Evaluation of Radiation Response in CoCrFeCuNi High-Entropy Alloys.

CoCrFeCuNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) prepared by arc melting were irradiated with a 100 keV He+ ion beam. Volume swelling and hardening induced by irradiation were evaluated. When the dose reached 5.0 × 1017 ions/cm2, the Cu-rich phases exhibited more severe volume swelling compared with the matrix phases. This result indicated that the Cu-rich phases were favorable sites for the nucleation and gathering of He bubbles. X-ray diffraction indicated that all diffraction peak intensities decreased regularly. This reduction suggested loosening of the irradiated layer, thereby reducing crystallinity, under He+ ion irradiation. The Nix-Gao model was used to fit the measured hardness in order to obtain a hardness value H0 that excludes the indentation size effect. At ion doses of 2.5 × 1017 ions/cm2 and 5.0 × 1017 ions/cm2, the HEAs showed obvious hardening, which could be attributed to the formation of large amounts of irradiation defects. At the ion dose of 1.0 × 1018 ions/cm2, hardening was reduced, owing to the exfoliation of the original irradiation layer, combined with recovery induced by long-term thermal spike. This study is important to explore the potential uses of HEAs under extreme irradiation conditions.

A real-world observational study on the effect of Qingre Lishi decoction on glycemic profile using continuous glucose monitoring in obese type 2 diabetes adults.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of the Qingre Lishi decoction in treating of newly diagnosed overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from an evidence-based medical perspective. Methods: 70 cases of overweight and obese patients with newly diagnosed T2DM treated in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Endocrinology of the Affiliated Hospital of Liaoning University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2021 to November 2022 were selected, of which 35 cases were in the observation group and 35 cases were in the control group. The observation group was treated with the Qingre Lishi decoction add lifestyle intervention, and the control group was treated with lifestyle intervention only. We compared and analyzed the fasting blood glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hPG), the occurrence of adverse reactions, and the related indexes provided by wearing the CGM device during the observation period of the patients in the two groups. Results: 53 participants completed the clinical trial. In relation of glycemic control, a decreasing trend has shown in both groups, with the decreases in FPG, 2hPG, eHbA1c, and MG in the observation group being higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). In regard to blood glucose attainment, at the 28d, the attainment rate of patients in the observation group with TIR>80% was 87.10%, and the magnitude of changes in the rise of TIR and the fall of TAR was significantly better than that in the control group (P<0.01). In terms of blood glucose fluctuation, CV and SD of the patients in the observation group decreased compared with the 0d; the magnitude of daytime blood glucose fluctuation was significantly alleviated compared with that of the control group. The degree of decrease in LAGE, MAGE, and MODD was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion: The Qingre Lishi decoction can effectively improve the hyperglycemic condition of overweight and obese patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. It can reduce blood glucose, alleviate blood glucose fluctuations, reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia, and improve patients' adherence and self-confidence in controlling blood glucose. Clinical Trial Registration: https://itmctr.ccebtcm.org.cn/, identifier ITMCTR2024000006.

Anomalous shear band characteristics and extra-deep shock-affected zone in Zr-based bulk metallic glass treated with nanosecond laser peening.

The effects of nanosecond laser peening on Zr41Ti14Cu12.5Ni10Be22.5 metallic glass were investigated in this study. The peening treatment produced an extra-deep shock-affected zone compared to crystal metal. As opposed to the conventional shear bands, numerous arc shear bands appeared and aggregated in the vertical direction of the laser beam, forming basic units for accommodating plastic deformation. The arc shear bands exhibited short and discrete features near the surface of the material, then grew longer and fewer at deeper peened layer depths, which was closely related to the laser shock wave attenuation. An energy dissipation model was established based on Hugoniot Elastic Limit and shear band characteristics to represent the formation of an extra-deep shock-affected zone. The results presented here suggest that the bulk modification of metallic glass with a considerable affected depth is feasible. Further, they reveal that nanosecond laser peening is promising as an effective approach to tuning shear bands for improved MGs ductility.