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Soil contamination by heavy metals presents substantial ecological and geotechnical risks, thereby demanding sustainable remediation strategies. Conventional approaches, including chemical stabilization and microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP), are limited by high costs, ecological disturbances, and sensitivity to environmental stressors. A plant-derived urease-driven enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) system was evaluated for immobilizing cadmium (Cd 2 ⁺), lead (Pb 2 ⁺), and zinc (Zn 2 ⁺) in contaminated soils. Systematic screening revealed that jack bean and watermelon seed ureases are optimal catalysts for heavy metal sequestration, achieving efficiencies of 87.3% for Cd 2  ⁺ , 91.5% for Pb 2  ⁺ , and 76.4% for Zn 2  ⁺ . These high efficiencies are attributed to their catalytic specificity and the retained enzymatic activity under environmental stress. Critical process parameters were fine-tuned through iterative experimentation, maintaining a urea-CaCl₂ reaction stoichiometry of 1.5:1 molar ratio and calibrating the enzyme dosage to 1.2 U/g of soil matrix. This optimized operational range effectively promoted carbonate mineralization while preserving essential soil hydraulic properties, as evidenced by sustained permeability exceeding 10 ⁻ ⁵ cm/s throughout precipitation cycles. Durability assessments under simulated acid rain and freeze-thaw cycles demonstrated 82.5% retention of Cd 2 ⁺ and 92.7% retention of unconfined compressive strength, outperforming conventional lime and MICP treatments. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of stable crystalline phases. Field validation confirmed that the EICP protocol can be feasibly scaled to real-world sites with operational costs averaging $52 per cubic meter, representing a 61% reduction compared to microbial-based treatments. This plant-based EICP approach offers a scalable and cost-effective solution for ecological restoration and geotechnical stabilization in contaminated soils, demonstrating significant potential for sustainable environmental management.

This review highlights the latest developments in wearable electrochemical glucose sensors, focusing on their transition from invasive to non-invasive and minimally invasive designs. We discuss the underlying mechanisms, performance metrics, and practical challenges of these technologies, emphasizing their potential to revolutionize diabetes care. Additionally, we explore the motivation behind this review: to provide a comprehensive analysis of emerging sensing platforms, assess their clinical applicability, and identify key research gaps that need addressing to achieve reliable, long-term glucose monitoring. By evaluating electrochemical sensors based on tears, saliva, sweat, urine, and interstitial fluid, this work aims to guide future innovations toward more accessible, accurate, and user-friendly solutions for diabetic patients, ultimately improving their quality of life and disease management outcomes.

A bstract We develop analytical and numerical methods for the matrix thermofield in the large N limit. Through the double collective representation on the Schwinger-Keldysh contour, it provides thermodynamical properties and finite temperature correlation functions, for large N matrix quantum systems.

Combing macroscopic experimental method and mesoscopic numerical method, this study analyses the strain-softening behaviours of granite and sandstone. From the macroscopic perspective, the stress–strain curves of granite and sandstone under different confining pressures are studied by laboratory triaxial compression test. Variations of post-peak reduction modulus and critical plastic shear strain versus confining stress are obtained. Evolution of strength parameters at peak, residual and strain-softening stage are proposed. Then a method to develop the strain-softening model of hard and soft rocks is presented. From the mesoscopic perspective, based on the laboratory test results, the parameters of discrete element method PFC for the samples of the granite and sandstone are calibrated. Comparing the basically consistent results of laboratory experiment and numerical simulation, the feasibility of discrete element method is verified. Evolutions of mesoscopic crack propagation and mesoscopic particle displacement field in the complete failure process are analysed. Typical stresses of granite sample and sandstone sample in the failure stage are investigated. Above combined macroscopic experimental method and mesoscopic numerical method systematically analyse the characteristics of hard rock and soft rock in the strain-softening stage. Failure process and mechanical property of hard rock and soft rock are revealed at the macroscopic and mesoscopic levels. The initiation and propagation process of micro-cracks in rock are thoroughly investigated. The research results provide a scientific foundation for the analyse of strain-softening behaviour of hard rock and soft rock. The result shows that both the mesoscopic numerical method and macroscopic experimental method indicate that the failure pattern of sandstone is influenced by both confining pressure and axial stress, while granite is mainly affected by axial stress.

A bstract Various aspects of warped conformal field theories (WCFTs) are studied including entanglement entropy on excited states, the Rényi entropy after a local quench, and out-of-time-order four-point functions. Assuming a large central charge and dominance of the vacuum block in the conformal block expansion, (i) we calculate the single-interval entanglement entropy on an excited state, matching previous finite temperature results by changing the ensemble; and (ii) we show that WCFTs are maximally chaotic, a result that is compatible with the existence of black holes in the holographic duals. Finally, we relax the aforementioned assumptions and study the time evolution of the Rényi entropy after a local quench. We find that the change in the Rényi entropy is topological, vanishing at early and late times, and nonvanishing in between only for charged states in spectrally-flowed WCFTs.

A bstract We explore the question of finiteness of the entanglement entropy in gravitational theories whose emergent space is the target space of a holographic dual. In the well studied duality of two-dimensional non-critical string theory and c = 1 matrix model, this question has been studied earlier using fermionic many-body theory in the space of eigenvalues. The entanglement entropy of a subregion of the eigenvalue space, which is the target space entanglement in the matrix model, is finite, with the scale being provided by the local Fermi momentum. The Fermi momentum is, however, a position dependent string coupling, as is clear in the collective field theory formulation. This suggests that the finiteness is a non-perturbative effect. We provide evidence for this expectation by an explicit calculation in the collective field theory of matrix quantum mechanics with vanishing potential. The leading term in the cumulant expansion of the entanglement entropy is calculated using exact eigenstates and eigenvalues of the collective Hamiltonian, yielding a finite result, in precise agreement with the fermion answer. Treating the theory perturbatively, we show that each term in the perturbation expansion is UV divergent. However the series can be resummed, yielding the exact finite result. Our results indicate that the finiteness of the entanglement entropy for higher dimensional string theories is non-perturbative as well, with the scale provided by Newton’s constant.

The support system of “the top protection layer and remained pillar” left by gypsum mine easily loses its bearing capacity due to the water-weakening effect, contributing to the geological disasters. In this paper, uniaxial compression tests are carried out to estimate the evolution of mechanical properties with the change of immersion time for gypsum rock. The results show that the uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength decrease gradually with the increase of immersion time. After that, the energy evolution law of gypsum rock with different immersion time under one-dimensional loading is explored, proving that the input energy, elastic energy, and dissipative energy decrease totally with the immersion time. A damage constitutive model based on the energy dissipation is used to describe the damage characteristics of gypsum rock subjected to the water-weakening effect and uniaxial loading, and the model is verified to be in good agreement with the experiment results. The influence of water immersion on the failure of gypsum rock is discussed from the mesoscopic and macroscopic perspectives, which shows that the meso defects in the rock develop gradually; however, the macro failure has a transition process of “shear to split, and finally to the mix of shear and split”. It can be reached a conjecture by the analysis of experiment results and of previous studies that the water–rock weakening mechanism of gypsum rock may include the special hydrophilic effect of calcium sulfate dihydrate molecular structure, the micro-dynamic response caused by the change of pore water content, and the swelling effect of water-absorbing minerals. This paper has specific research and reference value to understand the damage evolution characteristics of rock under water–rock interaction.

The electrochemical urea oxidation reaction offers environmental benefits by enabling hydrogen generation and nitrogen recycling. However, catalyst instability caused by surface reconstruction remains a challenge. Here, we develop a heteronuclear vacancy-to-bond strategy that achieves both catalytic activation and structural preservation via atomic-level self-optimization. Using Fe-doped bimetallic frameworks, we construct a self-adaptive coordination microenvironment that dynamically generates controllable ligand vacancies while promoting metal dimerization, leading to shortened interatomic distances. The resulting ligand-vacancy-mediated stabilization delivers an low potential of 1.222 V @ 10 mA cm −2 (188 mV lower than IrO 2 ) with 87.7% Faradaic efficiency for nitrogen oxides. Spectroscopic analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that ligand-deficient structure reduces the C–N cleavage energy from 1.33 eV to 0.75 eV and shifts the rate-determining step from chemical C–N cleavage to potential-dependent *NO oxygenation, lowering the overall energy requirement. In industrial-scale electrolyzers, the catalyst sustains 1 A cm −2 for 100 h with negligible degradation, achieving 13% energy savings over conventional water splitting. This work investigates a dynamic vacancy-to-bond conversion mechanism, offering insights into the design of adaptive electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications. Electrochemical urea oxidation enables sustainable hydrogen production but suffers from some catalyst instability. Here the authors create ligand vacancies to induce metal dimerization, stabilizing the framework while achieving stable industrial-scale operation with low energy consumption.

Pile foundation is a commonly recognized form of foundation, and earthquakes are a common seismic damage phenomenon. Accidents resulting from reduction in pile bearing capacity due to earthquakes pose a great threat to people’s lives and safety. This article investigates the interaction between soil and piles under earthquake action. Utilizing the MIDAS GTS NX finite element software, the vertical bearing characteristics of piles under earthquake action are studied. Obtained acceleration of piles, pile settlement, pile axial force, pile top horizontal displacement, soil pore water pressure, and pore pressure ratio under different earthquake magnitudes. The research results indicate that as the depth increases, the acceleration at the pile top is significantly greater than that at the pile bottom, with an average increase of 20% in acceleration at three different earthquake magnitudes; Both the beginning of the pore pressure ratio growth and the ultimate reaching of its stable pore pressure ratio coincide with a rise in earthquake magnitude. Additionally, the axial force of the pile body also increases with the magnitude of the earthquake, and the maximum axial force of the pile body can increase by 40% at the same time. Simultaneously, the magnitude of the earthquake influences both the displacement of the pile body and the settling of the pile top. This article can provide reference for pile foundation design and engineering construction in liquefaction sites.

Coupling superior thermal insulation performance with high transparency for solar transmission and excellent processability in aerogels is a challenging yet promising subject. Here, we report a direct ink writing strategy to create transparent polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogels from gel inks with desired rheology, by merely using acid-base dual modulators to achieve “activation–retardation” of polycondensation reaction. The printed aerogels are pure PMSQ, have a transmittance of 97% in the visible-near infrared range, thermal conductivity (16.2 mW m −1 K −1 ) lower than that of still air, and low density (0.08 g cm −3 ). We demonstrate new possibilities of our 3D-printed transparent aerogels, such as device encapsulation for heat insulation and cylindrical cooling shields for lighting. Authors report a direct ink writing strategy to create transparent polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogels from gel inks with desired rheology, using acid-base dual modulators to achieve “activation–retardation” of polycondensation reaction.