Potential on Using Cultural Syndromes for Explaining Differences in Attitudes in Northern and Southern EU Countries

Nowadays, it is more realistic to view the development of a new technology as a result of a complex social system of interactions and decisions. Understanding the public's range of views on biotechnology is important for decision makers, in order to be able to anticipate potential acceptance problems or, one step further, to take consumer or public desires and concerns into account so that desirable applications can be developed. Previous work from the same research group, using data from Eurobarometer surveys, was trying to explore the attitudes of the European consumers towards genetic modification of food. Emerging differences in attitudes towards genetically modified food have not been explained adequately in most cases using only sociodemographic variables. In addition strong national differences lead to the idea that cultural differences should also be taken into account, despite the difficulties in formulating specific hypotheses that can be tested empirically. In this paper, in an effort to approach culture in a more clear way, we try to track down and analyse the specific units (customs, traditions, beliefs, and other social norms) that comprise cultures. The notion of cultural syndromes as approached by Triandis is tackled. Furthermore applying data from the European Social Survey (ESS) to Schwartz's value system, our objective is to validate empirically the potential utilisation of Schwartz values to further explain existing differences in attitudes towards GM food among European countries. Further research can lead to a deeper and more precise understanding of cultural differentiation as well as to a more valid cross-cultural theory of attitude formation.attitudes towards genetically modified food, attitude formation, cultural differentiation, cultural syndromes, Consumer/Household Economics,

A Low Cost Face Mask for Inhalation Anaesthesia in Rats

Inhalation anaesthesia in small laboratory rodents has become very popular in Biomedical Research. A  common method to deliver volatile anesthetic agents is through a face mask. The main disadvantage of this  method is the exposure of personnel to anaesthetic agents. The authors describe a low-cost face mask, made  with materials commonly accessible in the operating room that can be connected to an anaesthetic machine  eliminating personnel exposure to hazardous levels of anaesthetic agents and allowing for effective adjustments  to the anaesthetic depth.

Cultural context and attitudes towards genetically modified food in Greece and West Germany

'Bisherige Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, dass es innerhalb der Europäischen Union zum Teil erhebliche Unterschiede in den Einstellungen zu gentechnisch veränderten Lebensmitteln (GM food) gibt. Die Erklärungen für die gefundenen Einstellungsunterschiede basieren vor allem auf soziodemografische und Wissensvariablen als einstellungsdeterminierende Faktoren der Einstellung gegenüber GM food. Kulturelle Unterschiede werden hingegen als Erklärungsfaktoren kaum in Betracht gezogen. In dem vorliegenden Papier werden Hypothesen über den Einfluss des kulturellen Kontext auf die Ablehnung von GM food formuliert. Diese Hypothesen basieren auf Überlegungen, die sich aus der Kombination des Ansatzes von Hofstede (1997) mit dem Einstellungsmodell von Eagly und Chaiken (1993) ergeben. Die Überlegungen beziehen sich auf Griechenland und Westdeutschland als Länder mit Stellvertreterpotential für einen bestimmten kulturellen Kontext (modern vs. traditional). Als Ergebnis kann festgehalten werden, dass das Wissen über GM food nur in Westdeutschland einen Effekt hat, in Griechenland sind hingegen die negativen Beliefs über GM food von großer Bedeutung für die Einstellung gegenüber GM food. Generell lässt sich festhalten, dass in Westdeutschland eine wesentlich strukturiertere Einstellungsstruktur zu finden ist als dies in Griechenland der Fall ist.' (Autorenreferat)'Although there are strong national differences in people's rejection of in genetical modification in food production (GM food), research mainly examined sociodemographics and knowledge an GM food as general determinants of attitudes towards GM food. Cultural differences seldom are taken into account, usually there are no theoretically founded hypotheses, which can be tested empirically. In the present paper we formulate specific hypotheses an cultural context effects an rejection of GM food by combining Hofstedes (1997) approach with cultural differentiation to a general beliefattitude model as it is represented in the core of Eagly and Chaikens (1993) composite model. Specific hypotheses are formulated for Westgermany and Greece as cases of contrasting cultural contexts (modern vs. traditional pattems of orientation). We find, that knowledge an GM food has an effect an rejecting GM food only in Westgermany, whereas negative beliefs are more important in determining GM food rejection in Greece. Generally, the attitude structure in Westgermany is more differentiated than in Greece, as it is reflected in more variance explained by knowledge, beliefs and sociodemographic status in Westgermany than in Greece.' (author's abstract)

Radon measurements along active faults in the Langadas Basin, northern Greece

A network of three radon stations has been established in the Langadas Basin, northern Greece for radon monitoring by various techniques in earthquake prediction studies. Specially made devices with plastic tubes including Alpha Tracketch Detectors (ATD) were installed for registering alpha particles from radon and radon decay products exhaled from the ground, every 2 weeks, by using LR-115, type II, non-strippable Kodak films, starting from December 1996. Simultaneous measurements started using Lucas cells alpha spectrometer for instantaneous radon measurements in soil gas, before and after setting ATDs at the radon stations. Continuous monitoring of radon gas exhaling from the ground started from the middle of August 1999 by using silicon diode detectors, which simultaneously register meteorological parameters, such as rainfall, temperature and barometric pressure. The obtained data were studied together with the data of seismic events, such as the magnitude, <i>M_L</i>, of earthquakes that occurred at the Langadas Basin during the period of measurements, as registered by the Laboratory of Geophysics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, in order to find out any association between them

Deep stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) over SE Europe: a complex case study captured by enhanced ⁷Be concentrations at the surface of a low topography region

International audienceIn this study we present a complex case study of a Stratosphere-to-Troposphere Transport (STT) event down to the surface of a low topography region in Northern Greece, during the second fortnight of March 2000. During this event our surface station at Livadi (23°15 E/40°32 N, 850 m a.s.l.), was influenced by very different synoptic systems developing over Eastern Europe, N. America and the N. Atlantic, the last one evolving to a cut-off low over France/Spain. This is the first study, to our knowledge, that presents a down to the surface STT event in the eastern Mediterranean. The intrusion is primarily captured with the use of the cosmogenic radionuclide 7Be, which increased to 9.07 mBq m-3 and 9.37 mBq m-3 on 30 and 31 March 2000, respectively. A 7Be concentration of around 8 mBq m-3 recorded during parallel measurements at Thessaloniki (20 m a.s.l.) gives strong evidence that air of stratospheric origins has even gone down to sea level. A rapid increase of 10?15 ppb is also observed in the surface ozone concentration on 31 March 2000. The relative increase of both tracers is consistent with a volume fraction of stratospheric air at the surface of about 5%, but the substantial increase in 7Be flags more clearly the event. Trajectory analyses, in conjunction with the evolution of the synoptic situation described by potential vorticity maps, are used for the exact identification of the different intrusions and the attribution of each intruding parcel of stratospheric air to a certain filament of high PV. Finally, the persistency of the stratospheric layers in the troposphere is another interesting point of this case study. The vast majority of the trajectories spent 7?10 days in the troposphere before reaching the surface at Livadi station

Aerodynamic Size Associations of Natural Radioactivity With Ambient Aerosols

The aerodynamic size of /sup 214/Pb, /sup 212/Pb, /sup 210/Pb, /sup 7/Be, /sup 32/P, /sup 35/S (as SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/), and stable SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ was measured using cascade impactors. The activity distribution of /sup 212/Pb and /sup 214/Pb, measured by alpha spectroscopy, was largely associated with aerosols smaller than 0.52 ..mu..m. Based on 46 measurements, the activity median aerodynamic diameter of /sup 212/Pb averaged 0.13 ..mu..m (sigma/sub g/ = 2.97), while /sup 214/Pb averaged 0.16 ..mu..m (sigma/sub g/ = 2.86). The larger median size of /sup 214/Pb was attributed to ..cap alpha..-recoil depletion of smaller aerosols following decay of aerosol-associated /sup 218/Po. Subsequent /sup 214/Pb condensation on all aerosols effectively enriches larger aerosols. /sup 212/Pb does not undergo this recoil-driven redistribution. Low-pressure impactor measurements indicated that the mass median aerodynamic diameter of SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ was about three times larger than the activity median diameter /sup 212/Pb, reflecting differences in atmospheric residence times as well as the differences in surface area and volume distributions of the atmospheric aerosol. Cosmogenic radionuclides, especially /sup 7/Be, were associated with smaller aerosols than SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ regardless of season, while /sup 210/Pb distributions in summer measurements were similar to sulfate but smaller in winter measurements. Even considering recoil following /sup 214/Po ..cap alpha..-decay, the avervage /sup 210/Pb labeled aerosol grows by about a factor of two during its atmospheric lifetime. The presence of 5 to 10% of the /sup 7/Be on aerosols greater than 1 ..mu..m was indicative of post-condensation growth, probably either in the upper atmosphere or after mixing into the boundary layer

Radon measurements in association with earthquakes

A network of three radon stations has been established in the Langadas basin, North Greece. Newly made devices with plastic tubes are in operation with a-particle track detectors (ATDs) in registering a-particles from radon and radon decay products exhaled from the ground, every two weeks, starting from December 1996, by using LR-115, type II, nonstrippable Kodak films. Simultaneous measurements are made by using Lucas a-scintillation cells for instantaneous measurements of radon in soil gas, before and after setting the ATDs at the radon stations. The new devices used have the advantage of not using heating systems nor electrical power in the nearby area of the stations. Radon flux registrations ranged between 507 and 85880 tr cm22 or 1.5 and 188.9 tr cm22 h21, in the period of measurement, while radon concentrations in soil gas ranged between 528 and 35095 Bq m23 at the same time

Radon measurements along active faults in the Langadas Basin, northern Greece

International audienc