Finding Hidden Partnerships to Create a Teaching Garden

Finding sources of funding to create a teaching or demonstration garden for Extension educational purposes was difficult, especially during a downturn in the economy. The horticulture agent and Master Gardeners from Douglas County Oregon discovered successful fund raising could be accomplished not by asking for donations but by finding partners who would see the project as a means to achieve mutual goals. Extension agents are accustomed to being organizers in the community, and this process of creating meaningful partnerships can be a long-term source of support for our programs

Design tradeoffs of a reciprocating auxiliary power unit

2013 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This thesis presents a comparison of reciprocating auxiliary power units to conventional, gas turbine auxiliary power units. A metric of interest is created to represent the specific auxiliary power system weight including the prime mover, generator, gearbox, and fuel consumed. The metric of interest is used to compare the different auxiliary power unit technologies by incorporating detailed engine simulations, auxiliary power unit system weight modeling, and flight path-realized fuel consumption modeling. Results show that reciprocating auxiliary power units can be competitive with gas turbines in near-term, more-electric aircraft applications

Creative Marketing for a Small Wine Grape Region

A needs assessment of the Umpqua Valley wine grape industry in 2001 revealed the greatest impediment to our sustainability was a lack of coordinated marketing. By working together creatively, board members developed successful marketing strategies and effective ways to fund their strategies. After 3 years, survey data revealed that the number of visitors at participating wineries increased by 35% and wine sales increased 40% on average. Fundraising events contributed $90,000 for marketing, and seven new wineries and 11 new vineyards were established. This proves that sustainable programs can be home grown in a cooperative environment

Hazelnuts in the Home Orchard

Hazelnuts or filberts can be useful crops for home food production or hobbyists in Utah. Several species have nuts with good flavor, with American, beaked and certain hybrid types most likely to produce consistently. Though European hazelnut with its large nuts is very common commercially, this species blossoms earlier than others and is more likely to have flowers damaged or destroyed by unseasonably cold weather. All hazelnut species benefit from being planted in frost protected areas to increase the likelihood of consistent nut production. In Utah, hazelnuts grown for nut production are usually maintained as shrubs, with an oval or round shape that grows to 15 feet in height and width. Hazelnuts thrive in well-drained, loamy soil but grow in many soil types as long as the soil is well-drained. Nut production is best when cross pollination occurs with another variety of the same species (see Tables 1 and 2) or with other seed grown plants of the same species

A critical role of hepatic GABA in the metabolic dysfunction and hyperphagia of obesity

Hepatic lipid accumulation is a hallmark of type II diabetes (T2D) associated with hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and hyperphagia. Hepatic synthesis of GABA, catalyzed by GABA-transaminase (GABA-T), is upregulated in obese mice. To assess the role of hepatic GABA production in obesity-induced metabolic and energy dysregulation, we treated mice with two pharmacologic GABA-T inhibitors and knocked down hepatic GABA-T expression using an antisense oligonucleotide. Hepatic GABA-T inhibition and knockdown decreased basal hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia and improved glucose intolerance. GABA-T knockdown improved insulin sensitivity assessed by hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamps in obese mice. Hepatic GABA-T knockdown also decreased food intake and induced weight loss without altering energy expenditure in obese mice. Data from people with obesity support the notion that hepatic GABA production and transport are associated with serum insulin, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), T2D, and BMI. These results support a key role for hepatocyte GABA production in the dysfunctional glucoregulation and feeding behavior associated with obesity

Hepatocyte membrane potential regulates serum insulin and insulin sensitivity by altering hepatic GABA release

Hepatic lipid accumulation in obesity correlates with the severity of hyperinsulinemia and systemic insulin resistance. Obesity-induced hepatocellular lipid accumulation results in hepatocyte depolarization. We have established that hepatocyte depolarization depresses hepatic afferent vagal nerve firing, increases GABA release from liver slices, and causes hyperinsulinemia. Preventing hepatic GABA release or eliminating the ability of the liver to communicate to the hepatic vagal nerve ameliorates the hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance associated with diet-induced obesity. In people with obesity, hepatic expression of GABA transporters is associated with glucose infusion and disposal rates during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in hepatic GABA re-uptake transporters are associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Herein, we identify GABA as a neuro-hepatokine that is dysregulated in obesity and whose release can be manipulated to mute or exacerbate the glucoregulatory dysfunction common to obesity

Use of polyethylene mulch and drip irrigation on Olympus strawberries

Published February 1982. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo