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| This Week's Titles: |
| Scientists
Working To Trim The Obesity Epidemic |
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Small Insects Buzzing Around
Cotton And Vegetable Crops |
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| Food
Safety Important At Concession Stands |
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| Research
Will Help Woody Plants Survive Cold Snaps |
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| Young
People That Are Serious About Their Civic Duty |
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| Scientists
Working To Trim The Obesity Epidemic |
1:37 |
College scientists are doing
their part to trim the fat off people by learning more about
fat cells. |
Despite education, drugs,
dieting, and surgery, the obesity epidemic continues to get
worse in the United States. Scientists with the University of
Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
have developed a program that will help them learn more about
genes involved with fat cell development. The information will
help them develop a plan for controlling fat production in livestock,
and better obesity control in humans. "We're interested in the
mechanisms, the switches that are thrown that tell a cell that
it must become a fat cell. And the switches that we're interested
in are switches that affect the DNA of the cell. Every cell
that changes its program to become either a skin cell or a muscle
cell or a fat cell or a bone cell, all of those different programs
have different configurations of the way the DNA is regulated."
That was Roger Dean with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, who also plans to study gene mechanisms of appetite
control. The long range goal is to use information gained from
the research to develop functional models for tissues such as
fat. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Small
Insects Buzzing Around Cotton And Vegetable Crops |
1:39 |
Some small insects are swarming
to vegetables and certain row crops in the late summer heat. |
Farmers started noticing
increased numbers of sweetpotato whiteflies buzzing around cotton
and vegetable crops last year. Stormy Sparks, an entomologist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says the numbers of whiteflies increase
during hot, dry weather. "They tend to be more of a problem
in areas where we have vegetable production and cotton production
in close vicinity because they move from crop to crop very readily
so they start out pretty low populations in the spring, they
build up on cotton, they move into the fall crops and they've
just had all year to build up. The hot, dry conditions allows
for increased survival, and a faster reproductive rate, faster
generation time." Stormy Sparks with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, who adds whiteflies are generally
only a problem in late summer and fall, mainly in South Georgia.
Insecticides are on the market that will provide temporary relief.
But populations are so high that more whiteflies will come right
back in three or four days. The only effective knockout punch
must be landed by mother nature, in the form of a good, soaking
general rain, and an early cold front in September that will
bring in cooler temperatures, and lower humidity. John Harrell,
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Food
Safety Important At Concession Stands |
1:39 |
Workers at recreation concession
stands should do all they can to help food safety come out a
winner. |
As fall begins, youth football
and soccer will kick off, and bring a lot of people to athletic
fields and stadiums. One of the most popular sights at a recreation
field is the concession stand, where people eat a quick snack.
Since so many people visit concession stands, it's important
to handle the foods safely, and keep the facilities clean. Judy
Harrison, a foods specialist with the University of Georgia's
College of Family and Consumer Sciences says it's very important
for concession stand workers to keep their hands clean when
handling foods. "When we go in to work in those concession stands
is to be sure that we're being clean with the food. That means
washing our hands and forearms for at least twenty seconds with
warm running water and soap when we go in to work. And also
using gloves on our clean hands for handling ready to eat foods."
Judy Harrison with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.
When working with frozen foods, remember to thaw out only the
amount you will use. Once the concession stand is closed, allow
plenty of time to give the area a good, solid cleanup, so the
facilities will be clean and ready for the next group of workers.
John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Research
Will Help Woody Plants Survive Cold Snaps |
1:37 |
Thanks to college research,
colorful woody plants may not suffer the big chill when a cold
snap moves in. |
Many homeowners want to
increase the beauty of their landscapes by growing crepe myrtles,
hollies, and other woody plants. But a lot of woody plants have
a hard time coping with cold and freezing temperatures, and
suffer damage. Scientists with the University of Georgia's College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have been conducting
research in an effort to identify new woody plants that can
tolerate cold weather. "And we have been evaluating plants,
we do laboratory freeze tests as well as growing them up in
the mountains up in Blairsville and we grow them here in Griffin.
And we are trying to find cultivars that will tolerate these
freezes well and we see some real differences, some plants come
through just fine and other ones are very badly damaged by the
fluctuating winter temperatures." That was Carol Robacker with
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who
adds Georgia's nursery industry will also benefit from this
research. Each new cold hardy selection provides a significant
economic value by reducing production costs, labor dollars,
extending the region of sales, and reducing pollution problems.
Data from the research will also help homeowners select the
right chemicals to control pests, and suggest the correct timing
of these applications. John Harrell, University of Georgia College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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| Young
People That Are Serious About Their Civic Duty |
1:52 |
Several young people in an
East Central Georgia county are getting serious about performing
their civic duty. |
Many parents, teachers,
and community leaders often comment about the need for programs
that provide leadership skills for today's youth. In Evans County
several young people expressed a desire to form a Junior Chamber
of Commerce Board of Directors. The junior board would work
with the Claxton-Evans County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Stephanie Myers, a county extension agent in Evans County says
the Junior Board of Directors could then bring fresh, new ideas
into the planning and development phases of key community projects.
"Basically a lot things that are implemented in the community
as far as community events, they have the Junior Chamber Board
involved in that process. And then they also are going through
their own process of developing leadership skills so not only
are they in training themselves but they're actually helping
the Board of Directors and chamber officials with events that
are going on right now." Stephanie Myers with the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Twenty-three Evans
County youth were chosen through an application process to serve
as Junior Board members. Youth members will learn the importance
of teamwork, goal-setting, active community involvement, and
how one person can make a difference in the betterment of their
community. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
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