• Advances in nano research
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• 제15권1호
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• pp.59-65
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• 2023

In this present article, the mechanical behavior of single-walled black phosphorene nanotubes (SW-αPNTs) is simulated using molecular dynamics (MD). The proposed model is subjected to the axial loading and the effects of morphological parameters, such as the mono-vacancy defect and strain rate on the tensile behavior of the zigzag and armchair SW-αPNTs are studied as a pioneering work. In order to assess the accuracy of the MD simulations, the stress-strain response of the current MD model is successfully verified with the efficient quantum mechanical approach of the density functional theory (DFT). Along with reproducing the DFT results, the accurate MD simulations successfully anticipate a significant variation in the stress-strain curve of the zigzag SW-αPNTs, namely the knick point. Predicting such mechanical behavior of SW-αPNTs may be an important design factor for lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, and energy storage devices. The simulations show that the ultimate stress is increased by increasing the diameter of the pristine SW-αPNTs. The trend is identical for the ultimate strain and stress-strain slope as the diameter of the pristine zigzag SW-αPNTs enlarges. The obtained results denote that by increasing the strain rate, the ultimate stress/ultimate strain are respectively increased/declined. The stress-strain slope keeps increasing as the strain rate grows. It is worth noting that the existence of mono-atomic vacancy defects in the (12,0) zigzag and (0,10) armchair SW-αPNT structures leads to a drop in the tensile strength by amounts of 11.1% and 12.5%, respectively. Also, the ultimate strain is considerably altered by mono-atomic vacancy defects.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제85권4호
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• pp.469-484
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• 2023

A deep recursive bidirectional Cuda Deep Neural Network Long Short Term Memory (Bi-CuDNNLSTM) layer is recruited in this paper to predict the entire force time histories, and the corresponding hysteresis and backbone curves of reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers using experimental fast and slow cyclic tests. The proposed stacked Bi-CuDNNLSTM layers involve multiple uncertain input variables, including horizontal actuator displacements, vertical actuators axial loads, the effective height of the bridge pier, the moment of inertia, and mass. The functional application programming interface in the Keras Python library is utilized to develop a deep learning model considering all the above various input attributes. To have a robust and reliable prediction, the dataset for both the fast and slow cyclic tests is split into three mutually exclusive subsets of training, validation, and testing (unseen). The whole datasets include 17 RC bridge piers tested experimentally ten for fast and seven for slow cyclic tests. The results bring to light that the mean absolute error, as a loss function, is monotonically decreased to zero for both the training and validation datasets after 5000 epochs, and a high level of correlation is observed between the predicted and the experimentally measured values of the force time histories for all the datasets, more than 90%. It can be concluded that the maximum mean of the normalized error, obtained through Box-Whisker plot and Gaussian distribution of normalized error, associated with unseen data is about 10% and 3% for the fast and slow cyclic tests, respectively. In recapitulation, it brings to an end that the stacked Bi-CuDNNLSTM layer implemented in this study has a myriad of benefits in reducing the time and experimental costs for conducting new fast and slow cyclic tests in the future and results in a fast and accurate insight into hysteretic behavior of bridge piers.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제12권1호
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• pp.25-35
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• 2022

Within the framework of the density functional theory combined with the method of non-equilibrium Green's functions (DFT + NEGF), the features of electron transport in fullerene nanojunctions, which are «core-shell» nanoobjects made of a combination of fullerenes of different diameters C₂₀, C₈₀, C₁₈₀, placed between gold electrodes (in a nanogap), are studied. Their transmission spectra, the density of state, current-voltage characteristics and differential conductivity are determined. It was shown that in the energy range of -0.45-0.45 eV in the transmission spectrum of the "Au-C₁₈₀-Au" nanojunction appears a HOMO-LUMO gap with a width of 0.9 eV; when small-sized fullerenes C₂₀, C₈₀ are intercalation into the cavity C₁₈₀ the gap disappears, and a series of resonant structures are observed on their spectra. It has been established that distinct Coulomb steps appear on the current-voltage characteristics of the "Au-C₁₈₀-Au" nanojunction, but on the current-voltage characteristics "Au-C₈₀@C₁₈₀-Au", "Au-(C₂₀@C₈₀)@C₁₈₀-Au" these step structures are blurred due to a decrease in Coulomb energy. An increase in the number of Coulomb features on the dI/dV spectra of core-shell fullerene nanojunctions was revealed in comparison with nanojunctions based on fullerene C₆₀, which makes it possible to create high-speed single-electron devices on their basis. Models of single-electron transistors (SET) based on fullerene nanojunctions "Au-C₁₈₀-Au", "Au-C₈₀@C₁₈₀-Au" and "Au-(C₂₀@C₈₀)@C₁₈₀-Au" are considered. Their charge stability diagrams are analyzed and it is shown that SET based on C₈₀@C₁₈₀-, (C₂₀@C₈₀)@C₁₈₀- nanojunctions is output from the Coulomb blockade mode with the lowest drain-to-source voltage.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제45권2호
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• pp.205-218
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• 2022

Proper calculation of splitting tensile strength (STS) of concrete has been a crucial task, due to the wide use of concrete in the construction sector. Following many recent studies that have proposed various predictive models for this aim, this study suggests and tests the functionality of three hybrid models in predicting the STS from the characteristics of the mixture components including cement compressive strength, cement tensile strength, curing age, the maximum size of the crushed stone, stone powder content, sand fine modulus, water to binder ratio, and the ratio of sand. A multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural network incorporates invasive weed optimization (IWO), cuttlefish optimization algorithm (CFOA), and electrostatic discharge algorithm (ESDA) which are among the newest optimization techniques. A dataset from the earlier literature is used for exploring and extrapolating the STS behavior. The results acquired from several accuracy criteria demonstrated a nice learning capability for all three hybrid models viz. IWO-MLP, CFOA-MLP, and ESDA-MLP. Also in the prediction phase, the prediction products were in a promising agreement (above 88%) with experimental results. However, a comparative look revealed the ESDA-MLP as the most accurate predictor. Considering mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) index, the error of ESDA-MLP was 9.05%, while the corresponding value for IWO-MLP and CFOA-MLP was 9.17 and 13.97%, respectively. Since the combination of MLP and ESDA can be an effective tool for optimizing the concrete mixture toward a desirable STS, the last part of this study is dedicated to extracting a predictive formula from this model.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.325-339
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• 2022

Endophytes ascertain a symbiotic relationship with plants as promoters of growth, defense mechanism etc. This study is a first report to screen the endophytic population in Waltheria indica, a tropical medicinal plant. 5 bacterial and 3 fungal strains in leaves, 3 bacterial and 1 yeast species in stems were differentiated morphologically and identified by biochemical and molecular methods. The phylogenetic tree of the isolated endophytes was constructed using MEGA X. Silver nanoparticles were biosynthesized from a rare endophytic bacterium Cupriavidus metallidurans isolated from the leaf of W. indica. The formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by UV-Visible spectrophotometer that evidenced a strong absorption band at 408.5 nm of UV-Visible range with crystalline nature and average particle size of 16.4 nm by Particle size analyzer. The Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectrum displayed the presence of various functional groups that stabilized the nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction peaks were conferred to face centered cubic structure. Transmission Electron Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope revealed the spherical-shaped, polycrystalline nature with the presence of elemental silver analyzed by Energy Dispersive of X-Ray spectrum. Selected area electron diffraction also confirmed the orientation of AgNPs at 111, 200, 220, 311 planes similar to X-ray diffraction analysis. The synthesized nanoparticles are evaluated for antimicrobial activity against 7 bacterial and 3 fungal pathogens. A good zone of inhibition was observed against pathogenic bacteria than fungal pathogens. Thus the study could hold a key aspect in drug discovery research and other pharmacological conducts of human clinical conditions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.545-556
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• 2022

Through the examination of literatures, electronic commerce is a subject which is accepted in enterprises to define e-commerce adoption, trends, and issues that are assisting and obstructing its efficacy. E-commerce offers numerous advantages to consumer satisfaction in any place and helps the company to get a competitive benefit over its competitors. The Internet has expanded the scope of business. Many business information is available by the global network that supports information gathering between organizations, businesses and their clients, while various divisions of a business is increasing at an exponential rate. Meanwhile, there are a few barriers to proper e-commerce usage and adoption, such as reliable internet connections, poor e-commerce supporting infrastructures, logistics systems presenting socio-regulatory and poor transportation barriers and demonstrating the significant improvement of e-commerce reliable and affordable Internet provisions, i.e., Internet cost, intensity, and reasonable level of e-readiness. The operational and strategic significance of information-based virtual value chains for all organizations cannot be emphasized. As a consequence, this study confirms worldwide market elements of e-commerce, such as its issues, benefits, relevance, scope, facilitators and projects prospective obstacles in a developing economy.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제15권3호
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• pp.263-275
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• 2023

The electron transport properties of Y-type zigzag branched carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are of great significance for micro and nano carbon-based electronic devices and their interconnection. Based on the semi-empirical method combining tight-binding density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's function, the electron transport properties between the branches of Y-type zigzag branched CNT are studied. The results show that the drain-source current of semiconducting Y-type zigzag branched CNT (8, 0)-(4, 0)-(4, 0) is cut-off and not affected by the gate voltage in a bias voltage range [-0.5 V, 0.5 V]. The current presents a nonlinear change in a bias voltage range [-1.5 V, -0.5 V] and [0.5 V, 1.5 V]. The tangent slope of the current-voltage curve can be changed by the gate voltage to realize the regulation of the current. The regulation effect under negative bias voltage is more significant. For the larger diameter semiconducting Y-type zigzag branched CNT (10, 0)-(5, 0)-(5, 0), only the value of drain-source current increases due to the larger diameter. For metallic Y-type zigzag branched CNT (12, 0)-(6, 0)-(6, 0), the drain-source current presents a linear change in a bias voltage range [-1.5 V, 1.5 V] and is symmetrical about (0, 0). The slope of current-voltage line can be changed by the gate voltage to realize the regulation of the current. For three kinds of Y-type zigzag branched CNT with different diameters and different conductivity, the current-voltage curve trend changes from decline to rise when the branch of drain-source is exchanged. The current regulation effect of semiconducting Y-type zigzag branched CNT under negative bias voltage is also more significant.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제15권4호
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• pp.295-304
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• 2023

In this paper, a powerful photocatalyst based on carbon nanocomposite is developed in order to obtain a new material applicable in water treatment and especially for the discoloration of effluents used in the textile industry. For that, TiO₂-graphene nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by a mixture of Functionalized Graphene Sheet (FGS) and tetrachlorotitanium complexes to form FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. In the presence of an anionic surfactant, we used a new chemical process to functionalize graphene sheets in order to make them an excellent medium for blocking and preventing the aggregation of TiO₂ nanoparticles. The components of these nanocomposites are characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), which confirms the successful formation of the FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite. It was found that the TiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed uniformly on the graphene plane which possesses better charge separation capability than pure TiO₂. The FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure TiO₂ for the removal of three dyes: such as Methylene Blue (MB), Bromophenol Blue (BB) and Alizarin Red-S (AR) in water. The removal process was fast and more efficient with FGS-TiO₂ nanocomposite in daylight (in the absence of UV irradiation) compared to pure TiO₂ nanoparticles without and under UV in all pH range.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.135-151
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• 2023

Using 3D asphalt pavement surface data, a deep and multiscale network named CrackNet-M is proposed in this paper for pixel-level crack detection for improvements in both accuracy and robustness. The CrackNet-M consists of four function-specific architectural modules: a central branch net (CBN), a crack map enhancement (CME) module, three pooling feature pyramids (PFP), and an output layer. The CBN maintains crack boundaries using no pooling reductions throughout all convolutional layers. The CME applies a pooling layer to enhance potential thin cracks for better continuity, consuming no data loss and attenuation when working jointly with CBN. The PFP modules implement direct down-sampling and pyramidal up-sampling with multiscale contexts specifically for the detection of thick cracks and exclusion of non-crack patterns. Finally, the output layer is optimized with a skip layer supervision technique proposed to further improve the network performance. Compared with traditional supervisions, the skip layer supervision brings about not only significant performance gains with respect to both accuracy and robustness but a faster convergence rate. CrackNet-M was trained on a total of 2,500 pixel-wise annotated 3D pavement images and finely scaled with another 200 images with full considerations on accuracy and efficiency. CrackNet-M can potentially achieve crack detection in real-time with a processing speed of 40 ms/image. The experimental results on 500 testing images demonstrate that CrackNet-M can effectively detect both thick and thin cracks from various pavement surfaces with a high level of Precision (94.28%), Recall (93.89%), and F-measure (94.04%). In addition, the proposed CrackNet-M compares favorably to other well-developed networks with respect to the detection of thin cracks as well as the removal of shoulder drop-offs.

• Advances in nano research
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• 제15권5호
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• pp.401-410
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• 2023

Vibration investigation of fluid-filled three layered cylindrical shells is studied here. A cylindrical shell is immersed in a fluid which is a non-viscous one. Shell motion equations are framed first order shell theory due to Love. These equations are partial differential equations which are usually solved by approximate technique. Robust and efficient techniques are favored to get precise results. Employment of the wave propagation approach procedure gives birth to the shell frequency equation. Use of acoustic wave equation is done to incorporate the sound pressure produced in a fluid. Hankel's functions of second kind designate the fluid influence. Mathematically the integral form of the Lagrange energy functional is converted into a set of three partial differential equations. It is also exhibited that the effect of frequencies is investigated by varying the different layers with constituent material. The coupled frequencies changes with these layers according to the material formation of fluid-filled FG-CSs. Throughout the computation, it is observed that the frequency behavior for the boundary conditions follow as; clamped-clamped (C-C), simply supported-simply supported (SS-SS) frequency curves are higher than that of clamped-simply (C-S) curves. Expressions for modal displacement functions, the three unknown functions are supposed in such way that the axial, circumferential and time variables are separated by the product method. Computer software MATLAB codes are used to solve the frequency equation for extracting vibrations of fluid-filled.