Conducting numerical modal validations of operational bridges are vital for their structural health monitoring (SHM). This type of validation fully depends on the accurate assessment of the dynamic characteristics of bridges. Accordingly, the arrangement and placement of sensors to measure vibration data also play a crucial role in ensuring the effective capturing of both global and localised dynamic behaviours. Hence, a proper sensor layout is required to accurately identify the bridge behaviour. This study investigates the effectiveness of different sensor configurations in identifying modal parameters of a case study bridge, located in New South Wales, Australia using three sensor layouts: full-width coverage and two partial-width configurations, each covering one side of the bridge. The performance of these configurations was evaluated through field testing and numerical validation. The results showed up to 97% similarity for the first mode shape under partial-width layouts. The partial-width configurations demonstrated high accuracy in capturing both global and localized modal responses and were effective in monitoring localized stress variations as they are aligned with traffic flow zones. However, the full-width layout is preferable for global structural assessments and showed limitations in detecting higher-order modes. This study underscores the critical importance of sensor placement in achieving accurate modal analysis and robust numerical validation while also highlighting the comparative advantage of integrating dynamic response metrics into sensor placement strategies.

Conversion from native temperate deciduous Nothofagus spp. forests to exotic Pinus spp. plantations in South-Central Chile, can substantially alter soil carbon (C) and nutrient cycling. We assessed the biogeochemical shifts resulting from this forest conversion by monitoring carbon and nutrient dynamics at 10 paired adult native forest and plantation sites across contrasting soil types (5 sites), including litterfall, LAI, fine root biomass, and soil CO₂ efflux, over a period of three years. In addition, we quantified aboveground tree biomass and total C, N, and P stocks in trees and soils. C inputs were significantly higher in native systems than in plantations (5.17 ± 1.19 vs. 3.19 ± 0.99 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively). Native forests also exhibited higher total C losses through soil CO₂ efflux (-3.19 ± 1.68 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) than pine plantations (-2.54 ± 1.52 Mg C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹), yet maintained a more favorable balance between inputs and losses, largely due to differences in the dominant C input pathways. Native forests showed greater fine-root production and deeper, denser rooting systems, whereas plantations were characterized by higher litterfall and faster decomposition rates, potentially accelerating carbon mineralization. Across soil types, native forests exhibited significantly higher aboveground biomass than adjacent plantations. Although aboveground carbon stocks tended to be higher in native forests, these differences were not statistically significant when all soil types were considered together. Nevertheless, native forests consistently allocated a greater proportion of carbon belowground, whereas plantations concentrated carbon inputs in aboveground compartments. Native forests also maintained larger soil and aboveground biomass N and P stocks than plantations. Responses varied systematically among soil types, with residual crystalline soils and older volcanic deposits showing higher carbon losses relative to inputs than younger volcanic ash-derived soils. Overall, our results demonstrate that soil parent material modulates post-conversion carbon fluxes and the distribution of ecosystem C, N, and P stocks, highlighting the importance of soil–vegetation interactions when evaluating carbon benefits and long-term sustainability of forest management strategies. • Plantations showed faster litter decomposition and carbon turnover than natural forests. • Fine-root production was consistently higher in native forests. • Soil parent material constrained the balance between carbon inputs and losses. • Soil type modulated post-conversion carbon fluxes and nutrient stocks.

As one of the fastest growing industries tourism is in increasing need for well educated and skillful employees on both operational and managerial level. Institutions of higher education are requested by tourism industry to produce quality human resources able to respond immediately to their needs and to be involved in working processes as fast as possible with low or without any additional costs for future employees' initial job training. With inclusion of training and internship programs into, primarily vocational, but also, into bachelor studies students will be trained for their future jobs through real business situations and environment. This paper focuses on students' perceptions of internship and training programs as part of their formal education. Through analysis of the survey distributed among students of the College of Tourism it will be shown how students perceive the internship programs and importance of these programs for their future employment. Also, it will be shown the level of their satisfaction with tourism companies where they are performing internship programs and the level of their satisfaction with activities of the College of Tourism in communications during the internship, program management and implementation of the internship programs.

In transient multiphase seepage, soil water retention behaviour deviates from equilibrium, leading to dynamic nonequilibrium effects in which suction and water content change asynchronously. This yields flow-rate-dependent soil water retention curves that critically affect predictions of fluid and solute transport in vadose zone and undermine the safety assessment of unsaturated soil slope stability. This brief review synthesises advances and challenges in understanding this behaviour through examining microscale multiphase physical mechanisms and macroscale influences of soil type and hydraulic history. Key experimental techniques, from instrumented soil columns to advanced electromagnetic and imaging methods, are evaluated alongside their limitations. There is also an analysis of continuum- and pore-scale numerical models, including those incorporating dynamic capillary coefficients, pore network models, and multiphase computational fluid dynamics. Despite progress, major challenges persist, including the empirical nature and scale-dependence of model parameters, path-dependent hysteresis, and the lack of a unified theoretical framework that couples dynamic capillarity with soil deformation. Future interdisciplinary efforts integrating advanced experimentation, multiscale numerical modelling, and multiphase physics-based constitutive theories are essential to develop predictive tools for more accurate vadose-zone hydrology and related engineering applications. Document Type: Invited review Cited as: Yan, G., Liu, B., Bore, T., Torres, S. A. G., Li, L., Scheuermann, A. Advances in dynamic soil water retention behaviour and implications for vadose zone hydrology. Capillarity, 2026, 19(1): 26-38. https://doi.org/10.46690/capi.2026.04.03

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) using passive state preparation (PSP) offers low-cost, high-rate secure communication. However, the existing PSP-CVQKD scheme with a transmitted local oscillator has high photon leakage noise and poor stability, making it unsuitable for high-loss transmission. In this work, for the first time, we propose and implement a local local oscillator (LLO) CVQKD system using a self-referenced (SR) PSP scheme, and give a theoretical proof of the equivalence of the PSP and GMCS protocol using temporal-mode theory. By employing the novel self-referenced pilot scheme to achieve high-precision time-varying frequency and phase compensation algorithms, we significantly improve the system' s signal-to-noise ratio and stability. The system achieves a record-high asymptotic secret key rate of 10.34 Mbps over a free-space channel with up to 23.5 dB loss, while maintaining low excess noise and robust performance under turbulent conditions. This work establishes the feasibility of SR-LLO CVQKD, providing a practical pathway toward secure, high-rate quantum communication in realistic environments.

Hydroacoustic remote sensing represents a non-invasive, repeatable approach to monitoring benthic communities, supporting sustainable management, conservation efforts, and the detection of environmental change. Mussel clusters on a sandy seafloor in the Oder Bank area (10 to 15 m water depth, southwestern Baltic Sea) were detected in high-frequency backscatter data recorded with a Norbit STX multibeam echosounder in 2019. The blue mussel ( Mytilus edulis ) complexes appear as narrow bands in backscatter mosaics, showing average backscatter intensity increases between 0.2 and 1.0 dB, with localized peaks of up to 2 dB compared to the surrounding sand. Mussel coverage, verified by underwater video sledge observations, reaches up to 50% in isolated patches but typically remains below 15%. The acoustic response of the mussel clusters shows a weak to moderate yet significant correlation with mussel cover, independent of frequency (tested at 200, 400, and 700 kHz). This response is observed at incidence angles greater than 40°. A persistent shell hash layer found at 8 cm depth in sediment cores was not detected acoustically at any frequency. Comparison with data from 2024 suggests that these mussel clusters are ephemeral. Due to the shallowness of the Oder Bank they are influenced by natural processes such as wind and current-driven circulation. This causes the Mytilus bands to roll back and forth on the sand, but can also lead to the dissolution and dispersal of the clusters. The mussel complexes cannot be reliably captured using point-based sampling and short video transects. • Mytilus edulis clusters on sand are detectable in multibeam backscatter data. • Change in mussel abundance explains changes in backscatter intensity. • The clusters are short-lived features and not detected in repeated surveys.

/ Une analyse de fiabilité des structures consiste à tenir compte des incertitudes en modélisant les chargements et les propriétés des matériaux d'un ouvrage par des variables aléatoires, lesquelles sont intégrées dans les calculs de stabilité afin d'évaluer l'incertitude associée aux résultats de ces calculs. La résistance au cisaillement des discontinuités rocheuses joue un rôle essentiel dans la stabilité des massifs rocheux, notamment dans le cas d'une analyse de stabilité au glissement des fondations rocheuses de barrages-poids. Cette communication propose une méthodologie d'analyse de la variabilité spatiale de la résistance au cisaillement le long des discontinuités des fondations rocheuses, permettant de prendre en compte les effets de réduction de variance. Cette démarche vise à évaluer la réduction de variance des paramètres mobilisés à grande échelle à l'aide de l'identification d'une tendance déterministe variant en profondeur et d'une corrélation spatiale déduite d'une analyse géostatistique. La méthodologie est illustrée sur le cas réel d'une fondation d'un barrage-poids en béton. Une analyse de fiabilité a été conduite pour ce cas d'étude afin d'illustrer l'intérêt de la prise en compte de la réduction de variance dans l'évaluation de la probabilité de défaillance.

The application of biochar or silicate rock powder as soil amendments combines carbon dioxide removal with soil improvement. However, their combined short-term effects on nutrient dynamics and microbial activity are poorly understood. Therefore, we combined wood biochar and basanite powder via co-application and via co-pyrolysis of biomass and basanite to rock-enhanced biochar in a nine-week semi-field-based lysimeter experiment with cabbage turnip ( Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes L.). We measured carbon (C), nitrogen (N), available phosphorous (P), mineral N, dissolved organic C (DOC), microbial biomass C (C mic ), soil pH, and electric conductivity (EC). We examined extracellular enzyme kinetics of ß-glucosidase (BG), chitinase (CH), leucine-aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (AP) related to C, N, and P cycles. From potential enzyme activity (V max ) of BG, LAP, and AP we calculated extracellular enzyme stoichiometry (EES), vector angle and length to assess nutrient limitations. In combined applications, the influence of biochar was dominant. The application of biochar-containing amendments (biochar, co-application, co-pyrolyzed rock-enhanced biochar) to our sandy topsoil significantly increased C, P, DOC, C mic , pH, and EC. Co-application even exceeded single biochar in increasing N, pH, and EC. Single biochar application resulted in the highest short-term P availability, while combined applications potentially result in a long-term P supply. While LAP’s V max increased following biochar-containing amendment application, V max of the other enzymes decreased. Although AP showed the highest V max , indicating a P limitation, the enzyme patterns and EES suggest an increased N demand and a shift from P-limited towards a more balanced microbial nutrient demand following biochar-containing amendment application. • Combined applications mainly driven by biochar, not by basanite • Biochar and combined applications increased P availability and relative N demand • Co-pyrolysis showed no advantage compared to co-application of biochar and basanite • No basanite weathering during 9-week planted lysimeter experiment visible in soil • Basanite application caused no negative effects, highlighting its CDR potential

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]RIVAGE

Deep-sea cages are highly susceptible to biofouling due to long-term seawater immersion, which promotes the attachment and growth of marine organisms on nets, significantly reducing fish survival. To address this issue, this study explores the use of low-pressure abrasive-water jets (LPAWJ) for cage fouling removal through numerical simulation. Based on a Box-Behnken response surface design, nozzle inlet pressure X1, nozzle outlet diameter X2, and target distance X3 were selected as optimization parameters. The peak jet impact force Z1, stable jet impact force Z2, peak abrasive-water jet velocity Z3, and peak abrasive particle velocity Z4 were chosen as evaluation indicators to characterize the jet’s instantaneous impact ability, sustained action ability, and dynamic particle behavior. Using the entropy method, weights for each indicator were determined, and the jet’s overall removal capability was calculated. A regression model was developed by integrating numerical simulation with the response surface methodology (RSM), and the optimal parameter combination was identified as X1 = 4.5 MPa, X2 = 10 mm, and X3 = 205.396 mm. Compared with the poorest experimental condition (Condition 1), the jet’s overall removal capability obtained under the optimal parameter combination increases by 101.35%. Experimental validation further confirms that the optimized parameters yield the best oyster-removal performance of the low-pressure abrasive jet, with the average removal rate improving by 100.55% relative to Condition 1. The methodology and results of this study provide a theoretical foundation and technical reference for the design and optimization of automated net-cleaning systems or net-cleaning robots equipped with low-pressure abrasive jets. By integrating the proposed model and operating parameters, future robotic systems will be able to predict and dynamically adjust jet conditions according to fouling characteristics, thereby improving the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of maintenance operations in marine aquaculture.