Nonlinear Sampling Theory and Efficient Signal Recovery

Sampling theory investigates signal recovery from its partial information, and one of the simplest and most well-known sampling schemes is uniform linear sampling, characterized by the celebrated classical sampling theorem. However, the requirements of uniform linear sampling may not always be satisfied, sparking the need for more general sampling theories. In the thesis, we discuss the following three sampling scenarios: signal quantization, compressive sensing, and deep neural networks. In signal quantization theory, the inability of digital devices to perfectly store analog samples leads to distortion when reconstructing the signal from its samples. Different quantization schemes are proposed so as to minimize such distortion. We adapt a quantization scheme used in analog-to-digital conversion called signal decimation to finite dimensional signals. In doing so, we are able to achieve theoretically optimal reconstruction error decay rate. Compressive sensing investigates the possibility to recover high-dimensional signals from incomplete samples. It has been proven feasible as long as the signal is sufficiently sparse. To this point, all of the most successful examples follow from random constructions rather than deterministic ones. Whereas the sparsity of the signal can be almost as large as the ambient dimension for random constructions, current deterministic constructions require the sparsity to be at most the square-root of the ambient dimension. This apparent barrier is the well-known square-root bottleneck. In this thesis, we propose a new explicit sampling scheme as a possible candidate for deterministic compressive sensing. We present a partial result, while the full generality is still work in progress. For deep neural networks, one approximates signals with neural networks. To do so, many samples need to be drawn in order to find an optimal approximating neural network. A common approach is to employ stochastic gradient descent, but it is unclear if the resulting neural network is indeed optimal due to the non-convexity of the optimization scheme. We follow an alternative approach, utilizing the derivatives of the signal for stable reconstruction. In this thesis, we focus on non-smooth signals, and using weak differentiation, it is easy to obtain stable reconstruction for one-layer neural networks. We are currently working on the two-layer case, and our approach is outlined in this thesis

The impact of revised CLSI cefazolin breakpoints on the clinical outcomes of Escherichia coli bacteremia

AbstractBackground/PurposeThe susceptibility breakpoints of cephalosporins for Enterobacteriaceae were revised by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) in 2010 and 2011. The clinical outcome and susceptibility data were analyzed to evaluate the impact of revised CLSI cefazolin breakpoints on the treatment of Escherichia coli bacteremia.MethodsForty-three bacteremic Escherichia coli isolates from Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan, during the period from January 2013 to December 2013, were selected to analyze the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions of cefazolin and the correlated clinical responses to cefazolin therapy.ResultsThe modal cefazolin MIC among the 43 isolates was 1 μg/mL and accounted for 18 (42%) isolates. The cumulative percentage for MICs ≤ 2 μg/mL was 79%. The conventional dosing regimens achieved clinical cure in 33 (97%) of 34 patients with bacteremia due to E. coli with a cefazolin MIC ≤ 2 μg/mL, in all of the six patients with a cefazolin MIC of 4 μg/mL, and all of the three patients with a cefazolin MIC of 8 μg/mL.ConclusionThe microbiological data support the revised CLSI breakpoints of cefazolin. The conventional cefazolin dosing regimens can still achieve satisfactory clinical cure rates for bacteremia of E. coli with a cefazolin MIC ≤ 2 μg/mL in patients without severe septic shock. Before the approval of the efficacy of cefazolin for the treatment of E. coli isolates with a cefazolin MIC of 4 μg/mL, it is prudent to use cefazolin only when a high drug level can be achieved in the infection site, such as the urinary tract

Characterization of AlInN layer grown on GaN/Sapphire substrate by MOCVD

The AlInN layers have been grown with different growth parameters on GaN/sapphire substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The effects of growth parameters such as pressure and temperature on the Al incorporation during AlInN material growth have been investigated. The results showed that lower pressure provides a tendency for higher Al incorporating in the AlInN layer. Besides, as the temperature was increased from 700°C to 780°C, an estimation of 4% reduction on the indium composition has been observed for each 20°C increment. XRD analysis showed that the best crystal quality of AlInN occured at 80% Al composition because of the higher lattice matching with GaN. Based on the above criteria, an Al0.8In0.2N/GaN HEMT device with 2 μm gate length has also been fabricated. The DC characteristics showed a saturated current, Idss of 280 mA/mm and transconductance of 140 mS/mm

Induced pluripotent stem cells and regenerative medicine

AbstractStem cells, a special subset of cells derived from embryo or adult tissues, are known to present the characteristics of self-renewal, multiple lineages of differentiation, high plastic capability, and long-term maintenance. Recent reports have further suggested that neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from the adult hippocampal and subventricular regions possess the utilizing potential to develop the transplantation strategies and to screen the candidate agents for neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and neuroplasticity in neurodegenerative diseases. In this article, we review the roles of NSCs and other stem cells in neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases. We show the evidences that NSCs play the key roles involved in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, including depression, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease. Moreover, the potential and possible utilities of induced pluripotent stem cells, reprogramming from adult fibroblasts with ectopic expression of four embryonic genes, are also reviewed and further discussed. An understanding of the biophysiology of stem cells could help us elucidate the pathogenicity and develop new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. In contrast to cell transplantation therapies, the application of stem cells can further provide a platform for drug discovery and small molecular testing, including Chinese herbal medicines. In addition, the high-throughput stem cell-based systems can be used to elucidate the mechanisms of neuroprotective candidates in translation medical research for neurodegenerative diseases

Potent inhibition of SARS-associated coronavirus (SCoV) infection and replication by type I interferons (IFN-α/β) but not by type II interferon (IFN-γ)

We sought to investigate the anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SCoV) activities of type I (α and β) and type II (γ) interferons (IFN) in vitro. Type I IFNs protected cells from cytopathic effects (CPE) induced by SCoV, and inhibited viral genomic RNA replication in FRhk-4 cells (measured by quantitative RT-PCR) in a dose-dependent manner. Intracellular viral RNA copies were reduced 50% by IFN-α at a concentration of 25 U/ml and by IFN-β at a concentration of 14 U/ml. IFN-γ had fewer effects on inhibition of viral infection and replication. The type I IFN receptor signaling pathway in host cells is mainly involved in the inhibition of SCoV infection and replication. Type I IFNs could be used as potential agents for anti-SARS treatment.published_or_final_versio

Antiviral Ability of Kalanchoe gracilis Leaf Extract against Enterovirus 71 and Coxsackievirus A16

Pandemic infection or reemergence of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) occurs in tropical and subtropical regions, being associated with hand-foot-and-mouth disease, herpangina, aseptic meningitis, brain stem encephalitis, pulmonary edema, and paralysis. However, effective therapeutic drugs against EV71 and CVA16 are rare. Kalanchoe gracilis (L.) DC is used for the treatment of injuries, pain, and inflammation. This study investigated antiviral effects of K. gracilis leaf extract on EV71 and CVA16 replications. HPLC analysis with a C-18 reverse phase column showed fingerprint profiles of K. gracilis leaf extract had 15 chromatographic peaks. UV/vis absorption spectra revealed peaks 5, 12, and 15 as ferulic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol, respectively. K. gracilis leaf extract showed little cytotoxicity, but exhibited concentration-dependent antiviral activities including cytopathic effect, plaque, and virus yield reductions. K. gracilis leaf extract was shown to be more potent in antiviral activity than ferulic acid, quercetin, and kaempferol, significantly inhibiting in vitro replication of EV71 (IC50 = 35.88 μg/mL) and CVA16 (IC50 = 42.91 μg/mL). Moreover, K. gracilis leaf extract is a safe antienteroviral agent with the inactivation of viral 2A protease and reduction of IL-6 and RANTES expressions