Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, the self-adaptive evolutionary (SaE) agent is employed to structure the contributing elements to process the management of extreme learning machine (ELM) architecture based on a logical procedure. In fact, the SaE algorithm is utilized for possibility of enhancing the performance of the ELM to estimate daily soil temperature (ST) at 6 different depths of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 cm. In the developed SaE-ELM model, the network hidden node parameters of the ELM are optimized using SaE algorithm. The precision of the SaE-ELM is then compared with the ELM model. Daily weather data sets including minimum, maximum and average air temperatures (Tmin, Tmax and Tavg), atmospheric... 

In this study a membrane biological reactor (MBR) was operated at 25±1 °C and pH = 7.5±0.5 to treat synthetic wastewater containing high phenol concentrations. Removal efficiencies of phenol and chemical oxygen demand (COD)were evaluated at four various hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 24, 12, 8, and 4 hours. The removal rate of phenol (5.51 kg-Phenol kg-VSS-1 d-1), observed at HRT of 4 h,was the highest phenol degradation rate in the literature.According toCODtests, therewere no significant organic matter in the effluent, and phenol was degraded completely by mixed culture. Substrate inhibition was calculated from experimental growth parameters using the Haldane, Yano, and Edward... 

In this letter, we consider two problems of sending a bivariate Gaussian source through a two-user Gaussian non-orthogonal multiple-access channel. We provide a new distortion outer bound for the considered joint source-channel coding problems, which significantly reduces the gap between inner and outer bounds of the distortion for correlation coefficients below a threshold. Furthermore, numerical results show, that under some conditions, our proposed outer bound matches with the inner bound obtained via the separate source-channel coding scheme, which proves the optimality of this scheme. © 1997-2012 IEEE  

A dense monitoring network is vital for the reliable assessment of PM10 in different parts of an urban area. In this study, a new idea is employed for the re-construction of the 20 shut-down PM10 monitoring stations of Berlin. It endeavours to find the non-linear relationship between the hourly PM10 concentration of both the still operating and the shut-down PM10 monitoring stations by using a fuzzy modelling technique, called modified active learning method (MALM). In addition, the simulations were performed by using not only raw PM10 databases but also log-transformed PM10 databases for skewness reduction. According to the results of hourly PM10 simulation (root mean square error about... 

The activity coefficient at infinite dilution is a representative of the limiting non-ideality of a solute in a mixture. Various methods for the prediction of infinite dilution activity coefficients (IDACs) have been developed. Artificial neural networks are powerful mapping tools for nonlinear function approximations. Accordingly, an artificial neural network model is proposed for the prediction of the IDACs of binary systems where the properties of the individual components are used as inputs to the network. The input parameters of the neural network are the mixture temperature, critical temperature, critical pressure, critical volume, molecular weight, dipole moment and the acentric... 

Groundwater vulnerability assessment of urban areas is a challenging task in the fast trend of urbanization around the globe. This study introduces a new approach for modifying well-known parameters of common vulnerability indexes to adjust them for urban areas. The approach is independent of a specific weighting system. The aquifer of Mashhad city, contaminated by domestic wastewater, is selected as a case in this study. In order to evaluate the aquifer vulnerability due to anthropogenic activities, at first, parameters of depth to groundwater, recharge, land use, and soil are modified based on their basic concepts and their influences on contamination attenuation. Then, the modified... 

Celery residue modified with H2SO4 was utilized as a low-cost adsorbent for elimination of methylene blue cationic dye from aqueous solution in batch adsorption process. The adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The efficacy of dye removal of the modified celery residue (MCR) was verifying by changing adsorbent dose, contact time, pH, initial dye concentration, and temperature. The isotherm models analysis shows that the experimental data can be better demonstrated by Freundlich isotherm model. In order to evaluate the best fit isotherm, three error analysis methods (χ2, ARE and MPSD) as well as correlation... 

In this work, we present a novel FPGA-based implementation of the AES algorithm which has a two-layered resistance against power analysis attacks. Our countermeasure is based on the concept of finite state machine equipped with a random number generator. Beyond masking the intermediate variables as the first layer of defense, we randomize the sequences of operations and add dummy computations as the second layer of defense. Therefore, the first order attack is prevented and the number of power traces needed for a successful second order attack is vastly increased and the correlation coefficient is decreased, as expected. © 2017 IEEE  

A novel UWB MIMO antenna with band-notched characteristic operating in the frequency range between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz is presented. The designed MIMO antenna has two ports and the size of 32×14 mm2 which is fabricated on an FR-4 printed-circuit-board. The feeding system of the proposed antenna is a microstrip line. The two antennas are positioned face to face but laid reversely upon the substrate in order to have a good isolation, less cross polarization, high gain and good envelope correlation coefficient. S-parameters describe the input-output relationship between ports (or terminals) in a MIMO antenna. The effects of the strip feed line width on the variations in reflection coefficient... 

Surface settlement is considered as an adverse effect induced by tunneling in the civil projects. This paper proposes the use of the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) for predicting the maximum surface settlement (MMS) resulting from the tunneling. For this work, three forms of equations, i.e., linear, quadratic and power are developed and their weights are then optimized/updated with the ICA. The requirement datasets were collected from the line No. 2 of Karaj urban railway, in Iran. In the ICA models, vertical to horizontal stress ratio, cohesion and Young’s modulus, as the effective parameters on the MSS, are adopted as the inputs. The statistical performance parameters such as root... 

Respiratory activity influences electrocardiographic measurements (ECG) in various ways. Therefore, extraction of respiratory information from ECG, namely ECG-derived respiratory (EDR), can be used as a promising noninvasive method to monitor respiration activity. In this paper, an automatic EDR extraction system using single-lead ECG is proposed. Respiration effects on ECG are categorized into two different models: additive and multiplicative based models. After selection of a proper model for each subject using a proposed criterion, gaussian process (GP) and phase space reconstruction area (PSRArea) are introduced as new methods of EDR extraction for additive and multiplicative models,... 

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) disability has been particularly frustrating because its treatment has been a great therapeutic challenge. Disability has been suggested to depend on different factors that should be found and considered in the medical management. The inter-segmental coordination is often impaired in CLBP subjects; however, to the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence about the relationship between the existence of coordination problems and disability in CLBP patients. Objective: To evaluate the correlation between sagittal plane trunk-pelvis intersegmental coordination parameters during walking and disability level in CLBP patients. Methods: Kinematic data were... 

Bisphenol A (BPA), which is a major component in the production of various consumer products, is one of the most significant endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In this research, the biocatalytic elimination of Bisphenol A using laccase produced by Phanerochaete chrysosporium was examined and optimized. The response surface methodology was used to study the effect of independent variables such as pH, temperature, initial laccase activity, initial Bisphenol A concentration, and the interactive effects of each variable on the removal of Bisphenol A and residual enzyme activity. Based on response surface plots, the maximum Bisphenol A removal (93%) was detected at a pH value of 8, temperature 40... 

The permeability is one of the most important reservoir parameters and its accurate prediction is necessary for reservoir management and enhancement. Although many empirical formulas are derived regarding permeability and porosity in sandstone reservoirs [1], these correlations cannot be modified accurately in carbonate reservoir for the wells which are not cored and there is no welltest data. Therefore estimation of these parameters is a challenge in reservoirs with no coring sample and welltest data. One of the most powerful tools to estimate permeability from well logs is Artificial Neural Network (ANN) whose advantages and disadvantages have been discussed by several authors [2]. In this... 

Various parameters affect thermal conductivity of nanofluid; however, some of them are more influential such as temperature, size and type of nano particles and volumetric concentration. In this study, artificial neural network as well as least square support vector machine (LSSVM) are applied in order to predict thermal conductivity ratio of alumina/water nanofluid as a function of particle size, temperature and volumetric concentration. LSSVM, Self-Organizing Map and Levenberg-Marquardt Back Propagation algorithms are applied to predict thermal conductivity ratio. Obtained results indicated that these algorithms are appropriate tool for thermal conductivity ratio prediction. The... 

A carbon-paste electrode (CPE) modified with iron(II) phthalocyanine was used for the sensitive voltammetric determination of epinephrine (EN). The electrochemical response characteristics of the modified electrode toward EN, ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA) were investigated by cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry (CV and DPV). The results show an efficient catalytic activity of the electrode for the electro-oxidation of EN, which leads to improvement of reversibility of the electrode response and lowering its overpotential by more than 100 mV. The effect of pH and potential sweep rate on the mechanism of the electrode process was investigated. The modified electrode exhibits an... 

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... 

This study proposes a response-based parameter for strong motion duration which is computed for structures and is the total time they are nonlinear during an earthquake. Correlation between structural response and duration for structures, subjected to a set of spectrum matched ground motions, is employed to examine the efficiency of the proposed method. The spectral matching procedure ensures that the influence of amplitude and frequency content of motions on structural response variability is significantly removed. Four concrete building type systems are studied and correlation coefficients of structural response with the proposed duration definition are examined. Comparison of the proposed... 

Surface settlement is considered as an adverse effect induced by tunneling in the civil projects. This paper proposes the use of the imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) for predicting the maximum surface settlement (MMS) resulting from the tunneling. For this work, three forms of equations, i.e., linear, quadratic and power are developed and their weights are then optimized/updated with the ICA. The requirement datasets were collected from the line No. 2 of Karaj urban railway, in Iran. In the ICA models, vertical to horizontal stress ratio, cohesion and Young’s modulus, as the effective parameters on the MSS, are adopted as the inputs. The statistical performance parameters such as root... 

Herein, Kiwi peel activated carbon (AC), Materials Institute Lavoisier (MIL-88B (Fe), and AC/MIL-88B (Fe) composite were synthesized and used as catalysts to degrade Reactive Red 198. The material properties were analyzed by the FTIR, BET-BJH, XRD, FESEM, EDX, TGA, and UV–Vis/DRS. The BET surface area of AC, MIL-88B (Fe) and AC/MIL-88B (Fe) was 1113.3, 150.7, and 199.4 m2/g, respectively. The band gap values (Eg) estimated by Tauc plot method, were obtained 5.06, 4.19 and 3.79 eV for AC, MIL-88B (Fe) and AC/MIL-88B (Fe), respectively. The results indicated that the AC/MIL-88B (Fe) composite had higher photocatalytic activity (99%) than that of pure AC (79%) and MIL-88B (Fe) catalysts (87%)....