Musical development of young children of the Chinese diaspora in London

The thesis investigates the musical behaviour and development of young, pre-school children of the Chinese diaspora in London. There has been rapid growth in the Chinese population in the UK over the last three decades, yet little is known about of the nature and significance of the diaspora in young children’s musical development. Two theoretical frameworks were used to frame the nature of the research. Firstly, pre-school musical behaviour in the home was investigated through the Sounds of Intent in the Early Years framework (Ockelford, 2015; Voyajolu & Ockelford, 2016). Secondly, different aspects of the young child’s socio-musical environment were examined using Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; 2005). Data collection involved two interrelated phases. In the exploratory stage, twenty Chinese mothers were interviewed individually to investigate their musical biographies and values, and their children’s musical engagement in the family. In the main fieldwork phase, ten of these mothers kept a regular diary of their children’s musical behaviours over six months, supplemented by optional video recordings and photographs. Two further interviews were also undertaken. Subsequently, four individual children from three families were selected for case study analyses, and these were compared with the dataset of the other participants to gain a comprehensive picture. Findings suggest that these young children’s musical development was both age-related and context-dependent. Potential socio-cultural factors included the local environment, members of the family and their community settings, which were embedded in various cultural impacts. The Chinese identity held by these families informed daily music and language exposure for these young children. In addition, parents believed in the value of music learning as a way to nurture good character. Novel findings from this study highlighted the distinctive nature of these young children’s musical experiences and development within the Chinese diaspora in London and raised awareness of the diverse nature of the musical environment of children before formal education. Musical behaviours were both characteristic of early childhood, but also distinctive in the ways that they were embedded in Chinese cultural artefacts

A Comparative Study on Spin-Orbit Torque Efficiencies from W/ferromagnetic and W/ferrimagnetic Heterostructures

It has been shown that W in its resistive form possesses the largest spin-Hall ratio among all heavy transition metals, which makes it a good candidate for generating efficient dampinglike spin-orbit torque (DL-SOT) acting upon adjacent ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic (FM) layer. Here we provide a systematic study on the spin transport properties of W/FM magnetic heterostructures with the FM layer being ferromagnetic Co$_{20}$Fe$_{60}$B$_{20}$ or ferrimagnetic Co$_{63}$Tb$_{37}$ with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The DL-SOT efficiency $|\xi_{DL}|$, which is characterized by a current-induced hysteresis loop shift method, is found to be correlated to the microstructure of W buffer layer in both W/Co$_{20}$Fe$_{60}$B$_{20}$ and W/Co$_{63}$Tb$_{37}$ systems. Maximum values of $|\xi_{DL}|\approx 0.144$ and $|\xi_{DL}|\approx 0.116$ are achieved when the W layer is partially amorphous in the W/Co$_{20}$Fe$_{60}$B$_{20}$ and W/Co$_{63}$Tb$_{37}$ heterostructures, respectively. Our results suggest that the spin Hall effect from resistive phase of W can be utilized to effectively control both ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic layers through a DL-SOT mechanism

SARS-CoV Regulates Immune Function-Related Gene Expressions in Human Monocytic Cells

Background: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is characterized by acute respiratory distress (ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis, and the monocyte/macrophage is the key player in the pathogenesis of SARS.
 
Methods: In this study, we compared the transcriptional profiles of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infected monocytic cells against that infected by coronavirus 229E (CoV-229E). Total RNA was extracted from infected DC-SIGN transfected monocytes (THP-1-DC-SIGN) at 6 and 24 h after infection and the gene expression was profiled by oligonucleotide-based microarray. 

Results: Analysis of immune-related gene expression profiles showed that 24 h after SARS-CoV infection, (i) IFN-alpha/beta-inducible and cathepsin/proteosome genes were down-regulated; (ii) the hypoxia/hyperoxia-related genes were up-regulated; and (iii) the TLR/TLR-signaling, cytokine/cytokine receptor-related, chemokine/chemokine receptor-related, the lysosome-related, MHC/chaperon-related, and fibrosis-related genes were differentially regulated. 

Conclusion: These results elucidate that monocyte/macrophage dysfunction and dysregulation of fibrosis-related genes are two important pathogenic events of SARS. 
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A Comparative Study for 2D and 3D Computer-aided Diagnosis Methods for Solitary Pulmonary Nodules

Many computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) methods, including 2D and 3D approaches, have been proposed for solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). However, the detection and diagnosis of SPNs remain challenging in many clinical circumstances. One goal of this work is to investigate the relative diagnostic accuracy of 2D and 3D methods. An additional goal is to develop a two-stage approach that combines the simplicity of 2D and the accuracy of 3D methods. The experimental results show statistically significant differences between the diagnostic accuracy of 2D and 3D methods. The results also show that with a very minor drop in diagnostic performance the two-stage approach can significantly reduce the number of nodules needed to be processed by the 3D method, streamlining the computational demand

A comprehensive functional map of the hepatitis C virus genome provides a resource for probing viral proteins.

UnlabelledPairing high-throughput sequencing technologies with high-throughput mutagenesis enables genome-wide investigations of pathogenic organisms. Knowledge of the specific functions of protein domains encoded by the genome of the hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major human pathogen that contributes to liver disease worldwide, remains limited to insight from small-scale studies. To enhance the capabilities of HCV researchers, we have obtained a high-resolution functional map of the entire viral genome by combining transposon-based insertional mutagenesis with next-generation sequencing. We generated a library of 8,398 mutagenized HCV clones, each containing one 15-nucleotide sequence inserted at a unique genomic position. We passaged this library in hepatic cells, recovered virus pools, and simultaneously assayed the abundance of mutant viruses in each pool by next-generation sequencing. To illustrate the validity of the functional profile, we compared the genetic footprints of viral proteins with previously solved protein structures. Moreover, we show the utility of these genetic footprints in the identification of candidate regions for epitope tag insertion. In a second application, we screened the genetic footprints for phenotypes that reflected defects in later steps of the viral life cycle. We confirmed that viruses with insertions in a region of the nonstructural protein NS4B had a defect in infectivity while maintaining genome replication. Overall, our genome-wide HCV mutant library and the genetic footprints obtained by high-resolution profiling represent valuable new resources for the research community that can direct the attention of investigators toward unidentified roles of individual protein domains.ImportanceOur insertional mutagenesis library provides a resource that illustrates the effects of relatively small insertions on local protein structure and HCV viability. We have also generated complementary resources, including a website (http://hangfei.bol.ucla.edu) and a panel of epitope-tagged mutant viruses that should enhance the research capabilities of investigators studying HCV. Researchers can now detect epitope-tagged viral proteins by established antibodies, which will allow biochemical studies of HCV proteins for which antibodies are not readily available. Furthermore, researchers can now quickly look up genotype-phenotype relationships and base further mechanistic studies on the residue-by-residue information from the functional profile. More broadly, this approach offers a general strategy for the systematic functional characterization of viruses on the genome scale

Cryopreservation of Orchid Genetic Resources by Desiccation: A Case Study of Bletilla formosana

Many native orchid populations declined yearly due to economic development and climate change. This resulted in some wild orchids being threatened. In order to maintain the orchid genetic resources, development of proper methods for the long‐term preservation is urgent. Low temperature or dry storage methods for the preservation of orchid genetic resources have been implemented but are not effective in maintaining high viability of certain orchids for long periods. Cryopreservation is one of the most acceptable methods for long‐term conservation of plant germplasm. Orchid seeds and pollens are ideal materials for long‐term preservation (seed banking) in liquid nitrogen (LN) as the seeds and pollens are minute, enabling the storage of many hundreds of thousands of seeds or pollens in a small vial, and as most species germinate readily, making the technique very economical. This article describes cryopreservation of orchid genetic resources by desiccation and a case study of Bletilla formosana. We hope to provide a more practical potential cryopreservation method for future research needs