Characterisation of high-performance cold bitumen emulsion mixtures for surface courses

Cold bitumen emulsion mixture (CBEM) is not yet widely used as a surface course around the world. In this study, 0/14-mm-size dense-graded surface course CBEMs have been investigated. The mechanical performance was evaluated in terms of stiffness modulus over 3 months and resistance to permanent deformation under three different stress levels (100, 200, 300 kPa), whilst durability evaluation was carried out in terms of resistance to moisture and frost damage. The study has also investigated the incorporation of low cement content (1%) with relatively sustainable by-product fillers, namely ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and fly ash (FA) type 450-S on both mechanical and durability performance. A comparison has been carried out between the low and high cement content CBEM, as well as with respect to corresponding hot mix asphalt (HMA). The results revealed that the incorporation of GGBS and FA in CBEMs leads to superior performance, similar to CBEMs treated with high cement content and comparable to an equivalent HMA. Furthermore, GGBS replacement exhibited better performance than that of FA replacement. The findings suggest that the new sustainable types of CBEM can be developed for using as a surface layer for medium- to heavy-trafficked roads

A phase I trial of hypoxoside as an oral prodrug for cancer therapy - absence oftoxicity

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The effects of B-sitosterol (BSS) and B-sitosterol glucoside (BSSG) mixture on selected immune parameters of marathon runners: Inhibition of post marathon immune suppression and inflammation

A pilot study was undertaken to investigate the effects of the intake of capsules containing the plant sterols and sterolins (BSS:BSSG mixture) on selected immune parameters of volunteers participating in an ultra-marathon in Cape Town, South Africa. Those runners having received active capsules (n = 9) showed less neutrophilia, lymphopenia and leukocytosis when compared to their counterparts having received placebo capsules (n = 8): the placebo treated individuals showed significant increases in their total white blood cell numbers as well as in their neutrophils (p = 0.03 and 0.03 respectively). Furthermore, statistically significant increases within lymphocyte subsets were observed in the runners having received the active capsules: CD3+ cells increased (p = 0.02) as did CD4+ cells (p = 0.03). In parallel, the BSS:BSSG capsules decreased the plasma level of IL6 in the runners using the active capsules (p = 0.08) and significantly decreased the cortisol: DHEAs ratio (p = 0.03), suggesting that these volunteers had less of an inflammatory response and were less immune suppressed during the post-marathon recovery period. These findings justify further investigations into the use of the phytosterols to prevent the subtle immunosuppression associated with excessive physical stress.Articl