Substantial Improvement of High Temperature Strength of New-Generation Nano-Oxide-Strengthened Alloys by Addition of Metallic Yttrium

Oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) Fe-Al-Y2O3-based alloys (denoted as FeAlOY) containing 5 vol. % of nano-oxides have a potential to become top oxidation and creep-resistant alloys for applications at temperatures of 1100–1300 °C. Oxide dispersoids cause nearly perfect strengthening of grains; thus, grain boundaries with limited cohesive strength become the weak link in FeAlOY in this temperature range. One of the possibilities for significantly improving the strength of FeAlOY is alloying with appropriate elements and increasing the cohesive strength of grain boundaries. Nearly 20 metallic elements have been tested with the aim to increase cohesive strength in the frame of preliminary tests. A positive influence is revealed for Al, Cr, and Y, whereby the influence of Y is enormous (addition of 1% of metallic Y increases strength by a factor of 2), as it is presented in this paper.

Oddlab: fault-tolerant aware load-balancing framework for data center networks

Data center networks (DCNs) act as critical infrastructures for emerging technologies. In general, a DCN involves a multi-rooted tree with various shortest paths of equal length from end to end. The DCN fabric must be maintained and monitored to guarantee high availability and better QoS. Traditional traffic engineering (TE) methods frequently reroute large flows based on the shortest and least-congested paths to maintain high service availability. This procedure results in a weak link utilization with frequent packet reordering. Moreover, DCN link failures are typical problems. State-of-the-art approaches address such challenges by modifying the network components (switches or hosts) to discover and avoid broken connections. This study proposes Oddlab (Odds labels), a novel deployable TE method to guarantee the QoS of multi-rooted data center (DC) traffic in symmetric and asymmetric modes. Oddlab creatively builds a heuristic model for efficient flow scheduling and faulty link detection by exclusively using the gathered statistics from the DCN data plane, such as residual bandwidth and the number of installed elephant flows. Besides, the proposed method is implemented in an SDN-based DCN without altering the network components. Our findings indicate that Oddlab can minimize the flow completion time, maximize bisection bandwidth, improve network utilization, and recognize faulty links with sufficient accuracy to improve DC productivity.

Research on Identification of Power Grid Weakness Based on Bayesian Inference

With the gradual reform and development of the power grid, it is of great significance to study how to effectively identify and evaluate the weak links of the power grid for the actual planning, construction, and operation of the power grid. This paper analyzed the power grid’s historical component data and real-time operation state parameters. We established a weak link identification model based on Bayesian reasoning. Firstly, we constructed the node branch Bayesian network according to the network topology relationship. The power transmission distribution factor is modified according to the historical operation load of the grid components, and the conditional probability table is calculated based on the grid structure; finally, we used the maximum possible explanation algorithm in the Bayesian network. The weakness degree of all components in the network is calculated, and the maximum probability weak link sequence is obtained. The correctness and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by IEEE 39 bus simulation and regional power grid data.

Is Digital Government Advancing Sustainable Governance? A Study of OECD/EU Countries

International bodies and numerous authors advocate a key role for Digital Government (DG) in improving public governance and achieving other policy outcomes. Today, a particularly relevant outcome is advancing Sustainable Governance (SG), i.e., the capacity to steer and coordinate public action towards sustainable development. This article performs an empirical study of the relationship between DG and SG using data about 41 OECD/EU countries from the United Nations’ E-Government Survey and the Bertelsmann’s Sustainable Governance Indicators project, covering the period from 2014 to 2020. We examine if DG progress pairs with SG progress, apply a DEA model to find out which countries are efficient in using DG for better SG, and uncover cases of imbalance where high DG pairs with poor SG and vice versa. The results show that the efficiency in using DG for SG strongly varies, and that some DG leaders persistently fail to advance or even regress their SG. These findings refute the claims about the benign role of DG and points at democracy as the “weak link” in the analyzed relation.

Quantum oscillations between weakly coupled Bose–Einstein condensates: Evolution in a non-degenerate double well

In this paper, we discuss coherent atomic oscillations between two weakly coupled Bose–Einstein condensates that are energetically different. The weak link is notionally provided by a laser barrier in a (possibly asymmetric) multi-well trap or by Raman coupling between condensates in different hyperfine levels. The resultant boson Josephson junction dynamics is described by a double-well nonlinear Gross–Pitaevskii equation. On the basis of a new set of Jacobian elliptic function solutions, we describe the period of the oscillations as well as associated quantities and predict novel observable consequences of the interplay of the energy difference and initial phase difference between the two condensate populations.

A Review of intellectual property rights: The weak link with the African Traditional knowledge

Protecting traditional knowledge (TK) has been acknowledged in various discussions under the umbrella of a number of inter-governmental organizations that deal with biodiversity, the environment, indigenous peoples’ rights, human rights, among others. It has, however, been difficult to arrive at a consensus on the proper modality that can serve the needs and desires of Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs) in their economic and cultural participation. The paper examines the requirements for the protection of TK and explores the modalities of TK protection at the international level for regulating the control of, access to and utilization of biodiversity associated with it. It is argued that any modality of TK protection should incorporate defensive and positive protection that address gaps in protecting TK. Protection of TK should, therefore, involve identifying different modalities, including those based on Intellectual Property, to fit the nature and use of TK in particular contexts. The paper makes a case for a shift in strategy for protecting TK by adopting pluralistic modalities that address the protection needs of ILCs, depending on the purpose and the context in which the knowledge is practiced.

Anticipating future SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern through ab initio quantum mechanical modeling

Evolved SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently challenging the efficacy of first-generation vaccines, largely through the emergence of spike protein mutants. Among these variants, Delta is presently the most concerning. We employ an ab initio quantum mechanical model based on Density Functional Theory to characterize the spike protein Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) interaction with host cells and gain mechanistic insight into SARS-CoV-2 evolution. The approach is illustrated via a detailed investigation of the role of the E484K RBD mutation, a signature mutation of the Beta and Gamma variants. The simulation is employed to: predict the depleting effect of the E484K mutation on binding the RBD with select antibodies; identify residue E484 as a weak link in the original interaction with the human receptor hACE2; and describe SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strand binding to the bat Rhinolophus macrotis ACE2 as more optimized than the human counterpart. Finally, we predict the hACE2 binding efficacy of a hypothetical E484K mutation added to the Delta variant RBD, identifying a potential future variant of concern. Results can be generalized to other mutations, and provide useful information to complement existing experimental datasets of the interaction between randomly generated libraries of hACE2 and viral spike mutants. We argue that ab initio modeling is at the point of being aptly employed to inform and predict events pertinent to viral and general evolution.

Superconducting Properties and Electron Scattering Mechanisms in a Nb Film with a Single Weak-Link Excavated by Focused Ion Beam

Granularity is one of the main features restricting the maximum current which a superconductor can carry without losses, persisting as an important research topic when applications are concerned. To directly observe its effects on a typical thin superconducting specimen, we have modeled the simplest possible granular system by fabricating a single artificial weak-link in the center of a high-quality Nb film using the focused ion beam technique. Then, its microstructural, magnetic, and electric properties in both normal and superconducting states were studied. AC susceptibility, DC magnetization, and magneto-transport measurements reveal well-known granularity signatures and how they negatively affect superconductivity. Moreover, we also investigate the normal state electron scattering mechanisms in the Boltzmann theory framework. The results clearly demonstrate the effect of the milling technique, giving rise to an additional quadratic-in-temperature contribution to the usual cubic-in-temperature sd band scattering for the Nb film. Finally, by analyzing samples with varying density of incorporated defects, the emergence of the additional contribution is correlated to a decrease in their critical temperature, in agreement with recent theoretical results.

More Than Morningness: The Effect of Circadian Rhythm Amplitude and Stability on Resilience, Coping, and Sleep Duration

Self-report tools that measure circadian rhythms have focused primarily on phase. We add to the sparse literature on assessing amplitude and stability. We randomly recruited 1,163 participants who completed several measures. The correlation between the LV scale (amplitude) and FR scale (stability) was −0.12 (p < 0.01). As expected, amplitude was negatively associated with phase (r = −0.64, p < 0.01) while stability showed a weak link with phase (r = 0.07, p < 0.05). Structural equation modeling suggested a close model-fit of the factor structure in the sample (RMSEA = 0.033). The LV scale explained 22% of the variance, while the FR scale explained 23%. Scale reliability was satisfactory for the LV scale (0.68) and good for the FR scale (0.73). Participants with low amplitude or flexible rhythms reported significantly better resilience, coping, and required less daily sleep. We constructed a composite circadian categorical variable to combine the best attributes from the LV and FR scales; participants with both low amplitude and flexible rhythms, reported significantly better resilience, coping, and less sleep need. We found rhythm amplitude decreased with age, while stability remained constant.

The quantum solitons atomtronic interference device

We study a quantum many-body system of attracting bosons confined in a ring-shaped potential and interrupted by a weak link. With such architecture, the system defines atomtronic quantum interference devices harnessing quantum solitonic currents. We demonstrate that the system is characterized by the specific interplay between the interaction and the strength of the weak link. In particular, we find that, depending on the operating conditions, the current can be a universal function of the relative size between the strength of the impurity and interaction. The low lying many-body states are studied through a quench dynamical protocol that is the atomtronic counterpart of Rabi interferometry. With this approach, we demonstrate how our system defines a two level system of coupled solitonic currents. The current states are addressed through the analysis of the momentum distribution.