CONJUNCTIVE SURFACE AND GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE JAKARTA REGION,INDONESIA1

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the degree of economic inefficiency of the current institutional arrangements for surface and ground water management in meeting urban water demand in the Jakarta region. A numerical model of integrated surface and ground water management is developed using GAMS (General Algebraic Modelling System) software. The model maximizes the net present value of social benefits from piped water and ground water consumption across all users over time from 1999 to 2025. Four policy scenarios are examined: the status quo, the social planner's solution, and two ground water pumping quota scenarios: an aggregate ground water pumping quota and a partial quota applied to commercial and industrial users. Three variations in each policy scenario are considered: investment in water infrastructure of the Jakarta water enterprise (PAM Jaya), water demand growth, and discount rates. The status quo, depending on the investment option, the growth of water demand, and the discount rate, results in a 7.4 to 47.8 percent loss in economic efficiency relative to the social planner's solution. The partial quota is the most feasible, applicable, and manageable scenario. The optimal investment option could increase the volume of piped water supply and reduce the cost of water production. The volume of water delivery could increase by up to 156 percent, but it implies only a 35 percent increase in the surface raw water demands above the current level. However, it does not significantly reduce cumulative ground water extraction over the time period considered.     

High velocity fabric filtration for control of coal-fired boilers

As a follow-up to a pilot study, a full scale investigation of applying high velocity fabric filtration to coal-fired boiler fly ash control was conducted. Two filter systems were separately applied to two 60,000 lb/h coal-fired boilers. Performance evaluations conducted over the course of a year included total mass removal efficiency and fractional efficiencies. One filtration system employed Teflon felt as the filter media while the second system employed Gore-Tex, a Polytetrofluorethylene (PTFE) laminate on PTFE woven backing. During the course of the year, a limited number of glass felt and woven glass bags were introduced into the house containing Gore-Tex. As a separate option, the second system was outfitted entirely with woven glass bags. Preliminary results indicate acceptable performance at air-to-cloth ratio of 6 to 1. Future plans call for utilizing one of the baghouse systems for SO₂ removal.     

Multispecies tests for environmental toxicology

Multispecies test systems are potentially more complete, realistic, sensitive, and economical than single-species tests. These properties arise from the increased number and range of possible toxic responses resulting from species interactions. Because the adequacy of single-species tests has not been sufficiently tested, the need for these properties of multispecies tests has not been appreciated.     

Application of Cellulose Microfibrils in Polymer Nanocomposites

Cellulose microfibrils obtained by the acid hydrolysis of cellulose fibers were added at low concentrations (2–10% w/w) to polymer gels and films as reinforcing agents. Significant changes in mechanical properties, especially maximum load and tensile strength, were obtained for fibrils derived from several cellulosic sources, including cotton, softwood, and bacterial cellulose. For extruded starch plastics, the addition of cotton-derived microfibrils at 10.3% (w/w) concentration increased Young’s modulus by 5-fold relative to a control sample with no cellulose reinforcement. Preliminary data suggests that shear alignment significantly improves tensile strength. Addition of microfibrils does not always change mechanical properties in a predictable direction. Whereas tensile strength and modulus were shown to increase during addition of microfibrils to an extruded starch thermoplastic and a cast latex film, these parameters decreased when microfibrils were added to a starch–pectin blend, implying that complex interactions are involved in the application of these reinforcing agents.     

Coupling of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) metabolites onto humic monomers by a new laccase from Trametes modesta

During degradation of trinitrotoluene (TNT) by Trametes modesta, addition of humic monomers prevented the accumulation of all major stable TNT metabolites (aminodinitrotoluenes [AMDNT]) by at least 92% in the presence of 200 mM ferulic acid and guaiacol. Acute toxicity tests with individual TNT metabolites and in T. modesta cultures supplemented with 200 microM TNT demonstrated that the TNT biodegradation process lead to less toxic metabolites. Toxicity decreased in the order TNT>4-HADNT (4-hydroxylaminodinitrotoluene)>2-HADNT>2,6-DNT (2,6-dinitrotoluene)>2',2',6,6-azoxytetranitrotoluene>4-AMDNT>2-AMDNT>2,4-diamninonitrotoluene (2,4-DAMNT) while 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DAMNT were the least toxic. Ferulic acid is the best candidate for immobilization TNT biodegradation metabolites since it prevented the accumulation of AMDNTs in cultures during TNT biodegradation and its products were less toxic. All humic monomers were very effective in immobilizing 2-HADNT [100%], 4-HADNT [100%] and 2,2,6,6-azoxytetranitrotoluene [100%]. Two distinct laccase isoenzymes (LTM1 and LTM2) potentially involved in immobilization of TNT degradation products were purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. LTM1 and LTM2 have molecular weights of 77.6 and 52.5 kDa, are 18% and 24% glycosylated, have pI values of 3.6 and 4.2, respectively. Both enzymes oxidized all the typical laccase substrates tested. LTM1 showed highest kinetic constants (K(m)=0.03 microM; K(cat)=8.8 4x 10(7)s(-1)) with syringaldazine as substrate.     

Using the past to contextualize anthropogenic impacts on the present and future distribution of an endemic Caribbean mammal

Island species are difficult to conserve because they face the synergy of climate change, invasive species, deforestation, and increasing human population densities in areas where land mass is shrinking. The Caribbean island of Hispaniola presents particular challenges because of geopolitical complexities that span 2 countries and hinder coordinated management of species across the island. We employed species distribution modeling to evaluate the impacts of climatic change and anthropogenic activities on the distribution of an endemic mammal of conservation concern, the Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). We aggregated occurrence points for this poorly known species for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the present (1975–2016) based on museum collections, online biodiversity databases, and new field surveys. We quantified degree of overlap between periods and scenarios with Schoener's D. Through a conservation paleobiology lens, we found that over time humans played an increasing role in shaping the distribution of S. paradoxus, thus, providing a foundation for developing conservation strategies on appropriate spatiotemporal scales. Human population density was the single most important predictor of S. paradoxus occurrence. Densities >166 people/km² corresponded to a near-zero probability of occurrence. Models that accounted for climate but not anthropogenic variables falsely identified suitable habitat in Haiti, where on-the-ground surveys confirm habitat is unavailable. Climate-only models also significantly overestimated the potential for habitat connectivity between isolated populations. Our work highlights that alternative fates for S. paradoxus in the Anthropocene exist across the political border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti due to the fundamentally different economic and political realities of each country. Relationships in the fossil record confirm that Hispaniola's sociopolitical boundary is not biologically significant but instead represents one imposed on the island's fauna in the past 500 years by colonial activity. Our approach reveals how a paleontological perspective can contribute to concrete management insights.     

Sugar compound products of the periphytic diatom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Navicula ramosissima</Emphasis> induce larval settlement in the barnacle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Amphibalanus amphitrite</Emphasis>

This study investigated the response of cyprids of the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite to 23 strains of laboratory cultured periphytic diatoms isolated from microbial biofilms that formed on glass slides immersed in Tachibana bay, Nagasaki, and those from mass-production tanks in the Fisheries Center of Nagasaki City, Japan. In addition, periphytic diatoms were subjected to various treatments, in order to investigate the nature of the chemical cue in periphytic diatoms. Cyprids of A. amphitrite responded differently to the 23 different periphytic diatom strains and settled in high percentages on Cocconeis sp. and Navicula ramosissima strain A. On the other hand, nine strains of diatoms significantly inhibited settlement. The settlement inducing activity of N. ramosissima strain A increased linearly with diatom density, and its activity was enhanced by culturing the diatom under a bacteria-free condition, suggesting that specific diatom species, i.e., N. ramosissima strain A, may play an important role on larval settlement of the barnacle. Subjecting N. ramosissima strain A biofilm to hydrochloric acid (HCl) and ethanol (EtOH) treatments or heating it at 100°C did not inactivate the film, indicating that the settlement cue was a stable surface bound compound that did not decompose from the above treatments. Moreover, of the various lectins, enzymes, and drugs [H₅IO₆ and sodium dodecyl sulfate or (SDS)] used, only Lentil Agglutinin (LCA) treatment of N. ramosissima strain A biofilm resulted in the reduction its settlement inducing activity. A positive correlation was observed between the settlement inducing activity and the amount of LCA conjugated fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC-LCA) of N. ramosissima strain A. On the other hand, subjecting biofilms of N. ramosissima strain B, an inactive strain, to various types of treatments resulted in the induction of A. amphitrite larval settlement but LCA treatment also reduced the activity of these treated N. ramosissima strain B biofilms. These findings suggest that a cue containing an LCA-binding sugar chain is present in both A and B strains of N. ramosissima but the large amount of mucous substance covering N. ramosissima strain B biofilm probably makes the sugar chain containing active subunit in strain B unavailable to A. amphitrite cyprids. In conclusion, periphytic diatoms such as N. ramosissima play an important role in larval settlement of the barnacle A. amphitrite. The cue in the diatom was an LCA-binding sugar chain(s) compound that may have similarities to the settlement inducing protein complex (SIPC) from adult shell of the barnacle.     

Dispersion of displaying male sage grouse

Summary The degree to which male sage grouse select lek sites and females select nesting sites to maximize proximity to the other sex was examined by contrasting male dispersions with the dispersions and movements of females in the months preceeding incubation. Wintering females exhibit highly overlapping ranges due to shared use of central refuging areas. In late winter and early spring, females move an average 9 km from wintering areas to select nest sites and males begin occupying leks. Pooled evidence suggests that females select nest sites independently of male dispersion whereas males adjust lek occupation so as to maximize proximity to females. Relevant observations include females visiting nest sites before leks, moving further to select a nest site than to select a lek, and increasing their distance to leks as a result of selecting nest sites. In addition, males avoid leks until females have moved to within 5 km of the arenas, abandon early season leks as local female densities drop, and exhibit dispersions in which mean ratios of females/male are similar across leks. Contrasts between predicted and observed dispersions of males showed that hotspot settlement models are adequate to explain male dispersions on very coarse scales (2 km or greater); on finer scales, habitat preferences of males and tendencies for males to cluster tightly must be invoked in addition to hotspots to explain specific lek sitings.     

Scaling relationships,individual variation and the influence of temperature on maximum swimming speed in early settled stages of the turbot Scophthalmus maximus

Escape-swimming speeds (U _max) were studied in settled turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) reared at 18°C. Metamorphosis was complete at 4.0 cm total length (TL). U _max scaled in proportion to TL^0.74 in fish of 0.88 5o 8.00 cm TL at 18C. The scaling relationship for U _max was similar for temperatures between 13 and 23°C and could be fitted by the model: . U _max temperature-dependent, with a Q₁₀ of 1.77 over the temperature range studied. Analysis of covariance showed that U _max for farmed turbot was 14% lower than for wild fish filmed within 2 wk of capture; 3 mo after capture the average differences in escape performance were no longer significant, which suggests that the lower escape speeds of farmed fish are due to acclimation effects and not genetic stock differences. In order to assess the individual variability of U _max, 18 wild juvenile turbot [TL=6.2±0.4 cm (Week 1) to 7.5±0.5 cm (Week 17); means±SD] were maintained in individual containers at 18°C. U _max was determined weekly for 6 wk, standardised for fish length using the scaling relationship U _max=1.46 TL ^0.74, and individuals were ranked in order of performance. Temperature was reduced after 6 wk to 13°C, resulting in a significant decline in U _max from 104.0±14.4 to 87.8±12.5 cm s^-1 (means±SD). After 3 wk at 13°C U _max had increased to a level not significantly different from that at 18°C. Kendall's coefficient of concordance showed that repeatability of ranking of the experimental U _max of individuals was maintained over a 13 wk period and through temperature change. The results demonstrate that escape-swimming speeds in juvenile turbot are repeatable, individually variable, and can be modified in response to temperature acclination.