Sharif Digital Repository

Background: Diesel mainly consists of paraffin and thio-aromatic compounds. Sulfur present in diesel exhaust is the major challenge for oil refineries. Sulfur is an oxidizing element that discharges as acute pollutant in the environment, having adverse effects on human and animal life. Introduction: The scope of this review paper is to discuss and highlight the recent advancements in the process of desulfurization of diesel oil to explore the less energy-intensive and more economical process. Methods: Recently, different techniques are widely used for desulfurization of diesel oil to remove sulfur containing compounds from diesel. These techniques mainly involve hydrodesulfurzation,... 

Anthropogenic activities have added a large amount of heavy metals to the environment. Heavy metal contaminants affect the physiological and biological properties of soil and plant health. Zinc (Zn) is an essential micronutrient and it promotes plant growth and development but a higher concentration of the metal causes reduction in plant growth. The present study was aimed to evaluate the response of Bacillus cereus on maize plants at different concentrations of ZnSO4 (20, 40 and 60 mg kg–1) amended in the soil under pot experiment conditions. The experiment was conducted by using complete randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Higher doses of ZnSO4 inhibited maize growth and... 

Background: Water contamination by noxious heavy metals due to urbanization is a global environmental problem. Heavy metal ions pollution makes the water unsuitable for drinking and is also highly toxic to human beings and eco-system. The remediation of heavy metals is therefore very crucial. Methods: Adsorbents based on biopolymer and eco-friendly polymer composites have been developed and fabricated to remediate and remove heavy metals from the ecosystem. Results: In recent years biocomposites have been successful as cost-effective adsorbents for the remediation of various contaminants with their eco-friendly nature and sustainability. Conclusion: This review article gives an overview on... 

NMZ ferrites doped with rare earth having spinel composition Ni0.5Mn0.3Zn0.2X0.02Fe1.98O4, whereas X = Y, Pr and Gd were synthesized by sol gel auto-ignition method. XRD, FESEM, VSM and VNA were used to determine the phase, microstructural, magnetic and electromagnetic properties of rare earths doped NMZ ferrite. XRD analysis confirms the single phase of the rare earths doped NMZ ferrite. FESEM images shows Pr doped NMZ ferrite has less agglomerations and more porous structure as compared to NMZ and other rare earths doped NMZ ferrites. Magnetic analysis shows the enhancement in saturation magnetization and remanence with the doping of Y, Pr and Gd in NMZ ferrite. Dielectric properties were... 

NMZ ferrites doped with rare earth having spinel composition Ni0.5Mn0.3Zn0.2X0.02Fe1.98O4, whereas X = Y, Pr and Gd were synthesized by sol gel auto-ignition method. XRD, FESEM, VSM and VNA were used to determine the phase, microstructural, magnetic and electromagnetic properties of rare earths doped NMZ ferrite. XRD analysis confirms the single phase of the rare earths doped NMZ ferrite. FESEM images shows Pr doped NMZ ferrite has less agglomerations and more porous structure as compared to NMZ and other rare earths doped NMZ ferrites. Magnetic analysis shows the enhancement in saturation magnetization and remanence with the doping of Y, Pr and Gd in NMZ ferrite. Dielectric properties were... 

The influence of indium on the properties of Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nano ferrites synthesized by sol–gel auto-combustion technique was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that pure and substituted ferrites possessed cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter increases with the inclusion of In3+ for x ≤ 0.16 and decreases subsequently. A linear decrease in crystallite size was found as concentration of indium increased. X-ray density, strain, and dislocation density were increased as indium content increases. Hopping lengths as well as radii of A and B sites revealed increasing behavior up to x = 0.16 and decreased thereafter. The spectral bands indicated the formation of... 

The influence of indium on the properties of Cu0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nano ferrites synthesized by sol–gel auto-combustion technique was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that pure and substituted ferrites possessed cubic spinel structure. The lattice parameter increases with the inclusion of In3+ for x ≤ 0.16 and decreases subsequently. A linear decrease in crystallite size was found as concentration of indium increased. X-ray density, strain, and dislocation density were increased as indium content increases. Hopping lengths as well as radii of A and B sites revealed increasing behavior up to x = 0.16 and decreased thereafter. The spectral bands indicated the formation of... 

In this paper, we address global non-fragile control and synchronization of a new fractional order chaotic system. First we inspect the chaotic behavior of the fractional order system under study and also find the lowest order (2.49) for the introduced dynamics to remain chaotic. Then, a necessary and sufficient condition which can be easily extended to other fractional-order systems is proposed in terms of Linear Matrix Inequality (LMI) to check whether the candidate state feedback controller with parameter uncertainty can guarantee zero convergence of error or not. In addition, the proposed method provides a global zero attraction of error that guarantees stability around all existing... 

The first step to locate Partial Discharge in power transformers is to find a model that can clearly explain the behavior of the winding in high-frequency. The detailed model is one of the models used for the study of PD. One of the fundamental problems of the described model is to find its parameters. And the accuracy in calculating these parameters has significant impact on reducing the simulation error and PD locating. The current paper seeks to calculate the parameters of the detailed model 20kv distribution transformer winding by using the finite element method (FEM). Comparing the results of this model with pulse waveforms obtained from the PD to the winding in the laboratory... 

A single-degree-of-freedom model is considered for flexible exercise bars based on the lumped-element approach. By considering the side segment of a flexible bar as a cantilever beam with an equivalent mass at the free end, its free-vibration response, as well as the forced response under the excitation of the grip, are expressed parametrically. Experiments are performed on a particular flexible bar (FLEXI-BAR) in order to obtain numerical values for quantifying the model's parameters. The model is also computationally simulated to study the response of the flexible bar to various excitations. The results are imported into a multi-segment musculoskeletal software (AnyBody), where the effect... 

While the differentiation factors have been widely used to differentiate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into various cell types, they can cause harm at the same time. Therefore, it is beneficial to propose methods to differentiate MSCs without factors. Herein, magnetoelectric (ME) nanofibers were synthesized as the scaffold for the growth of MSCs and their differentiation into neural cells without factors. This nanocomposite takes the advantage of the synergies of the magnetostrictive filler, CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles (CFO), and piezoelectric polymer, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). Graphene oxide nanosheets were decorated with CFO nanoparticles for a proper dispersion in the polymer through... 

We have investigated the piezoelectric response of the hydrogenated graphene oxide (H-G-SiO2) stacks both experimentally and theoretically. The piezoresponse force microscopy method and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to study the piezoresponse effect of this structure from both experimental and computational point of views. A mono-layer graphene, made by chemical vapour deposition method, is deposited on Si/SiO2 substrate and its surface is then functionalized with hydrogen atoms. The vertical piezoresponse, observed by piezoresponse force microscopy, is measured to be about 2146 pC N-1, that is comparable to the reported state of the art piezoelectric materials such... 

Design of an Ultra-Wideband 3-dB quadrature (90°) Hybrid using ADS and HFSS softwares plus Measurement report are presented. Simultaneous Use of these two softwares lead to fast and accurate design procedure. The coupler is realized in broadside stripline and with the connection of coupled regions in tandem structure. The measured data agrees well with the expected values from simulations, and shows a good ultra wide bandwidth response over the frequency range of 1-10 GHz. Measurements showed an amplitude unbalance of ±1.5 dB, a phase unbalance of 90°±7° , and an isolation and a return loss characteristics of more than 14 dB over the frequency of 1 to 10 GHz  

The Ni-base superalloy GTD-111 is employed in high-power stationary gas turbines because of its high temperature strength and oxidation resistance. The temperature dependence of the tensile behavior of GTD-111 has been studied by tensile tests in the temperature range of 25-900°C with a constant strain rate of 10-4s-1. The results showed an abnormal tensile property variation with increasing temperature. The yield strength decreased slightly with temperature up to about 650°C and then increased between 650 and 750°C. Above 750°C, a rapid decrease in the yield strength was found. The tensile strength showed a similar behavior except for its maximum that occurred at 650°C. The elongation... 

Bioinspired materials can mimic the stem cell environment and modulate stem cell differentiation and proliferation. In this study, biomimetic micro/nanoenvironments were fabricated by cell-imprinted substrates based on mature human keratinocyte morphological templates. The data obtained from atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that the keratinocyte-cell-imprinted poly(dimethylsiloxane) casting procedure could imitate the surface morphology of the plasma membrane, ranging from the nanoscale to the macroscale, which may provide the required topographical cell fingerprints to induce differentiation. Gene expression levels of the genes analyzed... 

Grid computing is a type of parallel and distributed system that provides the possibility of sharing, choosing and collecting the autonomous resources (such as computer, software, databases, and equipments) that are distributed geographically. Resource discovery is one of the key subjects in distributed systems and especially Grids. We should consider that Grid consists of different applications that each of them consist of different hardware and software resources, therefore recognizing these resources is important in a Grid system. Classical approaches to Grid resource discovery are either centralized or hierarchical [1] (and will maybe prove inefficient as the scale of Grid systems... 

Recently, a renewed interest arises in the application of nanotechnology for the upstream petroleum industry. In particular, adding nanoparticles to fluids may drastically benefit enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and improve well drilling, by changing the properties of the fluid, rocks wettability alteration, advanced drag reduction, strengthening the sand consolidation, reducing the interfacial tension and increasing the mobility of the capillary trapped oil. In this study, we focus on roles of clay nano-particles on polymer viscosity. Polymer-flooding schemes for recovering residual oil have been in general less than satisfactory due to loss of chemical components by adsorption on reservoir... 

Polyurethane (PU) nanocomposites with 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 wt-% nanoclay contents were prepared. X-ray diffraction patterns, transmission electron microscopy images, tensile test, and thermogravimetric analysis were utilised to reveal the morphological, mechanical, and thermal-resistant properties of the prepared nanocomposites. The exfoliated structure was obtained for nanoclay contents up to 3 wt-%. Incorporation of nanoclay to the PU matrix prompted the thermal stability of the polymer. A nanocomposite filled with 3 wt-% nanoclay showed the best tensile strength in the prepared nanocomposites. Subsequently, the nanocomposite with the 3 wt-% nanoclay was reinforced with carbon and glass... 

Buckling and post-buckling behaviors of geometrically imperfect annular sector plates made from nanoparticle reinforced composites have been investigated. Two types of nanoparticles are considered including graphene oxide powders (GOPs) and silicone oxide (SiO2). Nanoparticles are considered to have uniform and functionally graded distributions within the matrix and the material properties are derived using Halpin-Tsai procedure. Annular sector plate is formulated based upon thin shell theory considering geometric nonlinearity and imperfectness. After solving the governing equations via Galerkin’s technique, it is showed that the post-buckling curves of annular sector plates rely on the...