ABSTRACT
This study explores the usage characteristics and pragmatic functions of lesser relevance markers in academic spoken English lectures presented by Chinese scholars. A qualitative and quantitative approach is employed using the Chinese Academic Spoken English Corpus (CASEC), which encompasses disciplines in science, engineering, humanities, and social sciences. The findings reveal that Chinese scholars use lesser relevance markers less frequently compared to native English speakers. These differences in usage highlight the influence of language background, disciplinary culture, and communication conventions on the realization of informing evaluation, topic handling, and interactivity. Furthermore, within the Chinese scholars' group, humanities and social sciences scholars tend to use lesser relevance markers more frequently than science and engineering scholars. This research enhances our understanding of the multifaceted pragmatic roles of lesser relevance markers and offers insights into cross-cultural academic communication and English teaching.
ABSTRACT
Discipline structure, as the core of discipline construction, plays an important role in promoting the prosperity of medical humanities. By sorting out the Chinese scholars’ division of the structure of medical humanities in China, this paper preliminarily discussed the existence of the subordinate discipline of medical humanities in China, and preliminarily verified the rationality and feasibility the viewpoint of "building a first-class discipline of medical humanities under the medical category, and forming a subordinate discipline of medical humanities based on horizontal association". At the same time, this paper put forward the view that the structure of medical humanities in China should be determined according to the needs of the current social development in China, and the concepts and criteria contained in the division of the Chinese discipline catalogue, so as to pave the way for the follow-up research.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The patenting of human genes has been the subject of debate for decades. While China has gradually come to play an important role in the global genomics-based testing and treatment market, little is known about Chinese scholars' perspectives on patent protection for human genes. METHODS: A content analysis of academic literature was conducted to identify Chinese scholars' concerns regarding gene patents, including benefits and risks of patenting human genes, attitudes that researchers hold towards gene patenting, and any legal and policy recommendations offered for the gene patent regime in China. RESULTS: 57.2% of articles were written by law professors, but scholars from health sciences, liberal arts, and ethics also participated in discussions on gene patent issues. While discussions of benefits and risks were relatively balanced in the articles, 63.5% of the articles favored gene patenting in general and, of the articles (n = 41) that explored gene patents in the Chinese context, 90.2% supported patent protections for human genes in China. The patentability of human genes was discussed in 33 articles, and 75.8% of these articles reached the conclusion that human genes are patentable. CONCLUSION: Chinese scholars view the patent regime as an important legal tool to protect the interests of inventors and inventions as well as the genetic resources of China. As such, many scholars support a gene patent system in China. These attitudes towards gene patents remain unchanged following the court ruling in the Myriad case in 2013, but arguments have been raised about the scope of gene patents, in particular that the increasing numbers of gene patents may negatively impact public health in China.
