Spatial and Seasonal Response of Municipal Water Use to Weather across the Contiguous U.S.

Weather variability has the potential to influence municipal water use, particularly in dry regions such as the western United States (U.S.). Outdoor water use can account for more than half of annual household water use and may be particularly responsive to weather, but little is known about how the expected magnitude of these responses varies across the U.S. This nationwide study identified the response of municipal water use to monthly weather (i.e., temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration [ET]) using monthly water deliveries for 229 cities in the contiguous U.S. Using city‐specific multiple regression and region‐specific models with city fixed effects, we investigated what portion of the variability in municipal water use was explained by weather across cities, and also estimated responses to weather across seasons and climate regions. Our findings indicated municipal water use was generally well‐explained by weather, with median adjusted R² ranging from 63% to 95% across climate regions. Weather was more predictive of water use in dry climates compared to wet, and temperature had more explanatory power than precipitation or ET. In response to a 1°C increase in monthly maximum temperature, municipal water use was shown to increase by 3.2% and 3.9% in dry cities in winter and summer, respectively, with smaller changes in wet cities. Quantifying these responses allows urban water managers to plan for weather‐driven variability in water use.     

Microbial population dynamics at effluent treatment plants

The requirements for treated wastewater are becoming increasingly more stringent, and therefore the improved efficiency of biological treatment processes is indispensable at industrial effluent treatment plants (ETPs). Microorganisms such as bacteria play an important role in the natural cycling of materials and particularly in the decomposition of organic wastes. The knowledge of the interactions among these microbial populations needs to be harnessed for optimum evaluation and functioning of effluent treatment plants. Modern molecular techniques have revolutionized the methods of assessing these microbial populations. The combination of the results of these microbial assessments along with the on-site parameters at ETPs would favor an efficient treatment. In this review, the various approaches and importance of correlating the microbial population dynamics and treatment of wastewater at industrial ETPs has been elaborated.     

A comparison of pretreatments on release of sugars from sweet sorghum bagasse for bioethanol production

Dilute acid pretreatment and steam pretreatment were evaluated for maximum sugars release and ethanol production from sweet sorghum bagasse (SSB). The fermentation potential of the condensate and hydrolysate obtained from steam pretreatment (10 kg/cm², 10 minutes) and dilute acid hydrolysis (1% (w/w) sulphuric acid, 25% substrate loading) respectively, was checked with Pichia stipitis NCIM 3497 and Debaryomyces hansenii sp. Ethanol production and yield using acid hydrolysate was higher with Debaryomyces hansenii sp. (28.4 g/L and 0.37 g/g respectively) as compared with Pichia stipitis NCIM 3497 (21.9 g/L and 0.29 g/g respectively).     

Coupling of the Water Cycle with Patterns of Urban Growth in the Baltimore Metropolitan Region,United States

Regional municipal water plans typically do not recognize complex coupling patterns or that increased withdrawals in one location can result in changes in water availability in others. We investigated the interaction between urban growth and water availability in the Baltimore metropolitan region where urban growth has occurred beyond the reaches of municipal water systems into areas that rely on wells in low‐productivity Piedmont aquifers. We used the urban growth model SLEUTH and the hydrologic model ParFlow.CLM to evaluate this interaction with urban growth scenarios in 2007 and 2030. We found decreasing groundwater availability outside of the municipal water service area. Within the municipal service area we found zones of increasing storage resulting from increased urban growth, where reduced vegetation cover dominated the effect of urbanization on the hydrologic cycle. We also found areas of decreasing storage, where expanding impervious surfaces played a larger role. Although the magnitude of urban growth and change in water availability for the simulation period were generally small, there was considerable spatial heterogeneity of changes in subsurface storage. This suggests that there are locally concentrated areas of groundwater sensitivity to urban growth where water shortages could occur or where drying up of headwater streams would be more likely. The simulation approach presented here could be used to identify early warning indicators of future risk.     

Investment in cleaner technology and signaling distortions in a market with green consumers

I analyze the pricing and investment behavior of a firm that signals the environmental attributes of its production technology through its price to uninformed environmentally conscious consumers. I then analyze the effect of change in environmental regulation on the signaling outcome and the firm's ex ante incentive to invest in cleaner technology. When regulation is weak, a firm signals cleaner technology through higher price; in this case, the firm earns lower profit when it has cleaner technology and thus, has no incentive to invest in cleaner technology. The price charged by the clean firm declines sharply beyond a critical level of regulation. When regulation is sufficiently stringent, the firm with cleaner technology charges lower price but earns higher signaling profit, and ex ante the firm has positive incentive to invest in cleaner technology. With weak regulation, the incentive of the firm to directly disclose its environmental performance rather than signal it through price is increasing in the level of regulation; the opposite holds when regulation is sufficiently stringent.     

Fungicidal activity and molecular modeling of fusarubin analogues from Fusarium oxysporum

Abstract

Fusarubin analogues of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. ciceris were investigated for antifungal activity in vitro against five soil borne phytopathogenic fungi. 3-O-Methyl-8-O-methyl-fusarubin was inhibitory towards S. sclerotiorum (EC₅₀ 0.33?mmol L^?1) and Sclerotium rolfsii (EC₅₀ 0.38?mmol L^?1). A structure–antifungal activity relationship of fusarubin analogues was established from their activity performance. Possible mechanism of action of these compounds was studied using molecular docking and simulations against three target enzymes which revealed receptor ligand binding affinity. Docking of 3-O-methyl-8-O-methyl-fusarubin into the succinate dehydrogenase site revealed formation of salt bridge, hydrogen bond, π–anion, π–alkyl, and Van der Waals interactions.     

Analysis of heavy metals in marine fish from Mumbai Docks

Seafood containing heavy metals as a result of environmental contamination causes toxicity in human beings. To evaluate such kind of contamination, our study targeted the analysis of metals such as lead, copper, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic in muscle tissue of the fish. The fish commonly consumed such as Brama brama (Pomfret), Rachycentron canadus (Surmai/King Fish), Rastrelliger kanagurta (Mackerel), Eleutheronema tetradactylum (Ravas/Indian salmon), and Metapenaeus monoceros (Brown Prawn) were collected from four different docks in the city. The heavy metals in tissue samples of fish were estimated using voltammeter and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Heavy metal concentration in the tissues varied significantly depending upon the locations from where the fish were collected. Although the concentration of arsenic, copper, cadmium, and lead were in normal range, the concentration of mercury was found to exceed the daily permissible levels (1 μg/g) as a food source for human consumption. We have analyzed heavy metals from different locations in Mumbai—Versova dock, Sassoon dock, Navi Mumbai dock, and Mazgaon dock.     

The role of personal experience in frequency of rainwater tank maintenance and policy implications

Domestic rainwater tanks have a long history in Australia, although more recently they have been common only in remote and rural areas. However, in some urban areas, recent drought conditions have led to the promotion of rainwater tanks to supplement domestic water supplies. Evidence suggests that water tank maintenance may be insufficient in many cases, leading to problems with water quality and the potential spread of vector-borne disease. Drawing on research into the impact of personal experience (i.e. procedural knowledge) relating to pro-environmental behaviour, a survey of urban residents with mandated rainwater tanks (N?=?746) was conducted. The study assessed whether past personal history of living with a tank influenced the frequency of tank maintenance behaviours. Analyses indicated that both childhood and prior adult experience with rainwater tanks were important in predicting adequate tank maintenance behaviour, particularly among males. The results also showed that attitudinal perceptions of water culture did not influence maintenance behaviour, whereas direct past experiences did, suggesting an important role for procedural knowledge. These results are discussed with reference to the promotion of tank maintenance and other pro-environmental behaviours through the development of future environmental policies designed to foster the development of pro-environmental skills to empower citizens.     

Sustaining Asia's groundwater boom: An overview of issues and evidence

This article suggests that Asia’s groundwater socio‐ecology is at an impasse. Rapid growth in groundwater irrigation in South Asia and the North China plains during the period 1970–95 has been the main driver of the agrarian boom in these regions. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China account for the bulk of the world’s use of groundwater in agriculture. On the plus side, groundwater development has provided sustenance to agrarian economies and millions of rural livelihoods. On the downside, it has created chronic problems of resource depletion and quality deterioration. While problems of groundwater depletion, pollution and quality deterioration are indeed serious, so are the consequences of the degradation of the resource for those that have come to precariously depend upon groundwater irrigation. Three problems currently afflict groundwater use: depletion due to overdraft; water logging and salinization; and pollution due to agricultural, industrial and other human activity. The pathology of the decline in groundwater socio‐ecology reflects a remarkably similar pattern across regions. The critical issue for Asia now is: what might be done to sustain and revive these groundwater socio‐ecologies vital to the region’s economy? This article reviews a variety of techno‐institutional approaches. However, transposing lessons from the industrialized world uncritically in the Asian context may not work. A more nuanced understanding of the peculiarities of Asia’s groundwater socio‐ecology is needed.     

Chemically modified silica gel with 1-{4-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)amino]phenyl}ethanone: Synthesis, characterization and application as an efficient and reusable solid phase extractant for selective removal of Zn(II) from mycorrhizal treated fly-ash samples

1-{4-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)amino]phenyl}ethanone functionalized silica gel was synthesized and used as a highly efficient, selective and reusable solid phase extractant for separation and preconcentration of trace amount of Zn(II) from environmental matrices. The adsorbent was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis,¹³C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and BET surface area analysis. The dependence of zinc extraction on various analytical parameters such as pH, type and amount of eluent, sample flow rate and interfering ions were investigated in detail. The material exhibited superior adsorption efficiency for Zn(II) with high metal loading capacity of 1.0 mmol/g under optimum conditions. After adsorption, the recovery (> 98%) of metal ions was accomplished using 1.0 mol/L HNO₃ as an eluent. The sorbent was also regenerated by microwave treatment in milder acidic environment (0.1 mol/L HNO₃). The lower detection limit and preconcentration factor of the present method were found out to be 0.04 μg/L and 312.5 respectively. The modified silica surface possessed excellent selectivity for the target analytes and the adsorption/desorption process remained effective for at least ten consecutive cycles. The optimized procedure was successfully implemented for the extraction of Zn(II) from mycorrhizal treated fly ash and pharmaceutical samples with reproducible results.