An optical fibre pH sensor based on dye doped mesostructured silica

This paper describes the synthesis and optical pH sensing properties of a pH indicator dye activated mesostructured silica coated optical fibre. The pH-sensitive dye bromothymol blue was incorporated into the mesostructure sol precursor and thin films/coatings were used for pH-sensing applications without prior removal of the surfactant. The pH sensitivity range and operating wavelength were analysed by absorption measurements on layer dip-coated on glass slides. The pH sensing properties of coated optical fibre were tested by evanescent wave method. Experiments were carried out by using a series of solutions of known pH. No leaching was observed (except at very high pH) and an excellent reversibility was obtained between pH=2 and 5.     

The Webster scalar curvature problem on the three dimensional CR manifolds

In this paper, we prove some existence results for the Webster scalar curvature problem on the three dimensional CR compact manifolds locally conformally CR equivalent to the unit sphere S³ of C². Our methods are based on the techniques related to the theory of critical points at infinity.     

An efficient and simple aminobenzannulation reaction: pyrrolidine as a trigger for the synthesis of 1-amino-acridines

[reaction: see text] A new aminobenzannulation methodology has been developed and applied successfully to the synthesis of 1-amino-acridines. The key and last step goes through an enamine intermediate that was detected in some cases. When pyrrolidine and powdered 4 A molecular sieves were used, the enamine synthesis and the aminobenzannulation step took place subsequently, whereas for other secondary amines, neutral Al(2)O(3) or PtCl(2) catalysis was necessary.     

Isolation and structure determination of a novel furanic ester from the aerial part of Prasium majus

The aerial part of Prasium majus provided a new furanic ester, 2-2-[(5-formyl-6[(5-formylfuran-2-yl)methoxy] succinic acid dimethyl ester, (+/-)-hiziprafuran. Its structure was principally established by one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy.     

Enveloppes inférieures de fonctions admissibles sur l'espace projectif complexe. Cas dissymétrique

This paper generalizes the first author's preceding works concerning admissible functions on certain Fano manifolds [A. Ben Abdesselem, Lower bound of admissible functions on sphere, Bull. Sci. Math. 126 (2002) 675-680 [2]; A. Ben Abdesselem, Enveloppes inférieures de fonctions admissibles sur l'espace projectif complexe. Cas symétrique, Bull. Sci. Math. 130 (2006) 341-353 [3]]. Here, we study a larger class of functions which can be less symmetric than the ones studied before. When the sup of these functions is null, we prove that they admit a lower bound, giving precisely Tian invariant [G. Tian, On Kähler-Einstein metrics on certain Kähler manifolds with C₁(M)>0, Invent. Math. 89 (1987) 225-246 [7]] (see also [T. Aubin, Réduction du cas positif de l'équation de Monge-Ampère sur les variétés Kählériennes à la démonstration d'une inégalité, J. Funct. Anal. 57 (1984) 143-153 [1]]) on these manifolds.     

FDTD study of subwavelength imaging by a photonic crystal slab

The problem of subwavelength imaging via a photonic crystal slab lens made of two-dimensional (2D) square arrays of parallel dielectric cylinders in air is studied and discussed theoretically. The finite-difference time-domain method is employed to investigate the unique features of imaging by such lens. We confirm earlier findings that a photonic crystal slab lens can provide the imaging of a point source. By analysing the transmission properties of the proposed structure, we demonstrate that inside the all-angle negative refraction, there are some favourable directions for waves to travel. We show that the surface termination of the photonic crystal is a key parameter to obtain a good quality image. The super-resolution of two sources separated by a distance less than the wavelength is also considered. It is shown that the achievable resolution is limited by the slab length.     

Self-adjointness of the perturbed wave operator on

We give classes of unbounded real-valued for which is self-adjoint on , , where is the wave operator defined on .

     

Structure-antibacterial activity relationship of secondary metabolites from Ajuga pseudoiva Rob. leaves

A selection of steroids, glycerides, clerodane diterpenoids, and a beta-hydroxy fatty acid methyl ester, all previously isolated from Ajuga pseudoiva leaves, were tested for their antibacterial activity toward three Gram- rods and one Gram+ coccus using the dilution method; MIC values were determined. The results suggested some importance for a free beta-hydroxy group in the fatty acid ester and also in the glycerides and clerodane derivatives; the absolute configurations of the latter, notably at C2, had little influence on activity.