Representing Complexity: A Numeric-Computational Approach to a Spoken Corpus on LGBTQ Discourse

Complexity theory is a common theoretical framework in physics to describe not only natural phenomena, but very recently also social and language behaviors (Baronchelli et al. 2012; Conte et al. 2012; Loreto et al. 2011; Gravino et al 2012; Goncalves & Perra 2015; Gong et al. 2012). The physics edge is not only based on a set of felicitous theoretical constructs with a close focus on real world phenomena, but also on a long established tradition in including computational investigation methods in quantitative study designs (Borgman 2015; Miller & Page 2007:5). How to gain an understanding of complexity is a non trivial question when tackling language issues. At an intuitive level, the very notion of style involves the use of fronted - in complexity theory parlance, emerging - linguistic devices being simultaneously chosen by speakers - the agents - on multiple rankscale levels (cf. Malmkjaer 2004; Holland 2014). All rankscale levels, however, aggregate at textual level to form higher level structures following arbitrary, non deterministic principles. In turn, the sum of all fronted devices from a locutionary point of view doesn't account for the overall force found on the illocutionary and perlocutionary side. Language and communication aren't simply 'complicated' systems: Removing or simplifying elements on any level of this hierarchy irreparably compromises not only the structure, but also the very meaning construction of a text. In addition, natural languages are pervaded by variation phenomena leading to instability and fragmentation in time, space, social layers and subject matter among others. Other clues of instability can intuitively be detected during the early stages of discourse formation: Speakers covering a common topic can learn from other speakers' utterances and adapt their linguistic choices over time, in a way that can be either optimal or not. This hints that language and discourse, understood as social and collaborative phenomena, can be modeled as a complex adaptive system (CAS). Far from acknowledging numeric and computational methods full accuracy in describing meaning construction and discourse behavior, this preliminary study focuses on the exploration of language phenomena (e.g. the Zipf's law) that may confirm the CAS status of the LGBTQ discourse, as represented by the transcriptions of live talks hosted by the TED Conferences. This analysis provides a survey of recurrent language patterns at word and phrase level, and their interaction both at text and corpus level. Choosing the LGBTQ discourse, an emerging one and one that is linked with taboo language and sensitive social issues, is key to assess in further studies if any adaptive behavior occurs in language phenomena over time and if there is any evidence of stylistic equilibria

Rethinking Terminology with the Interpreter in Mind: A Collaborative Approach

In the literature, there is some evidence that accurate terminology is perceived as a quality benchmark in conference interpreting both from the standpoint of the interpreter and of the audience. However, terminology management has been analized in connection with written translation, while it has been almost entirely overlooked in the interpreting field so far. Since the communication channel is different (written vs. oral communication), the results achieved in translation-oriented studies cannot be automatically validated in interpreting-oriented ones. At a cognitive level, terminology processing while interpreting can result in an information overload. If we provide an efficient terminology management solution, cognitive stress may be reduced to the benefit of other cognitive processes. The overall interpreting quality could be thus enhanced. The current main approach to this field of study has been rather theoretical, as it has been almost exclusively investigated by practitioners who already know intuitively how things work in their field. In the aim of setting up an interdisciplinary field of study, we may want allow scholars from neighbouring research fields to join the discussion. In order to provide them a systematic overview, it would be useful to carry out a survey to get an understanding of how interpreters are aware of terminology management strategies and how do they manage terminology on the fly

The Use of Traditional Terminology-Management Tools for Last Minute Preparation of Interpreting Assignments: An Exploratory Study

Extensive research has been done on the use of terminology and terminology management applications for translation. On the other hand, very little has been done so far in connection with interpreting so far. Rethinking terminology with the interpreter in mind could help broaden the view of W\ufcster\u2019s theory and offer interpretation-based solutions to complement the current translation-oriented approaches. The first stage in researching the current practices and strategies in interpretation-based terminology management is to describe the interpreters\u2019 use of traditional termbases. We propose to measure the termbase usefulness on the basis of two variables: (1) the tool content and features and (2) the interpreting assignment characteristics at both textual and extratextual level. The best case scenario researched for this exploratory study the behaviour of a pool of interpreters working in a specific context where a dedicated traditional terminology management tool is provided. TERMDAT (www.termdat.ch) is the official termbase of the Swiss administration. Its multilingual glossaries have been freely available online since March 2013. The Terminology Section of the Federal Chancellery has been successfully collaborating with federal translators, but not with interpreters. Therefore, there is no evidence that the content and the features of this in-house termbase are geared towards interpreters' specific needs. Two parallel surveys have been conducted among both parliamentary interpreters and community interpreters having two or more national languages (German, French and Italian) as their working languages. The aim is to assess if and to what extent interpreters employed at federal institutions in Switzerland use TERMDAT, and if there is any room for improvement of both the content and features of the termbase. The survey results set the basis for a future comparison between parliamentary and community interpreters as to the usefulness perceived

Verso un modello di variazione terminologica: un'analisi della terminologia della gestione dei rifiuti in testi normativi

The industry of cross-border waste-shipment is growing considerably in the EU economy. As a result, there is an increasing need of specialized translations in this field. With the aim of designing a translation-oriented glossary to help professional translators, the terminology extracted from an ad-hoc multilingual corpus has been analyzed to identify terminological variation. The results provided by this analysis prove that terminological variation is found on multiple levels, thus challenging W\ufcster's principle of monosemy. Following the traditional definition of term as relationship between concept and denomination, this paper proposes a model for the description of terminological variation explained through examples taken from the previously examined terminology. Here, concept and denomination are seen as two components that are subject to variation. Conceptual variation includes polysemy and homonymy, while denominational variation includes synonymy, i.e. diastratic, graphic and geographic variants, as well as complex term reduction. These variations do not appear to be completely independent from one another, as denominational variation inevitably implies at least a slight conceptual shift

Πειραματική μελέτη της τοξιναιμίας της εγκυμοσύνης σε προβατίνες και της συσχέτισης αυτής με μαστίτιδα κατά την επιλόχεια περίοδο

Specific objectives of the present thesis were as follows: (i) the development of a valid model for studying pregnancy toxaemia, whilst maintaining appropriate satiation requirements in the experimental animals, (ii) the recording, by means of ultrasonographic examination, of changes occurring in the foetus and in the udder of ewes with pregnancy toxaemia, (iii) the evaluation of consequences of pregnancy toxaemia in affected ewes around the lambing period and (iv) the evaluation of the potential predisposing role of pregnancy toxaemia in development of mastitis in the immediately post-partum period.The thesis is divided into two chapters followed by the General Discussion.In Chapter Ι, the literature regarding pregnancy toxaemia is reviewed.In the Chapter II, the research work performed is described in detail. The chapter is subdivided into two sections.Section A of the chapter describes work performed and relevant results until challenge of the mammary gland of the experimental animals, which took place on the 5th day after lambing. In total, 28 ewes were included into the study. These initially had received effective anthelmintic treatment and, then, received a mixture of trichostrongylid infective larvae. Until the 60th day of pregnancy, per ewe daily ration was 1.30 kg of a concentrate feed (net energy: 0.844 FUL) plus 2.50 kg of alfalfa hay. From the 60th to 100th day of pregnancy, per ewe daily ration was 0.60 kg of the same concentrate plus 2.00 kg of hay. From the 100th day of pregnancy, per ewe daily ration was 0.50 kg of a reduced energy concentrate feed (net energy: 0.748 FUL) plus 0.50 kg of alfalfa hay for ewes with one foetus; during that period, respective figures for ewes with two foetuses were 0.60 kg and 0.50 kg and for ewes with three foetuses were 0.80 kg and 0.50 kg. In the experimental ewes, examinations performed, starting on the 120th day of pregnancy and until parturition, were: parasitological examinations of faecal samples, biochemical examination of blood samples for measurement of β-hydroxybutyrate and glucose concentrations, B-mode and Doppler ultrasonographic examinations of the foetus(es) and of the udder; examinations performed after lambing and until the 5th day after that were: weighing of lambs, examination of the genital tract of ewes and milk yield measurements of the ewes. In 16 ewes, increased β-hydroxybutyrate blood concentrations (≥1.2 mmol L-1 in at least two samplings) were detected and these animals were allocated into group A; the 12 ewes that did not, were allocated into group B. Ewes into group A had greater faecal epg counts and smaller blood concentrations of glucose than ewes into group B (P0.3). Also, bacteria were recovered more frequently from tissue samples from A1 than from B1 (P=0.008) and from A2 than from B2 (P=0.058). After challenge, the duct cistern and the gland cistern were observed as anechoic cavities, with presence of hyperechoic particles therein; progressively also, the ultrasonographic pattern observed in the parenchyma became markedly heterogeneous, with presence of characteristically coarse formations within. After challenge, there was clear evidence for an increase in the diametre of the external pudendal artery already 6 h after challenge. There was also an abrupt and excessive increase in blood input into the mammary parenchyma of the challenged side (for differences between A1 and B1, P0.05, compared to results in A2).The conclusions from the results of the present thesis are summarised herebelow.(a) A model has been developed to induce pregnancy toxaemia in ewes for use in experimental studies, at the same time covering satiation requirements of the animals. Parasitism might have further contributed to improving efficacy of the model.(b) Ultrasonographic examination of foetuses of ewes with pregnancy toxaemia revealed reduced blood input in the umbilical artery. There was a particularly intense modification of haemodynamic properties in ewes which later developed dystocia.(c) Ultrasonographic appearance of the mammary gland of ewes during lactogenesis has been described. Results of B-mode ultrasonographic examination indicated differences between healthy ewes and ewes with pregnancy toxaemia in the development of mammary parenchyma. Smaller blood input into the udder of ewes with pregnancy toxaemia was evident.(d) Increased incidence of peri-parturient problems was recorded in ewes with pregnancy toxaemia; there was also increased perinatal mortality in their offspring.(e) Pregnancy toxaemia can act as a potential predisposing factor for mastitis in the immediately post-partum period. Possibly, impairment of the lymphoid follicular structures present at the border between teat duct – teat cistern could have been the cause of reduced protection of the mammary gland.Η παρούσα διατριβή εστιάζεται: (α) στην ανάπτυξη ενός έγκυρου προτύπου για τη μελέτη της τοξιναιμίας της εγκυμοσύνης, με ταυτόχρονη διατήρηση των απαιτήσεων κορεσμού των ζώων, (β) στην καταγραφή, με υπερηχογραφική εξέταση, των μεταβολών στο έμβρυο και στο μαστό των προβατίνων με τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης, (γ) στην αξιολόγηση των συνεπειών της τοξιναιμίας της εγκυμοσύνης στις προσβεβλημένες προβατίνες κατά την περιτοκετιαία περίοδο και (δ) στην αξιολόγηση του ενδεχόμενου ρόλου της τοξιναιμίας της εγκυμοσύνης σε προδιάθεση των ζώων σε μαστίτιδα κατά την αμέσως μετά τον τοκετό περίοδο.Η διατριβή χωρίζεται σε δύο κεφάλαια και ακολουθεί η Γενική Συζήτηση.Στο Κεφάλαιο I ανασκοπείται η βιβλιογραφία σχετικά με την τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης.Στο Κεφάλαιο II παρουσιάζεται η πραγματοποιηθείσα ερευνητική μελέτη. Το κεφάλαιο υποδιαρείται σε δύο τμήματα.Το τμήμα Α του κεφαλαίου περιγράφει την ερευνητική μελέτη και τα σχετικά αποτελέσματα μέχρι τον ενοφθαλμισμό του μαστού των ζώων, ο οποίος πραγματοποιήθηκε την 5η ημέρα μετά τον τοκετό. Στη μελέτη περιλήφθησαν 28 προβατίνες. Αρχικά, στα ζώα πραγματοποιήθηκε ανθελμινθική αγωγή και, στη συνέχεια, αυτά έλαβαν ένα μίγμα από μολύνουσες προνύμφες τριχοστρογγυλοειδών ελμίνθων. Μέχρι την 60ή ημέρα της εγκυμοσύνης, σε κάθε προβατίνα χορηγείτο καθημερινά 1,30 kg έτοιμης συμπυκνωμένης ζωοτροφής (περιεκτικότητα σε ενέργεια: 0,844 FUL) και 2,50 kg σανού τριφυλλιού. Από την 60ή μέχρι την 100ή ημέρα της εγκυμοσύνης, κάθε προβατίνα ελάμβανε καθημερινά 0,60 kg συμπυκνωμένης ζωοτροφής και 2,00 σανού τριφυλλιού. Μετά την 100ή ημέρα της εγκυμοσύνης, κάθε προβατίνα που κυοφορούσε ένα έμβρυο ελάμβανε καθημερινά 0,50 kg έτοιμης συμπυκνωμένης ζωοτροφής με μειωμένη περιεκτικότητα σε ενέργεια (0,748 FUL) και 0,50 kg σανού τριφυλλιού. Οι αντίστοιχες ποσότητες για προβατίνες που κυοφορούσαν δύο έμβρυα ήταν 0,60 kg και 0,50 kg, αντίστοιχα, και για προβατίνες που κυοφορούσαν τρία έμβρυα ήταν 0,80 kg και 0,50 kg, αντίστοιχα. Στις προβατίνες πραγματοποιούνταν οι παρακάτω εξετάσεις από την 120ή ημέρα της εγκυμοσύνης μέχρι τον τοκετό: παρασιτολογική εξέταση κοπράνων, βιοχημική εξέταση αίματος για μέτρηση της συγκέντρωσης β-υδροξυβουτυρικού οξέος και γλυκόζης, υπερηχογραφική εξέταση B-mode και Doppler εμβρύου/ων και μαστού. Από τον τοκετό μέχρι την 5η ημέρα μετά από αυτόν, πραγματοποιούνταν οι παρακάτω εξετάσεις: ζύγισμα των νεογέννητων αρνιών, εξέταση του γεννητικού συστήματος και μέτρηση της παραγόμενης ποσότητας γάλακτος. Σε 16 προβατίνες παρατηρήθηκαν αυξημένες συγκεντρώσεις β-υδροξυβουτυρικού οξέος στο αίμα (≥1,2 mmol L-1 σε τουλάχιστον δύο μετρήσεις) και αυτά τα ζώα κατανεμήθηκαν στην ομάδα Α, ενώ στις υπόλοιπες 12 προβατίνες δεν παρατηρήθηκαν αυξημένες συγκεντρώσεις β-υδροξυβουτυρικού οξέος στο αίμα και κατανεμήθηκαν στην ομάδα Β. Οι προβατίνες στην ομάδα Α είχαν αυξημένο αριθμό αυγών παρασίτων (epg) στα κόπρανα και μικρότερες συγκεντρώσεις γλυκόζης στο αίμα από αυτές στην ομάδα Β (P0,3). Επίσης, M. haemolytica απομονώθηκε συχνότερα από δείγματα ιστών ζώων των υποομάδων Α1 (Α1 έναντι Β1: P=0,008) και Α2 (Α2 έναντι Β2: P=0,058). Μετά τον ενοφθαλμισμό, ο θηλαίος κόλπος και ο γαλακτοφόρος κόλπος απεικονίζονταν ως ανηχογενείς κοιλότητες, με παρουσία υπερηχογενών σωματιδίων εντός αυτών. Η υπερηχογραφική εικόνα εντός του παρεγχύματος προοδευτικά παρουσίαζε ανομοιογένεια και αδρούς σχηματισμούς. Η διάμετρος της μαστικής αρτηρίας αυξήθηκε σημαντικά ήδη έξι ώρες μετά τον ενοφθαλμισμό, οπότε παρατηρήθηκε επίσης απότομη και σημαντική αύξηση στον όγκο αίματος στη μαστική αρτηρία στην ενοφθαλμισμένη πλευρά του μαστού (A1 έναντι B1: P0.05 έναντι της υποομάδας Α2).Τα συμπεράσματα που προκύπτουν από τα ευρήματα αυτής της διατριβής είναι τα παρακάτω.(α) Αναπτύχθηκε πρότυπο για πρόκληση τοξιναιμίας της εγκυμοσύνης σε προβατίνες για εφαρμογή σε πειραματικές μελέτες. Με το εν λόγω πρότυπο, καλύπτονταν οι απαιτήσεις κορεσμού των ζώων. Ο παρασιτισμός των ζώων ενδεχομένως συνέβαλε στην αποτελεσματική ανάπτυξη του προτύπου.(β) Η υπερηχογραφική εξέταση των εμβρύων των προβατίνων με τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης έδειξε μειωμένο όγκο αίματος στην ομφαλική αρτηρία. Παρατηρήθηκαν σημαντικές μεταβολές στις αιμοδυναμικές ιδιότητες, ειδικά δε σε προβατίνες στις οποίες εκδηλώθηκε δυστοκία.(γ) Περιγράφηκε η υπερηχογραφική εικόνα των μαστικών αδένων των προβατίνων κατά τη διάρκεια της γαλακτογένεσης. Τα ευρήματα της υπερηχογραφικής εξέτασης B-mode έδειξαν διαφορές μεταξύ υγιών προβατίνων και προβατίνων με τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης στην ανάπτυξη του μαστικού παρεγχύματος. Επιπλέον, παρατηρήθηκε μικρότερος όγκος αίματος στο μαστό προβατίνων με τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης.(δ) Παρατηρήθηκε αυξημένο ποσοστό προσβολής από περιτοκετιαία προβλήματα σε προβατίνες με τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης, καθώς και αυξημένη συχνότητα περιστατικών περιγεννητικής θνησιμότητας στα έμβρυα/νεογνά αυτών των προβατίνων.(ε) Η τοξιναιμία της εγκυμοσύνης αποτελεί παράγοντα προδιάθεσης για μαστίτιδα στην επιλόχεια περίοδο. Πιθανόν, η μειωμένη λειτουργικότητα των λεμφοθυλακίων στο όριο θηλαίου πόρου-θηλαίου κόλπου να οδηγεί σε μειωμένη προστασία του μαστικού αδένα

Modern Imaging Techniques in the Study and Disease Diagnosis of the Mammary Glands of Animals

The study of the structure and function of the animals’ mammary glands is of key importance, as it reveals pathological processes at their onset, thus contributing to their immediate treatment. The most frequently studied mammary diseases are mastitis in cows and ewes and mammary tumours in dogs and cats. Various imaging techniques such as computed tomography, positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonographic techniques (Doppler, contrast-enchanced, three-dimensional and elastography) are available and can be applied in research or clinical practice in order to evaluate possible abnormalities in mammary glands, as well as to assist in the differential diagnosis. In this review, the above imaging technologies are described, and the perspectives of each method are highlighted. It is inferred that ultrasonographic modalities are the most frequently used imaging techniques for the diagnosis of clinical or subclinical mastitis and treatment guidance on a farm. In companion animals, a combination of imaging techniques should be applied for a more accurate diagnosis of mammary tumours. In any case, the confirmation of the diagnosis is provided by laboratory techniques

Designing a Multimodal Corpus of ELF in LSP: Sustainable Data Collection and Analysis

ELF and Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) appear to be intrinsically intertwined phenomena in the interpreting practice (see Albl-Mikasa 2010; 2013) and deserve to be one of the core topics in formal interpreter training. To explore and model the impact of ELF in LSP on interpreting students, we have designed a case study adapted from Bale (2013). Here, authentic video recorded LSP conferences in ELF scenarios are used as teaching material in MA level English-to-Italian SI classes. Primary teaching objectives are exposing students to real life situations and raising their awareness on quality benchmarks. In this case study, teaching material is being gathered in a multimodal corpus along with the audio recordings and transcriptions of the student\u2019s interpreted text, and an in-depth terminology analysis of the source texts. The resulting corpus is designed as a dynamic unit and its benefits are at least threefold: It can help i) modeling the impact of ELF in LSP on the students\u2019 performance, ii) providing new insights for developing teaching material tailored to the students\u2019 skills and learning objectives, and iii) getting an improved understanding of LSP patterns in ELF. To triangulate all data sources in our corpus, we have integrated an ad hoc analytical workflow in the corpus design. Our workflow includes two steps, tackling text preprocessing and analytics respectively. This analytical paradigm provides for data scalability and result reproducibility, and helps reducing the bias arising from a purely human performed analysis. Some preliminary results will be presented