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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of joint clearance on the behavior of a needle driver mechanism (a slider-crank linkage) of a typical sewing machine with an imperfect joint between the coupler and the slider (including needle).

In order to model the clearance, the momentum exchange approach is used. The Lankarani and Nikravesh’s continuous contact force model is used to model the contact force, and the modified Coulomb’s friction law represents the friction between sliding members. The penetration force applied on the needle by fabric is chosen based on an experimental data in the literature. The dynamic response is validated for the existing properties in the literature without considering the penetration force.

It is shown that the clearance joint made considerable effect on the dynamic response of the system. The rough changes of the needle acceleration and jerk are obvious. The base reaction force changed roughly and did not vary as smooth as that of the mechanism with ideal joint. So, clearance joint in the mechanism could lead to an undesirable vibration in the system. Furthermore, the crank driver must provide a non-smooth moment on the crank to keep the crank rotational velocity constant. Moreover, reducing the clearance size sufficiently could make the dynamic response closer to that of the mechanism with ideal joint. In addition, smoother crank moment could be required if the clearance size is reduced sufficiently. Furthermore, the rough change of the base reaction force which can represent the vibration caused by the mechanism on the fixed frame could be reduced if the clearance size is small enough.

Lockstitch sewing machine is one of the most common apparel industrial machines. The needle driver mechanism of a sewing machine could have an important role for proper stitch forming. On the other hand, clearances are inevitable in assemblage of mechanisms to allow the relative motion between the members. This clearance is due to machining tolerances, wear, material deformations, and imperfections, and it can worsen mechanism performance such as precision, dynamic behavior and vibration. Unfortunately, despite the importance of the dynamic behavior of the needle driver mechanism from practical point of view, very little publications have focused especially on the investigation of the effect of clearance joint on the dynamic behavior of the sewing machine which could lead to undesired vibration of the system and shorter lifetime as a result. In this paper, the dynamic behavior of the system including, needle velocity and acceleration, crank moment and base reaction force was compared with that of the ideal mechanism. Finally, the effect of clearance size on the dynamic behavior of the system was investigated.

The purpose of this paper is to present, an optimization problem based on the imperialistic competitive algorithm (ICA) approach for optimizing the needle velocity and variation of needle acceleration in a link drive mechanism of a sewing machine. The optimal geometry of the link drive has been achieved using a non-linear optimization procedure.

As an important study in this case, the authors might refer to a previous work in which they introduced the possibility of replacing the slider-crank mechanism, that is typically used in sewing machines, with a link drive mechanism. The authors regenerate the optimization problem by modifying the objective function and follow a novel optimization method based on the ICA to overcome the drawbacks of that work. In addition, further modification of the objective function with respect to the variation of needle acceleration is applied to assure smooth movement of the needle during sewing process.

The results showed a significant improvement with respect to the optimization of needle velocity and variation of needle acceleration in comparison to that previous work. This clearly justifies the efficiency and reliability of the optimization formulation based on the ICA approach.

Needle temperature is considered as an effective parameter on sewing process efficiency and stitch quality. Needle heat generated during sewing process is directly related to needle velocity in penetration zone which in turn depends on the needle driver mechanism of sewing machine. According to literature survey, few researches have focussed to design a driver mechanism of the sewing machine to reduce the generated needle heat. This mechanism has the ability of reducing the penetration velocity of the needle without affecting sewing speed which consequently can reduce the needle heat generated during needle penetration. The work here is novel regarding implementation of optimization algorithm for this mechanism.

Particles are of the controlled release delivery systems. Also, topically applied olive oil has a protective effect against ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure. Due to its sensitivity to oxidation, various studies have investigated the production of olive oil particles. The purpose of this study was to use chitosan and sodium alginate as the vehicle polymers for olive oil.

The gelation method used to prepare the sodium alginate miliparticles containing olive oil and particles were coated with chitosan. Morphology and size, zeta potential, infrared spectrum of olive oil miliparticles, encapsulation efficiency and oil release profile were investigated. Among 12 primary fabricated formulations, formulations F₅ (olive oil loaded alginate miliparticles) and F₁₁ (olive oil loaded alginate miliparticles + chitosan coat) were selected for further evaluations.

The size of the miliparticles was in the range of 1,100–1,600 µm. Particles had a spherical appearance, and chitosan coat made a smoother surface according to the scanning electron microscopy. The zeta potential of miliparticles were −30 mV for F₅ and +2.7 mV for F₁₁. Fourier transform infrared analysis showed that there was no interaction between olive oil and other excipients. Encapsulation efficiency showed the highest value of 85% in 1:4 (olive oil:alginate solution) miliparticles in F₁₁. Release study indicated a maximum release of 68.22% for F₅ and 60.68% for F₁₁ in 24 h (p-value < 0.016). Therefore, coating with chitosan had a marked effect on slowing the release of olive oil. These results indicated that olive oil in various amounts can be successfully encapsulated into the sodium-alginate capsules cross-linked with glutaraldehyde.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has used chitosan and sodium alginate as the vehicle polymers for microencapsulation of olive oil.

The purpose of this work was to perform a systematic study on the effect of formulation on the physical and mechanical properties of ultaviolet (UV) curable urethane acrylate resins. In addition, the authors wanted to derive mathematical formula for the prediction of physical and mechanical properties for the aforementioned system.

The experiments were carried out based on mixture experimental design to determine the effect of different multifunctional acrylates (i.e. 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA), tripropylene glycol diacrylate (TPGDA), trimethyolpropane triactylate (TMPTA)) concentration on the physical and mechanical properties of a UV curable polyurethane acrylate system. The urethane oligomer was synthesized and characterized by the research team. Microhardness, adhesion strength and scratch resistance of the cured films were evaluated as the physical and mechanical properties.

The results revealed that the resin and TMPTA concentrations had the most significant effects on the microhardness property. Adhesion strength of the films showed a linear trend with respect to all variables. Moreover, all components also had a significant and complex influence on the scratch resistance of the cured systems. In addition, mathematical equations proposed by mixture experimental design were derived for all the mentioned properties.

Other multifunctional acrylate monomers (i.e. more than three functional) can be used in the formulations. The kinetics of the curing can affect on the network formation and consequently on the properties of the cured films.

The obtained results can be used by the researchers who are active in the field of structure-property relationship of polymers and surface coatings. The reported data and the mathematical equations can also be used for the formulating of an appropriate formulation based on a specific application.

A systematic and statistical-based approach, i.e. mixture experimental design, was used to evaluate the effect of formulation on some of the properties of a UV curable polyurethane acrylate system. A urethane oligomer and three different multifunctional acrylate monomers as reactive diluents were used in the formulations. Noteworthy to mention that several mathematical models were derived by using analysis of variance for the prediction of the properties studied in this system.

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of chemical structure of reactive diluents on the curing behaviour and physical–mechanical properties of a titanium dioxide pigmented UV-curable epoxy acrylate system.

Two different tri-functional and two different tetra-functional acrylate monomers were used as reactive diluents in the formulations. The curing behaviour of the formulations was studied by using photo-differential scanning calorimetry analysis. The rate of curing, conversion at the maximum rate and ultimate conversion for different formulations were calculated. In addition, the physical and mechanical characteristics of the cured films, including glass transition temperature and modulus, were measured by using a dynamic mechanical analysis technique.

The results showed that the ultimate conversion for non-pigmented pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) and trimethylol propane triacrylate (TMPTA) formulations were almost similar, but the interference effect of titanium dioxide particles on the curing of the PETA formulations was found to be more considerable in comparison to the TMPTA formulations. The extent of reaction for tetra-functional acrylate monomers was considerably less than those for tri-functional acrylate monomers. The Tg and storage modulus of non-pigmented PETA, TMPTA and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PE4TA) formulations were almost the same and higher than that for ditrimethylol propane tetraacrylate (DiTMP4TA) formulations. However, Tg and storage modulus of pigmented tetra-functional acrylate monomer formulations were higher than those for tri-acrylate monomer formulations.

The curing conditions (temperature and UV intensity) can affect the network formation and consequently will affect on the properties of the cured films.

The pigmented UV-curable coatings are interested for many industries such as wood and automotive industries. The reported data can be used by the formulators working in the R&D departments. In addition, the results obtained can be used by the researchers who are active in the field of structure–property relationship for UV-curable coatings.

UV-curing systems are considered as one of the most environment-friendly coatings system. Therefore, the developing of its knowledge can help to extend its usage to different applications.

The photopolymerisation of pigmented coatings is a great challenge and is hardly investigated in the literature. Therefore, in this research, the effect of chemical structure and functionality of different multifunctional acrylate monomers on the curing behaviour of pigmented formulations was investigated.

Application environments of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) include heterogeneous nodes with different packet sizes, transmission abilities and tolerable delay times. This study aims to design a reasonable network topology and transmission timing for these heterogeneous nodes to improve the quality of service (QoS) of networks.

In this paper, the authors treat node urgency and data packets as the basis of network clustering and to extend the network lifetime. The flow, energy consumption and residual energy of a node are included in the cluster head election. We also propose a delay evaluation function.

All the nodes in the network are guaranteed to transmit to the sink nodes efficiently by planning the transmission order in each cluster.

The simulation results show that the proposed method can balance node urgency and data packets path planning, which not only extends the lifetime of the network but also decreases network delay and improves the overall efficiency.

The purpose of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) is producing ultra-fine grain materials. In practical applications, it is important to understand and predict effect of different process parameters on deformed parts. One of the most important process parameters is friction coefficient. Behavior evaluation of different lubricants in the ECAP process is the aim of this research.

The present study concerns the experimental measurements of the effective strain by means of gridded parts for three different lubricants, graphite, molybdenum disulfide and zinc stearate, to evaluate friction coefficient in ECAP process. Mesh size was 2 × 2 mm² and embedded in parts made of AL2024; process was done in ambient temperature, and parts were in annealed situation. After the process, strain measured by optical and analytical methods for evaluation of lubricants’ behavior with different friction coefficients.

This study shows that zinc stearate has better effects rather than other lubricants in ECAP process and ECAPed parts.

The fatal challenge for researchers and industrial applications of ECAP process is lubrication. This research is a guide for scientists and engineers (in the future applications) to reduce and control bad frictional effects, produce better parts (more strain homogenous parts), prevent die failures and decrease press tonnage in ECAP process.

In this study, to maximize returns and minimize investment risk, an attempt was made to form an optimal portfolio under conditions where the capital market has a price bubble. According to the purpose, the research was of the applied type, in terms of data, quantitative and postevent, and in terms of the type of analysis, it was of the descriptive-correlation type. Sequence, skewness and kurtosis tests were used to identify the months with bubbles from 2015 to 2021 in the Tehran Stock Exchange. After identifying the bubble courses, artificial bee colony meta-heuristic and invasive weed algorithms were used to optimize the portfolio. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.

The existence of bubbles in the market, especially in the capital market, can prevent the participation of investors in the capital market process and the correct allocation of financial resources for the economic development of the country. However, due to the goal of investors to achieve a portfolio of high returns with the least amount of risk, there is need to pay attention to these markets increases.

The results identify 14 periods of price bubbles during the study period. Additionally, stock portfolios with maximum returns and minimum risk were selected for portfolio optimization. According to the results of using meta-heuristic algorithms to optimize the portfolio, in relation to the obtained returns and risk, no significant difference was observed between the returns and risk of periods with price bubbles in each of the two meta-heuristic algorithms. This study can guide investors in identifying bubble courses and forming an optimal portfolio under these conditions.

One of the limitations of this research is the non-generalizability of the findings to stock exchanges of other countries and other time periods due to the condition of the price bubble, as well as other companies in the stock market due to the restrictions considered for selecting the statistical sample.

This study intends to form an optimal stock portfolio in a situation where the capital market suffers from a price bubble. This study provides an effective and practical solution for investors in the field of stock portfolio optimization.

Metaheuristic algorithms based on biology, evolutionary theory and physical principles, have been widely developed for complex global optimization. This paper aims to present a new hybrid optimization algorithm that combines the characteristics of biogeography-based optimization (BBO), invasive weed optimization (IWO) and genetic algorithms (GAs).

The significant difference between the new algorithm and original optimizers is a periodic selection scheme for offspring. The selection criterion is a function of cyclic discharge and the fitness of populations. It differs from traditional optimization methods where the elite always gains advantages. With this method, fitter populations may still be rejected, while poorer ones might be likely retained. The selection scheme is applied to help escape from local optima and maintain solution diversity.

The efficiency of the proposed method is tested on 13 high-dimensional, nonlinear benchmark functions and a homogenous slope stability problem. The results of the benchmark function show that the new method performs well in terms of accuracy and solution diversity. The algorithm converges with a magnitude of 10-4, compared to 102 in BBO and 10-2 in IWO. In the slope stability problem, the safety factor acquired by the analogy of slope erosion (ASE) is closer to the recommended value.

This paper introduces a periodic selection strategy and constructs a hybrid optimizer, which enhances the global exploration capacity of metaheuristic algorithms.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the health benefits, functional role of alpha linolenic acid (ALA) in combating diet-related non-communicable diseases, absorption, metabolism, toxicity and extraction of ALA.

A wide range of publications were identified through electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, SciELO, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink and ResearchGate) on the basis of different keywords such as dietary sources, functional role, metabolism, beneficial effects, toxicity and extraction.

ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is commonly found in dietary sources such as flaxseeds, rapeseed, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and fatty fish, with flaxseed being the richest among all the sources. Several convincing evidences depict the functional role of ALA in ameliorating cardiovascular functions, regulating systolic and diastolic blood pressure and improving neurological disorders, thus possessing anti-arrhythmic as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Its promising effect is also noticed on post-menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, insomnia and headache as well as in balancing the levels of sex hormones in women suffering from PCOS. Furthermore, it was also responsible for reducing the concentrations of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Its excess consumption may lead to gastrointestinal disturbances such as flatulence and bloating. Various extraction techniques, namely, medium pressure liquid chromatography, silver silica gel chromatography, silver ion-solid phase extraction and silver ion-high pressure liquid chromatography are used for the extraction of ALA from its sources.

This is a novel review which will provide a brief overview of dietary sources, functional role, absorption and metabolism, health benefits, toxicity and extraction of ALA.