A New Emissive Chalcone-Based Chemosensor Armed by Coumarin and Naphthol with Fluorescence “Turn-on” Properties for Selective Detection of F<Superscript>−</Superscript> Ions

A new chalcone-based probe containing coumarin and naphthol at both ends has been synthesized via aldol condensation. The uniqueness of the newly derived probe can be ascribed to the presence of naphthol and coumarin units acting as binding site and signaling element, respectively. The fluorogenic behaviors toward various anions were investigated. The probe was characterized by various spectroscopic techniques and the in-depth study led to show excellent selectivity and sensitivity for fluoride ions. The hydrogen bonding thus formed with fluoride anion provides remarkable fluorometric responses. The interactions of the probe with fluoride ions were determined by fluorescence, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic techniques. The exploratory studies by fluorescent spectral changes augur well for the naked-eye sensing applications.     

Specific Fluorescence Probe for Direct Recognition of Dimethoate Using Molecularly Imprinting Polymer on ZnO Quantum Dots

ZnO quantum dots (QDs) based molecularly imprinting polymer (MIP)-coated composite was described for specific detection of the dimethoate (DM) as a template. The MIP was synthesized by simple self-assembly of 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) monomers and tetraethyl ortho-silicate as cross linking agent in the presence of template molecules. The used imprinting course can improve the tendency of the prepared QDs toward the DM template molecules. The MIP-coated ZnO QDs showed a strong fluorescence emission which undergoes a quenching effect in the presence of DM. So, a selective probe could be designed based on these composites to recognize DM in water samples. Under optimized experimental conditions, a linear relationship between the emission intensity of MIP-coated ZnO QDs and concentration of DM, in the range of 0.02–3.2 mg L^?1 with a detection limit of 0.006 mg L^?1. Combination of high specificity of MIP element and distinct fluorescence features of ZnO QDs provides a sensitive and selective recognizing method for pesticide detection. The developed method was successfully applied for the determination of DM contamination in environmental water samples.     

Angular-Multiplexing Optical Multiple-Image Encryption Based on Digital Holography and Random Amplitude Mask

We propose an improved optical image encryption scheme. By illuminating original images positioned in the input plane of the 4-f correlator and introducing reference waves with different incident angles in the output plane, we accomplish multiple-image encryption. To enhance the feasibility of the system and decrease the coding compliance for random phase mask, we apply the random amplitude masks and some digital manipulations in the encryption and decryption procedure. We also analyze the encryption and decryption quality of the method proposed together with the influence of different random number generators. Numerical simulation has proved the validity of the architecture suggested.     

Nonnegative Discrete Symbols and Their Probabilistic Interpretation

We review the quantizer–dequantizer formalism of constructing symbols of the density operators and quantum observables, such as Wigner functions and tomographic-probability distributions. We present a tutorial consideration of the technique of obtaining minimal sets of dequantizers (quorum) related to the observable eigenvalues for one-qubit states. We discuss a generalization of the quantizer–dequantizer scheme on the example of spin-1/2 states. We consider the possibilities of extending the results to two-qubit systems using spin tomograms of the state density matrix.     

Electrons in a Nonideal Partially Degenerated Plasma with Multiple Ionization

We consider peculiarities in the behavior of free electrons in an extremely-dense hot plasma with multiple ionization and partial degeneration. In different ways, we exhibit the strong Coulomb coupling of electrons and ions in the behavior of low- and high-kinetic-energy electrons. As a result, a necessity arises to consider, along with classical fast Debye electrons, their complementary cellular group of electrons constantly interacting with central ions of cells. We discuss the distribution of free electrons between the two groups, along with the role of two-group effects, of a not point character of ions in electron-transfer processes, and the consequences of the X-ray emitting X-pinch hot spot for the plasma. The existence of the physical limits for X-pinch plasma compression is among those consequences.     

Mean Field Analysis of Large-Scale Interacting Populations of Stochastic Conductance-Based Spiking Neurons Using the Klimontovich Method

We investigate the dynamics of large-scale interacting neural populations, composed of conductance based, spiking model neurons with modifiable synaptic connection strengths, which are possibly also subjected to external noisy currents. The network dynamics is controlled by a set of neural population probability distributions (PPD) which are constructed along the same lines as in the Klimontovich approach to the kinetic theory of plasmas. An exact non-closed, nonlinear, system of integro-partial differential equations is derived for the PPDs. As is customary, a closing procedure leads to a mean field limit. The equations we have obtained are of the same type as those which have been recently derived using rigorous techniques of probability theory. The numerical solutions of these so called McKean–Vlasov–Fokker–Planck equations, which are only valid in the limit of infinite size networks, actually shows that the statistical measures as obtained from PPDs are in good agreement with those obtained through direct integration of the stochastic dynamical system for large but finite size networks. Although numerical solutions have been obtained for networks of Fitzhugh–Nagumo model neurons, which are often used to approximate Hodgkin–Huxley model neurons, the theory can be readily applied to networks of general conductance-based model neurons of arbitrary dimension.     

Power Spectrum of a Noisy System Close to a Heteroclinic Orbit

We consider a two-dimensional dynamical system that possesses a heteroclinic orbit connecting four saddle points. This system is not able to show self-sustained oscillations on its own. If endowed with white Gaussian noise it displays stochastic oscillations, the frequency and quality factor of which are controlled by the noise intensity. This stochastic oscillation of a nonlinear system with noise is conveniently characterized by the power spectrum of suitable observables. In this paper we explore different analytical and semianalytical ways to compute such power spectra. Besides a number of explicit expressions for the power spectrum, we find scaling relations for the frequency, spectral width, and quality factor of the stochastic heteroclinic oscillator in the limit of weak noise. In particular, the quality factor shows a slow logarithmic increase with decreasing noise of the form \(Q\sim [\ln (1/D)]^2\). Our results are compared to numerical simulations of the respective Langevin equations.     

Measuring and Modeling the U.S. Regulatory Ecosystem

Over the last 23 years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has required over 34,000 companies to file over 165,000 annual reports. These reports, the so-called “Form 10-Ks,” contain a characterization of a company’s financial performance and its risks, including the regulatory environment in which a company operates. In this paper, we analyze over 4.5 million references to U.S. Federal Acts and Agencies contained within these reports to measure the regulatory ecosystem, in which companies are organisms inhabiting a regulatory environment. While individuals across the political, economic, and academic world frequently refer to trends in this regulatory ecosystem, far less attention has been paid to supporting such claims with large-scale, longitudinal data. In this paper, in addition to positing a model of regulatory ecosystems, we document an increase in the regulatory energy per filing, i.e., a warming “temperature.” We also find that the diversity of the regulatory ecosystem has been increasing over the past two decades. These findings support the claim that regulatory activity and complexity are increasing, and this framework contributes an important step towards improving academic and policy discussions around legal complexity and regulation.     

A Theory of Hydrodynamic Turbulence Based on Non-equilibrium Statistical Mechanics

In earlier papers, we have studied the turbulent flow exponents \(\zeta _p\), where \(\langle |\Delta \mathbf{v}|^p\rangle \sim \ell ^{\zeta _p}\) and \(\Delta \mathbf{v}\) is the contribution to the fluid velocity at small scale \(\ell \). Using ideas of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics we have found

$$\begin{aligned} \zeta _p={p\over 3}-{1\over \ln \kappa }\ln \Gamma \left( {p\over 3}+1\right) \end{aligned}$$

where \(1/\ln \kappa \) is experimentally \(\approx \,0.32\,\pm \,0.01\). The purpose of the present note is to propose a somewhat more physical derivation of the formula for \(\zeta _p\). We also present an estimate \(\approx \,100\) for the Reynolds number at the onset of turbulence.

     

Theoretical analysis of somatostatin receptor 5 with antagonists and agonists for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors

We report on SSTR5 receptor modeling and its interaction with reported antagonist and agonist molecules. Modeling of the SSTR5 receptor was carried out using multiple templates with the aim of improving the precision of the generated models. The selective SSTR5 antagonists, agonists and native somatostatin SRIF-14 were employed to propose the binding site of SSTR5 and to identify the critical residues involved in the interaction of the receptor with other molecules. Residues Q2.63, D3.32, Q3.36, C186, Y7.34 and Y7.42 were found to be highly significant for their strong interaction with the receptor. SSTR5 antagonists were utilized to perform a 3D quantitative structure–activity relationship study. A comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was conducted using two different alignment schemes, namely the ligand-based and receptor-based alignment methods. The best statistical results were obtained for ligand-based (\({q}^{2} = 0.454\), \({r}^{2}\) = 0.988, noc = 4) and receptor-guided methods (docked mode 1:\({q}^{2} = 0.530\), \({r}^{2} = 0.916\), noc = 5), (docked mode 2:\({q}^{2}\) = 0.555, \({r}^{2 }= 0.957\), noc = 5). Based on CoMFA contour maps, an electropositive substitution at \(\hbox {R}^{1}\), \(\hbox {R}^{2}\) and \(\hbox {R}^{4}\) position and bulky group at \(\hbox {R}^{4}\) position are important in enhancing molecular activity.