Assessing microclimatic influences in Colombo metropolitan area (CMA) amidst global climate change: a comprehensive study from 1980 to 2022.

Climate change has become an emerging topic, leading to widespread damage. However, when considering climate, attention is drawn to various scales, and urban microclimate has emerged as a trending subject due to its direct relevance to human living environments. Among the microclimatic factors, temperature and precipitation are utilized in order to identify trends.

Rare-earth oxide promoted Pd electrocatalyst for formic acid oxidation.

The development of Pd-based materials with high activity and long-term stability is crucial for their practical applications as an anode catalyst in direct formic acid fuel cells. Herein, we reveal that the catalytic activity of Pd towards formic acid oxidation can be enhanced by incorporation of a series of rare-earth oxides, including ScO, CeO, LaO, and PrO. For example, Pd nanoparticles incorporated with ScO supported on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (Pd-ScO/N-rGO-, = 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1, and 3/2; "" denotes the molar ratio of Pd : Sc) can be obtained using a sodium borohydride reduction method.

Fuzzy logic modelling of the pollution pattern of potentially toxic elements and naturally occurring radionuclide materials in quarry sites in Ogun State, Nigeria.

The accumulation pattern of some inorganic pollutants in quarry sites around Ogun State was modeled using a Fuzzy comprehensive assessment (FCA). Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and naturally occurring radionuclides materials (NORMs) were assessed from soil samples collected from ten quarry sites in three districts (Odeda, Ajebo, and Ijebu Ode) in Ogun State. Three (3) NORMs ( K, U, Th) were assessed using gamma spectrometer with a NaI detector while ten (10) PTEs (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined by digestion method using Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrophotometer.

Photochemical Evolution of Alanine in Association with the Martian Soil Analog Montmorillonite: Insights Derived from Experiments Conducted on the International Space Station.

The (PSS) experiment was part of the European Space Agency's mission and was conducted on the International Space Station from 2014 to 2016. The PSS experiment investigated the properties of montmorillonite clay as a protective shield against degradation of organic compounds that were exposed to elevated levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation in space. Additionally, we examined the potential for montmorillonite to catalyze UV-induced breakdown of the amino acid alanine and its potential to trap the resulting photochemical byproducts within its interlayers.

Contrasting habitat associations and ecophysiological adaptations drive interspecific growth differences among Himalayan high-mountain plants.

Background And Aims: Understanding interspecific differences in plant growth rates and their internal and external drivers is key to predicting species responses to ongoing environmental changes. Annual growth rates vary among plants based on their ecological preferences, growth forms, ecophysiological adaptations, and evolutionary history. However, the relative importance of these factors remains unclear, particularly in high-mountain ecosystems experiencing rapid changes.

Past rapid warmings as a constraint on greenhouse-gas climate feedbacks.

There are large uncertainties in the estimation of greenhouse-gas climate feedback. Recent observations do not provide strong constraints because they are short and complicated by human interventions, while model-based estimates differ considerably. Rapid climate changes during the last glacial period (Dansgaard-Oeschger events), observed near-globally, were comparable in both rate and magnitude to current and projected 21st century climate warming and therefore provide a relevant constraint on feedback strength.

Lithospheric strike-slip faulting in central Tibet since 35-32 Ma and implications for the incipient Asian extrusional tectonics.

The onset age and depth of the central Tibet strike-slip faults are two still unresolved fundamental issues with regard to the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of central Tibet. Here we present a comprehensive dataset of geochronological, geochemical and structural data on recently discovered en-echelon dykes representing the incipient development of strike-slip faulting from the Lunpola basin in central Tibet. Our results provide evidence for mantle-derived, bimodal magmatism linked to lithospheric-scale strike-slip faulting at 35-32 Ma, and demonstrate that the central Tibet strike-slip faults are at least 20 Ma older than previously estimated (15-8 Ma).

Devonian-Mississippian magmatism related to extensional collapse in Svalbard: implications for radiating dyke swarms.

Background: Despite extensive studies of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatic history of Svalbard, little has been done on the Paleozoic magmatism due to fewer available outcrops.

Methods: 2D seismic reflection data were used to study magmatic intrusions in the subsurface of eastern Svalbard.

Results: This work presents seismic evidence for west-dipping, Middle Devonian-Mississippian sills in eastern Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Revisiting the Last Ice Area projections from a high-resolution Global Earth System Model.

The Last Ice Area-located to the north of Greenland and the northern Canadian Arctic Archipelago-is expected to persist as the central Arctic Ocean becomes seasonally ice-free within a few decades. Projections of the Last Ice Area, however, have come from relatively low resolution Global Climate Models that do not resolve sea ice export through the waterways of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and Nares Strait. Here we revisit Last Ice Area projections using high-resolution numerical simulations from the Community Earth System Model, which resolves these narrow waterways.

Meta-omics reveals role of photosynthesis in microbially induced carbonate precipitation at a CO-rich geyser.

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a natural process with potential biotechnological applications to address both carbon sequestration and sustainable construction needs. However, our understanding of the microbial processes involved in MICP is limited to a few well-researched pathways such as ureolytic hydrolysis. To expand our knowledge of MICP, we conducted an omics-based study on sedimentary communities from travertine around the CO-driven Crystal Geyser near Green River, Utah.

A luminous and young galaxy at = 12.33 revealed by a JWST/MIRI detection of Hα and [O iii].

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a surprising population of bright galaxies in the very early Universe (≲500 Myr after the Big Bang) that is hard to explain with conventional galaxy-formation models and whose physical properties are not fully understood. Insight into their internal physics is best captured through nebular lines, but at these early epochs, the brightest of these spectral features are redshifted into the mid-infrared and remain elusive. Using the mid-infrared instrument onboard the James Webb Space Telescope, here we present a detection of Hα and doubly ionized oxygen ([O iii] 4959,5007 Å) from the bright, ultra-high-redshift galaxy candidate GHZ2/GLASS-z12.

Multiwavelength constraints on the origin of a nearby repeating fast radio burst source in a globular cluster.

The precise origins of fast radio bursts (FRBs) remain unknown. Multiwavelength observations of nearby FRB sources can provide important insights into the enigmatic FRB phenomenon. Here we present results from a sensitive, broadband X-ray and radio observational campaign of FRB 20200120E, the closest known extragalactic repeating FRB source (located 3.

Evidence of a 4.33 billion year age for the Moon's South Pole-Aitken basin.

The Moon's farside South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin is the largest and oldest visible impact basin in the inner Solar System. Determining the timing of this catastrophic event is key to understanding the onset of the lunar basin-forming epoch, with implications for understanding the impact bombardment history of the inner Solar System. Despite this, the formation age of the SPA basin remains poorly constrained.

The effect of SiC and YO inclusion on microstructure and mechanical properties of Al 5052 composite fabricated through Friction Stir Process.

A consistent research attempt to develop newer lightweight-high strength materials facilitates the automobile sector to excel in product efficiency. The present research is another endeavour to anchor the automobile industries by exploring novel composite. The different earth elements SiC and YO are utilised for the hybrid reinforcement of Al 5052 alloy in four different weight proportions.

Negative gas adsorption transitions and pressure amplification phenomena in porous frameworks.

Nanoporous solids offer a wide range of functionalities for industrial, environmental, and energy applications. However, only a limited number of porous materials are responsive, the nanopore dynamically alters its size and shape in response to external stimuli such as temperature, pressure, light or the presence of specific molecular stimuli adsorbed inside the voids deforming the framework. Adsorption-induced structural deformation of porous solids can result in unique counterintuitive phenomena.

Development of Progressively Earth-Independent Medical Operations to Enable NASA Exploration Missions.

-The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) transition from operations in low-Earth orbit to long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars necessitates the development of progressively Earth-independent medical operations (EIMO) to support crews and reduce overall mission risk. Previous work has defined and laid the foundation for EIMO, but further development of the concept is required to prepare for future exploration missions. -NASA's Exploration Medical Capability element organized a series of 5 technical interchange meetings from 2023 to 2024, which included internal (NASA) and external subject-matter experts in human spaceflight, health technology, and austere medicine to create a framework for developing the technologies and procedures necessary to maintain human health and performance in a progressively Earth-independent fashion.

Recovery of nearly 3,000 archaeal genomes from 152 terrestrial geothermal spring metagenomes.

Terrestrial geothermal springs, reminiscent of early Earth conditions, host diverse and abundant populations of Archaea. In this study, we reconstructed 2,949 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from 152 metagenomes collected over six years from 48 geothermal springs in Tengchong, China. Among these MAGs, 1,431 (49%) were classified as high-quality, while 1,518 (51%) were considered as medium-quality.

Impacts of irrigation expansion on moist-heat stress based on IRRMIP results.

Irrigation rapidly expanded during the 20 century, affecting climate via water, energy, and biogeochemical changes. Previous assessments of these effects predominantly relied on a single Earth System Model, and therefore suffered from structural model uncertainties. Here we quantify the impacts of historical irrigation expansion on climate by analysing simulation results from six Earth system models participating in the Irrigation Model Intercomparison Project (IRRMIP).

Crucial role of subsurface ocean variability in tropical cyclone genesis.

The upper ocean provides thermal energy to tropical cyclones. However, the impacts of the subsurface ocean on tropical cyclogenesis have been largely overlooked. Here, we show that the subsurface variabilities associated with the variation in the 26 °C isothermal depth have pronounced impacts on tropical cyclogenesis over global oceans.

Radiotherapeutics, clonal hematopoiesis, and risk of hematologic malignancies: The good, the bad, the ugly.

While radiotherapeutics have demonstrated significant clinical benefit across multiple cancer types including thyroid cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, and prostate cancer, hematological toxicities can be frequent and challenging. It remains unknown to what extent the hematologic toxicity is driven by clonal processes that preexist and are selected for by treatment induced selection pressures. In this review, we discuss the background leading to the adoption of radiotherapeutics in the treatment of solid tumor malignancies, the risk of hematologic toxicities and myeloid neoplasms and the evidence pointing to potential precursor lesions that may predispose patients to hematologic toxicities.

Treatment with a superoxide dismutase mimetic for joint preservation during 35 and 75 days in orbit aboard the international space station, and after 120 days recovery on Earth.

Reduced weight-bearing during spaceflight has been associated with musculoskeletal degradation that risks astronaut health and performance in transit and upon reaching deep space destinations. Previous rodent experiments aboard the international space station (ISS) have identified that the spaceflight-induced molecular arthritic phenotype was characterized with an increase in oxidative stress. This study evaluated if treatment with a superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic on orbit could prevent spaceflight-induced damage to the knee and hip articular cartilage, and the menisci in rodents.

The Effects of Cosmic Radiation Exposure on Pregnancy During a Probable Manned Mission to Mars.

Space missions have revealed certain disincentive factors of this unique environment, such as microgravity, cosmic radiation, etc., as the aerospace industry has made substantial progress in exploring deep space and its impacts on human body. Galactic cosmic radiation (GCR), a form of ionizing radiation, is one of those environmental factors that has potential health implications and, as a result, may limit the duration - and possibly the occurrence - of deep-space missions.

Space biological and human survival: Investigations into plants, animals, microorganisms and their components and bioregenerative life support systems.

Space life science has been a frontier discipline in the life sciences, aiming to study the life phenomena of earth organisms and their activity patterns under the special environment of space. This review summarizes studies in various key topics in space life science, namely, how microbiome changes in humans and plants, the development of space agriculture and the use of animal, plant and cell models to study the effect of space environments on physiology. We highlight the new possibilities of using high-quality protein crystals uniquely available when grown under space conditions to aid drug development on earth, and the state-of-the-art Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) to achieve long term human survival in space.

Chemical associations of selenium oxyanions in metal oxides derived from layered double hydroxides: Implication for the immobilization of radionuclides.

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) can effectively stabilize Se oxyanions, yet the thermal stability of Se oxyanions incorporated into LDHs remains unclear. In this study, calcination products of three types of LDHs loaded with SeO2- 3 or SeO2-4 were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) and leaching tests. It has been found that SeO2-4 can be reduced to SeO2- 3 in the Fe-containing LDHs after calcination at temperatures above 450 °C.

Exploiting agri-food residues for kombucha tea and bacterial cellulose production.

Bio-valorization of agri-food wastes lies in their possible conversion into fermented foodstuffs/beverages and/or biodegradable polymers such as bacterial cellulose. In this study, three different kombucha cultures were formulated using agri-food waste materials, citrus fruit residues and used coffee grounds, as alternative carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. Over 21 days of fermentation, the kinetic profile was followed by monitoring cell number, pH variation, minerals, trace elements and production of bacterial cellulose.