Laser–Induced Fluorescence Detection of Carbamates Traces in Water

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of carbaryl (CB), carbofuran (CF) and carbendazim (MBC) have been studied. Fluorescence lifetime and fluorescence quantum yields are also reported as well as the influence of pH, solvent and presence of humic acids on fluorescence. The limit of detection (LD) of the three compounds has been measured by direct analysis by laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) using a pulsed YAG laser with an Optical Parametric Oscillator (OPO) as excitation source and an Intensified Charged Coupled Device (ICCD) camera for the fluorescence detection. Instrumental LD found for CB, for MBC and for CF are respectively 4, 50 and 1000 ng L⁻¹. In tap water, the LD obtained is 800 ng L⁻¹ for MBC and 20,000 ng L⁻¹ for CF. For CB, the use of a time shift between excitation and emission allows to reach a LD of 20 ng L⁻¹ in tap water.     

Unified Solution of the Expected Maximum of a Discrete Time Random Walk and the Discrete Flux to a Spherical Trap

Two random-walk related problems which have been studied independently in the past, the expected maximum of a random walker in one dimension and the flux to a spherical trap of particles undergoing discrete jumps in three dimensions, are shown to be closely related to each other and are studied using a unified approach as a solution to a Wiener-Hopf problem. For the flux problem, this work shows that a constant c = 0.29795219 which appeared in the context of the boundary extrapolation length, and was previously found only numerically, can be derived analytically. The same constant enters in higher-order corrections to the expected-maximum asymptotics. As a byproduct, we also prove a new universal result in the context of the flux problem which is an analogue of the Sparre Andersen theorem proved in the context of the random walker's maximum.     

Study of the spontaneous formation of organic layers on carbon and metal surfaces from diazonium salts

This study investigates the spontaneous grafting of different para-substituted phenyl groups on carbon and metallic surfaces from diazonium salts solutions. Glassy carbon, nickel, zinc and iron plates were allowed to react with an acetonitrile solution of aryldiazonium tetrafluoroborate salt by simple dipping. The surfaces were characterized before and after their immersion by XPS and AFM to evidence the formation of a coating on the different materials. The results are indicative of the presence of substituted phenyl groups on all the investigated surfaces. This study also aims at correlating grafting efficiency with metal reactivities and diazonium salt electronic properties by means of AFM and FT-IRRAS. For this purpose, zinc and nickel were chosen due to their opposite reducing properties and two diazonium salts were selected with electron-donor or -withdrawing para-substituents. The results tend to indicate that redox properties of both partners (diazonium + metal) are of prime importance for grafting to occur.     

Hypersonic velocity measurement using Brillouin scattering technique. Application to water under high pressure and temperature

This paper presents recent improvement on sound velocity measurements under extreme conditions, illustrated by the hypersonic sound velocity measurements of water up to 723 K and 9 GPa using Brillouin scattering technique. Because water at high pressure and high temperature is chemically very aggressive, these experiments have been carried out using a specific experimental set-up. The present data should be useful to better constrain the water equation of state at high density. This new development brings high-quality elastic data in a large pressure/temperature domain, which may afterwards benefit the understanding of many other fields as nonlinear acoustics, underwater sound, or physical acoustics from a more general point of view.     

Assignment of the 1H and 13C NMR Chemical Shifts of (3,4-Dihydro-2H-pyran-5-yl)-oxo-acetic Acid Methyl Ester Using the Two Dimensional HMBC Technique

The identification of (3, 4-dihydro-2H-pyran-5-yl)-oxo-acetic acid methyl ester has been realized by combination of two dimensional HETCOR and HMBC techniques. ¹³C and ¹H chemical shifts asignements are described.     

Relevance of continuously self-imaging gratings for noise robust imagery

We have designed miniaturized, simple, and robust cameras composed of a single diffractive optical element (DOE) that generates a continuously self-imaging (CSI) beam. Two different DOEs are explored: the J₀ Bessel transmittance, characterized by a continuous optical transfer function (OTF) and the CSI grating (CSIG), characterized by a sparse OTF. In this Letter, we will analyze the properties of both DOEs in terms of radiometric performances. We will demonstrate that the noise robustness is enhanced for a CSIG, thanks to the sparsity of its OTF. A camera using this DOE has been made and experimental images are presented to illustrate the noise robustness.     

MRI investigation of granular interface rheology using a new cylinder shear apparatus

The rheology of granular materials near an interface is investigated through proton magnetic resonance imaging. A new cylinder shear apparatus has been inserted in the magnetic resonance imaging device, which allows the control of the radial confining pressure exerted by the outer wall on the grains and the measurement of the torque on the inner shearing cylinder. A multi-layer velocimetry sequence has been developed for the simultaneous measurement of velocity profiles in different sample zones, while the measurement of the solid fraction profile is based on static imaging of the sample. This study describes the influence of the roughness of the shearing interface and of the transverse confining walls on the granular interface rheology.     

Ground states and flux configurations of the two-dimensional Falicov-Kimball model

The Falicov-Kimball model is a lattice model of itinerant spinless fermions (electrons) interacting by an on-site potential with classical particles (ions). We continue the investigations of the crystalline ground states that appear for various filling of electrons and ions for large coupling. We investigate the model for square as well as triangular lattices. New ground states are found and the effects of a magnetic flux on the structure of the phase diagram are studied. The flux phase problem where one has to find the optimal flux configurations and the nuclei configurations is also solved in some cases. Finally we consider a model where the fermions are replaced by hard-core bosons. This model also has crystalline ground states. Therefore their existence does not require the Pauli principle, but only the on-site hard-core constraint for the itinerant particles.