In the past decade, growing public concern about novel technologies with uncertain potential long-term impacts on the environment and human health has moved risk policies toward a more precautionary approach. Focusing on mobile telephony, the effects of precautionary information on risk perception were analyzed. A pooled multinational experimental study based on a 5 × 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted in nine countries. The first factor refers to whether or not information on different types of precautionary measures was present, the second factor to the framing of the precautionary information, and the third factor to the order in which cell phones and base stations were rated by the study participants. The data analysis on the country level indicates different effects. The main hypothesis that informing about precautionary measures results in increased risk perceptions found only partial support in the data. The effects are weaker, both in terms of the effect size and the frequency of significant effects, across the various precautionary information formats used in the experiment. Nevertheless, our findings do not support the assumption that informing people about implemented precautionary measures will decrease public concerns.

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production by immobilized C. acetobutylicum cells is studied in a novel microporous hollow fiber based tubular fermentor-extractor. The solvent 2-ethyl-l-hexanol is used for in situ dispersion-free extraction of products. A mathematical model for simultaneous fermentation and extraction of the products has been investigated. The predicted as well as experimental data follow the same trend. The experimentally observed value of total solvent productivity increased by more than 40% as a result of in situ solvent extraction.

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The thermal conversion of cis-bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-7-ene to cis,cis-1,3-cyclooctadiene might involve a direct disrotatory ring opening, or it might possibly take place by way of cis,trans-1,3-cyclooctadiene. This cis,trans-diene might possibly form the more stable cis,cis isomer through a [1,5] hydrogen shift or a trans-to-cis isomerization about the trans double bond. Deuterium kinetic isotope effect determinations for the isomerizations of 2,2,5,5-d(4)-bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-7-ene and 7,8-d(2)-bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-7-ene rule out these two alternatives because the observed effects are much smaller than would be anticipated for these mechanisms: k(H)/k(D)(d(4)) at 250 degrees C is 1.17 (1.04 per D), and k(H)/k(D)(d(2)) at 238 degrees C is 1.20 (1.10 per D). The direct disrotatory ring opening route remains the preferred mechanism.

Public Understanding of Science is an area constituted by those scholars who essentially acquired expertise in various established academic disciplines and shifted their attention towards a few specifi c issues related to the science-society interface. The discipline though recognised as a legitimate area of research has not come out of all its teething problems associated with the formation of any new area.The mainstay, during the fi rst phase of its development was the attitudinal surveys conducted in various countries. The objectives of these surveys were to measure the extent of scientifi c knowledge, probe public attitude towards science or scientists, and at times simply to explore the level of confi dence or lack of confi dence that a common citizen had in science. These surveys gradually turned into an important and regular activity in many countries.The debate that followed the fi rst phase resulted in refi nement of methodology, tools and the models of assessment of Public Understanding of Science. The PAUS group at NISTADS, India, has since 1989 worked on methodology suitable for carrying out surveys

Microporous-membrane-based extractive product recovery in product-inhibited fermentations allows in situ recovery of inhibitory products in a nondispersive fashion. A tubular bioreactor with continuous strands of hydrophobic microporous hollow fibers having extracting solvent flowing in fiber lumen was utilized for yeast fermentation of glucose to ethanol. Yeast was effectively immobilized on the shell side in small lengths of chopped microporous hyrophilic hollow fibers. The beneficial effects of in situ dispersion-free solvent ex (oleyl alcohol and dibutyl phthalate) were demonstrated for a 300 g/L glucose substrate feed. Outlet glucose concentration dropped drastically from 123 to 41 g/L as solvent/ substrate flow ratio was increased from 0 to 3 at 9 mL/h of substrate flow rate with oleyl alcohol as extracting solvent. The significant productivity increase with in situ solvent extraction became more evident as solvent/ substrate flow ratio increased. A model of the locally integrated extractive bioreactor describes the observed fermentor performance quite well.

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Expenditure (NSHIE), this article attempts to identify determinants of life insurance ownership in the country. An analysis using logistic regression has corroborated that insured households tend to be more prosperous, more educated and more optimistic about future security than non-insured households. Both the level of education and occupation of the chief earner of a household are major determinants of life insurance participation, apart from asset-ownership. Further, households that are more optimistic about the adequacy of future income and savings show higher levels of participation. No rural-urban divide has been noticed with respect to these infl uencing factors.