When mechanical stress is applied to certain materials, they heat up, and when the stress is relieved, they cool down. This process, known as elastocaloric cooling, uses materials that are not harmful to individuals or the environment. Unlike traditional refrigerants, elastocaloric materials like nitinol—commonly used in medicine due to their biocompatibility—offer a safer alternative. In theory, this technology could be significantly more efficient, though it is still in the development phase.
The scientists note that their prototype is currently at 15% of its maximum efficiency, while vapor compression technology typically operates at 20-30% efficiency. However, since their technology has been in development for less than 10 years, researchers believe there is still plenty of room for improvement.
While solid-state cooling technologies are still in the early stages, they offer the potential for safer, quieter, and more efficient cooling without harming the environment.
The researchers are now working on bringing this technology to market as part of the E-CO-HEAT project, which runs until early 2026. They are preparing a patent and developing a strategy for industry adoption. Improving the efficiency and sustainability of temperature controlling technologies is a key focus of the EU’s Heating and Cooling Strategy, an essential part of the European Green Deal.
Cooling currently accounts for 10% of global electricity demand, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The need for these technologies is rapidly increasing due to rising temperatures and growing demand in developing countries. As temperatures continue to rise, the pressure to find more energy-efficient and sustainable solutions intensifies.
These cells have shown remarkable progress in recent years with rapid increases in efficiency, from reports of about 3% in 2009 to over 26% today on small-area devices (about 0.1 cm2).
While reports revealed that perovskite-silicon tandem cells have reached efficiencies of almost 34%.
Stability in high-temperature
However, perovskite PV is not yet manufactured at scale as a number of challenges are required to be addressed before perovskites can become a competitive commercial PV technology.
“Through this latest research, we have developed a hole transport layer system that retains high efficiency while ensuring stability in high-temperature and high-humidity environments,” said Professor Dong Suk Kim, who led the study.
“This represents a significant step toward the practical application of perovskite solar cells.”
Efficiency remained virtually unchanged after encapsulation process
The efficiency remained virtually unchanged after undergoing the encapsulation process. In tests conducted under international standards at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, the encapsulated cells exhibited exceptional durability, maintaining 21.7% efficiency even after 1,000 hours. The glass transition temperature of the hole transport layer was also elevated to 125°C, reported Tech Explorer.
Perovskites — a family of materials that have shown potential for high performance and low production costs in solar cells — are materials utilized in other energy technologies, such as fuel cells and catalysts.
Commonly used in photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, perovskites are commonly used in photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are more specifically called “metal-halide perovskites” since they are made of a combination of organic ions, metals, and halogens.
All three phenomena are commonly observed in classical liquids, but the study authors demonstrated their occurrence in an ultracold mixture of potassium and rubidium atoms. This is probably the first time an atomic gas has shown such behavior.
Exploring capillary instability in a quantum gas
The study authors observed that when an ultradilute quantum gas (the potassium rubidium atomic mixture) was brought down to temperatures approaching absolute zero, it remained in the gaseous phase but at the same time exhibited liquid-like properties and formed a single quantum droplet.
This droplet was then placed in a laser-created path, where it stretched into a thin line. The elongated quantum droplet, when stretched beyond a critical length, became unstable and broke into smaller droplets.
As a result, the liquid forms shapes, like droplets, to minimize surface area. It is responsible for the formation of dew drops, soap bubbles, and raindrops. In some cases, surface tension gives rise to capillary instability, disturbances in liquid columns that eventually force them to break into separate droplets to lower the surface energy.
A well-known form of capillary instability is Plateau–Rayleigh instability. This concept was proposed in 1873. It describes how a cylindrical stream of liquid becomes unstable due to surface tension and breaks into droplets.
This is commonly observed in water streams breaking into droplets as they fall. An everyday example of this is the thin stream of water from a tap breaking into droplets as it falls.
“For instance, in a 16-cell battery pack, wiring can be reduced from more than 20 meters to just 80 centimetres, lowering material costs, weight, and assembly complexity, while enhancing overall efficiency,” remarked the press release.
Furthermore, data from the BMS and iSCM is fed into a digital twin. This system uses machine learning to provide predictive analytics on the battery’s remaining life, state of charge, and overall health.
This real-time information is crucial for accurately planning second-life applications for the battery components once they are no longer suitable for automotive use.
Performance enhancements through flexible architecture
The MARBEL prototypes address critical performance aspects. An innovative cooling system design ensures uniform heat removal from cells and busbars, which, combined with charging optimization algorithms, enables ultra-fast charging capabilities.
“A switchable Junction Box has also been added to support flexible battery architecture, allowing seamless transitions between 400 and 800 volts and vice versa depending on requirements supporting modularity for both smaller and larger battery packs,” added the press release.
MARBEL project aims to extend battery life through second-life applications, which will enable reuse and refurbishment beyond automotive purposes.
The prototypes feature intelligent architecture using easily assembled and disassembled busbars for power connections.
The new method reportedly avoids issues with flexible cells, such as potassium diffusion from the glass substrate into the CIGS light-absorbing layer. This can be a significant headache for tandem cell producers as it introduces defects into the CIGS absorber.
Durable and efficient
The tandem cell also showed “excellent” durability when tested under standard illumination conditions. “After conducting 100,000 bending cycles, the solar cells maintained 97.7% of their initial efficiency,” KIER said.
“The power-to-weight ratio of the fabricated solar cell is approximately 10 times higher than that of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, making it highly promising for applications in fields that require ultralight solar modules, such as building exteriors, vehicles, and aerospace,” Kihwan Kim, one of the authors of the study.
Innovative ‘lift-off’ process
The institute claims the record was achieved using an innovative “lift-off” process, which involves using a rigid glass as a temporary base for the cell. A coat of polyamide (a flexible plastic) is added. The tandem cells are built on top of this layer, with the final flexible solar cell peeling off the glass.
This process differs from more traditional methods that tend to be built directly onto plastic. “Unlike conventional methods that use flexible polyimide film directly as the substrate, this approach utilizes rigid glass as a supporting base, allowing for more stable fabrication of the solar cells. The use of a flat, rigid glass substrate also ensures uniform layer deposition, leading to improved device performance and higher reproducibility,” the statement added.
Researchers aim to understand this complex infrastructure. They hope to uncover a vast network, along with artifacts, from this pivotal period in the empire’s expansion and technological advancement.
“We are very pleased that our joint proposal was successful in the competitive DFG process. A broad methodological spectrum is not just typical of LEIZA, it also is increasingly important to gaining groundbreaking new insights,” concluded Prof. Dr. Alexandra W. Busch, General Director of LEIZA, in an announcement.
“The project’s findings will not only expand our knowledge of late antique building ceramics but also serve as a model study that integrates archaeological and archaeometric methodologies, helping us reconstruct Trier’s historical development.”
“We assume that most of the stamped bricks date from Late Antiquity. This allows us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of how building ceramics were produced and used during this period,” stated Dr. Thomas Schmidts, a lecturer at Goethe University and conservator at LEIZA in Mainz.
“Brick stamps are also key to understanding the economic and social structures of Late Antiquity.”
Will they unearth a massive construction project?
According to ArchDaily, brick replaced stone as the primary Roman construction material beginning in the 1st century AD. A city as extensively built with brick as Trier would have required significant planning, organization, and construction systems.
On a hunt to find out how the Romans built Trier
A team from Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) is investigating one of the largest collections of stamped Roman bricks from the northern provinces, of which only a small portion has been previously analyzed.
For the first time, archaeometric analyses—an interdisciplinary scientific approach—will determine the bricks’ chemical composition to identify the raw materials used. This analysis could enable researchers to trace the materials’ origins, potentially leading to the discovery of ancient workshops. Specifically, according to the University of Frankfurt, “the spatial distribution of the bricks” will allow researchers to reconstruct the architectural development of the ancient Roman city.
As an economic and political hub, it became an imperial residence during the Constantinian and Valentinian dynasties, triggering a large-scale structural transformation.
The UNESCO World Heritage site boasts significant and well-preserved ruins, including the Porta Nigra, the Cathedral of St. Peter, the Church of Our Lady, and the Roman amphitheater.
According to the University of Frankfurt, ancient Romans used various fired brick formats to construct these monumental buildings, incorporating them into walls, roofs, and heating systems.
Researchers recovered 4,000 stamped bricks in the early 20th century, but they have remained largely unstudied until now.
Now, over a century later, researchers are opening storage units at Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe’s (GDKE) Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier to reconstruct the story of brick production in the ancient Roman city.
4,000 Roman bricks’ research could reveal ancient material production mystery
Fired bricks, in various forms, were essential to Roman monumental architecture, including walls, roofs, and heating.
Archaeologists are set to spend the next two years examining 4,000 stamped bricks from the Roman city of Trier. They aim to uncover insights into ancient brick production and distribution.
A new interdisciplinary project, backed by a €340,000 grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG), will delve into the previously under-researched Roman brickwork of Trier.
Trier, known as Germany’s Roman capital, rose to prominence as a major metropolis in the Roman Empire north of the Alps between the 1st and 5th centuries.
Slight skin penetration increased signal quality
“I started this research because my main goal is to develop new sensor technology to support health care. I had previous experience with brain-computer interfaces and flexible scalp electronics,” said Hong Yeo, professor at Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
“We needed better BCI sensor technology and discovered that if we can slightly penetrate the skin and avoid hair by miniaturizing the sensor, we can dramatically increase the signal quality by getting closer to the source of the signals and reduce unwanted noise,” he added.
According to the researchers, the new sensor could have critical applications in the real world, most notably in healthcare. It could, for example, help people with disabilities control prosthetics or communicate. It may even be used in the field of consumer tech, such as smart glasses, hands-free phones, and computer control.
Other applications include the AR and virtual reality market, which would make for a more immersive, hands-free, intuitive user experience. The sensors could also be handy for rehabilitation, for example, stroke or injury recovery through neural feedback.
The scientists claim this outperforms many existing materials and suggests excellent longevity and real-world performance. The design’s hollow structure improves stability by preventing direct contact between active nanoparticles and the battery’s electrolyte, which is often a cause of capacity fade over time.
Breakthrough could pave way for better commercial battery technologies
“This breakthrough was made possible through close cooperation between experts in diverse materials,” said Professor Paek. “By combining our strengths, we could design and optimize this hybrid system more effectively.”
Blockchain continues to evolve and people are learning to understand it better. Accordingly, there are initiatives underway to think about how the U.S. can achieve a broad-based identity verification system, Hulka said. There are technical ways to do it, but finding the right way that works for the country is more of a challenge since it has to be interoperable. "The goal is to get to a point where there is one way to verify identity across multiple services," she said.
Eventually, there will be a tipping point for the financial services industry where it becomes a business imperative, Hulka said. "The question is when, of course."
Fink has been pushing the SEC to look at issue
The idea is not a brand new one for Fink. At Davos earlier this year, he told CNBC that he wanted the SEC "to rapidly expand the tokenization of stocks and bonds."
There's BlackRock self-interest at work, and potential cost savings for the firm and many others, which Fink has spoken about. In recent years, BlackRock has been dragged into political battles, and lawsuits, over its voting of a massive amount of shares held in its funds on ESG issues. "We'd never have to vote on a proxy vote anymore," Fink told CNBC at Davos, referring to "the tax on BlackRock."
"Every owner would be notified of a vote," he said, adding that it would bring down the cost of ownership of stocks and bonds.
Competitive forces are another issue to contend with. "There is an ecosystem of vendors who offer identity verification and authentication solutions that would not want a centralized system for fear of going out of business," Mattei said.
There are also significant data privacy hurdles to overcome. States and the federal government would need to coordinate to resolve governance issues, and this might prompt "big brother" concerns about the extent to which the federal government could monitor the activities of its citizens.
Many people have "a bit of an allergic reaction" when anything resembling a national ID comes up, Ramzan said.
That's not an easy task. Take, for example, the effort many states are making to adopt digital driver's licenses. About a quarter of states today, including Utah, Maryland, Virginia and New York, issue mobile driver's licenses, according to mDLConnection, an online resource from the Secure Technology Alliance. Other states have pilot programs in effect, have enacted legislation or are studying the issue. But this undertaking is quite ambitious and has been underway for several years.
To implement a national identity verification system would be a "massive undertaking and would require just about every company that does business online to adopt a government standard for identity verification and authentication," Mattei said.
Digital driver's licenses offer a cautionary tale
It would take a significant coordinated effort to come up with a national identity system used for identity verification.
Identity systems in the U.S. today are fragmented, Ramzan said, giving the example of state departments of motor vehicles. "To move forward, we will either need a cohesive national strategy or a way to better coordinate identity across the state and federal levels," he said.
In the U.S., there's a long-standing preference for decentralized systems for identity. On mobile devices, Face ID and Fingerprint ID are done not by centralizing all of that data in one spot at Apple or Google, but by storing the data in a secure module on each mobile device. "This makes it much harder, if not impossible, for fraudsters to steal that data en masse," Mattei said.
While a centralized system solves one challenge, the storage of personally identifiable information and biometrics data is a security risk, said David Mattei, a strategic advisor in the fraud and AML practice at Datos Insights, which works with financial services, insurance and retail technology companies.
Notably, there have been reports of data stolen from India's Aadhaar system. And last year, El Salvador's government had the personal data of 80% of its citizens stolen from a centralized, government-managed citizen identity system. "A lot of security experts do not advocate having a centralized security system because it's kind of like the pot at the end of the rainbow that every fraudster is trying to get his hands on," Mattei said.
Feed the lion.
Big burger for the lion.
!DOOK
Some like it big.
Not me. It'd scare me off.
LOL you like teeny weenies?
Yeah yeah.
Feed the lion.
!summarize #williamshatner #startrek #captainkirk #hollywood
When mechanical stress is applied to certain materials, they heat up, and when the stress is relieved, they cool down. This process, known as elastocaloric cooling, uses materials that are not harmful to individuals or the environment. Unlike traditional refrigerants, elastocaloric materials like nitinol—commonly used in medicine due to their biocompatibility—offer a safer alternative. In theory, this technology could be significantly more efficient, though it is still in the development phase.
The scientists note that their prototype is currently at 15% of its maximum efficiency, while vapor compression technology typically operates at 20-30% efficiency. However, since their technology has been in development for less than 10 years, researchers believe there is still plenty of room for improvement.
While solid-state cooling technologies are still in the early stages, they offer the potential for safer, quieter, and more efficient cooling without harming the environment.
The researchers are now working on bringing this technology to market as part of the E-CO-HEAT project, which runs until early 2026. They are preparing a patent and developing a strategy for industry adoption. Improving the efficiency and sustainability of temperature controlling technologies is a key focus of the EU’s Heating and Cooling Strategy, an essential part of the European Green Deal.
Cooling currently accounts for 10% of global electricity demand, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The need for these technologies is rapidly increasing due to rising temperatures and growing demand in developing countries. As temperatures continue to rise, the pressure to find more energy-efficient and sustainable solutions intensifies.
!summarize #billoreilly #albany #newyork
These cells have shown remarkable progress in recent years with rapid increases in efficiency, from reports of about 3% in 2009 to over 26% today on small-area devices (about 0.1 cm2).
While reports revealed that perovskite-silicon tandem cells have reached efficiencies of almost 34%.
Stability in high-temperature
However, perovskite PV is not yet manufactured at scale as a number of challenges are required to be addressed before perovskites can become a competitive commercial PV technology.
“Through this latest research, we have developed a hole transport layer system that retains high efficiency while ensuring stability in high-temperature and high-humidity environments,” said Professor Dong Suk Kim, who led the study.
“This represents a significant step toward the practical application of perovskite solar cells.”
Efficiency remained virtually unchanged after encapsulation process
The efficiency remained virtually unchanged after undergoing the encapsulation process. In tests conducted under international standards at 85°C and 85% relative humidity, the encapsulated cells exhibited exceptional durability, maintaining 21.7% efficiency even after 1,000 hours. The glass transition temperature of the hole transport layer was also elevated to 125°C, reported Tech Explorer.
Perovskites — a family of materials that have shown potential for high performance and low production costs in solar cells — are materials utilized in other energy technologies, such as fuel cells and catalysts.
Commonly used in photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, perovskites are commonly used in photovoltaic (PV) solar cells are more specifically called “metal-halide perovskites” since they are made of a combination of organic ions, metals, and halogens.
!summarize #military #divorce #email #marriage
All three phenomena are commonly observed in classical liquids, but the study authors demonstrated their occurrence in an ultracold mixture of potassium and rubidium atoms. This is probably the first time an atomic gas has shown such behavior.
Exploring capillary instability in a quantum gas
The study authors observed that when an ultradilute quantum gas (the potassium rubidium atomic mixture) was brought down to temperatures approaching absolute zero, it remained in the gaseous phase but at the same time exhibited liquid-like properties and formed a single quantum droplet.
This droplet was then placed in a laser-created path, where it stretched into a thin line. The elongated quantum droplet, when stretched beyond a critical length, became unstable and broke into smaller droplets.
!summarize #media #trade #negotiations #politics
As a result, the liquid forms shapes, like droplets, to minimize surface area. It is responsible for the formation of dew drops, soap bubbles, and raindrops. In some cases, surface tension gives rise to capillary instability, disturbances in liquid columns that eventually force them to break into separate droplets to lower the surface energy.
A well-known form of capillary instability is Plateau–Rayleigh instability. This concept was proposed in 1873. It describes how a cylindrical stream of liquid becomes unstable due to surface tension and breaks into droplets.
This is commonly observed in water streams breaking into droplets as they fall. An everyday example of this is the thin stream of water from a tap breaking into droplets as it falls.
“For instance, in a 16-cell battery pack, wiring can be reduced from more than 20 meters to just 80 centimetres, lowering material costs, weight, and assembly complexity, while enhancing overall efficiency,” remarked the press release.
Furthermore, data from the BMS and iSCM is fed into a digital twin. This system uses machine learning to provide predictive analytics on the battery’s remaining life, state of charge, and overall health.
This real-time information is crucial for accurately planning second-life applications for the battery components once they are no longer suitable for automotive use.
!summarize #unitedstates #reservecurrency #usdollar
Performance enhancements through flexible architecture
The MARBEL prototypes address critical performance aspects. An innovative cooling system design ensures uniform heat removal from cells and busbars, which, combined with charging optimization algorithms, enables ultra-fast charging capabilities.
“A switchable Junction Box has also been added to support flexible battery architecture, allowing seamless transitions between 400 and 800 volts and vice versa depending on requirements supporting modularity for both smaller and larger battery packs,” added the press release.
MARBEL project aims to extend battery life through second-life applications, which will enable reuse and refurbishment beyond automotive purposes.
The prototypes feature intelligent architecture using easily assembled and disassembled busbars for power connections.
!summarize #nuclear #meltdown #energy #disaster
The new method reportedly avoids issues with flexible cells, such as potassium diffusion from the glass substrate into the CIGS light-absorbing layer. This can be a significant headache for tandem cell producers as it introduces defects into the CIGS absorber.
Durable and efficient
The tandem cell also showed “excellent” durability when tested under standard illumination conditions. “After conducting 100,000 bending cycles, the solar cells maintained 97.7% of their initial efficiency,” KIER said.
“The power-to-weight ratio of the fabricated solar cell is approximately 10 times higher than that of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, making it highly promising for applications in fields that require ultralight solar modules, such as building exteriors, vehicles, and aerospace,” Kihwan Kim, one of the authors of the study.
!summarize #pacificwar #ww2 #history
Innovative ‘lift-off’ process
The institute claims the record was achieved using an innovative “lift-off” process, which involves using a rigid glass as a temporary base for the cell. A coat of polyamide (a flexible plastic) is added. The tandem cells are built on top of this layer, with the final flexible solar cell peeling off the glass.
This process differs from more traditional methods that tend to be built directly onto plastic. “Unlike conventional methods that use flexible polyimide film directly as the substrate, this approach utilizes rigid glass as a supporting base, allowing for more stable fabrication of the solar cells. The use of a flat, rigid glass substrate also ensures uniform layer deposition, leading to improved device performance and higher reproducibility,” the statement added.
Researchers aim to understand this complex infrastructure. They hope to uncover a vast network, along with artifacts, from this pivotal period in the empire’s expansion and technological advancement.
“We are very pleased that our joint proposal was successful in the competitive DFG process. A broad methodological spectrum is not just typical of LEIZA, it also is increasingly important to gaining groundbreaking new insights,” concluded Prof. Dr. Alexandra W. Busch, General Director of LEIZA, in an announcement.
“The project’s findings will not only expand our knowledge of late antique building ceramics but also serve as a model study that integrates archaeological and archaeometric methodologies, helping us reconstruct Trier’s historical development.”
!summarize #shipping #unitedsstates #containers #china #ports
“We assume that most of the stamped bricks date from Late Antiquity. This allows us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of how building ceramics were produced and used during this period,” stated Dr. Thomas Schmidts, a lecturer at Goethe University and conservator at LEIZA in Mainz.
“Brick stamps are also key to understanding the economic and social structures of Late Antiquity.”
Will they unearth a massive construction project?
According to ArchDaily, brick replaced stone as the primary Roman construction material beginning in the 1st century AD. A city as extensively built with brick as Trier would have required significant planning, organization, and construction systems.
On a hunt to find out how the Romans built Trier
A team from Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (LEIZA) is investigating one of the largest collections of stamped Roman bricks from the northern provinces, of which only a small portion has been previously analyzed.
For the first time, archaeometric analyses—an interdisciplinary scientific approach—will determine the bricks’ chemical composition to identify the raw materials used. This analysis could enable researchers to trace the materials’ origins, potentially leading to the discovery of ancient workshops. Specifically, according to the University of Frankfurt, “the spatial distribution of the bricks” will allow researchers to reconstruct the architectural development of the ancient Roman city.
!summarize #vanguard #stocks #market #predictions #2025
As an economic and political hub, it became an imperial residence during the Constantinian and Valentinian dynasties, triggering a large-scale structural transformation.
The UNESCO World Heritage site boasts significant and well-preserved ruins, including the Porta Nigra, the Cathedral of St. Peter, the Church of Our Lady, and the Roman amphitheater.
According to the University of Frankfurt, ancient Romans used various fired brick formats to construct these monumental buildings, incorporating them into walls, roofs, and heating systems.
Researchers recovered 4,000 stamped bricks in the early 20th century, but they have remained largely unstudied until now.
Now, over a century later, researchers are opening storage units at Generaldirektion Kulturelles Erbe’s (GDKE) Rheinisches Landesmuseum Trier to reconstruct the story of brick production in the ancient Roman city.
!summarize #marriage #divorce #relationships #life
4,000 Roman bricks’ research could reveal ancient material production mystery
Fired bricks, in various forms, were essential to Roman monumental architecture, including walls, roofs, and heating.
Archaeologists are set to spend the next two years examining 4,000 stamped bricks from the Roman city of Trier. They aim to uncover insights into ancient brick production and distribution.
A new interdisciplinary project, backed by a €340,000 grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG), will delve into the previously under-researched Roman brickwork of Trier.
Trier, known as Germany’s Roman capital, rose to prominence as a major metropolis in the Roman Empire north of the Alps between the 1st and 5th centuries.
Slight skin penetration increased signal quality
“I started this research because my main goal is to develop new sensor technology to support health care. I had previous experience with brain-computer interfaces and flexible scalp electronics,” said Hong Yeo, professor at Georgia Tech’s George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering.
“We needed better BCI sensor technology and discovered that if we can slightly penetrate the skin and avoid hair by miniaturizing the sensor, we can dramatically increase the signal quality by getting closer to the source of the signals and reduce unwanted noise,” he added.
According to the researchers, the new sensor could have critical applications in the real world, most notably in healthcare. It could, for example, help people with disabilities control prosthetics or communicate. It may even be used in the field of consumer tech, such as smart glasses, hands-free phones, and computer control.
Other applications include the AR and virtual reality market, which would make for a more immersive, hands-free, intuitive user experience. The sensors could also be handy for rehabilitation, for example, stroke or injury recovery through neural feedback.
!summarize #xi #mistress #militart #china
!summarize #china #trade #tariffs #unitedstates
!summarize #disney #epicuniverse #themepark #travel #entertainment
!summarize #china #taiwan #military
!summarize #markets #tariff #wars #economy
The scientists claim this outperforms many existing materials and suggests excellent longevity and real-world performance. The design’s hollow structure improves stability by preventing direct contact between active nanoparticles and the battery’s electrolyte, which is often a cause of capacity fade over time.
Breakthrough could pave way for better commercial battery technologies
“This breakthrough was made possible through close cooperation between experts in diverse materials,” said Professor Paek. “By combining our strengths, we could design and optimize this hybrid system more effectively.”
!summarize #joebiden #alzheimerstest #president #mentalfitness
!summarize #china #taiwan #geopolitics
!summarize #elonmusk #tesla #
!summarize #nfl #nygiants #russellwilson
Blockchain continues to evolve and people are learning to understand it better. Accordingly, there are initiatives underway to think about how the U.S. can achieve a broad-based identity verification system, Hulka said. There are technical ways to do it, but finding the right way that works for the country is more of a challenge since it has to be interoperable. "The goal is to get to a point where there is one way to verify identity across multiple services," she said.
Eventually, there will be a tipping point for the financial services industry where it becomes a business imperative, Hulka said. "The question is when, of course."
!summarize #tesla #cybertruck #texas
Fink has been pushing the SEC to look at issue
The idea is not a brand new one for Fink. At Davos earlier this year, he told CNBC that he wanted the SEC "to rapidly expand the tokenization of stocks and bonds."
There's BlackRock self-interest at work, and potential cost savings for the firm and many others, which Fink has spoken about. In recent years, BlackRock has been dragged into political battles, and lawsuits, over its voting of a massive amount of shares held in its funds on ESG issues. "We'd never have to vote on a proxy vote anymore," Fink told CNBC at Davos, referring to "the tax on BlackRock."
"Every owner would be notified of a vote," he said, adding that it would bring down the cost of ownership of stocks and bonds.
Competitive forces are another issue to contend with. "There is an ecosystem of vendors who offer identity verification and authentication solutions that would not want a centralized system for fear of going out of business," Mattei said.
There are also significant data privacy hurdles to overcome. States and the federal government would need to coordinate to resolve governance issues, and this might prompt "big brother" concerns about the extent to which the federal government could monitor the activities of its citizens.
Many people have "a bit of an allergic reaction" when anything resembling a national ID comes up, Ramzan said.
That's not an easy task. Take, for example, the effort many states are making to adopt digital driver's licenses. About a quarter of states today, including Utah, Maryland, Virginia and New York, issue mobile driver's licenses, according to mDLConnection, an online resource from the Secure Technology Alliance. Other states have pilot programs in effect, have enacted legislation or are studying the issue. But this undertaking is quite ambitious and has been underway for several years.
To implement a national identity verification system would be a "massive undertaking and would require just about every company that does business online to adopt a government standard for identity verification and authentication," Mattei said.
Digital driver's licenses offer a cautionary tale
It would take a significant coordinated effort to come up with a national identity system used for identity verification.
Identity systems in the U.S. today are fragmented, Ramzan said, giving the example of state departments of motor vehicles. "To move forward, we will either need a cohesive national strategy or a way to better coordinate identity across the state and federal levels," he said.
!summarize #bat #oakland #sanfrancisco #mlb #teams
In the U.S., there's a long-standing preference for decentralized systems for identity. On mobile devices, Face ID and Fingerprint ID are done not by centralizing all of that data in one spot at Apple or Google, but by storing the data in a secure module on each mobile device. "This makes it much harder, if not impossible, for fraudsters to steal that data en masse," Mattei said.
While a centralized system solves one challenge, the storage of personally identifiable information and biometrics data is a security risk, said David Mattei, a strategic advisor in the fraud and AML practice at Datos Insights, which works with financial services, insurance and retail technology companies.
Notably, there have been reports of data stolen from India's Aadhaar system. And last year, El Salvador's government had the personal data of 80% of its citizens stolen from a centralized, government-managed citizen identity system. "A lot of security experts do not advocate having a centralized security system because it's kind of like the pot at the end of the rainbow that every fraudster is trying to get his hands on," Mattei said.
!SUMMARIZE #redlobster #restaurant #mergers #business