Sharif Digital Repository

Mathematical modeling of the neuro-musculoskeletal system in healthy subjects has been pursued extensively. In post-stroke patients, however, such models are very primitive. Besides improving our general understanding of how stroke affects the limb motions, they can be used to evaluate rehabilitation strategies by computer simulations before clinical evaluations. A planar neuro-musculoskeletal arm model for post-stroke patients is developed. The main idea is to use a set of new coefficients, Muscle Significance Factors (MSF), to incorporate the effects of stroke in the muscle control performance. The model uses the optimal control theory to mimic the performance of the CNS and a two-link... 

In this paper basis-free expressions are derived for the stresses conjugate to the Jaumann rate of the general Eulerian strain measures. The component-form of the expressions is also presented. The basis-free results are compact and also valid for all different cases of distinct and coalescent principal stretches. As an example, the compact basis-free expressions for the stress conjugate to the Jaumann rate of logarithmic strain lnV are determined. © Springer-Verlag Wien 2007  

In the present paper, some new and compact basis-free expressions are derived for representing stresses conjugate to the Lagrangean Hill's strain measures. Solving a tensor equation in the form of AX + XA = C, a rather simple general expression is obtained for the conjugate stresses in the case of distinct principal stretches. The result decomposes the conjugate stresses additively into two parts, such that one part is coaxial with the right stretch tensor while another part is orthogonal to it. An expression for the case of double-coalescent principal stretches is also obtained. As an example of the general results, simple expressions are obtained for the stress conjugate to the logarithmic... 

The governing equations of motion, together with the associated boundary conditions, are derived for the second strain gradient Timoshenko micro- and nano-beams. The second strain gradient theory is a highly powerful nonclassical continuum theory, capable of capturing the size effects in micro- and nano-scale structures. In case studies, the static and free-vibration behaviors of a hinged-hinged beam are investigated utilizing the presented second strain gradient theory-based Timoshenko beam model. The obtained results are compared with those of the available models in the literature, which are based on the (first) strain gradient theory, the modified couple stress theory, and the classical... 

Droplet-based microfluidic logic gates have many applications in diagnostic assays and biosciences due to their automation and the ability to be cascaded. In spite of many bio-fluids, such as blood exhibit non-Newtonian characteristics, all the previous studies have been concerned with the Newtonian fluids. Moreover, none of the previous studies has investigated the operating regions of the logic gates. In this research, we consider a typical AND/OR logic gate with a power-law fluid. We study the effects of important parameters such as the power-law index, the droplet length, the capillary number, and the geometrical parameters of the microfluidic system on the operating regions of the... 

Access to clean water is one of the challenges of the 21st century. Thus water purification is inevitable. One method of water treatment is purification by magnetic particles in the presence of magnetic field. The contaminants are attached to the magnetic particles and then by applying a magnetic field, magnetic particles and, thus, the pollutants can be collected. For the optimal design of a water treatment system, the effect of important parameters in the design, such as magnetic fields, particle size, and Reynolds number are determined numerically by modeling and simulating the water treatment process. Two methods are used to create the magnetic field: permanent magnet and coils. It is... 

Droplet breakup in symmetric T-junctions is one of the important phenomena in droplet microfluidics. Many studies have been done about the droplet breakup but none of them has provided a general analytical solution for the droplet breakup. In this study, we present an analytical solution to investigate the effect of important parameters such as the capillary number, droplet length, and channel widths ratio. The analytical solution is validated using the numerical simulation. Using the analytical equation and numerical results, we propose a generalized relationship. This general equation can be used as a rule of thumb for droplet breakup predictions with high accuracy. The results indicate... 

Practical vibration-based nano-devices are normally subject to disturbances where intense vibrations reveal significant nonlinear characteristics. Efficient implementation of nonlinear nano-systems requires comprehensive knowledge of the nonlinear dynamics. Nonlinear vibration characterization of elastic nano-bars with large vibration amplitudes is rigorously examined in the present study. The fascinating concept of simulating long-range interactions can be realized in the framework of the nonlocal elasticity theory, and thus, nano-scale effects are taken into account in the framework of the stress-driven nonlocal integral elasticity. The equivalent nonlocal differential condition equipped... 

Cemented coarse-grained alluvium is present in a vast area of Tehran city. Iran including its suburbs. This deposit consists of gravely sand to sandy gravel with some cobbles and is dominantly cemented by carbonaceous materials. In order to understand the mechanical behaviour of this soil, a series of triaxial compression tests were performed on uncemented, artificially cemented and destructured samples. Hydrated lime was used as the cementation agent for sample preparation to model the Tehran deposit. The tests were performed on cemented samples after an appropriate time for curing. The tests on cemented samples show that a shear zone appears as the shear stress approaches the peak shear... 

N-1-naphthylphtalamic acid (naptalam) and its degradation products, 1-naphthylamine and N-(1-naphthyl) phthalimide were simultaneously determined in river water by two independent mass spectrometric (MS) methods. These were negative ion MS (NIMS) and programmable temperature vaporizer gas chromatography mass spectrometry (PTV-GC MS) with electron impact ionization (positive ions). Prior to the NIMS analysis, the samples were preconcentrated by solid phase extraction (SPE) of C18 membrane discs. The PTV-GC MS studies were performed without any preconcentration procedure. Selected ion monitoring (SIM) and internal standardization with naphthalene were applied in both methods. The limits of... 

The authors present the results of numerical tests and simulations to investigate and analyze the likelihood of asphaltene precipitation and deposition during CO2 flooding in a reservoir. The effects of asphaltene precipitation on oil properties such as oil viscosity and density during miscible CO2 flooding process were elaborated by using Winprop software of Computer Modeling Group. Also oil properties change during CO 2 miscible flooding by numerical slim tube were investigated by a compositional simulator (GEM). A fluid sample of Saskatchewan Reservoir that had been flooded miscibly with CO2 was chosen for performing the sensitivity analyses. The results showed that asphaltene... 

The difference between the signaling time and the real change point of a process is an important monitoring issue. If the exact time at which the change manifests itself into the process is known, then process engineers can identify and eliminate the root causes of process disturbance efficiently and quickly, resulting in considerable amount of time and cost savings. Multistage count processes that are often observed in production environments must be monitored to assure quality products. In this study, multistage Poisson count processes are first introduced. Then, the process is modeled using a first-order integer-valued autoregressive time series (INAR(1)). For out-of-control signals... 

In this paper, a general class of Eshelby-like or weighted stress tensors based on the right stretch tensor is defined as the product of a general type of Lagrangian stress tensor and a class of stretch measure. In addition, basis free relations for conjugate strains of Eshelby-like stress tensors are investigated, which are based on Hill's definition of energy conjugacy. The equations for strain tensors conjugate to Eshelby-like stress tensors are generally determined, but the case in which the conjugate strains are coaxial with the right stretch tensor is mostly investigated. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved  

Today the need for fault diagnosis in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is felt more than ever to increase the useful life and durability of the cell. The present study proposes an indirect in-situ experimental-based algorithm for diagnosing the moisture content issues in a three-cell stack. Three adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) approximate the system outputs (cells voltages, cathodic and anodic pressure drop) in normal conditions. The values of Pearson's correlation coefficients (0.998, 0.983, and 0.995 for outputs, respectively) show the high quality of the modeling. In unknown operating conditions, the residuals of experimental and ANFIS values are compared... 

The behavior of a cemented gravely sand was studied using triaxial compression tests. Gypsum, Portland cement and lime were used as the cementing agents in sample preparation. The samples with different cement types were compared in equal cement contents. Three cement contents of 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5% were selected for sample preparation. Drained and undrained triaxial compression tests were conducted in a range of confining pressures from 25 kPa to 500 kPa. Failure modes, shear strength, stress-strain behavior, volume and pore pressure changes were considered. The gypsum cement induced the highest brittleness in soil among three cement types while the Portland cement was found to be the most... 

The couple stress theory is a non-classical continuum theory which is capable to capture size effects in small-scale structures. This property makes it appropriate for modeling the structures in micron and sub-micron scales. The purpose of this paper is the derivation of the governing motion equations and boundary conditions for the geometrically nonlinear micro-plates with arbitrary shapes based on the modified version of the couple stress theory. The consistent boundary conditions are provided at smooth parts of the plate periphery and also at the sharp corners of the periphery using variational approach  

In this paper, some basis-free expressions for the material time derivative of Lagrangian stress tensors are presented which are generally valid in all cases of coalescent principal stretches. The material is assumed to be elastic and isotropic  

The nonlinear vibrational properties of single layer graphene sheets (SLGSs) are investigated using a membrane model. The nonlinear equation of motion is considered for the SLGSs by including the effects of stretching due to large amplitudes. The equation of motion is numerically solved utilizing the finite difference method for SLGSs with different initial and boundary conditions, sizes and pretensions. It is concluded that the nonlinear fundamental frequency of SLGSs increases by increasing the pretension and initial velocity. In addition, it is observed that an increase in the pretension weakens the effects of the initial velocity on the fundamental frequency, such that the fundamental... 

Nonlinear flexural behavior of elastic nano-beams under static loads is investigated in the framework of the Eringen’s nonlocal integral elasticity. The integro-differential and boundary conditions of equilibrium for inflected Timoshenko–Ehrenfest elastic beams with von Kármán nonlinear strains are established by using the minimum total potential energy principle. Eringen’s nonlocal differential law, consequent (but not equivalent) to Eringen’s nonlocal integral convolution, is well established to be inconsistent when applied to bounded domains of nano-mechanics interest. Accordingly, nonlocal integral elasticity formulation is utilized to capture scale effects in the nonlinear flexure of... 

In industry, utilizing membrane separation technology to purify natural gas streams is of remarkable significance. Molecular Simulation was used in the current article to study the structural and gas separation properties of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/zeolite 4A Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMMs). To explore the optimal performance of MMMs, several structural analyses, namely Fractional Free Volume (FFV), Radial Distribution Function (RDF), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and also Glass Transition Temperature (Tg) as one of the most important properties of membranes have been evaluated. Also, the solubilities and diffusivities of periodic cells were respectively measured using MSD and adsorption...