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This paper examines the feasibility of extracting cellulose from tissue paper wastes (TPW's) using several methods: sonication (SC), subcritical (SU), microwave (MC), and microwave with diluted acid (MA). The chemical characterisation and morphological properties of nanocrystal cellulose were investigated using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-Ray analysis (SEM-EDX). TPW's have a relatively high crystallinity index (CrI = 61.02%). It was found to be lower than that for cellulose extracted using SU and SC MC, MA methods, where CrI to 65.65%, 68.07%, 69.21% and 73.42%, respectively. The MA method yielded cellulose with the highest CrI and altered surface morphology. This cellulose was selected for cellulose acetate synthesis. After acetylation, the CrI decreased to 61.45%, and the morphological aspect was changed. In conclusion, nanocrystal cellulose was successfully extracted from TPW's and effectively changed to its esterified form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses a practical problem within a multi-level supply chain where a wide range of customers can be served through different strategies such as make-to-stock, make-to-order, or vendor-managed inventory. The customer demand is stochastic, and sensitive to pricing associated with different production-inventory strategies. We propose a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer non-linear programming model. In the first stage, decisions are made regarding the selection of production-inventory strategies and pricing to maximise the expected profit. The second stage involves decisions related to production, inventory, and distribution, which are used to evaluate the first-stage decisions under various scenarios with different levels of accuracy. To solve the model, a metaheuristic approach based on the Simulated Annealing algorithm is developed. To showcase the practical applicability of our model and solution approach, we use a real case study in a Canadian pulp and paper supply chain. The results revealed that both the production-inventory strategy assigned to customers and the sales price underwent changes across scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrated that by implementing the SA algorithm, we could improve the initial profit by up to 1.43% through slight adjustments in the sales price and assigned strategies for customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conference proceedings are valuable sources for research, providing insights into individual or organisational projects. Australian library and information services (LIS) professionals have the opportunity to contribute to a robust conference culture, including the biennial library technology VALA conference. Practice-driven conferences can offer interpretations of LIS practitioner experiences, however, there is limited research focusing on Australian LIS conference proceedings. The VALA conference papers offer a unique record of technology's impact, influence, and implementation in Australian LIS organisations over the last forty years. This article will outline the objective and methodology of an ongoing research project undertaking historical analysis of VALA conference papers. The research project seeks to examine key themes, theories, and tools discussed in VALA conference papers and will attempt to identify if evolving technology influences the practices and attitudes of Australian LIS practitioners. The article will identify the research methods and the content analysis techniques that will be used in the project, and present preliminary results from a pilot study presented at the 2023 RAILS conference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the American Institute for Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The addition of calcium carbonate to cigarette paper can enhance its combustion performance and apparent properties. However, it does come at the cost of reduced paper strength. In this study, a flexible calcium carbonate (FCC) was developed through the in-situ formation of calcium carbonate on nanocellulose surfaces. The incorporation of FCC into cigarette paper offered the potential to improve filler retention and combustion performance while maintaining high paper strength. The results of the study demonstrated that when compared to the addition of 30% precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), the filler retention rate in cigarette paper increased by 31.5% when 30% FCC was used. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that only a minimal number of inorganic particles were observed between the fibers in the FCC-containing paper, indicating appropriate air permeability and fiber-fiber bond strength. Furthermore, when compared to PCC-containing paper, the FCC-containing paper exhibited an 8.8% increase in tensile strength and a 7.5% increase in folding resistance. Additionally, thermogravimetric analysis of the cigarette paper revealed that the incorporation of flexible calcium carbonate effectively lowered the thermal decomposition temperature, leading to a 10.3% increase in the combustion rate of FCC-containing paper. The inclusion of FCC into paper fibers has the potential to enhance air permeability and regulate cigarette burning performance. Consequently, the FCC developed in this study holds promise as a substitute for traditional calcium carbonate fillers in cigarette paper applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For many centuries, paper is the main material for recording cultural achievements all over the world. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy is an essential analytical tool for the structural analysis of paper and pulp chemistry. This review article introduced recent technical and scientific reports in terms of IR spectroscopy in the paper science and application, where interest had increased during the last couple decades (2000–2022). Five parts were described according to the application of IR spectroscopy: the analysis of cellulose and its derivatives, estimation the date of documents, identification the origins of fiber or paper, specification the chemical and physical properties of paper, and characterization the new materials of paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the impact of sales promotions that are featured in store flyers distributed by prominent retailers and their capacity to attract consumers to their establishments. A distinctive conceptual framework is introduced that scrutinizes the influence of ethically-minded consumer behavior, digital citizenship/literacy, and a retailer's orientation toward environmental sustainability and explicit ecological concerns. A quasi-experimental design was used to formulate four distinct scenarios from a possible set of eight, stemming from the combinations of three variables: 2 Retailer Positioning (green vs. without explicit ecological claims) × 2 Flyer Mediums (paper vs. digital) × 2 Discount Levels (5% discount vs. 30% discount). Through an online survey, a sample of 269 responses was garnered to gauge consumer reactions to these store flyers, evaluating their attitudes and receptiveness. The findings suggest that attitudes toward paper flyers were more favorable when presented by non-green retailers compared to their green counterparts. This can be attributed to a perceived inconsistency between a green brand positioning and the use of paper flyers. Furthermore, the propensity to transition to digital flyers was notably stronger for green retailers compared to non-green retailers, but this inclination was most pronounced when higher discounts were offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studies in Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper pulp tank in Valkeakoski, Finland, collapsed on 27 March 1996. The volume and height of the steel tank was 6000 m3 and 35.5 m, respectively. The collapse occurred during test filling with water. During the test filling it was noticed that the tank was tilting. The time from first observation to final collapse was around 12 min. The tank collapsed onto a building next to it, causing the death of one person. During the collapse there was approximately 5000 m3 of water inside the paper pulp tank. The ambient temperature was −20°C during the collapse. The Safety Investigation Authority started an investigation because the incident was a major accident and there was loss of human life. Several reasons for the collapse were discovered. In addition, several recommendations were made for construction in general. This article presents a case study and details based on material that has already been published, but it also includes a structural analysis made in the study. The goal was to clarify the main reasons and form them into a timeline of the collapse. Also, lessons learnt are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stanley Kubrick's project on the Holocaust, Aryan Papers, was dear to his heart. He worked on it for a long time, but he could not, in the end, bring himself to complete the planned film. This article canvasses some of the reasons other scholars have supplied for this film remaining unmade, including the notion that the Holocaust is unrepresentable. However, it points to a novel explanation. I argue that Kubrick's plot modifications, particularly to the conclusion, doomed the project. Specifically, Kubrick has a Jewish woman take revenge for war-time atrocities. Discussing revenge in relation to the Holocaust has until recently been as impious as representing the Holocaust itself. Jewish revenge was unfashionable in Holocaust films of all kinds when Kubrick was working on Aryan Papers in the early 1990s. Kubrick's planned film was generically ahead of its times. The vengeful Jewish woman had to wait for Inglourious Basterds in 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article asks why Stanley Kubrick's longstanding wish to direct the film version of Louis Begley's 1991 novel Wartime Lies never came to fruition. In Begley's novel, the protagonist Maciek recounts the experience of living in hiding under a false identity in Nazi-occupied Poland. Kubrick drafted a series of quite different plotlines and conclusions for the film version, to be called Aryan Papers, in which Maciek's aunt Tania takes a highly dramatic role in their destiny. The more Kubrick changed Aryan Papers, in response to the pressure of Hollywood expectations and the cultural valorization of active Holocaust resistance, the less it resembled the very work he had chosen to adapt. This impasse shows why the director could not ultimately bring Aryan Papers to the screen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This editorial introduces the special issue "The Interplay Between Artificial Intelligence, Production Systems, and Operations Management Resilience.' We selected twelve papers, encompassing many angles that illuminate the advances and challenges dealing with artificial intelligence tools and approaches in the production systems and operations management resilience domains. This editorial presents the papers with a smart view, highlighting the essentials of each article, such as full paper title, background, theory/literature scope, methodology design/analysis approach, and the main findings/contributions. Finally, the conclusions, future pathways, and research directions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry has significant sustainability implications and necessarily requires a careful consideration of direct and lower-tier suppliers for effective sustainable supply chain management. This paper utilized an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews of experts in the Chinese pulp and paper industry to unearth the factors that highly influence multi-tier supply chain sustainability. A Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) and Human-Organizational-Technological (HOT-fit) based theoretical framework was employed to classify the identified factors. Then, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based methodology was applied to determine the relative importance of the factors. A comparison analysis of the relative importance of the factors as determined by the experts in the focal companies, Tier-1 suppliers and Tier-2 suppliers of the Chinese pulp and paper industry is presented. The results show that institutional and technological factors are most critical to actualizing multi-tier supply chain sustainability. Thus, the study outcomes present relevant theoretical and practical implications for the managers and practitioners in the pulp and paper industry on how to facilitate multi-tier supply chain sustainability for increased competitiveness. Furthermore, this study provides guidelines for other industries as well and sets the stage for subsequent theorization and exploration of multi-tier supply chain sustainability for expected performance gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Xuan paper is one of the most famous handmade papers in China and is an important paper for conservation. However, the evenness of Xuan paper has not yet received much attention. In this study, the distribution of the in-plane grammage and mechanical properties of Xuan paper are measured. It is found that the distribution of the in-plane grammage and mechanical properties of Xuan paper is uneven. In the handmade direction, the grammage and mechanical properties of Xuan paper are overall largest in the lower area, followed by the upper and middle areas. The sheet forming process of Xuan paper has an important effect on the distribution of in-plane grammage, mechanical properties, and fiber orientation of Xuan paper. The folded state has a negative effect on the mechanical properties of the folded area of Xuan paper. This study will help raise awareness of the unevenness in physical properties of Xuan paper, which is important in both conservation and research applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose was isolated from recycled pulp and paper sludge and used to synthesize cellulose nanocrystals. Response surface methodology and Box-Behnken design model were used to predict, improve, and optimize the cellulose isolation process. The optimal conditions were a reaction temperature of 87.5 °C, 180 min with 4% sodium hydroxide. SEM and TEM results revealed that the isolated cellulose had long rod-like structures of different dimensions than CNCs with short rod-like structures. The crystallinity index from XRD significantly increased from 41.33%, 63.7%, and 75.6% for Kimberly mill pulp sludge (KMRPPS), chemically purified cellulose and cellulose nanocrystals, respectively. The TGA/DTG analysis showed that the isolated cellulosic materials possessed higher thermal stability. FTIR analysis suggested that the chemical structures of cellulose and CNCs were modified by chemical treatment. The cellulose surface was highly hydrophilic compared to the CNCs based on the high water holding capacity of 65.31 ± 0.98% and 83.14 ± 1.22%, respectively. The synthesized cellulosic materials portrayed excellent properties for high-end industrial applications like biomedical engineering, advanced materials, nanotechnology, sustainable packaging, personal care products, environmental remediation, additive manufacturing, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the early Cold War, it was difficult for American intelligence to penetrate the Iron Curtain but a potential solution soon arose: émigré intelligence groups such as the Magyar Harcosok Bajtársi Közössége (MHBK) or 'Association of Hungarian Veterans'. This group, however, turned out to be an intelligence 'paper mill'. Attempts at trans-Atlantic cooperation with the MHBK and similar groups failed as they lost most of their good sources and were penetrated by communist security services. By the mid-1950s, US intelligence cut these groups off, took over their good sources, and established a source registry to prevent recurrence of the problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complex mixture of pollutants found in industrial effluents creates a significant environmental challenge. Enzymatic treatment offers a promising alternative to traditional physiochemical techniques. With an emphasis on laccase enzymes, this review examines the potential of both free and immobilized biocatalysts for the treatment of industrial wastewater, especially from pulp and paper mills. Laccase has become one of the most popular options for bioremediation because of its broad substrate specificity and capacity to break down different kinds of organic pollutants. The different methods of laccase immobilization, including adsorption, encapsulation and cross-linking are examined, exploring their advantages and limitations. The benefits of immobilization for enzyme stability, reusability and operational efficiency in wastewater treatment processes are further discussed. By comparing the advantages and limitations of free and immobilized biocatalysts, this review aims to provide valuable insights for the development of efficient and sustainable enzymatic strategies for industrial wastewater treatment. Furthermore, this paper offers future possibilities for using biocatalyst in pulp and paper waste treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry stands out as an example of a technology based on a renewable resource, cellulose. The sludge, however, poses major environmental and public health problems. To effectively manage the sludge wastes, it is critical to fully evaluate its composition, possible environmental impacts, and the total amount of exploitable renewable resources. The study established the pH of the sludge to be 7.32 ± 0.98, an electrical conductivity (1.84 mS/cm), nitrogen concentration (2.65 ± 0.21%), and total organic matter (41.23 ± 3.11%). The cellulosic content was established to be 74.07 ± 2.71% which contributes to 53.07 ± 1.23% water holding capacity (WHC). The most abundant elements were C and O, followed by Cl, Si, Al, and Mg, with lower concentrations of S, Si, K, and iron. The polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) levels ranged from 0.29 to 322.56 ng.g-1 with 1-methyl pyrene posting the highest concentration (322.56 ng.g-1. XRD peaks at 17.10°, 23.86°, 30.14°, and 36.57°, which imply the existence of CaCO3. SEM indicated that the sludge was majorly comprised of fibers materials with average particle sizes of 280 micrometers. TGA/DTG analysis showed that the sludge had the greatest cellulose and hemicellulose (64.7 wt. %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study aimed to investigate 12-month and 7-day prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among workers of the pulp and paper industry, and assess the contribution of age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA). Methods. The sample comprised 904 workers. Musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed using the Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire. χ2 tests assessed the association between musculoskeletal symptoms and age/gender/BMI/PA, and multivariate logistic regression models predicted the 12-month occurrence of symptoms in the five most prevalent regions. Results. The five most affected body regions were the lower back, shoulders, neck, knees and wrists/hands. Older workers presented more symptoms in all body regions, except dorsal; female gender was associated with neck symptoms (p = 0.001); overweight was associated with a higher prevalence of lower back (p = 0.01), knee (p = 0.017) and ankle/foot (p = 0.037) symptoms; and a moderate PA level was associated with thigh/hip symptoms (p = 0.006). Age was a significant predictor in all five most affected regions; gender was a significant predictor for shoulders, neck and wrists/hands; and BMI was a significant predictor for lower back symptoms. Conclusion. The 12-month and 7-day prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms among workers of the pulp and paper industry is higher in the lower back, shoulders, neck, knees and wrists/hands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ink-paper historical documents, which are an important part of cultural heritage, can be damaged by various materials on the outside and the inside of the paper. Cotton fiber sheets treated with iron gall ink and then treated with stabilization materials were studied. Nanosized Mg(OH)2 was used as a deacidification material and potassium bromide, tetrabutylammonium bromide, or propyl gallate as antioxidant materials were investigated as a stabilization system for iron gall ink-damaged paper. All samples were artificially aged in the air for 150 h at 65 °C in a UV/moisture chamber or 500 h at 90 °C. The pH and alkaline reserve (AR) measurements, monitoring of color change, and scanning electron microscopy analysis data confirm that the aging effect is more destructive to the iron gall inked paper. The experiment results show that using alkaline materials with antioxidants, such as nano-Mg(OH)2 and propyl gallate, positively affects color changes of ink-damaged paper. Treatment with a stabilization system such as nanosized Mg(OH)2, a binder hydroxypropyl cellulose (Klucel), and an antioxidant as propyl gallate is a suitable method for iron gall ink damaged paper stabilization and preservation, according to the study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical oxygen demand (COD) emissions from the pulp and paper industry in China have declined continuously since the tighter COD discharge standards were implemented in 2008. Using firm-level data from 2003 to 2013, we investigate how China's pulp and paper firms would respond to the tighter COD discharge standards with a difference-in-differences design. We find that the tighter COD discharge standards have significant causal effects to induce the pulp and paper firms to reduce their COD emissions primarily through adopting cleaner production. However, the effectiveness of the tighter COD discharge standards depends on monitoring and enforcement activities as well as other regulations accompanying with the tighter COD discharge standards, all of which have become strengthened since China's 11th Five-Year-Plan (FYP, 2006–2010). While strengthened environmental regulations since the 11th FYP are from the top leadership of the Chinese government in order to deal with the increasing environmental degradation, the underlying driving force of the strengthened environmental regulations is from the household demand for better environmental quality as income increases. This study enriches literature not only on firms' responses to environmental regulations in developing countries but also on environmental regulations and technology adoption as well as environmental enforcement and compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a smartphone-assisted detection integrated with paper-based analytical device (PAD) functionalised with green emissive carbon dot (g-CDs) has been designed for on-site selective detection of Fe3+ ions. g-CDs have been prepared by one-step hydrothermal process using 4-aminophenol and ethylenediamine (EDA) as precursors. g-CDs were highly stable for more than three months in aqueous solution with a strong green emission, λem at 513 nm and 30.33% as a fluorescence quantum yield. Interestingly, Fe3+ selectively quenched the fluorescence intensity of the g-CDs and the quenching mechanism can be attributed to static quenching. Furthermore, under the optimal conditions, using conventional fluorimetry, the g-CDs could detect Fe3+ ions with a linear relationship from 0 to 90 μM (R2 = 0.9970) and the limit of detection was 0.35 μM. Visual mode integrated with smartphone detection on PAD was successfully prepared after loading g-CDs on the paper. The fluorescent colour variations of g-CDs on PAD were monitored under the UV lamp using smartphone for capturing images. The green channel intensities of images of the circle zones were processed using Colour Grab App for the RGB analysis. A linear working range was obtained from 0 to 0.8 mM, and the limit of detection was 0.05 mM. The PAD was used successfully for the detection of Fe3+ ions in human serum with a recovery from 87.93% to 96.86%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The peroxidase-like properties of a graphene oxide/platinum-cobalt nanocomposite and the rapid color development mechanism of 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) through the decomposition of ·OH from H2O2 were utilized to prepare a nonlabelled, simple, and sensitive paper-based colorimetric sensor. This sensor allows visualization of the results and instantaneous detection, enabling quantitative measurement of H2O2. The graphene oxide/platinum cobalt composite was synthesized using a two-step procedure. Its properties were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The composite was subsequently transferred onto a paper substrate to create the colorimetric sensor. The optimal catalytic conditions were a composite concentration of 201.17 µg/mL, a color development time of 3 min, a TMB concentration of 2 mmol·L−1, and a pH of 4. Using the optimal conditions, the paper-based colorimetric sensor has a linear range for H2O2 from 1.0 × 10−5 to 0.1 mol·L−1, with a limit of detection of 1.0 × 10−6 mol·L−1 which is comparable or better than comparable methods. This paper-based colorimetric sensor has potential applications for the rapid determination of hydrogen peroxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMost manufacturing processes for materials from cellulose-based materials deal with huge amounts of water, the interactions of water within the raw material (cellulose) both enable exciting properties as well as limit the rates of production. In the production of tissue paper materials, water content in the pulp is as high as 99.8% when fed into the paper machine, and almost all this water must be removed efficiently and fast. This work presents Novel, easy-to-use, numerical models for predictions of the dewatering of tissue in high vacuum suction boxes and through air drying (TAD) molding. The numerical models were based on and compared with previously published experimental results of vacuum dewatering from laboratory equipment and validated against four separate pilot paper machine trials. The purpose of this study was to establish an accurate, easy-to-use numerical model varying fiber- and machine parameters used in tissue manufacturing to enable the evaluation of new materials and dewatering strategies for energy efficiency investigations. The results indicate that the developed dewatering model could predict the dewatering behavior for both conventional vacuum dewatering and TAD molding using the same set of fitting parameters. The method of developing the numerical models presented can be used for machine optimization and energy efficiency improvements of vacuum dewatering elements in papermaking processes in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer programming is essential nowadays but still challenging to learn due to its invisible thinking. Current programming environments are mostly designed for operating on computers directly to learn concrete programming, but this approach lacks the support for clarifying learners' thinking processes. On the other hand, using paper and pens shows usability in developing creative thinking, but it cannot help verify learners' thinking results due to its nature. To benefit from both paper and computers, we developed an interactive programming learning environment consisting of a paper board game, a computer system, and a digitalization mechanism. Learners can use the learning environment to draw down their thinking results and verify them by comparing them with the evaluation on the computer system immediately. Two experiments were conducted to compare this learning environment with paper board games and computer programming environments, respectively. The experimental results show that the subjects who learn in our environment can learn to program better than those who learn with the other two. The proposed environment is easy to prepare for learners in a classroom as their first step to programming learning. It can help learners cross over from paper board games for computational thinking to computer programming environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiophene sulfide is difficult to be removed by hydrodesulfurization. In this study, ZnCl2-waste paper fiber activated carbon was used as adsorbent to remove thiophene sulfide from simulated oil by hydrothermal modification. Under the optimum condition of ammonia modification, the adsorption capacity of modified adsorbent to BT is 14.8 mg S/g, 2.98 times that of unmodified. BET, FTIR and Boehm analysis showed that the mesopore volume of ammonia modified adsorbent increased by 96.62% and the mesopore ratio increased from 12.58% to 43.40%, which was conducive to improving the adsorption rate. After modification, the basic groups on the surface of the adsorbent increased by 44.3 times, and –NH3+, –OH and –NH2 enhanced the electron attraction and hydrogen bonding force between the adsorbent and BT molecule. Adsorption isotherms, adsorption kinetics and adsorption thermodynamics show that the adsorption process is spontaneous, entropic and exothermic. The pseudo-second-order kinetic rate constant increases with the increase of adsorption temperature, indicating that the increase of temperature is beneficial to accelerate the adsorption rate. The adsorption desulfurization process follows the mechanism of single and multilayer adsorption mixing. The results of this study can help to reveal more clearly that biobased activated carbon can be modified to adsorb thiophene sulfide. Ammonia modified adsorbents enhance the adsorption capacity for benzothiophene [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-impregnated filter paper (Fe-Pi) was evaluated as phosphorus (P) extractant in four soils of Ogun state, southwest Nigeria in a screenhouse experiment. The experiments lasted for 8 weeks. Soil P contents were extracted at 0, 4, and 8 weeks after the incorporation of amendments (cattle manure, poultry manure, and wood ash) using Fe-Pi, Bray-1, Bray-2, Mehlich-1, Hunter, and Olsen extractant. Agronomic variables were taken fortnightly from grown maize plants and later harvested at 8 weeks, residual effects of the treatments were also evaluated. Maize dry matter weight (DMW) and P uptake were also measured. Results indicated that a linear relationship existed among the extractants with significant coefficient at p ≤.001. Fe-Pi established a strong relationship with the conventional extractants in the following order: Bray-1 (R2 = 0.99) > Bray-2 (R2 = 0.98) > Hunter (R2 = 0.96) > Mehlich-1 (R2 = 0.86) > Olsen (R2 = 0.82). Fe-Pi had a significant relationship with P uptake and DMW. Phosphorus uptakes under the animal manure amendments were statistically higher than uptake in control and woodash amended soils. Therefore, the study concluded that Fe-Pi was a good predictor of plant available P and had significant relationship with Bray-1, thus it could be considered for the estimation of soil available P in soils of southwest Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the Institute of Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Lead pollution may cause serious damage to environment safety and human health, especially to children's growth. In this work, by using double stranded DNA (dsDNA) as the recognition element, a simple and effective electrochemical DNA sensor has been developed on a full carbon-based substrate, reduced graphene oxide/carbon paper (rGO/CP), to accomplish the rapid, sensitive and selective determination of Pb2+. Carbon paper (CP) provides a suitable substrate for the sensor with high portability and low cost, while rGO is easily electrodeposited onto CP and serves as both the signal amplification element and the molecular bridge between DNA and CP. Because of its high specific surface area and unique conjugated giant π structure, rGO tightly binds with DNA through π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions, thereby providing loading of high quantities of DNA. The specific coordination between DNA and Pb2+ further improves the sensitivity of the sensor. The results demonstrate that rapid electrochemical enrichment of Pb2+ is achieved using the constructed CP/rGO/DNA electrode with a linear relationship between the peak current and the concentration of Pb2+ from 1 pM to 100 pM and a detection limit of 1 pM. In addition, this approach shows good selectivity and satisfactory repeatability for river water analysis. A promising sensitive, low-cost, simply-fabricated, and portable full carbon-based electrochemical biosensing platform has been therefore provided for lead determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractResearchers face the challenge of efficiently navigating vast scientific literature while valuing printed papers in the digital age. Printed materials facilitate deeper engagement and comprehension, leading to active reading engagement and enhanced retention. However, existing digital tools often need to pay more attention to the needs of researchers who value the tactile benefits of printed documents. In response to this gap, we introduce AR-PaperSync, a solution that leverages Augmented Reality (AR) and cross-device interaction technology. AR-PaperSync integrates the physical experience of printed papers with the interactive capabilities of digital tools. Researchers can navigate inline citations, manage saved references, and synchronize reading notes across mobile, desktop, and printed paper formats. Our user-centric approach, informed by in-depth interviews with six researchers, ensures that AR-PaperSync is tailored to its target users’ needs. A comprehensive user study involving 28 participants evaluated AR-PaperSync’s significantly enhanced efficiency, accuracy, and system usability and reduced cognitive load in academic reading tasks compared to conventional methods. These findings suggest that AR-PaperSync enhances the reading experience of printed scientific papers and provides a seamless integration of physical and digital reading environments for researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production planning and scheduling in the pulp and paper industry can be very challenging. In most cases, practitioners address the production planning process manually, which is time-consuming and sub-optimal. This study deals with production planning encountered in a pulp mill company involving different wood species, parallel heterogeneous lines, inventory limits, sequence-independent setup times and preventive maintenance. To tackle the problem, an efficient mixed-integer formulation is proposed that optimizes when, where and how much to produce of different wood species and schedules preventive maintenance to minimize the total setup times. Several computational experiments are conducted to solve a case study in a pulp mill company in Chile. The results show the capability of the model to support the decision-making process in the pulp and paper industry, providing an efficient tool for practitioners to solve the problem in a reasonable amount of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces a flexible and easy-to-implement open-ended scientific inquiry activity called the Paper Towels Challenge. After experimentally determining which of three unbranded paper towels is the most absorbent, students discuss their results and methods. The teacher facilitates the discussion of epistemological issues. This activity can be used regardless of the participants' age or country to promote science understanding, NGSS science and engineering practices, and twenty-first century skills, such as critical thinking and communication. The many uses, benefits, and possible adaptations of the activity are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we describe a simple strategy for the preparation of a low-cost electrode material based on polypyrrole (PPy) film grown on an insulating cellulosic paper substrate via in-situ oxidative polymerisation technique and functionalised by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) uniformly dispersed on its surface. The properties of the obtained AgNPs-PPy composites were characterised using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The electrocatalytic activity of the prepared electrode was investigated for the electroreduction of nitrate using cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 M KOH solution. Results demonstrated that the incorporation of AgNPs into the PPy matrix improves significantly the catalytic behaviour of this film. The effect on the electrode response of the amount of the incorporated AgNPs was also investigated. This paper highlights a simple procedure for the making of low-cost paper electrodes for the efficient reduction of nitrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundObjectiveMethodsFindingsConclusionsImpact statementPlain English SummaryThe Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care ‘National Standards’ require general hospitals to have systems for clinicians to recognise and respond to patients’ deteriorating mental state. The lack of an evidence-based operational definition and clear guidance challenges this requirement.To review governance mechanisms and assessment processes for deteriorating mental state in a metropolitan general hospital and propose an organisational framework.A qualitative document analysis using the READ approach systematically reviewed hospital committee reports, health district policies, and training programs to identify and synthesise key assessment points and processes.The study mapped assessment points for recognising and responding to deteriorating mental state across patient journey stages. An organisational systems infographic provides a blueprint for meeting National Standards accreditation criteria.Hospitals should establish comprehensive systems to observe, monitor, assess, and refer individuals with deteriorating mental state, involving multiple governance processes and frameworks.Our paper maps governance and assessment processes to enhance deteriorating mental state recognition in general hospitals, aligning with National Standards.General Hospital staff often need to recognise and respond to patients whose mental health is getting worse. This problem is serious because a worsening mental state can lead to harmful behaviours, such as self-harm or violence, and can result in poor healthcare experiences for patients. Our paper aimed to find ways to help hospital staff better identify and manage these situations. We looked at the systems and processes currently in place in hospitals to see how they could be used to meet national healthcare standards for mental health care. We created a detailed plan that hospitals can follow to improve their mental health responses. This plan includes steps for governance, assessment, and clinical pathways, ensuring that all parts of the hospital system work together to support patients with deteriorating mental states. Our findings suggest that using existing hospital processes, rather than creating new tools, can help staff more effectively recognise and respond to mental health issues. This approach not only meets accreditation requirements but also enhances patient safety and care quality. This paper provides valuable insights for healthcare practitioners and policymakers, showing that with the right systems in place, general hospitals can better manage mental health care, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the hyper fixation on papers in producing citizens or proving citizenship, arguing that not papers but the agglomeration of legal, bureaucratic and social processes produce citizenship in Assam's Foreigners' Tribunals (FTs). Based on ethnographic fieldwork with members (presiding over cases), lawyers, border police officials and victims of citizenship examination processes, this paper shows that citizenship cannot be easily proved or disproved based on the possession or absence of papers, as the 'truth' about one's citizenship is produced equally outside these courts. One's citizenship status inside the court depends on a series of procedural, documentary and certificatory correlations accompanied by social performances (testimonies from family and community members). This is contingent on the truth produced outside through the suspicion of being a 'foreigner', easily cast in terms of one's physical appearance, social class, religion and language. Community structures outside courts also enable certain groups to be documented easily, aiding the production of the legal truth required inside for establishing citizenship status. Therefore, the way suspicion is informed and legal technicalities are deployed to generate information and knowledge along with the role of family and community social networks all contribute towards establishing one as a citizen or a 'foreigner'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractGraphene quantum dots (GQDs) were used for surface modification of a screen-printed paper electrode (SPPE) for the development of a mobile phone-integrated immunosensor for the detection of scrub typhus. GQDs were synthesized from a 1.8% starch solution via a hydrothermal method and characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering. Furthermore, anti-56 kDa type specific antigen (TSA) antibodies were used for immobilization on the GQD-modified SPPE working electrode using EDC/NHS (N-ethyl-N′-(3-(dimethylamino)propyl)carbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide) (1:1) chemistry. The TSA antigen was used at different concentrations to interact with specific antibodies, and the response was recorded via cyclic voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy using potassium ferricyanide K4[Fe(CN)6]− as a redox indicator. The developed immunosensor showed an excellent sensitivity of 17.40 µA cm−2 ng−1 and a limit of detection of 0.399 ng µL−1. The developed immunohybrid sensor is a novel mobile phone-integrated, highly specific and stable platform for Orientia tsutsugamushi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has documented that students' reading comprehension performance in learning English as a foreign language (EFL) differs greatly between mobile-assisted and paper-based reading. The present study extends previous work by investigating whether reading cognitive load differs between mobile-assisted and paper-based EFL reading processes and exploring whether cognitive load mediates the relationship between reading medium and EFL reading comprehension performance. The instruments used are reading comprehension tests and questionnaire surveys administered to a sample of 191 first-year college students. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicates that cognitive load is significantly greater for mobile-assisted EFL reading than for paper-based EFL reading. In addition, structural equation modeling analyses indicate that cognitive load fully mediates the relationships between medium and reading comprehension performance; these mediation effects are independent of the level of English language proficiency. These results imply that cognitive load is a pivotal factor influencing students' reading comprehension across media. Reasons for differences in reading cognitive load and its role as a mediator are discussed. Recommendations for promoting students' reading experience on mobile phones are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an earlier publication (Van Wee & Banister, 2016), we explained that literature review papers (LRP) should explicitly report on the search and selection process of documents included. In this paper, we present two approaches for reporting the methodology for doing this: a basic approach and a reasoned approach. The basic approach includes reporting databases(s), keywords, search strings, snowballing, the selection of documents, presenting an overview of documents included and reporting additional selection criteria (if applicable). The reasoned approach adds to the basic approach (what was done) by explicitly explaining the motivation for choices and showing the selection process graphically (why it was done). The two approaches should be seen as options, and not the only alternatives. We recommend that authors of LRPs depart from these approaches and modify them where appropriate. The important lesson is that authors should be explicit about the approach adopted, as this enables the reader to understand the thinking behind the LRP and the conclusions drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary heat transfer source in the conventional multi-cylinder drying of paper and board is conduction. Conduction is facilitated by high-tension contact with steam-heated cylinders, while convective drying, the main mass transfer source, operates as heated air flows over the article web in the pockets. This conduction process occurs at elevated temperatures and contact pressures to ensure effective contact between the wet paper web and the heated cylinders. The contact pressures and temperatures of the hot surface significantly influence the conductive drying characteristics. This research paper presents an experimental study that involves designing a simple lab-scale setup with in-situ and continuous sensing capabilities for various commercially available grades of paper and board. Embedded thermocouples measure the temperatures of the heated platen and the sheet, allowing the collection of flux data to determine heat transfer characteristics. The goal of this study is to ascertain the instantaneous contact coefficients for different basis weights as a function of moisture content. The acquired data will provide valuable insights and information toward process development, design, and simulation of the article drying process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michael Hillard's Shredding Paper: The Rise and Fall of Maine's Mighty Paper Industry is both a labor history of the paper industry and a political economy of corporate governance and class struggle in the United States. As a labor historian, Hillard has compiled thousands of hours of interviews with paper-industry workers and managers. As a political economist, he persuasively argues that contests over the distribution of surplus from the 1960s forward and shifts in paper-industry ownership led to the strike wave that began in the '60s and spread to every paper mill in Maine by the late 1980s. Rapacious practices by out-of-state owners challenged workers' moral compass as much as their material existence. Responding, paper workers developed a folk political economy and even a folk Marxism, creating the foundation for challenging working-class support for regressive economics. This review provides context for Hillard's claim while partially challenging it in a different context, the United States steel industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La transición hacia el uso del papel para la enseñanza de la escritura en las escuelas elementales públicas en México no fue sencilla. Al finalizar el siglo XIX, se había cuestionado el uso de las pizarras por el riesgo que representaban para la salud, pues muchas veces los estudiantes borraban sus escritos con saliva y el material con el que estaban fabricadas no siempre guardaba las especificaciones necesarias, además el ruido al escribir era insoportable. En cambio, el papel, desde el punto de vista higiénico, pedagógico y estético, fue considerado un material superior frente a la dureza de la pizarra, el brillo de la superficie y la poca precisión que se obtenía en el trazo de las letras. Derivado de este planteamiento, se vislumbró seriamente la posibilidad de la adopción de papel en las escuelas oficiales. Sin embargo, este material era escaso y muy caro. Hacia el cambio de siglo, sólo dos fábricas de papel podían surtir a las escuelas y era necesario que abarataran el precio, que el sistema de distribución garantizara el abastecimiento y que el suministro fuera continuo. Este artículo analiza el inicio del proceso de reconversión de una tecnología para la enseñanza como era la pizarra por el papel. Analizo el gasto que significó y cómo esta modificación fue resultado de una multiplicidad de relaciones sociales, culturales, económicas y políticas que se entrecruzaron para dar una nueva configuración del tiempo, el ruido y los valores establecidos en el salón de clases. The transition to the use of paper in public elementary schools in Mexico was not easy. At the end of the nineteenth century, the use of slates had been questioned due to the health risk they represented since students often erased their writing with saliva and the material with which the slates were made did not always meet the necessary specifications. On the other hand, paper, from a hygienic, pedagogical and aesthetic point of view, was considered a superior material compared to the hardness of the slate, the shine of the surface and the lack of precision obtained in the tracing of the letters. Derived from this approach, the possibility of changing materials in official schools was seriously envisioned. However, the paper represented a very high cost. Only two paper mills could supply the schools and it was necessary to lower the price, and guarantee the supply by enhancing the distribution system. This article analyses the beginning of the conversion process of a technology for learning to write such as the slate for paper. I analyse the expense that it meant for the authorities and families, how the change was the result of a multiplicity of social, cultural, economic and political relations that intersected to give a new configuration of time, noise and established values in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorotelomer-based acrylate polymers and surfactants used to grease-proof food contact paper (FCP) are potential sources of dietary exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Food contact substances (FCS) containing polyfluorinated long-chains (≥C8) were voluntarily removed by their manufacturers from the U.S. market in 2011 due to health concerns and largely replaced with FCSs containing short-chain (≤C7) PFAS. In 2020, FDA findings of potential biopersistence of 6:2 FTOH (CF3(CF2)5CH2CH2OH) similarly prompted an additional voluntarily phase-out of FCSs containing 6:2 FTOH by their manufacturers that was completed by the end of 2023. To monitor the phase-out process, a screening method was developed to detect FCPs containing ester-linked polyfluorinated pendant chains. Direct Analysis in Real Time-Isotope Dilution-High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (DART-ID-HRMS) enabled rapid semi-quantitative detection of 6:2 FTOH in FCP saponification reaction headspace without requiring sample concentration or chromatography. 19F-NMR analysis confirmed 6:2 FTOH pendant chain identity and detection dependence on saponification. The speed and specificity of this approach arise from ester saponification in the presence of stable isotopically labeled 6:2 FTOH; high FTOH differential volatility relative to nonfluorinated matrix, and the facile production of FTOH gas-phase anions (e.g., [M + O2]·−, [M-H + CO2]−) under ambient ionization conditions. The efficiency of this simple workflow makes it well-suited for monitoring the phase-out of FCS containing ester-linked polyfluorinated chains from the U.S. marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic had an exceptionally long and consequential rally effect in China. Drawing on an eight-wave nationwide survey, this article shows that the Wuhan lockdown boosted public confidence in the central government. The persistence of the pandemic and the initial success of the zero-COVID policy sustained the enhanced trust in the central government for over two years. However, the rally effect did not dissipate as quietly as usual. As trust in the central government returned to the pre-pandemic level following the Shanghai lockdown, defiant protests collectively known as the White Paper Movement broke out. Angry protesters demanded the termination of the zero-COVID policy and called for accountability from the ruling party and its top leader. This article argues that while the rally effect lasted exceptionally long in the authoritarian country, it could not be prolonged indefinitely. Ultimately, the dissonance between the declining trust in the central government and the persisting restrictive measures provoked the protests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "Women's Rights After War on Paper: An Analysis of Legal Discourse" published in the Journal of Genocide Research discusses the introduction of laws in Rwanda and other countries to advance women's rights after conflict. The laws aim to bolster the economic, social, and political standing of women, with a focus on gender parity for enduring democratic peace. The article critically examines the language and implementation of these laws, arguing that they may entrench existing inequalities and create exclusionary circumstances for women. The analysis is based on original datasets from the Women's Rights After War project, highlighting the limitations of legal frameworks in providing transformative change and justice for women affected by conflict. [Extracted from the article]

The article reviews three ethnographies that explore truth, doubt, and expertise in Latin America, focusing on the future of facts in the region. The books analyzed delve into topics such as economic collapse in Argentina, climate change adaptation in Guyana, and climate prediction in Brazil. The review highlights how sense-making practices around facts and futures shape perceptions of economic stability, environmental justice, and national identity in Latin America, challenging traditional notions of fact-making as linear or objective truth. The authors emphasize the importance of understanding how facts are produced, contested, and discussed in different contexts, shedding light on the complex relationships between facts, futures, and Latin America. [Extracted from the article]

AbstractHuman-computer interaction scholars are increasingly touching on topics related to politics or democracy. We examine these through an analysis of all papers with the word “politics” (n = 378) or “democracy” (n = 152) in abstract, title or keywords. There is an increasingly use of these words within human-computer interaction. Researchers invoke these words with diverse levels of analysis in mind: the early research focused on mezzo-level (i.e., small groups), but more recently the work has begun to include macro-level analysis (i.e., society and politics as played in the public sphere), and a transition toward more normative and activist research is taking place. We bring these differences visible, examine how focus shifts may reduce how we engage with politics and democracy explore how human-computer interaction as a field orients itself to politics and democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work engages with Karen Barad's philosophy and theory of agential realism through research practices of critical autoethnography and arts-based methods. The work explores how knowledge, memory, language, and experience remain alive within practitioners and inform who we become and how we inherit the stories involved in being educators and therapists. This paper presents two entangled research processes involving engagement with material artefacts related to the author's professional identity development and practice as an arts therapist in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Through Barad's theory of diffraction, engagement with and reassembling research artefacts supports a consideration of what can happen when we map and remember stories from different times and spaces in our lives. Elucidating and exploring the contours of memories and experiences can be helpful practices to engage in as narrative is the most potent mechanism for memory and teaching, and as therapists and educators, we are living through and practicing from the tangle of these narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Washi is paper made by hand from the bark of native Japanese shrubs. Washi is a common medium used for printmaking and paper crafts. Artists who have studied nagashi-zuki, a sheet-forming method unique to washi, often import Japanese fibers because alternatives with similar properties have not been identified. We propose Dirca L. (leatherwood), a shrub endemic to North America, as a source of fibers with properties similar to those plants traditionally used to make washi. The thinness and strength of the leatherwood paper allows it to withstand repeated bending, folding and creasing better than paper made from species of Wikstroemia (Japanese fiber), suggesting an alternative for use with various printmaking techniques and paper arts and crafts that involve folding, such as origami. We engaged printmakers and origami artists in creating original pieces using our leatherwood paper and evaluated how the paper responds to various printmaking techniques and complex folding. We identified Dirca mexicana as a source of fibers with similar properties to species of Wikstroemia used to make gampi washi. Handmade D. mexicana bark paper was successfully used as a paper medium for intaglio, lithography, relief, digital, and screenprinting printmaking techniques, as well as, complex folding origami sculptures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Paper Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Milk is a major dietary source of calcium; thus, accurate and precise quantification of calcium in milk and other dairy products is necessary for quality control. Conventional instrumental methods are sensitive and accurate but require expensive instrumentation, sample pretreatment, skilled personnel, and a long detection time. Herein, a microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) was developed to quantify calcium ions (Ca2+) in milk using a smartphone as a detector. The method utilized a complexometric reaction between Ca2+ and ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid with murexide as an indicator. The response was the average color intensity at the detection zones measured using the Color Picker application. The proposed µPAD exhibited a good linear detection range (1 to 10 mM), a low detection limit of 0.42 mM, and a short analysis time of 2 min. The determination of Ca2+ in milk samples using the proposed µPAD was consistent with a potentiometric method. The proposed µPAD demonstrates many advantages, including rapid detection, acceptable accuracy, low cost, low sample volume, and suitability for on-site quantification of Ca2+ in real samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present investigation sought to assess the practicality of utilizing a combined pre-treatment approach comprising electrocoagulation, peroxide, and hypochlorite treatments for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and tannin/lignin from paper mill wastewater. The study aimed to optimize the operating parameters with a view to maximizing the removal efficiencies while minimizing energy consumption. A pair of iron electrodes were used as anode and cathode in the study, and the main operating parameters were determined as initial pH, applied current, treatment time and oxidant dosage/COD ratio. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to evaluate the effect of these parameters on COD and tannin/lignin removals. The primary findings of the investigation indicated that the integration of electrocoagulation with peroxide and hypochlorite treatments exhibited efficacy in removing COD, tannin/lignin, colour, phenol, and turbidity from paper mill wastewater. The optimized conditions resulted in COD removal efficiencies of 48.13 ± 2.2% and 29.53 ± 1.4% for EC with H2O2 and Ca(OCl)2, respectively. Tannin/lignin removal efficiencies were 92.59 ± 3.6% and 94.09 ± 1.8% for EC-H2O2 and EC-Ca(OCl)2, respectively. The specific energy consumption (SEC) values showed that EC-Ca(OCl)2 required 7 times more energy than EC-H2O2 for removing 1 kg COD. The principal deduction drawn from the study was that EC-H2O2 pre-treatment demonstrated superior COD removal efficiency and lower energy consumption, while EC-Ca(OCl)2 pre-treatment exhibited greater efficiency in removing toxic and recalcitrant pollutants. In future studies, it would be useful to conduct research to increase COD removal efficiency in addition to tannin/lignin removal in EC-Ca(OCl)2 process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) analysis has become crucial due to their presence in the environment, their persistence and potential health risks. These compounds are commonly used in food contact materials (FCM) as a coating to provide water and grease-repellent properties. One of the pathways for PFAS to enter the human body is either through direct consumption of contaminated food or indirectly through migration from FCM into food. The purpose of this study was to investigate where the initial contamination of paper FCM occurs. We analysed paper material consisting of fresh fibre and secondary materials, intended to produce food packaging for the presence of PFAS. The samples were extracted and analysed for 23 different PFAS substances using the targeted approach with LC tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This analytical technique detects specific, easily ionisable PFAS with high sensitivity. However, one drawback of this approach is that it allows the identification of less than 1% of the PFAS known today. For this reason, we used combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to determine the content of extractable organic fluorine compounds (EOF) and compare it to the total fluorine content. The targeted analysis using LC-MS/MS measured an average sum concentration of PFAS of 0.17 ng g−1 sample. Our research shows that the primary PFAS contamination happens during the recycling process since all of the samples in which the targeted PFAS were measured belonged to the secondary material. The most frequently detected analytes were PFOA and PFOS, detected in 90% and 62% of the samples, respectively, followed by PFBS (in 29% of the samples). CIC showed that measured PFAS via LC-MS/MS amount to an average of 2.7 × 10−4% of total fluorine content, whereas the EOF was under the LOD in all of the measured samples. This result highlights the complexity of the accurate determination of PFAS compounds, displaying what kind of information the chosen methods provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of bamboo virgin pulp addition to the recycled pulp in enhancing the recycled paper's mechanical properties was evaluated. Malaysian bamboo virgin pulp used in this research were Bambusa vulgaris (Aur bamboo), Gigantochloa levis (Beting bamboo), and Gigantochloa scortechinii (Semantan bamboo). The addition of 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt% of bamboo virgin pulp improved the burst index, folding endurance, tearing index, and tensile index of the recycled paper from 2.27 to 3.17 kPa.m2/g, 7 to 15 double folds, 5.98 to 8.27 mN.m2/g, and 24.86 to 32.40 Nm/g, respectively. These were equivalent to the increment percentage for burst index, folding endurance, tearing index, and tensile index at the range of 6.61 to 39.65%, 28.57 to 114.29%, 15.72 to 38.59%, and 10.50 to 33.87%, respectively. The application of bamboo virgin pulp is very promising in improving the recycled paper's mechanical properties and this could be further extended in enhancing the other properties such as physical and optical paper properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we propose a sensing scheme based on an all-dielectric metamaterial with the smooth reflection and transmission spectral lines in 10-60THz, and verify the applications of the measuring the resonance characteristics of Xuan paper samples. The reflection and thermal conductivity of Xuan paper samples enhance with the concentration of alum water increasing and weaken due to the thickness increasing. These results provide a solid foundation for this metamaterials in measuring the reflective and thermal resonance properties of Xuan paper samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-ZnO has the characteristics of photocatalytic performance and excellent transparency and conductivity. Because of its many excellent properties, it also occupies a very important position in the types of semiconductor materials. Nano-ZnO film preparation technology has been researched and developed and applied in many fields, but there are few applied researches on the protection of paper artworks. The main content of this article is the study of the application and enhancement effect of nano-ZnO film preparation technology on the protection of paper cultural relics. In this paper, the sol-gel process is selected in the common film preparation process, and the configured sol is dipped and lifted. By comparing the paper covered with nano ZnO film and the paper not covered with nano ZnO film in the anti-aging performance test, anti-ultraviolet aging performance test, aging appearance change and the experimental results of the mechanical performance test of the application effect of different papers, the results are investigated. The application and enhancement effect of nano-ZnO film preparation technology in the protection of paper art works. Experimental studies have shown that under the same aging time, the mechanical properties of rice paper covered with nano-Zno film are higher than those of blank rice paper without nano-Zno film. The transverse tensile strength of the paper is increased by 5.88 m/N, an increase of 98%. The vertical tensile strength increased by 3.93 m/N, an increase of about 87%, the vertical folding resistance increased by 16 times, the horizontal folding resistance increased by 15 times, and the vertical tearing strength increased by 4.15 m/N, an increase of about 125%, and the transverse tearing degree is enhanced by 2.21 m/N, which is about 64%. The two kinds of rice paper were subjected to warm-heat aging, and the final results showed that the mechanical properties of the two kinds of rice papers showed a decreasing trend, but the mechanical properties of the rice paper covered by the nano-Zno film decreased at a slower rate, and the final mechanical properties were also lower than that of untreated rice paper. Blank rice paper covered with film is better. The experimental results of ultraviolet light on paper aging show that the nano-Zno film covering the paper will delay the paper aging, and the appearance of the nano-Zno film after ultraviolet light does not change significantly. Under the mechanical performance test of nano Zno film on different types of paper application, the tensile strength, folding resistance and tearing degree of the three papers participating in the experiment have been improved, which shows that the nano Zno film has the advantage of strengthening paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article engages with discard studies scholarship to interrogate findings from a study that set out to deliberately follow wastepaper in an early childhood setting. The study, which used participatory methods positioning teachers and children as research partners, began with purposeful noticing and attunement to paper's movements and materiality. This attentiveness defamiliarized paper and the ways in which it is known and experienced. It led to questions about the wider systems in which paper is entangled. In this article, thinking with discard studies provokes us to consider the relational systems that involve paper in early learning settings and leads us to question the reduce-reuse-recycle maxim which allows some systems to flourish by diverting attention away from them. The article concludes by suggesting that if we are to discard well, we must become aware of systems that are maintained by taken-for-granted waste practices such as reducing, reusing, and recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming Pulp and Paper (P&P) mills into Integrated Forest Biorefineries (IFBR) is a prominent solution to save Canadian P&P industry that has been facing decline of conventional paper demand. We propose a comprehensive decision model for the design of IFBR value chains by taking the uncertain demand of bioproducts into consideration. In particular, we propose a multi-stage stochastic programming model to obtain the optimal investment plan over a long-term planning horizon in the presence of various market trends. We also develop a Monte-Carlo simulation platform to validate the proposed model and to compare its performance with alternative decision models. The model is applied to a realistic case study inspired from P&P companies in Canada, where the value of incorporating the dynamic nature of uncertain demand has been estimated. Further, we elaborate on the value of considering flexibility in terms of adjusting the investment plan in response to changes in the demand. Our results indicate that the demand for bioproducts has a substantial impact on the profitability of the IFBR. We also demonstrated the significant value of explicitly incorporating the uncertainty in IFBR network design as well as adapting the investment plan to the changes in the demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated the phycoremediation efficacy of two freshwater green microalgae Chlorella ellipsoidea and Desmodesmus opoliensis for treatment of water of Ellenga beel, a wetland located in the vicinity of Nagaon paper mill and into which effluents of the paper mill are drained-off. After inoculation of water samples with the two freshwater green microalgae, the culture medium were analyzed for various physicochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, phosphate, nitrate, potassium, chloride, phenol, cyanide, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand and heavy metals at every seven days interval for a period of 42 days. A reduction of phosphate (85%), sulfate (96%), nitrate (76%) and chloride (48%) was observed after 42 days of incubation in the tested beel water. The micro algal incubation also resulted in decrease of heavy metal such as Pb (54%), Zn (98%), Cr (59%), and Cu (61%). Comparison of Fourier transform infrared spectra of beel water samples (control) with those inoculated with the test micro algal species showed presence of binding sites for certain functional groups like phosphate, amide, carbohydrate and alkyl halides in inoculated samples. D. opoliensis exhibited higher phycoremediation efficiency than C. ellipsoidea in removal of pollutants from the beel water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this work was to explore the prospects of producing pulp and paper from leftover lignocellulosic fibers. In this study discarded Cocos nucifera fibers were collected from an abandoned site and were washed thoroughly. FTIR analysis, chemical composition and fiber morphology studies were conducted. FTIR showed the presence of holocellulose and lignin in the fibers. Chemical analysis showed the holocellulose content as 37.8 wt%. Fiber length, fiber diameter, lumen diameter and cell wall thickness were observed using microscope and derived fiber indices that determine the possibility of producing paper were evaluated. The derived indices such as Runkel index, slenderness ratio, co-efficient of rigidity, flexibility coefficient, Luce’s shape factor and Solids factor of the fibers were evaluated as 67.9%, 44.11, 58.83%, 0.199, 0.49 and 278.53x10³ respectively. All these indices are in good agreement with fibers recommended and used for pulp and paper production. High lignin content present in the fibers is a limitation and it can be removed through appropriate delignification techniques. Thus the study showed that discarded fibers can be used for producing pulp, paper and allied products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The alarming global deforestation rate has great impacts on the output of the Pulp and paper Industry since wood is the principal papermaking fiber material. Although, generally, bamboo is an alternative cellulolytic fiber source, the species and culm age have great effects on its papermaking potential. Based on the methods by the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA), this work assessed the characteristics of fibers from the axial culm sections of six-month plantation-grown Oxythenantera abyssinica and Beema bamboo (which was cloned from Bambusa balcoaa) for paper production. The lengths of the fibers ranged from 1.89 to 2.39 mm while the diameters were 0.025–0.031 mm. The fiber lumen diameter and wall thickness were 0.014–0.018 mm and 0.004–0.006 mm, respectively. Fibers from the species had their runkle ratios below 1, slenderness ratios above 70 and flexibility ratios above 50. These characteristics compare well with the recommendations for fibers often used for the production of packaging, writing and printing papers. Establishment of plantations of Beema bamboo and O. abyssinica is encouraged as they will serve as good raw material base for the paper industry within six months of planting. Additionally, their planting will contribute to meeting Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) using formic acid as a protective agent is reported for the determination of acrylic resin monomers in food contact packaging paper. The analytes were extracted by ethanol mixed with formic acid with 2-phenylethyl propionate as the internal standard. The extract was separated by a 6% cyanopropylbenzene-94% dimethylsiloxane ultra-inert chromatographic column and analyzed by GC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. 13 acrylic resin monomers including acrylic acid, styrene, and acrylic ester were separated. The procedure was successfully applied for the analysis of real samples. The procedure provided a linear calibration range with detection limits from 0.16 to 0.46 mg kg−1. The mean recoveries were from 88.1% to 100.9% with relative standard deviations less than 5.4%. The residual acrylic resin monomers in packaging paper were primarily from printing base paper and varnish. Of the acrylic resin monomers, the monomers except for butyl acrylate and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate showed low migration rates. The method provides high sensitivity and good reproducibility with simple pretreatment, demonstrating application for monitoring acrylic resin monomers in food contact packaging paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractIn the rapidly evolving wireless communication landscape, achieving full-dimensional coverage poses a gamut of challenges such as intricacy, high hardware costs and energy consumption. In addressing these issues, reconfigurable metasurfaces are being considered as a potential solution. However, traditional methods of producing reconfigurable metasurfaces via printed circuit board (PCB) technologies possess limitations such as high cost and extended production cycles. Particularly, in the context of large-scale communication scenarios, reconfigurable metasurfaces can also present high energy consumption issues. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel type of intelligent reflection surface (IRS) characterized by lower production costs, reduced energy consumption, enhanced flexibility, ease of manufacture, and superior electromagnetic wave modulation capabilities. The proposed reconfigurable smart metasurface is a paper-based metasurface printed with conductive ink, which uses conductive ink to draw base metal blocks on a flexible substrate, and uses silver-tin as a metal patch between the metal blocks, and the phase response is reconstructed with silver ink. By adjusting the distribution of these metallic patches, we tailor the phase and amplitude distributions to generate specific scattering effects. This paper presents designs of six patterns that yield single-beam and dual-beam, with experimental results aligning closely with simulated results, validating the feasibility of the proposed method. This low-power, low-cost, and efficient IRS is expected to pave a new path for advanced 5 G/6G wireless communication technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As cousins, we discovered a treasure trove of family papers, revealing the intricate relationship between precarity and privilege of our family from Salonica navigating the post-Ottoman transition. Recognising the potential of family history to provide a more intimate and complex historiography, this article offers our initial study of these family papers. By highlighting the challenges posed by the scarcity of such documents in Middle Eastern studies, emphasising women's roles in preserving family memory and focussing on the interplay between personal and political domains, we identify the preparation of a family tree as a gendered and socioeconomic project of preserving the past and shaping the present. By tracing our family's origins, including unsettling discoveries, we address matters of identity and memory before embarking on our analysis. By reconstructing the biographies of two generations, we characterise the family's socioeconomic struggle to sustain their precarious privilege amid shifting frontiers and along their journey from Ottoman Salonica to Kemalist Turkey. Ultimately, this article underscores the significance of family history as a transnational, intergenerational, intersectional and social history that enriches our understanding of the post-Ottoman transition through the lives of ordinary (and some extraordinary) Ottomans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the special issue of the journal on trauma-informed care in forensic settings. We consider the contributions of each of the papers, followed by a discussion of the complexities of work in this area. We conclude by proposing three general principles that can be used to guide the ongoing development of trauma-informed forensic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of fiber metal laminates (FML) are influenced by several various factors. Interface adhesion plays a particularly crucial role in interlaminar strength. Enhancing the interlaminar strength of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminate (CARALL) composites present a persistent challenge due to inherent weaknesses between metal and composite elements. Therefore, this study focuses on improving the interlaminar performance of CARALL composites by introducing cellulose paper interlayer at the metal/composite interface. The cellulose paper interlayer offers the advantage of being cost-effective and sustainable. Cellulose paper-interleaved CARALL composites were fabricated by vacuum bagging method and exhibited noteworthy improvements in mechanical properties. Comparative analysis with pristine samples revealed substantial enhancements, including a 15% increase in tensile strength, a remarkable 42% improvement in flexural strength, and a significant enhancement in mode-I fracture toughness by 65%. Furthermore, the cellulose paper interleaving played a crucial role in stabilizing fracture formation at the fiber-matrix interface, with mode II fracture toughness witnessing a 3% increase. Visual examination revealed the underlying toughening processes occurring in the interfacial area. This innovative approach of interleaving laminated composites with cellulose paper emerges as a sustainable and effective strategy, demonstrating the potential to fortify and toughen the interlaminar zones of CARALL composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vision of the International Menopause Society (IMS) is that all women across the world will have easy and equitable access to evidence-based knowledge and health care, empowering them to make fully informed midlife health choices. The aim of this White Paper is to provide a well-balanced educational narrative of the menopause and menopause hormone therapy (MHT) from IMS experts, leading into World Menopause Day 2024. This is achieved by exploring the anthropology and history of menopause, the principles and controversies of prescribing MHT, and by placing this into regulatory and menopause society contexts. The White Paper also lays the groundwork for the forthcoming updated IMS recommendations on menopause and will act as a blueprint for the future ethical management of menopause from practical and aspirational perspectives. An important section of the paper is 'The 5Ws of prescribing MHT': WHO is MHT for; WHAT types and doses of MHT; WHEN should MHT be started and stopped; WHY is MHT important; WHERE can MHT be accessed? A key points summary of this information is provided for healthcare professionals and the public. The summary provides 'easy to access' advice regarding several recent controversial MHT prescribing issues in the healthcare and media spotlights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is the second of three, constituting a whole project of translation and commentary composed of translated extracts from the "Catalogo n. 2 – Le madri di tutte noi," published by the Milan Women's Bookstore in 1982. The idea for the project was conceived by Silvia Niccolai and Angela Condello, who selected the extracts and provide the written commentaries on the original texts. The Yellow Catalogue, in which we find collective discussions, pages of personal diaries and, overall, the enterprise of a group of women debating over their literary symbolic mothers (who to read? And why?), is an interesting example of political use of literature. After forty decades from its publication, it still proposes inspiring and fresh suggestions for feminist political action and critique, while representing an interesting occasion for researching the philosophical roots of Feminism. The projects is composed like follows: Paper No1, In search of a feminine symbolic, by Angela Condello, already published on Law & Litterature and Paper No2, From Novels to the Figures, themes and strategies for a political practice. Paper No 2 is structured in two parts. Part One is the article here presented (Part One. "Interest in Reality." For every woman's autobiography) written by Silvia Niccolai; Part Two is the article Sexual difference: an occasion for being, coauthored by Angela Condello and Silvia Niccolai, which will be published in a forthcoming issue of this Journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In her 'Manifesto to Decentre Theatre and Performance Studies' (2021), Swati Arora explores the intangible and invisible borders that function to exclude certain people and knowledges, usually indexed by race, gender, class, and geography, from the academy. As a new working group convenor, I'm interested in thinking through what hidden borders might operate through the Call for Paper and panel selection process. What are prospective panellists really being asked to demonstrate? What unofficial knowledges are privileged and who has access to these? How can we reorient this process towards questioning and away from demonstration of knowledge? In this short provocation I reflect my own experience of selecting abstracts and ask what work might be done to develop a more transparent and empowering model of panel curation. This is a short provocation that was prepared for the roundtable discussion on 'Decolonisation and Solidarity' as part of the conference, Borderlines IX: Seeking Solidarity and Wonder Through Performance, which took place at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, on 30 June and 1 July 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current strategy, a highly sensitive and fast one-step colorimetric assay for trace determination of Cu2+ in water is presented. The planned assay was based upon the use of varnish polish-modified filter paper printed with 2-[5-(2-hydroxy-5-sulfophenyl)-3-phenyl-1-formazyl] benzoic acid monosodium salt, commercially named zincon. Under optimal conditions, the designed assay readily recognised the formation of blue–purple-coloured Cu–ZI chelate in less than 10 min. The proposed probe was able to detect Cu2+ in the concentration range from 0.04 to 10 μg/mL (6.34 × 10−1 to 1.59 × 103µM), with low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01 μg/mL (1.59 × 10−1 µM). The LOD was 10-fold lower than the allowable level for Cu2+ in drinking water set by WHO legislation. The assay was applied for Cu2+determination in water with acceptable recoveries (89.6–102.1%) and precision (<3%). Therefore, the proposed sensing assay might be considered as a potential rapid and low-cost candidate for total determination and speciation of Cu2+in water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "ChatGPT and healthcare: Unlocking the potential of patient empowerment" by Harvey Castro MD, MBA explores the application of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, in the healthcare industry. The book discusses the benefits of ChatGPT for patients, such as generating concise summaries of medical histories and providing professional abstracts of research papers. It also highlights the importance of cautious utilization of ChatGPT due to potential risks and limitations, including non-intuitive responses and sensitivity to data alterations. The author emphasizes the need for enhanced medical and healthcare literacy to maximize the utility of ChatGPT. The book also addresses legal and ethical issues surrounding ChatGPT usage in healthcare, including privacy concerns and the need for clinical validation. Overall, the book presents ChatGPT as a tool that has the potential to transform healthcare services and improve patient experiences, but also acknowledges the challenges and limitations associated with its use. [Extracted from the article]

Engaging in values-consistent behavior is a key outcome sought in several evidence-informed psychotherapies (e.g. “valued action” within Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). However, we cannot deliberately engage in valued action without first having value clarity (i.e., understanding the type of person we aspire to be, qua qualities of character). To date, there is no distinct English-language process or outcome measure evaluating value clarity. Here, we describe the development and validation of a novel, unidimensional measure of value clarity (the Value Clarity Questionnaire; VCQ). Study 1 describes the development of and the empirical refinement of the VCQ through a series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Study 2 confirmed the VCQ’s factor structure and internal consistency in a United Kingdom-representative sample. Study 3 demonstrated that the VCQ has good internal consistency over time, test–retest stability, and configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance. Across the studies, value clarity was correlated with and predicted multiple aspects of flourishing including engaged living, depression, behavioral activation, assertiveness, productiveness, and energy levels, over and above known predictors. The results suggest that the VCQ is a reliable and valid measure that could be an especially useful proximal index of the effectiveness of targeted value clarification interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1960s and 1970s witnessed the formation of multiple school students’ unions in England, accompanied by a rich print culture. Young people retained absolute editorial control, even as they formed their work in dialogue with spaces constructed as belonging to the “adult” world. This article contends that youth-authored literature served a specific function for young people as a forum in which the meanings of childhood, youth, and adulthood were pulled apart and reconstructed. An emergent concept of age-based oppression – sometimes analysed in dialogue with other identities, including gender and class – provided the foundations for new political community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on postcolonial, feminist and gendered migration theories and the 'turn to mobility' this article aims to explore the agency of so-called low-skilled Moroccan female marriage migrants in Flanders (Belgium). More precisely, it aims to study how religious temporality plays a role and how it shapes their experiences in a specific context of migration and precariousness. It questions how these women invoke a religious temporality in confronting the uncertainties and difficulties of which motherhood and a precarious residency status are the most challenging and stigmatising. Firstly, focussing on two ethnographic vignettes this article empirically analyses their nonlinear, risky and often undocumented trajectories laying bare a politico-discursive temporality in marriage migration, motherhood and belonging. Secondly, it analyses how exactly these women tend to challenge this bureaucratic temporality. The analyses show that through their active engagement with sabr (patience) and tawakkul (reliance on God) these women become agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imidazo[1,2-a] pyridine-based two probes with different substituents containing oxime and hydroxyl functional groups were synthesised and evaluated for detection of tabun nerve agent simulant diethylcyanophosphonate (DCNP). The nucleophile hydroxyl group present on both the probes can be rapidly phosphorylated by DCNP through a nucleophilic substitution reaction. The probes were fluorescent and on reacting with DCNP underwent fluorescence OFF, which can be visualised under a UV lamp at 365 nm wavelength. The limit of detection for probes 1 and 2 was calculated as 0.66 μM and 0.54 μM, respectively. The mechanism of detection was studied using spectroscopic techniques revealed that the hydroxyl group is involved in the reaction with DCNP. The probes were found selective for the detection of DCNP in presence of other electrophilic interfering agents. Results were obtained in aqueous media and probes can be used directly for the rapid and sensitive detection of DCNP in water without any pretreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus, a prevalent metabolic disorder characterized by insulin deficiency and elevated blood glucose levels, is often associated with unhealthy lifestyles, underscoring the need for accessible glucose monitoring. In this work, a non-enzymatic approach for glucose detection in artificial urine was developed using distance-based microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (d-μPADs) with in-situ synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as the detection mechanism. The d-μPADs were fabricated from Whatman No. 1 chromatographic paper, printed using a solid ink printer to create hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions. AgNPs were formed through the reduction of AgNO3 by glucose in the presence of NaOH, with starch serving as a stabilizer. The optimized experimental parameters were established as 20 mM AgNO3, 8 M NaOH, single reagent immobilization, and a 20-minute reaction time. Under these conditions, the d-μPADs exhibited good linearity (5–100 mg/dL) with a correlation coefficient of 0.9253, high precision (%RSD = 1.88%), high accuracy (82.55% - 98.99%), and good sensitivity (limit of detection: 4.86 mg/dL). These findings suggest that d-μPADs incorporating AgNPs offer a low-cost, accessible solution for glucose monitoring, with potential applications in point-of-care diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to profile the shoppers' propensity to reuse shopping bags and the type of shopping bags they reuse on the basis of demographics. The study used an observation method to record the consumers' shopping habits and a short questionnaire to record the participants' demographics. A binary regression analysis and a multinomial regression analysis were used to analyse data. The results indicated that the mature aged, women, and low income shoppers were more likely to practice reuse of plastic shopping bags than their respective counterparts. There were no statistically significant differences in the likelihood of young aged shoppers compared to mature aged shoppers and low income shoppers compared to high income shoppers using cotton bags than plastic bags. There were also no statistically significant differences in the likelihood of young aged shoppers compared to mature aged shoppers and male shoppers compared to female shoppers using paper bags than plastic bags. However, the results indicated a statically significant result in how males compared to females differed in their using of cotton bags than plastic bags and a statistically significant result in how low income shoppers compared to high income shoppers differed in their use of paper bags than plastic bags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research by the paper industry into new materials to expand the raw material base for pulp is on the ascendancy due to growing demand for pulp and paper products. This study assessed the anatomical, chemical, and pulping characteristics of four varieties of Cocos nucifera husk to ascertain their suitability as raw material for pulp and paper production. The measured and calculated chemical (Klason Lignin, 1% NaOH solubility and Holocellulose contents) and anatomical (Fiber dimensions, Runkel Ratio, Slenderness Ratio, Flexibility Coefficient, Coefficient of Rigidity, Luce's Shape Factor and Solids Factor) properties of the Cocos nucifera husks mostly did not meet the standard requirements for a good pulp and paper material. However, the Local Tall Yellow variety of the Cocos nucifera husk was favorable in terms of Runkel Ratio, Slenderness Ratio, Flexibility Coefficient, and Coefficient of Rigidity and can be considered for the production of pulp for writing and printing papers. In spite of the limitations of the other three varieties for making quality paper, they could be used for fiber plate, rigid cardboard, and cardboard production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar photothermal water evaporation technology has attracted attention owing to its promising applications in wastewater treatment and desalination for producing clean water. However, high-performance solar evaporators are still limited by the complex manufacturing process, less flexibility, intolerance to salt, high cost, and low water evaporation efficiency. In this study, composite fibre paper composed of waste tissue paper, aramid nanofibers, and polyaniline was prepared to produce clean water. The evaporator was designed to pump water through a cotton wick to the composite paper, which reduced heat loss and avoided the deposition of salt on the surface. The use of waste tissue paper solves the problem of waste disposal, increases the commercial value of waste tissue, and reduces production costs. The composite fibre paper exhibited broad-band light absorption of an average of 96%. The average evaporation rate of the solar evaporator was 1.43 kg m−2 h−1, and the photothermal conversion efficiency was 98.33% under 1 sun illumination. This solar evaporator is easily fabricated and is cost-effective, demonstrating the enormous potential for real-world wastewater treatment and desalination to produce clean water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high production of paper, followed by a more significant concern with environmental and economic issues, has led to greater relevance to paper recycling and its raw uses as composite filler. Composites of polypropylene with 10, 20, and 30 wt.% of recycled office waste paper were produced by injection molding and characterized by mechanical and thermal properties. All composites presented a slight reduction of 15°C in thermal stability compared to the polymeric matrix. Moreover, as the filler amount increased, the degree of crystallinity was reduced proportionally. The mechanical test showed similar tensile strength values among neat polymer andcomposites but also showed an increase in the composite's tensile modulus, related to the stiffness of the natural filler. The composite with a higher percentage of waste paper (30 wt.%) maintained equivalent properties as neatpolypropylene and other composites (10 and 20 wt.%). Thus, 30 wt.% composites proved to be an excellent material with less synthetic polymer percentage, keeping thermal and mechanical properties comparable to the neat PP. Furthermore, this composite does not need chemical treatment or additives harmful to the environment. It is suitable for future applications in various plastic products such as packaging and domestic utensils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the large volume, the generated wastewater in paper and cardboard recycling industry contains various organic compounds and dyes. Treatment of these wastewaters is difficult due to the diversity of contaminants and the complexity of their chemical structure. This study aimed to investigate the efficiency of the coagulation and flocculation process by the new mixture of coagulants for wastewater treatment in one of the paper and cardboard recycling industries. To determine the efficiency of the coagulation and flocculation process in removing the parameters, including turbidity, colour, TSS, and COD, the Jar Test was used in laboratory conditions. By changing the variables, such as pH, coagulant type (PAC/MgCl2, PAC/Polymer, MgCl2/Polymer, MgCl2/PAC, PAC/MgCl2/Polymer), coagulant dose, and polymer dose, the optimal conditions were determined. Based on the results, the highest turbidity removal efficiency was achieved for the combination of coagulant and coagulant aid (PAC/MgCl2/Polymer) at pH 11. According to the experiments, the highest removal efficiency of turbidity, colour, COD and TSS were95.43%, 25.16%, 16.16%, and 83.33%, respectively. According to the obtained results, the coagulation and flocculation is a suitable method to remove turbidity and suspended solids in the paper and cardboard recycling industry wastewater. However, in order to remove more colour and COD, additional treatment is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Natural Fibers is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Depoliticization has emerged as a key concept in analyzing the changing political dynamics of capitalist democracies. Yet, the concept of public interest has been relatively absent in depoliticization literature. This article argues for a more systematic inclusion of public interest politics in scrutinizing de- and repoliticization. The argument is advanced through strategic-relational theory by interpreting public interest as (1) a terrain of political struggles, (2) a mode of doing politics and (3) a method of enquiry. These dynamics are examined in the empirical context of Finnish forest industry's political strategy in the Kaipola paper mill closure in August 2020. The forest conglomerate UPM-Kymmene politicized its paper mill shutdown by shifting the responsibility to the centre-left governmental coalition's purportedly business-hostile policies. However, analyzing the case through UPM strategies and the paper production crisis, the closure falls in line with the forest industry's long-term business strategy. The forest industry's and UPM's strategy is recognized as a forceful defense of a corporate polity where public interest is equated with the success of key economic actors. The article concludes with an argument for the politics of public interest as a vital research perspective for analyzing contradictions surrounding 'the economy'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Influenced by the academic work of Stephen A. Resnick and Richard D. Wolff, the author and his close collaborator Richard McIntyre have spent four decades closely reading and contributing research to adjacent radical literatures on the empirical history of workers and capitalism. In this response to Richard McIntyre's review of Shredding Paper, the author reveals how his own research into the story of Maine's paper mills has developed since the 1980s, drawing out the class implications of the details embedded in a history that stretches back to the origins of Maine's paper industry. Hillard highlights the efficacy of reading capitalist histories of focusing on subsumed classes, i.e., a "volumes 2 and 3 [of Capital] approach," alongside the much more common "volume 1" methodology common to most radical political economy and labor history. For better and worse, this story has culminated in two generations of rural Mainers rejecting the sensibilities of neoliberal capitalism. This local class formation and particular consciousness of class contains many lessons for those who see capitalism problematically, but in the absence of an established U.S. Left, and given the cultural forces and propaganda acting upon them, this critical culture appears to have moved on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publishing scientific articles is an expedition of tenacious efforts with patience and conscientious decision-making; however, even with such careful consideration, researchers may overlook the dubious activities of clandestine organizations or remain oblivious to the unethical aspects of publishing. Paper mills are the latest impediment to academic publishing's integrity. The increasing number of paper mill publications damages the credibility of genuine journals and jeopardizes academic integrity, adding to the vulnerability of research. This paper deals with the tactics, activity, detection, impact, and solving the menace of such fraudulent practices. This paper is a summary of existing literature and analysis that aims to increase awareness of fraudulent practices like paper mills among researchers and academicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history of subjects is often told analysing notions of knowledge in historical reforms, policies, curricula, and textbooks. In this article, we analyse student papers from 1968, focusing on their responses to the topic 'Social distinctions and prejudices in Denmark'. The students present a number of concepts and categories of social differences and prejudices, depict a contemporary problem, refer to theoretical or categorical frameworks, provide a historical account, state bold claims and/or present conceptual definitions. Then, by giving different examples from their everyday life and by establishing some form of line or structure in their writings, they form an argument or narrative. They do this by using—we assume—information from their textbooks, from what have been discussed in teaching, in the public debate, and in the students' homes. The student papers not only passively reflect but are part of the ongoing constitution of the subjects and subject matter, during a period of tremendous educational change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive academic climates are critical to helping students thrive, and kindness innovations might enhance these climates. This conceptual paper's purpose is to share insights from a consensus building event focused on fostering relationships and knowledge-sharing among an international group of multidisciplinary students, faculty, and staff who explored ways to bring a kindness framework into post-secondary education. Participants underscored kindness as critical for students' experiences and university culture, and identified several levels of influence requiring intervention focus. Ideas and strategies emerging from the event might serve to encourage student-led kindness initiatives and prompt university personnel to integrate kindness into post-secondary institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A core assumption in the current neurosemantic research is that meanings of concrete words (object nouns, action verbs) are at least partially grounded in modality-specific representations implemented by perceptual and motor cortices. Nevertheless, increasing evidence from the multisensory research suggests that extensive portions of what are traditionally considered modality-specific cortices are in fact supramodal in nature – that is, they can process specific information in multiple sensory modalities and in both normal and sensory-deprived individuals. My central argument in this paper is that the amount of data collected within the supramodal paradigm, although certainly not conclusive, is already robust enough to foster reflections about the role of modality-specificity in the semantic brain and to prompt considerations about the possibility of promoting a property-specific and modality-invariant turn in neurosemantics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a suggestion in a footnote of the paper [1] by Fano, we give a direct proof of the fact that one of the two Fano threefolds of degree 72 in P 38 is isomorphic to the anticanonically embedded weighted projective space P (1 , 1 , 4 , 6) . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to enhance the physical properties and the weak heat transmission of the core layer, which are the weak points of particleboard produced using melamine-impregnated paper waste (MIPW) as an adhesive. Alkyl-ketene dimer (AKD) and paraffin were used as water-repellent chemicals. MIPW was used as an adhesive, and no additional resin was used. As a result of this study, the samples' physical properties improved with AKD and paraffin's existence. Moreover, it has been approved that AKD is more effective than paraffin in improving the physical properties of the particleboard because AKD improves ester bonding with hydroxyl groups of cellulose fibers. The usage of water repellents resulted in the improvement of internal bond (IB) properties. It was determined that the type and amount of water-repellent chemicals significantly affected the mechanical and physical properties and formaldehyde content of the produced particleboards, except for bending properties. Just the chemical type was found to be significantly effective on bending strength (BS) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) properties. Overall, the study findings suggested that AKD might be successfully utilized as a water-repellent chemical in particleboard manufacturing, while MIPWs used as an adhesive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Last Paper Standing: A Century of Competition Between the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News" by Ken J. Ward explores the rivalry between the two newspapers and the decline of multiple newspaper cities. The book highlights the intense competition between the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, which lasted for over a century. It also delves into the personalities involved and the innovative ways the newspapers differentiated themselves to benefit readers. The author suggests that both newspapers could have coexisted, preserving the high standard of journalism, but ultimately only one newspaper survived. The book emphasizes the importance of preserving good newspapers and the loss that occurs when they fold. [Extracted from the article]

The present article provides a comprehensive analysis of the aging phenomenon of transformer insulation and the corresponding changes in insulation performance that occur over time. The present manuscript outlines diverse insulating materials that are employed in transformers, the fundamental aging mechanism of the insulation, the function of space charges in the aging of the insulation, and various simulation methodologies utilized for diagnosing the insulation status of the transformer. The primary focus of this paper is to examine the various numerical techniques employed in modeling and analyzing the aging characteristics of transformer insulation. The mechanisms underlying the accumulation of charge and distortion of electric fields in insulation are explained through the utilization of numerical modeling techniques. This paper focuses on understanding the mechanism of insulation aging, thereby facilitating the optimization and maintenance of insulation performance throughout its operational lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose filter paper (CFP) was modified with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and/or poly(ethylene glycol)methacrylate (PEGMA), followed by Cu immobilization for 4-nitrophenol (4NP) reduction. Among these samples, Cu-immobilized CFP modified with PEGMA polymer (CFP@PEGMA-Cu) exhibited the highest Cu incorporation of 2.21%. Those having the copolymer (CFP@PAA-co-PEGMA-Cu) demonstrated the highest efficiency, completing 4NP reduction in 3 min with an impressive 99.45% conversion, a high-rate constant (k) of 27.5 × 10−3 s−1, and turnover frequency (TOF) of 18.36 h−1. Notably, the catalysts containing PAA maintained good reusability, preserving 97% conversion upon 9 cycles. These results suggest their promising applications in sustainable catalysis, offering the catalytic potential with simple preparation and low cost required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sea purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum) was cultivated for two 90-day sequences at two spacings, and with various soil amendments, to evaluate its potential to arrest the increase in soil salinity and sodicity associated with irrigation using paper- and pulp-mill effluent. Its phytodesalination capacity (PDC) with respect to Na ranged from 162 to 226 kg/ha in the first sequence and 167 to 250 kg/ha in the second sequence; the PDC is reliable even under drought stress. Addition of amendments, in particular pressmud compost, increased the average Na+ uptake by 38%, leading to the highest PDC of 250 kg/ha for a single crop sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]