The Guacimal River catchment has an area of 181 km² and is located in the NW of Costa Rica, between the coordinates 84.745° W-10.016° N and 84.909° W-10.325° N. In this territory, as in most of the country, detailed geomorphological studies are scarce; therefore, the objective of this paper is to present the geomorphological mapping at a scale of 1:25,000 of the Guacimal River, which allows us to explain the dynamics of the agents involved in the modeling of the catchment. The work methodology consisted of three stages: pre-mapping, field activity and post-mapping, which resulted in a map in which ten relief forms are represented, ordered according to their morphogenesis in endogenous modeled and exogenous (fluvial, gravitational and littoral). This document will be the base line for land use planning, both continental and coastal, and for local risk management.

The performance of five cauliflower cultivars in conventional and alternative phytosanitary management—without the use of synthetic pesticides—was evaluated. Two experiments were conducted at Epagri, Ituporanga Experimental Station in February 2018 and 2019. A randomized block design with four repetitions was adopted, with twenty plants of each cultivar as plots. The seedlings were transplanted on millet and mucuna straw at a spacing of 0.5 m × 0.8 m. We evaluated agronomic yield, inflorescence quality, pest damage and plant diseases, especially bacterial and fungal rots. The cauliflower hybrids Vera, Verona and Serena stood out in productivity and quality, being the most indicated for sowing in off-season crops, in the Alto Vale do Itajaí region. The most productive cultivars were less damaged by bacterial diseases and defoliating caterpillars and without interference of whitefly infestation on yield. The results also reveal that it is possible to control pests and diseases with phytosanitary products of lower toxicity, i.e., with lower residues of synthetic pesticides.

In the last several decades, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have emerged as a major hazard to human life and health. Conventional formulations for the treatment of CVD are available, but they are far from ideal because of poor water solubility, limited biological activity, non-targeting, and drug resistance. With the advancement of nanotechnology, a novel drug delivery approach for the treatment of CVDs has emerged: nano-drug delivery systems (NDDSs). NDDSs have shown significant advantages in tackling the difficulties listed above. Cytotoxicity is a difficulty with the use of non-destructive DNA sequences. NDDS categories and targeted tactics were outlined, as well as current research advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of CVDs. It’s possible that gene therapy might be included into nano-carriers in the delivery of cardiovascular medications in the future. In addition, the evaluation addressed the drug’s safety.

In order to strengthen the study of soil-landscape relationships in mountain areas, a digital soil mapping approach based on fuzzy set theory was applied. Initially, soil properties were estimated with the regression kriging (RK) method, combining soil data and auxiliary information derived from a digital elevation model (DEM) and satellite images. Subsequently, the grouping of soil properties in raster format was performed with the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm, whose final product resulted in a fuzzy soil class variation model at a semi-detailed scale. The validation of the model showed an overall reliability of 88% and a Kappa index of 84%, which shows the usefulness of fuzzy clustering in the evaluation of soil-landscape relationships and in the correlation with soil taxonomic categories.

One-dimensional unsteady theoretical models of three different photovoltaic module installation modes are established. Through MATLAB modeling and simulation, the influence of photovoltaic modules on roof heat transfer in different layout modes is compared. Comparing with ordinary roof, the shading effect of photovoltaic roof in summer and heat preservation effect in winter was analyzed. The results show that the PV roof layout with ventilation channel is better in summer. The proof layout with closed flow channel is better in winter.