This work aimed to evaluate the effects of using three different substrates in the semi-hydroponic culture of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) using two different nutrient solutions. A first trial was performed with a nutrient solution rich in macronutrients and micronutrients suitable for lettuce culture, and a second trial with a nutrient solution with pretreated wastewater from effluents of a cheese factory. The experimental design was in randomized blocks with three repetitions and three substrates were used: perlite, coconut fiber, and expanded clay, in both trials. The following parameters were observed: number of leaves, diameter of the cabbage, fresh and dry weight of the aerial part, chlorophyll index and mineral composition of the lettuce. For the first trial, the highest result for the number of leaves (20 leaves), fresh weight (142.0 g) and dry weight (7.2 g) of the aerial part was obtained in the plants growing on perlite. In the second trial, the highest result for the number of leaves (28 leaves), diameter of cabbage (26.7 cm), fresh weight (118.8 g) and dry weight (9.5 g) of the aerial part were achieved by the plants that were grown in coconut fiber. The nutrient solutions were analyzed after each irrigation cycle to verify the possibility of their discharge into the environment. Several parameters were analyzed: pH, conductivity, redox potential, nitrates, nitrites, ammoniacal nitrogen, chlorides, hardness, calcium, phosphates, sodium, potassium, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and magnesium. Ammoniacal nitrogen was found to be the only nutrient that can limits the discharge of nutrient solutions into the environment. It was also proven that the plants, besides obtaining the nutrients necessary for their development in the semi-hydroponic system with the nutrient solution with pre-treated residual water, also functioned as a purification system, allowing the said nutrient solution to be discharged into the environment at the end of each cycle.

To deal with problems of traditional geographic information collection, such as low real-time, poor authenticity of the data, and unclear description of detailed areas, a design scheme of remote sensing-based geographic information system is proposed. The system mainly consists of information collection, imaging processing, data storage management, scene control and data transmission module. By use of remote sensing technology, the reflected and radiated electromagnetic waves of the target area are collected from a long distance to form an image, and the hue–intensity–saturation (HIS) transformation method is used to enhance the image definition. Weighted fusion algorithm is adopted to process the details of the image. The spatial database stores and manages the text and image data respectively, and establishes the attribute self-correlation mechanism to render the ground objects in the picture with SketchUp software. Finally, using RS422 protocol to transmit information can achieve the effect of multi-purpose, and enhance the anti-interference of the system. The experimental results show that the practical experience of the proposed system is excellent, the geographic information image presented is clear, and the edge details are clearly visible, which can provide users with effective geographic information data.

An image adaptive noise reduction enhancement algorithm based on NSCT is proposed to perform image restoration preprocessing on the defocused image obtained under the microscope. Defocused images acquired under micro-nano scale optical microscopy, usually with inconspicuous details, edges and contours, affect the accuracy of subsequent observation tasks. Due to its multi-scale and multi-directionality, the NSCT transform has superior transform functions and can obtain more textures and edges of images. Combined with the characteristics of micro-nanoscale optical defocus images, the NSCT inverse transform is performed on all sub-bands to reconstruct the image. Finally, the experimental results of the standard 500 nm scale grid, conductive probe and triangular probe show that the proposed algorithm has a better image enhancement effect and significantly improves the quality of out-of-focus images.

A large number of people of the fringe areas of Sundarban enter into the forests every year and encounter with the tigers simply for their livelihood. This study attempts to examine the extent and impact of human-animal conflicts in the Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF) area in West Bengal, India. An intensive study of the data of the victims (both death and injury) between 1999 and 2014 reveals that, fishermen crab collector, honey collectors and woodcutters are generally victimized by the tiger attack. Pre monsoon period (April to June) and early winter period (Jan to March) are noted for the two-peak periods for casualties. Maximum casualty occurs between 8-10 am, and 2-4 pm. Jhilla (21.1%), Pirkhali (19.72 %), Chandkhali (11.72%), and Arbesi (9.35%) are the four most vulnerable forest blocks accounting more than 60 per cent occurrence of incidences. 67.24 per cent of the tiger attack victims were residents of Gosaba followed by Hingalganja (15%) and Basanti, (9.76%). The vulnerability rating puts the risk of tiger attack to 0.88 for every 10,000 residents of Gosaba block followed by 0.33 at Hingalganj Block and 0.11 at Bansanti Block. The majority of the victims (68%) were found to be males, aged between 30 and 50 years.

A geologic and geomorphologic study aimed at solving some geological and geotechnical problems, regarding the massive seepage of meteoric waters in the coastal cliffs of the Island of Procida (Naples Bay, Southern Italy) composed of both tuffs and loose pyroclastic deposits, has been carried out in the geosites of Terra Murata (Middle Ages village and coastal cliff towards the Corricella Bay) and Centane-Panoramica (coastal cliff facing on the Tyrrhenian Sea).

A detailed geologic and geomorphologic survey has allowed to suggest solutions to the applied geological and geotechnical problems related to the occurrence of massive seepages of waters at the physical interface between pyroclastic rocks and loose pyroclastic deposits, characterized by different density, permeability and porosity and also controlled by a dense network of fractures, involving the pyroclastic deposits cropping out in the selected areas.

Field sampling and geotechnical laboratory analyses have been carried out to calculate the values of main geotechnical parameters of the yellow tuffs cropping out at the Terra Murata Promontory. At the same time, a detailed monitoring of the seepages of waters has been carried out through a detailed geological survey of the tuff outcrops of the promontory. The obtained results have suggested a strong control from both the geomorphologic instability of the coastal cliff and tectonic setting. At the Centane-Panoramica geosite, the geological survey, coupled with geotechnical analyses and standard penetrometric tests, has accordingly evidenced that the geomorphologic instability was mainly concentrated in the sectors of the tuff coastal cliffs facing seawards towards the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Chinese municipalities have developed a large stock of capital assets during a period of rapid growth and urbanization, but have yet to modernize asset management practices. Cities face challenges such as premature decline of fixed assets and spiking liabilities related to operating and maintaining assets. This paper evaluates the asset management practices in three selected small cities and towns in China, using a benchmarking assessment tool followed by an in-depth field assessment. The paper finds that overall performance is below half the international benchmark for good practice in all three cities. Management practices are considerably more advanced for land than for buildings and infrastructure. Key deficiencies in data availability and reporting, governance, capacity, and financial management indicate increased risks for local government finance and the delivery of public services. For small cities and towns where public revenues are often uncertain and limited, urban public services will be at risk of deterioration unless good asset management practices are put in place. The paper recommends strategic actions for upper and lower levels of government, to advance local asset management practices and facilitate the reform agenda.