BMW GINA

A few days ago i surf through the internet about the latest car models on the market. There is one model that really caught my eyes. BMW GINA or the GINA Light Visionary Model. GINA stands for "Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptions". It is a fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car concept built by BMW.

They says that the flexible, stretchable water resistant translucent man-made fabric skin – polyurethane-coated Spandex is resilient and durable. It resists high or low temperatures and doesn’t swell or shrink and the movement doesn’t slacken or damage the fabric. The body also can change its shape according to exterior conditions and the speeds and also allows the driver to change its shape at they desire. The fabric being stretched over a moveable frame essential shapes are formed beneath the skin by an aluminium wire structure, though at points where movement is needed like the ducts, door openings, spoiler, flexible carbon struts are used. The shape of the frame is controlled by many electric and hydraulic actuators for example the headlights are revealed when small motors pull the fabric back in an eyelid like fashion. As the fabric is translucent the taillights shine through it.


GINA has just four panels consist of the bonnet, the two side panels and the boot. It can grow a higher rear spoiler for stability at high speed. Its doors open in butterfly style, and are covered by a fabric piece reaching all the way from the nose of the car to their trailing edge which when closed leaves a perfectly smooth surface. Access to the engine can be gained through a slit that can open in the middle of the bonnet.

When the car is parked, the car’s steering wheel and instruments sit in an ‘idle’ position on the centre console to allow the driver easy entry. The steering wheel and instruments assume their correct positions when the driver presses the start button and the headrest rises from the seat once the driver is seated, making it easier to get in and out of the car. I dont know about you guys but i like this car. I just can't wait for it to role on the streets.

Cars

Now we just would like too discuss about cars. One of our favourite things. For most people, the car are their second bigest investment. That is the statement that i think most people would agree.

A car is a wheeled motor vehicle for transporting passengers which also carries its own engine or motor. As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide which roughly means a car per 11 people.

Most cars run on petrol but there are few cars generated by hydro or water, electric car, solar etc. But personally we prefered to drive a car which is generated by petrol because it is more fun and thrilling

Virus..

A virus came from the Latin virus meaning "toxin" or "poison". It is sub-microscopic infectious agent that unable to grow or reproduce outside a host cell. Each viral particle which are also called virion consists of genetic material, DNA or RNA, within a protective protein coat called a capsid. The shape varies from simple helical and icosahedral forms, to more complex structures with tails or an envelope. Viruses infect all cellular life forms and grouped into animal, plant and bacterial types, according to the type of the host infected.
Examples of diseases caused by viruses include the common cold, influenza, chickenpox, diarrhea and cold sores. Serious diseases such as Ebola, AIDS, avian influenza and SARS are caused by viruses. The ability of viruses to cause disease is described in terms of virulence. Viruses have different mechanisms which they produce disease in an organism, which largely depends on the species. Mechanisms at the cellular level primarily include cell lysis, the breaking open and subsequent death of the cell. In multicellular organisms, if enough cells die the whole organism will start to suffer the effects. Although viruses cause disruption of healthy homeostasis, resulting in disease, they may exist relatively harmlessly within an organism.
Some viruses can cause chronic infections, where the viruses continue to replicate in the body of the hosts' defense mechanisms. Biologists debate whether or not viruses are living organisms. Some consider them non-living as they do not meet all the criteria used in the common definitions of life. For example, unlike most organisms, viruses do not have cells. However, viruses have genes and evolve by natural selection. Others have described them as organisms at the edge of life. Viral infections in human and animal hosts usually result in an immune response and disease. Often, a virus is completely eliminated by the immune system. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, but antiviral drugs have been developed to treat life-threatening infections. Vaccines that produce lifelong immunity can prevent viral infections.

Biodiesel Is An Alternative Fuel

Lots of people were talking about the alternatives to replace the comercial fuel thet we are using right now. One of the alternatives are biodiesel.Biodiesel is derived from the fats of animals and plants. Since the energy demands are increasing and fossil fuels or the current commercial fuel are limited, the research is directed towards an alternative renewable fuels. The advantages of using this alternative fuel are its renewability, biodegrability and better quality exhaust gases. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from vegetable and animal fats have shown promise as biodiesel, due to improved viscosity, volatility and combustion behavior relative to triglycerides, and can be used in conventional diesel engines without significant modifications. Biodiesel had higher oxygen content than the petroleum diesel and the use of the biodeisel in diesel engines have shown great reduction in emission of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulfur, polyaromatics, hydrocarbons, smoke and noise. In addition, burning of vegetable-oil based fuel does not contribute to net atmospheric CO2 level because such fuel is made from agricultural materials which are produced via photosynthetic carbon fixation. The substitution of conventional diesel fuels with fatty acid methyl esters already comprises a commercial activity in many countries of world. However, the use of biodiesel has not expanded into developing countries, due to the higher prices than conventional diesel. The higher cost of biodiesel is due to its production mostly from expensive high-quality virgin oil.The use of low-cost feedstock such as waste frying oils and non-edible oils in an acid-catalyzed process should help to make biodiesel competitive in price with petroleum diesel. The most common way to produce biodiesel is by transesterification, which refers to a catalyzed chemical reaction involving vegetable oil and an alcohol to yield fatty acid alkyl esters and glycerol. Transesterification reactions can be alkali-catalyzed, acid-catalyzed or enzyme-catalyzed.

microorganism

As a bioprocess students, microb or microorganism become a part of our life.

A microorganism or microbe is actually an organism that is microscopic or too small to be seen.

Microorganisms are diverse and include bacteria, fungi, archaea and protists and also some microscopic plants and animals like amoeba. Viruses and prions are classified non living and not recognized as microorganism. Most microorganisms are single-celled.

Microorganisms live in all parts of the biosphere containing liquid water. Microorganisms are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems as they act as decomposers. While some microorganisms can fix nitrogen, they are a vital part of the nitrogen cycle. Recent studies indicate that airborne microbes may also play role in precipitation and weather.

Microbes also have being exploited by people in biotechnology for ages, both in traditional food and beverage preparation, as well modern technologies based on genetic engineering. However, pathogenic microbes are harmful and potential biological weapons since they invade and grow within other organisms causing diseases that kills many orgamism and could change the ecosystem. Some species may become extinct while the survivors may evolve into a new breed.