No abstract

This is a study of the relationship between trust in institutions and attitudes to gene technology in general, and GM food and stem cell research in particular. The role of so-called active How to cite: Olofsson, A, Öhman, S & Rashid, S. (2006). Attitudes to gene technology: The significance of trust in institutions. European Societies 8 (4) 601-624. 2 trust is emphasised, meaning that trust is neither conceived as a trait nor a one-dimensional concept. The study uses data from a Eurobarometer survey of gene technology in Europe, conducted in 2002. People's attitudes in five European counties, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and United Kingdom are compared, and the significance of trust in institutions in these countries is investigated. The results show that trust in institutions has an impact on attitudes to gene technology. Trust in experts, stakeholders and official bodies are associated with positive attitudes to GM food and stem cell research, whereas trust in Non Governmental Organisations is associated with negative perceptions of these technologies. This confirms the significant role of active trust.

No abstract

The multivariate location problem is addressed. The most familiar method to address the problem is the Hotelling test. When the hypothesis of normal distributions holds, the Hotelling test is optimal. Unfortunately, in practice the distributions underlying the samples are generally unknown and without assuming normality the finite sample unbiasedness of the Hotelling test is not guaranteed. Moreover, high-dimensional data are increasingly encountered when analyzing medical and biological problems, and in these situations the Hotelling test performs poorly or cannot be computed. A test that is unbiased for non-normal data, for small sample sizes as well as for two-sided alternatives and that can be computed for high-dimensional data has been recently proposed and is based on the ranks of the interpoint Euclidean distances between observations. Five modifications of this test are proposed and compared to the original test and the Hotelling test. Unbiasedness and consistency of the tests are proven and the problem of power computation is addressed. It is shown that two of the modified interpoint distance-based tests are always more powerful than the original test. Particularly, the modified test based on the Tippett criterium is suggested when the assumption of normality is not tenable and/or in case of high-dimensional data with complex dependence structure which are typical in molecular biology and medical imaging. A practical application to a case-control study where functional magnetic resonance imaging is used is discussed.

No abstract

Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

No abstract

No abstract