Evolution Of Order Research Articles

Liberal world order and economic coercion in modern foreign policy of the U.S.

The article studies the evolution of liberal world order within the framework of conventional directions of the U.S.’ foreign policy. The purpose of this work is to reveal the peculiarities of development of the U.S.’ foreign policy in terms of liberal world order. For this purpose, the U.S.’ foreign policy is considered through the prism of Walter Russel Mead’s “four schools of American foreign policy”. The author analyzes the development and transformation of liberalism in the context of using economic coercion in the U.S.’ foreign policy. The article also considers the topical problems of development of the liberal world order faced by the realist and liberal paradigms. Representatives of both groups realize the failure of the liberal world order, but offer different strategies of defining the U.S.’ foreign policy course. Representatives of the liberal paradigm believe that the liberal world order entered a phase of self-destruction because of accelerated integration of unequal states in a single system. Realists, in their turn, claim that transformations in the structure of the global system determine the functionality of the liberal world order. Specifically, the revisionist position of Russia and China is a reaction to the imposed principles, and serves as a basis for the transition to the multipolar system. Thus, conflicts of interest between the parties cause the use of measures of coercion.

Correlation between mixing enthalpy and structural order in liquid Mg−Si system

The mixing enthalpies and structural order in liquid Mg−Si system were investigated via ab-initio molecular dynamics at 1773 K. By calculating the transferred charges and electron density differences, the dominance of Si−Si interactions in the chemical environments around Si was demonstrated, which determined that the mixing enthalpy reached the minimum on Mg-rich side. In terms of Honeycutt and Anderson (HA) bond pairs based on the partial pair correlation functions, the attraction between Si−Si pairs and Mg atoms was revealed, and the evolution of structural order with Si content was characterized as a process of constituting frame structures by Si−Si pairs that dispersed Mg atoms. Focusing on tetrahedral order of local Si-configurations, a correlation between the mixing enthalpy and structural order was uncovered ultimately, which provided a new perspective combining the energetics with geometry to understand the liquid Mg−Si binary system.

Rethinking the High School Biology Curriculum

Rethinking the High School Biology Curriculum

Derivation of the kinetics of devolatilisation and oxidation of pulverized biomass in a drop tube furnace: Sensitivity to volume evolution and drag-coefficient model

Combustion experiments of raw and torrefied pine and demolition wood particles (600–800 µm) are performed at 800 °C in a drop tube furnace. The results provide the oxygen and carbon monoxide profiles along the reactor axis. These data are then used in a numerical model, developed to determine the kinetic parameters of devolatilisation and oxidation of the pulverized biomasses. In order to simulate the gas phase reactions, the model also takes as input the composition of the volatiles of the tested fuels measured during pyrolysis experiments at 800 °C in the drop tube furnace. The model adopts different scenarios of particle volume evolution and different drag coefficient models in order to test their influence on the derived kinetic parameters. One of the volume evolution scenarios is a specific sub-model obtained by optical diagnostics of the combustion of the three biomasses in a previous study. Four other volume sub-models found in literature are also tested. For each of these scenarios, the model estimates close activation energy for devolatilization with a maximum variation of 2 kJ·mol−1 from one scenario to another, while the activation energy of char oxidation is more influenced, varying by 14 kJ·mol−1 with different scenarios. The five scenarios show similar gas concentrations and burnout versus the distance travelled by the particle. Nevertheless, this gives rise to a noticeable difference in the particle temperature along the furnace axis (±100 °C at some positions), in addition to different particle velocity and residence time (~ ±10%). The influence of the drag force is also studied using enhanced non-spherical model versus a spherical model. The non-spherical model leads to 10 to 14 kJ·mol−1 higher devolatilisation activation energies and 10 to 19 kJ·mol−1 higher char oxidation activation energies than the spherical model, along with a better prediction of the CO levels.

Understanding and Controlling the Crystallization Process in Reconfigurable Plasmonic Superlattices

The crystallization of nanomaterials is a primary source of solid-state, photonic structures. Thus, a detailed understanding of this process is of paramount importance for the successful application of photonic nanomaterials in emerging optoelectronic technologies. While colloidal crystallization has been thoroughly studied, for example, with advanced in situ electron microscopy methods, the noncolloidal crystallization (freezing) of nanoparticles (NPs) remains so far unexplored. To fill this gap, in this work, we present proof-of-principle experiments decoding a crystallization of reconfigurable assemblies of NPs at a solid state. The chosen material corresponds to an excellent testing bed, as it enables both in situ and ex situ investigation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical spectroscopy in visible and ultraviolet range (UV–vis) techniques. In particular, ensemble measurements with small-angle XRD highlighted the dependence of the correlation length in the NPs assemblies on the number of heating/cooling cycles and the rate of cooling. Ex situ TEM imaging further supported these results by revealing a dependence of domain size and structure on the sample preparation route and by showing we can control the domain size over 2 orders of magnitude. The application of HAADF-STEM tomography, combined with in situ thermal control, provided three-dimensional single-particle level information on the positional order evolution within assemblies. This combination of real and reciprocal space provides insightful information on the anisotropic, reversibly reconfigurable assemblies of NPs. TEM measurements also highlighted the importance of interfaces in the polydomain structure of nanoparticle solids, allowing us to understand experimentally observed differences in UV–vis extinction spectra of the differently prepared crystallites. Overall, the obtained results show that the combination of in situ heating HAADF-STEM tomography with XRD and ex situ TEM techniques is a powerful approach to study nanoparticle freezing processes and to reveal the crucial impact of disorder in the solid-state aggregates of NPs on their plasmonic properties.

Study on the effect of inherent AAEM on char structure evolution during coal pyrolysis by in-situ Raman and TG

Inherent minerals, especially alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEM), are reactive constituents that interact with organic matter during pyrolysis and have significant effects on thermal characteristics and carbon structure evolution of char. The pyrolysis of raw and leached coal samples was conducted by using thermogravimetric analyzer and in-situ Raman system to explore the effects of content and chemical form of AAEM on pyrolysis characteristics and carbon structure evolution of single char particle. The water-soluble and ion-exchangeable AAEM promoted continuous breaking/reforming of bonds between alkyl substitutional groups and aromatic ring systems, resulting in the delay of volatiles release and orderly evolution of carbon structure during pyrolysis. The effects of water-soluble AAEM was more severe, because the divalent alkaline earth metal bonds to carbon was much more stable than the monovalent alkali metal for the inherent AAEM participated in the polycondensation reaction. Besides, the ion-exchangeable AAEM inhibited the generation of cross-linked structures more effectively than water-soluble AAEM, because ion-exchangeable AAEM existed in the form of AAEM-carboxylates and delayed the thermal decomposition. Moreover, the inherent AAEM promoted the miniaturization of carbon crystal structure in the carbon matrix, forming char with disordered carbon structure.

Structural, morphological and electrical properties of graphene oxides obtained by Hummers, Tour and modified methods: a comparative study

The aim of this paper is the comparison of structural, morphological and electrical properties of thermally extended graphite synthesized by chemical oxidation of graphite with sulfur of nitric acids at all other same conditions. Thermal treatments of graphite intercalation compounds were performed at a temperature of 600°C on the air for 10 min but additional annealing in temperature range of 100-600oC for 1 hour was done. The obtained materials were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and impedance spectroscopy. The evolution of structural ordering of thermally extended graphite samples at increasing of annealing temperature was traced. It was determined that the additional annealing allows to control the electrical conductivity and structural disordering degree of extended graphite samples that is useful for preparation of efficient current collectors for electrochemical capacitors.

Entropic formation of a thermodynamically stable colloidal quasicrystal with negligible phason strain

Quasicrystals have been discovered in a variety of materials ranging from metals to polymers. Yet, why and how they form is incompletely understood. In situ transmission electron microscopy of alloy quasicrystal formation in metals suggests an error-and-repair mechanism, whereby quasiperiodic crystals grow imperfectly with phason strain present, and only perfect themselves later into a high-quality quasicrystal with negligible phason strain. The growth mechanism has not been investigated for other types of quasicrystals, such as dendrimeric, polymeric, or colloidal quasicrystals. Soft-matter quasicrystals typically result from entropic, rather than energetic, interactions, and are not usually grown (either in laboratories or in silico) into large-volume quasicrystals. Consequently, it is unknown whether soft-matter quasicrystals form with the high degree of structural quality found in metal alloy quasicrystals. Here, we investigate the entropically driven growth of colloidal dodecagonal quasicrystals (DQCs) via computer simulation of systems of hard tetrahedra, which are simple models for anisotropic colloidal particles that form a quasicrystal. Using a pattern recognition algorithm applied to particle trajectories during DQC growth, we analyze phason strain to follow the evolution of quasiperiodic order. As in alloys, we observe high structural quality; DQCs with low phason strain crystallize directly from the melt and only require minimal further reduction of phason strain. We also observe transformation from a denser approximant to the DQC via continuous phason strain relaxation. Our results demonstrate that soft-matter quasicrystals dominated by entropy can be thermodynamically stable and grown with high structural quality--just like their alloy quasicrystal counterparts.

Evolution in size and structural order for incipient soot formed at flame temperatures greater than 2100 K

Soot formed in flames hotter than conventional combustion applications is expected to undergo unique formation processes and develop a carbon structure distinct from typical soot. A complementary experimental and modeling approach is reported here to assess flame temperature and equivalence ratio effects for soot formed in the higher-temperature regime (1950 K < Tf < 2250 K). Computations using three separate combustion chemistry models show that predictions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration profiles for the higher-temperature flames are more sensitive to the choice in mechanism rather than specific flame conditions. As for material properties, the Raman signatures transition from a typical soot spectrum to features observed in disordered sp2 carbon materials. The defect distance extracted from the Raman bands nearly doubles from values typically reported for soot as the flame temperature exceeds 2200 K. Higher concentrations of gas-phase precursors may facilitate development of an ordered carbon structure as indicated by the relatively high defect distance observed for the highest equivalence ratio series. Particle size distributions measured by mobility sizing show size and yield of soot decreases with increasing flame temperature and the bimodal distribution falls within the ultra-fine range for all flame conditions. This is especially promising if the significant transformation in carbon structure inferred from the evolution in Raman spectra enables development of functional high-surface area sp2 carbon materials. Namely, the current observations indicate that the flame-formed carbon structure evolves towards high-defect sp2 carbon with size and carbon structure that can be tuned to some extent.

Nonisothermal Dissolution Kinetics on Mg17Al12 Intermetallic in Mg-Al Alloys

In this work, nonisothermal dissolution of intermetallic Mg17Al12 in Mg-Al alloy has been firstly studied via Differential Scanning Calorimetry-DSC, X-Ray Diffraction-XRD and Scanning Electron Microscope-SEM as well as CALPHAD_based dissolution models and molecular dynamics simulation. The size and volume fraction of Mg17Al12 phase could be predicted via the present kinetic dissolution model and agree well with experimental results. Also, the data-driven screening calculation shows that there is a range of temperature for significantly dissolving Mg17Al12 phase, which could be increased with the increase of heating rate. The evolution of structural order for Mg17Al12 phase has also been performed via molecular dynamics simulation with LAMMPS. The simulated results indicate that the structural order of Mg17Al12 phase during heating is mainly affected by the Al-contained atomic pairs (Al-Al and Al-Mg), suggested that Mg atoms are thermodynamically and kinetically more active than Al atoms in Mg17Al12 phase during heating, which has also been approved via the calculated atomic mobility of Mg and Al atoms in Mg17Al12 phase in this work. Therefore, the atomic mobility of Mg atoms is mainly attributed to the interdiffusion coefficient of Mg17Al12 phase which determines the dissolution of Mg17Al12 phase during heating. The fundamental principle in this work could be used for other intermetallics and offers the greatly valuable information for optimizing the thermal processing in application of metal structural materials.

Congenital Craniofacial Plexiform Neurofibroma in Neurofibromatosis Type 1

We present a case demonstrating the performance of different radiographical imaging modalities in the diagnostic work-up of a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) and plexiform neurofibroma (PN). The newborn boy showed an expansive-infiltrative cervical and facial mass presented with macrocrania, craniofacial disfigurement, exophthalmos and glaucoma. A computer tomography (CT) and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed. The CT was fundamental to evaluate the bone dysmorphisms and the MRI was crucial to estimate the mass extension. The biopsy of the lesion confirmed the suspicion of PN, thus allowing the diagnosis of NF1. PN is a variant of neurofibromas, a peripheral nerves sheath tumor typically associated with NF1. Even through currently available improved detection techniques, NF1 diagnosis at birth remains a challenge due to a lack of pathognomonic signs; therefore congenital PN are recognized in 20% of cases. This case highlights the importance of using different radiological methods both for the correct diagnosis and the follow-up of the patient with PN. Thanks to MRI evaluation, it was possible to identify earlier the progressive increasing size of the PN and the possible life threatening evolution in order to perform a tracheostomy to avoid airways compression.

Local disorder and structure relation induced by magnetic exchange interactions in A2(Mo1−yMny)2O7 pyrochlores

We present an extended X-ray absorption fine structure study at the Mo K-edge of A2(Mo1−yMny)2O7 (A = Gd, Ho; y = 0.05 and 0.10) pyrochlores, as a function of temperature and composition, coupled to diffractometric and magnetic characterizations. Extending the study reported in our previous paper on the pristine A2Mo2O7 compounds to these Mo/Mn partially substituted samples, where we hypothesize a competition between double-exchange and superexchange couplings, we aim to check which structure parameters are related to the nature of the nearest-neighbor magnetic interactions, looking for the presence and evolution of order and structure anomalies. Two Ho samples Ho2(Mo1−yMny)2O7 (y = 0.05 and 0.10) keep the spin-glass nature of the parent compositions with a strong distortion of the MoO(1)6 octahedron and of the Mo‒Ho and Mo‒Mo second shell. On the other hand, two Gd2(Mo1−yMny)2O7 samples, ferromagnetic at low temperature in the undoped case, show the appearance on a local scale of a spin-glass transition mirrored by a quite high structure disorder and by a distortion coherent with a lattice frustration after Mn-doping. Therefore, the Gd and Ho Mn-doped samples display a similar frustrated behavior, differently from the corresponding undoped ones.

Modeling of oily sludge composting process by using artificial neural networks and differential evolution: Prediction of removal of petroleum hydrocarbons and organic carbon

Since total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and organic carbon (OC) are two important variables in the performance of oily sludge composting process; the prediction of their changes is of great importance to attain high removal efficiency. The main objective of this work was to model oily sludge composting process by using neuro-evolutive methodology based on artificial neural networks (ANNs) and differential evolution (DE) in order to predict TPH and OC removal in various conditions of the process. The experimental data on oily sludge composting were used to validate the model. So as to determine the optimal ANN model, a set of randomly generated models are initially generated and their parameters are evolved by the DE until a stop criterion is reached. It was found that TPH and OC were modeled well and the ANN model can provide predictions which were in accordance with the experimental data. The obtained results can be used to lessen the costs of full-scale bioremediation through eliminating the need for further experiments. • The composting process was capable of degrading petroleum compounds. • Organic carbon and petroleum hydrocarbons are two important parameters in the process. • The process was modeled through the use of a neuro-evolutive technique. • Artificial neural networks were optimized with differential evolution. • The total petroleum hydrocarbons were easier to model than the organic carbon.

Evolution of Charge and Pair Density Modulations in Overdoped Bi2Sr2CuO6+δ

One of the central issues concerning the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity in cuprates is the nature of the ubiquitous charge order and its implications to superconductivity. Here we use scanning tunneling microscopy to investigate the evolution of charge order from the optimally doped to strongly overdoped Bi2Sr2CuO6+{\delta} cuprates. We find that with increasing hole concentration, the long-range checkerboard order gradually evolves into short-range glassy patterns consisting of diluted charge puddles. Each charge puddle has a unidirectional nematic internal structure, and exhibits clear pair density modulations as revealed by the spatial variations of superconducting coherence peak and gap depth. Both the charge puddles and the nematicity vanish completely in the strongly overdoped non-superconducting regime, when another type of short-range order with root2 * root2 periodicity emerges. These results shed important new lights on the intricate interplay between the intertwined orders and the superconducting phase of cuprates.

Why Information Grows? The evolution of order, from atoms to economies

Why Information Grows? The evolution of order, from atoms to economies

Social contacts, epidemic spreading and health system. Mathematical modeling and applications to COVID-19 infection.

Lockdown and social distancing, as well as testing and contact tracing, are the main measures assumed by the governments to control and limit the spread of COVID-19 infection. In reason of that, special attention was recently paid by the scientific community to the mathematical modeling of infection spreading by including in classical models the effects of the distribution of contacts between individuals. Among other approaches, the coupling of the classical SIR model with a statistical study of the distribution of social contacts among the population, led some of the present authors to build a Social SIR model, able to accurately follow the effect of the decrease in contacts resulting from the lockdown measures adopted in various European countries in the first phase of the epidemic. The Social SIR has been recently tested and improved through a fruitful collaboration with the Health Protection Agency (ATS) of the province of Pavia (Italy), that made it possible to have at disposal all the relevant data relative to the spreading of COVID-19 infection in the province (half a million of people), starting from February 2020. The statistical analysis of the data was relevant to fit at best the parameters of the mathematical model, and to make short-term predictions of the spreading evolution in order to optimize the response of the local health system.

Asymptotic for a second order evolution equation with damping and regularizing terms

<abstract> Let $ \mathcal{H} $ be a real Hilbert space. We investigate the long time behavior of the trajectories $ x(.) $ of the vanishing damped nonlinear dynamical system with regularizing term <p class="disp_formula"> $ \begin{equation} x^{\prime\prime}(t)+\gamma(t)x^{\prime}(t)+\nabla\Phi(x(t))+\varepsilon (t)\nabla U(x(t)) = 0, \;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;\;({\rm{GAVD}_{\gamma,\varepsilon}}) \end{equation} $ where $ \Phi, U:\mathcal{H}\rightarrow\mathbb{R} $ are two convex continuously differentiable functions, $ \varepsilon(.) $ is a decreasing function satisfying $ \lim\limits_{t\rightarrow+\infty}\varepsilon(t) = 0, $ and $ \gamma(.) $ is a nonnegative function which behaves, for $ t $ large enough, like $ \frac{K}{t^{\theta}} $ where $ K &gt; 0 $ and $ 0\leq\theta\leq1. $ The main contribution of this paper is the following control result: If $ \int_{0}^{+\infty}\frac{\varepsilon(t)} {\gamma(t)}dt = +\infty, $ $ U $ is strongly convex and its unique minimizer $ x^{\ast} $ is also a minimizer of $ \Phi $ then every trajectory $ x(.) $ of (GAVD$ _{\gamma, \varepsilon} $) converges strongly to $ x^{\ast} $ and the rate of convergence to $ 0 $ of its energy function <p class="disp_formula">$ W(t) = \frac{1}{2}\left\Vert x^{\prime}(t)\right\Vert ^{2}+\Phi(x(t))-\Phi ^{\ast}+\varepsilon(t)(U(x(t))-U^{\ast}) $ is of order to $ \circ(1/t^{1+\theta}) $. Moreover, we prove a new result concerning the weak convergence of the trajectories of (GAVD$ _{\gamma, \varepsilon} $) to a common minimizer of $ \Phi $ and $ U $ (if one exists) under a simple condition on the speed of decay of the regularizing factor $ \varepsilon(t) $ to $ 0 $. </abstract>

Optimal energy decay rates for abstract second order evolution equations with non-autonomous damping

We consider an abstract second order non-autonomous evolution equation in a Hilbert space H : u″ + Au + γ(t)u′ + f(u) = 0, where A is a self-adjoint and nonnegative operator on H, f is a conservative H-valued function with polynomial growth (not necessarily to be monotone), and γ(t)u′ is a time-dependent damping term. How exactly the decay of the energy is affected by the damping coefficient γ(t) and the exponent associated with the nonlinear term f? There seems to be little development on the study of such problems, with regard to non-autonomous equations, even for strongly positive operator A. By an idea of asymptotic rate-sharpening (among others), we obtain the optimal decay rate of the energy of the non-autonomous evolution equation in terms of γ(t) and f. As a byproduct, we show the optimality of the energy decay rates obtained previously in the literature when f is a monotone operator.

Uniform Synchronization of an Abstract Linear Second Order Evolution System

Although mathematical study on the synchronization of wave equations at the finite horizon has been well developed, there have been few results on the synchronization of wave equations for the long-time horizon. The aim of the paper is to investigate the uniform synchronization at the infinite horizon for one abstract linear second order evolution system in a Hilbert space. First, using the classical compact perturbation theory on the uniform stability of semigroups of contractions, we will establish a lower bound on the number of damping, necessary for the uniform synchronization of the considered system. Then, under the minimum number of damping, we clarify the algebraic structure of the system as well as the necessity of the conditions of compatibility on the coupling matrices. We then establish the uniform synchronization by the compact perturbation method and then give the dynamics of the asymptotic orbit. Various applications are given for the system of wave equations with boundary feedback or (and) locally distributed feedback, and for the system of Kirchhoff plate with distributed feedback. Some open questions are raised at the end of the paper for future development. The study is based on the synchronization theory and the compact perturbation of semigroups.

Information asymmetric enterprise management incentive mechanism based on dissipative structure

Because the enterprise management incentive mechanism operates in the complexity and nonlinearity of the enterprise system, its life evolution process is full of uncertainty and chaos. The theory of management entropy and management dissipative structure reveals two trends in the development of corporate organizational structure and incentive mechanism. Through the analysis of information asymmetry in corporate activities, we can know that information asymmetry absolutely exists. In order to weaken the information asymmetry, the enterprise must design an effective management system to make the company management more systematic. Based on the analysis of the basic theories of management entropy and management dissipative structure, this paper applies the two to the study of corporate incentives. Then, based on the self-organization theory of dissipative structure, we discussed the orderly evolution mechanism of the enterprise management system, and judged the development trend of corporate management performance from the perspective of system changes. The order degree calculation model can then evaluate the efficiency of corporate management and provide a new perspective for corporate management. Judging the role and development stage of management entropy and management dissipative structure in the enterprise’s incentive mechanism, so that the incentive can play an effective role, and provide theoretical support and practical methods for the enterprise to establish a good incentive mechanism.