Abstract: A method for the preparation of a compound of general Formula: or pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives and salts, racemates, isomers and/or tautomers thereof comprising cyclizing an azomethine ylide of general Formula: wherein, A is a cyclic or non-cyclic group; Z is a carbon or a heteroatom; n is selected from 0, 1, 2 or 3; W, X and Y may be the same or different and each are selected from hydrogen; optionally substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino, alkoxy, alkenoxy, alkynoxy, aryl, alkylthio, heterocyclyl; carboxy, carboxy ester, carboxamido, acyl, acyloxy, mercapto, halogen, nitro, sulfate, phosphate, cyano and optionally protected hydroxy; or W and X, together with the nitrogen and carbon atoms to which they are attached, form a saturated or unsaturated nitrogen containing heterocyclic group which may be optionally substituted or optionally fused to a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic group, aryl group or heterocyclic group is provided.

Abstract: A vertical cavity surface emitting laser, including an active region, an electrical contact for injecting current into the active region in order to generate photons, and an aperture between the active region and the contact for restricting current flow into the active region. The aperture is sufficiently large in at least one transverse dimension for the active region to support multiple transverse modes, and the aperture and contact are configured to produce current crowding in the active region. The direction of photon emission from the laser is determined by the injection current selectively stimulating different transverse modes.

Abstract: A method of preventing or treating infection by a range of fungal pathogens in an animal or plant or stored plant product comprising administering an effective amount of a sugar acid, in particular mannonic acid, gluconic acid or galacturonic. The sugar acid can be delivered by a biocontrol that can manufacture the sugar acid. An exemplified biocontrol is Pseudomonas strain AN5, which is characterized by the capacity to convert aldose to sugar acid. Also disclosed are nucleotide sequences from enzymes in the Pseudomonas PQQ enzyme pathway which may be used to transform microorganisms and plants so that they produce sugar acids at levels sufficient to control the growth or viability of pathogens.

Abstract: This invention relates to a technique for inducing frequency selective changes in photo-sensitive materials. It is known to store data in photo-sensitive materials using frequency selective optical data storage (FSDS). In order to improve the storage density, the present invention proposes storing data in the photo-sensitive material using a single side band technique. In one embodiment, a reference pulse is utilised having a frequeny band which encompasses only a single side band of the encoded signal. In another embodiment, a filter is utilised to filter out all frequencies apart from the single side band to be written into the material. As well as being useful for storing data in the photo-sensitive material, the single side band technique can also be used to store filter characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for simultaneously assessing the functional status of component parts of the nervous system by presenting sparse stimuli to one or more parts of the sensory nervous system. Sparse stimuli consist of temporal sequences of stimulus conditions presented against a baseline null stimulus condition, where the non-null stimulus condition, or conditions, are presented relatively infrequently. The low probability of encountering a stimulus differing from a baseline or null stimulus condition in sparse stimulus sequences insures that gain control mechanisms within the nervous system will increase the neural response magnitude and also bias the measured responses to those neurone populations having such gain controls. The consequently increased response amplitudes ensure more reliably recorded responses than are obtained with non-sparse stimuli.

Abstract: Remote sensing of the temperature of a greybody or blackbody radiator is effected by passing its radiation (24) through a modulated infrared filter spectrometer. The infrared filter comprises, in sequence, a band pass filter (20), a first polariser (21) which polarises the radiation, an electro-optical element (22) which splits the polarised radiation into two orthogonally polarised components, and a second polariser (23). A lens (28) images the radiation leaving the second polariser onto a detector (27). The electrical signal from the detector (27) is input to a numerical analyser. The electro-optical element (22), typically comprising a birefringent crystal assembly (25) and a birefringent trim plate (26), is configured so that the net optical delay of the orthogonally polarised components passed through it is such that the recombined components are at or near a peak or trough in their interferogram.

Abstract: A diode laser having a plurality of layers including a thin (e.g., about 0.3 ?m or less) p-type cladding layer, the plurality of layers having a substantially asymmetric refractive index profile with respect to the layer growth direction to produce an optical field distribution with a larger fraction of the distribution in n-type layers than in p-type layers of the laser. The layers can be configured to produce a ridge diode laser having an internal loss less than about 3 cm?1, and able to generate an approximately 980 nm laser beam with a transverse divergence of about 28° or less, and a spot size of about 0.8 ?m or more.

Abstract: A method for the detection of fibrin in a source, in particular the in vivo detection of a fibrin in a patient, the method comprising supplying to the source or patient an amount of a detectable reagent comprising a plurality of discrete particles, each of the particles comprising a plurality of layers of carbon and being capable of binding to fibrin; and detecting the presence of the particles in the source. The particles may also comprise a detectable marker encased in said plurality of layers of carbon, the presence of said marker being capable of detection in said source.

Abstract: A method of disordering a quantum well heterostructure, including the step of irradiating the heterostructure with a particle beam, wherein the energy of the beam is such that the beam creates a substantially constant distribution of defects within the heterostructure. The irradiating particles can be ions or electrons, and the energy is preferably such that the irradiating particles pass through the heterostructure. Light ions such as hydrogen ions are preferred because they are readily available and produce substantially uniform distributions of point defects at relatively low energies. The method can be used to tune the wavelength range of an optoelectronic device including such a heterostructure, such as a photodetector.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods for the synthesis of chemical compounds for screening as potential tubulin polymerization inhibitors. The invention also provides chemical compounds with tubulin polymerization inhibitor activity.

Abstract: Methods for the formation of colloidal suspensions. The method includes combining an aqueous substance with a second substance that is normally immiscible with the aqueous substance, to form a mixture, and before, during or after the combining removing dissolved gases from one or both of the aqueous and second substance, whereby the aqueous and second substances mix and form a colloidal suspension. The methods for the formation of colloidal suspensions include methods for the formation of emulsions as well as particulate dispersions. The methods used to form the colloidal suspensions in accordance with the present invention produce colloidal suspensions that are stable for periods from an hour to several weeks in the absence of surfactants or stabilizing agents.

Abstract: A diode laser formed by a plurality of layers including n-type layers and p-type layers, the plurality of layers having a substantially asymmetric refractive index profile with respect to the layer growth direction so as to generate an optical field distribution with a larger fraction in n-type layers than in p-type layers, and configured to generate a beam with a divergence of less than about 28° in the growth direction. The layers include an active layer for generating the optical field, a trap layer for attracting the optical field, and a separation layer between the active layer and the trap layer for repelling the optical field. The laser can be configured to have an internal loss of about 1.2 cm?1 or less, and to generate a laser beam with a spot size of at least about 1.1 ?m and a divergence of approximately 13° in the growth direction. If the length of the laser is at least about 1 mm, the threshold current density of the laser can be less than about 400 A cm?2.

Abstract: The present invention relates to cryptate compounds useful as chelating agents. In particular, the present invention relates to functionalized derivatives of certain cryptate compounds. These functionalized derivatives are suitable for use in radiolabelling and similar applications. The present invention also relates to a method for diagnosis or therapy of a disease utilizing functionalized derivatives of cryptase compounds.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and an optical system for sensing and controlling the frequency for a laser with respect to an optical cavity and for sensing and controlling the length difference of interferometer paths in a two beam interferometer. A misalignment is introduced in the incident laser radiation to produce a fundamental mode (TEM00) in the cavity or interferometer and the reflection of a least one higher order mode (TEM01). A split photodetector (10) allows the interference between these two modes to be measured separately by detecting two spatially distinct portions of the single reflected beam. An error signal indicative of the difference between the fundamental mode frequency and the cavity resonant frequency is obtained by substracting the outputs from the two parts of the photodetector.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a method of synthesising a metal alkoxide polymer involving the following general steps: 1. acidolysis; 2. condensation; and 3. subsequent processing. The acidolysis step is preferably performed without addition of water, in the presence of a mutual solvent. The acidolysis step involves acidolysis of a metal alkoxide compound with an acid to produce an intermediate acidolysed solution. The condensation step involves condensation of the intermediate solution in the presence of a metal alkoxide compound to produce the metal alkoxide polymer.

Abstract: In a preconditioning process for an iteration method to solve simultaneous linear equations through multilevel block incomplete factorization of a coefficient matrix, a set of variable numbers of variables to be removed is determined at each level of the factorization such that a block matrix comprising coefficients of the variables can be diagonal dominant. The approximate inverse matrix of the block matrix is obtained in iterative computation, and non-zero elements of a coefficient matrix at a coarse level are reduced.

Abstract: Therapeutic compositions including a species of Coxiella or one or more antigenic components therefrom or analogous or homologous components thereof are disclosed. These compositions are useful in preventing, inhibiting, delaying onset of or otherwise ameliorating the effects of an autoimmune disease in a mammal, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). They arm also useful in prolonging survival of islet tissue transplanted into a mammal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of splicing together two optical waveguides, such as an optical fibre and a planar waveguide, or two optical fibres. The method involves the steps of etching a terminal end of an optical fibre in the manner so as to create a tapered core projection. Another optical fibre or waveguide has a complimentary recess etched therein. The projection and recess are placed together and the waveguides moved together to facilitate alignment of the respective cores of the waveguides. A tube etching method is utilised to create the projection.

Abstract: Therapeutic compositions including a species of Coxiella or one or more antigenic components therefrom or analogous or homologous components thereof are disclosed. These compositions are useful in preventing, inhibiting, delaying onset of or otherwise ameliorating the effects of an autoimmune disease in a mammal, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). They are also useful in prolonging survival of islet tissue transplanted into a mammal.

Abstract: Storage stable, UV curable, NIR transparent, polycondensates and methods for the production thereof by condensation of one or more silanediols of formula (I) and/or derived precondensates thereof with one or more silanes of formula (II) and/or derived precondensates thereof At least one of the aromatic groups Ar1 or Ar2 bears a cross-linkable functional group. The polycondensates are curable by crosslinking.