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Bi-Hua Luo,&ast; Jian-Qing Huang,&ast; Chun-Yu Huang, Pan Tian, Ai-Zhen Chen, Wei-Hao Wu, Xiao-Mei Ma, Yue-Xing Yuan, Lian Yu Department of Hematology, Longyan First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University, Fujian, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Lian Yu, Department of Hematology, Longyan First Hospital Affiliated Fujian Medical University, No. 105 of Jiuyibei Road, Xinluo District, Fujian, 364000, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13859572936, Email yulian_ly@126.comObjective: The objective of this study was to screen lymphoma radiotherapy-resistant genes using CRISPR activation (CRISPRa).Methods: The Human CRISPRa library virus was packaged and then transfected into lymphoma cells to construct an activation library cell line, which was irradiated at the minimum lethal radiation dose to screen radiotherapy-resistant cells. Radiotherapy-resistant cell single-guide RNA (sgRNA) was first amplified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) in the coding region and then subject to next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics analysis to screen radiotherapy-resistant genes. Certain radiotherapy-resistant genes were then selected to construct activated cell lines transfected with a single gene so as to further verify the relationship between gene expression and radiotherapy resistance.Results: A total of 16 radiotherapy-resistant genes, namely, C20orf203, MTFR1, TAF1L, MYADM, NIPSNAP1, ZUP1, RASL11A, PSMB2, PSMA6, OR8H3, TMSB4Y, CD300LF, EEF1A1, ATP6AP1L, TRAF3IP2, and SNRNP35, were screened based on the NGS results and bioinformatics analysis of the radiotherapy-resistant cells. Activated cell lines transfected with a single gene were constructed using 10 radiotherapy-resistant genes. The qPCR findings showed that, when compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly up-regulated mRNA expression of MTFR1, NIPSNAP1, ZUP1, PSMB2, PSMA6, EEF1A1, TMSB4Y and TAF1L (p < 0.05). No significant difference in the mRNA expression of AKT3 or TRAF3IP2 (p > 0.05) was found between the two groups (p > 0.05).Conclusion: The 16 genes screened are potential lymphoma radiotherapy-resistant genes. It was initially determined that the high expression of 8 genes was associated with lymphoma radiotherapy resistance, and these genes could serve as the potential biomarkers for predicting lymphoma radiotherapy resistance or as new targets for therapy.Keywords: lymphoma, radiotherapy resistance, gene, CRISPR/Cas9

This dissertation reports the results of the investigation of nanoscale pillar structures with engineered phononic and photonic properties. It has been proven that phonon states in semiconductors can be tuned by external boundaries, either as a result of phonon confinement effects in individual nanostructures or as a result of artificially induced external periodicity, e.g., phononic crystals. The possibility of engineering acoustic phonon spectrum is of ultimate importance from scientific and application perspectives since they are the main heat carriers in nonmagnetic semiconductor and insulator materials. The change in acoustic phonon dispersion would affect the heat transport properties, alter the electron-phonon interactions, and affect the optical properties of the material system. It has been recently suggested that periodic structures with properly tuned dimensions can act simultaneously as phononic and photonic crystals, strongly affecting the light-matter interactions. In this dissertation research, I prepared nanoscale pillar structure samples and investigated their properties. The “pillar with hat” structures were fabricated using electron beam lithography on silicon substrates followed by inductively-coupled plasma cryogenic dry etching. The hats of the pillars were created with a unique design to have exactly the same orientation plane as the substrate. The structures were inspected with scanning electron microscopy. I used Brillouin-Mandelstam spectroscopy to measure the dispersion of acoustic phonons with energies in the range from 2 GHz up to 20 GHz through the entire second and higher order Brillouin zones. I analyzed the spectral signatures resulting from the surface ripple mechanism which dominates the light scattering in these specific samples. I found clear signatures of the phonon spectrum modification in the appearance of localized phonon sub-bands at energies between 2˗20 GHz. The variable angle ellipsometry measurements indicated modification of light scattering due to nanostructuring. The experimental data confirmed the dual functionality of the structure with engineered phononic-photonic properties. The results obtained in this dissertation research have important implications for the next generation of photonic and optoelectronic device technologies.

The unique learning needs of gifted children present parents with many challenges. Despite this, the voices of these parents have received little attention from scholars. Australian schools are not always able to appropriately provide for the learning needs of gifted children. As it appears that school programs are not adequately meeting the academic and social needs of many gifted children, parents are seeking out-of-school programs to cater for their children’s unique academic and social needs. However, the values and aspirations of these parents remain unclear. Using bioecological and sociocultural theories as a framework, this study collected data from eight mothers of highly gifted children in Years 3-6 on their values and aspirations for their children’s attendance in out-of-school programs. The study only focuses on intellectually gifted children, one of Gagné’s (2012) six natural abilities. Data were collected through background information collection via written responses, and face-to-face interviews via Skype. Data collected for this study went through a thematic analysis process suggested by Creswell (2008), with minor adjustments, as suggested by Smith (2008). The findings indicate that mothers are seeking opportunities for social interaction with like-minded peers in these out-of-school programs. The findings align with the core element of both bioecological and sociocultural theories, which propose social interaction as a key element for a child’s learning and development. This indicated that mothers wish to create a social environment where their highly gifted children can feel a sense of belonging. The findings also suggest that other aspirations these mothers have for their gifted children in these programs include cognitive development, physical development, and psychological enhancement. Mothers seek advice from professionals (e.g., school counsellors) or fellow parents with gifted children when making decisions on out-of-school programs for their children. Although mothers wish to send their highly gifted children to as many appropriate out-of-school programs as possible, there are practical considerations. Mothers consider the cost and the experience of the facilitators for the programs. Ultimately, mothers want their highly gifted children to have an enjoyable experience attending these out-of-school programs. The findings confirmed existing research that mothers of gifted children seek social interaction opportunities for their children. Therefore, recommendations for providers of out-of-school programs are to consider incorporating social interaction activities for gifted children, and for schools that cannot cater for the needs of highly gifted children to be flexible and allow those children to attend other appropriate programs during regular school days. Providers of those programs need to be flexible with age requirements. In addition, facilitators need to attend training on gifted children’s unique characteristics to understand how they process information. These recommendations provide practical guidance to provide highly gifted children with the support and opportunities most valued by their mothers.