Sharif Digital Repository

Adaptation of Penicillium simplicissimum with different heavy metals present in a spent hydrocracking catalyst, as well as one-step, two-step, and spent medium bioleaching of the spent catalyst by the adapted fungus, was examined in batch cultures. Adaptation experiments with the single metal ions Ni, Mo, Fe, and W showed that the fungus could tolerate up to 1500. mg/L Ni, 8000. mg/L Mo, 3000. mg/L Fe, and 8000. mg/L W. In the presence of multi-metals, the fungus was able to tolerate up to 300. mg/L Ni, 200. mg/L Mo, 150. mg/L Fe and 2500. mg/L W. A total of 3% (w/v) spent catalyst generally gave the maximum extraction yields in the two-step bioleaching process (100% of W, 100% of Fe, 92.7%... 

Statistically based experimental designs were applied to screen and optimize the bioleaching of spent hydrocracking catalyst by Penicillium simplicissimum. Eleven factors were examined for their significance on bioleaching using a Plackett-Burman factorial design. Four significant variables (pulp density, sucrose, NaNO3, and yeast extract concentrations) were selected for the optimization studies. The combined effect of these variables on metal bioleaching was studied using a central composite design (CCD). Second-order polynomials were established to identify the relationship between the recovery percent of the metals and the four significant variables. The optimal values of the variables... 

The quantity of spent hydroprocessing catalysts discarded as solid wastes in the petroleum refining industries has increased remarkably due to a steady increase in the processing of heavier feedstock. The adaptation of Penecillum Simplicissimum BBRC1-20019 with different heavy metals present in spent hydrocracking catalysts was studied. Adaptation experiments with single metals showed that the fungus could tolerate ≤ 1500 mg/L Ni, 8000 mg/L Mo, 3000 mg/L Fe, and 8000 mg/L W. In the presence of a mixture of these metals, the fungus tolerated ≤ 300 mg/L Ni, 200 mg/L Mo, 150 mg/L Fe, and 2500 mg/L W. The presence of multi-metals acted cumulatively to enhance the toxic effect in the growth of... 

This study was designed to compare one-step, two-step and spent medium bioleaching of spent catalyst by adapted Penecillum simplicissimum in batch cultures. Penecillum simplicissimum which was adapted to heavy metal ions Ni, Mo, Fe, and W grew in the presence of up to 5 %w/v of spent catalyst in the medium. The main lixiviant in bioleaching was gluconic acid which was produced mainly in present and absence of spent catalyst. A total of 3 %w/v spent catalyst generally gave maximum extraction yields in two-step bioleaching process, which the amounts of leached metals were 100 % of W, 100 % of Fe, 92.7 % of Mo, 66.43 % of Ni, and 25 % of Al. The red pigment produced by fungus could also... 

Analysis of the multispectral remotely sensed images of the areas destroyed by an earthquake is proved to be a helpful tool for destruction assessments. The performance of such methods is highly dependant on the preprocess that registers the two shots before and after an event. In this paper, we propose a new fast and reliable change detection method for remotely sensed images and analyze its performance. The experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. Copyright © 2006 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. All right reserved  

This study was designed to compare one-step, two-step and spent medium bioleaching of spent catalyst by adapted Aspergillus niger in batch cultures. Aspergillus niger, which was adapted to heavy metal ions, Ni, Mo, Fe, and W, was grown in medium containing up to 5% (w/v) of spent catalyst. The main lixiviant in bioleaching was gluconic acid, which was produced at all pulp densities in the one-step bioleaching process. Gluconic acid was also produced in the two-step bioleaching process when the spent catalyst was present at pulp densities greater than 1% (w/v). In the spent medium leaching, however, the primary agent was citric acid. The pulp density of the spent catalyst was varied, and this... 

This article proposes a blind discrete wavelet transform-discrete cosine transform (DWT-DCT) composite watermarking scheme that is robust against print and scan distortions. First, two-dimensional DWT is applied to the original image to obtain the mid-frequency subbands. Then, a one-dimensional DCT is applied to the selected mid-frequency subbands to extract the final coefficients for embedding the watermark. To specify watermarking parameters, we utilize a Genetic Algorithm to achieve a predefined image quality after watermark insertion. Suitable locations for watermarking are determined by analyzing the effect of a modeling algorithm. This model simulates noise and nonlinear attacks in... 

Image annotation approaches need an annotated dataset to learn a model for the relation between images and words. Unfortunately, preparing a labeled dataset is highly time consuming and expensive. In this work, we describe the development of an annotation system in semi-supervised learning framework which by incorporating unlabeled images into training phase reduces the system demand to labeled images. Our approach constructs a generative model for each semantic class in two main steps. First, based on Gamma distribution, a generative model is constructed for each semantic class using labeled images in that class. The second step incorporates the unlabeled images by using a modified EM... 

Different types of visual features provide multi-modal representation for images in the annotation task. Conventional graph-based image annotation methods integrate various features into a single descriptor and consider one node for each descriptor on the learning graph. However, this graph does not capture the information of individual features, making it unsuitable for propagating the labels of annotated images. In this paper, we address this issue by proposing an approach for fusing the visual features such that a specific subgraph is constructed for each visual modality and then subgraphs are connected to form a supergraph. As the size of supergraph grows linearly with the number of... 

When natural disasters happen, relief logistic centers (RLCs) and the quality of their services become absolutely important. In other words, choosing proper locations for RLCs has a direct impact on operating costs and timeliness of responses to the rising demands. This paper aims at proposing a decision support system for prioritizing RLC's locations to facilitate providing emergency helps when natural disasters occur. The present study, focuses on considering availability, risk, technical issues, cost and coverage in locating RLCs. It is assumed that applying analytic hierarchy process (AHP) can facilitate the problem of locating these centers. The most important step in this process is... 

Considering each of the visual features as one modality in image annotation task, efficient fusion of different modalities is essential in graph-based learning. Traditional graph-based methods consider one node for each image and combine its visual features into a single descriptor before constructing the graph. In this paper, we propose an approach that constructs a subgraph for each modality in such a way that edges of subgraph are determined using a search-based approach that handles class-imbalance challenge in the annotation datasets. Multiple subgraphs are then connected to each other to have a supergraph. This follows by introducing a learning framework to infer the tags of... 

Image completion is an active subject in image and video processing, which deals with recovering the missing or removed parts of a given 2-D or 3-D data. Here, we present a method to efficiently build the multiresolution pyramid for a partially-missing image, by which, multiresolution image completion can be efficiently initialized and performed. Using this approach, we improve our previous algorithm for multiresolution image completion, especially when the inputs suffer spread missing areas. In comparison with the overall process of image completion, the computational and space complexity of the proposed method for building multiresolution pyramid is eligible. The obtained results of our... 

Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Mobile WiMAX) is a wireless access technology based on IEEE 802.16e. The two most important concepts are introduced in the MAC layer of Mobile WiMAX networks, handover and load balancing. In this paper, we have focused on balancing the load of the system, using handover mechanisms suggested by mobile WiMAX. The proposed algorithm, WQLB, concentrates on controlling the system load and keeping it in a balanced state by using a handover process. Also, the algorithm is designed to utilize resources efficiently, supporting QoS. As load definition is an essential criterion in load balancing algorithms, we have suggested a new load model for... 

This paper has investigated the performance of a linear, 6H-SiC high power photoconductive semiconductor switch. A three-dimensional device modeling with SILVACO ATLAS tools was used to model the optically initiated 6H-SiC switch. The 6H-SiC PCSS device is designed in a rear-illuminated, radial switch structure. The material properties of vanadium compensated 6H-SiC PSCC have been analyzed for breakdown, photocurrent profile such as rise and fall time in terms of their applications as a photoconductive switch at high bias conditions. This structure and also new type of illumination extends the blocking voltage by reducing the peak electric field near electrodes. In this presentation the... 

Frontal vehicle crashes have been a leading cause of spinal injuries in recent years. Reconstruction of frontal crashes using computational models and spinal load analysis helps us understand the patterns of injury and load propagation during frontal crashes. By reconstructing a real crash test and using a viscoelastic crash dummy model, spinal injury patterns were analyzed. The results indicated that a moderate crash with an impact speed of 56 km/h leads to injuries in L1-L2 and L5-S1 levels (L for lumbar and S for sacral vertebrae). The largest spinal loads and injuries were mainly observed immediately after the airbag deployment when the peak of the crash acceleration transpires. Also,... 

The dummies currently used for predicting vehicle occupant response during frontal crashes or whole-body vibration provide insufficient information about spinal loads. Although they aptly approximate upper-body rotations in different loading scenarios, they overlook spinal loads, which are crucial to injury assessment. This paper aims to develop a modified dummy finite element (FE) model with a detailed viscoelastic lumbar spine. This model has been developed and validated against in-vitro and in-silico data under different loading conditions, and its predicted ranges of motion (RoM) and intradiscal pressure (IDP) maintain close correspondence with the in-vitro data. The dominant frequency... 

Whole-body vibration (WBV) has been identified as one of the serious risk factors leading to spinal disorders, particularly in professional drivers. Although the influential factors in this area have been investigated epidemiologically, finite element (FE) modeling can efficiently help us better understand the problem. In this study, a modified HYBRID III dummy FE model which was enhanced by detailed viscoelastic discs in the lumbar region was utilized to simulate the effect of WBV on lumbar spine loads. Spinal responses to the vertical sinusoidal vibrations of a generic seat were obtained and spinal injury risk factors were calculated. Effects of variation of excitation frequencies, three... 

Ultrathin carbon nanoparticle-poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) films (CNP-PDDAC films) are formed on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) electrodes in a layer-by-layer electrostatic deposition process employing 9-18 nm diameter carbon particles. Transparent and strongly adhering films of high electrical conductivity are formed and characterized in terms of their electrochemical reactivity. When immersed in aqueous 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 7, each layer of CNP-PDDAC (of ca. 5-6 nm average thickness) is adding an interfacial capacitance of ca. 10 μF cm-2. Absorption into the CNP-PDDAC nanocomposite film is dominated by the sites in the PDDAC cationomer and therefore anionic molecules such as... 

Linear programming problems with trapezoidal fuzzy variables (FVLP) have recently attracted some interest. Some methods have been developed for solving these problems by introducing and solving certain auxiliary problems. Here, we apply a linear ranking function to order trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Then, we establish the dual problem of the linear programming problem with trapezoidal fuzzy variables and hence deduce some duality results. In particular, we prove that the auxiliary problem is indeed the dual of the FVLP problem. Having established the dual problem, the results will then follow as natural extensions of duality results for linear programming problems with crisp data. Finally,... 

The effects of bioaugmentation on maintaining the conventional activated sludge (CAS) system stability under shock loading conditions, standardizing the effluent, and improving the sludge settlement, were studied. Phenol was chosen as a model of mono-aromatic compounds, which are commonly found in the wastewaters of petroleum refineries and petrochemical industry in Iran. Bioaugmentation is a practical means to increase the resistance of a CAS system against shock loadings of recalcitrant compounds. It is also effective in removing hazardous compounds according to recommended standards. By using this method, there is no need to change CAS system construction, thus, it can be used simply and...