Bimetal-organic frameworks (biMOFs) are emerging as promising porous materials for radioactive iodine capture. However, the rational construction of biMOFs with heterometallic secondary building units (SBUs) remains a significant synthetic challenge due to sensitivity to reaction parameters such as ligand concentration, ionic speciation, and solvent effects. Here, we have investigated these influences in detail and elucidated the formation mechanism of a novel copper-based biMOF (CuAlOC-58) constructed from Cu2+ ions and aluminum-oxo clusters (AlOCs) as the SBUs. The successful assembly relies on a synergistic coordination strategy, leveraging the "hard-hard" interaction between Al3+ and carboxylate oxygen and the 'borderline-borderline' interaction between Cu2+ and pyridine nitrogen. Moreover, we further validated the critical role of trace water molecules in the solvent system, which are essential for mediating the solvation of copper ions and enabling their structural integration. The incorporation of copper not only links the AlOC units to form special micropores but also exposes a greater number of active adsorption sites. Consequently, CuAlOC-58 exhibits superior iodine adsorption kinetics and a remarkable maximum adsorption capacity of 613.00 mg/g. This work provides deep insights into the controlled synthesis of complex heterometallic MOFs and their iodine capture applications.

Accurate individual-tree segmentation in rubber tree plantations is essential for resource inventory and agro-forestry management, but it remains difficult in densely planted stands because adjacent crowns often overlap, point density varies markedly along the vertical canopy structure, and tree morphology differs across growth stages. To address these challenges, we introduce MDA-SegNet, a multimodal point-cloud instance segmentation framework designed for densely planted rubber plantations. The Multimodal Deformable Encoding (MDE) module integrates top-view orthophoto cues with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) geometry, providing complementary crown-boundary information for more consistent separation of adjacent trees. The Z-Order Selective Mamba (ZOS-Mamba) module converts three-dimensional spatial structures into locality-preserving sequences and models long-range vertical dependencies under uneven point-density distributions. The Adaptive Lemming Optimization Clustering (ALOC) module further refines instance separation by adapting to canopy overlap and morphological heterogeneity. Experiments were conducted on our self-constructed rubber tree dataset (RT-Set) and five public forest datasets. Compared with current state-of-the-art models, MDA-SegNet achieved higher F-score and mean Intersection over Union (mIoU), showing stronger robustness and cross-domain generalizability. On RT-Set, it obtained an F-score of 87.32% and a Recall of 82.90%, with improvements of 6.86 and 7.24 percentage points, respectively. These results indicate that MDA-SegNet can provide reliable individual-tree segmentation for dense rubber plantations.

Climate change is exacerbating wildfires, resulting in an increased influx of pyrogenic dissolved organic matter (pyDOM) into aquatic systems. The distinctive molecular signature of pyDOM, which is markedly different from that of conventional humic substances, is hypothesized to have an impact on its environmental fate, especially during coagulation that is a crucial process for carbon sedimentation and water purification. Nevertheless, the specific removal mechanisms and the resulting floc architectures remain unclear. Through a comparative investigation of pyDOM from subtropical burnt soils and standard humic acid (HA) during aluminum sulfate coagulation, we have discovered a selective coagulation mechanism governed by pyDOM's molecular properties. pyDOM with condensed aromatics and oxygenated aliphatics is removed via synergistic π-π stacking and Al coordination. This stands in stark contrast to the charge neutralization dominated pathway observed for HA. The pyDOM-specific pathway gives rise to larger, denser flocs with a wider size distribution. At the molecular level, aggregation initiates with the condensation of aromatic cores, and oxygen and heteroatom functional groups form stable Al-O-C complexes, acting as chemical cross-links that strengthen floc integrity. This research identifies a previously neglected coagulation paradigm unique to pyDOM, which differs fundamentally from the traditional HA-centric framework, thus enhancing our mechanistic understanding of pyDOM-driven particle assembly and carbon export. These findings are essential for precisely predicting carbon stability in fire-affected watersheds and for devising effective water treatment strategies in wildfire-prone regions.

Maximize the exposure of Ti active sites in titanium-oxo clusters (TOCs) has been considered as the key to highly efficient photocatalytic CO2 reduction. However, the fast aggregation rate of Ti[4+] greatly limits its realization. Herein, we reported a universal strategy to precisely immobilize and disperse Ti via aluminum oxo clusters (AlOCs) supports. Leveraging the coordination-delay effects of alcohol solvents to modulate the differentiated aggregation kinetics of Ti[4+] and Al[3+], we successfully induced the priority assembly of Al[3+] into AlOC supports, and further immobilized Ti on it in a terminal-exposed mode. Based on this strategy, we successfully synthesized a structural well-defined Ti4Al6 cluster, which featured a natural θ-Al2O3-like support. This support platform can be readily modified for functionalization (such as incorporation of ferrocene) or realizing single Ti dispersity. The optimal catalyst, Ti2Al4-Fc (featuring a γ-Al2O3-like support, Fc = ferrocenecarboxylate) realized a high Ti turnover frequency of 2.4 h[-1] in visible-light-driven CO2 photoreduction, significantly higher than many reported Ti-based photocatalysts. This work provides a new paradigm for designing metal-oxo cluster-based photocatalysts with atomic dispersity and high atomic utilization.

Magnetic exchange coupling is difficult to foster in polynuclear lanthanide (Ln) complexes and poorly understood. While coupling Ln ions through closed-shell ligands is inherently weak due to the contracted 4f orbitals, placing open-shell ligands instead has proven to promote orders of magnitude stronger coupling, giving rise to single-molecule magnets (SMMs) innate to real magnetic memory effect in the case of the anisotropic Ln ions. Notably, the impact of radical bridges with differing oxidation states on magnetic blocking remains unexplored due to lack of Ln SMMs with radicals in two distinct charge states. Herein, the first dilanthanide complexes (Ln = Gd, Dy) containing fluoflavine (flv) bridges, [(Cp*2Ln)2(μ-flvz)]X, (where X = [Al(OC{CF3}3)4]- (z = 1-•), 1-Ln; X = 0 (z = 2-), 2-Ln; X =[K(crypt-222)]+ (z = 3-•), 3-Ln) are reported. 1-Ln and 3-Ln, comprising the flv1-• and flv3-• radical bridges, were investigated via single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry, high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (HF-EPR) spectroscopy and broken-symmetry density functional theory (BS-DFT) calculations. 1-Dy and 3-Dy constitute the first SMMs innate to radicals in two differing oxidation states. 1-Dy exhibits a spin-reversal barrier Ueff of 28.36 cm-1 and open magnetic hysteresis loops below 3 K. By contrast, 3-Dy displays a much higher Ueff of 143(2) cm-1 and open hysteresis loops until 9.5 K, representing a record for dilanthanide SMMs containing an organic radical bridge. The boost in SMM properties in 3-Dy is attributed to spin-phonon coupling and improved frontier orbital structure. This study paves the way for advanced design strategies of polynuclear Ln SMMs.

Developing nonlinear optical (NLO) materials from earth-abundant elements is key to sustainable photonics. We report aluminum molecular rings (Al6) stabilized by catechol ligands-the smallest main-group molecular rings known. This versatile strategy enables precise structural control and systematic co-ligand tuning, establishing a robust platform for structure-property studies. Unlike conventional transparent aluminum-oxygen clusters (AlOCs), these catecholate Al6 systems exhibit a striking black color, ultranarrow band gaps, and exceptional third-order NLO responses, unveiling a new frontier for aluminum-based hybrid materials. For practical implementation, the Al6 rings were successfully incorporated into bulk silicate glass matrices via a sol-gel process while fully retaining their predefined NLO functionalities. The resulting composites exhibit strong nonlinear optical responses at both 532 nm and 1064 nm, indicating broad-band operational capability. Among these, AlOC-186, with the smallest dimension (1.8 nm), stands out by delivering the highest third-order NLO susceptibility Imχ[(3)] under picosecond excitation at both wavelengths. This work highlights the potential of cost-effective, lightweight elements as competitive alternatives to conventional heavy-metal-based optical limiters and establishes a new avenue for developing high-performance customizable NLO devices.

The aging of microplastics (MPs) depends on their surrounding environment and has significant implications for their environmental behavior and ecological risks. However, there are limited data on the long-term aging of MPs in different natural environments. The natural aging characteristics of polyethylene MPs (PE-MPs) and polylactic acid MPs (PLA-MPs) exposed to air, soil surface, and subsurface conditions for 6 and 12 months, respectively, were evaluated. The results showed that PE-MPs and PLA-MPs exhibited distinct aging characteristics under identical conditions. Photolysis represents the primary aging mechanism for PE-MPs, and prolonged solar radiation significantly reduces their stability (p < 0.05). Notably, soil minerals (e.g., Illite and quartz) formed armor-like coatings encapsulating PE-MP surfaces through chemical interfacial interactions (C-Si-O, Si-O-C, and Al-O-C)─a novel mechanism enhancing PE stability in soils. However, the stable interfacial adhesion between soil minerals and PLA-MPs is minimal. Microbial degradation as the primary aging mechanism renders PLA-MPs in soil more susceptible to aging compared to those in air, consequently exhibiting lower stability. This study highlights the mineral-mediated aging of MPs in soil and demonstrates how mineral coatings enhance the stability of PE-MPs. This underscores the necessity of incorporating mineral-mediated aging processes into MP risk assessments for soil ecosystems.

Lung disease due to non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is rising in incidence. Although both two-dimensional cell culture and animal models exist for NTM infections, a major knowledge gap is the early responses of human alveolar and innate immune cells to NTM within the human alveolar microenvironment. Here, we describe the development of a humanized, three-dimensional, alveolus lung-on-a-chip (ALoC) model of Mycobacterium fortuitum lung infection that incorporates only primary human cells, such as pulmonary vascular endothelial cells, in a vascular channel, and type I and II alveolar cells and monocyte-derived macrophages in an alveolar channel along an air-liquid interface. M. fortuitum introduced into the alveolar channel primarily infected macrophages, with rare bacteria inside alveolar cells. Bulk RNA sequencing of infected chips revealed marked upregulation of transcripts for cytokines, chemokines and secreted protease inhibitors (SERPINs). Our results demonstrate how a humanized ALoC system can identify critical early immune and epithelial responses to M. fortuitum infection. We envision potential application of the ALoC to other NTM and in studies of new antibiotics.

Appetite is a strong determinant of nutritional status. As cognitive impairment is usually linked to alterations in eating behaviour, people with dementia might experience changes in appetite with the loss of ability to express their needs, including dietary choices and preferences. The aim of the study was to develop an appetite loss screening tool for older adults, inclusive for those with mild to moderate cognitive impairment. The study questionnaire, consisting of 44 binary items related to appetite, was employed among 127 hospitalized older patients (55.9% women, mean age 79.4 ± 7.1 years) with and without cognitive impairment (31.5% categorized as suspected mild dementia, 26.0% as suspected moderate dementia). An exploratory factor analysis was performed to identify items that constitute the final scale, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.81. The final tool consists of seven questions, with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 80.6%, using the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire score as reference. Acceptability post-test was performed in 20 patients (70% women, mean age 79.6 ± 5.3 years) to test the clinical feasibility of the scale. The customized design of the scale, according to the recommendation for written materials for individuals with dementia, empowers older adults, supports diagnosis and encourages their proactivity in the treatment process. The scale was found to perform similarly in older persons with and without cognitive impairment, which renders it a versatile assessment tool.