Zetoc

Oxidative aging induces significant stiffening of asphalt binders that leads to a pronounced reduction in the overall durability of asphalt pavements. The strategic implementation of antioxidant additives provides a potential solution to alleviate this issue. This work presents results from the second phase of the global consortium for antioxidants research aimed at investigating the effectiveness of potential antioxidants in increasing the durability of asphalt binders. Sixteen laboratories around the world participated in this effort and a total of 28 binders from diverse geographical regions were tested. Two promising antioxidants, namely zinc diethyldithiocarbamate (ZDC) and kraft lignin were evaluated in this phase and blended with the binders at specific proportions. Subsequently, a comprehensive investigation was conducted to assess rheological characteristics and chemical properties of the various blends, utilising Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) measurements and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The findings indicate that additives such as ZDC hold considerable promise as an effective antioxidant, particularly when considering a wide diversity of binders. In general, its incorporation does not compromise the rutting performance of the binders and significantly improves fatigue performance. Therefore, research efforts should be focused on exploring additional facets to assess its practical applicability in field.

This paper aims to determine the performance-based criteria for bitumen to control low temperature cracking in asphalt pavements. For this purpose, the performance of 26 recovered bitumen samples was analysed using the dynamic shear rheometer with 4-mm parallel plates (4-mm DSR). The stress relaxation modulus and its slope at 60 s were determined by performing a stress relaxation test at specific critical temperatures. The changes in these properties depending on the test temperature were analysed. The stress relaxation modulus and its slope at 60 s of 26 recovered bitumen samples were compared with the actual performance of the road sections from which these bitumen samples were recovered. On the basis of that, the limiting values of the stress relaxation modulus and its slope at 60 s were determined. The research showed that the formation and development of low temperature cracks on asphalt pavements are limited, when the stress relaxation modulus and its slope at 60 s and at temperature 10°C higher than the lowest asphalt surface temperature are not higher than 52 MPa and not lower than 0.370, respectively. These performance-based criteria are incorporated into the algorithm developed to assess bitumen resistance to low temperature cracking.

One of the best examples of circular economy is the application of crumb rubber for asphalt mixture or bitumen modification. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of crumb rubber type and amount on dry process modified asphalt mixture performance in terms of rutting resistance, water sensitivity, air void content, stiffness, resistance to fatigue and low-temperature cracking. The study shows that the use of untreated crumb rubber increases the air void content by up to 2.7% compared to the reference mixture while the use of treated crumb rubber reduces air void content up to 0.9%. The use of untreated and treated crumb rubber from 0.5% to 3.0% has a negative effect on water sensitivity (strength decreases by 59.5%). The use of crumb rubber up to 1.5% has a positive effect on resistance to rutting, stiffness and resistance to fatigue (proportional rut depth PRDAIR is improved by 0.6–1.1%, stiffness – by 15.4–16.2% and resistance to fatigue – by 24.7–24.9%). This research revealed that the amount up to 3.0% of both types of crumb rubber has a positive effect on the resistance to low-temperature cracking (40.6–52.1%) comparing to the reference mixture with neat bitumen.

Introduction: Online communities are gaining importance in modern society by actively structuring public opinion and initiating discussions about various socio-economical issues. As information and communication technologies advance, the online communities are confronted with novel technological and societal hurdles (the spread of misinformation, lack of active participation). To boost their efficacy and productivity, it’s crucial to enhance our understanding of user behavior, communication avenues and potential future trends of development. Objective: Online platforms serve a function beyond simply sharing information or knowledge; they act as influential social networks affecting various societal sectors, including politics, culture and the economy. There is a need to recognize online communities not as static entities, but as dynamic, evolving systems of collective intelligence. Methods: A representative quantitative study was carried out between 1 to 30 of October 2022 through direct, in-person interviews conducted at the respondent’s residence (known as an Omnibus survey). The sample of respondents is representative of the entire population of Lithuania regarding essential socio-demographic characteristics. By thoroughly analyzing data gathered from a comprehensive quantitative study, the study raises awareness of the issues surrounding online communities, while also shedding light on social networking behavior within these virtual spaces. Discussion: Despite the multitude of challenges inherent to virtual communication, there remains a significant knowledge gap in comprehending general user behavior within these online communities. The current research aims to bridge this gap by investigating user behavior in Lithuanian online communities.

Background: Skin infections, particularly caused by drug-resistant pathogens, represent a clinical challenge due to being a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality. The objectives of this study were to examine if low concentrations of acetic and formic acids can increase sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa to pulsed electric field (PEF) and thus, promote a fast and efficient treatment methodology for wound treatment. Results: We have shown that the combination of PEF (10–30 kV/cm) with organic acids (0.1% formic and acetic acids) increased the bactericidal properties of treatment. The effect was apparent for both acids. The proposed methodology allowed to reduce the energy of electrical pulses and the inhibitory concentrations of acids, while still maintain high efficiency of bacteria eradication. Conclusions: Application of weak organic acids as bactericidal agents has many advantages over antibiotics because they do not trigger development of drug-resistance in bacteria. The combination with PEF can make the treatment effective even against biofilms. The results of this study are particularly useful for the development of new methodologies for the treatment of extreme cases of wound infections when the chemical treatment is no longer effective or hinders wound healing.

The Indian textile industry is lacking in an entrepreneurial inclination of a skilled young generation; because of this, the industry is facing a challenge to achieve sustainable development and growth. To overcome this problem, the goal of this work is to build an entrepreneurial inclination model in the context of the textile industry. For achieving this goal, a combined approach of an extensive literature review and experts mining has been used to establish the entrepreneurial inclination factors in phased of the study. In the second phase, an Interpretive Structural Modelling with Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Appliques a un Classement (MICMAC) has been applied to build a structural model and to find the driving force factors and dependence power. The results show that effective entrepreneurship courses, institutional policy, training and internship, institutional corporation and the involvement of institutional heads play a very significant role in encouraging youth towards entrepreneurship. The outcomes of the study can help both the government and academic institutes to draw up effective policy and develop an entrepreneurial culture which can help to create more entrepreneurs in the textile field.

A large amount of natural resources and energy is wasted during and after the building construction process which might cause environmental problems such as climate changes. In order to achieve higher standards of environmental protection a range of building assessment systems has been established. However, they are mostly connected with the efficiency of an environmental protection and consumption of resources. Only few of them have limited possibilities to assess social and economic sustainability. A sustainable building includes aspects of environment, economy and society and therefore requirements to its assessment systems should be complex. We suggest that sustainability principles, that is, environmental, social and economic sustainability, should be estimated in the same equal weightings. The authors of this article created a model for assessing the sustainability for recreational buildings. Our model was created, in collaboration with experts, using breakdown, compensation and the analytic hierarchy process methods. The sustainability of Druskininkai Snow Arena (Lithuania) was assessed using a sustainability assessment system based on the proposed model.