Sharif Digital Repository

The effect of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO), used as the nanofiller in polymer nanocomposites (NC), on the structural and dynamic properties of polymer chains, has been studied by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Two polymers, i.e., poly(propylene) and poly(vinyl alcohol), are employed as matrices to cover a wider range of polymer–filler interactions. The local structural properties, e.g., density profile, average Rg, and end-to-end distance as well as dynamic properties, e.g., estimated translational and orientational relaxation times, of polymer chains are studied. In addition, the interaction energies are estimated between polymers and nanofillers for different hybrid... 

The vibration analysis of rotating, functionally graded Timoshenko nano-beams under an in-plane nonlinear thermal loading is studied for the first time. The formulation is based on Eringen's nonlocal elasticity theory. Hamilton's principle is used for the derivation of the equations. The governing equations are solved by the differential quadrature method. The nano-beam is under axial load due to the rotation and thermal effects, and the boundary conditions are considered as cantilever and propped cantilever. The thermal distribution is considered to be nonlinear and material properties are temperature-dependent and are changing continuously through the thickness according to the power-law... 

The concerns regarding the consumption of traditional fuels such as oil and coal have driven the proposals for several cleaner alternatives in recent years. Hydrogen energy is one of the most attractive alternatives for the currently used fossil fuels with several superiorities, such as zero-emission and high energy content. Hydrogen has numerous advantages compared to conventional fuels and, as such, has been employed in gas turbines (GTs) in recent years. The main benefit of using hydrogen in power generation with the GT is the considerably lower emission of greenhouse gases. The performance of the GTs using hydrogen as a fuel is influenced by several factors, including the performance of... 

Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) are promising approaches for generating power from medium or low temperature heat sources. In this regard, ORCs can be used to indirectly produce power from solar energy. Due to intermittent nature of solar energy, storage unit should be coupled with solar ORCs to improve the output power and operating hours. In this article, studies on solar ORCs integrated with various types of storage units were reviewed; the main findings of such studies were extracted and provided. Based on the findings, several factors such as the temperature and pressure at the inlet of the turbine, as well as the operating condition affect the performance of solar ORCs with thermal... 

In this paper, optimization on a two-tube helical heat exchanger with a fin is represented. The spiral pipes heat exchanger which is made of the cooper is adopted for investigation. The effects of three types of fins with the proposed geometric shapes on the overall heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss are investigated. The fins are located on the inner surface of the outer pipe. The obtained numerical results are compared with the experimental results, and a good agreement is observed between the results. The studies show that the total heat transfer coefficient has increased by 170% compared to an exchanger with no fin. Therefore, the best fin has been selected based on the... 

Energy and economy play a substantial role in environmental issues such as the emission of greenhouse gases. CO2 is one of the greenhouses that is hugely produced in industrial processes and other human being activities. The major share of CO2 emission is related to the energy-related activities. As a result, modeling the amount of produced CO2 by utilization of different energy sources must be considered. Moreover, by considering economic indicators such as gross domestic product, the accuracy of the model could be improved. In the present work, artificial neural network (ANN) with two transfer functions including normalized radial basis and tansig is used to model CO2 production of... 

Systems based on machine vision are used more and more these days. Machine vision is used widely in different industries for increasing efficiency and automating processes, and one of the reasons which makes these techniques so popular is the speed of producing more powerful hardware which in recent times became more accessible, so real time using of many algorithms is possible Our group is designing and producing a stereo vision based system for detection, tracking, and accurate speed measurement of multi vehicles in, both mobile and stationary status, different weather condition, day and night, urban streets and highways, which is now used by police for law enforcement. The system offers... 

Background: Transport-related injuries (TIs) are a substantial public health concern for all regions of the world. The present study quantified the burden of TIs and deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR) in 2017 by sex and age. Methods: TIs and deaths were estimated by age, sex, country, and year using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) and DisMod-MR 2.1. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which quantify the total burden of years lost due to premature death or disability, were also estimated per 100 000 population. All estimates were reported along with their corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Results: In 2017, there were 5.5 million (UI 4.9-6.2)... 

Background: Accurate and up-to-date assessment of demographic metrics is crucial for understanding a wide range of social, economic, and public health issues that affect populations worldwide. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 produced updated and comprehensive demographic assessments of the key indicators of fertility, mortality, migration, and population for 204 countries and territories and selected subnational locations from 1950 to 2019. Methods: 8078 country-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 938 surveys, 349 censuses, and 238 other sources were identified and used to estimate age-specific fertility. Spatiotemporal... 

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and... 

Background: Rigorous analysis of levels and trends in exposure to leading risk factors and quantification of their effect on human health are important to identify where public health is making progress and in which cases current efforts are inadequate. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a standardised and comprehensive assessment of the magnitude of risk factor exposure, relative risk, and attributable burden of disease. Methods: GBD 2019 estimated attributable mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years of life lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for 87 risk factors and combinations of risk factors, at... 

The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 provides a rules-based synthesis of the available evidence on levels and trends in health outcomes, a diverse set of risk factors, and health system responses. GBD 2019 covered 204 countries and territories, as well as first administrative level disaggregations for 22 countries, from 1990 to 2019. Because GBD is highly standardised and comprehensive, spanning both fatal and non-fatal outcomes, and uses a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of hierarchical disease and injury causes, the study provides a powerful basis for detailed and broad insights on global health trends and emerging challenges. GBD... 

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF)—giving infants only breast-milk for the first 6 months of life—is a component of optimal breastfeeding practices effective in preventing child morbidity and mortality. EBF practices are known to vary by population and comparable subnational estimates of prevalence and progress across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are required for planning policy and interventions. Here we present a geospatial analysis of EBF prevalence estimates from 2000 to 2018 across 94 LMICs mapped to policy-relevant administrative units (for example, districts), quantify subnational inequalities and their changes over time, and estimate probabilities of meeting the World Health...