Worlds apart? The reception of genetically modified foods in Europe and the U.S.

Recent controversies about genetically modified foods in the United Kingdom and several other European countries highlight the apparent differences that exist in public opinion on this subject across the Atlantic. Why are people in the United States seemingly untroubled by a technology that causes Europeans so many difficulties? The results of survey research on public perceptions of biotechnology in Europe and the United States during 1996-1997, together with an analysis of press coverage and policy formation from 1984 to 1996, can help to answer this question.

Flashbulb memory assumptions: using national surveys to explore cognitive phenomena.

Implicit in most flashbulb memory research are three assumptions: that major news events will be important for almost everyone in the chosen sample, that people's ratings of memory quality are reliable and that a detailed recollection of personal circumstances implies a vivid memory. Using two general population surveys of Great Britain (total N = 3160), we examine each of these assumptions for two events that have recently been used in flashbulb memory studies: Margaret Thatcher's resignation as Prime Minister and the Hillsborough football disaster. The results emphasize the importance of careful sampling of both participants and events, and question whether flashbulb memories are as vivid as originally hypothesized. This type of research is rare within the flashbulb memory literature on account of the large sample sizes and the use of samples representative of the general population. This allows us to return to Brown & Kulik's (1977) original emphasis on group differences and re-evaluate their findings.

Analysis of the internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA in common airborne allergenic fungi.

Ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences were investigated in the genera Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium and Penicillium, to identify regions suitable for the design of genus- and species-specific oligonucleotide probes. The ITS regions of all four genera were quite distinct. However, we discovered that the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium displayed high similarity in most of the ITS2 region. Whilst interspecies similarity within Alternaria and Cladosporium was high in both ITS regions 1 and 2, ITS1 similarity within Aspergillus and Penicillium was lower by comparison. We conclude that: (1) the ITS2 region is highly conserved between Aspergillus and Penicillium, and (2) the ITS1 region will allow for the development of specific probes to distinguish between Aspergillus and Penicillium.

Community care for people with challenging behaviours and mild learning disability: an evaluation of an assessment and treatment unit.

This paper reports a three-year evaluation of the Mental Impairment Evaluation and Treatment Service (MIETS). MIETS, a hospital-based unit, seeks to prepare clients with a mild learning disability and challenging behaviours for resettlement in the community. The evaluation focuses on the progress of 34 clients from preadmission to six months post-discharge. The majority of clients came from hospitals or prisons, were on medication and were referred for serious challenging behaviours. For a subsample of the clients the Vineland and the Adaptive Behaviour Scale, Part II were used to assess changes in behaviour and a general trend of statistically significant decreases in maladaptive behaviour was observed. In contrast to the comprehensive assessment and treatments, behavioural observations on eight clients show that levels of participation and social engagement are not high. Twenty of the 34 clients were resettled in the community and maintained a community placement for a least six months. Some districts were unable to implement the placement recommendations; had they done so the rate of community placement would have been 80 percent. It is concluded that community care is a viable option for people with challenging behaviour; without the specialist inputs of MIETS few of the clients would have achieved community placements, but questions are raised about the length of admission.

An economic analysis of the resettlement of people with mild learning disabilities and challenging behaviour.

New models of care are needed following the closure of long-stay mental handicap hospitals. Based on an evaluation of a recently established assessment and treatment service in south-east England, this paper is concerned with the costs and likely benefits of different patterns of services for people with mild learning disabilities and severely challenging behaviour. Different models of provision are compared in terms of their costs and quality of life opportunities for clients. The assessment and treatment services provided a better understanding of the care needs, and achieved a reduction in challenging behaviours. It was therefore possible to give access to care settings closer to a normal life. For approximately 25% additional expenditure, 20 out of 34 clients who received the service moved to community placements, including three who had been referred following a breakdown in the community. If community care is to be implemented as a policy for clients with learning disabilities and serious challenging behaviours, it is necessary to recognise the financial implications. Better quality of life opportunities for this client group are associated with higher costs. When seen in the dynamic context of the costs and quality of life opportunities of the subsequent care, a high cost assessment and treatment service may be a good investment. On current evidence, the additional benefits of community homes, with a closer association with the local community, and greater freedom for clients is bought only at quite a high cost.

Flashbulb memories: conceptual and methodological issues.

Although flashbulb memory research is now well established, it is still not clear exactly what researchers are referring to as flashbulbs, and what is the best way to address the phenomenon. There are at least two ways in which the term "flashbulbs" is used, and at least two conceptual approaches that can be used to research them. The first usage corresponds to the bold theoretical conjectures put forward by Brown and Kulik (1977). The second results from empirical classification and intuitively lacks the essence conveyed by the first meaning. The two approaches concentrate on the cognitive and societal aspects, respectively. Although these are not incompatible, they make different assumptions and use different methodologies. We argue that research should be directed towards more unified theorising, and we describe methodologies appropriate for this approach.

Relative deprivation in black and white youth: an empirical investigation.

A model of relative deprivation is proposed drawing on the writings of Gurr (1970) and Runciman (1966) and is discussed in relation to existing studies. Those aspects of the model concerning the intensity of affective reaction to relative deprivation are subjected to empirical test using samples of employed and unemployed black and white youth. The prediction that the degree of relative deprivation is negatively associated with attitudes to the perceived cause of deprivation receives only limited support. Various indices of relative deprivation are compared and it is concluded that present relative deprivation is the most appropriate operational measure. It is concluded that in understanding the attitudes of black and white youth to societal institutions other social characteristics are more important then relative deprivation.