Sharif Digital Repository

Partially-observed network data collected by link-tracing based sampling methods is often being studied to obtain the characteristics of a large complex network. However, little attention has been paid to sampling from directed networks such as WWW and Peer-to-Peer networks. In this paper, we propose a novel two-step (sampling/estimation) framework to measure nodal characteristics which can be defined by an average target function in an arbitrary directed network. To this end, we propose a personalized PageRank-based algorithm to visit and sample nodes. This algorithm only uses already visited nodes as local information without any prior knowledge about the latent structure of the network.... 

The general problem of impedance control is addressed for a robotic manipulator with a moving flexible base. Impedance control imposes a relation between force and displacement at the contact point with the environment. The concept of impedance control of flexible base moving manipulators (FBMMs) is rather new and is being considered. The dynamic of the manipulator is decomposed into slow and fast dynamics using the singular perturbation method. A new sliding mode impedance control (SMIC) method using an element on the end-effector is proposed for high-precision impedance control of FBMMs. The SMIC method as a robust impedance control law is derived for the slow dynamics. The asymptotic... 

Sintering is a processing technique in which loose particles consolidate at elevated temperatures to form porous monoliths. Sintering is also a critical stage in recent additive manufacturing method like selective laser sintering. In this study, using an affordable alternative to X-ray tomography technique, we analyze the pore structure evolution in sintered parts made of nascent high-density polyethylene (HDPE) particles in terms of pore surface genus and pore surface curvature. Also, we investigate the underlying microstructural development and macroscopic properties of sintered parts. It is observed that pore structure and macroscopic permeability are strongly influenced by the... 

The current multi-channel P2P video streaming architectures still suffer from several performance problems such as low Quality of Service (QoS) in unpopular channels. The P2P systems are inherently dynamic, and their performance problems could be categorized into four groups; peer churn, channel churn, uncooperative peers, and geographical distribution of peers. In this paper, for the first time, we develop a novel locality-incentive framework for multi-channel live video streaming. We propose a hierarchical overlay network architecture by utilizing a dual-mode locality-Awareness method (spatial and temporal). Moreover, an incentive mechanism for encouraging peers to dedicate their upload... 

Recently, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) have been receiving more attention and further study, due to their ability to develop extremely large, recoverable strains and great forces. In this paper, three major models of SMA behavior, used in the literature, for studying the static performance of SMA components attributed to Tanaka, Liang and Rogers, and Brinson, have been analyzed and compared. The major differences and similarities between these models have also been emphasized and presented in this paper, based on the experimental data of the shape memory and superelastic behavior of an SMA wire. It is shown that these models all agree well in their prediction of the superelastic behavior of... 

In this paper, we propose a novel link-tracing sampling algorithm, based on the concepts from PageRank vectors, to sample from networks with high community structures. Our method has two phases; (1) Sampling the closest nodes to the initial nodes by approximating personalized PageRank vectors and (2) Jumping to a new community by using PageRank vectors and unknown neighbors. Empirical studies on several synthetic and real-world networks show that the proposed method improves the performance of network sampling compared to the popular link-based sampling methods in terms of accuracy and visited communities  

The spread of information cascades over social networks forms the diffusion networks. The latent structure of diffusion networks makes the problem of extracting diffusion links difficult. As observing the sources of information is not usually possible, the only available prior knowledge is the infection times of individuals. We confront these challenges by proposing a new method called DNE to extract the diffusion networks by using the time-series data. We model the diffusion process on information networks as a Markov random walk process and develop an algorithm to discover the most probable diffusion links. We validate our model on both synthetic and real data and show the low dependency... 

Networks of dynamical nodes serve as generic models for real-world systems in many branches of science ranging from mathematics to physics, technology, sociology and biology. Collective behavior of agents interacting over complex networks is important in many applications. The cooperation between selfish individuals is one of the most interesting collective phenomena. In this paper we address the interplay between the motifs' cooperation properties and their abundance in a number of real-world networks including yeast proteinprotein interaction, human brain, protein structure, email communication, dolphins' social interaction, Zachary karate club and Net-science coauthorship networks. First,... 

This paper presents a novel model-based algorithm which is able to detect and isolate major faults assigned to the gas exchange path of a gasoline engine both in the intake and exhaust sides. The diagnostics system is developed for detection and isolation of these faults: air leakage fault between the compressor and the air throttle, exhaust manifold pressure sensor fault, wastegate stuck-closed fault and wastegate stuck-open fault. Sliding mode observers (SMOs) are the core detection algorithms utilized in this work. A first order SMO is designed to estimate the turbocharger rotational dynamics. The wastegate displacement dynamics coupled to the exhaust manifold pressure dynamics is... 

In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical model is developed to analyze flow characteristics of pressure driven, electroosmotic and combined pressure driven-electroosmotic flows through micro-channels. The governing system of equations consists of the electric-field and flow-field equations. The solution procedure involves three steps. The net charge distribution on the cross section of the microchannel is computed by solving two-dimensional Poisson-Boltzmann equation using the finite element method. Then, using the computed fluid's charge distribution, the magnitude of the resulting body force due to interaction of an external electric field with the charged fluid is calculated along the... 

Partially-observed data collected by sampling methods is often being studied to obtain the characteristics of information diffusion networks. However, these methods usually do not consider the behavior of diffusion process. In this paper, we propose a novel two-step (sampling/estimation) measurement framework by utilizing the diffusion process characteristics. To this end, we propose a link-tracing based sampling design which uses the infection times as local information without any knowledge about the latent structure of diffusion network. To correct the bias of sampled data, we introduce three estimators for different categories, link-based, node-based, and cascade-based. To the best of... 

In this paper, two basic new call admission control policies in soft-handoff regions in Code-Division Multiple-Access (CDMA) cellular networks are compared. The two policies are Independent Decision Policy (IDP), which is, approximately, equivalent to a directed retry policy proposed for non-CDMA cellular networks and Collective Decision Policy (CDP). The merits in this comparison include the tradeoff between carried traffic and quality loss probability while maintaining other traffic parameters (such as blocking and dropping (handoff failure) probabilities) sufficiently low. Using numerical results, it is deduced that the CDP leads to a better overall performance. Another important issue... 

I present an in-depth review of the trends and the directions taken by researchers worldwide in optical code-division multiple-access (OCDMA) systems. I highlight those trends and features that I believe are essential to the successful introduction of various OCDMA techniques in communication systems and data networks in the near future. In particular I begin by giving a comprehensive review of the construction of optical orthogonal codes (OOCs). Specifically I discuss the recently developed algorithms that are based on matrix algebra, which simplify and enhance the efficiencies of algorithms in OOC generation. In communication systems studies I first focus on and discuss various OCDMA... 

The main aim of this study was to improve current efficiency and to obtain thicker coatings via aluminum oxide (Al2O3) addition to the chromium (Cr) (III) bath. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Pure Cr and nanocomposite Cr–Al2O3 coatings were electrodeposited from Cr (III) bath onto cathode copper substrates by conventional method. Dependence of current efficiency to current density, Al2O3 content and particle size were investigated. Findings ‐ Current efficiency increased with Al2O3 amount and decreased with Al2O3 particle size. Maximum current efficiency was achieved at 25 A/dm2 for pure Cr and 30 A/dm2 for composite coatings. Al2O3 bath content, current density and stirring rate increased... 

This review aims to bring together the studies on petroleum reservoirs' sand production control in a comprehensive guide for the researcher to compare various methods for the chemical consolidation of sand. Sand production can be considered one of the major challenges in the petroleum production industry, causing severe operational issues. This study introduces various methods to control and prevent sand production in petroleum wells and evaluates their advantages and performance in tabular form. The use of chemical procedures is considered to be more efficient in counteracting the production and migration of sand. Various chemicals and polymers have been proposed for this purpose. These... 

This paper presents a control oriented model for predicting turbine major variables in a turbocharged spark ignition engine. The turbine is simulated as a two-nozzle chamber where the pressure ratio over the two nozzles is not the same. A convex nonlinear estimation algorithm is formulated to determine the relation between these pressure ratios. The new model is experimentally validated with transient and steady state data collected from a 1.7 liter gasoline engine. The results show the new model can predict the turbine mass flow with an average error of 1.4%. In addition, the application of the turbine model is illustrated for the design of a nonlinear observer to estimate the turbocharger... 

Estimation of major turbocharger variables is essential for proper control and monitoring of a turbocharged engine. This work presents a novel algorithm to estimate turbocharger rotator speed, air temperature downstream a compressor and flow rate over the compressor using mean value models of engine subsystems. A nonlinear Luenberger observer is designed for a 1.7-lit gasoline turbocharged engine. The designed observed is shown analytically to be asymptotically stable. Performance of the designed observer is experimentally validated with the data collected from the engine. The results indicate the observer can capture major turbocharger's rotational dynamics and estimated turbocharger... 

Recently, using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) overlay architectures have become a popular approach for live video streaming over the Internet. Since the peers in these systems are geographically distributed, the communication between them imposes huge redundant traffic into the Internet. One solution to address this problem is utilizing the locality aware algorithms to optimize the neighbor selection policy. However, for real-time applications like live video streaming we need to consider the trade-off between localizing the traffic and service quality. In this paper, we propose a novel pure P2P framework through two phases; (1) Local tracker selection, and (2) Overlay mesh construction. We introduce... 

Estimation of major turbocharger variables is essential for proper control and monitoring of a turbocharged engine. This work presents a novel algorithm to estimate turbocharger rotator speed, air temperature downstream a compressor and flow rate over the compressor using mean value models of engine subsystems. A nonlinear Luenberger observer is designed for a 1.7-lit gasoline turbocharged engine. The designed observed is shown analytically to be asymptotically stable. Performance of the designed observer is experimentally validated with the data collected from the engine. The results indicate the observer can capture major turbocharger's rotational dynamics and estimated turbocharger... 

Using Peer-to-Peer (P2P) overlay networks have become a progressively popular approach for streaming live media over the Internet due to their deployment simplicity and scalability. In this paper, we propose a new hybrid push-pull live P2P video streaming protocol called PPM that combines the benefits of pull and push mechanisms for video delivery. Our main goal is to minimize the network end-to-end delay compared to the pure mesh networks. The PPM consists of two phases; Pull-based and Push-based. In the first phase, a new peer joins to the network based on a pull-based mechanism. In the second phase, a parent node based on the peers' overlay hop count in the mesh topology is selected....