The Resurgence of Hidden Identities: The Burden of Ancestry in Nadine Gordimer’s “ Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black ”

L’article interroge la possibilité d’écrire un moment présent continu déterminé par le poids du passé dans “ Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black ” (2007) de Nadine Gordimer. Cherchant une validation raciale dans la “ nouvelle ” Afrique du Sud, le protagoniste de cette nouvelle, un universitaire blanc ancien activiste anti-apartheid, entreprend de vaines recherches pour trouver des parents métis qui auraient pu être engendrés par son ancêtre. Cette quête identitaire imaginée par Gordimer laisse paraître le regain des sensibilités raciales dans un pays censé avoir assumé son passé racial et raciste treize ans après les élections de 1994. La certitude biologique et le fait historique s’opposent ainsi à la question plus ambiguë de l’identité personnelle. En s’intéressant à la question “ d’où est-ce que je viens ? ” qui obsède le protagoniste et rythme la nouvelle, cette étude essaie de démontrer comment les incertitudes identitiares resurgissent dans l’œuvre postapartheid de Nadine Gordimer. Les problèmes d’appartenance et d’origine deviennent, avec ce dernier recueil, caractéristiques de ses nouvelles

Teaching polysemous words to arab learners: A cognitive linguistics approach

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to compare the pedagogic efficiency of two methods for teaching polysemous vocabulary – the image-schema-based vocabulary instruction method (ISBM) and the translation-based vocabulary instruction method (TBM). While ISBM is inspired by cognitive linguistics, and represents a new trend in teaching polysemous vocabulary, TBM embodies a traditional and well established way of teaching polysemous vocabulary in EFL contexts. Additionally, this study aims to evaluate the way in which three learner characteristics - learning styles, vocabulary learning strategies, language proficiency - contribute to individual differences in acquiring polysemous words. The subjects of this study, 40 female students studying at an intensive English program at the University of Sharjah, UAE, were placed in two groups and were taught a range of metaphorical meanings of polysemous words, in accordance with the cognitive linguistics ISBM and the mainstream TBM. In order to assess the pedagogical value of both methods, a polysemous word knowledge test (PWKT) was used as a pre and post-test. Also, a strategy assessment test (SAT) was employed to gauge the effectiveness of the strategic teaching method in accordance with which the polysemous words were instructed. Furthermore, in an attempt to explore the nature of the relationships between some of the learner characteristics and the acquisition of polysemous vocabulary, a vocabulary learning questionnaire and a style of processing scale were given to the learners. The results of the immediate post PWKT suggest that the ISBM is more effective in teaching and learning polysemous vocabulary in this setting than the TBM. In the long term, however, both of the techniques adopted in teaching polysemous words proved beneficial in long-term recall. Also, teaching polysemous vocabulary strategically – showing learners how to work out the metaphorical meanings of some polysemous words through their literal meanings - paid off in that learners were more readily able to understand metaphorical senses of new polysemous words they encountered in the SAT. Altogether, three variables seem to come into play when dealing with the acquisition of polysemous words in the framework of cognitive linguistics - learning styles, vocabulary learning strategies, language proficiency. In light of these findings, I give a number of recommendations to teachers, material developers and lexicographers. As far as the contribution to field of vocabulary acquisition is concerned, this studyattempts to shed light on the teaching of polysemous words in an Arab context (a so far unmapped territory). In that, it tries to show how polysemous words have been treated in the English syllabuses directed to UAE learners, to equip English teachers with feasible ways to teach polysemous words more efficiently, and thereby to improve the learners’ ability to comprehend some new concepts more easily. Finally, this study addresses some of the pitfalls of previous studies on teaching polysemous words within the framework of cognitive linguistics

PEMODELAN MINIMASI BIAYA PRODUKSI MENGGUNAKAN METODE SIMPLEKS

Salah satu tujuan dari usaha produksi adalah dapat memaksimalkan keuntungan dan meminimalkan biaya. Pabrik Kecap WIE SIN merupakan salah satu pabrik yang bergerak di dalam usaha bidang produksi. Produk yang dihasilkan diantaranya produk kecap manis, kecap asin dan saos yang dikemas dalam 2 jenis kemasan yaitu kemasan botol plastik dan kemasn botol kaca. Proses produksi pada Pabrik Kecap WIE SIN dilakukan berdasarkan pemesanan dan produksi rutin. Namun dalam proses produksi tersebut persediaan bahan baku dengan kebutuhan bahan baku ketika proses produksi masih menggunakan perkiraan sehingga biaya biaya produksi secara jelas hanya dapat di ketahui di setelah melakukan pembukuan di akhir tahun produksi. Berdasarkan permasalahan tersebut diperlukan sebuah system yang memiliki kemampuan untuk memperkirakan biaya produksi dari sekian bahan baku yang akan digunakan serta perkiraan berapakah hasil yang akan di dapatkan sehingga dapat membantu Pabrik Kecap WIE SIN dalam memperkirakan minimum biaya bahan baku dan seberapa produk yang bisa di hasilkan. Perancangan aplikasi ini menggunakan metode Waterfall yang di mulai dari tahap komunikasi, perencanaan, pemodelan kemudian konstruksi dan terakhir penyerahan perangkat lunak ke pengguna namun pada sistem yang akan dibuat hanya sampai pada tahap konstruksi. Sedangkan metode yang digunakan untuk memperkirakan minimum biaya bahan baku yang akan digunakan adalah degan menggunakan metode Simpleks. Dengan metode tersebut sistem akan memperkirakan biaya minimum dari penggunaan bahan baku produksi. Hasil yang akan di dapatkan yaitu sebuah aplikasi yang mengimplementasiikan metode Simpleks untuk meminimalisasi biaya bahan baku produksi yang dapat membantu dalam perencanaan proses produksi

Family business corporate performance and capital structure : evidence from Saudi Arabia

Agency costs, ownership concentration, firm performance, and capital structure are four constructs that have been extensively examined in finance literature. The effect of agency costs and ownership concentration on firm performance and capital structure, however, has been under-researched despite the formulation of theoretical propositions regarding the relationship between these constructs. The Saudi Arabian economy is characterized by a large number of family-owned businesses. However, few studies have investigated family firms in the context of capital market research. Nevertheless, in a study of the top 300 manufacturing and top 50 merchandising and other companies based on the 1965 Fortune 500 list (Burch, 1972) , it was found that more than 47% of these publicly firms in the US were controlled by families.This research addresses the following questions: Is there any significant difference in agency costs between family firms and non-family firms? Do family-owned firms perform better? Does concentration of ownership affect firm performance? In addition, the research addresses the determinants of capital structure: Is there a difference in capital structure between family and non-family firms?The main objectives of this research attempt to fill a research gap in the relationship between separation of ownership and control, as well as the relationship among ownership concentration, firm performance, and determinants of capital structure in one of the emerging markets, Saudi Arabia. This offers an ideal opportunity to examine the determinants of capital structure in an environment free of taxation when comparing family and non-family firms. Saudi Arabia, in particular, has not been the focus of any such study, especially regarding agency costs in family-controlled firms. The present study, therefore, will provide new insights which will contribute to greater understanding of the concept of agency costs.Chapter five of this study will examine the relationship between board mechanisms (board size, family member as a (CEO family) and CEO/Chair non-duality), ownership concentration, managerial ownership, agency costs, and firm performance (ROA, Tobin’s Q, and stock market return). The results of this study reveal that board mechanisms, managerial ownership, and agency costs affect firm performance, while ownership concentration has no affect on firm performance. In chapter six, “Determinants of Capital Structure”, the study identifies a significant difference between the capital choices of family and non-family Saudi firms. Overall, there is a difference between family and non-family firms’ performance and determinants of capital structure.This study was implemented through a quantitative approach. Secondary data obtained from published annual financial report data and the DataStream database were analysed to test the impact of agency costs and family ownership on firm performance and the determinants of capital structure. To ensure confidence in these estimates, this thesis uses two-stage least squares (2SLS) to answer the research questions and to address the issues of endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity. The focus of the investigation was firms listed on the Saudi Stock Market Exchange (SSE). The dataset is a panel of all firms on the SSE from 2006-2013, excluding financial firms. This study is important because the problem of agency costs has not previously been studied in the Saudi context, so this study will contribute to understanding agency theory in family businesses. It will have a practical benefit for firms, addressing government problems, and the stock exchange in Saudi Arabia

Energy-aware Adaptive Attitude Estimation Under External Acceleration for Pedestrian Navigation

International audienceIn this paper, we consider the problem of rigid bodyattitudeestimationunderexternalaccelerationusingasmallinertial/magneticsensors module containing a triad of gyroscope, accelerometer,andmagnetometer.Thepaperisfocusedontwomainchallenges. The first challenge concerns the attitude estimationduring dynamic case, in which external acceleration occurs. Thislatter leads to lose performance in attitude estimation methods. Aquaternion-based adaptive Kalman filter (q-AKF) compensatingexternal acceleration from the residual in the accelerometer isdesigned. At each step, the covariance matrix of the externalacceleration is estimated to tune the filter gain adaptively. Thesecond challenge is related to the energy consumption issue ofgyroscope. In order to ensure a longer battery life for the InertialMeasurement Units (IMUs), we study the way to reduce the gyromeasurements acquisition by switching on/off the sensor whilemaintaining an acceptable attitude estimation. A smart detectionapproach isproposed to decide whether the body is indynamic orstatic case. The efficiency of the q-AKF is demonstrated throughnumerical simulations and experimental tests

Adaptive Kalman Filter for MEMS-IMU based Attitude Estimation under External Acceleration and Parsimonious use of Gyroscopes

International audienceThis paper presents a viable quaternion-based Adaptive Kalman Filter (q-AKF) that is designed for rigid body attitude estimation. This approach is an alternative to overcome the limitations of the classical Kalman filter. The q-AKF processes data from a small inertial/magnetic sensor module containing triaxial gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetometers. The proposed approach addresses two challenges. The first one concerns attitude estimation during various dynamic conditions, in which external acceleration occurs. Although external acceleration is one of the main source of loss of performance in attitude estimation methods, this problem has not been sufficiently addressed in the literature. An adaptive algorithm compensating external acceleration from the residual in the accelerometer is proposed. At each step, the covariance matrix associated with the external acceleration is estimated to adaptively tune the filter gain. The second challenge is focused on the energy consumption issue of gyroscopes for long-term battery life of Inertial Measurement Units. We study the way to reduce the gyro measurement acquisition while maintaining acceptable attitude estimation. Through numerical simulations, under external acceleration and parsimonious gyroscope's use, the efficiency of the proposed q-AKF is illustrated

Variational semi-blind sparse deconvolution with orthogonal kernel bases and its application to MRFM

We present a variational Bayesian method of joint image reconstruction and point spread function (PSF) estimation when the PSF of the imaging device is only partially known. To solve this semi-blind deconvolution problem, prior distributions are specified for the PSF and the 3D image. Joint image reconstruction and PSF estimation is then performed within a Bayesian framework, using a variational algorithm to estimate the posterior distribution. The image prior distribution imposes an explicit atomic measure that corresponds to image sparsity. Importantly, the proposed Bayesian deconvolution algorithm does not require hand tuning. Simulation results clearly demonstrate that the semi-blind deconvolution algorithm compares favorably with previous Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) version of myopic sparse reconstruction. It significantly outperforms mismatched non-blind algorithms that rely on the assumption of the perfect knowledge of the PSF. The algorithm is illustrated on real data from magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM)

Genetic diversity of Mayetiola destructor and Mayetiola hordei (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) by inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs)

Inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) polymorphism was used to reveal genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships within and between three haplotypes of Mayetiola species. A set of 14 ISSR primers were screened representing di-, tri, tetra and penta-nucleotide repeats out of which 10 generated scorable bands and three were able to distinguish one of three haplotypes. The consensus tree constructed using binary data from banding patterns generated by ISSR-PCR clustered the two Mayetiola species according to their mitochondrial haplotype. Moreover, genetic diversity estimated by the coefficient of variation indicates a high intra and inter-haplotypes polymorphism. Our results indicate that ISSR can be useful as DNA-based molecular markers for studying genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of Mayetiola haplotypes.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 601-606, 200