Measurement of Distributed Antenna Systems at 2.4 GHz in a Realistic Subway Tunnel Environment.

Accurate characterization of the radio channel in tunnels is of great importance for new signaling and train control communications systems. To model this environment, measurements have been taken at 2.4 GHz in a real environment in Madrid subway. The measurements were carried out with four base station transmitters installed in a 2-km tunnel and using a mobile receiver installed on a standard train. First, with an optimum antenna configuration, all the propagation characteristics of a complex subway environment, including near shadowing, path loss,shadow fading, fast fading, level crossing rate (LCR), and average fade duration (AFD), have been measured and computed. Thereafter, comparisons of propagation characteristics in a double-track tunnel (9.8-m width) and a single-track tunnel (4.8-m width) have been made. Finally, all the measurement results have been shown in a complete table for accurate statistical modeling.

2.4 W. Sherman Savage, Lincoln University History Professor, 1921-60

Gaines studied History and Education at Lincoln and was frequently seen in Memorial Hall chatting with his mentors in the History Department, Drs. W. Sherman Savage and Lorenzo Greene about his future after graduation.

2.4 Judge W. M. Dinwiddie Boone County, Missouri, 13th Circuit Court

Two weeks later, Judge Dinwiddie issued his decision in favor of Canada and the University. Houston was expecting this and appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court.

2.4 "The Strange Disappearance of Lloyd Gaines"

The May 1951 Ebony Magazine Article "The Strange Disappearance of Lloyd Gaines"

7-Chloro-3-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine S,S-dioxide (IDRA 21), a congener of aniracetam, potently abates pharmacologically induced cognitive impairments in patas monkeys.

We report here on the ability of IDRA 21 and aniracetam, two negative allosteric modulators of glutamate-induced DL-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor desensitization, to attenuate alprazolam-induced learning deficit in patas monkeys working in a complex behavioral task. In one component of a multiple schedule (repeated acquisition or "learning"), patas monkeys acquired a different four-response chain each session by responding sequentially on three keys in the presence of four discriminative stimuli (geometric forms or numerals). In the other component (performance) the four-response chain was the same each session. The response chain in each component was maintained by food presentation under a fixed-ratio schedule. When alprazolam (0.1 or 0.32 mg/kg p.o.) was administered alone, this full allosteric modulator of gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors produced large decreases in the response rate and accuracy in the learning component of the task. IDRA 21 (3 or 5.6 mg/kg p.o.) and aniracetam (30 mg/kg p.o.) administered 60 min before alprazolam, having no effect when given alone, antagonized the large disruptive effects of alprazolam on learning. From dose-response studies, it can be estimated that IDRA 21 is approximately 10-fold more potent than aniracetam in antagonizing alprazolam-induced learning deficit. We conclude that IDRA 21, a chemically unrelated pharmacological congener of aniracetam, improves learning deficit induced in patas monkeys by the increase of GABAergic tone elicited by alprazolam. Very likely IDRA 21 exerts its behavioral effects by antagonizing AMPA receptor desensitization.

Blockade of T- and B-lymphocyte development by antibody to the gamma c subunit of the receptors for interleukins 2, 4, and 7.

Cytokines are important regulators of hematopoesis. Mutations in gamma c, which is a subunit shared by the receptors for interleukin (IL) 2, IL-4, and IL-7, have been causally associated with human X chromosome-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disease. This finding indicates a mandatory role for cytokine receptor signaling at one or more stages of lymphocyte development. To evaluate the cellular level at which gamma c is critical for lymphopoiesis, the effect of monoclonal antibodies to gamma c on the capacity of syngeneic bone marrow cells to reconstitute the hematopoietic compartment of lethally irradiated recipient mice was examined. We show that monoclonal antibody to gamma c blocked lymphocyte development at or before the appearance of pro-B cells and prior to or at the seeding of the thymus by precursor cells while erythromyeloid cell development was normal. These results suggest that one level of lymphocyte development that requires gamma c is a point in hematopoietic cell differentiation near the divergence of lymphopoiesis and erythromyelopoesis.

Screen-printed electrode-based electrochemical detector coupled with in-situ ionic-liquid-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for determination of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene

A novel method is reported, whereby screen-printed electrodes (SPELs) are combined with dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. In-situ ionic liquid (IL) formation was used as an extractant phase in the microextraction technique and proved to be a simple, fast and inexpensive analytical method. This approach uses miniaturized systems both in sample preparation and in the detection stage, helping to develop environmentally friendly analytical methods and portable devices to enable rapid and onsite measurement. The microextraction method is based on a simple metathesis reaction, in which a water-immiscible IL (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [Hmim][NTf2]) is formed from a water-miscible IL (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, [Hmim][Cl]) and an ion-exchange reagent (lithium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, LiNTf2) in sample solutions. The explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was used as a model analyte to develop the method. The electrochemical behavior of TNT in [Hmim][NTf2] has been studied in SPELs. The extraction method was first optimized by use of a two-step multivariate optimization strategy, using Plackett–Burman and central composite designs. The method was then evaluated under optimum conditions and a good level of linearity was obtained, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9990. Limits of detection and quantification were 7 μg L−1 and 9 μg L−1, respectively. The repeatability of the proposed method was evaluated at two different spiking levels (20 and 50 μg L−1), and coefficients of variation of 7 % and 5 % (n = 5) were obtained. Tap water and industrial wastewater were selected as real-world water samples to assess the applicability of the method.

1H-1,3-Diazepines, 5H-1,3-diazepines, 1,3-diazepinones, and 2,4-diazabicyclo[3.2.0]heptenes

Tetrazolo[1,5-a] pyridines/ 2-azidopyridines 1 undergo photochemical nitrogen elimination and ring expansion to 1,3-diazacyclohepta-1,2,4,6-tetraenes 3, which react with alcohols to afford 2-alkoxy-1H-1,3-diazepines 4 (5), with secondary amines to 2-dialkylamino-5H-1,3-diazepines 16, sometimes via isolable 2-dialkylamino-1H-1,3-diazepines 15, and with water to 1,3-diazepin-2-ones 19. The latter are also obtained by elimination of isobutene or propene from 2-tert-butoxy- or 2-isopropoxy-1H-1,3-diazepines 4 or 5. 1,3-Diazepin-2-one 22B and 1,3-diazepin-4-one 24 were obtained from hydrolysis of the corresponding 4-chlorodiazepines. Diazepinones 19 undergo photochemical ring closure to diazabicycloheptenones 25 in high yields. The 2-alkoxy-1H-1,3-diazepines 4 and 5 interconvert by rapid proton exchange between positions N1 and N3. The free energies of activation for the proton exchange were measured by the Forsen - Hoffman method as DeltaGdouble dagger(298) = 16.2 +/- 0.6 kcal mol(-1) as an average for 4a - c in CD2Cl2, acetone-d(6), and methanol-d(4), and 14.1 +/- 0.6 kcal mol(-1) for 4c in acetone/D2O. The structures of 2-methoxy-5,6-bis( trifluoromethyl)-1H-1,3-diazepine 4k, 1,2-dihydro-4-diethylamino-5H-1,3-diazepin-2-one 22bB, and diazabicycloheptanone 26 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The former represents the first reported X-ray crystal structure of any monocyclic N-unsubstituted 1H-azepine.

A soil-based microbial biofilm exposed to 2,4-D: bacterial community development and establishment of conjugative plasmid pJP4

A soil suspension was used as a source to initiate the development of microbial communities in flow cells irrigated with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) (25 mu g ml(-1)). Culturable bacterial members of the community were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and found to be members of the genera Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, Collimonas and Rhodococcus. A 2,4-D degrading donor strain, Pseudomonas putida SM 1443 (pJP4::gfp), was inoculated into flow cell chambers containing 2-day old biofilm communities. Transfer of pJP4::gfp from the donor to the bacterial community was detectable as GFP fluorescing cells and images were captured using confocal scanning laser microscopy (GFP fluorescence was repressed in the donor due to the presence of a chromosomally located lacl(q) repressor gene). Approximately 5-10 transconjugant microcolonies, 20-40 mu m in diameter, could be seen to develop in each chamber. A 2,4-D degrading transconjugant strain was isolated from the flow cell system belonging to the genus Burkholderia.

Rhizodeposits of Trifolium pratense and Lolium perenne: Their comparative effects on 2,4-D mineralization in two contrasting soils

Rhizosphere enhanced biodegradation of organic pollutants has been reported frequently and a stimulatory role for specific components of rhizodeposits postulated. As rhizodeposit composition is a function of plant species and soil type, we compared the effect of Lolium perenne and Trifolium pratense grown in two different soils (a sandy silt loam: pH 4, 2.8% OC, no previous 2,4-D exposure and a silt loam: pH 6.5, 4.3% OC, previous 2,4-D exposure) on the mineralization of the herbicide 2,4-D (2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). We investigated the relationship of mineralization kinetics to dehydrogenase activity, most probable number of 2,4-D degraders (MPN2,4-D) and 2,4-D degrader composition (using sequence analysis of the gene encoding alpha-ketoglutarate/2,4-D dioxygenase (tfdA)). There were significant (P < 0.01) plant-soil interaction effects on MPN2,4-D and 2,4-D mineralization kinetics (e.g. T pratense rhizodeposits enhanced the maximum mineralization rate by 30% in the acid sandy silt loam soil, but not in the neutral silt loam soil). Differences in mineralization kinetics could not be ascribed to 2,4-D degrader composition as both soils had tfdA sequences which clustered with tfdAs representative of two distinct classes of 2,4-D degrader: canonical R. eutropha JMP134-like and oligotrophic alpha-proteobacterial-like. Other explanations for the differential rhizodeposit effect between soils and plants (e.g. nutrient competition effects) are discussed. Our findings stress that complexity of soil-plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere make the occurrence and extent of rhizosphere-enhanced xenobiotic degradation difficult to predict.

Rhizodeposition and the enhanced mineralization of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in soil from the Trifolium pratense rhizosphere

Enhanced biodegradation of organic xenobiotic compounds in the rhizosphere is frequently recorded although the specific mechanisms are poorly understood. We have shown that the mineralization of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is enhanced in soil collected from the rhizosphere of Trifolium pratense[e.g. maximum mineralization rate = 7.9 days(-1) and time at maximum rate (t(1)) = 16.7 days for 12-day-old T. pratense soil in comparison with 4.7 days(-1) and 25.4 days, respectively, for non-planted controls). The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the plant-microbe interactions involved in rhizosphere-enhanced biodegradation by narrowing down the identity of the T. pratense rhizodeposit responsible for stimulating the microbial mineralization of 2,4-D. Specifically, we investigated the distribution of the stimulatory component(s) among rhizodeposit fractions (exudates or root debris) and the influence of soil properties and plant species on its production. Production of the stimulatory rhizodeposit was dependent on soil pH (e.g. t(1) for roots grown at pH 6.5 was significantly lower than for those grown at pH 4.4) but independent of soil inorganic N concentration. Most strikingly, the stimulatory rhizodeposit was only produced by T. pratense grown in non-sterile soil and was present in both exudates and root debris. Comparison of the effect of root debris from plant species (three each) from the classes monocotyledon, dicotyledon (non-legume) and dicotyledon (legume) revealed that legumes had by far the greatest positive impact on 2,4-D mineralization kinetics. We discuss the significance of these findings with respect to legume-rhizobia interactions in the rhizosphere.

Synthesis and characterization of Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes with triazolopyrimidine derivatives: The crystal structure of [Pd2L2Cl4] where L=5,7-dimethyl-1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine

The Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes with triazolopyrimidine C-nucleosides L-1 (5,7-dimethyl-3-(2',3',5'-tri-O-benzoyl-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-s-triazolo)[4,3-a]pyrimidine), L-2 (5,7-dimethyl-3-beta-D-ribofuranosyl-s-triazolo [4,3-a]pyrimidine) and L-3 (5,7-dimethyl[1,5-a]-s-triazolopyrimidine), [Pd(en)(L-1)](NO3)(2), (Pd(bpy)(L-1)](NO3)(2), cis-Pd(L-3)(2)Cl-2, [Pd-2(L-3)(2)Cl-4]center dot H2O, cis-Pd(L-2)(2)Cl-2 and [Pt-3(L-1)(2)Cl-6] were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and NMR spectroscopy. The structure of the [Pd-2(L-3)(2)Cl-4]center dot H2O complex was established by Xray crystallography. The two L-3 ligands are found in a head to tail orientation, with a (PdPd)-Pd-... distance of 3.1254(17) angstrom.L-1 coordinates to Pd(II) through N8 and N1 forming polymeric structures. L-2 coordinates to Pd(II) through N8 in acidic solutions (0.1 M HCl) forming complexes of cis-geometry. The Pd(II) coordination to L-2 does not affect the sugar conformation probably due to the high stability of the C-C glycoside bond. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Organic reactions in ionic liquids: ionic liquid-accelerated facile synthesis of 3-alkyl-2,4-thiazolidinediones

The room temperature ionic liquid [bmim]PF6 is a new green solvent for the N-alkylation of 2,4-thiazolidinones. Significant rate enhancement and improved yields have been observed.

A convenient synthesis of 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2, 4-diones under microwave irradiation without solvent

A series of 5-benzylidenethiazolidine-2,4-diones was synthesised by the Knoevenagel condensation of aromatic aldehydes with thiazolidine-2,4-dione in the presence of catalytic amounts of piperidine and acetic acid under microwave irradiation without solvent in good yields.

Organic reactions in ionic liquids; Ionic liquid-accelerated three-component reaction: a rapid one-pot synthesis of 3-alkyl-5-[(Z)-arylmethylidene]-1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-diones

A rapid one-pot synthesis of 3-alkyl-5-[(Z)-arylme­thylidene]-1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-dionesis described that occurs in recyclable ionic liquid [bmim]PF6 (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate).Significant rate enhancement and good selectivity have been observed.