Quantum percolation in quantum spin Hall antidot systems

We study the influences of antidot-induced bound states on transport properties of two- dimensional quantum spin Hall insulators. The bound statesare found able to induce quantum percolation in the originally insulating bulk. At some critical antidot densities, the quantum spin Hall phase can be completely destroyed due to the maximum quantum percolation. For systems with periodic boundaries, the maximum quantum percolationbetween the bound states creates intermediate extended states in the bulk which is originally gapped and insulating. The antidot in- duced bound states plays the same role as the magnetic field inthe quantum Hall effect, both makes electrons go into cyclotron motions. We also draw an analogy between the quantum percolation phenomena in this system and that in the network models of quantum Hall effect

Development of Computer Vision-Enhanced Smart Golf Ball Retriever

An automatic vehicle system was developed to assist golfers in collecting golf balls from a practice field. Computer vision methodology was utilized to enhance the detection of golf balls in shallow and/or deep grass regions. The free software OpenCV was used in this project because of its powerful features and supported repository. The homemade golf ball picker was built with a smart recognition function for golf balls and can lock onto targets by itself. A set of field tests was completed in which the rate of golf ball recognition was as high as 95%. We report that this homemade smart golf ball picker can reduce the tremendous amount of labor associated with having to gather golf balls scattered throughout a practice field

Surface and Edge States in Topological Semi-metals

We study the topologically non-trivial semi-metals by means of the 6-band Kane model. Existence of surface states is explicitly demonstrated by calculating the LDOS on the material surface. In the strain free condition, surface states are divided into two parts in the energy spectrum, one part is in the direct gap, the other part including the crossing point of surface state Dirac cone is submerged in the valence band. We also show how uni-axial strain induces an insulating band gap and raises the crossing point from the valence band into the band gap, making the system a true topological insulator. We predict existence of helical edge states and spin Hall effect in the thin film topological semi-metals, which could be tested with future experiment. Disorder is found to significantly enhance the spin Hall effect in the valence band of the thin films

SCARN a Novel Class of SCAR Protein That Is Required for Root-Hair Infection during Legume Nodulation

Rhizobial infection of legume root hairs requires a rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton to enable the establishment of plant-made infection structures called infection threads. In the SCAR/WAVE (Suppressor of cAMP receptor defect/WASP family verpolin homologous protein) actin regulatory complex, the conserved N-terminal domains of SCAR proteins interact with other components of the SCAR/WAVE complex. The conserved C-terminal domains of SCAR proteins bind to and activate the actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex, which can bind to actin filaments catalyzing new actin filament formation by nucleating actin branching. We have identified, SCARN (SCAR-Nodulation),a gene required for root hair infection of Lotus japonicus by Mesorhizobium loti. Although the SCARN protein is related to Arabidopsis thaliana SCAR2 and SCAR4, it belongs to a distinct legume-sub clade. We identified other SCARN-like proteins in legumes and phylogeny analyses suggested that SCARN may have arisen from a gene duplication and acquired specialized functions in root nodule symbiosis. Mutation of SCARN reduced formation of infection-threads and their extension into the root cortex and slightly reduced root-hair length. Surprisingly two of the scarn mutants showed constitutive branching of root hairs in uninoculated plants. However we observed no effect of scarn mutations on trichome development or on the early actin cytoskeletal accumulation that is normally seen in root hair tips shortly after M. loti inoculation, distinguishing them from other symbiosis mutations affecting actin nucleation. The C-terminal domain of SCARN binds to ARPC3 and ectopic expression of the N-terminal SCAR-homology domain (but not the full length protein) inhibited nodulation. In addition, we found that SCARN expression is enhanced by M. loti in epidermal cells and that this is directly regulated by the NODULE INCEPTION (NIN) transcription factor

Fabrication of micro multilayer energy harvesters based on stainless- steel substrates

Abstract In this paper, we present the development of a multilayer piezoelectric micro energy harvester. We have adopted the cantilever structure to harvest the vibration energy from environment. The multilayer type was formed by stacking three lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick film layers on the same side, which were fabricated on stainless steel substrate. Each of the PZT thick film layers were directly deposited by the aerosol deposition method at room temperature. Generally, the drawbacks of the single PZT layer device are that they can't provide large enough current for electronic components. Therefore, in order to study the power transforming performance of our multilayer devices and improve the value of output current, we polarized each PZT layer in the same direction and connected every layer in parallel. A tungsten proof mass bonded at the tip for adjusting the resonance frequency was also demonstrated. After fabricating, we measured the output performance of our device by mounting it on the shaker to get vibration source. The device can successfully scavenge vibration energy from the environment and transform it into useful electrical energy. Finally, the experimental results show that the multilayer device can enhance the value of current by connecting every PZT layer in parallel

Association of the CHRNA3 Locus with Lung Cancer Risk and Prognosis in Chinese Han Population

IntroductionRecent genome-wide association studies in Caucasians revealed association with lung cancer risk of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the locus containing two nicotine acetylcholine receptor CHRNA genes. However, the reported risk SNPs are extremely rare in Asians. This study sought to identify other variants on CHRNA3 associated with lung cancer susceptibility and to explore whether SNPs of CHRNA3 are of prognostic factors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Chinese Han population.MethodsA case-control study of 529 cases and 567 controls was performed to study the association of three SNPs (rs3743076, rs3743078, and rs3743073) in CHRNA3 with lung cancer risk in Chinese Han population using logistic regression models. The relationship between CHRNA3 polymorphisms with overall survival among 122 patients with advanced stage (stage IIIb and IV) NSCLC were evaluated using Cox multiple model based on the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer recommended tumor, node, metastasis new staging.ResultsPatients with genotypes TG or GG for the novel SNP rs3743073 in CHRNA3 gene, compared with those with TT, showed an increased risk of lung cancer (adjusted odds ratio = 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.38–2.63; p = 9.67 × 10−5) and worst survival (adjusted hazard ratio = 2.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–5.26; p = 0.04) in patients with advanced stage NSCLC based on International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer recommended tumor, node, metastasis new staging.ConclusionsThese results suggest that the rs3743073 polymorphism in CHRNA3 is predictive for lung cancer risk and prognostic in advanced stage NSCLC in Chinese Han population