Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper, we propose utilizing multiple optical phase conjugate (OPC) modules along fiber spans, in order to improve the performance of coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) communication systems in long-haul fiber-optic channels. The role of OPC in CO-OFDM systems is investigated by formulating the four-wave mixing (FWM) process generated along a CO-OFDM with two and three OPCs. Analytical results reveal that increasing the number of OPC modules reduces the average FWM power along the transmission link and as a result mitigates the degrading effect of interaction between amplified spontaneous emission noise and FWM. The proposed schemes have also been... 

In this study, the polarization and navigation of neuronal cells was studied in response to quantified gradients of nerve growth factor (NGF). To accomplish this, a microfluidic device was designed and fabricated to generate stable concentration gradients of biomolecules in a cell culture chamber within a 3D microenvironment. Numerical simulation was implemented to optimize the device geometry for generating a uniform concentration gradient of NGF which was found to remain stable for multiple hours. Neural Stem/ Progenitor Cell (NSCs) migration and differentiation was studied within this microfluidic device in response to NGF concentration and within a 3D environment of collagen matrix.... 

Using cluster-based density functional theory we investigate adsorption configurations of an acetophenone molecule on a Si(001) surface and their follow-up proton transfer processes. We examine two possible types of dative-adsorption configurations, up-right standing and flat, as well as compute their follow-up kinetically preferable on-dimer, interdimer, and inter-row proton transfers. Energetics of possible conversions between the achieved adsorption configurations are computed as well. Using all the data obtained, we theoretically illustrate reaction pathways leading to detached hydrogen positions captured in STM imaging of a Si(001) surface exposed to acetophenone vapor at room... 

This paper deals with irrational transfer functions having monotonic nondecreasing step responses. Firstly, some results on the monotonicity of step responses in irrational transfer functions describing fractional- or distributed-order systems are presented. Then, some conditions guaranteeing the existence of monotonic nondecreasing step responses in more general forms of irrational transfer functions are found. Various examples are brought to show the usefulness of the obtained results in time response analysis of fractional/distributed-order systems. The achievements of the paper can be used in the design of control systems having monotonic step responses  

Ring rolling is one of the most significant methods for producing rings with highly precise dimensions and superior qualities such as high strength uniformity, all accomplished without wasting any materials. In this article, we have achieved analytical formulas for calculating the pressure and shear friction over the contact arcs between the rollers and ring in the ring rolling process for the material in general nonlinear hardening property. We have also asserted the best mathematical model to predict friction for rolling processes. The method we use is based on calculating the analytical stress distribution. In other words, by using of Saint-Venan principal the stress components are... 

Within elasticity theory, the reduced form of a displacement field is obtained for general cross-ply composite laminates subjected to a bending moment. The firstorder shear deformation theory of plates and Reddy's layerwise theory are then utilized to determine the global deformation parameters and the local deformation parameters appearing in the displacement fields, respectively. For a special set of boundary conditions an elasticity solution is developed to verify the validity and accuracy of the layerwise theory. Finally, various numerical results are presented within the layerwise theory for edge-effect problems of several cross-ply laminates under the bending moment. The results... 

One of the most important issues in railway wheels is residual stresses. It is desirable to produce less residual stresses when possible and to decrease the remaining residual stresses in the wheels. The objective of this paper is to provide an estimation of the residual stresses in the rail wheel caused by the stress field from heat treatment process of a railway wheel. A three-dimensional nonlinear stress analysis model has been applied to estimate stress fields of the railway mono-block wheel in heat treatment process. After forging or casting, railway wheels are heat-treated to induce the desirable circumferential compressive residual stress in the upper rim. Finite element analysis... 

Nanostructured TiO2-Al2O3 films and powders were prepared by a straightforward aqueous particulate sol-gel route. Titanium (IV) isopropoxide and aluminum chloride were used as precursors, and hydroxypropyl cellulose was used as a polymeric fugitive agent in order to increase the porosity. The effect of Al:Ti molar ratio was studied on the crystallization behavior of the products. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that the powders crystallized at 800°C, containing anatase-TiO2, rutile-TiO2 and cubic-Al2O3 phases. Furthermore, it was found that Al2O3 retarded the anatase to rutile transformation. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) image showed that one of the smallest crystallite sizes was... 

This study investigates the role of cell-cell and cell-ligand interactions in cytoskeleton organization of endothelial cells (ECs) and their directional migration within a microfluidic device. The migration of ECs in response to a biochemical factor was studied. Mathematical analysis of the cell migration pathways and cellular cytoskeleton revealed that directional migration, migration persistence length, migration speed, and cytoskeletal stress fiber alignment can be mediated by the level of cell contacts as well as the presence or absence of a biochemical polarizing factor. It was shown that in the presence of a biochemical polarizing factor, higher cell density and more frequent cell... 

There has been a rapidly growing interest in optoelectronic properties of graphene and associated structures. Despite the general belief on absence of spontaneous emission in graphene, which is normally attributed to its unique ultrafast carrier momentum relaxation mechanisms, there exist a few recent evidences of strong optical gain and spontaneous light emission from monolayer graphene, supported by observations of dominant role of out-of-plane excitons in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this paper, we develop a novel concept of light emission and optical gain from simple vertical graphene/dielectric tunnel junctions. It is theoretically shown that the possible optical gain or... 

This study deals with the investigation of the magnitude-frequency responses of all-pole fractional order systems in the viewpoint of extrema existence in these responses. In this investigation, a sufficient algebraic condition, two necessary algebraic conditions, and a necessary and sufficient algebraic condition are obtained to guarantee the non-existence of extrema in the magnitude-frequency response of all-pole fractional order systems. Some examples are presented to show the effectiveness of the results of the paper  

Electroencephalography (EEG)-based functional brain networks have been investigated frequently in health and disease. It has been shown that a number of graph theory metrics are disrupted in brain disorders. EEG-based brain networks are often studied in the whole-brain framework, where all the nodes are grouped into a single network. In this study, we studied the brain networks in two hemispheres and assessed whether there are any hemispheric-specific patterns in the properties of the networks. To this end, resting state closed-eyes EEGs from 44 healthy individuals were processed and the network structures were extracted separately for each hemisphere. We examined neurophysiologically... 

The goal of the present study is to predict the formation of solidification induced defects in castings by thermal criteria functions. In a criterion function method, the heat transfer equation is firstly solved, and then the susceptibility of defect formation at every point in the casting is predicted by computing a local function, criterion function, using results of the thermal analysis. In the first part of the paper, some famous criteria functions, in particular, the Pellini and Niyama criteria, are analyzed and their shortcomings are discussed in details. Then, a new criterion function is suggested to decrease the shape-dependency issue of the former criteria. The feasibility of the... 

Finding the oscillatory region in the order space is one of the most challenging problems in nonlinear fractional-order systems. This paper proposes a method to find the possible oscillatory region in the order space for a nonlinear fractional-order system. The effectiveness of the proposed method in finding the oscillatory region and special order sets placed in its boundary is confirmed by presenting some examples  

Investigating the behavior of materials in plastic limit is very important in different fields of engineering. Due to the simplicity of implementation and numerical stability, implicit types of algorithms are conventionally used to deal with plasticity problems. The backward Euler method as a first order accurate algorithm has proven very efficient for integrating the rate form of differential equations governing the behavior of different plasticity models. However, it is desirable to have algorithms with superior performance and quadratic rate of convergence compared with backward Euler method. Many second order integration algorithms have been proposed in the literature which are majorly... 

This paper examines the relationship between human sin and divine hiddenness, drawing on views that are widely acknowledged within the Reformed tradition. It argues, f.irst, that according to these views there is no inculpable nonbelief, and thus, second, that a crucial premise in the atheistic argument from divine hiddenness is untenable. The overarching question here is: If there is a sensus divinitatis, is it possible to be an inculpable nonbeliever? To answer this question, the cognitive efffects of sin on our sensus divinitatis as a faculty of producing basic beliefs about God will be assessed. I conclude that the premise which many f.ind plausible-that there is inculpable nonbelief-is... 

A hybrid algorithm based on the finite element method, Monte Carlo model, and Hall-Petch relationship is utilized to predict the mechanical properties of the rods after cold forging at different degrees of deformations and heat treatments at different temperatures and times. The results show that the flow stress and hardness of the rods after forging and those of the forged rods after the heat treatments are decreased from their center to surface. However, with increasing the temperature and time of the heat treatment the flow stress and hardness are decreased, their effects are not considerable. In addition, the distribution of the mechanical properties of the forged rods after the heat... 

Segmentation of aerial images has been a challenging task in recent years. This paper introduces a simple and efficient method for segmentation and classification of aerial images based on a pixel-level classification. To this end, we use the Gabor texture features in HSV color space as our best experienced features for aerial images segmentation and classification. We test different classifiers including KNN, SVM and a classifier based on sparse representation. Comparison of our proposed method with a sample of segmentation pre-process based classification methods shows that our pixel-wise approach results in higher accuracy results with lower computation time  

Access to a prototype during R&D can play a crucial role in early identification of the weaknesses in the design. Under circumstances that a particular commercial subsystem with the exact required specific features is unavailable, the realization of such a prototype can be delayed. In this paper, an example of rapid prototyping for a dual-channel biosignal data acquisition system based on the open-source concept is described. The selected biosignal is the finger photoplethysmogram. Except for Matlab, all other software components are open-source. The hardware design of the optical sensor utilized to record the signals is also open-source, making the system extremely affordable with the... 

The structure of the translationally invariant noncommutative field theory in determined and the corresponding gauge theory is presented