A Simple Correctness Proof of the Direct-Style Transformation

We build on Danvy and Nielsen's first-order program transformation into continuation-passing style (CPS) to present a new correctness proof of the converse transformation, i.e., a one-pass transformation from CPS back to direct style. Previously published proofs were based on, e.g., a one-pass higher-order CPS transformation, and were complicated by having to reason about higher-order functions. In contrast, this work is based on a one-pass CPS transformation that is both compositional and first-order, and therefore the proof simply proceeds by structural induction on syntax

Nightmare Before Christmas: Between Cinema, Musical & Rock Musical Elements in Danny Elfman ”The Nightmare Before Christmas”

Danny Elfman is known for his dark, quirky musical style. In the contemporary Hollywood world there are only few composers that can vaunt to posses this personal and unique style. The industrialization of Hollywood’s cinema has created a standardization in the production, including the music department, but Elfman is an exception in the main trend mainly because of his musical background. He is a self-taught musician that came from rock music, that managed to write several very original orchestral scores such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Batman and The Nightmare Before Christmas. How can a person that never studied notation, harmony and orchestration write so much complex and well written music for orchestra? Which are his musical roots, and his masters? Why is The Nightmare Before Christmas so unique and memorable?! In this paper I will answer to these questions focusing on the musical elements that Elfman developed during his career; these approach will bring us back to the beginning, trying to establish musical connections that explain how his style has developed. Some of these connections/relations are direct (for these I will make a graphical representation), others more subtle (non-direct).https://remix.berklee.edu/graduate-studies-scoring/1022/thumbnail.jp

There and Back Again

We present a programming pattern where a recursive function traverses a data structure--typically a list--at return time. The idea is that the recursive calls get us there (typically to a base case) and the returns get us back again while traversing the data structure. We name this programming pattern of traversing a data structure at return time ``There And Back Again'' (TABA). The TABA pattern directly applies to computing a symbolic convolution. It also synergizes well with other programming patterns, e.g., dynamic programming and traversing a list at double speed. We illustrate TABA and dynamic programming with Catalan numbers. We illustrate TABA and traversing a list at double speed with palindromes and we obtain a novel solution to this traditional exercise. A TABA-based function written in direct style makes full use of an Algol-like control stack and needs no heap allocation. Conversely, in a TABA-based function written in continuation-passing style, the continuation acts as a list iterator. In general, the TABA pattern saves one from constructing intermediate lists in reverse order.See also BRICS-RS-05-3

There and Back Again

We present a programming pattern where a recursive function defined over a data structure traverses another data structure at return time. The idea is that the recursive calls get us `there' by traversing the first data structure and the returns get us `back again' while traversing the second data structure. We name this programming pattern of traversing a data structure at call time and another data structure at return time ``There And Back Again'' (TABA). The TABA pattern directly applies to computing symbolic convolutions and to multiplying polynomials. It also blends well with other programming patterns such as dynamic programming and traversing a list at double speed. We illustrate TABA and dynamic programming with Catalan numbers. We illustrate TABA and traversing a list at double speed with palindromes and we obtain a novel solution to this traditional exercise. Finally, through a variety of tree traversals, we show how to apply TABA to other data structures than lists. A TABA-based function written in direct style makes full use of an ALGOL-like control stack and needs no heap allocation. Conversely, in a TABA-based function written in continuation-passing style and recursively defined over a data structure (traversed at call time), the continuation acts as an iterator over a second data structure (traversed at return time). In general, the TABA pattern saves one from accumulating intermediate data structures at call time

FreePIH: Training-Free Painterly Image Harmonization with Diffusion Model

This paper provides an efficient training-free painterly image harmonization (PIH) method, dubbed FreePIH, that leverages only a pre-trained diffusion model to achieve state-of-the-art harmonization results. Unlike existing methods that require either training auxiliary networks or fine-tuning a large pre-trained backbone, or both, to harmonize a foreground object with a painterly-style background image, our FreePIH tames the denoising process as a plug-in module for foreground image style transfer. Specifically, we find that the very last few steps of the denoising (i.e., generation) process strongly correspond to the stylistic information of images, and based on this, we propose to augment the latent features of both the foreground and background images with Gaussians for a direct denoising-based harmonization. To guarantee the fidelity of the harmonized image, we make use of multi-scale features to enforce the consistency of the content and stability of the foreground objects in the latent space, and meanwhile, aligning both fore-/back-grounds with the same style. Moreover, to accommodate the generation with more structural and textural details, we further integrate text prompts to attend to the latent features, hence improving the generation quality. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations on COCO and LAION 5B datasets demonstrate that our method can surpass representative baselines by large margins

The machine drawings of Hans Hammer in the context of the contemporary machine representations

The first known drawings of machines can be found in warfare-themed manuscripts. The oldest of them dates back to the 14th century, but their proliferation took place in the 15th century. During the century an almost standardized drawing style, vocabulary was developed, which also survived throughout the Renaissance. Compared to the relatively high number of the survived warfare-related manuscripts that included drawings (their number is above 50), the representation of machines for civil usage is very rare throughout the century, even though the architectural drawings also proliferated during this century, and they also introduced a distinct representation style. The survived portfolio of the Strasbourg master builder Hans Hammer lies at the intersection of this two disciplines: it includes both machine and architectural drawings in a large number. Given the occupation of the master, it can safely assumed that in contrast to those found in the majority of the contemporary machine drawings, his machines served civil purposes. In this article the following questions are discussed: how do Hans Hammer’s machine drawings fit in the corpus of the contemporary machine drawings both by drawing style and function; and with which manuscripts can a direct connection be made

Prevalence of low back pain among the bankers at selected banks in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Purpose: Prevalence of low back pain among the bankers at some selected banks in Chittagong. Objectives: To measure the severity of pain according to vas scale, to identify the prevalence of LBP among the bankers, to determine the primary risk factors of low back pain among the bankers and to inspect the socio- demographic information among the bankers. Methodology:A quantitative (cross sectional) research model in the form of a prospective type survey design is carried out in this study. Conveniently 100 participants among the bankers were collected from various banks of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The instruments used included direct interview, a body discomfort assessment tool that consist of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and a questionnaire. Data was collected by mixed type questionnaire and confidentiality of information and voluntarily participation were ensured by the researcher. Data were numerically coded and captured in Excel, using an SPSS 17.0 version program. Results:The findings of the study provide a baseline of information about prevalence of Back pain among the bankers. In percentage 44% have suffered from back pain and male (81.82%) are more vulnerable than female (18.18%).The most affected age range 31-50years of age (68.18%). This age group is the largest proportion of the work force and with this part of the population affected to such a large degree it could affect the productivity of the company in a negative manner. The study revealed that the prevalence of back pain is most frequent who had job experience of 1-8 years 36%, followed by 21% were 9-16 years, 18% were 17-24 years, and 25% were 25-32 years.  Conclusion:Prevention of LBP is beneficial for workers, employers, and society. To prevent work relate LBP should focus on working conditions rather than individual life style , greater attention to other risk factors such as history of back injury and perception of health status. Bankers should be educated on ergonomics, posture, taking break in between work and relaxation as this will ultimately improve job satisfaction and performance

Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Commitment in Pharmaceutical Companies of Pakistan

The basic aim of this research is to examine the association between Styles of leadership (servant leadership and transformational leadership) and organizational commitment. Two hundred (200) questionnaires were distributed and 133 questionnaires were received back depicts 66.5% reply rate. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to collect data. This study is limited to the pharmaceutical companies working in Pakistan, and the respondents are employees of pharmaceutical companies working at different hierarchical level of management. Questionnaires were distributed randomly to local and MNC’s pharmaceutical companies. This study used multiple regression models for testing hypotheses. It was found that there is no significant relationship between servant leadership and organizational commitment whereas transformational leadership has significant direct association with organizational commitment. This study has practical implications for management to enhance employees concerns and improve ethical behavior. Moreover management must know that their management style have significant impact on employee’s performance that is associated with firm’s financial performance. Keywords: Servant leadership, Transformational leadership, Organizational commitment, Pharmaceutical companie

Prevalence of “Persistent Low Grade Morbidities” in a Section of Urban Youth Population

To determine the frequency and pattern of persistent low grade morbidities (PLGMs) in youth and also to identify life style factors which may influence their occurrence. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 200 younger urban people (19-24Y) were inquired by a self designed questionnaire by direct interviewing. Results: Mean age was 21years. Sixty four percent were female, 69% students, 6.5% smokers and 90.5% were unmarried. Distribution of PLGMs found was depressive mood swings(62%), frequent headache (46.5%), pain in lower limbs (44.5%), neck shoulder & back pain (44%) , easy fatiguability (42.5%), difficulty in falling asleep (38%) and epigastric discomfort (28%). More females (64.04%) were found affected. Statistically important co-variations between healthy behaviours and the absence of selected PLGMs (OR=1.01 – 2.09) was seen. Conclusions: Study findings are close to presumptions and are enough to sensitize relevant public health stake holders for needed measures. Clinical studies would help to find the ultimate causes of morbid states in focu

Exploring Kitsch: Kundera\u27s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Vonnegut\u27s Slaughterhouse-Five

This thesis is an exploration of the concept of kitsch in two prominent novels of the twentieth century: Milan Kundera’s The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Kundera in his novel offers a debate on kitsch, tracing it back to its original metaphysical meaning. In Vonnegut’s novel, there is no direct discussion of kitsch. However, both the style of Vonnegut’s novel and the world he depicts in and through the novel are imbued with kitsch and kitsch elements. The thesis offers a general overview of the concept of kitsch in the introductory chapter. The first chapter then aims to show how kitsch could be an attitude or behaviour influencing the characters’ lives. The second chapter, provides analysis on how kitsch contributes to the narrative fabric of Vonnegut’s novel and to the fictional world of Billy Pilgrim. Both these novels can help us explore the multiple and complex expressions of kitsch, the threat it poses, and the necessity it imposes