Sharif Digital Repository

Curcumin (CUR) is among the most appropriate and natural-based anticancer drugs that can be applied effectively treat different classes of cancers. However, CUR suffers from a low half-life and stability in the body, which has restricted the efficacy of its delivery applications. This study is dedicated to introducing the pH-sensitive nanocomposite of chitosan (CS)/gelatin (GE)/carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as an applicable nanocarrier for enhancing CUR half-life and its delivery restrictions. The CS/GE hydrogel was synthesized by the physical crosslinking method, which improves the biocompatibility of this hydrogel. Moreover, the water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) double emulsion approach is... 

Graphene oxide-polyvinylidene composite membranes were fabricated via the phase inversion technique. Then, GO-PVDF membrane with highest water flux was achieved via surface modification with 2-D MXene and 2-D MXene /protonated 2-D g-C₃N₄ nanosheets hybrid via vacuum filtration of an aqueous dispersion of MXene and MXene-protonated g-C₃N₄ nanosheets hybrid, respectively, on GO-PVDF membrane support to improve filtration efficiency and antifouling properties. The membranes were designated as MXene/GO-PVDF (M2) and MXene-protonated g-C₃N₄/GO-PVDF(M3). XRD, SEM, and FTIR analysis were used for characterization. The results showed that the performance of both MXene /GO-PVDF and MXene-... 

With the current focus on energy and the environment, efficient integration of renewable energies, especially solar energy into power systems, is becoming indispensable. Moreover, to fully capture solar potentials and to recognize the unique characteristics associated with solar energy in power systems reliability assessment, a profound investigation is needed. Accordingly, this paper attempts to establish a comprehensive analytical approach for modeling the reliability of a hybrid system (Photovoltaic (PV) system with Energy Storage System (ESS)). To this end, the output of the PV system is modeled by a multi-state model, and the ESS system is modeled as a two-state Markov model. Moreover,... 

Modification of photocatalysts to improve their adsorption and photocatalytic activity in the oxidative desulfurization of liquid fuels has been reported by many investigators. In this study, Pt-decorated carbon-doped TiO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal and photo-deposition techniques and were subsequently used in photocatalytic oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) in n-heptane as a simulated liquid fuel with methanol as the extracting solvent. Carbon-doped TiO2 was first synthesized by a simple self-doping method. Pt was then loaded by a photo-deposition technique. The synthesized photocatalysts (labeled as YPt-CT where Y is percent Pt loading) were... 

Smart grids help local distribution companies (LDCs) facilitate the communication between grid operators and residential prosumers. While the prosumers are striving to optimize their daily load profile by home energy management systems (HEMSs) deployment, the LDCs attempt to enhance the operation of the grid in an efficient way and decrease network losses. This paper attempts to develop a new bi-level probabilistic optimization framework wherein an HEMS optimizes its respective daily load profile, and determines its flexibility provision, which is communicated to an LDC. In the proposed framework, a decentralized approach is used to achieve the flexibility product, which is the modulation of... 

With the high penetration of Renewable Energy Resources (RERs) into power systems, distribution systems are facing various challenges due to their intermittency and uncertainty. One of the ways to cope with uncertainty and variability of the RERs is utilizing flexibility by market tools to enable active system management. Local Flexibility Markets (LFMs) provide opportunities to trade flexibility among distribution system operators and other participants (e.g., aggregators) in an economically efficient way. This research proposes an interactive framework for prosumers by a market-based platform to utilize and trade flexibility. The suggested framework comprises a novel flexibility allocation... 

This study presents a rapid method for detecting and authenticating intact saffron stigma through its packaging using visible-short wavelength near-infrared (Vis-SWNIR) hyperspectral imaging (HSI) in conjunction with chemometrics. A dataset containing 38 authentic saffron samples was utilized, and HSI images were captured within the spectral range of 400–950 nm. Multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) was used to obtain pure spatial and spectral profiles of the components. The resolved spatial profiles were then subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to identify potential patterns in the authentic samples. Binary mixtures of pooled saffron samples and... 

Estate administration involves managing and distributing a deceased individual’s assets to beneficiaries, as well as managing the liabilities. This process comprises legal, financial, and administrative tasks that ensure assets are transferred based on the deceased's wishes and in accordance with the law. In Southeast Asia countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei where Muslims represents the majority of population, the Islamic law plays an integral part in the inheritance management as the process to be in line with the Islamic teachings and principle. The role of the syariah authority namely the syariah courts is prevalent and therefore, abidance to the rule under the syariah legal... 

A novel intelligent semi-active control system for an eleven degrees of freedom passenger car's suspension system using magnetorheological (MR) damper with neuro-fuzzy (NF) control strategy to enhance desired suspension performance is proposed. In comparison with earlier studies, an improvement in problem modeling is made. The proposed method consists of two parts: a fuzzy control strategy to establish an efficient controller to improve ride comfort and road handling (RCH) and an inverse mapping model to estimate the force needed for a semi-active damper. The fuzzy logic rules are extracted based on Sugeno inference engine. The inverse mapping model is based on an artificial neural network... 

Using CNG as an additive for gasoline is a proper choice due to higher octane number of CNG enriched gasoline with respect to that of gasoline. As a result, it is possible to use gasoline with lower octane number in the engine. This would also mean the increase of compression ratio in SI engines resulting in higher performance and lower gasoline consumption. Over the years, the use of simulation codes to model the thermodynamic cycle of an internal combustion engine have developed tools for more efficient engine designs and fuel combustion. In this study, a thermodynamic cycle simulation of a conventional four-stroke spark-ignition engine has been developed. The model is used to study the... 

With the declining energy resources and increase of pollutant emissions, a great deal of efforts has been focused on the development of alternatives for fossil fuels. One of the promising alternative fuels to gasoline in the internal combustion engine is natural gas [1-5]. The application of natural gas in current internal combustion engines is realistic due to its many benefits. The higher thermal efficiency due to the higher octane value and lower exhaust emissions including CO2 as a result of the lower carbon to hydrogen ratio of the fuel are the two important feature of using CNG as an alternative fuel. It is well known that computer simulation codes are valuable economically as a cost... 

Gaining insight into possible vibratory responses of dynamical systems around their stable equilibria is an essential step, which must be taken before their design and application. The results of such a study can significantly help prevent instability in closed-loop stabilized systems by avoiding the excitation of the system in the neighborhood of its resonance. This paper investigates nonlinear oscillations of a rotary inverted pendulum (RIP) with a full-state feedback controller. Lagrange’s equations are employed to derive an accurate 2-DoF mathematical model, whose parameter values are extracted by both the measurement and 3D modeling of the real system components. Although the governing... 

A suction-controlled ring device has been developed to continuously measure the coefficient of lateral soil pressure in deformable unsaturated soil samples from the at-rest to the active condition under application of increasing vertical pressure and controlled matric suction. The device incorporates a thin aluminum specimen ring equipped with horizontal strain gages for recording the lateral soil strains. In addition, a sensor recording water volume changes is utilized to continuously monitor the degree of saturation of the soil sample during tests. The matric suction within the soil texture is controlled using the axis translation technique. In order to verify the performance of the ring... 

We introduce a new smooth, non-toxic, biocompatible method for cross-linking of gum tragacanth (GT), a polysaccharide of natural origin, in order to serve as a new supporting matrix for immobilization systems. The modified gum is used as a matrix for the catalysis of the conversion of benzyl penicillin to 6-aminopenicillanic acid (6-APA) by means of Escherichia coli ATCC11105 with penicillin G acylase (PGA) activity. The results show that GT beads can not only serve as a proper matrix for immobilization, but show enhanced hydrolysis rate and stability compared to other immobilization systems used for this reaction. This signifies the potential of GT as a biocompatible matrix for... 

The Class-E power amplifier has been widely studied and formulated in the literature. Although the majority of reported inductive coupling wireless power transfer (WPT) systems use a class-E power amplifier for driving the primary coil, still there is a lack of a comprehensive study on class-E circuit dedicated to WPT, providing a set of closed form design equations for proper class-E operation. This paper presents the required design equations needed to design a 'true' class-E circuit for WPT applications. Equations for the series-tuned secondary coil WPT system are presented, as well as two different design procedures for the parallel-tuned secondary coil. The derived equations have been... 

Pole Side Impact Tes is one out of three crash tests described by Euro NCAP standard for star rating of a vehicle and is required for assessing the Adult Occupant Protection. In this paper the goal is to determine the crashworthiness of side doors and B pillar in a Pole Side Impact Test based on Euro New Car Assessment Program (Euro-NCAP) using computer and simulation method. In this matter, a vehicle model has been prepared and meshed using Hypermesh and CATIA. The velocity of 29 km/h has been assigned to the vehicle which was on top of a cart while the pole has been assigned as a rigid static object based on Euro NCAP requirements specifically. Results show that different amounts of energy...