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The dissolution behavior of the main elements of fly ash in acid-base systems. Fly ash mainly leaches aluminum-iron elements in the acid system, and the leaching rate of iron is much higher than that of aluminum. Under alkaline conditions, silicon-aluminum elements are mainly dissolved, and the leaching rate of silicon elements is much higher than that of aluminum elements. Silicon aluminum exists in the amorphous phase state, and the extraction rate of silicon aluminum is low by acid leaching and alkali solution alone, and the use of high temperature melting combined with acid leaching and alkaline solution process can make silicon aluminum bond break and improve the element extraction rate. The types of fly ash synthetic flocculants are summarized, and they are divided into inorganic polymer flocculants and inor- ganic-organic hybrid polymer flocculants according to the chemical components of fly ash to prepare flocculants, among which inorganic polymer flocculants are divided into monoacids, diacids and polyacids according to the number and types of acids contained in their anion series, and anionic acids are mainly silicate, sulfate, chloride ion and phosphate. The development of fly ash synthetic flocculants and the problems to be solved urgently are prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Counterfeit currency ranges from a low-quality colour scanner/printer notes to high-quality counterfeits produced by hostile powers. Detecting counterfeit money notes is a national priority due to its huge negative economic impact. However, no automatic mechanism exists for identifying the source of counterfeit notes, which is a more sophisticated and critical problem. This paper aims to evaluate the procedure or mechanism which are followed by banks for fake not reporting and the effectiveness of this mechanism. Design/methodology/approach: For doing this research, primary data has been collected from bank staff (particularly front desk staff like cashier/teller). A very simple and short questionnaire has been prepared where the researcher just wants to explore that up to what extent bank staff is aware about the clauses of the counterfeit currency note (CCN). Findings: The result shows that in approximately 38% of cases, bank staff return the fake notes to the customer without reporting, and approximately 57%–58% are unaware of the fake currency notes reporting to the nodal bank office and police. Practical implications: Banks themselves have to take stringent actions to ensure that none of the CCNs circulate again in the economy if caught by bank officials. All the flaws in a system should be effectively monitored along with covering the loopholes in the system like lack of training, time-to-time sensitisation of front desk employees, providing protection to employees in case of any kind of threat from customer and reducing the burden of retaining the customer if a customer is at guilty. Originality/value: This is the original work done by the researchers; in fact, the researchers were able to find only a couple of studies related to this kind of in-depth analysis in the literature. This study is done to provide feedback to the authorities on how the system is manipulated for organisational and self-interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Continental Congress foray into printed money during the American Revolution was so disastrous that the United States printed no more money for nearly a century, the one exception being a brief period during the War of 1812. After that Congress chartered and unchartered its national bank twice. The American economy henceforth (1816–1836) was often structurally short of coins, and without any national coinage Americans had to find substitute forms of currency to finance the burgeoning economy. The Supreme Court ruled that sovereign States and individuals could authorize both State and private banks to issue their own notes. In consequence, nearly all paper money in circulation was either State or private banknotes based on a limited reserve of gold. This generally proved insufficient to adequately fund major infrastructure projects. The federal government also had no institution for raising or transferring large amounts of money to fund these national improvements. Nonetheless, Hamilton's U.S. Bank, without the help of a national currency, was an institutional precursor for what would not take final form until 1913. There would be no Federal Reserve today without the Whig-Republican agenda institutionally incarnated in the First and Second U.S. Bank. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The examination of banknotes follows the tactical principles of the examination of documents, being ordered by the judicial bodies during the criminal investigation or during the trial. The examination of suspicious Euro banknotes is carried out by specialists from the National Analysis Center, established at the level of the National Bank of Romania, with the support of other relevant institutions, such as the National Institute of Forensic Expertise and the National Forensic Science Institute. The specific objectives of the banknote examination are the following: establishing the authenticity of the banknotes or coins, by comparing the security elements; determining how to print or copy and identifying the means used; establishing the type of material and its characteristics; determining the type of ink and its characteristics. The methods applied in the case of banknote expertise are the comparative method and the physico-chemical method. Thus, through the comparative method, the security elements of the suspect banknote are confronted with those of the compliant banknote, as well as the results of the physico-chemical analyses, and through the physico-chemical method, the various substances in the composition of the paper and inks used are analyzed microscopically, chromatographically and spectrographically . The particularity of the expertise of Euro banknotes suspected of counterfeiting resides in the protective elements, the composition and morphology of the paper and inks, which require specific methods of expertise, with technologically advanced tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2016, the Bank of Canada has conducted annual surveys to monitor awareness, adoption and usage of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. This report incorporates results from the 2019 Bitcoin Omnibus Survey and the November 2020 Cash Alternative Survey. We find that between 2018 and 2020, the level of Bitcoin awareness and ownership among Canadians remained stable: nearly 90% of the population were aware of Bitcoin, while only 5% owned it. We find that about half of Bitcoin owners stated they usually obtained their bitcoins through mobile or web exchanges, while one-fifth used mining. Bitcoin owners were susceptible to certain risks, as evidenced by the fact that about half of current and past owners stated they had been affected by events such as price crashes, losing access to funds, scams or data breaches. The most commonly cited reasons for owning Bitcoin were related to its use for investment or based on interest in the technology. Bitcoin owners displayed greater knowledge about the Bitcoin network than nonowners, yet they scored lower on questions testing financial literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]