The treatment of drug misusers in police custody.

Large numbers of drug users appear in police stations, either as a result of drug offences or as offenders who also misuse drugs. Invariably such offenders are dealt with by police surgeons or forensic medical examiners as they are now called. In this paper a review is made of the guidelines for drug users to access medical help, and the nature of the medical service provided.

Cathodic stripping voltammetry of copper-complexed reactive dyes at a hanging mercury drop electrode: Reactive violet 5.

Reactive Violet 5 and its hydrolysis product, which is produced as a side product in the dyeing process, can be determined in an admixture at sub-ppb levels by cathodic stripping voltammetry because the potentials of their azo reduction peaks are separated sufficiently. For both dyes, at intermediate pH values the azo peak is preceded by a complexed -copper reduction peak at a less negative potential, which aids the identification of the dyes. The use of pH 6 EDTA buffer removes the complexed-copper peak, as does the use of an acidic buffer (pH < 3).

Human performance on the traveling salesman problem.

Two experiments on performance on the traveling salesman problem (TSP) are reported. The TSP consists of finding the shortest path through a set of points, returning to the origin. It appears to be an intransigent mathematical problem, and heuristics have been developed to find approximate solutions.

Effect of background scene complexity and field dependence on the legibility of head-up displays for automotive applications.

This study examined the legibility of information presented on head-up displays (HUDs) for automotive application as a function of background scene complexity, the position of the HUD within field of view relative to the background scene, and the perceptual capacity of the perceiver. Groups of field-dependent and field-independent subjects viewed video footage from the perspective of following a lead car on an open road with low, moderate, and high scene complexity. Subjects were required to track the lead vehicle and identify HUD-presented targets of a specified orientation and specified changes in a HUD-presented speedometer.

Determination of strontium-90 in milk samples using a controlled precipitation clean-up step prior to ion-chromatography.

Strontium-90 may be determined by beta-counting its yttrium-90 daughter following separation by ion-chromatography, using a three column system comprising a chelating concentrator column, a cation-exchange column and an anion-exchange separator column. The column system has previously been applied to the determination of strontium-90 in water and urine samples. The applicability of the system to the analysis of milk is hampered by the large concentrations of calcium present, which significantly reduces the extraction of yttrium-90 by the concentrator column.

The development of ergonomics standards for software.

This paper introduces the background to the development of ergonomics standards for software, describes some of the issues that influence the standards that are developed, and provides a brief overview of the scope and current status of standards under development.

Ergonomics and international standards: history, organizational structure and method of development.

Egonomics international standards were formally considered in 1973 by a symposium of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) held at Loughborough University in the UK. Recommendations led to the establishment of ISO TC 159 'Ergonomics', with Germany (DIN) holding the secretariat. Six subcommittees (SC) were established and have worked towards standards.

Ergonomics and international standards: introduction, brief review of standards for anthropometry and control room design and useful information.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) coordinates the production of internationally accepted standards, and involves over 100 countries. ISO TC 159 'Ergonomics' was set up in 1975. In 1988, the Comite Europeen De Nomalisation (CEN) established CEN TC 122 'Ergonomics' for the production of European standards.

Integro-differential equations and the stability of neural networks with dendritic structure.

We analyse the effects of dendritic structure on the stability of a recurrent neural network in terms of a set of coupled, non-linear Volterra integro-differential equations. These, which describe the dynamics of the somatic membrane potentials, are obtained by eliminating the dendritic potentials from the underlying compartmental model or cable equations. We then derive conditions for Turing-like instability as a precursor for pattern formation in a spatially organized network.

Influence of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution on endurance capacity during intermittent, high-intensity shuttle running.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ingesting a carbohydrate-electrolyte solution on endurance capacity during a prolonged intermittent, high-intensity shuttle running test (PIHSRT). Nine trained male games players performed two exercise trials, 7 days apart. On each occasion, they completed 75 min exercise, comprising of five 15-min periods of intermittent running, consisting of sprinting, interspersed with periods of jogging and walking (Part A), followed by intermittent running to fatigue (Part B).

An investigation of the use of nile red as a long-wavelength fluorescent probe for the study of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein-drug interactions.

Spectrofluorimetry in the long-wavelength region of the electromagnetic spectrum (600-1000 nm) is a fairly recent development in photoluminescence spectroscopy, which has numerous advantages over measurements in the more conventional ultraviolet and visible spectral region. 9-Diethylamino-5H-benzophenoxazine-5-one (Nile Red) is an unchanged, hydrophobic molecule, and long-wavelength fluorescence of which is strongly influenced by the polarity of its environment. When Nile Red was added to solutions of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (Orosomucoid.

New fluorigenic reagents and their fluorescent reactions for amino acid measurements.

Naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde, 1-phenylnaphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde and anthracene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde have been characterized for use as fluorigenic reagents for the determination of primary amines and amino acids at the microgram level. The reaction conditions, spectral properties and stability of the derivatives (isoindoles) have been investigated with standard amino acids. The results have been compared with other fluorigenic reagents such as ortho-phthalaldehyde.

Investigation of decomposition products of microwave digestion of food samples.

The involatile residues remaining after closed-vessel microwave digestion of various food samples, using nitric acid, with and without post-digestion treatment with hydrogen peroxide, have been studied. Decomposition products were found to include aliphatic and aromatic acids, nitro-compounds, oxalates and inorganic nitrates and phosphates. Measures of digestion completeness were provided by appearance, carbon content, infrared spectra and thin layer chromatograms of the residues, enabling a comparison of different digestion methods and sample types.

Water poverty.

Water poverty has become to the 1990s what fuel poverty was to the 1970s and 1980s. Underlying the growing concern on the issue is, on the one hand, a steep rise in the numbers living on poverty level incomes over the past 15 years and on the other, increasing difficulties among many poorer households in paying for the water that they need. Having briefly outlined current trends in poverty, the article explores these difficulties in relation to the price of and methods of charging for water and sewerage; the options for helping poorer customers; and the consequences of non-payment.

Synthesis and biological activity of thiazolylindolequinones, analogues of the natural product BE 10988.

A number of analogues of the naturally occurring thiazolylindolequinone BE 10988, a reported potent inhibitor of topoisomerase II, have been prepared and evaluated. The compounds were synthesized from 4-(benzyloxy)-5-methoxy-1-methylindole by appropriate substitution at the indole 3-position followed by standard thiazole ring-forming reactions. The toxicity of these potentially bioreductively activated indolequinones was measured in Chinese hamster V79 cells under aerobic and hypoxic conditions.

Implications of health and safety legislation for the professional sportsperson.

There are a large number of injuries in most professional sports every year, and research interest has usually centred around the medical aspects of these injuries. However, health and safety legislation also applies to professional sport, and it is important, as with any other occupation, to understand the underlying causes of the incidents leading to the injuries and to take steps to minimize future injuries. The introduction of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 formalized a risk assessment approach to health and safety issues; an approach that has always been implicit in the Health and Safety at Work etc.

Evidence for lack of modulation of mu-opioid agonist action by delta-opioid agonists in the mouse vas deferens and guinea-pig ileum.

1. There is evidence from in vivo studies for an interaction of mu- and delta-opioid ligands. In the present work this concept has been investigated using the mouse vas deferens and guinea-pig ileum myenteric plexus-longitudinal preparations.

Macronutrients and performance.

Athletes should eat a well-balanced diet made up of a wide variety of foods in sufficient quantity to cover their daily energy expenditures. Carbohydrate-containing foods should provide approximately 60-70% of their daily energy intake, protein approximately 12-15%, with the remainder being provided by fat. The higher carbohydrate intakes, however, are only recommended during preparation for, and immediate recovery from, heavy training and competition.

A schlieren study of the interaction between a lithotripter shock wave and a simulated kidney stone.

The interaction between a lithotripter shock wave and a simulated kidney stone has been imaged using laser illuminated schlieren photography. The images clearly show the incident, transmitted and reflected components of the shock wave and the associated cavitation.

Evaluation of near infra-red interactance for assessment of subcutaneous and total body fat.

Objective: Near infra-red interactance (NIRI) has been used for assessment of total body fatness, but its relationship with composition at the measurement site is not clear. This study examines the relationship of interactance with subcutaneous adipose tissue and muscle thickness as well as total body fat content.

Design: (i) Validation of NIRI by comparison with subcutaneous tissue thicknesses from ultrasound.

Robotic-assisted internal fixation of femoral fractures.

Closed surgical techniques for the internal fixation of femoral fractures require orthopaedic surgeons to work in close proximity to X-rays. In addition to the occupational health risk this imposes, inexperienced surgeons often encounter great difficulty in achieving optimal positioning of fracture repair fixtures. A vision-guided robotic system has been proposed as a possible solution to these problems and an initial investigation involving two exemplar orthopaedic procedures has been undertaken.

The influence of the intensity of treadmill walking upon changes in lipid and lipoprotein variables in healthy adults.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the acute and delayed effects of low- and moderate-intensity exercise on serum lipoprotein concentrations. Twelve healthy volunteers (five men, seven women), aged 28 (2) years [mean (SEM)], maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) 48 (3) ml.kg-1.

Head-up displays and their automotive application: an overview of human factors issues affecting safety.

In response to the recent innovations to use head-up displays (HUDs) in vehicles, this paper discusses the relevant human factors issues arising from this display format and the potential safety implications. A review is made of the relevant HUD literature, primarily from the aviation field. The primary issues for automotive HUDs relevant to system performance and safety in the driving task involve interference from background scene complexity, system novelty, user perceptual style, cognitive disruption, and perceptual tunnelling.