point to the problematics of novelistic subjectivity in an era when the utopian ambition of creating a New Soviet Man came under increasing scrutiny. The crisis of the liberal subject-position in the post-Thaw Soviet Union is dramatized within the dichotomous, complementary relationship between institutional enmeshment and absolute alienation, first articulated in Snail but carried forward into their later work. Through its extensive meditations on the possibility of the utopian, its treatment of split characterization, and the halting, recursive trajectories of its parallel plots, Snail engages with the tension underlying the ludic underpinnings of narrative subjectivity in the Soviet context. This paper, alongside other papers in this cluster, demonstrates the way literature and games have both been called upon to address the problem and possibility of agency for the subjects they create.

Lil Wayne, Imitatio, and the Poetics of Cannibalism

Lil Wayne, Imitatio, and the Poetics of Cannibalism Andrew M. McClellan (bio) Abstract This paper explores rapper Lil Wayne's use of the language of food and consumption through the lens of critical theorizing about poetic imitatio ("imitation") from antiquity through the staggered Renaissances across Europe. I suggest that Lil Wayne's use of consumptive imagery points to a poetics of artistic engagement—what I term a "poetics of cannibalism"—that has lurked in the background of theorizing about imitatio for millennia. Scholars have recognized a range of deep-seated traditions going back to antiquity analogizing literature to physical bodies, literary reception to "consumption," and the notion that competitive poetics is inherently violent. But rarely are these traditions merged in discussions of imitatio. This study sheds light both on the tradition of theorizing about imitatio and on Lil Wayne's place in it. More broadly, the paper interrogates the role food plays in mimetic arts and in discussions of poetics and reception. Introduction: Imitatio One of the most provocative and self-critical expressions of the anxiety of artistic influence occurs in the animated sitcom South Park. The episode "Simpsons Already Did It"1 charts two parallel plots, each of which confronts frictions engendered by working within a generic tradition dominated by the presence of an identifiable urtext (The Simpsons) that seemingly curtails "innovation."2 In one, the child Butters, rejected by his friends Kyle, Stan, and Cartman, assumes the alter ego "Professor Chaos" and sets about plotting the destruction of the world in retaliation. His schemes, however, synopsize Simpsons episodes, as his toady "General Disarray" notifies him with each successive suggestion. Butters's inability to conjure anything "novel" precipitates his spiraling dejection and neurasthenic breakdown, which causes him to see the world of South Park warped into Simpsons-style animation. The second plotline is itself an insidious reworking of a Simpsons short "The Genesis Tub," wherein, like Lisa Simpson, Cartman manages to create a miniature world in a petri dish whose society worships him as a god.3 The two plots converge when Butters notices that the parallel events involving his erstwhile friends mirror the plot of "The Genesis Tub." The conversation doubles as a metatheatrical psychologizing of the show creators' anxieties about writing an animated series in the wake of The Simpsons: BUTTERS: They did that on The Simpsons! Ha! "Treehouse of Horror"! Episode 4F02! "The Genesis Tub." Lisa loses a tooth, and the bacteria on it starts to grow, and makes a little society, and they build a statue of her thinking she's God! Ha! Hahaha! CARTMAN: So? KYLE: Yeah. So? CARTMAN: Dude, The Simpsons have done everything already. Who cares? STAN: Yeah, and they've been on the air for like, thirteen years. Of course they've done everything. [End Page 109] MR. GARRISON: Every idea's been done, Butters, even before The Simpsons. CHEF: Yeah. In fact, that episode was a rip-off of a Twilight Zone episode. BUTTERS: Really? So I shouldn't care if I come up with an idea, and The Simpsons already did it? It … uh … doesn't … matter.4 The boys' schoolteacher Mr. Garrison's claim that "Every idea's been done" is a literary conceit of immense antiquity.5 The Old Testament Ecclesiastes, for example, postulates something similar in "there is nothing new under the sun."6 So too the fifth-century BCE Greek lyric poet Bacchylides—"it's not easy to find the gates of verse unspoken"—and the Roman playwright Terence in Eunuchus—"indeed, there's nothing said today which has not been said before." Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, joked that it's impossible to say anything, no matter how ridiculous, that hasn't already been peddled by some philosopher.7 And there's a wonderful irony that one of the oldest poetic texts that comes down to us—the Words of Khakheperraseneb, a self-reflective colloquy between an Egyptian priest-poet and his listless heart (c. 1,800 BCE)—bemoans the state of literary expression as one of constant recapitulation of earlier poetic material, that literary invention is suffocated by the weight of tradition: If only I had unknown utterancesand extraordinary verses,in...

Applying neural networks to predict HPC-I/O bandwidth over seismic data on lustre file system for ExSeisDat

HPC or super-computing clusters are designed for executing computationally intensive operations that typically involve large scale I/O operations. This most commonly involves using a standard MPI library implemented in C/C++. The MPI-I/O performance in HPC clusters tends to vary significantly over a range of configuration parameters that are generally not taken into account by the algorithm. It is commonly left to individual practitioners to optimise I/O on a case by case basis at code level. This can often lead to a range of unforeseen outcomes. The ExSeisDat utility is built on top of the native MPI-I/O library comprising of Parallel I/O and Workflow Libraries to process seismic data encapsulated in SEG-Y file format. The SEG-Y File data structure is complex in nature, due to the alternative arrangement of trace header and trace data. Its size scales to petabytes and the chances of I/O performance degradation are further increased by ExSeisDat. This research paper presents a novel study of the changing I/O performance in terms of bandwidth, with the use of parallel plots against various MPI-I/O, Lustre (Parallel) File System and SEG-Y File parameters. Another novel aspect of this research is the predictive modelling of MPI-I/O behaviour over SEG-Y File benchmarks using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs). The accuracy ranges from 62.5% to 96.5% over the set of trained ANN models. The computed Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) values further support the generalisation of the prediction models. This paper demonstrates that by using our ANNs prediction technique, the configurations can be tuned beforehand to avoid poor I/O performance.

Африканские сюжеты о человеке-змее. Опыт интертекстуального подхода

The article analyzes plot forms of African tales related to the concept of snake-man and his function as a marriage partner. The author uses the intertextual approach, which allowed placing texts of fairy tales in interethnic cultural context, as well as the interdisciplinary approach (i.e. a combination of folklore and ethnographic material from Sub-Saharan Africa). These approaches allow tracing the geographical distribution of the studied plots on the continent, as well as to understand the semantics of individual fairy tales motifs, which are completely divorced from their cultural context in parallel plots of Eurasian folklore, where they exist within the framework of the “fairy tale” genre. The paper demonstrates existence of a close connection between tales and myths, ritual complexes, practices of initiations and social institutions, which make up a single semantic field, individual aspects of which exist in close interconnection.

Художественная структура романа А.И. Солженицына «В круге первом»: принципы организации

The work is devoted to the study of artistic structure specificity of A.I. Solzhenitsyn’s novel “In the First Circle”. We focus on the elements analysis of “circular book building” and parallel plot lines, typology of characters-antipodes. We consider in detail, from the formal-content point of view, the “heading complex” of the novel: title, author’s preamble, dedication, double list of contents. We clarify the semantics of the title variants and the final title of novel. We define the main levels of plot-compositional parallelism. We identify the peculiarities of narrative temporal organization, covering three New Year’s Eve days. We analyze artistic details that help create con-trasting situations. We can trace several cross-cutting motives in the description of the fate of dif-ferent characters. We designate the intersection of storylines affecting the work, love, interpersonal relationships of the characters. We draw parallels between the individual structural elements of the novel, which form the compositional “circular book building” given by the title formula. We define pairs of ideologically and behaviorally similar characters, characters-antipodes and the principles of their typology. We show the importance of parallel elements to create a coherent piece of art. We conclude that the artistic means and techniques used by the writer are directly related to the social and artistic practice of research and embodiment of the Russian national character as the main vector of A.I. Solzhenitsyn’s work.