The soil strength of soft clay is influenced by strain rate effect. Models considering strain rate effect always ignore the impact of loading rate on pore pressure and have poor applicability to 3D engineering problems. Based on the classic inelastic core boundary surface model, a logarithmic rate function representing the strain rate effect of soft soil was introduced to the hardening law. A new parameter H was added to adjust the plastic modulus while another new parameter mu is introduced to account for the strain rate effect. A rate-effect boundary surface constitutive model suitable for saturated clay was subsequently proposed. Combined with the implicit integral numerical algorithm and stress-permeability coupling analysis, the innovative model was implemented in the finite element software and validated by comparing with the results of triaxial tests. By analysing the rate-effect of 11 types of soft soil, a formula to calculate the rate parameter was derived. The developed model was used to calculate the undrained vertical bearing capacity and sliding resistance of a movable subsea mudmat. The mudmat frictional coefficient from soil undrained to partial drained and finally undrained state was obtained and compared with those from the Modified Cam-Clay model. Identical results were obtained without considering the rate effect. When considering the strain rate effect on the improvement of soil strength, the friction resistance coefficient initially decreases and then increases with the decrease of the sliding speed, eventually stabilising after reaching the limit value. The rate-effect on the friction resistance coefficient is most prominent under undrained conditions with high sliding speeds. The soil strain rate effect is suggested to be considered in the design of the subsea mudmat avoid underestimating the friction resistance.

The current study discusses the preparation and characterization of green composite from coarse wool fabric and natural rubber (NR) latex. Natural rubber latex was coated on the coarse wool fabric by the hand lay-up method and vulcanized to form a flexible composite sheet. Standard techniques were used to determine the physicomechanical parameters, including areal density, thickness, solvent diffusion, and abrasion resistance. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the morphology of the fracture surfaces. The composite sample was further analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to determine changes in the chemical structure. The viscoelastic properties of the composite were investigated using a dynamic mechanical analyzer. The aging of the composite with respect to accelerated temperature, UV radiation, and soil burial was also investigated through standard methods. The developed coarse wool-rubber latex composite was found quite flexible, unlike conventional stiff fiber-reinforced composites. The scanning electron microscopy images depicted that rubber latex infiltrated the wool fabric matrix. The solvent diffusion studies showed slow penetration of water and toluene inside the composite due to a dense network of natural rubber inside the wool fabric. During the soil burial test, the composite lost 13% of its weight. A clutch bag and a shoulder bag were developed using the prepared composite. The newly developed coarse wool-NR latex composite has potential uses in technical textiles, conveyor belts, and fashion accessories.Highlights Natural rubber (NR) latex was coated on the coarse wool fabric and vulcanized. The wool-NR latex composite showed excellent physico-mechanical properties. The thermal and UV aging properties were also found to be good. The developed composite is flexible, derived purely from natural sources, and inexpensive. The wool-NR latex composite could find potential applications in fashion accessories.

Amylase has numerous applications in the processing food sector, including brewing, animal feed, baking, fruit juice manufacturing, starch syrups, and starch liquefaction. Practical applications have been the primary focus of recent research on novel properties of bacterial alpha-amylases. Many amylolytic-active bacterial isolates were obtained from samples of organic-rich, salinity-rich soil. Morphological and 16S rRNA gene sequence studies clearly revealed that the organism belongs to Bacillus sp. and was named Bacillus cereus strain GL2 (PP463909.1 (When pH 6.0, 45 degrees C, and 12 hours of incubation were met the optimal growth conditions for the strain produced the highest amount of alpha-amylase activity. B. cereus strain GL2 alpha-amylase isoenzyme was purified to homogeneity using Sephacryl (TM) S-200 chromatography and ammonium sulfate precipitation. The electrophoretic molecular weight of B. cereus alpha-amylase was 58 kDa. The optimal pH and temperature for measuring alpha-amylase activity were 50 degrees C and 6.0, respectively. alpha-Amylase did not change at 50 degrees C. The purified enzyme improves bread texture by reducing stiffness while improving cohesiveness and flexibility. Purified alpha-amylase was added to the flour, which improved the rheological properties and overall bread quality. As a result, the alpha-amylase from B. cereus strain GL2 can be used to promote bread-making.

There is a need to develop environmentally friendly materials, especially plastics, that minimize environmental pollution. In this sense, polypropylene (PP) composites were produced with 20 wt% of Macaiba almond powder (MA*) and compatibilized with SEBS-MA and EPDM-MA to carry out a biodegradation investigation of these composites. Mechanical properties (impact, tensile), heat deflection temperature (HDT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR) experiments were performed. These analyses verified that the best plasticization was reached in the composites with 15% of SEBS-MA and EPDM-MA, indicating an interaction between phases. The impact strength and elongation at break of the PP/MA*/EPDM-MA and PP/MA*/SEBS-MA composites increased significantly, suggesting tough behavior. Biodegradation occurred in the soil for 120 days, and both PP/MA*/10EPDM-MA and PP/MA*/15EPDM-MA demonstrated a mass loss of about 4.68% and 4.0%, respectively. Although PP is not biodegradable, the results show that macaiba almond powder can biodegrade in the PP matrix.

近40年的卫星观测结果表明,南极冰盖（AIS）处于持续的物质流失状态,并对全球海平面（GSL）上升产生了相应贡献.本文改进了现有的南极冰盖接地线冰通量及物质平衡评估算法,并基于最新发布的BedMachine冰厚数据、PEL冰厚数据、ITS＿LIVE年度流速图等高质量遥感数据产品,以及RACMO 2.3模型的表面物质平衡模拟数据,对2013～2018年南极冰盖的物质平衡状况进行了逐年评估.在高精度冰厚数据的支持下,本文提出的方法能够将冰通量评估结果的不确定性降低10%.结果表明, 2013～2018年, AIS的总物质流失约为1069Gt、平均变化率为（–178.2±108.9）Gt a–1,其中主要贡献来自加剧的西南极（WA）物质流失,加速度为（6.9±6.5）Gt a–2.此外,东南极毛德皇后地的表面物质平衡较高,物质累积速度为（56.0±10.0）Gt a–1.结合已有研究中输入-输出法的评估结果可知,WA及东南极威尔克斯地的持续物质流失现象,与这一区域的冰川变薄及冰架底部融化加剧有关.此外,与1979～2017年长...