USDA introduces cost-effective broiler production for farmers.

USDA introduces cost-effective broiler production for farmers. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has introduced the "Ghana Poultry Project" aimed at increasing the competitiveness of domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs in the country. The project has the objective of producing broilers at an average live weight of 2.50kg per bird within 6 weeks, as opposed to the usual 8 weeks. Another objective of the programme is to investigate key factors at the production stage and to showcase more efficient methods of production to increase profitability and to attract more investment into the poultry sector. As part of the programme, USDA together with the Veterinary Services Department (VSD) of Ghana, conducted a cost-effective broiler production demonstrations in Accra at AMAS Farms in Oyarifa to showcase how the project will work. more

Gestational diabetes: A diabetes predictor in fathers.

Gestational diabetes: A diabetes predictor in fathers.Gestational diabetes, a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy, affects between three and 20 percent of pregnant women. Those who develop gestational diabetes are seven times as likely to eventually develop type 2 diabetes in the years following pregnancy. Now, in a large study analyzing 20 years of data from Quebec, a team of scientists has demonstrated that gestational diabetes signals future diabetes risk not only in mothers, but also in fathers. The study was published in Diabetes Care,showed that the incident of diabetes was 33% greater in men whose partner has gestational diabetes compared with men whose partners did not have gestational diabetes.more

Energy saving filters for wastewater treatment created.

Energy saving filters for wastewater treatment created. Scientists have invented a new type of nanofilter that could reduce the energy needed to treat wastewater by up to five times. This breakthrough technology took about two years to develop and is now being commercialized across Asia. Scientists at Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have invented a new type of nanofilter that could reduce the energy needed to treat wastewater by up to five times. more

Technology which makes electricity from urine also kills pathogens.

Technology which makes electricity from urine also kills pathogens.A scientific breakthrough has taken an emerging biotechnology a step closer to being used to treat wastewater in the Developing World. Researchers at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) (Ieropoulos & Greenman) have discovered that technology they have developed which has already been proven to generate electricity through the process of cleaning organic waste, such as urine, also kills bacteria harmful to humans. Experts have shown that a special process they have developed in which wastewater flows through a series of cells filled with electroactive microbes can be used to attack and destroy a pathogen -- the potentially deadly Salmonella. source

Corn better used as food than biofuel.

Corn better used as food than biofuel. A new study finds that using corn for biofuel comes with greater environmental costs and fewer benefits than using corn for food. Corn is grown not only for food, it is also an important renewable energy source. Renewable biofuels can come with hidden economic and environmental issues, and the question of whether corn is better utilized as food or as a biofuel has persisted since ethanol came into use. Researchers at the University of Illinois have quantified and compared these issues in terms of economics of the entire production system to determine if the benefits of biofuel corn outweigh the costs. more

Using fat to help wounds heal without scars.

Using fat to help wounds heal without scars.Doctors have found a way to manipulate wounds to heal as regenerated skin rather than scar tissue. The method involves transforming the most common type of cells found in wounds into fat cells -- something that was previously thought to be impossible in humans. Fat cells called adipocytes are normally found in the skin, but they're lost when wounds heal as scars. The most common cells found in healing wounds are myofibroblasts, which were thought to only form a scar. Scar tissue also does not have any hair follicles associated with it, which is another factor that gives it an abnormal appearance from the rest of the skin. Researchers used these characteristics as the basis for their work -- changing the already present myofibroblasts into fat cells that do not cause scarring. The study showed hair and fat develop separately but not independently,that fat will not form without the new hairs, but once it does, the new cells are indistinguishable from the pre-existing fat cells, giving the healed wound a natural look instead of leaving a scar. more

How six cups of ground coffee can improve nose, throat surgery.

How six cups of ground coffee can improve nose, throat surgery.Engineers have designed a 'granular jamming cap' filled with coffee grounds that can improve the accuracy of the sophisticated 'GPS' system that surgeons use for nose and throat surgery. In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of the sophisticated "GPS" system that surgeons use for these delicate operations. They have designed a "granular jamming cap" filled with coffee grounds that does a better job of tracking patient head movements than current methods.more