Rheological, physicochemical, and microstructural properties of asphalt binder modified by fumed silica nanoparticles

Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is gaining increased attention in the asphalt paving industry as an eco-friendly and sustainable technology. WMA technologies are favorable in producing asphalt mixtures at temperatures 20–60 °C lower in comparison to conventional hot mix asphalt. This saves non-renewable fossil fuels, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes vapors and greenhouse gas emissions in the production, placement and conservation processes of asphalt mixtures. At the same time, this temperature reduction must not reduce the performance of asphalt pavements in-field. Low aging resistance, high moisture susceptibility, and low durability are generally seen as substantial drawbacks of WMA, which can lead to inferior pavement performance, and increased maintenance costs. This is partly due to the fact that low production temperature may increase the amount of water molecules trapped in the asphalt mixture. As a potential remedy, here we use fumed silica nanoparticles (FSN) have shown excellent potential in enhancing moisture and aging susceptibility of asphalt binders. In this study, asphalt binder modification by means of FSN was investigated, considering the effects of short-term and long-term aging on the rheological, thermal, and microstructural binder properties. This research paves the way for optimizing WMA by nanoparticles to present enhanced green asphalt technology

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)1.

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field

Correction to Recommendation of RILEM TC 264 RAP on the evaluation of asphalt recycling agents for hot mix asphalt (Materials and Structures, (2022), 55, 2, (31), 10.1617/s11527-021-01837-0)

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.In this article the affiliation details for A. Kawakami were incorrectly given as ‘‘Department of Biological Information, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8501, Japan’’ but should have been ‘‘Pavement Research Team, Public Works Research Institute, 1-6 Minamihara, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken 305-8516, Japan’’. The original article has been corrected.Peer reviewe

Recommendation of RILEM TC 264 RAP on the evaluation of asphalt recycling agents for hot mix asphalt

This recommendation is based on the results of an inter-laboratory study organised by the RILEM technical committee TC 264-RAP "Asphalt Pavement Recycling"—Task Group 3 (TG3) focusing on Asphalt Binder for Recycled Asphalt Mixture. The TG3 aimed to evaluate the effect of a specific family of materials known as asphalt recycling agent (ARA) on the aged binder under different configurations. Even though ageing is an irreversible phenomenon, effective ARA must have the capability to improve the flexibility of the bituminous materials and their resistance against cracking susceptibility with no adverse effect on the rutting resistance of pavements containing reclaimed asphalt. A total of 17 participating laboratories analysed the properties of binder blends composed of aged binder from reclaimed asphalt in three different contents (60, 80, 100%), ARA and virgin binder. The physical properties of the blends were thoroughly evaluated through traditional and rheological binder testing. This recommendation proposes to restore the original material properties at low and intermediate temperatures (i.e. cracking resistance) while balancing the high-temperature characteristics (i.e. rutting susceptibility) with durable impact throughout the progression of ageing phenomena. Therefore, using of the Dynamic Shear Rheometer is foreseen as a more suitable and sustainable means to evaluate binder blends containing an asphalt recycling agent. Compared with conventional testing, the proposed approach requires fewer materials while resulting in a faster experimental procedure with one single test

Recommendation of RILEM TC 264 RAP on the evaluation of asphalt recycling agents for hot mix asphalt

This recommendation is based on the results of an inter-laboratory study organised by the RILEM technical committee TC 264-RAP "Asphalt Pavement Recycling"—Task Group 3 (TG3) focusing on Asphalt Binder for Recycled Asphalt Mixture. The TG3 aimed to evaluate the effect of a specific family of materials known as asphalt recycling agent (ARA) on the aged binder under different configurations. Even though ageing is an irreversible phenomenon, effective ARA must have the capability to improve the flexibility of the bituminous materials and their resistance against cracking susceptibility with no adverse effect on the rutting resistance of pavements containing reclaimed asphalt. A total of 17 participating laboratories analysed the properties of binder blends composed of aged binder from reclaimed asphalt in three different contents (60, 80, 100%), ARA and virgin binder. The physical properties of the blends were thoroughly evaluated through traditional and rheological binder testing. This recommendation proposes to restore the original material properties at low and intermediate temperatures (i.e. cracking resistance) while balancing the high-temperature characteristics (i.e. rutting susceptibility) with durable impact throughout the progression of ageing phenomena. Therefore, useing of the Dynamic Shear Rheometer is foreseen as a more suitable and sustainable means to evaluate binder blends containing an asphalt recycling agent. Compared with conventional testing, the proposed approach requires fewer materials while resulting in a faster experimental procedure with one single test