Rheological properties of warm mixed high viscosity asphalt at high and low temperatures.

The rheological properties of asphalt can well reflect its road performance, but the rheological properties of warm mix high viscosity asphalt (HVA) are unclear. In order to study the effect of warm mixing agent on rheological properties of HVA, two kinds of warm mixing agent EC120 (EC) and Evotherm M1 (M1) were selected to prepare warm mix HVA. The rheological properties of warm mix HVA at high temperature (135~195°C), medium temperature (0~80°C) and low temperature (-6~18°C) were studied by Brinell rotary viscosity test, dynamic shear rheological test (including temperature scanning, frequency scanning, linear amplitude scanning) and bending beam rheological test. The test results show that both EC and M1 have good viscosity reduction effect on HVA at high temperature, and can effectively reduce the construction temperature. At medium temperature, M1 can effectively improve the fatigue resistance of HVA, and the fatigue life can be increased by about 30% when the dosage is 0.6%. EC can increase the rutting factor of HVA and improve its resistance to deformation, but it will reduce its fatigue performance. When the dosage is 4%, the fatigue life will be reduced by about 9%. At low temperature, M1 can reduce the creep stiffness S, increase the creep rate m, and improve the low temperature performance of HVA, while EC has the opposite effect, weakening the low temperature performance of HVA. The results are helpful to understand the rheological properties of warm mix HVA and promote its application.

Synthesis and visible-light photocatalytic property of spinel CuAl2O4 for vehicle emissions.

Photodegradation of vehicle emissions is a promising approach for dealing with atmospheric pollution in road tunnels. In this research, copper aluminate nanoparticles (CuAl2O4) were prepared by the sol-gel method using copper nitrate, aluminum nitrate, and citric acid as precursor materials. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy to validate their structure, surface morphology, and optical properties, respectively. The XRD and SEM results confirm that the CuAl2O4 powder has a particle size of 20-37 nm and exhibits a spinel-type structure. The upper limit of the stimulation wavelength in the UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum is located at 725 nm with a band gap (Eg) of about 1.50 eV, which is suitable for effective visible-light degradation. Photocatalytic performance of the CuAl2O4 nanoparticles was analyzed by investigating the effects of light source, calcination temperature, and catalyst loading amount on the degradation of vehicle emissions (CO, HC, and NO). Best results were obtained under fluorescent light irradiation by CuAl2O4 nanoparticles calcined at 700 °C. The optimum catalyst amount for decomposing CO, HC, and NO were determined as 0.5 g, 0.5 g, and 2 g, respectively. Overall, the photocatalytic performance study verifies that spinel CuAl2O4 photocatalyst is a valuable material for next-generation technologies aimed at reducing harmful emissions from vehicles.

Experimental Investigation of Moisture Sensitivity and Damage Evolution of Porous Asphalt Mixtures.

Porous asphalt (PA) mixtures are designed with a high air void (AV) (i.e., 18~22%) content allowing rainwater to infiltrate into their internal structures. Therefore, PA mixtures are more sensitive to moisture damage than traditional densely graded asphalt mixtures. However, the moisture damage evolution of PA mixtures is still unclear. The objective of this study was to investigate the moisture damage evolution and durability damage evolution of PA mixtures. The indirect tensile test (ITT), ITT fatigue test, and Cantabro loss test were used to evaluate the moisture sensitivity and durability of PA mixtures, and a staged ITT fatigue test was developed to investigate the damage evolutions under dry and wet conditions. Indirect tensile strength (ITS), fatigue life, indirect tensile resilience modulus (E), and durability decreased with the increment of moisture damage and loading cycles. The fatigue life is more sensitive to the moisture damage. The largest decrements in ITS and E were found in the first 3000 loading cycles, and PA mixtures tended to fail when the decrement exceeded 60%. Damage factors based on the ITS and E are proposed to predict the loading history of PA mixtures. The durability damage evolution and damage factors could fit an exponential model under dry conditions. Moisture had a significant influence and an acceleration function on the moisture damage evolution and durability damage evolution of PA mixtures.

Tripartite motif containing 25 promotes proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer cells through TGF-ß signaling.

Tripartite motif containing 25 (TRIM25) is a member of TRIM proteins and functions as an E3 (ubiquitin ligase). It has been found to act as an oncogene in gastric cancer cells and is abnormally expressed in cancers in female reproductive system. Here, we investigated the function of TRIM25 in colorectal cancer. TRIM25 was found to be significantly up-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cancer cell lines through real-time PCR assay. Colorectal cancer cells (CRCs) overexpressing TRIM25 exhibited a two-fold higher proliferation and migration rate compared with their parental lines in vitro Moreover, TRIM25 also promoted tumor progression in vivo Further study indicated that TRIM25 worked through positively regulating transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) signaling pathway to regulate the proliferation and invasion of CRCs. In summary, our results indicate that TRIM25 also acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer and it functions through TGF-ß signaling pathway. Thus, TRIM25 represents potential targets for the treatment of colorectal cancer.