TouriTerm: un database terminologico per la traduzione e redazione di testi turistici

Tourist communication is notably bedevilled by poor quality translations. This paper reports on the development of a multilingual terminological and textual database, intended as a performance-enhancing tool in the process of translating tourist texts. Beside a cursory description of the project (i.e. data collection, corpus design and analysis, term extraction, data input), focus will be placed on the tool’s distinguishing feature, namely the integration of rich phraseological, textual and pragmatic information (e.g. collocations, communicative functions, usage notes, co-textual setting). Finally, translation-specific aspects will be highlighted by means of representative examples of how the database is going to record functional equivalents, especially with respect to the phraseological component that so remarkably contributes to the effectiveness of tourist communication

Translation in University Foreign-Language Curricula: An Analysis of Teachers’ Attitudes, with Reference to Vocational and Transferability Criteria

L'estudi se centra en l'ensenyament de la traducció en els plans d'estudi de llengües estrangeres a la universitat. Després de considerar la reavaluació acadèmica recent d'aquesta eina d'ensenyament d'idiomes i la seva reconceptualització, s'examinen alguns dels canvis i reptes que s'han derivat en l'àmbit de l'organització del currículum i l'ensenyament en classe . La identificació d'elements de complexitat, a partir d'un problema de conceptualització, condueix a una discussió de les possibles formes en què les tensions que es deriven podrien abordar-se i tal vegada mitigar-se, és a dir, les pedagogies que aprofiten el potencial de transferibilitat de l'aprenentatge que sorgeix de les activitats de traducció . Es posa l'accent principalment en el concepte de "competències genèriques transferibles" i la seva relació amb els enfocaments d'ensenyament de formació professional. A la llum d'aquestes premisses , l'estudi es proposa investigar com la comunitat docent conceptualitza i utilitza la traducció, quines raons formen la decisió de no incorporar-ho? hi ha una presa de consciència i inclinació a acceptar les nocions d'habilitats transferibles? Les dades es van recollir a través d'una anàlisi de seguiment de l'enquesta internacional de traducció i aprenentatge d'idiomes, realitzat en 2012-2013 per la Direcció general de la Comissió Europea per a la Traducció . Els resultats indiquen una àmplia variació qualitativa en la comprensió de la traducció i les seves funcions pedagògiques i una noció única d'ús/concepte, com a exercici de llenguatge contrastiu formalista. L'anàlisi de dades també suggereix la persistència d'un antagonisme latent, sobre la base de l'adhesió a les metodologies monolingües i concepció estricta de la traducció. Hi ha poca consciència explícita de les nocions de transferabilitat.El estudio se centra en la enseñanza de la traducción en los planes de estudio de lenguas extranjeras en la universidad. Después de considerar la reevaluación académica reciente de esta herramienta de enseñanza de idiomas y su reconceptualización, se examinan algunos de los cambios y retos que se han derivado en el ámbito de la organización del currículo y la enseñanza en clase . La identificación de elementos de complejidad, a partir de un problema de conceptualización, conduce a una discusión de las posibles formas en que las tensiones que se derivan podrían abordarse y tal vez mitigarse, es decir, las pedagogías que aprovechan el potencial de transferibilidad del aprendizaje que surge de las actividades de traducción . Se hace especial hincapié en el concepto de "competencias genéricas transferibles" y su relación con los enfoques de enseñanza de formación profesional. A la luz de estas premisas , el estudio se propone investigar cómo la comunidad docente conceptualiza y utiliza la traducción, ¿qué razones forman la decisión de no incorporarlo? ¿hay una toma de conciencia y inclinación a aceptar las nociones de habilidades transferibles? Los datos se recogieron a través de un análisis de seguimiento de la encuesta internacional de traducción y aprendizaje de idiomas, realizado en 2012-2013 por la Dirección General de la Comisión Europea para la Traducción . Los resultados indican una amplia variación cualitativa en la comprensión de la traducción y sus funciones pedagógicas y una noción única de uso/concepto, como ejercicio de lenguaje contrastivo formalista. El análisis de datos también sugiere la persistencia de un antagonismo latente, en base a la adhesión a las metodologías monolingües y concepción estricta de la traducción. Hay poca conciencia explícita de las nociones de transferabilidad.The study focuses on the teaching of translation in university foreign-language curricula. After considering the recent scholarly reappraisal of this language-teaching tool and its attendant reconceptualization, it examines some of the changes and challenges that have ensued at the level of curriculum organization and classroom instruction. The identification of some elements of complexity, based on a problem of conceptualization, leads in to a discussion of possible ways in which the deriving tensions could be addressed and maybe mitigated, i.e. pedagogies that capitalize on the transferability potential of the learning emerging from translation activities. Special emphasis is placed on the concept of “transferable generic skills” and their relation to vocational teaching approaches. In light of these premises, the study sets out to investigate how the teaching community conceptualizes and uses translation, what reasons inform the choice not to incorporate it, and whether there is awareness of, and openness to, notions of transferable skills. Data are gathered through a follow-up analysis of the international survey Translation and Language Learning, carried out in 2012-2013 for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation. The findings indicate a qualitatively broad variation in the understandings of translation and its pedagogical functions alongside a quantitatively significant concentration of data around a single conception/use, i.e. that of formalistic, contrastive language exercise. Data analysis also suggests the persistence of a latent antagonism, largely informed by adherence to monolingual methodologies and narrow, often misconceived translation concepts. Explicit awareness of transferability issues is modest. Implications of these findings for future action and research are discussed

chemioterapia automatizzata: sistemi di controllo in retroazione per la crescita tumorale secondo il modello a derivate frazionarie

L’immunoterapia è una delle tecniche più all’avanguardia per la lotta contro il cancro e si basa sull’aumento delle prestazioni del sistema immunitario attraverso anticorpi monoclonali (ovvero farmaci immunoterapici). Grazie a questi, la terapia garantisce l’inibizione dei checkpoint immunologici, che permettono alle cellule del sistema immunitario di riconoscere la presenza del tumore e aggredirlo fino a eradicarlo. La tesi propone una soluzione frazionaria al problema della crescita tumorale, basandosi su un modello di Kuznetsov esteso dove viene presa in considerazione anche il parametro di concentrazione di Interleuchina-2. Tramite un’analisi di stabilità del modello proposto è possibile arrivare a un valore di sigma, ovvero il rateo di cellule effettrici, per il quale il sistema delle cellule tumorali viene completamente eradicato. Una volta trovata la condizione di stabilità e calcolato il valore di alpha (ordine della derivata frazionaria) che approssima al meglio la crescita tumorale nel caso reale, viene proposto un sistema di controllo automatico in retroazione basato sul numero di cellule effettrici per automatizzare il processo immunoterapico

Direct and indirect modulation of neuropeptide Y gene expression in response to hypoglycemia in rat arcuate nucleus

AbstractExpression of neuropeptide Y (Npy) heteronuclear (hn) RNA, an indicator of gene transcription, was significantly increased in the arcuate nucleus of rats 30min after insulin injection. Npy hnRNA levels were also increased significantly in response to hypoglycemia in rats in which the hypothalamus was deafferentated, although the absolute levels were significantly lower than in sham-operated rats. Direct effects of lowering glucose levels on Npy gene expression were also confirmed in hypothalamic organotypic cultures. Thus, Npy gene transcription in the arcuate nucleus increases rapidly in response to hypoglycemia, and both direct and indirect inputs are involved in the rapid upregulation

Evaluation of 3,3′-Triazolyl Biisoquinoline N,N′-Dioxide Catalysts for Asymmetric Hydrosilylation of Hydrazones with Trichlorosilane

A new class of axial-chiral biisoquinoline N,N′-dioxides was evaluated as catalysts for the enantioselective hydrosilylation of acyl hydrazones with trichlorosilane. While these catalysts provided poor to moderate reactivity and enantioselectivity, this study represents the first example of the organocatalytic asymmetric reduction of acyl hydrazones. In addition, the structures and energies of two possible diastereomeric catalyst–trichlorosilane complexes (2a–HSiCl3) were analyzed using density functional theory calculations

Libxc: a library of exchange and correlation functionals for density functional theory

The central quantity of density functional theory is the so-called exchange-correlation functional. This quantity encompasses all non-trivial many-body effects of the ground-state and has to be approximated in any practical application of the theory. For the past 50 years, hundreds of such approximations have appeared, with many successfully persisting in the electronic structure community and literature. Here, we present a library that contains routines to evaluate many of these functionals (around 180) and their derivatives.Comment: 15 page

Ab-Initio Calculation of Molecular Aggregation Effects: a Coumarin-343 Case Study

We present time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations for single and dimerized Coumarin-343 molecules in order to investigate the quantum mechanical effects of chromophore aggregation in extended systems designed to function as a new generation of sensors and light-harvesting devices. Using the single-chromophore results, we describe the construction of effective Hamiltonians to predict the excitonic properties of aggregate systems. We compare the electronic coupling properties predicted by such effective Hamiltonians to those obtained from TDDFT calculations of dimers, and to the coupling predicted by the transition density cube (TDC) method. We determine the accuracy of the dipole-dipole approximation and TDC with respect to the separation distance and orientation of the dimers. In particular, we investigate the effects of including Coulomb coupling terms ignored in the typical tight-binding effective Hamiltonian. We also examine effects of orbital relaxation which cannot be captured by either of these models

Liquid-crystalline TADF materials based on substituted carbazoles and terephthalonitrile

By functionalising 2,5-di(N,N′-carbazolyl)terephthalonitrile or 2,3,5,6-tetra(N,N′-carbazolyl)terephthalonitrile with alkoxy chains located on the carbazole moiety, a family of materials is realised, all of which show a TADF response and two of which are also liquid crystalline. This journal i

Blind test of density-functional-based methods on intermolecular interaction energies

In the past decade, a number of approaches have been developed to fix the failure of (semi) local density-functional theory (DFT) in describing intermolecular interactions. The performance of several such approaches with respect to highly accurate benchmarks is compared here on a set of separation-dependent interaction energies for ten dimers. Since the benchmarks were unknown before the DFT-based results were collected, this comparison constitutes a blind test of these methods