Moisture-induced damage is one of the primary causes of premature distress in asphalt pavements, leading to reduced service life and increased maintenance costs. Although nanomaterials have shown potential in enhancing asphalt performance, the underlying composite interaction mechanisms among nanomaterials, asphalt binder, and aggregate phases under moisture exposure are still not fully understood. In addition, comparative evaluations under consistent experimental conditions remain limited. This study investigates the influence of five nanomaterials: nano-silica (NS), nano-alumina (NA), nano-titanium dioxide (NT), nano-zinc oxide (NZ), and carbon nanotubes (CNT) on the physical and mechanical properties of asphalt binders and mixtures, with particular emphasis on moisture damage resistance. The nanomaterials were incorporated at dosages of 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5%, and 6.0% by binder weight. Binder performance was evaluated using conventional and performance grading (PG) tests, while mixture performance was assessed through Marshall properties and moisture susceptibility indicators, including the tensile strength ratio (TSR) and the index of retained strength (IRS). Fluorescence microscopy (FM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were employed to investigate nanomaterial dispersion characteristics, microstructural morphology, and physicochemical interactions within the asphalt composite system. The results indicate that nanomaterial modification reduced penetration and increased softening point and Marshall stability, reflecting enhanced stiffness and thermal resistance, although ductility decreased at higher dosages. Significant improvements in moisture resistance were observed, particularly under conditioned states. The TSR increased from 81.2% for the control mixture to 92.4% for NS and 91.7% for NA, while the IRS improved from 72.7% to 88.5% for NS. Statistical analysis indicated that both nanomaterial type and dosage significantly affected TSR and IRS performance, with dosage exhibiting comparatively greater influence on moisture resistance improvement. FM and SEM analyses revealed comparatively better dispersion and lower agglomeration tendency for NS and NA, which corresponded to their superior moisture resistance performance. FTIR analysis indicated that the modification process was predominantly physical, with no major formation of new chemical functional groups. Among the investigated nano materials, NS at 6% dosage exhibited the most pronounced improvement, followed by NA at similar dosage levels. Overall, the findings suggest that nanomaterial modification can considerably improve the moisture resistance and mechanical performance of asphalt mixtures under laboratory conditions. However, higher nanomaterial dosages may adversely affect binder workability due to increased viscosity, particularly in CNT-modified binders.
Background: There are so many evidences that there was antimicrobial resistance, and there were many strains that emerged which were difficult to treat. We are living in a situation that the dissemination of multiple drug resistant bacteria can lead us to the situation, in which no treatment could be offered for bacterial infection in future.
Aim of study: Assessment of nurses’ knowledge, attitude, and practices on antibiotic use and resistance in Fatima Al Zahra hospital in Baghdad.
Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study. The study was carried on from 1st of February to 31st of March 2021. A questionnaire was constructed by the research team based on literature review and was adapted to asses
... Show MoreIn this research, the performance of asphalt mixtures modified with polyethylene polymer (PE) by adding 2%, 4%, and 6% percentages was evaluated. Two kinds of PE are employed: Low-Density PE (LDPE) and High-Density PE (HDPE). The semi-wet mixing technique (SWM) was conducted to avoid stability issue for PE-modified binder during storage condition. Many experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the ability of these mixtures to withstand the effects of loads and moisture. The hardness index of these mixtures was also measured to determine their resistance to the effects of high temperatures without causing permanent deformations. The results showed that adding PE led to a remarkable enhancement in the performance of PE-modified mixtures.
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The aim of the research is to identify the effect of instructional design according to Kagan structure among the first intermediate school student’s, and how skills could help in generating information in mathematics. In accordance with the research objectives, the researcher has followed the experimental research method by adopting an experimental design with two equivalent groups of post-test to measure skills in generating information. Accordingly, the researcher raised two main null hypotheses: there were no statistically significant differences at the level of significance (0.05) between the average scores of the experimental group who studied the material according to Kagan structure and th
... Show MoreRoller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a technology characterized mainly by the use of rollers for compaction; this technology achieves significant time and cost savings in the construction of dams and roads. The primary scope of this research is to study the durability and performance of roller compacted concrete that was constructed in the laboratory using roller compactor manufactured in local market. A total of (60) slab specimen of (38×38×10) cm was constructed using the roller device, cured for 28 days, then 180 sawed cubes and 180 beams are obtained from RCC slab. Then, the specimens are subjected to 60 cycles of freezing and thawing, sulfate attack test and wetting and drying. The degree of effect of the type of coarse aggregate (c
... Show MoreThe local asphalt concrete fracture properties represented by the fracture energy, J-integral, and stress intensity factor are calculated from the results of the three point bending beam test made for pre notches beams specimens with deformation rate of 1.27 mm/min. The results revealed that the stress intensity factor has increased by more than 40% when decreasing the testing temperature 10˚C and increasing the notch depth from 5 to 30mm. The change of asphalt type and content have a limited effect of less than 6%.
Abstract
Objectives: The study is carried out to assess functional performance for heart's valve replacement patients and find out relationship with sociodemographic data and clinical data
Methodology: Descriptive design is carried out at cardiac surgery centers in Baghdad ; Ibn -Al Betar Specialized for cardiac surgery center and Al-Iraqi center for cardiac disease. its initiation from December28the 2013 to September 1st 2014,A non- probability (purposive) sample of 50 adults patients are attended cardiac surgery centers at Baghdad city and who have heart valves replacement. The data collection through development of questionnaire which is composed from three parts(socio demographic data, clinical information, functional performa
The game of volleyball is one of the competitive team games that took the lead in terms of its spread in the world, and the game of volleyball relies on basic skills as an important base on which this game is built to advance in the level of performance Performance and among these skills the skill of spiking and blocking wall, the research aims to identify the extent of the relationship of decision-making to the performance of spiking and blocking in volleyball for junior players. The sample was chosen from volleyball players for the Junior Specialized School of Sulaikh Sports Club / Baghdad Governorate for the season 2020 The researcher used the descriptive approach, and the research community was composed of (101) players. The two
... Show MoreReverse Osmosis (RO) has already proved its worth as an efficient treatment method in chemical and environmental engineering applications. Various successful RO attempts for the rejection of organic and highly toxic pollutants from wastewater can be found in the literature over the last decade. Dimethylphenol is classified as a high-toxic organic compound found ubiquitously in wastewater. It poses a real threat to humans and the environment even at low concentration. In this paper, a model based framework was developed for the simulation and optimisation of RO process for the removal of dimethylphenol from wastewater. We incorporated our earlier developed and validated process model into the Species Conserving Genetic Algorithm (SCG
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