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Non-metallic inclusions generally deteriorate the quality of stainless steel products, such as skin laminations or line defects on the rolled strip in stainless steel. Thus, the formation mechanism of non-metallic inclusions in 202 stainless steel was investigated with industrial trials and thermodynamic calculation. Steel samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Compositions of the steel samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. After Si−Mn deoxidation, the main inclusions were spherical Ca−Si−Mn−O inclusions during LF refining process. The liquid phase region of the Mn−Si−O phase diagram was affected by the residual aluminum content in Si−Mn deoxidized stainless steel. 1×10−5 mass fraction of aluminum in steel enlarged the liquid phase region of the Mn−Si−O phase diagram. However, more than 3×10−5 mass fraction of aluminum led to the formation of alumina inclusions and the reduction of the liquid phase region of the Mn−Si−O phase diagram. After the continuous casting process, the main inclusions in the steel were changed from Ca−Si−Mn−O to Mn−Al−O. Compared with the steel sample taken during the LF refining process, the MnO and Al2O3 content of inclusions in the continuous casting samples increased significantly, while the content of CaO and SiO2 decreased significantly. At the same time, the amount of inclusions increased from 5.5 mm−2 to 11.3 mm−2 after continuous casting. Combined with thermodynamic calculations, it was found that Mn−Al−O inclusions were formed during solidification, which became the main type of inclusion after continuous casting. In addition, the effect of aluminum content on the formation of oxide inclusions during continuous casting was discussed. Thermodynamic calculation indicated that the alumina inclusions were formed in the steel containing more than 3×10−5 mass fraction of aluminum during continuous casting. High aluminum content promoted the formation of alumina and inhibited the formation of Mn−Al−O inclusions during solidification.

Adonis pseudoamurensis W.T. Wang 1980 is an important traditional medicinal plant used for the treatment of cardiac diseases. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome of Adonis pseudoamurensis is reported for the first time in this study. The circular cp genome is 156,917 bp in length, consisting of a large single-copy region (86,262 bp), a small single-copy region (18,067 bp), and two inverted repeat regions (26,294 bp). The genome encodes 129 genes, comprising 84 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 8 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that A. pseudoamurensis is closely related to A. amurensis.

Background: Paxillin is implicated in tumorigenesis, progression and aggressive phenotypes of various malignancies, highlighting its functions in cellular adhesion, migration and survival. However, the roles of paxillin in human gliomas remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical implication of paxillin expression in patients with gliomas and its biological function in glioma cells. Patients and methods: Expression levels of paxillin gene and protein, respectively, were detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses in 120 pairs of glioma and matched nontumorous brain tissues. The associations between paxillin expression and various histopathological features of glioma patients were also statistically evaluated. Then, the functions of paxillin in cell migration and invasion of glioma cell lines were determined by transwell assays in vitro. Results: The expression levels of both paxillin gene and protein in glioma tissues were markedly higher than those in matched nontumorous brain tissues. Notably, paxillin overexpression was significantly associated with the grade of malignancy (P<0.05). Moreover, the enforced expression of paxillin promoted the migration and invasion of glioma cells, while the loss of paxillin expression efficiently suppressed cell migration and invasion of glioma cell lines. Conclusion: Our data suggest that paxillin may function as an oncogene and its overexpression may be closely correlated with tumor progression of human gliomas by modulating tumor cell motility, implying the potential of paxillin as a new therapeutic target for glioma intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contrast enhanced imaging function of ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) has been extensively investigated using physical acoustic signatures. It has a number of novel applications, including tissue-specific molecular imaging and multi-modal imaging. In addition there are numerous other therapeutic applications of UCAs, for example as vehicles for drug or gene delivery. These uses are discussed, as well as the acoustically-induced biological effects, including ultrasound targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD). This review also explores the considerations for the safe use of UCA from an acoustic standpoint. The scope of the application of UCA has markedly expanded in recent years, and it is a rapidly growing field of medical research. The current article reviews recent advances in the diagnostic and therapeutic applications of ultrasound microbubble/ nanobubble contrast agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]