Preventive maintenance of flexible pavement and mechanical properties of steel slag asphalt

Preventive maintenance is beneficial if pavement life is increased while maintaining its service ability, and it is an environmental problem. Steel slag material is inorganic, it can neither be incinerated nor decomposed, so it may be difficult to reclaim. This work aims to study the performance of asphalt concrete where some of the fractional fine aggregate is replaced with crushed steel slag material. Steel slag materials are brittle and rich in carbon and silicon, so the key technical indexes of steel slag‐asphalt concrete are strength. Materials used in the tests included AC 60–70 bitumen, limestone aggregate and crushed recycled steel slag. The Marshall test was used to examine the influence of optimal asphalt content, volume properties and strength of asphalt concrete when different percentages of crushed steel slag were added. The high‐temperature stability and creep stiffness performance of steel slag asphalt concrete was also tested, and the results are satisfactory. The investigation has demonstrated that the recycling and use of waste steel slag in asphalt concrete is feasible. Santrauka Profilaktinis remontas yra naudingas, jei kelio dangos patvarumas didinamas išlaikant teikiamas paslaugas, kartu tai svarbi aplinkos problema. Plieno šlakas yra neorganinės kilmės ir negali būti nei deginamas, nei skaidomas, todėl sunkiai utilizuojamas. Šiame darbe stengtasi įvertinti asfalto betono charakteristiką, kai dalis smulkios frakcijos yra pakeista susmulkintu plieno šlaku. Ši medžiaga trapi, joje daug anglies ir silikono, todėl vienas pagrindinių techninių plieno šlako rodiklių yra stiprumas. Tyrimams buvo naudotas AC 60–70 bitumas, klinčių užpildas ir susmulkintas perdirbtas plieno šlakas. Maršalo tyrimas taikytas siekiant įvertinti optimalų asfalto kiekį, asfalto betono tūrines savybes ir stiprumą esant skirtingai susmulkinto plieno šlako procentinei daliai. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė pakankamą plieno šlako asfalto betono stabilumą esant aukštai temperatūrai ir šlyties standumą. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad plieno šlakas gali būti perdirbamas ir panaudojamas asfalto betone kaip sudėtinė dalis. Reikšminiai žodžiai: plieno šlakas, asfalto betonas, standumas šlyčiai, atliekos, profilaktinis remontas, perdirbimas. Профилактический ремонт дорожного покрытия и механические свойства асфальта со стальным шлаком Резюме Профилактический ремонт полезен, если долговечность дорожного покрытия увеличивается при сохранении оказываемых услуг, а также в отношении охраны окружающей среды. Стальной шлак не является органическим веществом, поэтому его нельзя сжечь либо как-то утилизировать. Нами была предпринята попытка оценить характеристику асфальтобетона, мелкая фракция которого частично заменена дробленым стальным шлаком. Этот материал хрупок, в нем много угля и силикона, поэтому одним из основных технических показателей стального шлака является прочность. Исследованиям подвергался битум АС 60–70, известковый заполнитель и дробленый переработанный стальной шлак. Для определения оптимального количества асфальта, свойств и прочности асфальтобетона при разном процентном составе дробленого стального шлака применялся метод Маршалла. Исследования подтвердили достаточную стабильность асфальтобетона со стальным шлаком при высокой температуре, сдвиговую жесткость, а также возможность переработки стального шлака и применения его в качестве составной части асфальтобетона. Ключевые слова: стальной шлак, асфальтобетон, сдвиговая жесткость, отходы, профилактический ремонт, переработка. First Published Online: 14 Oct 201

Locating stations of public transportation vehicles for improving transit accessibility

Since transportation is one of the most complicated and the basic problem of urban life in developing countries at the present time and in various dimensions, so it is necessary to view it more scientifically‐ practically. Reducing travelling time is one way to reduce its cost .In public transportation system, it is important to determine proper travelling costs. There are various methods to determine the distances between stations. One of these methods used in England is based on logical and calculative relations in mathematics. In this paper, in addition to studying this method some changes have been made in order to reduce and modify required variables for calculation of those relations. A numerical example is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method and thus developed to optimize the public transportation stop location problem. The sensitivity of the total travel time, access, speed and the effect of the parameters on the optimum stop location are analyzed and discussed. First Published Online: 27 Oct 201

Past, present, and future of global health financing: a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 195 countries, 1995–2050

Background: Comprehensive and comparable estimates of health spending in each country are a key input for health policy and planning, and are necessary to support the achievement of national and international health goals. Previous studies have tracked past and projected future health spending until 2040 and shown that, with economic development, countries tend to spend more on health per capita, with a decreasing share of spending from development assistance and out-of-pocket sources. We aimed to characterise the past, present, and predicted future of global health spending, with an emphasis on equity in spending across countries. Methods: We estimated domestic health spending for 195 countries and territories from 1995 to 2016, split into three categories—government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid private health spending—and estimated development assistance for health (DAH) from 1990 to 2018. We estimated future scenarios of health spending using an ensemble of linear mixed-effects models with time series specifications to project domestic health spending from 2017 through 2050 and DAH from 2019 through 2050. Data were extracted from a broad set of sources tracking health spending and revenue, and were standardised and converted to inflation-adjusted 2018 US dollars. Incomplete or low-quality data were modelled and uncertainty was estimated, leading to a complete data series of total, government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending, and DAH. Estimates are reported in 2018 US dollars, 2018 purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars, and as a percentage of gross domestic product. We used demographic decomposition methods to assess a set of factors associated with changes in government health spending between 1995 and 2016 and to examine evidence to support the theory of the health financing transition. We projected two alternative future scenarios based on higher government health spending to assess the potential ability of governments to generate more resources for health. Findings: Between 1995 and 2016, health spending grew at a rate of 4·00% (95% uncertainty interval 3·89–4·12) annually, although it grew slower in per capita terms (2·72% [2·61–2·84]) and increased by less than $1 per capita over this period in 22 of 195 countries. The highest annual growth rates in per capita health spending were observed in upper-middle-income countries (5·55 in lower-middle-income countries (3·71$8·0 trillion (7·8–8·1) in 2016 (comprising 8·6% [8·4–8·7] of the global economy and $10·3 trillion [10·1–10·6] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), with a per capita spending of US$5252 (5184–5319) in high-income countries, $491 (461–524) in upper-middle-income countries,$81 (74–89) in lower-middle-income countries, and $40 (38–43) in low-income countries. In 2016, 0·4 countries, despite these countries comprising 10·0 DAH targeted HIV/AIDS ($9·5 billion, 24·3% of total DAH), although spending on other infectious diseases (excluding tuberculosis and malaria) grew fastest from 2010 to 2018 (6·27% per year). The leading sources of DAH were the USA and private philanthropy (excluding corporate donations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). For the first time, we included estimates of China’s contribution to DAH ($644·7 million in 2018). Globally, health spending is projected to increase to$15·0 trillion (14·0–16·0) by 2050 (reaching 9·4% [7·6–11·3] of the global economy and $21·3 trillion [19·8–23·1] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), but at a lower growth rate of 1·84% (1·68–2·02) annually, and with continuing disparities in spending between countries. In 2050, we estimate that 0·6% (0·6–0·7) of health spending will occur in currently low-income countries, despite these countries comprising an estimated 15·7% of the global population by 2050. The ratio between per capita health spending in high-income and low-income countries was 130·2 (122·9–136·9) in 2016 and is projected to remain at similar levels in 2050 (125·9 [113·7–138·1]). The decomposition analysis identified governments’ increased prioritisation of the health sector and economic development as the strongest factors associated with increases in government health spending globally. Future government health spending scenarios suggest that, with greater prioritisation of the health sector and increased government spending, health spending per capita could more than double, with greater impacts in countries that currently have the lowest levels of government health spending Interpretation: Financing for global health has increased steadily over the past two decades and is projected to continue increasing in the future, although at a slower pace of growth and with persistent disparities in per-capita health spending between countries. Out-of-pocket spending is projected to remain substantial outside of high-income countries. Many low-income countries are expected to remain dependent on development assistance, although with greater government spending, larger investments in health are feasible. In the absence of sustained new investments in health, increasing efficiency in health spending is essential to meet global health targets. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundatio

Past, present, and future of global health financing : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 195 countries, 1995-2050

Background Comprehensive and comparable estimates of health spending in each country are a key input for health policy and planning, and are necessary to support the achievement of national and international health goals. Previous studies have tracked past and projected future health spending until 2040 and shown that, with economic development, countries tend to spend more on health per capita, with a decreasing share of spending from development assistance and out-of-pocket sources. We aimed to characterise the past, present, and predicted future of global health spending, with an emphasis on equity in spending across countries. Methods We estimated domestic health spending for 195 countries and territories from 1995 to 2016, split into three categories-government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid private health spending-and estimated development assistance for health (DAH) from 1990 to 2018. We estimated future scenarios of health spending using an ensemble of linear mixed-effects models with time series specifications to project domestic health spending from 2017 through 2050 and DAH from 2019 through 2050. Data were extracted from a broad set of sources tracking health spending and revenue, and were standardised and converted to inflation-adjusted 2018 US dollars. Incomplete or low-quality data were modelled and uncertainty was estimated, leading to a complete data series of total, government, prepaid private, and out-of-pocket health spending, and DAH. Estimates are reported in 2018 US dollars, 2018 purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars, and as a percentage of gross domestic product. We used demographic decomposition methods to assess a set of factors associated with changes in government health spending between 1995 and 2016 and to examine evidence to support the theory of the health financing transition. We projected two alternative future scenarios based on higher government health spending to assess the potential ability of governments to generate more resources for health. Findings Between 1995 and 2016, health spending grew at a rate of 4.00% (95% uncertainty interval 3.89-4.12) annually, although it grew slower in per capita terms (2.72% [2.61-2.84]) and increased by less than $1 per capita over this period in 22 of 195 countries. The highest annual growth rates in per capita health spending were observed in upper-middle-income countries (5.55$ 8.0 trillion (7.8-8.1) in 2016 (comprising 8.6% [8.4-8.7] of the global economy and $10.3 trillion [10.1-10.6] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), with a per capita spending of US$ 5252 (5184-5319) in high-income countries, $491 (461-524) in upper-middle-income countries,$ 81 (74-89) in lower-middle-income countries, and $40 (38-43) in low-income countries. In 2016, 0.4$ 9.5 billion, 24.3% of total DAH), although spending on other infectious diseases (excluding tuberculosis and malaria) grew fastest from 2010 to 2018 (6.27% per year). The leading sources of DAH were the USA and private philanthropy (excluding corporate donations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation). For the first time, we included estimates of China's contribution to DAH ($644.7 million in 2018). Globally, health spending is projected to increase to$ 15.0 trillion (14.0-16.0) by 2050 (reaching 9.4% [7.6-11.3] of the global economy and $ 21.3 trillion [19.8-23.1] in purchasing-power parity-adjusted dollars), but at a lower growth rate of 1.84% (1.68-2.02) annually, and with continuing disparities in spending between countries. In 2050, we estimate that 0.6% (0.6-0.7) of health spending will occur in currently low-income countries, despite these countries comprising an estimated 15.7% of the global population by 2050. The ratio between per capita health spending in high-income and low-income countries was 130.2 (122.9-136.9) in 2016 and is projected to remain at similar levels in 2050 (125.9 [113.7-138.1]). The decomposition analysis identified governments' increased prioritisation of the health sector and economic development as the strongest factors associated with increases in government health spending globally. Future government health spending scenarios suggest that, with greater prioritisation of the health sector and increased government spending, health spending per capita could more than double, with greater impacts in countries that currently have the lowest levels of government health spending. Interpretation Financing for global health has increased steadily over the past two decades and is projected to continue increasing in the future, although at a slower pace of growth and with persistent disparities in per-capita health spending between countries. Out-of-pocket spending is projected to remain substantial outside of high-income countries. Many low-income countries are expected to remain dependent on development assistance, although with greater government spending, larger investments in health are feasible. In the absence of sustained new investments in health, increasing efficiency in health spending is essential to meet global health targets.Peer reviewe

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

The Influence of Waste Carpet on the Structural Soil Characteristics in Pavement Granular Layer

Solid waste materials can be left out of environment in different ways or can be used again. As an example of waste fiber materials is the fibers reselling from producing carpet which are made in Iran in largest quantity. These materials are added to soil and granular materials and improve their various properties as compressive and tensile strengths. In present study, the result of previous researches are collected and presented, then, they are used to analyses the effect of using from waste materials in subgrade on highway pavement performance. By using analytical software and results of testing, tensile strain under asphalt layer and compressive strain on subgrade of pavement containing these materials are calculated and after that they are compared together. Next the allowable frequencies of loading for different pavement models are calculated by using existing formula. The results indicate that adding 1.5% of waste fiber to pavement subgrade increases the allowable frequency of loading to 15%

Finite-Element Modelling of Crack Sealant Flexible Pavement

This paper documents the use of finite element analyses techniques to determine the failure mechanism in a crack sealant pavement under moving loads. The flexible pavement that is modelled is on a medium-strength subgrade. The stress-strain response of the medium soft clay is simulated using an elastic-plastic model. The three-dimensionality of the failure surface under actual wheel loads with wander requires that computationally intensive three-dimensional models is used. The finite element techniques employed are verified against available failure data of the laboratory testing samples. The paper will discuss the advantages and limitations of the crack sealant models that are currently used in pavement analysis. In addition, the paper will also discuss efficient finite-element techniques that can be used for crack sealant pavement analysis that will reduce the computational time without sacrificing accuracy

Impact of Gatorade Beverage on Elite Female Badminton Players’ Performance

Sports beverages assumed as one the principle factor on players' performance, and impact on their indicators, noticeably. Gatorade beverage is one of this primary beverages that in present study focused on its impact on elite female badminton players' performance in Iran. In the present survey has been considered in 2 groups of  Gatorade and control that included 79 participants. The data has been got based on 24 hours’ recall questionnaire on three different days in every week. As well, skin folds’ brachial triceps index was applied for body fat percent assessment. To quantity VO2max, Shuttle runs sub-maximal test was  used. Also, for controlling fluid intake in every two groups based on players’ body weight,150 ml per every 70 kg weight for every 15 minutes was recommended. Besides, for control of blood volume changes related to plasma blood glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, sodium, and potassium was measured during three time periods of zero, 30 minutes after the start and 90 minutes after the start. To end, to measure performance, standardized tests measure the indicators: aerobic power, speed, flexibilityy, agility, muscular strength, and endurance were used. The results showed that supply adequate water and fluids in during of sport, play a critical role in gaining the high level of female badminton players’ performance. In truth, the players who supply enough water shown better performance as compared with those who provide Gatorade beverage.