Sharif Digital Repository

Inferring the structure of molecular networks from time series protein or gene expression data provides valuable information about the complex biological processes of the cell. Causal network structure inference has been approached using different methods in the past. Most causal network inference techniques, such as Dynamic Bayesian Networks and ordinary differential equations, are limited by their computational complexity and thus make large scale inference infeasible. This is specifically true if a Bayesian framework is applied in order to deal with the unavoidable uncertainty about the correct model. We devise a novel Bayesian network reverse engineering approach using ordinary... 

Progressive use of Web based information retrieval systems such as general purpose search engines and dynamic nature of the Web make it necessary to continually maintain Web based information retrieval systems. Crawlers facilitate this process by following hyperlinks in Web pages to automatically download new and updated Web pages. Freshness (recency) is one of the important maintaining factors of Web search engine crawlers that takes weeks to months. Many large Web crawlers start from seed pages, fetch every links from them, and continually repeat this process without any policies that help them to better crawling and improving performance of those. We believe that data mining techniques... 

This paper presents a new reduced-order modeling approach based on boundary element method. In this approach the eigenvalue problem of the unsteady flows is defined based on the unknown wake singularities. By constructing this reduced-order model, the body quasi-static eigenmodes are removed from the eigensystem and it is possible to obtain satisfactory results without static correction technique when enough eigenmodes are used. In addition to the conventional method, Eigenanalysis and reduced-order modeling of unsteady flows over a NACA 0012 airfoil and a wing with NACA 0012 section are performed using this new ROM method. Numerical examples are presented that demonstrate the accuracy and... 

This study presents the application of the Proposed Modified Reduced-Order Aerodynamics Modelling approach for aeroelastic analysis based on the boundary element method (BEM) as a novel approach. The used BEM has the capability to capture the thickness effect and geometric complexity of a general three-dimensional model. In this approach the reduced-order aerodynamic model is defined through the eigenvalue problem of unsteady flow based on the unknown wake singularities. Based on the used aerodynamic model an explicit algebraic form of the aeroelastic equations is derived that reduces computational efforts and complexity. This special feature enables us to determine the aeroelastic... 

This paper presents a coupled flap-lag-torsion aeroelastic stability analysis and response of a hingeless helicopter blade in the hovering flight condition. The boundary element method based on the wake eigenvalues is used for the prediction of unsteady airloads of the rotor blade. The aeroelastic equations of motion of the rotor blade are derived by Galerkin's method. To obtain the aeroelastic stability and response, the governing nonlinear equations of motion are linearized about the nonlinear steady equilibrium positions using small perturbation theory. The equilibrium deflections are calculated through the iterative Newton-Raphson method. Numerical results comprising steady equilibrium... 

This paper presents an efficient reduced-order modelling approach based on the boundary element method. In this approach, the eigenvalue problem of the unsteady flows is defined based on the unknown wake singularities. By constructing this reduced-order model, the body quasi-static eigenmodes are removed from the eigensystem and it is possible to obtain satisfactory results without using the static correction technique when enough eigenmodes are used. In addition to the conventional method, eigenanalysis and reduced-order modelling of unsteady flows over a NACA 0012 airfoil, a wing with NACA 0012 section and a wing-body combination are performed using the proposed reduced order modelling... 

The robots that can move on rough terrains are very important especially in Rescue operation, exploration, etc. In this research, a mechanism is introduced for a ring-like robot with a flexible body. This robot is moved by arms which are placed radially and have Reciprocating motion in this direction. By controlling the contraction and the extension of the arms which contact lhe ground, the robot will be forced to move which is called rolling-creeping motion. The robot is stable in stationary state.; also the maximum angle which it can be stable is determined. Considering the speed of contracted arm is the input parameter, the speed of the extended arm for locomotion of the robot has been... 

In this research, synthesis of lanthanum oxide nanoparticles using supercritical water as a reaction medium in batch type reactor was studied. The crystallographic identity and morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XRD patterns indicate that the well-crystallized lanthanum oxide nanocrystals can be easily obtained under the current synthetic conditions. The effect of four parameters includes temperature, reaction time; primary concentration of aqueous solution of lanthanum (III) nitrate and pH of starting solution on reaction efficiency, particle size and the BET surface area were investigated... 

Effect of alkaline metal salts on the solvent extraction of platinum from leached spent dehydrogenation catalysts (Pt/Al2O3) in aqua-regia by the Trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) has been investigated. Best salting out effect was achieved using KCl as the additive salt in which process upto 90% of Platinum extraction achieved. Response Surface methodology utilized in order to design the experiments, model the extraction process for platinum and aluminum as well as; optimize the whole process. It was shown that solvent extraction of platinum by TOPO was kinetically fast and the needed equilibrium time for it was less than 30 seconds. In the present study, proposed models for platinum and... 

Chlorobenzoic acids (CBAs) are recalcitrant and toxic materials which enter the environment directly using pesticides and herbicides, or indirectly through the biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) compounds. In the conducted study, biodegradation of 4-chlrobenzoic acid was investigated by Lysinibacillus macrolides DSM54T, which had previously been isolated from PCB-polluted soils. Environmental factors including pH, temperature, 4-CBA concentration and inoculation percentage were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). 58 experiments were designed according to Historical Data, because of the arbitrary selection of experiments, and the combined effects of the... 

This paper presents a comprehensive comparison between job-level dynamic scheduling algorithms on real-time multiprocessor environments using simulation. Earliest Deadline First (EDF) and Least Laxity First (LLF) are two well-known and extensively applied dynamic scheduling algorithms which have been proved to be optimal on uniprocessor systems. However, neither is shown to be optimal on multiprocessors. Many researches have already been done on aforementioned algorithms, but to the best of our knowledge, none of which has compared the efficiency of the two algorithms under similar conditions. Perhaps the main reason is that LLF algorithm is fully dynamic and impractical to implement. In... 

In this study, polypropylene/clay nanocomposites were prepared by melt blending method and their thermal conductivity and the thermal conductivity of polypropylene/multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites were investigated and modeled. It is found that the thermal conductivity of the PP/Clay and PP/MWCNT nanocomposites is increased with increasing temperature. The thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites is improved due to incorporation of nanoclay and MWCNT compared with pure PP matrix  

In this contribution a new approach to perform spatial integration is presented using a dielectric slab. Our approach is indeed based on the fact that the transmission coefficient of a simple dielectric slab at its mode excitation angle matches the Fourier-Green's function of first-order integration. Inspired by the mentioned dielectric-based integrator, we further demonstrate its graphene-based counterpart. The latter is not only reconfigurable but also highly miniaturized in contrast to the previously reported designs [Opt. Commun. 338, 457 (2015)]. Such integrators have the potential to be used in ultrafast analog computation and signal processing. © 2017 Optical Society of America  

In this research, data on liquid-liquid extraction of platinum from commercial spent catalysts by trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO) in toluene were experimentally obtained. Alkaline metal salts were used to optimize the separation process. Best Salting-out effect was obtained by KCl which extracted up to 90% of platinum utilizing TOPO. Furthermore, extraction percentages of Pt and Al depending upon different factors were investigated. It was observed that the extraction process was kinetically fast and achieving the equilibrium time took less than 30 seconds. Optimized points obtained utilizing response surface methodology (RSM) by the "Design Expert" software in order to minimize the... 

A new reduced-order modeling approach is presented. This approach is based on fluid eigenmodes and without using the static correction. The vortex lattice method is used to analyze unsteady flows over two-dimensional airfoils and three-dimensional wings. Eigenanalysis and reduced-order modeling are performed using a conventional method with and without the static correction technique. In addition to the conventional method, eigenanalysis and reduced-order modeling are also performed using the new proposed method, that is, without static correction requirement. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed method. Based on the... 

Statistical and biochemical studies have revealed nonrandom patterns in codon assignments. The canonical genetic code is known to be highly efficient in minimizing the effects of mistranslational errors and point mutations, since it is known that, when an amino acid is converted to another due to error, the biochemical properties of the resulted amino acid are usually very similar to those of the original one. In this study, we have taken into consideration both relative frequencies of amino acids and relative gene copy frequencies of tRNAs in genomic sequences in order to introduce a fitness function which models the mistranslational probabilities more accurately in modern organisms. The... 

Automatic cell segmentation has various applications in different parts of science. The development of automated methods for cell segmentation, remains challenging in situations where there are touching cells. In this paper we propose a new method for separating touching cells. As the first step, we use a combination of graph segmentation algorithm and thresholding for segmenting foreground objects and producing a binary image. Next, boundary points of separation zone are selected by using a corner detection algorithm. Finally, the marker controller watershed transform is applied to separate touching cells at selected points. © 2008 IEEE  

Stable control of water level of drum is of great importance for economic operation of power plant steam generator systems. In this paper, a linear model of the boiler unit with time varying parameters is used for simulation. Two transfer functions between drum water level (output variable) and feed-water and steam mass rates (input variables) are considered. Variation of model parameters may be arisen from disturbances affecting water level of drum, model uncertainties and parameter mismatch due to the variant operating conditions. To achieve a perfect tracking of the desired drum water level, two sliding mode controllers are designed separately. Results show that the designed controllers... 

Studying the reliability of cracked structures under different types of failure modes such as a mixture of Mode I and Mode II loadings has been of great importance in many applications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of different modes of loading, i.e. pure Mode I, pure Mode II and Mixed mode I/II loadings on the reliability of cracked structures via three typical case studies including 1st: through crack in a very wide plate, 2nd: cracked pressurized fuselage and 3rd: cracked fastener holes under actual geometries and loading conditions using the FORM, the fracture toughness and the equivalent SIF for Mixed mode I/II loading which is extracted by the Energy release... 

Blood transfusion services are vital components of healthcare systems all over the world. In this paper, a generalized network optimization model is developed for a complex blood supply chain in accordance with Iranian blood transfusion organization (IBTO) structure. This structure consist of four types facilities. Blood collection centers, blood collection and processing centers, mobile teams and blood transfusion center have various duties in IBTO structure. The major contribution is to develop a novel hybrid approach based on stochastic programming, ε-constraint and robust optimization (HSERO) to simultaneously model two types of uncertainties by including stochastic scenarios for total...