A holistic multi-methodology for sustainable renovation

A review of the barriers for building renovation has revealed a lack of methodologies, which can promote sustainability objectives and assist various stakeholders during the design stage of building renovation/retrofitting projects. The purpose of this paper is to develop a Holistic Multi-methodology for Sustainable Renovation, which aims to deal with complexity of renovation projects. It provides a framework through which to involve the different stakeholders in the design process to improve group learning and group decision-making, and hence make the building renovation design process more robust and efficient. Therefore, the paper discusses the essence of multifaceted barriers in building renovation regarding cultural changes and technological/physical changes. The outcome is a proposal for a multi-methodology framework, which is developed by introducing, evaluating and mixing methods from Soft Systems Methodologies (SSM) with Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). The potential of applying the proposed methodology in renovation projects is demonstrated through a case study

Linguistic deficiencies in primary progressive multiple sclerosis

The aim of the present study is to investigate the linguistic profile of patients with Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) in relation to linguistic deficits associated with specific brain areas. Ten adults with PPMS were tested for the needs of the study and compared with healthy participants. The Boston Aphasia Naming Test, namely the tasks of listening comprehension, repetition, and reading comprehension, were administered. Results showed that the group of participants with PPMS had significantly lower performance in the above-mentioned tasks of comprehension compared to the control group. The findings are discussed

Optical performance of neodymium nanoparticles doped tellurite glasses

A series of neodymium NPs doped tellurite glass with composition of (TeO2)0.7(B2O3)0.3]0.7 (ZnO)0.3}1- x (Nd2O3 NPs) x (x = 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 mol%) was fabricated via melt-quenching method. Density and molar volume were measured and analyzed for the glass series. The optical properties of neodymium NPs doped tellurite glass were measured by UV–Vis spectrometer, photoluminescence and Z-scan technique. The optical band gap energy of the glass network was in the range of 3.178–3.209 eV. The upconversion emission of the laser glass excited at 800 nm was found in the ultraviolet region. Electronic polarizability, oxide ion polarizability, optical basicity and metallization criterion were calculated. Moreover, linear absorption coefficient, α, nonlinear refractive index ƞ (cm2/W), nonlinear absorption, β (x 10−3) and third order susceptibilities, χ (x 10−6) were measured. The optical efficiency of neodymium NPs doped tellurite glass exhibited excellent properties for its application in laser glass

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and radiation shielding parameters investigations for zinc molybdenum borotellurite glasses containing different network modifiers

Zinc molybdenum borotellurite glasses containing different network modifiers with the nominal composition of 60 TeO2–10 B2O3–10 MoO3–10 ZnO–10 MO (MO = Li2O, Na2O, K2O, MgO, CaO, and PbO) were prepared by melt quenching method. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies allow to monitor the structural modifications leading to the formation of bridging oxygens (Te–O–Te, B–O–B, Mo–O–Mo, and Te–O–Mo bonds) and nonbridging oxygens (Te = O, Te–O−M+, Mo–O− bonds in the MoO6 octahedral units, Zn–O bonds from ZnO4) with the addition of alkali (Li, Na, and K), alkaline (Mg, Ca), or heavy metal (Pb) oxides. The Te 3d localized core-levels spectra show an asymmetry due to the existence of different Te-based structural clusters and were fitted with three contributions such as Te ions in TeO4 trigonal bipyramid configuration, Te ions in TeO3 − trigonal pyramid configuration and TeO3+1 polyhedra, respectively. The analysis of the Mo 3d spectra indicates prevailingly Mo6+ ions only. The Zn 2p core-level XPS spectra demonstrate that the zinc is mainly coordinated by four oxygen atoms. The essential radiation shielding parameters were studied for the prepared glasses in the photon energy range 1 keV to 100 GeV using WinXCom software program. Parameters like mass attenuation coefficient (μ/ρ), effective atomic number (Z eff), and mean free path (MFP) are evaluated. Further, by using geometric progression method, exposure buildup factor (EBF) values were also calculated in the incident photon energy range 0.015–15 MeV, up to penetration depth of 40 mfp (mean free path). The macroscopic effective removal cross sections (∑R) for fast neutrons have been calculated. The maximum values of μ/ρ and Z eff were found for PbO-introduced glass though it possesses a lower value for MFP and EBF. The obtained results indicate that PbO-based glass is the best radiation shielding material among the studied glasses

Elastic properties of TeO2–ZnO–Ag2O doped with Nd2O3

A series of Neodymium doped zinc-tellurite glasses incorporated with Ag2O with chemical composition {[(TeO2)0.70(ZnO) 0.30] (1-X)Nd2O3(X)}(0.99)Ag2O(0.01), x = 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05, were synthesized by applying the melt-quenching technique. The FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of only two (2) active functional group (TeO3 and TeO4) in the wavenumber range of 200–4000 cm−1. The spectra of the XRD confirmed the glassy and amorphous nature of the studied glasses. With the addition of more Nd2O3 in the glass composition, both the density and molar volume increased. The elastic moduli (longitudinal modulus, shear modulus, Young's modulus and Bulk modulus) were calculated from the measured density and ultrasonic velocities obtained from the non-destructive ultrasonic testing performed at 5 MHz frequency. The experimental results showed that the elastic moduli and density rely upon the composition of the glass system and the impact of Nd2O3 within the glass network. The increase in ultrasonic velocities and the elastic moduli is associated with the increase in rigidity and change in the structural network of the glass system. The effects of Nd2O3 on the Debye temperature, softening temperature, micro-hardness and Poisson's ratio of TeO2–ZnO–Ag2O glasses were also studied in this work. The acoustic impedance, as well as the coefficient of thermal expansion of the studied glasses, were also calculated. The elastic and the physical properties' parameters suggest that the glasses are strong enough for utilization in both fibre and laser technology

Structural, thermal and optical studies of bismuth doped multicomponent tellurite glass

In this communication, structural, thermal and optical absorption properties of bismuth doped multicomponent tellurite glass (69TeO2-10ZnO-10WO3-5Na2O-5TiO2-1.0Bi2O3 (mol %)) synthesized using melt quench method is reported. The X-ray diffraction confirms the amorphous structure of the synthesized glass. IR spectrum of bismuth doped glass show band at 601 cm-1. Raman analysis observed mainly in four spectral regions which are R1 (65-150) cm-1, R2 (280-550) cm-1, R3 (880-950) cm-1 and R4 (916-926) cm-1 and identified bands are assigned to respective molecular groups. Thermogravimetric analysis profile show stability regarding to weight loss. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates good thermal stability of the synthesized glass for its applications in optical fibers. The absorption spectrum identified the cutoff wavelength at 430 nm

Functional Polymorphism of IL-1 Alpha and Its Potential Role in Obesity in Humans and Mice

Proinflammatory cytokines secreted from adipose tissue contribute to the morbidity associated with obesity. IL-1α is one of the proinflammatory cytokines; however, it has not been clarified whether IL-1α may also cause obesity. In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms in IL-1α contribute to human obesity. A total of 260 obese subjects were genotyped for IL-1α C-889T (rs1800587) and IL-1α G+4845T (rs17561). Analyses of genotype distributions revealed that both IL-1α polymorphisms C-889T (rs1800587) and G+4845T (rs17561) were associated with an increase in body mass index in obese healthy women. In addition, the effect of rs1800587 on the transcriptional activity of IL-1α was explored in pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells. Significant difference was found between the rs1800587 polymorphism in the regulatory region of the IL-1α gene and transcriptional activity. We extended these observations in vivo to a high-fat diet-induced obese mouse model and in vitro to pre-adipocyte 3T3-L1 cells. IL-1α levels were dramatically augmented in obese mice, and triglyceride was increased 12 hours after IL-1α injection. Taken together, IL-1α treatment regulated the differentiation of preadipocytes. IL-1α C-889T (rs1800587) is a functional polymorphism of IL-1α associated with obesity. IL-1α may have a critical function in the development of obesity

Thermal diffusivity measurement for p-Si and Ag/p-Si by photoacoustic technique

Thermal diffusivity (TD) of p-Si and Ag/p-Si samples were measured by photoacoustic technique using open photoacoustic cell (OPC). The samples were annealed by heating them at 960, 1050, 1200, and 1300 °C for 3 h in air. The thermal diffusivity of Ag-coated samples was obtained by fitting the photoacoustic experimental data to the thermally thick equation for Rosencwaig and Gersho (RG) theory. For the single layer samples, the thermal diffusivity can be obtained by fitting as well as by obtaining the critical frequency f c . In this study, the thermal diffusivity of the p-Si samples increased with increasing the annealing temperature. The thermal diffusivity of the Ag/p-Si samples, after reaching the maximum value of about 2.73 cm2/s at a temperature of 1200 °C, decreased due to the silver complete melt in the surface of the silicon

Solubility trapping as a potential secondary mechanism for CO2 sequestration during enhanced gas recovery by CO2 injection in conventional natural gas reservoirs : an experimental approach

This study aims to experimentally investigate the potential of solubility trapping mechanism in increasing CO2 storage during EGR by CO2 injection and sequestration in conventional natural gas reservoirs. A laboratory core flooding process was carried out to simulate EGR on a sandstone core at 0, 5, 10 wt% NaCl formation water salinity at 1300 psig, 50 °C and 0.3 ml/min injection rate. The results show that CO2 storage capacity was improved significantly when solubility trapping was considered. Lower connate water salinities (0 and 5 wt%) showed higher CO2 solubility from IFT measurements. With 10% connate water salinity, the highest accumulation of the CO2 in the reservoir was realised with about 63% of the total CO2 injected stored; an indication of improved storage capacity. Therefore, solubility trapping can potentially increase the CO2 storage capacity of the gas reservoir by serving as a secondary trapping mechanism in addition to the primary structural and stratigraphic trapping and improving CH4 recovery

Role of the sympathetic nervous system in carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammation

Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) is widely used as an animal model of hepatotoxicity and the mechanisms have been arduously studied, however, the contribution of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity remains controversial. It is also known that either CCl4 or SNS can affect systemic inflammatory responses. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of chemical sympathectomy with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in a mouse model of CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammatory response. Mice exposed to CCl4 or vehicle were pretreated with 6-OHDA or saline. The serum levels of aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase in the CCl4-poisoning mice with sympathetic denervation were significantly lower than those without sympathetic denervation. With sympathetic denervation, hepatocellular necrosis and fat infiltration induced by CCl4 were greatly decreased. Sympathetic denervation significantly attenuated CCl4-induced lipid peroxidation in liver and serum. Acute CCl4 intoxication showed increased expression of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines [eotaxin-2/CCL24, Fas ligand, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-6, IL-12p40p70, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], as well as decreased expression of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and keratinocyte-derived chemokine. The overexpressed levels of IL-1α, IL-6, IL-12p40p70, MCP-1/CCL2, and TNF-α were attenuated by sympathetic denervation. Pretreatment with dexamethasone significantly reduced CCl4-induced hepatic injury. Collectively, this study demonstrates that the SNS plays an important role in CCl4-induced acute hepatotoxicity and systemic inflammation and the effect may be connected with chemical- or drug-induced hepatotoxicity and circulating immune response