concrete labyrinths of the new social work depart-ments?where the central heating automatically goes on on October 1st and automatically goes off on April 1st, whatever the weather?the filing clerks excitedly cried: 'Isn't it amazing to have the windows open in February!' Nervous daffodils appeared on the typists' desks. It was a mild winter. Of course there were one or two contretemps. During ...

By the time these words appear in print, I understand that we shall have taken one more step, whatever that is, towards joining the European Community whatever that is. (We have trouble enough defining what we mean by a community even within Britain; I can't imagine it's going to be any easier, in European terms, even to perceive the community, let alone define it.) Anyway, before very long, pe...

Isolated rat liver parenchymal cells were incubated for various periods with [U-(14)C,2-(3)H]glycerol and the radioisotopic yields in the major products were determined, as well as the (3)H/(14)C ratios in glyceride glycerol and intracellular glycerol phosphate. Under the conditions used (0.1mm-glycerol+10mm-l-lactate or 10mm-glycerol as substrates), only small differences were found between th...

The radioisotopic assay for carnitine first described by Cederblad and Lindstedt (Clin. Chim. Acta. 37:235-543, 1972) and modified by Bohmer et al (Clin. Chim. Acta. 57:55-61, 1974) has been improved and simplified. As a result, the assay yields a linear response over a wide range of carnitine concentrations without the need for excessive amounts of labeled acetyl-CoA. In addition, it will meas...

Prompt gamma-ray neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) is now a proven method for the identification of chemical warfare agents and explosives in military projectiles and storage containers. Idaho National Laboratory is developing a next-generation PGNAA instrument based on the new Ortec Detective mechanically-cooled HPGe detector and a neutron generator. In this paper we review PGNAA analysis of...

We modified the phosphocellulose binding assay for aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes (AMEs) by use of microdilution plates and a multichannel micropipette. Batteries of aminoglycoside substrates for screening organisms for the presence of AMEs as well as for subclassifying enzymes were prepared and stored in microdilution plates. When tested in parallel with the conventional tube reaction assay,...

I have recently been renewing my acquaintance with Rudyard Kipling Rudyard Kipling the poet, that is, as distinct from Rudyard Kipling the short-story writer and part-time novelist. R.K. the poet is very much out of favour at present, and has been these twenty years. I suppose this disfavour springs from his identification with the spirit of Empire, with the Raj, with the Great White Sahib, wit...