Band Positions Used for On-Line Crystallographic Orientation Determination from Electron Back Scattering Patterns

A computer procedure for on-line analysis of electron back scattering patterns (EBSP) has been developed. An experimental EBSP is computer recorded and displayed on a computer monitor. The user identifies the positions of at least two bands in the EBSP with a cursor. Based on this input the computer calculates possible crystallographic orientations. The corresponding EBSPs are simulated and superimposed on the experimental EBSP. The correct crystallographic orientation is determined from a comparison between the experimental and simulated EBSPs. Typically, the analysis takes a 10-30 seconds per pattern. Advantages with the present procedure are that it can be applied for any crystal symmetry, that it requires no knowledge about electron diffraction maps, that it can be used for EBSPs with relatively low contrast, and that the indexing is very precise. For relative orientation measurements the accuracy is found to be within range 0.05°-0.20°, whereas, for repeated measurements of a given grain after complete remounting of sample and EBSP equipment, it was determined to be 0.5°. Furthermore, the procedure facilitates fully automatic pattern recognition

A phase-field simulation study of irregular grain boundary migration during recrystallization

We present simulation results based on a phase-field model that describes the migration of recrystallization boundaries into spatially varying deformation energy fields. Energy fields with 2-dimensional variations representing 2 sets of dislocation boundaries lying at equal, but opposite, angles to the moving boundary are considered. The simulations show that the shape and overall migration rate of the recrystallization front is considerably affected by spatial variations in the deformation microstructure. It is seen that, depending on characteristics of the variations in the deformation microstructure, highly asymmetrical protrusions and retrusions can develop on the migrating recrystallization front resulting in a migration velocity considerably larger than that expected from standard recrystallization models. It is also seen that, when the wavelength of the variations in a deformation microstructure along the grain boundary is larger than the wavelength of the variations in the direction of migration, parts of the boundary show a stop-and-go type of migration, resulting in a lower overall migration rate. These simulations thus reproduce and explain many of the typical features observed in recrystallization experiments. They give new insights in the way deformation microstructures can affect the migration behavior of recrystallization boundaries and can lead to a stop-and-go type of migration of the recrystallization boundary even in pure materials.status: publishe

Adverse trends in male reproductive health: we may have reached a crucial ‘tipping point’

Healthy men produce an enormous number of sperms, far more than necessary for conception. However, several studies suggest that semen samples where the concentration of sperms is below 40 mill/mL may be associated with longer time to pregnancy or even subfertility, and specimens where the concentration of sperms is below 15 mill/mL may carry a high risk of infertility. Historic data from the 1940s show that the bulk of young men at that time had sperm counts far above 40 mill/mL with averages higher than 100 mill/mL. However, recent surveillance studies of young men from the general populations of young men in Northern Europe show that semen quality is much poorer. In Denmark approximately 40 percent of the men have now sperm counts below 40 mill/mL. A simulation assuming that average sperm count had declined from 100 mill/mL in ‘old times’ to a current level close to 40 mill/mL indicated that the first decline in average sperm number of 20–40 mill/mL might not have had much effect on pregnancy rates, as the majority of men would still have had counts far above the threshold value. However, due to the assumed decline in semen quality, the sperm counts of the majority of 20 year old European men are now so low that we may be close to the crucial tipping point of 40 mill/mL spermatozoa. Consequently, we must face the possibility of more infertile couples and lower fertility rates in the future