Softboiled Speech: A Contrastive Analysis of Death Euphemisms in Egyptian Arabic and Chinese

This contrastive study is geared towards investigating the euphemistic language of death in Egyptian Arabic and Chinese The results indicate that euphemisms are universal since they exist in every language and no human communication is without euphemisms Both Egyptian and Chinese native speakers regard the topic of death as a taboo Therefore they handle it with care Egyptian Arabic and Chinese employ euphemistic expressions to avoid mentioning the topic of death However Chinese has a large number of death euphemisms as compared with the Egyptian Arabic ones The results also show that death euphemisms are structurally and basically employed in both Egyptian Arabic and Chinese in metonymy as a linguistic device and a figure of speech Moreover they employ conceptual metaphor to substitute the taboo topic of deat

Genre Analysis of Daily COVID-19 Infographic Reports in the Arabian Gulf: The Case of the Kingdom of Bahrain

Infographics are visual data that are used in public service announcements to convey particular messages to a particular group of people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Kingdom of Bahrain relied heavily on the use of infographics to communicate different types of information to all its people. The study at hand aimed to analyze the Medical Announcement Infographics (MAIs) published by the Bahraini MOH during the pandemic. Two research questions were posited. The first one investigated the schematic moves in MAIs, and the second one researched the extent to which the Bahraini Medical Announcement infographics on COVID-19 Pandemic met the contextual variables of register. The study utilized Swales’ genre-analysis model and examined the contextual variables of the MIA register and the lexicogrammatical features highlighted in Systemic Functional Linguistics in relation to the Bahraini MOH’s MAIs. The study concluded that the register variables showed variation in the lexical, structural, and illocutionary force choice-making. In addition, MAIs included both obligatory and optional moves that impacted the behavioral attitudes of the people either positively or negatively

Is quadratus lumborum block combined with low dose-spinal anesthesia an effective alternative to general anesthesia in patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy?

Background: General anesthesia in high-risk patients has many complications and needs long preoperative preparations and postoperative intensive care unit (ICU). Therefore the present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of combined low-dose spinal anesthesia with quadratus lumborum block (QLB) as an alternative to general anesthesia for patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy. Patients and methods: A prospective study was conducted at the urology department of Al-Azhar University Hospitals in Cairo, Egypt, from January 2021 to January 2022. The study included 60 patients of ASA ll-lll scheduled for percutaneous nephrolithotomy. All patients received low-dose spinal anesthesia (5 mg bupivacaine) and QLB (QL1-QL2-QL3) approaches. The primary observation parameter was the efficacy of this technique as an alternative to general anesthesia. The secondary parameters measured were evaluation of need for intraoperative narcotics, postoperative pain score (VAS), and patients satisfaction as assessed using a 5-point Likert Scale. Results: None of the patients was given general anesthesia, and intraoperative sedation was given to nineteen patients (32.2%). No hemodynamic changes were observed in all patients. There was a significant correlation between the use of intraoperative sedation and stone site, intraoperative blood loss, and hospital stay. Pain intensity on VAS at rest and movement was low until the 24th postoperative hour. Patient satisfaction score was 3, 4, and 5 in 1 (1.7%), 4 (6.7%), and 55 (91.6%) patients, respectively. Conclusions: Combined low-dose spinal anesthesia with quadratus lumborum block is an effective alternative to general anesthesia in patients undergoing PCNL procedures with good postoperative analgesia. Patients with lower calyceal punctures have a lower incidence of intraoperative sedation requirements

Safety and efficacy of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy in comorbid patients: A 3 years prospective observational study

Purpose: To report the result of percutaneous nephrolithotripsy (PCNL) via standard nephrostomy tract in a single training institution. The perioperative complications in relation to the comorbid state are particularly assessed. Patients and methods: A prospective interventional study between January 2019 to November 2022, included 210 patients scheduled for PCNL. The average age was 40.3 ± 11.8 years (range 18- 67 years). Patients were categorized into two groups. The first group comprised 146 cases (69 .5%) with no associated co-morbidities while the second group 64 (30.5%) had co-morbidities such as obesity in 4 cases (1.9%), hypertension (HTN) in 24 cases (11.4%) cases, diabetes mellitus (DM) in 17 (8.1%) cases, history of recurrent stone surgery in 11 (5.2%) cases and more than one in 8 cases (3.8%). Co-morbidities, stone burden, location of stone, time of surgery, stay in the hospital, further operations, and negative events were among the reported data. Complications and the stone-free rate were the main outcome indicators. Results: Intraoperative complications were reported in 40 (18.8%) patients (18 group 1 and 22 group 2) during PCNL. Bleeding occurred in 22 (10.5%) patients (9 group 1 and 13 group 2), blood transfusions were needed in 4 (1.9%) (2 group 1 and 2 group 2), extravasation was observed in 11 patients (5.2%) (6 group 1 and 5 group 2) and cardiac arrhythmia in 3 (1.4%) (1 group 1 and 2 group 2) patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 61 patients (29%) (24 group 1 and 37 group 2) in the form of fever in 10 patients (4.8 %) (3 group 1 and 7 group 2) and prolonged leakage in 50 patients (23.8%) (21 group 1 and 29 group 2). One patient of group 2 died from postoperative sepsis. Extravasation and postoperative leakage were higher in diabetic patients than in non-diabetics. Stonefree rate was 60.5% (127 of 210). Clinically significant residual fragments (CSRFs) found in 70 cases (33.3%) (33 group 1 and 37 group 2). In 13 cases (6.2%) (5 group 1 and 8 group 2), clinically insignificant residual fragments (CIRFs) were found. In 8 (3 group 1 and 5 group 2) of the 13 cases, spontaneous stone passage was observed within 4-6 weeks of surgery. Residual stones in three cases (1 group 1 and 2 group 2) were asymptomatic and 4 mm or less, whereas stones increased in two cases of group 2. Among all factors studied, stone burden was significantly correlated to both intraoperative and postoperative complications. The occurrence of postoperative fever increased with large stone burden. Conclusions: PCNL is a therapeutic modality that is effective, feasible, and safe for a wide range of patients with concurrent medical issues. A steep curve is required to reduce intraoperative and postoperative complications

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Microtensile bond strength and scanning electron microscopic evaluation of zirconia bonded to dentin using two self-adhesive resin cements; effect of airborne abrasion and aging

Aim of the study: This in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the microtensile bond strength (mTBS) of surface treated zirconia bonded to dentin specimens using two aged contemporary dual cured selfadhesive resin cements. Materials and methods: Sixty cuboidal-shaped zirconia ceramic specimens were obtained using CAD/ CAM system. Specimens were divided into two equal main groups; 30 specimens each, gp A in which specimens did not receive any further surface treatment & gp B in which only one surface of each specimen was airborne abraded. Each group was then divided into two equal groups; 15 each, according to the type of adhesive resin cement used for bonding zirconia specimens to ground flat dentine surfaces; RelyX™ U200 (cement I) and Multilink® Speed (cement II). The assemblies were further subdivided into 3 equal subgroups; 5 assemblies each, according to aging protocol. The aging protocols were storage in distilled water for 1 day, for 7 days without thermocycling and for 7dayes followed by thermocycling; subgroups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. After aging, the assemblies were sectioned into beams approximately 1 mm2 in cross section resulting in 25 beams for each subgroup; 20 of them were selected for mTBS (n ¼ 20) and 5 were kept for SEM examination. Results: Group B showed statistically significantly higher mean micro tensile bond strength value than group A. The type of cement had statistically insignificant effect on mean micro tensile bond strength. Thermocycling significantly reduced mTBS of both cements bonded to untreated zirconia ceramic; IA3 and IIA3 subgroups. For SEM, cement I showed gaps at its interface with zirconia groups A and B regardless of aging protocol. Cement II showed only gaps at its interface with zirconia ceramic group A only but good adaptation appeared at its interface with zirconia ceramic group B for aged for 1 day (subgroup IIB1) and 7 days without thermocycling (subgroup IIB2). However, cement II bonding air abraded zirconia ceramic followed by thermocycling (subgroup IIB3) showed both gap free as well as gap containing areas at high magnification only. Conclusions: Airborne abrasion-surface treatment of zirconia significantly enhanced the mTBS of both cements adhered to dentin while aging had an adverse effect. MS showed higher insignificant mTBS

The Machine Translation of Literature: Implications for Translation Pedagogy

The recent years have witnessed an increasing importance of machine translation systems due to the prolific production on online texts in different disciplines and furthermore, the inability of traditional translation methods in addressing translation needs all over the world. It is even argued that training on translation tools should be integrated into translation pedagogies and ultimately, courses should be provided for students and professionals. In spite of the effectiveness of translation tools and systems in providing solutions in relation to different disciplines and text genres, the usability and reliability of such systems in terms of literary texts, however, is still highly controversial. Many critics and educators still underestimate the usefulness of the machine translation systems in literature, which could be partially attributed to the unique nature of the language of the literary texts. The issue has its pedagogical implications to translation instruction due to the needs to integrate emerging technologies in teaching and learning practices. For proper use of translation technologies in educational contexts, these need to be well evaluated. For this purpose, this study evaluates the usefulness of applying machine translation systems to literature with the purpose of identifying the challenges that may have negative impacts on the reliability of machine translation systems. In order to do this this, two translation systems are selected, namely, Google Translate and Q Translate. By way of illustration, the study is based on a corpus of two English short stories. The study is based on two prose fiction texts. The first is J. K. Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The second is Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Black Cat. Automatic translations generated by the two machine translation systems were compared to human made Arabic translations with the purpose of identifying the problems within these translations. Results indicate that different lexical, structural, and pragmatic errors are encountered by users which negatively impact the reliability of these translations. Educators and translation instructors need to reflect on the challenges of machine translation systems in relation to literature. Software developers need also to address the problems faced by users and students in the translation from and into the Arabic language

Request Strategies in Kuwaiti Arabic and British English: A Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Study

The study at hands is a cross-cultural exploration of request strategies in Kuwaiti Arabic and British English dialects. A mixed method approach of a qualitative and quantitative analysis was used (i.e., a Discourse Completion Test (DCT) and semi-structured interviews). Data was collected from a total of five hundred participants, two hundred and fifty from each group. Sixty participants were chosen for the semi-structured interviews. The analysis of the collected data was based upon Brown and Levinson's (1987) social variables (e.g., power, distance, and ranking). Also, the data was analyzed following Blum-Kulka and Olshtain's (1984) Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project (CCSARP). The results of the study revealed that Kuwaiti Arabic and British English participants used the conventional indirect level in the form of query preparatory in most situations. Furthermore, power as a social variable affected Kuwaiti Arabic and British English participants’ flow of a request in conversations. Participants used direct request strategies when the power of the speaker was high. As for the semi-structured interviews, the results indicated that there is a sociocultural norm between the Kuwaiti society and the British society, which affected their use of requests

The Translation of Islamic Women-Related Legal Terms and Metaphors: A Comparative Study of Fazlul Karim’s (1938) and Robson’s (1963) Versions of Mishkat-ul-Masabih

Through the instrumentality of the translation allusions strategies proposed by Leppihalme (1997) and the Skopos-plus-loyalty approach developed by Nord (1997), the present study scrutinizes the English translation of six Islamic-legal terms and six metaphors used for women in selected Prophetic Hadith from two English versions of Al-Tabrīzī’s (d. 1348 A.D.) Mishkat-ul-Masabih that have been translated by Fazlul Karim (1938) and Robson (1963). The results indicate that Fazlul Karim’s (1938) translation of the of Islamic-legal terms shows his commitment to provide the Muslim reader with the necessary Islamic rulings and opinions taken from the Prophetic Hadith. However, the language in his translation is found to be incomprehensible in many cases because it strictly adheres to the Arabic structure. By comparison, Robson’s (1963) language appears natural and the terms are translated more accurately regarding the ‘general meaning’ of the word. In addition, his translation is comprehensible and coherent.  Fazlul Karim’s (1938) translation of metaphors of women shows that, in most cases, he uses an inaccurate translation for the respective metaphor. Robson (1963) is found to be consistent with his skopos of using natural English. This study is an attempt to shed light on the importance of gaining knowledge about the culture that surrounds the terms related to women and its effects on translation. It endeavors to draw attention to the role of translation in reflecting the appropriate status and societal role of women at a particular time with special emphasis on terms that consist of a combination of physical, social, and legal aspects