Sharif Digital Repository

This article presents a nonlocal sinusoidal shear deformation beam theory (SDBT) for the nonlinear vibration of single-walled boron nitride nanotubes (SWBNNTs). The surrounding elastic medium is simulated based on nonlinear Pasternak foundation. Based on the nonlocal differential constitutive relations of Eringen, the equations of motion of the SWBNNTs are derived using Hamilton's principle. Differential quadrature method (DQM) for the nonlinear frequency is presented, and the obtained results are compared with those predicted by the nonlocal Timoshenko beam theory (TBT). The effects of nonlocal parameter, vibrational modes, length, and elastic medium on the nonlinear frequency of SWBNNTs... 

With the development of modern sports, the design and production of sportswear play an essential role, especially in many modern difficult and dangerous sports. Selection of fibre fabrics is the most important factor because this influences the performance and efficiency, while ensuring protection and physical comfort. In recent years, the demand for smart materials and textiles has been increasing all around the world. Many investigations have been carried out into developing smart textiles that support the better performance of athletes. A smart textile is an intelligent system that is able to sense environmental conditions and electrical, thermal, mechanical, chemical, and magnetic... 

Wastewater treatment plants are the most important release source of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) into the environment. This study aimed to identify β-lactam-resistance genes in Qom prov-ince municipal wastewater and also to determine the effect of municipal wastewater treatment plants with different processes on reducing these pollutants. Sampling was performed according to the standard protocol and at constant temperature conditions. Nine genes resistant to the six groups of β-lactam antibiotics were selected, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was performed to identify the presence/absence of ARGs. At the same time, real-time PCR test was also carried out to quantitatively... 

Objectives: To investigate the effects of competitive and noncompetitive volleyball exercises on the functional performance and motor control of the upper limbs in chronic stroke survivors. Design: Randomized clinical trial. Setting: Outpatient rehabilitation center. Participants: Chronic stroke survivors (N=48). Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to competitive (n=16) or noncompetitive (n=16) volleyball exercise groups (60min/d volleyball exercise+30min/d traditional rehabilitation, 3d/wk for 7wk) and control group (n=16). Main Outcome Measures: Reach and grasp motor control measures were evaluated through kinematic analysis. Functional outcomes were assessed via Motor... 

Short-term hydrothermal scheduling (STHTS) is a highly non-linear, multi-model, non-convex, and multi-dimensional optimization problem that has been worked upon for about 5 decades. Many research articles have been published in solving different test cases of STHTS problem, while establishing the superiority of one type of optimization algorithm over the type, in finding the near global best solution of these complex problems. This paper presents the implementation of an improved version of a variant of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO), known as Accelerated Particle Swarm Optimization (APSO) on three benchmark test cases of STHTS problems. The adaptive and variable nature of... 

Short term hydrothermal scheduling (STHTS) is a non-linear, multi-modal and very complex constrained optimization problem which has been solved using several conventional and modern metaheuristic optimization algorithms. A number of research articles have been published addressing STHTS using different techniques. This article presents a comprehensive review of research published for solving the STHTS problem in the last four decades. © 2013 IEEE  

Background: Comprehensive and comparable estimates of health spending in each country are a key input for health policy and planning, and are necessary to support the achievement of national and international health goals. Previous studies have tracked past and projected future health spending until 2040 and shown that, with economic development, countries tend to spend more on health per capita, with a decreasing share of spending from development assistance and out-of-pocket sources. We aimed to characterise the past, present, and predicted future of global health spending, with an emphasis on equity in spending across countries. Methods: We estimated domestic health spending for 195...