Experimental psychology and social responsibility.

Argues that (1) the roles of scientist and human being are to some extent inseparable, (2) the scientist cannot escape responsibility for the uses made of his knowledge, and (3) basic research must be defended in terms of its potential social value, however remote. It is argued that experimental psychologists have a series of obligations which can be met through formal organizations. They include: (1) the responsibility to interpret its basic research to society as a whole; (2) the responsibility to encourage its own social support through social action; (3) the need to step up its attack on pressing social problems; and (4) the responsibility to oppose political climates that would inhibit the progress of free psychological inquiry and to encourage political climates that permit and encourage such progress. A few illustrative examples are cited of the involvement of psychological associations in social action and of instances in which they might have been involved and were not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intercalation of bromine into natural graphite the effect of oxidation and residual bromine on the rate and amount of uptake

Intercalation of bromine at 20°C into spectroscopic grade SP-1 natural graphite flakes oxidized previously to four levels of burn-off has been studied. The threshold pressure, equilibrium amounts taken up at relative pressures up to 0.95, and the diffusion coefficient for bromine uptake are little affected by graphite oxidation at all burn-off s studied (up to 46.1%). However the time after bromine exposure at the threshold pressure at which rapid bromine intercalation commences monotonically decreases with increasing burn-off. It is suggested that during this initial time period, bromine entering the graphite is essentially fully ionized, whereas bromine entering later, and rapidly, is not ionized. Oxidation affects the subsequent thermal stability of the intercalated bromine and the composition of the residue compound formed following heating to 950°C. Rates of uptake and amount of bromine intercalated subsequently on the residue compounds are dependent upon their $\text{Br}\text{C}$ ratio and how the residual compounds were formed.     

Definition of conditions for the detection of genotoxic chemicals in the adult rat-liver epithelial cell/hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (ARL/HGRPT) mutagenesis assay

1. Fresh human erythrocytes were treated with lytic and non-lytic combinations of phospholipases A2, C and sphingomyelinase. The 31P-NMR spectra of ghosts derived from such erythrocytes show that, in all cases, the residual phospholipids and lysophospholipids remain organized in a bilayer configuration. 2. A bilayer configuration of the (lyso)phospholipids was also observed after treatment of erythrocyte ghosts with various phospholipases even in the case that 98% of the phospholipid was converted into lysophospholipid (72%) and ceramides (26%). 3. A slightly decreased order of the phosphate group of phospholipid molecules, seen as reduced effective chemical shift anisotropy in the 31P-NMR spectra, was found following the formation of diacyglycerols and ceramides in the membrane of intact erythrocytes. Treatment of ghosts always resulted in an extensive decrease in the order of the phosphate groups. 4. The results allow the following conclusions to made: a. Hydrolysis of phospholipids in intact red cells and ghosts does not result in the formation of non-bilayer configuration of residual phospholipids and lysophospholipids. b. Haemolysis, which is obtained by subsequent treatment of intact cells with sphingomyelinase and phospholipase A2, or with phospholipase C, cannot be ascribed to the formation of non-bilayer configuration of phosphate-containing lipids. c. Preservation of bilayer structure, even after hydrolysis of all phospholipid, shows that other membrane constitutents, e.g. cholesterol and/or membrane proteins play an important role in stabilizing the structure of the erythrocyte membrane. d. A major prerequisite for the application of phospholipases in lipid localization studies, the preservation of a bilayer configuration during phospholipid hydrolysis, is met for the erythrocyte membrane.     

LC/MS with a particle beam interface in forensic toxicology

Many instruments are used in forensic toxicology to screen biologic samples for drugs and other compounds. Many of these screening instruments (and others) are used to confirm positive screening tests. The focus of this article is the use of a high pressure liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer (HPLC/MS) for screening forensic postmortem and human performance DWI cases. This screening procedure involves an HPLC with a particle beam interfaced to a mass spectrometer detector and a photodiode array detector. Drugs such as the antidepressants, drugs of abuse, over-the-counter cold and pain preparations, anticonvulsants, benzodiazepines, and some medications that are not available in the United States are selected at therapeutic and subtherapeutic levels. Limits of detection and extraction efficiencies are presented for many compounds. Several cases are discussed showing different drug combinations.     

Incomplete urethral obstruction associated with dilatation of the urethra, cystitis, and pyelonephritis in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig

A sporadic case of trilateral retinoblastoma in a male child of 20 months is described using clinical and imaging approaches. Attempts were made to find out a tumour marker by analysing human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), alpha-feto protein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Only LDH was elevated in CSF and the rest were normal. Retinoblastoma gene could not be isolated in this patient. It is proposed that LDH in CSF should be analysed in patients with bilateral retinoblastoma who had normal brain scan initially. If LDH level in CSF is elevated, the patient should be periodically monitored by non-invasive imaging of the brain to detect intracranial tumour at an early stage.