The Pork Niche Market Phenomenon

After the broad industrialization of the U.S. swine/pork industry, there have been numerous niche markets for export and domestic pork developing. With the Midwest’s tradition of a corn-hog family-based agricultural system, the stage was set for the pork niche market phenomena to take root. There are approximately 35 to 40 pork niche marketing efforts currently active in Iowa. A multistate Pork Niche Market Working Group (PNMWG) was started in 2002 in Iowa to “support the development of niche markets for pork, to foster the success of highly differentiated pork value chains that are profitable to all participants that incorporate farmer ownership and control, and contribute to environmental stewardship and rural vitality.” Pork niche markets embrace a variety of approaches including direct marketing, internet sales, small locker plants, farmer groups, and organized marketing groups. One of the larger and more successful niche marketers of “natural pork” is Niman Ranch Pork, Thornton, Iowa. Niman Ranch pork has more than 200 farmer-producers and processes about 2,000 pigs weekly. There are indications that U.S. consumers are interested in the environmental, pig welfare, and pig farm ownership and structure characteristics of the pork they buy. Many consumers may be willing to pay more for pork with positive attributes in these areas. Niche markets are attractive to small- and medium-based farmers who have swine experience and facilities. Noted agricultural economist Glenn Grimes of the University of Missouri stated at the 2003 World Pork Expo, Des Moines, Iowa, that “Unless small pork producers have captured a niche market within the pork chain, they will disappear.” Niche markets seek product differentiation via quality and social or credence attributes. Quality attributes that are claimed by the niche market include certain breeds or genetics, taste or flavor, high quality, freshness, and tenderness. Social or credence attributes often are claimed and include antibiotic and growth promotant-free, family farm raised, “natural,” organic, outdoor or bedded rearing, locally raised, humane rearing, known origin, environment-friendly, and no animal by-products in feed

Diagnostic imaging of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia based on hematoxylin and eosin fluorescence

Background Pathological classification of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is problematic as it relies on subjective criteria. We developed an imaging method that uses spectroscopy to assess the fluorescent intensity of cervical biopsies derived directly from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissues. Methods Archived H&E slides were identified containing normal cervical tissue, CIN I, and CIN III cases, from a Community Hospital and an Academic Medical Center. Cases were obtained by consensus review of at least 2 senior pathologists. Images from H&E slides were captured first with bright field illumination and then with fluorescent illumination. We used a Zeiss Axio Observer Z1 microscope and an AxioVision 4.6.3-AP1 camera at excitation wavelength of 450–490 nm with emission captured at 515–565 nm. The 32-bit grayscale fluorescence images were used for image analysis. Results We reviewed 108 slides: 46 normal, 33 CIN I and 29 CIN III. Fluorescent intensity increased progressively in normal epithelial tissue as cells matured and advanced from the basal to superficial regions of the epithelium. In CIN I cases this change was less prominent as compared to normal. In high grade CIN lesions, there was a slight or no increase in fluorescent intensity. All groups examined were statistically different. Conclusion Presently, there are no markers to help in classification of CIN I-III lesions. Our imaging method may complement standard H&E pathological review and provide objective criteria to support the CIN diagnosis

Coexisting high-grade glandular and squamous cervical lesions and human papillomavirus infections

Contains fulltext : 144469.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)The frequency of high-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) genotypes in patients with adenocarcinoma in situ (ACIS) with coexisting cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), ACIS without coexisting CIN, and high-grade CIN (CIN II/III) was studied, in order to gain more insight into the relation between hr-HPV infections and the development of coexisting squamous and glandular lesions. The SPF(10) LiPA PCR was used to detect simultaneously 25 different HPV genotypes in biopsies obtained from 90 patients with CIN II/III, 47 patients with ACIS without coexisting CIN, and 49 patients with ACIS and coexisting CIN. hr-HPV was detected in 84 patients (93%) with CIN II/III, 38 patients (81%) with ACIS without CIN, and in 47 patients (96%) with ACIS and coexisting CIN. A total of 13 different hr-HPV genotypes were detected in patients with CIN II/III, and only five in patients with ACIS with/without coexisting CIN. HPV 31, multiple hr-HPV genotypes, and HPV genotypes other than 16, 18, and 45 were significantly more often detected in patients with CIN II/III, while HPV 18 was significantly more often detected in patients with ACIS with/without CIN. There were no significant differences in the frequency of specific hr-HPV genotypes between patients with ACIS with or without coexisting CIN. In conclusion, the frequency of specific hr-HPV genotypes is similar for patients with ACIS without CIN and patients with ACIS and coexisting CIN, but is significantly different for patients with CIN II/III without ACIS. These findings suggest that squamous lesions, coexisting with high-grade glandular lesions, are aetiologically different from squamous lesions without coexisting glandular lesions

On the Mechanism of Action of SJ-172550 in Inhibiting the Interaction of MDM4 and p53

SJ-172550 (1) was previously discovered in a biochemical high throughput screen for inhibitors of the interaction of MDMX and p53 and characterized as a reversible inhibitor (J. Biol. Chem. 2010; 285∶10786). Further study of the biochemical mode of action of 1 has shown that it acts through a complicated mechanism in which the compound forms a covalent but reversible complex with MDMX and locks MDMX into a conformation that is unable to bind p53. The relative stability of this complex is influenced by many factors including the reducing potential of the media, the presence of aggregates, and other factors that influence the conformational stability of the protein. This complex mechanism of action hinders the further development of compound 1 as a selective MDMX inhibitor

A novel COMP mutation in a pseudoachondroplasia family of Chinese origin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) is caused exclusively by mutations in the gene for cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (<it>COMP</it>). Only a small number of studies have documented the clinical phenotype and genetic basis in Chinese PSACH patients.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We investigated a four-generation PSACH pedigree of Chinese Han origin. Two patients and two unaffected individuals were recruited for clinical evaluation and molecular genetic analysis. The genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was adopted to amplify the 8-19 exons of <it>COMP </it>gene. Then the products were sequenced bi-directionally for screening mutation. Clinical evaluation revealed that PSACH patients in this pedigree had a severe disproportionate short stature (-10SD). A heterozygous TGTCCCTGG insertion in exon 13, between nucleotide 1352T and 1353G, were identified in the patients except the unaffected individuals, which resulted in a three-amino-acid insertion (451V_452P ins VPG) in the sixth calmodulin-like repeat of the <it>COMP </it>protein.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This c. 1352_1353ins TGTCCCTGG is a novel mutation responsible for severe familial PSACH.</p

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) and high-risk human papillomavirus (H-HPV) as diagnostic biomarkers of cervical dysplasia/neoplasia in Japanese women with a cytologic diagnosis of atypical glandular cells (AGC): a Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) Study

BackgroundHigh-risk human papillomavirus (H-HPV) infection is linked to cervical neoplasia but its role in detecting cervical glandular lesions (GLs) is unclear. Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA-IX) is a hypoxic biomarker that is highly expressed in neoplastic cervical GLs. The diagnostic utility of these biomarkers was evaluated by the Gynecologic Oncology Group in Japanese women with a cytological diagnosis of atypical glandular cells.MethodsImmunostaining was used to detect CA-IX in a conventional Pap smear. Immunoreactivity of CA-IX was interpreted by a panel of pathologists blinded to the histological diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect H-HPV in a liquid-based cytology specimen.ResultsSignificant cervical lesions (SCLs), defined as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2, CIN3), adenocarcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma, were observed in 37/88 (42%) of women. CA-IX testing alone (n=88) had a sensitivity of 89, 100 or 73% for SCLs, GLs or significant squamous lesions (SLs), respectively, with a false negative rate (FNR) of 14%. Testing for H-HPV (n=84) had a sensitivity of 65, 53 or 80% for SCLs, GLs or SLs, respectively, with a FNR of 22%. The combination of CA-IX and H-HPV testing had a sensitivity of 97, 100 or 93% for SCLs, GLs or SLs, respectively, with a FNR of 5%. Among eight H-HPV-negative GLs, six (75%) had a diagnosis of lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia (LEGH).ConclusionThe combination of CA-IX and HPV testing improved the diagnostic accuracy. The low rate of H-HPV positivity in the GLs was associated with coexisting LEGH independent of H-HPV

A preliminary investigation of materialism and impulsiveness as predictors of technological addictions among young adults

Background and aims: The primary objective of the present research is to investigate the drivers of technological addiction in college students — heavy users of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The study places cell phone and instant messaging addiction in the broader context of consumption pathologies, investigating the influence of materialism and impulsiveness on these two technologies. Clearly, cell phones serve more than just a utilitarian purpose. Cell phones are used in public and play a vital role in the lives of young adults. The accessibility of new technologies, like cell phones, which have the advantages of portability and an ever increasing array of functions, makes their over-use increasingly likely. Methods: College undergraduates (N = 191) from two U.S. universities completed a paper and pencil survey instrument during class. The questionnaire took approximately 15–20 minutes to complete and contained scales that measured materialism, impulsiveness, and mobile phone and instant messaging addiction. Results: Factor analysis supported the discriminant validity of Ehrenberg, Juckes, White and Walsh's (2008) Mobile Phone and Instant Messaging Addictive Tendencies Scale. The path model indicates that both materialism and impulsiveness impact the two addictive tendencies, and that materialism's direct impact on these addictions has a noticeably larger effect on cell phone use than instant messaging. Conclusions: The present study finds that materialism and impulsiveness drive both a dependence on cell phones and instant messaging. As Griffiths (2012) rightly warns, however, researchers must be aware that one's addiction may not simply be to the cell phone, but to a particular activity or function of the cell phone. The emergence of multi-function smart phones requires that research must dig beneath the technology being used to the activities that draw the user to the particular technology

Androgen Receptor Functional Analyses by High Throughput Imaging: Determination of Ligand, Cell Cycle, and Mutation-Specific Effects

Understanding how androgen receptor (AR) function is modulated by exposure to steroids, growth factors or small molecules can have important mechanistic implications for AR-related disease therapies (e.g., prostate cancer, androgen insensitivity syndrome, AIS), and in the analysis of environmental endocrine disruptors.We report the development of a high throughput (HT) image-based assay that quantifies AR subcellular and subnuclear distribution, and transcriptional reporter gene activity on a cell-by-cell basis. Furthermore, simultaneous analysis of DNA content allowed determination of cell cycle position and permitted the analysis of cell cycle dependent changes in AR function in unsynchronized cell populations. Assay quality for EC50 coefficients of variation were 5–24%, with Z' values reaching 0.91. This was achieved by the selective analysis of cells expressing physiological levels of AR, important because minor over-expression resulted in elevated nuclear speckling and decreased transcriptional reporter gene activity. A small screen of AR-binding ligands, including known agonists, antagonists, and endocrine disruptors, demonstrated that nuclear translocation and nuclear “speckling” were linked with transcriptional output, and specific ligands were noted to differentially affect measurements for wild type versus mutant AR, suggesting differing mechanisms of action. HT imaging of patient-derived AIS mutations demonstrated a proof-of-principle personalized medicine approach to rapidly identify ligands capable of restoring multiple AR functions.HT imaging-based multiplex screening will provide a rapid, systems-level analysis of compounds/RNAi that may differentially affect wild type AR or clinically relevant AR mutations

Considerations for reducing food system energy demand while scaling up urban agriculture

There is an increasing global interest in scaling up urban agriculture (UA) in its various forms, from private gardens to sophisticated commercial operations. Much of this interest is in the spirit of environmental protection, with reduced waste and transportation energy highlighted as some of the proposed benefits of UA; however, explicit consideration of energy and resource requirements needs to be made in order to realize these anticipated environmental benefits. A literature review is undertaken here to provide new insight into the energy implications of scaling up UA in cities in high-income countries, considering UA classification, direct/indirect energy pressures, and interactions with other components of the food–energy–water nexus. This is followed by an exploration of ways in which these cities can plan for the exploitation of waste flows for resource-efficient UA. Given that it is estimated that the food system contributes nearly 15% of total US energy demand, optimization of resource use in food production, distribution, consumption, and waste systems may have a significant energy impact. There are limited data available that quantify resource demand implications directly associated with UA systems, highlighting that the literature is not yet sufficiently robust to make universal claims on benefits. This letter explores energy demand from conventional resource inputs, various production systems, water/energy trade-offs, alternative irrigation, packaging materials, and transportation/supply chains to shed light on UA-focused research needs. By analyzing data and cases from the existing literature, we propose that gains in energy efficiency could be realized through the co-location of UA operations with waste streams (e.g. heat, CO2, greywater, wastewater, compost), potentially increasing yields and offsetting life cycle energy demands relative to conventional approaches. This begs a number of energy-focused UA research questions that explore the opportunities for integrating the variety of UA structures and technologies, so that they are better able to exploit these urban waste flows and achieve whole-system reductions in energy demand. Any planning approach to implement these must, as always, assess how context will influence the viability and value added from the promotion of UA