Correlations in quantum thermodynamics: Heat, work, and entropy production

We provide a characterization of energy in the form of exchanged heat and work between two interacting constituents of a closed, bipartite, correlated quantum system. By defining a binding energy we derive a consistent quantum formulation of the first law of thermodynamics, in which the role of correlations becomes evident, and this formulation reduces to the standard classical picture in relevant systems. We next discuss the emergence of the second law of thermodynamics under certain---but fairly general---conditions such as the Markovian assumption. We illustrate the role of correlations and interactions in thermodynamics through two examples.Comment: 16 page

How to Turn Poultry Manure into Valuable Resources: A Circular Business Model for Resilient and Sustainable Small and Medium-Sized Farms

This paper illustrates how small and medium-sized farmers can resolve the complex issue of poultry manure disposal by implementing an innovative technology with the aims of reducing emissions and waste and transforming manure into precious resources for the production of energy and fertilizers. After a literature review, a case study is analyzed to identify the main elements of a circular business model that can realize a strategic priority, such as defining production and consumption processes compatible with sustainability, circularity, and resilience. This paper identifies the main elements that constitute the “value proposition,” “value creation and delivery,” and “value captured,” showing the potential benefits in terms of competitiveness and profitability. This good practice may be replicated by other breeding and agricultural companies that want to be sustainable and resilient. The analyzed topic is a key concern given the great quantity of energy and chemical substances used by farms and the challenges posed by current dramatic events, such as the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have led to less availability of energy and fertilizers and unsustainable prices

Security-Oriented Formal Techniques

Security of software systems is a critical issue in a world where Information Technology is becoming more and more pervasive. The number of services for everyday life that are provided via electronic networks is rapidly increasing, as witnessed by the longer and longer list of words with the prefix "e", such as e-banking, e-commerce, e-government, where the "e" substantiates their electronic nature. These kinds of services usually require the exchange of sensible data and the sharing of computational resources, thus needing strong security requirements because of the relevance of the exchanged information and the very distributed and untrusted environment, the Internet, in which they operate. It is important, for example, to ensure the authenticity and the secrecy of the exchanged messages, to establish the identity of the involved entities, and to have guarantees that the different system components correctly interact, without violating the required global properties

Microelectrode arrays of diamond-insulated graphitic channels for real time detection of exocytotic events from cultured chromaffin cells and slices of adrenal glands

A microstructured graphitic 4x4 multielectrode array was embedded in a single crystal diamond substrate (4x4 {uG-SCD MEA) for real-time monitoring of exocytotic events from cultured chromaffin cells and adrenal slices. The current approach relies on the development of a parallel ion beam lithographic technique, which assures the time effective fabrication of extended arrays with reproducible electrode dimensions. The reported device is suitable for performing amperometric and voltammetric recordings with high sensitivity and temporal resolution, by simultaneously acquiring data from 16 rectangularly shaped microelectrodes (20x3.5 um^2) separated by 200 um gaps. Taking advantage of the array geometry we addressed the following specific issues: i) detect both the spontaneous and KCl-evoked secretion simultaneously from several chromaffin cells directly cultured on the device surface, ii) resolve the waveform of different subsets of exocytotic events, iii) monitoring quantal secretory events from thin slices of the adrenal gland. The frequency of spontaneous release was low (0.12 Hz and 0.3 Hz respectively for adrenal slices and cultured cells) and increased up to 0.9 Hz after stimulation with 30 mM KCl in cultured cells. The spike amplitude as well as rise and decay time were comparable with those measured by carbon fiber microelectrodes and allowed to identify three different subsets of secretory events associated to "full fusion" events, "kiss and-run" and "kiss-and-stay" exocytosis, confirming that the device has adequate sensitivity and time resolution for real-time recordings. The device offers the significant advantage of shortening the time to collect data by allowing simultaneous recordings from cell populations either in primary cell cultures or in intact tissues

Simulación de flujos compresibles con openFoam™

Maestría en Ciencias De La Ingeniería - Mención AeroespacialEn esta tesis se describen los resultados obtenidos con las simulaciones numéricas de dos tipos de problemas en los cuales el fluido debe necesariamente ser considerado compresible. En uno, se simula un caso de combustión difusiva turbulenta a baja velocidad y en otro, la simulación se aplica a casos típicos de aerodinámica supersónica. Ambas simulaciones fueron desarrolladas aplicando las herramientas de libre distribución que provee openfoam™. Con la combustión se utilizan ecuaciones de conservación inestacionarias para la masa, los momentos, la energía y la conservación de las especies, promediadas según Favre y para la turbulencia se emplea un modelo k −ε modificado. Para resolver las ecuaciones de conservación discretizadas, se emplea el método PISO (Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators), que conlleva a la derivación de una ecuación independiente para la presión. La cinética química es modelada mediante una única reacción global y para tener en cuenta la interacción química-turbulencia se implementa el concepto del reactor parcialmente mezclado. El cálculo de los términos fuentes presentes en las ecuaciones de conservación de las especies químicas, requiere la integración de ecuaciones diferenciales ordinarias stiffs. openFoam proporciona un esquema numérico que garantiza estabilidad en el cómputo de estos términos. La simulación numérica del benchmark conocido como llama D, se compara con datos experimentales obtenidos por Sandia National Laboratories. Las simulaciones numéricas de los flujos supersónicos son desarrolladas empleando los ejecutables sonicFoam y rhoCentralFoam. Las principales diferencias entre estos ejecutables son: sonicFoam usa la presión como variable dependiente y en consecuencia utiliza el método PISO como técnica resolutiva; rhoCentralFoam mantiene la densidad como variable dependiente y en lugar de usar solvers de Riemann como técnica resolutiva, emplea los esquemas alternativos de Kurganov et al. . En esta tesis se evalúan las ventajas y desventajas derivadas de la aplicación en simulaciones supersónicas, de los dos ejecutables citados. Con tal propósito, los siguientes flujos supersónicos fueron considerados: la cuña (o rampa), perfil tipo doble cuña y el cuerpo romo (bidimensional y axisimétrico). Estos flujos tienen solución analítica o cuentan con datos experimentales con que comparar los resultados de las simulaciones numéricas. En todos los casos se supone que el fluido (aire) se comporta como un gas no viscoso y calórico perfecto.This thesis describes results obtained from numerical simulations of two types of problems in which the fluid flow must necessarily be considered compressible. In one type, a low speed diffusive combustion problem is simulated and in the other one, the simulation is applied to typical supersonic aerodynamics problems. Both simulations were developed by employing free distribution tools provided by openFoam. Favre averaged unsteady mass, momentum, energy and species conservation equations are used in the combustion problem and to account for turbulence, a modified k-e model is used. The conservation equations are solved utilizing a pressure implicit with splitting of operators (PISO) algorithm, which requires the addition of an extra equation for the pressure. The chemical kinetics is modeled by only one step global reaction and the partially stirred reactor concept (PaSR) is implemented to consider chemistry-turbulence interactions. To compute source terms in the species conservation equations, sets of stiff ordinary differential equations (ODEs) have to be solved. openFoam provides a numerical scheme that ensure well enough stability in computing these terms. A numerical simulation of the Sandia flame “D” is compared with experimental data available from Sandia National Laboratories (USA). Supersonic flow numerical simulations, are performed with sonicFoam and rhoCentralFoam solvers. The main difference between them arise from the fact that sonicFoam uses the pressure as dependent variable and, consequently, the PISO algorithm, whereas rhoCentralFoam keeps density as a dependent variable and, therefore, can use the central schemes introduced by Kurganov et al. as resolvent technique. In this thesis, the advantages and disadvantages of the cited solvers to handle supersonic flow simulations are evaluated by applying them to three cases: flow over a wedge, a double wedge airfoil and over two dimensional and axial symmetrical blunt bodies. These flow cases have analytical solutions or available experimental data to compare with numerical simulations results. In all cases the flow (air) is assumed to behave as a inviscid and caloric perfect gas.Fil: Gutiérrez Marcantoni, Luis F. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil: Gutiérrez Marcantoni, Luis F. Fuerza Aérea Argentina. Universidad de la Defensa Nacional. Centro Regional Universitario Córdoba IUA; Argentina

Failure analysis of fiberglass cover used for photovoltaic plants

Cover boxes with inspection glass are generally used outdoors for photovoltaic systems.Sometimes these boxes break, during normal use. Hightemperature, thermal stress, cyclic stress, and cracking contribute to weakening the polymeric inspection “glass”. The study presents an interdisciplinary analysis to discover the mode of occurrence and causes of the failure. First, the material is accurately characterized. Then its mechanical behavior is characterized in a virtual scenario that reconstructs the real external environment. The goal is to build a new cover with inspection boxes that exhibits superior life cycle behavior when exposed to harsh weather conditions and atmospheric agents. The breaking phenomena of solar panels covering boxes in PMMA (Poly Methyl Methacrylate) are examined. Environmental stress is the main responsible for cracking. Styrene is employed in the polymerization process of Sheet Molding Compound (SMC); the diffusion of this material is the main responsible for cracking. Comprehensive engineering analysis shows how the thermoplastic component fails after being exposed to atmospheric agents. The PMMA “glass” is one of the polymers most sensible to the crazing phenomena

Macro Minerals and Trace Elements in Milk of Dairy Buffaloes and Cows Reared in Mediterranean Areas

Aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in Ca, P, K, Na, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Li, B, Ti, Rb, and Sr concentrations in milk from buffaloes and cows reared in the same farm in Mediterranean areas and fed diets including the same ingredients. Individual milk samples were obtained from 32 Mediterranean buffaloes and 29 Italian Friesian cows and samples of milk, dietary ingredients and drinking water were analyzed for the investigated chemical elements by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Data about milk element concentrations were processed by one-way analysis of variance. Buffalo milk contains higher concentrations of Ca, P, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, B, Ti, and Sr, and lower concentrations of K, Na, Mo, Li, and Rb compared to cow milk, whereas milk from both species contains similar concentrations of Mn, Se, and Co. The concentrations of the investigated elements in the diet were similar for both species and the differences observed between buffalo and cow milk were not dependent on environmental factors

Tailoring Micro-solar Systems to Heterogeneous Wireless Sensor Networks

Energetic needs of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been thoroughly studied. Among the most important results, clustering protocols are able to reduce significantly energy consumption in these networks. In the last few years though, focus has also been put on energy harvesting for WSNs. With energy harvesting researchers aim to reach energy neutrality, which means the network only runs on harvested energy. Many papers propose design options for energy harvested WSN, but they only focus on ad-hoc solutions, homogeneous WSNs, or pose other limitations. In this paper we propose a new approach. We study the energetic need of a heterogeneous WSN clustered with a known algorithm (REECHD) through simulation, in order to calculate the minimum and ideal energy to harvest for a given network. Given that, we design an appropriate micro-solar power system to achieve energy neutrality

Distribution of selected trace elements in the major fractions of donkey milk

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Li, B, Ti, Cr, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb in donkey milk and their distribution in major milk fractions (i.e., fat, casein, whey proteins, and aqueous phase). Individual milk samples were provided by 16 clinically healthy lactating donkeys. Subsequent centrifugation, ultracentrifugation, and ultrafiltration were carried out to remove fat, casein, and whey proteins to obtain skim milk, a supernatant whey fraction, and the aqueous phase of milk, respectively. Concentrations of the elements were measured in whole milk and fractions by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, and the concentrations associated with fat, casein, and whey proteins were then calculated. The effect of removal of fat, casein, and whey proteins was determined by repeated-measures ANOVA. The fat fraction of donkey milk carried a small (∼4.5% to 13.5%) but significant proportion of Mo, Co, Ti, Cr, and Sr. The casein fraction in donkey milk carried almost all milk Zn, a majority of Cu and Mn, and most of Mo, Ti, and Sr. Relevant proportions, between 20% and 36%, of Se, Co, and Cr were also associated with caseins. The majority of Se, Co, Li, B, Cr, and Rb, and relevant proportions of Mn, Mo, Ti, and Sr were found in soluble form (ultracentrifuged samples) and distributed between whey proteins and the aqueous phase of milk (ultrafiltered samples). Whey proteins in donkey milk carried the majority of milk Se and Co. All Li and B was present in the aqueous phase of milk, which also contained most Rb and Cr, and 17% to 42% of Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Ti, and Sr

Natural function and structural modification of climacostol, a ciliate secondary metabolite

The review highlights the main results of two decades of research on climacostol (5-[(2Z)-non-2-en-1-yl]benzene-1,3-diol), the resorcinolic lipid produced and used by the ciliated protozoan Climacostomum virens for chemical defense against a wide range of predators, and to assist its carnivorous feeding. After the first studies on the physiological function of climacostol, the compound and some analogues were chemically synthesized, thus allowing us to explore both its effect on different prokaryotic and eukaryotic biological systems, and the role of its relevant structural traits. In particular, the results obtained in the last 10 years indicate climacostol is an effective antimicrobial and anticancer agent, bringing new clues to the attempt to design and synthesize additional novel analogues that can increase or optimize its pharmacological properties