CHINESE CONSUMER DEMAND FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. PORK AND POULTRY EXPORTS

This paper examines Chinese consumer preference for major animal products and assesses the potential impacts of a reduction in China's import tariff on its pork and poultry demand and net import. Our analysis suggests that China's demand for animal products will continue to grow as income increases. Using a trade model, results of our scenario analysis indicate that a reduction in China's import tariffs will significantly increase its net pork and poultry imports and the U.S. will capture most of the increases. Nevertheless, the impact on the market price in China and the U.S. is likely to be very small.Almost Ideal Demand System, China, Consumer demand, Demand elasticity, Food demand, Partial equilibrium model, Two-stage budgeting, U.S. meat export, Demand and Price Analysis, International Relations/Trade,

Identification of compounds with anti-human cytomegalovirus activity that inhibit production of IE2 proteins

Using a high throughput screening methodology we surveyed a collection of largely uncharacterized validated or suspected kinase inhibitors for anti-human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) activity. From this screen we identified three structurally related 5-aminopyrazine compounds (XMD7-1, -2 and -27) that inhibited HCMV replication in virus yield reduction assays at low micromolar concentrations. Kinase selectivity assays indicated that each compound was a kinase inhibitor capable of inhibiting a range of cellular protein kinases. Western blotting and RNA sequencing demonstrated that treatment of infected cells with XMD7 compounds resulted in a defect in the production of the major HCMV transcriptional transactivator IE2 proteins (IE2-86, IE2-60 and IE2-40) and an overall reduction in transcription from the viral genome. However, production of certain viral proteins was not compromised by treatment with XMD7 compounds. Thus, these novel anti-HCMV compounds likely inhibited transcription from the viral genome and suppressed production of a subset of viral proteins by inhibiting IE2 protein production

Which Th pathway is involved during late stage amoebic gill disease?

Acknowledgements This work was supported financially by the Marine Collaboration Research Forum (MarCRF) which is a collaboration be-tween the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland Science,Marine Laboratory (MSS). Thanks go to Dr. David Bruno (MSS) and Patricia Noguera (MSS) for the assessment of the gill core/AGD pathology; Dr. Malcolm Hall (MSS) for statistical consultancy; Louise Feehan (MSS), Ben Williamson (MSS) and Mark Paterson (MSS) for the management of the aquarium and the fish care;Mark Fordyce (MSS) for the H&E stain and scan of the slides; Dr.Ayham Alnabulsi for providing the anti-Ig antibodies; the histology facility at the Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen; Carola Dehler for providing the Atlantic salmon(muscle) DNA samples used for checking whether amplification of gDNA occurred during real time RT-PCRPeer reviewedPostprin

Squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple following radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Radiation-induced nonmelanoma skin cancer was first reported seven years after the discovery of X-rays, but has received relatively little consideration in the literature. Specifically, nonmelanoma skin cancer after conservative surgery and radiation for early stage breast cancer has not been well studied. We report the case of a woman who developed squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple nine years after conservative surgery and radiation for ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>of the ipsilateral breast. We also review the relevant literature available to date.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 66-year-old African-American woman presented to the hospital with a non-healing ulcer of the right nipple. Her past medical history was significant for right breast ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>for which she had undergone lumpectomy and whole breast radiation therapy nine years previously. Mammography and magnetic resonance imaging studies were negative for recurrent breast cancer. However, the latter demonstrated abnormal enhancement in the nipple-areolar region. An incisional biopsy of the lesion demonstrated invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Subsequently, the patient underwent wide excision of the nipple-areolar complex. Sentinel lymph-node biopsy was offered but our patient declined. She was considered to have local disease and hence no further treatment was recommended.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case represents the first reported occurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the nipple to follow conservative surgery and radiation for ductal carcinoma <it>in situ </it>of the ipsilateral breast. It is likely that radiation overexposure resulted in a radiation burn and subsequent radiodermatitis, placing it at risk for squamous cell carcinoma. A diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma should be considered in a patient with a nipple lesion following radiation therapy for breast cancer.</p

Characterisation of arginase paralogues in salmonids and their modulation by immune stimulation/ infection

Acknowledgements OB was supported by a PhD studentship from the Marine Collaboration Research Forum (MarCRF), which is a collaboration between the University of Aberdeen and Marine Scotland Science, Marine Laboratory (MSS), and through Scottish Government project AQ0080. EW was supported by a PhD studentship from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Thailand and Mahasarakham University. TW received funding from the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS), a pooling initiative funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011), and JWH was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant reference CRSII3_147649-1).Peer reviewedPostprin

The physical constraints on a new LoBAL QSO at z=4.82

Very few low-ionization broad absorption line (LoBAL) QSOs have been found at high redshifts to date. One high-redshift LoBAL QSO, J0122+1216, was recently discovered at the Lijiang 2.4-m Telescope with an initial redshift determination of 4.76. Aiming to investigate its physical properties, we carried out follow-up observations in the optical and near-IR spectroscopy. Near-IR spectra from UKIRT and P200 confirms that it is a LoBAL, with a new redshift determination of $4.82\pm0.01$ based on the \mgii~ emission-line. The new \mgii~ redshift determination reveals strong blueshifts and asymmetry of the high-ionization emission lines. We estimated a black hole mass of $\sim 2.3\times 10^9 M_\odot$ and Eddington ratio of $\sim 1.0$ according to the empirical \mgii-based single-epoch relation and bolometric correction factor. It is possible that strong outflows are the result of an extreme quasar environment driven by the high Eddington ratio. A lower limit on the outflowing kinetic power ($>0.9\% L_{Edd}$) was derived from both emission and absorption lines, indicating these outflows play a significant role in the feedback process to regulate the growth of its black hole as well as host galaxy evolution.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa