The KlaperSuite framework for model-driven reliability analysis of component-based systems

Automatic prediction tools play a key role in enabling the application of non-functional requirements analysis, to simplify the selection and the assembly of components for component-based software systems, and in reducing the need for strong mathematical skills for software designers. By exploiting the paradigm of Model-Driven Engineering (MDE), it is possible to automatically transform design models into analytical models, thus enabling formal property verification. MDE is the core paradigm of the KlaperSuite framework presented in this paper, which exploits the KLAPER pivot language to fill the gap between design and analysis of component-based systems for reliability properties. KlaperSuite is a family of tools empowering designers with the ability to capture and analyze quality of service views of their systems, by building a one-click bridge towards a number of established verification instruments. In this article, we concentrate on the reliability-prediction capabilities of KlaperSuite and we evaluate them with respect to several case studies from literature and industry.     

Long-term cyclability of nanostructured LiFePO4

Amorphous LiFePO₄ was obtained by lithiation of FePO₄ synthesized by spontaneous precipitation from equimolar aqueous solutions of Fe(NH₄)₂(SO₄)₂·6H₂O and NH₄H₂PO₄, using hydrogen peroxide as oxidizing agent. Nano-crystalline LiFePO₄ was obtained by heating amorphous nano-sized LiFePO₄ for different periods of time. The materials were characterized by TG, DTA, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and BET. All materials showed very good electrochemical performance in terms of energy and power density. Upon cycling, a capacity fading affected the materials, thus reducing the electrochemical performance. Nevertheless, the fading decreased upon cycling and after the 200th cycle the cell was able to cycle for more than 500 cycles without further fading.     

Aspects of nucleosomal positional flexibility and fluidity

Nucleosomes have been considered until recently to be stable and uniquely localized particles. We focus here on two properties of nucleosomes that are emerging as central attributes of their functions: mobility and multiplicity of localization. The biological relevance of these phenomena is based on the fact that chromatin functions depend on the relative stability of nucleosomes, on their covalent or conformational modifications, their dynamics, their localization, and the density of their distribution. In order to understand these complex behaviors both the structure of the nucleosome core particles and the informational rules governing their interaction with defined DNA sequences are here taken into consideration. The fact that nucleosomes solve the problem of how to locate a specific interaction site on a potentially infinite combination of sequences, with interactions recurring to a controlled level of informational ambiguity and stochasticity, is discussed. Nucleosomes have been shown to slide along DNA. This novel facet of their behavior and its implications in chromatin remodeling are reviewed.     

Pressure effects on shear deformation of borosilicate glasses

The shear behaviors of two multicomponent borosilicate glasses, Borofloat®33 (Boro33) and N-BK7® (N-BK7), under different pressures are investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The addition of alkali ions lowers the yield stress and changes the pressure dependence of shear modulus. Shear-induced densification is observed in both glasses. It is found that the decreases of the oxygen-centered bond angle and the coordination number change of B are responsible for the density changes at low pressures, and the increase of 5-coordinated Si is the dominant mechanism for densification at high pressures. The average shear stresses experienced by Si and B decrease with pressure except that the flow stress of Si at the end of shear deformation in N-BK7. Moreover, the average shear stress of B is more sensitive to the applied pressures compared to Si, suggesting that B is able to relax mechanical stress more easily under pressurized-shear. By analyzing the nonaffine displacement of atoms, it is found that N-BK7 exhibits more localized plastic deformation compared to Boro33 at low pressures and the local rearrangements in both glasses become more homogeneous with increasing pressure. The mean squared nonaffine displacement curves show that alkali ions have the highest mobility induced by shear compared to the network formers and B is more mobile than Si for both glasses. We also observed that plastic deformation tends to take place around boron atoms for Boro33, whereas it occurs in the alkali-rich regions for N-BK7, indicating that these two glasses have different atomic-scale deformation mechanisms.     

Piezoelectric glass-ceramics: Crystal chemistry,orientation mechanisms,and emerging applications

Piezoelectric materials have coupled mechanical and electrical energies and have long been used in devices for actuators, sensors, energy harvesters, frequency filters, and various additional applications. Piezoelectricity requires a non-centrosymmetric crystal structure and is therefore confined to materials that possess a periodic crystalline structure. Due to the non-crystalline nature of glass, piezoelectricity is fundamentally forbidden. However, one way to exploit piezoelectric properties in a glassy matrix is by developing glass-ceramics that possess controlled growth of a crystalline phase. Growth and orientation of piezoelectric crystals in a glassy matrix is a non-trivial process that has long been explored to combine the formability of glass with the thermal and mechanical resilience of glass-ceramics. While extensive work has been done in the field of functional glass-ceramics, the results are presented in isolated articles and a comprehensive review pertaining to symmetry breaking methods to exploit anisotropic properties in glass-ceramics has been absent from the literature. Here, we present a global review of the fundamental symmetry requirements for piezoelectricity, the development of polar, piezoelectric glass-ceramic compositions (specifically those with LiNbO₃ and fresnoite-based crystal phases), and various crystal growth and orientation mechanisms, including relevant kinetic and thermodynamic driving forces. Lastly, we discuss the challenges associated with implementing gradients to drive oriented crystal growth to develop non-centrosymmetry, and the need for future modeling work to produce adequate time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagrams that take into account kinetic and thermodynamic driving forces for oriented crystal growth. Going beyond technical challenges, we conclude with an examination of current and potential applications for piezoelectric glass-ceramics that combine the formability of glass with the symmetry-dependent properties of ceramics.     

Atomic-scale mechanisms of densification in cold-compressed borosilicate glasses

Knowledge of the underlying structural response during deformation processes is essential for understanding the macroscopic mechanical response of glass. Here we present results from cold compression-decompression molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of two multicomponent borosilicate glasses, Borofloat^®33 (Boro33) and N-BK7^® (N-BK7). Our results suggest that the densification of these two borosilicate glasses involves different types of structural changes. The fraction of permanent densification can be correlated to the change in intermediate-range structure. By performing Voronoi analysis, we quantify the contributions to densification from different cation types in these two multicomponent borosilicate glasses, finding that 3-coordinated cations facilitate the densification process. Higher-coordinated cations are relatively stable and can even show a slight expansion in their Voronoi volume.     

Effects of acid leaching treatment of soda-lime silicate glass on crack initiation and fracture

Water or acid soaking surface treatments have been shown to increase the mechanical strength of soda-lime silicate (SLS) glasses. This increase in strength has traditionally been attributed to effects related to residual stress or changes in fracture resistance. In this work, we report experimental data that cannot be explained based on the existing knowledge of glass surface mechanics. In dry environments, annealed and acid-leached SLS surfaces have comparable crack initiation stress and fracture stress as measured by Hertzian indentation and biaxial bending tests, respectively. Yet, in the presence of humidity, acid-leached surfaces have higher failure stress than the annealed surfaces. This apparent enhancement in the crack resistance of the acid-leached surface of SLS glass in humid environments supports the hypothesis that acid-leached surface chemistry can lower the transport kinetics of molecular water to critical flaws.     

Cold sintering of diatomaceous earth

Diatomite, a natural silicate-based sedimentary rock, was densified by cold sintering at room temperature and 150°C under various pressures (100, 200, and 300 MPa) and using different NaOH water solutions (0–3 M). The relative density of cold sintered diatomite can be as high as 90%, a condition that can be achieved by conventional firing only at 1200–1300°C. The cold sintered materials maintain the same mineralogical composition of the starting powder (quartz, glass, and illite) and are constituted by well-deformed and flattened grains oriented orthogonally to the applied pressure. Conversely, an evident phase evolution takes place upon conventional firing with the formation of cristobalite and mullite. The bending strength of cold sintered artifacts can exceed 40 MPa and increases to ≈80 MPa after post-annealing at 800°C, such mechanical strength is much larger than that of conventionally pressed samples sintered at 800°C, which is only ≈1 MPa.     

Portfolio approaches for constraint optimization problems

Within the Constraint Satisfaction Problems (CSP) context, a methodology that has proven to be particularly performant consists of using a portfolio of different constraint solvers. Nevertheless, comparatively few studies and investigations have been done in the world of Constraint Optimization Problems (COP). In this work, we provide a generalization to COP as well as an empirical evaluation of different state of the art existing CSP portfolio approaches properly adapted to deal with COP. The results obtained by measuring several evaluation metrics confirm the effectiveness of portfolios even in the optimization field, and could give rise to some interesting future research.     

The Influence of the Internet on European Journalism

This study investigates how European journalists evaluate the changes that have occurred in their profession since the Internet has been integrated in newsrooms. How do journalists perceive the features and innovations associated with the Internet? What are the principal changes in the profession? Do practitioners believe that the quality of journalism has been raised or lowered? To answer to these research questions, we carried out a survey across 11 European countries–Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden–of 239 journalists, working for 40 of the most‐read print/online news outlets in these countries. The survey shows that the opportunity to use the Internet to reinforce the social functions of journalism has not been fully recognised.