Continuous-time Markov model for geriatric patients behavior. Optimization of the bed occupancy and computer simulation

Previous research has shown that the flow of patients around departments of geriatric medicine and ex-patients in the community may be modelled by the application of a mixed-exponential distribution. In this paper we considered a five-compartment model using a continuous-time Markov process to describe the flow of patients. Using a M/Ph/c queuing model, we present a way of optimizing the number of beds in order to maintain an acceptable delay probability at a sufficiently low level. Finally, we constructed a Java computer simulation, using data from St George’s Hospital, London.     

Reflection of light by a slab containing electrically small dielectric spheres

Theoriginal and theenhanced Maxwell-Garnett estimates for the permittivity of a particulate medium are applied to the reflection of light by a composite dielectric slab. The reflection coefficients for incident s and p polarizations are calculated and some curves are plotted and discussed.     

Electrochemical determination of minoxidil in different pharmaceutical formulations by flow injection analysis.

The electrochemical behavior and amperometric-FIA quantification of minoxidil at a glassy carbon electrode is described. The procedure is based on electrochemical oxidation at 0.800 V (vs. Ag/AgCl/NaCl(3 M) in a phosphate buffer solution. Minoxidil was determined over the range 1 x 10(-7) - 1 x 10(-4) M. Different analytical parameters and electrode stability were analyzed to obtain the best electrode performance. The optimal conditions were: working potentials, 0.800 V; flow rate, 0.74 mL min(-1); and solution pH 7.0. This system allowed a sampling rate of 120 samples per hour without any pretreatment. The proposed method was used for minoxidil quantification in pharmaceutical preparations with satisfactory results. The accuracy of FIA-amperometric method was established by a comparison with the conventional UV determination technique using a paired t-test indicating the absence of systematic errors.     

Mild template synthesis of a copper(II)-containing macrocyclic compound with 4,4,6-trimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazanonen-6-dithiohydrazide-1,9 in a gelatin-immobilized matrix

The complexing processes in the triple copper(II)–thiocarbohydrazide–propanone system taking place in a copper(II) hexacyanoferrate(II) gelatin-immobilized matrix in contact with aqueous-alkaline solutions (pH12), containing thiocarbohydrazide and propanone, have been studied. Template synthesis leading to a macrocyclic coordination compound with the tetradentate N,N,S,S-donor ligand, (4,4,6-trimethyl-2,3,7,8-tetraazanonen-6-dithiohydrazide-1,9), occurs under these specific conditions when thiocarbohydrazide and propanone are the ligand synthons.     

On the interaction of silyl triflates with enamines: iminium ion formation versus silylation

The interaction of Me₃SiOTf and (C₆F₅)₃SiOTf with enamines generating α-silyl-substituted iminium ions is investigated. A trimethylsilyl iminium cation is formed as a long-lived species observable by NMR spectroscopy, whilst the tris(pentafluorophenyl)silyl analogue is very labile and prone to the loss of a proton. On the basis of the latter phenomenon, a method for the synthesis of β-silyl enamines is proposed.     

Accreditation of reference material producers: the example of IRMM's Reference Materials Unit

The potential approaches for third-party assessment of reference material producers are revisited and the activities of the Reference Materials (RM) Unit of the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) to obtain accreditation to ISO Guide 34 and ISO 17025 are described. Accreditation was related to the Unit as all matrix RM activities of the institute are concentrated there. A management system was established that allows sufficient flexibility to be applicable to a wide range of RMs while being precise enough to ensure compliance with ISO Guides 30, 31 and especially 34 and 35. Accreditation was achieved in 2004 with independent scopes for testing and RM production and was confirmed and extended in 2005. The key aspects of the RM Unit's management system for RM production are presented. Presented at BERM-10, April 2006, Charleston, SC, USA     

Effects of annealing on crystallinity and phase behaviour of PET/PC block copolymers

The effects of the annealing on the properties of PET/PC block copolymers, obtained by reactive blending in the presence of different catalysts and for different mixing times, have been studied. The annealing, performed in conditions that promote the crystallization, has been used to better understand the role of block length in determining the phase behaviour. The copolymers characterized by blocks with molecular weight larger than 8000 are able to reorganize towards more ordered domains. This rearrangement maintains the phase separation, as two crystalline phases are present before and after annealing, due to the immiscibility of long blocks. In copolymers characterized by blocks with molecular weight equal to about 2500, that is the higher limit for the miscibility in the amorphous state in PET/PC block copolymers studied in this work, the rearrangement of the chains during annealing causes a phase separation leading to two crystalline phases. Only in the copolymers with molecular weight of blocks lower than 1500, the very short block length hinders the crystallization: therefore, only in this case a phase separation does not take place after annealing.     

RE3Ga9Ge (RE=Y, Ce, Sm, Gd and Yb): compounds with an open three-dimensional polygallide framework synthesized from liquid gallium

The RE₃Ga₉Ge compounds (RE=Y, Ce, Sm, Gd and Yb) were synthesized at 850°C in quantitative yield from reactions containing excess liquid Ga. The orthorhombic crystal structure is characterized by a unique three-dimensional open Ga framework with parallel straight tunnels. In the tunnels, inserted are arrays of the RE atoms together with interpenetrated monoatomic RE-Ga-Ge planes. A complex disordered arrangement of the RE and Ga atoms is observed in the monoatomic plane. Depending on the extent of disorder, the crystal structure could be presented either in a sub-cell (no ordering) or in a super-cell (partial ordering). Single-crystal X-ray data for Ce₃Ga₉Ge sub-structure: space group Immm, Z=2, cell parameters a=4.3400(12) Å; b=10.836(3) Å; and c=11.545(3) Å; super-structure: space group Cmma, Z=8, cell parameters a=8.680(3) Å; b=23.090(7) Å; and c=10.836(3) Å. The refinement based on the full-matrix least squares on F_o²[I>2σ(I)] converged to final residuals R₁/wR₂=0.0226/0.0528 and 0.0729/0.1569 for the sub- and super-structures, respectively. The relationship between the disordered sub-structure and partially ordered super-structure is discussed. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show Curie-Weiss behavior at the temperatures above 30 K with the negative Weiss constants Θ=−49(1) and−7.7 K for Gd and Ce analogs, respectively. An antiferromagnetic transition is observed in the Gd analog at T_N=26.1 K. The μ_eff obtained for both analogs is close to the RE³⁺ free-ion value.