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Alstonia boonei, an abundant lesser utilized species within the West African Subregion, was evaluated as an alternative raw material for pulp and paper production. The basic density (BD), fibre characteristics [fibre length (FL), fibre diameter (FD), lumen diameter (LD) and wall thickness (WT)], derived anatomical indices [Flexibility Ratio (FR), Slenderness Ratio (SR), Rigidity Coefficient (RC), Luce’s Shape Factor (LSF), Solids Factor (SF) and Runkel Ratio (RR)] and chemical composition (lignin, holocellulose, 1% NaOH solubility and ash contents) of A. boonei were studied to evaluate variation along the trunk (base, middle and top portions) and ascertain its suitability for pulp and paper production. Significant variations were observed in the density and fibre characteristics along the trunk of the tree. Although the FD was large, the observed adequate FL, thin-wall and large LD implied easy beating of fibres and manufacture of dense, smooth and strong papers. The favourable SF, RR, FR, RC, and LSF values obtained for the fibres would produce papers with suitable burst and tearing strengths and folding endurance. Chemically the lower lignin (< 30%), ash and 1% NaOH solubility and the high holocellulose contents of A. boonei, will generate a higher pulp yield. A. boonei although a low-density species, will be desirable for pulp and paper production.

Comparative studies on paper and pencil– and computer-based tests principally focus on statistical analysis of students’ performances. In educational assessment, comparing students’ performance (in terms of right or wrong results) does not imply a comparison of problem-solving processes followed by students. In this paper, we present a theoretical tool for task analysis that allows us to highlight how students’ problem-solving processes could change in switching from paper to computer format and how these changes could be affected by the use of one environment rather than another. In particular, the aim of our study lies in identifying a set of indexes to highlight possible consequences that specific changes in task formulation have, in terms of task comparability. Therefore, we propose an example of the use of the tool for comparing paper-based and computer-based tasks.

In recent years, with the rapid development of the Internet industry, the publicity effect of paperbark walnuts has been substantially increased, and the consumption and demand of paperbark walnuts have been rising, and the output of paperbark walnuts in China has also increased year by year. This paper takes the panel data of the top three prefecture-level cities in each GDP ranking of five provinces in northwest China from 2012 to 2021 as the sample and combines the DEA model with Malmquist to evaluate and analyze the logistics efficiency of paper walnuts in northwest China. It is found that the overall logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Northwest China has been improved in recent years, but there are still areas that need to be improved, such as the factor distribution is not reasonable enough; the logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Northwest China from 2012 to 2021 is in a fluctuating state; the logistics efficiency of paperback walnuts in Shaanxi Province is better than the other provinces and is in the leading position; the improvement of technological progress has a key role in the total factor productivity improvement. As a result, this paper puts forward five specific suggestions based on the research results to help accelerate the improvement of paper walnut logistics efficiency in Northwest China.

The study presents the integration of architectural design approaches in the fashion design process suggesting a new educational method based on structural model fabrication. The paper addresses the output of an experimental collaborative practice-based workshop titled ‘Fashion Clash’ that mixes both architects and fashion designers. The workshop focused on testing self-structural garments following a manual workflow which is divided into three main phases, (1) modeling and form-finding, (2) assembly, and (3) fabrication. Paper-based materials are used for transforming full-scale garments into textiles. The results presented seven garments displayed at a fashion show that show the effect of the folding techniques in reaching stability and highlighting the interdisciplinary integration of architects and fashion designers. The study concludes that implementing a parametric design logic based on architectural perspective in fashion would generate innovative ways of testing self-supporting geometry. Digitally computing the forces and structure before fabrication are left for further research.

We study generalised rock-paper-scissors models with an arbitrary odd number N \geq 5 of species, among which n are weak, with 2 \leq n \leq (N-1)/2. Because of the species' weakness, the probability of individuals conquering territory in the cyclic spatial game is low. Running stochastic simulations, we study the role of unevenness in the rock-paper-scissors game in spatial patterns and population dynamics, considering diverse models where the weak species are in different positions in the cyclic game order. Studying systems with five and seven species, we discover that the individuals' spatial organisation arising from the pattern formation process determines the stability of the cyclic game with multiple weak species. Our outcomes show that the presence of species unbalances the spatial distribution of organisms of the same species bringing consequences on territorial dominance, with the predominant species being determined by the position in the cyclic game order. Our simulations elucidate that, in general, the further apart the regions inhabited by different weak species are, the less the coexistence between the species is jeopardised. We show that if multiple weak species occupy adjacent spatial domains, the unevenness in the cyclic game is reinforced, maximising the chances of biodiversity loss. Our discoveries may also be helpful to biologists in comprehending systems where weak species unbalance biodiversity stability., Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures

Today, computer graphics and graphic image processing techniques have been widely used in daily life and industrial production. Due to the development of computers, computer graphics has brought more convenience to our daily life. In order to give full play to the value of computers, this paper takes the Hakka paper-cut art with local characteristics as the starting point, first of all its development history, artistic characteristics, compositional forms, expression techniques, cultural connotations, Hakka paper-cut patterns, and the symbolic meaning of folk customs, and then we design a visualization system for the paper-cut works of Gannan Hakka based on computer graphics. In addition, the system provides a solution for the integration of Gannan Hakka paper-cut art and Jiangxi native product packaging design and provides a reference for the theory and practice of modern native product packaging design.

Urinary Schistosomiasis is neglected tropical disease (NTDs) caused by the trematode, Schistosoma haematobium. This Study was designed to comparatively observe the use of Combi 10 and filter paper in the diagnosis of Schistosoma hameatobium, and to determine the prevalence and intensity of the Infection among Primary School Pupils in Makurdi Metropolis. A survey involving 202 pupils from four different primary schools within the Makurdi Metropolis was conducted. Urine samples were collected from pupils between the ages 5 to 19 and examined for hematuria and Ova of Schistosoma haematobium using Medi Test Combi 10 and Polycarbonate Filters in Urine Syringe Filtration Technique (USFT) respectively. The prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium based on microscopic examination of Filter papers was 25.7% while prevalence of Hematuria was 35%. Prevalence of Proteinuria was observed to be 50% Infection Intensity varied from Light to heavy. In general infection was higher among males (26.3%) than females (25.8%; P>0.05) although statistically non-significant. The age specific prevalence ranged from 11.1% to 40% in 5-9 years and 15-19 years respectively (P >0.05), and showed no significant difference. There was also a strong positive correlation between the use Medi-test Combi 10 reagent strips and Poly membrane Filtration technique. A total of 111 urine samples were positive to haematuria using combi 10 while only 52 urine samples were positive to S. haematobium using poly membrane filter paper, hence correlation is significant at 0.05 level. The above finding shows that S. haematobiumis prevalent among primary school pupils and the use of Combi 10 and Filter paper are both diagnostic tools that can be used in S. haematobium diagnosis. They can both ascertain the prevalence of the disease will provide a guide for the treatment and eradicating of the infection. Hence, decisive control measures including administration of praziquantel to pupils are needed.

NiCoS has good conductivity, and the sulfur it contains is known to improve the activity for hydrogen evolution reaction. Thus NiCoS has recently attracted much attention as a catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst in neutral-pH water electrolysis. In this study, NiCoS was fabricated using pulse electrodeposition method and the effect of off time on the composition, morphology, and hydrogen evolution reaction activity was investigated. The physical and chemical characteristics of the catalyst were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffractometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, etc. It was observed that the surface area of NiCoS, the sulfur content, and hydrogen evolution reaction activity of NiCoS increased together as the off time increased at a constant on time. The NiCoS with the highest sulfur content, produced by pulse electrodeposition, showed overpotentials of 262 and 285 mV to deliver current densities of 10, 50 mA/cm2, respectively, in the neutral pH region.

A classical result of K. L. Chung and W. Feller deals with the partial sums S k S_k arising in a fair coin-tossing game. If N n N_n is the number of “positive” terms among S 1 S_1 , S 2 S_2 , …, S n S_n then the quantity P ( N 2 n = 2 r ) P(N_{2n} = 2r) takes an elegant form. We lift the restriction on an even number of tosses and give a simple expression for P ( N 2 n + 1 = r ) P(N_{2n+1} = r) , r = 0 r = 0 , 1 1 , 2 2 , …, 2 n + 1 2n+1 . We get to this ansatz by adaptating the Feynman–Kac methodology.

This study was undertaken to introduce a fast, accurate, selective, simple and environment-friendly colorimetric method to determine iron (II) concentration in different lipstick brands imported or manufactured locally in Baghdad, Iraq. The samples were collected from 500-Iraqi dinars stores to establish routine tests using the spectrophotometric method and compared with a new microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) platform as an alternative to cost-effective conventional instrumentation such as Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). This method depends on the reaction between iron (II) with iron(II) selective chelator 1, 10-phenanthroline(phen) in the presence of reducing agent hydroxylamine (HOA) and sodium acetate (NaOAc) buffer to yield a reddish/orange colour change proportional to the iron(II) concentration measured at λmax = 510 nm. Under optimum conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range between (0.5-150) mg L-1 with a limit of detection of 0.09 mg L-1. Compared to a spectrophotometric detection method, µPAD measured colour intensity using captured images using Samsung mobile phone and image J program to give proof of concept that µPAD platform fulfils the purpose of accuracy and at the same time remaining cost-effective and simplistic to be used in both developing and developed countries gave same linear calibration curve with a limit of detection 0.12 mg L-1. ANOVA test was used to compare the proposed method results with conventional method results showing the method was accepted. The antimicrobial activity showed no significant effect from lipstick samples on tested microbes.

In a recent paper ?Filomat, 35:5 (2021), 1555-1564? the authors proved some best proximity point theorems for classes of contractive pair of mappings as well as cyclic ?-contractions under some sufficient conditions. In this article, we present some counterexamples of the existence results of contractive pair of mappings and present the corrected version of these results. We also show that the best proximity point theorem for cyclic ?-contractions is a straightforward consequence of Boyd-Wong fixed point theorem by dropping an additional assumption.

In this paper, we first generalize to any hyper-Kahler manifold X with $$b_3(X)\not =0$$ results proved by O’Grady for hyper-Kahler manifolds of generalized Kummer type. In the second part, we restrict to hyper-Kahler manifolds of generalized Kummer type and prove, using results of Markman, that their Kuga–Satake correspondence is algebraic.

Rewinding machines are used in the paper converting industrial sector to unroll paper veils from large source reels and wind them around smaller rolls, for the production of paper logs to be used in household activities. Many different types of rewinding machine exist, and they are mostly based on stapling devices which automatically unroll a large coil of paper, roll it up around a new log, stop the veil allowing it to be torn off, unload the completed paper log, and reload a new paper core to be rolled up. Winding units generally include a primary and a secondary roller, supplying the desired rotational speed for winding, and a pressure unit consisting of a pressure roller in contact with the paper log being rolled up, which assures adequate containment and avoids the paper log to escape. All known systems have some mechanical limitations, mainly due to the contact of the pressure roller with the paper log, causing instabilities and vibrations, particularly when working with soft paper veils. This limits the maximum possible winding speed. The aim of this paper is it to present a detailed kinematic analysis of a novel pressure unit which overcomes the aforementioned limitation.

In any instructive field educational programs, the courses are characterized with learning goals. It is exceptionally challenging for the instructors to create Question Papers with changed questions. There's no standardizing strategy to guarantee quality of question paper. Consequently, there arises a have to be have a framework which can consequently produce it from we entered information inside few seconds. It’s basic to specify tests and exams, it plans understudies in their journey for information, so having a legitimate examination paper & organize is essential. Now the traditional strategy of producing address paper has been manual and it is exceptionally time and cost expending to diminish these things we developed this framework which is able make the programmed address paper and this it can be valuable to numerous instructive establishing.

The study investigates on activities of returning the usage paper boxes through online shopping among universities’ students in China. It also can investigate the similarity studies in online shopping at other countries and adopting the concept of reverse logistics.Online shopping is the most popular transaction at present especially among students and working adults for conveniences in lifestyles. Online shopping is able to reduce purchasing times, personal costs, having multiple choices with cheaper products. With regards of the package in on-line shopping, most of the sellers are using the designed paper boxes for packaging and sending them to their customers. Upon receiving, the buyers normally destroyed the paper boxes, throwing away into dust bin and some were kept for nothing. These will impact the environment, health and space for unnecessary. The activities on on-line shopping are increasing and the usages of paper boxes are worrying for the country. The population (2019) in China is approximately to 1.4 Billion with the penetration rates on online shopping reached 55.8%. The estimated amount of on-line shopping in 2019 closed to USD 1.9 Trillion and the volume is increasing between 8 -12 % every year. Online shopping is motivated by product range, price advantages and availability of reviews. This study also proposes a framework to improve understanding on which psychological factors may increase the rate on returning the paper-boxes from online-shopping. The framework uses the constructs of Theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a basis, extending an exogenous factors and applies to the pro-environmental activities’ context. At the end the articles show that the intention in returning the paper boxes from online shopping are not only affected by attitude, subjective norms andPerceived Behavioral Control (PBC) but also by exogenous factors.

Heavy metal contaminants in the soil will have a direct effect on human life. The spatial distribution of naturally occurring heavy metals is highly heterogeneous and significantly increased concentrations may be present in the soil at certain locations. Heavy metals in areas of high concentration can be distributed to other areas by surface runoff, groundwater flow, weathering and atmospheric cycles (eg wind, sea salt spray, volcanic eruptions, deposition by rivers). More and more people are now using a combination of geographic information science (GIS) with geostatistical statistical analysis techniques to examine the spatial distribution of heavy metals in soils on a regional scale. The most widely used geostatistical methods are the Inverse Distance Weighted, Kriging, and Spatial Autocorrelation methods as well as other methods. This review paper will explain clearly the source of the presence of heavy metals in soil, geostatistical methods that are often used, as well as case studies on the use of geostatistics for the distribution of heavy metals. The use of geostatistical models allows us to accurately assess the relationship between the spatial distribution of heavy metals and other parameters in a map.

"Caputo fractional differential equations with impulses are a very useful apparatus for adequate modeling of the dynamics of many rea world problems. It requires developments of good and consistent theoretical proofs and the results for various problems. In this note we point out and correct the statement of the boundary value problem with Riemann--Liouville fractional integral for impulsive Caputo fractional differential equation studied in the paper "" A. Zada, B. Dayyan, Stability analysis for a class of implicit fractional differential equations with instantaneous impulses and Riemann--Liouville boundary conditions, Ann. Univ. Craiova, Math. Comput. Sci. Ser., 47 (2020), 88-110."""

One of the important keys for businesses today to be able to compete is to strengthen their supply chain management system.The impact of a pandemic is felt by all types of businesses, the most important unit of business that also feels the impact of the pandemic is how businesses maintain and even improve the performance of their supply chain management and one of the businesses or industries that is sufficiently affected by the pandemic for its supply chain resilience ispulp and paperindustry. The purpose of this study is to improve the performance of the supply chain, especially in the pulp and paper industry in Indonesia during the pandemic. This study uses two independent variables, namely inventory policies and information sharing and one dependent variable, namely supply chain performance. Data collection in the form of a survey using questionnaire media was carried out on 85 practitioners who work in supply chain units such as production, marketing and logistics. Data collection was carried out from July to September 2020. The results of this study are the conclusion that there is a positive and significant effect of inventory policies and information sharing on supply chain performance. The estimated coefficient of inventory policy on supply chain performance is 0.61, while the estimated coefficient of information sharing on supply chain performance is 0.24. The simultaneously effect of the two independent variables on the dependent is 0.72.

In this paper we will discuss about the Automatic sun tracking system which we will implement on metal detectionaobotic system, where robotic spontaneous sun tracing system is a hybrid hardware/software prototype, whichautomatically furnish best positioningof panelwith the sunlight to get maximal electric charge generation through solar panel. It’s active sensors continuously observed the monochromaticrays of sun and spin the panel about the direction where the potential of sun rays is maximal. A micro-controller works on automatic sun tracing deviceconnected with the new solar power transformunit is developed & execute. The automatic sun tracker is executed with a DC motor and a DC Motor controller. The conditions of the hardware subjected to the changes of the environmental conditions. In the new unit of the MAXIMUM POWER POINT is resolved to easy insertion software with a present sweep perspective, with this new perspective the standardization of the transform from solar energy to electric energy at its maximal power point can be develops extra definitive and extra authentication.

Based on the diazotization-coupling reaction, a new, simple, and sensitive spectrophotometric method for determining of a trace amount of (BPF) is presented in this paper. Diazotized metoclopramide reagent react with bisphenol F produces an orange azo-compound with a maximum absorbance at 461 nm in alkaline solution. The experimental parameters were optimized such as type of alkaline medium, concentration of NaOH, diazotized metoclopramide amount, order additions, reaction time, temperature, and effect of organic solvents to achieve the optimal performance for the proposed method. The absorbance increased linearly with increasing bisphenol F concentration in the range of 0.5-10 μg mL-1 under ideal conditions, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9931 and a detection limit of 0.15 μg mL-1. The effect of different temperatures and different extraction time was studied on the leaching out and the data indicates that as time and temperature rising, the concentration of BPF leached out of all thermal papers increased. To confirm that extracts from thermal papers contained BPF, samples containing the analytic were subjected to high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC-UV detector) analysis. The analysis was carried out on a C18 column with a mobile phase of acetonitrile/water (55/45v:v), and the detection was conducted spectrophotometrically at 230 nm. The retention time of standard BPF was determined to be 5.649 min and the peak eluting time for most thermal papers extract was at 5.6 minutes, demonstrating that BPF was present in the thermal papers. The method was applied to quantify the proposed analyses in a variety of samples with excellent results.

In the article discussed history of building Astrakhan and Selenga paper and cardboard mills. The author on base archival materials is analyzing the impact of expert commentary on the building paper and cardboard mills. The main purpose of the article is to show, on the example of the construction of the CCC, the process of relations between scientific expert groups and government representatives on the issue of environmental safety in the design and location of the country's production facilities. In addition, the author emphasizes that for the Soviet leadership, issues of the environmental component of enterprises often became secondary, departing from economic necessity. At the same time, the scientific community itself did not in some cases have a single position on a particular issue, since a conflict arose between representatives of departmental and scientific academic structures, which was most pronounced during the construction of the Selenginsky pulp and cardboard plant. In the case of the Astrakhan pulp and cardboard plant project, it is shown that underestimating the capabilities of the resource base of production can lead to environmental problems. Author marked that despite of scientific and technological inspection, scientific opinions was ignored by government leaders in cases large technological objects.

Nowadays, ports are in need to maximize their incomes, and this based on the fierce competition. For this reason, all ports stakeholders should be involved to contribute in the design and the development of a policy of scheduling and priority.This project owned by the Vessel Call Service Planning Service in the port of Tanger Med as the "Tanger Med Port Authority", and it output was to report the summarized the work done and the methods behind it.The main goal is to develop a simulator model that includes all kind of operations and the operational process by choosing the appropriate KPIs that are fully reflecting the congestion transferred by port vesselsFirst, it aims to define the operating assumptions and the fundamental concepts on which our simulation model will be based and to present the data that were used for the implementation of the simulation as well as the origin of these data.Secondly, it aims to validate and calibrate the model by presenting some improvements that could be made to the simulator in order to make it more precise and more representative and to ensure automation of the processing of inputs and outputs. While towards the end we conclude with the presentation of congestion situations, the results obtained and their use in decision making.AIS data is another factor has been added to help in getting best results, this helped in vessels planification in/out predictive process while automating the use of our simulator with the AIS Data receipt from SatelliteThis part of project is in to give the smart aspect to our simulator results by using smart technology.

Traffic boards and traffic signals are used to maintain proper traffic through busy roads. They help to recognize the rules to follow when driving the vehicle. These signs warn the distracted driver, and prevent his/her actions which could lead to an accident. We have proposed a system which can help recognize these boards and signals at real time thus avoiding major mishap. A real-time automatic sign detection and recognition can help the driver, significantly increasing his/her safety. Lately traffic sign recognition has got an immense interest lately by large scale companies such as Google, Apple and Volkswagen etc. which is driven by the market needs for intelligent applications such as autonomous driving, driver assistance systems (ADAS), mobile mapping, Mobil eye, Apple, etc. Hence, here, we have implemented to do the same with cost efficient manner using Raspberry Pi. The proposed system detects the traffic board or traffic signals, capture its image which through deep learning approach recognizes the same to give result on dashboard as well it gives the measures of distance from front obstacle which helps to implement brake system if obstacle is near. PiCam is used to capture images of traffic sings and is connected to RaspberryPi. Monitor is used to display required output, showing type of sign and distance of collision. This proposal will avoid large number of accidents occurring at bridges and work in progress area due to automated braking system and simultaneous reduce death ratio.

Sendov’s conjecture states that if all the zeroes of a complex polynomial P(z) of degree at least two lie in the unit disk, then within a unit distance of each zero lies a critical point of P(z). In a paper that appeared in 2014, Degot proved that, for each a ∈ (0, 1), there exists an integer N such that for any polynomial P(z) with degree greater than N, if P(a) = 0 and all zeroes lie inside the unit disk, the disk |z − a| ≤ 1 contains a critical point of P(z). Based on this result, we derive an explicit formula N(a) for each a ∈ (0, 1) and, consequently obtain a uniform bound N for all a ∈ [α, β] where 0 < α < β < 1. This (partially) addresses the questions posed in Degot’s paper.

Undergraduate research increasingly features in university mathematics degrees. Despite this, research papers are used infrequently in mathematics teaching, and this is especially the case for first-year undergraduates. Mathematical subjects are more likely than other STEM disciplines to pinpoint cognitive difficulty as the principal reason for not exposing undergraduate students to research papers. In this paper, we test whether first-year students can engage effectively with research papers. We describe an intervention that exposes first-year, first term undergraduate students to current research in probability and statistics by asking them to read a research paper and summarize it for a general readership following an interview with the paper’s author. Our findings show that the activity introduced students to new fields of knowledge and helped to develop a clearer understanding of scientific process, leading to a heightened sense of personal satisfaction at engaging closely with current research. We argue that structured reading of research papers can lead to productive and rewarding engagement with difficult content, recent and current research and with research processes and that this should make us reconsider the role of research papers in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum.

This white paper discusses the evolution of the satellite radio industry during its first decade. Since their inception, both Sirius & XM have gone through major developments as well as changes include the acquisition of Sirius by XM in March 2008. This paper is an important to the current literature in this field as it preserves the history of the origins and development of the satellite radio industry during its first and most important decade.

We introduce a graph Ramsey game called Ramsey, Paper, Scissors. This game has two players, Proposer and Decider. Starting from an empty graph on $n$ vertices, on each turn Proposer proposes a potential edge and Decider simultaneously decides (without knowing Proposer's choice) whether to add it to the graph. Proposer cannot propose an edge which would create a triangle in the graph. The game ends when Proposer has no legal moves remaining, and Proposer wins if the final graph has independence number at least $s$. We prove a threshold phenomenon exists for this game by exhibiting randomized strategies for both players that are optimal up to constants. Namely, there exist constants $0B\sqrt{n}\log{n}$. This is a factor of $\Theta(\sqrt{\log{n}})$ larger than the lower bound coming from the off-diagonal Ramsey number $r(3,s)$.

espanolEn el presente escrito se reflexionara acerca de la tecnociencia y la manera en que la sociedad ha transitado hacia una confianza ciega y dependencia hacia la ciencia y la tecnologia, al grado de que la mayoria de las acciones que llevamos a cabo en la cotidianeidad dependen de algun gadget o dispositivo tecnologico que media la relacion entre seres humanos y otros seres vivos. De esta forma, se busca analizar ciertos presupuestos y promesas que tienen el progreso, la ciencia y la tecnica, y, la manera en que estos se han convertido en cuestiones o elementos indispensables para las sociedades contemporaneas. Dicha j sera ejemplificada a partir del analisis del mural El hombre controlador del universo de Diego Rivera que se encuentra en el Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico. EnglishThis paper will reflect on technoscience and the way in which society has moved towards blind trust and dependence on science and technology, to the extent that most of the actions we carry out on a daily basis depend on some gadget or technological device that mediates the relationship between human beings and other living beings. In this way, we seek to analyse certain assumptions and promises that progress, science and technology have, and the way in which these have become indispensable questions or elements for contemporary societies. This reflection will be exemplified by the analysis of Diego Rivera's mural The Man Who Controls the Universe, which is located in the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico.

This editorial is a short review of papers accepted in the Mathematics and Symmetry/Asymmetry section in 2020–2021 about the symmetry methods [...]

This issue of featured papers from 2020 is related to the study of symmetry phenomena in various different fields, but mainly in theoretical physics [...]

Two quantitative, environment-friendly and easily monitored assays for Ni (II) and Co (III) ions analysis in different lipstick samples collected from 500-Iraqi dinars stores located in Baghdad were introduced. The study was based on the reaction of nickel (II) ions with dimethylglyoxime (DMG) reagent and the reaction of cobalt (III) ions with 1-nitroso-2-naphthol (NN) reagent to produce colored products. The color change was measured by spectrophotometric method at 565 nm and 430 nm for Ni and Co, respectively, with linear calibration graphs in the concentration range 0.25-100 mg L-1 (Ni) and 0.5-100 mg L-1 (Co) and LOD and LOQ of 0.11 mg L-1 and 0.36 mg L-1 (Ni), and 0.15 mg L-1 and 0.49 mg L-1 (Co). The UV/VIS data was compared to the results obtained by a novel microfluidic paper-based analytical device (µPAD) platform offering in-situ and cost-effect assay with a similar calibration graph with LOD and LOQ of 0.21 mg L-1 and 0.70 mg L-1 (Ni), and 0.22 mg L-1 and 0.75 mg L-1 (Co). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated no significant difference between the UV/VIS, µPAD, and standard atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) assay Ftab= 3.46 is much higher than FStat = 0.13 (Ni) and Ftab= 3.46 is much higher than FStat = 0.02 (Co). Also, a good correlation between results via the three methods was found. Thus, the µPAD platform offers a solid base for providing valuable information outside centralized laboratories.

This work is a contribution to the Project UIDB/04035/2020, funded by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, Portugal.

This Special issue contains top-tier physics-related and mathematical research, among other topics, written by scholars who are well-known in their field [...]

Organisms may respond to local stimuli that benefit or threaten their fitness. The adaptive movement behaviour may allow individuals to adjust their speed to maximise the chances of being in comfort zones, where death risk is minimal. We investigate spatial cyclic models where the rock-paper-scissors game rules describe the nonhierarchical dominance. We assume that organisms of one out of the species can control the mobility rate in response to the information obtained from scanning the environment. Running a series of stochastic simulations, we quantify the effects of the movement strategy on the spatial patterns and population dynamics. Our findings show that the ability to change mobility to adapt to environmental clues is not reflected in an advantage in cyclic spatial games. The adaptive movement provokes a delay in the spatial domains occupied by the species in the spiral waves, making the group more vulnerable to the advance of the dominant species and less efficient in taking territory from the dominated species. Our outcomes also show that the effects of adaptive movement behaviour accentuate whether most individuals have a long-range neighbourhood perception. Our results may be helpful for biologists and data scientists to comprehend the dynamics of ecosystems where adaptive processes are fundamental., Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures

Resumen Esta investigación tiene como objetivos, por un lado, identificar los tipos de retroalimentación escrita dada por el profesorado a las producciones escritas de sus estudiantes según el modelo de Rodet (2000) y, por otro lado, analizar el uso de la retroalimentación escrita por parte del estudiantado. Es una investigación de tipo colaborativo con tres docentes participantes de francés de la Universidad de Costa Rica y sus grupos de estudiantes. Se emplearon varias técnicas de recolección de datos: grupo de discusión y análisis de las producciones escritas. Se realizó un análisis de contenido por medio de la herramienta QDA Miner. Los principales resultados obtenidos fueron, por parte del personal docente, el uso de la retroalimentación de tipo cognitivo en cuanto al contenido, constructivo en relación con la formulación e informativo con respecto a la intención. El estudiantado encontró una gran utilidad con respecto a la retroalimentación recibida, debido a varias razones como la motivación, la claridad de la información y la indicación de lo que se debía corregir. Por último, las recomendaciones serían utilizar las retroalimentaciones de tipo descriptivas y precisas para que sean útiles para el estudiantado. Tienen que ser también inmediatas. [DM1] Abstract In order to analyze how students use annotated comments from their instructors, the Rodet model (2000) is used as the basis of this study in order to identify the various types of corrective feedback provided. The subjects included three University of Costa Rica French instructors and their students. Data was gathered from group discussions and student paper analysis with QDA Miner. Results reveal that instructors tend to use cognitive, constructive and informational feedback. Students responded positively to such feedback and stated that it was motivational, delivered clearly and highlighted what needed to be corrected. The author suggests that instructor feedback be more descriptive, specific and immediate to maximize student benefit.

Peta Wisata Bahari (PWB) dibuat untuk menyajikan informasi tentang lokasi tempat – tempat wisata, ada banyak ikon/simbol yang mudah dikenali dan disertai informasi singkat tentang tempat tersebut, serta sebagai sarana pendukung bantu bernavigasi dalam pelayaran sehingga mempermudah para wisatawan dalam menentukan pilihan wisata-wisata yang ada yang akan dijadikan sebagai destinasi wisata. PWB Wilayah Labuan Bajo dan Pulau Komodo yang telah sesuai dapat digunakan oleh para pengguna dan kapal-kapal wisatawan secara efektif.Pembuatan PWB di Pushidrosal saat ini menggunakan perangkat lunak CARIS GIS 4.5 dengan proses tahapan yang panjang dan waktu yang cukup lama. Caris Paper Chart Composer 2.1 (CARIS PCC 2.1) merupakan perangkat lunak yang mempunyai fungsi sama dengan CARIS GIS 4.5 dalam hal pembuatan peta laut. Tujuan yang ingin dicapai dari penelitian ini adalah tersedianya PWB Wilayah Labuan Bajo dan Pulau Komodo yang sesuai dengan juknis pembuatan PWB dengan proses tahapan pembuatan yang efektif dan efisien. Metode yang digunakan adalah dengan mendigitasi PWB Wilayah Labuan Bajo dan Pulau Komodo berupa raster menggunakan perangkat lunak CARIS PCC 2.1. Hasil digitasi tersebut dikoreksi dengan optimalisasi, validasi dan analisis hingga nilai kesalahan tidak ada yang muncul.

Looking at the past, among the main modalities of transmission of knowledge (alongside with manuscripts and printed treatises and with respect to the various ‘precepts’) we would have found also various professional figures. This is even truer with regard to the training and dissemination of knowledge among military engineers, who used to be real ‘living vehicles’ in national and international cultural systems. This is also true for what concern that circumscribed set of knowledge of geometrical-mathematical theories, including their application to the codes of architectural Representation and Design. This research aims to investigate the example of the military engineer Gaspare Beretta (Milan 1620–1703), whose theoretical production both on architectural graphic and on various applications of Geometry is still unpublished. With the aim of developing the relationship between geometry, architecture and the transmission of knowledge, we will go through his practices of the regular fortress tracing on ‘paper and ground’, in order to verify the resulting connections between geometric reconstruction and Author’s intentions.

Peta laut adalah peta yang secara khusus dirancang untuk memenuhi kebutuhan navigasi laut. Peta laut Indonesia yang berstandar Internasional mutlak dibutuhkan keberadaannya mengingat tingginya tingkat pelayaran di Indonesia dan tidak menutup kemungkinan untuk pelaut asing berlayar di Indonesia. Karena itulah dibutuhkan ketentuan atau spesifikasi yang dipublikasikan oleh International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) yaitu S-4 dan S-57 Untuk mendapatkan peta laut dengan standar Internasional. Pembuatan PLI di Pushidrosal saat ini masih menggunakan perangkat lunak CARIS GIS 4.5 dengan proses dan tahapan yang cukup panjang. CARIS Paper Chart Composer 2.1 (CARIS PCC 2.1) merupakan perangkat lunak yang mempunyai fungsi sama dengan CARIS GIS 4.5 dalam hal pembuatan peta laut namun dengan proses dan tahapan pembuatan yang lebih efektif dan efisien.