Replacing Renewable Energy in Iranian Industries Using Optimal Models

In this paper, in order to maximize optimization in  Iranian industries , an optimal control modeling has been designed, and then optimal paths of replacing fossil fuels by renewable energy over time is plotted in industrial sectors of Iran. Moreover, a developed optimal control model is presented, and the data used is evaluated. Finally, the estimated energy demand in different industrial sectors of Iran and the costs of fossil fuel extraction is proposed. Keywords: Iranian Industries, Optimization, Renewable Energy JEL Classifications: C32; O13; O4

An Integrated Model for Production and Distribution Planning of Perishable Products with Inventory and Routing Considerations

In many conventional supply chains, production planning and distribution planning are treated separately. However, it is now demonstrated that they are mutually related problems that must be tackled in an integrated way. Hence, in this paper a new integrated production and distribution planning model for perishable products is formulated. The proposed model considers a supply chain network consisting of a production facility and multiple distribution centers. The facility produces a single perishable product that is storable only for predetermined periods. A homogenous fleet of vehicles is responsible for delivering the product from facility to distribution centers. The decisions to be made are the production quantities, the distribution centers that must be visited, and the quantities to be delivered to them. The objective is to minimize the total cost, where the trip minimization is considered simultaneously. As the proposed formulation is computationally complex, a heuristic method is developed to tackle the problem. In the developed method, the problem is divided into production submodel and distribution submodel. The production submodel is solved using LINGO, and a particle swarm heuristic is developed to tackle distribution submodel. Efficiency of the algorithm is proved through a number of randomly generated test problems

Crowdsourcing the creation of image segmentation algorithms for connectomics

To stimulate progress in automating the reconstruction of neural circuits, we organized the first international challenge on 2D segmentation of electron microscopic (EM) images of the brain. Participants submitted boundary maps predicted for a test set of images, and were scored based on their agreement with a consensus of human expert annotations. The winning team had no prior experience with EM images, and employed a convolutional network. This “deep learning” approach has since become accepted as a standard for segmentation of EM images. The challenge has continued to accept submissions, and the best so far has resulted from cooperation between two teams. The challenge has probably saturated, as algorithms cannot progress beyond limits set by ambiguities inherent in 2D scoring and the size of the test dataset. Retrospective evaluation of the challenge scoring system reveals that it was not sufficiently robust to variations in the widths of neurite borders. We propose a solution to this problem, which should be useful for a future 3D segmentation challenge

On an index theorem of Chang, Weinberger and Yu

In this paper we prove a strengthening of a theorem of Chang, Weinberger and Yu on obstructions to the existence of positive scalar curvature metrics on compact manifolds with boundary. They construct a relative index for the Dirac operator, which lives in a relative K-theory group, measuring the difference between the fundamental group of the boundary and of the full manifold. Whenever the Riemannian metric has product structure and positive scalar curvature near the boundary, one can define an absolute index of the Dirac operator taking value in the K-theory of the C*-algebra of fundamental group of the full manifold. This index depends on the metric near the boundary. We prove that (a slight variation of) the relative index of Chang, Weinberger and Yu is the image of this absolute index under the canonical map of K-theory groups. This has the immediate corollary that positive scalar curvature on the whole manifold implies vanishing of the relative index, giving a conceptual and direct proof of the vanishing theorem of Chang, Weinberger and Yu (rather: a slight variation). To take the fundamental groups of the manifold and its boundary into account requires working with maximal C*-completions of the involved ∗-algebras. A significant part of this paper is devoted to foundational results regarding these completions. On the other hand, we introduce and propose a more conceptual and more geometric completion, which still has all the required functoriality

Ovarian hormones prevent methamphetamine-induced anxiety-related behaviors and neuronal damage in ovariectomized rats

Methamphetamine (METH) may cause long�lasting neurotoxic effects and cognitive impairment. On the other hand, the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone have neuroprotective effects. In the current study, we aimed to examine the effects of estrogen and progesterone on anxiety�like behavior and neuronal damage in METH�exposed ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Three weeks after ovariectomy, the animals received estrogen (1 mg/kg, i.p.), or progesterone (8 mg/kg, i.p.), or estrogen plus progesterone (with the same doses), or vehicle during 7 consecutive days (days 22�28). On day 28, OVX rats were exposed to a single�day METH regimen (6 mg/kg, four s.c. Injections, with 2 h interval) 30 min after the hormone treatment. The next day (on day 29), the animals were assessed for anxiety�related behaviors using the open field and elevated plus�maze tasks. The animals were then sacrificed and brain water content, cell apoptosis and expression of IL-1β were evaluated. The findings showed that treatment with estrogen or progesterone alone in METH�exposed rats significantly improved hyperthermia, anxiety�like behavior, neuronal damage, and inflammation in the CA1 area. Also, treatment with estrogen plus progesterone improved hyperthermia and brain edema. Taken together, the findings suggest that treatment with ovarian hormones can partially prevent hyperthermia and anxiety�related behaviors induced by METH in OVX rats, which could be accompanied by their neuroprotective effects in the hippocampus. © 202

Tip-induced domain structures and polarization switching in ferroelectric amino acid glycine

Bioorganic ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics are becoming increasingly important in view of their intrinsic compatibility with biological environment and biofunctionality combined with strong piezoelectric effect and a switchable polarization at room temperature. Here, we study tip-induced domain structures and polarization switching in the smallest amino acid beta-glycine, representing a broad class of non-centrosymmetric amino acids. We show that beta-glycine is indeed a room-temperature ferroelectric and polarization can be switched by applying a bias to non-polar cuts via a conducting tip of atomic force microscope (AFM). Dynamics of these in-plane domains is studied as a function of an applied voltage and pulse duration. The domain shape is dictated by polarization screening at the domain boundaries and mediated by growth defects. Thermodynamic theory is applied to explain the domain propagation induced by the AFM tip. Our findings suggest that the properties of beta-glycine are controlled by the charged domain walls which in turn can be manipulated by an external bias. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC

Formation of self-assembled pattern of glycine microcrystals: experiment and computer simulation

The films of glycine consisting of isolated microcrystals were prepared by spin coating and drying of the aqueous solution. Drying leads to dewetting (arising and growth of the holes) and formation of quasi-regular arrays of microcrystals that form the net structure consisting of Voronoi cells. The time dependence of the hole boundary velocity leading to formation of the straight net segments was proposed. Numerical model of hole nucleation and growth by boundary motion was proposed for the computer simulation. The coincidence of the simulated structures obtained within Kolmogorov alpha-model with experimental structures confirmed the validity of proposed approach