Sharif Digital Repository

Clustering is one of the useful methods in many scientific fields. It is a classification process to group data in specific clusters based on their similarities. Many heuristic and meta-heuristic algorithms have been successfully applied in the literature to solve clustering problems. Among them, the K-means is one of the best due to its simplicity and computational efficiency. However, it suffers from several drawbacks, the most significant of which is its dependency on the initial state that leads to trapping in local optima. In this paper, the K-means method is combined with a modified electromagnetism-like mechanism (MEM) algorithm to develop a new algorithm called K-MEM in order to... 

Among the different options available for market clearing mechanisms, offer cost minimisation mechanism is being used in most electric power markets. The payments are then calculated based on locational marginal prices (LMPs). The payments can be significantly higher due to the inconsistency of the clearing and pricing mechanisms. Payment cost minimisation (PCM) mechanism which directly minimises the total payment has been recently proposed to solve this issue. In this study, an auction mechanism is proposed for payment to suppliers minimisation (PSM) based on the LMPs instead of consumers payment minimisation (CPM). Using a proper formulation for the supply side reserve LMPs, the complete... 

Shot peening process is one of the severe plastic deformation methods which is well-recognized for the surface layer integrity of the components. This process, according to its energy level, can be categorized into three different cases of conventional, severe, and over shot peening. The aforementioned types of shot peening have positive and/or negative effects on their related performing conditions. In this study, the boundaries between these processes were determined for the first time by presenting novel approaches. The foundations of the presented approaches are microstructural investigations. The microstructures were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy,... 

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to study of mechanical properties of NiTiCu with different content of copper. It was shown that the percent composition of copper are significantly affects the stress-strain curves curve. The results showed that as the Cu content increased, the Yield Strength and Young's modulus decreased. © 2017 Elsevier Ltd  

QBism is one of the main candidates for an epistemic interpretation of quantum mechanics. According to QBism, the quantum state or the wavefunction represents the subjective degrees of belief of the agent assigning the state. But, although the quantum state is not part of the furniture of the world, quantum mechanics grasps the real via the Born rule which is a consistency condition for the probability assignments of the agent. In this paper, we evaluate the plausibility of recent criticism of QBism. We focus on the consequences of the subjective character of the quantum state, the issue of realism and the problem of the evolution of the quantum state in QBism. In particular, drawing upon... 

We have investigated the substitution of Ce and divalent Ca with a radius similar to Gd in Gd1-x-zCexCazBa 2Cu3O7-δ. We have prepared Gd 1-x-zCexCazBa2Cu3O 7-δ compounds with different concentrations of Ce and Ca by the standard solid-state reaction technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiments are performed and the results are refined by the Rietveld method. XRD analysis shows a predominantly single-phase perovskite structure with orthorhombic Pmmm symmetry. In Gd1-x-zCexCazBa2Cu 3O7-δ compounds, induced suppression of T c due to Ce doping is compensated by hole doping with increasing Ca substitution for Gd. With the increase of Ca content, Tc increases up to an optimum value; thereafter... 

We insert some asymmetries into the continuous Abelian sandpile models, such as directedness and ellipticity. We analyze probability distribution of different heights and also find the corresponding field theories. Also we find the fields associated with some height variables. © 2008 IOP Publishing Ltd  

The Abelian sandpile model (ASM) is a paradigm of self-organized criticality (SOC) which is related to c ≤ -2 conformal field theory. The conformal fields corresponding to some height clusters have been suggested before. Here we derive the first corrections to such fields, in a field theoretical approach, when the lattice parameter is non-vanishing, and consider them in the presence of a boundary. © 2007 IOP Publishing Ltd  

A set of bi-orthogonal potential-density basis functions is introduced to model the density and its associated gravitational field of three dimensional stellar systems. Radial components of our basis functions are weighted integral forms of spherical Bessel functions. We discuss on the properties of our basis functions and demonstrate their shapes for the latitudinal Fourier number l = 2. © 2008 Copyright International Astronomical Union 2008  

A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model for armchair, zigzag and chiral single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is proposed. By considering the covalent bonds as connecting elements between carbon atoms, a nanotube is simulated as a space frame-like structure. Here, the carbon atoms act as joints of the connecting elements. To create the FE models, nodes are placed at the locations of carbon atoms and the bonds between them are modeled using three-dimensional elastic beam elements. Using Morse atomic potential, the elastic moduli of beam elements are obtained via considering a linkage between molecular and continuum mechanics. Also, a new wall thickness (bond diameter) equal to 0.1296... 

Assuming the completeness of quantum mechanics, Mohrhoff has recently presented a new interpretation in which the probabilistic description of quantum mechanics is introduced on the basis of counterfactual statements. The macroscopic positions are assumed to be intrinsic, self-indicating and real, while the properties of the microscopic world are contingent and extrinsic, depending on what happens in the macro-world. Mohrhoff's interpretation emphasizes the objective fuzziness of all quantum phenomena, assigning objective probabilities to the possible outcomes of unperformed measurements. He extends this non-valuedness and fuzziness to the concepts of space and time and introduces a new... 

The production of porous (SAFFIL) preforms and SAFFIL/SiCP hybrid preforms will be discussed. SAFFIL fibers and SiCP are dispersed into an aqueous medium that consists of colloidal silica binder, distilled water, dispersants and deflocculants using agitation, spontaneous sedimentation, followed by drying and final strengthening. The effect of different process parameters such as various deflocculants and surfactants on the mechanical properties, mixing time and volumetric change of these preforms will also be investigated  

The main goal of this study is to further understanding of the role of rubber particles on deformation mechanisms in PP/EPR blend. For doing this standard tensile specimens were produced using injection molding. The results of microscopic evaluation of tensile specimen after some stretching show that damage forms in some points and then propagates in different directions. Also some elongated voids are observed, those are probably formed due to cavitation of rubber particles or debonding at the interface. With regard to achieved micrographs one may conclude that the deformation mechanism in PP/EPR blend can be massive dilatational shear banding due to repeated cavitation. © 2003 Elsevier Ltd.... 

The role of lubrication procedure on the consolidation behavior of metallic powders and subsequent microstructural development during sintering was investigated. Iron powder and iron-0.8 w/o graphite powder mixture were used as model materials. The effects of die wall lubrication procedure were compared to the traditional admixed powder lubrication method. The influences of manufacturing parameters such as the compacting pressure in the range of 150-800 MPa and the sintering temperature from 400 to 1300 °C were studied. It was found that the lubrication procedure has a great influence on the consolidation and microstructural features of the materials investigated. Admixed lubricant aids the... 

The energetics of the adsorption and decomposition of ammonia on Nb(100) surface was investigated by the method of unity bond index-quadratic exponential potential (UBI-QEP). The experimental as well as theoretically derived atomic heats of adsorption were used as the input data and the results were compared with the findings of local density functional theory (LDFT) and non-local density functional theory (NLDFT). The method was capable of correctly predicting the fragmentation of ammonia on 4-fold hollow sites on the surface of Nb(100) and magnitudes of the heats of adsorption and activation energies were more realistic  

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the ultra-fine grained (UFG) Al6063 alloy reinforced with nanometric aluminum oxide nanoparticles (25 nm) were investigated and compared with the coarse-grained (CG) Al6063 alloy (~2 μm). The UFG materials were prepared by mechanical alloying (MA) under high-purity Ar and Ar-5 vol pct O2 atmospheres followed by hot powder extrusion (HPE). The CG alloy was produced by HPE of the gas-atomized Al6063 powder without applying MA. Electron backscatter diffraction under scanning electron microscopy together with transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the microstructure of the milled powders after HPE consisted of ultra-fine grains... 

In this work, an attempt was made to improve the distribution of CNTs in CNT/alumina nanocomposites. The composite powders containing 1 and 3vol% of CNTs were produced and calcined at 500°C for 2h. Surface coating with boehmite nanoparticles was used to improve CNT distribution in alumina matrix. Calcined powders were shaped into compacted samples by cold isostatic pressing at 180MPa and sintered at 1600°C for 2h in flowing gas atmosphere (95%Ar+5%H2). Phase analysis of the calcined composite powders showed complete transformation of boehmite into gamma-alumina. The maximum flexural strength was 465±31MPa corresponding to addition of 1vol% CNTs. Evaluating the fracture toughness via DCM... 

Archaeological excavations in western Iran have recently revealed a significant Luristan Bronzes collection from Sangtarashan archaeological site. The site and its bronze collection are dated to Iron Age II/III of western Iran (10th-7th century BC) according to archaeological research. Alloy composition, microstructure and manufacturing technique of some sheet metal vessels are determined to reveal metallurgical processes in western Iran in the first millennium BC. Experimental analyses were carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy and Optical Microscopy/Metallography methods. The results allowed reconstructing the manufacturing process of bronze... 

Many physiological processes such as cell division, endocytosis and exocytosis cause severe local curvature of the cell membrane. Local curvature has been shown experimentally to modulate numerous mechanosensitive (MS) ion channels. In order to quantify the effects of local curvature we introduced a coarse grain representative volume element for the bacterial mechanosensitive ion channel of large conductance (MscL) using continuum elasticity. Our model is designed to be consistent with the channel conformation in the closed and open states to capture its major continuum rheological behavior in response to the local membrane curvature. Herein we show that change in the local curvature of the... 

The effect of temperature on the short-range order (SRO) structures, deformation mechanisms and failure modes of metallic glasses (MGs) is of fundamental importance for their practical applications. However, due to lack of direct structural information at the atomistic level from experiments and the absence of previous molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to reproduce experimental observations over a wide range of temperature, this issue has not been well understood. Here, by carefully constructing the atomistic models of Cu64Zr36 and Fe80W20 MGs, we are able to reproduce the major deformation modes observed experimentally, i.e. single shear banding (SB) at low temperatures, multiple...