Sharif Digital Repository

Teeth segmentation in computed tomography (CT) images is a major and challenging task for various computer assisted procedures. In this paper, we introduced a hybrid method for quantification of teeth in CT volumetric dataset inspired by our previous experiences and anatomical knowledge of teeth and jaws. In this regard, we propose a novel segmentation technique using an adaptive thresholding, morphological operations, panoramic re-sampling and variational level set algorithm. The proposed method consists of several steps as follows: first, we determine the operation region in CT slices. Second, the bony tissues are separated from other tissues by utilizing an adaptive thresholding technique... 

TiO2 nanofibres were prepared using a templating method with tetraisopropylorthotitanate (TiPT) as a precursor. The preparation comprises liquid phase deposition on cellulose fibres followed by thermal removal of the cellulose template. The obtained TiO2 fibrous substance consists of micron-size fibres with a microstructure of nanofibres. It was demonstrated that nanofibres are basically formed through the aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles and nanorods into chain structures during the thermal treatment process. The measured surface area of the TiO2 fibres was about 250 m2 g-1. It was shown that the pore size distribution is multi-scale and a fractal morphology was demonstrated with two... 

Fixtured sintering of up to 5 hours at 1223 to 1323 K is successfully used to diminish the dimensional change of NiTi memory alloys produced from mixtures of elemental Ni and Ti powders packed and pressed at room temperature under 400, 500, and 600 MPa pressure. The improvements obtained can help near-net-shape technology via powder metallurgy that overcomes the traditional casting problems such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and carbon absorption and intermetallic compound precipitation, which lower the workability and the homogeneity of the final alloy. The effects of compaction pressure, sintering time, and sintering temperature on dimensional change, porosity, hardness, and morphology of... 

In this work, we synthesize a novel protein-based superabsorbent hydrogel and study its swelling behavior. The crosslinking graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto the hydrolyzed collagen as a protein backbone was carried out in a homogeneous medium. Potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator and N,N′-methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinker were used. The product's structure was established using FTIR spectroscopy. We were systematically optimized the certain variables of the graft copolymerization (i.e. the monomer, the initiator, and the crosslinker concentration) to achieve a hydrogel with maximum swelling capacity. Under this condition, maximum capacity of swelling in... 

This article presents results of an investigation on age-hardening behavior of superalloy AEREX 350. Microhardness testing was employed to evaluate the age-hardening response of the alloy while optical, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy techniques were used to characterize the major phases formed during the aging process. No significant hardening was found in solution-treated samples aged at temperatures up to about 680 °C. Aging at 700 °C up to 950 °C, however, caused a characteristic hardening response. This hardening was concurrent with the formation of γ', an ordered phase with L12 structure, as fine precipitate distributed throughout the fcc matrix. In the temperature range... 

Electrochemical co-deposition approach was expanded to prepare composite bio-ceramic coating of hydroxyapatite (HA)/polyvinyl acetate on the surface of titanium. The role is to improve the bioactive and crystallization properties. The results of XRD, XPS, SEM and TEM characterization showed that by increasing amount of vinyl acetate in the composite bio-ceramic coating before and after immersing in the simulated body fluid (SBF), an oriented growth of HA planes on the (0 0 2) direction had been observed on titanium substrate. Also significant surface morphology changes were obtained  

Y2 O3:Eu3+ nanostructures with bright red emitting phosphors have been synthesized by the combustion method using water and water/ethanol mixture as solvents. The effect of the solvents on nanostructure and luminescence properties of combustion synthesized Y2 O3:Eu3+ was explored. The synthesized nanostructures were calcined at 400 ° C and 1000 ° C to remove the organic phases and enhance the crystallinity. The crystal structures were characterized by an X-ray diffractometer and the particle size and morphology of the synthesized nanostructures were studies using a field emission scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope. We found that the solvent choice has a... 

Carbide morphologies of white cast iron containing 22% Cr and 10-12% tungsten with different carbon contents (2.34-3.20. wt.%) were investigated. Results indicated that for the as-cast alloys with no heat treatments, the addition of carbon changes the morphology of carbides during air-cooling in the presence of tungsten. Light microscopy analysis revealed that for an alloy with 2.3. wt% carbon, chromium carbides possess coarse gray appearance (GA). Increasing the carbon content reduced the coarse GA zones volume fraction while a finer GA zones emerged. The coexistence of coarse and fine GA phases came to an end at 2.8. wt% carbon, at which only fine GA zones spread throughout the chromium... 

A soft template route is reported for the fabrication of polyaniline nanospheres via the oxidative polymerization of aniline in the presence of β-naphthalenesulfonic acid (β-NSA) as both surfactqant and dopant, and ammonium persulfate as oxidant at 2-5°C. Control over the morphology and size of the nanoparticles was achieved by changing the reaction medium via addition of an organic cosolvent (i.e. ethanol or ethylene glycol) and by controlling the concentrations of aniline and β-NSA and the molar ratio of β-NSA to aniline. By this means the size of the β-NSA-aniline micelles and the way that aniline monomer interacts with the micelles were controlled. In fact the lower dielectric constant... 

In this study a hot filament chemical vapour deposition (HFCVD) technique was used to prepare Fe-Cr films on Si substrate as catalysts for thermal CVD (TCVD) growing of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from liquid petroleum gas (LPG) at 800 °C. To characterize the catalysts or CNTs, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy were used. The XPS spectra obtained at different stages of Ar+ sputtering revealed that in the depth of catalyst layers, the relative Fe-Cr concentrations are higher than the top-surface. SEM images of samples after TCVD indicate a significant CNT growing at the backside of catalyst... 

In this research, the influence of anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), pH, substrate finishing, and annealing temperature on the surface morphology and hardness of the electroless nickel phosphorus (ENi-P) coatings were studied. Taguchi's experimental design method was used. Parameters selected in three levels and L9 from orthogonal robust array design were employed. Surface roughnesses of the deposits were measured using a stylus instrument. Scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction analysis were implemented to study surface morphologies and phase composition, respectively. Microhardness of the ENi-P deposits was measured using a microhardness tester at three trials... 

The shape and morphology of endothelial cells (ECs) lining the blood vessels are a good indicator for atheroprone and atheroprotected sites. ECs of blood vessels experience both wall shear stress (WSS) and cyclic stretch (CS). These mechanical stimuli influence the shape and morphology of ECs. A few models have been proposed for predicting the morphology of ECs under WSS or CS. In the present study, a mathematical cell population model is developed to simulate the morphology of ECs under combined WSS and CS conditions. The model considers the cytoskeletal filaments, cell–cell interactions, and cell–extracellular matrix interactions. In addition, the reorientation and polymerization of... 

Changes of morphological parameters of oil shale under thermal conditions are investigated. Analyses are based on 26 micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) images of Green River immature shale rock available under creative commons license. Several image processing and characterization algorithms are applied to sequential high-resolution micro-CT images of oil shale samples undergoing pyrolysis. Pore-scale morphology is extracted and quantified, providing results for pore size, throat size, grain size, specific surface, coordination number, and fracture aperture. The results demonstrate critical increases of porosity, coordination number and fracture aperture in the temperature range from 390... 

Morphological filtering is a useful technique for the processing and analysis of binary and gray scale images. The extension of morphological techniques to color images is not a straightforward task because this extension stems from the multivariate ordering problem. Since multivariate ordering is ambiguous, existing approaches have used known vector ordering schemes for the color ordering purpose. In the. last decade, many different color morphological operators have been introduced in the literature. Some of them have focused on noise suppression purposes. However, none has shown good performance, especially on edgy regions. In this paper, new color morphological operators, based on a... 

In this article, we investigated the effect of martensite morphology on the mechanical properties and formability of dual phase steels. At first, three heat treatment cycles were subjected to a low-carbon steel to produce ferrite–martensite microstructure with martensite morphology of blocky-shaped, continuous, and fibrous. Tensile tests were then carried out so as to study mechanical properties, particularly the strength and strain hardening behavior of dual phase steels. In order to study the formability of dual phase samples, Forming Limit Diagram was obtained experimentally and numerically. Experimental forming limit diagram was obtained using Nakazima forming test, while Finite Element... 

In this study, ZrO2 coatings with different thicknesses were grown by the electron beam evaporation technique. The crystalline structure was studied by XRD analysis which suggested the tetragonal and monoclinic phases for ZrO2 coatings. Additionally, the film thickness slightly enhanced the crystallinity. The surface morphology and fractal features were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The surface statistical parameters and the fractal geometry were employed to analyze the impact of the coating thickness and homogeneity on the morphology of the films. The statistical processing and fractal dimension revealed variations in the morphology parameters due to the electron beam... 

Three-dimensional biocompatible porous structures can be fabricated using different methods. However, the biological and mechanical behaviors of scaffolds are the center of focus in bone tissue engineering. In this study, tricalcium phosphate scaffolds with similar porosity contents but different pore morphologies were fabricated using two different techniques, namely, the replica method and the pore-forming agent method. The samples fabricated using the pore-forming agent showed more than two times higher compressive and bending strengths and more than three times higher compressive moduli. Furthermore, a thin layer of agarose coating improved the compressive and bending strength of both...