Sharif Digital Repository

The Ghotbi-Vera hard sphere equation of state as the reference system, coupled with the mean spherical approximation, (GV-MSA), has been used to accurately correlate the mean ionic activity coefficients of aqueous solutions of single 1:1 electrolytes. The new equation of state considers the ions to be hard spheres in Kelvin tetrakaidekahedron cells. The mean ionic activity coefficients of the electrolytes can be correlated with constant diameter of anions, equal to the crystallographic Pauling diameter and with a concentration dependent relation for the cations. In comparison to their crystallographic Pauling diameters, the new model for the mean ionic activity coefficient produces realistic... 

The GV-MSA, the BMCSL-MSA and the Pitzer models were used to correlate the individual, the mean ionic activity coefficients and the osmotic coefficients of symmetric and asymmetric electrolyte solutions. In order to compare the results obtained from the GV-MSA with those obtained from the Pitzer and the BMCSL-MSA models, the same experimental data and the same minimization procedure were used and the new sets of parameters for the BMCSL-MSA and the Pitzer models were also reported. The values for the osmotic coefficients of electrolyte solutions were calculated directly using the values of the mean ionic activity coefficients obtained from the models studied in this work. The results for the... 

Large technology-intensive enterprises and companies face a constant challenge: How can a set of selected high-tech projects get done in a manner that would minimize the total cost across all projects? In majority of cases, projects are assumed independent, leading to a separate cost evaluation. This assumption often does not hold for real-world project portfolios, frequently sharing overlapping technologies. In this paper, we show how the order of the execution of the projects can directly affect the total cost of the portfolio, due to shared dependencies. Modeling the problems in this area can be achieved by combining two main fields: graph theory and technology mining. A novel method is... 

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... 

Background/Objectives: Curcumin, a natural polyphenol compound in the spice turmeric, has been found to have potent anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activity. Curcumin may treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) through its beneficial effects on biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation, which are considered as two feature of this disease. However, the effects of curcumin on NAFLD have been remained poorly understood. This investigation evaluated the effects of administrating curcumin on metabolic status in NAFLD patients. Subjects/Methods: Fifty-eight NAFLD patients participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel design of study. The subjects... 

Person authentication based on only the name, password or person identification number is not secured enough. In recent years researchers have focused on human physiological and behavioral parameters, because these parameters are more unique and human-specific than traditional ones. This approach of person authentication is usually called biometric authentication. Signature is the most commonly used behavioral biometric which is investigated in two ways of online and offline by researchers. In online procedure, the temporal indices of signature such as signing velocity, and acceleration are involved to increase the accuracy relative to offline methods and to recognize counterfeit signatures.... 

This study presents a steady-state Markov chain model to predict the long-term probability of drought conditions. The research aims to propose a rigorous framework for statistical analysis of drought characteristics and its trends over time for a large area of aquifers and plains in Iran. For this purpose, two meteorological indicators called the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the Groundwater Resource Index (GRI) are examined. The groundwater drought study includes more than 26,000 wells in about 600 meteorological stations over 20 years being surveyed daily. This study discusses the spatial interpolation of drought steady-state probabilities based on recorded SPI and GRI data... 

Nanotechnology is used in different engineering fields such as mechanical, aerospace, and civil. One of the most interesting structures which recently have come to the center of attention is the Graphene Sheet (GS). Graphene is a material with high potential of usage in civil structures like structural rehabilitation. In the present paper a finite element based structural analysis program is employed to study the mechanical properties of GS. The advantage of using this method is its simplicity and efficiency in different types of loading. The models considered here are based on a structural mechanics approach by using finite beam elements. Variations of Young's moduli of GS versus different... 

The non-primitive mean spherical approximation (NP-MSA) based models were used to correlate the individual and the mean ionic activity coefficients of the symmetric and asymmetric aqueous electrolyte solutions. The results of the models for the mean ionic activity coefficients were directly used to calculate the osmotic coefficient for the electrolyte solutions studied in this work. In the NP-MSA models, the Ghotbi-Vera and the Boublik-Mansoori-Carnahan-Starling- Leland hard sphere equation of state as the reference system coupled with the non-primitive mean spherical approximation model (NP-GV-MSA and NP-BMCSL-MSA models, respectively). In correlating the mean ionic activity coefficients of... 

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... 

Graphene oxide flakes are considered as potential inhibitors for different pathogenic bacteria. However, the efficacy of inhibition changes for different types and strains of bacteria. In this work, we examine Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, two common hospital-acquired infections, which react quite differently to graphene oxide flakes. The minimum inhibitory tests yield two distinct outcomes: stopped proliferation for S. aureus versus almost no effect for P. aeruginosa. Integrating our experimental evidence with molecular dynamics simulations, we elucidate the molecular machinery involved, explaining the behavior we see in scanning electron microscopy images. According to...