Large Packages Research Articles

Segmentation of Polish Households Taking into Account Food Waste.

Currently, food waste is estimated at more than one-third of all food produced, and the primary responsibility for this phenomenon is attributed to households. Therefore, it seems reasonable to take action to limit food waste and to raise awareness about this link in the chain. To develop and implement educational programs addressed at consumers it is necessary to understand the factors determining food waste in households. Segmentation is a tool that can help effectively reach consumers who are to the greatest extent wasting food which identifies homogeneous clusters of consumers. The aim of this study was to perform segmentation to identify consumer groups with similar behaviors in relation to food, with particular emphasis on food wastage. We carried out segmentation on a representative sample of Polish people over 18 years of age and to identified three clusters of consumers. The three consumer segments diagnosed differed in sociodemographic terms, i.e., number of adults, number of children, subjective assessment of the financial situation, and percentage of spending on food. The segment exhibiting a high frequency of discarding food due to too large package size included single and double households.

Enhancement of Thermal Conductivity of Bentonite Buffer Materials with Copper Wires/Meshes for High-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal

In high-level radioactive waste disposal, a heat-generating waste canister is generally encased with a layer of bentonite-based buffer material acting as an engineered barrier to limit water percolation and radionuclide release. The low thermal conductivity of bentonite (~0.5 W/m∙K) combined with a high thermal loading waste package may result in a high surface temperature on the package that can potentially impact the structural integrity of the package itself as well as the surrounding buffer material. We show here that the thermal conductivity of bentonite can be effectively enhanced by embedding copper wires/meshes across the buffer layer to form fully connected high heat conduction pathways. A simple calculation based on Rayleigh’s model shows that a required thermal conductivity of 5 W/m∙K for effective heat dissipation can be achieved simply by adding ~1 vol % of copper wires/meshes into bentonite. As a result, the peak surface temperature on a large waste package such as a dual-purpose canister can be reduced by up to 300°C, leading to a significant reduction in the surface storage time for waste cooling and therefore the overall cost for direct disposal of such waste packages. Because of the ensured full thermal percolation across the buffer layer, copper wires/meshes turn out to be much more effective than any other materials currently suggested (such as graphene or graphite) in enhancing the thermal conductivity of buffer material. Furthermore, the embedded copper wires/meshes can help reinforce the mechanical strength of the buffer material, thus preventing the material from a potential erosion by a possible intrusion of dilute groundwater.

Analisis Perhitungan Harga Pokok Produksi Dan Kelayakan Usaha Sedotan Prupuk (Phragmites karka (Retz) Trin ex Steud) Di Desa Tumbang Nusa, Pulang Pisau

Communities in Tumbang Nusa Village, Jabiren Raya District Pulang Pisau Regency began to develop prupuk (Phragmites karka (Retz) Trin ex Steud) as a straw material to replace plastik that is difficult to decompose. This study aims to calculate the cost of production, develop a selling price scenario and conduct a feasibility study on the development of straws from prupuk. Primary data was collected from 20 people involved in making pru[uk straws and supplemented with secondary data from various previous studies and publications.The results of this study indicate that the cost of production of prupuk straws ranges between IDR 374.3 - IDR 408.68 per pcs. The proportion of prupuk straw financing is for the purchase of raw materials (59.72% to 65.14%), labor costs (34.36% to 39.58%) and overhead costs for capital financing (0.6% to 0.7 %). Determination of the selling price is done by adding the cost of goods manufactured to the desired profit (mark up method) with scenario I with a profit rate of 10% (amounting to IDR 389.04 for large packages and IDR 449.54 for small packages) to scenario VI with a level of 60% profit (IDR 565.88 for large packages and IDR 653.88 for small packages). In terms of price, determining the selling price up to scenario VI can still compete with the prices of its competitors, namely bamboo straws. Although the price of the product is competitive, the level of labor productivity is very low. At the break even point condition, the maximum labor income is only IDR 180,062.74. When compared with the UMR District of Pulang Pisau, the income contribution received from making this purun straw is very small (only 6.11%). In order to achieve an income level equivalent to the UMR of Pulang Pisau Regency, a production turnover of 383 pcs per person per day is needed or equal to 7,652 pcs per person per month. In order to improve the quality and quantity of prupuk straws, it is necessary to apply production technology.

Impact of bottle size on in-home consumption of wine: feasibility and acceptability randomised cross-over study

BackgroundReducing alcohol consumption across populations would prevent many non-communicable diseases. Large packages increase food and non-alcoholic drink consumption and large glasses increase wine consumption. Smaller bottles may reduce alcohol consumption but their impact is uncertain. This study aims to (i) explore the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a large-scale randomised study to assess the impact of bottle size on in-home wine consumption and (ii) estimate the effect size and variance of the intervention on consumption to inform the design of future studies.MethodsCross-over randomised study in which 16 households in Cambridge, England, consuming at least two 750-ml bottles of wine each week, received a pre-set volume of wine biweekly for 4 weeks, in 750-ml and 375-ml bottles, in random order. Consumption was assessed by recording the number of empty and partially full bottles at the end of each biweekly period. At the end of the study, household representatives were interviewed about their experiences of participating in the study.ResultsThe study procedures proved feasible. Comparable to similar trials, 14% of identified eligible households (18/125) consented to participate in the study. Attrition between consent and study completion was 11% (2/18) and 0% between study periods and 13% of households (2/16) correctly identified the study aim. The study procedures were considered acceptable. After adjusting for guest and out-of-home consumption, the difference in consumption between the 750-ml (3385.2 ml; SD = 1698.5) and 375-ml bottles (3376.7 ml; SD = 1719.0) was 8.4 ml (SD = 1235.4; 95%CI − 596.9, 613.8). Results suggest a possible order effect, with households receiving the 375-ml bottles first consuming more wine out of the 750-ml bottles and vice versa. This might also reflect an increase in consumption with study duration. Households receiving the 375-ml bottles first (6315.9 ml; SD = 3293.5) also drank less wine overall than those receiving the 750-ml bottles first (7335.4 ml; SD = 3735.4).DiscussionThe findings support the feasibility and acceptability of running a large-scale randomised study to assess the impact of bottle size on in-home wine consumption. Due to the heterogeneous patterning of results, a future study will be powered using the variance observed in the current study to detect a meaningful reduction of 250 ml of wine when consumed from smaller compared with larger bottles.Trial registrationOpen Science Framework (OSF): rmk43; May 23, 2017.

Sandbox Environments in an ERP System Context: Examining User Attitude and Satisfaction

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are large complex software packages that are widely usedin organizations today. Due to the complexity, sandbox environments are often used for training on ERPsystems. This study examines the effectiveness of training using a sandbox environment, specifically examininguser attitudes, users’ perception of financial knowledge gained, and user satisfaction in the ERP environmentwhile learning financial concepts. The theoretical framework is based on the Technology Acceptance Modelwith additional factors predicted to impact users’ attitude and satisfaction. Data were collected from 124subjects who voluntarily participated in the study. Structural Equation Modeling was used to analyze the data.The results of this study should help organizations understand the factors impacting user attitudes on ERPtraining leading to higher self‑perception of knowledge gains and task completion satisfaction. In addition, thisstudy provides the results of using ERP systems as a tool for financial education.

Impact of Covid-19 on Global Debt: A Study of Countries in the G-20 Group

This paper highlights the prospect of a Covid-19 led upsurge in the government debt-GDP ratio of 19 countries in the G-20 group. Many of these countries have Fiscal Responsibility Legislations (FRLs) where government debt-GDP ratios have been targeted. A key policy implication of our findings is that most countries will find that the post-Covid slippage in their government debt-GDP ratio is so large as to call for major changes in their fiscal policy framework. In some cases, even a modification of their FRL may be warranted. The evolution of debt of these countries over the period 1996 to 2019 indicates that major economic crises have led to one-time upsurges in their debt-GDP ratios covering both government and private debt. These ratios tend to remain at high levels well after the crises are over, showing downward rigidity. We estimate that Covid-19 induced increase in government debt-GDP ratio for the selected countries, would amount to 14.9% points on average which is more than 141% higher than the increase of 6.2% points resulting from the 2008 crisis. We propose a methodology to project the government debt-GDP ratio as a function of incremental borrowing relative to GDP, real GDP growth and GDP deflator-based inflation. We also estimate the relative contribution to the increase in government debt-GDP ratio, individually of these factors. We find that the upsurge in the Covid led government debt-GDP ratio is large because of the reversal of the role of the growth factor in explaining the change in the debt-GDP ratio between two successive years. In particular, instead of appearing with a negative sign, which is the case in a normal year, it appears with a positive sign in a crisis year. Further, the fiscal deficit-GDP ratio also increases due to large stimulus packages in a crisis year.

The Gulf States’ Assistance to Egypt after the 2011 Revolution: Logic, Dynamics, Systemic Impact

The current decade has seen a growing role of the Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar) in global aid architecture as a result of the Arab Awakening. The largest packages of assistance have been provided by this group of donors to Egypt, which followed an especially tortuous path, shaped by the factor of political Islam. This paper examines the logic, dynamics and the role of such assistance in Egypt’s tumultuous history after 2011. It consists of four sections - each depicting a particular phase of the post-revolutionary period and containing an in-depth study of the logic of and linkages between the GCC members’ donor initiatives as well as an assessment of their influence on the domestic and external policies of consecutive Egyptian administrations and the behavior of extraregional actors. The general conclusion is drawn that during each of four stages the Gulf States’ actions played a pivotal role in Egypt’s turbulent development. Contrary to a widespread belief in predominance of cultural and religious solidarity in Arab donors’ aid-giving, they mastered foreign assistance as a tool of statecraft as aptly as established donors, while often restructuring it in response to the changes on the ground and/or economic environment. An increased role of the GCC members in Egypt’s fate is explained not only by their growing ambitions and capabilities but also by an excessive cautiousness of the Western countries. In comparison with the latter group - the Arab donors, which did not demand any improvements in quality of governance from the Egyptian authorities and acted very swiftly and decisively, looked as much more reliable partners. Their growing impact forced the established donors to turn a blind eye to the defects of Egypt’s political system or economic governance in order to avoid a complete loss of influence. This interdependence between the behavior of the Western and Arab donors reveals a trend, which deserves a more scrupulous examination on a wider selection of country cases.

Time to change course on climate

Summary The 25th annual climate conference marks a quarter of a century of humanity failing to do enough to avert a climate catastrophe. Although a wave of climate strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests has brought the issues to the forefront, experts warn that the pledged reductions are insufficient. A backlash from short-term corporate interests and populist politics could threaten even what little progress has been secured so far. Michael Gross reports.

Small is beautiful: The role of anticipated food waste in consumers’ avoidance of large packages

Larger food packages are often preferred by consumers because they are associated with a decrease in per unit costs and therefore may lead to monetary savings. In this research, we show through a series of studies that consumers’ preferences for larger packages may diminish when they anticipate the potential food waste associated with such packages. Specifically, Study 1 highlights the mediating role of anticipated food waste on consumers’ purchase intentions across small and large package sizes. In Study 2, we show that this mediating effect is observed only for non-perishable products. Study 3 investigates the role of information, and shows that when consumers are primed with information about the consequences of food waste, their preference for larger packages decreases even though such packages are associated with a price promotion. In Study 4, we examine the influence of packaging format, and find that anticipated food waste decreases when large packs are sold as individual units. We also provide a discussion of the practical implications of our results for consumers, food retailers, and policy makers.

The Big Deal: Should Libraries Stay or Should Libraries Go?

This article examines the history of the Big Deal more than 23 years after the beginning of large journal packages being offered to libraries. This article also examines solutions and alternatives to large journal packages and looks to the future of the Big Deal.

Low Profile and Large Size WLCSP in IoT Applications

Abstract Recently, Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP) Package is being rapidly adopted in Internet of Things (IoT) and consumer mobile electronics due to its low profile, small form factor and relatively easy assembly process. WLCSP with large die size becomes the trend in fulfilling high performance product demands. However, the solder joint reliability performances of WLCSP is the key challenge and becomes critical as increasing die size, especially the size is larger than 6 × 6 mm2. There is also growing interest in low profile WLCSP packages to less than 300 microns, especially when they are placed in a limited space inside IoT devices. Thin wafers are fragile and must be supported over their full dimensions to prevent cracking and breakage. An increasingly popular approach to thin wafer handling involves grinding and taping thin wafers with in-line machines. A specific carry tape have been also developed for transferring thin wafers after thinning. In this paper, WLCSP board level reliability for both large die size and low profile was studied, a test vehicle used for the large WLCSP package testing has 350um ball pitch and fully populated array. In addition to board level reliability test simulation and data collection, processing challenges were discussed, as well as processing solutions for thin wafer handling.

Optimal Lid Design Parameters for Reducing Warpage of Flip-chip Package

Abstract Flip-chip packages are usually integrated with a stiffener ring (SR) or lid to reduce the warpage which usually consumes considerable substrate space and hence, reduce the effective area available for placement of dies and passive components. With chip module size growing in modern semiconductor devices (e.g., to enable heterogeneous integration of different functional dies), there is a need to reduce the substrate area occupied by the lid while also reducing the package warpage to an allowable value. This requires an accurate understanding of how different parameters of the lid affect the warpage of the package. Here, for a large package, effects of the lid design variables, including (i) SR versus lid, (ii) lid foot width, (iii) lid plate thickness to foot width ratio, (iv) lid material, and (v) thickness of thermal interface material (TIM) connecting the die and the lid, on the warpage have been analyzed using the 3-D elasticity theory and the finite element method. It is found that for a given value of the lid plate thickness to foot width ratio, the warpage of the package is a non-monotonic function of the foot width and is not necessarily minimum for the maximum value of the foot width. The effects of lid material and TIM thickness are found to depend upon the foot width. Various results presented here should provide packaging engineers with guidelines to obtain optimal lid designs that minimize the package warpage while offering noticeable saving in the effective substrate area.

Effective Pricing of Perishables for a More Sustainable Retail Food Market

Developing effective ways to manage perishable foods is crucial for food retailers to survive in the highly competitive retail food industry. Due to the nature of perishability, it is necessary to find an effective selling strategy to reduce waste from unsold perishables. Prior studies have proposed using dynamic pricing to develop an optimal pricing structure that compensates the consumer for the loss of freshness as the expiration date approaches. However, these studies have not considered consumer demand that more consumers are likely to purchase units of perishable products with relatively more or fewer days before expiration. In addition, prior studies have not compared dynamic pricing to a “no discount” policy whereby a retailer only displays those perishables that have the fewest remaining days to expiration, keeping units with a longer time before expiration in a warehouse. The results of this study show the potential impacts of different pricing by considering these issues. This study provides new insights for retailers to manage perishable foods with small and large packages that improve the sustainability of food retailing.

Republic of Congo

The Republic of Congo was hit hard by the oil price shock and delayed fiscal adjustment, amidst governance challenges and unsustainable debt. While program negotiations were long and complex, the authorities made decisive progress in 2018 and early 2019 with decisive fiscal consolidation, and the implementation of a large package of structural reforms, including two rounds of prior actions to improve governance and transparency. In addition, financing assurances have been secured.

Design and Demonstration of Glass Panel Embedding for 3D System Packages for Heterogeneous Integration Applications

Abstract This article demonstrates a next-generation high-performance 3D packaging technology with smaller form factor, excellent electrical performance, and reliability for heterogeneous integration. High-density logic-memory integration, today, is built predominantly using interposers which are fundamentally limited in assembly pitch and interconnect lengths, and they also are expensive as the package sizes increase. On the other hand, high-frequency applications continue to use laminates which are also limited by package size and ability to integrate many components. Wafer-level fan-out (WLFO) packaging promises better performance and form factor at lower costs, but current WLFO packages are mold-based and hence are limited to small packages. This article presents a 3D packaging technology using glass panel embedding (GPE) for high-performance with potential for large body size heterogeneous integration applications. The tailorable coefficient of thermal expansion of glass allows a reliable direct board attach of large GPE packages that not only benefits the form factor and signal speed but also provides radical benefits to power delivery. Unlike interposers and silicon bridges, GPE packages are not bump-limited and can support I/O densities comparable with backend-of-line with silicon-like redistribution wiring at much lower costs. The fundamental limitations such as die shift and poor dimensional stability of current organic WLFO packages are addressed by parametric process improvements to reduce die shift to <2 μm while also improving the RDL surface planarity for high-yielding fine-line structures and integrating through glass via (TGV) in the fan-out region for 3D packaging. This article describes the fabrication process for 3D GPE, leading to demonstration of a technology using embedding of chips with all-Cu interconnections at 40-μm I/O pitch with TGVs at 300-μm pitch, thus enabling double-side RDL and assembly of chips to achieve three levels of device integration.

Characteristics of Organic-Based Thermal Interface Materials Suitable for High Temperature Operation

Abstract Historically, for semiconductors subject to standard operating temperatures--which tend not to exceed 125°C--the Tg (glass transition temperatures) of the organic packaging materials protecting the chips is usually around 175°C. Given that, when it comes to electronics operating at high temperatures—typically an environment where the ambient temperature exceeds 200°C—the use of organic materials is generally prohibited due to rapid degradation. At those elevated temperatures, the packaging materials selected are generally composed of metals and ceramics but these materials come with their own shortfalls as well as higher material and manufacturing costs. Therefore, it would be desirable if there were ‘ruggedized’ versions of the organic compounds so commonly used in semiconductor packaging but available for more extreme temperatures, both to reduce cost and package footprint. Meanwhile, the demands from recent developments in high performance computing (HPC) and high-speed data networks means a greater need for increased power and thermal dissipation coupled with very large package body sizes to accommodate the high I/O count. The latest in server microprocessor (MPU) products can easily generate up to 300W during operation, and the heat generated must be quickly transported away from chip to prevent the threat of thermal shutdown. The thermal dissipation issue is controlled by the use of heat spreaders and heat sinks, both of which are intended to make contact with the back-side of a flipped MPU via a thermal interface material (TIM), as part of a large die, large body-size flip-chip ball grid array (FCBGA) package. The thermal interface materials discussed here are examples of organic engineered materials that are capable of withstanding higher operating temperatures than typically seen by semiconductors encased in organic-based packaging. This paper will look at the key material and mechanical attributes for a good thermal interface material, examines the pros-and-cons of various thermal interface material formulations, and discusses the factors for reliable thermal dissipation performance.

Prototyping Non-holonomic Hovercraft for Path Planning and Obstacle Avoidance

— By definition, autonomous control systems are thesystems that sense the physical quantities from their environmentand may execute any dirty, difficult, dull and dangerous taskwithout any intervention. These systems are mostly used in thetransportation of large packages from one place to anotherautonomously by selecting the shortest path, accurate speed andobstacle avoidance. This paper describes the development offuzzy based PID control algorithm to tackle the dynamicconstraints of localization for proposed non-holonomichovercraft. Furthermore, in order to monitor the hovercraft thatwhether it is hovering in a familiar or strange environment;paper suggests the incorporation of digital image processingtechnique which will regularly correlate, the images beingcaptured by the prototype. Moreover, paper methodology alsoprovides the deployment way along with the interfacingtechniques of some configurable sensors, which will share theinformation related to the surroundings of hovercraft usinginternet of things (IoT).

Prototyping Non-holonomic Hovercraft for Path Planning and Obstacle Avoidance

— By definition, autonomous control systems are thesystems that sense the physical quantities from their environmentand may execute any dirty, difficult, dull and dangerous taskwithout any intervention. These systems are mostly used in thetransportation of large packages from one place to anotherautonomously by selecting the shortest path, accurate speed andobstacle avoidance. This paper describes the development offuzzy based PID control algorithm to tackle the dynamicconstraints of localization for proposed non-holonomichovercraft. Furthermore, in order to monitor the hovercraft thatwhether it is hovering in a familiar or strange environment;paper suggests the incorporation of digital image processingtechnique which will regularly correlate, the images beingcaptured by the prototype. Moreover, paper methodology alsoprovides the deployment way along with the interfacingtechniques of some configurable sensors, which will share theinformation related to the surroundings of hovercraft usinginternet of things (IoT).

Prototyping Non-holonomic Hovercraft for Path Planning and Obstacle Avoidance

— By definition, autonomous control systems are thesystems that sense the physical quantities from their environmentand may execute any dirty, difficult, dull and dangerous taskwithout any intervention. These systems are mostly used in thetransportation of large packages from one place to anotherautonomously by selecting the shortest path, accurate speed andobstacle avoidance. This paper describes the development offuzzy based PID control algorithm to tackle the dynamicconstraints of localization for proposed non-holonomichovercraft. Furthermore, in order to monitor the hovercraft thatwhether it is hovering in a familiar or strange environment;paper suggests the incorporation of digital image processingtechnique which will regularly correlate, the images beingcaptured by the prototype. Moreover, paper methodology alsoprovides the deployment way along with the interfacingtechniques of some configurable sensors, which will share theinformation related to the surroundings of hovercraft usinginternet of things (IoT).

Collecting born-digital material at the source: Acquisition strategies and lessons learned

The archival of born-digital films and other digital moving-image content presents unique challenges. Complex file formats and content with increasingly higher resolution result in large file sizes and large packages of files, with multi-terabyte master files being the new norm. Standards for long-term preservation and what content to collect from film production remain in flux, with practices varying among institutions. To process and provide access to these materials efficiently requires innovative and nimble workflows that can adapt to the changing landscape. This paper describes the challenges and experiences with born-digital films at three institutions: the Asian Film Archive (Singapore), Library of Congress (USA) and Eye Filmmuseum (The Netherlands). The authors discuss their personal experience of the issues related to collecting practices, technology implementation and funding. This information will be of particular benefit to any archives and institutions about to embark upon digital preservation planning.