Spatial perception and adaptive sonar behavior

Bat echolocation is a dynamic behavior that allows for real-time adaptations in the timing and spectro-temporal design of sonar signals in response to a particular task and environment. To enable detailed, quantitative analyses of adaptive sonar behavior, echolocation call design was investigated in big brown bats, trained to rest on a stationary platform and track a tethered mealworm that approached from a starting distance of about 170 cm in the presence of a stationary sonar distracter. The distracter was presented at different angular offsets and distances from the bat. The results of this study show that the distance and the angular offset of the distracter influence sonar vocalization parameters of the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus. Specifically, the bat adjusted its call duration to the closer of two objects, distracter or insect target, and the magnitude of the adjustment depended on the angular offset of the distracter. In contrast, the bat consistently adjusted its call rate to the distance of the insect, even when this target was positioned behind the distracter. The results hold implications for understanding spatial information processing and perception by echolocation.     

Spectroscopic (NMR, UV, FT-IR and FT-Raman) analysis and theoretical investigation of nicotinamide N-oxide with density functional theory

The spectroscopic properties of the nicotinamide N-oxide (abbreviated as NANO, C(6)H(6)N(2)O(2)) were examined by FT-IR, FT-Raman, NMR and UV techniques. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra in solid state were observed in the region 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-50 cm(-1), respectively. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra were recorded in DMSO. The UV absorption spectrum of the compound that dissolved in water was recorded in the range of 200-800 nm. The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in the ground state were calculated by using Density Functional Theory (DFT) employing B3LYP methods with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The geometry of the molecule was fully optimized, vibrational spectra were calculated and fundamental vibrations were assigned on the basis of the total energy distribution (TED) of the vibrational modes, calculated with scaled quantum mechanics (SQM) method and PQS program. The optimized structure of compound was interpreted and compared with the reported experimental values. The observed vibrational wavenumbers, absorption wavelengths and chemical shifts were compared with calculated values. As a result, the optimized geometry and calculated spectroscopic data show a good agreement with the experimental results.     

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity of Origanum saccatum P.H. Davis essential oil obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction: comparison with hydrodistillation

The components of the essential oils (EOs) obtained by solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) and hydrodistillation (HD) from endemic Origanum saccatum P.H. Davis were identified by using GC/MS. The main constituents of both EOs obtained by SFME and HD, respectively, from O. saccatum were p-cymene (72.5 and 70.6%), thymol (9.32 and 8.11%), and carvacrol (7.18 and 6.36%). The EO obtained by SFME contained substantially higher amounts of oxygenated compounds and lower amounts of monoterpenes than did the EO obtained by HD. The antibacterial activities of the EOs obtained by SFME and HD were evaluated with the disc diffusion method by comparison with 10 different bacterial strains. The antibacterial activity of the EO extracted by SFME was found to be more effective than that of the EO extracted by HD against seven of the tested bacteria.     

LC–MS Method for the Sensitive Determination of Metoclopramide: Application to Rabbit Plasma, Gel Formulations and Pharmaceuticals

To support real biological sample application, a simple, selective and rapid LC–MS method has been developed and validated for the sensitive determination of metoclopramide in rabbit blood, ex vivo permeation studies and pharmaceutical dosage form. LC–MS analysis was performed isocratically on a Zorbax SB-C₁₈ column with a mobile phase consisting of methanol:ammonium acetate buffer (pH 3.0) 75:25 (v/v) at a flow rate of 0.70 mL min^?1. The outlet of the column was connected to a single quadrupole mass spectrometer with positive mass spectrometric detection. Ions were detected in the positive multiple reaction monitoring mode. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 1.25–200 pg μL^?1 with a limit of detection of 0.077 pg μL^?1 for standard solutions and 2.5–200 pg μL^?1 with a limit of detection of 0.42 pg μL^?1 for serum samples. The method is applicable, covering a variety of pharmaceutical and biological studies. Metoclopramide was extracted from rabbit blood by liquid–liquid extraction using ether as the extraction solvent. The reproducibility of the method was found to be between 0.96 and 1.98 % (RSD) values. The proposed method has been extensively validated for the determination of metoclopramide in all working media. The sample preparations, flow rate and run time of the analytical systems are not time consuming. Moreover, for the stability of metoclopramide, the effect of temperature, UV light, H₂O₂, HCl and NaOH were also investigated.     

Trabecular bone volume fraction measurements of a large number of subjects using a compact MRI

Trabecular bone volume fraction (TBVF) and speed of sound (SOS) were measured for the right calcanei of 416 female volunteers. The TBVF was measured with a compact MRI developed in our laboratory. The SOS was measured with a commercial quantitative ultrasound system. It was observed that the correlation coefficient between TBVF and SOS and that between TBVF and age varied depending on the location of region of interest (ROI) in the calcaneus. As a result, an optimum circular ROI with a diameter of 20 mm was determined so that the correlation coefficients were maximized. In the optimum ROI, transverse relaxation time (T₂) of the bone marrow protons of the calcaneus was found to be concentrated in a narrow range over the subjects. This result suggested that a 50% scan time reduction in the TBVF measurements could be made by skipping the T₂ correction procedure.     

New Sm (III) and Nd (III) complexes: Synthesis,structural characterization and fluorescent sensing of nitro‐aromatic compounds

In this work, four new Nd (III) and Sm (III) complexes of two pentadendate ligands (L¹ and L²) were prepared and their molecular structures were determined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction studies. X‐ray analysis showed that the Nd (III) and Sm (III) complexes of L¹ sits on a twofold crystallographic axis while the complexes of L² does not show crystallographically imposed symmetry. Absorption and photoluminescence properties of the complexes were studied both in the solid state and DMF solutions. The fluorescence sensing of nitro‐aromatic compounds [nitrobenzene (NB), 4‐nitrophenol (NP), 2,4‐dinitrophenol (DNP) and 2,4,6‐trinitrophenol (TNP)] were studied by photoluminescence spectroscopy. All four complexes showed better sensitivity towards nitrophenol (NP) with low LOD values.     

A simple route for the synthesis of novel norcantharimide derivatives via acidolysis with hydrochloric acid(gas)

In this work, seven new norcantharimide derivatives were synthesized by an acidolysis method. The compounds were prepared by acidolyzing trans-1,4-diacetate and trans-1,2-chloroacetate structures, which were obtained by stereospecific cleavage of the internal etheric bond of the tricyclic imides. The HCl_(gas) was produced from the reaction of H₂SO₄ with NaCl. The resulting gas was bubbled into the reaction mixture. Trans-1,4-diacetate and trans-1,2-chloroacetate were thus acidolyzed, and the corresponding diol and halohydrin products were obtained respectively in moderate overall yields from low-cost starting materials, using simple and easily scalable chemistry. The products were characterized by means of spectroscopic techniques. The synthesized compounds have high potential as anticancer agents and can be valuable for studies in this area.     

Tridentate benzimidazole ligand and its metal complexes: Synthesis,characterization, photo physical and sensor properties

A tridentate bisbenzimidazole-pyridine ligand (L-C⁵) with two pentyl side-units and its metal complexes with Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ metal ions were synthesized and characterized. The structures of the ligand (L-C⁵) and its five coordinate [Mn(L-C⁵)Cl₂] were elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. The absorption and photoluminescence properties of the compounds were studied in solution media. The ligand is highly fluorescent, and binding of the metal ions to the ligand has caused significant changes in the emission band (shift or quenching). Moreover, the effect of aggregation on UV–Vis. absorption and emission properties was examined in MeOH-water mixtures. The ligand was found to show aggregation-induced quenching in the MeOH-water mixture. The ligand was also screened for its colorimetric and fluorometric sensing ability of several metal ions [Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺]. The ligand showed selective sensing ability towards Zn²⁺, and the limit of detection was calculated as 3.09 × 10⁻⁷ m . The ligand also showed a distinguishable color change in the presence of Fe²⁺ under daylight.