Showing papers on "Poison control published in 1969"

Social benefit versus technological risk. what is our society willing to pay for safety

Abstract: AN APPROACHED IS PRESENTED FOR ESTABLISHING A QUANTITATIVE MEASURE OF BENEFIT RELATIVE COST FOR ACCIDENTAL DEATHS ARISING FROM TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS IN PUBLIC USE. THE ANALYSIS IS BASED ON TWO ASSUMPTIONS: (1) HISTORICAL NATIONAL ACCIDENT RECORDS ARE ADEQUATE FOR REVEALING CONSISTENT PATTERNS OF FATALITIES IN THE PUBLIC USE OF TECHNOLOGY, AND (2) THAT SUCH HISTORICALLY REVEALED SOCIAL PREFERENCES AND COSTS ARE SUFFICIENTLY ENDURING TO PERMIT THEIR USE FOR PREDICTIVE PURPOSES. SOCIETAL ACTIVITIES FALL INTO TWO GENERAL CATEGORIES--THOSE IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATES ON A "VOLUNTARY" BASIS AND THOSE IN WHICH THE PARTICIPATION IS "INVOLUNTARY" IMPOSED BY THE SOCIETY IN WHICH THE INDIVIDUAL LIVES. ALTHOUGH THIS STUDY IS EXPLORATORY, IT REVEALS SEVERAL INTERESTING POINTS: (1) THE INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE PUBLIC IS WILLING TO ACCEPT "VOLUNTARY" RISKS ROUGHLY 1000 TIMES GREATER THAN "INVOLUNTARY" RISKS. (2) THE STATISTICAL RISK OF DEATH FROM DISEASE APPEARS TO BE A PSYCHOLOGICAL YARDSTICK FOR ESTABLISHING THE LEVEL OF ACCEPTABILITY OF OTHER RISKS. (3) THE ACCEPTABILITY OF RISK APPEARS TO BE CRUDELY PROPORTIONAL TO THE THIRD POWER OF BENEFITS (REAL OR IMAGINED). (4) THE SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE OF RISK IS DIRECTLY INFLUENCED BY PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE BENEFITS OF AN ACTIVITY, AS DETERMINED BY ADVERTISING, USEFULNESS, AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE PARTICIPATING. (5) IN A SAMPLE APPLICATION OF THESE CRITERIA TO ATOMIC POWER PLANT SAFETY, IT APPEARS THAT ENGINEERING DESIGN OBJECTIVELY DETERMINED BY ECONOMIC CRITERIA WOULD RESULT IN A DESIGN-TARGET RISK LEVEL VERY MUCH LOWER THAN THE PRESENT SOCIALLY ACCEPTED RISK FOR ELECTRIC POWER PLANTS. THIS METHODOLOGY FOR REVEALING EXISTING SOCIAL PREFERENCES AND VALUES MAY BE A MEANS OF PROVIDING THE INSIGHT IN SOCIAL BENEFIT RELATIVE TO COST THAT IS NECESSARY FOR JUDICIOUS NATIONAL DECISIONS IN NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS THE DOCUMENTATION FOR RISK BENEFIT ANALYSIS CALCULATED FOR MOTOR-VEHICLE TRAVEL, TRAVEL BY AIR ROUTE CARRIER, GENERAL AVIATION, RAILROAD TRAVEL, SKIING, HUNTING, SMOKING, VIETNAM, ELECTRIC POWER, NATURAL DISASTERS, AND DIEASES AND ACCIDENTS. /SRIS/

Conflicts: Productive and Destructive*

Abstract: It is a great honor and delight for me to receive the Kurt Lewin Memorial Award. As you know, Kurt Lewin has had a profound influence on my life and work. I have been influenced by his value orientations as well as his theoretical orientations. He believed than an intellectually significant social science has to be concerned with the problems of social action and social change and that intelligent social action has to be informed by theory and research. He rejected both a heartless science and a mindless social action. I am proud to have had this remarkable man as a teacher and as a guide. I wish to discuss the characteristics of productive and destructive conflict and to consider the conditions which give rise to one or another type. Although actual conflicts are rarely purely benign or malign, it is useful for analytic purposes to consider the simple cases. Doing so highlights not only the differences in theoutcomes of conflict but also the differences in types of processes by which the outcomes are derived. Let me start with the dull but necessary chore of defining Some of the key terms that I shall be using. A conflict exists whenever incompatible activities occur. The incompatible actions may

Child Murder by Parents: A Psychiatric Review of Filicide

Abstract: The author reviews 131 cases of child murder and proposes a new classification of filicide by apparent motive: altruistic, acutely psychotic, unwanted child, accidental, and spouse revenge. The high frequency of altruistic motives distinguishes filicide from other homicides. The psychodynamics of the filicidal impulse are explored: displacement of the murderer's original aggression from his parents, spouse, or sibling is documented. The author offers some considerations for prevention.

Acute Mountain Sickness

Abstract: Observations on acute mountain sickness occurring between 11,000 and 18,000 feet, in 1925 men, 18, to 53 years old, showed no direct relation between altitude and severity of illness; mild, moderate and severe cases occurred at all altitudes. A time lag of six to 96 hours between arrival and onset of symptoms ruled out any direct relation between hypoxia and acute mountain sickness. During this period there was clinical evidence of respiratory dysfunction with slow, irregular or Cheyne—Stokes breathing, pulmonary congestion and antidiuresis. In one biopsy and two autopsy studies there was evidence of cerebral edema. Diuresis induced with furosemide provided effective routine therapy. Morphine and betamethasone were used as additional aids in severe cases. Clinical features of acute mountain sickness were ascribed to hypoxia, pulmonary congestion, increased cerebral blood flow, increased cerebrospinal-fluid pressure and cerebral edema.

The Fear of Death and the Fear of Dying

Abstract: (1969) The Fear of Death and the Fear of Dying The Journal of Psychology: Vol 72, No 2, pp 179-181

Rip currents: 1. Theoretical investigations

Abstract: The nearshore circulation of water on a plane beach produced by a wave train, normally incident on the beach, which has a longshore variation in wave height is investigated theoretically. The radiation stress arising from the excess flux of momentum due to the presence of the waves (M. S. Longuet-Higgins and R. W. Stewart, 1964) is found to provide driving terms for a steady flow pattern only inside the surf zone. A circulation pattern is thus produced by a longshore variation in the radiation stress in the surf zone. In shallow water, the radiation stress is proportional to the square of the wave height. The nearshore circulation is therefore directly related to longshore variation in breaker height, currents flowing seaward where the breaker height is low. When the inertial terms are included in the vorticity equation, an increase in the effective Reynolds number produces a narrowing, and consequently a strengthening, of the Seaward flow, which suggests an explanation for the existence of the strong, narrow currents known as rip currents.

Interference between concurrent tasks of driving and telephoning.

Abstract: 224 men were given the task of judging whether to drive through gaps which might be larger or smaller than the car, and a telephoning task of checking the accuracy of short sentences. Interference between the concurrently performed tasks was investigated. Telephoning mainly impaired judgments of "impossible" gaps. The control skills employed in steering through "possible" gaps were not reliably degraded, although speed of driving was reduced. Driving increased errors and prolonged RTs on the sentence-checking task. It is concluded that telephoning has a minimal effect on the more automatized driving skills, but that perception and decision-making may be critically impaired by switching between visual and auditory inputs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved) Keywords: Driver distraction; Language: en

Rip currents: 2. Laboratory and field observations

Abstract: The nearshore circulation of water on a plane beach exposed to a uniform wave train, normally incident on the beach, was investigated experimentally in the laboratory. The incident waves generated standing edge waves on the beach of the same frequency as the incoming waves. The interaction between these edge waves and the incident waves gave rise to steady flow patterns (nearshore circulation cells) consisting of an onshore flow toward the breakers, a longshore current in the surf zone, and an offshore flow in relatively strong, narrow rip currents. The rip currents were found to occur at alternate antinodes of the edge waves, and the spacing of the rip current was therefore equal to the longshore wavelength of the edge waves. Although the incoming wave may interact with all the possible edge wave modes of the same frequency, it was found that the interaction with one particular mode is often dominant. A useful estimate of the relative importance of the modes is given by the parameter w2xb/(g tan β), where ω is the radian frequency of the edge waves, tan β is the beach slope, and xb is the width of the surf zone. Field observations made in the Gulf of California strongly suggest that this mechanism is important on real beaches.

Processing time as influenced by the number of elements in a visual display.

Abstract: In a visual-detection experiment. a display of several letters was presented. and S was to report the presence or absence of a given target letter. Results clearly are incompatible with a self-terminating visual-scanning process as hypothesized by Sternberg (1967). Two models are considered. a serial exhaustive scanning process and a parallel exhaustive process, but findings from the present study do not provide a basis for differentiating between them.

Psychotropic effects of caffeine in man. IV. Quantitative and qualitative differences associated with habituation to coffee.

Abstract: Caffeine (150 and 300 mg.) and placebo were administered in decaffeinated coffee on 9 successive mornings (each treatment 3 times) to 18 housewives who were not coffee drinkers and to 38 who habitually drank 5 cups or more daily. The design was blind. The criteria of caffeine effects were 11 clusters of adjectives on a self‐rating form, used at 30 minute intervals for 2 hours. Major differences between effects of caffeine on abstainers and on users were revealed. The abstainers felt quite normal when placebo was administered but reacted negatively to caffeine; principal complaints were jitteriness, nervousness, and \"upset stomach.\" The users complained of sleepiness and also of dysphoric symptoms such as irritability when placebo was administered or before caffeine was administered. The users reacted positively to caffeine, reporting increased alertness, decreased irritability, and a feeling of contentedness. These findings are entirely consistent with those obtained by a questionnaire survey in the same and other women, reported in the preceding paper. The possible implications for understanding the genesis of drug‐seeking behavior in man are discussed.

Family history studies: V. The genetics of mania.

Abstract: In this study of the families of 59 manic-depressive, manic type probands, the predominant affective illness among the family members was depression without mania, although mania was frequent. The ...

Method and rating system for evaluation of thermal protection.

Abstract: : Thermal protection rating systems for fabrics, based on pain and blister effects in human skin, are considered in terms of: (1) precise evaluations applicable to any known temperature-time pattern, and (2) simple laboratory procedures to provide a universally useful standard rating system The first system which is more comprehensive is difficult and requires computer operations routinely; the second, described in detail, offers a rating system which is simple, directly related to pain and blister parameters, and may be understood by the uninitiated as well as those knowledgeable in the field

Patterns and mechanisms of lumbar injuries associated with lap seat belts

Abstract: Of twenty-four lumbar-spine fractures observed in seat-belt wearers, twenty showed an Unusual and consistent pattern of injury characterized by separation of the posterior elements without the usually expected decrease in height of the anterior portion of the vertebral bodies. It is suggested that tension stress is primarily responsible for the unusual patterns seen in these injuries. A mechanism by which large tension forces may be brought to bear on the lumbar spine has been described. Although the lap seat belt is instrumental in producing the lesion described, this report is in no way an indictment of the lap-type seat belt. All of the lesions studied were products of very severe collisions. We are convinced that if these individuals had not been wearing seat belts, they would not have survived. It is likely that these injuries might not have occurred if the patients had been wearing shoulder-type seat belts. The possibility that the shoulder harness might focus similar stress at the cervicothoracic junction with production of a far more serious spine injury remains a matter of conjecture.

Eeg, psychological, and neurological alterations in humans with organophosphorus exposure*

Abstract: In the early 195O’s, the University of Colorado Medical Center conducted a multidisciplinary investigation of industrial and agricultural workers acutely exposed to a variety of pesticides. The focus of this program was a special project involving the intensive study of workers engaged in the manufacture of several organophosphorus (OP) anticholinesterase compoh,. ’.,. Because of the acute confusional states induced by O P exposure and because of the need for more information regarding the central effects of OP exposure in humans, an effort was made to examine certain psychological, neurological, and clinical-neurophysiological variables; additionally, a number of biochemical parameters were investigated. Since January, 1965, a group of men from this same industrial population has been studied; many of the current subjects have been continuously employed in the same capacity since 1950. This report is concerned primarily with some of the psychological, neurological, and clinical-neurophysiological results of these studies. In the 1952 program, psychological testing involved a large battery of measures designed to search for classic evidences of brain damage. Data analysis revealed no formal evidences of organic brain damage in psychological test terms. Testing done within 72 hours of exposure almost always showed erratic and slowed functioning, interpreted as indicating the presence of clinical delirium for many individuals within three days of a symptomatic exposure. The one differentiating test in the original study was the Rotary-Pursuit task, a test of hand-eye coordination. Recently exposed men had worse performance than controls, but we have since found that this type of test is unreliable because of technical limitations. Neurological examinations revealed multiple minor signs such as generalized weakness and confusion shortly after exposure; hard neurological signs were absent after treatment and clinical recovery. In the 1952 study, electroencephalograms were done as close to time of exposure as possible and, in many cases, repeated after treatment and recovery. Typical slow-wave bursts after activation by overbreathing were observed if EEGs were done soon after untreated exposure (FIGURE 1 ). These findings were similar to those reported by Grob (1953). A t this time, it was believed that adequate treatment normalized the EEG. These old EEGs have been reevaluated in light of findings from our current investigations and modern knowledge of the neurophysiology of drowsiness and sleep. Upon reevaluation, we find an increase in medium-voltage, irregular theta activity, OCcurring in bursts of one to five seconds’ duration, most often seen during light drowsiness. Special characteristics of the drowsy EEG-there is a normal increase in slow activity-made it easy to overlook this change. In the 1952 study, psychiatric interviews were done o n 78 men: 56 with histories

Theory of Manual Vehicular Control

Abstract: The analytical basis of manual vehicular control theory is a combination of feedback systems analysis and mathematical models for human operators engaged in control tasks. Simplified representations for the operator-system combination are provided by the 'crossover model', which is described in detail. The system dynamics and average performance of the crossover model system are developed. With these as bases, case studies are presented to illustrate the types of result which can be obtained from application of the operator-vehicle control theory. Two aircraft control examples illustrate the use of the theory and its empirical correlates to estimate operator dynamic characteristics, system performance, pilot ratings, pilot commentary, design implications, and some experimental guidelines. A driver automobile example is presented to illustrate the use of the theory in structuring the key guidance and control features of the driver's visual field. A comprehensive bibliography of operator-vehicle system analysis applications is also provided.

Human biological adaptability. The ecological approach in physical anthropology.

Abstract: Adaptation is an aspect of virtually all questions of human biology. Besides their interest in evolution through adaptive selection of the primates, including man, physical anthropologists are concerned with biological adaptability as a human attribute. In this sense adaptation has been examined at three overlapping levels: (i) those represented by differences in the extent of inherent capacities in subpopulations long exposed to different conditions, such as differences in the inherited determinants of body form and skin pigment in peoples in different climatic zones; (ii) adaptations acquired during the growth period of the individual such as residual stunting and reduced caloric needs in individuals receiving low caloric diets throughout childhood; and (iii) reversible acclimatization to the immediate conditions such as the changes which make it easier to work at high altitudes after the first few days there. Greater resilience to change is achieved if adaptations are reversible in each generation or within a lifetime. This implies an evolutionary tendency to shift human adaptability from genetic selection to ontogenetic plasticity to reversible adaptability.

Some effects of motor car driving on the normal and abnormal heart.

Abstract: Electrocardiograms were recorded in experienced motor-car drivers accustomed to busy city traffic while driving their own cars along familiar routes. The majority with normal hearts or a history of coronary heart disease increased their heart rates; brief periods when the rate exceeded 140/min. were recorded in both groups. ST changes not caused by tachycardia developed in 3 out of 32 normal drivers. Of 24 drivers with coronary heart disease 13 increased their ST and T abnormalities, the changes being gross in six. A further five developed multiple ventricular ectopic beats. Two coronary drivers experienced anginal pain and two left ventricular failure. Healthy motor-racing drivers increased their heart rates to 180/min. in the few minutes before the start of a race and to above 200/min. while racing.Little or no change in the plasma catecholamine levels was noted in three coronary subjects immediately after a city drive compared with resting levels. All the racing drivers showed a considerable increase in noradrenaline, and in one instance adrenaline, immediately after racing.Persons in whom angina is easily provoked when driving or who are in borderline left ventricular failure should be advised not to drive.