Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper a new approach to determine the size of defects in rolling element bearings is proposed. This approach is based on the statistical characteristics of the vibration signals generated by rolling element bearings. Although some traditional statistical parameters such as r.m.s. and kurtosis have some diagnostic capabilities, these parameters are not suitable for quantifying the defect size. The proposed new model was validated experimentally for both inner and outer race defects and it is concluded that the newly proposed model can determine the defect length of rolling bearings  

In this work, application of silica nanoparticles for wettability alteration of initially oil-wet calcite was investigated through analysis of surface forces and DLVO theory. Doing so, the wettability and zeta potential of calcite surfaces were measured through the sessile drop method and an in-house experimental setup, respectively. Primary evaluation indicated that incorporating DLVO terms in the Frumkin-Derjaguin model was not sufficient to describe the wettability in an oil-wet calcite/nanofluid system. Sensitivity analysis showed that calculating the double-layer interaction using constant potential-constant potential boundaries along with structural hydrophobic forces (non-DLVO... 

A passive image steganalysis method is proposed to universally detect spatial-domain steganography schemes. It is shown to have better performance than universal steganalyzers known to be powerful in spatial domain, including the WFLogSv and the WAM methods. This level of accuracy is the result of improving the WFLogSv steganalyzer by considering a more comprehensive relationship between the singular values of each image block and the linear correlation of the rows and the columns. That is, instead of the closeness of the lower singular values to zero, the energy distribution of the singular values is investigated. An innovative measure is proposed for this investigation, which is inspired... 

We investigate short-term non-linearity of solar irradiance fluctuations using the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis (MFDFA). The MFDFA shows that time series of solar irradiance have a long range correlation function with a multifractal behavior. We apply this method to solar irradiance time series from several regions around the world with resolutions of seconds and minutes. The obtained generalized Hurst and Renyi exponents h(q) and τ(q) suggest the non-linear and non-stationary essence of measured irradiance time series. Also, we analyze shuffled, random phase, and rank-wised surrogated data to reveal the nature of the multifractality and conclude that linear and non-linear... 

Finding leakage in valves is important to troubleshoot performance of internal combustion engines. Leakage can lead to a reduction in engine power and an increase in emissions. The main objective of the present study is to investigate relationship between valve leakage and the acoustic emission generated from the steady flow in the cylinder head of the internal combustion engine. The test rig is the cylinder head for a spark-ignited engine. The test rig simulates the valve leakage due to valve clearance. The valve clearance fault was artificially simulated by a very small lift in valve. The acoustic emission method was used to measure acoustic emission signals generated by valve flow.... 

A simple platform based on a hairpin oligonucleotide switch and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the ultrasensitive detection of specific DNA sequences has been developed. In this approach, the π-stacking interaction of single-strand DNA-MWCNT was employed to construct an electrochemical DNA biosensor. Changes to the surface conductivity, based on the MWCNT replacement, were monitored by using the electrochemical species [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- as a redox probe. Morphological and voltammetric characterizations of the electrode surface were performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and... 

Interaction of the DNA thymine base with Cu+ and Zn3+ was studied to explore: a) The metal binding energy (MIA) of thymine with Cu+ and Zn2+ and b) The possible correlation between charge transfer and MIAs. The gas-phase Cu+ and Zn2+ affinities of thymine, as well as the Mulliken charges, on the complexed metal cations were both determined at the same computational level, including the density functional level and employing the hybrid B3LYP exchange correlation potential in connection with the 6-311++G (d,p) basis set. All the molecular complexes were obtained by interaction between the most stable tautomer of thymine and two transition mono and divalent (Cu+, Zn2+) metal ions. To probe all... 

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed at the B3LYP level with a 6-311++G(d,p) basis set to systematically explore the geometrical multiplicity and binding strength for complexes formed by Li+, Na+, and K+ with cytidine and 2′-deoxycytidine. All computational studies indicate that the metal ion affinity (MIA) decreases from Li+ to Na+ and K+ for cytosine nucleosides. For example, for cytidine the affinity for the above metal ions are 79.5, 55.2, and 41.8 and for 2′-deoxycytidine, 82.8, 57.4, and 42.2 kcal/mol, respectively. It is also interesting to mention that linear correlations between calculated MIA values and the atomic numbers (Z) of the above metal ions were... 

Maximal strength measurements of the trunk have been used to evaluate the maximum functional capacity of muscles and the potential mechanical overload or overuse of the lumbar spine tissues in order to estimate the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries. A new triaxial isometric trunk strength measurement system was designed and developed in the present study, and its reliability and performance was investigated. The system consisted of three main revolute joints, equipped with torque sensors, which intersect at L5-S1 and adjustment facilities to fit the body anthropometry and to accommodate both symmetric and asymmetric postures in both seated and standing positions. The dynamics of...