Award Data

Illnesses due to waterborne pathogens are a substantial health risk, as seen in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks of 2006 that were traced to fecal contamination of fresh produce irrigation water. Additionally, there is the possibility of deliberate contamination of our water, and hence our food supply, by terrorists. However, water samples are not analyzed directly and rapidly, because sample matrice ...

Health-conscious Americans have increased their consumption of white meat. Boneless poultry now represents 48% of the USs annual 46.9 billion pounds of poultry products. With increasing consumer demand, poultry processors strive to improve quality, efficiency, product safety, and productivity. Processors are especially concerned about bone fragments and hazardous materials embedded in fillets whic ...

The impact of acute and chronic disease via exposure to pathogens, toxins, and chemical contaminants in food as well as financial losses incurred from such contaminants is significant. In an effort to increase the safety of foods, many intervention strategies have been developed, though none have been successful for uniform reduction of diverse food-derived insect, microbial and chemical contamina ...

Hundreds of volatile chemicals have been reported as emissions from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). These emissions are environmental concerns as a result of their impact on odor and general air quality. Volatiles emission monitoring of CAFOs is largely performed utilizing downwind air samples captured in Tedlar sampling bags. Published studies have indicated that this approach is not ...

We propose a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between Phenotype Screening Corporation, (PSC), and the USDAs Forest Services Northern Research Station to investigate the suitability of PSCs recent innovation, Plant Root Characterization System, for use in tree research. The Plant Root Characterization System, (PRCS), employs low energy digital x-ray radiography together with specially ...

THE TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE ORIENTED TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOIL SURFACTANT FLUSHING AND WASHING AS A LOW-COST, LOW-IMPACT, LOW-RISK, EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR THE REMOVAL AND ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION OF THE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS IN SOIL. THESE OBJECTIVES ARE: DEMONSTRATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN IONIC SURFACTANT SOLUTION AT CONCENTRATIONS ABOVE THE CRITICAL MICELLE CONCENTRATION ...

"Honey bee pollination is estimated to contribute over $14 billion annually to agricultural production. Honey bee pollination services in the larger ecosystem are also of vital importance. However, apiculture in the United States is threatened, especially by infestations of exotic parasitic mites. Varroa destructor, in particular, is lethal to many colonies, decimating both feral and managed honey ...

"The traditional markets for small tobacco farmers are decreasing. Either new markets for tobacco must be identified and developed or the farmers must switch to other crops. One potential new market for tobacco is an additive to road salt to reduce corrosion of infrastructure and vehicles. Degradation of bridge decks and other reinforced concrete structures predominately involves the corrosion of ...

"Renewable biofuels are gaining ever-increasing attention as alternatives to petroleum-based fuels for several reasons. Biofuels are advantageous from an economic and national security standpoint since they reduce the dependency on foreign oil imports and advantageous from an environmental standpoint since they are carbon neutral and reduce the net CO2 emissions. Lynntech proposes to develop an in ...

In the United States an estimated 2.4 million cases of human campylobacteriosis and 1.4 million cases of nontyphoidal human salmonellosis occur each year. Contaminated poultry meat is considered the most important vehicle of human infection with Campylobacter and Salmonella in the United States. Bacteriological surveys are conducted on a regular basis to ensure that the occurrence of important hum ...