The study of the damage effects resulting from the explosions of cylindrical charges holds significant importance in both military and civilian fields. In contrast to spherical charges, the explosive characteristics of the cylindrical charge exhibited spatial irregularities. To comprehensively quantify the influences of borehole diameter and buried depth on the damage effects, including the crater size and stress wave, experimental and numerical investigations on explosions induced by cylindrical charge are carried out in this paper. Firstly, a set of tests is conducted to provide fundamental data. Then, based on the meshfree method of Smoothed Particle Galerkin (SPG) and the K&C model, the variations in crater dimensions and the peak stress are fully simulated with a range of borehole diameters and buried depths. Finally, the influence of borehole and buried depth on the coupling factor is discussed. Both the buried depth and the borehole diameter impact the utilization of blast energy enormously. Furthermore, materials with distinct impedance values exert an influence on the distribution of the stress wave. Following the dimensional analysis, several empirical formulae expressing the crater size and peak stress are established, all of which can predict explosion damage rapidly and accurately.

A comprehensive series of tests, including dynamic triaxial, monotonic triaxial and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, were carried out on reconstituted landfill waste material buried for over twenty years in a closed landfill site in Sydney, Australia. Waste materials collected from the landfill site were treated with varying percentages of cement, and both treated and untreated specimens were investigated to evaluate the influence of cement treatment. The study examined the dynamic properties of cement-treated landfill waste, including cumulative plastic deformation, resilient modulus, and damping ratio, and also analysed the impact of cyclic loading on post-cyclic shear strength in comparison to pre-cyclic shear strength. The UCS tests and monotonic triaxial tests demonstrated that untreated specimens subjected to monotonic loading exhibited a progressive increase in strength with rising axial strain, whereas cement-treated specimens reached a peak strength before experiencing a decline. During cyclic loading, with the inclusion of cement, a significant reduction in cumulative plastic deformation and damping ratio was observed, and this reduction was further enhanced with increasing cement content. Conversely, the resilient modulus showed substantial improvement with the addition of cement, and this enhancement was further amplified with increasing cement content. The formation of cementation bonds between particles curtails particle movement within the landfill waste material matrix and prevents interparticle sliding during cyclic loading, leading to lower plastic strains and damping ratio while increasing resilient modulus. Post-cyclic monotonic testing revealed that cyclic loading caused the partial breakage of the cementation bonds, resulting in reduced shear strength. This reduction was higher on samples treated with lower cement content. Overall, the findings of the research offer crucial insights into the possibility of cement-treated landfill waste as a railway subgrade, laying the groundwork for informed design decisions in developing transport infrastructure over closed landfill sites while using landfill waste materials available on site.

Malan loess is widely distributed on the Chinese Loess Plateau and poses great challenges to geotechnical, ecological, and agricultural practices due to its unique structure and collapsibility. It is essential to understand the evolution of these properties with depth to assess soil stability and reduce engineering risks in the area. This study investigates the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of Malan loess with depth and employs multivariate statistical methods to explore their complex interrelationships. Oedometer-collapse tests reveal a 94.2 % reduction in collapsibility coefficient (delta s) from 0.0722 at 1 m to 0.0042 at 9 m, indicating a significant reduction in collapsibility with increasing depth. According to the results of the direct shear test, it showed that the shear strength initially decreases and then increases due to the combined effect of the water content and dry density. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images reveal the densification of the loess structure, with changes in particle contact from point to face contact and the evolution from macropores to mesopores and small pores as depth increases. Quantitative analysis by Avzio showed a decrease of 61.5 % in macropores area and an increase of 62.5 % in small pores area. The results obtained by Pearson's correlation analysis and random forest model showed that among these microstructural characteristics, the total pore area (%IncMSE = 22.77 %) is the most important factor influencing the collapsibility properties of loess and water content (%IncMSE = 17.72 %) acts a key role in controlling shear strength. Additionally, compared to traditional methods, the random forest model offers a more insightful understanding of nonlinear relationships and multifactorial coupling effects. These findings provide scientific guidance for geotechnical engineering in loess regions, aiding in risk mitigation and promoting sustainable construction.

Mastering the mechanical properties of frozen soil under complex stress states in cold regions and establishing accurate constitutive models to predict the nonlinear stress-strain relationship of the soil under multi-factor coupling are key to ensuring the stability and safety of engineering projects. In this study, true triaxial tests were conducted on roadbed peat soil in seasonally frozen regions under different temperatures, confining pressures, and b-values. Based on analysis of the deviatoric stress-major principal strain curve, the variation patterns of the intermediate principal stress, volumetric strain and minor principal strain deformation characteristics, and anisotropy of deformation, as well as verification of the failure point strength criterion, an intelligent constitutive model that describes the soil's stress-strain behavior was established using the Transformer network, integrated with prior information, and the robustness and generalization ability of the model were evaluated. The results indicate that the deviatoric stress is positively correlated with the confining pressure and the b-value, and it is negatively correlated with the freezing temperature. The variation in the intermediate principal stress exhibits a significant nonlinear growth characteristic. The soil exhibits expansion deformation in the direction of the minor principal stress, and the volumetric strain exhibits shear shrinkage. The anisotropy of the specimen induced by stress is negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with the bvalue. Three strength criteria were used to validate the failure point of the sample, and it was found that the spatially mobilized plane strength criterion is the most suitable for describing the failure behavior of frozen peat soil. A path-dependent physics-informed Transformer model that considers the physical constraints and stress paths was established. This model can effectively predict the stress-strain characteristics of soil under different working conditions. The prediction correlation of the model under the Markov chain Monte Carlo strategy was used as an evaluation metric for the original model's robustness, and the analysis results demonstrate that the improved model has good robustness. The validation dataset was input to the trained model, and it was found that the model still exhibits a good prediction accuracy, demonstrating its strong generalization ability. The research results provide a deeper understanding of the mechanical properties of frozen peat soil under true triaxial stress states, and the established intelligent constitutive model provides theoretical support for preventing engineering disasters and for early disaster warning.

The overconsolidation ratio (OCR) is a critical factor in determining the mechanical behaviour of overconsolidated clays. On the basis of the three requirements for the peak strength line, a continuous and smooth peak strength line is constructed from the perspective of the peak stress ratio, and then a new yield function for overconsolidated clays is developed. The developed yield function in the stress space is characterized by an elliptical curve. The evolution of the developed yield function in the stress space is captured by a new hardening parameter, which is constructed by integrating the proposed peak strength surface with the subloading surface concept. By combining the developed yield function with the non-orthogonal plastic flow rule, a non-orthogonal elastoplastic constitutive model of overconsolidated clays is established to consider the influence of the OCR on strength and deformation. The proposed model requires seven material parameters, all of which have a clear physical meaning and can be easily determined via conventional laboratory tests. Three typical stress paths are employed to demonstrate the essential features of the proposed model. The effectiveness of the proposed model is confirmed by comparing the experimental data with corresponding model predictions.

This study explores the perspectives and adaptive strategies of forest stakeholders across five regions of Europe, North to South-Finland, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, and Greece-regarding climate change challenges in forestry. 129 stakeholders were surveyed, including forest owners, professionals, environmental NGOs, government representatives, and recreationists, who pointed at soil quality, biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and timber production as the main concerns. Regional threats varied, with storms and pests prevailing in Finland, illegal logging in Lithuania, Romania and Serbia, and fires and unsustainable grazing in Greece. Proposed solutions emphasise active forest management, stakeholder engagement and policy reforms. While Finland and Serbia are optimistic about future forest resilience, Lithuania and Romania are neutral. Greece shows mixed reactions, mainly due to concerns about the political will to implement effective forest policy. The study highlights nuanced regional responses to climate-related forest challenges and the need for region-specific approaches to forest management and policy, with broader implications for environmental governance strategies.

Dollar spot, caused by Clarireedia jacksonii, is a chronic fungal disease of creeping bentgrass in cool, humid environments in the United States. In closely mown golf playing surfaces, symptoms include small, circular, sunken spots of blighted turf that eventually coalesce if left untreated. This report evaluates the efficacy of preventative fungicide programs to suppress dollar spot in golf greens. Programs contained broad spectrum fungicides mixed with Appear II, a systemic potassium phosphite fungicide that is formulated with a green pigment. A study was conducted on an 'L-93' plus 'Providence' creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) push-up constructed nursery green originally seeded in 2000 at the North Shore Country Club in Glenview, IL. Results indicated fungicide programs that contained Appear II can provide complete control of dollar spot and can also significantly reduce localized dry spot, an abiotic disorder of turfgrass caused by hydrophobic soils, which commonly occurs in sand-based putting greens.

Black truffle, Tuber melanosporum Vittad., production is increasing due to an improvement in cultivation management and to the demand for this highly appreciated fungus. However, this intensification of truffle cultivation has led to the appearance of problems related to pest incidence. Specifically, the truffle beetle, Leiodes cinnamomeus (Panzer, 1793) (Coleoptera: Leiodidae), causes significant losses in black truffle marketability. However, its biology is still poorly known, and no effective agro-ecological methods exist to mitigate its damage to the truffles. This study aimed at assessing the population dynamics of L. cinnamomeus over four seasons (2019-2023) in an orchard located in NE Spain and relating these dynamics to weather variables and damage to truffle fruit bodies. Moreover, we described the diversity of arthropods captured in the traps in search of potential natural enemies of this beetle. The maximum population peak was observed in November, except for a single season in which it occurred in December. Moreover, the sex ratio was balanced (0.54 on average), but it varied over the growing season and among years. Significant and positive relationships of the population density of truffle beetles with air temperature and relative humidity were observed. The number of beetles per trap and day was strongly linked to heat accumulation. Finally, the Carabid Percus (Pseudopercus) patruelis (L. Daufour, 1820) was identified as a natural enemy of L. cinnamomeus. These results could be used in the future for monitoring and predicting truffle beetle populations.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH)-sodium silicate-GGBS (ground granulated blast furnace slag) effectively stabilises sulfate-bearing soils by controlling swelling and enhancing strength. However, its dynamic behaviour under cyclic loading remains poorly understood. This study employed GGBS activated by sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide to stabilise sulfate-bearing soils. The dynamic mechanical properties, mineralogy, and microstructure were investigated. The results showed that the permanent strain (epsilon(p)) of sodium hydroxide-sodium silicate-GGBS-stabilised soil, with a ratio of sodium silicate to GGBS ranging from 1:9 to 3:7 after soaking (0.74%-1.3%), was lower than that of soil stabilised with cement after soaking (2.06%). The resilient modulus (E-d) and energy dissipation (W) of sodium hydroxide-sodium silicate-GGBS-stabilised soil did not change as the ratio of sodium silicate to GGBS increased. Compared to cement (E-d = 2.58 MPa, W = 19.96 kJ/m(3)), sulfate-bearing soil stabilised with sodium hydroxide-sodium silicate-GGBS exhibited better E-d (4.84 MPa) and lower W (15.93 kJ/m(3)) at a ratio of sodium silicate to GGBS of 2:8. Ettringite was absent in sodium hydroxide-sodium silicate-GGBS-stabilised soils but dominated pore spaces in cement-stabilised soil after soaking. Microscopic defects caused by soil swelling were observed through microscopic analysis, which had a significant negative impact on the dynamic mechanical properties of sulfate-bearing soils. This affected the application of sulfate-bearing soil in geotechnical engineering.

The shear strength of compacted bentonite is crucial for preventing tilting and damage of the waste canisters in deep geological repositories (DGRs). The shear strength evolution along the confined wetting path also needs to be investigated, given the long saturation time of the bentonite buffer. This study conducted direct shear tests on densely compacted Gaomiaozi bentonite after suction control under confined conditions to determine its peak shear strength and strength parameters. Furthermore, the shear strength evolution along the confined wetting path was modeled on the basis of the effective stress principle. The results show that, for a given dry density, the peak shear strength at a given vertical pressure and the strength parameters exhibit an overall decrease along the confined wetting path. Moreover, the peak shear strength of the specimen that underwent confined wetting was considerably lower than that of the as-compacted specimen with the same total suction, indicating that the suction value and microstructure codetermine the peak shear strength of compacted Gaomiaozi bentonite. For this reason, the peak shear strength in the as-compacted state and the dual-porosity water retention curves established along the confined wetting path were used to model the shear strength evolution along the confined wetting path. The substitution equation for the effective stress parameter chi was selected on the basis of the experimental evidence. Finally, the model parameters were calibrated from the shear strength evolution at a given vertical pressure, and they reasonably reproduced the shear strength evolution under other vertical pressures. These findings can be helpful for the design and safe operation of DGRs under extreme geological conditions.