This research utilized natural asphalt (NA) deposits from sulfur springs in western Iraq. Laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of an asphalt mixture incorporating NA and verify its suitability for local pavement applications. To achieve this, a combination of two types of NA, namely soft SNA and hard HNA, was blended to create a binder known as Type HSNA. The resulting HSNA exhibited a penetration grade that adhered to Iraqi specifications. Various percentages of NA (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) were added to petroleum asphalt. The findings revealed enhanced physical properties of HSNA, which also satisfied the requirements outlined in the Iraqi specifications for asphalt cement. Consequently, HSNA can serve as an asphalt binder to produce asphalt mixtures for flexible paving construction. Notably, HSNA mixtures exhibited greater Marshall stability and stiffness index when compared to traditional mixtures. The results from indirect tensile strength (ITS) and tensile strength ratio (TSR) tests indicated that the 80NA mixture displayed the highest ITS values and a TSR of 81.36%, surpassing the TSR of the mixture incorporating petroleum asphalt by 0.57%.
Semiconductor-based photocatalytic processes are widely applied as ecofriendly technology for degrading organic pollutants. Establishing photocatalytic heterojunctions with Z-type photocarriers transfer pathways is projected to be a superb strategy to enhance photocatalytic behavior. In this paper, novel and stable (0D/2D) heterojunctions of CoS-embedded boron-doped g-C3N4 (CoS/BCN) with a high rate of charges transfer/separation were assembled for degradation of malachite green dye (MG). The CoS/BCN photocatalyst achieves a photodegradation efficiency of 96.9 % within 1 h of LED illumination, which is 2.5 and 1.4-fold enhancement compared with bare g-C3N4 and BCN, respectively. Besides, the results of species-trapping trials exhibited that
... Show MoreThe ligand 4-amino-N-(5-methylisoxazole-3-yl)-benzene-sulfonamide(L1) (as a chelating ligand) was treated with Pd(II),Pt (IV) and Au(III) ions in alcoholic medium in order to prepare a series of new metal complexes. Mixed ligand complexes of this primary ligand were prepared in alcoholic medium in presence of the co-ligand 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyl(L2) with Cu(II) ,Pd(II) and Au(III) ions. The complexes were characterized in solid state using flame atomic absorption, elemental analysis C.H.N.S, FT-IR, UV-Vis Spectroscopy, conductivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The nature of some complexes formed in ethanolic solution has been studied following the molar ratio method, also stability constant was studied and the complexes f
... Show MoreThe experiment was conducted in two stages: first stage: determination of the most effective dose of Cyperus rotundus tubers aquatic extract in male rats for 5 days, which was concentrated as (200 mg/kg body weight). The second stage was designed to observe and test the protective effects of C. rotundus tubers aquatic extract in the liver and kidney functions of male rats exposed to cadmium chloride poisoning (5 mg/kg bw) for 30 days. The animals were divided into (4) groups within each group (5) animals weighted (200-220g). The results of oral dose of cadmium chloride showed a significant increase of (P˂0.05) in the activity of both enzymes Alanine aminotransferas
... Show MoreThis study develops a systematic density functional theory alongside on-site Coulomb interaction correction (DFT + U) and ab initio atomistic thermodynamics approachs for ternary (or mixed transitional metal oxides), expressed in three reservoirs. As a case study, among notable multiple metal oxides, synthesized CoCu2O3 exhibits favourable properties towards applications in solar, thermal and catalytic processes. This progressive contribution applies DFT + U and atomistic thermodynamic approaches to examine the structure and relative stability of CoCu2O3 surfaces. Twenty-five surfaces along the [001], [010], [100], [011], [101], [110] and [111] low-Miller-indices, with varying surface-termination configurations were selected in this study.
... Show MoreChitinase-3-like 1 protein (YKL-40) is a glycoprotein primarily produced in the arthritic joint and plays a crucial role in inflammatory processes. The aim of the study is to establish the role of YKL-40 as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to proinflammatory biomarkers and disease activity. The study included 58 patients and 18 control. Diseases activity score (DAS-28) and clinical disease activity index (CDAI) were measured. Serum level of YKL-40, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1B (IL-1β), erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), C-reactive protein (CRP), and anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) were assessed. The results showed that the median serum YKL-40 level which was 5.42
... Show More