Ruthenium bipyridyl compounds with two terminal alkynyl ligands.

Compounds of the form Ru(X2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CC6H4NO2-p)2(X2bipy = 4,4'-X(2)-2,2'-bipyridine, X = Me 3a, Br 3b, I 3c) have been synthesised from the mono-alkynyl precursors Ru(X2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CC6H4NO2-p)Cl (X = Me 2a, Br 2b, I 2c); the former are the first ruthenium bis-alkynyl compounds that also contain a bipyridyl ligand. Spectroelectrochemical investigation of 3a shows that the metal is readily oxidised to form the ruthenium(III) compound 3a+, and will also undergo a single-electron reduction at each nitro group to form 3a2-. ESR and UV/visible spectra of these redox congeners are presented. We also report the synthesis of [Ru(Me2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CBut)(N triple bond N)][PF6] during the attempted synthesis of Ru(Me2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CBut)2, and report its X-ray crystal structure and IR spectrum. X-Ray crystal structures of 3b and 3c(as two different solvates) are presented, and the nature of the intermolecular interactions seen therein is discussed. Z-Scan measurements on Ru(Me2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CR)Cl (R = C6H4NO2-p2a, But, Ph, C6H4Me) are also reported, and show that Ru(Me2bipy)(PPh3)2(-C triple bond CR)Cl (R = C6H4NO2-p2a, Ph) exhibit moderate third-order non-linearities.

Diversion from custody. I: Psychiatric assessment at the magistrates' court.

The homeless mentally disordered defendant facing minor charges poses considerable problems regarding appropriate disposal. Psychiatric assessment may be required in order to facilitate the court's decision, but this is often available only after remand in custody. A psychiatric assessment service based at two inner-London magistrates' courts is described. Over 18 months, 201 defendants were referred. They were predominantly male, single, and of no fixed abode, suffering from serious psychiatric disorder; these defendants had often received previous in-patient treatment, frequently as detained patients. They typically were recidivists charged with minor offences. Following initial assessment, 25% were admitted to hospital, 50% were released, and 25% returned to custody. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued 29% of cases. For those admitted directly to hospital, the mean (s.d.) time from arrest to hospital admission was 5.8 (6.8) days, significantly quicker than with prison-based assessments.

Diversion from custody. II: Effect on hospital and prison resources.

Two hundred and one referrals to a psychiatric assessment scheme based at two inner-London magistrates' courts were followed up to assess the effect of the scheme on hospital and prison resources. Of the 65 hospital admissions, 50 (77%) derived some or marked benefit from psychiatric treatment. Those who did badly were more likely to be of no fixed abode, and had higher rates of criminality and previous compulsory admission to hospital. Absconding was the largest management problem; 30 (46%) of those admitted did so. Twelve months after admission, all patients except one had been discharged; 10 (15%) had been readmitted to hospital. The scheme generated an extra 21 (64%) hospital admissions per annum from the two courts, compared with the three years before its introduction. The saving in remand time to the prison was approximately double the increased admission time to hospital. However, the overall effect of early diversion on hospital and prison resources was small.

The perception of emotion by schizophrenic patients.

Studies which have examined the perception of emotion by schizophrenic patients have produced conflicting results, an outcome which may, in part, be due to difficulties in presenting a realistic portrayal of emotion. This study exposed 32 schizophrenic patients in remission and ten controls to five videotaped scenes of emotional situations played by actors. The schizophrenic patients were divided into three groups, namely those living with high-EE relatives, those living with low-EE relatives and those living alone, in order to test the hypothesis that patients in a high-EE environment are less able to identify emotionally charged situations. Measures of electrodermal activity and self-ratings of tension were recorded concomitantly. The schizophrenic patients in all groups were as adept at identifying emotions as were the controls. There was no difference between the groups in electrodermal activity and subjective tension for all video scenes, except for the one which portrayed the only pleasant interaction; the high-EE group was significantly more aroused on both measures, which were independent of each other.

Mentally disordered homeless offenders--diversion from custody.

The homeless mentally ill petty offender is a familiar sight in the Inner London Magistrates' courts and presents a considerable problem regarding appropriate placement. This paper describes a new psychiatric service which transfers the focus of assessment of such offenders from the prison to the magistrates' courts. The service commenced in February 1989 and centres on two Inner London magistrates' courts, Bow Street and Marlborough Street. It provides a psychiatric assessment of the homeless mentally ill petty offender at the earliest possible opportunity following arrest, with the intention of diverting them from custody. This paper discusses the advantages of this scheme compared with prison-based assessments, and describes its success in diverting defendants from custody without necessarily resorting to hospital admission.

USDA licensing policy for biologicals produced by R-DNA.

The advent of recombinant DNA technology has prompted a review of current Standard Requirements used in licensing Veterinary Biological Products. Unique problems associated with the production and testing of biologics derived from the new biotechnology are reviewed to insure compliance with the United States Department of Agriculture's requirement for purity, safety, potency and efficacy. Requirements for plasmid/vector characterization and stability will be discussed and correlated with the Master Seed concept. Practical methodology used to monitor antigenic expression, concentration, purification and stability during production and recovery is considered. Bulk and/or final container testing will meet established criteria for biologicals produced by conventional procedures. Experience in preparation and regulation of recombinant-derived biologicals may require revision of current Standard Requirements or special additional requirements. This flexible approach will facilitate licensing of these new products.

Dengue with haemorrhage and shock in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Pediatric patients with fever and haemorrhage were studied in Jakarta, Indonesia between May 1973 and January 1974. Eighty-one of 104 demonstrated unequivocable evidence of dengue with clinical findings similar to those reported associated with dengue haemorrhagic fever in Thailand. The majority of patients had extremely high antibody titers against dengue measured by both hemagglutination-inhibition and by plaque reduction neutralization tests and all four types of dengue virus were isolated. Eight of the patients died.

Japanese encephalitis virus from pigs and mosquitoes in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Japanese encephalitis virus was isolated from 11 pools of Culex tritaeniorhynchus and a single pool of C. gelidus mosquitoes at a pig-raising area near Jakarta, West Java, Indonesia, during 1972-74. Ten sentinel pigs placed in the area all developed haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies against Japanese encephalitis and the virus was isolated from the blood of 3.