Exploring Indonesian aquaculture futures

Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production sector globally, with production projected to double within the next 15–20 years. Future growth of aquaculture is essential to providing sustainable supplies of fish in national, regional and global fish food systems; creating jobs; and maintaining fish at affordable levels for resource-poor consumers. To ensure that the anticipated growth of aquaculture remains both economically and ecologically sustainable, we need to better understand the likely patterns of growth, as well as the opportunities and challenges, that these trends present. This knowledge will enable us to better prioritize investments that will help ensure the sustainable development of the sector. In Indonesia, WorldFish and partners have applied a unique methodology to evaluate growth trajectories for aquaculture under various scenarios, as well as the opportunities and challenges these represent. Indonesia is currently the fourth largest aquaculture producer globally, and the sector needs to grow to meet future fish demand. The study overlapped economic and environmental models with quantitative and participatory approaches to understand the future of aquaculture in Indonesia. Such analyses, while not definitive, have provided new understanding of the future supply and demand for seafood in Indonesia stretching to 2030. The learning from this research provides a foundation for future interventions in Indonesian fish food systems, as well as a suite of methodologies that can be applied more widely for insightful analyses of aquaculture growth trajectories in other countries or regions.

A quantitative study of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Sakazaki et al) in Etroplus suratensis (Bloch) and Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers) from Cochin backwater

Seasonal variation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in fish (Etroplus sauratensis) and prawn (Metapenaeus dobsoni) was monitored from March 1982 to February 1983. Analyses of total viable count, vibrio-like organisms, V. parahaemolyticus like organisms and V. parahaemolyticus showed that they occur more in prawn than in fish. In a more polluted environment, the counts of V. parahaemolyticus associated with fish were found to be higher than in prawn.

Modular risk modeling and management of water infrastructure disaster incidents

Water supply and wastewater control are critical elements of society's infrastructure. The objective of this study will be to provide a generic risk assessment tool to provide municipalities and the nation as a whole with a quantifiable assessment of their vulnerability to water infrastructure threats. The approach will prioritize countermeasures and identify where research and development is required to further minimize risk. This paper outlines the current context, primary concerns and state-of-the art in critical infrastructure risk management for the water sector and proposes a novel approach to resolve existing questions in the field. The proposed approach is based on a modular framework that derives a quantitative risk index for varied domains of interest. The approach methodology is scaleable and based on formal definitions of event probability and severity. The framework is equally applicable to natural and human-induced hazard types and can be used for analysis of compound risk events.

Beyond words: Testing alignment among inter-organizational performance measures

Purpose: This paper seeks to measure in a quantitative way the degree of alignment among a set of performance measures between two organizations. Design/methodology/approach: This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter-organizational relationship. The authors applied the test and present coefficients of misalignment across three sets of measures: those used by a service provider involved in the research, those used by customers contracting the services, and those documented in 11 contracts studied. Findings: Results confirmed a high degree of alignment between target and actual operational performance in the contracts. The alignment of customers' financial objectives and contracts' operational metrics was low. Calculations show poor alignment between the objectives of the provider and the contribution received from the contracts. Research limitations/implications: Some limitations of the conclusions include the small sample of contracts used in the calculations. Further research should include not only actual contracts, but also failed ones. Practical implications: It is possible that misaligned goals, represented in misaligned performance measures, lead to tensions in intra-firm relationships. If these tensions are not addressed properly the relationship could be unstable or terminated prematurely. This method of measuring alignment could detect early potential dangers in intra-firm relationships. Originality/value: This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter-organizational relationship. Management researchers and business professionals may use this methodology when exploring degrees of alignment of performance measures in intra-functional and inter-firm relationships. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Selection and application of a suitable sampling method for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of lab-lab

Milkfish and prawn pond operation in the Philippines is often associated with lab-lab culture. Lab-lab is a biological complex of blue-green algae, diatoms, bacteria and various animals which form a mat at the bottom of nursery ponds or floating patches along the margins of ponds. This complex is considered the most favorable food of milkfish in brackishwater ponds. Variations in the quantity and quality of lab-lab between and within areas of a 1,000 sq. m. pond was determined over 2 culture periods (6 month duration) and the applicability and suitability of stratified random sampling as a method of sampling lab-lab was evaluated.

Quantitative analysis of land mammal zoogeographical regions in China and adjacent regions

Quantitative analysis of land mammal zoogeographical regions in China and adjacent regions. Zoological Studies 43(1): 142-160. In this paper, our aim was to determine, by means of quantitative analysis, the distribution patterns of the land mammals in China and, adjacent regions using physiographical regions as operative geographical units (OGUs). Based, on the pre-sence or absence of 11 orders, 42 families, 197 genera, and 577 species of land mammals in their zoogeographical regions, which were used as OGUs, we studied the biotic boundary between the Oriental Region (OR) and the Palaearctic Region (PR), as well as subregion boundaries. The boundary's statistical significance was tested by G-test as described by McCoy et al. A significantly strong biotic boundary was found to separate the PR from the OR, and there is a weak biotic boundary in the PR, which divides it into 2 subregions. We concluded that the biotic boundary which separates the PR and OR is a strong boundary. We suggest that the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau should be regarded as a subregion of the PR, which can embody its characteristics of high elevations and a frigid climatic, which is called the Qing-Zang subregion of the PR (QZSP).

Methodology for valuing wetlands in Uganda

The wetlands in Uganda are undergoing rapid degradation. Swamps provide a habitat for birds, fishes and other animals. They have many ecological functions and, furthermore, supply people with multiple resources, such as reeds, herbs, fish and agricultural products. Although some'uses of wetland are sustainable, others lead to rapid deterioration. The main threat to swamps are human activities. One reason for the progressive destruction of wetlands is that the people may not appreciate the existence of and the treasures represented by wetlands even if they live in arm long distance from them. Another reason is that the two most important user groups of wetlands, farmers and fishermen, although having conflicting interests concerning the wetlands, hardly interact. A study, done as part of the Ecotone Project at the Fisheries Research Institute (FIRI), tries to evaluate in monetary terms how much Uganda loses with progressive destruction of wetlands. The study looks first at which uses of the wetlands are of importance and thereafter it examines, what data is needed and available to calculate the values of those uses.

A workbook-based methodology for implementing concurrent engineering

Concurrent Engineering demands a new way of working and many organisations experience difficulty during implementation. The research described in this paper has the aim to develop a paper-based workbook style methodology that companies can use to increase the benefits generated by Concurrent Engineering, while reducing implementation costs, risk and time. The three-stage methodology provides guidance based on knowledge accumulated from implementation experience and best practitioners. It encourages companies to learn to manage their Concurrent Engineering implementation by taking actions which expose them to new and valuable experiences. This helps to continuously improve understanding of how to maximise the benefits from Concurrent Engineering. The methodology is particularly designed to cater for organisational and contextual uniqueness, as Concurrent Engineering implementations will vary from company to company. Using key actions which improve the Concurrent Engineering implementation process, individual companies can develop their own 'best practice' for product development. The methodology ensures that key implementation issues, which are primarily human and organisational, are addressed using simple but proven techniques. This paper describes the key issues that the majority of companies face when implementing Concurrent Engineering. The structure of the methodology is described to show how the issues are addressed and resolved. The key actions used to improve the Concurrent Engineering implementation process are explained and their inclusion in the implementation methodology described. Relevance to industry. Implementation of Concurrent Engineering concepts in manufacturing industry has not been a straightforward process. This paper describes a workbook-style tool that manufacturing companies can use to accelerate and improve their Concurrent Engineering implementation. © 1995.

Design methodology for composite structures: A small low air-speed wind turbine blade case study

A small low air-speed wind turbine blade case study is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of a materials and design selection methodology described by Monroy Aceves et al. (2008) [24] for composite structures. The blade structure comprises a shell of uniform thickness and a unidirectional reinforcement. The shell outer geometry is fixed by aerodynamic considerations. A wide range of lay-ups are considered for the shell and reinforcement. Structural analysis is undertaken using the finite element method. Results are incorporated into a database for analysis using material selection software. A graphical selection stage is used to identify the lightest blade meeting appropriate design constraints. The proposed solution satisfies the design requirements and improves on the prototype benchmark by reducing the mass by almost 50%. The flexibility of the selection software in allowing identification of trends in the results and modifications to the selection criteria is demonstrated. Introducing a safety factor of two on the material failure stresses increases the mass by only 11%. The case study demonstrates that the proposed design methodology is useful in preliminary design where a very wide range of cases should be considered using relatively simple analysis. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Measurements of triggering and transient growth in a model lean-premixed gas turbine combustor

Instability triggering and transient growth of thermoacoustic oscillations were experimentally investigated in combination with linear/nonlinear flame transfer function (FTF) methodology in a model lean-premixed gas turbine combustor operated with CH 4 and air at atmospheric pressure. A fully premixed flame with 10kW thermal power and an equivalence ratio of 0.60 was chosen for detailed characterization of the nonlinear transient behaviors. Flame transfer functions were experimentally determined by simultaneous measurements of inlet velocity fluctuations and heat release rate oscillations using a constant temperature anemometer and OH */CH * chemiluminescence emissions, respectively. The phase-resolved variation of the local flame structure at a limit cycle was measured by planar laser-induced fluorescence of OH. Simultaneous measurements of inlet velocity, OH */CH * emission, and acoustic pressure were performed to investigate the temporal evolution of the system from a stable to a limit cycle operation. This measurement allows us to describe an unsteady instability triggering event in terms of several distinct stages: (i) initiation of a small perturbation, (ii) exponential amplification, (iii) saturation, (iv) nonlinear evolution of the perturbations towards a new unstable periodic state, (v) quasi-steady low-amplitude periodic oscillation, and (vi) fully-developed high-amplitude limit cycle oscillation. Phase-plane portraits of instantaneous inlet velocity and heat release rate clearly show the presence of two different attractors. Depending on its initial position in phase space at infinitesimally small amplitude, the system evolves towards either a high-amplitude oscillatory state or a low-amplitude oscillatory state. This transient phenomenon was analyzed using frequency- and amplitude-dependent damping mechanisms, and compared to subcritical and supercritical bifurcation theories. The results presented in this paper experimentally demonstrate the hypothesis proposed by Preetham et al. based on analytical and computational solutions of the nonlinear G-equation [J. Propul. Power 24 (2008) 1390-1402]. Good quantitative agreement was obtained between measurements and predictions in terms of the conditions for the onset of triggering and the amplitude of triggered combustion instabilities. © 2011 The Combustion Institute.