The 2009 R-ISEW (regional index of sustainable economic well-being) for all the English regions

This latest report presents new data calculated in 2009 for the years 1994–2007. The data, which also includes the updating of several sets of figures that previously had to be estimated for 2006, show that a nine-year increase in the English R-ISEW since 1994, began to peter out in 2003, such that total per capita growth between 2003 and 2007 was only 2.4%. Indeed, between 2005 and 2006, per capita R-ISEW fell slightly

The 2010 R-ISEW (regional index of sustainable economic well-being) for all the English regions

This is the fourth consecutive report presenting R-ISEW (regional index of sustainable economic well-being) calculations for the nine Government Office Regions (GORs) of England.1 New data available in the summer of 2010 allows a continuous time series from 1994 to 2008 – 15 years. Because of the nature of the data required for the R-ISEW, there is always a two-year lag before results for any given year can be completed

Trust in Biotechnology Risk Managers: Insights from the United Kingdom, 1996-2002

The mid to late 1990s saw a series of negative media events in the United Kingdom (UK) related to biotechnology. According to the trust asymmetry hypothesis, such events ought to cause public trust in risk managers of biotechnology to fall quickly but rise slowly. We present evidence from the Eurobarometer surveys that from 1996 to 1999 public trust in the UK declined, but it increased sharply between 1999 and 2002. We seek to explain this apparent contradiction to the asymmetry hypothesis. We use canonical discriminant analysis of public trust to show that whether people trust or distrust risk managers of biotechnology depends significantly on the amount of knowledge people have about science. We speculate that knowledge of science moderates the trust asymmetry effect.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Trust in Biotechnology Risk Managers: Insights from the United Kingdom, 1996-2002

During the late 1990s a series of negative events occurred in the United Kingdom (UK) related to biotechnology. These events signaled potential risks associated with biotech foods and crops and were highly reported. According to the trust asymmetry hypothesis, such events ought to cause public trust in risk managers of biotechnology to decline rapidly and rebound more slowly. We find, based on data taken from the Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 1996, 1999 and 2002, that public trust in risk managers did decline from 1996 to 1999. However, the level of trust rebounded sharply between 1999 and 2002. Canonical discriminant analysis of public trust is used to reveal possible explanatory factors in this response. We find that whether people trust or distrust risk managers depends significantly on the amount of objective knowledge they have. We argue that knowledge of science might moderate the trust asymmetry effect.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Risk and Uncertainty,

Interferometric differentiation between resonant Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering and nonresonant four-wave-mixing processes

A major impediment of using Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering to identify biological molecules is that the illumination levels required to produce a measurable signal often also produce significant nonresonant background from the medium, especially from water, that is not specific to the resonance being investigated. We present a method of using nonlinear interferometry to measure the temporal shape of the anti-Stokes signal to differentiate which components are resonant and nonresonant. This method is easily adaptable to most existing pulsed CARS illumination methods and should allow for distinguishing resonant CARS when using higher energy pulses. By examining the differences between signals produced by acetone and water, we show that the resonant and nonresonant signals can be clearly differentiated.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

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,

Peer support for discharge from inpatient to community mental health services: Study protocol clinical trial (SPIRIT Compliant).

INTRODUCTION: In the period shortly after discharge from inpatient to community mental health care, people are at increased risk of self-harm, suicide, and readmission to hospital. Discharge interventions including peer support have shown potential, and there is some evidence that community-based peer support reduces readmissions. However, systematic reviews of peer support in mental health services indicate poor trial quality and a lack of reporting of how peer support is distinctive from other mental health support. This study is designed to establish the clinical and cost effectiveness of a peer worker intervention to support discharge from inpatient to community mental health care, and to address issues of trial quality and clarity of reporting of peer support interventions. METHODS: This protocol describes an individually randomized controlled superiority trial, hypothesizing that people offered a peer worker discharge intervention in addition to usual follow-up care in the community are less likely to be readmitted in the 12 months post discharge than people receiving usual care alone. A total of 590 people will be recruited shortly before discharge from hospital and randomly allocated to care as usual plus the peer worker intervention or care as usual alone. Manualized peer support provided by trained peer workers begins in hospital and continues for 4 months in the community post discharge. Secondary psychosocial outcomes are assessed at 4 months post discharge, and service use and cost outcomes at 12 months post discharge, alongside a mixed methods process evaluation. DISCUSSION: Clearly specified procedures for sequencing participant allocation and for blinding assessors to allocation, plus full reporting of outcomes, should reduce risk of bias in trial findings and contribute to improved quality in the peer support evidence base. The involvement of members of the study team with direct experience of peer support, mental distress, and using mental health services, in coproducing the intervention and designing the trial, ensures that we theorize and clearly describe the peer worker intervention, and evaluate how peer support is related to any change in outcome. This is an important methodological contribution to the evidence base. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was prospectively registered as ISRCTN 10043328 on November 28, 2016