Hasil untuk "Folklore"

W. Beckner

S. G. Djorgovski

Imagining what life on other planets, and intelligent life in particular, may be like is a long-running theme in human culture. It is a manifestation of the innate human curiosity about the Cosmos, and it has inspired numerous works of art and folklore, including whole literary and other media genres. It is a profound question, with philosophical and existential implications. There is also an obvious connection with religious beliefs, as gods and other superhuman beings were imagined in the heavens. Speculations about alien beings grew in time, and today, it is a scientific subject of astrobiology, and it is pursued through serious searches for life and intelligence in the universe. However, almost all imaginings of the alien map terrestrial life forms and human cultural, historical, and psychological phenomena to the putative aliens. This lack of individual and collective imagination may reflect our biological and cultural evolution, as our minds are formed through our experiences, perceptions of the world, and interactions with our terrestrial and human environments. As such, imagining aliens is mainly a cultural phenomenon and may reflect the intrinsic cognitive limitations of the human mind. Interestingly, we did create what is effectively an alien intelligence on this planet in the form of now rapidly evolving Artificial Intelligence (AI). As its capabilities grow, it may give us new insights into what extraterrestrial advanced intelligences may be like.

B. Zoecklein

Shun-Jen Cheng, Weiqiang Wang

S. Ross

Brice Huang, Mark Sellke

It is a folklore belief in the theory of spin glasses and disordered systems that out-of-equilibrium dynamics fail to find stable local optima exhibiting e.g. local strict convexity on physical time-scales. In the context of the Sherrington--Kirkpatrick spin glass, Behrens-Arpino-Kivva-Zdeborová and Minzer-Sah-Sawhney have recently conjectured that this obstruction may be inherent to all efficient algorithms, despite the existence of exponentially many such optima throughout the landscape. We prove this search problem exhibits strong low degree hardness for polynomial algorithms of degree $D\leq o(N)$: any such algorithm has probability $o(1)$ to output a stable local optimum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result to prove that even constant-degree polynomials have probability $o(1)$ to solve a random search problem without planted structure. To prove this, we develop a general-purpose enhancement of the ensemble overlap gap property, and as a byproduct improve previous results on spin glass optimization, maximum independent set, random $k$-SAT, and the Ising perceptron to strong low degree hardness. Finally for spherical spin glasses with no external field, we prove that Langevin dynamics does not find stable local optima within dimension-free time.

Nafis Chowdhury, Moinul Haque, Anika Ahmed et al.

Recent progress in NLP research has demonstrated remarkable capabilities of large language models (LLMs) across a wide range of tasks. While recent multilingual benchmarks have advanced cultural evaluation for LLMs, critical gaps remain in capturing the nuances of low-resource cultures. Our work addresses these limitations through a Bengali Language Cultural Knowledge (BLanCK) dataset including folk traditions, culinary arts, and regional dialects. Our investigation of several multilingual language models shows that while these models perform well in non-cultural categories, they struggle significantly with cultural knowledge and performance improves substantially across all models when context is provided, emphasizing context-aware architectures and culturally curated training data.

B. Kumar, M. Vijayakumar, R. Govindarajan et al.

Lindsey J. Macpherson, B. Geierstanger, Veena Viswanath et al.

Tapas Chatterjee, Sagar Mandal, Sourav Mandal

Solitary numbers are shrouded with mystery. A folklore conjecture assert that 10 is a solitary number i.e. it has no friends. In this article, we establish that if $N$ is a friend of $10$ then it must be odd square with at least seven distinct prime factors, with $5$ being the least one. Moreover there exists a prime factor $p$ of $N$ such that $2a+1\equiv 0 \pmod f$ and $5^{f}\equiv 1 \pmod p$ where $f$ is the smallest odd positive integer greater than $1$ and less than or equal to $\min\{ 2a+1,p-1\}$, provided $5^{2a}\mid \mid N$. Further, there exist prime factors $p$ and $q$ (not necessarily distinct) of $N$ such that $p\equiv1 \pmod {10}$ and $q\equiv 1\pmod 6$. Besides, we prove that if a Fermat prime $F_k$ divides $N$ then $N$ must have a prime factor congruent to $1$ modulo $2F_k$. Also, if we consider the form of $N$ as $N=5^{2a}m^2$ then $m$ is non square-free. Furthermore, we show that $Ω(N)\geq 2ω(N)+6a-4$ and if $Ω(m)\leq K$ then $N< 5\cdot 6^{(2^{K-2a+1}-1)^2}$ where $Ω(n)$ and $ω(n)$ denote the total number of prime factors and the number of distinct prime factors of the integer $n$ respectively.

Samuel B. Hopkins, Anqi Li

We introduce and study the problem of posterior inference on tree-structured graphical models in the presence of a malicious adversary who can corrupt some observed nodes. In the well-studied broadcasting on trees model, corresponding to the ferromagnetic Ising model on a $d$-regular tree with zero external field, when a natural signal-to-noise ratio exceeds one (the celebrated Kesten-Stigum threshold), the posterior distribution of the root given the leaves is bounded away from $\mathrm{Ber}(1/2)$, and carries nontrivial information about the sign of the root. This posterior distribution can be computed exactly via dynamic programming, also known as belief propagation. We first confirm a folklore belief that a malicious adversary who can corrupt an inverse-polynomial fraction of the leaves of their choosing makes this inference impossible. Our main result is that accurate posterior inference about the root vertex given the leaves is possible when the adversary is constrained to make corruptions at a $ρ$-fraction of randomly-chosen leaf vertices, so long as the signal-to-noise ratio exceeds $O(\log d)$ and $ρ\leq c \varepsilon$ for some universal $c > 0$. Since inference becomes information-theoretically impossible when $ρ\gg \varepsilon$, this amounts to an information-theoretically optimal fraction of corruptions, up to a constant multiplicative factor. Furthermore, we show that the canonical belief propagation algorithm performs this inference.

Anna Marciniak-Kajzer

W artykule podjęto próbę wskazania na dwie kategorie średniowiecznych zabytków, które przez archeologów łączone są z działaniami magicznymi. Interpretacja taka możliwa jest w dwóch przypadkach. Po pierwsze, są to rzeczy, które nie były konieczne w codziennym życiu, stąd ich rola jest trudna do określenia. Tutaj omówione zostały przedmioty uważane za amulety czy talizmany, figurki, grzechotki, specyficzne pojemniki czy maski. Inną kategorią zabytków uznawanych za powiązane z działaniami magicznymi są te, które nie różnią się wprawdzie od wykorzystywanych w codziennych zajęciach, jednak ich odnalezienie w specyficznych układach stratyfikacyjnych wskazuje na użycie ich w celach magicznych, najczęściej apotropaicznych. Tutaj na szczególną uwagę zasługują przedmioty uznane za ofiary zakładzinowe oraz przedmioty pochodzenia naturalnego, takie jak belemnity, czy kamienne i krzemienne narzędzia pochodzące z wcześniejszych epok, które były przechowywane w domach lub umieszczane w ścianach czy pod podłogą budynków. Przedmioty takie były określane mianem „kamieni piorunowych” (łac. ceraunie).

Lyalya R. Murtazina , Ilnara I. Khanipova

The article opens a special issue of the journal “Historical Ethnology”, dedicated to the Tatar woman. Its authors, who acted as compilers and scientific editors of the issue, substantiate the research focus, chronology and source base of the published materials. The emphasis on Tatar women as an object of a special study is explained by their active social and professional stand during the period of the Russian Empire and the USSR. The coverage of these two historical periods made it possible to identify the ethnospecific logic of integrating Tatar women into large-scale political and social phenomena. The bulk of the articles included in the issue are accompanied by the publication of materials from state archives, ego-documents, literary works, articles from Tatar newspapers and magazines of the pre-revolutionary period, inaccessible to most researchers. Their introduction into scientific circulation, according to the authors of the introductory article, strengthens the possibilities of a diachronic approach to the analysis of the ethnosocial field from a historical perspective. Giving a brief overview of the articles in the issue, the authors of the introduction come to the conclusion that in the era of bourgeois reforms, along with the traditional care for family and children for women, her role in the society is strengthening; her desire for education and educational activities is intensifying. With the advent of the Soviet system, which proclaimed gender equality of the sexes, the burden on women increases both in their personal life and in the public sphere. At the same time, Tatar women retain their most important purpose – educating and bringing up the younger generation.

Khayelihle Excellent Khumalo , Bongephiwe Dlamini-Myeni

The Zulu people constitute an ethnic group of related people with the same culture and traditions and predominantly inhabit the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The Zulu’s are rooted in their culture and, therefore, are cultured people who embrace most, if not all, of their cultural beliefs. Songs are one of the tools and an integral part of the Zulu people’s folklore deployed to transmit information about cultural experiences, practices and traditions from one generation to another. This qualitative study aimed to explore gender stereotyping as portrayed in selected Zulu wedding songs. The study focuses on female gender stereotypes and stereotyping. The researchers analysed seven (n=7) purposively selected songs. Utilising critical discourse analysis, the study analysed the data collected from the lyrics of the seven selected wedding songs. The data was collected through direct observation which was done on three different wedding ceremonies that were attended by the researchers in KwaZulu-Natal in UMkhanyakude District. The songs were recorded, transcribed, and arranged in accordance with the generated themes. The study employed the Nego- Feminist Theory as the core analytical tool that framed this study. The research findings have, in essence, shown that songs among the Zulu people are reflective of gender stereotypes being upheld mainly owing to the patriarchal nature of the Zulu society. Therefore, the findings of the study further confirmed the notion that Zulu traditional wedding songs perpetuate social and gender inequalities rather than challenge the several stereotypes and stereotyping that promote gender inequality, injustice, and the typical gendered roles existing in Zulu society.

K. Dhawan, S. Dhawan, Anupam Sharma

death turns into a vengeful protector of the Ukrainian people. In addition, with the modification of folklore images, the artistic space of stories often acquires intertextuality and connection with the mythological representations of other countries.

Q. Vuong, Quang-Khiem Bui, Viet-Phuong La et al.

Computational folkloristics, which is rooted in the movement to make folklore studies more scientific, has transformed the way researchers in humanities detect patterns of cultural transmission in large folklore collections. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the literature through its application of Bayesian statistics in analyzing Vietnamese folklore. By breaking down 307 stories in popular Vietnamese folktales and major story collections and categorizing their core messages under the values or anti-values of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, the study shows how the Bayesian method helps discover an underlying behavioural phenomenon called “cultural additivity.” The term, which is inspired by the principle of additivity in probability, adds to the voluminous works on syncretism, creolization and hybridity in its technical dimension. Here, to evaluate how the values and norms of the aforementioned three religions (“tam giáo” 三教) co-exist, interact, and influence Vietnamese society, the study proposes three models of additivity for religious faiths: (a) no additivity, (b) simple additivity, and (c) complex additivity. The empirical results confirm the existence of “cultural additivity” : not only is there an isolation of Buddhism in the folktales, there is also a higher possibility of interaction or addition of Confucian and Taoist values even when these two religions hold different value systems (β{VT.VC} = 0.86). The arbitrary blend of the three religions is an example of the observed phenomenon of Vietnamese people selecting and adding ideas, beliefs, or artefacts—which may sometimes appear contradictory to principles of their existing beliefs—to their culture. The behavioural pattern is omnipresent in the sense that it can also be seen in Vietnamese arts, architecture, or adoption of new ideas and religions, among others. The “cultural additivity” concept, backed by robust statistical analysis, is an attempt to fill in the cultural core pointed out by syncretism and account for the rising complexity of modern societies.

R. Eccles

The common cold and influenza (flu) are the most common syndromes of infection in human beings. These diseases are diagnosed on symptomatology, and treatments are mainly symptomatic, yet our understanding of the mechanisms that generate the familiar symptoms is poor compared with the amount of knowledge available on the molecular biology of the viruses involved. New knowledge of the effects of cytokines in human beings now helps to explain some of the symptoms of colds and flu that were previously in the realm of folklore rather than medicine—eg, fever, anorexia, malaise, chilliness, headache, and muscle aches and pains. The mechanisms of symptoms of sore throat, rhinorrhoea, sneezing, nasal congestion, cough, watery eyes, and sinus pain are discussed, since these mechanisms are not dealt with in any detail in standard medical textbooks.

Adrian Kent

Masanes, Galley and Müller [1] argue that the measurement postulates of non-relativistic quantum mechanics follow from the structural postulates together with an assumption they call the "possibility of state estimation". Their argument also relies on what they term a "theory-independent characterization of measurements for single and multipartite systems". We refute their conclusion, giving explicit examples of non-quantum measurement and state update rules that satisfy all their assumptions. We also show that their "possibility of state estimation" assumption is neither necessary nor sufficient to ensure a sensible notion of state estimation within a theory whose states are described by the quantum formalism. We further show their purportedly "theory-independent" characterization assumes several properties of quantum measurements that exclude plausible alternative types of measurement. We illustrate all these points with specific alternative measurement postulates and post-measurement state update rules. We conclude that, contrary to some folklore, quantum mechanics is by no means an island in theory-space. It can consistently be extended by rules for obtaining information about quantum states other than via POVMs. Whether such rules are realised in nature, for example in linking quantum theory and gravity, is an empirical question that cannot be resolved by theoretical analysis alone.

Kishan Chand Gupta, Sumit Kumar Pandey, Susanta Samanta

The optimal branch number of MDS matrices makes them a preferred choice for designing diffusion layers in many block ciphers and hash functions. Consequently, various methods have been proposed for designing MDS matrices, including search and direct methods. While exhaustive search is suitable for small order MDS matrices, direct constructions are preferred for larger orders due to the vast search space involved. In the literature, there has been extensive research on the direct construction of MDS matrices using both recursive and nonrecursive methods. On the other hand, in lightweight cryptography, Near-MDS (NMDS) matrices with sub-optimal branch numbers offer a better balance between security and efficiency as a diffusion layer compared to MDS matrices. However, no direct construction method is available in the literature for constructing recursive NMDS matrices. This paper introduces some direct constructions of NMDS matrices in both nonrecursive and recursive settings. Additionally, it presents some direct constructions of nonrecursive MDS matrices from the generalized Vandermonde matrices. We propose a method for constructing involutory MDS and NMDS matrices using generalized Vandermonde matrices. Furthermore, we prove some folklore results that are used in the literature related to the NMDS code.