Riflessioni su alcune scelte traduttive in lingua inglese (Morris, Tinker, Tolkien, Heaney e Porter)

This essay takes into account some English translations of the Old English poem Beowulf. Matter of specific investigation is the passage of the coming of Grendel to the Danes' court Heorot. As the translations of Beowulf are countless, only specific and emblematic cases – both in prose and verse – are analysed. Then, the translations by William Morris, Chancey Brewster Tinker, J.R.R. Tolkien, Seamus Heaney and John Porter are compared trying to ascertain the approach of those translators to the Old English text and furthermore the intentions they had in rendering the poem into Modern English. The big problem that all the translators consciously tackled was the chronological and linguistic distance of Beowulf that had to be solved in some way. Choices and strategies differ from one version to another, but every solution demonstrates a specific attention to the musicalness of the original together with a deep awareness for the tradition that the Old English poem embodies

Mapping the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) Generic Core Scales onto the Child Health Utility Index–9 Dimension (CHU-9D) Score for Economic Evaluation in Children

Background: The Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) questionnaire is a widely used, generic instrument designed for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQoL); however, it is not preference-based and therefore not suitable for cost–utility analysis. The Child Health Utility Index–9 Dimension (CHU-9D), however, is a preference-based instrument that has been primarily developed to support cost–utility analysis. Objective: This paper presents a method for estimating CHU-9D index scores from responses to the PedsQL™ using data from a randomised controlled trial of prednisolone therapy for treatment of childhood corticosteroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome. Methods: HRQoL data were collected from children at randomisation, week 16, and months 12, 18, 24, 36 and 48. Observations on children aged 5 years and older were pooled across all data collection timepoints and were then randomised into an estimation (n = 279) and validation (n = 284) sample. A number of models were developed using the estimation data before internal validation. The best model was chosen using multi-stage selection criteria. Results: Most of the models developed accurately predicted the CHU-9D mean index score. The best performing model was a generalised linear model (mean absolute error = 0.0408; mean square error = 0.0035). The proportion of index scores deviating from the observed scores by 13 years) or patient groups with particularly poor quality of life. ISRCTN Registry No: 1664524

A Histopathological-Biochemical Health Assessment of Blue Mussel Mytilus edulis

Aquaculture of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis in the Gulf of Maine is a growing industry at a time when wild mussel populations are threatened by a rapidly changing ocean. Intertidal mussel beds have largely disappeared in the region raising concerns over the long-term viability of mussel farming. Histology and lipid fatty acid analysis were used to assess gametogenesis, energy investment, and pathology of farmed mussels collected twice monthly for three years in Casco Bay, ME. Energy investment in reproduction and storage differed significantly between years, suggesting interannual variability. Wet weight of fatty acids such as DHA and EPA corresponded to pre-spawning periods, when gonad tissue was most abundant. Overall, pathology assessment showed low levels of common pathogens, parasites, and cellular abnormalities. The survey did, however, reveal high levels of oocyte atresia, a probable indicator of physiological or environmental stress from unfavorable spawning conditions. In addition, the presence of the potentially damaging digenetic trematode Proctoeces maculatus was documented using histology, marking the northernmost detection in the Northwest Atlantic and a likely climate-driven range expansion. These trends may signal a challenging future for blue mussels in the Gulf of Maine. Forward-looking farm mitigation practices informed by these results should be developed to ensure future sustainability of this industry