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Increasing scientific and regulatory concern regarding environmental concentrations of bisphenol A (BPA) increases the need to understand the sources and sinks of this chemical. We developed a coupled flow network/fugacity-based fate and transport model to assess the contribution of different emissions sources to the concentration of BPA in surface water in Germany. The model utilizes BPA loadings and sinks, BPA physicochemical properties, a water flow network, environmental characteristics, and fugacity equations. The model considers industrial emissions, leaching from BPA-containing articles, wastewater treatment and bypass events, and emissions from landfills. The model also considers different scenarios that account for changes in the usage profile of BPA. Model predictions compare favorably to measured surface water concentrations, with the modeled concentrations generally falling within the range of measured values. Model scenarios that consider reductions in BPA usage due to government-mandated restrictions and voluntary reductions in usage predict falling BPA concentrations that are consistent with the most recent monitoring data. Model predictions of the contributions from different usage scenarios and wastewater treatment methods can be used to assess the efficacy of different restrictions and waste handling strategies to support efforts to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with actions aimed at reducing BPA levels in the environment. This feature of the model is of particular importance, given current efforts to update the regulations regarding BPA usage in the EU. The model indicates that as the current restriction on BPA in thermal paper works through the paper recycling process, BPA concentrations will continue to decrease. Other actions, such as upgrades to the stormwater and wastewater infrastructure to minimize the frequency of storm-related bypasses, are predicted to provide more meaningful reductions than additional restrictions on usage. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:226-238. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)., (© 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)

Bisphenol A (BPA) enters the environment through various industrial and consumer-related pathways. Industrial sources include BPA manufacturing and secondary industrial uses such as the manufacturing of polymers and other substances based on or containing BPA. However, secondary sources and emissions to the environment, such as those related to the consumer use of articles containing BPA, may be more important than industrial emissions. Although readily biodegradable, BPA is widely distributed in various environmental compartments and living organisms. It is still not well understood which specific sources and pathways are responsible for releasing BPA into the environment. Therefore, we developed FlowEQ, a coupled flow network and fugacity-based fate and transport model for the assessment of BPA in surface water. The work is divided into two parts. In Part I, inputs needed to support the modeling and model validation were collected. Bisphenol A was measured at 23 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and 21 landfills in Germany. In addition, the BPA content of 132 consumer articles from 27 article classes was analyzed. Bisphenol A concentrations in WWTPs ranged from 0.33 to 910 µg L -1 in influents and from less than 0.01 to 0.65 µg L -1 in effluents, resulting in removal efficiencies of 13%-100%. Average BPA concentrations in landfill leachate ranged from less than 0.01 to approximately 1400 µg L -1 . Bisphenol A concentrations measured in consumer articles varied significantly by type, ranging from less than 0.5 µg kg -1 in printing inks up to 1 691 700 µg kg -1 in articles made from recycled polyvinyl chloride (PVC). These concentrations were combined with information on use, leaching, and contact with water to develop estimates of loadings. Together with the results of the FlowEQ modeling presented in Part II, this assessment improves our understanding of the sources and emission pathways of BPA in surface water. The model considers various sources of BPA and can estimate future surface water concentrations of BPA based on changes in use. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:211-225. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)., (© 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)

Central vascular access is frequently required for preterm infants. Confirmation of positioning of central line is typically on chest and abdominal radiographs; POCUS is a relatively novel diagnostic method. Misdiagnosis is the main concern limiting use of this modality. The aim of this study is to validate our standard protocol accuracy in locating the central catheter position by correlating catheter position as determined by POCUS with radiographs. Premature babies < or equal to 30 weeks gestation who had peripheral central lines or surgical lines were enrolled. Confirmation of line position by radiographs was compared to images obtained through a specific US protocol technique. The operator of US exam was blinded to the radiograph findings. All images were reviewed by two radiologists who were blinded to the radiograph findings. 35 central line placements were assessed. 22 lines were inserted in the UL, and 13 were inserted in the LL with a total of 91 ultrasound scans and radiographs. The position of the line was interpreted as normal in 79/91 scans with interpreter reliability of [Formula: see text]=0.778 (p < 0.001), sensitivity of 0.83 and specificity of 0.96, and positive predictive value of 0.77 and negative predictive value of 0.97. There was no significant difference between the ultrasound interpretation and the radiograph interpretation of UL and LL.  Conclusion: The protocol of POCUS that we propose is a reliable tool for assessing the central line positions in preterm infants. What is Known: • POCUS is a reliable tool assessing the central line positions in preterm infants. What is New: • The protocol of POCUS that we propose is a reliable tool for assessing the central line positions in preterm infants., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Most mental pathologies are diagnosed on the sole basis of the symptoms reported by patients, such as "I'm feeling low." The thrust of this paper is the proposal to reconceptualize mental disorders as dysfunctions of brain subsystems. This shift from symptom to organ would bring psychiatry in line with the rest of medicine, and is analogous to the change in status of venereal infections from skin pathologies, such as chancres, to bacterial infections. The proposal in question is part of the reconceptualization of mental processes as brain processes, in line with the materialist conception of the mind as neural. A practical advantage of this conceptual change is that it suggests approaching mental disorders as brain dysfunctions treatable by biological and chemical means, in addition to social measures, such as accommodating mental patients in ordinary hospitals rather than in isolated "madhouses" at the mercy of amateurs or even charlatans. An additional advantage of the "embodiment" of mental diseases is that it suggests reframing some new research projects, such as explaining why the common cold causes mental fogginess, why hypertension can cause irritability, and why nicotine dependence can be even stronger than cocaine addiction. In other words, the present proposal is to complete the so-called "mapping of the mind onto the brain" by including the abnormal mental processes, which used to be treated by shamans at a time when the mind was conceived of as an immaterial entity detachable from the body., (© 2017 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Extramedullary leukemia in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia can manifest as a myeloid sarcoma (MS), also known as granulocytic sarcoma or chloroma, in a variety of sites, or as leukemic blasts in the cerebrospinal fluid. Isolated MS of the central nervous system is rare. We report a case of acute myeloid leukemia with central nervous system-MS presenting as a posterior fossa mass mimicking a primary intracranial tumor., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Methane (CH4), an important greenhouse gas that affects radiation balance and consequently the earth's climate, still has uncertainties in its sinks and sources. The world's oceans are considered to be a source of CH4 to the atmosphere, although the biogeochemical processes involved in its formation are not fully understood. Several recent studies provided strong evidence of CH4 production in oxic marine and freshwaters but its source is still a topic of debate. Studies of CH4 dynamics in surface waters of oceans and large lakes have concluded that pelagic CH4 supersaturation cannot be sustained either by lateral inputs from littoral or benthic inputs alone. However, frequently regional and temporal oversaturation of surface waters occurs. This comprises the observation of a CH4 oversaturating state within the surface mixed layer, sometimes also termed the "oceanic methane paradox". In this study we considered marine algae as a possible direct source of CH4. Therefore, the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi was grown under controlled laboratory conditions and supplemented with two 13C-labelled carbon substrates, namely bicarbonate and a position-specific 13C-labelled methionine (R-S-13CH3). The CH4 production was 0.7 µg POC g-1 d-1, or 30 ng g-1 POC h-1. After supplementation of the cultures with the 13C labelled substrate, the isotope label was observed in headspace-CH4. Moreover, the absence of methanogenic archaea within the algal culture and the oxic conditions during CH4 formation suggest that marine algae such as Emiliania huxleyi contribute to the observed spatial and temporal restricted CH4 oversaturation in ocean surface waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leitmotif of Mario Bunge's work was that the philosophy of science should be informed by a comprehensive scientific philosophy, and vice versa; with both firmly rooted in realism and materialism. Now Bunge left such a big oeuvre, comprising more than 70 books and hundreds of articles, that it is impossible to review it in its entirety. In addition to biographical remarks, this obituary will therefore restrict itself to some select issues of his philosophy: his scientific metaphysics, his philosophy of physics, his concept of mechanismic explanation, his philosophy of social science and technology, and his approach to the demarcation problem. The final section will explore why Bunge, despite the extent and depth of his work, has not achieved a more prominent status in the philosophical community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]