Sharif Digital Repository

Great advantages bestowed by mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) including high surface area, tailorable pore diameter and surface chemistry, and large pore volume render them as efficient tools in biomedical applications. Herein, MSNs with different surface chemistries were synthesized and investigated in terms of biocompatibility and their impact on the morphology of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells both in 2D and 3D culture systems. Bare MSNs (BMSNs) were synthesized by template removing method using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as a precursor. The as-prepared BMSNs were then used to prepare amine-functionalized (AMSNs), carboxyl-functionalized (CMSNs) and polymeric... 

The effect of a permanent magnetic field on the heat transfer characteristics of hybrid graphene-magnetite nanofluids (hybrid nanofluid) under forced laminar flow was experimentally investigated. For this purpose, a reduced graphene oxide-Fe3O4 was synthesized by using two-dimensional (2D) graphene oxide, iron salts and tannic acid as the reductant and stabilizer. Graphene sheets acted as the supporting materials to enhance the stability and thermal properties of magnetite nanoparticles. The thermo-physical and magnetic properties of this hybrid nanofluid have been widely characterized and it shows that the thermal conductivity increased up to 11%. The hybrid nanofluid behaves as a Newtonian... 

Endothelial cell migration is a crucial step in the process of new blood vessel formation - a necessary process to maintain cell viability inside thick tissue constructs. Here, we report a new method for maintaining cell viability and inducing cell migration using a perfused microfluidic platform based on collagen gel and a gradient hydrogel sheet. Due to the helpful role of the extracellular matrix components in cell viability, we developed a hydrogel sheet from decellularized tissue (DT) of the bovine heart and chitosan (CS). The results showed that hydrogel sheets with an optimum weight ratio of CS/DT = 2 possess a porosity of around 75%, a mechanical strength of 23 kPa, and display cell... 

In this study, a particular nickel-based superalloy has been studied by transmission electron microscopy and the results are discussed in terms of phase transformations that may have taken place. The alloy has been found to consist of three major phases; a FCC γ phase containing a random distribution of nearly spherical γ′ - Ni3Al(Ti) - precipitates and elongated thin Ni3Ti(Ta) platelets with a hexagonal structure. The orientation relationships between the different phases have been determined; loss of coherency and possible occurrence of misfit-relieving interfacial dislocations are discussed and compared with experimental observations, and possible mechanisms of phase transformations are... 

This study focuses on developing an efficient material that integrates high adsorption performances of dye and antibiotics as well as effective oxidation activity of it. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize polyresorcinol@CoFe2 O4 via a one-step hydrothermally route. The prepared composite possesses multifunctional performance for methylene blue (MB) and tetracycline (TC) removal with appropriate magnetic separation operation and significant removal ability with an adsorption capacity of 51.48 and 28.16 mg g–1, respectively. Meanwhile, the aforementioned composite exhibits a high oxidation activity toward MB and TC molecules where the adsorption capacity increases to 1,723 and 120... 

There are numerous studies on the behavior of Unreinforced Masonry (URM) walls in both in-plane (IP) and out-of-plane (OP) directions; however, few aimed at understanding the simultaneous contribution of these intrinsic responses during earthquakes. Undoubtedly, even a strong URM wall shows weakened capacity in the OP direction because of minor cracks and other damages in the IP direction, and this capacity reduction has not yet been accounted for in seismic codes. In this study, performance of three URM walls is evaluated by several numerical analyses in terms of the OP capacity reduction because of IP displacements and failure modes. Several parameters influencing the OP capacity have been... 

After an earthquake, the residual stiffness and strength of structural elements are typically estimated based on a qualitative visual inspection of cracks that is prone to error. In this paper a new approach is proposed to automatically estimate the updated stiffness and strength of damaged unreinforced masonry walls by characterization of crack patterns by a mathematical index. It is shown that structural and textural fractal dimensions of a crack pattern reflect the extent of cracking and the type of cracking or crushing, i.e., whether the cracks pass through joints or whether bricks have been damaged and crushed. Using results of six quasi-static cyclic tests on unreinforced brick masonry... 

Despite the promise of hydrogel-based stem cell therapies in orthopedics, a significant need still exists for the development of injectable microenvironments capable of utilizing the regenerative potential of donor cells. Indeed, the quest for biomaterials that can direct stem cells into bone without the need of external factors has been the "Holy Grail" in orthopedic stem cell therapy for decades. To address this challenge, we have utilized a combinatorial approach to screen over 63 nanoengineered hydrogels made from alginate, hyaluronic acid, and two-dimensional nanoclays. Out of these combinations, we have identified a biomaterial that can promote osteogenesis in the absence of... 

Various researchers have contributed to the identification of the mass and stiffness matrices of two dimensional (2-D) shear building structural models for a given set of vibratory frequencies. The suggested methods are based on the specific characteristics of the Jacobi matrices, i.e., symmetric, tri-diagonal and semi-positive definite matrices. However, in case of three dimensional (3-D) structural models, those methods are no longer applicable, since their stiffness matrices are not tri-diagonal. In this paper the inverse problem for a special class of vibratory structural systems, i.e., 3-D shear building models, is investigated. A practical algorithm is proposed for solving the inverse... 

This paper describes the results of an experimental and numerical study that focused on multi-directional behavior of unreinforced masonry walls and established the requisite of the related proposed design equations. The tests were conducted following several sets of multi-directional loading combinations imposed on the top plane of the wall along with considering monotonic and cyclic quasi-static loading protocols. Various boundary conditions, representing possible wall–roof connections, were also considered for different walls to investigate the influence of rotation of the top plane of the wall on the failure modes. The results of the tests were recorded with a host of high precision data...