Series Of Readings Research Articles

Letare Taxandria: Regionalism and Hagiographic Interactions between Sint-Oedenrode, ’s-Hertogenbosch, and Liège in the Medieval Cult and Liturgy of St Oda

“Rejoice, Texandria, for Oda!” Thus begins the series of chants and readings commemorating the virgin St Oda, patron of the village that took her name—Sint-Oedenrode—in the late medieval liturgy of the town of ’s-Hertogenbosch. Overt praise for the surrounding region, Texandria, extending across the northern limits of the duchy of Brabant and diocese of Liège, is a recurring theme in the liturgy inspired by the saint’s legend. Yet how did Oda, of Scottish origin, become so closely associated with this remote region? And what was the significance of her liturgical veneration in ’s-Hertogenbosch, to which Sint-Oedenrode was enfranchised? Exemplifying interactions between central and secondary places within a specific region, this study argues for the relevance of the historical approach to urban–rural dynamics in medieval hagiography and its related liturgy. Recognition that smaller towns and villages played important roles in regional networks prompts more focused attention to regional priorities in the legends and liturgies of local saints. That Oda’s cult is attested by a diversity of extant documentary evidence—historical, hagiographic, and liturgical, including newly discovered liturgical readings—facilitates interpretation of her veneration in ’s-Hertogenbosch and of the intertextual connections between her legend and those of other saints, notably Lambert, associated with the duchy and diocese. As suggested by this example, regionalism merits greater scrutiny as an integral component of civic religion.

Efficient calibration of cost-efficient particulate matter sensors using machine learning and time-series alignment

Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) poses a significant threat to human health, infiltrating the lungs and brain and leading to severe issues such as heart and lung diseases, cancer, and premature death. The main sources of PM pollution are vehicular and industrial emissions, construction and agricultural activities, and natural phenomena such as wildfires. Research underscores the absence of a safe threshold for particulate exposure, highlighting the crucial need for monitoring PM levels to develop and implement effective risk mitigation measures. Notwithstanding, accurate measurement of PM concentration relies on expensive and cumbersome equipment. Despite the rising popularity of low-cost alternatives, their reliability remains questionable, given their sensitivity to environmental conditions, inherent instability, and manufacturing imperfections. This article proposes a novel approach to efficient correction of low-cost PM sensors. The primary calibration model is a feedforward artificial neural network (ANN), which directly renders predicted output of the corrected sensor based on environmental variables such as temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure. The ANN hyper-parameters are identified by aligning time series of prior reference and low-cost sensor readings, which enables the network to learn typical temporal changes of the sensor outcome as a function of the aforementioned parameters as well as operational relationships between the sensor and the reference device. The architecture of the ANN is optimized in terms of the number of neurons in each layer to enhance its generalization capability. Our methodology has been demonstrated using a custom-designed portable monitoring platform and reference data acquired from public stations in Gdansk. The results are indicative of excellent calibration reliability. The achieved correlation coefficients w.r.t. the reference readings are 0.86, 0.88, and 0.72 for PM1, PM10, and PM2.5, respectively, whereas RMSE values are only 3.0, 3.9, and 5.4 µg/m³.

Statistical data pre-processing and time series incorporation for high-efficacy calibration of low-cost NO2 sensor using machine learning

Air pollution stands as a significant modern-day challenge impacting life quality, the environment, and the economy. It comprises various pollutants like gases, particulate matter, biological molecules, and more, stemming from sources such as vehicle emissions, industrial operations, agriculture, and natural events. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), among these harmful gases, is notably prevalent in densely populated urban regions. Given its adverse effects on health and the environment, accurate monitoring of NO2 levels becomes imperative for devising effective risk mitigation strategies. However, the precise measurement of NO2 poses challenges as it traditionally relies on costly and bulky equipment. This has prompted the development of more affordable alternatives, although their reliability is often questionable. The aim of this article is to introduce a groundbreaking method for precisely calibrating cost-effective NO2 sensors. This technique involves statistical preprocessing of low-cost sensor readings, aligning their distribution with reference data. Central to this calibration is an artificial neural network (ANN) surrogate designed to predict sensor correction coefficients. It utilizes environmental variables (temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure), cross-references auxiliary NO2 sensors, and incorporates short time series of previous readings from the primary sensor. These methods are complemented by global data scaling. Demonstrated using a custom-designed cost-effective monitoring platform and high-precision public reference station data collected over 5 months, every component of our calibration framework proves crucial, contributing to its exceptional accuracy (with a correlation coefficient near 0.95 concerning the reference data and an RMSE below 2.4 µg/m3). This level of performance positions the calibrated sensor as a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional monitoring approaches.

Investigation on Junior High School Extensive Reading Teaching of the Blackberry English Reading Series from the Perspective of Big Ideas

Big ideas refer to the core concepts and discourse patterns that can connect and organize fragmented knowledge. This article investigates and explores teachers’ comprehension of big ideas and the challenges for applying big ideas in second language (L2) classrooms among junior high school in Jiangsu Province. The findings are as follows: (1) Teachers mainly learn about big ideas through teaching research activities, expert lectures, and open classes, but most of them understand them at a superficial level. (2) The main influencing factors of teachers' big idea construction include insufficient teaching resources, limited time and energy, inadequate methodological guidance, and heavy teaching pressure. They expect to improve their ability to construct big ideas by receiving teaching resources, teaching methods, teaching experience, and teaching theories. (3) There are significant differences among teachers in southern Jiangsu, central Jiangsu and northern Jiangsu in terms of their cognitive level of big ideas, their ability to construct and apply big ideas. However, they all urgently need teaching cases, theoretical guidance, teaching discussions, and training. Pedagogical implications are provided for English teacher education on the construction of big ideas in L2 classrooms.

Literatur Review: Pasar Modal Syariah Terhadap Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Indonesia

The purpose of this journal research is to conduct an analysis of the Islamic capital market on Indonesia's economic growth, this research uses the literature review study method with research data on articles and scientific journals as many as 5 journals that have been reviewed with a series of library data collection activities, reading and recording, and managing research materials. The results of the analysis show that Islamic stocks and sukuk have a positive and significant influence on national economic growth. This indicates that investment in both instruments can make an important positive contribution to Indonesia's economic development. Islamic stocks, showing a significant positive influence on economic growth, utilize sharia principles to provide sustainable profits for investors and a positive contribution to the national economy as a whole. Sukuk, as an instrument of Islamic debt, also plays an important role in supporting economic growth by providing a sustainable source of funding for economic projects. Although Islamic mutual funds have a significant negative influence on economic growth, these findings show that they still have the potential to support a sustainable Islamic financial sector in Indonesia.

The documentary rhetoric of courtroom art

ABSTRACT Courtroom art, as in comics, self-insertion and self-portraiture invite a metatextual discussion of the relationship between the artist and the reality they seek to depict. Courtroom art is an under-theorised medium discussed, almost exclusively, in the history and practices of law. The tools of comics studies, I seek to show, can provide a language to discuss the sociological and formal aspects of the work of courtroom artists. As such, in this paper I argue that, despite the apparent unsuitability of drawing as a documentary method, courtroom art is an effective vehicle for truth claims. Courtroom artists not only mitigate but leverage the lack of objectivity of their medium to offer a different kind of documentary from technological reportage; they record not only an impression of what occurred but how an event was experienced. In the sections below I offer an overview of the history and practices of courtroom art and theories of documentary comics, a discussion of the relationship between courtroom and comics art, and a series of close readings of examples of courtroom art which effectively leverage the form’s interpretive capacity.

On Memory-Based Precise Calibration of Cost-Efficient NO2 Sensor Using Artificial Intelligence and Global Response Correction

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is a prevalent air pollutant, particularly abundant in densely populated urban regions. Given its harmful impact on health and the environment, precise real-time monitoring of NO2 concentration is crucial, particularly for devising and executing risk mitigation strategies. However, achieving precise measurements of NO2 is challenging due to the need for expensive and cumbersome equipment. This has spurred the development of more affordable alternatives, although their reliability is often uncertain. The aim of this study is to present a new method for accurately calibrating low-cost NO2 sensors. Our approach utilizes artificial intelligence techniques, particularly neural networks (NNs) acting as surrogates, trained to forecast sensor correction coefficients. These predictions rely on environmental variables (temperature, humidity, etc.), data from additional nitrogen dioxide sensors, and a short series of previous NO2 readings from the main sensor, all serving as inputs for the NN metamodel. As shown, integrating short-time-scale previous measurements significantly improves the quality of the calibration process, further bolstered by global response correction. Similar enhancements are achieved by considering environmental parameter differentials. Our calibration approach has been validated using a custom-built, cost-efficient monitoring platform and reference data collected over five months from high-performance public stations in Gdansk, Poland. The results demonstrate outstanding correction quality, with a correlation coefficient close to 0.93 compared to the reference data and an RMSE below 2.8 µg/m3. This establishes the calibrated sensor as a practical and cost-effective alternative to expensive traditional NO2 monitoring stations.

Antagonistic Classes of Victorian Society in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: Female Book Knowledge as Cultural Mediator

Abstract This study argues, through a series of close readings, that female book knowledge resists unified interpretation in Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (1847), contradicting the widely-held Victorian assumption according to which discursive freedom is an exclusively male bastion of privilege. It instead concedes that self-instruction in the novel crosses cultural boundaries and perpetuates an ideological hegemony through the book as an agent of reconciliation. Book-knowledge in the novel is not the exclusive preserve of men, but a source of creativity for both ladies and ladies’ maids. Language and narrative technique, the study reveals, serve to unveil contrasts between servant and gentle folk, fashionable and popular manners, enforced and self-propelled reading.

Review of The Terrible We: Thinking with Trans Maladjustment by Cameron Awkward-Rich (Duke University Press)

Simultaneously a project of metacritical reflections about disciplinary foundations at the intersections of the academic fields of transgender studies, disability studies, and Black feminist studies, and a series of close readings of cultural texts and artifacts central to those disciplinary developments, Awkward-Rich’s book is intellectually generous, beautifully written, and deftly argued. Critically investigating the production of disability and transgender theories, forged interdependently and through distancing trans authority from the specter of madness and disability, The Terrible We traces conflicts among trans, queer, and feminist perspectives in closely reading foundational texts and cultural contexts. It presents an invitation to consider forms of maladjustment a productive resource rather than an impediment to trans life, thought, and creativity.

Student exploration of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation and pH readings to determine the pK a value of 4,4′-trimethylenedipiperidine (TMDP)

Abstract This educatory experiment uses an inexpensive pH meter to determine an approximate negative logarithm of the acid dissociation constant (pK a ) value of 4,4′-trimethylenedipiperidine (TMDP). Using a pH meter and statistical data analysis by Excel tool presents an excellent opportunity to deepen student engagement with the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation and acid/base dissociation constant (K a /K b ). Furthermore, students understand the importance determination of K a /K b and its relationship with the concentration and strength of acid/base. Four different concentrations of TMDP aqueous solutions were prepared and a series of pH readings were collected using a calibrated pH meter. Some statistical parameters were calculated and analyzed using the statistical program in Excel. Finally, students identified an unknown pK a for TMDP and compared their obtained value with a predicted pK a using software like ChemAxon. The experiment is inexpensive, safe, simple, and clean, and less experienced students can perform it. In addition, all pH recordings can be readily accessible for analysis and descriptive statistics by the Excel formula.

Foucault's Epicureanism: Parrhēsia , Confession, and the Genealogy of the Self

Abstract: This paper addresses the apparent absence of a systematic analysis of Epicureanism in Foucault's exploration of ancient philosophy. By considering Pierre Hadot's remark concerning Foucault's problematic neglect of the Epicurean notion of hēdonē , it revisits Foucault's work in search of traces of his engagement with Epicureanism. It then goes on to analyze the genesis of the notion of parrhēsia in Foucault's work, showing how it first appears and is developed in a series of analyses of the "philosophy of the garden," first in a reading of Epicurus's view on the study of nature in the Vatican Sayings , second in his study of Philodemus's Peri Parrhēsias . It is precisely in a series of readings of the Epicurean school that Foucault finds one of his key theoretical resources guiding his study of ancient philosophical practices in the 1980s. More importantly, the paper seeks to articulate the ways in which the analysis of parrhēsia —and of the Epicureans in particular—is situated in a broader genealogy of confession, which connects Foucault's studies of ancient philosophy to his readings of Christianity and the formation of the modern technologies of power and veridiction, defining aspects of the earlier project of a History of Sexuality , as announced in the Will to Knowledge . Finally, the paper articulates a possible view on the critical import of parrhēsia in this broader genealogy of confession.

The impact of a meditative movement practice intervention on short- and long-term changes in physical activity among breast cancer survivors.

Tai Chi Easy (TCE) is a low-impact, meditative movement practice that is feasible for breast cancer survivors, even in the face of post-treatment symptoms, and may even serve as a gateway into developing an active lifestyle and improving overall physical activity (PA). In the context of a randomized controlled trial testing effects of an 8-week TCE intervention on breast cancer survivors' symptoms, we examined the short- (8-week) and long-term (9-month) impact on total PA compared to an educational control group. Participants were recruited from two hospital systems, local community organizations, and different media platforms. Eligible participants were predominant non-Hispanic White (82%), college educated (92%), and middle- to high-income (65%), and most commonly reported stage 1 (40%) or 2 breast cancer (38%). After baseline assessments, participants were randomized to the 8-week TCE intervention (N=51) or education control (N=53). Weekly intervention TCE classes were led by a trained instructor. Weekly educational control classes focused on a series of readings and group discussions. Total PA and steps were objectively measured via accelerometry, and the international physical activity questionnaire was used to measure self-reported total PA. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models revealed no significant short- or long-term changes in objectively measured total PA or steps in either group; however, participants in the intervention reported short- and long-term changes in self-reported total PA. TCE is an appropriate PA strategy for survivors that may lead to modest improvements in PA; however, more research is needed to examine the long-term impact on PA as well as other physical and psychological outcomes (i.e., flexibility, mobility, stress). Low-impact, low-intensity activities like meditative movement practices are needed to assist survivors in overcoming post-treatment physical and psychological limitations to initiate a more active lifestyle.

Podcast Functionality in the Digital Age as an Information Media in Indonesia

Abstract— Podcasts have become a platform used by many people, one of which is as a means of disseminating and receiving information on various topics according to the needs of the audience who are looking for it. This study aims to determine the role and popularity of podcasts in the digital era as an information medium. This research uses a qualitative approach, which is carried out to understand a phenomenon through description using a variety of scientific methods. The research method used is a literature study. The data collection techniques used include a series of reading, selecting, and analyzing articles from several scientific journals and news related to research topics, podcasts, and reference books. Based on the results of the discussion in this study, the podcast with the broadcaster's relaxed story style using language that is easily understood by listeners makes the messages contained in the topic easy to convey. The popularity of podcasts that are growing and widely chosen by listeners, is influenced by Indonesian people who mostly prefer to watch rather than read. This activity becomes interesting with the function of podcasts increasing as part of a new profession and supporting old businesses.

Sistem dan Prosedur Pelayanan Izin Usaha Industri Peternakan Di KabupatenBanjarnegara

The Banjarnegara Regency One Stop Integrated Licensing and Investment Service (DPMPPTSP) is one of the units inthe region that organizes Online Single Submission. However, the implementation has not been maximized, so I wantto know what obstacles occur in the industrial business permit process in Banjarnegara district. The purpose of thisstudy was to identify and analyze the efforts of the One-Stop Integrated Investment and Licensing Service inimplementing the granting of electrical industrial business permits. And knowing the obstacles that occur in theprocess of implementing industrial business permits in Banjarnegara Regency. The method in this research is usingthe normative juridical method. The data in this study were obtained through library research, namely a series ofreading, recording, and citing books as well as using secondary data or information and explanations through datarequests from relevant agencies based on the objectives. study. The results of this study indicate that the livestockindustry business licensing process online through the Online Single Submission there are obstacles faced by theOffice of Investment and One Stop Integrated Services such as incomplete data provided by the applicant in theindustrial business permit process, besides that there are also obstacles to the community such as the type of businessfields in the Online Single Submission that are not yet complete.

Ovid and the Liberty of Speech in Shakespeare’s England. By Heather James

Heather James, by examining a number of Tudor- and Stuart-era authors through the twin lenses of Ovidian reception and early modern concerns about autocratic pressure on literary expression, offers an intriguing perspective on the period’s restless ferment of poetry and political philosophy. Through a series of close readings of selected works by Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, and Jonson, James focuses on Ovid as both these authors’ inspiration and, more daringly, the springboard for their own potentially perilous verses about speech and silence in a wider world inescapably overshadowed by the authority of the Crown. The towering status of Ovid in early modern English literature is of course well-established in scholarship; what James does is argue for a better appreciation of Ovid’s importance for the political ramifications of poetic work. After a somewhat desultory introduction, James considers Spenser in her first chapter, “Flower Power: Political Discontents in Spenser’s Flowerbeds.” She begins to build her theme of Ovidian influence not by choosing an overtly political work, but by taking “the counterintuitive position that Spenser is in fact deeply political when he invites his readers to wallow and get lost in lush flowerbeds of poetry” (20). James posits that when Spenser indulges in long, descriptive floral catalogues that seem to have no relation to external politics, he is in fact offering an escape from such politics with a “poetic aromatherapy” (21) of blooms “all flagrantly irrelevant to moral use or political encomium” (27). The heart of the chapter is a close reading of Muiopotmos, or the Fate of the Butterflie: in it, the butterfly Clarion flutters through a lush garden, but is killed by the spider Aragnoll, who embodies “the darker passions of the court and Crown, namely Envy” (40)—for in Spenser, Aragnoll is the son of Arachne. In a “seismic change” (43), however, Spenser’s Arachne deviates from her Ovidian predecessor by spontaneously becoming a spider due to her envy of Athena’s art. Spenser’s confection of a poem becomes in James’s reading a metaphor for reading for pleasure and “an ideal of imaginative and expressive freedoms” that is ultimately “a gorgeous but doomed fantasy” (50).

Studies Literacy Reading Autistic Children

The literacy movement is not only the responsibility of the government, but the responsibility of all stakeholders such as the business world, universities, social organizations, literacy activists, parents, and the community. The spirit of literacy culture is very active in its implementation in schools from elementary to high school. Various school programs are implemented, starting from reading corners, various places, and media created by schools to support these programs. Likewise, for special schools, literacy for children with special needs is also carried out to support a literacy culture for children with disabilities. There is one special school in Indonesia with disabilities that are included in the autistic category. Several studies have shown that schools are very enthusiastic about implementing the Literacy Movement program. However, it focuses a lot on how to implement it with the right method and does not consider what materials are needed for autistic children. Meanwhile, autistic children need independent literacy in their lives, such as independence in bathing, dressing, using socks, toilet training, and so on. Interesting reading material about self-reliance is hardly available in shops, libraries, and schools. In this article, we convey that making interesting reading materials for autistic students related to independent living is a challenge to make teachers, literacy activists, and communities concerned with literacy. Autistic students need regularity, discipline, and interesting reading with basic material content such as the chaining method. The chaining method, for example, is used to train dental skills in children with intellectual disabilities. The chaining method used is the chaining method used in the next steps of chaining, namely the initial steps of the behavior are taught first, , the steps taught are related to the second steps, and so on until the stage is complete. The type of research used is a case study. Meanwhile, data collection was by observation and by looking at the literacy cases of children with special needs. Research analysis was done using qualitative description. The results showed that the significantly autistic used literacy materials by reading series books in the form of chains which were simpler to read and also useful for their independence in everyday life.
 Keywords: literacy, autism, reading, independence, chaining

Imagination, our commune

ABSTRACT This article by the renowned philosopher and art theorist Georges Didi-Huberman explores the relationship between politics and the imagination. To summarise its main hypothesis, the article argues that the imagination is not only a common faculty of knowledge but an inherently political faculty which rises up against the established political and aesthetic order and radically reimagines human existence as something that we hold in common. In a series of readings of Aristotle, Kant, Hugo and Benjamin, the essay goes on to explore imagination as a political commune or commons in the work of music, art, literature, and philosophy.

THE UNCANNY AFTERLIVES OF AUGUSTUS: READING ACROSS SUETONIUS’ LIVES OF THE CAESARS

AbstractThis article examines the appearances of Augustus in Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars outside Augustus' own Life. It shows how Suetonius contrasts the positive image of Augustus drawn in the Life of Augustus with the distortion of this image by Augustus’ successors, depicted in the later Lives. In their reception, he is still presented as an ideal to follow, yet as a role model for cruelty (Tiberius), adultery and military failure (Caligula), or lyre-playing (Nero)—roles which Suetonius’ real Augustus never or only marginally assumed. Thus in a series of close and intratextual readings, this article invites a more general reassessment of Suetonius’ work: it suggests that the Lives of the Caesars draw a more critical image of the Principate than has often been said, that they are more consciously part of an image-making process and, above all, that they should more commonly be understood as one whole work, rather than read individually and in isolation.

Humberto Garcia. England Re-Oriented: How Central and South Asian Travelers Imagined the West, 1750–1857.

Through a series of original and close readings that reverses the usual order of things, Humberto Garcia argues that (white) East India Company men were the original mimic men who adopted Persianate manners to ingratiate themselves to India’s provincial rulers and business elites. Persian-speaking travelers such as Joseph Emin, Mirza Shaikh I’tesamuddin, Mirza Abu Talib Khan, and Dean Mahomet, who had become acquainted with officials of the East India Company were welcomed to England. Their encounters with British society at various levels were shaped by ideas of hospitality that were widespread in the Persianate cultures of Central and South Asia. Using a “decolonial analytic” (37), Garcia treats the history of the late eighteenth-century British Empire in India as contingent. Rather than position this moment as a precursor to the nineteenth-century presumption that (white) colonizers had a superior culture, Garcia’s arguments offer a corrective to the idea that Central and South Asian travelers felt uncomfortable or inferior in eighteenth-century London. Instead, these engagements between cultivated interlocutors were based on hospitality and homosociality. Until the early nineteenth century, “an imperial homosocial arcadia” thrived, defined by “Persian politeness, bravery, generosity, and true manliness” (15). As British competition for Indian territories escalated, the Englishman became increasingly aligned with an empire that was gendered in ways distinct from Persianate ideals of male friendship. As argued by Mrinalini Sinha, one of the co-editors of this book’s series, by the late nineteenth century, colonial societies were marked by racialized colonial masculinities that differentiated between the putative “manly Englishman” and “effeminate Bengali.” Garcia’s book explains the process by which these distinctions emerged. As he notes, many of these texts are centered on “the friction between sentimental manliness and military aggressiveness” (146).

Commemorating the Virgin Mary at Barking Abbey: Cambridge, University Library, Dd.12.56

AbstractThis article examines the unusual commemorative Office of the Virgin from Barking Abbey in a fifteenth-century book of hours, Cambridge, University Library, Dd.12.56 (hereafter Dd.12.56). As already evident in the Barking Ordinal, the nuns of this Abbey venerated Mary, one of their patron saints, with a weekly full three-nocturn, twelve-lesson Matins service. Dd.12.56, however, has only recently been linked to Barking Abbey and drawing on new material in this manuscript in correlation with others from the Abbey, I argue that the Barking nuns compiled a unique series of readings and responsories to honour Mary. The progression through the three nocturns of Matins articulates a Marian theology that intersects with the nuns’ self-understanding and I demonstrate that they carefully crafted the lesser hours to highlight specific times of day and to complement Marian hymns sung at Barking. The accepted belief that books of hours were for personal devotion obscures the possibility that such books reflect communal liturgical practices, potentially serving multiple purposes within a monastic setting. Although Dd.12.56 dates from the fifteenth century, it may testify to a much older liturgical practice, which originated in the twelfth century when the three-nocturn format was still prevalent in Benedictine use and before it was largely replaced by a two-nocturn format in the thirteenth century. Benedictine tradition offered individual monastic houses the opportunity to craft this service. Dd.12.56 stands as a new and important testimony to the rich and imaginative ways in which the Barking community created, collated and curated materials that they steeped in their minds and hearts.