Alcohol problems among Swedish drunk drivers: differences related to mode of detection and geographical region

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of alcohol problems in a representative sample of Swedish drivers suspected of drunk driving in comparison with control drivers and the general Swedish population in relation to mode and time of detection. Is the time of day or night or the detection mode important for the prevalence of alcohol problems and which are the best predictors for identifying alcohol problems among DUI offenders? METHODS: Two thousand and one hundred drivers (169 females) suspected of DUI offence during 1997-2001 who agreed to respond to the AUDIT questionnaire (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and 785 control drivers (266 females) not suspected of DUI recruited at general traffic controls were investigated. RESULTS: Both mode and time of detection were found to be important. The greatest impact on the prevalence of alcohol problems emanated from the predictors in the following order: high BAC; unlicensed driving; detection hours between 12.00 and 18.00, and age under 26 years. Age over 55 years and detection in general traffic controls were the two strongest factors negatively correlated to alcohol problems prevalence. The differences between regions with regard to alcohol problems incidence could only partly be explained by police routines and resources. CONCLUSIONS: Mode and time of detection affect the prevalence of DUI offenders with alcohol problems, and to a lesser degree also BAC level. Both the detection mode and the time of detection are significant for the proportion of identified DUIs with alcohol problems. Because the majority of committed DUI offenses are never identified, it is important to optimize the detection strategies of the police with the purpose of minimizing public damage and expenses.     

Local Transport Problems and Possible Solutions: Comparing perceptions of residents,elected members,officers and organisations

It is generally accepted that the current growth in personal car use poses a serious threat to local communities and the environment, and that radical changes in transport policy are needed. In order for local authorities to develop acceptable sustainable transport options, it will be necessary that they have a clear view of the attitudes and perceptions of various groups in their community. This research compared the views of elected members and officers with those of residents and organisations in relation to the local transport situation and the use of car travel reduction measures. It was found that the views of elected members and officers reflect those of residents rather well. The views of local organisations, however, were different. Organisations were, in particular, more negative about policy measures that aim to reduce car use in the town centre. They also attached more importance to the viability of the local economy than the other respondents. However, they did agree with the other groups that the quality of life in the community would improve if there was less traffic. The consequences of these findings for local transport planning are discussed.     

Testosterone predicts future dominance rank and mating activity among male chacma baboons

Despite the many benefits that testosterone has on male reproduction, sustaining high levels of testosterone for long periods can be costly. The challenge hypothesis predicts that males will show temporarily sustained elevations of testosterone at critical periods, counterbalanced by decreased levels during noncritical periods. We investigated male testosterone measures extracted from fecal samples in a group of chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) living in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Because rank serves as a proxy for competition for mates, we examined how male testosterone was related to dominance rank, age, aggression, and mating activity. Males showed an elevation in testosterone at maturity; young adult males had the highest testosterone levels followed by a steady decline with age. Among dispersing males, testosterone was temporarily elevated in the month following dispersal. After controlling for age, testosterone and rank were unrelated, but testosterone and changes in rank were positively correlated, such that males rising in rank had higher testosterone than males falling in rank. Thus, for males in this group, testosterone was predictive of a male's rank trajectory, or future rank. Similarly, male testosterone levels predicted future, rather than current, mating activity. Finally, male testosterone and aggression rates were unrelated during stable periods in the dominance hierarchy but positively related during unstable periods when high ranks were being contested. In general, our results support the challenge hypothesis with males exhibiting elevated testosterone in association with the acquisition of high rank (ensuring access to mates), rather than with mating itself.     

12th EuCheMS International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment

Environmental Science and Pollution Research -     

Relationship between loudness and annoyance for ten community sounds

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the relationship between perceived annoyance and perceived loudness for complex community sounds. The two perceptual attributes were scaled by the method of magnitude estimation. In all, forty subjects scaled ten different tape recorded sounds presented at two different Zwicker loudness values. The results show that for physically loud sounds only the perceived annoyance may be exchanged for perceived loudness, while for physically soft sounds, the perceived annoyance deviates greatly from perceived loudness. Thus, for physically soft sounds, more attention is paid to other aspects of the sound, such as the perceptual counterpart of the physical parameter sharpness, than to the loudness-related sound pressure level. This means that the physically determined Zwicker loudness is inappropriate to use for predicting the perceived annoyance of complex sounds.     

Synthesis of methylthio- and methylsulfonyl-polychlorobiphenyls via nucleophilic aromatic substitution of certain types of polychlorobiphenyls

A one-step preparation of some methylthiopolychlorobiphenyls from methanethiolate in methanol and certain chlorinated biphenyls is described. Two of the methyl sulfides and one bis(methyl-thio)tetrachlorobiphenyl are characterized in some detail. The methylthiopolychlorobiphenyls were oxidized by use of hydrogen peroxide in acetic acid to give five methylsulfonylpolychlorobiphenyls which are characterized by melting point, elemental analysis, UV-absorption (Table 1), ¹H NMR (Table 2) and mass spectrometry (Table 3). By use of the method presented a mixture of methyl sulfides derived from a technical mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were prepared as well as the corresponding mixture of methyl sulfones. Additionally the same synthetic method was used for the preparation of methyl sulfides and methyl sulfones derived from two ¹⁴C-labelled polychlorobiphenyls.     

Prolonged copulation: A male ‘postcopulatory’ strategy in a promiscuous species,Lygaeus equestris (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

Summary Copulation in Lygaeus equestris L. (Heteroptera, Lygaeidae) is known to last 0.5–24 h. Variations in copula duration of field-collected insects were studied in the laboratory, and different hypotheses concerning the significance of prolonged copulations were tested.Through reciprocal matings with normal and sterile (irradiated) males, sperm displacement was estimated at about 90%. A male could thus increase his fitness by preventing subsequent matings of an inseminated female.Copulations with virgin insects, observed over 15 h, were classified in two categories: short (0.5–8.0 h) and long (> 15 h) duration (Fig. 1). No difference in the number of fertilized eggs was found between long and short copulations, and the insemination rate was highest during the first hour of a couplation (Fig. 2). Long-lasting couplations did not give rise to increased sperm displacement (Table 2). These results indicate that there is no difference in the amount of sperm transferred during short and long copulations and that no insemination takes place during the latter part of a prolonged copulation.Longer lasting copulations occurred when the sex ratio was male-biased than when it was female-biased (Fig. 1). The frequency of prolonged copulations was higher when the female was gravid than when she contained no eggs (virgin) (Figs. 3 and 4). Support is thus given to the hypothesis that prolonged copulation is a male postinsemination strategy to prevent subsequent matings of a female.Females subjected to male competition over a longer period, laid fewer eggs and died earlier than females that were mated but subsequently isolated from males (Fig. 5). Egg batches from females living with males were larger than batches from mated, isolated females (Table 3). This is probably due to a combination of many matings with short intermissions and prolonged copulations, both of which postpone oviposition.Comparisons between copulations of males with either gravid or virgin females during these experiments, led to the conclusion that short copulations with virgin females result from a male decision to terminate copulation after insemination is completed, whereas copula duration with gravid females is more likely to depend on a combination of male and female behavior.     

Synthesis of polychlorinated [14C]alkanes (PCA) of high specific activity

The synthesis of certain ¹⁴C-labelled polychlorinated alkanes is described. The compounds used as starting material were [1-¹⁴C]lauric acid, [1-¹⁴C]hexadecane and [U-¹⁴C]palmitic acid. The carboxylic acids were reduced with lithium aluminium hydride. The alcohol obtained was treated with triphenylphosphine dichloride which gave the corresponding 1-chloroalkane. The chlorination of the alkanes was performed in tetrachloromethane by use of sulphuryl chloride with benzoyl peroxide or UV-light as initiators. Three mixtures of polychlorinated dodecanes (45.9%, 55.9% and 68.5% chlorine) and two polychlorinated hexadecanes (34.1% and 69% chlorine) were synthesized. The products of higher chlorine content prepared were only available via the photoinduced chlorination.     

Bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone (BCPS) in Swedish marine and fresh water wildlife-a screening study

Bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulfone (BCPS) is a high production volume chemical (HPVC) applied in thermostable polymers. BCPS has been detected as an environmental contaminant both in Europe and in North America but it is still not a commonly studied pollutant. In this study, three Baltic Sea fish species; herring (Clupea harengus), salmon (Salmo salar) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) from the Swedish coast, and one inland fish species, arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus), were analysed to screen for the occurrence and distribution of BCPS. Salmon and arctic char, were sampled in the early 1970s as well as the late 1990s. Fish eating grey seal (Halichoerus gryphus) and guillemot (Uria aalge) from the Baltic Sea were included to screen for whether BCPS biomagnify or not. The representativeness of the analysed samples for studying bioaccumulation of environmental pollutants was compared through analysis of two well known persistent and bioaccumulating compounds, 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153), and 4,4'-DDE. Pooled muscle and blubber samples based on 4-10 individuals were used for analysis, as well as individual samples of grey seal blubber. 2,4,4'-Trichlorodiphenyl sulfone, was synthesised and applied as an internal standard. BCPS was detected in all marine samples but in only one of the fresh water fish samples. The highest BCPS concentrations detected, 1600 and 1900 ng/g lipid weighet (l.w.), were found in muscle from Baltic guillemot. The results indicate that BCPS is bioaccumulated in both grey seal and guillemot, and that the guillemot has higher concentrations of BCPS than the grey seal (50-500 ng/g l.w.). The concentrations found in different species of fish from the Baltic Sea ranged between 15-37 ng/g l.w. and lower concentrations were found in freshwater species (n.d.-1.8 ng/g l.w.). The present study shows that BCPS is found in all investigated species of wildlife but, in most species, still at low concentrations. However, the guillemot has levels in the low ppm range indicating a considerable biomagnification of BCPS in this species.