The role of physical environment in leisure service consumption: evidence from a ski resort setting

Despite the importance of physical environment in hedonic service consumption, little is known about the extent to which physical environment influences ski resort visitors’ cognition, emotion, and behaviors. This study investigated the relationships among physical environmental stimuli (i.e., layout accessibility, aesthetics, cleanliness, and other visitors), perceived quality of physical environment, excitement, and behavioral intentions in ski resort. This study also attempted to test the moderating role of enduring involvement in the formation of behavioral intentions. Results showed that cleanliness and other visitors significantly and positively influenced visitors’ perceived quality of physical environment and excitement. The results suggest that physical environment is of great importance for the ski resort business. Perceived quality was indeed a significant predictor of excitement, which, in turn, positively influenced behavioral intentions. Finally, the study found that the effect of excitement on behavioral intentions was significant across high and low enduring involvement groups

Highly circularly polarized white light using a combination of white polymer light-emitting diode and wideband cholesteric liquid crystal reflector

We present a simple and intriguing device that generates highly circularly polarized white light. It comprises white polymer light-emitting diodes (WPLEDs) attached to a wideband cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) reflector with a wide photonic bandgap (PBG) covering the visible range. The degree of circular polarization realized is very high over the visible range. The wide PBG was realized by introducing a gradient in pitch of the cholesteric helix by controlling the twisting power within the CLC medium. WPLEDs fabricated using a ternary (red, green, and blue) fluorescent polymer blend with the same moiety showed a low turn-on voltage, high brightness, high efficiency, and good color stability.open0

In vitro selection of salt-tolerant Ailanthus altissimaSwingle

Salt-tolerant cell lines of Ailanthus altissima were selected from callus derived protoplasts. Murashige–Skoog (MS) liquid medium incorporated with various concentrations of NaCl was employed to enrich salt-tolerant A. altissima cell lines. Salt-resistant A. altissima cells were transferred on MS solid medium supplemented with 2.5 μM 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D), 0.5 μM benzyl adenine (BA) and various NaCl concentrations. The callus was cultured on MS medium containing NaCl for 5 months, to determine the survival rate as an index of salt tolerance. The measurement of growth parameters for salt-tolerant cells showed that the selected plant cell lines grew better than the unselected ones at all levels of NaCl tested. The salt-tolerant callus accumulated proline in correlation to the concentration of salts. Media supplemented with BA induced shoot differentiation of salt-resistant A. altissima cells

IRT5 Probiotics Changes Immune Modulatory Protein Expression in the Extraorbital Lacrimal Glands of an Autoimmune Dry Eye Mouse Model

PURPOSE. While the association between the gut microbiome and the immune system has been studied in autoimmune disorders, little is known about ocular disease. Previously we reported that IRT5, a mixture of five probiotic strains, could suppress autoimmune dry eye. In this study, we investigated the mechanism by which IRT5 performs its immunomodulatory function in a mouse model of autoimmune dry eye. METHODS. NOD.B10.H2b mice were used as an autoimmune dry eye model. Either IRT5 or PBS was gavaged orally for 3 weeks, with or without 5 days of antibiotic pretreatment. The effects on clinical features, extraorbital lacrimal gland and spleen proteins, and fecal microbiota were analyzed. RESULTS. The ocular staining score was lower, and tear secretion was higher, in the IRT5-treated groups than in the PBS-treated groups. After IRT5 treatment, the downregulated lacrimal gland proteins were enriched in the biological processes of defense response and immune system process. The relative abundances of 33 operational taxonomic units were higher, and 53 were lower, in the feces of the IRT5-treated groups than in those of the PBS-treated groups. IRT5 administration without antibiotic pretreatment also showed immunomodulatory functions with increases in the Lactobacillus helveticus group and Lactobacillus hamsteri. Additional proteomic assays revealed a decrease of proteins related to antigen-presenting processes in the CD11b(+) and CD11c(+) cells of spleen in the IRT5-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS. Changes in the gut microbiome after IRT5 treatment improved clinical manifestations in the autoimmune dry eye model via the downregulation of antigen-presenting processes in immune networks.11Ysciescopu

Micro-Segregated Liquid Crystal Haze Films for Photovoltaic Applications: A Novel Strategy to Fabricate Haze Films Employing Liquid Crystal Technology

Herein, a novel strategy to fabricate haze films employing liquid crystal (LC) technology for photovoltaic (PV) applications is reported. We fabricated a high optical haze film composed of low-molecular LCs and polymer and applied the film to improve the energy conversion efficiency of PV module. The technique utilized to fabricate our haze film is based on spontaneous polymerization-induced phase separation between LCs and polymers. With optimized fabrication conditions, the haze film exhibited an optical haze value over 95% at 550 nm. By simply attaching our haze film onto the front surface of a silicon-based PV module, an overall average enhancement of 2.8% in power conversion efficiency was achieved in comparison with a PV module without our haze film

Serum BDNF levels in patients with gambling disorder are associated with the severity of gambling disorder and Iowa Gambling Task indices

Background and aims Gambling disorder (GD) shares many similarities with substance use disorders (SUDs) in clinical, neurobiological, and neurocognitive features, including decision-making. We evaluated the relationships among, GD, decision-making, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as measured by serum BDNF levels. Methods Twenty-one male patients with GD and 21 healthy sex- and age-matched control subjects were evaluated for associations between serum BDNF levels and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), as well as between serum BDNF levels and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) indices. Results The mean serum BDNF levels were significantly increased in patients with GD compared to healthy controls. A significant correlation between serum BDNF levels and PGSI scores was found when controlling for age, depression, and duration of GD. A significant negative correlation was obtained between serum BDNF levels and IGT improvement scores. Discussion These findings support the hypothesis that serum BDNF levels constitute a dual biomarker for the neuroendocrine changes and the severity of GD in patients. Serum BDNF level may serve as an indicator of poor decision-making performance and learning processes in GD and help to identify the common physiological underpinnings between GD and SUDs