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With the continuous advancement of science and technology and the growing demand for energy, environmental protection and life safety, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have become an important material in today’s world. MOFs consist of metal ions or metal clusters coordinated with organic ligands with highly porous and tunable chemical properties, which provide a unique platform for environmental applications. Precise pore size screening and functional site design enable them to effectively adsorb, filter and catalyse the degradation of harmful pollutants. This ability to target specific pollutants makes MOFs an efficient tool for water purification, contributing significantly to the protection of our aquatic ecosystems.With high porosity and high specific surface area, MOFs can significantly improve the efficiency and stability of hydrogen storage, thereby addressing key challenges associated with the development of new energy industries. Such innovations are critical in the search for sustainable energy solutions and the transition to a greener future.MOFs can also be used to ensure the safety of life.MOFs are valuable in a variety of industrial environments due to their ability to trap, separate and degrade volatile organic compounds.

Herein, we propose a dual-responsive fluorescent nanoprobe to visualize the cross-talk between O2 and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in living cells. We hope it will be a helpful tool for the further understanding of cellular metabolism and further facilitating risk warning in the process of adaptation to consistent environmental pressures in premalignant lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To examine the association between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist–hip ratio (WHR) and cognitive disorder in older adults. Methods Cross-sectional data from the mini-mental state examination questionnaire and physical examination of older adults (≥65, n = 1037) were collected and analyzed. Logistic regression examined the odds ratios (ORs) of cognitive performance according to BMI, WC and WHR. Results The prevalence of cognitive dysfunction in older adults was 13.0%. The BMI-based overweight rate, obesity rate and central obesity rate calculated by either WC or WHR were 39.6, 11.4% and 66.5, 65.6%, respectively. The risk of cognitive impairment was increased in elderly individuals ≥70 years old than in those <70 years old (OR = 1.738). In addition, gender, WHR and smoking habit were also significantly different between the two age groups (P < 0.05). We examined the effects of different BMI values and WC/WHR central obesity on cognition impairment in ≥70-year-old adults and found that BMI obesity and WC/WHR central obesity had a combined effect on the incidence of cognition impairment (OR = 3.076 and OR = 3.584). Conclusions BMI obesity and WC/WHR central obesity have a combined effect on cognitive impairment and WHR has a stronger association with cognitive impairment than WC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The distribution pattern of cracks in rock masses, known as the geometric distribution, holds significant significance in understanding the progressive failure mechanism and stress concentration can lead to instability and even failure of the specimens. However, the macroscopic and microscopic mechanisms of crack coalescence and the failure of the sample are not yet clear. Thus, the discrete element method was used to investigate the influence of stress distribution on the fracture coalescence and failure of dual-crack specimens with different arrangements under uni-axial compression in this study. The obtained results were compared and analyzed with laboratory test results. The results show: When the double-crack specimens are under overlapping arrangement, the stress concentration area only appears at the end of the crack, which is conducive to crack propagation, resulting in no coalescence. However, if the two preexisting cracks were arranged in a co-planar or non-overlapping manner, the stress concentration of the sample would not only occur at the end of the cracks, but also between the cracks. As the stress increases, the cracks will gradually expand and connect, forming shear coalescence and mixed mode coalescence (shear and tensile) respectively. In addition, the arrangement of cracks greatly changes the influence of stress concentration on the failure mode of the specimen, leading to the possibility that the coalescence of the specimen may occur in three periods: before, during, and after the peak stress. The findings of this research hold immense importance in comprehending the mechanisms behind the coalescence and failure of rock fractures. Moreover, they provide valuable insights for the analysis and design of rock engineering projects, offering practical guidance for ensuring stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDuring seasonal rainfall periods, natural rocks typically undergo repeated wetting-drying cycles, which directly affects the micro-structure of the rock samples and consequently leads to the deterioration of their mechanical properties, especially in mudstone. Therefore, this paper investigated the degradation pattern of strength parameters and failure pattern of mudstone samples under wetting-drying cycles through a series of laboratory tests and quantitatively characterized the micro-structural changes in the samples. Additionally, numerical simulations were utilized to delve deeper into the degradation mechanism of the samples. The results indicate that with an increasing number of wetting-drying cycles, the degradation of peak strength and elastic modulus becomes more pronounced. Moreover, there is a continuous increase in micro-porosity within the samples, accompanied by changes in pore structure and morphology. According to the simulation results, the wetting-drying cycles change how the samples fail, transitioning from mixed tensile-shear failure to predominantly shear failure. This study not only deepens the theoretical understanding of the deterioration mechanisms in mudstone but also provides important guidance for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for room-temperature superconductors is a major challenge in modern physics. The discovery of copper-oxide superconductors in 1986 brought hope but also revealed complex mechanisms that are difficult to analyze and compute. In contrast, the traditional electron-phonon coupling (EPC) mechanism facilitated the practical realization of superconductivity in metallic hydrogen. Since 2015, the discovery of new hydrogen compounds has shown that EPC can enable room-temperature superconductivity under high pressures, driving extensive research. Advances in computational capabilities, especially exascale computing, now allow for the exploration of millions of materials. This paper reviews newly predicted superconducting systems in 2023-2024, focusing on hydrides, boron-carbon systems, and compounds with nitrogen, carbon, and pure metals. Although many computationally predicted high-Tc superconductors were not experimentally confirmed, some low-temperature superconductors were successfully synthesized. This paper provides a review of these developments and future research directions., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Lilium Pumilum with wide distribution is highly tolerant to salinity. The blue copper protein LpCPC ( Lilium pumilum Cucumber Peeling Cupredoxin ) gene was cloned from Lilium pumilum , which has the conserved regions of type I copper protein. Moreover, LpCPC has the closest relation to CPC from Actinidia chinensis using DNAMAN software and MEGA7 software. qRT-PCR indicated that LpCPC expression was higher in root and bulb of Lilium pumilum , and the expression of the LpCPC gene increased and reached the highest level at 12 h in bulbs under 20 mM NaHCO 3 . The transgenic yeast was more tolerant compared with the control under NaHCO 3 stress. Compared with the wild type, overexpressing plants indicated a relatively lower degree of wilting. In addition, the chlorophyll content, soluble phenol content, and lignin content of overexpressing lines were higher than that of wild-type, whereas the relative conductivity of overexpressing plants was significantly lower than that of wild-type plants. Expression of essential genes including NHX1 and SOS1 in salt stress response pathways are steadily higher in overexpression tobacco than that in wild-types. Transgenic lines had much higher levels of CCR1 and CAD , which are involved in lignin production, compared with wild-type lines. The yeast two-hybrid technique was applied to screen probable interacting proteins interacting with LpCPC. Eight proteins interacted with LpCPC were screened, and five of which were demonstrated to be associated with plant salinity resistance. Overall, the role of gene LpCPC is mediating molecule responses in increasing saline-alkali stress resistance, indicating that it is an essential gene to enhance salt tolerance in Lilium pumilum .

Herein, we propose a dual-responsive fluorescent nanoprobe to visualize the cross-talk between O2 and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in living cells. We hope it will be a helpful tool for the further understanding of cellular metabolism and further facilitating risk warning in the process of adaptation to consistent environmental pressures in premalignant lesions.