Experts have given much attention on the use of waste in asphalt paving because of its significance from a sustainability perspective. This paper evaluated the performance properties of asphalt concrete mixes modified with Crumb Rubber (CR) as a partial replacement for two grade sizes of fine aggregate (2.36, and 0.3 mm) at six replacement rates: 0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by weight. Asphalt concrete mixes were prepared at their Optimum Asphalt Content (OAC) and then tested for their engineering properties. Marshall properties, fatigue, rutting, ideal CT index test, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy were deployed to examine the crystalline structure and elemental composition of the CR-modified and unmodified asphalt concrete mixtures. The results showed a difference in Marshall's characteristics. The CT index revealed that the optimum cracking tolerance was achieved with a 2% CR substitution. Wheel track test results indicated that a 4% CR addition improved the rutting resistance of the asphalt mixture. SEM and EDX analyses exhibited significant changes in microstructure and elemental composition with the addition of CR. The main findings reveal that the use of 2% CR as a partial replacement of fine aggregate contributes to the production of more durable asphalt concrete mixtures with better serviceability. However, these results are based on laboratory experiments and require field verification to ensure practical applicability and long-term performance.
A simple and rapid high performance liquid chromatographic with fluorescence detection method for the determination of the aflatoxin B1, B2, G1 and G2 in peanuts, rice and chilli was developed. The sample was extracted using acetonitrile:water (90:10, v/v%) and then purified by using ISOLUTE multimode solid phase extraction. After the pre-column derivatisation, the analytes were separated within 3.7 min using Chromolith performance RP-18e (100–4.6 mm) monolithic column. To assess the possible effects of endogenous components in the food items, matrix-matched calibration was used for the quantification and validation. The recoveries of aflatoxins that were spiked into food samples were 86.38–104.5% and RSDs were <4.4%. The method was
... Show MoreThe purpose of this study was to measure the radon concentration of some dried fruit and grain samples which were consumed as a meal. This is performed by counting the alpha tracks emitted from radon by exposing the CR-39 detector. Measurements indicated that the highest concentration of radon in dried fruit samples was in dried coconut sample 69.89247 Bq/m3, and the lowest concentration of radon was in figs 50.40323 Bq/m3, while the highest concentration of radon was in grain samples in oats was 61.82796 Bq/m3, The lowest concentration of radon was in Iraqi bulgur was 48.3871 Bq/m3, These results are due to the type and characteristics of the soil. Also sho
... Show MoreBackground: Periodontitis is an infection attributable to multiple infectious; it causes an interrelated cellular and humoral host immune responses. Recent reports have indicated that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) may contribute to pathogenesis of periodontitis. The HCMV can stimulate the release of cytokines from inflammatory and non-inflammatory cells and weaken the periodontal immune defense. This study aimed to reveal the presence of anti-CMV IgG, and determine the levels of ILâ€6 and TNF-α and to correlate the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) with cytokines levels. Materials and Methods: Forty patients with chronic periodontitis and 40 healthy control subjects (their age and sex were matched with the patients) were involved
... Show MoreBecause of their Physico‐chemical characteristics and its composition, the development of new specific analytical methodologies to determine some highly polar pesticides are required. The reported methods demand long analysis time, expensive instruments and prior extraction of pesticide for detection. The current work presents a new flow injection analysis method combined with indirect photometric detection for the determination of Fosetyl‐Aluminum (Fosetyl‐Al) in commercial formulations, with rapid and highly accurate determination involving only construction of manifold system combined with photometric detector without need some of the pre‐treatments to the sample before the analysis such a
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease of human joints, especially the knee joint, due to significant weight of the body. This disease leads to rupture and degeneration of parts of the cartilage in the knee joint, which causes severe pain. Diagnosis of this disease can be obtained through X-ray. Deep learning has become a popular solution to medical issues due to its fast progress in recent years. This research aims to design and build a classification system to minimize the burden on doctors and help radiologists to assess the severity of the pain, enable them to make an optimal diagnosis and describe the correct treatment. Deep learning-based approaches, such as Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs), have been used to detect knee OA usin
... Show MoreEight-hydroxyguanosine (8-OHdG) is considered as one of the principle forms of oxygen radicals that stimulated the oxidative stress and has been extensively utilized as a biomarker for oncogenesis. The primary goal of the present study was to investigate the alteration in the levels of 8-OHdG, antioxidant profile and proinflammatory cytokines levels in patients with lung carcinoma. Blood samples were collected from 40 cases with lung cancer (stage III) admitted before the treatment, for health examination at the Nanakaly Hospital in Erbil city and 45 healthy samples of controls with ages ranging between 38-69 years for both groups. Circulating concentration of 8-OHdG, tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-6 were evaluated by
... Show MoreThe aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using Lactobacillus cells as a probiotic to treat some vaginal infections. For this purpose, thirty Lactobacillus isolates were collected from vaginal samples subjected to a screening program to investigate their antagonism abilities against four vaginosis species: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Proteus spp. Eighteen isolates were selected from the primary screening (agar plug diffusion method) based on their ability to inhibit the growth of 4 indicators which then subjected to a secondary screening program with two methods: detection of bacteriocin activity and
... Show More