Evolution of digital organisms at high mutation rates leads to survival of the flattest.

Darwinian evolution favours genotypes with high replication rates, a process called 'survival of the fittest'. However, knowing the replication rate of each individual genotype may not suffice to predict the eventual survivor, even in an asexual population. According to quasi-species theory, selection favours the cloud of genotypes, interconnected by mutation, whose average replication rate is highest. Here we confirm this prediction using digital organisms that self-replicate, mutate and evolve. Forty pairs of populations were derived from 40 different ancestors in identical selective environments, except that one of each pair experienced a 4-fold higher mutation rate. In 12 cases, the dominant genotype that evolved at the lower mutation rate achieved a replication rate >1.5-fold faster than its counterpart. We allowed each of these disparate pairs to compete across a range of mutation rates. In each case, as mutation rate was increased, the outcome of competition switched to favour the genotype with the lower replication rate. These genotypes, although they occupied lower fitness peaks, were located in flatter regions of the fitness surface and were therefore more robust with respect to mutations.     

Creep-strengthening of steel at high temperatures using nano-sized carbonitride dispersions

Creep is a time-dependent mechanism of plastic deformation, which takes place in a range of materials under low stress-that is, under stresses lower than the yield stress. Metals and alloys can be designed to withstand creep at high temperatures, usually by a process called dispersion strengthening, in which fine particles are evenly distributed throughout the matrix. For example, high-temperature creep-resistant ferritic steels achieve optimal creep strength (at 923 K) through the dispersion of yttrium oxide nanoparticles. However, the oxide particles are introduced by complicated mechanical alloying techniques and, as a result, the production of large-scale industrial components is economically unfeasible. Here we report the production of a 9 per cent Cr martensitic steel dispersed with nanometre-scale carbonitride particles using conventional processing techniques. At 923 K, our dispersion-strengthened material exhibits a time-to-rupture that is increased by two orders of magnitude relative to the current strongest creep-resistant steels. This improvement in creep resistance is attributed to a mechanism of boundary pinning by the thermally stable carbonitride precipitates. The material also demonstrates enough fracture toughness. Our results should lead to improved grades of creep-resistant steels and to the economical manufacture of large-scale steel components for high-temperature applications.     

4Cr9Si2船用柴油机排气阀抗热腐蚀性能

为了解船用柴油机排气阀材料4Cr9Si2的抗热腐蚀性能,用金相显微镜、电子探针和能谱对其腐蚀进行分析.结果表明,4Cr9Si2在500~800℃的抗热腐蚀性能低于1Cr18Ni9,合金中足够的铬含量可以在腐蚀孕育期使合金表面形成致密连续的保护性氧化膜,从而改善合金的热腐蚀性能.镍可以在热腐蚀的加速扩展期起固定硫的作用,从而减缓、延迟了硫向合金基体内的扩散,提高合金的热腐蚀抗力.     

Phase-locked oscillator at 3 mm waveband using high Tc superconductor mixer mounted on pulse tube crycooler

DUE TO ITS HIGH NON-LINEARITY, JOSEPHSON JUNCTION MIXER POSSESSES THE ADVANTAGES OF HIGH HARMONIC NUMBER, HIGH CONVERSION EFFICIENCY, LOW EQUIVALENT NOISE TEMPERATURE, ETC. AS THE MIXING ELEMENT, A HIGH TEMPERATURE SUPERCONDUCTOR (HTS) JUNCTION MIXES THE …     

高频区目标小角度双站散射特性的可视化电磁分析

根据对目标在高频区小角度双站散射特性的分析,对目标小角度双站散射特性展开等效单站可视化研究。可视化电磁计算方法是一种非常有效的分析高频区目标单站散射的方法,文章将该方法的应用面拓展到小角度双站散射研究,通过实例计算,验证了该方法具有工程计算的有效性。