Sharif Digital Repository

We propose an effective model for an exponentially expanding universe in the brane-world scenario. The setup consists of a 5D black hole and a brane close to the black hole horizon. In case the brane acquires a specific configuration, which we deduce from stability arguments, the induced metric outside the black hole horizon on the brane becomes de Sitter in static coordinates. Studying the Einstein equations perturbatively we find the effective gravity on the brane at this level and derive the 4D gravitational constant. Considering a homogeneous and isotropic fluid in the corresponding FLRW coordinates we find that the bulk fluid density inside the brane, which has the same equation of... 

It is challenging to construct explicit and controllable models that realize de Sitter solutions in string compactifications. This difficulty is the main motivation for the refined de Sitter conjecture and the trans-Planckian censorship conjecture which forbid stable de Sitter solutions but allow metastable, unstable and rolling solutions in a theory consistent with quantum gravity. Inspired by this, we first study a toy de Sitter no-scale supergravity model and show that for particular choices of parameters it can be consistent with the refined de Sitter conjecture and the trans-Planckian censorship conjecture. Then we modify the model by adding rolling dynamics and show that the theory can... 

The vacuum sector of the Brans-Dicke theory is studied from the viewpoint of a non-conformally invariant gravitational model. We show that, this theory can be conformally symmetrized using an appropriate conformal transformation. The resulting theory allows a particle interpretation, and suggests that the quantum aspects of matter may be geometrized  

We derive exact dispersion relations for axial and flexural elastic wave motion in a rod and a beam under finite deformation. For axial motion we consider a simple rod model, and for flexural motion we employ the Euler-Bernoulli kinematic hypothesis and consider both a conventional transverse motion model and an inextensional planar motion model. The underlying formulation uses the Cauchy stress and the Green-Lagrange strain without omission of higher order terms. For all models, we consider linear constitutive relations in order to isolate the effect of finite motion. The proposed theory, however, is applicable to problems that also exhibit material nonlinearity. For the rod model, we... 

5-Ammonium valeric acid (AVA) is a frequently used additive in the preparation of lead halide perovskites. However, its microscopic role as passivating, cross-linking, or templating agent is far from clear. In this work, we provide density functional theory-based structural models for the Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases of AVA2(CH3NH3)n-1PbnI3n+1 for n = 1, 2, and 3 and validate with experimental data on polycrystalline samples for n = 1. The structural and electronic properties of the AVA-based RP phases are compared to the ones of other linker families. In contrast to aromatic and aliphatic spacers without additional functional groups, the RP phases of AVA are characterized by the formation... 

The characteristics of a cavitation water tunnel test setup and the experiments of cavitation around a circular cylinder with free stream turbulence are presented in this paper. The Reynolds number of flow is limited in the range of 1.26 × 105 to 3 × 105 and the far upstream flow has free turbulence. Drag force, back pressure, location of cavitation inception, length of cavity and appearance of cavitation are measured or observed and their results are presented here. It was found that the cavitation effects on the boundary layer and separation of flow over the cylinder and drag force become minimum at the cavitation number of 1.94. The cavitation inception occurs in the sub-layer and at an... 

The respiratory system is a vital organ system which makes breathing and gas exchange possible for human's body. The loss of functionality in this system is due to either genetical problems or environmental issues like pollution or toxic gases which in many cases is inevitable. These circumstances may cause different respiratory diseases which may not be curable presently but their side effects can be partly controlled by careful and timely analysis improving the quality of patient's life. So, an appropriate device for conducting different analysis can be effective for people who suffer from respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung... 

We consider the problem of minimizing rank of a matrix under linear and nonlinear matrix inequality constraints. This problem arises in diverse applications such as estimation, control and signal processing and it is known to be computationally NP-hard even when constraints are linear. In this paper, we first formulize the RMP as an optimization problem with linear objective and simple nonlinear semialgebraic constraints. We then proceed to solve the problem with augmented Lagrangian method known in nonlinear optimization. Despite of other heuristic and approximate methods in the subject, this method guarantees to find the global optimum in the sense that it does not depends on the choice of... 

In this paper, the intra-cell link adaptation problem is formulated as a constrained nonconvex nondifferentiable optimization problem to maximize the average link throughput while guaranteeing the best possible coverage reliability. We proceed to solve the resulted nonsmooth optimization problem using proximal point bundle method known in nondifferentiable optimization context. For this purpose, we first exploit the problem structure and reduce the original large scale optimization problem to a sequence of one-dimensional problems coordinated by a master program using direct primal decomposition technique. Proximal bundle method with aggregation policy is then adopted in master program to... 

The kinetics and equilibrium of isomerization reaction of D-glucose to D-fructose have been investigated using a commercial immobilized glucose isomer ase (IGI), Sweetzyme type IT®, in a batch stirred-tank reactor. The batch experimental data were used to model the reaction kinetics using the well-known Michaelis-Menten rate expression. The kinetic model was utilized in a dynamic-mathematical model for a packed-bed reactor to predict the concentration profiles of D-glucose and D-fructose within the reactor. The experimental results for the fractional conversion of D-glucose in the packed-bed reactor of IGI catalyst indicated that the model prediction of the transient and steady-state... 

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) aggregation pressure causes extensive strains in cell segments. The compression of each segment takes place through the cell modeling method. In addition, a very heterogeneous compressive load is produced because of the recurrent channel rib design of the dipole plates, so that while high strains are provided below the rib, the domain continues in its initial uncompressed case under the ducts approximate to it. This leads to significant spatial variations in thermal and electrical connections and contact resistances (both in rib–GDL and membrane–GDL interfaces). Variations in heat, charge, and mass transfer rates within the GDL can affect the... 

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEM-FC) aggregation pressure causes extensive strains in cell segments. The compression of each segment takes place through the cell modeling method. In addition, a very heterogeneous compressive load is produced because of the recurrent channel rib design of the dipole plates, so that while high strains are provided below the rib, the domain continues in its initial uncompressed case under the ducts approximate to it. This leads to significant spatial variations in thermal and electrical connections and contact resistances (both in rib–GDL and membrane–GDL interfaces). Variations in heat, charge, and mass transfer rates within the GDL can affect the... 

Establishing high-quality communication in construction projects is essential to securing successful collaboration and maintaining understanding among project stakeholders. Indeed, poor communication results in low productivity, poor efficiency, and substandard deliverables. While high-quality communication is recognized as contingent on the interpersonal skills of workers, the impacts of communication quality on job performance remain unknown. This study addresses this deficiency by developing a method to evaluate construction workers' communication quality. A literature review is undertaken to capture salient interpersonal skills. Leadership style, listening, team building, and clarifying... 

The interaction between two spherical colloidal particles with degenerate planar anchoring in a nematic media is studied by numerically minimizing the bulk Landau-de Gennes and surface energy using a finite element method. We find that the energy achieves its global minimum when the particles are in close contact and forming an angle = 28°± 2 with respect to the bulk nematic director, in agreement with the experiments. Although the quadrupolar structure of the director field is preserved in the majority of configurations, we show that for smaller orientation angles and at smaller inter-particle separations, the axial symmetry of the topological defect-pairs is continuously broken, resulting... 

In this study, it is aimed to compare the efficiency of ultrasonic wave technology on asphaltene flocculation inhibition of crude oils with different American Petroleum Institute (API) gravities. A set of confocal microscopy test is performed and a series of statistical analysis is done. According to the results of this study, there is an optimum radiation time for both crudes at which the viscosity and the flocculation rate of asphaltenic crude oils reduces to its minimum. This optimum appears at later times of radiation for extra heavy oil. Also, it is shown that the rate of changes in the properties measured in this study is sharper for extra heavy crude oil. It could be concluded that... 

Background: Poor balance performance and impaired postural control have been frequently reported in patients with low back pain.However, postural control is rarely monitored during the course of treatment even though poor postural control may contribute tochronicity and recurrence of symptoms. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the effect of a nonextensible lumbosacralorthosis (LSO) versus routine physical therapy on postural stability of patients with nonspecific chronic low back pain.Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial conducted between November 2015 and May 2016 at the outpatient physical therapyclinic of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences. Patients with... 

Background: A few clinical trials have examined the effect of treatment interventions on postural control in patients with chronic low back pain, all of which have exclusively evaluated postural stability using traditional linear measures of postural sway. However, postural control improvement cannot be determined by exclusively relying on linear measurements, because these parameters provide no information on underlying motor control mechanisms. Objective: This study aimed to compare the effect of using lumbosacral orthoses (LSO) together with routine physical therapy, compared to routine physical therapy alone on postural control, using nonlinear analysis techniques. Methods: Forty-four...