Award Data

The USDA recognizes the need for improved instrumentation to monitor atmospheric ammonia which is a major environmental concern and a health hazard. Ammonia is a public health concern at high levels, as can be found in animal feed lots. At low levels, ammonia is a source of particulates which are not only a human health problem but also affect visibility and global climate. It has been estimated t ...

The proposed project seeks to identify superior strains of striped bass by evaluating the progeny of five wild strains collected from a broad geographic range. The collections are designed to evaluate genetically distinct strains. In order to control for the effect of family differences, five families will be collected from each of the strains and their performance will be evaluated and compared ...

Open surgical castration is a routine procedure on neonatal boars to prevent the offensive odor known as "boar taint" which is released when meat from affected animals is cooked. Castration produces a predictable incidence of side-effects including stress, hemorrhage, hernia, infection and mortality, which become more prevalent if castration is performed after weaning. Castration also produces a ...

Worldwide surpluses of wool have depressed the price of wool and nearly eliminated the wool market, especially for the small medium sheep meat producer. These producers have large quantities of surplus wool, an unwanted by-product, which creates a waste disposal problem. The purpose of this project is to create a new value-added product with commercial potential using raw wool, a renewable resourc ...

Ethylene is a plant hormone that is involved in regulating various aspects of plant growth and development such as seed dormancy, seedling growth, root and stem thickening, promotion of flowering, and promotion of fruit ripening and spoilage. Measurement of ethylene is important for developing a basic understanding of these processes, as well as for utilization in advanced agricultural practices. ...

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EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IS BEING CONDUCTED TO OPTIMIZE NITROGEN (N2) FIXATION RATE IN LEGUMINOUS CROPS, AND TO INTRODUCE N2-FIXING ABILITY INTO NONE-LEGUMINEOUS CROPS. THIS RESEARCH REQUIRES A METHOD TO CONDUCT CONTINUOUS, NININVASIVE MEASUREMENTS OF NITROGENASE ACTIVITY IN INTACT NODULATED ROOTS, PARTICULARLY IN FIELD STUDIES. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE METHODS ARE EITHER INHIBITORY OR ONLY PROVIDE MEASUREME ...

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THIS PROPOSAL INVESTIGATES AN EXTENDED LINE-OF-SIGHT RADIO TECHNIQUE FOR LOW-COST DATA AND VIDEO LINKING OF RURAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. EFFECTIVE RURAL WIDEBAND COMMUNICATIONS ARE OFTEN HAMPERED BY THE DIFFICULTY OF OBTAINING RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR CABLES AND/OR BY THE COST OF LEASED LINES OR SATELLITE CHANNELS. DIRECT RADIO LINKS WOULD BE ATTRACTIVE DUE TO THEIR NON-INTRUSIVE NATURE, P ...

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. There are currently 18 million patients in North America and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Disease (NIDDK) estimates that approximately 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year in the U.S. alone. In 2002 the direct costs of T2D were estimated to be $92 billion (up from $44 billion in ...