This work was carried out with the purpose of generating ecological and silvicultural information oriented to sustainable management. The horizontal structure was evaluated using the importance value index of Curtis and Macintosh, the vertical structure using Finol’s methodology. Through the sociological position index, the percentage natural regeneration and the extended importance value index were estimated in order to infer the permanence of the forest ecosystem. The floristic composition was represented by species of the families Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, Santalaceae, Rhamnaceae, Sapotaceae, Simarubaceae, Ulmaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Capparidaceae, Borraginaceae and Achatocarpaceae. In the horizontal structure, the species with the highest rank was Acacia praecox, followed in order of importance by Schinopsis balansae, Aspidosperma quebracho blanco and Prosopis kuntzei. According to sociological position, Acacia praecox was the most representative species, followed by Patagonula americana, Schinus longifolius, Proposis kuntzei and Aspidosperma quebracho blanco. The species with the best regeneration values were Achatocarpus nigricans and Acacia praecox in the shrub layer and Patagonula americana in the tree layer. The extended importance index consolidated the category of Acacia praecox in the community and gave a better category to Schinopsis balansae, Aspidosperma quebracho blanco, Prosopis kuntzei and Patagonula americana.

The electron/hole transport layer can promote charge transfer and improve device performance, which is used in perovskite solar cells. The nanoarray structure transport layers can not only further promote carrier transport but also reduce recombination. It also has a great potential in enhancing perovskite light absorption, improving device stability and inhibiting the crack nucleation of different structure layers in perovskite solar cells. This paper reviewed the research progress of perovskite solar cells with different nanoarray structure transport layers. The challenges and development directions of perovskite solar cells based on nanoarray structure transport layers are also summarized and prospected.

Flood risk analysis is the instrument by which floodplain and stormwater utility managers create strategic adaptation plans to reduce the likelihood of flood damages in their communities, but there is a need to develop a screening tool to analyze watersheds and identify areas that should be targeted and prioritized for mitigation measures. The authors developed a screening tool that combines readily available data on topography, groundwater, surface water, tidal information for coastal communities, soils, land use, and precipitation data. Using the outputs of the screening tool for various design storms, a means to identify and prioritize improvements to be funded with scarce capital funds was developed, which combines the likelihood of flooding from the screening tool with a consequence of flooding assessment based on land use and parcel size. This framework appears to be viable across cities that may be inundated with water due to sea-level rise, rainfall, runoff upstream, and other natural events. The framework was applied to two communities using the 1-day 100-year storm event: one in southeast Broward County with an existing capital plan and one inland community with no capital plan.

The wealth of nations depends on the quality of their infrastructure. Often, however, infrastructure suffers from ineffective investments and poor maintenance. Proposed solutions, such as New Public Management or Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) tend to develop into Politicians-Private Partnerships as politicians collude with private firms to exploit present and future tax-payers. Therefore, it is necessary to give citizens better control over collective decision making. While there is a significant economic literature on empowering citizens via decentralization and direct democratic institutions, the role of electoral rules has thus far been rather neglected. An interesting case in point is Switzerland, which is well known for its high-quality infrastructure, extensive decentralization, and direct democracy. However, this paper argues that there is an additional and previously neglected institution that moves Swiss politicians away from client politics towards better serving public interest: Switzerland’s unique electoral institutions which effectively combine proportional elections with multi-seat majority elections. We explain how these institutions work, how they enhance the relationships between citizens and public and private entities, and we argue that they could be implemented in other countries.

Japan’s investment in the domestic construction industry has fallen to less than half its peak in 1992. Given the country’s declining population, Japanese construction companies must go global to remain profitable. To what extent the Japanese government and Japanese companies can contribute to meeting the growing infrastructure needs in the region is unclear as Japanese companies have long been operating primarily in Japan. The Japanese government has in recent years passed a series of new laws that encourage private sector participation in financing, building and operating public infrastructure. Through involvement in such public projects, Japanese companies have developed the skills and technologies to build a variety of infrastructures that are resilient to natural disasters and adaptable to various geographical conditions and social and economic development. But the major challenge for Japanese companies is to transform their business model drastically from one that relies on the domestic market to one that contributes to the social and economic development of third countries.