Cross-Cultural Contrastive Study of English and Chinese Euphemisms

The use of euphemisms is a common linguistic phenomenon in all languages. By using euphemisms, people can indirectly and politely express their ideas, without making the listeners feel awkward and unpleasant. As a mirror of culture, the generation and development of euphemisms are closely related to culture. Euphemisms in English and Chinese are also abundant, but they have both differences and similarities in expressions and cultural connotations. The cross-cultural contrastive study of English and Chinese euphemisms can help people correctly understand the deep meaning in English and Chinese languages and overcome the obstacles in cross-cultural communications.Key words: Euphemisms; Culture; Cross-culture; Contrastive stud

Strong spin-orbit interaction and magnetotransport in semiconductor Bi2_2O2_2Se nanoplates

Semiconductor Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanolayers of high crystal quality have been realized via epitaxial growth. These two-dimensional (2D) materials possess excellent electron transport properties with potential application in nanoelectronics. It is also strongly expected that the 2D Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanolayers could be of an excellent material platform for developing spintronic and topological quantum devices, if the presence of strong spin-orbit interaction in the 2D materials can be experimentally demonstrated. Here, we report on experimental determination of the strength of spin-orbit interaction in Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanoplates through magnetotransport measurements. The nanoplates are epitaxially grown by chemical vapor deposition and the magnetotransport measurements are performed at low temperatures. The measured magnetoconductance exhibits a crossover behavior from weak antilocalization to weak localization at low magnetic fields with increasing temperature or decreasing back gate voltage. We have analyzed this transition behavior of the magnetoconductance based on an interference theory which describes the quantum correction to the magnetoconductance of a 2D system in the presence of spin-orbit interaction. Dephasing length and spin relaxation length are extracted from the magnetoconductance measurements. Comparing to other semiconductor nanostructures, the extracted relatively short spin relaxation length of ~150 nm indicates the existence of strong spin-orbit interaction in Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanolayers.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures, and 5 pages of Supplementary Material

Universal conductance fluctuations and phase-coherent transport in a semiconductor Bi2_2O2_2Se nanoplate with strong spin-orbit interaction

We report on phase-coherent transport studies of a Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanoplate and on observation of universal conductance fluctuations and spin-orbit interaction induced reduction in fluctuation amplitude in the nanoplate. Thin-layered Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanoplates are grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and transport measurements are made on a Hall-bar device fabricated from a CVD-grown nanoplate. The measurements show weak antilocalization at low magnetic fields at low temperatures, as a result of spin-orbit interaction, and a crossover toward weak localization with increasing temperature. Temperature dependences of characteristic transport lengths, such as spin relaxation length, phase coherence length, and mean free path, are extracted from the low-field measurement data. Universal conductance fluctuations are visible in the low-temperature magnetoconductance over a large range of magnetic fields and the phase coherence length extracted from the autocorrelation function is in consistence with the result obtained from the weak localization analysis. More importantly, we find a strong reduction in amplitude of the universal conductance fluctuations and show that the results agree with the analysis assuming strong spin-orbit interaction in the Bi$_2$O$_2$Se nanoplate.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, supplementary material

Creating One-dimensional Nanoscale Periodic Ripples in a Continuous Mosaic Graphene Monolayer

In previous studies, it proved difficult to realize periodic graphene ripples with wavelengths of few nanometers. Here we show that one-dimensional periodic graphene ripples with wavelengths from 2 nm to tens of nanometers can be implemented in the intrinsic areas of a continuous mosaic, locally N-doped, graphene monolayer by simultaneously using both the thermal strain engineering and the anisotropic surface stress of Cu substrate. Our result indicates that the constraint imposed at the boundaries between the intrinsic and the N-doped regions play a vital role in creating these 1D ripples. We also demonstrate that the observed rippling modes are beyond the descriptions of continuum mechanics due to the decoupling of graphene bending and tensional deformations. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements indicate that the nanorippling generates a periodic electronic superlattice and opens a zero-energy gap of about 130 meV in graphene. This result may pave a facile way for tailoring the structures and electronic properties of graphene.Comment: 4 Figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Operator radiation dose during trans-hepatic arterial chemoembolization: different patients’ positions via transradial or transfemoral access

PURPOSEThis study aimed to compare the radiation dose received by the operator among different patients’ positions via transradial access (TRA) or transfemoral access (TFA) during transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODSA total of 120 patients with HCC undergoing TACE for the first time between January and November 2019 were randomized into 4 groups with 30 patients in each group. In group A, patients were placed in the foot-first position with the left upper arm abducted, and TACE was performed via the left radial artery. In group B, patients were placed in the conventional headfirst position with the left hand placed at the left groin, and TACE was performed via the left radial artery. In group C, patients were placed in the conventional head-first position, and TACE was performed via the right radial artery. In group D, patients were placed in the conventional head-first position, and TACE was performed via the right femoral artery. Before each procedure, thermoluminescent dosimeters were taped at 7 different body parts of the operator and the radiation dose was measured and collected after the procedure. The normalized radiation dose was also calculated. Procedural parameters included radiation dose, fluoroscopy time (FT), dose–area product (DAP), and air kerma (AK) were recorded. Patients’ demographics, tumor baseline characteristics, radiation dose, and procedural parameters were compared between groups.RESULTSNo significant differences were found in patients’ demographics, tumor baseline characteristics, as well as in total FT, DAP, and AK. However, significant differences were found in the total radiation dose received by the operator and the doses on the pelvic cavity and the right wrist (P < .05). In group C, the radiation doses received on the pelvic cavity, the right wrist, and the total radiation doses were relatively higher. Significant differences were also found in the normalized radiation doses received by the operator on the thyroid, chest, left wrist, right wrist, and pelvic cavity, and the total normalized doses (all P < .05). Similarly, the radiation doses received by the operator at the aforementioned parts in group C were higher, while those in group A were lower.CONCLUSIONNo statistically significant differences were observed in the FT, DAP, and AK in TACE via TRA when patients were placed in different positions. However, TACE via the left TRA, with patients in the feet-first position, reduced the radiation dose received by the operator, thereby reducing the radiation risk

Evaluation of LOXL1 polymorphisms in exfoliation syndrome in a Chinese population

Purpose: To evaluate the association profiles of the lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1) gene polymorphisms with exfoliation syndrome in a Chinese population. Methods: Fifty unrelated patients with exfoliation syndrome and 125 control subjects were included. Genotypes of the three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of LOXL1 (rs1048661, rs3825942, and rs2165241) were analyzed by direct sequencing, and a case-control association study was performed. Results: The three SNPs were significantly associated with exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliation glaucoma (XFG) individually. After controlling for rs3825942 and rs2165241, the association between rs1048661 and XFS/XFG remained significant (p=3.6x10(-7)). At this SNP, the T allele and TT genotype conferred a 7.59-(95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.87-14.89, p=6.95x10(-11)) and 8.69-(95% CI: 4.15-18.20, p&lt;1.00x10(-7)) fold increased risk to the disease. The alleles of T at rs1048661 and C at rs2165241 were found to be risk alleles in Chinese subjects, which were opposite to Caucasian individuals. The haplotypes T-G, defined by SNPs rs1048661 and rs3825942, and T-C by SNPs rs1048661 and rs2165241, were also significantly associated with the disorder. However when the genotypic or allelic frequencies of the three SNPs were compared between XFS and XFG, no significant difference was detected. Conclusions: LOXL1 is a susceptibility gene of XFS/XFG in the Chinese population, and the association is mainly attributed to SNP rs1048661. The risk alleles of rs1048661 and rs2165241 in Chinese subjects were found to be opposite to that of Caucasians. The genotypic and allelic distributions of these SNPs are similar between XFS and XFG.Biochemistry &amp; Molecular BiologyOphthalmologySCI(E)30ARTICLE250-522349-23571

Self-assembled superstructure alleviates air-water interface effect in cryo-EM.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has been widely used to reveal the structures of proteins at atomic resolution. One key challenge is that almost all proteins are predominantly adsorbed to the air-water interface during standard cryo-EM specimen preparation. The interaction of proteins with air-water interface will significantly impede the success of reconstruction and achievable resolution. Here, we highlight the critical role of impenetrable surfactant monolayers in passivating the air-water interface problems, and develop a robust effective method for high-resolution cryo-EM analysis, by using the superstructure GSAMs which comprises surfactant self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and graphene membrane. The GSAMs works well in enriching the orientations and improving particle utilization ratio of multiple proteins, facilitating the 3.3-Å resolution reconstruction of a 100-kDa protein complex (ACE2-RBD), which shows strong preferential orientation using traditional specimen preparation protocol. Additionally, we demonstrate that GSAMs enables the successful determinations of small proteins (&lt;100 kDa) at near-atomic resolution. This study expands the understanding of SAMs and provides a key to better control the interaction of protein with air-water interface

Molecular traces of alternative social organization in a termite genome

Although eusociality evolved independently within several orders of insects, research into the molecular underpinnings of the transition towards social complexity has been confined primarily to Hymenoptera (for example, ants and bees). Here we sequence the genome and stage-specific transcriptomes of the dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (Blattodea) and compare them with similar data for eusocial Hymenoptera, to better identify commonalities and differences in achieving this significant transition. We show an expansion of genes related to male fertility, with upregulated gene expression in male reproductive individuals reflecting the profound differences in mating biology relative to the Hymenoptera. For several chemoreceptor families, we show divergent numbers of genes, which may correspond to the more claustral lifestyle of these termites. We also show similarities in the number and expression of genes related to caste determination mechanisms. Finally, patterns of DNAmethylation and alternative splicing support

Synbiological systems for complex natural products biosynthesis

Natural products (NPs) continue to play a pivotal role in drug discovery programs. The rapid development of synthetic biology has conferred the strategies of NPs production. Synthetic biology is a new engineering discipline that aims to produce desirable products by rationally programming the biological parts and manipulating the pathways. However, there is still a challenge for integrating a heterologous pathway in chassis cells for overproduction purpose due to the limited characterized parts, modules incompatibility, and cell tolerance towards product. Enormous endeavors have been taken for mentioned issues. Herein, in this review, the progresses in naturally discovering novel biological parts and rational design of synthetic biological parts are reviewed, combining with the advanced assembly technologies, pathway engineering, and pathway optimization in global network guidance. The future perspectives are also presented