General Mapping Research Articles

Selection, sequencing and progression of content in biology in four diverse jurisdictions

Selection of content for a school syllabus is important in achieving progress towards inclusive generalisations which characterise powerful knowledge. Biology as a discipline progresses from knowledge of individual facts to inclusive generalisations such as homeostasis, energy transformations, heredity, and evolution. The present study evaluated the selection of content in the official biology syllabus for the seventh and eighth years of schooling in four diverse jurisdictions: Kenya, South Africa, British Columbia (Canada) and Singapore. The purpose was to determine whether and how content selection enabled progression to inclusive generalisations in biology and to compare selection, sequencing and progression among the four jurisdictions. General Topic Trace Mapping was used to compare each syllabus to a generic reference syllabus structured according to inclusive generalisations. Although there was some agreement in the scope of topics selected, jurisdictions varied in the way it was organised. Kenya included more everyday knowledge than other jurisdictions. British Columbia and Singapore selected content according to unifying themes, whereas South Africa and Kenya did not. South Africa selected content that enabled progression towards inclusive generalisations, but did not explicitly identify the generalisations. This study supports the contention that powerful knowledge in biology may be construed differently in diverse jurisdictions.

Fundamental and Practical Feasibility of Electrocardiogram Reconstruction from Photoplethysmogram.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) reconstruction from contact photoplethysmogram (PPG) would be transformative for cardiac monitoring. We investigated the fundamental and practical feasibility of such reconstruction by first replicating pioneering work in the field, with the aim of assessing the methods and evaluation metrics used. We then expanded existing research by investigating different cycle segmentation methods and different evaluation scenarios to robustly verify both fundamental feasibility, as well as practical potential. We found that reconstruction using the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and a linear ridge regression model shows good results when PPG and ECG cycles are semantically aligned-the ECG R peak and PPG systolic peak are aligned-before training the model. Such reconstruction can be useful from a morphological perspective, but loses important physiological information (precise R peak location) due to cycle alignment. We also found better performance when personalization was used in training, while a general model in a leave-one-subject-out evaluation performed poorly, showing that a general mapping between PPG and ECG is difficult to derive. While such reconstruction is valuable, as the ECG contains more fine-grained information about the cardiac activity as well as offers a different modality (electrical signal) compared to the PPG (optical signal), our findings show that the usefulness of such reconstruction depends on the application, with a trade-off between morphological quality of QRS complexes and precise temporal placement of the R peak. Finally, we highlight future directions that may resolve existing problems and allow for reliable and robust cross-modal physiological monitoring using just PPG.

Wood-products value-chain mapping

ABSTRACT With the increasing importance of wood as a sustainable material and addressing challenges facing the wood products industry, there is an emerging need for innovation and collaboration across all industry sectors. The mapping of the wood products industry has become crucial for gaining an overview and overall understanding of material flow. It also proved beneficial for educational and research purposes. The outcome of this study should help seek new economic opportunities and promote sustainable resource management. A Generic Map was developed to navigate the entire wood products industry as well as Dive-in Chain Maps will guide the four major production chains: sawmill (I), veneer mill (II), reconstituted wood manufacturing (III), and pulp and paper mills (IV). In addition, a By-products Management Wheel Diagram was introduced to clarify waste management practices within these chains. Our approach sheds light on efficient material flow and utilization, revealing opportunities for innovation and the development of high-value products. It also offers strategies for minimizing waste and making informed end-of-life decisions. Ultimately, this study enhances the understanding and potential for circularity and sustainability in the wood products industry.

A picture is worth a thousand words: Developing the general curriculum map of Library and Information Science to get integrated learning

Developing the curriculum is the heart of all educational institutions. The aim of study is to reveal and visualize the elements and sub-elements of the curriculum with emphasizing on Library and Information Science one to assist the curriculum developer for integrated curriculum development. This will improve the teaching of beginning lectures as well as to help the students to gain a comprehensive view of the major. However, developing the curriculum will be done successfully when all its aspects are considered. In this respect, this is a theory adoption conceptual article that the related search terms put down in the five key databases to find relevant literature for developing a general curriculum map for the major. Literature review indicated that the four levels of system, school, class and individual can be considered for the curriculum. Curriculum includes objectives, content, activities, teachers, resources, group, location, time and assessment, all of which are determined by the philosophy of the curriculum designer. Integrated learning will be achieved when the curriculum philosophy of a discipline is determined and all the mentioned aspects are taken into account in developing the curriculum.

Self-pinning colloids on rough surface

Self-pinning colloids are integral to multiple applications from ink-jet printing to diagnostic platforms. The commercial surfaces involved in these applications are inherently rough and to mimic the same, we probe the self-pinning mechanistic using a model system of colloidal (sessile) droplet desiccating over a homogeneously rough surface having root-mean-square roughness, Sqnm∼0.36nm;(0<Sq<1). Further, the interplay of the particle diameter dnm∼460;30)with the substrate roughness induced length-scale on the evaporation modes of these desiccating colloidal droplets has been investigated with extensive experiments. The second parametric variation outlined the effect of varied particle concentration (ϕ,ww%∼0.05,0.1,1) on the pinning-de-pinning transition of the contact line during evaporation. These are characterised and quantified by contact angle goniometry and a general map of evaporation modes is proposed for such evaporating colloidal droplets induced by self-pinning of the dispersed colloids.

Multiscale Urban Functional Zone Recognition Based on Landmark Semantic Constraints

The classification of urban functional areas is important for understanding the characteristics of urban areas and optimizing the utilization of urban land resources. Existing related methods have improved accuracy. However, they neglect cognitive differences amongst humans in the different scales of regional functions. Moreover, how to build the correlations of cross-scale characteristics is still unresolved when realizing the classification of multiscale urban functional zones. To resolve these problems, a transportation analysis zone involving urban buildings as research units is created and these units are described by geometric and functional characteristics using multiple data sources. Then, a hierarchical clustering model is built for the recognition of urban functional areas at varying scales with landmark semantic constraints. In the experiments, Shanghai served as the study area, and multiscale zones were created using different levels of road networks considering the constraint correlation of the significance between cross-scale maps. The experiential results show the proposed method has excellent performance and optimizes the functional zone classification at different scales. This study not only enriches the multiscale urban functional area-recognition methods but also can be used in other aspects, like cartographic generalization or spatial analysis.

Geomatic tools used in the management of agricultural activities: a systematic review

AbstractManaging agricultural activity encompasses technology, geographic information, spatial data and geomatic tools as support techniques. In this framework, agricultural mapping is an essential geomatic application due to its importance in managing food systems. This research aims to analyze the state of knowledge of geomatics tools and their applications in agriculture through a systematic review of scientific documents and methodological approaches, highlighting the use of geomatics in agricultural mapping to evaluate trends in agriculture management. The study methodology consists of a scientific base of publications on geomatics and its applications in sustainable agriculture, with a quantitative analysis of production and its approaches. Subsequently, PRISMA establishes a systematic review in search of the subject’s methods, applications and trends. The results show that of the total data analyzed, 60% corresponds to general agricultural mapping for crop/water/soil mapping using satellite images. Twenty percent for land use and coverage, considering the georeferencing that contributes to agricultural territorial planning. Nine percent consider geomatic key for agricultural cadastre (plot management). In addition, 6% corresponds to precision agriculture and 5% to watershed management. The most predominant geomatics tools are: Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and remote sensing (RS). Also, among the most used geomatic techniques in agricultural cartography, photogrammetry in crop phenology and multispectral analysis in the optimisation and monitoring of agricultural production stand out. Studies show that the geomatic application promotes sustainability practices such as crop rotation, seeds dispersed and germinated by animals, agricultural irrigation through rivers/basins/streams, family gardens and generation of employment sources. The geomatics use is of great utility/potential for the acquisition and generation of geospatial data accurately, with time and cost savings that contribute to the decision-making of city councils, public cadastral administrations, enterprises, educational institutions and agricultural foundations.

(009) Erogenous Zones of the Vagina and Vulva: An Anatomic Map-Based Study

Abstract Introduction Erogenous sensation zones (ESZs) of the body elicit sexual arousal in response to touch. Prior studies have established general maps of external ESZs, but they did not assess internal surfaces or focus on individual structures of the genitalia. Objective To develop a topographic map of the ESZs of the vulva and vagina. Methods A sample of n=451 sexually active cisgender women (mean age 48.9 ± 15.5 years) were administered an anonymous, online questionnaire via Qualtrics. Respondents selected predefined areas from anatomic illustrations of the vulva and vagina that bring them pleasure when touched during sex. Respondents then rated the importance of each zone to their sexual pleasure on a 10-point Likert scale. Results More respondents selected at least one area of the vulva as an ESZ (82%), as compared to the vagina (59.4%). Of the vulva (Figure 1), the clitoris, peri urethra, and vaginal introitus were the three most frequently selected and highest rated structures. The five ESZs of the vagina (Figure 2) revealed a preference for the superficial anterior region of the vaginal canal. The cervix and posterior areas were selected and rated lower than the superficial aspects. Conclusions The vulva and vagina were associated with enhanced erogenous sensation not only at (but also in regions immediately peripheral to) the clitoris. These ESZs were also rated as "highly important" to sexual pleasure. Notwithstanding these trends, the wide range of selection-frequency and pleasure-importance ratings emphasizes the subjective and varying experience of sexual arousal between individuals. These ESZ maps may enhance patient education, particularly among individuals who suffer from sexual dysfunction or other factors that lend to diminished sexual arousal. Disclosure No.

A hierarchical shape description approach and its application in similarity measurement of polygon entities

Spatial similarity provides an important basis for geographic information processing and is widely applied in multi-source data fusion and update, data retrieval and query, and cartographic generalization. To address the shape description and similarity measurement of polygon entities, this study presents a new hierarchical shape description approach and examines its application in similarity measurement of polygon entities. Using the rotation and segmentation methods, we first constructed a hierarchical shape description model for target polygon entities, followed by measurement of global and hierarchical shape description of polygon entities, respectively, using the farthest-point-distance and geometric feature description methods. Finally, we constructed a comprehensive similarity measurement model through a weighted integration of position, size, direction, and shape. The hierarchical shape description approach proposed in this paper can be applied to the shape similarity measurement of polygon elements, similarity measurement after spatial object simplification, and multi-scale polygon entity matching. The experimental results showed that the hierarchical shape description approach and similarity measurement model are able to effectively measure spatial similarity between different polygon entities, and have obtained good application results.

Autonomous navigation system for hexa-legged search and rescue robot using LiDAR

This study proposes an autonomous navigation system for hexapod robots, promising in complex rescue scenarios. The system is tested in simulations under three environments: rocky, cracked flooring, and inclined surfaces. utilizing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), the robot recognizes positions and constructs environmental maps. Implemented via robot operating system, the research successfully applies navigation and mapping using hector_slam. LiDAR mapping yields satisfactory accuracy, with average errors of 0.21% for general mapping and 5.34% for circular paths. Within a 2-meter range, navigation achieves good accuracy, averaging 1.2% error on the x-axis and 0.011% on the y-axis during linear motion. Navigational repeatability improves, with reliable results showing an average error of 4.33 cm on the x-axis and 0.5 cm on the y-axis when returning to starting points. Arena testing with varied obstacles demonstrates successful obstacle traversal. However, in the second test, limitations in hardware, notably the Raspberry Pi 4 CPU usage reaching 97% during navigation, hindered reaching the third target.

Notes on gauging noninvertible symmetries. Part I. Multiplicity-free cases

In this paper we discuss gauging noninvertible zero-form symmetries in two dimensions. We specialize to certain gaugeable cases, specifically, fusion categories of the form RepH\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \ extrm{Rep}\\left(\\mathcal{H}\\right) $$\\end{document} for H\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \\mathcal{H} $$\\end{document} a suitable Hopf algebra (which includes the special case Rep(G) for G a finite group). We also specialize to the case that the fusion category is multiplicity-free. We discuss how to construct a modular-invariant partition function from a choice of Frobenius algebra structure on H∗\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ {\\mathcal{H}}^{\\ast } $$\\end{document}. We discuss how ordinary G orbifolds for finite groups G are a special case of the construction, corresponding to the fusion category Vec(G) = Rep(ℂ[G]*). For the cases Rep(S3), Rep(D4), and Rep(Q8), we construct the crossing kernels for general intertwiner maps. We explicitly compute partition functions in the examples of Rep(S3), Rep(D4), Rep(Q8), and RepH8\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$ \ extrm{Rep}\\left({\\mathcal{H}}_8\\right) $$\\end{document}, and discuss applications in c = 1 CFTs. We also discuss decomposition in the special case that the entire noninvertible symmetry group acts trivially.

(101) Erogenous Zones of the Head and Neck: A Comparison Study Between Cisgender Men and Women

Abstract Introduction Erogenous zones (EZ) of the body elicit feelings of sexual arousal in response to tactile stimulation. While previous studies have defined general whole-body maps and detailed maps of the genitalia, there is limited data that defines extragenital structures and compares findings between cisgender men (CM) and cisgender women (CW). Objective This study aims to describe EZs of the head and neck, and to describe differences in EZs that exist between CM and CW. Methods A total of 403 CM and 451 CW (mean age 47.2 ± 16.8 and 48.9 ± 15.5y respectively, p&amp;gt;0.05) were recruited and administered an anonymous, online questionnaire via Qualtrics. Standardized anatomic illustrations with 11 predefined areas of the head and neck were presented to respondents, who were instructed to select which structure(s) bring them pleasure when touched during sex. For each EZ selected, the respondent was asked to rate its importance to their sexual pleasure on a 10-point Likert scale, from “1-not at all important” to “10-extremely important.” Differences in frequency of selection and importance ratings were analyzed via Qualtrics Stats iQ software using Fisher’s exact test and t-tests, with p&amp;gt;0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results Of the 11 head and neck EZs, the tongue, neck, ear, and lips were the most frequently selected structures (Figure 1). A comparison between CM and CW revealed that CM were significantly more likely to indicate erogeneity of the tongue (51.4% vs 41.3%, p&amp;lt;0.05) and nose (5.2% vs 2.0%, p&amp;lt;0.02). CW were more likely to indicate the posterior neck as erogenous (40.1% vs 30.3%, p&amp;lt;0.01). Statistically significant differences in ratings revealed that CM were more likely to indicate higher levels of importance to sexual pleasure of the cheek (6.3 ± x vs. 5.1 ±, p&amp;lt;0.03) and forehead (5.3 vs. 2.8, p&amp;lt;0.001). Conclusions EZs of the head and neck were centralized around the mouth, neck, and ears. CM were more likely to select structures around the mouth while CW selected the anterior and posterior neck. While some statistically significant differences were found in EZs between CM and CW, the majority of similarly selected and rated EZs indicate a pattern of comparable overall distributions of extragenital EZs. Findings from this study highlight the presence of extragenital erogeneity, and the importance of prioritizing the preservation of tactile sensation in head and neck surgeries (or communicating these risks to patients during preop consultations). These EZ maps may furthermore be used in future studies to compare pre- versus postoperative changes in erogenous sensation amongst patients who undergo head and neck surgery. Disclosure No.

Measuring the similarity between shapes of buildings using graph edit distance

ABSTRACT Building data play a crucial role in geographic information science, and building shape similarity can be used for spatial inquiry, cartographic generalization, map updating, data quality assessment, and other spatial data mining applications. However, conventional shape representation and measurement methods use geometric and statistical measures and may not effectively capture the subtle differences among building shapes. Geospatial artificial intelligence methods often overlook nuanced differences in building contours, posing a challenge when precise fine-grained measurements are required. Furthermore, they have low interpretability. This study proposes a graph edit distance-based method for measuring the similarity between building shapes. It uses geometrics characteristics to construct a graph, matches and associates similar regional features between two building contours, and defines edit costs based on geometric and positional differences that align with the Gestalt principle of visual similarity. It converts the optimal edit path problem to the maximum weighted cluster solution problem and utilizes a heuristic approach to achieve the exact optimal solution within a moderately suitable timeframe. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method identifies detailed differences between building contours, providing accurate similarity measurement with high interpretability.

A Performance Simulation Methodology for a Whole Turboshaft Engine Based on Throughflow Modelling

To accurately predict the matching relationships between the various components and the engine performance in the whole aero-engine environment, this study introduces a two-dimensional throughflow simulation method for the whole aero-engine. This method is based on individual throughflow solvers for the turbo-machinery and the combustor. It establishes a throughflow simulation model for the whole engine by integrating with the compressor-turbine co-operating equations and boundary conditions. The turbo-machinery throughflow solver employs a circumferentially averaged form of the time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations (N-S) as the governing equation. The combustor solver uses the Reynolds Average Navier–Stokes (RANS) method to solve flow and chemical reaction processes by constructing turbulence, combustion, and radiation models. The accuracy of the component solver is validated using Pratt and Whitney’s three-stage axial compressor (P&amp;W3S1) and General Electric’s high-pressure turbine (GE-EEE HPT), and the predicted results are consistent with the experimental data. Finally, the developed throughflow method is applied to simulate the throttling characteristics of the WZ-X turboshaft engine. The results predicted by the throughflow program are consistent with the GasTurb calculations, including the trends of shaft power delivered, specific fuel consumption (SFC), inlet airflow, and total pressure ratio of the compressor. The developed method to perform throughflow simulation of the whole aero-engine eliminates the dependence on a general component map. It can quickly obtain the meridian flow field parameters and overall engine characteristics, which is expected to guide the design and modification of the engine in the future.

Rational Contraction in Metric Space and Common Fixed Point Theorems

The study of contraction mappings in fixed-point theory is a fascinating and crucial field of mathematics. The concept of contraction plays a vital role in proving the existence and uniqueness of fixed points. Banach's contraction theory offers a fixed point theorem that is widely accepted as unique in most analyses. By using rational expressions in metric spaces, we can achieve unique results in general contraction mapping. These results are based on several innovative ideas stemming from the latest research. The delivered results upgrade and federate many existing outcomes on the topic in the literature Bhardwaj, R. et al. (2007) Chouhan et al. (2014) and Garg and Priyanka (2016). Also gives some suitable examples for verifying our results.

Combining error models to reduce the imprecision of geometric length measurement in vector databases

AbstractLength measurements calculated from the geometry of vector geographic objects, called geometric measurements, are inherently imprecise. The imprecision of the measurements is due to the accumulation of causes of various origins, related to the production processes, and the rules of data representation. In order to reduce the overall imprecision of geometric length measurements, this article proposes to identify the causes of measurement error in the data, to model their respective impact, and finally to combine these different impacts. To do so, five causes of geometric measurement error have been modeled: map projection, terrain disregard, polygonal approximation of curves, digitizing error, and cartographic generalization. To estimate the overall measurement imprecision, three combination methods are proposed: selection of the maximum error, sum of the errors, and quadratic aggregation of the errors. An experiment conducted on a sample of roads represented at a medium scale demonstrates that quadratic error aggregation is the most effective combination method for reducing the imprecision of geometric length measurements.

Generalized rotation sets and rotational entropy for circle maps

In this paper, we consider the generalized rotation set and rotational entropy for circle maps. Let f:S1→S1 be continuous and F be a lifting of f. In [1] a notion of F-rotation set of a point x∈S1 was given when f is homotopic to the identity. We firstly extend this notion, designated ‘generalized rotation set’ ρ(F), to the general continuous map of the circle, not necessarily homotopic to identity. We show that ρ(F) is compact and connected, i.e., a closed interval, and moreover, each of its endpoints is a generalized rotation number of a recurrent point of f. We also consider the generalized rotation set for f on its invariant sets. Secondly, we introduce a notion of generalized rotational entropy hr(f) for f, which follows the definition that Botelho proposed in [3] for the annulus, and then we show that it exactly vanishes.

Establishing Natural Tactile Mappings: Mapping Tactile Parameters to Continuous Data Concepts.

There has been limited work developing natural mappings between tactile signals and common data concepts in data rich domains. If these mappings can be established, tactile displays can become more intuitive and readily adopted. The present study aims to identify general natural mappings between perceptual dimensions of vibration and continuous data concepts. Twenty-one participants were tasked to map four different tactile parameters to four different data concepts-pressure, concentration, size, and speed. We found that an increase in intensity was good at conveying increases for all data concepts. We also found that speed, pressure, concentration, and size all have at least one strong natural mapping.

A multi-factor intelligent biologic search algorithm for closed-area fiber optic network planning

Fiber optic network planning is a critical aspect in numerous intelligent park construction projects. This study addresses the issue of fiber routing allocation within these enclosed parks, which necessitate substantial real-time communication during their operation. To optimize route allocation efficiency and account for line costs, we propose a Multi-factor Intelligent Biologic Search Algorithm (MIBSA). This algorithm operates within a hierarchical framework and progresses through three stages of enhancement. The foundational model utilizes an enhanced Lifelong Planning A* (LPA*) algorithm to delineate the initial path and non-uniformly allocate the primary pheromone of the ant colony algorithm. The upper tier integrates an improved Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) model, incorporating various factors into the pheromone update strategy for multi-objective fiber optic network planning. Simultaneously, this algorithm introduces a batch pheromone boosting mechanism and a momentum method to expedite the convergence process. Experimental findings highlight that MIBSA surpasses the conventional ACO method in solving fiber optic network planning problems, yielding an average comprehensive cost reduction of 16.42% and 7.82% under the environmental map of the objective problem and the general environmental map test, respectively.

General Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Scheme for mmWave Communication Systems

General Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Scheme for mmWave Communication Systems