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Advanced structural materials are expected to display significantly improved mechanical properties and this may be achieved, at least in part, by refining the grain size to the submicrometer or the nanocrystalline range. This report provides a detailed summary of the role of grain size in the mechanical properties of metals. The effect of grain size on the high temperature behavior and the development of superplasticity is illustrated using deformation mechanism maps and the development of exceptional strength through grain refinement hardening at low temperatures is also discussed. It is shown that the deformation mechanism of grain boundary sliding, as developed theoretically, can be used to effectively predict both the high and low temperature behavior of metals having different grain sizes. This analysis explains the increase in strain rate sensitivity in ultrafine-grained metals with low and moderate melting points and the ability to increase both the strength and ductility of these materials to thereby overcome the strength-ductility paradox. The recent development of hybrid materials is also reviewed and it is demonstrated that, although these hybrids have received only limited attention to date, they provide a potential for making significant advances in the production of new structural materials.

Abstract Fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma (FP-RMS) driven by the expression of the PAX3-FOXO1 (P3F) fusion oncoprotein is an aggressive subtype of pediatric rhabdomyosarcoma. FP-RMS histologically resembles developing muscle yet occurs throughout the body in areas devoid of skeletal muscle highlighting that FP-RMS is not derived from an exclusively myogenic cell of origin. Here we demonstrate that P3F reprograms mouse and human endothelial progenitors to FP-RMS. We show that P3F expression in aP2-Cre expressing cells reprograms endothelial progenitors to functional myogenic stem cells capable of regenerating injured muscle fibers. Further, we describe a FP-RMS mouse model driven by P3F expression and Cdkn2a loss in endothelial cells. Additionally, we show that P3F expression in TP53-null human iPSCs blocks endothelial-directed differentiation and guides cells to become myogenic cells that form FP-RMS tumors in immunocompromised mice. Together these findings demonstrate that FP-RMS can originate from aberrant development of non-myogenic cells driven by P3F.

Magnesium alloys are of considerable current interest for use as degradable implants due to their unique properties including biodegradability, biocompatibility, low density and adequate mechanical properties. Nevertheless, there is a need to further improve these properties either by alloying or through the use of appropriate processing. Among the different biodegradable Mg alloys now in use, the Mg‒Zn series are of special interest and have been the subject of many research investigations. This is primarily because Zn is an essential element for the human body in addition to its positive effects in improving the mechanical strength and lowering the degradation rate of the implant. The properties of Mg‒Zn alloys may be further improved both through the addition of third and fourth alloying elements such as Ca, Ag, Sn or Sr and/or by thermo-mechanical processing where the latter is more environmentally and economically favorable. In practice, procedures based on the application of severe plastic deformation (SPD) are especially suited to produce fine-grained microstructures with improved mechanical, degradation and cell behavior. Equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) is a popular SPD technique that has the capability of producing bulk materials that are sufficiently large for use as typical implants. Accordingly, this review is designed to provide a comprehensive summary of the research that has been undertaken on ECAP-processed biodegradable Mg‒Zn alloys.

An analysis of the processes of plastic deformation and acoustic relaxation in a high-entropy alloy, Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi, was carried out. The following were established: dominant dislocation defects; types of barriers that prevent the movement of dislocations; mechanisms of thermally activated movement of various elements of dislocation lines through barriers at room and low temperatures. Based on modern dislocation theory, quantitative estimates were obtained for the most important characteristics of dislocations and their interaction with barriers.

Ecosystem functions in wetlands are increasingly degrading under the multiple stresses of climate change and human disturbances. Traditional wetland bioassessment is usually based on taxonomic approaches but this approach has limitations. To explore the effectiveness of functional traits in response to environmental changes, we compared the traditional taxonomic composition of chironomid communities with a trait-based approach in a subtropical subalpine wetland (Central China) spanning a wide habitat gradient from dry peatland to inundated peatland pools. The results revealed that 57 % of functional trait groups but only 38 % of taxonomic groups examined were significantly different between diverse peatland habitats. Sphagnum moss hummocks were generally inhabited by larvae of collector-gatherers, small body-sized individuals and sprawlers, while peatland pools supported a high abundance of shredders, large body-sized larvae and burrowers. Ecotones had more niche opportunities and hence possessed high taxonomic and functional diversity. Ordination analyses indicated that three similar environmental variables (loss-on-ignition (LOI), depth to water table (DWT) and K+) were the most powerful explanations of the chironomid variability in both taxonomic and functional trait compositions. LOI and DWT interacted strongly and were the dominant controls on both taxonomic and trait communities. Our research demonstrated that functional trait groups of chironomids are more robust and sensitive than taxonomy-based approaches to habitat changes, and therefore could be an alternative approach for the bioassessment of aquatic ecosystem functioning and palaeo-studies in wetlands.

Experiments were conducted to assess the effect of processing temperature on the hardness evolution, microstructure and the flow properties of an annealed Al–3Mg alloy processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at either 300 or 450 K. The results demonstrate that HPT processing at room temperature (RT) leads to higher microhardness values with a more uniform hardness distribution in the Al alloy compared with processing at 450 K. After 10 HPT turns at RT, the microstructure displayed a more intense grain refinement, a higher dislocation density and smaller Al3Mg2 precipitates than after HPT at 450 K. Accordingly, the metal processed at RT showed enhanced strength at RT and consistently exhibited superplastic flow during deformation at 523 K, with tensile elongations of ∼530–650% for strain rates from 10−3 to 10−2s−1. Conversely, a maximum elongation of ∼110% was recorded at 523 K in the alloy processed by HPT at 450 K. This behaviour is attributed to an enhanced thermal stability in the metal processed at RT compared with HPT at 450 K where deformation at 523 K led to the onset of abnormal grain coarsening due to a more disperse distribution of grain sizes and the partial dissolution and coalescence of Al3Mg2 precipitates after HPT processing.

The CoCrFeNiMn multicomponent is one of the most widely and best studied of all high-entropy alloys (HEAs) since its exceptional properties suggest potential uses as a structural material in many industrial applications. In practice, a good balance between strength and ductility is one of the most important challenges in developing alloys in modern materials science and engineering. There have been many attempts to overcome the strength-ductility trade-off in the CoCrFeNiMn alloy due to its relatively low strength. These attempts include adding a minor sixth element, such as oxide or carbide particles, and also developing thermomechanical processing for grain refinement or precipitation to produce a tailored microstructure with optimum mechanical properties. This review describes the deformation mechanisms and the microstructural evolutions in this alloy during plastic deformation under different conditions of temperature, strain and strain rate where these are important for the processing and manufacturing of the alloy. In addition, this study provides a perspective on the behavior of the alloy under high temperature exposure and also under cyclic loading which is generally the most important factor in industrial applications. This understanding demonstrates that there is a very large potential for the future enhancement and optimization of this and other comparable HEAs.

Peatlands across the United Kingdom and Europe represent an important source of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatological data for the Holocene time period. Here we derive a detailed 3000-year record of inferred changes in water table from the raised bog at Killorn Moss in central Scotland, employing a multiproxy approach. Proxies are compared and contrasted, and the merits of a multiproxy approach are highlighted. Ten changes to wetter conditions supported by at least two proxies are evident at Killorn, with substantial shifts related to the Sub-boreal/Sub-atlantic transition and post Roman and Dark Age deteriorations. Inferred changes in climate are compared with a local record from another raised bog and with more geographically widespread locations highlighting corresponding events, but also evidencing the importance of robust dating.

Abstract A stable { $$\stackrel{\mathrm{-}}{1}{\text{10}}$$ 1 - 10 } single component sharp texture was obtained during ambient temperature tube High-Pressure Shearing (t-HPS) of 99.999% purity aluminum. It is shown that the grain size and the grain aspect ratio saturate at ~ 8 μm and ~ 1.6, respectively, at an equivalent strain of ~ 30 and the high-angle grain boundary fraction continues to decrease after this saturation even to equivalent strains exceeding ~ 200. The { $$\stackrel{\mathrm{-}}{1}{\text{10}}$$ 1 - 10 } texture emerges at an equivalent strain of ~ 6 to 9 with the completion of recrystallization and develops gradually as a sole component sharp texture with increasing intensity upon further processing. This component is a stable orientation in t-HPS processing although it was not previously observed experimentally as a shear texture. Thus, t-HPS processing provides a new and effective experimental tool for simple shear testing that is distinctly different from earlier shear strain methods such as torsional processing.

It was shown recently that the grain size contribution to the flow stress and strain rate sensitivity of pure metals having different structures can be estimated by a model of deformation for grain boundary sliding. The present research extends this earlier study by estimating the grain size contribution to the flow stress in the CrMnCoFeNi high entropy alloy. This alloy has attracted significant attention in recent years due to its remarkable mechanical properties which include a higher strength compared to f.c.c. pure metals due to a significant contribution from solid solution strengthening. The present work demonstrates that the flow stress of the CrMnCoFeNi alloy can be readily estimated from the sum of the contributions from solid solution and grain size strengthening. There are some unique experimental trends observed in this alloy and these provide supporting evidence for the assumption that the grain size strengthening is thermally-activated. The flow stress, strain rate sensitivity, activation volume and activation energy are predicted for different grain sizes and testing conditions as a function of the fundamental properties of this alloy and the results show excellent agreement with the reported experimental data.

Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) alloys exhibit great potential for use as temporary structures in tissue engineering applications. Such degradable implants require no secondary surgery for their removal. In addition, their comparable mechanical properties with the human bone, together with excellent biocompatibility, make them a suitable candidate for fracture treatments. Nevertheless, some challenges remain. Fast degradation of the Mg-based alloys in physiological environments leads to a loss of the mechanical support that is needed for complete tissue healing and also to the accumulation of hydrogen gas bubbles at the interface of the implant and tissue. Among different methods used to improve the performance of the biodegradable Mg alloys to address these challenges, it appears that heat treatment is the most effective way to modify the microstructure and thus the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties without changing the composition or shape of the alloys. A desirable combination of corrosion and mechanical properties can be obtained through a precise control of the heat treatment parameters. In this report, the effects of different heat treatments (T4 and T6) on the microstructure, corrosion behavior, and mechanical properties of some of the most important heat-treatable biodegradable Mg alloys (Mg-Zn, Mg-Gd, Mg-Y, Mg-Nd, Mg-Al and Mg-Ag) are examined as well as new perspectives to enhance their clinical implementation.

The 852/3 CE eruption of Mount Churchill, Alaska, was one of the largest first-millennium volcanic events, with a magnitude of 6.7 (VEI 6) and a tephra volume of 39.4–61.9 km3 (95 % confidence). The spatial extent of the ash fallout from this event is considerable and the cryptotephra (White River Ash east; WRAe) extends as far as Finland and Poland. Proximal ecosystem and societal disturbances have been linked with this eruption; however, wider eruption impacts on climate and society are unknown. Greenland ice core records show that the eruption occurred in winter 852/3 ± 1 CE and that the eruption is associated with a relatively moderate sulfate aerosol loading but large abundances of volcanic ash and chlorine. Here we assess the potential broader impact of this eruption using palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, historical records and climate model simulations. We also use the fortuitous timing of the 852/3 CE Churchill eruption and its extensively widespread tephra deposition of the White River Ash (east) (WRAe) to examine the climatic expression of the warm Medieval Climate Anomaly period (MCA; ca. 950–1250 CE) from precisely linked peatlands in the North Atlantic region. The reconstructed climate forcing potential of the 852/3 CE Churchill eruption is moderate compared with the eruption magnitude, but tree-ring-inferred temperatures report a significant atmospheric cooling of 0.8 ∘C in summer 853 CE. Modelled climate scenarios also show a cooling in 853 CE, although the average magnitude of cooling is smaller (0.3 ∘C). The simulated spatial patterns of cooling are generally similar to those generated using the tree-ring-inferred temperature reconstructions. Tree-ring-inferred cooling begins prior to the date of the eruption suggesting that natural internal climate variability may have increased the climate system's susceptibility to further cooling. The magnitude of the reconstructed cooling could also suggest that the climate forcing potential of this eruption may be underestimated, thereby highlighting the need for greater insight into, and consideration of, the role of halogens and volcanic ash when estimating eruption climate forcing potential. Precise comparisons of palaeoenvironmental records from peatlands across North America and Europe, facilitated by the presence of the WRAe isochron, reveal no consistent MCA signal. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that characterises the MCA hydroclimate as time-transgressive and heterogeneous rather than a well-defined climatic period. The presence of the WRAe isochron also demonstrates that no long-term (multidecadal) climatic or societal impacts from the 852/3 CE Churchill eruption were identified beyond areas proximal to the eruption. Historical evidence in Europe for subsistence crises demonstrate a degree of temporal correspondence on interannual timescales, but similar events were reported outside of the eruption period and were common in the 9th century. The 852/3 CE Churchill eruption exemplifies the difficulties of identifying and confirming volcanic impacts for a single eruption, even when the eruption has a small age uncertainty.

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) is effective in producing bulk ultrafine-grained and nanostructured materials with large densities of lattice defects. This field, also known as NanoSPD, experienced a significant progress within the past two decades. Beside classic SPD methods such as high-pressure torsion, equal-channel angular pressing, accumulative roll-bonding, twist extrusion, and multi-directional forging, various continuous techniques were introduced to produce upscaled samples. Moreover, numerous alloys, glasses, semiconductors, ceramics, polymers, and their composites were processed. The SPD methods were used to synthesize new materials or to stabilize metastable phases with advanced mechanical and functional properties. High strength combined with high ductility, low/room-temperature superplasticity, creep resistance, hydrogen storage, photocatalytic hydrogen production, photocatalytic CO2 conversion, superconductivity, thermoelectric performance, radiation resistance, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility are some highlighted properties of SPD-processed materials. This article reviews recent advances in the NanoSPD field and provides a brief history regarding its progress from the ancient times to modernity. Abbreviations: ARB: Accumulative Roll-Bonding; BCC: Body-Centered Cubic; DAC: Diamond Anvil Cell; EBSD: Electron Backscatter Diffraction; ECAP: Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (Extrusion); FCC: Face-Centered Cubic; FEM: Finite Element Method; FSP: Friction Stir Processing; HCP: Hexagonal Close-Packed; HPT: High-Pressure Torsion; HPTT: High-Pressure Tube Twisting; MDF: Multi-Directional (-Axial) Forging; NanoSPD: Nanomaterials by Severe Plastic Deformation; SDAC: Shear (Rotational) Diamond Anvil Cell; SEM: Scanning Electron Microscopy; SMAT: Surface Mechanical Attrition Treatment; SPD: Severe Plastic Deformation; TE: Twist Extrusion; TEM: Transmission Electron Microscopy; UFG: Ultrafine Grained

Heterostructured materials afford a new way to improve the mechanical properties, which has become vital in both materials science and engineering applications. In the present research, Cu/Nb multilayer composites with layer thicknesses from the micrometer to nanometer were fabricated by accumulative roll bonding and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Cu/Nb multilayer composites were then investigated. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of these composites increase with decreasing layer thickness. Moreover, the relationship between yield strength and (layer thickness)−1/2 approximately accords with the conventional Hall-Petch equation but with a decrease in the Hall-Petch slope when the layer thickness decreases from the micrometer to nanometer scales. The deformation microstructure of these Cu/Nb multilayer composites clearly exhibit dislocations glide in the layers, which reduces the stacking of dislocations at the Cu–Nb interface and thereby weakens the strengthening effect of the interface.

IntroductionIslands of the Southwest Pacific are exposed to geologic and climate-related disturbances that occur on a range of timescales and which probably affect, to varying degrees, their terrestrial ecosystems. Over the past ∼1100 years we know of two major events in the region: the Kuwae eruption which is thought to have occurred ∼500 cal. years BP and a shift to drier conditions which began ∼1100 cal. years BP.MethodsWe investigated terrestrial and lacustrine ecosystem responses to these events and also to a changing fire regime, likely human-caused, using a multi-proxy (C/N, charcoal, chironomids, pollen, and tephra) record from Lake Emaotul, Efate, Vanuatu.ResultsTephra from the Kuwae eruption was found across a 6 cm layer which our age-depth model suggests was deposited 650–510 cal. years BP (95% confidence). Forest and chironomid community turnover increased during the wet-dry shift 1100–1000 cal. years BP; subsequently, chironomid turnover rates decreased again within

Research was conducted to investigate the effects of high-pressure torsion (HPT) and post-deformation annealing (PDA) on the microstructure evolution and mechanical behavior of an Fe-9.6Ni-7.1Mn (at.%) steel with an initial lath martensitic microstructure. The experimental results showed that HPT processing led to the formation of an ultrafine grain martensitic microstructure accompanied by small amounts of strain-induced austenite. Phase analysis and microstructural examination confirmed that during PDA at 600 °C a large fraction of fine and coaxial austenite grains was introduced in the microstructure by diffusionless shear mechanism whereas its volume fraction at ambient temperature was drastically decreased by increasing the annealing time. Also, the grain size was reduced from a value of about 5.2 μm in the solution-treated specimen to ultrafine values of about 570 and 280 nm for the martensite and austenitic phases, respectively, after PDA for 7.2 ks. PDA yielded an outstandingly good combination of an ultimate tensile strength (∼1340 MPa) and fracture strain (∼11.9%) in comparison to the solution-annealed condition which can be attributed to the finer grain size and the presence of shear-formed austenite in the microstructure. In addition, the fracture mode changed from a fully ductile nature in the solution-treated specimen to a combination of ductile and brittle nature after applying the HPT and then returned again to a ductile behavior after PDA.

Ultrafine-grained materials display almost no strain hardening, an enhanced strain rate sensitivity and grain boundary offsets during plastic deformation. It is expected that dislocation climb is active in order to enable prompt recovery. The present analysis proposes a deformation mechanism that includes these effects and follows from the mechanism for high temperature grain boundary sliding. This mechanism predicts the relationship between strain rate, flow stress, grain size, temperature and basic material properties such as the Burgers vector modulus, the shear modulus and the grain boundary diffusion coefficient. The model may be used to estimate the final grain size achieved by severe plastic deformation and the strain rate sensitivity. An analysis shows that the predicted behavior agrees with the data from multiple experimental investigations and provides a good estimate of the Hall–Petch slope for different materials which includes breakdown and inverse Hall–Petch behavior under some conditions. The incorporation of a threshold stress provides an opportunity to predict the relationship between flow stress and grain size for a broad range of grain sizes, strain rates and temperatures. An excellent agreement is observed between the predictions of the model and experimental data for Al, Cu, Fe (α), Fe(γ), Mg, Ni, Ti and Zn.

PTEN copy number loss is found in 25% of fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcomas (FN-RMS). Here, the authors use a Hedgehog-driven FN-RMS mouse model to show that PTEN loss drives the expression of core transcription factor PAX7 and its transcriptional axis, which determines FN-RMS tumour identity.

Abstract Direct evidence of ancient human occupation is typically established through archaeological excavation. Excavations are costly and destructive, and practically impossible in some lake and wetland environments. We present here an alternative approach, providing direct evidence from lake sediments using DNA metabarcoding, steroid lipid biomarkers (bile acids) and from traditional environmental analyses. Applied to an early Medieval Celtic settlement in Ireland (a crannog) this approach provides a site chronology and direct evidence of human occupation, crops, animal farming and on-site slaughtering. This is the first independently-dated, continuous molecular archive of human activity from an archeological site, demonstrating a link between animal husbandry, food resources, island use. These sites are under threat but are impossible to preserve in-situ so this approach can be used, with or without excavation, to produce a robust and full site chronology and provide direct evidence of occupation, the use of plants and animals, and activities such as butchery.

In order to investigate the effect of grain boundaries on the mechanical response in the micrometer and submicrometer levels, complementary experiments and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted on a model bcc metal, tantalum. Microscale pillar experiments (diameters of 1 and 2 μm) with a grain size of ~100–200 nm revealed a mechanical response characterized by a yield stress of ~1500 MPa. The hardening of the structure is reflected in the increase in the flow stress to 1700 MPa at a strain of ~0.35. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted for nanocrystalline tantalum with grain sizes in the range of 20–50 nm and pillar diameters in the same range. The yield stress was approximately 6000 MPa for all specimens and the maximum of the stress–strain curves occurred at a strain of 0.07. Beyond that strain, the material softened because of its inability to store dislocations. The experimental results did not show a significant size dependence of yield stress on pillar diameter (equal to 1 and 2 um), which is attributed to the high ratio between pillar diameter and grain size (~10–20). This behavior is quite different from that in monocrystalline specimens where dislocation ‘starvation’ leads to a significant size dependence of strength. The ultrafine grains exhibit clear ‘pancaking’ upon being plastically deformed, with an increase in dislocation density. The plastic deformation is much more localized for the single crystals than for the nanocrystalline specimens, an observation made in both modeling and experiments. In the molecular dynamics simulations, the ratio of pillar diameter (20–50 nm) to grain size was in the range 0.2–2, and a much greater dependence of yield stress to pillar diameter was observed. A critical result from this work is the demonstration that the important parameter in establishing the overall deformation is the ratio between the grain size and pillar diameter; it governs the deformation mode, as well as surface sources and sinks, which are only important when the grain size is of the same order as the pillar diameter.

An Al 7050-10 vol.% Al2O3 nanocomposite was produced by cold consolidation of Al 7050 gas-atomized powder with alumina particles by means of severe plastic deformation using high-pressure torsion (HPT). The processing was conducted at room temperature under a pressure of 6.0 GPa, for 50 revolutions with a rotation speed of 2 rpm. The purpose of this work was to consolidate at room temperature one high strength Al alloy with Al2O3 particles without any prior or post sintering. In order to characterize the product, the disk microstructure was examined after consolidation using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction was used to determine the presence of different phases. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was undertaken to provide chemical analysis of the phases and hardness tests were performed to check the strength. The results show that the alumina particles in the periphery of the disk are more finely dispersed than in the central regions. The average grain size of the Al 7050 matrix ranged from ∼50 to ∼200 nm and the hardness measurements varied from ∼237 Hv to ∼307 Hv with disk edges having higher hardness values than in the central area.

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to evaluate the recrystallization temperature and activation energy for an Mg-1.43Nd (wt.%) alloy after severe plastic deformation by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature up to 10 turns. The recrystallization kinetics were determined from DSC analysis. The results show that the recrystallization temperature increases with increasing heating rate and decreases with increasing numbers of HPT turns. Severe plastic deformation by HPT significantly reduces the recrystallization temperature. The estimated activation energy for recrystallization was in the range of ∼ 84−89 kJ mol−1.

High-purity Ni was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) at room temperature under an imposed pressure of 6.0 GPa and a rotation rate of 1 rpm through 1/4 to 10 turns, and samples were then examined using Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction (EBSD) and microhardness measurements. The results show that the grain size and low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs) gradually decrease with the growth of HPT revolutions while the microhardness values gradually increase. After 10 turns of HPT processing, ultrafine-grained (UFG) pure Ni with a reasonable microhardness value and microstructure homogeneity can be achieved across the disk, thereby giving great potential for applications in micro-forming. A grain refinement model for severe plastic deformation (SPD) of pure Ni is proposed.

The evolutions of microstructure and texture and the corrosion behaviour of low light rare-earth containing Mg-1.4Nd and low heavy rare-earth containing Mg-0.6Gd and Mg-0.4Dy (wt.%) were evaluated and compared after processing by high-pressure torsion (HPT) and isochronal annealing at 250 and 450 °C for 1 h using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and electrochemical tests in a 3.5% (wt.%) NaCl solution. The EBSD results show that dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) was restricted in the Mg-1.4Nd alloy which led to a heterogenous deformation microstructure whereas the Mg-0.6Gd and Mg-0.4Dy alloys exhibited a homogenous deformation microstructure formed mostly of equiaxed dynamically recrystallised DRX grains. The HPT processing caused the development of a deviated basal texture in the three alloys. A good thermal stability of the three alloys was noticed after annealing at 250 °C. By contrast, annealing at 450 °C led to a homogenous equiaxed microstructure and weakening of texture for the Mg-1.4Nd alloy and a heterogenous bimodal microstructure with a stable basal texture for the Mg-0.6Gd and Mg-0.4Dy alloys. The HPT-processed Mg–RE alloys exhibited an improved corrosion resistance due to grain refinement. Thereafter, the corrosion resistance of the Mg-0.6Gd and Mg-0.4Dy alloys decreased with increasing annealing temperature due to an increase in grain size while the corrosion resistance of the Mg-1.4Nd alloy was improved after annealing at 450 °C due to precipitation and texture weakening.

Strengthening by grain refinement via the Hall–Petch mechanism and softening by nanograin formation via the inverse Hall–Petch mechanism have been the subject of argument for decades, particularly for ultrafine-grained materials. In this study, the Hall–Petch relationship is examined for ultrafine-grained magnesium, aluminum, copper, and iron produced by severe plastic deformation in the literature. Magnesium, aluminum, copper, and their alloys follow the Hall–Petch relationship with a low slope, but an up-break appears when the grain sizes are reduced below 500–1000 nm. This extra strengthening, which is mainly due to the enhanced contribution of dislocations, is followed by a down-break for grain sizes smaller than 70–150 nm due to the diminution of the dislocation contribution and an enhancement of thermally-activated phenomena. For pure iron with a lower dislocation mobility, the Hall–Petch breaks are not evident, but the strength at the nanometer grain size range is lower than the expected Hall–Petch trend in the submicrometer range. The strength of nanograined iron can be increased to the expected trend by stabilizing grain boundaries via impurity atoms. Detailed analyses of the data confirm that grain refinement to the nanometer level is not necessarily a solution to achieve extra strengthening, but other strategies such as microstructural stabilization by segregation or precipitation are required.

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) encodes a tumor-suppressive phosphatase with both lipid and protein phosphatase activity. The tumor-suppressive functions of PTEN are lost through a variety of mechanisms across a wide spectrum of human malignancies, including several rare cancers that affect pediatric and adult populations. Originally discovered and characterized as a negative regulator of the cytoplasmic, pro-oncogenic phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway, PTEN is also localized to the nucleus where it can exert tumor-suppressive functions in a PI3K pathway-independent manner. Cancers can usurp the tumor-suppressive functions of PTEN to promote oncogenesis by disrupting homeostatic subcellular PTEN localization. The objective of this review is to describe the changes seen in PTEN subcellular localization during tumorigenesis, how PTEN enters the nucleus, and the spectrum of impacts and consequences arising from disrupted PTEN nuclear localization on tumor promotion. This review will highlight the immediate need in understanding not only the cytoplasmic but also the nuclear functions of PTEN to gain more complete insights into how important PTEN is in preventing human cancers.

Fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma (FN-RMS) is molecularly heterogeneous with few universal alterations except for Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) promoter hypermethylation. We demonstrate that losing Pten in FN-RMS engages an aberrant transcriptional program key in tumor maintenance and cell identity. These results highlight the importance between transcriptional state, cell of origin, and genetic perturbation in tumorigenesis.

Superplasticity refers to the ability of some materials to pull out to tensile elongations of 400% or more when the strain rate sensitivity is ~0.5. The first report of true superplastic flow was published in 1934 in experiments conducted in England. However, this remarkable result attracted little interest among western scientific researchers and the result remained a laboratory curiosity for many years. Later, following extensive research on superplasticity in the Soviet Union, interest developed in the west, and superplasticity became a topic of extensive scientific research. This research was further enhanced with the demonstration that the application of severe plastic deformation provided an opportunity for achieving grain refinement to the submicrometer or even the nanometer level, and these small grains were especially attractive for achieving good superplastic properties. It is now recognized that superplastic alloys provide an excellent forming capability, especially in making high quality curved parts that are not easily fabricated using more conventional processes. This has led to the development of a large superplastic forming industry that currently processes many thousands of tons of sheet metals. This report traces these developments with an emphasis on the scientific principles behind the occurrence of superplastic flow.

Grain reduction in a widely used Ti-6Al-4V alloy increases its endurance limit at room temperature. In this work, the behavior of the ultrafine-grained alloy under cyclic load at the temperature of 625 K is considered. Research was conducted to examine the fatigue life in a low-cycle area of the ultrafine-grained Ti-6Al-4V alloy produced by equal-channel angular pressing. Tensile and fatigue testing of the Ti-6Al-4V samples with coarse-grained (CG) and ultrafine-grained (UFG) structures were carried out at 293 and 625 K. The alloy demonstrated an enhanced strength and fatigue life at both temperatures. The representative features of the microstructural evolution and the fracture features in the UFG and CG alloys after fatigue tests are described in detail. The prospects for the use of the UFG Ti-6Al-4V alloy for engineering applications, such as in the production of critical gas-turbine engine parts, is discussed.

Commercial purity titanium (CP-Ti) and a Ti-6Al-4V alloy (Ti64) were processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) for 10 and 20 turns. The HPT processing produced a nanostructured microstructure and a significant strength enhancement in the CP-Ti and Ti64 samples. After 20 turns, the samples of HPT-processed CP-Ti and Ti64 were subjected to laser surface treatments in an air atmosphere using different scanning speeds and laser powers. The surface roughness of the laser-modified samples increased with increasing laser power and this produced hydrophilicity due to a lower contact angle. After a holding time of 27 days, these samples underwent a hydrophilic-to-hydrophobic transformation as the contact angle increased from 13° to as much as 120° for the CP-Ti sample, and for the Ti64 sample the contact angle increased from 10° to 126°. In addition, the laser surface modification process was carried out with different atmospheres (air, vacuum and O2) on heat-treated but unstrained CP-Ti and Ti64 samples and the contact angle changed due to the surface element content. Thus, as the carbon content increased from 28% to 47% in CP-Ti in a vacuum environment, the surface contact angle increased from 22° to 140°. When a laser surface modification process is conducted under oxygen-less conditions, it is concluded that the contact angle increases rapidly in order to control the hydrophobic properties of Ti and the Ti alloy.

Abstract “Arctic greening” will alter vegetation quantity and quality in northern watersheds, with possible consequences for lake metabolic balance. We used paleolimnology from six Arctic lakes in Greenland, Norway, and Alaska to develop a conceptual model describing how climate‐driven shifts in terrestrial vegetation (spanning herb to boreal forest) influence lake autotrophic biomass (as chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments). Major autotrophic transitions occurred, including (1) optimal production of siliceous algae and cyanobacteria/chlorophytes at intermediate vegetation cover (dwarf shrub and Betula; dissolved organic carbon (DOC) range of 2–4 mg L−1), below and above which UVR exposure (DOC; 4 mgL−1), respectively limit algal biomass, (2) an increase in potentially mixotrophic cryptophytes with higher forest cover and allochthonous carbon supply. Vegetation cover appears to influence lake autotrophs by changing influx of (colored) dissolved organic matter which has multiple interacting roles—as a photoprotectant—in light attenuation and in macronutrient (carbon, nitrogen) supply.

There is a great interest in improving mechanical testing of small samples produced in the laboratory. Plane strain compression is an effective test in which the workpiece is a thin sheet. This provides great potential for testing samples produced by high-pressure torsion. Thus, a custom tool was designed with the aim to test 10 mm diameter discs processed by this technique. Finite element analysis is used to evaluate the deformation zone, stress and strain distribution, and the accuracy in the estimation of stress–strain curves. Pure magnesium and a magnesium alloy processed by high-pressure torsion are tested using this custom-made tool. The trends observed in strength and ductility agree with trends reported in the literature for these materials.

A three-dimensional finite element method (3D FEM) simulation was carried out using ABAQUS/Explicit software to simulate multi-pass processing by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) of a circular cross-sectional workpiece of a Cu-Zr alloy. The effective plastic strain distribution, the strain homogeneity and the occurrence of a steady-state zone in the workpiece were investigated during ECAP processing for up to eight passes. The simulation results show that a strain inhomogeneity was developed in ECAP after one pass due to the formation of a corner gap in the outer corner of the die. The calculations show that the average effective plastic strain and the degree of homogeneity both increase with the number of ECAP passes. Based on the coefficient of variance, a steady-state zone was identified in the middle section of the ECAP workpiece, and this was numerically evaluated as extending over a length of approximately 40 mm along the longitudinal axis for the Cu-Zr alloy.

Tube high-pressure shearing (t-HPS) processing was performed on a eutectic Bi–Sn (57/43) alloy for 0.25, 1, 5 and 20 turns. The selected samples were stored at room temperature for up to 56 days to examine the strain weakening and self-annealing behavior of the alloy. The results showed that t-HPS processing gradually refined the microstructure and led to decreasing of microhardness, but microhardness increased slowly during the subsequent storage at room temperature. Shear localization of the eutectic structure during t-HPS processing was observed as large amounts of narrow dense lamellar zones were visible in the deformed microstructures. The Bi–Sn (57/43) alloy processed by t-HPS exhibited significantly enhanced superplastic properties with elongations up to >1800% in a sample after t-HPS processing for 20 turns. This high elongation is attributed to the breaking of the lamellar structure and the very small grain size.

An Al-3%Mg-0.2%Sc alloy was solution treated and subjected to 10 turns of high-pressure torsion (HPT). Thereafter, the HPT-processed material was annealed for 1 hour at temperatures ranging from 423 to 773 K and its mechanical properties and microstructural evolution were examined using microhardness measurements and EBSD analysis. The results demonstrate that the Al-Mg-Sc alloy exhibits an average microhardness of ~190 Hv and an average grain size of ~140 nm immediately after HPT processing and also after further annealing at 423 K. Conversely, it is shown that annealing at temperatures above 473 K leads to a substantial decrease in the hardness values as well as a sharp increase in the grain size of the material previously processed by HPT. In addition, detailed EBSD analysis revealed the formation of a bi-modal distribution of grains after annealing at temperatures from 623 to 773 K, and this becomes more uniform with increasing temperatures.

The influence of Mo alloying on the thermal stability of grain size, dislocation density and hardness of ultrafine-grained (UFG) Ni alloys was studied. The UFG microstructure in alloys with low (â¼0.3Â at.%) and high (â¼5Â at.%) Mo contents was achieved by high-pressure torsion (HPT) performed for 20 turns at room temperature. The thermal stability of the two alloys was studied by calorimetry. A Curie-transition from ferromagnetic to paramagnetic state was not found for the Niâ5% Mo alloy due to the high Mo content. It was found that heating at a rate of 40Â K/min up to â¼850Â K resulted in a complete recovery and recrystallization of the UFG microstructure in the alloy with 0.3% Mo. The same annealing for Niâ5% Mo led only to a moderate reduction of the dislocation density and the grain size remained in the UFG regime. Therefore, the higher Mo content yielded a much better thermal stability of the Ni alloy. The influence of the change of the microstructure during annealing on the hardness is discussed. Keywords: High-pressure torsion, NiâMo alloys, Dislocations, Grain size, Hardness, Thermal stability

Low-carbon steel AISI 1020 was subjected to high-pressure torsion (HPT) with 6.0Â GPa pressure through 1/4â5 turns. The microstructures of the samples in each turn were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyzing the changes in micro-strain, crystallite size and lattice parameter. Vickers testing was utilized to study the microhardness behavior of the samples subjected to HPT processing. The morphology evolution of the samples and especially the changes in ferrite and pearlite structures were studied for different numbers of turns using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Keywords: 1020 steel, High pressure torsion, Hardness

An Alâ3% Mgâ0.2% Sc alloy was solution treated and processed through 10 turns of high-pressure torsion (HPT) at 450Â K. Afterwards, the HPT-processed alloy was annealed for 1Â h at temperatures ranging from 423 to 773Â K and its mechanical properties and microstructural evolution were examined using microhardness measurements and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis. The results demonstrate that HPT processing at an elevated temperature leads to a more uniform microhardness distribution and to an early saturation in the hardness values in the Al alloy compared with high-pressure torsion at room temperature. In addition, detailed EBSD analysis conducted on the HPT-processed samples immediately after annealing revealed that the AlâMgâSc alloy subjected to HPT processing at 450Â K exhibits superior thermal stability by comparison with the same material subjected to HPT at 300Â K. Keywords: Aluminium alloys, HallâPetch relationship, Hardness, High-pressure torsion, Severe plastic deformation, Thermal stability

The processing of bulk metals through the application of severe plastic deformation leads to significant grain refinement and a consequent strengthening of the material. High-pressure torsion (HPT) generally refers to the processing of disk samples and this technique is especially effective in producing extremely small grains. Recently, new experiments were conducted in which disks of two different alloys, based on aluminum and magnesium, were stacked together and then processed by HPT for up to 20 turns at room temperature. Analysis after processing revealed the formation of a multi-layered structure in the central region of the disks but with a true nanoscale microstructure containing different types of intermetallic compounds within an Al matrix leading to the formation of metal matrix nanocomposites at the disk edges. Measurements showed a lowering of density at the disk edges, thereby confirming the potential for using HPT to fabricate materials with exceptionally high strength-to-weight ratios.

Discs of an extruded AZ80 magnesium alloy were processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) using 6.0 GPa up to 10 turns at different temperatures (296 K and 473 K). The disc surfaces and cross-sectional planes were examined before and after processing using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vickers microhardness (Hv). The microhardness results at the surface show differences in the strength of the material as a function of distance from the disc centres up to saturation, as well as a function of distance from the bottom to the surface in the cross-sectional plane. This study analyses the effect of processing temperature on the evolution of microhardness in the AZ80 magnesium alloy processed by high-pressure torsion. Keywords: Hardness, High-pressure torsion, Magnesium alloy, Severe plastic deformation

Oxygen-free copper of 99.95Â wt.% purity was severely deformed at room temperature by two modes of severe plastic deformation, equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high-pressure torsion (HPT). ECAP was performed using 4, 16 and 24 passes, and HPT was performed using 1/2, 1 and 10 turns. The results show that while recovery occurs during both ECAP and HPT processing, copper shows a faster recovery rate with HPT processing than ECAP. The occurrence of recovery was observed at an equivalent strain exceeding â¼12 that led to an enhancement in the uniform plastic deformation. The influence of recovery behaviour on the mechanical properties was investigated using X-ray diffraction, microhardness and tensile testing. Keywords: Ductility, Equal-channel angular pressing, High-pressure torsion, Recovery, Strain rate sensitivity, Work hardening

Early published results have demonstrated that high purity Cu and a Pbâ62% Sn alloy exhibit very different behaviour during high-pressure torsion (HPT) processing at room temperature and subsequent room temperature storage. High purity Cu showed strain hardening behaviour with a refined grain structure during HPT processing whereas a Pbâ62% Sn alloy displayed a strain weakening behaviour because the hardness values after HPT processing were significantly lower than in the initial as-cast condition even though the grain size was reduced. During room temperature storage after HPT processing, high purity Cu with lower numbers of rotations softened with the time of storage due to local recrystallization and abnormal grain growth whereas the Pbâ62% Sn alloy hardened with the time of storage accompanied by grain growth. Through comparisons and analysis, it is shown that the low absolute melting point and the high homologous temperature at room temperature in the Pbâ62% Sn alloy contribute to the increase in hardness with coarsening grain size during room temperature storage. Keywords: High-pressure torsion, High purity Cu, Pbâ62%Sn alloy, Self-annealing

The energy stored in severely deformed ultrafine-grained (UFG) 316L stainless steel was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). A sample was processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) for N = 10 turns. In the DSC thermogram, two peaks were observed. The first peak was exothermic and related to the annihilation of vacancies and dislocations. During this recovery, the phase composition and the average grain size were practically unchanged. The energy stored in dislocations was calculated and compared with the heat released in the exothermic DSC peak. The difference was related to the annihilation of vacancy-like defects with a concentration of â¼5.2 Ã 10â4. The second DSC peak was endothermic which was caused by a reversion of αâ²-martensite into γ-austenite, however in this temperature range dislocation annihilation and a moderate grain growth also occurred. The specific energy of the reverse martensitic phase transformation was determined as about â11.7 J/g. Keywords: High-pressure torsion, Stored energy, Stainless steel, Phase transformation, Thermal stability

High pressure torsion provides an opportunity to process materials with low formability such as magnesium at room temperature. The present work shows the microstructure evolution in commercially pure magnesium processed using a pressure of 6.0 GPa up to 10 turns of rotation. The microstructure evolution is evaluated using electron microscopy and the hardness is determined using dynamic hardness testing. The results show that the grain refinement mechanism in this material differs from materials with b.c.c. and f.c.c. structures. The mechanism of grain refinement observed at high temperatures also applies at room temperature. The hardness distribution is heterogeneous along the longitudinal section of the discs and is not affected by the amount of deformation imposed to the material.

Equal-channel angular pressing provides an opportunity for refining the grain structure and introducing superplastic properties in magnesium alloys. This report describes the use of this processing technique with a ZK10 (Mg–1.0 wt.% Zn–0.26 wt.% Zr) alloy. The grain structure was successfully refined from ∼12.9 to ∼5.2 μm after 4 passes and superplastic elongations were observed when testing at low strain rates at temperatures of 473 and 523 K. An analysis shows that the superplastic behavior is consistent with the conventional theoretical model for superplastic flow and at higher stresses and strain rates there is a transition to control by a viscous glide process.

The effect of the increase in crystalline defects in the structure generated by high-pressure torsion (HPT) on the corrosion behavior of metallic materials is not well understood. This report evaluates the influence of HPT on the corrosion behavior of a solution treated Al-3wt% Mg-0.2wt% Sc alloy in a 3.5 wt./v.% NaCl solution. The electrochemical behavior of the alloy was evaluated using cyclic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Mott Schottky, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry testing. The passive current density decreased after HPT processing, indicating a more protective oxide layer was formed on the surface of the HPT-processed alloy. Mott Schottky analysis confirmed the higher protection efficiency of the passive layer on the HPT-processed alloy. The film formed in the solution-treated alloy was a p-type and an n-type semiconductor while the alloy processed by HPT exhibited only an n-type semiconductor behavior. EIS showed that corrosion resistance in a saline medium increased with HPT processing.

High-pressure torsion was used to process grade 2 titanium to 10 turns using different pressures up to a maximum of 8 GPa. X ray diffraction showed that the as-received material and the material processed at pressures of 2 GPa and 4 GPa were single phase but the material processed at 8 GPa contained both the h.c.p. and the simple hexagonal ω-phase. Nanoindentation was used to determine the mechanical behavior and the results show a pronounced increase in hardness due both to the severe plastic deformation processing and to the phase transformation at the highest pressure. A maximum hardness of ~4.7 GPa was attained.