Sharif Digital Repository

Palm oil (PO) and sunflower oil (SFO) blends with varying proportions were subjected to enzymatic interesterification (EIE) using a 1,3-specific immobilised lipase. The interesterified blends were evaluated for their slip melting point (SMP), solid fat content (SFC) at 10-40°C, p-anisidine value, peroxide value, free fatty acids (FFA), induction period of oxidation at 110°C (IP110) and composition of fatty acids by gas chromatography. Under EIE treatment, the blends of PO and SFO in different proportions (20:80, 40:60, 50:50, 60:40 and 80:20) had saturated and unsaturated fatty acid content in the range of 37.6-52.0% and 48.0-62.4%, respectively. The blends showed a considerable reduction in... 

In this paper, the multiuser performance of a multicarrier frequency-hopping (MC-FH)CDMA system employing non-coherent detection is evaluated. We derive the bit error rate of the system for both uncoded and coded systems in AWGN and slowly frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channel, based on Gaussian distribution assumption for the decision variable. We use a practical low-rate convolutional error correcting code, which does not require any extra bandwidth further than what is needed by the uncoded scheme. Our numerical results indicate that the coded scheme significantly outperforms the uncoded scheme in both AWGN and fading channels. Furthermore, it is observed that the performance... 

In this paper, we evaluate and compare the multiuser performance of the multicarrier frequency-hopping (MCFH) CDMA system using coherent and non-coherent detections in AWGN and slowly frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channels in a downlink application. For fair comparison, we use BFSK modulation for both cases. Our numerical results indicate that in both AWGN and fading channels, the coherent detection sub-stantially outperforms the non-coherent detection. Furthermore, it has been realized that the performance enhancement due to the diversity order is only observable for coherent detection  

Data traffic is increasing in recent years and small cell densification is a promising solution for handling the consequences of this growth. However, it faces with backhual' constraint which limits its efficiency. Caching the popular files near to the small base stations (SBSs) is an effective technique which decreases usage of backhual links. In this paper, we model the network by a graph and propose a new popular files' placement based on graph coloring for which different powerful solutions and algorithms have been presented in the literature. In this respect, we propose an algorithm to fill the caches of SBSs with the popular files and show the efficiency of our proposed algorithm... 

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is one of the most physiological active fatty acids due to its positive effect on prevention of diseases such as obesity, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis and cancer. The aim of this study was to optimize the production of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)% in alkali isomerization of safflower oil including 71% linoleic acid (LA) using response surface methodology (RSM). The effect of three reaction variables such as temperature, reaction time and amount of KOH on CLA production was investigated using design-expert software. The optimal condition determined at this point, 72% total CLA with the yield of 84% temperature reaction time and the amount of KOH were 187.6... 

Caching the popular files in the memories of small base stations (SBSs) is an effective solution to the limited capacity of wireless backhaul links. The efficiency of caching depends on the proper design of the content placement. This is more challenging when the SBSs have overlapped coverage and especially when the users are also mobile. In this letter, we exploit the concept of graph-coloring and model the connection between SBSs and users as well as user mobilities, through a weighted graph in which SBSs are its vertices, and propose some algorithms to color it effectively. Then, we fill the memory of colored SBSs with popular content accordingly. © 1967-2012 IEEE  

Employing femtocell technology noticeably improves both the indoor coverage and the overall cellular network's capacity. In the downlink scenario, when macrocell users (MUs) are far from the macro base station (MBS) and close to the femto access points (FAPs), the transmitted signals of FAPs to their users cause severe interference on MUs. One solution to overcome this issue is serving MUs by neighbouring FAPs. Generally femtocells are selfish and have no desire to allocate their resources to MUs. In this study, a framework to motivate femtocells to share their free resources with MUs is proposed. In this framework, the femtocells are assumed to belong to a specific unit. The unit encourages... 

Recently, caching of the popularity video files in the caches near to the users has been proposed as a promising way to reduce data traffic. These caches can be considered as the nodes which their transmission ranges are limited but have significant storage capacity and are known as the helper nodes. To evaluate the performance and efficiency of the caches, a suitable model for their distributions should be taken into account. Stochastic geometry is a useful tool for modeling these nodes. In this paper, the helper nodes and users are distributed according to the Poisson point process distribution. However, to manage the interferences and their access to a distributed cache, the helper nodes... 

The strengthening behavior of particle reinforced metal-matrix composites is primarily attributed to the dislocation strengthening effect and the load transfer effect. To account for these two effects in a unified way, a new multi-scale approach is developed in this paper incorporating the aspect ratio effect into the geometrically necessary dislocation strengthening relationships. By making use of this multi-scale approach, the deformation behavior of metal-matrix composites (MMCs) and metal-matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) as a function of size, volume fraction, aspect ratio, etc. of the particles has been investigated. Comparison with the previously proposed models and the available... 

This paper introduces a novel, cost effective visual cryptography scheme suitable for color image transmission over bandwidth constraint channels. Unlike previously proposed schemes, the solution offers perfect reconstruction while producing shares with size smaller than that of the input image. The maximum distance separable (MDS) code principle used in the design allows for the introduction of a flexible framework that compares favorably to competing solutions as it can be seen by examining the experimental results included in this paper. ©2008 IEEE  

Traditionally, the frequency spectrum is licensed to users by government agencies in a fixed manner where the licensee has exclusive right to access the allocated band. However, with increasing demand for the spectrum and scarcity of vacant bands, a spectrum policy reform seems inevitable. Meanwhile, recent measurements suggest the possibility of sharing spectrum among different parties subject to interference-protection constraints. In order to enable access to an unused licensed spectrum, a secondary user has to monitor licensed bands and opportunistically transmit whenever no primary signal is detected. Spectrum-sharing between a primary licensee and a group of secondary users has been... 

In this paper, we address a basic production planning problem with price dependent demand and stochastic yield of production. We use price and target quantity as decision variables to lower the risk of low yield. The value of risk control becomes more important especially for products with short life cycle. This is because, the profit implications of low yield might be unbearable in the short run. We apply Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) to model the risk. CVaR measure is a coherent risk measure and thereby having nice conceptual and mathematical underpinnings. It is also widely used in practice. We consider the problem under general demand function and general distribution function of... 

The unwanted effects of diffraction and defocus aberration in three-dimensional integral imaging are taken into account by using the Fourier optics approach. The concepts of point spread function and optical transfer function widely in use for conventional two-dimensional imaging are generalized and applied to three-dimensional integral imaging systems. The effects of diffraction and defocus aberration are then studied and the performance of the conventional single lens imaging system is compared against that of the integral imaging  

The rapid development of scientific fields in this modern era has raised the concern for prospective scholars to find a proper research field to conduct their future studies. Thus, having a vision of future could be helpful to pick the right path for doing research and ensuring that it is worth investing in. In this study, we use article keywords of computer science journals and conferences, assigned by INSPEC controlled indexing, to construct a temporal scientific knowledge network. By observing keyword networks snapshots over time, we can utilize the link prediction methods to foresee the future structures of these networks. We use two different approaches for this link prediction problem.... 

Kinetics of oxidation of MgO-C refractories was investigated by shrinking core modeling of the gas-solid reactions taking place during heating the porous materials to the high temperatures. Samples containing 4.5-17 wt pct graphite were isothermally oxidized at 1000-1350°C. Weight loss data was compared with predictions of the model. A mixed 2-stage mechanism comprised of pore diffusion plus boundary layer gas transfer was shown to generally control the oxidation rate. Pore diffusion was however more effective, especially at graphite contents lower than 10 wt pct under forced convection blowing of the air. Model calculations showed that effective gas diffusion coefficients were in the range... 

The most challenging requirement for depositing NiTi-based shape memory thin films is the control of film composition because a small deviation can strongly shift the transformation temperatures. This article presents a technique to control film composition via adjustment of the power supplied to the targets during simultaneous sputter deposition from separate Ni, Ti, and X (e.g., Hf) targets. After optimization of sputter parameters such as working gas pressure, target-substrate distance, and target power ratio, binary Ni100-x Tix thin films were fabricated and characterized by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope (to measure the film composition and... 

In this paper, we investigate the CO emission from an oil refinery gas incinerator both theoretically and experimentally. At the beginning of this research, our collected data from this incinerator showed that the CO contamination would be far exceeding the permissible environmental standards at the stack exhaust. Therefore, we decided to perform a combined theoretical-experimental study to find a reasonable solution to reduce the CO pollution suitably. Our theoretical study showed that a reliable solution would be to increase the incinerator operating temperature. However, we needed to collect some data from this incinerator to examine if our achieved analytical solution would work... 

A heat-transfer model was formulated to determine the distribution of temperature within a bioheap of chalcopyrite of Sarcheshmeh copper mine. Bioleaching employs mixed mesophilic and thermophilic microbes for Cu extraction. Thermophiles are better than mesophiles to dissolve CuFeS2. The solution irrigation and aeration rates were taken into account as the main operational factors. The model was validated by comparing the temperature profiles of test columns with those of bioheap. The model was used to find the optimal ratio of irrigation to aeration. It was found that when the solution was fed at a flow rate of 5 kg/m2 h and air was blown at a flow rate of 7.5 kg/m2 h, the transition from a... 

The influence of the diffraction limit on the field of view of three-dimensional integral imaging (InI) systems is estimated by calculating the resolution of the InI system along arbitrarily tilted directions. The deteriorating effects of diffraction on the resolution are quantified in this manner. Two different three-dimensional scenes are recorded by real/virtual and focused imaging modes. The recorded scenes are reconstructed at different tilted planes and the obtained results for the resolution and field of view of the system are verified. It is shown that the diffraction effects severely affect the resolution of InI in the real/virtual mode when the tilted angle of viewing is increased.... 

The fabrication of TixNi1-x shape memory films using simultaneous magnetron sputtering from two separate, elemental targets was investigated. The films were deposited at room temperature and then annealed at 500 °C to achieve the shape memory effect. The influence of sputtering parameters such as power ratio to the targets (to control the composition) and Ar gas pressure (to control the film structure) were studied. It was found that the Ar gas pressure had a critical influence on the shape memory effect of the films. Characterization of the films was carried out by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy in a scanning electron microscope (to measure the film composition and uniformity), in...