It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Uncertain if lifestyle advice actually works
University of Gothenburg
image:
Minna Johansson, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.
Healthcare professionals are increasingly giving advice to patients on how to improve their health, but there is often a lack of scientific evidence if this advice is actually beneficial. This is according to a study from the University of Gothenburg, which also guides towards more effective recommendations. The researchers do not criticize the content of the advice - it is good if people lose weight, stop smoking, eat a better diet or exercise more. However, there is no evidence that patients actually change their lifestyle after receiving this advice from healthcare professionals. “There is often a lack of research showing that counseling patients is effective. It is likely that the advice rarely actually helps people,” says Minna Johansson, Associate Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and General Practitioner at Herrestad's Healthcare Center in Uddevalla, who is the study's lead author. Few pieces of advice are well-founded The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, was conducted by an international team of researchers. They have previously analyzed medical recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK. This organization is behind 379 recommendations of advice and interventions that healthcare professionals should give to patients, with the aim of changing their lifestyle. In only 3% of cases there were scientific studies showing that the advice has positive effects in practice. A further 13% of this advice had some evidence, but with low certainty. The researchers also reviewed additional guidelines from other influential institutions around the world and found that these often overestimate the positive impact of the advice and rarely take disadvantages into account. “Trying to improve public health by giving lifestyle advice to one person at a time is both expensive and ineffective. Resources would probably be better spent on community-based interventions that make it easier for all of us to live healthy lives,” says Minna Johansson, who also believes the advice could increase stigmatization for people with e.g., obesity. Showing the way forward Today's healthcare professionals would not be able to give all the advice recommended while maintaining other care. The researchers' calculations show that in the UK, for example, five times as many nurses would need to be hired, compared to current levels, to cope with the task. The study also presents a new guideline to help policy makers and guideline authors consider the pros and cons of the intervention in a structured way before deciding whether or not to recommend it. Victor Montori, Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in the United States is a co-author of the study: “The guideline consists of a number of key questions, which show how to adequately evaluate the likelihood that the lifestyle intervention will lead to positive effects or not,” says Victor Montori.
A Scottish $75,000 prize for “radical innovation” has shortlisted four academics from around the world.
Named after Panmure House, the former Edinburgh home of 18th century Scots economist and philosopher Adam Smith, the Panmure House Prize rewards groundbreaking research that contributes to advancing long-term thinking and innovation.
After a record number of entries for the 2024 prize, its fourth year, the judges have drawn up a shortlist of four submissions from the United States, Spain and Israel.
“This year has been particularly exciting because we've seen a notable increase in applications,” said Professor Adam Dixon, Adam Smith Chair in Sustainable Capitalism at Panmure House. “The reason the Panmure House Prize is so special is that it looks at real interdisciplinary thinking. It's about crossing the borders, not sticking exclusively to one discipline, like economics. Thinking across intellectual domains and schools of thought was a hallmark of Adam Smith’s approach. And through our prize, we’re looking for research that mirrors this approach and that could deliver real benefit to governments, businesses, academic institutions and economies.”
The four shortlisted academics for the Panmure House Prize, which is one of the largest academic prizes offered in the UK, are Professor Kirk Doran, Professor Michela Giorcelli, Dr Moran Lazar and Dr Ivanka Visnjic.
Kirk Doran is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in the United States.
His research shows that deep collaboration between rival innovators is the only way to grow economies.
“It is not enough to better educate our workforce or even produce more entrepreneurs, scientists, and inventors,” he said. “Such efforts could not possibly produce long run economic growth unless these individuals enter periods of deep collaboration with each other in the joint production of knowledge.”
Professor Doran said his research exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach Adam Smith used to understand growth.
“I feel honoured and privileged to be shortlisted for the Panmure House Prize,” he said. “Adam Smith has been an inspiration to me since the first time I began studying social structures and the economy as an undergraduate.”
Her research compares how ‘hard’ technologies – like new machinery and equipment – and ‘soft’ technologies – management practices, systems and people – impact innovation and productivity in a company.
World War II is an example she explores in published research, where an increasing number of war-related orders led to more investment in research and development, and the training of huge numbers of new workers to replace those who had gone to war.
“World War II spurred the adoption of managerial practices by US companies, which, in turn, improved their productivity and innovation for at least a decade,” Professor Giorcelli said. “Management also had positive spillovers on related firms and other countries, especially Europe, where such practices were exported in the war aftermath. By contrast, the diffusion of new machinery and equipment had a more limited and short-lived impact on firm outcomes.”
Professor Giorcelli said she felt “incredibly honoured” to be shortlisted for the Panmure House Prize.
Dr Moran Lazar is a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor) at the Coller School of Management in Tel Aviv University in Israel.
Her research explores on a ‘micro’ level how new ideas and entrepreneurial teams are created and what makes them successful. Dr Lazar’s research involves collaborating with companies, innovation hubs and entrepreneurial programs to gather insights from real-world settings.
“I focus on key questions related to how, when, and why creative ideas are generated, as well as how, when, and why creators, entrepreneurs, employees, and managers implement them successfully,” she explained. “The application of my research lies in its potential to directly impact real-world entrepreneurial endeavours and address pressing challenges in early-stage innovation processes.”
Dr Lazar added: “It is incredibly validating to have my research recognized by such a prestigious award, especially one that embodies interdisciplinary spirit.”
Dr Ivanka Visnjic is a Professor of Innovation at Esade Business School in Barcelona, Spain, where she leads the Operations, Innovation, and Data Sciences Department.
Her research focuses on helping large industrial companies successfully transition to more sustainable and innovative business models.
“As the world faces mounting environmental challenges, it's imperative that industry plays a leading role in developing sustainable solutions,” she said. “For instance, my collaboration with Enel, an Italian energy firm, demonstrated how green tech, digital tools and innovative practices can drive sustainability in the energy sector.”
Dr Visnjic’s research includes studying how crises can drive green inventions and how effective startups and corporations are in scaling sustainable innovations. She also explores business model changes that help corporations to pursue sustainability.
“Being shortlisted for the Panmure House Prize is an immense honour and a deeply gratifying recognition of my work in innovation and business model transformation,” Dr Visnjic said.
Entrants to the Panmure House Prize undergo a rigorous selection process, overseen by a distinguished panel of judges comprising leading scholars and practitioners in the field of economics, business and policy.
Each is evaluated based on their originality, scholarly rigour, potential impact, and relevance to contemporary economic and societal discourse.
Administered in partnership with FCLTGlobal, a non-profit organisation that promotes long-term investing, and supported by investment manager Baillie Gifford, the Panmure House Prize was first opened in 2021.
Prize winners use the award to conduct research from their home institution, working to publicise and publish their findings widely within peer-reviewed journals, national and international press, as well as curating first-look updates and interactive sessions on the Panmure House website.
This year’s Prize Winner will be announced in Autumn of 2024.
For more information about the Panmure House Prize, including submission guidelines and key dates, please visit the website.
About Panmure House
Panmure House was originally built in 1691 and was the home of Scottish Enlightenment economist Adam Smith from 1778 to his death in 1790. It is now part of Edinburgh Business School, the business school of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Business School and Heriot-Watt University rescued Panmure House from dereliction in 2008 and invested £5.6 million over 10 years restoring it.
Panmure House now hosts a year-round programme of events, debates, research projects and education focused on urgent economic, political and philosophical questions in the 21st century.
Pensoft launches new journal: Individual-based Ecology
Pensoft Publishers
image:
A banner of IBE presented at the German Ecological Society’s 53rd annual conference
Scholarly publisher and technology providerPensoft has launchedIndividual-based Ecology (IBE), a new peer-reviewed, diamond open-access journal established to promote an individual-based perspective in ecology.
IBE aims to bridge the gap between individual-level responses and broader ecological patterns. In the face of global challenges, the journal is looking to contribute to both a better understanding and new sets of predictions of how ecological systems will respond to anthropogenic change. It aims to support the development of appropriate mitigation and restoration measures by focusing on the entities that actually and directly respond to change, i.e. individual organisms.
The journal embraces basic and applied, theoretical and empirical research in terrestrial and aquatic ecology. It welcomes contributions that incorporate data or novel insights about individual organisms and their interactions that are relevant to explaining system-level dynamics. IBE willpublish a wide range of articles, including empirical, experimental, and modeling studies, as well as reviews, perspectives, and methodological papers.
As a diamond open-access journal, IBE is currently free to publish and free to read, ensuring that all published research is freely accessible to the global community.
The journal will utilise Pensoft’s innovativeARPHA platform, known for its robust support of academic publishing and efficient dissemination of research. Thanks to its fast-track publishing solution, the new journal offers a seamless, end-to-end publishing experience, encompassing all stages between manuscript submission and article publication, indexation, dissemination and permanent archiving. The publishing services provided by ARPHA also include a variety of human-provided services and integrations with third-party providers, intended to maximise the reach and usability of scholarly knowledge published in IBE.
IBE will be led by four editors-in-chief: Prof. Dr. Volker Grimm and Prof. Dr. Karin Frank of Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research – UFZ, Prof. Dr. Mark E. Hauber of The City University of New York, and Prof. Dr. Florian Jeltsch of the University of Potsdam.
„We are excited to launch Individual-based Ecology, a new, promising journal that will contribute to a better understanding of ecological systems and how we interact with them,” said Prof Lyubomir Penev, founder and CEO of ARPHA and Pensoft.
“The time has come to establish individual-based ecology as an important complement to all other branches of ecology, both because we need it to fully understand and predict the response of ecological systems to change, and because empirical and modelling approaches have reached a level where the collection and use of individual-based data has become possible," says Prof Volker Grimm, one of the editors-in-chief.
“It is exciting to be able to launch a journal that embraces ecological principles at the level of individuals across any and all lineages of life on our planet", notes Prof. Mark E. Hauber, also an editor-in-chief.
“This new journal will promote nothing less than a paradigm shift in ecological thinking from averaging approaches to a science focused on the fundamental agents of change, i.e. individual organisms. Systematically recognising the importance of individual variation in ecological systems will transform our fundamental understanding of how biodiversity and its components emerge from individual responses and interactions, and how the emerging levels of organisation will respond to changing environments,” said Prof Florian Jeltsch from the editorial team.
IBE joins a number of open-accessecology journals published by Pensoft.
For more information on the journal’s focus and scope and guidelines to authors, visit IBE’swebsite.
Over the past 30 years, Pensoft has built a reputation for its innovations in the field, after launching ZooKeys, the very first digital-first scientific journal in zoology and the first to introduce semantic enrichments and hyperlinks within a biodiversity article.
To date, the company has continuously been working on various tools and workflows designed to facilitate biodiversity data findability, accessibility, discoverability and interoperability. The latest large projects led by Pensoft include the OpenBiodiv knowledge graph and the Horizon 2020 project BiCIKL.
About ARPHA:
ARPHA is the first end-to-end, narrative- and data-integrated publishing solution that supports the full life cycle of a manuscript, from authoring to reviewing, publishing and dissemination. ARPHA provides accomplished and streamlined production workflows that can be customized according to the journal’s needs. The platform enables a variety of publishing models through a number of options for branding, production and revenue models to choose from.
Friday, September 20, 2024
Strengthening crop stems: New insights from pepper plant genetics
Nanjing Agricultural University The Academy of Science
image:
CaSLR1 regulates the expression of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin biosynthesis related genes in pepper stems. (a) The expression-related heatmap of genes involved in the cellulose biosynthesis pathway and cell wall structural proteins. (b) The expression-related heatmap of genes involved in the hemicellulose biosynthesis pathway. (c) The expression-related heatmap of genes involved in the lignin biosynthesis pathway. (d) qRT-PCR analysis verified the down-regulated genes related to SCW formation pathways using RNA-seq. The results were expressed as the mean ± SE (n = 3). **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001, as determined by the Student's t-test. (e) A hypothesis suggests that CaSLR1 regulated the stem lodging resistance. In WT, CaNAC6 binds to SNBE elements in the promoter of CaSLR1, thereby inducing its transcription. As a result, the stem accumulated cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, which promotes the deposition of the SCW and increases stem strength, enabling the stem remain upright. In contrast, in the mutant slr1, a deletion of CaSLR1 and its promoter abolished the binding of CaNAC6 to the SNBEs. The transcription of CaSLR1 was inhibited, and the accumulation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in stems was reduced. Accordingly, it resulted in the thinning of the SCW, weakening of stem strength, and finally, stem lodging. ‘×’ marked that the effect was cancelled. CESA: cellulose synthase; COBL4: COBRA-like 4; IRX9: irregular xylem 9; XTH30: xyloglucan endotransglucosylase protein 30; CCoAOMTL: caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase 1ike; laccase 2 L: laccase 2-like; 4CL1: 4-coumarate-Co-A ligase 1; CAD1: cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase 1; 4CCL7: 4-coumarate-Co-A ligase like 7; AAE2: Acyl-activating enzyme 2; ACSL4: Long chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4-like; IRX15LL: IRX15 − LIKE − like.
A recent study has identified CaSLR1, a gene in pepper plants, as a key regulator of stem strength by controlling cell wall development. This discovery offers significant potential for agriculture, paving the way for breeding crops with enhanced resistance to lodging. Such improvements can lead to increased yield stability and reduced production costs, providing substantial benefits for farmers.
Stem lodging is a major challenge in agricultural production, especially in crops like peppers with heavy above-ground biomass. Lodging reduces stem strength and stability, severely affecting crop yield and quality. Research has shown that cell wall components—cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—are crucial for structural support. However, the genetic mechanisms behind stem lodging in the Solanaceae family remain largely unknown, highlighting the urgent need for deeper exploration into the genes that regulate stem strength and lodging resistance.
Scientists from Hunan Agricultural University have pinpointed a gene linked to stem strength in Capsicum annuum, as reported (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhae169) in Horticulture Research on June 20, 2024. The study zeroes in on CaSLR1, a MYB family transcription factor identified through genetic analysis of a pepper mutant prone to lodging. The findings reveal that CaSLR1 plays a crucial role in regulating cell wall biosynthesis, thereby enhancing stem strength and minimizing lodging. The gene's function was validated in both pepper and tomato, demonstrating its broader relevance in promoting stem stability.
The research identified CaSLR1 through analysis of a stem lodging-resistant pepper mutant, showing that this MYB transcription factor is essential for secondary cell wall formation. Silencing CaSLR1 led to a significant decrease in cell wall thickness and stem strength, with similar outcomes observed in tomatoes when the homologous gene SlMYB61 was disrupted. Further analysis revealed that CaNAC6, a gene involved in cell wall formation, positively regulates CaSLR1 expression. Experimental validation confirmed that CaNAC6 binds to the CaSLR1 promoter, highlighting the importance of the CaNAC6-CaSLR1 module in maintaining stem integrity. This research advances our understanding of stem development and offers new targets for breeding resilient crops.
Dr. Xuexiao Zou, a lead researcher on the study, noted, “This discovery uncovers a critical genetic factor in the battle against stem lodging in peppers. By understanding how CaSLR1 regulates cell wall biosynthesis, we can develop precise breeding strategies to strengthen stems and boost crop yield. Our findings not only enhance plant genetic knowledge but also hold significant promise for sustainable agriculture.”
The discovery of CaSLR1's role in enhancing stem strength opens new opportunities for breeding programs aimed at improving lodging resistance in peppers and tomatoes. By focusing on this gene, breeders can develop varieties that minimize stem breakage, reducing yield losses and boosting overall productivity. Furthermore, insights into the genetic pathways regulating stem strength can inform strategies for enhancing resilience in other crops, contributing to more sustainable and stable agricultural practices in response to environmental challenges.
This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32172584), the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (2021JJ30339), the Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate (CX20200655), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32002040).
Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number two in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2023. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.
Stem lodging Resistance-1 controls stem strength by positively regulating the biosynthesis of cell wall components in Capsicum annuum L.
WOMENS HEALTH
The Menopause Society launches Making Menopause Work™ Initiative
THIS IS A UNION ISSUE
Unique educational and designation initiative based on new science-based Consensus Recommendations to help employers retain workers and recoup $1.8 billion in lost workdays by supporting menopausal women in the workplace
The Menopause Society
CHICAGO (Sept 13, 2024)—Menopause is a natural life transition occurring when many women are at the “top of their game.” Unsupported menopause symptoms drive up employer healthcare costs and cause roughly $1.8 billion in missed workdays. To help employers retain these valued workers and build cultures of well-being, The Menopause Society launched Making Menopause Work™ based on new science-based Consensus Recommendations. The Recommendations are published online in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society.
“More employers—from large corporations to small organizations—are supporting workers during menopause,” Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director of The Menopause Society and director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Women’s Health, said today at The Menopause Society’s Annual Meeting in Chicago.
“But more menopause-supportive workplaces are urgently needed,” Faubion continued. “Women ages 50 and older are the fastest-growing demographic group, making essential contributions to society, families, communities, and the paid and unpaid workforces. This is a moment of tremendous opportunity.”
The Menopause Society builds on its 35-year, science-based track record with the creation of Making Menopause Work. The program—which includes a free Employer Guide, an assessment, planning tools, and other resources, with an employer designation program to come—incorporates recommendations based on new scientific consensus recommendations from a multidisciplinary panel of leading medical, legal, and human resource experts.
“Employers need to take menopause symptoms seriously and also know that they’re manageable and temporary,” said Jill K. Bigler, labor attorney at Epstein Becker Green and a member of the advisory panel for the Consensus Recommendations. “Making Menopause Work is a smart, strategic move for employers. It safeguards workers’ opportunities for leadership and financial security. It retains workers and productivity. And it builds a multigenerational workplace where midlife employees hold institutional knowledge, bring calm under stress, and make wise decisions.”
Understanding menopause and creating menopause-responsive workplaces
Menopause, the end of menstrual periods, usually occurs between ages 45 and 55; although perimenopause can start as early as age 35. Symptoms are different for each person. For some, periods become irregular and then stop. Others may experience hot flashes, difficulty sleeping, memory problems, mood disturbances, vaginal dryness, or weight gain.
The Society’s Consensus Recommendations cite a survey by the Society for Women’s Health Research showing that two out of five people had considered looking for or had found a new job because of menopause symptoms. Not only do employers risk losing talent and revenues when they ignore menopause, they also face greater costs for healthcare as well as the cost of replacing and training workers.
Creating a supportive workplace culture is the first step in turning these numbers around. The Employer Guide supports employers, managers, and supervisors to do this, including opening conversations for those who want it, understanding how to hear and support people’s needs, and recognizing menopause as a normal part of life for half the population.
From there, the Employer Guide helps employers update policies, benefits, and environments, including offering the following:
Health insurance plans that include adequate and affordable coverage for menopause-related care
Access to adequate bathrooms and flexible breaks to use them—vital for people with heavy or unpredictable bleeding
Improved ventilation and updated uniforms with breathable, flexible fabrics—a game changer for people experiencing hot flashes
Quiet work environments and flexible deadlines, which improve focus for people experiencing insomnia, anxiety, or brain fog
Peer support networks, employee resource groups and employee assistance programs, which can help people know they’re not going through menopause alone
Employers or employees interested in learning more about this important initiative should visit menopause.org/workplace.
The Menopause Society (formerly The North American Menopause Society) is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering health care professionals to improve the health of women during the menopause transition and beyond. Employers who support Making Menopause Work become part of a movement that includes more than 2,000 health care professionals who have earned The Menopause Society’s Certified Practitioner (MSCP) credential, along with tens of thousands of people who rely on The Menopause Guidebook, the most complete consumer menopause resource available.
Not in the mood for sex after menopause?
A new study suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy could be key in improving sexual function in postmenopausal women
The Menopause Society
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Sept 10, 2024)—Many women report a decline in sexual function, including desire, when transitioning through menopause. Such problems can contribute to poor self-image and negatively affect physical and emotional well-being. A new study suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy may be a safe and effective treatment for mitigating sexual concerns during this period. Results of the study will be presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Chicago September 10-14.
Partially due to declining estrogen levels, 68% to 87% of peri- and postmenopausal women express sexual concerns. Despite such high prevalence and negative impacts, treatment options–particularly nonpharmacological ones–are quite limited. In response, researchers initiated a small study to evaluate the efficacy of a four-session individual cognitive behavioral therapy protocol for improving sexual functioning (eg, desire, arousal, pain, satisfaction). Secondary objectives included assessing body image, relationship satisfaction, menopause symptoms (such as hot flashes), depression, and anxiety during peri- and postmenopause.
The researchers found that participants in this study experienced a significant improvement in multiple areas of sexual functioning, body image and couple satisfaction, as well as a significant decrease in menopause symptoms, depression, and anxiety, and self-reported overall health. In addition, 100% of participants indicated they were very satisfied with the treatment and that it helped them cope with their symptoms more effectively.
“To our knowledge, this is the first study that has examined the efficacy of a cognitive behavioral therapy protocol specifically aimed to improve sexual concerns experienced during peri- and postmenopause,” says Dr. Sheryl Green, lead study author from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. “Results suggest that this type of therapy leads to significant improvements across several important sexual concern domains, and we hope this study will provide the basis for larger randomized clinical trials in the future.”
More detailed results will be discussed at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society as part of the Top Scoring Abstract Session presentation titled “Cognitive behavioral therapy for sexual concerns during peri- and postmenopause, a clinical trial.”
“This study is important to women experiencing sexual health related issues and provides their healthcare professionals with another nonpharmacologic treatment option to discuss with their patients,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.
Both Drs. Green and Faubion are available for interviews prior to the Annual Meeting.
For more information about menopause and healthy aging, visit the newly redesigned www.menopause.org.
The Menopause Society (formerly The North American Menopause Society) is dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals and providing them with the tools and resources to improve the health of women during the menopause transition and beyond. As the leading authority on menopause since 1989, the nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization serves as the independent, evidence-based resource for healthcare professionals, researchers, the media, and the public and leads the conversation about improving women’s health and healthcare experiences. To learn more, visit menopause.org.
CRISPR/Cas9 modifies euglena to create potential biofuel source
Mutant microalgae produce wax esters for biofuel feedstock with improved cold flow
Osaka Metropolitan University
image:
Genome editing of Euglena gracilis led to stable mutants that produced wax esters with shorter carbon chains, giving the esters properties more suitable for use in biofuel.
News about biofuels sometimes mentions used cooking oil as a feedstock, but if these substances contain animal fat, they can solidify in colder temperatures. This happens because, chemically, the fatty acids of these and many other saturated fats have long carbon chains with single bonds. Enter the euglena. An Osaka Metropolitan University team has found a way to have one species of this microalgae produce wax esters with shorter carbon chains than usual.
Using CRISPR/Cas9 to edit the genome of Euglena gracilis, Dr. Masami Nakazawa and her team at the Graduate School of Agriculture’s Department of Applied Biochemistry produced stable mutants that created wax esters two carbons shorter than the wild-type species.
This improvement in the cold flow of the wax esters makes them more applicable as feedstock for biofuels. Among the factors favorable to using Euglena gracilis as a biofuel source are its ability to grow easily through photosynthesis and anaerobic production of wax esters.
“This achievement is expected to serve as a fundamental technology for replacing some petroleum-based production of wax esters with biological sources,” Dr. Nakazawa affirmed.
Established in Osaka as one of the largest public universities in Japan, Osaka Metropolitan University is committed to shaping the future of society through “Convergence of Knowledge” and the promotion of world-class research. For more research news, visit https://www.omu.ac.jp/en/ and follow us on social media: X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.
An international team of researchers has found a surprisingly simple relationship between the rates of energy and information transmission across an interface connecting two quantum field theories. Their work was published in Physical Review Letters on August 30.
The interface between different quantum field theories is an important concept that arises in a variety of problems in particle physics and condensed matter physics. However, it has been difficult to calculate the transmission rates of energy and information across interfaces.
Hirosi Ooguri, Professor at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU, WPI) at the University of Tokyo and Fred Kavli Professor at the California Institute of Technology, together with his collaborators, Associate Professor Yuya Kusuki at Kyushu University, and Professor Andreas Karch and graduate students Hao-Yu Sun and Mianqi Wang at the University of Texas, Austin, showed that for theories in two dimensions with scale invariance there are simple and universal inequalities between three quantities: Energy transfer rate, Information transfer rate, and the size of Hilbert space (measured by the rate of increase of the number of states at high energy). Namely,
[ energy transmittance ] ≤ [ information transmittance] ≤ [ size of the Hilbert space ].
These inequalities imply that, in order to transmit energy, information must also be transmitted, and both require a sufficient number of states. They also showed that no stronger inequality is possible.
Both energy and information transmissions are important quantities, but they are difficult to calculate, and no relationship between them was known. By showing the inequality between these quantities, this paper sheds new light on this important but difficult problem.
