Sharif Digital Repository

Abnormality detection and prognosis of epileptic patients with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques is still in its early experimental stages. Surgical candidacy determination for epilepsy depends on the clinical actions which involve an intracranial electrode implantation followed by prolonged electrographic monitoring (EEG phase II) .This invasive test is very costly, painful and time consuming. Here the goal is integration of the two following paradigms: 1-Non invasive multimodality data of epilepsy. 2- Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques. We have used human brain multi-modality database system that includes patient’s demographics, clinical and EEG... 

The present study examines the effects of participation in a critical reflective online course upon the participants’ identity. The study drew upon both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. The 38 participants of the study who were first degree students at Sharif University of Technology participated in ten online sessions in which ten prompts concerning intercultural issues were introduced. The data collected in the online course underwent inductive qualitative content analysis which resulted in the extraction of five themes. Following this, 18 participants were interviewed to throw more light on these findings. Qualitative and Quantitative content analyses of the data... 

Using unmanned aerial vehicles in aerial payload carrying leads many changes requiring significant study and research. In recent years, there has been considerable maturation in Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAV) developement especially quadcopters. In addition to the endurance restriction, considerations on volume and weight that can be carried, and safety issues are also obstacles to the development of unmanned aerial payload carrying in urban environments. One of the ways to make a quadcopter more agile while carrying a load is to hang the cargo from the quadcopter via a cable. In this way, it is possible that quadcopters carry the cargo in a cooperative way, which if properly arranged,... 

The tungsten inert gas keyhole (K-TIG) welding process is an arc welding technique renowned for its ability to achieve full penetration welding of thick plates without the need for filler metal. This process is valued for its high production rate and cost-effectiveness. However, compared to conventional gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) and shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), K-TIG involves higher input heat, which can influence the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the joint region. This study aims to investigate and compare the effects of K-TIG and SMAW welding processes on the microstructure and mechanical properties of thick plates made from the nickel-based superalloy... 

Electrospinning, as an advanced method for producing nanofibers, is rapidly evolving due to its simplicity, flexibility, low cost, and scalability. This technique enables the production of porous structures with a high surface-to-volume ratio, making it applicable in various fields such as food packaging, medicine, and air purification. In this study, multifunctional nanofibrous mats composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) loaded with titania and zeolite nanoparticles were successfully synthesized and evaluated. Initially, titania nanoparticles were synthesized, and the formation of anatase and brookite phases was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction... 

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of the optimized conditional source-term estimation approach. This model was first implemented in a computational fluid dynamics code, and then the Bernstein expansion was used to optimize it. For validation, two pre-mixed turbulent flames with different turbulence intensity and equivalence ratios were modeled with the optimized and RANS model. The results were obtained for mass fraction of the main and intermediate species, velocity and temperature examined in different sections. In the first flame, the turbulence intensity is low, and the flame is in the flamelet regimes; As a result, the results obtained with the optimized model are... 

In each organization, decision-making about products and their impact on the profitability of the organization is vital. Today, with the constant changes and resource constraints, as well as the growing importance of environmental issues for organizations, creating a decision model that considers all of the aformentioned aspects is vital. This study considers ten effective factors related to product portfolio and focuses on maintaining business sustainability in multi-product organizations. First, by assessing the relationship between criteria and products, the priority and weight of each of the criteria by the network analysis process (ANP) method are determined. In the next step, using the... 

Direct in vivo measurements of spinal loads and muscle forces are invasive. Investigators have thus used musculoskeletal biomechanical models that require kinematic data including trunk and pelvis angular movements as their inputs. . Novel devices measure anglular movements using both inertial sensors (such as gyroscopes and accelerometers) and miniature magnetometers. Relative low cost, portability, and accuracy are among specific characteristics of inertial tracking devices. The main objective of the present study was set to measure spinal kinematics including the lumbopelvic rhythm as the ratio of total lumbar rotation over pelvic rotation during trunk sagittal movement which is essential... 

The 1991 NIOSH Lifting Equation (NLE) is widely used to assess risk of injury to the spine by providing estimates of the recommended weight limit (RWL) in hands. The present study uses two biomechanical models of the spine to verify whether the RWL generates L5-S1 loads within the limits (e.g., 3400 N for compression recommended by NIOSH and 1000 N for shear recommended in some studies).Severallifting activities are simulated here to evaluate the RWL by the NLE and the L5-S1 loads by the models. In lifting activities involving moderate to large forward trunk flexion, the estimated RWL generates L5-S1 spine loads exceeding the recommended limits. The NIOSH vertical multiplier is the likely... 

Range of motion (ROM) of the thoracic spine has implications in patient discrimination for diagnostic purposes and in biomechanical models for predictions of spinal loads. Few previous studies have reported quite different thoracic ROMs. Total (T1-T12), lower (T5-T12) and upper (T1-T5) thoracic, lumbar (T12-S1), pelvis, and entire trunk (T1) ROMs were measured using an inertial tracking device as asymptomatic subjects flexed forward from their neutral upright position to full forward flexion. Correlations between body height and the ROMs were conducted. Effect of measurement errors of the trunk flexion (T1) on the model-predicted spinal loads was investigated. Mean of peak voluntary total... 

Etiological studies proves the fact that Low Back Pain (LBP) is one of the most expensive and prevalent desease all over the world. This fact illustrates the reqiurment of the special effort in ordet to reducing the pain due to this problem. Finite element modeling of human spine is one the suitable methods to simulate the behavior of human spine in different loading conditions. These conditions could be different daily occupational tasks. There is two general viewpoint toward finite element modeling of human spine. The fisrt method focuses on the detailed geometry and mechanical properties of spine, while the other complexities such as detailed muscle forces are overlooked. The latter... 

Low back pains (LBP) are prevalent and costly. One of the important factors causing LBP is excessive axial compression and shear forces that are applied on the intervertebral discs during different activities. Due to lack of direct in vivo measurement methods for estimating these loads, musculoskeletal biomechanical models have been emerged as indispensable tools under various activities. Different biomechanical models have been suggested to estimate muscle forces and spinal loads base on optimization, EMG and hybrid (EMG assisted optimization, EMGAO) methods. Although there have been a number of studies on the differences between various optimization and EMG-based methods, there has been no... 

Posterior lumbar surgery is often associated with extensive injuries to back muscles. In this thesis, the effect of such iatrogenic injuries in some patients was examined. For this purpose, the CSA of back muscles in 6 patients were measured using MR scan. To examine any natural change in CSAs of healthy people or instrument errors, same measurement were carried out on 10 healthy volunteers. In addition, a detailed anatomical model of an intact human spine was developed. With the aim of experimental studies and intact model, the post-operative model of patients was also developed. These two models were used to quantizing the change in activity of back muscles during some symmetric, normal... 

Musculoskeletal abnormalities affect joints and change their range of motion (RoM). Correcting these abnormalities thoroughly depends on the information related to the normal spine movement. Therefore, spine motion analysis can be used as an important tool to distinguish between healthy and patient individuals as well as to determine the intensity of such diseases. Additionally, existing biomechanical models need kinematics data in order to analyze spinal forces. The present study hence aims to measure 3D range of motion of thoracic and lumbar spine using inertial sensors. Their small size, portability, low weight, and relatively low cost make inertial sensors as indispensable tools in... 

The spine like every other mechanical pillar, is exposed to buckling and loss of stability. While existing biomechanical models emphasize the pressure force on the disk as the main cause of injury, there is also a possibility of local buckling phenomenon in vertebral discs. Because of the prevalence and high cost of lower back pain, it is essential to evaluate the forces carried by disks and lumbar muscles during occupational activities more accurately. In this regard, hybrid EMG-assisted optimization (EMGAO) approaches are most common methods for estimation of spinal loads. These models, not only use EMG data to be physiologically creditable, but also satisfy equilibrium requirements at all...