Dissolution behavior of different inclusions in high Al steel reacted with refining slags

Al2O3, Al2O3·TiN, Al2O3·MgO and CaO·2Al2O3 are four different types of inclusions in high Al steels. To improve the steel cleanness level, an effective removal of such inclusions during secondary refin-ing is very important, so these inclusions should be removed effectively via inclusion dissolution in the slag. The dissolution behavior of Al2O3, Al2O3·TiN, Al2O3·MgO and CaO·2Al2O3 in CaO-SiO2-Al2O3-MgO slags as well as the steel-slag reaction was investigated using laser scanning confocal mi-croscopy (LSCM) and high-temperature furnace experiments, and thermodynamic calculations for in-clusions in steel were carried out by FactSage. The results showed that Al2O3·TiN was observed to be completely different from the other oxides. The composite oxides dissolved quickly in slags, and the dissolution time of inclusions increased as their melting point increased. SiO2 and B2O3 in the slag were almost completely reacted with [Al] in steel, so the slags without SiO2 content showed a positive effect on avoiding formation of Al2O3 system inclusions and promoting inclusions dissolution as com-pared to SiO2-rich slags. The steel-slag reaction was also found to influence the inclusion types in steel significantly. Due to the rapid absorption of different inclusions in the slag, it was found that the dissolution time of inclusions mainly depends on the diffusion in the molten slag

Corrosion behavior of alumina containing refractory in blast furnace hearth by CaO-SiO2-MgO-Al2O3-Cr2O3 system slags

The corrosion behaviors of corundum brick and carbon composite brick used in blast furnace hearth by CaO-SiO2-MgO-Al2O3-Cr2O3(-CaF2) slags were studied in the present work. The degradation of the corundum brick in slag was a result of slag infiltration and brick dissolution, and the corrosion of the brick became more serious with the addition of CaF2 due to the decrease of slag viscosity. The disintegration of carbon composite brick in CaF2-containing slag was caused by the combination of slag penetration, brick dissolution and reaction between slag and brick. By comparing the corrosion behavior in CaF2-containing slag between the corundum brick and carbon composite brick, the corrosion degree of the corundum brick was greater than that of the carbon composite brick. To the blast furnace operation in which a low grade iron ore such as laterite ore and CaF2 containing slag (about 2 wt%) are used, it was found that the carbon composite brick with better slag corrosion resistance can be selected as a hearth refractory so as to improve the operation performance and ensure the longer campaign life of blast furnace

MUFFIN: Curating Multi-Faceted Instructions for Improving Instruction-Following

In the realm of large language models (LLMs), enhancing instruction-following capability often involves curating expansive training data. This is achieved through two primary schemes: i) Scaling-Inputs: Amplifying (input, output) pairs per task instruction, aiming for better instruction adherence. ii) Scaling Input-Free Tasks: Enlarging tasks, each composed of an (instruction, output) pair (without requiring a separate input anymore). However, LLMs under Scaling-Inputs tend to be overly sensitive to inputs, leading to misinterpretation or non-compliance with instructions. Conversely, Scaling Input-Free Tasks demands a substantial number of tasks but is less effective in instruction following when dealing with instances in Scaling-Inputs. This work introduces MUFFIN, a new scheme of instruction-following dataset curation. Specifically, we automatically Scale Tasks per Input by diversifying these tasks with various input facets. Experimental results across four zero-shot benchmarks, spanning both Scaling-Inputs and Scaling Input-Free Tasks schemes, reveal that LLMs, at various scales, trained on MUFFIN generally demonstrate superior instruction-following capabilities compared to those trained on the two aforementioned schemes.Comment: ICLR 2024. Data, model, and code are available at: https://renzelou.github.io/Muffin

The 14–Amino Acid CLV3, CLE19, and CLE40 Peptides Trigger Consumption of the Root Meristem in Arabidopsis through a CLAVATA2-Dependent Pathway

CLAVATA3 (CLV3), CLV3/ESR19 (CLE19), and CLE40 belong to a family of 26 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana that encode putative peptide ligands with unknown identity. It has been shown previously that ectopic expression of any of these three genes leads to a consumption of the root meristem. Here, we show that in vitro application of synthetic 14–amino acid peptides, CLV3p, CLE19p, and CLE40p, corresponding to the conserved CLE motif, mimics the overexpression phenotype. The same result was observed when CLE19 protein was applied externally. Interestingly, clv2 failed to respond to the peptide treatment, suggesting that CLV2 is involved in the CLE peptide signaling. Crossing of the CLE19 overexpression line with clv mutants confirms the involvement of CLV2. Analyses using tissue-specific marker lines revealed that the peptide treatments led to a premature differentiation of the ground tissue daughter cells and misspecification of cell identity in the pericycle and endodermis layers. We propose that these 14–amino acid peptides represent the major active domain of the corresponding CLE proteins, which interact with or saturate an unknown cell identity-maintaining CLV2 receptor complex in roots, leading to consumption of the root meristem

The PIN auxin efflux facilitator network controls growth and patterning in Arabidopsis roots

Local accumulation of the plant growth regulator auxin mediates pattern formation in Arabidopsis roots and influences outgrowth and development of lateral root- and shoot-derived primordia. However, it has remained unclear how auxin can simultaneously regulate patterning and organ outgrowth and how its distribution is stabilized in a primordium-specif ic manner. Here we show that five PIN genes collectively control auxin distribution to regulate cell division and cell expansion in the primary root. Furthermore, the joint action of these genes has an important role in pattern formation by focusing the auxin maximum and restricting the expression domain of PLETHORA (PLT) genes, major determinants for root stem cell specification. In turn, PLT genes are required for PIN gene transcription to stabilize the auxin maximum at the distal root tip. Our data reveal an interaction network of auxin transport facilitators and root fate determinants that control patterning and growth of the root primordium