The hazelnut weevil larvae (Curculio dieckmanni) is a major pest of nut weevils, spending part of its life cycle in the soil and causing significant damage to hazelnut crops. Moreover, its concealed feeding behavior complicates effective control with chemical insecticides. The entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae, which efficiently kills weevil larvae, offers a promising biological control agent. To investigate the molecular responses of hazelnut weevil larvae to nematode infection, we employed integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses following infection by S. carpocapsae. Our results revealed substantial alterations in gene expression, particularly the upregulation of immune-related transcripts such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and stress-responsive proteins like heat shock protein 70 (HSP70). Furthermore, significant metabolic reprogramming occurred, marked by the downregulation of carbohydrate metabolic pathways and activation of energy conservation mechanisms. Although we observed an overall correlation between mRNA and protein expression levels, notable discrepancies highlighted the critical roles of post-transcriptional and post-translational regulatory processes. Collectively, these findings advance our understanding of the molecular interaction between insect hosts and pathogenic nematodes and contribute valuable knowledge for enhancing the effectiveness of EPN-based pest management strategies.

Climate change is influencing traditionally stable factors such as meteorological characteristics and soil conditions, impacting the planning process of electrical energy grids, especially energy cables. Supported by real-life data from the metropolitan region of Hamburg, this study examines the sensitivity of electric energy cables to seasonal and climate related changes, aiming to address inevitable future climate impacts. Using the thermal impedance model by the International Electrotechnical Commission, combined with 32 years of local soil and weather data, permissible current levels were calculated for a specific cable configuration. Comparisons with static boundaries reveal that shifts in environmental conditions can undermine the planning process, affecting maximum current limits and casting doubt on the current method's validity. Analysis shows that seasonal transitions significantly alter soil parameters within each annual cycle, causing up to a 10 % variation in energy transfer potential, depending on soil, cable, and regional specifics. Static standards also overestimate ampacity by up to 12 % for the studied region and timeframe. Climate change leads to shifting soil and weather conditions, causing unused energy transfer capacities, overestimations, and potential structural damage. As climate effects intensify, both seasonal and historical shifts are expected to have greater impacts, highlighting the limitations of the current static planning model without additional monitoring systems. As limited transmission capacities increasingly demand costly congestion management and equipment redundancies diminish, the need to optimize current resources and plan for a changing future becomes even more critical.

The urgent global drive to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions has significantly boosted renewable energy production, notably expanding offshore wind energy across the globe. With the technological evolution enabling higher-capacity turbines on larger foundations, these installations are increasingly situated in earthquake-prone areas, underscoring the critical need to ensure their seismic resilience as they become a pivotal component of the global energy infrastructure. This study scrutinises the dynamic behaviour of a 15 MW offshore wind turbine (OWT) under concurrent earthquake, wind and wave loads, focusing on the performance of the ultra-high-strength cementitious grout that bonds the monopile to the transition piece. Employing LS DYNA for numerical simulations, we explored the seismic responses of four OWT designs with diverse transition piece cone angles, incorporating nonlinear soil springs to model soil-structure interactions (SSIs) and conducting a site response analysis (SRA) to account for local site effects on ground motion amplification. Our findings reveal that transition pieces with larger cone angles exhibit substantially enhanced stress distribution and resistance to grout damage, evidenced by decreased ovalisation in the coned sections of the transition piece and monopile, and improved bending flexibility. The observed disparities in damage across different cone angles highlight shortcomings in current design guidelines pertaining to the prediction of grout stresses in conical transition piece designs, with the current code-specified calculations predicting higher stresses for transition piece designs with larger cone angles. This study also highlights the code's limitations when accounting for grout damage induced by stress concentrations in the grouted connections under seismic dynamic loading conditions. The results of the study demonstrate the need for refinement of these guidelines to improve the seismic robustness of OWTs, thereby contributing to the resilience of renewable energy infrastructure against earthquake-induced disruptions.

More gentle washing methods are required in order to maintain the satisfactory appearance of delicate or luxury garments. In the current study, a new washing method with an up-down tapping action was introduced for delicate garments. The influence of tapping washing parameters used in the new washing method on the removal of five different types of IEC soiling from cotton fabrics was investigated. The cleaning performance of the tapping washing method mainly relies on the turbulent flow of the washing liquor and a gentle mechanical tapping action without a friction force being applied to fabrics during laundry. Tapping washing could maintain the good appearance of the fabrics without fibre damage and remove water-soluble soil but it had difficulty removing water-insoluble soil. However, the washing efficiency of water-insoluble soil could be improved by adjusting the levels of washing parameters. Further development and optimisation of the up-down tapping washing method could make a good balance between sufficient washing of soiled fabrics and the maintenance of fabric appearance without causing fibre damage.

This study provides prototypical evaluation of groundwater vulnerability to contamination and soil corrosivity in Lokoja region, central Nigeria. By combining the aquifer vulnerability index, integrated electrical conductivity, groundwater confinement overlying strata depth to water table (GOD), and electrical anisotropy coefficient (lambda) derived from lithological composition, resistivity, and layer thickness; the study identifies substantial vulnerabilities in the groundwater resources. Findings indicate that over 70% of the region is moderately to very highly vulnerable to groundwater pollution, especially in the eastern and southern parts, highlighting the need for tailored groundwater management strategies in highly vulnerable areas, covering 40% of the region. Corrosion potential varies spatially, with 80% of the upper layer being minimally corrosive and around 45% of the lower moisture-rich layer showing moderate to significant corrosiveness, emphasizing risks in central and northern zones associated with lithological compositions and moisture content. These accentuate the necessity of rigorous monitoring programs and strict land use regulations to protect aquifers and infrastructure. This research underscores the value of proactive management for safeguarding groundwater resources, providing an invaluable framework for decision-making and resource allocation to tackle contamination and corrosion risks. Importantly, the research addresses a significant research gap in a region with limited scientific exploration.

Prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) combined with vacuum and/or surcharge loading have been widely adopted to improve the strength of soft soils. Precise consolidation analysis is the theoretical basis for the design of preloading method with PVD. Current consolidation theories for layered soils with PVD seldom consider the influence of large strain, nonlinear creep, and self-weight loading simultaneously. This paper, thus, presents a finite strain elastic visco-plastic consolidation model, called RCS-EVP, for radial consolidation of layered soils with PVD. RCS-EVP is developed based on the piecewise-linear method. It takes into account nonlinear creep with limit creep strain, variable boundary conditions, anisotropy of soil hydraulic conductivity, and variable compressibility and hydraulic conductivity during the consolidation under self-weight, time-dependent surcharge and/or vacuum loading. The performance of RCS-EVP is evaluated by comparing with the results from finite element simulations and a laboratory physical model test. The variations of settlement and pore pressure of a soft soil ground improved by vacuum preloading with PVD are estimated using RCS-EVP. The results indicate that RCS-EVP provides good estimates of long-term consolidation of layered soils with PVD under both laboratory and in-situ conditions.