111 research outputs found
Critique and Semantic Modification in Gramsci’s Approach to Paradigmatic Translation
No full textL’articolo è stato pubblicato su Italian Culture, il principale annuario di studi italiani nordamericana; le pubblicazioni in tale rivista sono soggette al parere positivo di due referee anonimi. Il testo rappresenta la rielaborazione di una relazione tenuta dall’autore nel corso del 120° convegno annuale della Modern Language Association statunitense (Philadelphia, 2004).
Scopo dell’articolo è l’analisi di alcune traduzioni intralinguistiche nel campo delle scienze umane, con particolare riguardo alle nozioni di traducibilità sviluppate nei Quaderni del carcere di Antonio Gramsci, e alla loro applicazione, sempre nei Quaderni, ad alcuni autori chiave lì discussi; sono escluse dalla considerazione le nozioni di B. Croce, già ampiamente analizzate altrove da Boothman. Nello specifico l’articolo prende in esame il modo in cui Gramsci modifica concetti presi dai discorsi teorici e concettuali altrui e li incorpora nel proprio paradigma, effettuando così una traduzione inter-paradigmatica, del tipo discusso anche dal filosofo e storico delle scienze, Thomas Kuhn, a partire dagli anni Sessanta. I concetti e gli autori presi in esame sono: il discorso del liberalismo gobettiano; la questione degli intellettuali (con riferimento a Mannheim, Weber ed altri nella scienze umane); il modo in cui Piero Sraffa, famoso economista ed amico di Gramsci, effettuò (nel suo libro Produzione di merci a mezzo di merci ed altrove) un’operazione simile a quella del prigioniero nei confronti dell’economia neo-classica (Alfred Marshall). Si fa cenno anche alla traducibilità di Marx nel paradigma sraffiano, nonché, vista l’omologia di alcune strutture in Marx ed Hegel, recentemente discussa dallo studioso di Marx, C.J. Arthur, della traduzione nel paradigma marxiano degli schemata hegeliani.
The article looks at a given number of intralinguistic translations in the human sciences, paying particular attention to Gramsci's notion of translatability and his application of it to a number of key authors discussed in the Prison Notebooks (excluding the case of Croce, already dealt with elsewhere by the author of the current article). The article examines how Gramsci modifies concepts from other theoretical and ideological discourses (paradigms) and incorporates them into his own schema, i.e. the method he uses to translate the terms of one ideological discourse into another. Particular attention is paid to Piero Gobetti and his advanced notion of liberalism, to the question of the intellectuals (as conceived by various other authors - Mannheim, Weber etc. - and the possibility or otherwise of translating their schemata into the Gramscian paradigm). Reference is made to other similar operations carried out in the human sciences. Some of the operations carried out by Piero Sraffa, with reference on the one hand to Marx, and on the other to the neo-classical economist Alfred Marshall, in Sraffa’s path-breaking Production of Commodities by means of Commodities are examined, as is the Hegel-Marx relationship, as it appears in the recently analysis by the British Marx-scholar, Christopher Arthur. The article was first presented as a paper at the 120th Congress of the Modern Language Association (MLA) in Philadelphia, December 2004
Functional diversity of bacteria in a ferruginous hydrothermal sediment
No full textA microbial community showing diverse respiratory processes was identified within an arsenic-rich, ferruginous shallow marine hydrothermal sediment (20–40?°C, pH 6.0–6.3) in Santorini, Greece. Analyses showed that ferric iron reduction with depth was broadly accompanied by manganese and arsenic reduction and FeS accumulation. Clone library analyses indicated the suboxic–anoxic transition zone sediment contained abundant Fe(III)- and sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacteria, whereas the overlying surface sediment was dominated by clones related to the Fe(II)-oxidizing zetaproteobacterium, Mariprofundus ferroxydans. Cultures obtained from the transition zone were enriched in bacteria that reduced Fe(III), nitrate, sulfate and As(V) using acetate or lactate as electron donors. In the absence of added organic carbon, bacteria were enriched that oxidized Fe(II) anaerobically or microaerobically, sulfide microaerobically and aerobically and As(III) aerobically. According to 16S rRNA gene analyses, enriched bacteria represented a phylogenetically wide distribution. Most probable number counts indicated an abundance of nitrate-, As(V)- and Fe(III)(s,aq)-reducers, and dissolved sulfide-oxidizers over sulfate-reducers, and FeS-, As(III)- and nitrate-dependent Fe(II)-oxidisers in the transition zone. It is noteworthy that the combined community and geochemical data imply near-surface microbial iron and arsenic redox cycling were dominant biogeochemical processes
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The Yogiebogeybox
No full textThe Yogiebogeybox is a novel-in-stories. This novel explores spiritual transcendence and the connection of art to that spiritual journey. A variety of points of view are employed in the narrative in order to depict the journey of the protagonist, Ant Malo, through this journey. Some of the narrative threads are layered, told through filters, and filters are central to the theme of this novel. In each story, the narrators, many of whom speak through the author (a character named Tracy Boothman Duyck) comment on these journeys. In "Practical Jokes" a neighbor of Ant's, Sally, has a physical experience that is orchestrated by Ant, who rests secure in his good deeds. He believes that his deeds alone, inspired by a spirit of goodwill, make him a good man. "Prince Lovely and the Little Bigs" offers a portrait of Ant's daughter Regina, an adolescent girl whose opinion of her father, in the light of events that happen in her life, would differ from his own. "In the Company of Bards" illustrates Ant's late coming-of-age and acceptance of his transgressions in the physical world and depicts how the consequence of those transgressions compel him to seek a penance that shadows his daughter's fate. Stories like "Jimi Hendrix's Banshee," "Liturgy of the Hour," and "2001- A View from a Dreamscape Out West" and "More in the Way of Dreams," bring the spiritual and sub-conscience life of Ant Malo together, and couple the presence of the metaphysical with the mystery of existence. "Mama Junk," "The Salt of Time" and "Kennedy Plaza at Dusk" examine loss, a sense of obligation to self-preservation and the limitations that individuals bring to marriage, relationships and parenthood. Levity is provided through the sections that chronicle the process of the author and her muse, both of whom sincerely and vicariously experience events in these stories. Those sections further illustrate the reality of the writing life. Work is accomplished while the author and muse slog along, gossiping, sniping, mothering and imagining elaborate book deals and Hollywood options. Incidentally, all sections depicting the author-as-character are strictly fictional. Any similarity to the actual author's personality, temperament, appearance, predilections, or habits are purely coincidental
The UK housing developers' five-star rating: fact or fiction?
No full textPurpose - The purpose of the paper is to explore how the data collected by the NHBC is used in practice to improve the service provided to the customers, the transition of any changes into practice and the overall management of the customer satisfaction process by the builder.
Design/methodology/approach – A Qualitative approach to the research was adopted and the findings from the interviews provide an indication of the views from a range of private house builders relating to the areas of customer satisfaction and the ratings provided through industry based questionnaires.
Findings – This paper has uncovered the views and opinions of private house builders relating to customer satisfaction and five star ratings. The findings provide evidence that the house building industry is not fully engaged with the HBF five star related concept and that they provide a differing level of service in relation to customer satisfaction.
Research Implications - The research concluded that the customer can be manipulated by the builders in some cases causing a bias in the market; on the whole the customer satisfaction surveys and star rating are simply seen as a marketing tool, used by the builders marketing department as a sign of quality and a way to promote the company.
Practical Implications - This paper is of interest to private house builders and the wider construction industry and will aid their understanding of customer satisfaction and quality related ratings applied by industry bodies.
Originality/value – The findings within this paper provide an overview of the opinions of house builders relating to customer satisfaction and five star ratings using interview-based data obtained from private house building operatives
The role of educative thought in the life and work of Antonio Gramsci
No full textMany philosophers have propounded a vision of an improved society, what distinguishes Antonio Gramsci is his continuous effort to make it happen by understanding the process in order to put into practice. Gramsci's conviction about the importance of educative development came from both theory and experience. While there has been considerable examination of Gramsci's work in relation to the Prison Notebooks, this study will seek to address a lacuna in Gramsci scholarship. Using Gramsci's philological method, I analyse Gramsci's pre-prison activity; his pre-prison articles and letters, which, together with his letters from prison, formed part of his educative mission. This educative process was necessary, in order to construct a new party which would develop a collective will, collaboratively, with the masses.In this study therefore, I explore the contexts and formative experiences of the first part of his life together with the intellectual sources from which Gramsci developed his later theories, making central hitherto underemphasised connections between them which informed his writing and ideas. I intend to illustrate that Gramsci's underlying purpose in his writing, and political activity, was not only practical, on how to create a new socialist ruling class, but also educative in forming the mindset and values of his comrades. So that in addition to outlining his vision of a new order, he implicitly guided or explicitly explained the processes by which the necessary changes in social relations and moral climate could be made in order to achieve it. Each person had to engage with the values of the new order so that each could contribute to the construction of a new robust state. It was essential to build a hegemony at the most profound level, one which was dependent on collective understandings and a collective will
Five star status in the UK house building sector: a realistic indication of customer satisfaction or pure fantasy?
No full textThe Barker Review of Housing published in March 2004 commanded that “the housebuilding industry must demonstrate increased levels of customer satisfaction” andcalled for the Home Builders Federation (HBF) to develop a strategy to improve thelevel of customer satisfaction. In partnership with the National House BuildingCouncil (NHBC) the HBF introduced a national survey of house builders, whichlaunched in 2005 as a self-completion survey to the purchasers of new build homes atboth eight weeks and nine months after legal completion. The results for twoquestions “quality of the home” and “recommendation to a friend” culminate in theaward of a star rating between one and five and the surveys completed over the pastdecade show steady improvement in relation to customer satisfaction. Furtherresearch was conducted to examine how the data collected by the NHBC is used inpractice to improve the service provided to the customers, the transition of anychanges into practice and the overall management of the customer satisfaction processby the builder. In order to explore how this data is utilised in practice, eight semistructured in depth interviews have been carried out with three developers andanalysis of the exploratory data revealed a gap between the published statistics andcurrent practice and further suggests the HBF surveys were unlikely to reflect the trueexperiences and opinions of the customer. The research concluded that the customercan be manipulated by the builders in some cases causing a bias in the market; on thewhole the customer satisfaction surveys and star rating are simply seen as a marketingtool, used by the builders marketing department as a sign of quality and a way topromote the compan
The UK Private Housebuilding Sector: Social Media Perspectives
No full textThe UK private Housebuilding sector is the key supplier of new-build homes for customers, constituting a fifth of the entire UK construction industry. Yet, despite the high average cost of houses, and official reports advocating improvement, the sector remains blighted by criticism and a negative image of its quality. However, social media now offers customers new sources of advice and information. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to analyse social media forum posts from new-build homebuyers to reveal perceptions of the industry and illustrate the value of such data for others.
This paper presents and thematically analyses 147 comment posts from nine online Facebook forums under the themes of: safety; standards; quality; workmanship; customer service; finance and money; advice; NHBC; ombudsman and; page closures.
Customers express frustration, anger, feelings of neglect and of an abdication of responsibility by the sector. Fundamentally, change is suggested at a systemic level, and it is urged this occurs through powerful and independent bodies.
To date social media data has not been analysed in the context of the housebuilding sector. Yet, such data is key both for its open and wide-reaching nature, but also because it can be incorporated into government reports. It is hoped such data will be used by the new home ombudsman the UK government hopes to establish in 2020 and help rectify many of the performance issues experienced and protect homebuyers
Environmental Impact of Reactive Nanoparticles - Influence of Transformation and Transport on Ecotox
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Response of Bentonite Microbial Communities to Stresses Relevant to Geodisposal of Radioactive Waste
No full textMicrobes have been isolated previously from bentonite materials that may be used as barriers for the disposal of radioactive waste. Actively respiring microbes in such barrier materials, within a repository environment, have the potential to adversely affect waste container corrosion rates. Additionally, they could potentially alter the properties of the bentonite barrier itself. This is of significance, since the integrity of the waste container and properties of the bentonite barrier are required to fulfil defined safety functions. To help identify the critical factors that affect microbial activity in bentonite materials, this study examines the impact of a range of parameters that could affect microbial metabolism in a geodisposal environment. Several bentonites from different sources (bentonite mined from locations in Spain and the USA, along with commercially-sourced bentonite) were subjected to increased pressure (74 MPa, 30 seconds), heat (90 °C, 24 hours), and irradiation (1000 Gy, 24.17 Gy min-1), before incubation in growth media selective for sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) or iron-reducing bacteria (IRB). The amount of SRB, and IRB were counted using the most probable number method and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The bentonites initially contained 660-6600 SRB cells g-1, and the number of SRB was correlated with the initial water content of the bentonite. A similar number of IRB was also present (400-4000 cells g-1), and the number of IRB was correlated with the ratio of bioavailable Fe(II)/Fe(III) present in the bentonite. The bentonites hosted sulfate-reducing species from two bacterial genera, with Desulfotomaculum dominating the SRB communities in the Spanish bentonite used in the Full-scale Engineered Barriers Experiment (FEBEX), while the other communities contained Desulfosporosinus species. The nature of the SRB community played a significant role in the microbial community response to different stresses, with the FEBEX material producing high SRB cell counts in response to pressure and irradiation but yielding low numbers in response to heat. Initially, the IRB communities contained a mixture of Gram-negative bacteria such as Geobacter, and Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus and Desulfosporosinus, with an increase in the number of Gram-positive spore-formers in response to stress. The ability of Gram-positive spore-formers to grow, despite exposure to pressure, heat and irradiation, highlights the need to generate a swelling pressure sufficient to minimise microbial activity. In addition, we suggest that the microbial communities naturally present in the bentonite should be considered as part of the selection process for buffer materials in a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste
Identification and characterization of a novel acidotolerant Fe(III)-reducing bacterium from a 3000-year-old acidic rock drainage site
No full textAcidic, ochre-precipitating springs at Mam Tor, East Midlands, UK, are analogous to sites impacted by acid mine drainage over prolonged periods of time, and were studied for the presence of Fe(III)-reducing bacteria. From enrichment cultures inoculated with Mam Tor sediment, a facultative anaerobe capable of reducing Fe(III) at pH values as low as three was isolated. 16S rRNA gene analysis showed that this bacterium is a close relative of Serratia species and not previously shown to respire using Fe(III) as an electron acceptor. Direct cell counts of the isolate grown with Fe(III)-NTA coupled with protein assays suggest that this bacterium is able to conserve energy for growth through Fe(III) reduction. © 2007 Federation of European Microbiological Societies
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