An observational study of sun and heat protection during Canada Day outdoor celebration, 2003

Attendance at summer outdoor mass gatherings may lead to heat- and sun-related illness. The purposes of this study were: (1) to estimate the proportion of people in attendance at the 2003 Canada Day celebration in the National Capital Region who used sun and heat protective items; (2) to identify factors associated with the utilization of these protective items; and (3) to provide research data to public outdoor event organizers when developing evidence-based plans for safer events. A naturalistic observational cross-sectional method was used to gather information at the 2003 Canada Day celebration in the National Capital Region on attendees' demographics, the sun and heat protective items they used and the protective resources available at the event sites. Of the 398 observed attendees, the proportion using any one of the protective items ranged from 3 percent (an open umbrella) to 51.5 percent (sunglasses). Females were more likely to use protective items more than males, and adults more likely than children. Planners of public outdoor events should consider the factors that influence the utilization of sun and heat protective behaviours and the environmental modifications that would allow participants to make safe choices.

Plastic flow during compression of directly compressible fillers and its effect on tablet strength

The effects of the duration of the overall compression cycle and of the duration of the maximum compressive force on tablet strength were studied using an instrumented rotary tablet press. Various direct compression fillers were evaluated. Increasing the overall compression cycle duration to 10 sec resulted in significantly greater tablet tensile strengths with microcrystalline cellulose and compressible starch fillers but not with lactose or compressible sugar. Increasing the duration of the maximum compressive force to 20 sec significantly increased the tensile strength in all cases, but microcrystalline cellulose and compressible starch tablets were affected more than lactose or sugar tablets. The maximum compressive force decayed with time for all fillers but at a greater rate with microcrystalline cellulose and compressible starch. This behavior was attributed to differences in the extent of plastic flow. The decay curves were analyzed using the Maxwell model.