Article
Quantum Science & Technology
Tanmoy Biswas, Marcin Lobejko, Pawel Mazurek, Konrad Jalowiecki, Michal Horodecki
Summary: The second law of thermodynamics sets a bound on the performed work using the change in free energy of macroscopic systems. Similarly, ergotropy plays a role in microscopic scenarios, defining the maximum energy extraction from a system through a unitary operation. This analysis investigates the induction of ergotropy on a system due to its interaction with a thermal bath, examining its potential as a source of work for microscopic machines. The study provides the fundamental limitation on the extraction of ergotropy from the environment, expressed in terms of non-equilibrium free energy difference and saturable for infinite dimensional systems. Numerical analysis is conducted on finite dimensional systems to analyze the ergotropy extraction process leading to saturation. Additionally, the concept of extracting ergotropy from the environment is applied in the design of open-cycle engines, optimizing efficiency and work production for systems of dimensions 2 and 3.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ken Wharton, Emily Adlam
Summary: For any experiment with entangled photons, there are joint measurement outcomes that have zero probability for a specific choice of basis. Surprisingly, these perfect anti-correlations are also observed in the same experiment when analyzed using classical electromagnetic theory. Examining the quantum-classical connection and understanding its success in arbitrary two-photon states sheds light on entanglement, the path integral, and other topics in quantum foundations.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lulu Xing, Jixian Yang, Bing-Jie Ni, Chao Yang, Chunyan Yuan, Ang Li
Summary: The generation and consumption mechanisms of TB-EPS and LB-EPS are revealed through mathematical modeling, providing a quantitative prediction for their changes. This study systematically investigates the impact of TB-EPS and LB-EPS on the flocculation and settling performance of activated sludge.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
R. D. Gill
Summary: Fundamental mathematical errors were pointed out in the recent paper published by Joy Christian in the journal 'Quantum correlations are weaved by the spinors of the Euclidean primitives'.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Mengyu Fu, Xin Cheng, Jiarun Li, Shiqiang Chen, Wenwen Dou, Guangzhou Liu
Summary: The effects of soluble, loosely bound and tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances (S-EPS, LB-EPS, TB-EPS) from Desulfovibrio vulgaris on EH40 steel corrosion in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were investigated. Results showed that the three types of EPS with different components have opposing effects on corrosion. S-EPS composed mainly of humic acids adhere to the steel surface, forming a passive film and inhibiting corrosion. However, proteins, the main components of LB-EPS and TB-EPS, accelerate corrosion. Especially for TB-EPS, the presence of active proteins promotes both anodic and cathodic reactions due to their binding and catalyzing abilities.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Naruo Ohga, Sosuke Ito, Artemy Kolchinsky
Summary: The principle of microscopic reversibility states that in equilibrium, two-time cross-correlations are symmetric when observables are exchanged. The asymmetry of cross-correlations is therefore a fundamental, measurable, and frequently used statistical signature of non-equilibrium deviations. In this study, we have discovered a simple and universal inequality that limits the degree of asymmetry by the cycle affinity, which is the intensity of thermodynamic driving. Our findings apply to a wide range of systems and all state observables, indicating a fundamental thermodynamic cost associated with the asymmetry.
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joy Christian
Summary: In this paper, the author responds to a critique of their previously published paper in the Royal Society Open Science. The critique claims that there are mathematical errors in the author's paper, but it fails to engage with the geometrical framework presented. The author demonstrates that the critique is based on misunderstandings and refutes each claim of error. They also identify logical, mathematical, and conceptual errors in the critique and related critiques.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shu Wang, Nanqi Ren, Danhui Liang, Jifei Chang, Xin Wang, Jiaguo Yan, Xiang Cheng, Lili Dong, Nan Li
Summary: This study evaluated the changes of rFe, vFe, and RV after removing EPS, and found that TB-EPS played a crucial role in vivianite formation, contributing 28-51% of vivianite recovery and 34-55% of iron reduction. Electronic shuttle substances in TB-EPS enhanced the EET rate and efficiency between cells and Fe(III). Additionally, redox proteins were embedded in EPS, shortening the distance of electron hopping and accelerating vivianite recovery from wastewater.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
You Ma, Tian -Yu Li, Han Meng, Guo-Xiang Wang, Li-Min Zhang, Guo-Zheng Jia, Jie Ma, Yan Xiao, Wei-Hua Li, Wen-Ming Xie
Summary: This study investigated the adsorption of the antibiotic trimethoprim (TMP) by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in anaerobic activated sludge. The results showed that loosely-bound EPS had a positive effect on TMP adsorption, while tightly-bound EPS had a negative effect.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Optics
Soroush Haseli, Saeed Haddadi, Mohammad Reza Pourkarimi
Summary: The uncertainty principle is discussed in the context of a quantum dot system, with the identification of system parameters that can be adjusted to suppress the entropic uncertainty bound and enhance quantum correlations.
Article
Biology
David Molina-Granada, Emiliano Gonzalez-Vioque, Marris G. Dibley, Raquel Cabrera-Perez, Antoni Vallbona-Garcia, Javier Torres-Torronteras, Leonid A. Sazanov, Michael T. Ryan, Yolanda Camara, Ramon Marti
Summary: Imbalanced mitochondrial dNTP pools play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various human diseases. This study reveals that dGTP is overrepresented among other dNTPs in mitochondria and is mainly bound to NDUFA10, an accessory subunit of complex I of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Mutations in the dNK domain of NDUFA10 lead to reduced dGTP binding capacity and decrease mitochondrial dGTP content, suggesting a potential mechanism linking mitochondrial dNTP availability and oxidative metabolism.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Luca Buoninfante, Giuseppe Gaetano Luciano, Luciano Petruzziello, Fabio Scardigli
Summary: This Letter investigates the effect of deforming the Heisenberg uncertainty relation to accommodate gravitational effects on the Bekenstein bound, and discusses the physical implications of this result for both positive and negative values of the deformation parameter.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Haibin Wang, Zheng Zhou, Juangang Zhao, Fuming Du, Pinzhen Jia
Summary: We systematically investigated the magnetic properties and electronic structure of non-stoichiometry In2O3 quantum dots (Qds) by first-principle method. Our results show that the surface dangling bonds of oxygen atoms can induce a magnetic moment due to imbalanced chemical proportion, while internal anionic vacancy or dangling bonds passivated by pseudo-hydrogen atoms cannot produce a magnetic moment. The composition of non-stoichiometry plays a significant role in affecting the magnetic properties and electronic structure in In2O3 Qds.
RESULTS IN PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Joshua F. Dean, Michael F. Billett, T. Edward Turner, Mark H. Garnett, Roxane Andersen, Rebecca M. McKenzie, Kerry J. Dinsmore, Andy J. Baird, Pippa J. Chapman, Joseph Holden
Summary: Peatlands are globally important stores of soil carbon, and pools within peatlands have high concentrations of carbon, including greenhouse gases. Our study shows that the carbon in the pools is mostly derived from contemporary primary production, rather than from deep peat layers. Restoration pools are effective at preventing the release of deep, old carbon, but millennial-aged carbon can be emitted through CH4 ebullition.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Optics
Huan-Yu Wang, Wu -Ming Liu
Summary: Localization behavior of non-Hermitian tightly bound state is investigated in the presence of asymmetric tunneling and external uniform fields in various dimensions, where the discrete translational symmetry and the inversion symmetry are broken. It is demonstrated that the non-Hermitian skin effects can still exist and compete with Wannier-Stark localization induced by the uniform fields. The total localization is not only related to the size of the system, but the net tunneling strength as well.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bin Yan, Rudro R. Biswas, Chris H. Greene
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Bin Yan, Rachel E. Wooten, Kevin M. Daily, Chris H. Greene
Article
Optics
Bin Yan, Chris H. Greene
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
R. E. Wooten, B. Yan, Chris H. Greene