Browse Items (558 total)
Sort by:
-
Localization Method for Camera Networks in Surveillance System
The significance of prevention and mitigation of critical issues especially in the homeland security has been increasing day by day. Emergence of autonomous video analytics tools greatly helped in the prevention of security threats. The recognition of video analytics for anomaly detection based on a set of unsupervised approaches has many fundamental technical challenges. This entails autonomous object localization and tracking technique especially in the presence of occlusion. This paper focuses on deriving a solution for the object detection and tracking in a heterogeneous camera network. The object tracking method is mainly based on Kalman filter whereas frame difference algorithm is used for object localization. This detection and tracking solution is expected to significantly reduce the effect of occlusion while tracking the anomaly. The organisation of the thesis is done into various chapters. The first chapter contains an introduction to the video surveillance system and the need for an unsupervised approach. This chapter also states the objective of the research. The solution overview gives high level solution architecture of the proposed system. The second chapter focus on the literature overview in which the citation from different papers in the field of video analytics, Kalman filter implementation and camera configuration has been referred. Chapter 3 provides the methodology in which a brief introduction to the basic algorithms used in the solution, the Kalman filter and the frame difference algorithm, are discussed. This is followed by the solution architecture of the proposed system. Chapter 4 shows the Matlab implementation of the mentioned algorithms. In Chapter 5, the results of the implementation are discussed. Chapter 6 talks about the summary of the work done and conclusion. This chapter also includes the future enhancements suggested. -
MAGAZINE COVER: AN ARTISTIC EXPRESSION AND A METHOD TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE READERS
The dissertation aims at going deeper than what meets the eyes, in terms of design and creativity with the help of semiotic analysis. The researcher conducted semiotic analysis of eight issues of Bloomberg Businessweek and Wired magazine??s cover pages, in an attempt to decode and deconstruct the nuances of the cover page. Stylistically all the cover pages considered for the semiotic analysis are covers that have several connotations and denotations. These aspects are generally neglected by the readers and there has been a constant need to decipher the underlying meaning. A lot of creative thought that goes into the creation of these cover pages as it involves a combined effort of the editorial and the design team with best of creative minds coming together. Here the attempt by the researcher is too look into that aspect of the cover which goes beyond the obvious. -
MAPPING THE SHIFTS IN HINDI DAILY SOAPS FROM PAST TO PRESENT
The daily soaps that we view every day in our living room reflect how our society works and functions, for few people their day starts and ends with these television shows. What happens in our favorite television serials, also tend to influence the lives we lead, like the way they dress up, the manner in which they socialize; tend to have a huge impact on our behavior and actions. Hindi daily soaps during the late 1990s and early 2000s served the Indian audiences with more of human relationships such as saas bahu dilemmas, parent child understanding that predominantly focused more on family values and ethics, in other words it preached to the Indian viewers how an ideal family is ought to be, showcasing a perfect family setting. In the present context there has been a gradual shift in terms of themes, character portrayal, trends, visualization and effects along with messages that these shows want to convey, such as gay marriages, extra-marital affairs, domestic violence are now becoming the central themes of much popular Hindi daily soaps .This study would map the shift in Hindi daily soaps during the early 2000s to the present day on the basis of- themes, character portrayal, trends, visualizations and effects and the messages that each of these shows convey. -
Meaning in Life as Constructed by Male Adolescents of Alcoholic Parents
Little research has been done to understand the experiences of male adolescent living with an alcoholic parent. This qualitative phenomenological study was used to explore and understand how the sons of an alcoholic parent living in South India find meaning in their situation. Alcoholism occurs in India as it does in all nations, but here there is a greater sense of shame attached to it and it is less mentioned than in Western countries. The sample in the study is selected according to the non-probability and purposive sampling technique. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews in which the researcher interacted with the participants. Five boys were interviewed between the ages of seventeen and twenty; three attend a prestigious college while the other two were no longer at school. Some from wealthy families while others were sons of day labourers. All were keen to advance in their chosen careers, some through gaining degrees. Sports and recreation were important to them and it provided a sense of achievement and a release from the stresses of a dysfunctional family. There were supporting features in the lives of the boys; support coming from mothers, older siblings, sports coaches and some teachers. Other ways of gaining a sense of value was by having a personal faith in God and by helping younger disadvantaged children. The counter to this was that some teachers did not understand and were critical of the boys while in most cases members of the extended families like uncles, aunts and cousins interacted in negative way. The exceptions were grandparents who either were able to control their alcoholic son or could provide time and support to their grandson. The negative influences added to the stresses of living with an alcoholic father. What was surprising was the degree of maturity of the boys; they accepted that alcoholism was a disease and that it was not their fathers fault, and they remained loyal to their parent. This study shows that the school sports coaches have a more positive influence than teachers. This may be because coaches have a more holistic approach than teachers. It highlights the need for schools and colleges to adopt a more proactive approach to at risk students by identifying such students and for training of teachers in how to deal with these students. Thematic network approach to data analysis was used. This involved organising the data into three levels of themes reflecting salient themes i.e. basic, organising and global themes (Attride-Stirling, 2001). Attride-Stirling describes six stages in analyses involving thematic networks involving devising a coding framework, identify themes, refine the themes, constructing the thematic network, describing, exploring and summarising the networks and interpreting the patterns. Five global themes emerged from the analysis. The male adolescent need for praise, building self-esteem, helps, belief, being misunderstood by others. Recommendations are presented to create conditions necessary for the male adolescent. This involves education and creation of supportive environments for the male adolescent and his family. Key words: Adolescent of alcoholic parents, Meaning in life, Alcoholic, Thematic network, Logotherapy. -
Measurement of Profitability under IFRS and IGAAP Among Selected Indian Companies
Globalization has resulted in expansion of Indian companies across the world. There arouse a need for a common set of accounting standard for harmonization of financial statements. The six Indian companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange has converged to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from the financial year 2007-2008. The consolidated financial statements are prepared under both Indian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (IGAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Therefore, this study focused on measurement of profitability under IFRS and IGAAP for the six companies which have adopted IFRS voluntarily. There are differences in treatment of items under IGAAP and IFRS like revenue recognition, foreign currency transactions and translations, fixed asset valuation, depreciation and impairment losses, etc. The analysis showed that there is gradual increase in profitability ratios under IFRS and there may be increase observed in future. Since, this study analyses results on six Indian listed companies until financial year 2011-2012. The reasons for the differences in profitability ratios are also discussed. There are many Indian companies which have not converged into IFRS. Therefore, the challenges faced by Indian companies and measures taken by ICAI to adopt IFRS are also studied from auditors. This showed that the companies are facing difficulty to converge into IFRS due to mainly fair value accounting, new method of presentation, tax liability and transparency in disclosure of items. The companies have to incur cost for valuation of fixed assets because an auditor is not an expert in valuation. This study concludes stating that there is need for sufficient training for the management and all users of financial information, which may gear up the companies to adopt IFRS in near future. Keywords: Harmonization, IGAAP, IFRS, fair value accounting -
Measuring Student Satisfaction: Services Provided by Higher Educational Institutions
The changing scenario in education has started to consider student as a customer (Zaiiri, 1995; Hill, 1995; Elliot & Healy 2001; Rowley, 2003; Sakthivel et al, 2005). As the students are the major customer of educational institution, it is important to consider students (customers) satisfaction. This study aims to contribute to the literature by indentifying the components of students` satisfaction with service provided by educational institutions. The components of student satisfaction were identified by conducting interviews with subject matter experts (N=10) and students (N=15) studying bachelor degree in arts, science and commerce in various public and private college in Bangalore. Based on the result of explorative study, the student satisfaction scale was developed with 76 items. This scale was used to collect data from 800 college students. The explorative factor analysis was used to explore factors of student satisfaction and was found that all the items measured single construct ?? student satisfaction. The reliability and validity of the scale was developed. The paper concludes discussing theoretical and academic implications, limitation and future research direction. Keywords: students` satisfaction, expectation disconfirmation theory, scale development and validation -
Media Ethics in Times of Demonetization: Framing Debates in English News Channels
Objectivity has been a traditional ideal for journalism. Journalists are trained to be objective; they do not frame stories by themselves????or do they? Faced with the pressure of deadlines, strained resources and the perception that audience prefer reportorial style, journalists resort to amusement or conflict based reporting positioning one side against the other and often aggravating facts and issues. The public today expresses disappointment with current media practices. Media watchers argue that instead of improving the quality of programming, competition has resulted in a race to the bottom, where news channels have conveniently forgotten basic ethical norms. This study is an attempt at re-visioning media ethics. It is believed that ethical journalism is never more important than in the time of crises. Taking India???s recent economic crisis, demonetization, this research aims to answer what makes it difficult for journalists to adhere to ethics especially during crises? With emphasis on situation faced by reporters, pressure imposed on them by various sources and ethical dilemma, this study provides answers to the questions posed on the work of journalists. Content analysis of demonetization debates broadcasted on two popular English news channels and interview responses of experienced journalists of Indian news media goes to explain how demonetization was represented by Indian news channels and to what extent journalistic ethics was reflected in their content. -
MEDIA MOTIVATION BEHIND WATCHING POPULAR BOOK BASED MOVIES
This dissertation explores the one medium that the youth choose to get influenced by when it comes to watching popular fantasy book based movies. It is based on the assumption that the influencers may be many but ultimately the youth rely on one main medium to make their movie watching decision. The books which the movies are based on, advertising media and user generated word of mouth communication were considered as strong individual influencers. The researcher first aimed at finding out which medium motivated youngsters to watch the first fantasy book based movie of the series and consequently whether the same medium influenced the youngsters to watch the remaining movies in the series. The researcher went on further, to find out which advertising medium most motivated youngsters to watch the movie series irrespective of whether advertising proved to be the strongest influencer or not. The researcher chose the Harry Potter book based movie series, the Twilight book based movie series and the Lord of the Rings book based movie series and restricted the target audience to the age group of 18-25 years. 90 respondents were allotted questionnaires out of which 30 respondents each belonged to the Harry Potter, Twilight and Lord of the Rings category. They were further equally divided on the basis of gender to negate bias. The major conclusion was that user generated word of mouth communication proved to be the strongest influencer when it came to watching the chosen popular fantasy book based movies and brought about the importance of TV ads as the ones with the most potential when it came to influencing those respondents in the advertising category. However the researcher cautions the readers that these findings may be applicable to other popular fantasy book based movies only if they fall in the same category as the ones chosen for this research. -
MEDIATING EFFECT OF PERCEPTION OF POLITICS BETWEEN DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND TURNOVER INTENTION OF EMPLOYEES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS
During the past few decades, organizational researchers have increasingly focused their attention on the subjective work issues and their impact on various work related outcomes. One of the most prominently studied factor perception of organizational politics has received much recent conceptual and empirical attention. Political work environment are responsible for a variety of harmful work consequences like higher stress, lower job satisfaction and commitment, diminished worker productivity and higher rate of turnover (Ferris et.al 1989, 2002; Kacmar and Baron, 1999) Some researchers focused on the distributive justice aspect as predictors of important outcomes here they pursued studies from the opposite perspective while they examined Perception of politics (Ferris and Kacmar, 1992; Kacmar , Ferris, 1991). Thus research has demonstrated the independent influences of politics, distributive justice, on turnover intention, job satisfaction etc (Cropanzano et.al 1992; Mcfarlin and Sweeney, 1992). Very few studies attempted in finding out how these elements of fairness influence each other in predicting outcomes. In the current study, the mediating effect of perception of politics between distributive justice and turnover intentions has been examined. This study extends the previous research efforts and fills a gap in the reviewed literature by simultaneously investigating the mediation effect of perception of politics between distributive justice and turnover intention of employees in Information technology organizations. 343 employees from the top 10 IT organization as listed by NAASCOM were involved in the present study. The purposive sampling technique was adopted. Employees with minimum 2 years of experience in the organization was chosen as respondents. The major objectives of the study are, to measure employees perception of politics and employees perception of distributive justice; to study the turnover intention of IT employees; to find if perception of politics mediates the relationship between distributive justice and turnover intentions; to find out the significant effect of distributive justice on the dimensions of perception of politics and finally to find out the difference in perception of politics and distributive justice across demographics. Hypothesis was framed in accordance to the objectives stated. The tools of measurement adopted were (i) Perception of organisational politics were measured with the fifteen item Perception of politics scale (POPS), developed by Kacmar and Carlson (1997).( ii) Five item Perceptions of distributive justice were measured with the Distributive Justice Index, developed by Price and Mueller (1986). (iii) Turnover intention was measured using a categorical item developed by Dilys Robinson, Sarah Perryman, and Sue Hayday, (2004). The Crobachs alpha for perception of politics dimensions and distributive justice were above 0.90. The level of perception of politics and distributive justice was found to be moderate. In terms of the logistic regression analysis performed, it was found that there was partial mediation of perception of politics between distributive justice and turnover intention. The result indicated that, even though the employees perceived their work environment to be political, they will have the intention to stay back, as long as the fairness in distribution of rewards exists. Perception of politics which always carried a negative label showed partial mediation in the relationship between distributive justice and turnover intentions, where it explained only 13.9% of the intention to leave factor. This means, even when the environment is political, employees will stay back in the organization when they experience fairness in distribution of rewards. Keywords: Information technology, Organizational behaviour, Human resource management, Perception of politics, Mediation, Distributive justice, Turnover intention. -
Microindentation Analysis of Bi2Te3 Crystals
Recent trends and advancements in materials research and technology have led to a renewed interest in the growth of crystalline solids with better physical perfection and high purity. The major emphasis of investigations has been on the growth of single crystals and the study of their physical properties suitable for device fabrication. The availability of crystals from natural resources is inadequate to meet the need of industries and also do not give sufficient variety. Although crystal growth has been the subject of absorbing interest for many years, much of the latest developments have been stimulated due to its increasing commercial importance for the fabrication of thermoelectric, optoelectric and nonlinear optical devices. Crystal has an ordered arrangement of atoms or molecules in microscopic scale and the atomic regularity shows up in the internal and external symmetry. The change in crystal shape should be brought about by the difference in controlling mechanisms of the growth dynamics. It is inevitable to investigate the relationship between the growth mechanism and resulting growth morphology. The developments in crystal technology have significant contribution to many areas of basic and applied solid state research. Industries currently rely on bulk grown crystals of a variety of materials. Hence, single crystals have been extensively studied to explore their novel physical properties and potential applications. The first chapter deals with an introduction to the crystal growth, followed by a brief history of semiconducting materials. A detailed account on the properties and applications of bismuth telluride crystals is reported. This chapter concludes with different mechanical properties and scope of the research problem. A review of literature to present theoretical knowledge on growth and characterization of bismuth telluride crystals is given in chapter 2. Chapter 3 outlines the experimental procedures and different characterization techniques used for the present work. A detailed study on the vapour and melt growth of bismuth telluride crystals and its mechanical properties is also reported. Chapter 4 is devoted to provide a detailed discussion on the results obtained from experimental research. Final chapter covers the summary and conclusions of this research work. The report ends with a reference section, listed as per the international standards. -
Morphological Characterization of Selected Aliphatic and Aromatic Hydrocarbons.
In the last few years considerable interest has been aroused in the study of amorphous carbon. Amorphous carbon has a wide range of properties that are primarily controlled by the different bond hybridizations possible in such materials. This gives different properties like high strength, flexibility etc. Due to these properties, they are used in thin film technology and in nanoscale electronic devices. Films can range from those with high transparency and are hard and diamond-like, through to those which are opaque, soft and graphitic-like. Application areas include field emission cathodes, electronic devices, medical and optical coatings. Hence study of different carbon structures has been of great interest for many researchers. Several techniques have been used to study various sources of carbon. Hydrocarbons are the most abundant sources of carbon. The majority of hydrocarbons found, naturally occur in crude oil and the decomposition of these give hydrogen and carbon. Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons leads to the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbon combustion therefore mainly have aromatic and aliphatic chains of carbon. Hydrocarbons are by far the most widespread precursors among carbon sources employed in the production of carbon nanotubes and carbon nanosphers. In the present study diesel soot, camphor soot and coal has been used as precursors for nanomaterials. Impurities in the samples can reduce efficiency of production. Mineral matter encompasses dissolved salts in the pore water and inorganic elements associated with the organic compounds, as well as crystalline and non-crystalline mineral particles. Quantitative analysis of minerals and other inorganics contributes to defining coal quality. Therefore a study on effects of bio and base leaching on coal samples are also done. XRD is one of the majorly used techniques to deduct the various structural parameters like interlayer spacing of crystalline (d002) structure, crystallites size (La, Lc), aromaticity (fa), number of layers of carbon atoms per aromatic lamellae(n). According to Scherrer, crystallite size varies inversely with peak width. Therefore it is a known fact that a broad hump in the spectrum indicates the presence of nano layers. These parameters are determined from the intensity profiles of the sample hydrocarbons. Also the structure of the hydrocarbon can be characterized using NMR and SEM EDS. 1H NMR spectra can yield structural information that allows classification of complex mixtures containing hundreds of aromatic, naphthenic, paraffinic, olefinic, and isoparaffinic compounds. SEM/EDS techniques allow both inorganic analysis of bulk materials and determination of chemistry and abundance of microscopic constituents. SEM analysis also gives us the size of nano particles formed in the sample. EDS allows one to identify what those particular elements are and their relative proportions. CHNS analysis gives the elemental composition of the samples. The study shows that the carbonaceous soot produced from combustion of diesel in engine show the presence of significant amount of carbon nanomaterials. The SEM micrographs indicate that nanoparticle present in diesel soot is clusters of carbon nanospheres. EDS analysis reveals the soot particles to be composed of primarily carbon and oxygen along with hydrogen. NMR spectrum of the soot reveals significant aliphatic component with predominance of methyl and methylene groups on ?and ?? positions to aromatic rings. Camphor soot XRD analysis shows presence of ordered layers of nanolayers and laso the presence of CNTs. The SEM micrographs of camphor show the presence of carbon nanostructures. The EDS analysis shows more of carbon and oxygen along with aluminium, silicon and potassium. Study of coal samples treated with biological leaching agents reveals that Penicillium spp (PE) treated sample is having more of a graphitic or ordered structure and the d002 spacing of this sample is 3.37 ?? which is close to graphite. XRD data of coal sample treated with base leaching agents confirms the turbostratic structure of coal. The SEM micrographs of the samples show that KN has more graphite like sheet structures. -
Mother Daughter Relationship: Daughters' Experience
This study explores daughters' experience of their relationship with their mothers, and how this relationship has been perceived and interpreted by them during different periods in their lives, starting from childhood till the time of their motherhood. Further it recognizes the changes in the mother daughter relationship and factors contributing to these changes over a period of time. The study also explores stressful times in the mother daughter relationship, and the impact that the mother has on the daughter. 11 married women with at least one child were interviewed using life history method and data was analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Findings indicated changes in daughters' communication with her mother over the life cycle and change in roles for the daughter as evident through role reversal and mutual mothering. Factors contributing to growth and change in the relationship were identified as the daughter experiencing wife and mother roles herself. Daughters' pregnancy, and birth of grand children have been identified as factors which evoked a lot of support from mothers. Further, adolescence was reported as a stressful period in the mother daughter relationship. In addition, the mother's values, and behaviour was found to have a direct or indirect impact on the role attitudes and behaviours of some daughters in the study. The power of the mother's influence lied in her implicit and explicit messages given to the daughter more than her actual role choice. Some mothers and daughters had gender based expectations for each other. -
MOTIVATION IN RELATION TO WORK ENGAGEMENT OF SALES PERSONNEL IN TELECOM INDUSTRY
The study is in motivation in relation to work engagement of sales personnel in telecom industry. Motivation is the Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested in and committed to a job, role, or subject, and to exert persistent effort in attaining a goal. Workengagement is defined as a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Vigor is characterized by high levels of energy and mental resilience while working, the willingness to invest effort in one??s work, and persistence even in the face of difficulties; dedication by being strongly involved in one's work, and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge; and absorption by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in one??s work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work. When you don't have the motivation to do your work, you will either eventually get fired or you will not likely get promoted and will stay where you are for a long time. If you are the supervisor or the owner, a lack of motivation throughout your company can create a rather unproductive workplace. This will lead to loss of sales, profits, and market share. In this case, it's important to do what it takes to create an environment where people naturally want to do their work. The importance of employee motivation shouldn't be taken lightly here. The company's survival depends on it. Modern organizations need energetic and dedicated employees: people who are engaged with their work. These organizations expect proactively, initiative and responsibility for personal development from their employees. Overall, engaged employees are fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work. The hypotheses of the study were (a) The interaction effect between MPS and CPS does not significantly influence the personnel outcomes of sales professionals in telecom industry. (b) The interaction effect between work engagement and CPS does not significantly moderate the personnel outcomes of sales professionals in telecom industry.(c) There is no significant difference in demographics in work engagement across demographics. The review of related literature in the area of motivation and work engagement provided the researcher valuable inputs, perspective, insights and direction in understanding these factors and designing this study. The researcher has attempted to seriously and systematically undertake the present investigation. There are two research models; these two models were tested using the statistical technique hierarchical regression model. These two models were framed based on the job diagnostic model of Hackman and Oldham (1974) and Job resource model of Bakker and Demerouti (2010). The research methodology adopted for the study was surveying of 359 sales employees in different telecom industries using structured questionnaires. The independent variable of this study were Motivation(core job dimensions, critical psychological states, personnel outcomes).The dependent variable is work engagement(vigor, dedication, absorption) and the demographic variables are, age, work experience, marital status, and gender. The major findings of the study were: 1.There is a positive significant correlation between critical psychological states and motivation potential score. Critical psychological states promote high performance motivation and satisfaction at work. 2.The interaction effect between MPS and CPS significantly moderate the personnel outcomes of sales professionals in telecom industry. 3.The interaction effect between work engagement and Critical Psychological State significantly moderate the personnel outcomes of sales professionals in telecom industry. 4.Work engagement significantly influences the outcomes. 5.Age and marital status has a significant influence on work engagement. The concept of motivation and work engagement is gaining importance across every organization. This study aims at helping Telecom organizations to build more effective policies with respect to motivation and work engagement .By offering effective policies and encouraging employees to make use of available policies and programmes the organization will in turn be increasing the employee??s level of satisfaction and also commitment towards the organization. This will help the organization retain its best people or talent. -
Narrating the City: Calcutta in Raj Kamal Jha???s If You Are Afraid of Heights and The Blue Bedspread
The portrayal of the city in literature is not a recent phenomenon. The city in literature has a history as old as the history of the city itself. This thesis titled ???Narrating the City: Calcutta in Raj Kamal Jha???s If You are Afraid of Heights and The Blue Bedspread??? is an attempt to understand how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in these two novels and how the city affects the people and vice versa. Every narration happens within the coordinates of time and space. Narrative is the representation of movement within the coordinates of time and space. Literary narrative is the literary or semiotic representation of movement within the coordinates of time and space. In the same manner narrating the city is the literary representation of the movement of the city and things in the city both living and non-living within the coordinates of time and space. The introductory chapter places the study in the context analysing the representation of the city in literature. The definition of key concepts and a literature review are done in order to understand the narrative, city and above all the narrating of the city in literature. The second chapter titled ???Calcutta in The Blue Bedspread???, shows how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in the novel The Blue Bedspread. This chapter is divided into different subsections according to the different themes identified. The third chapter titled ???Calcutta in If You are Afraid of Heights??? shows how the city of Calcutta is portrayed in the novel If You are Afraid of Heights. The fourth and the final chapter details the general conclusions derived from the study. Calcutta is narrated differently through these two novels. The Blue Bedspread presents a city of Calcutta which is more of a realistic nature. There is an over emphasis given to the description of the places as the novel is stacked with references to the buildings and places in the city. Thus it becomes a story of the city than the story of a specific person (character) or persons viii (characters). There is a close connection between the city and the people and vice versa. The names of the characters are not mentioned in the novel and this anonymity of the main characters points to the fact that this is a novel about anybody who is influenced by the city, in this case the city of Calcutta. If You are Afraid of Heights is a magic realist portrayal of the city of Calcutta. The characters of the city oscillate between reality and fantasy. This novel is not stacked with references to the places or spaces in the city, even though there are some references to them. The Blue Bedspread is the story of the city being projected through the realistic places and on the other hand If You are Afraid of Heights is the story of the city being projected through the magic realist presentation of the places, spaces and time in the city.