The conceptual and the anecdotal history of quantum mechanics

The aim of this paper is to combine the intellectual and the psychosocial aspects. blurring the distinction between the conceptual and the anecdotal history of quantum mechanics. The full realization of the importance of such anecdotal factors leads to the revision of our understanding of the conceptual development itself. The paper concludes with the suggestion that a major part of numerous inconsistencies in the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics are of a psychosocial origin.     

Recent Strategies and Applications for l-Asparaginase Confinement

l-asparaginase (ASNase, EC 3.5.1.1) is an aminohydrolase enzyme with important uses in the therapeutic/pharmaceutical and food industries. Its main applications are as an anticancer drug, mostly for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) treatment, and in acrylamide reduction when starch-rich foods are cooked at temperatures above 100 °C. Its use as a biosensor for asparagine in both industries has also been reported. However, there are certain challenges associated with ASNase applications. Depending on the ASNase source, the major challenges of its pharmaceutical application are the hypersensitivity reactions that it causes in ALL patients and its short half-life and fast plasma clearance in the blood system by native proteases. In addition, ASNase is generally unstable and it is a thermolabile enzyme, which also hinders its application in the food sector. These drawbacks have been overcome by the ASNase confinement in different (nano)materials through distinct techniques, such as physical adsorption, covalent attachment and entrapment. Overall, this review describes the most recent strategies reported for ASNase confinement in numerous (nano)materials, highlighting its improved properties, especially specificity, half-life enhancement and thermal and operational stability improvement, allowing its reuse, increased proteolysis resistance and immunogenicity elimination. The most recent applications of confined ASNase in nanomaterials are reviewed for the first time, simultaneously providing prospects in the described fields of application.     

Vocal Nodules and Laryngeal Morphology

Our purpose was to study the occurrence of vocal fold nodules under conditions of habitual vocal abuse associated with increased laryngeal muscle tension, to identify the existence of a relationship between vocal nodules and laryngeal morphology. We studied one group of 30 subjects with vocal nodules, 18 to 50 years old, who were compared with two control groups, one of females and one of males, consisting of 30 subjects each. The parameters evaluated were: type of vocal folds coaptation, glottic proportion (GP) and abduction angle (AA), obtained by videotelelaryngoscopy. In the nodules group, the larynges presented a mean value of GP similar to that of the female group, both of which were lower than the mean GP value of the male group. On the other hand, the mean AA was lower than the one in the female group, and closer to the one in the male group. We concluded that vocal nodules were present only in larynges with a predominantly young female morphology, with functional limitations of abduction.     

Synthesis of Two Alnustone-Like Natural Diarylheptanoids via 4 + 3 Strategy

The first total synthesis of (4E,6E)-1,7-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-hepta-4,6-dien-3-one and an alternative synthesis of (4E,6E)-1,7-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-hepta-4,6-dien-3-one, two natural diarylheptanoids, mainly based on Claisen–Schmidt condensation were described. The crucial steps of the syntheses were the condensation of OH-protected 4-aryl-2-butanones with OH-protected 3-aryl-acrylaldehydes by the in situ enamination and then deprotection of OH groups to give the corresponding natural diarylheptanoids.     

ICP-MS Determination of 23 Elements of Potential Health Concern in Liquids of e-Cigarettes. Method Development,Validation, and Application to 37 Real Samples

The lack of interest in the determination of toxic elements in liquids for electronic cigarettes (e-liquids) has so far been reflected in the scarce number of accurate and validated analytical methods devoted to this aim. Since the strong matrix effects observed for e-liquids constitute an exciting analytical challenge, the main goal of this study was to develop and validate an ICP-MS method aimed to quantify 23 elements in 37 e-liquids of different flavors. Great attention has been paid to the critical phases of sample pre-treatment, as well as to the optimization of the ICP-MS conditions for each element and of the quantification. All samples exhibited a very low amount of the elements under investigation. Indeed, the sum of their average concentration was of ca. 0.6 mg kg⁻¹. Toxic elements were always below a few tens of a μg per kg⁻¹ and, very often, their amount was below the relevant quantification limits. Tobacco and tonic flavors showed the highest and the lowest concentration of elements, respectively. The most abundant elements came frequently from propylene glycol and vegetal glycerin, as confirmed by PCA. A proper choice of these substances could further decrease the elemental concentration in e-liquids, which are probably barely involved as potential sources of toxic elements inhaled by vapers.     

Synthesis of Mesoionic 4‐(para‐substituted Phenyl‐5‐2,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,3‐4‐thiadiazolium‐2‐aminides by Direct Cyclization via Acylation of Thiosemicarbazides

The synthesis of ten novel mesoionic 4‐[para‐substituted (H, CH₃, OCH₃, NO₂, Cl, Br, OH, t‐C₄H₉, C₆H₅, C₄H₉) phenyl‐5‐2,4‐dichlorophenyl]‐1,3‐4‐thiadiazolium‐2‐aminides, as hydrochlorides, are described. The synthesis strategy utilized the corresponding para‐substituted isothiocyanates as starting materials to obtain the thiosemicarbazides through reaction with phenylhydrazine (61–98%), which were then submitted to acylation with 2,4‐dichloro benzoyl chloride and direct cyclization to generate the desired substituted mesoionic compounds in good yields (ca. 80%).     

Simultaneous determination of polyether ionophores, macrolides and lincosamides in hen eggs by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry using a simple solvent extraction

A liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of residues of 6 polyether ionophores (lasalocid, maduramicin, monensin, narasin, salinomycin, semduramicin), 3 macrolides (erythromycin, tylosin, clarithromycin) and 1 lincosamide (lincomycin) in eggs. Nigericin was used as qualitative internal standard. Samples were deproteinizated/extracted with acetonitrile without pH adjustments. Aliquots of the extracts were evaporated and reconstituted for injection in the instrument operated in positive multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The stability of the antibiotics and the intensity of the formed ions were considered in order to select a suitable solvent for the reconstitution of the obtained dry extracts. No clean-up steps were required and matrix effects were controlled by sample dilution, selection of appropriate chromatographic conditions and reduced injection volume. Good within-laboratory reproducibility was obtained, with relative standard deviations (RSD(R)) from 4.0 (semduramicin at 5 μgkg(-1)) to 18.6 (erythromycin at 25 μgkg(-1)) for the ionophores and macrolides. Lincomycin showed the least precise results, with a maximum RSD(R) of 20.2% at 75 μgkg(-1)). Satisfactory decision limits (CCα) and detection capabilities (CCβ) were also attained. Method limits of detection (LODs) from 0.04 (salinomycin) to 1.6 μgkg(-1) (lincomycin) were achieved. Method limits of quantification (LOQs) were from 0.14 to 5.3 μgkg(-1) for the same drugs, respectively. All the LOQs, except that obtained for maduramicin were remarkably below the lowest validation level. The proposed method is suitable for routine application in commercial egg samples.