A rapid test for heroin (3,6-diacetylmorphine) based on two chemiluminescence reactions

A rapid method for screening drug seizure samples for 3,6-diacetylmorphine (heroin), which consists of a simple hydrolysis procedure and flow-injection analysis with two chemiluminescence reagents, is described. Before hydrolysis, 3,6-diacetylmorphine evokes an intense response with a tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III) reagent (prepared by dissolving the perchlorate salt in acetonitrile), and a relatively weak chemiluminescence response with a second reagent: potassium permanganate in an aqueous acidic polyphosphate solution. However, the permanganate reagent is extremely sensitive toward the hydrolysis products of 3,6-diacetylmorphine (i.e., 6-monoacetylmorphine and morphine). Some compounds commonly found in drug laboratories may cause false positives with tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(III), but do not produce the markedly increased response with the permanganate reagent after the hydrolysis procedure. The combination of these two tests therefore provides an effective presumptive test for the presence of 3,6-diacetylmorphine, which we have verified with 14 samples obtained from a forensic science laboratory.     

Clinical urinalysis of drugs and alcohol in instances of suspected surreptitious administration ("spiked drinks").

Many suspected victims of surreptitious drug and/or alcohol administration may present to hospitals or healthcare centres and never come to the attention of forensic or law enforcement professionals. Therefore, it is necessary to include clinical toxicological findings in order to assess the growing perception that instances have become more widespread within society. Between July 2002 and June 2004, 180 requests were received for toxicological analysis of individuals presenting to their GP or hospital following self-reported or suspected surreptitious drug administration (e.g. "spiked drink"). There was a rise of 77% in the number of requests from 2002-2003 to 2003-2004 which peaked in December of each year (most likely due to the increased socialization of people during the festive season). Between 2002 and 2004, 34% of patients were male and 66% were female with an overall average age of 25 (range 11-73). Following urinary analysis using immunoassay and gas chromatography (mass spectrometry, flame-ionisation detection and nitrogen-phosphorus detection), 59% of cases were negative for drugs and alcohol in 2002-2003 and 51% in 2003-2004. Drugs or alcohol were detected in 32% of cases in 2002-2003 and in 45% in 2003-2004. Out of the 169 cases analysed, ethanol (alcohol) was the most commonly detected compound (24% of cases), followed by amphetamines (amphetamine, MDMA, MDA, MDEA--11% of cases), cannabinoids (9% of cases), benzodiazepines (temazepam, nordiazepam, oxazepam--9% of cases), cocaine (4% of cases), opiates (dihydrocodeine, codeine--2% of cases), chlorpheniramine (0.6% of cases), ephedrine 0.6% of cases), fluoxetine (0.6% of cases), tramadol (0.6% of cases) and zopiclone (0.6% of cases). No gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) or flunitrazepam was detected in the cases analysed.     

Through a glass darkly: Cause and effect in refugee resettlement policies

As the ongoing debate among philosophers and social scientists suggests, interpretation of cause and effect in human action is often extremely difficult. Especially complicated for the policy analyst is the problem of determining whether causal relationships are inferred from the evidence or imputed to it. This dilemma characterizes certain types of government activity in which distinctions between policy and implementation, between decisions and actions, and between inputs and outcomes are unclear. The efforts of the federal government between 1960 and 1985 to assist refugees in securing employment illustrate how the flow of events may elude causal explanation, and how conclusions and recommendation for improvement derived from the evidence may prove highly ambiguous. In such instances the most rational course open to policy analysts may be to concede ignorance.     

Shakespeare,procreation, and progress

His books include The Economics of Population Growth; The Ultimate Resource; Theory of Population and Economic Growth: Effort, Opportunity and Wealth; The Economic Consequences of Immigration;and most recently Population Matters: People, Resources, Environment and Immigration,published by Transaction.     

An economic model of social sensitivity: The case of individual criminal behavior

In general, economists have modeled criminal behavior as a problem in time allocation under uncertainty. Their Friedman-Savage utility models have been based on the binomial probability distribution and then tested using aggregate data on crime rates and neglect the nonpecuniary aspects of crime. This paper overcomes the shortcomings of previous work. Specifically, criminal activity is modeled with an underlying geometric probability process and explicitly accounts for the moral and social compromise involved in becoming a criminal. The empirical model enables the quantification of the criminal's moral and social sensitivity using data based on a consolidated file of police records and a cohort survey of criminals and noncriminals. On the basis of this unique data set, it is found that the included individual criminals are risk averse and that gang membership reduces social sensitivity.