Minimality hypothesis

On the other hand, in rats, a single dose of 6,156 mg/kg hexachloroethane in mineral oil had no effects on a different set of biochemical indicators of liver function (microsomal protein, oxidative demethylase, NADP-NT reductase, glucose-6-phosphatase, or lipid conjugated diene concentration) when measured 2 hours after compound administration (Reynolds 1972). Each of these parameters is an indicator of microsomal function. The authors postulated that the observed lack of effects could have been the result of slow uptake of hexachloroethane by the liver in a 2-hour period. Gastrointestinal absorption of hexachloroethane in mineral oil is probably minimal because, unlike olive oil, mineral oil cannot be digested. Dissolved lipophilic materials could be excreted in the feces soon after administration because mineral oil can act as a laxative. Thus, the author s hypothesis that minimal hexachloroethane would reach the liver in 2 hours is reasonable. 

Secondly, we might mention that there are two possible attitudes to a theory of valence based on the AO expansion method. The chemist uses the electron-pair model essentially as one of his axioms or, at least, as a good working hypothesis. This model is extremely familiar and useful any theory of such a model of valence should be capable of providing at least some foundation for and extension of his qualitative concepts. To the physicist, however, the simplest molecules are quite complex many-particle systems and he would perhaps find it surprising if we are able to obtain any useful results from our coarse-grained minimal basis model in view of the complexity of the interactions involved. We must try to balance these views in any evalution we make. 

The quantitative comparison of the optimized 3D structure of a selected set of ligands allows the development of their minimal 3D structural requirements for the recognition and activation of the biological target, that is, the pharmacophore hypothesis, and gives a sound 3D rationale to the available SARs [21]. A more complete and mechanistically relevant approach to the development of the 3D pharmacophore consists in its translation into a numerical molecular descriptor that quantifies the molecular-pharmacophore similarity-diversity for computational QSAR modeling [21,41]. 

A speculative proposal was made thirty years ago by Schmid and Krenmayr77, namely that a nitrosyl ion solvated, but not covalently bonded, by a water molecule may be involved in these systems. This hypothesis was investigated theoretically in 1984 by Nguyen and Hegarty78 who carried out ab initio SCF calculations of structure and properties employing the minimal STO-3G basis set, a split-valence basis set plus polarization functions. Optimized geometries of six planar and two nonplanar forms were studied for the nitrosoacidium ion. The lowest minimum of molecular electrostatic potential... 

The other hypothesis suggested earlier was that ammonia rather than hydroxylamine was the product of biological nitrogen fixation. Winogradsky [9] had suggested this, and although the idea was perfectly logical, the evidence was indirect and minimal. 

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