Bottle Caps Research Articles

Hoarding: Ownership Gone Awry

Hoarding: Ownership Gone Awry

Occurrence of Macro- and Micro-Plastics on Pasir Pandak Beach, Sarawak, Malaysia

Highlight Research The present of microplastics is more than macroplastics on the Pasir Pandak Beach The existence of huge amount of smaller microplastics (<0.50 mm) were observed on this beach sediment Types of macroplastics found are fragment, foam, and fiber; while microplastics are fiber, filament, fragment, and foam The main polymers found are HDPE, PES, PP, and PS Clean Coast Index indicated Pasir Pandak Beach as an extremely dirty beach Abstract Pasir Pandak Beach is close to human settlements, resorts, and food stalls. It becomes a place for gathering of beachgoers especially during weekend. As a result, the beach became polluted with rubbish, particularly plastics (e.g., macro- and micro-plastics). Hence, this study was done to determine the occurrence of macro- and micro-plastics on the Pasir Pandak Beach, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. Transect quadrat was used during the samples collection on the beach. The samples were then undergone the wet peroxide oxidation, filtering and classifying under dissecting microscope. Macroplastics were isolated for ATR-FTIR and SEM analyses, while microplastics were separated according to their sizes, colors, and types. Approximately 101.70 items/m2 of macro-plastics and 1084 items/m2 of micro-plastics were found in this study. Clean Coast Index (CCI) was also estimated and the calculated CCI value obtained was >20, which indicated as extremely dirty beach. Fragments of carpet/canvas/mat and hardware crate/item were the most abundance macroplastics found, followed by plastic ropes/fishing lines and bottle caps. HDPE, PES, PP, and PS were the main identified polymers. Fibers, filaments, fragments, and foams were identified for micro- and macro-plastics. Microplastics with smaller sizes of 0.25-0.50 mm were available abundantly and they comprise 63.47 % of the total microplastics found. Clear/white, black, and blue were the main colors for microplastics. SEM images presented that those adhering particles, grooves, pits, fractures, and flakes were the common patterns of degradation. No relationship was apparent between macro- and micro-plastics at each station. The abundance of macro- and micro-plastics showed that they were mainly controlled by the land-based input. As Pasir Pandak beach is busy with local communities and beachgoers, the presence of macro- and micro-plastics on the beach posing a severe threat for marine environment, thus further studies on the behavior of this emerging pollutant from beach to the seas are necessary.

Alcohol Pretreatment to Eliminate the Interference of Micro Additive Particles in the Identification of Microplastics Using Raman Spectroscopy.

Raman spectroscopy is an indispensable tool in the analysis of microplastics smaller than 20 μm. However, due to its limitation, Raman spectroscopy may be incapable of effectively distinguishing microplastics from micro additive particles. To validate this hypothesis, we characterized and compared the Raman spectra of six typical slip additives with polyethylene and found that their hit quality index values (0.93–0.96) are much higher than the accepted threshold value (0.70) used to identify microplastics. To prevent this interference, a new protocol involving an alcohol treatment step was introduced to successfully eliminate additive particles and accurately identify microplastics. Tests using the new protocol showed that three typical plastic products (polyethylene pellets, polyethylene bottle caps, and polypropylene food containers) can simultaneously release microplastic-like additive particles and microplastics regardless of the plastic type, daily-use scenario, or service duration. Micro additive particles can also adsorb onto and modify the surfaces of microplastics in a manner that may potentially increase their health risks. This study not only reveals the hidden problem associated with the substantial interference of additive particles in microplastic detection but also provides a cost-effective method to eliminate this interference and a rigorous basis to quantify the risks associated with microplastic exposure.

Structure-aware bottle cap art

We propose a new image processing problem that consists in approximating an input image with a set of plastic bottle caps. This problem is motivated by the appreciation caused by low resolution imaging, combined with the goal of finding a new destination for plastic caps that would be discarded and possibly damage the environment. Our solution consists in formulating an energy that measures how well a bottle cap art reproduces structures and features from the reference image and maximizing it with a simulated annealing strategy. Examples in the paper show that our method produces high quality results in this very low spatial and color resolution setting.

Evaluation of factors associated with medication adherence in patients with bipolar disorder using a medication event monitoring system: a 6‐month follow‐up prospective study

BackgroundNon-adherence in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) results in symptoms, such as aggravation, BD recurrence, emergency room visits, re-hospitalization, and poor psychosocial outcomes. Though non-adherence rates have been reported to range between 30–50% in patients with BD, the problem of adherence is often either overlooked by the physician or denied by the patient. An essential first step to enhancing medication adherence is to objectively estimate adherence. The Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS), which is a pill bottle cap with a microprocessor, is an accurate device for assessing medication adherence. Using the MEMS, we aimed to measure medication adherence in patients with BD and evaluate the factors associated with and 6-month changes in medication adherence.MethodsParticipants with BD were recruited from the psychiatric outpatient clinic of the Korea University Guro Hospital. The medication adherence of each participant was assessed using the MEMS, a self-report, pill count, and clinician rating. MEMS-measured adherence was reassessed after 6 months. Patient demographics were recorded and clinical assessments were conducted. Data were analyzed using Kappa statistics and Pearson’s correlation analysis.ResultsOf the 59 participants, 50 records were included in the analysis. Patient adherence and adherence rate assessed by the MEMS were lower than those assessed by the other measures. MEMS-measured adherence was correlated more closely with pill counts than with self-reports or clinician ratings. MEMS-measured adherence was negatively associated with prescription duration and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale—Affect Subscale Score. Six-month changes in MEMS-measured adherence were positively associated with attitude toward drugs and negatively associated with weight gain assessed by the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser Side Effect Rating Scale.ConclusionsClinicians may have to consider the limited accuracy of self-reporting and clinician rating methods and exercise caution when assessing the medication adherence of patients with BD using these methods. Our findings may assist clinicians in the assessment and improvement of medication adherence in patients with BD and, consequently, may be useful for the treatment and prevention of BD recurrence.

Design Principle of a Dual-Actuated Robotic Hand With Anthropomorphic Self-Adaptive Grasping and Dexterous Manipulation Abilities

How to use few actuators to endow a multifingered robotic hand with the human grasping and manipulation abilities is a challenging problem. This article develops a design principle of a five-fingered robotic hand with only two actuators, which guarantees the designed hand can replicate a large portion of the grasping and a limited portion of the manipulation abilities of the human hand: simultaneously move all joints before contacting objects like the natural reach-to-grasp process of the human hand; self-adaptively pinch/envelop objects with arbitrary shapes; and carry out dexterous manipulation, such as in-hand manipulation of a ball and screwing bottle cap. The core design ideas involve two levels. The higher level idea is to construct a robotic design theory ensuring thumb and fingers driven independently and four fingers driven synergistically so that the opposable thumb with manual abduction/adduction function can move coordinately with four fingers to ensure abundant anthropomorphic grasps and in-hand manipulations. The lower level idea is to establish a mechanism design method that embeds human two primary eigengrasps into a novel single-actuated differential palm mechanism consisting of gears, drag axes, and slider elements, so that the mechanism can always replicate the grasping behaviors of human hand, no matter how the differential processes it would perform during grasping. Finally, we design a mini X-hand to verify our proposed design principle and reproduce 29 types out of 33 grasping types and some manipulations that are commonly used by human hands in daily life.

Plastic bottle caps as radiation detectors for high gamma radiation doses

Dosimetric evaluation is indicated for material characterization seeking to identify possible applications; still, proper preprocessing techniques are critical features of this process. This work aimed to determine the linearity response of plastic samples irradiated with gamma rays using the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurements. The plastic samples were analyzed using Derivatives and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) methods. They applied linear and Principal Component Regression (PCR) methods to obtain linearity. The methods obtained good results for linearity and also showed the evolution of each technique. In conclusion, the results indicate that the applied methods can be useful in radiation physics and for plastic samples as interesting potential radiation detectors.

Arduino Uno Based Automatic Hand Sanitizer, Servo, and Infrared Sensor

Hand Sanitizer is a hand sanitizer that has antibacterial ability to inhibit and kill bacteria. There are two types of Hand Sanitizer, namely Hand Sanitizer gel and Hand Sanitizer spray. Currently, countries in Asia and Europe, including Indonesia, are being hit by disasters, one of which is the Corona virus. Based on this problem, an Arduino Uno-Based Automatic Hand Sanitizer was made using a Sensor which aims to reduce the spread of the virus by taking precautions such as cleaning hands, minimizing direct contact with other people, and reducing touching objects in public places that are often touched by many people. This tool uses an infrared sensor, where this sensor detects objects that are blocking it and the servo motor will rotate to press the bottle cap of the Hand Sanitizer. To make an Arduino Uno-Based Automatic Hand Sanitizer Using the FC-51 Infrared Sensor, this is done in several stages, namely making a program with Arduino.IDE to provide instructions that will be programmed to make it easier for users. 
 Keywords :Arduino Uno, Infrared Sensor, Servo Motor

Branched actin networks are organized for asymmetric force production during clathrin-mediated endocytosis in mammalian cells

Actin assembly facilitates vesicle formation in several trafficking pathways, including clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Interestingly, actin does not assemble at all CME sites in mammalian cells. How actin networks are organized with respect to mammalian CME sites and how assembly forces are harnessed, are not fully understood. Here, branched actin network geometry at CME sites was analyzed using three different advanced imaging approaches. When endocytic dynamics of unperturbed CME sites are compared, sites with actin assembly show a distinct signature, a delay between completion of coat expansion and vesicle scission, indicating that actin assembly occurs preferentially at stalled CME sites. In addition, N-WASP and the Arp2/3 complex are recruited to one side of CME sites, where they are positioned to stimulate asymmetric actin assembly and force production. We propose that actin assembles preferentially at stalled CME sites where it pulls vesicles into the cell asymmetrically, much as a bottle opener pulls off a bottle cap.

Pyrolysis Process for the Recycling of Cork Dust Waste from the Processing of Cork Agglomerate Caps in Lightweight Materials

This study aimed to investigate the possibility of recycling cork scraps derived from the production of agglomerated bottle caps containing organic additives (glues and adhesives) in addition to virgin wood. The study involved pyrolysis treatment followed by the use of char to obtain lightweight material prototypes. The scrap was pyrolysed in order to achieve the thermal degradation of unwanted molecules with decomposition temperatures lower than the pyrolysis temperatures, but also to achieve the reduction in mass and size of the starting material. The substitution of 15% by weight of weight-lightening agent (char from pyrolysed cork, or half char and half spent coffee grounds) into the clayey matrix made it possible to obtain lightweight aggregates with pH and conductivity values that could be exploited in an agronomic context. The substitution of clay with of 5 to 15% by weight of pyrolysed cork char in the production of specimens pressed at 25 bar and fired slowly at 1000 °C led to lightweight ceramics with particularly interesting porosity (from 41 to 68%) and bulk density (850–1600 kg/m3) values.

A sustainable and green chlorophyll/TiO2:W composite supported on recycled plastic bottle caps for the complete removal of Rhodamine B contaminant from drinking water

This investigation reports the photocatalytic performance of the tungsten doped titania (TiO2:W or TW) with and without coating of chlorophyll (Chl) for the removal of the RhB dye from the drinking water. These particles were also supported on recycled plastic bottle caps (Bcap) to form other photocatalytic composites (TW/Bcap and TW + Chl/Bcap). The SEM images demonstrated that the TW particles without Chl had irregular shapes and sizes of 0.8–12 μm. The TW particles coated by the Chl presented shapes of quasi-rounded grains and smaller particle sizes of 0.8–1.8 μm. The photocatalytyic experiments showed that the photocatalyst powders containing Chl removed completely the RhB dye from the water after 2h under UV-VIS light, while the photocatalyst without Chl removed a maximum of 95% of the RhB. Interestingly, the TW/Bcap and TW + Chl/Bcap composites removed 94–100% of the RhB after 2h. Those ones removed such dye by photocatalysis and by physical adsorption at the same time (as confirmed by the absorbance and FTIR measurements), therefore, the removal of RhB was still very high. Scavenger experiments were also achieved and found that the •OH radicals are the main oxidizing species generated by the photocatalysts with and without Chl. The •O2− radicals and holes (h+) were the secondary oxidizing species. The presence of the chlorophyll on the photocatalyst increased in general the light absorption and the photocurrent. Overall, our work demonstrated that making composites with recycled plastic bottle caps is a feasible alternative to remove dyes from contaminated drinking water with high efficiency and low cost.

The Physical Characterization and Terminal Velocities of Aluminium, Iron and Plastic Bottle Caps in a Water Environment

Aluminium, iron and plastic are materials which are extensively used at both industry and individual levels. However, significant amounts of aluminium, iron and plastic end up in the environment. Specifically, bottle caps made of these materials are often thrown away, with or without bottles, and appear among the common plastic debris entering the world’s oceans and beaches. More than 20 million bottle caps and lids have been identified during beach-cleaning campaigns over the last 30 years. To recover bottle caps from the shores, conventional technologies can be used. In this paper, the physical properties of used metal and plastic bottle caps were examined and related to the settling and rising velocities of the caps, as well as their drag coefficients and hydrodynamic modes in water environments, with respect to gravity separation. The sample contained aluminium, iron, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) bottle caps. The findings revealed that the density differences between the bottle caps resulted in the terminal settling velocities of aluminium and iron particles, which were significantly higher than the rising velocities of the plastic caps. The results allowed us to design a flowsheet for bottle cap recovery from beach coasts in order to reduce environmental impact and produce add-on plastic and metal products.

Study Leaf Spring for Punch in Press Tools

The development of technology in the material sector is currently very fast, it can be seen from the many uses of metal materials, especially in the mass production industry with certain specifications, such as stainless steel, high carbon steel, and tool steel. Home industries such as the manufacture of rings, pans, bottle caps, stove components and others often use these materials as materials to make tools called press tools. In this press tool, high carbon steel or tool steel is mostly used as a punch, but as the cost and difficulty of these materials make home industries suffer big losses for the manufacture of production tools. For this reason, through this study the authors conducted experiments in the laboratory on recycle leaf spring materials. The experiment was carried out in four stages of testing, namely composition test, tensile test, hardness test, and microstructure test. The composition of elements of the recycle leaf spring are 0.6627% Carbon (C), 0.7304% Manganese (Mn), 0.0240% Sulfur (S), 0.0257% Phosphorus (P). The tensile strength of recycle leaf springs is 1332.5 kg/mm2. The hardness is carried out with the Rockwell C hardness test, the result of the test is 52.5 HRC. There are elements of martensitic and austenite in the microstructure test. The results of the laboratory experiments were compared with the data in the literature, so this recycle leaf spring material could be used as a substitute for cutting blades in press tools.

Portable Raman Spectroscopy for Screening of Phthalate Plasticizers in Food Contact Production Line Tubing and Bottle Cap Gaskets

Portable Raman Spectroscopy for Screening of Phthalate Plasticizers in Food Contact Production Line Tubing and Bottle Cap Gaskets

Recovery of Cork Manufacturing Waste within Mortar and Polyurethane: Feasibility of Use and Physical, Mechanical, Thermal Insulating Properties of the Final Green Composite Construction Materials

The valorization of industrial waste is a hot topic toward circular economy and sustainability. Several wastes have been proposed as resources for different production processes; however, others are still disposed to landfill or waste-to-energy plants. For the first time, this work suggests a sustainable alternative to managing cork waste from bottle caps manufacturing; this is generated by a local company at about 220,000 m3/year. The powder waste has a 0.063–1 mm particle size and is mainly composed of cork, polyurethane adhesive, and paraffin. Its valorization is proposed as filler in construction materials such as lime-based mortar (1–4 wt%) and polyurethane (5–15 wt%). Thermal, spectroscopic, and physical characterizations are performed on the cork waste, and mainly result in a low apparent density (340 kg/m3) and high-water absorption (177%). Cork properties allow consideration of extra water in the mortar mix and improve lightness without significantly affecting compressive, bending strength, and thermal insulation. Cork waste in polyurethanes promotes a color change, slightly increases the density (up to 12.5%), and still results in producing a thermally insulating material (<0.06 W/mK). Considering the promising results, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using the manufacturing waste from cork bottle caps to produce green construction materials, thus upgrading it from waste to secondary raw material.

The History of Things in Ralf Andtbacka'sWunderkammer

The History of Things in Ralf Andtbacka's<i>Wunderkammer</i>

Pelatihan Pengolahan Limbah Tutup Botol Plastik dan Sosialisasi Digital Marketing di UKM Craft Pati

There are not many Usaha Mikro Kecil dan Menengah (UMKM) in Pati are utilizing the marketplace and digital promotion media to marketing their products. Based on the survey, 56% reasoned that they lacked understanding of digital promotional media, 42% said they did not have time to create content for digital marketing and 2% had difficult to access the Internet. Therefore through current service activities, providing skills to UKM Craft Pati through making accessories by utilizing plastic waste (mineral water bottle caps). The sales system uses digital marketing trends as a medium for promoting UKM products. Digital marketing is chosen as a means of promotion and sales because consumers can search for more products on the internet to find the best offers from all sellers compared to traditional methods. This activity get positive response from UMKM actors in Pati with an acceptance rate of UMKM as big as 86.15%.

Bistable and Multistable Actuators for Soft Robots: Structures, Materials, and Functionalities.

Snap-through bistability is often observed in nature (e.g., fast snapping to closure of Venus flytrap) and the life (e.g., bottle caps and hair clippers). Recently, harnessing bistability and multistability in different structures and soft materials has attracted growing interest for high-performance soft actuators and soft robots. They have demonstrated broad and unique applications in high-speed locomotion on land and under water, adaptive sensing and fast grasping, shape reconfiguration, electronics-free controls with a single input, and logic computation. Here, an overview of integrating bistable and multistable structures with soft actuating materials for diverse soft actuators and soft/flexible robots is given. The mechanics-guided structural design principles for five categories of basic bistable elements from 1D to 3D (i.e., constrained beams, curved plates, dome shells, compliant mechanisms of linkages with flexible hinges and deformable origami, and balloon structures) are first presented, alongside brief discussions of typical soft actuating materials (i.e., fluidic elastomers and stimuli-responsive materials such as electro-, photo-, thermo-, magnetic-, and hydro-responsive polymers). Following that, integrating these soft materials with each category of bistable elements for soft bistable and multistable actuators and their diverse robotic applications are discussed. To conclude, perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in this emerging field are considered.

A radial head prosthesis that aligns with the forearm axis of rotation: a retrospective multicenter study

BackgroundAdvancements in technique and devices and a better understanding of forearm kinematics have contributed to the improvement in outcomes following radial head arthroplasty. The results of radial head arthroplasty depend on the inherent variability of the proximal radial anatomy and on the subsequent difficulties in attaining anatomic positioning of the prosthesis. A monobloc prosthesis with an anatomical head that is aligned with the patient’s axis of forearm rotation has been recently introduced. We report the clinical and radiographic outcomes for patients across multiple centers who received this radial head implant with a minimum of 2-year follow-up. MethodsThis was a multi-institution retrospective follow-up including 6 centers and multiple surgeons. A total of 114 cases were performed prior to July 20, 2019, of which 52 (46%) responded to request for follow-up. Data collected included Mayo Elbow Performance Score, Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand scores, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, major complications, and reoperations. Major complications were defined as any prosthesis-related event which may or may not have required reoperation. ResultsThe mean Mayo Elbow Performance Score was 87.0 (range, 55-100), with 46% (24/52) scoring a 100. The mean VAS for pain at rest was 0.9 (range, 0-10), and the mean VAS for pain while unscrewing a bottle cap was 1.9 (range, 0-10). The mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand score was 19.6 (range, 0-88.6). We recorded a total of 4 major complications, 3 of which required reoperations, for a rate of 7.6% and 5.7%, respectively. DiscussionThe current results, collected from 6 institutions and multiple surgeons, are comparable to those of other similar series for radial head prostheses. Our series had lower rates of complications and reoperations. There were no cases of stem loosening. The alignment of the radial head to the forearm axis of rotation may restore forearm kinematics. This design may lead to radiocapitellar contact pressures that are more physiologic in load transmission.

In vivo oxidative stress responses of the freshwater basket clam Corbicula javanicus to microplastic fibres and particles

Microplastics have been detected in several aquatic organisms, especially bivalves such as clams, oysters, and mussels. To understand the ecotoxicological implication of microplastic accumulation in biota, it is crucial to investigate effects at the physiological level to identify knowledge gaps regarding the threat posed to the environment and assist decision-makers to set the necessary priorities. Typically, xenobiotics elicit an overproduction of reactive oxygen species in organisms, resulting in oxidative stress and cellular damage when not combated by the antioxidative system. Therefore, the present study aimed to establish the impacts of microplastic particles and fibres on the freshwater basket clam Corbicula javanicus. We measured the oxidative stress responses following microplastic exposure as the specific activities of the antioxidative enzymes glutathione S-transferase and catalase. When exposed to polyester fibres from the fleece jackets, the enzyme activities increased in the clams, while the enzyme activities decreased with high-density polyethylene microplastic fragments from bottle caps. All the exposures showed that the adverse effects on the antioxidative response system were elicited, indicating the negative ecotoxicological implications of microplastic pollution.