A Literary Translation as a Translation Project: A Case Study of Arthur Waley's Translation of Journey to the West

Over the last decade, researchers have been applying social theories to study translation as a social phenomenon. Actor-network theory (ANT) is one of the approaches adopted to explore translation production, as carried out in practical circumstances. Studies that focus on everyday translation activities that take place throughout a single translation project, leading to the production of an English translation of a Chinese novel, are few in number. In addition, few have adapted the ideas, concepts, and methodology of ANT to this type of study, and nonhuman actors have never been examined as active participants in translation production. Understanding of the development of translation projects, and translation actor and actions, is also still limited. The aim of this thesis, therefore, is to attempt to fill in the above-mentioned blanks, by applying ANT, as the sole theory, to the study of the production of Monkey, translated from Journey to the West by Arthur Waley. A theoretical framework is built based on not only Latour's theories (1986, 1987, 1988a, 1988b, 1999, 2007), but also those of Callon (1986a, 1986b, 1999), and Law (1986a, 1986b, 1992). The objectives of this thesis include 1) to test the applicability of ANT to translation production research, 2) to develop a system of methods that can guide and regulate the research, 3) to present an in-depth description of the translation project, which is as clear and comprehensive as possible, and 4) to go beyond the descriptive, by developing extensive discussions and analyses concerning the main translation actors, both human and nonhuman, and their actions which shaped the overall literary translation project. The materials that uphold this thesis come from multiple sources. At the core, there are more than 200 letters exchanged between the main contributors of the translation project, which are available as the Records of George Allen & Unwin Ltd. in the University of Reading, Special Collections. Supporting materials include copies of the translation (Monkey) including the associated paratexts, articles written by the translator on translation, the autobiography of the publisher, advertisements and book reviews on the translation retrieved from Gale Primary Sources. Practical methods, such as web searches and archival research, are used to collect as much data regarding the production of the translation as possible. In addition, a system of methodological rules is adapted from the 'three principles' proposed by Callon (1986a) and the 'rules of method' put forward by Latour (1987), which is used to screen data, to judge if sufficient data was collected, and to determine how that data should be analysed. The main body of the thesis is composed of six chapters. The aim of Chapter 1 is to provide an in-depth introduction to ANT and build a theoretical framework. In Chapter 2 a context is provided for the research by mainly explaining the reasons behind, and the process of, choosing Monkey as the translation under study, placing the proposed research within the existing literature, and reviewing the research methodology. Chapter 3 comprises a thick description of the translation project, focusing on its major contributors and its different phases. The two chapters that follow, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, consist of discussions concerning the identified translation actors, and in particular, how their roles and positions were continually (re)defined by their actions throughout the translation production process. The last chapter explores the dynamics that empowered the translation production network, through categorising the interactions of translation actors according to four moments of translationANT (Callon, 1986a), and in addition, the modes of interessement, i.e. the particular methods or devices used to persuade actors to join the project, which are analysed based on Latour's modes (1987). The main findings of this study contain 1) a system of methods can be established based on previous studies conducted by ANT theorists and translation researchers. 2) The translation project is discovered to be long-term, with over 25 years of recorded history, large-scale, i.e. with numerous people and resources involved and at least 25 versions of the translation as the end products, and multi-faceted, i.e. with no fewer than 8 phases of production which often overlap with each other. 3) The translation actors were heterogeneous, including humans, example of which are the translator, publisher, and designer, and nonhumans, such as the war, letters, and a system of texts. Some of these actors have not been identified before. 4) Actions frequently defined actors, as well as their roles and positions in translation. The roles played by an actor in the single translation project were often multiple and their positions within the network constantly changing. 5) Claims made by Law, an ANT theorist, that control is a process instead of a result, and that successful long distance control depends on a triad of professionals, inscriptions/texts and devices (Law, 1986a, 1986b) are also true for this study. 6) More than 200 translationsANT occurred throughout the translation project, and moreover, the four moments of translationANT developed in a variety of patterns instead of taking place sequentially (cf. Callon 1986a). 7) The modes of translating actors - modes of interessement - discerned in this project, differ in various ways and degrees from the existing modes (see Latour, 1987), but nevertheless increase the variety of the existing modes. In view of the above, therefore, 8) ANT, as a social theory, is perfectly applicable to study the practical circumstances and evolution of the production of the translation of Monkey

Visiting elements thought to be “inactive”: non-human actors in Arthur Waley’s translation of Journey to the West

This paper applies actor–network theory (ANT) to study the non-human agents that participate in the translation and publication process of Monkey, an English translation of the Chinese classic Xi You Ji. The materials used consist mainly of the letters exchanged between the publisher George Allen & Unwin, the translator Arthur Waley, and the jacket and title page designer Duncan Grant. Moreover, the “Preface” of the translation written by the translator himself and the publisher’s autobiography are referenced as additional sources of information. The research reveals two groups of entities which act as what ANT scholars term as “non-human actors”. The first group consists of texts, more specifically, the “Preface” to Monkey and some letters exchanged between Waley as a translator and Unwin as a publisher, which reveals the reasons of re-translating Monkey and the translation strategy used. The second group includes the Second World War and the influenza epidemic in the 1940s that impeded the reprinting of Monkey. The paper concludes that, in addition to human actors, non-human actors that have also actively exerted influences on both the process and the outcome of a major translation project deserve to receive more attention when looking at translation as a social activity

Influences of Geometric Parameters upon Nozzle Performances in Scramjets

AbstractThis article investigates and presents the influences of geometric parameters of a scramjet exerting upon its nozzle performances. These parameters include divergent angles, total lengths, height ratios, cowl lengths, and cowl angles. The flow field within the scramjet nozzle is simulated numerically by using the CFD software—FLUENT in association with coupled implicit solver and an RNG k-ɛ turbulence model

Magnifier or refractor? Exploring the impact of geographical indication on people’s perception of the value of cultural ecosystem services based on the SolVES model

Purpose/SignificanceTo a certain extent, geographical indication (GI) protects the ecosystem of product origin, but there is still a lack of quantitative evidence on its cultural spillover effect. The mechanism of the impact of geo-certified landscapes on people’s perceived value of cultural ecosystem services (CESs) should be explored.Methods/ProceduresIn this study, two urban forest parks, Changqing and Zhongshan, which differ mainly in terms of geo-certified landscapes, were selected in Beihai, Guangxi. Basically, homogeneous volunteers were recruited, and photos of value labels were collected from their independent visits to two parks. The SolVES model was used to explore the effect of the presence or absence of geo-certified landscapes in urban park ecosystems on people’s CESs needs and the relation to the spatial context of the landscape.Results/ConclusionsThe results show that GI significantly enhance people’s perception of human CESs value of landscape elements, and clarifies the correspondence perception relationship between CESs value types and each landscape element. In addition to the spillover effect on humanistic value perception, GI also attracts and transfers people’s esthetic attention to the natural landscape itself to a certain extent. And these two effects will also spread to the ecosystem that the landscape belongs to

Variants in the SNCA Locus Are Associated With the Progression of Parkinson's Disease

Background: Genetic factors have a well-known influence on Parkinson's disease (PD) susceptibility; however, no previous studies have investigated the influence of SNCA mutations on the natural history of PD using a prospective follow-up study. The aim of this study was to assess the risk factors of variation of SNCA on the prognosis symptoms of PD patients.Methods: Fifty PD patients were recruited with 38 v-PSG confirmed PD+RBD patients, and the median follow-up period was 30 months. All patients underwent a comprehensive clinical evaluation at baseline and follow-up, and six SNPs of SNCA (rs356165, rs3857053, rs1045722, rs894278, rs356186, and rs356219) were analyzed. Cox proportional hazards regression models and Kaplan–Meier plot analysis were used to assess the associations between the SNCA variation and the primary and secondary progression outcomes.Results: Based on the clinical assessment, we found that hyposmia was substantially easier to aggravate. Regression analysis showed that patients with the T allele of rs1045722 and the G allele of rs356219 presented a 34 and 20% decreased risk of progression to the H-Y stage, respectively (p = 0.022; p = 0.005). While for rs894278, G allele patients showed a 47% decreased risk of olfactory dysfunction (p = 0.029). Further subgroup analysis showed that PD+RBD patients with rs356219/G exhibited a 30% and 20% decreased risk of progression on the H-Y stage and MoCA score (p = 0.038; p = 0.045).Conclusions: Our results indicated that genetic variation in SNCA may contribute to variability natural progression of PD and could possibly be used as a prognostic marker

Mechanisms of the enhanced DDT removal from soils by earthworms: identification of DDT degraders in drilosphere and non-drilosphere matrices

The remediation of soil contaminated by 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) remains an important issue in environmental research. Although our previous studies demonstrated that earthworms could enhance the degradation of DDT in soils, the underlying mechanisms and microorganisms involved in these transformation processes are still not clear. Here we studied the transformation of DDT in sterilized/non-sterilized drilosphere and non-drilosphere matrices and identified DDT degraders using the technique of DNA-stable isotope probing. The results show that DDT degradation in non-sterilized drilosphere was quicker than that in their non-drilosphere counterparts. Earthworms enhance DDT removal mainly by improving soil properties, thus stimulating indigenous microorganisms rather than abiotic degradation or tissue accumulating. Ten new genera, including Streptomyces, Streptacidiphilus, Dermacoccus, Brevibacterium, Bacillus, Virgibacillus, were identified as DDT ring cleavage degrading bacteria in the five matrices tested. Bacillus and Dermacoccus may also play vital roles in the dechlorination of DDTs as they were highly enriched during the incubations. The results of this study provide robust evidence for the application of earthworms in remediating soils polluted with DDT and highlight the importance of using combinations of cultivation-independent techniques together with process-based measurements to examine the function of microbes degrading organic pollutants in drilosphere matrices

10.13% Efficiency All-Polymer Solar Cells Enabled by Improving the Optical Absorption of Polymer Acceptors

The limited light absorption capacity for most polymer acceptors hinders the improvement of the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of all-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs). Herein, by simultaneously increasing the conjugation of the acceptor unit and enhancing the electron-donating ability of the donor unit, a novel narrow-bandgap polymer acceptor PF3-DTCO based on an A–D–A-structured acceptor unit ITIC16 and a carbon–oxygen (C–O)-bridged donor unit DTCO is developed. The extended conjugation of the acceptor units from IDIC16 to ITIC16 results in a red-shifted absorption spectrum and improved absorption coefficient without significant reduction of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy level. Moreover, in addition to further broadening the absorption spectrum by the enhanced intramolecular charge transfer effect, the introduction of C–O bridges into the donor unit improves the absorption coefficient and electron mobility, as well as optimizes the morphology and molecular order of active layers. As a result, the PF3-DTCO achieves a higher PCE of 10.13% with a higher short-circuit current density (Jsc) of 15.75 mA cm−2 in all-PSCs compared with its original polymer acceptor PF2-DTC (PCE = 8.95% and Jsc = 13.82 mA cm−2). Herein, a promising method is provided to construct high-performance polymer acceptors with excellent optical absorption for efficient all-PSCs

Quantifying the effects of plant density on soybean lodging resistance and growth dynamics in maize-soybean strip intercropping

Shading-induced soybean stem lodging is a prevalent concern in the maize (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) strip intercropping system, leading to a substantial decline in yield. Nevertheless, the associations between soybean growth, stem lodging, and yield formation in this scenario remain unclear. To investigate this, the logistic and beta growth models were utilized to analyze the growth process of soybean organs (stems, leaves, branches, and pods) and the accumulation of carbohydrates (lignin, cellulose, and sucrose) at three planting densities (8.5, 10, and 12.5 plants m−2) in both strip intercropping and skip strip monoculture systems. The results indicate that shading stress caused by maize in the intercropping system reduced lignin and cellulose accumulation in soybean stems, thus decelerating soybean organ growth compared to monoculture. Furthermore, intercropped soybean at higher planting density (PD3) exhibited a 28% reduction in the maximum dry matter growth rate (cm) and a 11% decrease in the time taken to reach the maximum dry matter growth rate (te) compared to the lower planting density (PD1). Additionally, a 29% decrease in the maximum accumulation rate (cmax) of sucrose, lignin, and cellulose was observed, along with a 13% decrease in the continuous accumulation time (tc) of these carbohydrates in intercropped soybean at PD3. Interspecific and intraspecific shading stress led to a preferential allocation of assimilates into soybean stems, enhancing plant height during the initial stage, while at later stages, a greater proportion of sucrose was allocated to leaves. Consequently, this hindered the conversion of sucrose into lignin and cellulose within the stems, ultimately resulting in a reduction in the lodging resistance index (LRI). Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the effects of shading stress on soybean growth and yield. It also emphasizes how optimizing planting density in intercropping systems can effectively alleviate shading stress and enhance crop productivity

Transduction of Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors Targeting Hair Cells and Supporting Cells in the Neonatal Mouse Cochlea

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is the preferred vector for gene therapy of hereditary deafness, and different viral serotypes, promoters and transduction pathways can influence the targeting of AAV to different types of cells and the expression levels of numerous exogenous genes. To determine the transduction and expression patterns of AAV with different serotypes or promoters in hair cells and supporting cells in the neonatal mouse cochlea, we examined the expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) for five different types of AAV vectors [serotypes 2, 9, and Anc80L65 with promoter cytomegalovirus (CMV)-beta-Globin and serotypes 2 and 9 with promoter chicken beta-actin (CBA)] in in vitro cochlear explant cultures and we tested the transduction of AAV2/2-CBA, AAV2/9-CBA, and AAV2/Anc80L65-CMV by in vivo microinjection into the scala media of the cochlea. We found that each AAV vector had its own transduction and expression characteristics in hair cells and supporting cells in different regions of the cochlea. There was a tonotopic gradient for the in vitro transduction of AAV2/2-CBA, AAV2/9-CBA, AAV2/2-CMV, and AAV2/9-CMV in outer hair cells (OHCs), with more OHCs expressing eGFP at the base of the cochlea than at the apex. AAV2/2-CBA in vitro and AAV2/Anc80L65-CMV in vivo induced more supporting cells expressing eGFP at the apex than in the base. We found that AAV vectors with different promoters had different expression efficacies in hair cells and supporting cells of the auditory epithelium. The CMV-beta-Globin promoter could drive the expression of the delivered construct more efficiently in hair cells, while the CBA promoter was more efficient in supporting cells. The in vitro and in vivo experiments both demonstrated that AAV2/Anc80L65-CMV was a very promising vector for gene therapy of deafness because of its high transduction rates in hair cells. These results might be useful for selecting the appropriate vectors for gene delivery into different types of inner ear cells and thus improving the effectiveness of gene therapy