Sharif Digital Repository

The aim of this paper is developing a new hierarchical model to evaluate and rank the sawability (power consumption) of carbonate rock with the use of effective and major criteria, and simultaneously taking subjective judgments of decision makers into consideration. The proposed approach is based on the combination of Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) method with TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methods. FAHP is used for determining the weights of the criteria by decision makers, and then rankings of carbonate rocks are determined by TOPSIS. The proposed method is applied for Iranian ornamental stone to evaluate the power consumption in rock... 

This paper focuses on characterization of the components of Iranian rosemary essential oil using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Multivariate curve resolution (MCR) approach was used to overcome the problem of background, baseline offset and overlapping/embedded peaks in GC-MS. The analysis of GC-MS data revealed that sixty eight components exist in the rosemary essential oil. However, with the help of MCR this number was extended to ninety nine components with concentrations higher than 0.01%, which accounts for 98.23% of the total relative content of the rosemary essential oil. The most important constituents of the Iranian rosemary are 1,8-cineole (23.47%), α-pinene... 

Study Design.: A descriptive overview of the literature. Objective.: To present a comprehensive descriptive overview of the published papers about epidemiologic features, burden, and current management of low back pain (LBP) in Iran. Summary OF Background Data.: Little is known about the epidemiology, burden, and management of LBP in developing and low- to middle-income countries, such as Iran. Methods.: A literature search was carried out using MEDLINE database to assess existing literature about prevalence, disease burden, impact, and current management of nonspecific LBP in Iran. Results.: Twenty-six articles matched inclusion criteria and included in the study. The findings related to... 

This study presents a parallel evolutionary optimization approach to determine optimal management strategies of large-scale coastal groundwater problems. The population loops of evolutionary algorithms (EA) are parallelized using shared memory parallelism to address the high computational demands of such applications. This methodology is applied to solve the management problems in an aquifer system in Kish Island, Iran using a three-dimensional density-dependent groundwater numerical model. EAs of continuous ant colony optimization (CACO), particle swarm optimization, and genetic algorithm are utilized to solve the optimization problems. By implementing the parallelization strategy, a... 

In this paper, special focus is paid to the long-term adoption of renewable electricity technologies and their implications for emissions reductions in Iran. MESSAGE, as a bottom-up energy supply optimization model, is used to assess the lowest-cost technology options. The potential impacts of transitioning to a renewable electricity supply are quantified, and the investment requirement to achieve a low-carbon generation mix is estimated. Alternative scenarios are defined to evaluate the impact of fossil fuel prices, the carbon tax and government incentives on the utilization of renewable resources, national renewable targets, and emissions reductions. The prioritization of non-hydro... 

The Latian dam reservoir is one of the most important drinking water sources for Tehran, Iran. Nitrate is a major water quality problem in this reservoir. The Jajrood River, the most important water source for the reservoir, discharges large amounts of nutrients to it every year including high levels of nitrate, a pollutant of particular concern. This study presents the results obtained from simulating different point source and nonpoint source impacts on the fate and transport of nitrate in the 470 km2 Jajrood watershed using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model version 2000 (SWAT2000). The SWAT model was calibrated and validated over an extended time period (1997-2005) for this... 

The main objective of the present study was to develop a valid and appropriate model to evaluate companies' efficiency and environmental performance, concerning health, safety, and environmental management system principles. The proposed model overcomes the shortcomings of the previous models developed in this area. This model has been designed on the basis of a mathematical method known as Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). In order to differentiate high-performing companies from weak ones, one of DEA nonradial models named as enhanced Russell graph efficiency measure has been applied. Since some of the environmental performance indicators cannot be controlled by companies' managers, it was... 

Objective: To translate the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) into Persian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of FAAM. Methods: 93 patients with a range of foot and ankle disorders, completed the Persian version of the FAAM and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in the test session. With an interval of 2-6 days, 60 patients filled out the FAAM in the retest session. The FAAM is composed of two subscales including activities of daily living (ADL) and SPORTS. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (s.e.m.), item internal consistency... 

Volatile components of saffron from different regions of Iran were extracted by ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction (USE) and were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) was proposed for resolving the co-eluted GC-MS peak clusters into pure chromatograms and mass spectra. Multivariate curve resolution-objective function minimization (MCR-FMIN) and multivariate curve resolution-alternating least square (MCR-ALS) were successfully used for this purpose. The accuracy of the qualitative and quantitative results was improved considerably using SMCR techniques. Comparison of the results of saffron from different regions of Iran showed... 

Demands growth and water resources limitation, enforce water sector policy makers to integrate water supply-demand interactions in a coherent framework for efficient water allocation. Water supply-demand interaction, changes long-term trend of water demands, which in turn has a substantial influence on water allocation. Researches on water allocation modeling lack adequate projection of relationship between water supply and demand. Socio-economic factors representing water allocation stakeholders' benefits, account for the main share of water supply-demand interaction. Identification, representation and consideration of these factors in a water allocation model, is the main limitation of... 

The aims of this study were to culturally adapt and validate the Persian version of Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) and present data on its psychometric properties for patients with different foot and ankle problems. The Persian version of FAOS was developed after a standard forward-backward translation and cultural adaptation process. The sample included 93 patients with foot and ankle disorders who were asked to complete two questionnaires: FAOS and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). To determine test-retest reliability, 60 randomly chosen patients completed the FAOS again 2 to 6 days after the first administration. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed using... 

In this study a membrane bioreactor (MBR) has been studied experimentally for the treatment of oil field wastewater (produced water). This type of wastewater is characterised with relativity moderate to high amount of salt and oil. The normal bacteria which are growing in conventional activated sludge and MBR cannot withstand at these adverse conditions, therefore it is necessary to be adapted. In this study, different samples from sea sediment in Bushehr (south of Iran) were analysed and different groups of bacteria were isolated and adapted for surveying under high salinity conditions. The performance and efficiency of these bacteria in the degradation of model oil has been studied. The... 

In this paper, the project earthquake occurrence risk coefficient is determined for each construction project that is located in one of Iran's twenty seismic regions. This coefficient is allocated, regardless of the current situation of the project, being in the plan or execution phase or even completed. This coefficient indicates the possibility of an earthquake occurrence during a project's life time. To find this coefficient, the Gutenberg-Richter linear relationship has been applied, in conjunction with the Poisson distribution. The Gutenberg-Richter linear equation expresses the relationship between the magnitude of an earthquake and the number of occurrences, during a fixed time, of... 

Hamoon-Jazmoorian plain is located in southeast of Iran. Overexploitation of groundwater in this plain has led to water level decline and caused serious problems such as land subsidence, aquifer destruction and water quality degradation. The increasing population and agricultural development along with drought and climate change, have further increased the pressure on water resources in this region over the last years. In order to overcome such crisis, introduction of surface water into an aquifer at particular locations can be a suitable solution. A wide variety of methods have been developed to recharge groundwater, one of which is aquifer storage and recovery (ASR). One of the fundamental... 

In this study, two conceptual models, the classic reservoir (CR) model and exchange reservoirs model embedded by dual porosity approach (DPR) are developed for simulation of karst aquifer functioning drained by multiple outlets. The performances of two developed models are demonstrated at a less developed karstic aquifer with three spring outlets located in Zagros Mountain in the south-west of Iran using 22-years of daily data. During the surface recharge, a production function based on water mass balance is implemented for computing the time series of surface recharge to the karst formations. The efficiency of both models has been assessed for simulation of daily spring discharge during the... 

Railway managers have a strong economic incentive to minimize track maintenance costs, while maintaining safety standards and providing adequate service levels to train operators. The objective of this study is to apply a procedure for making optimal maintenance decisions in Iranian Railways. This study consists of two parts. First, a cumulative damage model, based on a Markov process, is applied to model the deterioration of the track. For this reason, tracks are categorized into six classes, so that those tracks with similar traffic loads and geographical location are collected into one class. The track survey data from 215 blocks (4,228 km) of the ten divisions of the Iranian Railway... 

Purpose.To translate and validate the Persian version of the Arthritis Measurement Scales 2-Short Form (AIMS2-SF) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Method.The translation and cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire was carried out in accordance with published guidelines. One hundred and fourteen consecutive Persian-speaking patients with OA of the knee were participated in this study. The Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain and joint stiffness were used to test convergent validity of the Persian AIMS2-SF. In addition, 35 randomly selected patients were asked to complete the questionnaire 3 days later for the second time.... 

Tabriz has experienced several large destructive historical earthquakes in the past. Due to the absence of ground motion records in this area, a simulation of future events based on a regional seismicity information and ground motion model is necessary. Based on a maximum likelihood method, earthquake magnitude is estimated for a 10% probability of exceedance within 50 years (475-year return period) and its corresponding strong ground motions have been simulated using stochastic finite fault modeling. Using different stress parameters, suites of ground motions have been simulated for a return period of £75 years and their spectral accelerations have been compared with the corresponding... 

Cultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the Arthritis Measurement Scales 2-Short Form (AIMS2-SF). The translation and cultural adaptation of the original questionnaire was carried out in accordance with published guidelines. Three hundred and fifty consecutive Persian-speaking patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were asked to complete the AIMS2-SF, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and four visual analog scales (VAS) for pain, joint stiffness, and patient's and physician's global assessment to test convergent validity. In addition, 90 randomly selected patients were asked to complete the questionnaire 48 h later for the second time. Moderate to high correlation... 

Piping systems commonly experience the transient-state situation as the result of changes to flow conditions during pump failures, valve closures or turbine load rejection. This paper addresses transients as a consequence of the load rejection of a Francis hydropower plant (Karun 4, Ahwaz, Iran). To control the turbine system and related equipment during load rejection, the valve closing law of wicket gates is of paramount importance. The pressure rise at the end of the pressure shaft, the pressure drop in the draft tube and the speed rise while the electromagnetic braking torque disappears are solely dependent on the closing curve. Thus, an optimum closing law can eliminate the probable...