A characterization of heaps and its applications

AbstractIn this paper we present a new view of a classical data structure, the heap. We view a heap on n elements as an ordered collection of ⌜log2(n + 1)⌝ substructures of sizes 2i with i in {0, …, ⌈log2(n)⌉}. We use the new view in the design of an algorithm for splitting a heap on n elements into two heaps on k and n − k elements, respectively. The algorithm requires O(log2(n)) comparisons, improving the previous bound of O(k) comparisons for all but small values of k, i.e., for k log2(n). We also present a new and conceptually simple algorithm for merging heaps of sizes n and k into one heap of size n + k in O(log(n) ∗ log(k)) comparisons

The Sound of a Beautiful Woman: A Study of Sensory Imagery in Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai zhiyi)

The sense of sound is one of the most prioritized senses in Chinese culture. This can be seen from a linguistic angle with Chinese being a tonal language, and in historical importance where music is integrated with ritual. Philosophically and cosmologically, “hearing the Dao” (wendao 闻道) is synonymous with “understanding the Dao.” An innovative treatment in the prioritization of sound is especially prominent in Pu Songling’s (1640-1715) Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. In this well-known collection from the genre of “strange fiction” (e.g. the supernatural), Pu Songling enriches the prioritization of sound in his literary descriptions of beauty and love through sensory imagery. Furthermore, these descriptions are also aligned with that of the zither, a stringed musical instrument that has been a literary vehicle for understanding the Dao, especially through the companion muse-like figure of a “zhiyin” 知音, or “one who knows the tone.” In this context of a kinship of true minds, the listener “appreciates” the zither music that is played because of “understanding” the music. In Chinese cultural memory, the zither is typically a man’s instrument, and the origin parable of the zhiyin refers to the inseparable cosmic connection solely between two men. This thesis argues that through the use of auditory sensory imagery, Pu Songling effectively communicates the notions of beauty and love, and especially creates a more complex and nuanced characterization of a beautiful woman. More significantly, Pu Songling breaks from the traditional gender roles and innovates the zhiyin as both a woman and lover. This concept not only bypasses the conventional Chinese formula but the female archetype is empowered beyond literary type. Perhaps of significance is that innovative representation of women and ideas such as love and beauty are framed only in the late imperial fictional arena of the “strange” and deviate from the normal. In contrast to Pu Songling’s use of auditory cues, this thesis also includes a literary sampling of Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849), an author who wrote similar tales but through the Western lens. A comparison of Poe’s ideas of “horror” and projection of beauty delineates an emphasis on the visual sense. Contrasting Edgar Allen Poe’s use of visual imagery targeting a human’s sense of sight helps provide a contrastive context for appreciating the uniqueness of Pu Songling’s use of auditory sensory imagery and the prioritization of sound in the Chinese culture. Pu Songling was one of the Qing writers who introduced audiences to the world of the “strange.” He spent much of his early life studying for exams in order to become successful and hopefully enter into career as a distinguished official. However, Pu Songling found much failure in what was known as “examination hell” and chose instead to spend his time reading and writing fiction. The inspiration for his stories was drawn from his own experiences from the rebellions and uprisings during his early life, to the arduous examinations in his middle life, and his later life spent in the mountainous north-eastern province (Minford xii). He died in 1715, but his collection of stories, known in English as Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, carry on his literary legacy.Asian Studie

The Colours of Rethoryk: The Medieval World’s Influence on Red and White Color Symbolism in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer’s use of visual imagery and symbolism in The Canterbury Tales. From a literary approach, scholars point to Chaucer’s diverse and extensive descriptions of visuals in poetry as a primary rhetorical avenue, where he applies commentary to instances where a physical image (known in this case as a symbol) is most appropriate to elicit a desired emotion or convey a certain idea concerning morali

Atıf Klasiklerinin Etkisinin ve İlgililik Sıralamalarının Pennant Diyagramları ile Analizi

Citation indexes are important authority resources for measuring the contribution of scientists and scientific publications to literature. Many studies in information retrieval are based on research aiming to develop retrieval algorithms. These studies tend to receive citations from different fields because of the interdisciplinary nature of information retrieval. Therefore, it is important to analyze the so-called “citation classics” retrospectively to find out their impact on other fields. Yet, it is not easy to do this using citation indexes, especially for relatively old papers, as traditional citation analysis tends not to reveal the full impact of a work on other studies at its time and periods that follow. In order to see the big picture it is important to study the contribution of these studies on other disciplines as well. In this study the impact of Maron and Kuhns’ citation classic on “probabilistic retrieval” published in 1960 has been visualized using pennant diagrams that were developed on the basis of relevance theory, information retrieval and bibliometrics. We hypothesized that “The interdisciplinary relations that are unobservable with traditional citation analysis can be revealed using the pennant diagrams method”. In order to test the hypothesis works that cited Maron and Kuhns’ study between the years of 1960 and 2015 have been downloaded with their references (a total of 4,176 unique works) and graphics have been prepared by the macros written in MS Excel. Of 4,176 works, 90 were selected using convenience sampling techniques to create static and interactive pennant diagrams for further analysis. Another important output of this study is the relevance rankings. As an alternative to the relevance rankings based on the similarity of references already used in citation indexes, relevance rankings have been created using the pennant diagrams that took into account not only items that cited the core (seed) paper but also citations to the items that cited the core paper. Relevance rankings based on the similarity of references and that of pennant diagrams have been compared. Findings support the hypothesis in that pennant diagrams provide information as to which papers that the core paper on probabilistic model influenced or got influenced from, directly or indirectly. Relevance ranking based on pennant diagrams revealed the impact of the core paper on information retrieval field as well as on other disciplines. Furthermore, it identified the relations between these somewhat disconnected fields, between authors, works, and journals that cannot be readily identified using traditional citation analysis. Relevance rankings using pennant diagrams seem to have been more successful than the relevance rankings based on references similarity. This study is the first such study in Turkey that uses pennant diagrams for relevance rankings. The data used in graphs and relevance rankings are available through citation indexes (the frequencies of total citations and co-citations). Thus, alternative relevance rankings based on pennant diagrams can be offered to users. Pennant diagrams can help researchers track the relevant literature more easily as well as identify how a core work influences other works in a specific field or in other fields