Hypochlorite (ClO-) is a highly reactive chemical extensively used in households, public areas, and various industries due to its multiple functions of disinfection, bleaching, and sterilization. However, overuse of ClO- may contaminate the water, soil, air and food, leading to negative impacts on the environments, ecosystems and food safety. Meanwhile, excessive ClO- in human body can also cause severe damage to the immune system. Thus, the development of effective and precise detection tools for ClO- is of great significance to better understand its complicated roles in environments and biosystems. Herein, a new high-performance ratiometric fluorescent probe 2-amino-3-((10-propyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)methylene)-amino)maleonitrile (PD) was developed for effective detection of ClO- in various bio/environmental and food samples. Probe PD exhibits highly-specific ratiometric fluorescent response to ClO- with rapid response (< 1 min), excellent sensitivity (detection limit, 47.4 nM), wide applicable pH range (4 -12), and excellent versatility in practical applications. In practical applications, PD enables the sensitive and quantitative detection of ClO- levels in various water samples, bio-fluids, dairy products, fruits and vegetables with high-precision (recoveries, 97.00 -104.40 %), as well as the successful application for visual tracking ClO- in fresh fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, test strips containing PD offer a visual and convenient tool for quick identification of ClO- in aqueous media by the naked eye. Importantly, the good biocompatibility of PD enables its practical applications in real-time bioimaging of endogenous/exogenous ClO- levels in living cells, bacteria, onion cells, Arabidopsis, as well as zebrafish. This study provided an effective method for visual monitoring and bioimaging of ClO- levels in various environments, foods and living biosystems.

Using steel slag concrete (SSC) as a pile material not only promotes industrial waste recycling but also improves ground conditions through its distinct hydrological and chemical properties. This study investigated the hydrological processes of SSC piles under no-load conditions, offering new insights into pile-soil interactions. A novel visualization test device was developed to continuously monitor water migration, pore water pressure fluctuations, and soil disturbance over six months. Macro-scale observations and micro-scale analyses were conducted to elucidate physical and chemical reactions at the pile-soil interface. Compared to ordinary concrete piles, SSC piles demonstrated superior expansion and drainage capabilities, characterized by enhanced radial and vertical water flow, increased surface porosity, and the formation of a distinct interface layer enriched with calcium carbonate and cementitious hydration products. These improvements facilitate effective water distribution and drainage while reinforcing the pile-soil bond, thereby contributing to a more robust composite system for ground improvement. This integrated approach and its findings offer valuable contributions to the broader field of soil-pile interactions by detailing the multi-scale mechanisms governing the hydrological behavior and interface evolution of composite foundation systems.

Creep is recognised to be an important physical property of soils, exerting a profound influence on the stability of structures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the advancements and focal points in soil creep research, the relevant literature was accessed from the Web of Science Core Collection database, totalling 3907 papers (as of 25 March 2024). Statistical analyses on publication volume, keyword co-occurrence, and clustering were conducted using the visualization software VOSviewer (1.6.20). The current hotspots in soil creep research were identified, and a systematic review was undertaken on the influencing factors of soil creep and the corrective methods of creep models. The research findings indicate that the number of papers on creep research exhibits a trend of increase followed by a decrease over time. Developed countries, such as those in Europe and America, initiated research in this field earlier than developing countries like China. Currently, the research focus is primarily centred on creep models. Significant differences exist in the creep deformation of soils under different influencing factors, with soil microstructure, moisture content, and stress path being important factors affecting soil creep deformation. Creep deformation in unsaturated soils primarily considers the influence of matric suction, while indoor creep tests are mainly conducted based on vertical loading, which differs significantly from the stress conditions experienced by soils in engineering construction sites. Currently, adjustments to soil parameters are mainly made through single-factor adjustments involving stress, time, damage, and matric suction to determine creep models under specific influencing factors, and then to modify the models accordingly. However, research on the creep deformation mechanism and creep models under multiple factors is relatively limited. Future research directions are expected to focus on the microscopic scale of creep mechanisms and multi-factor creep models.

In this study, a visual medium-scale direct shear test is carried out on the sliding zone soil with different coarse particle strengths. The spatial information of the shear band is obtained by placing a vertical aluminum wire to observe its deformation after shearing, and the spatial surface equation of the shear band is established. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) technology is used to extract and compare the 2D shear band information at the visible surface with the boundary extrapolation value of the space surface equation obtained from the test, demonstrating that the spatial surface equation and PIV technology can describe the characteristics of shear band. Then, PIV technology is used to analyze the evolution rule of shear band under different total and specific displacements. Finally, the influence of prefabricated damage and coarse particle strength on shear band characteristics was analyzed. Results show that the thickness of shear band presents a distribution pattern of narrow ends and wide middle, and its shape can be fitted by Gaussian surface equation. The shear band undergoes four stages during its development: compaction, free damage, damage development, and penetration. Damage causes early development of shear bands at various stages. Furthermore, coarse particle strength exerts a greater effect on the deformation of local shear bands and a smaller effect on the overall shear band. These findings hold significant implications for elucidating the formation and evolution of landslide shear bands and designing a rational slope control plan,

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the newly developed shield test device (VMS) by Tongji University in Shanghai for determining the muck state inside EPB shield chambers in fine-grained soils. Muck blockage inside shield chambers frequently results in significant stratum deformation and excessive damage to these machines. The engineering community requires real-time and effective monitoring technology to assess the muck flow state inside EPB shield chambers. Three motion modes of the muck composed of fine-grained soil near the partition have been identified: flow around the central axis, overall static and local adhesion. These modes correspond to the three characteristics of shear plate torque near the shield partition: the periodic fluctuation, the three-stage change of 'rise-fall-stability', and a noticeable amplitude difference at the top and lower sides of the chamber. Finally, a preliminarily validated wireless signalling-type shear plate device that can be assembled on the field shield and an actual measurement method was further developed to determine the muck state inside the shield chamber in real-time.

The Gangjin Celadon Kiln, after its excavation in 1982, was relocated and restored in 1987 and subjected to primary conservation treatment in 2007. However, many problems such as soil disintegration and cavitation occurred in the kiln until recently. In this study, the shape changes due to the conservation treatment in 2020, which was performed to maintain the original shape of the kiln site, were recorded via three-dimensional (3D) scanning, and numerical analysis was conducted to ensure continuous monitoring and preventive conservation. From the results of this study, the locations and ranges of shape changes before and after the conservation treatment of the kiln site were identified through root-mean-square (RMS) deviation analysis and visualization, and the ranges of reinforcement and soil mulch removal were quantified through the deviations at different points. In particular, the most noticeable shape changes occurring from the conservation treatment on the kiln site with 11.2 m long and 16.7 degrees slope were around 15 mm, and many relative changes of 40 mm or more were also observed. In addition, a reinforcement of approximately 40 mm thickness at the least and a flattening were prominently evident on the floor of the working space; the inside of the combustion chamber was visualized with a reinforcement of at least about 50 mm. Damage caused by natural or artificial factors is expected because two extensive conservation treatments were applied in 2007 and 2020 to the kiln sites. Therefore, short-term monitoring using periodic 3D scanning and time-series data comparisons is necessary for the identification of the point of shape change and the determination of major damaged areas so that a mid- to long-term monitoring plan can be established based on the findings of such observations. In addition, predictive modeling research is mandated to detect areas in the entire kiln site that exhibit a greater probability of deterioration based on the available shape change data.

Rock-encased-backfill (RB) structures are common in underground mining, for example in the cut-andfill and stoping methods. To understand the effects of cyclic excavation and blasting activities on the damage of these RB structures, a series of triaxial stepwise-increasing-amplitude cyclic loading experiments was conducted with cylindrical RB specimens (rock on outside, backfill on inside) with different volume fractions of rock (VF 1/4 0.48, 0.61, 0.73, and 0.84), confining pressures (0, 6, 9, and 12 MPa), and cyclic loading rates (200, 300, 400, and 500 N/s). The damage evolution and meso-crack formation during the cyclic tests were analyzed with results from stress-strain hysteresis loops, acoustic emission events, and post-failure X-ray 3D fracture morphology. The results showed significant differences between cyclic and monotonic loadings of RB specimens, particularly with regard to the generation of shear microcracks, the development of stress memory and strain hardening, and the contact forces and associated friction that develops along the rock-backfill interface. One important finding is that as a function of the number of cycles, the elastic strain increases linearly and the dissipated energy increases exponentially. Also, compared with monotonic loading, the cyclic strain hardening characteristics are more sensitive to rising confining pressures during the initial compaction stage. Another finding is that compared with monotonic loading, more shear microcracks are generated during every reloading stage, but these microcracks tend to be dispersed and lessen the likelihood of large shear fracture formation. The transition from elastic to plastic behavior varies depending on the parameters of each test (confinement, volume fraction, and cyclic rate), and an interesting finding was that the transformation to plastic behavior is significantly lower under the conditions of 0.73 rock volume fraction, 400 N/s cyclic loading rate, and 9 MPa confinement. All the findings have important practical implications on the ability of backfill to support underground excavations. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

The characteristics and mechanism of the interaction between seabed foundations and seabed soil are crucial for comprehending the bearing capacity mechanism of seabed foundations. To observe the movement of foundations in seabed soil and the deformation mechanisms of seabed soil, transparent clay and transparent sand with similar mechanical properties to seabed soft clay and sand were prepared in this paper. A transparent soil-PIV model test system was developed to investigate the interaction between seabed foundations and seabed soil. The test system comprises an actuator, a charge-coupled device camera, a control system and two laser devices. The T-bar penetration test and the plate anchor keying test were conducted in transparent clay and transparent sand, respectively, using the developed model test system. The soil flow mechanism during T-bar penetration and the keying behavior of the plate anchor were observed. Results indicated that during the penetration of T-bar, a trapped cavity is formed above the T-bar. The trapped cavity hinders the soil flow and prevents it from entering the full-flow mechanism. The peak load is reached when the anchor rotates to an angle of 24 degrees from the horizontal plane during the keying process. The soil deformation is classified as a shallow failure mechanism, with the affected area extending from the anchor to the sand surface. This study provides a novel approach to investigate the interaction mechanism between seabed foundations and seabed soil.

Reliable subseasonal forecasts of high summer temperatures would be very valuable for society. Although state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction (NWP) models have become much better in representing the relevant sources of predictability like land and sea surface states, the subseasonal potential is not fully realized. Complexities arise because drivers depend on the state of other drivers and on interactions over multiple time scales. This study applies statistical modeling to ERA5 data, and explores how nine potential drivers, interacting on eight time scales, contribute to the subseasonal predictability of high summer temperatures in western and central Europe. Features and target temperatures are extracted with two variations of hierarchical clustering, and are fitted with a machine learning (ML) model based on random forests. Explainable AI methods show that the ML model agrees with physical understanding. Verification of the forecasts reveals that a large part of predictability comes from climate change, but that reliable and valuable subseasonal forecasts are possible in certain windows, like forecasting monthly warm anomalies with a lead time of 15 days. Contributions of each driver confirm that there is a transfer of predictability from the land and sea surface state to the atmosphere. The involved time scales depend on lead time and the forecast target. The explainable AI methods also reveal surprising driving features in sea surface temperature and 850 hPa temperature, and rank the contribution of snow cover above that of sea ice. Overall, this study demonstrates that complex statistical models, when made explainable, can complement research with NWP models, by diagnosing drivers that need further understanding and a correct numerical representation, for better future forecasts.