Sharif Digital Repository

The fractal structure and scaling properties of a 2d slice of the 3d Ising model is studied using Monte Carlo techniques. The percolation transition of geometric spin (GS) clusters is found to occur at the Curie point, reflecting the critical behavior of the 3d model. The fractal dimension and the winding angle statistics of the perimeter and external perimeter of the geometric spin clusters at the critical point suggest that, if conformally invariant in the scaling limit, they can be described by the theory of Schramm-Löwner evolution (SLE κ) with diffusivity of κ=5 and 16/5, respectively, putting them in the same universality class as the interfaces in 2d tricritical Ising model. It is... 

In this paper, the problem of sending n-bit of data from a client to a server using an asymmetric communication channel is discussed where the line bandwidth from server to client is much higher than that of client to server. The goal is to provide a protocol for this problem so that the average number of actual bits sent by client to server becomes as low as possible. Assuming that data is drawn from an arbitrary distribution D, the average number of bits sent by client to server cannot be less than H(D), where H(D) is the binary entropy of D. This problem was first considered by Adler and Maggs [1]. They assumed that the distribution of D is known only by the server and introduced a... 

We have studied the isoheight lines on the WO3 surface as a physical candidate for conformally invariant curves. We have shown that these lines are conformally invariant with the same statistics of domain walls in the critical Ising model. They belong to the family of conformal invariant curves called Schramm-Loewner evolution (or SLEκ), with diffusivity of κ∼3. This can be regarded as the first experimental observation of SLE curves. We have also argued that Ballistic Deposition (BD) can serve as a growth model giving rise to contours with similar statistics at large scales. © 2008 The American Physical Society  

We investigate some aspects of the c = -2 logarithmic conformal field theory (LCFT). At first, we calculate some correlators of logarithmic conformal fields which have third order singular OPE with the energymomentum tensor. Then, we argue about the fields in the c = -2 model which are associated with this kind of more general logarithmic primary fields. We go on to find fermionic representations for all the fields in the extended Kac table, in particular the untwisted sector. Moreover, we calculate the various OPEs of the fields, especially for the logarithmic energy-momentum tensor and by using these OPEs we find the exact finite transformation of this field. We briefly discuss about the... 

Correlations between electrical and thermal conduction in polymer composites are blurred due to the complex contribution of charge and heat carriers at the nanoscale junctions of filler particles. Conflicting reports on the lack or existence of thermal percolation in polymer composites have made it the subject of great controversy for decades. Here, we develop a generalized percolation framework that describes both electrical and thermal conductivity within a remarkably wide range of filler-to-matrix conductivity ratios (Y f / Y m), covering 20 orders of magnitude. Our unified theory provides a genuine classification of electrical conductivity with typical Y f / Y m ≥ 10 10 as... 

Software-defined networks (SDNs) provide customizable traffic control by storing numerous rules in on-chip memories with minimal access latency. However, the current on-chip memory capacity falls short of meeting the growing demands of SDN control applications. While rule eviction and aggregation strategies address this challenge at the switch level, programmable data planes enable a more flexible approach through cooperative rule caching. However, current solutions rely on computationally intensive off-the-shelf solvers to perform rule placement across the network. In this paper, we present an efficient solution for the cooperative rule caching problem. We first present the design of a... 

Statistical behavior and scaling properties of isoheight lines in three different saturated two-dimensional grown surfaces with controversial universality classes are investigated using ideas from Schramm-Loewner evolution (SLEκ). We present some evidence that the isoheight lines in the ballistic deposition (BD), Eden and restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) models have conformally invariant properties all in the same universality class as the self-avoiding random walk (SAW), equivalently SLE8/3. This leads to the conclusion that all these discrete growth models fall into the same universality class as the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) equation in two dimensions  

This paper presents a hybrid adaptive network based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), computer simulation and time series algorithm to estimate and predict electricity consumption estimation. The difficulty with electricity consumption estimation modeling approach such as time series is the reason for proposing the hybrid approach of this study. The algorithm is ideal for uncertain, ambiguous and complex estimation and forecasting. Computer simulation is developed to generate random variables for monthly electricity consumption. Various structures of ANFIS are examined and the preferred model is selected for estimation by the proposed algorithm. Finally, the preferred ANFIS and time series... 

The configuration of landmarks is an important issue in minimizing the target registration error (TRE). In this paper the effect of different landmark configurations on the accuracy of pedicle screw placement during image guided spine surgery (IGSS) is investigated. Since the spine is deformed in intra-operative conditions compared to the preoperative situation, an accurate alignment of each vertebra is crucial to compensate for the deformation. CT compatible markers are placed over anatomical landmarks which are feasible and routinely used in surgical procedures. The TRE is obtained directly for the markers which are placed on the right and left pedicle of the vertebra. The estimated TRE... 

Experimental investigations are performed in order to determine the thermal conductivity of NiFe2O4 nanoparticles dispersed in deionized water. The magnetic nanoparticles are synthesized using a microemulsion method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), and vibration sample magnetometer (VSM) are used to characterize the structure, the size and the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles. The VSM results disclose that the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles are ferromagnetic at room temperature. Experimental measurements on thermal conductivity of the prepared nanofluids are conducted at different volume concentrations between 0% and 2% and in the temperature range of... 

The performance of the tower based concentrated solar thermal (CST-tower) plant is very sensitive to the operation strategy of the plant and the incident heat flux on the receiver. To date, most studies have been examined only the design mode characteristics of the cavity receivers, but this paper significantly expands the literature by considering non-design operating conditions of this important sub-component of the CST-tower plants. A feasible non-design operating conditions of the cavity receivers that was considered in this study is the storage mode of operation. Two practical dynamic control strategies were examined then to find the most efficient approach: fixed solar field mass... 

Coating of graphite flakes with MgO/carbon nanocomposite was carried out via gaseous state reaction between mixture of Mg metal, CO gas and graphite flakes at 1000 °C. XRD and FE-SEM analysis of coating showed that the coating was comprised of MgO nano particles and amorphous carbon distributed smoothly and covered the graphite surface evenly. Thermodynamic calculations were employed to predict the reaction sequences as well as phase stability. The effect of coating on water wettability and oxidation resistance of graphite was studied using contact angle measurement and TG analysis, respectively. It was demonstrated that the reaction between Mg and CO could result in MgO/C nanocomposite... 

The voltammetric behavior of dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA) on a gold electrode modified with self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of cysteamine (CA) conjugated with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) was investigated. The film modifier of functionalized SAM was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and also, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using para-hydroquinone (PHQ) as a redox probe. For the binary mixture of DA and UA, the voltammetric signals of these two compounds can be well separated from each other, allowing simultaneous determination of DA and UA. The effect of various experimental parameters on the voltammetric responses of DA and... 

Collapsible soils such as loess are particular types of problematic soils, whose collapse potential have caused severe damages to the buildings and structures. Loess is susceptible to large and sudden volume reduction upon wetting in constant normal stress or upon increasing normal stress in constant water content or a combination of these two stress paths. In this research both of these collapse induced paths: wetting and stress paths are investigated on undisturbed specimens of a Loess to observe the effect of various parameters on the collapse behavior of the tested soil., Seven controlled matric suction unsaturated oedometer tests have been conducted on undisturbed specimens taken from... 

We investigate the statistics of isoheight lines of (2+1) -dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang model at different level sets around the mean height in the saturation regime. We find that the exponent describing the distribution of the height-cluster size behaves differently for level cuts above and below the mean height, while the fractal dimensions of the height-clusters and their perimeters remain unchanged. The statistics of the winding angle confirms the previous observation that these contour lines are in the same universality class as self-avoiding random walks. © 2009 The American Physical Society  

We propose a novel framework for incorporating unlabeled data into semi-supervised classification problems, where scenarios involving the minimization of either i) adversarially robust or ii) non-robust loss functions have been considered. Notably, we allow the unlabeled samples to deviate slightly (in total variation sense) from the in-domain distribution. The core idea behind our framework is to combine Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) with self-supervised training. As a result, we also leverage efficient polynomial-time algorithms for the training stage. From a theoretical standpoint, we apply our framework on the classification problem of a mixture of two Gaussians in Rd, where... 

Spinal fusion permanently connects two or more vertebrae in spine to improve stability, correct a deformity or reduce pain by immobilizing the vertebrae through pedicle screw fixation. Pedicle screws should be inserted very carefully to prevent possible irrecoverable damages to the spinal cord. Surgeons use CT/fluoroscopic images to find how to insert the screws safely. However, there is still human error, as determining precise trajectory in 3D space is difficult because of asymmetric structure of pedicle. In this study we attempt to propose a shape based method to help the surgeons to find the more accurate and safe path for screw insertion that minimizes the risk or invasiveness of the...