Stochastic activity networks with truncated exponential activity times

This paper presents an approach for using right-truncated exponentially distributed random variables to model activity times in stochastic activity networks. The advantages of using the right-truncated exponential distribution are discussed. The moments of a project completion time using the proposed distribution are derived and compared with other estimated moments in literature.     

Spectrophotometric determination of ciprofloxacin in pure form and in tablets through charge-transfer complexation reactions

Three simple, quick and sensitive spectrophotometric methods are described for the determination of ciprofloxacin. The methods are based on the reaction of this drug as ann-electron donor with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone (DDQ), 7,7,8,8,-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) andp-chloranil (CL) as -acceptors to give highly coloured complex species. The coloured products are quantitated spectrophotometrically at 460, 843 and 550 nm for DDQ, TCNQ and CL, respectively. Optimization of the different experimental conditions is described. Beer's law is obeyed in the concentration ranges 5–50, 1.5–15 and 20–200 g ml^–1 ciprofloxacin, but the concentration ranges for best accuracy are 10–48, 2.5–15 and 35– 195 g ml^–1 of drug for DDQ, TCNQ and CL, respectively. The relative standard deviations are less than 1.5%. Applications of the suggested methods to ciprofloxacin tablets are presented and compared with the USP method. The stability constants of the 11 DDQ and CL complexes were 1.086 × 10⁴ and 2.581 × 10⁴ lmol^–1, respectively, whereas for the 12 TCNQ complex it was 3.62 × 10⁸1. mol^–1.     

Spectrophotometric assay of cephalosporins in pharmaceutical products,using chromotrope 2B and chromotrope 2R

A simple, rapid and sensitive Spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of cephadroxil (I), cephalexin (II) and cephradine (III). The method is based on ion-pair complex formation between these derivatives and Chromotrope 2B (C2B) or Chromotrope 2R (C2R), to give a highly coloured radical anion. The coloured products are quantified spectrophotometrically at 542 and 564 nm for C2B and C2R, respectively. The optimization of the experimental conditions is described. The method has been used for the determination of 0.4–15, 0.4–14 and 0.4–18 g/ml of drugs I, II and III, respectively. The accuracy of the method is indicated by the excellent recovery (100.0±1.7%) and the precision is supported by the low relative standard deviations 1.5%. The sensitivity of the method is discussed and the results are compared with the official method. The interference from common degradation products and excipients was also studied. The proposed method was applied successfully to the determination of the different cephalosporins in dosage forms, with good precision and accuracy. The results were compared with those given by the official B.P. 1993 method.     

Carbon Paste Electrode for the Potentiometric Flow Injection Analysis of Drotaverine Hydrochloride in Serum and Urine

A carbon paste electrode for drotaverine hydrochloride (DvCl) was prepared and fully characterized in terms of composition, life span, usable pH range, response time and temperature. The electrode was applied to the potentiometric determination of drotaverinium ions in pharmaceutical preparations and biological fluids in steady state and flow injection conditions (FIA). The electrode is based on a mixture of two ion exchangers, namely, drotaverinium-silicotungestate and drotaverinium-tetraphenylborate dissolved in tricresyl phosphate as pasting liquid. The modified electrode showed a near-Nernstian slope of 59.34±2mV over the concentration range of 5.0×10^–7–1.0 × 10^–2M. The electrode exhibits good selectivity for DvCl with respect to a large number of inorganic cations, organic cations, sugars and amino acids. Potentiometric titrations of DvCl with several titrants have been monitored using this modified carbon paste electrode as an end-point indicator electrode. The proposed electrode offers the advantages of simplicity, accuracy, automation feasibility and applicability to turbid and colored samples.     

Indirect atomic absorption and atomic emission spectrometric determination of antazoline,hydralazine and amiloride hydrochlorides and quinine sulphate

Ion-association complexes of antazoline HCl [I], hydralazine HCl [II], amiloride HCl [III] and quinine sulphate [IV] with [Co(SCN)₄]^2– and [Co(NO₂)₆]^3– were precipitated and the excess unreacted cobalt complex was determined. A new method using atomic emission and atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of the above drugs in pure solutions and pharmaceutical preparations is given. The drugs can be determined in the ranges 0.3–3.0, 0.19–1.96, 0.3–3.0, and 0.78–7.82 mg/25 ml solutions of I, II, III, and IV, respectively, with mean relative standard deviations of 0.65–2.03 % and recovery values of 95.76–101.2% indicating high precision and accuracy.     

Lesion load quantification on fast-FLAIR, rapid acquisition relaxation-enhanced, and gradient spin echo brain MRI scans from multiple sclerosis patients.

Previous studies have addressed the issue of the usefullness of fast fluid-attenuated (fast-FLAIR), rapid acquisition relaxation-enhanced (RARE), and gradient spin echo (GRASE) sequences in small groups of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to assess and compare the lesion volumes and the intra-rater reproducibility of such measurements using fast-FLAIR, dual echo RARE, and dual echo GRASE brain scans from a large sample of MS patients. Using a 1.5 Tesla scanner, fast-FLAIR, dual echo RARE, and dual echo GRASE scans (24 axial, 5-mm thick contiguous interleaved slices) of the brain were obtained from 50 MS patients. Total lesion loads (TLL) were assessed twice using a semi-automated local thresholding segmentation technique by the same rater from the scans obtained with the three techniques. Mean TLL were 20.3 mL for fast-FLAIR, 16.6 mL for RARE, and 17.6 mL for GRASE sequences. Mean TLL detected by the three techniques were significantly heterogeneous (p < 0.001); at post-hoc analysis, the mean lesion volume detected on fast-FLAIR images was significantly higher than that on both RARE and GRASE images (p < 0.001) and the mean TLL on GRASE scans was significantly higher than that on RARE scans (p = 0.001). The mean values of intra-observer coefficient of variation for TLL measurements were similar for the three techniques (2.69% for fast-FLAIR, 2.33% for RARE, and 2.65% for GRASE). Our results confirm that fast-FLAIR sequences detect higher lesion volumes than those detected by other magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences with shorter acquisition times. However, the reproducibility of TLL measurements is comparable among fast-FLAIR, RARE, and GRASE. This suggests that when assessing MS disease burden with MRI, the choice of the pulse sequence to be used should be dictated by the clinical setting.     

A Laplace transform method for order statistics from nonidentical random variables and its application in Phase-type distribution

In this paper, we derive a method for obtaining the Laplace transform of order statistics (o.s.) arising from general independent nonidentically distributed random variables (r.v.’s). A survey of the most important properties, applications and the o.s. of a Phase-type (PH) distribution are also presented. Two illustrative examples are provided.     

Ion-selective electrodes for potentiometric determination of ranitidine hydrochloride, applying batch and flow injection analysis techniques.

New ranitidine hydrochloride (RaCl)-selective electrodes of the conventional polymer membrane type are described. They are based on incorporation of ranitidine-tetraphenylborate (Ra-TPB) ion-pair or ranitidine-phosphotungstate (RaPT) ion-associate in a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane plasticized with dioctylphthalate (DOP) or dibutylphthalate (DBP). The electrodes are fully characterized in terms of the membrane composition, solution temperature, and pH. The sensors showed fast and stable responses. Nernstian response was found over the concentration range of 2.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M and 1.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M in the case of Ra-TPB electrode and over the range of 1.03 x 10(-5) M to 1.00 x 10(-2) M and 1.0 x 10(-5) M to 1.0 x 10(-2) M in the case of Ra-PT electrode for batch and FIA systems, respectively. The electrodes exhibit good selectivity for RaCl with respect to a large number of common ions, sugars, amino acids, and components other than ranitidine hydrochloride of the investigated mixed drugs. The electrodes have been applied to the potentiometric determination of RaCl in pure solutions and in pharmaceutical preparations under batch and flow injection conditions with a lower detection limit of 1.26 x 10(-5) M and 5.62 x 10(-6) M at 25 +/- 1 degrees C. An average recovery of 100.91% and 100.42% with a relative standard deviation of 0.72% and 0.53% has been achieved.     

Polarographische Untersuchungen an Solochromviolett RS in Pufferlösungen in Abwesenheit und in Gegenwart oberflächenaktiver Stoffe (SAS)

The polarographic behaviour of solochrome violet RS is investigated in buffer solutions of varying pH in the absence and presence of surfactants (triton 100-X and dodecylbenzene-sulphonate). The reduction proceeds irreversibly along a single wave in acid solutions and two waves in alkaline ones. The electrode reaction corresponds to four electrons in media of pH<2.5 and pH>8.0; in media of pH 4 5.5 two electrons are consumed. In solution of pH 2.5 4 or 5.5–8.0, both reactions contribute in varying magnitudes. The addition ofSAS causes the inhibition of reduction beyond the 2-electrons stage in acid solutions; the polarograms comprise one wave in case ofDBS and two waves of equal height in presence of triton. In alkaline media the polarogram comprises three waves due to the splitting of the main reduction wave. The kinetic parameters of the electrode reaction are also determined.     

Preparation and IR-spectroscopic study of charge transfer complexes of naphthalene derivatives with some tri- and di-nitrobenzenes

The charge transfer complexes of naphthalene and some of its derivatives with some trinitro- and dinitrobenzenes are prepared and investigated by irspectroscopy. The shifts in the bands due to functional groups as well as the _CH bands of both donor and acceptor are found to be indicative for the type of bonding in the charge transfer complex.

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Darstellung und IR-spektroskopische Untersuchungen an Charge Transfer Komplexen von Naphthalinderivaten mit Di- und Tri-nitrobenzolen

Zusammenfassung Aus den Verschiebungen der Bandenlagen bei der Komplexierung, bzw. aus der Abhängigkeit der Bandenlagen von den funktionellen Gruppen, wird der Bindungstyp der Charge-Transfer-Komplexe ermittelt.