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Multi-principal element alloys represent a new paradigm in structural alloy design with superior mechanical properties and promising ballistic performance. Here, the mechanical response of Al 0.3 CoCrFeNi alloy, with unique bimodal microstructure, was evaluated at quasistatic, dynamic, and ballistic strain rates. The microstructure after quasistatic deformation was dominated by highly deformed grains. High density of deformation bands was observed at dynamic strain rates but there was no indication of adiabatic shear bands, cracks, or twinning. The ballistic response was evaluated by impacting a 12 mm thick plate with 6.35 mm WC projectiles at velocities ranging from 1066 to 1465 m/s. The deformed microstructure after ballistic impact was dominated by adiabatic shear bands, shear band induced cracks, microbands, and dynamic recrystallization. The superior ballistic response of this alloy compared with similar Al x CoCrFeNi alloys was attributed to its bimodal microstructure, nano-scale L1 2 precipitation, and grain boundary B2 precipitates. Deformation mechanisms at quasistatic and dynamic strain rates were primarily characterized by extensive dislocation slip and low density of stacking faults. Deformation mechanisms at ballistic strain rates were characterized by grain rotation, disordering of the L1 2 phase, and high density of stacking faults.

This study provides mechanistic and clinical insights into the therapeutic effects of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly when combined with the anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) biologic infliximab (IFX). While both FMT and IFX achieve response in approximately 60% of IBD patients, their combined influence on the gut microbial and metabolic landscape in refractory disease has been poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that FMT monotherapy restores gut microbial diversity and reconfigures host-microbiota-metabolite networks, correlating with clinical and endoscopic remission in patients refractory to conventional treatments. Furthermore, in Crohn's disease patients unresponsive to either therapy alone, combined IFX-FMT induced more complete microbial and metabolic normalization and achieved remission where monotherapy had failed. These findings reveal ecosystem-level network rewiring as a central mechanism of FMT efficacy and establish the additive potential of combining microbiome-targeted and immunomodulatory therapies. This work supports the development of microbiome-informed adjunctive strategies for severe or refractory IBD, highlighting an actionable path toward personalized, mechanism-based treatment regimens. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT07149441 .

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. Co-delivery of chemotherapeutic agents with distinct properties via nanocarriers can enhance efficacy and reduce side effects. This study developed a novel targeted dual-drug delivery sustained-release nanomedicine to achieve precise therapy for lung cancer. Folic acid (FA)-targeted albumin nanoliposomes co-loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) and doxorubicin (DOX) (FA-ANLis-PTX-DOX) were prepared by reverse evaporation. The physicochemical properties were evaluated, and the drug loading efficiency and release profiles were tested. Hemolysis assays assessed the biological performance of the drug, while cell and animal studies evaluated the biosafety and antitumor activity of the nanomedicine. FA-ANLis-PTX-DOX had a size of 243.61 ± 5.84 nm, a zeta potential of 29.42 ± 4.77 mV, and high encapsulation efficiencies (PTX: 93.72 ± 4.13%; DOX: 94.24 ± 4.86%). The formulation showed sustained, pH-responsive drug release, with accelerated release under acidic conditions (pH 5.3). It exhibited low cytotoxicity against normal cells, high uptake in folate receptor-overexpressing lung cancer cells (A549, NCI-H1975), and minimal hemolysis (< 1%). In vivo, FA-ANLis-PTX-DOX significantly inhibited tumor growth and metastasis in A549 xenograft models, improved survival, and showed a favorable safety profile. The successfully developed FA-ANLis-PTX-DOX demonstrates favorable physicochemical properties, active targeting, pH-triggered release, and enhanced antitumor efficacy with good biocompatibility. This targeted co-delivery system presents a promising strategy for the precise treatment of lung cancer.

A new node-importance ranking model and its solution algorithm for scale-free networks are proposed. The general idea is as follows: first, we construct a node-importance ranking model targeting the fastest network collapse, which is identified by the maximal variation in integrated network metrics. We then combine the genetic algorithm and variable neighbourhood search and improve it in initial population generation, neighbourhood search, and fitness evaluation. Finally, we investigate the BA network and container-shipping network. By comparison, the proposed method demonstrates a 7.9 and 16.8% improvement in effectiveness over betweenness and degree, respectively, in the BA network. The above indexes come to 15.1 and 41.3% in the container-shipping network. Moreover, the proposed algorithm reveals an 8.1 and 6.3% improvement in effectiveness, and a 63.7 and 67.1% reduction in computation time in the two cases, respectively. The research sheds new lights on not only analytical methods of complex theory but also practical application.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) is a major stroke consequence that has a severe impact on patients’ quality of life and survival rate. For this reason, it is especially crucial to identify and intervene early in high-risk groups during the acute phase of stroke. Currently, there are no reliable and efficient techniques for the early diagnosis, appropriate evaluation, or prognostication of PSCI. Instead, plenty of biomarkers in stroke patients have progressively been linked to cognitive impairment in recent years. High-throughput omics techniques that generate large amounts of data and process it to a high quality have been used to screen and identify biomarkers of PSCI in order to investigate the molecular mechanisms of the disease. These techniques include metabolomics, which explores dynamic changes in the organism, gut microbiomics, which studies host–microbe interactions, genomics, which elucidates deeper disease mechanisms, transcriptomics and proteomics, which describe gene expression and regulation. We looked through electronic databases like PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and common databases for each omics to find biomarkers that might be connected to the pathophysiology of PSCI. As all, we found 34 studies: 14 in the field of metabolomics, 5 in the field of gut microbiomics, 5 in the field of genomics, 4 in the field of transcriptomics, and 7 in the field of proteomics. We discovered that neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis may be the primary causes of PSCI development, and that metabolomics may play a role in the molecular mechanisms of PSCI. In this study, we summarized the existing issues across omics technologies and discuss the latest discoveries of PSCI biomarkers in the context of omics, with the goal of investigating the molecular causes of post-stroke cognitive impairment. We also discuss the potential therapeutic utility of omics platforms for PSCI mechanisms, diagnosis, and intervention in order to promote the area’s advancement towards precision PSCI treatment.

The demand for high-performance permanent magnets continues to grow across a wide range of advanced technologies. However, conventional powder metallurgy routes for rare-earth magnets such as Sm–Co are limited by the intrinsic brittleness of the powders, reducing manufacturability and yield. Here, we report a single-step, solid-state processing method—friction consolidation (FC)—that enables simultaneous deformation, heating, and chemical transformation of brittle Sm–Co powders. Using commercial SmCo₅ powders containing Sm₂Co₇, FC induces a thermo-mechano-chemical pathway in which Sm₂Co₇ undergoes oxidation to form nanoscale SmCo (5–x) (where x < 1) and Sm₂O₃ phases. The heat generated from redox reactions and adiabatic shear deformation aids densification without requiring external thermal input. The extent of phase transformation is controlled by local strain and temperature during processing, with higher deformation levels leading to enhanced Sm₂Co₇ decomposition and improved saturation magnetization. This study demonstrates that FC offers a scalable, low-temperature route to consolidate brittle magnetic powders while refining their phase composition and microstructure. By tuning the starting powder chemistry and processing atmosphere, the approach reduces unwanted secondary phases and tailors the final magnetic response—offering a new pathway to fabricate high-performance Sm–Co magnets through a compact, energy-efficient process. Friction consolidation transforms brittle Sm–Co powders into dense magnets via shear-driven redox reactions and localized heating, enabling phase-selective refinement and enhanced magnetization in a single-step, low-temperature process.

Immiscible alloys, whether in well-mixed or layered forms, are of increasing interest based on their novel structural and functional properties, such as enhanced thermal stability against grain growth or radiation-induced defect trapping at the interfaces. To address the need for new approaches to tailor microstructures, the microstructural development of an immiscible Cu-4 wt.% Nb alloy processed via friction consolidation of elemental powders is investigated. Friction consolidation is a solid phase processing technique that imparts severe plastic strain into a deforming volume resulting in elevated temperatures below the melting temperature of the alloy. Two distinct processing pathways were chosen to understand the effect of thermomechanical conditions on the final microstructure. The microstructure was characterized using scanning electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Path 1 exhibited larger strain, strain rate, and temperature as compared with path 2. In path 1, agglomerated Nb particles were present in the recrystallized ultrafine-grained Cu matrix, while in path 2 extremely fine and dispersed Nb particles were present in a highly deformed Cu matrix. In both pathways, supersaturation of Cu in Nb lattices was noted, but not vice versa. The asymmetry in mixing is explained based on deformation-based, thermodynamic and kinetic factors. These findings provide a pathway for creation of novel tailored microstructures and improved properties in any number of binary immiscible alloy systems.

Background A variety of measurement methods and imaging modalities are in use to quantify the morphology of lateral femoral condyle (LFC), but the most reliable method remains elusive in patients with lateral patellar dislocation (LPD). The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-observer reliability of different measurement methods for evaluating the morphology of LFC on different imaging modalities in patients with LPD. Methods Seventy-three patients with LPD were included. Four parameters for quantifying the morphology of LFC were retrospectively measured by three observers on MRI, sagittal CT image, conventional radiograph (CR), and three-dimensional CT (3D–CT). The intra-class correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the intra- and inter-observer reliability. Bland–Altman analysis was conducted to identify the bias between observers. Results The lateral femoral condyle index (LFCI) showed better intra- and inter-observer reliability on MRI and 3D–CT than on CR and sagittal CT images. The mean difference in the LFCI between observers was lowest on 3D–CT (0.047), higher on MRI (0.053), and highest on sagittal CT images (0.062). The LFCI was associated with the lateral femoral condyle ratio (ρ = 0.422, P  = 0.022), lateral condyle index ( r  = 0.413, P  = 0.037), and lateral femoral condyle distance ( r  = 0.459, P  = 0.014). The LFCI could be reliably measured by MRI and 3D–CT. Conclusion The LFCI could be reliably measured by MRI and 3D–CT. The LFCI was associated with both the height and length of LFC and could serve as a comprehensive parameter for quantifying the morphology of LFC in patients with LPD.

Terahertz (THz) technology is becoming a spotlight of scientific interest due to its promising myriad applications including imaging, spectroscopy, industry control and communication. However, one of the major bottlenecks for advancing this field is due to lack of well-developed solid-state sources and detectors operating at THz gap which serves to mark the boundary between electronics and photonics. Here, we demonstrate exceptionally wide tunable terahertz plasma-wave excitation can be realized in the channel of micrometer-level graphene field effect transistors (FET). Owing to the intrinsic high propagation velocity of plasma waves (>~10 8  cm/s) and Dirac band structure, the plasma-wave graphene-FETs yield promising prospects for fast sensing, THz detection, etc. The results indicate that the multiple guide-wave resonances in the graphene sheets can lead to the deep sub-wavelength confinement of terahertz wave and with Q -factor orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional 2DEG system at room temperature. Rooted in this understanding, the performance trade-off among signal attenuation, broadband operation, on-chip integrability can be avoided in future THz smart photonic network system by merging photonics and electronics. The unique properties presented can open up the exciting routes to compact solid state tunable THz detectors, filters and wide band subwavelength imaging based on the graphene-FETs.

Rare tumor has a huge unmet medical need without standard regimens, calling for novel therapeutic interventions. The National Cancer Center of China identified a threshold of incidence for rare tumor as 2.5/100,000, based on the characteristics of Chinese population. Molecular profiles for rare tumor patients in China further provided prospects for precise and individualized targeted treatment. An ongoing phase II clinical trial, the PLATFORM study, is the first trial tailored for rare solid tumors in China, featured by molecule‐guided therapeutics. With the promulgation of supportive policies to encourage the development of innovative drugs for rare tumors in China, opportunities will be provided for these patients and the gap will be filled in the treatment of rare tumors. Graphical Abstract In this timely Commentary, Prof. N. Li and colleagues discuss the challenges related to rare tumors definition, clinical trials, and therapies, with a focus on China.