bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Public Opinion and Policy Making in Canada 1994–2001
Authors: Petry François , Mendelsohn Matthew
Published: April 2005

Abstract.This study examines the consistency between public opinion and public policy during the period 1994–2001 by matching responses to national survey questions on 230 issues with enacted policy proposals on the same issues. Policy outcomes were consistent with majority opinion 49 per cent of the time. This represents a significant drop from 69 per cent during the Mulroney years (1985–1993). Low opinion-policy consistency since 1994 is primarily attributable to divergences between public majorities that are increasingly supportive of a change toward the right and the policies of Jean Chrétien that are more leftist and status quo oriented than those of his predecessor. We argue that these divergences go largely unnoticed by the public because they tend to occur on low-profile issues. On the other hand, the evidence suggests a much tighter correlation between opinion and policy on a small number of high-profile issues of which the public is much more aware, thereby creating the appearance of attentiveness to Canadian public opinion.

Résumé.En comparant les décisions sur 230 enjeux de politiques publiques avec les résultats de sondages nationaux sur ces mêmes enjeux, cet article cherche à quantifier le degré d'adéquation entre l'opinion publique et la politique gouvernementale entre 1994 et 2001. Les calculs révèlent que seulement 49 pour cent des décisions du gouvernement de Jean Chrétien sont allées dans le même sens que l'opinion publique, en nette diminution par rapport aux 69 pour cent observés pendant la période Mulroney (1985–1993). La baisse de corrélation depuis 1994 est principalement attribuable à la divergence entre une opinion publique de plus en plus favorable au changement et idéologiquement orientée à droite et la politique du gouvernement de Jean Chrétien sensiblement plus résistante au changement et idéologiquement plus à gauche que celle de son prédécesseur. Le public a tendance à ignorer le manque de corrélation entre l'opinion et les politiques gouvernementales parce que les enjeux en question sont relativement peu importants. Par contre, il semble que la corrélation entre l'opinion et les politiques soit beaucoup plus forte dans un petit nombre d'enjeux importants que le public reconnaît, créant ainsi l'apparence d'un gouvernement attentif aux souhaits de l'opinion publique canadienne.
The Political Consequences of the Alternative Vote: Lessons from Western Canada
Authors: Jansen Harold J.
Published: April 2005

Abstract.The alternative vote (AV) is an increasingly popular proposal for electoral reform, largely due to Australia's success with it. This article considers the experiences of Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia with AV in past provincial elections. AV had little impact on proportionality and voter turnout, but did contribute to significantly higher rates of ballot rejection. AV was associated with an increase in the number of parties competing in elections, but this is more likely due to a changing social structure than electoral system change. AV facilitated coalitions where incentives to cooperate already existed, as in British Columbia, but it did little to encourage or induce coalitions in Alberta and Manitoba. On balance, it differed little from the single member plurality system.

Résumé.Le vote préférentiel (PV) est une proposition de plus en plus populaire de réforme électorale. Son attrait s'explique en grande partie par son succès en Australie. Cet article étudie les expériences de VP lors d'élections provinciales au Manitoba, en Alberta et en Colombie-Britannique. Le VP a eu peu de répercussions sur la proportionnalité et sur la participation électorale, mais a contribué à augmenter considérablement le nombre de bulletins de vote rejetés. On observe, en association avec le VP, une augmentation du nombre des partis en présence, mais ceci était vraisemblablement dû à l'évolution des structures sociales plus qu'au changement du système électoral. Le VP a facilité les coalitions lorsque des raisons de coopérer existaient déjà, comme en Colombie-Britannique, mais n'a guère encouragé ni provoqué de coalitions en Alberta ni au Manitoba. En définitive, la différence avec le système majoritaire uninominal a été négligeable.
Implementing First Nations Self-Government in Yukon: Lessons for Canada
Authors: Dacks Gurston
Published: April 2005

Abstract: The experience of implementing self-government in the Yukon offers important insights into the future of self-government nationally. Yukon First Nations have created institutions that reflect their traditional values, that achieve creditable levels of accountability and that have limited their responsibilities to what their staff resources can handle. Yukon First Nations have assumed relatively few jurisdictional responsibilities because they reject the financial terms presented by the federal and territorial governments. This pattern is likely to weaken inherence-based governments as they appear elsewhere in Canada. This prospect raises the question of how First Nations should divide their energy and resources between pursuing inherence and strengthening the capacity of their existing institutions.

Résumé.La mise en oeuvre d'un gouvernement autonome au Yukon offre d'importants aperçus sur l'avenir de l'autonomie sur le plan national. Les autochtones du Yukon ont créé des institutions qui reflètent leurs valeurs traditionnelles, atteignent des niveaux estimables de responsabilité et ont limité leurs engagements en fonction de leurs ressources en personnel. Les autochtones du Yukon ont assumé relativement peu de responsabilités juridictionnelles parce qu'ils rejettent les conditions financières présentées par le gouvernement fédéral et le gouvernement territorial. Ce dilemme va vraisemblablement affaiblir les gouvernements inhérents qui verront le jour ailleurs au Canada. La question se pose dès lors de savoir comment les autochtones devraient diviser leur énergie et leurs ressources entre la poursuite de l'inhérence et le renforcement de la capacité de leurs institutions existantes.
Regional Political Cultures in Canada
Authors: Henderson Ailsa
Published: April 2005

Abstract.This paper examines the existence of sub-State political cultures in Canada. In so doing it revisits research conducted by Richard Simeon and David Elkins into the existence of provincial political cultures in Canada. It reviews the evidence for provincial political cultures and examines recent data from the Canadian Election Study in an effort to determine whether attitudes towards government have changed. Second, it revisits the process by which sub-cultures are identified. Using data from the federal election profiles and the CES the paper identifies nine distinct regional variant cultures within Canada. These regional cultures possess different political attitudes and behaviours that cannot be explained by the existence of provincial boundaries.

Résumé.Cet article examine l'existence de cultures politiques sous-étatiques au Canada. Il reprend, ce faisant, les recherches de Richard Simeon et David Elkins qui démontrent la réalité des cultures politiques provinciales au Canada. L'article reconsidère l'authenticité de l'existence des cultures provinciales et étudie les données récentes de l'Étude électorale canadienne pour tenter de déterminer si les attitudes politiques ont changé. Ensuite, il réexamine le processus d'identification des sous cultures . En utilisant les profils des circonscriptions fédérales et l'ÉÉC, l'article identifie neuf variantes régionales distinctes au Canada. Ces cultures régionales manifestent des attitudes et comportement distincts qui ne peuvent pas s'expliquer par l'existence des frontières provinciales.
Opinion Representation and Policy Feedback: Canada in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Soroka Stuart N. , Wlezien Christopher
Published: April 2005

Abstract.Work exploring the relationship between public opinion and public policy over time has largely been restricted to the US. However, a wider application of this line of research can provide valuable insights into whether and how representation varies across political systems. This paper takes a step in this direction using a new body of data on public opinion and government spending in Canada. Analyses reveal that the Canadian public notices and responds (thermostatically) to changes in public spending in particular domains, and also that Canadian policymakers represent these public preferences in spending. The extent and nature of public responsiveness and policy representation varies across domains. Relationships are more pronounced in certain domains, and they are more ‘specific’ in some domains and more ‘global’ in others. The findings generally accord with the results of similar work in the US and the UK, although the details differ in important ways. Indeed, the differences are strongly suggestive about the structuring role of institutions.

Résumé.Les travaux portant sur la relation entre l'opinion publique et les politiques publiques se sont longtemps limités surtout aux États-Unis. Cependant, l'élargissement de cette piste de recherche peut fournir de précieuses connaissances sur les variations de la représentation au sein des systèmes politiques. Cette étude s'oriente dans cette direction en utilisant un nouveau corpus de données sur l'opinion publique et les dépenses du gouvernement au Canada. Les analyses révèlent que, dans certains domaines, la population canadienne observe les changements liés aux dépenses publiques et y réagit (de façon thermostatique) et que les décisionnaires canadiens traduisent les préférences de la population dans les dépenses. La portée et la nature de la réceptivité de la population ainsi que la représentation des politiques varient d'un domaine à l'autre. Les connexions sont plus étroites dans certains domaines, plus “ spécifiques ” dans d'autres et enfin, plus “ globales ” dans d'autres encore. En général, les résultats sont en accord avec ceux des travaux similaires menés aux États-Unis et au Royaume-Uni, malgré des différences importantes sur certains points de détail. En fait, les différences sont très évocatrices du rôle structurant des institutions.
La Politique culturelle du Québec de 1992 et
l'Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) : Une étude de cas dans le domaine de la culture
Authors: Saint-Pierre Diane
Published: April 2005

Résumé. Cet article porte sur la Politique
culturelle du Québec, adoptée en 1992. Outre le fait d'avoir défini une nouvelle mission pour le ministère
des Affaires culturelles et modifié ses responsabilités, cette politique constitue un changement majeur dans les orientations
gouvernementales, notamment par la création du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec et par la mise en place de nouveaux
partenariats avec des ministères et sociétés d'État ainsi qu'avec le monde municipal. Un des objectifs de cette étude est de démontrer l'originalité de
l'Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) pour l'analyse des politiques culturelles. Développé par Paul A. Sabatier et
Hank Jenkins-Smith, l'ACF se concentre particulièrement sur le processus résultant du changement dans les croyances et les actions
des acteurs impliqués.

Abstract. This article
concerns the Politique culturelle du Québec which was
adopted in 1992. Besides having outlined a new mission for the Ministry of
Cultural Affairs of Quebec, this policy constitutes a major change in
governmental orientation, notably through the creation of the Conseil
des arts et des lettres du Québec (Provincial Arts Council)
and through the establishment of new partnerships with other ministries,
public corporations and municipal authorities. One of the objectives of
this study is to demonstrate the originality of the Advocacy Coalition
Framework (ACF) in the analysis of cultural policies. Developed by Paul A.
Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith, the ACF focuses primarily on the process
resulting from changes in the beliefs and actions of the actors
involved.
Western Visions, Western Futures: Perspectives on the West in
Canada, 2nd ed.
Authors: Smith David
Published: April 2005

Western Visions, Western Futures: Perspectives on the West in Canada,
2nd ed., Roger Gibbins and Loleen Berdahl, Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2003, pp. viii, 226

Which is real—the past, or interpretations of the past? When it
comes to discussing western Canada's place in the national scheme of things, history hangs heavy; which may be why even works of political
science intone Creighton and Careless, Lower and W.L. Morton. The authors
of the book under review, Roger Gibbins, CEO and president of the Canada
West Foundation and Loleen Berdahl, its Director of Research, cite at one
point Quebec's motto je me souviens, but their own study,
despite its title, looks back as much as it does ahead.
La voie canadienne : repenser le multiculturalisme
Authors: Gagnon Bernard
Published: April 2005

La voie canadienne : repenser le multiculturalisme, Will Kymlicka (traduit de l'anglais par Antoine Robitaille), Montréal,
Boréal, 2003.

Une des qualités des travaux de Will Kymlicka c'est qu'ils conjuguent la réflexion philosophique avec les considérations empiriques dans l'analyse des enjeux politiques touchant de près la situation actuelle et le devenir des
démocraties libérales contemporaines. Dans la voie canadienne : repenser le multiculturalisme, le théoricien reprend l'essentiel de sa démarche mais adopte un style quelque peu différent. Plus près de l'essai politique
que de l'œuvre scientifique, W. Kymlicka signe un plaidoyer sans équivoque en faveur du modèle canadien de multiculturalisme et d'une conception asymétrique du fédéralisme. Désirant lutter contre le sentiment
d'impuissance vis-à-vis des politiques de la diversité culturelle – sentiment ambiant, selon lui, dans l'opinion publique canadienne – le philosophe libéral s'adresse directement aux “ Canadiens ” pour leur démontrer que
les politiques publiques canadiennes de la diversité culturelle sont légitimes et efficaces et, à ce titre, qu'elles devraient encore “ nous ” inspirer confiance.
Citizenship in Transformation in Canada
Authors: White Melanie
Published: April 2005

Citizenship in Transformation in Canada, Yvonne Hébert, ed., Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002, pp. 289

One of many surprises found in reading of Citizenship in
Transformation in Canada is that the title bears little relation to the substantive content of the book. Although preoccupied with citizenship in a broad sense, on closer inspection it is principally devoted to the exigencies of citizenship education in Canada. From the volume's title, I anticipated that this collection would address a broad range of conceptual and substantive themes in the emerging field of citizenship studies rather than focus almost exclusively on the specific problematic of civic education in Canada. In this vein, while many of the papers in the collection offer a reliable introduction to the changing nature of citizenship education, the editor's opening remarks are remarkably cautious in light of what the title suggests.
Gendered States: Women, Unemployment Insurance, and the Political
Economy of the Welfare State in Canada, 1945–1997
Authors: Johnson Candace
Published: April 2005

Gendered States: Women, Unemployment Insurance, and the Political
Economy of the Welfare State in Canada, 1945–1997, Ann Porter, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003, pp. 355

It is amazing that Canadian society has been consistently bewildered as to the social, political and economic placement of women. In her new book, Ann Porter explains that the labour requirement that enabled women's participation in the workforce during the Second World War created a post-war environment that was inequitable, illogical, gendered,
and “regulating.” Thus, progressive measures were to produce regressive results, as they were taken for the sake of nationalism and not gender equality. Porter documents the change in Unemployment Insurance
(UI) policy from limited coverage for certain groups of male workers that could not engage in productive labour to “site of contestation over women's entitlement to state benefits” (66).
Shaping Nations: Constitutionalism and Society in Australia and
Canada
Authors: Bodnar Cameron D.
Published: April 2005

Shaping Nations: Constitutionalism and Society in Australia and
Canada, Linda Cardinal and David Headon, eds., The Centre on Governance Series

Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2002, pp. xvi, 330
The Nation-State in Question
Authors: Keating Michael
Published: April 2005

The Nation-State in Question, T.V. Paul, G. John Ilkenberry and John
A. Hall, eds., Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003, pp. x, 384

The matter of globalization and state retreat has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. A phase of globalist europhoria or
alarm, depending on the writer's political tendency, was followed by a series of works debunking the idea as ‘globalony’ and assuring us that the nation-state was alive and well. This book belongs to
a third wave of writing that seriously tries to understand and measure the changes that states are experiencing, without committing itself in advance to sensationalist conclusions. The chapters come in four sections, on national identities, state security, state autonomy and state capacity.
They are generally empirically grounded, historically informed and balanced in their conclusions. Some are broad comparative reviews and others are case studies, but all of them deploy theoretical arguments capable of wider application and testing.
La citoyenneté politique des femmes
Authors: Maillé Chantal
Published: April 2005

La citoyenneté politique des femmes, Bérengère
Marques-Pereira, Paris : Armand Colin, 2003, 215 pages.

La littérature sur la citoyenneté politique des femmes s'enrichit d'une synthèse originale avec la publication
de cet ouvrage. S'inspirant du droit, de la philosophie et des sciences politiques, l'étude se veut également
comparative, et présente un regard croisé sur les parcours
vers la citoyenneté des femmes en France, en Belgique et en
Argentine. L'objectif que se donne l'auteure avec cet ouvrage
est d'offrir, autour de la problématique de la
citoyenneté, un outil de travail qui brosse un panorama sur
l'émergence et sur la situation présente de la
citoyenneté politique des femmes. (6) Mais c'est avant tout
à une réflexion théorique que nous convie
l'auteure, qui relate, dans la première partie du livre, les
fondements théoriques et les parcours historiques de la
citoyenneté politique des femmes. Un chapitre retrace les
principales étapes de l'exclusion politique des femmes, avec
certains événements charnières, comme la
révolution française, qui consacre l'exclusion
politique des femmes: la constitution de 1791 range les femmes dans la
catégorie des citoyens passifs, qui ne votent pas, mais qui ne sont
pas pour autant sans représentation dans la nation, puisque la
figure du pater familias les représente. (34)
L'auteure rappelle cependant les voix discordantes qui se sont
élevé: celles de Condorcet et d'Olympe de Gouges, qui
viennent baliser le terrain des luttes en faveur du suffrage des femmes
qui marqueront les deux siècles qui suivront. (41) Le chapitre qui
suit aborde les trajectoires dans les pays d'Europe occidentale et
des Amériques qui aboutissent à l'inclusion politique
des femmes. L'auteure s'attarde à montrer les
ressemblances et dissemblances de ces parcours, reprenant certaines
hypothèses quant aux liens entre culture, religion et
affranchissement politique des femmes. Ainsi, les trajectoires nordiques
et anglo-saxonnes se caractérisent par une citoyenneté
féminine précoce autour de la Première Guerre
mondiale ou dans l'entre-deux-guerres, tandis que les trajectoires
latines, sous l'influence du Code napoléon, mettent en
évidence une citoyenneté tardive autour de la Seconde Guerre
mondiale. La première partie de l'ouvrage se termine par un
retour sur les vieux clichés que la science politique a nourris
autour des comportements politiques des femmes et de leur
présumé conservatisme. Marques-Pereira oppose à cette
conception des études récentes qui confirment la tendance
d'un vote des femmes plus à gauche, venant démentir les
anciens schémas, et qui se confirme dans des pays tels la
Grande-Bretagne, l'Allemagne, les Pays-Bas ou la
Nouvelle-Zélande.
The Philosophy and Politics of Bruno Bauer
Authors: Leopold David
Published: April 2005

The Philosophy and Politics of Bruno Bauer, Douglas Moggach, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. x, 290

Bruno Bauer (1809-1882) is neither a well-known nor an easily
accessible figure. Despite making a significant contribution both to the evolution of Hegelianism and to nineteenth-century German controversies about the historical Jesus, his work is now little read and only infrequently discussed. His name appears often enough, not least in
sketches of Karl Marx's intellectual evolution (on which Bauer had a disputed impact), but serious studies of his work are few and far between (in any language).
Métamorphoses de la culture libérale: Éthique,
médias, entreprise
Authors: Brin Colette
Published: April 2005

Métamorphoses de la culture libérale: Éthique,
médias, entreprise, Gilles Lipovetsky, Montréal: Liber, 2002, 113 p.

Cet ouvrage regroupe quatre conférences prononcées par l'auteur en sol canadien à l'automne 2001. Malgré les thématiques différentes qu'évoque le sous-titre, un regard à la fois critique et porteur d'espoir sur des aspects polémiques de la société
contemporaine sert de fil conducteur au livre. L'individualisme postmoderne, l'insécurité et l'identité consumériste occupent une place importante dans la réflexion.
La Politique du peuple. Racines, permanences et ambiguïtés du populisme
Authors: Breaugh Martin
Published: April 2005

La Politique du peuple. Racines, permanences et ambiguïtés
du populisme, Roger Dupuy, Paris : Albin Michel, 2002, 251 p.

Taxée d'“ infra-politique ” ou de “ populiste ”, l'idée d'une capacité politique des couches populaires ou plébéiennes se heurte, depuis toujours, à de fortes résistances au sein de la
communauté des chercheurs aussi bien en histoire qu'en science politique. Que ce soit dans les travaux d'un historien du XIXe
siècle tel A. Aulard ou d'un politologue du XXe siècle
tel P. Rosanvallon, le peuple demeure soit un simple figurant dans
l'Histoire (Aulard), soit “ introuvable ” puisque les
élites politiques sont incapables de le définir
(Rosanvallon). Contre ces deux visions étriquées du peuple
et de sa capacité politique, mais aussi contre la condescendance
qui sous-tend de tels jugements, l'historien français Roger
Dupuy tente de retracer les grandes lignes de ce qu'il appelle la
“ politique du peuple ”.
Interventions, 1961-2001. Science sociale & action politique
Authors: Laberge Yves
Published: April 2005

Interventions, 1961-2001. Science sociale & action politique,
Pierre Bourdieu. Textes choisis par Franck Poupeau et Thierry Discepolo, Collection “ Contre-feux ”, Marseille et Montréal : Lux Éditions, Agone, Comeau et Nadeau, 2002, 487 p.

“ J'ai toujours pour principe de dire ce qu'il y a de
plus difficile à avaler pour le public auquel je parle - ce qui est le contraire de la démagogie. ” (Bourdieu, 2002 [1989] : 74). Cette devise véhémente résume éloquemment l'esprit de cet ouvrage colossal de plus de 80 entretiens, conférences et articles, rapports et documents d'archives, tous écrits (ou quelquefois co-rédigés) par le sociologue Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002).
La plupart de ces textes étaient initialement parus dans diverses revues, françaises ou étrangères (et même au Japon), et à l'occasion dans Les Actes de la recherche en
sciences sociales, revue dont Bourdieu a été le fondateur en 1975. Or, presque aucun de ces textes choisis n'était jusqu'ici disponible sous forme de livre, ce qui
rendra son contenu pratiquement inédit.
No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict
Authors: Narozhna Tanya
Published: April 2005

No More Killing Fields: Preventing Deadly Conflict, David A. Hamburg,
Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2004, pp. v, 365

David Hamburg, a physician, scholar, and policymaker, came to think preventively in the 1950s, when he saw the impact of the first polio vaccine. He built on this experience later when, as president of the
Carnegie Corporation of New York (1982-1997), he became interested in
preventing mass violence—“the prime problem of the
twenty-first century” (vii). One of the most important questions he
poses in this work is whether it is “beyond human capacity to create
secure and decent living standards for people everywhere and to foster
just interactions among diverse peoples” (1). Hamburg believes that
an evolving worldwide awareness of unprecedented dangers and of equally
unprecedented advances in science and technology can help humanity
transcend “the ancient habits of blaming, dehumanizing, repressing,
and attacking …” (5).
Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of whey protein hydrolysates generated at different total solids levels
Authors: Spellman David , O'Cuinn Gerard , FitzGerald Richard J
Published: April 2005

Whey protein hydrolysates were generated at different total solids (TS) levels (50–300 g/l) using the commercially available proteolytic preparation Debitrase™ HYW20, while enzyme to substrate ratio, pH and temperature were maintained constant. Hydrolysis proceeded at a faster rate at lower TS reaching a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 16·6% at 300 g TS/l, compared with a DH of 22·7% at 50 g TS/l after 6 h hydrolysis. The slower breakdown of intact whey proteins at high TS was quantified by gel-permeation HPLC. Reversed-phase (RP) HPLC of hydrolysate samples of equivalent DH (~15%) generated at different TS levels indicated that certain hydrophobic peptide peaks were present at higher levels in hydrolysates generated at low TS. Sensory evaluation showed that hydrolysates with equivalent DH values were significantly (P<0·0005) less bitter when generated at 300 g TS/l (mean bitterness score=25·4%) than hydrolysates generated at 50 g TS/l (mean bitterness score=39·9%). A specific hydrophobic peptide peak present at higher concentrations in hydrolysates generated at low TS was isolated and identified as β-lactoglobulin f(43–57), a fragment having the physical and chemical characteristics of a bitter peptide.
Effects of high pressure on some constituents and properties of buffalo milk
Authors: Huppertz Thom , Zobrist Mathias R , Uniacke Therese , Upadhyat Vivekk , Fox Patrick F , Kelly Alan L
Published: April 2005

In this study, effects of high pressure (HP) on some constituents and properties of buffalo milk were examined. HP treatment at 100–600 MPa for 30 min affected casein micelle size only slightly, whereas treatment at 800 MPa increased it by ~35%. Levels of non-micellar αs1- and β-caseins were increased by treatment [ges ]250 MPa, and were highest after treatment at 400–800 MPa. The level of non-micellar calcium increased with increasing pressure up to 600 MPa. The L*-value of the milk decreased gradually with increasing pressure, from ~82 for untreated milk to ~65 for milk treated at 800 MPa. Milk pH was increased by ~0·07 units after treatment at 100–800 MPa, with no significant difference between treatment pressures. Denaturation of α-lactalbumin occurred at pressures [ges ]400 MPa, and reached >90% after treatment at 800 MPa, whereas β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) was denatured >100 MPa, reaching ~100% after treatment at 400 MPa; after treatment [ges ]400 MPa, all β-lg was associated with the casein micelles. The rennet coagulation time of buffalo milk increased with increasing pressure, whereas the strength of the coagulum formed decreased after treatment at 250–800 MPa. Overall, HP treatment affected many constituents and properties of buffalo milk; some of these effects have also been observed in the milk from other species, but the extent of the effects, and the pressure at which they occurred, differed considerably.
Genetic transformation of Brevibacterium linens strains producing high amounts of diverse sulphur compounds
Authors: Nardi Michele , Sextius Peggy , Bonnarme Pascal , Eric Spinnler Henry , Monnet Veronique , Irlinger Francoise
Published: April 2005

By its numerous properties and importance in cheese technology (production of colour, flavour, bacteriocins and resistance to salt) Brevibacterium linens is a major cheese ripening bacteria. However, the genetic approach of such biological functions has been hindered, up to now, by the lack of tools necessary to realise genetic modifications in this species. Our objective was to demonstrate that it is possible to genetically modify several strains exhibiting interesting technological properties, especially the production of sulphur compounds. We worked with a phenotypically and genetically diverse collection of 11 strains. We genetically transformed several Brevi. linens with acceptable rates with plasmids classically used to transform lactic acid bacteria and other Gram+ bacteria. These results open up new prospects to investigate the most interesting Brevi. linens metabolic pathways both at the biochemical and genetic level.
Effect of fermented milk containing probiotic bacteria in the prevention of an enteroinvasive Escherichia coli infection in mice
Authors: Medici Marta , Vinderola Celso G , Weill Ricardo , Perdigón Gabriela
Published: April 2005

This study investigated the protective capacity of the oral administration of fermented milk containing the probiotic strains; Lactobacillus casei, Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, against enteroinvasive Escherichia coli infection in a murine (BALB/c mice) model. Mice were fed for 2, 5 or 7 consecutive days with fermented milk diluted to a concentration of viable Lb. casei, Lb. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Strep. thermophilus of 107 cfu/ml. Phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages and the number of IgA+ cells in small and large intestine were determined at the end of the feeding periods. For the preventive effect against Esch. coli, animals were fed for 5 days (selected dose). Mice were challenged with an infective dose of enteroinvasive Esch. coli of 108 cfu/mouse. The colonization of liver and spleen and the secretory IgA specific for the pathogen in the intestinal fluid were determined (ELISA test). Results showed that the unspecific immune response enhanced itself after 5 consecutive days of the administration of this fermented milk (increase in the percentage of phagocytosis and number of IgA+ cells in the small intestine). Treated animals showed less Esch. coli colonization of liver than control mice and a higher secretory anti-Esch. coli IgA in the intestinal fluids. These results suggest that the protection against enteroinvasive Esch. coli infection observed for the fermented milk containing probiotic bacteria may be associated with an enhance of the intestinal mucosa immunity.
Effect of chymosin and salt reduction on the quality of ultrafiltrated white-salted cheese
Authors: Al-Otaibi Mutlag M , Wilbey R Andrew
Published: April 2005

This study demonstrated that both chymosin and salt-in-moisture (SM) were important factors for proteolysis in the manufacture of ultrafiltrated white-salted cheese, with significant effects on water-soluble nitrogen and nitrogen soluble in trichloroacetic acid. In contrast, the levels of free amino acids were not significantly affected by chymosin and salt treatments. The cheeses made using high levels of chymosin with low SM had lower levels of residual αs1- and β-casein at the end of ripening. On texture profile analysis, the hardness and fracturability of the cheeses significantly increased with SM and decreased during ripening. Increases in chymosin significantly contributed to the overall weakening of the structure throughout ripening. Bitter flavour was detected after 12 weeks in the cheese made with the higher chymosin level and lower SM, which could be the result of accumulation of γ-casein fractions. The sensory data indicated that the hedonic responses for low chymosin with low SM cheeses were good and acceptable in flavour, which may be due to the moderate levels of proteolysis products.
The influence of technical factors on differential cell count in milk
Authors: Schröder Anke C , Hamann Jörn
Published: April 2005

Differential cell count of milk is a traditional parameter for the evaluation of udder health. The literature shows great variation in differential cell counts of the milk of healthy mammary glands: macrophages range from 0% to 80%, lymphocytes from 1·5% to 79·5%, polymorphonuclear neutrophils from 3% to 95%, and epithelial cells from 1% to 19%. We conducted three studies to seek explanations for such variation. In the first, we evaluated the impact of polyethylene and glass sampling bottles. The aim of the second study was to compare the results of differential cell counts performed by three different technicians. The third study evaluated two methods of smear preparation. When polyethylene plastic bottles were used, the macrophage population was minimized but lymphocytes remained unaffected. This was shown by an exemplary flow cytometric analysis using four monoclonal antibodies against three lymphocyte surface structures. There were significant differences in the differential cell counts of 40 smears made by three technicians despite identical operating procedures. For the sediment smear, milk was centrifuged once and the sediment spread by eye on a glass slide. For the “coffee grinder” smear method, the sample was subjected to four centrifugations and then placed on a cover glass in order to spread the sediment using centrifugal force. The coffee grinder procedure led to a reduction of lymphocytes and an enrichment of polymorphonuclear neutrophils without affecting the macrophage population. Both methods made it possible to distinguish different udder health classes. It can be concluded that differential cell counts are a useful tool for comparing and monitoring udder health only if: samples are taken in a glass bottle; smears are prepared with the identical technique; and the differential cell counts are performed by a single person.
Relationship between some Staphylococcus aureus pathogenic factors and growth rates and somatic cell counts
Authors: Zecconi Alfonso , Binda Enrica , Borromeo Vitaliano , Piccinini Renata
Published: April 2005

Staphylococcus aureus isolates produce several pathogenic factors. The combination of these products influences the pathogenic role of different isolates, but their specific effects are well known in the pathogenesis of udder infections. This study focused on the association of polymorphism of the coagulase gene, protein A gene, collagen-binding protein gene, and of fibrinogen-binding protein gene on somatic cell count (SCC) and on Staph. aureus growth rate. Fifty Staph. aureus isolates from 13 dairy cow herds, located in seven different provinces, were considered. The results showed a low frequency of cna gene, similar to the one observed in human isolates. Meanwhile, the high frequency of efb gene indirectly confirmed the role of this factor in bacterial pathogenesis, being associated with adhesion to epithelia. The association of these two single genes with SCC and growth rate showed to be not significant. The polymorphism of spa gene was confirmed to be significantly associated with inflammatory response and growth rate, albeit with a pattern different from the one suggested for human isolates. Sorting of isolates based on the clusters obtained by combining polymorphisms of spa and coa genes and the presence of cna and efb genes, showed that a single cluster (cluster V) was prevalent in the different herds and provinces, while the other six clusters identified were widely spread among the remaining 60% of the isolates. Results showed that clusters VI and VII had significantly higher growth rates at 3, 4, and 6 h in comparison with the other clusters. Meanwhile, quarters infected with these strains showed significantly lower SCC levels. The frequency of isolates from cluster V, suggested that they should possess pathogenic factors increasing their invasiveness, even if in the presence of a stronger inflammatory response. These results indirectly confirm previous findings on the different interactions between isolates and the udder immune system. They also suggest that isolates with higher growth rates and inducing a lower inflammatory response have better chances to spread among the herd. The relatively simple genomic method proposed in this study could be applied by an increasing number of diagnostic laboratories and could be useful in studying the epidemiology of Staph. aureus intramammary infections in dairy herds when collecting data from the field.
Effect of prior dietary exposure to cows' milk protein on antigen-specific and nonspecific cellular proliferation in mice
Authors: Brix Susanne , Magyar Orit H , Barkholt Vibeke , Frøkiær Hanne
Published: April 2005

The impact of dietary components on the immune system is gaining increased attention in the effort to develop safe food products, some even with health-promoting potential, as well as to improve the basic understanding of the immunomodulatory potential of common food components. In such studies, which are mainly based on experiments in vitro, it is important to be able to differentiate nonspecific activation of immune cells induced by dietary components from ex vivo restimulation of antigen-specific cells that might be present in cell cultures owing to prior dietary exposure to the antigens in cell donors. Focusing on the immunostimulatory potential of cows' milk proteins and peptides, we studied the impact of prior dietary exposure to cows' milk on proliferation of murine immune cells upon ex vivo stimulation with bovine milk proteins. Nonspecific proliferation induced by β-casein peptides was further assessed on cells from mice bred on a cows'-milk-free diet. Regarding the dietary effect, we found that prior oral intake of cows' milk proteins affected cell proliferation induced by culturing with cows' milk proteins in vitro, as spleen cells from mice fed a milk-containing diet showed a significantly greater proliferative response than did cells from mice bred on a cows'-milk-free diet. Studies of immune enhancing potentials of β-casein peptides showed that some peptides stimulate proliferation of immune cells nonspecifically. In conclusion, these findings stress the importance of employing immune cells from mice unexposed to cows' milk for studies of the immunomodulating capacity of cows' milk proteins and peptides, in order to rule out the interference caused by antigen-specific immune responses. By using such cells, we here show that some β-casein peptides possess the potential to induce proliferation in immune cells in a nonspecific manner.
Did New Deal Grant Programs Stimulate Local Economies? A Study of Federal Grants and Retail Sales During the Great Depression
Authors: FISHBACK PRICE V. , HORRACE WILLIAM C. , KANTOR SHAWN
Published: April 2005

Using data on New Deal grants to each U.S. county from 1933 to 1939, we estimate how relief and public works spending and payments to farmers through the Agricultural Adjustment Administration influenced retail consumption. On a per capita basis, we find that an additional dollar of public works and relief spending was associated with a 44 cent increase in 1939 retail sales. In contrast, the AAA seems to have had a negative effect on retail sales, suggesting that nonlandowners in the farm sector suffered disproportionate declines in income as a result of the AAA.
Branch Banking Restrictions and Finance Constraints in Early-Twentieth-Century America
Authors: GIEDEMAN DANIEL C.
Published: April 2005

This article studies the effects of branch banking restrictions on American firm investment and growth. Authors have suggested that the lack of widespread branching bank networks hindered the development of large-scale industrial firms. This article presents a model that implies that restrictions on branch banking cause the severity of external finance constraints to increase with firm size. This hypothesis is tested using a panel data set of over 250 firms for 1911–1922. Investment and growth sensitivities are significantly higher for large firms than for smaller firms, suggesting that branch banking restrictions hindered the expansion of large-scale firms.
Colonial Institutions and Cross-Cultural Trade:RepartimientoCredit and Indigenous Production of Cochineal in Eighteenth-Century Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: BASKES JEREMY
Published: April 2005

Colonial societies exhibit peculiar institutions frequently attributed to the unequal and exploitative nature of the relations between colonizer and colonized.Repartimientohas been depicted as a coercive system of production and consumption designed by Spaniards to draw reluctant Amerindians into the market. An examination ofrepartimientothrough the lens of New Institutional Economics provides an alternative understanding of this credit system. Characteristics of therepartimientomost often identified as exploitative are better explained as institutional adaptations designed to facilitate contract enforcement and economize on transaction costs in this cross-cultural trade. Consequently, this peculiar colonial institution served to expand trade.
Précis of The illusion of conscious will
Authors: Wegner Daniel M.
Published: April 2005

The experience of conscious will is the feeling that we are doing things. This feeling occurs for many things we do, conveying to us again and again the sense that we consciously cause our actions. But the feeling may not be a true reading of what is happening in our minds, brains, and bodies as our actions are produced. The feeling of conscious will can be fooled. This happens in clinical disorders such as alien hand syndrome, dissociative identity disorder, and schizophrenic auditory hallucinations. And in people without disorders, phenomena such as hypnosis, automatic writing, Ouija board spelling, water dowsing, facilitated communication, speaking in tongues, spirit possession, and trance channeling also illustrate anomalies of will – cases when actions occur without will or will occurs without action. This book brings these cases together with research evidence from laboratories in psychology to explore a theory of apparent mental causation. According to this theory, when a thought appears in consciousness just prior to an action, is consistent with the action, and appears exclusive of salient alternative causes of the action, we experience conscious will and ascribe authorship to ourselves for the action. Experiences of conscious will thus arise from processes whereby the mind interprets itself – not from processes whereby mind creates action. Conscious will, in this view, is an indication that we think we have caused an action, not a revelation of the causal sequence by which the action was produced.
Aping Newtonian physics but ignoring brute facts will not transform Skinnerian psychology into genuine science or useful technology
Authors: Furedy John J
Published: April 2005

The proposal to add the behavioral momentum metaphor to Skinnerian psychology and the use of other borrowed physical explanatory concepts such as velocity and inertial mass has only superficial value. The basic problem is that, in contrast to Newtonian physics, the “laws” do not apply to a significant proportion of the phenomena to be explained, and these evidential discrepancies are ignored, rather than being used to modify the scientific explanations and improve technological applications that are based on those explanations.
Metaphysics, mind, and the unity of science
Authors: Boersema David
Published: April 2005

Ross & Spurrett's (R&S's) rebuttal of recent reductionistic work in the philosophy of mind relies on claims about the unity of science and explanation. I call those claims into question.
The self is virtual, the will is not illusory
Authors: Ainslie George
Published: April 2005

Wegner makes an excellent case that our sense of ownership of our actions depends on multiple factors, to such an extent that it could be called virtual or even illusory. However, two other core functions of will are initiation of movement and maintenance of resolution, which depend on our accurate monitoring of them. This book shows that will is not an imponderable black box but, rather, an increasingly accessible set of specific functions.
Behavioral momentum in Pavlovian conditioning and the learning/performance distinction
Authors: Savastano Hernán I. , Miller Ralph R.
Published: April 2005

Behavioral momentum theory has evolved within the realm of operant conditioning. The thought-provoking momentum metaphor equates the strength of an operant response with its resistance to change and preference (i.e., choice) for that response over other available responses. Whereas baseline response rate (velocity in the metaphor) is assumed to be largely influenced by the response-reinforcer contingency, resistance to change and preference are assumed to reflect an intervening variable called behavioral mass, which is determined primarily by the stimulus-reinforcer relationship. This invites the question of how well the momentum metaphor applies to the stimulus-reinforcer relationships of traditional Pavlovian paradigms. Presumably, a correspondence exists between behavioral mass and the notion of associative strength in the associative learning literature. Although response rate has little meaning in the trialwise structure of classical (i.e., Pavlovian) conditioning, response probability or magnitude might be regarded metaphorically as velocity. Momentum theory suggests that resistance to change (e.g., extinction) is a better indicator of associative strength than is response probability or magnitude. Therefore, variables that strengthen Pavlovian learning should influence resistance to extinction of conditioned responding in a similar manner. Moreover, it is important to assess momentum theory outside of strictly operant paradigms, particularly because in clinical settings many common disorders (e.g., phobias) and their therapies (e.g., cue exposure) are thought to be classically conditioned.
Ontological disunity and a realism worth having
Authors: Clarke Steve
Published: April 2005

Ross & Spurrett (R&S) appear convinced that the world must have a unified ontological structure. This conviction is difficult to reconcile with a commitment to mainstream realism, which involves allowing that the world may be ontologically disunified. R&S should follow Kitcher by weakening their conception of unification so as to allow for the possibility of ontological disunity.
Reduction, supervenience, and physical emergence
Authors: Collier John
Published: April 2005

After distinguishing reductive explanability in principle from ontological deflation, I give a case of an obviously physical property that is reductively inexplicable in principle. I argue that biological systems often have this character, and that, if we make certain assumptions about the cohesion and dynamics of the mind and its physical substrate, then it is emergent according to Broad's criteria.
Learning theory, feed-forward mechanisms, and the adaptiveness of conditioned responding
Authors: Balsam Peter D. , Drew Michael R.
Published: April 2005

The specific mechanisms whereby Pavlovian conditioning leads to adaptive behavior need to be elaborated. There is no evidence that it is via reduction in the “destabilizing effect that time lags have on feedback control” (Domjan et al. 2000, sect. 3.3). The adaptive value of Pavlovian conditioning goes well beyond the regulation of social behavior.
Authors' Response
Authors: Domjan Michael , Cusato Brian , Villarreal Ronald
Published: April 2005

For the authors' responses to comments similar to those expressed here by Balsam & Drew, please see: M. Domjan, B. Cusato, & R. Villarreal (2000). Extensions, elaborations, and explanations of the role of evolution and learning in the control of social behavior. BBS 23(2):269–82. [Authors' Response to first round of commentary.]