@conference {40521,
	title = {Hormone/metabolite levels in young rams as predictors of genetic merit for backfat depth and fleeceweight},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {53},
	year = {1993},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {335-338},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {Three newly developed electronic lamb carcass grading probes (Hennessy Grading Probe, AUS-Meat Sheep Probe, Swedish FTC Lamb Probe) and one developmental probe (Ruakura GR lamb probe) were tested for accuracy in classifying 6 groups, each of approximately 50 lamb carcasses.  They were assessed for accuracy and suitability for use on- line on the lamb dressing chain for objectively classifying lamb carcasses. Probe measurements were compared with manual GR (sometimes used at present) and Toland (can measure total tissue depth between the ribs) probe measurements for accuracy of predicting both GR on the right side of each carcass, and also carcass water (indicating muscle) and fat content. All probes combined with carcass weight accounted for over 70\% of the variation (R2) of GR right with the GR left prediction accounting for 92\% of the variation in GR right. The 3 commercial electronic probes used at chain speed combined with carcass weight could account for 36- 49\% of the variation in \% water and fat with the manual GR probe (right) doing only slightly better on the chilled carcass. Chilled carcass measurements are expected to give better results. The electronic probe results are consistent with overseas results where probes are in use for objectively grading the carcasses of meat animals.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Kuhn B and Blair HT and Purchas RW and McCutcheon SN}
}
@conference {40531,
	title = {Metabolic changes in sheep divergently selected for plasma IGF-1},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {53},
	year = {1993},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {381-384},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	abstract = {The detection of small amounts of biologically active material in animals may require quantification of radioactive label. Here we compare several image analysis methods for quantifying relative levels of radioactive probe detected by x-ray film or photographic emulsion. Total RNA "dot blots" and ovine muscle sections were probed for the presence of muscle actin mRNA using 35S-labelled riboprobes. Bound probe was detected by x-ray film in both cases. The probed sections were further exposed to photographic emulsion, while the dot blots were individually quantified by scintillation counting. Bound probe was quantified macroscopically by digitisation of optical density (OD) and thresholding of the x-ray film image. Dot blot image ODs were correlated with scintillation counts (r>0.96), demonstrating that the levels of mRNA detected in tissues by autoradiography are proportional to cellular mRNA concentration. Densitometry of section macroautoradiographic images can therefore be useful in determining relative probe signal at the tissue level. When probe was quantified microscopically by counting silver grains in emulsion autoradiographs, simple thresholding correlated with manual counts (r=0.88) but was unreliable at higher grain densities. Processing of the gray image gave a more direct estimate of silver grain density (r= 0.98).},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Sherlock RG and Blair HT and Kuhn B and MacKenzie DDS and Breier BH and Gluckman PD and McCutcheon SN}
}
