Sharif Digital Repository

Zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIFs) provide an exciting platform to design and fabricate non-precious-metal carbon-based catalysts for oxygen reduction/evolution reaction (ORR/OER). Herein, we elaborately design a facile enzyme-assisted synthetic strategy that enables to tailor the ZIFs precursors into structural stable decussation shape, which derived Co nanoislands grafted on decussate N-doped carbon nanoleaves (D-Co@NC) can well retain the interpenetrating nanostructure. Benefiting from the combined advantages of compositions and interpenetrating nanostructures, D-Co@NC possesses 5.2 times higher exposed electrochemical active area than the conventional dodecahedral one, thus endowing... 

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings were deposited on commercially pure titanium plates using a hydrothermal-electrochemical deposition method in an electrolyte containing calcium and phosphate ions. The deposition conditions used in this study were the followings: electrolyte temperature (33-80 °C), current density (1-8 mA/cm2), and deposition time (10-120 min). Needle-like and granular crystals of apatite coating were created with different concentrations of calcium (0.0021-0.042 M) and phosphate (0.00125-0.025 M) salts. The size of HA crystals of the coating was considerably changed with different concentration of calcium and phosphate salts, temperature of the electrolyte, and deposition time.... 

Because of the compatibility with tandem devices and the ability to be manufactured at low temperatures, inverted perovskite solar cells have generated far-ranging interest for potential commercial applications. However, their efficiency remains inadequate owing to various traps in the perovskite film and the restricted hole blocking ability of the electron transport layer. Thus, in this work, a wide-bandgap n-type semiconductor, 4,6-bis(3,5-di(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)-2-phenylpyrimidine (B4PyPPM), to modify a perovskite film via an anti-solvent method is introduced. The nitrogen sites of pyrimidine and pyridine rings in B4PyPPM exhibit strong interactions with the undercoordinated lead ions in... 

As radar signals propagate above the ocean surface to determine the trajectory of a target, the signals that are reflected directly from the target arrive at the receiver along with indirect signals reflected from the ocean surface. These unwanted signals must be properly filtered; otherwise, their interference may mislead the signal receiver and significantly degrade the tracking performance of the radar. To this end, we propose a low-elevation target tracking mechanism considering the specular and diffuse reflection effects of multipath propagation over the ocean surface simultaneously. The proposed mechanism consists of a state-space model and a particle filtering algorithm and promises... 

The accuracy of five soft computing techniques was assessed for the prediction of monthly streamflow of the Gilgit river basin by a cross-validation method. The five techniques assessed were the feed-forward neural network (FFNN), the radial basis neural network (RBNN), the generalised regression neural network (GRNN), the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system with grid partition (Anfis-GP) and the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system with subtractive clustering (Anfis-SC). The interaction between temperature and streamflow was considered in the study. Two statistical indexes, mean square error (MSE) and coefficient of determination (R2), were used to evaluate the performances of the... 

Carbon fiber (CF) as a multifunctional material with superb performance in aviation industry has serious drawback such as impedance mismatch which restricted the capability of using it as microwave absorber materials. In this research, a novel hierarchical carbon fiber@La0.7Sr0.3MnO@NiO (CF/LS/N) composite was facilely and successfully synthesized via sol-gel and subsequent hydrothermal reactions. The structural, morphological, magnetic and electromagnetic behavior of the composite were precisely evaluated via XRD, FESEM, XPS, VSM and VNA analysis. According to the systematic evaluation results, the synergistic positive effect of adding NiO nanoparticles is revealed in improving the... 

Human infertility is a multifactorial disease that affects 8%–12% of reproductive-aged couples worldwide. However, the genetic causes of human infertility are still poorly understood. Synaptonemal complex (SC) is a conserved tripartite structure that holds homologous chromosomes together and plays an indispensable role in the meiotic progression. Here, we identified three homozygous mutations in the SC coding gene C14orf39/SIX6OS1 in infertile individuals from different ethnic populations by whole-exome sequencing (WES). These mutations include a frameshift mutation (c.204_205del [p.His68Glnfs∗2]) from a consanguineous Pakistani family with two males suffering from non-obstructive... 

In process planning, determining feature's machining precedence is an essential step. The task becomes more difficult if features interact with each other, in which case the feature precedence information may suggest multiple machining sequences of the features. This paper considers interacting features in a feature-based model for process planning tasks. For each feature, precedence information is generated considering both roughing and finishing operations. A rule-based system is developed and implemented based on the information about machining precedence of the interacting features. The STEP-NC data model is used as the underlying data model. This model is object-oriented and compliant... 

This work deals with the robust D-stability test of linear time-invariant ( LTI ) general fractional order control systems in a closed loop where the system and - or the controller may be of fractional order. The concept of general implies that the characteristic equation of the LTI closed loop control system may be of both commensurate and non-commensurate orders, both the coefficients and the orders of the characteristic equation may be nonlinear functions of uncertain parameters, and the coefficients may be complex numbers. Some new specific areas for the roots of the characteristic equation are found so that they reduce the computational burden of testing the robust D-stability. Based on... 

In public-private graphs, users share one public graph and have their own private graphs. A private graph consists of personal private contacts that only can be visible to its owner, e.g., hidden friend lists on Facebook and secret following on Sina Weibo. However, existing public-private analytic algorithms have not yet investigated the dense subgraph discovery of k-truss, where each edge is contained in at least k − 2 triangles. This paper aims at finding k-truss efficiently in public-private graphs. The core of our solution is a novel algorithm to update k-truss with node insertions. We develop a classification-based hybrid strategy of node insertions and edge insertions to incrementally... 

Nickel oxide (NiOx) is a promising hole transport material in inverted organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite solar cells. However, its low intrinsic conductivity hinders its further improvement in device performance. Here, we employ a trimercapto-s-triazine trisodium salt (TTTS) as a chelating agent of Ni2+ in the NiOx layer to improve its conductivity. Due to the electron-deficient triazine ring, the TTTS complexes with Ni2+ in NiOx via a strong Ni2+-N coordination bond and increases the ratio of Ni3+:Ni2+. The increased Ni3+ concentration adjusts the band structure of NiOx, thus enhancing hole density and mobility, eventually improving the intrinsic conductivity of NiOx. As a result,... 

Demand-side management (DSM) and the integration of the energy hub concept as a main part of future energy networks play an essential role in the process of improving the efficiency and reliability of the power grids. In this paper, we consider a smart multi-carrier energy system in which users are equipped with energy storage and conversion devices (i.e., an energy hub). Users intend to reduce their energy payment by shifting energy consumption to off-peak hours and switching between different energy carriers. This system enables both users with shiftable loads and must-run loads to be active in a DSM program. We apply game theory to formulate the energy consumption and conversion for a... 

Three-dimensional macroporous fluorine-doped tin oxide (p-FTO) films were successfully deposited using commercial ink of FTO powder and SnCl2 salt via Dr. Blade method. Various features of p-FTO thin films were studied as a function of the ink composition and sintering temperature. The morphological studies corroborated formation of porous, uniform, and crack-free FTO films after annealing at 300 °C for 10 min in air. X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrated development of highly crystalline FTO films. The lowest sheet resistance of 47 Ω/□ was obtained for the p-FTO film with a thickness of 21 μm. The capacitance of thin p-FTO films was investigated using a three-electrode system and the... 

Three-dimensional macroporous fluorine-doped tin oxide (p-FTO) films were successfully deposited using commercial ink of FTO powder and SnCl2 salt via Dr. Blade method. Various features of p-FTO thin films were studied as a function of the ink composition and sintering temperature. The morphological studies corroborated formation of porous, uniform, and crack-free FTO films after annealing at 300 °C for 10 min in air. X-ray diffraction pattern demonstrated development of highly crystalline FTO films. The lowest sheet resistance of 47 Ω/□ was obtained for the p-FTO film with a thickness of 21 μm. The capacitance of thin p-FTO films was investigated using a three-electrode system and the... 

Controlling dynamics of a network from any initial state to a final desired state has many applications in different disciplines from engineering to biology and social sciences. In this work, we optimize the network structure for pinning control. The problem is formulated as four optimization tasks: i) optimizing the locations of driver nodes, ii) optimizing the feedback gains, iii) optimizing simultaneously the locations of driver nodes and feedback gains, and iv) optimizing the connection weights. A newly developed population-based optimization technique (cat swarm optimization) is used as the optimization method. In order to verify the methods, we use both real-world networks, and model... 

Determining the precedence of machining features is a critical issue in feature-based process planning. It becomes more complex when geometric interaction occurs between machining features. STEP-NC, the extension of STEP (ISO 10303) standard developed for CNC controllers, is a feature-based data model. It represents all the geometric and topological product data minus feature interactions. In this paper, machining precedence of interactive and non-interactive STEP-NC features is discussed. Local and global precedence of machining features are defined on the basis of geometric constraints, such as geometric interaction of features and feature approach face and technological constraint such as... 

A theoretical model was developed to describe a dynamic process involving an enzymatic reaction and diffusion of reactants and product inside glucose sensitive composite membrane. The composite membrane consisted of nanoparticles of a weakly acidic polymer, glucose oxidase and catalase embedded in a hydrophobic polymer. Time- and position-dependent diffusivity of involved species was considered in the model. Donnan equilibrium was used to find concentrations of buffer ions inside the membrane. The profiles of pH, species concentrations, volume fraction of swollen gel, polymer and water-filled space, as well as solute diffusivity inside the membrane were predicted by the model as a function... 

This paper presents for the first time a mathematical model for a mechanism of controlled drug release involving both ion exchange and transient counter diffusion of a drug and counterions. Numerical analysis was conducted to study the effect of different factors on drug release kinetics including environmental condition, material properties, and design parameters. The concentration profiles of counterions and drug species, the moving front of ion exchange, and three distinct regions inside a microsphere, namely unextracted region, ion-exchange region and drug diffusion region, were revealed by model prediction. The numerical results indicated that the rate of drug release increased with an... 

A new mathematical model was developed and an exact analytical solution without approximations of previous work was derived for the description of the kinetics and equilibrium characteristics of drug loading from a finite external solution onto ion-exchange microspheres. The influence of important parameters pertinent to material properties and loading conditions on the kinetics, efficiency, and equilibrium of drug loading was analyzed using the developed model and equations. The numerical results showed that the rate of drug loading increased with increasing initial drug concentration in the solution or with the relative volume of the external solution and the microsphere. The maximum... 

This paper investigates the potential of using an active flow control technique to modify stall flutter oscillations of a NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) 0015 wing section. Wind tunnel experiments have been performed with a test-rig that provides the elastic degree of freedom in pitch. Measurements of the clean airfoil are taken at preset angles of θ 0 = 6 ° - 12 °, and for Reynolds numbers of R e c = 6.2 × 10 4 - 1.25 × 10 5, which reveal the dependency of the stall flutter oscillations to Rec and θ0. Then, flow control experiments are carried out at θ 0 = 10 ° and R e c = 1.04 × 10 5. Two dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators have been employed simultaneously to...