Translation Equivalence Theory Meets Cultural Linguistics: A Cultural Conceptual Model of Equivalence

The present research explores a cutting-edge multidisciplinary field of enquiry, Cultural Linguistics implications for the long-lasting problem of equivalence in translation theory, and focuses on rendering cultural conceptualisations underlying lexical items in translation, for the first time. We undertake this investigation by expanding on the recently-developed analytical framework of Cultural Linguistics that categorises utterances according to their underlying conceptual structures. These conceptual structures are described as comprising either cultural schemas, cultural metaphors or cultural categories. The study starts by stating the aims and objectives of the research, at first. Second, it focuses on a brief literature review. Third, it explains the theoretical background, and then the methodology of the study. Forth, it moves towards an in-depth analysis of underlying cultural conceptualisations in translation and demonstrates a crucial role Cultural Linguistics plays in the core model of equivalence. The analysis of the data indicates that neither the “sense” nor the “form” if translated, can render necessarily the underlying cultural conceptualisations associated with a particular lexical item. The study discusses that this necessitates paying closer attention to the conceptual aspects of translation in the core model of equivalence, especially conceptual dimensions that are culturally constructed. The study moves further and proposes a new model of equivalence namely: ‘Cultural Conceptual Model of Equivalence,’ which is capable of capturing, unpacking, and analysing cultural conceptualisations underlying lexical items in the source text, and deconstructing them into the new linguistic reality of the target text, for the first time, in translation academic history in this particular focus of the cutting-edge field of enquiry, Cultural Linguistics

Comparison of Antimicrobial Effects of Stevia Rebaudiana Extract and Xylitol on Dental Biofilm: An In Vitro Study

Objectives This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of xylitol and Stevia rebaudiana (S. rebaudiana) ethanolic extract on oral biofilm. Methods A total of 96 acrylic discs were divided into two main groups for inoculation with Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Streptococcus sobrinus (S. sobrinus). Each group consisted of 6 subgroups including a positive control subgroup and 5 subgroups of discs immersed in 1% or 3% xylitol solutions, 2 or 4 mg/mL S. rebaudiana, or a combination of 3% xylitol and 4 mg/mL S. rebaudiana. After incubation, the discs were rinsed and transferred to fluid universal medium. The solutions were cultured on specific culture media and incubated. The colony-forming units (CFUs) were counted for each disc. The structure of biofilm in each group was evaluated under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results ANOVA revealed significant differences between the subgroups in both S. mutans and S. sobrinus groups (P=0.03 and P=0.01, respectively). In S. mutans group, the logarithmic mean of colony count in the positive control subgroup was 6.75 while this value was significantly lower in 2 mg/mL (5.81) and 4mg/mL (5.92) S. rebaudiana subgroups using the post hoc Dunnett's test (P=0.01 and P=0.04, respectively). The three other subgroups did not show significant differences. In S. sobrinus group, all five experimental subgroups demonstrated significantly lower colony count than the positive control group (P<0.05).  Conclusion S. rebaudiana extract appears to be more potent than xylitol against dental biofilm

Sophora alopecuroides L. Var. alopecuroides alleviates morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice: Involvement of alkaloid fraction and matrine

Objective(s): Evaluation of the Sophora alopecuroides var. alopecuroides seed effects on morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice and determination of the alkaloid composition of the seed total extract. Materials and Methods: The effects of the seed total extract, alkaloid fraction and major compound matrine on the mice morphine withdrawal syndrome were compared to saline and methadone. Mice were made dependent on morphine by morphine sulfate injection 3 times a day for 3 days. The withdrawal jumping and diarrhea were induced by administration of naloxone 2 hr after the 10th injection of morphine sulfate on the day 4. The total extract (100, 200, 300 mg/kg), alkaloid fraction (5, 10, 20 mg/kg), matrine (5, 15, 30 mg/kg), methadone (10 mg/kg) or saline were injected 30 min before naloxone. All drugs were administered by subcutaneous injection. The total extract alkaloid composition was also determined by gas chromatography (GC) and GC-MS analysis. Results: All doses of the total extract, alkaloid fraction and matrine as well as methadone decreased jumping and diarrhea significantly compared to the saline. The effects of the total extract and alkaloid fraction were not significantly different from methadone. But, there were significant differences between the effects of matrine and methadone. Matrine, cytisine, sophoridine, n-methyl cytisine, sophocarpine and sophoramine were the major alkaloids. There was no nicotine in the total extract. Conclusion: S. alopecuroides var. alopecuroides suppresses opioid withdrawal with efficacy comparable to methadone. Matrine may be one of the alkaloids responsible for the effect of the plant. © 2016, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Effects of standardized hydro-alcoholic extract of Vaccinium arctostaphylos leaf on hypertension and biochemical parameters in hypertensive hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients: a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical trial

Objective: To study the blood pressure, lipid and glycemic effects and safety of Vaccinium arctostaphylos leaf in the hypertensive hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: The patients took 350 mg standardized plant leaf hydro-alcoholic extract capsule (n=50) or placebo capsule (n=50) three times daily alongside conventional drugs for 2 months. At the baseline and endpoint, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and blood levels of fasting glucose (FG), 2-hr postprandial glucose (2hPPG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, triglyceride, HDL-C, SGOT, SGPT and creatinine were determined in both groups. To evaluate the extract safety, serum SGOT, SGPT and creatinine levels were tested; also, the patients were requested to report any adverse effects.   Results: FG, 2hPPG, HbA1c, TC, LDL-C, triglyceride and systolic and diastolic blood pressures were decreased, whereas HDL-C was increased significantly in the extract group compared to those of the placebo group at the endpoint (for all cases,

Design space exploration and decision-making for a segmented ultralight morphing 50-MW wind turbine

Wind turbine design encompasses many different aspects including aerodynamic, structural, electrical, and control system design. To achieve optimal plant performance, a system design approach is utilized in which the performance of the whole wind turbine is evaluated and quantified during operational scenarios with subsystem interactions. In this paper, the design for a Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor (SUMR) 50-MW wind turbine is presented utilizing levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for design choices, with additional quantification of simulated performance shortcomings at the 50-MW scale. The multi-disciplinary design process results in a final ultra-scale turbine configuration that outperforms other existing offshore wind farms regarding the LCOE. &nbsp;</p

Pancreatic beta cell protection/regeneration with phytotherapy

Although currently available drugs are useful in controlling early onset complications of diabetes, serious late onset complications appear in a large number of patients. Considering the physiopathology of diabetes, preventing beta cell degeneration and stimulating the endogenous regeneration of islets will be essential approaches for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The current review focused on phytochemicals, the antidiabetic effect of which has been proved by pancreatic beta cell protection/regeneration. Among the hundreds of plants that have been investigated for diabetes, a small fraction has shown the regenerative property and was described in this paper. Processes of pancreatic beta cell degeneration and regeneration were described. Also, the proposed mechanisms for the protective/regenerative effects of such phytochemicals and their potential side effects were discussed

Therapeutic potential of active components of saffron in post-surgical adhesion band formation

Background Abdominal adhesions are common and often develop after abdominal surgery. There are currently no useful targeted pharmacotherapies for adhesive disease. Saffron and its active constituents, Crocin and Crocetin, are wildly used in traditional medicine for alleviating the severity of inflammatory or malignant disease. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of the pharmacological active component of saffron in attenuating the formation of post-operative adhesion bands using different administration methods in a murine model. Material method saffron extract (100 mg/kg), Crocin (100 mg/kg), and Crocetin (100 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally and by gavage in various groups of male Wistar rat post-surgery. Also three groups were first treated intra-peritoneally by saffron extract, Crocin, and Crocetin (100 mg/kg) for 10 days and then had surgery. At the end of the experiments, animals sacrificed for biological assessment. Result A hydro-alcoholic extract of saffron and crocin but not crocetin potently reduced the adhesion band frequency in treatment and pre-treatment groups in the mice given intra-peritoneal (i.p) injections. Following the saffron or crocin administration, histological evaluation and quantitative analysis represented less inflammatory cell infiltration and less collagen composition, compared to control group. Moreover, the oxidative stress was significantly reduced in treatment groups. Conclusion These findings suggest that a hydro-alcoholic extract of saffron or its active compound, crocin, is a potentially novel therapeutic strategy for the prevention of adhesions formation and might be used as beneficial anti-inflammatory or anti-fibrosis agents in clinical trials. Taxonomy Abdominal surgeries/post-surgical adhesions

Literary Translation, Translating Culture: The Case of Shahriyar, the Famous Iranian Azeri Poet

A literary translation is a device of art used to release the text from its dependence on prior cultural knowledge (Herzfeld, 2003). The present research investigates the use of pragmatic equivalence in two translations of the Azeri Turkish long poem "Haydar Bābāye Salām" by "Shahriyar". Based on Koller’s theory of equivalence (2001) four elements were assigned for the pragmatic equivalence: 1) domestication rather than foreignization, 2) naturalness of the expressions, 3) focus on target-text reader, and 4) content-based product. Thirty six stanzas from the initial, middle and final part of the poem were selected and then their two translations were analyzed according to the aforementioned elements. Moreover, based on Newmark’s model (1988) it is also investigated that whether a translation with all the four elements of pragmatic equivalence is a good one or not. According to Newmark’s model (1988) three markers of a good translation are: 1) utilization of pragmatic equivalence, 2) naturalness, and 3) not sounding like a translation. The results suggest that a translator who has utilized all the elements of pragmatic equivalence is also successful in reproducing a better translation for the target language readers.Keywords: Equivalence theory, Literary translation, Poetry translation, Pragmatic equivalenc

Literary Translation, Translating Culture: The Case of Shahriyar, the Famous Iranian Azeri Poet

A literary translation is a device of art used to release the text from its dependence on prior cultural knowledge (Herzfeld, 2003). The present research investigates the use of pragmatic equivalence in two translations of the Azeri Turkish long poem "Haydar Bābāye Salām" by "Shahriyar". Based on Koller’s theory of equivalence (2001) four elements were assigned for the pragmatic equivalence: 1) domestication rather than foreignization, 2) naturalness of the expressions, 3) focus on target-text reader, and 4) content-based product. Thirty six stanzas from the initial, middle and final part of the poem were selected and then their two translations were analyzed according to the aforementioned elements. Moreover, based on Newmark’s model (1988) it is also investigated that whether a translation with all the four elements of pragmatic equivalence is a good one or not. According to Newmark’s model (1988) three markers of a good translation are: 1) utilization of pragmatic equivalence, 2) naturalness, and 3) not sounding like a translation. The results suggest that a translator who has utilized all the elements of pragmatic equivalence is also successful in reproducing a better translation for the target language readers.Keywords: Equivalence theory, Literary translation, Poetry translation, Pragmatic equivalenc