Remapping borders and boundaries in the Middle East: Amitav Ghosh and Mourid Barghouti

The Middle East map has undergone a remarkable change since the rise of geopolitical borders in the early twentieth century. These borders constructed by colonial powers and maintained by postcolonial ones have not only divided the region into nation-states but have also entailed boundaries between people on the basis of national, cultural, linguistic and religious differences. This study examines how borders and boundaries are contested and subverted in two Third World narrative productions set in the Middle East: In an Antique Land (1992) by the Indian-Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh and Ra\u27aytu RÄ m AllÄ h (1997), a memoir by the Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti (translated as I Saw Ramallah [2000] by the Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif). In the light of Edward Said\u27s recurrent reference to the interlink between narrative and geopolitics, this comparative study examines how histories in both works challenge spatial and temporal configurations interlocked with these boundariesâ histories that are left out of mainstream narratives. Both works contest geopolitical maps enforced by power structures by foregroundingâ what Joel Migdal callsâ â people\u27s mental maps.â This study examines Ghosh and Barghouti\u27s shared subversive approach to this issue but also highlights instances where they depart in terms of worldview and stylistic approach. Moreover, it sheds light on the subversive role of literary and stylistic elements in both works thereby revealing the overlap between the two texts. This study crosses disciplinary boundaries and reveals how literature bears on geopolitics through two works that uncover multiple maps of the region

On the use of fuzzy logic in a hybrid scheme for tolerating mobilesupport station failure

Mobile computing systems are used in different applications, some of which may be sensitive to be interrupted. However, these systems are susceptible to fault. One such fault is the failure of mobile support station. The main role of these stations is to help providing reliable and uninterrupted communication and computing facilities to mobile hosts. A scheme, known as the hybrid scheme, has recently been proposed that can tolerate failures of mobile support stations. The hybrid scheme combines the characteristics of two other schemes, known as pessimistic and optimistic schemes. There are two objectives that need to be optimized. These objectives are acknowledgement delay and storage capacity. We use fuzzy logic to find the best ratio of pessimistic to optimistic secondary stations to get the optimized values of the two objectives in the hybrid scheme. Simulation results show that fuzzy logic is a suitable choice for addressing the multiobjective nature of the proble

Synthesis of MVL Functions - Part I: The Genetic Algorithm Approach

Multiple-Valued Logic (MVL) has been used in the design of a number of logic systems, including memory, multi-level data communication coding, and a number of special purpose digital processors. Several algorithms have been proposed in the literature for synthesis of multiple valued logic functions. None of these algorithms provides absolute optimum results for synthesis of these functions. The search space is too large to be explored by deterministic algorithms. In this paper, a Genetic Algorithm based algorithm for synthesis of MVL functions is proposed. The algorithm is tested using 200 randomly generated 2-variable 4-valued functions. The results obtained show that the introduced algorithm outperforms the deterministic technique based on the direct cover approach [3] in terms of the average number of product terms required to realize a given MVL function

ENUMERATIVE TECHNIQUES IN TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION OF COMPUTER NETWORKS SUBJECT TO FAULT TOLERANCE AND RELIABILITY

In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network

The Use of Enumerative Techniques in Topological Optimization of Computer Networks Subject to Fault Tolerance and Reliability

Topological optimization of computer networks is concerned with the design of a network by selecting a subset of the available set of links such that the fault tolerance and reliability aspects are maximized while a cost constraint is met. A number of enumeration-based techniques were proposed to solve this problem. They are based on enumerating all the possible paths (for Terminal reliability) and all the spanning trees (for ��Network reliability). Existing enumeration-based techniques for solving this network optimization problem ignore the fault-tolerance aspect in their solution. Fault tolerance is an important network design aspect. A fault tolerant network is able to function even in the presence of some faults in the network. In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network while remaining within a maximum pre-specified cost constraint

ENUMERATIVE TECHNIQUES IN TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION OF COMPUTER NETWORKS SUBJECT TO FAULT TOLERANCE AND RELIABILITY

In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network

On the use of fuzzy logic in a hybrid scheme for tolerating mobilesupport station failure

Mobile computing systems are used in different applications, some of which may be sensitive to be interrupted. However, these systems are susceptible to fault. One such fault is the failure of mobile support station. The main role of these stations is to help providing reliable and uninterrupted communication and computing facilities to mobile hosts. A scheme, known as the hybrid scheme, has recently been proposed that can tolerate failures of mobile support stations. The hybrid scheme combines the characteristics of two other schemes, known as pessimistic and optimistic schemes. There are two objectives that need to be optimized. These objectives are acknowledgement delay and storage capacity. We use fuzzy logic to find the best ratio of pessimistic to optimistic secondary stations to get the optimized values of the two objectives in the hybrid scheme. Simulation results show that fuzzy logic is a suitable choice for addressing the multiobjective nature of the proble

The Use of Enumerative Techniques in Topological Optimization of Computer Networks Subject to Fault Tolerance and Reliability

Topological optimization of computer networks is concerned with the design of a network by selecting a subset of the available set of links such that the fault tolerance and reliability aspects are maximized while a cost constraint is met. A number of enumeration-based techniques were proposed to solve this problem. They are based on enumerating all the possible paths (for Terminal reliability) and all the spanning trees (for ��Network reliability). Existing enumeration-based techniques for solving this network optimization problem ignore the fault-tolerance aspect in their solution. Fault tolerance is an important network design aspect. A fault tolerant network is able to function even in the presence of some faults in the network. In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network while remaining within a maximum pre-specified cost constraint

The Use of Enumerative Techniques in Topological Optimization of Computer Networks Subject to Fault Tolerance and Reliability

Topological optimization of computer networks is concerned with the design of a network by selecting a subset of the available set of links such that the fault tolerance and reliability aspects are maximized while a cost constraint is met. A number of enumeration-based techniques were proposed to solve this problem. They are based on enumerating all the possible paths (for Terminal reliability) and all the spanning trees (for ��Network reliability). Existing enumeration-based techniques for solving this network optimization problem ignore the fault-tolerance aspect in their solution. Fault tolerance is an important network design aspect. A fault tolerant network is able to function even in the presence of some faults in the network. In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network while remaining within a maximum pre-specified cost constraint

ENUMERATIVE TECHNIQUES IN TOPOLOGICAL OPTIMIZATION OF COMPUTER NETWORKS SUBJECT TO FAULT TOLERANCE AND RELIABILITY

In this paper, we propose one algorithm for optimizing the terminal reliability and another for optimizing the network reliability while improving the fault tolerance aspects of the designed networks. Experimental results obtained from a set of randomly generated networks using the proposed algorithms are presented and compared to those obtained using the existing techniques [1], [2]. It is shown that improving the fault tolerance of a network can be achieved while optimizing its reliability however at the expense of a reasonable increase in the overall cost of the network