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Environmental science studies from the past decade have emphasized that microplastics in aquatic environments are mostly caused by domestic laundering of synthetic textiles. Although many studies have explored the microfiber release behavior of fabrics washed in laundry, attempts to witness microfiber release from sewing threads, which are an inevitable part of any finished garment, are meager. With this research gap, this study attempted to analyze the potential of sewing threads to release microfibers during washing and the extent to which they can contribute to the overall microfiber release during domestic laundering. The study's findings revealed an average release of 2.65 ± 0.70 (n=33) microfibers/m from the sewing thread sewn on the fabric during laundering. The sewing process was noted to cause damage to the sewing thread, which led to a comparatively higher microfiber release (∼114%) compared with the sewing threads that were washed before sewing. Among the selected sewing threads, higher microfiber emissions were reported with spun threads, followed by twistless filaments, and twisted filament threads. The results showed that coarser sewing threads with higher Tex values released more microfibers than finer Tex threads. Compared to the 20Tex spun thread, the 80Tex spun thread showed a 22-150% increase in microfiber release. In the case of filament sewing thread, a similar impact was noted, whereas the role of twist was found to be efficient in reducing microfiber emission. Compared to the untwisted filaments, the ply twisted filaments exhibited approximately 76% lower microfiber emissions. The findings of this study showed that sewing thread contributed approximately 1.09% of the total microfiber emissions from apparel during laundry.

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Microfibers are thread-like structures shorter than 5 mm and have natural, semisynthetic, or synthetic origins. These micropollutants are ubiquitous and are emerging in the environment, living organisms, and food sources. Textile laundering is a prominent source of microfibers, but limited research has been conducted on microfiber pollution from domestic washing machines in emerging economies such as India, where consumption and production rates are exorbitantly high. This study aimed to assess the abundance and size distribution of microfibers from the effluent of a semiautomatic domestic washing machine using three categories of "not-new" textiles: cotton, blended, and synthetic under "with" and "without" detergent conditions. Although most Indians still rely on hand washing, this study focused on washing machines due to their increasing use in India driven by improving socioeconomic factors. This study also developed annual emission estimation and forecasting models for India to understand pollution trends. The results revealed that microfibers were highly abundant in washing machine effluent, with a mean abundance of cotton, blended, and synthetic in "with detergent" conditions of 6476.67, 3766.67, and 8645/L, respectively, whereas in "without detergent," it was lower. All identified microfibers were divided into five size classes. The study also found that powdered detergent increased the abundance and emission of tiny fibers. The overall annual emissions estimate was 1.23 × 1011 microfibers, with cotton, synthetic, and blended categories accounting for 2.11 × 1010, 1.40 × 1010, and 6.15 × 109 microfibers, respectively. Time-series-based future estimates (autoregressive integrated moving average [ARIMA] and error-trend-seasonality [ETS]) showed an alarming increase in microfiber emissions, with forecasted annual emission reaching 1.90 × 1011 by 2030. Synthetic and cotton textiles are the most significant contributors to microfiber pollution. This study emphasized the urgent need to address the issue of microfiber pollution caused by washing machine laundering in developing countries, such as India, where sociodemographic factors intensify the problem. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-12. © 2024 SETAC.

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Enhancing the flame retardancy and durability of cellulose fibers, particularly environmentally friendly regenerated cellulose fibers types like Lyocell fibers, is essential for advancing their broader application. This study introduced a novel approach to address this challenge. Cationic-modified Lyocell fibers (Lyocell@CAT) were prepared by introducing quaternary ammonium structures into the molecular chain of Lyocell fibers. Simultaneously, a flame retardant, APA, containing -COO-NH4+ and -P=O(O-NH4+)2 groups was synthesized. APA was then covalently bonded to Lyocell@CAT to prepare Lyocell@CAT@APA. Even after undergoing 30 laundering cycles (LCs), Lyocell@CAT@APA maintained a LOI value of 37.2 %, exhibiting outstanding flame retardant durability. The quaternary ammonium structure within Lyocell@CAT@APA formed asymmetric ionic bonds with the phosphate and carboxylate groups in APA, effectively shielding the binding of Na+ ions with phosphate groups during laundering, thereby enhancing the durability. Additionally, the consumption of Na+ ions by carboxylate groups further prevented their binding to phosphate groups, which contributed to enhance the durability properties. Flame retardant mechanism analysis revealed that both gas and condensed phase synergistically endowed excellent flame retardancy to Lyocell fibers. Overall, this innovative strategy presented a promising prospect for developing bio-safe, durable, and flame retardant cellulose textiles.

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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requires national governments to demonstrate an understanding of the distribution of money laundering risks across different sectors of the financial system. Such understanding is the foundation for effective control of money laundering under the risk-based approach called for by the FATF. We analyzed the National Risk Assessments (NRAs) of eight systemically important countries before 2020 to test whether these demonstrated that basic understanding. The eight show very different conceptualizations, analytic approaches, and products. None showed more than minimal competence at risk assessment. For example, most relied largely on expert opinion, solicited, however, in ways that violated the well-developed methodology for eliciting expert opinion. They consistently misinterpreted Suspicious Activity Reports, the most fine-grained quantitative data available on money laundering, and failed to provide risk assessments relevant for policymakers. Only one described the methodology employed. Although conducting strong money laundering risk assessments is challenging, given the difficulty of estimating the extent of laundering in any sector, existing practices can be improved. We offer some potential explanations for the failure of governments to take this task seriously. The lack of involvement of risk assessment professionals is an important contributing factor to the weaknesses of the current NRAs.

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The rapid development of cryptocurrencies has led to an increasing severity of money laundering activities. In recent years, leveraging graph neural networks for cryptocurrency fraud detection has yielded promising results. However, many existing methods predominantly focus on node classification, i.e., detecting individual illicit transactions, rather than uncovering behavioral pattern differences among money laundering groups. In this paper, we tackle the challenges presented by the organized, heterogeneous, and noisy nature of Bitcoin money laundering. We propose a novel subgraph-based contrastive learning algorithm for heterogeneous graphs, named Bit-CHetG, to perform money laundering group detection. Specifically, we employ predefined metapaths to construct the homogeneous subgraphs of wallet addresses and transaction records from the address-transaction heterogeneous graph, enhancing our ability to capture heterogeneity. Subsequently, we utilize graph neural networks to separately extract the topological embedding representations of transaction subgraphs and associated address representations of transaction nodes. Lastly, supervised contrastive learning is introduced to reduce the effect of noise, which pulls together the transaction subgraphs with the same class while pushing apart the subgraphs with different classes. By conducting experiments on two real-world datasets with homogeneous and heterogeneous graphs, the Micro F1 Score of our proposed Bit-CHetG is improved by at least 5% compared to others.

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Captive breeding is often seen as a solution to sustainably increasing the supply of individuals in the wildlife trade. To be an effective conservation measure this requires robust systems to verify the authenticity of captive-bred species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) monitors the international trade in Listed species-which for many taxa is dominated by captive-bred individuals-using the Review of Captive Trade (RCT) process. A key question is how best to identify laundered or inauthentic captive-bred trade and how has this changed over time and space. We develop targeted assessments based on multiple RCT criteria to identify probable instances of laundering and misuse of source and purpose codes in international trade records, and apply this to 39,167 records of captive trade from 2000 to 2020 spanning 53,674,762 individuals. We find a very low proportion of trade volume (1.8%, 37,835 individuals) misreported as originating from non-existent, registered Appendix I-breeding facilities, and low instances of exporter-reported captive trade being recorded by importers as wild-sourced (<4%) or ranched (1%). We also find that <2% of species-year-exporter records have abrupt shifts from wild to captive sources, potentially indicating laundering. Conversely, we find high incidences of exporter- and importer-reported trade differing in whether the trade was commercial or not - a phenomenon we attribute to differing definitions, not illegal activity. Our results indicate a low incidence of concerning international trade being reported, but we suggest this likely stems from reporting requirements that limit our assessments. We highlight additional trade data that, if embedded into Party's annual reports, would vastly improve inferential potential, greatly increasing the number of records (Appendix II and III species) that could be verified with minimal effort for management authorities.

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Facilitating economic opportunities is a critical function of the financial sector, and this contributes significantly towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 10 (SDG-10), which aims to reduce income inequality. This research examines the role of sustainable banking practices in reducing income inequality and achieving SDG-10 under weak rule of law settings. We employed a panel cluster regression model to examine the data collected from 890 banks across 49 nations over a nine-year period (2014-2022). Specifically, we opted to cluster the observations based on industry and year to produce unbiased standard error. The findings reveal that sustainable banking practices are more effective in reducing income inequality, especially in settings with weak rule of law. They also contribute to combating money laundering, which is a significant barrier to achieving SDG-10. The study highlights the importance of transparent and responsible financial transactions in promoting investment opportunities that contribute to sustainable development. Moreover, we find that sustainable banking can accelerate the impact of Fintech in reducing income inequality in weak rule of law settings. The use of Fintech in the financial industry can improve transparency, accountability, and fairness, which are essential for progress towards achieving SDG-10. These findings have significant implications for the expansion of sustainable banking practices in regions with weak institutional frameworks.

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The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1851 document provides guidelines for firefighters on the care and maintenance of their PPE, including decontamination practices. Firefighters are exposed to various toxic chemicals during fire suppression activities, making effective decontamination crucial for their safety. This study evaluated the efficacy of different washing parameters, including temperature, time, and surfactants, on cleaning outer-shell material contaminated with nine targeted compounds from three different functional groups: phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and phthalates. The study was conducted on both bench-scale and full-scale levels, with contaminated swatches washed in a water shaker bath in the bench-scale evaluation and full-sized washer extractors used in the full-scale evaluation. The results showed that bench-scale washing demonstrated similar trends in contaminant removal to full-scale washing. Importantly, the study highlighted the complexity of removing fireground contaminants from the personal protective ensemble (PPE). The findings of this study have practical implications for the firefighting industry as they provide insight into the effectiveness of different washing parameters for PPE decontamination. Future studies could explore the impact of repeated washing on PPE and investigate the potential for developing more efficient decontamination strategies. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of firefighters, who face significant occupational hazards.

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The scientific article analyses modern terrorist threats in the territory of Ukraine, associated with the active use of financial assets, the latest technologies and innovative financial instruments, in particular cryptocurrencies. The positive experience of legislative initiatives and advanced practices of several foreign countries in combatting the legalisation of funds by illegal means and the financing of terrorism is highlighted. The problems of implementation of state policy in this sphere are revealed. Based on this, ways of improving the system of fighting terrorism in Ukraine on the international and national levels have been determined. It was concluded that the basis of the state policy in the field of combatting terrorism during the period of martial law and in the post-war period in Ukraine should be the development of the Strategy for Combatting Terrorism in Ukraine, which should take into account both the best world practices and the modern realities of waging war in the conditions of supporting terrorism with financial infusions.

El artículo científico analiza las amenazas terroristas modernas en el territorio de Ucrania, asociadas al uso activo de activos financieros, las últimas tecnologías e instrumentos financieros innovadores, en particular las criptodivisas. Se destaca la experiencia positiva de las iniciativas legislativas y las prácticas avanzadas de varios países extranjeros en la lucha contra la legalización de fondos por medios ilegales y la financiación del terrorismo. Se ponen de manifiesto los problemas de aplicación de la política estatal en este ámbito. Se concluye que la base de la política estatal en el ámbito de la lucha contra el terrorismo durante el período de la ley marcial y en el período de posguerra en Ucrania debe ser el desarrollo de la Estrategia de Lucha contra el Terrorismo en Ucrania, que debe tener en cuenta tanto las mejores prácticas mundiales y las realidades modernas de hacer la guerra en las condiciones de apoyo al terrorismo con infusiones financieras.

O artigo científico analisa as ameaças terroristas modernas no território da Ucrânia, associadas ao uso ativo de ativos financeiros, às tecnologias mais recentes e aos instrumentos financeiros inovadores, em especial as criptomoedas. A experiência positiva de iniciativas legislativas e práticas avançadas de vários países estrangeiros no combate à legalização de fundos por meios ilegais e ao financiamento do terrorismo é destacada. Os problemas de implementação da política estatal nessa esfera são revelados. Com base nisso, foram determinadas formas de aprimorar o sistema de combate ao terrorismo na Ucrânia em nível internacional e nacional. Concluiu-se que a base da política do Estado no campo do combate ao terrorismo durante o período da lei marcial e no período pós-guerra na Ucrânia deve ser o desenvolvimento da Estratégia de Combate ao Terrorismo na Ucrânia, que deve levar em conta tanto as melhores práticas mundiais quanto as realidades modernas de guerra nas condições de apoio ao terrorismo com infusões financeiras.

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Background Ultraviolet (UV) radiation has potentially harmful effects on the skin. Sunscreen products have historically focused on blocking UV-B radiation to prevent sunburns while efforts to block UV-A radiation have been lacking. UV protective clothing, rated by ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) values, has gained popularity as an alternative form of UV protection, offering a physical barrier against UV rays. However, concerns arise regarding the disclosure and sustainability of UV-protective textiles, as companies often do not disclose the methods used to achieve UV protection. The addition of chemical sunscreen additives to textiles raises questions about their potential release during laundering and their impact on sustained UV protection and environmental health. Further research is needed to understand the risks and benefits of these practices. Methods Seven garments from commercially available sun-protective brand names claiming UV protection were tested for UPF values. The garments were washed separately using cold water in commercially available detergent in cold water followed by drying on a low setting. UPF measurements were obtained at baseline and at intervals of 10 wash cycles until 50 wash cycles were completed. Results Two brands (Brands A and D) experienced a significant decrease in UPF value (70% to 78%) by the completion of 50 washes. Brand A disclosed the use of a nano-zinc additive in their garments while Brand D did not disclose the means of achieving UV protection. In comparison, five brands (Brands B, C, E, F, G) maintained relatively stable UPF values throughout the 50 washes. The comparison between Brand A and Brand G, who disclosed their UV protection methods, showed that Brand A gradually decreased in UPF value throughout the washes while Brand G remained stable. Conclusion The findings suggest that textile compositions with UV finishes may lose their UPF effectiveness during laundering by loss of the finish used over time or the textile integrity could be affected. This raises questions about the necessity of adding these UV finishes if there are fabrics that can maintain their UPF values without them.

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Background: Theatre personnel can spread healthcare-associated infections through contaminated surgical scrubs. Decontamination of surgical scrubs through optimal methods is important to minimise transmission of microorganisms from theatre personnel's clothing to different areas in the hospital and their homes. Aim: This study aimed to review the literature on the optimal home and hospital laundering methods for the decontamination of reusable surgical scrubs worn by theatre personnel. Method: A systematic literature review of previous studies on laundering reusable surgical scrubs was performed. A review question was formulated using the patient, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) framework. A literature search was performed using ScienceDirect, Web of Science, ProQuest, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar. Results: A direct link could be established between the cycle length and water temperature. The higher the water temperature, the shorter the washing cycle required. After a load has been washed in low or medium water temperatures, tumble drying and ironing should follow. Despite the water temperature, a disinfectant must be added to the load. Conclusion: Health professionals and hospital management should be aware of optimal laundering guidelines for hospital and home laundering as part of infection control. Water temperature, time, mechanical action, type of disinfectant and heat are factors influencing the successful removal of bacteria and other pathogens and represent the baseline of this article. Contribution: Home-laundering of reusable surgical scrubs should follow strict guidelines. When these specific guidelines are applied, the effects of home-laundered scrubs will not negatively impact either the theatre or the home environment.

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This article argues that the concept of state capture helps to structure our understanding of patterns of grand corruption seen around the world in varied contexts, and increasingly even in countries once regarded as secure democracies. This article seeks to lay the groundwork for future empirical research into state capture in three areas. First, it situates the concept within a wider literature on corruption and describes how it relates to other similar terms, including regulatory capture and kleptocracy. Second, it elaborates on three pillars of activity that are subject to capture, and a variety of mechanisms through which state capture occurs. This provides a structure for the gathering of evidence on how capture plays out in different cases, and raises questions about the interactions among mechanisms and variation in sequencing. Third, the paper considers the impact of state capture on economic and social development, by outlining the ways in which it skews the distribution of power and potential long-term consequences for the allocation of rights and resources.

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Synthetic microfibers are universally recognized as an emerging pollutant in all ecosystems. The present investigation focuses on the evaluation and quantification of synthetic microfiber released from domestic laundering wastewater from different regions of Bhubaneswar city of Odisha state of India. The estimated number of microfibers collected from 500 ml of sample varied from 200 to 500 in numbers with an average amount of biomass in the range of 0.4-4 g. The surface morphology of the samples was assessed by Scanning Electron Microscopic analysis which revealed that the fibers were having a length of approximately 10-30 mm and diameter of 10-20 µm. Carbonyl (CO) stretching band at 1711 cm-1 and Aldehyde (CH) Weak bond at 2917.38 cm-1 absorption were recorded from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis. As microfibers released from synthetic apparels are major source of environmental microplastic pollution their precise detection could help in controlling this problem.

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Bloodstains on fabrics may be washed or cleaned to eliminate incriminating evidence. These actions reduce the chances of obtaining an interpretable DNA profile. Previous studies have shown that conventional short-tandem repeat (STR) typing is affected by various factors associated with washing or laundering of stains. Here, we aim to increase the chances of obtaining interpretable STR profiles from laundered bloodstains using direct PCR. Preliminary investigations showed direct STR typing resulted in more alleles compared to conventional STR typing. We then further investigated the following factors with direct STR typing: fabric type (cotton, polyester, and denim), washing method (hand-washing and machine-washing), type of detergents (powder and liquid), washing temperature (cold to 90 °C), pretreatment agents (sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide), and the number of washes (one, three, and five). Direct PCR could be successfully used for STR typing from laundered bloodstains with very high success rates. Among the three fabric types, only denim negatively affected direct STR typing, while laundering of bloodstains on cotton and polyester had a negligible effect as mostly full profiles were obtained. Multiple washes resulted in a decrease in both the numbers of alleles and peak heights. Surprisingly, washing method, type of detergent, washing temperature, and pretreatment agents only had minimal to no effect on STR profile quality. Due to the robustness and sensitivity of direct STR typing from laundered bloodstains, the method could be beneficial for violent crime investigations in forensic DNA laboratories worldwide.

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Dermatomycoses are one of the most common dermatological infectious diseases. Dermatophytoses, such as tinea pedis (athlete's foot) in adults and tinea capitis in children, are the most prevalent fungal diseases caused by dermatophytes. The transmission of anthropophilic dermatophytoses occurs almost exclusively through indirect contact with patient-contaminated belongings or environments and, subsequently, facilitates the spread of the infection to others. Hygienic measures were demonstrated to have an important role in removing or reducing the fungal burden. Herein, we evaluated the effectiveness of physical-based methods of laundering, heat drying, and freezing in the elimination of Trichophyton tonsurans, T. rubrum, and T. interdigitale conidia in diverse temperatures and time spectra. Based on our findings, laundering at 60 °C was effective for removing the dermatophyte conidia from contaminated linens. On the contrary, heat drying using domestic or laundromat machines; freezing at -20 °C for 24 h, 48 h, or one week; and direct heat exposure at 60 °C for 10, 30, or 90 min were unable to kill the dermatophytes. These results can be helpful for clinicians, staff of children's communities, and hygiene practitioners for implementing control management strategies against dermatophytoses caused by mentioned dermatophyte species.

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Personnel follow hospital policies and regulatory guidelines to prevent surgical site infections. However, a potentially contaminated item may be overlooked-the linen. When perioperative team members transport patients to the OR, the linen on the beds and transport carts can contain a variety of microorganisms. Textile surfaces can serve as reservoirs for microorganisms that can be transferred to health care providers, patients, and the environment. These pathogens may then infect patients, particularly those who are immunocompromised or have direct portals of entry (eg, catheters, incision sites). This article provides an overview of how microorganisms that cause health care-associated infections can survive and thrive on hospital linen and related equipment; discusses the linen laundering, transport, and storage processes and best practices; and discusses antimicrobial interventions-including a silver-ion laundering additive that was added as an infection prevention measure to the laundry production cycle at a medical center's contracted laundry facility.

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BACKGROUND: The illegal drug trade is often, and plausibly, asserted to be the largest illegal market, globally and in many individual countries. It is also claimed that a large share of its revenues is laundered, though there are no estimates of that volume. We provide rough estimates of that proportion and its primary determinants. METHODS AND DATA: This paper presents a model of a multi-tiered drug distribution network that is parameterized with data based on one typical, well-studied case, namely British Colombia's market for illegal opioids, supplemented by a corresponding economic interpretation of what determines the share of drug trade revenues that need to be laundered. Sensitivity with respect to key parameters is analyzed. FINDINGS: We suggest that less than half and perhaps no more than a quarter of revenues from established drug markets need laundering. Key parameters governing this proportion include the price mark-up across distribution levels, transaction volumes at each market level, and the capacity of market participants to spend cash on daily living expenses. CONCLUSION: This model permits estimation of the scale of money laundering associated with a particular drug market. It suggests that there are limits on money laundering controls as a way of reducing drug supply - although money laundering investigations may still be an effective way to identify and investigate high-level drug traffickers.

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Sports bras provide support by restricting breast motion during exercise, which may prevent damage to breast structures. Laundering affects the mechanical properties of some sports bra materials. Bra function on the wearer after washing is unreported, meaning sports bra durability is unknown. This intervention study compared subjective and objective performance of sports bras that were washed, and worn/washed, to a control. Twenty-two females were assigned three identical sports bras; control, washed and worn/washed (washed after 60-min wear). Pre-intervention: breast position was recorded while standing and running in each bra. Comfort, fit and aesthetics were rated. Intervention: participants undertook their normal exercise in their worn/washed bra. Post-intervention: after 25 washes (n = 19), pre-intervention testing was repeated. Breast volume and control bra motion were consistent pre/post-intervention; however, post-intervention breast motion increased (20% mediolaterally, 16% superioinferiorly) in washed bras and (32% mediolaterally, 25% superioinferiorly) worn/washed bras. Post-intervention washed, and worn/washed bras were perceived as less supportive and washed bras less comfortable than worn/washed bras. Sports bra support reduced after 25 washes; this was compounded by wear. Participants detected reduced support, but comfort was sustained, suggesting replacement may not be considered. Guidelines on sports bra durability are recommended for breast health.