A Corpus-Based Critical Analysis of Lexical Choices in Sichuan Earthquake by Chinese and American News Media

By combining the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach with the corpus linguistic method, this study compared the lexical choices employed by two English newspapers, i.e. China Daily and the New York Times, in their coverage of Sichuan earthquake. This study aims to probe into the different political stances and ideology concealed under the news reports. The comparative analysis of the two corpora was conducted at three levels: word frequencies, part-of-speech (POS) frequencies and semantic category frequencies. The results show that there are significant differences among the three levels in the lexical choices about Sichuan earthquake between the two media, which reflect different ideologies and political stances of China and America. By highlighting the endeavor of Chinese relief work, the CDC presents a responsible government and a united Chinese nation. On the contrary, the NYTC focuses more on emphasizing the dictatorship and incompetence of the Chinese government and the scientific and technological backwardness in China, hence creates a negative image of China. On the basis of the present findings, this study intends to be helpful to the teaching of English reading in China

Identification and analysis of candidate fungal tRNA 3'-end processing endonucleases tRNase Zs, homologs of the putative prostate cancer susceptibility protein ELAC2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>tRNase Z is the endonuclease that is responsible for the 3'-end processing of tRNA precursors, a process essential for tRNA 3'-CCA addition and subsequent tRNA aminoacylation. Based on their sizes, tRNase Zs can be divided into the long (tRNase Z^L) and short (tRNase Z^S) forms. tRNase Z^Lis thought to have arisen from a tandem gene duplication of tRNase Z^Swith further sequence divergence. The species distribution of tRNase Z is complex. Fungi represent an evolutionarily diverse group of eukaryotes. The recent proliferation of fungal genome sequences provides an opportunity to explore the structural and functional diversity of eukaryotic tRNase Zs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We report a survey and analysis of candidate tRNase Zs in 84 completed fungal genomes, spanning a broad diversity of fungi. We find that tRNase Z^Lis present in all fungi we have examined, whereas tRNase Z^Sexists only in the fungal phyla Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota and Zygomycota. Furthermore, we find that unlike the Pezizomycotina and Saccharomycotina, which contain a single tRNase Z^L, <it>Schizosaccharomyces </it>fission yeasts (Taphrinomycotina) contain two tRNase Z^Ls encoded by two different tRNase Z^Lgenes. These two tRNase Z^Ls are most likely localized to the nucleus and mitochondria, respectively, suggesting partitioning of tRNase Z function between two different tRNase Z^Ls in fission yeasts. The fungal tRNase Z phylogeny suggests that tRNase Z^Ss are ancestral to tRNase Z^Ls. Additionally, the evolutionary relationship of fungal tRNase Z^Ls is generally consistent with known phylogenetic relationships among the fungal species and supports tRNase Z^Lgene duplication in certain fungal taxa, including <it>Schizosaccharomyces </it>fission yeasts. Analysis of tRNase Z protein sequences reveals putative atypical substrate binding domains in most fungal tRNase Z^Ss and in a subset of fungal tRNase Z^Ls. Finally, we demonstrate the presence of pseudo-substrate recognition and catalytic motifs at the N-terminal halves of tRNase Z^Ls.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study describes the first comprehensive identification and sequence analysis of candidate fungal tRNase Zs. Our results support the proposal that tRNase Z^Lhas evolved as a result of duplication and diversification of the tRNase Z^Sgene.</p

Chemodiversity of Soil Dissolved Organic Matter and Its Association With Soil Microbial Communities Along a Chronosequence of Chinese Fir Monoculture Plantations

The total dissolved organic matter (DOM) content of soil changes after vegetation transformation, but the diversity of the underlying chemical composition has not been explored in detail. Characterizing the molecular diversity of DOM and its fate enables a better understanding of the soil quality of monoculture forest plantations. This study characterized the chemodiversity of soil DOM, assessed the variation of the soil microbial community composition, and identified specific linkages between DOM molecules and microbial community composition in soil samples from a 100-year chronosequence of Chinese fir monoculture plantations. With increasing plantation age, soil total carbon and dissolved organic carbon first decreased and then increased, while soil nutrients, such as available potassium and phosphorus and total nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, increased significantly. Lignin/carboxylic-rich alicyclic molecule (CRAM)-like structures accounted for the largest proportion of DOM, while aliphatic/proteins and carbohydrates showed a decreasing trend along the chronosequence. DOM high in H/C (such as lipids and aliphatic/proteins) degraded preferentially, while low-H/C DOM (such as lignin/CRAM-like structures and tannins) showed recalcitrance during stand development. Soil bacterial richness and diversity increased significantly as stand age increased, while soil fungal diversity tended to increase during early stand development and then decrease. The soil microbial community had a complex connectivity and strong interaction with DOM during stand development. Most bacterial phyla, such as Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Firmicutes, were very significantly and positively correlated with DOM molecules. However, Verrucomicrobia and almost all fungi, such as Basidiomycota and Ascomycota, were significantly negatively correlated with DOM molecules. Overall, the community of soil microorganisms interacted closely with the compositional variability of DOM in the monoculture plantations investigated, both by producing and consuming DOM. This suggests that DOM is not intrinsically recalcitrant but instead persists in soils as a result of simultaneous consumption, transformation, and formation by soil microorganisms with extended stand ages of Chinese fir plantations

A rapid one-step process for fabrication of biomimetic superhydrophobic surfaces by pulse electrodeposition

Inspired by some typical plants such as lotus leaves, superhydrophobic surfaces are commonly prepared by a combination of low surface energy materials and hierarchical micro/nano structures. In this work, superhydrophobic surfaces on copper substrates were prepared by a rapid, facile one-step pulse electrodepositing process, with different duty ratios in an electrolyte containing lanthanum chloride (LaCl3·6H2O), myristic acid (CH3(CH2)12COOH), and ethanol. The equivalent electrolytic time was only 10 min. The surface morphology, chemical composition and superhydrophobic property of the pulse electrodeposited surfaces were fully investigated with SEM, EDX, XRD, contact angle meter and time-lapse photographs of water droplets bouncing method. The results show that the as-prepared surfaces have micro/nano dual scale structures mainly consisting of La[CH3(CH2)12COO]3 crystals. The maximum water contact angle (WCA) is about 160.9°, and the corresponding sliding angle is about 5°. This method is time-saving and can be easily extended to other conductive materials, having a great potential for future applications

Molecular diversity and functional dynamics in the central amygdala

The central amygdala (CeA) is crucial in integrating sensory and associative information to mediate adaptive responses to emotional stimuli. Recent advances in genetic techniques like optogenetics and chemogenetics have deepened our understanding of distinct neuronal populations within the CeA, particularly those involved in fear learning and memory consolidation. However, challenges remain due to overlapping genetic markers complicating neuron identification. Furthermore, a comprehensive understanding of molecularly defined cell types and their projection patterns, which are essential for elucidating functional roles, is still developing. Recent advancements in transcriptomics are starting to bridge these gaps, offering new insights into the functional dynamics of CeA neurons. In this review, we provide an overview of the expanding genetic markers for amygdala research, encompassing recent developments and current trends. We also discuss how novel transcriptomic approaches are redefining cell types in the CeA and setting the stage for comprehensive functional studies

Proteomics analysis reveals differentially activated pathways that operate in peanut gynophores at different developmental stages

Specific proteins identified in S3 gynophores. (XLS 91 kb

Association between genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome P450 2C19 and the risk of cerebral ischemic stroke in Chinese

BACKGROUND: Cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 is a very important drug metabolizing enzyme. Although the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CYP2C19 G681A and G636A have been suggested that they may increase the incidence of cardiovascular events, the relationship between SNPs in CYP2C19 and cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS) are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between the distribution of G681A and G636A polymorphisms in CYP2C19 gene and the risk of CIS in Chinese. METHODS: The peripheral blood DNA was extracted from 299 patients with CIS and 295 healthy controls. The genotyping was conducted using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The sampled sequencing was applied to verify the correctness of genotyping results. Both the genotype and allele distributions were compared in patients with CIS and healthy controls. RESULTS: The frequencies of CYP2C19 681AA (11.7% vs. 2.7%; P = 0.000), 636AA (4.0% vs. 0.7%; P = 0.007), 636AG (7.0% vs. 2.2%; P = 0.038) genotype, CYP2C19 681A (30.9% vs. 20.8%; P = 0.000) and 636A (13.0% vs. 5.8%; P = 0.000) allele in the CIS group are significantly higher than those in the controls. The frequencies of CYP2C19 681AA (16.7% vs. 8.6%; P = 0.036), CYP2C19 636AA (7.0% vs. 2.2%; P = 0.038) genotype, CYP2C19 681A (36.4% vs. 27.6%; P = 0.023) and CYP2C19 636A (17.5% vs.10.3%; P = 0.010) allele in the recurrent stroke group are significantly higher than those in the first onset group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors for cerebral ischemic stroke and recurrent stroke respectively suggests that the CYP2C19 681AA genotype may be an independent risk factor for CIS (OR = 6.179, 95% CI: 2.285 ~ 16.708; P = 0.000) and recurrent stroke (OR = 2.305, 95% CI: 1.121 ~ 4.743; P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: The AA genotype and A allele of CYP2C19 G681A may be related to the occurrence and recurrence of cerebral ischemic stroke