Effect of twine thickness on size-selectivity of driftnet for the yellow croaker <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larimichthys polyactis</Emphasis> in southwestern Sea of Korea

In order to determine the effect of twine thickness on the size-selectivity of the driftnet used for the yellow croaker, size-selectivity tests were conducted with three different twine thicknesses (monofilament diameters of 0.279 mm (number’s method; No. 3), 0.321 mm (No. 4), and 0.360 mm (No. 5)) of driftnets for the yellow croaker in the seas around Chooja-do, Jeju Islands. The selectivity curve was estimated by using Kitahara’s method. In order to determine the physical properties of the twine used in the experimental fishing nets, we measured the breaking load, elongation, and stiffness under both dry and wet conditions. In terms of physical properties, the thinnest twine (No. 3) had the strongest breaking strength per unit cross-sectional area, along with good elongation and excellent flexibility. The thickest twine (No. 5) had the lowest flexibility. In terms of selectivity, the net of No. 3 twine showed the broadest selection range and, thus, a relatively low selectivity compared with the other nets, while the less flexible net of No. 5 twine showed the narrowest selectivity range and high selectivity. In addition, it was found that a thicker twine resulted in a smaller haul of small fish. Therefore, it can be inferred that the thickness of the twine affects the size of the catch and selectivity, and thus the size composition of the catch as well.     

Eco-friendly smart hydrogels for soil conditioning and sustain release fertilizer

In the agricultural industry, biomass waste generated along with the production of food, is transformed into value-added products. Also, the demand for the slow or control release fertilizer is increasing to reduce the cost of maintaining the agricultural land. These issues are tackled by converting biomass waste to a slow fertilizer release vehicle and biodegradable water retention material that could reduce the cost for fertilizer application and simultaneously preserved the soil from dryness. A series of carboxymethyl sago pulp (CMSP) hydrogels were prepared by electron beam irradiation. Slow release systems were evaluated by loading potassium nitrate (KNO₃) and ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) into the CMSP hydrogels. These CMSP hydrogels endow slow release property, biodegradability and a soil moisture preservation property that could find greener application in agricultural industries. The results indicate that CMSP hydrogels have a great potential as an agent for slow release of fertilizers.     

Origin of complex zoning in olivine from diverse,diamondiferous kimberlites and tectonic settings: Ekati (Canada), Alto Paranaiba (Brazil) and Kaalvallei (South Africa)

Olivine in kimberlites can provide unique insights into magma petrogenesis, because it is the most abundant xenocrystic phase and a stable magmatic product over most of the liquid line of descent. In this study we examined the petrography and chemistry of olivine in kimberlites from different tectonic settings, including the Slave craton, Canada (Ekati: Grizzly, Koala), the Brasilia mobile belt (Limpeza-18, Tres Ranchos-04), and the Kaapvaal craton, South Africa (Kaalvallei: Samada, New Robinson). Olivine cores display a wide range of compositions (e.g., Mg# = 78–95). The similarity in olivine composition, resorption of core zones and inclusions of mantle-derived phases, indicates that most olivine cores originated from the disaggregation of mantle peridotites, including kimberlite-metasomatised lithologies (i.e. sheared lherzolites and megacrysts). Olivine rims typically show a restricted range of Mg#, with decreasing Ni and increasing Mn and Ca contents, a characteristic of kimberlitic olivine worldwide. The rims host inclusions of groundmass minerals, which implies crystallisation just before and/or during emplacement. There is a direct correlation between olivine rim composition and groundmass mineralogy, whereby high Mg/Fe rims are associated with carbonate-rich kimberlites, and lower Mg/Fe rims are correlated with increased phlogopite and Fe-bearing oxide mineral abundances. There are no differences in olivine composition between explosive (Grizzly) and hypabyssal (Koala) kimberlites. Olivine in kimberlites also displays transitional zones and less common internal zones, between cores and rims. The diffuse transitional zones exhibit intermediate compositions between cores and rims, attributed to partial re-equilibration of xenocrystic cores with the ascending kimberlite melt. In contrast, internal zones form discrete layers with resorbed margins and restricted Mg# values, but variable Ni, Mn and Ca concentrations, which indicates a discrete crystallization event from precursor kimberlite melts at mantle depths. Overall, olivine exhibits broadly analogous zoning in kimberlites worldwide. Variable compositions for individual zones relate to different parental melt compositions rather than variations in tectonic setting or emplacement mechanism.

     

An agent-based evacuation model for the 2011 Brisbane City-scale riverine flood

In this study, an agent-based model is proposed in order to provide new insights into the policy analysis and strategy assessment of city-scale evacuation management. The proposed model is suitable for assessment of the influence of different departure times and communications among peer evacuees on the number of residents at risk who arrive at official shelters. A case study is applied to build a simulation model for the coastal city of Brisbane in Australia. The Brisbane River catchment experiences regular flooding almost every year; the second severest flood since the twentieth century occurred in 2011. During that event, over 15,000 properties were inundated and around 3600 households evacuated in metropolitan Brisbane alone. Making use of high-performance computing clusters, the evacuation simulation was coupled with results from a validated hydrodynamic model to test a variety of escaping scenarios based on the 2011 flood situation. This case study demonstrates the proposed model’s capacity to represent the dynamic evacuation process and also shows that the model is able to help develop flood emergency plans and evaluate response measures through exploring key elements in a range of scenarios.     

Development of groundwater favourability map using GIS-based driven data mining models: an approach for effective groundwater resource management

The development of groundwater favourability map is an effective tool for the sustainability management of groundwater resources in typical agricultural regions, such as southern Perak Province, Malaysia. Assessing the potentiality and pollution vulnerability of groundwater is a fundamental phase of favourability mapping. A geographic information system (GIS)-based Boolean operator of a spatial analyst module was applied to combine a groundwater potentiality map (GPM) model and a groundwater vulnerability to pollution index (GVPI) map, thereby establishing the favourable zones for drinking water exploration in the investigated area. The area GPM model was evaluated by applying a GIS-based Dempster–Shafer–evidential belief function model. In the evaluation, six geoelectrically determined groundwater potential conditioning factors (i.e. overburden resistivity, overburden thickness, aquifer resistivity, aquifer thickness, aquifer transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity) were synthesized by employing the probability-based algorithms of the model. The generated thematic maps of the seven hydrogeological parameters of the DRASTIC model were considered as pollution potential conditioning factors and were analysed with the developed ordered weighted average–DRASTIC index model algorithms to construct the GVPI map. Approximately 88.8 and 85.71% prediction accuracies for the Groundwater Potentiality and GVPI maps were established using the reacting operating characteristic curve method and water quality status–vulnerability zone relationship scheme, respectively. Finally, the area groundwater favourability map (GFM) model was produced by applying a GIS-based Boolean operator on the Groundwater Potentiality and GVPI maps. The GFM model reveals three distinct zones: ‘not suitable’, ‘less suitable’ and ‘very suitable’ zones. The area analysis of the GFM model indicates that more than 50% of the study area is covered by the ‘very suitable’ zones. Results produce a suitability map that can be used by local authorities for the exploitation and management of drinking water in the area. The study findings can also be applied as a tool to help increase public awareness of groundwater issues in developing countries.     

Holocene and Eemian climatic optima in the Korean Peninsula based on textural and carbon isotopic records from the stalagmite of the Daeya Cave,South Korea

Textural and stable isotopic records from the absolute-dated stalagmite of the Daeya Cave (DY-1) provide new insights into the climatic evolution of the Korean Peninsula during the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima. The stalagmite yielded ages of 8572 ± 227 to 5907 ± 158 and 1,23,456 ± 535 to 1,19,837 ± 1089 years, which coincide with the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima, respectively. The stalagmite’s δ¹³C record closely resembles previously reported Chinese speleothem δ¹⁸O data. Thus it can be suggested that textural and geochemical results of the DY-1 reflect East Asian monsoon intensity, which is forced by summer insolation patterns in the northern hemisphere. Lighter carbon isotopic compositions, well-developed fibrous calcite crystals, and their relatively faster growth rate in the stalagmite sample are interpreted to reflect the warmest and wettest climate conditions of the Holocene and Eemian interglacials. Both climatic optima took place when insolation was decreasing from its maximum level, temperature in Greenland was highest, and sea level approached its maximum level. These climatic optima also coincide with decreasing Antarctic temperatures. Compared the DY-1 data to other proxies, it is suggested that the Holocene and Eemian climatic optima developed through a balance among boreal insolation, monsoon intensity, and sea level (also continental ice volume), which are the main climatic forcing factors in the northern hemisphere. These trends also follow the bi-polar seesaw mechanism as previously described.     

Post-independence population planning and social development in Singapore

The unique and remarkable post-independence demographic transition of Singapore, from high to low growth, has been accompanied by an equally spectacular social transformation. Both population control and social change have a positive impact on the fertility trend. Singapore's population policy has been dictated much by the crisis consciousness of the leadership which has been able to create a high degree of awareness among its population with regard to fertility.Ironically, public response to the government's population control has been too successful, particularly so among the upper-income groups. This has recently prompted the government to examine the sustained low fertility rate which, if unchecked, will bear serious social, economic, political and defence consequences in 20 to 30 years time. The aim of the current fertility campaign is to reachieve the replacement level, first reached in 1975, through the correction of the lopsided procreation pattern. As such, some disincentives have remained or been removed, while several new incentives and measures have been introduced. Observations are made with regard to the future fertility trends.