Predicting categories of drugs used by suspected drug-impaired drivers using the Drug Evaluation and Classification Program tests

Objective: The purpose of this study was to statistically determine which combination(s) of drug-related signs and symptoms from the Drug Evaluation and Classification (DEC) protocol best predict the drug category used by the suspected drug-impaired driver.

Methods: Data from 1,512 completed DEC evaluations of suspected impaired drivers subsequently found to have ingested central nervous system (CNS) depressants, CNS stimulants, narcotic analgesics, and cannabis were analyzed using a multinomial logistic regression procedure. A set of evaluations completed on drug-free subjects was also included. The relative importance of clinical, behavioral, and observational measures in predicting drug categories responsible for impairment was also examined.

Results: Thirteen drug-related indicators were found to significantly contribute to the prediction of drug category, including being under the care of a doctor or dentist, condition of the eyes, condition of the eyelids, mean pulse rate, assessment of horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN), convergence, performance on the One Leg Stand (OLS) Test, eyelid tremors, pupil size in darkness, reaction to light, presence of visible injection sites, systolic blood pressure, and muscle tone. Indicators related to the appearance and physiological response of the eye contributed the most to the prediction of drug category, followed closely by clinical indicators and performance on the psychophysical tests.

Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that drug recognition experts (DREs) should be careful to review a set of key signs and symptoms when determining the category of drug used by suspected drug-impaired drivers. Drug use indicators related to the appearance and physiological response of the eye were found to contribute the most to the prediction of the drug category responsible for the impairment. These results could help form the basis of a core set of indicators that DREs could initially consult to form their opinion of drug influence. This in turn may enhance the validity, effectiveness, and efficiency of drug detection and identification by DREs and lead to a more effective and efficient DEC program, improved enforcement of drug-impaired driving, and greater acceptance of the DEC program by the courts.     

Testing Decision Rules for Categorizing Species’ Extinction Risk to Help Develop Quantitative Listing Criteria for the U.S. Endangered Species Act

Lack of guidance for interpreting the definitions of endangered and threatened in the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) has resulted in case‐by‐case decision making leaving the process vulnerable to being considered arbitrary or capricious. Adopting quantitative decision rules would remedy this but requires the agency to specify the relative urgency concerning extinction events over time, cutoff risk values corresponding to different levels of protection, and the importance given to different types of listing errors. We tested the performance of 3 sets of decision rules that use alternative functions for weighting the relative urgency of future extinction events: a threshold rule set, which uses a decision rule of x% probability of extinction over y years; a concave rule set, where the relative importance of future extinction events declines exponentially over time; and a shoulder rule set that uses a sigmoid shape function, where relative importance declines slowly at first and then more rapidly. We obtained decision cutoffs by interviewing several biologists and then emulated the listing process with simulations that covered a range of extinction risks typical of ESA listing decisions. We evaluated performance of the decision rules under different data quantities and qualities on the basis of the relative importance of misclassification errors. Although there was little difference between the performance of alternative decision rules for correct listings, the distribution of misclassifications differed depending on the function used. Misclassifications for the threshold and concave listing criteria resulted in more overprotection errors, particularly as uncertainty increased, whereas errors for the shoulder listing criteria were more symmetrical. We developed and tested the framework for quantitative decision rules for listing species under the U.S. ESA. If policy values can be agreed on, use of this framework would improve the implementation of the ESA by increasing transparency and consistency. Evaluando Reglas de Decisión para Categorizar el Riesgo de Extinción de Especies con el Fin de Desarrollar de Criterios Cuantitativos de Alistamiento en el Acta de Especies en Peligro de los EE. UU.     

Assessment of the physico-chemical behavior of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in aquatic environments using multi-dimensional parameter testing

Assessment of the behavior and fate of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in natural aquatic media is crucial for the identification of environmentally critical properties of the ENPs. Here we present a methodology for testing the dispersion stability, ζ-potential and particle size of engineered nanoparticles as a function of pH and water composition. The results obtained from already widely used titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Evonik P25 and Hombikat UV-100) serve as a proof-of-concept for the proposed testing scheme. In most cases the behavior of the particles in the tested settings follows the expectations derived from classical DLVO theory for metal oxide particles with variable charge and an isoelectric point at around pH 5, but deviations also occur. Regardless of a 5-fold difference in BET specific surface area particles composed of the same core material behave in an overall comparable manner. The presented methodology can act as a basis for the development of standardised methods for comparing the behavior of different nanoparticles within aquatic systems.     

曳引轮绳槽磨损检测及预防措施

本文首先分析了曳引轮绳槽的结构型式对曳引轮绳槽的磨损影响,分别从设计制造阶段、安装调试阶段、日常使用与维护保养阶段三个阶段分析了导致绳槽磨损的原因。接着给出了检查曳引绳的磨损状况、检查曳引轮绳槽的磨损状况和曳引能力的试验三种检测绳槽磨损的方法。最后针对磨损原因的三个阶段分别提出了具体的预防措施。     

水下连接器试压帽结构动态仿真及密封性分析

为解决水下连接器现有力学模型过于简化，预紧力加载不够合理，密封性能分析结果不够准确的问题，基于ABAQUS有限元模拟提出了新的动态接触分析方法，针对水下连接器试压帽双头螺柱结构，探究了安装和试压工况中该结构形式的密封特性及其与等效拧紧力矩的非线性关联。研究结果表明:在塑性失效设计准则范围内，2种工况下密封环的Mises值最大为399.4 MPa；安装工况下，随预紧力的增加，密封环上、下锥面最大接触应力先增大后略微减小；1 145 Nm螺栓拧紧力矩可完成安装工况，并能在试压工况中保证各部件不被弹开；试压工况下，随试验内压的增加，密封环上锥面最大应力缓慢增加，下锥面最大接触应力几乎不变，最终2值近似相等约为850 MPa，密封宽度合理。     

基于离线采集模式的高低温低气压试验箱校准技术的研究

针对高低温低气压箱校准技术展开研究,分析了传统校准方案的不足之处,提出了一种基于离线采集模式的高低温低气压试验箱温度、压力校准方案,并结合虚拟仪器、数据库与MATLAB,完成了该方案的设计与实现。最后通过实验验证了该方案的可靠性与可行性,并应用到环境与可靠性工作中。     

氨制冷系统的压力管道安全

氨制冷系统压力管道在特定的环境和特定的工作参数下运行,压力管道的安全性能与设计、安装、检验试验和使用密切相关。关注氨制冷系统压力管道在设计、安装、检验试验和使用方面常出现的问题,有针对性的整改,对预防和提高氨制冷系统压力管道的安全性具有重要意义。     

可靠性鉴定试验受试样品的软硬件联合测试技术

为了研究一种可靠性鉴定试验中受试样品的软硬件联合测试方法,首先总结了软硬件联合测试的目的、对象、实施时机及传统测试需要的改进之处和可借鉴之处,进一步研究了软硬件联合测试与传统可靠性试验的关系。然后在考查软件与硬件测试结合的基础上,提出了两层结构立体测试运行剖面的方法,即利用子剖面与环境剖面的对应关系建立软件测试与硬件测试的联系,将两种测试统一在同一时间轴上,得出了软硬件联合测试的一般流程。