Notions of impoliteness at the Argentinian workplace. Representations and evaluations from users and learners of EFL for business purposes

Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Ensenyament i Adquisició de la Llengua Anglesa en Contextos Multilingües. Codi: SAY531. Curs acadèmic: 2011-2012Despite some attention given to the teaching of politeness phenomena from a non-universalistic view (Brown, 2010; Cashman, 2006; Meier, 1997; Nurmukhamedov & Kim, 2010; Sharifian, 2008; Uso-Juan & Martinez-Flor, 2007), impoliteness has largely been ignored by both teachers and researchers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) (Mugford, 2008, 2009). This is particularly true in the area of English for Business Purposes (BP), where the understanding of cross-cultural variation in the perception of impoliteness is but starting (Culpeper, Crawshaw, & Harrison, 2008; Culpeper, Marti, Mei, Nevala, & Schauer, 2010). Given such state-of-the-art, I contribute to this area by researching first-order notions of impoliteness (Watts, 2003) as it emerges from Argentinian users and learners of EFL-BP when exchanging emails with U.S. American employees in workplace contexts. From a natural corpus of emails, I select two syndicated conflictive email sequences (words=939) as the basis for the design of research instruments. These involve a questionnaire and a discourse completion test to Argentinian participants (n=22), as well as a semi-structured interview to U.S. American interviewees (n=10). Argentinian participants characterize impoliteness through features referring to aggressiveness, imperativeness, inappropriateness, inconsiderateness, heedlessness, unfairness, and evasiveness, while U.S. Americans referred to interrupting, tardiness, and uncooperativeness. Initial pedagogic implications for the teaching of impoliteness are derived from these results

Vibration analysis of the civic tower in Rieti

In the last decades the definition of a suitable monitoring system for identifying the dynamic behavior of structures has had a central position in the civil engineering research area. The vibration analysis leads to the recognition of the reference state of structures which is essential to determine the integrity level when extreme events occur, such as earthquakes. The latest seismic events occurred in the world have shown the essential role of the new passive seismic techniques which aim to protect structures and the importance of supervising the building construction operations and the adopted improvement measures. In this work the structural monitoring of the civic tower located in Rieti is presented. In the tower a non-conventional TMD has been installed via an inter-story isolation system at the top floor by means of High Damping Rubber Bearings (HDRB). The general goal is to define a monitoring system suitable with this experimental case through the vibration analysis. Several aspects will be taken into account: the choice of sensors setup, the measured quantities and the extraction of structural information. Firstly this will allow to define the structure’s reference state featured by frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. Moreover the effective design of the monitoring system would lead to the characterization of the dynamic behavior of the structure equipped with a passive vibration control system. Different tests have been carried forward: ambient vibration test (AVT), forced vibration test (FVT) with vibrodyne and seismic test (ST). The AVT and the FVT enable to define the monitoring system and check the reliability of the adopted identification tools, among which an Output Only algorithm stands out: the Observer Kalman Filter System Id. On the other hand the ST will point out some preliminary information about the dynamic behaviour of the structure equipped with a non conventional Tuned Mass Damper referring it to higher levels of vibrations

Subtitling Neapolitan Dialect in “My Brilliant Friend”: Linguistic Choices and Sociocultural Implications in the Screen Adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Best-selling Novel.

n the screen adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s best-selling novel “My Brilliant Friend”, the first foreign language co-production of the American pay-cable network HBO with the Italian public broadcaster RAI, as a specific requirement of the American producers, the Italian of the main characters has been transformed into Neapolitan, a thick regional dialect mostly appropriate to tell the story of a life-long friendship on the backdrop of the 1950s poor outskirts of Naples, the main city of southern Italy. Starting from some background theories of cultural aspects of translation together with audiovisual translation, the aim of this presentation is that of analysing how English subtitlers have faced the translation of the dialectal elements in such a culture-bound audiovisual text and to what extent their choices depend on those made by Italian subtitlers, then discussing about the sociocultural implications of the solutions adopted. The data have been organized and presented with reference to the extralinguistic and the intralinguistic levels (in terms of syntactical, lexico-semantic and crosscultural pragmatic elements)

Subtitling Neapolitan Dialect in “My Brilliant Friend”: Linguistic Choices and Sociocultural Implications in the Screen Adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Best-selling Novel

In the screen adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s best-selling novel “My Brilliant Friend”, the first foreign language co-production of the American pay-cable network HBO with the Italian public broadcaster RAI, as a specific requirement of the American producers, the Italian of the main characters has been transformed into Neapolitan, a thick regional dialect mostly appropriate to tell the story of a life-long friendship on the backdrop of the 1950s poor outskirts of Naples, the main city of southern Italy. Starting from some background theories of cultural aspects of translation together with audiovisual translation, the aim of this presentation is that of analysing how English subtitlers have faced the translation of the dialectal elements in such a culture-bound audiovisual text and to what extent their choices depend on those made by Italian subtitlers, then discussing about the sociocultural implications of the solutions adopted. The data have been organized and presented with reference to the extralinguistic and the intralinguistic levels (in terms of syntactical, lexico-semantic and crosscultural pragmatic elements)

Sustainable Circular Economy for the Integration of Disadvantaged People: A Preliminary Study on the Reuse of Lithium-Ion Batteries

The circular economy is attracting the attention of governments and companies who recognize the importance of promoting a sustainable approach toward social and industrial development. The European Union requires EU State members to support a sustainable approach to improving the production and consumption of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). This paper supports the conceptualization of a sustainable circular economy model, proposing the reuse of lithium-ion batteries from WEEE. The aim is to define a circular economy-based production model for the reuse of waste lithium-ion batteries and support the inclusion of disadvantaged people in the recovery process, breaking the barriers of social discrimination. The activities introduced in this paper are part of a circular economy project for the social integration of disadvantaged people. In this paper, the preliminary results of the project are introduced, proposing a methodology for the disassembly of waste lithium-ion batteries. The disassembly line balancing proposed in this paper focuses on the need to include workers with physical, psychological, sensory, or intellectual limitations, as well as people experiencing communication difficulties. Future steps of the project will focus on the design of the assembly line to produce battery packs for pedal-assisted bicycles from the recovered lithium-ion cells

"I Feel Like We Are People Who Have Never Known Each Other Before": The Experiences of Survivors of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Transitioning From Shelters to Life in the Community

In this article, we explore the experiences of survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Cambodia as they transition from living in trafficking-specific shelter facilities to living in the community. We analyzed data from Chab Dai's Butterfly Longitudinal Research (BLR) project, a 10-year longitudinal study with survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Cambodia utilizing a prospective panel design. We present findings from our analysis of 236 interviews and narrative summaries of interviews conducted with survivors between the years 2011 and 2016 (n=79). An interpretive phenomenological approach was used to understand survivors' experiences during this transition. Themes included: conflicted feelings about life in the community; difficulties completing school and securing employment; violence in the community; limited follow-up; unfulfilled expectations; feeling loved like a family member in the shelter, but abandoned in the community; vulnerability in the community due to dramatic differences between shelters and the community; and varied experiences with case closure. We underscore the importance of understanding and listening to the voices of survivors about their experiences in the anti-human trafficking sector and discuss implications for the design and implementation of services for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Southeast Asia.In diesem Beitrag beschäftigen wir uns mit den Erfahrungen von Überlebenden von Menschenhandel und sexueller Ausbeutung in Kambodscha während des Übergangs vom Leben in Schutzeinrichtungen hin zu "normalem" Gemeinschaftsleben. Hintergrund ist das Chab Dai zugehörige "Butterfly Longitudinal Research"-Projekt, eine prospektive Längsschnittstudie. Wir berichten Ergebnisse aus der interpretativ-phänomenologischen Analyse von 236 Interviews, die mit insgesamt 79 Personen zwischen 2011 und 2016 geführt wurden. Themen, die hierbei resultierten, waren konfligierende Gefühle über das Leben in der Gemeinschaft; Schwierigkeiten beim Erlangen von Schulabschlüssen und bei der Arbeitssuche; Gewalt in der Gemeinschaft; begrenzte Nachbereitung und Begleitung; unerfüllte Erwartungen; Erleben von Liebe und Akzeptanz in den Schutzeinrichtungen vs. Verlassenheit und Einsamkeit in der Gemeinschaft; Vulnerabilität infolge drastischer Unterschiede zwischen Schutzräumen und "normalem" Alltagsleben; Erfahrungen mit Entzug der Unterstützung(sleistungen). Abschließend diskutieren wir die Bedeutsamkeit eines Forschungsansatzes, der die Betroffenen selbst zu Wort kommen lässt und mögliche Implikationen aus unserer Studie für das Design und die Implementierung von Diensten für Überlebende von Menschenhandel und sexueller Ausbeutung in Südostasien

Descortesía y gestión de la imagen social a través del correo electrónico en ámbitos laborales empresariales argentinos bilingües

Doctor en Ciencias del Lenguaje. Mención en Lingüística AplicadaEn este trabajo se estudia cómo se percibe la descortesía, se reacciona ante uno de sus actos y se la presenta en una actividad comunicativa. Se lo hace en dos empresas multinacionales con sede en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Estos ambientes poseen características institucionales con propósitos organizacionales y laborales privados, en sitios de contacto interlingüístico español-inglés e intercultural argentino- estadounidense. El estudio enfoca la descortesía ejercida a través de correos electrónicos escritos en una variante del inglés reconocida como lingua franca. El estudio se ciñe a una comunidad de práctica descortés, identificada como la principal unidad de análisis extralingüístico y conformada en el referido ambiente laboral y respectivo género textual. Los datos analizados fueron recopilados durante el período 2012-2014. El marco teórico- metodológico integra diferentes categorías analíticas desarrolladas en el área de estudio de la pragmática sociocultural. Se busca con ellas tendencias macroestructurales de producción y evaluación de actividades de descortesía. Los datos recopilados conforman un corpus natural y no natural, y fueron facilitados por los empleados argentinos de ambos ambientes laborales. El corpus natural consta de correos electrónicos donados para el estudio por ocho informantes. El corpus no natural se recopiló a través de un estudio piloto, dos cuestionarios, entrevistas e información empresarial pública en Internet. Entre los resultados más relevantes, se identificaron cinco nociones de descortesía: la impropiedad, la desconsideración, la imposición, la evasión y la agresividad. Se propone luego un diseño estratégico reactivo ante un acto de descortesía según se compromete una amenaza a la imagen, se causa una ofensa o se busca un equilibrio entre las imágenes involucradas. Por último, se identificaron cuatro estrategias de ataque o contraataque modalizados deónticamente en la descortesía. A través de estas estrategias, se des-idealiza y desvaloriza la imagen con el propósito ulterior de reconstituir el orden moral que afianza el statu quo empresarial. Se considera que los resultados obtenidos son útiles para comprender mejor el ejercicio de la descortesía en ambientes laborales argentinos y que involucren situaciones de contacto interlingüístico inglés-español.Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de LenguasFil: Cordisco, Ariel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Lenguas; Argentina

"I will help as much as I can, but I can't give them everything:" The Financial Lives of Women Who Were Formerly Trafficked into Sex Work in the Philippines

Formerly trafficked people frequently face substantial economic challenges upon community reintegration. Research pertaining to the experiences of formerly trafficked people following community reintegration is, however, very limited in scope. This dissertation consists of three studies that collectively describe the economic challenges faced after reintegration by women who were formerly trafficked into sex work in Cebu City, Philippines. The first study speaks to the context in which formerly trafficked women make intra-household financial management decisions in the Philippines. In this study, propensity score matching is used to ascertain whether women in the Philippines who manage household finances independently are more likely to experience IPV than women who manage household finances jointly with their partners. The second study, a grounded theory study, explores the process of managing family financial pressures among trafficked women in the Philippines. The third study, a financial diaries study, provides a descriptive overview of the roles that formerly trafficked women play in the financial wellbeing of their households after community re/integration, as well as challenges they experience in fulfilling these roles. Implications for social work practice with this population are discussed

Evaluación del impacto de la coexpresión del receptor de ghrelina (GHSR) y los receptores de dopamina tipo 1 y 2 (D1R y D2R) sobre la modulación de los canales de calcio operados por voltaje presinápticos (CaV2)

Los canales de calcio operados por voltaje tipo CaV2.2 son activados por potenciales de acción que llegan a la terminal presináptica y las corrientes de calcio a través de su poro inducen la liberación de neurotransmisores. En este contexto, la regulación de CaV2.2 es crítica para la comunicación neuronal. Uno de los mecanismos más importantes para esta regulación es la actividad de los receptores acoplados a proteínas G (GPCR, del inglés G protein-coupled receptor). Entre los GPCRs capaces de modular la actividad de CaV2.2 están el receptor de ghrelina (GHSR) y los receptores de dopamina tipo 1 y 2 (D1R y D2R). En estudios previos de nuestro laboratorio demostramos que la actividad constitutiva de GHSR reduce el tráfico de CaV2.2 hacia la membrana plasmática, mientras que su actividad dependiente de ghrelina inhibe las corrientes CaV2.2 en forma aguda. Para el caso de los receptores de dopamina, la actividad dependiente de dopamina de ambos receptores produce la inhibición de las corrientes CaV2.2. Estudios recientes han demostrado que el receptor GHSR es capaz de heterodimerizar con los receptores de dopamina en distintas áreas del cerebro, siendo las más importantes el hipocampo (para D1R-GHSR) y el hipotálamo (para D2R-GHSR). La formación de estos heterodímeros altera profundamente las vías de señalización involucradas con consecuencias fisiológicas importantes. Nosotros aquí exploramos como la coexpresión de GHSR y de los receptores de dopamina en células HEK293T modula el efecto de la actividad de cada GPCR sobre los canales CaV2.2. En el estudio sobre la coexpresión de D1R y GHSR observamos que el efecto de la actividad dependiente de agonista de ambos GPCRs sobre las corrientes CaV2.2 no se modifica. Por otro lado las corrientes basales CaV2.2 disminuyen dramáticamente por la coexpresión de D1R y GHSR. Con respecto a la coexpresión de D2R y GHSR encontramos que el efecto de la actividad dependiente de ghrelina de GHSR sobre los CaV2.2 no se modifica mientras que el efecto de la actividad dependiente de dopamina de D2R sobre las corrientes CaV2.2 se reduce. Al estudiar las corrientes basales en presencia solo de D2R encontramos una inhibición tónica de las corrientes removible por voltaje. La coexpresión de GHSR reduce las corrientes basales de CaV2.2 y además ocluye la inhibición tónica observada para D2R. En esta tesis investigamos las vías de señalización implicadas en los efectos de D1R-GHSR y D2R-GHSR sobre los canales CaV2.2. Además, exploramos cómo la sobreexpresión de D2R y GHSR en cultivos de neuronas hipotalámicas afecta la modulación de las corrientes de calcio nativas por estos GPCRs. En resumen, nuestros resultados nos permiten proponer que la heterodimerización de GHSR con dos subtipos de receptores para dopamina tiene un impacto profundo en la modulación que cada GPCR ejerce sobre los CaV2.2.Facultad de Ciencias Exacta