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The effect of alloy composition and oxidation condition on specific mass gain of FeCrAl alloys was studied and analyzed using a combination of experimental and AI approaches. A Neural Network (NN) classification model was used on the experimental FeCrAl dataset produced at GE Research from steam oxidation studies at both high (~ 1000°C) and low temperature (~ 400°C). Furthermore, using the Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) tool, we explore how the NN can identify an alloy at specific oxidation condition to form a protective oxide or not. We found high Al and Cr concentration increases the chances of forming protective oxide layer, which is consistent with literature studies. Contrary to Al and Cr, the presence of Mo in FeCrAl creates thick unprotective oxide scale that results in high mass gain per unit area.

Smaller shaped charges with a 34 to 43-mm, 18-to-21-gram Copper-Lead liner (Tungsten added for "Deep Penetrators"), engineered for 318 -in OD guns, targeting US Land shale, can produce, an average, a lateral entry of 0.36-inches. A larger diameter entry-hole (EHD), based on perforation design (limited entry vs. high perf. design) has several benefits: lowering of "Perforation Friction" (Pf), lowering of treatment pressures, larger flow across each perforation, fewer chances of a screen-out, uniform drainage, and engineered completions where larger EHD perforations can be placed at the "Toe" with decreasing EHD perforations towards the "Heel" to offset wellbore fluid friction, especially in 3-mile long lateral "Toe". Such was the motivation behind engineering a water reactive, degradable-liner from High-Entropy-Alloys (HEA), producing a significantly larger entry-hole and accompanying debris-free perf-tunnel from a smaller charge, without changing the liner geometry or size, such that it can be universally accommodated in smaller diameter API gun, for example with a 318-in OD. A step change in adding sensing and intelligence to a shaped charge, enabling remote monitoring of zonal performance through strategic deployment of the product, was envisioned for the very first time, adding smart nano-particulates as unique identifiers or tracers in the composite liner bulk. As these novel charges are fired, the thermally stable, doped, nanoparticle rare earth oxide (REO) tracers are carried by the jet and deposited in the perforation tunnel. Hypothesized was their control release during flowback, being conveyed back to the surface with production. These nanoparticle tracers can be identified when they pass through an in-line detector with a collimated light source of predetermined wavelengths, illuminating the tracers, emitting photons with a unique fingerprint, thus identifying the nanocrystal. The detector, comprising a remote computing system configured to store and relay information relating to these tracers is under development. This industry first is a paradigm shift in remote-monitoring, alerting any end user, anywhere in the world, of selected downhole event triggers, without running any device in the well. Never before envisioned innovation to identify non-productive zones, diverter effectiveness, water break out and much more can now be determined, effectively and economically. A five-well field trial of tracer shaped charges with degradable liners were undertaken in the Permian shale (US Land), shot in parallel to industry premium charges, every other stage for selected stages, for a comparative performance analysis. Generally observed were: Up to (a) 10% less time to design rate (b) lowering of pad volumes (ESG) (c) distinct reduction in perf-friction (d) Successful tracer conveyance via charges and returns with flowback fluids to surface. Given its superior performance, far exceeding initial field introduction metrics, tracer charges with degradable HEA liners are predicted to be a game changer in harnessing formations with high frac-gradient and tight rocks, including carbonates in Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The scanning superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) fabricated on the tip of a sharp quartz pipette (SQUID-on-tip) has emerged as a versatile tool for nanoscale imaging of magnetic, thermal, and transport properties of microscopic devices of quantum materials. We present the design and performance of a scanning SQUID-on-tip microscope in a top-loading probe of a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. The microscope is enclosed in a custom-made vacuum-tight cell mounted at the bottom of the probe and is suspended by springs to suppress vibrations caused by the pulse tube cryocooler. Two capillaries allow in-situ control of helium exchange gas pressure in the cell that is required for thermal imaging. A nanoscale heater is used to create local temperature gradients in the sample, which enables quantitative characterization of the relative vibrations between the tip and the sample. The spectrum of the vibrations shows distinct resonant peaks with maximal power density of about 27 nm/Hz$^{1/2}$ in the in-plane direction. The performance of the SQUID-on-tip microscope is demonstrated by magnetic imaging of the MnBi$_2$Te$_4$ magnetic topological insulator, magnetization and current distribution imaging in a SrRuO$_3$ ferromagnetic oxide thin film, and by thermal imaging of dissipation in graphene., Submitted to Review of Scientific Instruments

Objective:The burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is higher in low- and middle-income countries, but HAIs are often missed because surveillance is not conducted. Here, we describe the identification of and response to a cluster of Burkholderia cepacia complex (BCC) bloodstream infections (BSIs) associated with high mortality in a surgical ICU (SICU) that joined an HAI surveillance network.Setting:A 780-bed, tertiary-level, public teaching hospital in northern India.Methods:After detecting a cluster of BCC in the SICU, cases were identified by reviewing laboratory registers and automated identification and susceptibility testing outputs. Sociodemographic details, clinical records, and potential exposure histories were collected, and a self-appraisal of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices using assessment tools from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was conducted. Training and feedback were provided to hospital staff. Environmental samples were collected from high-touch surfaces, intravenous medications, saline, and mouthwash.Results:Between October 2017 and October 2018, 183 BCC BSI cases were identified. Case records were available for 121 case patients. Of these 121 cases, 91 (75%) were male, the median age was 35 years, and 57 (47%) died. IPC scores were low in the areas of technical guidelines, human resources, and monitoring and evaluation. Of the 30 environmental samples, 4 grew BCC. A single source of the outbreak was not identified.Conclusions:Implementing standardized HAI surveillance in a low-resource setting detected an ongoing Burkholderia cepacia outbreak. The outbreak investigation and use of a multimodal approach reduced incident cases and informed changes in IPC practices.

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-layer non-DHT-based structured P2P network. It is an interest-based system and consists of different clusters such that peers in a given cluster possess instances of a particular resource type. It offers efficient data look-up protocols with low latency. However, the architecture lacks in one very important aspect: it is assumed that no peer in any cluster can have more than one resource type, and this could be a very hard restriction practically. This is true for all interest-based works existing in the literature. Therefore, in the present work, we have addressed this issue of generalizing the architecture to overcome this restriction and so far, have come up with some significant initial results. Work is being on to complete the generalization process. We have identified some of our previously reported data look-up protocols that will need to be modified in order to accommodate the new findings toward the generalization and while doing so, we aim at keeping the data look-up latencies of these probable modified protocols unchanged. In addition, our objective is to consider security in communication in the generalized architecture as well. To achieve it, we aim at using mainly public key-based approach for the different look-up protocols reported earlier, because results obtained so far in this direction indicate that the required number of public-private key pairs will be much smaller than the number of symmetric keys if symmetric key-based approach is used.

Compared to 5G, 6G networks will demand even more ambitious reduction in endto-end latency for packet communication. Recent attempts at breaking the barrier of end-to-end millisecond latencies have focused on re-engineering networks using a hybrid approach consisting of an optical-fiber based backbone network architecture coupled with high-speed wireless networks to connect end-devices to the backbone network. In our approach, a wide area network (WAN) is considered with a high-speed optical fiber grid network as its backbone. After messages from a source node enter the backbone network through a local wireless network, these are delivered very fast to an access point in the backbone network closest to the destination node, followed by its transfer to the local wireless network for delivery to the destination node. We propose a novel routing strategy which is based on distributing the messages in the network in such a way that the average queuing delay of the messages through the backbone network is minimized, and also the route discovery time at each router in the backbone network is drastically reduced. Also, multiple messages destined towards a particular destination router in the backbone network are packed together to form a mailbag, allowing further reductions in processing overheads at intermediate routers and pipelining of mailbag formation and route discovery operations in each router. The performance of the proposed approach green based on these ideas has been theoretically analyzed and then simulated using the ns-3 simulator. Our results show that the average end-to-end latency is less than 380 µs (with only 46-79 µs within the backbone network under varying traffic conditions) for a 1 KB packet size, when using a 500 Gbps optical fiber based backbone network laid over a 15 Km × 15 Km area, a 50 Mbps uplink channel from the source to the backbone network, and a 1 Gbps downlink channel from the backbone network to the destination. The significant reduction in end-to-end latency as compared to existing routing solutions clearly demonstrates the potential of our proposed routing strategy for meeting the ultra-low latency requirements of current 5G and future 6G networks, particularly for mobile edge computing (MEC) application scenarios.

With the serendipitous discovery of crown ethers by Pedersen more than half a century ago and the subsequent introduction of host-guest chemistry and supramolecular chemistry by Cram and Lehn, respectively, followed by the design and synthesis of wholly synthetic cyclophanes-in particular, fluorescent cyclophanes, having rich structural characteristics and functions-have been the focus of considerable research activity during the past few decades. Cyclophanes with remarkable emissive properties have been investigated continuously over the years and employed in numerous applications across the field of science and technology. In this Review, we feature the recent developments in the chemistry of fluorescent cyclophanes, along with their design and synthesis. Their host-guest chemistry and applications related to their structure and properties are highlighted.

The main objective of this research paper was to find out the major governing factors controlling fluoride enrichment in groundwater resources in the Jaipur region of India. Chemical analysis of co...

COVID-19 is an infectious disease, which has adversely affected public health and the economy across the world. On account of the highly infectious nature of the disease, rapid automated diagnosis of COVID-19 is urgently needed. A few recent findings suggest that chest X-rays and CT scans can be used by machine learning for the diagnosis of COVID-19. Herein, we employed semi-supervised learning (SSL) approaches to detect COVID-19 cases accurately by analyzing digital chest X-rays and CT scans. On a relatively small COVID-19 radiography dataset, which contains only 219 COVID-19 positive images, 1341 normal and 1345 viral pneumonia images, our algorithm, COVIDCon, which takes advantage of data augmentation, consistency regularization, and multicontrastive learning, attains 97.07% average class prediction accuracy, with 1000 labeled images, which is 7.65% better than the next best SSL method, virtual adversarial training. COVIDCon performs even better on a larger COVID-19 CT Scan dataset that contains 82,767 images. It achieved an excellent accuracy of 99.13%, at 20,000 labels, which is 6.45% better than the next best pseudo-labeling approach. COVIDCon outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms at every label that we have investigated. These results demonstrate COVIDCon as the benchmark SSL algorithm for potential diagnosis of COVID-19 from chest X-rays and CT-Scans. Furthermore, COVIDCon performs exceptionally well in identifying COVID-19 positive cases from a completely unseen repository with a confirmed COVID-19 case history. COVIDCon, may provide a fast, accurate, and reliable method for screening COVID-19 patients.

Because peer-to-peer networks are inherently insecure, they provide a special chal- lenge in terms of network security. In this study, we have considered a recently described non-DHT-based 2-level structured P2P network. It is an architecture built on interests. Utilizing RC, a modular arithmetic-based residue class, the overlay topology has been achieved. This design was chosen because it allows for minimal latency in both intra and inter-group communications. In the present study, we provide efficient schemes for public- key cryptographic security of existing communication protocols. We have also extended these approaches to include anonymity.

Rapid frequency and mean time between failures (MTBF), affecting the overall performance of components such as pump liners, entire fluid ends and washpipe sleeves deployed in aggressive & abrasive environments, presents innovation opportunities to mitigate and improve failure intervals. In-depth review of the needs of collaborating end-users, warranted design of Ultra-Hard-Coating free (CVD, PVD, DLC, HVOF etc.), erosion-corrosion resistant nano-composite(s) (CRn-C) for oilfield-applications. Given our vast experience with Ultra-Hard-Coatings on a softer metal-matrix, wherein dynamic surface force due to impinging hard-particulates like grains of sand enveloped in a fluid (slick-water) creates hydrodynamic-forces acting on the particulates resulting in fracture of Hard- Coatings at a microscopic length-scale, commonly characterized as erosion. Breach of the coating and subsequent entry of corrosive-fluids between the coating and softer metal-substrate causes crevice-corrosion leading to catastrophic failures. To help bridge this challenging "Technology-gap", here we present the design of nano- composites wherein the base-material is a corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) having multi- nano- phase inclusions, with loadings up-to 90%.

In this paper, we have considered a recently reported 2-layer non-DHT-based structured P2P network. Residue Class based on modular arithmetic has been used to realize the overlay topology. At the heart of the architecture (layer-1), there exists a tree like structure, known as pyramid tree. It is not a conventional tree. A node i in this tree represents the cluster-head of a cluster of peers which are interested in a particular resource of type Ri (i.e. peers with a common interest). The cluster-head is the first among these peers to join the system. Root of the tree is assumed to be at level 1. Such a tree is a complete one if at each level j, there are j number of nodes. It is an incomplete one if only at its leaf level, say k, there are less than k number of nodes. Layer 2 consists of the different clusters. The network has some unique structural properties, e.g. each cluster has a diameter of only 1 overlay hop and the diameter of the network is just (2+2d); d being the number of levels of the layer-1 pyramid tree and d depends only on the number of distinct resources. Therefore, the diameter of the network is independent of the number of peers in the whole network. In the present work, we have used some such properties to design low latency intra and inter cluster data lookup protocols. Our choice of considering non-DHT and interest-based overlay networks is justified by the following facts: 1) intra-cluster data lookup protocol has constant complexity and complexity of inter-cluster data lookup is O(d) if tree traversal is used and 2) search latency is independent of the total number of peers present in the overlay network unlike any structured DHT-based network (as a matter fact unlike any existing P2P network, structured or unstructured). Experimental results as well show superiority of the proposed protocols to some noted structured networks from the viewpoints of search latency and complexity involved in it. In addition, we have presented in detail the process of handling churns and proposed a simple yet very effective technique related to cluster partitioning, which, in turn, helps in reducing the number of messages required to be exchanged to handle churns.

Primary challenge of using FeCrAl in high temperature industrial setting is the formation of α’- precipitates that causes brittleness in the alloy, resulting in failure through fracture. The precipitation causes hardness change during thermal aging which is sensitive to both alloy composition and experimental condition (i.e., temperature and time of heat treatment). A Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) model is built on the hardness data collected at GE Research. Subsequently, for the first time, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) built upon the GPR is used as an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) tool to understand the effect of feature values in driving the hardness change. Several key insights are affirmed and obtained from a material science perspective.

In the energy industry many applications and embodiments are envisioned, for temporary sealing to dissolvables where deployed tools may remove themselves without any intervention, and on demand. Triggers for dissolution are often common downhole fluids of an aqueous nature. Metals designed to undergo accelerated corrosion via anodic dissolution or hydrolysable polymers triggered by brackish water, flowback or produced, facilitated by elevated downhole temperatures, are common. However, there is not a single formulation with tailored properties, engineered to degrade in presence of oil. Here we present, industry's first oil degradable, nano-composite formulations, for HPHT temporary sealing. An application, as a one-way port plug or ball valve for deploying a sand screen using this novel technology will be ideal. The ball would seal against the flow-ports or nozzles when running in hole and circulating fluid through the screen to the toe and back up the annulus. Once the screens are set, and the well put on production, the oil will produce through the flow ports or nozzles, better known as inflow control devices or ICDs’ and drive the ball away. The ball is to be retained in a cage to allow unrestricted production. In reality, this solution however presents challenges. Production of solids, waxes and asphaltenes often gum up the ball in the cage and restrict production, often needing costly intervention. The ideal scenario will be if the ball seals can dissolve in produced hydrocarbons aka oil of varying API gravities. This will ensure unrestricted production, reduce possibility of intervention and rig time savings, all in all a step towards lowering our carbon footprint. To augment the patented answer product, a step change in adding sensing and intelligence, nano-particulates and/or sensors as unique-identifiers are accommodated in the composite bulk, as tracers, control-released during degradation. As these nano-particulates, flow-back with production to the surface, these tracers with a unique fingerprint, are identified as they pass-through an in-line detector identifying the nano-crystal. The detector, comprising a remote computing system configured to store and relay information relating to these tracers is under development. This industry first is a paradigm shift in remote-monitoring, alerting any end user, anywhere in the world, of selected downhole event triggers, without running any device in the well.

Traditionally, FeCrAl alloys played an important role in high-temperature applications due to their ability to form a passive Al oxide film at temperatures above ~800°C. Recently, FeCrAl alloys became of interest for the application of accident tolerant nuclear fuel cladding. This study covers work done at GE Research for better understanding the role of Al, Cr, and Mo in oxidation kinetics and thermodynamics. Several models and commercial prototype alloys have been tested in hydrothermal corrosion autoclave loops, at low temperature steam exposure (~400°C), high temperature steam exposure (~1000°C or higher), and high temperature air exposures. The results provide insights on how chromium and aluminum play a significant role in both high temperature and low temperature oxidation of FeCrAl. Additionally, machine learning tools are used to gain further insights on both predicting future optimized chemistries for balancing the properties of hydrothermal corrosion, low and high temperature steam oxidation, and thermal aging (which is exacerbated due to radiation in a nuclear reactor environment). GE plans to use this framework to further optimize the FeCrAl alloy system for use in nuclear reactor environments.

The burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is higher in low- and middle-income countries, but HAIs are often missed because surveillance is not conducted. Here, we describe the identification of and response to a cluster ofA 780-bed, tertiary-level, public teaching hospital in northern India.After detecting a cluster of BCC in the SICU, cases were identified by reviewing laboratory registers and automated identification and susceptibility testing outputs. Sociodemographic details, clinical records, and potential exposure histories were collected, and a self-appraisal of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices using assessment tools from the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was conducted. Training and feedback were provided to hospital staff. Environmental samples were collected from high-touch surfaces, intravenous medications, saline, and mouthwash.Between October 2017 and October 2018, 183 BCC BSI cases were identified. Case records were available for 121 case patients. Of these 121 cases, 91 (75%) were male, the median age was 35 years, and 57 (47%) died. IPC scores were low in the areas of technical guidelines, human resources, and monitoring and evaluation. Of the 30 environmental samples, 4 grew BCC. A single source of the outbreak was not identified.Implementing standardized HAI surveillance in a low-resource setting detected an ongoing

Three achiral polycyclic aromatic fluorophores─namely, 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid, 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid, and perylene-3,9-dicarboxylic acid─were chosen based on their desired properties before being incorporated into the construction of a K

Rapid tree planting can offset the effects of deforestation caused by human activities and natural disasters. This paper outlines our story, a compelling case of crosspollination and energy transition: a journey which starts with designing degradable shaped charge liners for use in reservoir perforation using high entropy nano-Bulk-Metallic-Glass-Composites (HEA/BMGC) and ends with these being synthesized to design drone delivered seed-pods for re-forestation. As technology innovators in the energy industry, to offset our carbon footprint, we have embraced environment and natural resources stewardship as one of our core values, with a strong focus on conservation and environmental management policies. We believe our wellbeing; thus, success and nature are intimately intertwined. As such, we are committed to contributing, as individuals and as an organization, to a flourishing human-ecological system. This had led to an endeavor to rapidly plant trees through aerial drones to offset the effects of deforestation. Here we present, our patented seed-pod, a game changer in reforestation. It stems from an environmentally friendly, lightweight, high-strength biodegradable alloy, providing a nurturing environment for seeds to germinate and grow. We are building high-strength, water reactive or degradable shells to house seeds, nutrients, and water and using a drone with a pneumatic gun to launch these into the ground, burying and planting them. Unlike the existing approaches that deposit seeds on the surface, which are frequently consumed by animals or damaged by inclement weather, that guarantee only a 5-10% survival rate, our approach gives a seed the best chance to germinate and thrive. The industrial potential of this innovative application and its associated technology is enormous. It can be used in any area affected by natural disaster, for example, fires or where reforestation projects are needed. There are 3 trillion trees in the world and 15 billion are removed each year with only 5 billion being replanted. This can also be offer valuable support in areas such as soil erosion with the consequent loss of land mass to oceans and water bodies and additionally to prevent encroachment of deserts into other natural habitats and urban areas.

Several technology building blocks are required for the growth of geothermal energy to match what is needed to enable the energy transition. One key technology required in this field is a reliable packer that can withstand the extreme environments frequently seen in geothermal wells: elevated temperatures (750°F/400°C); high differential pressures (up to 15K psi); and extremely corrosive fluids. The authors present a concept which is thought to offer a promising solution to this challenge. It builds upon the wealth of experience obtained by operators designing packers for the oil and gas wells and couples this with advancements in materials processing technology in elastomers, composites, and metals. The presented concept uses the sealing advantages that elastomers are known to offer, with a compound specifically designed by a strategic partner. This elastomer is then surrounded by a layer of flexible gel-insulation of extremely low thermal conductivity to shield it from the intense heat seen in geothermal wells. It is predicted that the elastomer core will see temperatures no higher than 400°F when the surrounding environment is at 750°F. The system is then encased in a Grain Boundary Engineered (GBE) nano-metallic flexible skin material to prevent contact with corrosive fluids. Though the elements are the greatest challenge, the other components of the packer design are also specially designed with material processing techniques tailored to both enhance mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The technology behind the design is detailed and has been proven. The integrated concepts will be further tested at subcomponent level to show their merit, before integration into a full system for qualification to 750°F, 15K psi.

The Oil and Gas industry is continuously evolving and of late adopting novel and new technologies while transitioning to harness sustainable energies. To improve material efficiency and reduce overall carbon footprint, we have seen the evolution of brine dissolvable alloys, dissolvable PGA/composites, and of late dissolvable bulk-metallic-glass-composites and high-entropy alloys. The triggers for dissolution of these materials are often common downhole-fluids of an aqueous-nature. These materials undergo accelerated corrosion via anodic-dissolution or hydrolysis, facilitated by elevated downhole temperatures. While these technologies have matured over the last decade into readily available and economic offerings, our industry has lacked significant progress in materials which dissolve in hydrocarbons, while remaining unaffected by aqueous fluids. Motivated to bridge this technology gap, we have embarked on a project to pioneer an industry first oil-degradable metal-matrix nanocomposite. A focused application for this novel material, will be eliminating the use of wash pipes through intelligent use of a port-isolation temporary-seal, preventing communication from ID-to- OD during deployment in brine, while opening up on demand during production. This can be "Game Changing" for Operators, saving them rig-time and costs in the millions of dollars. A oneway ball-valve for deploying sand-screens using our oil-degradable ball as a temporary seal has been envisioned. The ball will seal against flow-ports when running-in-hole, precluding annular- to-tubular communication. Once screens are set, and the well tied-in to flow, produced oil will drive the sealing-ball away. The ball is retained in a cage to allow unrestricted production. In reality, this solution presents challenges. Production of solids, and asphaltenes often build up around the caged ball leading to restricted production, often needing costly intervention. The ideal scenario would be if the ball-seals can be removed by dissolution in the produced hydrocarbons. This will ensure unrestricted production, reduce the possibility of intervention and rig-time loss, all-in-all a step towards lowering our carbon-footprint.