Polish metaphorical perceptions of the translator and translation

The paper offers a comprehensive overview of the Polish metaphorics of translation. It starts by examining the Polish linguistic image of translating, followed by a survey of metaphorical descriptions of the translator and translation from the 18th century, representing the pre-scientific era in reflection on translation. Most attention is devoted to metaphors found in contemporary Polish discourse on translation, centered around: (1) the nature of translation; (2) the relationship between the source and target text, and between the author and translator; and (3) the role of the translator. It is demonstrated that the Polish context offers a rich repertoire of metaphorical depictions of translating, which reflects its distinctive historical and cultural setup.

Professing translation: the acts-in-between

Drawing on scholarship in translation ethics (Berman 1992; Cronin 2003) and performance studies (Conquergood 2002; Jackson 2004), this article approaches translation in the theatre from the double perspective of theory and practice. Professing translation as a model for the resolution of entrenched binaries (scholar/artist; theoretician/practitioner), the author sees the practice of translating for performance not just as a method of discovery or a hermeneutic tool but also as a mode of reflection that brings together both “readerly” and “writerly” approaches to text (Barthes 1974). By drawing on the experience of writing translations of García Lorca for the Belgrade Theatre, Calderón for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Lope de Vega for the Watermill Theatre and the Washington Shakespeare Theatre, the article attempts to characterise such translation as an act of physical imagination, of a holistic understanding of both language and performance, into which textuality is incorporated and by which it is superseded. © John Benjamins Publishing Company

Optical transmission properties and electric field distribution of interacting 2D silver nanorod Arrays

Silver nanorods have been grown by electrodeposition into thin film porous alumina templates (AAO). Optical transmission measurements using p-polarized incident white light shows clear plasmon resonance extinction peaks. We successfully model the dependence on angle in incidence of extinction peak height and position using a multiple-multipoles (MMP) approach with the different spectral features being clearly associated with the effective electric field distribution and coupling between individual nanorods.

“That’s not Ironic, that’s just Stupid!": Towards an Eclectic Account of the Discourse of Irony

This article draws on a range of models from language studies, particularly from linguistic pragmatics, in order to elucidate patterns in the production and reception of irony in its social and cultural context. An expanded view of the concept of irony, it is suggested, allows for better modelling of the creative mechanisms which underpin it, and in doing so can open the way for a fuller understanding of humour production and reception. A consequence of this broader (five-fold) typology of irony is that it can help shed light on the cultural dynamic of irony. The article uses a range of examples from different media and the lay definitions and interpretations that ordinary (non-academic) users of the language use in the comprehension of irony. Insofar as it seeks to develop an overarching model of irony, this paper draws on a variety of textual examples from a variety of sources, ranging from corpus evidence, through a stand-up comedy routine, to political wall murals and their discursive re-conformation as humour in present-day Northern Ireland. Although the central discussion is supported by insights from other linguistic, cognitive and socio-cultural approaches, the theoretical framework which emerges, with its focus on language and communication in context, is situated squarely within contemporary linguistic pragmatics.

Inducing late phase of infarct protection in skeletal muscle by remote preconditioning:efficacy and mechanism

We have previously demonstrated that remote ischemic preconditioning (IPC) by instigation of three cycles of 10-min occlusion/reperfusion in a hindlimb of the pig elicits an early phase of infarct protection in local and distant skeletal muscles subjected to 4 h of ischemia immediately after remote IPC. The aim of this project was to test our hypothesis that hindlimb remote IPC also induces a late phase of infarct protection in skeletal muscle and that K(ATP) channels play a pivotal role in the trigger and mediator mechanisms. We observed that pig bilateral latissimus dorsi (LD) muscle flaps sustained 46 +/- 2% infarction when subjected to 4 h of ischemia/48 h of reperfusion. The late phase of infarct protection appeared at 24 h and lasted up to 72 h after hindlimb remote IPC. The LD muscle infarction was reduced to 28 +/- 3, 26 +/- 1, 23 +/- 2, 24 +/- 2 and 24 +/- 4% at 24, 28, 36, 48 and 72 h after remote IPC, respectively (P <0.05; n = 8). In subsequent studies, hindlimb remote IPC or intravenous injection of the sarcolemmal K(ATP) (sK(ATP)) channel opener P-1075 (2 microg/kg) at 24 h before 4 h of sustained ischemia (i.e., late preconditioning) reduced muscle infarction from 43 +/- 4% (ischemic control) to 24 +/- 2 and 19 +/- 3%, respectively (P <0.05, n = 8). Intravenous injection of the sK(ATP) channel inhibitor HMR 1098 (6 mg/kg) or the nonspecific K(ATP) channel inhibitor glibenclamide (Glib; 1 mg/kg) at 10 min before remote IPC completely blocked the infarct- protective effect of remote IPC in LD muscle flaps subjected to 4 h of sustained ischemia at 24 h after remote IPC. Intravenous bolus injection of the mitochondrial K(ATP) (mK(ATP)) channel inhibitor 5-hydroxydecanoate (5-HD; 5 mg/kg) immediately before remote IPC and 30-min intravenous infusion of 5-HD (5 mg/kg) during remote IPC did not affect the infarct-protective effect of remote IPC in LD muscle flaps. However, intravenous Glib or 5-HD, but not HMR 1098, given 24 h after remote IPC completely blocked the late infarct-protective effect of remote IPC in LD muscle flaps. None of these drug treatments affected the infarct size of control LD muscle flaps. The late phase of infarct protection was associated with a higher (P <0.05) muscle content of ATP at the end of 4 h of ischemia and 1.5 h of reperfusion and a lower (P <0.05) neutrophilic activity at the end of 1.5 h of reperfusion compared with the time-matched control. In conclusion, these findings support our hypothesis that hindlimb remote IPC induces an uninterrupted long (48 h) late phase of infarct protection, and sK(ATP) and mK(ATP) channels play a central role in the trigger and mediator mechanism, respectively.

Identification of an arsenic tolerant double mutant with a thiol-mediated component and increased arsenic tolerance in phyA mutants

A genetic screen was performed to isolate mutants showing increased arsenic tolerance using an Arabidopsis thaliana population of activation tagged lines. The most arsenic-resistant mutant shows increased arsenate and arsenite tolerance. Genetic analyses of the mutant indicate that the mutant contains two loci that contribute to arsenic tolerance, designated ars4 and ars5. The ars4ars5 double mutant contains a single T-DNA insertion, ars4, which co-segregates with arsenic tolerance and is inserted in the Phytochrome A (PHYA) gene, strongly reducing the expression of PHYA. When grown under far-red light conditions ars4ars5 shows the same elongated hypocotyl phenotype as the previously described strong phyA-211 allele. Three independent phyA alleles, ars4, phyA-211 and a new T-DNA insertion allele (phyA-t) show increased tolerance to arsenate, although to a lesser degree than the ars4ars5 double mutant. Analyses of the ars5 single mutant show that ars5 exhibits stronger arsenic tolerance than ars4, and that ars5 is not linked to ars4. Arsenic tolerance assays with phyB-9 and phot1/phot2 mutants show that these photoreceptor mutants do not exhibit phyA-like arsenic tolerance. Fluorescence HPLC analyses show that elevated levels of phytochelatins were not detected in ars4, ars5 or ars4ars5, however increases in the thiols cysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine and glutathione were observed. Compared with wild type, the total thiol levels in ars4, ars5 and ars4ars5 mutants were increased up to 80% with combined buthionine sulfoximine and arsenic treatments, suggesting the enhancement of mechanisms that mediate thiol synthesis in the mutants. The presented findings show that PHYA negatively regulates a pathway conferring arsenic tolerance, and that an enhanced thiol synthesis mechanism contributes to the arsenic tolerance of ars4ars5.

Single crystal CVD diamond growth strategy by the use of a 3D geometrical model: Growth on (113) oriented substrates

The quality of single crystal diamond obtained by microwave CVD processes has been drastically improved in the last 5 years thanks to surface pretreatment of the substrates [A. Tallaire, J. Achard, F. Silva, R.S. Sussmann, A. Gicquel, E. Rzepka, Physica Status Solidi (A) 201, 2419-2424 (2004); G. Bogdan, M. Nesladek, J. D'Haen, J. Maes, V.V. Moshchalkov, K. Haenen, M. D'Olieslaeger, Physica Status Solidi (A) 202, 2066-2072 (2005); M. Yamamoto, T. Teraji, T. Ito, Journal of Crystal Growth 285, 130-136 (2005)]. Additionally, recent results have unambiguously shown the occurrence of (110) faces on crystal edges and (113) faces on crystal corners [F. Silva, J. Achard, X. Bonnin, A. Michau, A. Tallaire, O. Brinza, A. Gicquel, Physica Status Solidi (A) 203, 3049-3055 (2006)]. We have developed a 3D geometrical growth model to account for the final crystal morphology. The basic parameters of this growth model are the relative displacement speeds of (111), (110) and (113) faces normalized to that of the (100) faces, respectively alpha, beta, and gamma. This model predicts both the final equilibrium shape of the crystal (i.e. after infinite growth time) and the crystal morphology as a function of alpha, beta, gamma, and deposition time.

An optimized operating point, deduced from the model, has been validated experimentally by measuring the growth rate in (100), (111), (110), and (113) orientations. Furthermore, the evolution of alpha, beta, gamma as a function of methane concentration in the gas discharge has been established. From these results, crystal growth strategies can be proposed in order, for example, to enlarge the deposition area. In particular, we will show, using the growth model, that the only possibility to significantly increase the deposition area is, for our growth conditions, to use a (113) oriented substrate. A comparison between the grown crystal and the model results will be discussed and characterizations of the grown film (Photoluminescence spectroscopy, EPR, SEM) will be presented. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Microstrcutural evolution of SiC fibre embedded AA6061 matrix induced by ultrasonic consolidation

Ultrasonic consolidation (UC) uses high frequency (20-40KHz) mechanical vibrations to produce a solid-state metallurgical bond (weld) between metal foils. UC as a novel layered manufacturing technique is used in this research to embed reinforcing members such as silicon carbide fibers into the aluminium alloy 6061's matrices. It is known that UC induce volume and surface effect in the material it is acting on. Both effects are employed in embedding active/passive elements in the metal matrix. Whilst the process and the two effects are used and identified at macro level, what is happening at micro level is unknown and hardly studied. In this research we are investigating the phenomena occurring in the microstructure of the parts during UC process to obtain better understanding about how and why the process works. In this research, high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction is used to study the effects of the UC process on the evolution of microstructure in AA6061 with and without fibre elements. The inverse pole figures (IPF), pole figures (PF) and the correlated misorientation angle distribution of the mentioned samples are obtained. The characteristics of the crystallographic orientation, the grain structure and the grain boundary are analysed to find the effect of ultrasonic vibration and embedding fibre on the microstructure and texture of the bond. The ultrasonic vibration will lead to exceptional refinement of grains to a micron level along the bond area and affect the crystallographic orientation. Additional plastic flow occurs around the fibre which leads to the fibre embedding. © 2008 Materials Research Society.