Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationDomain-specific languages (DSLs) are increasingly popular, and there are a variety of ways to create a DSL. A DSL designer might write an interpreter from scratch, compile the DSL to another language, express DSL concepts using only the existing forms of an existing language, or implement DSL constructs using a language's extension capabilities, including macros. While extensible languages can offer the easiest opportunity for creating a DSL that takes advantage of the language's existing infrastructure, existing tools for debugging fail to adequately adapt the debugging experience to a given domain. This dissertation addresses the problem of debugging DSLs defined with macros and describes an event-oriented approach that works well with a macro-expansion view of language implementation. It pairs the mapping of DSL terms to host terms with an event mapping to convert primitive events back to domain-specific concepts. Domain-specific events can be further inspected or manipulated to construct domain-specific debuggers. This dissertation presents a core model of evaluation and events and also presents a language design-analogous to pattern-based notations for macros, but in the other direction-for describing how events in a DSL's expansion are mapped to events at the DSL's level. The domain-specific events can enable useful, domain-specific debuggers, and the dissertation introduces a design for a debugging framework to help with debugger construction. To validate the design of the debugging framework, a debugging framework, Ripple, is implemented, and this dissertation demonstrates that with a modest amount of work, Ripple can support building domain-specific debuggers

Linguistic experience acquisition for novel stimuli selectively activates the neural network of the visual word form area

The human ventral visual cortex is functionally organized into different domains that sensitively respond to different categories, such as words and objects. There is heated debate over what principle constrains the locations of those domains. Taking the visual word form area (VWFA) as an example, we tested whether the word preference in this area originates from the bottom-up processes related to word shape (the shape hypothesis) or top-down connectivity of higher-order language regions (the connectivity hypothesis). We trained subjects to associate identical, meaningless, non-word-like figures with high-level features of either words or objects. We found that the word-feature learning for the figures elicited the neural activation change in the VWFA, and learning performance effectively predicted the activation strength of this area after learning. Word-learning effects were also observed in other language areas (i.e., the left posterior superior temporal gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and supplementary motor area), with increased functional connectivity between the VWFA and the language regions. In contrast, object-feature learning was not associated with obvious activation changes in the language regions. These results indicate that high-level language features of stimuli can modulate the activation of the VWFA, providing supportive evidence for the connectivity hypothesis of words processing in the ventral occipitotemporal cortex

Formalin injection causes a coordinated spinal cord CO/NO-cGMP signaling system response

BACKGROUND: The CO/NO-cGMP signalling system participates in the regulation of many physiological processes. The roles this system plays in spinal cord nociceptive signalling are particularly important. While individual components have been examined in isolation, little study has been dedicated to understanding the regulation and functioning of the system as a whole. RESULTS: In these studies we examined the time course of expression of 13 genes coding for components of this system including isoforms of the heme oxygenase (HO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), cGMP dependent protein kinase (PKG) and phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzyme systems. Of the 13 genes studied, 11 had spinal cord mRNA levels elevated at one or more time points up to 48 hours after hindpaw formalin injection. Of the 11 with elevated mRNA, 8 had elevated protein levels 48 hours after formalin injection when mechanical allodynia was maximal. No component had an increased protein level which did not have an increased mRNA level at one or more time points. Injection of morphine 10 mg/kg prior to formalin completely abolished the acute nociceptive behaviours, but did not alter the degree of sensitivity which developed in the formalin treated hind paws during the subsequent 48 hours. Morphine treatment did, however, eliminate formalin induced increases in enzyme protein levels. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the expression of the components of the CO/NO-cGMP signalling system seems to be coordinated in such a way that a generalized multi-level enhancement rather than a tightly limited step specific response occurs with noxious stimulation. Furthermore, the analgesic morphine administered prior to noxious stimulation can prevent long-term changes in gene expression though not necessarily nociceptive sensitisation

Study on Biology and Control of Aphis Glycines

Results of laboratory and field experiments showed that Aphis glycines could reproduce 18-22 generations per year in Jinan, and that generation period, reproductive period and reproduction rate were dependent on temperature. The aphids migrated with two peaks -- in the first ten days of June and between the last ten days of July and first ten days of August. The insect population on soybean plants was low during seedling stage and peaked in the first ten days of August. The aphid was controlled effectively by furrow application of carbofuran (Furaden) and aldicarb (Temik) and by spray application of omethoate (Dimethoate - met) and fenvalerate (Sumicidin).Originating text in Chinese.Citation: Li, Changsong, Luo, Ruiwu, Yang, Congliang, Shang, Youfen, Zhao, Jiuhua, Xin, Xiangqi. (2000). Study on Biology and Control of Aphis Glycines. Soybean Science, 19(4), 337-340

Concept for a Future Super Proton-Proton Collider

Following the discovery of the Higgs boson at LHC, new large colliders are being studied by the international high-energy community to explore Higgs physics in detail and new physics beyond the Standard Model. In China, a two-stage circular collider project CEPC-SPPC is proposed, with the first stage CEPC (Circular Electron Positron Collier, a so-called Higgs factory) focused on Higgs physics, and the second stage SPPC (Super Proton-Proton Collider) focused on new physics beyond the Standard Model. This paper discusses this second stage.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures, 5 table

Predictive value of the resistance of the probe to pass through the lesion in the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions using radial probe endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath

BackgroundTransbronchial lung biopsy guided by radial probe endobronchial ultrasonography with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS-TBLB) is becoming a significant approach for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs). We aimed to explore the clinical value of the resistance of the probe to pass through the lesion in the diagnosis of PPLs when performing EBUS-GS-TBLB, and to determine the optimum number of EBUS-GS-TBLB.MethodsWe performed a prospective, single-center study of 126 consecutive patients who underwent EBUS-GS-TBLB for solid and positive-bronchus-sign PPLs where the probe was located within the lesion from September 2019 to May 2022. The classification of probe resistance for each lesion was carried out by two bronchoscopists independently, and the final result depended on the bronchoscopist responsible for the procedures. The primary endpoint was the diagnostic yield according with the resistance pattern. The secondary endpoints were the optimum number of EBUS-GS-TBLB and factors affecting diagnostic yield. Procedural complications were also recorded.ResultsThe total diagnostic yield of EBUS-GS-TBLB was 77.8%, including 83.8% malignant and 67.4% benign diseases (P=0.033). Probe resistance type II displayed the highest diagnostic yield (87.5%), followed by type III (81.0%) and type I (61.1%). A significant difference between the diagnostic yield of malignant and benign diseases was detected in type II (P = 0.008), whereas others did not. Although most of the malignant PPLs with a definitive diagnosis using EBUS-GS-TBLB in type II or type III could be diagnosed in the first biopsy, the fourth biopsy contributed the most sufficient biopsy samples. In contrast, considerably limited tissue specimens could be obtained for each biopsy in type I. The inter-observer agreement of the two blinded bronchoscopists for the classification of probe resistance was excellent (κ = 0.84).ConclusionThe probe resistance is a useful predictive factor for successful EBUS-GS-TBLB diagnosis of solid and positive-bronchus-sign PPLs where the probe was located within the lesion. Four serial biopsies are appropriate for both probe resistance type II and type III, and additional diagnostic procedures are needed for type I

Differential Characteristics of Viral siRNAs between Leaves and Roots of Wheat Plants Naturally Infected with Wheat Yellow Mosaic Virus, a Soil-Borne Virus

RNA silencing is an important innate antiviral defense in plants. Soil-borne plant viruses naturally infect roots via soil-inhabiting vectors, but it is unclear how antiviral RNA silencing responds to virus infection in this particular tissue. In this study, viral small interfering RNA (siRNA) profiles from leaves and roots of wheat plants naturally infected with a soil-borne virus, wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV, genus Bymovirus), were analyzed by deep sequencing. WYMV siRNAs were much more abundant in roots than leaves, which was positively correlated with the accumulation of viral RNA. WYMV siRNAs in leaves and roots were predominantly 21- and 22-nt long and equally derived from the positive- and negative-strands of the viral genome. WYMV siRNAs from leaves and roots differed in distribution pattern along the viral genome. Interestingly, compared to siRNAs from leaves (and most other reports), those from roots obviously had a lower A/U bias at the 5′-terminal nucleotide. Moreover, the expression of Dicer-like genes upon WYMV infection were differently regulated between leaves and roots. Our data suggest that RNA silencing in roots may operate differently than in leaves against soil-borne virus invasion