Sharif Digital Repository

The graphics processing unit (GPU) is the most promising candidate platform for achieving faster improvements in peak processing speed, low latency and high performance. The highly programmable and multithreaded nature of GPUs makes them a remarkable candidate for general purpose computing. However, supporting non-graphics computing on graphics processors requires addressing several architectural challenges. In this paper, we focus on improving performance by better hiding long waiting time for transferring data from the slow global memory. Furthermore, we show that the proposed method can reduce power and energy. Reduction in access time to off-chip data has a noticeable role in reducing... 

Recently, it has been shown that applying MIMO technology, i.e. using multiple antennas at the transmit side and multiple antennas at the receive side, improves the performance of object detection and localization. In such scenarios, the spatial diversity specifically helps overcome the fading of the cross section of the object, leading to reduced probability of missed detection. Such a phenomenon is, in fact, the dual of probability of bit error reduction in communication systems due to diversity gain. Despite the importance of such performance enhancement, this subject has not been sufficiently investigated in the PCL (Passive Coherent Location) schemes, where the transmitters (or... 

The challenge of finding an optimized and reliable path dates back to emersion of mobile robots. Several approaches have been developed that have partially answered this need. Satisfying results in previous implementations has led to an increased utilization of sampling-based motion planning algorithms in recent years, especially in high degrees of freedom (DOF), fast evolving environments. Another advantage of these algorithms is their probabilistic completeness that guarantees delivery of a path in sufficient time, if one exists. On the other hand, sampling based motion planners leave no comment on safety of the planned path. This paper suggests biasing the Rapidly-exploring Random Trees... 

Recognition of hand movements plays a key role in both human computer interaction and rehabilitation activities. This paper focuses on hand pose estimation and motion tracking through a model-based stereo vision-based system. To allow for a complete 3D motion, initially a simple hand model with 20 landmark points was constructed and used to track its motion through a sequence of stereo images. Furthermore, a skeletal model representing the kinematical features of the hand was utilized to provide a meaningful hand motion and gesticulation. To evaluate and eventually recognize the performed hand motion, Kalman filter and Kalman smoother algorithms were implemented to evaluate the efficacy and... 

Video activity analysis is used in various video applications such as human action recognition, video retrieval, video archiving. In this paper, we propose to apply 3D wavelet transform statistics to natural video signals and employ the resulting statistical attributes for video modeling and analysis. From the 3D wavelet transform, we investigate the marginal and joint statistics as well as the Mutual Information (MI) estimates. We show that marginal histograms are approximated quite well by Generalized Gaussian Density (GGD) functions; and the MI between coefficients decreases when the activity level increases in videos. Joint statistics attributes are applied to scene activity grouping,... 

Motivation: The interactions among proteins and the resulting networks of such interactions have a central role in cell biology. Aligning these networks gives us important information, such as conserved complexes and evolutionary relationships. Although there have been several publications on the global alignment of protein networks; however, none of proposed methods are able to produce a highly conserved and meaningful alignment. Moreover, time complexity of current algorithms makes them impossible to use for multiple alignment of several large networks together.Results: We present a novel algorithm for the global alignment of protein-protein interaction networks. It uses a greedy method,... 

The pulsating flow in the exhaust gas of a SI engine causes an unsteady flow at the inlet to the turbocharger turbine. In a four cylinder four stroke engine, the pulse frequency varies between 20 and 200 Hz. Three dimensional pulsating flows in a vane-less turbocharger turbine of a 1.7 liters SI engine are simulated numerically and validated experimentally. Simulations are done for 720 degree engine cycle at three engine speeds. The results are shown the inlet pulsating flow has significant effects on several turbine parameters especially the inlet total pressure, the reduced mass flow rate and the efficiency. The results show a very good agreement between the three-dimensional unsteady... 

Problems regarding simulation of field emitter array (FEA) electron guns are discussed. A simple method is proposed to significantly reduce computational requirements such as computation power, system memory, and time of FEA electron gun simulation and modeling. The method can be applied to any numerical solver regardless of its meshing technique. In order to extract field emission parameter from any experimental cathode I-V curve, a partly numerical algorithm, which uses the presented truncation method at the heart of its solver, is proposed. The proposed method and algorithm are applied to a number of examples, including a double-gated FEA problem, and its effectiveness in terms of error... 

This paper is concerned with a quasi-3D design method for the radial and axial diffusers of a centrifugal compressor on the meridional plane. The method integrates a novel inverse design algorithm, called ball-spine algorithm (BSA), and a quasi-3D analysis code. The Euler equation is solved on the meridional plane for a numerical domain, of which unknown boundaries (hub and shroud) are iteratively modified under the BSA until a prescribed pressure distribution is reached. In BSA, unknown walls are composed of a set of virtual balls that move freely along specified directions called spines. The difference between target and current pressure distributions causes the flexible boundary to deform... 

The construction of a facies model could be employed as a conditional data for any property simulation that results in a more reliable reservoir characterization in further steps. In this study, an Iranian gas reservoir with six wells was studied to determine the 3D reservoir facies model. Fifteen reservoir facies were first detected along one of the wells with detailed core and thin section descriptions. Due to the significant difference between the core and log data resolution, facies were clustered into four major groups regarding the digenetic processes and petrophysical lithofacies properties (permeability and porosity). The lithofacies specification effect on petrophysical properties... 

Problems related to the three-dimensional (3D) dynamics of the deploying flexible arms subjected to base angular motions are studied with simulated tip payloads and actual deployment trajectories. To facilitate the solution, an equivalent dynamical system is developed by introducing the inertial reaction forces on the arm, while the equations of motion are derived in the non-Newtonian reference frame attached to the arm. The dynamic behavior of the arm is investigated both by the finite element and assumed Modes methods for the purpose of verification. This study reveals that base angular motions lead to considerable couplings between the two lateral displacements and axial motions.... 

Recent studies have shown that the surface/interface free energy plays an important role in the effective mechanical properties of solids with nanosized inhomogeneity. In the present study, an analytical model is developed for 3D axisymmetric analysis of short fiber nanocomposites including the fiber end region, subjected to an applied axial load considering surface effects. Closed form expressions are obtained for 3D stress filed in the fiber and matrix. Moreover, performing numerical examples, it is shown that the elastic stress field is size dependent in both the fiber and matrix especially for fiber radii less than 50 nm  

In this paper, a simple and efficient contact algorithm is presented for the evaluation of density distribution in three-dimensional dynamic modeling of powder compaction processes. The contact node-to-surface algorithm is employed to impose the contact constraints in large deformation frictional contact, and the contact frictional slip is modified by the Coulomb friction law to simulate the frictional behavior between the rigid punch and the work-piece. The 3D nonlinear contact friction algorithm is employed together with a double-surface cap plasticity model within the framework of large finite element deformation in order to predict the non-uniform relative density distribution during the... 

The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) is the most promising candidate platform for faster rate of improvement in peak processing speed, low latency and high performance. The highly programmable and multithreaded nature of GPUs makes them a remarkable candidate for general purpose computing. However, supporting non-graphics computing on graphics processors requires addressing several architecture challenges. In this paper, we focus on improving performance by better hiding long waiting time to transfer data from the slow global memory. Thereupon study an effective light-overhead prefetching mechanism, which utilizes idle processing elements. Our results show that we can potentially improve... 

Airflow simulation of the whole respiratory system is still unfeasible due to the geometrical complexity of the lung airways and the diversity of the length scales involved in the problem. Even the new CT imaging system is not capable of providing accurate 3D geometries for smaller tubes, and a complete 3D simulation is impeded by the limited computational resources available. The aim of this study is to develop a fully coupled 3D-1D model to make accurate prediction of airflow and particle deposition in the whole respiratory track, with reasonable computational cost and efficiency. In the new proposed method, the respiratory tree is divided into three parts to be dealt with using different... 

Digital video stabilization is a category of techniques used to reduce the impact of unintentional camera motion such as jitter, jiggle, and other unsteady motions. These unintentional shakings degrade visual quality of videos and reduce the performance of subsequent processes such as video compression. Digital video stabilization which is performed by post processing the acquired frames, suffers from inaccuracy of motion estimation which is mostly due to the local motions of internal moving objects included in videos, and long processing time which prohibits them from being used in real time applications. In this paper we propose a fast and accurate transform based motion estimation method... 

We address the problem of deformable surfaces tracking in a monocular video for the purpose of reconstructing the 3D shape of the intended surface. The proposed method is based on structure from motion. In this method, deformation of the surface is modeled as a Gaussian process, and hence the tracking problem is formulated using the predictive capability of stochastic processes. Based on our experimental results, the proposed method is even more accurate than template-based methods. Also, it is highly robust against the tracking initialization, which is a challenging problem in all tracking algorithms  

In order to evaluate the separation efficiency and flow field of deoiling hydrocyclones a three dimensional simulation is performed using large eddy simulation (LES) approach. Although this approach has been used in other types of hydrocyclones, the present work is a primer application of the LES approach for simulation of deoiling hydrocyclones. Due to anisotropic behavior of flow inside the hydrocyclones, LES is a suitable method to predict the flow field since it resolves large scales and models isotropic small scales. Obtained velocity field using the LES approach in comparison with other turbulence models is in good agreement with available experimental velocity measurements. The method... 

To determine the curvature of the exit profile in the extrusion process of non-symmetrical flat dies, the dead metal zone profile was predicted using the energy minimization method. The dead zone is a natural non-linear die for the process and it is pragmatic to use this non-linear die to estimate the value of the exit profile curvature and the required bearing length for reducing this deviation. The velocity field is calculated based on Hermite cubic spline and some additional assumptions. In non-symmetrical dies the entrance section of the deformation region is not flat. Considering this fact, axial velocity decreases with increasing the distance to die center line which is in agreement... 

Using multiple illuminators of opportunity at the transmit side and multiple antennas at the receiver side in a passive coherent location (PCL) scheme is expected to improve the detection performance. However, in such multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration choosing the position of the receivers is an obstacle that can have significant influence on the resulting performance. In this study, the authors consider the case of digital video broadcast (DVB)-T stations as non-cooperative transmitters and introduce a procedure based on the probability of missed detection to properly place receive antennas in a MIMO digital video broadcasting (DVB)-T based PCL configuration