Neodymium adsorption from aqueous solution by ß-cyclodextrin nanosponges and a polymer valorized from potato peels waste: experiments and conventional and statistical physics interpretations.

Using organic waste and residue streams to be turned into valuable and greener materials for various applications has proven an efficient and suitable strategy. In this work, two green materials (nanosponges and a polymer) were synthesized using potato peels and applied for the first time to adsorb and recover Neodymium (Nd3+) from aqueous solutions. The recovery of Nd3+ that belongs to the rare earth elements has attracted important interest due to its/their importance in several industrial and technological applications. The fine potato peel waste (FPPW) polymer presented an irregular shape and porous surface. At the same time, the ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) nanosponges had uniform distribution with regular and smooth shapes. ß-CD nanosponges exhibited a much higher total carboxyl content (4.02 mmol g-1) than FPPW (2.50 mmol g-1), which could impact the Nd3+ adsorption performance because carboxyl groups can interact with cations. The adsorption capacity increased with the increase of the pH, reaching its maximum at pHs 6-7 for ß-CD nanosponges and 4-7 for FPPW polymer. The kinetic and equilibrium data were well-fitted by General order and Liu models. ß-CD nanosponges attained adsorption capacity near 100 mg Nd per gram of adsorbent. Thermodynamic and statistical physical results corroborated that the adsorption mechanism was due to electrostatic interaction/complexation and that the carboxyl groups were important in the interactions. ß-CD nanosponges (three cycles of use) were more effective than FPPW (one cycle of use) in the regeneration. Finally, ß-CD nanosponges could be considered an eco-friendly adsorbent to recover Nd3+ from aqueous matrices.

Using slisemap to interpret physical data.

Manifold visualisation techniques are commonly used to visualise high-dimensional datasets in physical sciences. In this paper, we apply a recently introduced manifold visualisation method, slisemap, on datasets from physics and chemistry. slisemap combines manifold visualisation with explainable artificial intelligence. Explainable artificial intelligence investigates the decision processes of black box machine learning models and complex simulators. With slisemap, we find an embedding such that data items with similar local explanations are grouped together. Hence, slisemap gives us an overview of the different behaviours of a black box model, where the patterns in the embedding reflect a target property. In this paper, we show how slisemap can be used and evaluated on physical data and that it is helpful in finding meaningful information on classification and regression models trained on these datasets.

A physics-based model of swarming jellyfish.

We propose a model for the structure formation of jellyfish swimming based on active Brownian particles. We address the phenomena of counter-current swimming, avoidance of turbulent flow regions and foraging. We motivate corresponding mechanisms from observations of jellyfish swarming reported in the literature and incorporate them into the generic modelling framework. The model characteristics is tested in three paradigmatic flow environments.

Sorptive removal of phosphorus by flue gas desulfurization gypsum in batch and column systems.

Phosphorus (P) over-loading is often a central topic due to its linkage to harmful algal blooms (HABs) and its importance in wastewater treatment that has fueled immediate remediation attempts to reduce P loading from point (e.g., wastewater) and nonpoint sources (e.g., fertilizers). Conventional remediation techniques (e.g., filtration) are often expensive, ineffective, and difficult to implement at large scales. The flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum produced as an energy plant waste byproduct has recently been advocated as a physiochemical remediation strategy for P through sorptive removal. However, limited research is available on the practical applications of FGD gypsum for P removal from water. Herein, batch sorption experiments were performed to investigate the sorptive removal efficiency of P by FGD gypsum under environmentally relevant P concentrations (0.01-0.25 mM). In parallel, fixed-bed column experiments packed with FGD gypsum were performed using elevated P concentrations (0.1-1.0 mM) to understand the scalability of FGD gypsum for large-scale practical applications. During batch experiments, P sorption equilibrium was reached within 24 h that includes an initially fast step (via boundary layer diffusion), followed by a slow rate-determining step (via intraparticle diffusion). P sorption kinetics followed the pseudo second-order kinetics, indicating chemisorption. P sorption at equilibrium can be simulated by both the Freundlich and Langmuir sorption isotherms. The Langmuir sorption isotherm yielded a maximum sorption capacity (Qmax) of 36.1 mM kg-1. The fixed-bed column experimental results showed that sorption rate depends on the applied flow rate, irrespective of the tested P concentrations. Our findings can be extrapolated to evaluate the feasibility and scalability of FGD gypsum in removing P to counteract P runoff and mitigate HABs and P-loaded wastewater.

Synthesis and preparation of acid capped CdSe nanocrystals as successful adsorbent and photocatalyst for the removal of dyes from water and its statistical physics analysis.

In this study, mercaptosuccinic acid capped CdSe nanocrystals were successfully synthesized and used as photocatalyst for the effective removal of methylene blue (MB) inaqueous solution under visible light and sunlight irradiations including its analysis with statistical physics theory. Dye adsorption properties of these nanocrystals were investigated via experimental kinetics and equilibrium studies. These experimental data were modeled via the application of statistical physics theory to explain the corresponding adsorption mechanism and to characterize the steric and energetic parameters involved in the dye removal. A maximum adsorption capacity of 27.07 mg g-1 (80% of dye removal) was observed in 10 min using an initial concentration of 30 mg L-1. Statistical physics calculations indicated that the adsorption energy was lower than 40 kJ mol-1. It was also established that the dye adsorption was associated to the electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding where dye aggregation and multi-molecular adsorption were expected. Overall, the dye removal was a spontaneous, feasible and exothermic. It was concluded that adsorption properties of CdSe-MSA nanocrystals improved the dye photo-catalytic degradation efficiency under visible light thus achieving up to 80% degradation efficiency in 60 min. The synergic effect of adsorption and photo-catalytic degradation performance was mainly due to the surface area (136.43 m2 g-1), small size (3.7 nm), and structural defects (selenium vacancies Se, interstitial of cadmium ICd) of CdSe nanocrystals, which enhanced both the response of these nanomaterials to visible light and their photo-catalytic activity. In summary, these nanocrystals are promising materials to be used in wastewater treatment under sunlight for the removal of organic compounds like dyes.

Predicting performance of in-situ microbial enhanced oil recovery process and screening of suitable microbe-nutrient combination from limited experimental data using physics informed machine learning approach.

Screening of suitable microbe-nutrient combination and prediction of oil recovery at the initial stage is essential for the success of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) technique. However, experimental and physics-based modelling approaches are expensive and time-consuming. In this study, Physics Informed Machine Learning (PIML) framework was developed to screen and predict oil recovery at a relatively lesser time and cost with limited experimental data. The screening was done by quantifying the influence of parameters on oil recovery from correlation and feature importance studies. Results revealed that microbial kinetic, operational and reservoir parameters influenced the oil recovery by 50%, 32.6% and 17.4%, respectively. Higher oil recovery is attained by selecting a microbe-nutrient combination having a higher ratio of value between biosurfactant yield and microbial yield parameters, as they combinedly influence the oil recovery by 27%. Neural Network is the best ML model for MEOR application to predict oil recovery (R2≈0.99).

Is Consciousness an Organizing Force in the Universe? A Hypothesis on the Nature of Consciousness and The Relevance of Consciousness in Medicine.

Is consciousness an organizing force in the universe? 4 fundamental forces have been described as governing our universe: gravitational, electromagnetic, and the strong and weak nuclear forces, while a fifth force has been speculated to exist. Supporting evidence for the hypothesis that consciousness is an organizing force is found in the sciences of yoga, parapsychology (psi), and quantum physics. The relevance of consciousness in healing and medicine is discussed.

Intuitions about magic track the development of intuitive physics.

Many successful magic tricks violate our assumptions about how physical objects behave, but some magic tricks are better than others. We examined whether the interest adults express in a magic trick is predicted by the age at which infants first respond to violation of the corresponding physical principle. In Experiment 1, adults (N = 319) rated their interest in magic tricks mimicking stimuli from violation-of-expectation experiments with infants. We found a clear correlation between how interesting a trick is and the age at which infants demonstrate a sensitivity to its underlying principle. In a second experiment (N = 350), we replicated this finding and also used three additional tricks for which there is no established age of acquisition to predict the age at which those physical principles might be acquired. A third experiment (N = 368) replicated these findings measuring adults' surprise at physical violations rather than their interest in magic tricks. Our results suggest that adults' intuitions reflect the development of physical knowledge and show how magic can reveal our expectations about the physical world.

A role for visual areas in physics simulations.

To engage with the world, we must regularly make predictions about the outcomes of physical scenes. How do we make these predictions? Recent computational evidence points to simulation-the idea that we can introspectively manipulate rich, mental models of the world-as one explanation for how such predictions are accomplished. However, questions about the potential neural mechanisms of simulation remain. We hypothesized that the process of simulating physical events would evoke imagery-like representations in visual areas of those same events. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we find that when participants are asked to predict the likely trajectory of a falling ball, motion-sensitive brain regions are activated. We demonstrate that this activity, which occurs even though no motion is being sensed, resembles activity patterns that arise while participants perceive the ball's motion. This finding thus suggests that mental simulations recreate sensory depictions of how a physical scene is likely to unfold.

Characterization of vanadium of biological origin for possible applications in physics experiments.

For the first time, vanadium of biological origin, extracted from centrifugal fraction of vanadium-storing blood cells of the Ascidia sydneiensis samea species, was characterized as regards its isotopic composition and content of natural radioactive elements potassium (K), thorium (Th) and uranium (U). The natural abundance of vanadium isotopes has been confirmed with high accuracy, thus excluding a possible selectivity within bio-chemical reactions of vanadium concentration in blood cells from seawater. A large potassium concentration (up to 5500 × 10-6 g g-1) was found in the blood cell samples. The concentration of thorium was determined to be about 30 × 10-9 g g-1, while the uranium concentration was about 150 × 10-9 g g-1. Hence, a highly efficient two-stage purification approach with a total vanadium recovery of better than 70% was developed and applied. The final concentrations of K < 100 × 10-6 g g-1 and of U/Th < 0.5 × 10-9 g g-1 in the purified vanadium-containing samples were achieved. Vanadium extracted from centrifugal fraction of vanadium-storing blood cells after two-stage purification approach could be utilized in various applications, where a high chemical purity compound is required. However, to be used as a source of radiopure vanadium in ultra-low-background experiment aimed to search for 50V beta decay, it should be further purified by Electron Beam Melting against residual potassium.

From Quantum Physics to Quantum Hypnosis: A Quantum Mind Perspective.

A novel, heuristic model based upon chaotic complex systems theory and quantum mechanics is proposed to overcome the dichotomy between mind and body. The mind-body interface represents a chaotic system, ruled by the probability principle, as shown in quantum mechanics. Neuronal activity shows many patterns of chaotic behavior, and applications of chaotic patterns seem to be relevant for research regarding the mind-body relationship and the process of trance. A quantum consciousness theory has been proposed, largely controversial, since quantum physics applies to subatomic world and not to macrostructures, such as the brain. Quantum cognition is an emerging field that applies the formalism of quantum theory to model cognitive phenomena such as information processing by the human brain; it overcomes limits and shortcomings of cartesian dualism as well as quantum general theory. As hypnosis is a state of consciousness, it applies to hypnotic cognitive functioning rather than hypnotic structure.

Update on Multienergy CT: Physics, Principles, and Applications.

Multienergy CT involves acquisition of two or more CT measurements with distinct energy spectra. Using the differential attenuation of tissues and materials at different x-ray energies, multienergy CT allows distinction of tissues and materials beyond that possible with conventional CT. Multienergy CT technologies can operate at the source or detector level. Dual-source, rapid tube-voltage switching, and dual-layer detector CT are the most commonly used multienergy CT technologies. Most of the currently available technologies typically use two energy levels, commonly referred to as dual-energy CT. With use of two or more energy bins, photon-counting detector CT can perform multienergy CT beyond current dual-energy CT technologies. Multienergy CT postprocessing can be performed in the projection or image domain using two-material or multimaterial decomposition. The most commonly used multienergy CT images are virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs), iodine maps, virtual noncontrast (VNC) images, and uric acid images. Low-energy VMIs are used to boost contrast signal and enhance lesion conspicuity. High-energy VMIs are used to decrease some artifacts. Iodine maps are used to evaluate perfusion, characterize lesions, and evaluate response to therapy. VNC images are used to characterize lesions and save radiation dose by eliminating true noncontrast images from multiphasic acquisitions. Uric acid images are used for characterization of renal calculi and gout. Online supplemental material is available for this article. ©RSNA, 2020.

Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy with music therapy in reducing physics test anxiety among students as measured by generalized test anxiety scale.

BACKGROUND: The study determined the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) with music in reducing physics test anxiety among secondary school students as measured by generalized test anxiety scale. METHODS: Pre-test post-test randomized control trial experimental design was adopted in this study. A total of 83 senior secondary students including male (n = 46) and female (n = 37) from sampled secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, who met the inclusion criteria constituted participants for the study. A demographic questionnaire and a 48-item generalized test anxiety scale were used for data collection for the study. Subjects were randomized into treatment and control groups. The treatment group was exposed to a 12-week CBT-music program. Thereafter, the participants in the treatment group were evaluated at 3 time points. Data collected were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: The participants who were exposed to CBT-music intervention program significantly had lower test anxiety scores at the post-treatment than the participants in the control group. Furthermore, the test anxiety scores of the participants in the CBT-music group were significantly lower than those in the control group at the follow-up measure. Thus, the results showed a significant effect of CBT with music in reducing physics test anxiety among secondary school students. CONCLUSION: We concluded that CBT-music program has a significant benefit in improving the management of physics test anxiety among secondary school students.

Apropriação e descontextualização da mecânica quântica na Era da pós-verdade / Appropriation and decontextualization of quantum mechanics in the post-truth Era

Neste ensaio abordaremos a descontextualização da Mecânica Quântica (ou Física Quântica) pelos chamados "curandeiros" da Nova Era. Nosso objetivo será explicar de maneira simples as origens da Mecânica Quântica e os perigos de descontextualiza-la. A Mecânica Quântica é um ramo na Física que estuda sistemas físicos cujas dimensões são próximas ou abaixo da escala atômica (como, por exemplo, moléculas, elétrons e outras partículas subatômicas). Entretanto, muitas vezes a Mecânica Quântica descreve fenômenos macroscópicos em diversos casos. Tal Ciência não possui relação direta com cura de doenças, meditação e todo tipo de técnicas que tenham relação com o bem estar. Chamamos também a atenção para o fato de que atualmente a nossa educação argumentativa e científica é muito baixa ou nula, promovendo assim a difusão das pseudociências. Este ensaio não busca uma conclusão final, mas busca chamar atenção para os reais perigos destas práticas de curandeirismo que podem causar danos irreversíveis para as pessoas que as seguem. É importante mencionar que não julgamos ou questionamos a fé e a crença de ninguém. Nos tempos atuais tais técnicas alternativas ganham cada vez mais espaço devido às redes sociais e à internet, porém, devemos trabalhar para que a Física não seja difundida de maneira equivocada.

Autoavaliação da qualidade de vida de pessoas vivendo com HIV / Self-evaluating the quality of life of people living with HIV

Objective: To analyze the self-evaluation of quality of life (QOL) of people living with HIV.Methodology: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative study carried out with 150 users of a Specialized Care Service (SCS) on HIV located in the Capital of the State of Pernambuco. QoL was assessed from the WHOQOL HIV Bref instrument, divided into six domains: physical, psychological, social relations, environment, level of independence and spirituality. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0 software.We used mean and standard deviation and tests such as Kolmogorov Smirnov, Friedman and Wilcoxon.Results: age extremes ranged from 18 to 69 years-old, with a median of 37.5 years-old. There was a predominance of women (65.3%) and people with no secondary education completed (60%). The domains of QoL that achieved better results were: psychological, physical and social relationships, with self-evaluation averages of very good quality of life of 16.69; 16.67 and 15.67, respectively. It is emphasized that a better self-perception of the QoL indicates better conditions in the domains evaluated.Conclusion: Factors that negatively affect QoL contribute to increasing the vulnerability of people living with HIV and, considering the structuring points of living conditions, it is clear that progress in health promotion policies must be made.

Objetivo:Analisar a autoavaliação da qualidade de vida (QV) de pessoas vivendo com HIV. Metodologia: trata-se deestudo descritivo, transversal e quantitativo, realizado com 150 usuários de um Serviço de Assistência Especializada (SAE) em HIV localizado na Capital do estado de Pernambuco. A QV foi avaliada a partir do instrumento WHOQOL HIV Bref, dividido em seis domínios: físico, psicológico, relações sociais, ambiente, nível de independência e espiritualidade. A análise estatística foi feita pelo programa computacional SPSS 18.0. Foram aplicados média e desvio padrão e utilizados testes como Kolmogorov Smirnov, Friedman e Wilcoxon. Resultados:os extremos de idade variaram entre 18 e 69 anos, com mediana de 37,5 anos. Houve predominância de mulheres (65,3%) e de pessoas sem o ensino médio concluído (60%). Os domínios da QV que atingiram melhores resultados foram: psicológico, físico e relações sociais, com médias de autoclassificação de muito boa qualidade de vida de 16,69; 16,67 e 15,67 respectivamente. Salienta-se que uma melhor autopercepção da QV indica melhores condições nos domínios avaliados. Conclusão:os fatores que atingem negativamente a QV contribuem para aumentar as vulnerabilidades das pessoas vivendo com HIV e, considerando os pontos estruturantes das condições de vida, fica claro que é preciso avançar nas políticas de promoção da saúde.

Radioluminescence in biomedicine: physics, applications, and models.

The electromagnetic spectrum contains different frequency bands useful for medical imaging and therapy. Short wavelengths (ionizing radiation) are commonly used for radiological and radionuclide imaging and for cancer radiation therapy. Intermediate wavelengths (optical radiation) are useful for more localized imaging and for photodynamic therapy (PDT). Finally, longer wavelengths are the basis for magnetic resonance imaging and for hyperthermia treatments. Recently, there has been a surge of interest for new biomedical methods that synergize optical and ionizing radiation by exploiting the ability of ionizing radiation to stimulate optical emissions. These physical phenomena, together known as radioluminescence, are being used for applications as diverse as radionuclide imaging, radiation therapy monitoring, phototherapy, and nanoparticle-based molecular imaging. This review provides a comprehensive treatment of the physics of radioluminescence and includes simple analytical models to estimate the luminescence yield of scintillators and nanoscintillators, Cherenkov radiation, air fluorescence, and biologically endogenous radioluminescence. Examples of methods that use radioluminescence for diagnostic or therapeutic applications are reviewed and analyzed in light of these quantitative physical models of radioluminescence.

Hair Shaft Formation and Mitochondrial Bioenergetics: Combining Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

Research into biological manipulation of hair "quality" has ebbed and waned but today is in a resurgence. Hair appearance is regulated by multiple intervention opportunities-adding more hairs; increasing hair "amount" by modulating shaft diameter or shape; or, in principle, by altering shaft physical properties by changing its synthesis. It is likely that improved benefits may be achieved by combining multiple areas-minimizing follicle loss and miniaturization, maximizing shaft production, and treating the existing shaft. A previously overlooked opportunity is follicle metabolism: building "better" hairs. Hair production is energy intensive, and it is known that follicle metabolism influences shaft diameter. Multiphoton microscopy enables metabolic investigation of live, growing, human, hair follicles. This allows definition of multiple "zones" with vastly different metabolism: proliferation-where keratinocytes proliferate and migrate into specialized layers; production-proliferation ceases, and synthesis and patterning begin; construction and elongation-the structural framework is seeded and cells extend to create the nascent fiber; and maturation-gradual hardening and transformation into mature shaft. Recent investigations into the transition from construction to maturation reinforce this as a key developmental threshold, where shaft production transforms from a biologically driven into a biochemically driven process. We now name this "Orwin's transition."

The East, the West and the universal machine.

After reviewing the basic of theology of Universal Numbers/Machines, as detailed in Marchal (2007), I illustrate how that body of thought might be used to shed some light upon the apparent dichotomy in Eastern/Western spirituality. This paper relies entirely on my previous interdisciplinary work in mathematical logic, computer science and machine's theology, where "theology" is used here in the sense of Plato: it is the truth, or the "truth-theory" (in the sense of logicians) about a machine that the machine can either deduce from some of its primitive beliefs, or can be intuited in some sense that eventually is made clear through the modal logic of machine self-reference. Such a theology appears to be testable, because it has been shown that physics has to be necessarily retrieved from it when we assume the mechanist hypothesis in the cognitive sciences, and this in a unique precise (introspective) way, so that we only need to compare the physics of the introspective machine with the physics inferred from the human observation; and up to now, it is the only theory known to fit both the existence of personal "consciousness" (undoubtable yet unjustifiable truth) and quanta and quantum relationships (Marchal, 1998; Marchal, 2004; Marchal, 2013; Marchal, 2015).

Quantum gravity and taoist cosmology: Exploring the ancient origins of phenomenological string theory.

This paper carries forward the author's contribution to PBMP's previous special issue on Integral Biomathics (Rosen 2015). In the earlier paper, the crisis in contemporary theoretical physics was described and it was demonstrated that the problem can be addressed effectively only by shifting the foundations of physics from objectivist Cartesian philosophy to phenomenological philosophy. To that end, a phenomenological string theory was proposed based on qualitative topology and hypercomplex numbers. The current presentation takes this further by delving into the ancient Chinese origin of phenomenological string theory. First, we discover a deep connection between the Klein bottle, which is crucial to the theory, and the Ho-t'u, an old Chinese number archetype central to Taoist cosmology. The two structures are seen to mirror each other in expressing the curious psychophysical (phenomenological) action pattern at the heart of microphysics. But tackling the question of quantum gravity requires that a whole family of topological dimensions be brought into play. What we find in engaging with these structures is a closely related family of Taoist forebears that, in concert with their successors, provide a blueprint for cosmic evolution. Whereas conventional string theory accounts for the generation of nature's fundamental forces via a notion of symmetry breaking that is essentially static and thus unable to explain cosmogony successfully, phenomenological/Taoist string theory is guided by the dialectical interplay between symmetry and asymmetry inherent in the principle of synsymmetry. This dynamic concept of cosmic change is elaborated on in the three concluding sections of the paper. Here, a detailed analysis of cosmogony is offered, first in terms of the theory of dimensional development and its Taoist (yin-yang) counterpart, then in terms of the evolution of the elemental force particles through cycles of expansion and contraction in a spiraling universe. The paper closes by considering the role of the analyst per se in the further evolution of the cosmos.