Kaluza–Klein reductions and AdS/Ricci-flat correspondence

The AdS/Ricci-flat (AdS/RF) correspondence is a map between families of asymptotically locally AdS solutions on a torus and families of asymptotically flat spacetimes on a sphere. The aim of this work is to perturbatively extend this map to general AdS and asymptotically flat solutions. A prime application for such map would be the development of holography for Minkowski spacetime. In this paper we perform a Kaluza–Klein (KK) reduction of AdS on a torus and of Minkowski on a sphere, keeping all massive KK modes. Such computation is interesting on its own, as there are relatively few examples of such explicit KK reductions in the literature. We perform both KK reductions in parallel to illustrate their similarity. In particular, we show how to construct gauge invariant variables, find the field equations they satisfy, and construct a corresponding effective action. We further diagonalize all equations and find their general solution in closed form. Surprisingly, in the limit of large dimension of the compact manifolds (torus and sphere), the AdS/RF correspondence maps individual KK modes from one side to the other. In a sequel of this paper we will discuss how the AdS/RF maps acts on general linear perturbations.     

Using blind source separation techniques to improve speech recognition in bilateral cochlear implant patients

Bilateral cochlear implants seek to restore the advantages of binaural hearing by improving access to binaural cues. Bilateral implant users are currently fitted with two processors, one in each ear, operating independent of one another. In this work, a different approach to bilateral processing is explored based on blind source separation (BSS) by utilizing two implants driven by a single processor. Sentences corrupted by interfering speech or speech-shaped noise are presented to bilateral cochlear implant users at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed BSS method. Subjects are tested in both anechoic and reverberant settings, wherein the target and masker signals are spatially separated. Results indicate substantial improvements in performance in both anechoic and reverberant settings over the subjects' daily strategies for both masker conditions and at various locations of the masker. It is speculated that such improvements are due to the fact that the proposed BSS algorithm capitalizes on the variations of interaural level differences and interaural time delays present in the mixtures of the signals received by the two microphones, and exploits that information to spatially separate the target from the masker signals.     

Hierarchical assembly of nanoparticle superstructures from block copolymer-nanoparticle composites

We investigate the assembly of block copolymer-nanoparticle composite films on chemically nanopatterned substrates and present fully three-dimensional simulations of a coarse grain model for these hybrid systems. The location and distribution of nanoparticles within the ordered block copolymer domains depends on the thermodynamic state of the composite in equilibrium with the surface. Hierarchical assembly of nanoparticles enables applications in which the ability to precisely control their locations within periodic and nonregular geometry patterns and arrays is required.     

On stability and non-uniqueness of the dilatation states of a compressible isotropic unit cube subjected to dead loading

This paper considers a unit elastic cube, made of compressible isotropic material, with its faces subjected to certain dead-load tractions that produce a possible equilibrium state of non-uniform dilatation. It is seen that, at the considered equilibrium state, the cube material acquires properties of pseudo-transverse isotropy. Conditions are obtained for the stability of such an equilibrium state with respect to superimposed pure homogeneous deformations having principal directions parallel to the cube edges. The problem of non-uniqueness of the cube dilatation states is also addressed, and non-uniqueness is illustrated in an example application dealing with an isotropic cube made of the Blatz-Ko material. The nature and the stability features of these equilibrium states are studied in depth.     

Particle image velocimetry measurements of a backward-facing step flow

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were carried out on a backward-facing step flow at a Reynolds number of Re_h=U_Xh/9=4,660 (based on step height and freestream velocity). In-plane velocity, out-of-plane vorticity, Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy production measurements in the x-y and x-z planes of the flow are presented. Proper orthogonal decomposition was performed on both the fluctuating velocity and vorticity fields of the x-y plane PIV data using the method of snapshots. Low-order representations of the instantaneous velocity fields were reconstructed using the velocity modes. These reconstructions provided insight into the contribution that the various length scales make to the spatial distribution of mean and turbulent flow quantities such as Reynolds stress and turbulent kinetic energy production. Large scales are found to contribute to the Reynolds stresses and turbulent kinetic energy production downstream of reattachment, while small scales contribute to the intense Reynolds stresses in the vicinity of reattachment.     

A New Definition of the Term “High-Phenolic Olive Oil” Based on Large Scale Statistical Data of Greek Olive Oils Analyzed by qNMR

In the last few years, a new term, “High-phenolic olive oil”, has appeared in scientific literature and in the market. However, there is no available definition of that term regarding the concentration limits of the phenolic ingredients of olive oil. For this purpose, we performed a large-scale screening and statistical evaluation of 5764 olive oil samples from Greece coming from >30 varieties for an eleven-year period with precisely measured phenolic content by qNMR. Although there is a large variation among the different cultivars, the mean concentration of total phenolic content was 483 mg/kg. The maximum concentration recorded in Greece reached 4003 mg/kg. We also observed a statistically significant correlation of the phenolic content with the harvest period and we also identified varieties affording olive oils with higher phenolic content. In addition, we performed a study of phenolic content loss during usual storage and we found an average loss of 46% in 12 months. We propose that the term high-phenolic should be used for olive oils with phenolic content > 500 mg/kg that will be able to retain the health claim limit (250 mg/kg) for at least 12 months after bottling. The term exceptionally high phenolic olive oil should be used for olive oil with phenolic content > 1200 mg/kg (top 5%).     

The steady annular extrusion of a Newtonian liquid under gravity and surface tension

The steady extrusion of a Newtonian liquid through an annular die and its development outside and away from the die are studied under the influence of gravitational and surface tension forces. The finite element method (FEM) is used for the simulations. The positions of the inner and outer free surface profiles are calculated simultaneously with the other unknown fields, i.e. using the Newton–Raphson iterative scheme. The effects of three relevant parameters, i.e. the Reynolds, the Stokes and the capillary numbers, on the shape of the annular film are studied for two values of the inner to the outer diameter ratio, corresponding to a thick and a thin annular film respectively. A one‐dimensional model for the extrudate region, valid for thin annular films, is also presented, and its predictions are compared with the two‐dimensional finite element calculations. Despite the fact that it is valid away from the die exit, the one‐dimensional model predicts satisfactorily the effects of the Stokes and capillary numbers. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Practical Synthesis of Phosphinic Dipeptides by Tandem Esterification of Aminophosphinic and Acrylic Acids under Silylating Conditions

In this report, a synthetic protocol for the preparation of phosphinic dipeptides of type 5 is presented. These compounds serve as valuable building blocks for the development of highly potent phosphinopeptidic inhibitors of medicinally relevant Zn-metalloproteases and aspartyl proteases. The proposed method is based on the tandem esterification of α-aminophosphinic and acrylic acids under silylating conditions in order to subsequently participate in a P-Michael reaction. The scope of the transformation was investigated by using a diverse set of readily available acrylic acids and (R)-α-aminophosphinic acids, and high yields were achieved in all cases. In most examples reported herein, the isolation of biologically relevant (R,S)-diastereoisomers became possible by simple crystallization from the crude products, thus enhancing the operational simplicity of the proposed method. Finally, functional groups corresponding to acidic or basic natural amino acids are also compatible with the reaction conditions. Based on the above, we expect that the practicality of the proposed protocol will facilitate the discovery of pharmacologically useful bioactive phosphinic peptides.     

Liposome-gold nanorod hybrids for high-resolution visualization deep in tissues

The design of liposome-nanoparticle hybrids offers a rich toolbox for the fabrication of multifunctional modalities. A self-assembled liposome-gold nanorod hybrid vesicular system that consists of lipid-bilayer-associated gold nanorods designed to allow deep tissue detection, therapy, and monitoring in living animals using multispectral optoacoustic tomography has been fabricated and characterized in vitro and in vivo.