VAM applied to dimensional reduction of non-linear hyperelastic plates

This work aims at dimensional reduction of non-linear isotropic hyperelastic plates in an asymptotically accurate manner. The problem is both geometrically and materially non-linear. The geometric non-linearity is handled by allowing for finite deformations and generalized warping while the material non-linearity is incorporated through hyperelastic material model. The development, based on the Variational Asymptotic Method (VAM) with moderate strains and very small thickness to shortest wavelength of the deformation along the plate reference surface as small parameters, begins with three-dimensional (3-D) non-linear elasticity and mathematically splits the analysis into a one-dimensional (1-D) through-the-thickness analysis and a two-dimensional (2-D) plate analysis. Major contributions of this paper are derivation of closed-form analytical expressions for warping functions and stiffness coefficients and a set of recovery relations to express approximately the 3-D displacement, strain and stress fields. Consistent with the 2-D non-linear constitutive laws, 2-D plate theory and corresponding finite element program have been developed. Validation of present theory is carried out with a standard test case and the results match well. Distributions of 3-D results are provided for another test case. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combining heterogeneous classifiers for relational databases

Practical usage of machine learning is gaining strategic importance in enterprises looking for business intelligence. However, most enterprise data is distributed in multiple relational databases with expert-designed schema. Using traditional single-table machine learning techniques over such data not only incur a computational penalty for converting to a flat form (mega-join), even the human-specified semantic information present in the relations is lost. In this paper, we present a practical, two-phase hierarchical meta-classification algorithm for relational databases with a semantic divide and conquer approach. We propose a recursive, prediction aggregation technique over heterogeneous classifiers applied on individual database tables. The proposed algorithm was evaluated on three diverse datasets. namely TPCH, PKDD and UCI benchmarks and showed considerable reduction in classification time without any loss of prediction accuracy. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Metal and Alloy Nanoparticles by Amine-Borane Reduction of Metal Salts by Solid-Phase Synthesis: Atom Economy and Green Process

A new solid state synthetic route has been developed toward metal and bimetallic alloy nanoparticles from metal salts employing amine-boranes, as the reducing agent. During the reduction, amine-borane plays a dual role: acts as a reducing agent and reduces the metal salts to their elemental form and simultaneously generates a stabilizing agent in situ which controls the growth of the particles and stabilizes them in the nanosize regime. Employing different amine-boranes with differing reducing ability (ammonia borane (AB), dimethylamine borane (DMAB), and triethylamine borane (TMAB)) was found to have a profound effect on the particle size and the size distribution. Usage of AB as the reducing agent provided the smallest possible size with best size distribution. Employment of TMAB also afforded similar results; however, when DMAB was used as the reducing agent it resulted in larger sized nanoparticles that are polydisperse too. In the AB mediated reduction, BNHx polymer generated in situ acts as a capping agent whereas, the complexing amine of the other amine-boranes (DMAB and TMAB) play the same role. Employing the solid state route described herein, monometallic Au, Ag, Cu, Pd, and Ir and bimetallic CuAg and CuAu alloy nanoparticles of <10 nm were successfully prepared. Nucleation and growth processes that control the size and the size distribution of the resulting nanoparticles have been elucidated in these systems.

Minimum power consumption for drag reduction on a circular cylinder by tangential surface motion

We investigate the effect of a prescribed tangential velocity on the drag force on a circular cylinder in a spanwise uniform cross flow. Using a combination of theoretical and numerical techniques we make an attempt at determining the optimal tangential velocity profiles which will reduce the drag force acting on the cylindrical body while minimizing the net power consumption characterized through a non-dimensional power loss coefficient (C-PL). A striking conclusion of our analysis is that the tangential velocity associated with the potential flow, which completely suppresses the drag force, is not optimal for both small and large, but finite Reynolds number. When inertial effects are negligible (R e << 1), theoretical analysis based on two-dimensional Oseen equations gives us the optimal tangential velocity profile which leads to energetically efficient drag reduction. Furthermore, in the limit of zero Reynolds number (Re -> 0), minimum power loss is achieved for a tangential velocity profile corresponding to a shear-free perfect slip boundary. At finite Re, results from numerical simulations indicate that perfect slip is not optimum and a further reduction in drag can be achieved for reduced power consumption. A gradual increase in the strength of a tangential velocity which involves only the first reflectionally symmetric mode leads to a monotonic reduction in drag and eventual thrust production. Simulations reveal the existence of an optimal strength for which the power consumption attains a minima. At a Reynolds number of 100, minimum value of the power loss coefficient (C-PL = 0.37) is obtained when the maximum in tangential surface velocity is about one and a half times the free stream uniform velocity corresponding to a percentage drag reduction of approximately 77 %; C-PL = 0.42 and 0.50 for perfect slip and potential flow cases, respectively. Our results suggest that potential flow tangential velocity enables energetically efficient propulsion at all Reynolds numbers but optimal drag reduction only for Re -> infinity. The two-dimensional strategy of reducing drag while minimizing net power consumption is shown to be effective in three dimensions via numerical simulation of flow past an infinite circular cylinder at a Reynolds number of 300. Finally a strategy of reducing drag, suitable for practical implementation and amenable to experimental testing, through piecewise constant tangential velocities distributed along the cylinder periphery is proposed and analysed.

Dynamic mechanism design for markets with strategic resources

The assignment of tasks to multiple resources becomes an interesting game theoretic problem, when both the task owner and the resources are strategic. In the classical, nonstrategic setting, where the states of the tasks and resources are observable by the controller, this problem is that of finding an optimal policy for a Markov decision process (MDP). When the states are held by strategic agents, the problem of an efficient task allocation extends beyond that of solving an MDP and becomes that of designing a mechanism. Motivated by this fact, we propose a general mechanism which decides on an allocation rule for the tasks and resources and a payment rule to incentivize agents' participation and truthful reports. In contrast to related dynamic strategic control problems studied in recent literature, the problem studied here has interdependent values: the benefit of an allocation to the task owner is not simply a function of the characteristics of the task itself and the allocation, but also of the state of the resources. We introduce a dynamic extension of Mezzetti's two phase mechanism for interdependent valuations. In this changed setting, the proposed dynamic mechanism is efficient, within period ex-post incentive compatible, and within period ex-post individually rational.

Accelerating Reduction for Enabling Fast Multiplication over Large Binary Fields

In this paper we present a hardware-software hybrid technique for modular multiplication over large binary fields. The technique involves application of Karatsuba-Ofman algorithm for polynomial multiplication and a novel technique for reduction. The proposed reduction technique is based on the popular repeated multiplication technique and Barrett reduction. We propose a new design of a parallel polynomial multiplier that serves as a hardware accelerator for large field multiplications. We show that the proposed reduction technique, accelerated using the modified polynomial multiplier, achieves significantly higher performance compared to a purely software technique and other hybrid techniques. We also show that the hybrid accelerated approach to modular field multiplication is significantly faster than the Montgomery algorithm based integrated multiplication approach.

Morphology dependent oxygen reduction activity of titanium carbide: bulk vs. nanowires

Titanium carbide (TiC) possesses fascinating properties like high electrical conductivity and high mechanical strength coupled with high corrosion resistance and stability in acidic and alkaline environments. The present study demonstrates the tunability of mechanistic aspects of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) using TiC nanostructures. One dimensional TiC nanostructures (TiC-NW) have been synthesized using a simple, hydrothermal method and used as a catalyst for ORR. Shape dependent electroactivity is demonstrated by comparing the activity of TiC-NW with its bulk counterparts. Comparative studies reveal higher ORR activities in the case of 1D TiC-NW involving similar to 4 electrons showing efficient reduction of molecular oxygen. Excellent stability and high methanol tolerance with good selectivity for ORR is reported.

A multifold reduction in the transition Reynolds number, and ultra-fast mixing, in a micro-channel due to a dynamical instability induced by a soft wall

A dynamical instability is observed in experimental studies on micro-channels of rectangular cross-section with smallest dimension 100 and 160 mu m in which one of the walls is made of soft gel. There is a spontaneous transition from an ordered, laminar flow to a chaotic and highly mixed flow state when the Reynolds number increases beyond a critical value. The critical Reynolds number, which decreases as the elasticity modulus of the soft wall is reduced, is as low as 200 for the softest wall used here (in contrast to 1200 for a rigid-walled channel) The instability onset is observed by the breakup of a dye-stream introduced in the centre of the micro-channel, as well as the onset of wall oscillations due to laser scattering from fluorescent beads embedded in the wall of the channel. The mixing time across a channel of width 1.5 mm, measured by dye-stream and outlet conductance experiments, is smaller by a factor of 10(5) than that for a laminar flow. The increased mixing rate comes at very little cost, because the pressure drop (energy requirement to drive the flow) increases continuously and modestly at transition. The deformed shape is reconstructed numerically, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are carried out to obtain the pressure gradient and the velocity fields for different flow rates. The pressure difference across the channel predicted by simulations is in agreement with the experiments (within experimental errors) for flow rates where the dye stream is laminar, but the experimental pressure difference is higher than the simulation prediction after dye-stream breakup. A linear stability analysis is carried out using the parallel-flow approximation, in which the wall is modelled as a neo-Hookean elastic solid, and the simulation results for the mean velocity and pressure gradient from the CFD simulations are used as inputs. The stability analysis accurately predicts the Reynolds number (based on flow rate) at which an instability is observed in the dye stream, and it also predicts that the instability first takes place at the downstream converging section of the channel, and not at the upstream diverging section. The stability analysis also indicates that the destabilization is due to the modification of the flow and the local pressure gradient due to the wall deformation; if we assume a parabolic velocity profile with the pressure gradient given by the plane Poiseuille law, the flow is always found to be stable.

Instantaneous reduction of graphene oxide at room temperature

We report an environment friendly and green approach to obtain few-layer graphene by the almost instantaneous reduction of graphene oxide using Mg ribbons in acidic solution with a hydrogen spillover mechanism. The typical time is 1-5 min, which is much faster than the reduction by other metal catalysts.

Forming Networks of Strategic Agents with Desired Topologies

Many networks such as social networks and organizational networks in global companies consist of self-interested agents. The topology of these networks often plays a crucial role in important tasks such as information diffusion and information extraction. Consequently, growing a stable network having a certain topology is of interest. Motivated by this, we study the following important problem: given a certain desired network topology, under what conditions would best response (link addition/deletion) strategies played by self-interested agents lead to formation of a stable network having that topology. We study this interesting reverse engineering problem by proposing a natural model of recursive network formation and a utility model that captures many key features. Based on this model, we analyze relevant network topologies and derive a set of sufficient conditions under which these topologies emerge as pairwise stable networks, wherein no node wants to delete any of its links and no two nodes would want to create a link between them.

A unified view of energetic efficiency in active drag reduction, thrust generation and self-propulsion through a loss coefficient with some applications

An analysis of the energy budget for the general case of a body translating in a stationary fluid under the action of an external force is used to define a power loss coefficient. This universal definition of power loss coefficient gives a measure of the energy lost in the wake of the translating body and, in general, is applicable to a variety of flow configurations including active drag reduction, self-propulsion and thrust generation. The utility of the power loss coefficient is demonstrated on a model bluff body flow problem concerning a two-dimensional elliptical cylinder in a uniform cross-flow. The upper and lower boundaries of the elliptic cylinder undergo continuous motion due to a prescribed reflectionally symmetric constant tangential surface velocity. It is shown that a decrease in drag resulting from an increase in the strength of tangential surface velocity leads to an initial reduction and eventual rise in the power loss coefficient. A maximum in energetic efficiency is attained for a drag reducing tangential surface velocity which minimizes the power loss coefficient. The effect of the tangential surface velocity on drag reduction and self-propulsion of both bluff and streamlined bodies is explored through a variation in the thickness ratio (ratio of the minor and major axes) of the elliptical cylinders.

Mechanism design for cost optimal PAC learning in the presence of strategic noisy annotators

We consider the problem of Probably Ap-proximate Correct (PAC) learning of a bi-nary classifier from noisy labeled exam-ples acquired from multiple annotators(each characterized by a respective clas-sification noise rate). First, we consider the complete information scenario, where the learner knows the noise rates of all the annotators. For this scenario, we derive sample complexity bound for the Mini-mum Disagreement Algorithm (MDA) on the number of labeled examples to be ob-tained from each annotator. Next, we consider the incomplete information sce-nario, where each annotator is strategic and holds the respective noise rate as a private information. For this scenario, we design a cost optimal procurement auc-tion mechanism along the lines of Myer-son’s optimal auction design framework in a non-trivial manner. This mechanism satisfies incentive compatibility property,thereby facilitating the learner to elicit true noise rates of all the annotators.

Biological sulfate reduction of a sulfate-rich industrial waste liquor using sulfate reducing bacteria

An industrial waste liquor having high sulfate concentrations was subjected to biological treatment using the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. Toxicity levels of different sulfate, cobalt and nickel concentrations toward growth of the SRB with respect to biological sulfate reduction kinetics was initially established. Optimum sulfate concentration to promote SRB growth amounted to 0.8 - 1 g/L. The strain of D. desulfuricans used in this study initially tolerated up to 4 -5 g/L of sulfate or 50 mg/L of cobalt and nickel, while its tolerance could be further enhanced through adaptation by serial subculturing in the presence of increasing concentrations of sulfate, cobalt and nickel. From the waste liquor, more than 70% of sulfate and 95% of cobalt and nickel could be precipitated as sulfides, using a preadapted strain of D. desulfuricans. Probable mechanisms involving biological sulfide precipitation and metal adsorption onto precipitates and bacterial cells are discussed.

Catalytic Reduction of Graphene Oxide Nanosheets by Glutathione Peroxidase Mimetics Reveals a New Structural Motif in Graphene Oxide

A catalytic reduction of graphene oxide (GO) by glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mimics is reported. This study reveals that GO contains peroxide functionalities, in addition to the epoxy, hydroxyl and carboxylic acid groups that have been identified earlier. It also is shown that GO acts as a peroxide substrate in the GPx-like catalytic activity of organoselenium/tellurium compounds. The reaction of tellurol, generated from the corresponding ditelluride, reduces GO through the glutathione (GSH)-mediated cleavage of the peroxide linkage. The mechanism of GO reduction by the tellurol in the presence of GSH involves the formation of a tellurenic acid and tellurenyl sulfide intermediates. Interestingly, the GPx mimics also catalyze the decarboxylation of the carboxylic acid functionality in GO at ambient conditions. Whereas the selenium/tellurium-mediated catalytic reduction/decarboxylation of GO may find applications in bioremediation processes, this study suggests that the modification of GO by biologically relevant compounds such as redox proteins must be taken into account when using GO for biomedical applications because such modifications can alter the fundamental properties of GO.