Adropin: An endocrine link between the biological clock and cholesterol homeostasis

This article explores two translation models circling around the key issue “equivalence” in translation studies. They are the Jerome Model and the Horace Model. They differentiate from each other in the aspects of the translating priorities and purposes, etc. Moreover, through illustrative examples, the article points out there are intrinsic relationship between the two models, so appropriate application and combination of the two models will not only solve the problem of “equivalence”, but also build up a bridge between source language culture and target language culture

Numerical entropy and phason elastic constants of plane random tilings with any 2D-fold symmetry

We perform Transition matrix Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the entropy of rhombus tilings with fixed polygonal boundaries and 2D-fold rotational symmetry. We estimate the large-size limit of this entropy for D=4 to 10. We confirm analytic predictions of N. Destainville et al., J. Stat. Phys. 120, 799 (2005) and M. Widom et al., J. Stat. Phys. 120, 837 (2005), in particular that the large size and large D limits commute, and that entropy becomes insensible to size, phason strain and boundary conditions at large D. We are able to infer finite D and finite size scalings of entropy. We also show that phason elastic constants can be estimated for any D by measuring the relevant perpendicular space fluctuations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.

Introduction to Quantum-Gravity Phenomenology

After a brief review of the first phase of development of Quantum-Gravity Phenomenology, I argue that this research line is now ready to enter a more advanced phase: while at first it was legitimate to resort to heuristic order-of-magnitude estimates, which were sufficient to establish that sensitivity to Planck-scale effects can be achieved, we should now rely on detailed analyses of some reference test theories. I illustrate this point in the specific example of studies of Planck-scale modifications of the energy/momentum dispersion relation, for which I consider two test theories. Both the photon-stability analyses and the Crab-nebula synchrotron-radiation analyses, which had raised high hopes of ``beyond-Plankian'' experimental bounds, turn out to be rather ineffective in constraining the two test theories. Examples of analyses which can provide constraints of rather wide applicability are the so-called ``time-of-flight analyses'', in the context of observations of gamma-ray bursts, and the analyses of the cosmic-ray spectrum near the GZK scale.Comment: 46 pages, LaTex. Based on lectures given at the 40th Karpacz Winter School in Theoretical Physic

Inflectional Deviation of Gender in the Qur’an

Inflection, part of morphology, has its own rules that govern the combinations of morphemes in words and the relationships between parts of speech within a text. Yet, inflection including that of gender can vary across different linguistic systems. Arabic and English notably contrast in gender-based relations. More specifically and within Arabic itself, the Qur’an displays striking cases of gender disagreement between grammatical categories within a text. Such deviating forms, as using a masculine verb with a feminine subject, a masculine subject with a feminine predicate or a masculine adjective to modify a feminine noun, are very unlikely to appear in other Arabic text genres. These are utilized in the divine text as rhetorical devices to create certain effects or achieve a linguistic power on the audience, in addition to other functions. This special use of gender deviation and the functions it purports to perform in the source text are likely to be lost in translation. Of course, this is attributed to the fact that the target language system neither accommodates the same inflectional rules governing gender relations in Arabic, on the one hand, nor can it provide equal deviating or gender-based disagreements, on the other

The Socio-Cultural, Historical, and Political Allusions in the Translation of the Saudi National Day Poetry: “Peace, O Gracious King” as a Case Study

The aim of this paper is to explore the cultural, social, political, and linguistic aspects of Saudi poems sung on patriotic occasions such as the Saudi National Day. The focus of the study will be on “Peace, O gracious King”, a poem composed by Dr. Abdulaziz Khuja and sung by the famous Saudi singer, Mohamed Abdu in 2010. The use of eulogy has a long tradition in Arabic poetry. It could be traced back to the classic ages. Classic Arab poets used to live on the eulogy’s bounty granted to them by rulers. For them, eulogy was both a means of surviving and to have the privileges of being close to the ruler. Furthermore, it was a way to fame and good reputation. The language of the song gains its power not only from its musicality and lyricism but also from its literariness and poeticness, the most obvious aspects of Abdul-Aziz Khuga’s songs. The song is written in al-fushā or what is known as the modern standard form of Arabic. Dr. Khuga, presently the Minister of Information and Culture in Saudi Arabia, is a Saudi poet. He is one of the contemporary poets who use standard Arabic to express the concerns of the Saudi people using simple language, though exceptionally of poetic and high style. It is a language that can be said to be appealing and accessible to a large audience in society. This language is set up to answer the new needs of the modern Saudi society. Khuga’s language has also managed to bring the audience closer to poetic songs, particularly the national ones. The poem/song is permeated by the age-old metaphor of the King as “pater patriae”; “father” to his subjects’ or “the father of the country”. The representation of the King as the nation’s father taking care of his subjects and having allegiance to the nation’s stability is a salient feature of national songs. In addition, the poet populates his song with other native traditional symbols – the palm tree is an example- that are rooted in the Saudi world and are reflective of its indigenous cultural experience. As will be shown in the discussion, the Saudi national culture, natural world, and common heritage are the sources for his material. He relies on the past experience of the Saudi people to express their present situation and future aspirations. A study of the local national poem/song examined here is meant to give readers a hint at: First, the Saudi notion of what a nation is. Second, the social, cultural, religious, historical, political and emotive implications of the song, and Third, the difficulties encountered when translating such a eulogizing poem/song into English and the procedures the translator should adopt to overcome such difficulties

Social Network and Privacy

Whiles some use the internet basically for commerce, other use for educational purposes whiles to others, it is all about entertainment. The internet can therefore be likened to a blank check, which serves different purposes as and how a person wants to define it. The user variety of the internet notwithstanding, recent studies have actually confirmed that an aspect of internet usage that seem to have caught up with over 70% of all internet users is the phenomenon of social media networking (Compaine and Gomery, 2011). The research paper was conducted with the aim of finding the privacy risks associated with the use of social networking sites and for the practice of social media networking. To realize this aim, five major objectives were set, based on which research questions were developed. The research questions became a guide for the researcher to collect primary and secondary data, with particular emphasis on primary data collection, where a questionnaire was prepared for 50 respondents selected from a university campus. All 50 respondents were users of social networking sites and had strong academic background in journalism and communication, putting them in a position to provid well informed answers to the questions to the respondent. The primary data collection emphasized largely on the attitude of the respondents towards privacy issues whiles using social networking sites. The primary data collection exercise was also committed to knowing the depth of knowledge on privacy issues with social media networks. Through secondary data collection also, the researcher had the opportunity of knowing what the hosts of social networking sites are doing to protect the privacy of users

Islam and Terrorism in Post 9/11th Literature

Although it has been always difficult to provide an adequate and comprehensive definition of “Terrorism”, Islam has been falsely and closely associated with to this concept in post 9/11th literature. Focusing on Joseph Geha’s Alone and All Together (2002), Laila Halaby’s Once on a Promised Land (2007), and Mohsin Hamid’s the Reluctant Fundamentalist (2007), I explain how Islam and the Arabic identity—which relates to Islam in one way or another—become responsible for the misery experienced by the Arab-American minority after the terrorist attacks of 9/11th. In the aforementioned works, Islam and the Arab ethnicity are entrapped under the strong feelings of patriotism and Americanism in post 9/11 United States. Islam falsely becomes the religion of terrorists who are referred to as radical Arabs and who are not recognized as patriotic citizens of the United States

Assessment of Reading Comprehension of Saudi Students Majoring in English at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia

Recent studies have shown that there has been a continual decline in the average reading ability of college-aged students with approximately one third of a four-year college students considered “at risk” for low academic attainment. The current study assesses English reading comprehension of senior Saudi students majoring in English and Translation in fall 2012 at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. The study, moreover, investigates the potential impacts of students’ age and GPAs on their reading comprehension. One hundred three students participated in the study in which quantitative method was used. Two reading passages with different length and topics were given to the students followed by 10 multiple questions for each passage. Major findings of the study indicate that 1) participants of the study showed an overall low reading comprehension X= 9.8, 2) GPA was found a statistically significant factor that impacted students’ reading comprehension, 3) students’ age, on the other hand, had no significant effect, 4) reading courses at the mentioned department seemed to generally focus on reading strategies whereas they should have adequately considered comprehension instruction since reading and decoding words without comprehension becomes meaningless

Ekphrasis Revisited: The Mental Underpinnings of Literary Pictorialism

This paper examines the cognitive essence of ekphrasis. It mainly reviews the most relevant theoretical contributions to highlight one marginalized but very important aspect: the scientific and cognitive nature of literary pictorialism which is usually attributed exclusively to the language of science. For that matter, the study tackles such concepts as mimesis, space, time, memory, photography, and illustration as they relate to literary pictorialism and the visual arts, emphasizing meanwhile the cognitive effect of ekphrasis by which the memorized, recalled, and pictorialized are (re-)studied, (re-)analyzed, and intellectually and emotionally comprehended. It hence argues that the ekphrast is a mental observer of things and a thinker in words, who renders his observation into a language that ‘stems from matter’. Thus, the reader should redo the ekphrast's process by ‘recalling the material’ (in addition to the sensual, emotional, intuitive, and intellectual) aspects of the things communicated in that language, since, by doing so, both the ekphrast and the reader will have performed a cognitive investigation of that which is pictorialized. Key words: cognition; ekphrasis; literary language; et picture poesis; literary pictorialis