01737nam a2200253 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001910000170006024500890007726001470016652009580031365000210127165000240129265000100131665000150132665300210134170000170136270000180137970000210139770000150141870000190143370000180145270000130147020884912024-01-04       1999    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d1 aYOUNG, M. J.  aPrediction of carcass composition in meat breeds of sheep using computer tomography.  aIn: ANNUAL MEETING OF THE BRITISH SOCIETY OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, 1999, Scarborough. Proceedings... Scarborough: BSAS, 1999. 1 CD ROM. p. 43.c1999  aA commercial scanning service for breeders of meat sheep using CT scans at only three sites would allow very accurate predictions of carcass tissue weights. From these measurements, carcass quality measures could be assessed such as ratios of muscle to bone or muscle to fat, and proportions of muscle in different joints. It has been estimated that the use of ultrasonic scanning and index selection in breeds of meat sheep in Britain currently produces benefits of about £5 million per annum - benefits which exceed the net costs of running improvement schemes by a factor of about 9 now, and which rise annually (Simm et al., 1997). It has also been estimated that an in vivo measurement technique with perfect precision could allow selection responses, and hence economic gains, 50% greater than those currently possible (Simm and Dingwall, 1989). CT provides a means to achieve the near perfect prediction of carcass composition required for this.  aAnimal nutrition  aCarcass composition  aSheep  aTomography  aImage processing1 aLEWIS, R. M.1 aMcLEAN, K. A.1 aROBSON, N. A. A.1 aFRASER, J.1 aFITZSIMONS, J.1 aDONBAVAND, J.1 aSIMM, G.