Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, a supply chain model consisting of a single product, one supplier and one retailer is considered. Transportation times are constant and demands at the retailer are assumed to be generated by a stationary Poisson process. Demands not covered immediately from inventory are backordered. The retailer carries inventory and replenishes stock according to a (Q, R) policy. The supplier has online information about the demand at the retailer and uses this information to replenish its stock. The order size at the supplier is a multiple integer to the retailer's order size. Considering order costs for the retailer and the supplier, we derive the exact cost function for this inventory... 

This paper presents a state of the art review of adsorption models for a new plant-based surfactant adsorption onto sandstone minerals. The adsorption data at both kinetic and equilibrium modes were obtained from batch experiments. Four adsorption kinetic models, five two-parameter, and six three-parameter equilibrium models were used for interpretation of the obtained data. Among the two and three-parameter isotherm models applied, the Jovanovic and the Khan isotherms showed the best fit, respectively. And the pseudo-second order model presented a better fit than other kinetic models. Finally, a computer-based modeling approach was developed and used for predicting the kinetics of... 

This paper reviews the main concepts of experimental design applicable to the optimization of analytical chemistry techniques. The critical steps and tools for screening, including Plackett-Burman, factorial and fractional factorial designs, and response surface methodology such as central composite, Box-Behnken, and Doehlert designs, are discussed. Some useful routines are also presented for performing the procedures  

Dilational and shear viscoelasticities are important properties of interfacial layers. These quantities are particularly relevant in all systems which contain a huge internal interfacial area such as foams and emulsions. Therefore, also the 3D rheological behavior of foams or emulsions studied by respective methods is superimposed by the 2D interfacial rheology.We report on recent developments in dilational and shear rheology from an experimental point of view as well as discuss the state of the art of the underlying theories. Examples of most relevant experiments are also presented and discussed. Although not yet extensively investigated, the links between bulk rheology of foams and... 

In this study, a two-echelon single-vendor supply chain is selected to do a cost-based comparison between short-term performances of a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) and a Retailer Managed Inventory (RMI). While the inventory costs include ordering and storing expenses, the rate of consumption and the price of goods are constant, the rate of production and pace of transportation are infinite and shortage is not allowed. This paper, after a comprehensive literature review, is followed by three cases of single retailer, n-retailer and two-retailer chains. Unlike the second case, in the first case, VMI shows an absolute superiority to RMI, and this is the reason for devising the third case in... 

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are non-specific symbionts developing mutual and beneficial symbiosis with most terrestrial plants. Because of the obligatory nature of the symbiosis, the presence of the host plant during the onset and proceeding of symbiosis is necessary. However, AM fungal spores are able to germinate in the absence of the host plant. The fungi detect the presence of the host plant through some signal communications. Among the signal molecules, which can affect mycorrhizal symbiosis are plant hormones, which may positively or adversely affect the symbiosis. In this review article, some of the most recent findings regarding the signaling effects of plant hormones, on... 

This paper reviews the applications of experimental design to optimize some analytical chemistry techniques such as extraction, chromatography separation, capillary electrophoresis, spectroscopy, and electroanalytical methods  

Dynamic interfacial parameters are the key properties of interfaces in many modern technologies and can be studied in various ways. For applications like foams and emulsions, the dynamics of adsorption and the dilational and shear rheology of liquid-fluid interfaces are investigated most frequently. This work gives an insight into recently developed new experimental approaches, such as fast capillary pressure tensiometry for growing and oscillating drops. These experiments are presented in comparison to more classical techniques like drop profile tensiometry and capillary wave damping. Progress in these experiments based on generated interfacial perturbations can be expected only by a close... 

Metabonomics and other "omic" fields are essential science in analytical chemistry. Modern analytical instruments such as proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) can provide the great quantity of analytical information. In order to assign unknown samples, chemometric methods recognition build classification model based on experimental data. Firstly, some current strategies regarding disease diagnosis are exhibited in metabonomic studies. Some diseases such as crohn's disease can be difficult to diagnose since its signs and symptoms may be similar to other medical problems or often mimic other symptoms. Applications of NMR and supervised pattern recognition in the field of metabonomics are... 

Due to their ultra-small size, nanoparticles (NPs) have distinct properties compared with the bulk form of the same materials. These properties are rapidly revolutionizing many areas of medicine and technology. NPs are recognized as promising and powerful tools to fight against the human brain diseases such as multiple sclerosis or Alzheimer's disease. In this review, after an introductory part on the nature of protein fibrillation and the existing approaches for its investigations, the effects of NPs on the fibrillation process have been considered. More specifically, the role of biophysicochemical properties of NPs, which define their affinity for protein monomers, unfolded monomers,... 

Increasing rate of demanding biodiesel as alternative energy resource, persuade researchers to investigate engine performance of biodiesel-fueled engines, which are highly influenced by ignition delay (ID) and combustion characteristics of such a fuel. This review article introduces a literature review on ignition delay (ID) and combustion characteristics of diesel engine fueled with biodiesel. Slightly difference between combustion characteristics of bio fueled engine and petroleum diesel one recognized as result of carried out investigations. Early start of combustion (SOC) and shorter ID of biodiesel comparing to diesel is reported by most of investigations. Lower compressibility, higher... 

Despite the great potential of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in various areas of biomedicine, concerns regarding their carcinogenicity, inefficient dispersion in aqueous solutions and biological activity in vivo still remain. One important and feasible route to overcome these barriers is modification of CNTs with polymers, which are widely studied and play a vital role in biological and biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery. This comprehensive review focuses on the achievements of our and other groups in currently used methods to functionalize the surface of CNTs with polymers to produce anticancer drug delivery systems. We have intensively studied covalent and noncovalent interactions... 

Graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) sheet of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms packed into a honeycomb lattice, has led to an explosion of interest in the field of materials science, physics, chemistry, and biotechnology since the few-layers graphene (FLG) flakes were isolated from graphite in 2004. For an extended search, derivatives of nanomedicine such as biosensing, biomedical, antibacterial, diagnosis, cancer and photothermal therapy, drug delivery, stem cell, tissue engineering, imaging, protein interaction, DNA, RNA, toxicity, and so on were also added. Since carbon nanotubes are normally described as rolled-up cylinders of graphene sheets and the controllable synthesis of nanotubes is well... 

Polymeric membrane technology has received extensive attention in the field of gas separation, recently. However, the tradeoff between permeability and selectivity is one of the biggest problems faced by pure polymer membranes, which greatly limits their further application in the chemical and petrochemical industries. To enhance gas separation performances, recent works have focused on improving polymeric membranes selectivity and permeability by fabricating mixed matrix membranes (MMMs). Inorganic zeolite materials distributed in the organic polymer matrix enhance the separation performance of the membranes well beyond the intrinsic properties of the polymer matrix. This concept combines... 

Conductive polymers (CPs) are classified as materials which exhibit highly reversible redox behavior and the unusual combined properties of metal and plastics. CPs, due to their multifunctionality, ease of synthesis and their stability, have attracted more attentions in different fields of research, including sample preparation. CPs along with several commercial hydrophilic sorbents, are alternative to the commercially available hydrophobic sorbents which despite their high specific surface areas, have poor interactions and retentions in the extraction of polar compounds. This review covers a general overview regarding the recent progress and new applications of CPs toward their synthesis... 

Accelerated bridge construction is recognized as an important method for bridge owners to accelerate the delivery of highway bridge projects. While the potential advantages of accelerated bridge construction are recognized, it is difficult for transportation specialists to quantify the risks and benefits of using accelerated bridge construction compared with conventional construction for specific bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects. A tool set, based on the analytic hierarchy process, is prepared for transportation specialists and decision makers to determine whether accelerated bridge construction is more effective than traditional construction for a given bridge replacement or... 

The development and application of inventory models for deteriorating items is one of the main concerns of subject matter experts. The inventory models developed in this field have focused mainly on supply chains under the assumption of constant lead time. In this study, we develop an inventory model for a main class of deteriorating items, namely perishable products, under stochastic lead time assumption. The inventory system is modeled as a continuous review system (r, Q). Demand rate per unit time is assumed to be constant over an infinite planning horizon and the shortages could be backordered completely. For modeling the deterioration process, a non-linear holding cost is considered.... 

Multi-periodic inventory control problems are mainly studied by employing one of two assumptions. First, the continuous review, where depending on the inventory level, orders can happen at any time, and next the periodic review, where orders can only be placed at the beginning of each period. In this paper, we relax these assumptions and assume the times between two replenishments are independent random variables. For the problem at hand, the decision variables (the maximum inventory of several products) are of integer-type and there is a single space-constraint. While demands are treated as fuzzy numbers, a combination of back-order and lost-sales is considered for the shortages. We... 

Making efficient use of transportation infrastructure has always been a concern. Traveler information provisions (TIPs) assist commuters in making better travel decisions and therefore lead to increased mobility and more efficient travel. The ongoing economic crisis and shrinking public funding have made the public-private partnership (PPP) an attractive instrument for promoting TIP. Such initiatives have been much discussed in developed countries. The use of PPP to fund public projects in developing countries, however, is in its infancy, and the related issues do not receive adequate attention in the literature. In this study, PPP opportunities in TIP were assessed in the case of a city in... 

A previous review concluded that postural sway is increased in patients with low back pain (LBP). However, more detailed analysis of the literature shows that postural deficit may be dependent on experimental conditions in which patients with LBP have been assessed. The research question to be answered in this review was: " Is there any difference in postural sway between subjects with and without LBP across several sensory manipulation conditions?" A literature search in Pubmed, Scopus, Embase and PsychInfo was performed followed by hand search and contact with authors. Studies investigating postural sway during bipedal stance without applying external forces in patients with specific and...