Why rational argument fails the genetic modification (GM) debate

Genetic modification (GM) of crops provides a methodology for the agricultural improvements needed to deliver global food security. However, public opposition to GM-food is great. The debate has tended to risk communication, but here we show through study of a large nationally representative sample of British adults that public acceptance of GM-food has social, cultural and affective contexts. Regression models showed that metaphysical beliefs about the sanctity of food and an emotional dislike of GM-food were primary negative determinants, while belief in the value of science and favourable evaluation of the benefits-to-risks of GM-food were secondary positive determinants. Although institutional trust, general knowledge of the GM-food debate and belief in the eco-friendliness of GM-food were all associated with acceptance, their influence was minor. While a belief in the sanctity of food had a direct inverse effect on GM acceptance, belief in the value of science was largely mediated through favourable perception of benefits-to-risks. Furthermore, segmentation analysis demonstrated that anxiety about GM-food had social and cultural antecedents, with white men being least anxious and older vegetarian women being most anxious. Rational argument alone about the risks and benefits of GM-food is unlikely to change public perceptions of GM-technology.     

Jitter analysis of PLL-generated clock propagation using Jitter Mitigation techniques with laser voltage probing

A new Jitter Mitigation feature in the latest generation laser voltage probing (LVP) tool effectively removes PLL jitter from LVP waveforms [Ng Yin S, Lo W, Wilsher K. Next generation laser voltage probing. In: Proceeding, international symposium on testing and failure analysis; 2008. p. 249]. It facilitates the probing of phase-locked loop (PLL) driven circuitry inside of integrated circuits (ICs). In particular, it allows the detection of small amounts of excess jitter that would normally be masked by the much larger jitter of the PLL. To demonstrate the practical application of this Jitter Mitigation feature, we report on the jitter analysis of a PLL-generated clock signal as it propagates, through buffers and logic circuitry, to an external I/O pad of an IC. The IC was a 0.9 V, 65 nm technology graphics processing unit (GPU). The analysis was to determine where excess jitter was introduced into the clock path when the GPU was electrically stressed. Details of the jitter analysis, including Jitter Mitigation methodology, probing setup, and results of the timing measurements, will be presented in this paper.     

Comparison of different applications of automatic herd control systems on dairy farms – a review

Recent years have seen the rapid development of different devices which can be helpful in the daily work of livestock farmers. The growing size of livestock herds has led farmers to lose individual contact with their animals, while behavioral studies show that breeders can effectively and precisely monitor a herd of up to 100 cows. This was the main motivation for this study, which aims to identify and test various electronic devices which provide useful herd management data, including estrus detection, individual activity and body temperature measurement, monitoring rumen pH levels, milk quality and content as well as milk temperature and somatic cell count measurements. Some devices can detect the metabolic status of animals with a reasonable level of precision. Contemporary animal farms are offered a large number of systems for monitoring the behavior of the animals in the herd and helping to identify those that are intended for insemination or are too active or excessively apathetic. Monitoring devices support herd management and help to reduce costs through the early detection of animal diseases and nutritional problems. This review aims to compile and summarize the information currently available on the use of automatic herd control systems on dairy farms, as well as to discuss the interpretation of the results, providing a useful diagnostic tool in nutritional evaluations of dairy herds. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry     

Impact of combined moisture buffering capacity of a hemp concrete building envelope and interior objects on the hygrothermal performance in a room

In this article, a hygrothermal building model, taking into account the building envelope, indoor heat and moisture sources, indoor environment and moisture buffering capacity of interior objects, is presented and validated with the test cases found in the literature. The model is used to study the impact of hemp concrete and the moisture buffer capacity of the interior elements on the prediction of the hygrothermal comfort in the building. The numerical results show that the use of hemp concrete in buildings can ensure good hygrothermal comfort. Besides, taking into account the effect of moisture buffering of indoor objects increases the building performance. Our results also suggest that neglecting moisture transfer through the envelope increases significantly the predicted percentage of dissatisfied indices and reduces the acceptability of indoor air quality during the occupied period. This study also confirmed that the combined relative humidity-sensitive ventilation system and moisture buffering capacity of building envelope and of interior objects is a very efficient way to reduce the heating energy consumption.     

Social practices in teacher knowledge creation and innovation adoption: a large-scale study in an online instructional design community for inquiry learning

International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning - Social practices are assumed to play an important role in the evolution of new teaching and learning methods. Teachers...     

A trade off between emergency repair and inventory investment

In this paper we present an emergency repair model. We model a situation where failed parts arrive at a repair shop according to a Poisson process. If the stock on hand of serviceable spare parts exceeds a given emergency trigger level, the failed part is sent into normal repair. Otherwise the failed part is sent into an alternative emergency repair channel. Upon arrival failed parts are exchanged for serviceable spare parts, if available. Otherwise the demand is backordered. A backorder is filled with the first part that becomes available from either one of the repair processes. The repair times (including transportation time) are assumed to be exponentially distributed. We analyze the impact of using emergency repair on two service measures: the fraction of demand that is satisfied from stock on hand and the expected duration of a backorder. We calculate the initial stock level and the emergency trigger level that minimize the total cost for a given emergency repair rate. The proposed policy is compared with two other policies: (1) emergency repair is not used and (2) emergency trigger level is zero. We find that significant service improvements and cost reductions can be obtained by using our emergency repair policy. We also present simulation results showing that the distribution of the repair times has a negligible effect on the relevant service measures. Finally, we compare our results with the results of an emergency supply model by Muckstadt and Thomas [1] Again we observe significant cost reductions when using our policy.     

Joint effect of dopaminergic genes on likelihood of smoking following treatment with bupropion SR.

Objective: To determine the relationship between joint variation in 2 dopaminergic genes and the likelihood of nonsmoking following treatment with bupropion sustained release (SR). Design: Three hundred twenty-three participants in a bupropion SR smoking cessation effectiveness trial with 12-month follow-up were genotyped for variants of dopamine receptor gene DRD2 and dopamine transporter SLC6A3. Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported 7-day point prevalence of nonsmoking. Results: Neither genotype alone was associated with 7-day point-prevalent nonsmoking at the 12-month follow-up. However, in the presence of the DRD2 A1 allele, SLC6A3 status was significantly associated with the likelihood of nonsmoking at the 12-month follow-up (individuals with DRD2 A1+ and SLC6A3 9- were more likely to be smoking). In the absence of the DRD2 A1 allele, the association between SLC6A3 status and nonsmoking was nonsignificant. Conclusion: Although these results are suggestive, a more compelling test is needed of the hypothesis that dopaminergic gene interaction underlies, in part, the likelihood of smoking following treatment with bupropion SR. Most likely this will come from larger studies involving prospective randomization to treatment based on genotype. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)