General Problem Research Articles

Alternative Methods for Handling Iron (Fe) Deficiency of Oil Palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) Grown in Sandy Soil

Iron (Fe) deficiency is one of the general problems that occur in Oil Palms (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) which are planted on sandy soil. Fe is an important micronutrient in enzyme activities, including cytochromes in the process of electron transfer, chlorophyll synthesis, and in maintaining the chloroplast structure. The research was conducted in 2 series of field observations. The first observation was conducted on the application of clay mineral soils (Plinthic Kanhapludults and Lithic Dystrudepts) in a silt pit, while the second observation was on the application of liquid nano-sized Fe fertilizer through root infusion and trunk injection methods, in addition, Fe chelated fertilizer application were also observed. The observation variable was the level of Fe in leaves 17th. The results showed all treatments significantly increased levels of Fe in leaves with different plant response rates. Root infusion treatment shows a faster response than clay mineral soil treatment, namely at 2 - 4 months after application (50.3 ppm and 38.2 ppm). Meanwhile, clay mineral soil treatment has a slower plant response rate on increasing Fe level in the leaves with a significant difference against the control, precisely at 24 months after application. Normally, regular Fe fertilization is enough to fulfill plant nutrient needs. Application of Fe through trunk injection or root infusion can be an alternative treatment for short-term use, whereas the application of clay mineral (iron-rich) soil can be optional for long-term needs.

The omega-reducibility of pseudovarieties of ordered monoids representing low levels of concatenation hierarchies

We deal with the question of the [Formula: see text]-reducibility of pseudovarieties of ordered monoids corresponding to levels of concatenation hierarchies of regular languages. A pseudovariety of ordered monoids [Formula: see text] is called [Formula: see text]-reducible if, given a finite ordered monoid M, for every inequality of pseudowords that is valid in [Formula: see text], there exists an inequality of [Formula: see text]-words that is also valid in [Formula: see text] and has the same “imprint” in M. Place and Zeitoun have recently proven the decidability of the membership problem for levels [Formula: see text], 1, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of concatenation hierarchies with level 0 being a finite Boolean algebra of regular languages closed under quotients. The solutions of these membership problems have been found by considering a more general problem of separation of regular languages and its further generalization — a problem of covering. Following the results of Place and Zeitoun, we prove that, for every concatenation hierarchy with level 0 being represented by a locally finite pseudovariety of monoids, the pseudovarieties corresponding to levels [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are [Formula: see text]-reducible. As a corollary of these results, we obtain that, for every concatenation hierarchy with level 0 being represented by a locally finite pseudovariety of monoids, the pseudovarieties corresponding to levels [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are definable by [Formula: see text]-inequalities. Furthermore, in the special case of the Straubing–Thérien hierarchy, using a characterization theorem for level 2 by Place and Zeitoun, we obtain that the level 2 is definable by [Formula: see text]-identities.

User acceptance and adoption dynamics of ChatGPT in educational settings

Recent developments in natural language understanding have sparked a great amount of interest in the large language models such as ChatGPT that contain billions of parameters and are trained for thousands of hours on all the textual data of the internet. ChatGPT has received immense attention because it has widespread applications, which it is able to do out-of-the-box, with no prior training or fine-tuning. These models show emergent skill and can perform virtually any textual task and provide glimmers, or “sparks”, of artificial general intelligence, in the form of a general problem solver as envisioned by Newell and Simon in the early days of artificial intelligence research. Researchers are now exploring the opportunities of ChatGPT in education. Yet, the factors influencing and driving users’ acceptance of ChatGPT remains largely unexplored. This study investigates users’ (n=138) acceptance of ChatGPT. We test a structural model developed using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model. The study reveals that performance expectancy is related to behavioral intention, which in turn is related to ChatGPT use. Findings are discussed within the context of mass adoption and the challenges and opportunities for teaching and learning. The findings provide empirical grounding to support understanding of technology acceptance decisions through the lens of students’ use of ChatGPT and further document the influence of situational factors on technology acceptance more broadly. This research contributes to body of knowledge and facilitates future research on digital innovation acceptance and use.

Combination of near-infrared spectroscopy with Wasserstein generative adversarial networks for rapidly detecting raw material quality for formula products.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has emerged as a key technique for rapid quality detection owing to its fast, non-destructive, and eco-friendly characteristics. However, its practical implementation within the formulation industry is challenging owing to insufficient data, which renders model fitting difficult. The complexity of acquiring spectra and spectral reference values results in limited spectral data, aggravating the problem of low generalization, which diminishes model performance. To address this problem, we introduce what we believe to be a novel approach combining NIRS with Wasserstein generative adversarial networks (WGANs). Specifically, spectral data are collected from representative samples of raw material provided by a formula enterprise. Then, the WGAN augments the database by generating synthetic data resembling the raw spectral data. Finally, we establish various prediction models using the PLSR, SVR, LightGBM, and XGBoost algorithms. Experimental results show the NIRS-WGAN method significantly improves the performance of prediction models, with R2 and RMSE of 0.949 and 1.415 for the chemical components of sugar, respectively, and 0.922 and 0.243 for nicotine. The proposed framework effectively enhances the predictive capabilities of various models, addressing the issue caused by limited training data in NIRS prediction tasks.

Non-linear dynamics of a test particle near the Lagrange points L4 and L5 (Earth-Moon and Sun-Earth case)

The two-bodies problem can be fully solved, and was solved by Kepler (1609) and Newton (1687). The general three-body problem is often given as an example of a mathematical problem that ‘can’t be solved’. So, there is no general analytical solution. This problem can be significant and a special case of this problem is the Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem (CRTBP), which can be applied to the Earth-Moon system with a spacecraft, the Sun-Earth system with an asteroid, etc. In this paper, let’s focus on the motion of a test particle near the triangular Lagrange points L4 and L5 in the Earth-Moon and the Sun-Earth systems. Studying the movement of an object around these points is especially important for space mission design. To generate a trajectory around these points, the non-linear equations of motion for the circular restricted three-body problem were numerically integrated into MATLAB® 2023 software and the results are presented in the plane (x, y) and the phase plane (x, vx) and (y, vy). By numerical orbit integration, it is possible to investigate what happens when the displacement is relatively large or short from the Lagrange points. Then the small astronomical body may vibrate around these points. The results in this paper are shown in the rotating and inertia axes. Various initial positions near the Lagrange points and velocities are used to produce various paths the test particle can take. The same examples of numerical studies of trajectories associated with Lagrange points are shown in the inertial and the rotating coordinates system and are discussed. From the results of the numerical tests performed in MATLAB® 2023, it is possible to saw that there are different types of periodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic orbits

A non-intrusive bi-fidelity reduced basis method for time-independent problems

Scientific and engineering problems often involve parametric partial differential equations (PDEs), such as uncertainty quantification, optimizations, and inverse problems. However, solving these PDEs repeatedly can be prohibitively expensive, especially for large-scale complex applications. To address this issue, reduced order modeling (ROM) has emerged as an effective method to reduce computational costs. However, ROM often requires significant modifications to the existing code, which can be time-consuming and complex, particularly for large-scale legacy codes. Non-intrusive methods have gained attention as an alternative approach. However, most existing non-intrusive approaches are purely data-driven and may not respect the underlying physics laws during the online stage, resulting in less accurate approximations of the reduced solution. In this study, we propose a new non-intrusive bi-fidelity reduced basis method for time-independent parametric PDEs. Our algorithm utilizes the discrete operator, solutions, and right-hand sides obtained from the high-fidelity legacy solver. By leveraging a low-fidelity model, we efficiently construct the reduced operator and right-hand side for new parameter values during the online stage. Unlike other non-intrusive ROM methods, we enforce the reduced equation during the online stage. In addition, the non-intrusive nature of our algorithm makes it straightforward and applicable to general nonlinear time-independent problems. We demonstrate its performance through several benchmark examples, including nonlinear and multiscale PDEs.

The use of statistical analysis in assessing the development of the transport industry of Ukraine

The paper is devoted to the use of statistical analysis to assess the development of the transport industry in Ukraine. In the context of global trends of globalization and technological progress, the role of transport in the economy is becoming decisive, and the efficiency of this sector is important for the competitiveness of the country. The paper begins with the statement of the problem, defining the key aspects of the development of the transport industry and the structural analysis of existing problems. In the process of research, the latest research and publications related to the transport industry in Ukraine are analyzed, in particular, attention is paid to the latest methodologies and approaches in the field of statistics. Analytical review not only identifies gaps in the scientific discourse, but also reveals actual problems that become the focus of this paper. The paper aims to develop a scientific dialogue regarding the transport industry in Ukraine, taking into account advanced research and methodologies. The paper also considers the potential of introducing innovative technologies in the transport industry, particularly in the context of innovative management systems and other modern solutions. Opportunities for cooperation with international partners to promote the transformation of the Ukrainian transport sector in accordance with the latest global trends are also analyzed. Highlighting the unresolved aspects of the general problem serves as a basis for further research, and the obtained results can contribute to the understanding and improvement of the development of the transport sector in Ukraine.

Investigation of Pre-service Middle School Mathematics Teachers Habits of Mind in Pattern Generalization Problems

In this study, it was aimed to determine pre-service middle school mathematics teachers’ habits of mind. The method of the study was determined as a case study. Participants are 23 junior pre-service middle school mathematics teachers. Data were collected with four open-ended linear and quadratic pattern problems. The clinical interviews were conducted with six of the pre-service teachers. In the analysis of the data, content analysis was carried out using habits of mind framework for pattern generalization. The results of the study show that similar habits of mind revealed by pre-service teachers in problem situations. The pre-service teachers had more difficulty in balancing exploration and reflection compared to the other. It was found that the pattern types of the problems affected the habits of mind. It is suggested that more studies need to be done to reveal and foster the quality of algebra and algebraic thinking.

Meet in the air: Distributed neighbor discovery in 3D networks with directional transceivers

We formulate and analyze a generic neighbor discovery problem in three-dimensional wireless networks with directional transceivers, where any pair of neighbor nodes in 3D Euclidean space need to steer their transceivers towards each other simultaneously to discover each other. This problem, termed as 3D directional neighbor discovery, arises in a variety of emerging networked systems such as flying ad hoc networks composed of drones and distributed space systems composed of spacecrafts. Compared to the omni-directional 2D neighbor discovery problem extensively investigated in the literature, the 3D directional neighbor discovery problem is intuitively more challenging. Motivated by this observation, we establish an algorithmic framework on the 3D directional neighbor discovery problem. We first mathematically formulate the problem and derive the worst-case discovery delay of any neighbor discovery algorithm. Guided by the performance limit, we then design distributed neighbor discovery algorithms achieving bounded and minimal worst-case discovery delay. We further demonstrate how our algorithmic framework can be generalized to solve generic multi-dimensional rendezvous problems. Extensive numerical analysis is then presented to empirically evaluate of our neighbor discovery algorithms.

Creative solution concept for urban structure sustainability development (for example: architecture and planning structure of Iranian small cities)

Special urgency for small cities in Iran represents developing problem guiding principles of transformation and development of architectural and planning structure, as well as applied technique of its evaluation in accordance with the requirements of sustainable development. This article describes leading forms of urban development settlements and identifies common principles which influence on sustainable urban development.
 The objective of this article is to assert sustainable development theories which meets city planning structure and develop a sustainability concept for Iranian small cities. This will be done through studies that were influenced by addressing a rethinking in order to emphasize adapting new trend of sustainable development which focused on city planning structure, and suitable for Iranian small cities condition. Thus, the main tasks of study could be formulated as follows: define Iranian small cities planning structure features and problems; study recent sustainability documents and related urban development forms and principles; comparative analysis; and finally suggest a creative solution for architectural and planning structure for Iranian small cities condition.
 The research used the method of analysis of latest international scientific literature and documents related to urban development sustainability in order to evaluate, compare and achieve a proper solution for Iranian small cities structures sustainability. It should be noted that such kind of analysis would be done only after analyzing and identifying the features and problems of the planning structure of Iranian small cities.
 Results of study: The article reveals recent sustainable urban development forms and its interpretations in modern urban development theories; demonstrates Iranian cities structure features; Iranian cities general plans problems; urban forms and design principles for achieving the goals of sustainable urban development for conditions of Iran.
 The scientific novelty of research is to study recent urban sustainable development forms and principles which related to urban structures; and suggest an appropriate and suitable concept for Iranian small cities development sustainability.

Effect of daily light exposure on sleep in polar regions: A meta-analysis.

Although studies have shown that light affects sleep in polar populations, the sample size of most studies is small. This meta-analysis provides the first systematic review of the effects of summer glare, spring and fall moderate daylight, and artificial lighting on general sleep problems (sleep duration, efficiency, and delay). This analysis included 18 studies involving 986 participants. We calculated the random effect size via an evidence-based meta-analysis that analysed the effect of bright/auxiliary light on sleep and the effect of three different types of light on sleep compared with conventional light. There was no significant correlation between specific light types and sleep duration. Intense summer light has a negative effect on sleep time and efficiency. Moderate, natural light in spring and autumn effectively delayed sleep but could not improve sleep efficiency. For artificial fill light, neither blue light nor enhanced white light has been found to have a significant effect. In summary, summer light has a detrimental effect on sleep in polar populations, and moderate natural light may be superior to conventional light. However, specific strategies to improve sleep and artificial lighting in polar populations must be explored further.

The Emergence of Modern, Industrial Society — A Comparison of the Theories of Max Weber and Douglass North

The Hegel-Marx dialectic between Sein and Bewusstsein has been continuing as a general problem throughout the history of social sciences. Some theories earmark mental, psychological, or ideological factors as causers to societal developments, while other approaches solely focus on material factors. The article compares two theories pertaining to the rise of modern, industrial society, that of Weber and that of North. Though North has some strong points, Weber´s theory is more encompassing and dovetailing.

Approximating the directed path partition problem

Given a digraph G=(V,E), the k-path partition problem aims to find a minimum collection of vertex-disjoint directed paths, of order at most k, to cover all the vertices. The problem has various applications. Its special case on undirected graphs is NP-hard when k≥3, and has received much study recently from the approximation algorithm perspective. However, the general problem on digraphs is seemingly untouched in the literature. We fill the gap with the first k/2-approximation algorithm, based on a novel concept of enlarging walk to minimize the number of singletons. Secondly, for k=3, we define a second novel kind of enlarging walks to greedily reduce the number of 2-paths in the 3-path partition and propose an improved 13/9-approximation algorithm. Lastly, for any k≥7, we present an improved (k+2)/3-approximation algorithm built on the maximum path-cycle cover followed by a careful 2-cycle elimination process.

Labeling-Based Recipient Identification with Low-Order Modulation

Labeling-Based Recipient Identification (LABRID) brings the possibility of representing the destination station address in a Bit-Interleaved Coded Modulation with Iterative Decoding (BICM-ID) system by a signal labeling rule. Low-order modulations, such as BPSK or QPSK, pose a general problem for BICM-ID due to a limited convergence of iterative decoding. In the context of LABRID, they have one more drawback—a small number of different labeling rules in general; the number of the optimal ones, which exhibit the maximal asymptotic coding gain, is reduced even further. Meanwhile, LABRID needs a sizable collection of different optimal labeling rules to serve many users in large wireless networks. In this paper, the author suggests the use of hypercube BPSK or QPSK labeling to overcome all these challenges. By means of the Reactive Tabu Search (RTS) algorithm, more than 1500 equivalent optimal hypercube labeling rules are found. Analytical error bounds of the system are developed and supported by simulation experiments. Then, the focus is moved to the criterion to determine the frame destination at the LABRID receiver; a simple threshold-based method is proposed to keep the incorrect decision probability below 10−5. Finally, it is shown that LABRID outperforms a reference BICM-ID system in terms of computational complexity.

Efficient Multi-Objective Simulation Metamodeling for Researchers

Solving multiple objective optimization problems can be computationally intensive even when experiments can be performed with the help of a simulation model. There are many methodologies that can achieve good tradeoffs between solution quality and resource use. One possibility is using an intermediate “model of a model” (metamodel) built on experimental responses from the underlying simulation model and an optimization heuristic that leverages the metamodel to explore the input space more efficiently. However, determining the best metamodel and optimizer pairing for a specific problem is not directly obvious from the problem itself, and not all domains have experimental answers to this conundrum. This paper introduces a discrete multiple objective simulation metamodeling and optimization methodology that allows algorithmic testing and evaluation of four Metamodel-Optimizer (MO) pairs for different problems. For running our experiments, we have implemented a test environment in R and tested four different MO pairs on four different problem scenarios in the Operations Research domain. The results of our experiments suggest that patterns of relative performance between the four MO pairs tested differ in terms of computational time costs for the four problems studied. With additional integration of problems, metamodels and optimizers, the opportunity to identify ex ante the best MO pair to employ for a general problem can lead to a more profitable use of metamodel optimization.

Products, Polynomials and Differential Equations in the Stream Calculus

We study connections among polynomials, differential equations, and streams over a field 𝕂, in terms of algebra and coalgebra. We first introduce the class of (F,G) - products on streams, those where the stream derivative of a product can be expressed as a polynomial function of the streams and their derivatives. Our first result is that, for every (F,G) -product, there is a canonical way to construct a transition function on polynomials such that the resulting unique final coalgebra morphism from polynomials into streams is the (unique) commutative 𝕂-algebra homomorphism—and vice versa. This implies that one can algebraically reason on streams via their polynomial representation. We apply this result to obtain an algebraic-geometric decision algorithm for polynomial stream equivalence, for an underlying generic (F,G) -product. Finally, we extend this algorithm to solve a more general problem: finding all valid polynomial equalities that fit in a user specified polynomial template.

Three-Stage Rapid Physical Design Algorithm for Continuous-Flow Microfluidic Biochips Considering Actual Fluid Manipulations

With the continuous development of microfluidic technology, continuous-flow microfluidic biochips (CFMBs) are being increasingly used in the Internet of Things. The automation design of CFMBs has also received widespread attention. The architecture design of CFMBs is divided into a high-level synthesis stage and a physical design stage. Among them, the problem of the physical design stage is very complex. At this stage, the chip architecture is generated based on the device library and a set of flow paths, taking into account the actual fluid manipulations, while minimizing the cost of the chip, such as the number of ports, total length of flow channels, number of flow channel intersections. As fabrication technology advances, the number of devices integrated into CFMBs is increasing. The existing physical design algorithms can no longer meet the design requirements of CFMBs in terms of time. Therefore, we propose a three-stage rapid physical design algorithm for CFMBs considering the actual fluid manipulations. The proposed algorithm includes a port-driven preprocessing stage, a force-directed quadratic placement stage, and a negotiation-based routing stage. In the port-driven preprocessing stage, a port-driven preprocessing algorithm is proposed to generate connection matrices between ports and devices to reduce the number of ports introduced. In the force-directed quadratic placement stage, we model the placement problem as an extremum problem of a quadratic cost function, which mathematically reduces the search space significantly and shortens the running time of the algorithm significantly. In the negotiation-based routing stage, a heuristic negotiation-based routing algorithm and a flow channel strategy that prioritizes the construction of parallel execution are proposed to reduce the running time of the algorithm while ensuring that the number of crossings in the routing solution is close to the optimal solution. Experimental results confirm that our proposed method is able to generate the high-quality solutions quickly. Under general scale problems, compared to the existing method based on ILP, our proposed method achieves a speedup ratio of 23,171 in terms of CPU time and optimizations in terms of number of ports and port reuse of 3.18% and 6.52%, respectively. These optimizations come at the cost of only a slight increase in the number of intersections, the flow length, and the number of flow valves. In addition, our proposed method can effectively solve large-scale problems that cannot be solved by existing method based on ILP.

Path planning algorithms in the autonomous driving system: A comprehensive review

This comprehensive review focuses on the Autonomous Driving System (ADS), which aims to reduce human errors that are the reason for about 95% of car accidents. The ADS consists of six stages: sensors, perception, localization, assessment, path planning, and control. We explain the main state-of-the-art techniques used in each stage, analyzing 275 papers, with 162 specifically on path planning due to its complexity, NP-hard optimization nature, and pivotal role in ADS. This paper categorizes path planning techniques into three primary groups: traditional (graph-based, sampling-based, gradient-based, optimization-based, interpolation curve algorithms), machine and deep learning, and meta-heuristic optimization, detailing their advantages and drawbacks. Findings show that meta-heuristic optimization methods, representing 23% of our study, are preferred for being general problem solvers capable of handling complex problems. In addition, they have faster convergence and reduced risk of local minima. Machine and deep learning techniques, accounting for 25%, are favored for their learning capabilities and fast responses to known scenarios. The trend towards hybrid algorithms (27%) combines various methods, merging each algorithm’s benefits and overcoming the other’s drawbacks. Moreover, adaptive parameter tuning is crucial to enhance efficiency, applicability, and balancing the search capability. This review sheds light on the future of path planning in autonomous driving systems, helping to tackle current challenges and unlock the full capabilities of autonomous vehicles.

ANALISIS YURIDIS TERHADAP AKTA NOTARIS YANG DINYATAKAN TIDAK BERKEKUATAN HUKUM (Study Putusan Hakim No: 28/Pdt.G/2013/PN.Bdw)

Indonesian country as a country of law, in form of certainty of order legal protection notarial deeds made before a notary for all matters relating to agreements and will be stated in a notarial deed and the aim is to declare the deed inauthentic and will not be left to the judge to decide that the authentic deed is relegated to a deed under the hand and can be canceled and declared to be invalid or null and void by the deed. This research aims to understand the legal consequences of notarial deeds based on decisions (study decision number 28/Pdt.G/2017/PN Bdw). The legal position of parties who are declared to have no legal force, this research uses a normative juridical method and the approach used is a statutory, conseptual (doctrine) and case approach. The sources of legal materials used are primary legal materials, secondary legal materials, and tertary legal materials. And in this research, we use liblary data collection techniques (liberary research) and analyze the data deductively namely drawing conclusions from a general problem regarding the concrete problem being faced. The results found are contained in the decision of the panel of judges in Case Number 28/Pdt.G/2017/PN Bdw. In the considerations that the judge applied, it was in accordance with article 1865 of the Civil Code which states that every person who has claimed to have rights.

A cutting-plane method with internal iteration points for the general convex programming problem

A cutting method for solving the problem of convex programming was proposed. The method calculates iteration points based on approximation by polyhedral sets of the constraint region and the epigraph of the objective function. Its distinguishing feature is that the main sequence of approximations is constructed within the admissible region. At each step, it is also possible to assess how close the current value of the function is to the optimal value. The convergence of the method was proved. A few of its implementations were outlined.