Islamic Azad University Roudehen Branch

Structural damage identification based on finite element (FE) model updating has been a research direction of increasing interest over the last decade in the mechanical, civil, aerospace, etc., engineering fields. Various studies have addressed direct, sensitivity-based, probabilistic, statistical, and iterative methods for updating FE models for structural damage identification. In contrast, evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are a type of modern method for FE model updating. Structural damage identification using FE model updating by evolutionary algorithms is an active research focus in progress but lacking a comprehensive survey. In this situation, this study aims to present a review of critical aspects of structural damage identification using evolutionary algorithm-based FE model updating. First, a theoretical background including the structural damage detection problem and the various types of FE model updating approaches is illustrated. Second, the various residuals between dynamic characteristics from FE model and the corresponding physical model, used for constructing the objective function for tracking damage, are summarized. Third, concerns regarding the selection of parameters for FE model updating are investigated. Fourth, the use of evolutionary algorithms to update FE models for damage detection is examined. Fifth, a case study comparing the applications of two single-objective EAs and one multi-objective EA for FE model updating-based damage detection is presented. Finally, possible research directions for utilizing evolutionary algorithm-based FE model updating to solve damage detection problems are recommended. This study should help researchers find crucial points for further exploring theories, methods, and technologies of evolutionary algorithm-based FE model updating for structural damage detection.

There has been huge interest in applications of nanomaterials in biomedical science, including diagnosis, drug delivery, and development of human organs. Number of these nanomaterials has been already studied in human or at pre-clinical trial. There is a growing concern on potential toxicity and adverse effects of nanomaterials on human health, including lack of standard method of assessment of toxicology of these materials. Our investigation indicated that the bare and small nanoparticle have higher toxicity than modified and bulk materials, respectively. In addition, spherical nanoparticles have less toxicity than rod nanoparticles due to immune response of body.

Abstract Groundwater is the most ubiquitous source of liquid freshwater globally, yet its role in supporting diverse ecosystems is rarely acknowledged 1,2 . However, the location and extent of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are unknown in many geographies, and protection measures are lacking 1,3 . Here, we map GDEs at high-resolution (roughly 30 m) and find them present on more than one-third of global drylands analysed, including important global biodiversity hotspots 4 . GDEs are more extensive and contiguous in landscapes dominated by pastoralism with lower rates of groundwater depletion, suggesting that many GDEs are likely to have already been lost due to water and land use practices. Nevertheless, 53% of GDEs exist within regions showing declining groundwater trends, which highlights the urgent need to protect GDEs from the threat of groundwater depletion. However, we found that only 21% of GDEs exist on protected lands or in jurisdictions with sustainable groundwater management policies, invoking a call to action to protect these vital ecosystems. Furthermore, we examine the linkage of GDEs with cultural and socio-economic factors in the Greater Sahel region, where GDEs play an essential role in supporting biodiversity and rural livelihoods, to explore other means for protection of GDEs in politically unstable regions. Our GDE map provides critical information for prioritizing and developing policies and protection mechanisms across various local, regional or international scales to safeguard these important ecosystems and the societies dependent on them.

The following study examines gender differences existing in various cognitive motivational variables (locus of control, academic self-concept and use of learning strategies) and in performance attained in school subjects of Literature and Mathematics. For this purpose, a sample of 363 students was selected from the high school students in the first, second and third academic years. For achieving to the purpose used of locus of control questionnaire, self-concept questionnaire and LASSI. Results show the existence of gender difference in variables under consideration, with girls showing internal locus of control, using attitude, motivation, time management, anxiety, and self-testing strategies more extensively, and getting better marks in Literature. With boys using concentration, information processing and selecting main ideas strategies more, and getting better marks in mathematics. Gender differences were not found in external locus of control, in academic self-concept, and in study aids and test strategies. Results suggest that differences exist in the cognitive-motivational functioning of boys and girls in the academic environment, with the girls have a more adaptive approach to learning tasks. However, the influence of contextual variables that may differently affect boys’ and girls’ motivation was not taken into account. Thus future research should address the influence of such factors.

Permanent deformation (i.e. rutting) of asphalt pavements is one of major types of distress modes experienced in the service life of pavements. Aggregates are one of the key building materials used in the construction industry and the largest portion of an asphalt pavement. Therefore, aggregate characteristics impressively affect the performance of asphalt pavements. Gradation is one of the important characteristics of aggregates affecting permanent deformation of hot mix asphalt. The objective of this research is to investigate the impact of aggregate gradation variations on rutting characteristics of asphalt concrete mixtures.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibit excellent mechanical, electrical and magnetic properties as well as nanometer scale diameter and high aspect ratio, which make CNTs an ideal reinforcing agent. In this paper, discussions on structure, properties, covalent and noncovalent functionalization, and application of chemistry functionalized carbon nanotubes are included.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of variables such as personality traits, driving behavior and mental illness on road traffic accidents among the drivers with accidents and those without road crash. METHODS: In this cohort study, 800 bus and truck drivers were recruited. Participants were selected among drivers who referred to Imam Sajjad Hospital (Tehran, Iran) during 2013-2015. The Manchester driving behavior questionnaire (MDBQ), big five personality test (NEO personality inventory) and semi-structured interview (schizophrenia and affective disorders scale) were used. After two years, we surveyed all accidents due to human factors that involved the recruited drivers. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software by performing the descriptive statistics, t-test, and multiple logistic regression analysis methods. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In terms of controlling the effective and demographic variables, the findings revealed significant differences between the two groups of drivers that were and were not involved in road accidents. In addition, it was found that depression and anxiety could increase the odds ratio (OR) of road accidents by 2.4- and 2.7-folds, respectively (P=0.04, P=0.004). It is noteworthy to mention that neuroticism alone can increase the odds of road accidents by 1.1-fold (P=0.009), but other personality factors did not have a significant effect on the equation. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that some mental disorders affect the incidence of road collisions. Considering the importance and sensitivity of driving behavior, it is necessary to evaluate multiple psychological factors influencing drivers before and after receiving or renewing their driver's license.

This study aim to synthesize silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Anthemis atropatana extract and to evaluate their chemical characteristics and antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects. The biosynthesis of AgNPs is verified using UV-visible spectrum which showing maximum absorption in 430 nm wavelength. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) results revealed that AgNPs has a spherical shape with an average size of 38.89 nanometres. The crystalline structure of green synthesized AgNPs in optimal conditions was confirmed by XRD analysis. The pattern of XRD peaks related to face-centred cubic (fcc) (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) observed. Also, FTIR results verified the AgNPs synthesis using plant extract. In biological tests, the MTT results indicate the dose dependence of cytotoxic effects of AgNPs on colon cancer cell lines (HT29). The AgNPs had maximum cytotoxicity on HT29 cancer cell line at 100 μg/ml concentration, which were statistically significant comparing control cells (p < .001). Moreover, real time PCR and flow cytometry results confirmed the apoptotic effects of AgNPs. According to the results, it seems that the green synthesis of AgNPs is an eco-friendly and cost effective approach. This research provides insight into the development of new anticancer and antibacterial agents.

Soil types mapping and the spatial variation of soil classes are essential concerns in both geotechnical and geoenvironmental engineering. Because conventional soil mapping systems are time-consuming and costly, alternative quick and cheap but accurate methods need to be developed. In this paper, a new optimized multi-output generalized feed forward neural network (GFNN) structure using 58 piezocone penetration test points (CPTu) for producing a digital soil types map in the southwest of Sweden is developed. The introduced GFNN architecture is supported by a generalized shunting neuron (GSN) model computing unit to increase the capability of nonlinear boundaries of classified patterns. The comparison conducted between known soil type classification charts, CPTu interpreting procedures, and the outcomes of the GFNN model indicates acceptable accuracy in estimating complex soil types. The results show that the predictability of the GFNN system offers a valuable tool for the purpose of soil type pattern classifications and providing soil profiles.

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between the academic self-concept and academic performance. The sample consists of 363 students from 10 high schools were chosen by using multistage cluster sampling method. The data collection instrument for academic self-concept was a researcher made questionnaire. For obtaining data regarding the participant's self-concept used of the total score of SCQ questioner, and regarding their scholastic performance through marks assigned by their teachers. After verifying the scale's factorial structure, established levels of association between self-concept and academic performance, and predictive power of academic self-concept. The research finding showed a close relationship between academic self-concept and measures of academic performance. Academic self-concept powerfully and positive predicts general performance in literature and mathematics. Feel it is necessary to give adequate and sufficient attention to self-concept and self-esteem and teachers should be offered methodological guidance in order to work on these throughout the educationalprocess.

This study investigates Iranian students’ attitudes and motivations toward learning English. The sample of the study consists of 123 male and female students from two high schools in the second academic years. The instrument used is a questionnaire which comprises 18 items developed to achieve the aims of the study. Results showed that the Girl students are more integrative motivated and boy students are more instrumental motivated to learning English. In addition, the girls have more positive attitude toward learning English than boys, they also are more inclined to bilingualism. However, there is no significant difference between high school students in motivational orientations, while they have positive attitude to learning English as a second language.

In the current paper, a hybrid model was developed to generate 3D delineated soil horizons using clay sensitivity (St) with 1 m depth intervals in a landslide prone area in the southwest of Sweden. A hybridizing process was carried out using generalized feed forward neural network (GFFN) incorporated with genetic algorithm (GA). The model was conducted by means of seven variables consisting of the geographical coordinates and piezocone penetration test data (CPTu). The output of model (St) as a description of the effect of soil disturbance on shear strength plays a significant role in landslides in Sweden and thus can be applied for site-specific evaluation. Therefore, the use of St-based models to delineate soil layers can be a cost-effective solution to improve geo-engineering design practices and assist in the reduction of related environmental risks, such as catastrophic landslide events or excavation failures. Evaluated model performance based on different applied soil classifications showed 4.38% improvement in the predictability level of GFFN-GA compared to optimum GFFN. Accordingly, delineated soil layers were evaluated using different criteria including previous landslides as well as supplementary geophysical and geotechnical investigations. The results show that the adopted hybrid GFFN-GA is an efficient tool that can potentially be applied to delineate soil horizons for the prediction of future events.

The main research problem in this paper is assessing the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education in the universities of Tehran province. By considering entrepreneurship intentionality as an indicator of the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education, for the first time, the impact of entrepreneurship curriculum, entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial university climate on goal intention, implementation intention and commitment level of students have been studied. In this research, using a questionnaire that has been designed by the authors, data were collected from a random sample of 205 postgraduate students in the faculties of entrepreneurship, management and economy of the selected universities. The analyses carried out using Pearson correlation coefficient, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling on cross-sectional data confirm all the research hypotheses and show that there is a meaningful positive relationship among entrepreneurship education and goal intention, implementation intention and commitment of students to their entrepreneurship goals.

In this work, we synthesized graphene oxide–glycine (GO–G) nanocomposite. To produce this nanocomposite with GO surface, glycine with known concentration was added to GO suspension in ethanol solvent. Nanocomposites provided were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to investigate the thermal stability of these nanocomposites. Results of characterization by SEM and FT-IR showed that nanocomposite was created by the reaction between GO and G. Study of thermal stability by TGA showed that thermal stability of GO was more than that of the GO–G nanocomposite.

Targeted drug delivery and increasing the biological activity of drugs is one of the recent challenges of pharmaceutical researchers. Niosomes are one of the new targeted drug delivery systems that enhances the biological properties of drugs. In this study, for the first time, the green synthesis of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), and its loading into niosome was carried out to increase the anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity of SeNPs. Different formulations of noisome-loaded SeNPs were prepared, and the physical and chemical characteristics of the prepared niosomes were investigated. The antibacterial and anti-biofilm effects of synthesized niosomes loaded SeNPs and free SeNPs against standard pathogenic bacterial strains were studied, and also its anticancer activity was investigated against breast cancer cell lines. The expression level of apoptotic genes in breast cancer cell lines treated with niosome-loaded SeNPs and free SeNPs was measured. Also, to evaluate the biocompatibility of the synthesized niosomes, their cytotoxicity effects against the human foreskin fibroblasts normal cell line (HFF) were studied using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay. The results illustrated that the optimal formulation had an average size of 177.9 nm, a spherical shape, and an encapsulation efficiency of 37.58%. Also, the results revealed that the release rate of SeNPs from niosome-loaded SeNPs and free SeNPs was 61.26% and 100%, respectively, in 72 h. Also, our findings demonstrated that the niosome-loaded SeNPs have significant antibacterial, anti-biofilm, and anticancer effects compared to the free SeNPs. In addition, niosome-loaded SeNPs can upregulate the expression level of Bax, cas3, and cas9 apoptosis genes while the expression of the Bcl2 gene is down-regulated in all studied cell lines, significantly. Also, the results of the MTT test indicated that the free niosome has no significant cytotoxic effects against the HFF cell line which represents the biocompatibility of the synthesized niosomes. In general, based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that niosomes-loaded SeNPs have significant anti-microbial, anti-biofilm, and anti-cancer effects, which can be used as a suitable drug delivery system.

In this paper we report the synthesis of gold nanoparticles during laser ablation of a metal gold plate in distilled water. The experiments were performed with a first harmonic (1064 nm, 6 ns, 10 Hz) output of a Nd:YAG laser varying the operative fluency between 5 Jcm-2 and 15 Jcm-2. The results indicate that gold nanoparticles are synthesized at room temperature.In this paper we give an overview of the properties of gold relevant to its potential application in molecular-scale devices absorption spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were employed to determine the optical properties and size of gold nanoparticles. And novel applications of gold nanoparticles have been studied in various fields.

Abstract The current study examines whether the fear of being laughed at (gelotophobia) can be assessed reliably and validly by means of a self-report instrument in different countries of the world. All items of the GELOPH (Ruch and Titze, GELOPH〈46〉, University of Düsseldorf, 1998; Ruch and Proyer, Swiss Journal of Psychology 67:19–27, 2008b) were translated to the local language of the collaborator (42 languages in total). In total, 22,610 participants in 93 samples from 73 countries completed the GELOPH. Across all samples the reliability of the 15-item questionnaire was high (mean alpha of .85) and in all samples the scales appeared to be unidimensional. The endorsement rates for the items ranged from 1.31% through 80.00% to a single item. Variations in the mean scores of the items were more strongly related to the culture in a country and not to the language in which the data were collected. This was also supported by a multidimensional scaling analysis with standardized mean scores of the items from the GELOPH〈15〉. This analysis identified two dimensions that further helped explaining the data (i.e., insecure vs. intense avoidant-restrictive and low vs. high suspicious tendencies towards the laughter of others). Furthermore, multiple samples derived from one country tended to be (with a few exceptions) highly similar. The study shows that gelotophobia can be assessed reliably by means of a self-report instrument in cross-cultural research. This study enables further studies of the fear of being laughed at with regard to differences in the prevalence and putative causes of gelotophobia in comparisons to different cultures.

The effect of adverse weather conditions on the safety of vehicles moving on different types of roads and measuring its margin of safety have always been a major research issue of highways. Determining the exact value of friction coefficient between the wheels of the vehicle and the surface of the pavement (usually Asphalt Concrete) in different weather conditions is assumed as a major factor in design process. An appropriate method is analyzing the dynamic motion of the vehicle and its interactions with geometrical elements of road using dynamic simulation of vehicles. In this paper the effect of changes of friction coefficient caused by the weather conditions on the dynamic responses of three types of vehicles: including Sedan, Bus, and Truck based on the results of Adams/car Simulator are investigated. The studies conducted on this issue for different weather conditions suggest values ranging from 0.04 to 1.25. The results obtained from simulation based on Adams/car represent that the friction coefficient in values of 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6 do not effect on braking distance significantly and it is possible to attribute them all to dry weather condition. However, as it was anticipated the values of 0.5, 0.4, 0.28 and 0.18 have significant differences in braking distance. Hence, the values of 0.5, 0.4, 0.28 and 0.18 can be attributed to wet, rainy, snowy and icy conditions respectively.

INTRODUCTION: Some studies reported that essential fatty acids deficiencies can be related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. This study aimed to investigate the effect of omega-3 on social, verbal, and behavioral activities in ASD children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A double-blind, randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 54 children with autism, who were assigned to the case (n = 28) and control (n = 26) groups. The cases received one capsule of 1000 mg omega-3 daily and the controls received one capsule of 1000 mg medium chain triglyceride daily as placebo for eight weeks. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-second edition (GARS-2) was used to assess the severity of autism and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess their dietary intake. All measurements were done at baseline and after the intervention. RESULTS: After adjusting for age, gender, birth weight, BMI, dietary intake, mother's age, and mother's BMI, the intervention group had significantly improved stereotyped behaviors (p = 0.02), social communication (p = 0.02), and the GARS score (p = 0.001) after the intervention compared to the control group. No significant change was found in the score of social interaction subscale. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that omega-3 treatment improved autism characteristics including stereotyped behaviors and social communication. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and to determine the underlying mechanisms.

With the increased occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, alternatives to classical antibiotics are urgently needed for treatment of various infectious diseases. Medicinal plant extracts are among the promising candidates due to their bioactive components. The aim of this study was to prepare niosome-encapsulated Echinacea angustifolia extract and study its efficacy against multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains. Encapsulation was first optimized by Design of Experiments, followed by the empirical study. The obtained niosomes were further characterized for the size and morphology using dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Spherical niosomes had a diameter of 142.3 ± 5.1 nm, as measured by DLS. The entrapment efficiency (EE%) of E. angustifolia extract reached up to 77.1% ± 0.3%. The prepared niosomes showed a controlled drug release within the tested 72 h and a storage stability of at least 2 months at both 4 and 25 °C. The encapsulated E. angustifolia displayed up to 16-fold higher antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant K.pneumoniae strains, compared to the free extract. Additionally, the niosome exhibited negligible cytotoxicity against human foreskin fibroblasts. We anticipate that the results presented herein could contribute to the preparation of other plant extracts with improved stability and antibacterial activity, and will help reduce the overuse of antibiotics by controlled release of natural-derived drugs.