Porous asphalt mixtures enriched with bamboo fibers as a new approach for future sustainable construction

Porous Asphalt (PA) is a highly permeable asphalt surface used to create and maintain permeable pavements for storm water management and runoff reduction. Under the impacts of repetitive vehicle loads, warm weather, and heavily rainfall, the structure was vulnerable to deterioration from cracking, rutting, stripping, and quick ageing. This research aims to examine the role of bamboo fiber in improving the physical and mechanical properties and overcome the issue related to PA. Among the tests involve are Cantabro loss, permeability, binder draindown, stability and resilient modulus. Two types of PA gradation involved with four different proportion of bamboo fiber (0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, 0.5%). From the findings, it could be conducted that the existence of bamboo fiber can significantly improve the PA performance for both gradations. From this study, the utilization of natural fiber as an additive is also promoted and provide significant contribution to the exploration to alternative pavement material

A multinational study exploring adolescent perception of school climate and mental health

School climate is a topic of increasing importance internationally. The current study investigated the established measurement invariance of an eight-factor school climate scale using a multinational sample of secondary students. School climate factor means across 14 international groups were compared and findings on the association between school climate factors and mental health were also investigated. Findings, from this study, illustrate several cross-national similarities regarding the ways in which secondary students perceive school climate and the influence of school climate on student mental health. These findings can support school psychologists’ efforts to identify strategies and supports that improve the school environment in areas that are most consistently related to student experiences, such as school safety and school connectedness. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed

Implementation and evaluation of a specific education program developed in children with ADHD and hearing disabilities

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder presenting with impairing levels of inattentive or hyperactive/impulsive behavioral symptoms and cognitive manifestations. Many children with ADHD are at high risk for academic underachievement or failure despite having average or above average intellectual abilities. Longitudinal epidemiological surveys show that childhood ADHD predict subsequent lower achievement scores in reading and mathematics. Research into treatment outcomes shows that the combination of medical and school-based interventions are generally effective in reducing disruptive and off-task behavior in students with ADHD.. The aim of the present study was to explore the implement of a three-month specific school-based intervention program, in 82 school age children with ADHD, whether or not they used medication. The study employed subjective (parent/teacher ratings) and objective (standardized tests) academic achievement measures, implemented specific empirically based strategies and examined their effectiveness in behavior and school achievement. The results highlight that the combination of medication and school-based intervention strategies including behavioural interventions, modifications to academic instruction and home–school communication, significantly improve behavioural problems and academic achievement in children with ADHD.Η Διαταραχή Ελλειμματικής Προσοχής-Υπερκινητικότητα (ΔΕΠ-Υ), είναι κοινή διαταραχή της παιδικής ηλικίας, η οποία εκδηλώνεται με προβλήματα στη συμπεριφορά και γνωστικά ελλείμματα. Πολλά παιδιά με ΔΕΠ-Υ βρίσκονται σε κίνδυνο να εκδηλώσουν μειωμένη σχολική επίδοση ή σχολική αποτυχία παρά το γεγονός ότι έχουν συχνά υψηλές νοητικές ικανότητες. Μακροχρόνιες επιδημιολογικές μελέτες έδειξαν, ότι η ΔΕΠ-Υ στη σχολική ηλικία αποτελεί προγνωστικό παράγοντα χαμηλής επίδοσης στην ανάγνωση και στα Μαθηματικά. Έρευνες σχετικές με τα αποτελέσματα των θεραπευτικών προσεγγίσεων έχουν δείξει ότι, ο συνδυασμός εκπαιδευτικών και φαρμακευτικών παρεμβάσεων αποδεικνύεται ιδιαίτερα αποτελεσματικός στη μείωση της διαταρακτικής και της εκτός έργου συμπεριφοράς των παιδιών με ΔΕΠ-Υ, μέσα στη σχολική τάξη. Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν η εφαρμογή και αξιολόγηση τρίμηνου ειδικού εκπαιδευτικού προγράμματος παρέμβασης σε 82 μαθητές δημοτικού με Διαταραχή Ελλειμματικής Προσοχής-Υπερκινητικότητα, με και χωρίς φαρμακευτική αγωγή. Στη μελέτη πραγματοποιήθηκαν υποκειμενικές και αντικειμενικές μετρήσεις, εφαρμόστηκαν ειδικές, διεθνώς τεκμηριωμένες εκπαιδευτικές και συμπεριφοριστικές στρατηγικές παρέμβασης και αξιολογήθηκε η αποτελεσματικότητα τους στη συμπεριφορά και στη σχολική επίδοση. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν, ότι ο συνδυασμός φαρμακευτικής και ειδικής εκπαιδευτικής παρέμβασης- η οποία περιλαμβάνει στρατηγικές αντιμετώπισης της προβληματικής συμπεριφοράς, τροποποίηση των μεθόδων διδασκαλίας και επικοινωνία σχολείου-οικογένειας- βελτιώνει σημαντικά τα προβλήματα στη συμπεριφορά και την ακαδημαϊκή επίδοση των παιδιών με ΔΕΠ-Υ

Evaluation of Cement Performance Using Industrial Byproducts Such as Nano MgO and Fly Ash from Greece

The need for environmentally friendly construction materials is growing more and more these days. This paper investigates byproducts from Greece, such as magnesite tailings from Evoia and fly ash from Kardia (Ptolemais), in order to evaluate their suitability as cement additives. For this purpose, the raw materials were tested and studied regarding their mineralogical and chemical components for their morphological characteristics. Different cement specimens of various mixtures of raw materials were produced and tested. These raw materials are considered suitable for cement additives. The effect of nano MgO content seems to have played a more critical role in the physicomechanical performance of produced cement compared to that of the fly ash content. Furthermore, more satisfactory results in the physicomechanical properties of the produced cement gave samples of group II containing 3–4% of nano MgO. Nano MgO content up to 4% seems to have negative influence on the compressive strength of the produced cement, simultaneously reducing its durability. The increase of nano MgO content leads to the increase of the expansion of the produced cement specimens. In the early stage, the expansion rate was intensively larger. With the consumption of nano MgO, the expansion in the later stage gradually slowed down and tended to stabilize

The Effect of Chemical Composition of Ultramafic and Mafic Aggregates on Their Physicomechanical Properties as well as on the Produced Concrete Strength

This study examines how the chemical composition of ultramafic and mafic rocks effects their physicomechanical properties and therefore how influences the concrete strength of the produced concrete specimens. For this scope, ultramafic (Group I) and mafic rocks (Group II) derived from the Veria–Naousa and Edessa ophiolite complexes (Greece) were selected in order to identify their chemical composition and their engineering properties according to international standards. Additionally, representative rocks were used as concrete aggregates in order to produce concrete specimens, whereas their mechanical strength was calculated. A geochemical index (Ga) was proposed and correlated with the engineering properties of the examined rocks as well as with the widely used alteration degree LOI (loss on ignition). Correlation diagrams between engineering properties and the proposed geochemical index (Ga) have showed that these properties were strongly influenced by the alteration processes expressed via Ga index. More particularly, mainly serpentine in ultramafic and chlorite in mafic rocks, minerals indicators for the alteration of ultramafic and mafic rocks, respectively, seem to determine their engineering properties. Concerning the mechanical strength of the produced concrete specimens, the results have showed that the increasing values of Ga index negatively effect concrete strength

The Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise with Biofeedback in Women with Urinary Incontinence: A Systematic Review

Urinary incontinence affects approximately 200 million people worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training with biofeedback (BF) in women with urinary incontinence in comparison to PFM training alone. The primary outcome was PFM strength with secondary outcomes being the severity of incontinence, other PFM parameters, quality of life (QoL), social life, satisfaction and adherence to treatment. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 2005 to 2023 in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched and evaluated with the PEDro scale. Nine moderate and two high methodological quality RCTs were selected. There was a statistically significant improvement in all parameters. In five studies, muscle strength and the severity of incontinence were statistically better in the BF group compared to the non-BF group. In most studies, no differences were found for QoL and social life between the groups. For adherence to treatment, the results were ambiguous. Τhe remaining variables (endurance, precontraction, function, adherence and satisfaction) had few studies to support the results. There was moderate level evidence that the group utilizing PFM exercises with BF showed significant improvements in the management of urinary incontinence. Concerning muscle strength and the severity of incontinence, findings were inconclusive, as only in some studies the results were statistically better in the BF group compared to the non-BF group

Combined Use of Remote Sensing Data, Mineralogical Analyses, Microstructure Studies and Geographic Information System for Geological Mapping of Antiparos Island (Greece)

This study presents the combined use of field mapping, remote sensing data analysis, mineralogy, spectroscopy and GIS techniques for the geological mapping of Antiparos Island. Antiparos is part of the Cyclades Blueschist Belt located in central Aegean, where gneisses, schists and Pliocene volcanic rocks occurred. During the extended field work, a number of volcanic rock samples were collected from the southern part of Antiparos. The sampling strategy was to collect samples from the primary as well as the altered rocks in specific areas in which they were previously located from the remote sensing data processing. In this study, high resolution satellite images have been carried out in order to detect, allocate and separate the different geological formations. Furthermore, the existing geological map was georeferenced and all the tectonic lines and boundaries were digitized. All these features were implemented in a Mobile Mapper CE GPS using Arcpad GIS and checked in situ. The collected samples were analyzed in the laboratory using various techniques including XRD, Petrographic Microscopy and SEM. The qualitative mineralogical analyses were conducted by using XRD. The study was supplemented by the petrographic observations providing a detailed characterization of rock textures. In addition, SEM study and SEM-EDS analyses of the samples were emphasized on the genetic relations of the minerals. The laboratory results revealed that specific corrections should be made in the previous geological map of Antiparos concerning the volcanic rocks, especially at the southern part of the island. A significant conclusion is that the rock described as volcanic in the previous map proved to be a fossiliferous limestone which includes micritic matrix of calcite with an insignificant amount of fossils. All the analogical and digital data and the results of the petrographic analysis were imported in a geodatabase specially designed for geological data. After the necessary topological control and corrections, the data were unified and processed in order to create the final layout at 1/25.000 scale

Petrographic and Mechanical Characteristics of Concrete Produced by Different Type of Recycled Materials

This paper examined three different types of recycled materials, such as beer green glass, waste tile, and asphalt, which will be used in different mixtures in order to prepare concrete specimens and, more specifically, their effect on concrete strength and how the petrographic characteristics of various recycled materials influenced the durability of C25/30 strength class concrete. Particular emphasis was placed on the effect of artificial microroughness of glassy and smooth surfaces of recycled materials on their final concrete strength. The concrete strength values do not show great variance, but their limited differences have been qualitatively interpreted by a new promising petrographic methodology, including the study of the surface texture of the used aggregate materials. Concretes are produced with constant volume proportions, workability, mixing, and curing conditions while using different sizes of each aggregate type. The aggregates were mixed both in dry and water saturated states in concretes. Concretes that are made by a mixture of beer green glass with quartz primer, as well as of tile with quartz primer, presented the optimum possible results of the compressive strength

The Effect of Petrographic Characteristics and Physico-Mechanical Properties of Aggregates on the Quality of Concrete

This paper examines the effect of the aggregate type on concrete strength, and more specifically, how the petrographic characteristics of various aggregate rocks as well as their physico-mechanical properties influences the durability of C 25/30 strength class concrete. The studied aggregate rocks were derived from Veria-Naousa and Edessa ophiolitic complexes as well as granodiorite and albitite rocks from their surrounding areas in central Macedonia (Greece). Concretes were produced with constant volume proportions, workability, mixing and curing conditions using different sizes of each aggregate type. Aggregates were mixed both in dry and water saturated states in concretes. Six different types of aggregates were examined and classified in three district groups according to their physicomechanical properties, petrographic characteristics and surface texture. The classification in groups after the concrete compressive strength test verified the initial classification in the same three groups. Group I (ultramafic rocks) presented the lowest concrete strengths, depending on their high alteration degree and the low mechanical properties of ultramafic aggregates. Group II (mafic rocks and granodiorite) presented a wide range of concrete strengths, depending on different petrographic characteristics and mechanical properties. Group III (albite rocks) presented the highest concrete strengths, depending on their lowest alteration degree and their highest mechanical properties. Therefore, mineralogy and microstructure of the coarse aggregates affected the final strength of the concrete specimens