10,317 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.
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
Involving patients and the public In sTatistIcal Analysis pLans (INITIAL): A delphi survey
No full textBackground
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in trials aims to enhance research by improving its relevance and transparency. Planning for statistical analysis begins at the design stage of a trial within the protocol and is refined and detailed in a Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP). While PPI is common in design and protocol development it is less common within SAPs. This study aimed to reach consensus on the most important and relevant statistical analysis items within an SAP to involve patients and the public.
Methods
We developed a UK-based, two-round Delphi survey through an iterative consultation with public partners, statisticians, and trialists. The consultation process started with 55 items from international guidance for statistical analysis plans. We aimed to recruit at least 20 participants per key stakeholder group for inclusion in the final analysis of the Delphi survey. Participants were asked to vote on each item using a Likert scale from 1 to 9, where a rating of 1 to 3 was labelled as having ‘limited importance’; 4 to 6 as ‘important but not critical’ and 7 to 9 as ‘critical’ to involve patients and the public. Results from the second round determined consensus on critical items for PPI.
Results
The consultation exercise led to the inclusion of 15 statistical items in the Delphi survey. We recruited 179 participants, of whom 72% (129: 36 statisticians, 29 patients or public partners, 25 clinical researchers or methodologists, 27 trial managers, and 12 PPI coordinators) completed both rounds. Participants were on average 48 years old, 60% were female, 84% were White, 64% were based in England and 84% had at least five years’ experience in trials. Four items reached consensus regarding critical importance for patient and public involvement: presentation of results to trial participants; summary and presentation of harms; interpretation and presentation of findings in an academic setting; factors impacting how well a treatment works. No consensus was reached for the remaining 11 items. In general, the results were consistent across stakeholder groups.
Discussion
We identified four critical items to involve patients and the public in statistical analysis plans. The remaining 11 items did not reach consensus and need to be considered in a case-by-case basis with most responders considering patient and public involvement important (but not critical). Our research provides a platform to enable focused future efforts to improve patient and public involvement in trials and enhance the relevance of statistical analyses to patients and the public
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
Involving patients and the public In sTatistIcal Analysis pLans (INITIAL): A delphi survey
No full textBACKGROUND:
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in trials aims to enhance research by improving its relevance and transparency. Planning for statistical analysis begins at the design stage of a trial within the protocol and is refined and detailed in a Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP). While PPI is common in design and protocol development it is less common within SAPs. This study aimed to reach consensus on the most important and relevant statistical analysis items within an SAP to involve patients and the public.
METHODS:
We developed a UK-based, two-round Delphi survey through an iterative consultation with public partners, statisticians, and trialists. The consultation process started with 55 items from international guidance for statistical analysis plans. We aimed to recruit at least 20 participants per key stakeholder group for inclusion in the final analysis of the Delphi survey. Participants were asked to vote on each item using a Likert scale from 1 to 9, where a rating of 1 to 3 was labelled as having ‘limited importance’; 4 to 6 as ‘important but not critical’ and 7 to 9 as ‘critical’ to involve patients and the public. Results from the second round determined consensus on critical items for PPI.
RESULTS:
The consultation exercise led to the inclusion of 15 statistical items in the Delphi survey. We recruited 179 participants, of whom 72% (129: 36 statisticians, 29 patients or public partners, 25 clinical researchers or methodologists, 27 trial managers, and 12 PPI coordinators) completed both rounds. Participants were on average 48 years old, 60% were female, 84% were White, 64% were based in England and 84% had at least five years’ experience in trials. Four items reached consensus regarding critical importance for patient and public involvement: presentation of results to trial participants; summary and presentation of harms; interpretation and presentation of findings in an academic setting; factors impacting how well a treatment works. No consensus was reached for the remaining 11 items. In general, the results were consistent across stakeholder groups.
DISCUSSION:
We identified four critical items to involve patients and the public in statistical analysis plans. The remaining 11 items did not reach consensus and need to be considered in a case-by-case basis with most responders considering patient and public involvement important (but not critical). Our research provides a platform to enable focused future efforts to improve patient and public involvement in trials and enhance the relevance of statistical analyses to patients and the public
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
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