Perceived risk,anxiety, and behavioural responses of the general public during the early phase of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in the Netherlands: results of three consecutive online surveys

Background  

Research into risk perception and behavioural responses in case of emerging infectious diseases is still relatively new. The aim of this study was to examine perceptions and behaviours of the general public during the early phase of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in the Netherlands.     

The Changing Role of Self-Efficacy in Adolescent Smoking Initiation

BackgroundRefusal self-efficacy is assumed to be linked to adolescent smoking. The aim of the present study was to examine the changing role of self-efficacy in adolescent smoking over time while controlling for parental, sibling, and friends' smoking.MethodsThis study used data from five annual waves of the “Family and Health” project. A total of 428 adolescents (mean age = 13.3 years; standard deviation = .48) and their parents participated at baseline. Only never smokers at baseline (n = 272) were included to measure smoking initiation. First, the effects of baseline self-efficacy, parental, sibling, and friends' smoking on adolescent smoking initiation at measurement five were examined. Second, with latent growth curves analyses, individual growth curve parameters of adolescent smoking, self-efficacy, parental, sibling, and friends' smoking were calculated. Subsequently, these growth parameters were used to predict growth of adolescent smoking.ResultsFindings showed that baseline self-efficacy, parental and friends' smoking did not predict adolescent smoking at wave five, but baseline sibling smoking did. However, growth curve parameters showed that a decrease in self-efficacy, an increase in proportion of smoking friends, and an increase in sibling smoking over time were related to an increase in adolescent smoking. Initial levels of sibling and friends' smoking moderated the link between self-efficacy and adolescent smoking over time.ConclusionA decrease in self-efficacy over time, rather than baseline self-efficacy, is associated with smoking initiation in adolescence. Findings emphasize the need for more fine-grained analyses when looking at self-efficacy or other individual characteristics that might fluctuate over time.     

Performance evaluation of handheld Raman spectroscopy for cocaine detection in forensic case samples

Handheld Raman spectroscopy is an emerging technique for rapid on-site detection of drugs of abuse. Most devices are developed for on-scene operation with a user interface that only shows whether cocaine has been detected. Extensive validation studies are unavailable, and so are typically the insight in raw spectral data and the identification criteria. This work evaluates the performance of a commercial handheld Raman spectrometer for cocaine detection based on (i) its performance on 0–100 wt% binary cocaine mixtures, (ii) retrospective comparison of 3,168 case samples from 2015 to 2020 analyzed by both gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and Raman, (iii) assessment of spectral selectivity, and (iv) comparison of the instrument's on-screen results with combined partial least square regression (PLS-R) and discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models. The limit of detection was dependent on sample composition and varied between 10 wt% and 40 wt% cocaine. Because the average cocaine content in street samples is well above this limit, a 97.5% true positive rate was observed in case samples. No cocaine false positives were reported, although 12.5% of the negative samples were initially reported as inconclusive by the built-in software. The spectral assessment showed high selectivity for Raman peaks at 1,712 (cocaine base) and 1,716 cm⁻¹ (cocaine HCl). Combined PLS-R and PLS-DA models using these features confirmed and further improved instrument performance. This study scientifically assessed the performance of a commercial Raman spectrometer, providing useful insight on its applicability for both presumptive detection and legally valid evidence of cocaine presence for law enforcement.     

Induction of polyploidy in Adenovirus E1-transformed cells by the mitotic inhibitor colcemid

Adenovirus-transformed cells were tested for their ability to synthesize DNA in the presence of cell cycle inhibitory drugs. We show that transformed cells are completely resistant to the mitotic inhibitor colcemid, partly resistant to lovastatin, mimosine, aphidicolin and genistein but not to hydroxyurea or thymidine. When treated with colcemid, AdE1-transformed cells continue to synthesize DNA but do not divide and, therefore, become highly polyploid. This effect is dependent on the presence of both E1A and E1B.     

Pflanzen-Dermatitis

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