Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper, three fundamental properties of a potential field-based flocking algorithm, i.e. merging of neighbouring graphs during the system evolution, collision avoidance and convergence of position of the centre of mass of informed agents to that of virtual leader are discussed. Next, these properties are utilized to determine required number of informed agents based on initial position of uninformed ones and consequently reduce the domain of search in optimization problems defined for finding the optimal number of required informed agents. Finally, a new optimization framework is proposed, which benefits Voronoi diagrams in order to reduce the number of informed agents required for... 

This study proposes an imperialist competition algorithm (ICA) to maximise the benefits of distribution network operators (DNOs) because of the existence of distributed generation (DG) units. The sum of active loss reduction and network investment deferral incentives has been considered as the objective function to be maximised in this study. The optimal location and size of DG units in the network are found considering various techno-economical issues. The application of the proposed methodology in the UK under current Ofgem financial incentives for DNOs is investigated. The ability of the proposed approach in finding the optimal solution is validated by comparing the obtained results with... 

The Tor anonymous network has become quite popular with regular users on the Internet. In the Tor network, an anonymous path is created by selecting three relays through which the connection is redirected. Nevertheless, as the number of Tor users has increased substantially in recent years, the algorithm with which the relays are selected affects the performance provided by the Tor network. More importantly as the performance suffers, users will leave the network, resulting in a lower anonymity set and in turn lower security provided by Tor network. In this paper, we proposed an algorithm for improving performance and security of the Tor network, by employing a combination of different... 

This paper introduces a new consensus protocol whose features are different from known consensus protocols available in the literature. The relation between discrete coverage algorithms over a convex polygon for solving a facility location problem (n-median problem) along with some notions in agreement over acyclic digraphs have been used to establish a novel constrained consensus protocol. Its convergence for the special case of acyclic digraphs with switching topology is presented. Extension of the results for other graph topologies and communication links are left for future works. © 2009 IEEE  

We study networks of facilities that must provide coverage under conditions of uncertainty with respect to travel times and customer demand. We model this uncertainty through a set of scenarios. Since opening new facilities and/or closing existing ones is often quite expensive, we focus on optimal re-configuration of the network, that is finding a facility set that achieves desired thresholds with respect to expected and minimal coverage, while retaining as many of the existing facilities as possible. We illustrate our model with an example of Toronto Fire Service. We demonstrate that relocating just a few facilities can have the same effect as opening a similar number of new ones. We... 

In this paper, an approach is proposed to estimate the location of leakages in liquid transmission lines with a high accuracy. First, the mathematical model is analyzed and a closedform solution is provided for the partial differential equations of the pipeline. Next, the leakage location is calculated using the closed-form solution. The calculations are applied to various leakages and are extended to a case in which the pressure and flowrate do not converge to constant values. Considering a singleleakage pipeline system, a linear observer is utilized to estimate the leakage location with reduced errors. The simulation results are presented and the proposed method is verified by changing the... 

Remote-controlled switch (RCS) placement problem is used to optimally deploy the switches in distribution networks to enhance system reliability. The candidate locations of RCSs are usually assumed at the main feeder while the possible locations on the laterals are ignored. This study studies the impact of considering laterals as potential switch locations and demonstrates that deploying RCSs in laterals would change the optimal number and location of the switches. To do so, this study proposes a mathematical model for the switch deployment problem by taking into account the laterals. The proposed model is formulated in mixed integer linear programming format which can be solved via... 

In this letter, we examine the positioning in wireless networks in the presence of IRSs. We show that IRSs can be used to localize the user when there are not enough transmitters (Base Station). To this end, we consider a network of one transmitter, few IRSs, and one receiver, whose location should be determined. Our results indicate that we can achieve the accuracy required in the localization by controlling the number of elements of IRSs and properly selecting the location of IRSs for a given region. © 2012 IEEE  

There exist various service systems that have hierarchical structure. In hierarchical service networks, facilities at different levels provide different types of services. For example, in health care systems, general centers provide low-level services such as primary health care services, while the specialized hospitals provide high-level services. Because of demand congestion in service networks, location of servers and allocation of demand nodes have a strong impact on the length of queues at servers as well as on the response times to service calls. The thrust of this article is the development of hierarchical location-allocation models for congested systems by employing queueing theory... 

In this paper, we propose an optimization framework to retrieve an optimal group of experts to perform a multi-aspect task. While a diverse set of skills are needed to perform a multi-aspect task, the group of assigned experts should be able to collectively cover all these required skills. We consider three types of multi-aspect expert group formation problems and propose a unified framework to solve these problems accurately and efficiently. The first problem is concerned with finding the top k experts for a given task, while the required skills of the task are implicitly described. In the second problem, the required skills of the tasks are explicitly described using some keywords but each... 

Applying the recently emerged technique, MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) to PCL (Passive Coherent Location) is expected to improve performance of localization schemes. In this paper, we explore the application of MIMO technology to PCL schemes and see how it improves the spatial diversity of such systems. Specifically, we use the DVB-T stations as the illuminators of opportunity in the simulations, mainly because of their unique features which make them quite suitable for both MIMO and PCL application as will be demonstrated in this paper. In addition, we address the key problem of finding optimum locations for placement of receive antennas  

Multi-Facility Weber Problem (MFWP), also known as continuous locationallocation problem, entails determining the locations of a predefined number of facilities in a planar space and their related customer allocations. In this paper, we focus on a new variant of the problem known as Single-Source Capacitated MFWP (SSCMFWP). To tackle the problem efficiently and effectively, an iterative two-phase heuristic algorithm is put forward. At the phase I, we aim to determine proper locations for facilities, and during the phase II, assignment of customers to these facilities is pursued. As an alternative solution method, a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm is also proposed for carrying out the... 

We are concerned with a capacitated location-multi allocation-routing problem in a road network with flexible travel times. It is assumed that all links are two-way and capacities of the server nodes and arcs for accepting of population are limited. The aim of our work is to find numbers and locations of server nodes, allocation of the existing population in existing demand nodes on the network to the servers and the allocation of existing population in each node to different routes to determine the decided server for each member so that total transportation time is minimized. Here, two basic concepts are considered: multi allocation and flexible travel times. The concept of multi allocation... 

Humanitarian logistics is regarded as a key area for improved disaster management efficiency and effectiveness. In this study, a multi-objective integrated logistic model is proposed to locate disaster relief centers while taking into account network costs and responsiveness. Because this location problem is NP-hard, we present a genetic approach to solve the proposed model  

The hospital location and service allocation is one of the most important aspects of healthcare systems. Due to lack of studies on covering location-allocation and scheduling problems with respect to the uncertain budget, this paper develops a bi-objective hybrid model to locate hospitals and allocate machines and services scheduled. The costs of establishing facilities are assumed to be uncertain, while a robust counterpart model is employed to overcome the uncertainty. Covering the demand of each service is limited as well. Moreover, hospitals have a limited space to the specialized equipment like CT scan and MRI machines, while there is a cost constraint on hospitals and the specialized...