Localization of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate in a bichromatic optical lattice

We study the localization of a noninteracting and weakly interacting Bose-Einstein condensate with spin-orbit coupling loaded in a quasiperiodic bichromatic optical lattice potential using the numerical solution and variational approximation of a binary mean-field Gross-Pitaevskii equation with two pseudo-spin components. We confirm the existence of the stationary localized states in the presence of the spin-orbit and Rabi couplings for an equal distribution of atoms in the two components. We find that the interaction between the spin-orbit and Rabi couplings favors the localization or delocalization of the BEC depending on the the phase difference between the components. We also studied the oscillation dynamics of the localized states for an initial population imbalance between the two components

Crop Diversity for Yield Increase

Traditional farming practices suggest that cultivation of a mixture of crop species in the same field through temporal and spatial management may be advantageous in boosting yields and preventing disease, but evidence from large-scale field testing is limited. Increasing crop diversity through intercropping addresses the problem of increasing land utilization and crop productivity. In collaboration with farmers and extension personnel, we tested intercropping of tobacco, maize, sugarcane, potato, wheat and broad bean – either by relay cropping or by mixing crop species based on differences in their heights, and practiced these patterns on 15,302 hectares in ten counties in Yunnan Province, China. The results of observation plots within these areas showed that some combinations increased crop yields for the same season between 33.2 and 84.7% and reached a land equivalent ratio (LER) of between 1.31 and 1.84. This approach can be easily applied in developing countries, which is crucial in face of dwindling arable land and increasing food demand

Defective Osteogenic Differentiation in the Development of Osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) is associated with poor prognosis due to its high incidence of metastasis and chemoresistance. It often arises in areas of rapid bone growth in long bones during the adolescent growth spurt. Although certain genetic conditions and alterations increase the risk of developing OS, the molecular pathogenesis is poorly understood. Recently, defects in differentiation have been linked to cancers, as they are associated with high cell proliferation. Treatments overcoming these defects enable terminal differentiation and subsequent tumor inhibition. OS development may be associated with defects in osteogenic differentiation. While early regulators of osteogenesis are unable to bypass these defects, late osteogenic regulators, including Runx2 and Osterix, are able to overcome some of the defects and inhibit tumor propagation through promoting osteogenic differentiation. Further understanding of the relationship between defects in osteogenic differentiation and tumor development holds tremendous potential in treating OS

Comprehensive Study on Ultra-Wide Band Gap La₂O₃/ε-Ga₂O₃ p–n Heterojunction Self-Powered Deep-UV Photodiodes for Flame Sensing

Solar-blind UV photodetectors have outstanding reliability and sensitivity in flame detection without interference from other signals and response quickly. Herein, we fabricated a solar-blind UV photodetector based on a La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 p–n heterojunction with a typical type-II band alignment. Benefiting from the photovoltaic effect formed by the space charge region across the junction interface, the photodetector exhibited a self-powered photocurrent of 1.4 nA at zero bias. Besides, this photodetector demonstrated excellent photo-to-dark current ratio of 2.68 × 104 under 254 nm UV light illumination and at a bias of 5 V, and a high specific detectivity of 2.31 × 1011 Jones and large responsivity of 1.67 mA/W were achieved. Importantly, the La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 heterojunction photodetector can rapidly respond to flames in milliseconds without any applied biases. Based on the performances described above, this novel La2O3/ε-Ga2O3 heterojunction is expected to be a candidate for future energy-efficient fire detection

Yield and monetary value for different crops.

<p>Crop yield determined by grain weight for rice, wheat and broad bean, dry leaf weight for tobacco, fresh stem and tuber weight for sugarcane and potato. Crop values based on market prices of 2067.02 US$per ton for tobacco, 284.15 US$ per ton for maize, 23.89 US$per ton for sugarcane, 64.59 US$ per ton for potato, 296.98 US$per ton for wheat, 483.97 US$ per ton for broad bean. Crop yield and value were for individual species within intercropping. Yields of tobacco-maize, sugarcane-maize and wheat-broad bean patterns were additional production compared with monocrops. Yields of potato intercropped with maize and maize intercropped with potato, compared with equal areas of monocrops are shown in <b>(bold)</b>. Statistical analyses: each survey plot was considered to be an experimental unit, and analyses were based on actual mean plot yields. Statistical analyses were conducted by software SPSS 13.0. One-tailed t-tests were used to determine if the yield differed significantly (p≤0.05).</p

Land equivalent ratios for crop yields produced by intercropping.

<p>Land equivalent ratios (LERs) were calculated as (yield ha⁻¹ of crop A in intercropping/yield ha⁻¹ of crop A in monoculture)+(yield ha⁻¹ of crop B in intercropping/yield ha⁻¹ of crop B in monoculture).</p

Severity of main diseases of the crops in monocropping and intercropping systems.

<p>T = Tobacco brown leaf spot (<i>Alternaria alternate</i> Keissler); M = Maize northern leaf blight (<i>Setosphaeria turcica</i> Leonard); S = Sugarcane eye spot (<i>Bipolaris sacchari</i> (Butl) Shoemaker); P = Potato late blight (<i>Phytophthora infestans</i> (Mont.) de Bary); W = Wheat Stripe Rust (<i>Puccinia striiformis</i> West); B = Broad bean <i>chocolate</i> spot (<i>Botrytis fabae</i> Sard). m = disease severity for crop species grown in monoculture control plots; i = disease severity for the same crop species grown in intercropping plots in the same fields. Error bars are one s. e. m; n = 3. Statistical analyses were conducted by software SPSS 13.0. All differences between pairs are significant at P≤0.05 based on one-tailed t-test.</p