Self-help in translation: a case study of The Secret and its Arabic translation

"Self-help literature has become a global phenomenon over the last twenty-five years. It has crossed geographical, linguistic and cultural boundaries through translation, which not only imported foreign texts to target cultures, but also was a catalyst to create an original self-help genre in receiving cultures. This thesis addresses this overlooked genre, highlights its culture specificity and significance to Translation Studies. It conducts a case study of the 2006 bestselling self-help book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and its Arabic translation, with the aim of identifying and describing the translation norms, drawing on Gideon Toury's work. It examines the adopted translation strategies using Lambert & Van Gorp's descriptive approach and Leppihalme's study of allusions. An analysis of the possible forces behind the identified norms is conducted by examining five factors: the text's function, religious considerations, translation policies, consequences and decision making. This analysis is based on a number of theories: Even-Zohar's Polysystem theory, Jacquemond's review of Arabic translation policies and discourse, Pym's work on risk and reward, and Simon's ""satisficing"" theory.

Treatment of Syrian Phosphogypsum using Acids and Bases

Phosphogypsum is a technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive material (TE-NORM) that contains radionuclides from 238U and 232Th decay series which are of most radio-toxicity. The reduction in concentration of radionuclides content from PG was based on leaching of 226Ra, 210Pb, U and 40K using different chemicals.The factors which affect the leaching process such as leaching reagent, concentration of the proposed reagent, liquid-solid ratio, contact time, temperature and multi leaching effect were optimized. Based on the experimental results, about 79.4%, 57.9%, 65.7% and 89.8% of U, 226Ra, 210Pb and 40K respectively, were successfully removed from the PG under optimum conditions ( HNO3, concentration (4M), liquid-solid ratio mL-gr(1-1), contact time (2h), temperature (60°C) and three leaching steps). Using this treatment of PG waste leads to obtain a decontaminated product that can be safely used in many industrial applications. Keywords: Phosphogypsum waste, Leaching process, Radioactive materials, TENORM

Automated DIN Rail Cut and Punch Machine

Our project’s main goal is to optimize the process of punching and cutting DIN rail in a manufacturing setting. The current method for cutting and punching DIN rails is tedious and simply too time consuming. An operator is needed to manually load the DIN rail into the cutter, measure the required length and activate the cutter. While this simple process may not take too long at first glance, companies, like Weidmuller, must be able to produce large-quantity orders to successfully meet the demands of their customers. By turning to automation, we are effectively reducing the amount of time it takes to produce an order for custom DIN rails. Our machine features a belt-driven actuator placed inline with a cutter and puncher system driven by a pneumatic compressor and operated by a HMI interface. This allows the operator to input the desired length of rail, type of punch (transverse or longitudinal), and distance between punches. Once the DIN rail is placed manually into the actuator and locked into place, the machine will activate and go through the programmed routine. This eliminates the need for measuring each cut and punch of the rail, effectively reducing the time it takes to complete each order as well as reducing human error.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1203/thumbnail.jp

The rhetoric of humour in Arabic comedy : countering violent extremism and politicisation of religion

This thesis explores a relatively recent phenomenon in the Arab world: the use of humour as a counternarrative to the propaganda disseminated by violent extremist groups, particularly 'The Islamic State,' and as a response to the political instrumentalisation of religion by religiopolitical movement, exemplified by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The primary focus of this research centres on mainstream comedy programs, specifically "Buqʿat Ḍawʾ" (Spotlight) and "al-Barnāmij" (The Programme). The central inquiry underlying this study pertains to the capacity of humour to function as a rhetorical tool, a distinct form of persuasion aimed at reshaping perspectives and attitudes. In light of notable gaps in the existing academic literature, this thesis presents a multifaceted and interdisciplinary theoretical framework, with rhetoric serving as the primary guiding theory. The framework harmoniously synthesizes classical rhetoric with humour research, incorporates insights from contemporary scientific research on emotions to explain the persuasive role of emotions, and draws from the field of argumentation studies to inform the manner in which humour can effectively construct an argument. The primary conclusion of this study is that rhetorical humour can serve as a valuable instrument within the communication model for countering violent extremism (CVE). It advocates for the utilization of rhetorical strategies, as opposed to logic-centric approaches, positing that such strategies may yield more favourable outcomes in the context of countering violent extremism. The study underscores the practical significance of rhetoric, as it employs non-argumentative persuasive methods, thereby addressing the intricate emotional, social, and ideological underpinnings of radicalization. Rhetorical humour, in this regard, emerges as a justified "response in kind" to the emotionally charged persuasive appeal of extremist narratives, rendering it a suitable tool for mitigating the risk of radicalization among susceptible individuals

The rhetoric of humour in Arabic comedy:countering violent extremism and politicisation of religion

This thesis explores a relatively recent phenomenon in the Arab world: the use of humour as a counternarrative to the propaganda disseminated by violent extremist groups, particularly 'The Islamic State,' and as a response to the political instrumentalisation of religion by religiopolitical movement, exemplified by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The primary focus of this research centres on mainstream comedy programs, specifically "Buqʿat Ḍawʾ" (Spotlight) and "al-Barnāmij" (The Programme). The central inquiry underlying this study pertains to the capacity of humour to function as a rhetorical tool, a distinct form of persuasion aimed at reshaping perspectives and attitudes. In light of notable gaps in the existing academic literature, this thesis presents a multifaceted and interdisciplinary theoretical framework, with rhetoric serving as the primary guiding theory. The framework harmoniously synthesizes classical rhetoric with humour research, incorporates insights from contemporary scientific research on emotions to explain the persuasive role of emotions, and draws from the field of argumentation studies to inform the manner in which humour can effectively construct an argument. The primary conclusion of this study is that rhetorical humour can serve as a valuable instrument within the communication model for countering violent extremism (CVE). It advocates for the utilization of rhetorical strategies, as opposed to logic-centric approaches, positing that such strategies may yield more favourable outcomes in the context of countering violent extremism. The study underscores the practical significance of rhetoric, as it employs non-argumentative persuasive methods, thereby addressing the intricate emotional, social, and ideological underpinnings of radicalization. Rhetorical humour, in this regard, emerges as a justified "response in kind" to the emotionally charged persuasive appeal of extremist narratives, rendering it a suitable tool for mitigating the risk of radicalization among susceptible individuals

Optimization of bus stop stations in Kuwait

Recently, Kuwait road system is facing many problems in all perspectives. Public bus service was implemented by the time of constructing the road network in Kuwait without considering the future development or growth rates. This work aims to develop the public bus services in terms of time improvement, environment protection, decreasing the processing cost and mitigating traffic congestion. This was done by elimination and optimization of bus stops at certain routes as models; 18 and 507. Site investigation and a survey were conducted to indicate the problems affecting bus users on these routes. Bus routes data was collected from KPTC database and using an android application called “Mydriving”. It was then analyzed using Excel Sheets and referring to HCM latest version. Different elements were considered in this work such as spacing between bus stops, the peak times and dwell time. The survey results showed that most of the passengers are non-Kuwaiti and they ride the public bus daily to go to work. The field observation proved that as the number of passengers increases, the dwell time increases. The stations of zero passengers were eliminated and the distance between stops were optimized. The public bus services need to be highly improved to attract more passengers and reduce the explicit dependency on private cars in Kuwait. Also, there is a considerable lack of standards that control the bus stops locations in Kuwait. The research results can be beneficial for KPTC and traffic authorities in Kuwait. A standard distance of 1–1.4 km between each two stops should be adopted. The dwell time should be increased to more than 6 s per passenger. Other bus routes should be investigated to evaluate the public bus services on them