Oxidation resistant low-alloyed Ti alloys with good ductility

Oxidation resistance enhancement of pure Ti often comes at the cost of reduced ductility,which is frequently the problem through alloying with sole Al,Si,W,Mo and B.To overcome the short coming of single element alloying,this paper proposes a multi-element low-alloying strategy to take advantage of synergistic effects and resolve the conflict between oxidation resistance and ductility.It demonstrates that the addition of a small quantity of Ta(0.51wt%)can boost both oxidation resistance and ductility in comparison to pure Ti.Furthermore,the combined addition of a small amount(0.54 wt%)of Ta,Nb and Si not only preserves good ductility of pure Ti,but also reduces mass gains to 14%-67%of pure Ti during 100 h oxidation at 650-850℃in air.This indicates even better oxidation resistance than that obtained through the use of Ta,Nb,or Nb+Ta additions.The Ta+Nb+Si alloying creates an oxide layer that is less porous and more resistant to stratification and spalling.Consequently,a 3-μm N-rich layer can form in the Ti substrate beneath the oxide scale,in which phase transformation generates coherent Ti_(2)N with(0001)_(Ti)as the habit plane,with N atoms prefers to diffuse along■than along[0001]_(Ti).The completely transformed Ti_(2)N region or partially transformed Ti+Ti_(2)N region can effectively impede oxygen invasion.Therefore,the multielement low-alloying strategy is promising for enhancing both oxidation resistance and mechanical properties of metallic materials in the future.

Dopamine D2 receptors in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex modulate social hierarchy in male mice

Social hierarchy greatly influences behavior and health.Both human and animal studies have signaled the medial prefrontal cortex(mPFC)as specifically related to social hierarchy.Dopamine D1 receptors(D1Rs)and D2 receptors(D2Rs)are abundantly expressed in the mPFC,modulat-ing its functions.However,it is unclear how DR-expressing neurons in the mPFC regulate social hierarchy.Here,using a confrontation tube test,we found that most adult C57BL/6J male mice could establish a linear social rank after 1 week of cohabitation.Lower rank individuals showed social anxiety together with decreased serum testosterone levels.D2R expression was significantly downregulated in the dorsal part of mPFC(dmPFC)in lower rank individuals,whereas D1R expression showed no significant difference among the rank groups in the whole mPFC.Virus knockdown of D2Rs in the dmPFC led to mice being particularly prone to lose the contests in the confrontation tube test.Finally,simultaneous D2R activation in the subordinates and D2R inhibition in the dominants in a pair switched their dominant-subordinate relationship.The above results indicate that D2Rs in the dmPFC play an important role in social dominance.Our findings provide novel insights into the divergent func-tions of prefrontal D1Rs and D2Rs in social dominance,which may contribute to ameliorating social dysfunctions along with abnormal social hierarchy.