Daily Business Report-April 14, 2021
Unwelcome and tough to evict:
California’s costly, uphill battle against invasive species
What do the European green crab, the American bullfrog, the quagga mussel, black mustard and nutria rodents have in common? Answer: They’re all invasive species on which California spends millions of dollars annually attempting to prevent them from eliminating native plants and animals, destroying crops, and damaging critical flood control and water delivery systems. But those attempts are rarely successful, and can sometimes go terribly wrong, CalMatters’ Julie Cart reports.
Take the European green crab: After scientists spent years and hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to remove the species from a Bay Area lagoon, the population ended up nearly tripling.
Ted Grosholz of the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy: “This was so unexpected. We thought, ‘What happened, what did we do?’ We were almost at the finish line. We’ve wasted all this money, all this effort. We’ve failed miserably.”
To find out went wrong — and the important lesson that emerged from the green crab’s population explosion — check out Julie’s report.
PHOTO: Close up view of a bin of green crabs pulled from a single trap. In some cases there can be close to 100 crabs per trap in years of very high numbers. (Photo courtesy of Ted Grosholz)
General Atomics, Lockheed, Blue Origin selected for nuclear thermal propulsion tech program
GovCon Wire
General Atomics, Lockheed Martin and Blue Origin have received contracts to conduct risk reduction efforts for the first phase of a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program (DRACO) aiming to build and demonstrate nuclear thermal propulsion technology.
The three companies will aim to design propulsion systems and spacecraft concepts for a potential demonstration above low Earth orbit sometime in 2025, the agency said.
DARPA intends for the NTP technology to exhibit a thrust-to-weight ratio that is similar to that of space-based chemical propulsion mechanisms and a high rate of electric propellant efficiency.
General Atomics, a San Diego company, will develop reactor technology under the program’s Track A, while Lockheed and Blue Origin will separately conceptualize operational and demonstration system spacecraft under Track B.
The agency expects Phase 1 to take place over an 18-month period and serve as a precursor to detailed design, fabrication and demonstration activities.
Parallel Capital Partners installs ionization air systems companywide
In an effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, Parallel Capital Partners Inc. has installed state-of-the-art needlepoint bipolar ionization air sterilization systems at its headquarters in San Diego and four office complexes in its portfolio.
The office complexes are: Honolulu’s Davies Pacific Center; Urban Towers in Dallas; Shoreline Square in Long Beach, Calif.; and The Ranch at Seal Beach in Seal Beach, Calif. Last year, the company was the first to utilize this technology in downtown Phoenix, installing air purification systems in its two Arizona high-rise properties, One North Central and One Arizona Center.
Matt Root, CEO and managing partner of Parallel Capital Partners, said public anxieties about indoor air quality due to coronavirus continue to be a concern – as a result bipolar ionization air purification technology is surging in popularity among commercial property owners and operators. “Independent lab tests reveal that airborne bacteria and viruses were reduced significantly after exposure to bipolar ionization systems, which we believe are one of the safest, most energy efficient and effective ways to keep people safe from pathogens and reduce or eliminate pollutants in the air,” he said.
San Diego’s Pacific Cornerstone Architects in merger with national firm HED
Michigan-based National architecture and engineering firm HEDannounced its merger with San Diego-based Pacific Cornerstone Architects (PCA), an architecture, interior design and planning firm with a 27-year history of design in Southern California.
Pacific Cornerstone has been based in SD for nearly 30 years. Its design team is behind major local projects such as the Jack in the Box Corporate Headquarters, the Scripps Ranch Technology Park, several presidential halls at San Diego State University, and a major consolidated headquarters for biotech firm GenProbe.
“We are excited to be able to offer an even more robust suite of integrated design services to our long-time clients,” said Tim Schulze, principal and founding partner of PCA. “We have already begun significant collaboration with our new colleagues, and we look forward to continuing to develop innovative design solutions in the San Diego community.”
HED also has offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco.
County supervisors waive county event fees for COVID recovery
The county Board of Supervisors unanimously approved waiving fees for the events industry – planners, venues and vendors – as event restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic loosen.
Supervisor voted to waive permit fees for the 2021-22 fiscal year from the Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Department of Parks and Recreation, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego County Fire Authority.
According to the San Diego Association of Governments, the meeting and special events industry brought 2.7 million visitors and $3.5 billion in spending to San Diego in 2019. If the policy passes, Supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s office estimates the expected revenue impact to San Diego County to be more than $1.13 million for the DEHQ, $400,000 for the DPR, $118,280 for the Sheriff’s Department, and $6,000 for the San Diego County Fire Authority.
Dannielle Engle awarded pancreatic research grant honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Salk Assistant Professor Dannielle Engle was selected as the first recipient of the Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Career Development Award for Pancreatic Cancer Research in Honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the late Supreme Court Justice and women’s rights pioneer.
Engle will receive $300,000 to fund her pancreatic cancer research, which is focused on understanding how we can intercept the signals causing pancreatic cancer to metastasize and become so deadly. The award, along with a similar grant honoring Rep. John Lewis, was announced April 11 during AACR’s annual meeting.
Each year, more than 45,000 Americans lose their lives to pancreatic cancer—now the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths with a five-year relative survival rate of 10 percent. Through these awards, the Lustgarten Foundation and the AACR seek to help close the gap in the number of early-career women and under-represented scientists applying for and receiving funding to conduct research leading to a better understanding and treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Palomar Health secures more than $3 million reimbursement for COVID-19 site
Palomar Health will receive more than $3 million in reimbursements from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for its COVID-19 alternate care site at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.
Palomar Medical Center in Escondido worked with state and federal agencies to establish an alternate care site on two floors of the facility. Alternate care sites were strategically implemented by the state to provide relief for local hospitals and healthcare systems facing potential overcrowding.
On Dec. 31, the Federal Medical Station at Palomar was activated and began treating patients.
Quidel Corp. partners with BAL Foundation to heighten awareness of Lyme disease
Quidel Corp. has partnered with the Bay Area Lyme (BAL) Foundation to help heighten public awareness of Lyme disease, an alarming health condition that afflicts as many as 400,000 Americans each year. Quidel is the nation’s leading developer of rapid Lyme disease testing.
As part of its collaboration, Quidel will serve as the sponsor for BAL’s series of free speaker forums that focus on research and science in the field of Lyme disease as well as Lyme disease prevention. Each of these events will feature a scientific researcher paired with a Lyme survivor sharing their inspirational story.
The first in the series will be held via zoom on May 19 and will discuss the topic of “Herbal Treatments for Tick-Borne Diseases.”
Illumina named one of Singapore’s Best Employers
Illumina Inc. announced that it has been honored as one of Singapore’s Best Employers for the second consecutive year, in a survey sponsored by The Straits Times and the marketing firm Statista.
Illumina was second in Health Care and Equipment Services and placed 30th on the overall list. Conducted in late 2020, the survey queried around 9,000 people employed in all different industries, giving them the opportunity to express their support for 1,700 local companies with more than 200 employees.
Headquartered in San Diego, Illumina’s first Singapore facility opened in 2008 with 10 employees and a 38,000-square-foot facility. Today, Illumina Singapore has increased the number of employees to more than 1,300 and grown to three buildings, occupying 10 times the original space—now totaling 385,000 square feet. An additional facility for research and development is expected to open in the first quarter of 2022.
Distinct Parkinson’s disease symptoms tied to different brain pathways
Neurobiologists have found that identifiable brain pathways are linked with specific debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The findings could help form the basis for improving therapeutic strategies for precise symptoms of Parkinson’s at various levels of disease progression.
The researchers used a mix of approaches to shed more light on the anatomical and functional importance of a center of brain circuitry known as the basal ganglia, located deep in the cranium.
