Multiplexed Streaming Codes for Messages With Different Decoding Delays in Channel with Burst and Random Erasures

In a real-time transmission scenario, messages are transmitted through a channel that is subject to packet loss. The destination must recover the messages within the required deadline. In this paper, we consider a setup where two different types of messages with distinct decoding deadlines are transmitted through a channel that can introduce burst erasures of a length at most $B$, or $N$ random erasures. The message with a short decoding deadline $T_u$ is referred to as an urgent message, while the other one with a decoding deadline $T_v$ ($T_v > T_u$) is referred to as a less urgent message. We propose a merging method to encode two message streams of different urgency levels into a single flow. We consider the scenario where $T_v > T_u + B$. We establish that any coding strategy based on this merging approach has a closed-form upper limit on its achievable sum rate. Moreover, we present explicit constructions within a finite field that scales quadratically with the imposed delay, ensuring adherence to the upper bound. In a given parameter configuration, we rigorously demonstrate that the sum rate of our proposed streaming codes consistently surpasses that of separate encoding, which serves as a baseline for comparison

OTMatch: Improving Semi-Supervised Learning with Optimal Transport

Semi-supervised learning has made remarkable strides by effectively utilizing a limited amount of labeled data while capitalizing on the abundant information present in unlabeled data. However, current algorithms often prioritize aligning image predictions with specific classes generated through self-training techniques, thereby neglecting the inherent relationships that exist within these classes. In this paper, we present a new approach called OTMatch, which leverages semantic relationships among classes by employing an optimal transport loss function. By utilizing optimal transport, our proposed method consistently outperforms established state-of-the-art methods. Notably, we observed a substantial improvement of a certain percentage in accuracy compared to the current state-of-the-art method, FreeMatch. OTMatch achieves 3.18%, 3.46%, and 1.28% error rate reduction over FreeMatch on CIFAR-10 with 1 label per class, STL-10 with 4 labels per class, and ImageNet with 100 labels per class, respectively. This demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of our approach in harnessing semantic relationships to enhance learning performance in a semi-supervised setting

Privacy-Preserving Polynomial Computing Over Distributed Data

In this letter, we delve into a scenario where a user aims to compute polynomial functions using their own data as well as data obtained from distributed sources. To accomplish this, the user enlists the assistance of $N$ distributed workers, thereby defining a problem we refer to as privacy-preserving polynomial computing over distributed data. To address this challenge, we propose an approach founded upon Lagrange encoding. Our method not only possesses the ability to withstand the presence of stragglers and byzantine workers but also ensures the preservation of security. Specifically, even if a coalition of $X$ workers collude, they are unable to acquire any knowledge pertaining to the data originating from the distributed sources or the user

Information Flow in Self-Supervised Learning

In this paper, we provide a comprehensive toolbox for understanding and enhancing self-supervised learning (SSL) methods through the lens of matrix information theory. Specifically, by leveraging the principles of matrix mutual information and joint entropy, we offer a unified analysis for both contrastive and feature decorrelation based methods. Furthermore, we propose the matrix variational masked auto-encoder (M-MAE) method, grounded in matrix information theory, as an enhancement to masked image modeling. The empirical evaluations underscore the effectiveness of M-MAE compared with the state-of-the-art methods, including a 3.9% improvement in linear probing ViT-Base, and a 1% improvement in fine-tuning ViT-Large, both on ImageNet

Progress in Cryopreservation of Stem Cells and Immune Cells for Cytotherapy

Cellular therapy with stem and immune cells has demonstrated significant success both in clinical treatments and the industrial market. Cryopreservation is a necessary and essential component of cellular therapy. In this chapter, first of all, some basic theories of cryoinjury and techniques in cryopreservation are reviewed. Then it focuses on the progress of cryopreservation of stem cells and immune cells, including new protocols and techniques, alternative cryoprotective agents (CPA), side effects after transplantation, and advances in reducing adverse reactions. Strategies to minimize adverse effects include medication before and after transplantation, optimizing the infusion procedure, reducing the CPA concentration or using alternative CPAs for cryopreservation, and removing CPA prior to infusion. Traditional and newly developed approaches including methods and devices for CPA removal are discussed. Future work is recommended including further optimization of cryopreservation protocols especially for lymphocytes; standardization of the optimized protocols with temperature monitoring and quality control; exploration of DMSO-free, serum-free, and even xeno-free media for cryopreservation; development of simple, reliable, and cost-effective devices for cryopreservation; and more fundamental cryobiological studies to avoid cellular injury.Keywords: cryopreservation, stem cell, immune cell, cytotherap

Optogenetic Control of Non-Apoptotic Cell Death

Herein, a set of optogenetic tools (designated LiPOP) that enable photoswitchable necroptosis and pyroptosis in live cells with varying kinetics, is introduced. The LiPOP tools allow reconstruction of the key molecular steps involved in these two non-apoptotic cell death pathways by harnessing the power of light. Further, the use of LiPOPs coupled with upconversion nanoparticles or bioluminescence is demonstrated to achieve wireless optogenetic or chemo-optogenetic killing of cancer cells in multiple mouse tumor models. LiPOPs can trigger necroptotic and pyroptotic cell death in cultured prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells and in living animals, and set the stage for studying the role of non-apoptotic cell death pathways during microbial infection and anti-tumor immunity

Paeonol Ameliorates Glucose and Lipid Metabolism in Experimental Diabetes by Activating Akt

Our previous study proved that paeonol (Pae) could lower blood glucose levels of diabetic mice. There are also a few reports of its potential use for diabetes treatment. However, the role of Pae in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism in diabetes remains largely unknown. Considering the critical role of serine/threonine kinase B (Akt) in glucose and lipid metabolism, we explored whether Pae could improve glucose and lipid metabolism disorders via Akt. Here, we found that Pae attenuated fasting blood glucose, glycosylated serum protein, serum cholesterol and triglyceride (TG), hepatic glycogen, cholesterol and TG in diabetic mice. Moreover, Pae enhanced glucokinase (GCK) and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) protein expressions, and increased the phosphorylation of Akt. In insulin-resistant HepG2 cells, Pae increased glucose uptake and decreased lipid accumulation. What’s more, Pae elevated LDLR and GCK expressions as well as Akt phosphorylation, which was consistent with the in vivo results. Knockdown and inhibition experiments of Akt revealed that Pae regulated LDLR and GCK expressions through activation of Akt. Finally, molecular docking assay indicated the steady hydrogen bond was formed between Pae and Akt2. Experiments above suggested that Pae ameliorated glucose and lipid metabolism disorders and the underlying mechanism was closely related to the activation of Akt

The effect of a duplex surface treatment on the corrosion and tribocorrosion characteristics of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V

The use of additively manufactured components specifically utilizing titanium alloys has seen rapid growth particularly in aerospace applications; however, the propensity for retained porosity, high(er) roughness finish, and detrimental tensile surface residual stresses are still a limiting factor curbing its expansion to other sectors such as maritime. The main aim of this investigation is to determine the effect of a duplex treatment, consisting of shot peening (SP) and a coating deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD), to mitigate these issues and improve the surface characteristics of this material. In this study, the additive manufactured Ti-6Al-4V material was observed to have a tensile and yield strength comparable to its wrought counterpart. It also exhibited good impact performance undergoing mixed mode fracture. It was also observed that the SP and duplex treatments resulted in a 13% and 210% increase in hardness, respectively. Whilst the untreated and SP treated samples exhibited a similar tribocorrosion behavior, the duplex-treated sample exhibited the greatest resistance to corrosion-wear observed by the lack of damage on the surface and the diminished material loss rates. On the other hand, the surface treatments did not improve the corrosion performance of the Ti-6Al-4V substrate.peer-reviewe

Effect of Substrate Roughness on the Friction and Wear Behaviors of Laser-Induced Graphene Film

A rough substrate usually induces severe detriments limiting the performance of anti-friction materials that would lead to an increase in both the friction coefficient and wear rate. In this work, we found that a laser-induced graphene (LIG) film had a good friction adaptability on both mirror-polished and rough Si substrates. The friction coefficient of the LIG increased from 0.11 to 0.24 and the substrate roughness increased from 1.4 nm to 54.8 nm, while the wear life of the LIG was more than 20,000 cycles for both the mirror-polished and rough Si substrates. Optical microscope, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope analyses revealed a friction mechanism evolution of the LIG films on Si substrates with a different roughness. For the mirror-polished Si substrate, thick and dense graphene nanocrystallite transfer films could form on the counterpart balls, which guaranteed a long and stable wear. For the rough Si substrate, although the asperities on the rough surface would plough the counterpart balls and destabilize the transfer film formation, grooves could effectively store a compressed LIG, benefiting a stable anti-wear performance and reducing the abrasive wear at the friction interface. This work showed that a LIG film had outstanding friction adaptability on Si substrates with a different roughness and that it can be fabricated in a single-step economic process, indicating bright practical prospects in the solid lubrication fields