Petroleum and natural gas - Approximately 125 exploratory oil and gas wells have been drilled in North Carolina since the first one was drilled in 1925. Most have been in the outer Coastal Plain. Traces of oil and gas have been detected in a few of these wells but no producing wells have been developed.

Several areas in North Carolina are considered to have potential to produce oil and gas. The main area is the outer Coastal Plain. It contains a relatively thick pile of sedimentary rocks including some excellent trap or reservoir rocks, but source rocks may not be present.

Seismic surveys in the Blue Ridge suggest that sedimentary rocks are deep beneath the crystalline rocks. These sediments may be similar to oil- and gas-bearing sediments in the Valley and Ridge Province. Detailed studies have not been conducted to verify the seismic surveys.

The Triassic basins have received attention from oil and gas exploration companies during recent years. Excellent source rocks are present, but the sandstones are not permeable. Fine-grained material fills pore spaces between the sand grains, preventing the migration of hydrocarbons. The Cumnock and Gulf coal beds* have been studies for possible in-situ methane gas generation.
Mobil Oil Corporation proposed to drill for natural gas of the Atlantic shelf off the North Carolina coast.

Introduction

Simpson well. Photo by Jeff Reid, North Carolina Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) North Carolina Water Science Center is conducting an inventory of well records and baseline groundwater-quality sampling to better delineate areas of groundwater use and groundwater-quality characteristics prior to potential shale gas exploration in the Triassic Basins of Lee and Chatham Counties, North Carolina (fig. 1). Shale Gas exploration has become economically viable in many areas of the United States (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/rpd/shaleusa2.pdf) as a result of improved directional drilling capabilities and hydraulic fracturing ("fracking&quot techniques. The compilation of baseline groundwater-quality data in North Carolina is an opportunity for comparison to data collected after drilling activities commence should the State allow Shale Gas exploration to occur.

In June 2011, the North Carolina Legislature passed House Bill 242 directing the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NC DENR) to study issues related to potential Shale Gas Exploration in the Triassic Basins of the State (http://www.ncleg.net/sessions/2011/bills/house/pdf/h242v2.pdf).

Project Summary
Problem


Drilling processes and waste disposal practices related to shale gas exploration in the United States and other parts of the world has sometimes led to contamination of groundwater resources. Interest in the Triassic Basin shale deposits in North Carolina has grown in recent years as more than 9,000 acres have been leased within the Sanford sub-basin (fig. 1) study area in parts of Lee and Chatham counties. Baseline/reconnaissance groundwater-quality samples will be collected from private, community, and non-community transient wells in the Sanford sub-basin study area ahead of shale gas exploration in the State. These data may be used for comparison to post-drilling/hydraulic fracturing groundwater-quality data from this area should any effects from the drilling process become a concern at a later time.

Publications
Related References
http://nc.water.usgs.gov/projects/shalegas/pubs.html

WaterWatch (http://waterwatch.usgs.gov) is a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) World Wide Web site that displays maps, graphs, and tables describing real-time, recent, and past streamflow conditions for the United States. The real-time information generally is updated on an hourly basis. WaterWatch provides streamgage-based maps that show the location of more than 3,000 long-term (30 years or more) USGS streamgages; use colors to represent streamflow conditions compared to historical streamflow; feature a point-and-click interface allowing users to retrieve graphs of stream stage (water elevation) and flow; and highlight locations where extreme hydrologic events, such as floods and droughts, are occurring.

DEOMI opened in 1971 as the Defense Race Relations Institute in response to the civil rights movement of the 1960's. The institute has grown and expanded over the years and now offers Equal Opportunity/Equal Employment Opportunity education and training for military active duty and reservists as well as civilians in both resident and non-resident courses.

About The DEOMI Channel

Welcome to the Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute's NEW YouTube Channel!! Be sure to visit www.deomi.org for information regarding the Institute, and visit us on FaceBook for even more DEOMI news at www.facebook.com/DEOMI.DOD. DEOMI'S Mission: DEOMI will assist its customers in optimizing their mission readiness and capabilities by promoting human dignity through equity education, diversity, cultural competence, research and consultation worldwide. www.deomi.org

Building on the foundation laid by the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild, the success of the Core Sound Decoy Festival and the vision of thousands who love Core Sound, the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center stands as a testament to the determination of the Down East people and the generosity of people here and across the state and beyond who "share the vision of preserving and protecting the heritage of Core Sound."

Possible Applications for Yamco’s Aseptic Sweet Potato Puree:

Beverages: in turbid juices and drinks for color, taste & nutrition
Bakery: pies, muffins, cakes, donuts, bread, rolls, biscotti, etc., as dough inclusion and as a filling
Energy bar: as a nutritious ingredient and natural sweetener
Dairy fat replacer: a cost saving fat replacer in many applications including cheese sauces, spreads and sticks
Soups/sauces/gravies: healthy alternative to many ingredients, adds thickening properties, mouth feel, taste and nutrients
Baby food: excellent stand alone ingredient or can be added with other fruit or vegetable purees
Side dish: great with retail frozen dinners or Food service meals
Functional foods: healthy claims can be made using sweet potato puree as an ingredient regarding added vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, fiber, beta carotene, potassium, etc.
Ice cream: as a unique flavor and healthy sweetener source
Healthy snack foods: add a nutritionally potent low calorie ingredient to snacks, both sweet and salty
Meats: cost effective meat and fat replacer with ground beef, pork, chicken at up to 25% extender
Pet Food: can be used as a source of fiber, carbs, protein, etc.
Confectioneries: can be used in fudges and other candies

So what exactly makes sweet potatoes so nutritious?



BETA CAROTENE & VITAMIN A When eaten with the skin on*, a medium sweet potato has four times the recommended daily intake for beta carotene! Beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A, meaning the body coverts it to vitamin A and it plays a vital role in vision, bone development and immune function. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, so be sure to eat your sweet potato with a little bit of fat, like a pat of butter, for maximum vitamin absorption.

VITAMIN C Like citrus, sweet potatoes are a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight infections, heal wounds and absorb iron. A medium sweet potato provides 35 percent of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C.

MANGANESE Sweet potatoes are a good source of manganese, which helps maintain normal blood sugar levels and optimal thyroid function.

FIBER Sweet potatoes are rich in fiber, a nutrient that bulks up food, keeping you full longer. Fiber also keeps your bowels healthy and lowers cholesterol. A medium sweet potato baked in its skin has 4 grams of fiber, more than a packet of instant oatmeal.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES Sweet potatoes are made of complex carbohydrates (energy) that is released at a steady pace for a constant source of vitality, so no sugar highs or lows to worry about.

ANTIOXIDANTS Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidant activity compared to other vegetables. Antioxidants help reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardio vascular disease.

LOW IN CALORIES A medium sweet potato (2 inches in diameter and 5 inches in length) is only about 100 calories when baked in the skin, making sweet potatoes an ideal food for weight management. It’s the all-natural 100-calorie pack – managing your weight just got easier!

Curried Sweet Potato Apple Soup


http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/recipe/curried-sweet-potato-apple-soup/

CHAPEL HILL — Brain images from newborns are giving scientists a glimpse of the future – not just into the lives of their tiny subjects but also paths to treatment for adult patients with schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Researchers from UNC-Chapel Hill found degeneration in the brains of 2-week-old infants, a result considered a “game changer” for the field of brain research, said Jay Giedd, a brain imaging specialist for the National Institute of Mental Health.

“Our original model was that the brain was fine until someone got the illness,” Giedd said. “This work shows that these changes are there probably from conception. It also suggests that while these traits don’t cause brain damage, they set up the brain to be slightly different.”

The researchers examined scans of 272 newborns. About 15 percent were found to have smaller medial temporal lobe sections.

“The medial temporal lobe plays an important role in memory,” said Rebecca Knickmeyer, a UNC assistant professor of psychiatry and co-author of the research, published last month in Cerebral Cortex, an online journal. “The idea is that this is an anatomical vulnerability. If you start out with less, you might hit active symptoms earlier in life.”

The researchers also found specific gene traits associated with Alzheimer’s in babies with the smaller media temporal lobes.

“We were interested because it was generally known that people’s genes contribute to psychiatric conditions later in life, but pretty much all the existing studies were in adults,” Knickmeyer said. “Our question was ‘When were these genes exerting their effect?’ Now we know it’s much earlier than previously thought, perhaps before birth.”

Research such as this would benefit from the Brain Activity Map under development through the National Institutes of Health. The project’s 10-year goal is to create a map of the brain’s nearly 30,000 genes as well as the circuitry system that transmits information via brain waves.

President Obama mentioned the project in his State of the Union address and is expected to include funding for the project in the upcoming federal budget. Foundations and some private companies have also expressed interest in assisting in the project, which is expected to push brain research to a higher level.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/02/20/2695264/unc-researchers-say-baby-brains.html#wgt=rcntnews#storylink=cpy

Please note that the Department of Defense was also permitted by legislation to transfer funds amongst operations (peacetime, Afghanistan, etc.) and so estimating war costs based on Congressional legislation is not enough.