Sharif Digital Repository

In recent years, thin silver nanowires (Ag NWs) with diameters smaller than 150 nm have been synthesized by implementation of NaCl or FeCl3 as reaction promoters and high molecular weight polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the capping agent. However, the yield of Ag NWs still remains low, mostly due to the insufficient aspect ratio (AR) of the synthesized nanostructures and the production of Ag nanoparticles, which is an undesirable by product. This study proposes a modified technique to alleviate the problem by using a mixture of FeCl3/CuCl2 as the reaction promoter and two different types of PVP with molecular weight of 360 k and 40 k as the capping agents. The appropriate mixtures of... 

This paper describes results of an advanced suction controlled triaxial test device on a loessial soil in an attempt to define the constitutive relationship between suction stress and matric suction (suction stress characteristic curve) for highly collapsible soils. Due to the presence of void spaces with different degrees of collapse potential within the soil matrix, the collapse phenomenon in loess is believed to be a continuous-stepwise reduction in volume rather than a sudden drop during wetting. Due to this unique volume change behavior, the definition of the suction stress characteristic curve for loess may require a soil-specific experimental testing approach capable of making precise... 

In this paper, impact of the stationary nodes on the link excess life as an important performance parameter of wireless mobile networks is investigated First, a model for the link excess life is introduced. Based on this model, the relation between the probability density function (PDF) of the link excess life and the PDF of relative velocity is explored. In fact, the PDF of relative velocity is divided into three PDFs according to the three categories of links. The effect of each group on the resultant PDF of global link excess life for different percentages of stationary nodes is explored. Moreover, an approximation method defined in our previous work is proposed as a tool to evaluate the... 

To describe immobilized cells in porous microcapsule membranes with straight pores, a novel model called corrugated parallel bundle model (CPBM) was utilized. In this model, a network was developed with 10 main pores each composing 10 pore elements. Cell growth kinetic in the network was examined using non-structural models. Effectiveness factor and pore plugging time were calculated by solving reaction-diffusion equation set via finite difference method. The findings revealed that diffusion coefficient for lower order reactions will create a lesser impact on the reduction of effectiveness factor. These findings also indicated that the use of such supporting carrier for cell immobilization... 

In this study, H4Ti5O12 nanotubes have been prepared as Li+ adsorbent by acid treatment of Li4Ti5O12 nanotubes. Li4Ti5O12 nanotubes were synthesized via a hydrothermal method in which TiO2(B) nanNotubes were used as a precursor. The prepared Li-ion sieve showed a significant high ion-exchange capacity (160.6 mgg-1) for lithium ions due to its large specific surface area of 115.4 m2 g-1 compared to the other related studies. The kinetics and isotherm investigation revealed that the pseudo-second-order equation well described the adsorption kinetics, and the Langmuir model well fitted the isotherm data. Furthermore, the low value of adsorption energy obtained from the Dubinin-Radushkevitch... 

In this study, H4Ti5O12 nanotubes have been prepared as Li+ adsorbent by acid treatment of Li4Ti5O12 nanotubes. Li4Ti5O12 nanotubes were synthesized via a hydrothermal method in which TiO2(B) nanNotubes were used as a precursor. The prepared Li-ion sieve showed a significant high ion-exchange capacity (160.6 mgg−1) for lithium ions due to its large specific surface area of 115.4 m2 g-1 compared to the other related studies. The kinetics and isotherm investigation revealed that the pseudo-second-order equation well described the adsorption kinetics, and the Langmuir model well fitted the isotherm data. Furthermore, the low value of adsorption energy obtained from the Dubinin-Radushkevitch... 

The seismic behavior of pile-supported systems has been an active area of research over the past decades. However, focus has mostly been on evaluating the seismic response of structures embedded in either dry or fully saturated soil conditions. In this study, series of dynamic centrifuge tests were conducted to investigate the effects of soil's degree of saturation on the seismic behavior of pile-supported superstructures. The scaled physical model tests were carried out on two distinct pile-mass systems embedded in uniform sand layers. A steady state infiltration technique was used to control matric suction profiles in the sand layer prior to shaking. The obtained results from these... 

Here, Graphene oxide/poly (acrylamide -2-acrylamide-methyl-propanesulfonic acid)/sodium alginate (GO/PA-AMPS/SA) hydrogel was synthesized through a free-radical polymerization approach. The impact of Graphene Oxide (GO) content on mechanical strength, swelling behavior, and the adsorption performance of prepared hydrogel was studied. The operating parameters, including contact time, solution pH, and initial Cu(II) content on the adsorption capacity of the hydrogel, were studied. The maximum Cu(II) adsorption capacity of 230.8 mg/g was obtained for GO/PA-AMPS/SA under a pH of 5, the contact time of 270 min, and adsorbent content of 0.5 g/L at 25 °C. The high value of adsorption capacity after... 

We study the problem of approximating a function F:ℝ → ℝ by a piecewise-linear function F̄ when the values of F at {x 1,...,xn} are given by a discrete probability distribution. Thus, for each xi we are given a discrete set y i,1,..., yi,mi of possible function values with associated probabilities pi,j such that Pr[F(xi) = yi,j] = pi,j. We define the error of F̄ as error(F, F̄) = maxi=1n E[|Fxi) - F̄(xi)|]. Let m = ∑i=1nmi be the total number of potential values over all F(xi). We obtain the following two results: (i) an O(m) algorithm that, given F and a maximum error ε, computes a function F̄ with the minimum number of links such that error(F, F̄) ≤ ε; (ii) an O(n4/3+δ + mlogn) algorithm... 

In this paper, one of the most important parameters in performance evaluation and protocol design of wireless networks, Link Excess Life (LEL), is investigated. An analytical model for LEL is proposed and evaluated. Evaluation of the proposed model leads to the first closed form expression for the excess life PDF. The closed form expression affords ease of further evaluations, e.g, an interesting result is that the average excess life is infinite for the proposed model. The effect of relative velocity distribution on the link excess life PDF is also investigated. The superposition property of LEL is mentioned and used to explore a systematic method for evaluation of the effect of stationary... 

The safe, highly effective measles vaccine has been recommended globally since 1974, yet in 2017 there were more than 17 million cases of measles and 83,400 deaths in children under 5 years old, and more than 99% of both occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)1–4. Globally comparable, annual, local estimates of routine first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage are critical for understanding geographically precise immunity patterns, progress towards the targets of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), and high-risk areas amid disruptions to vaccination programmes caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)5–8. Here we generated annual estimates of routine childhood... 

The safe, highly effective measles vaccine has been recommended globally since 1974, yet in 2017 there were more than 17 million cases of measles and 83,400 deaths in children under 5 years old, and more than 99% of both occurred in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)1–4. Globally comparable, annual, local estimates of routine first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage are critical for understanding geographically precise immunity patterns, progress towards the targets of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), and high-risk areas amid disruptions to vaccination programmes caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)5–8. Here we generated annual estimates of routine childhood... 

A conventional triaxial test device was modified to characterize the hydro-mechanical behavior of a loessial soil during isotropic and shear loadings. This device is capable of precise and continuous measurements of water outflow during the application of loading. The tests were performed on "undisturbed" cylindrical specimens, which were taken from loessial deposits in Gorgan, a city in the northeast of Iran. Experimental measurements indicate that the hydro-mechanical behavior of loess is highly affected by the extent of applied mean net stress and the level of suction. During both isotropic and shearing stages of loading, the tested specimens may exhibit collapse, abrupt decrease in... 

Site investigations at limited-access project sites often require mobilization of smaller rigs that may not have the reaction mass required to perform soundings to the desired depth. This study explores the feasibility of a new conceptual bio-inspired solution by adapting functional principles from organisms whose primary mode of locomotion is soil burrowing, including razor clams, caecilians, and earthworms. These organisms radially expand a segment of their body to increase the normal radial pressure acting on it to temporarily form an anchor. This study evaluates the dimensions required for self penetration of an idealized bio-inspired probe consisting of a radially expanding shaft and a... 

In this study, the ozonation impact on anaerobic digestion of wasted thickened activated sludge of Tehran wastewater treatment plant has been investigated. Regarding that, the thickened activated sludge, a final solid waste of treatment plants, was subjected to ozonation pretreatment to evaluate its characteristics. Three major sludge characteristics were considered for investigating ozonation effects on anaerobic digestion. A comparison of two different ozone doses, i.e., 0.05 and 0.1 gO3 g−1TS was performed for short-term (10 days) and long-term (30 days) sludge retention times. Furthermore, biogas production, sludge composition, dewaterability, and energy balancing, were studied during... 

To characterize the role of specimen disturbance and structure in the hydromechanical behavior of collapsible soils, two sets of wetting-induced collapse and suction-controlled triaxial tests were conducted on intact and reconstituted specimens of a loessial soil taken from a loess deposit in Gorgan, a city in the northeastern Golestan province of Iran. The testing approach used an advanced triaxial testing device that was specifically modified to control pressures applied to a soil specimen and to monitor and measure the amount of changes in volume and water content of the soil specimens during testing using highly sensitive digital sensors with an accuracy of 60.01 cm3. Results of the... 

Nowadays, cardiovascular diseases are very common and are one of the main causes of death worldwide. One major type of such diseases is the coronary artery disease (CAD). The best and most accurate method for the diagnosis of CAD is angiography, which has significant complications and costs. Researchers are, therefore, seeking novel modalities for CAD diagnosis via data mining methods. To that end, several algorithms and datasets have been developed. However, a few studies have considered the stenosis of each major coronary artery separately. We attempted to achieve a high rate of accuracy in the diagnosis of the stenosis of each major coronary artery. Analytical methods were used to... 

Small strain shear modulus, Gmax, is one of the most important parameters for the characterization of the behavior of earth structures subjected to static or dynamic loading conditions. This research presents an experimental laboratory study on the effect of non-plastic fines content and hydraulic hysteresis on the Gmax of unsaturated sandy soils. In this regard, clean Firoozkuh No. 161 silica sand which is classified as poorly graded sand was mixed with different percentages of non-plastic Firoozkuh silt. A set of bender element tests were carried out using two modified triaxial devices. The modifications on these two apparatus were to add HAV ceramic discs for air–water control of... 

Highly collapsible loessial soils are characterized by an open void structure that can experience significant settlement upon loading. In the field, these partially saturated Aeolian deposits are particularly susceptible to wetting-induced collapse. Due to difficulties in preparing undisturbed specimens from highly collapsible soils, previous studies have generally performed laboratory tests on reconstituted specimens with different water contents and densities, and the effect of disturbance on the initial state of the soil was ignored. Disturbance in highly collapsible soil specimens may significantly affect the natural composition of the soil matrix, the non-homogeneous distribution of... 

An axial load-transfer analysis for energy piles is presented in this study that incorporates empirical models for estimating the side shear resistance and end bearing capacity in rock along with associated normalized stress-displacement curves. The analysis was calibrated using results from field experiments involving monotonic heating of three 15.2 m-long energy piles in sandstone. Analyses of the field experiments indicates that poor cleanout of the excavations led to an end restraint smaller than that expected for a clean excavation in sandstone. Specifically, end bearing parameters representative of cohesionless sand were necessary to match the load-transfer analysis to the field...