Der Herrscher als Pilger im westlichen und östlichen Mittelalter –: eine Skizze

Investigating medieval royal pilgrimage from a comparative perspective, certain characteristics can be observed: Byzantine emperors normally did not go on pilgrimage, preferring to collect holy relics in their capital. In the West, royal pilgrimage flourished especially during the Later Middle Ages, playing a key role in the practice of rulership, without, however, making a significant contribution to the sacral character of monarchy. Christian kings seldom crossed the borders of their realms to visit sacred places. Muslim rulers (apart from the early caliphs) followed a similar pattern, often avoiding to perform the hajj to Mecca personally. Instead, royal pilgrimage over long distances was a significant phenomenon at the periphery of both religious spheres: in West Africa and Scandinavia

Numerical Methods for Algorithmic Systems and Neural Networks

These lecture notes are devoted to numerical concepts and solution of algorithmic systems and neural networks. The course is divided into four parts: traditional AI (artificial intelligence), deep learning in neural networks, applications to (and with) differential equations, and project work. Throughout this course an emphasis is on mathematical ingredients from which several are rigorously proven. In the project work, the participants usually form groups and work together on a given problem to train themselves on mathematical modeling, design of algorithms, implementation, and analysis and intepretation of the simulation results

Adaptive aerodynamic part feeding enabled by genetic algorithm

Aerodynamic feeding systems represent one possibility to meet the challenges of part feeding for automated production in terms of feeding performance and flexibility. The aerodynamic feeding system investigated in this article is already able to adapt itself to different workpieces using a genetic algorithm. However, due to the operating principle, the system is susceptible to changes in environmental conditions such as air pressure and pollution (e.g. dust). To minimise the effect of ambient influences, the system must be enabled to detect changes in the feeding rate and react autonomously by adapting the system’s adjustment parameters. In this work, based on pre-identified factors interfering with the aerodynamic orientation process, a new approach is developed to react to changes of the ambient conditions during operation. The presented approach makes us of an alternating sequence of monitoring and corrective algorithms. The monitoring algorithm measures the ratio of correctly oriented parts to the total number of fed parts of the process and triggers the corrective algorithm if necessary. Simulated and experimental results both show that an increased feeding rate can be achieved in varying conditions. Furthermore, it is shown that integrating both known process and parameter information can reduce the time for re-parametrisation of the feeding system

A Companion to Byzantium and the West, 900-1204

International audienceThe eighteen chapters of this book explore the complex history of exchange between Byzantium and the Latin West over a period of more than three hundred years, with a focus on the political, ecclesiastical and cultural spheres. Besides outlining the history of competition and collaboration between two empires in medieval Europe, a range of regional approaches, stretching from England to the Crusader kingdoms, o fer insights into the many aspects of Byzantine-Latin contact and exchange. Further sections explore patterns of mutual perception, linguistic and material dimensions of the contacts, as well as the role played by various groups of "cultural brokers" such as ambassadors, merchants, monks and Jewish communities

« Approaches to Byzantine-Western relations in the period from the late 9th century to 1204 – Some introductory remarks »

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Entre mers—Outre-mer

The history of individual seascapes has recently become a vibrant and innovative field of research. Nonetheless, connections between seas (entre mers) and the imagination of lands „beyond the Sea“ (Outre-mer) have only rarely been focused in these contexts. This is precisely the main aim of the present collection of essays, which results from a conference held at Heidelberg University. The individual papers treat various aspects of transmarine connections, their regulation and mental expansion in an Indo-Mediterranean context, which comprises the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean, as well as projections of seaways to India on other maritime areas, thus spanning a wide chronological spectrum from Egyptian antiquity to the onset of the Atlantic Age in the sixteenth century.Meeresräume haben sich zu einem dynamischen Feld der heutigen Geschichtsforschung entwickelt. Dabei steht jedoch die Untersuchung von Verbindungen zwischen Meeren (entre mers) und Vorstellungen von Land „Outre-mer“ bislang weniger im Zentrum des Interesses. Diesen Fragen widmet sich die Aufsatzsammlung, die auf eine Tagung an der Universität Heidelberg zurückgeht. Die Beiträge behandeln Aspekte transmariner Verbindungen, ihrer Regulierung und mentalen Ausweitung in einem indo-mediterranen Kontext, der neben dem Mittelmeer und dem Indischem Ozean auch die Projektionen von Seewegen nach Indien auf andere maritime Räume in einem breiten zeitlichen Rahmen vom ägyptischen Altertum bis zum Beginn des atlantischen Zeitalters im 16. Jahrhundert umfasst