10,589 research outputs found
Complete solo piano works of Zhou Long
No full textAccess to thesis restricted until 07/2023.Zhou Long is a contemporary composer of Chinese American descent, who
belongs to a generation of Chinese composers that began introducing traditional
Chinese music to western audiences. He gained international recognition after
receiving the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for his opera, Madame White Snake (2011). Very
few performances, recordings, and publications currently exist on Zhou’s piano
music, and this doctoral lecture recital is the first time an artist has performed the
complete collection of Zhou’s solo piano pieces. The pieces include: Mongolian Folk-
Tune Variations, Wu Kui, Pianogongs, and Pianobells. In his piano music, Zhou
makes use of unconventional extended piano techniques, imitates and evokes Chinese
traditional instruments, and likes to make connections with other art genres. Also, the
prominence of percussive elements in Zhou’s music is of a great importance. In this
lecture recital, the author has mainly focused on 1) the background information of
Zhou Long and his solo piano works; 2) the influence of Chinese traditional
instruments, ancient literatures and aesthetic concepts, in addition to folk elements on
his piano music; 3) how the composer combined those elements with western music
and compositional skills; and 4) the exploration of the percussive usage of the piano
along with various sound effect. Much of the discussion were from the author’s own
observations; it also include insights from an interview the author conducted with the
composer. Through the combined presentation of the lecture and performance of Zhou
Long’s four piano pieces, the author intended to help bring exposure to his piano
works, and to serve as a guide for piano students and teachers interested in exploring
Zhou’s piano music.Thesis (D.A.
Megalinus nonvaricosus Zhou & Zhou, sp. nov.
No full textMegalinus nonvaricosus Zhou & Zhou, sp. nov. (Fig. 5A–H; Fig. 5-1A–H) Type materials. Holotype: male, CHINA: Ningxia: Xiji co. (E 105.7291, N 35.9639), Xie Chengjun collected (IZ-CAS); paratypes: CHINA: Ningxia: Haiyuan co.: Lingguangsi (E 105.6408, N 36.5633), one female, Ren Guodong collected (IZ-CAS). Description Measurements. BL= 9.8 mm, FL=5.0 mm, HL= 1.4 mm, HW= 1.2 mm, PL= 1.7 mm, PW= 1.2 mm, EL= 1.7 mm, EW= 1.5 mm. Body cylindrical (Fig. 5D), large sized. Body brown, except head darker and elytra brunneus. Legs and antennae entirely brown, except apical 1/3 of last antennomere yellowish. Maxillary and labial palpi brown. Head (Fig. 5A). Subrectangular (HL to HW ratio 1.2), temple slightly dilated, posterior angles rounded. Dorsal integument shiny, distributed with round, densely-distributed, small-sized punctures, interspaces between punctures 1–2 punctures’ diameter, except impunctate longitudinal impunctate band (0.25 mm width); also with some microstriae along posterior margin. Each side of cranium also with frontal puncture on epistoma, anterolateral puncture near antennal insertion, 3–4 small punctures on frontal region, midlateral puncture approximately a distance of 5–6 punctures’ diameter from dorsal margin of eye, temporal puncture and occipital puncture not obvious; deflexed portion of head with 2–3 rows of punctures. Frontal furrows slightly arcuate or substraight, deeper and longer than anteocular furrows; anteocular furrows of subequal length to eye, arriving line connecting rearmost of each eye. Eye of small size, near 1/3 of temple length (eye: temple = 0.30: 0.90 mm), protruding laterad. Epistoma protruding forwards, of subrectangular shape, anterior margin subtruncated. Distance between antennal insertions 0.36 mm, wider than that from antenna to eye (0.30 mm). Antennae. Scape stout, thickened apically, longer than three subsequent antennomeres combined, 0.60 mm; antennomere II elongate, 0.15 mm, equal to III; III elongate, 0.15 mm; IV and V transverse, subequal in length, 0.090 mm; last antennomere of medium length, 0.21 mm, subequal to preceding two antennomeres combined. Neck. Medium width (0.48 mm), slightly wider than 1/3 of head width. Pronotum (Fig. 5B). Subrectangular, distinctly elongated (PL to PW ratio 1.4), longer than head, but of same width. Anterior angles well-developed and slightly widened, lateral margins subparalleled or slightly sinuate, posterior angles broadly rounded. Integument shiny, microsculpture missing, micropunctures presenting. Two rows of setiferous punctures presenting on each side, admedian row consisting of 8–9 punctures; lateral row, slightly curvedly arranged, of 7–9 punctures; other irregular punctures scattered near anterior margin. Mesoscutellum. Shiny, extensively covered with distinct microstriae, and with several small, irregular punctures. Elytra (Fig. 5C). Subquadrated (EL to EW ratio 1.1), obviously wider than pronotum, but of same length. Humeri well developed, lateral margins distinctly widened posteriorly, hind margin slightly arcuate. Integument shiny and flattened, without microsculpture; each elytron with each elytron with 6–8 rows of medium-sized punctures; deflexed portion with 3–4 rows of smaller setiferous punctures. Abdomen. Cylindrical, broadest at segment VI. Tergites III–VII shiny, covered with distinctly transverse microstriae, also distributed with small setiferous punctures, interspaces between punctures near 2–3 punctures’ diameter, denser laterobasally; each tergite with impunctate basal impression which bearing obvious polygonal reticulum. Surface between two basal transverse carinae impunctate, but bearing distinct polygonal reticulum. All abdominal sternites shiny, with microsculpture and setiferous punctures as those on tergites. Male. Abdominal segment VIII entirely covered with setiferous punctures, except a narrow medial longitudinal impunctate band; posterior margins of tergite VIII slightly emarginated medially, that of sternite VIII subtruncated (Fig. 5-1A, B). Tergite IX symmetrical, connected mediobasally. Sternite IX symmetrical, with acuminate base and emarginated posterior margin (Fig. 5-1C). Tergite X symmetrical, with subtruncated base and broadly emarginated posterior margin (Fig. 5-1D), in situ broadly exposed between tergite IX. Median lobe of aedeagus oviform and oblong, medium sized (Fig. 5G, H; Fig. 5-1E, F), basal piece without transparent, membranous medial-longitudinal band; basal bulb 1.10 mm long, anterior portion subcylindrical and short (Fig. 5E, F), 0.25 mm, slightly short than 1/4 of basal bulb. Parameres symmetrical and long, slightly longer than 1/3 of basal bulb. Internal sac coiled one time at basal 1/3, extensively bearing scales. Female. Posterior margin of sternite VIII gradually sharpened backwards (Fig. 5-1G;). Genital segment medium sized (Fig. 5-1H), 0.80 mm long, sternite with slightly bisinuate basal margin, supplementary sclerites medium sized, 0.35 mm long, overlapped entire basal margin of genital sternite. Distribution. China (Ningxia). Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from the Latin words " non - "(non) and " varicosus " (variable). Remarks. This species could be distinguished from its congeners by: 1) head subrectangular, HL to HW ratio 1.2; 2) temple not obviously dilated or subparalleled; 3) head distributed with small, round punctures; 4) eye of small size, near 1/3 of temple length (eye: temple = 0.30: 0.90 mm), flattened and not protruding laterad; 5) anterior angles of pronotum slightly protruding and angulated; 6) tergites III–VII covered with superficial transverse microstriae; 7) posterior margins of tergite VIII slightly emarginated medially; 8) Internal sac coiled one time at basal 1/3, extensively bearing scales.Published as part of ZHOU, YU-LINGZI, BORDONI, ARNALDO & ZHOU, HONG-ZHANG, 2013, Taxonomy of the genus Megalinus Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Xantholinini) and seven new species from China, pp. 1-66 in Zootaxa 3727 (1) on pages 19-22, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3727.1.
Application of particle swarm optimization in adaptive self-interference cancellation
No full textThis thesis investigates the application of particle swarm optimization in self-interference cancellation. To achieve cancellation, the receiver has to differentiate between the transmit and receive signal. The transmit signal is already known at the transmitting side but it undergoes some distortion before it reaches the receiving end. An adaptive filter proves to be useful in estimating the distortion, but its weight remains an unknown factor. This thesis uses the particle swarm optimization algorithm to dynamically adjust the weights of the filter.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2022-08-01The student, Jingchao Zhou, accepted the attached license on 2020-07-07 at 14:08.The student, Jingchao Zhou, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2020-07-07 at 14:14.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2020-07-07 at 17:20.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #15513 on 2020-10-02 at 15:31:36Made available in DSpace on 2020-10-07T22:44:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2020-07-07Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 116208
Lift date: 2022-10-07T22:44:53Z
Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemAuthor requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemU of I Onl
The Death of the Author, or Not: An Examination of Contemporary Western Literary Theory (Book Review)
No full textZhou, M. (2017) The Death of the Author, or Not: An Examination of Contemporary Western Literary Theory (Book Review). Journal of East-West Thought, 2(7), 103-104.Jiang Zhang, The Death of the Author, or Not: An Examination of Contemporary Western Literary Theory. Beijing; China Social Sciences Press, 2017. 500 pp
Angiotensin II induces soluble fms-Like tyrosine kinase-1 release via calcineurin signaling pathway in pregnancy
No full textMaternal endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia is associated with increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a circulating antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that increases concomitant with sFlt-1 during pregnancy. Therefore, we speculated that Ang II may promote the expression of sFlt-1 in pregnancy. Here we report that infusion of Ang II significantly increases circulating levels of sFlt-1 in pregnant mice, thereby demonstrating that Ang II is a regulator of sFlt-1 secretion in vivo. Furthermore, Ang II stimulated sFlt-1 production in a dose- and time-dependent manner from human villous explants and cultured trophoblasts but not from endothelial cells, suggesting that trophoblasts are the primary source of sFlt-1 during pregnancy. As expected, Ang II-induced sFlt-1 secretion resulted in the inhibition of endothelial cell migration and in vitro tube formation. In vitro and in vivo studies with losartan, small interfering RNA specific for calcineurin and FK506 demonstrated that Ang II-mediated sFlt-1 release was via Ang II type 1 receptor activation and calcineurin signaling, respectively. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized regulatory role for Ang II on sFlt-1 expression in murine and human pregnancy and suggest that elevated sFlt-1 levels in preeclampsia may be caused by a dysregulation of the local renin/angiotensin system
DMM Prize 2018 winner: Wenqing Zhou
No full textDisease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) is delighted to announce that the winner of the DMM Prize 2018 is Wenqing Zhou, for her paper entitled ‘Neutrophil-specific knockout demonstrates a role for mitochondria in regulating neutrophil motility in zebrafish’ (Zhou et al., 2018a). The prize of $1000 is awarded to the first author of the paper that is judged by the journal's editors to be the most outstanding contribution to the journal that year. To be considered for the prize, the first author must be a student or a postdoc of no more than 5 years standing
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
Advances in heterologous biosynthesis of plant and fungal natural products by modular co-culture engineering
No full textHeterologous biosynthesis has been long pursued as a viable approach for high efficiency production of natural products with various industrial values. Conventional methods for heterologous biosynthesis use the mono-culture of an engineered microbe for accommodating the whole target biosynthetic pathway to produce the desired product. The emergence of modular co-culture engineering, which divides the pathway between multiple co-culture strains, presents a new perspective to conduct heterologous biosynthesis and improve the bioproduction performance of natural products. This review highlights recent advances in utilizing the modular co-culture engineering approaches to address the challenges of plant and fungal natural productbiosynthesis. Potential directions for future research in this promising field are also discussed
The Princess in the Castle: Challenging Serious Game Play for Integrated Policy Analysis and Planning
No full textWhat are the principles that make societal problems socio-technically complex? And, even more important, how can we support public policymaking in the wake of socio-technical complexity? In The Princess in the Castle, the author investigates if, why and how serious games and game-like simulations (SGs) can support integrated policy making and planning, especially in relation to managing rivers and oceans. She argues that ‘playful methods’ are particularly suited to surround sophisticated analysis with extensive participation. The book contains many examples and illustrations but centres on: the Climate Game, used in a neighbourhood reconstruction project incorporating climate adaptation measures; The Blokkendoos Planning Kit, used in the Netherlands’ planning project Room for the River for integrated flood management; the MSP Challenge, used to further the development of integrated, eco-system based marine spatial planning. The book provides a de- and re-construction of the ‘principles of play’ that underlying integrated policy analysis. The perceived usefulness of game-like tools in the Dutch and Chinese policy contexts is empirically studied. The author concludes that serious games for policy-making and planning are powerful methods with largely untapped potential. Yet, without room to play they can be easily turn into ineffective and expensive toys. Qiqi Zhou is a researcher at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. She is involved in several research projects with Dutch and Chinese universities.Policy, Organization, Law and Gaming (POLG)Technology, Policy and Managemen
An Integration of Ancient Chinese Musical Traditions and Western Musical Styles: Secluded Orchid and Spirit of Chimes for Violin, Cello and Piano by Zhou Long
No full textabstract: Contemporary Chinese composers have a rich palette from which to draw inspirations of the distinctive timbres of ancient instruments, the diverse musical types, and the development of musical instruments. Zhou Long, an internationally recognized Chinese-American composer, has created a compositional style that transfers the sounds and techniques of ancient Chinese musical traditions to modern Western instruments. An examination of Zhou Long’s compositions Secluded Orchid and Spirit of Chimes demonstrates his synthesis of Chinese and Western techniques as well as cross-cultural integration. To gain a better understanding of the compositional process of these two piano trios, the author conducted a personal interview with Zhou Long on October 21, 2016, during which he provided unique insight into the influences and inspirations of these pieces. This document describes how the history of ancient Chinese music, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, as well as Zhou Long’s life and education, influenced Seclude Orchid and Spirit of Chimes. The inspirations, formal structures, harmonic language, and compositional techniques that are presented in these works are also discussed. Finally, other repertoires of Zhou Long that share similar ideas or inspirations are explored.Dissertation/ThesisSecluded OrchidSpirit of ChimesDoctoral Dissertation Music 201
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