On an isotropic property of anti-Kähler–Codazzi manifolds

We give a proof of the fact that an anti-Kähler–Codazzi manifold reduces to an isotropic anti-Kähler manifold if and only if the Ricci tensor field coincides with the Ricci* tensor field.     

Determination of tocopherol contents of some olive varieties harvested at different ripening periods

The tocopherol contents of oils obtained from Ayval?k, Domat and Gemlik olive varieties harvested at different ripening periods were evaluated by high-performance liquid chromatography. α-Tocopherol was the major tocol detected in all the studied olive oil samples. The oils extracted from olive fruits composed of 130.54-180.43?mg?kg?1 α-tocopherol, 0.73-1.61?mg?kg?1 β-tocopherol and 0.53-2.28?mg?kg?1 γ-tocopherol for Ayval?k oil. The α-, β- and γ-tocopherol contents of Domat oil are in the ranges 95.60-125.56, 0.71-2.70 and 0.49-1.25?mg?kg?1 at different harvesting periods. The α-, β- and γ-tocopherol contents of Gemlik olive oil are in the ranges 112.59-168.19, 0.94-1.21 and 0.85-2.40?mg?kg?1, respectively. There were significant differences between the oils from cultivars grown in different environments.     

Refractive index changes and absorption coefficients in a spherical quantum dot with parabolic potential

In this study, we have calculated the linear, nonlinear and total refractive index changes and absorption coefficients for the transitions 1s–1p, 1p–1d and 1d–1f in a spherical quantum dot with parabolic potential. Quantum Genetic Algorithm (QGA) and Hartree–Fock–Roothaan (HFR) method have been employed to calculate the wavefuctions and energy eigenvalues. The results show that impurity, dot radius, stoichiometric ratio, incident optical intensity and carrier density of the system have important effects on the optical refractive index changes and absorption coefficients. Also, we find that as the transitions between orbitals with big l value move to lower energy region in case with parabolic potential, in case without parabolic potential these transitions move to higher energy region.     

Three-dimensional fracture analysis using tetrahedral enriched elements and fully unstructured mesh

In the absence of automated and customized methods and tools, some of today’s existing methods for solving three-dimensional fracture problems require comprehensive finite element meshing, labor-intensive analysis and post-processing efforts. In this study, a tetrahedral enriched element method and related applications are presented that demonstrate employment of fully unstructured tetrahedral meshes for general mixed-mode three-dimensional fracture problems. As in the case of hexahedral enriched elements, the tetrahedral enriched elements also alleviate the needs of pre- and post-processing the finite element model, allowing direct computation of stress intensity factors in the solution phase. In addition, when tetrahedral enriched elements are used, the crack front region can also be meshed using unstructured elements allowing direct use of automatic free-meshing programs. The applications presented are plane-strain central crack problem, mode-I surface crack in a plate, inclined penny-shaped crack, edge-cracked bar under constant heat flux and lens-shaped crack embedded in a large elastic body. The results obtained are in good comparative agreement with those available in the literature. Thus, it is concluded that the enriched tetrahedral elements can be applied efficiently and accurately on a general three-dimensional fracture problem allowing usage of fully unstructured finite element meshes.     

Factors affecting the electrochemical regeneration of NADH by (2,2'-bipyridyl) (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)-rhodium complexes: impact on their immobilization onto electrode surfaces

Complexes of the (2,2'-bipyridyl) (pentamethylcyclopentadienyl)-rhodium family ([Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl](+), which is actually hydrolyzed in the form of [Cp*Rh(bpy)H(2)O](2+) in aqueous medium) are suitable solution-phase mediators likely to regenerate nicotinamide cofactors associated to dehydrogenases involved in many biocatalytic applications. Their practical application as bioelectrocatalysts, e.g., in fine chemicals synthesis or biosensors, remains however restricted to their durable immobilization in an active form onto solid electrode surfaces. This paper reports some new observations on the electrocatalytic properties of this mediator towards NAD(+) reduction, notably the critical effect of pH and cofactor-to-mediator concentration ratio, and investigates the behavior of a series of ([Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl](+)) derivatives bearing various substituents on the bipyridine ligand in view of their subsequent integration in electrochemical bioreactors. It will be shown that such compounds containing S- or N- moieties (i.e., often used as precursors to functionalize electrode surfaces) lead to inactivation of the electrocatalyst because their interaction with the Rh center prevents the formation of the active rhodium hydride complex. It was thus necessary to find another strategy of immobilization, and we found that adsorption of [Cp*Rh(bpy)Cl](+) by π-stacking on single-walled carbon nanotubes is an effective mean to reach this goal, leading to efficient and stable catalytic responses for NAD(+) reduction. Preliminary electroenzymatic experiments in the presence of d-sorbitol dehydrogenase further point out the interest of this approach for bioelectrocatalysis purposes and provide the proof-of-concept for this immobilization strategy.     

Geodesics of Sasakian Metrics on Tensor Bundles

On the basis of the phase completion the notion of vertical and horizontal lifts of vector fields is defined in the tensor bundles over a Riemannian manifold. Such a tensor bundle is made into a manifold with a Riemannian structure of special type by endowing it with Sasakian metric. The components of the Levi-Civita and other metric connections with respect to Sasakian metrics on tensor bundles with respect to the adapted frame are presented. This having been done, it is shown that it is possible to study geodesics of Sasakian metrics dealing with geodesics of the base manifolds. Dedicated to the memory of Vladimir Vishnevskii (1929-2007)     

Immobilization of urease in poly(1-vinyl imidazole)/poly(acrylic acid) network

In this study, urease was immobilized in a polymer network obtained by complexation of poly(1-vinyl imidazole) (PVI) with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Preparation of the polymer network was monitored by FT-IR spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that enzyme immobilization had a strong effect on film morphology. Proton conductivity of the PVI/PAA network was measured via impedance spectroscopy under humidified conditions. Values of the Michaelis-Menten constant (K _M) for immobilized urease were higher than for the free enzyme, indicating a decreased affinity of the enzyme to its substrate. The basic characteristics (pH_opt, pH_stability, T _opt, T _stability, reusability, and storage stability) of immobilized urease were determined. The results show that the PAA/PVI polymer network is suitable for enzyme immobilization.     

Flexible servers in tandem lines with setup costs

We study the dynamic assignment of flexible servers to stations in the presence of setup costs that are incurred when servers move between stations. The goal is to maximize the long-run average profit. We provide a general problem formulation and some structural results, and then concentrate on tandem lines with two stations, two servers, and a finite buffer between the stations. We investigate how the optimal server assignment policy for such systems depends on the magnitude of the setup costs, as well as on the homogeneity of servers and tasks. More specifically, for systems with either homogeneous servers or homogeneous tasks, small buffer sizes, and constant setup cost, we prove the optimality of “multiple threshold” policies (where servers’ movement between stations depends on both the number of jobs in the system and the locations of the servers) and determine the values of the thresholds. For systems with heterogeneous servers and tasks, small buffers, and constant setup cost, we provide results that partially characterize the optimal server assignment policy. Finally, for systems with larger buffer sizes and various service rate and setup cost configurations, we present structural results for the optimal policy and provide numerical results that strongly support the optimality of multiple threshold policies.     

The Mild N-Nitrosation of Secondary Amines with Trichloro Nitromethane

Reaction of trichloronitromethane with secondary amine leads to the formation of corresponding carcinogeneous N-nitrosamines under mild conditions.     

Saturation of the all-optical Kerr effect

Saturation of the intensity dependence of the refractive index is directly computed from ionization rates via a Kramers-Kronig transform. The linear intensity dependence and its dispersion are found to be in excellent agreement with complete quantum mechanical orbital computations. Higher-order terms concur with solutions of the time-dependent Schr?dinger equation. Expanding the formalism to all orders up to the ionization potential of the atom, we derive a model for saturation of the Kerr effect. This model widely confirms recently published and controversially discussed experimental data and corroborates the importance of higher-order Kerr terms for filamentation.