bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coupling between ocean biota and atmospheric aerosols: Dust, dimethylsulphide, or artifact?
Authors: Cropp Roger A. , Gabric Albert J. , McTainsh Grant H. , Braddock Roger D. , Tindale Neil
Published: October 2005

Two hypotheses that postulate interactions between ocean biota and aerosols in the atmosphere have generated substantial research into marine systems. The stimulation of phytoplankton photosynthesis by the provision of iron, a micronutrient contained in deposited aeolian dust (the Iron Hypothesis), and the contribution of dimethylsulphide (DMS) produced by marine ecosystems to the atmospheric burden of aerosols (the CLAW Hypothesis) have been the focus of much research. Satellite sensors, such as the Sea‐viewing Wide Field‐of‐view Sensor (SeaWiFS) now provide moderate‐resolution time series of measurements of the optical properties of the oceans and atmosphere over most of the Earth's surface. These data provide an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the ubiquity of biotic linkages between the ocean and atmosphere at the global scale. We analyzed 5 years of SeaWiFS 8‐day fields of two variables, chlorophyll concentration and aerosol optical depth, for the global oceans. This first global, multiyear approach does not yet allow unequivocal conclusions, as satellite measurements of chlorophyll can be influenced by aerosol properties of the atmosphere and several variables we do not yet examine are likely to play a role. We find correlation between optical properties of the ocean and atmosphere over much of the globe, in particular the midlatitudes. While some regional analyses indicate that SeaWiFS chlorophyll retrievals are biased by dust in the atmosphere, our results do not support the existence of widespread bias in the SeaWiFS products, but are consistent with global‐scale couplings posited by the Iron and CLAW hypotheses.
A theoretical model for fragmentation of viscous bubbly magmas in shock tubes
Authors: Koyaguchi T. , Mitani N. K.
Published: October 2005

A coupled model for one‐dimensional time‐dependent compressible flow and bubble expansion is developed to investigate fragmentation mechanisms of viscous bubbly magmas in shock tubes. Initially a bubbly magma at a high pressure is separated from air at the atmospheric pressure by a diaphragm. As the diaphragm is ruptured, a shock wave propagates into the air, and a rarefaction wave propagates into the bubbly magma. As a result, the bubbly magma is decompressed and expands. Gas overpressure and hoop stress around expanding bubbles are calculated by applying the cell model. It is assumed that the magma fragments and the flow changes from bubbly flow to gas‐pyroclast dispersion when the hoop stress or the gas volume fraction reaches a given threshold. Two types of fragmentation mechanisms are recognized: (1) high‐viscosity magma fragments as the hoop stress reaches the tensile strength of the melt (stress fragmentation) and (2) the hoop stress does not grow in low‐viscosity magma so that fragmentation occurs after bubble expansion when the gas volume fraction reaches a threshold (expansion fragmentation). During stress fragmentation a zone of steep pressure gradient forms just behind the fragmentation surface, which propagates into the magma together with the fragmentation surface. Analytical considerations suggest that the self‐sustained stress fragmentation process can be described by a combination of a traveling‐wave‐type solution in the bubbly flow region and a self‐similar solution in the gas‐pyroclast flow region. Some simple formulae to predict the fragmentation speed (downward propagation velocity of the fragmentation surface) are derived on the basis of these solutions. The formulae are applied to recent experimental results using shock tube techniques as well as Vulcanian explosions in nature.
Morphological development of rip channel systems: Normal and near‐normal wave incidence
Authors: Calvete D. , Dodd N. , Falqués A. , van Leeuwen S. M.
Published: October 2005

The process of formation of a rip channel/crescentic bar system on a straight, sandy coast is examined. A short review of earlier studies is presented. A morphodynamic stability model is then formulated. The resulting model includes a comprehensive treatment of shoaling and surf zone hydrodynamics, including wave refraction on depth and currents and waves. The sediment transport is modeled using a total load formula. This model is used to study the formation of rip currents and channels on a straight single‐barred coast. It is found that this more comprehensive treatment of the dynamics reveals the basic rip cells predicted in earlier studies for normal incidence. Also as before, cell spacings (λ) scale with shore‐to‐bar crest distance (Xb), while growth rates decrease. The λ increases with offshore wave height (H) up to a saturation value; increasing H also increases instability. Experiments at off‐normal wave incidence (θ > 0) introduce obliquity into the evolving bed forms, as expected, and λ increases approximately linearly. the e‐folding times also increase with θ. At normal incidence, λ increases weakly with wave period, but at oblique angles, λ decreases. Tests also reveal the presence of forced circulation cells nearer to the shoreline, which carve out bed forms there. The dynamics of these forced cells is illustrated and discussed along with the associated shoreline perturbation. Transverse bars are also discovered. Their dynamics are discussed. Model predictions are also compared with field observations. The relevance of the present approach to predictions of fully developed beach states is also discussed.
Cross‐shelf penetrating fronts off the southeast coast of China observed by MODIS
Authors: Yuan Dongliang , Qiao Fangli , Su Jie
Published: October 2005

Images of chlorophyll‐a concentration of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard of Terra Satellite show significant cross‐shelf penetrating fronts off the southeast coast of China in October 2000 and July 2002. Analyses indicate that the significant offshore excursion of the October 2000 front is produced by a cross‐shelf jet that coincides with passages of atmospheric cold fronts, which generate downwelling favorable winds. The frontal activities during July 2002 are associated with strong southwesterly winds in favor of upwelling and are likely produced by instabilities of the coastal currents. Multiple fronts within the tongue of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Diluted Water are observed in the summer of 2002. The significant cross‐shelf jet, the instability waves, and the multiple tongues of the Changjiang Diluted Water are reported for the first time.
Narrowband Z‐mode emissions interior to Saturn's plasma torus
Authors: Farrell W. M. , Kurth W. S. , Kaiser M. L. , Desch M. D. , Gurnett D. A. , Canu P.
Published: October 2005

During Cassini's close approach to Saturn, on 1 July 2004, a set of narrow bandwidth plasma emissions were detected by the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument in the inner magnetosphere. These discrete tones were detected between 3 and 70 kHz, with individual tone bandwidths as low as a few hundred Hertz. The tones persisted for long times (∼1 hour) as Cassini flew in planetocentric radial distances of less than 2.5 Rs. During this time at lower radial distances, the spacecraft passed inside the inner edge of a clear and distinct plasma torus; this torus is located between 2.2 and ∼10 Rs. We describe the emissions, and demonstrate that the mode of propagation is the Z‐mode. The emissions are found to originate at locations where electron plasma oscillations along the plasma torus edge are relatively intense. We describe a mechanism for fp electrostatic‐to‐electromagnetic wave conversion to explain the origin of the narrowband Z‐mode tones. The tones allow remote‐sensing of the plasma torus and indicate that the torus is dynamic, with changes in density in the tens of percent over the course of an hour.
Absorption amplification of black carbon internally mixed with secondary organic aerosol
Authors: Schnaiter M. , Linke C. , Möhler O. , Naumann K.‐H. , Saathoff H. , Wagner R. , Schurath U. , Wehner B.
Published: October 2005

The scattering and absorption properties of black carbon (BC) particles internally mixed with secondary organic aerosol (SOA) were investigated experimentally at the large aerosol chamber facility AIDA. Diesel soot particles were coated with secondary organic compounds produced by the in situ ozonolysis of α‐pinene. It was found that the organic coating strongly affects the optical and microphysical properties of the soot aggregates. Amplification factors of the internally mixed BC of 1.8 to 2.1 compared to the specific absorption cross section of externally mixed BC were measured. These amplification factors are well reproduced by a Mie model for concentrically coated spheres over a wide range of organic coating/BC mixing ratios. Other optical properties in particular of thinly coated soot particles, namely, the single scattering albedo, the Ångstrøm exponent, and the hemispheric backscattering ratio, are less well reproduced by the model, most likely because of the restructuring and the incomplete enclosure of the porous soot aggregates.
Shift of the basal planes as the order parameter of transitions between the antiferromagnetic phases of solid oxygen
Authors: Gomonay E. V. , Loktev V. M.
Published: October 2005

A phenomenological model in the spirit of Landau theory is constructed and used to analyze the phase stability conditions and the conditions for phase transitions between the various magnetocrystalline structures of solid oxygen over a wide range of pressure, temperature, and external magnetic field.
Circular dichroism and Raman optical activity in antiferromagnetic transition-metal fluorides
Authors: Hoffman K. R. , Lockwood D. J. , Yen W. M.
Published: October 2005

The Raman optical activity (ROA) of magnons in rutile-structure antiferromagnetic FeF2 (TN=78 K) is studied as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field. For exciting light incident along the c axis, ROA is observed for magnons but not for phonons. In zero field, a small splitting (0.09 cm−1) of the two acoustic-magnon branches is observed for the first time by inelastic light scattering. The splitting in applied magnetic field is found to reduce with increasing temperature in accordance with theory. No ROA is detected for two-magnon excitations. In optical absorption measurements performed over thirty years ago, a very small circular dichroism (CD) was observed in the magnon sidebands of other simple rutile antiferromagnetic fluorides (MnF2 and CoF2). The origin of this CD was not understood at the time. The Raman studies of the one-magnon Raman scattering in FeF2 have demonstrated that in zero field the degeneracy of the antiferromagnetic magnon branches is lifted by a weak magnetic dipole-dipole interaction, as predicted by Pincus and Loudon and by White four decades ago. The source of the observed CD in the magnon sidebands can now be traced to this same magnetic-dipole induced splitting.
Erratum: Evgenii Stanislavovich Borovik on the ninetieth anniversary of his birth [Low Temperature Physics 31, 183 (2005)]
Authors: Eremenko V. V. , Borovikov V. S.
Published: October 2005

Due to a translation error, on page 183, in the third paragraph of the text, the title of the Candidate’s Dissertation has been corrected. The correct title should read The Heat Conductivity of Liquids …
Impact of digital imaging on radiation doses to the patient during X-ray examination of the urinary tract
Authors: Sjöholm B. , Geijer H. , Persliden J.
Published: October 2005

Purpose: To compare radiation doses given to patients undergoing IVU (intravenous urography) before and after digitalization of our X-ray department.

Material and Methods: IVU examinations were monitored with dose area product meters before and after the X-ray department changed to digital techniques. The first step was a change from film-screen to storage phosphor plates, while the second step involved changing to a flat panel detector. Forty-two patients were included for the film-screen situation, 69 when using the storage phosphor plates, and 70 using the flat panel detector.

Results: A dose reduction from 41.8 Gycm2 to 31.5 Gycm2 was achieved with the first step when the film-screen system was replaced with storage phosphor plates. A further reduction to 12.1 Gycm2 was achieved using the flat panel detector.

Conclusion: The introduction of the flat panel detectors made a considerable dose reduction possible.
Hump-shaped corpus callosum
Authors: Erdogmus B. , Yazici B. , Ozdere B. A.
Published: October 2005

Developmental anomalies of the corpus callosum are agenesis, hypogenesis, or hypoplasia. In this case, a hump-shaped anomaly was present in the body of the corpus callosum. The rostrum, genu, and splenium of the corpus callosum were normal. In addition, a split was present within this hump, connecting the lateral ventricles. No additional anomalies were present. This type of anomaly has not been previously reported in the literature.
Fetal biometry: size and configuration of the third ventricle
Authors: Sari A. , Ahmetoglu A. , Dinc H. , Saglam A. , Kurtoglu U. , Kandemir S. , Reşit Gümele H.
Published: October 2005

Purpose: To evaluate the normal configuration and size of the third ventricle in second and third trimester fetuses in a normal population, and to compare our values with those of previously published studies.

Material and Methods: Evaluation of fetal third ventricular width and configuration was obtained by antenatal ultrasonography in 474 fetuses with gestational age between 12 weeks and term (mean 28 weeks). Percentiles for third ventricle width were estimated by combining separate fractional polynominal regression models fitted to the mean and standard deviation, assuming that the measurements had a normal distribution at each gestational age. Appearance of the third ventricle was correlated with each gestational age.

Results: The third ventricle could be visualized in 471 (99%) of 474 fetuses. The 97th percentile of the third ventricle in preterm fetuses was measured as 3.6 mm in size. The third ventricle was seen as a single echogenic line in 153 (32.4%) of 474 fetuses. Two-hundred-and-ninety-nine (61.5%) of all fetuses had parallel echogenic lines outlining a fluid-filled lumen. V-shaped third ventricular configuration was seen in only 28 (5.9%) of the fetuses. From 24 weeks to term, parallel echogenic lines were the most commonly (83.7% to 79.6%) encountered configuration for the third ventricle.

Conclusion: The 97th percentile of the third ventricle in preterm fetuses was measured as 3.6 mm in size. In the early second trimester, 77% of the fetuses had a single echogenic line appearance on ultrasonography. As the brain and ventricular structures mature, a parallel echogenic line becomes the prominent ultrasonography appearance (>80% of fetuses) in third trimester healthy fetuses.
Women and alcohol: Current Australian research
Authors: Hands Melanie A. , Banwell Cathy L. , Hamilton Margaret A.
Published: October 2005

Over the past decade research on women and alcohol has been gaining momentum with evidence of an accumulating data base and a growing section of the drug and alcohol literature specifically addressing this area of interest. Despite the gains made in gender sensitive research on substance use, a review of the literature reveals that many of the articulated concerns are similar to those identified over the preceding 20 years.

This paper reports on the findings of an Australian wide survey investigating the current level of research on women and alcohol. The survey was used in conjunction with a critical analysis of the literature to identify gaps in research activity in the area of women and alcohol. Identified research gaps result, in part, from the disproportionate focus on women with severe alcohol problems within treatment facilities. There is a lack of qualitative and quantitative research on women's drinking, whether it be usual use or problematic use, within the general population as a way of bridging the gap between population surveys and clinical studies. In addition, there is a need for longitudinal research to provide information on the context of women's drinking over a several year period, giving insight into the many factors which could be influencing women's drinking behaviour. Finally, the relative lack of commitment to prevention as a research agenda for women needs to be addressed.
Changes in the characteristics of clients admitted to an Australian therapeutic community, “The Buttery”, 1980‐92
Authors: Hall Wayne , Chen Rosemarie , Evans Barry
Published: October 2005

Data are presented on the characteristics of clients admitted to an Australian therapeutic community, The Buttery, between 1980 and 1992. The typical client was a 28‐year‐old male with a primary opioid drug problem complicated by polydrug use, particularly of alcohol and stimulants. Prior treatment experience was common, with one in three having been enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment. The average age of clients increased by about 7 months per year, and there was an increase in the prevalence of alcohol, stimulant and polydrug problems over the period of study. There was also an increase in the exposure of clients to methadone maintenance treatment prior to admission to the Buttery. Overall, the characteristics of patients in this drug‐free treatment programme were strikingly similar to those observed among patients in methadone maintenance treatment over the same period.
Recent drug use and suicidal behaviour among young offenders
Authors: PUTNINŠ ALDIS L.
Published: October 2005

Patterns of psychoactive substance use were examined among 216 young offenders in South Australian secure care facilities. Compared to four student samples (n = 1525), young offenders reported recent use of most substances considerably more often than did student peers. Almost one‐half used a substance at the time of committing their last offence. A subgroup of offenders (n = 126) was questioned about suicide attempts, mood, recent suicidal ideation and deliberate self‐injury. Past suicide attempts and deliberate self‐injury were found to be associated with increased substance use. Drawing on evidence from other studies it is argued that impulsiveness often underlies these behaviours and contributes to their covariation. Substance use can further increase impulsiveness and thereby exacerbate offending and suicide risk. Not only should substance use be considered in all assessments of antisocial and self‐destructive behaviour but innovative approaches to developing effective interventions for the reduction of substance misuse need to be encouraged. [PutniŅŠ A. Recent drug use and suicidal behaviour among young offenders. Drug Alcohol Rev 1995; 14:151–158]
Changes in drug use and HIV/AIDS risk‐taking 1989‐90
Authors: MARSH ALISON , LOXLEY WENDY , HAWKS DAVID , QUIGLEY ALLAN
Published: October 2005

The Australian National AIDS and Injecting Drug Use Study was designed to monitor the risk behaviour of Australian injecting drug users (IDUs) in a number of major cities, and to estimate the seroprevalence of those interviewed. Differences in risk behaviour found across 2 years in Perth are reported. One hundred and ninety‐six Perth IDUs were interviewed in 1989, and 150 in 1990 using the same survey questionnaire, with a small cohort of 38 respondents being followed up across the 2 years.

Significant injecting differences between 1989 and 1990 in both the cohort and independent samples were found. In general, these amounted to a greater likelihood that a new needle and syringe would be used on each injecting occasion, and a greater use of bleach in 1990 than in 1989. The most common response of respondents who said they had changed their drug use behaviour in 1990 was to report ceasing to share needles, while the most common response in 1989 was reduced sharing. There was an increased use of condoms for vaginal intercourse with all partners in both studies across the 2 years. Seropositivity for all new cases across the 2 years was 1.75%.

It is apparent that there has been a significant shift in risky behaviour in the direction of greater safety across the 2 years. There is also objective corroborative evidence in increased demand for sterile injecting equipment sold through pharmacists, although there is no evidence that drug use increased significantly during the same period. It is concluded that the availability of sterile needles and syringes should be maintained and improved and that emphasis should be placed on encouraging safer sexual behaviour among IDUs. [Marsh A, Loxley W, Hawks D, Quigley A. Changes in drug use and HIV/AIDS risk‐taking 1989‐90. Drug Alcohol Rev 1995;14:201–212]
The Canberra Christmas overdoses mystery
Authors: BAMMER GABRIELE , SENGOZ AYSE
Published: October 2005

Our investigation of a cluster of three fatal overdoses casts doubt on the conventional wisdom that overdoses result from unregulated changes in the purity of street heroin. Use of alcohol or other sedatives can make an otherwise safe dose of heroin (or other opioids) lethal. In addition users can knowingly increase their dose, usually as an indulgence. Some media reporting of this cluster of deaths was accurate, but there was also sensationalization, perpetuating stereotypes about the drug market that may be untrue. Information flow within the using community was relatively accurate, but slow, possibly because it was the holiday season. Larger studies to substantiate our findings are needed. In addition, introduction of a user‐organization‐based epidemiological monitoring system for overdoses would be a valuable public health measure. [Bammer G, Sengoz A. The Canberra Christmas overdoses mystery. Drug Alcohol Rev 1995; 14:235–237]
Harm reduction in Australia: has it worked? A review
Authors: HAWKS DAVID , LENTON SIMON
Published: October 2005

The literature is reviewed with a view to determining what evidence exists for the success of Australia's policy of harm minimization in relation to drug use. While there are relatively few examples of strategies which can unequivocally be said to have succeeded, there are many more for which the evidence is suggestive. While there has been a considerable mushrooming of research since the advent of the National Campaign on Drag Abuse, it would appear that little of this has measured the extent to which harm has been reduced. The National Drug Strategy would benefit from more policy‐orientated research which measures drug‐related harm if it is to be, as claimed, research driven.
Squeezing the balloon: international drugs policy*
Authors: SECCOMBE RALPH
Published: October 2005

Recent experience of supply reduction activities in a major opium‐producing country, Pakistan, is reviewed. It is concluded that international efforts to reduce the supply of illicit drugs are ineffective, inadvertently promote use of more dangerous forms of drugs and exacerbate health problems in supplier countries. In addition, source country supply reduction activities are associated with serious unintended negative consequences, including corruption and poor governance in supplier countries. This leads to a vicious circle as these adverse social consequences make it harder to restrict drug production.
The role of law enforcement in minimizing the harm resulting from illicit drugs
Authors: HELLAWELL KEITH
Published: October 2005

Illicit drugs have become a major global problem in recent decades following considerable recent political change, including the collapse of communism and the formation of international super‐states to increase trade. Despite increasing collaboration between law enforcement authorities in different countries, illicit drug problems appear likely to increase in the future because of the vast profits available, continuing (and increasing) demand and more permissive attitudes concerning drugs among young people. While rejecting legalization or decriminalization, the search for more effective responses by law enforcement authorities and the community generally must be stepped up. Police services continue to play an important role restricting the availability of illicit drugs but increasing emphasis needs to be given to reducing demand, including more available and more effective preventive drug education in schools. Police also need to work with harm reduction approaches devised to reduce the negative consequences of drug use for those who continue to use illicit drugs. New measures proposed in Britain are outlined. These stress the importance of a multi‐sectoral approach operating at both national and local levels with the objective of reducing drug‐related crime, reducing the acceptability and availability of illicit drugs and reducing the harmful consequences of illicit drug use. Harm reduction requires a commitment for close collaboration between police and drug treatment services to maximize the effectiveness of needle‐exchange schemes and other harm reduction approaches. Cautioning, now commonly used in Britain for selected minor drug offences, has a number of benefits including reducing criminal justice costs. Greater emphasis must be placed on diversion schemes involving close links between police and drug treatment services. Future progress requires firm commitments to providing adequate and effective drug treatment services, conducting research to develop and evaluate more effective diversion schemes, improving collaboration between sectors and effective leadership. In addition to the major costs of illicit drug use to the community, the huge cost to individuals must remain a major focus driving the search for more effective responses to the problems resulting from illicit drugs.
Groundwork for a research programme on harm reduction in alcohol and drug treatment
Authors: HEATHER NICK
Published: October 2005

The aim of this article is to set out the groundwork for a research programme for harm reduction in alcohol and drug treatment. First, attitudes to science of those who work in the harm reduction field are discussed and it is argued that hostility to the introduction of conventional scientific methods to this field is seriously misguided. Harm reduction activity is then defined as an attempt to ameliorate the adverse health, social or economic consequences of mood‐altering substances without necessarily requiring a reduction in the consumption of these substances, and this definition is amplified. Finally, issues relevant to the measurement of outcome from harm reduction interventions are discussed by comparing Newcombe's classification of drug‐related harms with an existing instrument designed to measure outcomes from interventions in the drugs field (the Opiate Treatment Index).
Perceptions of alcohol by student drinkers at university
Authors: CRUNDALL IAN A.
Published: October 2005

To provide a framework in which to design alcohol interventions for university students that would take account of their subjective experiences and perspectives, student drinkers were surveyed about selected alcohol‐related behaviours and attitudes and asked to nominate what they considered to be the primary negative and positive aspects of alcohol use. The results revealed a concentration on short‐term negative outcomes and an emphasis on sociability as the major benefit of consumption. Drinking specifically for intoxication was also a positive outcome for males in particular. The implications of these results for the preparation of meaningful interventions are discussed.
Policing pubs: what happens to crime?
Authors: BURNS LUCINDA , FLAHERTY BRUCE , IRELAND STEVE , FRANCES MAUREEN
Published: October 2005

The aim of this study was to test the effect of heightened police enforcement of the NSW Liquor and Registered Clubs Acts on overall criminal offences and, specifically, the number of assaults. Ten police patrols were included in the study. Five of these patrols were allocated to the experimental condition and five were allocated to the control condition. Beat police in the experimental controls conducted frequent but random visits to predesignated licensed premises over a 2‐month period. Police in the control patrols maintained their normal duties. Numbers of offences in the experimental and control patrols were then compared for 2 months before the intervention, for the 2‐month intervention phase and for 2 months post‐intervention. Results of the study indicated a significant increase in the number of offences in the experimental patrols during the intervention phase. Reasons for this increase are discussed.
SEMINARS IN PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT: “Riding the Tiger”: lessons from a health promotion activity aimed at reducing the use of alcohol by youth
Authors: POLKINGHORNE HELEN , GILL TONY
Published: October 2005

This paper outlines a health promotion activity entitled “Riding the Tiger”. “Riding the Tiger” aims to reduce binge drinking among youth and is an applicable intervention for both rural and urban areas. The paper aims to provide health care workers wishing to reduce the binge drinking of youth with a practical guide.
Rethinking gender and drugs1
Authors: BROOM DOROTHY H.
Published: October 2005

The necessity to ‘do more with less’ poses challenges for policy makers and service providers in the drug and alcohol field. In recent years, some services and research initiatives have been targeted at women in an effort to compensate for their previous neglect. The question now arises that such targeting is no longer appropriate since there are fewer resources, and men constitute the main population suffering drug‐related harm. This review proposes other ways of considering the question that go beyond competition over scarce resources. It shows that the present attention to women is raising new questions with potential significance to men, and suggests that research and services to the whole population can be improved by paying attention to the gender of men as well as women.
An inter‐rater reliability study of the Opiate Treatment Index
Authors: DEERING DARYLE E. A. , SELLMAN J. DOUGLAS
Published: October 2005

The development of standardized instruments to evaluate treatment outcome for opioid dependence is necessary to determine individual patients' progress within a particular treatment programme and to compare treatment outcomes across programmes. This paper reports the results of an inter‐rater reliability study utilizing the Opiate Treatment Index (OTI). The OTI questionnaire is a standardized opiate treatment evaluation tool developed within a research setting. The main aim of this study was to determine within the clinical setting of a Methadone Treatment Programme (MTP), whether information given by patients differed significantly according to whether the OTI questionnaire was administered by clinicians working within the service, or by an unknown research assistant. Results indicated that overall there were few differences between the information given to clinicians compared with that given to the research assistant and that in general, inter‐rater reliability was good. A number of issues related to the development and use of treatment outcome measures in clinical settings are highlighted and it is proposed that for MTPs a shorter questionnaire, based on the OTI, be developed.
Who should collect Opiate Treatment Index data in opiate treatment outcome monitoring: clinic staff or researchers?
Authors: ADELEKAN MORUF , METREBIAN NICKY , TALLACK FENELLA , STIMSON GERRY V. , SHANAHAN WILLIAM
Published: October 2005

The Opiate Treatment Index (OTI), an instrument designed to monitor treatment outcome of opioid users, is becoming increasingly popular among clinicians and researchers in the United Kingdom. This study was designed to examine how the OTI would perform when administered by clinic staff compared to externally contracted researchers in clinical settings. In a confidential setting, the OTI was administered twice to 55 opioid users from two London clinics, in a random fashion, once by trained clinic staff and once by researchers within a 2‐week period. The data generated by both groups were similar with respect to social functioning, physical health and psychological adjustment. Where differences occurred, in almost all the cases they were not statistically significant. Clients reported slightly higher levels of drug use episodes, injecting behaviour and criminal activity to researchers. In both groups, none of the clients admitted to paid sex, and low levels of criminal activity and illicit drug use were reported—findings which are most probably related to the stability of these patients rather than systematic under‐reporting. Although this cross‐sectional study showed that the OTI could be applied equally effectively by clinic staff and researchers in clinical settings, further research is needed to examine whether the situation would hold true in routine outcome monitoring. To ensure that reliable and valid data are generated in routine monitoring of treatment programmes, several issues relating to clinic staff (e.g. motivation, time); clients (e.g. co‐operation, confidentiality) and researchers (e.g. cost) need to be addressed.
Characteristics of admissions to residential drug treatment agencies in New South Wales, 1988‐92: I. Illicit drug problems
Authors: DARKE SHANE , KELAHER MARGARET , HALL WAYNE , FLAHERTY BRUCE
Published: October 2005

The Clients at Residential Agencies (CARA) database of the New South Wales Drug and Alcohol Directorate was analysed for trends in admissions of clients with illicit drug problems over the years 1988‐92. The mean age of admissions rose from 26.8 years to 27.9 years over the study period. There was a small increase in the proportion of male admissions to agencies (66.5% in 1988 to 69.9% in 1992). The proportion of admissions reporting opiates as their primary drug problem declined from 81% to 65%, while the proportion of admissions for stimulant problems doubled in that period (8% to 16%), as did those for cannabis (3.6% to 8.7%). There was a significant increase in the proportions of admissions who had drug problems of 10 or more years' standing (34.9–41.3%). The proportion of admissions that had never been in treatment decreased from 51% to 15% over the study period. Admissions with prior methadone experience rose from 37% to 69% between 1988 and 1992.
Pharmacological properties of ketamine
Authors: WHITE JASON M. , RYAN CHRISTINA F.
Published: October 2005

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that is being used in non‐medical contexts. The effects of ketamine are very similar to those of phencyclidine, another dissociative anaesthetic that has enjoyed considerable popularity as a recreational drug. The effects of ketamine include analgesia, cardiovascular and respiratory stimulation, dissociation, hallucinations and anaesthesia. The potential dangers of uncontrolled ketamine use include psychosis and violence, accidents and marked psychomotor and cognitive impairment. Although studies have shown potential for tolerance to and physical dependence on ketamine, further investigation of these phenomena is needed. Ketamine is thought to produce most of its effects through antagonist activity at the PCP site of the NMDA receptor complex. Ketamine has sympathomimetic properties resulting from enhancement of catecholamine, and particularly dopamine, activity. While opioid receptor activity has been identified, this is relatively weak and the contribution to the effects of ketamine is not clear. Although much is known of the clinical uses and effects of ketamine, as yet little is understood of ketamine as a recreational drug and potential drug of dependence.
Addressing dependent amphetamine use: a place for prescription
Authors: LINTZERIS NICK , HOLGATE FRAN , DUNLOP ADRIAN
Published: October 2005

Amphetamines are among the most widely used of illicit drugs in Australia, and evidence documenting the occurrence of amphetamine‐related harms, particularly among chronic regular users, is increasing, A review of contemporary Australian treatment approaches suggests that conventional modalities are unlikely to address the needs of a large proportion of dependent amphetamine users. This has prompted clinicians in Australia and the United Kingdom to commence treatment programmes incorporating substitution therapy. Despite the positive impressions of clinicians involved in these programmes, further research is required to establish the role and efficacy of such treatment approaches. Issues to be addressed in the establishment of a controlled study are examined.
Reliability and validity of the Opiate Treatment Index among a sample of opioid users in the United Kingdom
Authors: ADELEKAN MORUF , GREEN ANNA , DASGUPTA NORU , TALLACK FENELLA , STIMSON GERRY V. , WELLS BRIAN
Published: October 2005

To validate the Opiate Treatment Index (OTI) for use in the United Kingdom, 72 subjects attending two methadone clinics in London completed confidential interviews with two researchers at two points in time, 1–2 weeks apart. About half the interviews were conducted by the same interviewer on both occasions, and the remaining by different interviewers. These research designs enabled an estimation of the test‐retest and inter‐rater reliability of the instrument. Subjects' responses were validated against key worker reports and self‐reported drug use against urinalysis results. The majority of the respondents were males (65%) and their mean age was 34.2 years (range 21–52; SD 8.5). Test‐retest reliability coefficients were high for all the scales (range 0.77‐0.86) in both the same and different interviewer situations. The internal reliability of the scales was generally high (Cronbach's α: range 0.34‐0.93). The correlation with key workers' reports was high with the percentage agreement on the items ranging 74–100 (mean 87). The percentage agreement of self‐reported drug use with urinalysis results was high (range 69–95; mean 89). These findings are similar to those obtained among Australian subjects and suggest a high cross‐cultural validity for the OTI. Minor changes to the OTI have been incorporated into a modified version for use in the UK.
Effects of needle exchanges in Hobart, Tasmania
Authors: LUCAS PETER , EASTHOPE GARY
Published: October 2005

An examination was conducted of three Tasmanian cohorts of injecting drug users interviewed before the introduction of needle exchanges, during the operation of illegal exchanges and after the introduction of legal exchanges. The drugs reported as used were comparable with reports from Perth and Sydney samples. There are clear downward trends for both males and females toward reduced sharing of injecting equipment and increased use of new equipment which begin when the illegal exchanges were operating and accelerate when the number of exchanges increased and became legal. The use of bleach to clean equipment also increases in the 4‐year period. There was a much higher use of open fires to dispose of equipment than has been reported elsewhere. These results strongly suggest that needle exchanges do lead to reduced sharing and to less needles in public places; vital outcomes if AIDS and hepatitis are to be contained.
The prospects of a harm reduction approach among indigenous people in Canada
Authors: LANDAU TAMMY C.
Published: October 2005

A harm reduction approach to alcohol and substance abuse is becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to prohibitionist and abstentionist policies. It is seen as particularly valuable for some high‐risk populations, such as injection drug users and street youth. A strong argument can be made that Aboriginal communities in Ontario, Canada, and probably across the country, are appropriate environments for a harm reduction approach. Aboriginal people are at extremely elevated risk for accident, illness and death. At the same time, alcohol use is a predominant factor in many of these outcomes, and elevates many of the risks associated with Aboriginal life. Isolated, remote reserve communities in northern Ontario present additional risks of extremely poor living conditions and extreme weather conditions. Prohibition and abstinence are currently the main approaches to alcohol and substance abuse in many of these communities, while the role of alcohol in morbidity, mortality and other social problems remains high. There are positive indications that the feasibility of harm reduction strategies could be broached in some communities. It is concluded that the obstacles are significant but a community‐by‐community approach is a strong feature of harm reduction, and may increase its prospects for piloting strategies in individual communities.
Alcohol, casemix and hospitals: an opportunity?
Authors: RYDER DAVID
Published: October 2005

The number of patients in hospitals who experience alcohol‐related problems is high, and the provision of intervention for these patients is a significant public health measure. The current move towards casemix funding of acute hospital services provides an opportunity for the development of such programmes. Modifications to the Diagnosis Related Groups categorization of alcohol‐related problems that would allow for appropriate funding are discussed.
Research methods for studying injecting drug users in a rural centre
Authors: SPOONER CATHERINE , BISHOP JANET , PARR JAN
Published: October 2005

Targeted sampling, multiple data collection methods and peer interviewers have been used with success for studies of injecting drug users (IDUs) in main cities. This paper reports the success of a trial of these research methods with IDUs in a rural centre. Recruitment via outreach (for individual interviews and for focus groups), street intercept and service‐based surveys (methadone clinic and prison based surveys) were found to be viable and to vary in their success in recruiting subgroups of IDUs. Their use in combination is recommended so that the largest possible range of IDUs can be recruited. The close involvement of peer interviewers and of an advisory group in planning and implementing these data collections was essential. Advertising was not found to be successful for recruiting to a phone‐in, for focus groups nor to a community forum. Concerns about anonymity, ‘paranoia’ and a general lack of a cohesive IDU community were barriers to recruitment.
General practitioners' views and knowledge about anabolic steroid use—survey of GPs in a high prevalence area
Authors: GUPTA LEENA , TOWLER BERNIE
Published: October 2005

The aim of this study was to assess GPs' attitudes, clinical behaviour, information needs and contact with anabolic‐androgenic steroid (AAS) users in an area reported to have a high prevalence of AAS use. It was a cross‐sectional study of GPs using a self‐administered questionnaire. The sample comprised of 202 GPs practising in the Central Business District and inner city area of Sydney took part. Of 164 eligible GPs, 143 responded (87% response rate). Fifty‐three per cent of respondents reported that they had seen at least one patient in the last year who told them they had used AASs for non‐medical purposes; 6% indicated that they had seen more than 20 patients who mentioned AAS use. Two per cent of respondents reported prescribing AASs for body‐building purposes and 6% indicated a willingness to do so in a hypothetical situation. Forty per cent of respondents reported that they would be willing to provide harm minimization advice to AAS users; 77% of respondents were interested in obtaining more information about AAS use, most frequently requested in the form of a fact sheet or pamphlet. Most GPs in the area surveyed had some contact with AAS users in their practice. Some GPs had favourable attitudes towards prescription of AASs for non‐medical purposes. These attitudes require further exploration. The results of this survey invite a reappraisal of many policy initiatives involving GPs aimed at reducing AAS‐related harm.
Alcohol use patterns, problems and policies in Malaysia
Authors: JERNIGAN D. H. , INDRAN S. K.
Published: October 2005

The roots of Malaysia's drinking patterns lie in the introduction of most forms of alcohol by Europeans. Although Malaysia today has relatively low per capita alcohol consumption, available studies and interviews with alcohol industry officials point to a small segment of the population that drinks heavily and causes and experiences substantial alcohol related‐problems. Indians are over‐represented in this sub‐population, but studies also reveal substantial drinking problems among Chinese and Malays. Government officials categorize alcohol as an Indian problem. The government devotes little resources to monitoring drinking patterns, use or problems; or to preventing, treating or educating the public about alcohol‐related problems. Alcohol‐producing transnational corporations own shares of all of Malaysia's major alcohol producers. In the face of high alcohol taxes and a ban on broadcast advertising of alcoholic beverages, these companies market alcohol aggressively, making health claims, targeting heavy drinkers and encouraging heavy drinking, employing indirect advertising, and using women in seductive poses and occupations to attract the mostly male drinking population. Monitoring of the country's alcohol problems is greatly needed in order to establish alcohol consumption more clearly as a national health and safety issue, while stronger controls and greater corporate responsibility are required to control alcohol marketing.
Cannabis policy in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: ABEL SALLY
Published: October 2005

This paper describes and compares current developments in policies to deal with cannabis in Australia and New Zealand. Both countries are bound by international conventions to control cannabis and in each case cannabis use, possession, cultivation and supply is illegal. In both countries almost all the supply is grown locally and patterns of use and health concerns appear to be similar. Strategies used to deal with cannabis include: demand reduction through enforcement of legislation, drug education and treatment; supply reduction through enforcement of legislation and crop recovery operations; and harm reduction through diversion of some offenders from the courts system, lenient enforcement policies for users and, in Australia, the formal decriminalization of cannabis use in two states/territories and de facto decriminalization in another. Australia has had a co‐ordinated national drugs policy with a stated harm reduction focus for over a decade, while in New Zealand efforts to co‐ordinate policy have been delayed by ongoing debates about cannabis's harm potential and what constitutes an appropriate approach. However, a national drugs policy with a professed harm reduction focus is currently being finalized. Despite these developments, government cut‐backs and international and local prohibitionist influences on policy in both countries suggest that a harm reduction model may not necessarily be secure.
An open trial of naltrexone for opiate dependence
Authors: FOY AIDAN , SADLER CRAIG , TAYLOR ANDREW
Published: October 2005

The objective of this study was to conduct a pilot study of naltrexone in opiate‐dependent patients in order to determine the sample size for a double‐blind controlled trial, to identify possible confounders and to obtain experience with the drug's side effects and acceptability to patients. Opiate‐dependent patients presenting to a public hospital for treatment for their dependence were invited to participate. Patients with major organic illness, another Axis I diagnosis, or who were pregnant were excluded. Naltrexone was prescribed at a dose of 50 mg daily for 6 months. Data were collected on drug use, social stability, physical and mental health before during and after the treatment programme. Patients were seen weekly for 6 months then monthly for a further 6 months. Forty‐four patients were enrolled, but three stopped naltrexone early because of possible side effects. Of the remainder, 32 were followed for at least 12 months. Eight (25%) ceased opiate use from the start, and another two were no longer using at the end of 12 months giving an abstinence rate of 31% at 12 months. Retention in treatment was 34%. Of the abstinent patients however, only two took naltrexone for the whole 6 months. Naltrexone was well tolerated and associated with a significant abstinence rate, but most patients do not feel they need to take the drug for 6 months. A double‐blind controlled trial would be justified.