Sharif Digital Repository

For more than a decade, stent implantation has been strategically used for solving gastrointestinal dilemmas such as biliary stenosis. Predicaments like insufficient radial strength, low twisting ability, inappropriate dynamic behaviour and restenosis are expected to be solved by the introduction of new designs. Superelastic Nitinol stent is an interesting alternative for minimising these tight spots. The application of finite element method to predict metallurgical and geometric behaviour of superelastic Nitinol stents for biliary duct dilatation is supported by conventional crimp tests. Model calculations show that all stents encounter the highest stress in their intersegment curvature.... 

In this paper, we present an axiomatic modeling of lean production system design, using process variables (PVs). So far, we had developed a model for conceptual design of lean production systems by means of FR-DP relationships, the key characteristics of axiomatic design (AD) methodology, appeared in the proceedings of Second International Conference of Axiomatic Design. Albeit the model in question was thorough enough to be applied in various cases, its embedded abstract principles hamper straightforward applications and the required resources, tools, and techniques are not clarified. In AD terms, it lacks PVs created by mapping the design parameters (DPs) to the process domain to clarify... 

A system scheme is presented, which allows non-reciprocal wave transmission or directional amplification of electromagnetic signals, using a boxed four-node method. Edges represent strong hopping interactions and diagonals stand for weak parametric interactions. Using careful optimization of values for design parameters, we are able to obtain non-reciprocity in excess of 12 and 130 dB for intrinsic and extrinsic configurations at identical input/output frequencies. For the directional amplification, an isolation as high as 40 dB is demonstrated with the forward/backward gains of ±20 dB. Cascading two such systems potentially can offer high isolations at high gains. © 1965-2012 IEEE  

An algorithm has been developed to investigate the effect of asphaltene precipitation on calculation of minimum miscibility pressure (MMP), which is one of the key design parameters of any gas injection projects. In fact, this algorithm is the extension of procedure suggested by Jaubert et al. for prediction of MMP whatever the displacement mechanism. The vapor-liquid equilibrium calculation and then liquid-liquid equilibrium calculation are required to be taken account to estimate the amount of asphaltene precipitation. The association equation of state (AEOS) has been applied to determine the phase behavior of asphaltene. The algorithm has been used for the MMP prediction of Weyburn... 

Some fundamental and unique characteristics of space are (1) global perspective, (2) above the atmosphere, (3) gravity-free environment, (4) abundant resources, and (5) exploration of space itself. If the mission doesn't rely on some fundamental and unique characteristics of space, it will likely cost more to do in space than in air or on Earth [1]. On the other hand, design of complex systems like satellites involves selecting design parameters (DPs) to satisfy the required constraints while meeting desired performance objectives. These parameters are often coupled, and their relationships not easily understood, and it makes the design an iterative process with high complexity [2]. But in... 

Binary integrators are an important part of the receiver in many operating radar systems. The optimisation of a binary integrator is not a simple task, because it requires the solution of a (k×n)-dimensional nonlinear optimisation problem, where n is the number of integrated bits (or the number of sensors in a distributed radar or sensor network) and k is the number of the design parameters of the single-pulse detector. An algorithm that converts the multi-dimensional optimisation problem into a one-dimensional problem, so reducing considerably the computational complexity, is developed. This reduction in computational complexity makes the real-time optimisation possible and practical, so it... 

In this paper optical filters based on photonic resonant tunneling effect are analyzed by using the polynomial expansion method. Amplitude and phase response together with their dependency on the physical parameters of the filters are also investigated. These steep-edge filters show low insertion loss amplitude response, and linear phase variation in their passband, a suitable feature for WDM and DWDM applications where constant time delay and dispersion free devices are needed. Two kinds of filters, namely discrete level and continuous profile filters are introduced. These structures can be analyzed and designed by using Transfer Matrix Method. However, this approach suffers from inaccuracy... 

This article presents a novel dual-band transmission line (TL), consisting of a multibranch stub, which can provide equal unwrapped phases at two different frequencies. The frequency ratio can be close to one without any significant degradation in the device performance. Besides, the bandwidth of the proposed line can be manipulated at both frequencies by adjusting the design parameters. The behavior of the structure over the frequency bands is investigated theoretically, and the design procedure and relations are derived. The simulation and measurement results of a quarter-wavelength open-ended stub and a branch-line coupler (BLC) are presented and compared to verify the performance of the... 

The purpose of this work is to develop a physical simulation model for the purpose of studying the effect of various design parameters on the performance of a packaged liquid chiller. A computer model which simulates the steady-state cyclic performance of a vapor compression chiller is developed for the purpose of performing detailed physical design analysis of actual industrial chillers. The model can be used for optimizing design and for detailed energy efficiency analysis of packaged liquid chillers. The simulation model takes into account presence of all chiller components such as compressor, shell-and-tube condenser and evaporator heat exchangers, thermostatic expansion valve and... 

Proportional and integral (PI) control parameters are determined by approximating a dynamic matrix control (DMC). Since accuracy of the approximation depends on DMC parameters in a complicated manner, a combination of direct and indirect optimization methods are employed in this paper. Quadratic programming (QP) is used to determine PI parameters, and a simple grid method is used to find optimal DMC parameters. A tuning formula for the PI controller based on a curve-fitting technique, is suggested. Computer simulations are performed to compare performance of the new PI design method with those achievable using some existing PI controllers. © 2005, Sage Publications. All rights reserved  

The ride comfort of high-speed trains passing over railway bridges is studied in this paper. A parametric study is carried out using a time domain model. The effects of some design parameters are investigated such as damping and stiffness of the suspension system and also ballast stiffness. The influence of the track irregularity and train speed on two comfort indicators, namely Sperling's comfort index and the maximum acceleration level are also studied. Two types of railway bridges, a simple girder and an elastically supported bridge are considered. Timoshenko beam theory is used for modelling the rail and bridge and two layers of parallel damped springs in conjunction with a layer of mass... 

In MEMS gyroscopes, it is essential to use matched resonance frequencies of the drive and sense vibrational modes for improving the sensitivity. For this end, the natural frequencies can be tuned by voltages. In this study, a new model is utilized to determine the natural frequencies of the doubly clamped beam microgyroscope. In the model, nonlinear electrostatic forces, fringing fields and mid-plane stretching of thebeam are considered. The system is actuated and sensed by electrostatic force and its natural frequencies and stiffness are detuned by DC voltages. The oscillatory problem of the gyroscope is analytically solved versus DC voltages for different design parameters. Copyright  

Superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is classified in the category of most efficient fault current limiters. Inductive shield-type SFCLs use bulk superconductor rings in their structure. At the fault occurrence, the induced current in the superconductor ring causes high mechanical forces on the ring. In the preliminary fabricated prototypes of this work, this mechanical force caused several damages to the superconductor element. Thus in this paper an analytical method is introduced to yield the main design parameters of the shield-type SFCL to ensure the sufficient mechanical withstand capability of the superconductor ring employed in this design. A prototype SFCL of this type is... 

Shewhart charts are the most popular control charts that can be used to monitor variable quality characteristics in a production process. In this paper, a multi-objective model of the economic statistical design of the X-bar control chart is first proposed by incorporating the Taguchi loss function and the intangible external costs. The model minimizes the mean hourly loss cost while minimizing out-of-control average run length and maintaining reasonable in-control average run length. A multiobjective evolutionary algorithm, namely NSGA-II, is then developed and used to obtain the Pareto optimal solution of the model. Some sensitivity analyses are next performed to investigate the effect of... 

An approach is proposed to control transient response of fractional order systems with maximum permissible control signal. This goal is achieved using a newly suggested characteristic ratio assignment method. Based on the proposed method, the generalized time constant τ and the characteristic ratios including their pattern, an adjustable parameter β, and the product of two successive characteristic ratios ρ are determined such that predefined level of overshoot and time specification of closed loop step response are obtained while the control signal is confined to a pre assigned maximum magnitude. The raised issue is solved by defining an optimization problem in which the design parameters... 

Most of the methods developed for efficiency estimation of distillation columns were based on the empirical mass transfer and hydraulic relations correlated to laboratory data. Therefore, these methods cannot estimate efficiency of industrial columns with sufficient accuracy. In this paper, a new and applicable method was developed for calculation of efficiency (and mass and heat transfer coefficients) of distillation columns containing structured packings. This method has potential advantages; e.g., it can calculate efficiency without using any empirical mass transfer and hydraulic correlations and models, and without the need to estimate the operational and hydraulic parameters of column.... 

In this letter we introduce an effective tool to demonstrate signal power behavior of a typical spectrallyencoded spread-time (SE/ST) CDMA system using probabilistic approach. By denning power level profile (PLP), as the probability of stretching instantaneous power from a pre-specified threshold, we can find novel upper bounds on the signal power profile. We discuss various properties owing to PLP and elaborate on the main parameters affecting the PLP value. We present three theorems, propose some simple upper bounds on the PLP, and give an insight on the main contributions of the results. We introduce a fundamental parameter, namely β, as a key design parameter which relates the most... 

The aim of this research was to synthesize barium sulfate nanoparticles using a spinning disk reactor. Barium sulfate was produced by continuously pumping two aqueous solutions of BaCl2 and Na2SO 4, respectively, into the chamber of spinning disk reactor, where a liquid-liquid reaction took place to form BaSO4. The influences of various operating and design parameters such as the initial supersaturation, disk rotation speed, free ion ratio, and the disk diameter on the size of barium sulfate nanoparticles were carefully investigated. By varying the supersaturation and disk rotation speed, a broad range of particle size ranging from micrometer sizes down to nanoparticles smaller than 100 nm... 

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is one of the most common hematologic malignancies among children, caused by uncontrolled growth of leukocytes. Since the main hallmarks of the disease is not specific, a considerable number of patients have been being misdiagnosed. Early diagnosis of the disease is usually made by morphological investigation of leukocytes under microscope. In light of the facts that decrease in cytoplasm-to-nucleus ratio is one of the main indicators of cancerous cells, and an accurate segmentation phase will lead to extraction of representative features, segmentation step is acknowledged as being crucial in design of a computer aided diagnosis (CAD). Previous researches have... 

Swimming microrobots have a variety of applications including drug delivery, sensing, and artificial fertilization. Their small size makes onboard actuation very hard, and therefore an external source such as the magnetic field is a practical way to steer and move the robot. In this paper, we have designed a novel microrobot steered by magnetic paddles. We have also discussed design parameters where, based on the conducted simulation, the robot speed reaches 520 um/s. It is shown that the microrobot speed depends on the robot paddle dimensions. According to the microrobots motion characteristics and their different reactions to the same input, we have designed a steering strategy for...