Nonlinear chalcogenide optical fiber couplers.

We demonstrate chalcogenide optical fiber couplers with a power-dependent coupling coefficient. The couplers are designed and fabricated using an As2Se3 fiber and characterized at a wavelength of 1938 nm, leading to a critical power of 126 W, the lowest ever reported for any optical fiber coupler. These nonlinear couplers enable all-optical switching and will be useful for passive mode-locking over a wide wavelength range from the telecommunication band to the mid-infrared.

Biomechanics of Atlas Cedar Roots in response to the Medium Hydromechanical Characteristics.

The biomechanical root flexibility in response to hydromechanical soil heterogeneity is the most determining factor of the root architecture which plays a paramount role in mycorrhizal infection and allows the seedlings to adapt to the environmental constraint. We examined the impact of five different hydromechanical medium properties (hydroponics, vermiculite, vermiculite-gravel, sawdust, and sand) on the morphology, physiology, and anatomy of Cedrus atlantica seedlings at a controlled growth chamber. The growth of the seedling is strongly stimulated by the hydroponic medium through the stimulation of the aerial part dry weight and the main root length. However, the sand medium increases the main root dry weight by the radial expanse stimulation at the level of the epidermis, vascular cylinder, and cortex and compensates the less root architecture by the stimulation of the xylem and phloem areas. In contrast to sand and hydroponic media, the sawdust medium stimulates the phloem/xylem ratio, the root architecture, and the short roots. The Pearson bilateral correlation shows that the aerial part dry weight is positively correlated with the permeability, porosity, and water-holding capacity and negatively with the bulk density and density at saturation, whereas the short root production is negatively correlated with the permeability and water-holding capacity. Hence, the hydromechanical characteristics of the soils must be taken into account in the reforestation and mycorrhization attempts.

Malignant transformation of a spiradenoma with blaschkoïd pattern.

Eccrine spiradenoma is a benign and rare adnexal tumor originating from cutaneous eccrine sweat glands. It usually presents as a solitary lesion. It can have different presentations, including a blaschkoid arrangement which is rare. Malignant transformation is possible and usually occurs after a long period of latency in multifocal types.

[Skin metastases revealing a bronchial adenocarcinoma]. / Métastases cutanées révélant un adénocarcinome bronchique.

We report the case of bronchial carcinoma revealed by metastatic skin nodules on the scalp. This fairly common mode of discovery is often associated with poor prognosis. This study aims to underline the importance of directing the search for a primary lung cancer in cases of secondary skin involvement.

[Extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus: about a case]. / Lichen scléro-atrophique extra-génital: à propos d'un cas.

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus is a chronic inflammatory dermatosis, characterized by a specific external genital mucosal tissue tropism. Isolated cutaneous manifestation is rare. We report a case of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus in a woman with purely cutaneous involvement, in order to highlight the importance of evoking this diagnosis in the absence of obvious genital involvement.

Low-threshold lasing at 1975 nm in thulium-doped tellurite glass microspheres.

Thulium-doped (Tm-doped) tellurite glass microspheres are used as laser media. Emission lines at wavelengths near 1975 nm are observed. The onset of laser emission is achieved with 8.6 and 30 µW of coupled pump power and injected pump power, respectively, at a wavelength of 1554 nm. To the authors' knowledge, these are the lowest laser threshold values recorded for a Tm-doped tellurite glass microcavity. Intrinsic Q-factors above 10(6) for the undoped tellurite glass microspheres assert the quality of the fabrication processes. An optical intrinsic Q-factor comparison between Tm-doped tellurite and undoped tellurite microspheres shows that ion absorption is the dominant loss source at pump wavelengths. Lower lasing threshold powers and higher power conversion are observed at longer pump wavelengths in agreement with theoretical models.

Broadband supercontinuum generation in all-normal dispersion chalcogenide microwires.

We report the first chalcogenide microwire designed with all-normal dispersion to generate supercontinuum by optical wave breaking, a low-noise nonlinear process. The chalcogenide (As2S3) microwire is coated with PMMA and tapered to a diameter of 0.58 µm to achieve the all-normal dispersion regime. The generated supercontinuum spectrum spans over an octave from 960 to >2500 nm using a microwire length of only 3 mm and a low pulse energy of 150 pJ.

Mode-locked fiber laser based on chalcogenide microwires.

We report the first mode-locked fiber laser using a chalcogenide microwire as the nonlinear medium. The laser is passively mode-locked with nonlinear polarization rotation and can be adjusted for the emission of solitons or noise-like pulses. The use of the microwire leads to a mode-locking threshold at the microwatt level and shortens the cavity length by 4 orders of magnitude with respect to other lasers of its kind. The controlled birefringence of the microwire, combined with a linear polarizer in the cavity, enables multiwavelength laser operation with tunable central wavelength, switchable wavelength separation, and a variable number of laser wavelengths.

Activity of Haliscosamine against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis: in vitro and in vivo analysis.

Marine sponges are a potential source of new molecules with diverse biological activities. We have previously isolated a sphingosine derivative, (9Z)-2-amino-docos-9-ene-1,3,13,14-tetraol (Haliscosamine) from the Moroccan sea sponge Haliclona viscosa. The aim of this study was to test Haliscosamine in vitro and in vivo for its antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis causing fusarium wilt of melon. Overall, in vitro test showed that haliscosamine has a similar effect as DESOGERME SP VEGETAUX®. In addition, in vivo showed a significant effect against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis. Taking to gather, our results suggest that haliscosamine constitutes a potential candidate against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. melonis and the possibility to use in phytopathology.

3.77 µm fiber laser based on cascaded Raman gain in a chalcogenide glass fiber.

Laser emission is demonstrated at a wavelength of 3.766 µm in a cascaded Raman gain device. The laser cavity is made of two nested pairs of fiber Bragg gratings inscribed in a 2.8 m length of low-loss As2S3 fiber. An erbium-doped fluoride glass quasi-CW fiber laser emitting at 3.005 µm is used to pump the cascaded Raman cavity, which converts the pump wavelength successively to the first and second Stokes orders, respectively at 3.340 and 3.766 µm. A laser output peak power in excess of 100 mW is obtained with a lasing efficiency of about 8.3% with respect to the launched pump power. This represents the highest emission wavelength delivered by a fiber laser operating at room temperature.

Two octaves mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in As2Se3 microwires.

We report the first demonstration of mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in As2Se3 chalcogenide microwires with the added advantage of using low energy pulses. The generated SC covers two octaves of bandwidth from 1.1 µm to 4.4 µm at -30 dB. This exceeds the broadest reported SC bandwidth in As2Se3 microwires by a factor of 3.5. The microwire geometry and pumping conditions are the key parameters in generating the 3.3 µm bandwidth while using a low pump pulse energy of 500 pJ.

Broadband supercontinuum generation in As2Se3 chalcogenide wires by avoiding the two-photon absorption effects.

We report the generation of a broadband supercontinuum (SC) spanning from 1260 to 2200 nm using a 10 cm long As2Se3 chalcogenide (ChG) wire pumped at a wavelength of 1550 nm. Such a wide SC in As2Se3 is obtained by avoiding the effects of two-photon absorption normally observed at a wavelength of 1550 nm. For this purpose, the pump soliton is initially self-frequency shifted toward longer wavelength by means of the Raman effect in standard silica fiber before being launched into the ChG wire for spectral broadening.

Mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in a suspended-core As2S3 chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber.

We demonstrate the supercontinuum (SC) generation in a suspended-core As(2)S(3) chalcogenide microstructured optical fiber (MOF). The variation of SC is investigated by changing the fiber length, pump peak power and pump wavelength. In the case of long fibers (20 and 40 cm), the SC ranges are discontinuous and stop at the wavelengths shorter than 3500 nm, due to the absorption of fiber. In the case of short fibers (1.3 and 2.4 cm), the SC ranges are continuous and can extend to the wavelengths longer than 4 µm. The SC broadening is observed when the pump peak power increases from 0.24 to 1.32 kW at 2500 nm. The SC range increases with the pump wavelength changing from 2200 to 2600 nm, corresponding to the dispersion of As(2)S(3) MOF from the normal to anomalous region. The SC generation is simulated by the generalized nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The simulation includes the SC difference between 1.3 and 2.4 cm long fiber by 2500 nm pumping, the variation of SC with pump peak power in 2.4 cm long fiber, and the variation of SC with pump wavelength in 1.3 cm long fiber. The simulation agrees well with the experiment.

Demonstration of a reef knot microfiber resonator.

We propose a new way to realize a microfiber optical resonator by implementing the topology of a reef knot using two microfibers. We describe how this structure, which includes 4 ports and can serve as an add-drop filter, can be fabricated. Resonances in an all-silica reef knot are measured and good fits are obtained from a simple resonator model. We also show the feasibility of assembling a hybrid silica-chalcogenide reef knot structure.

[Gallbladder volvulus: Two cases]. / Volvulus de la vésicule biliaire: deux cas.

INTRODUCTION: Gallbladder volvulus remains a relatively rare disorder. OBSERVATION: We report two cases, both in men older than 80 years and both diagnosed during surgery. Both patients presented signs of peritonitis (one generalized and the other localized) and severe sepsis. DISCUSSION: We review the literature about gallbladder volvulus to analyze its incidence, etiology, and clinical, radiologic and therapeutic characteristics.