The Influence of Eco-friendly Ash on Sustainable Construction Material: A Review

Nowadays climate change is one of the major concerning factors due to increasing temperature throughout the world. Carbon dioxide is a significant gas in the greenhouse effect which leads to global warming. The construction industries released 40% carbon emissions from thermal calcium carbonate decomposition especially in cement production and combustion of fossil fuels of non-renewable energy. Renewable energy acts a vital part in the evolution of sustainability. Bioenergy has been deliberated carbon neutral as the released carbon is absorbed by flora. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the pozzolanic properties of waste ash and the performance of concrete. Ash is a by-product produced from various resources such as rice husk, wood, coal, sawdust combustion, etc. Waste ash is reused as supplementary material in eco-friendly concrete production. This helps for the disposal of waste as well as contributes the sustainability by reducing carbon emission into the environment

Complement protein C1q interacts with DC-SIGN via its globular domain, and thus may interfere with HIV-1 transmission

Dendritic Cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen presenting cells capable of priming naïve T cells. Its C-type lectin receptor, DC-SIGN, regulates a wide range of immune functions. Along with its role in HIV-1 pathogenesis through complement opsonization of the virus, DC-SIGN has recently emerged as an adaptor for complement protein C1q on the surface of immature DCs via a trimeric complex involving gC1qR, a receptor for the globular domain of C1q. Here, we have examined the nature of interaction between C1q and DC-SIGN in terms of domain localization, and implications of C1q-DC-SIGN-gC1qR complex formation on HIV-1 transmission. We first expressed and purified recombinant extracellular domains of DC-SIGN and its homologue SIGN-R as tetramers comprising of the entire extra cellular domain including the α-helical neck region, and monomers comprising of the carbohydrate recognition domain only. Direct binding studies revealed that both DC-SIGN and SIGN-R were able to bind independently to the recombinant globular head modules ghA, ghB and ghC, with ghB being the preferential binder. C1q appeared to interact with DC-SIGN or SIGN-R in a manner similar to IgG. Mutational analysis using single amino acid substitutions within the globular head modules showed that TyrB175 and LysB136 38 were critical for the C1q-DC-SIGN/SIGN-R interaction. Competitive studies revealed that gC1qR and ghB shared overlapping binding sites on DC-SIGN, implying that HIV- 1 transmission by DCs could be modulated due to the interplay of gC1qR-C1q with DC-SIGN. Since C1q, gC1qR and DC-SIGN can individually bind HIV-1, we examined how C1q and gC1qR modulated HIV-1-DC-SIGN interaction in an infection assay. Here, we report, for the first time, that C1q suppressed DC-SIGN-mediated transfer of HIV-1 to activated PBMCs, although the globular head modules did not. The protective effect of C1q was negated by the addition of gC1qR. In fact, gC1qR enhanced DC-SIGN-mediated HIV-1 transfer, suggesting its role in HIV-1 pathogenesis. Our results highlight the consequences of multiple innate immune pattern recognition molecules forming a complex that can modify their functions in a way which may be advantageous for the pathogen

Prion pathogenesis is unaltered following down-regulation of SIGN-R1

AbstractPrion diseases are infectious neurodegenerative disorders characterised by accumulations of abnormal prion glycoprotein in affected tissues. Following peripheral exposure, many prion strains replicate upon follicular dendritic cells (FDC) in lymphoid tissues before infecting the brain. An intact splenic marginal zone is important for the efficient delivery of prions to FDC. The marginal zone contains a ring of specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin related 1 (SIGN-R1)-expressing macrophages. This lectin binds dextran and capsular pneumococcal polysaccharides, and also enhances the clearance of apoptotic cells via interactions with complement components. Since prions are acquired as complement-opsonized complexes we determined the role of SIGN-R1 in disease pathogenesis. We show that transient down-regulation of SIGN-R1 prior to intravenous prion exposure had no effect on the early accumulation of prions upon splenic FDC or their subsequent spread to the brain. Thus, SIGN-R1 expression by marginal zone macrophages is not rate-limiting for peripheral prion disease pathogenesis

Computational fluid flow analysis of a side mirror for a passenger car

Today, reducing the carbon dioxide emissions is vital. The car industry has a responsibility to reduce the fuel consumption and will thereby reduce carbon dioxide emissions. One of the main questions in the automotive industry is how to go about this. One possibility is to change the propulsion system. Another option is to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the car; the topic of this thesis. The drag is of great importance when it comes to velocities over 60 km/h. There are many parts of the car that contribute to drag. One such part is the side-view mirrors. The mirrors increase the total amount of drag by 2-7 percent. The mirror plays a major role in drag contribution for the entire car and therefore mirror optimization is considered very important. Mirror optimization is not an easy task due to uncertainties in the CFD simulations of a few drag counts which makes it impossible to trust all findings. In order to find a good mirror design, a combination of wind tunnel testing in full scale, and CFD simulations is necessary. Mirror design optimization shows great potential. This thesis describes the evaluation of aerodynamic flow effects of a side mirror towards a passenger car based on the side view using ANSYS Fluent CFD simulation software. The parameters that are found in this research are pressure coefficient, total pressure, drag coefficient and lift coefficient. The pressure coefficient of the side mirror designs is evaluated to analyze the unsteady forces that cause fluctuations to mirror surface and image blurring. The fluctuation also causes drag forces that increase the overall drag coefficient, resulting in higher fuel consumption and emission. There are 3 types of model tested in this research. The model is tested in simulation using the speeds of 16.67m/s (60km/h), 25m/s (90km/h) and 33.33m/s (120km/h). The models are then compared using their drag coefficient and lift coefficient. The results indicate that the halfsphere design shows the most effective design with less pressure coefficient which causes fluctuation and has low drag and lift coefficient

Interaction between silicon and aluminium in conifers

Aluminium toxicity is one of the major limiting factors in plant growth in acidic soils. The Al³⁺ ion is believed to be an important component in determination of Al toxicity in plants and the availability of Al in the medium is affected by pH and presence of Al complexes in the solution. Aluminium is known to be toxic to plant growth, whereas Si is generally regarded as a beneficial element. Research suggests alleviation of Al toxicity by Si in hydroponic solution or in field conditions. While some results have been contradictory, it has been suggested that Si ameliorates Al toxicity by reducing the biological availability of Al. This thesis reveals whether Si could ameliorate Al toxicity at the cell level and investigation of the amelioration mechanism. Mineral analyses were performed in needles of Norway spruce and Douglas fir growing in the Breuil forest, France. Samples were analysed from different positions within the tree, at different locations (fertilised and unfertilised soils) and at two different ages. Results demonstrated that Si did ameliorate the toxic effects of Al in Douglas fir but there was no correlation between Al and Si in the needles of Norway spruce trees. In Douglas fir, the molar ratio of Ca/Al and Mg/Al were shown to be important indicators for Al stress.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo