The Subversion of Enlightenment Rationality: On Two Vision-Blocking Metaphors in J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians

The present paper bases its arguments around two vision-blocking metaphors in Coetzee’s novel Waiting for the Barbarians. Revelations of the rich metaphorical meanings of the sunglasses and the blind eyes of the barbarian girl through close readings serve to demonstrate Coetzee’s reflections on and criticism of Enlightenment rationality. As a superb narrator well-versed in the antipathy of modern Western culture, Coetzee arranges in dichotomy the two metaphors similar in form but opposing in essence, so as to propel with their tension the narration forward and highlight the gist of the novel. With the operations of various irrational elements in the text, such as the purification rituals, the dreams, and allusions to myth, he manages to subvert Enlightenment rationality for the sake of getting control of the order of nature.

Secure design defects detection and correction

Bad design and software defects often make source codes hard to understand and lead to maintenance difficulties. In order to detect and fix such defects, researchers have systematically investigated these issues and designed different effective algorithms to tackle the problems. However, most of these methods need source codes/models for defect detection and correction. Commercial companies, like banks, may not be willing to provide their source models due to data security. Therefore, it is a huge challenge to detect software detects by a consulting company as well as to keep source models confidential. This thesis analyze security issues in existing approaches related to defect detection and develop secure protocols to allow a software corporation and a consulting company to exchange data securely without revealing any private information, which make the approach practical in reality. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach --Abstract, page iii

Synthesis of Layered Double Hydroxide-Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite for Catalysis of CO2 Electro-Reduction

CO2 is the major component contributing to greenhouse effect that leads to global warming, rise of sea level and climate change. So recycling the content of CO2 at atmosphere is considered to be a promising method for sustainability. Meanwhile, electrochemical conversion of CO2 contributes to convert CO2 into a carbon feedstock, such as CO, which can both solve the problem of environmental threat and energy preservation. But demanding part is that CO2 is one of the most stable carbon-based molecule and high overpotential (-1.9 V) is needed for single electron reduction of CO2. To accomplish this goal, the introduction of an effective catalyst is crucial. In this thesis, synthesis, characterization and application of layered double hydroxide-reduced graphene oxide composite (LDH-rGO) for CO2 reduction were discussed. We are aware that LDH showed a positive catalytic activity in variety of reactions from the previous reported works. However, the bottlenecks of LDH were low electrical conductivity and low specific surface areas. In this present study, we combined LDH with rGO that possess high electrical conductivity and specific areas to form LDH-rGO composite. These materials were proven to lower CO2 reduction potential (-1.3 V) and exhibit high current response

Evaluation of Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 Gene 869T/C Polymorphism with Hypertension: A Meta-Analysis

Association between transforming growth factor beta-1 gene (TGFB1) 869T/C polymorphism and hypertension has been widely evaluated, yet with conflicting results. As meta-analysis is a reliable way to resolve discrepancies; I aimed to evaluate this association. Data were available from 9 study populations involving 6151 subjects. Overall, comparison of allele 869C with 869T generated a significant 30% increased hypertension risk (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.11–1.51; P = 0.001), which was strengthened for homozygous comparison (869CC versus 869TT) with odds ratio (OR) doubled to 1.62 (95% CI: 1.23–2.14; P = 0.001). Stratified analysis by study design demonstrated stronger associations in population-based studies than in hospital-based studies with OR, except in the dominant model, being increased by 7.94–18.61%. Likewise, ethnicity-based analysis exhibited a contradictory association between Asians and Whites. Conclusively, these findings support the notion that TGFB1 gene 869T/C polymorphism may influence the risk of hypertension, especially in Asian populations

Automated Warehouse Systems: A Guideline for Future Research

This study aims to provide a comprehensive tool for the selection, design, and operation of automated warehouse systems considering multiple automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) options as well as different constraints and requirements from various business scenarios. We first model the retrieval task scheduling problem in crane-based 3D AS/RS with shuttle-based depth movement mechanisms. We prove the problem is NP-hard and find an optimality condition to facilitate the development of an efficient heuristic. The heuristic demonstrates an advantage in terms of solving time and solution quality over the genetic algorithms and the other two algorithms taken from literature. Numerical experiments illustrate that when a company tends to have multiple short planning horizons with small task batches (i.e., aims to increase the responsiveness level), adding more shuttles is helpful. However, if a company has a long planning horizon with a large task batch size, having faster cranes is more efficient to reduce the makespan. We then focus on the impacts of the number of shuttles, operational mode, storage policies, and shuttle dispatching rules on the expected cycle time of a tier-to-tier shuttle-based storage and retrieval system. The system is modeled as a discrete-time Markov Chain to derive the shuttle distribution under each scenario create the expected travel time models. Numerical experiments indicate that class-based storage is always better than the random storage policy. The best shuttle dispatching rule under each combination of the number of shuttles, operational mode, and storage policy can be quickly identified through the expected cycle time models which are simple and computation friendly. At last, we study the warehouse design problem considering the choice, design, and operation of 2D AS/RS and 3D AS/RS in a systematic way. The warehouse design problem under consideration aims to reduce the investment while satisfying different business needs measured by the desired throughput capacity. We propose a branch-and-bound algorithm to conquer the computational challenges. With the developed algorithm, an optimal warehouse design can be obtained under different application environments, characterized by the desired throughput capacity, inventory level, and demand rate of each SKU

On the Motif of Death in Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending

This paper sets out to elaborate the theme of death in Julian Barnes’ Man Booker Prize awarded novel The Sense of an Ending. The author is convinced that the two suicides respectively of Robson and Adrian, as well as the death of Mrs. Ford, manage to lay bare the profound impacts of the drastic social changes on people of various social classes. The decline of religion and the rise of various schools of thought, the dismantling of the traditional family and the rising self-confidence of the woman, and the serious class clashes all complicate interpersonal communications and result in various tragic endings.

The Subversion of Enlightenment Rationality: On Two Vision-Blocking Metaphors in J. M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians

The present paper bases its arguments around two vision-blocking metaphors in Coetzee’s novel Waiting for the Barbarians. Revelations of the rich metaphorical meanings of the sunglasses and the blind eyes of the barbarian girl through close readings serve to demonstrate Coetzee’s reflections on and criticism of Enlightenment rationality. As a superb narrator well-versed in the antipathy of modern Western culture, Coetzee arranges in dichotomy the two metaphors similar in form but opposing in essence, so as to propel with their tension the narration forward and highlight the gist of the novel. With the operations of various irrational elements in the text, such as the purification rituals, the dreams, and allusions to myth, he manages to subvert Enlightenment rationality for the sake of getting control of the order of nature.