PUBLIC OPINION OF AGBIOTECH IN THE US AND UK: A CONTENT ANALYSIS APPROACH

In this paper we use content analysis to show trend in public opinion of agrobiotechnology in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). We test for the degree of positive and negative content in mass media reporting over the period 1995-1998. Specifically, we test whether there are qualitative and quantitative differences between three national daily newspapers - the Daily Telegraph (UK), USA Today (US), and the Washington Post (US) - based on reporting of agrobiotechnology. Results indicate that content has become more negative in the UK over the time period while reporting the US has not significantly changed. Results indicate that both the BSE and Pusztai crises had an impact on the proportion of negative reporting in the Daily Telegraph.content analysis, mass media reporting, agricultural biotechnology, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

EVALUATING ALTERNATIVE FARMING SYSTEMS: A FUZZY MADM APPROACH

This paper develops a decision support method that integrates measures of achievement in the economic, environmental, and social aspects of farming. The decision support method combines multiple attribute decision making (MADM) with fuzzy logic. The fuzzy MADM model fully ranks decision alternatives relative to the preferences of decision makers and overcomes several problems inherent in other MADM approaches. It is concluded that fuzzy MADM can improve decision making on the farm.fuzzy logic, fuzzy sets, multiple attribute decision making, MADM, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SOURCE-MESSAGE HETEROGENEITY IN MASS MEDIA COVERAGE OF AGROBIOTECHNOLOGY

In this paper, we use content analysis to examine the use of sources by US and UK newspaper reporters from 1990 to 1999. Positive (benefit) or negative (risk) messages are correlated with the "source" type in order to determine the degree of source-message heterogeneity in media reporting of agrobiotechnology.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Evaluating Consumer Response to GM Foods: Some Methodological Considerations

In 1998 the European Union placed a moratorium on the planting of transgenic crops within its borders. The resulting ban on biotech crops has led to the current trans-Atlantic trade dispute between the United States and the EU. At the heart of this dispute is the issue of consumer acceptance. The EU’s current position is predicated on perceived public concerns about biotech foods which found a voice in numerous opinion polls conducted during the late 1990s (e.g., European Commission, 1997, 2000). Such concerns have also been amplified by intense media coverage and resulting political activism. Given the pivotal role that consumer opinion has played in recent EU policy, an understanding of how consumers value biotech foods is critical to informed policymaking. To date three main approaches have been used to gauge how consumers might respond to genetically modified (GM) foods if they were labeled as such. Opinion or attitudinal surveys are one approach. Two other approaches that are also being used are choice experiments and experimental (auction) market methods. This paper provides a brief overview of each approach, their predictions regarding consumer willingness to pay(WTP) for biotech foods, and their potential advantages and pitfalls in predicting actual consumer behavior in the market place.Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Traps of multi-level governance. Lessons from the implementation of the Water Framework Directive in Italy

During recent decades, different patterns of multi-level governance (MLG) have spread across Europe as a consequence of Europeanisation of public policies, which have increasingly adopted decentralized and participatory procedures conceived as a tool of more effective and accountable policy-making. It appears, however, that the implementation of operational designs based on MLG may be rather problematic and it does not necessarily bring to the expected performance improvements. Referring to the case of the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), which conceives the creation of new multi-level institutional settings as a key tool for enacting a new holistic approach to water management and protection, this article explores the difficulties that the implementation of such settings has brought in Italy, despite some favorable pre-conditions existing in the country. Evidence is provided that along with institutional and agency variables, the implementation effectiveness of MLG arrangements promoted by the EU can be challenged by their inherent characteristics

Breast Ultrasound Past, Present, and Future

This chapter will review the utilization of breast ultrasound for screening and diagnostic purposes. Currently, ultrasound is primarily used to investigate palpable lesions in women less than 30 years old, to provide further characterization of abnormal mammographic findings, and to guide invasive breast interventions. Innovations in ultrasound technology have improved the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Computer-aided detection (CAD), elastography, quantitative breast ultrasound technology, and ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles) were developed to improve diagnostic accuracy. These advancements have the potential to impact overall survival by detecting cancers that are smaller and less aggressive

Recent advances on IMF research

Here I discuss recent work on brown dwarfs, massive stars and the IMF in general. The stellar IMF can be well described by an invariant two-part power law in present-day star-formation events within the Local Group of galaxies. It is nearly identical in shape to the pre-stellar core mass function. The majority of brown dwarfs follow a separate IMF. Evidence from globular clusters and ultra-compact dwarf galaxies has emerged that IMFs may have been top heavy depending on the star-formation rate density. The IGIMF then ranges from bottom heavy at low galaxy-wide star formation rates to being top-heavy in galaxy-scale star bursts.Comment: 6 pages, LaTeX, to appear in The Labyrinth of Star Formation, 18-22 June 2012, Crete, (eds.) D. Stamatellos, S. Goodwin, and D. Ward-Thompson, Springer, in press; replaced version: very minor corrections plus the addition of reference Smith & Lucey (2013) on the bottom-heavy IMF in elliptical galaxie

Effects of progesterone on mammary carcinogenesis by DMBA applied directly to rat mammae.

The effects and site(s) of action of progesterone on DMBA mammary carcinogenesis in the rat, when a small dose of the carcinogen was applied directly to the inguinal mammary gland, were investigated. No reduction in tumour yield was apparent when progesterone was administered s.c. for 18 days before dusting DMBA. This finding contrasts with a previously reported inhibitory effect on carcinogenesis when hormone treatment was followed by intragastric administration of DMBA. When progesterone injections were begun either 2 days before or 2 days after direct application of DMBA, and were continued until the end of the experiment (135 or 195 days) an enhancement in carcinogenesis was observed similar to that previously demonstrated after gastric intubation of DMBA. These findings, together with previously reported observations, suggest that progesterone may exert its inhibitory effect on carcinogenesis by acting at a site outside the breast, perhaps on the liver. However, it is likely that the hormone acts directly on the mammary tissue to exert its enhancing effect on tumorigenesis

Tuberculosis and Mental Health in the Asia-Pacific

Objective: This opinion piece encourages mental health researchers and clinicians to engage with mental health issues among tuberculosis patients in the Asia-Pacific region in a culturally appropriate and ethical manner. The diversity of cultural contexts and the high burden of tuberculosis throughout the Asia-Pacific presents significant challenges. Research into tuberculosis and mental illness in this region is an opportunity to develop more nuanced models of mental illness and treatment, while simultaneously contributing meaningfully to regional tuberculosis care and prevention. Conclusions: We overview key issues in tuberculosis and mental illness co-morbidity, highlight ethical concerns and advocate for a regional approach to tuberculosis and mental health that is consistent with the transnational challenges presented by this airborne infectious disease. Integrating tuberculosis and mental health services will go a long way to addressing the needs of vulnerable populations and stopping the transmission of one of the world’s biggest infectious killers. tuberculosis mental illness mental health depression psychosis Asia-Pacifi