4,238 research outputs found
Scaling-up quantum heat engines efficiently via shortcuts to adiabaticity
The finite-time operation of a quantum heat engine that uses a single
particle as a working medium generally increases the output power at the
expense of inducing friction that lowers the cycle efficiency. We propose to
scale up a quantum heat engine utilizing a many-particle working medium in
combination with the use of shortcuts to adiabaticity to boost the nonadiabatic
performance by eliminating quantum friction and reducing the cycle time. To
this end, we first analyze the finite-time thermodynamics of a quantum Otto
cycle implemented with a quantum fluid confined in a time-dependent harmonic
trap. We show that nonadiabatic effects can be controlled and tailored to match
the adiabatic performance using a variety of shortcuts to adiabaticity. As a
result, the nonadiabatic dynamics of the scaled-up many-particle quantum heat
engine exhibits no friction and the cycle can be run at maximum efficiency with
a tunable output power. We demonstrate our results with a working medium
consisting of particles with inverse-square pairwise interactions, that
includes noninteracting and hard-core bosons as limiting cases.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures; typo in Eq. (51) fixed. Feature paper in the
Special Issue "Quantum Thermodynamics" edited by Prof. Dr. Ronnie Koslof
H2 molecule in strong magnetic fields
The Pauli-Hamiltonian of a molecule with fixed nuclei in a strong constant
magnetic field is asymptotic, in norm-resolvent sense, to an effective
Hamiltonian which has the form of a multi-particle Schr\"odinger operator with
interactions given by one-dimensional \delta-potentials. We study this
effective Hamiltonian in the case of the H2 -molecule and establish existence
of the ground state. We also show that the inter-nuclear equilibrium distance
tends to 0 as the field-strength tends to infinity
The Total Synthesis of (â)-Scabrolide A
The first total synthesis of the norcembranoid diterpenoid scabrolide A is disclosed. The route begins with the synthesis of two chiral pool-derived fragments, which undergo a convergent coupling to expediently introduce all 19 carbon atoms of the natural product. An intramolecular DielsâAlder reaction and an enoneâolefin cycloaddition/fragmentation sequence are then employed to construct the fused [5â6â7] linear carbocyclic core of the molecule and complete the total synthesis
Agricultural Water Energy Efficiency: Final Report
Beginning in 2007, the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, contracted with the California Energy Commissionâs (CEC) Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program to undertake a large, multi-tiered study on agricultural water energy efficiency in California. The study was broken into the following research tasks: Task 1: Administrative; Task 2.1: Irrigation district energy survey; Task 2.2: Conversion to groundwater pumping with drip/ micro irrigation systems; Task 2.3: GIS-based water scheduling and software system; Task 3: Irrigation component energy analysis; Task 4: RD&D competitive solicitation; Task 5; Technology transfer. The resulting survey, research, and testing data from these tasks have led to a better understanding of current agricultural operations in California, as well as illuminated new avenues for energy conservation that could have widespread impact on energy efficiency in the stateâs agricultural industry
Identification of polyubiquitin binding proteins involved in NF-kappaB signaling using protein arrays.
Attachment of ubiquitin to proteins represents a central mechanism for the regulation of protein metabolism and function. In the NF-kappaB pathway, binding of NEMO to polyubiquitinated substrates initiates the pathway in response to cellular stimuli. Other polyubiquitin binding proteins can antagonize this pathway by competing with NEMO for polyubiquitin. We have used protein arrays to identify polyubiquitin binding proteins that regulate NF-kappaB activity. Using polyubiquitin as bait, protein arrays were screened and polyubiquitin binders identified. Novel polyubiquitin binders AWP1, CALCOCO2, N4BP1, RIO3, TEX27, TTC3, UBFD1 and ZNF313 were identified using this approach, while known NF-kappaB regulators including NEMO, A20, ABIN-1, ABIN-2, optineurin and p62 were also identified. Overexpressed AWP1 and RIO3 repressed NF-kappaB activity in a manner similar to optineurin, while siRNAs directed against AWP1 and RIO3 also reduced NF-kappaB activity. TNFalpha-dependent degradation of IkappaBalpha was also suppressed by overexpression of AWP1 and RIO3, possibly due to the polyubiquitin binding activity of these proteins. Protein array screening using polyubiquitin enabled rapid identification of many known and novel polyubiquitin binding proteins and the identification of novel NF-kappaB regulators
Expanding the Substantial Interactome of NEMO Using Protein Microarrays
Signal transduction by the NF-kappaB pathway is a key regulator of a host of cellular responses to extracellular and intracellular messages. The NEMO adaptor protein lies at the top of this pathway and serves as a molecular conduit, connecting signals transmitted from upstream sensors to the downstream NF-kappaB transcription factor and subsequent gene activation. The position of NEMO within this pathway makes it an attractive target from which to search for new proteins that link NF-kappaB signaling to additional pathways and upstream effectors. In this work, we have used protein microarrays to identify novel NEMO interactors. A total of 112 protein interactors were identified, with the most statistically significant hit being the canonical NEMO interactor IKKbeta, with IKKalpha also being identified. Of the novel interactors, more than 30% were kinases, while at least 25% were involved in signal transduction. Binding of NEMO to several interactors, including CALB1, CDK2, SAG, SENP2 and SYT1, was confirmed using GST pulldown assays and coimmunoprecipitation, validating the initial screening approach. Overexpression of CALB1, CDK2 and SAG was found to stimulate transcriptional activation by NF-kappaB, while SYT1 overexpression repressed TNFalpha-dependent NF-kappaB transcriptional activation in human embryonic kidney cells. Corresponding with this finding, RNA silencing of CDK2, SAG and SENP2 reduced NF-kappaB transcriptional activation, supporting a positive role for these proteins in the NF-kappaB pathway. The identification of a host of new NEMO interactors opens up new research opportunities to improve understanding of this essential cell signaling pathway
Enantioselective Catalysis Coupled with Stereodivergent Cyclization Strategies Enables Rapid Syntheses of (+)-Limaspermidine and (+)-Kopsihainanine A
Enantioselective Pd-catalyzed allylic alkylations of dihydropyrido[1,2-a]indolone (DHPI) substrates were used to construct the C20-quaternary stereocenters of multiple monoterpene indole alkaloids. Stereodivergent PictetâSpengler and BischlerâNapieralski cyclization/reduction cascades furnish the cis- and trans-fused azadecalin subunits present in Aspidosperma and Kopsia alkaloids, respectively, enâ
route to highly efficient syntheses of (+)-limaspermidine and (+)-kopsihainanineâ
A
Rigorous investigation of the reduced density matrix for the ideal Bose gas in harmonic traps by a loop-gas-like approach
In this paper, we rigorously investigate the reduced density matrix (RDM)
associated to the ideal Bose gas in harmonic traps. We present a method based
on a sum-decomposition of the RDM allowing to treat not only the isotropic
trap, but also general anisotropic traps. When focusing on the isotropic trap,
the method is analogous to the loop-gas approach developed by W.J. Mullin in
[38]. Turning to the case of anisotropic traps, we examine the RDM for some
anisotropic trap models corresponding to some quasi-1D and quasi-2D regimes.
For such models, we bring out an additional contribution in the local density
of particles which arises from the mesoscopic loops. The close connection with
the occurrence of generalized-BEC is discussed. Our loop-gas-like approach
provides relevant information which can help guide numerical investigations on
highly anisotropic systems based on the Path Integral Monte Carlo (PIMC)
method.Comment: v3: Minor modifications of v2. v2: Major modifications: the former
version (v1) has been completely rewritten. New results concerning the
anisotropic traps and generalized Bose-Einstein condensation have been added.
The connection with the loop-gas approach is further discussed. 40 page
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