Failure in asphalt mixture and distress in pavement are major issues to roads infrastructure. Selecting an appropriate chemical composition of asphalt cement is a key component in avoiding these issues. This work aimed to investigate the effect of the chemical composition of different polar fractions on the rheological and physical properties of asphalt cement. Four types of asphalt cement with penetration grades of 20/30, 40/50, 60/70 and 85/100 were divided into four fractions. Complex shear modules, rutting resistance and rotational viscosity of the asphalt cement were determined by using a Dynamic Shear Rheometer and a Rotation Viscometer, respectively. The results show that an increase in the asphaltene content and Gastel index resulte

The durability of asphalt concrete is highly dependent on the geometry and mineralogy of coarse aggregates, yet their combined influence on mechanical and moisture resistance properties is still not fully understood. This study evaluates the effects of coarse aggregate geometry, specifically flat and elongated particle ratios and angularity, as well as mineral composition (quartz versus calcite), on asphalt mixture durability. The durability of mixtures was evaluated through Marshall properties as well as moisture susceptibility indicators, including the tensile strength ratio (TSR) and index of retained strength (IRS). Statistical analyses (ANOVA and t-tests) were also conducted to confirm the significance of the observed effects.

The depletion of petroleum reserves and increasing environmental concerns have driven the development of eco-friendly asphalt binders. This research investigates the performance of natural asphalt (NA) modified with waste engine oil (WEO) as a sustainable alternative to conventional petroleum asphalt (PA). The study examines NA modified with 10%, 20%, and 30% WEO by the weight of asphalt to identify an optimal blend ratio that enhances the binder’s flexibility and workability while maintaining high-temperature stability. Comprehensive testing was conducted, including penetration, softening point, viscosity, ductility, multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), linear amplitude sweep (LAS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), F

The nonlinear refractive (NLR) index and third order susceptibility (X3) of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have been studied using two laser wavelengths (473 and 532 nm). The z-scan technique was used to examine the nonlinearity. Results showed that all concentrations have negative NLR indices in the order of 10−10 cm2/W at two laser wavelengths. Moreover, the nonlinearity of CQDs was improved by increasing the concentration of CQDs. The highest value of third order susceptibility was found to be 3.32*10−8 (esu) for CQDs with a concentration of 70 mA at 473 nm wavelength.

Migraine affects more than one billion individuals each year across the world, and is one of the most common neurologic disorders, with a high prevalence and morbidity, especially among young adults and females. Migraine is associated with a wide range of comorbidities, which range from stress and sleep disturbances to suicide. The complex and largely unclear mechanisms of migraine development have resulted in the proposal of various social and biological risk factors, such as hormonal imbalances, genetic and epigenetic influences, as well as cardiovascular, neurological, and autoimmune diseases. Experimental findings suggest an involvement of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the pathophysiology of migraine. Specifically, preclinical

In this research, geopolymer mortar had to be designed with 50% to 50% slag and fly ash with and without 1% micro steel fiber at curing temperature of 240℃. The molarity of alkaline solution adjusted with 12 molar sodium hydroxid to sodium silicate was 2 to 1, reaspectivly. The heat of curing increased the geopolymerization proceses of geoplymer mortar, which led to increasing strength, giving the best result and early curing age. The heat was applied for two days by four hours each day. It was discovered in the impact test that the value first crack of each mix was somewhat similar, but the failure increased 72%  for the mixture that did not contain fiber. For the energy observation results it was shown that the mixt

In this work, PAni nanofibers (NFs) are successfully synthesized via hydrothermal method. The structural, surface morphological, optical, electrical and H2S gas sensing properties have been investigated for PAni thin films deposited by spin coating technique. The XRD pattern reveals crystalline nature of PAni NFs with crystallite size of 9.2 nm. The SEM image of Polyaniline clearly indicates that the polymer possesses nanofiber like structure. The optical properties show that the optical energy gap follows allowed direct electronic transition calculated using Tauc’s equation. Intense hotoluminescence (PL) peaks at 309, 340 and 605 nm are observed. The electrical properties such as D.C. conductivity and Hall effect have been studied wher

Femtosecond laser pulse propagation in monomode optical fibers is demonstrated and investigated numerically (by simulations) and experimentally in this paper. A passively mode locked Nd:glass laser giving a pulse duration of about 200 fsec at 1053 nm wavelength and 120 mW average optical power with 100 MHz repetition rate is used in the experimental work. Numerical simulations are done by solving the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with the aid of Matlab program. The results show that self phase modulation (SPM) leads to compression of the spectral width from 5 nm to 2.1 nm after propagation of different optical powers (34, 43, 86 and 120 mW) in fibers of different length (5, 15, 35 m). The varying optical powers produced a varying

Inhaled corticosteroids are the most effective controllers of asthma, although asthmatics vary in their response. FKBP51 is a major component of the glucocorticoid receptor which regulates its responses to corticosteroids. Therefore, the present study aims to identify the role of FKBP5 gene polymorphism in asthma susceptibility and corticosteroid resistance.

Gypseous soil, which covers vast area in west, middle, east and south west regions of Iraq exhibit acceptable strength properties when dry, but it is weak and collapsible when it comes in touch with moisture from rain or other sources. When such weak soil is adopted for earth reinforced embankment construction, it may exhibit hazardous situation. Gypseous soil was investigated for the optimum liquid asphalt requirements of both cutback and emulsion using the one-dimensional unconfined compression strength test. The optimum fluid content was 13% (7% of cutback with 6% water content), and 17% (9% of emulsion with 8% water content). A laboratory model box of 50x50x25 cm was used as a representative of embankment; soil or asphalt stabilize