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Types of ideational metaphor in English considered in this research incorporate nominalization, verbalization, and adjectivization. Previous studies particularly highlighted functions of nominalization, leaving the other types of ideational metaphor unconsidered; in addition, expressions of ideational metaphor are not carefully selected while exploring the functions realized by these expressions. Against this backdrop, functions of ideational metaphor uncovered in previous studies are insufficient of coverage and typicality. Drawing on COCA in this research, a corpus of typical American English, expressions of the three types of ideational metaphor with significant attraction by means of the simple collexeme analysis are employed to analyze the functions that these metaphorical expressions actually realize in their linguistic contexts. The findings demonstrated that expressions of ideational metaphor could realize such interpersonal functions as authoritativeness and objectivity, such ideational functions as conciseness, abstractness, ambiguity, and semantic condensation, and such textual functions as formality and cohesion. Explanations to these realized functions of ideational metaphor are also provided. This research is of great significance in that the documented functions are typical and representative of ideational metaphor in English.

Abstract This research scrutinizes expressions of modality at both word and clause ranks. Expressions at the former rank encompass modal verbal operators, modal adjuncts, and modal nominalizations, and expressions at the latter rank encompass ‘explicit subjective’ orientation such as I think and ‘explicit objective’ orientation, such as it is possible. These latter expressions are designated as interpersonal metaphors of modality within the framework proposed by Halliday. Previous studies delimited the distribution of expressions of modality either at word rank or at clause rank; in addition, they undertheorized the relationship between this distribution of modality and formality of registers because the register is testified to be an influential factor in the distribution of expressions of modality. This study, drawing on such statistical methods as variation analysis and correlation analysis, explored the distribution of expressions of modality at both word and clause ranks across registers with different degrees of formality by employing the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA). The findings are summarized as follows. First, registers in COCA employ expressions of modality with low and/or median values to judge the proposition at issue for the purpose of entertaining other varying voices. Second, in more formal registers, language users seem to prefer modal nominalizations to modal verbal operators and modal adjuncts at word rank, and ‘explicit objective’ orientation to ‘explicit subjective’ orientation at clause rank. In doing so, they could efficiently conceal the commentators’ subjective meaning, and thus, the objectivity of propositions is highlighted. This study will shed light on the full understanding of the distribution of expressions of modality across registers and the application of such theory as interpersonal metaphor of modality in SFL.

As an overarching policy and development model, transit-oriented development (TOD) is widely used to promote the integration of land use and transit services, which arguably brings about many benefits. TOD advocates have continuously paid much attention to metro station areas (MSAs), i.e., areas within a reasonable walking distance to a metro station. To TOD advocates, well-planned MSAs should have a sufficient supply of TOD-nesses encapsulating characteristics such as destinations, density, diversity, and design. In the existing scholarship, however, little has been done on (a) TOD-nesses’ potential “consumers,” the population that is only a short metro ride away from an MSA, i.e., the metro-based accessibility (MBA) to the consumers of the MSA; and (b) whether and how TOD-nesses of one MSA and several MSAs in proximity are affected by the MBA. With the help of big and/or open data, we examine whether and to what degree the MBA of an MSA cluster (MSAC), a set of MSAs within t minutes of a metro ride from a metro station is correlated to that MSAC’s TOD-nesses in Shenzhen, China. We measure the MBA by the daytime/nighttime population in the same MSAC. We quantify TOD-nesses using the published indices or the averages of the indices in a refereed article. Coefficient of geography association, Gini index, pairwise correlation, and linear regression analyses are carried out. We find that the MBA in one period significantly predicts MSAC-level TOD-nesses in ensuing periods. However, the MBA’s prediction power decreases or even disappears over time. Besides, metro station characteristics such as the jurisdiction membership significantly predict the overall TOD-nesses and individual aspects of the TOD-nesses after controlling for the MBA. Our study thus sheds new light on meso- or MSAC-level TOD-nesses and related policy and planning evaluation.

Multifunctional magneto-plasmonic nanoparticles with magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal therapy could kill cancer cells efficiently. Herein, carbon-encapsulated Au/Fe3O4 (Au/Fe3O4@C) was fabricated using an enclosed flame spray pyrolysis. The nanostructures, including an Fe3O4 core (51.9–55.2 nm) with a decreasing carbon shell thickness and an Au core (4.68–8.75 nm) coated with 2–4 graphite layers, were tailored by tuning the C2H4 content in the reacting gas mixture. Saturation magnetization (33.7–48.2 emu/g) and optical absorption were determined. The carbon shell facilitated the dispersion of Au/Fe3O4 and restrained their laser-induced and magnetic field-induced coalescence and growth. Au/Fe3O4@C exhibited excellent magnetic resonance imaging capability (91.4 mM−1 s−1) and photothermal performance (65.4°C for 0.8 mg/mL Au/Fe3O4@C at a power density of 1.0 W/cm2 after 300 s near-IR laser irradiation (808 nm)). Moreover, the combined application of photothermal and magnetic-heating properties reduced the required intensity of both laser and magnetic field compared to the intensity of separate situations. Our work provides a unique, intriguing approach to preparing multicomponent core/shell nanoaggregates that are promising candidates for esophageal cancer cell therapy.