Sharif Digital Repository

In cloud investment markets, consumers are looking for the lowest cost and a desirable fairness while providers are looking for strategies to achieve the highest possible profit and return. Most existing models for auction-based resource allocation in cloud environments only consider the overall profit increase and ignore the profit of each participant individually or the difference between the rich and the poor participants. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional fairness combinatorial double auction (MDFCDA) model which strikes a balance between the revenue and the fairness among participants. We solve a winner determination problem (WDP) through integer programming which incorporates the... 

The influence of structural configuration on vibration responses of smart laminated beams under random loading is studied. The effect of laminate configurations and locations of sensors/actuators in the smart system is also investigated. The layer-wise approximation for displacement and electric potential is utilized to construct the finite element model. The closed-loop control response is determined through an optimal control algorithm based on the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR). The correlation coefficient between the input random force and the applied actuating voltage for various configurations is also computed. It is revealed that for softer configurations, the correlation... 

First, an efficient and accurate finite element model for smart composite beams is presented. The developed model is based on layerwise theory and includes the electromechanical coupling effects. Then, an efficient design optimization algorithm is developed which combines the layerwise finite element analysis model for the smart laminated beam, sensitivity analysis based on analytical gradients and sequential quadratic programming (SQP). Optimal size/location of sensors/actuators is determined for dynamic displacement measurement purposes and for vibration control applications. For static and eigenvalue problems, the objective is to minimize the mass of the beam under various constraints... 

Tapered composite beams are increasingly being used in various engineering applications such as helicopter yoke, robot arms, and turbine blades. In the present work, the buckling analysis of laminated tapered composite beams is conducted using a higher order finite element formulation. In tapered laminates, the material and geometric discontinuities at ply drop-off locations lead to significant discontinuities in stress distributions. Higher order formulation ensures the continuity of the stress distribution through the thickness of a laminate as well as across the element interfaces, which is very important for the analysis of tapered laminates. In addition, higher order finite element... 

Na3MnCO3PO4 (NMCP) is considered one of the promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity. The hydrothermal method is an efficient, environmental-friendly, and simple route with low instrument cost to prepare active cathode materials such as NMCP. In this research, magnetic stirring was applied to promote the hydrothermal synthesis, and NMCP was produced by controlling different stirring times. This method results in the formation of pure NMCP upon only 45 min processing time. According to the ICP results, the Na to Mn ratio in the NMCP approached the stoichiometric value of 3 by prolonging the stirring time. By analyzing the charge-discharge... 

Considering the prominence attached to written corrective feedback (WCF) within the domain of second/foreign language (L2) acquisition, automated writing evaluation (AWE) tools have steadily gained ground over the last two decades. The current study was an attempt to investigate the extent incorporating an AWE program, known as Criterion®, within a process writing framework would affect learners' writing quality in an English as a foreign language context. Moreover, we drew a comparison between the overall effects of computer- versus teacher-generated WCF. Participants consisted of 53 tertiary level students from two intact essay-writing classes. The within-group findings revealed that the... 

While research into various dimensions of language learning strategies has been thriving over the recent years, grammar learning strategies (GLS) have largely remained under-explored. The present mixed methods research aimed to explore GLS in the three stages of classroom grammar tasks, while striving to determine the sequence of GLS and their contribution to grammar proficiency. In the qualitative phase, 13 participants partook in stimulated recall and semi-structured interviews after completing consciousness-raising (CR) tasks. Then, the grounded theory (GT) methodology was applied to conceptualize a theoretical model. For the quantitative phase, a modified version of Pawlak’s Grammar... 

Micro grippers are essential tools for manipulation of objects in micron size. An electrostatic micro stepper-motor is used for actuating a proposed gripper mechanism and performance of this gripper is compared with the previous ones. The characteristic of the proposed mechanism is analyzed by simulation and it is shown that the designed gripper has the capability of doing manipulation in micron dimension with an acceptable performance  

In this paper a structural health monitoring technique considering the effect of wind on structural stability on laminated composite wind turbine has been investigated. Based on fluid structure interaction method and Has hin failure criteria, condition monitoring of w ind turbine blades under sudden change of wind speed is investigated. The embedded fiber optic sensors are considered to detect the change in strain due to wind forces on the blades  

Ultra-high precision machining is proposed by externally actuating the work piece in linear motions in the X-Y plane and linear motion in the Z-axis. To solve the problems in the machining process such as nonlinearity and low repeatability positioning accuracy of machining tools in a larger scale, a novel platform for cutting tools in micro machining based on electrostatic linear micromotors and piezoelectric stack actuator system is presented. © 2017 IEEE