Search Results (77)

Rail transit dispatch speech plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of urban rail operations. To enable automated and accurate compliance assessment of dispatch speech, this study proposes an improved deep learning model to address the limitations of conventional approaches in terms of accuracy and robustness. Building upon the baseline Whisper model, two key enhancements are introduced: (1) low-rank adaptation (LoRA) fine-tuning to better adapt the model to the specific acoustic and linguistic characteristics of rail transit dispatch speech, and (2) a novel entity-aware attention mechanism that incorporates named entity recognition (NER) embeddings into the decoder. This mechanism enables attention computation between words belonging to the same entity category across different commands and recitations, which helps highlight keywords critical for compliance assessment and achieve precise inter-sentence element alignment. Experimental results on real-world test sets demonstrate that the proposed model improves recognition accuracy by 30.5% compared to the baseline model. In terms of robustness, we evaluate the relative performance retention under severe noise conditions. While Zero-shot, Full Fine-tuning, and LoRA-only models achieve robustness scores of 72.2%, 72.4%, and 72.1%, respectively, and the NER-only variant reaches 88.1%, our proposed approach further improves to 89.6%. These results validate the model’s significant robustness and its potential to provide efficient and reliable technical support for ensuring the normative use of dispatch speech in urban rail transit operations. Full article

In this work, we build on our recent work toward developing a neural speech recognition (NSR) for Quranic recitations that is accessible to people of any age, gender, or expertise level. The Quran recitations by females and males (QRFAM) dataset, a sizable benchmark dataset of audio recordings made by male and female reciters from various age groups and competence levels, was previously reported in our prior works. In addition to this dataset, we used various subsets of the QRFAM dataset for training, validation, and testing to build several basic NSR systems based on Mozilla’s DeepSpeech model. Our current efforts to optimize and enhance these baseline models have also been presented. In this study, we expand our efforts by utilizing one of the well-known speech recognition models, Whisper, and we describe the effect of this choice on the model’s accuracy, expressed as the word error rate (WER), in comparison to that of DeepSpeech. Full article

This paper examines the philosophy of language in The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch (六祖壇經), demonstrating its centrality to Zen Buddhism and Buddhist sinicization. The sutra emphasizes the ineffability of ultimate truth (至道無言) and the principle that words falter in encapsulating the Dao (言語道斷), framing language as a provisional “raft” (筏) that must be instrumentalized yet transcended through a dialectic of employing and abandoning (用離辯證). It ontologically grounds this view in Buddha-nature’s (佛性) pre-linguistic essence, advocating transcending reliance on words and letters (不假文字) while strategically deploying language to dismantle its own authority. Historically, this constituted a revolt against Tang scholasticism’s textual fetishism. The text adopts a dynamic dialectic, neither clinging to nor rejecting language, exemplified by Huineng’s awakening through the Diamond Sutra, where recitation catalyzes internal insight. Operationally, it utilizes negational discourse, the “Two Paths Mutually Condition” method (二道相因) embedded in the “Twelve Pairs of Dharmic Forms” (法相語言十二對) in particular, to systematically deconstruct dualisms, while promoting embodied unity of speech, mind, and action (口念心行) to critique empty recitation. Ultimately, the sutra orchestrates language as a self-subverting medium: balancing acknowledgment of its limitations with pragmatic instrumentality, it presents an Eastern paradigm where language actively disrupts conceptual fetters to facilitate direct insight into Buddha-nature, reframing it as a dynamic catalyst for “illuminating the mind and seeing one’s nature” (明心見性). Full article

Some studies have pointed to the Jewish background of the prayer that, according to the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus taught his disciples. However, the formulations of LP’s words do not necessarily presuppose the conclusion of the formation of Jewish prayers and do not necessarily presuppose a unidirectional influence of Jewish prayers on the formation of LP. This prayer and its “midrash” in John 17 may have influenced the formulation and final formation of some Jewish prayers. The differences between these prayers may indicate the mutual influence that, in some cases, took place throughout the history of their formation. This reciprocity may be due to the intention to establish and define the differences between the religious groups of Judaic origin that inherited these prayers and between the communities that recited them. The crystallization of biblical themes in these prayers highlights the common heritage of these groups and a different understanding of the fulfilment of God’s word in relation to the coming of his kingdom. While this process, characterized by a conflict of interpretations, took place “within Judaism,” it also led to the parting of the ways of Judeo-Christians from the Synagogue. Full article

The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedikā-Prajñāpāramitā-Sūtra) translated by the Sui Dynasty monk Dharmagupta is the fourth Chinese rendition of the Diamond Sutra. Characterized by unprecedented linguistic opacity and syntactic complexity within the history of Buddhist textual transmission, this translation’s distinctive features have attracted significant scholarly attention. This study synthesizes existing academic perspectives and employs Sanskrit–Chinese textual criticism and comparative analysis of parallel translations to conduct a granular examination of Dharmagupta’s retranslation. Our findings reveal that this text fundamentally deviates from conventional sutras designed for religious dissemination or liturgical recitation. Its defining traits, including morphological calquing of Sanskrit structures, simplified pronominal systems, and etymologically prioritized equivalence, collectively reflect a pedagogical focus characteristic of language instructional texts. Dharmagupta’s approach epitomizes a translation-as-pedagogy paradigm, with the text’s deviations from conventional norms resulting from the interplay of religious development, historical context, and translator agency. We argue that the Diamond Sutra retranslation constitutes a radical experimental paradigm in translation history, warranting re-evaluation of its significance within the broader trajectory of Buddhist textual practice. Full article

Physical and mental health are fundamental human needs, yet modern medicine cannot always preserve them. At this point, alternative and complementary medical approaches sometimes offer significant contributions. In this context, religious healing stands out as a practice that plays a complementary role in many cultures and is frequently relied on, although it often faces criticism from the perspective of official religious doctrine. This study examines the phenomenon of “religious healing” from a sociological perspective. The provinces of Iğdır, Ağrı, and Erzurum, located in eastern Türkiye, were selected for the fieldwork. Interviews were conducted with 31 individuals who sought religious healing. The main purpose of this article is to understand the motivations of individuals who participate in such practices and how their healing experiences are transformed into religious experiences. The field data indicate that religious healing commonly involves practices such as recitation and blowing of the Qur’an, drinking blessed water, and the preparation of amulets. Feelings of helplessness and fear of social stigma are prominent in participants’ reasons for resorting to religious healers. The participants’ turn to healers can be seen as a defense mechanism, shifting blame to external forces like the evil eye, jinn, and magic, thereby reducing personal responsibility. Religion was instrumentalized to make the behavior of applying to a healer reasonable and acceptable. Full article

Salvation through Refinement (liandu 鍊度) is a distinctive Daoist rite aimed at rescuing the souls of the deceased from hell, enabling their rebirth, and ultimately facilitating their transcendence. The Golden Writings on the Great Achievement of Deliverance by the Numinous Treasure of Highest Clarity (Shangqing Lingbao Jidu Dacheng Jinshu 上清靈寶濟度大成金書), compiled by Zhou Side 周思得 (1359–1451), preserves a wealth of material related to Salvation through Refinement. This content can be divided into two parts: the ritual procedures of Salvation through Refinement and the associated internal practices (neishi 内事). Zhou explicitly stated that the Salvation through Refinement ritual originated from the Golden Book of Salvation according to the Lingbao Tradition (Lingbao Lingjiao Jidu Jinshu 靈寶領教濟度金書), compiled by Lin Lingzhen 林靈真 (1239–1302), whereas the internal practices are not attributed to any specific source. Comparative analysis confirms that the section on internal practices derives from the Brief Discussions of Inner Method of Taiji for Sacrificing to and Sublimating [the Souls of the Deceased] (Taiji Jilian Neifa Yilüe 太極祭鍊內法議略), compiled by Zheng Sixiao 鄭思肖 (1241–1318). Zheng Sixiao’s Salvation through Refinement method centers on Visualization and Actualization (cunxiang 存想), with the entire process taking place internally within the ritual master’s body. Building upon this foundation, Zhou Side incorporated additional ritualized actions and recitations, striving to integrate external ritual with internal practice. In doing so, he constructed a model of Salvation through Refinement characterized by the union of inner methods and outer rites. Inner Sublimation emerged during the Southern Song period, likely influenced in both principle and method by the then-prevalent School of the Mind (xinxue 心學). It sought to counter the increasing complexity of ritual practices at that time. Meanwhile, the continued practice of traditional forms of Retreats (zhai 齋) and Offerings (jiao 醮) reflected the Ming (1368–1644) rulers’ emphasis on the didactic function of such rituals. In his compilation, Zhou cited the views and materials of others under the name of Tian Sizhen 田思真 (fl. early 12th century) to articulate the inner meanings and core doctrines of the Numinous Treasure (lingbao 靈寶) rites. By positioning Tian Sizhen as an intermediary, Zhou not only established a line of transmission between the rites he compiled and the orthodox Numinous Treasure lineage represented by Lu Xiujing 陸修靜 (406–477) but also affirmed his conscious identification with the Daoist ritual tradition and his stance regarding its lineage. Full article

Inheriting a tradition of religious tolerance from the Inner Asian Steppe, the Mongol Yuan Empire elevated Buddhism to a pivotal role in unifying its multiethnic and culturally diverse domain, with Tengriist ideology serving as the political foundation for these Buddhist veneration policies. The ruling class of the Yuan dynasty practiced a complex interaction between religion and political unity through the institutionalization of the cult of writing, printing, and reading the Buddhist Canon. Specifically, the Yuan dynasty established specialized government offices to mobilize elites from Mongolian, Han Chinese, Goryeo, and other ethnic groups for the construction of a multilingual Buddhist Canon. They copied the scriptures with gold and silver ink in Chinese, Tibetan, Uyghur, and other languages. Participants in scripture copying were rewarded or granted official positions. In this way, they achieved the goal of enlisting local elites, the cohesion of the community’s beliefs, and enhanced the unity of the local elites. By subsidizing the writing and reading of Buddhist classics, the Yuan rulers succeeded in constructing a space of identity at the level of material culture and facilitated cultural interaction and political integration among various social groups such as the Mongols, ethnic groups, and Han Chinese. Through state-sponsored scripture carving and recitation activities, the Yuan rulers cultivated a shared identity in the material culture sphere, facilitating cultural exchange and political integration across the Mongolians, the Han Chinese, and other ethnic communities. However, the effectiveness of state unification was significantly constrained by the Mongolian rulers’ policy of ethnic segregation, central–local conflict, and the high concentration of social wealth in the Buddhist communities. Full article

This study explores the archaeoacoustics of rock imagery at Site 26LN211, the northernmost petroglyph site in the White River Narrows (WRN) Archaeological District, Nevada, USA. The research examines the relationship between rock writing placement and acoustic properties, considering their potential significance to indigenous groups such as the Southern Paiute and Western Shoshone. Fieldwork conducted in 2024 employed impulse response recordings to analyze sound behavior in various spatial configurations, including near and distant measurements. The results indicate that, unlike other WRN sites with strong echoes and reverberation, Site 26LN211 exhibits clear sound transmission with limited acoustic reflections. This suggests its suitability for oral storytelling, song recitatives, and ritual practices rather than sound-enhanced ceremonial performances. Additionally, the presence of vision quest structures above the site implies spiritual significance, although the results do not show a significant acoustic relationship between them and the petroglyph zone. Comparative studies with other indigenous sites reinforce the role of acoustics in shaping cultural landscapes. These findings contribute to broader discussions on the interplay between rock writing, sound, and indigenous traditions, emphasizing the need for preservation. Full article

Traditional studies on Chinese Buddhism have largely relied on printed canons from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Goryeo dynasties. However, recent discoveries of Dunhuang and Turfan manuscripts, along with growing recognition of Nihon kosha issaikyō (Japanese Ancient Manuscript Canons), have expanded the scope of Buddhist textual research. Despite their significance, Japanese manuscript Buddhist canons remain underexplored, particularly in relation to their textual lineages and connections to Tang-dynasty texts. This study examines Nihon kosha issaikyō through a philological analysis of the Shisong lü (Ten Recitation Vinaya), assessing textual variants, structural patterns, and transmission histories. By situating Nihon kosha issaikyō within the broader East Asian Buddhist tradition, this research clarifies their role in preserving alternative textual lineages beyond standardized printed canons. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of Buddhist textual transmission, canon formation, and the interplay between manuscript and printed traditions in China, Korea, and Japan. This study highlights the historical processes that shaped East Asian Buddhist canons and offers new insights into their adaptation and preservation across different cultural contexts. Full article

Interactive simulations have been shown to enhance conceptual understanding through multiple dynamic representations and supporting the inquiry process by offering repeated trials with rapid feedback. However, incorporating simulation-based activities into large-enrollment gateway courses presents challenges. In an effort to address this, we effectively utilized discussion/recitation sections to implement simulation-based collaborative concept development activities to promote pre-class learning. These simulation-based activities focused on three key concept areas—phases and phase changes, colligative properties, and chemical kinetics—and were integrated into a second-term general chemistry course. The impact of these activities on students’ conceptual learning, as well as their immediate and intermediate-term retention, were examined using a two-group quasi-experimental repeated-measures post-test design. Students in the experimental group participated in simulation-based concept development activities, while those in the control group received instructor-centered lectures. Post-activity and final exam assessments were used to measure students’ retention of concepts. Analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference between the two groups on the chemical kinetics assessments, indicating the effectiveness of these activities in pre-class learning and concept development. Full article

Various religious responses to the AIDS epidemic were and still are often laden with stereotypes and homophobic attitudes, sometimes justifying the disease as a divine response to “sin”. This study is dedicated to examining prayers written by non-Orthodox gay rabbis to commemorate those lost to AIDS-related causes and to pray for healing and robust health for those living with the virus. In each of these prayers, most of which are recited on World AIDS Day (WAD), the worshiper is invited to remember the deceased and the hardships they endured, as well as to bless the present moment; those struggling with the virus; and the medical teams treating it. The textual analysis illustrates how AIDS liturgy reveals the congregation’s distinct religious–therapeutic egalitarian culture. These prayers serve as political instruments of resistance against AIDS-phobia and related stereotypes, demonstrating how LGBTQ+ collective memory can be constructed through religious liturgical texts rather than exclusively within secular frameworks. This is another way for non-Orthodox Jewish communities to signal their liberal agenda and distinguish themselves from conservative communities. Full article

Background: Asthma is a well-known otolaryngological and immunological disorder that affects patients worldwide. Currently, the primary diagnosis relies on a combination of clinical history, physical examination findings consistent with asthma, and objective evidence of reversible airflow obstruction. However, the diagnostic process can be invasive and time-consuming, which limits clinical efficiency and accessibility. Objectives: In this study, an AI-based prediction system was developed, leveraging voice changes caused by respiratory contraction due to asthma to create a machine learning (ML)-based clinical decision support system. Methods: A total of 1500 speech samples—comprising high-pitch, normal-pitch, and low-pitch recitations of the phonemes [i, a, u]—were used. Long-Term Average Spectrum (LTAS) and Single-Frequency Filtering Cepstral Coefficients (SFCCs) were extracted as features for classification. Seven machine learning algorithms were employed to assess the feasibility of asthma prediction. Results: The Decision Tree, CNN, and LSTM models achieved average accuracies above 0.8, with results of 0.88, 0.80, and 0.84, respectively. Observational results indicate that the Decision Tree model performed best for high-pitch phonemes, whereas the LSTM model outperformed others in normal-pitch and low-pitch phonemes. Additionally, to validate model efficiency and enhance interpretability, feature importance analysis and overall average spectral analysis were applied. Conclusions: This study aims to provide medical clinicians with accurate and reliable decision-making support, improving the efficiency of asthma diagnosis through AI-driven acoustic analysis. Full article

The objective of this paper is to ascertain the manner in which the Qurʾān teaching activities are conducted in Jaʿfarī communities that are part of the multicultural structure of Türkiye. The methodological approach of this study is a case study design. This study’s sample consists of nine instructors who voluntarily work in Qurʾān teaching centres for Jaʿfarī communities. Criterion sampling and maximum diversity were employed in the selection of the participants. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. The collected data were subjected to a descriptive analysis. This study’s findings are as follows: firstly, the importance of early childhood education in the transmission of the Qurʾān among the Jaʿfarīs is evident. Secondly, the basis of this teaching is the Alif-Baa Juz education. Thirdly, mosques, association centres and neighbourhood houses play an important role in this teaching activity. Finally, according to Qurʾān instructors, traditionally the mosques were the primary centres for Qurʾān education; however, this has been lost especially after the pandemic. In addition to having the knowledge and competency of the recitation of the Qurʾān, the instructors who are supposed to work in these places are required to behave in accordance with Islamic morality. Over the recent times, families have started to prioritise their children’s academic success over religious education. Lastly, Jaʿfarīs do not have any safety concerns pertaining to the state while carrying out religious education activities. The findings, in general, reveal that Jaʿfarīs have similarities with the traditional teaching of Qurʾān in terms of method, content, materials and to some extent instructor competence, etc. The results of this paper are significant in terms of providing a concrete indicator of the pluralistic understanding that Türkiye advocates in religious education policies and in understanding the religious education practices of Jaʿfarī communities. Full article

In this work, a comparison of Greek Orthodox religious chants is performed using fuzzy entropy. Using a dataset of chant performances, each recitation is segmented into overlapping time windows, and the fuzzy entropy of each window in the frequency domain is computed. We introduce a novel audio fingerprinting framework by comparing the variations in the resulting fuzzy entropy vector for the dataset. For this purpose, we use the correlation coefficient as a measure and dynamic time warping. Thus, it is possible to match the performances of the same chant with high probability. The proposed methodology provides a foundation for building an audio fingerprinting method based on fuzzy entropy. Full article