Rails are systematically inspected for internal and surface defects using various non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. During the manufacturing process, rails are inspected using automated optical cameras and eddy current sensing systems for any surface damage, while the presence of internal defects is assessed through ultrasonic inspection. Similarly, ultrasonic transducers and magnetic induction sensors have been extensively used by the rail industry for the inspection of rails in-service. More recently, automated vision techniques and hybrid systems based on the simultaneous use of pulsed eddy current probes and conventional ultrasonic probes have been introduced for the high-speed inspection of rail tracks. Other NDE techniques, such as electromagnetic acoustic transducers, laser ultrasonics, guided waves, and alternating current field measurement probes, are also under development for application in the rail industry. This paper comprehensively reviews NDE methodologies in use around Europe and North America for rail defect detection. This includes a detailed overview of the background theory and the techniques used to incorporate condition data into maintenance procedures. It also presents a review of the current state-of-the-art in NDE of railways coupled with a discussion of future developments and novel inspection methodologies in the field.

The yield stress of multicomponent nickel solid solution alloys has not been modeled in the past with respect to the effects of composition and temperature. There have been investigations of the effect on the yield stress of solutes in binary systems at a fixed temperature, but the effects on the yield stress of multiple solute elements and temperature changes have not been investigated. In this article, two different forms of the trough model are considered for nickel-base alloys to determine the most applicable model for solid solution strengthening in the system. The yield stresses of three binary nickel-chromium and three ternary nickel alloys were determined at a range of temperatures. The yield stress of the alloys was then modeled using the Feltham equation. The constants determined in fitting the Feltham equation to the experimental data were then applied to other experimental solid solution alloys and also to published information on commercial solid solution nickel alloys. It was found that the yield stress of the nickel solid solution alloys could be modeled successfully using the Feltham equation.

BackgroundPersonalized therapy provides the best outcome of cancer care and its implementation in the clinic has been greatly facilitated by recent convergence of enormous progress in basic cancer research, rapid advancement of new tumor profiling technologies, and an expanding compendium of targeted cancer therapeutics.MethodsWe developed a personalized cancer therapy (PCT) program in a clinical setting, using an integrative genomics approach to fully characterize the complexity of each tumor. We carried out whole exome sequencing (WES) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray genotyping on DNA from tumor and patient-matched normal specimens, as well as RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) on available frozen specimens, to identify somatic (tumor-specific) mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs), gene expression changes, gene fusions, and also germline variants. To provide high sensitivity in known cancer mutation hotspots, Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Hotspot Panel v2 (CHPv2) was also employed. We integrated the resulting data with cancer knowledge bases and developed a specific workflow for each cancer type to improve interpretation of genomic data.ResultsWe returned genomics findings to 46 patients and their physicians describing somatic alterations and predicting drug response, toxicity, and prognosis. Mean 17.3 cancer-relevant somatic mutations per patient were identified, 13.3-fold, 6.9-fold, and 4.7-fold more than could have been detected using CHPv2, Oncomine Cancer Panel (OCP), and FoundationOne, respectively. Our approach delineated the underlying genetic drivers at the pathway level and provided meaningful predictions of therapeutic efficacy and toxicity. Actionable alterations were found in 91 % of patients (mean 4.9 per patient, including somatic mutations, copy number alterations, gene expression alterations, and germline variants), a 7.5-fold, 2.0-fold, and 1.9-fold increase over what could have been uncovered by CHPv2, OCP, and FoundationOne, respectively. The findings altered the course of treatment in four cases.ConclusionsThese results show that a comprehensive, integrative genomic approach as outlined above significantly enhanced genomics-based PCT strategies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13073-016-0313-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bimodal (mixed coarse and fine) grain structures, which have been observed in some Nb-containing thermomechanically-controlled rolled steel plates, adversely affect their mechanical properties by causing scatter in cleavage fracture stress values. It is known that bimodal grain structures can develop during reheating prior to rolling; however, no quantitative predictions of the level of bimodality or the critical reheat temperatures for formation have been reported. In this article, three high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel slabs with varying microalloying additions (Ti, Nb, and V) have been characterized in the as-continuously cast and reheated (to various temperatures in the range 1050°C to 1225°C) conditions to determine the link between their grain size distribution (and any bimodality observed) and the microalloy precipitate type, size, and distribution. The as-cast slabs showed inhomogeneous microalloying precipitate distributions with the separation between precipitate-rich and precipitate-poor regions being consistent with interdendritic segregation and hence, the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS). The susceptibility of the slabs to the formation of bimodality, based on the steel chemical compositions and critical reheat temperature ranges has been identified, both experimentally and theoretically using ThermoCalc (Thermo-Calc Software, Stockholm, Sweden) modeling of precipitate stability in the solute-rich and the solute-depleted regions formed during casting.

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