Flexible pavements are subjected to three main distress types: fatigue crack, thermal crack, and permanent deformation. Under severe climate conditions, thermal cracking particularly contributes largely to a considerable scale of premature deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This challenge is especially relevant for Europe, as weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. Hydrated lime (HL) has been recognized as an effective additive to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete for pavement applications. Previous research has found that a replacement of conventional limestone dust filler using hydrated lime at 2.5% of the total weight of aggregates generated an optimum improvement in the mechanical properties of the asphalt concrete mixes used for all three purposed layers (i.e., wearing, levelling, and base) at atmospheric temperatures from mild to relatively high. This paper reports on a continuous experimental test for the thermal properties of the optimized hydrated lime-modified mixes. The experiment together with that conducted before provides the required data to characterize the thermomechanical constitutive relations of the optimized hydrated lime-modified mixes. The obtained thermal and mechanical properties thereafter were implemented in a numerical modelling study for a scenario involving pavement exposed to coupled thermal and traffic service conditions. The study has demonstrated that using HL in mineral filler enhances the thermal properties of asphalt concrete, which, however, showed little influence on the local temperature profiles within the pavement structure. The thermal effect is pronounced under the coupled thermomechanical conditions for a pavement exposed to both traffic and climatic impacts. The HL pavement has about 1.5% less deformation, and 39% less stress level under traffic loading only, but the thermal effect increases the maximum total internal tensile stress level by 26% in the HL pavement in winter season. The modelling analysis has shown that the local maximum tensile stress dominates in the surface region of the HL pavement. It will help to reduce the workload of crack repairing and in long term help on saving costs and efforts of maintenance.
Objective Tea lovers are increasing worldwide. We hope that this report is the first to discuss the possible impacts of high black tea consumption on gestational weight gain (GWG) and birth parameters. Methods Throughout one year, a total of 7,063 pregnant ladies coming for first antenatal visit were screened in a major tertiary center. Of them, 1,138 were involved and divided according to their preference into 3 groups: excessive tea (ET), usual tea (UT), and mixed beverages group. The study included women who gave birth to healthy neonates. Results The rate of ET consumption was 4.13% with a total of 41 cases. The UT group (controls) comprised 94 women. ET was significantly associated (P<0.05) with maternal age, parity, occupation, smokin
... Show MorePatients with renal failure in the final stages undergo the treatment by hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is used to reinstate the intracellular and extracellular fluid environment, by propagation of molecules in solution through a semipermeable membrane along an electrochemical concentration gradient. Blood catching in the dialysis machine and the recurrent phlebotomy may lead to losing about 1-3 g of iron per year. Prohepcidin hormone is an acute phase protein (type II) that plays a major role in the systemic iron irregularities as it is a mediator of anemia in inflammation and regulator of iron metabolism. This study aims to evaluate the effect of hemodialysis on iron hemostasis and its relationship with prohepcidin as an inflammatory mark
... Show MoreThe synthesis of new substituted cobalt Phthalocyanine (CoPc) was carried out using starting materials Naphthalene-1,4,5, tetracarbonic acid dianhydride (NDI) employing dry process method. Metal oxides (MO) alloy of (60%Ni3O4 40%-Co3O4 ) have been functionalized with multiwall carbon nanotubes (F-MWCNTs) to produce (F-MWCNTs/MO) nanocomposite (E2) and mixed with CoPc to yield (F-MWCNT/CoPc/MO) (E3). These composites were investigated using different analytical and spectrophotometric methods such as 1H-NMR (0-18 ppm), FTIR spectroscopy in the range of (400-4000cm-1), powder X-rays diffraction (PXRD, 2θ o = 10-80), Raman spectroscopy (0-4000 cm-1), and UV-Visib
... Show MoreObjectives: To determine the impact of an educational program on nurses’ knowledge
and practices concerning neurogenic bladder rehabilitation for spinal cord injured persons
through a follow-up approach each two months post program implementation for six
months.
Methodology: "Follow-up" longitudinal design by using time series approach of data
analysis and the application of pre-post tests approach for the study and the control
groups. The study was carried out at Ibn Al-Kuff hospital for (SCI) in Baghdad governorate
from 5th of July 2010 to 15th of October 2011. To achieve the objectives of the study, a
non-probability (purposive) sample of (60) nurses (males and females) were working in SCI
units were selec
Image pattern classification is considered a significant step for image and video processing. Although various image pattern algorithms have been proposed so far that achieved adequate classification, achieving higher accuracy while reducing the computation time remains challenging to date. A robust image pattern classification method is essential to obtain the desired accuracy. This method can be accurately classify image blocks into plain, edge, and texture (PET) using an efficient feature extraction mechanism. Moreover, to date, most of the existing studies are focused on evaluating their methods based on specific orthogonal moments, which limits the understanding of their potential application to various Discrete Orthogonal Moments (DOM
... Show MoreImage fusion is one of the most important techniques in digital image processing, includes the development of software to make the integration of multiple sets of data for the same location; It is one of the new fields adopted in solve the problems of the digital image, and produce high-quality images contains on more information for the purposes of interpretation, classification, segmentation and compression, etc. In this research, there is a solution of problems faced by different digital images such as multi focus images through a simulation process using the camera to the work of the fuse of various digital images based on previously adopted fusion techniques such as arithmetic techniques (BT, CNT and MLT), statistical techniques (LMM,
... Show MoreThe research tagged (functional enhancement and its reflection on industrial product systems) focused on the possibility of enhancing industrial products in terms of form and functionality in a way that they are able to meet the needs of the user through the impact of technology and modern technologies on the functional enhancement of industrial products and their effectiveness in achieving formal and functional design variables, and producing products Industrial products are highly efficient and durable in order to improve them in order to meet the needs of the user, the transfer of technology between life forms and industrial products is desirable because the functional enhancement processes that occurred in general on industrial produ
... Show MoreThe study aims at showing the role of tax audit in Impact the quality of tax statements. Tax audit is one of the most important means used by tax management to identify taxable revenues in a just, fair manner. The quality of statements relies on the extent to which the information provided by taxpayers is true and accurate. Tax audit works is compatible with the strategy of increasing tax adherence and detecting non-adherence cases and penalizing those who commit such violations. The study reached a number of results and conclusions. One of the most important results is that tax audit helps improve the information content of the taxpayers tax statements. This leads to recalculating taxable incomes and re-fixing t
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