Sharif Digital Repository

Fuzzy functions are used to identify the structure of system models and reasoning with them. Fuzzy functions can be determined by any function identification method such as Least Square Estimates (LSE), Maximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) or Support Vector Machine Estimates (SVM). However, estimating fuzzy functions using LSE method is structurally a new and unique approach for determining fuzzy functions. By using this approach, there is no need to know or to develop an in-depth understanding of essential concepts for developing and using the membership functions and selecting the t-norms, co-norms and implication operators. Furthermore, there is no need to apply fuzzification and... 

In this paper, three-dimensional turbulent flow field around a complex bridge pier placed on a rough fixed bed is experimentally investigated. The complex pier foundation consists of a column, a pile cap, and a 2×4 pile group. All of the elements are exposed to the approaching flow. An acoustic-Doppler velocimeter was used to measure instantaneously the three components of the velocities at different horizontal and vertical planes. Profiles and contours of time-averaged velocity components, turbulent intensity components, turbulent kinetic energy, and Reynolds stresses, as well as velocity vectors are presented and discussed at different vertical and horizontal planes. The approaching... 

4340 steel bars were austenitized at 850°C for 1 hour followed by heating at 700°C (ferrite and austenite region) for 90 min and quenching into a salt bath with different temperatures of 300, 350, 400 and 450°C. The steel bars were held for 1 hour at these temperatures before air cooling to room temperature. Various ferrite-bainite microstructures with 34% volume fraction of ferrite and different bainite morphologies were obtained. The results of SEM studies showed that by increasing the austempering temperature, the morphology of bainite varies from lower to upper bainite. According to the T-T-T diagram of the studied steel, the bainite transformation will not complete for the holding time... 

In this paper, we propose a novel method for extracting fiducial points (FPs) of the beats in electrocardiogram (ECG) signals using switching Kalman filter (SKF). In this method, according to McSharry's model, ECG waveforms (P-wave, QRS complex and T-wave) are modeled with Gaussian functions and ECG baselines are modeled with first order auto regressive models. In the proposed method, a discrete state variable called “switch” is considered that affects only the observation equations. We denote a mode as a specific observation equation and switch changes between 7 modes and corresponds to different segments of an ECG beat. At each time instant, the probability of each mode is calculated and... 

The preparation and electrochemical performance of the carbon nanotube-paste electrode modified with salophen complexes of cobalt(III) perchlorate, with various substituents on the salophen ligand, as well as their electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is investigated. Several Schiff base complexes containing various nucleophilic and electrophilic functional groups were prepared, and their electrochemical characteristics for the electro-oxidation of NAC were evaluated using cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (CV and DPV). The results revealed, the modified electrodes show an efficient and selective electrocatalytic activity toward the anodic... 

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combined with Chemometric resolution techniques were proposed as a method for the analysis of volatile components of Iranian damask rose oil. The essential oil of damask rose was extracted using hydrodistillation method and analyzed with GC-MS in optimized conditions. A total of 70 components were identified using similarity searches between mass spectra and MS database. This number was extended to 95 components with concentrations higher than 0.01% accounting for 94.75% of the total relative content using Chemometric techniques. For the first time in this work, an approach based upon subspace comparison is used for determination of the chemical... 

The liquid-liquid extraction process is well-known for its complexity and often entails intensive modeling and computational efforts to simulate its dynamic behavior. This paper presents a new application of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to predict the modeling parameters of a chemical pilot plant involving a rotating disc liquid-liquid extraction contactor (RDC). In this process, the droplet behavior of the dispersed phase has a strong influence on the mass transfer performance of the column. The mass transfer mechanism inside the drops of the dispersed phase was modeled by the Handlos-Baron circulating drop model with consideration of the effect of forward mixing. Using the Genetic Algorithm... 

Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) were used to investigate the interaction between copper(II) complex of compartmental Schiff base ligand (L), N,N′-bis(3-hydroxysalicylidene)ethylenediamine, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in 0.1 mol dm-3 phosphate buffer solution adjusted to physiological pH 7.0 containing 20% (w/w) dimethylsulfoxide at room temperature. CD spectra show that the interaction of the copper(II) complex with BSA leads to changes in the α-helical content of BSA and therefore changes in secondary structure of the protein with the slight red shift (2 nm) in CD spectra. From the voltammetric data, i.e. changes in... 

Acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), also called COVID-19, is one of the most contagious viruses resulting in a progressive pandemic. Since specific antiviral treatments have not been developed yet and its fatal rate is almost high, early and fast detection is critical for controlling the outbreak. In this study, a piezoelectric microcantilever biosensor has been designed for detecting COVID-19 samples directly without requiring preparation steps. The biosensor acts as a transducer and is coated with the related antibody. When the SARS-CoV-2 antigens adsorbed on the microcantilever top surface through their spike proteins, a surface stress due to the mass change would be... 

Oncolytic virotherapy has currently emerged as a promising approach upon which scientists have been able to induce tumor-specific cell death in a broad spectrum of malignancies. Paramyxoviruses represent intrinsic oncolytic capability, which makes them excellent candidates to be widely used in oncolytic virotherapy. The mechanisms through which these viruses destroy the cancerous cells involve triggering the autophagic machinery and apoptosis in target cells. Interestingly, oncolytic paramyxoviruses have been found to induce autophagy and lead to tumor cells death rather than their survival. Indeed, the induction of autophagy has been revealed to enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells via... 

Background: Human amniotic membrane grafting could be potentially useful in ocular surface complications due to tissue similarity and the presence of factors that reduce inflammation, vascu-larization, and scarring. However, considerations like donor-derived infectious risk and the requirement of an invasive surgery limit the clinical application of such treatments. Moreover, the quick depletion of bioactive factors after grafting reduces the efficacy of treatments. Therefore, in the current study, the possibility of nano delivery of the bioactive factors extracted from the human amniotic membrane to the ocular surface was investigated. Materials and Methods: Nanoparticles were prepared... 

Biologic products are large molecules such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, etc., which have already produced many new drugs for clinical use in the last decades. Due to the inherent challenges faced by biologics after oral administration (e.g., acidic stomach pH, digestive enzymes, and limited permeation through the gastrointestinal tract), several alternative routes of administration have been investigated to enable sufficient drug absorption into systemic circulation. This review describes the buccal, sublingual, pulmonary, and transdermal routes of administration for biologics with relevant details of the respective barriers. While all these routes avoid transit through the...