Grain Boundary Driven Plateau-Rayleigh Instability in Multilayer Nanocrystalline Thin Film: A Phase-field Study

Thermal stability of nanocrystalline multilayer thin film is of paramount importance as the applications often involve high temperature. Here we report on the layer instability phenomenon in binary polycrystalline thin film initiating from the grain boundary migrations at higher temperatures using phase-field simulations. Effect of layer thickness, bilayer spacing and the absence of grain boundary are also investigated along with the grain boundary mobility of individual phases on the layer stability. Layer instability in the polycrystalline film is shown to arise from the grain boundary grooving which originates spontaneously from the presence of grain boundaries. Our results show that the growth of the perturbation generated from the differential curvature follows Plateau-Rayleigh instability criterion. Increase in layer thickness, lower bilayer thickness as well as lower grain boundary mobility improve layer stability. Phase-field simulations show similar microstructural evolution as has been observed in our Zirconium (Zr)/Zirconium Nitride (ZrN) system experimentally. Detail analysis performed in this work to understand the mechanisms of layer instability leads us to predict measures which will improve the thermal stability of multilayer nanocrystalline thin film

HEAT INACTIVATION KINETICS OF TULANE VIRUS AND AICHI VIRUS

Human noroviruses (HNoVs) and Aichi virus (AiV) causes significant number of gastrointestinal diseases worldwide. Tulane virus (TV), a cultivable HNoV surrogate, is used to determine control measures against HNoV. The objectives of this study were to determine the heat inactivation kinetics of TV and AiV in cell-culture media and TV in spinach using the first-order and Weibull models. TV and AiV in cell-culture media at ~7 log PFU/ml in 2-ml glass vials were heated at 50-58°C [degree Celsius] up to 10 min in a circulating water-bath. Surviving infectious viruses were enumerated by standard plaque assays using confluent host cells in 6-well plates. The Weibull model showed Td=1 [thermal decimal reduction time] values of 2.53±0.08, 1.99±0.10, 0.57±0.64 and 0.22±0.25 min, respectively at the same temperatures with z-value of 6.99°C for cell culture media in 2-ml glass vials. D-values for TV in spinach in vacuum bags were 7.94±0.09, 4.09±0.04 and 1.43±0.07min and a z-value 10.74±0.01°C by the first-order model and 4.89±0.02, 3.21±0.45 and 0.25±0.38 min for the Weibull model at 50, 54 and 58°C, respectively. TV may not be as suitable a surrogate as MNV-1 (with D50°C of 36.28 min in cell-culture media and 14.57 min in spinach in 2-ml vials) for HNoV heat inactivation studies in cell culture media in 2-ml glass vials or spinach in vacuum bags owing to its lower D and z-values. D-values for AiV in 2-ml glass vials at 50, 54, and 58°C from the first-order model were 47.62±1.2, 7.14±1.13 and 2.12±0.04 min, respectively, with a z-value of 5.92°C, while the Weibull model showed Td=1 values of 34.53±0.03, 2.59±0.05 and 0.91±0.06 min for the same temperatures, respectively. Thus, both TV and AiV have lower heat resistance than hepatitis A virus (D56°C of 8.4 min in buffer in 2-ml glass vials and 8.43 min in spinach in vacuum bags). This study helped in understanding the heat-inactivation kinetics of AiV and TV that provide data for use in thermal processing to ensure food safety

Investigation of electronic and magnetic responses in topological semimetals

Numerous advancements and benefits of the digital age have been made possible by the advent of quantum computers, which is the result of a countless effort of researchers. The rate at which tasks are completed has significantly picked up, while at the same time, the size of these devices is continuing shrinking. When it became clear that even the silicon industry would soon reach its point of saturation, those in the research community became aware of the need to look for an alternative solution. And if we are talking about boosting the speed of computers and reducing the amount of storage space they occupy, there is yet another significant obstacle to overcome in terms of the conservation of energy. Researchers should be working on a solution right now because we are in the midst of a significant energy crisis, and this would be the best time for them to do so. It would be in their best interest to look into ways to reduce their energy consumption, given that we are already aware of how vital it is to pursue such avenues of inquiry. We are certain that the investigation of topological materials can make a contribution to the solution of a good deal of these issues, and we are very optimistic about this prospect (Figure 1.1). It is anticipated that perhaps up to 24 % of all materials will have some topological features [2]. As a consequence of this, the range of possible applications can be increased due to the wide variety of materials that are available. Over the course of the last decade, the expansion of the field of research that focuses on condensed matter physics has directly caused a sea change in the field as a direct result of the growth of materials [3]. These topological materials have the potential to bring scientists one step closer to discovering practical applications for unusual phases. Some of these applications include having the potential to revolutionize electronics and catalysis. These topological materials provide researchers with additional hope to find a solution for the energy crisis. Additionally, prior to the development of applications, it is necessary to identify materials that are suitable for these applications and to study the physical phenomena that are associated with these materials. There are a variety of topological materials that are currently being reexamined for use in improved thermoelectric devices, improved catalytic processes, and various spintronic devices. At the same time, researchers are also looking into new materials which can be used for technical applications in these fields. With this motivation of PhD thesis, several topological semimetals were synthesized to investigate their electronic and magnetic response, and the search for new topological materials with intriguing physical properties were also sought

Mining Transaction Data for Process Instance Monitoring in Legacy Systems

End-to-End business processes in organizations are implemented across multiple applications, legacy systems, ERP systemsand products. In such scenarios where applications are developed over a period of time and with varying technologies,monitoring end-to-end business processes is a challenge. Typical methods for providing process monitoring capabilities areintrusive methods like changing code and introducing probes; or introducing new software tools like EAI and BAM. Wepropose a non-intrusive process instance monitoring (PIM) method that uses the persistent data generated by the businesstransactions to monitor the process instances in Legacy Information Systems. We propose a slightly unconventional datamining method where the transaction data is parsed from the application data stores, loaded into custom schema and thenassociated to the process flow for monitoring the state of individual process instances. The approach further provides foralerting when business events like an SLA violation occur

Laparoscopic retrieval of misplaced copper T

Intrauterine contraceptive device is important part of family planning services in India. These can be inserted post menstrually, post abortal, post-delivery or in post puerperal period. Associated complications include bleeding, pain, infection, expulsion and most serious complication as perforation of uterine wall and migration to adjacent organs. We present a case of successful laparoscopic retrieval of a misplaced cuT. A 30-year-old female para 2 live 1 presented in SDMH outpatient department with right sided lower abdominal pain since one year. NCCT scan of pelvis showed IUCD in pelvic cavity anteriorly just above urinary bladder. Laparoscopic removal of cuT was done along with tubal recanalization