Sharif Digital Repository

We show that in the continuum limit watersheds dividing drainage basins are Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE) curves, being described by one single parameter κ. Several numerical evaluations are applied to ascertain this. All calculations are consistent with SLEκ, with κ=1.734±0.005, being the only known physical example of an SLE with κ<2. This lies outside the well-known duality conjecture, bringing up new questions regarding the existence and reversibility of dual models. Furthermore, it constitutes a strong indication for conformal invariance in random landscapes and suggests that watersheds likely correspond to a logarithmic conformal field theory with a central charge c-7/2  

A novel robust image-adaptive digital watermarking algorithm using Multi-Resolution Singular value Decomposition (MR-SVD) is proposed in this paper. The proposed method strengthens the watermark based on the concept of entropy masking, while meeting the mark imperceptibility requirement. Experimental results show that the proposed method improves watermarking performance over watermarking methods in wavelet domain transform, in terms of both invisibility and robustness. © 2005 IEEE  

A new robust image adaptive digital watermarking algorithm in wavelet transform domain is proposed in this paper. The proposed method exploits Human Visual System (HVS) characteristics and entropy masking concept to determine image adaptive thresholds for selection of perceptually significant coefficients. The mark is embedded in the coefficients of all subbands including the LL subband. Experimental results show that the proposed method significantly improves watermarking performance over conventional methods, in the terms of invisibility and robustness  

Alaboratory testing program was conducted to investigate the effects of microstructure on the water retention curve (WRC) and wetting-drying induced volume change in loess. The axis translation and vapor equilibrium techniques were adopted to control suction in the range of 0-400 kPa and 4-140 MPa, respectively. Hysteresis in the WRC of loess was observed for the entire range of suction studied. Compared to re-compacted loess, intact loess exhibits a more pronounced hysteresis in the suction range below 20 kPa, which can be explained by the ink-bottle pore neck effect or constricted pores. The hypothesis is supported by microstructural evidence of mercury intrusion porosimetry and scanning... 

The proper design of the urban infrastructure is crucial to develop civilization in a developing area. While there are dozens of managerial suggestions to go along with the static aspects of components in urban infrastructure design, hardly any piece of advice may be found to ensure dynamic outcomes of the whole design in advance. In this paper, a novel system dynamics model is introduced and applied in this context as a contribution to fill the research gap. The modular nature of the model development helps to alleviate the challenge of simultaneous design of components and system, with the potential capability of both static and dynamic verification. It allows the decision aider to observe... 

In the present paper we investigate the problem of water propagation in 2 dimensional (2D) petroleum reservoir in which each site has the probability p of being occupied. We first analyze this propagation pattern described by Darcy equations by focusing on its geometrical features. We find that the domain-walls of this model at p=pc ≃ 0.59 are Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLE) curves with κ=3.05 ∓ 0.1 consistent with the Ising universality class. We also numerically show that the fractal dimension of these domain-walls at p=pc is Df ≃ 1.38 consistent with SLEκ=3. Along with this analysis, we introduce a self-organized critical (SOC) model in which the water movement is modeled by a chain of... 

The study of water hammer in air-water, two-phase flows in hydraulic structures such as pressurized pipelines and tunnels, siphons, culverts, and junctions is of great importance for design purposes. Water hammer if combined with a periodic slug flow would lead to severe periodic transient pressure fluctuations inside the conduit. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate waterhammer pressure inside a horizontal rectangular conduit carrying a two-phase, air-water slug flow. Tests were performed in an experimental apparatus comprising a 6.8-m-long transparent pipeline 0.06 m wide and 0.1 m high. By rapidly closing a control gate at the end of the conduit, propagating pressure... 

Water dispersed magnetic nanoparticles (DMNPs) of γ-Fe 2O3 represent a simple and green catalyst for the rapid three-component synthesis of tetrahydro-4H-chromene and hexahydroquinoline carboxylate skeletons via single-pot domino Knoevenagel-Michael-cyclization reactions  

Water adsorption by bis-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) during the extraction of zinc, cobalt and nickel using a D2EHPA-kerosene/H2O mixture is investigated. Based on the experimental results, about 1 mol of water is adsorbed by 2 mol of D2EHPA (which exists in the form of a dimer), irrespective of the pH. Water adsorption decreases with presence of zinc, cobalt and nickel. The stoichiometric coefficients of D2EHPA in water adsorption reactions are determined with and without zinc, cobalt and nickel by applying the slope-analysis method. It is experimentally confirmed that 1.0, 1.8 and 1.2 mol of adsorbed water will be rejected from the organic phase when zinc, cobalt and nickel are... 

Various technological methods are available for industrial wastewater treatment (WWT), ranging from conventional to advanced treatment processes. It is therefore a complex exercise to select the most appropriate technology to treat the industrial wastewater in a particular situation. Many criteria can be considered in the decision-making process; therefore, multicriteria decision-making methods are especially appropriate for solving this problem. In this paper, we aim to select the most appropriate municipal WWT technology for agricultural usages. We propose a new hybrid methodology based on the best–worst method (BWM) and the behavioral technique for order of preference by similarity to the... 

Most of the vehicle pollutants during emission tests are raised from catalyst inefficiency during cold start. Catalysts usually convert harmful emissions only when their temperature reaches around 250 °C to 350 °C. In this research, the vortex tube is implemented to recover the waste heat energy of exhaust gas during the cold start to improve catalyst heating. The experiments are conducted on the turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engine to extract the boundary conditions of numerical simulations. Numerical simulations are performed to evaluate the effects of different hot exhaust mass fractions on the flow regime and waste heat recovery. The results reveal that the level of turbulence... 

In this study, the optimum curing temperature and alkaline solution-to-binder (S:B) ratio of geopolymer mortars based on waste ceramic powder (WCP) were investigated. For this purpose, mixes with S:B ratios of 0.4–0.7 were prepared and cured at 60, 75, 90, and 105 °C. The density, compressive and flexural strengths were measured at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. Higher S:B ratios enhanced the flow of the fresh mortar. The optimum mortar was obtained for S:B ratio of 0.6 and curing temperature of 90 °C. The SEM analysis revealed that the optimal mix had a dense matrix with minimum pores. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd  

Wannier functions are real space basis functions which are not unique due to an arbitrary phase factor in the Bloch envelope function. We exploit this property to optimize a spread functional numerically using an accelerated steepest descent, and obtain the maximally confined set of Wannier functions, which are obtained for the first time in the area of planar plasmonics and conducting interfaces  

The classification of biological sequences is an open issue for a variety of data sets, such as viral and metagenomics sequences. Therefore, many studies utilize neural network tools, as the well-known methods in this field, and focus on designing customized network structures. However, a few works focus on more effective factors, such as input encoding method or implementation technology, to address accuracy and efficiency issues in this area. Therefore, in this work, we propose an image-based encoding method, called as WalkIm, whose adoption, even in a simple neural network, provides competitive accuracy and superior efficiency, compared to the existing classification methods (e.g. VGDC,... 

This study aims to assess the impact of the spacing between cylinders on their dynamic behaviour. Observations during this experiment have helped to identify the effect of spacing on excitation mechanism of each cylinder as well as establishing the relationship between cylinders response and the spacing between them. Arrays of cylindrical Structures in close proximity are common in variety of engineering structures, particularly in the offshore industry. If the cylinders are flexible, and are subject to excitation from fluid flow, then the dynamics is influenced by complex interactions between the cylinders, dependent on a variety of parameters. Two cylinders were flexibly mounted in tandem... 

Three dimensional responses of riser subjected to Vortex Induced Vibration (VIV) are investigated. Proportionality relations of stress and fatigue damage are mentioned. A computer code has been developed for time domain modeling of VIV of riser accounting for both Cross-Flow (CF) and In-Line (IL) vibration. The wake oscillator model is used to calculate the VIV of each strip. The wake oscillators are coupled to the dynamics of the long riser, while the Newmark-beta method is used for evaluating the structural dynamics of riser. The wake dynamics, including IL and CF vibrations, is represented using a pair of non-linear Van der Pol equations that solved using modified Euler method. The... 

Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Mobile WiMAX) is a wireless access technology based on IEEE 802.16e. The two most important concepts are introduced in the MAC layer of Mobile WiMAX networks, handover and load balancing. In this paper, we have focused on balancing the load of the system, using handover mechanisms suggested by mobile WiMAX. The proposed algorithm, WQLB, concentrates on controlling the system load and keeping it in a balanced state by using a handover process. Also, the algorithm is designed to utilize resources efficiently, supporting QoS. As load definition is an essential criterion in load balancing algorithms, we have suggested a new load model for... 

A new computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for detecting malignant melanoma from dermoscopy images based on a fixed grid wavelet network (FGWN) is proposed. This novel approach is unique in at least three ways: (i) the FGWN is a fixed WN which does not require gradient-type algorithms for its construction, (ii) the construction of FGWN is based on a new regressor selection technique: D-optimality orthogonal matching pursuit (DOOMP), and (iii) the entire CAD system relies on the proposed FGWN. These characteristics enhance the integrity and reliability of the results obtained from different stages of automatic melanoma diagnosis. The DOOMP algorithm optimises the network model approximation... 

With the recent development in Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) technologies, several studies have suggested using them as an alternative to SRAMs in on-chip caches. However, limited endurance of NVMs is a major challenge when employed in the caches. This paper proposes a data manipulation technique, so-called Wearout Informed Pattern Elimination (WIPE), to improve the endurance of NVM-based caches by reducing the activity of frequent data patterns. Simulation results show that WIPE improves the endurance by up to 93% with negligible overheads. © 2017 IEEE  

A two-stage hydrogen-reduction/sintering procedure was used to synthesize W-15 wt%Cu nano-composite tablets. Hydrogen-reduction was carried out at 600, 650, 700 and 750 °C for 15-90 min and sintering was performed at 1100, 1150, 1200 and 1250 °C for 60 min. Morphology and grain size of the products were rigorously investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and nano-particle Zeta-sizer. Maximum consolidation of the nano-composite product was achieved at 1200 °C. Hydrogen-reduction at 700 °C for 90 min showed an average particle size of ∼72.9 nm. Total reduction was achieved at higher temperatures and longer times. The mixture had a homogeneous structure...