The structural variability of quarters and residential areas in the historical texture of the city of Yazd based on Islamic rules and jurisprudence: a case study of Golchinan quarter

According to many researchers and scholars, religious beliefs can be considered as the most influential factor in forming Muslim urban spaces and their architectural elements. In fact, historical cities reflect the culture and beliefs of their residences. Among all historical places in Iranian cities, the historical texture of the city of Yazd, especially the quarters since the age of Qajar dynasty, are well preserved. The present study aims at identifying the Islamic principles and values influencing the formation of architectural spaces and the extent of their applications in one of the historical quarters known as Golchinan. The results of the conformation of the theoretical findings with the data acquired from field studies revealed that almost 90% of the urban and architectural spaces (e.g. residential areas, mosques, bazaars, and pathways) in Yazd are directly influenced by Islamic principles. In other words, there is a strong conformity between the accepted Islamic values of the society and what actually was applied to urban constructions during Qajar dynasty.     

Graphene nanoplatelets dispersion in poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactic acid): preparation method and its influence on electrical,crystallinity and thermomechanical properties

Poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA)/graphene nanoplatelets (GnP) nanocomposites were prepared through solvent casting and coagulation methods. The better dispersion of graphene was achieved by ultrasounds and its effect on crystallinity, thermomechanical and electrical properties of PLLA were studied and compared in both methods. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the crystallinity of PLLA and its composites. Field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) were employed to characterize the microstructure of PLLA crystallites. Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) was performed to study the thermomechanical properties of the nanocomposites. FEG-SEM images illustrated finer dispersion of GnP in samples obtained by coagulation method with respect to solvent casting method. Graphene imparted higher electrical conductivity to nanocomposites obtained by solvent casting under ultrasound due to better formation of graphene network. DSC thermograms and their resulting data showed positive effects of GnP on crystallization kinetics of PLLA in both methods enhanced by the nucleating effect of graphene particles. Meanwhile, the effect of GnP, as nucleating agent, was more prominent in samples produced by coagulation method without utilization of ultrasounds. WAXS patterns represented the same characteristic peaks of PLLA in nanocomposite specimens suggesting similar crystalline structure of PLLA in presence of graphene, and the intensified peaks of nanocomposites compared to neat PLLA confirmed the DSC results regarding its improved crystallinity. Graphene increased storage modulus in rubbery region and glass transition temperature of nanocomposites in the coagulation method due to restricted mobility of PLLA chains.     

Kinetic study of hydrogen sulfide absorption in aqueous chlorine solution

Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is currently removed from gaseous effluents by chemical scrubbing using water. Chlorine is a top-grade oxidant, reacting with H₂S with a fast kinetic rate and enhancing its mass transfer rate. To design, optimize and scale-up scrubbers, knowledge of the reaction kinetics and mechanism is requested. This study investigates the H₂S oxidation rate by reactive absorption in a mechanically agitated gas–liquid reactor. Mass transfer (gas and liquid sides mass transfer coefficients) and hydrodynamic (interfacial area) performances of the gas–liquid reactor were measured using appropriated physical or chemical absorption methods. The accuracy of these parameters was checked by modeling the H₂S absorption in water without oxidant. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the model. Finally, reactive absorption of H₂S in chlorine solution for acidic or circumneutral pH allowed to investigate the kinetics of reaction. The overall oxidation mechanism could be described assuming that H₂S is oxidized irreversibly by both hypochlorite anion ClO⁻ (k = 6.75 × 10⁶ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹) and hypochlorous acid ClOH (k = 1.62 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹ s⁻¹).     

Characterization and Properties of Recycled Polypropylene/Coconut Shell Powder Composites: Effect of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Modification

This research work focuses on the utilization of coconut shell powder (CSP) as filler in recycled polypropylene (rPP). Sodium Dedecyl Sulfate (SDS) was used as coupling agent in these composites. The effect of filler content and SDS on tensile properties, thermal properties, water absorption and morphology of rPP/CSP composites were investigated. In this study, modified rPP/CSP composites with SDS show significant increased tensile propertied, thermal stability, crystallinity and low water absorption compared unmodified rPP/CSP composites. Those improvements were contributed by the coupling effect of SDS.     

Effect of surfactant gels on dough rheological characteristics and quality of bread

Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate (SSL), diacetyl tartaric acid esters of monoglyceride (DATEM), glycerol monostearate (GMS), and distilled glycerol monostearate (DGMS) surfactant gels were made with water and varying shortening contents. The effect of these gels on dough rheological characteristics and quality of bread was investigated. Overall, the surfactant gels improved the farinograph and extensograph characteristics of wheat flour, but the improvement reduced to some extent with the presence of shortening in the gels. Alveograph data indicated that dough properties improved with the addition of surfactant gels. Shortening in gels showed varying influence on the dough alveograph properties of wheat flour. The results indicated that the surfactant gels changed the rapid visco analyzer characteristics of wheat flour, and the presence of shortening in gels further altered the characteristics. All surfactant gels improved the volume, specific volume, texture, and overall quality scores of bread, but the improvement varied for different surfactants. By increasing the addition of shortening in gels, though the quality characteristics further improved, the response to surfactants reduced by increasing shortening content.     

Cooperative actuator fault accommodation in formation flight of unmanned vehicles using relative measurements

In this article, the cooperative fault accommodation in formation flight of unmanned vehicles is investigated through a hierarchical framework. Three levels are envisaged, namely a low-level fault recovery (LLFR), a formation-level fault recovery (FLFR) and a high-level (HL). In the LLFR module, a recovery controller is designed by using an estimate of the actuator fault. A performance monitoring module is introduced at the HL hierarchy to identify a partially low-level (LL) recovered vehicle due to inaccuracy in the fault estimate which results in violating the error specification of the formation mission. The HL supervisor then activates the FLFR module to compensate for the performance degradations of the partially LL recovered vehicle at the expense of the other healthy vehicles. Both centralised and decentralised control approaches are developed for our proposed cooperative fault recovery technique. A robust H _∞ controller is designed in which the parameters of the controller are adjusted to accommodate for the partially LL-recovered vehicle by enforcing that the other healthy vehicles allocate more control effort to compensate for the performance degradations of the faulty vehicle. Numerical simulations for a formation flight of five satellites are provided in the deep space, which do indeed confirm the validity and effectiveness of our proposed analytical work.     

Probiotic-Induced Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells: A Novel Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) are immune-mediated, chronic relapsing diseases with a rising prevalence worldwide in both adult and pediatric populations. Treatment options for immune-mediated diseases, including IBDs, are traditional steroids, immunomodulators, and biologics, none of which are capable of inducing long-lasting remission in all patients. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a fundamental role in inducing tolerance and regulating T cells and their tolerogenic functions. Hence, modulation of intestinal mucosal immunity by DCs could provide a novel, additional tool for the treatment of IBD. Recent evidence indicates that probiotic bacteria might impact immunomodulation both in vitro and in vivo by regulating DCs’ maturation and producing tolerogenic DCs (tolDCs) which, in turn, might dampen inflammation. In this review, we will discuss this evidence and the mechanisms of action of probiotics and their metabolites in inducing tolDCs in IBDs and some conditions associated with them.     

Effects of annealing on phase evolution,microstructure and magnetic properties of mechanically synthesized nickel-ferrite

The influence of milling and subsequent annealing on nickel-ferrite phase formation was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microstructure and magnetic properties of NiFe₂O₄ were determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibration sample magnetometry (VSM). Single phase nanosized nickel-ferrite was obtained by 30 h mechanical alloying (MA) and subsequent annealing at 600 °C for 1 h. Magnetic properties of the milled powder were extensively affected by the annealing temperature. Considerable growth of the particles and necking by sintering resulted from annealing at 1000 °C.     

Effect of specimen orientation and heat treatment on electroless Ni-PTFE-MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> composite coatings

In this study, the effects of simultaneous co-deposition of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and MoS₂ particles on tribological properties of electroless nickel (EN) coating were studied. The influences of specimen orientation and heat treatment on EN-PTFE-MoS₂ composite coatings were also investigated. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study the morphology of coatings and the distributions of the lubricant particles in the deposits. Chemical analyses of coatings were done by electron dispersive spectrometry. The phases of the coatings were identified by X-ray diffraction utilizing CuKα radiation. Wear and friction properties of the coatings were also determined by pin-on-disk wear tester. The wear investigations showed that the EN-PTFE-MoS₂ composite coating performs better than EN-PTFE and EN-MoS₂ coatings in terms of friction coefficient and wear resistance. PTFE and MoS₂ contents of the EN-PTFE-MoS₂ coating were increased by changing the specimen orientation from vertical to horizontal configuration, which leads to enhancement in tribological properties of the coating. After heat treatment, the wear rate of EN matrix composite coating decreased with corresponding change in phase structure.