California State University, Monterey Bay
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Field evaluations of the CropManage decision support tool for improving irrigation and nutrient use of cool season vegetables in California
Get PDFVegetable growers on the central coast of California are under regulatory pressure to reduce nitrate loading to ground and surface water supplies. California also implemented legislation that limits agricultural pumping in regions such as the central coast where the aquifers have been over-extracted for crop irrigation. Growers could potentially use less N fertilizer, address water quality concerns, and conserve water by improving water management and matching nitrogen applications to the N uptake pattern of their crops. Two tools available to growers, the soil nitrate quick test (SNQT) and reference evapotranspiration (ETo) data have been previously shown to improve the management of water and fertilizer nitrogen in vegetable production systems. However, adoption of these practices has not been widespread. These techniques can be time consuming to use, and vegetable growers often have many crops to manage. To address such time constraints, the CropManage online application (cropmanage.ucanr.edu) was developed to facilitate implementation of the SNQT and evapotranspiration-based irrigation scheduling. CropManage additionally helps growers account for plant available N from background levels of nitrate in irrigation water. Trials were conducted in commercial vegetable fields in the Salinas Valley during 2012–2019 to evaluate CropManage fertilizer and irrigation recommendations relative to the grower practice. Results demonstrated that in many cases fertilizer or irrigation reductions could be attained by following CropManage recommendations without jeopardizing yield. In lettuce, the total fertilizer N applied under CropManage guidance was reduced by an average of 31 % compared to the grower standard practice. Lettuce yield within the CropManage treatment averaged 107 % of the grower practice. CropManage guidance in broccoli reduced N and applied water by 24 % and 27 %, respectively, compared to the grower standard practice, while average yield was similar between treatments. Management tools such as CropManage can support operational efficiencies and compliance with regulatory targets designed to improve groundwater quality
White Abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) Restoration Aquaculture: An Assessment of Formulated Diets and Probiotics
Get PDFWhite abalone (Haliotis sorenseni) are an endangered species found along the California coast. They are at historically low densities, nearing extinction. Aquaculture facilities throughout California are currently involved in the captive breeding of the species and grow out of juveniles for outplanting to wild habitat. White abalone have historically suffered from an infectious bacterial disease known as withering syndrome or Ca.Xc. This disease can be treated with an antibiotic, but antibiotic treatments can lower immune functions and create antibiotic resistance genes. A probiotic treatment could replace this need for antibiotics and increase overall health and growth rates in white abalone. White abalone restoration activity aims to enhance the species recovery by developing self-sustaining populations, which is costly due to the species’ slow growth, high early mortality rate, and reliance on seasonal macroalgae feed. These limiting factors warrant an assessment of alternative diets and probiotic treatments to shorten the culture time and lower costs before outplanting. Diet administered probiotics have previously shown improved growth rates, feed digestibility, and survivorship in abalone species, while formulated feeds can provide adequate nutrition and reduce costs for several cultured species.
The probiotic, Bacillus licheniformis was added to macroalgae feed for white abalone exposed to and unexposed to Ca.Xc. No Ca.Xc was detected in any of the white abalone at the end of the study. This indicated that white abalone may be able to combat Ca.Xc with a bacteriophage (pCXc). Shell loss during the first probiotic experiment hindered data collection on feeding and growth rates. In the first probiotic study 42% of the white abalone and 53% of the red abalone lost their shells. Two subsequent studies were conducted to understand the cause of the shell loss. These studies were inconclusive, but one experiment showed that low stocking density (588 abalone/m2) increased feeding and growth rates compared to high densities (1,176 abalone/m2).
The second probiotic study investigated the effects of B. licheniformis on a formulated abalone feed, ABKelp®. Three diet treatments were assessed: 1) formulated, 2) formulated + probiotic, 3) standard (Devaleraea mollis and Macrocystis pyrifera). The standard treatment resulted in the fastest growth and feed intake. The formulated + probiotic treatment had the lowest growth and feeding rates, which may be due to reduced palatability from the probiotic. Despite comparatively inferior growth metrics, the formulated treatment resulted in adequate growth and survivorship in white abalone. The use of a formulated diet is feasible for white abalone restoration aquaculture when considering additional costs associated with fresh macroalgae feeding, including permits, diving, and boat operations for M. pyrifera collection and culture facilities devoted to macroalgae culture and storage. The growth rates, feeding rates, and proximate analysis suggest that formulated feed is not a viable alternative diet for white abalone, but could be used as a supplemental feed for conservation aquaculture facilities with limited access to fresh macroalgae or during times of the year when fresh feed is unavailable
Ionic partitioning of KCl in AOT reverse micelles from molecular dynamics simulations
Get PDFReverse micelles are an important class of nanoreactors providing an array of applications. The structure and dynamics of aqueous reverse micelles have been intensely investigated, yet there are many subtleties involved in characterizing the arrangement of water and ionic species within these aggregates. The interfacial arrangement of water and dopants added to bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate sodium salt (AOT) reverse micelles were investigated by fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Reverse micelles of increasing water to surfactant ratio were doped with concentrations of KCl from 0.0 to 1.0 M to analyze the partitioning of ions and water. Detailed analysis of pair density functions reveals that Cl− ions are embedded deep in the aqueous interior, and the K+ ions display a remarkable affinity for the interface. Our results confirm the existence of multiple layers of water, and an ordered multi-layer ionic arrangement that is driven by the negatively charged surfactant headgroup
Prevalence of Diabetes in Monterey County
Get PDFAspire Health is a nonprofit organization that collaborates with community partners to improve the health and well-being for residents in Monterey County. In Monterey County, about 50% of the adult population is affected with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes. Aspire Health provides a free diabetes education module to students in Monterey County grade K-12, where they learn about diabetes and how to make healthier lifestyle choices. The project consisted of launching a texting feature that provided resources on diabetes. The purpose was to raise awareness and education about diabetes in Monterey County by providing local resources on diabetes with the collaboration of United Way of Monterey County. Getting the texting feature launched by the first week of October was not possible. Aspire Health continues to work with United Way to get the texting feature launched. Aspire Health can continue to collaborate with local partners to fight the epidemic of diabetes
Collaboration and Crisis Response of Nonprofits to Natural Disasters
No full textNonprofit Connection (NPC) Santa Cruz County is an agency that was established in 2020. NPC serves nonprofits in the county by supporting them in communicating, collaborating, and building and strengthening relationships amongst each other. NPC continues to bring agencies together to share common needs and build stronger communities. Early in the year, the heavy rains on New Year\u27s Eve led to flooding, road closures, evacuations, power outages, and people trapped in their homes. Then, a few months later, on March 10th, the levee on the Monterey County side of the Pajaro River failed and displaced hundreds of people, forcing them out of their homes into shelters, cars, and hotels. Based on the interviews with executive directors and other nonprofit leaders from Santa Cruz County, the need for a well-coordinated response contributed to nonprofits becoming frustrated and needing a change of action for future natural disasters
Destressing through Recreation
Get PDFWatsonville Parks and Community Services is a youth center where students can go after school and do homework or participate in activities the youth center has for them. Teenagers experience stressful situations at home, school or just life in general. Adults don\u27t seem to pay much attention to what is going around them, which leads youth to do things they are not supposed to do. The project purpose is for the youth to learn how to better cope with the stress levels they might be dealing with in life. The expected outcome is for the youth to learn to express themselves in ways other than lashing out in violence and learn how to cope with stress in a more relaxing way for them. The most important findings were that most of these kids were not stressed, because most of them mentioned they didn\u27t have plans after high school or that they didn\u27t want to go to college. The next step for the agency to do is inform the youth of the positive outcome in doing well in school, even if the youth don\u27t have plans in going to college and show them the benefits if they do end up going to college. Most of these children are the first generation of their family in the United States, and the agency can help them be more successful by guiding them
College Readiness
No full textRancho Cielo is a non-profit organization that offers comprehensive learning and social services to inspire at-risk youth. The Silver Star program\u27s challenge is helping students navigate the complexities of college applications, financial aid, and career planning. The purpose of the project is to inform senior students at the Silver Star program about the college through sequential workshops covering career exploration, college research, financial aid, and resume building. The project\u27s expected outcomes include increased college enrollment, higher transfer rates, and heightened financial preparedness among senior students en route to graduation. The subsequent step for the agency would be to include parents and the broader community in the project by organizing informational sessions for parents and students and engaging them in the college preparation process to create a supportive network for students
San Benito County Community Awareness Project: Victim Witness Services Program Website Development
No full textOne of the main issues that law enforcement encounters is the under-reporting or non-reporting of crime, which could potentially create issues in the future. This is related to the lack of awareness of resources available to victims of crime when a crime report is made. The San Benito County District Attorney’s Office, Victim Services division, primarily serving the community of Hollister has implemented the project of developing a website to provide information of the available resources to those who are victims of crime since there is a lack of awareness to what victims are entitled to when following a crime. The publication of the website has met the expected outcomes as the Victim Services division did not have a website all along. It is recommended for the website to be updated periodically as penal codes get updated and should reflect current laws regarding Victims rights also known as Marsy\u27s Law
Youth Mental Health Awareness
Get PDFIn 2019, the Salinas Union High School District began to provide services for high school students through Wellness Centers. The centers are intended to act as mental, social-emotional and medical health resources. (Cuevas, 2019). Many students have untreated mental health challenges that can significantly interfere with their well-being and ability to learn, grow and develop. The Wellness Center supports students with their social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. They help students with their overall well-being. This project is a presentation awareness video that will recognize the importance of mental health, provide essential coping skills that students can use, and highlight how the professionals at the Wellness Center can support students. After watching the presentation, a post survey was completed by thirty-eight students and met the expected outcome. To keep on bringing awareness the next steps the agency can take is to continue bringing awareness by using social media to promote services