85,759 research outputs found
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Laser-assisted photothermal imprinting of nanocomposite
We report on a laser-assisted photothermal imprinting method for directly patterning carbon
nanofiber-reinforced polyethylene nanocomposite. A single laser pulse from a solid state
Nd:YAG laser (10 ns pulse, 532 nm and 355 nm wavelengths) is used to melt/soften a thin skin
layer of the polymer nanocomposite. Meanwhile, a fused quartz mold with micro-sized surface
relief structures is pressed against the surface of the composite. Successful pattern transfer is
realized upon releasing the quartz mold. Although polyethylene is transparent to the laser beam,
the carbon nanofibers in the high density polyethylene (HDPE) matrix absorb the laser energy
and convert it into heat. Numerical heat conduction simulation shows the HDPE matrix is
partially melted or softened, allowing for easier imprinting of the relief pattern of the quartz
mold.Mechanical Engineerin
Direct Measurement of Quantum Dot Spin Dynamics using Time-Resolved Resonance Fluorescence
We temporally resolve the resonance fluorescence from an electron spin
confined to a single self-assembled quantum dot to measure directly the spin's
optical initialization and natural relaxation timescales. Our measurements
demonstrate that spin initialization occurs on the order of microseconds in the
Faraday configuration when a laser resonantly drives the quantum dot
transition. We show that the mechanism mediating the optically induced
spin-flip changes from electron-nuclei interaction to hole-mixing interaction
at 0.6 Tesla external magnetic field. Spin relaxation measurements result in
times on the order of milliseconds and suggest that a magnetic field
dependence, due to spin-orbit coupling, is sustained all the way down to 2.2
Tesla.Comment: An additional EPAPS file in PDF format is available for download at
the publications section of our website
http://www.amop.phy.cam.ac.uk/amop-ma
Microlensing of Sub-parsec Massive Binary Black Holes in Lensed QSOs: Light Curves and Size-Wavelength Relation
Sub-parsec binary massive black holes (BBHs) are long anticipated to exist in
many QSOs but remain observationally elusive. In this paper, we propose a novel
method to probe sub-parsec BBHs through microlensing of lensed QSOs. If a QSO
hosts a sub-parsec BBH in its center, it is expected that the BBH is surrounded
by a circum-binary disk, each component of the BBH is surrounded by a small
accretion disk, and a gap is opened by the secondary component in between the
circum-binary disk and the two small disks. Assuming such a BBH structure, we
generate mock microlensing light curves for some QSO systems that host BBHs
with typical physical parameters. We show that microlensing light curves of a
BBH QSO system at the infrared-optical-UV bands can be significantly different
from those of corresponding QSO system with a single massive black hole (MBH),
mainly because of the existence of the gap and the rotation of the BBH (and its
associated small disks) around the center of mass. We estimate the half-light
radii of the emission region at different wavelengths from mock light curves
and find that the obtained half-light radius vs. wavelength relations of BBH
QSO systems can be much flatter than those of single MBH QSO systems at a
wavelength range determined by the BBH parameters, such as the total mass, mass
ratio, separation, accretion rates, etc. The difference is primarily due to the
existence of the gap. Such unique features on the light curves and half-light
radius-wavelength relations of BBH QSO systems can be used to select and probe
sub-parsec BBHs in a large number of lensed QSOs to be discovered by current
and future surveys, including the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response
System (Pan-STARRS), the Large Synoptic Survey telescope (LSST) and Euclid.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
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Antrodia cinnamomea reduces obesity and modulates the gut microbiota in high-fat diet-fed mice.
BackgroundObesity is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis, disrupted intestinal barrier and chronic inflammation. Given the high and increasing prevalence of obesity worldwide, anti-obesity treatments that are safe, effective and widely available would be beneficial. We examined whether the medicinal mushroom Antrodia cinnamomea may reduce obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet (HFD).MethodsMale C57BL/6J mice were fed a HFD for 8 weeks to induce obesity and chronic inflammation. The mice were treated with a water extract of A. cinnamomea (WEAC), and body weight, fat accumulation, inflammation markers, insulin sensitivity and the gut microbiota were monitored.ResultsAfter 8 weeks, the mean body weight of HFD-fed mice was 39.8±1.2 g compared with 35.8±1.3 g for the HFD+1% WEAC group, corresponding to a reduction of 4 g or 10% of body weight (P<0.0001). WEAC supplementation reduced fat accumulation and serum triglycerides in a statistically significant manner in HFD-fed mice. WEAC also reversed the effects of HFD on inflammation markers (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α), insulin resistance and adipokine production (leptin and adiponectin). Notably, WEAC increased the expression of intestinal tight junctions (zonula occludens-1 and occludin) and antimicrobial proteins (Reg3g and lysozyme C) in the small intestine, leading to reduced blood endotoxemia. Finally, WEAC modulated the composition of the gut microbiota, reducing the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and increasing the level of Akkermansia muciniphila and other bacterial species associated with anti-inflammatory properties.ConclusionsSupplementation with A. cinnamomea produces anti-obesogenic, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects in HFD-fed mice by maintaining intestinal integrity and modulating the gut microbiota
A Study on the Relationship Among Brand Image, Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty – Taking ‘the Bao Wei Zhen Catering Team’ As an Empirical Study
This research focused on the industries of catering services and took the Bao Wei Zhen Catering Team, for example, to explore the relationship between ‘brand image’, ‘service quality’, ‘customer satisfaction’, and ‘customer loyalty’. It was meant to found out the important factors affecting consumer satisfaction and the words of mouth. From this research, it could be found that service quality exerted very important influence on the culture of traditional catering services. That was to say when service quality was good, not only the brand image could be improved but also customer satisfaction would be enhanced. Therefore, if it was necessary to further improve the competitiveness of traditional catering service industries, the improvement of service quality was required. Through the improvement of service quality, the current plight faced by the culture of catering services could be effectively improved.
Keywords: brand image, service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, catering tea
New Spinor Field Realizations of the Non-Critical String
We investigate the new spinor field realizations of the algebra,
making use of the fact that the algebra can be linearized by the
addition of a spin-1 current. We then use these new realizations to build the
nilpotent Becchi-Rouet-Stora--Tyutin (BRST) charges of the spinor non-critical
string.Comment: 8 pages, no figures, revtex4 style, accepted by Chin. Phys. Let
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