Non-invasive determination of ethanol, propylene glycol and water in a multi-component pharmaceutical oral liquid by direct measurement through amber plastic bottles using Fourier transform near-infrared spectroscopy

Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopy was used to quantify rapidly the ethanol (34-49% v/v), propylene glycol (20-35% v/v) and water (11-20% m/m) contents within a multi-component pharmaceutical oral liquid by measurement directly through the amber plastic bottle packaging. Spectra were collected in the range 7302-12,000 cm-1 and calibration models set-up using partial least-squares regression (PLSR) and multiple linear regression. Reference values for the three components were measured using capillary gas chromatography (ethanol and propylene glycol) and Karl Fischer (water) assay procedures. The calibration and test sets consisted of production as well as laboratory batches that were made to extend the concentration ranges beyond the natural production variation. The PLSR models developed gave standard errors of prediction (SEP) of 1.1% v/v for ethanol, 0.9% v/v for propylene glycol and 0.3% m/m for water. For each component the calibration model was validated in terms of: linearity, repeatability, intermediate precision and robustness. All the methods produced statistically favourable outcomes. Ten production batches independent of the calibration and test sets were also challenged against the PLSR models, giving SEP values of 1.3% v/v (ethanol), 1.0% v/v (propylene glycol) and 0.2% m/m (water). NIR transmission spectroscopy allowed all three liquid constituents to be non-invasively measured in under 1 min.     

Far infrared photoconductivity from majority and minority impurities in high purity Si and Ge

The effects of intrinsic illumination on the far infrared photoconductivity of high purity Si and Ge are studied. Such illumination permits the observation of both the majority and minority impurities. One of the donors in Ge is highly sensitive to heat treatment, a result suggesting that it arises from lattice defects rather than chemical impurities.     

Bose condensation of excitons in two-layer electronic systems in the absence of magnetic field

A high narrow peak of interlayer differential tunnel conductivity is observed at low temperatures in heterostructures with two closely located electronic layers in the absence of magnetic field. The analysis of experimental results suggests that this peak is due to the interlayer phase coherence that arises in the system as a result of the Bose condensation of interlayer excitons (electron-hole pairs) belonging to different layers, in accordance with the recent theoretical predictions.