Sharif Digital Repository

Computer networks courses are hard to teach as there are many details in the protocols and techniques involved that are difficult to grasp. Employing programming assignments as part of the course helps students to obtain a better understanding and gain further insight into the theoretical lectures. In this paper, the Partov simulation engine and experience using this engine in a computer networks course are discussed. Since 2009, various programming assignments based on the Partov system have been set to help students in their learning process. Student feedback has been very good; this has been quantified in two surveys in which a majority of students expressed their satisfaction with this... 

Network protocol design and evaluation requires either full implementation of the considered protocol and evaluation in a real network, or a simulation based on a model. There is also a middle approach in which both simulation and emulation are used to evaluate a protocol. In this article the Partov engine, which provides both simulation and emulation capabilities simultaneously, is presented. Partov benefits from a layered and platform-independent architecture. As a pure simulator, it provides an extensible plugin-based platform that can be configured to perform both real-time and non-real-time discrete-event simulations. It also acts as an emulator, making interaction with real networks... 

Emergence of instrumentation frameworks has vastly contributed to the software engineering practices. As the instrumentation use cases become more complex, complexity of instrumenting programs also increases, leading to a higher risk of software defects, increased development time, and decreased maintainability. In security applications such as symbolic execution and taint analysis, which need to instrument a large number of instruction types, this complexity is prominent. This paper presents an architecture based on the Pin binary instrumentation framework to abstract the low-level OS and hardware-dependent implementation details, facilitate code reuse in heavyweight instrumentation use... 

In Hypo-elastic constitutive models an objective rate of the Cauchy stress tensor is expressed in terms of the current state of the stress and the deformation rate tensor D in a way that the dependency on the latter is a homogeneously linear one. In this work, a type of grade-one hypo-elastic models (i.e. models with linear dependency of the hypo-elasticity tensor on the stress) is considered for isotropic materials based on the objective corotational rates of stress. A positive real parameter denoted by n is involved in the considered type. Different values can be selected for this parameter, each selection leads to a specific model within the class of grade-one hypo-elasticity. The spin of... 

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... 

A size-dependent formulation for the Euler-Bernoulli nano- and micro-beams made of functionally graded materials (FGMs) is presented. The formulation is developed on the basis of the second strain gradient theory (SSGT). This theory is a powerful non-classical continuum theory capable of capturing the small-scale effects in the mechanical behavior of small-scale structures. To drive the governing equations of motion along with the general form of boundary conditions, the Hamilton principle is utilized. Due to the inhomogeneity through the thickness of functionally graded beams, the two equations which govern the axial and flexural deformations are coupled. In two case studies with different... 

The purpose of this paper is to quantify the extent of damage of rectangular reinforced concrete shear walls after an earthquake using surface crack patterns. One of the most important tasks after an earthquake is to assess the safety and classify the performance level of buildings. This assessment is usually performed by visual inspection that is prone to significant errors. In this research, an extensive database on the images of damaged rectangular reinforced concrete shear walls is collected from the literature. This database includes more than 200 images from experimental quasi-static cyclic tests. Using the concept of fractal geometry, several probabilistic models are developed by... 

According to the importance of polyanion cathode materials in intercalation batteries, they may play a significant role in energy-storage systems. Here, evaluations of LiMBO3 and NaMBO3 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) as cathode materials of Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, respectively, are performed in the density functional theory (DFT) framework. The structural properties, structural stability after deintercalation, cell voltage, electrical conductivity, and rate capability of the cathodes are assessed. As a result, Li compounds have more structural stability and energy density than Na compounds in the C2/c frame structure. Cell voltage is increased by increasing the atomic number of the transition... 

Water and miscible gas injection scenarios are considered in an Iranian oil reservoir for the purpose of recovery improvement. Firstly reservoir fluid modeling and modeling of a slim tube test were performed. Then, water alternating gas (WAG) injection was evaluated by optimizing the WAG half cycle and WAG ratio. Alternatively, hybrid WAG and separate injection of water and gas in the top and bottom of the reservoir were also investigated. The numerical simulation results showed that the optimum WAG, with half cycle of 1.5 years and WAG ratio of one, gave the highest recovery factor. Moreover, economic evaluation of these scenarios indicated that WAG had the highest net present value and was... 

Water and miscible gas injection scenarios are considered in an Iranian oil reservoir for the purpose of recovery improvement. Firstly reservoir fluid modeling and modeling of a slim tube test were performed. Then, water alternating gas (WAG) injection was evaluated by optimizing the WAG half cycle and WAG ratio. Alternatively, hybrid WAG and separate injection of water and gas in the top and bottom of the reservoir were also investigated. The numerical simulation results showed that the optimum WAG, with half cycle of 1.5 years and WAG ratio of one, gave the highest recovery factor. Moreover, economic evaluation of these scenarios indicated that WAG had the highest net present value and was... 

L- asparaginase enzyme is a renown enzyme because of its chemotherapeutic properties. This enzyme may also be employed in food processing technology. The present study aimed, optimizing the agitation and aeration rate in L-asparaginase production, using C. utilis, ATCC 9950 in batch fermentation system. Beet molasses used as the carbohydrate source for enzyme production. A maximum asparaginase activity of 245.6 U/ml obtained after 20h of fermentation under optimal condition of 1.25 vvm aeration rate and 300 rpm agitation speed. Purification of the enzyme was also done by Acetone Precipitation and column chromatograph. Purified L-asparaginase revealed molecular weight 75 kDa and 82.7 % yield... 

Being the second cause of mortality across the globe, there is now a persistent effort to establish new cancer medication and therapies. Any accomplishment in treating cancers entails the existence of accurate identification systems empowering the early diagnosis. Recent studies indicate CTCs’ potential in cancer prognosis as well as therapy monitoring. The chief shortcoming with CTCs is that they are exceedingly rare cells in their clinically relevant concentration. Here, we simulated a microfluidic construct devised for immunomagnetic separation of the particles of interest from the background cells. This separation unit is integrated with a mixer subunit. The mixer is envisioned for... 

Laminated composite beams with variable thickness are being widely used in many engineering applications. To enhance the dynamic behavior of structures subject to random loading, tapered laminated beams incorporated with magnetorheological (MR) fluids (MR-tapered beam) are proposed. A finite element model has been developed for random vibration analysis of MR-tapered beam based on layerwise displacement theory. The effects of thickness ratios of tapered beam, magnetic fields, statistical properties, correlation and autocorrelation on dynamic behaviors of structures have been investigated. The proposed structural element significantly enhances the dynamic response of MR-tapered beam under... 

Laminated composite beams incorporated with magneto-rheological fluid are being used in variety of critical applications. An N-layer magneto-rheological-laminated beam based on layerwise theory has been developed to study the dynamic characteristics. For simulation purpose, an MR-laminated beam with five layers is considered in which two layers filled with magneto-rheological and three layers are made of composite materials. The results of simulations are compared with existing layerwise, first-order shear-deformation theory and experimental tests where it shows the accuracy and functionality of the present model. The complex shear modulus of magneto-rheological fluid has been determined... 

Laminated composite beams with variable thickness are being widely used in many engineering applications. To enhance the dynamic behavior of structures subject to random loading, tapered laminated beams incorporated with magnetorheological (MR) fluids (MR-tapered beam) are proposed. A finite element model has been developed for random vibration analysis of MR-tapered beam based on layerwise displacement theory. The effects of thickness ratios of tapered beam, magnetic fields, statistical properties, correlation and autocorrelation on dynamic behaviors of structures have been investigated. The proposed structural element significantly enhances the dynamic response of MR-tapered beam under... 

Laminated composite beams incorporated with magneto-rheological fluid are being used in variety of critical applications. An N-layer magneto-rheological-laminated beam based on layerwise theory has been developed to study the dynamic characteristics. For simulation purpose, an MR-laminated beam with five layers is considered in which two layers filled with magneto-rheological and three layers are made of composite materials. The results of simulations are compared with existing layerwise, first-order shear-deformation theory and experimental tests where it shows the accuracy and functionality of the present model. The complex shear modulus of magneto-rheological fluid has been determined... 

Laminated composite structures are widely being used in modern industries particularly robot arms, aerospace and wind turbine blades where the structures mainly exposed to harsh random vibration and in turn, leads to unpredicted failure. Adding Magneto-rheological (MR) fluids in such structures may significantly improve their dynamic response. In the present work, the vibration response of laminated composite beams filled with MR fluids (MR laminated beam) under random loading has been investigated using experimental as well as simulation approaches. Finite Element Model (FEM) has been utilized to simulate the vibration response under random loading. An in-house set-up has been designed to... 

The Carnot, Diesel, Otto, and Brayton power cycles are reconsidered endoreversibly in finite time thermodynamics (FTT). In particular, the thermal efficiency of these standard power cycles is compared to the well-known results in classical thermodynamics. The present analysis based on FTT modelling shows that a reduction in both the maximum and minimum temperatures of the cycle causes the thermal efficiency to increase. This is antithetical to the existing trend in the classical references. Under the assumption of endoreversibility, the relation between the efficiencies is also changed to ηCarnot > ηBrayton > ηDiesel > ηOtto, which is again very different from the corresponding classical... 

A high energy-efficiency and low-area switching method is proposed for the successive approximation register analog-to-digital converters. In the proposed scheme, the threshold voltage for comparison is derived from the charge sharing technique and using a voltage source connected to the bottom plates of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) capacitors. The switching method achieves an average DAC switching energy and DAC area reduction of 99.15% and 84.27%, respectively, with respect to the conventional method. The differential nonlinearity and integral nonlinearity of the proposed scheme are 0.1288 LSB and 0.1207 LSB, respectively. In addition, in the proposed method, the number of DAC... 

A high energy-efficiency and low-area switching method is proposed for the successive approximation register analog-to-digital converters. In the proposed scheme, the threshold voltage for comparison is derived from the charge sharing technique and using a voltage source connected to the bottom plates of the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) capacitors. The switching method achieves an average DAC switching energy and DAC area reduction of 99.15% and 84.27%, respectively, with respect to the conventional method. The differential nonlinearity and integral nonlinearity of the proposed scheme are 0.1288 LSB and 0.1207 LSB, respectively. In addition, in the proposed method, the number of DAC...