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Invasive alien species (IAS) significantly impact biodiversity, human health, and economies, and considerable resources are often used to manage their spread. Few studies have focused on the human perception of IAS management, and little is known about approaches to improve stakeholder perception. This study examined perception gaps between managers and non-managers of a notorious weed Mikania micrantha and the preference for educational approaches to bridge those gaps. Household questionnaires and key informant interviews were conducted in the China-Myanmar Border Region (China), and ordinal logistic regressions and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used in statistical analyses. We found a high level of perception of M. micrantha among stakeholders, and a significant influence of socio-demographic factors including gender, educational level, ethnic group, and geographical location. Scores of the identification, damage, control measure, and manual treatment of M. micrantha were significantly higher for managers than those for non-managers, indicating that there were certain perception gaps between two stakeholder groups. Nine educational approaches were identified as being effective in improving stakeholder perception of IAS, of which training workshops were mostly preferred, followed by brochures (or leaflets) and other promotional materials. Additionally, we propose that well-designed and well-conducted educational approaches would benefit stakeholder perception of IAS, and that integration of IAS management into a comprehensive rural development scheme would improve its long-term performance in marginalized rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a 3D-printed transparent granular soil technique based on the contour rotation interpolation method, 3D printing and transparent soil technologies. Laboratory tests, including one-dimensional compression, direct shear and triaxial compression tests, are assessed for mechanical properties of 3D-printed transparent granular soil. The results show that 3D-printed transparent granular soil can be used to consider the effect of shape on macromechanical soil properties, which is an advantage that cannot be achieved by the previously presented transparent soil techniques. Subsequently, a simple model test of rigid flat plate penetration into transparent granular soil is performed. The obtained soil displacements using the PIV technique are compared with the classical shallow strain path method solution. This comparison indicates that the proposed 3D-printed transparent granular soil can capture the soil deformation pattern, although the accuracy needs to be further improved. The proposed 3D-printed transparent granular soil technique could be used for model test that needs to consider the shape of sand particle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research into the human dimensions of invasive alien species (IAS) management has received great attention to date. However, little is known about how public education influences stakeholders knowledge and management of IAS. Using key informant interviews and household questionnaires, we explored the role of public education in farmers knowledge and management of invasive Mikania micrantha in the China-Myanmar Border Region (China). We found ten common educational approaches that farmers were familiar with and/or adopted, and a high level of knowledge and management among farmers. We also found that public educational approaches helped to improve farmers knowledge and management, with some differences due to socio-demographic factors. We conclude that promotional materials and training workshops work better than personal experience, and that training workshops perform best. These results suggest that improving the design and implementation of public education could contribute to effective communication among stakeholders and long-term management of IAS. Our findings provide important insights for adopting public education programs in IAS management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the issue of laterally loaded X-section cast-in-place concrete (XCC) pile group in undrained soil and, in particular, evaluates limit lateral resistance (LLR) through finite element limit analysis. Four types of XCC pile groups that are commonly used in practice are selected for discussion here. Both the upper- and lower-bound numerical results for the LLR of the XCC pile groups are presented. The influence of loading direction, pile group shape, and XCC pile cross-sectional shape is evaluated with a series of parametric studies. Design equations are subsequently proposed for computing the LLR of four types of XCC pile groups in undrained soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the tribocorrosion of plasma-sprayed AlO coatings in simulated seawater was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique, complemented by scanning electron microscopy to observe the morphology of the tribocorrosion attack. Base on EIS of plasma-sprayed AlO coatings undergoing long-time immersion in simulated seawater, the corrosion process of AlO coatings can be divided into the earlier stage of immersion (up to 20 h) and the later stage (beyond 20 h). Then, the wear tests were carried out on the surface of AlO coating undergoing different times of immersion to investigate the influence of wear on corrosion at different stages. The coexistence of wear and corrosion condition had been created by a boron nitride grinding head rotating on the surface of coatings corroded in simulated seawater. The measured EIS and the values of the fitting circuit elements showed that wear accelerated corrosion at the later stage, meanwhile, corrosion accelerated wear with the immersion time increasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]