Unified Hierarchical Relationship Between Thermodynamic Tradeoff Relations

Recent years have witnessed a surge of discoveries in the studies of thermodynamic inequalities: the thermodynamic uncertainty relation (TUR) and the entropic bound (EB) provide a lower bound on the entropy production (EP) in terms of nonequilibrium currents; the classical speed limit (CSL) expresses the lower bound on the EP using the geometry of probability distributions; the power-efficiency (PE) tradeoff dictates the maximum power achievable for a heat engine given the level of its thermal efficiency. In this study, we show that there exists a unified hierarchical structure encompassing all of these bounds, with the fundamental inequality given by a novel extension of the TUR (XTUR) that incorporates the most general range of current-like and state-dependent observables. By selecting more specific observables, the TUR and the EB follow from the XTUR, and the CSL and the PE tradeoff follow from the EB. Our derivations cover both Langevin and Markov jump systems, with the first proof of the EB for the Markov jump systems and a more generalized form of the CSL. We also present concrete examples of the EB for the Markov jump systems and the generalized CSL.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure

A study on Biosorptive Removal of Cd from Wastewater using Chironomid Larvae (Diptera: Chironomidae)

Cadmium (Cd) has caused serious public health problem due to its toxic nature. It is necessary to find a cost-effective method to dispose of wastewater containing Cd. Chironomid larvae as an alternative to conventional adsorbents were applied to remove Cd from wastewater. The sorption studies of Cd were carried out using laboratory-reared Glyptotendipes tokunagai (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae. Kinetic and sorption capacity of chironomid larvae for Cd were determined by means of controlled experiments in a batch system. It was observed that removal efficiency of Cd was largely concentration dependent and more effective in lower concentration. At equilibrium, Cd was removed up to roughly 53 %. The sorption kinetics were found to conform to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model with a good correlation. Equilibrium sorption data were best fitted to the both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models owing to their correlation coefficient R2 values greater than 0.99. Considering the values obtained from isotherm constants 1/n and r, it is confirmed that Cd is sorbed favorably by chironomid larvae. With its relatively high removal capability for Cd, Chironomid larvae have enormous potential for application in wastewater treatment technologies.Â

Multi-Criteria Coordinated Electric Vehicle-Drone Hybrid Delivery Service Planning

According to recent works, a coordinated delivery strategy in which terrestrial and aerial electric vehicles work together effectively improves delivery throughput and energy efficiency. However, most research on logistics and transportation focuses on delivery performance and does not care about energy efficiency, with three main limitations: 1. Most of these works ignore geographic information along the delivery route, while road slope is one of the most critical energy consumption components. 2. Vehicle and drone power consumption models are simplified as driving mileage, while the delivery time is a significant concern. 3. The battery model is simplified as a linear model even though practical batteries have non-linearity properties. This work proposes a framework to provide energy- and time-efficient delivery schedules with a hybrid delivery service with terrestrial and aerial electric vehicles. We first implement accurate electric van and drone power models and a battery model based on manufacturers' system specifications and experimental data. Then, we propose a heuristic delivery scheduling algorithm to determine the electric van and drone delivery schedule. We also introduce various cost functions to evaluate the delivery scheduling results regarding time, energy, the weighted sum of time and energy, and the economic model. The proposed framework is validated on randomly implemented delivery missions and delivery scenarios in existing cities. Results indicate that the coordinated delivery saves delivery costs up to 27.25% in terms of the economic model compared with the electric van-only delivery schedule

Novel Natural Polymer/Medicinal Plant Extract Electrospun Nanofiber for Cosmeceutical Application

Zein produced from maize is a hydrophobic protein, which holds great potential for a number of industrial applications, for example, food packaging, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and biomedical industry. Sorghum, known as important cereal crop worldwide, is a good source of various phytochemicals such as tannins, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, phytosterols, and policosanols, and these phytochemicals have great impact on human health. Poria cocos, a well‐known traditional East‐Asian medicinal plant, is found around the roots of pine trees in Korea and China. As a rapid and efficient process, electrospinning has drawn huge interest among scientists to produce nanostructured polymer materials with excellent properties. In this work, we studied the influence of co‐solvent ratio and concentration of zein/medicinal plant extract on the morphologies of nanostructured zein/medicinal plant extract nanomaterials prepared by electrospinning technique from ethanol/water solution. The zein/medicinal extract nanofibers were characterized by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and differential scanning calorimetric technique. And we were to incorporate medicinal plant resources into the electro‐spun zein nanofibers by electrospinning technique to investigate the effect of medicinal extract on the morphologies, antibacterial, antioxidant, and other properties. Zein/medicinal plant extract might have a practical use as a new preservative for cosmeceutical applications

Non-invasive cortical stimulation improves post-stroke attention decline

Purpose: Attention decline after stroke is common and hampers the rehabilitation process, and non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to elicit behavioral changes by modulating cortical excitability. The authors tested the hypothesis that a single session of non-invasive cortical stimulation with excitatory anodal tDCS applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can improve attention in stroke patients. Methods: Ten patients with post-stroke cognitive decline (MMSE 0.05). Changes in reaction times were comparable for the two stimulations (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Non invasive anodal tDCS applied to the left DLPFC was found to improve attention versus sham stimulation in stroke patients, which suggests that non-invasive cortical intervention could potentially be used during rehabilitative training to improve attention.This research was supported by a grant from Seoul National University College of Medicine (Grant No. 800-20060236) to N.J. Paik, and by a grant from the Korean Geriatric Society to E.K. Kang.Monti A, 2008, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V79, P451, DOI 10.1136/jnnp.2007.135277Priori A, 2008, CEREB CORTEX, V18, P451, DOI 10.1093/cercor/bhm088Kuo MF, 2008, NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA, V46, P2122, DOI 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.02.023Coulthard E, 2006, CURR OPIN NEUROL, V19, P613Boggio PS, 2006, J NEUROL SCI, V249, P31, DOI 10.1016/j.jns.2006.05.062Gandiga PC, 2006, CLIN NEUROPHYSIOL, V117, P845, DOI 10.1016/j.clinph.2005.12.003Fregni F, 2005, EXP BRAIN RES, V166, P23, DOI 10.1007/s00221-005-2334-6Hummel F, 2005, BRAIN, V128, P490, DOI 10.1093/brain/awh369DEVINSKY O, 2004, NEUROLOGY COGNITIVENitsche MA, 2003, J COGNITIVE NEUROSCI, V15, P619, DOI 10.1162/089892903321662994McDowd JM, 2003, J GERONTOL B-PSYCHOL, V58, pP45Hikosaka O, 2002, CURR OPIN NEUROBIOL, V12, P217Aranda D, 2001, REV NEUROLOGIA, V32, P10Nitsche MA, 2000, J PHYSIOL-LONDON, V527, P633McNevin NH, 2000, PHYS THER, V80, P373DESPOSITO M, 1998, BRAIN RES COGN BRAIN, V7, P1TATEMICHI TK, 1994, J NEUROL NEUROSUR PS, V57, P202

A new marine ciliate, Metaurostylopsis antarctica nov. spec. (Ciliophora, Urostylida) from the Antarctic Ocean

In this study, a new marine urostylid ciliate, Metaurostylopsis antarctica nov. spec. collected from the Antarctic Ocean was investigated using morphological, morphometrical, and molecular methods. Metaurostylopsis antarctica nov. spec. is characterized as follows: slender to ellipsoid form in body shape; two types of cortical granules, ellipsoid large one (type I, yellow-green, 1.5 × 1 μm) in rows along dorsal kineties and cirri, circular small one (type II, colourless, 0.3 μm in diameter) scattered throughout whole body; 19–24 adoral membranelles, 4 frontal cirri, 2–5 frontoterminal cirri, 1 buccal and 2 transverse cirri; 3–5 midventral pairs, 10–15 cirri of midventral row; 1 right and 2 left marginal rows; 3 dorsal kineties; about 43 macronuclear nodules. This new species mainly differs from the congeners by the number of marginal rows (1 vs. 3 or more on right side; 2 vs. 3 or more on left side). In addition, proter’s oral primordium  developed on the right side of the oral cavity (vs. in center of oral cavity), and the rightmost anlage splits into two parts, nam ely, the frontoterminal cirri and a transverse cirrus (vs. only frontoterminal cirri). Inter-specific dissimilarities of the SSU rRNA gene between the congeners range from 3.3 to 4.4%

A Dual Inhibitor of the Proteasome Catalytic Subunits LMP2 and Y Attenuates Disease Progression in Mouse Models of Alzheimer\u27s Disease

The immunoproteasome (iP) is a variant of the constitutive proteasome (cP) that is abundantly expressed in immune cells which can also be induced in somatic cells by cytokines such as TNF-α or IFN-γ. Accumulating evidence support that the iP is closely linked to multiple facets of inflammatory response, eventually leading to the development of several iP inhibitors as potential therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases. Recent studies also found that the iP is upregulated in reactive glial cells surrounding amyloid β (Aβ) deposits in brains of Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) patients, but the role it plays in the pathogenesis of AD remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of several proteasome inhibitors on cognitive function in AD mouse models and found that YU102, a dual inhibitor of the iP catalytic subunit LMP2 and the cP catalytic subunit Y, ameliorates cognitive impairments in AD mouse models without affecting Aβ deposition. The data obtained from our investigation revealed that YU102 suppresses the secretion of inflammatory cytokines from microglial cells. Overall, this study indicates that there may exist a potential link between LMP2/Y and microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and that inhibition of these subunits may offer a new therapeutic strategy for AD

Foraging Behavior and Diet of Northward Migrating Bar-Tailed Godwits (Limosa laponica) and Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) at a Key Stopover Site

After the completion of the Saemangeum reclamation, the Geum Estuary has emerged as a key feeding and rooting site (staging site) for shorebirds in South Korea. However, there has yet to be any study conducted on the behavior and diet of shorebirds in this region. In this study, we first compared behavior and diet of two representative shorebird species with different morphologies, Bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa laponica) and Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) that co-occur in the tidal flat of Yubu Island near the Geum Estuary. During the April to May of 2016, using a camera equipped with a telescope, we recorded 36 individuals during low tide. Behavior was significantly different between the two shorebird species (Chi-square test, P = 0.037), although feeding success rate was similar between the two species (ANOVA, P > 0.05); the Bar-tailed Godwit showed more probings and less peckings than the Great Knot. In addition, Bar-tailed Godwits walked less (ANOVA, P < 0.001) and were less alert (ANOVA, P < 0.005) than Great Knots. On the other hand, diet composition was significantly different between them (Chi-square test, P = 0.010); Both species fed mainly upon Mollusca but the Great Knot fed on noticeably more Annelida (lugworms) than the Bar-tailed Godwit. Among Mollusca, both species consumed more gastropods than bivalves (ANOVA, P < 0.001).Based on these results, it is thought that Bar-tailed Godwits may save energy through less pecking together with less walking and less being alert, since it fed on less food than Great Knots. These results on behavior and diet will be helpful for conservation of the two species in the Geum Estuary tidal flats, a key stopover site of many shorebirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF)

Protective and therapeutic effects of an extract mixture of alder tree, labiate herb, milk thistle green bean-rice bran fermentation, and turnip against ethanol-induced toxicity in the rat

An herbal extract mixture and yogurt added to the herbal extract mixture were tested for their protective and therapeutic effects on ethanol-induced liver injury. The herbal extract mixture, yogurt and commercial drugs were used for treatment for two weeks prior to administering a single oral dose of ethanol (3 g/kg body weight). The herbal extract mixture and yogurt added to the herbal extract mixture were found to provide protection against ethanol-induced toxicity comparable to the commercial drug treatment, according to the serum and histopathological analysis. It was also shown that co-treatment with herbal extract mixture and yogurt against a triple oral dose of ethanol (2 g/kg body weight, over one week) provided protection against ethanol toxicity. After the initial set of experiments, the herbal extract mixture and yogurt treatments were extended for three more weeks. When compared to the positive control, further treatment with both the herbal extract and yogurt significantly reduced liver injury and resulted in a lower grade of lipid deposition