This study explores two stylistic features in the films of contemporary Hong Kong film-maker Wong Kar-Wai: colour and sound. In particular, it focuses on how transitions in colour palettes (e.g. from a natural colour spectrum to a monochromatic effect of black-and-white) and specific sound resources (such as silence) function as important semiotic resources in the films, even when they appear to create a disjunctive effect. The study draws on two perspectives on communication to explore film. The first is the metafunctional hypothesis of Systemic-Functional Linguistics, which theorises that the communicative dimensions of texts can be explored from three simultaneous ???macro-functions???: the ideational, the interpersonal and the textual metafunction. The second is multimodal communication, which stresses that multiple semiotic resources are used for meaning-making purposes and that meanings created multimodally are multiplicative in essence. From this theoretical basis the study aims to illuminate two inter-related objectives. First, that the meaning potentials of colour transition and sound are construed and enabled by the co-ordinations of meanings across different co-present semiotic resources ??? known as intersemiosis in the study. Second, that the semiotic capacities of the two resources can be usefully explored from a functional perspective. Drawing especially the notions of intersemiosis and resemiotisation the study shows that colour transition and sound are multivalent resources in Wong???s films. In other words, their meaning potentials are metafunctionally complex and are never static. The thesis argues that colour transition and sound should not be seen as having ???a??? meaning, but rather, that it is the semiotic complexities among the co-patterned resources that shape the meaning-making potential of the resources, and in turn, help contribute meaning potentials to the films.

This study explores two stylistic features in the films of contemporary Hong Kong film-maker Wong Kar-Wai: colour and sound. In particular, it focuses on how transitions in colour palettes (e.g. from a natural colour spectrum to a monochromatic effect of black-and-white) and specific sound resources (such as silence) function as important semiotic resources in the films, even when they appear to create a disjunctive effect. The study draws on two perspectives on communication to explore film. The first is the metafunctional hypothesis of Systemic-Functional Linguistics, which theorises that the communicative dimensions of texts can be explored from three simultaneous ???macro-functions???: the ideational, the interpersonal and the textual metafunction. The second is multimodal communication, which stresses that multiple semiotic resources are used for meaning-making purposes and that meanings created multimodally are multiplicative in essence. From this theoretical basis the study aims to illuminate two inter-related objectives. First, that the meaning potentials of colour transition and sound are construed and enabled by the co-ordinations of meanings across different co-present semiotic resources ??? known as intersemiosis in the study. Second, that the semiotic capacities of the two resources can be usefully explored from a functional perspective. Drawing especially the notions of intersemiosis and resemiotisation the study shows that colour transition and sound are multivalent resources in Wong???s films. In other words, their meaning potentials are metafunctionally complex and are never static. The thesis argues that colour transition and sound should not be seen as having ???a??? meaning, but rather, that it is the semiotic complexities among the co-patterned resources that shape the meaning-making potential of the resources, and in turn, help contribute meaning potentials to the films.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, 2006. / Adviser: Harry Benshoff. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 36).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 36). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 46-48).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 46-48). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71). Also available in print.

Es ist schon lange bekannt, dass das Immunsystem eine wichtige Rolle in der Immunabwehr von malignen Tumoren spielt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde das Verhalten der unten genannten Zellen, Rezeptoren und löslichem Protein MICA im peripheren Blut von Patienten mit soliden und hämatologischen Tumorerkrankungen sowie einer Kontrollgruppe mittels Durchflußzytometrie und ELISA-Verfahren untersucht. NK-Zellen ( u.a. CD 56+CD16-NK-Zellen, CD 56-CD16+ Nk-Zellen, CD56+CD16+NK-Zellen), NKT-Zellen und verschiedene T-Lymphozyten ( u.a. αβ-Lymphozyten, δγ-Lymphozyten, Vγ9Vδ1-Lymphozyetn, Vγ9Vδ2-Lymphozyten) sind auf direkten oder indirekten Weg über aktivierende Rezeptoren ( u.a. NKG2D, NKp44, NKp46, NKp33), inhibierende Rezeptoren ( u.a. p 58.1, p58.2, p70, NKG2A) und Chemokinrezeptoren ( u.a. CXCR1) an der Lyse / Apoptose von Tumorzellen über HLA-abhängige (MICA) und HLA-unabhängig Moleküle beteiligt. Es ließ sich zeigen, dass MICA genauso im Serum von hämatologischen Patienten wie auch bei soliden Tumorerkrankungen vorkommt, wobei vor allem Patienten mit fortgeschrittenen Stadien und Metastasierung hohe Werte aufwiesen. Es wurde eine Verminderung der Gesamtzahl an Lymphozyten und αβ-T-Lymphozyten bei hämatologischen und bei soliden Tumoren im peripheren Blut festgestellt. Weiterhin zeigte sich, wie bereits in der Literatur berichtet, bei hämatologischen Neoplasien ein signifikant erhöhter Wert an NK-Zellen und CD56-16+NK-Zellen sowie eine verminderte Expression von NKG2D auf NK-Zellen, auf αβ-T-Lymphozyten und auf γδ-T-Lymphozyten. Es ließ sich auch eine verminderte Expression von p58.1 und NKG2A auf γδ-Lymphozyten im Vergleich zur gesunden Kontrollgruppe nachweisen. Ein signifikanter Unterschied im Vergleich zu soliden Tumoren fand sich nicht, bis auf den oben genannten Lymphozytenanteil. Der Nachweis, dass erhöhte lösliche Serum MICA-Werte die Parameter wie KIRs und KARs sowie Chemokinrezetoren oder die Apopotose der Immunzellen bei hämatologischen oder bei soliden Tumorerkrankungen beeinflusst, konnte in dieser Arbeit nicht geführt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit trägt dazu bei, die Immunabwehr gegenüber soliden und hämatologischen Tumorerkrankungen besser zu verstehen. / Natural killer cells (NK), NKT cells, αβ-T cells and δγ-T cells play an important role in tumor defence. These cells eliminate tumor cells through killer inhibitory receptors (KIR) and stimulatory killer activating receptors (KAR), which can lyse target cells by binding to the major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) protein. The aim of this study is to analyze the reduction of these immune cells, the association between the levels of soluble MICA with KIR- and KAR-expressing on αβ cells, γδ cells and NK cells and their interaction with chemokine receptor CXCR1in the peripheral blood of patients with haematological and epithelial malignancies. ELISA and flow cytometric analysis were used in comparison to controls. Reduced numbers of αβ-T- cells and the presence of soluble MICA could be demonstrated in the serum of patients with both haematological and epithelial malignancies. Higher levels of soluble MICA were associated with advanced stages of disease and metastasation. Patient samples showed also lower numbers of NK cells and CD56-16+NK cells as well as a reduced expression of NKG2D on NK, αβ and γδ T cells. Confirming existing evidence, there was also a reduced expression of p58.1 and NKG2A on γδ cells in comparison to controls. No significant differences between solid and haematological malignancies were found, except for this type of lymphocytes. The study did not provide evidence that increased levels of soluble MICA influence KIRs and KARs, the chemokine receptors or the apoptosis of immune cells.