Viewpoint: Hindu-Christian Studies : Some Confessions from the Boundaries

There are times I think the term Hindu-Christian studies or even Hindu-Christian dialogue is a misnomer and a fantasy. This is so for several reasons. For one thing, there is a long history in which such study or conversation has been a monologue, a one-way street or an interpretation by imposition. There has been too much shouting at each other from caves and not enough honesty, negotiation, and mutual respect of personhood on the boundaries between where peoples live. For another, such engagements are not and never again can be merely one on one discourses between persons with single identities. We are each increasingly persons with multiple identities, in the process of becoming different persons even as we dialogue . None of us truly represents whatever authentic Christianity or Hinduism is supposed to be. Nor can any of us speak, listen, or study in isolation from the dynamics of global processes where multiple forces and multiple religions impinge on one\u27s self-representations. Not only that: I have been increasingly pessimistic that whatever some of us as individuals may do or think, a vast majority of our coreligionists remain blissfully unaware of the need for inter-religious understanding or the desirability of rethinking fundamental metaphors in light of such conversations

Effects of labeling and consumer health trends on preferred ground beef color characteristics, fat content, and palatability in simulated retail display

Nutritional concerns and attempts to limit fat in the diet over the past decades have impacted the protein market, decreasing red meat consumption as well as prompting the advent of lean and extra lean ground beef. Such lean blends of ground beef may suffer in palatability, however, resulting in less satisfied consumers turning to other protein sources. While consumers are demanding lean ground beef, fatter blends may be more palatable. This study seeks to bridge the gap between perceived health and palatability by evaluating preferred fat content and instrumental color characteristics between labeled and unlabeled packages of ground beef in simulated retail display and comparing this data to preferred palatability characteristics in taste sampling. Participants were asked to identify the relative importance of characteristics commonly used in purchasing ground beef (color, label, fat content, company, and price) and select a preferred package of ground beef from labeled and unlabeled sections consisting of 4%, 10%, 20%, and 27% fat content. Instrumental color data (CIE L*, a*, b*, hue, and chroma) and their main drivers (oxymyoglobin proportion) were also collected. Participants then completed a blind taste sampling of ground beef with variable fat contents as previously described and were asked to evaluate samples for juiciness, bind, beef flavor, off flavor, and overall impression. Data were evaluated through the Mixed Model procedure of SAS, version 9.4. Color, fat, and price were found to be significantly more important (P \u3c 0.05) than label, which was significantly more important than company for package preference. No trend towards fatter or leaner blends was found between labeled and unlabeled selections, with 62.64% of participants selecting identical packages between the two sections. The 20% fat treatment was the most frequently selected product in both labeled and unlabeled sections, however the two leaner blends combined garnered more preferred selections than the two fatter blends (56.67% vs. 43.33%, respectively). Instrumental color data showed significant trends towards a lighter product and increasing L* value with increasing fat content as well as decreasing oxymyoglobin proportion with increasing fat content. No significant differences (P\u3e0.05) were found between the blends for any trait in sensory taste evaluation. These results suggest that while consumers have specific preferences when purchasing ground beef that can be replicated without a label using visual inspection alone, they are less discerning between cooked ground beef of different fat contents. This may explain the continued demand for lean ground beef, as consumers in this study found no significant differences in palatability between ground beef differing in fat content from 4% to 27%. Continued research comparing preferred fat content of ground beef in retail display with preferred fat content for palatability is encouraged to expand upon the findings of this study

POLICIES FOR NONCOMMERCIAL FARMS

Agricultural and Food Policy,

FISCAL POLICY AND INFLATION

Financial Economics,

Effects of social stimuli on sleep in mice: non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep is promoted by aggressive interaction but not by sexual interaction

Sleep is generally considered to be a process of recovery from prior wakefulness. In addition to being affected by the duration of the waking period, sleep architecture and sleep EEG also depend on the quality of wakefulness. In the present experiment, we examined how sleep is affected by different social stimuli (social conflict and sexual interaction). Male C57BL/6J mice were placed in the cage of an aggressive dominant male or an estrous female for 1 h in the middle of the light phase. The conflict with an aggressive male had a pronounced NREM sleep-promoting effect. EEG slow wave activity, a measure of NREM sleep intensity, was increased for about 6 h and NREM sleep time was significantly increased for 12 h. REM sleep was strongly suppressed during the remainder of the light phase after the conflict, followed by a rebound later in the recovery phase. The sexual interaction, in contrast, had only mild effects. Both NREM sleep and REM sleep were somewhat suppressed shortly after the interaction. In a separate group of mice, blood samples were taken to measure prolactin and corticosterone. The results suggest that the temporary suppression of REM sleep following the social stimuli may be partly due to elevated corticosterone. The different effects of the social stimuli on NREM sleep are not easily explained by differences in the hormone responses. In conclusion, although both social conflict and sexual interaction induce a strong physiological activation, only social conflict has a strong stimulatory effect on NREM sleep mechanisms.

Effects of Labeling and Consumer Health Trends on Preferred Ground Beef Color Characteristics, Fat Content and Palatability in Simulated Retail Display

Nutritional concerns have impacted the protein market, decreasing red meat consumption as well as prompting the advent of lean and extra lean ground beef. However, such lean blends of ground beef may suffer in palatability. This study seeks to bridge the gap between perceived health and palatability. Participants were asked to identify the relative importance of characteristics commonly used in purchasing ground beef and select a preferred package of ground beef from labeled and unlabeled sections consisting of 4%, 10%, 20%, and 27% fat content. Instrumental color data and their main drivers were also collected. Participants then completed a blind taste sampling of ground beef with variable fat contents as previously described. Color, fat, and price were found to be significantly more important (P \u3c 0.05) than label, which was significantly more important than company for package preference. No trend towards fatter or leaner blends was found between labeled and unlabeled selections, with 62.64% of participants selecting identical packages between the two sections. Instrumental color data found significant trends in lightness and oxymyoglobin ratio, the proportion of pigment that is bright cherry red, that may be used to identify leaner product without a label. No significant differences were found between the blends for any trait in sensory taste evaluation. These results suggest that while consumers have specific preferences when purchasing ground beef that can be replicated without a label using visual inspection alone, they are less discerning between cooked ground beef of different fat contents. This may explain the continued demand for lean ground beef