Large Packages Research Articles

Опыт применения механизма областей для поэтапного распараллеливания программных комплексов с помощью системы SAPFOR

Одна из основных сложностей разработки параллельной программы для кластера — необходимость принятия глобальных решений по распределению данных и вычислений с учетом свойств всей программы, а затем выполнения кропотливой работы по модификации программы и ее отладки. Большой объем программного кода, а также многомодульность, многовариантность и многоязыковость, затрудняют принятие решений по согласованному распределению данных и вычислений. Опыт использования предыдущей системы САПФОР показал, что при распараллеливании на кластер больших программ и программных комплексов необходимо уметь распараллеливать их постепенно, начиная с наиболее времяемких фрагментов и постепенно добавляя новые фрагменты, пока не достигнем желаемого уровня эффективности параллельной программы. С этой целью предыдущая система была полностью переработана, и на ее основе была создана новая система SAPFOR (System FOR Automated Parallelization). В данной статье будет рассмотрен опыт применения метода частичного распараллеливания, идея которого заключается в том, что распараллеливанию подвергается не вся программа целиком, а ее части (области распараллеливания) — в них заводятся дополнительные экземпляры требуемых данных, производится распределение этих данных и соответствующих им вычислений. The main difficulty in developing a parallel program for a cluster is the need to make global decisions on the distribution of data and computations, taking into account the properties of the entire program, and then doing the hard work of modifying the program and debugging it. A large amount of code as well as multimoduling, multivariant and multilanguage, make it difficult to make decisions on a consistent distribution of data and computations. The experience of using the previous SAPFOR system showed that, when parallelizing large programs and software packages for a cluster, one should be able to parallelize them gradually, starting with the most time-intensive fragments and gradually adding new fragments until we reach the desired level of parallel program efficiency. For this purpose, the previous system was completely redesigned and a new system SAPFOR (System FOR Automated Parallelization) was created. To solve this problem, the method of incremental or partial arallelization will be considered in this paper. The idea of this method is that not the entire program is subjected to parallelization, but only its parts (parallelization regions) where additional versions of the required data are created and distributed and the corresponding computations are performed. This paper also discusses the application of automated mapping of programs to a cluster using the proposed incremental parallelization method and using the example of a NPB (NAS Parallel Benchmarks) software package.

Investigation of crowdshipping delivery trip production with real-world data

Crowd-shipping (CS) is an innovative logistics service that occasional and professional couriers sign up for via an online platform to deliver packages upon requests by senders. Currently the demand and supply of CS is not yet well understood, largely due to the limited real-world data. This study aims to first fill this gap by analyzing the real-world CS data from the city of Atlanta, GA between April 2015 and August 2018. We first present an overview of the real-world CS data in three aspects: (1) the CS pricing scheme; (2) the CS spatial and temporal delivery patterns; and (3) comparison of preferences between the senders’ requests and the couriers’ bids. The analysis finds that the CS service has a clear price advantage over FedEx in the same-day and express service, as well as in the large, extra large, and huge size package delivery. The data analysis also reveals considerable discrepancies between senders’ and couriers’ preferences. We then compare two classes of the state-of-the-art Deep Learning (DL) methods in their ability to predict short-term CS delivery trip production. One class captures only the temporal features, namely the Long Short-term Memory Neural Network (LSTM), the Bidirectional Long Short-term Memory Neural Network (BDLSTM), and the Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The other class considers both spatial and temporal features, namely Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), CNN-LSTM, and ConvLSTM. The results show that ConvLSTM has overall the best predictive performance among the six DL methods considered, proving the importance of capturing both the spatial and temporal features of the delivery trip production data, as well as the convolutional nature of the spatial and temporal features in the data.

Use of Electronic Modules on Device for Tribological Research in the Field of Plastic Deformation of Slim Metal Sheets

Electronic modules are important components of manufacturing and research equipment in the field of plastic deformation of sheet metal fabrication, as well as in other processes. Depending on the type and complexity of the production or research process, different electronic modules are also used. The indispensable electronic modules in production as well as experimental (research) systems are: encoders, signal processing, A/D and D/A converters, required software of all levels, all the way to large packages for numerical process simulation. This scientific paper presents an original computerized device for testing tribological influences in plastic deformation of slim (thin) sheet metal forming (fabrication), whose control base consists of electronic modules. Some results are also shown as dependencies, obtained by testing on this developed device.

Reduced-Reflection Multilayer PCB Microstrip with Discontinuity Characterization

In the era of technology and communication, printed circuit boards (PCBs) can be found in a myriad of devices—from ordinary household items, to state of the art custom metrology equipment. Different types of component for wireless communications are available and come in various packages, supplied by multiple manufacturers. The signal landpads for some high-frequency connectors and components, encapsulated in larger packages, are usually wider than the controlled impedance trace, thereby introducing unwanted impedance mismatch and resulting in signal reflections. The component land pad and microstrip width a discrepancy issue can be found in both complex high-density industrial devices and system-level academic research papers. This paper addresses the topic of compensating discontinuities, introduced by signal pads, which are wider than the target impedance microstrip, characterizes the difference between the compensated and uncompensated microstrip with discontinuity, and proposes a generalized guideline on compensating for the introduced impedance change in multilayer PCBs. The compensation method is based upon carefully designing the stackup of the PCB allowing for a reference plane cutout under the discontinuity to even out the impedance mismatch. A 6-layer PCB with IT180A dielectric material containing three structures has been manufactured and characterized using an Agilent E8363B vector network analyzer (VNA). A 4–12 dB improvement in S11 response in the whole frequency range up to 10 GHz, compared to that when no compensation has been applied, was observed.

CO2 흡수제 함유 김치포장에서 CO2 농도와 제품 숙성도의 상호관련성

CO2 concentration in kimchi package has emerged recently as a potential index of product ripening to be monitored or sensed in intelligent packaging. Considering that addition of CO2 absorber into the flexible kimchi package changes behavior of its CO2 concentration, ripening of kimchi in total acidity, package CO2 concentration in partial pressure (PCO2) and package volume at 10oC were estimated by mathematical model for two size packages included with different CO2 absorbers. In small size package containing 0.5 kg of kimchi, relatively less gas permeable low density polyethylene (LDPE) sachet of the absorber was found to give rise of PCO2 linearly correlated with acidity at acceptable conditions of absorber amount and size. The levels of PCO2 at optimum ripening were different with absorber amount. However, highly gas permeable microporous spunbonded film (Tyvek) sachet did not show the linear relationship except a condition of 1.5 g of CO2 absorbent. In large size package containing 2.0 kg, absorber sachets of LDPE and Tyvek could give the linear relationship between product acidity and package PCO2 but at different levels (PCO2 of package with LDPE sachet: 0.46~0.79 bar, PCO2 of package with Tyvek sachet: 0.00~0.75 bar). The PCO2 at optimal ripening was found to be less variable with LDPE sachets than with Tyvek ones. Use of package CO2 concentration as an indicator of kimchi ripening was shown to be possible on the limited conditions where the linear relationship between them is established or confirmed.

VIBRATION RESEARCH IN MOBILE AGRICULTURAL MACHINES

In this work, vibrations were investigated during loading and unloading operations of mobile agricultural machines, which are considered to be one of the most labor-intensive components of the transport process. Therefore, idle machines during carrying out operations and in anticipation of them remain quite significant, which is due to the insufficient level of mechanization of loading and unloading of cargoes on transport, with a fuzzy coordination of actions of different organizations in the overloading of loads at transport nodes and for some other reasons. The main means of mechanization are stationary and gantry cranes for containers, heavy loads and large packages, as well as means of mechanization on the railway or on the chassis of a standard mobile car or special chassis. In our opinion, the use of hydraulic impulse actuators in the production of vibration and vibration shock unloading devices is promising, due to the simplicity of construction, compactness, high energy intensity, a wide range of regulation of operating parameters and the ability to work in automated mode. In particular, a promising area is the creation of removable attachments with hydro-impulse drive for dump trucks, onboard vehicles, tractor trailers and other vehicles. For intensification of processes of unloading of a body of a trailer-dump truck of tractors the hydraulic vibrating shock device is developed. It accelerates the unloading and cleaning of the body of agricultural products. Reduced costs and reduced oversized idle tractors with unloading trailers. Therefore, the development of vibration and vibration impact equipment for use in loading and unloading operations on mobile agricultural machines and in general on transport is an urgent task.

Exploration of heat and momentum transfer in turbulent mode during the precooling process of fruit.

Developing a simulator is a prevalent method for the study of any process in which various phenomena occur simultaneously, such as the precooling process; it is also necessary in package designing. During the precooling process of fruit and in the case of large packages at high airflow rates, the flow regime inside the packages is turbulent, which is in most studies assumed to be a laminar flow that causes low prediction accuracy. In the present study, a mathematical model consisting of heat and momentum transfer in the case of a transient and a k‐ɛ turbulence model, respectively, was developed in the precooling process of fruits. Two packages and two airflow rates were used to validate the model. The results demonstrate that the turbulence‐model‐based simulation of the precooling was carried out with a lower element number, within a shorter time, and with a satisfactory accuracy (R 2 > .93866 & RMSE < 0.62). The model could predict the air movement between the fruit and consequently the heat transfer between the air and fruit. The simulator could be utilized to package designing and predicting the precooling time at the industrial scale to prevent the over‐cooling of fruits and reduce energy consumption. Based on the results, the precooling of apples in the commercial package was conducted in both experimental and simulation methods with high heterogeneity lasting 268 and 520 min at airflow rates of 0.5 and 1.5 L s−1 kg−1 p, respectively. By using the developed simulator, the new package was designed for apple through which the cooling time and heterogeneity decreased 48% and 35%, respectively, as compared with those obtained in the commercial package.

Student’s Responses on Learning in the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic forced many universities to apply online learning. The purpose of this study was to break down the online learning process in the early pandemic as well as effective and optimal online learning. The design of this research is descriptive qualitative research. The data were collected through observation, questionnaires, interviews, and documentation. Interestingly, this study found online learning using the WhatsApp Group to be the most effective in the early COVID-19 pandemic. WhatsApp is easy, simple, and does not require a large data quota package. Through WhatsApp accounts, learning took place optimally because students and lecturers could communicate and share PowerPoint files, Microsoft Word files, JPGs, Voice Notes, Videos, and other learning resource links. The study recommends that other researchers uncover the solution to obstacles experienced by students in online learning and the development of other media to implement effective online lectures.

Northeast British Columbia Liard Basin: A seismic stratigraphy study

The Liard Basin is a highly prospective shale gas basin located in northeast British Columbia that is largely underrepresented in public literature. We used available-for-purchase 2D seismic data in the area to create a high-level, regional stratigraphic interpretation of the basin, providing the first seismically controlled overview of the basin structure and stratigraphy. The basin is characterized by two distinct, opposing wedges of sediment in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic sections: the Mesozoic with northeastward thinning and the Paleozoic with southwestward thinning. The wedging of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian (Tournasian) section is dominated by multiple large packages of clinoforms, which progress into the basin from northeast to southwest and are predominantly seen in the seismic sequence stratigraphy. These distinct packages of clinoforms indicate changing sediment sources over time. In contrast, there are no clinoforms seen in the Mesozoic section, which may be a limitation of the orientation of the 2D seismic data that we used. Our result from the seismic interpretation is an updated interpretation of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian stratigraphy of the Liard Basin, including an updated stratigraphic cross section for the area.

An assessment of e-book collection development practices among Romance language librarians

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the collection development practices regarding e-books among librarians who manage French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (Romance) materials. The authors aim to describe factors that influence acquisition of e-books for Romance language collections to confirm librarians’ perception that humanities researchers prefer print and library administrators’ attitudes toward e-books. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data using a mixed-method approach of a survey and focus groups. Findings This study confirms that user preference is the primary consideration of Romance librarians in selecting e-books. Contrary to librarians’ perceptions, this study found that humanities faculty and students are not averse to using e-books for specific purposes such as searching, targeted reading and course materials. While restrictions on lending e-books are a concern, Romance librarians are focused primarily on serving the needs of their core constituencies. Research limitations/implications The practice of adding call numbers to individual e-books varies among institutions. Individual e-book titles in large packages do not necessarily get added to the catalog, thus making it very difficult to compare e-book collections between institutions. Originality/value This study endeavors to unify the anecdotal narratives and factors that influence the acquisition of e-books by Romance librarians.

Estimating the effects of fiscal policy on GDP growth in Romania in 2015-2017 using the synthetic control method

ABSTRACT Using the Synthetic Control Method, we estimate the effect of a large package of expansionary fiscal measures implemented in Romania from 2015 onwards. We find that it had a large and significant effect on GDP growth, ranging from 4.4 to 5.5 percentage points, accumulated over three years, with the largest effect in the third year, i.e. 2017. In this way, we try to address an important puzzle that arises in Romania from the fact that, on the one hand, standard macroeconomic models find very small (or even insignificant) fiscal multipliers, while on the other hand policy papers tend to quote the country’s expansionary fiscal policy as a factor behind the high growth rates achieved.

Das EU-Budget in der Corona-Krise

The Coronavirus crisis has affected al of thel member states in the European Union - but some earlier and harder than others. A large rescue package is to be set up, the financing, conditions and possible requirements of which are still being disputed by EU members. The levels at which the measures are to be organised have not yet been established either. What is the importance of the national level or the supranational leves? Is it primarily about the European Monetary Union or about the EU as a whole? Solidarity is not only required by the European idea, but also by economic necessity, since the member states are strongly connected by their supply chains.

Die europ\xe4ische Antwort auf die Corona-Pandemie

The Coronavirus crisis has affected al of thel member states in the European Union - but some earlier and harder than others. A large rescue package is to be set up, the financing, conditions and possible requirements of which are still being disputed by EU members. The levels at which the measures are to be organised have not yet been established either. What is the importance of the national level or the supranational leves? Is it primarily about the European Monetary Union or about the EU as a whole? Solidarity is not only required by the European idea, but also by economic necessity, since the member states are strongly connected by their supply chains.

Europa in der Corona-Krise: Welche Ma\xdfnahmen sind n\xf6tig und auf welcher Ebene sollten sie ansetzen?

The Coronavirus crisis has affected al of thel member states in the European Union - but some earlier and harder than others. A large rescue package is to be set up, the financing, conditions and possible requirements of which are still being disputed by EU members. The levels at which the measures are to be organised have not yet been established either. What is the importance of the national level or the supranational leves? Is it primarily about the European Monetary Union or about the EU as a whole? Solidarity is not only required by the European idea, but also by economic necessity, since the member states are strongly connected by their supply chains.

Europa in der Corona-Krise: Europ\xe4ische Lieferketten m\xfcssen europ\xe4isch wiederbelebt werden

The Coronavirus crisis has affected al of thel member states in the European Union - but some earlier and harder than others. A large rescue package is to be set up, the financing, conditions and possible requirements of which are still being disputed by EU members. The levels at which the measures are to be organised have not yet been established either. What is the importance of the national level or the supranational leves? Is it primarily about the European Monetary Union or about the EU as a whole? Solidarity is not only required by the European idea, but also by economic necessity, since the member states are strongly connected by their supply chains.

The Effects of Snack Exposure, Package Size, and Variety on Subsequent Energy Intake in Healthy Adults

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine whether snack exposure, package size, and variety influence subsequent energy intake and food choice in healthy adults. Methods Thirty-one healthy young adults (age: 23.6 ± 0.7y; BMI: 23.0 ± 0.5 kg/m2) participated in a randomized crossover study. At baseline, participants completed a 3-day snack recall in which they reported any snack foods or beverages consumed outside of breakfast, lunch, and dinner eating occasions (Control). Following baseline, the participants were provided, in randomized order, with the following isocaloric pack-out coolers to consume for 3 non-consecutive days/pack-out type: 1) Standard: containing 11 commonly consumed snacks (e.g., salty snacks, desserts &amp; candy, fruit, vegetables, etc.); 2) Large Package: containing the same snacks at Standard but in larger package sizes; and 3) Variety: containing the same types of snacks as Standard plus an additional eight snacks. During the Control and pack-out assessment periods, standardized breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were provided. Three-day averaged ad libitum snack energy intake and food choices were assessed. Results Three-day average snack intake from Control was 747 ± 59 kcal, Standard was 1121 ± 111 kcal, Large Package was 1274 ± 138 kcal, and Variety was 1110 ± 103 kcal. Regardless of type, the exposure to free, snack pack-outs increased snack energy intake compared to Control (all, P &amp;lt; 0.005). Large Package increased snack energy intake vs. Standard (P = 0.01) and Variety (P = 0.02). Further, Large Package increased consumption of desserts &amp; candy, high fat, high sugar, and salty snacks vs. Standard (all, P &amp;lt; 0.03) and Variety (P &amp;lt; 0.02 to P = 0.06). Alternately, Variety increased consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to Large Package (P = 0.01) and Standard (P &amp;lt; 0.005). No other differences were observed. Conclusions Exposure to free, highly palatable snacks provided in larger package sizes led to greater energy consumption, especially from energy-dense snacks, in healthy adults, whereas snack variety increased nutrient-dense snacking without increased energy consumption. These results suggest that snack exposure, package size, and variety should be considered when developing dietary strategies to promote energy balance and healthy eating habits. Funding Sources Sabra Dipping Company and Internal Funds.

Understanding consumer perceptions of quality based on package size: the moderating role of the evaluation context

PurposeEmpirical research on the influence of package size on consumers' quality perception has been scarce. Yan et al. (2014), an initial study focusing on this topic, showed that a small package generates higher perceived quality than a large package of the same brand. To cultivate a deeper understanding of such an effect, this paper aims to extend that study by examining the process by incorporating the evaluation context as a moderator.Design/methodology/approachTwo experiments were carried out. In Study 1 (n = 380), the effect of package size on perceived quality was investigated by comparing a standalone context in which a single package size was presented and a context in which two different package sizes were shown. In Study 2 (n = 436), a standalone context was compared with another context in which participants viewed two different sizes but directed their attention to only one.FindingsThe findings indicate that the package size effect is not universal, and that it generally appears in a standalone context. In the contexts where two sizes were presented, it appears when consumers' attention is directed to only one size, whereas the effect does not manifest when consumers focus equal attention on both. The impact of the evaluation context is also stronger for small packages than for large packages.Originality/valueThis paper adds knowledge to packaging and cue-utilisation literature by clarifying a boundary condition of the impact of package size on consumers' quality perception.

F90wrap: an automated tool for constructing deep Python interfaces to modern Fortran codes

f90wrap is a tool to automatically generate Python extension modules which interface to Fortran libraries that makes use of derived types. It builds on the capabilities of the popular f2py utility by generating a simpler Fortran 90 interface to the original Fortran code which is then suitable for wrapping with f2py, together with a higher-level Pythonic wrapper that makes the existance of an additional layer transparent to the final user. f90wrap has been used to wrap a number of large software packages of relevance to the condensed matter physics community, including the QUIP molecular dynamics code and the CASTEP density functional theory code.

Analyses on the large size PBGA packaging reliability under random vibrations for space applications

Large size commercially available plastic ball grid array chip packaging was tested and analyzed under random vibration to access its application feasibility on satellite electronics. Two types of the PBGA of 16 mm × 16 mm and 10 mm × 10 mm were chosen, and the chips were surface mounted without underfill on a daisy chained polyimide printed circuit boards. Then the boards were installed to an aluminum frame, a common type used to fix the boards to satellite structure, and undergone the random vibration tests. Two extreme levels of the random vibrations, the power spectrum of which were 22.48 grms and 31.78 grms, were applied sequentially to investigate the sustainability. It was found that the test results did not show any solder failure under the test conditions, indicating the robust structural integrity and providing the evidences justifying the PBGA packaging feasibility to the aerospace applications. Numerical analyses were also performed to analyze the PCB vibration behaviors and stress development mechanisms. The analyses results showed that, unlike usual expectation, the first natural mode may not be the dominant contribution to the solder stress developments, and higher natural modes could induce the maximum stress depending on the chip size and its location.

Using Feedback to Mitigate Coordination and Threshold Problems in Iterative Combinatorial Auctions

Package bids, i.e., bids on sets of items, are an essential aspect of combinatorial auctions. They can allow bidders to accurately express their preferences. However, bidders on packages consisting of few items are often unable to outbid provisionally winning bids on large packages. To resolve this, both coordination as well as cooperation are needed. Coordination, since smaller bidders need to bid on packages that are disjoint; cooperation, since typically bid increases from more than one bidder are required to overcome the threshold to outbid a larger package bid. The authors design an information system that supports the implementation of an iterative combinatorial auction; this system is specifically aimed at helping bidders overcome coordination and threshold problems. They study the effect of information feedback on the behavior of bidders in different auction settings. The authors test this in an experimental setting using human bidders, varying feedback from very basic information about provisionally winning bids/prices, to providing more advanced concepts such as winning and deadness levels, and coalitional feedback. The experiment indicates that coalitional feedback has a positive impact on economic efficiency in cases where difficult threshold problems arise; however, it appears to have an adverse effect when threshold problems are easy.