HERMITIAN POSITIVE DEFINITE SOLUTIONS OF THE MATRIX EQUATION X^s + A^*X^-tA = Q

Masoudi, Mohsen,Moghadam, Mahmoud Mohseni,Salemi, Abbas Korean Mathematical Society 2017 대한수학회지 Vol.54 No.6

In this paper, the Hermitian positive definite solutions of the matrix equation $X^s+A^*X-^tA=Q$, where Q is an $n{\times}n$ Hermitian positive definite matrix, A is an $n{\times}n$ nonsingular complex matrix and $s,t{\in}[1,{\infty})$ are discussed. We find a matrix interval which contains all the Hermitian positive definite solutions of this equation. Also, a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of these solutions is presented. Iterative methods for obtaining the maximal and minimal Hermitian positive definite solutions are proposed. The theoretical results are illustrated by numerical examples.

Unconventional function of an Achaete-Scute homolog as a terminal selector of nociceptive neuron identity

Masoudi, Neda,Tavazoie, Saeed,Glenwinkel, Lori,Ryu, Leesun,Kim, Kyuhyung,Hobert, Oliver Public Library of Science 2018 PLoS biology Vol.16 No.4

<▼1><P>Proneural genes are among the most early-acting genes in nervous system development, instructing blast cells to commit to a neuronal fate. <I>Drosophila</I> Atonal and Achaete-Scute complex (AS-C) genes, as well as their vertebrate orthologs, are basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors with such proneural activity. We show here that a <I>C</I>. <I>elegans</I> AS-C homolog, <I>hlh-4</I>, functions in a fundamentally different manner. In the embryonic, larval, and adult nervous systems, <I>hlh-4</I> is expressed exclusively in a single nociceptive neuron class, ADL, and its expression in ADL is maintained via transcriptional autoregulation throughout the life of the animal. However, in <I>hlh-4</I> null mutants, the ADL neuron is generated and still appears neuronal in overall morphology and expression of panneuronal and pansensory features. Rather than acting as a proneural gene, we find that <I>hlh-4</I> is required for the ADL neuron to function properly, to adopt its correct morphology, to express its unusually large repertoire of olfactory receptor–encoding genes, and to express other known features of terminal ADL identity, including neurotransmitter phenotype, neuropeptides, ion channels, and electrical synapse proteins. <I>hlh-4</I> is sufficient to induce ADL identity features upon ectopic expression in other neuron types. The expression of ADL terminal identity features is directly controlled by HLH-4 via a phylogenetically conserved E-box motif, which, through bioinformatic analysis, we find to constitute a predictive feature of ADL-expressed terminal identity markers. The lineage that produces the ADL neuron was previously shown to require the conventional, transient proneural activity of another AS-C homolog, <I>hlh-14</I>, demonstrating sequential activities of distinct AS-C-type bHLH genes in neuronal specification. Taken together, we have defined here an unconventional function of an AS-C-type bHLH gene as a terminal selector of neuronal identity and we speculate that such function could be reflective of an ancestral function of an “ur-” bHLH gene.</P></▼1><▼2><P><B>Author summary</B></P><P>Across the animal kingdom, transcription factors of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family act during embryonic nervous system patterning as proneural genes to promote neuroblast identity. We describe here a distinct function for a specific member of this family, <I>hlh-4</I>, in the nematode <I>Caenorhabditis elegans</I>. <I>hlh-4</I> is exclusively expressed in a nociceptive neuron class and is not required for this neuron class to be generated but is rather required for the execution of its terminal differentiation program. <I>hlh-4</I> directly controls the expression of scores of terminal identity features of this neuron class, including its large battery of chemoreceptor-encoding genes. We propose that a role of bHLH genes in controlling terminal differentiation may be the ancestral function of members of this gene family.</P></▼2>

HAZARD ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT STATE OF VEGETATION DEGRADATION USING GIS, A CASE STUDY: SADRA REGION, IRAN

Masoudi, Masoud,Amiri, E. The Ecological Society of Korea 2013 Journal of Ecology and Environment Vol.36 No.1

The entire land of Southern Iran faces problems arising out of various types of land degradation of which vegetation degradation forms one of the major types. The present work introduces a model developed for assessing the current status of hazard of vegetation degradation using Geographic Information System (GIS). This kind of assessment differs from those assessments based on vulnerability or potential hazard assessments. The Sadra watershed which covers the upper reaches of Marharlu basin, Fars Province, has been chosen for a hazard assessment of this type of degradation. The different kinds of data for indicators of current status of vegetation degradation were gathered from collecting of field data and also records of the governmental offices of Iran. Taking into consideration three indicators of current status of vegetation degradation the model identifies areas with different hazard classes. By fixing the thresholds of severity classes of the three indicators including per cent of vegetation cover, biomass production and ratio of actual biomass to potential biomass production, a hazard map for each indicator was first prepared in GIS. The final hazard map of current status of vegetation degradation was prepared by intersecting three hazards in the GIS. Results show areas under severe hazard class have been found to be widespread (89 %) while areas under moderate and very severe hazard classes have been found less extensive in the Sadra watershed. The preparation of hazard maps based on the GIS analysis of these indicators will be helpful for prioritizing the areas to initiate remedial measures.

Status of PM₁₀ as an air pollutant and prediction using meteorological indexes in Shiraz, Iran

Masoudi, Masoud,Poor, Neda Rajai,Ordibeheshti, Fatemeh Techno-Press 2018 Advances in environmental research Vol.7 No.2

In the present study research air quality analyses for $PM_{10}$, were conducted in Shiraz, a city in the south of Iran. The measurements were taken from 2011 through 2012 in two different locations to prepare average data in the city. The averages concentrations were calculated for every 24 hours, each month and each season. Results showed that the highest concentration of $PM_{10}$ occurs generally in the night while the least concentration was found at the afternoon. Monthly concentrations of $PM_{10}$ showed highest value in August, while least value was found in January. The seasonal concentrations showed the least amounts in autumn while the highest amounts in summer. Relations between the air pollutant and some meteorological parameters were calculated statistically using the daily average data. The wind data (velocity, direction), relative humidity, temperature, sunshine periods, evaporation, dew point and rainfall were considered as independent variables. The relationships between concentration of pollutant and meteorological parameters were expressed by multiple linear regression equations for both annual and seasonal conditions SPSS software. RMSE test showed that among different prediction models, stepwise model is the best option.

Comparison the effect of MQL, wet and dry turning on surface topography, cylindricity tolerances and sustainability

Soroush Masoudi,Mohammad Javad Esfahani,Farshid Jafarian,Seyed Ali Mirsoleimani 한국정밀공학회 2023 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.10 No.1

The increasing needs for the production of high quality parts require the use of new techniques to produce parts with higher precision. One of these modern techniques is minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) machining. In this paper, the effects of MQL, wet and dry machining on surface characteristic and geometric tolerances in turning of parts made of AISI 1045 steel were investigated. The influences of machining parameters i.e. feed rate and cutting speed as well as MQL parameters, namely air pressure and flow rate on surface topography, cutting force and cylindricity tolerance were studied. In addition, dry, wet, and MQL machining were compared to study the performance of different cooling systems. In the final step, the Pugh matrix approach was implemented to compare different cooling strategies in terms of sustainable production. According to the obtained results, MQL machining significantly improved the output parameters in AISI 1045 steel turning. By using MQL system, not only was the topography of machined surfaces improved and parts with tighter tolerances produced, but sustainability criteria were also improved. Based on sustainability assessment results, MQL turning was superior to wet and dry conditions in terms of the environmental impact, operator heath, manufacturing economy and production efficiency.

A Taxonomy of Eco-Design Checklists

Ali Masoudi,유희천(H. C. You),박현지(H. J. Park),유택호(T. H. You),김은하(E. H. Kim),서석환(S. H. Suh) 한국정밀공학회 2012 한국정밀공학회 학술발표대회 논문집 Vol.2012 No.5월

Thermodynamic adsorption data of CH4, C2H6, C2H4 as the OCM process hydrocarbons on SAPO-34 molecular sieve

Mojtaba Masoudi-Nejad,Shohreh Fatemi 한국공업화학회 2014 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.20 No.6

Adsorption of CH4, C2H6 and C2H4, the feed and main products of oxidative coupling process of methane(OCM) has been studied on silicoalumina-phosphate molecular sieve (SAPO-34) in mild conditions. Theexperiments were conducted in a batch system based on volumetric adsorption measurement techniquefor determination equilibrium adsorption capacity in the absolute pressure range of 100–1000 kPa andat the isothermal temperatures of 303, 313 and 323 K. Various isotherm equations were fitted on theadsorption equilibrium data and the model parameters were predicted as a function of temperature. Isosteric heats of adsorption were determined using Clausius–Clapeyron equation at different surfacecoverage. Maximum capacity of SAPO-34 was observed at 303 K and 880–900 kPa equilibrium pressurewith 1.25, 2.02 and 4.67 mmol/g adsorbed amount for methane, ethane and ethylene adsorption,respectively. The adsorption selectivity of ethane and ethylene against methane were determined andthe appropriate potential of SAPO-34 was observed for separation of OCM products from methane. Theisotherm models and enthalpy of adsorption can be efficiently used for the simulation of the adsorptionprocess constructed at the downstream of the OCM process for separation of ethane and ethylene frommethane.

Identify Applicable Design for Environment (DfE) Tools at the Early Stages of Product Development

Ali Masoudi,Heecheon You,Suk-Hwan Suh 한국경영과학회 2014 한국경영과학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Awareness of people, organizations and societies about environmental impacts has been dramatically increased in last decade. This has caused many firms and practitioners to consider environmental aspects in various areas such as product development, service, and so forth. Nowadays, manufacturing companies have come to the conclusion that making environmentally sustainable products can be their competitive advantage in the global market. To make sustainable products, organizations need to incorporate environmental issues into their product development processes. For this purpose, plenty of Design for Environment (DfE) tools have been developed thus far. Majority of these tools can be applied only at later stages of the product development process for the purpose of redesigning of products. However, the most effective way to consider environmental factors is to integrate these issues at the early stages of the process. Therefore, this paper aims at identifying applicable design for environment tools into the early stages of the product development process. In this paper, seventy-seven design for environment tools were analyzed in-depth in accordance with their fundamental attributes and features, and then were classified systematically. Based on this analysis, applicable design for environment tools into the early stages of the product development were distinguished, and recommended appropriately. Regarding to the findings of this research, only limited number of design for environment tools can be used for the early integration of environmental impacts into the product development process. It is expected that this study will help design for environment practitioners choose a proper design for environment tool for the early introduction of environmental issues, and consequently to design and develop environmentally sustainable products.

u-Sustainability: A New Paradigm to Measure Sustainability Performance of Manufacturing Processes

Ali Masoudi,Soocheol Yoon,Jaemin Cha,Seung-Jun Shin,and Suk-Hwan Suh 대한산업공학회 2012 대한산업공학회 춘계학술대회논문집 Vol.2012 No.5

Nowadays, manufacturing firms is struggling with serious challenges in order for effectively cooperation with multifarious chain of suppliers and acquire the right information to meet the requirements for a sustainable growth. In this context, the major challenges of companies are twofold; smart manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing. This research, by extending Smart Manufacturing Execution System (SMES) towards sustainability, sets out Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and then proposes a new approach called “u-Sustainability” to measure and optimize sustainability performance of manufacturing processes. The u-Sustainability, based on UbiDMR paradigm, meaning product design, manufacturing and recycling via ubiquitous computing technology, includes “Pillar of u-Sustainability” which implements u-LCA, draws up economic and social sustainability performance reports by using the processed information. The main objective of this research is to introduce KPIs for sustainability of manufacturing processes, and assess its performance by “u-Sustainability”, based on ubiquitous and IT technology.

Identify Applicable Design for Environment (DfE) Tools at the Early Stages of Product Development

Ali Masoudi,Heecheon You,Suk-Hwan Suh 대한산업공학회 2014 대한산업공학회 춘계학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Awareness of people, organizations and societies about environmental impacts has been dramatically increased in last decade. This has caused many firms and practitioners to consider environmental aspects in various areas such as product development, service, and so forth. Nowadays, manufacturing companies have come to the conclusion that making environmentally sustainable products can be their competitive advantage in the global market. To make sustainable products, organizations need to incorporate environmental issues into their product development processes. For this purpose, plenty of Design for Environment (DfE) tools have been developed thus far. Majority of these tools can be applied only at later stages of the product development process for the purpose of redesigning of products. However, the most effective way to consider environmental factors is to integrate these issues at the early stages of the process. Therefore, this paper aims at identifying applicable design for environment tools into the early stages of the product development process. In this paper, seventy-seven design for environment tools were analyzed in-depth in accordance with their fundamental attributes and features, and then were classified systematically. Based on this analysis, applicable design for environment tools into the early stages of the product development were distinguished, and recommended appropriately. Regarding to the findings of this research, only limited number of design for environment tools can be used for the early integration of environmental impacts into the product development process. It is expected that this study will help design for environment practitioners choose a proper design for environment tool for the early introduction of environmental issues, and consequently to design and develop environmentally sustainable products.