High levels of bisphenol A in paper currencies from several countries, and implications for dermal exposure

The sources of human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) are not well characterized. Little is known about the presence of BPA in paper products, especially in paper currencies, and its implications for human exposure. In this work, paper currencies from 21 countries (N = 156) were analyzed for BPA, which was measured in 19 mm punches taken from three spots on the paper currencies. BPA was found in all paper currencies at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 82.7 μg/g (mean 4.94; median 1.02) and the concentrations in samples taken from the middle portion of the currencies were higher than those taken from peripheral portions. We also examined the transfer of BPA from thermal receipt paper to currencies by placing currencies in contact with thermal receipt papers for 24 h in a wallet. Concentrations of BPA dramatically increased after 24 h of contact with thermal receipt papers, suggesting that thermal receipt paper is an important source of BPA in paper currencies. The estimated daily intake of BPA through dermal absorption from handling paper currencies was on the order of a few nanograms per day.     

Analysis of perfluorinated acids at parts-per-quadrillion levels in seawater using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

Perfluorinated acids (PFAs) and their salts have emerged as an important class of global environmental contaminants. Determination of sub-parts-per-trillion or parts-per-quadrillion concentrations of perfluorinated acids in aqueous media has been impeded by relatively high background levels arising from procedural or instrumental blanks. To understand the role of the oceans in the transport and fate of perfluorinated acids, methods to determine ultratrace levels of these compounds in seawater are needed. In this study, sources of procedural and instrumental blank contamination by perfluorinated acids have been identified and eliminated, to reduce background levels in blanks and thereby improve limits of quantitation. The method developed in this study is capable of detecting perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHS), perfluorobutanesulfonate (PFBS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) at low pg/L levels in oceanic waters. PFOA is the major perfluorinated compound detected in oceanic waters, followed by PFOS. Further studies are being conducted to elucidate the distribution and fate of perfluorinated acids in oceans.     

Alkaline protease from Bacillus cereus VITSN04: Potential application as a dehairing agent

The objective of this work is to use protease enzyme as an ecofriendly alternative to chemicals in dehairing. An alkaline protease producing bacterium was isolated from protein-rich soil sample. The bacterium was identified as Bacillus cereus VITSN04 by 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. Growth characteristics and protease activity were studied in yeast, malt, beef, nutrient broth and soybean casein digest media and the enzyme secretion was found to correspond with growth. Maximum protease production was obtained in soybean casein digest medium at 16h with the activity of 200.1±0.68U/ml and a correlation coefficient of 0.965 between growth and enzyme production. The crude enzyme was found to have maximum activity at 30°C and pH 8.0. The protease was purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation, Sephadex G-50 and G-100 gel filtration chromatography. The purified protease was homogeneous on non-denaturing PAGE and its molecular weight was estimated to be 32kDa. The purified protease was of the serine type as it was inhibited by phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride. The crude enzyme preparation was found to be effective in dehairing goat skins in leather processing.     

Simulation of Agricultural Management Alternatives for Watershed Protection

The Bosque River Watershed in Texas is facing a suite of water quality issues including excess sediment, nutrient, and bacteria. The sources of the pollutants are improperly managed cropland and grazing land, dairy manure application, and effluent discharge from wastewater treatment facilities. Several best management practices (BMPs) have been proposed for pollution reduction and watershed protection. The overall objectives of this study were to demonstrate a modeling approach using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model to simulate various BMPs and assess their long-term impacts on sediment and nutrient loads at different spatial levels. The SWAT model was calibrated and validated for long-term annual and monthly flows at Valley Mills and for monthly sediment, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) at Hico and Valley Mills monitoring locations. The BMPs including streambank stabilization, gully plugs, recharge structures, conservation tillage, terraces, contour farming, manure incorporation, filter strips, and PL-566 reservoirs were simulated in the watershed areas that met the respective practice’s specific criteria for implementation. These BMPs were represented in the pre- and post-conditions by modifying one or more channel parameters (channel cover, erodibility, Manning’s n), curve number (CN), support practice factor (P-factor), filter strip width, and tillage parameters (mixing efficiency, mixing depth). The BMPs were simulated individually and the resulting Hydrologic Response Units (HRUs), subwatershed, and watershed level impacts were quantified for each BMP. Sensitivity of model output values to input parameters used to represent the BMPs was also evaluated. Implementing individual BMPs reduced sediment loads from 3% to 37% and TN loads from 1% to 24% at the watershed outlet; however, the changes in TP loads ranged from 3% increase to 30% decrease. Higher reductions were simulated at the subwatershed and HRU levels. Among the parameters analyzed for sensitivity, P-factor and CN were most sensitive followed by Manning’s n. The TN and TP outputs were not sensitive to channel cover. This study showed that the SWAT modeling approach could be used to simulate and assess the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices.     

Fault Modeling and Multi-Tone Dither Scheme for Testing 3D TSV Defects

This paper provides a new test technique for detecting defects in Through Silicon Via (TSV) in 3-D ICs and presents a substrate-dependent equivalent electrical model for TSVs. Process-related defects that affect the functional electrical performance of the TSV are identified, and fault models are developed for each individual defect. The fault models are integrated into the equivalent electrical model of the TSV for testing. Our test technique uses an RF carrier signal modulated with a multi-tone signal with added Gaussian white noise to synthesize the test stimulus; the peak-to-average ratio is measured as output response. We find a significant difference in peak-to-average ratio between defect-free and defective TSVs. Our test technique is very sensitive to small defects in these nanostructures, thereby identifying the defects with high accuracy.     

Association between perfluorinated compounds and pathological conditions in southern sea otters

Concentrations of four perfluorinated contaminants, including perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), were measured in liver tissue from 80 adult female sea otters collected from the California coast during 1992-2002. Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were in the ranges of <1-884 and <5-147 ng/g, wet wt, respectively. Concentrations of PFOA in the livers of these sea otters were among the highest values reported for marine mammals to date. Liver tissue from 6 male sea otters also was analyzed and contained significantly higher concentrations of PFOS than did tissues from female otters. To examine the association between exposures and potential effects, concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were compared among the adult female otters that died from infectious diseases, noninfectious causes, and from apparent emaciation. Concentrations of both PFOA and PFOS were significantly higher in sea otters in the infectious disease category than in the noninfectious category. Concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were not significantly different between noninfectious and emaciated otters, suggesting that the poor nutritive (body) status of emaciated otters did not affectthe concentrations of perfluorochemicals in livers. Concentrations of PFOA increased significantly from 1992 to 2002, whereas PFOS concentrations increased from 1992to 1998 and then decreased after 2000. Significant association between infectious diseases and elevated concentrations of PFOS/PFOA in the livers of sea otters is a cause for concern and suggests the need for further studies.     

High-field electron transport in semiconducting zigzag carbon nanotubes

Electron transport in semiconducting zigzag carbon nanotubes is studied by solving the Boltzmann transport equation using the single-particle Monte Carlo technique. The electronic band structure is based on a standard nearest-neighbour tight-binding parameterization, and the phonon spectrum is calculated using a fourth nearest-neighbour force constant model. The electron-phonon scattering probabilities are calculated within a tight-binding formalism. The steady-state drift velocities for the semiconducting zigzag nanotubes (8, 0), (10, 0), (11, 0), (13, 0), and (25, 0) are computed as functions of electric field strength and temperature, and the results are analysed here. The results show the presence of negative differential resistance at high electric fields for some of the nanotubes. The drift velocity and the low-field mobility reach a maximum value of ? 4.67 × 10? cm s?1 and? 4 × 10? cm2 V?1 s?1, respectively, for a (25, 0) nanotube.     

Covid-19 Forecasting with Deep Learning-based Half-binomial Distribution Cat Swarm Optimization

About 170 nations have been affected by the COvid VIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) epidemic. On governing bodies across the globe, a lot of stress is created by COVID-19 as there is a continuous rise in patient count testing positive, and they feel challenging to tackle this situation. Most researchers concentrate on COVID-19 data analysis using the machine learning paradigm in these situations. In the previous works, Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) was used to predict future COVID-19 cases. According to LSTM network data, the outbreak is expected to finish by June 2020. However, there is a chance of an over-fitting problem in LSTM and true positive; it may not produce the required results. The COVID-19 dataset has lower accuracy and a higher error rate in the existing system. The proposed method has been introduced to overcome the above-mentioned issues. For COVID-19 prediction, a Linear Decreasing Inertia Weight-based Cat Swarm Optimization with Half Binomial Distribution based Convolutional Neural Network (LDIWCSO-HBDCNN) approach is presented. In this suggested research study, the COVID-19 predicting dataset is employed as an input, and the min-max normalization approach is employed to normalize it. Optimum features are selected using Linear Decreasing Inertia Weight-based Cat Swarm Optimization (LDIWCSO) algorithm, enhancing the accuracy of classification. The Cat Swarm Optimization (CSO) algorithm’s convergence is enhanced using inertia weight in the LDIWCSO algorithm. It is used to select the essential features using the best fitness function values. For a specified time across India, death and confirmed cases are predicted using the Half Binomial Distribution based Convolutional Neural Network (HBDCNN) technique based on selected features. As demonstrated by empirical observations, the proposed system produces significant performance in terms of f-measure, recall, precision, and accuracy.     

Effect of Volumetric Energy Density on Microstructure and Properties of Grade 300 Maraging Steel Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - This study investigated the effect of laser powder bed fusion process parameters on the microstructure and properties of maraging steel. The results...