Quaternary paleoclimatic signals from the Levant have been frequently correlated with the most widely used stratigraphic divisions of high latitudes. In this article, relevant data, underlying concepts and new information are critically reviewed to highlight sources of uncertainty. Comparison between four sites from the Bekaa Valley demonstrate the problem of correlations and paleoenvironmental diversity of the region.

Severe Plastic Deformation (SPD) techniques have been used by researchers for last three decades in order to obtain Ultra-Fine Grained (UFG) materials. Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP) is preferred more than other SPD techniques thanks to its high performance and practicability. Hexa Equal Channel Angular Pressing (Hexa-ECAP) – modified ECAP technique which enables to apply ECAP routes for cylindrical samples properly – was preferred in this study. Within the objective of this study, the effects of coefficient and ram velocity on the mean effective strain and strain inhomogeneity of Hexa-ECAP processed Al7075 aluminium alloy were investigated. Also, the effects of ram velocity and friction coefficient on hardness homogeneity were investigated benefitting from the similarity between the hardness distribution and the strain distribution.

The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it aims at problematizing the inhomogeneity of linguistic features belonging to the so-called neostandard Italian, often presented as a monolithic inventory of linguistic forms and phenomena. Second, it intends to set such a linguistic variety in the context of Italian language pedagogy, still strongly anchored to the normative grammar and to the canons of standard Italian. Specifically, some rapidly consolidating neo-standard traits will be examined under the following aspects: structural and semantic complexity, functional and communicative value and extension in today’s usage.