Polarized Lidar Reflectance Measurements of Vegetation at Near-Infrared and Green Wavelengths

There is growing interest in the use of lidar for remote sensing of vegetation owing to the emergence of reliable and rugged lasers and highly sensitive detectors. Lidar remote sensing has a distinct advantage over conventional techniques in vegetation remote sensing due to its capability for three-dimensional characterization of vegetative targets. The Multiwavelength Airborne Polarimetric Lidar (MAPL) system was developed primarily for vegetation remote sensing applications from an airborne platform of up to 1,000 -m altitude. The lidar system has full waveform capture and polarimetric measurement capability at two wavelengths in the near-infrared (1064 nm) and the green (532 nm) spectral regions. This study presents preliminary ground-based lidar reflectance measurements on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees under fully foliated conditions with a view towards tree species discrimination. Variations in the reflectance characteristics of selected deciduous trees under unfoliated and fully foliated conditions were also investigated. Our study reveals distinct differences in the reflectance characteristics of various trees.     

Particle multiplicities in the fission-like reactions of 340 MeV Si on Th

Pre-scission and post-scission multiplicities of neutrons and alpha particles have been simultaneously measured for the fission-like reactions of 340 MeV ²⁸Si on ²³²Th. Dynamical model calculations using HICOL code predict that about 90% of the observed events are of quasi-fission type while the remaining 10% are from compound nucleus fission decay. Moving source fits were carried out to the observed neutron and alpha particle spectra, measured at different angles with respect to the fragment directions. The pre-scission and post-scission neutron multiplicities are deduced to be 8.7±2.0 and 9.4±2.0, respectively. The corresponding multiplicity values for alpha particles are found to be 0.22±0.08 and 0.1±0.03. From the measured post-scission neutron multiplicity, it is inferred that about 65±20 MeV of the initial excitation energy remains at scission. This may be compared to the value of 85±30 MeV estimated from PACE2 statistical model calculations, adjusted to reproduce the measured pre-scission neutron multiplicity. From a comparison of the Statistical Model predictions with the measured pre-scission neutron multiplicity, the fission delay is estimated to be of 5⁺⁷₋₃×10⁻²⁰ s which overlaps with the average duration of fission-like process from the contact to the scission point (2×10⁻²⁰ s) as determined from HICOL-based dynamical calculations. For the delay time deduced as above, the pre-scission alpha particle multiplicity calculated by the PACE2 code is about a factor two larger than the experimental one, demonstrating the difficulties in modelling the alpha particle emission from highly elongated shapes that characterize the fissioning system from the contact point to scission.     

Growth kinetics and phenolics production inGlycine Max cell suspension cultures

Glycine max was used as a model plant cell suspension culture to establish relationships among growth kinetics, phenolics production, elicitor action, and peroxidase activity. Timing of elictor addition through monitoring of peroxidase provided an excellent means of optimizing yields of phenolics and reduced the time span during which phenolics were formed, negating the need for a secondary production medium. We have also determined that calcium and other cellular effectors like polyamines and organic osmolytes, when used in conjunction with elicitors, enhance phenolics production. Calcium directly enhanced elicitation, whereas polyamines and other osmolytes such as glycerol and proline extended cell viability. The study also demonstrated potential for enhancing secondary metabolite production by a combination of elicitation, cell viability stabilizers, and by addition of nutrients at the time of elicitation.     

Modeling deoxyribose radicals by neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry. Part 1. Preparation,dissociations, and energetics of 2-hydroxyoxolan-2-yl radical,neutral isomers,and cations

Collisional neutralization of several isomeric C(4)H(7)O(2) cations is used to generate radicals that share some structural features with transient species that are thought to be produced by radiolysis of 2-deoxyribose. The title 2-hydroxyoxolan-2-yl radical (1) undergoes nearly complete dissociation when produced by femtosecond electron transfer from thermal organic electron donors dimethyl disulfide and N,N-dimethylaniline in the gas phase. Product analysis, isotope labeling ((2)H and (18)O), and potential energy surface mapping by ab initio calculations at the G2(MP2) and B3-PMP2 levels of theory and in combination with Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) kinetic calculations are used to assign the major and some minor pathways for 1 dissociations. The major (approximately 90%) pathway is initiated by cleavage of the ring C-5[bond]O bond in 1 and proceeds to form ethylene and *CH(2)COOH as main products, whereas loss of a hydrogen atom forms 4-hexenoic acid as a minor product. Loss of the OH hydrogen atom forming butyrolactone (2, approximately 9%) and cleavage of the C-3[bond]C-4 bonds (<1%) in 1 are other minor pathways. The major source of excitation in 1 is by Franck-Condon effects that cause substantial differences between the adiabatic and vertical ionization of 1 (5.40 and 6.89 eV, respectively) and vertical recombination in the precursor ion 1(+) (4.46 eV). (+)NR(+) mass spectra distinguish radical 1 from isomeric radicals 2-oxo-(1H)oxolanium (3), 1,3-dioxan-2-yl (9), and 1,3-dioxan-4-yl (10) that were generated separately from their corresponding ion precursors.     

Applications of ethylammonium and propylammonium nitrate solvents in liquid-liquid extraction and chromatography

Ethyl- and propylammonium nitrate are novel ionic solvents, liquid at room temperature, suitable for use as selective solvents for the isolation of analytes containing proton donor functional groups (alcohols, amines, phenols, carboxylic acids, etc.) by liquid-liquid distribution. These solvents form immiscible solvent pairs with non-polar aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, ethers and alkyl halide solvents (e.g., methylene chloride, chloroform). Analytes can be recovered from the ionic solvents by back-extraction into ah organic solvent after dilution with water or pH buffer or, preferably, by extractive derivatization when gas chromatography is used for the analyses, avoiding the accumulation of salt on the column that results in poor baseline stability. Alkylation, acylation and particularly silylation are suitable methods for extractive derivatization using standard reaction conditions. Applications are presented for the isolation of polar analytes from an urban dust, shale oil and urine samples and for the determination of low-molecular-weight alcohols in gasahol and glycerol in soap. Liquid-liquid chromatographic systems with the liquid organic salt as stationary phase can be used to predict distribution constants for a particular separation and for the separation of polar solutes, particularly isomeric compounds possessing a proton donor functional group.     

Spin trapping chemistry of sodium 2-sulfonatophenyl t-butyl nitrone . a negatively charged water-soluble spin trap

A new water-soluble negatively charged spin trap, sodium 2-sulfonatophenyl $\text{t}$-butyl nitrone is described.     

Preparation and biological evaluation of the new chlorin photosensitizer T3,4BCPC for detection and treatment of tumors

The new water-soluble photosensitizer 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[3,4-bis(carboxymethyleneoxy)phenyl]chlorin (T3,4BCPC) has been prepared, characterized and labeled with 99mTc radionuclide. The radiotracer was evaluated for tissue distribution in Wistar rats. Accumulation of administrated activities in the liver, kidney, bladder and large intestine at 4 h post-injection indicated that the labeled ligand was largely eliminated through the renal and partly through the hepatobiliary system. In vivo biodistribution studies of the labeled compound were carried out in rodent and murine tumor models in comparison with other tumor-seeking radiopharmaceuticals such as 99mTc(V)-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), 201thallous chloride (TlCl) and 99mTc-citrate using a gamma camera computer system. In N-nitrosomethylurea (NMU)-induced rat mammary tumors, the labeled ligand showed a five-fold tumor to muscle (T/M) ratio compared to 99mTc(V)-DMSA (3-fold) and 201TlCl (3-fold). In the case of C(3)H/J virus-induced spontaneous mammary tumors, the differences were not marked. However, in the transplanted rat C(6)-glioma, the T/M ratio of the labeled compound was appreciably higher (four-fold) than that noted with 99mTc(V)-DMSA (two-fold), 201TlCl (three-fold) and 99mTc-citrate (more than three-fold). These findings suggest that the radiolabeled T3,4BCPC may have potential for the detection of cancer. In order to ascertain the efficacy of the compound for photodynamic therapy applications, a preclinical PDT study was carried out in fibrosarcoma-bearing mice after injecting 5.0 mg/kg body weight of the T3,4BCPC. A laser dose of 20 mW for 60 s resulted in 80% destruction of tumors. These data suggest that this molecule could be useful for PDT of cancer. The labeled agent could also be useful in monitoring the progression/regression of tumors before, during, and after chemotherapy, radiation therapy or PDT.     

Radiochemical separation of Ru/III/ with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole into chloroform employing solvent extraction technique

The reagent 2-mercaptobenzothiazole /2-HMBT/ has been used for the solvent extraction of Ru/III/. The extraction coefficient value of Ru/III/ has been evaluated, based on various parameters such as, effect of molarity of the acid, time of equilibration, time of heating, effect of various solvents and effect of various salts. The stoichiometry of the metal to reagent was determined by the method of substoichiometric extraction of slope-ratio method and was found to be 13. Separation factor and decontamination factor for various elements have also been studied.     

An efficient synthesis of medicinally important indole based triarylmethanes by using propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P®)

Abstract

We have developed an economical and efficient method for the synthesis of medicinally and synthetically important indole-based triarylmethanes by using indoles and benzhydrols in the presence of propylphosphonic anhydride (T3P^®). This methodology is an alternate approach for the C–C bond formation with good to excellent yields. In this T3P-mediated dehydration approach, the by-product is highly soluble in water, so that it can be done at larger scale also. In addition to that this efficient protocol has several advantages such as mild reaction conditions, short reaction time and operational simplicity. We have successfully synthesized pyrrole, imidazothiadiazole and imidazolo pyridine based triarylmethanes also.