Scanlation - What Fan Translators of Manga Learn in the Informal Learning Environment

The present paper discusses two pilot studies carried out to see the possibility of the fan community of manga (Japanese comics), in which fan translators translate the original Japanese manga into English (which is called scanlation), functioning as an informal learning environment for the Japanese language learning and translator training. Two pilot studies consist of a) comparison of the original Japanese version with the scanlation and official translation, and b) comparison of the original Japanese version with two different versions of scanlation to see the translators’ level of Japanese language and the overall translation quality. The results show that in scanlation versions, there were numbers of inaccuracies which would prevent them to be treated as professional translation. Some of these errors are clearly caused by insufficient understanding of Japanese language by the translator. However, the pilot studies also suggested some interesting features of fan translation, such as the treatment of cultural references. The two pilot studies indicate that it is desirable to conduct further studies with more data, in order to confirm the results of present studies, and to see the possible relationship between the types of trnalsation errors found in scanlation and the particular type of Japanese language (informal, conversational) that could be learned from manga.

Fan fictions eller adaptioner? : Om Amy Heckerlings spelfilm Clueless (1996) och Debra White Smiths roman Amanda (2006) mot Jane Austens roman Emma (1815)

Det huvudsakliga syftet med min uppsats var att utifrån originalverket Emma (1815) avJane Austen kunna bedöma vad två verk som inspirerats av romanen bör klassificeras som.De två verken var romanen Amanda (2006) av författaren Debra White Smith ochspelfilmen Clueless (1995) av regissören Amy Heckerling. Till min hjälp har jag lästaktuell forskning inom de två termerna adaption och fanfiction och utifrån detta gjort enjämförande analys på verken. Resultatet blev oväntat vagt, det visade sig att begreppen lågnärmre varandra än vad jag trott från början. Båda verken kan till viss del ses som enadaption på originalverket, på samma sätt som de även kan ses som fanfiction. Slutsatsenär dock att de båda verken passar bäst in under termen profic, som är en underkategoriinom fanfiction där författaren/regissören tjänar pengar på sin modifikation och intepublicerat verket i exempelvis ett obetalt nätforum som hobbyaktivitet.

Fan Culture as an Informal Learning Environment : Presentation of a NGL project

Fan culture is a subculture that has developed explosively on the internet over the last decades. Fans are creating their own films, translations, fiction, fan art, blogs, role play and also various forms that are all based on familiar popular culture creations like TV-series, bestsellers, anime, manga stories and games. In our project, we analyze two of these subculture genres, fan fiction and scanlation. Amateurs, and sometimes professional writers, create new stories by adapting and developing existing storylines and characters from the original. In this way, a "network" of texts occurs, and writers step into an intertextual dialogue with established writers such as JK Rowling (Harry Potter) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight). Literary reception and creation then merge into a rich reciprocal creative activity which includes comments and feedback from the participators in the community. The critical attitude of the fans regarding quality and the frustration at waiting for the official translation of manga books led to the development of scanlation, which is an amateur translation of manga distributed on the internet.  Today, young internet users get involved in conceptual discussions of intertextuality and narrative structures through fan activity. In the case of scanlation, the scanlators practice the skills and techniques of translating in an informal environment. This phenomenon of participatory culture has been observed by scholars and it is concluded that they contribute to the development of a student’s literacy and foreign language skills. Furthermore, there is no doubt that the fandom related to Japanese cultural products such as manga, anime and videogames is one of the strong motives for foreign students to start learning Japanese. This is something to take into pedagogical consideration when we develop web-based courses. Fan fiction and fan culture make it ​​possible to have an intensive transcultural dialogue between participators throughout the world and is of great interest when studying the interaction between formal and informal learning that puts the student in focus

"Men shit, hur fan har vi kunnat glömma bort det?" : Falu kommuns socialtjänsts arbete gällande prostitution

The purpose of this study was to examine whether and how the social services in the municipality of Falun is managing social work related to prostitution. It is a qualitative study based on three focus group interviews conducted in parts of the social services organization in the municipality of Falun. The empirical data collected was analyzed from an intersectional perspective. Several distinct findings emerged from the study. Social work against prostitution does not exist in the social services organization in the municipality of Falun. The organization possesses no procedures or guidelines for this kind of work, and no preventive work or cooperation with other organizations is carried out. It also emerged, that several social work officers had a stereotype image of who a potential sex- seller could be. This fact may influence who would be able to get any support from social services regarding to this social problem.

"Jag slåss med rosa handskar, men de är fan inte fluffiga" : En kvalitativ studie om verksamheten Pink Gloves Boxing

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilken betydelse verksamheten Pink Gloves Boxing haft för enskilda deltagares psykosociala livssituation, som öppenvårdsinsats i Borlänge kommun. Dessutom har syftet varit att undersöka vilka komponenter i verksamheten som bidragit till en eventuell förändring avseende psykosocial livssituation. Då studien ämnat fånga deltagares subjektiva upplevelser av Pink Gloves Boxing har det empiriska materialet insamlats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex deltagare. Genom en tematisk analys av det insamlade materialet framkom centrala teman och subteman, vilka utgjort grunden i studiens resultatdel. För att analysera resultatet har en teoretisk tolkningsram tillämpats, vilken innefattat teorier om empowerment och genus. Samtliga informanter pekar på bättre fysik och ökad psykisk hälsa, av sitt deltagande i verksamheten. Stresshantering, aggressionskontroll och grupptillhörighet är exempel på förtjänster av ett deltagande, som informanterna framhållit. Gynnande komponenter som framträder i verksamheten är tränarnas roll, gruppen, träningsformen och verksamhetens upplägg, som exempelvis endast kvinnliga deltagare och gruppsamtal.

Engajamento com fan pages de marcas no Facebook: impacto da força do laço, homofilia e confiança

A literatura de relacionamento do consumidor com a marca tem reconhecido a importância do ambiente virtual como ferramenta eficaz para a promoção da marca. Este espaço permitiu uma maior proximidade e estreitamento das relações com os diversos públicos das empresas ao potencializar as funções do marketing, o que levou as empresas a criarem fan pages de marca a fim de promover maior interação e incrementar o relacionamento com os stakeholders. Esta dissertação tem como objetivo verificar o impacto da força do laço e da homofilia na confiança em uma fan page de marca, e o impacto da confiança no engajamento com esta fan page. Para atender a este objetivo, a pesquisa se deu em duas etapas: uma primeira fase qualitativa e uma segunda fase quantitativa. Na primeira fase, esta pesquisa identifica a unidade de análise dos conceitos e gera itens para a mensuração da força do laço, homofilia, confiança e engajamento, por meio da revisão de literatura e nove entrevistas com seguidores de fan pages de marcas. A segunda fase verifica, por meio de uma survey com 688 seguidores de uma fan page, o impacto destes conceitos no engajamento. As entrevistas foram analisadas por meio da análise de conteúdo, enquanto que os dados da survey e a rede nomológica foram analisados pela modelagem de equações estruturais. Os resultados da primeira fase indicam que os consumidores tratam a fan page como unidade de análise dos conceitos e forneceram itens satisfatórios para a mensuração dos conceitos e suas dimensões. Já os resultados da segunda fase dão suporte a rede nomológica testada, indicando uma associação positiva da força do laço e homofilia com a confiança, e da confiança com o engajamento com fan pages de marcas.

Power performance evaluation of an electric home fan with triac-based automatic speed control system

In order to provide a low cost system of thermal comfort, a common model of home fan, 40 cm diameter size, had its manual four-button control system replaced by an automatic speed control. The new control system has a temperature sensor feeding a microcontroller that, by using an optic coupling, DIAC or TRIAC-based circuit, varies the RMS value of the fan motor input voltage and its speed, according to the room temperature. Over a wide range of velocity, the fan net power and the motor fan input power were measured working under both control system. The temperature of the motor stator and the voltage waveforms were observed too. Measured values analysis showed that the TRIAC-based control system makes the fan motor work at a very low power factor and efficiency values. The worst case is at low velocity range where the higher fan motor stator temperatures were registered. The poor power factor and efficiency and the harmonics signals inserted in the motor input voltage wave by the TRIAC commutation procedure are correlated.

Facies analysis of tertiary alluvial fan deposits in the Jundiai region, São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

This article presents an analysis of facies of sedimentary sequences that occur as discontinuous bodies in the Jundiai region, west of the main Tertiary continental basins of the southeastern Brazil continental rift. Nine identified sedimentary facies, grouped into four associations, suggest the existence of an ancient alluvial fan system whose source area was the Japi mountain range (Serra do Japi). The deposits are considered Tertiary in age and chronocorrelated with those identified in the Atibaia region and at other sites up to 100 km east and northeast of Jundiai. The depositional model adopted to explain the filling of the basin proposes that the alluvial fans, which directly derive from the source area, terminated in a braided channel longitudinal to the basin axis that flowed to northwest, in a similar configuration to that of the present day. This basin may have extended to the Atibaia region or formed a set of small basins laterally contiguous to the faults associated with the rift. Such occurrences show that the formation of rift basins was broader than the area presently occupied by the main deposits. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolução geomorfológica e mudanças ambientais no megaleque do Nabileque, quaternário do Pantanal mato-grossense

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

3º Consenso Brasileiro para pesquisa de autoanticorpos em células HEp-2 (FAN): recomendações para padronização do ensaio de pesquisa de autoanticorpos em células HEp-2, controle de qualidade e associações clínicas

O 3º Consenso Brasileiro para pesquisa de autoanticorpos em Células HEp-2 (FAN) teve como propósito avaliar as dificuldades de implantação do 2º Consenso ocorrido no ano de 2002, discutir estratégias para controlar a qualidade do ensaio e promover a atualização das associações clínicas dos diversos padrões. MÉTODOS: Participaram do encontro em Goiânia nos dias 13 e 14 de abril de 2008 pesquisadores e especialistas de diversos centros universitários e laboratórios clínicos de diferentes regiões do Brasil, com o propósito de discutir e aprovar as recomendações que visam à melhor padronização, interpretação e utilização do ensaio pelos clínicos. Representantes comerciais de diferentes empresas produtoras de insumos para realização do teste de FAN foram convidados como ouvintes. RESULTADOS E CONCLUSÕES: O 3º Consenso enfatizou a necessidade do controle de qualidade em imunofluorescência dada a heterogeneidade de microscópios e reagentes disponíveis no mercado, promoveu adequações na terminologia utilizada para classificar os diferentes padrões e, finalmente, atualizou as associações clínicas com finalidade de facilitar cada vez mais o melhor uso do ensaio pelos clínicos.

Cleaning Conveyor Belts in the Chicken-Cutting Area of a Poultry Processing Plant with 45 degrees C Water

Conveyor belts are widely used in food handling areas, especially in poultry processing plants. Because they are in direct contact with food and it is a requirement of the Brazilian health authority, conveyor belts are required to be continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. The use of water in this procedure has been questioned based on the hypothesis that water may further disseminate microorganisms but not effectively reduce the organic material on the surface. Moreover, reducing the use of water in processing may contribute to a reduction in costs and emission of effluents. However, no consistent evidence in support of removing water during conveyor belt cleaning has been reported. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the bacterial counts on conveyor belts that were or were not continuously cleaned with hot water under pressure. Superficial samples from conveyor belts (cleaned or not cleaned) were collected at three different times during operation (T1, after the preoperational cleaning [5 a.m.]; T2, after the first work shift [4 p.m.]; and T3, after the second work shift [1:30 a.m.]) in a poultry meat processing facility, and the samples were subjected to mesophilic and enterobacterial counts. For Enterobacteriaceae, no significant differences were observed between the conveyor belts, independent of the time of sampling or the cleaning process. No significant differences were observed between the counts of mesophilic bacteria at the distinct times of sampling on the conveyor belt that had not been subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45 degrees C. When comparing similar periods of sampling, no significant differences were observed between the mesophilic counts obtained from the conveyor belts that were or were not subjected to continuous cleaning with water at 45 degrees C. Continuous cleaning with water did not significantly reduce microorganism counts, suggesting the possibility of discarding this procedure in chicken processing.

Channel arrangements and depositional styles in the Sao Lourenco fluvial megafan, Brazilian Pantanal wetland

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Tectonics and kinematics of curved mountain belts: examples from the Andes and the Alps

Curved mountain belts have always fascinated geologists and geophysicists because of their peculiar structural setting and geodynamic mechanisms of formation. The need of studying orogenic bends arises from the numerous questions to which geologists and geophysicists have tried to answer to during the last two decades, such as: what are the mechanisms governing orogenic bends formation? Why do they form? Do they develop in particular geological conditions? And if so, what are the most favorable conditions? What are their relationships with the deformational history of the belt? Why is the shape of arcuate orogens in many parts of the Earth so different? What are the factors controlling the shape of orogenic bends? Paleomagnetism demonstrated to be one of the most effective techniques in order to document the deformation of a curved belt through the determination of vertical axis rotations. In fact, the pattern of rotations within a curved belt can reveal the occurrence of a bending, and its timing. Nevertheless, paleomagnetic data alone are not sufficient to constrain the tectonic evolution of a curved belt. Usually, structural analysis integrates paleomagnetic data, in defining the kinematics of a belt through kinematic indicators on brittle fault planes (i.e., slickensides, mineral fibers growth, SC-structures). My research program has been focused on the study of curved mountain belts through paleomagnetism, in order to define their kinematics, timing, and mechanisms of formation. Structural analysis, performed only in some regions, supported and integrated paleomagnetic data. In particular, three arcuate orogenic systems have been investigated: the Western Alpine Arc (NW Italy), the Bolivian Orocline (Central Andes, NW Argentina), and the Patagonian Orocline (Tierra del Fuego, southern Argentina). The bending of the Western Alpine Arc has been investigated so far using different approaches, though few based on reliable paleomagnetic data. Results from our paleomagnetic study carried out in the Tertiary Piedmont Basin, located on top of Alpine nappes, indicate that the Western Alpine Arc is a primary bend that has been subsequently tightened by further ~50° during Aquitanian-Serravallian times (23-12 Ma). This mid-Miocene oroclinal bending, superimposing onto a pre-existing Eocene nonrotational arc, is the result of a composite geodynamic mechanism, where slab rollback, mantle flows, and rotating thrust emplacement are intimately linked. Relying on our paleomagnetic and structural evidence, the Bolivian Orocline can be considered as a progressive bend, whose formation has been driven by the along-strike gradient of crustal shortening. The documented clockwise rotations up to 45° are compatible with a secondary-bending type mechanism occurring after Eocene-Oligocene times (30-40 Ma), and their nature is probably related to the widespread shearing taking place between zones of differential shortening. Since ~15 Ma ago, the activity of N-S left-lateral strike-slip faults in the Eastern Cordillera at the border with the Altiplano-Puna plateau induced up to ~40° counterclockwise rotations along the fault zone, locally annulling the regional clockwise rotation. We proposed that mid-Miocene strike-slip activity developed in response of a compressive stress (related to body forces) at the plateau margins, caused by the progressive lateral (southward) growth of the Altiplano-Puna plateau, laterally spreading from the overthickened crustal region of the salient apex. The growth of plateaux by lateral spreading seems to be a mechanism common to other major plateaux in the Earth (i.e., Tibetan plateau). Results from the Patagonian Orocline represent the first reliable constraint to the timing of bending in the southern tip of South America. They indicate that the Patagonian Orocline did not undergo any significant rotation since early Eocene times (~50 Ma), implying that it may be considered either a primary bend, or an orocline formed during the late Cretaceous-early Eocene deformation phase. This result has important implications on the opening of the Drake Passage at ~32 Ma, since it is definitely not related to the formation of the Patagonian orocline, but the sole consequence of the Scotia plate spreading. Finally, relying on the results and implications from the study of the Western Alpine Arc, the Bolivian Orocline, and the Patagonian Orocline, general conclusions on curved mountain belt formation have been inferred.