Graphic loans: East Asia and beyond

The national languages of East Asia (Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese) have made extensive use of a type of linguistic borrowing sometimes referred to as a 'graphic loan'. Such loans have no place in the conventional classification of loans based on Haugen (1950) or Weinreich (1953), and research on loan word theory and phonology generally overlooks them. The classic East Asian phenomenon is discussed and a framework is proposed to describe its mechanism. It is argued that graphic loans are more than just 'spelling pronunciations', because they are a systematic and widespread process, independent of but not inferior to phonological borrowing. The framework is then expanded to cover a range of other cases of borrowing between languages to show that graphic loans are not a uniquely East Asian phenomenon, and therefore need to be considered as a major category of loan

Study on Strength, Water Stability, Shrinkage, and Microstructure of CFB Slag Modified Cement Stabilized Clay

Circulating fluidized bed slag (CFBS) is an industrial waste produced by coal combustion in power plants. To explore the application of CFB slag in cement-stabilized bases, this paper studies the influence of different dosage of CFBS on the mechanics, water stability, and shrinkage of cement-stabilized soil using laboratory experiments. The hydration activity and interface morphology of CFBS in cement-stabilized clay were observed using XRD and SEM. The improvement mechanism of CFBS on the performance of cement-stabilized clay was revealed. The results indicated that, compared with cement-stabilized clay, cement–CFBS-stabilized clay exhibited better mechanical and water stability, and significantly inhibited the shrinkage deformation of cement-stabilized clay. When the addition of CFBS was 70%, cement–CFBS-stabilized clay had the best mechanics and durability. Microscopic tests show that CFBS contains more active silicon aluminum oxide, which is easily dissolved and the hydration of which produces more gel products, so the mixture structure is denser, the strength is improved, and water does not easily evaporate; it has the characteristics of micro expansion which compensates for dry shrinkage deformation

Quantitative Measurements of Vessel Density and Blood Flow Areas Primary Angle Closure Diseases: A Study of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

(1) Purpose: To measure the change in vessel density (VD) and the flow area (FA) on the retina of eyes with primary angle-closure diseases (PACD), including primary angle-closure suspect (PACS), primary angle-closure (PAC), acute primary angle-closure (APAC) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). (2) Methods: Patients with PACD were prospectively enrolled in this study. All participants underwent thorough ophthalmic examinations. The mean defect (MD), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness, VD measurement, and blood FA were measured. (3) Results: A total of 147 eyes from 121 subjects were included in this study. The VD of the nerve head layer was significantly lower in PACG and APAC (all p < 0.001). APAC and PACG had lower FA of all layers, except for the choroid layer (p < 0.05). The macular VD of the whole image and blood FA in the superficial layer was significantly lower in PACG (all p < 0.001). The MD, RNFL, and GCC thickness demonstrated a strong correlation with whole image VD in the superficial layer (p < 0.001), while the inside disc VD did not show a significant correlation with MD, RNFL, and GCC thickness (p > 0.05). (4) Conclusions: There was a significant decrease in the VD and FA on the optic disc as well as the VD and FA of the superficial layer in the macular area in APAC and PACG. The changes in VD and FA are correlated with the severity of the glaucomatous structural damage and functional impairment

Density functional theory study of adsorption and dissociation of CH2Cl2 on the surfaces of transition metal (Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu)-doped carbon nanotubes

A DFT study was carried out on the adsorption capacity and dissociation mechanism of dichloromethane by intrinsic carbon nanotubes and Fe, Co, Ni and Cu adsorption-modified carbon nanotube systems. The calculated results indicated the dopant of transition metal can effectively enhance the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. The adsorption of carbon nanotubes for CH2Cl2 is also enhanced, and the dissociations of CH2Cl2 on the four metal-decorated carbon nanotubes are exothermic. Especially in the case of Fe adsorption modification (adsorption energy reaches -1.91 eV), which is much higher than the intrinsic carbon nanotube adsorption energy of CH2Cl2 (-0.38 eV), and the reactive energy barrier of the dissociation process of the CH2Cl2 is as low as 0.493 eV Meanwhile, the dissociation process can occur spontaneously at room temperature, which contributes to the dissociation of CH2Cl2 on Fe adsorption-modified carbon nanotube systems, providing theoretical support for the subsequent governance process of CH2Cl2

Identification on Mantle Cell Lymphoma Using CD20 and CD5 Coupled Upconversion Fluorescent Nanoprobes

In order to determine a particular tumor cell via nanomaterials, we introduce the preparation of CD20 and CD5 coupled nanoprobes (denoted as CD20 and CD5 nanoprobes for convenience) and an application in identification of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) from B-cell lymphoma. In this work, CD20 and CD5 nanoprobes were prepared by selectively oxidizing the carbon-carbon double bonds of oleate ligands on the surfaces of NaYF4:Yb3+,Tm3+ and NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoparticles and, respectively, coupling carboxyl groups on the particles’ surfaces with CD20 and CD5 monoclonal antibodies through EDC/NHS crosslinking agents. After in situ hybridized Jeko-1 cells and Raji cells as a reference with CD20 and CD5 nanoprobes, in vitro double-color upconversion fluorescence imaging of Jeko-1 cells was demonstrated through visualization of blue and green fluorescence under a 980 nm laser excitation. Moreover, in vivo upconversion fluorescence imaging of the transplanted cancer model was also measured. These experimental results indicate that Jeko-1 cells have been specifically labeled by CD20 and CD5 nanoprobes. It is therefore concluded that CD20 and CD5 nanoprobes could be used to specially differentiate mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) from B-cell lymphoma

Noncontact Conjunctiva: A Better Mitomycin C Application Site for Trabeculectomy

Abstract Introduction Bleb scarring is the most important complication of trabeculectomy. Changing the application position of mitomycin C (MMC) during trabeculectomy might affect the surgery outcome. Our aim is to compare the effectiveness and safety of intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering in two different application sites of mitomycin in trabeculectomy. Methods This retrospective trial compared the surgical outcomes of 177 eyes that underwent trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin C. In 70 eyes, an MMC-soaked sponge was applied under the scleral flap without touching Tenon’s capsule. In 107 eyes, an MMC-soaked sponge was applied under the scleral flap covered by Tenon’s capsule. Outcome measures were the IOP, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), success rates, and incidence of complications. Results Within both groups, a highly significant IOP reduction was seen during follow-up. The effectiveness in reducing IOP and the change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were similar between the two groups. Thin-walled blebs and postoperative hypotony were seen more often when MMC-soaked sponges were applied under the scleral flap covered by Tenon’s capsule (P = 0.008 and P = 0.012, respectively). There was no significant difference in BCVA or other complications in either group. Conclusion Since the effectiveness of IOP reduction was similar between both groups and with a low incidence of thin-walled blebs and hypotony, the subscleral application without touching Tenon’s capsule seems to be the safer application site of MMC during trabeculectomy

Inverse Capacity Growth and Pocket Effect in SnS₂ Semifilled Carbon Nanotube Anode

SnS₂ with high theoretical capacity has been impeded from practical applications as the anode of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries due to its large volume expansion and fast capacity decay. A nanostructure of the SnS₂ semifilled carbon nanotube (SnS₂@CNT) has been realized by plasma-assisted fabrication of Sn semifilled CNT (Sn@CNT) followed by post-sulfurization. When serving as the anode of a Li-ion battery, SnS₂@CNT delivers an initial discharge capacity of 1258 mAh g^–1 at 0.3 A g^–1. Instead of capacity fading, SnS₂@CNT shows inverse capacity growth to 2733 mAh g^–1 after 470 cycles. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images show that the void in CNTs, after cycling, is fully filled with pulverized SnS₂ grains which have a shortened Li-ion diffusion path and enhanced surface area for interfacial redox reactions. In addition, the CNTs, like a pocket, confine the pulverized SnS₂, maintain the electric contact and structural integrity, and thus allow the electrodes to work safely under long cyclic loadings and extreme temperature conditions

Exendin-4 Induces Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Migration Through Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages Polarization via PKA-STAT3 Signaling Pathway

Background/Aims: The synthesis and degradation processes involved in bone remodeling are critically regulated by osteoblasts and osteoclasts. The GLP-1 receptor agonist Exendin-4 is beneficial for osteoblast differentiation and increases the number of osteoblasts. Methods: We constructed an ovariectomized model to evaluate the impact of Exendin-4 on bone formation in osteoporosis. A macrophage-depleted model was also created to investigate the effect of macrophages on bone formation. Thirty-two female WT C57BL/6 mice (aged 3 months) were randomly assigned to a normal control group and four ovariectomized (OVX) subgroups: OVX + vehicle group, OVX + Exendin-4 (4.2 µg/kg/day) group, OVX + chloride phosphate liposome group and OVX + chloride phosphate liposome + Exendin-4 group. Results: In this study, we found that Exendin-4 not only increased the number of osteoblasts and decreased the number of osteoclasts, but also increased the number of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) at the bone surface. Moreover, we found that OVX mice treated with Exendin-4 increased TGF-β1 levels at the bone surface compared with that in OVX mice. Besides, Exendin-4 promoted the polarization of bone marrow-derived macrophages into M2 subtype and increased TGF-β1 secretion by the M2 subtype. Finally, we found that Exendin-4 induced macrophage polarization via the cAMP-PKA-STAT3 signaling pathway. Conclusion: Exendin-4 promotes bone marrow-derived macrophage polarization to the M2 subtype and induces BMSC migration to the bone surface via PKA-STAT3 signaling