Sharif Digital Repository

This work develops a systematic uncertainty quantification framework to assess the reliability of prediction delivered by physics-based material models in the presence of incomplete measurement data and modeling error. The framework consists of global sensitivity analysis, Bayesian inference, and forward propagation of uncertainty through the computational model. The implementation of this framework on a new multiphase model of novel porous silica aerogel materials is demonstrated to predict the thermomechanical performances of a building envelope insulation component. The uncertainty analyses rely on sampling methods, including Markov-chain Monte Carlo and a mixed finite element solution of... 

A statistical algorithm is introduced to improve the false inference of active loci, in the population in which members are admixture. The algorithm uses an advanced clustering algorithm based on a Bayesian approach. The proposed algorithm simultaneously infers the hidden structure of the population. In this regard, the Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) algorithm has been used to evaluate the posterior probability distribution of the model parameters. The proposed algorithm is implemented in a bundle, and then its performance is widely evaluated in a number of artificial databases. The accuracy of the clustering algorithm is compared with the STRUCTURE method based on certain criterion. © 2019... 

By the immense growth of the Web-Based Social Networks (WBSNs), the role of trust in connecting people together through WBSNs is getting more important than ever. In other words, since the probability of malicious behavior in WBSNs is increasing, it is necessary to evaluate the reliability of a person before trying to communicate with. Hence, it is desirable to find out how much a person should trust another one in a network. The approach to answer this question is usually called trust inference. In this paper, we propose a new trust inference algorithm (Called RN-Trust) based on the resistive networks concept. The algorithm, in addition to being simple, resolves some problems of previously... 

The Markov decision process is one of the most common probabilistic prediction models used in infrastructure management. When existing data are insufficient, expert knowledge is commonly used to derive a Markovian transition probability matrix. Eventually, every pavement management system will progress to a level at which inspection measurements from the network will be organized into a database to be used for performance prediction. The best way to use this body of data to improve the initially developed transition probability matrix is to combine prior expert knowledge with new observations. This paper proposes a method for periodically updating Markovian transition probabilities as new... 

There has been a strong push recently to examine biological scale simulations of neuromorphic algorithms to achieve stronger inference capabilities. This paper presents a set of piecewise linear spiking neuron models, which can reproduce different behaviors, similar to the biological neuron, both for a single neuron as well as a network of neurons. The proposed models are investigated, in terms of digital implementation feasibility and costs, targeting large scale hardware implementation. Hardware synthesis and physical implementations on FPGA show that the proposed models can produce precise neural behaviors with higher performance and considerably lower implementation costs compared with... 

Although there is an increasing interest in employing the depth data in computer vision applications, the spatial resolution of depth maps is still limited compared with typical visible-light images. A novel method is proposed to synthetically improve the spatial resolution of a single depth image. It integrates the higher-order terms into the Markov random field (MRF) formulation of example-based methods in order to improve the representational power of those methods. The inference is performed by approximately minimising the higher-order multi-label MRF energies. In addition, to improve the efficiency of the inference algorithm, a hierarchical scheme on the number of MRF states is... 

A new time-domain hierarchical Bayesian framework is proposed to improve the performance of Bayesian methods in terms of reliability and robustness of estimates particularly for uncertainty quantification and propagation in structural dynamics. The proposed framework provides a reliable approach to account for the variability of the inference results observed when using different data sets. The proposed formulation is compared with a state-of-the-art Bayesian approach using numerical and experimental examples. The results indicate that the hierarchical Bayesian framework provides a more realistic account of the uncertainties, whereas the non-hierarchical Bayesian approach severely... 

A new time-domain hierarchical Bayesian framework is proposed to improve the performance of Bayesian methods in terms of reliability and robustness of estimates particularly for uncertainty quantification and propagation in structural dynamics. The proposed framework provides a reliable approach to account for the variability of the inference results observed when using different data sets. The proposed formulation is compared with a state-of-the-art Bayesian approach using numerical and experimental examples. The results indicate that the hierarchical Bayesian framework provides a more realistic account of the uncertainties, whereas the non-hierarchical Bayesian approach severely... 

Online social networks, World Wide Web, media, and technological networks, and other types of so-called information networks are ubiquitous nowadays. These information networks are inherently heterogeneous and dynamic. They are heterogeneous as they consist of multi-Typed objects and relations, and they are dynamic as they are constantly evolving over time. One of the challenging issues in such heterogeneous and dynamic environments is to forecast those relationships in the network that will appear in the future. In this article, we try to solve the problem of continuous-Time relationship prediction in dynamic and heterogeneous information networks. This implies predicting the time it takes... 

One of the most prevalent problems in drilling industry is lost circulation which causes intense increase in drilling expenditure as well as operational obstacles such as well instability and blowout. The aim of this research is to develop smart systems for estimating amount of lost circulation making able to use appropriate prevention and remediation methods. To obtain this aim, a large data set were collected from 61 recently drilled wells in Marun oil field in Iran to be used for developing relevant models. After that, using the extracted data set consisting of 1900 data subset, intelligent prediction models including decision tree (DT), adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS),... 

Bayesian inference has traditionally been conceived as the proper framework for the formal incorporation of expert knowledge in parameter estimation of groundwater models. However, conventional Bayesian inference is incapable of taking into account the imprecision essentially embedded in expert provided information. In order to solve this problem, a number of extensions to conventional Bayesian inference have been introduced in recent years. One of these extensions is 'fuzzy Bayesian inference' which is the result of integrating fuzzy techniques into Bayesian statistics. Fuzzy Bayesian inference has a number of desirable features which makes it an attractive approach for incorporating expert... 

Nondestructive tests and evaluations are robust techniques for inspecting different attributes of concrete configuration. However, most nondestructive techniques focused on an aspect of concrete configuration based on comparison to other samples. In this paper, an innovative inverse analysis technique was developed to inspect different attributes of concrete configuration simultaneously. The methodology was based on the scattering feature of the ultrasonic waves during propagation in heterogeneous media. The transition matrix method was employed to determine the scattered wavefield. This method considers the shape of objects, unlike most other numerical methods. Furthermore, a novel... 

A mobile ad hoc network is a collection of mobile hosts forming a temporary network on the fly, without using any fixed infrastructure. Characteristics of mobile ad hoc networks such as lack of central coordination, mobility of hosts, dynamically varying network topology, and limited availability of resources make QoS provisioning very challenging in such networks. In this paper, we introduce a fuzzy QoS traffic conditioner for mobile ad hoc networks. The proposed traffic conditioner consists of fuzzy admission control (FAC), fuzzy traffic rate controller (FTRC), and fuzzy scheduler (FS). The proposed FAC monitors the delay and available bandwidth and decides whether to accept or reject the... 

Spinal posture including thorax/pelvis orientations as well as loads on the intervertebral discs are crucial parameters in biomechanical models and ergonomics to evaluate the risk of low back injury. In vivo measurement of spinal posture toward estimation of spine loads requires the common motion capture techniques and laboratory instruments that are costly and time-consuming. Hence, a closed loop algorithm including an artificial neural network (ANN) and fuzzy logic is proposed here to predict the L5–S1 segment loads and thorax/pelvis orientations in various 3D reaching activities. Two parts namely a fuzzy logic strategy and an ANN from this algorithm; the former, developed based on the... 

The interferometer method as one of the most accurate schemes for wideband direction finding (DF) is used. The interferometer method has various algorithms which can be implemented depending on the required specifications. The advantages and disadvantages of these algorithms have been evaluated and the appropriate algorithm for a general practical case in view of the ambiguity resolution is proposed. The receivers’ channel phase tracking error is of significant concern in practice in interferometric DF systems. The induced error due to channels phase tracking error is estimated. Furthermore the use of physically realizable antennas, achievement of high accuracy, minimum number of antennas... 

Using natural draft dry air cooling systems in the power plant cycle is one of the proposed solutions for less water consumption. But the wind blowing will cause decreasement of cooling system performance in the power plants that work with the Rankin cycle. Therefore, it is important to know the right amount of wind speed to make the right decision to prevent reducing generating power or provide the right solution to improve the performance of the power plant cooling system. There are many methods of calibration of sensors in the world. But using optimization techniques or stochastic methods that do not require physical facilities and additional costs is almost a new approach. Therefore, in... 

In the open-pit mines and civil projects, drilling and blasting is the most common method for rock fragmentation aims. This article proposes a new hybrid forecasting model based on firefly algorithm, as an algorithm optimizer, combined with the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for estimating the fragmentation. In this regard, 72 datasets were collected from Shur river dam region, and the required parameters were measured. Using the different input parameters, six hybrid models were constructed. In these models, 58 and 14 data were used for training and testing, respectively. The proposed hybrid models were then evaluated in accordance with statistical criteria such as coefficient of... 

In the open-pit mines and civil projects, drilling and blasting is the most common method for rock fragmentation aims. This article proposes a new hybrid forecasting model based on firefly algorithm, as an algorithm optimizer, combined with the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for estimating the fragmentation. In this regard, 72 datasets were collected from Shur river dam region, and the required parameters were measured. Using the different input parameters, six hybrid models were constructed. In these models, 58 and 14 data were used for training and testing, respectively. The proposed hybrid models were then evaluated in accordance with statistical criteria such as coefficient of... 

Ambient Intelligence is the future of computing where devices predict what users need and help them carry out their everyday life activities easier. To make this prediction possible these environments should be aware of the context. Activity recognition is one of the most complex problems in context-aware environments. In this paper we propose a layered Dynamic Bayesian Network (DBN) to recognize activities in an oral presentation. The layered architecture gives us the opportunity to recognize complex activities using the classification results of sensory data in the first layer regardless of the physical environment. Our model is event-driven meaning the classification takes place only when...