Sharif Digital Repository

Active edge sites of MoS2 nanosheets exhibit promising futures for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), comparable with remarkable performances of highly cost platinum. However, 3D structures of MoS2 suffer from a lack of high mobility and unexposed active sites which lower the electrocatalytic activity. In this study, we show that there is a balance between increasing the active sites on the one hand and managing the charge transfer to facilitate the reaction on the other hand, and achieving this balance increases the efficiency of the electrocatalyst tremendously. For this purpose, we directly attached exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets onto carbon cloth (CC) substrate as a 3D network of conductive... 

The optimum design of reinforced concrete cantilever retaining walls subjected to seismic loads is an extremely important challenge in structural and geotechnical engineering, especially in seismic zones. This study proposes an adaptive sperm swarm optimization algorithm (ASSO) for economic design of retaining structure under static and seismic loading. The proposed ASSO algorithm utilizes a time-varying velocity damping factor to provide a fine balance between the explorative and exploitative behavior of the original method. In addition, the new method considers a reasonable velocity limitation to avoid the divergence of the sperm movement. The proposed algorithm is benchmarked with a set... 

Many companies face challenges in reducing their supply chain costs while increasing sustainability and customer service levels. A comprehensive framework for a sustainable closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network is a practical solution to these challenges. Hence, for the first time, this study considers an integrated multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming (MOMILP) model to design sustainable CLSC networks with cross-docking, location-inventory-routing, time window, supplier selection, order allocation, transportation modes with simultaneous pickup, and delivery under uncertainty. An intelligent simulation algorithm is proposed to produce CLSC network data with probabilistic... 

This paper aims to identify an optimum bone fracture stabilizer. For this purpose, three design variables including the ratio of the screw diameter to the plate width at three levels, the ratio of the plate thickness to the plate width at three levels, and the diameter of the bone at two levels were selected for analysis. Eighteen 3D verified finite element models were developed to examine the effects of these parameters on the weight, maximum displacement and maximum von Mises stress of the fixation structure. Considering the relations between the inputs and outputs using multivariate regression, a genetic algorithm was used to find the optimal choices. Results showed that the diameter of... 

Multispeed resolvers are used in the applications that need higher accuracy. However, they suffer from losing absolute position information. To overcome this challenge and improve the reliability of detecting position, the use of multiturn resolvers is recommended. The conventional configuration of multiturn resolver is using two individual resolvers on one shaft and into a common frame. Using such configuration needs special care on setting the distance between two resolvers. In this article, a new structure based on a dual side configuration is proposed. The performance of the double-sided resolver is analyzed and optimized using an analytical model based on a magnetic equivalent circuit.... 

The aim of this paper is to provide a solution to decrease water consumption in the slab-cooling unit of Mobarakeh Steel Complex in Iran. The plan should give an hourly decline in water consumption during a one-year operation period to calculate the annual reduction in water consumption of the proposed process. Recommended solutions for the conversion scheme of an existing wet cooling tower to a dry or hybrid cooling system require modeling of the slab cooling process. The curves of temperature drop in slabs are extracted in this paper by modeling the transient heat transfer of the slabs in the cooling process. This will reduce the computational volume. Then, the design and optimization of... 

The seismic risk framework of building structures has been presented to reduce earthquake-induced adverse consequences. In this context, probabilistic analysis of engineering demand parameters (EDPs) is always associated with many uncertainties and high computational demand for use in practical applications. This study has been presented to efficiently estimate the distribution of EDPs in probabilistic seismic risk assessment of irregular steel moment-resisting frames (SMRFs). For this purpose, the incorporation of the consistent fish-bone (CFB) model and the endurance time (ET) analysis method has been used. The proposed method (i.e., CFB-ET) has a substantial impact on reducing the... 

In this paper, optimization on a two-tube helical heat exchanger with a fin is represented. The spiral pipes heat exchanger which is made of the cooper is adopted for investigation. The effects of three types of fins with the proposed geometric shapes on the overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss are investigated. The fins are located on the inner surface of the outer pipe. The obtained numerical results are compared with the experimental results, and a good agreement is observed between the results. The studies show that the total heat transfer coefficient has increased by 170% compared to an exchanger with no fin. Therefore, the best fin has been selected based on the... 

Hyperdimensional (HD) computing is a lightweight machine learning method widely used in Internet of Things applications for classification tasks. Although many hardware accelerators are proposed to improve the performance of HD, they suffer from low flexibility that makes them not practical in most real-life scenarios. To improve the flexibility, an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA) called RISC-V has been employed and extended for a specific application such as machine learning. This article aims to improve the efficiency and flexibility of HD computing for resource-constrained applications. To this end, we extend a RISC-V core (RI5CY) for HD computing called RISC-HD. First, to... 

This paper considers a realistic multi-service system design problem in which each service type is a stochastic sequence of services provided by different units of facilities where each facility is modeled as a set of open Jackson queueing networks. The problem is first formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear programming model, which is further simplified to a model with a smaller number of constraints. Three exact solution methods are applied to solve the amended model. The first one is a cutting-plane method, which is based on a piecewise-linear approximation. The second is based on a mixed-integer linear programming formulation, which is enhanced by valid inequalities. The third is to use... 

In this paper, the effect of geometrical parameters on the fretting fatigue of a half-plane in contact with a flat and rounded pad is studied. This is accomplished by calculating and comparing the stress states and stress intensity factors of fretting cracks for a number of pad geometries. The pad geometry is represented by the radius of its rounded corners and the width of its central flat part. The distribution of dislocation method is employed to calculate the stress intensity factors of fretting induced cracks of different lengths for different values of geometrical parameters. The results of this study can be insightful for improving the geometrical design of an aero-engine compressor... 

Rapidly exploring random trees (RRT) are sampling-based approaches being widely applied for path planning of mobile robots. Since the output of these algorithms usually is a stream of discrete lines involving discontinuity at the linking points, kinematic constraints restrict the robot's movements. Consequently, robots may not pass discrete points in the path correctly. Hence, the using CAGD (Computer-Aided Geometry Design) curves can run simultaneously alongside those algorithms or may run after that to make a smooth path and that's the way in which non-holonomic constraints can be considered perfect and robots can be droved autonomously across them about the collision detection method... 

Although medical advancements have successfully helped a lot of couples with their infertility by assisted reproductive technologies (ART), sperm selection, a crucial stage in ART, has remained challenging. Therefore, we aimed to investigate novel sperm separation methods, specifically microfluidic systems, as they do sperm selection based on sperm and/or the female reproductive tract (FRT) features without inflicting any damage to the selected sperm during the process. In this review, after an exhaustive studying of FRT features, which can implement by microfluidics devices, the focus was centered on sperm selection and investigation devices. During this study, we tried not to only point to... 

This letter presents a unified framework for the design of prescribed-time controllers under time-varying input and state constraints for normal-form unknown nonlinear systems with uncertain input gain. The proposed approach is based on a time-domain mapping method by which any infinite-time system can be corresponded to a prescribed-time system and vice versa. It is shown that the design of a constrained nonasymptotic prescribed-time controller can be reduced to the asymptotic control design for an associated constrained infinite-time system. Faà di Bruno's formula and Bell polynomials are used for a constructive representation of the associated infinite-time system. The presented results...