Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Irreversible Processes

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Professor John Ross is supported by a grant from the Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Program to continue his research involving experimental and theoretical studies of irreversible processes. Ross will conduct research in three specific areas including: 1) computational studies of macroscopic chemical kinetic systems to explore the possibility of pattern recognition by different types of nonlinear systems; 2) development of a methodology for categorizing complex reaction mechanisms based on stoichiometric network analysis; and 3) experimental and theoretical studies on the thermodynamics and stochastic formulation of chemical systems far from equilibrium. Ross has recently shown that mass coupled continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) can emulate bistable switching devices and could be considered as computer logic elements. Combinations of such devices could also emulate the basic logic gates such as AND, OR and NOR gates. This work may serve as a model for biological neurons, and answer fundamental questions regarding the mechanism of computation and pattern recognition in living systems including the human brain.