Intended for Businesses
Archive for July, 2009
Hybrid Vehicles
Jul 31st
The word hybrid means something that is mixed together from two things. Usually, it refers to plants or animals that are breeding from different dissimilar parents. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVS) typically combine the internal combustion engine of a conventional vehicle with battery and electric motor of an electric vehicle. Mopeds and electric bicycles are a simple form of a hybrid, as power is delivered both via an internal combustion engine or electric motor and the rider’s muscles. The combination offers low emissions, with the power, range, and convenient fueling of conventional (gasoline and diesel) vehicles, and they never need to be plugged in. The inherent flexibility of HEVs makes them well suited for fleet and personal transportation. It used for Low emissions, high efficiency, low cost and for outstanding performance. Surely hybrid vehicles save an ample amount of gas. In addition noise emissions are reduced, particularly at idling and low operating speeds. Hence it perfectly suits for city traffic where there are frequent stops, coasting and idling periods
Fish scales and Sheep fur with chemicals to increase their tensile strength
Jul 29th
Chemical or fire injuries, long term use of contact lens or even allergic reactions can lead to depletion of vital stem cells in eyes. These cells dwell in the limbus, which lies between the cornea and the sclera, the white layer of the eyeball. Damage to limbal stem cells can severely impair vision. Such patients are taken for limbal stem cells transplantation, which ensure that vision is restored. The source of stem cells can be the patient’s other eye, a live donor (usually siblings/parents) or cadavers. However these cells cannot be injected directly into the eye for two reasons. First, they should have a convenient environment that will help them live and multiply. Second, they could be washed away if they do not have a scaffold to hold them together. The conventional way of culturing the stem cells in a laboratory is to grow them on a human amniotic membrane, a thin membrane found in the placenta. However, scientists are not very comfortable using a human membrane — there are chanced of stem cells getting infected or contracting some unknown disease. A team of scientists at the Central Leather Research Institute headed by TP Sastry of the department of biomaterial sciences processed the fish scales and sheep fur with chemicals to increase their tensile strength. “It took us more than 70 combinations to get the right strength. Then it was brought to the laboratory where it was reconstituted, during which the scale or fur is ground in a mixer and processed with chemicals to extract the collagen. They cast the collagen into thin layers, which look like thin plastic sheets and managed to grow stem cells on them.
Cigarettes and cigars
Jul 28th
Still many individuals wonder if cigars are as addictive as cigarettes. However, the reason is different one; many people become addicted to cigarettes, and not cigars? The truth is that any tobacco product can become addictive because it contains nicotine. Many cigar smokers do not inhale deeply, thus causing the nicotine to be inhaled superficially. These products, such as chewing tobacco, can become very addictive, simply because they contain tobacco, which in turn contains nicotine. Whereas for cigarette smokers tend to inhale, causing the nicotine to be absorbed faster and more readily by the lungs than tobacco. The most obvious reason is that the nicotine is inhaled much more superficially than in regular cigarette smoking, causing less nicotine to be absorbed by the body. Also, cigars are not as readily accessible as cigarettes. They are viewed by most as a luxury item, saved for special occasions and used infrequently. Even though most cigar smokers inhale the nicotine more superficially, it is still possible to become addicted if the user smokes cigars regularly. However, when cigars are smoked on a regular basis, they can become addictive.