Sharif Digital Repository

Cascaded Short Term Hydro-Thermal Scheduling problem (CSTHTS) is a single objective, non-linear multi-modal or convex (depending upon the cost function of thermal generation) type of Short Term Hydro-Thermal Scheduling (STHTS), having complex hydel constraints. It has been solved by many metaheuristic optimization algorithms, as found in the literature. Recently, the authors have published the best-achieved results of the CSTHTS problem having quadratic fuel cost function of thermal generation using an improved variant of the Accelerated PSO (APSO) algorithm, as compared to the other previously implemented algorithms. This article discusses and presents further improvement in the results... 

Groundwater plays a major role in addressing the worldwide problem of water scarcity and food security. With a growing population and increasing urbanization, there is a rising demand for groundwater to meet agricultural and domestic water needs. A variety of advanced approaches are necessary to sustain groundwater management. This study investigated the age and origin of groundwater, as well as its relationship with anthropogenic and climatic factors. Stable isotopes were used, namely oxygen-18 (18O) and deuterium (2H) for the estimation of groundwater origin and radioactive isotopes of Tritium (3H) for the estimation of its age. The investigation of stable isotopes revealed that the... 

In an era characterized by ever-increasing data exchange across different networks, the importance of robust network security measures cannot be overemphasized. Cryptographic algorithms, on the other hand, perform a vital role in imparting security to the sensitive information during transmission, with S-Boxes (Substitution Boxes) serving as a fundamental component of symmetric-key ciphers. This study has endeavored to engineer a novel S-Box algorithm to bolster the network security. Moreover, the core focus of the suggested algorithm lies in enhancing the confidentiality, defiance to nefarious designs of cryptanalysis savvy, and overall cryptographic strength of data encryption in network... 

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission poses stern threats to insulators due to unidirectional high voltages. Room temperature vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber (SiR) coatings are highly preferred to cope with flashovers. In this work, RTV-SiR coating co-filled with silica (SiO2) and alumina trihydrate (ATH) fillers underwent prolonged accelerated weathering under bipolar direct current (DC) for an extended aging period of 10,000 hours. The results revealed that samples containing nano SiO2, and micron-ATH displayed enhanced hydrophobic recovery, leading to improved suppression of leakage current, whereas ATH-filled composites demonstrated better performance in surface resistivity... 

In this paper, we consider the problem of overlay generation for video adaptation and streaming applications in a way to efficiently utilize the bandwidth and computing power of the participating peers. Therefore, the proposed architecture performs regular streaming functions as well as video adaptation functions, moving the video contents adaptation computation load away from dedicated media-streaming/adaptation servers to the participating peers. To verify the performance of our design, we followed an analytical approach based on 0-1 Integer Linear Programming method to model the system and to æakulate the optimum overlay. The performance of our scheme is evaluated by simulations.... 

Chitosan-doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (CS-ZnO NPs) were meticulously fabricated using the sol-gel methodology. The CS-ZnO NPs underwent comprehensive analytical assessments, employing advanced techniques, encompassing X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). An average crystallite size of 15 nm was calculated through XRD. These NPs showed an absorption band at 292 nm. TGA revealed the two-phase weight loss mechanism in the investigated nanocomposite. Effective antibacterial activity, at various NPs concentrations, was observed against Xanthomonas... 

This study aims to develop a benign and commercially viable method for the degradation of monoethanolamine (MEA) in the aqueous phase via an ultraviolet/hydrogen peroxide (UV/H2O2) advanced oxidation process (AOP). The current investigation is novel in terms of detailed kinetic analysis and degradation mechanisms; the impact of pH and UV light intensity on MEA degradation was thoroughly examined. pH 9 was identified as the optimal condition, achieving a degradation efficiency of 76.28%, while the highest UV light intensity of 59.055 mJ cm−2 resulted in an 85.13% degradation efficiency. A comprehensive kinetic study highlighted the reaction rates under varying conditions, providing valuable... 

Co-Ce doped Ni nanocrystalline ferrites having composition Ni0.8Ce0.2CoxFe2-xO4 with x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00 were fabricated by sol gel auto combustion method. Synthesized samples were investigated by thermal gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive analysis (EDX) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) to study the phase, vibrational modes, structure, surface analysis and magnetic properties respectively. Structural parameters (lattice parameters, cell volume, crystallite size and micro strains) were also calculated from XRD recorded data.... 

In this study, effectiveness of non-ionic block copolymers such as Lugalvan BNO12 and Triton X series (Triton X100 & Triton X405) has been reported for graphene dispersion in aqueous solutions. Stability of the aqueous graphene dispersions is investigated using UV–visible spectroscopy, Rheological, and Conductivity studies. Adsorption isotherms are constructed to determine the amount of polymers adsorbed on the surface of graphene by the spectroscopic analysis. Lugalvan BNO12 has been found to be adsorbed in higher amounts on the graphene surface compared to the Triton X series polymers. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy investigations... 

The aim of present study is to investigate the convective heat and mass transfer in steady MHD boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting micropolar fluid over an inclined surface. Partial differential equations resulting from the mathematical modeling of the phenomenon are reduce to nonlinear ODEs, and a finite difference based scheme has been adopted to iteratively find the numerical solution by employing the successive over-relaxation (SOR) method. A self-developed computer code has been used in the MATLAB environment. Influence of chemical reaction, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, and viscous dissipation on the relevant features of the flow are discussed and analyzed through... 

The aim of present study is to investigate the convective heat and mass transfer in steady MHD boundary layer flow of an electrically conducting micropolar fluid over an inclined surface. Partial differential equations resulting from the mathematical modeling of the phenomenon are reduce to nonlinear ODEs, and a finite difference based scheme has been adopted to iteratively find the numerical solution by employing the successive over-relaxation (SOR) method. A self-developed computer code has been used in the MATLAB environment. Influence of chemical reaction, Brownian motion, thermophoresis, and viscous dissipation on the relevant features of the flow are discussed and analyzed through... 

Short-term hydrothermal scheduling (STHTS) is a highly non-linear, multi-model, non-convex, and multi-dimensional optimization problem that has been worked upon for about 5 decades. Many research articles have been published in solving different test cases of STHTS problem, while establishing the superiority of one type of optimization algorithm over the type, in finding the near global best solution of these complex problems. This paper presents the implementation of an improved version of a variant of the Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm (PSO), known as Accelerated Particle Swarm Optimization (APSO) on three benchmark test cases of STHTS problems. The adaptive and variable nature of... 

Short term hydrothermal scheduling (STHTS) is a non-linear, multi-modal and very complex constrained optimization problem which has been solved using several conventional and modern metaheuristic optimization algorithms. A number of research articles have been published addressing STHTS using different techniques. This article presents a comprehensive review of research published for solving the STHTS problem in the last four decades. © 2013 IEEE  

Much research has been conducted and published on the examination of the behavior of reinforced steel and concrete structures with a FRP system. Nevertheless, the performance of FRP differs from that of FRCM, particularly at high temperature and ultimate strength. The present study provides a review of previous research on structural elements (viz. beams, columns, arches, slabs, and walls) retrofitted with FRCM systems, taking account of various parameters, such as layers, composite types, configurations, and anchors for controlling or delaying failure modes (FMs). Additionally, this paper discussed the details of different FMs observed during experimental tests, such as crushed concrete or... 

Cotton contributes 0.6% to the value added in GDP and 3.1% to the value added in the agriculture sector of Pakistan. The dusky cotton bug (DCB), Oxycarenus hyalinipennis (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), is among the insect pest species of highest economic significance in cotton production in the country. Adults and nymphs feed on seeds and cotton bolls, affecting seed germination. The dusky cotton bug is a polyphagous insect that feeds on a variety of host plants. Its adults and nymphs typically feed on squares of the cotton plant, resulting in a pale yellow color of squares and subsequent shedding of infested squares. Insecticide resistance in cotton insect pests is an emerging threat to sustainable... 

The intestinal tract microbiota influences many aspects of the dietary components on colon health and during enteric infections, thus, playing a pivotal role in the colon health. Therefore, the eugenol (EU) nano-emulsion effective concentration reported in our previous study against cancer cells should be explored for safety against beneficial microbes. We evaluated the sensitivity of Bifidobacterium breve and B. adolescentis against EU-loaded nano-emulsions at 0, 300, 600 and 900 µm, which were effective against colon and liver cancer cells. Both B. breve and B. adolescentis showed comparable growth ranges to the control group at 300 and 600 µm, as evident from the plate count experimental... 

In this article, a 5G compact millimeter-wave dipole antenna with high gain and its array filter-antenna is proposed, following a theoretical discussion is proposed. To increase the gain and focused mainbeam, the double dipole is inserted at the ground plane. The results show that the proposed antenna has an impedance band-width (IBW) of around 7.14% and 6.7 dBi gain at 28 GHz. Next, a 5G filter is proposed with 4% IBW and lower than 0.6 dB gain insertion loss. A simple phase-shifter with 2-bit structure is designed in an 8-elemens array filter-antenna with 0.35 spacing between the two elements which uses a meander-line to reduce mutual-coupling. First, the phased-array filtenna... 

The pulp and paper industry is one of the most significant industrial water polluters, generating large volumes of wastewater with high levels of organic pollutants, suspended solids, and other contaminants. Catalytic ozonation has emerged as a promising technique for the treatment of pulp and paper industry wastewater. Numerous reviews have presented the research on catalytic ozonation; however, open literature is missing a bibliometric analysis. Therefore, this article presents a bibliometric analysis of the research available on catalytic ozonation in pulp and paper industry wastewater treatment. A total of 578 documents extracted from the Scopus database have been examined via VOSviewer,... 

This study examines the impact of zinc oxide (ZnO) on the spectral, thermal, mechanical, and morphological characteristics of developed composites of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Composite samples were fabricated with different compositions of ZnO (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%) along with a constant quantity of hydroxyapatite (HA, 10 wt%) in pure HDPE. The synthesized hybrid polymer composites were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), universal testing machine (UTM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) methods, allowing for a thorough assessment of their spectral,... 

Using the first-principles procedure of density-functional-theory within tight-binding approximation and nonequilibrium Green's function formalism, this paper reports on the impact of vacancy defects on the structural, electronic and transport properties of hydrogen-passivated graphene atomic sheet. After the introduction of vacancy defects in graphene atomic sheet passivated with hydrogen atoms, apart from increase in band gap, a suppression is noted in the intensity of transmission channels and density of states arising from the long array deformations of the graphene sheet and a corresponding shift of the Fermi level. This in turn decreases the conductance of the defected graphene atomic...