United States – European Union Agricultural Trade Flows

Population growth and general economic performance drives global demand for food and agricultural products, which lays the foundation for trade and U.S. exports (ERS a). Through the effects on employment, purchasing power and income, agricultural exports play a significant role in both the farm and nonfarm economy (Edmonson). In 2006, each export farm dollar earned generated an additional $1.65 in business activity in 2006 (Edmondson). As a result, the$71.0 billion earned in agricultural exports stimulated an additional $117.2 billion in general economic activity in 2006 (Edmondson). Over the past five years, values of agricultural exports from the U.S. have been on the rise hitting record levels (Brooks). Increased demand in Canada and Mexico are primarily responsible for the renewed growth within agricultural exports (Brooks). Figure 1-1 shows all major agricultural products being exported from the U.S. over the past five years. The largest area of agricultural exports from the U.S. has consistently been cereal products. These types of products include major cereals such as barley, millet, and oat, as well as pseudo cereals that include buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa (Seibel). These products currently compose 23% of total U.S. agricultural exports and have traditionally been the largest export product(ERS a).Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Cause of Death and Predictors of All-Cause Mortality in Anticoagulated Patients With Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation : Data From ROCKET AF

M. Kaste on työryhmän ROCKET AF Steering Comm jäsen.Background-Atrial fibrillation is associated with higher mortality. Identification of causes of death and contemporary risk factors for all-cause mortality may guide interventions. Methods and Results-In the Rivaroxaban Once Daily Oral Direct Factor Xa Inhibition Compared with Vitamin K Antagonism for Prevention of Stroke and Embolism Trial in Atrial Fibrillation (ROCKET AF) study, patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation were randomized to rivaroxaban or dose-adjusted warfarin. Cox proportional hazards regression with backward elimination identified factors at randomization that were independently associated with all-cause mortality in the 14 171 participants in the intention-to-treat population. The median age was 73 years, and the mean CHADS(2) score was 3.5. Over 1.9 years of median follow-up, 1214 (8.6%) patients died. Kaplan-Meier mortality rates were 4.2% at 1 year and 8.9% at 2 years. The majority of classified deaths (1081) were cardiovascular (72%), whereas only 6% were nonhemorrhagic stroke or systemic embolism. No significant difference in all-cause mortality was observed between the rivaroxaban and warfarin arms (P=0.15). Heart failure (hazard ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.33-1.70, P= 75 years (hazard ratio 1.69, 95% CI 1.51-1.90, P Conclusions-In a large population of patients anticoagulated for nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, approximate to 7 in 10 deaths were cardiovascular, whereasPeer reviewe

United States – European Union Agricultural Trade Flows

Population growth and general economic performance drives global demand for food and agricultural products, which lays the foundation for trade and U.S. exports (ERS a). Through the effects on employment, purchasing power and income, agricultural exports play a significant role in both the farm and nonfarm economy (Edmonson). In 2006, each export farm dollar earned generated an additional $1.65 in business activity in 2006 (Edmondson). As a result, the$71.0 billion earned in agricultural exports stimulated an additional $117.2 billion in general economic activity in 2006 (Edmondson). Over the past five years, values of agricultural exports from the U.S. have been on the rise hitting record levels (Brooks). Increased demand in Canada and Mexico are primarily responsible for the renewed growth within agricultural exports (Brooks). Figure 1-1 shows all major agricultural products being exported from the U.S. over the past five years. The largest area of agricultural exports from the U.S. has consistently been cereal products. These types of products include major cereals such as barley, millet, and oat, as well as pseudo cereals that include buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa (Seibel). These products currently compose 23% of total U.S. agricultural exports and have traditionally been the largest export product(ERS a)

Trust in the US‐EU Fruit and Vegetable Chain: Do US Exporters Understand EU Importers?

Research on organizational and inter‐organizational trust has become an important field in management and marketing literature, as it is perceived as a pivotal aspect of business transactions. However, clarifications are still needed on the issue of whom we trust; is the person whom we are trading with trusted, or the organization, or just the product‐quality? Not only has this question not been answered within this field of research, neither have cultural differences have been described to any great extent. Additionally, if the perceived factors important to establish trusting relationships may or may not be the same on the buyers and the sellers side in international business transaction in food chains. The primary objective of this research study therefore is to identify how well US exporters understand the elements of trust that establish strong relationships with EU importers. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to evaluate the importance of different trust elements in interviews conducted with US exporters and EU importers of fruits and vegetables. Results are compared, providing both a picture of the important facets of trust, as well as whether the partners understand the perspectives of the other partner

Trust in the US‐EU Fruit and Vegetable Chain: Do US Exporters Understand EU Importers?

Research on organizational and inter‐organizational trust has become an important field in management and marketing literature, as it is perceived as a pivotal aspect of business transactions. However, clarifications are still needed on the issue of whom we trust; is the person whom we are trading with trusted, or the organization, or just the product‐quality? Not only has this question not been answered within this field of research, neither have cultural differences have been described to any great extent. Additionally, if the perceived factors important to establish trusting relationships may or may not be the same on the buyers and the sellers side in international business transaction in food chains. The primary objective of this research study therefore is to identify how well US exporters understand the elements of trust that establish strong relationships with EU importers. The Analytical Hierarchy Process was used to evaluate the importance of different trust elements in interviews conducted with US exporters and EU importers of fruits and vegetables. Results are compared, providing both a picture of the important facets of trust, as well as whether the partners understand the perspectives of the other partner.trust, perceived trust, importance of trust factors business transaction, supply chain, fruit and vegetable, US, EU, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing, Production Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

CALCULATING CONTINGENCIES IN NATURAL ENVIRONMENTS: ISSUES IN THE APPLICATION OF SEQUENTIAL ANALYSIS

Analysis and interpretation of behavior–environment relations are increasingly being conducted with data that have been derived descriptively. This paper provides an overview of the logic that underlies a sequential analytic approach to the analysis of descriptive data. Several methods for quantifying sequential relations are reviewed along with their strengths and weaknesses. Data from descriptive analyses are used to illustrate key points. Issues germane to contingency analysis in natural environments are discussed briefly. It is concluded that the conceptual distinctions among contiguity, contingency, and dependency are critical if the logic of sequential analysis is to be extended successfully to a behavior-analytic account of reinforcement in natural environments

Genomic atlas of the human plasma proteome.

Although plasma proteins have important roles in biological processes and are the direct targets of many drugs, the genetic factors that control inter-individual variation in plasma protein levels are not well understood. Here we characterize the genetic architecture of the human plasma proteome in healthy blood donors from the INTERVAL study. We identify 1,927 genetic associations with 1,478 proteins, a fourfold increase on existing knowledge, including trans associations for 1,104 proteins. To understand the consequences of perturbations in plasma protein levels, we apply an integrated approach that links genetic variation with biological pathway, disease, and drug databases. We show that protein quantitative trait loci overlap with gene expression quantitative trait loci, as well as with disease-associated loci, and find evidence that protein biomarkers have causal roles in disease using Mendelian randomization analysis. By linking genetic factors to diseases via specific proteins, our analyses highlight potential therapeutic targets, opportunities for matching existing drugs with new disease indications, and potential safety concerns for drugs under development