Modeling Staple Food Consumption: Measuring the Trade Effect on Food Security for Chinese Grain Farmers

This paper derives a simulation model that examines the food security of the grain producing households in China in an open border model regime. We define a food inadequacy index (F.I.) to measure the change of the food security status under alternative scenarios of border liberalization for the households. We conclude that if opening the border of grain market is followed by a more variable grain price distribution, the food security status will deteriorate for the low-income households on average. However, if border liberalization is followed by a decrease in mean of the price distribution, even with a more variable distribution, the food security status improves.International Relations/Trade,

TRADE IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY: ANALYSIS ON FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN RURAL CHINA

We simulate several alternative scenarios to access the impact of border liberalization on household food security in rural China. We find that most Chinese farmers derive most their income from sources other than grain marketing and buy a significant amount of staple grain. Opening the border to more import of grain resulting in lower the domestic price is likely to improve the general level of food security for rural farm households in China.Food Security and Poverty,

Your Employees and Cancer – Working Together

This brochure on employees with cancer and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is one of a series on human resources practices and workplace accommodations for persons with disabilities edited by Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., CRC, SPHR, Director, Program on Employment and Disability, School of Industrial and Labor Relations – Extension Division, Cornell University. Cornell University was funded in the early 1990’s by the U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a National Materials Development Project on the employment provisions (Title I) of the ADA (Grant #H133D10155). These updates, and the development of new brochures, have been funded by Cornell’s Program on Employment and Disability, the Pacific Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center, and other supporters

Pricing Limited Partnerships in the Secondary Market

This study investigates the pattern of prices for multiple partnerships sold in the secondary market. In the model, the partnership buyer prefers to purchase the units sequentially since sellers have varying desires to sell. The benefit of a sequential purchase strategy is partially offset by rational sellers who demand higher prices in earlier sales since the possibility of future sales reduces the sellers’ eagerness to sell in earlier rounds. If this strategic component is sufficiently large, a pattern of decreasing prices should be observed. Using a panel dataset comprised of 52,679 transactions from eighteen real estate limited partnerships, and after controlling for performance characteristics, the study finds that prices decrease over time, thus indicating a significant strategic component in this market.

Myosin 1a Regulates Osteoblast Differentiation Independent of Intestinal Calcium Transport.

Myosin 1A (Myo1a) is a mechanoenzyme previously thought to be located exclusively in the intestinal epithelium. It is the principle calmodulin-binding protein of the brush border. Based on earlier studies in chickens, we hypothesized that Myo1a facilitates calcium transport across the brush border membrane of the intestinal epithelium, perhaps in association with the calcium channel Trpv6. Working with C2Bbe1 cells, a human intestinal epithelial cell line, we observed that overexpression of Myo1a increased, whereas the antisense construct blocked calcium transport. To further test this hypothesis, we examined mice in which either or both Myo1a and Trpv6 had been deleted. Although the Trpv6-null mice had decreased intestinal calcium transport, the Myo1a-null mouse did not, disproving our original hypothesis, at least in mice. Expecting that a reduction in intestinal calcium transport would result in decreased bone, we examined the skeletons of these mice. To our surprise, we found no decrease in bone in the Trpv6-null mouse, but a substantial decrease in the Myo1a-null mouse. Double deletions were comparable to the Myo1a null. Moreover, Myo1a but not Trpv6 was expressed in osteoblasts. In vitro, the bone marrow stromal cells from the Myo1a-null mice showed normal numbers of colony-forming units but marked decrements in the formation of alkaline phosphatase-positive colonies and mineralized nodules. We conclude that Myo1a regulates osteoblast differentiation independent of its role, if any, in intestinal calcium transport, whereas Trpv6 functions primarily to promote intestinal calcium transport with little influence in osteoblast function