High-resolution mapping of heteroduplex DNA formed during UV-induced and spontaneous mitotic recombination events in yeast.

In yeast, DNA breaks are usually repaired by homologous recombination (HR). An early step for HR pathways is formation of a heteroduplex, in which a single-strand from the broken DNA molecule pairs with a strand derived from an intact DNA molecule. If the two strands of DNA are not identical, there will be mismatches within the heteroduplex DNA (hetDNA). In wild-type strains, these mismatches are repaired by the mismatch repair (MMR) system, producing a gene conversion event. In strains lacking MMR, the mismatches persist. Most previous studies involving hetDNA formed during mitotic recombination were restricted to one locus. Below, we present a global mapping of hetDNA formed in the MMR-defective mlh1 strain. We find that many recombination events are associated with repair of double-stranded DNA gaps and/or involve Mlh1-independent mismatch repair. Many of our events are not explicable by the simplest form of the double-strand break repair model of recombination

Stalactite cave adventures : developing a holistic model of parent education programmes in Hong Kong

Within the context of parent education, the existing parenting programmes in Hong Kong are either drawn from contexts that are less sensitive to the local one or imbued with Confucian and High Context culture (HC) values of social hierarchy and group harmony. Within such cultural values educators and learners are expected to behave in adherence to the expected social role wherein the educator is the knowledge transmitter whereas the learner is the knowledge absorber or the approaches to parenting that permeate the programmes are inappropriate to the context. The impracticality and cultural insensitivity of these existing parent education programmes, together with news related to adaptation of both new arrivals and Hong Kong locals in terms of adapting to the increasingly diverse sociocultural population in Hong Kong, alert the parent education field to a dire need to develop a model for parent education programmes that caters for different family unique needs within the diverse sociocultural context. With an aim to explore the essential components that are needs and cultural sensitive, the study adopted narrative inquiry as the research methodology to explore the three research questions: (I) To what extent do sociocultural factors affect group interaction among members from diverse backgrounds in Hong Kong? (2) What mechanisms affect group interaction among people from diverse backgrounds in parent education programmes in Hong Kong? (3) How can one formulate a model of parent education programme to suit families having diverse backgrounds, values, and beliefs in the Hong Kong context? The findings of these three research questions emphasise the vital role played by the group facilitator in creating a mutual supportive and need sensitive context to engage learners in mutual learning. Also, a critical analysis of the Subjective Group Dynamics model (SGD) is discussed in the light of group formation among members with diverse sociocultural background within the Confucian and High Context culture (HC) oriented context culture in Hong Kong. The findings of the research questions and analysis of SOD build the foundation for the Family-centred Mutual Support Model of parent education programmes in Hong Kong that emerged from this study.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Self-efficacy for learning beliefs in collaborative contexts: relations to pre-service early childhood teachers’ vicarious teaching self-efficacy

The importance of academic self-efficacy generally outweighs social self-efficacy in teacher training in academia. Given the teaching profession is collaborative career, social self-efficacy should play a significant role in the success of teacher training within and outside of academia. Students taking an early childhood teacher training program in a tertiary institute in Hong Kong (N = 513) responded to survey items concerning three personal self-efficacy for learning variables (academic self-efficacy, social self-efficacy and control of learning) and vicarious experiences as a source of teaching self-efficacy. Academic self-efficacy, social self-efficacy and control of learning were found to be (1) related but distinctive to one another, and (2) positively related to vicarious experiences as a source of teaching self-efficacy. Practicum experience was found to have no significant impact on any of the personal self-efficacy for learning variables and the social-oriented vicarious source of teaching self-efficacy. This study suggested that as a source of teaching self-efficacy for pre-service teachers, vicarious experiences could be as important as experiences of teaching skills mastery. Moreover, practicum that does not optimize the interplay of personal self-efficacy for learning variables with vicarious experiences as a source of teaching self-efficacy, and does not fully consider cultural sensitivities, would not contribute significantly to teachers’ learning and social competence. The development of different domains of self-efficacy is not only affected by different sources of teaching self-efficacy but also varies between pre-service and experienced teachers. This study renewed the existing understanding of the reciprocal influences of personal self-efficacy for learning and vicarious experiences as a source of teaching efficacy, which can be fostered by teacher education programs. Future studies will be required to explore the culturalization of sources of teaching self-efficacy, how different components of personal self-efficacy for learning change over career stages and time, and how the transfer of learning between practicum and academia can be further enhanced

Effects of Asian cultural values on parenting style and young children’s perceived competence: A cross-sectional study

Authoritarian parenting has long been associated with Western individualism and improved child development. This study examined the relationship between cultural values, parenting styles, and children’s perceived competence in Hong Kong. A total of 48 parents from local Chinese families, 49 parents from South Asian families, and 105 children (24 local Chinese and 81 South Asian) aged 5–6 years participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires on adherence to Asian cultural values and parenting style were administered to parents. The Pictorial Survey on Children’s Perceived Competence was administered to children by trained research assistants. The results contradicted two long-standing assumptions on Asian cultural values and parenting styles

High-resolution mapping of heteroduplex DNA formed during UV-induced and spontaneous mitotic recombination events in yeast.

In yeast, DNA breaks are usually repaired by homologous recombination (HR). An early step for HR pathways is formation of a heteroduplex, in which a single-strand from the broken DNA molecule pairs with a strand derived from an intact DNA molecule. If the two strands of DNA are not identical, there will be mismatches within the heteroduplex DNA (hetDNA). In wild-type strains, these mismatches are repaired by the mismatch repair (MMR) system, producing a gene conversion event. In strains lacking MMR, the mismatches persist. Most previous studies involving hetDNA formed during mitotic recombination were restricted to one locus. Below, we present a global mapping of hetDNA formed in the MMR-defective mlh1 strain. We find that many recombination events are associated with repair of double-stranded DNA gaps and/or involve Mlh1-independent mismatch repair. Many of our events are not explicable by the simplest form of the double-strand break repair model of recombination

Human rett-derived neuronal progenitor cells in 3D graphene scaffold as an in vitro platform to study the effect of electrical stimulation on neuronal differentiation

Studies of electrical stimulation therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as deep brain stimulation, have almost exclusively been performed using animal-models. However, because animal-models can only approximate human brain disorders, these studies should be supplemented with an in vitro human cell-culture based model to substantiate the results of animal-based studies and further investigate therapeutic benefit in humans. This study presents a novel approach to analyze the effect of electrical stimulation on the neurogenesis of patient-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neural progenitor cell (NPC) lines, in vitro using a 3D graphene scaffold system. The iPSC-derived hNPCs used to demonstrate the system were collected from patients with Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder. The graphene scaffold readily supported both the wild-type and Rett NPCs. Electrical stimulation parameters were optimized to accommodate both wild-type and Rett cells. Increased cell maturation and improvements in cell morphology of the Rett cells was observed after electrical stimulation. The results of the pilot study of electrical stimulation to enhance Rett NPCs neurogenesis were promising and support further investigation of the therapy. Overall, this system provides a valuable tool to study electrical stimulation as a potential therapy for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells.NRF (Natl Research Foundation, S’pore)Accepted versio

Human Rett-derived neuronal progenitor cells in 3D graphene scaffold as an in vitro

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication/published in Biomedical Materials. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-605X/aaaf2bStudies of electrical stimulation therapies for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as deep brain stimulation, have almost exclusively been performed using animal-models. However, because animal-models can only approximate human brain disorders, these studies should be supplemented with an in vitro human cell-culture based model to substantiate the results of animal-based studies and further investigate therapeutic benefit in humans. This study presents a novel approach to analyze the effect of electrical stimulation on the neurogenesis of patient-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neural progenitor cell (NPC) lines, in vitro using a 3D graphene scaffold system. The iPSC-derived hNPCs used to demonstrate the system were collected from patients with Rett syndrome, a debilitating neurodevelopmental disorder. The graphene scaffold readily supported both the wild-type and Rett NPCs. Electrical stimulation parameters were optimized to accommodate both wild-type and Rett cells. Increased cell maturation and improvements in cell morphology of the Rett cells was observed after electrical stimulation. The results of the pilot study of electrical stimulation to enhance Rett NPCs neurogenesis were promising and support further investigation of the therapy. Overall, this system provides a valuable tool to study electrical stimulation as a potential therapy for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells.National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Competitive Research Programme (NRFCRP002-082), under the Research Center of Excellence programme administered by the Mechanobiology Institute of Singapore, the National Medical Research Council (NMRC) - Collaborative Research Programme Grant (CBRG) - (NMRC/CBRG/0094/2015), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant (NSERC 2016040)

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