200 research outputs found
Atomised Spray Plasma Deposition of Hierarchical Superhydrophobic Nanocomposite Surfaces
Atomised spray plasma deposition (ASPD) using perfluorotributylamine–nanoparticle slurry mixtures yields superhydrophobic nanocomposite layers in a single solventless step. X-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopies indicate the formation of a poly(perfluorocarbon) host matrix containing nanoparticles. Electron microscopy shows the appearance of hierarchical surface roughness through the incorporation of nanoparticles. This gives rise to a synergistic effect combining low surface perfluoroalkyl groups and surface roughness leading to enhanced water and oil (hexadecane) contact angle values, Microindentation measurements show that the mechanical properties of the deposited liquid repellent nanocomposite layer are enhanced through the incorporation of methacryloyl functionalised silica, zinc oxide, or graphene nanoparticles
Theoretical investigation on the possibility of preparing left-handed materials in metallic magnetic granular composites
We investigate the possibility of preparing left-handed materials in metallic
magnetic granular composites. Based on the effective medium approximation, we
show that by incorporating metallic magnetic nanoparticles into an appropriate
insulating matrix and controlling the directions of magnetization of metallic
magnetic components and their volume fraction, it may be possible to prepare a
composite medium of low eddy current loss which is left-handed for
electromagnetic waves propagating in some special direction and polarization in
a frequency region near the ferromagnetic resonance frequency. This composite
may be easier to make on an industrial scale. In addition, its physical
properties may be easily tuned by rotating the magnetization locally.Comment: 5 figure
Non-invasive detection of the evolution of the charge states of a double dot system
Coupled quantum dots are potential candidates for qubit systems in quantum
computing. We use a non-invasive voltage probe to study the evolution of a
coupled dot system from a situation where the dots are coupled to the leads to
a situation where they are isolated from the leads. Our measurements allow us
to identify the movement of electrons between the dots and we can also identify
the presence of a charge trap in our system by detecting the movement of
electrons between the dots and the charge trap. The data also reveals evidence
of electrons moving between the dots via excited states of either the single
dots or the double dot molecule.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B. 4 pages, 4 figure
A search for the decay
We search for the rare flavor-changing neutral-current decay in a data sample of 82 fb collected with the {\sl BABAR}
detector at the PEP-II B-factory. Signal events are selected by examining the
properties of the system recoiling against either a reconstructed hadronic or
semileptonic charged-B decay. Using these two independent samples we obtain a
combined limit of
at the 90% confidence level. In addition, by selecting for pions rather than
kaons, we obtain a limit of using only the hadronic B reconstruction method.Comment: 7 pages, 8 postscript figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
High-reflectivity broadband distributed Bragg reflector lattice matched to ZnTe
We report on the realization of a high quality distributed Bragg reflector
with both high and low refractive index layers lattice matched to ZnTe. Our
structure is grown by molecular beam epitaxy and is based on binary compounds
only. The high refractive index layer is made of ZnTe, while the low index
material is made of a short period triple superlattice containing MgSe, MgTe,
and ZnTe. The high refractive index step of Delta_n=0.5 in the structure
results in a broad stopband and the reflectivity coefficient exceeding 99% for
only 15 Bragg pairs.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
EuFeAs under high pressure: an antiferromagnetic bulk superconductor
We report the ac magnetic susceptibility and resistivity
measurements of EuFeAs under high pressure . By observing nearly
100% superconducting shielding and zero resistivity at = 28 kbar, we
establish that -induced superconductivity occurs at ~30 K in
EuFeAs. shows an anomalous nearly linear temperature dependence
from room temperature down to at the same . indicates that
an antiferromagnetic order of Eu moments with ~20 K persists
in the superconducting phase. The temperature dependence of the upper critical
field is also determined.Comment: To appear in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn., Vol. 78 No.
More than smell - COVID-19 is associated with severe impairment of smell, taste, and chemesthesis
Recent anecdotal and scientific reports have provided evidence of a link between COVID-19 and chemosensory impairments, such as anosmia. However, these reports have downplayed or failed to distinguish potential effects on taste, ignored chemesthesis, and generally lacked quantitative measurements. Here, we report the development, implementation, and initial results of a multilingual, international questionnaire to assess self-reported quantity and quality of perception in 3 distinct chemosensory modalities (smell, taste, and chemesthesis) before and during COVID-19. In the first 11 days after questionnaire launch, 4039 participants (2913 women, 1118 men, and 8 others, aged 19-79) reported a COVID-19 diagnosis either via laboratory tests or clinical assessment. Importantly, smell, taste, and chemesthetic function were each significantly reduced compared to their status before the disease. Difference scores (maximum possible change ±100) revealed a mean reduction of smell (-79.7 ± 28.7, mean ± standard deviation), taste (-69.0 ± 32.6), and chemesthetic (-37.3 ± 36.2) function during COVID-19. Qualitative changes in olfactory ability (parosmia and phantosmia) were relatively rare and correlated with smell loss. Importantly, perceived nasal obstruction did not account for smell loss. Furthermore, chemosensory impairments were similar between participants in the laboratory test and clinical assessment groups. These results show that COVID-19-associated chemosensory impairment is not limited to smell but also affects taste and chemesthesis. The multimodal impact of COVID-19 and the lack of perceived nasal obstruction suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus strain 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may disrupt sensory-neural mechanisms. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved
- …