Influence of alcohol

Alcohol. The number of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUl) cases reflects the enormity of the dmnken driving problem in the United States (9). Tests to measure blood alcohol concentration are conducted on blood, urine, or breath (10). In the case of urine and breath, the alcohol concentration measured is reported in terms of the equivalent blood alcohol concentration. Most states in the United States presume that a person is under the influence of alcohol with respect to driving a motor vehicle at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%, ie, an ethanol concentration >10 g/100 mL of blood. Some states maintain a lower necessary concentration of 0.08%. In some European countries levels are as low as 0.05%. A blood alcohol concentration of 0.10% in a 68-kg (150-lb) person is the equivalent of about four drinks of 80 proof alcohoHc beverage or four 340-g (12-oz) beers in the body at the time of the test (see Beer Beverage spirits, distilled Wine). Ethanol is metabolized at the equivalent rate of about one drink per hour. 

Other Substances. Driving under the influence of alcohol cases are compHcated because people sometimes consume alcohol with other substances (11—13). The most common iUicit substances taken with alcohol are marijuana and cocaine (see Table 1) (14). In combination with alcohol, some dmgs have an additive effect. When a blood or urine alcohol sample is tested for alcohol and the result is well below the legal concentration threshold yet the test results are not consistent with the arresting officers observation that the subject was stuporous, further toxicological tests for the possible presence of dmgs are indicated. 

In an analogous way the influence of alcohol on the kinetics of thermal denaturation of met-hemoglobin was studied successfully144). 

She also had experimented with LSD and cocaine freebasing numerous times within the past 2 years. Throughout her history of substance abuse she experienced an increasing frequency of periods of dazed consciousness and blackouts multiple times yearly, while under the influence of alcohol. Further, she reported that other family members had chemical dependency problems, though her parents never abused drugs/a1cohol. 

Kniepert E, Gorisch V. 1988. Influence of alcohol pretreatment on effects of chloroform in rats. Biomed Biochim Acta 47 197-203. 

Perkins KA, Ponte C, Blakesley-Ball R, Stolinski A, Wilson AS (2005) The influence of alcohol pre-treatment on the discriminative stimulus, subjective, and relative reinforcing effects of nicotine. Behav Pharmacol 16 521-529... 

E. Dickinson and M. Golding Influence of Alcohol on Stability of Oil-in-Water Emulsions Containing Sodium Caseinate. I. Colloid Interface Sci. 197, 133 (1998). 

Bavifere M, Schechter RS, Wade WH (1981) The influence of alcohols on microemulsion composition. J Colloid Interface Sci 81 266-299... 

A final example of an application of balanced chemical equation involves the use of one form of the breath analyzer used by police to determine if someone was driving under the influence of alcohol. The chemical equation guiding the reaction when someone breaths into the instrument is... 

In some states, lawsuits known as dram shop cases arise when someone injured by a driver under the influence of alcohol sues the bar or restaurant that had earlier served alcohol to the driver while the latter was visibly intoxicated. Testimony in those cases focused on the number and type of drinks served, the... 

In the manufacture of nitrocellulose powders the water is displaced with alcohol. This method was proposed by Lundholm and Sayers [3] and widely used in many countries [4, 5]. Despite the simplicity of the idea the dehydration process is rather complicated. It is influenced by such factors as the solubility of nitrocellulose in alcohol and the ability of nitrocellulose to swell under the influence of alcohol the lower the solubility of nitrocellulose in alcohol, the more easy dehydrated with alcohol. Since, however, the solubility of nitrocellulose depends primarily on its nitrogen content dehydration is easier with the higher nitrated types of nitrocellulose. 

The social impact of alcohol use is major. For example, about one in seven Americans reported they had driven under the influence of alcohol at least once in the year prior to the survey. A large proportion of fatal vehicular accidents involve drunken driving. 

Mori ow, D., Leirer, V., and Yesavage, J., Tire influence of alcohol and aging on radio communication during flight, Aviat. Space Environ. Med., 61, 12, 1990. 

Cheyne EH, Sherwin RS, Lunt MJ, Cavan DA, Thomas PW, Kerr D. Influence of alcohol on cognitive performance during mild hypoglycemia implications for type 1 diabetes. Diabetic Med 2004 21 230-7. 

The influence of alcohol chain length was studied by using substrate containing caprylic acid and the required alcohol (C4 to C6 and C8) at a fixed molar ratio (1.5) and 50 mg/mL of POS-PVA lipase. The results of acid molar conversion after 24 h are displayed in Fig. 4. The carbon chain significantly influenced esterification performance. As the length of the alcohol carbonic chain increased, lower molar conversion was detected. The highest value (70%) was attained for butanol and the lowest (40%) for octanol. 

The influence of alcohol and sugar content in the composition of apple vermouth are shown in Tables 8.9 and 8.10, respectively. 

Klatsky, A. L. (1994). Epidemiology of coronary heart disease—Influence of alcohol. Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. 18, 88-96. 

The chlorine in the chloroalkyl radical can be substituted only under the influence of alcoholates of alkali metals. That ensures the substitution of the chlorine atoms both at the silicon atom and in the chloroalkyl radical. 

In order to understand the influence of alcohol on the zeolitization process, it is useful to summarize the structural aspects of alcohol-water mixtures. Considerable work has been done in this area. It is well-recognized that at low alcohol concentrations the viscosity, reciprocal self-diffusion coefficient, the dielectric relaxation time and NMR relaxation times of the water molecules are all greater than that of pure water.(21-241 These observations indicate that addition of alcohol to water at low levels leads to an increased structure of water.(25) This concept is also supported by X-ray diffraction studies(26) and is commonly referred to as hydrophobic hydration.(27) On a molecular level, this effect... 

The authors conclude that drug use among DWI offenders may be much more widespread than is indicated by self-report. Drunk drivers and drugged drivers also reported significant differences in attitudes about driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. 

A forensic laboratory analyses blood samples from drivers suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. The legal blood alcohol level for driving is 80 mg of alcohol in 100 mL of blood (80 mg%). The method used to analyse the blood samples will have been thoroughly validated at this concentration, to determine its accuracy and precision so as to ensure that innocent drivers are not found guilty, etc. If a lower limit of 50 mg% is introduced then the method will have to be validated at this lower concentration. 

In order for PAVA to work, it must be directed at the subject s eyes. The pain to the eyes is reported to be higher than that caused by CS tear gas (Smith et al., 2004 ACPO, 2006). The effects are immediate but will subside 15-20 min after exposure to fresh air. PAVA does display disadvantages. While PAVA has a high rate of effectiveness, it has proven to be ineffective against those under the influence of alcohol (ACPO, 2006). Additionally, the Smith et al. (2004) study mentions a number of cases where PAVA was used without effect. The effect of PAVA was also reported to be almost instantaneous, with the undesirable effect that recovery was also immediate. PAVA is commercially available in two forms, Captor I and Captor II. Captor I contains 0.3% PAVA with a solvent of equal parts ethanol and water. Captor II contains 0.3% PAVA with propylene glycol, water, and ethanol (COT, 2007). 

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