Sharif Digital Repository

Understanding the population growth patterns of Spodoptera exigua on alternate host plants can provide valuable information for developing an effective pest management program. In this study, using age-specific lifetable indices, we evaluated the role of alternate crops commonly found in cotton agroecosystem of Pakistan to better understand population dynamics of S. exigua. The longest larval and pupal periods (16.35 and 9.95days, respectively) were observed on spinach, while the shortest periods were recorded on okra (13 days) and cauliflower (8.4 days), respectively. Relatively more female moths (61%) were produced on spinach with low rm (0.095) and λ (1.0997) while highest rm (0.120) and... 

Understanding the population growth patterns of Spodoptera exigua on alternate host plants can provide valuable information for developing an effective pest management program. In this study, using age-specific lifetable indices, we evaluated the role of alternate crops commonly found in cotton agroecosystem of Pakistan to better understand population dynamics of S. exigua. The longest larval and pupal periods (16.35 and 9.95days, respectively) were observed on spinach, while the shortest periods were recorded on okra (13 days) and cauliflower (8.4 days), respectively. Relatively more female moths (61%) were produced on spinach with low rm (0.095) and λ (1.0997) while highest rm (0.120) and... 

In this study, we discuss the postural stability of a nonprehensile manipulation problem, which deals with multibody objects. As a metric for postural stability, we define PRI. Then, the system is posturally stable, if PRI is inside the convex hull of the object-manipulator contact surface. We then discuss that dynamic biped locomotion is a special case of dynamic nonprehensile manipulation in all aspects; we prove that ZMP (zero-moment point) and FRI (zoot rotation indicator) are special cases of PRI (palm rotation indicator). Simulations and experiments corresponding to simple examples support the results  

Multi-component photocatalysts based on apatite-coated Ag/AgBr/TiO(2) were prepared by the deposition method. The effects of various kinds of apatites, with hydroxyl and fluoro substituents, on photocatalytic activity were investigated. The antibacterial processes in the dark, and under visible light, on two types of bacteria indicate that the multi-composites can inhibit the growth of bacteria by two different mechanisms. TEM images and optical microscopic data demonstrate that by attaching the nanosize catalyst to the outer membrane of the cell, the bacteria could not derive nourishment from surrounding media, i.e. this component acts as bacteria-static. The mechanism for deactivation of... 

Background: Measuring routine childhood vaccination is crucial to inform global vaccine policies and programme implementation, and to track progress towards targets set by the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Immunization Agenda 2030. Robust estimates of routine vaccine coverage are needed to identify past successes and persistent vulnerabilities. Drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020, Release 1, we did a systematic analysis of global, regional, and national vaccine coverage trends using a statistical framework, by vaccine and over time. Methods: For this analysis we collated 55 326 country-specific, cohort-specific, year-specific,... 

Tolerances significantly affect the assemblability of components, the product's performance, and manufacturing cost in mechanical assemblies. Despite the importance of product reliability assessment, the reliability-based tolerance design of mechanical assemblies has not been previously considered in the literature. In this paper, a novel method based on Bayesian modeling is proposed for the tolerance-reliability analysis and allocation of complex assemblies where the explicit assembly functions are difficult or impossible to extract. To reach this aim, a Bayesian model is developed for tolerance-reliability analysis. Then, a multi-objective optimization formulation is proposed for obtaining... 

Since the advent of blockchain technology (BT), extensive research has explored using this technology in non-financial cases. The healthcare industry is one of the non-financial sectors that BT has significantly impacted. In this paper, for the first time, barriers to implement BT-based platforms from a balanced scorecard perspective in the healthcare sector are introduced, and these barriers are prioritized using a structural approach based on the weighted influence non-linear gauge system. Unlike other structural models such as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), in this approach, both strength and influence intensity of components are considered in the ranking... 

Background: Hearing loss affects access to spoken language, which can affect cognition and development, and can negatively affect social wellbeing. We present updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study on the prevalence of hearing loss in 2019, as well as the condition's associated disability. Methods: We did systematic reviews of population-representative surveys on hearing loss prevalence from 1990 to 2019. We fitted nested meta-regression models for severity-specific prevalence, accounting for hearing aid coverage, cause, and the presence of tinnitus. We also forecasted the prevalence of hearing loss until 2050. Findings: An estimated 1·57 billion (95% uncertainty... 

This paper uses a fourth-order compact finite-difference scheme for solving steady incompressible flows. The high-order compact method applied is an alternating direction implicit operator scheme, which has been used by Ekaterinaris for computing two-dimensional compressible flows. Herein, this numerical scheme is efficiently implemented to solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in the primitive variables formulation using the artificial compressibility method. For space discretizing the convective fluxes, fourth-order centered spatial accuracy of the implicit operators is efficiently obtained by performing compact space differentiation in which the method uses block-tridiagonal... 

A high-order accurate implicit operator scheme is used to solve steady incompressible slip flow and heat transfer in 2D microchannels. The present methodology considers the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations using the artificial compressibility method with employing the Maxwell and Smoluchowski boundary conditions to model the slip flow and temperature jump on the walls in microchannels. Since the slip and temperature jump boundary conditions contain the derivatives of the velocity and temperature profiles, using the compact method the boundary conditions can be easily and accurately implemented. The computations are performed for a 2D microchannel and a 2D backward facing step in the... 

This paper uses a fourth-order compact implicit operator scheme for solving 2D/3D steady incompressible flows using the artificial compressibility method. To stabilize the numerical solution, numerical dissipation terms and/or filters are used. Results obtained for test cases are in good agreement with the available numerical and experimental results. A sensitivity study is also conducted to evaluate the effects of grid resolution and pseudocompressibility parameter on accuracy and convergence rate of the solution. The effects of filtering and numerical dissipation on the solution are also investigated  

Rolling-element bearing (REB) failure is one of the general damages in rotating machinery. In this manner, the correct prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) of REB is a crucial challenge to move forward the unwavering quality of the machines. One of the main difficulties in implementing data-driven methods for RUL prediction is to choose proper features that represent real damage progression. In this article, by using the outcomes of frequency analysis through the Envelope method, the initiated/existed defects on the ball bearings are identified. Also, new features based on developing faults of ball bearings is recommended to estimate RUL. Early-stage faults in ball bearings usually... 

Rolling element bearing (REB) failure is one of the general damages in rotating machinery. In this manner, the correct prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) of REB is a crucial challenge to move forward the unwavering quality of the machines. One of the main difficulties in implementing data-driven methods for RUL prediction is to choose proper features that represent real damage progression. In this article, by using the outcomes of frequency analysis through the envelope method, the initiated/existed defects on the ball bearings are identified. Also, new features based on developing faults of ball bearings are recommended to estimate RUL. Early-stage faults in ball bearings usually... 

Chatter vibration is a major obstacle in achieveing increased machining performance. In this research, a finite element model of chip formation in a 2D milling process is used to predict the occurrence of chatter vibrations, and to investigate the effects of various machining parameters on this phenomenon. The dynamic properties of the machine tool at the tool tip are obtained based on experimental modal analysis, and are used in the model as the cutter dynamics. The model allows for the natural development of vibration as the result of the chip-tool engagement, and accounts for various phenomena that occur at the chip-tool interface ultimately leading to stable or unstable cutting. The... 

A method is developed for in situ generation of 1,3-dioxan-5-one derivatives 2. These compounds are simple precursors for accessing carbohydrate structures and previously had to be produced via stepwise procedures using excessive amounts of reagents. In the present work, three different derivatives of 2 were synthesized via the reaction of trialkoxyalkanes with dihydroxyacetone dimer 1 in the presence of acetic acid as the catalyst. In the same pot, derivatives of 2 were reacted with aromatic aldehydes and 30 mol% of pyrrolidine to obtain high yields of the respective bischalcones 3 within short time periods. © 2019 M. Javad Poursharifi et al., published by De Gruyter 2019  

The design process always has some known or unknown uncertainties in the design variables and parameters. The aim of robust design is minimization of performance sensitivity to uncertainties. Tolerance allocation process can significantly affect quality and robustness of the product. In this paper, a methodology to minimize a product's sensitivity to uncertainties by allocating manufacturing tolerances is presented. The robust tolerance design problem is formulated as a multi-objective optimization based on the combined function-uncertainty-cost model. Genetic algorithm is utilized to solve the multi-objective optimization and a case study is presented to illustrate the methodology  

Inaccuracies in workpiece location lead to errors in position and orientation of machined features on the workpiece, and strongly affect the assemblability and the quality of the product. The accurate positioning of workpiece on a fixture is influenced by rigid body displacements and rotations of the workpiece due to several errors (e.g. geometric radial and position errors in locators and manufacturing tolerances of the workpiece). In this paper, an efficient approach is introduced for analysis and compensation errors in the workpiece-fixture-cutting tool system. A new mathematical formulation of workpiece-fixture modelling is proposed to establish the relationship between the locating... 

Functional quality in the mechanical products is governed mainly by the degree of satisfaction of the design requirements, which itself depends on the variations in the effective variables. The functional parameters cannot be easily measured in mass production, and thus, are not usually considered as a direct inspection objective. Process capability indices are useful tools for evaluating the ability of a process to produce the dependent variables of a product that meet certain specifications. In this paper, the conventional process capability concept is extended to develop a computational tool for analysis of the functional quality of a mechanical product. Through defining new proper... 

Process capability indices are useful tools for evaluating the ability of a process to produce products that meet certain specifications. The assembly quality is dependent on the distribution of variations of assembly dimensions, which is in turn dependent on mating conditions in the mechanical assembly. Since it is often difficult to measure the assembly dimensions in the production stages, they are not considered as a direct inspection objective. Rather, the inspection and evaluation of quality is carried out by specifying whether the assembly requirements satisfy the specified limits. Therefore, we can basethe process capability indices on the assembly dimensions. In most real life cases,... 

In mechanical assemblies, individual components are placed together to deliver a certain function. The performance, quality, and cost of the mechanical assembly are significantly affected by its tolerances. Toleranced dimensions inherently generate an uncertain environment in a mechanical assembly. This paper presents a proper method for tolerance analysis of mechanical assemblies with asymmetric tolerances based on an uncertainty model. This mathematical approach is based on fuzzy logic and tolerance accumulation models such as worst-case and root-sum-square methods. A fuzzy-based tolerance representation is developed to model uncertainty of tolerance components in the mechanical...