bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Redemption and Human Freedom in the Bach Passions
Authors: Breyfogle Todd
Published: July 2007

Gareth Moore loved music, and he loved, in particular, the music of J. S. Bach. He owned an extensive collection of Bach recordings and could quote from the choral works, especially the chorales, from memory. One year, as I recall, he devoted himself to learning to play the Goldberg Variations on the piano. Gareth and I became acquainted through the Oxford Bach Choir, where our singing together grew into a long friendship whose conversational mainstays were music, theology and philosophy. One of the special joys of our friendship over the years was a series of conversations about the theology and tonal allegory of Bach’s great renderings of Christ’s Passion—the St. John Passion and the St. Matthew Passion.

Bach’s Passions were the subject of several lecture series Gareth had given in his later years, and though at least one of the series of lectures (delivered in French!) was tape-recorded, it is our loss that Gareth did not collect more systematically his many insights into Bach’s musical theology. I was fortunate, however, to participate with Gareth in several colloquia on both Passions, occasions which allowed us both to explore in an intelligent though not strictly academic setting the meditative dynamic of Bach’s work. I am indebted to Gareth for much of what I know about Bach, as for so many other things human and divine. And however deficient my own appreciation of Bach may be, it is the product of a love which Gareth shared so generously in his gentle and penetrating conversation.
Senses and Sensibilities
Authors: Phillips D.Z
Published: July 2007

I came to know Gareth Moore’s work, initially, by being asked to be the publisher’s reader for what was later published as Believing in God (T.&T. Clark 1988). The book presents one of the most masterly analyses of “belief in God” in the philosophy of religion. The original title of the manuscript was “God as Nothing,” in which it was argued that we cannot understand belief in God without understanding what it means to become nothing before him. I suggested, foolishly perhaps, that the title should be changed. On the one hand, given a culture that emphasizes rights more than obligations, I feared that talk of human beings as “nothing” would be mistaken for a denigration of them. On the other hand, I feared that the denial of God as a “something” would be misunderstood as reductionism, or even atheism. The change of title, while it makes central the author’s concern with belief in God, does not indicate the distinctiveness of its discussions. In any event, the book has not had the attention it deserves.

I invited Gareth Moore to the annual philosophy of religion conference at Claremont Graduate University more often than any other speaker. He read the following papers: “Tradition, Authority and the Hiddenness of God” published in Philosophy and the Grammar of Religious Belief ed. Timothy Tessin and Mario von der Ruhr (Macmillan 1995); “Death and Transcendence,” published in Religion without Transcendence? ed. D.Z Phillips and Timothy Tessin (Macmillan 1997); and “Hearing the Voice of God” to be published in Biblical Concepts and Our World ed. D.Z Phillips and Mario von der Ruhr (Palgrave).
Religion Without Beliefs
Authors: Meynell Hugo
Published: July 2007

Northrop Frye’s views, both on the Bible and on other works of literature, are strongly influenced by the writings of William Blake. When the University of Toronto Press published a collection of Frye’s writings on religion, it was thus very fitting that William Blake’s picture of God answering Job out of the whirlwind should be used as a frontispiece to the book. In the spirit of Blake, Frye treats the Bible as a sovereign means for the expansion of human consciousness and imagination, and I believe that this is one very useful way of looking at it. But the question between Frye and most traditional Christians is, whether it also contains, however implicitly, a message about what is so, what philosophers might call propositional content. Frye seems to hold that such propositional content as there is in traditional Christianity may be abandoned, indeed is much better abandoned.

It appears to me that Frye is a thinker of genius rather than mere talent. Quite apart from the brilliance of his work on other parts or aspects of literature, few other writers, if any, have thrown as much light as he on the way in which the Bible ‘works’ on the human mind, as an imaginative structure of narrative and imagery. But however much Christians may stand to learn from Frye’s understanding of the Bible, his views are by no means compatible with any form of orthodox Christianity. What are the outstanding differences, and what are the reasons for them?
Hannah More and Dominican Values
Authors: Hermesdorf Marcellal C.
Published: July 2007

Though relatively unknown to twentieth-first-century students of literature, Hannah More was one of the most prolific and most read literary and religious figures of her day. Born February 2, 1745, near Bristol, she was educated by her schoolmaster father and began writing poetry and drama at an early age. On a visit to London in the 1770’s, she came to the attention of David Garrick, who introduced her to many of the leading personalities of the day, including Dr. Samuel Johnson. She continued her seasonal visits to London but became increasingly dissatisfied with its worldliness and frivolity. In 1789, at the urging of William Wilberforce, she began a school in Cheddar, one of twelve that eventually dotted the Mendip Hills in the west of England. The primary object of study was the Bible; her primary purpose, to improve the moral conduct of both the children and the adults, most of whom could not even read. She spent the rest of her life writing tracts, pamphlets, and, at least one novel — all of them moral, if not religious, in nature. She died in 1833 in Clifton, then a suburb of Bristol.
Advent and Gethsemane: Mark's Call to Watch
Authors: Stockton Ian
Published: July 2007

What have Advent Sunday and Holy Week in common? Which theological motif is present in Gospel readings both for Advent and Passiontide? In both Mark’s eschatological discourse and in his story of Gethsemane there is a repeated call to watch. The present imperative ‘gregoreite’ (keep awake, be watchful) occurs twice within a comparatively short section of the Gospel in 13.35,37 and 14.34,38, and the same verb is used also at 13.34 and 14.37. This repeated charge to watch seems to be a deliberate part of the evangelist’s theological design. Mark’s repetition here is often not noticed because of our usual practice of reading such short sections of text. Yet the evangelist’s narrative sequence may become for us a rich spiritual resource, not only on Advent Sunday and in Holy Week, but throughout the year, if we are attentive to his textual repetition in these chapters.
Kenny on Aquinas on Being
Authors: Boland Vivian
Published: July 2007

Throughout the course of his career, Anthony Kenny has remained in dialogue with Thomas Aquinas. In his introduction to Aquinas: A Collection of Critical Essays (1969) - a book intended to make the medieval Dominican intelligible to philosophers brought up in the analytic tradition - he argued that although superseded in regard to the philosophy of nature and logic, Aquinas’s work in metaphysics, philosophical theology, philosophy of mind and moral philosophy entitles him to rank with the greatest of philosophers, in fact as ‘one of the dozen greatest of the western world’ (p.l).

Just over ten years later he presented a similar assessment. In logic, linguistics and scientific methodology Aquinas’s contribution is slight, he says, and his ‘most rewarding work’ is to be found in metaphysics, ethics and the philosophy of mind (Aquinas, 1980, p.30). The compliment is not as straightforward as it might seem, since Kenny goes on immediately to add that Aquinas’s ‘theory of Being involves philosophical confusions which not even the most sympathetic treatment can eradicate’ (pp.30-31). Not only confusion, though, since the chapter devoted to ‘Being’ concludes by charging Aquinas’s account with ‘sophistry and illusion’ (p.60). The significance of this, Kenny says, is that this is precisely the part of Aquinas’s philosophical work that is most cherished by his admirers and, in particular, by his theologian- admirers.
Dealing with Evil
Authors: Turner Geoffrey
Published: July 2007

Our previous conference had been held in Leeds on 9-12 September 2001 and during the course of the last morning but one, word came through of the spectacular assault on tens of thousands of civilians in New York. Some had watched it live on television after breakfast. By midday we had learnt that the twin towers of the World Trade Centre had collapsed with many people inside. Outrageous and brilliantly executed as it was, we quickly realised that it was one more example of an assault on innocents in a political cause to add to Srebrenica, Tel Aviv, Jenin, now Bali and so many others. Whatever the political injustices, real or perceived, they could not justify such an assault on ordinary people. Here evil was at work.

Suggestions for the next conference inevitably included: forgiveness, reconciliation, Christian-Muslim relations, but in the end the committee decided to pull several themes together under the topic Dealing with Evil. The purpose was to have a moment of theological reflection on an ever-present theme without getting caught up excessively in the crises of the moment.

The conference opened with the paper by John Hemer on how God dealt with evil through Jesus on the cross. Here, we were told, is God’s rejection of an apocalyptic overcoming of evil in some dramatic resolution. The God incarnate in Jesus Christ is no deus ex machina who stops the forces of destruction in their tracks. Jesus confronts evil by suffering it and refusing to perpetuate it. Karen Kilby examines the tradition of ‘theodicy’ where philosophers of religion try to answer the question of why an omnipotent and loving God allows evil to flourish in our world.
Samson Terroristes: A Theological Reflection on Suicidal Terrorism
Authors: Wicker Brian
Published: July 2007

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Herbert McCabe OP, the best theologian / have ever met, whose work will remain exemplary for all who aspire to think theologically in the twenty-first century.

George Bush’s ‘axis of evil’ is presumably part of what this conference is about. Certainly, the intentional killing of the innocent, that is people who have done us no harm, must be one of the most blatant examples of evil anybody can think of. Dealing with this evil has, alas, become one of the pre-occupations of the present age. The last century saw enough of it, from Auschwitz and Hiroshima to Srebrenica and Omagh. But today we are confronted by what many see as a new form of this evil: namely suicidal terrorism. Yet even this is not so unambiguously evil that people cannot find religious justifications of it. Indeed the existence of a religious industry for justifying killing the innocent is, I take it, part of the evil that we are dealing with at this conference.

Many Muslims, and perhaps some Christians too, think of those who perpetrate suicidal murders as martyrs for the faith, specially blessed by the Almighty with a vocation to kill. Some even find arguments for it in the Qu’ran or in Islamic law, or in the Old Testament. But before we rush in to condemn their arguments, we must remember some precedents. The most obvious is that of Samson.
Blackfriars from 1924 to 1934
Authors: Kern Fergus
Published: July 2007

In a letter to Fr Bede Jarrett, dated 17 July 1925, Basil Blackwell refers to the financial instability of Blackfriars, this journal, which he had published since 1922: ‘The policy of safety, no doubt, is to cease publication at the end of this volume’ — volume VI.

On his father’s death, in 1924, Basil Blackwell, then aged thirty five, took over the bookshop in Oxford. At this distance, it looks as if he decided to focus on building up the bookshop, rather than the publishing house he had founded in 1921. Not until the 1950s did his become a significant name in academic publishing, with such books as Elizabeth Anscombe’s Intention, a classic as it turned out, never out of print. By then, Blackwell’s was the leading academic bookshop in the United Kingdom.

According to the letter asking Bernard Delany to resume the editorship, Fr Bede says that Basil Blackwell had come to regard Blackfriars as ‘little more than respectable’, whereas he expected it to be ‘fresh, daring and sane’ when he took on the job of publishing it.
Preparing the Way for the Lord: Evolution, Christianity and the Dialogue on Moral Freedom
Authors: Tschudin Alain J‐P.C.
Published: July 2007

Presupposing that science and religion can share dialogue, can this be informative and come to bear fruit in the future? As a Catholic Christian who studies social evolution and Christian ethics, I shall answer “yes”, notwithstanding the challenge mounted by conflicts inherent in this debate. My interest lies in the dialogue between Christian moral philosophy and the theory of Darwinian evolution, as first published in On the Origin of Species (1859). The information flow arising out of a shared understanding of knowledge from these disciplines may be mutually beneficial. By contextualizing Jesus within evolutionary history, I shall argue that evolutionary theory can inform the Christian conception of human nature in relation to the world and equally, that Christian thinking can contribute to the ethics of scientific and secular engagements with the world. Despite the continued confrontation between science and religion, I hope to negotiate some of the impasses so as to trace a path towards conflict resolution and reconciliation.

Early on, Creationism impeded the improvement of relations between science and religion. Creationists (they are not yet extinct!) support a literalist reading of Creation as described in Genesis. In short, they hold that God, from intelligent design, created all species separately. Hence, for Creationists there is no genetic relatedness between species and no need to invoke evolution as an explanation for life on Earth. Yet, thanks to Darwin, the theory of natural selection radically undermined the notion of intelligent design—and with it the pre-evolutionary alternative of life as an outcome of random physical processes.
Functional importance of charged residues within the putative intracellular loops in pH regulation by Na+/ H+ exchanger NHE1
Authors: Hisamitsu Takashi , Yamada Keiji , Nakamura Tomoe Y. , Wakabayashi Shigeo
Published: July 2007

The plasma membrane Na+/H+ exchanger 1 is activated in response to various extrinsic factors, and this process is regulated by an intracellular pH‐sensing mechanism. To identify the candidate residues responsible for intracellular pH regulation, we analyzed the functional properties of engineered Na+/H+ exchanger 1 mutants with charge‐reversal mutations of charged residues located in the intracellular loops. Na+/H+ exchanger 1 mutants with mutations at 11 positions were well expressed in the plasma membrane, but that with E247R was not, suggesting that Glu247 is important for the functional expression of Na+/H+ exchanger 1. Charge‐reversal mutations of Glu131 (E131R, E131K) and Arg327 (R327E) resulted in a shift in the intracellular pH dependence of the exchange activity measured by 22Na+ uptake to the acidic side, and it abolished the response to growth factors and a hyperosmotic medium; however, mutations of Asp448 (D448R) and Arg500 (R500E) slightly shifted it to the alkaline side. In E131R, in addition to the change in intracellular pH dependence, the affinities for extracellular Na+, Li+ and the inhibitor 5‐(N‐ethyl‐N‐isopropyl)amiloride significantly increased. Furthermore, charge‐conserved mutation of E131 (E131D) was found to have no effect, whereas charge neutralization (E131Q) resulted in a slight acidic shift of exchange. These results support the view that the multiple charged residues identified in this study, along with several basic residues reported previously, participate in the regulation of the intracellular pH sensing of Na+/H+ exchanger 1. In addition, Glu131 may also be important for cation transport.
Crystal structure of Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis hypoxanthine‐guanine phosphoribosyl transferase L160I mutant − insights into inhibitor design
Authors: Chen Qiang , You Delin , Liang Yuhe , Su Xiaodong , Gu Xiaocheng , Luo Ming , Zheng Xiaofeng
Published: July 2007

Hypoxanthine‐guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) is a potential target for structure‐based inhibitor design for the treatment of parasitic diseases. We created point mutants of Thermoanaerobacter tengcongensis HGPRT and tested their activities to identify side chains that were important for function. Mutating residues Leu160 and Lys133 substantially diminished the activity of HGPRT, confirming their importance in catalysis. All 11 HGPRT mutants were subject to crystallization screening. The crystal structure of one mutant, L160I, was determined at 1.7 Å resolution. Surprisingly, the active site is occupied by a peptide from the N‐terminus of a neighboring tetramer. These crystal contacts suggest an alternate strategy for structure‐based inhibitor design.
A transcription factor of lipid synthesis, sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐1a causes G1 cell‐cycle arrest after accumulation of cyclin‐dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors
Authors: Nakakuki Masanori , Shimano Hitoshi , Inoue Noriyuki , Tamura Mariko , Matsuzaka Takashi , Nakagawa Yoshimi , Yahagi Naoya , Toyoshima Hideo , Sato Ryuichiro , Yamada Nobuhiro
Published: July 2007

Sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐1a is a unique membrane‐bound transcription factor highly expressed in actively growing cells and involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, fatty acids, and phospholipids. Because mammalian cells need to synthesize membrane lipids for cell replication, the functional relevance of SREBP‐1a in cell proliferation has been considered a biological adaptation. However, the effect of this potent lipid‐synthesis activator on cell growth has never been explored. Here, we show that induction of nuclear SREBP‐1a, but not SREBP‐2, completely inhibited cell growth in inducible Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Growth inhibition occurred through G1 cell‐cycle arrest, which is observed in various cell types with transient expression of nuclear SREBP‐1a. SREBP‐1a caused the accumulation of cyclin‐dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors such as p27, p21, and p16, leading to reduced cdk2 and cdk4 activities and hypophosphorylation of Rb protein. In contrast to transactivation of p21, SREBP‐1a activated p27 by enhancing stabilization of the protein through inhibition of SKP2 and KPC1. In vivo, SREBP‐1a‐expressing livers of transgenic mice exhibited impaired regeneration after partial hepatectomy. SREBP‐1‐null mouse embryonic fibroblasts had a higher cell proliferation rate than wild‐type cells. The unexpected cell growth‐inhibitory role of SREBP‐1a provides a new paradigm to link lipid synthesis and cell growth.
Investment and Productivity in Canadian and U.S. Food Manufacturing
Authors: Chan‐Kang Connie , Buccola Steven , Kerkvliet Joe
Published: July 2007

A restricted cost function model of Canadian and US. food manufacturing shows that productivity growth rates in Canada have remained well below those in the United States for the past decade and a half: At mean factor prices, output, and capital quantities, processing costs would be 22% lower in the U.S. than in Canada. Technical change in both countries has been labor‐saving and material‐using, although slightly more so in the US. than in Canada. The labor‐saving bias of technical improvements puts Canada at a disadvantage to its southern neighbor, since food manufacturing wages in Canada tend to be lower and material prices higher than in the United States. Enhancing its competitiveness will require that Canada reduce raw food and packaging costs or invest more in research and development.

L'estimation d'une function constraint de coût démontre que le taux de productivité du secteur de la transformation des aliments et boissons au Canada est demeuré inférieuràcelui des Etats‐Unis depuis une quinzaine d'années. En effet, à la moyenne du prix des intrants, du stock de capital et de la quantité produite, le coût de production américain est de 22 % inférieur à celui du Canada. Dans les deux pays, le changement technologique a permis de substituer le matériel à la main‐d'oeuvre, et ceci de façon plus prononcée aux Etats‐Unis. En bout de ligne, ceci désavantage le secteur canadien des aliments et boissons puisque les salaires sont généralement inférieurs au Canada alors que le matériet est plus coûteux. Le Canada pourrait améliorer sa compétitivité face aux Etats‐Unis en réduisant le prix des denrées et des entrées intermédiaires ou en augmentant l'investissement dans la recherche et le développement.
Wheat‐Importing State Trading Enterprises: Impacts on the World Wheat Market
Authors: Abbott Philip C. , Young Linda M.
Published: July 2007

State trading emerged as one of the more contentious issues at the end of the Uruguay Round of negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and US. officials have said that state‐trading is an important issue for further negotiation in the mini‐round on agriculture scheduled to begin in 1999. The prevalence of state trading by wheat‐importing countries is examined, and reasons for reform are explored. This paper investigates two hypotheses:

*whether operation of a state trading enterprise is associated with a higher level of protection than with private traders and

*whether decisions made by state traders regarding the source of wheat is made on a noncommercial basis.

The effective level of protection, net import demand equations and a simple Armington model for U.S. and Canadian wheat exports are estimated to investigate these hypotheses. Behavior is compared across countries who differ in their institutional arrangements for importing wheat. It is also compared over time within countries who have reformed their state trading enterprise to assess whether reform leads to different market behavior.

L'intervention directe de 1'État dans les échanges commerciaux extérieurs s'est imposée comme une les questions des plus controversées au terme de l' Uruguay Round des négociations du GATT, et des hauts responsables américains ont laissé entendre qu'il faudra s'y attaquer dans la mini‐ronde de négociations sur l ‘agriculture qui doivent commencer en 1999. Nous examinons Vimportance du rôle de I'État chez les pays importateors de blé en explorant les raisons justifiant une réforme. Dewr hypothèses sont considérées:

*le fonctionnement de l'agence d'État est liéà un niveau de protection plus élevé qu'il ne l'est avec des interlocuteurs privés et

*les décisions prises par l'agence d'État au sujet de la source d'approvisionnement de blé s'ap‐puient sur des raisons non commerciales.

Pour scruter ces hypothèses, nous calculons le niveau effectif de protection, les équations de demande à l'importation nette et un modèle Armington simple des exportations de bléétats‐uniennes et canadiennes. Nous comparons le comportement de pays différant par leurs structures offcielles d'importation du blé. Nous étudions aussi son évolution dans le temps chez les pays qui ont réformé leur agence centrale de commerce extérieur, afin de voir si ces réformes ont conduit à un comportement d'affaires différent.
Import Demand for Malt in Selected Countries: A Linear Approximation of AIDS
Authors: Satyanarayana Vidyashankara , Wilson William W. , Johnson D. Demcey
Published: July 2007

Canada has emerged to be one of the major world exporters of malt. However, the European Union (EU) dominates the world malt trade due in part to quality advantages andor export restitutions. A Linear Approximation of the Almost Ideal Demand System (MAIDS) was estimated for four major malt importing countries: Japan, Brazil, Philippines and Venezueta. Elasticities of substitution for malt among different sources were computed. Results show that malt imported from the EU is least substi‐tutable with malt from other sources, and demand for EU malt is less responsive to changes in price. Expenditure elasticities suggest a preference for malt imports from the EU compared to malt from other sources. For these reasons, the study concludes that price‐based export expansion measures for non‐EU malt may not be very effective.

Le Canada est sorti comme un exportateur majeur du malt au monde. Mais, la communauté Européen (EU) domine le commerce mondiale due aux avantages des qualités et des restrictions d'exporte. Une approximation linéaire de systéme de demande presque idéale «LA/AIDS» a été estimée pour quatre pays importateurs du malt: le Japon, le Brésil, la Philippines et la Venezuela. Les élasticités du malt de différent sources ont étaient calculé. Les résultats démontrent que le malt importé d'EU est le moins remplaçable avec le malt d'autre sources, et la demande du malt venant d'EU est le moins élastique par rapport au changement du prix. L'élasticité du dépense suggère une préférence pour le malt importé d'EU par rapport à d'autres sources. Pour ces raisons, l'étude a conch qu'une expansion et l'expor‐tation du malt en utilisant le prix ne sera pas effectif en dehors du malt d'EU.
On Exporting by Import State Traders and Peculiar Effects of Negotiated Minimum Access Commitments
Authors: Larue Bruno , Fulton Murray , Veeman Michele
Published: July 2007

It has been alleged that exportation by import state trading enterprises (ISTEs) must involve unfair trade practices. We show that such exporting may result from a rational use of market power by a sufficiently protected price discriminating ISTE. We argue that the flawed design and implementation of the tarffication process initiated in the last GATT agreement is providing ISTEs with incentives to export. The tariffication of import quotas and other related import restrictions was dirty in the sense that it permitted the setting of prohibitively high tariffs on many commodities. More importantly, it failed to eliminate quantitative trade barriers as the previous import quotas were replaced by minimum access commitments (MACs). In this paper, we use a simple partial equilibrium framework to explore the trade and welfare consequences of trade liberalization through tariff reductions and MAC enlargements under the small country assumption when domestic production and imports are controlled by an ISTE. We show that tariff reductions and MAC enlargements have very different effects on the behavior of the ISTE. MAC enlargements induce inefficient trade by encouraging the profit maximizing ISTE to increase its exports. In terms of welfare, MAC enlargements are immiser‐izing. We conclude that tariff reductions are to be preferred to MAC increases as a means to liberalize trade.
Computer Technology Adoption by Agricultural Producers in Southern Alberta
Authors: Walburger Allan , Davidson Jeff
Published: July 2007

A survey of farmers in Southern Alberta was developed to determine the importance of computer decision‐making tools in the region. The survey provided approximately 300 useable responses. The results indicated that 78% of Southern Alberta farmers owned computers and 50% owned Pentium or Pentium II computers. The largest farm related uses for these computers were: 1) maintaining general farm account records, 2) tax preparation, 3) word processing, and 4) maintaining inventory records. Sixtyfour percent of respondents use computers for record‐keeping and 58% use them for accounting. About 40% of respondents use the Internet to obtain price and weather information. Only 15% have ever used decision‐making models.
An Economic Investigation of the Import Licensing Methods and TRQs in Agriculture
Authors: Gervais Jean‐Philippe , Surprenant David
Published: July 2007

Tariff‐Rate Quotas (TRQs) were introduced at the outset of the Uruguay Round to support market access following the tariffication of non‐tariff barriers to trade in agriculture. TRQs created an administrative mess in which governments often discretionarily allocate import licenses to private and/or public firms. Numerous papers describe the arbitrarily chosen procedures used to allocate licenses in different countries and the resulting distorted trade patterns. However, few research efforts have formally studied the impacts of different administrative methods on welfare. Due to significant spreads between domestic and world prices, the administration of import licenses can have important strategic effects under imperfect competition. We propose a simple theoretical framework to highlight the various economic implications of two methods used by WTO members: the historical allocation and the first‐come‐first‐serve procedures. These two methods differ in their discretionary degree and, under imperfect competition, lead to different welfare implications depending on the structural parameters of an industry. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate our findings
The Chinese Enigma: Impacts of WTO Accession Upon Canadian and U.S. Exports and Imports
Authors: Dong Xiao‐Yuan , Veeman Michele M. , Veeman Terrence S.
Published: July 2007

China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) is an important milestone in the integration of this nation into the world economy. Substantial reduction in trade barriers by China, one of the world's largest and most rapidly growing economies, is expected to have a significant impact, both on China itself and on the global economy. In assessing likely impacts on trade between China and North America of China joining the WTO, a priori one might expect new opportunities for China in labor intensive activities/products, while for the United States and for Canada one might expect added export market opportunities, as China grows, in activities/products that require land, resources and capital. However, the extent to which China and its trading partners will benefit from China's increasing integration into the global economy will largely depend on the internal changes in policy and infrastructure that may be adopted by China. China has embarked on a process of economic reform, but the speed and extent to which this continues to be pursued will affect this nation's ability to capitalize on its comparative advantages and to meet new challenges that are associated with the opportunities of access to a larger market. The difficulty of forecasting such internal changes means that China continues to be a major source of uncertainty in projecting world markets and trade flows. This uncertainty is particularly evident for trade in agricultural products
The U.S. Federal Crop Insurance Program
Authors: Barnett Barry J.
Published: July 2007

The US. Federal Crop Insurance Program has evolved from a government‐run yield insurance program for wheat farmers to a public‐private partnership that provides a variety of yield and revenue insurance products to producers of over 100 different crops. US. policy‐makers continue to struggle with defining an appropriate role for the federal government in helping crop farmers manage revenue risk. New approaches using area‐yield or weather‐based options may hold promise for the future
Option Contracts as a Solution to the Holdup Problem in Agri‐food Markets
Authors: Vercammen James
Published: July 2007

It is well known that incomplete contracts, together with asset specific investment, can result in investment holdup because of opportunistic behavior by either the commodity producer or the processor. In recent years, several papers have shown how contracts which explicitly account for ex post renegotiation can reduce or eliminate the holdup problem. In one particularly promising type of analysis, a simple option contract is awarded to the upstream producer. In this paper, it is shown that if the source of risk is with respect to the value of the processed commodity, then a producer option contract does not work but a processor option contract does work to eliminate the holdup problem. A simple example is used to illustrate the main findings.
Contracting in the U.S. Pork and Beef Industries: Extent, Motives, and Issues
Authors: Ward Clement , Hayenga Marvin , Schroeder Ted , Lawrence John , Purcell Wayne
Published: July 2007

Contracting has increased significantly in the US livestock‐meat sector. Over half of finished hogs and about a third of fed cattle are marketed under some form of contract. Contracting motives vary by type of contract, whether buyer or seller, and by commodity. Several motives for buyers and sellers of finished hogs and fed cattle are identified and discussed. Issues related to contracting per se and the trend toward increased contracting have been raised by contracting opponents, politicians, and economists. Several of these issues are discussed under six headings. Lastly, agricultural economists are encouraged to become actively involved in addressing these issues, especially providing pragmatic education and assistance to those involved in contracting.
Data Aggregation Issues for Crop Yield Risk Analysis
Authors: Rudstrom Margot , Popp Michael , Manning Patrick , Gbur Edward
Published: July 2007

With increased emphasis on risk management in agriculture and a lack of disaggregated or farm‐level yield time series, decision makers are often faced with having to make adjustments to temporal yield risk measures obtained from readily available but aggregated yield data. This paper provides some empirical evidence on what type of aggregation bias to expect when measuring temporal yield risk using yield observations averaged across a region relative to yield risk estimated from quarter‐section yield time series in wheat. This study highlights some of the challenges faced when estimating aggregation distortions in measuring yield risk defined by temporal variance, especially given the nature of the empirical data set used. Cluster analysis, visual examination of relative frequency distributions and mapping of yield risk clusters suggest that using a readily available, aggregate temporal yield risk measure has the tendency to underestimate yield risk observed at the quarter‐section level and that clear, geographic yield risk boundaries do not exist in municipalities or across larger areas in this study. Further research on crops more risky than wheat appears promising.

Avec un plus grand intéret sur la gestion du risk dans l'agriculture et un manque de données détaillees ou bien de collections de séries temporelles sur les rendements, les décideurs sont souvent tenus d'apporter des correctifs aux measures du risk obtenues a partir des données de rendements qui sont disponibles. Cet artcle apporte une preuve empirique du type de biais lie a l'agrégation qui peut être présent dans le calcul du risk de rendement temporel obtenu a partir de rendements moyens de blé observés au niveau régional en comparaison du risk de rendement qui est estimé a partir de données basées sur des quart‐de‐sections.

Cette étude met en exergue quelques uns des obstacles qui se présentent dans l'estimation de distosions liées a l'aggrégation dans le calcul du risk de rendement défini par la variance temporelle, speciallement étant donne la charactère empirique des données utilisées. L'analyse de groupe, l'examen visual de la distribution des fréquences relatives, et la cartographie de classes de risk de rendement suggèrent que l'utilisation de la measure du risk de rendement basée sur des données disponibles de risk aggrège temporel a tendence a sousestimer le risk de rendement observe au niveau des quart‐de‐sections et qu'il n'y a pas de frontières de risk de rendement certaines, géographiques qui existent entre les municipalités ou bien a travers les zones plus larges examinées dans cette etude.
Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Substance on Estrogen Receptor Gene Transcription in Dialysis Patients
Authors: Kanno Yoshihiko , Okada Hirokazu , Kobayashi Tatsuya , Takenaka Tsuneo , Suzuki Hiromichi
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate diesters, two well‐described endocrine‐disrupting substances (EDSs), were shown to elute out of the dialysis tubing used by patients who underwent hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Since these patients require dialysis for survival, they may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of these compounds. In this study, serum BPA levels were quantified in HD (n = 45) and PD (n = 43) patients, and healthy controls (n = 12) using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Our results showed that serum BPA levels were significantly elevated in both HD (5.3 ± 0.3 ng/mL) and PD (3.8 ± 0.2 ng/mL) patients compared to controls (2.6 ± 0.1 ng/mL; P < 0.05); levels in the HD patients were significantly greater than in the PD patients (P < 0.05). To investigate the potential effects of these higher serum BPA levels, the patients' serum samples were examined for their effects on estrogen receptor gene transcription levels using a luciferase assay system. MCF‐7 cells that were transfected with estrogen response element (ERE) cDNA were cultured with our patients' sera or a solution of BPA. Our results showed that our patients' sera induced higher levels of ERE transcription than did the same dose of BPA; this higher expression may have been due to the presence of other EDSs in the dialysis patients, such as phthalate diesters (DEHP), though this remains to be determined.
Platelet P‐selectin Expression in Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Who Undergo Apheresis
Authors: Boga Can , Ozdogu Hakan , Kozanoglu Ilknur , Sozer Oktay , Sezgin Nurzen , Kizilkilic Ebru , Bakar Coskun
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Activated platelets have been identified in patients with sickle cell disease. However, the association of platelet P‐selectin expression and automated red cell exchange procedures in these patients is not well known. We hypothesized that altered whole platelet P‐selectin expression is associated with automated red cell exchange. Flow cytometric quantification of platelet P‐selectin expression was carried out in 23 patients with sickle cell disease before and after automated red cell exchange. P‐selectin expression was quantified as a binding index for platelet P‐selectin (the percentage of positive platelets multiplied by the mean fluorescence of positive platelets). The patients were divided into two groups: individuals with painful vaso‐occlusive crises (four women and five men; group 1) and those in a steady state (six women and eight men; group 2). The 33 exchange procedures were evaluated prospectively and used acid‐citrate‐dextrose A solution (whole blood to anticoagulant ratio = 14:1). Platelet P‐selectin expression did not significantly change after automated red cell exchange. Clinical factors such as the volume of replacement fluid and the citrate infusion rate did not correlate with postapheresis platelet P‐selectin expression. In addition, the association of platelet P‐selectin expression and automated red cell exchange was independent of other laboratory factors (hematocrit level, hemoglobin S level, platelet count, and nitric oxide level). Finally, the difference between the study groups regarding platelet P‐selectin expression before and after apheresis was insignificant. In conclusion, automated red cell exchange procedures do not induce platelet P‐selectin expression in patients with sickle cell disease in the steady state or in vaso‐occlusive crisis.
Treatment of Hyperlipidemia With a Modified Low Density Lipoprotein Apheresis System With Dextran Sulfate
Authors: Zhao Yi‐Hua , Zou Yuan‐Guo , Sun Qi‐Jun , Xi Dai , Xing Chang‐Ying
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Many low density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis systems have been applied to patients with hyperlipidemia, but these systems usually work on the basis of complicated equipment and the cost of treatment is expensive. In order to achieve effective treatment of hyperlipidemia at a lower cost, we developed a new LDL apheresis system with dextran sulfate (LAS‐DS). In this study, 50 patients with hyperlipidemia were treated 120 times with the new LAS‐DS. In each treatment, 600 ± 100 mL of plasma (equal to approximately 25% of the total plasma of patients) was collected by apheresis, and DS solution and calcium chloride solution were added into the collected plasma as LDL absorber and catalyzer, respectively. DS selectively binds LDL cholesterol (LDL‐C) under the catalysis of calcium ion and the LDL‐C‐DS complex is removed by centrifugation. The treated plasma was transfused back into the patients and the excessive calcium in the plasma was removed by the cation exchange column integrated in the transfusion set. After treatment with our new system, the acute mean LDL‐C reduction was 97% in the apheresis plasma of hyperlipidemia patients. The corresponding reduction was 55.2% and 69.4% for total cholesterol and total triglyceride. There were insignificant reductions of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) and albumin. The new LDL apheresis system with DS that we developed is very simple to operate without relying on complicated equipment, and it can achieve significant clinical results at a much lower cost compared with existing systems. Based on this study we think the new system can provide a safe, effective and much cheaper means for the treatment of hyperlipidemia patients.
Clinical Features and Hyperplastic Patterns of Parathyroid Glands in Hemodialysis Patients With Advanced Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Refractory to Maxacalcitol Treatment and Required Parathyroidectomy
Authors: Tominaga Yoshihiro , Matsuoka Susumu , Sato Tetsuhiko , Uno Nobuyuki , Goto Norihiko , Katayama Akio , Haba Toshihito ,   Kazuharu Uchida (Yagoto PTx Forum)
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  We have previously suggested that when parathyroid glands progress to nodular hyperplasia, secondary hyperparathyroidism (2HPT) may be refractory to medical treatments, including treatment with Maxacalcitol (OCT). In the present study we evaluated the clinical features and hyperplastic patterns of parathyroid glands in patients who underwent parathyroidectomy (PTx) after being withdrawn from OCT. One hundred and eighty‐seven advanced 2HPT patients who had been withdrawn from OCT and required PTx were enrolled. At the start of OCT treatment, the patients had a mean age of 55.3 years and had been receiving hemodialysis (HD) for a mean period of 149 months. At the start of OCT treatment and at PTx, the mean intact PTH (i‐PTH) levels were 772.8 ± 446.0 and 855.5 ± 420.5 pg/mL, respectively. The main reasons for withdrawal of OCT treatment were persistently high PTH (n = 148), hypercalcemia (n = 79), hyperphosphatemia (n = 65), and progressive symptoms (n = 60). We classified the parathyroid glands by hyperplastic pattern into four categories: diffuse hyperplastic gland (D), early nodularity in diffuse hyperplastic gland (EN), nodular hyperplastic gland (N), and single nodular gland (SN). The mean total excised gland weight was 2592.6 mg. Out of a total of 706 glands, 118 were classified as D, 66 as EN, 436 as N, and 86 as SN. All patients had at least one nodular hyperplastic gland or single nodular gland. The mean number of nodular hyperplastic glands and/or single nodular glands was 2.9. All hemodialysis patients with advanced OCT‐refractory 2HPT who underwent PTx had at least one nodular hyperplastic gland or single nodular gland.
Characteristics of Patients on Hemodialysis Therapy for More Than 30 Years
Authors: Otsubo Shigeru , Otsubo Kimiko , Sugimoto Hisayuki , Ueda Syuitsu , Otsubo Yuriko , Otsubo Osamu , Yajima Aiji , Yagi Shigeru , Kataoka Hiroshi , Iwasaki Tomihito , Iwasa Yuko , Takahashi Masaki , Aoki Asuka , Ino Jun , Uchida Keiko , Yumura Wako , Akiba Takashi , Nitta Kosaku
Published: July 2007

Abstract:  Since its experimental introduction in 1960, hemodialysis has become a widely performed and relatively safe procedure. Therapeutic strategies have been developed, and the numbers of long‐term survivors of hemodialysis therapy have been increasing. Hemodialysis therapy was introduced at Sangenjaya Hospital in October 1970, and the 16 patients who have survived for more than 30 years on hemodialysis therapy since its introduction at the hospital were enrolled in this study to investigate the characteristics of long‐term hemodialysis patients. For comparison, 50 patients on hemodialysis for less than 30 years were also studied (21 patients with <10 years hemodialysis, 13 with 10–20 years hemodialysis and 16 with 20–30 years hemodialysis). Background information (age, gender, and cause of renal disease), dialysis dose (single pool [sp.] Kt/V), mineral metabolism (serum phosphate), anemia management (serum hemoglobin), and nutrition (serum albumin and reduced interdialytic weight gain) were assessed. Hemodialysis was instituted at 28.7 ± 6.4 years of age. The primary cause of end‐stage renal disease was chronic glomerulonephritis in all of the patients except one, and in that patient it was polycystic kidney disease. As an index of the dialysis dose, sp. Kt/V was 1.2 ± 0.11. As an index of mineral metabolism, serum phosphate was 5.4 ± 0.9 mg/dL. As an index of anemia management, serum hemoglobin was 10.2 ± 1.2 g/dL. As indexes of nutrition, serum albumin was 4.0 ± 0.2 g/dL and interdialytic weight gain was 4.43 ± 1.36%. The sp. Kt/V‐value, serum phosphate, serum hemoglobin and interdialytic weight gain did not differ between the four different hemodialysis duration groups. Serum albumin was lower in the >30 group (4.0 ± 0.2 g/dL) than in the <10 group (4.2 ± 0.3 g/dL) (P = 0.046). As the duration of hemodialysis has increased, the age at hemodialysis induction has become younger. The cause of the renal failure was chronic glomerulonephritis in most of the cases. None had diabetic nephropathy. Improvement of the prognosis of patients with diabetic nephropathy is required. Most of the indexes of these patients nearly satisfied the recommended values.
Characterization of Fish‐Skin Gelatin Gels and Films Containing the Antimicrobial Enzyme Lysozyme
Authors: Bower C.K. , Avena‐Bustillos R.J. , Olsen C.W. , McHugh T.H. , Bechtel P.J.
Published: July 2007

ABSTRACT:  Fish skins are rich in collagen and can be used to produce food‐grade gelatin. Films cast from fish‐skin gelatins are stable at room temperature and can act as a barrier when applied to foods. Lysozyme is a food‐safe, antimicrobial enzyme that can also produce gels and films. When cold‐water, fish‐skin gelatin is enhanced with lysozyme, the resulting film has antimicrobial properties. The objective of this study was to characterize the effect on strength and barrier properties of lysozyme‐enhanced fish‐skin gelatin gels and films, and evaluate their activity against potential spoilage bacteria. Solutions containing 6.67% fish‐skin gelatin were formulated to contain varying levels of hen‐egg‐white lysozyme. Gels were evaluated for strength, clarity, and viscoelastic properties. Films were evaluated for water activity, water vapor permeability, and antimicrobial barrier capabilities. Fish‐skin gels containing 0.1% and 0.01% lysozyme had pH (4.8) and gelling‐temperatures (2.1 °C) similar to lysozyme‐free fish‐skin gelatin controls. However, gel strength decreased (up to 20%). Turbidities of gels, with or without lysozyme, were comparable at all concentrations. Films cast with gelatin containing lysozyme demonstrated similar water vapor permeabilities and water activities. Lysozyme was still detectable in most fish gelatin films. More antimicrobial activity was retained in films cast with higher lysozyme concentrations and in films where lysozyme was added after the gelatin had been initially heated. These results suggest that fish‐skin gelatin gels and films, when formulated with lysozyme, may provide a unique, functional barrier to increase the shelf life of food products.