Sharif Digital Repository

In this present research work, a new configuration of the hybrid magnetorheological (MR) brake via T-shaped drum with an arc form surface boundary - the biomechanical geometric design of the hybrid MR brake as a prosthetic knee - is discussed and experimentally tested. The main purpose of this study is to develop a prosthetic knee with one rotary disc to fulfill the desired objective. To achieve this, three steps are considered. In the first step, to model the brake, slab method modeling is used to calculate the braking torque due to the arc surface. In the second step, the biomechanical geometric design is adjusted as an optimization problem to maximize the braking torque, minimize the... 

This paper deals with the study of the small scale effect on the pull-in instability of nano-switches subjected to electrostatic and intermolecular forces. Using Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory, the nonlocal Euler-Bernoulli beam model is derived through virtual displacement principle. The static governing equation which is extremely nonlinear due to the intermolecular and electrostatic attraction forces is solved numerically by differential quadrature method. The accuracy of the present method is verified by comparing the obtained results with the finite difference method and those in the literatures and very good agreement is obtained. Finally a comprehensive study is carried out to... 

Dual-phase steels with different morphology and volume fraction of martensite were deformed between 2% and 8% at a high-temperature range of 150-450 °C. Room-temperature tensile properties showed that both yield and tensile stresses depend on the amount of pre-strain, deformation temperature, volume fraction and morphology of martensite. Results show that both YS and UTS increase with increasing the amount of pre-strain at a given temperature. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved  

The purpose of this research is to explain the surface modification of fabricated polyamide reverse osmosis (RO) membranes using UV-initiated graft polymerization at different irradiation times (15, 30, 60, and 90 s) and various acrylamide concentrations (10, 20, and 30 g L−1). Also, coating of membranes surface with various concentrations of TiO2 nanoparticles (10, 20, 30, and 50 ppm) followed by the same UV irradiation times was investigated. After that, the membranes modification was done by grafting of acrylamide blended with TiO2 nanoparticles via UV irradiation. The characterization of membranes surface properties and their performance were systematically carried out. The results... 

Considering hydrogen as a future fuel, development of clean approaches based on solar energy conversion is the main human challenge. Here, for the first time, TiO2 photoanodes are decorated with Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting. The photoanodes were synthesized using a one-step co-sputtering method. The single surface plasmon resonance peak at 540 nm and also the observed shifts in photoelectron binding energies are fingerprints of homogenous alloyed nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the formation of nearly 40 nm particles on the surface, which was also verified by the simulation of the film's optical absorption. Photocurrent... 

Spinal posture including thorax/pelvis orientations as well as loads on the intervertebral discs are crucial parameters in biomechanical models and ergonomics to evaluate the risk of low back injury. In vivo measurement of spinal posture toward estimation of spine loads requires the common motion capture techniques and laboratory instruments that are costly and time-consuming. Hence, a closed loop algorithm including an artificial neural network (ANN) and fuzzy logic is proposed here to predict the L5–S1 segment loads and thorax/pelvis orientations in various 3D reaching activities. Two parts namely a fuzzy logic strategy and an ANN from this algorithm; the former, developed based on the... 

In this paper, a multi-item multiperiod inventory control problem with all-unit and/or incremental quantity discount policies under limited storage capacity is presented. The independent random demand rates of the items in the periods are known and the items are supplied in distinct batch sizes. The cost consists of ordering, holding, and purchasing. The objective is to find the optimal order quantities of all items in different periods such that the total inventory cost is minimized and the constraint is satisfied. A mixed binary integer programming model is first developed to model the problem. Then, a parameter-tuned genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to solve it. Since there is no... 

In recent years, many efforts have been made in the field of computational modeling of cancerous tumors, in order to obtain a better understanding and predictions of their growth patterns. Furthermore, constraint-based modeling of metabolic networks has become increasingly popular, which is appropriate for the systems-level reconstruction of cell physiology. The goal of the current study is to integrate a multiscale agent-based modeling framework with a constraint-based metabolic network model of cancer cells in order to simulate the three dimensional early growth of avascular tumors. In order to develop the integrated model, a previously published generic metabolic network model of cancer... 

The control of a brachiation robot has been the primary objective of this study. A brachiating robot is a type of a mobile arm that is capable of moving from branch to branch similar to a long-armed ape. In this paper, to minimize the actuator work, Pontryagin's minimum principle was used to obtain the optimal trajectories for two different problems. The first problem considers “brachiation between fixed branches with different distance and height,” whereas the second problem deals with the “brachiating and catching of a moving target branch”. Theoretical results show that the control effort in the proposed method is reduced by 25% in comparison with the “target dynamics” method which was... 

An age-hardening model has been developed to predict the evolution of the hardness of Al-Mg-Si alloys during non-isothermal ageing before peak age. The concurrent precipitation and dissolution have been considered in the structural model. Then the structural model has been combined with strengthening model to predict the precipitation-hardening behavior of the alloy AA6061. The results indicate that the developed model can be used as a predictive tool to model the mechanical properties evolution of Al-Mg-Si alloys during non-isothermal heat treatment. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved  

In this investigation heat treatment optimization of 17-4PH stainless steel has been carried out by a genetic algorithm. The optimum technique of heat treatment, adaptive to 17-4PH stainless steel, was obtained from the initial data set by the use of genetic algorithms based on modeling with artificial neural network. The results strongly indicate that the presented model has the great ability for heat treatment optimization of 17-4PH stainless steel to yield the highest strength levels in different working temperatures. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved  

In this study, a hybrid search algorithm combining genetic programming with orthogonal least squares (GP/OLS) is utilized to generate prediction models for compressive strength of high performance concrete (HPC) mixes. The GP/OLS models are developed based on a comprehensive database containing 1133 experimental test results obtained from previously published papers. A multiple least squares regression (LSR) analysis is performed to benchmark the GP/OLS models. A subsequent parametric study is carried out to verify the validity of the models. The results indicate that the proposed models are effectively capable of evaluating the compressive strength of HPC mixes. The derived formulas are... 

The potentiometric response characteristics with respect to salicylate anion of several membrane electrodes based on iron(II) tetraphenylporphyrin chloride (FeTPPCl) and derivatives with electrophilic and nucleophilic substituents, incorporated into plasticized polyvinylchloride (PVC) membranes were investigated. Complexes tetraphenyl porphyrin iron(III) chloride (FeTPPCl; A), tetrakis (4-methoxyphenyl) porphyrin iron(III) chloride (Fe(TOCH 3PP)Cl; B), tetrakis (2,6-dichlorophenyl) porphyrin iron(III) chloride (Fe(TDClPP)Cl; C), tetrakis (4-nitrophenyl) porphyrin iron(III) chloride (Fe(TNO2PP)Cl; D), and tetrakis (pentafluorophenyl) porphyrin iron(III) chloride (Fe(TPFPP)Cl; E) were used as... 

The control of a brachiation robot has been the primary objective of this study. A brachiating robot is a type of a mobile arm that is capable of moving from branch to branch similar to a long-armed ape. In this paper, to minimize the actuator work, Pontryagin's minimum principle was used to obtain the optimal trajectories for two different problems. The first problem considers brachiation between fixed branches with different distance and height, whereas the second problem deals with the brachiating and catching of a moving target branch. Theoretical results show that the control effort in the proposed method is reduced by 25% in comparison with the target dynamics method which was proposed... 

This paper deals with control of the brachiation robot. The brachiation is a type of mobile robot that moves from branch to branch like a long-armed ape. Here, as a new innovation, Pontryagin's minimum principle is used to obtain the optimal trajectories for two different problems. The first problem is "Brachiation between fixed branches with different distance and height" and the second is "Brachiating and catching the moving target branch". Theoretical results show that the control effort in the proposed method is reduced by 25% in comparison with the "Target Dynamics" method which was proposed in prior articles for this robot. The obtained optimal trajectory also minimizes the brachiation... 

This paper presents an innovative hybrid approach for the estimation of the solar global radiation. New prediction equations were developed for the global radiation using an integrated search method of genetic programming (GP) and simulated annealing (SA), called GP/SA. The solar radiation was formulated in terms of several climatological and meteorological parameters. Comprehensive databases containing monthly data collected for 6 years in two cities of Iran were used to develop GP/SA-based models. Separate models were established for each city. The generalization of the models was verified using a separate testing database. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to investigate the... 

Adsorption and recovery of uranium by nanoporous MCM-41 from aqueous solutions (synthetic solution and uranium conversion facility liquid waste) were investigated by use of a fixed-bed column (1.2 cm diameter and 3.0 cm height). Adsorption was carried out at flow rates 0.2 and 0.5 mL min-1, which correspond to retention times of 10 and 6 min. The maximum breakthrough capacity for uranium ions was achieved by use of nanoporous MCM-41 at the optimum pH of 3.6 and flow rate 0.2 mL min-1 (61.95 μg g-1). The Thomas and Yan models were applied to the experimental data, by use of linear regression, to determine the characteristics of the column for process design. The breakthrough curves calculated... 

Adult cardiomyocytes are terminally differentiated cells that result in minimal intrinsic potential for the heart to self-regenerate. The introduction of novel approaches in cardiac tissue engineering aims to repair damages from cardiovascular diseases. Recently, conductive biomaterials such as carbon- and gold-based nanomaterials, conductive polymers, and ceramics that have outstanding electrical conductivity, acceptable mechanical properties, and promoted cell-cell signaling transduction have attracted attention for use in cardiac tissue engineering. Nevertheless, comprehensive classification of conductive biomaterials from the perspective of cardiac cell function is a subject for... 

Human Brain is one of the most wonderful and complex systems which is designed for ever; A huge complex network composed of neurons as tiny biological and chemical processors which are distributed and work together as a super parallel system to do control and vital activities of human body. Brain learning simulation and hardware implementation is one of the most interesting research areas in order to make artificial brain. One of the researches in this area is Active Learning Method in brief ALM. ALM is an adaptive recursive fuzzy learning algorithm based on brain functionality and specification which models a complex Multi Input Multi Output System as a fuzzy combination of Single Input... 

In the present study, the effect of electromagnetic field on the salt and water transport and reduction of carbonate deposit during reverse osmosis desalination was investigated. The electromagnetic field was generated by AC current through a solenoid wound around the membrane separation module. The current intensity and frequency was 25 A and 50 Hz, respectively. Experiments were conducted using CaCO3 solution at the concentration of 5.5 mmol/L. For comparison purposes, desalination by the membrane, in the presence and absence of an electromagnetic field was conducted. While the desalination process temperature was kept constant, the product temperature increased by less than 2 °C when the...