Influence of bimetal interface confinement on the Hall-petch slope of multiscale Cu/Nb multilayer composites.

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.

An Overview on the Effect of Severe Plastic Deformation on the Performance of Magnesium for Biomedical Applications.

There has been a great interest in evaluating the potential of severe plastic deformation (SPD) to improve the performance of magnesium for biological applications. However, different properties and trends, including some contradictions, have been reported. The present study critically reviews the structural features, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior and biological response of magnesium and its alloys processed by SPD, with an emphasis on equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and high-pressure torsion (HPT).

AMX - the highly automated macromolecular crystallography (17-ID-1) beamline at the NSLS-II.

The highly automated macromolecular crystallography beamline AMX/17-ID-1 is an undulator-based high-intensity (>5 × 10 photons s), micro-focus (7 µm × 5 µm), low-divergence (1 mrad × 0.35 mrad) energy-tunable (5-18 keV) beamline at the NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA. It is one of the three life science beamlines constructed by the NIH under the ABBIX project and it shares sector 17-ID with the FMX beamline, the frontier micro-focus macromolecular crystallography beamline.

Evidence for a stable single component sharp texture in high purity aluminum during tube high-pressure shearing at room temperature.

A stable {[Formula: see text]}  <110>  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.

Genotype and Environment Affect the Grain Quality and Yield of Winter Oats ( L.).

The extent to which the quality and yield of plant varieties are influenced by the environment is important for their successful uptake by end users particularly as climatic fluctuations are resulting in environments that are highly variable from one growing season to another. The genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) of milling quality and yield was studied using four winter oat varieties in multi-locational trials over 4 years in the U.K.

Subtelomeric assembly of a multi-gene pathway for antimicrobial defense compounds in cereals.

Non-random gene organization in eukaryotes plays a significant role in genome evolution. Here, we investigate the origin of a biosynthetic gene cluster for production of defence compounds in oat-the avenacin cluster. We elucidate the structure and organisation of this 12-gene cluster, characterise the last two missing pathway steps, and reconstitute the entire pathway in tobacco by transient expression.

Population genomics of Mediterranean oat (A. sativa) reveals high genetic diversity and three loci for heading date.

Genomic analysis of Mediterranean oats reveals high genetic diversity and three loci for adaptation to this environment. This information together with phenotyping and passport data, gathered in an interactive map, will be a vital resource for oat genetic improvement. During the twentieth century, oat landraces have increasingly been replaced by modern cultivars, resulting in loss of genetic diversity.

FMX - the Frontier Microfocusing Macromolecular Crystallography Beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source II.

Two new macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II, FMX and AMX, opened for general user operation in February 2017 [Schneider et al. (2013). J.

Exploring the Potential of 3D-printing in Biological Education: A Review of the Literature.

Science education is most effective when it provides authentic experiences that reflect professional practices and approaches that address issues relevant to students' lives and communities. Such educational experiences are becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and can be enhanced using digital fabrication. Digital fabrication is the process of designing objects for the purpose of fabricating with machinery such as 3D-printers, laser cutters, and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines.

Meaning in Life Following Intimate Partner Psychological Aggression: The Roles of Self-Kindness, Positive Reframing, and Growth.

Psychological aggression is experienced by a large proportion of people in intimate relationships, and the negative impact of this experience has the potential to weaken one's sense of meaning in life. This study aimed to understand a mechanism through which the experience of psychological aggression in a past intimate relationship relates to less meaning in life. By applying self-compassion and meaning-making theory, we proposed that the experience of psychological aggression decreases one's ability to be kind toward oneself in times of suffering (i.

A noncanonical vacuolar sugar transferase required for biosynthesis of antimicrobial defense compounds in oat.

Plants produce an array of natural products with important ecological functions. These compounds are often decorated with oligosaccharide groups that influence bioactivity, but the biosynthesis of such sugar chains is not well understood. Triterpene glycosides (saponins) are a large family of plant natural products that determine important agronomic traits, as exemplified by avenacins, antimicrobial defense compounds produced by oats.

Synthesis of a bulk nanostructured metastable Al alloy with extreme supersaturation of Mg.

Nanostructuring of bulk metals is now well documented with the development of severe plastic deformation (SPD) for improving the physical and mechanical properties of engineering materials. Processing by high-pressure torsion (HPT), which was developed initially as a grain refinement technique, was extended recently to the mechanical bonding of dissimilar metals during nanostrcturing which generally involves significant microstructural heterogeneity. Here we introduce, for the first time, a bulk metastable Al-Mg supersaturated solid solution by the diffusion bonding of separate Al and Mg metal solids at room temperature using HPT.

Magnesium-Based Bioactive Composites Processed at Room Temperature.

Hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass particles were added to pure magnesium and an AZ91 magnesium alloy and then consolidated into disc-shaped samples at room temperature using high-pressure torsion (HPT). The bioactive particles appeared well-dispersed in the metal matrix after multiple turns of HPT. Full consolidation was attained using pure magnesium, but the center of the AZ91 disc failed to fully consolidate even after 50 turns.

Effect of high-pressure torsion on microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of cast pure Mg.

High-pressure torsion (HPT) processing was applied to cast pure magnesium, and the effects of the deformation on the microstructure, hardness, tensile properties and corrosion resistance were evaluated. The microstructures of the processed samples were examined by electron backscatter diffraction, and the mechanical properties were determined by Vickers hardness and tensile testing. The corrosion resistance was studied using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a 3.

Towards take-all control: a C-21β oxidase required for acylation of triterpene defence compounds in oat.

Oats produce avenacins, antifungal triterpenes that are synthesized in the roots and provide protection against take-all and other soilborne diseases. Avenacins are acylated at the carbon-21 position of the triterpene scaffold, a modification critical for antifungal activity. We have previously characterized several steps in the avenacin pathway, including those required for acylation.

Multi-Environmental Trials Reveal Genetic Plasticity of Oat Agronomic Traits Associated With Climate Variable Changes.

Although oat cultivation around the Mediterranean basin is steadily increasing, its yield in these regions lags far behind those of Northern Europe. This results mainly from the poor adaptation of current oat cultivars to Mediterranean environments. Local landraces may act as reservoirs of favorable traits that could contribute to increase oat resilience in this region.

Sarin Exposures in A Cohort of British Military Participants in Human Experimental Research at Porton Down 1945-1987.

Background: The effects of exposure to chemical warfare agents in humans are topical. Porton Down is the UK's centre for research on chemical warfare where, since WWI, a programme of experiments involving ~30000 participants drawn from the UK armed services has been undertaken.

Objectives: Our aim is to report on exposures to nerve agents, particularly sarin, using detailed exposure data not explored in a previous analysis.

Expression of a fungal ferulic acid esterase in suspension cultures of tall fescue () decreases cell wall feruloylation and increases rates of cell wall digestion.

In the cell walls of grasses ferulic acid is esterified to arabinosyl residues in arabinoxylans that can then undergo oxidative coupling reactions to form ferulate dehydrodimers, trimers and oligomers which function to cross-link cell-wall polysaccharides, limiting cell wall degradability. Fungal ferulic acid esterase can release both esterified monomeric and dimeric ferulic acids from these cell wall arabinoxylans making the cell wall more susceptible to further enzymatic attack and increasing cell wall degradability. Non-embryogenic cell suspension cultures of expressing a ferulic acid esterase () targeted to either the apoplast, or endoplasmic reticulum under the control of a constitutive actin promoter, or to the vacuole under the control of a soybean heat shock promoter, were established and FAE activity determined in the cells and medium during a growth cycle.

A Consensus Map in Cultivated Hexaploid Oat Reveals Conserved Grass Synteny with Substantial Subgenome Rearrangement.

Hexaploid oat ( L., 2 = 6 = 42) is a member of the Poaceae family and has a large genome (∼12.5 Gb) containing 21 chromosome pairs from three ancestral genomes.

Identifying motivators and barriers to older community-dwelling people participating in resistance training: A cross-sectional study.

Participation rates of older people in resistance training (RT) are low despite increasing research showing many health benefits. To increase the number of older people participating in RT it is important to know what would motivate people to become involved, what motivates those who participate to continue, and the factors preventing many older people from commencing participation. To investigate these issues, a questionnaire was mailed to three groups of older people: (1) those receiving home care services, (2) members of a peak non-government seniors' organisation and (3) those participating in a specific gym-based RT programme.