Management researchers rely frequently on theoretical perspectives originating in North American and European contexts. Given the influences context has on scholarship, the question becomes if using ...primarily Western theories provides researchers with the design insights needed to capture the robust context of the setting in which they conduct their studies. Herein, we seek to establish a foundation for developing fertile exchanges of ideas regarding contextualized management research. To do this, we examine some of the main theories in management studies through the heuristic lens of an ‘open systems’ framework that allows us to build on comparative management and institutional theories. We discuss existing theory advances in selected areas of management studies, including corporate governance, strategic management, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to offer avenues for future research. Completing studies with a solid grounding in contextualized management theories has the potential to provide novel research avenues and opportunities to integrate diverse theoretical perspectives. We also identify a need for multidisciplinary research, epistemological openness, and methodological pluralism.
Abstract
We propose a method for the dynamical control in three-level open systems and realize it in the experiment with a superconducting qutrit. Our work demonstrates that in the Markovian ...environment for a relatively long time (3
μ
s), the systemic populations or coherence can still strictly follow the preset evolution paths. This is the first experiment for precisely controlling the Markovian dynamics of three-level open systems, providing a solid foundation for the future realization of dynamical control in multiple open systems. An instant application of the technique demonstrated in this experiment is to stabilize the energy of quantum batteries.
In this article, we explore the topic of supply chain resilience (SCR) in an open-system context. Systems theory and cybernetics are important methodologies in the analysis of complex networks. ...However, relatively little is known about their application in the supply chain (SC) operations. Using systems theory and cybernetics for SCR conceptualization, we argue that a systems-theoretical lens can help to extend the state-of-the-art research to describe SCR based on the concept of balancing vulnerability and recoverability over time. Toward this end, we define and test a new resilience measure for SCR using the Bayesian network approach with a compounding function of vulnerability and recoverability. We further propose managerial actions for implementing an open-system view of SCR. To demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of our method, we measure and analyze the resilience levels of a manufacturer. Our results provide useful decision-making support and can be valuable for SC managers seeking to balance risk mitigation and recovery capabilities. The framework and measure developed can also be used to guide firms seeking to analyze the impact of disruptions on SCs through the consideration of both performance degradation and recovery.
This work discusses social community and an individual in the context of physical systems. It also considers the presence of the entropy-balancing principle of an open system ̶ the exchange of energy ...and information with the environment, in their dominant characteristics. It also specifies the features of liberal societies in concrete terms, and with regard to them, determines justification of their characterization as an open organization. The work discusses the way in which an individual is psychologically formed in a liberal social environment. Based on the above, the (im)possibility of human educational structuring in the contemporary context of Western society is determined.
New Concepts in Electrolytes Li, Matthew; Wang, Chunsheng; Chen, Zhongwei ...
Chemical reviews,
07/2020, Letnik:
120, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Over the past decades, Li-ion battery (LIB) has turned into one of the most important advances in the history of technology due to its extensive and in-depth impact on our life. Its omnipresence in ...all electric vehicles, consumer electronics and electric grids relies on the precisely tuned electrochemical dynamics and interactions among the electrolytes and the diversified anode and cathode chemistries therein. With consumers’ demand for battery performance ever increasing, more and more stringent requirements are being imposed upon the established equilibria among these LIB components, and it became clear that the state-of-the-art electrolyte systems could no longer sustain the desired technological trajectory. Driven by such gap, researchers started to explore more unconventional electrolyte systems. From superconcentrated solvent-in-salt electrolytes to solid-state electrolytes, the current research realm of novel electrolyte systems has grown to unprecedented levels. In this review, we will avoid discussions on current state-of-the-art electrolytes but instead focus exclusively on unconventional electrolyte systems that represent new concepts.
Speleothems are among the most important archives for past climatic and environmental change. Calcite recrystallization can modify the authigenic structure and geochemical composition of the ...speleothems and affect the reliability of calcite stalagmites as repositories of authigenic geochemical proxies of past climates and environments. The criteria for distinguishing primary from secondary speleothem calcite, and the conditions (open or semi-closed) of speleothem calcite recrystallization remain poorly understood. Thus, in this study, we investigated the fabric, geochemical composition, and recrystallization dynamics of a partially recrystallized calcite stalagmite (DDH-Z-2) from Didonghe Cave in Shaanxi Province, China, through petrographic observations, fluorescence microscopy, and geochemical analyses (stable isotopes, trace elements, UTh isotopes). We found that: (1) in the DDH-Z-2 stalagmite, open elongated columnar calcite recrystallized into compact elongated columnar calcite. Particulate organic matter and fulvic and humic acids were removed during recrystallization, while aromatic compounds were preserved and became incorporated into the secondary calcite; (2) calcite recrystallization was affected by multiple factors, including external fluid chemistry, primary calcite microstructure, and organic matter; (3) calcite recrystallization occurred under open, fluid-buffered conditions for alteration of the stable isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) and trace elements (Mg, Sr, U). The effect of external fluid composition on trace element (Mg, Sr) composition of secondary calcite varied across the stages of calcite recrystallization. Caution should, therefore, be exercised when using geochemical proxies in stalagmites composed of inclusion-free elongated columnar calcite: such calcite is likely to be recrystallized, and thus record the composition of reactive fluids at the time of recrystallization. Regarding the geochemical system of speleothem diagenesis, the contribution of the parent material and the sources of reactive fluids are key factors to consider.
•Geochemical changes probed in a partly recrystallized calcite stalagmite.•POM, FA, and HA were removed, aromatic compounds preserved.•External fluid dominates the calcite recrystallization and geochemistry alteration.
We extend the concept of superadiabatic dynamics, or transitionless quantum driving, to quantum open systems whose evolution is governed by a master equation in the Lindblad form. We provide the ...general framework needed to determine the control strategy required to achieve superadiabaticity. We apply our formalism to two examples consisting of a two-level system coupled to environments with time-dependent bath operators.
The Magma Chamber Simulator (MCS) is a thermodynamic tool for modeling the evolution of magmatic systems that are open with respect to assimilation of partial melts or stoped blocks, magma recharge + ...mixing, and fractional crystallization. MCS is available for both PC and Mac. In the MCS, the thermal, mass, and compositional evolution of a multicomponent–multiphase composite system of resident magma, wallrock, and recharge reservoirs is tracked by rigorous self-consistent thermodynamic modeling. A Recharge–Assimilation (Assimilated partial melt or Stoped blocks)–Fractional Crystallization (R
n
AS
n
FC;
n
tot
≤ 30) scenario is computed by minimization or maximization of appropriate thermodynamic potentials using the family of rhyolite- and pMELTS engines coupled to an Excel Visual Basic interface. In MCS, during isobaric cooling and crystallization, resident magma thermally interacts with wallrock that is in internal thermodynamic equilibrium. Wallrock partial melt above a user-defined percolation threshold is homogenized (i.e., brought in to chemical potential equilibrium) with resident magma. Crystals that form become part of a cumulate reservoir that remains thermally connected but chemically isolated from resident melt
.
Up to 30 instances (
n
≤ 30) of magma mixing by recharge and/or bulk assimilation of stoped wallrock blocks can occur in a single simulation; each recharge magma or stoped block has a unique user-defined composition and thermal state. Recharge magmas and stoped blocks hybridize (equilibrate) with resident melt, yielding a single new melt composition and temperature. MCS output includes major and trace element concentrations and isotopic ratios (Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb, Os, and O as defaults) of wallrock, recharge magma/stoped blocks, resident magma melt, and cumulates. The chemical formulae of equilibrium crystalline phases in the cumulate reservoir, wallrock, and recharge magmas/stoped blocks are also output. Depending on the selected rhyolite-MELTS engine, the composition and properties of a possible supercritical fluid phase (H
2
O and/or CO
2
) are also tracked. Forward modeling of theoretical magma systems and suites of igneous rocks provides quantitative insight into key questions in igneous petrology such as mantle versus crustal contributions to terrestrial magmas, the record of magmatism preserved in cumulates and exsolved fluids, and the chronology of RASFC processes that may be recorded by crystal populations, melt inclusions, and whole rocks. Here, we describe the design of the MCS software that focuses on major element compositions and phase equilibria (MCS-PhaseEQ). Case studies that involve fractional crystallization, magma recharge + mixing, and crustal contamination of a depleted basalt that resides in average upper crust illustrate the major element and phase equilibria consequences of these processes and highlight the rich array of data produced by MCS. The cases presented here, which represent an infinitesimal fraction of possible RASFC processes and bulk compositions, show that the records of recharge and/or crustal contamination may be subtle and are not necessarily those that would be predicted using conventional intuition and simple mass balance arguments. Mass and energy constrained thermodynamic tools like the MCS quantify the open-system evolution of magmas and provide a systematic understanding of the petrology and geochemistry of open system magmatic processes. The trace element and isotope MCS computational tool (MCS-Traces) is described in a separate contribution (part II).
Abstract
The paradigm of second-order phase transitions (PTs) induced by spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) in thermal and quantum systems is a pillar of modern physics that has been fruitfully ...applied to out-of-equilibrium open quantum systems. Dissipative phase transitions (DPTs) of second order are often connected with SSB, in close analogy with well-known thermal second-order PTs in closed quantum and classical systems. That is, a second-order DPT should disappear by preventing the occurrence of SSB. Here, we prove this statement to be wrong, showing that, surprisingly, SSB is not a necessary condition for the occurrence of second-order DPTs in
out-of-equilibrium open quantum systems
. We analytically prove this result using the Liouvillian theory of DPTs, and demonstrate this anomalous transition in a paradigmatic laser model, where we can arbitrarily remove SSB while retaining criticality, and on a
Z
2
-symmetric model of a two-photon Kerr resonator. This new type of PT cannot be interpreted as a ‘semiclassical’ bifurcation, because, after the DPT, the system steady state remains unique.
Microalgae are a potential source of sustainable biomass feedstock for biofuel generation, and can proliferate under versatile environmental conditions. Mass cultivation of microalgae is the most ...overpriced and technically challenging step in microalgal biofuel generation. Wastewater is an available source of the water plus nutrients necessary for algae cultivation. Microalgae provide a cost-effective and sustainable means of advanced (waste)water treatment with the simultaneous production of commercially valuable products. Microalgae show higher efficiency in nutrient removal than other microorganisms because the nutrients (ammonia, nitrate, phosphate, urea and trace elements) present in various wastewaters are essential for microalgal growth. Potential progress in the area of microalgal cultivation coupled with wastewater treatment in open and closed systems has led to an improvement in algal biomass production. However, significant efforts are still required for the development and optimization of a coupled system to simultaneously generate biomass and treat wastewater. In this review, the systematic description of the technologies required for the successful integration of wastewater treatment and cultivation of microalgae for biomass production toward biofuel generation was discussed. It deeply reviews the microalgae-mediated treatment of different wastewaters (including municipal, piggery/swine, industrial, and anaerobic wastewater), and highlight the wastewater characteristics suitable for microalgae cultivation. Various pretreatment methods (such as filtration, autoclaving, UV application, and dilution) needed for wastewater prior to its use for microalgae cultivation have been discussed. The selection of potential microalgae species that can grow in wastewater and generate a large amount of biomass has been considered. Discussion on microalgal cultivation systems (including raceways, photobioreactors, turf scrubbers, and hybrid systems) that use wastewater, evaluating the capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX) of each system was reported. In view of the limitations of recent studies, the future directions for integrated wastewater treatment and microalgae biomass production for industrial applications were suggested.
•Challenges in using wastewater for microalgae cultivation and biomass production.•Treatment of different wastewaters and reuse of the treated water.•Recovery of valuable nutrients (N/P) and removal of organic pollutants.•Application of wastewater in raceways, photobioreactors, turf scrubbers, and hybrid systems.•Genetically engineered microalgae for efficient wastewater treatment.
PDF
