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Background: Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is an lgA mediated small vessel systemic vasculitis disease in children. The etiology and pathogenesis of HSP disease remain unknown. However, environmental and genetic risk factors could play important roles in susceptibility to HSP disease. In this study we investigated the association of 5՛-untranslated region polymorphism (-634G/C) of VEGF gene with HSP among Iranian Azeri Turkish population. Methods: Thirty unrelated Iranian Azeri Turkish children with HSP and fifty healthy unrelated subjects without HSP and other inflammatory diseases were enrolled in this population. -634G/C polymorphism of VEGF gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) technique. Results: The distribution of CC genotype in VEGF -634G/C polymorphism statistically showed a significant difference in HSP patients in compare to that of control group (P= 0.009). Conclusions: The CC genotype of VEGF -634G/C polymorphism could be associated with susceptibility to HSP disease in Iranian Azeri Turkish ethnic group.

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Stenomesius japonicus (Ashmead, 1904) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was collected for the first time from larvae of the tomato leaf-miner, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) infesting Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. in Syria. Diagnostic morphological characters, biology and distribution of the newly recorded species are provided. Its role in the biological or integrated control of T. absoluta remains to be evaluated. A list of all eulophid wasps recorded from Syria is also provided.

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To increase agricultural crops’ quality and to minimize losses in the final product and used energy during the drying process, major drying system parameters should be continuously controlled. Precise control of such parameters is attained by using automatic control systems. To optimize the overall dryer efficiency in a forced convective solar dryer, a controller was designed, constructed and evaluated. The dryer fan speed was chosen to be the controlled variable. Based upon the mathematical relations and a monitoring of the air inlet temperature to the collector, the air outlet temperature from the collector and the air outlet temperature from the drying chamber, the dryer efficiency was determined. Using the dryer control program the current and the optimized dryer efficiencies were calculated, compared and the fan speed changed accordingly to maintain the optimized efficiency. Experiments were carried out in three replications (in three days) with the results showing that the system was capable of controlling the fan speed to obtain the optimum efficiency. The dryer equipped with the designed control system worked with its highest efficiency throughout the day. Statistical analysis showed that the control system highly improved the dryer efficiency throughout its operation at a 1% probability level.

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This paper presents the investigation of general formulation and numerical solution of the dynamic load carrying capacity (DLCC) of flexible link manipulator. The proposed method is based on open loop optimal control problem. A two point boundary value problem (TPBVP) is provided, extracted from the Pontryagin's minimum principle. The indirect approach is employed to derive optimality conditions. The system’s dynamics equation of motion is obtained from Gibbs-Appell (G-A) formulation and assumed mode method (AMM). Elastic properties of the links are modeled according to the assumption of Timoshenko beam theory (TBT) and its associated mode shapes. As TBT is more accurate compared with the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, it is exploited for mathematical modeling of flexible links. The main contribution of the paper is to calculate the maximum allowable load of a flexible link robot while an optimal trajectory is provided. Finally, the result of the simulation and experimental platform are compared for a two-link flexible arm to verify the introduced technique. The efficiency of the proposed method is illustrated by performing some simulation studies on the IUST flexible link manipulator. Simulation and experimental results confirm the validity of the claimed capability for controlling point-to-point motion of the proposed method and its application toward DLCC calculation.

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The present study aims to implement an approach for trajectory control of a 3-RPR parallel manipulator over a path with obstacles in the workspace. For this purpose, using the spline curves approach and based on the cuckoo optimization algorithm, a smooth reference trajectory with minimum length is generated in the workspace to avoid robot collision with obstacles. The performance and accuracy of the cuckoo optimization algorithm in converging to the optimal solution is then compared with the Genetic algorithm. In the next step, the robust sliding mode control technique is adopted for trajectory control of the robot in the presence of some uncertainties. These uncertainties usually include the links length and links mass of the robot. The obtained results confirm the demanded level of performance and accuracy of the cuckoo optimization algorithm. It is also observed that the optimal trajectory with minimum length is generated using the spline curves approach. In addition, it is concluded that based on the sliding mode control technique, the robot can follow the desired trajectory very precisely in spite of the presence of the uncertainties in length and mass of the robot's links.

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Phenomenon of dispersion and deposition of nano- and micro-particles in turbulent flows been focused in the past decades. In this paper, particle dispersion and deposition in gas-particle two-phase turbulent flow inside a two-dimensional channel with rectangular artificial roughness is studied using an Eulerian–Lagrangian method. The RSM turbulence model with enhanced wall treatment was used to simulate the anisotropic turbulent gas phase flow. The gas phase flow predictions were validated by comparing the results with available experimental data for a fully developed asymmetric turbulent channel flow. In discrete phase, Lagrangian approach was applied for particle tracking. The Lagrangian equation of particle motion includes drag, gravity, Saffman lift, and Brownian forces. The particle phase simulation results were validated by comparing the present work with available equations and valid data for a gas particles turbulent flow inside a two-dimensional smooth channel. The gas phase simulation results show that by increasing the artificial roughness height, a recirculation region which is created in the space between two ribs, becomes larger. The particle phase results show that the rate of deposition in the channel with artificial roughness is a function of gravity force and flow pattern in the space between two ribs. The rate of deposition for small particle is affected significantly by gas flow pattern in the space between two ribs. However for large particles the gravity force is more dominant.

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Full feedback data is mostly essential in control design. The measurement of the variation of flexible joint robot (FJR) actuators is not easy as the measurement of the changes of FJR links’ angles. The measurement of the states is also affected by noise, and the disturbance in the workspace of the robot is not ignorable. Hence a state observer or a nonlinear estimator is necessary to improve the performance of the dynamic system. The state-dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) is one of the most promising nonlinear optimal control methods for estimating variables of systems. Systematic procedure, simple structure, and incorporating wide range of systems (under observability condition) are some advantages of SDRE method. The majority of nonlinear techniques linearize the model, but the SDRE directly uses the nonlinear state space; it is one of the reasons for its precision and flexibility in design with respect to other methods. The goal of this work is to merge the SDRE controller and estimator simultaneously to reduce the state error of the system in presence of external disturbance and measurement noise. So, first, the controller and the observer formulation has been stated. Then, the procedure has been applied to design and to simulate a 3 DOF robot arm with flexible joints. Next, the process has been tested experimentally using Scout robot and the simulation results have been verified. Finally, the proposed method of this paper has been compared with the optimal sliding mode.

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Nowadays, movement of micro/nano particles has been attracted considerable attention to manufacturing different devices in micro/nano scale and medical and biological applications. Atomic Force Microscope Probe is widely being used for precise small scale movements. During nano-manipulation, micro/nano particles can be moved to a desired destination with high accuracy using Atomic Force Microscope while in contact mode with precise probe control. In this article, by selecting a proper amount of torque applied to the probe tip, deviation from the center and movement of probe have been investigated to assure the contact between the probe and micro/nano particle. Different liquid environments (water, alcohol, and plasma) with different micro/nano particles including biological and non-biological have been used for this investigation. In addition, using sliding mode control, Atomic Force Microscope Probe was used in different environments such as water, alcohol, and plasma. Obtained results showed that the time needed to control different micro/nano particles in plasma was shorter than that of in water; also the time needed in water was shorter than that of in alcohol.

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The problem of power loss in rotating machinery subjected to the angular misalignment and unbalancing faults are of great importance in relevant industries. Therefore, in this study, evaluation of the power loss and bearing forces of a typical coupling-disk-shaft system with angular misalignment and unbalancing faults is conducted using a novel approach based on the multibody dynamics. In this concern, the flexible coupling is modeled by linear and torsional spring-damper elements. After introducing the model, the kinematic constraints as well as the general form of Euler-Lagrange equations of motion are expressed. Then, the generalized forces are derived in detail. The equations of motion are then solved numerically by the 5th order Runge-Kutta method to evaluate the system power loss. In addition, the effect of angular misalignment and unbalancing faults on the disk displacements as well as the bearing forces are discussed. In the next part of this study, the theoretical results of the power loss are verified experimentally on a faulty simulator system. For measuring the power consumption, a digital power analyzer is used. The results of this research highlight clearly how the power loss is affected by increasing the amount of the system rotational velocity, the angle of misalignment, and the unbalance mass.

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In the present study, thermal performance of a microchannel heat sink with superhydrophobic walls is studied for different ratios of the wall convergence. To this end, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations and energy equation subject to the slip boundary conditions, viz. velocity slip and temperature jump, are numerically solved using the finite volume method. Then, the variations of thermal resistance of the heat sink with the number of channels, width- and height-tapered ratios, are studied for a fixed pumping power. The results show that by utilizing the superhydrophobic walls, the optimum width-tapered ratio of the channel is higher than that of the hydrophilic walls. The accentuated effect of the number of channels on thermal performance in the presence of liquid-solid interfacial slip weakens the effect of converging the width of the channel. It is also revealed that the optimum number of channels also increases to give prominence to the effect of interfacial slip by diminishing the smallest dimension of the channel. Finally, it is shown that for a pumping power of 0.05 W, using a heat sink with converging microchannels and superhydrophobic walls, reduces the overall thermal resistance by 28 percent, compared to that with conventional microchannels. In fact, the increase in fluid flow rate resulting from the use of converging microchannels with superhydrophobic walls outweighs the undesirable effect of temperature jump on heat transfer, in a sense that the heat sink performance augments considerably.