Davis-Beirut reaction: route to thiazolo-, thiazino-, and thiazepino-2H-indazoles.

Methods for the construction of thiazolo-, thiazino-, and thiazepino-2H-indazoles from o-nitrobenzaldehydes or o-nitrobenzyl bromides and S-trityl-protected 1°-aminothioalkanes are reported. The process consists of formation of the requisite N-(2-nitrobenzyl)(tritylthio)alkylamine, subsequent deprotection of the trityl moiety with TFA, and immediate treatment with aq. KOH in methanol under Davis-Beirut reaction conditions to deliver the target thiazolo-, thiazino-, or thiazepino-2H-indazole in good overall yield. Subsequent S-oxidation gives the corresponding sulfone

Master of Science

thesisFilter Bank Multicarrier (FB-MC) is a technique similar to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), used to divide the spectrum of a transceiver into multiple subcarriers or channels. When a single symbol is repeated across all subcarriers, its energy is spread across the entire spectrum. This is referred to as Filter Bank Multicarrier Spread Spectrum (FB-MC-SS). The design of a preamble or training sequence used in the packet construction of a FB-MC-SS transceiver system is explored in this thesis. The preamble is used to acquire an estimate of the channel impulse response and noise variance for each subcarrier. This information is then used to undo the effect of the channel and perform Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) across all subcarriers. An alternating {+1, âˆ'1} sequence has been previously proposed for its implementation simplicity. An alternating {+1,âˆ'1} sequence leads to detection advantages as a result of the impulse response of the matched filter. An alternating {+1,âˆ'1} sequence also presents many disadvantages. Mainly, the sequence is susceptible to interference because of its distinct frequency. The alternating {+1, âˆ'1} sequence also has a higher probability of detection by unauthorized users. To combat these deficiencies of the alternating {+1,âˆ'1} sequence, pseudorandom sequences are explored in this thesis. The goal of the pseudorandom sequence is to gain ro- bustness without forfeiting the packet’s detectability by intended receivers. Pseudorandom Polyphase and Maximum Length Binary sequences are explored as randomized preambles. Both the alternating {+1, âˆ'1} sequence and the pseudorandom sequence are implemented separately in the FB-MC-SS transceiver on a Xilinx FPGA to compare resource utilizations. Pseudorandom Polyphase preamble sequences lead to robust channel frequency response and noise variance estimation in interfered environments. Although alternating {+1, âˆ'1} sequence leads to straightforward packet detection and simple FPGA implementation, the susceptibility of an alternating {+1, âˆ'1} preamble to interference makes a pseudorandom preamble sequence more desirable

Loss of p53 Expression in Gastric Epithelial Cells of Helicobacter pylori-Infected Jordanian Patients

BACKGROUND: Around half of the global population is chronically infected with the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori, making it one of the most common chronic infections worldwide. H. pylori induces the production of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and accelerates the degradation of the tumor suppressor protein p53, which may lead to cancer development. In this study, we investigated the relationship between H. pylori infection and the expression of p53 in gastric mucosa in a group of patients from Jordan. METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, the epithelium of gastric glands in subjects chronically infected with H. pylori was examined for the expression of p53. Paraffin-embedded gastric biopsy samples from the archives for 50 Jordanian patients diagnosed with chronic H. pylori infection and 25 samples free of H. pylori infection and any other gastric abnormalities were selected. Samples were analyzed for the presence of H. pylori as well as p53 expression levels in the mucosa and submucosa by immunohistochemical analyses and Western blotting. RESULTS: H. pylori was detected in the gastric tissues of infected individuals (n = 50); whereas, no H. pylori infection was detected in uninfected healthy individuals (n = 25) using immunohistochemistry. In contrast to the noninfected samples of gastric mucosa, no nuclear p53 expression was detected in the infected samples using immunohistochemistry. In addition, the levels of p53 in H. pylori-positive samples detected by Western blotting were significantly lower than those in the negative individuals. CONCLUSION: Our data reveal that p53 protein expression decreased in gastric mucosa of patients infected with H. pylori. The loss of this tumor suppressor may play a role in the increased risk for tumor initiation associated with H. pylori carriage

NDM-534: SENSITIVITY OF WIND INDUCED DYNAMIC RESPONSE OF A TRANSMISSION LINE TO VARIATIONS IN WIND SPEED

This paper studies the dynamic behavior of a multi-span transmission line system under synoptic wind considering various speeds to determine the range of wind speeds in which the system experiences resonance. A finite element numerical model was developed for the purpose of this study. This model is employed to assess the dynamic behavior of a self-supported lattice tower line under various wind speeds. Dynamic Amplification Factor (DAF), defined as the ratio between the peak total response to the peak quasi-static response, is evaluated. It is found that conductors’ responses exhibit large DAF compared to the towers especially at low wind speeds (v ≤ 25 m/s). This results from the low natural frequency of the conductors (0.19 Hz) which is close to the wind load frequency while the natural frequency of the tower is equal to 2.36 Hz. In addition, the conductors’ aerodynamic damping decreases with the decrease of wind speed which leads to higher dynamic effect while the tower’s aerodynamic damping plays a minor role. The results of the dynamic analysis conducted in this study are also used to compare the gust response factors (GFT), defined as the ratio between peak total response to the mean response, to those obtained from the ASCE code (GFT-ASCE). It has been noticed that the gust response factors obtained from the ASCE code lead to conservative peak responses for both towers and conductors of the chosen line

An engineered, non-diazotrophic cyanobacterium and its application in bioelectrochemical nitrogen fixation

The reduction of chemically inert nitrogen to ammonia is a critical step in the global nitrogen cycle. Microbial nitrogen fixation is a promising way to realize nitrogen reduction and ammonia production at mild conditions. Here, we report an engineered, non-diazotrophic Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 strain with nitrogen fixation activity that is constructed by integrating a modified nitrogenase gene cluster into the genome. The engineered S. elongatus PCC 7942 strain is employed in a bioelectrochemical nitrogen-fixation (e-BNF) system for ammonia production. Because the e-BNF system supplies adequate external electrons for the turnover of nitrogenase, the nitrogen fixation activity of the engineered S. elongatus PCC 7942 strain is significantly improved. After 48 h of reaction, the e-BNF system accumulates 173 μM of NH3, which is 21 times higher than that generated from solely photosynthesis-driven nitrogen fixation, with faradaic efficiency of 6.85%. This work may provide new insight into biological nitrogen-fixation systems and ammonium production

Dynamic political contexts and power asymmetries: the cases of the Blue Nile and the Yarmouk Rivers

This paper explores the evolving patterns of hydropolitical relations in the dynamic contexts of Yarmouk and Blue Nile Rivers in comparison. The analysis aims at shedding light over the complex implications that recent political and social changes have aroused for the water disputes between Jordan and Syria on the one hand, and Ethiopia and Egypt on the other. In both basins, cooperative efforts toward the integrated management of transboundary waters have been only partially effective and largely undermined by the perpetuation of unilateral actions by riparian states. In the case studies, the lack of a basin-wide vision over the control and use of shared waters has resulted in disputes among the basin states and ultimately in an unsustainable, unfair, and unwise utilization of the resources. This paper argues that a substantive and effective integration of national water policies is unlikely to occur, unless power asymmetries are properly addressed in order to overcome the likelihood of hegemonic regimes

Ka-Band, Multi-Gigabit-Per-Second Transceiver

A document discusses a multi-Gigabit-per-second, Ka-band transceiver with a software-defined modem (SDM) capable of digitally encoding/decoding data and compensating for linear and nonlinear distortions in the end-to-end system, including the traveling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA). This innovation can increase data rates of space-to-ground communication links, and has potential application to NASA s future spacebased Earth observation system. The SDM incorporates an extended version of the industry-standard DVB-S2, and LDPC rate 9/10 FEC codec. The SDM supports a suite of waveforms, including QPSK, 8-PSK, 16-APSK, 32- APSK, 64-APSK, and 128-QAM. The Ka-band and TWTA deliver an output power on the order of 200 W with efficiency greater than 60%, and a passband of at least 3 GHz. The modem and the TWTA together enable a data rate of 20 Gbps with a low bit error rate (BER). The payload data rates for spacecraft in NASA s integrated space communications network can be increased by an order of magnitude (>10 ) over current state-of-practice. This innovation enhances the data rate by using bandwidth-efficient modulation techniques, which transmit a higher number of bits per Hertz of bandwidth than the currently used quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) waveforms

Environmental Hazard Analysis - a Variant of Preliminary Hazard Analysis for Autonomous Mobile Robots

© 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht. Robot manufacturers will be required to demonstrate objectively that all reasonably foreseeable hazards have been identified in any robotic product design that is to be marketed commercially. This is problematic for autonomous mobile robots because conventional methods, which have been developed for automatic systems do not assist safety analysts in identifying non-mission interactions with environmental features that are not directly associated with the robot’s design mission, and which may comprise the majority of the required tasks of autonomous robots. In this paper we develop a new variant of preliminary hazard analysis that is explicitly aimed at identifying non-mission interactions by means of new sets of guidewords not normally found in existing variants. We develop the required features of the method and describe its application to several small trials conducted at Bristol Robotics Laboratory in the 2011–2012 period

Spectral Karyotyping for identification of constitutional chromosomal abnormalities at a national reference laboratory

Spectral karyotyping is a diagnostic tool that allows visualization of chromosomes in different colors using the FISH technology and a spectral imaging system. To assess the value of spectral karyotyping analysis for identifying constitutional supernumerary marker chromosomes or derivative chromosomes at a national reference laboratory, we reviewed the results of 179 consecutive clinical samples (31 prenatal and 148 postnatal) submitted for spectral karyotyping. Over 90% of the cases were requested to identify either small supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMCs) or chromosomal exchange material detected by G-banded chromosome analysis. We also reviewed clinical indications of those cases with marker chromosomes in which chromosomal origin was identified by spectral karyotyping. Our results showed that spectral karyotyping identified the chromosomal origin of marker chromosomes or the source of derivative chromosomal material in 158 (88%) of the 179 clinical cases; the identification rate was slightly higher for postnatal (89%) compared to prenatal (84%) cases. Cases in which the origin could not be identified had either a small marker chromosome present at a very low level of mosaicism (< 10%), or contained very little euchromatic material. Supplemental FISH analysis confirmed the spectral karyotyping results in all 158 cases. Clinical indications for prenatal cases were mainly for marker identification after amniocentesis. For postnatal cases, the primary indications were developmental delay and multiple congenital anomalies (MCA). The most frequently encountered markers were of chromosome 15 origin for satellited chromosomes, and chromosomes 2 and 16 for non-satellited chromosomes. We were able to obtain pertinent clinical information for 47% (41/88) of cases with an identified abnormal chromosome. We conclude that spectral karyotyping is sufficiently reliable for use and provides a valuable diagnostic tool for establishing the origin of supernumerary marker chromosomes or derivative chromosomal material that cannot be identified with standard cytogenetic techniques