Despite several decades of research on grain boundary sliding and its fundamental mechanisms, two questions remain: What is the critical temperature at which a grain boundary begins to slide, and what is its physical significance? Here, we determine the critical temperature for grain boundary sliding in a high-angle Ni grain boundary by employing an in situ high temperature micropillar compression in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Regardless of the high melting point of Ni, grain boundary sliding was observed to initiate in the range of 250–300 °C (0.30–0.33 T m ) for 1 μm-diameter micropillars. The size-dependent mechanical response of micropillars indicates that the observed grain boundary sliding is a dislocation-mediated process. A comparison with nanocrystalline Ni from the literature suggests that the observed sliding temperature can be considered as the critical temperature required for unconstrained sliding. We propose that this critical temperature corresponds to the onset of lattice dislocation dissociation into grain boundary dislocations.

Effect of TiC addition on the isothermal aging performance of Sn–Bi/Sn–Ag–Cu hybrid solder joints

The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta serves as a critical area that supports both environmental functions and economic development activities. The study investigates how sediment moves and settles down in the delta to study how both natural processes and human activities affect sediment movement. The research aims to measure sediment movement through the study of sediment deposition patterns while investigating how river water flow, tides, and human activities affect the environment. The research used three methods which involved scientists collecting sediment samples from the field and measuring water movement and using computer simulations. The study showed that sediment concentration and flux experienced major changes throughout the year because the monsoon season brought increased sediment flow in the Brahmaputra Branch high-flow channels. The data analysis revealed that suspended sediment concentrations reached their highest point at 520 mg/L, while sediment deposition measurements showed a range between 5 cm and 35 cm across various delta regions. The values of R 2 of 0.92 attained high accuracy in the model, thus being able to predict sediment concentration. The study reveals how the hydrodynamic forces are very important in the transport of sediments since low flows cause the accumulation of the sediments, whereas high flows cause loss of materials. It is found that the natural movement of sediments must be safeguarded in order to manage the deltas effectively, yet the activities of man, such as the construction of dams and the growth of cities, cause devastating effects. The study should examine the impact of climate change on the ecosystems and must enhance the models of sediment transport to manage the delta area and reclaim land.

Refractory metals are promising for aerospace and nuclear applications because of their high melting points and stability. However, the processing procedure still encounters challenges due to the high melting point and strong bond strength resulting from the high delocalized electron density of refractory metals. Here we show that liquid metals can dilute this electron density and weaken bond strength, enabling the efficient extraction, dissolution and recombination of refractory metal atoms. This strategy allows the fabrication of bulk refractory materials at notably lower temperatures (<1,000 °C) in a very short time (~2 min). Using this liquid metal-assisted sintering mechanism, we successfully sintered various refractory metal bulks (including W, Re, Ta, Nb, Mo, V, Cr and Ti), achieving equiaxed ultrafine-grained microstructures with excellent yield strength. This mild preparation condition also offers high flexibility for producing alloys, gradient structures and dispersion-strengthened materials, representing an important milestone in developing high-performance refractory structural materials.

Abstract. Traditional laser processing of micro-textures directly impacts the work surface, leading to significant crack propagation and pore formation around textured pits. These defects result in poor surface quality and insufficient hardness, which in turn deteriorate the tool's milling performance and surface hardness. To enhance the surface properties of the texture and improve the milling performance of the ball-end milling cutter, this paper integrates the prefabricated powder-feeding laser cladding method with the laser preparation micro-texture technique to establish a modified textured ball-end milling cutter milling titanium alloy test platform. The milling performance of cemented carbide modified textured ball-end milling cutters, both with and without coating deposition treatment, was investigated. The findings indicate that at an average laser energy density of 70.8 W cm−2, the grain structure on the surface of the modified textured tool has a fine-grain-strengthening effect, enhancing surface hardness and reducing vibration. During milling, aluminum in the coating oxidizes to form an Al2O3 film with a high melting point and solid lubrication properties, effectively lowering the friction coefficient and improving cutting stability. The surface micro-hardness of the modified textured tool increases by approximately 35 %, accompanied by a substantial presence of hard phases within the strengthening layer. As wear progresses, the detachment of these hard phases further decreases the friction coefficient, resulting in an average reduction of frictional force by about 13.1 %. Concurrently, the lifespan of the strengthening layer is extended, which effectively mitigates wear on the rake face of the ball-end milling cutter. Concurrently, the passivation of the tool edge during the cutting process is mitigated, leading to reduced material adhesion phenomenon in the cutting process, which ultimately enhances the machined surface quality of the workpiece. Moreover,the deposition of the coating not only establishes a dense alumina structure that resists wear at the tool–chip interface but also enhances the bonding strength of the tool surface, curbing the formation of built-up edges and promoting better surface roughness in the machining of titanium alloys. Overall, this study achieves a synergistic enhancement of surface wear resistance and cutting performance in cemented carbide tools, providing valuable insights for the efficient machining of difficult-to-cut materials in aerospace and shipbuilding applications.

Composite membranes play a pivotal role in alkaline water electrolysis for green hydrogen production. However, current membranes still suffer from low conductivity and inadequate long-term stability. Herein, we develop a sulfonated polyphenylene sulfide (sPPS) and NiFe-layered double hydroxide (LDH) composite membrane featuring a hydrogen bond network for highly efficient alkaline water electrolysis. This sPPS/LDH composite membrane is fabricated by a sulfonation-casting strategy. The resulting composite membrane exhibits excellent thermal stability, mechanical strength, hydrophilicity, high bubble point pressure, and low area resistance compared to the widely used commercial ZIRFON 500 composite membranes. Molecular dynamics simulations further reveal that more hydrogen bonds were formed due to the presence of LDH, accelerating the ion transport. When applied in an alkaline water electrolyzer, the optimized sPPS/LDH membrane enabled a current density of 936mAcm-2 at 1.9V in 30 wt.% KOH at 80°C and maintained stable operation for over 500 h at 500mAcm-2. This work sheds light on the way to form conductive and stable membranes through forming a hydrogen bond network within the composite membranes.

Multi-component carbide ceramics have garnered significant attention as ultra-high-temperature structural materials due to their exceptionally high melting points and excellent mechanical properties. In this work, we systematically investigate the synergistic effects of C vacancies and Ti alloying on the thermodynamic stability and elastic behavior of (Zr, Ti)C&lt;sub&gt;x&lt;/sub&gt; carbides using first-principles calculations. Specific cluster structural models of [C-M&lt;sub&gt;6&lt;/sub&gt;](C,□)&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; (M = Zr/Ti, □ = vacancy) were constructed by considering the local chemical short-range orders of elemental distribution and the ordering of vacancies on C sublattice, which were then employed as inputs for first-principles calculations. The results reveal that the introduction of C vacancies decreases the free energy at high temperatures and enhances the thermodynamic stability, whereas Ti substitution for Zr tends to reduce stability. Notably, the ternary carbide Zr&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt;Ti&lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt;C&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt; ([C-Zr&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt;Ti&lt;sub&gt;1&lt;/sub&gt;](C,□)&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt;) with an equimolar ratio of Ti-to-vacancy exhibits superior high-temperature thermodynamic stability. Analysis of entropy contributions indicates that both vacancies and Ti addition primarily alter the free energy by modifying the lattice vibration modes, an effect dominated by the vibrational entropy. These two types of defects weaken the M-C bond strength, resulting in reduced binding energy and Young’s modulus. Furthermore, this synergistic effect considerably lowers the critical temperature required to stabilize the single-phase solid solution structure in multi-component carbides, which is attributed to a decrease in mixing enthalpy and an increase in configurational entropy caused by vacancies. The cluster-model-embedded first-principles approach offers valuable insight for designing high-performance carbides in complex ceramic systems.

BackgroundHemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a fulminant, hyperinflammatory syndrome increasingly recognized as a rare but devastating immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) toxicity. Given the lack of robust epidemiological data, a large-scale pharmacovigilance analysis was performed to characterize HLH reporting patterns across distinct ICI classes.MethodsThe FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) was queried to identify HLH cases associated with FDA-approved PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4, and LAG-3 inhibitors from Q4 2003 through Q3 2025. Disproportionality analysis was conducted to quantify safety signals relative to the full database.ResultsAll major ICI classes were associated with HLH, with PD-L1 inhibitors (particularly atezolizumab) and CTLA-4 inhibitors showing the strongest signals; no single agent class appeared to be spared. Among PD-1 inhibitors, pembrolizumab exhibited the highest burden (n = 120; ROR 9.51, 95% CI 7.93-11.40), while cemiplimab demonstrated a high point estimate (ROR 10.56). In the PD-L1 class, atezolizumab showed the strongest signal among widely used agents (n = 76; ROR 14.48, 95% CI 11.54-18.18). The CTLA-4 inhibitor ipilimumab yielded substantial disproportionality (n = 54; ROR 12.77, 95% CI 9.76-16.70), and the LAG-3 inhibitor relatlimab showed a comparable signal (ROR 12.64) despite limited case numbers.ConclusionsThis analysis confirms HLH as a significant class-wide toxicity of immune checkpoint blockade, with robust safety signals observed for pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, and ipilimumab. These findings underscore the critical need for heightened clinical vigilance and rapid diagnostic evaluation for HLH in patients presenting with hyperinflammatory symptoms during immunotherapy.

Contemporary small-molecule drug candidates increasingly have limited aqueous solubility, rendering oral delivery challenging. Amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) and lipid-based formulations (LBFs) have evolved as leading formulation approaches to mitigate solubility and dissolution rate limitations. There is an increasing trend towards ASD formulations for drug candidates with high melting points and LBFs for extremely lipophilic molecules. Mechanistic assessment of LBF and ASD enhancement pathways reveals a surprising amount of commonality, notably that supersaturation generation and maintenance are likely key to obtaining optimized in vivo performance for both formulation types. An expanding formulation design space is blurring the distinction between these solubility enhancement technologies and further evolution in this direction is likely necessary to address the oral delivery of even more challenging molecules, such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras and macrocyclic peptides.

MXenes have emerged as versatile materials due to their distinct combination of metallic conductivity, hydrophilicity, mechanical flexibility, and tunable surface chemistry. These properties have enabled their application across various fields such as energy storage, catalysis, and biomedical devices, with thermoelectric energy conversion acquiring attention. MXene distinguishes for its exceptional hardness, high melting point, and electrical conductivity, making it a strong candidate for thermoelectric applications, particularly under high temperature factors. This review provides an overview of the latest advances in the thermoelectric performance of MXenes. We discuss strategies such as doping, hetero structure formation, and defect engineering that have been used to improve parameters, including the Seebeck coefficient and to suppress lattice thermal conductivity, thereby improving the figure of merit (ZT). Challenges related to synthesis scalability, material stability, and the undermine between electrical and thermal transport are crucially evaluated. This study emphasizes directions for the future, including the evaluation of hybrid thermoelectric device systems and environmentally sustainable synthesis methods, to facilitate the practical deployment of MXene-based thermoelectric devices. • A dedicated focus on thermoelectric performance metrics (Seebeck coefficient, electrical/thermal conductivity, power factor, and ZT). • Integration of experimental and computational insights, including band structure engineering and carrier transport mechanisms. • Comparative evaluation of prominent MXene systems such as V₂C, Ti₃C₂, Nb₂C, and Mo₂C, highlighting composition–property relationships. • Extensive use of schematics, comparative tables, and performance maps to enhance accessibility for a broad energy research audience.

Fast recovery of parametric eigenvalues depending on several parameters and location of high order exceptional points

Harnessing bound states in the continuum (BICs) for guiding light in leaky environments has unlocked new possibilities in photonic integrated circuits. BIC confinement enables low-loss waveguiding of leaky TM modes in etchless waveguides based on dielectric wires loaded on plane slabs. We have recently reported BIC slow light waveguides by introducing one-dimensional photonic crystals into such etchless waveguides. However, they were restricted to a high symmetry point (X point), limiting their applicability. In this Letter, we propose and numerically demonstrate BIC slow light waveguides at off-high symmetry points by exploiting Friedrich-Wintgen BICs, arising from the interband coupling of two guided modes sharing a radiation continuum. We identified a systematic approach for tuning the loss minimum position in momentum space and simultaneously achieved a high group index over 100 and a low propagation loss of less than 5.0×10-2 dB/cm at an off-high symmetry point. Our findings pave the way for advanced control of light-matter interactions in non-Hermitian photonic systems.

Characterization of flavor profiles in chive leaves and stems at different moisture transfer points during combined drying: An integrated approach with e-nose, GC-IMS, GC-MS, and machine learning.

Development of amorphous solid dispersion of delamanid, an extremely water-insoluble drug, by hot melt extrusion applying acid-base supersolubilization (ABS) principle.

• Super-stoichiometric TiB 2.9 outperforms TiB 1.5 in friction reduction with increasing temperature. • TiB 2.9 friction drops by 55% at elevated temperatures compared to room temperature. • Boron oxide formation governs the low friction and self-lubrication of TiB 2±x at high temperatures. Transition metal borides represent an auspicious family of materials for functional coatings due to their refractory nature, including high melting points, extreme hardness, and outstanding resistance to wear. Additionally, they act as model systems to study in-operando self-lubrication through the formation of friction-reducing boron oxide layers. The prevailing temperature and composition strongly influence the boron oxide formation. In this study TiB 2±x thin films have been used to explore the fundamentals of this, so far, not fully understood temperature driven tribo-reaction. Tribological tests indicate that sputter deposited super-stoichiometric TiB 2.9 exhibits a significantly lower friction coefficient (∼0.3) compared to sub-stoichiometric TiB 1.5 (∼0.4) when tested at 500 °C. This reduction is attributed to the higher oxidation rate of super-stoichiometric TiB 2.9 further promoted through the presence of B-rich tissue phases at the column boundaries. Moreover, although the coatings showed slightly higher wear rates at 500 °C than at room temperature, the overall wear remained low – most notably for the oxidation-prone super-stoichiometric TiB 2.9 , which also displayed the strongest friction-reducing effect. In summary, these results highlight the potential of boron oxide for solid self-lubrication.

Centralized Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have brought with them a myriad of challenges to healthcare in the world today, which have high points of failure, diminished patient autonomy, and do not easily adjust to up-to-date regulatory standards. This essay suggests and analyses a new blockchain-based consortium that can be called HealthChain to manage the decentralization of digital identity and access control in healthcare information systems with granulated finegrained access control. The structure combines the W3C-conformant Decentralized Identifiers (DID), Verifiable Credentials (VC) and Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) smart contracts running on a permissioned Ethereum network with Proof of Authority (PoA) consensus. Electronic Health Records are encrypted using the AES-256-GCM and are stored off-chain using the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) where only the cryptographic content identifiers are stored on-chain. An initial prototype was built and tested on five simulation nodes archetyping a regional healthcare consortium: proof-of-concept. Sub-200 ms transaction latency is proven by experimental results on 30 independent trials on all critical operations, 156 ms on access requests, and 134 ms on emergency access. The success rates of IPFS in retrieving EHR files are more than 99.5 percent regardless of file sizes. Sources Usability testing with 45 users yield over 94 percent task completion among all user groups. The system has complete compliance with the HIPAA Security Rule and offers a workable architectural solution to the GDPR right-to-erasure dilemma using pseudonymous on-chain identifiers. A comparative analysis can verify that HealthChain is more effective than centralized EHR systems, federated Health Information Exchanges, and public blockchain substitutes in the patient control area, audit immutability, privacy protection, and regulatory compliance without experiencing any significant impact on clinically acceptable performance.

This work presents the results of the analysis of literary findings and the invesigation of the destruction of the stage of processing of ham brown coal for the recovery of valuable raw material – gorsk wax (bitumen or montan wax). The relevance of these studies is due to the fact that drilled coal wax has a high melting point, low electrical conductivity, water impermeability and acid resistance, as well as resistance to oxidation. microorganisms and put on the surface of leather, wood, plastic and paper a dry melt, which is effective in the preparation of polishing and dry compositions for various coatings, in the pharmaceutical industry, medicine and in everyday life chemistry The process of investigation revealed the infusion of a further modifying processing of brown coal on physico-chemical power and the release of gyrian wax. The effectiveness of cartilage demineralization with hydrochloric, oxalic and citric acids was tested by reducing the ash content of the extracted ribs. The maximum yield of the product – 11.8 % – is characteristic of a sample of vugill treated with mineral hydrochloric acid. Low yields of waxes from other forms of vugill, enriched with organic acids, are associated with less activity of the remaining ones. It has been proven that promising extracts can be isolated from prealkylated vugille. Alkylation of acidic functional groups with alcohol (methanol) is an effective way of aligning intermolecular bonds in the organic mass of vugill and increasing its responsibility for soft minds process. As a result of the study of the physico-chemical properties of the waxes observed, it was shown that the acidity of the waxes extracted from the vugille of the Alexandria field varies from 1 to 26 mg KOH/g. It is important to note the low acid content of these products. The number of oxidation changes in the range from 53 to 81 mg KOH/g, which is associated with a significant replacement of ethers.

High-speed 3D perception in dynamic environments requires LiDAR systems with extremely high point acquisition rates (PARs). Existing methods for increasing PARs often involve complex hardware setups yet remain limited in speed, failing to meet the demands of high-dynamic-range sensing. We propose an all-optical encoded ultrafast LiDAR based on optical code-division multiple access (OCDMA). By decomposing a broadband source into 40 spectral channels via wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) and applying six-pulse sequence encoding through fiber-delay-line-based all-optical encoding, we achieve simultaneous emission and independent decoding of all channels. Leveraging exceptional code orthogonality and the inherently narrow pulse width of all-optical encoding, a PAR of 107.6 MHz—one that surpasses all existing counterparts within the same architectural category by an order of magnitude—and a ranging accuracy of ∼3 mm are demonstrated. We further showcase high-fidelity 3D reconstruction of static targets and dynamic imaging of a chopper, achieving a high frame rate of 10.8 kHz (83×120 points) by inter-axis rate matching of spectral-acousto-optic scanning. The system architecture offers high integration compatibility and provides a feasible technological pathway for next-generation high-speed autonomous driving and industrial vision systems.

IntroductionAdolescents and young people living with HIV experience significant challenges, including unmet psychosocial and self-management needs and limited access to adequate HIV information. Peer support strategies that allow individuals to share their personal experiences and life stories have shown promise in improving their engagement in care and addressing the psychological and social challenges of living with HIV. However, current care approaches do not optimize individual life stories as a foundation for delivering patient-centered and individualized care.MethodsThis study applied a story path approach, an innovative way of exploring the experiences of adolescents and young people living with HIV. Specifically, it aimed to identify the high points, low points, and turning points in the health journeys of adolescents and young people living with HIV. This descriptive qualitative study was conducted in 2024. Data were collected through face-to-face individual interviews with adolescents and young people living with HIV and analyzed manually.ResultsFifteen participants, aged 15–24 years (average age 21.4, SD 2.4), were interviewed. The findings revealed that participants experienced uplifting from social support provided by friends, family, school authorities, and peers. Despite this support, many participants experienced emotional distress, faced challenges with medication adherence, and struggled with suicidal ideation. Counseling was a vital turning point in helping nearly all participants improve their health trajectories.ConclusionsStory theory provides a valuable framework for understanding the health experiences of adolescents and young people living with HIV and for delivering care that is tailored to their unique individual narratives. These findings may be useful to nurses, counselors, and peer supporters involved in the care of this population. Future research should explore ways to integrate story theory into adolescent HIV care services to improve health outcomes for adolescents and young people living with HIV.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including coronary heart disease (CHD), is the leading cause of mortality in India. It may result from interactions between various genetic and environmental factors, such as sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits. Vegetable oil is one of the most important nutritional components in daily meals. However, prolonged heating that induces lipid oxidation can diminish its health benefits. Thermal oxidation produces novel functional groups that may pose cardiovascular health risks. Consumption of repeatedly heated oils has been shown to raise blood pressure and total cholesterol, while also promoting vascular inflammation and structural changes that increase susceptibility to atherosclerosis. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is closely associated with dietary fats. Saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol-rich fats are detrimental, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-particularly Omega-3 PUFA- are beneficial for heart health. Choosing heart-healthy oils may help reduce the risk of developing CAD. This article evaluates the advantages and disadvantages of commonly consumed edible oils with respect to heart health. An optimal N-6 to N-3 ratio (< 4:1), high smoke point, low saturated fat content, high MUFA and PUFA levels, and the absence of cholesterol and trans fats are key characteristics of a heart-healthy oil. In this context, canola and mustard oils appear to be the most favorable options. Epidemiological studies indicate that CAD prevalence is lower among regular consumers of mustard oil than among users of other oils. The aim of this review is to examine the beneficial and adverse effects of various fresh vegetable oils by providing comprehensive information about them. A further objective is to educate the public about the harmful consequences of repeatedly consuming heated oils.