Sculpted Muqarnas: The Five Capitals in the Alhambra as a Case Study for the Proportions of Western Profiles

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-399
Author(s):  
Ignacio Ferrer Pérez-Blanco ◽  
Marie-Pierre Zufferey
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Formal Language ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Present Understanding ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Geometrical Relationships

Abstract In the Alhambra of the Nasrid era (1230–1492), a transformed type of capital emerged that incorporated muqarnas to materialize the transition from the column to the abacus. Although the Alhambra contains the most muqarnas compositions from the Occident (Iberian Peninsula), the present understanding of “Western” muqarnas is based upon two carpentry manuscripts from the 1630s, from different authors on each side of the Atlantic (López de Arenas and Fray Andrés de San Miguel). In this research, the proportions of the muqarnas profiles from each manuscript are studied and compared to each other to articulate the formal consequences of their differences. By sculpting four examples of muqarnas capitals in the Alhambra, this study assesses whether the results correspond to the information provided in the manuscripts. The particularities that arise from these simple muqarnas capitals shed light on the proportions of the Alhambra muqarnas, generate new profiles that are distinct from those of the manuscripts, and establish geometrical relationships that have hitherto been unclear. These observations offer a basis for future tests on other muqarnas compositions in Nasrid palaces, therefore advancing the definition of the formal language of the Alhambra muqarnas.

One step up and two steps back? The Italian debate on secularization, heteronormativity and LGBTQ citizenship

2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 591-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Bellè ◽  
Caterina Peroni ◽  
Elisa Rapetti
Keyword(s):  
Critical Discourse Analysis ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Critical Discourse ◽  
Political Events ◽  
The Family ◽  
One Step ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Shed Light

The aim of this article is to furnish insights of the Italian public debate on the recognition of LGBTQ rights, which can be understood as an interesting case study of the complex relationship between (multi)secularisation processes and re/definition of citizenship models. More specifically, the article analyses two political events related to this debate that took place in Rome in June 2015. The first is the Family Day demonstration, promoted by conservative Catholic groups; the second is the LGBTQ Pride parade, promoted by various gay, lesbian and transsexual/gender associations. We analyse the official statements issued by the two organising committees of the demonstrations, adopting the framework and methods of the Critical Discourse Analysis. Above and beyond an evident political conflict between the two discourses, we try to shed light on their mutual construction on the basis of what we call ‘naturalization’ and ‘universalization’ processes.

scholarly journals Old Cups Die Hard: The Appropriation of Athenian Pottery in the Iberian Peninsula

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Rodríguez Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Social Distinction ◽  
Recent Scholarship ◽  
Social Affiliations ◽  
Elite Status ◽  
Supplementary Material ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract The Iberian archaeological record is particularly rich in asynchronous (i.e. chronologically mixed) assemblages including Athenian pots that predate the other items by a couple of decades or even a few centuries. Recent scholarship on keimëlia, or ‘curated objects’ in modern parlance, has shown the potential of such objects to investigate questions of identity, agency and history-making among the receiving communities, but also to shed light on the role of Athenian pottery among them. This article analyses this phenomenon within the Iberian peninsula, focusing on drinking cups, both black-gloss with inset lip (Cástulo cups) and red-figure type B cups. Using case studies from necropoleis and settlements of the southeast and east of the peninsula, the article explores the reasons and meaning of this consumption practice. It is argued that the occurrence of ‘heirloom’ vases in Iberian tombs and their extraordinary survival in some settlements is the result of a conscious and deliberate choice indicating the existence of mechanisms of social distinction based on a diacritical use of material culture. It is further argued that different motivations might lie behind their delayed deposition: when the chronological gap between production and disposal dates is small, one or two human generations, curated Athenian vases worked similarly to non-curated ones, being emblematic of economic success, social affiliations and political rank. But when the interval is longer, Athenian pots became symbols of ancestry and elite status, possibly acquiring the same legitimizing role earlier bestowed upon Orientalizing artefacts. Supplementary material is available online (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0075426921000094) and comprises a catalogue of case-study objects.

scholarly journals A Formal Language to Describe and Animate Signs in Brazilian Sign Language

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Danilo Assis Nobre dos S. Silva ◽  
Tiago Maritan Ugulino de Araújo ◽  
Leonardo Dantas ◽  
Vandhuy F. Martins ◽  
Yúrika Sato Nóbrega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sign Language ◽  
Formal Language ◽  
Human Computation ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Collaborative Construction ◽  
Brazilian Sign Language ◽  
Definition Of

In this paper, we propose the definition of a formal, expressive and consistent language to describe signs in Brazilian Sign Language (LIBRAS). This language allows the definition of all parameters (phonemes) of a sign and from this definition an animation is generated based on a 3D humanoid avatar. The proposed language is also flexible in the sense that it has mechanisms to include new parameters (or phonemes) “on the fly”. In order to provide a case study for the proposed language, a human computation system for collaborative construction of a LIBRAS vocabulary was also developed. This system, called WikiLIBRAS, allows deaf users and LIBRAS interpreters to describe signs and generate animations for signs in LIBRAS. Some preliminary tests with Brazilian deaf users and LIBRAS interpreters were also performed to evaluate the proposal. Our preliminary evaluation indicates that the proposed language can represent a significant number of signs in LIBRAS and WikiLIBRAS users can generate signs in LIBRAS more productively than 3D designers.

Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Through Microfinance - A Case of Rural Bangladesh

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Saida Parvin
Keyword(s):  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Donor Agencies ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Impact

Women’s empowerment has been at the centre of research focus for many decades. Extant literature examined the process, outcome and various challenges. Some claimed substantial success, while others contradicted with evidence of failure. But the success remains a matter of debate due to lack of empirical evidence of actual empowerment of women around the world. The current study aimed to address this gap by taking a case study method. The study critically evaluates 20 cases carefully sampled to include representatives from the entire country of Bangladesh. The study demonstrates popular beliefs about microfinance often misguide even the borrowers and they start living in a fabricated feeling of empowerment, facing real challenges to achieve true empowerment in their lives. The impact of this finding is twofold; firstly there is a theoretical contribution, where the definition of women’s empowerment is proposed to be revisited considering findings from these cases. And lastly, the policy makers at governmental and non-governmental organisations, and multinational donor agencies need to revise their assessment tools for funding.

The Rapid Iterative Test and Evaluation Method (RITE)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Medlock
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Test And Evaluation ◽  
Original Case ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter begins with a discussion of the philosophy and then definition of the RITE method. It then delves into the benefits of this method and provides practical notes on running RITE tests effectively. The chapter concludes with an overview of the original case study behind the 2002 article documenting this method.

Poe and His Global Advocates

2018 ◽  
pp. 596-617
Author(s):  
Emron Esplin
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
South America ◽  
Rio De La Plata ◽  
Río De La Plata ◽  
Literary Traditions ◽  
La Plata ◽  
Original Works ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Global Reputation

This essay explores Edgar Allan Poe’s extraordinary relationships with various literary traditions across the globe, posits that Poe is the most influential US writer on the global literary scene, and argues that Poe’s current global reputation relies at least as much on the radiance of the work of Poe’s literary advocates—many of whom are literary stars in their own right—as it does on the brilliance of Poe’s original works. The article briefly examines Poe’s most famous French advocates (Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Valéry); glosses the work of his advocates throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas; and offers a concise case study of Poe’s influence on and advocacy from three twentieth-century writers from the Río de la Plata region of South America (Quiroga, Borges, and Cortázar). The essay concludes by reading the relationships between Poe and his advocates through the ancient definition of astral or stellar influence.

scholarly journals Seed Exchange as an Agrobiodiversity Conservation Mechanism. A Case Study in Vall Fosca, Catalan Pyrenees, Iberian Peninsula

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Calvet-Mir ◽  
Maria Calvet-Mir ◽  
José Luis Molina ◽  
Victoria Reyes-García
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Seed Exchange ◽  
Agrobiodiversity Conservation

scholarly journals Participative decision making in schools in individualist and collectivist cultures: The micro-politics behind distributed leadership

2021 ◽  
pp. 174114322110013
Author(s):  
Mor Hodaya Or ◽  
Izhak Berkovich
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Distributed Leadership ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
Public High Schools ◽  
Case Study Method ◽  
Case Selection ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Shed Light

Despite the popularity of distributed leadership theory, the investigation of the micro-political aspects of such models have scarcely been explored, and insights on the cultural variety of distributed practices in schools are limited. The present study aimed to explore what micro-political aspects emerge in participative decision making in collectivist and individualist cultures. To this end, a multiple case study method was adopted, focusing on four Israeli public high schools. Schools were chosen to represent an ‘extreme’ case selection rationale: two non-religious urban schools representing individualist cases, and two communal schools in religious kibbutzim representing communal schools. The analysis shed light on three micro-political points of comparison between the prototypes of participative decision making in collectivist and individualist cultures related to control, actors, and stage crafting. The findings and implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Stakeholder Awareness: A Case Study of a Scottish University

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4186
Author(s):  
Abdulhakeem Raji ◽  
Abeer Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Theory ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Voluntary Exercise ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The University

This paper adopted a case study approach to investigate the sustainability practices of a Scottish university in order to understand if sustainability forms part of its central policy agenda. As such, the paper focuses on the levels of awareness and disclosure of their sustainable practices, measuring the impacts and effectiveness of those initiatives. This paper introduces signaling theory to explore the idea that appropriate communication via integrated thinking can close the gap between the organization and its stakeholders. We believe that the provision of this relevant information will lead to better communication between the organization and its stakeholders, supporting a signaling theory interpretation. Therefore, we are suggesting that integrated thinking is an internal process that organizations can follow to increase the level of disclosure as a communication tool with stakeholders. From the literature reviewed, four themes were identified (definition of university sustainability, sustainability awareness, disclosure framework within universities, and level of accountability). The research adopted a pragmatic view and conducted individual interviews with participants belonging to three stakeholder groups (members of the university’s senior management, the governing council, and the student union executive). Although this study focused on just one Scottish university, it should still provide some insight for the better understanding of the underpinning issues surrounding the sustainability accountability practices of Scottish universities in general. The research findings indicated that the university prioritized only two sustainability dimensions—economic and environmental—and that the university still perceived sustainability as a voluntary exercise. Additionally, it is evident that the university had no framework in place for measuring its sustainability delivery—and therefore had no established medium of communicating these activities to its stakeholders. Moreover, research findings showed that the social and educational context of sustainability was lacking at the university. The university has done little or nothing to educate its stakeholders on sustainability.

scholarly journals Towards DC Energy Efficient Homes

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6005
Author(s):  
Daniel Villanueva ◽  
Moisés Cordeiro-Costas ◽  
Andrés E. Feijóo-Lorenzo ◽  
Antonio Fernández-Otero ◽  
Edelmiro Miguez-García
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Real Data ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Led Lighting ◽  
Shed Light

The aim of this paper is to shed light on the question regarding whether the integration of an electric battery as a part of a domestic installation may increase its energy efficiency in comparison with a conventional case. When a battery is included in such an installation, two types of electrical conversion must be considered, i.e., AC/DC and DC/AC, and hence the corresponding losses due to these converters must not be forgotten when performing the analysis. The efficiency of the whole system can be increased if one of the mentioned converters is avoided or simply when its dimensioning is reduced. Possible ways to achieve this goal can be: to use electric vehicles as DC suppliers, the use of as many DC home devices as possible, and LED lighting or charging devices based on renewables. With all this in mind, several scenarios are proposed here in order to have a look at all possibilities concerning AC and DC powering. With the aim of checking these scenarios using real data, a case study is analyzed by operating with electricity consumption mean values.

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