Social Expenditures at Sub-National Level: An Experience from Indian state of Odisha

The composition and trends of social expenditures at sub-national level in India has been examined using the secondary data from 1987-88 to 2013-14 of the state of Odisha. The composition shows (1) the insignificant share of productive social expenditures, (2) significant share of education relegating the role of health care and (3) higher priority of transfer payments relative to the level of employment and health. The comparative analysis of the composition between pre and post-restructuring period indicates the shifting of priority from education and health towards transfer payments in the later than the former period. The level of social expenditures has been declined over the time period leading to excessive contraction of educational expenditures. The decline in the level of social expenditures is attributed to the use of implicit loopholes of the efficiency criteria used for the devolution of federal transfers. For the economic development of the state increased level of social expenditures, higher priority of education and health and reform in the efficiency criteria used for the devolution of transfers are of crucial need of the hour

An appraisal of Characteristic Mechanical Properties of Aluminium 6061 alloy – Silicon Carbide (SiCp) Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) exposed to different thermal conditions

Aluminium 6061 alloys have been proposed for extensive use in automotive engine applications and there have been discrete cases of experimental implementation. In order to enhance the usability of this material, it has been investigated in composite forms with various ceramic reinforcements. Viability of the different constituents depends on the compatibility of their physical and chemical properties. The service conditions are characterized by extreme stress and temperature conditions very close to failure. Hence thermal stresses play an important role in success of these materials. The difference in the CTE of the alloy matrix and the ceramic reinforcement results in residual thermal stress build up. It may so cause plastic deformation of the matrix in the vicinity of the reinforcement in order to reduce the residual stresses. However, mismatch in thermal strain values may lead to cracking of the matrix in this process. In comparison with the matrix and reinforcement, the interface is rather a porous, non- crystalline portion. Therefore residual stresses are released at these sites with relative ease. When the particle fraction is high, interface availability is more; hence, failure of the MMC is due to formation and propagation of cracks at the interfaces. On the contrary, when particle fraction is less, interface availability is poor; failure is predominantly due to particle cracking. In the present work, cylindrical Al 6061-SiCp MMCs are fabricated in the solid state processing route. The sintering temperature and time of holding at the sintering temperature are varied. The samples are subjected to no thermal shock and thermal shocks at +80 ºC and -80 ºC in different batches. The compressive strengths are determined using an Instron (1195 ) adopting the ASTM E9 standard for hard metals. Fractured specimen are extensively analyzed with an SEM for failure modes. Assessment and evaluation on the basis of mechanical properties reveal that at relatively higher sintering temperature and for short term use, the thermal shock is not much damaging. For short- term use, the thermal shock at an elevated temperature is more damaging for samples sintered at lower temperature. For long-term use, the thermal shock due to a sub-ambient temperature is more damaging when test specimen is sintered at relatively a lower temperature. The micrograph studies reveal that in general when the thermal shock is due to exposure to an elevated temperature, inter-diffusion is high, resulting in strong bonding; hence, the dominating failure mode is cavity generation due to generation of discontinuities at the interface. And when the thermal shock is due to exposure to a sub-ambient temperature, the dominant failure mode is interfacial failure and/or matrix damage

Multi-modal multi-class Parkinson disease classification using CNN and decision level fusion

Parkinson disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, as reported by the World Health Organization. In this paper, we propose a direct three-Class PD classification using two different modalities, namely, MRI and DTI. The three classes used for classification are PD, Scans Without Evidence of Dopamine Deficit and Healthy Control. We use white matter and gray matter from the MRI and fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity from the DTI to achieve our goal. We train four separate CNNs on the above four types of data. At the decision level, the outputs of the four CNN models are fused with an optimal weighted average fusion technique. We achieve an accuracy of 95.53 percentage for the direct three class classification of PD, HC and SWEDD on the publicly available PPMI database. Extensive comparisons including a series of ablation studies clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed solution.Comment: 10th International Conference on Pattern Recognition and Machine Intelligence (Acepted

Formation of a Perfect Fluid in pppp, pp-Pb, Xe-Xe and Pb-Pb Collisions at the Large Hadron Collider Energies

Isothermal compressibility ($\kappa_{\rm T}$) is an important thermodynamic observable which gives information about the deviation of a fluid from a perfect fluid. In this work, for the first time we have estimated the isothermal compressibility of QCD matter formed in high energy hadronic and nuclear collisions using color string percolation model (CSPM), where we investigate the change in $\kappa_{\rm T}$ as a function of final state charged particle multiplicity across various collision species. We have also estimated the initial percolation temperature for different collision systems at different collision energies, which helps us to have a better understanding of the system at the initial phase of evolution. The comparison of the CSPM results for isothermal compressibility with that for the well known fluids, indicates that the matter formed in heavy-ion collisions might be the {\it closest perfect fluid} found in nature. This estimation complements the well-known observation of minimum shear viscosity to entropy density ratio for a possible QGP medium created in heavy-ion collision experiments. Also, a threshold of pseudorapidity density of charged particles, $dN_{\rm ch}/d\eta \simeq 10$ is found for a possible QGP formation at the LHC energies.Comment: Xe-Xe data are added to this versio

RESOLVING THE BIAS POINT FOR WIDE RANGE OF TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS IN HIGH-K/METAL GATE NANOSCALE DG-MOSFET

This article investigates the Zero-Temperature-Coefficient (ZTC) bias point and its associated performance metrics of a High-k Metal Gate (HKMG) DG-MOSFET in nanoscale. The ZTC bias point is defined as the point at which the device parameters are independent of temperature. The discussion includes sub threshold slope (SS), drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL), on-off current ratio (Ion/Ioff), transconductance (gm), output conductance (gd) and intrinsic gain (AV). From the results, it is confirmed that there are two different ZTC bias points, one for IDS (ZTCIDS) and the other for gm (ZTCgm). The points are obtained as: ZTCIDS=0.552 V and ZTCgm =0.410 V, which will open important opportunities in analog circuit design for wide range of temperature applications

ZTC BIAS POINT OF ADVANCED FIN BASED DEVICE: THE IMPORTANCE AND EXPLORATION

The present understanding of this work is about to evaluate and resolve the temperature compensation point (TCP) or zero temperature coefficient (ZTC) point for a sub-20 nm FinFET. The sensitivity of geometry parameters on assorted performances of Fin based device and its reliability over ample range of temperatures i.e. 25 0C to 225 0C is reviewed to extend the benchmark of device scalability. The impact of fin height (HFin), fin width (WFin), and temperature (T) on immense performance metrics including on-off ratio (Ion/Ioff), transconductance (gm), gain (AV), cut-off frequency (fT), static power dissipation (PD), energy (E), energy delay product (EDP), and sweet spot (gmfT/ID) of the FinFET is successfully carried out by commercially available TCAD simulator SentaurusTM from Synopsis Inc

INVESTIGATION ON CYLINDRICAL GATE ALL AROUND (GAA) TO NANOWIRE MOSFET FOR CIRCUIT APPLICATION

Undoped cylindrical gate all around (GAA) MOSFET is a radical invention and a potential candidate to replace conventional MOSFET, as it introduces new direction for transistor scaling. In this work, the sensitivity of process parameters like channel length (Lg), channel thickness (tSi), and gate work function (φM) on various performance metrics of an undoped cylindrical GAA to nanowire MOSFET are systematically analyzed. The electrical characteristics such as on current (Ion), subthreshold leakage current (Ioff), threshold voltage (Vth) and similarly analog/RF performances like transconductance (gm), total gate capacitance (Cgg), and cut-off frequency (fT) are evaluated and studied with the variation of device design parameters. The discussion give direction towards low standby operating power (LSTP) devices as improvement in Ioff is approaching 90% in nanowire MOSFET. All the device performances of undoped GAA MOSFET are investigated through Sentaurus device simulator from Synopsis Inc

Dynamics of Hot QCD Matter -- Current Status and Developments

The discovery and characterization of hot and dense QCD matter, known as Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), remains the most international collaborative effort and synergy between theorists and experimentalists in modern nuclear physics to date. The experimentalists around the world not only collect an unprecedented amount of data in heavy-ion collisions, at Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in New York, USA, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland but also analyze these data to unravel the mystery of this new phase of matter that filled a few microseconds old universe, just after the Big Bang. In the meantime, advancements in theoretical works and computing capability extend our wisdom about the hot-dense QCD matter and its dynamics through mathematical equations. The exchange of ideas between experimentalists and theoreticians is crucial for the progress of our knowledge. The motivation of this first conference named "HOT QCD Matter 2022" is to bring the community together to have a discourse on this topic. In this article, there are 36 sections discussing various topics in the field of relativistic heavy-ion collisions and related phenomena that cover a snapshot of the current experimental observations and theoretical progress. This article begins with the theoretical overview of relativistic spin-hydrodynamics in the presence of the external magnetic field, followed by the Lattice QCD results on heavy quarks in QGP, and finally, it ends with an overview of experiment results.Comment: Compilation of the contributions (148 pages) as presented in the `Hot QCD Matter 2022 conference', held from May 12 to 14, 2022, jointly organized by IIT Goa & Goa University, Goa, Indi

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

An Investigation of Dissimilar Pipe Welding of AISI 304 Stainless Steel with CP Copper

A study on dissimilar metal welding of commercially pure copper and AISI 304 SS pipes with different thicknesses has been carried out. Three different welding processes, namely, pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam, pulsed TIG Arc and continuous CO2 laser beam welding have been compared. For studying the effects of process parameters, viz. peak power, pulse duration, frequency, beam diameter (for laser beam) / stand-off distance (for TIG), processing speed, energy density etc. Controlled set of experiments are conducted as per standard DOE (Design of Experiment) methods. Temperature buildup during welding has been measured by K-type thermocouples with a data acquisition system. Mechanical and metallurgical characterization of the welds, i.e., tensile strength, bead geometry, microhardness, etc., have been performed. Microstructure of the weld pool has been characterized by SEM, EDX and XRD. Effect of ramp down parameters on the closure bead shape has been studied in pulsed TIG arc welding. The results have been analyzed statistically with RSM (Response Surface Method). Finite element modeling of the process has been done and simulations have been run at the parameter combination levels selected during experimentation. Customized jigs and attachments have been designed and fabricated for automation of the welding process of pipes. Results from mechanical testings have been encouraging, with weld strengths realized in between those of the base metals. In most cases, joint failure has taken place away from the fusion zone and in the weaker component (Copper). A few welds fabricated with pulsed Nd:YAG laser failed at HAZ or in the base metal. Some parametric combinations resulted in solidification cracking at the crown. Microstructural characterization shows presence of unmixed zones, partially mixed zones and carbide precipitation similar to results reported by previous researchers. Use of frequency as a tool for controlling weld pool agitation and the weld bead shape has been tried and found to be effective. Pulsed TIG arc welding and CO2 laser welding have been found to be more suitable for welding load bearing structures. Pulsed Nd:YAG laser has been found to be more suitable for welding smaller pipe thicknesses. The results and the models proposed by the present study can serve as an useful tool for further improvisations in autogenous welding of CP Copper and AISI 304 SS