WorldWideScience

Sample records for gibbs free energy

  1. Gibbs free energy of formation of liquid lanthanide-bismuth alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheng Jiawei; Yamana, Hajimu; Moriyama, Hirotake

    2001-01-01

    The linear free energy relationship developed by Sverjensky and Molling provides a way to predict Gibbs free energies of liquid Ln-Bi alloys formation from the known thermodynamic properties of aqueous trivalent lanthanides (Ln 3(5(6+ ). The Ln-Bi alloys are divided into two isostructural families named as the LnBi 2 (Ln=La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Pm) and LnBi (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm and Yb). The calculated Gibbs free energy values are well agreed with experimental data

  2. Gibbs free energy of formation of lanthanum rhodate by quadrupole mass spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasad, R.; Banerjee, Aparna; Venugopal, V.

    2003-01-01

    The ternary oxide in the system La-Rh-O is of considerable importance because of its application in catalysis. Phase equilibria in the pseudo-binary system La 2 O 3 -Rh 2 O 3 has been investigated by Shevyakov et. al. Gibbs free energy of LaRhO 3 (s) was determined by Jacob et. al. using a solid state Galvanic cell in the temperature range 890 to 1310 K. No other thermodynamic data were available in the literature. Hence it was decided to determine Gibbs free energy of formation of LaRhO 3 (s) by an independent technique, viz. quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) coupled with a Knudsen effusion cell and the results are presented

  3. Estimates of Gibbs free energies of formation of chlorinated aliphatic compounds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dolfing, Jan; Janssen, Dick B.

    1994-01-01

    The Gibbs free energy of formation of chlorinated aliphatic compounds was estimated with Mavrovouniotis' group contribution method. The group contribution of chlorine was estimated from the scarce data available on chlorinated aliphatics in the literature, and found to vary somewhat according to the

  4. Gibbs Free Energy of Formation for Selected Platinum Group Minerals (PGM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spiros Olivotos

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermodynamic data for platinum group (Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pd and Pt minerals are very limited. The present study is focused on the calculation of the Gibbs free energy of formation (ΔfG° for selected PGM occurring in layered intrusions and ophiolite complexes worldwide, applying available experimental data on their constituent elements at their standard state (ΔG = G(species − ΔG(elements, using the computer program HSC Chemistry software 6.0. The evaluation of the accuracy of the calculation method was made by the calculation of (ΔGf of rhodium sulfide phases. The calculated values were found to be ingood agreement with those measured in the binary system (Rh + S as a function of temperature by previous authors (Jacob and Gupta (2014. The calculated Gibbs free energy (ΔfG° followed the order RuS2 < (Ir,OsS2 < (Pt, PdS < (Pd, PtTe2, increasing from compatible to incompatible noble metals and from sulfides to tellurides.

  5. Use of linear free energy relationship to predict Gibbs free energies of formation of pyrochlore phases (CaMTi2O7)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, H.; Wang, Y.

    1999-01-01

    In this letter, a linear free energy relationship is used to predict the Gibbs free energies of formation of crystalline phases of pyrochlore and zirconolite families with stoichiometry of MCaTi 2 O 7 (or, CaMTi 2 O 7 ,) from the known thermodynamic properties of aqueous tetravalent cations (M 4+ ). The linear free energy relationship for tetravalent cations is expressed as ΔG f,M v X 0 =a M v X ΔG n,M 4+ 0 +b M v X +β M v X r M 4+ , where the coefficients a M v X , b M v X , and β M v X characterize a particular structural family of M v X, r M 4+ is the ionic radius of M 4+ cation, ΔG f,M v X 0 is the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of M v X, and ΔG n,M 4+ 0 is the standard non-solvation energy of cation M 4+ . The coefficients for the structural family of zirconolite with the stoichiometry of M 4+ CaTi 2 O 7 are estimated to be: a M v X =0.5717, b M v X =-4284.67 (kJ/mol), and β M v X =27.2 (kJ/mol nm). The coefficients for the structural family of pyrochlore with the stoichiometry of M 4+ CaTi 2 O 7 are estimated to be: a M v X =0.5717, b M v X =-4174.25 (kJ/mol), and β M v X =13.4 (kJ/mol nm). Using the linear free energy relationship, the Gibbs free energies of formation of various zirconolite and pyrochlore phases are calculated. (orig.)

  6. Standard Gibbs free energies for transfer of actinyl ions at the aqueous/organic solution interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitatsuji, Yoshihiro; Okugaki, Tomohiko; Kasuno, Megumi; Kubota, Hiroki; Maeda, Kohji; Kimura, Takaumi; Yoshida, Zenko; Kihara, Sorin

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Standard Gibbs free energies for ion-transfer of tri- to hexavalent actinide ions. → Determination is based on distribution method combined with ion-transfer voltammetry. → Organic solvents examined are nitrobenzene, DCE, benzonitrile, acetophenone and NPOE. → Gibbs free energies of U(VI), Np(VI) and Pu(VI) are similar to each other. → Gibbs free energies of Np(V) is very large, comparing with ordinary monovalent cations. - Abstract: Standard Gibbs free energies for transfer (ΔG tr 0 ) of actinyl ions (AnO 2 z+ ; z = 2 or 1; An: U, Np, or Pu) between an aqueous solution and an organic solution were determined based on distribution method combined with voltammetry for ion transfer at the interface of two immiscible electrolyte solutions. The organic solutions examined were nitrobenzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, benzonitrile, acetophenone, and 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether. Irrespective of the type of organic solutions, ΔG tr 0 of UO 2 2+ ,NpO 2 2+ , and PuO 2 2+ were nearly equal to each other and slightly larger than that of Mg 2+ . The ΔG tr 0 of NpO 2 + was extraordinary large compared with those of ordinary monovalent cations. The dependence of ΔG tr 0 of AnO 2 z+ on the type of organic solutions was similar to that of H + or Mg 2+ . The ΔG tr 0 of An 3+ and An 4+ were also discussed briefly.

  7. Gibbs Sampler-Based λ-Dynamics and Rao-Blackwell Estimator for Alchemical Free Energy Calculation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xinqiang; Vilseck, Jonah Z; Hayes, Ryan L; Brooks, Charles L

    2017-06-13

    λ-dynamics is a generalized ensemble method for alchemical free energy calculations. In traditional λ-dynamics, the alchemical switch variable λ is treated as a continuous variable ranging from 0 to 1 and an empirical estimator is utilized to approximate the free energy. In the present article, we describe an alternative formulation of λ-dynamics that utilizes the Gibbs sampler framework, which we call Gibbs sampler-based λ-dynamics (GSLD). GSLD, like traditional λ-dynamics, can be readily extended to calculate free energy differences between multiple ligands in one simulation. We also introduce a new free energy estimator, the Rao-Blackwell estimator (RBE), for use in conjunction with GSLD. Compared with the current empirical estimator, the advantage of RBE is that RBE is an unbiased estimator and its variance is usually smaller than the current empirical estimator. We also show that the multistate Bennett acceptance ratio equation or the unbinned weighted histogram analysis method equation can be derived using the RBE. We illustrate the use and performance of this new free energy computational framework by application to a simple harmonic system as well as relevant calculations of small molecule relative free energies of solvation and binding to a protein receptor. Our findings demonstrate consistent and improved performance compared with conventional alchemical free energy methods.

  8. Inference with minimal Gibbs free energy in information field theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ensslin, Torsten A.; Weig, Cornelius

    2010-01-01

    Non-linear and non-Gaussian signal inference problems are difficult to tackle. Renormalization techniques permit us to construct good estimators for the posterior signal mean within information field theory (IFT), but the approximations and assumptions made are not very obvious. Here we introduce the simple concept of minimal Gibbs free energy to IFT, and show that previous renormalization results emerge naturally. They can be understood as being the Gaussian approximation to the full posterior probability, which has maximal cross information with it. We derive optimized estimators for three applications, to illustrate the usage of the framework: (i) reconstruction of a log-normal signal from Poissonian data with background counts and point spread function, as it is needed for gamma ray astronomy and for cosmography using photometric galaxy redshifts, (ii) inference of a Gaussian signal with unknown spectrum, and (iii) inference of a Poissonian log-normal signal with unknown spectrum, the combination of (i) and (ii). Finally we explain how Gaussian knowledge states constructed by the minimal Gibbs free energy principle at different temperatures can be combined into a more accurate surrogate of the non-Gaussian posterior.

  9. Experimental Determination of Third Derivative of the Gibbs Free Energy, G II

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koga, Yoshikata; Westh, Peter; Inaba, Akira

    2010-01-01

    We have been evaluating third derivative quantities of the Gibbs free energy, G, by graphically differentiating the second derivatives that are accessible experimentally, and demonstrated their power in elucidating the mixing schemes in aqueous solutions. Here we determine directly one of the third...

  10. The Concentration Dependence of the (Delta)s Term in the Gibbs Free Energy Function: Application to Reversible Reactions in Biochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gary, Ronald K.

    2004-01-01

    The concentration dependence of (delta)S term in the Gibbs free energy function is described in relation to its application to reversible reactions in biochemistry. An intuitive and non-mathematical argument for the concentration dependence of the (delta)S term in the Gibbs free energy equation is derived and the applicability of the equation to…

  11. Extrapolation procedures for calculating high-temperature gibbs free energies of aqueous electrolytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tremaine, P.R.

    1979-01-01

    Methods for calculating high-temprature Gibbs free energies of mononuclear cations and anions from room-temperature data are reviewed. Emphasis is given to species required for oxide solubility calculations relevant to mass transport situations in the nuclear industry. Free energies predicted by each method are compared to selected values calculated from recently reported solubility studies and other literature data. Values for monatomic ions estimated using the assumption anti C 0 p(T) = anti C 0 p(298) agree best with experiment to 423 K. From 423 K to 523 K, free energies from an electrostatic model for ion hydration are more accurate. Extrapolations for hydrolyzed species are limited by a lack of room-temperature entropy data and expressions for estimating these entropies are discussed. (orig.) [de

  12. The thermodynamic properties of the upper continental crust: Exergy, Gibbs free energy and enthalpy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valero, Alicia; Valero, Antonio; Vieillard, Philippe

    2012-01-01

    This paper shows a comprehensive database of the thermodynamic properties of the most abundant minerals of the upper continental crust. For those substances whose thermodynamic properties are not listed in the literature, their enthalpy and Gibbs free energy are calculated with 11 different estimation methods described in this study, with associated errors of up to 10% with respect to values published in the literature. Thanks to this procedure we have been able to make a first estimation of the enthalpy, Gibbs free energy and exergy of the bulk upper continental crust and of each of the nearly 300 most abundant minerals contained in it. Finally, the chemical exergy of the continental crust is compared to the exergy of the concentrated mineral resources. The numbers obtained indicate the huge chemical exergy wealth of the crust: 6 × 10 6 Gtoe. However, this study shows that approximately only 0.01% of that amount can be effectively used by man.

  13. Use of linear free energy relationship to predict Gibbs free energies of formation of zirconolite phases (MZrTi2O7 and MHfTi2O7)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, H.

    1999-01-01

    In this letter, the Sverjensky-Molling equation derived from a linear free energy relationship is used to calculate the Gibbs free energies of formation of zirconolite crystalline phases (MZrTi 2 O 7 and MHfTi 2 O 7 ) from the known thermodynamic properties of the corresponding aqueous divalent cations (M 2+ ). Sverjensky-Molling equation is expressed as ΔG 0 f,M v X =a M v X ΔG 0 n,M 2+ +b M v X +β M v X r M 2+ , where the coefficients a M v X , b M v X , and β M v X characterize a particular structural family of M v X, r M 2+ is the ionic radius of M 2+ cation, ΔG f,M v X 0 is the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of M v X, and ΔG 0 n,M 2+ is the standard non-solvation energy of cation M 2+ . This relationship can be used to predict the Gibbs free energies of formation of various fictive phases (such as BaZrTi 2 O 7 , SrZrTi 2 O 7 , PbZrTi 2 O 7 , etc.) that may form solid solution with CaZrTi 2 O 7 in actual Synroc-based nuclear waste forms. Based on obtained linear free energy relationships, it is predicted that large cations (e.g., Ba and Ra) prefer to be in perovskite structure, and small cations (e.g., Ca, Zn, and Cd) prefer to be in zirconolite structure. (orig.)

  14. The Role of Shearing Energy and Interfacial Gibbs Free Energy in the Emulsification Mechanism of Waxy Crude Oil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhihua Wang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Crude oil is generally produced with water, and the water cut produced by oil wells is increasingly common over their lifetime, so it is inevitable to create emulsions during oil production. However, the formation of emulsions presents a costly problem in surface process particularly, both in terms of transportation energy consumption and separation efficiency. To deal with the production and operational problems which are related to crude oil emulsions, especially to ensure the separation and transportation of crude oil-water systems, it is necessary to better understand the emulsification mechanism of crude oil under different conditions from the aspects of bulk and interfacial properties. The concept of shearing energy was introduced in this study to reveal the driving force for emulsification. The relationship between shearing stress in the flow field and interfacial tension (IFT was established, and the correlation between shearing energy and interfacial Gibbs free energy was developed. The potential of the developed correlation model was validated using the experimental and field data on emulsification behavior. It was also shown how droplet deformation could be predicted from a random deformation degree and orientation angle. The results indicated that shearing energy as the energy produced by shearing stress working in the flow field is the driving force activating the emulsification behavior. The deformation degree and orientation angle of dispersed phase droplet are associated with the interfacial properties, rheological properties and the experienced turbulence degree. The correlation between shearing stress and IFT can be quantified if droplet deformation degree vs. droplet orientation angle data is available. When the water cut is close to the inversion point of waxy crude oil emulsion, the interfacial Gibbs free energy change decreased and the shearing energy increased. This feature is also presented in the special regions where

  15. Gibbs Free Energy of Hydrolytic Water Molecule in Acyl-Enzyme Intermediates of a Serine Protease: A Potential Application for Computer-Aided Discovery of Mechanism-Based Reversible Covalent Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Yosuke; Yamaotsu, Noriyuki; Hirono, Shuichi

    2017-01-01

    In order to predict the potencies of mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors, the relationships between calculated Gibbs free energy of hydrolytic water molecule in acyl-trypsin intermediates and experimentally measured catalytic rate constants (k cat ) were investigated. After obtaining representative solution structures by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, hydration thermodynamics analyses using WaterMap™ were conducted. Consequently, we found for the first time that when Gibbs free energy of the hydrolytic water molecule was lower, logarithms of k cat were also lower. The hydrolytic water molecule with favorable Gibbs free energy may hydrolyze acylated serine slowly. Gibbs free energy of hydrolytic water molecule might be a useful descriptor for computer-aided discovery of mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors of hydrolytic enzymes.

  16. Standard molar Gibbs free energy of formation of URh3(s)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prasad, Rajendra; Sayi, Y.S.; Radhakrishna, J.; Yadav, C.S.; Shankaran, P.S.; Chhapru, G.C.

    1992-01-01

    Equilibrium partial pressures of CO(g) over the system (UO 2 (s) + C(s) + Rh(s) + URh 3 (s)) were measured in the temperature range 1327 - 1438 K. Standard Gibbs molar free energy of formation of URh 3 (Δ f G o m ) in the above temperature range can be expressed as Δ f G o m (URh 3 ,s,T)+-3.0(kJ/mol)= -348.165 + 0.03144 T(K). The second and third law enthalpy of formation, ΔfH o m (URh 3 ,s,298.15 K) are (-318.4 +- 3.0) and (298.3 +- 2.5) kJ/mol respectively. (author). 7 refs., 3 tabs

  17. A simple approach to the solvent reorganisation Gibbs free energy in electron transfer reactions of redox metalloproteins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ulstrup, Jens

    1999-01-01

    We discuss a simple model for the environmental reorganisation Gibbs free energy, E-r, in electron transfer between a metalloprotein and a small reaction partner. The protein is represented as a dielectric globule with low dielectric constant, the metal centres as conducting spheres, all embedded...

  18. Direct measurements of the Gibbs free energy of OH using a CW tunable laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Killinger, D. K.; Wang, C. C.

    1979-01-01

    The paper describes an absorption measurement for determining the Gibbs free energy of OH generated in a mixture of water and oxygen vapor. These measurements afford a direct verification of the accuracy of thermochemical data of H2O at high temperatures and pressures. The results indicate that values for the heat capacity of H2O obtained through numerical computations are correct within an experimental uncertainty of 0.15 cal/mole K.

  19. Size and shape dependent Gibbs free energy and phase stability of titanium and zirconium nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Shiyun; Qi Weihong; Huang Baiyun; Wang Mingpu; Li Yejun

    2010-01-01

    The Debye model of Helmholtz free energy for bulk material is generalized to Gibbs free energy (GFE) model for nanomaterial, while a shape factor is introduced to characterize the shape effect on GFE. The structural transitions of Ti and Zr nanoparticles are predicted based on GFE. It is further found that GFE decreases with the shape factor and increases with decreasing of the particle size. The critical size of structural transformation for nanoparticles goes up as temperature increases in the absence of change in shape factor. For specified temperature, the critical size climbs up with the increase of shape factor. The present predictions agree well with experiment values.

  20. Gibbs free energy of formation of UPb(s) compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samui, Pradeep; Agarwal, Renu; Mishra, Ratikanta

    2012-01-01

    Liquid lead and lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) are being explored as primary candidates for coolants in accelerator driven systems and in advanced nuclear reactors due to their favorable thermo-physical and chemical properties. They are also proposed to be used as spallation neutron source in ADS Reactor Systems. However, corrosion of structural materials (i.e. steel) presents a critical challenge for the use of liquid lead or LBE in advanced nuclear reactors. The interactions of liquid lead or LBE with clad and fuel is of great scientific and technological importance in the development of advanced nuclear reactors. Clad failure/breach can lead to reaction of coolant elements with fuel components. Thus the study of fuel-coolant interaction of U with Pb/Bi is important. The paper deals with the determination of Gibbs free energy of formation of U-rich phase i.e. UPb in Pb-U system, employing Knudsen effusion mass loss technique

  1. Using self-consistent Gibbs free energy surfaces to calculate size distributions of neutral and charged clusters for the sulfuric acid-water binary system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, J. A.; Froyd, K. D.; Toon, O. B.

    2012-12-01

    We construct tables of reaction enthalpies and entropies for the association reactions involving sulfuric acid vapor, water vapor, and the bisulfate ion. These tables are created from experimental measurements and quantum chemical calculations for molecular clusters and a classical thermodynamic model for larger clusters. These initial tables are not thermodynamically consistent. For example, the Gibbs free energy of associating a cluster consisting of one acid molecule and two water molecules depends on the order in which the cluster was assembled: add two waters and then the acid or add an acid and a water and then the second water. We adjust the values within the tables using the method of Lagrange multipliers to minimize the adjustments and produce self-consistent Gibbs free energy surfaces for the neutral clusters and the charged clusters. With the self-consistent Gibbs free energy surfaces, we calculate size distributions of neutral and charged clusters for a variety of atmospheric conditions. Depending on the conditions, nucleation can be dominated by growth along the neutral channel or growth along the ion channel followed by ion-ion recombination.

  2. The Gibbs free energy of homogeneous nucleation: From atomistic nuclei to the planar limit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Bingqing; Tribello, Gareth A; Ceriotti, Michele

    2017-09-14

    In this paper we discuss how the information contained in atomistic simulations of homogeneous nucleation should be used when fitting the parameters in macroscopic nucleation models. We show how the number of solid and liquid atoms in such simulations can be determined unambiguously by using a Gibbs dividing surface and how the free energy as a function of the number of solid atoms in the nucleus can thus be extracted. We then show that the parameters (the chemical potential, the interfacial free energy, and a Tolman correction) of a model based on classical nucleation theory can be fitted using the information contained in these free-energy profiles but that the parameters in such models are highly correlated. This correlation is unfortunate as it ensures that small errors in the computed free energy surface can give rise to large errors in the extrapolated properties of the fitted model. To resolve this problem we thus propose a method for fitting macroscopic nucleation models that uses simulations of planar interfaces and simulations of three-dimensional nuclei in tandem. We show that when the chemical potentials and the interface energy are pinned to their planar-interface values, more precise estimates for the Tolman length are obtained. Extrapolating the free energy profile obtained from small simulation boxes to larger nuclei is thus more reliable.

  3. Standard Gibbs free energies of reactions of ozone with free radicals in aqueous solution: quantum-chemical calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naumov, Sergej; von Sonntag, Clemens

    2011-11-01

    Free radicals are common intermediates in the chemistry of ozone in aqueous solution. Their reactions with ozone have been probed by calculating the standard Gibbs free energies of such reactions using density functional theory (Jaguar 7.6 program). O(2) reacts fast and irreversibly only with simple carbon-centered radicals. In contrast, ozone also reacts irreversibly with conjugated carbon-centered radicals such as bisallylic (hydroxycylohexadienyl) radicals, with conjugated carbon/oxygen-centered radicals such as phenoxyl radicals, and even with nitrogen- oxygen-, sulfur-, and halogen-centered radicals. In these reactions, further ozone-reactive radicals are generated. Chain reactions may destroy ozone without giving rise to products other than O(2). This may be of importance when ozonation is used in pollution control, and reactions of free radicals with ozone have to be taken into account in modeling such processes.

  4. Gibbs free energy of reactions involving SiC, Si3N4, H2, and H2O as a function of temperature and pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isham, M. A.

    1992-01-01

    Silicon carbide and silicon nitride are considered for application as structural materials and coating in advanced propulsion systems including nuclear thermal. Three-dimensional Gibbs free energy were constructed for reactions involving these materials in H2 and H2/H2O. Free energy plots are functions of temperature and pressure. Calculations used the definition of Gibbs free energy where the spontaneity of reactions is calculated as a function of temperature and pressure. Silicon carbide decomposes to Si and CH4 in pure H2 and forms a SiO2 scale in a wet atmosphere. Silicon nitride remains stable under all conditions. There was no apparent difference in reaction thermodynamics between ideal and Van der Waals treatment of gaseous species.

  5. Gibbs free energy difference between the undercooled liquid and the beta phase of a Ti-Cr alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohsaka, K.; Trinh, E. H.; Holzer, J. C.; Johnson, W. L.

    1992-01-01

    The heat of fusion and the specific heats of the solid and liquid have been experimentally determined for a Ti60Cr40 alloy. The data are used to evaluate the Gibbs free energy difference, delta-G, between the liquid and the beta phase as a function of temperature to verify a reported spontaneous vitrification (SV) of the beta phase in Ti-Cr alloys. The results show that SV of an undistorted beta phase in the Ti60Cr40 alloy at 873 K is not feasible because delta-G is positive at the temperature. However, delta-G may become negative with additional excess free energy to the beta phase in the form of defects.

  6. Gibbs free-energy difference between the glass and crystalline phases of a Ni-Zr alloy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohsaka, K.; Trinh, E. H.; Holzer, J. C.; Johnson, W. L.

    1993-01-01

    The heats of eutectic melting and devitrification, and the specific heats of the crystalline, glass, and liquid phases have been measured for a Ni24Zr76 alloy. The data are used to calculate the Gibbs free-energy difference, Delta G(AC), between the real glass and the crystal on an assumption that the liquid-glass transition is second order. The result shows that Delta G(AC) continuously increases as the temperature decreases in contrast to the ideal glass case where Delta G(AC) is assumed to be independent of temperature.

  7. Strand Analysis, a free online program for the computational identification of the best RNA interference (RNAi targets based on Gibbs free energy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiago Campos Pereira

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The RNA interference (RNAi technique is a recent technology that uses double-stranded RNA molecules to promote potent and specific gene silencing. The application of this technique to molecular biology has increased considerably, from gene function identification to disease treatment. However, not all small interfering RNAs (siRNAs are equally efficient, making target selection an essential procedure. Here we present Strand Analysis (SA, a free online software tool able to identify and classify the best RNAi targets based on Gibbs free energy (deltaG. Furthermore, particular features of the software, such as the free energy landscape and deltaG gradient, may be used to shed light on RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC activity and RNAi mechanisms, which makes the SA software a distinct and innovative tool.

  8. Enzyme Catalysis and the Gibbs Energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ault, Addison

    2009-01-01

    Gibbs-energy profiles are often introduced during the first semester of organic chemistry, but are less often presented in connection with enzyme-catalyzed reactions. In this article I show how the Gibbs-energy profile corresponds to the characteristic kinetics of a simple enzyme-catalyzed reaction. (Contains 1 figure and 1 note.)

  9. Chemical Disequilibria and Sources of Gibbs Free Energy Inside Enceladus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zolotov, M. Y.

    2010-12-01

    Non-photosynthetic organisms use chemical disequilibria in the environment to gain metabolic energy from enzyme catalyzed oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions. The presence of carbon dioxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, methanol, methane and other hydrocarbons in the eruptive plume of Enceladus [1] implies diverse redox disequilibria in the interior. In the history of the moon, redox disequilibria could have been activated through melting of a volatile-rich ice and following water-rock-organic interactions. Previous and/or present aqueous processes are consistent with the detection of NaCl and Na2CO3/NaHCO3-bearing grains emitted from Enceladus [2]. A low K/Na ratio in the grains [2] and a low upper limit for N2 in the plume [3] indicate low temperature (possibly enzymes if organisms were (are) present. The redox conditions in aqueous systems and amounts of available Gibbs free energy should have been affected by the production, consumption and escape of hydrogen. Aqueous oxidation of minerals (Fe-Ni metal, Fe-Ni phosphides, etc.) accreted on Enceladus should have led to H2 production, which is consistent with H2 detection in the plume [1]. Numerical evaluations based on concentrations of plume gases [1] reveal sufficient energy sources available to support metabolically diverse life at a wide range of activities (a) of dissolved H2 (log aH2 from 0 to -10). Formaldehyde, carbon dioxide [c.f. 4], HCN (if it is present), methanol, acetylene and other hydrocarbons have the potential to react with H2 to form methane. Aqueous hydrogenations of acetylene, HCN and formaldehyde to produce methanol are energetically favorable as well. Both favorable hydrogenation and hydration of HCN lead to formation of ammonia. Condensed organic species could also participate in redox reactions. Methane and ammonia are the final products of these putative redox transformations. Sulfates may have not formed in cold and/or short-term aqueous environments with a limited H2 escape. In contrast to

  10. Gibbs Free-Energy Gradient along the Path of Glucose Transport through Human Glucose Transporter 3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Huiyun; Bourdon, Allen K; Chen, Liao Y; Phelix, Clyde F; Perry, George

    2018-06-11

    Fourteen glucose transporters (GLUTs) play essential roles in human physiology by facilitating glucose diffusion across the cell membrane. Due to its central role in the energy metabolism of the central nervous system, GLUT3 has been thoroughly investigated. However, the Gibbs free-energy gradient (what drives the facilitated diffusion of glucose) has not been mapped out along the transport path. Some fundamental questions remain. Here we present a molecular dynamics study of GLUT3 embedded in a lipid bilayer to quantify the free-energy profile along the entire transport path of attracting a β-d-glucose from the interstitium to the inside of GLUT3 and, from there, releasing it to the cytoplasm by Arrhenius thermal activation. From the free-energy profile, we elucidate the unique Michaelis-Menten characteristics of GLUT3, low K M and high V MAX , specifically suitable for neurons' high and constant demand of energy from their low-glucose environments. We compute GLUT3's binding free energy for β-d-glucose to be -4.6 kcal/mol in agreement with the experimental value of -4.4 kcal/mol ( K M = 1.4 mM). We also compute the hydration energy of β-d-glucose, -18.0 kcal/mol vs the experimental data, -17.8 kcal/mol. In this, we establish a dynamics-based connection from GLUT3's crystal structure to its cellular thermodynamics with quantitative accuracy. We predict equal Arrhenius barriers for glucose uptake and efflux through GLUT3 to be tested in future experiments.

  11. Size Fluctuations of Near Critical Nuclei and Gibbs Free Energy for Nucleation of BDA on Cu(001)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, Daniel; van Gastel, Raoul; Zandvliet, Harold J. W.; Poelsema, Bene

    2012-07-01

    We present a low-energy electron microscopy study of nucleation and growth of BDA on Cu(001) at low supersaturation. At sufficiently high coverage, a dilute BDA phase coexists with c(8×8) crystallites. The real-time microscopic information allows a direct visualization of near-critical nuclei, determination of the supersaturation and the line tension of the crystallites, and, thus, derivation of the Gibbs free energy for nucleation. The resulting critical nucleus size nicely agrees with the measured value. Nuclei up to 4-6 times larger still decay with finite probability, urging reconsideration of the classic perception of a critical nucleus.

  12. Gibbs free energy of transfer of a methylene group on {UCON + (sodium or potassium) phosphate salts} aqueous two-phase systems: Hydrophobicity effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silverio, Sara C.; Rodriguez, Oscar; Teixeira, Jose A.; Macedo, Eugenia A.

    2010-01-01

    The Gibbs free energy of transfer of a suitable hydrophobic probe can be regarded as a measure of the relative hydrophobicity of the different phases. The methylene group (CH 2 ) can be considered hydrophobic, and thus be a suitable probe for hydrophobicity. In this work, the partition coefficients of a series of five dinitrophenylated-amino acids were experimentally determined, at 23 o C, in three different tie-lines of the biphasic systems: (UCON + K 2 HPO 4 ), (UCON + potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7), (UCON + KH 2 PO 4 ), (UCON + Na 2 HPO 4 ), (UCON + sodium phosphate buffer, pH 7), and (UCON + NaH 2 PO 4 ). The Gibbs free energy of transfer of CH 2 units were calculated from the partition coefficients and used to compare the relative hydrophobicity of the equilibrium phases. The largest relative hydrophobicity was found for the ATPS formed by dihydrogen phosphate salts.

  13. Gibb's energy and intermolecular free length of 'Borassus Flabellifier' (BF) and Adansonia digitata (AnD) aqueous binary mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phadke, Sushil; Shrivastava, Bhakt Darshan; Ujle, S K; Mishra, Ashutosh; Dagaonkar, N

    2014-01-01

    One of the potential driving forces behind a chemical reaction is favourable a new quantity known as the Gibbs free energy (G) of the system, which reflects the balance between these forces. Ultrasonic velocity and absorption measurements in liquids and liquid mixtures find extensive application to study the nature of intermolecular forces. Ultrasonic velocity measurements have been successfully employed to detect weak and strong molecular interactions present in binary and ternary liquid mixtures. After measuring the density and ultrasonic velocity of aqueous solution of 'Borassus Flabellifier' BF and Adansonia digitata And, we calculated Gibb's energy and intermolecular free length. The velocity of ultrasonic waves was measured, using a multi-frequency ultrasonic interferometer with a high degree of accuracy operating Model M-84 by M/s Mittal Enterprises, New Delhi, at a fixed frequency of 2 MHz. Natural sample 'Borassus Flabellifier' BF fruit pulp and Adansonia digitata AnD powder was collected from Dhar, District of MP, India for this study.

  14. Standard enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy of formation of «A» type carbonate phosphocalcium hydroxyapatites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jebri, Sonia; Khattech, Ismail; Jemal, Mohamed

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A-type carbonate hydroxyapatites with 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 were prepared and characterized by DRX, IR spectroscopy and CHN analysis. • The heat of solution was measured in 9 wt% HNO 3 using an isoperibol calorimeter. • The standard enthalpy of formation was determined by thermochemical cycle. • Gibbs free energy has been deduced by estimating standard entropy of formation. • Carbonatation increases the stability till x = 0.6 mol. - Abstract: « A » type carbonate phosphocalcium hydroxyapatites having the general formula Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) (2-2x) (CO 3 ) x with 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1, were prepared by solid gas reaction in the temperature range of 700–1000 °C. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The carbonate content has been determined by C–H–N analysis. The heat of solution of these products was measured at T = 298 K in 9 wt% nitric acid solution using an isoperibol calorimeter. A thermochemical cycle was proposed and complementary experiences were performed in order to access to the standard enthalpies of formation of these phosphates. The results were compared to those previously obtained on apatites containing strontium and barium and show a decrease with the carbonate amount introduced in the lattice. This quantity becomes more negative as the ratio of substitution increases. Estimation of the entropy of formation allowed the determination of standard Gibbs free energy of formation of these compounds. The study showed that the substitution of hydroxyl by carbonate ions contributes to the stabilisation of the apatite structure.

  15. The thermodynamic approach to boron chemical vapour deposition based on a computer minimization of the total Gibbs free energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naslain, R.; Thebault, J.; Hagenmuller, P.; Bernard, C.

    1979-01-01

    A thermodynamic approach based on the minimization of the total Gibbs free energy of the system is used to study the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of boron from BCl 3 -H 2 or BBr 3 -H 2 mixtures on various types of substrates (at 1000 < T< 1900 K and 1 atm). In this approach it is assumed that states close to equilibrium are reached in the boron CVD apparatus. (Auth.)

  16. Calculation of the surface free energy of fcc copper nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Ming; Lai Yanqing; Tian Zhongliang; Liu Yexiang

    2009-01-01

    Using molecular dynamics simulations with the modified analytic embedded-atom method we calculate the Gibbs free energy and surface free energy for fcc Cu bulk, and further obtain the Gibbs free energy of nanoparticles. Based on the Gibbs free energy of nanoparticles, we have investigated the heat capacity of copper nanoparticles. Calculation results indicate that the Gibbs free energy and the heat capacity of nanoparticles can be divided into two parts: bulk quantity and surface quantity. The molar heat capacity of the bulk sample is lower compared with the molar heat capacity of nanoparticles, and this difference increases with the decrease in the particle size. It is also observed that the size effect on the thermodynamic properties of Cu nanoparticles is not really significant until the particle is less than about 20 nm. It is the surface atoms that decide the size effect on the thermodynamic properties of nanoparticles

  17. Comment on "Inference with minimal Gibbs free energy in information field theory".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iatsenko, D; Stefanovska, A; McClintock, P V E

    2012-03-01

    Enßlin and Weig [Phys. Rev. E 82, 051112 (2010)] have introduced a "minimum Gibbs free energy" (MGFE) approach for estimation of the mean signal and signal uncertainty in Bayesian inference problems: it aims to combine the maximum a posteriori (MAP) and maximum entropy (ME) principles. We point out, however, that there are some important questions to be clarified before the new approach can be considered fully justified, and therefore able to be used with confidence. In particular, after obtaining a Gaussian approximation to the posterior in terms of the MGFE at some temperature T, this approximation should always be raised to the power of T to yield a reliable estimate. In addition, we show explicitly that MGFE indeed incorporates the MAP principle, as well as the MDI (minimum discrimination information) approach, but not the well-known ME principle of Jaynes [E.T. Jaynes, Phys. Rev. 106, 620 (1957)]. We also illuminate some related issues and resolve apparent discrepancies. Finally, we investigate the performance of MGFE estimation for different values of T, and we discuss the advantages and shortcomings of the approach.

  18. Reduction efficiency prediction of CENIBRA's recovery boiler by direct minimization of gibbs free energy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. L. Silva

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available The reduction efficiency is an important variable during the black liquor burning process in the Kraft recovery boiler. This variable value is obtained by slow experimental routines and the delay of this measure disturbs the pulp and paper industry customary control. This paper describes an optimization approach for the reduction efficiency determination in the furnace bottom of the recovery boiler based on the minimization of the Gibbs free energy. The industrial data used in this study were directly obtained from CENIBRA's data acquisition system. The resulting approach is able to predict the steady state behavior of the chemical composition of the furnace recovery boiler, - especially the reduction efficiency when different operational conditions are used. This result confirms the potential of this approach in the analysis of the daily operation of the recovery boiler.

  19. Comparative study of solute trapping and Gibbs free energy changes at the phase interface during alloy solidification under local nonequilibrium conditions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sobolev, S. L., E-mail: sobolev@icp.ac.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Problems of Chemical Physics (Russian Federation)

    2017-03-15

    An analytical model has been developed to describe the influence of solute trapping during rapid alloy solidification on the components of the Gibbs free energy change at the phase interface with emphasis on the solute drag energy. For relatively low interface velocity V < V{sub D}, where V{sub D} is the characteristic diffusion velocity, all the components, namely mixing part, local nonequilibrium part, and solute drag, significantly depend on solute diffusion and partitioning. When V ≥ V{sub D}, the local nonequilibrium effects lead to a sharp transition to diffusionless solidification. The transition is accompanied by complete solute trapping and vanishing solute drag energy, i.e. partitionless and “dragless” solidification.

  20. A comparison of various Gibbs energy dissipation correlations for predicting microbial growth yields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, J.-S. [Laboratory of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Vojinovic, V. [Laboratory of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Patino, R. [Cinvestav-Merida, Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Km. 6 carretera antigua a Progreso, AP 73 Cordemex, 97310 Merida, Yucatan (Mexico); Maskow, Th. [UFZ Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Environmental Microbiology, Permoserstrasse 15, D-04318 Leipzig (Germany); Stockar, U. von [Laboratory of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland)]. E-mail: urs.vonStockar@epfl.ch

    2007-06-25

    Thermodynamic analysis may be applied in order to predict microbial growth yields roughly, based on an empirical correlation of the Gibbs energy of the overall growth reaction or Gibbs energy dissipation. Due to the well-known trade-off between high biomass yield and high Gibbs energy dissipation necessary for fast growth, an optimal range of Gibbs energy dissipation exists and it can be correlated to physical characteristics of the growth substrates. A database previously available in the literature has been extended significantly in order to test such correlations. An analysis of the relationship between biomass yield and Gibbs energy dissipation reveals that one does not need a very precise estimation of the latter to predict the former roughly. Approximating the Gibbs energy dissipation with a constant universal value of -500 kJ C-mol{sup -1} of dry biomass grown predicts many experimental growth yields nearly as well as a carefully designed, complex correlation available from the literature, even though a number of predictions are grossly out of range. A new correlation for Gibbs energy dissipation is proposed which is just as accurate as the complex literature correlation despite its dramatically simpler structure.

  1. A comparison of various Gibbs energy dissipation correlations for predicting microbial growth yields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, J.-S.; Vojinovic, V.; Patino, R.; Maskow, Th.; Stockar, U. von

    2007-01-01

    Thermodynamic analysis may be applied in order to predict microbial growth yields roughly, based on an empirical correlation of the Gibbs energy of the overall growth reaction or Gibbs energy dissipation. Due to the well-known trade-off between high biomass yield and high Gibbs energy dissipation necessary for fast growth, an optimal range of Gibbs energy dissipation exists and it can be correlated to physical characteristics of the growth substrates. A database previously available in the literature has been extended significantly in order to test such correlations. An analysis of the relationship between biomass yield and Gibbs energy dissipation reveals that one does not need a very precise estimation of the latter to predict the former roughly. Approximating the Gibbs energy dissipation with a constant universal value of -500 kJ C-mol -1 of dry biomass grown predicts many experimental growth yields nearly as well as a carefully designed, complex correlation available from the literature, even though a number of predictions are grossly out of range. A new correlation for Gibbs energy dissipation is proposed which is just as accurate as the complex literature correlation despite its dramatically simpler structure

  2. Activity coefficients and excess Gibbs' free energy of some binary mixtures formed by p-cresol at 95.23 kPa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prasad, T.E. Vittal [Properties Group, Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007 (India); Venkanna, N. [Swamy Ramanandateertha Institute of Science and Technology, Hyderabad 508 004 (India); Kumar, Y. Naveen [Swamy Ramanandateertha Institute of Science and Technology, Hyderabad 508 004 (India); Ashok, K. [Swamy Ramanandateertha Institute of Science and Technology, Hyderabad 508 004 (India); Sirisha, N.M. [Swamy Ramanandateertha Institute of Science and Technology, Hyderabad 508 004 (India); Prasad, D.H.L. [Properties Group, Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007 (India)]. E-mail: dasika@iict.res.in

    2007-07-15

    Bubble point temperatures at 95.23 kPa, over the entire composition range are measured for the binary mixtures formed by p-cresol with 1,2-dichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, and o- , m- , and p-xylenes, making use of a Swietoslawski-type ebulliometer. Liquid phase mole fraction (x {sub 1}) versus bubble point temperature (T) measurements are found to be well represented by the Wilson model. The optimum Wilson parameters are used to calculate the vapor phase composition, activity coefficients, and excess Gibbs free energy. The results are discussed.

  3. Illustrating Enzyme Inhibition Using Gibbs Energy Profiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bearne, Stephen L.

    2012-01-01

    Gibbs energy profiles have great utility as teaching and learning tools because they present students with a visual representation of the energy changes that occur during enzyme catalysis. Unfortunately, most textbooks divorce discussions of traditional kinetic topics, such as enzyme inhibition, from discussions of these same topics in terms of…

  4. Development of Bi-phase sodium-oxygen-hydrogen chemical equilibrium calculation program (BISHOP) using Gibbs free energy minimization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okano, Yasushi

    1999-08-01

    In order to analyze the reaction heat and compounds due to sodium combustion, the multiphase chemical equilibrium calculation program for chemical reaction among sodium, oxygen and hydrogen is developed in this study. The developed numerical program is named BISHOP; which denotes Bi-Phase, Sodium - Oxygen - Hydrogen, Chemical Equilibrium Calculation Program'. Gibbs free energy minimization method is used because of the special merits that easily add and change chemical species, and generally deal many thermochemical reaction systems in addition to constant temperature and pressure one. Three new methods are developed for solving multi-phase sodium reaction system in this study. One is to construct equation system by simplifying phase, and the other is to expand the Gibbs free energy minimization method into multi-phase system, and the last is to establish the effective searching method for the minimum value. Chemical compounds by the combustion of sodium in the air are calculated using BISHOP. The Calculated temperature and moisture conditions where sodium-oxide and hydroxide are formed qualitatively agree with the experiments. Deformation of sodium hydride is calculated by the program. The estimated result of the relationship between the deformation temperature and pressure closely agree with the well known experimental equation of Roy and Rodgers. It is concluded that BISHOP can be used for evaluated the combustion and deformation behaviors of sodium and its compounds. Hydrogen formation condition of the dump-tank room at the sodium leak event of FBR is quantitatively evaluated by BISHOP. It can be concluded that to keep the temperature of dump-tank room lower is effective method to suppress the formation of hydrogen. In case of choosing the lower inflammability limit of 4.1 mol% as the hydrogen concentration criterion, formation reaction of sodium hydride from sodium and hydrogen is facilitated below the room temperature of 800 K, and concentration of hydrogen

  5. Gibbs Energy Modeling of Digenite and Adjacent Solid-State Phases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waldner, Peter

    2017-08-01

    All sulfur potential and phase diagram data available in the literature for solid-state equilibria related to digenite have been assessed. Thorough thermodynamic analysis at 1 bar total pressure has been performed. A three-sublattice approach has been developed to model the Gibbs energy of digenite as a function of composition and temperature using the compound energy formalism. The Gibbs energies of the adjacent solid-state phases covelitte and high-temperature chalcocite are also modeled treating both sulfides as stoichiometric compounds. The novel model for digenite offers new interpretation of experimental data, may contribute from a thermodynamic point of view to the elucidation of the role of copper species within the crystal structure and allows extrapolation to composition regimes richer in copper than stoichiometric digenite Cu2S. Preliminary predictions into the ternary Cu-Fe-S system at 1273 K (1000 °C) using the Gibbs energy model of digenite for calculating its iron solubility are promising.

  6. Determination of Gibbs energies of formation in aqueous solution using chemical engineering tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toure, Oumar; Dussap, Claude-Gilles

    2016-08-01

    Standard Gibbs energies of formation are of primary importance in the field of biothermodynamics. In the absence of any directly measured values, thermodynamic calculations are required to determine the missing data. For several biochemical species, this study shows that the knowledge of the standard Gibbs energy of formation of the pure compounds (in the gaseous, solid or liquid states) enables to determine the corresponding standard Gibbs energies of formation in aqueous solutions. To do so, using chemical engineering tools (thermodynamic tables and a model enabling to predict activity coefficients, solvation Gibbs energies and pKa data), it becomes possible to determine the partial chemical potential of neutral and charged components in real metabolic conditions, even in concentrated mixtures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Consistent estimation of Gibbs energy using component contributions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elad Noor

    Full Text Available Standard Gibbs energies of reactions are increasingly being used in metabolic modeling for applying thermodynamic constraints on reaction rates, metabolite concentrations and kinetic parameters. The increasing scope and diversity of metabolic models has led scientists to look for genome-scale solutions that can estimate the standard Gibbs energy of all the reactions in metabolism. Group contribution methods greatly increase coverage, albeit at the price of decreased precision. We present here a way to combine the estimations of group contribution with the more accurate reactant contributions by decomposing each reaction into two parts and applying one of the methods on each of them. This method gives priority to the reactant contributions over group contributions while guaranteeing that all estimations will be consistent, i.e. will not violate the first law of thermodynamics. We show that there is a significant increase in the accuracy of our estimations compared to standard group contribution. Specifically, our cross-validation results show an 80% reduction in the median absolute residual for reactions that can be derived by reactant contributions only. We provide the full framework and source code for deriving estimates of standard reaction Gibbs energy, as well as confidence intervals, and believe this will facilitate the wide use of thermodynamic data for a better understanding of metabolism.

  8. The standard Gibbs free energy of formation of lithium manganese oxides at the temperatures of (680, 740 and 800) K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rog, G.; Kucza, W.; Kozlowska-Rog, A.

    2004-01-01

    The standard Gibbs free energy of formation of LiMnO 2 and LiMn 2 O 4 at the temperatures of (680, 740 and 800) K has been determined with the help of the solid-state galvanic cells involving lithium-β-alumina electrolyte. The equilibrium electrical potentials of cathode containing Li x Mn 2 O 4 spinel, in the composition ranges 0≤x≤1 and 1≤x≤2, vs. metallic lithium in the reversible intercalation galvanic cell have been calculated. The existence of two-voltage plateaus which appeared during charging and discharging processes in reversible intercalation of lithium into Li x Mn 2 O 4 spinel, has been discussed

  9. A Short Essay on the Uses of Free Energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koutandos, Spyridon

    2013-01-01

    In this article we examine cases of more classical and less classical nature compared to results found by quantum mechanics and attribute a form of Free Energy discontinuity for each case within a boundary layer. The concept of a boundary layer is broadened as to include areas of first or second variations of the Gibbs free energy. It is…

  10. Reply to Comment on 'On the importance of the free energy for elasticity under pressure'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marcus, P M; Qiu, S L

    2004-01-01

    All criticisms by Steinle-Neumann and Cohen of the correctness of our calculations of equilibrium structure and elastic constants under pressure from the Gibbs free energy are answered and the criticisms are rejected. The difference between the free energy and the internal energy as functions of structure is described to clarify the use of the free energy. The meaning of elastic constants in a system under pressure is discussed in order to derive the basic quadratic expansion of the free energy in the strains. The coefficients in the expansion are the elastic constants under pressure and are in agreement with well-known work. We give reasons why calculations based on the Gibbs free energy are simpler and more accurate than the usual calculations based on minima of the energy at constant volume. (reply)

  11. Oxidation potentials, Gibbs energies, enthalpies and entropies of actinide ions in aqueous solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1977-01-01

    The values of the Gibbs energy, enthalpy, and entropy of different actinide ions, thermodynamic characteristics of the processes of hydration of these ions, and the presently known ionization potentials of actinides are given. The enthalpy and entropy components of the oxidation potentials of actinide elements are considered. The curves of the dependence of the Gibbs energy of ion formation on the atomic number of the element and the Frost diagrams are analyzed. The diagram proposed by Frost represents the graphical dependence of the Gibbs energy of hydrated ions on the degree of oxidation of the element. Using the Frost diagram it is easy to establish whether a given ion is stable to disproportioning

  12. Equilibrium modeling of gasification: Gibbs free energy minimization approach and its application to spouted bed and spout-fluid bed gasifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarungthammachote, S.; Dutta, A.

    2008-01-01

    Spouted beds have been found in many applications, one of which is gasification. In this paper, the gasification processes of conventional and modified spouted bed gasifiers were considered. The conventional spouted bed is a central jet spouted bed, while the modified spouted beds are circular split spouted bed and spout-fluid bed. The Gibbs free energy minimization method was used to predict the composition of the producer gas. The major six components, CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 O, H 2 and N 2 , were determined in the mixture of the producer gas. The results showed that the carbon conversion in the gasification process plays an important role in the model. A modified model was developed by considering the carbon conversion in the constraint equations and in the energy balance calculation. The results from the modified model showed improvements. The higher heating values (HHV) were also calculated and compared with the ones from experiments. The agreements of the calculated and experimental values of HHV, especially in the case of the circular split spouted bed and the spout-fluid bed were observed

  13. Prediction of Gibbs energies of formation and stability constants of some secondary uranium minerals containing the uranyl group

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Genderen, A.C.G. van; Weijden, C.H. van der

    1984-01-01

    For a group of minerals containing a common anion there exists a linear relationship between two parameters called ΔO and ΔF.ΔO is defined as the difference between the Gibbs energy of formation of a solid oxide and the Gibbs energy of formation of its aqueous cation, while ΔF is defined as the Gibbs energy of reaction of the formation of a mineral from the constituting oxide(s) and the acid. Using the Gibbs energies of formation of a number of known minerals the corresponding ΔO's and ΔF's were calculated and with the resulting regression equation it is possible to predict values for the Gibbs energies of formation of other minerals containing the same anion. This was done for 29 minerals containing the uranyl-ion together with phosphate, vanadate, arsenate or carbonate. (orig.)

  14. Determination of standard Gibbs free energy of formation for Ca2P2O7 and Ca(PO3)2 from solid-state EMF measurements using yttria stabilised zirconia as solid electrolyte

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sandstroem, Malin Hannah; Bostroem, Dan; Rosen, Erik

    2006-01-01

    The equilibrium reactions: 3Ca 2 P 2 O 7 (s)+6Ni(s)-bar 2Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 (s)+2Ni 3 P(s)+52O 2 (g) and 2Ca(PO 3 ) 2 (s)+6Ni(s)-bar Ca 2 P 2 O 7 (s)+2Ni 3 P(s)+52O 2 (g) were studied in the temperature range 890K to 1140K. The oxygen equilibrium pressures were determined using galvanic cells incorporating yttria stabilized zirconia as solid electrolyte. From the measured data and using the literature values of standard Gibbs free energy of formation for Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and Ni 3 P, the following relationship of the standard Gibbs free energy of formation for Ca 2 P 2 O 7 and Ca(PO 3 ) 2 were calculated:Δ f G o (Ca 2 P 2 O 7 )+/-11/(kJ.mol -1 )=-3475.9+1.5441(T/K)-0.1051(T/K).ln(T/K)andΔ f G o (Ca(PO 3 ) 2 )+/-12/(kJ.mol -1 )=-3334.8+6.1561(T/K)-0.6950(T/K).ln(T/K)

  15. First-Year University Chemistry Textbooks' Misrepresentation of Gibbs Energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quilez, Juan

    2012-01-01

    This study analyzes the misrepresentation of Gibbs energy by college chemistry textbooks. The article reports the way first-year university chemistry textbooks handle the concepts of spontaneity and equilibrium. Problems with terminology are found; confusion arises in the meaning given to [delta]G, [delta][subscript r]G, [delta]G[degrees], and…

  16. Application of a linear free energy relationship to crystalline solids of MO2 and M(OH)4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Huifang; Barton, L.L.

    1999-01-01

    In this letter, a linear free energy relationship developed by Sverjensky and Molling is used to predict the Gibbs free energies of formation of crystalline phases of M 4+ O 2 and M 4+ (OH) 4 from the known thermodynamic properties of aqueous tetravalent cations (M 4+ ). The modified Sverjensky and Molling equation for tetravalent cations is expressed as ΔG 0 f,M v X = a M v X ΔG 0 n,M 4+ + b M v X + β M v X r M 4+ , where the coefficients a M v X , b M v X and β M v X characterize a particular structural family of M v X, r M 4+ is the ionic radius of M 4+ cation, ΔG 0 f,M v X is the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of M v X, and ΔG 0 n,M 4+ is the standard non-solvation energy of cation M 4+ . By fitting the equation to the existing thermodynamic data, the coefficients in the equation for the MO 2 family minerals are estimated to be: a M v X = 0.670, β M v X = 32 (kcal/mol A), and b = -430.02 (kcal/mol). The constrained relationship can be used to predict the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of crystalline phases and fictive phases (i.e., phases which are thermodynamically unstable and do not occur at standard conditions) within the isostructural families of M 4+ O 2 and M 4+ (OH) 4 if the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of the tetravalent cations are known. (orig.)

  17. Vapor pressures and standard molar enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs free energies of sublimation of 2,4- and 3,4-dinitrobenzoic acids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vecchio, Stefano; Brunetti, Bruno

    2009-01-01

    The vapor pressures of the solid and liquid 2,4- and 3,4-dinitrobenzoic acids were determined by torsion-effusion and thermogravimetry under both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions, respectively. From the temperature dependence of vapor pressure derived by the experimental torsion-effusion and thermogravimetry data the molar enthalpies of sublimation Δ cr g H m 0 ( ) and vaporization Δ l g H m 0 ( ) were determined, respectively, at the middle of the respective temperature intervals. The melting temperatures and the molar enthalpies of fusion of these compounds were measured by d.s.c. Finally, the results obtained by all the methods proposed were corrected at the reference temperature of 298.15 K using the estimated heat capacity differences between gas and liquid for vaporization experiments and the estimated heat capacity differences between gas and solid for sublimation experiments. Therefore, the averages of the standard (p o = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs free energies of sublimation at 298.15 K, have been derived.

  18. A Short Essay on the Uses of Free Energy

    OpenAIRE

    Koutandos, Spyridon

    2013-01-01

    In this article we examine cases of more classical and less classical nature compared to results found by quantum mechanics and attribute a form of Free Energy discontinuity for each case within a boundary layer. The concept of a boundary layer is broadened as to include areas of first or second variations of the Gibbs free energy. It is constructive to think not only of implosions like boundary layers but also of explosion like ones. Situations such as boiling and the passage of electric cur...

  19. Vapour pressure and excess Gibbs free energy of binary mixtures of hydrogen sulphide with ethane, propane, and n-butane at temperature of 182.33K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobo, L.Q.; Ferreira, A.G.M.; Fonseca, I.M.A.; Senra, A.M.P.

    2006-01-01

    The vapour pressure of binary mixtures of hydrogen sulphide with ethane, propane, and n-butane was measured at T=182.33K covering most of the composition range. The excess Gibbs free energy of these mixtures has been derived from the measurements made. For the equimolar mixtures G m E (x 1 =0.5)=(835.5+/-5.8)J.mol -1 for (H 2 S+C 2 H 6 ) (820.1+/-2.4)J.mol -1 for (H 2 S+C 3 H 8 ), and (818.6+/-0.9)J.mol -1 for (H 2 S+n-C 4 H 10 ). The binary mixtures of H 2 S with ethane and with propane exhibit azeotropes, but that with n-butane does not

  20. Grain-boundary free energy in an assembly of elastic disks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lusk, Mark T; Beale, Paul D

    2004-02-01

    Grain-boundary free energy is estimated as a function of misoriention for symmetric tilt boundaries in an assembly of nearly hard disks. Fluctuating cell theory is used to accomplish this since the most common techniques for calculating interfacial free energy cannot be applied to such assemblies. The results are analogous to those obtained using a Leonard-Jones potential, but in this case the interfacial energy is dominated by an entropic contribution. Disk assemblies colorized with free and specific volume elucidate differences between these two characteristics of boundary structure. Profiles are also provided of the Helmholtz and Gibbs free energies as a function of distance from the grain boundaries. Low angle grain boundaries are shown to follow the classical relationship between dislocation orientation/spacing and misorientation angle.

  1. Proposed Empirical Entropy and Gibbs Energy Based on Observations of Scale Invariance in Open Nonequilibrium Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuck, Adrian F

    2017-09-07

    There is no widely agreed definition of entropy, and consequently Gibbs energy, in open systems far from equilibrium. One recent approach has sought to formulate an entropy and Gibbs energy based on observed scale invariances in geophysical variables, particularly in atmospheric quantities, including the molecules constituting stratospheric chemistry. The Hamiltonian flux dynamics of energy in macroscopic open nonequilibrium systems maps to energy in equilibrium statistical thermodynamics, and corresponding equivalences of scale invariant variables with other relevant statistical mechanical variables such as entropy, Gibbs energy, and 1/(k Boltzmann T), are not just formally analogous but are also mappings. Three proof-of-concept representative examples from available adequate stratospheric chemistry observations-temperature, wind speed and ozone-are calculated, with the aim of applying these mappings and equivalences. Potential applications of the approach to scale invariant observations from the literature, involving scales from molecular through laboratory to astronomical, are considered. Theoretical support for the approach from the literature is discussed.

  2. Determination of standard molar Gibbs energy of formation of Sm6UO12(s)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahu, Manjulata; Dash, Smruti

    2015-01-01

    The standard molar Gibbs energies of formation of Sm 6 UO 12 (s) have been measured using an oxygen concentration cell with yttria stabilized zirconia as solid electrolyte. Δ f G o m (T) for Sm 6 UO 12 (s) has been calculated using the measured and required thermodynamic data from the literature. The calculated Gibbs energy expression in the temperature range 899 to 1127 K can be given as: Δ f G o m (Nd 6 UO 12 , s,T)/(±2.3) kJ∙ mol -1 = -6681 +1.099 (T/K) (899-1127 K)(T/K). (author)

  3. A Simple Method to Calculate the Temperature Dependence of the Gibbs Energy and Chemical Equilibrium Constants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vargas, Francisco M.

    2014-01-01

    The temperature dependence of the Gibbs energy and important quantities such as Henry's law constants, activity coefficients, and chemical equilibrium constants is usually calculated by using the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation. Although, this is a well-known approach and traditionally covered as part of any physical chemistry course, the required…

  4. Excess Gibbs energy for six binary solid solutions of molecularly simple substances

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lobo, L J; Staveley, L A.K.

    1985-01-01

    In this paper we apply the method developed in a previous study of Ar + CH/sub 4/ to the evaluation of the excess Gibbs energy G /SUP E.S/ for solid solutions of two molecularly simple components. The method depends on combining information on the excess Gibbs energy G /SUP E.L/ for the liquid mixture of the two components with a knowledge of the (T, x) solid-liquid phase diagram. Certain thermal properties o the pure substances are also needed. G /SUP E.S/ has been calculated for binary mixtures of Ar + Kr, Kr + CH/sub 4/, CO + N/sub 2/, Kr + Xe, Ar + N/sub 2/, and Ar + CO. In general, but not always, the solid mixtures are more non-ideal than the liquid mixtures of the same composition at the same temperature. Except for the Kr + CH/sub 4/ system, the ratio r = G /SUP E.S/ /G /SUP E.L/ is larger the richer the solution in the component with the smaller molecules.

  5. THE PREDICTION OF pH BY GIBBS FREE ENERGY MINIMIZATION IN THE SUMP SOLUTION UNDER LOCA CONDITION OF PWR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HYOUNGJU YOON

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available It is required that the pH of the sump solution should be above 7.0 to retain iodine in a liquid phase and be within the material compatibility constraints under LOCA condition of PWR. The pH of the sump solution can be determined by conventional chemical equilibrium constants or by the minimization of Gibbs free energy. The latter method developed as a computer code called SOLGASMIX-PV is more convenient than the former since various chemical components can be easily treated under LOCA conditions. In this study, SOLGASMIX-PV code was modified to accommodate the acidic and basic materials produced by radiolysis reactions and to calculate the pH of the sump solution. When the computed pH was compared with measured by the ORNL experiment to verify the reliability of the modified code, the error between two values was within 0.3 pH. Finally, two cases of calculation were performed for the SKN 3&4 and UCN 1&2. As results, pH of the sump solution for the SKN 3&4 was between 7.02 and 7.45, and for the UCN 1&2 plant between 8.07 and 9.41. Furthermore, it was found that the radiolysis reactions have insignificant effects on pH because the relative concentrations of HCl, HNO3, and Cs are very low.

  6. Gibbs-non-Gibbs transitions and vector-valued integration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zuijlen, van W.B.

    2016-01-01

    This thesis consists of two distinct topics. The first part of the thesis con- siders Gibbs-non-Gibbs transitions. Gibbs measures describe the macro- scopic state of a system of a large number of components that is in equilib- rium. It may happen that when the system is transformed, for example, by

  7. Variación de la energía libre de Gibbs de la caolinita en función de la cristalinidad y tamaño de partícula

    OpenAIRE

    La Iglesia, A.

    1989-01-01

    The effect of grinding on crystallinity, particle size and solubility of two samples of kaolinite was studied. The standard Gibbs free energies of formation of different ground samples were calculated from solubility measurements, and show a direct relationship between Gibbs free energy and particle size-crystallinity variation. Values of -3752.2 and -3776.4 KJ/mol. were determinated for ΔGºl (am) and ΔGºl (crys) of kaolinite, respectively. A new th...

  8. Algunas Precisiones en torno a las funciones termodinámicas energía libre de Gibbs

    OpenAIRE

    Solaz Portolés, Joan Josep; Quílez Pardo, Juan

    2001-01-01

    The aim of this study is to elucidate some didactic misundertandings related with the use and the appli cability of the delta functions ∆G, ∆rG and ∆rG0, which derive from the thermodynamic potential Gibbs Free Energy, G.

  9. Using reweighting and free energy surface interpolation to predict solid-solid phase diagrams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schieber, Natalie P.; Dybeck, Eric C.; Shirts, Michael R.

    2018-04-01

    Many physical properties of small organic molecules are dependent on the current crystal packing, or polymorph, of the material, including bioavailability of pharmaceuticals, optical properties of dyes, and charge transport properties of semiconductors. Predicting the most stable crystalline form at a given temperature and pressure requires determining the crystalline form with the lowest relative Gibbs free energy. Effective computational prediction of the most stable polymorph could save significant time and effort in the design of novel molecular crystalline solids or predict their behavior under new conditions. In this study, we introduce a new approach using multistate reweighting to address the problem of determining solid-solid phase diagrams and apply this approach to the phase diagram of solid benzene. For this approach, we perform sampling at a selection of temperature and pressure states in the region of interest. We use multistate reweighting methods to determine the reduced free energy differences between T and P states within a given polymorph and validate this phase diagram using several measures. The relative stability of the polymorphs at the sampled states can be successively interpolated from these points to create the phase diagram by combining these reduced free energy differences with a reference Gibbs free energy difference between polymorphs. The method also allows for straightforward estimation of uncertainties in the phase boundary. We also find that when properly implemented, multistate reweighting for phase diagram determination scales better with the size of the system than previously estimated.

  10. Molar Surface Gibbs Energy of the Aqueous Solution of Ionic Liquid [C4mim][Oac

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    TONG Jing; ZHENG Xu; TONG Jian; QU Ye; LIU Lu; LI Hui

    2017-01-01

    The values of density and surface tension for aqueous solution of ionic liquid(IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate([C4mim][OAc]) with various molalities were measured in the range of 288.15-318.15 K at intervals of 5 K.On the basis of thermodynamics,a semi-empirical model-molar surface Gibbs energy model of the ionic liquid solution that could be used to predict the surface tension or molar volume of solutions was put forward.The predicted values of the surface tension for aqueous [C4im][OAc] and the corresponding experimental ones were highly correlated and extremely similar.In terms of the concept of the molar Gibbs energy,a new E(o)tv(o)s equation was obtained and each parameter of the new equation has a clear physical meaning.

  11. Development of a group contribution method for estimating free energy of peptides in a dodecane-water system via molecular dynamic simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mora Osorio, Camilo Andrés; González Barrios, Andrés Fernando

    2016-12-07

    Calculation of the Gibbs free energy changes of biological molecules at the oil-water interface is commonly performed with Molecular Dynamics simulations (MD). It is a process that could be performed repeatedly in order to find some molecules of high stability in this medium. Here, an alternative method of calculation has been proposed: a group contribution method (GCM) for peptides based on MD of the twenty classic amino acids to obtain free energy change during the insertion of any peptide chain in water-dodecane interfaces. Multiple MD of the twenty classic amino acids located at the interface of rectangular simulation boxes with a dodecane-water medium were performed. A GCM to calculate the free energy of entire peptides is then proposed. The method uses the summation of the Gibbs free energy of each amino acid adjusted in function of its presence or absence in the chain as well as its hydrophobic characteristics. Validation of the equation was performed with twenty-one peptides all simulated using MD in dodecane-water rectangular boxes in previous work, obtaining an average relative error of 16%.

  12. The Gibbs Energy Basis and Construction of Boiling Point Diagrams in Binary Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Norman O.

    2004-01-01

    An illustration of how excess Gibbs energies of the components in binary systems can be used to construct boiling point diagrams is given. The underlying causes of the various types of behavior of the systems in terms of intermolecular forces and the method of calculating the coexisting liquid and vapor compositions in boiling point diagrams with…

  13. Specification and comparative calculation of enthalpies and Gibbs formation energies of anhydrous lanthanide nitrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Del' Pino, Kh.; Chukurov, P.M.; Drakin, S.I.

    1980-01-01

    Analyzed are the results of experimental depermination of formation enthalpies of waterless nitrates of lanthane cerium, praseodymium, neodymium and samarium. Using method of comparative calculation computed are enthalpies of formation of waterless lanthanide and yttrium nitrates. Calculated values of enthalpies and Gibbs energies of waterless lanthanide nitrate formation are tabulated

  14. Excess Gibbs Energy for Ternary Lattice Solutions of Nonrandom Mixing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Hae Young [DukSung Womens University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-12-15

    It is assumed for three components lattice solution that the number of ways of arranging particles randomly on the lattice follows a normal distribution of a linear combination of N{sub 12}, N{sub 23}, N{sub 13} which are the number of the nearest neighbor interactions between different molecules. It is shown by random number simulations that this assumption is reasonable. From this distribution, an approximate equation for the excess Gibbs energy of three components lattice solution is derived. Using this equation, several liquid-vapor equilibria are calculated and compared with the results from other equations.

  15. Extension of Gibbs-Duhem equation including influences of external fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guangze, Han; Jianjia, Meng

    2018-03-01

    Gibbs-Duhem equation is one of the fundamental equations in thermodynamics, which describes the relation among changes in temperature, pressure and chemical potential. Thermodynamic system can be affected by external field, and this effect should be revealed by thermodynamic equations. Based on energy postulate and the first law of thermodynamics, the differential equation of internal energy is extended to include the properties of external fields. Then, with homogeneous function theorem and a redefinition of Gibbs energy, a generalized Gibbs-Duhem equation with influences of external fields is derived. As a demonstration of the application of this generalized equation, the influences of temperature and external electric field on surface tension, surface adsorption controlled by external electric field, and the derivation of a generalized chemical potential expression are discussed, which show that the extended Gibbs-Duhem equation developed in this paper is capable to capture the influences of external fields on a thermodynamic system.

  16. Oxygen concentration cell for the measurements of the standard molar Gibbs energy of formation of Nd6UO12(s)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahu, Manjulata; Dash, Smruti

    2011-01-01

    The standard molar Gibbs energies of formation of Nd 6 UO 12 (s) have been measured using an oxygen concentration cell with yttria stabilized zirconia as solid electrolyte. Δ f G m o (T) for Nd 6 UO 12 (s) has been calculated using the measured and required thermodynamic data from the literature. The calculated Gibbs energy expression can be given as: Δ f G m o (Nd 6 UO 12 , s,T)/(± 2.3) kJmol -1 = -6660.1+1.0898 (T/K). (author)

  17. Thermodynamics of metabolic pathways for penicillin production: Analysis of thermodynamic feasibility and free energy changes during fed-batch cultivation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pissarra, P.D.; Nielsen, Jens Bredal

    1997-01-01

    This paper describes the thermodynamic analysis of pathways related to penicillin production in Penicillium chrysogenum. First a thermodynamic feasibility analysis is performed of the L-lysine pathway of which one of the precursors for penicillin biosynthesis (alpha-aminoadipic acid......) is an intermediate. It is found that the L-lysine pathway in P. chrysogenum is thermodynamically feasible and that the calculated standard Gibbs free energy values of the two enzymes controlling the pathway flux indicate that they operate far from equilibrium. It is therefore proposed that the regulation of alpha......-aminoadipate reductase by lysine is important to maintain a high concentration of alpha-aminoadipate in order to direct the carbon flux to penicillin production. Secondly the changes in Gibbs free energy in the penicillin biosynthetic pathway during fed-batch cultivation were studied. The analysis showed that all...

  18. Free energies of stable and metastable pores in lipid membranes under tension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Otter, Wouter K

    2009-11-28

    The free energy profile of pore formation in a lipid membrane, covering the entire range from a density fluctuation in an intact bilayer to a large tension-stabilized pore, has been calculated by molecular dynamics simulations with a coarse-grained lipid model. Several fixed elongations are used to obtain the Helmholtz free energy as a function of pore size for thermodynamically stable, metastable, and unstable pores, and the system-size dependence of these elongations is discussed. A link to the Gibbs free energy at constant tension, commonly known as the Litster model, is established by a Legendre transformation. The change of genus upon pore formation is exploited to estimate the saddle-splay modulus or Gaussian curvature modulus of the membrane leaflets. Details are provided of the simulation approach, which combines the potential of mean constraint force method with a reaction coordinate based on the local lipid density.

  19. Thermodynamics, Gibbs Method and Statistical Physics of Electron Gases Gibbs Method and Statistical Physics of Electron Gases

    CERN Document Server

    Askerov, Bahram M

    2010-01-01

    This book deals with theoretical thermodynamics and the statistical physics of electron and particle gases. While treating the laws of thermodynamics from both classical and quantum theoretical viewpoints, it posits that the basis of the statistical theory of macroscopic properties of a system is the microcanonical distribution of isolated systems, from which all canonical distributions stem. To calculate the free energy, the Gibbs method is applied to ideal and non-ideal gases, and also to a crystalline solid. Considerable attention is paid to the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein quantum statistics and its application to different quantum gases, and electron gas in both metals and semiconductors is considered in a nonequilibrium state. A separate chapter treats the statistical theory of thermodynamic properties of an electron gas in a quantizing magnetic field.

  20. Standard Gibbs energies of formation and equilibrium constants from ab-initio calculations: Covalent dimerization of NO2 and synthesis of NH3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Awasthi, Neha; Ritschel, Thomas; Lipowsky, Reinhard; Knecht, Volker

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • ΔG and K eq for NO 2 dimerization and NH 3 synthesis calculated via ab-initio methods. • Vis-á-vis experiments, W1 and CCSD(T) are accurate and G3B3 also does quite well. • CBS-APNO most accurate for NH 3 reaction but shows limitations in modeling NO 2 . • Temperature dependence of ΔG and K eq is calculated for the NH 3 reaction. • Good agreement of calculated K eq with experiments and the van’t Hoff approximation. -- Abstract: Standard quantum chemical methods are used for accurate calculation of thermochemical properties such as enthalpies of formation, entropies and Gibbs energies of formation. Equilibrium reactions are widely investigated and experimental measurements often lead to a range of reaction Gibbs energies and equilibrium constants. It is useful to calculate these equilibrium properties from quantum chemical methods in order to address the experimental differences. Furthermore, most standard calculation methods differ in accuracy and feasibility of the system size. Hence, a systematic comparison of equilibrium properties calculated with different numerical algorithms would provide a useful reference. We select two well-known gas phase equilibrium reactions with small molecules: covalent dimer formation of NO 2 (2NO 2 ⇌ N 2 O 4 ) and the synthesis of NH 3 (N 2 + 3 H 2 ⇌ 2NH 3 ). We test four quantum chemical methods denoted by G3B3, CBS-APNO, W1 and CCSD(T) with aug-cc-pVXZ basis sets (X = 2, 3, and 4), to obtain thermochemical data for NO 2 , N 2 O 4 , and NH 3 . The calculated standard formation Gibbs energies Δ f G° are used to calculate standard reaction Gibbs energies Δ r G° and standard equilibrium constants K eq for the two reactions. Standard formation enthalpies Δ f H° are calculated in a more reliable way using high-level methods such as W1 and CCSD(T). Standard entropies S° for the molecules are calculated well within the range of experiments for all methods, however, the values of standard formation

  1. Using Graphs of Gibbs Energy versus Temperature in General Chemistry Discussions of Phase Changes and Colligative Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanson, Robert M.; Riley, Patrick; Schwinefus, Jeff; Fischer, Paul J.

    2008-01-01

    The use of qualitative graphs of Gibbs energy versus temperature is described in the context of chemical demonstrations involving phase changes and colligative properties at the general chemistry level. (Contains 5 figures and 1 note.)

  2. Solubility and Standard Gibb's energies of transfer of alkali metal perchlorates, tetramethyl- and tetraethylammonium from water to aqua-acetone solvents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kireev, A.A.; Pak, T.G.; Bezuglyj, V.D.

    1996-01-01

    Solubilities of KClO 4 , RbClO 4 , CsClO 4 , (CH 3 ) 4 NClO 4 , (C 2 M 5 ) 4 NClO 4 in water and water-acetone mixtures are determined by the method of isothermal saturation at 298.15 K. Dissociation constants of alkali metal perchlorates are found by conductometric method. Solubility products and standard Gibbs energies of transfer of corresponding electrolytes from water into water-acetone solvents are calculated. The character of transfer Gibbs energy dependence on solvent composition is explained by preferred solvation of cations by acetone molecules and anions-by water molecules. Features of tetraalkyl ammonium ions are explained by large changes in energy of cavity formation for these ions

  3. Solid oxide galvanic cell for determination of Gibbs energy of formation of Tb6UO12(s)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahu, Manjulata; Dash, Smruti

    2013-01-01

    Citrate-nitrate combustion method was used to synthesise Tb 6 UO 12 (s). Gibbs energy of formation of Tb 6 UO 12 (s) was measured using solid oxide galvanic cell in the temperature range 957-1175 K. (author)

  4. Josiah Willard Gibbs

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The younger Gibbs grew up in the liberal and academic atmos- phere at Yale, where .... research in the premier European universities at the time when a similar culture ... tion in obscure journals, Gibbs' work did not receive wide recognition in ...

  5. Calculation of Gibbs energy of Zr-Al-Ni, Zr-Al-Cu, Al-Ni-Cu and Zr-Al-Ni-Cu liquid alloys based on quasiregular solution model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, H.Q.; Yang, Y.S.; Tong, W.H.; Wang, Z.Y.

    2007-01-01

    With the effects of electronic structure and atomic size being introduced, the mixing enthalpy as well as the Gibbs energy of the ternary Zr-Al-Cu, Ni-Al-Cu, Zr-Ni-Al and quaternary Zr-Al-Ni-Cu systems are calculated based on quasiregular solution model. The computed results agree well with the experimental data. The sequence of Gibbs energies of different systems is: G Zr-Al-Ni-Cu Zr-Al-Ni Zr-Al-Cu Cu-Al-Ni . To Zr-Al-Cu, Ni-Al-Cu and Zr-Ni-Al, the lowest Gibbs energy locates in the composition range of X Zr 0.39-0.61, X Al = 0.38-0.61; X Ni = 0.39-0.61, X Al = 0.38-0.60 and X Zr = 0.32-0.67, X Al = 0.32-0.66, respectively. And to the Zr-Ni-Al-Cu system with 66.67% Zr, the lowest Gibbs energy is obtained in the region of X Al = 0.63-0.80, X Ni = 0.14-0.24

  6. Coefficients of interphase distribution and Gibbs energy of the transfer of nicotinic acid from water into aqueous solutions of ethanol and dimethylsulfoxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grazhdan, K. V.; Gamov, G. A.; Dushina, S. V.; Sharnin, V. A.

    2012-11-01

    Coefficients of the interphase distribution of nicotinic acid are determined in aqueous solution systems of ethanol-hexane and DMSO-hexane at 25.0 ± 0.1°C. They are used to calculate the Gibbs energy of the transfer of nicotinic acid from water into aqueous solutions of ethanol and dimethylsulfoxide. The Gibbs energy values for the transfer of the molecular and zwitterionic forms of nicotinic acid are obtained by means of UV spectroscopy. The diametrically opposite effect of the composition of binary solvents on the transfer of the molecular and zwitterionic forms of nicotinic acid is noted.

  7. Generalized Gibbs distribution and energy localization in the semiclassical FPU problem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hipolito, Rafael; Danshita, Ippei; Oganesyan, Vadim; Polkovnikov, Anatoli

    2011-03-01

    We investigate dynamics of the weakly interacting quantum mechanical Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (qFPU) model in the semiclassical limit below the stochasticity threshold. Within this limit we find that initial quantum fluctuations lead to the damping of FPU oscillations and relaxation of the system to a slowly evolving steady state with energy localized within few momentum modes. We find that in large systems this state can be described by the generalized Gibbs ensemble (GGE), with the Lagrange multipliers being very weak functions of time. This ensembles gives accurate description of the instantaneous correlation functions, both quadratic and quartic. Based on these results we conjecture that GGE generically appears as a prethermalized state in weakly non-integrable systems.

  8. Quantum Gibbs Samplers: The Commuting Case

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kastoryano, Michael J.; Brandão, Fernando G. S. L.

    2016-06-01

    We analyze the problem of preparing quantum Gibbs states of lattice spin Hamiltonians with local and commuting terms on a quantum computer and in nature. Our central result is an equivalence between the behavior of correlations in the Gibbs state and the mixing time of the semigroup which drives the system to thermal equilibrium (the Gibbs sampler). We introduce a framework for analyzing the correlation and mixing properties of quantum Gibbs states and quantum Gibbs samplers, which is rooted in the theory of non-commutative {mathbb{L}_p} spaces. We consider two distinct classes of Gibbs samplers, one of them being the well-studied Davies generator modelling the dynamics of a system due to weak-coupling with a large Markovian environment. We show that their spectral gap is independent of system size if, and only if, a certain strong form of clustering of correlations holds in the Gibbs state. Therefore every Gibbs state of a commuting Hamiltonian that satisfies clustering of correlations in this strong sense can be prepared efficiently on a quantum computer. As concrete applications of our formalism, we show that for every one-dimensional lattice system, or for systems in lattices of any dimension at temperatures above a certain threshold, the Gibbs samplers of commuting Hamiltonians are always gapped, giving an efficient way of preparing the associated Gibbs states on a quantum computer.

  9. Gibbs energies of formation of zircon (ZrSiO4), thorite (ThSiO4), and phenacite (Be2SiO4)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuiling, R.D.; Vergouwen, L.; Rijst, H. van der

    1976-01-01

    Zircon, thorite, and phenacite are very refractory compounds which do not yield to solution calorimetry. In In order to obtain approximate Gibbs energies of formation for these minerals, their reactions with a number of silica-undersaturated compounds (silicates or oxides) were studied. Conversely baddeleyite (ZrO 2 ), thorianite (ThO 2 ), and bromellite (BeO) were reacted with the appropriate silicates. As the Gibbs energies of reaction of the undersaturated compounds with SiO 2 are known, the experiments yield the following data: Δ G 298 , 1 /sub bar/ 0 = -459.02 +- 1.04 kcal for zircon, -489.67 +- 1.04 for thorite, and -480.20 +- 1.01 for phenacite

  10. Enthalpy and interfacial free energy changes of water capillary condensed in mesoporous silica, MCM-41 and SBA-15.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kittaka, Shigeharu; Ishimaru, Shinji; Kuranishi, Miki; Matsuda, Tomoko; Yamaguchi, Toshio

    2006-07-21

    The effect of confinement on the solid-liquid phase transitions of water was studied by using DSC and FT-IR measurements. Enthalpy changes upon melting of frozen water in MCM-41 and SBA-15 were determined as a function of pore size and found to decrease with decreasing pore size. The melting point also decreased almost monotonically with a decrease in pore size. Analysis of the Gibbs-Thomson relation on the basis of the thermodynamic data showed that there were two stages of interfacial free energy change after the constant region, i.e., below a pore size of 6.0 nm: a gradual decrease down to 3.4 nm and another decrease after a small jump upward. This fact demonstrates that the simple Gibbs-Thomson relation, i.e., a linear relation between the melting point change and the inverse pore size, is limited to the range not far from the melting point of bulk water. FT-IR measurements suggest that the decrease in enthalpy change and interfacial free energy change with decreasing pore size reflect the similarity of the structures of both liquid and solid phases of water in smaller pores at lower temperatures.

  11. The role of the concentration scale in the definition of transfer free energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moeser, Beate; Horinek, Dominik

    2015-01-01

    The Gibbs free energy of transferring a solute at infinite dilution between two solvents quantifies differences in solute-solvent interactions - if the transfer takes place at constant molarity of the solute. Yet, many calculation formulae and measuring instructions that are commonly used to quantify solute-solvent interactions correspond to transfer processes in which not the molarity of the solute but its concentration measured in another concentration scale is constant. Here, we demonstrate that in this case, not only the change in solute-solvent interactions is quantified but also the entropic effect of a volume change during the transfer. Consequently, the "phenomenon" which is known as "concentration-scale dependence" of transfer free energies is simply explained by a volume-entropy effect. Our explanations are of high importance for the study of cosolvent effects on protein stability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Linear free energy relationship applied to trivalent cations with lanthanum and actinium oxide and hydroxide structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ragavan, Anpalaki J.

    2006-01-01

    Linear free energy relationships for trivalent cations with crystalline M 2 O 3 and, M(OH) 3 phases of lanthanides and actinides were developed from known thermodynamic properties of the aqueous trivalent cations, modifying the Sverjensky and Molling equation. The linear free energy relationship for trivalent cations is as ΔG f,MvX 0 =a MvX ΔG n,M 3+ 0 +b MvX +β MvX r M 3+ , where the coefficients a MvX , b MvX , and β MvX characterize a particular structural family of MvX, r M 3+ is the ionic radius of M 3+ cation, ΔG f,MvX 0 is the standard Gibbs free energy of formation of MvX and ΔG n,M 3+ 0 is the standard non-solvation free energy of the cation. The coefficients for the oxide family are: a MvX =0.2705, b MvX =-1984.75 (kJ/mol), and β MvX =197.24 (kJ/molnm). The coefficients for the hydroxide family are: a MvX =0.1587, b MvX =-1474.09 (kJ/mol), and β MvX =791.70 (kJ/molnm).

  13. Notes on the development of the gibbs potential; Sur le developpement du potentiel de gibbs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bloch, C; Dominicis, C de [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

    1959-07-01

    A short account is given of some recent work on the perturbation expansion of the Gibbs potential of quantum statistical mechanics. (author) [French] Expose en resume de quelques travaux sur le developpement dans la theorie des perturbations du potentiel de Gibbs de la Mecanique Statistique. (auteur)

  14. Geometric and Texture Inpainting by Gibbs Sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gustafsson, David Karl John; Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup; Nielsen, Mads

    2007-01-01

    . In this paper we use the well-known FRAME (Filters, Random Fields and Maximum Entropy) for inpainting. We introduce a temperature term in the learned FRAME Gibbs distribution. By sampling using different temperature in the FRAME Gibbs distribution, different contents of the image are reconstructed. We propose...... a two step method for inpainting using FRAME. First the geometric structure of the image is reconstructed by sampling from a cooled Gibbs distribution, then the stochastic component is reconstructed by sample froma heated Gibbs distribution. Both steps in the reconstruction process are necessary...

  15. Local thermodynamics and the generalized Gibbs-Duhem equation in systems with long-range interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latella, Ivan; Pérez-Madrid, Agustín

    2013-10-01

    The local thermodynamics of a system with long-range interactions in d dimensions is studied using the mean-field approximation. Long-range interactions are introduced through pair interaction potentials that decay as a power law in the interparticle distance. We compute the local entropy, Helmholtz free energy, and grand potential per particle in the microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles, respectively. From the local entropy per particle we obtain the local equation of state of the system by using the condition of local thermodynamic equilibrium. This local equation of state has the form of the ideal gas equation of state, but with the density depending on the potential characterizing long-range interactions. By volume integration of the relation between the different thermodynamic potentials at the local level, we find the corresponding equation satisfied by the potentials at the global level. It is shown that the potential energy enters as a thermodynamic variable that modifies the global thermodynamic potentials. As a result, we find a generalized Gibbs-Duhem equation that relates the potential energy to the temperature, pressure, and chemical potential. For the marginal case where the power of the decaying interaction potential is equal to the dimension of the space, the usual Gibbs-Duhem equation is recovered. As examples of the application of this equation, we consider spatially uniform interaction potentials and the self-gravitating gas. We also point out a close relationship with the thermodynamics of small systems.

  16. Thermodynamics of Micellar Systems : Comparison of Mass Action and Phase Equilibrium Models for the Calculation of Standard Gibbs Energies of Micelle Formation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blandamer, Michael J.; Cullis, Paul M.; Soldi, L. Giorgio; Engberts, Jan B.F.N.; Kacperska, Anna; Os, Nico M. van

    1995-01-01

    Micellar colloids are distinguished from other colloids by their association-dissociation equilibrium in solution between monomers, counter-ions and micelles. According to classical thermodynamics, the standard Gibbs energy of formation of micelles at fixed temperature and pressure can be related to

  17. Inquiries into the Nature of Free Energy and Entropy in Respect to Biochemical Thermodynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clinton D. Stoner

    2000-08-01

    Full Text Available Free energy and entropy are examined in detail from the standpoint of classical thermodynamics. The approach is logically based on the fact that thermodynamic work is mediated by thermal energy through the tendency for nonthermal energy to convert spontaneously into thermal energy and for thermal energy to distribute spontaneously and uniformly within the accessible space. The fact that free energy is a Second-Law, expendable energy that makes it possible for thermodynamic work to be done at finite rates is emphasized. Entropy, as originally defined, is pointed out to be the capacity factor for thermal energy that is hidden with respect to temperature; it serves to evaluate the practical quality of thermal energy and to account for changes in the amounts of latent thermal energies in systems maintained at constant temperature. With entropy thus operationally defined, it is possible to see that TDS° of the Gibbs standard free energy relation DG°= DH°-TDS° serves to account for differences or changes in nonthermal energies that do not contribute to DG° and that, since DH° serves to account for differences or changes in total energy, complete enthalpy-entropy (DH° - TDS° compensation must invariably occur in isothermal processes for which TDS° is finite. A major objective was to clarify the means by which free energy is transferred and conserved in sequences of biological reactions coupled by freely diffusible intermediates. In achieving this objective it was found necessary to distinguish between a 'characteristic free energy' possessed by all First-Law energies in amounts equivalent to the amounts of the energies themselves and a 'free energy of concentration' that is intrinsically mechanical and relatively elusive in that it can appear to be free of First-Law energy. The findings in this regard serve to clarify the fact that the transfer of chemical potential energy from one

  18. Phase relations and Gibbs energies of spinel phases and solid solutions in the system Mg-Rh-O

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacob, K.T., E-mail: katob@materials.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012 (India); Prusty, Debadutta [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012 (India); Kale, G.M. [Institute for Materials Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT (United Kingdom)

    2012-02-05

    composition of the spinel solid solution in different phase fields and imposed oxygen partial pressures. The results can be summarized by the equations: MgO + {beta}-Rh{sub 2}O{sub 3} {yields} MgRh{sub 2}O{sub 4}; {Delta}G{sup Ring-Operator }({+-} 1010)/J mol{sup -1} = - 32239 + 7.534T; 2MgO + RhO{sub 2} {yields} Mg{sub 2}RhO{sub 4}; {Delta}G{sup Ring-Operator }({+-} 1270)/J mol{sup -1} = 36427 - 4.163T; {Delta}G{sub M}/J mol{sup -1} = 2RT(x In x + (1 - x)In(1 - x)) + 4650x(1 - x), where {Delta}G Degree-Sign is the standard Gibbs free energy change for the reaction and {Delta}G{sub M} is the free energy of mixing of the spinel solid solution Mg{sub 1+x}Rh{sub 2-x}O{sub 4}.

  19. Unifying hydrotropy under Gibbs phase rule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimizu, Seishi; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki

    2017-09-13

    The task of elucidating the mechanism of solubility enhancement using hydrotropes has been hampered by the wide variety of phase behaviour that hydrotropes can exhibit, encompassing near-ideal aqueous solution, self-association, micelle formation, and micro-emulsions. Instead of taking a field guide or encyclopedic approach to classify hydrotropes into different molecular classes, we take a rational approach aiming at constructing a unified theory of hydrotropy based upon the first principles of statistical thermodynamics. Achieving this aim can be facilitated by the two key concepts: (1) the Gibbs phase rule as the basis of classifying the hydrotropes in terms of the degrees of freedom and the number of variables to modulate the solvation free energy; (2) the Kirkwood-Buff integrals to quantify the interactions between the species and their relative contributions to the process of solubilization. We demonstrate that the application of the two key concepts can in principle be used to distinguish the different molecular scenarios at work under apparently similar solubility curves observed from experiments. In addition, a generalization of our previous approach to solutes beyond dilution reveals the unified mechanism of hydrotropy, driven by a strong solute-hydrotrope interaction which overcomes the apparent per-hydrotrope inefficiency due to hydrotrope self-clustering.

  20. Nucleation theory - Is replacement free energy needed?. [error analysis of capillary approximation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doremus, R. H.

    1982-01-01

    It has been suggested that the classical theory of nucleation of liquid from its vapor as developed by Volmer and Weber (1926) needs modification with a factor referred to as the replacement free energy and that the capillary approximation underlying the classical theory is in error. Here, the classical nucleation equation is derived from fluctuation theory, Gibb's result for the reversible work to form a critical nucleus, and the rate of collision of gas molecules with a surface. The capillary approximation is not used in the derivation. The chemical potential of small drops is then considered, and it is shown that the capillary approximation can be derived from thermodynamic equations. The results show that no corrections to Volmer's equation are needed.

  1. Gibbs energy of the resolvation of glycylglycine and its anion in aqueous solutions of dimethylsulfoxide at 298.15 K

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naumov, V. V.; Isaeva, V. A.; Kuzina, E. N.; Sharnin, V. A.

    2012-12-01

    Gibbs energies for the transfer of glycylglycine and glycylglycinate ions from water to water-dimethylsulfoxide solvents are determined from the interface distribution of substances between immiscible phases in the composition range of 0.00 to 0.20 molar fractions of DMSO at 298.15 K. It is shown that with a rise in the concentration of nonaqueous components in solution, we observe the solvation of dipeptide and its anion, due mainly to the destabilization of the carboxyl group.

  2. A procedure to compute equilibrium concentrations in multicomponent systems by Gibbs energy minimization on spreadsheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima da Silva, Aline; Heck, Nestor Cesar

    2003-01-01

    Equilibrium concentrations are traditionally calculated with the help of equilibrium constant equations from selected reactions. This procedure, however, is only useful for simpler problems. Analysis of the equilibrium state in a multicomponent and multiphase system necessarily involves solution of several simultaneous equations, and, as the number of system components grows, the required computation becomes more complex and tedious. A more direct and general method for solving the problem is the direct minimization of the Gibbs energy function. The solution for the nonlinear problem consists in minimizing the objective function (Gibbs energy of the system) subjected to the constraints of the elemental mass-balance. To solve it, usually a computer code is developed, which requires considerable testing and debugging efforts. In this work, a simple method to predict equilibrium composition in multicomponent systems is presented, which makes use of an electronic spreadsheet. The ability to carry out these calculations within a spreadsheet environment shows several advantages. First, spreadsheets are available 'universally' on nearly all personal computers. Second, the input and output capabilities of spreadsheets can be effectively used to monitor calculated results. Third, no additional systems or programs need to be learned. In this way, spreadsheets can be as suitable in computing equilibrium concentrations as well as to be used as teaching and learning aids. This work describes, therefore, the use of the Solver tool, contained in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet package, on computing equilibrium concentrations in a multicomponent system, by the method of direct Gibbs energy minimization. The four phases Fe-Cr-O-C-Ni system is used as an example to illustrate the method proposed. The pure stoichiometric phases considered in equilibrium calculations are: Cr 2 O 3 (s) and FeO C r 2 O 3 (s). The atmosphere consists of O 2 , CO e CO 2 constituents. The liquid iron

  3. Evolution algebras generated by Gibbs measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rozikov, Utkir A.; Tian, Jianjun Paul

    2009-03-01

    In this article we study algebraic structures of function spaces defined by graphs and state spaces equipped with Gibbs measures by associating evolution algebras. We give a constructive description of associating evolution algebras to the function spaces (cell spaces) defined by graphs and state spaces and Gibbs measure μ. For finite graphs we find some evolution subalgebras and other useful properties of the algebras. We obtain a structure theorem for evolution algebras when graphs are finite and connected. We prove that for a fixed finite graph, the function spaces have a unique algebraic structure since all evolution algebras are isomorphic to each other for whichever Gibbs measures are assigned. When graphs are infinite graphs then our construction allows a natural introduction of thermodynamics in studying of several systems of biology, physics and mathematics by theory of evolution algebras. (author)

  4. Mechanism of active transport: free energy dissipation and free energy transduction.

    OpenAIRE

    Tanford, C

    1982-01-01

    The thermodynamic pathway for "chemiosmotic" free energy transduction in active transport is discussed with an ATP-driven Ca2+ pump as an illustrative example. Two innovations are made in the analysis. (i) Free energy dissipated as heat is rigorously excluded from overall free energy bookkeeping by focusing on the dynamic equilibrium state of the chemiosmotic process. (ii) Separate chemical potential terms for free energy donor and transported ions are used to keep track of the thermodynamic ...

  5. How Does the Gibbs Inequality Condition Affect the Stability and Detachment of Floating Spheres from the Free Surface of Water?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Dong-xia; Nguyen, Anh V

    2016-03-01

    Floating objects on the air-water interfaces are central to a number of everyday activities, from walking on water by insects to flotation separation of valuable minerals using air bubbles. The available theories show that a fine sphere can float if the force of surface tension and buoyancies can support the sphere at the interface with an apical angle subtended by the circle of contact being larger than the contact angle. Here we show that the pinning of the contact line at the sharp edge, known as the Gibbs inequality condition, also plays a significant role in controlling the stability and detachment of floating spheres. Specifically, we truncated the spheres with different angles and used a force sensor device to measure the force of pushing the truncated spheres from the interface into water. We also developed a theoretical modeling to calculate the pushing force that in combination with experimental results shows different effects of the Gibbs inequality condition on the stability and detachment of the spheres from the water surface. For small angles of truncation, the Gibbs inequality condition does not affect the sphere detachment, and hence the classical theories on the floatability of spheres are valid. For large truncated angles, the Gibbs inequality condition determines the tenacity of the particle-meniscus contact and the stability and detachment of floating spheres. In this case, the classical theories on the floatability of spheres are no longer valid. A critical truncated angle for the transition from the classical to the Gibbs inequality regimes of detachment was also established. The outcomes of this research advance our understanding of the behavior of floating objects, in particular, the flotation separation of valuable minerals, which often contain various sharp edges of their crystal faces.

  6. Origin of the correlation between the standard Gibbs energies of ion transfer from water to a hydrophobic ionic liquid and to a molecular solvent

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Langmaier, Jan; Záliš, Stanislav; Samec, Zdeněk; Bovtun, Viktor; Kempa, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 87, JAN 2013 (2013), s. 591-598 ISSN 0013-4686 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP206/11/0707 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 ; RVO:68378271 Keywords : ionic liquid s * cyclic voltammetry * standard Gibbs energy of ion transfer Subject RIV: CG - Electrochemistry Impact factor: 4.086, year: 2013

  7. Finite Cycle Gibbs Measures on Permutations of

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armendáriz, Inés; Ferrari, Pablo A.; Groisman, Pablo; Leonardi, Florencia

    2015-03-01

    We consider Gibbs distributions on the set of permutations of associated to the Hamiltonian , where is a permutation and is a strictly convex potential. Call finite-cycle those permutations composed by finite cycles only. We give conditions on ensuring that for large enough temperature there exists a unique infinite volume ergodic Gibbs measure concentrating mass on finite-cycle permutations; this measure is equal to the thermodynamic limit of the specifications with identity boundary conditions. We construct as the unique invariant measure of a Markov process on the set of finite-cycle permutations that can be seen as a loss-network, a continuous-time birth and death process of cycles interacting by exclusion, an approach proposed by Fernández, Ferrari and Garcia. Define as the shift permutation . In the Gaussian case , we show that for each , given by is an ergodic Gibbs measure equal to the thermodynamic limit of the specifications with boundary conditions. For a general potential , we prove the existence of Gibbs measures when is bigger than some -dependent value.

  8. Thermodynamic description of the Al–Mg–Si system using a new formulation for the temperature dependence of the excess Gibbs energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Ying; Du, Yong; Zhang, Lijun; Yuan, Xiaoming; Kaptay, George

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► An exponential formulation to describe ternary excess Gibbs energy is proposed. ► Theoretical analysis is performed to verify stability of phase using new formulation. ► Al–Mg–Si system and its boundary binaries have been assessed by the new formulation. ► Present calculations for Al–Mg–Si system are more reasonable than previous ones. - Abstract: An exponential formulation was proposed to replace the linear interaction parameter in the Redlich–Kister (R–K) polynomial for the excess Gibbs energy of ternary solution phase. The theoretical analysis indicates that the proposed new exponential formulation can not only avoid the artificial miscibility gap at high temperatures but also describe the ternary system well. A thermodynamic description for the Al–Mg–Si system and its boundary binaries was then performed by using both R–K linear and exponential formulations. The inverted miscibility gaps occurring in the Mg–Si and the Al–Mg–Si systems at high temperatures due to the use of R–K linear polynomials are avoided by using the new formulation. Besides, the thermodynamic properties predicted with the new formulation confirm the general thermodynamic belief that the solution phase approaches to the ideal solution at infinite temperatures, which cannot be described with the traditional R–K linear polynomials.

  9. Gibbs perturbations of a two-dimensional gauge field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petrova, E.N.

    1981-01-01

    Small Gibbs perturbations of random fields have been investigated up to now for a few initial fields only. Among them there are independent fields, Gaussian fields and some others. The possibility for the investigation of Gibbs modifications of a random field depends essentially on the existence of good estimates for semiinvariants of this field. This is the reason why the class of random fields for which the investigation of Gibbs perturbations with arbitrary potential of bounded support is possible is rather small. The author takes as initial a well-known model: a two-dimensional gauge field. (Auth.)

  10. Gibbs' theorem for open systems with incomplete statistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bagci, G.B.

    2009-01-01

    Gibbs' theorem, which is originally intended for canonical ensembles with complete statistics has been generalized to open systems with incomplete statistics. As a result of this generalization, it is shown that the stationary equilibrium distribution of inverse power law form associated with the incomplete statistics has maximum entropy even for open systems with energy or matter influx. The renormalized entropy definition given in this paper can also serve as a measure of self-organization in open systems described by incomplete statistics.

  11. Thermodynamic analysis of ethanol/water system in a fuel cell reformer with the Gibbs energy minimization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima da Silva, Aline; De Fraga Malfatti, Celia; Heck, Nestor Cesar

    2003-01-01

    The use of fuel cells is a promising technology in the conversion of chemical to electrical energy. Due to environmental concerns related to the reduction of atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gases emissions such as CO 2 , NO x and hydrocarbons, there have been many researches about fuel cells using hydrogen as fuel. Hydrogen gas can be produced by several routes; a promising one is the steam reforming of ethanol. This route may become an important industrial process, especially for sugarcane producing countries. Ethanol is renewable energy and presents several advantages over other sources related to natural availability, storage and handling safety. In order to contribute to the understanding of the steam reforming of ethanol inside the reformer, this work displays a detailed thermodynamic analysis of the ethanol/water system, in the temperature range of 500-1200K, considering different H 2 O/ethanol reforming ratios. The equilibrium determinations were done with the help of the Gibbs energy minimization method using the Generalized Reduced Gradient algorithm (GRG). Based on literature data, the species considered in calculations were: H 2 , H 2 O, CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , C 2 H 4 , CH 3 CHO, C 2 H 5 OH (gas phase) and C gr . (graphite phase). The thermodynamic conditions for carbon deposition (probably soot) on catalyst during gas reforming were analyzed, in order to establish temperature ranges and H 2 O/ethanol ratios where carbon precipitation is not thermodynamically feasible. Experimental results from literature show that carbon deposition causes catalyst deactivation during reforming. This deactivation is due to encapsulating carbon that covers active phases on a catalyst substrate, e.g. Ni over Al 2 O 3 . In the present study, a mathematical relationship between Lagrange multipliers and the carbon activity (with reference to the graphite phase) was deduced, unveiling the carbon activity in the reformer atmosphere. From this, it is possible to foreseen if soot

  12. Reflections on Gibbs: From Critical Phenomena to the Amistad

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadanoff, Leo P.

    2003-03-01

    J. Willard Gibbs, the younger was the first American theorist. He was one of the inventors of statistical physics. His introduction and development of the concepts of phase space, phase transitions, and thermodynamic surfaces was remarkably correct and elegant. These three concepts form the basis of different but related areas of physics. The connection among these areas has been a subject of deep reflection from Gibbs' time to our own. I shall talk about these connections by using concepts suggested by the work of Michael Berry and explicitly put forward by the philosopher Robert Batterman. This viewpoint relates theory-connection to the applied mathematics concepts of asymptotic analysis and singular perturbations. J. Willard Gibbs, the younger, had all his achievements concentrated in science. His father, also J. Willard Gibbs, also a Professor at Yale, had one great achievement that remains unmatched in our day. I shall describe it.

  13. A brief critique of the Adam-Gibbs entropy model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyre, J. C.; Hecksher, Tina; Niss, Kristine

    2009-01-01

    This paper critically discusses the entropy model proposed by Adam and Gibbs in 1965 for the dramatic temperature dependence of glass-forming liquids' average relaxation time, which is one of the most influential models during the last four decades. We discuss the Adam-Gibbs model's theoretical...

  14. Thermodynamic fluctuations within the Gibbs and Einstein approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rudoi, Yurii G; Sukhanov, Alexander D

    2000-01-01

    A comparative analysis of the descriptions of fluctuations in statistical mechanics (the Gibbs approach) and in statistical thermodynamics (the Einstein approach) is given. On this basis solutions are obtained for the Gibbs and Einstein problems that arise in pressure fluctuation calculations for a spatially limited equilibrium (or slightly nonequilibrium) macroscopic system. A modern formulation of the Gibbs approach which allows one to calculate equilibrium pressure fluctuations without making any additional assumptions is presented; to this end the generalized Bogolyubov - Zubarev and Hellmann - Feynman theorems are proved for the classical and quantum descriptions of a macrosystem. A statistical version of the Einstein approach is developed which shows a fundamental difference in pressure fluctuation results obtained within the context of two approaches. Both the 'genetic' relation between the Gibbs and Einstein approaches and the conceptual distinction between their physical grounds are demonstrated. To illustrate the results, which are valid for any thermodynamic system, an ideal nondegenerate gas of microparticles is considered, both classically and quantum mechanically. Based on the results obtained, the correspondence between the micro- and macroscopic descriptions is considered and the prospects of statistical thermodynamics are discussed. (reviews of topical problems)

  15. Impact of Wire Geometry in Energy Extraction from Salinity Differences Using Capacitive Technology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sales, B.B.; Burheim, O.S.; Liu, F.; Schaetzle, O.; Buisman, C.J.N.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

    2012-01-01

    Energy extraction based on capacitive Donnan potential (CDP) is a recently suggested technique for sustainable power generation. CDP combines the use of ion-exchange membranes and porous carbon electrodes to convert the Gibbs free energy of mixing sea and river water into electric work. The

  16. From slump loss to Gibbs' free energy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Ole Mejlhede; Diamond, Sidney

    2006-01-01

    In its classical form, the science of construction materials is a descriptive, empirical discipline related to certain types of materials, e.g. the study of the properties of wood, steel, concrete and plastics. This traditional division of the science into the separate study of the different...

  17. Reflections on Gibbs: From Statistical Physics to the Amistad V3.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadanoff, Leo P.

    2014-07-01

    This note is based upon a talk given at an APS meeting in celebration of the achievements of J. Willard Gibbs. J. Willard Gibbs, the younger, was the first American physical sciences theorist. He was one of the inventors of statistical physics. He introduced and developed the concepts of phase space, phase transitions, and thermodynamic surfaces in a remarkably correct and elegant manner. These three concepts form the basis of different areas of physics. The connection among these areas has been a subject of deep reflection from Gibbs' time to our own. This talk therefore celebrated Gibbs by describing modern ideas about how different parts of physics fit together. I finished with a more personal note. Our own J. Willard Gibbs had all his many achievements concentrated in science. His father, also J. Willard Gibbs, also a Professor at Yale, had one great non-academic achievement that remains unmatched in our day. I describe it.

  18. The interfacial free energy of solid Sn on the boundary interface with liquid Cd-Sn eutectic solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saatci, B; Cimen, S; Pamuk, H; Guenduez, M

    2007-01-01

    Equilibrated grain boundary groove shapes for solid Sn in equilibrium with Cd-Sn liquid were directly observed after annealing a sample at the eutectic temperature for about 8 days. The thermal conductivities of the solid phase, K S , and the liquid phase, K L , for the groove shapes were measured. From the observed groove shapes, the Gibbs-Thomson coefficients were obtained with a numerical method, using the measured G, K S and K L values. The solid-liquid interfacial energy of solid Sn in equilibrium with Cd-Sn liquid was determined from the Gibbs-Thomson equation. The grain boundary energy for solid Sn was also calculated from the observed groove shapes

  19. Thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of power generation from natural salinity gradients by pressure retarded osmosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yip, Ngai Yin; Elimelech, Menachem

    2012-05-01

    The Gibbs free energy of mixing dissipated when fresh river water flows into the sea can be harnessed for sustainable power generation. Pressure retarded osmosis (PRO) is one of the methods proposed to generate power from natural salinity gradients. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of PRO work extraction. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for PRO and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible PRO process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible constant-pressure PRO process is then examined. We derive an expression for the maximum extractable work in a constant-pressure PRO process and show that it is less than the ideal work (i.e., Gibbs free energy of mixing) due to inefficiencies intrinsic to the process. These inherent inefficiencies are attributed to (i) frictional losses required to overcome hydraulic resistance and drive water permeation and (ii) unutilized energy due to the discontinuation of water permeation when the osmotic pressure difference becomes equal to the applied hydraulic pressure. The highest extractable work in constant-pressure PRO with a seawater draw solution and river water feed solution is 0.75 kWh/m(3) while the free energy of mixing is 0.81 kWh/m(3)-a thermodynamic extraction efficiency of 91.1%. Our analysis further reveals that the operational objective to achieve high power density in a practical PRO process is inconsistent with the goal of maximum energy extraction. This study demonstrates thermodynamic and energetic approaches for PRO and offers insights on actual energy accessible for utilization in PRO power generation through salinity gradients. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  20. Gibbs phenomenon for dispersive PDEs on the line

    OpenAIRE

    Biondini, Gino; Trogdon, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    We investigate the Cauchy problem for linear, constant-coefficient evolution PDEs on the real line with discontinuous initial conditions (ICs) in the small-time limit. The small-time behavior of the solution near discontinuities is expressed in terms of universal, computable special functions. We show that the leading-order behavior of the solution of dispersive PDEs near a discontinuity of the ICs is characterized by Gibbs-type oscillations and gives exactly the Wilbraham-Gibbs constant.

  1. Gibbs sampling on large lattice with GMRF

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcotte, Denis; Allard, Denis

    2018-02-01

    Gibbs sampling is routinely used to sample truncated Gaussian distributions. These distributions naturally occur when associating latent Gaussian fields to category fields obtained by discrete simulation methods like multipoint, sequential indicator simulation and object-based simulation. The latent Gaussians are often used in data assimilation and history matching algorithms. When the Gibbs sampling is applied on a large lattice, the computing cost can become prohibitive. The usual practice of using local neighborhoods is unsatisfying as it can diverge and it does not reproduce exactly the desired covariance. A better approach is to use Gaussian Markov Random Fields (GMRF) which enables to compute the conditional distributions at any point without having to compute and invert the full covariance matrix. As the GMRF is locally defined, it allows simultaneous updating of all points that do not share neighbors (coding sets). We propose a new simultaneous Gibbs updating strategy on coding sets that can be efficiently computed by convolution and applied with an acceptance/rejection method in the truncated case. We study empirically the speed of convergence, the effect of choice of boundary conditions, of the correlation range and of GMRF smoothness. We show that the convergence is slower in the Gaussian case on the torus than for the finite case studied in the literature. However, in the truncated Gaussian case, we show that short scale correlation is quickly restored and the conditioning categories at each lattice point imprint the long scale correlation. Hence our approach enables to realistically apply Gibbs sampling on large 2D or 3D lattice with the desired GMRF covariance.

  2. Living systems do not minimize free energy. Comment on "Answering Schrödinger's question: A free-energy formulation" by Maxwell James Dèsormeau Ramstead et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martyushev, Leonid M.

    2018-03-01

    processes occurring at constant temperatures and volumes. In physics, the minimum free energy corresponds to an equilibrium state to which an isochoric-isothermal system relaxes [4,5]. It is obvious that the biological systems considered by the authors are fundamentally non-equilibrium, do not seek equilibrium, and, in most cases, do not retain their volumes as they develop. For a biological system, the equilibrium means death, decay. Therefore, to base the idea of life on FEP is the same as to state that the pursuit of death is the purpose and meaning of life. In order to consider processes addressed by the authors, one needs functionals employed in non-equilibrium rather than equilibrium thermodynamics [6-8]. Specifically, I would like to draw their attention to the rate of change of the Gibbs energy with time, or entropy production (the maximum entropy production principle can be useful here [7,9-12]).

  3. Thermodynamic, energy efficiency, and power density analysis of reverse electrodialysis power generation with natural salinity gradients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yip, N.Y.; Vermaas, D.A.; Nijmeijer, K.; Elimelech, M.

    2014-01-01

    Reverse electrodialysis (RED) can harness the Gibbs free energy of mixing when fresh river water flows into the sea for sustainable power generation. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of RED power generation, and assess the membrane power density. First, we

  4. Concentration inequalities for functions of Gibbs fields with application to diffraction and random Gibbs measures

    CERN Document Server

    Külske, C

    2003-01-01

    We derive useful general concentration inequalities for functions of Gibbs fields in the uniqueness regime. We also consider expectations of random Gibbs measures that depend on an additional disorder field, and prove concentration w.r.t the disorder field. Both fields are assumed to be in the uniqueness regime, allowing in particular for non-independent disorder field. The modification of the bounds compared to the case of an independent field can be expressed in terms of constants that resemble the Dobrushin contraction coefficient, and are explicitly computable. On the basis of these inequalities, we obtain bounds on the deviation of a diffraction pattern created by random scatterers located on a general discrete point set in the Euclidean space, restricted to a finite volume. Here we also allow for thermal dislocations of the scatterers around their equilibrium positions. Extending recent results for independent scatterers, we give a universal upper bound on the probability of a deviation of the random sc...

  5. Thermokinetic comparison of trypan blue decolorization by free laccase and fungal biomass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razak, N N A; Annuar, M S M

    2014-03-01

    Free laccase and fungal biomass from white-rot fungi were compared in the thermokinetics study of the laccase-catalyzed decolorization of an azo dye, i.e., Trypan Blue. The decolorization in both systems followed a first-order kinetics. The apparent first-order rate constant, k1', value increases with temperature. Apparent activation energy of decolorization was similar for both systems at ∼ 22 kJ mol(-1), while energy for laccase inactivation was 18 kJ mol(-1). Although both systems were endothermic, fungal biomass showed higher enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy changes for the decolorization compared to free laccase. On the other hand, free laccase showed reaction spontaneity over a wider range of temperature (ΔT = 40 K) as opposed to fungal biomass (ΔT = 15 K). Comparison of entropy change (ΔS) values indicated metabolism of the dye by the biomass.

  6. Variación de la energía libre de Gibbs de la caolinita en función de la cristalinidad y tamaño de partícula

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    La Iglesia, A.

    1989-12-01

    Full Text Available The effect of grinding on crystallinity, particle size and solubility of two samples of kaolinite was studied. The standard Gibbs free energies of formation of different ground samples were calculated from solubility measurements, and show a direct relationship between Gibbs free energy and particle size-crystallinity variation. Values of -3752.2 and -3776.4 KJ/mol. were determinated for ΔGºl (am and ΔGºl (crys of kaolinite, respectively. A new thermodinamic equation that relates ΔGºl to particle size is proposed. This equation can probably be extended to clay mineals.Se estudia el efecto de la molienda prolongada sobre la cristalinidad, tamaño de partícula y solubilidad de dos muestras de caolinita. Se ha calculado la energía libre estandar de formación del mineral a partir de medidas de solubilidad, encontrando una relación directa entre ΔGºl, y las variaciones de tamaño de partícula y cristalinidad de las muestras. Por extrapolación, se han obtenido los valores de -3752,0 y -3776,4 KJ/mol. para ΔGºl caolinita amorfa y cristalina. Se propone una ecuación termodinámica que relaciona ΔGºl y el tamaño de partícula de la caolinita; esta ecuación puede aplicarse también a otros minerales de la arcilla.

  7. Computation of free energy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Gunsteren, WF; Daura, [No Value; Mark, AE

    2002-01-01

    Many quantities that are standardly used to characterize a chemical system are related to free-energy differences between particular states of the system. By statistical mechanics, free-energy differences may be expressed in terms of averages over ensembles of atomic configurations for the molecular

  8. Work and entropy production in generalised Gibbs ensembles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perarnau-Llobet, Martí; Riera, Arnau; Gallego, Rodrigo; Wilming, Henrik; Eisert, Jens

    2016-01-01

    Recent years have seen an enormously revived interest in the study of thermodynamic notions in the quantum regime. This applies both to the study of notions of work extraction in thermal machines in the quantum regime, as well as to questions of equilibration and thermalisation of interacting quantum many-body systems as such. In this work we bring together these two lines of research by studying work extraction in a closed system that undergoes a sequence of quenches and equilibration steps concomitant with free evolutions. In this way, we incorporate an important insight from the study of the dynamics of quantum many body systems: the evolution of closed systems is expected to be well described, for relevant observables and most times, by a suitable equilibrium state. We will consider three kinds of equilibration, namely to (i) the time averaged state, (ii) the Gibbs ensemble and (iii) the generalised Gibbs ensemble, reflecting further constants of motion in integrable models. For each effective description, we investigate notions of entropy production, the validity of the minimal work principle and properties of optimal work extraction protocols. While we keep the discussion general, much room is dedicated to the discussion of paradigmatic non-interacting fermionic quantum many-body systems, for which we identify significant differences with respect to the role of the minimal work principle. Our work not only has implications for experiments with cold atoms, but also can be viewed as suggesting a mindset for quantum thermodynamics where the role of the external heat baths is instead played by the system itself, with its internal degrees of freedom bringing coarse-grained observables to equilibrium. (paper)

  9. Aromatic Side Chain Water-to-Lipid Transfer Free Energies Show a Depth Dependence across the Membrane Normal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Sarah K; Fleming, Karen G

    2016-06-29

    Quantitating and understanding the physical forces responsible for the interactions of biomolecules are fundamental to the biological sciences. This is especially challenging for membrane proteins because they are embedded within cellular bilayers that provide a unique medium in which hydrophobic sequences must fold. Knowledge of the energetics of protein-lipid interactions is thus vital to understand cellular processes involving membrane proteins. Here we used a host-guest mutational strategy to calculate the Gibbs free energy changes of water-to-lipid transfer for the aromatic side chains Trp, Tyr, and Phe as a function of depth in the membrane. This work reveals an energetic gradient in the transfer free energies for Trp and Tyr, where transfer was most favorable to the membrane interfacial region and comparatively less favorable into the bilayer center. The transfer energetics follows the concentration gradient of polar atoms across the bilayer normal that naturally occurs in biological membranes. Additional measurements revealed nearest-neighbor coupling in the data set are influenced by a network of aromatic side chains in the host protein. Taken together, these results show that aromatic side chains contribute significantly to membrane protein stability through either aromatic-aromatic interactions or placement at the membrane interface.

  10. Dynamical predictive power of the generalized Gibbs ensemble revealed in a second quench.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, J M; Cui, F C; Hu, Jiangping

    2012-04-01

    We show that a quenched and relaxed completely integrable system is hardly distinguishable from the corresponding generalized Gibbs ensemble in a dynamical sense. To be specific, the response of the quenched and relaxed system to a second quench can be accurately reproduced by using the generalized Gibbs ensemble as a substitute. Remarkably, as demonstrated with the transverse Ising model and the hard-core bosons in one dimension, not only the steady values but even the transient, relaxation dynamics of the physical variables can be accurately reproduced by using the generalized Gibbs ensemble as a pseudoinitial state. This result is an important complement to the previously established result that a quenched and relaxed system is hardly distinguishable from the generalized Gibbs ensemble in a static sense. The relevance of the generalized Gibbs ensemble in the nonequilibrium dynamics of completely integrable systems is then greatly strengthened.

  11. The MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system - Free energy of pyrope and Al2O3-enstatite. [in earth mantle formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saxena, S. K.

    1981-01-01

    The model of fictive ideal components is used to determine Gibbs free energies of formation of pyrope and Al2O3-enstatite from the experimental data on coexisting garnet and orthopyroxene and orthopyroxene and spinel in the temperature range 1200-1600 K. It is noted that Al2O3 forms an ideal solution with MgSiO3. These thermochemical data are found to be consistent with the Al2O3 isopleths that could be drawn using most recent experimental data and with the reversed experimental data on the garnet-spinel field boundary.

  12. Accurate calculation of conformational free energy differences in explicit water: the confinement-solvation free energy approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esque, Jeremy; Cecchini, Marco

    2015-04-23

    The calculation of the free energy of conformation is key to understanding the function of biomolecules and has attracted significant interest in recent years. Here, we present an improvement of the confinement method that was designed for use in the context of explicit solvent MD simulations. The development involves an additional step in which the solvation free energy of the harmonically restrained conformers is accurately determined by multistage free energy perturbation simulations. As a test-case application, the newly introduced confinement/solvation free energy (CSF) approach was used to compute differences in free energy between conformers of the alanine dipeptide in explicit water. The results are in excellent agreement with reference calculations based on both converged molecular dynamics and umbrella sampling. To illustrate the general applicability of the method, conformational equilibria of met-enkephalin (5 aa) and deca-alanine (10 aa) in solution were also analyzed. In both cases, smoothly converged free-energy results were obtained in agreement with equilibrium sampling or literature calculations. These results demonstrate that the CSF method may provide conformational free-energy differences of biomolecules with small statistical errors (below 0.5 kcal/mol) and at a moderate computational cost even with a full representation of the solvent.

  13. Fabrication of nanocrystalline alloys Cu–Cr–Mo super satured solid solution by mechanical alloying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguilar, C., E-mail: claudio.aguilar@usm.cl [Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Materiales, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso (Chile); Guzmán, D. [Departamento de Ingeniería en Metalurgia, Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Atacama y Centro Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Sustentable de Atacama (CRIDESAT), Av. Copayapu 485, Copiapó (Chile); Castro, F.; Martínez, V.; Cuevas, F. de las [Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones Técnicas de Gipuzkoa, Paseo de Manuel Lardizábal, N° 15, 20018 San Sebastián (Spain); Lascano, S. [Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso (Chile); Muthiah, T. [Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica y Materiales, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Av. España 1680, Valparaíso (Chile)

    2014-08-01

    This work discusses the extension of solid solubility of Cr and Mo in Cu processed by mechanical alloying. Three alloys processed, Cu–5Cr–5Mo, Cu–10Cr–10Mo and Cu–15Cr–15Mo (weight%) using a SPEX mill. Gibbs free energy of mixing values 10, 15 and 20 kJ mol{sup −1} were calculated for these three alloys respectively by using the Miedema's model. The crystallite size decreases and dislocation density increases when the milling time increases, so Gibbs free energy storage in powders increases by the presence of crystalline defects. The energy produced by crystallite boundaries and strain dislocations were estimated and compared with Gibbs free energy of mixing values. The energy storage values by the presence of crystalline defects were higher than Gibbs free energy of mixing at 120 h for Cu–5Cr–5Mo, 130 h for Cu–10Cr–10Mo and 150 h for Cu–15Cr–15Mo. During milling, crystalline defects are produced that increases the Gibbs free energy storage and thus the Gibbs free energy curves are moved upwards and hence the solubility limit changes. Therefore, the three alloys form solid solutions after these milling time, which are supported with the XRD results. - Highlights: • Extension of solid solution Cr and Mo in Cu achieved by mechanical alloying. • X-ray characterization of Cu–Cr–Mo system processed by mechanical alloying. • Thermodynamics analysis of formation of solid solution of the Cu–Cr–Mo system.

  14. Time-dependent generalized Gibbs ensembles in open quantum systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lange, Florian; Lenarčič, Zala; Rosch, Achim

    2018-04-01

    Generalized Gibbs ensembles have been used as powerful tools to describe the steady state of integrable many-particle quantum systems after a sudden change of the Hamiltonian. Here, we demonstrate numerically that they can be used for a much broader class of problems. We consider integrable systems in the presence of weak perturbations which break both integrability and drive the system to a state far from equilibrium. Under these conditions, we show that the steady state and the time evolution on long timescales can be accurately described by a (truncated) generalized Gibbs ensemble with time-dependent Lagrange parameters, determined from simple rate equations. We compare the numerically exact time evolutions of density matrices for small systems with a theory based on block-diagonal density matrices (diagonal ensemble) and a time-dependent generalized Gibbs ensemble containing only a small number of approximately conserved quantities, using the one-dimensional Heisenberg model with perturbations described by Lindblad operators as an example.

  15. Determination of standard Ghibbs free energy of formation of NiW sub 2 B sub 2 and activity of Ni-W binary system by EMF measurement. Kidenryokuho ni yoru NiW sub 2 B sub 2 no hyojun seisei Gibbs jiyu energy to Ni-W 2 seibunkei no katsuryo no sokutei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kayama, Koichiro; Hashimoto, Yasuhiko; Suzuki, Kenji; Matsuo, Hideki (Himeji Inst. of Tech., Hyogo (Japan) Fukushin Electric Co., Ltd., Hyogo (Japan))

    1989-12-25

    NiW {sub 2} B {sub 2} (M phase), existing in trinary Ni-W-B system, was measured in standard Gibbs free energy (GF) of formation in the temperature range from 1273K to 1423K by an electromotive force method (EMF) with use of solid oxide electrolyte. First, oxide phase in equilibrium with three-phase M-W-Ni solid solution region was confirmed to be B {sub 2} O {sub 3}. Binary Ni-W system solid solution in equilibrium with M phase and W phase is constant in composition with Ni-16.4mo1%W in the above temperature range. WO {sub 2} and WO {sub 2.72} were actually measured in GF. As Ni-W solid solution is in equilibrium with WO {sub 2} and WO {sub 2.72}, binary Ni-W system was measured in activity by the EMF, and Ni-16.4mo1%W solid solution was calculated in GF of mixing by use of the above measured GF of WO {sub 2} and WO {sub 2.72}. Finally with use of sample in M-W-Ni solid solution region, M phase was calculated in GF by the EMF. The result of those calculations were expressed with experimental formulas. 19 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.

  16. Converging ligand-binding free energies obtained with free-energy perturbations at the quantum mechanical level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, Martin A; Söderhjelm, Pär; Ryde, Ulf

    2016-06-30

    In this article, the convergence of quantum mechanical (QM) free-energy simulations based on molecular dynamics simulations at the molecular mechanics (MM) level has been investigated. We have estimated relative free energies for the binding of nine cyclic carboxylate ligands to the octa-acid deep-cavity host, including the host, the ligand, and all water molecules within 4.5 Å of the ligand in the QM calculations (158-224 atoms). We use single-step exponential averaging (ssEA) and the non-Boltzmann Bennett acceptance ratio (NBB) methods to estimate QM/MM free energy with the semi-empirical PM6-DH2X method, both based on interaction energies. We show that ssEA with cumulant expansion gives a better convergence and uses half as many QM calculations as NBB, although the two methods give consistent results. With 720,000 QM calculations per transformation, QM/MM free-energy estimates with a precision of 1 kJ/mol can be obtained for all eight relative energies with ssEA, showing that this approach can be used to calculate converged QM/MM binding free energies for realistic systems and large QM partitions. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. GPU-accelerated Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations of Lennard-Jonesium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mick, Jason; Hailat, Eyad; Russo, Vincent; Rushaidat, Kamel; Schwiebert, Loren; Potoff, Jeffrey

    2013-12-01

    This work describes an implementation of canonical and Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations on graphics processing units (GPUs). The pair-wise energy calculations, which consume the majority of the computational effort, are parallelized using the energetic decomposition algorithm. While energetic decomposition is relatively inefficient for traditional CPU-bound codes, the algorithm is ideally suited to the architecture of the GPU. The performance of the CPU and GPU codes are assessed for a variety of CPU and GPU combinations for systems containing between 512 and 131,072 particles. For a system of 131,072 particles, the GPU-enabled canonical and Gibbs ensemble codes were 10.3 and 29.1 times faster (GTX 480 GPU vs. i5-2500K CPU), respectively, than an optimized serial CPU-bound code. Due to overhead from memory transfers from system RAM to the GPU, the CPU code was slightly faster than the GPU code for simulations containing less than 600 particles. The critical temperature Tc∗=1.312(2) and density ρc∗=0.316(3) were determined for the tail corrected Lennard-Jones potential from simulations of 10,000 particle systems, and found to be in exact agreement with prior mixed field finite-size scaling calculations [J.J. Potoff, A.Z. Panagiotopoulos, J. Chem. Phys. 109 (1998) 10914].

  18. The application of computational thermodynamics and a numerical model for the determination of surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of aluminum based alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jacome, Paulo A.D.; Landim, Mariana C.; Garcia, Amauri; Furtado, Alexandre F.; Ferreira, Ivaldo L.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Surface tension and the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient are computed for Al-based alloys. → Butler's scheme and ThermoCalc are used to compute the thermophysical properties. → Predictive cell/dendrite growth models depend on accurate thermophysical properties. → Mechanical properties can be related to the microstructural cell/dendrite spacing. - Abstract: In this paper, a solution for Butler's formulation is presented permitting the surface tension and the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of Al-based binary alloys to be determined. The importance of Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for binary alloys is related to the reliability of predictions furnished by predictive cellular and dendritic growth models and of numerical computations of solidification thermal variables, which will be strongly dependent on the thermophysical properties assumed for the calculations. A numerical model based on Powell hybrid algorithm and a finite difference Jacobian approximation was coupled to a specific interface of a computational thermodynamics software in order to assess the excess Gibbs energy of the liquid phase, permitting the surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for Al-Fe, Al-Ni, Al-Cu and Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys to be calculated. The computed results are presented as a function of the alloy composition.

  19. SOCIAL EQUIVALENT OF FREE ENERGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josip Stepanic

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Characterisation of unbounded resources of a social system within the sociological interpretation has resulted in a large number of different notions, which are relevant in different situations. From the view point of statistical mechanics, these notions resemble free energy. In this paper the concept of social free energy is introduced and first steps toward its development presented. The social free energy is a function equal to physical free energy appropriately determined for the social system, with intrinsically sociological interpretation as a measure of social action obtainable in a given social system without changes in its structure. Its construction is a consequence of response of a social system to recognised parts of environment dynamics. It is argued that development of a social system response resembles exciting the normal modes of a general, physical system.

  20. Rapidly Mixing Gibbs Sampling for a Class of Factor Graphs Using Hierarchy Width.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Sa, Christopher; Zhang, Ce; Olukotun, Kunle; Ré, Christopher

    2015-12-01

    Gibbs sampling on factor graphs is a widely used inference technique, which often produces good empirical results. Theoretical guarantees for its performance are weak: even for tree structured graphs, the mixing time of Gibbs may be exponential in the number of variables. To help understand the behavior of Gibbs sampling, we introduce a new (hyper)graph property, called hierarchy width . We show that under suitable conditions on the weights, bounded hierarchy width ensures polynomial mixing time. Our study of hierarchy width is in part motivated by a class of factor graph templates, hierarchical templates , which have bounded hierarchy width-regardless of the data used to instantiate them. We demonstrate a rich application from natural language processing in which Gibbs sampling provably mixes rapidly and achieves accuracy that exceeds human volunteers.

  1. The use of computational thermodynamics for the determination of surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of multicomponent alloys

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferreira, D. J. S.; Bezerra, B. N.; Collyer, M. N.; Garcia, A.; Ferreira, I. L.

    2018-04-01

    The simulation of casting processes demands accurate information on the thermophysical properties of the alloy; however, such information is scarce in the literature for multicomponent alloys. Generally, metallic alloys applied in industry have more than three solute components. In the present study, a general solution of Butler's formulation for surface tension is presented for multicomponent alloys and is applied in quaternary Al-Cu-Si-Fe alloys, thus permitting the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient to be determined. Such coefficient is a determining factor to the reliability of predictions furnished by microstructure growth models and by numerical computations of solidification thermal parameters, which will depend on the thermophysical properties assumed in the calculations. The Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for ternary and quaternary alloys is seldom reported in the literature. A numerical model based on Powell's hybrid algorithm and a finite difference Jacobian approximation has been coupled to a Thermo-Calc TCAPI interface to assess the excess Gibbs energy of the liquid phase, permitting liquidus temperature, latent heat, alloy density, surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for Al-Cu-Si-Fe hypoeutectic alloys to be calculated, as an example of calculation capabilities for multicomponent alloys of the proposed method. The computed results are compared with thermophysical properties of binary Al-Cu and ternary Al-Cu-Si alloys found in the literature and presented as a function of the Cu solute composition.

  2. Exploring the ab initio/classical free energy perturbation method: The hydration free energy of water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakane, Shinichi; Yezdimer, Eric M.; Liu, Wenbin; Barriocanal, Jose A.; Doren, Douglas J.; Wood, Robert H.

    2000-01-01

    The ab initio/classical free energy perturbation (ABC-FEP) method proposed previously by Wood et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 1329 (1999)] uses classical simulations to calculate solvation free energies within an empirical potential model, then applies free energy perturbation theory to determine the effect of changing the empirical solute-solvent interactions to corresponding interactions calculated from ab initio methods. This approach allows accurate calculation of solvation free energies using an atomistic description of the solvent and solute, with interactions calculated from first principles. Results can be obtained at a feasible computational cost without making use of approximations such as a continuum solvent or an empirical cavity formation energy. As such, the method can be used far from ambient conditions, where the empirical parameters needed for approximate theories of solvation may not be available. The sources of error in the ABC-FEP method are the approximations in the ab initio method, the finite sample of configurations, and the classical solvent model. This article explores the accuracy of various approximations used in the ABC-FEP method by comparing to the experimentally well-known free energy of hydration of water at two state points (ambient conditions, and 973.15 K and 600 kg/m3). The TIP4P-FQ model [J. Chem. Phys. 101, 6141 (1994)] is found to be a reliable solvent model for use with this method, even at supercritical conditions. Results depend strongly on the ab initio method used: a gradient-corrected density functional theory is not adequate, but a localized MP2 method yields excellent agreement with experiment. Computational costs are reduced by using a cluster approximation, in which ab initio pair interaction energies are calculated between the solute and up to 60 solvent molecules, while multi-body interactions are calculated with only a small cluster (5 to 12 solvent molecules). Sampling errors for the ab initio contribution to

  3. Generalization of Gibbs Entropy and Thermodynamic Relation

    OpenAIRE

    Park, Jun Chul

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we extend Gibbs's approach of quasi-equilibrium thermodynamic processes, and calculate the microscopic expression of entropy for general non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes. Also, we analyze the formal structure of thermodynamic relation in non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes.

  4. Phase relations and gibbs energies in the system Mn-Rh-O

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacob, K. T.; Sriram, M. V.

    1994-07-01

    Phase relations in the system Mn-Rh-O are established at 1273 K by equilibrating different compositions either in evacuated quartz ampules or in pure oxygen at a pressure of 1.01 × 105 Pa. The quenched samples are examined by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The alloys and intermetallics in the binary Mn-Rh system are found to be in equilibrium with MnO. There is only one ternary compound, MnRh2O4, with normal spinel structure in the system. The compound Mn3O4 has a tetragonal structure at 1273 K. A solid solution is formed between MnRh2O4 and Mn3O4. The solid solution has the cubic structure over a large range of composition and coexists with metallic rhodium. The partial pressure of oxygen corresponding to this two-phase equilibrium is measured as a function of the composition of the spinel solid solution and temperature. A new solid-state cell, with three separate electrode compartments, is designed to measure accurately the chemical potential of oxygen in the two-phase mixture, Rh + Mn3-2xRh2xO4, which has 1 degree of freedom at constant temperature. From the electromotive force (emf), thermodynamic mixing properties of the Mn3O4-MnRh2O4 solid solution and Gibbs energy of formation of MnRh2O4 are deduced. The activities exhibit negative deviations from Raoult’s law for most of the composition range, except near Mn3O4, where a two-phase region exists. In the cubic phase, the entropy of mixing of the two Rh3+ and Mn3+ ions on the octahedral site of the spinel is ideal, and the enthalpy of mixing is positive and symmetric with respect to composition. For the formation of the spinel (sp) from component oxides with rock salt (rs) and orthorhombic (orth) structures according to the reaction, MnO (rs) + Rh2O3 (orth) → MnRh2O4 (sp), ΔG° = -49,680 + 1.56T (±500) J mol-1 The oxygen potentials corresponding to MnO + Mn3O4 and Rh + Rh2O3 equilibria are also obtained from potentiometric measurements on galvanic

  5. The application of computational thermodynamics and a numerical model for the determination of surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of aluminum based alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacome, Paulo A.D.; Landim, Mariana C. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Fluminense Federal University, Av. dos Trabalhadores, 420-27255-125 Volta Redonda, RJ (Brazil); Garcia, Amauri, E-mail: amaurig@fem.unicamp.br [Department of Materials Engineering, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, PO Box 6122, 13083-970 Campinas, SP (Brazil); Furtado, Alexandre F.; Ferreira, Ivaldo L. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Fluminense Federal University, Av. dos Trabalhadores, 420-27255-125 Volta Redonda, RJ (Brazil)

    2011-08-20

    Highlights: {yields} Surface tension and the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient are computed for Al-based alloys. {yields} Butler's scheme and ThermoCalc are used to compute the thermophysical properties. {yields} Predictive cell/dendrite growth models depend on accurate thermophysical properties. {yields} Mechanical properties can be related to the microstructural cell/dendrite spacing. - Abstract: In this paper, a solution for Butler's formulation is presented permitting the surface tension and the Gibbs-Thomson coefficient of Al-based binary alloys to be determined. The importance of Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for binary alloys is related to the reliability of predictions furnished by predictive cellular and dendritic growth models and of numerical computations of solidification thermal variables, which will be strongly dependent on the thermophysical properties assumed for the calculations. A numerical model based on Powell hybrid algorithm and a finite difference Jacobian approximation was coupled to a specific interface of a computational thermodynamics software in order to assess the excess Gibbs energy of the liquid phase, permitting the surface tension and Gibbs-Thomson coefficient for Al-Fe, Al-Ni, Al-Cu and Al-Si hypoeutectic alloys to be calculated. The computed results are presented as a function of the alloy composition.

  6. Diabat Interpolation for Polymorph Free-Energy Differences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamat, Kartik; Peters, Baron

    2017-02-02

    Existing methods to compute free-energy differences between polymorphs use harmonic approximations, advanced non-Boltzmann bias sampling techniques, and/or multistage free-energy perturbations. This work demonstrates how Bennett's diabat interpolation method ( J. Comput. Phys. 1976, 22, 245 ) can be combined with energy gaps from lattice-switch Monte Carlo techniques ( Phys. Rev. E 2000, 61, 906 ) to swiftly estimate polymorph free-energy differences. The new method requires only two unbiased molecular dynamics simulations, one for each polymorph. To illustrate the new method, we compute the free-energy difference between face-centered cubic and body-centered cubic polymorphs for a Gaussian core solid. We discuss the justification for parabolic models of the free-energy diabats and similarities to methods that have been used in studies of electron transfer.

  7. Calculation of total free energy yield as an alternative approach for predicting the importance of potential chemolithotrophic reactions in geothermal springs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodsworth, Jeremy A; McDonald, Austin I; Hedlund, Brian P

    2012-08-01

    To inform hypotheses regarding the relative importance of chemolithotrophic metabolisms in geothermal environments, we calculated free energy yields of 26 chemical reactions potentially supporting chemolithotrophy in two US Great Basin hot springs, taking into account the effects of changing reactant and product activities on the Gibbs free energy as each reaction progressed. Results ranged from 1.2 × 10(-5) to 3.6 J kg(-1) spring water, or 3.7 × 10(-5) to 11.5 J s(-1) based on measured flow rates, with aerobic oxidation of CH(4) or NH4 + giving the highest average yields. Energy yields calculated without constraining pH were similar to those at constant pH except for reactions where H(+) was consumed, which often had significantly lower yields when pH was unconstrained. In contrast to the commonly used normalization of reaction chemical affinities per mole of electrons transferred, reaction energy yields for a given oxidant varied by several orders of magnitude and were more sensitive to differences in the activities of products and reactants. The high energy yield of aerobic ammonia oxidation is consistent with previous observations of significant ammonia oxidation rates and abundant ammonia-oxidizing archaea in sediments of these springs. This approach offers an additional lens through which to view the thermodynamic landscape of geothermal springs. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Gibbs equilibrium averages and Bogolyubov measure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sankovich, D.P.

    2011-01-01

    Application of the functional integration methods in equilibrium statistical mechanics of quantum Bose-systems is considered. We show that Gibbs equilibrium averages of Bose-operators can be represented as path integrals over a special Gauss measure defined in the corresponding space of continuous functions. We consider some problems related to integration with respect to this measure

  9. Free energy analysis of cell spreading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McEvoy, Eóin; Deshpande, Vikram S; McGarry, Patrick

    2017-10-01

    In this study we present a steady-state adaptation of the thermodynamically motivated stress fiber (SF) model of Vigliotti et al. (2015). We implement this steady-state formulation in a non-local finite element setting where we also consider global conservation of the total number of cytoskeletal proteins within the cell, global conservation of the number of binding integrins on the cell membrane, and adhesion limiting ligand density on the substrate surface. We present a number of simulations of cell spreading in which we consider a limited subset of the possible deformed spread-states assumed by the cell in order to examine the hypothesis that free energy minimization drives the process of cell spreading. Simulations suggest that cell spreading can be viewed as a competition between (i) decreasing cytoskeletal free energy due to strain induced assembly of cytoskeletal proteins into contractile SFs, and (ii) increasing elastic free energy due to stretching of the mechanically passive components of the cell. The computed minimum free energy spread area is shown to be lower for a cell on a compliant substrate than on a rigid substrate. Furthermore, a low substrate ligand density is found to limit cell spreading. The predicted dependence of cell spread area on substrate stiffness and ligand density is in agreement with the experiments of Engler et al. (2003). We also simulate the experiments of Théry et al. (2006), whereby initially circular cells deform and adhere to "V-shaped" and "Y-shaped" ligand patches. Analysis of a number of different spread states reveals that deformed configurations with the lowest free energy exhibit a SF distribution that corresponds to experimental observations, i.e. a high concentration of highly aligned SFs occurs along free edges, with lower SF concentrations in the interior of the cell. In summary, the results of this study suggest that cell spreading is driven by free energy minimization based on a competition between decreasing

  10. A logistic regression estimating function for spatial Gibbs point processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baddeley, Adrian; Coeurjolly, Jean-François; Rubak, Ege

    We propose a computationally efficient logistic regression estimating function for spatial Gibbs point processes. The sample points for the logistic regression consist of the observed point pattern together with a random pattern of dummy points. The estimating function is closely related to the p......We propose a computationally efficient logistic regression estimating function for spatial Gibbs point processes. The sample points for the logistic regression consist of the observed point pattern together with a random pattern of dummy points. The estimating function is closely related...

  11. The free energy principle, negative energy modes, and stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, P.J.; Kotschenreuther, M.

    1990-01-01

    This paper is concerned with instability of equilibria of Hamiltonian, fluid and plasma dynamical systems. Usually the dynamical equilibrium of interest is not the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, and does not correspond to a free energy minimum. The relaxation of this type of equilibrium is conventionally considered to be initiated by linear instability. However, there are many cases where linear instability is not present, but the equilibrium is nonlinearly unstable to arbitrarily small perturbations. This paper is about general free energy expressions for determining the presence of linear or nonlinear instabilities. These expressions are simple and practical, and can be obtained for all equilibria of all ideal fluid and plasma models. By free energy, we mean the energy change upon perturbations of the equilibrium that respect dynamical phase space constraints. This quantity is measured by a self-adjoint quadratic form, called δ 2 F. The free energy can result in instability when δ 2 F is indefinite; i.e. there exist accessible perturbations that lower the free energy of the system. A primary purpose of this paper is to tie together three manifestations of what we will refer to as negative energy modes. The first is the conventional plasma physics notion of negative energy mode that is based on the definition of the energy in a homogeneous dielectric medium. A negative energy mode is a normal mode of the medium (plasma) that possesses negative dielectric energy. The second manifestation occurs in finite degree-of-freedom Hamiltonian normal form theory. The quadratic part of a Hamiltonian in the vicinity of an equilibrium point, which possesses only distinct oscillatory eigenvalues, has an invariant signature. Thus in cases where the quadratic form is indefinite, it is natural to refer to the modes corresponding to the negative signature as negative energy modes

  12. Boltzmann, Gibbs and Darwin-Fowler approaches in parastatistics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponczek, R.L.; Yan, C.C.

    1976-01-01

    Derivations of the equilibrium values of occupation numbers are made using three approaches, namely, the Boltzmann 'elementary' one, the ensemble method of Gibbs, and that of Darwin and Fowler as well [pt

  13. Continuous spin mean-field models : Limiting kernels and Gibbs properties of local transforms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kulske, Christof; Opoku, Alex A.

    2008-01-01

    We extend the notion of Gibbsianness for mean-field systems to the setup of general (possibly continuous) local state spaces. We investigate the Gibbs properties of systems arising from an initial mean-field Gibbs measure by application of given local transition kernels. This generalizes previous

  14. Numerical implementation and oceanographic application of the Gibbs potential of ice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Feistel

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The 2004 Gibbs thermodynamic potential function of naturally abundant water ice is based on much more experimental data than its predecessors, is therefore significantly more accurate and reliable, and for the first time describes the entire temperature and pressure range of existence of this ice phase. It is expressed in the ITS-90 temperature scale and is consistent with the current scientific pure water standard, IAPWS-95, and the 2003 Gibbs potential of seawater. The combination of these formulations provides sublimation pressures, freezing points, and sea ice properties covering the parameter ranges of oceanographic interest. This paper provides source code examples in Visual Basic, Fortran and C++ for the computation of the Gibbs function of ice and its partial derivatives. It reports the most important related thermodynamic equations for ice and sea ice properties.

  15. Large scale inference in the Infinite Relational Model: Gibbs sampling is not enough

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Albers, Kristoffer Jon; Moth, Andreas Leon Aagard; Mørup, Morten

    2013-01-01

    . We find that Gibbs sampling can be computationally scaled to handle millions of nodes and billions of links. Investigating the behavior of the Gibbs sampler for different sizes of networks we find that the mixing ability decreases drastically with the network size, clearly indicating a need...

  16. Calculation of molecular free energies in classical potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farhi, Asaf; Singh, Bipin

    2016-01-01

    Free energies of molecules can be calculated by quantum chemistry computations or by normal mode classical calculations. However, the first can be computationally impractical for large molecules and the second is based on the assumption of harmonic dynamics. We present a novel, accurate and complete calculation of molecular free energies in standard classical potentials. In this method we transform the molecule by relaxing potential terms which depend on the coordinates of a group of atoms in that molecule and calculate the free energy difference associated with the transformation. Then, since the transformed molecule can be treated as non-interacting systems, the free energy associated with these atoms is analytically or numerically calculated. This two-step calculation can be applied to calculate free energies of molecules or free energy difference between (possibly large) molecules in a general environment. We demonstrate the method in free energy calculations for methanethiol and butane molecules in vacuum and solvent. We suggest the potential application of free energy calculation of chemical reactions in classical molecular simulations. (paper)

  17. Free energy of hydration of niobium oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plodinec, M.J.

    1996-01-01

    Some of the glasses being formulated by SRTC researchers contain niobium oxide. In this report, the free energy of hydration of the oxide is calculated from the free energies of formation of the oxide, the hydroxide, and water. This value can be used in calculations of the free energy of hydration of glasses containing niobium

  18. On P-Adic Quasi Gibbs Measures for Q + 1-State Potts Model on the Cayley Tree

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukhamedov, Farrukh

    2010-06-01

    In the present paper we introduce a new class of p-adic measures, associated with q +1-state Potts model, called p-adic quasi Gibbs measure, which is totally different from the p-adic Gibbs measure. We establish the existence p-adic quasi Gibbs measures for the model on a Cayley tree. If q is divisible by p, then we prove the occurrence of a strong phase transition. If q and p are relatively prime, then there is a quasi phase transition. These results are totally different from the results of [F.M.Mukhamedov, U.A. Rozikov, Indag. Math. N.S. 15(2005) 85-100], since q is divisible by p, which means that q + 1 is not divided by p, so according to a main result of the mentioned paper, there is a unique and bounded p-adic Gibbs measure (different from p-adic quasi Gibbs measure). (author)

  19. An Introduction to the DA-T Gibbs Sampler for the Two-Parameter Logistic (2PL Model and Beyond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gunter Maris

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The DA-T Gibbs sampler is proposed by Maris and Maris (2002 as a Bayesian estimation method for a wide variety of Item Response Theory (IRT models. The present paper provides an expository account of the DAT Gibbs sampler for the 2PL model. However, the scope is not limited to the 2PL model. It is demonstrated how the DA-T Gibbs sampler for the 2PL may be used to build, quite easily, Gibbs samplers for other IRT models. Furthermore, the paper contains a novel, intuitive derivation of the Gibbs sampler and could be read for a graduate course on sampling.

  20. The Limit of Free Magnetic Energy in Active Regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Ron; Falconer, David; Sterling, Alphonse

    2012-01-01

    By measuring from active-region magnetograms a proxy of the free energy in the active region fs magnetic field, it has been found previously that (1) there is an abrupt upper limit to the free energy the field can hold that increases with the amount of magnetic field in the active region, the active region fs magnetic flux content, and (2) the free energy is usually near its limit when the field explodes in a CME/flare eruption. That is, explosive active regions are concentrated in a main-sequence path bordering the free-energy ]limit line in (flux content, free-energy proxy) phase space. Here, from measurement of Marshall Space Flight Center vector magnetograms, we find the magnetic condition that underlies the free ]energy limit and the accompanying main sequence of explosive active regions. Using a suitable free ]energy proxy measured from vector magnetograms of 44 active regions, we find that (1) in active regions at and near their free ]energy limit, the ratio of magnetic-shear free energy to the non ]free magnetic energy the potential field would have is approximately 1 in the core field, the field rooted along the neutral line, and (2) this ratio is progressively less in active regions progressively farther below their free ]energy limit. This shows that most active regions in which this core-field energy ratio is much less than 1 cannot be triggered to explode; as this ratio approaches 1, most active regions become capable of exploding; and when this ratio is 1 or greater, most active regions are compelled to explode. From these results we surmise the magnetic condition that determines the free ]energy limit is the ratio of the free magnetic energy to the non-free energy the active region fs field would have were it completely relaxed to its potential ]field configuration, and that this ratio is approximately 1 at the free-energy limit and in the main sequence of explosive active regions.

  1. Good Practices in Free-energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pohorille, Andrew; Jarzynski, Christopher; Chipot, Christopher

    2013-01-01

    As access to computational resources continues to increase, free-energy calculations have emerged as a powerful tool that can play a predictive role in drug design. Yet, in a number of instances, the reliability of these calculations can be improved significantly if a number of precepts, or good practices are followed. For the most part, the theory upon which these good practices rely has been known for many years, but often overlooked, or simply ignored. In other cases, the theoretical developments are too recent for their potential to be fully grasped and merged into popular platforms for the computation of free-energy differences. The current best practices for carrying out free-energy calculations will be reviewed demonstrating that, at little to no additional cost, free-energy estimates could be markedly improved and bounded by meaningful error estimates. In energy perturbation and nonequilibrium work methods, monitoring the probability distributions that underlie the transformation between the states of interest, performing the calculation bidirectionally, stratifying the reaction pathway and choosing the most appropriate paradigms and algorithms for transforming between states offer significant gains in both accuracy and precision. In thermodynamic integration and probability distribution (histogramming) methods, properly designed adaptive techniques yield nearly uniform sampling of the relevant degrees of freedom and, by doing so, could markedly improve efficiency and accuracy of free energy calculations without incurring any additional computational expense.

  2. Gibbs energy calculation of electrolytic plasma channel with inclusions of copper and copper oxide with Al-base

    Science.gov (United States)

    Posuvailo, V. M.; Klapkiv, M. D.; Student, M. M.; Sirak, Y. Y.; Pokhmurska, H. V.

    2017-03-01

    The oxide ceramic coating with copper inclusions was synthesized by the method of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). Calculations of the Gibbs energies of reactions between the plasma channel elements with inclusions of copper and copper oxide were carried out. Two methods of forming the oxide-ceramic coatings on aluminum base in electrolytic plasma with copper inclusions were established. The first method - consist in the introduction of copper into the aluminum matrix, the second - copper oxide. During the synthesis of oxide ceramic coatings plasma channel does not react with copper and copper oxide-ceramic included in the coating. In the second case is reduction of copper oxide in interaction with elements of the plasma channel. The content of oxide-ceramic layer was investigated by X-ray and X-ray microelement analysis. The inclusions of copper, CuAl2, Cu9Al4 in the oxide-ceramic coatings were found. It was established that in the spark plasma channels alongside with the oxidation reaction occurs also the reaction aluminothermic reduction of the metal that allows us to dope the oxide-ceramic coating by metal the isobaric-isothermal potential oxidation of which is less negative than the potential of the aluminum oxide.

  3. Connecting free energy surfaces in implicit and explicit solvent: an efficient method to compute conformational and solvation free energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Nanjie; Zhang, Bin W; Levy, Ronald M

    2015-06-09

    The ability to accurately model solvent effects on free energy surfaces is important for understanding many biophysical processes including protein folding and misfolding, allosteric transitions, and protein–ligand binding. Although all-atom simulations in explicit solvent can provide an accurate model for biomolecules in solution, explicit solvent simulations are hampered by the slow equilibration on rugged landscapes containing multiple basins separated by barriers. In many cases, implicit solvent models can be used to significantly speed up the conformational sampling; however, implicit solvent simulations do not fully capture the effects of a molecular solvent, and this can lead to loss of accuracy in the estimated free energies. Here we introduce a new approach to compute free energy changes in which the molecular details of explicit solvent simulations are retained while also taking advantage of the speed of the implicit solvent simulations. In this approach, the slow equilibration in explicit solvent, due to the long waiting times before barrier crossing, is avoided by using a thermodynamic cycle which connects the free energy basins in implicit solvent and explicit solvent using a localized decoupling scheme. We test this method by computing conformational free energy differences and solvation free energies of the model system alanine dipeptide in water. The free energy changes between basins in explicit solvent calculated using fully explicit solvent paths agree with the corresponding free energy differences obtained using the implicit/explicit thermodynamic cycle to within 0.3 kcal/mol out of ∼3 kcal/mol at only ∼8% of the computational cost. We note that WHAM methods can be used to further improve the efficiency and accuracy of the implicit/explicit thermodynamic cycle.

  4. Inferring the Gibbs state of a small quantum system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rau, Jochen

    2011-01-01

    Gibbs states are familiar from statistical mechanics, yet their use is not limited to that domain. For instance, they also feature in the maximum entropy reconstruction of quantum states from incomplete measurement data. Outside the macroscopic realm, however, estimating a Gibbs state is a nontrivial inference task, due to two complicating factors: the proper set of relevant observables might not be evident a priori; and whenever data are gathered from a small sample only, the best estimate for the Lagrange parameters is invariably affected by the experimenter's prior bias. I show how the two issues can be tackled with the help of Bayesian model selection and Bayesian interpolation, respectively, and illustrate the use of these Bayesian techniques with a number of simple examples.

  5. Microscopically derived free energy of dislocations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kooiman, M.; Hütter, M.; Geers, M.G.D.

    2015-01-01

    The dynamics of large amounts of dislocations is the governing mechanism in metal plasticity. The free energy of a continuous dislocation density profile plays a crucial role in the description of the dynamics of dislocations, as free energy derivatives act as the driving forces of dislocation

  6. Numerical implementation and oceanographic application of the Gibbs thermodynamic potential of seawater

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Feistel

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The 2003 Gibbs thermodynamic potential function represents a very accurate, compact, consistent and comprehensive formulation of equilibrium properties of seawater. It is expressed in the International Temperature Scale ITS-90 and is fully consistent with the current scientific pure water standard, IAPWS-95. Source code examples in FORTRAN, C++ and Visual Basic are presented for the numerical implementation of the potential function and its partial derivatives, as well as for potential temperature. A collection of thermodynamic formulas and relations is given for possible applications in oceanography, from density and chemical potential over entropy and potential density to mixing heat and entropy production. For colligative properties like vapour pressure, freezing points, and for a Gibbs potential of sea ice, the equations relating the Gibbs function of seawater to those of vapour and ice are presented.

  7. Uncertainty Quantification in Alchemical Free Energy Methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhati, Agastya P; Wan, Shunzhou; Hu, Yuan; Sherborne, Brad; Coveney, Peter V

    2018-05-02

    Alchemical free energy methods have gained much importance recently from several reports of improved ligand-protein binding affinity predictions based on their implementation using molecular dynamics simulations. A large number of variants of such methods implementing different accelerated sampling techniques and free energy estimators are available, each claimed to be better than the others in its own way. However, the key features of reproducibility and quantification of associated uncertainties in such methods have barely been discussed. Here, we apply a systematic protocol for uncertainty quantification to a number of popular alchemical free energy methods, covering both absolute and relative free energy predictions. We show that a reliable measure of error estimation is provided by ensemble simulation-an ensemble of independent MD simulations-which applies irrespective of the free energy method. The need to use ensemble methods is fundamental and holds regardless of the duration of time of the molecular dynamics simulations performed.

  8. The Ideal Ionic Liquid Salt Bridge for the Direct Determination of Gibbs Energies of Transfer of Single Ions, Part I: The Concept.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, Valentin; Ermantraut, Andreas; Himmel, Daniel; Koslowski, Thorsten; Leito, Ivo; Krossing, Ingo

    2018-02-23

    Described is a procedure for the thermodynamically rigorous, experimental determination of the Gibbs energy of transfer of single ions between solvents. The method is based on potential difference measurements between two electrochemical half cells with different solvents connected by an ideal ionic liquid salt bridge (ILSB). Discussed are the specific requirements for the IL with regard to the procedure, thus ensuring that the liquid junction potentials (LJP) at both ends of the ILSB are mostly canceled. The remaining parts of the LJPs can be determined by separate electromotive force measurements. No extra-thermodynamic assumptions are necessary for this procedure. The accuracy of the measurements depends, amongst others, on the ideality of the IL used, as shown in our companion paper Part II. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Free energy profiles from single-molecule pulling experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hummer, Gerhard; Szabo, Attila

    2010-12-14

    Nonequilibrium pulling experiments provide detailed information about the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of molecules. We show that unperturbed free energy profiles as a function of molecular extension can be obtained rigorously from such experiments without using work-weighted position histograms. An inverse Weierstrass transform is used to relate the system free energy obtained from the Jarzynski equality directly to the underlying molecular free energy surface. An accurate approximation for the free energy surface is obtained by using the method of steepest descent to evaluate the inverse transform. The formalism is applied to simulated data obtained from a kinetic model of RNA folding, in which the dynamics consists of jumping between linker-dominated folded and unfolded free energy surfaces.

  10. Gibbs energy modelling of the driving forces and calculation of the fcc/hcp martensitic transformation temperatures in Fe-Mn and Fe-Mn-Si alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cotes, S.; Fernandez Guillermet, A.; Sade, M.

    1999-01-01

    Very recent, accurate dilatometric measurements of the fcc hcp martensitic transformation (MT) temperatures are used to develop a new thermodynamic description of the fcc and hcp phases in the Fe-Mn-Si system, based on phenomenological models for the Gibbs energy function. The composition dependence of the driving forces for the fcc→hcp and the hcp→fcc MTs is established. Detailed calculations of the MT temperatures are reported, which are used to investigate the systematic effects of Si additions upon the MT temperatures of Fe-Mn alloys. A critical comparison with one of the most recent thermodynamic analyses of the Fe-Mn-Si system, which is due to Forsberg and Agren, is also presented. (orig.)

  11. An efficient estimator for Gibbs random fields

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Janžura, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 50, č. 6 (2014), s. 883-895 ISSN 0023-5954 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP402/12/G097 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Gibbs random field * efficient estimator * empirical estimator Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.541, year: 2014 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2015/SI/janzura-0441325.pdf

  12. Periodic p-adic Gibbs Measures of q-State Potts Model on Cayley Trees I: The Chaos Implies the Vastness of the Set of p-Adic Gibbs Measures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Mohd Ali Khameini; Liao, Lingmin; Saburov, Mansoor

    2018-06-01

    We study the set of p-adic Gibbs measures of the q-state Potts model on the Cayley tree of order three. We prove the vastness of the set of the periodic p-adic Gibbs measures for such model by showing the chaotic behavior of the corresponding Potts-Bethe mapping over Q_p for the prime numbers p≡1 (mod 3). In fact, for 0< |θ -1|_p< |q|_p^2 < 1 where θ =\\exp _p(J) and J is a coupling constant, there exists a subsystem that is isometrically conjugate to the full shift on three symbols. Meanwhile, for 0< |q|_p^2 ≤ |θ -1|_p< |q|_p < 1, there exists a subsystem that is isometrically conjugate to a subshift of finite type on r symbols where r ≥ 4. However, these subshifts on r symbols are all topologically conjugate to the full shift on three symbols. The p-adic Gibbs measures of the same model for the prime numbers p=2,3 and the corresponding Potts-Bethe mapping are also discussed. On the other hand, for 0< |θ -1|_p< |q|_p < 1, we remark that the Potts-Bethe mapping is not chaotic when p=3 and p≡ 2 (mod 3) and we could not conclude the vastness of the set of the periodic p-adic Gibbs measures. In a forthcoming paper with the same title, we will treat the case 0< |q|_p ≤ |θ -1|_p < 1 for all prime numbers p.

  13. Modeling adsorption of cationic surfactants at air/water interface without using the Gibbs equation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, Chi M; Le, Thu N; Nguyen, Cuong V; Yusa, Shin-ichi

    2013-04-16

    The Gibbs adsorption equation has been indispensable in predicting the surfactant adsorption at the interfaces, with many applications in industrial and natural processes. This study uses a new theoretical framework to model surfactant adsorption at the air/water interface without the Gibbs equation. The model was applied to two surfactants, C14TAB and C16TAB, to determine the maximum surface excesses. The obtained values demonstrated a fundamental change, which was verified by simulations, in the molecular arrangement at the interface. The new insights, in combination with recent discoveries in the field, expose the limitations of applying the Gibbs adsorption equation to cationic surfactants at the air/water interface.

  14. Theoretical Understanding the Relations of Melting-point Determination Methods from Gibbs Thermodynamic Surface and Applications on Melting Curves of Lower Mantle Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, K.; Belonoshko, A. B.; Zhou, H.; Lu, X.

    2016-12-01

    The melting temperatures of materials in the interior of the Earth has significant implications in many areas of geophysics. The direct calculations of the melting point by atomic simulations would face substantial hysteresis problem. To overcome the hysteresis encountered in the atomic simulations there are a few different melting-point determination methods available nowadays, which are founded independently, such as the free energy method, the two-phase or coexistence method, and the Z method, etc. In this study, we provide a theoretical understanding the relations of these methods from a geometrical perspective based on a quantitative construction of the volume-entropy-energy thermodynamic surface, a model first proposed by J. Willard Gibbs in 1873. Then combining with an experimental data and/or a previous melting-point determination method, we apply this model to derive the high-pressure melting curves for several lower mantle minerals with less computational efforts relative to using previous methods only. Through this way, some polyatomic minerals at extreme pressures which are almost unsolvable before are calculated fully from first principles now.

  15. Learning free energy landscapes using artificial neural networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidky, Hythem; Whitmer, Jonathan K

    2018-03-14

    Existing adaptive bias techniques, which seek to estimate free energies and physical properties from molecular simulations, are limited by their reliance on fixed kernels or basis sets which hinder their ability to efficiently conform to varied free energy landscapes. Further, user-specified parameters are in general non-intuitive yet significantly affect the convergence rate and accuracy of the free energy estimate. Here we propose a novel method, wherein artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to develop an adaptive biasing potential which learns free energy landscapes. We demonstrate that this method is capable of rapidly adapting to complex free energy landscapes and is not prone to boundary or oscillation problems. The method is made robust to hyperparameters and overfitting through Bayesian regularization which penalizes network weights and auto-regulates the number of effective parameters in the network. ANN sampling represents a promising innovative approach which can resolve complex free energy landscapes in less time than conventional approaches while requiring minimal user input.

  16. Learning free energy landscapes using artificial neural networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sidky, Hythem; Whitmer, Jonathan K.

    2018-03-01

    Existing adaptive bias techniques, which seek to estimate free energies and physical properties from molecular simulations, are limited by their reliance on fixed kernels or basis sets which hinder their ability to efficiently conform to varied free energy landscapes. Further, user-specified parameters are in general non-intuitive yet significantly affect the convergence rate and accuracy of the free energy estimate. Here we propose a novel method, wherein artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to develop an adaptive biasing potential which learns free energy landscapes. We demonstrate that this method is capable of rapidly adapting to complex free energy landscapes and is not prone to boundary or oscillation problems. The method is made robust to hyperparameters and overfitting through Bayesian regularization which penalizes network weights and auto-regulates the number of effective parameters in the network. ANN sampling represents a promising innovative approach which can resolve complex free energy landscapes in less time than conventional approaches while requiring minimal user input.

  17. An analytical coarse-graining method which preserves the free energy, structural correlations, and thermodynamic state of polymer melts from the atomistic to the mesoscale.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarty, J; Clark, A J; Copperman, J; Guenza, M G

    2014-05-28

    Structural and thermodynamic consistency of coarse-graining models across multiple length scales is essential for the predictive role of multi-scale modeling and molecular dynamic simulations that use mesoscale descriptions. Our approach is a coarse-grained model based on integral equation theory, which can represent polymer chains at variable levels of chemical details. The model is analytical and depends on molecular and thermodynamic parameters of the system under study, as well as on the direct correlation function in the k → 0 limit, c0. A numerical solution to the PRISM integral equations is used to determine c0, by adjusting the value of the effective hard sphere diameter, dHS, to agree with the predicted equation of state. This single quantity parameterizes the coarse-grained potential, which is used to perform mesoscale simulations that are directly compared with atomistic-level simulations of the same system. We test our coarse-graining formalism by comparing structural correlations, isothermal compressibility, equation of state, Helmholtz and Gibbs free energies, and potential energy and entropy using both united atom and coarse-grained descriptions. We find quantitative agreement between the analytical formalism for the thermodynamic properties, and the results of Molecular Dynamics simulations, independent of the chosen level of representation. In the mesoscale description, the potential energy of the soft-particle interaction becomes a free energy in the coarse-grained coordinates which preserves the excess free energy from an ideal gas across all levels of description. The structural consistency between the united-atom and mesoscale descriptions means the relative entropy between descriptions has been minimized without any variational optimization parameters. The approach is general and applicable to any polymeric system in different thermodynamic conditions.

  18. Generalized formulation of free energy and application to photosynthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hwe Ik; Choi, M. Y.

    2018-03-01

    The origin of free energy on the earth is solar radiation. However, the amount of free energy it contains has seldom been investigated, because the free energy concept was believed to be inappropriate for a system of photons. Instead, the origin of free energy has been sought in the process of photosynthesis, imposing a limit of conversion given by the Carnot efficiency. Here we present a general formulation, capable of not only assessing accurately the available amount of free energy in the photon gas but also explaining the primary photosynthetic process more succinctly. In this formulation, the problem of "photosynthetic conversion of the internal energy of photons into the free energy of chlorophyll" is replaced by simple "free energy transduction" between the photons and chlorophyll. An analytic expression for the photosynthetic efficiency is derived and shown to deviate from the Carnot efficiency. Some predictions verifiable possibly by observation are also suggested.

  19. Free Energy in Introductory Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prentis, Jeffrey J.; Obsniuk, Michael J.

    2016-01-01

    Energy and entropy are two of the most important concepts in science. For all natural processes where a system exchanges energy with its environment, the energy of the system tends to decrease and the entropy of the system tends to increase. Free energy is the special concept that specifies how to balance the opposing tendencies to minimize energy…

  20. Calculating solution redox free energies with ab initio quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical minimum free energy path method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeng Xiancheng; Hu Hao; Hu Xiangqian; Yang Weitao

    2009-01-01

    A quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical minimum free energy path (QM/MM-MFEP) method was developed to calculate the redox free energies of large systems in solution with greatly enhanced efficiency for conformation sampling. The QM/MM-MFEP method describes the thermodynamics of a system on the potential of mean force surface of the solute degrees of freedom. The molecular dynamics (MD) sampling is only carried out with the QM subsystem fixed. It thus avoids 'on-the-fly' QM calculations and thus overcomes the high computational cost in the direct QM/MM MD sampling. In the applications to two metal complexes in aqueous solution, the new QM/MM-MFEP method yielded redox free energies in good agreement with those calculated from the direct QM/MM MD method. Two larger biologically important redox molecules, lumichrome and riboflavin, were further investigated to demonstrate the efficiency of the method. The enhanced efficiency and uncompromised accuracy are especially significant for biochemical systems. The QM/MM-MFEP method thus provides an efficient approach to free energy simulation of complex electron transfer reactions.

  1. The MaxEnt extension of a quantum Gibbs family, convex geometry and geodesics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weis, Stephan

    2015-01-01

    We discuss methods to analyze a quantum Gibbs family in the ultra-cold regime where the norm closure of the Gibbs family fails due to discontinuities of the maximum-entropy inference. The current discussion of maximum-entropy inference and irreducible correlation in the area of quantum phase transitions is a major motivation for this research. We extend a representation of the irreducible correlation from finite temperatures to absolute zero

  2. The new view of hydrophobic free energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, Robert L

    2013-04-17

    In the new view, hydrophobic free energy is measured by the work of solute transfer of hydrocarbon gases from vapor to aqueous solution. Reasons are given for believing that older values, measured by solute transfer from a reference solvent to water, are not quantitatively correct. The hydrophobic free energy from gas-liquid transfer is the sum of two opposing quantities, the cavity work (unfavorable) and the solute-solvent interaction energy (favorable). Values of the interaction energy have been found by simulation for linear alkanes and are used here to find the cavity work, which scales linearly with molar volume, not accessible surface area. The hydrophobic free energy is the dominant factor driving folding as judged by the heat capacity change for transfer, which agrees with values for solvating hydrocarbon gases. There is an apparent conflict with earlier values of hydrophobic free energy from studies of large-to-small mutations and an explanation is given. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Distribution of nuclei in equilibrium stellar matter from the free-energy density in a Wigner-Seitz cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grams, G.; Giraud, S.; Fantina, A. F.; Gulminelli, F.

    2018-03-01

    The aim of the present study is to calculate the nuclear distribution associated at finite temperature to any given equation of state of stellar matter based on the Wigner-Seitz approximation, for direct applications in core-collapse simulations. The Gibbs free energy of the different configurations is explicitly calculated, with special care devoted to the calculation of rearrangement terms, ensuring thermodynamic consistency. The formalism is illustrated with two different applications. First, we work out the nuclear statistical equilibrium cluster distribution for the Lattimer and Swesty equation of state, widely employed in supernova simulations. Secondly, we explore the effect of including shell structure, and consider realistic nuclear mass tables from the Brussels-Montreal Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov model (specifically, HFB-24). We show that the whole collapse trajectory is dominated by magic nuclei, with extremely spread and even bimodal distributions of the cluster probability around magic numbers, demonstrating the importance of cluster distributions with realistic mass models in core-collapse simulations. Simple analytical expressions are given, allowing further applications of the method to any relativistic or nonrelativistic subsaturation equation of state.

  4. Free Magnetic Energy in Solar Active Regions above the Minimum-Energy Relaxed State

    OpenAIRE

    Regnier, S.; Priest, E. R.

    2008-01-01

    To understand the physics of solar flares, including the local reorganization of the magnetic field and the acceleration of energetic particles, we have first to estimate the free magnetic energy available for such phenomena, which can be converted into kinetic and thermal energy. The free magnetic energy is the excess energy of a magnetic configuration compared to the minimum-energy state, which is a linear force-free field if the magnetic helicity of the configuration is conserved. We inves...

  5. Existence and uniqueness of Gibbs states for a statistical mechanical polyacetylene model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Y.M.

    1987-01-01

    One-dimensional polyacetylene is studied as a model of statistical mechanics. In a semiclassical approximation the system is equivalent to a quantum XY model interacting with unbounded classical spins in one-dimensional lattice space Z. By establishing uniform estimates, an infinite-volume-limit Hilbert space, a strongly continuous time evolution group of unitary operators, and an invariant vector are constructed. Moreover, it is proven that any infinite-limit state satisfies Gibbs conditions. Finally, a modification of Araki's relative entropy method is used to establish the uniqueness of Gibbs states

  6. Guidelines for the analysis of free energy calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimovich, Pavel V; Shirts, Michael R; Mobley, David L

    2015-05-01

    Free energy calculations based on molecular dynamics simulations show considerable promise for applications ranging from drug discovery to prediction of physical properties and structure-function studies. But these calculations are still difficult and tedious to analyze, and best practices for analysis are not well defined or propagated. Essentially, each group analyzing these calculations needs to decide how to conduct the analysis and, usually, develop its own analysis tools. Here, we review and recommend best practices for analysis yielding reliable free energies from molecular simulations. Additionally, we provide a Python tool, alchemical-analysis.py, freely available on GitHub as part of the pymbar package (located at http://github.com/choderalab/pymbar), that implements the analysis practices reviewed here for several reference simulation packages, which can be adapted to handle data from other packages. Both this review and the tool covers analysis of alchemical calculations generally, including free energy estimates via both thermodynamic integration and free energy perturbation-based estimators. Our Python tool also handles output from multiple types of free energy calculations, including expanded ensemble and Hamiltonian replica exchange, as well as standard fixed ensemble calculations. We also survey a range of statistical and graphical ways of assessing the quality of the data and free energy estimates, and provide prototypes of these in our tool. We hope this tool and discussion will serve as a foundation for more standardization of and agreement on best practices for analysis of free energy calculations.

  7. Computing conformational free energy differences in explicit solvent: An efficient thermodynamic cycle using an auxiliary potential and a free energy functional constructed from the end points.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Robert C; Deng, Nanjie; Levy, Ronald M; Ishizuka, Ryosuke; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki

    2017-06-05

    Many biomolecules undergo conformational changes associated with allostery or ligand binding. Observing these changes in computer simulations is difficult if their timescales are long. These calculations can be accelerated by observing the transition on an auxiliary free energy surface with a simpler Hamiltonian and connecting this free energy surface to the target free energy surface with free energy calculations. Here, we show that the free energy legs of the cycle can be replaced with energy representation (ER) density functional approximations. We compute: (1) The conformational free energy changes for alanine dipeptide transitioning from the right-handed free energy basin to the left-handed basin and (2) the free energy difference between the open and closed conformations of β-cyclodextrin, a "host" molecule that serves as a model for molecular recognition in host-guest binding. β-cyclodextrin contains 147 atoms compared to 22 atoms for alanine dipeptide, making β-cyclodextrin a large molecule for which to compute solvation free energies by free energy perturbation or integration methods and the largest system for which the ER method has been compared to exact free energy methods. The ER method replaced the 28 simulations to compute each coupling free energy with two endpoint simulations, reducing the computational time for the alanine dipeptide calculation by about 70% and for the β-cyclodextrin by > 95%. The method works even when the distribution of conformations on the auxiliary free energy surface differs substantially from that on the target free energy surface, although some degree of overlap between the two surfaces is required. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Exploring Fourier Series and Gibbs Phenomenon Using Mathematica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Jonaki B.

    2011-01-01

    This article describes a laboratory module on Fourier series and Gibbs phenomenon which was undertaken by 32 Year 12 students. It shows how the use of CAS played the role of an "amplifier" by making higher level mathematical concepts accessible to students of year 12. Using Mathematica students were able to visualise Fourier series of…

  9. The free-energy principle: a unified brain theory?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friston, Karl

    2010-02-01

    A free-energy principle has been proposed recently that accounts for action, perception and learning. This Review looks at some key brain theories in the biological (for example, neural Darwinism) and physical (for example, information theory and optimal control theory) sciences from the free-energy perspective. Crucially, one key theme runs through each of these theories - optimization. Furthermore, if we look closely at what is optimized, the same quantity keeps emerging, namely value (expected reward, expected utility) or its complement, surprise (prediction error, expected cost). This is the quantity that is optimized under the free-energy principle, which suggests that several global brain theories might be unified within a free-energy framework.

  10. Free energy and heat capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurata, M.; Devanathan, R.

    2015-01-01

    Free energy and heat capacity of actinide elements and compounds are important properties for the evaluation of the safety and reliable performance of nuclear fuel. They are essential inputs for models that describe complex phenomena that govern the behaviour of actinide compounds during nuclear fuels fabrication and irradiation. This chapter introduces various experimental methods to measure free energy and heat capacity to serve as inputs for models and to validate computer simulations. This is followed by a discussion of computer simulation of these properties, and recent simulations of thermophysical properties of nuclear fuel are briefly reviewed. (authors)

  11. A Gibbs Energy Minimization Approach for Modeling of Chemical Reactions in a Basic Oxygen Furnace

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruskopf, Ari; Visuri, Ville-Valtteri

    2017-12-01

    In modern steelmaking, the decarburization of hot metal is converted into steel primarily in converter processes, such as the basic oxygen furnace. The objective of this work was to develop a new mathematical model for top blown steel converter, which accounts for the complex reaction equilibria in the impact zone, also known as the hot spot, as well as the associated mass and heat transport. An in-house computer code of the model has been developed in Matlab. The main assumption of the model is that all reactions take place in a specified reaction zone. The mass transfer between the reaction volume, bulk slag, and metal determine the reaction rates for the species. The thermodynamic equilibrium is calculated using the partitioning of Gibbs energy (PGE) method. The activity model for the liquid metal is the unified interaction parameter model and for the liquid slag the modified quasichemical model (MQM). The MQM was validated by calculating iso-activity lines for the liquid slag components. The PGE method together with the MQM was validated by calculating liquidus lines for solid components. The results were compared with measurements from literature. The full chemical reaction model was validated by comparing the metal and slag compositions to measurements from industrial scale converter. The predictions were found to be in good agreement with the measured values. Furthermore, the accuracy of the model was found to compare favorably with the models proposed in the literature. The real-time capability of the proposed model was confirmed in test calculations.

  12. Standard free energy of formation of iron iodide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khandkar, A.; Tare, V. B.; Wagner, J. B., Jr.

    1983-01-01

    An experiment is reported where silver iodide is used to determine the standard free energy of formation of iron iodide. By using silver iodide as a solid electrolyte, a galvanic cell, Ag/AgI/Fe-FeI2, is formulated. The standard free energy of formation of AgI is known, and hence it is possible to estimate the standard free energy of formation of FeI2 by measuring the open-circuit emf of the above cell as a function of temperature. The free standard energy of formation of FeI2 determined by this method is -38784 + 24.165T cal/mol. It is estimated that the maximum error associated with this method is plus or minus 2500 cal/mol.

  13. Probing Free-Energy Surfaces with Differential Scanning Calorimetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Ruiz, Jose M.

    2011-05-01

    Many aspects of protein folding can be understood in terms of projections of the highly dimensional energy landscape onto a few (or even only one) particularly relevant coordinates. These free-energy surfaces can be probed conveniently from experimental differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms, as DSC provides a direct relation with the protein partition function. Free-energy surfaces thus obtained are consistent with two fundamental scenarios predicted by the energy-landscape perspective: (a) well-defined macrostates separated by significant free-energy barriers, in some cases, and, in many other cases, (b) marginal or even vanishingly small barriers, which furthermore show a good correlation with kinetics for fast- and ultrafast-folding proteins. Overall, the potential of DSC to assess free-energy surfaces for a wide variety of proteins makes it possible to address fundamental issues, such as the molecular basis of the barrier modulations produced by natural selection in response to functional requirements or to ensure kinetic stability.

  14. Energy buildup in sheared force-free magnetic fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolfson, Richard; Low, Boon C.

    1992-01-01

    Photospheric displacement of the footpoints of solar magnetic field lines results in shearing and twisting of the field, and consequently in the buildup of electric currents and magnetic free energy in the corona. The sudden release of this free energy may be the origin of eruptive events like coronal mass ejections, prominence eruptions, and flares. An important question is whether such an energy release may be accompanied by the opening of magnetic field lines that were previously closed, for such open field lines can provide a route for matter frozen into the field to escape the sun altogether. This paper presents the results of numerical calculations showing that opening of the magnetic field is permitted energetically, in that it is possible to build up more free energy in a sheared, closed, force-free magnetic field than is in a related magnetic configuration having both closed and open field lines. Whether or not the closed force-free field attains enough energy to become partially open depends on the form of the shear profile; the results presented compare the energy buildup for different shear profiles. Implications for solar activity are discussed briefly.

  15. Thermodynamic modeling of the stacking fault energy of austenitic steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curtze, S.; Kuokkala, V.-T.; Oikari, A.; Talonen, J.; Haenninen, H.

    2011-01-01

    The stacking fault energies (SFE) of 10 austenitic steels were determined in the temperature range 50 ≤ T ≤ 600 K by thermodynamic modeling of the Fe-Cr-Ni-Mn-Al-Si-Cu-C-N system using a modified Olson and Cohen modeling approach (Olson GB, Cohen M. Metall Trans 1976;7A:1897 ). The applied model accounts for each element's contribution to the Gibbs energy, the first-order excess free energies, magnetic contributions and the effect of interstitial nitrogen. Experimental SFE values from X-ray diffraction measurements were used for comparison. The effect of SFE on deformation mechanisms was also studied by electron backscatter diffraction.

  16. Thermo-chemistry of nuclear waste glasses: a new approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linard, Y.; Neuville, D.R.; Richet, P.

    1997-01-01

    Understanding of the stability and weathering of glasses used for storing fission products is hampered by a general lack of basic thermochemical information. Models have been setup to predict Gibbs free energies of dissolution of glasses, but ascertaining their accuracy is made difficult by the very lack of reliable experimental data with which model results should be compared. As enthalpies of formation can in principle be determined from usual solution calorimetry experiments, the lack of Gibbs-free energy data for glasses mainly stems from the fact that, as disordered substances, glasses do not obey the third principle and have indeed large configurational entropies. These entropies can be determined from thermochemical measurements only when there exist a congruently melting crystalline compound with the same composition. Using available data, we have calculated the Gibbs-free energies of formation of a series of silicate glasses for which such a calorimetric determination is possible. With these results, we assess the predictions of Paul's model (1977) for calculating Gibbs-free energies of dissolution. As the complex compositions of the borosilicate glasses used for nuclear waste storage prevent determining configurational entropies by calorimetric methods, we point out how these can be determined instead from viscosity measurements. We finally discuss the implications of this approach for modeling of water-glass interactions. (authors)

  17. Calculating zeros: Non-equilibrium free energy calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oostenbrink, Chris; Gunsteren, Wilfred F. van

    2006-01-01

    Free energy calculations on three model processes with theoretically known free energy changes have been performed using short simulation times. A comparison between equilibrium (thermodynamic integration) and non-equilibrium (fast growth) methods has been made in order to assess the accuracy and precision of these methods. The three processes have been chosen to represent processes often observed in biomolecular free energy calculations. They involve a redistribution of charges, the creation and annihilation of neutral particles and conformational changes. At very short overall simulation times, the thermodynamic integration approach using discrete steps is most accurate. More importantly, reasonable accuracy can be obtained using this method which seems independent of the overall simulation time. In cases where slow conformational changes play a role, fast growth simulations might have an advantage over discrete thermodynamic integration where sufficient sampling needs to be obtained at every λ-point, but only if the initial conformations do properly represent an equilibrium ensemble. From these three test cases practical lessons can be learned that will be applicable to biomolecular free energy calculations

  18. The Bogoliubov free energy functional II

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Napiórkowski, Marcin; Reuvers, Robin; Solovej, Jan Philip

    2018-01-01

    We analyse the canonical Bogoliubov free energy functional at low temperatures in the dilute limit. We prove existence of a first order phase transition and, in the limit $a_0\\to a$, we determine the critical temperature to be $T_{\\rm{c}}=T_{\\rm{fc}}(1+1.49(\\rho^{1/3}a))$ to leading order. Here, $T......_{\\rm{fc}}$ is the critical temperature of the free Bose gas, $\\rho$ is the density of the gas, $a$ is the scattering length of the pair-interaction potential $V$, and $a_0=(8\\pi)^{-1}\\widehat{V}(0)$ its first order approximation. We also prove asymptotic expansions for the free energy. In particular, we recover the Lee...

  19. On the Tsallis Entropy for Gibbs Random Fields

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Janžura, Martin

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 21, č. 33 (2014), s. 59-69 ISSN 1212-074X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP402/12/G097 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1075907 Keywords : Tsallis entropy * Gibbs random fields * phase transitions * Tsallis entropy rate Subject RIV: BB - Applied Statistics, Operational Research http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2014/SI/janzura-0441885.pdf

  20. Discrete tomographic reconstruction of 2D polycrystal orientation maps from X-ray diffraction projections using Gibbs priors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodek, L.; Knudsen, E.; Poulsen, H.F.

    2005-01-01

    discrete tomographic algorithm, applying image-modelling Gibbs priors and a homogeneity condition. The optimization of the objective function is accomplished via the Gibbs Sampler in conjunction with simulated annealing. In order to express the structure of the orientation map, the similarity...

  1. Free energy of activation. Definition, properties, and dependent variables with special reference to linear free energy relations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levine, R.D.

    1979-01-01

    The reaction rate constant is expressed as Z exp(-G/sub a//RT). Z is the binary collision frequency. G/sub a/, the free energy of activation, is shown to be the difference between the free energy of the reactive reactants and the free energy of all reactants. The results are derived from both a statistical mechanical and a collision theoretic point of view. While the later is more suitable for an ab-initio computation of the reaction rate, it is the former that lends itself to the search of systematics and of correlations and to compaction of data. Different thermodynamic-like routes to the characterization of G/sub a/ are thus explored. The two most promising ones appear to be the use of thermodynamic type cycles and the changes of dependent variables using the Legendre transform technique. The dependence of G/sub a/ on ΔG 0 , the standard free energy change in the reaction, is examined from the later point of view. It is shown that one can rigorously express this dependence as G/sub a/ = αΔG 0 + G/sub a/ 0 M(α). Here α is the Bronsted slope, α = -par. delta ln k(T)/par. delta(ΔG 0 /RT), G/sub a/ 0 is independent of ΔG 0 and M(α), the Legendre transform of G/sub a/, is a function only of α. For small changes in ΔG 0 , the general result reduces to the familiar ''linear'' free energy relation delta G/sub a/ = α delta ΔG 0 . It is concluded from general considerations that M(α) is a symmetric, convex function of α and hence that α is a monotonically increasing function of ΔG 0 . Experimental data appear to conform well to the form α = 1/[1 + exp(-ΔG 0 /G/sub s/ 0 )]. A simple interpretation of the ΔG 0 dependence of G/sub a/, based on an interpolation of the free energy from that of the reagents to that of the products, is offered. 4 figures, 69 references

  2. The free-energy cost of interaction between DNA loops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lifang; Liu, Peijiang; Yuan, Zhanjiang; Zhou, Tianshou; Yu, Jianshe

    2017-10-03

    From the viewpoint of thermodynamics, the formation of DNA loops and the interaction between them, which are all non-equilibrium processes, result in the change of free energy, affecting gene expression and further cell-to-cell variability as observed experimentally. However, how these processes dissipate free energy remains largely unclear. Here, by analyzing a mechanic model that maps three fundamental topologies of two interacting DNA loops into a 4-state model of gene transcription, we first show that a longer DNA loop needs more mean free energy consumption. Then, independent of the type of interacting two DNA loops (nested, side-by-side or alternating), the promotion between them always consumes less mean free energy whereas the suppression dissipates more mean free energy. More interestingly, we find that in contrast to the mechanism of direct looping between promoter and enhancer, the facilitated-tracking mechanism dissipates less mean free energy but enhances the mean mRNA expression, justifying the facilitated-tracking hypothesis, a long-standing debate in biology. Based on minimal energy principle, we thus speculate that organisms would utilize the mechanisms of loop-loop promotion and facilitated tracking to survive in complex environments. Our studies provide insights into the understanding of gene expression regulation mechanism from the view of energy consumption.

  3. Free energy of superfluid 3He

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rainer, D.; Serene, J.W.

    1976-01-01

    A systematic scheme is presented for calculating the free energy of superfluid Fermi liquids by an asymptotic expansion in the small parameter T/subc//T/subF/. This scheme is used to evaluate the strong-coupling corrections to the free energy of superfluid 3 He. It is shown that the leading corrections can be expressed in terms of the normal-state quasiparticle scattering amplitude, and the strong-coupling results are discussed using the s-p approximation for the scattering amplitude

  4. Virial theorem and Gibbs thermodynamic potential for Coulomb systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bobrov, V. B.; Trigger, S. A.

    2014-01-01

    Using the grand canonical ensemble and the virial theorem, we show that the Gibbs thermodynamic potential of the non-relativistic system of charged particles is uniquely defined by single-particle Green functions of electrons and nuclei. This result is valid beyond the perturbation theory with respect to the interparticle interaction

  5. Virial theorem and Gibbs thermodynamic potential for Coulomb systems

    OpenAIRE

    Bobrov, V. B.; Trigger, S. A.

    2013-01-01

    Using the grand canonical ensemble and the virial theorem, we show that the Gibbs thermodynamic potential of the non-relativistic system of charged particles is uniquely defined by single-particle Green functions of electrons and nuclei. This result is valid beyond the perturbation theory with respect to the interparticle interaction.

  6. Information-to-free-energy conversion: Utilizing thermal fluctuations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toyabe, Shoichi; Muneyuki, Eiro

    2013-01-01

    Maxwell's demon is a hypothetical creature that can convert information to free energy. A debate that has lasted for more than 100 years has revealed that the demon's operation does not contradict the laws of thermodynamics; hence, the demon can be realized physically. We briefly review the first experimental demonstration of Maxwell's demon of Szilard's engine type that converts information to free energy. We pump heat from an isothermal environment by using the information about the thermal fluctuations of a Brownian particle and increase the particle's free energy.

  7. Size fluctuations of near critical and Gibbs free energy for nucleation of BDA on Cu(001)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schwarz, Daniel; van Gastel, Raoul; Zandvliet, Henricus J.W.; Poelsema, Bene

    2012-01-01

    We present a low-energy electron microscopy study of nucleation and growth of BDA on Cu(001) at low supersaturation. At sufficiently high coverage, a dilute BDA phase coexists with c(8×8) crystallites. The real-time microscopic information allows a direct visualization of near-critical nuclei,

  8. Free radical scavenging potency of quercetin catecholic colonic metabolites: Thermodynamics of 2H+/2e- processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amić, Ana; Lučić, Bono; Stepanić, Višnja; Marković, Zoran; Marković, Svetlana; Dimitrić Marković, Jasmina M; Amić, Dragan

    2017-03-01

    Reaction energetics of the double (2H + /2e - ), i.e., the first 1H + /1e - (catechol→ phenoxyl radical) and the second 1H + /1e - (phenoxyl radical→ quinone) free radical scavenging mechanisms of quercetin and its six colonic catecholic metabolites (caffeic acid, hydrocaffeic acid, homoprotocatechuic acid, protocatechuic acid, 4-methylcatechol, and catechol) were computationally studied using density functional theory, with the aim to estimate the antiradical potency of these molecules. We found that second hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and second sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) mechanisms are less energy demanding than the first ones indicating 2H + /2e - processes as inherent to catechol moiety. The Gibbs free energy change for reactions of inactivation of selected free radicals indicate that catecholic colonic metabolites constitute an efficient group of more potent scavengers than quercetin itself, able to deactivate various free radicals, under different biological conditions. They could be responsible for the health benefits associated with regular intake of flavonoid-rich diet. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Calculating Free Energies Using Average Force

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darve, Eric; Pohorille, Andrew; DeVincenzi, Donald L. (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    A new, general formula that connects the derivatives of the free energy along the selected, generalized coordinates of the system with the instantaneous force acting on these coordinates is derived. The instantaneous force is defined as the force acting on the coordinate of interest so that when it is subtracted from the equations of motion the acceleration along this coordinate is zero. The formula applies to simulations in which the selected coordinates are either unconstrained or constrained to fixed values. It is shown that in the latter case the formula reduces to the expression previously derived by den Otter and Briels. If simulations are carried out without constraining the coordinates of interest, the formula leads to a new method for calculating the free energy changes along these coordinates. This method is tested in two examples - rotation around the C-C bond of 1,2-dichloroethane immersed in water and transfer of fluoromethane across the water-hexane interface. The calculated free energies are compared with those obtained by two commonly used methods. One of them relies on determining the probability density function of finding the system at different values of the selected coordinate and the other requires calculating the average force at discrete locations along this coordinate in a series of constrained simulations. The free energies calculated by these three methods are in excellent agreement. The relative advantages of each method are discussed.

  10. Surface free energy of alkali and transition metal nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aqra, Fathi; Ayyad, Ahmed

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Size dependent surface free energy of spherical, cubic and disk Au nanoparticles. - Highlights: • A model to account for the surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles is described. • The model requires only the cohesive energy of the nanoparticle. • The surface free energy of a number of metallic nanoparticles has been calculated, and the obtained values agree well with existing data. • Surface energy falls down very fast when the number of atoms is less than hundred. • The model is applicable to any metallic nanoparticle. - Abstract: This paper addresses an interesting issue on the surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles as compared to the bulk material. Starting from a previously reported equation, a theoretical model, that involves a specific term for calculating the cohesive energy of nanoparticle, is established in a view to describe the behavior of surface free energy of metallic nanoparticles (using different shapes of particle: sphere, cube and disc). The results indicate that the behavior of surface energy is very appropriate for spherical nanoparticle, and thus, it is the most realistic shape of a nanoparticle. The surface energy of copper, silver, gold, platinum, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, paladium and alkali metallic nanoparticles is only prominent in the nanoscale size, and it decreases with the decrease of nanoparticle size. Thus, the surface free energy plays a more important role in determining the properties of nanoparticles than in bulk materials. It differs from shape to another, and falls down as the number of atoms (nanoparticle size) decreases. In the case of spherical nanoparticles, the onset of the sharp decrease in surface energy is observed at about 110 atom. A decrease of 16% and 45% in surface energy is found by moving from bulk to 110 atom and from bulk to 5 atom, respectively. The predictions are consistent with the reported data

  11. Free-energy analysis of spin models on hyperbolic lattice geometries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serina, Marcel; Genzor, Jozef; Lee, Yoju; Gendiar, Andrej

    2016-04-01

    We investigate relations between spatial properties of the free energy and the radius of Gaussian curvature of the underlying curved lattice geometries. For this purpose we derive recurrence relations for the analysis of the free energy normalized per lattice site of various multistate spin models in the thermal equilibrium on distinct non-Euclidean surface lattices of the infinite sizes. Whereas the free energy is calculated numerically by means of the corner transfer matrix renormalization group algorithm, the radius of curvature has an analytic expression. Two tasks are considered in this work. First, we search for such a lattice geometry, which minimizes the free energy per site. We conjecture that the only Euclidean flat geometry results in the minimal free energy per site regardless of the spin model. Second, the relations among the free energy, the radius of curvature, and the phase transition temperatures are analyzed. We found out that both the free energy and the phase transition temperature inherit the structure of the lattice geometry and asymptotically approach the profile of the Gaussian radius of curvature. This achievement opens new perspectives in the AdS-CFT correspondence theories.

  12. Implicit ligand theory for relative binding free energies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Trung Hai; Minh, David D. L.

    2018-03-01

    Implicit ligand theory enables noncovalent binding free energies to be calculated based on an exponential average of the binding potential of mean force (BPMF)—the binding free energy between a flexible ligand and rigid receptor—over a precomputed ensemble of receptor configurations. In the original formalism, receptor configurations were drawn from or reweighted to the apo ensemble. Here we show that BPMFs averaged over a holo ensemble yield binding free energies relative to the reference ligand that specifies the ensemble. When using receptor snapshots from an alchemical simulation with a single ligand, the new statistical estimator outperforms the original.

  13. QM/MM free energy simulations: recent progress and challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Xiya; Fang, Dong; Ito, Shingo; Okamoto, Yuko; Ovchinnikov, Victor

    2016-01-01

    Due to the higher computational cost relative to pure molecular mechanical (MM) simulations, hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) free energy simulations particularly require a careful consideration of balancing computational cost and accuracy. Here we review several recent developments in free energy methods most relevant to QM/MM simulations and discuss several topics motivated by these developments using simple but informative examples that involve processes in water. For chemical reactions, we highlight the value of invoking enhanced sampling technique (e.g., replica-exchange) in umbrella sampling calculations and the value of including collective environmental variables (e.g., hydration level) in metadynamics simulations; we also illustrate the sensitivity of string calculations, especially free energy along the path, to various parameters in the computation. Alchemical free energy simulations with a specific thermodynamic cycle are used to probe the effect of including the first solvation shell into the QM region when computing solvation free energies. For cases where high-level QM/MM potential functions are needed, we analyze two different approaches: the QM/MM-MFEP method of Yang and co-workers and perturbative correction to low-level QM/MM free energy results. For the examples analyzed here, both approaches seem productive although care needs to be exercised when analyzing the perturbative corrections. PMID:27563170

  14. Improved free-energy landscape reconstruction of bacteriorhodopsin highlights local variations in unfolding energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heenan, Patrick R; Yu, Hao; Siewny, Matthew G W; Perkins, Thomas T

    2018-03-28

    Precisely quantifying the energetics that drive the folding of membrane proteins into a lipid bilayer remains challenging. More than 15 years ago, atomic force microscopy (AFM) emerged as a powerful tool to mechanically extract individual membrane proteins from a lipid bilayer. Concurrently, fluctuation theorems, such as the Jarzynski equality, were applied to deduce equilibrium free energies (ΔG 0 ) from non-equilibrium single-molecule force spectroscopy records. The combination of these two advances in single-molecule studies deduced the free-energy of the model membrane protein bacteriorhodopsin in its native lipid bilayer. To elucidate this free-energy landscape at a higher resolution, we applied two recent developments. First, as an input to the reconstruction, we used force-extension curves acquired with a 100-fold higher time resolution and 10-fold higher force precision than traditional AFM studies of membrane proteins. Next, by using an inverse Weierstrass transform and the Jarzynski equality, we removed the free energy associated with the force probe and determined the molecular free-energy landscape of the molecule under study, bacteriorhodopsin. The resulting landscape yielded an average unfolding free energy per amino acid (aa) of 1.0 ± 0.1 kcal/mol, in agreement with past single-molecule studies. Moreover, on a smaller spatial scale, this high-resolution landscape also agreed with an equilibrium measurement of a particular three-aa transition in bacteriorhodopsin that yielded 2.7 kcal/mol/aa, an unexpectedly high value. Hence, while average unfolding ΔG 0 per aa is a useful metric, the derived high-resolution landscape details significant local variation from the mean. More generally, we demonstrated that, as anticipated, the inverse Weierstrass transform is an efficient means to reconstruct free-energy landscapes from AFM data.

  15. A Gibbs potential expansion with a quantic system made up of a large number of particles; Un developpement du potentiel de Gibbs d'un systeme compose d'un grand nombre de particules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bloch, Claude; Dominicis, Cyrano de [Commissariat a l' energie atomique et aux energies alternatives - CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    1959-07-01

    Starting from an expansion derived in a previous work, we study the contribution to the Gibbs potential of the two-body dynamical correlations, taking into account the statistical correlations. Such a contribution is of interest for low density systems at low temperature. In the zero density limit, it reduces to the Beth Uhlenbeck expression of the second virial coefficient. For a system of fermions in the zero temperature limit, it yields the contribution of the Brueckner reaction matrix to the ground state energy, plus, under certain conditions, additional terms of the form exp. (β |Δ|), where the Δ are the binding energies of 'bound states' of the type first discussed by L. Cooper. Finally, we study the wave function of two particles immersed in a medium (defined by its temperature and chemical potential). lt satisfies an equation generalizing the Bethe Goldstone equation for an arbitrary temperature. Reprint of a paper published in 'Nuclear Physics' 10, 1959, p. 181-196 [French] Partant d'un developpement extrait d'un precedent travail, nous etudions la contribution au potentiel de Gibbs des relations dynamiques du systeme de deux corps, en tenant compte des relations statistiques. Une telle contribution presente de l'interet pour les systemes a densite faible et a basse temperature. A la densite limite zero, elle se ramene a l'expression de Beth Uhlenbeck du second coefficient virial. Pour un systeme de fermions a la temperature limite zero, il produit la contribution de la matrice de reaction de Brueckner au niveau fondamental, plus, dans certaines conditions, des termes additionnels de la forme exp. (β |Δ|), ou les Δ sont les energies de liaison des 'etats lies' du premier type, discutes auparavant par L. Cooper. Finalement, on etudie la fonction d'onde de deux particules immerges dans un milieu (definie par sa temperature et son potentiel chimique). Il satisfait a une equation generalisant l'equation de Bethe Goldstone pour une temperature arbitraire

  16. Holographic free energy and thermodynamic geometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghorai, Debabrata; Gangopadhyay, Sunandan

    2016-12-01

    We obtain the free energy and thermodynamic geometry of holographic superconductors in 2+1 dimensions. The gravitational theory in the bulk dual to this 2+1-dimensional strongly coupled theory lives in the 3+1 dimensions and is that of a charged AdS black hole together with a massive charged scalar field. The matching method is applied to obtain the nature of the fields near the horizon using which the holographic free energy is computed through the gauge/gravity duality. The critical temperature is obtained for a set of values of the matching point of the near horizon and the boundary behaviour of the fields in the probe limit approximation which neglects the back reaction of the matter fields on the background spacetime geometry. The thermodynamic geometry is then computed from the free energy of the boundary theory. From the divergence of the thermodynamic scalar curvature, the critical temperature is obtained once again. We then compare this result for the critical temperature with that obtained from the matching method.

  17. Holographic free energy and thermodynamic geometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghorai, Debabrata; Gangopadhyay, Sunandan

    2016-01-01

    We obtain the free energy and thermodynamic geometry of holographic superconductors in 2 + 1 dimensions. The gravitational theory in the bulk dual to this 2 + 1-dimensional strongly coupled theory lives in the 3 + 1 dimensions and is that of a charged AdS black hole together with a massive charged scalar field. The matching method is applied to obtain the nature of the fields near the horizon using which the holographic free energy is computed through the gauge/gravity duality. The critical temperature is obtained for a set of values of the matching point of the near horizon and the boundary behaviour of the fields in the probe limit approximation which neglects the back reaction of the matter fields on the background spacetime geometry. The thermodynamic geometry is then computed from the free energy of the boundary theory. From the divergence of the thermodynamic scalar curvature, the critical temperature is obtained once again. We then compare this result for the critical temperature with that obtained from the matching method. (orig.)

  18. Holographic free energy and thermodynamic geometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ghorai, Debabrata [S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata (India); Gangopadhyay, Sunandan [Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, Nadia (India); West Bengal State University, Department of Physics, Barasat (India); Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune (India)

    2016-12-15

    We obtain the free energy and thermodynamic geometry of holographic superconductors in 2 + 1 dimensions. The gravitational theory in the bulk dual to this 2 + 1-dimensional strongly coupled theory lives in the 3 + 1 dimensions and is that of a charged AdS black hole together with a massive charged scalar field. The matching method is applied to obtain the nature of the fields near the horizon using which the holographic free energy is computed through the gauge/gravity duality. The critical temperature is obtained for a set of values of the matching point of the near horizon and the boundary behaviour of the fields in the probe limit approximation which neglects the back reaction of the matter fields on the background spacetime geometry. The thermodynamic geometry is then computed from the free energy of the boundary theory. From the divergence of the thermodynamic scalar curvature, the critical temperature is obtained once again. We then compare this result for the critical temperature with that obtained from the matching method. (orig.)

  19. One of Gibbs's ideas that has gone unnoticed (comment on chapter IX of his classic book)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sukhanov, Alexander D; Rudoi, Yurii G

    2006-01-01

    We show that contrary to the commonly accepted view, Chapter IX of Gibbs's book [1] contains the prolegomena to a macroscopic statistical theory that is qualitatively different from his own microscopic statistical mechanics. The formulas obtained by Gibbs were the first results in the history of physics related to the theory of fluctuations in any macroparameters, including temperature. (from the history of physics)

  20. On the TAP Free Energy in the Mixed p-Spin Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wei-Kuo; Panchenko, Dmitry

    2018-05-01

    Thouless et al. (Phys Mag 35(3):593-601, 1977), derived a representation for the free energy of the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model, called the TAP free energy, written as the difference of the energy and entropy on the extended configuration space of local magnetizations with an Onsager correction term. In the setting of mixed p-spin models with Ising spins, we prove that the free energy can indeed be written as the supremum of the TAP free energy over the space of local magnetizations whose Edwards-Anderson order parameter (self-overlap) is to the right of the support of the Parisi measure. Furthermore, for generic mixed p-spin models, we prove that the free energy is equal to the TAP free energy evaluated on the local magnetization of any pure state.

  1. Free energy from molecular dynamics with multiple constraints

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    den Otter, Wouter K.; Briels, Willem J.

    2000-01-01

    In molecular dynamics simulations of reacting systems, the key step to determining the equilibrium constant and the reaction rate is the calculation of the free energy as a function of the reaction coordinate. Intuitively the derivative of the free energy is equal to the average force needed to

  2. Free energy distribution function of a random Ising ferromagnet

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dotsenko, Victor; Klumov, Boris

    2012-01-01

    We study the free energy distribution function of a weakly disordered Ising ferromagnet in terms of the D-dimensional random temperature Ginzburg–Landau Hamiltonian. It is shown that besides the usual Gaussian 'body' this distribution function exhibits non-Gaussian tails both in the paramagnetic and in the ferromagnetic phases. Explicit asymptotic expressions for these tails are derived. It is demonstrated that the tails are strongly asymmetric: the left tail (for large negative values of the free energy) is much slower than the right one (for large positive values of the free energy). It is argued that at the critical point the free energy of the random Ising ferromagnet in dimensions D < 4 is described by a non-trivial universal distribution function which is non-self-averaging

  3. Measuring excess free energies of self-assembled membrane structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norizoe, Yuki; Daoulas, Kostas Ch; Müller, Marcus

    2010-01-01

    Using computer simulation of a solvent-free, coarse-grained model for amphiphilic membranes, we study the excess free energy of hourglass-shaped connections (i.e., stalks) between two apposed bilayer membranes. In order to calculate the free energy by simulation in the canonical ensemble, we reversibly transfer two apposed bilayers into a configuration with a stalk in three steps. First, we gradually replace the intermolecular interactions by an external, ordering field. The latter is chosen such that the structure of the non-interacting system in this field closely resembles the structure of the original, interacting system in the absence of the external field. The absence of structural changes along this path suggests that it is reversible; a fact which is confirmed by expanded-ensemble simulations. Second, the external, ordering field is changed as to transform the non-interacting system from the apposed bilayer structure to two-bilayers connected by a stalk. The final external field is chosen such that the structure of the non-interacting system resembles the structure of the stalk in the interacting system without a field. On the third branch of the transformation path, we reversibly replace the external, ordering field by non-bonded interactions. Using expanded-ensemble techniques, the free energy change along this reversible path can be obtained with an accuracy of 10(-3)k(B)T per molecule in the n VT-ensemble. Calculating the chemical potential, we obtain the free energy of a stalk in the grandcanonical ensemble, and employing semi-grandcanonical techniques, we calculate the change of the excess free energy upon altering the molecular architecture. This computational strategy can be applied to compute the free energy of self-assembled phases in lipid and copolymer systems, and the excess free energy of defects or interfaces.

  4. Thermo-chemistry of nuclear waste glasses: a new approach; Thermochimie des verres de stockage de dechets nucleaires: une nouvelle approche

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linard, Y.; Neuville, D.R.; Richet, P. [Institut de Physique du Globe, Lab. de Physique des Geomateriaux, URA CNRS 734, 75 - Paris (France)

    1997-07-01

    Understanding of the stability and weathering of glasses used for storing fission products is hampered by a general lack of basic thermochemical information. Models have been setup to predict Gibbs free energies of dissolution of glasses, but ascertaining their accuracy is made difficult by the very lack of reliable experimental data with which model results should be compared. As enthalpies of formation can in principle be determined from usual solution calorimetry experiments, the lack of Gibbs-free energy data for glasses mainly stems from the fact that, as disordered substances, glasses do not obey the third principle and have indeed large configurational entropies. These entropies can be determined from thermochemical measurements only when there exist a congruently melting crystalline compound with the same composition. Using available data, we have calculated the Gibbs-free energies of formation of a series of silicate glasses for which such a calorimetric determination is possible. With these results, we assess the predictions of Paul's model (1977) for calculating Gibbs-free energies of dissolution. As the complex compositions of the borosilicate glasses used for nuclear waste storage prevent determining configurational entropies by calorimetric methods, we point out how these can be determined instead from viscosity measurements. We finally discuss the implications of this approach for modeling of water-glass interactions. (authors)

  5. From free energy to expected energy: Improving energy-based value function approximation in reinforcement learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elfwing, Stefan; Uchibe, Eiji; Doya, Kenji

    2016-12-01

    Free-energy based reinforcement learning (FERL) was proposed for learning in high-dimensional state and action spaces. However, the FERL method does only really work well with binary, or close to binary, state input, where the number of active states is fewer than the number of non-active states. In the FERL method, the value function is approximated by the negative free energy of a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM). In our earlier study, we demonstrated that the performance and the robustness of the FERL method can be improved by scaling the free energy by a constant that is related to the size of network. In this study, we propose that RBM function approximation can be further improved by approximating the value function by the negative expected energy (EERL), instead of the negative free energy, as well as being able to handle continuous state input. We validate our proposed method by demonstrating that EERL: (1) outperforms FERL, as well as standard neural network and linear function approximation, for three versions of a gridworld task with high-dimensional image state input; (2) achieves new state-of-the-art results in stochastic SZ-Tetris in both model-free and model-based learning settings; and (3) significantly outperforms FERL and standard neural network function approximation for a robot navigation task with raw and noisy RGB images as state input and a large number of actions. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Hierarchical Protein Free Energy Landscapes from Variationally Enhanced Sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaffer, Patrick; Valsson, Omar; Parrinello, Michele

    2016-12-13

    In recent work, we demonstrated that it is possible to obtain approximate representations of high-dimensional free energy surfaces with variationally enhanced sampling ( Shaffer, P.; Valsson, O.; Parrinello, M. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. , 2016 , 113 , 17 ). The high-dimensional spaces considered in that work were the set of backbone dihedral angles of a small peptide, Chignolin, and the high-dimensional free energy surface was approximated as the sum of many two-dimensional terms plus an additional term which represents an initial estimate. In this paper, we build on that work and demonstrate that we can calculate high-dimensional free energy surfaces of very high accuracy by incorporating additional terms. The additional terms apply to a set of collective variables which are more coarse than the base set of collective variables. In this way, it is possible to build hierarchical free energy surfaces, which are composed of terms that act on different length scales. We test the accuracy of these free energy landscapes for the proteins Chignolin and Trp-cage by constructing simple coarse-grained models and comparing results from the coarse-grained model to results from atomistic simulations. The approach described in this paper is ideally suited for problems in which the free energy surface has important features on different length scales or in which there is some natural hierarchy.

  7. Regeneralized London free energy for high-Tc vortex lattices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. A. Shahzamanian

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available   The London free-energy is regeneralized by the Ginsburg-Landau free-energy density in the presence of both d and s order parameters. We have shown that the strength of the s-d coupling, makes an important rule to determine the form of the lattice vortex. Appearance of the ratios of the coherence length to penetration depth in the higher order corrections of the free-energy density will truncate these corrections for even large values of .

  8. Levy-free part in energy tax is not wanted

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilijamse, W.

    1995-01-01

    The Dutch government proposed to implement an energy levy for small-scale consumers in 1996. The yields will be reimbursed by means of a reduction of the tax burden. By applying a levy-free tax allowance the tax reduction can be limited. However, it appears that this allowance does not work: it reduces the energy saving impact of the energy levy, because it does not stimulate investments in energy saving housing construction and energy saving heat supply. It also interferes with a just compensation of income. It is recommended to cancel the levy-free tax allowance and to realize compensation by raising the tax free allowance in the income tax. 2 figs., 1 tab., 6 refs

  9. Inverse Gaussian model for small area estimation via Gibbs sampling

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We present a Bayesian method for estimating small area parameters under an inverse Gaussian model. The method is extended to estimate small area parameters for finite populations. The Gibbs sampler is proposed as a mechanism for implementing the Bayesian paradigm. We illustrate the method by application to ...

  10. The Gibbs-Thomson equation for a spherical coherent precipitate with applications to nucleation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rottman, C.; Voorhees, P.W.; Johnson, W.C.

    1988-01-01

    The conditions for interfacial thermodynamic equilibrium form the basis for the derivation of a number of basic equations in materials science, including the various forms of the Gibbs-Thomson equation. The equilibrium conditions pertaining to a curved interface in a two-phase fluid system are well-known. In contrast, the conditions for thermodynamic equilibrium at a curved interface in nonhydrostatically stressed solids have only recently been examined. These conditions can be much different from those at a fluid interface and, as a result, the Gibbs-Thomson equation appropriate to coherent solids is likely to be considerably different from that for fluids. In this paper, the authors first derive the conditions necessary for thermodynamic equilibrium at the precipitate-matrix interface of a coherent spherical precipitate. The authors' derivation of these equilibrium conditions includes a correction to the equilibrium conditions of Johnson and Alexander for a spherical precipitate in an isotropic matrix. They then use these conditions to derive the dependence of the interfacial precipitate and matrix concentrations on precipitate radius (Gibbs-Thomson equation) for a such a precipitate. In addition, these relationships are then used to calculate the critical radius for the nucleation of a coherent misfitting precipitate

  11. Free-energy coarse-grained potential for C60

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Edmunds, D. M.; Tangney, P.; Vvedensky, D. D.; Foulkes, W. M. C.

    2015-01-01

    We propose a new deformable free energy method for generating a free-energy coarse-graining potential for C 60 . Potentials generated from this approach exhibit a strong temperature dependence and produce excellent agreement with benchmark fully atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. Parameter sets for analytical fits to this potential are provided at four different temperatures

  12. Funnel metadynamics as accurate binding free-energy method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Limongelli, Vittorio; Bonomi, Massimiliano; Parrinello, Michele

    2013-01-01

    A detailed description of the events ruling ligand/protein interaction and an accurate estimation of the drug affinity to its target is of great help in speeding drug discovery strategies. We have developed a metadynamics-based approach, named funnel metadynamics, that allows the ligand to enhance the sampling of the target binding sites and its solvated states. This method leads to an efficient characterization of the binding free-energy surface and an accurate calculation of the absolute protein–ligand binding free energy. We illustrate our protocol in two systems, benzamidine/trypsin and SC-558/cyclooxygenase 2. In both cases, the X-ray conformation has been found as the lowest free-energy pose, and the computed protein–ligand binding free energy in good agreement with experiments. Furthermore, funnel metadynamics unveils important information about the binding process, such as the presence of alternative binding modes and the role of waters. The results achieved at an affordable computational cost make funnel metadynamics a valuable method for drug discovery and for dealing with a variety of problems in chemistry, physics, and material science. PMID:23553839

  13. Surface free energy for systems with integrable boundary conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goehmann, Frank; Bortz, Michael; Frahm, Holger

    2005-01-01

    The surface free energy is the difference between the free energies for a system with open boundary conditions and the same system with periodic boundary conditions. We use the quantum transfer matrix formalism to express the surface free energy in the thermodynamic limit of systems with integrable boundary conditions as a matrix element of certain projection operators. Specializing to the XXZ spin-1/2 chain we introduce a novel 'finite temperature boundary operator' which characterizes the thermodynamical properties of surfaces related to integrable boundary conditions

  14. Comparative exploration of hydrogen sulfide and water transmembrane free energy surfaces via orthogonal space tempering free energy sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Chao; Aitchison, Erick W; Wu, Dongsheng; Zheng, Lianqing; Cheng, Xiaolin; Yang, Wei

    2016-03-05

    Hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), a commonly known toxic gas compound, possesses unique chemical features that allow this small solute molecule to quickly diffuse through cell membranes. Taking advantage of the recent orthogonal space tempering (OST) method, we comparatively mapped the transmembrane free energy landscapes of H2 S and its structural analogue, water (H2 O), seeking to decipher the molecular determinants that govern their drastically different permeabilities. As revealed by our OST sampling results, in contrast to the highly polar water solute, hydrogen sulfide is evidently amphipathic, and thus inside membrane is favorably localized at the interfacial region, that is, the interface between the polar head-group and nonpolar acyl chain regions. Because the membrane binding affinity of H2 S is mainly governed by its small hydrophobic moiety and the barrier height inbetween the interfacial region and the membrane center is largely determined by its moderate polarity, the transmembrane free energy barriers to encounter by this toxic molecule are very small. Moreover when H2 S diffuses from the bulk solution to the membrane center, the above two effects nearly cancel each other, so as to lead to a negligible free energy difference. This study not only explains why H2 S can quickly pass through cell membranes but also provides a practical illustration on how to use the OST free energy sampling method to conveniently analyze complex molecular processes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. LA CASA GIBBS Y EL MONOPOLIO SALITRERO PERUANO: 1876-1878

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manuel Ravest Mora

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available El objeto de este breve trabajo es mostrar la disposición de Anthony Gibbs & Sons, y de sus filiales, a apoyar el proyecto monopólico salitrero del Perú con recursos monetarios y los manejos de sus directores en la única empresa que, dada su capacidad de elaboración, podía hacerlo fracasar: la Compañía de Salitres y Ferrocarril de Antofagasta, de la que Gibbs era el segundo mayor accionista. Para el gobierno chileno la causa primaria de la guerra de 1879 fue el intento del Perú por monopolizar la producción salitrera. Bolivia, su aliada secreta desde 1873, colaboró arrendándole y vendiéndole sus depósitos de nitrato, e imponiendo a la exportación del salitre un tributo que infringió la condición -estipulada en un Tratado de Límites- bajo la cual Chile le cedió territorio. Su recuperación manu militari inició el conflicto. A partir de la segunda mitad del siglo pasado esta tesis economicista-legalista fue cuestionada en Chile y en el exterior, desplazando el acento causal al reordenamiento de los mercados de materias primas -de las que los beligerantes eran exportadores- a consecuencia de la crisis mundial de la década de 1870.This brief study aims at showing Anthony Gibbs & Sons disposition in supporting the Peruvian monopolistic nitrate project with monetary resources and its Director's influences in the only company which, due its production's capacity, could make the project fail: the Chilean Antofagasta Nitrate and Railway Co. in which Gibbs was the second most important stockholder. According to Chilean government the primary cause of 1879's war was Peru's attempt to monopolize nitrate production. Bolivia, its secret allied since 1873, helped renting and selling him her nitrate fields and imposing a tax on the nitrate exports of the Chilean company in Antofagasta, thus violating the condition stated in a Border Treaty by which Chile had ceded territory. Its recovery through the use of military forcé was the first act

  16. Estimating Atomic Contributions to Hydration and Binding Using Free Energy Perturbation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irwin, Benedict W J; Huggins, David J

    2018-05-08

    We present a general method called atom-wise free energy perturbation (AFEP), which extends a conventional molecular dynamics free energy perturbation (FEP) simulation to give the contribution to a free energy change from each atom. AFEP is derived from an expansion of the Zwanzig equation used in the exponential averaging method by defining that the system total energy can be partitioned into contributions from each atom. A partitioning method is assumed and used to group terms in the expansion to correspond to individual atoms. AFEP is applied to six example free energy changes to demonstrate the method. Firstly, the hydration free energies of methane, methanol, methylamine, methanethiol, and caffeine in water. AFEP highlights the atoms in the molecules that interact favorably or unfavorably with water. Finally AFEP is applied to the binding free energy of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protease to lopinavir, and AFEP reveals the contribution of each atom to the binding free energy, indicating candidate areas of the molecule to improve to produce a more strongly binding inhibitor. FEP gives a single value for the free energy change and is already a very useful method. AFEP gives a free energy change for each "part" of the system being simulated, where part can mean individual atoms, chemical groups, amino acids, or larger partitions depending on what the user is trying to measure. This method should have various applications in molecular dynamics studies of physical, chemical, or biochemical phenomena, specifically in the field of computational drug discovery.

  17. Exploration, Sampling, And Reconstruction of Free Energy Surfaces with Gaussian Process Regression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mones, Letif; Bernstein, Noam; Csányi, Gábor

    2016-10-11

    Practical free energy reconstruction algorithms involve three separate tasks: biasing, measuring some observable, and finally reconstructing the free energy surface from those measurements. In more than one dimension, adaptive schemes make it possible to explore only relatively low lying regions of the landscape by progressively building up the bias toward the negative of the free energy surface so that free energy barriers are eliminated. Most schemes use the final bias as their best estimate of the free energy surface. We show that large gains in computational efficiency, as measured by the reduction of time to solution, can be obtained by separating the bias used for dynamics from the final free energy reconstruction itself. We find that biasing with metadynamics, measuring a free energy gradient estimator, and reconstructing using Gaussian process regression can give an order of magnitude reduction in computational cost.

  18. Cosmological constant versus free energy for heterotic strings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alvarez, E.; Osorio, M.A.R.

    1988-01-01

    A detailed analysis is made of the modular-invariant formulation of the free energy of heterotic strings. Several instances are pointed out in which a duality formula can be obtained, and its physical implications are discussed. The interplay between the free energy of a given heterotic string and the cosmological constant of the toroidal compactification of another heterotic string is emphasized. (orig.)

  19. GibbsCluster: unsupervised clustering and alignment of peptide sequences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreatta, Massimo; Alvarez, Bruno; Nielsen, Morten

    2017-01-01

    motif characterizing each cluster. Several parameters are available to customize cluster analysis, including adjustable penalties for small clusters and overlapping groups and a trash cluster to remove outliers. As an example application, we used the server to deconvolute multiple specificities in large......-scale peptidome data generated by mass spectrometry. The server is available at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/GibbsCluster-2.0....

  20. Relationship between wave energy and free energy from pickup ions in the Comet Halley environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huddleston, D. E.; Johnstone, A. D.

    1992-01-01

    The free energy available from the implanted heavy ion population at Comet Halley is calculated by assuming that the initial unstable velocity space ring distribution of the ions evolves toward a bispherical shell. Ultimately this free energy adds to the turbulence in the solar wind. Upstream and downstream free energies are obtained separately for the conditions observed along the Giotto spacecraft trajectory. The results indicate that the waves are mostly upstream propagating in the solar wind frame. The total free energy density always exceeds the measured wave energy density because, as expected in the nonlinear process of ion scattering, the available energy is not all immediately released. An estimate of the amount which has been released can be obtained from the measured oxygen ion distributions and again it exceeds that observed. The theoretical analysis is extended to calculate the k spectrum of the cometary-ion-generated turbulence.

  1. Heavy quark free energies for three quark systems at finite temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huebner, Kay; Karsch, Frithjof; Kaczmarek, Olaf; Vogt, Oliver

    2008-01-01

    We study the free energy of static three quark systems in singlet, octet, decuplet, and average color channels in the quenched approximation and in 2-flavor QCD at finite temperature. We show that in the high temperature phase singlet and decuplet free energies of three quark systems are well described by the sum of the free energies of three diquark systems plus self-energy contributions of the three quarks. In the confining low temperature phase we find evidence for a Y-shaped flux tube in SU(3) pure gauge theory, which is less evident in 2-flavor QCD due to the onset of string breaking. We also compare the short distance behavior of octet and decuplet free energies to the free energies of single static quarks in the corresponding color representations.

  2. The elastic free energy of a tandem modular protein under force.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valle-Orero, Jessica; Eckels, Edward C; Stirnemann, Guillaume; Popa, Ionel; Berkovich, Ronen; Fernandez, Julio M

    2015-05-01

    Recent studies have provided a theoretical framework for including entropic elasticity in the free energy landscape of proteins under mechanical force. Accounting for entropic elasticity using polymer physics models has helped explain the hopping behavior seen in single molecule experiments in the low force regime. Here, we expand on the construction of the free energy of a single protein domain under force proposed by Berkovich et al. to provide a free energy landscape for N tandem domains along a continuous polypeptide. Calculation of the free energy of individual domains followed by their concatenation provides a continuous free energy landscape whose curvature is dominated by the worm-like chain at forces below 20 pN. We have validated our free energy model using Brownian dynamics and reproduce key features of protein folding. This free energy model can predict the effects of changes in the elastic properties of a multidomain protein as a consequence of biological modifications such as phosphorylation or the formation of disulfide bonds. This work lays the foundations for the modeling of tissue elasticity, which is largely determined by the properties of tandem polyproteins. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  3. Virtual substitution scan via single-step free energy perturbation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiang, Ying-Chih; Wang, Yi

    2016-02-05

    With the rapid expansion of our computing power, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations ranging from hundreds of nanoseconds to microseconds or even milliseconds have become increasingly common. The majority of these long trajectories are obtained from plain (vanilla) MD simulations, where no enhanced sampling or free energy calculation method is employed. To promote the 'recycling' of these trajectories, we developed the Virtual Substitution Scan (VSS) toolkit as a plugin of the open-source visualization and analysis software VMD. Based on the single-step free energy perturbation (sFEP) method, VSS enables the user to post-process a vanilla MD trajectory for a fast free energy scan of substituting aryl hydrogens by small functional groups. Dihedrals of the functional groups are sampled explicitly in VSS, which improves the performance of the calculation and is found particularly important for certain groups. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we employ VSS to compute the solvation free energy change upon substituting the hydrogen of a benzene molecule by 12 small functional groups frequently considered in lead optimization. Additionally, VSS is used to compute the relative binding free energy of four selected ligands of the T4 lysozyme. Overall, the computational cost of VSS is only a fraction of the corresponding multi-step FEP (mFEP) calculation, while its results agree reasonably well with those of mFEP, indicating that VSS offers a promising tool for rapid free energy scan of small functional group substitutions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Accelerated weight histogram method for exploring free energy landscapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lindahl, V.; Lidmar, J.; Hess, B. [Department of Theoretical Physics and Swedish e-Science Research Center, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden)

    2014-07-28

    Calculating free energies is an important and notoriously difficult task for molecular simulations. The rapid increase in computational power has made it possible to probe increasingly complex systems, yet extracting accurate free energies from these simulations remains a major challenge. Fully exploring the free energy landscape of, say, a biological macromolecule typically requires sampling large conformational changes and slow transitions. Often, the only feasible way to study such a system is to simulate it using an enhanced sampling method. The accelerated weight histogram (AWH) method is a new, efficient extended ensemble sampling technique which adaptively biases the simulation to promote exploration of the free energy landscape. The AWH method uses a probability weight histogram which allows for efficient free energy updates and results in an easy discretization procedure. A major advantage of the method is its general formulation, making it a powerful platform for developing further extensions and analyzing its relation to already existing methods. Here, we demonstrate its efficiency and general applicability by calculating the potential of mean force along a reaction coordinate for both a single dimension and multiple dimensions. We make use of a non-uniform, free energy dependent target distribution in reaction coordinate space so that computational efforts are not wasted on physically irrelevant regions. We present numerical results for molecular dynamics simulations of lithium acetate in solution and chignolin, a 10-residue long peptide that folds into a β-hairpin. We further present practical guidelines for setting up and running an AWH simulation.

  5. Simultaneous alignment and clustering of peptide data using a Gibbs sampling approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andreatta, Massimo; Lund, Ole; Nielsen, Morten

    2013-01-01

    Motivation: Proteins recognizing short peptide fragments play a central role in cellular signaling. As a result of high-throughput technologies, peptide-binding protein specificities can be studied using large peptide libraries at dramatically lower cost and time. Interpretation of such large...... peptide datasets, however, is a complex task, especially when the data contain multiple receptor binding motifs, and/or the motifs are found at different locations within distinct peptides.Results: The algorithm presented in this article, based on Gibbs sampling, identifies multiple specificities...... of unaligned peptide datasets of variable length. Example applications described in this article include mixtures of binders to different MHC class I and class II alleles, distinct classes of ligands for SH3 domains and sub-specificities of the HLA-A*02:01 molecule.Availability: The Gibbs clustering method...

  6. Mechanical alloying of Cu-xCr (x = 3, 5 and 8 wt.%) alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguilar, C.; Ordonez, S.; Guzman, D.; Rojas, P.A.

    2010-01-01

    This work studies the structural evolution of Cu-xCr (x = 3, 5 and 8 wt.%) alloys processed by mechanical alloying using X-ray diffraction profiles, scanning microscopy and microhardness analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis using the modified Williamson-Hall and Warren-Averbach methods were used to determine structural properties, such as crystallite size, stacking fault probability and energy, dislocation density, lattice parameters and crystallite size distribution of metallic powder as a function of Cr amount and milling time. Lattice defects increase the Gibbs free energy and the Gibbs free energy curves shift upward, therefore the solubility limit change.

  7. Free energy surfaces in the superconducting mixed state

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finnemore, D. K.; Fang, M. M.; Bansal, N. P.; Farrell, D. E.

    1989-01-01

    The free energy surface for Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O1O has been measured as a function of temperature and magnetic field to determine the fundamental thermodynamic properties of the mixed state. The change in free energy, G(H)-G(O), is found to be linear in temperature over a wide range indicating that the specific heat is independent of field.

  8. Free neutron-proton analyzing power at medium energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newsom, C.R.

    1980-01-01

    In recent years, increasing efforts have been made to measure the nucleon-nucleon polarization parameters. To date, no free neutron-proton spin correlated parameters have been published in the energy range 500 to 800 MeV. Existing analyzing power data is of low precision and in most cases was obtained by quasi-free proton scattering. As a first step in determining the neutron-proton scattering matrix, the free neutron-proton analyzing power has been measured at the Los Alamos Physics Facility as a function of energy and angle. The experiment was performed by scattering a neutron beam from a polarized proton target. The neutron beam was generated by scattering 800 MeV protons from a Beryllium target and using the neutrons produced at 0 degrees. The incident energy ranged from 300 MeV to 800 MeV. The energy spread of the neutron beam made it possible to measure the analyzing power at different energies simultaneously. Angular distributions were taken from 60 to 170 degrees in the center of mass system (c.m.)

  9. Relation between the characteristic molecular volume and hydrophobicity of nonpolar molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sedov, Igor A., E-mail: igor_sedov@inbox.ru; Solomonov, Boris N., E-mail: boris.solomonov@ksu.r

    2010-09-15

    Experimental values of the Gibbs free energies of hydration for a set of nonpolar or very slightly polar compounds are analyzed in order to investigate how does the hydrophobic effect depend on molecular structure and shape. The contribution due to the hydrophobic effect is evaluated using a method we suggested previously. A number of values of the Gibbs free energies of solvation in dimethyl sulfoxide and in hexadecane, which are required for calculation, were determined by gas chromatographic headspace analysis. It is found that the Gibbs hydrophobic effect energy is linearly dependent on characteristic molecular volume for a large variety of solutes with branched and unbranched carbon chains, different functional groups and atomic composition. Molecular structure and shape do not significantly affect the hydrophobicity of chemical species, and molecular volume is a main factor determining it.

  10. Thermodynamics of solvation and solvophobic effect in formamide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedov, I.A.; Stolov, M.A.; Solomonov, B.N.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Enthalpies of solution of apolar organic compounds in formamide were measured. • Gibbs free energies of solution were experimentally determined. • Influence of the solvophobic effect on solvation thermodynamics was studied. • Thermodynamic features of solutions in formamide resemble those of aqueous solutions. -- Abstract: Using semi-adiabatic calorimetry, we measured the enthalpies of solution for various low-polar compounds including alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons and their halogenated derivatives in formamide at temperature of 298 K. For the same compounds, the values of limiting activity coefficients in formamide were determined using GC headspace analysis at 298 K, and Gibbs free energies of solution and solvation were calculated. Based on these data and the available literature values of the Gibbs free energy of solvation in formamide for a number of other low-polar solutes, a study of the solvophobic effect in this solvent is performed, and its resemblance to the hydrophobic effect in aqueous solutions is demonstrated. It is shown that the contribution of the solvophobic effect into the solvation Gibbs free energy in formamide is much higher than that in aliphatic alcohols, but lower than that in water. Like in water, the magnitude of this contribution for different solutes linearly increases with the solute molecular volume. Solvophobic effect also significantly affects the enthalpies of dissolution in formamide, causing them to be more negative in the case of alkanes and more positive in the case of arenes

  11. Uniqueness of Gibbs Measure for Models with Uncountable Set of Spin Values on a Cayley Tree

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eshkabilov, Yu. Kh.; Haydarov, F. H.; Rozikov, U. A.

    2013-01-01

    We consider models with nearest-neighbor interactions and with the set [0, 1] of spin values, on a Cayley tree of order K ≥ 1. It is known that the ‘splitting Gibbs measures’ of the model can be described by solutions of a nonlinear integral equation. For arbitrary k ≥ 2 we find a sufficient condition under which the integral equation has unique solution, hence under the condition the corresponding model has unique splitting Gibbs measure.

  12. Finite-size corrections to the free energies of crystalline solids

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Polson, J.M.; Trizac, E.; Pronk, S.; Frenkel, D.

    2000-01-01

    We analyze the finite-size corrections to the free energy of crystals with a fixed center of mass. When we explicitly correct for the leading (ln N/N) corrections, the remaining free energy is found to depend linearly on 1/N. Extrapolating to the thermodynamic limit (N → ∞), we estimate the free

  13. Temperature dependence of grain boundary free energy and elastic constants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Foiles, Stephen M.

    2010-01-01

    This work explores the suggestion that the temperature dependence of the grain boundary free energy can be estimated from the temperature dependence of the elastic constants. The temperature-dependent elastic constants and free energy of a symmetric Σ79 tilt boundary are computed for an embedded atom method model of Ni. The grain boundary free energy scales with the product of the shear modulus times the lattice constant for temperatures up to about 0.75 the melting temperature.

  14. Enhanced free energy of extraction of Eu3+ and Am3+ ions towards diglycolamide appended calix[4]arene: insights from DFT-D3 and COSMO-RS solvation models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Sk Musharaf

    2017-08-22

    Density functional theory in conjunction with COSMO and COSMO-RS solvation models employing dispersion correction (DFT-D3) has been applied to gain an insight into the complexation of Eu 3+ /Am 3+ with diglycolamide (DGA) and calix[4]arene appended diglycolamide (CAL4DGA) in ionic liquids by studying structures, energetics, thermodynamics and population analysis. The calculated Gibbs free energy for both Eu 3+ and Am 3+ ions with DGA was found to be smaller than that with CAL4DGA. The entropy of complexation was also found to be reduced to a large extent with DGA compared to complexation with CAL4DGA. The solution phase free energy was found to be negative and was higher for Eu 3+ ion. The entropy of complexation was not only found to be further reduced but also became negative in the case of DGA alone. Though the entropy was found to be negative it could not outweigh the high negative enthalpic contribution. The same trend was observed in the solution where the free energy of extraction, ΔG, for Eu 3+ ions was shown to be higher than that for Am 3+ ions towards free DGA. But the values of ΔG and ΔΔG(= ΔG Eu -ΔG Am ) were found to be much higher with CAL4DGA (-12.58 kcal mol -1 ) in the presence of nitrate ions compared to DGA (-1.69 kcal mol -1 ) due to enhanced electronic interaction and positive entropic contribution. Furthermore, both the COSMO and COSMO-RS models predict very close values of ΔΔΔG (= ΔΔG CAL4DGA - ΔΔG nDGA ), indicating that both solvation models could be applied for evaluating the metal ion selectivity. The value of the reaction free energy was found to be higher after dispersion correction. The charge on the Eu and Am atoms for the complexes with DGA and CAL4DGA indicates the charge-dipole type interaction leading to strong binding energy. The present theoretical results support the experimental findings and thus might be of importance in the design of functionalized ligands.

  15. Multiscale Free Energy Simulations: An Efficient Method for Connecting Classical MD Simulations to QM or QM/MM Free Energies Using Non-Boltzmann Bennett Reweighting Schemes

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    The reliability of free energy simulations (FES) is limited by two factors: (a) the need for correct sampling and (b) the accuracy of the computational method employed. Classical methods (e.g., force fields) are typically used for FES and present a myriad of challenges, with parametrization being a principle one. On the other hand, parameter-free quantum mechanical (QM) methods tend to be too computationally expensive for adequate sampling. One widely used approach is a combination of methods, where the free energy difference between the two end states is computed by, e.g., molecular mechanics (MM), and the end states are corrected by more accurate methods, such as QM or hybrid QM/MM techniques. Here we report two new approaches that significantly improve the aforementioned scheme; with a focus on how to compute corrections between, e.g., the MM and the more accurate QM calculations. First, a molecular dynamics trajectory that properly samples relevant conformational degrees of freedom is generated. Next, potential energies of each trajectory frame are generated with a QM or QM/MM Hamiltonian. Free energy differences are then calculated based on the QM or QM/MM energies using either a non-Boltzmann Bennett approach (QM-NBB) or non-Boltzmann free energy perturbation (NB-FEP). Both approaches are applied to calculate relative and absolute solvation free energies in explicit and implicit solvent environments. Solvation free energy differences (relative and absolute) between ethane and methanol in explicit solvent are used as the initial test case for QM-NBB. Next, implicit solvent methods are employed in conjunction with both QM-NBB and NB-FEP to compute absolute solvation free energies for 21 compounds. These compounds range from small molecules such as ethane and methanol to fairly large, flexible solutes, such as triacetyl glycerol. Several technical aspects were investigated. Ultimately some best practices are suggested for improving methods that seek to connect

  16. Solvation thermodynamics of L-cystine, L-tyrosine, and L-leucine in aqueous-electrolyte media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Sanjay; Guin, Partha Sarathi; Mahali, Kalachand; Dolui, Bijoy Krishna

    2017-12-01

    Solubilities of L-cystine, L-tyrosine, and L-leucine in aqueous NaCl media at 298.15 K have been studied. Indispensable and related solvent parameters such as molar mass, molar volume, etc., were also determined. The results are used to evaluate the standard transfer Gibbs free energy, cavity forming enthalpy of transfer, cavity forming transfer Gibbs free energy and dipole-dipole interaction effects during the course of solvation. Various weak interactions involving solute-solvent or solvent-solvent molecules were characterized in order to find their role on the solvation of these amino acids.

  17. Free energy evaluation in polymer translocation via Jarzynski equality

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mondaini, Felipe, E-mail: fmondaini@if.ufrj.br [Centro Federal de Educação Tecnológica Celso Suckow da Fonseca, Petrópolis, 25.620-003, RJ (Brazil); Moriconi, L., E-mail: moriconi@if.ufrj.br [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, C.P. 68528, 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2014-05-01

    We perform, with the help of cloud computing resources, extensive Langevin simulations, which provide free energy estimates for unbiased three-dimensional polymer translocation. We employ the Jarzynski equality in its rigorous setting, to compute the variation of the free energy in single monomer translocation events. In our three-dimensional Langevin simulations, the excluded-volume and van der Waals interactions between beads (monomers and membrane atoms) are modeled through a repulsive Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential and consecutive monomers are subject to the Finite-Extension Nonlinear Elastic (FENE) potential. Analysing data for polymers with different lengths, the free energy profile is noted to have interesting finite-size scaling properties.

  18. Free energy evaluation in polymer translocation via Jarzynski equality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mondaini, Felipe; Moriconi, L.

    2014-01-01

    We perform, with the help of cloud computing resources, extensive Langevin simulations, which provide free energy estimates for unbiased three-dimensional polymer translocation. We employ the Jarzynski equality in its rigorous setting, to compute the variation of the free energy in single monomer translocation events. In our three-dimensional Langevin simulations, the excluded-volume and van der Waals interactions between beads (monomers and membrane atoms) are modeled through a repulsive Lennard-Jones (LJ) potential and consecutive monomers are subject to the Finite-Extension Nonlinear Elastic (FENE) potential. Analysing data for polymers with different lengths, the free energy profile is noted to have interesting finite-size scaling properties.

  19. Phase equilibrium of PuO2-x - Pu2O3 based on first-principles calculations and configurational entropy change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minamoto, Satoshi; Kato, Masato; Konashi, Kenji

    2011-01-01

    Combination of an oxygen vacancy formation energy calculated using first-principles approach and the configurational entropy change treated within the framework of statistical mechanics gives an expression of the Gibbs free energy at large deviation from stoichiometry of plutonium oxide PuO 2 . An oxygen vacancy formation energy 4.20 eV derived from our previously first-principles calculation was used to evaluate the Gibbs free energy change due to oxygen vacancies in the crystal. The oxygen partial pressures then can be evaluated from the change of the free energy with two fitting parameters (a vacancy-vacancy interaction energy and vibration entropy change due to induced vacancies). Derived thermodynamic expression for the free energy based on the SGTE thermodynamic data for the stoichiometric PuO 2 and the Pu 2 O 3 compounds was further incorporated into the CALPHAD modeling, then phase equilibrium between the stoichiometric Pu 2 O 3 and non-stoichiometric PuO 2-x were reproduced.

  20. Phase equilibrium of PuO{sub 2-x} - Pu{sub 2}O{sub 3} based on first-principles calculations and configurational entropy change

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minamoto, Satoshi, E-mail: satoshi.minamoto@ctc-g.co.jp [ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation, Kasumigaseki, 2-5, Kasumigaseki 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-6080 (Japan); Kato, Masato [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki (Japan); Konashi, Kenji [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Oarai-chou, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2011-05-31

    Combination of an oxygen vacancy formation energy calculated using first-principles approach and the configurational entropy change treated within the framework of statistical mechanics gives an expression of the Gibbs free energy at large deviation from stoichiometry of plutonium oxide PuO{sub 2}. An oxygen vacancy formation energy 4.20 eV derived from our previously first-principles calculation was used to evaluate the Gibbs free energy change due to oxygen vacancies in the crystal. The oxygen partial pressures then can be evaluated from the change of the free energy with two fitting parameters (a vacancy-vacancy interaction energy and vibration entropy change due to induced vacancies). Derived thermodynamic expression for the free energy based on the SGTE thermodynamic data for the stoichiometric PuO{sub 2} and the Pu{sub 2}O{sub 3} compounds was further incorporated into the CALPHAD modeling, then phase equilibrium between the stoichiometric Pu{sub 2}O{sub 3} and non-stoichiometric PuO{sub 2-x} were reproduced.

  1. Conformational Transitions and Convergence of Absolute Binding Free Energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapelosa, Mauro; Gallicchio, Emilio; Levy, Ronald M.

    2011-01-01

    The Binding Energy Distribution Analysis Method (BEDAM) is employed to compute the standard binding free energies of a series of ligands to a FK506 binding protein (FKBP12) with implicit solvation. Binding free energy estimates are in reasonably good agreement with experimental affinities. The conformations of the complexes identified by the simulations are in good agreement with crystallographic data, which was not used to restrain ligand orientations. The BEDAM method is based on λ -hopping Hamiltonian parallel Replica Exchange (HREM) molecular dynamics conformational sampling, the OPLS-AA/AGBNP2 effective potential, and multi-state free energy estimators (MBAR). Achieving converged and accurate results depends on all of these elements of the calculation. Convergence of the binding free energy is tied to the level of convergence of binding energy distributions at critical intermediate states where bound and unbound states are at equilibrium, and where the rate of binding/unbinding conformational transitions is maximal. This finding mirrors similar observations in the context of order/disorder transitions as for example in protein folding. Insights concerning the physical mechanism of ligand binding and unbinding are obtained. Convergence for the largest FK506 ligand is achieved only after imposing strict conformational restraints, which however require accurate prior structural knowledge of the structure of the complex. The analytical AGBNP2 model is found to underestimate the magnitude of the hydrophobic driving force towards binding in these systems characterized by loosely packed protein-ligand binding interfaces. Rescoring of the binding energies using a numerical surface area model corrects this deficiency. This study illustrates the complex interplay between energy models, exploration of conformational space, and free energy estimators needed to obtain robust estimates from binding free energy calculations. PMID:22368530

  2. Inverse problems with non-trivial priors: efficient solution through sequential Gibbs sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Mejer; Cordua, Knud Skou; Mosegaard, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    Markov chain Monte Carlo methods such as the Gibbs sampler and the Metropolis algorithm can be used to sample solutions to non-linear inverse problems. In principle, these methods allow incorporation of prior information of arbitrary complexity. If an analytical closed form description of the prior...... is available, which is the case when the prior can be described by a multidimensional Gaussian distribution, such prior information can easily be considered. In reality, prior information is often more complex than can be described by the Gaussian model, and no closed form expression of the prior can be given....... We propose an algorithm, called sequential Gibbs sampling, allowing the Metropolis algorithm to efficiently incorporate complex priors into the solution of an inverse problem, also for the case where no closed form description of the prior exists. First, we lay out the theoretical background...

  3. Uniqueness of Gibbs states and global Markov property for Euclidean fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Albeverio, S.; Hoeegh-Krohn, R.

    1981-01-01

    The authors briefly discuss the proof of the uniqueness of solutions of the DLR equations (uniqueness of Gibbs states) in the class of regular generalized random fields (in the sense of having second moments bounded by those of some Euclidean field), for the Euclidean fields with trigonometric interaction. (Auth.)

  4. Thermodynamical modeling of nuclear glasses: coexistence of amorphous phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adjanor, G.

    2007-11-01

    Investigating the stability of borosilicate glasses used in the nuclear industry with respect to phase separation requires to estimate the Gibbs free energies of the various phases appearing in the material. In simulation, using current computational resources, a direct state-sampling of a glassy system with respect to its ensemble statistics is not ergodic and the estimated ensemble averages are not reliable. Our approach consists in generating, at a given cooling rate, a series of quenches, or paths connecting states of the liquid to states of the glass, and then in taking into account the probability to generate the paths leading to the different glassy states in ensembles averages. In this way, we introduce a path ensemble formalism and calculate a Landau free energy associated to a glassy meta-basin. This method was validated by accurately mapping the free energy landscape of a 38-atom glassy cluster. We then applied this approach to the calculation of the Gibbs free energies of binary amorphous Lennard-Jones alloys, and checked the correlation between the observed tendencies to order or to phase separate and the computed Gibbs free energies. We finally computed the driving force to phase separation in a simplified three-oxide nuclear glass modeled by a Born-Mayer-Huggins potential that includes a three-body term, and we compared the estimated quantities to the available experimental data. (author)

  5. Thermodynamical modeling of nuclear glasses: coexistence of amorphous phases; Modelisation thermodynamique des verres nucleaires: coexistence entre phases amorphes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adjanor, G

    2007-11-15

    Investigating the stability of borosilicate glasses used in the nuclear industry with respect to phase separation requires to estimate the Gibbs free energies of the various phases appearing in the material. In simulation, using current computational resources, a direct state-sampling of a glassy system with respect to its ensemble statistics is not ergodic and the estimated ensemble averages are not reliable. Our approach consists in generating, at a given cooling rate, a series of quenches, or paths connecting states of the liquid to states of the glass, and then in taking into account the probability to generate the paths leading to the different glassy states in ensembles averages. In this way, we introduce a path ensemble formalism and calculate a Landau free energy associated to a glassy meta-basin. This method was validated by accurately mapping the free energy landscape of a 38-atom glassy cluster. We then applied this approach to the calculation of the Gibbs free energies of binary amorphous Lennard-Jones alloys, and checked the correlation between the observed tendencies to order or to phase separate and the computed Gibbs free energies. We finally computed the driving force to phase separation in a simplified three-oxide nuclear glass modeled by a Born-Mayer-Huggins potential that includes a three-body term, and we compared the estimated quantities to the available experimental data. (author)

  6. Computational Approach to Explore the B/A Junction Free Energy in DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulkarni, Mandar; Mukherjee, Arnab

    2016-01-04

    Protein-DNA interactions induce conformational changes in DNA such as B- to A-form transitions at a local level. Such transitions are associated with a junction free energy cost at the boundary of two different conformations in a DNA molecule. In this study, we performed umbrella sampling simulations to find the free energy values of the B-A transition at the dinucleotide and trinucleotide level of DNA. Using a combination of dinucleotide and trinucleotide free energy costs obtained from simulations, we calculated the B/A junction free energy. Our study shows that the B/A junction free energy is 0.52 kcal mol(-1) for the A-philic GG step and 1.59 kcal mol(-1) for the B-philic AA step. This observation is in agreement with experimentally derived values. After excluding junction effects, we obtained an absolute free energy cost for the B- to A-form conversion for all the dinucleotide steps. These absolute free energies may be used for predicting the propensity of structural transitions in DNA. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Free energy functionals for polarization fluctuations: Pekar factor revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinpajooh, Mohammadhasan; Newton, Marshall D; Matyushov, Dmitry V

    2017-02-14

    The separation of slow nuclear and fast electronic polarization in problems related to electron mobility in polarizable media was considered by Pekar 70 years ago. Within dielectric continuum models, this separation leads to the Pekar factor in the free energy of solvation by the nuclear degrees of freedom. The main qualitative prediction of Pekar's perspective is a significant, by about a factor of two, drop of the nuclear solvation free energy compared to the total (electronic plus nuclear) free energy of solvation. The Pekar factor enters the solvent reorganization energy of electron transfer reactions and is a significant mechanistic parameter accounting for the solvent effect on electron transfer. Here, we study the separation of the fast and slow polarization modes in polar molecular liquids (polarizable dipolar liquids and polarizable water force fields) without relying on the continuum approximation. We derive the nonlocal free energy functional and use atomistic numerical simulations to obtain nonlocal, reciprocal space electronic and nuclear susceptibilities. A consistent transition to the continuum limit is introduced by extrapolating the results of finite-size numerical simulation to zero wavevector. The continuum nuclear susceptibility extracted from the simulations is numerically close to the Pekar factor. However, we derive a new functionality involving the static and high-frequency dielectric constants. The main distinction of our approach from the traditional theories is found in the solvation free energy due to the nuclear polarization: the anticipated significant drop of its magnitude with increasing liquid polarizability does not occur. The reorganization energy of electron transfer is either nearly constant with increasing the solvent polarizability and the corresponding high-frequency dielectric constant (polarizable dipolar liquids) or actually noticeably increases (polarizable force fields of water).

  8. Free energy functionals for polarization fluctuations: Pekar factor revisited

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dinpajooh, Mohammadhasan; Newton, Marshall D.; Matyushov, Dmitry V.

    2017-01-01

    The separation of slow nuclear and fast electronic polarization in problems related to electron mobility in polarizable media was considered by Pekar 70 years ago. This separation leads to the Pekar factor in the free energy of solvation by the nuclear degrees of freedom, within dielectric continuum models. The main qualitative prediction of Pekar’s perspective is a significant, by about a factor of two, drop of the nuclear solvation free energy compared to the total (electronic plus nuclear) free energy of solvation. The Pekar factor enters the solvent reorganization energy of electron transfer reactions and is a significant mechanistic parameter accounting for the solvent effect on electron transfer. We study the separation of the fast and slow polarization modes in polar molecular liquids (polarizable dipolar liquids and polarizable water force fields) without relying on the continuum approximation. We derive the nonlocal free energy functional and use atomistic numerical simulations to obtain nonlocal, reciprocal space electronic and nuclear susceptibilities. A consistent transition to the continuum limit is introduced by extrapolating the results of finite-size numerical simulation to zero wavevector. The continuum nuclear susceptibility extracted from the simulations is numerically close to the Pekar factor. But, we derive a new functionality involving the static and high-frequency dielectric constants. The main distinction of our approach from the traditional theories is found in the solvation free energy due to the nuclear polarization: the anticipated significant drop of its magnitude with increasing liquid polarizability does not occur. The reorganization energy of electron transfer is either nearly constant with increasing the solvent polarizability and the corresponding high-frequency dielectric constant (polarizable dipolar liquids) or actually noticeably increases (polarizable force fields of water).

  9. Free energy of the Lennard-Jones solid

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoef, van der M.A.

    2000-01-01

    We have determined a simple expression for the absolute Helmholtz free energy of the fcc Lennard-Jones solid from molecular dynamics simulations. The pressure and energy data from these simulations have been fitted to a simple functional form (18 parameters) for densities ranging from around

  10. Assignment of Side-Chain Conformation Using Adiabatic Energy Mapping, Free Energy Perturbation, and Molecular Dynamic Simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frimurer, Thomas M.; Günther, Peter H.; Sørensen, Morten Dahl

    1999-01-01

    adiabatic mapping, conformational change, essentialdynamics, free energy simulations, Kunitz type inhibitor *ga3(VI)......adiabatic mapping, conformational change, essentialdynamics, free energy simulations, Kunitz type inhibitor *ga3(VI)...

  11. Quantitative Boltzmann-Gibbs Principles via Orthogonal Polynomial Duality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayala, Mario; Carinci, Gioia; Redig, Frank

    2018-06-01

    We study fluctuation fields of orthogonal polynomials in the context of particle systems with duality. We thereby obtain a systematic orthogonal decomposition of the fluctuation fields of local functions, where the order of every term can be quantified. This implies a quantitative generalization of the Boltzmann-Gibbs principle. In the context of independent random walkers, we complete this program, including also fluctuation fields in non-stationary context (local equilibrium). For other interacting particle systems with duality such as the symmetric exclusion process, similar results can be obtained, under precise conditions on the n particle dynamics.

  12. Linear free energy relationships between aqueous phase hydroxyl radical reaction rate constants and free energy of activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Minakata, Daisuke; Crittenden, John

    2011-04-15

    The hydroxyl radical (HO(•)) is a strong oxidant that reacts with electron-rich sites on organic compounds and initiates complex radical chain reactions in aqueous phase advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). Computer based kinetic modeling requires a reaction pathway generator and predictions of associated reaction rate constants. Previously, we reported a reaction pathway generator that can enumerate the most important elementary reactions for aliphatic compounds. For the reaction rate constant predictor, we develop linear free energy relationships (LFERs) between aqueous phase literature-reported HO(•) reaction rate constants and theoretically calculated free energies of activation for H-atom abstraction from a C-H bond and HO(•) addition to alkenes. The theoretical method uses ab initio quantum mechanical calculations, Gaussian 1-3, for gas phase reactions and a solvation method, COSMO-RS theory, to estimate the impact of water. Theoretically calculated free energies of activation are found to be within approximately ±3 kcal/mol of experimental values. Considering errors that arise from quantum mechanical calculations and experiments, this should be within the acceptable errors. The established LFERs are used to predict the HO(•) reaction rate constants within a factor of 5 from the experimental values. This approach may be applied to other reaction mechanisms to establish a library of rate constant predictions for kinetic modeling of AOPs.

  13. Gaussian free turbulence: structures and relaxation in plasma models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gruzinov, A.V.

    1993-01-01

    Free-turbulent relaxation in two-dimensional MHD, the degenerate Hasegawa-Mima equation and a two-dimensional microtearing model are studied. The Gibbs distributions of these three systems can be completely analyzed, due to the special structure of their invariants and due to the existence of ultraviolet catastrophe. The free-turbulent field is seen to be a sum of a certain coherent structure (statistical attractor) and Gaussian random noise. Two-dimensional current layers are shown to be statistical attractors in 2D MHD. (author)

  14. The importance of the photosynthetic Gibbs effect in the elucidation of the Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebenhöh, Oliver; Spelberg, Stephanie

    2018-02-19

    The photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle, or Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) cycle, is now contained in every standard biochemistry textbook. Although the cycle was already proposed in 1954, it is still the subject of intense research, and even the structure of the cycle, i.e. the exact series of reactions, is still under debate. The controversy about the cycle's structure was fuelled by the findings of Gibbs and Kandler in 1956 and 1957, when they observed that radioactive 14 CO 2 was dynamically incorporated in hexoses in a very atypical and asymmetrical way, a phenomenon later termed the 'photosynthetic Gibbs effect'. Now, it is widely accepted that the photosynthetic Gibbs effect is not in contradiction to the reaction scheme proposed by CBB, but the arguments given have been largely qualitative and hand-waving. To fully appreciate the controversy and to understand the difficulties in interpreting the Gibbs effect, it is illustrative to illuminate the history of the discovery of the CBB cycle. We here give an account of central scientific advances and discoveries, which were essential prerequisites for the elucidation of the cycle. Placing the historic discoveries in the context of the modern textbook pathway scheme illustrates the complexity of the cycle and demonstrates why especially dynamic labelling experiments are far from easy to interpret. We conclude by arguing that it requires sound theoretical approaches to resolve conflicting interpretations and to provide consistent quantitative explanations. © 2018 The Author(s).

  15. Emotional valence and the free-energy principle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joffily, Mateus; Coricelli, Giorgio

    2013-01-01

    The free-energy principle has recently been proposed as a unified Bayesian account of perception, learning and action. Despite the inextricable link between emotion and cognition, emotion has not yet been formulated under this framework. A core concept that permeates many perspectives on emotion is valence, which broadly refers to the positive and negative character of emotion or some of its aspects. In the present paper, we propose a definition of emotional valence in terms of the negative rate of change of free-energy over time. If the second time-derivative of free-energy is taken into account, the dynamics of basic forms of emotion such as happiness, unhappiness, hope, fear, disappointment and relief can be explained. In this formulation, an important function of emotional valence turns out to regulate the learning rate of the causes of sensory inputs. When sensations increasingly violate the agent's expectations, valence is negative and increases the learning rate. Conversely, when sensations increasingly fulfil the agent's expectations, valence is positive and decreases the learning rate. This dynamic interaction between emotional valence and learning rate highlights the crucial role played by emotions in biological agents' adaptation to unexpected changes in their world.

  16. Emotional valence and the free-energy principle.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mateus Joffily

    Full Text Available The free-energy principle has recently been proposed as a unified Bayesian account of perception, learning and action. Despite the inextricable link between emotion and cognition, emotion has not yet been formulated under this framework. A core concept that permeates many perspectives on emotion is valence, which broadly refers to the positive and negative character of emotion or some of its aspects. In the present paper, we propose a definition of emotional valence in terms of the negative rate of change of free-energy over time. If the second time-derivative of free-energy is taken into account, the dynamics of basic forms of emotion such as happiness, unhappiness, hope, fear, disappointment and relief can be explained. In this formulation, an important function of emotional valence turns out to regulate the learning rate of the causes of sensory inputs. When sensations increasingly violate the agent's expectations, valence is negative and increases the learning rate. Conversely, when sensations increasingly fulfil the agent's expectations, valence is positive and decreases the learning rate. This dynamic interaction between emotional valence and learning rate highlights the crucial role played by emotions in biological agents' adaptation to unexpected changes in their world.

  17. Direct measurement of the free energy of aging hard sphere colloidal glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zargar, Rojman; Nienhuis, Bernard; Schall, Peter; Bonn, Daniel

    2013-06-21

    The nature of the glass transition is one of the most important unsolved problems in condensed matter physics. The difference between glasses and liquids is believed to be caused by very large free energy barriers for particle rearrangements; however, so far it has not been possible to confirm this experimentally. We provide the first quantitative determination of the free energy for an aging hard sphere colloidal glass. The determination of the free energy allows for a number of new insights in the glass transition, notably the quantification of the strong spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the free energy. A study of the local minima of the free energy reveals that the observed variations are directly related to the rearrangements of the particles. Our main finding is that the probability of particle rearrangements shows a power law dependence on the free energy changes associated with the rearrangements similar to the Gutenberg-Richter law in seismology.

  18. Gibbs paradox of entropy of mixing experimental facts. Its rejection, and the theoretical consequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Shu-Kun

    1996-01-01

    Gibbs paradox statement of entropy of mixing has been regarded as the theoretical foundation of statistical mechanics, quantum theory and biophysics. However, all the relevant chemical experimental observations and logical analyses indicate that the Gibbs paradox statement is false. I prove that this statement is wrong: Gibbs paradox statement implies that entropy decreases with the increase in symmetry (as represented by a symmetry number σ; see any statistical mechanics textbook). From group theory any system has at least a symmetry number σ=1 which is the identity operation for a strictly asymmetric system. It follows that the entropy of a system is equal to, or less than, zero. However, from either von Neumann-Shannon entropy formula (S(w) =-Σ ω in p 1 ) or the Boltzmann entropy formula (S = in w) and the original definition, entropy is non-negative. Therefore, this statement is false. It should not be a surprise that for the first time, many outstanding problems such as the validity of Pauling's resonance theory, the explanation of second order phase transition phenomena, the biophysical problem of protein folding and the related hydrophobic effect, etc., can be solved. Empirical principles such as Pauli principle (and Hund's rule) and HSAB principle, etc., can also be given a theoretical explanation

  19. Computing the Free Energy along a Reaction Coordinate Using Rigid Body Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tao, Peng; Sodt, Alexander J; Shao, Yihan; König, Gerhard; Brooks, Bernard R

    2014-10-14

    The calculations of potential of mean force along complex chemical reactions or rare events pathways are of great interest because of their importance for many areas in chemistry, molecular biology, and material science. The major difficulty for free energy calculations comes from the great computational cost for adequate sampling of the system in high-energy regions, especially close to the reaction transition state. Here, we present a method, called FEG-RBD, in which the free energy gradients were obtained from rigid body dynamics simulations. Then the free energy gradients were integrated along a reference reaction pathway to calculate free energy profiles. In a given system, the reaction coordinates defining a subset of atoms (e.g., a solute, or the quantum mechanics (QM) region of a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulation) are selected to form a rigid body during the simulation. The first-order derivatives (gradients) of the free energy with respect to the reaction coordinates are obtained through the integration of constraint forces within the rigid body. Each structure along the reference reaction path is separately subjected to such a rigid body simulation. The individual free energy gradients are integrated along the reference pathway to obtain the free energy profile. Test cases provided demonstrate both the strengths and weaknesses of the FEG-RBD method. The most significant benefit of this method comes from the fast convergence rate of the free energy gradient using rigid-body constraints instead of restraints. A correction to the free energy due to approximate relaxation of the rigid-body constraint is estimated and discussed. A comparison with umbrella sampling using a simple test case revealed the improved sampling efficiency of FEG-RBD by a factor of 4 on average. The enhanced efficiency makes this method effective for calculating the free energy of complex chemical reactions when the reaction coordinate can be unambiguously defined by a

  20. Improved prediction of MHC class I and class II epitopes using a novel Gibbs sampling approach

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Morten; Lundegaard, Claus; Worning, Peder

    2004-01-01

    Prediction of which peptides will bind a specific major histocompatibility complex (MHC) constitutes an important step in identifying potential T-cell epitopes suitable as vaccine candidates. MHC class II binding peptides have a broad length distribution complicating such predictions. Thus......, identifying the correct alignment is a crucial part of identifying the core of an MHC class II binding motif. In this context, we wish to describe a novel Gibbs motif sampler method ideally suited for recognizing such weak sequence motifs. The method is based on the Gibbs sampling method, and it incorporates...

  1. Constructing a multidimensional free energy surface like a spider weaving a web.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Changjun

    2017-10-15

    Complete free energy surface in the collective variable space provides important information of the reaction mechanisms of the molecules. But, sufficient sampling in the collective variable space is not easy. The space expands quickly with the number of the collective variables. To solve the problem, many methods utilize artificial biasing potentials to flatten out the original free energy surface of the molecule in the simulation. Their performances are sensitive to the definitions of the biasing potentials. Fast-growing biasing potential accelerates the sampling speed but decreases the accuracy of the free energy result. Slow-growing biasing potential gives an optimized result but needs more simulation time. In this article, we propose an alternative method. It adds the biasing potential to a representative point of the molecule in the collective variable space to improve the conformational sampling. And the free energy surface is calculated from the free energy gradient in the constrained simulation, not given by the negative of the biasing potential as previous methods. So the presented method does not require the biasing potential to remove all the barriers and basins on the free energy surface exactly. Practical applications show that the method in this work is able to produce the accurate free energy surfaces for different molecules in a short time period. The free energy errors are small in the cases of various biasing potentials. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Boiling point determination using adiabatic Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations: application to metals described by embedded-atom potentials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelb, Lev D; Chakraborty, Somendra Nath

    2011-12-14

    The normal boiling points are obtained for a series of metals as described by the "quantum-corrected Sutton Chen" (qSC) potentials [S.-N. Luo, T. J. Ahrens, T. Çağın, A. Strachan, W. A. Goddard III, and D. C. Swift, Phys. Rev. B 68, 134206 (2003)]. Instead of conventional Monte Carlo simulations in an isothermal or expanded ensemble, simulations were done in the constant-NPH adabatic variant of the Gibbs ensemble technique as proposed by Kristóf and Liszi [Chem. Phys. Lett. 261, 620 (1996)]. This simulation technique is shown to be a precise tool for direct calculation of boiling temperatures in high-boiling fluids, with results that are almost completely insensitive to system size or other arbitrary parameters as long as the potential truncation is handled correctly. Results obtained were validated using conventional NVT-Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. The qSC predictions for boiling temperatures are found to be reasonably accurate, but substantially underestimate the enthalpies of vaporization in all cases. This appears to be largely due to the systematic overestimation of dimer binding energies by this family of potentials, which leads to an unsatisfactory description of the vapor phase. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

  3. A principle to correlate extreme values of excess thermody-namic functions with partial molar quantities

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2001-01-01

    Excess thermodynamic properties are widely used quantitatively for fluids. It was found that at constant temperature and pressure a molar excess quantity of a mutually miscible binary mixture at the extreme points equals the excess partial molar quantities of the two components, i.e. , forming a triple cross point. The relationship is hold for properties such as enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and volume, and is applicable for excess functions with multi extreme points. Solutions at extreme points can be referred to as special mixtures. Particularly for a special mixture of Gibbs free energy, activity coefficients of the two components are identical.

  4. Extensitivity of entropy and modern form of Gibbs paradox

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Home, D.; Sengupta, S.

    1981-01-01

    The extensivity property of entropy is clarified in the light of a critical examination of the entropy formula based on quantum statistics and the relevant thermodynamic requirement. The modern form of the Gibbs paradox, related to the discontinuous jump in entropy due to identity or non-identity of particles, is critically investigated. Qualitative framework of a new resolution of this paradox, which analyses the general effect of distinction mark on the Hamiltonian of a system of identical particles, is outlined. (author)

  5. Determination of the free enthalpies of formation of borosilicate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linard, Y.

    2000-01-01

    This work contributes to the study of the thermochemical properties of nuclear waste glasses. Results are used to discuss mechanisms and parameters integrated in alteration models of conditioning materials. Glass is a disordered material defined thermodynamically as a non-equilibrium state. Taking into account one order parameter to characterise its configurational state, the metastable equilibrium for the glass was considered and the main thermochemical properties were determined. Calorimetric techniques were used to measure heat capacities and formation enthalpies of borosilicate glasses (from 3 to 8 constitutive oxides). Formation Entropies were measured too, using the entropy theory of relaxation processes proposed by Adam and Gibbs (1965). The configurational entropy contribution were determined from viscosity measurements. This set of data has allowed the calculation of Gibb's free energies of dissolution of glasses in pure water. By comparison with leaching experiments, it has been demonstrated that the decreasing of the dissolution rate at high reaction progress cannot be associated to the approach of an equilibrium between the sound glass and the aqueous solution. The composition changes of the reaction area at the glass surface need to be considered too. To achieve a complete description of the thermodynamic stability, the equilibrium between hydrated de-alkalinized glass and/or the gel layer with the aqueous solution should also be evaluated. (author)

  6. Free energies of binding from large-scale first-principles quantum mechanical calculations: application to ligand hydration energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fox, Stephen J; Pittock, Chris; Tautermann, Christofer S; Fox, Thomas; Christ, Clara; Malcolm, N O J; Essex, Jonathan W; Skylaris, Chris-Kriton

    2013-08-15

    Schemes of increasing sophistication for obtaining free energies of binding have been developed over the years, where configurational sampling is used to include the all-important entropic contributions to the free energies. However, the quality of the results will also depend on the accuracy with which the intermolecular interactions are computed at each molecular configuration. In this context, the energy change associated with the rearrangement of electrons (electronic polarization and charge transfer) upon binding is a very important effect. Classical molecular mechanics force fields do not take this effect into account explicitly, and polarizable force fields and semiempirical quantum or hybrid quantum-classical (QM/MM) calculations are increasingly employed (at higher computational cost) to compute intermolecular interactions in free-energy schemes. In this work, we investigate the use of large-scale quantum mechanical calculations from first-principles as a way of fully taking into account electronic effects in free-energy calculations. We employ a one-step free-energy perturbation (FEP) scheme from a molecular mechanical (MM) potential to a quantum mechanical (QM) potential as a correction to thermodynamic integration calculations within the MM potential. We use this approach to calculate relative free energies of hydration of small aromatic molecules. Our quantum calculations are performed on multiple configurations from classical molecular dynamics simulations. The quantum energy of each configuration is obtained from density functional theory calculations with a near-complete psinc basis set on over 600 atoms using the ONETEP program.

  7. A Python tool to set up relative free energy calculations in GROMACS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimovich, Pavel V; Mobley, David L

    2015-11-01

    Free energy calculations based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have seen a tremendous growth in the last decade. However, it is still difficult and tedious to set them up in an automated manner, as the majority of the present-day MD simulation packages lack that functionality. Relative free energy calculations are a particular challenge for several reasons, including the problem of finding a common substructure and mapping the transformation to be applied. Here we present a tool, alchemical-setup.py, that automatically generates all the input files needed to perform relative solvation and binding free energy calculations with the MD package GROMACS. When combined with Lead Optimization Mapper (LOMAP; Liu et al. in J Comput Aided Mol Des 27(9):755-770, 2013), recently developed in our group, alchemical-setup.py allows fully automated setup of relative free energy calculations in GROMACS. Taking a graph of the planned calculations and a mapping, both computed by LOMAP, our tool generates the topology and coordinate files needed to perform relative free energy calculations for a given set of molecules, and provides a set of simulation input parameters. The tool was validated by performing relative hydration free energy calculations for a handful of molecules from the SAMPL4 challenge (Mobley et al. in J Comput Aided Mol Des 28(4):135-150, 2014). Good agreement with previously published results and the straightforward way in which free energy calculations can be conducted make alchemical-setup.py a promising tool for automated setup of relative solvation and binding free energy calculations.

  8. Thermodynamic Stability of Ice II and Its Hydrogen-Disordered Counterpart: Role of Zero-Point Energy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Tatsuya; Matsumoto, Masakazu; Yagasaki, Takuma; Tanaka, Hideki

    2016-03-03

    We investigate why no hydrogen-disordered form of ice II has been found in nature despite the fact that most of hydrogen-ordered ices have hydrogen-disordered counterparts. The thermodynamic stability of a set of hydrogen-ordered ice II variants relative to ice II is evaluated theoretically. It is found that ice II is more stable than the disordered variants so generated as to satisfy the simple ice rule due to the lower zero-point energy as well as the pair interaction energy. The residual entropy of the disordered ice II phase gradually compensates the unfavorable free energy with increasing temperature. The crossover, however, occurs at a high temperature well above the melting point of ice III. Consequently, the hydrogen-disordered phase does not exist in nature. The thermodynamic stability of partially hydrogen-disordered ices is also scrutinized by examining the free-energy components of several variants obtained by systematic inversion of OH directions in ice II. The potential energy of one variant is lower than that of the ice II structure, but its Gibbs free energy is slightly higher than that of ice II due to the zero-point energy. The slight difference in the thermodynamic stability leaves the possibility of the partial hydrogen-disorder in real ice II.

  9. Minimum free-energy paths for the self-organization of polymer brushes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gleria, Ignacio; Mocskos, Esteban; Tagliazucchi, Mario

    2017-03-22

    A methodology to calculate minimum free-energy paths based on the combination of a molecular theory and the improved string method is introduced and applied to study the self-organization of polymer brushes under poor solvent conditions. Polymer brushes in a poor solvent cannot undergo macroscopic phase separation due to the physical constraint imposed by the grafting points; therefore, they microphase separate forming aggregates. Under some conditions, the theory predicts that the homogeneous brush and the aggregates can exist as two different minima of the free energy. The theoretical methodology introduced in this work allows us to predict the minimum free-energy path connecting these two minima as well as the morphology of the system along the path. It is shown that the transition between the homogeneous brush and the aggregates may involve a free-energy barrier or be barrierless depending on the relative stability of the two morphologies and the chain length and grafting density of the polymer. In the case where a free-energy barrier exists, one of the morphologies is a metastable structure and, therefore, the properties of the brush as the quality of the solvent is cycled are expected to display hysteresis. The theory is also applied to study the adhesion/deadhesion transition between two opposing surfaces modified by identical polymer brushes and it is shown that this process may also require surpassing a free-energy barrier.

  10. Fast covariance estimation for innovations computed from a spatial Gibbs point process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Coeurjolly, Jean-Francois; Rubak, Ege

    In this paper, we derive an exact formula for the covariance of two innovations computed from a spatial Gibbs point process and suggest a fast method for estimating this covariance. We show how this methodology can be used to estimate the asymptotic covariance matrix of the maximum pseudo...

  11. Hydrogen production from sewage sludge by steam gasification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aye, L.; Klinkajorn, P. [Melbourne Univ. International Technologies Centre, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

    2006-07-01

    Because of the shortage of energy sources in the near future, renewable energy, such as biomass, has become an important source of energy. One of the most common approaches for producing gaseous fuels from biomass is gasification. The main product gases of gasification are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Because of the capability of very low emission at the point of use, the interest in using hydrogen for electrical power generation and in electric-vehicles has been increasing. Hydrogen from biomass steam gasification (SG) is a net zero green house gas emission fuel. Sewage sludge (SS) has a potential to produce hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel. Therefore, hydrogen production from sewage sludge may be a solution for cleaner fuel and the sewage sludge disposal problem. This paper presented the results of a computer model for SSSG by using Gibbs free energy minimization (GFEM) method. The computer model developed was used to determine the hydrogen production limits for various steam to biomass ratios. The paper presented an introduction to renewable energy and gasification and discussed the Gibbs free energy minimization method. The study used a RAND algorithm. It presented the computer model input parameters and discussed the results of the stoichiometric analysis and Gibbs free energy minimization. The energy requirement for hydrogen production was also presented. 17 refs., 1 tab., 6 figs.

  12. Effect of inter-species selective interactions on the thermodynamics and nucleation free-energy barriers of a tessellating polyhedral compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Escobedo, Fernando A.

    2016-01-01

    The phase behavior and the homogeneous nucleation of an equimolar mixture of octahedra and cuboctahedra are studied using thermodynamic integration, Gibbs-Duhem integration, and umbrella sampling simulations. The components of this mixture are modeled as polybead objects of equal edge lengths so that they can assemble into a space-filling compound with the CsCl crystal structure. Taking as reference the hard-core system where the compound crystal does not spontaneously nucleate, we quantified the effect of inter-species selective interactions on facilitating the disorder-to-order transition. Facet selective and facet non-selective inter-species attractions were considered, and while the former was expectedly more favorable toward the target tessellating structure, the latter was found to be similarly effective in nucleating the crystal compound. Ranges for the strength of attractions and degree of supersaturation were identified where the nucleation free-energy barrier was small enough to foretell a fast process but large enough to prevent spinodal fluctuations that can trap the system in dense metastable states lacking long-range order. At those favorable conditions, the tendency toward the local orientational order favored by packing entropy is amplified and found to play a key role seeding nuclei with the CsCl structure.

  13. Free energy option and its relevance to improve domestic energy demands in southern Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Moses Eterigho Emetere

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to seek an energy option that would benefit the growing energy demands. Domestic energy demands in southern Nigeria had increased greatly due to failing power programs and seasonal migrations. The fossil fuel option is gradually fading away due to environmental pollution and recent dynamic cost. The renewable energy option had been celebrated with little success in the coastal area of southern Nigeria. At the moment, the renewable energy option is very expensive with little guarantee on its efficiency with time. The data set used for this study was obtained from the Davis weather installation in Covenant University. The free energy option was considered. The cost and its environmental implication for domestic use were comparatively discussed alongside other energy options — using the Life cycle cost analysis. It was found out that free energy option is more affordable and efficient for domestic use.

  14. Heavy-quark free energies, internal-energy and entropy contributions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaczmarek, O.

    2009-01-01

    We present lattice QCD results on heavy-quark free energies, extract from its temperature dependence the entropy and internal-energy contributions, and discuss the onset of medium effects that lead to screening of static quark-antiquark sources in a thermal medium. The detailed analysis of the temperature and distance dependence of the different contributions indicate the complex non-perturbative nature of strongly interacting matter. We shall discuss the necessity to include those effects in studies on the behavior of heavy quarks, heavy-quark bound states and their dissociation in the quark-gluon plasma phase. (orig.)

  15. Free energy calculations, enhanced by a Gaussian ansatz, for the "chemical work" distribution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulougouris, Georgios C

    2014-05-15

    The evaluation of the free energy is essential in molecular simulation because it is intimately related with the existence of multiphase equilibrium. Recently, it was demonstrated that it is possible to evaluate the Helmholtz free energy using a single statistical ensemble along an entire isotherm by accounting for the "chemical work" of transforming each molecule, from an interacting one, to an ideal gas. In this work, we show that it is possible to perform such a free energy perturbation over a liquid vapor phase transition. Furthermore, we investigate the link between a general free energy perturbation scheme and the novel nonequilibrium theories of Crook's and Jarzinsky. We find that for finite systems away from the thermodynamic limit the second law of thermodynamics will always be an inequality for isothermal free energy perturbations, resulting always to a dissipated work that may tend to zero only in the thermodynamic limit. The work, the heat, and the entropy produced during a thermodynamic free energy perturbation can be viewed in the context of the Crooks and Jarzinsky formalism, revealing that for a given value of the ensemble average of the "irreversible" work, the minimum entropy production corresponded to a Gaussian distribution for the histogram of the work. We propose the evaluation of the free energy difference in any free energy perturbation based scheme on the average irreversible "chemical work" minus the dissipated work that can be calculated from the variance of the distribution of the logarithm of the work histogram, within the Gaussian approximation. As a consequence, using the Gaussian ansatz for the distribution of the "chemical work," accurate estimates for the chemical potential and the free energy of the system can be performed using much shorter simulations and avoiding the necessity of sampling the computational costly tails of the "chemical work." For a more general free energy perturbation scheme that the Gaussian ansatz may not be

  16. Mass and free energy of Lovelock black holes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kastor, David; Traschen, Jennie; Ray, Sourya

    2011-01-01

    An explicit formula for the ADM mass of an asymptotically AdS black hole in a generic Lovelock gravity theory is presented, identical in form to that in Einstein gravity, but multiplied by a function of the Lovelock coupling constants and the AdS curvature radius. A Gauss' law-type formula relates the mass, which is an integral at infinity, to an expression depending instead on the horizon radius. This and other thermodynamic quantities, such as the free energy, are then analyzed in the limits of small and large horizon radius, yielding results that are independent of the detailed choice of Lovelock couplings. In even dimensions, the temperature diverges in both limits, implying the existence of a minimum temperature for black holes. The negative free energy of sufficiently large black holes implies the existence of a Hawking-Page transition. In odd dimensions, the temperature still diverges for large black holes, which again have negative free energy. However, the temperature vanishes as the horizon radius tends to zero and sufficiently small black holes have positive specific heat.

  17. An ab initio approach to free-energy reconstruction using logarithmic mean force dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Makoto; Obata, Masao; Morishita, Tetsuya; Oda, Tatsuki

    2014-01-01

    We present an ab initio approach for evaluating a free energy profile along a reaction coordinate by combining logarithmic mean force dynamics (LogMFD) and first-principles molecular dynamics. The mean force, which is the derivative of the free energy with respect to the reaction coordinate, is estimated using density functional theory (DFT) in the present approach, which is expected to provide an accurate free energy profile along the reaction coordinate. We apply this new method, first-principles LogMFD (FP-LogMFD), to a glycine dipeptide molecule and reconstruct one- and two-dimensional free energy profiles in the framework of DFT. The resultant free energy profile is compared with that obtained by the thermodynamic integration method and by the previous LogMFD calculation using an empirical force-field, showing that FP-LogMFD is a promising method to calculate free energy without empirical force-fields

  18. Overview of direct air free cooling and thermal energy storage potential energy savings in data centres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oró, Eduard; Depoorter, Victor; Pflugradt, Noah; Salom, Jaume

    2015-01-01

    In the last years the total energy demand of data centres has experienced a dramatic increase which is expected to continue. This is why data centres industry and researchers are working on implementing energy efficiency measures and integrating renewable energy to overcome energy dependence and to reduce operational costs and CO 2 emissions. The cooling system of these unique infrastructures can account for 40% of the total energy consumption. To reduce the energy consumption, free cooling strategies are used more and more, but so far there has been little research about the potential of thermal energy storage (TES) solutions to match energy demand and energy availability. Hence, this work intends to provide an overview of the potential of the integration of direct air free cooling strategy and TES systems into data centres located at different European locations. For each location, the benefit of using direct air free cooling is evaluated energetically and economically for a data centre of 1250 kW. The use of direct air free cooling is shown to be feasible. This does not apply the TES systems by itself. But when using TES in combination with an off-peak electricity tariff the operational cooling cost can be drastically reduced. - Highlights: • The total annual hours for direct air free cooling in data centres are calculated. • The potential of TES integration in data centres is evaluated. • The implementation of TES to store the ambient air cold is not recommended. • TES is feasible if combined with redundant chillers and off-peak electricity price. • The cooling electricity cost is being reduced up to 51%, depending on the location

  19. Free Energy Self-Averaging in Protein-Sized Random Heteropolymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chuang, Jeffrey; Grosberg, Alexander Yu.; Kardar, Mehran

    2001-01-01

    Current theories of heteropolymers are inherently macroscopic, but are applied to mesoscopic proteins. To compute the free energy over sequences, one assumes self-averaging -- a property established only in the macroscopic limit. By enumerating the states and energies of compact 18, 27, and 36mers on a lattice with an ensemble of random sequences, we test the self-averaging approximation. We find that fluctuations in the free energy between sequences are weak, and that self-averaging is valid at the scale of real proteins. The results validate sequence design methods which exponentially speed up computational design and simplify experimental realizations

  20. Calculation of free-energy differences from computer simulations of initial and final states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hummer, G.; Szabo, A.

    1996-01-01

    A class of simple expressions of increasing accuracy for the free-energy difference between two states is derived based on numerical thermodynamic integration. The implementation of these formulas requires simulations of the initial and final (and possibly a few intermediate) states. They involve higher free-energy derivatives at these states which are related to the moments of the probability distribution of the perturbation. Given a specified number of such derivatives, these integration formulas are optimal in the sense that they are exact to the highest possible order of free-energy perturbation theory. The utility of this approach is illustrated for the hydration free energy of water. This problem provides a quite stringent test because the free energy is a highly nonlinear function of the charge so that even fourth order perturbation theory gives a very poor estimate of the free-energy change. Our results should prove most useful for complex, computationally demanding problems where free-energy differences arise primarily from changes in the electrostatic interactions (e.g., electron transfer, charging of ions, protonation of amino acids in proteins). copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

  1. A model description of the first-order phase transition in MnFeP1-x As x

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tegus, O.; Lin, G.X.; Dagula, W.; Fuquan, B.; Zhang, L.; Brueck, E.; Boer, F.R. de; Buschow, K.H.J.

    2005-01-01

    We present a description of the critical behavior at the first-order phase transition in MnFeP 1- x As x system in terms of the Bean-Rodbell model. Within the molecular-field approximation, the Gibbs free energy of the system is expressed in terms of the exchange interaction, the elastic energy, the entropy term, the pressure term and the Zeeman energy. A magnetic-state equation has been obtained by minimizing the Gibbs free energy with respect to the volume and the magnetization. The characteristic parameters for the phase transition observed in this system have been obtained by fitting our experimental data. The results show that the magnetoelastic coupling plays a very important role in the mechanism of the phase transition

  2. Evaluation of the accuracy of the free-energy-minimization method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Najafabadi, R.; Srolovitz, D.J.

    1995-01-01

    We have made a detailed comparison between three competing methods for determining the free energies of solids and their defects: the thermodynamic integration of Monte Carlo (TIMC) data, the quasiharmonic (QH) model, and the free-energy-minimization (FEM) method. The accuracy of these methods decreases from the TIMC to QH to FEM method, while the computational efficiency improves in that order. All three methods yield perfect crystal lattice parameters and free energies at finite temperatures which are in good agreement for three different Cu interatomic potentials [embedded atom method (EAM), Morse and Lennard-Jones]. The FEM error (relative to the TIMC) in the (001) surface free energy and in the vacancy formation energy were found to be much larger for the EAM potential than for the other two potentials. Part of the errors in the FEM determination of the free energies are associated with anharmonicities in the interatomic potentials, with the remainder attributed to decoupling of the atomic vibrations. The anharmonicity of the EAM potential was found to be unphysically large compared with experimental vacancy formation entropy determinations. Based upon these results, we show that the FEM method provides a reasonable compromise between accuracy and computational demands. However, the accuracy of this approach is sensitive to the choice of interatomic potential and the nature of the defect to which it is being applied. The accuracy of the FEM is best in high-symmetry environments (perfect crystal, high-symmetry defects, etc.) and when used to describe materials where the anharmonicity is not too large

  3. A fast tomographic method for searching the minimum free energy path

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Changjun; Huang, Yanzhao; Xiao, Yi; Jiang, Xuewei

    2014-01-01

    Minimum Free Energy Path (MFEP) provides a lot of important information about the chemical reactions, like the free energy barrier, the location of the transition state, and the relative stability between reactant and product. With MFEP, one can study the mechanisms of the reaction in an efficient way. Due to a large number of degrees of freedom, searching the MFEP is a very time-consuming process. Here, we present a fast tomographic method to perform the search. Our approach first calculates the free energy surfaces in a sequence of hyperplanes perpendicular to a transition path. Based on an objective function and the free energy gradient, the transition path is optimized in the collective variable space iteratively. Applications of the present method to model systems show that our method is practical. It can be an alternative approach for finding the state-to-state MFEP

  4. Metadyn View: Fast web-based viewer of free energy surfaces calculated by metadynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hošek, Petr; Spiwok, Vojtěch

    2016-01-01

    Metadynamics is a highly successful enhanced sampling technique for simulation of molecular processes and prediction of their free energy surfaces. An in-depth analysis of data obtained by this method is as important as the simulation itself. Although there are several tools to compute free energy surfaces from metadynamics data, they usually lack user friendliness and a build-in visualization part. Here we introduce Metadyn View as a fast and user friendly viewer of bias potential/free energy surfaces calculated by metadynamics in Plumed package. It is based on modern web technologies including HTML5, JavaScript and Cascade Style Sheets (CSS). It can be used by visiting the web site and uploading a HILLS file. It calculates the bias potential/free energy surface on the client-side, so it can run online or offline without necessity to install additional web engines. Moreover, it includes tools for measurement of free energies and free energy differences and data/image export.

  5. Using the fast fourier transform in binding free energy calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Trung Hai; Zhou, Huan-Xiang; Minh, David D L

    2018-04-30

    According to implicit ligand theory, the standard binding free energy is an exponential average of the binding potential of mean force (BPMF), an exponential average of the interaction energy between the unbound ligand ensemble and a rigid receptor. Here, we use the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to efficiently evaluate BPMFs by calculating interaction energies when rigid ligand configurations from the unbound ensemble are discretely translated across rigid receptor conformations. Results for standard binding free energies between T4 lysozyme and 141 small organic molecules are in good agreement with previous alchemical calculations based on (1) a flexible complex ( R≈0.9 for 24 systems) and (2) flexible ligand with multiple rigid receptor configurations ( R≈0.8 for 141 systems). While the FFT is routinely used for molecular docking, to our knowledge this is the first time that the algorithm has been used for rigorous binding free energy calculations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Energy Analysis in Combined Reforming of Propane

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Moon

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Combined (steam and CO2 reforming is one of the methods to produce syngas for different applications. An energy requirement analysis of steam reforming to dry reforming with intermediate steps of steam reduction and equivalent CO2 addition to the feed fuel for syngas generation has been done to identify condition for optimum process operation. Thermodynamic equilibrium data for combined reforming was generated for temperature range of 400–1000°C at 1 bar pressure and combined oxidant (CO2 + H2O stream to propane (fuel ratio of 3, 6, and 9 by employing the Gibbs free energy minimization algorithm of HSC Chemistry software 5.1. Total energy requirement including preheating and reaction enthalpy calculations were done using the equilibrium product composition. Carbon and methane formation was significantly reduced in combined reforming than pure dry reforming, while the energy requirements were lower than pure steam reforming. Temperatures of minimum energy requirement were found in the data analysis of combined reforming which were optimum for the process.

  7. Experimental Pragmatics and What Is Said: A Response to Gibbs and Moise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolle, Steve; Clark, Billy

    1999-01-01

    Attempted replication of Gibbs and Moise (1997) experiments regarding the recognition of a distinction between what is said and what is implicated. Results showed that, under certain conditions, subject selected implicatures when asked to select the paraphrase best reflecting what a speaker has said. Suggests that results can be explained with the…

  8. A Gibbs potential expansion with a quantic system made up of a large number of particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bloch, Claude; Dominicis, Cyrano de

    1959-01-01

    Starting from an expansion derived in a previous work, we study the contribution to the Gibbs potential of the two-body dynamical correlations, taking into account the statistical correlations. Such a contribution is of interest for low density systems at low temperature. In the zero density limit, it reduces to the Beth Uhlenbeck expression of the second virial coefficient. For a system of fermions in the zero temperature limit, it yields the contribution of the Brueckner reaction matrix to the ground state energy, plus, under certain conditions, additional terms of the form exp. (β |Δ|), where the Δ are the binding energies of 'bound states' of the type first discussed by L. Cooper. Finally, we study the wave function of two particles immersed in a medium (defined by its temperature and chemical potential). lt satisfies an equation generalizing the Bethe Goldstone equation for an arbitrary temperature. Reprint of a paper published in 'Nuclear Physics' 10, 1959, p. 181-196 [fr

  9. Alternative Energy: A Guide to Free Information for Educators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Janet A.

    This guide was compiled to help teachers and students locate free educational materials (both lessons and nontechnical background references) on renewable energy resources and energy conservation. The 214 entries are arranged by these topic areas: (1) energy efficiency and renewables; (2) biomass; (3) hydropower; (4) solar thermal energy; (5)…

  10. Molecular structure investigation and tautomerism aspects of (E)-3 ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    corrections to energy and Gibbs free energy were calcu- lated at the ... importance. We noted that the energy barrier between .... would be predicted that the carbonyl oxygen atom and ... spin allowed singlet-singlet excitations were calculated.

  11. Near-Optimal Detection in MIMO Systems using Gibbs Sampling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten; Hassibi, Babak; Dimakis, Georgios Alexandros

    2009-01-01

    In this paper we study a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Gibbs sampler for solving the integer least-squares problem. In digital communication the problem is equivalent to preforming Maximum Likelihood (ML) detection in Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems. While the use of MCMC methods...... sampler provides a computationally efficient way of achieving approximative ML detection in MIMO systems having a huge number of transmit and receive dimensions. In fact, they further suggest that the Markov chain is rapidly mixing. Thus, it has been observed that even in cases were ML detection using, e...

  12. Chemical Denaturants Smoothen Ruggedness on the Free Energy Landscape of Protein Folding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malhotra, Pooja; Jethva, Prashant N; Udgaonkar, Jayant B

    2017-08-08

    To characterize experimentally the ruggedness of the free energy landscape of protein folding is challenging, because the distributed small free energy barriers are usually dominated by one, or a few, large activation free energy barriers. This study delineates changes in the roughness of the free energy landscape by making use of the observation that a decrease in ruggedness is accompanied invariably by an increase in folding cooperativity. Hydrogen exchange (HX) coupled to mass spectrometry was used to detect transient sampling of local energy minima and the global unfolded state on the free energy landscape of the small protein single-chain monellin. Under native conditions, local noncooperative openings result in interconversions between Boltzmann-distributed intermediate states, populated on an extremely rugged "uphill" energy landscape. The cooperativity of these interconversions was increased by selectively destabilizing the native state via mutations, and further by the addition of a chemical denaturant. The perturbation of stability alone resulted in seven backbone amide sites exchanging cooperatively. The size of the cooperatively exchanging and/or unfolding unit did not depend on the extent of protein destabilization. Only upon the addition of a denaturant to a destabilized mutant variant did seven additional backbone amide sites exchange cooperatively. Segmentwise analysis of the HX kinetics of the mutant variants further confirmed that the observed increase in cooperativity was due to the smoothing of the ruggedness of the free energy landscape of folding of the protein by the chemical denaturant.

  13. Designed azurins show lower reorganization free energies for intraprotein electron transfer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farver, Ole; Marshall, Nicholas M; Wherland, Scot

    2013-01-01

    Low reorganization free energies are necessary for fast electron transfer (ET) reactions. Hence, rational design of redox proteins with lower reorganization free energies has been a long-standing challenge, promising to yield a deeper understanding of the underlying principles of ET reactivity...

  14. Free Energy, Enthalpy and Entropy from Implicit Solvent End-Point Simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogolari, Federico; Corazza, Alessandra; Esposito, Gennaro

    2018-01-01

    Free energy is the key quantity to describe the thermodynamics of biological systems. In this perspective we consider the calculation of free energy, enthalpy and entropy from end-point molecular dynamics simulations. Since the enthalpy may be calculated as the ensemble average over equilibrated simulation snapshots the difficulties related to free energy calculation are ultimately related to the calculation of the entropy of the system and in particular of the solvent entropy. In the last two decades implicit solvent models have been used to circumvent the problem and to take into account solvent entropy implicitly in the solvation terms. More recently outstanding advancement in both implicit solvent models and in entropy calculations are making the goal of free energy estimation from end-point simulations more feasible than ever before. We review briefly the basic theory and discuss the advancements in light of practical applications.

  15. Free Energy, Enthalpy and Entropy from Implicit Solvent End-Point Simulations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico Fogolari

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Free energy is the key quantity to describe the thermodynamics of biological systems. In this perspective we consider the calculation of free energy, enthalpy and entropy from end-point molecular dynamics simulations. Since the enthalpy may be calculated as the ensemble average over equilibrated simulation snapshots the difficulties related to free energy calculation are ultimately related to the calculation of the entropy of the system and in particular of the solvent entropy. In the last two decades implicit solvent models have been used to circumvent the problem and to take into account solvent entropy implicitly in the solvation terms. More recently outstanding advancement in both implicit solvent models and in entropy calculations are making the goal of free energy estimation from end-point simulations more feasible than ever before. We review briefly the basic theory and discuss the advancements in light of practical applications.

  16. Spectroscopic determination of ionization constants of quinoline and 3-aminoquinoline at different temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Indhar, H.A.B.

    2000-01-01

    Quinoline and its derivative are chemically and biologically important heterocylic compounds. Its ionization constant (pK/sub a/ values have been previously determined only at 18 or 20 deg. C. We have enhanced this work at different temperatures from 20-50 deg. C at the interval of 5 deg. C. The dissociation constants (pk/sub a/s), and Gibb's free energies of quinoline and 3-aminoquinoline have been determined by UV-Spectrophotometer (lambda 2) equipped with a temperature control of - + 0.1 deg. C at temperatures ranging from 20-50 deg. C in water. The experimental data have been used for the determination of thermodynamic ionization constants (pk /sub a //sup t/) sub t/, concentration ionization constants (pK/sub a//sup M/) and Gibbs's free energy values of pK/sub a/sup M/. The ionization constant values decrease with increase of temperature. The significance of relative magnitudes of the values is discussed and some useful generalization are obtained. The curves are parabolic. A computer program in GW-BASIC calculates the values of dissociation constants. From the pK/sub a/ values, Gibb's free energies are compared and discussed. (author)

  17. Free energy change of off-eutectic binary alloys on solidification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohsaka, K.; Trinh, E. H.; Lin, J.-C.; Perepezko, J. H.

    1991-01-01

    A formula for the free energy difference between the undercooled liquid phase and the stable solid phase is derived for off-eutectic binary alloys in which the equilibrium solid/liquid transition takes place over a certain temperature range. The free energy change is then evaluated numerically for a Bi-25 at. pct Cd alloy modeled as a sub-subregular solution.

  18. The Magnetic Free Energy in Active Regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metcalf, Thomas R.; Mickey, Donald L.; LaBonte, Barry J.

    2001-01-01

    The magnetic field permeating the solar atmosphere governs much of the structure, morphology, brightness, and dynamics observed on the Sun. The magnetic field, especially in active regions, is thought to provide the power for energetic events in the solar corona, such as solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) and is believed to energize the hot coronal plasma seen in extreme ultraviolet or X-rays. The question remains what specific aspect of the magnetic flux governs the observed variability. To directly understand the role of the magnetic field in energizing the solar corona, it is necessary to measure the free magnetic energy available in active regions. The grant now expiring has demonstrated a new and valuable technique for observing the magnetic free energy in active regions as a function of time.

  19. On the interfacial energy of coherent interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaptay, G.

    2012-01-01

    A thermodynamic model has been developed for interfacial energies of coherent interfaces using only the molar Gibbs energy and the molar volume of the two phases surrounding the interface as the initial data. The analysis is started from the simplest case of the interface formed by two solutions on the two sides of a miscibility gap, when both phases are described by the same Gibbs energy and molar volume functions. This method is applied to the fcc Au–Ni, liquid Ga–Pb and liquid Al–Bi systems. Reasonable agreement was found with the measured values in liquid Ga–Pb and Al–Bi systems. It was shown that the calculated results are sensitive to the choice of the Calphad-estimated thermodynamic data. The method is extended to the case where the two phases are described by different Gibbs energy and molar volume functions. The extended model is applied to the interface present in an Ni-based superalloy between the AlNi 3 face-centered cubic (fcc) compound and the Ni–Al fcc disordered solid solution. The calculated results are found to be similar to other values recently obtained from the combination of kinetic and thermodynamic data. The method is extended to ternary and higher order systems. It is predicted that the interfacial energy will gradually decrease with the increase in number of components in the system.

  20. Physical property parameter set for modeling ICPP aqueous wastes with ASPEN electrolyte NRTL model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schindler, R.E.

    1996-09-01

    The aqueous waste evaporators at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) are being modeled using ASPEN software. The ASPEN software calculates chemical and vapor-liquid equilibria with activity coefficients calculated using the electrolyte Non-Random Two Liquid (NRTL) model for local excess Gibbs free energies of interactions between ions and molecules in solution. The use of the electrolyte NRTL model requires the determination of empirical parameters for the excess Gibbs free energies of the interactions between species in solution. This report covers the development of a set parameters, from literature data, for the use of the electrolyte NRTL model with the major solutes in the ICPP aqueous wastes

  1. A principle to correlate extreme values of excess thermodynamic functions with partial molar quantities

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    尉志武; 刘芸; 周蕊; 薛芳渝

    2001-01-01

    Excess thermodynamic properties are widely used quantitatively for fluids. It was found that at constant temperature and pressure a molar excess quantity of a mutually miscible binary mixture at the extreme points equals the excess partial molar quantities of the two components, i.e.F1E = F2E = FmE , forming a triple cross point. The relationship is hold for properties such as en-thalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, and volume, and is applicable for excess functions with multi extreme points. Solutions at extreme points can be referred to as special mixtures. Particularly fora special mixture of Gibbs free energy, activity coefficients of the two components are identical.

  2. Thermodynamic activity measurements of U-Zr alloys by Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanno, Masayoshi; Yamawaki, Michio; Koyama, Tadafumi; Morioka, Nobuo

    1988-01-01

    Vaporization of a series of U-Zr alloys, a fundamental subsystem of the promising metallic fuel U-Pu-Zr, was studied by using a tantalum Knudsen cell coupled with a mass spectrometer in the temperature range 1700-2060 K. Thermodynamic activities partial molar Gibbs free energies and integral molar Gibbs free energies of mixing were calculated from the partial vapor pressures of uranium over these alloys. The activities of uranium exhibit negative deviations from ideality, especially in the uranium-rich composition region. Both the solidus and liquidus lines for this system estimated from the activities show negative deviations from the tentative phase diagram previously reported. (orig.)

  3. Variational Approach to Enhanced Sampling and Free Energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valsson, Omar; Parrinello, Michele

    2014-08-01

    The ability of widely used sampling methods, such as molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations, to explore complex free energy landscapes is severely hampered by the presence of kinetic bottlenecks. A large number of solutions have been proposed to alleviate this problem. Many are based on the introduction of a bias potential which is a function of a small number of collective variables. However constructing such a bias is not simple. Here we introduce a functional of the bias potential and an associated variational principle. The bias that minimizes the functional relates in a simple way to the free energy surface. This variational principle can be turned into a practical, efficient, and flexible sampling method. A number of numerical examples are presented which include the determination of a three-dimensional free energy surface. We argue that, beside being numerically advantageous, our variational approach provides a convenient and novel standpoint for looking at the sampling problem.

  4. Knot soliton in DNA and geometric structure of its free-energy density.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ying; Shi, Xuguang

    2018-03-01

    In general, the geometric structure of DNA is characterized using an elastic rod model. The Landau model provides us a new theory to study the geometric structure of DNA. By using the decomposition of the arc unit in the helical axis of DNA, we find that the free-energy density of DNA is similar to the free-energy density of a two-condensate superconductor. By using the φ-mapping topological current theory, the torus knot soliton hidden in DNA is demonstrated. We show the relation between the geometric structure and free-energy density of DNA and the Frenet equations in differential geometry theory are considered. Therefore, the free-energy density of DNA can be expressed by the curvature and torsion of the helical axis.

  5. Free energy barriers to evaporation of water in hydrophobic confinement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Sumit; Debenedetti, Pablo G

    2012-11-08

    We use umbrella sampling Monte Carlo and forward and reverse forward flux sampling (FFS) simulation techniques to compute the free energy barriers to evaporation of water confined between two hydrophobic surfaces separated by nanoscopic gaps, as a function of the gap width, at 1 bar and 298 K. The evaporation mechanism for small (1 × 1 nm(2)) surfaces is found to be fundamentally different from that for large (3 × 3 nm(2)) surfaces. In the latter case, the evaporation proceeds via the formation of a gap-spanning tubular cavity. The 1 × 1 nm(2) surfaces, in contrast, are too small to accommodate a stable vapor cavity. Accordingly, the associated free energy barriers correspond to the formation of a critical-sized cavity for sufficiently large confining surfaces, and to complete emptying of the gap region for small confining surfaces. The free energy barriers to evaporation were found to be of O(20kT) for 14 Å gaps, and to increase by approximately ~5kT with every 1 Å increase in the gap width. The entropy contribution to the free energy of evaporation was found to be independent of the gap width.

  6. Uniqueness of Gibbs measure for Potts model with countable set of spin values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganikhodjaev, N.N.; Rozikov, U.A.

    2004-11-01

    We consider a nearest-neighbor Potts model with countable spin values 0,1,..., and non zero external field, on a Cayley tree of order k (with k+1 neighbors). We study translation-invariant 'splitting' Gibbs measures. We reduce the problem to the description of the solutions of some infinite system of equations. For any k≥1 and any fixed probability measure ν with ν(i)>0 on the set of all non negative integer numbers Φ={0,1,...} we show that the set of translation-invariant splitting Gibbs measures contains at most one point, independently on parameters of the Potts model with countable set of spin values on Cayley tree. Also we give a full description of the class of measures ν on Φ such that wit respect to each element of this class our infinite system of equations has unique solution {a i =1,2,...}, where a is an element of (0,1). (author)

  7. Converging ligand‐binding free energies obtained with free‐energy perturbations at the quantum mechanical level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsson, Martin A.; Söderhjelm, Pär

    2016-01-01

    In this article, the convergence of quantum mechanical (QM) free‐energy simulations based on molecular dynamics simulations at the molecular mechanics (MM) level has been investigated. We have estimated relative free energies for the binding of nine cyclic carboxylate ligands to the octa‐acid deep‐cavity host, including the host, the ligand, and all water molecules within 4.5 Å of the ligand in the QM calculations (158–224 atoms). We use single‐step exponential averaging (ssEA) and the non‐Boltzmann Bennett acceptance ratio (NBB) methods to estimate QM/MM free energy with the semi‐empirical PM6‐DH2X method, both based on interaction energies. We show that ssEA with cumulant expansion gives a better convergence and uses half as many QM calculations as NBB, although the two methods give consistent results. With 720,000 QM calculations per transformation, QM/MM free‐energy estimates with a precision of 1 kJ/mol can be obtained for all eight relative energies with ssEA, showing that this approach can be used to calculate converged QM/MM binding free energies for realistic systems and large QM partitions. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Computational Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:27117350

  8. Free energy change of a dislocation due to a Cottrell atmosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sills, R. B.; Cai, W.

    2018-06-01

    The free energy reduction of a dislocation due to a Cottrell atmosphere of solutes is computed using a continuum model. We show that the free energy change is composed of near-core and far-field components. The far-field component can be computed analytically using the linearized theory of solid solutions. Near the core the linearized theory is inaccurate, and the near-core component must be computed numerically. The influence of interactions between solutes in neighbouring lattice sites is also examined using the continuum model. We show that this model is able to reproduce atomistic calculations of the nickel-hydrogen system, predicting hydride formation on dislocations. The formation of these hydrides leads to dramatic reductions in the free energy. Finally, the influence of the free energy change on a dislocation's line tension is examined by computing the equilibrium shape of a dislocation shear loop and the activation stress for a Frank-Read source using discrete dislocation dynamics.

  9. Comparison of Boltzmann and Gibbs entropies for the analysis of single-chain phase transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shakirov, T.; Zablotskiy, S.; Böker, A.; Ivanov, V.; Paul, W.

    2017-03-01

    In the last 10 years, flat histogram Monte Carlo simulations have contributed strongly to our understanding of the phase behavior of simple generic models of polymers. These simulations result in an estimate for the density of states of a model system. To connect this result with thermodynamics, one has to relate the density of states to the microcanonical entropy. In a series of publications, Dunkel, Hilbert and Hänggi argued that it would lead to a more consistent thermodynamic description of small systems, when one uses the Gibbs definition of entropy instead of the Boltzmann one. The latter is the logarithm of the density of states at a certain energy, the former is the logarithm of the integral of the density of states over all energies smaller than or equal to this energy. We will compare the predictions using these two definitions for two polymer models, a coarse-grained model of a flexible-semiflexible multiblock copolymer and a coarse-grained model of the protein poly-alanine. Additionally, it is important to note that while Monte Carlo techniques are normally concerned with the configurational energy only, the microcanonical ensemble is defined for the complete energy. We will show how taking the kinetic energy into account alters the predictions from the analysis. Finally, the microcanonical ensemble is supposed to represent a closed mechanical N-particle system. But due to Galilei invariance such a system has two additional conservation laws, in general: momentum and angular momentum. We will also show, how taking these conservation laws into account alters the results.

  10. Breaking the polar-nonpolar division in solvation free energy prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Bao; Wang, Chengzhang; Wu, Kedi; Wei, Guo-Wei

    2018-02-05

    Implicit solvent models divide solvation free energies into polar and nonpolar additive contributions, whereas polar and nonpolar interactions are inseparable and nonadditive. We present a feature functional theory (FFT) framework to break this ad hoc division. The essential ideas of FFT are as follows: (i) representability assumption: there exists a microscopic feature vector that can uniquely characterize and distinguish one molecule from another; (ii) feature-function relationship assumption: the macroscopic features, including solvation free energy, of a molecule is a functional of microscopic feature vectors; and (iii) similarity assumption: molecules with similar microscopic features have similar macroscopic properties, such as solvation free energies. Based on these assumptions, solvation free energy prediction is carried out in the following protocol. First, we construct a molecular microscopic feature vector that is efficient in characterizing the solvation process using quantum mechanics and Poisson-Boltzmann theory. Microscopic feature vectors are combined with macroscopic features, that is, physical observable, to form extended feature vectors. Additionally, we partition a solvation dataset into queries according to molecular compositions. Moreover, for each target molecule, we adopt a machine learning algorithm for its nearest neighbor search, based on the selected microscopic feature vectors. Finally, from the extended feature vectors of obtained nearest neighbors, we construct a functional of solvation free energy, which is employed to predict the solvation free energy of the target molecule. The proposed FFT model has been extensively validated via a large dataset of 668 molecules. The leave-one-out test gives an optimal root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 1.05 kcal/mol. FFT predictions of SAMPL0, SAMPL1, SAMPL2, SAMPL3, and SAMPL4 challenge sets deliver the RMSEs of 0.61, 1.86, 1.64, 0.86, and 1.14 kcal/mol, respectively. Using a test set of 94

  11. Computation of Hemagglutinin Free Energy Difference by the Confinement Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    Hemagglutinin (HA) mediates membrane fusion, a crucial step during influenza virus cell entry. How many HAs are needed for this process is still subject to debate. To aid in this discussion, the confinement free energy method was used to calculate the conformational free energy difference between the extended intermediate and postfusion state of HA. Special care was taken to comply with the general guidelines for free energy calculations, thereby obtaining convergence and demonstrating reliability of the results. The energy that one HA trimer contributes to fusion was found to be 34.2 ± 3.4kBT, similar to the known contributions from other fusion proteins. Although computationally expensive, the technique used is a promising tool for the further energetic characterization of fusion protein mechanisms. Knowledge of the energetic contributions per protein, and of conserved residues that are crucial for fusion, aids in the development of fusion inhibitors for antiviral drugs. PMID:29151344

  12. Quantum mechanical free energy profiles with post-quantization restraints: Binding free energy of the water dimer over a broad range of temperatures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Kevin P; Roy, Pierre-Nicholas

    2018-03-14

    Free energy calculations are a crucial part of understanding chemical systems but are often computationally expensive for all but the simplest of systems. Various enhanced sampling techniques have been developed to improve the efficiency of these calculations in numerical simulations. However, the majority of these approaches have been applied using classical molecular dynamics. There are many situations where nuclear quantum effects impact the system of interest and a classical description fails to capture these details. In this work, path integral molecular dynamics has been used in conjunction with umbrella sampling, and it has been observed that correct results are only obtained when the umbrella sampling potential is applied to a single path integral bead post quantization. This method has been validated against a Lennard-Jones benchmark system before being applied to the more complicated water dimer system over a broad range of temperatures. Free energy profiles are obtained, and these are utilized in the calculation of the second virial coefficient as well as the change in free energy from the separated water monomers to the dimer. Comparisons to experimental and ground state calculation values from the literature are made for the second virial coefficient at higher temperature and the dissociation energy of the dimer in the ground state.

  13. Just Another Gibbs Additive Modeler: Interfacing JAGS and mgcv

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon N. Wood

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The BUGS language offers a very flexible way of specifying complex statistical models for the purposes of Gibbs sampling, while its JAGS variant offers very convenient R integration via the rjags package. However, including smoothers in JAGS models can involve some quite tedious coding, especially for multivariate or adaptive smoothers. Further, if an additive smooth structure is required then some care is needed, in order to centre smooths appropriately, and to find appropriate starting values. R package mgcv implements a wide range of smoothers, all in a manner appropriate for inclusion in JAGS code, and automates centring and other smooth setup tasks. The purpose of this note is to describe an interface between mgcv and JAGS, based around an R function, jagam, which takes a generalized additive model (GAM as specified in mgcv and automatically generates the JAGS model code and data required for inference about the model via Gibbs sampling. Although the auto-generated JAGS code can be run as is, the expectation is that the user would wish to modify it in order to add complex stochastic model components readily specified in JAGS. A simple interface is also provided for visualisation and further inference about the estimated smooth components using standard mgcv functionality. The methods described here will be un-necessarily inefficient if all that is required is fully Bayesian inference about a standard GAM, rather than the full flexibility of JAGS. In that case the BayesX package would be more efficient.

  14. Low energy quasi free scattering on nuclear surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shiyuan, S.

    1983-05-01

    The result of RGM calculation of low energy /sup 3/He(n, n)/sup 3/ He total elastic cross section does not agree well with experimental data for E/sub n/<1 MeV. This discrepancy can be improved by assuming lwo energy quasi-free scattering of particles beyond the nuclear surface.

  15. Free Energy and Internal Combustion Engine Cycles

    OpenAIRE

    Harris, William D.

    2012-01-01

    The performance of one type (Carnot) of Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cycle is analyzed within the framework of thermodynamic free energies. ICE performance is different from that of an External Combustion Engine (ECE) which is dictated by Carnot's rule.

  16. Free energy surfaces from nonequilibrium processes without work measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adib, Artur B.

    2006-04-01

    Recent developments in statistical mechanics have allowed the estimation of equilibrium free energies from the statistics of work measurements during processes that drive the system out of equilibrium. Here a different class of processes is considered, wherein the system is prepared and released from a nonequilibrium state, and no external work is involved during its observation. For such "clamp-and-release" processes, a simple strategy for the estimation of equilibrium free energies is offered. The method is illustrated with numerical simulations and analyzed in the context of tethered single-molecule experiments.

  17. Thermodynamic Study of the Nickel Addition in Zinc Hot-Dip Galvanizing Baths

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pistofidis, N.; Vourlias, G.

    2010-01-01

    A usual practice during zinc hot-dip galvanizing is the addition of nickel in the liquid zinc which is used to inhibit the Sandelin effect. Its action is due to the fact that the ζ (zeta) phase of the Fe-Zn system is replaced by the Τ (tau) phase of the Fe-Zn-Ni system. In the present work an attempt is made to explain the formation of the Τ phase with thermodynamics. For this reason the Gibbs free energy changes for Τ and ζ phases were calculated. The excess free energy for the system was calculated with the Redlich-Kister polyonyme. From this calculation it was deduced that the Gibbs energy change for the tau phase is negative. As a result its formation is spontaneous.

  18. Monte Carlo Molecular Simulation with Isobaric-Isothermal and Gibbs-NPT Ensembles

    KAUST Repository

    Du, Shouhong

    2012-01-01

    This thesis presents Monte Carlo methods for simulations of phase behaviors of Lennard-Jones fluids. The isobaric-isothermal (NPT) ensemble and Gibbs-NPT ensemble are introduced in detail. NPT ensemble is employed to determine the phase diagram of pure component. The reduced simulation results are verified by comparison with the equation of state by by Johnson et al. and results with L-J parameters of methane agree considerably with the experiment measurements. We adopt the blocking method for variance estimation and error analysis of the simulation results. The relationship between variance and number of Monte Carlo cycles, error propagation and Random Number Generator performance are also investigated. We review the Gibbs-NPT ensemble employed for phase equilibrium of binary mixture. The phase equilibrium is achieved by performing three types of trial move: particle displacement, volume rearrangement and particle transfer. The simulation models and the simulation details are introduced. The simulation results of phase coexistence for methane and ethane are reported with comparison of the experimental data. Good agreement is found for a wide range of pressures. The contribution of this thesis work lies in the study of the error analysis with respect to the Monte Carlo cycles and number of particles in some interesting aspects.

  19. Monte Carlo Molecular Simulation with Isobaric-Isothermal and Gibbs-NPT Ensembles

    KAUST Repository

    Du, Shouhong

    2012-05-01

    This thesis presents Monte Carlo methods for simulations of phase behaviors of Lennard-Jones fluids. The isobaric-isothermal (NPT) ensemble and Gibbs-NPT ensemble are introduced in detail. NPT ensemble is employed to determine the phase diagram of pure component. The reduced simulation results are verified by comparison with the equation of state by by Johnson et al. and results with L-J parameters of methane agree considerably with the experiment measurements. We adopt the blocking method for variance estimation and error analysis of the simulation results. The relationship between variance and number of Monte Carlo cycles, error propagation and Random Number Generator performance are also investigated. We review the Gibbs-NPT ensemble employed for phase equilibrium of binary mixture. The phase equilibrium is achieved by performing three types of trial move: particle displacement, volume rearrangement and particle transfer. The simulation models and the simulation details are introduced. The simulation results of phase coexistence for methane and ethane are reported with comparison of the experimental data. Good agreement is found for a wide range of pressures. The contribution of this thesis work lies in the study of the error analysis with respect to the Monte Carlo cycles and number of particles in some interesting aspects.

  20. Coarse-grained versus atomistic simulations : realistic interaction free energies for real proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    May, Ali; Pool, René; van Dijk, Erik; Bijlard, Jochem; Abeln, Sanne; Heringa, Jaap; Feenstra, K Anton

    2014-01-01

    MOTIVATION: To assess whether two proteins will interact under physiological conditions, information on the interaction free energy is needed. Statistical learning techniques and docking methods for predicting protein-protein interactions cannot quantitatively estimate binding free energies. Full

  1. Free energy minimization and information gain: The devil is in the details

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kwisthout, J.H.P.; Rooij, I.J.E.I. van

    2015-01-01

    Contrary to Friston's previous work, this paper describes free energy minimization using categorical probability distributions over discrete states. This alternative mathematical framework exposes a fundamental, yet unnoticed challenge for the free energy principle. When considering discrete state

  2. Coarse-grained versus atomistic simulations: realistic interaction free energies for real proteins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    May, A.; Pool, R.; van Dijk, E.; Bijlard, J.; Abeln, S.; Heringa, J.; Feenstra, K.A.

    2014-01-01

    MOTIVATION: To assess whether two proteins will interact under physiological conditions, information on the interaction free energy is needed. Statistical learning techniques and docking methods for predicting protein-protein interactions cannot quantitatively estimate binding free energies. Full

  3. A Free Energy Model for Hysteresis Ferroelectric Materials

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Smith, Ralph C; Ounaies, Zoubeida; Seelecke, Stefan; Smith, Joshua

    2003-01-01

    This paper provides a theory for quantifying the hysteresis and constitutive nonlinearities inherent to piezoceramic compounds through a combination of free energy analysis and stochastic homogenization techniques...

  4. Free radical scavenging and COX-2 inhibition by simple colon metabolites of polyphenols: A theoretical approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amić, Ana; Marković, Zoran; Marković, Jasmina M Dimitrić; Jeremić, Svetlana; Lučić, Bono; Amić, Dragan

    2016-12-01

    Free radical scavenging and inhibitory potency against cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by two abundant colon metabolites of polyphenols, i.e., 3-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (3-HPAA) and 4-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid (4-HPPA) were theoretically studied. Different free radical scavenging mechanisms are investigated in water and pentyl ethanoate as a solvent. By considering electronic properties of scavenged free radicals, hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) and sequential proton loss electron transfer (SPLET) mechanisms are found to be thermodynamically probable and competitive processes in both media. The Gibbs free energy change for reaction of inactivation of free radicals indicates 3-HPAA and 4-HPPA as potent scavengers. Their reactivity toward free radicals was predicted to decrease as follows: hydroxyl>alkoxyls>phenoxyl≈peroxyls>superoxide. Shown free radical scavenging potency of 3-HPAA and 4-HPPA along with their high μM concentration produced by microbial colon degradation of polyphenols could enable at least in situ inactivation of free radicals. Docking analysis with structural forms of 3-HPAA and 4-HPPA indicates dianionic ligands as potent inhibitors of COX-2, an inducible enzyme involved in colon carcinogenesis. Obtained results suggest that suppressing levels of free radicals and COX-2 could be achieved by 3-HPAA and 4-HPPA indicating that these compounds may contribute to reduced risk of colon cancer development. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Arbitrage-free valuation of energy derivatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amin, K.; Ng, V.; Pirrong, C.

    1999-01-01

    This chapter focuses on techniques available for valuing energy-contingent claims and develops an arbitrage-free framework to value energy derivatives. The relationship between the spot, forward and futures prices is explained. Option valuation with deterministic convenience yields is discussed using an extension of the Black (1976) framework, and details of the risk-neutral valuation of European options, and valuation of American and European-style options are given. Option valuations with stochastic convenience yields, the evolution of the term structure of convenience yield, and a tree approach to valuing American and other options are discussed. Applications and limitations of the models for pricing energy derivative products are considered. The stochastic differential equation for the futures prices when the convenience yields are stochastic is presented in an appendix

  6. Advancing Drug Discovery through Enhanced Free Energy Calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abel, Robert; Wang, Lingle; Harder, Edward D; Berne, B J; Friesner, Richard A

    2017-07-18

    A principal goal of drug discovery project is to design molecules that can tightly and selectively bind to the target protein receptor. Accurate prediction of protein-ligand binding free energies is therefore of central importance in computational chemistry and computer aided drug design. Multiple recent improvements in computing power, classical force field accuracy, enhanced sampling methods, and simulation setup have enabled accurate and reliable calculations of protein-ligands binding free energies, and position free energy calculations to play a guiding role in small molecule drug discovery. In this Account, we outline the relevant methodological advances, including the REST2 (Replica Exchange with Solute Temperting) enhanced sampling, the incorporation of REST2 sampling with convential FEP (Free Energy Perturbation) through FEP/REST, the OPLS3 force field, and the advanced simulation setup that constitute our FEP+ approach, followed by the presentation of extensive comparisons with experiment, demonstrating sufficient accuracy in potency prediction (better than 1 kcal/mol) to substantially impact lead optimization campaigns. The limitations of the current FEP+ implementation and best practices in drug discovery applications are also discussed followed by the future methodology development plans to address those limitations. We then report results from a recent drug discovery project, in which several thousand FEP+ calculations were successfully deployed to simultaneously optimize potency, selectivity, and solubility, illustrating the power of the approach to solve challenging drug design problems. The capabilities of free energy calculations to accurately predict potency and selectivity have led to the advance of ongoing drug discovery projects, in challenging situations where alternative approaches would have great difficulties. The ability to effectively carry out projects evaluating tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of proposed drug candidates

  7. Is the Free Vacuum Energy Infinite?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shirazi, S. M.; Razmi, H.

    2015-01-01

    Considering the fundamental cutoff applied by the uncertainty relations’ limit on virtual particles’ frequency in the quantum vacuum, it is shown that the vacuum energy density is proportional to the inverse of the fourth power of the dimensional distance of the space under consideration and thus the corresponding vacuum energy automatically regularized to zero value for an infinitely large free space. This can be used in regularizing a number of unwanted infinities that happen in the Casimir effect, the cosmological constant problem, and so on without using already known mathematical (not so reasonable) techniques and tricks

  8. Free-market approach to energy proposed in new study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1992-01-01

    This paper reports that a free-market approach to energy use, intensified R and D and an emphasis on conservation and clean fuels such as natural gas can result in significant reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases, without any major new federal policy initiatives, according to a new study, An Alternative Energy Future, sponsored by Alliance to Save Energy, AGA and Solar Energy Industries Assn

  9. Free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures and computational RNA design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Churkin, Alexander; Weinbrand, Lina; Barash, Danny

    2015-01-01

    Determining the RNA secondary structure from sequence data by computational predictions is a long-standing problem. Its solution has been approached in two distinctive ways. If a multiple sequence alignment of a collection of homologous sequences is available, the comparative method uses phylogeny to determine conserved base pairs that are more likely to form as a result of billions of years of evolution than by chance. In the case of single sequences, recursive algorithms that compute free energy structures by using empirically derived energy parameters have been developed. This latter approach of RNA folding prediction by energy minimization is widely used to predict RNA secondary structure from sequence. For a significant number of RNA molecules, the secondary structure of the RNA molecule is indicative of its function and its computational prediction by minimizing its free energy is important for its functional analysis. A general method for free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures is dynamic programming, although other optimization methods have been developed as well along with empirically derived energy parameters. In this chapter, we introduce and illustrate by examples the approach of free energy minimization to predict RNA secondary structures.

  10. Analysis of the Bogoliubov free energy functional

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Reuvers, Robin

    In this thesis, we analyse a variational reformulation of the Bogoliubov approximation that is used to describe weakly-interacting translationally-invariant Bose gases. For the resulting model, the `Bogoliubov free energy functional', we demonstrate existence of minimizers as well as the presence...

  11. Advanced Graphene-Based Binder-Free Electrodes for High-Performance Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Junyi; Li, Yang; Peng, Wenchao; Zhang, Guoliang; Zhang, Fengbao; Fan, Xiaobin

    2015-09-23

    The increasing demand for energy has triggered tremendous research effort for the development of high-performance and durable energy-storage devices. Advanced graphene-based electrodes with high electrical conductivity and ion accessibility can exhibit superior electrochemical performance in energy-storage devices. Among them, binder-free configurations can enhance the electron conductivity of the electrode, which leads to a higher capacity by avoiding the addition of non-conductive and inactive binders. Graphene, a 2D material, can be fabricated into a porous and flexible structure with an interconnected conductive network. Such a conductive structure is favorable for both electron and ion transport to the entire electrode surface. In this review, the main processes used to prepare binder-free graphene-based hybrids with high porosity and well-designed electron conductive networks are summarized. Then, the applications of free-standing binder-free graphene-based electrodes in energy-storage devices are discussed. Future research aspects with regard to overcoming the technological bottlenecks are also proposed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Free energy of formation of lanthanum nickelate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreedharan, O.M.; Chandrasekharaiah, M.S.; Karkhanavala, M.D.

    1976-01-01

    The ΔG 0 /sub f/ of La 2 NiO 4 (s) was determined from the measured emf in the range 1123 to 1373 0 K of the solid oxide electrolyte galvanic cell. The emf data were fitted to a linear equation by the method of least squares. From these data, the standard free-energy change, ΔG 0 , for the reaction NiO(s) + La 2 O 3 (s) = La 2 NiO 4 (s) was calculated. Combining these emf data with the best available free energy of formation data for NiO(s) and La 2 O 3 (s), the following expression for ΔG 0 /sub f/(La 2 NiO 4 (s)) was derived as ΔG 0 /sub f/(La 2 NiO 4 (s)/kJ mole -1 = -2057.0 + 322.8 x 10 -3 T +- 17.30

  13. Binding free energy analysis of protein-protein docking model structures by evERdock.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takemura, Kazuhiro; Matubayasi, Nobuyuki; Kitao, Akio

    2018-03-14

    To aid the evaluation of protein-protein complex model structures generated by protein docking prediction (decoys), we previously developed a method to calculate the binding free energies for complexes. The method combines a short (2 ns) all-atom molecular dynamics simulation with explicit solvent and solution theory in the energy representation (ER). We showed that this method successfully selected structures similar to the native complex structure (near-native decoys) as the lowest binding free energy structures. In our current work, we applied this method (evERdock) to 100 or 300 model structures of four protein-protein complexes. The crystal structures and the near-native decoys showed the lowest binding free energy of all the examined structures, indicating that evERdock can successfully evaluate decoys. Several decoys that show low interface root-mean-square distance but relatively high binding free energy were also identified. Analysis of the fraction of native contacts, hydrogen bonds, and salt bridges at the protein-protein interface indicated that these decoys were insufficiently optimized at the interface. After optimizing the interactions around the interface by including interfacial water molecules, the binding free energies of these decoys were improved. We also investigated the effect of solute entropy on binding free energy and found that consideration of the entropy term does not necessarily improve the evaluations of decoys using the normal model analysis for entropy calculation.

  14. The inverted free energy landscape of an intrinsically disordered peptide by simulations and experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Granata, Daniele; Baftizadeh, Fahimeh; Habchi, Johnny; Galvagnion, Celine; De Simone, Alfonso; Camilloni, Carlo; Laio, Alessandro; Vendruscolo, Michele

    2015-10-26

    The free energy landscape theory has been very successful in rationalizing the folding behaviour of globular proteins, as this representation provides intuitive information on the number of states involved in the folding process, their populations and pathways of interconversion. We extend here this formalism to the case of the Aβ40 peptide, a 40-residue intrinsically disordered protein fragment associated with Alzheimer's disease. By using an advanced sampling technique that enables free energy calculations to reach convergence also in the case of highly disordered states of proteins, we provide a precise structural characterization of the free energy landscape of this peptide. We find that such landscape has inverted features with respect to those typical of folded proteins. While the global free energy minimum consists of highly disordered structures, higher free energy regions correspond to a large variety of transiently structured conformations with secondary structure elements arranged in several different manners, and are not separated from each other by sizeable free energy barriers. From this peculiar structure of the free energy landscape we predict that this peptide should become more structured and not only more compact, with increasing temperatures, and we show that this is the case through a series of biophysical measurements.

  15. Free-Free Transitions in the Presence of Laser Fields at Very Low Incident Electron Energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatia, A. K.; Sinha, Chandana

    2010-01-01

    We study the free-free transition in electron-hydrogenic systems in ground state in presence of an external laser field at very loud incident energies. The laser field is treated classically while the collision dynamics is treated quantum mechanically. The laser field is chosen to be monochromatic, linearly polarized and homogeneous. The incident electron is considered to be dressed by the laser in a nonperturbative manner by choosing a Volkov wave function for it. The scattering weave function for the electron is solved numerically by taking into account the effect of the electron exchange, short-range as well as of the long-range interactions to get the S and P wave phase shifts while for the higher angular momentum phase shifts the exchange approximation has only been considered. We calculate the laser assisted differential cross sections (LADCS) for the aforesaid free-free transition process for single photon absorption/emission. The laser intensity is chosen to be much less than the atomic field intensity. A strong suppression is noted in the LADCS as compared to the field free (FF) cross sections. Unlike the FF ones, the LADCS exhibit some oscillations having a distinct maximum at a low value of the scattering angle depending on the laser parameters as well as on the incident energies.

  16. Free-energy landscape of a hyperstable RNA tetraloop.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miner, Jacob C; Chen, Alan A; García, Angel E

    2016-06-14

    We report the characterization of the energy landscape and the folding/unfolding thermodynamics of a hyperstable RNA tetraloop obtained through high-performance molecular dynamics simulations at microsecond timescales. Sampling of the configurational landscape is conducted using temperature replica exchange molecular dynamics over three isochores at high, ambient, and negative pressures to determine the thermodynamic stability and the free-energy landscape of the tetraloop. The simulations reveal reversible folding/unfolding transitions of the tetraloop into the canonical A-RNA conformation and the presence of two alternative configurations, including a left-handed Z-RNA conformation and a compact purine Triplet. Increasing hydrostatic pressure shows a stabilizing effect on the A-RNA conformation and a destabilization of the left-handed Z-RNA. Our results provide a comprehensive description of the folded free-energy landscape of a hyperstable RNA tetraloop and highlight the significant advances of all-atom molecular dynamics in describing the unbiased folding of a simple RNA secondary structure motif.

  17. The calculation of surface free energy based on embedded atom method for solid nickel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Wenhua; Hu Wangyu; Su Kalin; Liu Fusheng

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A new solution for accurate prediction of surface free energy based on embedded atom method was proposed. ► The temperature dependent anisotropic surface energy of solid nickel was obtained. ► In isotropic environment, the approach does not change most predictions of bulk material properties. - Abstract: Accurate prediction of surface free energy of crystalline metals is a challenging task. The theory calculations based on embedded atom method potentials often underestimate surface free energy of metals. With an analytical charge density correction to the argument of the embedding energy of embedded atom method, an approach to improve the prediction for surface free energy is presented. This approach is applied to calculate the temperature dependent anisotropic surface energy of bulk nickel and surface energies of nickel nanoparticles, and the obtained results are in good agreement with available experimental data.

  18. Unsupervised Calculation of Free Energy Barriers in Large Crystalline Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swinburne, Thomas D.; Marinica, Mihai-Cosmin

    2018-03-01

    The calculation of free energy differences for thermally activated mechanisms in the solid state are routinely hindered by the inability to define a set of collective variable functions that accurately describe the mechanism under study. Even when possible, the requirement of descriptors for each mechanism under study prevents implementation of free energy calculations in the growing range of automated material simulation schemes. We provide a solution, deriving a path-based, exact expression for free energy differences in the solid state which does not require a converged reaction pathway, collective variable functions, Gram matrix evaluations, or probability flux-based estimators. The generality and efficiency of our method is demonstrated on a complex transformation of C 15 interstitial defects in iron and double kink nucleation on a screw dislocation in tungsten, the latter system consisting of more than 120 000 atoms. Both cases exhibit significant anharmonicity under experimentally relevant temperatures.

  19. Towards accurate free energy calculations in ligand protein-binding studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steinbrecher, Thomas; Labahn, Andreas

    2010-01-01

    Cells contain a multitude of different chemical reaction paths running simultaneously and quite independently next to each other. This amazing feat is enabled by molecular recognition, the ability of biomolecules to form stable and specific complexes with each other and with their substrates. A better understanding of this process, i.e. of the kinetics, structures and thermodynamic properties of biomolecule binding, would be invaluable in the study of biological systems. In addition, as the mode of action of many pharmaceuticals is based upon their inhibition or activation of biomolecule targets, predictive models of small molecule receptor binding are very helpful tools in rational drug design. Since the goal here is normally to design a new compound with a high inhibition strength, one of the most important thermodynamic properties is the binding free energy DeltaG(0). The prediction of binding constants has always been one of the major goals in the field of computational chemistry, because the ability to reliably assess a hypothetical compound's binding properties without having to synthesize it first would save a tremendous amount of work. The different approaches to this question range from fast and simple empirical descriptor methods to elaborate simulation protocols aimed at putting the computation of free energies onto a solid foundation of statistical thermodynamics. While the later methods are still not suited for the screenings of thousands of compounds that are routinely performed in computational drug design studies, they are increasingly put to use for the detailed study of protein ligand interactions. This review will focus on molecular mechanics force field based free energy calculations and their application to the study of protein ligand interactions. After a brief overview of other popular methods for the calculation of free energies, we will describe recent advances in methodology and a variety of exemplary studies of molecular dynamics

  20. Thermodynamic, energy efficiency, and power density analysis of reverse electrodialysis power generation with natural salinity gradients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yip, Ngai Yin; Vermaas, David A; Nijmeijer, Kitty; Elimelech, Menachem

    2014-05-06

    Reverse electrodialysis (RED) can harness the Gibbs free energy of mixing when fresh river water flows into the sea for sustainable power generation. In this study, we carry out a thermodynamic and energy efficiency analysis of RED power generation, and assess the membrane power density. First, we present a reversible thermodynamic model for RED and verify that the theoretical maximum extractable work in a reversible RED process is identical to the Gibbs free energy of mixing. Work extraction in an irreversible process with maximized power density using a constant-resistance load is then examined to assess the energy conversion efficiency and power density. With equal volumes of seawater and river water, energy conversion efficiency of ∼ 33-44% can be obtained in RED, while the rest is lost through dissipation in the internal resistance of the ion-exchange membrane stack. We show that imperfections in the selectivity of typical ion exchange membranes (namely, co-ion transport, osmosis, and electro-osmosis) can detrimentally lower efficiency by up to 26%, with co-ion leakage being the dominant effect. Further inspection of the power density profile during RED revealed inherent ineffectiveness toward the end of the process. By judicious early discontinuation of the controlled mixing process, the overall power density performance can be considerably enhanced by up to 7-fold, without significant compromise to the energy efficiency. Additionally, membrane resistance was found to be an important factor in determining the power densities attainable. Lastly, the performance of an RED stack was examined for different membrane conductivities and intermembrane distances simulating high performance membranes and stack design. By thoughtful selection of the operating parameters, an efficiency of ∼ 37% and an overall gross power density of 3.5 W/m(2) represent the maximum performance that can potentially be achieved in a seawater-river water RED system with low

  1. Free Energy Reconstruction from Logarithmic Mean-Force Dynamics Using Multiple Nonequilibrium Trajectories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morishita, Tetsuya; Yonezawa, Yasushige; Ito, Atsushi M

    2017-07-11

    Efficient and reliable estimation of the mean force (MF), the derivatives of the free energy with respect to a set of collective variables (CVs), has been a challenging problem because free energy differences are often computed by integrating the MF. Among various methods for computing free energy differences, logarithmic mean-force dynamics (LogMFD) [ Morishita et al., Phys. Rev. E 2012 , 85 , 066702 ] invokes the conservation law in classical mechanics to integrate the MF, which allows us to estimate the free energy profile along the CVs on-the-fly. Here, we present a method called parallel dynamics, which improves the estimation of the MF by employing multiple replicas of the system and is straightforwardly incorporated in LogMFD or a related method. In the parallel dynamics, the MF is evaluated by a nonequilibrium path-ensemble using the multiple replicas based on the Crooks-Jarzynski nonequilibrium work relation. Thanks to the Crooks relation, realizing full-equilibrium states is no longer mandatory for estimating the MF. Additionally, sampling in the hidden subspace orthogonal to the CV space is highly improved with appropriate weights for each metastable state (if any), which is hardly achievable by typical free energy computational methods. We illustrate how to implement parallel dynamics by combining it with LogMFD, which we call logarithmic parallel dynamics (LogPD). Biosystems of alanine dipeptide and adenylate kinase in explicit water are employed as benchmark systems to which LogPD is applied to demonstrate the effect of multiple replicas on the accuracy and efficiency in estimating the free energy profiles using parallel dynamics.

  2. Interaction Free Energies of Eight Sodium Salts and a Phosphatidylcholine Membrane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, C. H.; Ge, Y.; Mortensen, J.

    2011-01-01

    Many recent reports have discussed specific effects of anions on the properties of lipid membranes and possible roles of such effects within biochemistry. One key parameter in both theoretical and experimental treatments of membrane-salt interactions is the net affinity, that is, the free energy...... salts by dialysis equilibrium measurements. This method provides model free thermodynamic data and allows investigations in the dilute concentration range where solution nonideality and perturbation of membrane structure is limited. The transfer free energy of DMPC from water to salt solutions, Delta mu...

  3. Carbon deposition thresholds on nickel-based solid oxide fuel cell anodes II. Steam:carbon ratio and current density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuhn, J.; Kesler, O.

    2015-03-01

    For the second part of a two part publication, coking thresholds with respect to molar steam:carbon ratio (SC) and current density in nickel-based solid oxide fuel cells were determined. Anode-supported button cell samples were exposed to 2-component and 5-component gas mixtures with 1 ≤ SC ≤ 2 and zero fuel utilization for 10 h, followed by measurement of the resulting carbon mass. The effect of current density was explored by measuring carbon mass under conditions known to be prone to coking while increasing the current density until the cell was carbon-free. The SC coking thresholds were measured to be ∼1.04 and ∼1.18 at 600 and 700 °C, respectively. Current density experiments validated the thresholds measured with respect to fuel utilization and steam:carbon ratio. Coking thresholds at 600 °C could be predicted with thermodynamic equilibrium calculations when the Gibbs free energy of carbon was appropriately modified. Here, the Gibbs free energy of carbon on nickel-based anode support cermets was measured to be -6.91 ± 0.08 kJ mol-1. The results of this two part publication show that thermodynamic equilibrium calculations with appropriate modification to the Gibbs free energy of solid-phase carbon can be used to predict coking thresholds on nickel-based anodes at 600-700 °C.

  4. Thermodynamic calculation of phase equilibria of the U-Ga and U-W systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J.; Liu, X.J.; Wang, C.P.

    2008-01-01

    The thermodynamic assessments of the U-Ga and U-W systems have been carried out by using the CALPHAD (calculation of phase diagrams) method using experimental data including thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria. Gibbs free energies of the solution phases were described by the subregular solution models with the Redlich-Kister equation, and those of the intermetallic compounds were described by the sublattice models. A consistent set of thermodynamic parameters has been derived for the Gibbs free energy of each phase in the U-Ga and U-W binary systems, respectively. The calculated phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties in the U-Ga and U-W systems are in good agreement with experimental data

  5. Maxwell’s equal area law for Lovelock thermodynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Hao; Xu, Zhen-Ming

    We present the construction of Maxwell’s equal area law for the Guass-Bonnet AdS black holes in d = 5, 6 and third-order Lovelock AdS black holes in d = 7, 8. The equal area law can be used to find the number and location of the points of intersection in the plots of Gibbs free energy, so that we can get the thermodynamically preferred solution which corresponds to the first-order phase transition. We obtain the radius of the small and large black holes in the phase transition which share the same Gibbs free energy. The case with two critical points is explored in much more details. The latent heat is also studied.

  6. Correcting for the free energy costs of bond or angle constraints in molecular dynamics simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Gerhard; Brooks, Bernard R

    2015-05-01

    Free energy simulations are an important tool in the arsenal of computational biophysics, allowing the calculation of thermodynamic properties of binding or enzymatic reactions. This paper introduces methods to increase the accuracy and precision of free energy calculations by calculating the free energy costs of constraints during post-processing. The primary purpose of employing constraints for these free energy methods is to increase the phase space overlap between ensembles, which is required for accuracy and convergence. The free energy costs of applying or removing constraints are calculated as additional explicit steps in the free energy cycle. The new techniques focus on hard degrees of freedom and use both gradients and Hessian estimation. Enthalpy, vibrational entropy, and Jacobian free energy terms are considered. We demonstrate the utility of this method with simple classical systems involving harmonic and anharmonic oscillators, four-atomic benchmark systems, an alchemical mutation of ethane to methanol, and free energy simulations between alanine and serine. The errors for the analytical test cases are all below 0.0007kcal/mol, and the accuracy of the free energy results of ethane to methanol is improved from 0.15 to 0.04kcal/mol. For the alanine to serine case, the phase space overlaps of the unconstrained simulations range between 0.15 and 0.9%. The introduction of constraints increases the overlap up to 2.05%. On average, the overlap increases by 94% relative to the unconstrained value and precision is doubled. The approach reduces errors arising from constraints by about an order of magnitude. Free energy simulations benefit from the use of constraints through enhanced convergence and higher precision. The primary utility of this approach is to calculate free energies for systems with disparate energy surfaces and bonded terms, especially in multi-scale molecular mechanics/quantum mechanics simulations. This article is part of a Special Issue

  7. A simple free energy for the isotropic-nematic phase transition of rods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tuinier, R.

    2016-01-01

    A free energy expression is proposed that describes the isotropic-nematic binodal concentrations of hard rods. A simple analytical form for this free energy was yet only available using a Gaussian trial function for the orientation distribution function (ODF), leading, however, to a significant

  8. Variationally Optimized Free-Energy Flooding for Rate Calculation

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarty, James; Valsson, Omar; Tiwary, Pratyush; Parrinello, Michele

    2015-08-01

    We propose a new method to obtain kinetic properties of infrequent events from molecular dynamics simulation. The procedure employs a recently introduced variational approach [Valsson and Parrinello, Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 090601 (2014)] to construct a bias potential as a function of several collective variables that is designed to flood the associated free energy surface up to a predefined level. The resulting bias potential effectively accelerates transitions between metastable free energy minima while ensuring bias-free transition states, thus allowing accurate kinetic rates to be obtained. We test the method on a few illustrative systems for which we obtain an order of magnitude improvement in efficiency relative to previous approaches and several orders of magnitude relative to unbiased molecular dynamics. We expect an even larger improvement in more complex systems. This and the ability of the variational approach to deal efficiently with a large number of collective variables will greatly enhance the scope of these calculations. This work is a vindication of the potential that the variational principle has if applied in innovative ways.

  9. BFEE: A User-Friendly Graphical Interface Facilitating Absolute Binding Free-Energy Calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Haohao; Gumbart, James C; Chen, Haochuan; Shao, Xueguang; Cai, Wensheng; Chipot, Christophe

    2018-03-26

    Quantifying protein-ligand binding has attracted the attention of both theorists and experimentalists for decades. Many methods for estimating binding free energies in silico have been reported in recent years. Proper use of the proposed strategies requires, however, adequate knowledge of the protein-ligand complex, the mathematical background for deriving the underlying theory, and time for setting up the simulations, bookkeeping, and postprocessing. Here, to minimize human intervention, we propose a toolkit aimed at facilitating the accurate estimation of standard binding free energies using a geometrical route, coined the binding free-energy estimator (BFEE), and introduced it as a plug-in of the popular visualization program VMD. Benefitting from recent developments in new collective variables, BFEE can be used to generate the simulation input files, based solely on the structure of the complex. Once the simulations are completed, BFEE can also be utilized to perform the post-treatment of the free-energy calculations, allowing the absolute binding free energy to be estimated directly from the one-dimensional potentials of mean force in simulation outputs. The minimal amount of human intervention required during the whole process combined with the ergonomic graphical interface makes BFEE a very effective and practical tool for the end-user.

  10. Thermodynamic free energy methods to investigate shape transitions in bilayer membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramakrishnan, N; Tourdot, Richard W; Radhakrishnan, Ravi

    2016-06-01

    The conformational free energy landscape of a system is a fundamental thermodynamic quantity of importance particularly in the study of soft matter and biological systems, in which the entropic contributions play a dominant role. While computational methods to delineate the free energy landscape are routinely used to analyze the relative stability of conformational states, to determine phase boundaries, and to compute ligand-receptor binding energies its use in problems involving the cell membrane is limited. Here, we present an overview of four different free energy methods to study morphological transitions in bilayer membranes, induced either by the action of curvature remodeling proteins or due to the application of external forces. Using a triangulated surface as a model for the cell membrane and using the framework of dynamical triangulation Monte Carlo, we have focused on the methods of Widom insertion, thermodynamic integration, Bennett acceptance scheme, and umbrella sampling and weighted histogram analysis. We have demonstrated how these methods can be employed in a variety of problems involving the cell membrane. Specifically, we have shown that the chemical potential, computed using Widom insertion, and the relative free energies, computed using thermodynamic integration and Bennett acceptance method, are excellent measures to study the transition from curvature sensing to curvature inducing behavior of membrane associated proteins. The umbrella sampling and WHAM analysis has been used to study the thermodynamics of tether formation in cell membranes and the quantitative predictions of the computational model are in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. Furthermore, we also present a method based on WHAM and thermodynamic integration to handle problems related to end-point-catastrophe that are common in most free energy methods.

  11. Temperature effects on the nuclear symmetry energy and symmetry free energy with an isospin and momentum dependent interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Jun; Ma, Hong-Ru; Chen, Lie-Wen; Li, Bao-An

    2007-01-01

    Within a self-consistent thermal model using an isospin and momentum dependent interaction (MDI) constrained by the isospin diffusion data in heavy-ion collisions, we investigate the temperature dependence of the symmetry energy E sym (ρ,T) and symmetry free energy F sym (ρ,T) for hot, isospin asymmetric nuclear matter. It is shown that the symmetry energy E sym (ρ,T) generally decreases with increasing temperature while the symmetry free energy F sym (ρ,T) exhibits opposite temperature dependence. The decrement of the symmetry energy with temperature is essentially due to the decrement of the potential energy part of the symmetry energy with temperature. The difference between the symmetry energy and symmetry free energy is found to be quite small around the saturation density of nuclear matter. While at very low densities, they differ significantly from each other. In comparison with the experimental data of temperature dependent symmetry energy extracted from the isotopic scaling analysis of intermediate mass fragments (IMF's) in heavy-ion collisions, the resulting density and temperature dependent symmetry energy E sym (ρ,T) is then used to estimate the average freeze-out density of the IMF's

  12. An odd–even effect on solubility of dicarboxylic acids in organic solvents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Hui; Yin, Qiuxiang; Liu, Zengkun; Gong, Junbo; Bao, Ying; Zhang, Meijing; Hao, Hongxun; Hou, Baohong; Xie, Chuang

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The solubilities of the homologous series of C2–C10 dicarboxylic acids were determined in four selected solvents. • The experimental data were well correlated with the modified Apelblat equation. • The odd–even effect of solubility was found and explained. • The enthalpy, entropy and the molar Gibbs free energy of solution were predicted. - Abstract: The solubility of the homologous series of dicarboxylic acids, HOOC-(CH 2 ) n−2 -COOH (n = 2 to 10), in ethanol, acetic acid, acetone and ethyl acetate was measured at temperatures ranging from (278.15 to 323.15) K by a static analytic method at atmospheric pressure. Dicarboxylic acids with even number of carbon atoms exhibit lower values of solubility than adjacent homologues with odd carbon numbers. This odd–even effect of solubility is attributed to the twist of molecules and interlayer packing in solid state as explained in our previous work. The alternation varies in different solvents, which is believed to be associated with the properties of solvents. Finally, the dissolution enthalpy, dissolution entropy and the molar Gibbs free energy were calculated using the fitting parameters of the modified Apelblat equation. The molar Gibbs free energy also showed apparent odd–even alternation in keeping with the alternation of solubility

  13. The effect of reinforcement percentages on properties of copper matrix composites reinforced with TiC particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagheri, GH.A., E-mail: Gh.a.bagheri65@gmail.com

    2016-08-15

    In this research, copper matrix composites reinforced with different amounts of titanium carbide particles were produced by mechanical milling and in-situ formation of reinforcements. Morphology and size of milled powders were inspected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) several times during milling process. Changes in lattice parameter, crystallite size, lattice strain, dislocation density and Gibbs free energy changes (due to increasing in dislocation densities and grain boundaries) in different samples (with different TiC particles contents) were studied by X-Ray Diffraction technique with Cu-kα radiation and using Nelson–Riley method and Williamson–Hall equation. Microstructure of samples after sintering was investigated by FESEM. Finally, densitometry, hardness, determination of electrical resistance and pin on disk wear test were performed and effect of reinforcement percentages on the physical and mechanical properties of composites was studied. Results show incredible improvement in mechanical properties with increasing in TiC value, even though, electrical conductivity dropped off considerably. - Highlights: • Microstructures, mechanical and physical properties of composites have been studied. • Stored Gibbs free energy of dislocations and grain boundaries has been calculated. • Gibbs free energy increased with increasing in titanium percent. • Higher TiC percentage led to better mechanical and unfavorable physical properties.

  14. Equilibrium statistical mechanics for self-gravitating systems: local ergodicity and extended Boltzmann-Gibbs/White-Narayan statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Ping

    2012-01-01

    The long-standing puzzle surrounding the statistical mechanics of self-gravitating systems has not yet been solved successfully. We formulate a systematic theoretical framework of entropy-based statistical mechanics for spherically symmetric collisionless self-gravitating systems. We use an approach that is very different from that of the conventional statistical mechanics of short-range interaction systems. We demonstrate that the equilibrium states of self-gravitating systems consist of both mechanical and statistical equilibria, with the former characterized by a series of velocity-moment equations and the latter by statistical equilibrium equations, which should be derived from the entropy principle. The velocity-moment equations of all orders are derived from the steady-state collisionless Boltzmann equation. We point out that the ergodicity is invalid for the whole self-gravitating system, but it can be re-established locally. Based on the local ergodicity, using Fermi-Dirac-like statistics, with the non-degenerate condition and the spatial independence of the local microstates, we rederive the Boltzmann-Gibbs entropy. This is consistent with the validity of the collisionless Boltzmann equation, and should be the correct entropy form for collisionless self-gravitating systems. Apart from the usual constraints of mass and energy conservation, we demonstrate that the series of moment or virialization equations must be included as additional constraints on the entropy functional when performing the variational calculus; this is an extension to the original prescription by White & Narayan. Any possible velocity distribution can be produced by the statistical-mechanical approach that we have developed with the extended Boltzmann-Gibbs/White-Narayan statistics. Finally, we discuss the questions of negative specific heat and ensemble inequivalence for self-gravitating systems.

  15. Interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum during rapid solidification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, Nicholas T.; Martinez, Enrique; Qu, Jianmin

    2017-01-01

    Using molecular dynamics simulations and the capillary fluctuation method, we have calculated the anisotropic crystal-melt interfacial free energy and stiffness of aluminum in a rapid solidification system where a temperature gradient is applied to enforce thermal non-equilibrium. To calculate these material properties, the standard capillary fluctuation method typically used for systems in equilibrium has been modified to incorporate a second-order Taylor expansion of the interfacial free energy term. The result is a robust method for calculating interfacial energy, stiffness and anisotropy as a function of temperature gradient using the fluctuations in the defined interface height. This work includes the calculation of interface characteristics for temperature gradients ranging from 11 to 34 K/nm. The captured results are compared to a thermal equilibrium case using the same model and simulation technique with a zero gradient definition. We define the temperature gradient as the change in temperature over height perpendicular to the crystal-melt interface. The gradients are applied in MD simulations using defined thermostat regions on a stable solid-liquid interface initially in thermal equilibrium. The results of this work show that the interfacial stiffness and free energy for aluminum are dependent on the magnitude of the temperature gradient, however the anisotropic parameters remain independent of the non-equilibrium conditions applied in this analysis. As a result, the relationships of the interfacial free energy/stiffness are determined to be linearly related to the thermal gradient, and can be interpolated to find material characteristics at additional temperature gradients.

  16. Energy of Force-Free Magnetic Fields in Relation to Coronal Mass Ejections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choe, G.S.; Cheng, C.Z.

    2002-01-01

    In typical observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a magnetic structure of a helmet-shaped closed configuration bulges out and eventually opens up. However, a spontaneous transition between these field configurations has been regarded to be energetically impossible in force-free fields according to the Aly-Sturrock theorem. The theorem states that the maximum energy state of force-free fields with a given boundary normal field distribution is the open field. The theorem implicitly assumes the existence of the maximum energy state, which may not be taken for granted. In this study, we have constructed force-free fields containing tangential discontinuities in multiple flux systems. These force-free fields can be generated from a potential field by footpoint motions that do not conserve the boundary normal field distribution. Some of these force-free fields are found to have more magnetic energy than the corresponding open fields. The constructed force-free configurations are compared with observational features of CME-bearing active regions. Possible mechanisms of CMEs are also discussed

  17. Efficient free energy calculations for compounds with multiple stable conformations separated by high energy barriers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hritz, J.; Oostenbrink, C.

    2009-01-01

    Compounds with high intramolecular energy barriers represent challenging targets for free energy calculations because of the difficulty to obtain sufficient conformational sampling. Existing approaches are therefore computationally very demanding, thus preventing practical applications for such

  18. A Variational Approach to Enhanced Sampling and Free Energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parrinello, Michele

    2015-03-01

    The presence of kinetic bottlenecks severely hampers the ability of widely used sampling methods like molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo to explore complex free energy landscapes. One of the most popular methods for addressing this problem is umbrella sampling which is based on the addition of an external bias which helps overcoming the kinetic barriers. The bias potential is usually taken to be a function of a restricted number of collective variables. However constructing the bias is not simple, especially when the number of collective variables increases. Here we introduce a functional of the bias which, when minimized, allows us to recover the free energy. We demonstrate the usefulness and the flexibility of this approach on a number of examples which include the determination of a six dimensional free energy surface. Besides the practical advantages, the existence of such a variational principle allows us to look at the enhanced sampling problem from a rather convenient vantage point.

  19. CAN THE STABILITY OF PROTEIN MUTANTS BE PREDICTED BY FREE-ENERGY CALCULATIONS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    YUNYU, S; MARK, AE; WANG, CX; HUANG, FH; BERENDSEN, HJC; VANGUNSTEREN, WF

    The use of free energy simulation techniques in the study of protein stability is critically evaluated. Results from two simulations of the thermostability mutation Asn218 to Ser218 in Subtilisin are presented. It is shown that components of the free energy change can be highly sensitive to the

  20. FESetup: Automating Setup for Alchemical Free Energy Simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loeffler, Hannes H; Michel, Julien; Woods, Christopher

    2015-12-28

    FESetup is a new pipeline tool which can be used flexibly within larger workflows. The tool aims to support fast and easy setup of alchemical free energy simulations for molecular simulation packages such as AMBER, GROMACS, Sire, or NAMD. Post-processing methods like MM-PBSA and LIE can be set up as well. Ligands are automatically parametrized with AM1-BCC, and atom mappings for a single topology description are computed with a maximum common substructure search (MCSS) algorithm. An abstract molecular dynamics (MD) engine can be used for equilibration prior to free energy setup or standalone. Currently, all modern AMBER force fields are supported. Ease of use, robustness of the code, and automation where it is feasible are the main development goals. The project follows an open development model, and we welcome contributions.

  1. Nonlocal Free Energy of a Spatially Inhomogeneous Superconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grigorishin, K.V.; Lev, B.I.

    2012-01-01

    The microscopic approach is developed for obtaining of the free energy of a superconductor based on direct calculation of the vacuum amplitude. The free energy functional of the spatially inhomogeneous superconductor in a magnetic field is obtained with help of the developed approach. The obtained functional is generalization of Ginzburg-Landau functionals for any temperature, for arbitrary spatial variations of the order parameter and for the nonlocality of a magnetic response and the order parameter. Moreover, the nonlocality of the magnetic response is the consequence of order parameter's nonlocality. The extremals of this functional are considered in the explicit form in the low- and high-temperature limit at the condition of slowness of spatial variations of the order parameter. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  2. Syntheses of planar 1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiotetrazocine derivatives and thermodynamic study on intermolecular charge transfer for developing efficient organic solar cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Chao-Zhi, E-mail: zhangchaozhi@nuist.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China); Shen, Dan [Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China); Yuan, Yang [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China); Song, Ming-Xia; Li, Shi-Juan [Department of Chemistry, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China); Cao, Hui, E-mail: yccaoh@hotmail.com [Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044 (China)

    2016-07-01

    A series of planar 1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiotetrazocine derivatives were synthesized for study on charge transfer at donor/acceptor interface. The fluorescence quenching spectra, and the highest occupied molecular orbital (−6.10 ∼ −6.25 eV) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (−3.45 ∼ −3.58 eV) energy levels of these 1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiotetrazocine derivatives show that they would be potential acceptor materials. Based on theoretical calculations, thermodynamic study on charge transfer at donor/acceptor interface was carried out. The results of experiments and theoretical calculations show that the electrons could transfer spontaneously from poly(3-hexylthiophene) to these acceptors. The percentages of fluorescence quenching increase with negative Gibbs free energy values increasing in the charge transfer procedures. Therefore, short circuit current values of organic solar cells would increase with the Gibbs free energy values increasing. This paper suggests a useful way for developing efficient organic solar cells. - Highlights: • Syntheses of planar 1,5,2,4,6,8-dithiotetrazocine derivatives for develop effective acceptor. • Electrons at excited state in P3HT could transfer spontaneously to these acceptors. • Thermodynamic study on charge transfer at donor/acceptor interface. • Short circuit currents would be predicted by Gibbs free energy in procedure of charge transfer.

  3. Modeling free energy availability from Hadean hydrothermal systems to the first metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoncini, E; Russell, M J; Kleidon, A

    2011-12-01

    Off-axis Hydrothermal Systems (HSs) are seen as the possible setting for the emergence of life. As the availability of free energy is a general requirement to drive any form of metabolism, we ask here under which conditions free energy generation by geologic processes is greatest and relate these to the conditions found at off-axis HSs. To do so, we present a conceptual model in which we explicitly capture the energetics of fluid motion and its interaction with exothermic reactions to maintain a state of chemical disequilibrium. Central to the interaction is the temperature at which the exothermic reactions take place. This temperature not only sets the equilibrium constant of the chemical reactions and thereby the distance of the actual state to chemical equilibrium, but these reactions also shape the temperature gradient that drives convection and thereby the advection of reactants to the reaction sites and the removal of the products that relate to geochemical free energy generation. What this conceptual model shows is that the positive feedback between convection and the chemical kinetics that is found at HSs favors a greater rate of free energy generation than in the absence of convection. Because of the lower temperatures and because the temperature of reactions is determined more strongly by these dynamics rather than an external heat flux, the conditions found at off-axis HSs should result in the greatest rates of geochemical free energy generation. Hence, we hypothesize from these thermodynamic considerations that off-axis HSs seem most conducive for the emergence of protometabolic pathways as these provide the greatest, abiotic generation rates of chemical free energy.

  4. Prediction of Tetraoxygen Reaction Mechanism with Sulfur Atom on the Singlet Potential Energy Surface

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashraf Khademzadeh

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The mechanism of S+O4 (D2h reaction has been investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df and CCSD levels on the singlet potential energy surface. One stable complex has been found for the S+O4 (D2h reaction, IN1, on the singlet potential energy surface. For the title reaction, we obtained four kinds of products at the B3LYP level, which have enough thermodynamic stability. The results reveal that the product P3 is spontaneous and exothermic with −188.042 and −179.147 kcal/mol in Gibbs free energy and enthalpy of reaction, respectively. Because P1 adduct is produced after passing two low energy level transition states, kinetically, it is the most favorable adduct in the 1S+1O4 (D2h atmospheric reactions.

  5. Martin Gibbs (1922-2006): Pioneer of (14)C research, sugar metabolism & photosynthesis; vigilant Editor-in-Chief of Plant Physiology; sage Educator; and humanistic Mentor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Black, Clanton C

    2008-01-01

    The very personal touch of Professor Martin Gibbs as a worldwide advocate for photosynthesis and plant physiology was lost with his death in July 2006. Widely known for his engaging humorous personality and his humanitarian lifestyle, Martin Gibbs excelled as a strong international science diplomat; like a personal science family patriarch encouraging science and plant scientists around the world. Immediately after World War II he was a pioneer at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in the use of (14)C to elucidate carbon flow in metabolism and particularly carbon pathways in photosynthesis. His leadership on carbon metabolism and photosynthesis extended for four decades of working in collaboration with a host of students and colleagues. In 1962, he was selected as the Editor-in-Chief of Plant Physiology. That appointment initiated 3 decades of strong directional influences by Gibbs on plant research and photosynthesis. Plant Physiology became and remains a premier source of new knowledge about the vital and primary roles of plants in earth's environmental history and the energetics of our green-blue planet. His leadership and charismatic humanitarian character became the quintessence of excellence worldwide. Martin Gibbs was in every sense the personification of a model mentor not only for scientists but also shown in devotion to family. Here we pay tribute and honor to an exemplary humanistic mentor, Martin Gibbs.

  6. Free energy simulations with the AMOEBA polarizable force field and metadynamics on GPU platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Xiangda; Zhang, Yuebin; Chu, Huiying; Li, Guohui

    2016-03-05

    The free energy calculation library PLUMED has been incorporated into the OpenMM simulation toolkit, with the purpose to perform enhanced sampling MD simulations using the AMOEBA polarizable force field on GPU platform. Two examples, (I) the free energy profile of water pair separation (II) alanine dipeptide dihedral angle free energy surface in explicit solvent, are provided here to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of our implementation. The converged free energy profiles could be obtained within an affordable MD simulation time when the AMOEBA polarizable force field is employed. Moreover, the free energy surfaces estimated using the AMOEBA polarizable force field are in agreement with those calculated from experimental data and ab initio methods. Hence, the implementation in this work is reliable and would be utilized to study more complicated biological phenomena in both an accurate and efficient way. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Free Energy Calculations using a Swarm-Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burusco, Kepa K; Bruce, Neil J; Alibay, Irfan; Bryce, Richard A

    2015-10-26

    Free energy simulations are an established computational tool in modelling chemical change in the condensed phase. However, sampling of kinetically distinct substates remains a challenge to these approaches. As a route to addressing this, we link the methods of thermodynamic integration (TI) and swarm-enhanced sampling molecular dynamics (sesMD), where simulation replicas interact cooperatively to aid transitions over energy barriers. We illustrate the approach by using alchemical alkane transformations in solution, comparing them with the multiple independent trajectory TI (IT-TI) method. Free energy changes for transitions computed by using IT-TI grew increasingly inaccurate as the intramolecular barrier was heightened. By contrast, swarm-enhanced sampling TI (sesTI) calculations showed clear improvements in sampling efficiency, leading to more accurate computed free energy differences, even in the case of the highest barrier height. The sesTI approach, therefore, has potential in addressing chemical change in systems where conformations exist in slow exchange. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Inequalities for magnetic-flux free energies and confinement in lattice gauge theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneya, T.

    1982-01-01

    Rigorous inequalities among magnetic-flux free energies of tori with varying diameters are derived in lattice gauge theories. From the inequalities, it follows that if the magnetic-flux free energy vanishes in the limit of large uniform dilatation of a torus, the free energy must always decrease exponentially with the area of the cross section of the torus. The latter property is known to be sufficient for permanent confinement of static quarks. As a consequence of this property, a lower bound V(R) >= const x R for the static quark-antiquark potential is obtained in three-dimensional U(n) lattice gauge theory for sufficiently large R. (orig.)

  9. Energy efficient structure-free data aggregation and delivery in WSN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prabhudutta Mohanty

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs, the energy consumption due to the sensed data transmission is more than processing data locally within the sensor node. The data aggregation is one of the techniques to conserve energy by eliminating the redundant data transmission in dense WSNs. In this paper, we propose an energy efficient structure-free data aggregation and delivery (ESDAD protocol, which aggregates the redundant data in the intermediate nodes. In the proposed protocol, waiting time for packets at each intermediate node is calculated very sensibly so that data can be aggregated efficiently in the routing path. The sensed data packets are transmitted judicially to the aggregation point for data aggregation. The ESDAD protocol computes a cost function for structure-free, next-hop node selection and performs near source data aggregation. The buffer of each node is partitioned to maintain different types of flows for fair and efficient data delivery. The transmission rates of the sources and intermediate nodes are adjusted during congestion. The performance of the proposed protocol is evaluated through extensive simulations. The simulation results reveal that it outperforms the existing structure-free protocols in terms of energy efficiency, reliability and on-time delivery ratio.

  10. Direct evaluation of free energy for large system through structure integration approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takeuchi, Kazuhito; Tanaka, Ryohei; Yuge, Koretaka

    2015-09-30

    We propose a new approach, 'structure integration', enabling direct evaluation of configurational free energy for large systems. The present approach is based on the statistical information of lattice. Through first-principles-based simulation, we find that the present method evaluates configurational free energy accurately in disorder states above critical temperature.

  11. Theoretical study of γ-aminobutyric acid conformers: Intramolecular interactions and ionization energies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ke-Dong; Wang, Mei-Ting; Meng, Ju

    2014-10-01

    Allowing for all combinations of internal single-bond rotamers, 1,296 unique trial structures of γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) are obtained. All of these structures are optimized at the M06-2X level of theory and a total of 68 local minimal conformers are found. The nine low-lying conformers are used for further studies. According to the calculated relative Gibbs free energies at M06-2X level of theory, we find that the dispersion is important for the relative energy of GABA. The intramolecular hydrogen bonds and hyperconjugative interaction and their effects on the conformational stability are studied. The results show that both of them have great influence on the conformers. The vertical ionization energies (VIE) are calculated and match the experimental data well. The results show that the neutral GABA in the gas phase is a multi-conformer system and at least four conformations exist.

  12. Carbohydrates as a source of energy and matter for the origin of life

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, A. L.

    1991-01-01

    Recently, we proposed a new model of early glycolysis in which the oxidation of glyceraldehyde self-hemiacetals yielded energy rich polyglyceric acid instead of energy rich thioesters. In this model, polyglyceric acid not only acts as an energy source for phosphoanhydride synthesis, but also as an autocatalyst that can replicate the sequence of D and L residues in its structure. We began our investigation of this new hypothesis - the triose model - by developing a thermal method for the racemization-free synthesis of polyglyceric acid. The hydrolytic stability and the role of chirality in interactions of polyglyceric acid were studied using this thermal polymer. Next, we established that the 2- and 3-glycerol esters of polyglyceric acid are energy rich by measuring the Gibbs free energy change of hydrolysis of the 2- and 3-glycerol esters of 2 and 3-O-L glyceroyl-glyceric acid methyl ester - a model of polyglyceric acid. Recently, we discovered that glyceraldehyde is bound and oxidized to glyceric acid on the surface of ferric hydroxide and that soluble ferric ion catalyzes the rearrangement of glyceraldehyde to lactic acid. We are exploring the possibility that these reactions could yield polyglyceric acid and polylactic acid under plausible prebiotic conditions.

  13. Tinker-OpenMM: Absolute and relative alchemical free energies using AMOEBA on GPUs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harger, Matthew; Li, Daniel; Wang, Zhi; Dalby, Kevin; Lagardère, Louis; Piquemal, Jean-Philip; Ponder, Jay; Ren, Pengyu

    2017-09-05

    The capabilities of the polarizable force fields for alchemical free energy calculations have been limited by the high computational cost and complexity of the underlying potential energy functions. In this work, we present a GPU-based general alchemical free energy simulation platform for polarizable potential AMOEBA. Tinker-OpenMM, the OpenMM implementation of the AMOEBA simulation engine has been modified to enable both absolute and relative alchemical simulations on GPUs, which leads to a ∼200-fold improvement in simulation speed over a single CPU core. We show that free energy values calculated using this platform agree with the results of Tinker simulations for the hydration of organic compounds and binding of host-guest systems within the statistical errors. In addition to absolute binding, we designed a relative alchemical approach for computing relative binding affinities of ligands to the same host, where a special path was applied to avoid numerical instability due to polarization between the different ligands that bind to the same site. This scheme is general and does not require ligands to have similar scaffolds. We show that relative hydration and binding free energy calculated using this approach match those computed from the absolute free energy approach. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Re-examining the tetraphenyl-arsonium/tetraphenyl-borate (TATB) hypothesis for single-ion solvation free energies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pollard, Travis P.; Beck, Thomas L.

    2018-06-01

    Attempts to establish an absolute single-ion hydration free energy scale have followed multiple strategies. Two central themes consist of (1) employing bulk pair thermodynamic data and an underlying interfacial-potential-free model to partition the hydration free energy into individual contributions [Marcus, Latimer, and tetraphenyl-arsonium/tetraphenyl-borate (TATB) methods] or (2) utilizing bulk thermodynamic and cluster data to estimate the free energy to insert a proton into water, including in principle an interfacial potential contribution [the cluster pair approximation (CPA)]. While the results for the hydration free energy of the proton agree remarkably well between the three approaches in the first category, the value differs from the CPA result by roughly +10 kcal/mol, implying a value for the effective electrochemical surface potential of water of -0.4 V. This paper provides a computational re-analysis of the TATB method for single-ion free energies using quasichemical theory. A previous study indicated a significant discrepancy between the free energies of hydration for the TA cation and the TB anion. We show that the main contribution to this large computed difference is an electrostatic artifact arising from modeling interactions in periodic boundaries. No attempt is made here to develop more accurate models for the local ion/solvent interactions that may lead to further small free energy differences between the TA and TB ions, but the results clarify the primary importance of interfacial potential effects for analysis of the various free energy scales. Results are also presented, related to the TATB assumption in the organic solvents dimethyl sulfoxide and 1,2-dichloroethane.

  15. Computational scheme for pH-dependent binding free energy calculation with explicit solvent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Juyong; Miller, Benjamin T; Brooks, Bernard R

    2016-01-01

    We present a computational scheme to compute the pH-dependence of binding free energy with explicit solvent. Despite the importance of pH, the effect of pH has been generally neglected in binding free energy calculations because of a lack of accurate methods to model it. To address this limitation, we use a constant-pH methodology to obtain a true ensemble of multiple protonation states of a titratable system at a given pH and analyze the ensemble using the Bennett acceptance ratio (BAR) method. The constant pH method is based on the combination of enveloping distribution sampling (EDS) with the Hamiltonian replica exchange method (HREM), which yields an accurate semi-grand canonical ensemble of a titratable system. By considering the free energy change of constraining multiple protonation states to a single state or releasing a single protonation state to multiple states, the pH dependent binding free energy profile can be obtained. We perform benchmark simulations of a host-guest system: cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) and benzimidazole (BZ). BZ experiences a large pKa shift upon complex formation. The pH-dependent binding free energy profiles of the benchmark system are obtained with three different long-range interaction calculation schemes: a cutoff, the particle mesh Ewald (PME), and the isotropic periodic sum (IPS) method. Our scheme captures the pH-dependent behavior of binding free energy successfully. Absolute binding free energy values obtained with the PME and IPS methods are consistent, while cutoff method results are off by 2 kcal mol(-1) . We also discuss the characteristics of three long-range interaction calculation methods for constant-pH simulations. © 2015 The Protein Society.

  16. Interfacial free energy governs single polystyrene chain collapse in water and aqueous solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Isaac T S; Walker, Gilbert C

    2010-05-12

    The hydrophobic interaction is significantly responsible for driving protein folding and self-assembly. To understand it, the thermodynamics, the role of water structure, the dewetting process surrounding hydrophobes, and related aspects have undergone extensive investigations. Here, we examine the hypothesis that polymer-solvent interfacial free energy is adequate to describe the energetics of the collapse of a hydrophobic homopolymer chain at fixed temperature, which serves as a much simplified model for studying the hydrophobic collapse of a protein. This implies that changes in polymer-solvent interfacial free energy should be directly proportional to the force to extend a collapsed polymer into a bad solvent. To test this hypothesis, we undertook single-molecule force spectroscopy on a collapsed, single, polystyrene chain in water-ethanol and water-salt mixtures where we measured the monomer solvation free energy from an ensemble average conformations. Different proportions within the binary mixture were used to create solvents with different interfacial free energies with polystyrene. In these mixed solvents, we observed a linear correlation between the interfacial free energy and the force required to extend the chain into solution, which is a direct measure of the solvation free energy per monomer on a single chain at room temperature. A simple analytical model compares favorably with the experimental results. This knowledge supports a common assumption that explicit water solvent may not be necessary for cases whose primary concerns are hydrophobic interactions and hydrophobic hydration.

  17. Vapor pressures and standard molar enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs energies of sublimation of two hexachloro herbicides using a TG unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vecchio, Stefano

    2010-01-01

    The vapor pressures above the solid hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and above both the solid and liquid 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane (lindane) were determined in the ranges 332-450 K and 347-429 K, respectively, by measuring the mass loss rates recorded by thermogravimetry under both isothermal and nonisothermal conditions. The results obtained were compared with those taken from literature. From the temperature dependence of vapor pressure derived by the experimental thermogravimetry data the molar enthalpies of sublimation Δ cr g H m o ( ) were selected for HCB and lindane as well as the molar enthalpy of vaporization Δ l g H m o ( ) for lindane only, at the middle of the respective temperature intervals. The melting temperatures and the molar enthalpies of fusion Δ cr l H m o (T fus ) of lindane were measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Finally, the standard molar enthalpies of sublimation Δ cr g H m o (298.15 K) were obtained for both chlorinated compounds at the reference temperature of 298.15 K using the Δ cr g H m o ( ), Δ l g H m o ( ) and Δ cr l H m o (T fus ) values, as well as the heat capacity differences between gas and liquid and the heat capacity differences between gas and solid, Δ l g C p,m o and Δ cr g C p,m o , respectively, both estimated by applying a group additivity procedure. Therefore, the averages of the standard (p o = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs energies of sublimation at 298.15 K, have been derived.

  18. Characterizing structural transitions using localized free energy landscape analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nilesh K Banavali

    Full Text Available Structural changes in molecules are frequently observed during biological processes like replication, transcription and translation. These structural changes can usually be traced to specific distortions in the backbones of the macromolecules involved. Quantitative energetic characterization of such distortions can greatly advance the atomic-level understanding of the dynamic character of these biological processes.Molecular dynamics simulations combined with a variation of the Weighted Histogram Analysis Method for potential of mean force determination are applied to characterize localized structural changes for the test case of cytosine (underlined base flipping in a GTCAGCGCATGG DNA duplex. Free energy landscapes for backbone torsion and sugar pucker degrees of freedom in the DNA are used to understand their behavior in response to the base flipping perturbation. By simplifying the base flipping structural change into a two-state model, a free energy difference of upto 14 kcal/mol can be attributed to the flipped state relative to the stacked Watson-Crick base paired state. This two-state classification allows precise evaluation of the effect of base flipping on local backbone degrees of freedom.The calculated free energy landscapes of individual backbone and sugar degrees of freedom expectedly show the greatest change in the vicinity of the flipping base itself, but specific delocalized effects can be discerned upto four nucleotide positions away in both 5' and 3' directions. Free energy landscape analysis thus provides a quantitative method to pinpoint the determinants of structural change on the atomic scale and also delineate the extent of propagation of the perturbation along the molecule. In addition to nucleic acids, this methodology is anticipated to be useful for studying conformational changes in all macromolecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

  19. Applications for Energy Recovering Free Electron Lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    George Neil

    2007-08-01

    The availability of high-power, high-brilliance sources of tunable photons from energy-recovered Free Electron Lasers is opening up whole new fields of application of accelerators in industry. This talk will review some of the ideas that are already being put into production, and some of the newer ideas that are still under development.

  20. Solvation of hydrocarbons in aqueous-organic mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedov, I.A.; Magsumov, T.I.; Solomonov, B.N.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermodynamic functions of solvation in mixtures of water with acetone and acetonitrile are measured at T = 298.15 K. • Solvation of n-octane and toluene in aqueous-organic mixtures is studied. • When increasing water content, Gibbs free energies grow up steadily, while enthalpies have a maximum. • Hydrocarbons are preferentially solvated with organic cosolvent even in mixtures with rather high water content. • Acetonitrile suppresses the hydrophobic effect less than acetone. - Abstract: We study the solvation of two hydrocarbons, n-octane and toluene, in binary mixtures of water with organic cosolvents. Two polar aprotic cosolvents that are miscible with water in any proportions, acetonitrile and acetone, were considered. We determine the magnitudes of thermodynamic functions of dissolution and solvation at T = 298.15 K in the mixtures with various compositions. Solution calorimetry was used to measure the enthalpies of solution, and GC headspace analysis was applied to obtain limiting activity coefficients of solutes in the studied systems. For the first time, the enthalpies of solution of alkane in the mixtures with high water content were measured directly. We observed well-pronounced maxima of the dependencies of enthalpies of solvation from the composition of solvent and no maxima for the Gibbs free energies of solvation. Two factors are concluded to be important to explain the observed tendencies: high energy cost of reorganization of binary solvent upon insertion of solute molecules and preferential surrounding of hydrocarbons with the molecules of organic cosolvent. Enthalpy-entropy compensation leads to a steady growth of the Gibbs free energies with increasing water content. On the other hand, consideration of the plots of the Gibbs free energy against enthalpy of solvation clearly shows that the solvation properties are changed dramatically after addition of a rather small amount of organic cosolvents. It is shown that they

  1. Applied Thermodynamics: Grain Boundary Segregation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel Lejček

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Chemical composition of interfaces—free surfaces and grain boundaries—is generally described by the Langmuir–McLean segregation isotherm controlled by Gibbs energy of segregation. Various components of the Gibbs energy of segregation, the standard and the excess ones as well as other thermodynamic state functions—enthalpy, entropy and volume—of interfacial segregation are derived and their physical meaning is elucidated. The importance of the thermodynamic state functions of grain boundary segregation, their dependence on volume solid solubility, mutual solute–solute interaction and pressure effect in ferrous alloys is demonstrated.

  2. Screening disrupted molecular functions and pathways associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma using Gibbs sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nan, Ning; Chen, Qi; Wang, Yu; Zhai, Xu; Yang, Chuan-Ce; Cao, Bin; Chong, Tie

    2017-10-01

    To explore the disturbed molecular functions and pathways in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) using Gibbs sampling. Gene expression data of ccRCC samples and adjacent non-tumor renal tissues were recruited from public available database. Then, molecular functions of expression changed genes in ccRCC were classed to Gene Ontology (GO) project, and these molecular functions were converted into Markov chains. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm was implemented to perform posterior inference and identify probability distributions of molecular functions in Gibbs sampling. Differentially expressed molecular functions were selected under posterior value more than 0.95, and genes with the appeared times in differentially expressed molecular functions ≥5 were defined as pivotal genes. Functional analysis was employed to explore the pathways of pivotal genes and their strongly co-regulated genes. In this work, we obtained 396 molecular functions, and 13 of them were differentially expressed. Oxidoreductase activity showed the highest posterior value. Gene composition analysis identified 79 pivotal genes, and survival analysis indicated that these pivotal genes could be used as a strong independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with ccRCC. Pathway analysis identified one pivotal pathway - oxidative phosphorylation. We identified the differentially expressed molecular functions and pivotal pathway in ccRCC using Gibbs sampling. The results could be considered as potential signatures for early detection and therapy of ccRCC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Exploration, Novelty, Surprise and Free Energy Minimisation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philipp eSchwartenbeck

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper reviews recent developments under the free energy principle that introduce a normative perspective on classical economic (utilitarian decision-making based on (active Bayesian inference. It has been suggested that the free energy principle precludes novelty and complexity, because it assumes that biological systems – like ourselves - try to minimise the long-term average of surprise to maintain their homeostasis. However, recent formulations show that minimising surprise leads naturally to concepts such as exploration and novelty bonuses. In this approach, agents infer a policy that minimises surprise by minimising the difference (or relative entropy between likely and desired outcomes, which involves both pursuing the goal-state that has the highest expected utility (often termed ‘exploitation’ and visiting a number of different goal-states (‘exploration’. Crucially, the opportunity to visit new states increases the value of the current state. Casting decision-making problems within a variational framework, therefore, predicts that our behaviour is governed by both the entropy and expected utility of future states. This dissolves any dialectic between minimising surprise and exploration or novelty seeking.

  4. Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Blueberries by Susan Gibb

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maya Zalbidea Paniagua

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Blueberries (2009 by Susan Gibb, published in the ELO (Electronic Literature Organization, invites the reader to travel inside the protagonist’s mind to discover real and imaginary experiences examining notions of gender, sex, body and identity of a traumatised woman. This article explores the verbal and visual modes in this digital short fiction following semiotic patterns as well as interpreting the psychological states that are expressed through poetical and technological components. A comparative study of the consequences of trauma in the protagonist will be developed including psychoanalytic theories by Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and the feminist psychoanalysts: Melanie Klein and Bracha Ettinger. The reactions of the protagonist will be studied: loss of reality, hallucinations and Electra Complex, as well as the rise of defence mechanisms and her use of the artistic creativity as a healing therapy. The interactivity of the hypermedia, multiple paths and endings will be analyzed as a literary strategy that increases the reader’s capacity of empathizing with the speaker.

  5. Gibbs Ensemble Simulation on Polarizable Models: Vapor-liquid Equilibrium in Baranyai-Kiss Models of Water

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Moučka, F.; Nezbeda, Ivo

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 360, DEC 25 (2013), s. 472-476 ISSN 0378-3812 Grant - others:GA MŠMT(CZ) LH12019 Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : multi-particle move monte carlo * Gibbs ensemble * vapor-liquid-equilibria Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 2.241, year: 2013

  6. AlaScan: A Graphical User Interface for Alanine Scanning Free-Energy Calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramadoss, Vijayaraj; Dehez, François; Chipot, Christophe

    2016-06-27

    Computation of the free-energy changes that underlie molecular recognition and association has gained significant importance due to its considerable potential in drug discovery. The massive increase of computational power in recent years substantiates the application of more accurate theoretical methods for the calculation of binding free energies. The impact of such advances is the application of parent approaches, like computational alanine scanning, to investigate in silico the effect of amino-acid replacement in protein-ligand and protein-protein complexes, or probe the thermostability of individual proteins. Because human effort represents a significant cost that precludes the routine use of this form of free-energy calculations, minimizing manual intervention constitutes a stringent prerequisite for any such systematic computation. With this objective in mind, we propose a new plug-in, referred to as AlaScan, developed within the popular visualization program VMD to automate the major steps in alanine-scanning calculations, employing free-energy perturbation as implemented in the widely used molecular dynamics code NAMD. The AlaScan plug-in can be utilized upstream, to prepare input files for selected alanine mutations. It can also be utilized downstream to perform the analysis of different alanine-scanning calculations and to report the free-energy estimates in a user-friendly graphical user interface, allowing favorable mutations to be identified at a glance. The plug-in also assists the end-user in assessing the reliability of the calculation through rapid visual inspection.

  7. Thermodynamic modeling of the Al-U and Co-U systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, J.; Liu, X.J.; Wang, C.P.

    2008-01-01

    The thermodynamic assessments of the Al-U and Co-U systems have been carried out by using the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method on the basis of the experimental data including thermodynamic properties and phase equilibria. Gibbs free energies of the solution phases were described by the subregular solution models with the Redlich-Kister equation, and those of the intermetallic compounds described by the sublattice models. A consistent set of thermodynamic parameters has been derived for describing the Gibbs free energies of each solution phase and intermetallic compounds in the Al-U and Co-U binary systems. The calculated phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties in the Al-U and Co-U systems are in good agreement with experimental data

  8. Estimation hydrophilic-lipophilic balance number of surfactants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pawignya, Harsa, E-mail: harsa-paw@yahoo.co.id [Chemical Engineering Department Diponegoro University (Indonesia); Chemical Engineering Departement University of Pembangunan Nasional Yogyakarta (Indonesia); Prasetyaningrum, Aji, E-mail: ajiprasetyaningrum@gmail.com; Kusworo, Tutuk D.; Pramudono, Bambang, E-mail: Pramudono2004@yahoo.com [Chemical Engineering Department Diponegoro University (Indonesia); Dyartanti, Endah R. [Chemical Engineering Department Diponegoro University (Indonesia); Chemical Enginering Departement Sebelas Maret University (Indonesia)

    2016-02-08

    Any type of surfactant has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance number (HLB number) of different. There are several methods for determining the HLB number, with ohysical properties of surfactant (solubility cloud point and interfacial tension), CMC methods and by thermodynamics properties (Free energy Gibbs). This paper proposes to determined HLB numbers from interfelation methods. The result of study indicated that the CMC method described by Hair and Moulik espesially for nonionic surfactant. The application of exess Gibbs free energy and by implication activity coefficient provides the ability to predict the behavior of surfactants in multi component mixtures of different concentration. Determination of HLB number by solubility and cloud point parameter is spesific for anionic and nonionic surfactant but this methods not available for cationic surfactants.

  9. Influence of Valsartan on the thermodynamics of micellization of anionic surfactant Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stopková L.

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available In this manuscript was investigated behaviour of drug valsartan by micellar media of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate. As the method was used electrical conductivity for the determination of critical micelle concentration at different temperatures (T = 293.15 - 313.15 K, as well as calculated thermodynamic parameters like standard Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of micellization. According to contribution of Gibbs free energy is the process of micellization primarily controlled by entropy. Solubilization of valsartan was studied in surfactant system at 298.15 K and physiological conditions pH 7.4 using UV-spectrophotometry at different concentration range (0.001 - 0.07 mol/l of sodium dodecyl sulphate. The solubilization of drug was observed with increasing concentration of surfactant in aqueous solution.

  10. Molecular structures and thermodynamic properties of monohydrated gaseous iodine compounds: Modelling for severe accident simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudolská, Mária; Cantrel, Laurent; Budzák, Šimon; Černušák, Ivan

    2014-03-01

    Monohydrated complexes of iodine species (I, I2, HI, and HOI) have been studied by correlated ab initio calculations. The standard enthalpies of formation, Gibbs free energy and the temperature dependence of the heat capacities at constant pressure were calculated. The values obtained have been implemented in ASTEC nuclear accident simulation software to check the thermodynamic stability of hydrated iodine compounds in the reactor coolant system and in the nuclear containment building of a pressurised water reactor during a severe accident. It can be concluded that iodine complexes are thermodynamically unstable by means of positive Gibbs free energies and would be represented by trace level concentrations in severe accident conditions; thus it is well justified to only consider pure iodine species and not hydrated forms.

  11. A Bayesian approach to PET reconstruction using image-modeling Gibbs priors: Implementation and comparison

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, M.T.; Herman, G.T.; Levitan, E.

    1996-01-01

    We demonstrate that (i) classical methods of image reconstruction from projections can be improved upon by considering the output of such a method as a distorted version of the original image and applying a Bayesian approach to estimate from it the original image (based on a model of distortion and on a Gibbs distribution as the prior) and (ii) by selecting an open-quotes image-modelingclose quotes prior distribution (i.e., one which is such that it is likely that a random sample from it shares important characteristics of the images of the application area) one can improve over another Gibbs prior formulated using only pairwise interactions. We illustrate our approach using simulated Positron Emission Tomography (PET) data from realistic brain phantoms. Since algorithm performance ultimately depends on the diagnostic task being performed. we examine a number of different medically relevant figures of merit to give a fair comparison. Based on a training-and-testing evaluation strategy, we demonstrate that statistically significant improvements can be obtained using the proposed approach

  12. Gibbs-Thomson Law for Singular Step Segments: Thermodynamics Versus Kinetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernov, A. A.

    2003-01-01

    Classical Burton-Cabrera-Frank theory presumes that thermal fluctuations are so fast that at any time density of kinks on a step is comparable with the reciprocal intermolecular distance, so that the step rate is about isotropic within the crystal plane. Such azimuthal isotropy is, however, often not the case: Kink density may be much lower. In particular, it was recently found on the (010) face of orthorhombic lysozyme that interkink distance may exceed 500-600 intermolecular distances. Under such conditions, Gibbs-Thomson law (GTL) may not be applicable: On a straight step segment between two corners, communication between the comers occurs exclusively by kink exchange. Annihilation between kinks of opposite sign generated at the comers results in the grain in step energy entering GTL. If the step segment length l much greater than D/v, where D and v are the kink diffusivity and propagation rate, respectively, the opposite kinks have practically no chance to annihilate and GTL is not applicable. The opposite condition of the GTL applicability, l much less than D/v, is equivalent to the requirement that relative supersaturation Delta(sub mu)/kT much less than alpha/l, where alpha is molecular size. Thus, GTL may be applied to a segment of 10(exp 3)alpha approx. 3 x 10(exp -5)cm approx 0.3 micron only if supersaturation is less than 0.1%, while practically used driving forces for crystallization are much larger. Relationships alternative to the GTL for different, but low, kink density have been discussed. They confirm experimental evidences that the Burton-Cabrera-Frank theory of spiral growth is growth rates twice as low as compared to the observed figures. Also, application of GTL results in unrealistic step energy while suggested kinetic law give reasonable figures.

  13. Incorporating the effect of ionic strength in free energy calculations using explicit ions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Donnini, S; Mark, AE; Juffer, AH; Villa, Alessandra

    2005-01-01

    The incorporation of explicit ions to mimic the effect of ionic strength or to neutralize the overall charge on a system in free energy calculations using molecular dynamics simulations is investigated. The difference in the free energy of hydration between two triosephosphate isomerase inhibitors

  14. Critique of pure free energy principle. Comment on "Answering Schrödinger's question: A free-energy formulation" by Maxwell James Désormeau Ramstead et al.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tozzi, Arturo; Peters, James F.

    2018-03-01

    The paper by Ramstead et al. [1] [in this issue] reminds us the efforts of eminent scientists such as Whitehead and Godel. After having produced influential manuscripts, they turned to more philosophical issues, understanding the need for a larger formalization of their bounteous scientific results [2,3]. In a similar way, the successful free-energy principle has been generalized, in order to encompass not only the brain activity of the original formulation, but also the whole spectrum of life [1]. The final result is of prominent importance, because, in touch with Quine's naturalized epistemology [4] and Badiou's account of set theory [5], provides philosophical significance to otherwise purely scientific matters. The free energy principle becomes a novel paradigm that attempts to explain general physical/biological mechanisms in the light of a novel scientific ontology, the "variational neuroethology". The latter, seemingly grounded in a recursive multilevel reductionistic/emergentistic approach à la Bechtel [6], has also its roots in a rationalistic top-down approach that, starting from mathematical/physical general concepts (von Helmholtz's free energy), formulates experimentally testable (and falsifiable) theories.

  15. Solid/liquid interfacial free energies in binary systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nason, D.; Tiller, W. A.

    1973-01-01

    Description of a semiquantitative technique for predicting the segregation characteristics of smooth interfaces between binary solid and liquid solutions in terms of readily available thermodynamic parameters of the bulk solutions. A lattice-liquid interfacial model and a pair-bonded regular solution model are employed in the treatment with an accommodation for liquid interfacial entropy. The method is used to calculate the interfacial segregation and the free energy of segregation for solid-liquid interfaces between binary solutions for the (111) boundary of fcc crystals. The zone of compositional transition across the interface is shown to be on the order of a few atomic layers in width, being moderately narrower for ideal solutions. The free energy of the segregated interface depends primarily upon the solid composition and the heats of fusion of the component atoms, the composition difference of the solutions, and the difference of the heats of mixing of the solutions.

  16. Quantum Chromodynamic at finite temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Magalhaes, N.S.

    1987-01-01

    A formal expression to the Gibbs free energy of topological defects of quantum chromodynamics (QCD)by using the semiclassical approach in the context of field theory at finite temperature and in the high temperature limit is determined. This expression is used to calculate the free energy of magnetic monopoles. Applying the obtained results to a method in which the free energy of topological defects of a theory may indicate its different phases, its searched for informations about phases of QCD. (author) [pt

  17. Absolute Hydration Free Energy of Proton from First Principles Electronic Structure Calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhan, Chang-Guo; Dixon, David A.

    2001-01-01

    The absolute hydration free energy of the proton, DGhyd298(H+), is one of the fundamental quantities for the thermodynamics of aqueous systems. Its exact value remains unknown despite extensive experimental and computational efforts. We report a first-principles determination of DGhyd298(H+) by using the latest developments in electronic structure theory and massively parallel computers. DGhyd298(H+) is accurately predicted to be -262.4 kcal/mol based on high-level, first-principles solvation-included electronic structure calculations. The absolute hydration free energies of other cations can be obtained by using appropriate available thermodynamic data in combination with this value. The high accuracy of the predicted absolute hydration free energy of proton is confirmed by applying the same protocol to predict DGhyd298(Li+)

  18. Hydrogen role in a carbon-free energy mix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-02-01

    Among the energy storage technologies under development today, there is today an increasing interest towards the hydrogen-based ones. Hydrogen generation allows to store electricity, while its combustion can supply electrical, mechanical or heat energy. The French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) started to work on hydrogen technologies at the end of the 1990's in order to reinforce its economical interest. The development of these technologies is one of the 34 French industrial programs presented in September 2013 by the French Minister of productive recovery. This paper aims at identifying the hydrogen stakes in a carbon-free energy mix and at highlighting the remaining technological challenges to be met before reaching an industrial development level

  19. Minimal Self-Models and the Free Energy Principle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakub eLimanowski

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The term "minimal phenomenal selfhood" describes the basic, pre-reflective experience of being a self (Blanke & Metzinger, 2009. Theoretical accounts of the minimal self have long recognized the importance and the ambivalence of the body as both part of the physical world, and the enabling condition for being in this world (Gallagher, 2005; Grafton, 2009. A recent account of minimal phenomenal selfhood (MPS, Metzinger, 2004a centers on the consideration that minimal selfhood emerges as the result of basic self-modeling mechanisms, thereby being founded on pre-reflective bodily processes. The free energy principle (FEP, Friston, 2010 is a novel unified theory of cortical function that builds upon the imperative that self-organizing systems entail hierarchical generative models of the causes of their sensory input, which are optimized by minimizing free energy as an approximation of the log-likelihood of the model. The implementation of the FEP via predictive coding mechanisms and in particular the active inference principle emphasizes the role of embodiment for predictive self-modeling, which has been appreciated in recent publications. In this review, we provide an overview of these conceptions and illustrate thereby the potential power of the FEP in explaining the mechanisms underlying minimal selfhood and its key constituents, multisensory integration, interoception, agency, perspective, and the experience of mineness. We conclude that the conceptualization of MPS can be well mapped onto a hierarchical generative model furnished by the free energy principle and may constitute the basis for higher-level, cognitive forms of self-referral, as well as the understanding of other minds.

  20. The Maximum Free Magnetic Energy Allowed in a Solar Active Region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Ronald L.; Falconer, David A.

    2009-01-01

    Two whole-active-region magnetic quantities that can be measured from a line-of-sight magnetogram are (sup L) WL(sub SG), a gauge of the total free energy in an active region's magnetic field, and sup L(sub theta), a measure of the active region's total magnetic flux. From these two quantities measured from 1865 SOHO/MDI magnetograms that tracked 44 sunspot active regions across the 0.5 R(sub Sun) central disk, together with each active region's observed production of CMEs, X flares, and M flares, Falconer et al (2009, ApJ, submitted) found that (1) active regions have a maximum attainable free magnetic energy that increases with the magnetic size (sup L) (sub theta) of the active region, (2) in (Log (sup L)WL(sub SG), Log(sup L) theta) space, CME/flare-productive active regions are concentrated in a straight-line main sequence along which the free magnetic energy is near its upper limit, and (3) X and M flares are restricted to large active regions. Here, from (a) these results, (b) the observation that even the greatest X flares produce at most only subtle changes in active region magnetograms, and (c) measurements from MSFC vector magnetograms and from MDI line-of-sight magnetograms showing that practically all sunspot active regions have nearly the same area-averaged magnetic field strength: =- theta/A approximately equal to 300 G, where theta is the active region's total photospheric flux of field stronger than 100 G and A is the area of that flux, we infer that (1) the maximum allowed ratio of an active region's free magnetic energy to its potential-field energy is 1, and (2) any one CME/flare eruption releases no more than a small fraction (less than 10%) of the active region's free magnetic energy. This work was funded by NASA's Heliophysics Division and NSF's Division of Atmospheric Sciences.

  1. Energy of Force-Free Magnetic Fields in Relation to Coronal Mass Ejections; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    G.S. Choe; C.Z. Cheng

    2002-01-01

    In typical observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), a magnetic structure of a helmet-shaped closed configuration bulges out and eventually opens up. However, a spontaneous transition between these field configurations has been regarded to be energetically impossible in force-free fields according to the Aly-Sturrock theorem. The theorem states that the maximum energy state of force-free fields with a given boundary normal field distribution is the open field. The theorem implicitly assumes the existence of the maximum energy state, which may not be taken for granted. In this study, we have constructed force-free fields containing tangential discontinuities in multiple flux systems. These force-free fields can be generated from a potential field by footpoint motions that do not conserve the boundary normal field distribution. Some of these force-free fields are found to have more magnetic energy than the corresponding open fields. The constructed force-free configurations are compared with observational features of CME-bearing active regions. Possible mechanisms of CMEs are also discussed

  2. ENERGY BUDGETS IN FREE-LIVING GREEN IGUANAS IN A SEASONAL ENVIRONMENT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    LICHTENBELT, WDV; WESSELINGH, RA; VOGEL, JT; ALBERS, KBM

    Using a variety of techniques we estimated energy expenditure and allocation of energy in free-living green iguanas (Iguana iguana) in a seasonal environment on Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. 1) Daily energy expenditure (DEE) was measured by means of the doubly labeled water (DLW) technique, using

  3. Impact of domain knowledge on blinded predictions of binding energies by alchemical free energy calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mey, Antonia S. J. S.; Jiménez, Jordi Juárez; Michel, Julien

    2018-01-01

    The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) consortium organises blinded challenges to address the latest advances in computational methods for ligand pose prediction, affinity ranking, and free energy calculations. Within the context of the second D3R Grand Challenge several blinded binding free energies predictions were made for two congeneric series of Farsenoid X Receptor (FXR) inhibitors with a semi-automated alchemical free energy calculation workflow featuring FESetup and SOMD software tools. Reasonable performance was observed in retrospective analyses of literature datasets. Nevertheless, blinded predictions on the full D3R datasets were poor due to difficulties encountered with the ranking of compounds that vary in their net-charge. Performance increased for predictions that were restricted to subsets of compounds carrying the same net-charge. Disclosure of X-ray crystallography derived binding modes maintained or improved the correlation with experiment in a subsequent rounds of predictions. The best performing protocols on D3R set1 and set2 were comparable or superior to predictions made on the basis of analysis of literature structure activity relationships (SAR)s only, and comparable or slightly inferior, to the best submissions from other groups.

  4. Energy and the NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plourde, A.

    1993-01-01

    A review is presented of the implications of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for the energy industry. This agreement expands the coverage accorded to energy in the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and is of limited significance with respect to Canada-US relations, but is quite important to these two countries' energy trade with Mexico. With respect to Canada-US trade, the most important departure from the FTA is that NAFTA tends to ensure a greater degree of respect for the terms of negotiated contracts, in particular by requiring the parties to make efforts to secure compliance with the national treatment provisions of the NAFTA by subfederal regulatory entities. Mexico's constitution severely restricts foreign participation in the activities of its energy industries, including basic petrochemicals. While NAFTA accomodates these restrictions, Canadian and US companies will have opportunities to bid on contracts for goods and services and construction in the Mexican energy sector on an equal footing with their Mexican counterparts. NAFTA also provides expanded opportunities for foreign investment and control in electricity generation for own-use, cogeneration and public service purposes. The parties are explicitly allowed to extend activity incentives to their respective oil and gas industries. 9 refs

  5. Solubility-pH profiles of a free base and its salt: sibutramine as a case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diego Lucero-Borja

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available In the present study the solubility-pH profiles of sibutramine free base and its hydrochloride salt were determined in the pH range between 2.0 and 9.5 by means of the recommended shake-flask method, and the solids collected were dried and studied by X-ray diffraction in order to elucidate their free base or salt structure. Above pHmax (or Gibbs pKa the solid collected was always identified as free base, whatever the sibutramine species (free base or hydrochloride salt initially solved. However, in the pH range below pHmax different solids were isolated depending on the buffers employed.

  6. Patterned gradient surface for spontaneous droplet transportation and water collection: simulation and experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, Xianhua; Zhu, Yiying; Shi, Tielin; Tang, Zirong; Liao, Guanglan

    2016-01-01

    We demonstrate spontaneous droplet transportation and water collection on wedge-shaped gradient surfaces consisting of alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. Droplets on the surfaces are modeled and simulated to analyze the Gibbs free energy and free energy gradient distributions. Big half-apex angle and great wettability difference result in considerable free energy gradient, corresponding to large driving force for spontaneous droplet transportation, thus causing the droplets to move towards the open end of the wedge-shaped hydrophilic regions, where the Gibbs free energy is low. Gradient surfaces are then fabricated and tested. Filmwise condensation begins on the hydrophilic regions, forming wedge-shaped tracks for water collection. Dropwise condensation occurs on the hydrophobic regions, where the droplet size distribution and departure diameters are controlled by the width of the regions. Condensate water from both the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are collected directionally to the open end of the wedge-shaped hydrophilic regions, agreeing with the simulations. Directional droplet transport and controllable departure diameters make the branched gradient surfaces more efficient than smooth surfaces for water collection, which proves that gradient surfaces are potential in water collection, microfluidic devices, anti-fogging and self-cleaning. (paper)

  7. Casimir free energy of dielectric films: classical limit, low-temperature behavior and control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimchitskaya, G L; Mostepanenko, V M

    2017-07-12

    The Casimir free energy of dielectric films, both free-standing in vacuum and deposited on metallic or dielectric plates, is investigated. It is shown that the values of the free energy depend considerably on whether the calculation approach used neglects or takes into account the dc conductivity of film material. We demonstrate that there are material-dependent and universal classical limits in the former and latter cases, respectively. The analytic behavior of the Casimir free energy and entropy for a free-standing dielectric film at low temperature is found. According to our results, the Casimir entropy goes to zero when the temperature vanishes if the calculation approach with neglected dc conductivity of a film is employed. If the dc conductivity is taken into account, the Casimir entropy takes the positive value at zero temperature, depending on the parameters of a film, i.e. the Nernst heat theorem is violated. By considering the Casimir free energy of SiO 2 and Al 2 O 3 films deposited on a Au plate in the framework of two calculation approaches, we argue that physically correct values are obtained by disregarding the role of dc conductivity. A comparison with the well known results for the configuration of two parallel plates is made. Finally, we compute the Casimir free energy of SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and Ge films deposited on high-resistivity Si plates of different thicknesses and demonstrate that it can be positive, negative and equal to zero. The effect of illumination of a Si plate with laser light is considered. Possible applications of the obtained results to thin films used in microelectronics are discussed.

  8. Casimir free energy of dielectric films: classical limit, low-temperature behavior and control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klimchitskaya, G. L.; Mostepanenko, V. M.

    2017-07-01

    The Casimir free energy of dielectric films, both free-standing in vacuum and deposited on metallic or dielectric plates, is investigated. It is shown that the values of the free energy depend considerably on whether the calculation approach used neglects or takes into account the dc conductivity of film material. We demonstrate that there are material-dependent and universal classical limits in the former and latter cases, respectively. The analytic behavior of the Casimir free energy and entropy for a free-standing dielectric film at low temperature is found. According to our results, the Casimir entropy goes to zero when the temperature vanishes if the calculation approach with neglected dc conductivity of a film is employed. If the dc conductivity is taken into account, the Casimir entropy takes the positive value at zero temperature, depending on the parameters of a film, i.e. the Nernst heat theorem is violated. By considering the Casimir free energy of SiO2 and Al2O3 films deposited on a Au plate in the framework of two calculation approaches, we argue that physically correct values are obtained by disregarding the role of dc conductivity. A comparison with the well known results for the configuration of two parallel plates is made. Finally, we compute the Casimir free energy of SiO2, Al2O3 and Ge films deposited on high-resistivity Si plates of different thicknesses and demonstrate that it can be positive, negative and equal to zero. The effect of illumination of a Si plate with laser light is considered. Possible applications of the obtained results to thin films used in microelectronics are discussed.

  9. Sampling free energy surfaces as slices by combining umbrella sampling and metadynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Awasthi, Shalini; Kapil, Venkat; Nair, Nisanth N

    2016-06-15

    Metadynamics (MTD) is a very powerful technique to sample high-dimensional free energy landscapes, and due to its self-guiding property, the method has been successful in studying complex reactions and conformational changes. MTD sampling is based on filling the free energy basins by biasing potentials and thus for cases with flat, broad, and unbound free energy wells, the computational time to sample them becomes very large. To alleviate this problem, we combine the standard Umbrella Sampling (US) technique with MTD to sample orthogonal collective variables (CVs) in a simultaneous way. Within this scheme, we construct the equilibrium distribution of CVs from biased distributions obtained from independent MTD simulations with umbrella potentials. Reweighting is carried out by a procedure that combines US reweighting and Tiwary-Parrinello MTD reweighting within the Weighted Histogram Analysis Method (WHAM). The approach is ideal for a controlled sampling of a CV in a MTD simulation, making it computationally efficient in sampling flat, broad, and unbound free energy surfaces. This technique also allows for a distributed sampling of a high-dimensional free energy surface, further increasing the computational efficiency in sampling. We demonstrate the application of this technique in sampling high-dimensional surface for various chemical reactions using ab initio and QM/MM hybrid molecular dynamics simulations. Further, to carry out MTD bias reweighting for computing forward reaction barriers in ab initio or QM/MM simulations, we propose a computationally affordable approach that does not require recrossing trajectories. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Free energy and phase equilibria for the restricted primitive model of ionic fluids from Monte Carlo simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orkoulas, G.; Panagiotopoulos, A.Z.

    1994-01-01

    In this work, we investigate the liquid--vapor phase transition of the restricted primitive model of ionic fluids. We show that at the low temperatures where the phase transition occurs, the system cannot be studied by conventional molecular simulation methods because convergence to equilibrium is slow. To accelerate convergence, we propose cluster Monte Carlo moves capable of moving more than one particle at a time. We then address the issue of charged particle transfers in grand canonical and Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations, for which we propose a biased particle insertion/destruction scheme capable of sampling short interparticle distances. We compute the chemical potential for the restricted primitive model as a function of temperature and density from grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations and the phase envelope from Gibbs Monte Carlo simulations. Our calculated phase coexistence curve is in agreement with recent results of Caillol obtained on the four-dimensional hypersphere and our own earlier Gibbs ensemble simulations with single-ion transfers, with the exception of the critical temperature, which is lower in the current calculations. Our best estimates for the critical parameters are T * c =0.053, ρ * c =0.025. We conclude with possible future applications of the biased techniques developed here for phase equilibrium calculations for ionic fluids

  11. Fast exploration of an optimal path on the multidimensional free energy surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Changjun

    2017-01-01

    In a reaction, determination of an optimal path with a high reaction rate (or a low free energy barrier) is important for the study of the reaction mechanism. This is a complicated problem that involves lots of degrees of freedom. For simple models, one can build an initial path in the collective variable space by the interpolation method first and then update the whole path constantly in the optimization. However, such interpolation method could be risky in the high dimensional space for large molecules. On the path, steric clashes between neighboring atoms could cause extremely high energy barriers and thus fail the optimization. Moreover, performing simulations for all the snapshots on the path is also time-consuming. In this paper, we build and optimize the path by a growing method on the free energy surface. The method grows a path from the reactant and extends its length in the collective variable space step by step. The growing direction is determined by both the free energy gradient at the end of the path and the direction vector pointing at the product. With fewer snapshots on the path, this strategy can let the path avoid the high energy states in the growing process and save the precious simulation time at each iteration step. Applications show that the presented method is efficient enough to produce optimal paths on either the two-dimensional or the twelve-dimensional free energy surfaces of different small molecules. PMID:28542475

  12. Acetogenesis in the energy-starved deep biosphere – a paradox?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Alexander Lever

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Under anoxic conditions in sediments, acetogens are often thought to be outcompeted by microorganisms performing energetically more favorable metabolic pathways, such as sulfate reduction or methanogenesis. Recent evidence from deep subseafloor sediments suggesting acetogenesis in the presence of sulfate reduction and methanogenesis has called this notion into question, however. Here I argue that acetogens can successfully coexist with sulfate reducers and methanogens for multiple reasons. These include (1 substantial energy yields from most acetogenesis reactions across the wide range of conditions encountered in the subseafloor, (2 wide substrate spectra that enable niche differentiation by use of different substrates and/or pooling of energy from a broad range of energy substrates, (3 reduced energetic cost of biosynthesis among acetogens due to use of the reductive acetyl CoA pathway for both energy production and biosynthesis coupled with the ability to use many organic precursors to produce the key intermediate acetyl CoA. This leads to the general conclusion that, beside Gibbs free energy yields, variables such as metabolic strategy and energetic cost of biosynthesis need to be taken into account to understand microbial survival in the energy-depleted deep biosphere.

  13. Entropy Calculation of Reversible Mixing of Ideal Gases Shows Absence of Gibbs Paradox

    OpenAIRE

    Oleg Borodiouk; Vasili Tatarin

    1999-01-01

    Abstract: We consider the work of reversible mixing of ideal gases using a real process. Now assumptions were made concerning infinite shifts, infinite number of cycles and infinite work to provide an accurate calculation of entropy resulting from reversible mixing of ideal gases. We derived an equation showing the dependence of this entropy on the difference in potential of mixed gases, which is evidence for the absence of Gibbs' paradox.

  14. Thermodynamic properties of soddyite from solubility and calorimetry measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorman-Lewis, Drew; Mazeina, Lena; Fein, Jeremy B.; Szymanowski, Jennifer E.S.; Burns, Peter C.; Navrotsky, Alexandra

    2007-01-01

    The release of uranium from geologic nuclear waste repositories under oxidizing conditions can only be modeled if the thermodynamic properties of the secondary uranyl minerals that form in the repository setting are known. Toward this end, we synthesized soddyite ((UO 2 ) 2 (SiO 4 )(H 2 O) 2 ), and performed solubility measurements from both undersaturation and supersaturation. The solubility measurements rigorously constrain the value of the solubility product of synthetic soddyite, and consequently its standard-state Gibbs free energy of formation. The log solubility product (lg K sp ) with its error (1σ) is (6.43 + 0.20/-0.37), and the standard-state Gibbs free energy of formation is (-3652.2 ± 4.2 (2σ)) kJ mol -1 . High-temperature drop solution calorimetry was conducted, yielding a calculated standard-state enthalpy of formation of soddyite of (-4045.4 ± 4.9 (2σ)) kJ . mol -1 . The standard-state Gibbs free energy and enthalpy of formation yield a calculated standard-state entropy of formation of soddyite of (-1318.7 ± 21.7 (2σ)) J . mol -1 . K -1 . The measurements and associated thermodynamic calculations not only describe the T = 298 K stability and solubility of soddyite, but they also can be used in predictions of repository performance through extrapolation of these properties to repository temperatures

  15. Thermodynamic analysis of (Ni, Fe)3Al formation by mechanical alloying

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adabavazeh, Z.; Karimzadeh, F.; Enayati, M.H.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► (Ni, Fe) 3 Al intermetallic compound was synthesized by mechanical alloying. ► We use a thermodynamic analysis to predict the more stable phase. ► We calculate the Gibbs free-energy changes by using extended Miedema model. ► The results of MA compared with thermodynamic analysis and showed a good agreement with it. - Abstract: (Ni, Fe) 3 Al intermetallic compound was synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) of Ni, Fe and Al elemental powder mixtures of composition Ni 50 Fe 25 Al 25 . Phase transformation and microstructure characteristics of the alloy powders were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that mechanical alloying resulted in a Ni (Al, Fe) solid solution. By continued milling, this structure transformed to the disordered (Ni, Fe) 3 Al intermetallic compound. A thermodynamic model developed on the basis of extended theory of Miedema is used to calculate the Gibbs free-energy changes. Final product of MA is a phase having minimal Gibbs free energy compared with other competing phases in Ni–Fe–Al system. However in Ni–Fe–Al system, the most stable phase at all compositions is intermetallic compound (not amorphous phase or solid solution). The results of MA were compared with thermodynamic analysis and revealed the leading role of thermodynamic on the formation of MA product prediction.

  16. Molecular dynamics simulations and free energy profile of ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    aDepartment of Chemical Engineering, bDepartment of Chemistry, Amirkabir University of Technology,. 15875-4413 ... Lipid bilayers; Paracetamol; free energy; molecular dynamics simulation; membrane. 1. ..... bilayer is less favourable due to the hydrophobic nature .... Orsi M and Essex J W 2010 Soft Matter 6 3797. 54.

  17. Diffusion in multicomponent systems: a free energy approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emmanuel, Simon; Cortis, Andrea; Berkowitz, Brian

    2004-01-01

    This work examines diffusion in ternary non-ideal systems and derives coupled non-linear equations based on a non-equilibrium thermodynamic approach in which an explicit expression for the free energy is substituted into standard diffusion equations. For ideal solutions, the equations employ four mobility parameters (M aa , M ab , M ba , and M bb ), and uphill diffusion is predicted for certain initial conditions and combinations of mobilities. For the more complex case of ternary Simple Mixtures, two non-ideality parameters (χ ac and χ bc ) that are directly related to the excess free energy of mixing are introduced. The solution of the equations is carried out by means of two different numerical schemes: (1) spectral collocation and (2) finite element. An error minimization technique is coupled with the spectral collocation method and applied to diffusional profiles to extract the M and χ parameters. The model satisfactorily reproduces diffusional profiles from published data for silicate melts. Further improvements in numerical and experimental techniques are then suggested

  18. Towards a Continental Energy Market: From the Energy Crisis to the Free Trade Agreement, 1970-88.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Paul W.

    1989-01-01

    Discusses the impact the 1973 oil embargo and resulting energy crisis had on Canadian energy policies, which eventually led in 1987 to the enactment of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the United States. Includes excerpts of three documents which reveal much about the shift in Canadian policy toward a continental energy market. (LS)

  19. Prior Flaring as a Complement to Free Magnetic Energy for Forecasting Solar Eruptions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falconer, David A.; Moore, Ronald L.; Barghouty, Abdulnasser F.; Khazanov, Igor

    2012-01-01

    From a large database of (1) 40,000 SOHO/MDI line-of-sight magnetograms covering the passage of 1,300 sunspot active regions across the 30 deg radius central disk of the Sun, (2) a proxy of each active region's free magnetic energy measured from each of the active region's central-disk-passage magnetograms, and (3) each active region's full-disk-passage history of production of major flares and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs), we find new statistical evidence that (1) there are aspects of an active region's magnetic field other than the free energy that are strong determinants of the active region's productivity of major flares and fast CMEs in the coming few days, (2) an active region's recent productivity of major flares, in addition to reflecting the amount of free energy in the active region, also reflects these other determinants of coming productivity of major eruptions, and (3) consequently, the knowledge of whether an active region has recently had a major flare, used in combination with the active region's free-energy proxy measured from a magnetogram, can greatly alter the forecast chance that the active region will have a major eruption in the next few days after the time of the magnetogram. The active-region magnetic conditions that, in addition to the free energy, are reflected by recent major flaring are presumably the complexity and evolution of the field.

  20. Methods for Efficiently and Accurately Computing Quantum Mechanical Free Energies for Enzyme Catalysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kearns, F L; Hudson, P S; Boresch, S; Woodcock, H L

    2016-01-01

    Enzyme activity is inherently linked to free energies of transition states, ligand binding, protonation/deprotonation, etc.; these free energies, and thus enzyme function, can be affected by residue mutations, allosterically induced conformational changes, and much more. Therefore, being able to predict free energies associated with enzymatic processes is critical to understanding and predicting their function. Free energy simulation (FES) has historically been a computational challenge as it requires both the accurate description of inter- and intramolecular interactions and adequate sampling of all relevant conformational degrees of freedom. The hybrid quantum mechanical molecular mechanical (QM/MM) framework is the current tool of choice when accurate computations of macromolecular systems are essential. Unfortunately, robust and efficient approaches that employ the high levels of computational theory needed to accurately describe many reactive processes (ie, ab initio, DFT), while also including explicit solvation effects and accounting for extensive conformational sampling are essentially nonexistent. In this chapter, we will give a brief overview of two recently developed methods that mitigate several major challenges associated with QM/MM FES: the QM non-Boltzmann Bennett's acceptance ratio method and the QM nonequilibrium work method. We will also describe usage of these methods to calculate free energies associated with (1) relative properties and (2) along reaction paths, using simple test cases with relevance to enzymes examples. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. PRIOR FLARING AS A COMPLEMENT TO FREE MAGNETIC ENERGY FOR FORECASTING SOLAR ERUPTIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Falconer, David A.; Moore, Ronald L.; Barghouty, Abdulnasser F.; Khazanov, Igor

    2012-01-01

    From a large database of (1) 40,000 SOHO/MDI line-of-sight magnetograms covering the passage of 1300 sunspot active regions across the 30° radius central disk of the Sun, (2) a proxy of each active region's free magnetic energy measured from each of the active region's central-disk-passage magnetograms, and (3) each active region's full-disk-passage history of production of major flares and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs), we find new statistical evidence that (1) there are aspects of an active region's magnetic field other than the free energy that are strong determinants of the active region's productivity of major flares and fast CMEs in the coming few days; (2) an active region's recent productivity of major flares, in addition to reflecting the amount of free energy in the active region, also reflects these other determinants of coming productivity of major eruptions; and (3) consequently, the knowledge of whether an active region has recently had a major flare, used in combination with the active region's free-energy proxy measured from a magnetogram, can greatly alter the forecast chance that the active region will have a major eruption in the next few days after the time of the magnetogram. The active-region magnetic conditions that, in addition to the free energy, are reflected by recent major flaring are presumably the complexity and evolution of the field.

  2. Postselection-free energy-time entanglement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strekalov, D.V.; Pittman, T.B.; Sergienko, A.V.; Shih, Y.H.; Kwiat, P.G.

    1996-01-01

    We report a two-photon interference experiment that realizes a postselection-free test of Bell close-quote s inequality based on energy-time entanglement. In contrast with all previous experiments of this type, the employed entangled states are obtained without the use of a beam splitter or a short coincidence window to open-quote open-quote throw away close-quote close-quote unwanted amplitudes. A (95.0±1.4)% interference fringe visibility is observed, implying a strong violation of the Bell inequality. The scheme is very compact and has demonstrated excellent stability, suggesting that it may be useful, for example, in practical quantum cryptography. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  3. Zoeal morphology of Pachygrapsus transversus (Gibbes (Decapoda, Grapsidae reared in the laboratory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Luiza Brossi-Garcia

    1997-12-01

    Full Text Available Ovigerous females of Pachygrapsus transversus (Gibbes, 1850 were collected on the Praia Dura and Saco da Ribeira beaches, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. Larvae were individually reared in a climatic room at 25ºC temperature, salinities of 28, 32 and 35‰ and under natural photoperiod conditions. The best rearing results were observed at 35%o salinity. Seven zoeal instars were observed, drawing and described in detail. The data are compared with those obtained for P. gracilis (Saussure, 1858.

  4. Effect of Atomic Charges on Octanol–Water Partition Coefficient Using Alchemical Free Energy Calculation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koji Ogata

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The octanol–water partition coefficient (logPow is an important index for measuring solubility, membrane permeability, and bioavailability in the drug discovery field. In this paper, the logPow values of 58 compounds were predicted by alchemical free energy calculation using molecular dynamics simulation. In free energy calculations, the atomic charges of the compounds are always fixed. However, they must be recalculated for each solvent. Therefore, three different sets of atomic charges were tested using quantum chemical calculations, taking into account vacuum, octanol, and water environments. The calculated atomic charges in the different environments do not necessarily influence the correlation between calculated and experimentally measured ∆Gwater values. The largest correlation coefficient values of the solvation free energy in water and octanol were 0.93 and 0.90, respectively. On the other hand, the correlation coefficient of logPow values calculated from free energies, the largest of which was 0.92, was sensitive to the combination of the solvation free energies calculated from the calculated atomic charges. These results reveal that the solvent assumed in the atomic charge calculation is an important factor determining the accuracy of predicted logPow values.

  5. Sparse RNA folding revisited: space-efficient minimum free energy structure prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Will, Sebastian; Jabbari, Hosna

    2016-01-01

    RNA secondary structure prediction by energy minimization is the central computational tool for the analysis of structural non-coding RNAs and their interactions. Sparsification has been successfully applied to improve the time efficiency of various structure prediction algorithms while guaranteeing the same result; however, for many such folding problems, space efficiency is of even greater concern, particularly for long RNA sequences. So far, space-efficient sparsified RNA folding with fold reconstruction was solved only for simple base-pair-based pseudo-energy models. Here, we revisit the problem of space-efficient free energy minimization. Whereas the space-efficient minimization of the free energy has been sketched before, the reconstruction of the optimum structure has not even been discussed. We show that this reconstruction is not possible in trivial extension of the method for simple energy models. Then, we present the time- and space-efficient sparsified free energy minimization algorithm SparseMFEFold that guarantees MFE structure prediction. In particular, this novel algorithm provides efficient fold reconstruction based on dynamically garbage-collected trace arrows. The complexity of our algorithm depends on two parameters, the number of candidates Z and the number of trace arrows T; both are bounded by [Formula: see text], but are typically much smaller. The time complexity of RNA folding is reduced from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]; the space complexity, from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. Our empirical results show more than 80 % space savings over RNAfold [Vienna RNA package] on the long RNAs from the RNA STRAND database (≥2500 bases). The presented technique is intentionally generalizable to complex prediction algorithms; due to their high space demands, algorithms like pseudoknot prediction and RNA-RNA-interaction prediction are expected to profit even stronger than "standard" MFE folding. SparseMFEFold is free

  6. Adhesion Evaluation of Asphalt-Aggregate Interface Using Surface Free Energy Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jie Ji

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The influence of organic additives (Sasobit and RH and water on the adhesion of the asphalt-aggregate interface was studied according to the surface free energy theory. Two asphalt binders (SK-70 and SK-90, and two aggregate types (limestone and basalt were used in this study. The sessile drop method was employed to test surface free energy components of asphalt, organic additives and aggregates. The adhesion models of the asphalt-aggregate interface in dry and wet conditions were established, and the adhesion work was calculated subsequently. The energy ratios were built to evaluate the effect of organic additives and water on the adhesiveness of the asphalt-aggregate interface. The results indicate that the addition of organic additives can enhance the adhesion of the asphalt-aggregate interface in dry conditions, because organic additives reduced the surface free energy of asphalt. However, the organic additives have hydrophobic characteristics and are sensitive to water. As a result, the adhesiveness of the asphalt-aggregate interface of the asphalt containing organic additives in wet conditions sharply decreased due to water damage to asphalt and organic additives. Furthermore, the compatibility of asphalt, aggregate with organic additive was noted and discussed.

  7. Peptide Free Energy Landscapes Calibrated by Molecular Orbital Calculations

    OpenAIRE

    Ono, S.; Kuroda, M.; Higo, J.; Kamiya, N.; Nakajima, N.; Nakamura, H.

    2002-01-01

    Free energy landscapes of peptide conformations werecalibrated by ab initiomolecular orbital calculations, after enhancedconformational sampling using the multicanonical molecular dynamicssimulations. Three different potentials of mean force for an isolateddipeptide were individually obtained using the conventional force fields,AMBER parm94, AMBER parm96, and CHARMm22. Each potential ofmean force was calibrated based on the umbrella sampling algorithm fromthe adiabatic energy map that was cal...

  8. How to deal with multiple binding poses in alchemical relative protein-ligand binding free energy calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaus, Joseph W; Harder, Edward; Lin, Teng; Abel, Robert; McCammon, J Andrew; Wang, Lingle

    2015-06-09

    Recent advances in improved force fields and sampling methods have made it possible for the accurate calculation of protein–ligand binding free energies. Alchemical free energy perturbation (FEP) using an explicit solvent model is one of the most rigorous methods to calculate relative binding free energies. However, for cases where there are high energy barriers separating the relevant conformations that are important for ligand binding, the calculated free energy may depend on the initial conformation used in the simulation due to the lack of complete sampling of all the important regions in phase space. This is particularly true for ligands with multiple possible binding modes separated by high energy barriers, making it difficult to sample all relevant binding modes even with modern enhanced sampling methods. In this paper, we apply a previously developed method that provides a corrected binding free energy for ligands with multiple binding modes by combining the free energy results from multiple alchemical FEP calculations starting from all enumerated poses, and the results are compared with Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations. From these calculations, the dominant ligand binding mode can also be predicted. We apply this method to a series of ligands that bind to c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1) and obtain improved free energy results. The dominant ligand binding modes predicted by this method agree with the available crystallography, while both Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations incorrectly predict the binding modes for some ligands. The method also helps separate the force field error from the ligand sampling error, such that deviations in the predicted binding free energy from the experimental values likely indicate possible inaccuracies in the force field. An error in the force field for a subset of the ligands studied was identified using this method, and improved free energy results were obtained by correcting the partial charges assigned to the

  9. How To Deal with Multiple Binding Poses in Alchemical Relative Protein–Ligand Binding Free Energy Calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    Recent advances in improved force fields and sampling methods have made it possible for the accurate calculation of protein–ligand binding free energies. Alchemical free energy perturbation (FEP) using an explicit solvent model is one of the most rigorous methods to calculate relative binding free energies. However, for cases where there are high energy barriers separating the relevant conformations that are important for ligand binding, the calculated free energy may depend on the initial conformation used in the simulation due to the lack of complete sampling of all the important regions in phase space. This is particularly true for ligands with multiple possible binding modes separated by high energy barriers, making it difficult to sample all relevant binding modes even with modern enhanced sampling methods. In this paper, we apply a previously developed method that provides a corrected binding free energy for ligands with multiple binding modes by combining the free energy results from multiple alchemical FEP calculations starting from all enumerated poses, and the results are compared with Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations. From these calculations, the dominant ligand binding mode can also be predicted. We apply this method to a series of ligands that bind to c-Jun N-terminal kinase-1 (JNK1) and obtain improved free energy results. The dominant ligand binding modes predicted by this method agree with the available crystallography, while both Glide docking and MM-GBSA calculations incorrectly predict the binding modes for some ligands. The method also helps separate the force field error from the ligand sampling error, such that deviations in the predicted binding free energy from the experimental values likely indicate possible inaccuracies in the force field. An error in the force field for a subset of the ligands studied was identified using this method, and improved free energy results were obtained by correcting the partial charges assigned to the

  10. Analysis and control of a hybrid vehicle powered by free-piston energy converter

    OpenAIRE

    Hansson, Jörgen

    2006-01-01

    The introduction of hybrid powertrains has made it possible to utilise unconventional engines as primary power units in vehicles. The free-piston energy converter (FPEC) is such an engine. It is a combination of a free-piston combustion engine and a linear electrical machine. The main features of this configuration are high efficiency and a rapid transient response. In this thesis the free-piston energy converter as part of a hybrid powertrain is studied. One issue of the FPEC is the generati...

  11. Reactions of cisplatin with cysteine and methionine at constant pH; a computational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmermann, Tomás; Burda, Jaroslav V

    2010-02-07

    Interactions of hydrated cisplatin complexes cis-[Pt(NH(3))(2)Cl(H(2)O)](+) and cis-[Pt(NH(3))(2)(OH)(H(2)O)](+) with cysteine and methionine in an aqueous solution at constant pH were explored using computational methods. Thermodynamic parameters of considered reactions were studied in a broad pH range, taking up to 4 protonation states of each molecule into account. Reaction free energies at constant pH were obtained from standard Gibbs free energies using the Legendre transformation. Solvation free energies and pK(a) values were calculated using the PCM model with UAHF cavities, recently adapted by us for transition metal complexes. The root mean square error of pK(a) values on a set of model platinum complexes and amino acids was equal to 0.74. At pH 7, the transformed Gibbs free energies differ by up to 15 kcal mol(-1) from the Gibbs free energies of model reactions with a constant number of protons. As for cysteine, calculations confirmed a strong preference for kappaS monodenate bonding in a broad pH range. The most stable product of the second reaction step, which proceeds from monodentate to chelate complex, is the kappa(2)S,N coordinated chelate. The reaction with methionine is more complex. In the first step all three considered methionine donor atoms (N, S and O) are thermodynamically preferred products depending on the platinum complex and the pH. This is in accordance with the experimental observation of a pH dependent migration between N and S donor atoms in a chemically related system. The most stable chelates of platinum with methionine are kappa(2)S,N and kappa(2)N,O bonded complexes. The comparison of reaction free energies of both amino acids suggests, that the bidentate methionine ligand can be displaced even by the monodentate cysteine ligand under certain conditions.

  12. Water droplet excess free energy determined by cluster mitosis using guided molecular dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Gabriel V.; Hunt, Patricia A.; Müller, Erich A.; Jackson, George; Ford, Ian J.

    2015-12-01

    Atmospheric aerosols play a vital role in affecting climate by influencing the properties and lifetimes of clouds and precipitation. Understanding the underlying microscopic mechanisms involved in the nucleation of aerosol droplets from the vapour phase is therefore of great interest. One key thermodynamic quantity in nucleation is the excess free energy of cluster formation relative to that of the saturated vapour. In our current study, the excess free energy is extracted for clusters of pure water modelled with the TIP4P/2005 intermolecular potential using a method based on nonequilibrium molecular dynamics and the Jarzynski relation. The change in free energy associated with the "mitosis" or division of a cluster of N water molecules into two N/2 sub-clusters is evaluated. This methodology is an extension of the disassembly procedure used recently to calculate the excess free energy of argon clusters [H. Y. Tang and I. J. Ford, Phys. Rev. E 91, 023308 (2015)]. Our findings are compared to the corresponding excess free energies obtained from classical nucleation theory (CNT) as well as internally consistent classical theory (ICCT). The values of the excess free energy that we obtain with the mitosis method are consistent with CNT for large cluster sizes but for the smallest clusters, the results tend towards ICCT; for intermediate sized clusters, we obtain values between the ICCT and CNT predictions. Furthermore, the curvature-dependent surface tension which can be obtained by regarding the clusters as spherical droplets of bulk density is found to be a monotonically increasing function of cluster size for the studied range. The data are compared to other values reported in the literature, agreeing qualitatively with some but disagreeing with the values determined by Joswiak et al. [J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 4, 4267 (2013)] using a biased mitosis approach; an assessment of the differences is the main motivation for our current study.

  13. Water droplet excess free energy determined by cluster mitosis using guided molecular dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lau, Gabriel V.; Müller, Erich A.; Jackson, George [Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Hunt, Patricia A. [Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom); Ford, Ian J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

    2015-12-28

    Atmospheric aerosols play a vital role in affecting climate by influencing the properties and lifetimes of clouds and precipitation. Understanding the underlying microscopic mechanisms involved in the nucleation of aerosol droplets from the vapour phase is therefore of great interest. One key thermodynamic quantity in nucleation is the excess free energy of cluster formation relative to that of the saturated vapour. In our current study, the excess free energy is extracted for clusters of pure water modelled with the TIP4P/2005 intermolecular potential using a method based on nonequilibrium molecular dynamics and the Jarzynski relation. The change in free energy associated with the “mitosis” or division of a cluster of N water molecules into two N/2 sub-clusters is evaluated. This methodology is an extension of the disassembly procedure used recently to calculate the excess free energy of argon clusters [H. Y. Tang and I. J. Ford, Phys. Rev. E 91, 023308 (2015)]. Our findings are compared to the corresponding excess free energies obtained from classical nucleation theory (CNT) as well as internally consistent classical theory (ICCT). The values of the excess free energy that we obtain with the mitosis method are consistent with CNT for large cluster sizes but for the smallest clusters, the results tend towards ICCT; for intermediate sized clusters, we obtain values between the ICCT and CNT predictions. Furthermore, the curvature-dependent surface tension which can be obtained by regarding the clusters as spherical droplets of bulk density is found to be a monotonically increasing function of cluster size for the studied range. The data are compared to other values reported in the literature, agreeing qualitatively with some but disagreeing with the values determined by Joswiak et al. [J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 4, 4267 (2013)] using a biased mitosis approach; an assessment of the differences is the main motivation for our current study.

  14. Entropy Calculation of Reversible Mixing of Ideal Gases Shows Absence of Gibbs Paradox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleg Borodiouk

    1999-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: We consider the work of reversible mixing of ideal gases using a real process. Now assumptions were made concerning infinite shifts, infinite number of cycles and infinite work to provide an accurate calculation of entropy resulting from reversible mixing of ideal gases. We derived an equation showing the dependence of this entropy on the difference in potential of mixed gases, which is evidence for the absence of Gibbs' paradox.

  15. Determination of Kinetic and Thermodynamic Parameters that Describe Isothermal Seed Germination: A Student Research Project.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hageseth, Gaylord T.

    1982-01-01

    Describes a project for students to collect and fit data to a theoretical mathematical model that describes the rate of isothermal seed germination, including activation energy for substrate and produce and the autocatalytic reaction, and changes in enthalpy, entropy, and the Gibb's free energy. (Author/SK)

  16. Efficient approach to obtain free energy gradient using QM/MM MD simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asada, Toshio; Koseki, Shiro; Ando, Kanta

    2015-01-01

    The efficient computational approach denoted as charge and atom dipole response kernel (CDRK) model to consider polarization effects of the quantum mechanical (QM) region is described using the charge response and the atom dipole response kernels for free energy gradient (FEG) calculations in the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method. CDRK model can reasonably reproduce energies and also energy gradients of QM and MM atoms obtained by expensive QM/MM calculations in a drastically reduced computational time. This model is applied on the acylation reaction in hydrated trypsin-BPTI complex to optimize the reaction path on the free energy surface by means of FEG and the nudged elastic band (NEB) method

  17. The calculation of thermodynamic properties of molecules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Speybroeck, Veronique; Gani, Rafiqul; Meier, Robert Johan

    2010-01-01

    Thermodynamic data are key in the understanding and design of chemical processes. Next to the experimental evaluation of such data, computational methods are valuable and sometimes indispensable tools in obtaining heats of formation and Gibbs free energies. The major toolboxes to obtain such quan......Thermodynamic data are key in the understanding and design of chemical processes. Next to the experimental evaluation of such data, computational methods are valuable and sometimes indispensable tools in obtaining heats of formation and Gibbs free energies. The major toolboxes to obtain...... molecules the combination of group contribution methods with group additive values that are determined with the best available computational ab initio methods seems to be a viable alternative to obtain thermodynamic properties near chemical accuracy. New developments and full use of existing tools may lead...

  18. Vapor pressures and sublimation enthalpies of novel bicyclic heterocycle derivatives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blokhina, Svetlana V.; Ol’khovich, Marina V.; Sharapova, Angelica V.; Perlovich, German L.; Proshin, Alexey N.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The vapor pressures of novel bicyclo-derivatives of amine were measured. • Thermodynamic functions of sublimation were calculated. • The influence of substituent structure and chemical nature on the vapor pressure was studied. -- Abstract: The vapor pressures of five novel bicyclic heterocycle derivatives were measured over the temperature 341.15 to 396.15 K using the transpiration method by means of an inert gas carrier. From these results the standard enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of sublimation at the temperature 298.15 K were calculated. The effects of alkyl- and chloro-substitutions on changes in the thermodynamic functions have been investigated. Quantitative structure–property relationship on the basis HYBOT physico-chemical descriptors for biologically active compounds have been developed to predict the sublimation enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of the compounds studied

  19. Influence of Wilbraham-Gibbs Phenomenon on Digital Stochastic Measurement of EEG Signal Over an Interval

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sovilj P.

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Measurement methods, based on the approach named Digital Stochastic Measurement, have been introduced, and several prototype and small-series commercial instruments have been developed based on these methods. These methods have been mostly investigated for various types of stationary signals, but also for non-stationary signals. This paper presents, analyzes and discusses digital stochastic measurement of electroencephalography (EEG signal in the time domain, emphasizing the problem of influence of the Wilbraham-Gibbs phenomenon. The increase of measurement error, related to the Wilbraham-Gibbs phenomenon, is found. If the EEG signal is measured and measurement interval is 20 ms wide, the average maximal error relative to the range of input signal is 16.84 %. If the measurement interval is extended to 2s, the average maximal error relative to the range of input signal is significantly lowered - down to 1.37 %. Absolute errors are compared with the error limit recommended by Organisation Internationale de Métrologie Légale (OIML and with the quantization steps of the advanced EEG instruments with 24-bit A/D conversion

  20. Free energy landscape and molecular pathways of gas hydrate nucleation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bi, Yuanfei; Porras, Anna; Li, Tianshu, E-mail: tsli@gwu.edu [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, George Washington University, Washington DC 20052 (United States)

    2016-12-07

    Despite the significance of gas hydrates in diverse areas, a quantitative knowledge of hydrate formation at a molecular level is missing. The impediment to acquiring this understanding is primarily attributed to the stochastic nature and ultra-fine scales of nucleation events, posing a great challenge for both experiment and simulation to explore hydrate nucleation. Here we employ advanced molecular simulation methods, including forward flux sampling (FFS), p{sub B} histogram analysis, and backward flux sampling, to overcome the limit of direct molecular simulation for exploring both the free energy landscape and molecular pathways of hydrate nucleation. First we test the half-cage order parameter (H-COP) which we developed for driving FFS, through conducting the p{sub B} histogram analysis. Our results indeed show that H-COP describes well the reaction coordinates of hydrate nucleation. Through the verified order parameter, we then directly compute the free energy landscape for hydrate nucleation by combining both forward and backward flux sampling. The calculated stationary distribution density, which is obtained independently of nucleation theory, is found to fit well against the classical nucleation theory (CNT). Subsequent analysis of the obtained large ensemble of hydrate nucleation trajectories show that although on average, hydrate formation is facilitated by a two-step like mechanism involving a gradual transition from an amorphous to a crystalline structure, there also exist nucleation pathways where hydrate crystallizes directly, without going through the amorphous stage. The CNT-like free energy profile and the structural diversity suggest the existence of multiple active transition pathways for hydrate nucleation, and possibly also imply the near degeneracy in their free energy profiles among different pathways. Our results thus bring a new perspective to the long standing question of how hydrates crystallize.

  1. Free energy landscape and molecular pathways of gas hydrate nucleation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bi, Yuanfei; Porras, Anna; Li, Tianshu

    2016-01-01

    Despite the significance of gas hydrates in diverse areas, a quantitative knowledge of hydrate formation at a molecular level is missing. The impediment to acquiring this understanding is primarily attributed to the stochastic nature and ultra-fine scales of nucleation events, posing a great challenge for both experiment and simulation to explore hydrate nucleation. Here we employ advanced molecular simulation methods, including forward flux sampling (FFS), p B histogram analysis, and backward flux sampling, to overcome the limit of direct molecular simulation for exploring both the free energy landscape and molecular pathways of hydrate nucleation. First we test the half-cage order parameter (H-COP) which we developed for driving FFS, through conducting the p B histogram analysis. Our results indeed show that H-COP describes well the reaction coordinates of hydrate nucleation. Through the verified order parameter, we then directly compute the free energy landscape for hydrate nucleation by combining both forward and backward flux sampling. The calculated stationary distribution density, which is obtained independently of nucleation theory, is found to fit well against the classical nucleation theory (CNT). Subsequent analysis of the obtained large ensemble of hydrate nucleation trajectories show that although on average, hydrate formation is facilitated by a two-step like mechanism involving a gradual transition from an amorphous to a crystalline structure, there also exist nucleation pathways where hydrate crystallizes directly, without going through the amorphous stage. The CNT-like free energy profile and the structural diversity suggest the existence of multiple active transition pathways for hydrate nucleation, and possibly also imply the near degeneracy in their free energy profiles among different pathways. Our results thus bring a new perspective to the long standing question of how hydrates crystallize.

  2. Free energy landscape and molecular pathways of gas hydrate nucleation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bi, Yuanfei; Porras, Anna; Li, Tianshu

    2016-12-07

    Despite the significance of gas hydrates in diverse areas, a quantitative knowledge of hydrate formation at a molecular level is missing. The impediment to acquiring this understanding is primarily attributed to the stochastic nature and ultra-fine scales of nucleation events, posing a great challenge for both experiment and simulation to explore hydrate nucleation. Here we employ advanced molecular simulation methods, including forward flux sampling (FFS), p B histogram analysis, and backward flux sampling, to overcome the limit of direct molecular simulation for exploring both the free energy landscape and molecular pathways of hydrate nucleation. First we test the half-cage order parameter (H-COP) which we developed for driving FFS, through conducting the p B histogram analysis. Our results indeed show that H-COP describes well the reaction coordinates of hydrate nucleation. Through the verified order parameter, we then directly compute the free energy landscape for hydrate nucleation by combining both forward and backward flux sampling. The calculated stationary distribution density, which is obtained independently of nucleation theory, is found to fit well against the classical nucleation theory (CNT). Subsequent analysis of the obtained large ensemble of hydrate nucleation trajectories show that although on average, hydrate formation is facilitated by a two-step like mechanism involving a gradual transition from an amorphous to a crystalline structure, there also exist nucleation pathways where hydrate crystallizes directly, without going through the amorphous stage. The CNT-like free energy profile and the structural diversity suggest the existence of multiple active transition pathways for hydrate nucleation, and possibly also imply the near degeneracy in their free energy profiles among different pathways. Our results thus bring a new perspective to the long standing question of how hydrates crystallize.

  3. Electrokinetic Analysis of Energy Harvest from Natural Salt Gradients in Nanochannels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yuhui; Huang, Zhuo; Chen, Bowei; Tsutsui, Makusu; Shui Miao, Xiang; Taniguchi, Masateru

    2017-10-13

    The Gibbs free energy released during the mixing of river and sea water has been illustrated as a promising source of clean and renewable energy. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) is one major strategy to gain electrical power from this natural salinity, and recently by utilizing nanochannels a novel mode of this approach has shown improved power density and energy converting efficiency. In this work, we carry out an electrokinetic analysis of the work extracted from RED in the nanochannels. First, we outline the exclusion potential effect induced by the inhomogeneous distribution of extra-counterions along the channel axis. This effect is unique in nanochannel RED and how to optimize it for energy harvesting is the central topic of this work. We then discuss two important indexes of performance, which are the output power density and the energy converting efficiency, and their dependence on the nanochannel parameters such as channel material and geometry. In order to yield maximized output electrical power, we propose a device design by stepwise usage of the saline bias, and the lengths of the nanochannels are optimized to achieve the best trade-off between the input thermal power and the energy converting efficiency.

  4. Structure and redox properties of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20 adsorbed on a silica surface. M05 computational study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liudmyla K. Sviatenko

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The cluster approximation was applied at M05/tzvp level to model adsorption of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20 on (001 surface of α-quartz. Structures of the obtained CL-20–silica complexes confirm close to parallel orientation of the nitrocompound toward surface. The binding between CL-20 and silica surface was analyzed and bond energies were calculated applying the atoms in molecules (AIM method. Hydrogen bonds were found to significantly contribute in adsorption energy. An attaching of electron leads to significant deviation from coplanarity in complexes and to strengthening of hydrogen bonding. Redox properties of adsorbed CL-20 were compared with those of gas-phase and hydrated species by calculation of electron affinity, ionization potential, reduction Gibbs free energy, oxidation Gibbs free energy, reduction and oxidation potentials. It was shown that adsorbed CL-20 has lower ability to redox transformation as compared with hydrated one.

  5. Comparative assessment of computational methods for the determination of solvation free energies in alcohol-based molecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, Silvia A; Sousa, Sergio F

    2013-06-05

    The determination of differences in solvation free energies between related drug molecules remains an important challenge in computational drug optimization, when fast and accurate calculation of differences in binding free energy are required. In this study, we have evaluated the performance of five commonly used polarized continuum model (PCM) methodologies in the determination of solvation free energies for 53 typical alcohol and alkane small molecules. In addition, the performance of these PCM methods, of a thermodynamic integration (TI) protocol and of the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) and generalized Born (GB) methods, were tested in the determination of solvation free energies changes for 28 common alkane-alcohol transformations, by the substitution of an hydrogen atom for a hydroxyl substituent. The results show that the solvation model D (SMD) performs better among the PCM-based approaches in estimating solvation free energies for alcohol molecules, and solvation free energy changes for alkane-alcohol transformations, with an average error below 1 kcal/mol for both quantities. However, for the determination of solvation free energy changes on alkane-alcohol transformation, PB and TI yielded better results. TI was particularly accurate in the treatment of hydroxyl groups additions to aromatic rings (0.53 kcal/mol), a common transformation when optimizing drug-binding in computer-aided drug design. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Trp-cage: Folding free energy landscape in explicit water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Ruhong

    2003-11-01

    Trp-cage is a 20-residue miniprotein, which is believed to be the fastest folder known so far. In this study, the folding free energy landscape of Trp-cage has been explored in explicit solvent by using an OPLSAA force field with periodic boundary condition. A highly parallel replica exchange molecular dynamics method is used for the conformation space sampling, with the help of a recently developed efficient molecular dynamics algorithm P3ME/RESPA (particle-particle particle-mesh Ewald/reference system propagator algorithm). A two-step folding mechanism is proposed that involves an intermediate state where two correctly formed partial hydrophobic cores are separated by an essential salt-bridge between residues Asp-9 and Arg-16 near the center of the peptide. This metastable intermediate state provides an explanation for the superfast folding process. The free energy landscape is found to be rugged at low temperatures, and then becomes smooth and funnel-like above 340 K. The lowest free energy structure at 300 K is only 1.50 Å C-RMSD (C-rms deviation) from the NMR structures. The simulated nuclear Overhauser effect pair distances are in excellent agreement with the raw NMR data. The temperature dependence of the Trp-cage population, however, is found to be significantly different from experiment, with a much higher melting transition temperature above 400 K (experimental 315 K), indicating that the current force fields, parameterized at room temperature, need to be improved to correctly predict the temperature dependence.

  7. Ergodic time-reversible chaos for Gibbs' canonical oscillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoover, William Graham; Sprott, Julien Clinton; Patra, Puneet Kumar

    2015-01-01

    Nosé's pioneering 1984 work inspired a variety of time-reversible deterministic thermostats. Though several groups have developed successful doubly-thermostated models, single-thermostat models have failed to generate Gibbs' canonical distribution for the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. A 2001 doubly-thermostated model, claimed to be ergodic, has a singly-thermostated version. Though neither of these models is ergodic this work has suggested a successful route toward singly-thermostated ergodicity. We illustrate both ergodicity and its lack for these models using phase-space cross sections and Lyapunov instability as diagnostic tools. - Highlights: • We develop cross-section and Lyapunov methods for diagnosing ergodicity. • We apply these methods to several thermostatted-oscillator problems. • We demonstrate the nonergodicity of previous work. • We find a novel family of ergodic thermostatted-oscillator problems.

  8. Sampling informative/complex a priori probability distributions using Gibbs sampling assisted by sequential simulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Thomas Mejer; Mosegaard, Klaus; Cordua, Knud Skou

    2010-01-01

    Markov chain Monte Carlo methods such as the Gibbs sampler and the Metropolis algorithm can be used to sample the solutions to non-linear inverse problems. In principle these methods allow incorporation of arbitrarily complex a priori information, but current methods allow only relatively simple...... this algorithm with the Metropolis algorithm to obtain an efficient method for sampling posterior probability densities for nonlinear inverse problems....

  9. Two-Dimensional Free Energy Surfaces for Electron Transfer Reactions in Solution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigeo Murata

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Change in intermolecular distance between electron donor (D and acceptor (A can induce intermolecular electron transfer (ET even in nonpolar solvent, where solvent orientational polarization is absent. This was shown by making simple calculations of the energies of the initial and final states of ET. In the case of polar solvent, the free energies are functions of both D-A distance and solvent orientational polarization. On the basis of 2-dimensional free energy surfaces, the relation of Marcus ET and exciplex formation is discussed. The transient effect in fluorescence quenching was measured for several D-A pairs in a nonpolar solvent. The results were analyzed by assuming a distance dependence of the ET rate that is consistent with the above model.

  10. Determination of partial molar volumes from free energy perturbation theory†

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilseck, Jonah Z.; Tirado-Rives, Julian

    2016-01-01

    Partial molar volume is an important thermodynamic property that gives insights into molecular size and intermolecular interactions in solution. Theoretical frameworks for determining the partial molar volume (V°) of a solvated molecule generally apply Scaled Particle Theory or Kirkwood–Buff theory. With the current abilities to perform long molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations, more direct methods are gaining popularity, such as computing V° directly as the difference in computed volume from two simulations, one with a solute present and another without. Thermodynamically, V° can also be determined as the pressure derivative of the free energy of solvation in the limit of infinite dilution. Both approaches are considered herein with the use of free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations to compute the necessary free energies of solvation at elevated pressures. Absolute and relative partial molar volumes are computed for benzene and benzene derivatives using the OPLS-AA force field. The mean unsigned error for all molecules is 2.8 cm3 mol−1. The present methodology should find use in many contexts such as the development and testing of force fields for use in computer simulations of organic and biomolecular systems, as a complement to related experimental studies, and to develop a deeper understanding of solute–solvent interactions. PMID:25589343

  11. Determination of partial molar volumes from free energy perturbation theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilseck, Jonah Z; Tirado-Rives, Julian; Jorgensen, William L

    2015-04-07

    Partial molar volume is an important thermodynamic property that gives insights into molecular size and intermolecular interactions in solution. Theoretical frameworks for determining the partial molar volume (V°) of a solvated molecule generally apply Scaled Particle Theory or Kirkwood-Buff theory. With the current abilities to perform long molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations, more direct methods are gaining popularity, such as computing V° directly as the difference in computed volume from two simulations, one with a solute present and another without. Thermodynamically, V° can also be determined as the pressure derivative of the free energy of solvation in the limit of infinite dilution. Both approaches are considered herein with the use of free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations to compute the necessary free energies of solvation at elevated pressures. Absolute and relative partial molar volumes are computed for benzene and benzene derivatives using the OPLS-AA force field. The mean unsigned error for all molecules is 2.8 cm(3) mol(-1). The present methodology should find use in many contexts such as the development and testing of force fields for use in computer simulations of organic and biomolecular systems, as a complement to related experimental studies, and to develop a deeper understanding of solute-solvent interactions.

  12. Binding free energy calculations to rationalize the interactions of huprines with acetylcholinesterase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nascimento, Érica C M; Oliva, Mónica; Andrés, Juan

    2018-05-01

    In the present study, the binding free energy of a family of huprines with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is calculated by means of the free energy perturbation method, based on hybrid quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics potentials. Binding free energy calculations and the analysis of the geometrical parameters highlight the importance of the stereochemistry of huprines in AChE inhibition. Binding isotope effects are calculated to unravel the interactions between ligands and the gorge of AChE. New chemical insights are provided to explain and rationalize the experimental results. A good correlation with the experimental data is found for a family of inhibitors with moderate differences in the enzyme affinity. The analysis of the geometrical parameters and interaction energy per residue reveals that Asp72, Glu199, and His440 contribute significantly to the network of interactions between active site residues, which stabilize the inhibitors in the gorge. It seems that a cooperative effect of the residues of the gorge determines the affinity of the enzyme for these inhibitors, where Asp72, Glu199, and His440 make a prominent contribution.

  13. Binding free energy calculations to rationalize the interactions of huprines with acetylcholinesterase

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nascimento, Érica C. M.; Oliva, Mónica; Andrés, Juan

    2018-05-01

    In the present study, the binding free energy of a family of huprines with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is calculated by means of the free energy perturbation method, based on hybrid quantum mechanics and molecular mechanics potentials. Binding free energy calculations and the analysis of the geometrical parameters highlight the importance of the stereochemistry of huprines in AChE inhibition. Binding isotope effects are calculated to unravel the interactions between ligands and the gorge of AChE. New chemical insights are provided to explain and rationalize the experimental results. A good correlation with the experimental data is found for a family of inhibitors with moderate differences in the enzyme affinity. The analysis of the geometrical parameters and interaction energy per residue reveals that Asp72, Glu199, and His440 contribute significantly to the network of interactions between active site residues, which stabilize the inhibitors in the gorge. It seems that a cooperative effect of the residues of the gorge determines the affinity of the enzyme for these inhibitors, where Asp72, Glu199, and His440 make a prominent contribution.

  14. Calculation of the Local Free Energy Landscape in the Restricted Region by the Modified Tomographic Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Changjun

    2016-03-31

    The free energy landscape is the most important information in the study of the reaction mechanisms of the molecules. However, it is difficult to calculate. In a large collective variable space, a molecule must take a long time to obtain the sufficient sampling during the simulation. To save the calculation quantity, decreasing the sampling region and constructing the local free energy landscape is required in practice. However, the restricted region in the collective variable space may have an irregular shape. Simply restricting one or more collective variables of the molecule cannot satisfy the requirement. In this paper, we propose a modified tomographic method to perform the simulation. First, it divides the restricted region by some hyperplanes and connects the centers of hyperplanes together by a curve. Second, it forces the molecule to sample on the curve and the hyperplanes in the simulation and calculates the free energy data on them. Finally, all the free energy data are combined together to form the local free energy landscape. Without consideration of the area outside the restricted region, this free energy calculation can be more efficient. By this method, one can further optimize the path quickly in the collective variable space.

  15. Electrostatic solvation free energies of charged hard spheres using molecular dynamics with density functional theory interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duignan, Timothy T.; Baer, Marcel D.; Schenter, Gregory K.; Mundy, Chistopher J.

    2017-10-01

    Determining the solvation free energies of single ions in water is one of the most fundamental problems in physical chemistry and yet many unresolved questions remain. In particular, the ability to decompose the solvation free energy into simple and intuitive contributions will have important implications for models of electrolyte solution. Here, we provide definitions of the various types of single ion solvation free energies based on different simulation protocols. We calculate solvation free energies of charged hard spheres using density functional theory interaction potentials with molecular dynamics simulation and isolate the effects of charge and cavitation, comparing to the Born (linear response) model. We show that using uncorrected Ewald summation leads to unphysical values for the single ion solvation free energy and that charging free energies for cations are approximately linear as a function of charge but that there is a small non-linearity for small anions. The charge hydration asymmetry for hard spheres, determined with quantum mechanics, is much larger than for the analogous real ions. This suggests that real ions, particularly anions, are significantly more complex than simple charged hard spheres, a commonly employed representation.

  16. Towards a fossil free energy future. The next energy transition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lazarus, M.; Greber, L.; Hall, J.; Bartels, C.; Bernow, S.; Hansen, E.; Raskin, P.; Von Hippel, D. (Stockholm Environment Institute, Boston, MA (United States))

    1993-04-01

    The report provides technical analysis and documentation as input to the Greenpeace project 'Towards a fossil free energy future'. It presents a main scenario and several variants for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the technical methods and assumptions used to develop them. The goal is to investigate the technical, economic and policy feasibility to phasing out fossil fuels over the next century as part of a strategy to avert unacceptably high levels or rates of global warming. 209 refs., 42 figs., 27 tabs.

  17. A development of the Gibbs potential of a quantised system made up of a large number of particles. III. The contribution of binary collisions; Un developpement du potentiel de Gibbs d'un systeme quantique compose d'un grand nombre de particules. III- La contribution des collisions binaires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    BLOCH, Claude; DE DOMINICIS, Cyrano [Commissariat a l' energie atomique et aux energies alternatives - CEA, Centre d' etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

    1959-07-01

    Starting from an expansion derived in a previous work, we study the contribution to the Gibbs potential of the two-body dynamical correlations, taking into account the statistical correlations. Such a contribution is of interest for low-density systems at low temperature. In the zero density limit, it reduces to the Beth-Uhlenbeck expression for the second virial coefficient. For a system of fermions in the zero temperature limit, it yields the contribution of the Brueckner reaction matrix to the ground state energy, plus, under certain conditions, additional terms of the form exp ( β / Δ /), where the Δ are the binding energies of 'bound states' of the type first discussed by L. Cooper. Finally, we study the wave function of two particles immersed in a medium (defined by its temperature and chemical potential). It satisfies an equation generalizing the Bethe-Goldstone equation for an arbitrary temperature. Reprint of a paper published in Nuclear Physics, 10, p. 509-526, 1959.

  18. Structural study of Novel (superhard) material: NiO

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    energy which at 0 K is equivalent to lattice energy and S is the vibrational entropy at absolute temperature T. Three-body interactions are of great importance at high pressure when the interionic separation decreases considerably and coordination number increases [3,8,9]. The Gibbs free energy, at T = 0 K and pressure (P) ...

  19. Estimation of the Binding Free Energy of AC1NX476 to HIV-1 Protease Wild Type and Mutations Using Free Energy Perturbation Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngo, Son Tung; Mai, Binh Khanh; Hiep, Dinh Minh; Li, Mai Suan

    2015-10-01

    The binding mechanism of AC1NX476 to HIV-1 protease wild type and mutations was studied by the docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The binding free energy was calculated using the double-annihilation binding free energy method. It is shown that the binding affinity of AC1NX476 to wild type is higher than not only ritonavir but also darunavir, making AC1NX476 become attractive candidate for HIV treatment. Our theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the experimental data as the correlation coefficient between calculated and experimentally measured binding free energies R = 0.993. Residues Asp25-A, Asp29-A, Asp30-A, Ile47-A, Gly48-A, and Val50-A from chain A, and Asp25-B from chain B play a crucial role in the ligand binding. The mutations were found to reduce the receptor-ligand interaction by widening the binding cavity, and the binding propensity is mainly driven by the van der Waals interaction. Our finding may be useful for designing potential drugs to combat with HIV. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  20. Study of phase equilibrium of Pu2O3-PuO2 system by the first-principles calculation and CALPHAD approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minamoto, Satoshi; Kato, Masato; Konashi, Kenji

    2010-01-01

    A combination of a first-principles calculation, lattice dynamics and CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) modeling is proven as a powerful tool so as to evaluate the Gibbs free energy and a phase equilibrium between compounds including large amount of vacancies. In this work, non-stoichiometric PuO 2-x (dioxide) and Pu 2 O 3 (sesquioxide) has been studied. An electron cohesive energy was evaluated from a first-principles calculations to estimate total energy of the compounds and a vacancy formation energy, and the theory of statistical mechanics was applied to evaluate enthalpy/entropy change due to oxygen vacancies for the non-stoichiometry of the PuO 2 (i.e. PuO 2-x ). Then a vacancy-vacancy interaction energy was determined by fitting to the experimental data of a quantity of non-stoichiometry of the PuO 2 compounds as a function of oxygen potentials at large deviation from stoichiometry. The resulting Gibbs free energy yields phase boundary between the phases with good agreement with to the experimental data.

  1. Study of phase equilibrium of Pu{sub 2}O{sub 3}-PuO{sub 2} system by the first-principles calculation and CALPHAD approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Minamoto, Satoshi [ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation, Kasumigaseki 3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Energy and Industrial Systems Department (Japan); Kato, Masato [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki (Japan); Konashi, Kenji, E-mail: satoshi.minamoto@ctc-g.co.jp, E-mail: masato.kato@jaea.go.jp, E-mail: konashi@imr.tohoku-u.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, Oarai-chou, Ibaraki (Japan)

    2010-03-15

    A combination of a first-principles calculation, lattice dynamics and CALPHAD (CALculation of PHAse Diagrams) modeling is proven as a powerful tool so as to evaluate the Gibbs free energy and a phase equilibrium between compounds including large amount of vacancies. In this work, non-stoichiometric PuO{sub 2-x} (dioxide) and Pu{sub 2}O{sub 3} (sesquioxide) has been studied. An electron cohesive energy was evaluated from a first-principles calculations to estimate total energy of the compounds and a vacancy formation energy, and the theory of statistical mechanics was applied to evaluate enthalpy/entropy change due to oxygen vacancies for the non-stoichiometry of the PuO{sub 2} (i.e. PuO{sub 2-x}). Then a vacancy-vacancy interaction energy was determined by fitting to the experimental data of a quantity of non-stoichiometry of the PuO{sub 2} compounds as a function of oxygen potentials at large deviation from stoichiometry. The resulting Gibbs free energy yields phase boundary between the phases with good agreement with to the experimental data.

  2. Can the regulated market help foster a free market for wind energy in Brazil?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dalbem, Marta Corrêa; Brandão, Luiz Eduardo Teixeira; Gomes, Leonardo Lima

    2014-01-01

    Wind energy has been negotiated in Brazil's regulated market through auctions organized by the government. Bilateral negotiations in the free market have been scarce. In 2011 wind farms were allowed to bid in ‘A minus 5 (A−5)' auctions, for energy with first delivery date 5 years ahead. This new design was expected to stimulate negotiations in the free market, as the 20-year contract in the regulated market eases financing while the 5-year grace period grants wind farms the option to sell whatever energy is generated beforehand in the free market. We modeled bidders' price decision in A−5 auctions as Real Options and concluded that given the low prices averaging USD 50/MW h, winners are tempted to defer investment, expecting more favorable equipment and energy prices, or a better knowledge of the wind site. Construction is likely to begin in 2–3 years, with little time left for the free market. Bidders that consider the option of eventually abandoning the project are more price competitive, increasing chances that some wind farms will never materialize. Therefore, this attempt to foster the free market may not pay-off and, moreover, it may have the unfavorable effect of turning Brazil's energy expansion planning a more difficult task. - Highlights: • Tight auction prices make winners exercise options to defer construction. • Investors that consider the option to abandon the project tend to win the auction. • High chances of default, when investors take abandonment options into account. • Auctioning wind farms for energy delivery 5 yr later will not foster a free market

  3. Efficiency of free-energy calculations of spin lattices by spectral quantum algorithms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Master, Cyrus P.; Yamaguchi, Fumiko; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

    2003-01-01

    Ensemble quantum algorithms are well suited to calculate estimates of the energy spectra for spin-lattice systems. Based on the phase estimation algorithm, these algorithms efficiently estimate discrete Fourier coefficients of the density of states. Their efficiency in calculating the free energy per spin of general spin lattices to bounded error is examined. We find that the number of Fourier components required to bound the error in the free energy due to the broadening of the density of states scales polynomially with the number of spins in the lattice. However, the precision with which the Fourier components must be calculated is found to be an exponential function of the system size

  4. Direct measurement of free-energy barrier to nucleation of crystallites in amorphous silicon thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Frank G.

    1994-01-01

    A method is introduced to measure the free-energy barrier W(sup *), the activation energy, and activation entropy to nucleation of crystallites in amorphous solids, independent of the energy barrier to growth. The method allows one to determine the temperature dependence of W(sup *), and the effect of the preparation conditions of the initial amorphous phase, the dopants, and the crystallization methds on W(sup *). The method is applied to determine the free-energy barrier to nucleation of crystallites in amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin films. For thermally induced nucleation in a-Si thin films with annealing temperatures in the range of from 824 to 983 K, the free-energy barrier W(sup *) to nucleation of silicon crystals is about 2.0 - 2.1 eV regardless of the preparation conditions of the films. The observation supports the idea that a-Si transforms into an intermediate amorphous state through the structural relaxation prior to the onset of nucleation of crystallites in a-Si. The observation also indicates that the activation entropy may be an insignificant part of the free-energy barrier for the nucleation of crystallites in a-Si. Compared with the free-energy barrier to nucleation of crystallites in undoped a-Si films, a significant reduction is observed in the free-energy barrier to nucleation in Cu-doped a-Si films. For a-Si under irradiation of Xe(2+) at 10(exp 5) eV, the free-energy barrier to ion-induced nucleation of crystallites is shown to be about half of the value associated with thermal-induced nucleation of crystallites in a-Si under the otherwise same conditions, which is much more significant than previously expected. The present method has a general kinetic basis; it thus should be equally applicable to nucleation of crystallites in any amorphous elemental semiconductors and semiconductor alloys, metallic and polymeric glasses, and to nucleation of crystallites in melts and solutions.

  5. Designing molecular complexes using free-energy derivatives from liquid-state integral equation theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mrugalla, Florian; Kast, Stefan M

    2016-01-01

    Complex formation between molecules in solution is the key process by which molecular interactions are translated into functional systems. These processes are governed by the binding or free energy of association which depends on both direct molecular interactions and the solvation contribution. A design goal frequently addressed in pharmaceutical sciences is the optimization of chemical properties of the complex partners in the sense of minimizing their binding free energy with respect to a change in chemical structure. Here, we demonstrate that liquid-state theory in the form of the solute–solute equation of the reference interaction site model provides all necessary information for such a task with high efficiency. In particular, computing derivatives of the potential of mean force (PMF), which defines the free-energy surface of complex formation, with respect to potential parameters can be viewed as a means to define a direction in chemical space toward better binders. We illustrate the methodology in the benchmark case of alkali ion binding to the crown ether 18-crown-6 in aqueous solution. In order to examine the validity of the underlying solute–solute theory, we first compare PMFs computed by different approaches, including explicit free-energy molecular dynamics simulations as a reference. Predictions of an optimally binding ion radius based on free-energy derivatives are then shown to yield consistent results for different ion parameter sets and to compare well with earlier, orders-of-magnitude more costly explicit simulation results. This proof-of-principle study, therefore, demonstrates the potential of liquid-state theory for molecular design problems. (paper)

  6. SAAMBE: Webserver to Predict the Charge of Binding Free Energy Caused by Amino Acids Mutations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petukh, Marharyta; Dai, Luogeng; Alexov, Emil

    2016-04-12

    Predicting the effect of amino acid substitutions on protein-protein affinity (typically evaluated via the change of protein binding free energy) is important for both understanding the disease-causing mechanism of missense mutations and guiding protein engineering. In addition, researchers are also interested in understanding which energy components are mostly affected by the mutation and how the mutation affects the overall structure of the corresponding protein. Here we report a webserver, the Single Amino Acid Mutation based change in Binding free Energy (SAAMBE) webserver, which addresses the demand for tools for predicting the change of protein binding free energy. SAAMBE is an easy to use webserver, which only requires that a coordinate file be inputted and the user is provided with various, but easy to navigate, options. The user specifies the mutation position, wild type residue and type of mutation to be made. The server predicts the binding free energy change, the changes of the corresponding energy components and provides the energy minimized 3D structure of the wild type and mutant proteins for download. The SAAMBE protocol performance was tested by benchmarking the predictions against over 1300 experimentally determined changes of binding free energy and a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.62 was obtained. How the predictions can be used for discriminating disease-causing from harmless mutations is discussed. The webserver can be accessed via http://compbio.clemson.edu/saambe_webserver/.

  7. Free energy for protonation reaction in lithium-ion battery cathode materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benedek, R.; Thackeray, M. M.; van de Walle, A.

    2008-01-01

    Calculations are performed of free energies for proton-for-lithium-ion exchange reactions in lithium-ion battery cathode materials. First-principles calculations are employed for the solid phases and tabulated ionization potential and hydration energy data for aqueous ions. Layered structures, spinel LiMn 2 O 4 , and olivine LiFePO 4 are considered. Protonation is most favorable energetically in layered systems, such as Li 2 MnO 3 and LiCoO 2 . Less favorable are ion-exchange in spinel LiMn 2 O 4 and LiV 3 O 8 . Unfavorable is the substitution of protons for Li in olivine LiFePO 4 , because of the large distortion of the Fe and P coordination polyhedra. The reaction free energy scales roughly linearly with the volume change in the reaction

  8. Relationship between enamel bond fatigue durability and surface free-energy characteristics with universal adhesives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagura, Yuko; Tsujimoto, Akimasa; Barkmeier, Wayne W; Watanabe, Hidehiko; Johnson, William W; Takamizawa, Toshiki; Latta, Mark A; Miyazaki, Masashi

    2018-04-01

    The relationship between enamel bond fatigue durability and surface free-energy characteristics with universal adhesives was investigated. The initial shear bond strengths and shear fatigue strengths of five universal adhesives to enamel were determined with and without phosphoric acid pre-etching. The surface free-energy characteristics of adhesive-treated enamel with and without pre-etching were also determined. The initial shear bond strength and shear fatigue strength of universal adhesive to pre-etched enamel were higher than those to ground enamel. The initial shear bond strength and shear fatigue strength of universal adhesive to pre-etched enamel were material dependent, unlike those to ground enamel. The surface free-energy of the solid (γ S ) and the hydrogen-bonding force (γSh) of universal adhesive-treated enamel were different depending on the adhesive, regardless of the presence or absence of pre-etching. The bond fatigue durability of universal adhesives was higher to pre-etched enamel than to ground enamel. In addition, the bond fatigue durability to pre-etched enamel was material dependent, unlike that to ground enamel. The surface free-energy characteristics of universal adhesive-treated enamel were influenced by the adhesive type, regardless of the presence or absence of pre-etching. The surface free-energy characteristics of universal adhesive-treated enamel were related to the results of the bond fatigue durability. © 2018 Eur J Oral Sci.

  9. Thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen production via hydrothermal gasification of hexadecane

    KAUST Repository

    Alshammari, Yousef M.; Hellgardt, Klaus

    2012-01-01

    minimisation of Gibbs free energy employed within the Aspen HYSYS. This modelling enabled establishing both the limits and optimum conditions at which the hydrogen molar yield may be theoretically maximised. The effects of parameters including the reactor

  10. Thermodynamic studies of (RbF + RbCl + H2O) and (CsF + CsCl + H2O) ternary systems from potentiometric measurements at T = 298.2 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Xiaoting; Li, Shu’ni; Zhai, Quanguo; Jiang, Yucheng; Hu, Mancheng

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Thermodynamic properties, such as mean activity coefficients, osmotic coefficients and excess Gibbs free energies, of the RbF + RbCl + H 2 O and CsF + CsCl + H 2 O ternary systems were determined from potentiometric measurement at 298.2 K. The Pitzer model and the Harned rule were used to fit the experimental data. - Highlights: • Thermodynamic properties of RbF + RbCl + H 2 O and CsF + CsCl + H 2 O ternary systems were determined. • The Pitzer model and the Harned rule were used to correlate the experimental data. • The mean activity coefficients, osmotic coefficients, and the excess Gibbs free energy were also obtained. - Abstract: Thermodynamic properties of (RbF + RbCl + H 2 O) and (CsF + CsCl + H 2 O) systems were determined by the potentiometric method for different ionic strength fractions y B of RbCl/CsCl at 298.2 K. The Pitzer model and the Harned rule were used to fit the experimental values. The Pitzer mixing parameters and the Harned coefficients were evaluated. In addition, the mean ionic activity coefficients of RbF/CsF and RbCl/CsCl, the osmotic coefficients, and the excess Gibbs energies of the systems studied were calculated.

  11. Analysis of Mechanical Energy Transport on Free-Falling Wedge during Water-Entry Phase

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Hua Wang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available For better discussing and understanding the physical phenomena and body-fluid interaction of water-entry problem, here mechanical-energy transport (wedge, fluid, and each other of water-entry model for free falling wedge is studied by numerical method based on free surface capturing method and Cartesian cut cell mesh. In this method, incompressible Euler equations for a variable density fluid are numerically calculated by the finite volume method. Then artificial compressibility method, dual-time stepping technique, and Roe's approximate Riemann solver are applied in the numerical scheme. Furthermore, the projection method of momentum equations and exact Riemann solution are used to calculate the fluid pressure on solid boundary. On this basis, during water-entry phase of the free-falling wedge, macroscopic energy conversion of overall body-fluid system and microscopic energy transformation in fluid field are analyzed and discussed. Finally, based on test cases, many useful conclusions about mechanical energy transport for water entry problem are made and presented.

  12. Computation of Hydration Free Energies Using the Multiple Environment Single System Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Gerhard; Mei, Ye; Pickard, Frank C; Simmonett, Andrew C; Miller, Benjamin T; Herbert, John M; Woodcock, H Lee; Brooks, Bernard R; Shao, Yihan

    2016-01-12

    A recently developed MESS-E-QM/MM method (multiple-environment single-system quantum mechanical molecular/mechanical calculations with a Roothaan-step extrapolation) is applied to the computation of hydration free energies for the blind SAMPL4 test set and for 12 small molecules. First, free energy simulations are performed with a classical molecular mechanics force field using fixed-geometry solute molecules and explicit TIP3P solvent, and then the non-Boltzmann-Bennett method is employed to compute the QM/MM correction (QM/MM-NBB) to the molecular mechanical hydration free energies. For the SAMPL4 set, MESS-E-QM/MM-NBB corrections to the hydration free energy can be obtained 2 or 3 orders of magnitude faster than fully converged QM/MM-NBB corrections, and, on average, the hydration free energies predicted with MESS-E-QM/MM-NBB fall within 0.10-0.20 kcal/mol of full-converged QM/MM-NBB results. Out of five density functionals (BLYP, B3LYP, PBE0, M06-2X, and ωB97X-D), the BLYP functional is found to be most compatible with the TIP3P solvent model and yields the most accurate hydration free energies against experimental values for solute molecules included in this study.

  13. Efficient Construction of Free Energy Profiles of Breathing Metal-Organic Frameworks Using Advanced Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demuynck, Ruben; Rogge, Sven M J; Vanduyfhuys, Louis; Wieme, Jelle; Waroquier, Michel; Van Speybroeck, Veronique

    2017-12-12

    In order to reliably predict and understand the breathing behavior of highly flexible metal-organic frameworks from thermodynamic considerations, an accurate estimation of the free energy difference between their different metastable states is a prerequisite. Herein, a variety of free energy estimation methods are thoroughly tested for their ability to construct the free energy profile as a function of the unit cell volume of MIL-53(Al). The methods comprise free energy perturbation, thermodynamic integration, umbrella sampling, metadynamics, and variationally enhanced sampling. A series of molecular dynamics simulations have been performed in the frame of each of the five methods to describe structural transformations in flexible materials with the volume as the collective variable, which offers a unique opportunity to assess their computational efficiency. Subsequently, the most efficient method, umbrella sampling, is used to construct an accurate free energy profile at different temperatures for MIL-53(Al) from first principles at the PBE+D3(BJ) level of theory. This study yields insight into the importance of the different aspects such as entropy contributions and anharmonic contributions on the resulting free energy profile. As such, this thorough study provides unparalleled insight in the thermodynamics of the large structural deformations of flexible materials.

  14. Efficient Construction of Free Energy Profiles of Breathing Metal–Organic Frameworks Using Advanced Molecular Dynamics Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    In order to reliably predict and understand the breathing behavior of highly flexible metal–organic frameworks from thermodynamic considerations, an accurate estimation of the free energy difference between their different metastable states is a prerequisite. Herein, a variety of free energy estimation methods are thoroughly tested for their ability to construct the free energy profile as a function of the unit cell volume of MIL-53(Al). The methods comprise free energy perturbation, thermodynamic integration, umbrella sampling, metadynamics, and variationally enhanced sampling. A series of molecular dynamics simulations have been performed in the frame of each of the five methods to describe structural transformations in flexible materials with the volume as the collective variable, which offers a unique opportunity to assess their computational efficiency. Subsequently, the most efficient method, umbrella sampling, is used to construct an accurate free energy profile at different temperatures for MIL-53(Al) from first principles at the PBE+D3(BJ) level of theory. This study yields insight into the importance of the different aspects such as entropy contributions and anharmonic contributions on the resulting free energy profile. As such, this thorough study provides unparalleled insight in the thermodynamics of the large structural deformations of flexible materials. PMID:29131647

  15. Free Energy-Based Virtual Screening and Optimization of RNase H Inhibitors of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Baofeng; D'Erasmo, Michael P; Murelli, Ryan P; Gallicchio, Emilio

    2016-09-30

    We report the results of a binding free energy-based virtual screening campaign of a library of 77 α-hydroxytropolone derivatives against the challenging RNase H active site of the reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme of human immunodeficiency virus-1. Multiple protonation states, rotamer states, and binding modalities of each compound were individually evaluated. The work involved more than 300 individual absolute alchemical binding free energy parallel molecular dynamics calculations and over 1 million CPU hours on national computing clusters and a local campus computational grid. The thermodynamic and structural measures obtained in this work rationalize a series of characteristics of this system useful for guiding future synthetic and biochemical efforts. The free energy model identified key ligand-dependent entropic and conformational reorganization processes difficult to capture using standard docking and scoring approaches. Binding free energy-based optimization of the lead compounds emerging from the virtual screen has yielded four compounds with very favorable binding properties, which will be the subject of further experimental investigations. This work is one of the few reported applications of advanced-binding free energy models to large-scale virtual screening and optimization projects. It further demonstrates that, with suitable algorithms and automation, advanced-binding free energy models can have a useful role in early-stage drug-discovery programs.

  16. Sound speed models for a noncondensible gas-steam-water mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ransom, V.H.; Trapp, J.A.

    1984-01-01

    An analytical expression is derived for the homogeneous equilibrium speed of sound in a mixture of noncondensible gas, steam, and water. The expression is based on the Gibbs free energy interphase equilibrium condition for a Gibbs-Dalton mixture in contact with a pure liquid phase. Several simplified models are discussed including the homogeneous frozen model. These idealized models can be used as a reference for data comparison and also serve as a basis for empirically corrected nonhomogeneous and nonequilibrium models

  17. Possible Lead Free Nanocomposite Dielectrics for High Energy Storage Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Srinivas Kurpati

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available There is an increasing demand to improve the energy density of dielectric capacitors for satisfying the next generation material systems. One effective approach is to embed high dielectric constant inclusions such as lead zirconia titanate in polymer matrix. However, with the increasing concerns on environmental safety and biocompatibility, the need to expel lead (Pb from modern electronics has been receiving more attention. Using high aspect ratio dielectric inclusions such as nanowires could lead to further enhancement of energy density. Therefore, the present brief review work focuses on the feasibility of development of a lead-free nanowire reinforced polymer matrix capacitor for energy storage application. It is expected that Lead-free sodium Niobate nanowires (NaNbO3 and Boron nitride will be a future candidate to be synthesized using simple hydrothermal method, followed by mixing them with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF/ divinyl tetramethyl disiloxanebis (benzocyclobutene matrix using a solution-casting method for Nanocomposites fabrication. The energy density of NaNbO3 and BN based composites are also be compared with that of lead-containing (PbTiO3/PVDF Nano composites to show the feasibility of replacing lead-containing materials from high-energy density dielectric capacitors. Further, this paper explores the feasibility of these materials for space applications because of high energy storage capacity, more flexibility and high operating temperatures. This paper is very much useful researchers who would like to work on polymer nanocomposites for high energy storage applications.

  18. Free energy landscape and transition pathways from Watson–Crick to Hoogsteen base pairing in free duplex DNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Changwon; Kim, Eunae; Pak, Youngshang

    2015-01-01

    Houghton (HG) base pairing plays a central role in the DNA binding of proteins and small ligands. Probing detailed transition mechanism from Watson–Crick (WC) to HG base pair (bp) formation in duplex DNAs is of fundamental importance in terms of revealing intrinsic functions of double helical DNAs beyond their sequence determined functions. We investigated a free energy landscape of a free B-DNA with an adenosine–thymine (A–T) rich sequence to probe its conformational transition pathways from WC to HG base pairing. The free energy landscape was computed with a state-of-art two-dimensional umbrella molecular dynamics simulation at the all-atom level. The present simulation showed that in an isolated duplex DNA, the spontaneous transition from WC to HG bp takes place via multiple pathways. Notably, base flipping into the major and minor grooves was found to play an important role in forming these multiple transition pathways. This finding suggests that naked B-DNA under normal conditions has an inherent ability to form HG bps via spontaneous base opening events. PMID:26250116

  19. Polymer in a pore: Effect of confinement on the free energy barrier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sanjiv; Kumar, Sanjay

    2018-06-01

    We investigate the transfer of a polymer chain from cis- side to trans- side through two types of pores: cone-shaped channel and flat-channel. Using the exact enumeration technique, we obtain the free energy landscapes of a polymer chain for such systems. We have also calculated the free-energy barrier of a polymer chain attached to the edge of the pore. The model system allows us to calculate the force required to pull polymer from the pore and stall-force to confine polymer within the pore.

  20. Analysis of metallurgical aspects and their role in processing and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... Gibbs free energy of dissociation of the γ matrix to form γ′, nucleation rate, effective diffusivity and interfacial energy. Nucleation methods and effect of cooling rate on the final phase structure have been analyzed. Co based superalloys have been studied as a potential and promising material for aerospace applications.