Common good in the theology of John Calvin

The aim of my thesis is to explore Calvin's understanding of the term „the common good‟ (commune bonum, bien commun): its theological grounding within his works, and its role as an inspiration for both ecclesial and social application. I seek to illustrate how his notion of the common good is constructed theologically (part A) and practically (part B). Although Calvin‟s notion of the common good has been partly dealt with by numerous scholars (mainly from a variety of socio-economic perspectives), there has been no comprehensive or systematic study to illustrate its theological significance and its doctrinal context. The aim of this study is to illuminate the wide-ranging and consistent thought on the common good discernable within Calvin‟s works; it is hoped that this indepth study of the topic will be a valuable addition to Calvin scholarship. The structure of Part A reflects how Calvin‟s three theological foundations - God‟s image, sanctification, and Law - are shaped dynamically through the three stages of humankind‟s salvation - before the Fall, after the Fall, and in Christ‟s redemption. Chapters Two - Four show how these theological foundations operate towards the restoration of God‟s original order designed for the common good in the correlation between the two fields of church and humankind, both at the divine and moral level and the spiritual and social level. In addition, the willingness and mutuality which constitute the cornerstone of Christ‟s redemption are decisive in the realization of the common good. Chapter Two argues, first, that Calvin‟s notion of the common good, drawn from his doctrine of God‟s image, is shaped by the threefold dimension of that image - the relational, substantial, and communal. For the restoration of the original order in God's creation, the universal love of humankind based upon the surviving substantial-communal image of God in humanity plays a limited part; however, the Christian‟s sanctified universal love based upon the restored relational-communal image of God in Christ plays a pivotal role. With relation to the restored image in Christ, Chapter Three shows that the most essential element of sanctified life for participating in the divine economy for the common good within the Trinitarian mode is Christian self-denial; that is, the composition of the present life designed for eternal life through the multiple sub-analyses of Christ‟s example, consecration, humility, and stewardship. Chapter Four shows how Calvin‟s integrated legalistic approach, in terms of the common good, can help us to explore another facet of his multiple understanding of God‟s image in humanity with regards to both ecclesial and social life. For Calvin, the three uses or functions of the Law can be regarded as both distinctively and inseparably incorporated into work for the common good of all people. In relation to the Law in Christ, Christian freedom can be analyzed from pedagogical, responsive, and pastoral perspectives in terms of the life for the common good. As the Decalogue is a spiritual-moral space within the mutual function of the third use and second use of the Law, Calvin‟s understanding of the two tablets demonstrates how his interpretation of both divine and natural law in terms of the common good can be co-embodied in the right relation between God and humanity and amongst people. With the above theological background in mind, Part B of this thesis, through Chapters Five and Six, continues to elucidate how, for Calvin, the notion of „the common good‟ reveals its value when it is established within the divine system of voluntary giftgiving, where it can engage with the mutual relation of the common good of the church and the common good of humankind. Calvin‟s discussion of the above theological foundations of the common good plays a vital role in the formation of its application both at ecclesial and social levels: the common good of the church (commune ecclesiae bonum) is actualized when the gifts of the Spirit given to believers in union with Christ are shared mutually, in a way which reflects the restoration of God‟s image in believers - through prayer, sacrament, office, and property through the third use of the Law. The common good of humankind (publicum generis humani bonum) is actualized when the common grace given to humanity is exchanged and shared mutually through politics, economics, and social welfare, through the interplay between the third and second use of the Law. This thesis concludes that, although the ecclesial and social common good are cooperative in a distinctive but inseparable way, the former takes priority over the latter for the current and consummative restoration of the original order both at divine and moral levels

Ideal Cereals With Lower Arsenic and Cadmium by Accurately Enhancing Vacuolar Sequestration Capacity

Cereals are a staple food for many people around the world; however, they are also a major dietary source of toxic metal(loid)s. Many agricultural regions throughout the world are contaminated with toxic metal(loid)s, which can accumulate to high levels in the grains of cereals cultivated in these regions, posing serious health risks to consumers. Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) are efficiently accumulated in cereals through metal transport pathways. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop crops that contain greatly reduced levels of toxic metal(loid)s. Vacuolar sequestration of toxic metal(loid)s is a primary strategy for reducing toxic metal(loid)s in grains. However, until recently, detailed strategies and mechanisms for reducing toxic metal(loid)s in grain were limited by the lack of experimental data. New strategies to reduce As and Cd in grain by enhancing vacuolar sequestration in specific tissues are critical to develop crops that lower the daily intake of As and Cd, potentially improving human health. This review provides insights and strategies for developing crops with strongly reduced amounts of toxic metal(loid)s without jeopardizing agronomic traits

Increased expression of cysteine cathepsins in ovarian tissue from chickens with ovarian cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cysteine cathepsins (CTSs) are involved in the degradation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix and are associated with cell transformation, differentiation, motility, and adhesion. These functions are also related to cancer cell invasion and metastasis. Chickens spontaneously develop epithelial ovarian cancer and are therefore a good animal model for human ovarian cancer. However, no studies have investigated the expression of CTSs in chickens with ovarian cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cancerous (n = 5) and normal (n = 3) ovaries were collected from 2-to 3-year-old hens, and ovarian tissue samples were collected for study. Ovarian cancers were evaluated with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Reverse transcriptase and quantitative PCR analyses, in situ hybridization analysis were performed to examine the mRNA expression pattern of three CTSs in detail, and protein expression of CTSB was evaluated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CTSB, CTSC, and CTSS genes were highly expressed in cancerous chicken ovaries. Messenger RNAs for the three CTSs were localized to a nodule area, a major characteristic of cancerous ovaries, but the three CTSs showed no specific localization in normal ovaries. Immunoreactive CTSB protein was present in the nodule area of cancerous ovaries.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that CTSB, CTSC, and CTSS have important functions in the development of epithelial ovarian cancer.</p

A rice ABC transporter, OsABCC1, reduces arsenic accumulation in the grain

Arsenic (As) is a chronic poison that causes severe skin lesions and cancer. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major dietary source of As; therefore, reducing As accumulation in the rice grain and thereby diminishing the amount of As that enters the food chain is of critical importance. Here, we report that a member of the Oryza sativa C-type ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter (OsABCC) family, OsABCC1, is involved in the detoxification and reduction of As in rice grains. We found that OsABCC1 was expressed in many organs, including the roots, leaves, nodes, peduncle, and rachis. Expression was not affected when plants were exposed to low levels of As but was up-regulated in response to high levels of As. In both the basal nodes and upper nodes, which are connected to the panicle, OsABCC1 was localized to the phloem region of vascular bundles. Furthermore, OsABCC1 was localized to the tonoplast and conferred phytochelatin-dependent As resistance in yeast. Knockout of OsABCC1 in rice resulted in decreased tolerance to As, but did not affect cadmium toxicity. At the reproductive growth stage, the As content was higher in the nodes and in other tissues of wild-type rice than in those of OsABCC1 knockout mutants, but was significantly lower in the grain. Taken together, our results indicate that OsABCC1 limits As transport to the grains by sequestering As in the vacuoles of the phloem companion cells of the nodes in rice.open117318Ysciescopu

Role of S5b/PSMD5 in Proteasome Inhibition Caused by TNF-α/NFκB in Higher Eukaryotes

SummaryThe ubiquitin-proteasome system is essential for maintaining protein homeostasis. However, proteasome dysregulation in chronic diseases is poorly understood. Through genome-wide cell-based screening using 5,500 cDNAs, a signaling pathway leading to NFκB activation was selected as an inhibitor of 26S proteasome. TNF-α increased S5b (HGNC symbol PSMD5; hereafter S5b/PSMD5) expression via NFκB, and the surplus S5b/PSMD5 directly inhibited 26S proteasome assembly and activity. Downregulation of S5b/PSMD5 abolished TNF-α-induced proteasome inhibition. TNF-α enhanced the interaction of S5b/PSMD5 with S7/PSMC2 in nonproteasome complexes, and interference of this interaction rescued TNF-α-induced proteasome inhibition. Transgenic mice expressing S5b/PSMD5 exhibited a reduced life span and premature onset of aging-related phenotypes, including reduced proteasome activity in their tissues. Conversely, S5b/PSMD5 deficiency in Drosophila melanogaster ameliorated the tau rough eye phenotype, enhanced proteasome activity, and extended the life span of tau flies. These results reveal the critical role of S5b/PSMD5 in negative regulation of proteasome by TNF-α/NFκB and provide insights into proteasome inhibition in human disease

The Fingerprint of Climate Change and Urbanization in South Korea

Understanding long-term changes in precipitation and temperature patterns is important in the detection and characterization of climate change, as is understanding the implications of climate change when performing impact assessments. This study uses a statistically robust methodology to quantify long-, medium- and short-term changes for evaluating the degree to which climate change and urbanization have caused temporal changes in precipitation and temperature in South Korea. We sought to identify a fingerprint of changes in precipitation and temperature based on statistically significant differences at multiple-timescales. This study evaluates historical weather data during a 40-year period (1973–2012) and from 54 weather stations. Our results demonstrate that between 1993–2012, minimum and maximum temperature trends in the vicinity of urban and agricultural areas are significantly different from the two previous decades (1973–1992). The results for precipitation amounts show significant differences in urban areas. These results indicate that the climate in urbanized areas has been affected by both the heat island effect and global warming-caused climate change. The increase in the number of rainfall events in agricultural areas is highly significant, although the temporal trends for precipitation amounts showed no significant differences. Overall, the impacts of climate change and urbanization in South Korea have not been continuous over time and have been expressed locally and regionally in terms of precipitation and temperature changes