Using the rank scale rule, taking 47 major port cities in China from 2001 to 2015 as research samples, this paper discusses the rank scale characteristics and hierarchical structure of coastal port city system from a multi-functional perspective, and divides the coupling type of multi-functional development based on shipping logistics. The research shows that: 1) from 2001 to 2015, the scale-free area of manufacturing function order scale distribution in the coastal port city system appeared bifractal structure, the hierarchical segmentation characteristics appeared, and the other functions were single fractal; From the perspective of long-term evolution, only the order and scale distribution of shipping logistics function has developed from centralization to equilibrium, while the business function, manufacturing function (scale-free region I), modern service function and population distribution function are in a centralized situation. 2) The hierarchical structure of coastal port city system has gradually changed from pyramid structure to spindle structure, and generally formed five levels: national hub, regional hub, regional sub center, regional node and local node. 3) From the perspective of multi-functional coupling types, the traditional functions of port cities are generally ahead, while the high-end service functions lag behind, and the improvement speed of urban functions is slow and tends to be flat, indicating that the multi-functional development of China’s coastal port cities is still at a low level, and the industrial system structure needs to be further optimized. 4) From the perspective of port cities at different levels, the functions of regional hub cities and regional sub central cities are in the stage of rapid growth; regional and local node cities are still in the growth stage of traditional functions such as industry and commerce.

A failsafe network design recovering from the stressed condition against a massive supply disruption is generally useful for various applications. Water flow in plants under a tension is inherently vulnerable to an embolism, a water supply cut off, causing a death. However, the function of the network structures of leaf veins and xylem stems effectively reduces the embolism-induced failure. In this study, water transport in plants under the pressurized conditions compared to the normal physiological conditions is observed by X-ray imaing. By examining embolism-induced water supply limits in the architecturally diverse leaf and stem networks, a progressive hydraulic rule has been found: the limited flows in the selected parts of the network structures against a total fail. For a scientific explanation on nanoscale water flow dynamics occurring in plants, temporal meniscus development in the nanomembrane model system is investigated. The pressure-driven hydrodynamic transport phenomena can be explained to follow network dynamics of the modified imbibition typically occuring in nanostrutcures. This study contributes to a variety of design technologies of networked materials against the spread of flow damages under the stressed conditions.

Knowledge of the state of fragmentation and transformation of a forested landscape is crucial for proper planning and biodiversity conservation. Chile is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots; within it is the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which is considered an area of high biodiversity value and intense anthropic pressure. Despite this, there is no precise information on the degree of transformation of its landscape and its conservation status. The objective of this work was to evaluate the state of the landscape and the spatio-temporal changes of the native forests in this mountain range. Using Landsat images from 1986 and 2011, thematic maps of land use were generated. A 33% loss of native forest in 25 years was observed, mainly associated to the substitution by forest plantations. Changes in the spatial patterns of land cover and land use reveal a profound transformation of the landscape and advanced fragmentation of forests. We discuss how these patterns of change threaten the persistence of several endemic species at high risk of extinction. If these anthropogenic processes continue, these species could face an increased risk of extinction.

Marine geological maps of the Campania region have been constructed both to a 1:25.000 and to a 1:10.000 scale in the frame of the research projects financed by the Italian National Geological Survey, focusing, in particular, on the Gulf of Naples (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea), a complex volcanic area where volcanic and sedimentary processes strongly interacted during the Late Quaternary and on the Cilento Promontory offshore. In this paper, the examples of the geological sheets n. 464 “Isola di Ischia” and n. 502 “Agropoli” have been studied. The integration of the geological maps with the seismo-stratigraphic setting of the study areas has also been performed based on the realization of interpreted seismic profiles, providing interesting data on the geological setting of the subsurface. The coastal geological sedimentation in the Ischia and Agropoli offshore has been studied in detail. The mapped geological units are represented by: i) the rocky units of the acoustic basement (volcanic and/or sedimentary); ii) the deposits of the littoral environment, including the deposits of submerged beach and the deposits of toe of coastal cliff; iii) the deposits of the inner shelf environment, including the inner shelf deposits and the bioclastic deposits; iv) the deposits of the outer shelf environment, including the clastic deposits and the bioclastic deposits; v) the lowstand system tract; vi) the Pleistocene relict marine units; vii) different volcanic units in Pleistocene age. The seismo-stratigraphic data, coupled with the sedimentological and environmental data provided by the geological maps, provided us with new insights on the geologic evolution of this area during the Late Quaternary.

The recent crisis-filled period has placed a significant burden on various businesses, including in the tourism sector. As a result, the concept of resilience, the flexible ability to resist, has become more and more tangible. This study aims to update the quantitative organizational resilience assessment scale of Orchiston, Prayag and Brown. The paper analyses a sample of 87 tourism service providers managing attractions, and factor analysis was carried out to identify the factors in order to be able to measure the resilience of tourism service providers. Four factors could be identified: Leadership and Organization, Strategy, Independence, and Internal Identity. These identified factors and the included 14 items mean the key contribution, as a new, updated assessment system.

This paper provides a comprehensive review of SURF (speeded up robust features) feature descriptor, commonly used technique for image feature extraction. The SURF algorithm has obtained significant popularity because to its robustness, efficiency, and invariance to various image transformations. In this paper, an in-depth analysis of the underlying principles of SURF, its key components, and its use in computer vision tasks such as object recognition, image matching, and 3D reconstruction are proposed. Furthermore, we discuss recent advancements and variations of the SURF algorithm and compare it with other popular feature descriptors. Through this review, the aim is to provide a clear understanding of the SURF feature descriptor and its significance in the area of computer vision.