A liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (LC–QTOF–MS) method for identification analysis of saponins from Quillaja saponaria bark extracts in foot-and-mouth disease vaccines: Development,validation and applicability

Saponins from Quillaja saponaria have been commonly used as immunomodulatory adjuvants in foot-and-mouth disease vaccines (FMDVs). However, due to the lack of consensus over the possible exacerbation of local inflammatory responses in cattle and its economic impacts, their use has been discouraged by Brazilian authorities. A qualitative method intended to determine the presence of saponins from Q. saponaria bark extracts in FMDVs was developed and validated. Instrumental analysis was performed using an liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to a quadrupole–time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) system. The method was validated according to the International Conference on Harmonization Harmonized Tripartite Guideline Q2 (R1) and Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply Analytical Quality Assurance Guidelines. Validation parameters were determined and considered suitable to the established criteria. The validated method has been applied in routine analysis in the National Agricultural Laboratory at Rio Grande do Sul (LANAGRO-RS). All results obtained were in agreement with the vaccine's composition described by the manufacturer. The method is easy and adequate for analysis in routine laboratories. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a method which intends to investigate the presence of saponins from Q. saponaria bark extracts in veterinary vaccines.     

Use of slag (GBFS) generated in charcoal blast furnace as raw material in alkali-activated cement

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - Alkali-activated cements are low-environmental-impact binders and can be obtained from the alkaline activation of wastes such as slags and fly ashes,...     

Second-Coordination Sphere Effects on Selectivity and Specificity of Heme and Nonheme Iron Enzymes

Mononuclear iron-containing enzymes are highly versatile oxidants that often react stereospecifically and/or regioselectively with substrates. Combined experimental and computational studies on heme monooxygenases, nonheme iron dioxygenases and halogenases have revealed the intricate details of the second-coordination sphere, which determine this specificity and selectivity. These second-coordination sphere effects originate from the positioning of the substrate and oxidant, which involve the binding of the co-factors and substrate into the active site of the protein. In addition, some enzymes affect the selectivity and reactivity through charge-stabilization from nearby bound cations/anions, an induced electric field or through the positioning of salt bridges and hydrogen-bonding interactions to first-coordination sphere iron ligands and/or the substrate. Examples of all of these second-coordination sphere effects in iron-containing enzymes and how these influence structure and reactivity are given.     

The Concept of Fact in German Physics around 1900: A Comparison between Mach and Einstein

Physics in Perspective - The concept of “fact” has a history. Over the past centuries, physicists have appropriated it in various ways. In this article, we compare Ernst Mach and Albert...     

Mixing method influence on compatibility and polymorphism studies by DSC and statistical analysis

Most of the pharmaceutical products are formulated as solid dosage form, which may present drug–excipient interactions that lead to changes in the chemical nature of the drug, such as solubility and bioavailability and may compromise its safety and effectiveness. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a widely used method for the rapid evaluation of the drug-excipient compatibility and the stability of the mixture formed; however, there is no consensus on the preparation methods of the drug–excipient mixtures. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the mixing method on the drug–excipient compatibility studies by means of DSC analysis, using tenofovir disoproxil fumarate as a drug model. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in the heat of fusion of the drug in the mixtures prepared by several mixing methods. Vortex Mixer with a Pop-Off Cup used for 3 min proved to be very satisfactory for these studies. A polymorphic transition was observed in the mixture prepared with the mortar and pestle. Therefore, this method should be avoided since it may induce errors in the interpretation of DSC results. In this way, the mixing method used to prepare a mixture for studies of interactions between the API and the excipients in a pharmaceutical formulation has a great influence on the results and it must be chosen carefully.     

Clustering Rules: A Comparison of Partitioning and Hierarchical Clustering Algorithms

Previous research has resulted in a number of different algorithms for rule discovery. Two approaches discussed here, the ‘all-rules’ algorithm and multi-objective metaheuristics, both result in the production of a large number of partial classification rules, or ‘nuggets’, for describing different subsets of the records in the class of interest. This paper describes the application of a number of different clustering algorithms to these rules, in order to identify similar rules and to better understand the data.     

Explicit Mumford isomorphism for hyperelliptic curves

Using an explicit version of the Mumford isomorphism on the moduli space of hyperelliptic curves we derive a closed formula for the Arakelov-Green function of a hyperelliptic Riemann surface evaluated at its Weierstrass points.     

Simultaneous jumps in two two-level atoms

We demonstrate the importance of collective behaviour in two identical two-level atoms. When the atoms become very close together a cascade three-level atom analysis can be adopted to show the increasing possibility of simultaneous jumps. Due to the dipole-dipole interaction the intermediate one-atom excited state is detuned by a large amount when the atoms are close together but leaving the upper two-atom excited state in two-photon resonance. The relative importance of multiple jumps compared with stepwise independent jumps is then changed dramatically.     

Singular Sturm-Liouville problems whose coefficients depend rationally on the eigenvalue parameter

Let −Dω(·,z)D+q be a differential operator in L²(0,∞) whose leading coefficient contains the eigenvalue parameter z. For the case that ω(·,z) has the particular form