Molecular interactions and functions in single cells are largely dependent on their subcellular location and local environment. The molecular activities in live cells within a population are usually heterogeneous and dynamic. Therefore, it is crucial to develop high- throughput live- cell imaging and quantification methods to interpret the comprehensive landscape of molecular events in space and time. Here we present an efficient and user-friendly software package, Fluocell, to quantitatively analyze the dynamic sequences of FRET imaging data with subcellular resolutions. In addition to FRET image visualization and high throughput subcellular analysis, Fluocell also provides group statistics and kinetic analysis, as well as 3D re-construction functions of live-cell FRET images. Therefore, Fluocell provides an integrative environment for live-cell imaging analysis. The goal is to provide a standardized analysis pipeline, toward the ultimate goals of constructing comprehensive molecular maps with subcellular and dynamic resolutions in all cell types

Chronic exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibeno-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related polyhalogenated organic pollutants occurs as a consequence of modern life. Exploring the cellular basis for their action is anticipated to help understand the risk they pose and improve the foundation for their regulation. A basis for the striking change in human keratinocyte colony morphology due to TCDD exposure has been investigated by shotgun proteomics. Concentrating on changes in protein levels among three cell strains has revealed significant decreases in the differentiation markers filaggrin, keratin 1, and keratin 10. EGF treatment in concert with TCDD enhanced the changes in these markers and several other proteins while reducing the levels of certain other proteins. The only protein stimulated by TCDD in all three strains and reversed by EGF in them was vimentin, not previously observed to be in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor response domain. Although TCDD is often proposed to enhance keratinocyte differentiation, proteomic analysis reveals it uncouples the differentiation program and suggests that reduced levels of differentiation marker proteins contribute to the observed excessive stratification it induces.

Chronic exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibeno-p-dioxin (TCDD) and related polyhalogenated organic pollutants occurs as a consequence of modern life. Exploring the cellular basis for their action is anticipated to help understand the risk they pose and improve the foundation for their regulation. A basis for the striking change in human keratinocyte colony morphology due to TCDD exposure has been investigated by shotgun proteomics. Concentrating on changes in protein levels among three cell strains has revealed significant decreases in the differentiation markers filaggrin, keratin 1, and keratin 10. EGF treatment in concert with TCDD enhanced the changes in these markers and several other proteins while reducing the levels of certain other proteins. The only protein stimulated by TCDD in all three strains and reversed by EGF in them was vimentin, not previously observed to be in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor response domain. Although TCDD is often proposed to enhance keratinocyte differentiation, proteomic analysis reveals it uncouples the differentiation program and suggests that reduced levels of differentiation marker proteins contribute to the observed excessive stratification it induces.

Aerosols are solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. They are generated from a range of natural and anthropogenic sources. Aerosols also experience various reactions such as photo-oxidation and aqueous-phase processing, which constantly change their physical and chemical properties. Therefore, in order to determine the emission inventory, it is important to study aerosol reactions and transformation mechanisms in ambient atmosphere. The research described in this dissertation aimed to characterize temporal, spatial, and seasonal variations on ambient aerosol chemical compositions and formation mechanisms. The results contribute to the understanding of air pollution, climate change, and human health problems, and to devising necessary strategies and policies to resolve these problems. The main experimental technique utilized in the current work is Aerosol time-of- flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS). It measures the size and chemical composition of individual particles in real- time, and can thus provide high time resolution information on aerosol mixing states, reaction mechanisms, and sources. Continuous ATOFMS measurements have been conducted to study the ambient aerosol properties in several highly polluted regions of California, including the Fresno and Angiola area and the Riverside area. The results provide important insights on the characteristics, distinct diurnal temporal trends, and seasonal variations of aerosols in both urban and rural locations. The second focus of this dissertation is on the quantification capability of ATOFMS, which had been limited by several factors including the size-dependent particle transmission loss and shot-to-shot variability of the desorption/ ionization laser. It is demonstrated that, by scaling the ATOFMS measurements using the results from an aerodynamic particle sizer (APS) or a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI) measurements, it is possible to obtain high temporal resolution mass concentrations from ATOFMS that are in very good agreements with standard beta attenuation monitor mass concentrations. This development substantially improves the quantitative capability of ATOFMS, and will be useful in future application of ATOFMS to study aerosol source apportionment

Non-volatile memories (NVMs) have attracted considerable attention as data storage media because of their fast read /write speed, high data throughput, large capacity, and low power consumption. They are widely used in mobile, embedded, and mass-storage applications. The research goal of this dissertation is to model NVM systems in a mathematical manner and to design constrained codes and signal processing techniques that improve the performance of NVM systems. Our main contribution of this research dissertation is the invention of constrained codes for different NVM systems. For the most widely-used flash memory systems, we manage to use inter-cell interference (ICI) free codes to mitigate the coupling effect of adjacent cells during write operations, to use balanced codes to tolerate charge leakage effects during read operations, and to use write-once memory (WOM) codes to enlarge the lifetime capacity of devices for several practical scenarios. On the other hand, we also manage to use time-space constrained codes to eliminate cross-talk and to reduce heat accumulation for phase-change memories (PCMs), which is one of the emerging technologies that could potentially replace flash memories as the building block for the next generation of NVM systems. We derive the capacity (or bounds on the capacity) for each constraint and provide explicit code constructions with low encoding and decoding complexities. Furthermore, the optimization of programming flash memory systems is studied by signal processing tools. Flash memories use the amount of charge trapped in cells to represent the data and the cells can have multiple levels . One of the most prominent features of programming flash memory cells is the asymmetry in programming and erasing, namely, the cell levels can only be increased during programming and cell erasure must be done at the block level. In order to achieve high programming speed and precision, we solve optimization problems that either minimize the programming time or the number of programming errors, subject to the constraint of unidirectional incrementing of cell levels

Adaptation of literature has been an important genre in Chinese films from the 1920s till now. This dissertation seeks to trace the general history of Chinese filmic adaptations of literature, and examine important moments and figures within this history, to bring out strategies filmmakers use in their adaptations, in response to and in negotiations with different cultural, political and commercial needs. With the dissertation, I hope to contribute to this still largely uncharted field in Chinese film studies, to studies of comparative literature and cross-media cultural translation between China, the West and Japan, and to offer insights into the cultural and political history in the periods addressed. In the dissertation, I employ techniques of literary and film studies, draw on adaptation and translation theories, and also use a cultural history perspective. Chapter 1 situates my study in current scholarships and gives an overview of what Chinese filmmakers chose to adapt and how they approach their sources. The following chapters are organized around representative figures or topics. Chapter 2 is on the Republican adaptations of foreign literature, in which I will give an overview of this genre and examine some of its recurrent motifs. Chapter 3 focuses on adaptations by Xia Yan, an arbiter of socialist films, in which I analyze Xia Yan's choices as shown in his adaptations in the 1950s and 1960s. Chapter 4 explores adaptations by Xie Jin, the most important Chinese director in the early 1980s, to see how he uses the melodramatic mode in his films on the rightists and how that mode is specific to the period. Chapter 5 studies Zhang Yimou's adaptations in his early films to see his change from the 1980s to the 1990s, and his strategy of foregrounding visuality