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USDA Agricultural Research Service
ARS Scientists Test MRI Device to Measure Body Fat in Piglets
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:46:00 -0500
A new device can more accurately and precisely measure total body fat, lean tissue mass, free water mass and total body water in piglets and may have future applications for human pediatric use. Click the image for more information about it. Scientists study excess fat in chickens Pig gene database supports human nutrition, immunity studies DXA measures meat, fat composition in pork ARS Scientists Test MRI Device to Measure Body Fat in Piglets By Sharon Durham August 27, 2008 A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based device--more advanced than the technology used today for body composition tests--can accurately and precisely measure total body fat in piglets using the principles of quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR), according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who evaluated the new technology. The new device, called EchoMRI, was tested by ARS researchers to measure not only total body fat, but lean tissue mass, free water mass and total body water in piglets. The research was done under a grant from the National Institutes of Health, which wants to know if the new technology could have future applications for human pediatric use. Standard MRI systems are commonly used to scan and visualize tissue in humans. However, when used for body composition analysis, imaging systems are subject to substantial error rates caused by the interpretation of visual images using software that relies on population averages. EchoMRI uses a new type of QMR methodology to obtain body composition results. Its measurement principle depends on the density of hydrogen nuclei and the physical state of the tissue. ARS animal scientist Alva Mitchell at the Animal Biosciences and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., tested the device, developed by Echo Medical Systems, to determine EchoMRI's precision and accuracy in piglets as compared to dual x-ray (DXA) technology and chemical analysis. Twenty-five piglets, each weighing between 3.5 pounds and 8 pounds, were screened live, anesthetized, and post-mortem, using a prototype EchoMRI device for infants. The piglets were also scanned using DXA and then subjected to chemical analysis. After DXA scans, EchoMRI screenings, and chemical analyses were completed, EchoMRI was found to be a precise and accurate method suitable for measuring piglet whole body composition, total body fat, lean tissue mass, free water mass, and total body water. While these studies were conducted on piglets, EchoMRI may be transferable to market-weight pigs. EchoMRI allows for measurements to be conducted in only a few minutes without anesthesia or sedation, is radiation-free, and does not require the subject to remain completely motionless. This facilitates convenient, low-stress repeated tracking of small changes in body composition and can be advantageous to researchers to optimize feed utilization. It could also help researchers identify high-value hogs for breeding. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Fingerprinting" Helps Make Great Grapes
Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:49:00 -0500
Genetic fingerprints, now being developed for the 2,800 wild, rare and domesticated grapes in ARS's northern California genebank, will help grape breeders pinpoint unusual characteristics. Click the image for more information about it. Autumn King seedless grapes: Big and luscious! Thomcord grape: Flavorful, attractive—and seedless! Sweet Scarlet grape: New variety readied for growers “Fingerprinting” Helps Make Great Grapes By Marcia Wood August 26, 2008 At about this time next year, nearly all of the 2,800 wild, rare and domesticated grapes in a unique northern California genebank will have had their "genetic profile" or “fingerprint” taken. These fingerprints may help grape breeders pinpoint plants in the collection that have unusual traits--ones that might appeal to shoppers in tomorrow's supermarkets. Other grapes might be ideal for scientists who are doing basic research. That’s according to Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant geneticist Mallikarjuna Aradhya. He's heading the grape fingerprinting venture. The grape collection that Aradhya is fingerprinting encompasses vineyards and screened enclosures, called “screenhouses." It is part of what’s officially known as the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Tree Fruit and Nut Crops and Grapes, in Davis, Calif. To glean a distinctive genetic fingerprint of each member of the collection, Aradhya uses pieces of genetic material--or DNA--known as microsatellite markers. Eight markers are all that are needed for a genetic fingerprint of more familiar grapes, like close relatives of those already used for making wine or raisins or for eating out-of-hand. But the lesser-known ones--wild grapes and some prized types from China, for instance--require twice as many markers for reliable identification. That’s due, in part, to the fact that the taxonomy, or relatedness of one kind of grape to another, is quite jumbled, Aradhya noted. He has already fingerprinted 1,100 better-known grapes and 300 wild specimens. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria Studied
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:15:00 -0500
Researchers are now identifying nitrogen-fixing bacteria that release all of the hydrogen the microbes produce, which could lead to a new hydrogen source for fuel cells. Photo courtesy of Department of Energy. Switchgrass: Bridging bioenergy and conservation Biofuel crops double as greenhouse-gas reducers Making gas from crop residue Hydrogen-Producing Bacteria Provide Clean Energy By Rosalie Marion Bliss August 25, 2008 A new "green" technology developed cooperatively by scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and North Carolina State University (NC State) could lead to production of hydrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Renewable sources of energy—such as hydrogen—that don't produce pollutants or greenhouse gases are needed to solve global energy shortages. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas are nonrenewable energy sources implicated in global warming. The invention holds promise as a source of hydrogen for use in fuel cell technology. Fuel cell devices combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and water, and are considered efficient, quiet and pollution-free. Fuel cells are now being tested in a range of products, including automobiles that release no emissions other than water vapor. ARS inventors Paul Bishop and Telisa Loveless and NC State inventors Jonathan Olson and José Bruno-Bárcena developed the patent-pending technology. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a key role in agriculture. They live in soil and on certain plant roots, and convert nitrogen from the air into a chemical form that plants can use to grow. The researchers developed a way to identify strains of these bacteria that produce hydrogen gas. Bishop first demonstrated novel aspects of bacterial nitrogen-fixing more than two decades ago. Building on that work, the team developed a method that uses a selecting agent to identify these special hydrogen-producing strains. The selecting agent allows researchers to identify these bacterial strains without the need for genomic sequencing or genetic modification. Using the selecting agent, the inventors identified a gene that inactivates the bacteria's hydrogen uptake system so that all of the hydrogen produced is released. Because the bacterial cells cannot recycle the hydrogen, the hydrogen they produce can be captured and used as a fuel whose byproduct is water and heat. Licensing information can be obtained by contacting the ARS Office of Technology Transfer or the Office of Technology Transfer at NC State. ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service Reports
Poultry Slaughter
Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 6 Percent from Last Year....
Broiler Hatchery
Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down 5 Percent. Broiler Chicks Placed Down 2 Percent....
Turkey Hatchery
Eggs in Incubators on August 1 Down 5 Percent from Last Year. Poults Hatched During July Up 1 Percent from Last Year. Net Poults Placed During July Down 2...
Dairy Products Prices
Cheddar Cheese prices received for US 40 pound Blocks averaged $1.96 per pound for the week ending August 9....
Crop Progress
NASS releases Crop Progress and Condition Estimates...
United States and Canadian Cattle
This report has been released by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
