Optical bandwidth and fabrication tolerances of multimodeinterference couplers

Analytical expressions are derived which relate the optical bandwidth and the fabrication tolerances of multimode interference (MMI) couplers to their most important design parameters. These expressions compare adequately with mode analysis simulations. For strong guided structures, the optical bandwidth is shown to he inversely proportional to the number of input and output ports N and to the length of the device. The fabrication tolerances are independent of N and proportional to the output channel separation D. Measurements on MMI couplers in InP/InGaAsP corroborate the theoretical predictions     

Mitochondrial alterations and autofluorescent conversion of Candida albicans induced by histatins

The mechanism of the candidacidal activity of histatins 3 and 5 (Hst) is still a matter of debate. Previous studies have indicated that Hst induce cell permeabilization, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by mitochondria, inhibition of the respiratory chain, and energy-dependent cytotoxic release of ATP. On the other hand, the multiplicity of effects and the apparent contrast between experimental data continue to render the mechanism of Hst-induced killing of C. albicans unclear. In this investigation, using fluorescent probes (the potential-sensitive mitochondrial probe tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester perchlorate, TMRM; the ROS-sensitive probe dihydrofluorescein diacetate, DHF; the membrane-impermeant probe, calcein) and autofluorescence data we observed that Hst induce ROS generation by mitochondria undergoing a high energy swelling condition, accompanied by oxidation of cytosolic NAD(P)H and mitochondrial flavoproteins. ROS generation and swelling, attributable to an inhibition of the respiratory chain and to impairment of the K/H-exchanger, were followed by mitochondrial depolarization. Mitochondrial changes were accompanied by massive calcein influx, indicative of cell permeabilization, and prominent alterations of the cell size, shape, and optical density. The loss of proliferative activity was correlated, on a single cell basis, to the acquisition of a lipofuscin-like autofluorescence.     

Impact of the Metal Adhesion Layer on the Radiation Power of Plasmonic Photoconductive Terahertz Sources

The use of plasmonic contact electrodes in a photoconductive terahertz source offers high optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies. The high efficiency is because plasmonic contact electrodes concentrate a large portion of the incident optical pump beam in close proximity to the contact electrodes. By reducing the average transport path length of the photo-generated carriers from the contact electrodes, a larger number of the photocarriers drift to the terahertz radiating elements of the photoconductive source within a sub-picosecond time scale. Therefore, higher terahertz radiation power levels are achieved compared to a similar photoconductive source without plasmonic contact electrodes. Au is a preferred metal for plasmonic contact electrodes because of the strong plasmonic enhancement factors it offers at near-infrared optical wavelengths. However, it requires an adhesion layer to stick well to most III–V semiconductor substrates used in photoconductive terahertz sources. In this paper, we analyze the impact of the Au adhesion layer on the performance of plasmonic photoconductive sources fabricated on a GaAs substrate. Our analysis suggests that Cr is the most promising adhesion layer for plasmonic contact electrodes. We show that the use of a Cr adhesion layer instead of Ti, which is used in previously demonstrated plasmonic photoconductive sources, offers up to an 80% enhancement in the generated terahertz powers. We report record-high terahertz power emissions of up to 6.7 mW from plasmonic photoconductive sources with Cr/Au contacts.     

Microwave‐induced enhancement of the dissolution rate of poorly water‐soluble tibolone from poly(ethylene glycol) solid dispersions

In this study, solid dispersions of poorly water‐soluble Tibolone in a poly(ethylene glycol) matrix were prepared with conventional melt mixing and microwave irradiation. The results of the assay content, LC–MS, and ¹H‐NMR indicated that microwave irradiation did not affect drug stability when a relatively low irradiation power (440 W) was used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that there were no hydrogen bonds formed between Tibolone and poly(ethylene glycol), and this affected the drug's crystallinity and its particle size distribution. The dissolution rate of the drug was slightly higher in the case of dispersions prepared by microwave irradiation. This enhancement of the drug dissolution rate was probably due to the lower size of the Tibolone particles in the dispersions prepared by microwave irradiation. The application of microwaves represents a promising alternative to conventional preparative methods of drug dispersions. The main advantage in comparison with conventional melt mixing is that solid dispersions can be prepared in much shorter times. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Sesamin Increases Alpha-Linolenic Acid Conversion to Docosahexaenoic Acid in Atlantic Salmon (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmo salar</Emphasis> L.) Hepatocytes: Role of Altered Gene Expression

In vitro cultivated Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), hepatocytes were incubated without or with a mixture of sesamin and episesamin in order to test for possible effects on lipid metabolism. Sesamin/episesamin exposure (0.05 mM, final concentration) led to increased elongation and desaturation of ¹⁴C 18:3n-3 to docosahexaenoic acid (¹⁴C 22:6n-3, DHA, P < 0.01) and down regulated gene expression of Δ6 and Δ5 desaturases compared to control treatment. Sesamin/episesamin further increased the hepatocytes capacity for fatty acid β-oxidation of ¹⁴C 18:3n-3 (P < 0.01) to the ¹⁴C acid soluble products, acetate, malate and oxaloacetate, in agreement with an increased gene expression of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I. Also the gene expression of cluster of differentiation 36 was upregulated and the expression of scavenger receptor type B, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors α and γ were downregulated. The amount of triacylglycerols secreted by the cells tended to be lower in the sesamin/episesamin incubated hepatocytes than the control cells. This study shows that sesamin has favourable effects on lipid metabolism leading to increased level of DHA, which may be of interest for aquaculture use.     

Styrene-butadiene polymer action on compressive and tensile strengths of cement mortars

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation into the action of styrene-butadiene (SB) polymer on the mechanical properties of polymer cement mortars (PCM), comparing the results with the requirements specified in EN 1504-3 [Products and systems for the protection and repair of concrete structures—definitions, requirements, quality control and evaluation of conformity—part 3: structural and non-structural repair, CEN, 2005]. Setting times, shrinkage, elasticity modulus and the microstructure building in PCM are also characterised. Tests performed on PCM confirmed the beneficial action of polymers on tensile strength and, in particular, on flexural strength of cement mortars, whereas in compressive strength, a reduction, at earlier ages, was observed. It is considered that this mechanical behaviour results from the polymer action on the atrophy of hydrated Ca(OH)₂ crystals and on the reduction in the density of microcracks in the paste–aggregate interface, which leads to the noticeable improvement in flexural and tensile strengths. On the other hand, the smaller contribution of the beneficial action of the polymer on the compressive strength, together with the delay in cement hydration and with the increase in the closed porosity of PCM, are the main causes for the reduction in the compressive strength during the first months.

A two-stage heuristic method for balancing mixed-model assembly lines with parallel workstations

This work presents a new mathematical programming model for the mixed-model assembly line balancing problem with parallel workstations and zoning constraints. It allows the user to control the process to create parallel workstations. The model's primary goal is to minimize the number of workstations along the line, for a given cycle time, and its secondary goal is to balance the workloads between and within workstations. A two-stage procedure, using a simulated annealing approach, was developed to tackle this complex problem. The first stage of the procedure looks for a sub-optimal solution to the problem's primary goal, whilst the second stage deals with the secondary goal. The procedure is illustrated with a numerical example and the results from computational experiments show that even for large-scale problems the proposed procedure performs very well.     

Unsteady aspects of sodium–water–air reaction

One important issue for the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) concept is the reactivity of metallic sodium and its exothermal reaction with water. In particular during equipments washing operations, sodium needs to be firstly converted (‘destroyed’) into non reactive species via a chemical reaction with water. Today, such operations are performed in tanks that confine the system and mitigate the consequences of any possible abnormal condition.     

Transient dynamic analysis of a fluid-saturated porous gradient elastic column

The dynamic response of a fluid-saturated porous gradient elastic column to a transient disturbance is determined analytically and numerically. The basic dynamic theory of a fluid-saturated poroelastic medium due to Biot is modified by replacing the classical linear elastic model of the solid skeleton by the simple gradient elastic model of Mindlin with just one elastic constant (internal length scale) in addition to the classical ones. Thus, the new theory, which is presently restricted to the one-dimensional case, can take into account the microstructural effects of the solid skeleton. After the establishment of appropriate boundary and initial conditions, the one-dimensional dynamic column problem is solved analytically with the aid of the Laplace transform with respect to time. The time domain response is finally obtained by a numerical inversion of the transformed solution. The effect of the solid microstructure on the response is assessed and discussed.     

A case study of product engineering: Performance of microencapsulated perfumes on textile applications

The evaluation of the performance of new products to be released on the market is essential to measure its acceptability by consumers. In this work, the performance of an added‐value product, microencapsulated perfumes applied on textiles for man suits, was predicted and evaluated. The odor intensity and character of the perfume ingredients was measured by headspace gas chromatography after dry cleaning and abrasion tests on textiles impregnated with microcapsules. The evaporation and diffusion of the fragrances in the encapsulated perfume was assessed. For this type of application, limonene has shown a better performance in the perfume mixture, being the dominant note over time and distance. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 1939–1950, 2012