[Rezension zu:] Monika Straňáková: Literarische Grenzüberschreitungen

Rezension zu Monika Straňáková: Literarische Grenzüberschreitungen. Fremdheits- und Europa-Diskurs in den Werken von Barbara Frischmuth, Dževad Karahasan und Zafer Şenocak. Tübingen: Stauffenburg, 200

Kau. Los toldos tehuelches en los dibujos, grabados y fotografías de viajeros por la Patagonia (Argentina y Chile)

En este trabajo analizaremos un corpus de veintidós dibujos, grabados y fotografías de toldos tehuelches producidos por diversos viajeros que recorrieron la Patagonia desde comienzos del siglo XIX hasta comienzos del siglo XX, con el objetivo de rastrear las semejanzas y diferencias en las representaciones de dichas estructuras de habitación generadas mediante estos diferentes sistemas de representación. Para ello, centramos el estudio en la comparación de la estructura del toldo, su tamaño, apertura, orientación, paisaje circundante, cultura material, personas y fauna asociada. Los resultados del análisis muestran la existencia de sesgos en cada sistema de representación, a pesar de los cuales las imágenes muestran una continuidad en las formas de documentar visualmente una parte de la realidad pasada ; que permite rescatar elementos relativos a la agencia de los sujetos productores y usuarios de los toldos y a la pregnancia de los objetos representados, que a su vez se transmite a las imágenes que los documentan.In this paper we analyse a corpus of twenty drawings, prints and photographs of Tehuelche huts produced by several authors who travelled through Patagonia since the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, in order to trace the similarities and differences among the representations of these dwelling structures generated via these different systems of representation. To do this, we focus the study on the comparison of the hut`s frame, size, opening, orientation, surrounding landscape, material culture, people and associated fauna. The results of this analysis show the existence of biases in each system of representation. Despite of these biases, the images show a continuity in the ways of in which this portion of the past reality was visually documented : this allows us to rescue elements related to the agency of the subjects who produced and used these huts, and the prägnanz of the objects represented, which in turn is transmitted to the images that document it.Fil: Butto, Ana Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Matanza; Argentina. Asociación de Investigaciones Antropológicas; ArgentinaFil: Saletta, María José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Asociación de Investigaciones Antropológicas; ArgentinaFil: Fiore, Danae. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Asociación de Investigaciones Antropológicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Chemical–physical characteristics, polyphenolic content and total antioxidant activity of three Italian-grown pomegranate cultivars

Background In Mediterranean countries, there is an increasing demand for pomegranate fruits due to their antioxidant properties and nutritional values. The large diffusion of new genotypes and cultivars requires the knowledge of all fruit characteristics in connection with the cultivation area, to satisfy the market demand. This study seeks to determine the fruit quality attributes and nutraceutical values of three pomegranate cultivars (Wonderful, Acco and Kamel) grown in the Mediterranean climate. Methods The fruits were evaluated for their main physico-chemical traits (weight, volume, height, width, thickness, total arils number, total arils weight, juiciness, fruit index, peel index and total soluble solids content/titratable acidity ratio), bioactive compounds (total phenolic content and total anthocyanin content) and antioxidant activities (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power). Results: The data showed that Acco fruit is bigger, juicier and sweeter when compared with the cultivars Wonderful and Kamel. Wonderful is the smallest, least juicy and least sweet but the reddest among all the studied cultivars. Regarding the phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity (radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing power), cultivar Wonderful has the highest values and cultivar Acco contains the most anthocyanin content. Conclusions This study showed that pomegranate cultivars grown in the Mediterranean area exhibit an appreciable quality, but there are significant differences in quality properties of the arils and juice

Exploring the Prompt Space of Large Language Models through Evolutionary Sampling

Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly gaining relevance in every-day life, due to their apparent ability in solving tasks that demand intricate linguistic comprehension. Recent studies state that one of the key points that impact their outcome is the quality of the prompt used to interact with them. This work proposes a grammar-based evolutionary approach for exploring the prompt space of LLMs, driven by a fitness function that aims at optimizing the performance on a given task. We tested our technique by steering two state-of-the-art models through evolved prompts, and by comparing the performance they obtain on 8 benchmark tasks with that obtained when using other baseline prompts on the same tasks, showing that in most cases our prompts yield better results. Further, we defined a constrained mutation operator that limits the changes to specific grammar non-terminals, allowing to study and highlight the elements in the prompt that mostly affect the output of the LLM. Finally, a thorough discussion points out some issues that limit the relevance of the emerging prompt engineering discipline, given the existence of many effective prompt structures and the possible diversity that can be observed in the LLM output given the same input to the model

Exploring Neural Dynamics in Source Code Processing Domain

Deep neural networks have proven to be able to learn rich internal representations, including for features that can also be used for different purposes than those the networks are originally developed for. In this paper, we are interested in exploring such ability and, to this aim, we propose a novel approach for investigating the internal behavior of networks trained for source code processing tasks. Using a simple autoencoder trained in the reconstruction of vectors representing programs (i.e., program embeddings), we first analyze the performance of the internal neurons in classifying programs according to different labeling policies inspired by real programming issues, showing that some neurons can actually detect different program properties. We then study the dynamics of the network from an information-theoretic standpoint, namely by considering the neurons as signaling systems and by computing the corresponding entropy. Further, we define a way to distinguish neurons according to their behavior, to consider them as formally associated with different abstract concepts, and through the application of nonparametric statistical tests to pairs of neurons, we look for neurons with unique (or almost unique) associated concepts, showing that the entropy value of a neuron is related to the rareness of its concept. Finally, we discuss how the proposed approaches for ranking the neurons can be generalized to different domains and applied to more sophisticated and specialized networks so as to help the research in the growing field of explainable artificial intelligence

Part I: Composition Portfolio ; Part II: The Integration of Free-Improvisation in the College Music Curriculum

Part I: Composition Portfolio includes the scores of seven of my original compositions. Pelayo Finds the Old Man is a piece for flute, clarinet in B-flat, percussionist, and recording. Sre Koit is a choral piece written for a musical, and it incorporates vocal percussion, spoken text, and traditional singing technique. Silent State is an improvisatory piece for two performers, rocks, flags, piano, and body movement. The first three pieces above demonstrate collaborative works with theater and/or dance groups. I attended rehearsals with each group and this process informed my compositional choices. The following four pieces demonstrate a variety of styles, and include compositions for a diverse set of instrumental families. They show a spectrum of harmonic, temporal, and structural frameworks that I explored throughout the process. Joy Within from String Quartet no. 1 is the first of a three-movement piece. Guitar Quartet no. 1 explores the techniques unique to guitar. ...now...here for flutes and percussion, is a large ensemble work that incorporates a number of extended techniques for the flute. absolute elsewhere was written for Gamelan Encantada, a Javanese influenced American gamelan in pelog scale. Part II: The Integration of Free-Improvisation in the College Music Curriculum is a Music Education Project that argues for the inclusion of a free-improvisation forum in college music curricula. The diverse manifestations of improvisation are presented in a variety of published materials including histories, research, and methods. Non-academic sectors in which improvisation is practiced are explored, specifically the practices of music-therapists and their clients, and performing artists. A brief survey then demonstrates the status of improvisation course content in select colleges in the United States. Two original free-improvisation activities that I created are next presented in two field studies. I discuss the results of each session, through which I assert that the inclusion of free-improvisation in a college curriculum serves to fulfill three important objectives for musicians: 1) to reduce musical inhibitions by creating a safe space in which to explore musical creativity, 2) to allow participants to construct their own knowledge and meaning in music, thereby giving them more ownership of their education, and finally, 3) to expand the definition of music thereby broadening ones understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of a diversity of musical languages

Evolutionary Approaches for Adversarial Attacks on Neural Source Code Classifiers

As the prevalence and sophistication of cyber threats continue to increase, the development of robust vulnerability detection techniques becomes paramount in ensuring the security of computer systems. Neural models have demonstrated significant potential in identifying vulnerabilities; however, they are not immune to adversarial attacks. This paper presents a set of evolutionary techniques for generating adversarial instances to enhance the resilience of neural models used for vulnerability detection. The proposed approaches leverage an evolution strategy (ES) algorithm that utilizes as the fitness function the output of the neural network to deceive. By starting from existing instances, the algorithm evolves individuals, represented by source code snippets, by applying semantic-preserving transformations, while utilizing the fitness to invert their original classification. This iterative process facilitates the generation of adversarial instances that can mislead the vulnerability detection models while maintaining the original behavior of the source code. The significance of this research lies in its contribution to the field of cybersecurity by addressing the need for enhanced resilience against adversarial attacks in vulnerability detection models. The evolutionary approach provides a systematic framework for generating adversarial instances, allowing for the identification and mitigation of weaknesses in AI classifiers

La “memoria attiva” come gioco delle identità nel romanzo «Suche nach M.» di Doron Rabinovici

The following essay explores the theme of remembrance as a question of identity in Doron Rabinovici’s novel Suche nach M. The Austria Jewish author concentrates on the quest for self-determination through various means, which are determined by generational differences. While the generation of survivors sees remembrance of the Holocaust as a moment of silence, their children commemorate it through masquerades or carnivals. Rabinovici’s novel, with its emphasis on a collective search for identity, is an exemplary contributionto Holocaust literature as a re-elaboration of Jewish cultural biblical tradition

Topographie und Topologie in Edith Kneifls Kriminalromanen

Edith Kneifl’s thrillers follow a double geographical dimension, since Italy and Austria form the narrative setting of her criminal minds. Women who recall Lucrezia Borgia and men under the impulse of uncontrolled violent emotions move from town to town showing that the criminal setting is not just a plain narrative landscape but rather more of a topographic and topologic stage on which the human identity can let its unconscious­ness be free to self-determination