The dagoba and the gopuram: A semiotic contrastive study of the Sinhalese Buddhist and Tamil Hindu cultures

Semiotica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (236-237) ◽  
pp. 167-197
Author(s):  
Steven Bonta
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Contrastive Study ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Hybrid Culture ◽  
Level Of Analysis

AbstractHaving shown previously how a culture type can be given a unitary description in terms of a semiotic “lens” constrained by one of the Peircean Categories (“Shamanic” culture, by Firstness), we apply this methodology to a more “fine-grained” level of analysis, by comparing the Tamil and Sinhalese cultures under the assumption that one of them (Sinhalese) is in fact a “hybrid” culture-sign. Having shown in previous work that the greater South Asian microculture may be characterized as a Firstness of Thirdness (13), in this paper we provide evidence from a variety of semiotic contexts, including language, art, and religion, that the novel or “intrusive” sign in Sinhalese culture is Firstness of Secondness (12), resulting in a hybrid culture sign that may be described as 12 × 13.

scholarly journals (Non)Places of Bangalore: Where the East Meets the West in Bharati Mukherjee’s Miss New India

2019 ◽  
pp. 83-90
Author(s):  
Izabella Kimak
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Asian American ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The West ◽  
South Asian American ◽  
Primary Location ◽  
Spatial Locations ◽  
The Impact

This essay constitutes an attempt at reading Bharati Mukherjee’s 2011 novel, Miss New India, through the prism of spatial locations depicted in it. Unlike many of the texts in the late South Asian American author’s oeuvre, which depict migration from the East to the West, Miss New India is located exclusively within South Asia. This notwithstanding, the novel focuses on the impact the West used to and continues to exert on the East. I would like to argue that through her depictions of places and non-places of Bangalore-the novel’s primary location-Mukherjee points to the spatial interconnectedness of the East and the West as well as to the temporal interconnectedness of the colonial past and postcolonial, late-capitalist present.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on community health: A systematic review of a population of 82 million

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-11
Author(s):  
Brijesh Sathian ◽  
Mohammad Asim ◽  
Ahammed Mekkodathil ◽  
Edwin R. Van Teijlingen ◽  
Supram Hosuru Subramanya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Community Health ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Current Systematic Review ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Impact

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by the pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, is exponentially spreading across the globe. As there is paucity of published literature, the influence of COVID-19 on community health remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a systematic review of the literature on the impact of COVID-19 on community health. The current systematic review was performed utilizing electronic databases, i.e., PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. We searched for the keywords "COVID-19" AND "community health" between January 1, 2020, until May 10, 2020. Although, limited evidence is available regarding quarantine to prevent COVID‐19, most studies considered quarantine as an essential public health measure to minimize rate of infection and mortality. Under these circumstances, people should focus on maintaining personal hygiene, proper nutrition, and extreme social distancing to reduce the risk of COVID-19. Besides, that there is a need to provide professional psychological support to reduce mental ill-health. We have highlighted two different public health approaches in South Asian countries, namely Nepal and India.

Posture verbs

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åke Viberg
Keyword(s):  
Resultative Constructions ◽  
Parallel Corpus ◽  
Written Text ◽  
Contrastive Study ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
General Similarity ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Reflexive Verbs ◽  
Rich Data ◽  
Germanic Languages

From a typological perspective, the verbs of sitting, standing and lying have been described relatively extensively. Against this background, the present paper provides a contrastive study of the lexical semantics of the Swedish posture verbs sitta ‘sit’, stå ‘stand’ and ligga ‘lie’ based on the Multilingual Parallel Corpus (MPC), which contains extracts from Swedish novels and their published translations into English, German, French and Finnish. Since the corpus is a very rich data source, the study is focused on the use of posture verbs as locative verbs. It turns out that it is possible to arrange the languages along a continuum with respect to the use of posture verbs versus the copula to describe the location of inanimate objects. In Finnish the copula dominates completely, in English there is more of a balance (in this kind of written text), whereas the posture verbs dominate in German and Swedish. French stands out as a completely different type in this comparison, since the copula is used very little and posture verbs hardly at all. Actually, there is a tension in French between the use of a small number of verbs with a general locative meaning as translations and the use of a large variety of reflexive verbs and resultative constructions with past participles (e.g. être fixé ‘be attached’) which convey fine-grained information about the placement. Among the languages that use posture verbs as locative predicates, there is a general similarity with respect to the factors that condition the choice between lie and stand, whereas even closely related Germanic languages differ with respect to the semantic factors that condition the choice of sit as a locative predicate.

Grounded procedures: A proximate mechanism for the psychology of cleansing and other physical actions

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spike W. S. Lee ◽  
Norbert Schwarz
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Grounded Cognition ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Psychological Variables ◽  
Sympathetic Magic ◽  
Proximate Mechanism ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Abstract Experimental work has revealed causal links between physical cleansing and various psychological variables. Empirically, how robust are they? Theoretically, how do they operate? Major prevailing accounts focus on morality or disgust, capturing a subset of cleansing effects, but cannot easily handle cleansing effects in non-moral, non-disgusting contexts. Building on grounded views on cognitive processes and known properties of mental procedures, we propose grounded procedures of separation as a proximate mechanism underlying cleansing effects. This account differs from prevailing accounts in terms of explanatory kind, interpretive parsimony, and predictive scope. Its unique and falsifiable predictions have received empirical support: Cleansing attenuates or eliminates otherwise observed influences of prior events (1) across domains and (2) across valences. (3) Cleansing manipulations produce stronger effects the more strongly they engage sensorimotor capacities. (4) Reversing the causal arrow, motivation for cleansing is triggered more readily by negative than positive entities. (5) Conceptually similar effects extend to other physical actions of separation. On the flipside, grounded procedures of connection are also observed. Together, separation and connection organize prior findings relevant to multiple perspectives (e.g., conceptual metaphor, sympathetic magic) and open up new questions. Their predictions are more generalizable than the specific mappings in conceptual metaphors, but more fine-grained than the broad assumptions of grounded cognition. This intermediate level of analysis sheds light on the interplay between mental and physical processes.

scholarly journals Situation analysis of novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) cases in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-14
Author(s):  
Kiran Paudel ◽  
Prashamsa Bhandari ◽  
Yadav Prasad Joshi
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Primary Case ◽  
The Status ◽  
Exponential Trend ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is currently a major threat to global health in an unprecedented manner. The global pandemic of COVID-19 has affected 215 countries and territories including Nepal. Until 1st June 2020, altogether 1,811 COVID-19 positive cases were diagnosed using RT-PCR. This study aimed to analyze the status of COVID-19 cases in Nepal and South Asian countries. A retrospective study from 23rd January to 1st June 2020 was conducted using data of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Nepal and Worldometer homepages. The primary case records during the pre and post lockdown periods were examined. Spatial distribution was observed. An exponential trend line was plotted and COVID-19 situation in South Asian countries was assessed. Of 1,811 COVID-19 cases, the highest number (38.3%) was reported in Province 2. Out of 77 districts, 59 were affected. In Fifty-eight districts, primary cases appeared during the lockdown period. The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases showed the exponential pattern of distribution in Nepal. In South Asian countries, India had the highest number of cases and case fatality rate (CFR). There were no cases of CFR in Bhutan. The Novel Coronavirus emergence in Nepal has become a serious challenge to the various sectors including public health. The emergence of primary cases even in the lockdown period needs a detailed study in the future.

scholarly journals Secure Data Access Control with Cipher Text Update and Computation Outsourcing in Fog Computing for Internet of Things

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1592-1597
Author(s):  
Shaik Jaffer Vali , Et. al.
Keyword(s):  
Access Control ◽  
Fog Computing ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Security Analysis ◽  
Data Access ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Cipher Text ◽  
Data Access Control ◽  
Ciphertext Policy

Fog Computing is a region of Computer Science that is under steady construction and development, and related to data security, the worldview turns out to be more solid and secure for IoT's edge stages. The verification of limited memory devices has serious issues since memory utilization is high when applied with different models that have the motivation behind shared confirmation. In this paper, we propose the Novel cipher text-based encryption model (NCEM) which has an information access control plot dependent on Ciphertext-Policy it give information privacy, fine-grained control, and mysterious validation in a multi-authority fog computing framework. The sign cryption and plan cryption overhead for the client is altogether diminished by redistributing the bothersome calculation tasks to fog hubs. The proposed conspire is demonstrated to be secure in the standard model and can give trait repudiation and public unquestionable status. The security analysis, asymptotic multifaceted nature examination, and implementation results demonstrate that our construction can offset the security objectives with useful effectiveness in calculation.

scholarly journals Tracing a Narrative of Muslim Self-Aftermath of 9/11 in Monica Ali’s Brick Lane: Islamophobia in the West

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-93
Author(s):  
Ahmed Saad Aziz
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Identity Crisis ◽  
Standard Of Living ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Job Prospects

This study is aimed at finding a narrative of Muslim self-aftermath of 9/11 in the West when it was swept with hatred against Muslims leading to the rise of Islamophobia which is herself experienced by the novelist, Monica Ali. Penning from her own experience, the novel, Brick Lane (2003) can be considered as real experience of many people who were held responsible for crime committed. This study employs descriptive qualitative method in dealing with the rise of islamophobia in the West after the incident of 9/11. This is the textual analysis of the experiences of diasporic Muslim couple from Bangladesh living in London and being the witness of the rise of xenophobia in the form of islamophobia aftermath of 9/11. This evaluation and interpretation are importance in the contemporary scenario as there is a continuous rise of such incidents in Europe and America in different ways. The outcome of these incidents is that it is mostly the innocent Muslims who are being attacked for a crime committed by others.The result shows the bitter experience of simple Bangladeshi Muslims immigrant who struggled for identity crisis in a multicultural highly educated world. It also reflects the personal experiences of writer herself as she being a Bangladeshi is living in West. The result was evaluated by examining Bangladeshi immigrant characters and their various circumstances and situations in the novel. Moreover, the point is that people of South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan prefer to live and work in West for better standard of living, education and job prospects.

On the proper treatment of connectionism

1988 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Smolensky
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Modeling ◽  
Cognitive Models ◽  
Massively Parallel ◽  
Neural Models ◽  
Physical Sciences ◽  
Connectionist Models ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Sequential Rule ◽  
Computational Systems ◽  
Level Of Analysis

AbstractA set of hypotheses is formulated for a connectionist approach to cognitive modeling. These hypotheses are shown to be incompatible with the hypotheses underlying traditional cognitive models. The connectionist models considered are massively parallel numerical computational systems that are a kind of continuous dynamical system. The numerical variables in the system correspond semantically to fine-grained features below the level of the concepts consciously used to describe the task domain. The level of analysis is intermediate between those of symbolic cognitive models and neural models. The explanations of behavior provided are like those traditional in the physical sciences, unlike the explanations provided by symbolic models.Higher-level analyses of these connectionist models reveal subtle relations to symbolic models. Parallel connectionist memory and linguistic processes are hypothesized to give rise to processes that are describable at a higher level as sequential rule application. At the lower level, computation has the character of massively parallel satisfaction of soft numerical constraints; at the higher level, this can lead to competence characterizable by hard rules. Performance will typically deviate from this competence since behavior is achieved not by interpreting hard rules but by satisfying soft constraints. The result is a picture in which traditional and connectionist theoretical constructs collaborate intimately to provide an understanding of cognition.

Territory, religion, and vote: nationalization of politics and the Catholic party in Italy

2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-43
Author(s):  
Piero Ignazi ◽  
Spencer Wellhofer
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Electoral Politics ◽  
Regional Models ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Statistical Measures ◽  
Electoral Behaviour ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Level Of Analysis ◽  
The Way

This analysis challenges the consensus that, in post-war Italy the Catholic party [Democrazia Cristiana (Dc)], actively supported by the Catholic Church, fostered a process of vote nationalization. The paper, drawing upon a more fine-grained level of analysis, different statistical measures, and within and across regional models, provides a more nuanced interpretation. According to our analysis, although the Dc effectively acted as a homogenizing agent until the late 1970s, after that decade the processes of modernization and secularization fostered the decline of religious-based politics, and of the Dc itself. Such decline opened the way for the re-emergence of a territorial cleavage and a consequent dis-homogenization of Italian electoral politics. The paper demonstrated that the impact of modernization and secularization on the vote for the Catholic party is more significant considering the five Italy’s geo-political areas rather than the country as a whole. Moreover, the divergent path in the five areas testifies the re-emergence of territory in the Italian electoral behaviour. Territorial heterogeneity, modernization, and secularization were central to the collapse of the Dc.

Governance Indicators and the Level of Analysis Problem: Empirical Findings from South America

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 505-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W. Gingerich
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
National Level ◽  
Public Employees ◽  
Analysis Problem ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Governance Indicators ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Bureaucratic Agencies ◽  
Level Of Analysis

Studies of the link between state capacity and development often utilize national-level governance indicators to explain fine-grained development outcomes. As capacity in some bureaucratic agencies matters more for these outcomes than capacity in others, this work proxies for capacity within the set of relevant agencies by using a measure of ‘mean’ capacity across all agencies in a polity. This practice is problematic for two reasons: (1) within-country, cross-agency diversity in capacity often overwhelms the variation encountered across public sectors considered in their entireties; (2) national-level reputations for capacity are not particularly informative about differences in capacity in functionally equivalent agencies in different countries. The article draws on the author's survey of public employees in Bolivia, Brazil and Chile to establish these points.

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