UCLA physicists create world's smallest incandescent lamp
In an effort to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics - two fundamental yet seemingly incompatible theories of physics - a team from the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy has created the world's smallest incandescent lamp. view more (2009-05-07)
... to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics - two fundamental yet seemingly incompatible theories ... of the journal Physical Review Letters.
Thermodynamics, the crown jewel of 19th-century physics, concerns systems with many ... apply the statistical assumptions of thermodynamics and small enough to be considered as a molecular - ... that is, quantum mechanical - system.
"Because both the topic (black-body radiation) and ...
Forced evolution: Can we mutate viruses to death?
It sounds like a science fiction movie: A killer contagion threatens the Earth, but scientists save the day with a designer drug that forces the virus to mutate itself out of existence. The killer disease? Still a fiction. The drug? It could become a reality thanks to a new study by Rice University bioengineers. view more (2008-11-11)
... Deem drew an analogy to thermodynamics and discussed how a geneticist or drug designer could use ... that an engineer might use thermodynamics formulas.
"Some of the properties that describe water are density, pressure ... predict any other one using thermodynamics.
"That's what we're doing here," he said. "If you know the ... can represent that mathematically using thermodynamics," Deem said. "In our model, there's ...
Probability Controls The Molecule Of Life
Thanks to biophysicists, statistics has reached the most intimate aspect of life - regulation of genes' activity. Investigation on probabilistic aspects of molecular biology has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the INTAS Foundation. Regulation of genes' activity is one of the most important biological problems which... view more... (2004-05-24)
... activity without involvement of statistical thermodynamics of systems with a small number of particles. Although the ... Although the objects of statistical thermodynamics exist not in bioplast, but in a test-tube filled with ... the solution of a complicated composition, the difference is normally disregarded by the authors of mathematical models. ...
Chemical engineers discover new way to control particle motion potentially aiding micro- and nano-fluid systems for drug delivery, sensors, more
Chemical engineers at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a new way to control the motion of fluid particles through tiny channels, potentially aiding the development of micro- and nano-scale technologies such as drug delivery devices, chemical and biological sensors, and components for miniaturized biological... view more... (2008-03-18)
... said Truskett.
"The reason: thermodynamics determines the structure of a fluid, not dynamics - and ... fluid, not dynamics - and thermodynamics favors a disordered state for bulk fluids because it lowers ... the system's free energy," he said.
The Truskett team determined that confining a fluid to small length scales allowed them to tune the thermodynamically-favored state to coincide with one ...
Prediction of RNA pseudoknots using heuristic modeling with mapping and sequential folding
An algorithm utilizing structure mapping and thermodynamics is introduced for RNA pseudoknot prediction. The method finds the minimum free energy in the context of the biological folding direction (5' to 3') of RNA sequences. view more (2007-09-19)
... algorithm utilizing structure mapping and thermodynamics is introduced for RNA pseudoknot prediction. The method finds the minimum free energy in the context of the biological folding direction (5' to 3') of RNA sequences.
It also identifies information about the flexibility of the RNA. Mapping methods are used to build and analyze the folded structure and add important 3D structural considerations. The ...
Quantum Systems Could Flout Physics Law
Scientists in the Weizmann Institute's Faculty of Chemistry, together with colleagues in Germany, have made a startling prediction: Simply 'taking the temperature' of certain quantum systems at frequent intervals might cause them to disobey a hard and fast rule of thermodynamics. view more (2008-06-03)
... hard and fast rule of thermodynamics.
Thermodynamics tell us that the interaction between a large heat source (a heat bath) and an ensemble of much smaller systems must bring them - at least on average - progressively closer to thermal equilibrium. Now Prof. Gershon Kurizki, Dr. Noam Erez and doctoral student Goren Gordon of the Chemical Physics Department, in collaboration with ...
Improved reaction data heat up the biofuels harvest
High food prices, concern over dwindling supplies of fossil fuels and the desire for clean, renewable energy have led many to seek ways to make ethanol out of cellulosic sources such as wood, hay and switchgrass. view more (2008-08-07)
... S.R. Decker and R.N. Goldberg. Thermodynamics of the hydrolysis reactions of 1,4-ß-D-xylobiose, 1,4-ß-D-xylotriose, D-cellobiose, and D-maltose. ... and D-maltose. Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics. Available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jct.2008.05.015. ... ...
Global temperature — politics or science?
The entire debate about global warming is a mirage. The concept of 'global temperature' is thermodynamically as well as mathematically an impossibility, says professor at The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Bjarne Andresen who has analyzed this hot topic in collaboration with professors Christopher Essex from University of Western... view more... (2007-03-16)
... says, an an expert of thermodynamics. "A temperature can be defined only for a homogeneous system. ... rise to an entirely different thermodynamics and thus a different climate. If, e.g. it is 10 ... degrees at one point and 40 degrees at another, the average is 25 degrees. But if instead there is 25 degrees both places, the average is still 25 ...
New equation of state of seawater
Seawater is a complex, dynamic mixture of dissolved minerals, salts, and organic materials that despite scientists best efforts, presents difficulties in measuring its potential to contain and disperse energy. view more (2009-02-06)
... a fresh approach to seawater thermodynamics, based in part by the work of University of Miami ... Working Group 127 on the "Thermodynamics and Equation of State of Seawater," or simply WG127. Since ... oceanography's best knowledge of seawater thermodynamics. The approach taken by WG127 has been to develop a ... Gibbs function from which all the thermodynamic properties of seawater can be ...
Hydrogen bonds shown to play 'conserved' role in protein folding
By changing individual atoms in key places in proteins, Duke University chemists have found new evidence for the importance of comparatively weak "hydrogen bonds" in enabling stringlike proteins to fold into the maximally stable shape they need to assume their roles as biological workhorses. view more (2006-02-13)
... different molecules suggests that the thermodynamics, or energy, of such hydrogen bonding interactions "are conserved in ... the conservation of backbone hydrogen-bond thermodynamics in a protein fold may be an important general principle ... of protein folding reactions." While scientists have well-characterized the three-dimensional structures of some 30,000 different kinds of protein molecules to date, they have also determined that those 30,000 ...
Nano machine of the future captures great scientist's bold vision
An idea conceived by one of the world's greatest scientists nearly 150 years ago has finally been realised with a tiny machine that could eventually lead to lasers moving objects remotely. view more (2007-02-02)
... against the second law of thermodynamics.
"As he predicted, the machine does need energy and in our experiment it is powered by light. While light has previously been used to energise tiny particles directly, this is the first time that a system has been devised to trap molecules as they move in a certain direction under their natural motion. Once ...
Climate models help scientists understand global shifts in water availability
USGS scientists have a clearer picture of global shifts in water availability after examining a century of streamflow measurements from 165 locations around the world. view more (2005-11-17)
... noting a basic fact of thermodynamics, "A warmer atmosphere can carry more water. So, warmer winds can deliver more water to a region, but they can also take more away. This give-and-take plays out differently in different parts of the world, causing decreases in water supply here, and increases there." Water availability is directly related to climate. However, there is ...
rotein folding: Building a strong foundation
Like a 1950's Detroit automaker, it appears that nature prefers to build its proteins around a solid, sturdy chassis. view more (2006-09-18)
... said. "Our results suggest that thermodynamics and kinetics are closely correlated in proteins and appear to have co-evolved for optimizing both the folding rate and the stability of proteins."
Wittung-Stafshede's group, which specializes in experimental studies related to protein folding, tested the model's predictions against experimental data gathered for several forms of the protein azurin, a copper-containing protein that folds into ...
Physicist cracks women's random but always lucky choice of X chromosome
A University of Warwick physicist has uncovered how female cells are able to choose randomly between their two X chromosomes and why that choice is always lucky. view more (2007-06-13)
... the random selection based on thermodynamics. Research has already shown that at the key moment in this process both X chromosomes are brought close together within the cell. The Warwick researcher paper says that what happens next is that material for a "protein plug" then begins to gather around both of the XIST suicide genes on each X Chromosome. This ...
Cracking a controversial solid state mystery
Scientists can easily explain the structural order that makes steel and aluminium out of molten metal. And they have discovered the molecular changes that take place as water turns to ice. But, despite the fact that glass blowers have been plying their trade since the first century BC, we have only just begun to understand what makes molten glass... view more... (2009-02-09)
... over a century, principles of thermodynamics have aided the design of ordered solids, materials like steel and aluminium alloys. No such principles are yet settled for production of glassy solids. The current work is believed to be a significant step towards these principles. ... ... |
