O-Arylsulfonyl hydroxylamines via a decarboxylative rearrangement

(E)-O-Arylsulfonyl-N-(2-nitroalk-2-enyl)hydroxylamines were easily obtained in good yields starting from (E)-nitro allylic alcohols, the crucial step being an inorganic base-catalyzed decarboxylative rearrangement of proposed labile unsaturated carbamates. A possible mechanism for the outcome of the reaction, characterized by the unusual retention of the sulfonyloxy group, is proposed.     

Multi-phase epidemic model by a Markov chain

In this paper we propose a continuous-time Markov chain to describe the spread of an infective and non-mortal disease into a community numerically limited and subjected to an external infection. We make a numerical simulation that shows tendencies for recurring epidemic outbreaks and for fade-out or extinction of the infection.     

Enzyme-mediated synthesis of EEHP and EMHP,useful pharmaceutical intermediates of PPAR agonists

A new scaleable synthetic route to the title compounds has been developed. The reaction pathway is based on the α-chymotrypsin-catalysed hydrolysis of the racemic ethyl 2-ethoxy-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)propanoate or of the racemic ethyl 2-methoxy-3-(p-methoxyphenyl)propanoate to give the corresponding resolved (S)-esters with excellent ee. The acids were easily separated from the (S)-esters by a simple acid–base work-up. The overall yields of 1 and 2 were 16% and 17%, respectively.     

Redox Potential and Crystal Chemistry of Hexanuclear Cluster Compounds

Most of TM₆-cluster compounds (TM = transition metal) are soluble in polar solvents, in which the cluster units commonly remain intact, preserving the same atomic arrangement as in solids. Consequently, the redox potential is often used to characterize structural and electronic features of respective solids. Although a high lability and variety of ligands allow for tuning of redox potential and of the related spectroscopic properties in wide ranges, the mechanism of this tuning is still unclear. Crystal chemistry approach was applied for the first time to clarify this mechanism. It was shown that there are two factors affecting redox potential of a given metal couple: Lever’s electrochemical parameters of the ligands and the effective ionic charge of TM, which in cluster compounds differs effectively from the formal value due to the bond strains around TM atoms. Calculations of the effective ionic charge of TMs were performed in the framework of bond valence model, which relates the valence of a bond to its length by simple Pauling relationship. It was also shown that due to the bond strains the charge depends mainly on the atomic size of the inner ligands.     

Electrochemical Kinetic Characterization of Redox Mediated Glucose Oxidase Reactions: A Simplified Approach

One of the main drawbacks affecting first‐generation electrochemical biosensors in the analysis of real matrices is the interference of electroactive species present in the sample under investigation. Several approaches have been attempted to overcome this problem in the past ten years but the best results were achieved by using mediated based electrochemical biosensors. Despite this, the kinetic of the redox mediators‐enzymatic proteins interaction has not been studied deeply enough. In this work we have developed a theoretical‐methodological approach for the characterization of the kinetic of interaction between redox enzymes and substrates and/or redox mediators. Particularly, the interaction of glucose oxidase (GOx) with several commercially available redox mediators has been studied by means of amperometry and cyclic voltammetry. The main kinetic parameters for different mediators were exploited and discussed with the aim of finding the best mediator for a glucose biosensor to be used on real samples.     

Rearrangement of 3,5-dicyano-1,4-dihydropyridines to densely functionalized cyclopentadienes

3,5-Dicyano-1,4-dihydropyridines underwent ring contraction to give functionalized cyclopentadienes upon treatment with trifluoroacetic anhydride.     

On a stochastic disease model with vaccination

We propose a stochastic disease model where vaccination is included and such that the immunity isn’t permanent. The existence, uniqueness and positivity of the solution and the stability of disease free equilibrium is studied. The numerical simulation is done.     

Microplate-Based Evaluation of the Sugar Yield from Giant Reed,Giant Miscanthus and Switchgrass after Mild Chemical Pre-Treatments and Hydrolysis with Tailored <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma</Emphasis> Enzymatic Blends

Giant reed, miscanthus, and switchgrass are considered prominent lignocellulosic feedstocks to obtain fermentable sugars for biofuel production. The bioconversion into sugars requires a delignifying pre-treatment step followed by hydrolysis with cellulase and other accessory enzymes like xylanase, especially in the case of alkali pre-treatments, which retain the hemicellulose fraction. Blends richer in accessory enzymes than commercial mix can be obtained growing fungi on feedstock-based substrates, thus ten selected Trichoderma isolates, including the hypercellulolytic strain Trichoderma reesei Rut-C30, were grown on giant reed, miscanthus, or switchgrass-based substrates. The produced enzymes were used to saccharify the corresponding feedstocks, compared to a commercial enzymatic mix (6 FPU/g). Feedstocks were acid (H₂SO₄ 0.2–2%, w/v) or alkali (NaOH 0.02–0.2%, w/v) pre-treated. A microplate-based approach was chosen for most of the experimental steps due to the large number of samples. The highest bioconversion was generally obtained with Trichoderma harzianum Or4/99 enzymes (78, 89, and 94% final sugar yields at 48 h for giant reed, miscanthus, and switchgrass, respectively), with significant increases compared to the commercial mix, especially with alkaline pre-treatments. The differences in bioconversion yields were only partially caused by xylanases (maximum R ² = 0.5), indicating a role for other accessory enzymes.