Hydrologic and geochemical characterization of the Santa Rosa Plain watershed, Sonoma County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Nishikawa, Tracy

2013-01-01

The Santa Rosa Plain is home to approximately half of the population of Sonoma County, California, and faces growth in population and demand for water. Water managers are confronted with the challenge of meeting the increasing water demand with a combination of water sources, including local groundwater, whose future availability could be uncertain. To meet this challenge, water managers are seeking to acquire the knowledge and tools needed to understand the likely effects of future groundwater development in the Santa Rosa Plain and to identify efficient strategies for surface- and groundwater management that will ensure the long-term viability of the water supply. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Sonoma County Water Agency and other stakeholders in the area (cities of Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, and Sebastopol, town of Windsor, Cal-American Water Company, and the County of Sonoma), undertook this study to characterize the hydrology of the Santa Rosa Plain and to develop tools to better understand and manage the groundwater system. The objectives of the study are: (1) to develop an updated assessment of the hydrogeology and geochemistry of the Santa Rosa Plain; (2) to develop a fully coupled surface-water and groundwater-flow model for the Santa Rosa Plain watershed; and (3) to evaluate the potential hydrologic effects of alternative groundwater-management strategies for the basin. The purpose of this report is to describe the surface-water and groundwater hydrology, hydrogeology, and water-quality characteristics of the Santa Rosa Plain watershed and to develop a conceptual model of the hydrologic system in support of the first objective. The results from completing the second and third objectives will be described in a separate report.

77 FR 23740 - Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration Project, Sonoma County, CA; Final Environmental...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-20

...-FF08RSFC00] Sears Point Wetland and Watershed Restoration Project, Sonoma County, CA; Final Environmental... environmental impact report and environmental impact statement (EIR/EIS) for the Sears Point Wetland and..., while providing public access and recreational and educational opportunities compatible with ecological...

Studying Geographical Distribution Map of Weeds of Irrigated Wheat Fields of Ardabil Province

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B Soheili

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In order to identify the density and abundance of weeds in irrigated wheat fields of Ardabil Province, 76 samples of irrigated wheat fields based on cultivation area from all counties of Ardabil province for six years (2001-2006 were selected. The genus and species of weeds from each sampling fields and their population indices density, frequency and uniformity of each species were calculated by using Thomas method. Geographic coordinates of field (Latitude, Altitude and Elevation were the main coverage and were determined by using GPS. These data were used for producing weed maps using GIS in irrigated wheat fields of Ardabil province. Results showed that bedstraw (Galium tricurnatum, Fumitory(Fumaria vaillantiand wildradish (Raphanus raphanistrum were dominant broad leaf weed species and wild oats (Avena fatua, rye (Secale cereal and mouse foxtail(Alopecurus myosuroides dominant grassy weeds species in irrigated wheat fields of Ardabil province. Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis, Canada thistle(Cirsium arvenseand Acroptilon repens were the most important disturbing plants prior to harvesting in irrigated wheat fields of Ardabil province.

Bio-herbicide effect of salt marsh tolerant Enterobacter sp. I-3 on weed seed germination and seedling growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radhakrishan, R.; Lee, I.J.

2017-01-01

Weeds are major challenges in crop cultivation and cause yield loss. The bacteria based bio-herbicides are emerging against chemical herbicides. This study was aimed to explore the bio-herbicide effect of salt marsh tolerant Enterobacter sp. I-3 on various weed species. The efficacy of I-3 bacterial isolates against weed growth was compared with I-4-5 bacterial strain. The bacterial strains, I-3 and I-4-5 inhibited the seed germination of Cyperus microiria Maxim. Enterobacter sp. I-3 showed higher weed control activity than I-4-5. It was confirmed with growth reduction of C. microiria Maxim. The seed germination of Digitaria sanguinalis L. weed was accelerated during the interaction of I-4-5 and it was drastically declined by I-3 bacterial culture. However, Alopecurus aequalis Sobol. seeds treated with either I-3 or I-4-5 bacterial culture showed no significant germination inhibition. The results of this study suggested that salt marsh tolerant Enterobacter sp. I-3 can be applied as bacterial herbicides to control weeds in agricultural fields. (author)

Determination of ploidy level and isolation of genes encoding acetyl-CoA carboxylase in Japanese Foxtail (Alopecurus japonicus.

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Hongle Xu

Full Text Available Ploidy level is important in biodiversity studies and in developing strategies for isolating important plant genes. Many herbicide-resistant weed species are polyploids, but our understanding of these polyploid weeds is limited. Japanese foxtail, a noxious agricultural grass weed, has evolved herbicide resistance. However, most studies on this weed have ignored the fact that there are multiple copies of target genes. This may complicate the study of resistance mechanisms. Japanese foxtail was found to be a tetraploid by flow cytometer and chromosome counting, two commonly used methods in the determination of ploidy levels. We found that there are two copies of the gene encoding plastidic acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase in Japanese foxtail and all the homologous genes are expressed. Additionally, no difference in ploidy levels or ACCase gene copy numbers was observed between an ACCase-inhibiting herbicide-resistant and a herbicide-sensitive population in this study.

76 FR 26224 - Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-06

...EPA is proposing to approve revisions to the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NSCAPCD) and Mendocino County Air Quality Management District (MCAQMD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). Both districts are required under Part C of title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to adopt and implement SIP- approved Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit programs. These proposed revisions update the definitions used in the districts' PSD permit programs.

Metals and arsenic in soils and corresponding vegetation at Central Elbe river floodplains (Germany)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Overesch, M. [Department for Geo- and Agroecology, Institute of Spatial Analysis and Planning in Areas of Intensive Agriculture, University of Vechta, P.O. Box 1553, D-49364 Vechta (Germany)]. E-mail: moveresch@ispa.uni-vechta.de; Rinklebe, J. [Department of Soil Science, UFZ Center for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, D-06120 Halle (Germany)]. E-mail: joerg.rinklebe@ufz.de; Broll, G. [Department for Geo- and Agroecology, Institute of Spatial Analysis and Planning in Areas of Intensive Agriculture, University of Vechta, P.O. Box 1553, D-49364 Vechta (Germany)]. E-mail: gbroll@ispa.uni-vechta.de; Neue, H.-U. [Department of Soil Science, UFZ Center for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, D-06120 Halle (Germany)]. E-mail: heinz-ulrich.neue@ufz.de

2007-02-15

Floodplain soils at the Elbe river are frequently polluted with metals and arsenic. High contents of these pollutants were detected down to subsoil layers. NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3}-extractable (phytoavailable) Cd, Ni, and Zn were elevated in horizons with high acidity. Among five common floodplain plant species, Artemisia vulgaris showed highest concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Hg, Alopecurus pratensis of As and Phalaris arundinacea of Ni, Pb, and Zn. Relationships were weak between metal concentrations in plants and phytoavailable stocks in soil. As and Hg uptake seems to be enhanced on long submerged soils. Enrichments of Cd and Hg are linked to a special plant community composition. Grassland herbage sampled in July/August revealed higher concentrations of As (+122%), Hg (+124%), and Pb (+3723%) than in May. To limit harmful transfers into the food chain, low-lying terraces and flood channels revealing highest contaminations or phytoavailabilities should be excluded from mowing and grazing. - Soils in the Elbe river floodplains are highly polluted with metals and arsenic and a critical enrichment in the grassland herbage seems to be most likely in flood channels or within special plant species.

76 FR 26192 - Revisions to the California State Implementation Plan, Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-06

...EPA is taking direct final action to approve revisions to the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District (NSCAPCD) and Mendocino County Air Quality Management District (MCAQMD) portions of the California State Implementation Plan (SIP). Both districts are required under Part C of title I of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to adopt and implement SIP-approved Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit programs. These revisions update the definitions used in the districts' PSD permit programs.

Arbuscular mycorrhizas are present on Spitsbergen.

Science.gov (United States)

Newsham, K K; Eidesen, P B; Davey, M L; Axelsen, J; Courtecuisse, E; Flintrop, C; Johansson, A G; Kiepert, M; Larsen, S E; Lorberau, K E; Maurset, M; McQuilkin, J; Misiak, M; Pop, A; Thompson, S; Read, D J

2017-10-01

A previous study of 76 plant species on Spitsbergen in the High Arctic concluded that structures resembling arbuscular mycorrhizas were absent from roots. Here, we report a survey examining the roots of 13 grass and forb species collected from 12 sites on the island for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonisation. Of the 102 individuals collected, we recorded AM endophytes in the roots of 41 plants of 11 species (Alopecurus ovatus, Deschampsia alpina, Festuca rubra ssp. richardsonii, putative viviparous hybrids of Poa arctica and Poa pratensis, Poa arctica ssp. arctica, Trisetum spicatum, Coptidium spitsbergense, Ranunculus nivalis, Ranunculus pygmaeus, Ranunculus sulphureus and Taraxacum arcticum) sampled from 10 sites. Both coarse AM endophyte, with hyphae of 5-10 μm width, vesicles and occasional arbuscules, and fine endophyte, consisting of hyphae of 1-3 μm width and sparse arbuscules, were recorded in roots. Coarse AM hyphae, vesicles, arbuscules and fine endophyte hyphae occupied 1.0-30.7, 0.8-18.3, 0.7-11.9 and 0.7-12.8% of the root lengths of colonised plants, respectively. Principal component analysis indicated no associations between the abundances of AM structures in roots and edaphic factors. We conclude that the AM symbiosis is present in grass and forb roots on Spitsbergen.

Wheat root length and not branching is altered in the presence of neighbours, including blackgrass.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica A Finch

Full Text Available The effect of neighbouring plants on crop root system architecture may directly interfere with water and nutrient acquisition, yet this important and interesting aspect of competition remains poorly understood. Here, the effect of the weed blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds. on wheat (Triticum aestivum L. roots was tested, since a low density of this species (25 plants m-2 can lead to a 10% decrease in wheat yield and herbicide resistance is problematic. We used a simplified growth system based on gelled medium, to grow wheat alongside a neighbour, either another wheat plant, a blackgrass or Brachypodium dystachion individual (a model grass. A detailed analysis of wheat seminal root system architecture showed that the presence of a neighbour principally affected the root length, rather than number or diameter under a high nutrient regime. In particular, the length of first order lateral roots decreased significantly in the presence of blackgrass and Brachypodium. However, this effect was not noted when wheat plants were grown in low nutrient conditions. This suggests that wheat may be less sensitive to the presence of blackgrass when grown in low nutrient conditions. In addition, nutrient availability to the neighbour did not modulate the neighbour effect on wheat root architecture.

Development and characterization of mutant winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) accessions resistant to the herbicide quizalofop.

Science.gov (United States)

Ostlie, Michael; Haley, Scott D; Anderson, Victoria; Shaner, Dale; Manmathan, Harish; Beil, Craig; Westra, Phillip

2015-02-01

New herbicide resistance traits in wheat were produced through the use of induced mutagenesis. While herbicide-resistant crops have become common in many agricultural systems, wheat has seen few introductions of herbicide resistance traits. A population of Hatcher winter wheat treated with ethyl methanesulfonate was screened with quizalofop to identify herbicide-resistant plants. Initial testing identified plants that survived multiple quizalofop applications. A series of experiments were designed to characterize this trait. In greenhouse studies the mutants exhibited high levels of quizalofop resistance compared to non-mutant wheat. Sequencing ACC1 revealed a novel missense mutation causing an alanine to valine change at position 2004 (Alopecurus myosuroides reference sequence). Plants carrying single mutations in wheat's three genomes (A, B, D) were identified. Acetyl co-enzyme A carboxylase in resistant plants was 4- to 10-fold more tolerant to quizalofop. Populations of segregating backcross progenies were developed by crossing each of the three individual mutants with wild-type wheat. Experiments conducted with these populations confirmed largely normal segregation, with each mutant allele conferring an additive level of resistance. Further tests showed that the A genome mutation conferred the greatest resistance and the B genome mutation conferred the least resistance to quizalofop. The non-transgenic herbicide resistance trait identified will enhance weed control strategies in wheat.

Estimating economic thresholds for site-specific weed control using manual weed counts and sensor technology: an example based on three winter wheat trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Martina; Gutjahr, Christoph; Möhring, Jens; Weis, Martin; Sökefeld, Markus; Gerhards, Roland

2014-02-01

Precision experimental design uses the natural heterogeneity of agricultural fields and combines sensor technology with linear mixed models to estimate the effect of weeds, soil properties and herbicide on yield. These estimates can be used to derive economic thresholds. Three field trials are presented using the precision experimental design in winter wheat. Weed densities were determined by manual sampling and bi-spectral cameras, yield and soil properties were mapped. Galium aparine, other broad-leaved weeds and Alopecurus myosuroides reduced yield by 17.5, 1.2 and 12.4 kg ha(-1) plant(-1)  m(2) in one trial. The determined thresholds for site-specific weed control with independently applied herbicides were 4, 48 and 12 plants m(-2), respectively. Spring drought reduced yield effects of weeds considerably in one trial, since water became yield limiting. A negative herbicide effect on the crop was negligible, except in one trial, in which the herbicide mixture tended to reduce yield by 0.6 t ha(-1). Bi-spectral cameras for weed counting were of limited use and still need improvement. Nevertheless, large weed patches were correctly identified. The current paper presents a new approach to conducting field trials and deriving decision rules for weed control in farmers' fields. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

Wheat root length and not branching is altered in the presence of neighbours, including blackgrass

Science.gov (United States)

Finch, Jessica A.; Guillaume, Gaëtan; French, Stephanie A.; Colaço, Renato D. D. R.; Davies, Julia M.

2017-01-01

The effect of neighbouring plants on crop root system architecture may directly interfere with water and nutrient acquisition, yet this important and interesting aspect of competition remains poorly understood. Here, the effect of the weed blackgrass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.) on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) roots was tested, since a low density of this species (25 plants m-2) can lead to a 10% decrease in wheat yield and herbicide resistance is problematic. We used a simplified growth system based on gelled medium, to grow wheat alongside a neighbour, either another wheat plant, a blackgrass or Brachypodium dystachion individual (a model grass). A detailed analysis of wheat seminal root system architecture showed that the presence of a neighbour principally affected the root length, rather than number or diameter under a high nutrient regime. In particular, the length of first order lateral roots decreased significantly in the presence of blackgrass and Brachypodium. However, this effect was not noted when wheat plants were grown in low nutrient conditions. This suggests that wheat may be less sensitive to the presence of blackgrass when grown in low nutrient conditions. In addition, nutrient availability to the neighbour did not modulate the neighbour effect on wheat root architecture. PMID:28542446

Hydrothermal contamination of public supply wells in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forrest, M.J.; Kulongoski, J.T.; Edwards, M.S.; Farrar, C.D.; Belitz, K.; Norris, R.D.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► We analyzed the geochemistry of 44 public supply wells in Napa and Sonoma Valleys. ► We investigated mixing of groundwater with hydrothermal fluids. ► We used multivariate statistical analyses and modeling to characterize wells. ► We found that nine public supply wells contained 14–30% hydrothermal fluids. ► Some contaminated wells contain potentially harmful concentrations of As, F and B. - Abstract: Groundwater chemistry and isotope data from 44 public supply wells in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, California were determined to investigate mixing of relatively shallow groundwater with deeper hydrothermal fluids. Multivariate analyses including Cluster Analyses, Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), Principal Components Analyses (PCA), Analysis of Similarities (ANOSIM), and Similarity Percentage Analyses (SIMPER) were used to elucidate constituent distribution patterns, determine which constituents are significantly associated with these hydrothermal systems, and investigate hydrothermal contamination of local groundwater used for drinking water. Multivariate statistical analyses were essential to this study because traditional methods, such as mixing tests involving single species (e.g. Cl or SiO 2 ) were incapable of quantifying component proportions due to mixing of multiple water types. Based on these analyses, water samples collected from the wells were broadly classified as fresh groundwater, saline waters, hydrothermal fluids, or mixed hydrothermal fluids/meteoric water wells. The Multivariate Mixing and Mass-balance (M3) model was applied in order to determine the proportion of hydrothermal fluids, saline water, and fresh groundwater in each sample. Major ions, isotopes, and physical parameters of the waters were used to characterize the hydrothermal fluids as Na–Cl type, with significant enrichment in the trace elements As, B, F and Li. Five of the wells from this study were classified as hydrothermal, 28 as fresh groundwater, two as

Colonization on root surface by a phenanthrene-degrading endophytic bacterium and its application for reducing plant phenanthrene contamination.

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Juan Liu

Full Text Available A phenanthrene-degrading endophytic bacterium, Pn2, was isolated from Alopecurus aequalis Sobol grown in soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs. Based on morphology, physiological characteristics and the 16S rRNA gene sequence, it was identified as Massilia sp. Strain Pn2 could degrade more than 95% of the phenanthrene (150 mg · L(-1 in a minimal salts medium (MSM within 48 hours at an initial pH of 7.0 and a temperature of 30 °C. Pn2 could grow well on the MSM plates with a series of other PAHs, including naphthalene, acenaphthene, anthracene and pyrene, and degrade them to different degrees. Pn2 could also colonize the root surface of ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam, invade its internal root tissues and translocate into the plant shoot. When treated with the endophyte Pn2 under hydroponic growth conditions with 2 mg · L(-1 of phenanthrene in the Hoagland solution, the phenanthrene concentrations in ryegrass roots and shoots were reduced by 54% and 57%, respectively, compared with the endophyte-free treatment. Strain Pn2 could be a novel and useful bacterial resource for eliminating plant PAH contamination in polluted environments by degrading the PAHs inside plants. Furthermore, we provide new perspectives on the control of the plant uptake of PAHs via endophytic bacteria.

Spectrometric analyses in comparison to the physiological condition of heavy metal stressed floodplain vegetation in a standardised experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Götze, Christian; Jung, András; Merbach, Ines; Wennrich, Rainer; Gläßer, Cornelia

2010-06-01

Floodplain ecosystems are affected by flood dynamics, nutrient supply as well as anthropogenic activities. Heavy metal pollution poses a serious environmental challenge. Pollution transfer from the soil to vegetation is still present at the central location of Elbe River, Germany. The goal of this study was to assess and separate the current heavy metal contamination of the floodplain ecosystem, using spectrometric field and laboratory measurements. A standardized pot experiment with floodplain vegetation in differently contaminated soils provided the basis for the measurements. The dominant plant types of the floodplains are: Urtica dioica, Phalaris arundinacea and Alopecurus pratensis, these were also chemically analysed. Various vegetation indices and methods were used to estimate the red edge position, to normalise the spectral curve of the vegetation and to investigate the potential of different methods for separating plant stress in floodplain vegetation. The main task was to compare spectral bands during phenological phases to find a method to detect heavy metal stress in plants. A multi-level algorithm for the curve parameterisation was developed. Chemo-analytical and ecophysiological parameters of plants were considered in the results and correlated with spectral data. The results of this study show the influence of heavy metals on the spectral characteristics of the focal plants. The developed method (depth CR1730) showed significant relationship between the plants and the contamination.

Estimating floodplain sedimentation in the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, Jennifer A.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Hupp, Cliff R.

2013-01-01

We present a conceptual and analytical framework for predicting the spatial distribution of floodplain sedimentation for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, CA. We assess the role of the floodplain as a sink for fine-grained sediment and investigate concerns regarding the potential loss of flood storage capacity due to historic sedimentation. We characterized the spatial distribution of sedimentation during a post-flood survey and developed a spatially distributed sediment deposition potential map that highlights zones of floodplain sedimentation. The sediment deposition potential map, built using raster files that describe the spatial distribution of relevant hydrologic and landscape variables, was calibrated using 2 years of measured overbank sedimentation data and verified using longer-term rates determined using dendrochronology. The calibrated floodplain deposition potential relation was used to estimate an average annual floodplain sedimentation rate (3.6 mm/year) for the ~11 km2 floodplain. This study documents the development of a conceptual model of overbank sedimentation, describes a methodology to estimate the potential for various parts of a floodplain complex to accumulate sediment over time, and provides estimates of short and long-term overbank sedimentation rates that can be used for ecosystem management and prioritization of restoration activities.

Undergraduate Skills Laboratories at Sonoma State University

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, Amandeep; Zack, K.; Mills, H.; Cunningham, B.; Jackowski, S.

2014-01-01

Due to the current economic climate, funding sources for many laboratory courses have been cut from university budgets. However, it is still necessary for undergraduates to master laboratory skills to be prepared and competitive applicants when entering the professional world and/or graduate school. In this context, student-led programs may be able to compensate for this lack of formal instruction and reinforce concepts from lecture by applying research techniques to develop hands-on comprehension. The Sonoma State University Chapter of Society of Physics Students has established a peer-led skills lab to teach research techniques in the fields of astronomy and physics. The goal is to alleviate the pressures of both independently learning and efficiently applying techniques to junior and senior-level research projects. These skill labs are especially valuable for nontraditional students who, due to work or family duties, may not get a chance to fully commit to research projects. For example, a topic such as Arduino programming has a multitude of applications in both astronomy and physics, but is not taught in traditional university courses. Although some programming and electronics skills are taught in (separate) classes, they are usually not applied to actual research projects, which combined expertise is needed. For example, in astronomy, there are many situations involving programming telescopes and taking data with electronic cameras. Often students will carry out research using these tools but when something goes wrong, the students will not have the skills to trouble shoot and fix the system. Another astronomical topic to be taught in the skills labs is the analysis of astronomical data, including running remote telescopes, analyzing photometric variability, and understanding the concepts of star magnitudes, flat fields, and biases. These workshops provide a setting in which the student teacher may strengthen his or her understanding of the topic by presenting

Diversité des communautés de mauvaises herbes des cultures annuelles de Côte-d'Or (France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dessaint F.

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Diversity of weed communities of annual crops in Cote-d'Or, France. Weed flora of annual crops in Cote-d'Or, France, were characterized in three successive growing seasons by measuring species frequencies and abundance over 245 fields. A total of 210 species in 143 genera were recorded representing a total of 43 families with Asteraceae, Poaceae, Fabaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Brassicaceae, Lamiaceae and Caryophyllaceae predominating. More than half of the species occurred in less than 5/ of the sampled plots (fields x years and only 9 species (namely Galium aparine L., Polygonum aviculare L., Fallopia convolvulus (L. A. Loeve, Alopecurus myosuroides Hudson, Stellaria media (L. Vill., Convolvulus arvensis L., Sinapis arvensis L., Veronica persica Poiret and Anagallis arvensis L. occurred in more than 50/ of the plots. The maximum plot density was greater than 20 plants per square metre for more than one third of the species. Meanwhile, the plots where the density exceeded 20 plants per square metre, were rare and represented, for the most abundant species (A. myosuroides, less than 16/ of the plots. The total number of weed species per plots varied from 4 to 65 with a median species number of 20. In most of the plots, the weed community was mainly composed of species having a small density (less than one plant per square metre and was dominated by only one or two species in half of the plots.

Temperature and water potential of grey clays in relation to their physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics and phytocoenology within the scope of the Radovesice Dump

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Lenka Zoubková

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Radovesice Dump is a part of brown-coal Most basin, which is situated in the northern part of the Czech Republic. Grey clays are the anthropogenic substrates, which have been used here as a reclamation material in most cases. Water potential of these substrates corresponds to their physical properties, annual precipitation, soil temperature and terrain exposition. All of these characteristics are the limiting factors of soil water, which is available to plants. Area left to spontaneous succession and reclaimed area served as the serviced ones. Water potential was studied in three depths (10, 20 and 30 cm of soil profile and the evaluated values showed significant difference between individual depths as well as exposition. As far as chemical analyses are concerned, the highest values were recorded in case of reclaimed area, whereas the levels of soil moisture here were medium. On the other hand, area left to spontaneous succession showed the lowest values in this sense, however specific representation of vegetation was much large-scale. As far as microbiological characteristics are concerned, the concentrations of phospholipid fatty acids were relatively low in both cases. To the dominant herb species belonged Calamagrostis epigejos, Urtica dioica, Alopecurus pratensis and Astragalus glycyphyllos. It was found that spontaneous succession was more variable as far as the specific representation of vegetation is concerned, though favourable soil physical and chemical properties were provided by technical reclamation too.

[Plant communities in the terrestrial-aquatic transition zone in the paramo of Chingaza, Colombia].

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt-Mumm, Udo; Vargas Ríos, Orlando

2012-03-01

Plant communities in the terrestrial-aquatic transition zone in the paramo of Chingaza, Colombia. High Andean paramo ecosystems are an important water resource for many towns, and major cities in this region. The aquatic and wetland vegetation of different paramo lakes, pond, swamps and bogs was studied according to the classical phytosociological approach, which is based on homogenous stands, but excludes any border phenomena or transitional zone. The present research aimed at determining the aquatic and wetland vegetation along different moisture gradients. A total of 89 species in 30 transects were reported, of which Crassula venezuelensis, Carex honplandii, Callitriche nubigena, Eleocharis macrostachya, Ranunculus flagelliformis, R. nubigenus, Eleocharis stenocarpa, Galium ascendens y Alopecurus aequalis were present in more than one third of the transects. Numerical classification and indicator species analysis resulted in the definition of the next 18 communities: 1) Calamagrostis effusa, 2) Sphagnum cuspidatum, 3) Cyperus rufus, 4) Eleocharis stenocarpa, 5) Carex acutata, 6) Poa annua,7) Valeriana sp., 8) Ranunculus flagelliformis, 9) Carex bonplandii, 10) Festuca andicola. 11) Muhlenbergia fustigiata, 12) Elatine paramoana, 13) Isoëtes palmeri, 14) Crassula venezuelensis, 15) Lilaeopsis macloviana, 16) Callitriche nubigena, 17) Potamogeton paramoanus and 18) Potamogeton illinoensis. The ordination of communities reveals the presence of three different aquatic-terrestrial gradients which are related to the life form structure of species that characterized the various communities. We concluded that patchiness and heterogeneity of the vegetation is mainly the result of alterations caused by human activities (burning, cattle raise and material extraction for road and dam construction).

Psárky Alopecurus aequalis a A. geniculatus v České republice: jejich určování a rozšíření

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bureš, P.; Danihelka, Jiří; Husáková, M.; Pařil, P.

2008-01-01

Roč. 23, - (2008), s. 3-61 ISSN 0862-2035 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06073; GA ČR(CZ) GA206/07/0706 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : phytogeography * Poaceae * Central Europe Subject RIV: EF - Botanics

Variations of Leaf Cuticular Waxes Among C3 and C4 Gramineae Herbs.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Yuji; Gao, Jianhua; Guo, Na; Guo, Yanjun

2016-11-01

Modern C4 plants are commonly distributed in hot and dry environments whereas C3 plants predominate in cool and shade areas. At the outmost of plant surface, the deposition and chemical composition of cuticular waxes vary under different environmental conditions. However, whether such variation of cuticular wax is related to the distribution of C3 and C4 under different environmental conditions is still not clear. In this study, leaves of six C3 Gramineae herbs distributed in spring, Roegneria kamoji, Polypogon fugax, Poa annua, Avena fatua, Alopecurus aequalis, and Oplismenus undulatifolius, and four C4 and one C3 Gramineae herbs distributed in summer, Digitaria sanguinalis, Eleusine indica, Setaria viridis, S. plicata, and O. undulatifolius, were sampled and analyzed for cuticular wax. Plates were the main epicuticular wax morphology in both C3 and C4 plants except S. plicata. The plates melted in C4 plants but not in C3 plants. The total cuticular wax amounts in C4 plants were significantly lower than those in C3 plants, except for O. undulatifolius. Primary alcohols were the most abundant compounds in C3 plants, whereas n-alkanes were relatively the most abundant compounds in C4 plants. C 29 was the most abundant n-alkane in C3 plants except for O. undulatifolius, whereas the most abundant n-alkane was C 31 or C 33 in C4 plants. The average chain length (ACL) of n-alkanes was higher in C4 than in C3 plants, whereas the ACL of n-alkanoic acids was higher in C3 than C4 plants. The cluster analysis based on the distribution of n-alkanes clearly distinguished C3 and C4 plants into two groups, except for O. undulatifolius which was grouped with C4 plants. These results suggest that the variations of cuticular waxes among C3 and C4 Gramineae herbs are related to the distribution of C3 and C4 plants under different environmental conditions. © 2016 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

Cefazolin potency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a microbiologic assessment in support of a novel drug delivery system for skin and skin structure infections [Erratum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolau DP

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Nicolau DP, Silberg BN. Infect Drug Resist. 2017;10:227–230.Page 227, affiliations list, the text “Department of Surgery, Sonoma West Medical Center, Sebastopol, CT, USA” should read “Department of Surgery, Sonoma West Medical Center, Sebastopol, CA, USA”. Read the original article

Optimizing the Use of LiDAR for Hydraulic and Sediment Transport Model Development: Case Studies from Marin and Sonoma Counties, CA

Science.gov (United States)

Kobor, J. S.; O'Connor, M. D.; Sherwood, M. N.

2013-12-01

Effective floodplain management and restoration requires a detailed understanding of floodplain processes not readily achieved using standard one-dimensional hydraulic modeling approaches. The application of more advanced numerical models is, however, often limited by the relatively high costs of acquiring the high-resolution topographic data needed for model development using traditional surveying methods. The increasing availability of LiDAR data has the potential to significantly reduce these costs and thus facilitate application of multi-dimensional hydraulic models where budget constraints would have otherwise prohibited their use. The accuracy and suitability of LiDAR data for supporting model development can vary widely depending on the resolution of channel and floodplain features, the data collection density, and the degree of vegetation canopy interference among other factors. More work is needed to develop guidelines for evaluating LiDAR accuracy and determining when and how best the data can be used to support numerical modeling activities. Here we present two recent case studies where LiDAR datasets were used to support floodplain and sediment transport modeling efforts. One LiDAR dataset was collected with a relatively low point density and used to study a small stream channel in coastal Marin County and a second dataset was collected with a higher point density and applied to a larger stream channel in western Sonoma County. Traditional topographic surveying was performed at both sites which provided a quantitative means of evaluating the LiDAR accuracy. We found that with the lower point density dataset, the accuracy of the LiDAR varied significantly between the active stream channel and floodplain whereas the accuracy across the channel/floodplain interface was more uniform with the higher density dataset. Accuracy also varied widely as a function of the density of the riparian vegetation canopy. We found that coupled 1- and 2-dimensional hydraulic

Solar Technician Program Blows Hot

Science.gov (United States)

Ziegler, Peg Moran

1977-01-01

A training program for solar heating technicians was initiated at Sonoma State College's School of Environmental Studies for CETA applicants. Among the projects designed and built were a solar alternative energy center, a solar hot water system, and a solar greenhouse. (MF)

Analyzing the impact of conjunctive labeling as part of a regional wine branding strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tom Atkin

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Research studies have proven that place-based/regional branding methods have a positive effect on brand equity and economic benefits for companies. However, very small or specific regions may be confusing to consumers, so conjunctive labeling – or the process of advertising both a larger region and the sub-region of origin for a product – is suggested as a remedy for this situation. This study analyzes the impact of conjunctive labeling by comparing two national samples of consumers, before and two years after, conjunctive wine labeling was introduced in Sonoma County. The results show a higher awareness for both Sonoma County and its sub appellations (AVAs after conjunctive labeling was introduced than before. This demonstrates the potential benefit of associating sub-regional appellations with larger wine regions. Keywords: Regional branding, Appellations, Wine marketing, Conjunctive labeling, Place-based marketing

75 FR 63517 - Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for Environmental Impact Statement for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-15

... NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for..., CA AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC). ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA). SUMMARY..., including directions and office hours is available online at: http://www.sonoma.lib.ca.us/branches/ or by...

Effects of winery wastewater on soil, grape nutrition, and wine quality

Science.gov (United States)

Many wineries are interested in recycling wastewater for irrigation. This project investigates the effects on winemaking when winery wastewater (WW) is recycledfor irrigation. Water samples and soils samples were collected from one Napa Valley and one Sonoma vineyard. Leaf and berry samples were col...

Censorship and Junk Food Journalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Carl

1984-01-01

Discusses journalistic phenomenon whereby Americans are inundated with same news with only names, dates, and locations changing. Highlights include news explosion, well-documented news, why "Ten Most Censored Stories" chosen by Project Censored (Sonoma State University, California) are not covered by major news media, federal policies,…

Impact of winery wastewater irrigation on soil, grape nutrition, and grape and wine quality

Science.gov (United States)

Winery wastewater (WW) reuse has the potential to provide more sustainable vineyard irrigation. This study investigated the effects of WW irrigation on grape and wine chemical composition and sensory attributes in vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties. The life cycle of the grape/wine production was...

Taxonomic relationships among Phenacomys voles as inferred by cytochrome b

Science.gov (United States)

Bellinger, M.R.; Haig, S.M.; Forsman, E.D.; Mullins, T.D.

2005-01-01

Taxonomic relationships among red tree voles (Phenacomys longicaudus longicaudus, P. l. silvicola), the Sonoma tree vole (P. pomo), the white-footed vole (P. albipes), and the heather vole (P. intermedius) were examined using 664 base pairs of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Results indicate specific differences among red tree voles, Sonoma tree voles, white-footed voles, and heather voles, but no clear difference between the 2 Oregon subspecies of red tree voles (P. l. longicaudus and P. l. silvicola). Our data further indicated a close relationship between tree voles and albipes, validating inclusion of albipes in the subgenus Arborimus. These 3 congeners shared a closer relationship to P. intermedius than to other arvicolids. A moderate association between porno and albipes was indicated by maximum parsimony and neighbor-joining phylogenetic analyses. Molecular clock estimates suggest a Pleistocene radiation of the Arborimus clade, which is concordant with pulses of diversification observed in other murid rodents. The generic rank of Arborimus is subject to interpretation of data.

Special Office Report for Warm Springs Dam and Lake Sonoma. Sonoma County, California. Section 7. Consultation on Endangered Species.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-05-01

wide. The upstream face of the dam is covered with rock for protection against wave action. The downstream face is covered with six inches of top- soil ...over 25 percent), the potential for soil erosion and the sensitive and critical wildlife areas make access to the lake difficult and limit the areas...allow an increase in productivity. However, as a result of eggshell analysis at this site, it has been found that a marked eggshell thinning has occurred

Die etiek van Jesus in die lig van Q: Eskatologies of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

cisco: Harper. Patterson, S J 1993. The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus. Sonoma: Polebridge. (Foundations and Facets: Reference Series.) Sanders, E P 1992. Jesus: His religious type. Reflections, 4-12. ----- 1975. Ethics in the New Testament: Change and development. Philadelphia: Fortress. Schrage, J T 1982. Ethik des ...

Experiments in rooting bishop pine (Pinus muricata D. Don) cuttings

Science.gov (United States)

Constance I. Millar

1987-01-01

Presented here are results of rooting studies using hedges established from juvenile seedlings of "blue" and "green" foliaged bishop pine (Pinus muricata D. Don) from Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California. Rootability, averaged over all clones and all setting dates, was 88%. The average time for 50% of the...

Characterizing Fractures in Geysers Geothermal Field by Micro-seismic Data, Using Soft Computing, Fractals, and Shear Wave Anisotropy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aminzadeh, Fred [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sammis, Charles [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Sahimi, Mohammad [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Okaya, David [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2015-04-30

The ultimate objective of the project was to develop new methodologies to characterize the northwestern part of The Geysers geothermal reservoir (Sonoma County, California). The goal is to gain a better knowledge of the reservoir porosity, permeability, fracture size, fracture spacing, reservoir discontinuities (leaky barriers) and impermeable boundaries.

77 FR 59648 - Notice of Inventory Completion: San Francisco State University, NAGPRA Program, San Francisco, CA

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-28

... were removed from site CA-MRN-127 in Marin County, CA, by Holman and Associates during construction at... Sonoma County, CA, by Origer and Associates in conjunction with proposed construction at Sear Point... Rancheria, California and the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, California that this notice has been...

78 FR 73850 - Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings and Hearings

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-09

... Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings and Hearings AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS.... March 25, 2014: Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, Golden Gate CD Room, 3555 Round Barn Blvd., Santa Rosa, CA... Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2013-29279 Filed 12-6-13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510...

Kom ons stem: Wat het Jesus regtig gesê?

African Journals Online (AJOL)

general interest books and getting interviewed on television. Now its time for ... studies, while the arts have flourished under the protection of free dom of speech and expression, the fruits of biblical scholarship have been tasted primarily by ..... Sonoma-kongres bygewoon om te onderhandel vir die regte om 'n film van die.

Comunidades vegetales de las transiciones terrestre-acuáticas del páramo de Chingaza, Colombia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Udo Schmidt-Mumm

2012-03-01

aquatic and wetland vegetation along different moisture gradients. A total of 89 species in 30 transects were reported, of which Crassula venezuelensis, Carex bonplandii, Callitriche nubigena, Eleocharis macrostachya, Ranunculus flagelliformis, R. nubigenus, Eleocharis stenocarpa, Galium ascendens y Alopecurus aequalis were present in more than one third of the transects. Numerical classification and indicator species analysis resulted in the definition of the next 18 communities: 1 Calamagrostis effusa, 2 Sphagnum cuspidatum, 3 Cyperus rufus, 4 Eleocharis stenocarpa, 5 Carex acutata, 6 Poa annua, 7 Valeriana sp., 8 Ranunculus flagelliformis, 9 Carex bonplandii, 10 Festuca andicola, 11 Muhlenbergia fastigiata, 12 Elatine paramoana, 13 Isoëtes palmeri, 14 Crassula venezuelensis, 15 Lilaeopsis macloviana, 16 Callitriche nubigena, 17 Potamogeton paramoanus and 18 Potamogeton illinoensis. The ordination of communities reveals the presence of three different aquatic-terrestrial gradients which are related to the life form structure of species that characterized the various communities. We concluded that patchiness and heterogeneity of the vegetation is mainly the result of alterations caused by human activities (burning, cattle raise and material extraction for road and dam construction.

Allozyme variation of bishop pine associated with pygmy forest soils in northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Constance I. Millar

1989-01-01

Two races of bishop pine (Pinus muricata D. Don) meet in a narrow contact zone near sea level along the Sonoma County coast, northern California. The races previously were identified by foliar ("blue" in north, "green" in south), monoterpene, and allozyme differences. Disjunct stands of blue bishop pine were observed at higher elevations along a...

40 CFR 81.305 - California.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Coast Air Basin X San Joaquin Valley Air Basin X Sacramento Valley Air Basin (SVAB): Sacramento County X... Sonoma County (S.F. Bay Area Air Basin portion) X Alameda County X Contra Costa County X San Francisco... San Bernardino County San Joaquin Valley Air Basin: Fresno County X Kern County X Kings County X...

Five years of monitoring infection and mortality in redwood tanoak forests

Science.gov (United States)

Richard C. Cobb; Shannon C. Lynch; Ross K. Meentemeyer; David M. Rizzo

2008-01-01

Rates of disease incidence and tree mortality in redwood-tanoak forests were determined by repeated sampling across a system of 120 plots at five long-term research sites from 2001 through 2006. Plots were located within the known geographic area of Phytophthora ramorum in California, ranging from Monterey to Sonoma counties. All overstory species...

Fog and soil weathering as sources of nutrients in a California redwood forest

Science.gov (United States)

Holly A. Ewing; Kathleen C. Weathers; Amanda M. Lindsey; Pamela H. Templer; Todd E. Dawson; Damon C. Bradbury; Mary K. Firestone; Vanessa K.S. Boukili

2012-01-01

Fog water deposition is thought to influence the ecological function of many coastal ecosystems, including coast redwood forests. We examined cation and anion inputs from fog and rain, as well as the fate of these inputs, within a Sonoma County, California, coast redwood forest to elucidate the availability of these ions and some of the biotic and abiotic processes...

Timber resource statistics for the North Coast resource area of California 1994.

Science.gov (United States)

Karen L. Waddell; Patricia M. Bassett

1996-01-01

This report is a summary of timber resource statistics for the North Coast Resource Area of California, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties. Data were collected by the Pacific Northwest Research Station as part of a State-wide multi-resource inventory. The inventory sampled private and public lands except reserved areas and National...

Sonoma Ecology Center Northern California Arundo Distribution Data

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — The Arundo Distribution layer is a compilation of Arundo donax observations in northern and central California, obtained from numerous sources, including Arundo...

Balancing energy and the environment: the case of geothermal development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ellickson, P.L.; Brewer, S.

1978-06-01

The results of part of a Rand study on the federal role in resolving environmental issues arising out of the implementation of energy projects are reported. The projects discussed are two geothermal programs in California: the steam resource development at The Geysers (Lake and Sonoma counties) in northern California, and the wet brine development in the Imperial Valley in southern California.

Effect of alternative salt use on broiler breast meat yields, tenderness, flavor, and sodium concentration.

Science.gov (United States)

Broadway, P R; Behrends, J M; Schilling, M W

2011-12-01

Fresh chicken breast fillets were marinated with gourmet-style salts: Himalayan pink salt, Sonoma gourmet salt, sel gus de Guerande, and Bolivian rose salt to evaluate their effects on marination and cook loss yields, tenderness, sensory attributes, and sodium concentration. Fresh chicken breast fillets (48-h postmortem) were vacuum tumbled (137 kPa at 20 rpm for 17 min) in a solution of water, salt, and sodium tripolyphosphate at a level of 20% of the meat weights. Instrumental analyses showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) in meat quality with respect to marination yield, cook yield, or shear-force value. There were also no significant differences (P > 0.05) in sensory descriptors between salt treatments. However, Sonoma gourmet salt showed a tendency (P = 0.0693) to score increased savory note values from panelists, whereas Bolivian rose salt received the lowest score. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in sodium concentrations between salt treatments, but numerically, sel gus de Guerande had the lowest sodium concentration, which could be important in producing reduced sodium products. Understanding different salts and sodium concentrations allows the poultry industry to use gourmet salts in products and maintain overall meat quality and flavor.

Installation Development Environmental Assessment Travis Air Force Base, California

Science.gov (United States)

2007-11-01

species are: Name Status Lasthenia conjungens Federally listed as endangered Contra Costa Goldfields Gratiola heterosepala State-listed as...Contra Costa , Main, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties. The portion of the county which includes Travis AFB is designated...kilometers) north to south, its northern half referred to as the Sacramento Valley and its southern half as the San Joaquin Valley. This area is

DIGITAL FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP DATABASE, SONOMA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security — The Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Database depicts flood risk information and supporting data used to develop the risk data. The primary risk...

Fourteen Years of Education and Public Outreach for the Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer Mission

OpenAIRE

Cominsky, Lynn; McLin, Kevin; Simonnet, Aurore; Team, the Swift E/PO

2014-01-01

The Sonoma State University (SSU) Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) group leads the Swift Education and Public Outreach program. For Swift, we have previously implemented broad efforts that have contributed to NASA's Science Mission Directorate E/PO portfolio across many outcome areas. Our current focus is on highly-leveraged and demonstrably successful activities, including the wide-reaching Astrophysics Educator Ambassador program, and our popular websites: Epo's Chronicles and the Gamma...

Effect of Cover Crops on Vertical Distribution of Leaf Area and Dry Matter of Soybean (Glycine max L. in Competition with Weeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

seyyedeh samaneh hashemi

2017-08-01

foxtail (Setaria viridis L., foxtail grass (Alopecurus myosuroides Huds, and red root pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L. in the experimental field. The other weed was considered as the others. At the soybean canopy closure stage, a vertical card board frame marked in 20-cm increments was used in the field as a guide to cut standing plants including soybean, cover crops and weeds. In each vertical layer of canopy, leaves and stem samples were separated. The leaf area both crops and weeds were measured with a leaf area meter LICOR-3000A (LI-COR, Lincoln, NE, USA. Stem and leaf samples oven dried. Results and discussion The results showed that the maximum leaf area and dry matter of soybean was varied in different layers of canopy depending on the type of cover crop and cover crop planting time, while delaying in planting of cover crop causes lower leaf area and dry matter than the plants were planted at the same time with soybean. In most cases, the maximum leaf area index and dry matter accumulation of weeds were obtained in primary layer (0-20 cm. The maximum weed leaf area (290.4 cm2 was observed in simultaneous planting of soybean with fenugreek and maximum of total weed dry matter (12.4 g.plant-1 was observed in soybean without weeding, while the minimum of weed total leaf area and total weed dry matter (0 cm2 and 0 g.plant-1, respectively was achieved in planting of winter vetch after 21 days of soybean planting. Also delayed planting of winter vetch produced the maximum grain yield (3792.6 kg.ha-1 of soybean in weedy plots, where it had the greatest weed suppressive ability than other cover crops. Conclusion Winter vetch can suppress weed with competition and allelopathic mechanism, so we can conclude that winter vetch planting21 days after soybean planting is suitable replacement for weed suppression in sustainable agriculture.

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Mathany, Timothy M.; Belitz, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile (1,639-square-kilometer) Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The study unit is composed of two study areas (Interior Basins and Coastal Basins) and is located in northern California in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Colusa, Mendocino, Glenn, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. The GAMA-PBP is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the USGS and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Epo's Chronicles: A Weekly Webcomic That Teaches Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Cominsky, Lynn R.; Prasad, K.; Simonnet, A.; John, K.; McLin, K.; Hill, L.

2009-01-01

Sonoma State University Education and Public Outreach presents Epo's Chronicles: a weekly web comic about Epo, a sentient spaceship/observatory and its humanoid companion, Alkina. Follow the adventures of Epo and Alkina as they explore the Universe and try to discover their origins. The comic employs a fictional story line incorporating both recent and classic scientific discoveries from NASA missions while educating the young and the young at heart in a creative and engaging way. Each weekly "eposode” is translated into French, Italian and Spanish, and is accompanied by supporting information including glossary entries, multi-media clips, and links to additional resources. Visit Epo's Chronicles at: http://eposchronicles.com

Epo’s Chronicles: A Weekly Webcomic That Teaches Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, K.; Simonnet, A.; John, K.; Hill, L.; McLin, K.; Cominsky, L.

2009-12-01

Sonoma State University Education and Public Outreach presents Epo’s Chronicles: a weekly web comic about Epo, a sentient spaceship/observatory and its humanoid companion, Alkina. Excite your students by reading the weekly adventures of Epo and Alkina as they explore the Universe and try to discover their origins. The comic employs a fictional story line incorporating both recent and classic scientific discoveries from NASA missions while increasing interest in science in a creative and engaging way. Each weekly “eposode” is translated into French, Italian and Spanish, and is accompanied by supporting information including glossary entries, multi-media clips, and links to additional resources.

Evaluation of Retrofit Delivery Packages

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berman, M.; Smith, P.; Porse, E.

2013-07-01

Residential energy retrofit activities are a critical component of efforts to increase energy efficiency in the U.S. building stock; however, retrofits account for a small percentage of aggregate energy savings at relatively high per unit costs. This report by Building America research team, Alliance for Residential Building Innovation (ARBI), describes barriers to widespread retrofits and evaluates opportunities to improve delivery of home retrofit measures by identifying economies of scale in marketing, energy assessments, and bulk purchasing through pilot programs in portions of Sonoma, Los Angeles, and San Joaquin Counties, CA. These targeted communities show potential and have revealed key strategies for program design, as outlined in the report.

Distribution and prevalence of vector-borne diseases in California chipmunks (Tamias spp..

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mary H Straub

Full Text Available California, with 13 chipmunk (Tamias species, has more than any other state or country, occupying habitats ranging from chaparral to the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada. Chipmunks host zoonotic pathogens including Yersinia pestis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, relapsing fever (RF Borrelia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and spotted fever group (SFG Rickettsia species. Chipmunk species are often not differentiated by public health workers, yet different species utilize different ecological niches and may have intrinsically different capacities for maintaining vector-borne pathogens and infecting vectors. We surveyed over 700 individuals from nine species of chipmunks throughout California for exposure to and infection by Y. pestis, A. phagocytophilum, RF Borrelia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and SFG Rickettsia species. DNA of all five pathogens was found and all chipmunks except Merriam's chipmunk (T. merriami were PCR-positive for at least one of the pathogens. Anaplasma phagocytophilum was most common (40.0%, 2/5 in Sonoma chipmunks (T. sonomae from Marin county and B. burgdorferi most common (37.5%, 27/72 in redwood chipmunks (T. ochrogenys from Mendocino county. RF Borrelia spp. was detected in 2% (6/297 of redwood chipmunks in Mendocino county and 10% (1/10 of both least (T. minimus and lodgepole (T. speciosus chipmunks in the western Sierra. Exposure to SFG Rickettsia spp. was found in the Northern Coastal region (Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties and in the northern and western Sierra in several species of chipmunks. Y. pestis infection was found only in the western Sierra-in a yellow-pine (T. amoenus and a long-eared (T. quadrimaculatus chipmunk. Though more data are needed to thoroughly understand the roles that different chipmunk species play in disease transmission, our findings suggest that some chipmunk species may be more important to the maintenance of vector-borne diseases than others within each geographic area.

78 FR 60690 - Establishment of the Moon Mountain District Sonoma County Viticultural Area

Science.gov (United States)

2013-10-02

... rule; Treasury Decision. SUMMARY: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) establishes the... describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase. DATES... consumers and helps consumers to identify wines they may purchase. Establishment of a viticultural area is...

Sutter Buttes-the lone volcano in California's Great Valley

Science.gov (United States)

Hausback, Brain P.; Muffler, L.J. Patrick; Clynne, Michael A.

2011-01-01

The volcanic spires of the Sutter Buttes tower 2,000 feet above the farms and fields of California's Great Valley, just 50 miles north-northwest of Sacramento and 11 miles northwest of Yuba City. The only volcano within the valley, the Buttes consist of a central core of volcanic domes surrounded by a large apron of fragmental volcanic debris. Eruptions at the Sutter Buttes occurred in early Pleistocene time, 1.6 to 1.4 million years ago. The Sutter Buttes are not part of the Cascade Range of volcanoes to the north, but instead are related to the volcanoes in the Coast Ranges to the west in the vicinity of Clear Lake, Napa Valley, and Sonoma Valley.

78 FR 14046 - Proposed Establishment of the Moon Mountain District Sonoma County Viticultural Area

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-04

... comments submitted by U.S. mail): Internet: http://www.regulations.gov (via the online comment form for..., among other things, prohibit consumer deception and the use of misleading statements on labels, and... faces to the west, allowing the vineyards to receive sunlight in the afternoon, when solar radiation is...

76 FR 70866 - Expansions of the Russian River Valley and Northern Sonoma Viticultural Areas

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-16

.... ACTION: Final rule; Treasury decision. SUMMARY: This Treasury decision expands the Russian River Valley... describe the origin of their wines and to allow consumers to better identify wines they may purchase. DATES... consumers to identify wines they may purchase. Establishment of a viticultural area is neither an approval...

78 FR 27190 - Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Provisional Acceptance of a Settlement Agreement and Order

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-09

...., containing a civil penalty of $987,500, within twenty (20) days of service of the Commission's final Order... the provisions of the CPSA. 3. WS is a corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State... created an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. WS was required to inform the Commission...

Preliminary Evaluation of a New Cosmology Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Coble, Kimberly A.; Martin, Dominique; Hayes, Patrycia; Targett, Tom; Bailey, Janelle M.; Cominsky, Lynn R.

2015-01-01

Informed by our research on student understanding of cosmology, The Big Ideas in Cosmology is an immersive set of web-based learning modules that integrates text, figures, and visualizations with short and long interactive tasks and real cosmological data. This enables the transformation of general education astronomy and cosmology classes from primarily lecture and book-based courses to a more engaging format that builds important STEM skills.During the spring 2014 semester, we field-tested a subset of chapters with the general education astronomy and cosmology classes at Sonoma State University in a flipped-classroom format. We administered pre and post content and attitude assessments in the two flipped classes as well as two lecture classes. The majority of cosmology students had taken astronomy before whereas the astronomy students had not.When switching to an active mode of learning (e.g., flipped classroom instead of lecture), many instructors report pushback from students. We saw this effect from students in course evaluations, who reported dissatisfaction with "having to do more work." However, the students in the flipped section in astronomy made greater gains on the multiple choice content assessment than the students in either of the two lecture sections. On the attitude assessment (the CLASS), the cosmology students made a small shift toward more expert-like opinions. Preliminary results from open-ended content surveys indicate that, prior to instruction, students had difficulty answering 'why' or 'how do we know' questions; that post-instruction, students are less likely to respond "I don't know" or to leave an answer blank; and that students using the modules made gains in their content knowledge.Module development was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNXl0AC89G, the Illinois Space Grant Consortium, the Fermi E/PO program, Sonoma State University's Space Science Education and Public Outreach Group, and Great River Technology

Don't let your disease define you.

Science.gov (United States)

Gartrell, Nanette

2014-01-01

Vivian Stephenson directed information technology systems at numerous companies, including Target Corporation, as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, and Williams-Sonoma, as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer. In 1994, Vivian was a recipient of the "Oscar" of information technology-the Smithsonian Institution and Computerworld Award-for developing the Planned Store Inventory System at Mervyn's Corporation. Vivian is a former chair of the Board of Trustees at Mills College, from which she received a Doctor of Humane Letters Honorary Degree in 2005 for her "ethical and compassionate leadership" and for serving as "an inspired, unwavering advocate for women and the power of education to transform women's lives and society as a whole." Vivian survived two different types of breast cancer, diagnosed in 1980 and 1996. In 2009, she was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer.

Analysis of landslide overgrowing rates at Vaskiny Dachi key site, Central Yamal, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Khomutov, A.

2009-04-01

An estimation of overgrowing of landslide-affected slopes by vegetation at three main landslide elements: shear surface, landslide body and "frontal zone" at Vaskiny Dachi key site is presented. Vaskiny Dachi key site is located in the watershed of Se-Yakha and Mordy-Yakha rivers on Central Yamal, Russia. The area is represented by highly-dissected alluvial-lacustrine-marine plains and terraces. The closest to Vaskiny Dachi climate station is Marresale, about 90 km southwest of Vaskiny Dachi, at the Kara sea coast. The weather here is probably somewhat cooler than at Vaskiny Dachi. The average annual (summer) air temperature at Marresale is -8.3° C (4.3° C) ("Russia's Weather" Server). To estimate vegetation cover dynamics on cryogenic landslides at "Vaskiny Dachi", data published by O.Rebristaya and others (1995) were used. Their observations were done in 1991-1993, and were supplemented by further field observations (Leibman et al., 2000, Khomutov & Leibman 2007) and by field and remote sensing observations in 2008. An estimation of vegetation cover dynamics on cryogenic landslides at "Vaskiny Dachi" leads to the following results. Immediately after landsliding in 1989, landslide shear surface was bare without any vegetation, landslide body had initial vegetation, and "frontal zone" was under liquefied sediment masses. "Frontal zone" formed in front of a landslide body, appears as a result of damming of drainage routes by a landslide body with flooding of the shear surface "upstream" of the landslide body, formation of a sedge-cottongrass meadow there, and swamping downstream (Khomutov & Leibman 2007). By 1993, landslide shear surface got overgrown by species subordinate in surrounding initial landscapes (Alopecurus alpinus, Festuca ovina, Calamagrostis neglecta, Poa alpigena ssp. Alpigena, etc.). Landslide body was covered by initial communities which got depressed: vitality of Salix polaris, Vaccinium vitis-idaea was reduced, dead off moss cover and overgrown

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Draft EIR/EIS, Volume 1 of 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The primary focus of this environmental analysis is on improvements to the Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP) facilities and disposal to the Geysers for injection. This analysis will be incorporated with an earlier EIR which evaluated system improvements to the SRWTP and twelve disposal alternatives. In July 1993, the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors (LACOSAN) selected the Geysers Effluent Pipeline as the preferred alternative to be analyzed in this EIR/EIS. This environmental analysis will primarily focus on improvements to the SRWTP facilities and a 24 inch pipeline designed to carry up to 5,400 gallons per minute of secondarily treated wastewater. The wastewater will be transported from the Lake County Sanitation District's Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, Middletown Wastewater Treatment Plant with additional make-up water from Clear Lake to the Southeast portion of the Geysers Geothermal Field in Lake and Sonoma Counties, California

NASA Green Flight Challenge: Conceptual Design Approaches and Technologies to Enable 200 Passenger Miles per Gallon

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Douglas P.

2011-01-01

The Green Flight Challenge is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration s Centennial Challenges designed to push technology and make passenger aircraft more efficient. Airliners currently average around 50 passenger-miles per gallon and this competition will push teams to greater than 200 passenger-miles per gallon. The aircraft must also fly at least 100 miles per hour for 200 miles. The total prize money for this competition is $1.65 Million. The Green Flight Challenge will be run by the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation September 25 October 1, 2011 at Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in California. Thirteen custom aircraft were developed with electric, bio-diesel, and other bio-fuel engines. The aircraft are using various technologies to improve aerodynamic, propulsion, and structural efficiency. This paper will explore the feasibility of the rule set, competitor vehicles, design approaches, and technologies used.

76 FR 36068 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Sonoma...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-21

... personal identifying information--will be posted on the website. If your submission is made via a hard copy... citation for part 17 continues to read as follows: Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361-1407; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544; 16...

76 FR 2863 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Sonoma...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-18

... rule will be based on the best scientific data available and will be as accurate and as effective as... jurisdictions and private landowners, without providing any counterbalancing, proactive conservation benefit...

77 FR 1078 - San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano Counties, CA; Final...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-09

... locations; develop shoreline fishing locations; and provide some additional environmental education programs... Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Finding of No Significant Impact AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior... availability of our final Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) and finding of no significant impact (FONSI...

Sociocultural Factors Review for the Warm Springs Dam - Lake Sonoma Project Candidate/Critical Habitat Zone Evaluation,

Science.gov (United States)

1983-06-01

roads which fol- lowed them, were also used by the Cloverdale Porno to gain access to fish- ing sites on Dry Creek, Galloway Creek, and Rail Creek and... Porno , as well as other groups from as far away as Lake County, to reach Annapolis, Stewart’s Point, and Gualala. From Cloverdale, the trail followed...time, the Cloverdale and Dry Creek Porno traveled by buckboard and later by automobile to the coast along a trail which generally follows the route of

The Astronomy Genealogy Project

Science.gov (United States)

Tenn, Joseph S.

2014-01-01

The Astronomy Genealogy Project, to be known as AstroGen, will list as many as possible of the world's astronomers with their academic parents (aka thesis advisors) and enable the reader to trace both academic ancestors and descendants. It will be very similar to the highly successful Mathematics Genealogy Project (MGP), available at http://genealogy.math.ndsu.nodak.edu. The MGP, which has been in operation since 1996, now contains the names of about 170,000 "mathematicians." These include many physicists and astronomers, as well as practitioners of related sciences. Mitchel Keller, the director of the MGP, has generously shared the software used in that project, and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) will host AstroGen, a project of the Historical Astronomy Division, on its website. We expect to start seeking entries soon, depending on the availability of computational assistance from the AAS IT department. We are seeking volunteers to help run the project. If you are interested, please contact me at joe.tenn@sonoma.edu.

New streams and springs after the 2014 Mw6.0 South Napa earthquake.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chi-Yuen; Manga, Michael

2015-07-09

Many streams and springs, which were dry or nearly dry before the 2014 Mw6.0 South Napa earthquake, started to flow after the earthquake. A United States Geological Survey stream gauge also registered a coseismic increase in discharge. Public interest was heightened by a state of extreme drought in California. Since the new flows were not contaminated by pre-existing surface water, their composition allowed unambiguous identification of their origin. Following the earthquake we repeatedly surveyed the new flows, collecting data to test hypotheses about their origin. We show that the new flows originated from groundwater in nearby mountains released by the earthquake. The estimated total amount of new water is ∼ 10(6) m(3), about 1/40 of the annual water use in the Napa-Sonoma area. Our model also makes a testable prediction of a post-seismic decrease of seismic velocity in the shallow crust of the affected region.

Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project: GEO-98-001. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brauner, Edwin Jr.; Carlson, Daniel C.

2002-10-01

The Geysers steamfields in northern Sonoma County have produced reliable ''green'' power for many years. An impediment to long-term continued production has been the ability to provide a reliable source of injection water to replace water extracted and lost in the form of steam. The steamfield operators have historcially used cooling towers to recycle a small portion of the steam and have collected water during the winter months using stream extraction. These two sources, however, could not by themselves sustain the steamfield in the long term. The Lake County Reclaimed Water Project (SEGEP) was inititated in 1997 and provides another source of steamfield replenishment water. The Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project provides another significant step in replenishing the steamfield. In addition, the Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project has been built with capacity to potentially meet virtually all injection water requirements, when combined with these other sources. Figure 2.1 graphically depicts the combination of injection sources.

Spatial variation in effects of temperature on Phenotypic characteristics of Phytophthora ramorum isolates from eastern Sonoma county

Science.gov (United States)

Valerie Sherron; Nathan E. Rank; Michael Cohen; Brian L. Anacker; Ross K. Meentemeyer

2008-01-01

Quantifying the growth rates of plant pathogens in the laboratory can be useful for predicting rates of disease spread and impact in nature. The purpose of this study was to examine phenotypic variation among isolates of Phytophthora ramorum collected from a foliar host plant species, Umbellularia californica (California bay laurel...

The Relative Performance of High Resolution Quantitative Precipitation Estimates in the Russian River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Bytheway, J. L.; Biswas, S.; Cifelli, R.; Hughes, M.

2017-12-01

The Russian River carves a 110 mile path through Mendocino and Sonoma counties in western California, providing water for thousands of residents and acres of agriculture as well as a home for several species of endangered fish. The Russian River basin receives almost all of its precipitation during the October through March wet season, and the systems bringing this precipitation are often impacted by atmospheric river events as well as the complex topography of the region. This study will examine the performance of several high resolution (hourly, products and forecasts over the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 wet seasons. Comparisons of event total rainfall as well as hourly rainfall will be performed using 1) rain gauges operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Physical Sciences Division (PSD), 2) products from the Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor (MRMS) QPE dataset, and 3) quantitative precipitation forecasts from the High Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model at 1, 3, 6, and 12 hour lead times. Further attention will be given to cases or locations representing large disparities between the estimates.

Associations among Wine Grape Microbiome, Metabolome, and Fermentation Behavior Suggest Microbial Contribution to Regional Wine Characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Bokulich, Nicholas A.; Collins, Thomas S.; Masarweh, Chad; Allen, Greg; Heymann, Hildegarde; Ebeler, Susan E.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Regionally distinct wine characteristics (terroir) are an important aspect of wine production and consumer appreciation. Microbial activity is an integral part of wine production, and grape and wine microbiota present regionally defined patterns associated with vineyard and climatic conditions, but the degree to which these microbial patterns associate with the chemical composition of wine is unclear. Through a longitudinal survey of over 200 commercial wine fermentations, we demonstrate that both grape microbiota and wine metabolite profiles distinguish viticultural area designations and individual vineyards within Napa and Sonoma Counties, California. Associations among wine microbiota and fermentation characteristics suggest new links between microbiota, fermentation performance, and wine properties. The bacterial and fungal consortia of wine fermentations, composed from vineyard and winery sources, correlate with the chemical composition of the finished wines and predict metabolite abundances in finished wines using machine learning models. The use of postharvest microbiota as an early predictor of wine chemical composition is unprecedented and potentially poses a new paradigm for quality control of agricultural products. These findings add further evidence that microbial activity is associated with wine terroir. PMID:27302757

Large-scale immigration and political response: popular reaction in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, W A

1998-03-01

Over the past 3 years, the level of political debate has grown over the nature and extent of the recent large-scale immigration to the US in general, and to California in particular. California's Proposition 187 to deny welfare benefits to illegal immigrants brought national attention to the immigration debate, and no doubt influenced recent decisions to significantly change the US's welfare program. The author studied the vote on Proposition 187 in the November 1994 California election to better understand the nature of reaction to large-scale immigration and recent arguments about anti-immigrant sentiment and nativism. The only counties which voted against the proposition were Sonoma, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Yolo, Alameda, and Santa Clara, as well as the population of San Francisco. The vote generated political responses from across the border as well as within California. Statements from Mexican and other Central American governments reflected their concern over the possibility of returning populations, for whom there are neither jobs nor public services in their countries of origin. Findings are presented from a spatial analysis of the vote by census tracts in Los Angeles County.

2010 Northern San Francisco Bay Area Lidar: Portions of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, Solano, and Sonoma Counties

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) dataset is a survey of northern San Francisco Bay, California. The project area consists of approximately 437 square miles...

Gas and Isotope Geochemistry of 81 Steam Samples from Wells in The Geysers Geothermal Field, Sonoma and Lake Counties, California

Science.gov (United States)

Lowenstern, Jacob B.; Janik, Cathy J.; Fahlquist, Lynne; Johnson, Linda S.

1999-01-01

The Geysers geothermal field in northern California, with about 2000-MW electrical capacity, is the largest geothermal field in the world. Despite its importance as a resource and as an example of a vapor-dominated reservoir, very few complete geochemical analyses of the steam have been published (Allen and Day, 1927; Truesdell and others, 1987). This report presents data from 90 steam, gas, and condensate samples from wells in The Geysers geothermal field in northern California. Samples were collected between 1978 and 1991. Well attributes include sampling date, well name, location, total depth, and the wellhead temperature and pressure at which the sample was collected. Geochemical characteristics include the steam/gas ratio, composition of noncondensable gas (relative proportions of CO2, H2S, He, H2, O2, Ar, N2, CH4, and NH3), and isotopic values for deltaD and delta18O of H2O, delta13C of CO2, and delta34S of H2S. The compilation includes 81 analyses from 74 different production wells, 9 isotopic analyses of steam condensate pumped into injection wells, and 5 complete geochemical analyses on gases from surface fumaroles and bubbling pools. Most samples were collected as saturated steam and plot along the liquid-water/steam boiling curve. Steam-togas ratios are highest in the southeastern part of the geothermal field and lowest in the northwest, consistent with other studies. Wells in the Northwest Geysers are also enriched in N2/Ar, CO2 and CH4, deltaD, and delta18O. Well discharges from the Southeast Geysers are high in steam/gas and have isotopic compositions and N2/Ar ratios consistent with recharge by local meteoric waters. Samples from the Central Geysers show characteristics found in both the Southeast and Northwest Geysers. Gas and steam characteristics of well discharges from the Northwest Geysers are consistent with input of components from a high-temperature reservoir containing carbonrich gases derived from the host Franciscan rocks. Throughout the geothermal field, the carbon-isotopic composition of CO2 is consistent with derivation of carbon from Franciscan metasedimentary rocks. NH3 concentrations are high in most Geysers well fluids, and are 2-3 orders of magnitude greater than would be expected in a the gas phase exhibiting homogeneous equilibrium at normal reservoir temperatures and pressures. Evidently, NH3 is flushed from the Franciscan host rocks at a rate that exceeds the reaction rate for NH3 breakdown. Many wells show clear influence by fluids from reinjection wells where steam condensate has been pumped back into the geothermal reservoir. Six wells were resampled over the time period of this study. One of these six wells was strongly affected by a nearby injection well. Three of the six resampled wells showed some signs of decreasing liquid/ steam within the geothermal reservoir, consistent with 'drying out' of the reservoir due to steam withdrawal. However, two wells exhibited little change. Analyses of gases from five surface manifestations (fumaroles and bubbling pools) are roughly similar to the deeper geothermal samples in both chemical and isotopic composition, but are lower in soluble gases that dissolve in groundwater during transit toward the surface.

Annotated bibliography of the red tree vole (Arborimus longicaudus), Sonoma tree vole (A. pomo), and white-footed vole (A. albipes).

Science.gov (United States)

James K. Swingle; Eric D. Forsman

2016-01-01

This annotated bibliography contains all citations that we could find on tree voles (Arborimus longicaudus, A. pomo) and white-footed voles (A. albipes), including many unpublished sources in museum archives, court proceedings, and agency documents. Some documents not readily available in published form or museum archives are...

Local population impacts of geothermal energy development in the Geysers: Calistoga region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haven, K.F.; Berg, V.; Ladson, Y.W.

1980-09-01

The country-level population increase implications of two long-term geothermal development scenarios for the Geysers region in California are addressed. This region is defined to include the counties of Lake, Sonoma, Mendocino and Napa, all four in northern California. The development scenarios include two components: development for electrical energy production and direct use applications. Electrical production scenarios are derived by incorporating current development patterns into previous development scenarios by both industry and research organizations. The scenarios are made county-specific, specific to the type of geothermal system constructed, and are projected through the year 2000. Separate high growth rate and low growth rate scenarios are developed, based on a set of specified assumptions. Direct use scenarios are estimated from the nature of the available resource, existing local economic and demographic patterns, and available experience with various separate direct use options. From the composite development scenarios, required numbers of direct and indirect employees and the resultant in-migration patterns are estimated. In-migration patterns are compared to current county level population and ongoing trends in the county population change for each of the four counties. From this comparison, conclusions are drawn concerning the contributions of geothermal resource development to future population levels and the significance of geothermally induced population increase from a county planning perspective.

Rayleigh wave group velocity and shear wave velocity structure in the San Francisco Bay region from ambient noise tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Peng; Thurber, Clifford

2018-06-01

We derive new Rayleigh wave group velocity models and a 3-D shear wave velocity model of the upper crust in the San Francisco Bay region using an adaptive grid ambient noise tomography algorithm and 6 months of continuous seismic data from 174 seismic stations from multiple networks. The resolution of the group velocity models is 0.1°-0.2° for short periods (˜3 s) and 0.3°-0.4° for long periods (˜10 s). The new shear wave velocity model of the upper crust reveals a number of important structures. We find distinct velocity contrasts at the Golden Gate segment of the San Andreas Fault, the West Napa Fault, central part of the Hayward Fault and southern part of the Calaveras Fault. Low shear wave velocities are mainly located in Tertiary and Quaternary basins, for instance, La Honda Basin, Livermore Valley and the western and eastern edges of Santa Clara Valley. Low shear wave velocities are also observed at the Sonoma volcanic field. Areas of high shear wave velocity include the Santa Lucia Range, the Gabilan Range and Ben Lomond Plutons, and the Diablo Range, where Franciscan Complex or Silinian rocks are exposed.

Investigating Student Understanding of the Universe: Perceptions of Astronomical Sizes and Distances

Science.gov (United States)

Camarillo, Carmelita; Coble, K.; Hayes, V.; Nickerson, M.; Cochran, G. L.; Bailey, J. M.; McLin, K. M.; Cominsky, L. R.

2011-05-01

Student perceptions regarding astronomical sizes and distances are being analyzed for Chicago State University's Basic Astronomy course. This area is of great interest to further understand the students’ learning processes and to produce more effective instruction. Insights from cognitive psychology have shown that perceptions are related to prior experiences and current knowledge. Students enter into this course with different mental representations, and these representations can affect their learning. Through a repeated measures design, perceptions are analyzed through several instruments. The instruments implemented are pre-tests surveys (before lab), exams (after lab), lab comments, and interviews. Preliminary analysis reveals that students who have difficulty with astronomical sizes and distances have been more strongly influenced by culture and the media whereas those who had less difficulty expanded on their personal prior experiences. This project is part of a larger study; also see our posters on the structure of the universe, dark matter, the age and expansion of the universe. This work was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNXlOAC89G, as well as by the Illinois Space Grant Consortium and National Science Foundation CCLI Grant #0632563 at Chicago State University and the Fermi E/PO program at Sonoma State University.

Integrating terrestrial LiDAR and stereo photogrammetry to map the Tolay lakebed in northern San Francisco Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Woo, Isa; Storesund,; Takekawa, John Y.; Gardiner, Rachel J.; Ehret,

2009-01-01

The Tolay Creek Watershed drains approximately 3,520 ha along the northern edge of San Francisco Bay. Surrounded by a mosaic of open space conservation easements and public wildlife areas, it is one of the only watersheds in this urbanized estuary that is protected from its headwaters to the bay. Tolay Lake is a seasonal, spring-fed lake found in the upper watershed that historically extended over 120 ha. Although the lakebed was farmed since the early 1860s, the majority of the lakebed was recently acquired by the Sonoma County Regional Parks Department to restore its natural habitat values. As part of the restoration planning process, we produced a digital elevation model (DEM) of the historic extent of Tolay Lake by integrating terrestrial LiDAR (light detection and ranging) and stereo photogrammetry datasets, and real-time kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS) surveys. We integrated the data, generated a DEM of the lakebed and upland areas, and analyzed errors. The accuracy of the composite DEM was verified using spot elevations obtained from the RTK GPS. Thus, we found that by combining photogrammetry, terrestrial LiDAR, and RTK GPS, we created an accurate baseline elevation map to use in watershed restoration planning and design.

Evaluation of an Interactive Undergraduate Cosmology Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

White, Aaron; Coble, Kimberly A.; Martin, Dominique; Hayes, Patrycia; Targett, Tom; Cominsky, Lynn R.

2018-06-01

The Big Ideas in Cosmology is an immersive set of web-based learning modules that integrates text, figures, and visualizations with short and long interactive tasks as well as labs that allow students to manipulate and analyze real cosmological data. This enables the transformation of general education astronomy and cosmology classes from primarily lecture and book-based courses to a format that builds important STEM skills, while engaging those outside the field with modern discoveries and a more realistic sense of practices and tools used by professional astronomers. Over two semesters, we field-tested the curriculum in general education cosmology classes at a state university in California [N ~ 80]. We administered pre- and post-instruction multiple-choice and open-ended content surveys as well as the CLASS, to gauge the effectiveness of the course and modules. Questions addressed included the structure, composition, and evolution of the universe, including students’ reasoning and “how we know.”Module development and evaluation was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNXl0AC89G, the Illinois Space Grant Consortium, the Fermi E/PO program, Sonoma State University’s Space Science Education and Public Outreach Group, and San Francisco State University. The modules are published by Great River Learning/Kendall-Hunt.

NASA's Universe of Learning: Engaging Learners in Discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Cominsky, L.; Smith, D. A.; Lestition, K.; Greene, M.; Squires, G.

2016-12-01

NASA's Universe of Learning is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to enable scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The NASA's Universe of Learning program is created through a partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University. The program will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of over 500 partners to advance the objectives of SMD's newly restructured education program. The multi-institutional team will develop and deliver a unified, consolidated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Exoplanet Exploration theme. Program elements include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; providing professional development for pre-service educators, undergraduate instructors, and informal educators; and, producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and process for mapping discoveries to products and programs for informal, lifelong, and self-directed learning environments.

Investigation of a largescale common murre (Uria aalge) mortality event in California in 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Gibble, Corinne; Duerr, Rebecca; Bodenstein, Barbara; Lindquist, Kirsten; Lindsey, Jackie; Beck, Jessie; Henkel, Laird A.; Roletto, Jan; Harvey, Jim; Kudela, Raphael

2018-01-01

From August through December 2015, beachcast bird survey programs reported increased deposition of common murres (Uria aalge) on central and northern California beaches, but not on southern California beaches. Coastal wildlife rehabilitation centers received more than 1,000 live, stranded, and debilitated murres from Sonoma County to San Luis Obispo County during August–October. Approximately two-thirds of admitted birds were after-hatch-year birds in emaciated body condition and in various stages of molt, with extremely worn plumage. Necropsies were done on a sample (n=35) of birds to determine the probable cause of death of beachcast carcasses. Most birds examined during necropsy were emaciated, with starvation the most likely cause of death. Birds were also tested for underlying infectious diseases at the US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) and harmful algal bloom toxins at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Northwest Fisheries Science Center. Twenty-four out of 29 tested birds had detectable levels of domoic acid, and no indication of infectious disease was found. Emaciation is thought to be the cause of death for these birds, with a large warm water anomaly and harmful algal bloom playing a secondary detrimental role.

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Draft EIR/EIS: Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SERWTP) Facilities Improvement Plan and Geysers Effluent Pipeline and Effluent Injection Project are proposed as a plan to provide expanded wastewater treatment capabilities and to dispose of the effluent by injection in The Geysers geothermal field for purposes of power production. The project is located predominantly in the County of Lake, California, and also in part of Sonoma County. The plan includes various conventional facilities improvements in wastewater treatment to a secondary level of treatment at the SWERWTP. The plan includes facilities to convey the treated effluent in a 26-mile, 24-inch inside diameter pipeline to the Southeast Geysers. The wastewater from the SERWTP would be supplemented by raw lake water diverted from nearby Clear Lake. At The Geysers, the effluent would be directed into a system of distribution lines to wells. In the geothermal reservoir, the water will be converted to steam and collected in production wells that will direct the steam to six existing power plants. This document is a summary of a combined full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIR/EIS describes the environmental impacts of the various components of the project. Mitigation measures are suggested for reducing impacts to a less than significant level

An Overview of Geologic Carbon Sequestration Potential in California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cameron Downey; John Clinkenbeard

2005-10-01

As part of the West Coast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (WESTCARB), the California Geological Survey (CGS) conducted an assessment of geologic carbon sequestration potential in California. An inventory of sedimentary basins was screened for preliminary suitability for carbon sequestration. Criteria included porous and permeable strata, seals, and depth sufficient for critical state carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) injection. Of 104 basins inventoried, 27 met the criteria for further assessment. Petrophysical and fluid data from oil and gas reservoirs was used to characterize both saline aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Where available, well log or geophysical information was used to prepare basin-wide maps showing depth-to-basement and gross sand distribution. California's Cenozoic marine basins were determined to possess the most potential for geologic sequestration. These basins contain thick sedimentary sections, multiple saline aquifers and oil and gas reservoirs, widespread shale seals, and significant petrophysical data from oil and gas operations. Potential sequestration areas include the San Joaquin, Sacramento, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Eel River basins, followed by the smaller Salinas, La Honda, Cuyama, Livermore, Orinda, and Sonoma marine basins. California's terrestrial basins are generally too shallow for carbon sequestration. However, the Salton Trough and several smaller basins may offer opportunities for localized carbon sequestration.

Monitoring guidelines improve control of walnut husk fly in California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Opp, Susan B.; Reynolds, Katherine M.; Pickel, Carolyn; Olson, William

2000-01-01

The walnut husk fly (WHF), Rhagoletis completa Cresson, is a key pest of walnuts (Juglans spp.) in California, where over 95% of the US and approximately two-thirds of the world's commercial walnuts are produced. The primary hosts of this monophagous fruit fly are J. regia L. (commercially grown English walnut), J. californica S. Wats. var. hindsii (northern California black walnut), J. californica var. californica (southern California black walnut) and J. nigra Thunb. (eastern black walnut). Some cultivars of the English walnut are more susceptible than others; the most heavily infested varieties of English walnut include Eureka, Franquette, Hartley, Mayette and Payne. Neither English walnuts nor the walnut husk fly are native to California. So-called 'English' walnuts are sometimes more appropriately called 'Persian' walnuts, in reference to Persia, the origin of J. regia. English walnuts were first planted in southern California in the 1860s. In contrast, the native range of WHF is the mid- and south-central United States where it attacks J. nigra (Boyce 1934). The fly was likely to have been introduced into southern California in the mid-1920s by tourists travelling from Kansas, New Mexico, Texas or Oklahoma. WHF was first documented in California in 1926 in the San Bernardino County when maggots were found in the husks of English walnuts (Boyce 1929). The fly gradually spread throughout walnut growing regions of California. In 1928, only three or four orchards in the San Bernardino County were known to be infested. By 1932, the fly was also found in the Los Angeles and Orange Counties (Boyce 1933), and by 1954, it was found in Ventura, Riverside, and the San Diego Counties, in addition to the northern California county of Sonoma (Anonymous 1966). The spread of the fly in northern California was rapid. By 1958, WHF was found in San Joaquin County; in 1963, the fly was in Amador, Lake, Solano, Tulare and Yolo Counties; in 1964, it was found in Fresno, Mendocino

Fibromyalgia with Gabapentin and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Marske, Cynthia; Bernard, Natasha; Palacios, Alison; Wheeler, Cary; Preiss, Ben; Brown, Mackenzie; Bhattacharya, Saveri; Klapstein, Gloria

2018-04-01

This pilot study compares the safety and efficacy of three treatments in reducing pain and improving fibromyalgia symptoms. This study was an 8-week prospective, single center feasibility study. Forty subjects were recruited from Solano, Sonoma, and Contra Costa counties of California in 2006-2009. Subjects were aged 18-65 and met the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 criteria for fibromyalgia. This study had three treatment arms: gabapentin only (900 mg/day), osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) only, and combined treatment of gabapentin plus OMM. OMM treatment was administered by advanced medical students for 30 min, once a week. The trial lasted for 8 weeks, which included 6 weeks of treatment plus initial and final visits. Key outcome measures included Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBF), Clinical Global Impression of Health (CGI), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), and number of tender points. Twenty-nine subjects completed the trial; 8 subjects received gabapentin only, 11 patients received OMM only, and 10 patients received gabapentin plus OMM. Subjects receiving OMM alone and subjects receiving the combined treatment of OMM and gabapentin displayed clinical improvements based on WBF (p treatment and gabapentin are safe and clinically efficacious treatment of pain and other constitutional and somatic symptoms associated with fibromyalgia. A larger trial using the new ACR 2010 Fibromyalgia criteria is needed to confirm these findings.

Linking High Risk Postpartum Women with a Technology Enabled Health Coaching Program to Reduce Diabetes Risk and Improve Wellbeing: Program Description, Case Studies, and Recommendations for Community Health Coaching Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Athavale, Priyanka; Thomas, Melanie; Delgadillo-Duenas, Adriana T; Leong, Karen; Najmabadi, Adriana; Harleman, Elizabeth; Rios, Christina; Quan, Judy; Soria, Catalina; Handley, Margaret A

2016-01-01

Background . Low-income minority women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (pGDM) or high BMIs have increased risk for chronic illnesses postpartum. Although the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) provides an evidence-based model for reducing diabetes risk, few community-based interventions have adapted this program for pGDM women. Methods . STAR MAMA is an ongoing randomized control trial (RCT) evaluating a hybrid HIT/Health Coaching DPP-based 20-week postpartum program for diabetes prevention compared with education from written materials at baseline. Eligibility includes women 18-39 years old, ≥32 weeks pregnant, and GDM or BMI > 25. Clinic- and community-based recruitment in San Francisco and Sonoma Counties targets 180 women. Sociodemographic and health coaching data from a preliminary sample are presented. Results . Most of the 86 women included to date (88%) have GDM, 80% were identified as Hispanic/Latina, 78% have migrant status, and most are Spanish-speaking. Women receiving the intervention indicate high engagement, with 86% answering 1+ calls. Health coaching callbacks last an average of 9 minutes with range of topics discussed. Case studies presented convey a range of emotional, instrumental, and health literacy-related supports offered by health coaches. Discussion . The DPP-adapted HIT/health coaching model highlights the possibility and challenge of delivering DPP content to postpartum women in community settings. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02240420.

Valuing urban open space using the travel-cost method and the implications of measurement error.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanauer, Merlin M; Reid, John

2017-08-01

Urbanization has placed pressure on open space within and adjacent to cities. In recent decades, a greater awareness has developed to the fact that individuals derive multiple benefits from urban open space. Given the location, there is often a high opportunity cost to preserving urban open space, thus it is important for both public and private stakeholders to justify such investments. The goals of this study are twofold. First, we use detailed surveys and precise, accessible, mapping methods to demonstrate how travel-cost methods can be applied to the valuation of urban open space. Second, we assess the degree to which typical methods of estimating travel times, and thus travel costs, introduce bias to the estimates of welfare. The site we study is Taylor Mountain Regional Park, a 1100-acre space located immediately adjacent to Santa Rosa, California, which is the largest city (∼170,000 population) in Sonoma County and lies 50 miles north of San Francisco. We estimate that the average per trip access value (consumer surplus) is $13.70. We also demonstrate that typical methods of measuring travel costs significantly understate these welfare measures. Our study provides policy-relevant results and highlights the sensitivity of urban open space travel-cost studies to bias stemming from travel-cost measurement error. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

NASA's Swift Education and Public Outreach Program

Science.gov (United States)

Cominsky, L. R.; Graves, T.; Plait, P.; Silva, S.; Simonnet, A.

2004-08-01

Few astronomical objects excite students more than big explosions and black holes. Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) are both: powerful explosions that signal the births of black holes. NASA's Swift satellite mission, set for launch in Fall 2004, will detect hundreds of black holes over its two-year nominal mission timeline. The NASA Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) group at Sonoma State University is leading the Swift E/PO effort, using the Swift mission to engage students in science and math learning. We have partnered with the Lawrence Hall of Science to create a ``Great Explorations in Math and Science" guide entitled ``Invisible Universe: from Radio Waves to Gamma Rays," which uses GRBs to introduce students to the electromagnetic spectrum and the scale of energies in the Universe. We have also created new standards-based activities for grades 9-12 using GRBs: one activity puts the students in the place of astronomers 20 years ago, trying to sort out various types of stellar explosions that create high-energy radiation. Another mimics the use of the Interplanetary Network to let students figure out the direction to a GRB. Post-launch materials will include magazine articles about Swift and GRBs, and live updates of GRB information to the Swift E/PO website that will excite and inspire students to learn more about space science.

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Engaging Learners in Discovery

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Denise A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon K.; Greene, W. M.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Eisenhamer, Bonnie; NASA's Universe of Learning Team

2016-06-01

NASA’s Universe of Learning is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) to enable scientists and engineers to more effectively engage with learners of all ages. The NASA's Universe of Learning program is created through a partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University. The program will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of over 500 partners to advance the objectives of SMD’s newly restructured education program. The multi-institutional team will develop and deliver a unified, consolidated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Cosmic Origins, Physics of the Cosmos, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Program elements include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; providing professional development for pre-service educators, undergraduate instructors, and informal educators; and, producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and process for mapping discoveries to products and programs for informal, lifelong, and self-directed learning environments.

Improving Radar QPE's in Complex Terrain for Improved Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction

Science.gov (United States)

Cifelli, R.; Streubel, D. P.; Reynolds, D.

2010-12-01

been little quantitative evaluation of MPE performance in this region compared to simply using a gage only analysis. In this study, an evaluation of MPE and RFC QPE is performed in a portion of the CNRFC (including the Russian and American River basins) using an independent set of rain gauge data from the Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT). Data from a precipitation event in January 2010 are used to establish the comparison methodology and for preliminary evaluation. For this multi-day event, it is shown that the RFC QPE shows generally better agreement with the HMT gauges compared to MPE in terms of storm total precipitation. However, the bias in RFC:MPE is shown to vary as a function of terrain and time. Moreover, for a subset of the HMT gauges in Sonoma county, the 1-hour MPE precipitation totals are found to be generally well correlated to the HMT gauge totals with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.6-0.9. For the Sonoma county gauges, the MPE product generally underestimates rainfall compared to HMT, probably as a consequence of low-level, orographically forced precipitation that was not well captured by the MPE radar analysis.

Overview of NASA's Universe of Learning: An Integrated Astrophysics STEM Learning and Literacy Program

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Denise; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon; Biferno, Anya A.; Cominsky, Lynn; Manning, Colleen; NASA's Universe of Learning Team

2018-01-01

NASA's Universe of Learning creates and delivers science-driven, audience-driven resources and experiences designed to engage and immerse learners of all ages and backgrounds in exploring the universe for themselves. The project is the result of a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University, and is one of 27 competitively-selected cooperative agreements within the NASA Science Mission Directorate STEM Activation program. The NASA's Universe of Learning team draws upon cutting-edge science and works closely with Subject Matter Experts (scientists and engineers) from across the NASA Astrophysics Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic Origins, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Together we develop and disseminate data tools and participatory experiences, multimedia and immersive experiences, exhibits and community programs, and professional learning experiences that meet the needs of our audiences, with attention to underserved and underrepresented populations. In doing so, scientists and educators from the partner institutions work together as a collaborative, integrated Astrophysics team to support NASA objectives to enable STEM education, increase scientific literacy, advance national education goals, and leverage efforts through partnerships. Robust program evaluation is central to our efforts, and utilizes portfolio analysis, process studies, and studies of reach and impact. This presentation will provide an overview of NASA's Universe of Learning, our direct connection to NASA Astrophysics, and our collaborative work with the NASA Astrophysics science community.

Detectability of geothermal areas using Skylab X-5 data

Science.gov (United States)

Siegal, B. S.; Kahle, A. B.; Goetz, A. F. H.; Gillespie, A. R.; Abrams, M. J.

1975-01-01

The results are presented of a study which was undertaken to determine if data from a single near-noon pass of Skylab could be used to detect geothermal areas. The size and temperature requirements for a geothermally heated area to be seen by Skylab S-192 MSS X-5 thermal sensor were calculated. This sensor obtained thermal data with the highest spatial resolution of any nonmilitary satellite system. Only very large hot areas could be expected to be unambiguously recognized with a single data set from this instrument. The study area chosen was The Geysers geothermal field in Sonoma County, California, the only geothermal area of significant size scanned by Skylab. Unfortunately, 95% of the Skylab thermal channel data was acquired within 3 hours of local noon. For The Geysers area only daytime X-5 data were available. An analysis of the thermal channel data (10.2 to 12.5 um) revealed that ground temperatures determined by Skylab were normally distributed. No anomalous hot spots were apparent. Computer enhancement techniques were used to delineate the hottest 100 and 300 ground areas (pixel, 75 m by 75 m) within the study region. It was found that the Skylab MSS with the X-5 thermal detector does not have sufficient spatial resolution to locate unambiguously from daytime data any but the largest and hottest convectively created geothermal features, which in general are prominent enough to have been previously recognized.

Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant Facilities Improvements Project and Geysers Effluent Pipeline Project. Draft EIR/EIS, Volume 2 of 2: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The Southeast Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SERWTP) Facilities Improvement Plan and Geysers Effluent Pipeline and Effluent Injection Project are proposed as a plan to provide expanded wastewater treatment capabilities and to dispose of the effluent by injection in The Geysers geothermal field for purposes of power production. The project is located predominantly in the County of Lake, California, and also in part of Sonoma County. The plan includes various conventional facilities improvements in wastewater treatment to a secondary level of treatment at the SWERWTP. The plan includes facilities to convey the treated effluent in a 26-mile, 24-inch inside diameter pipeline to the Southeast Geysers. The wastewater from the SERWTP would be supplemented by raw lake water diverted from nearby Clear Lake. At The Geysers, the effluent would be directed into a system of distribution lines to wells. In the geothermal reservoir, the water will be converted to steam and collected in production wells that will direct the steam to six existing power plants. This document is a summary of a combined full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIR/EIS describes the environmental impacts of the various components of the project. Mitigation measures are suggested for reducing impacts to a less than significant level. This report contains appendices A and B. Appendix A contains notices of preparation/notices of intent and EIR/EIS scoping comments. Appendix B contains GeothermEx, Inc., analysis of Geothermal Reservoir Effects and Induced Seismicity

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation and Flood Hazard Mitigation in California.

Science.gov (United States)

Calil, Juliano; Beck, Michael W; Gleason, Mary; Merrifield, Matthew; Klausmeyer, Kirk; Newkirk, Sarah

2015-01-01

Flooding is the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States, and was a factor in almost all declared disasters in U.S. Direct flood losses in the U.S. in 2011 totaled $8.41 billion and flood damage has also been on the rise globally over the past century. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out more than $38 billion in claims since its inception in 1968, more than a third of which has gone to the one percent of policies that experienced multiple losses and are classified as "repetitive loss." During the same period, the loss of coastal wetlands and other natural habitat has continued, and funds for conservation and restoration of these habitats are very limited. This study demonstrates that flood losses could be mitigated through action that meets both flood risk reduction and conservation objectives. We found that there are at least 11,243km2 of land in coastal California, which is both flood-prone and has natural resource conservation value, and where a property/structure buyout and habitat restoration project could meet multiple objectives. For example, our results show that in Sonoma County, the extent of land that meets these criteria is 564km2. Further, we explore flood mitigation grant programs that can be a significant source of funds to such projects. We demonstrate that government funded buyouts followed by restoration of targeted lands can support social, environmental, and economic objectives: reduction of flood exposure, restoration of natural resources, and efficient use of limited governmental funds.

Draft environmental impact report. California Department of Water Resources, Bottle Rock geothermal power plant, Lake County, CA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-12-01

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) proposes to construct the Bottle Rock power plant, a 55 MW geothermal power plant, at The Geysers Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA). The plant is projected to begin operation in April of 1983, and will be located in Lake County near the Sonoma County line on approximately 7.2 acres of the Francisco leasehold. The steam to operate the power plant, approximately 1,000,000 pounds/h, will be provided by McCulloch Geothermal Corporation. The power plant's appearance and operation will be basically the same as the units in operation or under construction in the KGRA. The power plant and related facilities will consist of a 55 MW turbine generator, a 1.1 mile (1.81 km) long transmission line, a condensing system, cooling tower, electrical switchyard, gas storage facility, cistern, and an atmospheric emission control system. DWR plans to abate hydrogen sulfide (H/sub 2/S) emissions through the use of the Stretford Process which scrubs the H/sub 2/S from the condenser vent gas stream and catalytically oxides the gas to elemental sulfur. If the Stretford Process does not meet emission limitations, a secondary H/sub 2/S abatement system using hydrogen peroxide/iron catalyst is proposed. The Bottle Rock project and other existing and future geothermal projects in the KGRA may result in cumulative impacts to soils, biological resources, water quality, geothermal steam resources, air quality, public health, land use, recreation, cultural resources, and aesthetics.

Aligning Natural Resource Conservation and Flood Hazard Mitigation in California.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliano Calil

Full Text Available Flooding is the most common and damaging of all natural disasters in the United States, and was a factor in almost all declared disasters in U.S.Direct flood losses in the U.S. in 2011 totaled $8.41 billion and flood damage has also been on the rise globally over the past century. The National Flood Insurance Program paid out more than $38 billion in claims since its inception in 1968, more than a third of which has gone to the one percent of policies that experienced multiple losses and are classified as "repetitive loss." During the same period, the loss of coastal wetlands and other natural habitat has continued, and funds for conservation and restoration of these habitats are very limited. This study demonstrates that flood losses could be mitigated through action that meets both flood risk reduction and conservation objectives. We found that there are at least 11,243km2 of land in coastal California, which is both flood-prone and has natural resource conservation value, and where a property/structure buyout and habitat restoration project could meet multiple objectives. For example, our results show that in Sonoma County, the extent of land that meets these criteria is 564km2. Further, we explore flood mitigation grant programs that can be a significant source of funds to such projects. We demonstrate that government funded buyouts followed by restoration of targeted lands can support social, environmental, and economic objectives: reduction of flood exposure, restoration of natural resources, and efficient use of limited governmental funds.

The Bruce Medalists

Science.gov (United States)

Tenn, J. S.

2001-12-01

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) has presented the Catherine Wolfe Bruce gold medal for lifetime contributions to astronomy most years since 1898. The 94 medalists include most of the scientists whose work has greatly changed astronomy since the late nineteenth century: Huggins, Pickering, Campbell, Hale, Eddington, Russell, Adams, Slipher, Hertzsprung, Hubble, Shapley, Oort, Baade, ... Major exceptions include those who died young, those who worked in teams, and, in the early years, women. Mathematicians appear to have been as likely to be honored as astronomers from the beginning, but the fortunes of physicist nominees have varied. The nomination process is an unusual one, with the directors of six observatories, three in the U.S. and three abroad, asked to nominate up to three candidates each year. For the first six decades the observatories rarely varied, and directors had long tenures. They nominated the same individuals repeatedly. Now both observatories and their directors vary regularly. Much can be learned about the changes in astronomy from the late nineteenth century, when observers worked alone with long refractors and a theorist could spend a lifetime computing the orbit of one comet, to the present, when most papers have multiple authors and a single project may include millions of objects. For example, celestial mechanics was the specialty of many of the early medalists but none since 1966. I have posted photographs, brief biographies, extensive bibliographies, and links to publications by and about all of the medalists, from Simon Newcomb in 1898 to Hans Bethe in 2001, at http://phys-astro.sonoma.edu/BruceMedalists/. I will discuss a bit of the history of the medal and some of the medalists.

Final cost reduction study for the Geysers Recharge Alternative. Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-11-01

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not cost reduction opportunities exist for the Geysers Recharge Alternative as defined in the Santa Rosa Subregional Long-Term Wastewater Project EIR/EIS. The City of Santa Rosa has been directed to have a plan for reclaimed water disposal in place by 1999 which will meet future capacity needs under all weather conditions. A Draft EIR/EIS released in July 1996 and a Final EIR certified in June 1997 examine four primary alternatives plus the No Action Alternative. Two of the primary alternatives involve agricultural irrigation with reclaimed water, either in western or southern Sonoma County. Another involves increased discharge of reclaimed water into the Russian River. The fourth involves using reclaimed water to replenish the geothermal reservoir at the Geysers. The addition of this water source would enable the Geysers operators to produce more steam from the geothermal area and thereby prolong the life and economic production level of the steamfield and the geothermal power plants supplied by the steamfield. This study provides additional refined cost estimates for new scenarios which utilize an alternative pipeline alignment and a range of reclaimed water flows, which deliver less water to the Geysers than proposed in the EIR/EIS (by distributing flow to other project components). Also, electrical power rates were revised to reflect the recent changes in costs associated with deregulation of the power industry. In addition, this report provides information on sources of potential public and private funding available and future environmental documentation required if the cost reduction scenarios were to be selected by the City as part of their preferred alternative.

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Connecting Scientists, Educators, and Learners

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Denise A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon K.; Greene, W. M.; Biferno, Anya A.; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Goodman, Irene; Walker, Allyson; Universe of Learning Team

2017-01-01

NASA’s Universe of Learning (UoL) is one of 27 competitively awarded education programs selected by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in its newly restructured education effort. Through these 27 programs, SMD aims to infuse NASA science experts and content more effectively and efficiently into learning environments serving audiences of all ages. UoL is a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Chandra X-ray Center, IPAC at Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Exoplanet Exploration Program, and Sonoma State University that will connect the scientists, engineers, science, technology and adventure of NASA Astrophysics with audience needs, proven infrastructure, and a network of partners to advance SMD education objectives. External evaluation is provided through a partnership with Goodman Research Group and Cornerstone Evaluation Associates. The multi-institutional team is working to develop and deliver a unified, consolidated and externally evaluated suite of education products, programs, and professional development offerings that spans the full spectrum of NASA Astrophysics, including the Cosmic Origins, Physics of the Cosmos, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Products and programs focus on out-of-school-time learning environments and include enabling educational use of Astrophysics mission data and offering participatory experiences; creating multimedia and immersive experiences; designing exhibits and community programs; and producing resources for special needs and underserved/underrepresented audiences. The UoL team also works with a network of partners to provide professional learning experiences for informal educators, pre-service educators, and undergraduate instructors. This presentation will provide an overview of the UoL team’s approach to partnering scientists and educators to engage learners in Astrophysics discoveries and data; progress to date; and pathways for science community involvement.

Enabling global collaborations through policy engagement and CMS applications

Science.gov (United States)

Escobar, V. M.; Sepulveda Carlo, E.; Delgado Arias, S.

2015-12-01

Different spatial scales prompt different discussions among carbon data stakeholders. NASA's Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) initiative has enabled collaboration opportunities with stakeholders whose data needs and requirements are unique to the spatial scope of their work: from county to the international scale. At the very local level, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District leverages CMS high-resolution biomass estimates to develop a Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system in support of the District's 10-year land stewardship plan and the California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32). On the eastern coast, at the state level, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources utilizes the same high-resolution biomass estimates on a larger scale to better strategize in achieving the goal of 40% canopy cover statewide by 2020. At a regional scale that encompasses the three states of Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, LiDAR data collection of the Chesapeake Bay watershed dominate the stakeholder discussions. By collaborating with the U.S. Geological Survey's 3-D Elevation Program (3DEP), high-resolution LiDAR data will fill critical data gaps to help implement watershed protection strategies such as increasing riparian forest buffers to reduce runoff. Outside of the U.S., the World Resources Institute seeks to harness CMS reforestation products and technical expertise in addressing land restoration priorities specific to each Latin American country. CMS applications efforts expand beyond forest carbon examples discussed above to include carbon markets, ocean acidification, national greenhouse gas inventory, and wetlands. The broad array of case studies and lessons learned through CMS Applications in scaling carbon science for policy development at different spatial scales is providing unique opportunities that leverage science through policy needs.

Federal reservation of geothermal resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silver, R.M.

1978-01-01

Union Oil had developed or was seeking to develop wells on the land in Sonoma County, California in order to produce geothermal steam for generating electricity. The US Attorney General brought a quiet title action pursuant to 21(b) of the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to determine whether geothermal resources are included in the mineral reservation under the Homestead Act. The US District Court granted Union Oil's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be granted. On appeal, the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded. In summary, the court concluded on the basis of the legislative history of the Stock-Raising Homestead Act that sources of energy are intended to remain in the government's possession, and the purposes of the Act will be best served by including geothermal resources in the reservation of mineral interests. Noting the strictly agricultural purpose of the Act, the subsurface estate reservation was broadly interpreted, even though title passed to all rights that were not expressly reserved. The court left open on remand the question of estoppel of the government from interfering with private lessees by developing subsurface resources compensation.This is a unique and intriguing decision, as it opens wide the definition of ''mineral interest,'' construing it in the timely terms of a valuable natural resource that may be in great demand for future energy needs. The decision is being appealed to the United States Supreme Court, and it will be interesting to observe whether this liberal interpretation of mineral interests will be upheld.

Ensemble Flow Forecasts for Risk Based Reservoir Operations of Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County, California: A Framework for Objectively Leveraging Weather and Climate Forecasts in a Decision Support Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Delaney, C.; Hartman, R. K.; Mendoza, J.; Whitin, B.

2017-12-01

Forecast informed reservoir operations (FIRO) is a methodology that incorporates short to mid-range precipitation and flow forecasts to inform the flood operations of reservoirs. The Ensemble Forecast Operations (EFO) alternative is a probabilistic approach of FIRO that incorporates ensemble streamflow predictions (ESPs) made by NOAA's California-Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC). With the EFO approach, release decisions are made to manage forecasted risk of reaching critical operational thresholds. A water management model was developed for Lake Mendocino, a 111,000 acre-foot reservoir located near Ukiah, California, to evaluate the viability of the EFO alternative to improve water supply reliability but not increase downstream flood risk. Lake Mendocino is a dual use reservoir, which is owned and operated for flood control by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and is operated for water supply by the Sonoma County Water Agency. Due to recent changes in the operations of an upstream hydroelectric facility, this reservoir has suffered from water supply reliability issues since 2007. The EFO alternative was simulated using a 26-year (1985-2010) ESP hindcast generated by the CNRFC. The ESP hindcast was developed using Global Ensemble Forecast System version 10 precipitation reforecasts processed with the Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast System to generate daily reforecasts of 61 flow ensemble members for a 15-day forecast horizon. Model simulation results demonstrate that the EFO alternative may improve water supply reliability for Lake Mendocino yet not increase flood risk for downstream areas. The developed operations framework can directly leverage improved skill in the second week of the forecast and is extendable into the S2S time domain given the demonstration of improved skill through a reliable reforecast of adequate historical duration and consistent with operationally available numerical weather predictions.

Geographic Clusters of Basal Cell Carcinoma in a Northern California Health Plan Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Ray, G Thomas; Kulldorff, Martin; Asgari, Maryam M

2016-11-01

Rates of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common cancer, have been increasing over the past 3 decades. A better understanding of geographic clustering of BCCs can help target screening and prevention efforts. Present a methodology to identify spatial clusters of BCC and identify such clusters in a northern California population. This retrospective study used a BCC registry to determine rates of BCC by census block group, and used spatial scan statistics to identify statistically significant geographic clusters of BCCs, adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. The study population consisted of white, non-Hispanic members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California during years 2011 and 2012. Statistically significant geographic clusters of BCC as determined by spatial scan statistics. Spatial analysis of 28 408 individuals who received a diagnosis of at least 1 BCC in 2011 or 2012 revealed distinct geographic areas with elevated BCC rates. Among the 14 counties studied, BCC incidence ranged from 661 to 1598 per 100 000 person-years. After adjustment for age, sex, and neighborhood socioeconomic status, a pattern of 5 discrete geographic clusters emerged, with a relative risk ranging from 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03-1.21; P = .006) for a cluster in eastern Sonoma and northern Napa Counties to 1.40 (95% CI, 1.15-1.71; P Costa and west San Joaquin Counties, compared with persons residing outside that cluster. In this study of a northern California population, we identified several geographic clusters with modestly elevated incidence of BCC. Knowledge of geographic clusters can help inform future research on the underlying etiology of the clustering including factors related to the environment, health care access, or other characteristics of the resident population, and can help target screening efforts to areas of highest yield.

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Engaging Subject Matter Experts to Support Museum Alliance Science Briefings

Science.gov (United States)

Marcucci, Emma; Slivinski, Carolyn; Lawton, Brandon L.; Smith, Denise A.; Squires, Gordon K.; Biferno, Anya A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Lee, Janice C.; Rivera, Thalia; Walker, Allyson; Spisak, Marilyn

2018-06-01

NASA's Universe of Learning creates and delivers science-driven, audience-driven resources and experiences designed to engage and immerse learners of all ages and backgrounds in exploring the universe for themselves. The project is a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University and is part of the NASA SMD Science Activation Collective. The NASA’s Universe of Learning projects pull on the expertise of subject matter experts (scientist and engineers) from across the broad range of NASA Astrophysics themes and missions. One such project, which draws strongly on the expertise of the community, is the NASA’s Universe of Learning Science Briefings, which is done in collaboration with the NASA Museum Alliance. This collaboration presents a monthly hour-long discussion on relevant NASA astrophysics topics or events to an audience composed largely of informal educators from informal learning environments. These professional learning opportunities use experts and resources within the astronomical community to support increased interest and engagement of the informal learning community in NASA Astrophysics-related concepts and events. Briefings are designed to create a foundation for this audience using (1) broad science themes, (2) special events, or (3) breaking science news. The NASA’s Universe of Learning team engages subject matter experts to be speakers and present their science at these briefings to provide a direct connection to NASA Astrophysics science and provide the audience an opportunity to interact directly with scientists and engineers involved in NASA missions. To maximize the usefulness of the Museum Alliance Science Briefings, each briefing highlights resources related to the science theme to support informal educators in incorporating science content into their venues and/or interactions with the public. During this

Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Takekawa, John Y.; Miles, A.K.; Tsao-Melcer, D. C.; Schoellhamer, D.H.; Fregien, S.; Athearn, N.D.

2009-01-01

Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wetlands for waterbirds is not well understood, including how different avian foraging guilds use invertebrate prey resources at different salinities and depths. The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary flexibility of waterbirds by examining the population number and diet of three feeding guilds across a salinity and depth gradient in former salt ponds of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes. Although total invertebrate biomass and species richness were greater in low than high salinity salt ponds, waterbirds fed in ponds that ranged from low (20 g l-1) to very high salinities (250 g l -1). American avocets (surface sweeper) foraged in shallow areas at pond edges and consumed a wide range of prey types (8) including seeds at low salinity, but preferred brine flies at mid salinity (40-80 g l-1). Western sandpipers (prober) focused on exposed edges and shoal habitats and consumed only a few prey types (2-4) at both low and mid salinities. Suitable depths for foraging were greatest for ruddy ducks (diving benthivore) that consumed a wide variety of invertebrate taxa (5) at low salinity, but focused on fewer prey (3) at mid salinity. We found few brine shrimp, common in higher salinity waters, in the digestive tracts of any of these species. Dietary flexibility allows different guilds to use ponds across a range of salinities, but their foraging extent is limited by available water depths. ?? 2009 USGS, US Government.

Beyond the Event Horizon: Education with Black Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Sarah; Cominsky, L.; Plait, P.; SSU E/PO Group

2006-09-01

The Sonoma State University NASA Education and Public Outreach Program (SSU E/PO), in collaboration with the Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS), NOVA, Thomas Lucas Productions (TLP), the National Science Foundation and E/PO groups across NASA's Astrophysics Division, is creating a series of educational and outreach products for both formal and informal educational settings. The formal (in-class) products are closely tied with the informal (museum and television) products. An NSF-funded digital planetarium show titled "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity" was created by DMNS and TLP and is currently showing at several venues, with more planned. Through funding from the Swift and GLAST missions, SSU has developed an accompanying educator workshop and guide to train museum personnel in the use of black hole educational materials so that they can give professional development workshops to local teachers. In addition, SSU E/PO has worked with TLP and NOVA to create a television program ("Monster of the Milky Way") will premiere in the fall of 2006 with accompanying online educational materials. The educator guide materials include activities from NASA Astrophysics missions such as GLAST, Swift, XMM-Newton, and Gravity Probe-B, as well as from the Center for Science Education at Space Sciences Laboratory and the HEASARC education programs. We are also creating an online educational resource for use by anyone who wants to find information about black holes. It will have interactive features, including a possible museum kiosk where visitors can explore black holes. All products that are developed as a part of this program include integrated evaluation and assessment. The planetarium show has already had formative evaluation and is in the process of summative evaluation. The workshops include evaluation and follow-up work with the participating educators.

Cefazolin potency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: a microbiologic assessment in support of a novel drug delivery system for skin and skin structure infections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicolau DP

2017-07-01

Full Text Available David P Nicolau,1 Barry N Silberg2 1Center for Anti-Infective Research and Development, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT, USA; 2Department of Surgery, Sonoma West Medical Center, Sebastopol, CT, USA Introduction: Despite aggressive medical and surgical management, the resolution of skin and skin structure infections is often difficult due to insufficient host response, reduced drug penetration, and a high prevalence of resistance organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA. As a result of these factors, conventional management often consists of prolonged broad-spectrum systemic antimicrobials. An alternative therapy in development, ultrasonic drug dispersion (UDD, uses a subcutaneous injection followed by external transcutaneous ultrasound to deliver high tissue concentrations of cefazolin with limited systemic exposure. While it is postulated that these high concentrations may be suitable to treat more resistant organisms such as MRSA, the cefazolin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC distribution for this organism is currently unknown. Materials and methods: We assessed the potency of cefazolin against a collection of 1,239 MRSA from 42 US hospitals using Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute-defined broth microdilution methodology. Results: The cefazolin MIC inhibiting 50% of the isolates was 64 mg/L; 81% had MICs ≤128 and nearly all (99.9% had MICs ≤512 mg/L. Conclusion: The overwhelming majority of MRSA had cefazolin MICs that were considerably lower than achievable tissue concentrations (≥1,000 mg/L using this novel drug delivery system. While the currently defined cefazolin MRSA phenotypic profile precludes the use of parenteral administration, techniques that deliver local exposures in excess of these inhibitory concentrations may provide a novel treatment strategy for skin and skin structure infections. Keywords: methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus, ultrasonic, infection, cefazolin

Student Ideas About Cosmological Concepts: Age, Expansion, and the Big Bang

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Trouille, Laura; Coble, K.; Camarillo, C.; Bailey, J.; Nickerson, M.; Cochran, G.; Hayes, V.; McLin, K.; Cominsky, L.

2012-05-01

Students enter introductory astronomy classes with ideas about the universe that are often misaligned with accepted scientific beliefs. In this presentation we will describe the results from a multi-semester study of urban minority students’ ideas in an introductory astronomy course. We use in-depth student interviews, homework assignments, lab responses, and exams to identify pre-instructional ideas. We also examine the resilience of alternate conceptions to modification through instruction. In this presentation we focus on students’ ideas with regards to the Big Bang, the age of the Universe, and the expansion of the Universe over time. We find that a significant fraction of students enter our astronomy courses with alternate conceptions, including that the Big Bang refers to an explosion from a small, single point in space, that there is no evidence for the Big Bang, that there is a center to our Universe, that the Universe expands into pre-existing matter, and that the Universe has either a much smaller or much larger age than its accepted age. Some of these alternate conceptions are relatively easy to overcome through active learning (for example, whether there is a center to the Universe), while others are more resistant to change (for example, whether the Universe expands into pre-existing matter). Also see our presentations on student ideas of structure and distances (Camarillo et al.) as well as the overview of our methodology (Coble et al.). This work was supported by NASA ROSES E/PO Grant #NNX1OAC89G, as well as by the Illinois Space Grant Consortium and National Science Foundation CCLI Grant #0632563 at Chicago State University and the Fermi E/PO program at Sonoma State University.

Managing Expectations: Results from Case Studies of US Water Utilities on Preparing for, Coping with, and Adapting to Extreme Events

Science.gov (United States)

Beller-Simms, N.; Metchis, K.

2014-12-01

Water utilities, reeling from increased impacts of successive extreme events such as floods, droughts, and derechos, are taking a more proactive role in preparing for future incursions. A recent study by Federal and water foundation investigators, reveals how six US water utilities and their regions prepared for, responded to, and coped with recent extreme weather and climate events and the lessons they are using to plan future adaptation and resilience activities. Two case studies will be highlighted. (1) Sonoma County, CA, has had alternating floods and severe droughts. In 2009, this area, home to competing water users, namely, agricultural crops, wineries, tourism, and fisheries faced a three-year drought, accompanied at the end by intense frosts. Competing uses of water threatened the grape harvest, endangered the fish industry and resulted in a series of regulations, and court cases. Five years later, new efforts by partners in the entire watershed have identified mutual opportunities for increased basin sustainability in the face of a changing climate. (2) Washington DC had a derecho in late June 2012, which curtailed water, communications, and power delivery during a record heat spell that impacted hundreds of thousands of residents and lasted over the height of the tourist-intensive July 4th holiday. Lessons from this event were applied three months later in anticipation of an approaching Superstorm Sandy. This study will help other communities in improving their resiliency in the face of future climate extremes. For example, this study revealed that (1) communities are planning with multiple types and occurrences of extreme events which are becoming more severe and frequent and are impacting communities that are expanding into more vulnerable areas and (2) decisions by one sector can not be made in a vacuum and require the scientific, sectoral and citizen communities to work towards sustainable solutions.

NASA’s Universe of Learning: Providing a Direct Connection to NASA Science for Learners of all Ages with ViewSpace

Science.gov (United States)

Lawton, Brandon L.; Rhue, Timothy; Smith, Denise A.; Squires, Gordon K.; Biferno, Anya A.; Lestition, Kathleen; Cominsky, Lynn R.; Godfrey, John; Lee, Janice C.; Manning, Colleen

2018-06-01

NASA's Universe of Learning creates and delivers science-driven, audience-driven resources and experiences designed to engage and immerse learners of all ages and backgrounds in exploring the universe for themselves. The project is the result of a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University, and is one of 27 competitively-selected cooperative agreements within the NASA Science Mission Directorate STEM Activation program. The NASA's Universe of Learning team draws upon cutting-edge science and works closely with Subject Matter Experts (scientists and engineers) from across the NASA Astrophysics Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic Origins, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. As one example, NASA’s Universe of Learning program is uniquely able to provide informal learning venues with a direct connection to the science of NASA astrophysics via the ViewSpace platform. ViewSpace is a modular multimedia exhibit where people explore the latest discoveries in our quest to understand the universe. Hours of awe-inspiring video content connect users’ lives with an understanding of our planet and the wonders of the universe. This experience is rooted in informal learning, astronomy, and earth science. Scientists and educators are intimately involved in the production of ViewSpace material. ViewSpace engages visitors of varying backgrounds and experience at museums, science centers, planetariums, and libraries across the United States. In addition to creating content, the Universe of Learning team is updating the ViewSpace platform to provide for additional functionality, including the introduction of digital interactives to make ViewSpace a multi-modal learning experience. During this presentation we will share the ViewSpace platform, explain how Subject Matter Experts are critical in creating content for ViewSpace, and how we are addressing audience

Theoretical and Numerical Modeling of Transport of Land Use-Specific Fecal Source Identifiers

Science.gov (United States)

Bombardelli, F. A.; Sirikanchana, K. J.; Bae, S.; Wuertz, S.

2008-12-01

Microbial contamination in coastal and estuarine waters is of particular concern to public health officials. In this work, we advocate that well-formulated and developed mathematical and numerical transport models can be combined with modern molecular techniques in order to predict continuous concentrations of microbial indicators under diverse scenarios of interest, and that they can help in source identification of fecal pollution. As a proof of concept, we present initially the theory, numerical implementation and validation of one- and two-dimensional numerical models aimed at computing the distribution of fecal source identifiers in water bodies (based on Bacteroidales marker DNA sequences) coming from different land uses such as wildlife, livestock, humans, dogs or cats. These models have been developed to allow for source identification of fecal contamination in large bodies of water. We test the model predictions using diverse velocity fields and boundary conditions. Then, we present some preliminary results of an application of a three-dimensional water quality model to address the source of fecal contamination in the San Pablo Bay (SPB), United States, which constitutes an important sub-embayment of the San Francisco Bay. The transport equations for Bacteroidales include the processes of advection, diffusion, and decay of Bacteroidales. We discuss the validation of the developed models through comparisons of numerical results with field campaigns developed in the SPB. We determine the extent and importance of the contamination in the bay for two decay rates obtained from field observations, corresponding to total host-specific Bacteroidales DNA and host-specific viable Bacteroidales cells, respectively. Finally, we infer transport conditions in the SPB based on the numerical results, characterizing the fate of outflows coming from the Napa, Petaluma and Sonoma rivers.

Associations among Wine Grape Microbiome, Metabolome, and Fermentation Behavior Suggest Microbial Contribution to Regional Wine Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bokulich, Nicholas A; Collins, Thomas S; Masarweh, Chad; Allen, Greg; Heymann, Hildegarde; Ebeler, Susan E; Mills, David A

2016-06-14

Regionally distinct wine characteristics (terroir) are an important aspect of wine production and consumer appreciation. Microbial activity is an integral part of wine production, and grape and wine microbiota present regionally defined patterns associated with vineyard and climatic conditions, but the degree to which these microbial patterns associate with the chemical composition of wine is unclear. Through a longitudinal survey of over 200 commercial wine fermentations, we demonstrate that both grape microbiota and wine metabolite profiles distinguish viticultural area designations and individual vineyards within Napa and Sonoma Counties, California. Associations among wine microbiota and fermentation characteristics suggest new links between microbiota, fermentation performance, and wine properties. The bacterial and fungal consortia of wine fermentations, composed from vineyard and winery sources, correlate with the chemical composition of the finished wines and predict metabolite abundances in finished wines using machine learning models. The use of postharvest microbiota as an early predictor of wine chemical composition is unprecedented and potentially poses a new paradigm for quality control of agricultural products. These findings add further evidence that microbial activity is associated with wine terroir Wine production is a multi-billion-dollar global industry for which microbial control and wine chemical composition are crucial aspects of quality. Terroir is an important feature of consumer appreciation and wine culture, but the many factors that contribute to terroir are nebulous. We show that grape and wine microbiota exhibit regional patterns that correlate with wine chemical composition, suggesting that the grape microbiome may influence terroir In addition to enriching our understanding of how growing region and wine properties interact, this may provide further economic incentive for agricultural and enological practices that maintain regional

Geologic map and map database of northeastern San Francisco Bay region, California, [including] most of Solano County and parts of Napa, Marin, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Yolo, and Sonoma Counties

Science.gov (United States)

Graymer, Russell Walter; Jones, David Lawrence; Brabb, Earl E.

2002-01-01

This digital map database, compiled from previously published and unpublished data, and new mapping by the authors, represents the general distribution of bedrock and surficial deposits in the mapped area. Together with the accompanying text file (nesfmf.ps, nesfmf.pdf, nesfmf.txt), it provides current information on the geologic structure and stratigraphy of the area covered. The database delineates map units that are identified by general age and lithology following the stratigraphic nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. The scale of the source maps limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:62,500 or smaller.

Improved Storm Monitoring and Prediction for the San Francisco Bay Area

Science.gov (United States)

Cifelli, R.; Chandrasekar, V.; Anderson, M.; Davis, G.

2017-12-01

The Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI) System is a multi-faceted project to improve precipitation and hydrologic monitoring, prediction, and decision support for the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Area faces a multitude of threats from extreme events, including disrupted transportation from flooded roads and railroad lines, water management challenges related to storm water, river and reservoir management and storm-related damage demanding emergency response. The threats occur on spatial scales ranging from local communities to the entire region and time scales ranging from hours to days. These challenges will be exacerbated by future sea level rise, more extreme weather events and increased vulnerabilities. AQPI is a collaboration of federal, state and local governments with assistance from the research community. Led by NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, in partnership with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, USGS, and Scripps, AQPI is a four-year effort funded in part by a grant from the California Department of Water Resource's Integrated Regional Water Management Program. The Sonoma County Water Agency is serving as the local sponsor of the project. Other local participants include the Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the Bay Area Flood Protection Agencies Association. AQPI will provide both improved observing capabilities and a suite of numerical forecast models to produce accurate and timely information for benefit of flood management, emergency response, water quality, ecosystem services, water supply and transportation management for the Bay Area. The resulting information will support decision making to mitigate flood risks, secure water supplies, minimize water quality impacts to the Bay from combined sewer overflows, and have improved lead-time on coastal and Bay inundation from extreme storms like Atmospheric Rivers (ARs). The project is expected to

Generating relevant climate adaptation science tools in concert with local natural resource agencies

Science.gov (United States)

Micheli, L.; Flint, L. E.; Veloz, S.; Heller, N. E.

2015-12-01

To create a framework for adapting to climate change, decision makers operating at the urban-wildland interface need to define climate vulnerabilities in the context of site-specific opportunities and constraints relative to water supply, land use suitability, wildfire risks, ecosystem services and quality of life. Pepperwood's TBC3.org is crafting customized climate vulnerability assessments with selected water and natural resource agencies of California's Sonoma, Marin, Napa and Mendocino counties under the auspices of Climate Ready North Bay, a public-private partnership funded by the California Coastal Conservancy. Working directly with managers from the very start of the process to define resource-specific information needs, we are developing high-resolution, spatially-explicit data products to help local governments and agency staff implement informed and effective climate adaptation strategies. Key preliminary findings for the region using the USGS' Basin Characterization Model (at a 270 m spatial resolution) include a unidirectional trend, independent of greater or lesser precipitation, towards increasing climatic water deficits across model scenarios. Therefore a key message is that managers will be facing an increasingly arid environment. Companion models translate the impacts of shifting climate and hydrology on vegetation composition and fire risks. The combination of drought stress on water supplies and native vegetation with an approximate doubling of fire risks may demand new approaches to watershed planning. Working with agencies we are exploring how to build capacity for protection and enhancement of key watershed functions with a focus on groundwater recharge, facilitating greater drought tolerance in forest and rangeland systems, and considering more aggressive approaches to management of fuel loads. Lessons learned about effective engagement include the need for extended in-depth dialog, translation of key climate adaptation questions into

Enhanced Removal of Nutrients and Trace Organics from Urban Runoff with Novel Capture, Treatment, and Recharge Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ashoori, N.; Planes, M. T.; Lefevre, G.; Sedlak, D.; Luthy, R. G.

2017-12-01

Rapid population growth, urban sprawl and impact of climate change are forcing water-stressed areas to rely on new local sources of water supply. Under this scenario, reclamation of stormwater runoff has emerged as a source for irrigation and replenishing drinking-water groundwater reservoirs. However, urban stormwater can be a significant source of pollutants, including nutrients and organic compounds. In order to overcome the stormwater treatment system limitations, this project has developed a pilot-scale column system for passive treatment of infiltrated water using low-cost, low-energy geomedia. The objective was to provide guidance on the design and operation of systems for controlling nutrient and trace organic contaminant releases to surface waters. The work comprised of replicate column studies in the field to test stormwater treatment modules with various media, such as woodchips and biochar, using urban runoff from a watershed in Sonoma, California. Woodchip bioreactors host an endemic population of microorganisms that can be harnessed to biologically degrade nitrate. The columns amended with biochar enhance removal of organic pollutants present in stormwater through physicochemical processes (i.e., adsorption onto biochar) and biodegradation in the column through increasing retention time. The field columns were conditioned with stormwater for eight months before being spiked weekly with 50 ppb of representative trace organics. The key finding was the successful field demonstration of a novel treatment system for both the removal of nitrate and trace organics. Nitrogen removal was successful in all columns for the thirteen month experiment due to the woodchips being an effective source of carbon for denitrifying microorganisms to convert nitrate to nitrogen gases. As for the trace organics experiments, the results highlight an overall attenuation of the studied trace organic compounds by the columns containing woodchip and biochar throughout the five

A blended approach to analyze staple and high-value crops using remote sensing with radiative transfer and crop models.

Science.gov (United States)

Davitt, A. W. D.; Winter, J.; McDonald, K. C.; Escobar, V. M.; Steiner, N.

2017-12-01

The monitoring of staple and high-value crops is important for maintaining food security. The recent launch of numerous remote sensing satellites has created the ability to monitor vast amounts of crop lands, continuously and in a timely manner. This monitoring provides users with a wealth of information on various crop types over different regions of the world. However, a challenge still remains on how to best quantify and interpret the crop and surface characteristics that are measured by visible, near-infrared, and active and passive microwave radar. Currently, two NASA funded projects are examining the ability to monitor different types of crops in California with different remote sensing platforms. The goal of both projects is to develop a cost-effective monitoring tool for use by vineyard and crop managers. The first project is designed to examine the capability to monitor vineyard water management and soil moisture in Sonoma County using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Sentinel-1A and -2, and Landsat-8. The combined mission products create thorough and robust measurements of surface and vineyard characteristics that can potentially improve the ability to monitor vineyard health. Incorporating the Michigan Microwave Canopy Scattering (MIMICS), a radiative transfer model, enables us to better understand surface and vineyard features that influence radar measurements from Sentinel-1A. The second project is a blended approach to analyze corn, rice, and wheat growth using Sentinel-1A products with Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) and MIMICS models. This project aims to characterize the crop structures that influence Sentinel-1A radar measurements. Preliminary results have revealed the corn, rice, and wheat structures that influence radar measurements during a growing season. The potential of this monitoring tool can be used for maintaining food security. This includes supporting sustainable irrigation practices, identifying crop

Soundscapes to Landscapes (S2L): Monitoring Animal Biodiversity from Space Using Citizen Scientists

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, M. L.; Salas, L.; Goetz, S. J.

2017-12-01

Soundscapes to Landscapes (S2L) is a citizen science project with the broad goal of advancing scientific understanding of biodiversity and conservation using a combination of new and existing spaceborne sensors. The prototype phase of this project is focused on modeling bird diversity at the watershed scale in Sonoma County, California. The main objectives are to: 1) involve citizen scientists in the collection of in situ field information on bird diversity; 2) assess the accuracy and precision of bioacoustics for the detection and monitoring of individual species and richness; 3) test the predictive strength of spaceborne imaging spectroscopy, lidar, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors for spatial modeling of species occupancy and overall species richness; and 4) use occupancy/richness maps to better understand factors related to conserving animal diversity. In the prototype field campaign, citizen scientists (birders, undergraduate students) deployed portable sound recorders for 3-4 days in various habitats in a local watershed. Over 50,200 minutes (866 hours) of "soundscape" recordings were collected over 3 months. Through a series of "bird blitzes", citizen scientists used the ARBIMON II web-based system to listen to spectrograms (time vs. frequency) of 1-minute recordings, tag bird calls for identifiable species, validate presence/absence of bird species, draw training-set boxes around well-formed calls, and help evaluate Random Forests machine-learning model performance. Bird-call models were applied to all soundscapes to identify presence/absence of 10 indicator species. Another phase of this project involves species distribution modeling in conjunction with C- and L-band SAR imagery, simulated Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) and Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) large-footprint lidar data. Metrics derived from these data provide unique, wall-to-wall information on vegetation chemistry (HyspIRI) and three-dimensional structure (GEDI

Effect of short-term upper-body resistance training on muscular strength, bone metabolic markers, and BMD in premenopausal women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang MT

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Michael TC Liang,1 Lorena Quezada,1 WY Jamie Lau,1 Bulent Sokmen,2 Thomas W Spalding11Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, CA, USA; 2Department of Kinesiology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USAAbstract: To examine the effect of a 10-week upper-body resistance training program on bone turnover markers and site-specific bone mineral density (BMD in the wrist and distal half of the ulna and radius in untrained and healthy young premenopausal women.Methods: Twenty-two subjects (aged 22.1 ± 1.8 years were randomly assigned to a resistance training (n = 12 or no training control (n = 10 group. The following outcome variables were measured before and after 10 weeks of resistance training: (1 bone formation biomarker osteocalcin, and bone resorption biomarker tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b; (2 BMD in the wrist and distal half of the ulna and radius; (3 isokinetic strength of the elbow and knee extensors and flexors; (4 dynamic strength of the arm extensors and flexors; and (5 maximum number of push-ups.Results: The 10-week upper body resistance training intervention resulted in improved strength performance in push-ups (resistance training versus control: P < 0.05, chest presses (P < 0.05, and pulldowns (P < 0.05. However, there was no improvement in the BMD of the wrist (P > 0.05, BMD of the distal half of the ulna and radius (P > 0.05, and metabolic biomarkers osteocalcin (P > 0.05 and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (P > 0.05, except for the osteocalcin/tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b ratio. Also, no improvement in the resistance training group was observed for isokinetic strength of the knee and elbow flexion/extension.Conclusion: Upper-body muscular strength performance, but not bone metabolic markers and BMD of the wrist, can be improved with a 10-week upper body resistance training program of the nonweight-bearing limbs in

Downscaling future climate projections to the watershed scale: A north San Francisco Bay estuary case study

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Micheli, Elisabeth; Flint, Lorraine; Flint, Alan; Weiss, Stuart; Kennedy, Morgan

2012-01-01

We modeled the hydrology of basins draining into the northern portion of the San Francisco Bay Estuary (North San Pablo Bay) using a regional water balance model (Basin Characterization Model; BCM) to estimate potential effects of climate change at the watershed scale. The BCM calculates water balance components, including runoff, recharge, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and stream flow, based on climate, topography, soils and underlying geology, and the solar-driven energy balance. We downscaled historical and projected precipitation and air temperature values derived from weather stations and global General Circulation Models (GCMs) to a spatial scale of 270 m. We then used the BCM to estimate hydrologic response to climate change for four scenarios spanning this century (2000–2100). Historical climate patterns show that Marin’s coastal regions are typically on the order of 2 °C cooler and receive five percent more precipitation compared to the inland valleys of Sonoma and Napa because of marine influences and local topography. By the last 30 years of this century, North Bay scenarios project average minimum temperatures to increase by 1.0 °C to 3.1 °C and average maximum temperatures to increase by 2.1 °C to 3.4 °C (in comparison to conditions experienced over the last 30 years, 1981–2010). Precipitation projections for the 21st century vary between GCMs (ranging from 2 to 15% wetter than the 20th-century average). Temperature forcing increases the variability of modeled runoff, recharge, and stream discharge, and shifts hydrologic cycle timing. For both high- and low-rainfall scenarios, by the close of this century warming is projected to amplify late-season climatic water deficit (a measure of drought stress on soils) by 8% to 21%. Hydrologic variability within a single river basin demonstrated at the scale of subwatersheds may prove an important consideration for water managers in the face of climate change. Our results suggest that in arid

Using Internet-Based Robotic Telescopes to Engage Non-Science Majors in Astronomical Observation

Science.gov (United States)

Berryhill, K. J.; Coble, K.; Slater, T. F.; McLin, K. M.; Cominsky, L. R.

2013-12-01

Responding to national science education reform documents calling for students to have more opportunities for authentic research experiences, several national projects have developed online telescope networks to provide students with Internet-access to research grade telescopes. The nature of astronomical observation (e.g., remote sites, expensive equipment, and odd hours) has been a barrier in the past. Internet-based robotic telescopes allow scientists to conduct observing sessions on research-grade telescopes half a world away. The same technology can now be harnessed by STEM educators to engage students and reinforce what is being taught in the classroom, as seen in some early research in elementary schools (McKinnon and Mainwaring 2000 and McKinnon and Geissinger 2002), middle/high schools (Sadler et al. 2001, 2007 and Gehret et al. 2005) and undergraduate programs (e.g., McLin et al. 2009). This project looks at the educational value of using Internet-based robotic telescopes in a general education introductory astronomy course at the undergraduate level. Students at a minority-serving institution in the midwestern United States conducted observational programs using the Global Telescope Network (GTN). The project consisted of the use of planetarium software to determine object visibility, observing proposals (with abstract, background, goals, and dissemination sections), peer review (including written reviews and panel discussion according to NSF intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria), and classroom presentations showing the results of the observation. The GTN is a network of small telescopes funded by the Fermi mission to support the science of high energy astrophysics. It is managed by the NASA E/PO Group at Sonoma State University and is controlled using SkyNet. Data includes course artifacts (proposals, reviews, panel summaries, presentations, and student reflections) for six semesters plus student interviews. Using a grounded theory approach

Efficacy of technology-based interventions for obesity prevention in adolescents: a systematic review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chen JL

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Jyu-Lin Chen,1 Mary Ellen Wilkosz2 1Department of Family Health Care Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 2Nursing Department, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA Abstract: About one third of adolescents in the USA are overweight and/or obese. Obesity during the adolescent years is associated with many adverse health consequences, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and psychosocial problems. Because of substantial advances in technologies and wide acceptance by adolescents, it is now possible to use technology for healthy weight management and prevention of obesity. This systematic review used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and aimed to evaluate the existing literature reported on the effectiveness of technology-based intervention (web-based, e-learning, and active video games in preventing obesity in adolescents. The primary aim of this review was to explore if components of specific interventions were associated with a reduction in body mass index. Research articles obtained from CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane database from1990 to 2014 were reviewed. A total of 131 published articles were identified, and 14 met the inclusion criteria of a randomized or nonrandomized clinical study with body mass index as primary outcome and/or secondary outcomes of diet/physical activity and/or psychosocial function, tested lifestyle interventions to prevent obesity, used technology, and studied adolescents (aged 12–18 years. The results indicated that six of 14 studies found body mass index and/or body fat decreased at short-term (less than 12 months follow-up. Six of eleven studies that examined physical activity or physical activity-related outcomes found an improved physical activity outcome (time playing active video games and increase in physical activity time, while five of seven studies which assessed dietary

Preliminary results of hydrogeologic investigations Humboldt River Valley, Winnemucca, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Philip M.

1964-01-01

Most of the ground water of economic importance and nearly all the ground water closely associated with the flow o# the Humboldt River in the. 40-mile reach near Winnemucca, Nev., are in unconsolidated sedimentary deposits. These deposits range in age from Pliocene to Recent and range in character from coarse poorly sorted fanglomerate to lacustrine strata of clay, silt, sand, and gravel. The most permeable deposit consists of sand and gravel of Lake Lahontan age--the so-called medial gravel unit--which is underlain and overlain by fairly impermeable silt and clay also of Lake Lahontan age. The ultimate source of nearly all the water in the study area is precpitation within the drainage basin of the Humboldt River. Much of this water reaches the study, area as flow or underflow of the Humboldt River and as underflow from other valleys tributary to the study area. Little if any flow from the tributary streams in the study area usually reaches the Humboldt River. Most of the tributary streamflow within the study area evaporates or is transpired by vegetation, but a part percolates downward through unconsolidated deposits of the alluvial fans flanking the mountains and move downgradient as ground-water underflow toward the Humboldt River. Areas that contribute significant amounts of ground-water underflow to. the valley of the Humboldt River within the study area are (1) the valley of the Humboldt River upstream from the study area, (2) the Pole Creek-Rock Creek area, (3) Paradise Valley, and (4) Grass Valley and the northwestern slope of the Sonoma Range. The total average underflow from these areas in the period 1949-61 was about 14,000-19,000 acre-feet per year. Much of this underflow discharged into the Humboldt River within the study area and constituted a large part of the base flow of the river. Streamflow in the Humboldt River increases substantially in the early spring, principally because of runoff to the river in the reaches upstream from the study area

Quantifying the effects of European beach grass on aeolian sand transport over the last century: Bodega Marine Reserve, California

Science.gov (United States)

Cesmat, R.; Werner, S.; Smith, M. E.; Riedel, T.; Best, R.; Olyarnik, S.

2012-12-01

Introduction of European beach grass (Ammophila arenaria) to coastal dune systems of western North America induced significant changes to the transport and storage of sediment, and consequently the nesting habitat of the western snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus). At the Bodega Marine Reserve and Sonoma Coast State Park, Ammophila was introduced within the ~0.5 km2 dune area in the 1920's to limit the flux of sand through Bodega Harbor and agricultural land. To assess the potential impact of restoration efforts (Ammophila removal) on aeolian sediment flux, we measured sediment flux as a function of wind speeds and ground cover, and used these measurements to parameterize a spatial model for historical sand deposition Fine- to coarse-grained lithic to sub-lithic sand is delivered to the Bodega dune system from Salmon Creek beach, the down-shore terminus of a littoral system fed by the 3846 km2 Russian River catchment, several small (Gaffney ridge) at the edge of the planted region. An average accumulation rate of ~4,000 m3/yr is indicated within the study swath by the preserved sediment volumes. Within the modern dune system, unvegetated areas exhibit 2-3 meter wavelength, ~1/2 meter amplitude mega-ripples, and the uppermost 2-10 cm consists of coarse-sand to granule-sized armor layer. In contrast, grain-sizes in vegetated areas are largely vertically homogenous. Open areas are typically 2-8 meters lower than adjacent vegetated areas, and show evidence for net lowering of the land surface (i.e., exposed fence posts, roots). Conversely, vegetated areas appear prone to sediment accumulation, particularly downwind of unvegetated areas. We measured sand transport using 0.5 m high traps deployed at 18 sites throughout the dune field, and used a linear mixed effects model to predict transport rate as a function of wind and ground cover class, taking into account random effects of sampling date and repeated measurements at each site. The analysis indicates up

Retrofit California Overview and Final Reports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choy, Howard; Rosales, Ana

2014-03-01

Energy efficiency retrofits (also called upgrades) are widely recognized as a critical component to achieving energy savings in the building sector to help lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To date, however, upgrades have accounted for only a small percentage of aggregate energy savings in building stock, both in California and nationally. Although the measures and technologies to retrofit a building to become energy efficient are readily deployed, establishing this model as a standard practice remains elusive. Retrofit California sought to develop and test new program models to increase participation in the energy upgrade market in California. The Program encompassed 24 pilot projects, conducted between 2010 and mid-2013 and funded through a $30 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP). The broad scope of the Program can be seen in the involvement of the following regionally based Grant Partners: Los Angeles County (as prime grantee); Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), consisting of: o StopWaste.org for Alameda County o Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA) for Sonoma County o SF Environment for the City and County of San Francisco o City of San Jose; California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) for the San Diego region; Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD). Within these jurisdictions, nine different types of pilots were tested with the common goal of identifying, informing, and educating the people most likely to undertake energy upgrades (both homeowners and contractors), and to provide them with incentives and resources to facilitate the process. Despite its limited duration, Retrofit California undoubtedly succeeded in increasing awareness and education among home and property owners, as well as contractors, realtors, and community leaders. However, program results indicate that a longer timeframe will be needed to

Identification of emergent off-nominal operational requirements during conceptual architecting of the more electric aircraft

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Michael James

means for system safety assessment (SSA). The traditional two state and discrete system reliability assessment proves insufficient. Reliability is, therefore, handled in an analog fashion: as a function of magnitude of failure and failure duration. A series of metrics are introduced which characterize system performance in terms of analog hazard probabilities. These include analog and cumulative system and functional risk, hazard correlation, and extensions to the traditional component importance metrics. Continuous FHA, load shedding optimization, and analog SSA constitute the SONOMA process (Systematic Off-Nominal Requirements Analysis). Analog system safety metrics inform both architecture optimization (changes in unit level capability and reliability) and architecture augmentation (changes in architecture structure and composition). This process was applied for two vehicle systems concepts (conventional and 'more-electric') in terms of loss/hazard relationships with varying degrees of fidelity. Application of this process shows that the traditional assumptions regarding the structure of the function loss vs. hazard relationship apply undue design bias to functions and components during exploratory design. This bias is illustrated in terms of inaccurate estimations of the system and function level risk and unit level importance. It was also shown that off-nominal emergent requirements must be defined specific to each architecture concept. Quantitative comparisons of architecture specific off-nominal performance were obtained which provide evidence to the need for accurate definition of load shedding strategies during architecture exploratory design. Formally expressing performance degradation strategies in terms of the minimization of a continuous hazard space enhances the system architects ability to accurately predict sizing critical emergent requirements concurrent to architecture definition. Furthermore, the methods and frameworks generated here provide a

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit, 2012; California GAMA Priority Basin Project (ver. 1.1, February 2018)

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, George L.

2017-07-20

Groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit (NSF-SA) was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is in Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties and included two physiographic study areas: the Valleys and Plains area and the surrounding Highlands area. The NSF-SA focused on groundwater resources used for domestic drinking water supply, which generally correspond to shallower parts of aquifer systems than that of groundwater resources used for public drinking water supply in the same area. The assessments characterized the quality of untreated groundwater, not the quality of drinking water.This study included three components: (1) a status assessment, which characterized the status of the quality of the groundwater resources used for domestic supply for 2012; (2) an understanding assessment, which evaluated the natural and human factors potentially affecting water quality in those resources; and (3) a comparison between the groundwater resources used for domestic supply and those used for public supply.The status assessment was based on data collected from 71 sites sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey for the GAMA Priority Basin Project in 2012. To provide context, concentrations of constituents measured in groundwater were compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water regulatory and non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. The status assessment used a grid-based method to estimate the proportion of the groundwater resources that has concentrations of water-quality constituents approaching or above benchmark concentrations. This method provides statistically unbiased results at the study-area scale and permits comparisons to other GAMA Priority Basin Project study areas.In the NSF-SA study unit as a whole, inorganic

Massive Star Burps, Then Explodes

Science.gov (United States)

2007-04-01

Berkeley -- In a galaxy far, far away, a massive star suffered a nasty double whammy. On Oct. 20, 2004, Japanese amateur astronomer Koichi Itagaki saw the star let loose an outburst so bright that it was initially mistaken for a supernova. The star survived, but for only two years. On Oct. 11, 2006, professional and amateur astronomers witnessed the star actually blowing itself to smithereens as Supernova 2006jc. Swift UVOT Image Swift UVOT Image (Credit: NASA / Swift / S.Immler) "We have never observed a stellar outburst and then later seen the star explode," says University of California, Berkeley, astronomer Ryan Foley. His group studied the event with ground-based telescopes, including the 10-meter (32.8-foot) W. M. Keck telescopes in Hawaii. Narrow helium spectral lines showed that the supernova's blast wave ran into a slow-moving shell of material, presumably the progenitor's outer layers ejected just two years earlier. If the spectral lines had been caused by the supernova's fast-moving blast wave, the lines would have been much broader. artistic rendering This artistic rendering depicts two years in the life of a massive blue supergiant star, which burped and spewed a shell of gas, then, two years later, exploded. When the supernova slammed into the shell of gas, X-rays were produced. (Credit: NASA/Sonoma State Univ./A.Simonnet) Another group, led by Stefan Immler of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., monitored SN 2006jc with NASA's Swift satellite and Chandra X-ray Observatory. By observing how the supernova brightened in X-rays, a result of the blast wave slamming into the outburst ejecta, they could measure the amount of gas blown off in the 2004 outburst: about 0.01 solar mass, the equivalent of about 10 Jupiters. "The beautiful aspect of our SN 2006jc observations is that although they were obtained in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, in the optical and in X-rays, they lead to the same conclusions," says Immler. "This