The principle of simplicity for Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī.

This paper seeks to show how Quṭb al-Dīn Shīrāzī, a prominent astronomer of the Islamic age of science, employed the principle of simplicity in choosing among rival planetary models. Following some previous studies, we distinguish syntactic and ontological accounts of simplicity. Shīrāzī explicitly refers to these methodological principles and utilizes them to reduce the number of orbs in the planetary models.

A Critique of Darwin's The Descent of Man by a Muslim Scholar in 1912: Muḥammad-Riḍā Iṣfahānī's Examination of the Anatomical and Embryological Similarities Between Human and Other Animals.

The cliché of the clergymen or the religious scholars battling against modern science oversimplifies the history of the encounter between modern science and religion, especially in the case of non-Western societies. Many religious scholars, Muslim and Christian, not only did not oppose modern science but used it instrumentally to propagate their religions. Marwa Elshakry, in her brilliant study of Darwin's opinions among the Arab World, concentrates more on Arab Christians and Sunni Muslims rather than on Shiite Muslims.

Physico-chemical properties of aqueous drug solutions: From the basic thermodynamics to the advanced experimental and simulation results.

The physical chemical properties of aqueous solutions of model compounds are illustrated in relation to hydration and solubility issues by using three perspectives: thermodynamic, spectroscopic and molecular dynamics simulations. The thermodynamic survey of the fundamental backgrounds of concentration dependence and experimental solubility results show some peculiar behavior of aqueous solutions with several types of similar solutes. Secondly, the use of a variety of experimental spectroscopic devices, operating under different experimental conditions of dimension and frequency, has produced a large amount of structural and dynamic data on aqueous solutions showing the richness of the information produced, depending on where and how the experiment is carried out.

Use of Capillary Electrophoresis for Polysaccharide Studies and Applications.

CE applications to charged polysaccharides are briefly reported. A simple procedure is presented to determine the esterification degree of a hyaluronan derivative. In this case the degree of substitution was as low as 14 %.

"The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" of Chitosans.

The objective of this paper is to emphasize the fact that while consistent interest has been paid to the industrial use of chitosan, minor attention has been devoted to spread the knowledge of a good characterization of its physico-chemical properties. Therefore, the paper attempts to critically comment on the conflicting experimental results, highlighting the facts, the myths and the controversies. The goal is to indicate how to take advantage of chitosan versatility, to learn how to manage its variability and show how to properly tackle some unexpected undesirable features.