Hard-grade asphalt binders, such as AC 20–30, offer excellent resistance to permanent deformation but are inherently brittle, making them highly susceptible to fatigue and low-temperature cracking. While polymer modification addresses these issues, virgin polymers remain expensive. Despite the growing interest in recycled plastics, the rheological impact of complex waste streams, specifically polyvinyl chloride (PVC) derived from flex banners containing plasticizers, on excessively stiff binders within the complete Superpave Performance Grading (PG) framework remains critically underexplored. This study introduces a novel valorization approach by utilizing solvent-extracted flex banner waste (WPVC) as a dual-action modifier. It leverages the stiffening effect of the PVC network alongside the softening effect of leached plasticizers to redistribute the viscoelastic properties of hard-grade bitumen. The primary objective is to upgrade AC 20–30 into a balanced, climate-resilient binder. WPVC was incorporated at 10%, 20%, and 30% by weight. A comprehensive evaluation was performed using microstructural and chemical analyses, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), and optical microscopy, along with advanced rheological testing such as frequency sweep (master curve), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), linear amplitude sweep (LAS), and the Glover–Rowe (G–R) index. Results demonstrated that WPVC integration significantly improved microstructural homogeneity without accelerating oxidative aging. The 20% WPVC dosage emerged as the optimum configuration, effectively reducing rotational viscosity and excessive high-temperature stiffness while maintaining exceptional rutting resistance suitable for extreme traffic (PG82-E). Crucially, the intermediate-temperature performance was remarkably enhanced; the WPVC20 blend exhibited a 918% increase in fatigue life (at 2.5% strain) in the LAS test compared to the base binder. Furthermore, the G-R index confirmed a substantial reduction in cracking susceptibility. Ultimately, this research provides a sustainable, data-driven pathway for transforming hazardous flex banner waste into a high-value modifier for durable flexible pavements.
Introduction/Aim. Seminal fluid analysis (SFA) plays a crucial role in helping infertility clinics diagnose the underlying reason of male infertility. The aim of the study was to investigate seminal fluid patterns of male partners of an infertile couple with apparently fertile female partners. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients were attending consultations for delayed conception for more than 12 months with apparently fertile female partner. Results. Four hundred fifty-three patients were included in the study. The distribution of patients according to age groups showed that 277 patients were young, aged 21 - 30 years (61%). Two hundred sixty-two (58%) patien
... Show MoreThe problem of research was the lack of research that dealt with issue of the job design approach that is more suitable for knowledge work, therefore, the research aims to determine the impact of job enrichment, and knowledge capitalon strategic success, starting from the hypothesis that there significant impact of job enrichment and knowledge capital on strategic success, to achieve this goal the researchers from the theoretical literature and related studies conclude to the construction of the scheme shows the hypothetical relationship between the variables, which was adopted job enrichment as independent variable while knowledge capital plays two roles, the first as an independent variable and the second as an intermediate
... Show MoreThis research deals with leverage and its impact on the profitability of Islamic banks in Iraq for the years (2015-2018), the research variables of leverage have been analyzed and measured as an independent variable, profitability as a dependent variable, and the research is based on a main hypothesis: there is a moral relationship of statistical significance. Between leverage and profitability at The Islamic Cooperation Bank for the period (2015-2018). The results of the research showed that there are moral (exorcist) relationships between the ratio of leverage and profitability indicators, as the higher the leverage ratio, the higher the profitability indicators. In addition, The Islamic Cooperation Bank has adopted a conservative poli
... Show MoreThe research aims to identify the effect of the training program that is based on integrating futuristic thinking skills with classroom interaction patterns on mathematics teachers in order to provide their students with creative solution skills. The research sample consisted of 31teachers (15 teachers for the experimental group and 16 for the control groups). The researcher developed a measure for the academic self-efficacy consisting of (39) items. Its validity, reliability, coefficient of difficulty and discriminatory power were estimated. To analyze the findings, the researcher adopted the Mann-Whitney (U) test and the effect size, and the findings were as follows: There is a statistically significant difference at the significance leve
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This Research aims for harnessing critical and innovative thinking approaches besides innovative problem solving tools in pursuing continual quality improvement initiatives for the benefit of achieving operations results effectively in water treatment plants in Baghdad Water Authority. Case study has been used in fulfilling this research in the sadr city water treatment plant, which was chosen as a study sample as it facilitates describing and analyzing its current operational situation, collecting and analyzing its own data, in order to get its own desired improvement opportunity be done. Many statistical means and visual thinking promoting methods has been used to fulfill research task.
... Show MoreWe studied the relationship between DNA sequencing of interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene promoter for -1082 (A/G) and -592 (A/C) positions with the concentration of IL-10 in blood serum of Iraqi children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Fifty blood serum samples collected from children with age ranged between 7-12 years. Thirty-five blood samples collected from patient children with T1D, and compared with 15 healthy children age matched as control sample. The results revealed decreasing in anti-inflammatory IL-10 concentration in T1D patient’s blood serum (0.068 Pg/ml) as compared with the control sample (0.111 Pg/ml). No significant differences were found in interleukin concentration between the studied samples when they analyzed with the M
... Show MoreThe dynamic thermomechanical properties, sealing ability, and voids formation of an experimental obturation hydroxyapatite-reinforced polyethylene (HA/PE) composite/carrier system were investigated and compared with those of a commercial system [GuttaCore (GC)]. The HA/PE system was specifically designed using a melt-extrusion process. The viscoelastic properties of HA/PE were determined using a dynamic thermomechanical analyser. Human single-rooted teeth were endodontically instrumented and obturated using HA/PE or GC systems, and then sealing ability was assessed using a fluid filtration system. In addition, micro-computed tomography (μCT) was used to quantify apparent voids within the root-canal space. The data were statistically analys
... Show MoreThe aim of this work is study the partical distribution function g(r12,r1) for Carbon ion cases (C+2,C+3,C+4) in the position space using Hartree-Fock's Wave function, and the partitioning technique for each shell which is represented by Carbon Ions [C+2 (1s22s2)], [C+3 (1s22s)] and [C+4 (1s2)]. A comparision has been made among the three Carbon ions for each shell. A computer programs (MATHCAD ver. 2001i) has been used texcute the results.
The Na Bop-Pu Sap Pb-Zn ore bodies represent a typical vein-type lead-zinc deposit situated in the Cho Don area and are currently being extracted for their lead and zinc resources. This deposit is characterized by its significant scale and quality and is considered one of the prominent lead-zinc deposits in the Cho Don area. Despite its significance, this deposit has not received adequate attention, resulting in limited knowledge of its geology, mineralization, and deposit genesis model. To address this knowledge gap, our study utilized several methodologies, including field surveying, ore mineral analysis under a microscope, and S and Pb isotopic geochemistry. By employing these approaches, we were able to obtain specific insights
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