Sharif Digital Repository

In endurance time (ET) method structures are subjected to a set of predesigned intensifying excitations. These excitations are produced in a way that their response spectrum, while complying with a specified spectrum, intensifies with time so they can be used approximately to simulate the average effects of several ground motions scaled to different intensities. In this paper applicability of the ET method for evaluating collapse potential of buildings is investigated. A set of four steel moment frames is used for collapse assessment. The process of using ET method in collapse evaluation is explained and the results are compared with incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) results. It is shown... 

The adverse effect of graphene-titanium oxide composite films (containing sheet-like surface morphology) on Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes (as a model for minuscule animals) was investigated in a solar light-induced photocatalytic process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated photocatalytic reduction of the chemically exfoliated graphene oxide sheets included in the TiO 2 film. Furthermore, formation of TiC and Ti-O-C bonds in the composite film (obtained through annealing at 450 °C in air) resulted in a substantial delay in the recombination rate of the photoexcited electron-hole pairs and more efficient photocatalytic processes. The composite film showed a type of... 

This paper presents a novel algorithm for detection of singular points, the core and delta points, in fingerprint images. The number and location of singular points, are used to classify fingerprint images into five general groups; and therefore to narrow down the search space in large fingerprint databases. Using the proposed directional masks in the first step, we detect the neighborhood of the singular points. In the second stage by implementing the proposed algorithm, an adaptive singular point detection method, is designed to extract the exact location of core and delta points. Usage of the proposed directional masks speeds up the process and the proposed adaptive singular point... 

Low Grade Heat Driven Multi-effect Distillation and Desalination describes the development of advanced multi-effect evaporation technologies that are driven by low grade sensible heat, including process waste heat in refineries, heat rejection from diesel generators or microturbines, and solar and geothermal energy. The technologies discussed can be applied to desalination in remote areas, purifying produced water in oil-and-gas industries, and to re-concentrate process liquor in refineries.
This book is ideal for researchers, engineering scientists, graduate students, and industrial practitioners working in the desalination, petrochemical, and mineral refining sectors, helping them... 

For the first time, we report novel Ag3PO4/BiPO4 (AB)-graphene-based photocatalysts. The fabricated nanocomposites were characterized by various techniques. The photocatalytic properties of the prepared catalysts were evaluated by the photodegradation of Atrazine herbicide under both visible and UV light irradiation. Atrazine concentration was determined using the spectrophotometric method according to the Konig's reaction by monitoring the absorbance at 470 nm wavelength during the photodegradation process. Both degradation rate and efficiency using graphene (GR)-based nanocomposites are found to be much better than using pure AB. Atrazine photodegradation displayed that the AB supporting... 

Abstract A visible light active Ag2CO3/TiO2/2-hydroxylethylammonium formate (RTIL) nanocomposite has been synthesized via loading Ag2CO3 flower-like particles on TiO2/RTIL by a simple precipitation method. TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by the modified sol-gel method using 2-hydroxylethylammonium formate (RTIL) as an ionic liquid. The prepared photocatalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform-infra red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy (DRS) techniques. The photocatalytic performance of the synthesized photocatalysts... 

In this article, the novel concept of using magnetic nanofluidic electrolyte for redox flow batteries is demonstrated for the first time. In this regard, the stable magnetic nanofluidic electrolytes are prepared by dispersing magnetic modified multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MMWCNTs) in the positive electrolyte of a polysulfide-iodide redox flow battery at mass concentrations of less than 0.3 g L−1. The electrochemical behavior of magnetic nanofluidic electrolyte was examined using cyclic voltammetry at different mass concentrations of MMWCNTs with a carbon felt electrode. Higher and stable peak current densities were observed at larger mass concentrations of MMWCNTs. A polysulfide-iodide... 

This book focuses on a central question in the field of complex systems: Given a fluctuating (in time or space), uni- or multi-variant sequentially measured set of experimental data (even noisy data), how should one analyse non-parametrically the data, assess underlying trends, uncover characteristics of the fluctuations (including diffusion and jump contributions), and construct a stochastic evolution equation?
Here, the term "non-parametrically" exemplifies that all the functions and parameters of the constructed stochastic evolution equation can be determined directly from the measured data.
The book provides an overview of methods that have been developed for the analysis of... 

A new photocatalyst (Ag-S/PEG/TiO2) was synthesized by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) to an efficient Ag-S/TiO2 photocatalyst, to obtain a photocatalyst that is highly active under visible light. In addition to Ag-S/PEG/TiO2, Ag-S/TiO2 and pure TiO2 were prepared to compare their properties and activities. Specifically, the morphologies and microstructures of the nanophotocatalysts were characterized by means of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption-desorption measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) microanalysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy,... 

Jumps are discontinuous variations in time series and one expects that the higher jump activity will cause higher uncertainty in the stochastic behavior of measured time series. Here we study jump events in beat-to-beat fluctuations in the heart rates of healthy subjects, as well as those with congestive heart failure (CHF). The analysis shows that the interbeat time series belong to the class of non-continuous stochastic processes. The estimated drift and diffusion coefficients and jump characteristics of healthy and CHF subjects reveal the distinguishability of two subjects. © 2019 IOP Publishing Ltd and SISSA Medialab srl  

A novel approach named a magnetic flowable electrode (MFE) is proposed for the first time to enable enhancement of redox flow batteries (RFBs) performance. This approach enables the formation of a high active surface area electrode from magnetic nanomaterials, without the need to fabricate a self-supporting three-dimensional electrode structure. To form a simple MFE, magnetic modified carbon nanotubes are dispersed in the electrolyte, and permanent magnets are embedded behind the current feeder to apply a magnetic field across the flow cell channels. With circulating electrolyte, magnetic carbon nanotubes are aggregated on the graphite bipolar plate to form a well-structured nanoscale... 

We study the electronic properties of disordered GaAs- Alx Ga1-x As semiconductor superlattices with structural long-range correlations. The system consists of quantum barriers and wells with different thicknesses and heights which fluctuate around their mean values randomly, following a long-range correlated pattern of fractal type characterized by a power spectrum of the type S (k) 1 k (2α-1), where the exponent α quantifies the strength of the long-range correlations. For a given system size, we find a critical value of the exponent α (αc) for which a metal-insulator transition appears: for α< αc all the states are localized, and for α> αc, we find a continuous band of extended states. We... 

One of the main challenges in elimination of oil contamination from polluted environments is improvement of biodegradation by highly efficient microorganisms. Bacillus subtilis MJ01 has been evaluated as a new resource for producing biosurfactant compounds. This bacterium, which produces surfactin, is able to enhance bio-accessibility to oil hydrocarbons in contaminated soils. The genome of B. subtilis MJ01 was sequenced and assembled by PacBio RS sequencing technology. One big contig with a length of 4,108,293 bp without any gap was assembled. Genome annotation and prediction of gene showed that MJ01 genome is very similar to B. subtilis spizizenii TU-B-10 (95% similarity). The comparison... 

Increasing concerns about unbridled fossil fuel consumption and a growing generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Iran and related environmental challenges require adoption of more sustainable approaches in energy and waste management. Energy recovery from waste can play an important role to achieve environmentally sustainable development that has been defined for the country as a main policy. Iran’s growing urban population generates massive amounts of MSW that mostly end up in landfills. A population of 75 million is generating 50,000 tonnes of MSW every day that mostly are buried in landfills. Detrimental emissions from landfills and many other long-lasting environmental issues have... 

In this study knee joint vibroarthrographic (VAG) signals are recorded during active knee movements, which are essentially non-stationary. Because of this nature, common frequency methods are unable to represent the signals, accurately. Both time-frequency and time-scale transforms are used in this research which are good tools for studying non-stationary signals. By optimizing the utilized transforms, it was concluded that the wavelet packet, having the ability of multiresolutional analysis, is a more promising method to extract features from the VAG signals. The performance of different feature extraction techniques were compared by using three new recorded and extensive databases,... 

This study aims to investigate the micromixing performance of three basic types of spatial shaped micromixers. New configurations of T, Y, and oriented Y-spatial mixers were designed with change in the angles of the confluence and the outlet channel to achieve the efficient micromixing. These micromixers offer advantages that are not attainable with the typical types of these mixers. Experimental tests were carried out in the laminar flow regime and the mixing efficiency was evaluated using Villermaux/Dushman test reaction. The geometries of the channels were cylindrical with the length of 30 mm and the diameter of 800 μm. The experimental results show that the angle of outlet channel has a... 

This study aims to investigate the micromixing performance of three basic types of spatial shaped micromixers. New configurations of T, Y, and oriented Y-spatial mixers were designed with change in the angles of the confluence and the outlet channel to achieve the efficient micromixing. These micromixers offer advantages that are not attainable with the typical types of these mixers. Experimental tests were carried out in the laminar flow regime and the mixing efficiency was evaluated using Villermaux/Dushman test reaction. The geometries of the channels were cylindrical with the length of 30 mm and the diameter of 800 μm. The experimental results show that the angle of outlet channel has a... 

Several evidences support the idea that a small population of tumour cells representing self-renewal potential are involved in initiation, maintenance, metastasis, and outcomes of cancer therapy. Elucidation of microRNAs/genes regulatory networks activated in cancer stem cells (CSCs) is necessary for the identification of new targets for cancer therapy. The aim of the present study was to predict the miRNAs pattern, which can target both metastasis and self-renewal pathways using integration of literature and data mining. For this purpose, mammospheres derived from MCF-7, MDA-MB231, and MDA-MB468 were used as breast CSCs model. They had higher migration, invasion, and colony formation...