The emergence of complex diseases resulting from abnormal cell-cell signaling and the spread of infectious diseases caused by pathogens are significant threats to humanity. Unraveling the dynamic... Show moreThe emergence of complex diseases resulting from abnormal cell-cell signaling and the spread of infectious diseases caused by pathogens are significant threats to humanity. Unraveling the dynamic mechanisms underlying cell-cell signaling and infectious disease spreading is crucial for effective disease prevention and treatment. As science and technology advance, the availability and diversity of observational and experimental data related to these biological processes continue to grow. In this thesis, we integrate multisource data with dynamic modeling to investigate the biological mechanisms of Notch signaling in biological development and to develop prevention and control strategies for infectious diseases. Show less
This dissertation reports on how Chinese and Dutch non-native teachers of English as a foreign language in secondary education in different countries perceive themselves as teachers in relation to... Show moreThis dissertation reports on how Chinese and Dutch non-native teachers of English as a foreign language in secondary education in different countries perceive themselves as teachers in relation to cultures associated with the English language. In different cultural contexts, teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL teachers) can have diverse ideas about language-and-culture teaching, and they may have different notions of themselves as teachers in relation to cultures associated with the English language. How EFL Teachers see themselves and perceive their roles in relation to these cultures is referred to in the literature as ‘teachers’ intercultural identities’. We explored the characteristics of EFL teachers’ intercultural identity perceptions, and the relationship between EFL teachers’ cultural values and their intercultural identities. We conducted a literature review and a two-phase empirical study including individual interviews and a questionnaire survey among 268 Chinese and Dutch secondary school teachers of English. We found significant differences between the intercultural identity perceptions of Chinese and Dutch non-native EFL teachers. The results also provide insight into the connection between the teachers' cultural values and their intercultural identity perceptions. The findings are relevant for pedagogies and training in foreign language teaching. Show less
Membrane proteins are account for up to two thirds of known druggable targets. Traditionally, new drugs against this class of proteins have been discovered through HTS. However, not all GPCRs are... Show moreMembrane proteins are account for up to two thirds of known druggable targets. Traditionally, new drugs against this class of proteins have been discovered through HTS. However, not all GPCRs are amenable to traditional screening methods. Recently, fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) has emerged as a powerful strategy to generate approved drugs against soluble targets. Now, FBDD can be applied to GPCRs with great potential advantages. In recent years, a number of FBDD techniques have been validated for use with GPCRs. The impressive growth in GPCR structure information leads to broad use of structure-based methods for hit discovery and optimization. However, the dynamic nature of GPCRs, and standard issues associated with low level expression and instability during purification, made biophysical and structural characterization of GPCRs particularly difficult. New advances in protein stabilization by using different protein engineering methods and alternative solubilization strategy have shown the potential to facilitate GPCR structural and biophysical studies. The goal of the work described in this thesis was to develop and implement efficient fragment screening methods to discover ligands of GPCRs with novel biological activities, and new advances in receptor production and stabilization to facilitate structural biology of GPCRs in the early stages of drug discovery. Show less
