Increase In Entropy Research Articles

The Values-Based Psychopathology of Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)

Background: The question of the role of personal values in the constitution of and recovery from mental illness is a divisive subject discussed in contemporary psychopathology. This article criti-cally examines the psychopathological theories and contributions of Antoni Kępiński – a seminal yet internationally under-recognized Polish psychiatrist. Summary: Drawing upon a multi-layered framework incorporating biological, affective-emotional, and socio-cultural dimensions, Kępiński posited mental disorders as disturbances in the energy and information metabolism with the environment leading to an increase in entropy. Kępiński’s work also contributes to a richer understanding of schizophrenia (whose essence he metaphorically de-scribed as the plasma membrane rupture) and the complexities inherent in the decision-making processes of patients. In a quasi-phenomenological vein, Kępiński encouraged to re-evaluate delu-sions and hallucinations as opportunities to access unfiltered insights into reality. He also argued for the potential for moral growth within psychiatric treatment. Key messages: Kępiński’s theories anticipated many concepts now foundational in neuroscientific research and clinical psychiatry, showcasing his role as a forward-thinking figure in the history of the profession.

Air Excess Coefficient and Irreversibility Value Analysis of Gas Turbines

Gas turbines used in natural gas cycle power plants have been researched in terms of energy efficiency. Gas turbines used in power generation plants have a very complex structure because they contain many components. In order to determine the thermodynamic performance of this system, the efficiency of each component and the increase in entropy of each component were calculated using exergy analysis. Irreversibility was chosen as the main parameter and used for thermodynamic optimization of production. The system consists of many components. An increase in the irreversibility of a single component causes an increase in the irreversibility of other components. The effect of gas turbine pressure ratio and excess air percentage on fuel consumption, fuel exergy, combustion chamber exergy change and irreversibility change was investigated. It was observed that the increase in compressor pressure ratio increased irreversibility. Maximum irreversibility was observed in the combustion chamber. Irreversibility was compared with the excess air used in the combustion chamber. The air excess coefficient was examined as percentages of 100%, 200%, and 300%, respectively. The compression pressure ratio was examined for air excess coefficient percentage values from 3 to 40.

High-entropy perovskite (Pr1/6Nd1/6Sm1/6Ba1/6Sr1/6)6/7(Mn1/6Co)6/7O3-δ as a highly active and CO2 durable cathode for solid oxide fuel cells

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are environmentally friendly energy conversion devices that convert the chemical energy in fuels directly into electrical power. The development of high-catalytic activity and durability cathode materials is crucial for the commercialization of SOFCs. Herein, a novel A-site deficient high-entropy perovskite oxide (Pr1/6Nd1/6Sm1/6Ba1/6Sr1/6)6/7(Mn1/6Co)6/7O3-δ (PNSBSMC) was designed. The strong disorder effect associated with entropy increase in high-entropy perovskite oxide is anticipated to accelerate oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. PNSBSMC demonstrates excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction, primarily due to the entropy-driven enhancement that promotes oxygen adsorption, dissociation, and charge transfer dynamics. The increase in entropy not only significantly mitigates the thermal expansion of PNSBSMC but also provides additional pathways for ionic/electronic transport. At 800 °C, the PNSBSMC-based single cell achieved a remarkable peak power density of 1.41 W cm−2, representing an 88.0 % improvement over the single-phase PBC. Additionally, PNSBSMC demonstrates superior performance stability and CO2 tolerance. These findings suggest that high-entropy PNSBSMC perovskite holds significant potential as an effective cathode for SOFCs. This study offers new insights for the future development of high-stability, high-activity SOFC cathode materials.

A unified Personalized Federated Learning framework ensuring Domain Generalization

Personalized Federated Learning (pFL) allows for the development of customized models for personalized information from multiple distributed domains. In real-world scenarios, some testing data may originate from new target domains (unseen domains) outside of the federated network, resulting in another learning task called Federated Domain Generalization (FedDG). In this paper, we aim to tackle the new problem, named Personalized Federated Domain Generalization (pFedDG), which not only protects the personalization but also obtains a general model for unseen target domains. We observe that pFL and FedDG objectives can conflict, posing challenges in addressing both objectives simultaneously. To sufficiently moderate the conflict, we develop a unified framework, named Personalized Federated Decoupled Representation (pFedDR), which decouples the two objectives using two separate loss functions simultaneously and uses an integrated predictor to serve both two learning tasks. Specifically, the framework decouples domain-sensitive layers linked to different representations and design an entropy increase loss to encourage the separation of two representations to achieve the pFedDG. Extensive experiments show that our pFedDR method achieves state-of-the-art performance for both tasks while incurring almost no increase in communication cost. Code is available at https://github.com/CSU-YL/pFedDR.

The importance of the vibrational entropy in the mixing stabilization for complex ceramics

AbstractThe concept of high‐entropy materials has been introduced based on the idea that multiple principal components can be mixed through the increase in configurational entropy. Implicit in this idea is that the vibrational entropy, the other component of the mixing entropy, is small compared to the configurational entropy. To explore this relationship, we examined the mixing enthalpy, configurational entropy, and vibrational entropy of two binary ceramic systems—the transition metal carbides and transition metal diborides. We computed the vibrational entropy directly using the dynamical matrices obtained from density functional theory and the quasiharmonic approximation. The mixing vibrational entropy of the mixed diborides is at least as large as the configurational entropy while it is smaller for the carbides. Utilizing the phonon density of states, we further demonstrate the origin of the high mixing vibrational entropy arises because of a large number of new low‐frequency modes that appear in the diborides. Similar modes occur in the carbides but occur at larger frequencies. These differences ultimately arise because of the structural differences where metal atoms share nearest neighbors in the diborides, while they do not in the carbides. This increased vibrational mixing entropy dramatically enhances the mixing of the diborides and demonstrates that this type of entropy cannot be neglected when considering what stabilizes mixtures and provides a new perspective on what is considered high entropy.

Mechanical Foundations of the Generalized Second Law and the Irreversibility Principle

We follow the Boltzmann-Clausius-Maxwell (BCM) proposal to establish the generalized second law (GSL) that is applicable to a system of any size, including a single particle system as our example establishes, and that supercedes the celebrated second law (SL) of increase of entropy of an isolated system. It is merely a consequence of the mechanical equilibrium (stable or unstable) principle (Mec-EQ-P) of analytical mechanics and the first law. We justify an irreversibility priciple that covers all processes, spontaneous or not, and having both positive and negative nonequilibrium temperatures temperatures T defined by (dQ/dS)E. Our novel approach to establish GSL/SL is the inverse of the one used in classical thermodynamics and clarifies the concept of spontaneous processes so that dS≥0 for T>0 and dS<0 for T<0. Nonspontaneous processes such as creation of internal constraints are not covered by GSL/SL. Our demonstration establishes that Mec-EQ-P controls spontaneous processes, and that temperature (positive and negative) must be considered an integral part of dissipation.

A Study on the Evolution Laws of Entrainment Performances Using Different Mixer Structures of Ejectors

Being the core of the ejector refrigeration system, an ejector with a suitable mixer, conical–cylindrical or cylindrical, is key to high-energy-efficiency and low-carbon systems. To promote the scientific selection of mixers for ejectors based on the theoretical models that have been validated by experiments, the evolution laws of the entrainment ratios in the two types of ejectors are studied under various operating conditions. Furthermore, the influence mechanism of the mixer structures on the entrainment ratio of the ejector is elucidated by comparing the distribution characteristics of the entropy generation rate, pressure lift proportion, and entropy generation rate of the per-unit pressure lift in the two types of ejectors. The efficiencies of the conical-cylindrical mixer ejector and cylindrical mixer ejector exist a crossover, which makes the entrainment ratio of the conical–cylindrical mixer ejector smaller under small compression ratios but larger under large compression ratios. By changing the cylindrical mixer into a conical one, on the one hand, more pressure rise will be distributed in the diffuser, which helps to reduce the entropy increase rate in the pressurization process; on the other hand, the wall impulse effect of the conical mixer will lead to an increase in entropy generation rate of per-unit pressure lift, resulting in a growing entropy generation rate of boosting. The dominant roles are not the same with changing compression ratios, which leads to different relationships of entrainment ratio between the cylindrical and conical mixer ejectors.

Near-infrared light stimulation regulates neural oscillation and memory behavior of mice with Alzheimer's disease.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique for the brain. Low-intensity near-infrared light (1-500 mw) has demonstrated the ability to improve memory in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice, suggesting its potential for AD treatment. However, the impact of PBM on neural oscillations in the hippocampal region affected by AD remains unknown. In this study, AD model mice were subjected to PBM for 60 days and then tested using novel object recognition behavior (NOR) experiments. During behavioral experiments, local field potential signals (LFP) of the mice was recorded using a single electrode in the CA1 region to analyze memory ability and neural oscillation characteristics. The results revealed that mice stimulated with PBM exhibited significantly higher new object differentiation indices compared to the Sham group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, PBM stimulation led to a significant increase in relative power and sample entropy of theta and gamma bands (p < 0.01). The coupling intensities of θ-low-γ and θ-high-γ were also significantly higher in the PBM group compared to the Sham group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, these findings suggest that PBM may improve memory ability in AD mice through regulation of neural oscillation characteristics, providing a theoretical basis for utilizing PBM as a treatment modality for Alzheimer's disease.

Boosting Energy-Storage in High-Entropy Pb-Free Relaxors Engineered by Local Lattice Distortion.

The high-entropy strategy has shown potential in advancing the energy-storage performance of dielectric capacitors, offering benefits to a range of electronic and electrical systems. However, designing high-performance high-entropy relaxor ferroelectrics (RFEs) presents challenges due to the unclear correlation between their core effects and local polarization heterogeneity. Here, we demonstrate that by engineering the local lattice distortion, a core effect in high-entropy systems, to manipulate the local polarization configuration, a giant energy density (Wrec) of 18.7 J cm-3 and high efficiency (η) of 85% can be achieved in (Bi0.5K0.5)TiO3-based high-entropy bulk RFE ceramics. Atomic-level local structural analysis unveils that the local lattice distortion field can be flattened by introducing ions with less size mismatch. The increase in configurational entropy from 1.54 to 2.06R is associated with a smoother polar displacement vector field and a reduction in the size of polar clusters to several unit-cell sizes with weak coupling. Consequently, a substantial decrease in hysteresis and an enhancement in the breakdown field strength can be obtained, leading to a significant improvement in energy density by over 6 times and efficiency by 3 times. Our research establishes a relationship between local lattice distortion, atomic polar displacement, and energy-storage performance in complex high-entropy systems, providing insights for enhancing energy-storage performance via a local structure design.

Entropy Increase in Electrolytes for Practical Anode‐Free Lithium Metal Batteries with High‐Loading Cathodes and Lean Electrolyte

AbstractAn effective concept of using entropy increase to regulate the nanoscale solvation structure has been proposed to enhance the cycle performance of anode‐free lithium metal batteries (AFLMBs). It includes two mainstream types: entropy increase driven by multiple salts or solvents. However, most current research is based on low‐loading cathodes and mAh‐level battery systems. The relationship between the increase in entropy and practical battery with different high‐loading cathodes and Ah‐levels is seldom reported. In this paper, two mainstream methods of entropy increase are compared, and the relationship of their kinetics parameters, solid electrolyte interphase formation, and cycling performances are studied. It is found that the entropy increases driven by multiple‐solvents are more favorable to the pouch cell with high‐loading cathode and lean electrolytes. The coin cell consists of a copper current collector and a high‐loading cathode (10.5 mg cm−2) performs 40 cycles at discharge rates of 0.5 C, while the cell with a conventional ester electrolyte only last 10 cycles. A large‐capacity pouch cell (4 Ah), with a high‐loading cathode (7.6 mAh cm−2, single side) and lean electrolyte of 1.3 g Ah−1, achieves 500 Wh kg−1 and 20 cycles.

Revisiting Stability Criteria in Ball‐Milled High‐Entropy Alloys: Do Hume–Rothery and Thermodynamic Rules Equally Apply?

Stability descriptors for the formation of solid solutions can be divided into two categories: inspired by Hume–Rothery rules (HRR) and derived from thermodynamic approaches. Herein, HRRs are extended from binary to high‐entropy alloys (HEAs) focusing on compositions prepared by ball milling. Parameters describing stability criteria are interrelated and implicitly account for the microstrains’ storage energy, more determinant than entropy increase in stabilization of HEAs and more effective in bcc structures than close‐packed ones (fcc and hcp). An effective temperature, Teff, is defined as the ratio between increase in metallic bonding energy of solid solutions with respect to segregated pure constituents and configurational entropy. This versatile parameter is used as a threshold for stabilization of HEAs at equilibrium and out of equilibrium. When Teff is below room temperature, HEA would be stable at equilibrium. When Teff is below melting temperature, HEA would be obtained by rapid quenching. Limitations related to electronegativity differences remain valid in mechanically alloyed solid solutions. However, ball milling broadens the allowed differences in atomic size to form HEA. Moreover, thermodynamic criteria can be surpassed in these systems, allowing the formation of single‐phase solid solutions beyond the compositional range predicted by those criteria.

Comparison of adsorption potential of methylene blue and 17β-stradiol on biochar, activated biochar and catalytic biochar from lignocellulosic waste

This work compares the adsorption capacity of methylene blue (MB) and 17β-stradiol (17β-S) onto biochar (B), activated biochar (AB) and catalytic biochar (CB), obtained through pyrolysis of residual lignin of the second-generation (2G) ethanol production process from a sugarcane industry. K2CO3 was used as activating agent and catalyst. Biochars were characterized by the techniques of point of zero charge, nitrogen adsorption and desorption, SEM and FTIR. Kinetic, isothermal and thermodynamic adsorption studies were carried out. Biochars behaved according to the pseudo-second order (PSO) kinetic model, with similar removal percentages of MB using AB and CB. In contrast, AB showed significantly higher removal percentages of 17β-S than CB. The Sips model agreed to isothermal adsorption data of 17β-S onto all biochars. For MB adsorption, Freundlich model agreed to data using B and AB, and Langmuir model was more suitable for CB. The process was viable, spontaneous, endothermic and showed increase in entropy, except for 17β-S adsorption onto CB. Consequently, the activated and catalytic pyrolysis processes increased the adsorptive potential of biochar derived from 2G lignocellulosic residue. Finally, CB and AB obtained significant removal percentage values of MB (85.8–99.3 %) and 17β-S (37.6–76.7 %), where CB is favorable due to its simpler preparation steps.

A Method for Fingerprint Edge Enhancement Based on Radial Hilbert Transform

Fingerprints play a significant role in various fields due to their uniqueness. In order to effectively utilize fingerprint information, it is necessary to enhance image quality. This paper introduces a method based on Radial Hilbert transform (RHLT), which simulates the vortex filter using the point spread function (PSF) of spiral phase plate (SPP) with a topological charge l=1, for fingerprint edge enhancement. The experimental results show that the processed fingerprint image has more distinct edges, with an increase in information entropy and average gradient. Unlike classical edge detection operators, the fingerprint edge image obtained by the RHLT method exhibits a lower mean square error (MSE) and a higher peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). This indicates that the RHLT method provides more accurate edge detection and demonstrates higher noise-resistance capabilities. Due to its ability to highlight edge information while preserving more original features, this method has great application potential in fingerprint image processing.

Phonon transport manipulation in TiSe2 via reversible charge density wave melting

Titanium diselenide (TiSe2) is a layered material that under a critical temperature of Tc ≈ 200 K features a periodic modulation of the electron density, known as charge density wave (CDW), which finds applications in quantum information and emerging electronic devices. Here, we present first-principles calculations showing the suppression of the CDW via photoexcitation and consequent stabilization of the undistorted high-temperature phase, in agreement with experimental observations. Interestingly, the unfolded CDW melting is accompanied by a sizable reduction in the thermal conductivity, κ, of up to 25% and a large entropy increase of ~10 J K−1 kg−1. The significant κ variation is almost entirely originated from photoinduced changes in the phonon–phonon scattering processes involving a high-symmetry soft phonon mode. Our results open new possibilities in the design of devices for thermal management and phonon-based logic, and suggest original applications in the of context solid-state cooling.

Lithium recovery from an alumina electrolysis slag leaching solution with strong acidity: Separation of lithium-ion and production of battery grade lithium carbonate

Lithium (Li) with excellent physicochemical properties is widely used in modern industries. However, the shortage and depletion of Li resources has hindered the sustainable economic development. Li recovery from waste resource was an effective approach, in particular, alumina electrolysis slag is exemplified as Li riched solid waste. In this work, separation of Li from alumina electrolysis slag leaching solution (AESLS) via solvent extraction using bis(2-ethylhexyl) hydrogen phosphate (P204) system was explored. Effects of saponification degree, phase ratio, and reaction time on metal ions impurities and Li extraction were investigated. Operational parameters including extraction, scrubbing, saponification and precipitation were optimized. Results showed that the extraction efficiencies of Mg2+, Ca2+, Al3+, Fe3+ and Li+ were 100 %, 100 %, 99.99 %, 100 % and 20.71 %, respectively, under the optimal single extraction conditions. The loss of Li after scrubbing of loaded organic phase using hydrochloric acid was as low as 1.59 %. The P204 extraction process was proved to be a thermodynamic process with spontaneous entropy increase, and the extraction order of metal ions was Al3+ > Fe3+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Li+ according to the extraction driving force (ΔC); The solvent-extracted ligand mechanism was elucidated by infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance. Additionally, battery-grade lithium carbonate was produced. Our study paves a new way for recovery of Li in AESLS.

Thirring universe model

In recent years, there has been a significant amount of research focused on Thirring instantons. This study aims to employ the Thirring quantum model as a theoretical Universe model to gain a more profound understanding of the beginning of the Universe. For this, we propose to analyze the entropy of the quantum states of zero energy Thirring instanton solutions and the transition to other quantum states. Our findings by also using Lyapunov exponents and the cyclic attractors as comparative nonlinear methods show that there is no entropy corresponding to instanton solutions with zero energy and that the sudden increase in entropy indicates the formation of the Universe. We evaluate the implications of this study in terms of the standard Universe model. Thus we anticipate that these results have the potential to contribute significantly to our understanding of the origin of the Universe and highlight the role of chaos and complexity in its evolution.

Effect of entropy evolution on electromagnetic response mechanism of carbon-coated medium- and high-entropy oxides

Metal oxides have attracted much attention due to their potential in electromagnetic wave absorption. However, the inherent energy dissipation capabilities of low-entropy metal oxides pose challenges in designing materials with optimal entropy levels. The regulation of entropy structure is anticipated to facilitate the development of novel electromagnetic functional materials featuring abundant active sites, adjustable specific surface area, stable crystal structure, unique geometric compatibility, and distinctive electronic structure. This study compared the electromagnetic loss performance of low, medium, and high entropy metal oxides in carbon matrices. As entropy increases, the number of phases expands, leading to enhanced interface polarization losses and improved impedance matching. However, further increases in entropy result in performance decline due to lattice distortions and mismatches in dielectric constant and magnetic permeability. Experimental data and theoretical analysis reveal that performance enhancement in medium-to high-entropy metal oxides is attributed to their unique morphology and the synergistic effects of multiple metal components, which enhance interfacial and defect polarization mechanisms. Heterogeneous interfaces and lattice defects provide additional polarization sites, aiding in the conversion of electromagnetic energy into heat. The presence of intermediate phases effectively absorbs and dissipates electromagnetic waves, thereby enhancing the overall absorption capability.

On education as idiotextual initiation: Towards transeducation as idiotextual comprehension

The present article continues my work in logomachy and the philosophy of education. It turns to Bernard Stiegler’s concept of the ‘idiotext’ as the means of terming what I have previously called ‘particular sets of sense’. The gambit of the article is that ‘intropy’ (uncertainty provoked by informational complexity) provides a very useful concept to describe how idiotexts locally make-sense, and their idiomatic nature. Over and above this, and pertinent to the philosophy of education, intropy aids in criticising the esoteric and initiative nature of conservative educative structures (first theorised by R. S. Peters) since it describes the modality of uncertainty when faced with sets of sense that one is not initiated into—the inside and outside of sense. The article is, therefore, also concerned with education as the reproduction of idiotexts qua domains of knowledge. Using figurative spirals (first proposed by Stiegler), spiral mathematics and a novel formula that integrates entropy into logarithmic spirals, I represent the maintenance of idiotexts as resisting the ineluctable increase in entropy of downward spirals—understood as the deferral of the degradation of sense. Finally, I argue that instead of education as initiation, which can be described as the educative opening of the gates to particular domains of knowledge, what is sorely missing is education as idiotextual as com-prehension, something I term transeducation.

Unique Energy‐Storage Behavior Driven by High Entropy in Metallic Glasses

AbstractThe rejuvenation or energy‐storage behavior in metallic glasses (MGs) has been extensively explored for its theoretical and practical significance. However, very limited research focuses on the rejuvenation of high entropy metallic glasses (HEMGs), leaving uncertainties about how configurational entropy influences this process. In this study, cryogenic temperature cycling (CTC) is utilized to unlock the rejuvenation potential of a series of La‐based MGs with different entropy values. Comparative analysis of these MGs reveals that increased entropy boosts the maximum rejuvenation degree from 37% to 65% and widens the range of energy states where rejuvenation occurs. The changed rejuvenation behavior induced by entropy increase, which has never been reported other studies, are related to glass's structures, fragility and coupling degree between β and α relaxations. Besides, a new rejuvenation mechanism is revealed in HEMGs, which differs significantly from unrestricted growth and interconnection of flow units observed in most MGs. The atomic motion in HEMGs is confined within the icosahedral backbone network during CTC. Surprisingly, this local motion can propagate through strong interactions between adjacent atoms, facilitating the activation of α relaxation. These discoveries offer novel approaches to tune energy‐storage behavior of MGs by modulating icosahedral network structures through entropy control.

Investigations on the mechanical and thermal properties of multicomponent dual-phase rare-earth zirconate ceramics

In this work, a series of multicomponent rare-earth zirconate (RE2Zr2O7, RE=La, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd or Yb) ceramics were synthesized using solid-state reaction method. The phase stability and key factors affecting the thermal conductivity and mechanical performances were investigated. These materials possess pyrochlore-fluorite dual-phase structure and show excellent high-temperature phase stability. (La1/2Yb1/2)2Zr2O7 displays a lower amorphous-like thermal conductivity (1.39–1.67 Wm−1K−1, 25–1000 °C), while other specimens present a 1/T-like dependence at low temperatures. (La1/5Nd1/5Sm1/5Gd1/5Yb1/5)2Zr2O7 exhibit higher hardness (11.37 ± 0.35 GPa) and fracture toughness (2.10 ± 0.11 MPa·m1/2) in comparison with others. Size disorder shows stronger correlations with the thermal conductivity of multicomponent dual-phase RE2Zr2O7 ceramics, while the influence of configurational entropy is more significant for mechanical properties. A synergistic increase in configurational entropy and size disorder is an effective strategy to enhance the comprehensive performance of multicomponent dual-phase rare-earth zirconates.