Effect of solute Ce,Mn,and Si on mechanical properties of silicon steel:insights from DFT calculations

The influence of solute Ce,Mn,and Si on the mechanical properties of silicon steel was investigated by first-principles calculation.Ce,Mn,and Si can all be solubilized in Fe matrix.Ce significantly reduces the incompressibility and rigidity of the system but also significantly improves the toughness and machinability.The effect of Mn on mechanical properties of the system is not obvious.Si has a significant effect on the improvement in incompressibility and rigidity but a limited effect on the improvement in toughness and machinability.The metallic bond strength of Fe-Ce,Fe-Mn,and Fe-Si doped systems is weaker than that of the pure Fe system,which can be used to explain the reduction in the incompressibility and rigidity of these doped systems.The relatively high electron cloud density in the doped system may be responsible for the increase in toughness.

Association between Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Carotid Artery Disease in a Community-Based Chinese Population： A Cross-Sectional Study

Background： Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） is one of the most common chronic liver diseases with a high prevalence in the general population. The association between NAFLD and cardiovascular disease has been well addressed in previous studies. However, whether NAFLD is associated with carotid artery disease in a community-based Chinese population remained unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between NAFLD and carotid artery disease. Methods： A total of 2612 participants （1091 men and 1521 women） aged 40 years and older from Jidong of Tangshan city （China） were selected for this study. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasonography. The presence of carotid stenosis or plaque was evaluated by carotid artery ultrasonography. Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between NAFLD and carotid artery disease. Results： Participants with NAFLD have a higher prevalence of carotid stenosis （12.9% vs. 4.6%） and carotid plaque （21.9% vs. 15.0%） than those without NAFLD. After adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, income, physical activity, diabetes, hypertension, triglyceride, waist-hip ratio, and high-density lipoprotein, NAFLD is significantly associated with carotid stenosis （odds ratio [OR]： 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]： 1.45-2.91）, but the association between NAFLD and carotid plaque is not statistically significant （OR： 1. 10, 95% CI： 0.86-1.40）. Conclusion： A significant association between NAFLD and carotid stenosis is found in a Chinese population.

A first-principles study on electronic structures and elastic properties of metal dopedα-Fe(N)high nitrogen steel

The binding energies,electronic structures and elastic properties of Ti,V,Cr,Mn,Co,Ni and Mg dopedα-Fe（N）systems have been investigated using a first-principles method.The calculated results show that the dopings of Ti,V,Cr and Co improve the stability ofα-Fe（N）,and the stability ofα-Fe（N）is slightly weakened by Mn and Ni,and the doping of Mg is disadvantageous.For Ti,V,Cr and Mn dopedα-Fe（N）systems in which the doping metals are on the left side of Fe in the element periodic table andα-Fe（N）systems doped by Co and Ni on the right side of Fe,their corresponding cohesive forces decrease with decreasing atomic radius of the doping species.The obvious interaction exists among M3 d,Fe4s3p3d and N2 p.In these doping systems,metal atoms lose electrons,while N gains electrons.Dopings of Ti,V,Cr and Mn inα-Fe（N）strengthen the interaction between N and the surrounding metals,and it is not apparent for the dopings of Co,Ni and Mg.Elastic calculations of Fe15 MN systems show that,except for the Fe15 MgN system,shear modulus G and Young modulus E of Fe15 MN systems are improved,and the bulk modulus Bslightly decreases,namely,total elastic properties are enhanced.The magnitude change rule of E reflecting the cohesive force between atoms is consistent with that for the binding energies.

Prostaglandin E2 receptor EP3 regulates both adipogenesis and lipolysis in mouse white adipose tissue

Among the four prostaglandin E2 receptors,EP3 receptor is the one most abundantly expressed in white adipose tissue(WAT).The mouse EP3 gene gives rise to three isoforms,namely EP3α,EP3β,and EP3γ,which differ only at their C-terminal tails.To date,functions of EP3 receptor and its isoforms in WAT remain incompletely characterized.In this study,we found that the expression of all EP3 isoforms were downregulated in WAT of both db/db and high-fat diet-induced obese mice.Genetic ablation of three EP3 receptor isoforms(EP3^(−/−)mice)or EP3αand EP3γisoforms with EP3βintact(EP3βmice)led to an obese phenotype with increased food intake,decreased motor activity,reduced insulin sensitivity,and elevated serum triglycerides.Since the differentiation of preadipocytes and mouse embryonic fibroblasts to adipocytes was markedly facilitated by either pharmacological blockade or genetic deletion/inhibition of EP3 receptor via the cAMP/PKA/PPARγpathway,increased adipogenesis may contribute to obesity in EP3^(−/−)and EP3βmice.Moreover,both EP3^(−/−)and EP3βmice had increased lipolysis in WAT mainly due to the activated cAMP/PKA/hormone-sensitive lipase pathway.Taken together,our findings suggest that EP3 receptor and itsαandγisoforms are involved in both adipogenesis and lipolysis and influence food intake,serum lipid levels,and insulin sensitivity.