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

The Effects of Social Ties and Interdependence on Social Network Game Player Behavior: A Research-in-Progress

A Social Network Game (SNG) is a type of online game which is operated mainly through social networks. Recently, the SNG has enjoyed dramatically growth worldwide. Aiming at understanding game players’ motivation and gaming experience, this study proposes a theoretical model that explores the roles of social tie and interdependence on gaming experience and responses. Self-efficacy and group effectiveness are chosen as criteria to measure game-players’ responses. A laboratory experiment was designed to manipulate SNG interdependence structure (task interdependence and reward interdependence) and social tie and collect data. Present paper also discusses the potential theoretical and practical implications

Different WDR36 Mutation Pattern in Chinese Patients with Primary Open-angle Glaucoma

Purpose: To determine the distribution of WD repeat domain 36 (WDR36) sequence variants in Chinese patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: One hundred and thirty-five unrelated POAG patients (82 high tension glaucoma [HTG], 42 normal tension glaucoma [NTG], and 11 juvenile-onset POAG [JOAG] patients) and 77 unrelated controls were recruited. All 23 coding exons and splicing junctions of WDR36 were sequenced using BigDye® Terminator v3.1 cycle sequencing kit. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and haplotype associations were analyzed using PLINK (version 1.04). Results: Nineteen sequence alterations were identified, and eight of them were novel including two novel nonsynonymous SNPs (L240V and I713V). Except the common I264V polymorphism, no other previously reported disease-causing or disease-susceptibility mutations were found. The novel I713V mutation was observed in three (3.7%) patients with HTG. One intronic SNP, IVS5+30C>T (rs10038177), showed significantly higher frequency of minor allele T in HTG patients (16.5%) than in controls (1.3%; Odds ratio [OR]=15.0, p=7.9×10−7, Bonferroni corrected p=1.5×10−5). Haplotype GTA, which is composed of rs13153937, rs10038177, and rs11241095, was significantly associated with HTG (OR=22.5, p=0.002, Bonferroni corrected p=0.013). Neither the individual SNPs nor haplotypes of WDR36 were associated with NTG or JOAG (Bonferroni corrected p>0.05). Conclusions: Findings in this study suggest WDR36 to be associated with sporadic HTG but not with NTG or JOAG. Our results also suggest a different mutation pattern of WDR36 in the Chinese population from other ethnic populations

6-Chloro-N 4,N 4-dimethyl­pyrimidine-2,4-diamine

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C6H9ClN4, contains four independent mol­ecules (A, B, C and D). Their main difference is the torsion angles, ranging from 1.6 (5) to 5.9 (5)°, between the methyl group and the pyrimidine plane. A pair of inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules A and C into a twisted dimer with a dihedral angle of 32.9 (1)° between the two pyrimidine rings, creating an R 2 2(8) motif. In the packing, each two mol­ecules of B, C and D form centrosymmetric dimers through two inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, locally creating R 2 2(8) motifs. The dimers of C and D are alternately bridged by A into an infinite zigzag strip, locally creating two different R 2 2(8) motifs with dihedral angles of 32.9 (1) and 63.4 (1)° between the pyrimidine rings. Finally, these strips together with the dimers of B associate into a complicated three-dimensional framework

Immunopanning purification and long-term culture of human retinal ganglion cells

Purpose: To establish a robust method to isolate primary retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from human fetal retina for long-term culture while maintaining neuronal morphology and marker protein expression. Methods: A total of six human retinas were obtained from aborted fetuses at 10 to 12 weeks of gestation with informed consent from mothers. RGCs were isolated and purified by a modified two-step immunopanning procedure. The cells were maintained in a serum-free defined medium supplemented with brain-derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neutrophic factor, and forskolin. The viable RGCs and the extent of neurite outgrowth were examined by calcein-acetoxymethylester assay. Expression of RGC markers was studied by immunocytochemistry. Results: Primary RGCs from human fetal retinas were isolated and maintained in vitro for one month with substantial neurite elongation. In cell culture, almost 70% of the isolated cells attached, spread, and displayed numerous dendrites. They were immunoreactive to RGC-specific markers (Thy-1, TUJ-1, and Brn3a) and negative for glial fibrillary acidic protein and amacrine cells marker HPC-1. Conclusions: Human RGCs were successfully isolated and maintained in long-term culture. This can serve as an ideal model for biologic, toxicological, and genomic assays of human RGCs in vitr