050-696 basics - Foundations of Novell Open Enterprise Server NetWare Updated: 2023

A New UBI

With the growing popularity of blockchains, it's no surprise that they have a new, very useful application, i.e. a global distribution of wealth. Recently, the Grantcoin Foundation, a U.S. based nonprofit organization, implemented a universal basic income (UBI) program that uses blockchain-based digital currency.

Basic Income grants (in the form of the digital currency Grantcoin) are distributed quarterly by Grantcoin. January 31, 2016, Grantcoin distributed digital currency to 1,132 applicants from around 79 countries around the world. This was the third leg of the Grantcoin Basic Income program that began in June of 2016 which was followed by a second implementation in October.

"Each year, we plan to add 3.5% to the Grantcoin already in circulation," Grantcoin explains. "This will be given as Basic Income grants to everyone in the world who chooses to participate, growing the money supply in a way that provides equal access to all." Grantcoin is the first blockchain-based currency that's distributed globally following a UBI model.

Basic Income Basics

UBI, though controversial, is largely seen by experts as a potentially viable solution to financial inequality as it equally distributes wealth to individuals regardless of social and employment status. UBI supporters, like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, see it as a possible fix for expected job displacement due to increases in automation and digitization. It is also highly regarded as a better alternative to existing social welfare programs that many governments currently use.

Critics of UBI say that it will create a culture of dependence and laziness. A World Bank study, however, shows the opposite. According to the study, in places where UBI programs are being tested, people consumed less "temptation goods." Perhaps the recipients of existing basic income pilot programs, like Grantcoin, can attest to how UBI is effective. These pilot programs are designed to figure out how effective UBI could be.

“Grantcoin is already making a big impact in people’s lives — especially people who live in impoverished countries and need this financial support to save for a better future,” said founder and Executive Director of the Grantcoin Foundation, Eric Stetson. To date, Grantcoin's UBI program has distributed a total of over 20 million Grantcoin (GRT) — worth over $13,000 — around the world. Hopefully, as these grant programs continue, UBI can prove to be a valuable social program that could Strengthen the quality of life for countless individuals living in poverty.

Basic science underpins all engineering advances. At Central South University (CSU), strong physical science programmes drive its many breakthroughs in nonferrous metals and railroad transportation research. They integrate research, application, teaching and talent cultivation, with established strengths in new energy materials, surface and interface physics, probability theories, and advanced computing technologies.

New energy materials

Organic solar cells, which are lightweight and low-cost, are an emerging photovoltaic technology with great promise. Non-fullerene acceptors, potentially with high power conversion efficiencies, have drawn much attention. A CSU research team, led by Zou Yingping, designed a novel non-fullerene acceptor, Y6, based on a fused-ring structure containing an electron-deficient core for adjusting the optoelectronic properties of resulting molecules. Organic solar cells based on this acceptor showed a record high conversion efficiency of 15.7%. The work has opens a new door to the molecular design of high-performance acceptors for photovoltaic applications.

CSU’s Ji Xiaobo led a team working on low-cost and long-life sodium ion batteries. They were the first to propose a novel strategy for mass production of carbon quantum dots via the aldol condensation reaction for sodium storage. Furthermore, they have developed low-cost, iron-based electrodes and systematically investigated the kinetic behaviours of the sodiation/desodiation process. Their studies demonstrate the bright future of sodium ion batteries in large-scale energy storage.

Developing high-energy rechargeable batteries, CSU’s Lai Yanqing and colleagues came up with a novel technology to fabricate lithium anodes by spraying a graphene oxide layer on to the lithium metal surface, enabling large-scale production of lithium metal cells. His team has also developed other electrode materials and is now collaborating internationally to design flexible photovoltaic power systems with high specific energy that integrates conversion and storage.

Surface and interface physics

CSU research on surface and interface sciences has application for electronic and optoelectronic devices, as well as flexible and printed electronics. Researchers are exploring the links between materials, devices and fabrication technologies, accelerating their commercialization.

He Jun, a professor from CSU’s School of Physics and Electronics, along with his collaborators, developed two-photon photoelectron spectroscopy for surface analysis, which offers high energy and momentum resolution, probes electronic states with femtosecond time resolution, and is 3D spin-resolved. This multifunctional surface analysis system provides a useful tool for studying polyatomic molecules, clusters and nanostructures, potentially improving designs of novel electronic components and devices.

Mathematics and computer science

The Markov process, integral to the study of probability, provides a useful tool for control engineers and operation researchers, as it keeps track of changes in a system over time. CSU’s Hou Zhenting made breakthroughs in the theoretical study of the time-homogeneous Markov process in the early 1980s, and was the first Chinese mathematician to win the Rollo Davidson Prize. More recently, a CSU undergraduate, Liu Lu, provided the solution to Seetapun’s conjecture, a classical mathematical logic problem, in 2016. A team led by Jiao Yong resolved a long-standing open problem in noncommutative analysis—noncommutative good-lambda inequalities.

In computer science, a CSU team, led by Zhang Yaoxue, proposed a promising network computing paradigm to achieve cross-platform, scalable and secure service provision for lightweight terminals. Zhang’s transparent computing enables lightweight terminals to load on-demand operating systems and software from the network-connected devices via a streaming method.

Through more than 10 years of collaboration with Intel and local companies, Zhang and his team have successfully promoted commercialization of this technology and developed many commercial software solutions and products.

The global pandemic provided a greater appreciation for (and participation in) philanthropy. During the past two years, both new and longtime donors have risen to the occasion to seek ways to help others in this collective time of great need.

During 2020, the U.S. saw a 3.8% increase in overall charitable giving. Early indications are that overall charitable giving in 2021 may have far eclipsed this number, jumping 8.9%, according to a report from Blackbaud.