Modelling the coefficient of thermal expansion in Ni-based superalloys and bond coatings

The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of nickel-based superalloys and bond coat layers was modelled by considering contributions from their constituent phases. The equilibrium phase composition of the examined materials was determined using thermodynamic equilibrium software with an appropriate database for Ni-based alloys, whereas the CTE and elastic properties of the principal phases were modelled using published data. The CTEs of individual phases were combined using a number of approaches to determine the CTE of the phase aggregate. As part of this work, the expansion coefficients of the superalloy IN-738LC and bond coat Amdry-995 were measured as a function of temperature and compared with the model predictions. The predicted values were also validated with the published data for the single-crystal superalloy CMSX-4 and a number of other Ni-based alloy compositions at 1000 K. A very good agreement between experiment and model output was found, especially up to 800  $$^\circ$$ � C. The modelling approaches discussed in this paper have the potential to be an extremely useful tool for the industry and for the designers of new coating systems

Studies on prevalence of anopheline species and community perception of malaria in Jaffna district, Sri Lanka

Background & objectives: Over two decades of civil unrest and the conflict situation have had detrimental effects on vector control activities and management of malaria in Jaffna district which is an endemic region for malaria in Sri Lanka. With the background that only a few small-scale studies on malaria and its vectors have been reported from this district, a study was designed to explore the current status of malaria in the Jaffna district in relation to vector and community aspects.Methods: Adults and larvae of anopheline mosquitoes were collected monthly from selected endemic localities. Species prevalence of the collected mosquitoes was studied while the collected adults of Anopheles subpictus, a potential vector in the district, was screened for sibling species composition based on morphological characteristics and exposed to common insecticides using WHO bioassay kits. Knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of the community were tested using a pre-tested structured questionnaire in high-risk and low-risk localities in the district.Results: The anopheline mosquito species distribution in the district was—An. culicifacies (0.5%), An. subpictus (46%), An. varuna (4%), An. nigerrimus (44%) and An. pallidus (5.5%). Among the collected larvae the percent prevalence of An. culicifacies was 13% and other species follows as: An. subpictus (71%), An. varuna (4%), An. nigerrimus (10%) and An. pallidus (2%). Sibling species B, C and D of An. subpictus were present in the district with the predominance of B in both coastal and inland areas, while all members showed both indoor and outdoor resting characteristics, they were highly resistant to DDT (4%) and highly susceptible to malathion (5%). KAP study in the district showed a reasonable level of knowledge, positive attitude and practices towards malaria.Conclusion: An. subpictus, the reported major vector of Jaffna and a well-established secondary vector of malaria in the country, continues to be the predominant anopheline species. The distribution of sibling species of An. subpictus complex in the Jaffna district, revealed for the first time, has implications for future studies on its bionomics and malaria transmission pattern in this area and the planning of control strategies for this region. The community perception of disease, which revealed a satisfactory knowledge indicates the potential for better community participation in future malaria control activities in this region. As potential vectors are still present, health authorities need to be vigilant to prevent any future epidemics of malaria

Synchrotron imaging assessment of bone quality

Bone is a complex hierarchical structure and its principal function is to resist mechanical forces and fracture. Bone strength depends not only on the quantity of bone tissue but also on the shape and hierarchical structure. The hierarchical levels are interrelated, especially the micro-architecture, collagen and mineral components; hence analysis of their specific roles in bone strength and stiffness is difficult. Synchrotron imaging technologies including micro-CT and small/wide angle X-Ray scattering/diffraction are becoming increasingly popular for studying bone because the images can resolve deformations in the micro-architecture and collagen-mineral matrix under in situ mechanical loading. Synchrotron cannot be directly applied in-vivo due to the high radiation dose but will allow researchers to carry out systematic multifaceted studies of bone ex-vivo. Identifying characteristics of aging and disease will underpin future efforts to generate novel devices and interventional therapies for assessing and promoting healthy aging. With our own research work as examples, this paper introduces how synchrotron imaging technology can be used with in-situ testing in bone research

Modelling of microstructural evolution in multi-layered overlay coatings

Functionally graded, multi-layered coatings are designed to provide corrosion protection over a range of operating conditions typically found in industrial gas turbines. A model incorporating diffusion, equilibrium thermodynamics and oxidation has been developed to simulate the microstructural evolution within a multi-layered coating system. The phase and concentration profiles predicted by the model have been compared with an experimental multi-layered system containing an Al-rich outer layer, a Cr-enriched middle layer and an MCrAlY-type inner layer deposited on a superalloy substrate. The concentration distribution and many microstructural features observed experimentally can be predicted by the model. The model is expected to be useful for assessing the microstructural evolution of multilayer coated systems which can be potentially used on industrial gas turbine aerofoils

Advances in Natural Language Question Answering: A Review

Question Answering has recently received high attention from artificial intelligence communities due to the advancements in learning technologies. Early question answering models used rule-based approaches and moved to the statistical approach to address the vastly available information. However, statistical approaches are shown to underperform in handling the dynamic nature and the variation of language. Therefore, learning models have shown the capability of handling the dynamic nature and variations in language. Many deep learning methods have been introduced to question answering. Most of the deep learning approaches have shown to achieve higher results compared to machine learning and statistical methods. The dynamic nature of language has profited from the nonlinear learning in deep learning. This has created prominent success and a spike in work on question answering. This paper discusses the successes and challenges in question answering question answering systems and techniques that are used in these challenges

Applications of Computation-In-Memory Architectures based on Memristive Devices

Today's computing architectures and device technologies are unable to meet the increasingly stringent demands on energy and performance posed by emerging applications. Therefore, alternative computing architectures are being explored that leverage novel post-CMOS device technologies. One of these is a Computation-in-Memory architecture based on memristive devices. This paper describes the concept of such an architecture and shows different applications that could significantly benefit from it. For each application, the algorithm, the architecture, the primitive operations, and the potential benefits are presented. The applications cover the domains of data analytics, signal processing, and machine learning

Eco-Friendly Alternatives for Storage Pest Management:Leaves of Ruta Graveolens (Aruda) as a Repellent Against the Rice Weevil, Sitophilus Oryzae L.

In view of worldwide interest and greater public awareness in finding plant products as the most promising and ecologically safer alternatives for synthetic insecticides in post-harvest protection of stored rice, present study was undertaken to explore the potential of leaves of Ruta graveolens (Aruda) as a repellent against S.oryzae infestations. Leaf powder and solvent extracts of R. graveolens were evaluated for their contact and fumigant repellent properties against seven day old S. oryzae adults. In contact repellency test, weevils (20 each) were exposed to 1.0 g, 3.0 g, 5.0 g, and 7.0 g of leaf powder mixed with white raw rice grains in a modified cup bioassay apparatus. Fumigation repellency of leaf powder was tested using same dosages and the number of weevils in a fumigation-repellency chamber. Number of weevils that moved from the bioassay chamber was recorded one hour after weevil introduction. Leaves of R. graveolens were extracted in hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol, distilled water and different concentrations 10, 50, 100% (v/v) were assessed separately to evaluate repellent activity by means of an area preference bioassay. In all experiments, ten weevils for each were tested and the number repelled was recorded 30 minutes after weevil introduction. Highest contact and fumigant repellent effects were elicited by 7.0 g of leaf powder resulting 96% and 95% respectively, whilst lowest dose also produced more than 50% repellency indicating extremely strong repellent action of the plant powder. In comparison, aqueous extract exhibited the most potent repellent activity (91%) while other extracts were producing over 70% repellent effects on weevils at the concentration of 100% (v/v). Overall findings of the study suggest that both powder and extracts of R. graveolens leaves could be used as eco-friendly agents for post-harvest rice protection. KEYWORDS: Ruta graveolens, Sitophilus oryzae, stored rice, leaf powder, repellen

Scale up your In-Memory Accelerator: Leveraging Wireless-on-Chip Communication for AIMC-based CNN Inference

Analog In-Memory Computing (AIMC) is emerging as a disruptive paradigm for heterogeneous computing, potentially delivering orders of magnitude better peak performance and efficiency over traditional digital signal processing architectures on Matrix-Vector multiplication. However, to sustain this throughput in real-world applications, AIMC tiles must be supplied with data at very high bandwidth and low latency; this poses an unprecedented pressure on the on-chip communication infrastructure, which becomes the system's performance and efficiency bottleneck. In this context, the performance and plasticity of emerging on-chip wireless communication paradigms provide the required breakthrough to up-scale on-chip communication in large AIMC devices. This work presents a many-tile AIMC architecture with inter-tile wireless communication that integrates multiple heterogeneous computing clusters, embedding a mix of parallel RISC-V cores and AIMC tiles. We perform an extensive design space exploration of the proposed architecture and discuss the benefits of exploiting emerging on-chip communication technologies such as wireless transceivers in the millimeter-wave and terahertz band

Pathological Characteristics of Primary Bladder Carcinoma Treated at a Tertiary Care Hospital and Changing Demographics of Bladder Cancer in Sri Lanka

Objectives. The aim was to compare demographics and pathological features of bladder carcinoma treated in a urology unit with findings of previous studies done in Sri Lanka. Materials and Methods. Data of newly diagnosed patients with bladder cancer in a tertiary referral centre from 2011 to 2014 were analysed. Data on bladder cancers diagnosed from 1993 to 2014 were obtained from previous publications and Sri Lanka Cancer Registry. Results. There were 148 patients and mean age was 65 years. Male to female ratio was 4.1 : 1. Urothelial carcinoma (UC) was found in 89.2% of patients. Muscle invasion was noted in 35% of patients compared to 48.4% two decades ago. In patients with UC, 16.5% were found to have pT1 high grade tumour. It was 5.3% from 1993 to 2000. Pure squamous cell carcinoma was found in 8.1% of patients while primary or de novo carcinoma in situ (not associated with high grade pT1 tumours) was seen in one patient only. Conclusions. The percentage of squamous carcinoma is higher among Sri Lankan patients while primary carcinoma in situ is a rarity. The percentage of muscle invasive disease has decreased while the percentage of pT1 high grade tumours has increased during the last two decades in Sri Lanka