Heavy Rainfall Conditions Research Articles

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis in early generations maize inbreds derived from local germplasm of Eastern Himalayan regions using microsatellite markers

Abstract The North-Eastern region (NER) of India falls under the Eastern Himalayan region and it is a bio-diversity hub. Diverse maize landraces with wide adaptability to extreme climatic and soil scenario like heavy rainfall, drought and acidic soil conditions have been grown in NER since time immemorial. However, maize diversity in NER region has drastically reduced due to introduction of high yielding varieties and hybrids. Modern maize breeding programmes are focused on high yield but other unique traits like stay green trait, prolificacy (more than one fertile ear per plant), self-fertilizing ability are also important and the local germplasm of the NER region can contribute with these unique traits. Prior to the selection of any lines in several breeding programmes, assessment of genetic diversity and population structure are basic requirements. Hence, in the present study assessment of genetic diversity and population structure study in 30 maize inbreds developed from different germplasm of NER was undertaken using SSR markers, selected for their broad distribution throughout the genome, in order to assess the extent of allelic diversity among the lines and whether any population structure could be established. In addition to assessing molecular diversity, the study aims to evaluate the potential for yield and other beneficial and unique alleles that have high potential to contribute in the genetic enhancement programme of maize.

Deformation Monitoring and Dynamic Analysis of Long-Runout Bedding Landslide Based on InSAR and Particle Flow Code

Long-runout landslides occur frequently in the sandstone and mudstone mountainous areas in southwestern China under heavy rainfall conditions. This has been a key issue in the field of disaster prevention and reduction. Considering the Niuerwan landslide in Wulong, Chongqing, on 13 July 2020, as an example, we employed technical methodologies, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images, field investigation, geological condition analysis (including geomorphology and topography, stratigraphic structure and formation lithology, etc.), interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) monitoring and Particle Flow Code 3D (PFC3D) simulations to study failure mechanism and a long-runout motion model of flow-like landslides induced by the heavy rainfall. The results showed that (1) the large differences between the upper and lower strata are the root cause of the instability and long-runout fluidization movement; (2) heavy rainfall is the key driving factor of slope instability and deep-seated landslides, leading to long-distance movement of the upper saturated residual soil; (3) the long-runout fluidization model of bedding landslides is mainly divided into the overall sliding in the lower layer, the mixing of coarse and fine particles in the middle layer, and saturation fluidization in the upper layer; and (4) the long-runout fluidization process of bedding landslides is composed of three stages: overall instability, mixed acceleration, and fluidization accumulation. In view of these findings, in the risk evaluation and prediction of long-runout fluidization landslides in sandstone and mudstone mountainous areas, this particular disaster model can be used to provide quantitative references for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Stability Analysis of a Transmission Line Tower and Slope under Heavy Rainfall

In recent years, our country’s transmission lines have often been in danger due to geological disasters such as landslides when passing through fragile geological environments, which has brought great challenges and risks to the operation and maintenance of transmission lines. In order to understand the impact of transmission line towers on tower foundation slopes under heavy rainfall conditions, the influence of towers at different locations, rainfall intensities, and slopes on slope stability was analyzed by using Geo-Studio finite element analysis software. The results show that the slope has an important influence on the selection of the reasonable position of the tower. When the tower is located at the lower part of the slope, the safety factor of the slope is the highest. The safety factor of the slope is also reduced, and eventually the slope will be unstable and destroyed; the stability coefficient of the slope in the natural state is 1.221, which is in a stable state. Slopes are prone to overall sliding, with the spoil and overburden as the sliding body and the rock–soil contact surface as the sliding surface. This result provides a scientific basis for further understanding the influence mechanism of the slope angle at the location of the tower pole on this type of landslide under rainfall conditions. Further research can use the results of this paper as a benchmark to carry out corresponding experimental analysis and verification work.

Risk assessment of the Xigou debris flow in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area

On June 18, 2018, under the influence of heavy rainfall, a debris flow disaster broke out in Xigou village of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in Chongqing, causing some residential houses to be buried along with great economic losses. The on-site investigation found many loose solid material sources in the debris flow gully. Under the conditions of heavy rainfall, debris flows are prone to occur again, which would seriously threaten the lives and property of nearby residents. In this paper, taking the Xigou debris flow as a research case, numerical simulation by rapid mass movements simulation (RAMMS) is used to invert the movement process of the 2018 debris flow event; the dynamic calculation parameters of the Xigou debris flow event are obtained; a quantitative hazard prediction of debris flows with different recurrence intervals (30, 50, and 100 years) is carried out in the study area; and risk assessment is conducted based on the vulnerability characteristics of the disaster-bearing bodies in the study area. The results show that the maximum accumulation thickness of debris flow in the 30-year, 50-year, and 100-year recurrence intervals is 6.54 m, 10.18 m, and 10.00 m, respectively, and the debris flow in the 100-year recurrence interval has the widest influence range and greatest hazard. The low-, medium-, and high-risk areas account for 75%, 23%, and 2%, respectively. The high-risk area mainly includes some buildings near the #1 and #2 gullies. This study provides support for the prevention and control of potential debris flow disasters in Xigou village and a scientific basis for disaster prevention and mitigation in the Three Gorges Reservoir area.

On deducing the drag coefficient formula of cylindrical vegetation in non-uniform channel flow

Research on water flow resistance characteristics in a vegetation environment is a hotspot in environmental fluid research, which is primarily concentrated on the calculation of the vegetation drag coefficient Cd. At present, relatively few studies exist on the resistance characteristics of vegetation under non-uniform flow conditions, resulting in few general expressions for the research of Cd for this type of condition. In response to these scientific problems, this study selects shrub vegetation as the research object and generalised it as cylinders for the simulation study. This study adopts quadraticand Gaussian functions to change the coordinate expression of cylindrical vegetation Cd and then proposes the drag formulas of cylindrical vegetation in non-uniform flow for non-rainfall and heavy rainfall conditions based on regression analysis. Finally, this study substitutes the proposed Cd formula into the Saint-Venant equation to calculate the depth of channel flow. The newly proposed equations are verified by comparing the measured flow depth data with the calculation results. This study provides technical support for refined hydrodynamic simulations of vegetated flow regions.

Data assimilation for urban stormwater and water quality simulations using deep reinforcement learning

Hydrological models have been used to understand the transportation of water quantity and quality in drainage systems, and the stormwater management model (SWMM) is one of the most widely-used models for runoff quantity and quality simulations in urban areas. Although significant efforts have been made to identify the appropriate input parameters of the SWMM model in various watersheds, it is difficult to reflect the variability of the real environment using a fixed input parameter. Data assimilation (DA) is a compatibility method that improves prediction accuracy by merging observations and simulation outputs. It is useful to reduce the forecast error from temporal transferability with information interaction between the model output and observation data. However, conventional DA approaches cannot completely overcome their unrealistic assumptions such as linearity, normality, and error covariances. To address these challenges, we used deep reinforcement learning (RL) to develop an automatic assimilation model that interactively optimizes the SWMM parameters in a real environment (SWMM-RL). In the SWMM-RL model, the agent is trained by rewarding and/or punishing the action (modulated SWMM input parameter) in real time according to the state changes. The model was constructed to minimize the error of runoff and pollutant load simulation of suspended solids (SS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in each stormwater monitoring event. The results demonstrated that the SWMM-RL model primarily outperformed the fixed input parameter SWMM model (SWMM-PS) in simulating the runoff and the three different pollutant loads (the median value of Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) for 10 stormwater events was increased by 0.11, 0.31, 0.36, and 0.07 for runoff, SS, TN, and TP, respectively). The SWMM-PS has disadvantages in simulating low rainfall events because of the high sensitivity of runoff peaks to heavy rainfall conditions. Furthermore, the effects of extreme rainfall events were estimated using the SWMM-RL model. This study showed how SWMM-RL combined with the DA method increased forecast accuracy by providing sensitivity and temporal transitions of input parameters.

Advances in Management of Ovarian Cancer through Natural Resources: An Update

Since times immemorial, mankind has been dependent on Mother Nature in terms of natural resources for alleviating its sufferings. As per W.H.O., developing countries should fully explore their flora and fauna to become economically self-reliant. Country India enjoys having diverse climatic conditions of heavy rainfall, sandy deserts & snow-clad mountains, which play a perfect condition and host for the growth of plenty of medicinal plants with desirable phytoconstituents. Presently mankind is suffering from many diseases that were not so common in the olden days. Does it is a signal from our mother Nature to once again rediscover its treasure of natural resources for exploring answers for various prophylaxis and therapeutic needs of modern-day disorders and diseases? Cancer is the most fatal disease worldwide caused due to the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Ovarian Cancer is the fifth leading cause of death in females. The incidence and mortality rate of Ovarian Cancer is increasing day by day across the world. Biomarkers such as CA125, HE4, OVA1, and Cancer stem cells have been used for the detection of Ovarian Cancer. The current treatment of Ovarian Cancer is surgery and some common treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, adoptive cell therapy, use of medicinal plants and their derivatives. Some prominent medicinal plants like Quercus tinctoria, Curcuma longa, Taxus brevifolia, Allium sativum, Asparagus racemosa, Camptotheca acuminate, Symplocus racemosa, Ginkgo biloba, Genistein, Zingiber officinale, Azadirachta indica, Embilica officinalis, Podophyllum peltatum, Camellia sinensis, Saraca indica. A large number of phytochemicals which has anticancer compounds are flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, carotenoids, phenolics, and organosulfur compounds. Ayurvedic drugs highly effective on Ovarian Cancer are Arka, Bhallataka, Ahipena, Bhanga, Vishamushti, and Jayapala. The diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer in the initial stage is not possible mainly due to a lack of awareness on patients’ behalf. The main effective parameter is imaging for checking the extent and location of the disease. Some other parameters also included physical examination and transvaginal ultrasonography. Thus, the present review is an attempt to compile published reports through authentic sources regarding the current management scenario of Ovarian Cancer with the help of natural drugs or medicinal plants that inhibits or hinders the growth of cancer cell, which may serve as a ready reference for future researchers.

Impact of Rock Fragment Shapes and Soil Cohesion on Runoff Generation and Sediment Yield of Steep Cut Slopes under Heavy Rainfall Conditions

The erodibility and erosion resistance of Quaternary sediments play a pivotal role in both the hydrologic and erosion processes of soil cut slopes. To investigate the runoff and sediment yield of soil cut slopes along the Pai-Mo road, we performed indoor simulated rainfall experiments under a 50° steep slope and high rainfall intensity (120 mm/h), based on the area’s climatic characteristics and Quaternary sediment properties. The experiments included various rock fragment contents (30%, 40%, and 50%), different levels of rock fragment roundness (i.e., rounded gravel, angular gravel), and varying soil cohesion. The results indicated that the average infiltration rate of the uncemented rounded gravel soil slope (URGSS) was higher than that of the uncemented angular gravel soil slope (UAGSS), resulting in less runoff and a delayed initial runoff time. The runoff shear stress, runoff power, drag coefficient, and Reynolds number of the URGSS were smaller than those of the UAGSS. In contrast, the Froude number and flow velocity of the URGSS were larger, resulting in a stronger runoff erosion capacity. The sediment yield of the URGSS was approximately two times that of the UAGSS, and the cumulative sediment yield was about 20% higher. The cemented angular gravel soil slope (CAGSS) had a larger runoff rate, runoff shear stress, runoff power, and flow velocity than those of the UAGSS, leading to less sediment yield. Overall, a more rounded shape and a larger radius of curvature of the spherical particles resulted in stronger erosion, due to local turbulence. Therefore, the rill density and cumulative sediment yield of the steep alluvial cut slope were greater than that of the steep colluvial cut slope under heavy rainfall. Moreover, due to its strong cohesion, only raindrop splash erosion and inter-rill erosion occurred on the steep moraine cut slopes under heavy rainfall.

A coupled CFD-DEM investigation into hydro-mechanical behaviour of gap-graded soil experiencing seepage erosion considering cyclic hydraulic loading

The internal erosion of soils is a critical factor that can cause infiltration damage in slope and embankment works. Under conditions of heavy rainfall, storm surge, and waves, the soil is subjected to the cyclic changing hydraulic loads that are different from constant or monotonically changing hydraulic gradient loads, resulting in significant differences in the internal erosion response. The internal erosion response of gap-graded soil under cyclic hydraulic gradient is investigated in microscopic view based on the three-dimensional coupled computational fluid dynamics and discrete element (CFD-DEM) method. Three average hydraulic gradients (i.e., i¯= 7, 9, 11) and different cyclic hydraulic gradient amplitudes (i.e., Δi = 2 ∼ 10) are considered. It is found that the erosion mass me is significantly increased under cyclic hydraulic loading, as the amplitude of the cyclic hydraulic gradient increases, the erosion ratio gradually increases. The particle migration in the upstream layer is more susceptible to the influence of cyclic hydraulic gradients, and the distribution of fine particles is more uniform after erosion with the increase of Δi. The mechanism of the effect of cyclic hydraulic gradient is revealed from a micro perspective, including coordination number, connectivity distribution, particle force characteristics, local packing profile and the force chain evolution, it is found that the cyclic hydraulic loading affects the erosion process mainly by disturb or destroy the local clogging. The work provides insights into the effect of more complex hydraulic loading on internal erosion from a micromechanical perspective.

Stability Assessment of Slopes under Normal Weather and Heavy Rainfall Conditions in the Himalayan Region

Stability Assessment of Slopes under Normal Weather and Heavy Rainfall Conditions in the Himalayan Region

Experimental simulation of seepage field distribution for small interval tunnel under varying-head infiltration

In complex hydrogeological environments, it is difficult to achieve a dynamic equilibrium state for the recharge, seepage, and discharge of tunnel groundwater. Especially in case of reservoir flood discharge, local heavy rainfall, extreme dry climate or other emergency situations, the groundwater level will rapidly change, and the tunnel will be under the action of hydrodynamic head height within a certain period of time. Therefore, as urban tunnels in water-rich areas develop towards large cross-section, small spacing and complex sensitive stratum, studying the spatial distribution characteristics of seepage and stress fields in small interval tunnels under variable water head infiltration conditions is an urgent problem to be solved. In this paper, using the self-developed seepage model testing equipment, tunnel seepage tests under different hydrodynamic head heights and heavy rainfall conditions are carried out on the Kexuecheng Tunnel, which is a typical small interval tunnel in complex hydrogeological environment of Chongqing, China. According to the test results, as the burial depth and water level increase, the water pressure at each monitoring point gradually increases. Benefiting from the superimposed drainage effect of adjacent hole, the average water pressure at the inner side is 8 ∼ 12% lower than that on the outer side. The grouting circle and high groundwater level will further aggravate the asymmetric distribution of hydrodynamic pressure on the lining structure. However, as the hydrodynamic head height increases, the effective stress of the stratum decreases, and the earth pressure on the tunnel decreases by 24 ∼ 40%. Under heavy rainfall conditions, the evolution of lining structure pressure can be divided into initial infiltration stage, rapid growth stage, gradually stable stage and slowly decreasing stage. Suffered by the influence of rainstorm on seepage field and stress field, the overall pressure acting on the vault, left haunch, right haunch and bottom of lining structure increase by 45.4%, 132.3%, 117.4% and 147.4%, respectively.

Impact of GPS radio occultation assimilation on the 18–21 July 2021 heavy rainfall event in Henan

The Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) assimilation system and Weather Research & Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale regional model were used to investigate the sensitivity of assimilating Global Positioning System radio occultation (GPS-RO) data for a “21·7” heavy rainfall event in Henan Province. The Ensemble Forecast Sensitivity to Observation (EFSO) algorithm was used to assess the influence of the GPS-RO assimilation relative to conventional heavy rainfall observations in Henan. Sensitivity experiments revealed that the 6-h accumulated precipitation simulated by the three experiments surpassed 200 mm, which was similar to the automated station observations, and the rainfall center location and intensity simulated by the assimilated GPS-RO experiment (EXPR2) were also similar to the observations. Following GPS-RO data assimilation, the upper-level west border continental high pressure was improved, which increased the pressure gradient on the east and west sides of the heavy rainfall, resulting in enhanced dynamic lifting and water vapor flow from the lower level to the whole Henan downpour center. The entire convective convergence rising height increased, which had an optimum influence on the dynamic and thermal conditions of heavy rainfall. The EFSO estimates revealed that most observations improved the model predictions, with the conventional surface pressure and U-wind observations making a positive standardized contribution of approximately 0.05 and 0.075, respectively, but T(Temperature) and Q(Specific humidity) making a negative standardized contribution of approximately −0.025. The GNSS GPS-RO greatly improved the prediction results by decreasing the error by 0.125, and the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) FY-3D contributed the most to the model.

Experimental design of open-field temperature and precipitation manipulation system to simulate summer extreme climate events for plants and soils

Extreme climate events are expected to occur very frequently and intensively with climate change, and such extreme events can induce irreversible damage to plants and soils, as well as ecosystems. Accordingly, there is a need to understand the effects of extreme climate events on ecosystems. Here, we designed a temperature and precipitation manipulation system to simulate extreme climate events of heat, drought, and heavy rainfall. We constructed three soil surface temperature manipulation levels (control, 3 °C, and 6 °C increases) and three precipitation manipulation levels (control, drought, and heavy rainfall) with six replicates, and operated these from day of year (DOY) 195 to 233 in 2020. Infrared heaters increased the soil surface temperature during the extreme heat treatments. For precipitation manipulation, the automatic rainout shelter excluded ambient rainfall to produce drought conditions and an artificial rainfall simulator with spray nozzles produced heavy rainfall conditions. As a result, the soil surface temperature (°C ± one standard deviation) was higher in the 3 °C and 6 °C heated treatments than in the control by 2.7 ± 0.2 and 5.7 ± 0.5, respectively. The mean soil water content (vol. %) was 12.9 ± 8.6 in the drought treatment, 14.1 ± 7.8 in the control, and 16.1 ± 8.3 in the heavy rainfall treatment during the precipitation manipulation period. The results showed that the system design and operation were as expected. The designed system can be effectively utilized to investigate the responses of plants and soils to extreme climate events.

The Influence of Short-Term Heavy Rainfall on Hydraulic Characteristics and Rill Formation in the Yuanmou Dry-Hot Valley.

Rill erosion is one of the major environmental problems in the world; it is an important factor with regard to land degradation and has a serious impact on production and daily life in the region. The widely distributed Yuanmou group stratum promotes the development of rill erosion, whereby the strong time-concentrated rainfall and the alternating arid-humid climate prepare the ground for the development of rills in soils. Therefore, a study of the processes of slope rill erosion was carried out, and a gravel-soil slope in the Yuanmou dry-hot valley was chosen to simulate short-term heavy rainfall (25 mm/h) (No. 1 plot) and moderate rainfall (15 mm/h) (No. 2 plot), to study the erosion processes of soil and the dynamic characteristics of runoff involved in erosion. The study results showed that the width of runoff was significantly different between the two plots, while the depth of runoff was not significantly different. During the rill formation process, the width of the two plots first decreased and then increased with increasing washout duration, while its depth did not change significantly. Flow was the key factor in determining the hydraulic characteristics of runoff, and it had a significant or extremely significant positive correlation with hydraulic characteristics parameters, except in the case of Fr (Froude number) (r = 0.039). The total sediment content (CS) of plot No. 1 (0.158 g/cm3) was significantly different from that of plot No. 2 (0.153 g/cm3), and both CSs in the two plots decreased with increasing washout duration. The CS had an extremely significant negative correlation with τ (runoff shear force) (r = -0.863 **) and DW-f (Darcy-Weisbach drag coefficient) (r = -0.863 **) and a significant negative correlation with Re (Reynolds number) (r = -0.735 *) in the short-term heavy rainfall experiment, while the CS had a significant positive correlation with V (velocity) (r = 0.814 *), R (hydraulic radius) (r = 0.811 *) and P (unit stream power) (r = 0.811 *) in the moderate rainfall experiment. The results of this study will help guide further examination of the processes involved in the dynamic mechanisms of rill erosion on slopes under short-term heavy rainfall conditions.

Study on the Influence of Seepage Conditions with Different Rainfall Intensities on the Structural Evolution of Soil-Rock Mixture Filler

The rainfall conditions cause seepage in the soil-rock mixture (SRM) filler subgrade, leading to the loss of fine particles and the change of soil structure, which eventually leads to large uneven deformation or instability of the subgrade. The particle loss test device was applied to conduct the seepage test of SRM filler, monitor the change process of permeable quality, fine particle loss and sedimentation of filler under different rainfall conditions, and analyze the evolution process of soil structure and sedimentation characteristics. The result shows that the rainfall intensity affects the permeability of the filler, and then accelerates the loss of fine particles under water migration. With the condition of the same rainfall duration, the hourly water permeability increased firstly and then gradually stabilized with the rainfall duration. The total water permeability mass, fine particle loss, and real-time sedimentation increased with the rainfall intensity. With the same rainfall condition, the maximum hourly water permeability under short-term heavy rainfall condition is about three times that under heavy rainfall condition, which is more serious for the internal erosion of SRM filler. The total water permeability mass, fine particle loss, and real-time sedimentation increased with the rainfall intensity. The stages of skeleton remodeling and relative stability are the most serious stages of filler skeleton structure damage. The sedimentation deformation of filler has hysteresis, resulting in the occurrence of sedimentation much later than the loss of fine particles and skeleton deformation. After the rainfall stops, with the loss of fine particles and water dissipation, the filler will occur secondary sedimentation, resulting in an increase in the final sedimentation as the rainfall intensity increases, making it possible for subsidence damage of the roadbed to occur both during and after the rainfall. Extreme rainfall conditions (short-term heavy rainfall) have the most obvious effect on the structural damage of the subgrade.

Hydrological control of the chemical characteristics of suspended particulate phosphorus in the Yasu River watershed, Japan: Implications for its source and bioavailability

AbstractSeveral studies have demonstrated the importance of the bioavailability of particulate phosphorus (PP) exported from various watersheds, especially agricultural land. However, few studies have documented the influence of hydrological conditions on the sources and bioavailability of PP exported from watersheds with multiple land uses. In this study, to assess the sources and bioavailability of PP under different hydrological conditions, we conducted synoptic monitoring of compositional changes in the chemical fractions of PP exported from the Yasu River Watershed, which is covered with a mixture of forest (57.7%) and rice paddy (20.5%) areas. In this river, total phosphorus was composed mainly of PP at all monitoring sites and time points. The sequential extraction of PP revealed that a fraction bound to redox‐sensitive iron and manganese, regarded as bioavailable, was specific to the drainage waters of rice paddies, while a fraction bound to organic matter, regarded as less bioavailable, was specific to a forested stream. In the downstream of the Yasu River covering the whole watershed, PP exported under the base flow and small rainfall conditions was composed mainly of the rice paddy‐derived fraction, while most of the PP exported under heavy rainfall conditions was the forest‐derived fraction. These results suggest that the sources and bioavailability of PP can vary dynamically, depending on the hydrological regimes and land use pattern in the watershed. Even taking into account the fact that the large amount of PP exported during heavy rainfall is considered to be forest‐derived PP with low bioavailability, the monitoring results suggested that the annual amount of bioavailable PP exported is larger than that of dissolved phosphorus, and can have a large impact on phosphorus recycling in the downstream lake ecosystem through sedimentation and regeneration.

Prediction of waterlogged zones under heavy rainfall conditions using machine learning and GIS tools: a case study of Mumbai

Prediction of waterlogged zones under heavy rainfall conditions using machine learning and GIS tools: a case study of Mumbai

Economic analysis of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivar grown in different soilless substrates under protected conditions

Protected cultivation has great potential in northern India, where the extreme temperature, unpredictable heavy rainfall and problematic soil conditions have affected the year around availability of tomato crop in the different agro climatic zones of the region. Therefore, this study was conducted under protected structure at Hi-Tech Vegetable Centre, Bir Charik, Moga, Punjab during two seasons in 2018 and 2019 with an objective to standardize the best economical growing media and tomato cultivars in Punjab. The experiment was conducted with 6 promising tomato cultivars (viz., Heemshikhar, 2853, NS-4266, Punjab Gaurav, Punjab Sartaj, Punjab Swarna) under poly-house structure. Six different media substrate treatments [Soil as control, Cocopeat only, Cocopeat+ Vermicompost in ratio {(2:1, v/v) & (3:1, v/v)}, Cocopeat + Vermiculite + Perlite in ratio (3:1:1, v/v) and (6:1:1, v/v)] were used. The soil is the most economical growing media for growing all the cultivars, but in the case of problematic soils (saline soils/soil borne insect-pest problems), the soilless substrate can be a better option for commercial cultivation of tomato. The maximum B:C ratio (0.80) was recorded in cultivar (P3) which was statistically significant than check cultivar (P1). The maximum B:C ratio (0.93) was recorded under Soil only (M1), followed by (0.74) under media combination (M3) cocopeat + vermicompost (2:1, v/v) which was statistically significant than all other treatments. The economic yield of NS-4266 was (608 q/acre) higher in the soilless growing media (M3) with the combination of Cocopeat + Vermicompost (2:1, v/v) for tomato cultivation in Punjab, whereas the soilless growing media Cocopeat + Vermiculite + Perlite in the ratio (6:1:1, v/v) can be exploited for further research experiments.

A Fuzzy-Delphi Approach for the Prioritization of Traffic Impact Mitigation Measures under Heavy Rainfall Conditions

This study focuses on the analysis of place attachment related to the elements of territorial identity in Oraviţa, a small town in the Mountainous Banat. Oraviţa played a highly significant role from an economic and administrative point of view during the Austrian domination: it was the urban centre that coordinated the mining activity on the territory of Mountainous Banat. This study aims to assess the place attachment to several symbolic buildings in Oraviţa that have been identified as elements of territorial identity. In order to fulfil the purpose of this study, the following research questions were established: What are the main elements of territorial identity in Oraviţa represented in postcards over time? Which of the identified elements of territorial identity are currently being promoted and valued by the local public administration? What are the elements of territorial identity of Oraviţa to which the population is attached? From a methodological point of view, the authors used postcards to identify the elements of territorial identity. Subsequently, the place attachment to the representative historical buildings of Oraviţa was interpreted based on the analysis of the information posted on sites developed by members of the local community. In conclusion, the authors highlighted the particular characteristics of the urban fabric of Oraviţa and their various ways of use, elements through which the physical and social attachment of the local population were preserved.

Identifying and predicting karst water inrush in a deep tunnel, South China

Identifying the source of tunnel inrush is essential for its prediction and mitigation. In this work, hydrological, hydrochemical, and isotopic methods were used to identify the source of water inrush into the deep Xiakou tunnel of south China. In addition, a rainfall-runoff model was calibrated to predict its anticipated runoff volume and temporal characteristics. These methods reveal that water inrush in the northern tunnel originates in the Permian-Triassic karst aquifer to the north, and that a groundwater divide exists between two major springs (Xianglong Spring and Xiakou Spring). The southern tunnel also discharges karst water during heavy rainfall conditions, but mainly drains Jurassic fissure water in the dry season. The peak flows, peak times, and recession processes of five inrush events were effectively simulated with our calibrated, rainfall-runoff model. A catchment area of 16.3 km2 was delineated based on the water inrush point identified by optimal model parameters. The catchment analysis shows that about 53% of rainfall recharges into the water inrush point. These methods presented in this study facilitate the estimation of recharge areas in mountainous karst areas and provide a basis for the design of hydraulic structures for the control and mitigation of tunnel inrush.