The Top-Down Causality of Thermal Turbines
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Authors
Baker, Josh E.
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Article
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en_US
Keywords
Thermodynamics , Molecular Motors , Entropy
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Abstract
The flow of energy down a macroscopic energy gradient turns a passive turbine (e.g., water or wind) to perform mechanical work. Motor enzymes are thermal turbines. The chemical flux down a macroscopic chemical gradient, deltaQ, turns a passive motor reaction cycle to perform mechanical work, deltaPE. We have directly observed that the thermal turbine of muscle is the probability density, not the sum, of its motor enzyme components. Specifically, a thermal turbine is simply entropy, S. We have shown that muscle cyclically changes its form, TdeltaS, when it absorbs deltaQ and then performs work, deltaPE. This is precisely the mechanism described by the second law of thermodynamics. Here, I develop this model and its implications.
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CC BY-NC-ND