Modern Sciences Journal

Submarine Accumulations of Methane Hydrates in Adjacences of Marambio Island (Seymour Island), Antarctica and Its Probable Environmental Incident

Alvaro Sánchez Granel — 2023-11-21

The presence of aliphatic hydrocarbons in sediments at the bottom of the platform and the continental margin of the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and its natural escapes, leads us to infer about the likely effects they may have on the Antarctic environment, particularly on changes off average in surface temperatures and seawater. Methane leaks recorded in shallow waters of the region are compatible with the destabilization of gas hydrates in the marine substrate and with changes in average surface temperatures and seawater, suggesting a probable environmental impact such as a consequence of this process, based on the hypothesis of the “clathrate rifle”, the scientific theory of Gerry Dickens and James Kennet, which argues that the rise in sea temperature can lead to a sudden release of methane from the clathrate deposits located in the ocean bottoms, as happened in the Eocene.

Electronic Structure and Forbidden Energy in AlAs Crystalline Alloy

César Cabrera Arista — 2023-11-21

We present the energy bands and the DOS, the forbidden energy and total energy of the crystalline compound of AlAs, calculated with the LMTO orbital method within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Se solved the Schrödinger equation with a potential in the local density approximation (LDA) that uses the Barh-Hedin approximation for the term exchange and correlation. Potential calculated with a small homogeneous fraction of electron charge in the empty spheres and an electronic charge similar to that of the free atom in the atomic spheres of the crystal lattice. The structure of the energy bands presented an indirect forbidden energy gap of 0.160Ry or 2.18 eV with a minimum total energy of -18.10 Ry that fit well with the experimental results.

Adopting Digital Solutions for Large Scale Surveillance of Crop Pests and Diseases in Developing Countries—A Review

Gordon Otieno Ouma — 2023-11-21

Crop pests and diseases are ranked as some of the world’s leading threats to agricultural productivity. The need to improve adoption of digital solutions prompted a review on the applicability of emerging digital solutions in large-scale surveillance of crop pest and diseases. This study presents findings on key requirements for achieving digitized large-scale pest surveillance, fitness for purpose of common autonomous biosecurity surveillance technologies, and prospects of smartphones as an alternative surveillance solution. Firstly, the research identified appropriateness of the solution, availability of supporting infrastructure and level of stakeholder involvement in solution formulation as some of the key determinants of digital solution adoption. Although most common autonomous biosecurity surveillance technologies are promising, their adoption in developing nations are limited by operational costs, legal requirements, skillsets, and operational environments among others. Thirdly, recent advancements in smartphones and wide spread ownership among farmers provide a unique opportunity for advancing Mobile Crowd-Sensing solutions in achieving large-scale pest surveillance. Lastly, we recommend designing an incentive mechanism to motivate farmers’ participation in a surveillance solution.

Error in the Technological Resources Used for Mathematics Education

Rafael Alberto Gonçalves — 2023-11-21

In order to encourage the use of spreadsheets in everyday school life, more precisely in mathematics teaching, we have searched, over the course of more than a decade, for the applicability of these tools in the classroom. As we have applied fundamental properties of mathematics to the teaching and learning process, we have found, to our surprise, that bluntly, the spreadsheet makes errors in the process of solving certain activities. In our research to date, dozens of errors in applying the spreadsheet to solve activities have been recorded. So we may ask ourselves, why is this spreadsheet software still being marketed worldwide? In view of so many primary errors with catastrophic results already listed by these researchers, in different areas such as: health, economy, business, education, military among others, why don’t the companies that own this software, charging abusive amounts in licenses to their users, make the necessary corrections in the computer programs?