Friction, one of the oldest technologies harnessed by humanity, has thus far eluded a theoretical model capable of predicting kinetic friction forces across a broad range of sliding velocities. This study employs the first principle of thermodynamics to delve into sliding friction. For the first time, a general expression for the friction force has been derived, revealing that the damping of sliding friction is inversely proportional to the relative sliding velocity between the two interfaces in motion, contrary to the assumption in traditional models that it is directly proportional to the relative velocity. To simplify the general result, the concept of a friction boundary layer is introduced. An approximate expression is found to reveal the mechanism for reducing friction, which involves increasing the sliding velocity while decreasing the vibration velocity of the object perpendicular to the sliding interface.

Modern concepts in irreversible thermodynamics are applied to system transformation and degradation analyses. Phenomenological entropy generation (PEG) theorem is combined with the Degradation-Entropy Generation (DEG) theorem for instantaneous multi-disciplinary, multi-scale, multi-component system characterization. A Transformation-Phenomenological Entropy Generation (TPEG) theorem and space materialize with system and process defining elements and dimensions. The near-100% accurate, consistent results and features in recent publications demonstrating and applying the new TPEG methods to frictional wear, grease aging, electrochemical power systems cycling—including lithium-ion battery thermal runaway—metal fatigue loading and pump flow, are collated herein, demonstrating the practicality of the new and universal PEG theorem, and the predictive power of models that combine and utilize the PEG and DEG theorems. The methodology is useful for design, analysis, prognostics, diagnostics, maintenance and optimization.

Contrary to previous belief, mutation frequency also depends on how essential a gene is. Mutation frequency is substantially lower in the coding regions of essential genes and higher in less essential genes. Even though the mutation bias based on gene essentiality is incapable of invalidating Darwinism, this bias certainly added a rather unsubtle obstacle to it by contradicting a paradigm that was widely held: that mutations are random in the sense of being independent of their function for the organism. The reason this bias occurs is currently unknown. Here, I present the theoretical solution of why genetic mutations also depend on whether the gene is more or less essential. My theory is that each gene or epigene has its own level of resistance to entropic elevation, something directly proportional to the frequency of its expression. The more a gene is expressed, the higher is its resistance to entropic elevation and vice versa. For genetic information to be conserved instead of suffering mutation, a relevant factor is also the frequency of its expression. The energy expenditure directed to a gene of current utility engenders resistance to entropic elevation of the information encoded in that gene, as energy enables not only the existence of information but also its conservation. My theory—which is based on fundamental physics and contains predictions that can be empirically tested—solves a crucial problem in evolutionary biology and genetics; if I am right, I will have established a biological law. Finally, my aim here is also to provide a substantial advance in knowledge about the relationship between information, genetics, and thermodynamics.

This article presents multiple novel and compelling arguments to systematically disprove two widely accepted notions: one is that entropy is a measure of disorder, and the other is Schrödinger's notion of negative entropy (negentropy). These two notions have been cited hundreds of times annually in scientific literature for decades. To mathematically describe the second law of thermodynamics, the concept of entropy was created and defined in the 1860s as heat energy divided by thermodynamic temperature, and the entropy of an object increases when it absorbs heat. This is the uncontroversial and fundamental nature of entropy, which is pivotal to current thermodynamics and from which multiple facts are deduced. These facts consistently disprove the above two notions. Some biological facts, such as the one that life orderliness is encoded and provided by inherited genes rather than entropy decline, can also disprove Schrödinger's negentropy notion. Moreover, this article further clarifies the reasoning errors of the two notions. It also shows that the tendency of many natural or social systems to become more disordered over time does not result from the second law of thermodynamics.

To realize the utilization of peanut shell, this study investigates the combustion behavior, chemical kinetics, and thermodynamic parameters of peanut shell using TGA under atmospheric air. Results indicate that increasing the heating rate leads to higher ignition, burnout, and peak temperatures, as observed in the TG/DTG curves shifting to the right. Analysis of combustion performance parameters suggest that higher heating rates can enhance combustion performances. Kinetic analysis using two model-free methods, KAS and FWO, shows that the activation energy (Eα) ranges from 93.30 to 109.65 kJ/mol for FWO and 89.72 to 103.88 kJ/mol for KAS. The data fit well with coefficient of determination values (R2) close to 1. Pre-exponential factors using FWO range from 2.19×106 to 8.06×107 s–1, and for KAS range from9.72×105 to 2.25×107 s–1. Thermodynamic analysis indicates a low-energy barrier (≤ ±6 kJ/mol) between activation energy and enthalpy changes, suggesting easy reaction initiation. Furthermore, variations in enthalpy (ΔH), Gibbs free energy (ΔG), and entropy (ΔS) upon conversion (α) suggest that peanut shell combustion is endothermic and non-spontaneous, with the generation of more homogeneous or well-ordered products as combustion progresses. These findings offer a theoretical basis and data support for the further utilization of agricultural biomass.

The historical idea of entropy as a property of a body has been reviewed and shown to arise from Clausius’s view of heat as motion. This view of heat, being intermediate between the now defunct idea of heat as substance and the modern view that heat represents an exchange of energy, implied that a body contains a definite quantity of heat. Heat, and therefore entropy, was thus considered a property of a body. These ideas led Clausius to develop his famous inequality and the idea that entropy always increases in irreversible, non-cyclic processes. In this paper, the notion of the entropy as a property of a body is examined in detail. A physical meaning is attached to the thermodynamic entropy by showing that a change in the function Q/T can be understood as representing a change in the number of ways that energy can be distributed among the degrees of freedom active in the system at any given temperature. The idea is illustrated with reference to solids and simple liquids. It is shown that the total thermodynamic entropy is, in general, less than the Boltzmann entropy, except for the case of a monatomic classical ideal gas in which the number of degrees of freedom is independent of temperature. Finally, entropy as a state function is discussed. It is argued that this is entirely mathematical in nature and that the entropy of a state represented in p-V space is not equivalent to a physical property of a physical system in the same thermodynamic state.

The affinity constant, also known as the equilibrium constant, binding constant, equilibrium association constant, or the reciprocal value, the equilibrium dissociation constant (K_d), can be considered as one of the most important characteristics for any antibody-antigen pair. Many methods based on different technologies have been proposed and used to determine this value. However, since a very large number of publications and commercial datasheets do not include this information, significant obstacles in performing such measurements seem to exist. In other cases where such data are reported, the results have often proved to be unreliable. This situation may indicate that most of the technologies available today require a high level of expertise that does not seem to be available in many laboratories. In this paper, we present a simple approach based on standard immunoassay technology that is easy and quick to perform. It relies on the effect that the molar IC₅₀ approaches the K_d value in the case of infinitely small concentrations of the reagent concentrations. A two-dimensional dilution of the reagents leads to an asymptotic convergence to K_d. The approach has some similarity to the well-known checkerboard titration used for the optimization of immunoassays. A well-known antibody against the FLAG peptide, clone M2, was used as a model system and the results were compared with other methods. This approach could be used in any case where a competitive assay is available or can be developed. The determination of an affinity constant should belong to the crucial parameters in any quality control of antibody-related products and assays and should be mandatory in papers using immunochemical protocols.

The effects of rare earth Ce on the microstructure and properties of cast pure copper were investigated through thermodynamic calculations, XRD analysis, mechanical testing, metallographic microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results demonstrate that the reaction between rare earth Ce and oxygen as well as sulfur in copper exhibits a significantly negative Gibbs free energy value, indicating a strong thermodynamic driving force for deoxidation and desulfurization reactions. Ce is capable of removing trace amounts of O and S from copper. Moreover, the maximum solid solubility of Ce in Cu falls within the range of 0.009% to 0.01%. Furthermore, Ce can refine columnar grains while enlarging equiaxed grains in as-cast copper.Upon addition of rare earth Ce, the tensile strength increased by 8.45%, elongation increased by 12.1%, and microhardness rose from 73.5HV to 81.2HV-an increase of 10.5%. Overall, rare earth Ce has been found to enhance both the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast pure copper.

The healthcare sector in Kuwait has been nurtured for many decades by the government where the Ministry of Health (MoH) controls up to 80 percent of the country’s health services. General and specialized public hospitals represent a significant proportion of health expenditures in Kuwait; amidst dwindling health resources, a declining global oil market in an oil-dependent welfare state, and a heavy reliance on a non-national clinical workforce. Although healthcare services in public sector hospitals are at highly subsidized rates, causing private sector involvement in healthcare to be considerably low, the growing demands for private delivery of care burgeoned participation of private hospitals in Kuwait, and improving hospital efficiency and productivity is more critical and timelier than ever. This paper aims to analyze public health system efficiency and hospital performance in the State of Kuwait, where we begin by evaluating the input-oriented technical efficiency (TE) of MoH hospitals in 2015-2019 and identifying potential areas for efficiency improvement by exploring influencing institutional and environmental factors. Over the five years between 2015 and 2019, TE in MoH hospitals has decreased by an average of 2.98% solely based on technical regress, where the six MoH general hospitals reported a pooled mean efficiency of 86.58%, and the nine sampled MoH specialized hospitals had a five-year pooled average of 65.47% efficiency. MoH policymakers should focus on improving allocative efficiency in the public health system, and healthcare policy reforms should focus on strengthening management structures in Kuwait’s public hospitals to improve production efficiency and financial sustainability.

This paper introduces an innovative energy circuit that challenges conventional understandings of energy conservation, marking a significant departure from traditional frameworks. Seeking to enhance energy generation within existing paradigms, this innovation holds promise for addressing pressing global issues such as the energy crisis and environmental sustainability, while also stimulating scientific inquiry. In contrast to prevalent misconceptions rooted in philosophical and scientific constraints, this study refutes the notion of generating energy from nothing and questions the viability of perpetual motion machines as conceptual models. Instead, it proposes a novel circuit design derived from an unconventional electrical short circuit, which is shown to disrupt the established principles of energy conservation. This circuit offers a transformative approach with diverse applications, including self-recharging capabilities for electric vehicles, bolstering microgrid infrastructure, and facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources. Transcending conventional scientific boundaries, this paper prompts philosophical reflections on the evolving nature of scientific exploration. Ultimately, the energy circuit represents a pivotal step towards mitigating the global energy crisis by reducing reliance on finite resources and fostering sustainability. The paper concludes by illustrating the circuit's potential to revolutionize energy systems and contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future.

The growing importance of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a future decarbonized energy system has led to a surge in its production plans. However, the development of infrastructure for hydrogen delivery, particularly in the hard-to-abate sectors, remains a significant challenge. While the construction of new pipelines entails substantial investment, repurposing existing pipelines offers a cost-effective approach to jump-starting hydrogen networks. Many European countries are exploring the possibility of utilizing their current pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transport. Yet, a critical aspect requiring extensive research is the expansion planning of these networks to accommodate increased capacity in the future. This study investigates the utilization of existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure for hydrogen transportation as a cost-saving measure. It explores two expansion strategies, namely pipeline looping and compression, for repurposing a segment of a 342 km x 36inch existing pipeline, from the Escravos – Lagos gas pipeline system (ELPS) in Nigeria, for hydrogen transport. Employing the Promax® process simulator tool, the study assesses compliance with the API RP 14E and ASME B31.12 standards for hydrogen and hydrogen-methane blends. Both expansion strategies demonstrate acceptable velocity and pressure drop characteristics for hydrogen blends of up to 40%. Additionally, the increase in hydrogen content leads to heightened compression power requirements until approximately 80% hydrogen in the blends for compression, and a corresponding extension in looping length until around 80% hydrogen in the blend for looping. Moreover, the compression option proves to be more economically viable for all investigated proportions of hydrogen blends for the PS1-PS5 segment of the Escravos – Lagos gas pipeline case study. The percentage price differentials between the two expansion strategies reach as high as 495% for a 20% hydrogen proportion in the blend. This study offers valuable insights into the technical and economic implications of repurposing existing natural gas infrastructure for hydrogen transportation.

In this work, satellite data from the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments is analyzed to determine how the global absorbed sunlight and global entropy generation rate have changed during the time period from 2002 to 2023. The data is used to test hypotheses derived from the Maximum Power Principle (MPP) and Maximum Entropy Production Principle (MEP) about the evolution of earth’s surface and atmosphere. The results indicate that the amount of absorbed sunlight has increased over the last 20 years but rising surface temperatures have caused the entropy generation rate to remain approximately constant despite that decrease in albedo. The results are simpler to explain using the MPP but do not completely rule out the MEP. Given the acceptance of the MPP or MEP, some extensions and nuances are discussed.

We demonstrate that multiple well-known metrics, such as the Schwarzschild metric and the extremal solution of the Reissner-Nordstr ̈om metric, can be expressed in what we will call thermodynamic form. These formulations appear to be valid for all Rs = ct growing black holes and, therefore, also within the framework of Rh = ct growing black hole cosmology. However, the metrics can also be applied to non-black hole gravitational objects as long as one calculates the CMB and Hawking temperature of the hypothetical black hole from the gravitational mass.

In recent years, the economics of emotions (EoE) field, which aims to create models of the human mind, has grown quickly. EoE models work well with simulation theory (ST), which is one of the main theories of mind. EoE models show how people's behavior and emotions change based on their knowledge and perception of others. It is hoped that by developing this model, it will be possible to quantitatively analyze not only the mental states of real others, but also the subtleties of the minds of characters in novels in the future. Until now, the decision-making or the factual-reasoning mechanisms have been a black box in ST. This study analyzes how EoE models add to the understanding of ST.

We study Einstein's gravity coupled to nonlinear electrodynamics with two parameters in Anti-de Sitter spacetime. Magnetically charged black holes in an extended phase space is investigated. We obtain the mass and metric functions, their asymptotic and corrections to the Reissner--Nordstr\"{o}m metric function when the cosmological constant vanishes. The first law of black hole thermodynamics in extended phase space is formulated and the magnetic potential and the thermodynamic conjugate to the coupling are obtained. We proved the generalized Smarr relation. The heat capacity and the Gibbs free energy are computed and phase transitions are studied. It was shown that the electric field of charged objects at the origin and electrostatic self-energy are finite within the nonlinear electrodynamics proposed.

The article delves into the intricate phase transitions of 1-Octadecanol and n-Nonadecane within a binary system, unveiling dynamic structural changes under varying conditions. Through Fouri-er-transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, specific molecular vibrations were identified, shedding light on the molecular composition and interactions. The study highlights the challenges in detecting subtle phase transitions and emphasizes the individuality of molecular behaviours in closely related compounds. The findings underscore the complexity of phase transitions in binary systems and advocate for a nuanced approach to studying molecular structures and behaviours. Addi-tionally, the research contributes valuable insights into the molecular dynamics of Organic Polymer Functional Adsorption Materials, offering implications for synthetic waxy layers in plant epidermis.

It has been theorized that black holes are surrounded by firewalls, although there is not universal agreement concerning this. We first review basic concepts pertaining to Schwarzschild black holes and Hawking radiation. Then we discuss the anticipation of Hawking radiation—albeit from non-black holes—initially by R. C. Tolman and shortly thereafter with P. Ehrenfest. We compare evaporation into a vacuum at absolute zero (0 K) of black holes with that of non-black holes, and show that not only black holes but also non-black holes evaporate within a finite time. The times required for evaporation of black holes and non-black holes are compared. Next, we show that (i) if firewalls exist, they can originate via Hawking radiation at the minimum possible ruler distance (the Planck length) beyond the Schwarzschild horizon, where it has not suffered any gravitational redshift, or, alternatively, suffered maximal gravitational blueshift and (ii) the firewall temperature is on the order of the Planck temperature, independently of the mass and hence also of the Schwarzschild radius of a Schwarzschild black hole. We then explain the exponential nature of the gravitational frequency shift as a function of the gravitational potential. Next, we consider the firewall-mass problem, and provide an at least prima facie tentative resolution thereto based on: (i) the mass of a firewall being canceled by the negative gravitational mass = (negative gravitational energy)/c² accompanying its formation, (ii) the unchanged observations of a distant observer upon formation of a firewall, and (iii) Birkhoff's Theorem (actually first discovered by Jørg Tofte Jebsen). We then consider one aspect of thermodynamics in gravitational fields, showing that equilibrium relativistic gravitational temperature gradients cannot be exploited to violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

The transition to sustainable energy systems in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region addresses critical challenges of environmental protection, energy security, and socio-economic resilience. Using neo-institutional theory, this paper examines the intricate relationship between formal and informal institutions and their significant impact on the region’s energy transition. Despite the MENA region’s abundant renewable energy resources, numerous institutional barriers, such as governance inefficiencies, regulatory inconsistencies, and entrenched socio-cultural norms, significantly hinder this transition. Through a review of existing literature, this study presents a comprehensive analytical framework designed to overcome these barriers, with a focus on the Just and Sustainable Energy Transition model. This strategic model emphasizes equity, sustainability, and inclusive governance as pillars for reform. The study offers detailed recommendations for institutional change and underscores the importance of collaborative efforts among governments, industry stakeholders, and international partners to unlock the MENA region’s renewable energy potential, advance global sustainability goals, and ensure a more secure and resilient energy future.

Entropy generation, formulated by combining the first and second laws of thermodynamics with an appropriate thermodynamic potential, emerges as the difference between a phenomenological entropy function and a reversible entropy function. The phenomenological entropy function is evaluated over an irreversible path through thermodynamic state space via real time measurements of thermodynamic states. The reversible entropy function is calculated along an ideal reversible path through the same state space. Entropy generation models for various classes of systems—thermal, externally loaded, internally reactive, open and closed––are developed via selection of suitable thermodynamic potentials. Here we simplify thermodynamic principles to specify convenient and consistently accurate system governing equations and characterization models. The formulations introduce a new and universal Phenomenological Entropy Generation (PEG) theorem. The systems and methods presented––and demonstrated on grease degradation, battery charging and discharging, metal fatigue and pump flow––can be used for design, analysis, and support of diagnostic monitoring and optimization.

We consider the Dirac field in polar formulation, showing that when torsion is taken in effective approximation the theory has the thermodynamic properties of a van der Waals gas, that when the limit of zero chiral angle is taken the theory reduces to that of a Weyssenhoff fluid, and that under the spinless condition it gives the Newtonian particle. This nesting of approximations will allow us to interpret the various objects pertaining to the spinor, with torsion providing a form of negative pressure, and the chiral angle being related to a type of internal dynamics.

This author is not a philosopher nor historian of science, but an engineering thermodynamicist. In that regard and in addition to various philosophical “why & how” treatises and existing historical analyses, the physical and logical “what it is” reflections, as successive Key Points, where a key reasoning infers the next one, along with novel contributions and original generalizations, are presented. We need to keep in mind that in Sadi Carnot’s time (early 1800s) the steam engines were inefficient (below 5%, so the heat in and out were comparable within experimental uncertainty), the conservation of caloric flourished (might be a fortunate misconception), and many critical thermal-concepts, including the conservation of energy (The First Law) were not even established. If Clausius and Kelvin were "fathers of thermodynamics" then Sadi Carnot was the "grandfather" [Kostic, 2023 July 24], or better yet, Sadi Carnot was the "Forefather of Thermodynamics-to-become" [Kostic, 2023 October 29].

This paper explores the Wilsonian renormalization group of probe-D-branes, focusing on the Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) action. The analysis involves deriving the constant of motion and formulating the Wilsonian renormalization group equation. The study extends to the infrared regime, considering both zero and non-zero temperatures. Additionally, thermodynamic aspects related to the functional form of the grand potential are discussed. The investigation provides insights into the renormalization of probe-D-branes and their thermodynamic properties.

The global energy transition is motivated largely by the need to combat climate change. Other reasons include limits to available fossil fuels, energy-related environmental impacts of many kinds, and societal goals such as equity and providing sustainable energy for the poor. This transition will significantly change the world both technically, economically and socially. It is taking shape with characteristics which prioritise certain types of policy, interventions and solutions, as well as certain actors and institutional forces. More fundamentally, it embodies underlying assumptions about what constitutes a desirable type of economy and society. Briefly stated, the energy transition is being geared to a conventional economic growth-focused type of development; including the not unchallenged concept of green growth. Not everyone, however, would agree on those priorities or the underlying assumptions. We point out various constraints and limitations which this approach places on the energy transition. Whilst much of the change being initiated is positive, we argue that different views, which lie closer to discourses such as strong sustainability (1), deep ecology (2) and ecological economics (3, 4) might prioritise differently and offer both necessary and desirable outcomes. Given the predominant focus on energy and climate, equally essential goals such as equity and eradication of poverty appear to be at particular risk of being missed. Building on examples and recent experience we argue that achieving global sustainable energy, not least the societal goals, remains unlikely within socio-political frameworks permeated by the imperatives of market-driven growth, the commodification of resources, and intense competitive dynamics. Technology and economics, the themes of this issue, have far-reaching societal implications and outcomes. We argue that it is essential that they be considered within the broad context discussed here.

This study delves into the intricate interplay between cosmology and gravity in dilaton-based models, enhancing our understanding. Exploring boundary theories coupled to gravity, we derive a four-dimensional effective theory from the cosmological constant. Dilaton gravity is then scrutinized, revealing elegant solutions and insights into brane embedding. The analysis extends to probe scalar fields, employing the WKB approximation in both conformal and non-conformal cases. In summary, this work contributes to a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between cosmology and gravity in dilaton-based frameworks.

Qualtra, an innovative 10 MW geothermal power plant proposal, employs a closed-loop design to mitigate emissions, ensuring no direct release into the atmosphere. A thorough assessment utilizing energy and exergy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Exergo-economic and Exergo Environmental Analysis (EevA) was conducted. The LCA results, utilizing the ReCiPe 2016 midpoint methodology, encompass all the spectrum of environmental indicators provided. The technology implemented makes it possible to totally avoid direct atmospheric emissions from the Qualtra plant, so the environmental impact is mainly due to indirect emissions over the life cycle. The results obtained for the Global Warming Potential indicator is about 6.6 g CO2/kWh, notably lower compared to other conventional systems. Contribution analysis reveals that the construction phase dominates, accounting for over 90% of the impact in all LCA MidPoint categories. At the component level, a single score calculation incorporating normalization and weighting was executed. The resulting single score is then used into Exergo-Environmental Analysis (EEvA), highlighting the well system as the most impactful contributor, constituting approximately 45% of the total impact. Other substantial contributions to the environmental impact include the condenser (21%), the turbine (17%), and the HEGeo (14%). The Exergo-Economic analysis assesses cost distribution across major plant components, projecting an electricity cost of about 8.3 c€/kWh.

The field of water management is continually changing. Water has been subject to external shocks in the form of climate change and globalization. Analysis of water management is subject to disciplinary developments and inter-disciplinary interactions. Are these developments well documented in the literature? Initial observations on interdisciplinary literature suggest that results are fragmented, implying that a state-of-the-art review is needed. The objective of this paper is to close this gap by reviewing recent developments in water economics that address the increasing perceptions of water scarcity by looking first at changes in supply and quality of water, and then at impacts of climate change on water extremes. Among responses to such challenges, the paper identifies changes to water use patterns by including and co-managing water from different sources—surface and groundwater, wastewater, and desalinated water. Technological advancements also are among the resources that address water challenges. Water challenges reflect also on management of internationally shared water. A recent surge in scientific work identified international treaties as playing a significant role in water management. The paper reviews recently employed economic tools, such as experimental economics, game theory, institutional economics, and valuation methods. And finally, it explores modeling approaches, including hydro-economic and computable general equilibrium models that are being used to deal with water challenges.

Light is an electromagnetic radiation that has visible and invisible wavelength spectrum. The visible light can only be detected by the eyes through the optic pathways. With the presence of scalp, cranium and meninges, the brain is seen as being protected from direct exposure to light. For that reason, the brain can be viewed as a black body lying inside a black box. In physics, a black body tends to be in thermal equilibrium with its environment and can tightly regulate its temperature via thermodynamics principles. Therefore, a healthy brain inside a black box should not get exposed to light. On the contrary, photobiomodulation, a form of light therapy to the brain has been shown to have beneficial effects for some neurological conditions. The proposed underlying mechanisms are multiple. Herein we present our intraoperative findings of rapid electrocorticographic brainwave changes when the brain was shone directly with different wavelengths of light during awake brain surgery. Our findings provide literature proof on light’s ability to influence human brain energy and function. Our proposed mechanism for these rapid changes is the presence of plasma-like energy inside the brain which causes fast brain activities that are akin to lightning strikes.

Cultures in Mediterranean climate zones (MCZs) around the world have long been reliant on groundwater and springs as freshwater sources. While their ecology and cultural sustainability are recognized as critically important, inter-relationships between springs and culture in MCZs has received little attention. Here we augmented a global literature review with case studies in MCZ cultural landscapes to examine the intensity of cultural and socio-economic impacts on springs ecohydrogeology. MCZs are often oriented on the west and southern coasts in tectonically active landscapes, which control aquifer structure, the prevalence of westerly winds, and aridity, and generally expose associated habitats to harsh, afternoon sunlight. Cultural appreciation and appropriation of springs ranges widely, from their use as subsitence supplies to profound traditions, such as Greco-Roman nymphs, and Asian and Abrahamic spiritual cleansing and baptism. Commoditization of water resources for agriculture, industry (e.g., mining, water bottling, geothermal resorts), and urban needs is placing ever-increasing, non-sustainable demands on aquifers and springs. When economic values approach or exceed cultural values, these irreplaceable aquatic resources are degraded and lost. Sustainable stewardship of springs and the aquifers that support them are a little-recognized, but central conservation challenge for modern society facing global climate changes.

This study provides an in-depth examination of the binary system of n-Nonadecane and 1-Octadecanol, representative of plant cuticular waxes. It emphasizes the crystallization and phase transitions in this hydrocarbon mixture. Using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, the research uncovers detailed thermal properties and phase behaviors. The findings reveal the distinct phase transitions and enthalpy changes of each component in the binary system. This research is significant for its implications in under-standing the structural properties of plant waxes. Such insights are crucial for enhancing the effi-ciency of fertilizer and pesticide absorption in plant leaves, with broad applications in bionics and materials science. This study not only furthers the understanding of identifying specific phase transitions for each compound, facing challenges in detecting subtle changes using DSC. The re-search enhances understanding of plant cuticle waxes through FTIR analysis, revealing intricate molecular interactions and structural complexities. but also opens avenues for improved agri-cultural practices and material engineering, potentially influencing future innovations in these fields.

We consider an autonomous heat engine in simultaneous contact with a hot and a cold reservoir, and described within a linear-irreversible framework. In the tight-coupling approximation, the rate of entropy generation is effectively written in terms of a single thermal flux which is a homogeneous function of the hot and cold fluxes. The specific algebraic forms of the effective flux are deduced in scenarios containing internal and external irreversibilities for the typical example of a thermoelectric generator.

In the sustainable economy, consumer preferences are gradually coming to prioritise environmentally friendly products and services. A sustainable economy is directly linked to the growth of consumer welfare and environmental culture. The success of environmental projects is largely determined by approaches to the management of complex interconnected objects. Technological integration and the value chain from raw material extraction to the marketing of environmentally friendly products add to the growth factors. In this regard, we formulate the purpose of this study: to generalise the approaches and improve the mechanism of the ecological branding of the industrial complex of a region through conscious ESG transformation. For this purpose, we studied statistics and principles of management systems of Kazakh companies and their stakeholders. We analysed the situation of industrial complexes and their partners in the external environment to identify barriers to the development and implementation of eco-branding tools. The theoretical significance of the study helps to reveal the influence of ecological principles of modern production organisation on the speed of transition to green technologies. Its practical significance is seen in the formation of a system for measuring the level of readiness of companies to promote the ecological branding of a region’s industry outside its country.

Trailing the modern ideas of sociophysics, a minimalistic thermodynamic model of society is proposed, which consists of three social ingredients: people, economy, and entropy. Employing the universal van der Waals equation of state, many important relationships are discovered, including laws of econophysics. A paramount finding is that the Second Law of thermodynamics governs irreversible social evolution, revealing the power of social liberty and economic freedom.

This research addresses the strategic issue of why key decision-makers fail to foresee potential extreme ‘black swan’ events. Following a review of the literature, a conceptual framework is developed that identifies two types of organisational blindness that are reflected in Tetlock’s hedgehog cognitive thinking style, being the oversimplification of uncertainty (e.g., inductive biases) and an unquestioned, top-down, reference narrative. This framework is tested using a case study approach and qualitative analysis of secondary data sources available from the Royal Commission of Inquiry and other published reports following the 2010 methane explosion at the Pike River Coal Ltd’s mine (Pike) in New Zealand, that killed 29 miners and caused the loss of all funds invested. The results indicate that the combined effect of both blindness’s meant that Pike’s collective intelligence was limited, and for the three key decision-makers at the Pike River mine, some type of extreme ‘black swan’ event was apparently inevitable. This research provides theoretical and practical contributions to the analysis of business and public policy decision-making under uncertainty.

Nudging has often been suggested as a means to promote health care efficiency and effectiveness by influencing behavior without restricting choice; its usefulness however has not been adequately assessed. We examined the effect of an altruistically framed awareness message about the novel coronavirus on the intention to comply with individual prevention measures against infection. 425 Greek postgraduate students, that were randomly assigned into a treatment and a control group, filled out a questionnaire on compliance and future intention to comply with six preventive measures. Results indicate that the altruistic message did not manage to influence intention to comply. Moreover, compliance was positively associated with risk perception, whereas women showed both higher compliance and risk perception than men. Vulnerability to novel coronavirus and positive vaccination status against it were accompanied by greater perception of risk, while the personal history of COVID-19 was associated with lower intention to comply, lower risk perception and higher health risk preferences. We conclude that nudging interventions should be evaluated before being adopted in practice, taking into account timing, target groups and means of communication.

For paramagnetic and elastic materials in the presence of quasi-static magnetic field, there is correspondingly quasi-static magnetic pressure, in contrast to the radiational electromagnetic pressure associated with electromagnetic momentum density. A thermodynamic pressure demagnetization is demonstrated. For the elastic dielectrics in the presence of quasi-static electrical field, its dual effect can be easily obtained by variable transformation.

The healthcare system is intricate and dynamic. For the purpose of organising and planning a system, where allocating funds appropriately is essential and therefore managerial skills play a critical role. A certain portion of each nation's GDP is allotted to the health sectors. Managers and decision-makers in the healthcare systems are using resources effectively, yet the quantity of funding they receive from the government or other stakeholders is insufficient sometimes. A sound understanding of both basic and advanced economics is necessary for the care management, to make cost-effective judgements in public health. Healthcare officials at all levels (regional, state, federal, or international), need to be knowledgeable about public health issues and the related modern economic climates. Business executives and healthcare managers need effective practical knowledge to handle partner-financial allocation (demand-supply chain) and handle economic volatility.

Although information theory resolves inconsistencies (known under the form of famous enigmas) of the traditional approach of thermostatistics, its place in the corresponding literature is not what it deserves. This is interpreted as being mainly due to epistemological rather than scientific reasons: the subjectivity introduced into physics is perceived as a problem. This paper attempts to expose and clarify where exactly this subjectivity lies: in the representation of the reality and in probabilistic inference. Two aspects which have been integrated into the practice of science for a long time and which should no longer frighten anyone, but which become explicit with information theory.

The transition of the energy system to renewable sources means the cheap energy storage in fossil fuels must be replaced by other options. A large part of the demand for useful energy is heat and cold, often produced from electric energy by a resistance heater, compression heat pump or cooler. The question is then to store the initial electric energy by electric energy storage (EES) or the useful energy by thermal energy storage (TES). In a desktop study both options were compared, by the choice made in existing applications, and also generally analyzing current technology data. For the latter, cost, round-trip efficiencies, life cycles and life time of EES, specifically for batteries, and of TES, specifically for hot and cold water, ice and other PCM were collected. Applications studied are heating and cooling in buildings and in industry. Application-typical conversion efficiencies were also collected and taken into account. The results show that in many existing installations TES, incl. by PCM, is already preferred, and that TES is advantageous in most investigated applications economically, in addition to technical advantages. Thus, TES has a large potential in the transition of the energy system to stabilize the electricity grid by demand side management.

The combined efect of shape and electrostatic complementarities (Sc, EC) at the interface of the interacting protein partners (PPI) serves as the physical basis for such associations and is a strong detterminant of their binding energetics. EnCPdock (https://www.scinetmol.in/EnCPdock/) presents a comprehensive web-platform for the direct conjoint comparative analyses of complementarity and binding energetics in PPIs. It elegantly interlinks the dual nature of local (Sc) and non-local complementarity (EC) in PPIs using the Complementarity Plot. It further derives an AI-based ∆G_binding with a prediction accuracy comparable to the state-of-the-art. This book-chapter presents a practical manual to conceptualize and implement EnCPdock with its various features and functionalities, collectively having the potential to serve as a valuable protein engineering tool in the design of novel protein interfaces.

We studied the performance of a quantum magnetic Stirling cycle that uses a working substance composed of two entangled antiferromagnetic qubits (J) under the influence of an external magnetic field (Bz) and an uniaxial anisotropy field (K) along the total spin in the y-direction. The efficiency and work were calculated as a function of Bz and for different values of the anisotropy constant K given hot and cold reservoir temperatures. The anisotropy has been shown to extend the region of the external magnetic field in which the Stirling cycle is more efficient compared to the ideal case.

We study the work fluctuations in ergotropic heat engines, namely two-strokes quantum Otto engines where the work stroke is designed to extract the ergotropy (the maximum amount of work by a cyclic unitary evolution) from a couple of quantum systems at canonical equilibrium at two different temperatures, whereas the heat stroke thermalizes back the systems to their respective reservoirs. We provide an exaustive study for the case of two qutrits whose energy levels are equally spaced at two different frequencies by deriving the complete work statistics. By varying the values of temperatures and frequencies, only three kinds of optimal unitary strokes are found: the swap operator U1, an idle swap U2 (where one of the qutrits is regarded as an effective qubit), and a non trivial permutation of energy eigenstates U3, which indeed corresponds to the composition of the two previous unitaries, namely U3 = U2U1. While U1 and U2 are Hermitian (and hence involutions), U3 is not. This point has an impact on the thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs) which bound the signal-to-noise ratio of the extracted work in terms of the entropy production. In fact, we show that all TURs derived from a strong detailed fluctuation theorem are violated by the transformation U3.

In a recent paper, we have shown how gravity and information can be related. The relation is based on the thermodynamic extension of the gravitational system under consideration using the holographic principle. Using this idea, we were able to derive the Gullstrand-Painlevé (GP) metric. In this short paper, we re-derive the GP metric using information. However, we now extend the spacetime to 5D with the fifth dimension being time, that is, the (3+1)D spacetime is now promoted to (3+1+1)D spacetime. We also comment on the possible Braneworld interpretation of this model.

In two previous papers, we calculated the dielectrophoresis (DEP) force and corresponding trajectories of high- and low-conductance 200-µm 2D spheres in a square 1x1mm chamber with plane-versus-pointed, plane-versus-plane and pointed-versus-pointed electrode configurations by applying the law of maximum entropy production (LMEP) to the system. Here, we complete these considerations for configurations with four-pointed electrodes centered on the chamber edges. The four electrodes were operated in either object-shift mode (two adjacent electrodes opposite the other two adjacent electrodes), DEP mode (one electrode versus the other three electrodes), or field-cage mode (two electrodes on opposite edges versus the two electrodes on the other two opposite edges). As in previous work, we have assumed DC properties for the object and the external media for simplicity. Nevertheless, every possible polarization ratio of the two media can be modeled this way. The trajectories of the spherical centers and the corresponding DEP forces were calculated from the gradients of the system’s total energy dissipation, described by numerically-derived conductance fields. In each of the three drive modes, very high attractive and repulsive forces were found in front of pointed electrodes for the high and low-conductance spheres, respectively. The conductance fields predict bifurcation points, watersheds, and trajectories with multiple endpoints. The high and low-conductance spheres usually follow similar trajectories, albeit with reversed orientations. In DEP drive mode, the four-point electrode chamber provides a similar area for DEP measurements as the classical plane-versus-pointed electrode chamber.

An overview of the link between nonequilibrium thermodynamics and complexity theory is offered. It is shown how the rate of entropy production can be quantified through the spectrum of the Lyapunov exponents. It was shown how the entropy production per unit of time meets the necessary and sufficient conditions to be a Lyapunov function and constitutes per se an extremal principle. The entropy production fractal dimension conjecture was established. It is shown how the rate of entropy production as a non-extremal criterion represents an alternative way of sensitivity analysis of differential equations. Finally, an extension to biophysical-chemical systems, on the one hand, the use of the dissipation function is shown, as a thermodynamic potential out of equilibrium, in the characterization of biological phase transitions. On the other hand, it was evidenced how the rate of entropy production represents a physical quantity to evaluate the complexity and robustness of cancer.

Under typical marine conditions of about 80 % relative humidity, evaporation of water from the ocean is an irreversible process accompanied by entropy production. In this article, equations are derived for the latent heat of irreversible evaporation and the related non-equilibrium entropy balance at the sea surface. To achieve this, linear irreversible thermodynamics is considered in a conceptual ocean evaporation model. The equilibrium thermodynamic standard TEOS-10, the International Thermodynamic Equation of Seawater – 2010, is applied to irreversible evaporation under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. The relevance of local-equilibrium conditions for irreversible thermodynamics is briefly explained. New equations are derived for the mass flux of evaporation and for the associated non-equilibrium enthalpies and entropies. The estimated entropy production rate of ocean evaporation amounts to 0.004 W m^(-2) K^(-1) as compared to the average terrestrial global entropy production of about 1 W m^(-2) K^(-1).

In the theoretical treatment of crystallization it is commonly assumed that relaxation processes of the liquid proceed fast as compared to crystal nucleation and growth processes. Actually, it is supposed that the liquid is located always in the metastable state corresponding to the current values of pressure and temperature. However, near and below the glass transition temperature, Tg, this condition is commonly not fulfilled. In such cases, in the treatment of crystallization, deviations of the state of the liquid from the respective metastable equilibrium state have to be accounted for in determining the kinetic coefficients governing the crystallization kinetics, the thermodynamic driving force of crystallization, and the surface tension of the aggregates of the newly evolving crystal phase including the surface tension of critical clusters affecting considerably the crystal nucleation rate. These factors may considerably influence the course of the overall crystallization process. A theoretical analysis of the resulting effects is given in the present paper by numerical solutions of the J(ohnson)–M(ehl)–A(vrami)–K(olmogorov)–equation employed as the tool to model the overall crystallization kinetics and by analytical estimates of the crystallization peak temperatures in dependence on cooling and heating rates. The results are shown to be in good agreement with experimental data. Possible extensions of the theory to be explored in future analysis are anticipated.

The interactions of metal ions with fulvic acids resulted in changes in the particle size and charge. Particle size distribution was trimodal for fulvic acids, bimodal for fulvic complexes with calcium and magnesium, and copper-fulvic complexes had only one size fraction. The compensation of negative charge of carboxylic and phenolic functional groups by positive charged metal ions resulted in the increase in zeta potential which was getting closer to zero in the case of copper-fulvic complexes. However, all metal humic complexes behaved as colloidally unstable which resulted in visually observable sedimentation. Calorimetric measurements provided positive values of changes in enthalpy which indicated endothermic processes. In contrast quantum chemical calculations as well as experiments with model compounds provided negative values indicated exothermic processes. Changes in Gibbs energy were determined as negative and changes in entropy as positive which meant spontaneous processes.

We confidently approach current issues in Green Finance (GF) from the perspective of an international organization, where the first author has previous experience as a support assistant. In fact, the economy of the EU (European Union) is deeply involved in the changing needs related to the dramatic consequences of climate change and environmental degradation, which has placed the needs of a more sustainable economy at the top of the international agenda. The environmental, social and governance (ESG) aspects are marginally addressed to arouse a major interest in questions raised by green financial products which require long-term profit expectations, and which above all contain a margin of risk that is difficult to calculate in the landscape of traditional financial instruments. Through a careful approach akin to artificial intelligence research methods, we attempt to “materialize” at least the most visible clues of this fashionable economic shift through what we call SMC (sustainable material culture) objects. The presented SMC objects serve as tangible representations of sustainable practices and can promote awareness and action incorporating into everyday life and business practices a powerful reminder and catalyst for a shift towards more sustainable investment and consumption patterns.

In order to accurately identify the external economic situation in China and analyze the situation of economic development in Northeast China, based on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis framework, this article analyses the economy in Northeast China from the four factors of SWOT. To solve the lack of quantitative analysis in SWOT analysis, this article applies Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to the analysis, and finally forms a complete system framework with the combination of qualitative and quantitative factors, through the analysis of the important degree of various factors and the consistency test, the key factors influencing the economic development in Northeast China are analyzed, and constructive countermeasures are proposed.

A view of life, based on sympoiesis, metabolism, and the second law of thermodynamics is proposed. Sympoiesis is the notion that organisms develop as teams, and that symbionts play roles in forming their partners. Metabolism is seen to occur not only within these developmental symbionts, but between them, as well. This occurs through thermodynamic principles of finding the lowest free energy states. Once one accepts the thermodynamics of metabolism and that holobionts emerge through sympoiesis, Gaia becomes readily understood. New ethical principles flow from these considerations.

The holographic principle states that the information about the volume of space is stored on its boundary. Assuming this holds, we can explain the aspects of gravity. The spacetime needs to be extended to 5D to explain gravity in this context. This naturally explains the four classical tests of gravity namely the gravitational redshift, the perihelion precession, the bending of light, and the gravitational time delay. We also show a novel way in which the universe expands in an accelerated manner at late times without the need for any form of dark energy.

While biologic originators’ patents are expiring, biosimilars are emerging to take their place, offering significant cost savings to healthcare systems. Many challenges still need to be addressed in the clinical practice of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A global survey was organized to highlight physicians’ current knowledge and beliefs and to gain insight about their practical management and remaining concerns and obstacles associated with starting a biosimilar, switching from an originator to a biosimilar, or switching from one biosimilar to another (multiple switches and reverse switching). Fifteen physicians with expertise in the field of IBD from 13 countries attended a virtual international consensus meeting to develop practical guidance regarding biosimilar adoption worldwide, considering the survey results. Consensus was reached on 10 statements regarding biosimilar effectiveness, safety, indications and rationale, multiple switches, therapeutic drug monitoring of biosimilars, non-medical switching and future perspectives.

Living beings are composite thermodynamic systems in non-equilibrium conditions. Within this context, there are a number of thermodynamic potential differences (forces) between them and the surroundings, as well as internally. These forces lead to flows, which, ultimately, are essential to life itself. Living beings are under the pressures of natural selection, thus are biological flows as well. At the same time, the maintenance of homeostatic conditions, the tenet of physiology, demands regulation of these flows by control of variables. However, due to the very nature of these systems, regulation of flows and control of variables become entangled in closed loops. Therefore, the search for adaptation in flows takes a different path than the search for adaptation in morphological traits. Being at the roots of transfer processes, thermodynamic criteria turn out to be as natural physical candidates. Likewise, being at the roots of physiology, control turns out to be as a natural biological candidate in that path. Here we show how to combine entropy generation, with respect to a generalized process, and control of parameters (in such a generalized process) in order to create a criterium of optimal ways to regulate changes in generalized flows.

Proteins in biological systems function at the interface of single molecule and bulk chemistry and thus provide novel insights into the basic physical chemistry of scaling and emergent phenomena. For example, a binary mechanical model based on the chemistry of muscle contraction unifies molecular mechanics and thermodynamics and provides an explicit solution to the Gibbs paradox. Using the same model system, here I show that chemical activities of molecular states have no effect on chemical kinetics or energetics. Specifically, while the concentration or number of molecules in a molecular state is widely thought to contribute to reaction free energies, here I show that it is not the physical presence of molecules that pushes a reaction forward but the number of microstates, , accessible in a chemical state that pulls a reaction toward equilibrium with an entropic force down an entropic funnel. With the derivation of an entropic contribution to chemical kinetics, I develop a novel chemical kinetic formulation that fully describes the chemical thermodynamics of both equilibrium and non-equilibrium reactions in terms of an a priori system reaction energy landscape.

Based on the Generalized bracket, or Beris-Edwards, formalism of non-equilibrium thermodynamics, we have recently proposed [Stephanou et al. Materials, 13, 2867 (2020)] a new differential constitutive model for the rheology of entangled polymer melts and solutions. It has amended the shortcomings of a previous model that was too strict in the values of the convective constraint release parameter for the model not to violate the second law of thermodynamics and has been shown capable of predicting a transient stress undershoot (following the overshoot) at high shear rates. In this work, we wish to further examine this model’s capability of predicting the rheological response of industrial polymer systems by extending it to its multiple-mode version. The comparison against industrial rheological data (High-Density Polyethylene resins), as compared against available experimental data in (a) Small Amplitude Oscillatory shear, (b) start-up shear, and (c) start-up uniaxial elongation, is noted to be good.

Landauer’s principle states that the logical irreversibility of an operation, such as erasing one bit, whatever its physical implementation, necessarily implies its thermodynamical irreversibility. In this paper, a very simple counterexample of physical implementation (that uses a two-to-one relation between logic and thermodynamic states) is given that allows to erase one bit in a thermodynamical quasistatic manner (i.e. that may tend to be reversible if slowed down enough).

Criticism has been directed towards the traditional methods of management accounting employed by organizations thus far, as they fail to adequately address the growing need for competitiveness and sustainable development in a globalized environment. This criticism stems from both economic factors, such as insufficient monitoring of material, energy, and escalating overhead costs, and environmental concerns, where inadequate attention is given to vital information regarding significant environmental aspects, impacts, risks, and damages arising from the organization's activities and processes. Additionally, these methods do not sufficiently support the implementation of a functional environmental management system (EMS). Drawing upon our research in EMS standardization following the international standards ISO 1400X, as well as our knowledge gained during the development of the Slovak Technical Standard (STN) for ISO 14051, this paper presents an innovative model of environmental management accounting. This model is based on the cost accounting of material and energy flows within organizations. It serves as an enhancement framework for organizations with an existing EMS built according to the EN ISO 14001 model, as well as for organizations lacking a formalized EMS based on this standard. Within this paper, we specify, decompose, and apply the new model, focusing on the cost accounting of material-energy flows in a hypothetical organization. We meticulously examine the ten key steps of the model's structure, particularly in terms of costing and the allocation of costs to material, energy, system, and waste management.

Health services research is a multidisciplinary discipline that aims to improve population health by studying healthcare services' organization, delivery, and financing. Over time, the field has worked to define its boundaries and establish a set of core research topics and methods addressing population wellbeing, access, quality, and cost. Although the influence of health technology is significant, our literature survey on health services research showed that SCs in general—containing their management, cost, and policy—had received little attention. Importantly, our assessment also showed that the system’s readiness to handle supply policy and supply device deficiencies like those encountered during pandemic was hardly ever mentioned. Reduced open areas and water bodies, deteriorating infrastructure, and changes in the biological morphology all affect cities’ uncontrollable and unplanned growth. Urban amenities, facilities, and healthcare services were unevenly distributed due to this unchecked urban population development. In light of this, this research suggests two reliable models for site selection issues for one of Hong Kong’s main hospitals. Levels of uncertainty, infeasibility tolerance, and reliability are taken into consideration. Then, two categories of uncertainty—symmetric and bound-ed—were examined. As a result, the challenge of scheduling in uncertainty has been considered, and potential solutions have been presented using a specified probability distribution function. The paper concludes by introducing the specific justice and health problems and outlining four typical strategies. In order to ensure that medications and other healthcare supplies are produced, distributed, and given to patients, a vast network of systems, components, and procedures must be effectively managed. This research contributes in this regard. Also, its grantee fairness in health systems and the populations health locally, nationally, and globally. It highlights health inequity, advances the measurement of health inequity, and promotes public dialogues on health inequity.

To realize the energy recovery of wheat straw, the pyrolysis behavior of wheat straw was studied at three heating rates (10, 20, and 30 K/min) based on thermogravimetric analysis (TG–DTG). Kinetics and thermodynamics were analyzed using Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) model-free methods, and reaction mechanism was determined using Coats–Redfern (CR) model-fitting method. The results show that there are three weightlessness stages in the pyrolysis process, of which the second stage was the main weightlessness stage and two distinct peaks of weightlessness were observed in this stage. With increasing heating rate, the main pyrolytic weightlessness peaks of DTG curve shifts to higher temperature. The pyrolysis activation energy calculated by FWO and KAS methods are 165.17–440.02 kJ/mol and 163.72–452.07 kJ/mol, and the pre-exponential factor vary in the range of 2.58×1012–7.45×1036 s-1 and 1.91×1012–8.66×1037 s-1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters indicates that wheat straw has the favorable conditions for product formation and containes potential energy to be utilized for bioenergy production, its pyrolysis reaction was non-spontaneous and the energy output is stable. CR method analysis shows that the A1/3 random nucleation model is the most suitable mechanism to characterize the pyrolysis process, and random nucleation may be in charge of the main pyrolysis stage. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the thermochemical conversion and utilization of wheat straw.

The Principle of Indifference (“PI”: the simplest non-informative prior in Bayesian probability) has been shown to lead to paradoxes since Bertrand (1889). Von Mises (1928) introduced the “Wine/Water Paradox” as a resonant example of a “Bertrand paradox”, and which has been presented as demonstrating that the PI must be rejected. We now resolve these paradoxes by a Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) treatment of the PI that also includes information provided by Benford’s “Law of Anomalous Numbers” (1938). We show that the PI should be understood to represent a family of informationally-identical MaxEnt solutions; each solution being identified with its own explicitly justified boundary condition. In particular, our solution of the Wine/Water Paradox exploits Benford’s Law to construct a non-uniform distribution representing the universal constraint of scale invariance, which is a physical consequence of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

Several sun models suggest the radioactive balance where the concentration of greenhouse gases and the albedo effect are related to the Earth's surface temperature. There is a considerable increment of greenhouse gases due to anthropogenic activities. Climate change correlates with this alteration in the atmosphere and an increase in surface temperature. Efficient forecasting of climate change and its impacts of 1.5°C global warming above pre-industrial levels could be helpful to respond to the threat of c.c. and develop sustainably. Many studies have predicted the temperature change in the coming years. The global community has to create a model that can realize good predictions to ensure the best way to deal with the warming. Thus, we propose a finite-time thermodynamic (FTT) approach in the present work. The FTT can solve problems such as the faint young sun paradox. In addition, we use different machine learning models to evaluate our method and compare the experimental prediction and results.

Wildlife tourism and wildlife trade may appear juxtaposed, but are two, potentially aligning, income generators that could benefit conservation in developing countries. Utilising data sets collated from Madagascar’s Ministère du Tourisme and CITES respectively for the period 2007 to 2018, this study estimated levels of income from wildlife tourism and wildlife trade for Madagascar. Between 2007-2018, tourism reported yearly incomes ranging from a low of US $1.4 million up to a high of US $15.7 million. However, it was unclear what percentage of this figure flowed to benefit local communities. Alternatively, using reported networks for the live wildlife trade, the estimated economic value reaching collectors and/or intermediaries on Madagascar was US $72,299.80 for the period 2007 to 2018. Both revenue generators operated within different geographical areas, with tourism opportunities presenting themselves to communities adjacent NPs, while wildlife trade networks were not restricted to NPs and operated sporadically across Madagascar. Hence, the economic benefits reached different Malagasy participants across the country. The management of both activities needs great care to ensure that environmental impacts and sustainability are core measures on any such activities. Whilst this study shines light on economic values and novel perspectives regarding these two trade types, it also highlighted knowledge gaps. Thus, indicating where much greater research attentions was required to allow better understanding of the specific benefits and risks from engaging with both trade types for local Malagasy people and their environments.

The economic downturn caused by the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and the intensifying glob-al climate policy trends forced changes in the energy management of the European Union. The study examined how the most relevant energy economic variables affected the economic growth of the EU between 2010-2019. The study examined the relationship between GDP (dependent variable) and energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, the average energy price, and renewable energy use (independent variables) using the PSL-PM methodology. The results show an asymmetric picture because the independent variables influenced the eco-nomic growth of the EU in the examined period with different correlations and with different strengths. One of the significances of the study is that the presented and analyzed variables, as well as the results of the relationships between them, can contribute to the optimization of the EU's currently critical energy management and economic growth.

In this paper, the linear nonequilibrium thermodynamic approach is used to analyze energy processes in the wind energy conversion system (WECS), with a directly connected vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) and vector controlled permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). Both elements are considered as linear universal energy converters (EC) linearized at the points of the given range of common to VAWT and PMSG angular velocity. The dependences on the angular velocity of the coupling coefficients between the ECs input and output and the dimensionless parameters of their operating modes were received. This allows for choosing the optimal points of ECs operation according to the specified criteria and obtaining indicators of their maximum efficiency. To assess the quality of the cascade connection of two ECs, the appropriate coefficient was introduced, the dimensionless parameters and characteristics of the equivalent EC were obtained, and the conditions of its maximum efficiency were determined. Analysis of the VAWT-PMSG connection quality showed reserves for improving WECS efficiency. The impact of VAWT and PMSG variable parameters on the quality of this connection is studied, and further research directions are shown. The proposed thermodynamic approach allows an effective search for solutions for the efficiency improvement of various systems with energy transfer and transformation.

The classical Einstein’s Field Equation has been derived previously by demanding that the Clausius relation dS = δQ/T holds. In this letter, we show that the semiclassical Einstein’s Field Equation can be recovered using the generalized entropy Sgen by using the non-equilibrium thermodynamics where the Clausius relation is replaced by the entropy balance relation dS = δQ/T +diS, where diS is some internal entropy. Moreover, since the quantum fields violate the classical focusing, we, therefore, have to use quantum focusing in this case. Using then Jacobson’s idea of thermodynamics of spacetime we recover the semiclassical equation of motion. We, therefore, in a sense also show the validity of the semiclassical approximation, a crucial approach for establishing a number of important ideas such as the Hawking effect.

GS provides exciting opportunities to rapidly identify a diagnosis in critically ill newborns and children with rare genetic conditions. But there are good reasons to remain cautious about the broad implementation of these strategies in babies and children. At best, rapid GS leads to diagnoses in many infants in highly selected populations. It sometimes leads to beneficial and changes in management. Parents and physicians both often find these results useful. We don’t know how useful such testing will be in the general population. It is almost inevitable that genetic counseling will be more challenging in a more general population. We don’t know how often GS helps improve outcome and survival or reduce symptoms in babies who receive a molecular diagnosis. We don’t know the relative cost-effectiveness of whole genome, whole exome, or targeted panels in different populations. We don’t know the relative contribution of a molecular diagnosis to the decision to withdraw life support. Each of these concerns will require careful study of both the technology and the ethical issues to allow us to harness the potential of these new technologies while avoiding foreseeable problems. Studies are underway to see how the tests are used in general populations. These studies should generate important information to guide clinicians and policymakers. In the meantime, parents should know that genetic results sometimes confirm an already suspected dismal prognosis and sometimes yield only ambiguous findings. Anticipatory discussions should try to give parents a realistic understanding of the likely impact of a genetic diagnosis. Both doctors and parents should recognize that the clinical usefulness of diagnostic genomic testing in newborns is a work in progress. We are only a decade into the age of true genomic medicine. We still have much to learn.

The processes of the sublimation and thermal decomposition of the 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid (EMImPF6) were studied by a complex approach including Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry, IR and NMR spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations. It was established that the vapor over liquid phase primarily consists of decomposition products under equilibrium conditions. Otherwise, the neutral ion pairs are the only vapor components under Langmuir conditions. To identify the nature of the decomposition products an experiment on the distillation of the ionic liquid was performed and the collected distillate was analyzed. It was revealed by the IR and NMR spectroscopy that EMImPF6 decomposes to substituted imidazole‐2‐ylidene (C6N2H10PF5) and HF. The measured vapor pressure of C6N2H10PF5 reveals a very low activity of the decomposition products (<10–4) in the liquid phase. The absence of significant accumulation of decomposition products in the condensed phase makes it possible to determine the enthalpy of sublimation of the ionic liquid assuming its unchanged activity. The thermodynamics of the EMImPF6 sublimation was studied by Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry. The formation enthalpy of EMImPF6 in ideal gas state was found from combination of the sublimation enthalpy and formation enthalpy of ionic liquid in the condensed state. The obtained value is in good agreement with those calculated by quantum chemical methods.

This comprehensive treatise is written for the special occasion of the author’s 70th birthday. It presents his lifelong endeavors and reflections with original reasoning and re-interpretations of the most critical and misleading issues in thermodynamics; since now, we have the advantage to look at the historical developments more comprehensively and objectively than the pioneers. Starting from Carnot (grand-father of thermodynamics-to-be) to Kelvin and Clausius (fathers of thermodynamics), and other followers, the most relevant issues are critically examined and put in historical and contemporary perspective. From original reasoning of energy forcing and displacement to logical-proofs of the fundamental laws, to ubiquity of thermal motion and heat, and indestructibility of entropy, including new concept of “thermal roughness” and inevitability of dissipative irreversibility, to “dissecting Carnot true reversible-equivalency” and critical concept of “Carnot-Clausius heat-work equivalency (CCHWE)” regarding interchangeability of heat and work, and to demonstrating “no hope” for the “challengers” of the Second Law of thermodynamics, among others, are offered. It is hoped that the novel contributions presented will enhance comprehension and resolve some of the fundamental issues, as well as promote collaboration and future progress.

This study aims to evaluate the determinants that influence the adoption of online databases in the learning process of students at economics universities in Vietnam. A quantitative study with a meta-analysis was conducted by utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). The sample consisted of 492 students from economics universities located in Vietnam who were surveyed using stratified random sampling. The results indicate that the adoption of online databases in student learning is influenced by six determinants, namely: (i) perceived effectiveness, (ii) perceived ease of use, (iii) technical barriers, (iv) personal usefulness, (v) usage attitudes, and (vi) convenience. Our study has revealed that students' intention to use the online database system is positively influenced by their perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. These findings could be valuable in shaping policies for enhancing the online database system at economics universities, taking into account the students' characteristics and the institution's needs.

The availability of sufficient amounts of form I of benzocaine has led to the investigation of its phase relationships with the other two existing forms II and III using adiabatic calorimetry, powder X-ray diffraction, and high-pressure differential thermal analysis. The latter two forms were known to have an enantiotropic phase relationship with form III stable at low-temperature and high-pressure, while form II is stable at room temperature. Using adiabatic calorimetry data, it can be concluded, that form I is the stable low-temperature, high-pressure form, which also happens to be stable at room temperature; however, form II, due to its persistence at room temperature, is still the most convenient polymorph to use in formulations. Form III presents a case of overall monotropy and does not possess any stability domain in the pressure-temperature phase diagram. Heat capacity data for benzocaine have been obtained by adiabatic calorimetry from 11 K up to 369 K above its melting point, which can be used to compare to results from in-silico crystal structure prediction.

Graphene is perhaps the most prominent “Dirac material,” a class of systems whose electronic structure gives rise to charge carriers that behave as relativistic fermions. In multilayer graphene several crystal sheets are stacked such that the honeycomb lattice of each layer is displaced along one of the lattice edges. When subject to an external magnetic field, the scaling of the multilayer energy spectrum with the magnetic field, and thus the system’s thermodynamic behavior, depends strongly on the number of layers. With this in mind, we examine the performance of a finite-time endoreversible Otto cycle with multilayer graphene as its working medium. We show that there exists a simple relationship between the engine efficiency and the number of layers, and that the efficiency at maximum power can exceed that of a classical endoreversible Otto cycle.

In this article, we analyze the thermodynamics, thermal fluctuations and quasi-normal modes of a torus-like charge AdS black hole. The parameters of a torus-like charged AdS black hole are its mass, electric charge, and cosmological constant. We used a torus-like charge AdS black hole to evaluate thermodynamics through thermal fluctuations and found that it significantly affected the corrected thermodynamic potentials. Black holes of larger radii are more stable and significant. The effect of thermal fluctuation has been investigated on the other thermodynamic potentials such as the Hemohltz free energy, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and specific heat, using the concept of corrected entropy. Finally, we use null geodesics to deal with quasi-normal modes. The null geodesics provide the photon sphere angular velocity and Lyapunov exponent, which are the real and imaginary components of the quasi-normal modes in the eikonal limit. With inceasing charge and photon radius, angular velocity reaches its maximum, similar to Lyapunov's exponent.

The goal of this report was to examine the behavioral economic demand for consumer sleep technologies with different levels of validation and endorsement. The value or importance consumers place in different validation methods and the organizations conducting the evaluations was also assessed. Survey data were collected from 113 participants on Amazon mTurk. Participants indicated their likelihood of purchasing devices that varied in level of validation across a series of increasing prices. Demand curves were analyzed to determine the relative value of each watch type. Participants also reported how valuable or important different aspects of device validation were to them. Devices that were both evaluated against laboratory measures and endorsed by sleep researchers had the most value, followed by those only evaluated against laboratory measures, and then those not evaluated against any laboratory measures. The unit price at which there was 50% probability of purchase was increased by $25 or $44 for evaluation or endorsement, respectively. Respondents indicated the most valuable features were a measure of sleep duration, that it was most important that devices were validated against measures of sleep from a laboratory or hospital, and that they would put a high value on sleep tracker endorsements from a university or academic institution. Consumer demand is greatest for a device that has been evaluated by an independent laboratory for accuracy in measuring sleep and is endorsed by an academic, medical, or government institution. These results indicate a role for scientific evaluation and endorsement in consumer preference for sleep trackers.

We study the performance of an endoreversible magnetic Otto cycle with a working substance composed of a single quantum dot described using the well-known Fock-Darwin model. We find that tuning the intensity of the parabolic trap (geometrical confinement) impacts the proposed cycle’s performance, quantified by the power, work, efficiency, and parameter region where the cycle operates as an engine. We demonstrate that a parameter region exists where the efficiency at maximum output power exceeds the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency, the efficiency at maximum power achieved by a classical working substance.

In this paper, we study quantum gravity effect on the symmergent black hole which is derived from quadratic-curvature gravity. To do so, we use the Klein-Gordon equation which is modified by generalized uncertainty principle (GUP). After solving the field equations, we examine the symmergent black hole's tunneling and Hawking temperature. We explore the graphs of the temperature through the outer horizon to check the GUP influenced conditions of symmergent black hole stability. We also explain how symmergent black holes behave physically when influenced by quantum gravity. The impacts of thermal fluctuations on the thermodynamics of a symmergent black holes spacetime are examined. We first evaluate the model under consideration's thermodynamic properties, such as its Hawking temperature, angular velocity, entropy, and electric potential. We evaluate the logarithmic correction terms for entropy around the equilibrium state in order to examine the impacts of thermal fluctuations. In the presence of these correction terms, we also examine the viability of the first law of thermodynamics. Finally, we evaluate the system's stability using the Hessian matrix and heat capacity. It is determined that a stable model is generated by logarithmic corrections arising from thermal fluctuations.

There is great current interest in systems represented by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, including a wide variety of real systems that may be dissipative and whose behaviour can be represented by a "phase" parameter that characterises the way "exceptional points" (singularities of various sorts) determine the system. These systems are briefly reviewed with an emphasis on their geometrical thermodynamics properties.

There is great current interest in systems represented by non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, including a wide variety of real systems that may be dissipative and whose behaviour can be represented by a "phase" parameter that characterises the way "exceptional points" (singularities of various sorts) determine the system. These systems are briefly reviewed with an emphasis on their geometrical thermodynamics properties.

BACKGROUND: The National Lung Screening Trial (ILST) and the NELSON study showed that lung cancer-specific mortality can be reduced by 20-24% using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening in high-risk populations, due to an increase in early-stage diagnoses. RESEARCH QUESTION: How much lung cancer-related direct costs may be reduced using a LDCT screening programme based on the ILST protocol in a public healthcare system?STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Cost analysis of lung cancer screening (LCS) vs. usual care in the framework of the retail price of the Catalan public healthcare system. The LCS group included costs of screening (ILST protocol), treatment cost according to weighted average distribution of TNM staging in the NLST and NELSON trials, lung cancer detection rate (CDR) and smoking cessation intervention. The usual care group included treatment costs based on distribution of TNM staging registered in the Spanish index hospital. RESULTS: In the usual care group, treatment costs were €91,959. In the 5-year duration of the LCS programme, the average expected costs per subject were €1,342 (range €1,054-1,832 depending on malignancy in detected nodules) for screening and €32,431 for treatment, with an expected reduction of €952 based on an average CDR of 1.6%. The decrease in cost resulting from stage shift offsets 70.6% of the costs of the screening programme. INTERPRETATION: Baseline 5-year LCS costs are low according to the ILST protocol. In the Catalan public healthcare system, the expense reduction from the stage shift due to the LCS programme compensates a substantial part of its costs.

Spherically symmetric solution in 4D Einstein--Gauss--Bonnet gravity coupled to modified logarithmic nonlinear electrodynamics (ModLogNED) is found. This solution at infinity possesses the charged black hole Reissner--Nordstr\"{o}m behavior. We study the black hole thermodynamics, entropy, shadow, energy emission rate and quasinormal modes. It was shown that black holes can possess the phase transitions and at some range of event horizon radii black holes are stable. The entropy has the logarithmic correction to the area law. The shadow radii were calculated for variety of parameters. We found that there is a peak of the black hole energy emission rate. The real and imaginary parts of the quasinormal modes frequencies were calculated. The energy conditions of ModLogNED are investigated.

Theories on life’s origin generally acknowledge the advantage of a semi-permeable vesicle (protocell) for enhancing the chemical reaction-diffusion processes involved in abiogenesis. However, more and more evidence indicates that the origin of life concerned the photo-chemical dissipative structuring of the fundamental molecules under UV-C light. In this paper, we analyze the Mie UV scattering properties of such a vesicle made from long chain fatty acids. We find that the vesicle could have provided early life with a shield from the faint, but dangerous, hard UV-C ionizing light (180-210 nm) that probably bathed Earth’s surface from before the origin of life and until perhaps 1,500 million years after, until the formation of a protective ozone layer as a result of the evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis.

In this article we investigate the role of “Renewable Energy Consumption” in the context of Circular Economy. We use data from the World Bank for 193 countries in the period 2011-2020. We perform several econometric techniques i.e., Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects, Pooled OLS, WLS. Our results show that “Renewable Energy Consumption” is positively associated among others to “Cooling Degree Days” and “Adjusted savings: net forest depletion” and negatively associated among others to “GHG net emissions/removals by LUCF” and “Mean Drought Index”. Furthermore, we perform a cluster analysis with the application of the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Silhouette Coefficient and we find the presence of two clusters. Finally, we compare eight different machine learning algorithms to predict the value of Renewable Energy Consumption. Our results show that the Polynomial Regression is the best algorithm in the sense of prediction and that on average the renewable energy consumption is expected to growth of 2.61%.

In this article we investigate the impact of “Renewable Electricity Output” on green economy in the context of circular economy for 193 countries in the period 2011-2020. We use data from World Bank ESG framework. We perform Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects, WLS, and Pooled OLS. Our results show that Renewable Electricity Output is positively associated, among others, to “Adjusted Savings-Net Forest Depletion” and “Renewable Energy Consumption” and negatively associated, among others, to “CO2 Emission” and “Cooling Degree Days”. Furthermore, we perform a cluster analysis implementing the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Elbow Method and we find the presence of 4 clusters. Finally, we confront seven different machine learning algorithms to predict the future level of “Renewable Electricity Output”. Our results show that Linear Regression is the best algorithm and that the future value of renewable electricity output is predicted to growth on average at a rate of 0.83% for the selected countries.

Aerogel-based adsorbents present extraordinary sorption capacity for hexavalent uranium that can be as high as 8.8 mol kg–1 (2088 g kg–1). The adsorption data follow generally the Langmuir isotherm model and the kinetic data are better described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, which is associated with chemisorption. Evaluation of the thermodynamic data reveals that the adsorption is generally an endothermic, entropy-driven process (ΔHo, ΔSo > 0). Spectroscopic studies (e.g., FTIR, XPS) indicate that the adsorption is based on the formation of in-ner-sphere complexes between surface active moieties and the uranyl cation. Regeneration and uranium recovery by acidification and complexation using carbonate or chelating ligands (e.g., EDTA) have been found to be successful. The application of aerogel-based adsorbents to uranium removal from industrial processes and uranium-contaminated waste waters was also successful, assuming that these materials could be very attractive as adsorbents in water treatment and uranium recovery technologies. However, the selectivity of the studied materials towards hexavalent uranium is limited suggesting further development of aerogel materials which could be modified by surface derivatization with chelating agents (e.g., salophen, iminodiacetate) presenting high selectivity for uranyl moieties.

The thermocontextual interpretation (TCI) establishes a system’s exergy, entropic energy, and thermal entropy as thermocontextual properties of state, defined with respect to its positive temperature surroundings. This work extends previous applications of the TCI to irreversible and statistical transitions. The TCI defines statistical entropy as a transactional process of derandomization and transition to a negative-entropy state. Statistical measurements of a confined quantum particle’s position are detailed in terms of reversible processes of instantiation and actualization. The TCI then formalizes the MaxEnt as a fundamental physical principle. We apply MaxEnt and statistical entropy measurements to the double-slit experiment. Particles passing through parallel slits record a wave interference pattern, but a “which-slit” detector eliminates wave interference. Richard Feynman called the double-slit experiment the only mystery, at the heart of quantum mechanics. The TCI offers a simple explanation. The which-slit detector breaks the system’s symmetry, enabling particles to pass through one slit or the other, and MaxEnt selects the asymmetrical transition, which has no wave interference and a higher statistical entropy.

Biothermodynamics of viruses is among the youngest, but rapidly developing scientific disciplines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has closely followed the results published by molecular biologists. Empirical formulas were published for 50 viruses and thermodynamic properties for multiple viruses and virus variants, including all variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, MERS-COV, Ebola virus, Vaccinia and Monkeypox virus. A review of development of biothermodynamics of viruses during the last several decades and intense development during the last 3 years has been described in this paper.

Re-shaping of thermodynamics with the graph theory and Ramsey theory is suggested. Maps built of thermodynamic states are addressed. Thermodynamic states may be attainable and non-attainable by the thermodynamic process in the system of constant mass. We address the following question how large should be a graph describing connections between discrete thermodynamic states to guarantee the appearance of thermodynamic cycles? The Ramsey theory supplies the answer to this question. Direct graphs emerging from the chains of irreversible thermodynamic processes are considered. In any complete directed graph, representing the thermodynamic states of the system the Hamiltonian path is found. Transitive thermodynamic tournaments are addressed. The entire transitive thermodynamic tournament built of irreversible processes does not contain a cycle of length 3, or in other words, the transitive thermodynamic tournament is acyclic and contains no directed thermodynamic cycles.

Physics has been thought to truly represent reality since at least Galileo, and the foundations of physics are always established using philosophical ideas. In particular, the elegant naming of physical entities is usually very influential in the acceptance of physical theories. We here demonstrate (using current developments in thermodynamics as an example) that both the epistemology and the ontology of physics ultimately rest on poetic language. What we understand depends essentially on the language we use. We wish to establish our knowledge securely, but strictly speaking this is impossible using only analytic language. Knowledge of the meanings of things must use a natural language designed to express meaning, that is, poetic language. Although the world is really there, and although we can indeed know it truly, this knowledge is never either complete or certain but ultimately must rest on intuition. Reading a recently discovered artefact with a palaeo-Hebrew inscription as from the first century, we demonstrate from it that this ontological understanding long predates the Hellenic period. Poetic language is primary, both logically and temporally.

During the last 50 years, an interdisciplinary approach in research in various scientific fields has become widely spread. This process significantly deepens and widens our scientific knowledge, but on the other hand makes more difficult choosing a discipline to be used by students and young researchers. The dynamic development of science makes this choice even harder. There is a widely spread opinion that thermodynamics uses a rigorous mathematical apparatus. This paper describes that knowledge of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics is required for deep understanding of crucial biological processes. Thus the effort put into learning classical and nonequilibrium thermodynamics does not make harder, but easier gaining a better knowledge of biological processes. This essay is an attempt to convey personal experience in using thermodynamics to describe biological systems and processes they perform.

How important are institutions for the development of nations? Are there any existing measures which quantify the behavior of institutions? Is there any theoretical justification for measuring their behavior? This paper introduces a framework influenced by Plato’s needs theory to provide justification for measuring the behavior of institutions. This involves introducing the humanization hypothesis which states that the behavior of institutions can be measured as they, similar to human beings, are living entities with similar hierarchical needs which are essential for their survival. The paper employs an explanatory and descriptive research design which is highly theoretical in nature.

A simple line of reasoning, based on the most fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, yields some intriguing results for a better understanding of the processes occurring in the observable Universe. Gravitational mass must be continuously generated within an expanding thermodynamic system for this system to remain closed. The Second Law is a direct consequence of this production of mass. Simple expressions for the entropy and temperature of the Universe were obtained and the results agree well with observable values. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the conservation laws within the Universe are independent of its energy density. Based on the solution for the quantum state of the Universe, it is conjectured that the Second Law is incomplete and must be complemented to a conservation law, which takes into account the growth of the amount of information within the Universe. Once the Second Law is complemented to a conservation law, the importance of mass generation within the Universe becomes well pronounced – not only gravitational effects play the role of an organising force, but also the amount of mass within the Universe defines both the amount of information within the Universe and the level of the Universe’s complexity.

This paper reinterprets, differently from the existing literature, the relationship between law and economics not from the point of view of a lawyer-economist but rather from the point of view of an economist-mathematician, and it raises a methodological issue. To do so, some of the elements of the theory of sets are borrowed to argue that behavioral economics, its application to behavioral law and economics, and behavioral economists have generalized the pioneering work of Judge Calabresi, with reference to the famous books ‘Tragic Choices’ and ‘The Future of Law and Economics – Essays in Reform and Recollection’. Even if the usage of the theory of sets made in this paper is intuitive, some of its basics are reviewed in the appendix.

In this article, Planck star and remnant scenario i.e., solution of black hole information paradox in loop quantum gravity (LQG) are elaborated. Since, Black hole is the final fate of collapse scenario in general relativity; firstly, gravitational collapse with two possible final outcomes i.e., black hole and naked singularity, is outlined. Thereafter, black hole thermodynamics along with four laws of black hole thermodynamics, Hawking radiation, brief introduction to information theory and cause of information paradox are given. Then, solution of black hole information paradox outside the LQG are briefly explained. Thereafter, basic concepts of LQG along with loop quantum cosmology (LQC) are described. LQG can solve information paradox by its natural cut off on the value of quantum volume operator. In LQG, a star namely, Planck star is also proposed that is formed at Planck density and resides at so-called singularity point. Since, LQG removes singularity through big bounce and proposes Planck star which provides enough room for information to escape; hence, it can solve information paradox. LQG predicts remnant of black hole of the order of \(10^{-14} m\); which, is under current technological regime. In the remnant scenario, black hole makes quantum transition into white hole and this white hole behaves as a long lived remnants that can solve information paradox. In this quantum transition, a black hole tunnels into a white hole at the end of evaporation.

Variability in traits forming the Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) among and within crop species play a key role in governing agroecosystem processes. However, studies evaluating the extent, causes, and consequences of within-species variation in LES traits for some of the world’s most common crops remain limited. We quantified variation in nine leaf traits measured across 90 vines of five wine grape (Vitis vinifera) varieties at two ontogenetic stages. Grape traits covary along an intraspecific LES, in patterns similar to those documented in wild plants. Across varieties, high rates of photosynthesis (A), and leaf nitrogen (N) concentrations, are coupled with low leaf mass per area (LMA), while the opposite suite of traits defines the “resource conserving end” of this intraspecific LES in grape. Variety identity predicted of leaf physiological (A) and morphological traits (i.e., leaf area and leaf mass), while leaf chemical traits and LMA were best explained by ontogenetic stage. All varieties expressed greater resource conserving trait syndromes (i.e., higher LMA, lower N, lower Amass) later in the growing season. Traits related to leaf hydraulics, including instantaneous water-use efficiency (WUE), were unrelated to LES and other resource capture traits, and were better explained by spatial location. Our results highlight the relative contributions of genetic vs. phenotypic factors in structuring this variation and point to a key role of domestication in governing trait relationships in the world’s crops.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly pressing threat to human, animal, and environmental health. Reducing the use of antibiotics in agriculture has been identified as a key way to curb the spread of AMR. However, the effect of such policies on AMR prevalence, and their broader impacts on agricultural, health, and economic outcomes at the population level have proven very difficult to estimate and compare. This paper draws on and formalises ideas presented at the JPIAMR New Perspectives on Bacterial Drug Resistance workshop in June of 2022. With reference to emerging literature on the topic, it proposes a quantitative framework for estimating the relevant causal relationships needed to quantify the cross-sectoral impacts of AMR policies in agriculture, and for comparing these outcomes in like terms in a way which can feed directly into policy decision-making, notably without prohibitive data requirements. The ability of researchers to apply frameworks such as this will be increasingly necessary in order to holistically capture the impacts of AMR policies and to situate them in the broader policy context; especially where the mechanisms of transmission are opaque or complex, where data availability is limited; and where policymakers must allocate scarce resources among many competing objectives.

Thermodynamics and phase transitions of magnetic Anti-de Sitter black holes are studied. We consider an extended phase space thermodynamics with the cosmological constant being a thermodynamic pressure and the black hole mass is treated as a chemical enthalpy. The extended phase space thermodynamics of black holes mimics the behavior of the Van der Walls liquid. Quantities conjugated to the coupling of nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) and a magnetic charge are obtained. Thermodynamic critical points of phase transitions are investigated. It is demonstrated that the first law of black hole thermodynamics and the generalized Smarr relation take place. The Joule--Thomson adiabatic expansion of NED-AdS black holes is studied. The dependence of inversion temperature on pressure and the minimum of inversion temperature are found.

We survey the main results emerging in the rapidly developing field that considers the geometry of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Our ideas of stability depend on variational principles – Maximum Entropy together with Least Action (and the isomorphic Least Exertion) – and this stability (invariance in time) indicates the centrality of the geometries of the systems. We explore a variety of examples of the application of thermodynamics in both macro- and micro-systems, and propose that irreversibility is an intrinsic and fundamental property of the physical realm (instead of being merely emergent). Using the concept of complex time, we examine the underlying mathematical unity of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and geometrical thermodynamics. We show how the Planck and Boltzmann constants provide the fundamental quantum units for the phenomenological characteristics of the two Noether-conserved quantities controlling overall thermodynamic behaviour: respectively, energy and entropy production. We discuss the far-reaching isomorphisms (between all of complex time, temperature and the system symmetry) that always exist for Maximum Entropy systems, even as they exhibit either irreversible (dissipative, yet still dynamically stable) or reversible (including stable and static geometries) behaviours.

The photoelectric effect induced by blackbody radiation could be a mechanism to harvest ambient thermal energy at a uniform temperature. Here, I describe (without going too much into mathematical details) the theoretical model I developed starting from 2010 to study that phenomenon, and I summarize the results of the numerical simulations. Simulations tell us that the process must be there. Moreover, at least two experimental tests have been performed in the past years that seem to corroborate, although not definitely, the alleged functioning of the proposed mechanism. Unfortunately, at present, the obtainable power density is extremely low and inadequate for immediate practical applications.

We have suggested that the abiogenisis of life around the beginning of the Archean may have been an example of microscopic dissipative structuring of UVC pigments (the fundamental molecules of life) under the prevailing surface UV solar spectrum. In a previous article in this series, we have describe the non-equilibrium thermodynamics and the photochemical mechanisms which may have been involved in the dissipative structuring of the purines adenine and hypoxanthine from the common precursor molecules of HCN and water under UVC light. In this article we extend our analysis to include the production of the other two important purines, guanine and xanthine, from these same precursors. The photochemical reactions are presumed to occur within a fatty acid vesicle floating on a hot ocean surface exposed to the prevailing UV light. Reaction-diffusion equations are resolved under different environmental conditions. Significant amounts of adenine (∼10−5 M) and guanine (∼10−6 M) are obtained within only a few months at 80 °C under plausible initial concentrations of HCN and cyanogen (a photochemical product of HCN).

Space shuttle has been a hall mark of American space program since its inception. Despite its temporary shutdown few years ago, with the recent interest in space exploration which includes revitalizing human outpost in microgravity and transportation required to build it, realize other experiments (e.g. in space telescopes, in space manufacturing) and interplanetary voyages, it has regained attention. Its superior design, manufacturing, materials, performance, durability, and efficiency place it among the best, in fact, the only effort by mankind to build a reusable craft horizontally, launch vertically like a rocket and fly back like a plane. Various requirements emerge during its design (thermal, fluid, acoustics, vibration and structural) and design of its main engine (Aerojet Rocketdyne RS 25) which requires considerable attention, heat transfer being most important. This facilitated and necessitated use of various types of heat exchangers such as single coil, heat pipe, built in internal heat exchanger (IHEX), external heat exchanger (EHEX), condensing heat exchanger (CHEX), Interface heat exchangers (InHEX), regenerative heat exchanger (RHEX) and compact heat exchangers (CoHEX), change, manipulate and optimize their configurations in piping and instrumentation diagrams (PIDs). In this short narrative, an effort has been made to summarize them, and their developments over time with a focus on the application, design, manufacturing, materials, and performance (in service and final operation).

Existing research has focused on discussing various issues in isolation, e.g., climate change or deglobalisation, without capturing the geo-political, legal, socio-economic, and technological implications in a holistic manner, especially in China and Southeast Asia. This has hindered the derivation of clear guidelines to navigate the business environment in the next decade, thus leaving the business world with fragmented theories and concepts that are hard to amalgamate and turn into tangible business strategies. Thus, this study illustrates the key challenges that are likely to influence the stability and sustainability of the global business environment by 2030, as well as suggests the main business strategies to leverage to mitigate them. This contribution, for the first time, proposes an alternative holistic approach by highlighting the key threats to global business in the next decade, as well as suggesting clear action points to account for the main ones from geo-political, legal, socio-economic, and technological standpoints in a unified theory. Local and more tailored strategies are described and discussed as referred to various industries to help in navigating a deglobalised and more competitive market by 2030.