Conventional workflow systems are primarily designed for intra-enterprise process management, and they are hardly used to handle processes with tasks and data separated by enterprise boundaries, for reasons such as security, privacy, sharability, firewalls, etc. Further, the cooperation of multiple enterprises is often based on peer-to-peer interactions rather than centralized coordination. As a result, the conventional centralized process management architecture does not fit into the picture of inter-enterprise business-to-business e-commerce. We have developed a Collaborative Process Manager (CPM) to support decentralized, peer-to-peer process management for inter-enterprise collaboration at the business process level. A collaborative process is not handled by a centralized workflow engine, but by multiple CPMs, each representing a player in the business process. Each CPM is used to schedule, dispatch and control the tasks of the process that the player is responsible for, and the CPMs interoperate through an inter-CPM messaging protocol. We have implemented CPM and embedded it into a dynamic software agent architecture, E-Carry, that we developed at HP Labs, to elevate multi-agent cooperation from the conversation level to the process level for mediating e-commerce applications.
This paper focuses on accelerating quantum optimal control design for complex quantum systems. Based on our previous work [{arXiv:1607.04054}], we combine Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and gradient descent algorithm into solving quantum optimal control problems, which shows distinct improvement of computational efficiency in various cases. To further apply this algorithm to potential experiments, we also propose the smooth realization of the optimized control solution, e.g. using Gaussian pulse train to replace rectangular pulses. Based on the experimental data of the D-Norleucine molecule, we numerically find optimal control functions in $3$-qubit and $6$-qubit systems, and demonstrate its efficiency advantage compared with basic GRAPE algorithm.
Abstract Transition metal phosphides (TMPs), especially the dual‐metal TMPs, are highly active non‐precious metal oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts. Herein, an interesting atom migration phenomenon induced by Kirkendall effect is reported for the preparation of cobalt–iron (Co–Fe) phosphides by the direct phosphorization of Co–Fe alloys. The compositions and distributions of the Co and Fe phosphides phases on the surfaces of the electrocatalysts can be readily controlled by Co x Fe y alloys precursors and the phosphorization process with interesting atom migration phenomenon. The optimized Co 7 Fe 3 phosphides exhibit a low overpotential of 225 mV at 10 mA cm −2 in 1 m KOH alkaline media, with a small Tafel slope of 37.88 mV dec −1 and excellent durability. It only requires a voltage of 1.56 V to drive the current density of 10 mA cm −2 when used as both anode and cathode for overall water splitting. This work opens a new strategy to controllable preparation of dual‐metal TMPs with designed phosphides active sites for enhanced OER and overall water splitting.
We describe a unified quantum approach for analyzing the scattering coefficients of superconducting microwave resonators with a variety of geometries. We also generalize the method to a chain of resonators with time delays, and reveal several transport properties similar to a photonic crystal. It is shown that both the quantum and classical analyses provide consistent results, and they together reveal different decay and decoherence mechanisms in a general microwave resonator. These results form a solid basis for understanding the scattering spectrums of networks of microwave resonators, and pave the way for applying superconducting microwave resonators in complex circuits.