Catalysis at work

Catalysis of heat-to-work conversion in quantum machines.

We propose a hitherto-unexplored concept in quantum thermodynamics: catalysis of heat-to-work conversion by quantum nonlinear pumping of the piston mode which extracts work from the machine. This concept is analogous to chemical reaction catalysis: Small energy investment by the catalyst (pump) may yield a large increase in heat-to-work conversion. Since it is powered by thermal baths, the cata...

Iron catalysis at the origin of life.

Iron-sulphur proteins are ancient and drive fundamental processes in cells, notably electron transfer and CO2 fixation. Iron-sulphur minerals with equivalent structures could have played a key role in the origin of life. However, the 'iron-sulphur world' hypothesis has had a mixed reception, with questions raised especially about the feasibility of a pyrites-pulled reverse Krebs cycle. Phylogen...

Fixed-term work and violence at work.

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the effect of a fixed-term job contract on encounters of violence at work. We assumed that fixed-term employees encountered more violence or threats of violence at their work than permanent employees. METHODS This study is based on 3 large statistical data sets: (a) the Work and Health surveys carried out by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in 19...

Coparticipation at work: Knowing and work practicer

Multimedia at Work

Recent advances in 3D depth cameras such as Microsoft Kinect sensors (www.xbox. com/en-US/kinect) have created many opportunities for multimedia computing. Kinect was built to revolutionize the way people play games and how they experience entertainment. With Kinect, people are able to interact with the games with their body in a natural way. The key enabling technology is human bodylanguage un...