A multianalyte ELISA for immunochemical screening of sulfonamide,fluoroquinolone and ß-lactam antibiotics in milk samples using class-selective bioreceptors

A multianalyte ELISA has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the most frequently used antibiotic families in the veterinary field following the typical planar microarray configuration, where the identity of the target analyte is encoded by its location in the detection platform (Master et al. in Drug Discovery Today 11:1007-1011, 2006). To accomplish this aim, two individual enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for sulfonamide and fluoroquinolone antibiotics and an enzyme-linked receptor assay for ss-lactam antibiotics have been combined. The strategy uses microplates coated with the corresponding haptenized proteins in specific sections of the microplate. The samples are mixed with a cocktail containing the bioreagents, and distributed in the wells of the microplate. Identification of the antibiotic present in a particular sample is consequently accomplished by detecting a positive response on the corresponding microplate section. Since the bioreceptors used show a wide recognition of the congeners of each antibiotic family, the multianalyte method is able to detect more than 25 different antibiotics from the three most important antibiotic families. The detectability reached in full-fat milk samples is below the European maximum residue limits. The accuracy and reliability of this multiplexed bioanalytical method have been demonstrated by analyzing blind spiked samples.     

Abnormal viscosimetric behavior of homopolymers in mixed solvents and preferential solvation

It is shown that the applicability of the Stockmayer–Fixman–Burchard plot is much more limited in the case of solvent–precipitant mixtures than in the case of pure solvents. The observed deviations can be explained by taking into account the variation of preferential solvation as a function of the molecular weight of the polymer. More precisely the average density of the segments in the region occupied by the coiled molecule seems to be the parameter governing both changes in viscosity and in preferential solvation.     

The benzoyl cation: The participation of isolated electronic excited states in the dissociation of molecular ions of the form [C6H5COX]+˙

The heat of formation of the benzoyl cation generated from [C₆H₅COX]⁺˙ is found to depend on X, while the heat of formation of the phenyl ion produced therefrom is, with one exception, independent of X. The excess energy of the benzoyl cation can be accounted for by an electronic excited state of the ion in the mass spectra of benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, benzamide, methyl benzoate and possibly benzophenone; the benzoyl cation is not excited in the mass spectra of acetophenone and benzoyl chloride.     

Nuclear orientation experiemnts on Al2LaCe alloys

Nuclear orientation experiments on ^137mCe impurities in Al₂La show directly at almost 0 K that these alloys correspond to the magnetic conditions assumed by Müller-Hartmann and Zittartz.     

Selective hetero-trisfunctionalization of the large rim of a biomimetic calix[6]arene using host-guest chemistry as a synthetic tool

A calix[6]arene has been selectively functionalized by three different groups at the large rim. The strategy relies on the hostguest recognition chemistry of a biomimetic metal complex at the small rim (so-called "funnel complex") and the Huisgen cycloaddition. The intramolecular thermal reaction proceeds with a high efficiency, chemio- and regioselectivity, allowing the monofunctionalization of one aromatic unit among three. Thanks to the high yield and selectivity of the reaction, it can be applied successively twice on the same compound, which opens the route for inherently chiral calix[6]arenes. This methodology not only is of wide potential for obtaining and exploiting calix[6]arenes that are dissymmetrized at the large rim, but also stands as an exemplary strategy for the selective appending of a functional group on a host platform.     

Two-dimensional electrons-holes droplets in superlattices

We show that two dimensional electrons-holes droplets can exist in superlattice having a structural defect such as a layer with an additional atomic plane. This is a new and cleaner way to produce and study a plasma in two dimensions.     

Scattering from copolymer solutions at finite concentration

We consider the variation of the coherent elastic scattering structure factor S(q) with momentum transfer q for a solution of block copolymers at finite concentration. We introduce the effect of concentration using a generalization of Zimm's model to copolymers which enables us to express intermolecular scattering functions in terms of intramolecular form factors only. We show that the shape of the scattering curve is very sensitive to the polymer concentration as well as to the contrast factors, the relative composition of co units, and the second virial coefficients characterizing constituents of the copolymer. In particular, we show that the scattering curve develops a maximum at low q for certain values of these parameters. We also discuss the variation of the apparent radius of gyration with polymer concentration.     

The mass spectra of carboxylic acids—I: Fragmentation mechanisms in maleic and fumaric acids and related compounds

The mass spectra of maleic acid, maleic acid-2,3-d, fumaric acid and fumaric acid-2,3-d have been examined and fragmentation mechanisms are proposed for these compounds. The molecular ion of the cis-acid fragments via H atom transfer from one carboxyl group to the other followed by loss of CO₂. The trans acid does not fragment significantly by this route and the former effect may be characteristic of molecules containing two carboxyl groups cis-oriented to each other. This hypothesis was successfully tested by examining the mass spectra of citraconic, itaconic and phthalic acids. Itaconic and mesaconic acids show some of the fragmentation characteristics of fumaric acid.