An assay for the enzyme N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) based on electrochemical detection using screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs).

An electrochemical assay for the enzyme N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAGase) is described, using bare screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The enzyme substrate, 1-naphthyl-N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminide, was added to the NAGase-containing sample under hydrodynamic conditions and was hydrolysed to 1-naphthol, which was monitored amperometrically at an Eapp of +650 mV versus SCE. A pH study revealed the apparent Vmax for the assay to occur at pH 4.5. corresponding to an apparent substrate Km of 0.28 mM. In order to be compatible with the analysis of biological fluids, a final operating pH of 5.4 was selected, and, using a data recording time of 100 s post-substrate addition, the assay gave a linear response (r2 = 0.988) over the range 3.1 to 108 mU ml(-1) NAGase (RSD = 15.4%). This assay has the potential to monitor NAGase levels in a number of application areas.     

Stability of Local Quantum Dissipative Systems

Open quantum systems weakly coupled to the environment are modeled by completely positive, trace preserving semigroups of linear maps. The generators of such evolutions are called Lindbladians. In the setting of quantum many-body systems on a lattice it is natural to consider Lindbladians that decompose into a sum of local interactions with decreasing strength with respect to the size of their support. For both practical and theoretical reasons, it is crucial to estimate the impact that perturbations in the generating Lindbladian, arising as noise or errors, can have on the evolution. These local perturbations are potentially unbounded, but constrained to respect the underlying lattice structure. We show that even for polynomially decaying errors in the Lindbladian, local observables and correlation functions are stable if the unperturbed Lindbladian has a unique fixed point and a mixing time that scales logarithmically with the system size. The proof relies on Lieb–Robinson bounds, which describe a finite group velocity for propagation of information in local systems. As a main example, we prove that classical Glauber dynamics is stable under local perturbations, including perturbations in the transition rates, which may not preserve detailed balance.     

Decarboxylative biaryl synthesis in a continuous flow reactor

A practical protocol was developed that allows performing decarboxylative cross-coupling reactions in continuous flow reactors. Various biaryls were thus synthesized from aromatic carboxylic acids and aryl triflates using a Cu/Pd-catalyst system.     

Entanglement can completely defeat quantum noise

We describe two quantum channels that individually cannot send any classical information without some chance of decoding error. But together a single use of each channel can send quantum information perfectly reliably. This proves that the zero-error classical capacity exhibits superactivation, the extreme form of the superadditivity phenomenon in which entangled inputs allow communication over zero-capacity channels. But our result is stronger still, as it even allows zero-error quantum communication when the two channels are combined. Thus our result shows a new remarkable way in which entanglement across two systems can be used to resist noise, in this case perfectly. We also show a new form of superactivation by entanglement shared between sender and receiver.     

Multi-layered analyses using directed partitioning to identify and discriminate between biogenic amines

Multiple layers of statistical analyses were used to decipher the response from a single, cross-reactive conjugated polymer (1) providing enhanced classification accuracies over traditional multivariate statistical approaches. This analysis was demonstrated by classifying a series of seven biologically relevant, nonvolatile amines (i.e. biogenic amines). If only a single layer of analysis was employed (linear discriminant analysis), 89% classification accuracy was achieved lacking any concentration information. However, using this multi-layered, group-ungroup method, the analytes were first categorized based on general class of molecule (directed partitioning), i.e. aromatic, aliphatic, polyamines, with 98% accuracy. In a second analysis layer, these sub-groups were broken down into the individual molecular components, with the aliphatic and aromatic amines classifying near 99%, while the polyamine identification accuracy approached 90%. In the third layer of analysis, the concentration of the analytes in question was determined in the biologically relevant range within approximately 10% accuracy by following trends in the principle component analysis output.     

Polyurethane elastomers with hydrolytic and thermooxidative stability. I. Polyurethanes with N-alkylated polyamide soft blocks

Segmented polyurethanes with N-alkylated amides as soft blocks as prepared. Comparisons are made with both a poly(ester urethane) and a poly(ether urethane) with the same hard block; the poly(amide urethane) is more hydrolytically stable than the polyester containing material and demonstrates greater thermooxidative stability than that with the polyether moiety. The aliphatic poly(amide urethane)s remain transparent upon exposure to uv light.     

Synthesis and application of crown ether tagged triarylphosphines

Crown ether tagged triarylphosphines 1 and 2 were synthesised and applied in Mitsunobu and Heck reactions, their reactivity being evaluated against triphenylphosphine- and polymer-bound triphenylphosphine. Purification of the reactions was effected by post-reaction sequestration onto an ammonium functionalised solid-phase.     

Models for polyurethane hydrolysis under moderately acidic conditions: A comparative study of hydrolysis rates of urethanes,ureas, and amides

The hydrolysis of model structures found in the hard blocks of polyurethanes has been studied under moderately acidic and neutral conditions. These include a series of N-alkyl and N-phenyl urethanes and ureas; for comparison purposes the corresponding amides and a carbonate ester based on bisphenol A were also studied. Of all functional groups the urethane was the most resistant to hydrolysis and the amide the most labile. Also, the N-phenyl compounds were hydrolyzed faster than the corresponding alkyl derivatives. The carbonate ester underwent relatively rapid hydrolysis. Polyether containing polyurethanes, known to be relatively stable to hydrolysis, are discussed as to which polymer segments provide the weakest links under hydrolytic conditions.