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Wood is used as the major raw material in paper production around the world and this has resulted in severe deforestations having direct negative impact on our environment. This has led to the need of finding alternative raw materials for paper production. Mauritius has around 300 ha of land under pineapple cultivation resulting in agro-waste materials of the leaves. This paper aims at determining the feasibility of using pineapple leaf fibres for paper production. Samples of pineapple leaf fibre were mixed with cane-bagasse in different ratios namely, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20,100:0. Pineapple leaf fibres were also mixed with wastepaper in the same ratios. Pulping of pineapple leaf was achieved through soda pulping at a concentration of 15%w/v for 90 min at 90 °C. The papers obtained were tested for their physical and mechanical properties. The average thickness of all the papers produced, ranged from 0.232 mm to 0.304 mm showing an increase in paper thickness with increasing grammage from 58.19 g/m2 to 63.3 g/m2. The most absorbent paper(1.19 s) was found to be the 100% pineapple which also demonstrated the highest Tensile Index and Burst Index (6.5 Nm/g and 0.84 kPa m2/g respectively). The bagasse and pineapple composite of ratio 40:60 was found to be the most abrasion resistant paper with 21 turns and a weight loss of 0.86% with the use of emery paper of grade zero as abradant and 200 g load cells. The most crease resistant paper was the wastepaper and pineapple composite of ratio 80:20 with a crease recovery angle of 59.8°.

The widespread availability of banana pseudo stems which do not have considerable commercial value in the country presents a potential source of non-wood raw material for paper production. This investigation determined the suitability of using banana fiber for wrapping paper production. Banana fiber was used with sugarcane bagasse and wastepaper to produce paper in 20:80, 40:60, 60:40 and 80:20 ratios. Banana and sugarcane bagasse were chemically pulped using 12% NaOH and 4% Na2S for 1.5 h. The mean thickness of the papers were 0.263 ± 0.04 mm. 100% banana paper and 100% bagasse paper showed nearly similar water absorbency (2.15 s and 2.17 s) and were 2.25 times more than paper from 100% wastepaper. Highest tensile index was evidenced by banana paper with 20% wastepaper (29.4 Nm/g). For banana-bagasse mix-ratios, 20% bagasse demonstrated highest tensile index (16.04 Nm/g). 100% banana paper produced a tensile index of 18.97 Nm/g. Highest bursting index was from banana paper with 20% wastepaper mix (2.00 kPa m2/g). For banana-bagasse mix-ratios, 20% bagasse addition showed the greatest bursting index (0.88 kPa m2/g). 100% banana paper produced a burst index of 1.05 kPa m2/g. Highest abrasion resistance was 180 turns which was demonstrated by 100% banana paper. 20% mix bagasse and 20% mix wastepaper demonstrated the greatest abrasion resistance with 136 turns and 120 turns respectively. 20 40% of wastepaper (5.4 5.8% weight loss) and 10 30% bagasse (10.0 15.5% weight loss) were categorised as optimal mix percentages in the pulp mix for their minimal weight losses.

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.

The traditional method for the identification of paper from different origins relies on microscopy to observe the fiber morphology, which requires professional experience. In this paper, pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was utilized to analyze five types of traditional Chinese handmade papers, e.g., ramie paper, bamboo paper, bark fiber paper (mulberry paper and kozo paper), and Langdu paper. The results demonstrated that this method can be used to differentiate the four types of handmade papers. A high phenolic compound content was detected in bamboo paper; macromolecular triterpenoids, e.g., β – amyrin, α – amyrin, and stigmastan- 3,5-diene were found in mulberry paper and kozo paper; while those compounds were not found in ramie paper. In particular, a large quantity of phytosterol compounds were found for the first time in Langdu paper. This not only can be used to differentiate Langdu paper from others, but also it helps to explain why Langdu paper can resist insect and mildew activities. Results of the study can provide experimental reference for characterization of traditional handmade Chinese papers via pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

“Real Normed Algebras Revisited,” the last paper of the late Gadi Moran, attempts to reconstruct the discovery of the complex numbers, the quaternions, and the octonions, as well as proofs of their...

We show that a smooth embedded paper Moebius band must have aspect ratio at least $$\begin{aligned}\lambda _1= \frac{2 \sqrt{4-2 \sqrt{3}}+4}{\root 4 \of {3} \sqrt{2}+2 \sqrt{2 \sqrt{3}-3}} =1.69497\ldots \end{aligned}$$ This bound comes more than 3/4 of the way from the old known bound of $$\pi /2=1.5708\ldots $$ to the conjectured bound of $$\sqrt{3} = 1.732\ldots $$

Let $ R $ be a ring with identity. The commuting graph of $ R $ is the graph associated to $ R $ whose vertices are non-central elements in $ R $, and distinct vertices $ A $ and $ B $ are adjacent if and only if $ AB = BA $. In this paper, we completely determine the automorphism group of the commuting graph of $ 2\times 2 $ matrix ring over $ \mathbb{Z}_{p^{s}} $, where $ \mathbb{Z}_{p^{s}} $ is the ring of integers modulo $ p^{s} $, $ p $ is a prime and $ s $ is a positive integer.

In a recent paper [I. Altun and A. Tasdemir, On best proximity points of interpolative proximal contractions, Quaestiones Math. (2020), DOI: 10.2989/16073606.2020.1785576] the authors proved two best proximity point theorems for a new class of non-self mappings, called interpolative Reich- Rus-Ciric type proximal contractions of the rst and second kinds. Our purpose is to show that their results follow from a xed point theorem for interpolative Reich-Rus-Ciric type contraction mappings [E. Karapinar, R. Agarwal and H. Aydi, Interpolative Reich-Rus-Ciric contractions on partial metric spaces, Mathematics 6 (2018), 7 pages].

Paper is a material that are produced by pulp that are being compressed, which are one of the leading cause of pollution in an aquatic environment. The aim of the study was to produce a non-chemical treatment natural paper from pomelo albedo waste. The Citrus Maxima (Pomelo) albedo wastes were heated in distilled water and converted into pulp. The pulp was placed in a handmade frame and oven-dried at 60°C for an hour. A paper quality survey was conducted among diploma in pharmacy students (N=36) using a structured interviewing questionnaire. Eighty percent of the respondents agree/strongly agree that different colour of pen, 2B pencil, colour pencil, and crayon can be used as in written or sketch on the albedo pomelo paper. There is no clear tendency to result on the usage of highlighter and correction Tape. Most of the respondents disagree with smoothness, elasticity, and waterproof of the paper. The Pomelo paper is potential as an alternative eco-friendly natural paper for writing and colouring with different materials. The pomelo paper making process can be shared as an educational kit, especially to children, to expose them on the papermaking process.

A lack of quality control tools limits the enforcement of fortification policies. In alignment with the World Health Organization&rsquo, s ASSURED criteria (affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free, and deliverable), a paper-based assay that interfaces with a smartphone application for the quantification of iron fortificants is presented. The assay is based on the Ferrozine colorimetric method. The reaction started after deposition of the 5 &micro, L aqueous sample and drying. After developing color, pixel intensity values were obtained using a smartphone camera and image processing software or a mobile application, Nu3px. From these values, the actual iron concentration from ferrous sulfate and ferrous fumarate was calculated. The limits of detection, quantification, linearity, range, and errors (systematic and random) were ascertained. The paper-based values from real samples (wheat flour, nixtamalized corn flour, and infant formula) were compared against atomic emission spectroscopy. The comparison of several concentrations of atomic iron between the spectrophotometric and paper-based assays showed a strong positive linear correlation (y = 47.01x + 126.18, R2 = 0.9932). The dynamic range (5.0&ndash, 100 &micro, g/mL) and limit of detection (3.691 &micro, g/mL) of the paper-based assay are relevant for fortified food matrices. Random and systematic errors were 15.9% and + 8.65 &micro, g/g food, respectively. The concept can be applied to limited-resource settings to measure iron in fortified foods.

Borassus flabellifer L. becomes one of the palm-based commodities in Indonesia that can grow well in dry areas, especially around the north coast of Java Island. An abundant waste of this plant, in the form of leaf midrib and fruit fiber, has a potential as a source of lignocellulose for the paper industry. In the present study, Kraft paper production was conducted to know the influence of the proportion of leaf midrib and fruit fiber of Borassus flabellifer L., and the concentration of Polyvinyl Acetate (PVAc) adhesives on the sensory and physical quality of Kraft paper. The research method was a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with two factors. The Friedman test was used to determine the sensory quality of Kraft paper. The ANOVA analysis was used to examine the physical quality of Kraft paper. The results showed that the treatment of raw material proportion and PVAc adhesive concentration had significant effect on color, surface texture, yield, and tensile resistance, but insignificant between treatment of Gramatur and tear resistance. The best treatment of sensory tests was Kraft paper with proportion of 50% leaf midrib pulp, 50% fruit fiber pulp, and 7.5% PVAc adhesive concentration. It has a yield value of 72.11%, Gramatur of 162.80 (g/m2), tensile strength of 1.70 (%), and tear resistance of 197.6 (gf).

With the expansion of the printing market and the need of industry restructuring, the improvement of printing product quality can be a key to the industry development. What’s more, the pros and cons of paper surface properties is the important measure of its quality. Researching the correlation between surface properties of paper, such as whiteness, smoothness, gloss, ink absorption, and printing tonal gradation is particularly significant for the improvement of paper quality. Through the test and analysis on the surface properties of different types of paper, the research on the influence of paper surface properties to the printing tonal gradation, and the use of gray relational analysis method, we calculate the influence degree of the surface properties such as surface gloss, whiteness, and efficiency factors to the printing tonal gradation. After a series of experiment and data processing, we draw the conclusion that in the digital printing machine case, for offset paper, as for the influence degree of paper surface properties to printing tonal gradation, the comprehensive ranking from highest to lowest is gloss, whiteness, ink absorption, surface efficiency and smoothness. However, for coated paper, the comprehensive ranking is surface efficiency, gloss, whiteness, ink absorption and smoothness.

Для виготовлення вітчизняних банкнот передбачається використання нового двошарового паперу. Зміна технології виготовлення паперу може суттєво вплинути на якісні характеристики відбитків, отриманих на ньому. Тому, актуальним є дослідження впливу параметрів нового виду паперу на друкарсько-технічні властивості та на якість поліграфічної продукції. Метою даної роботи є дослідження фізико-механічних і колірних характеристик двошарового банкнотного паперу, а також мікрогеометрії поверхні паперового полотна та перебивання фарби на зворотну сторону відбитка. Для проведення експериментальних досліджень було використано два види паперу для друку банкнот номіналом 10 гривень — одно- та двошаровий, фізико-технічні характеристики яких було визначено експериментально. Відбитки були виготовлені на цих паперах півпрозорою фарбою трьох відтінків. Рецептура фарби була розроблена і виготовлена за допомогою програми Data Color; тестові відбитки були отримані у лабораторних умовах на прободрукарському приладі IGT Reprotest B.V. Оскільки банкноти задруковуються з обох боків, варто враховувати величину перебивання на зворот, так як суттєве перебивання може спотворювати колір зображення на зворотному боці. Для дослідження явища перебивання було виміряно колірні характеристики звороту відбитків та порівняно з кольором чистого паперу. Виявлено, що для обох видів паперу простежується майже лінійне збільшення колірного зсуву звороту відбитка відносно збільшення кількості нанесеної фарби. На звороті двошарового паперу спостерігається дещо більше проступання фарби. Поясненням цього факту може бути дещо менша непрозорість двошарового паперу порівняно з одношаровим. Враховуючи незначне перебивання фарби на зворот, при розробленні дизайну банкнот варто надавати перевагу подібним за кольором сюжетам, як з однієї, так і з іншої сторони банкноти. For Ukrainian payment banknotes manufacture is supposed to use a new two-layer paper. Changes in papermaking technology can significantly affect the quality characteristics of prints obtained on it. Therefore, it is relevant to investigate the influence of the parameters of a new paper type on the printing and technical properties and the quality of printing products. The aim of this work is to investigate the physical and mechanical, and color characteristics of two-layer banknote paper, as well as microgeometry of surface of the paper and the transfer of ink to reverse side. For conducting experimental research, two paper types were used for printing banknotes with a value of 10 hryvnias — single and double layer the physical and technical characteristics of which were determined experimentally. The prints were made on these papers with translucent ink in three shades. The ink formulation was developed and manufactured using the Data Color application; Test prints were obtained in the laboratory using an IGT Reprotest B.V. Since banknotes are printed on both sides, the amount of interruption to the reverse side should be taken into account, since significant interruption may distort the color of the image on the reverse side. To study the phenomenon of interruption, the color characteristics of the turnover of prints were measured in comparison with the color of paper. It was revealed that for both types of paper there is an almost linear increase in the color shift of the print turnover relative to the increase in the amount of applied ink. On the reverse side of the two-ply paper, a slightly larger bleed out is observed. The explanation for this fact may be slightly less than the opacity of two-layer paper compared with single-layer. Given the slight interruption of ink per revolution, when developing a banknote design, preference should be given to color-like plots on both sides of the banknote. Исследованы физико-механические, цветовые характеристики двухслойной банкнотной бумаги, микрогеометрия поверхности бумажного полотна и явление перебивания краски на оборот оттиска.

Citation prediction of scholarly papers is of great significance in guiding funding allocations, recruitment decisions, and rewards. However, little is known about how citation patterns evolve over time. By exploring the inherent involution property in scholarly paper citation, we introduce the Paper Potential Index (PPI) model based on four factors: inherent quality of scholarly paper, scholarly paper impact decaying over time, early citations, and early citers' impact. In addition, by analyzing factors that drive citation growth, we propose a multi-feature model for impact prediction. Experimental results demonstrate that the two models improve the accuracy in predicting scholarly paper citations. Compared to the multi-feature model, the PPI model yields superior predictive performance in terms of range-normalized RMSE. The PPI model better interprets the changes in citation, without the need to adjust parameters. Compared to the PPI model, the multi-feature model performs better prediction in terms of Mean Absolute Percentage Error and Accuracy; however, their predictive performance is more dependent on the parameter adjustment Refereed/Peer-reviewed

To improve the utilization rate of pineapple leaf and crop straw, and provide technical support for making biodegradable fiber mulch paper through organic cultivation, the process and properties of the degradable fiber mulch paper made from pineapple leaf and rice straw were studied. The degradable fiber mulch paper was prepared as a hybrid composite in which pineapple leaf fiber and rice straw fiber were used as raw materials, and environmentally friendly agents were added. A four-factor five-level quadratic orthogonal rotation central composite design of the response surface method was employed. The beating degree of pineapple leaf fiber, basis weight, addition ratio of pineapple leaf fiber, and wet strength agent content were process parameters; dry tension strength, wet tension strength, and bursting strength were objective functions. The optimal technology parameters of pineapple leaf and rice straw fiber mulch paper were 70 to 90 g/m2 basis weight of pineapple leaf fiber, 17% to 25% addition ratio of pineapple leaf fiber, 55 °SR beating degree, and 1.5% wet strength agent content. According to the tensile strength and bursting strength standards, the degradable fiber mulch paper made from pineapple leaf and rice straw was feasible. The results provide theoretical basis and technical support to use pineapple leaves and rice straw to make degradable mulch paper.

Numbers of citations of outstanding conference papers (OCPs) of IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conferences (NSRECs) from 1966 to 2017 are compared with citations of the most highly cited papers (HCPs) of the corresponding special issues of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NUCLEAR SCIENCE (TNS), as well as average numbers of citations and cumulative $h$ index, $h_{\mathrm {cum}}$ , for all TNS papers published in the same year. 85% of NSREC OCPs are cited at a higher rate than the average for all TNS articles in that year. 55% of NSREC OCP citation totals are higher than $h_{\mathrm {cum}}$ for TNS in that year; these rank among the ~8% most highly cited TNS papers for that year. In ~10% of cases, the NSREC OCP is also the most HCP. Similarly high citation impact is found for papers nominated as candidates for OCPs. Radiation effects papers published in annual NSREC special issues comprise a significant fraction of all TNS articles cited $h_{\mathrm {cum}}$ times or more. These results support the use of $h_{\mathrm {cum}}$ as a metric of citation impact in this work and show that the NSREC OCP process generally meets awards criteria guidelines for impact. Potential reasons for variations in citation rates are discussed, and recommendations are provided to enhance the awards process.

Borax as a food additive chemical is very dangerous. Borax is prohibited from being used in food because it can cause various diseases such as cancer, kidney damage, and even death. This study aims to identify the borax content in the meatballs sold in Meulaboh City. The study design uses purposive sampling with a total of 20 meatball samples from each seller collected and continued by a qualitative test using turmeric paper and shallot extract. The study results show that all samples tested were free of borax. This can be seen from the absence of changes in turmeric paper and shallot extract. Therefore, it can be concluded that the meatballs sold in Meulaboh do not contain borax and are safe to consume.

It is well-known that Einstein’s first attempt to explain E = mc2 which was published in Annalen der Physik in 1905, has been criticized as problematic. In particular, it has been shown by Ives and reiterated by Jammer that it suffers from the error of circular reasoning. Attempts have been made in the scientific literature to discount the circular reasoning objection of Ives, Jammer, Arzelies and others. Fritz Rohrlich in 1990 gave a remarkably simple and concise derivation of E = mc2 along lines similar to Einstein’s but based on both momentum and energy conservation, in contrast to Einstein’s which uses only energy considerations. Rohrlich’s approach using momentum conservation is an alternative to Einstein’s, which is free from objection in logical error, and we make it quite clear on the importance of the implicit assumption of momentum conservation in any attempt to refute the circular reasoning error in Einstein’s paper. It is our contention that this point is overlooked or altogether avoided by those who have attempted to uproot the circular reasoning criticism of Einstein’s paper.

Reagents and analytical tools for rapid analysis should be standardized and lead to the requirements of the State Pharmacopoeia of Ukraine. Newsprint paper is used as the main analytical tool for rapid analysis of substances with primary aromatic amino group, but it can’t be standardized. The development of test systems based on filter paper and modified with pharmacopeia reagents can be the problem solution. Aim. The aim of the work is development and implementation of test-kits based on filter paper for rapid analysis of compounded preparations that contain primary aromatic amino group in conditions of pharmacies. Methods. Methods of physical immobilization; determination of physical stability of test kits; economic and statistical methods (cost calculation); validation of analytical methods; statistical methods of data processing chemical experiment. Results. Filter paper and pharmacopeia solution of vanillin were used to develop test systems; the possibility of using the test system in practice was investigated with the application of rapid analysis of sulfacetamide and sulfathiazole sodium. The possibility of using of the test system for rapid analysis of 5% aqueous solutions of derivatives of sulfanilic acid amides has been proved; the following detection limits and unreliability intervals for the rapid analysis method using test systems were established: 5.0-9.0 mg/ml for sodium sulfacetamide and 5.3-9.6 mg/ml for sodium sulfathiazole. The test system is stable during 5 months of storage. Manufacturing cost of 1 test system is 0.34 and 0.16 UAH for the first and the next batches, respectively. Conclusions. The proposed test system is stable and accessible for usage in pharmacy as an analytical tool for rapid analysis of derivatives of sulfanilic acid amides

Precise assessment of harvest yield is a difficult field of work. The equipment and programming stage to foresee the harvest yield relies on different components like climate, soil fruitfulness, genotype, and different collaborating wards. The assignment is unpredictable inferable from the information that should be gathered in volumes to comprehend crop yield through remote sensor organizations and distant detecting. This paper audits the previous 15 years of exploration work in the improvement of assessing crop yield utilizing profound learning calculations. The meaning of examining progressions utilizing profound learning methods will help in dynamic for foreseeing the harvest yield. The cross breed mix of profound learning with distant detecting and remote sensor organizations can give accuracy agribusiness later on.

Necessary optimality conditions for a bilevel optimization problem are given in the paper by Kohli (J Optim Theory Appl 152: 632–651, 2012). Recently, the same author corrected his results in the note (J Optim Theory Appl 181:706–707, 2019). In this work, we have pointed out that some of the new modifications are wrong. We correct the flaws and present an alternative proof for the main result.

Objective Electronic data collection (EDC) has become a suitable alternative to paper based data collection (PBDC) in biomedical research even in resource poor settings. During a survey in Nepal, data were collected using both systems and data entry errors compared between both methods. Collected data were checked for completeness, values outside of realistic ranges, internal logic and date variables for reasonable time frames. Variables were grouped into 5 categories and the number of discordant entries were compared between both systems, overall and per variable category. Results Data from 52 variables collected from 358 participants were available. Discrepancies between both data sets were found in 12.6% of all entries (2352/18,616). Differences between data points were identified in 18.0% (643/3580) of continuous variables, 15.8% of time variables (113/716), 13.0% of date variables (140/1074), 12.0% of text variables (86/716), and 10.9% of categorical variables (1370/12,530). Overall 64% (1499/2352) of all discrepancies were due to data omissions, 76.6% (1148/1499) of missing entries were among categorical data. Omissions in PBDC (n = 1002) were twice as frequent as in EDC (n = 497, p

In a paper industry, especially in thick stock wet end process, the two most important variables are retention in forming section of a paper machine and basis weight of the thick stock. Present paper attempts to understand the governing mass balance equations which may be required to deduce an appropriate process model.

Calibration curve plays an important role in filter paper method because it affects accuracy in soil suction values. Osmotic coefficient and relative humidity govern the osmotic suction required to develop calibration curve and equation. Most of the researchers used the readily available total (osmotic) suction values from various studies to develop the calibration curve. Very few researchers used the osmotic coefficient in calibration and studied its effect on calibration and measuring suction. In this paper, the effect of the osmotic suction proposed by various researchers on calibration of Whatman 42 Filter paper was studied. Logarithmic and exponential calibration equations were developed and compared. The NaCl solution used in the present study provides limited total suction range of 0–30,000 kPa. The total suction of clayey soil was measured to validate the calibration curves proposed in this study. The feasibility of proposed osmotic coefficients is verified by measuring total suction of soil. The total suction estimated from calibration curve using osmotic coefficients was found to be more accurate.

Over the past few decades, the educational use of digital devices, including digital assessments, have become a regular part of teaching in primary and secondary education in the Netherlands. Research has shown no consensus about the so called ‘mode effect’, which refers to the possible impact of using computer-based tests (CBT) instead of paper-pencil based tests (PBT) on the performance of students. The international TIMSS 2019 Equivalence Study offered the opportunity to explore possible performance differences between the TIMSS paper-pencil assessment and the TIMSS tablet assessment among Dutch grade 4 students. Item Response Theory (IRT) was used for these explorations. For both mathematics and science, there were no significant differences in the student ability scales and item parameters between the paper and tablet test. Girls outperformed boys on the tablet test while both genders performed equally on the paper test. In contrast to expectations based on the literature review, there was no specific mode effect found for mathematics items with a high reading demand.

Over the past few decades, the educational use of digital devices, including digital assessments, have become a regular part of teaching in primary and secondary education in the Netherlands. Research has shown no consensus about the so called ‘mode effect’, which refers to the possible impact of using computer-based tests (CBT) instead of paper-pencil based tests (PBT) on the performance of students. The international TIMSS 2019 Equivalence Study offered the opportunity to explore possible performance differences between the TIMSS paper-pencil assessment and the TIMSS tablet assessment among Dutch grade 4 students. Item Response Theory (IRT) was used for these explorations. For both mathematics and science, there were no significant differences in the student ability scales and item parameters between the paper and tablet test. Girls outperformed boys on the tablet test while both genders performed equally on the paper test. In contrast to expectations based on the literature review, there was no specific mode effect found for mathematics items with a high reading demand.