Stress effects in prism coupling measurements of thin polymer films

Due to the increasingly important role of some polymers in optical waveguide technologies, precise measurement of their optical properties has become important. Typically, prism coupling to slab waveguides made of materials of interest is used to measure the relevant optical parameters. However, such measurements are often complicated by the softness of the polymer films when stress is applied to the prism to couple light into the waveguides. In this work, we have investigated the optical properties of three different polymers, polystyrene (PS), polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), and benzocyclobutane (BCB). For the first time, the dependence of the refractive index, film thickness, and birefringence on applied stress in these thin polymer films was determined by means of the prism coupling technique. Both symmetric trapezoid shaped and right-angle prisms were used to couple the light into the waveguides. It was found that trapezoid shaped prism coupling gives better results in these thin polymer films. The refractive index of PMMA was found to be in the range of 1.4869 up to 1.4876 for both TE and TM polarizations under the applied force, which causes a small decrease in the film thickness of up to 0.06 m. PMMA waveguide films were found not to be birefringent. In contrast, both BCB and PS films exhibit birefringence albeit of opposing signs. PACS 42.82.Et; 78.20.Ci; 78.20.Fm     

Some Solutions for a Class of Singular Equations

In this paper we obtain all solutions which depend only on r for a class of partial differential equations of higher order with singular coefficients.     

Quantifying the value of buyer–vendor coordination: Analytical and numerical results under different replenishment cost structures

Despite a growing interest in channel coordination, no detailed analytical or numerical results measuring its impact on system performance have been reported in the literature. Hence, this paper aims to develop analytical and numerical results documenting the system-wide cost improvement rates that are due to coordination. To this end, we revisit the classical buyer–vendor coordination problem introduced by Goyal [S.K. Goyal, An integrated inventory model for a single-supplier single-customer problem. International Journal of Production Research 15 (1976) 107–111] and extended by Toptal et al. [A. Toptal, S. Çetinkaya, C.-Y. Lee, The buyer–vendor coordination problem: modeling inbound and outbound cargo capacity and costs, IIE Transactions on Logistics and Scheduling 35 (2003) 987–1002] to consider generalized replenishment costs under centralized decision making. We analyze (i) how the counterpart centralized and decentralized solutions differ from each other, (ii) under what circumstances their implications are similar, and (iii) the effect of generalized replenishment costs on the system-wide cost improvement rates that are due to coordination. First, considering Goyal’s basic setting, we show that the improvement rate depends on cost parameters. We characterize this dependency analytically, develop analytical bounds on the improvement rate, and identify the problem instances in which considerable savings can be achieved through coordination. Next, we analyze Toptal et al.’s [A. Toptal, S. Çetinkaya, C.-Y. Lee, The buyer–vendor coordination problem: modeling inbound and outbound cargo capacity and costs, IIE Transactions on Logistics and Scheduling 35 (2003) 987–1002] extended setting that considers generalized replenishment costs representing inbound and outbound transportation considerations, and we present detailed numerical results quantifying the value of coordination. We report significant improvement rates with and without explicit transportation considerations, and we present numerical evidence which suggests that larger rates are more likely in the former case.     

Prolongation structure and Painlevé property of the Gürses-Nutku equations

It is shown that the Gürses-Nutku equations have a finite prolongation algebra for any value of the parameterK. The Painlevé property of these equations is also examined.The research reported in this paper is supported in part by the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.     

THE DYNAMIC BUCKLING OF AN ORTHOTROPIC CYLINDRICAL THIN SHELL UNDER TORSION VARYING AS A POWER FUNCTION OF TIME

The subject of this investigation is to study the buckling of orthotropic cylindricalthin shells under torsion,which is a power function of time.The dynamic stability and compati-bility equations are obtained first.These equations are subsequently reduced to a time dependentdifferential equation with variable coefficient by using Galerkin's method.Finally,the critical dy-namic and static loading,the corresponding wave numbers,the dynamic factors,critical time andcritical impulse are found analytically by applying the Ritz type variational method.Using thoseresults,the effects of the variations of the power of time in the torsion load expression,of theloading parameter,the ratio of the Young's moduli and the ratio of the radius to thickness onthe critical parameters are studied numerically.It is observed that these factors have appreciableeffects on the critical parameters of the problem in the heading.     

Comparative study of the phenolic profile,antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of leaf extracts of five Juniperus L. (Cupressaceae) taxa growing in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative evaluation of some biological properties of methanol and water extracts of leaves of five Juniperus taxa growing in Turkey: J. communis L. var. communis (Jcc), J. communis L. var. saxatilis Pall. (Jcs), J. drupacea Labill. (Jd), J. oxycedrus L. subsp. oxycedrus (Joo), J. oxycedrus L. subsp. macrocarpa (Sibth. & Sm.) Ball. (Jom). The antioxidant properties were examined in vitro; both in the DPPH and in the reducing power tests, Joo methanol extract resulted the most active (IC₅₀?=?0.09?±?0.01mg/mL and ASE/mL?=?2.56?±?0.06). In the TBA assay, Jcs methanol extract exhibited the highest activity (IC₅₀?=?4.39?±?0.47?μg/mL). The extracts displayed bacteriostatic activity against Staphylococcus aureus, and Jd methanol extract resulted the most effective (MIC?=?19.53?μg/mL); no effect on the S. aureus biofilm formation was observed. The extracts resulted non-toxic in the Artemia salina lethality bioassay. Finally, the phenolic profile of the methanol extracts was characterized by HPLC-PDA/ESI-MS.     

The Determination of Protonation Constants of Some Amino Acids and Their Esters by Potentiometry in Different Media

In this study, stoichiometric protonation constants of L-tyrosine, L-cysteine, L-tryptophane, L-lysine, and L-histidine, and their methyl and ethyl esters in water and ethanol–water mixtures of 30, 50, and 70% ethanol (v/v), were determined potentiometrically using a combined pH electrode system calibrated as the concentration of hydrogen ion. Titrations were performed at 25^∘C and the ionic strength of the medium was maintained at 0.10 mol⋅L⁻¹ using sodium chloride. Protonation constants were calculated by using the BEST computer program. The effect of solvent composition on the protonation constants is discussed. The log₁₀ K₂ values of esters generally decreased with increasing ethanol content. However, the log₁₀ K₁ values of the esters of L-tyrosine, L-cysteine, and L-tryptophane were found to increase with increasing ethanol content in contrast those of L-lysine and L-histidine esters.     

Electrokinetic flow in an elliptic microchannel covered by ion-penetrable membrane

The electrokinetic flow of an electrolyte solution in an elliptical microchannel covered by an ion-penetrable, charged membrane layer is examined theoretically. The present analysis extends previous results in that a two-dimensional problem is considered, and the system under consideration simulates the flow of a fluid, for example, in a microchannel of biological nature such as vein. The electroosmostic volumetric flow rate, the total electric current, the streaming potential, and the electroviscous effect of the system under consideration are evaluated. We show that, for a constant hydraulic diameter, the variations of these quantities as a function of the aspect ratio of a microchannel may have a local minimum or a local maximum at a medium level of ionic strength, which depends on the thickness of the membrane layer. For a constant cross-sectional area, the electroosmostic volumetric flow rate, the total electric current, and the streaming potential increase monotonically with the increase in the aspect ratio, but the reverse is true for the electroviscous effect.