Award Data

Mycotoxins are compounds produced by certain species of fungi which infect grains such as corn and peanuts. Among the most common and most toxic of these are the aflatoxins (AF), with AFB1 and AFG1 recognized as potent carcinogens in addition to their other negative effects. Contamination results in large economic losses at all levels of food production. Few effective means of treating contamin ...

COMMERCIAL CATFISH PRODUCTION IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPAIRED BY INFECTIOUS DISEASES, A MAJOR CAUSE OF ECONOMIC LOSSES TO THE CATFISH PRODUCER. ONE OF THE MOST DETRIMENTAL OF THESE INFECTIOUS DISEASES IS ENTERIC SEPTICEMIA OF CATFISH (ESC) CAUSED BY EDWARDSIELLA ICTALURI. IN 1987, APPROXIMATELY $4 MILLION WORTH OF FISH IN MISSISSIPPI ALONE DIED FROM ESC. PROMPT TREATMENT OF INFECTED FISH INCREASES THE C ...

There is a continuing need for reliable cloud observations to drive climatic UV-B prediction models. Traditionally, observations such as cloud cover are made by human observers, and thus often suffer from uncertainties due to the subjectivity of the observer. Cloud cover data is especially important in UV-B hazard prediction, as well as storm prediction. It is generally accepted that UV-B doses ...

A METHOD OF ESTABLISHING THE HOLDING CAPACITY OF ROCK ANCHORS IS PROPOSED. THE TECHNIQUE INVOLVES IMPROVED ELECTRONICS TO ESTABLISH UP-HOLD SEISMIC PROFILES. THESE VELOCITIES WOULD PROVIDE A QUANTIFIABLE METHOD OF DESIGNING ANCHORAGES IN COMPLEX STRATIGRAPHIES AND FRACTURED CONDITIONS SUCH AS COMMONLY FOUND IN CABLE LOGGING OPERATIONS. THE SYSTEM, OPERABLE BY A LAY LOGGER, WOULD ALLOW UTILIZATION ...

RESEARCH ON A NOVEL MEANS OF REMOVING BRAN AND OTHER CONSTITUENTS FROM WHEAT FLOUR, BASED ON ADVANCED ENERGY DYNAMIC'S UFC SYSTEM, A DRY, ELECTROSTATIC POWDER CLEANING SYSTEM, IS PROPOSED TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: (1) RECOVERY OF ADDITIONAL PATENT-GRADE FLOUR (ORDINARY BAKING FLOUR) AND FIRST CLEAR FLOUR (USED TO MAKE RYE BREAD AND HARD ROLLS) FROM THE BYPRODUCT AND ANIMAL FEED STREAMS ...

Past applications of wood fibers in cement-based materials have been limited to the specialty market of thin cement panels. Synthetic fibers have recently gained tremendous popularity as secondary reinforcement in conventional concrete for shrinkage crack control. Concrete reinforcing fibers should provide high levels of slenderness ratio, elastic modulus, tensile and bond strengths, and finenes ...

APPLIED SCIENCE ASSOCIATES, INC. PROPOSES TO PRODUCT FUEL ALCOHOL FROM SWEET SORGHUM: A PROLIFIC PRODUCER OF BIOMASS ON MARGINAL FARMLAND, RENEWABLE AND NON-COMPETITIVE WITH THEFOOD CHAIN. AN EXPERIMENTAL PROTOTYPE OF A "CROSSFOADS" FEEDSTOCK PROCESSOR IS AT HAND; A LOADER, A FLAIL FOR SEPERATINGPITH FROM RIND, A VIBRATING SEPARATOR OF THESE COMPONENTS, AAND A SCREW PRESS FOR EXPRESSING THE JUICE. ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project envisages new thermoset coating materials derived from lesquerella oil. The proposed research will result in the creation of markets for lesquerella oil and wil assist the USDA efforts to replace imported castor oil with domestically produced lesquerella oil. Bench-scale investigations of lesquerella oil modification will focus on addition ...

There is a need for a simple, cost-effective procedure for making accurate estimates of crop residue in agricultural fields. The objectives of this Phase I effort is to conduct the research required to design a light-weight, affordable hand-held spectral radiometer and associated spectral algorithm for quickly making field estimates of percent crop residue cover. The specific tasks that will be ...

AS THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY HAS GROWN, LITTLE ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF AQUACULTURE, UNTIL RECENTLY. BETTER COLLECTION TECHNIQUES FOR FISH WASTEMATERIAL, WHICH IS IN THE FORM OF A SLURRY AND IS APPROXIMATELY 95% WATER, HAVE INCREASED OPERATING COSTS FOR THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY TO TREAT EFFLUENTS AND DISPOSE OF SOLIDS GENERATED. FUTURE REGULATIONS MAY LIMIT CURRENT D ...