Pack Size Research Articles

Microstructural characterization of DEM-based random packings of monodisperse and polydisperse non-convex particles.

Understanding of hard particles in morphologies and sizes on microstructures of particle random packings is of significance to evaluate physical and mechanical properties of many discrete media, such as granular materials, colloids, porous ceramics, active cells, and concrete. The majority of previous lines of research mainly dedicated microstructure analysis of convex particles, such as spheres, ellipsoids, spherocylinders, cylinders, and convex-polyhedra, whereas little is known about non-convex particles that are more close to practical discrete objects in nature. In this study, the non-convex morphology of a three-dimensional particle is devised by using a mathematical-controllable parameterized method, which contains two construction modes, namely, the uniformly distributed contraction centers and the randomly distributed contraction centers. Accordingly, three shape parameters are conceived to regulate the particle geometrical morphology from a perfect sphere to arbitrary non-convexities. Random packing models of hard non-convex particles with mono-/poly-dispersity in sizes are then established using the discrete element modeling Diverse microstructural indicators are utilized to characterize configurations of non-convex particle random packings. The compactness of non-convex particles in packings is characterized by the random close packing fraction fd and the corresponding average coordination number Z. In addition, four statistical descriptors, encompassing the radial distribution function g(r), two-point probability function S2(i)(r), lineal-path function L(i)(r), and cumulative pore size distribution function F(δ), are exploited to demonstrate the high-order microstructure information of non-convex particle random packings. The results demonstrate that the particle shape and size distribution have significant effects on Z and fd; the construction mode of the randomly distributed contraction centers can yield higher fd than that of the uniformly distributed contraction centers, in which the upper limit of fd approaches to 0.632 for monodisperse sphere packings. Moreover, non-convex particles of sizes following the famous Fuller distribution of the power-law distribution of the exponent q = 2.5, have the highest fd (≈0.761) with respect to other q. In contrast, the particle shapes have an almost negligible effect on the four statistical descriptors, but they are remarkably sensitive to particle packing fraction fp and size distribution. The results can provide sound guidance for custom-design of granular media by tailoring specific microstructures of particles.

Correction to: Minimum average pack size in Iberian wolves

Correction to: Minimum average pack size in Iberian wolves

Tumor Necrosis Alpha (TNF-α) Antagonists Used in Chronic Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: Risks and their Minimization Measures.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- α) inhibitors are widely employed for the management of chronic inflammatory rheumatism. However, their usage carries significant risks, including site and infusion reactions, serious infections, malignancy, heart failure autoimmune and demyelinating disorders. These risks are comprehensively outlined in risk management plans (RMPs) associated with these molecules. RMP provides information on the safety profile of a medicinal product as well as the measures that will be taken to minimize risks; these are known as risk minimization measures. These measures are divided into routine measures related to elements, such as the summary of product characteristics, labeling, pack size, package leaflet, or legal supply status of the product, while additional measures may include educational programs, including tools for healthcare providers and patients, controlled access or pregnancy prevention programs, among others. Additional measures can consist of one or more interventions that need to be implemented in a sustainable way in a defined target group, while respecting the timing and frequency of any intervention and procedures to reach the target population. An evaluation of the effectiveness of these measures is required to determine whether or not an intervention has been effective. This comprehensive review offers an in-depth exploration of the current treatment, uses, and associated risks of TNF-α inhibitors. Additionally, it provides a detailed account of risk minimization measures and risk management practices while shedding light on their real-world implementation and effectiveness.

Discrepancy between antibiotic pack sizes and guideline recommendations: a real-world analysis based on claims data.

Antibiotics are often only available in predefined pack sizes, which may not align with guideline recommendations. This can result in leftover pills, leading to inappropriate self-medication or waste disposal, which can both foster the development of antibiotic resistance. The magnitude of inappropriate pack sizes is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential non-conformity of prescribed antibiotic pack sizes. This retrospective observational study was based on claims data from a large Swiss health insurance company. The study analysed the prescriptions of eleven different antibiotic substances recommended for the five most common indications for antibiotics in Switzerland. All prescriptions for adult outpatients issued by general practitioners in 2022 were included and extrapolated to the entire Swiss population. Potential non-conformity was defined as a mismatch between the total dosage in a pack and the total dosage recommended. A total of n = 947,439 extrapolated prescriptions were analysed. In 10 of 23 of all analysed substance/indication combinations none of the prescribed packs aligned with the respective guideline recommendation. Considering pack sizes in which the total prescribed dosage of a substance did not correspond to any of the total dosages recommended in at least one of the guidelines, 31.6% of prescriptions were potentially non-conform and an estimated number of 2.7million tablets were overprescribed. We found a large discrepancy between prescribed pack sizes and guideline recommendations. Since inadequately prepacked antibiotics may lead to antibiotic resistance and unnecessary waste, efforts are needed to implement alternatives like exact pill dispensing.

The effects and mechanism of discounting unit price

PurposeSupermarket promotions typically use a standard label, which displays the regular price, discounted price and discounted unit price. Visits to supermarkets across multiple countries found that none used a price label that also contains the regular (i.e. pre-discounted) unit price. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a dual unit-price label that includes the regular unit price as a reference price, and what underpins its efficacy in enhancing promotion attractiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe authors executed four studies, supported by three supplemental studies. Study 1 established external validity through a natural instore experiment. Studies 2 and 3 tested the dual unit-price label with different pack sizes and assortment sizes, respectively. Finally, Study 4 tested the underpinning mechanism of the efficacy of the dual unit-price label.FindingsIn Study 1, daily sales records over four weeks showed that dual unit-price label promotions had larger sales volume than standard-label promotions. Study 2 showed a larger pack size, a heuristic cue for greater economy and increased preference for dual unit-price label promotions. Study 3 similarly found that the dual unit-price label was preferred more as cognitive load was increased by assortment size. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated the dual processing of the dual unit-price label, using a conscious preference measure (information provided) and an unconscious implicit attitude test.Research limitations/implicationsUnit-price research has mainly considered a cognitive process. The authors demonstrated the importance of considering a heuristic process.Practical implicationsSupermarkets can use this simple and yet effective tool to improve promotion effectiveness.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that the dual unit-price label is a new and easy tool to enhance sales promotions, which academic research and managerial practice had never considered previously.

Non-interactive Private Multivariate Function Evaluation using Homomorphic Table Lookup

To address security issues in cloud computing, fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) enables a third party to evaluate functions using ciphertexts that do not leak information to the cloud server. The remaining problems of FHE include high computational costs and limited arithmetic operations, only evaluating additions and multiplications. Arbitrary functions can be evaluated using a precomputed lookup table (LUT), which is one of the solutions for those problems. Previous studies proposed LUT-enabled computation methods 1) with bit-wise FHE and 2) with word-wise FHE. The performance of LUT-enabled computation with bit-wise FHE drops quickly when evaluating BigNum functions because of the complexity being O(s·2^d·m), where m represents the number of inputs, d and s represent the bit lengths of the inputs and outputs, respectively. Thus, LUT-enabled computation with word-wise FHE, which handles a set of bits with one operation, has also been proposed; however, previous studies are limited in evaluating multivariate functions within two inputs and cannot speed up the evaluation when the domain size of the integer exceeds 2N, where N is the number of elements packed into a single ciphertext. In this study, we propose a non-interactive model, in which no decryption is required, to evaluate arbitrary multivariate functions using homomorphic table lookup with word-wise FHE. The proposed LUT-enabled computation method 1) decreases the complexity to O(2^d·m/l), where l is the element size of FHE packing; 2) extends the input and output domain sizes to evaluate multivariate functions over two inputs; and 3) adopts a multidimensional table for enabling multithreading to reduce latency. The experimental results demonstrate that evaluating a 10-bit two-input function and a 5-bit three-input function takes approximately 90.5 and 105.5 s with 16-thread, respectively. Our proposed method achieves 3.2x and 23.1x speedup to evaluate two-bit and three-bit 3-input functions compared with naive LUT-enabled computation with bit-wise FHE.

A MATLAB platform for production planning in batch processing firms producing items that are jointly replenished

Rising levels of poverty have prompted manufacturers of non-durable consumer goods to explore opportunities at the lower end of the wealth spectrum. To enhance affordability for low-income consumers, these goods are often packaged in various sizes, including single-serve sachets. While numerous models and algorithms have been developed to determine the optimal frequency of manufacturing runs and packaging setups for the simultaneous replenishment of different pack sizes, there is a notable lack of literature addressing their implementation by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in this sector. This gap may be attributed to the absence of accessible source codes, a shortage of model experts, and the complexity involved in manual calculations. To address this issue, we developed a user-friendly MATLAB software platform based on Goyal’s algorithm, tailored specifically for SMEs. The software prioritizes simplicity, interactivity, and flexible visual displays. It was validated against examples from existing literature and through randomly generated scenarios. Users can easily compute the optimal number of manufacturing setups, packaging frequencies for each pack size, and the associated costs by inputting relevant data such as manufacturing setup, inventory holding and packaging setup costs, and demand for each pack size. Importantly, users do not need expertise in modeling to operate the software. However, it is designed for single-product deterministic environments; future research should explore multi-product and stochastic modeling scenarios.

Local volume concentration, packing domains, and scaling properties of chromatin.

We propose the Self Returning Excluded Volume (SR-EV) model for the structure of chromatin based on stochastic rules and physical interactions. The SR-EV rules of return generate conformationally defined domains observed by single-cell imaging techniques. From nucleosome to chromosome scales, the model captures the overall chromatin organization as a corrugated system, with dense and dilute regions alternating in a manner that resembles the mixing of two disordered bi-continuous phases. This particular organizational topology is a consequence of the multiplicity of interactions and processes occurring in the nuclei, and mimicked by the proposed return rules. Single configuration properties and ensemble averages show a robust agreement between theoretical and experimental results including chromatin volume concentration, contact probability, packing domain identification and size characterization, and packing scaling behavior. Model and experimental results suggest that there is an inherent chromatin organization regardless of the cell character and resistant to an external forcing such as RAD21 degradation.

Self-poisoning with paracetamol in England: short report of characteristics of individuals and their overdoses according to source of tablets.

Self-poisoning with paracetamol is the most frequently used overdose method in the UK. Psychosocial assessments were conducted by mental health clinicians with 127 consecutive individuals who presented with pure paracetamol overdoses to a large general hospital over 8 months, including asking about the source of the tablets and scoring the patients' acts on the Beck Suicide Intent scale (BSI). Patients were predominantly female (86%) and young (79% aged 12-24 years). Most had used paracetamol which was available in the home (77%). Those who purchased paracetamol for the act took double the number of tablets compared with those who used paracetamol available in the home (37 v. 18), had higher suicidal intent (mean BSI: 11 v. 7) and more often required treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (71% v. 43%). These results highlight the need for safer home storage of paracetamol and consideration of reducing pack size limits on paracetamol that can be purchased.

The impact of tobacco tax increases on cost-minimising behaviours and subsequent smoking cessation in Australia: an analysis of the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project

ObjectiveWe examined the relationship in Australia from 2007 to 2020 between tobacco tax increases and use of cost-minimising behaviours (CMBs) when purchasing tobacco and: (1) tobacco expenditure and (2) smoking...

Hybrid electric aircraft design with optimal power management

The aviation industry has continuously improved its fuel efficiency over the last decades with innovations in technology, design and operation. Further improvements are becoming more difficult as current technology reaches complete maturity. Electrification of road vehicles is predicted to completely replace combustion engines in vehicles. As the efficiency and reliability of electric batteries and motors improve, so does the case for electric propulsion systems in aircraft. Jet fuel carries significantly more energy per weight than current state of the technology batteries, making complete replacement of fuel challenging. Hybrid electric propulsion, where both fuel and batteries are used to power propulsion systems could be feasible and improve fuel efficiency. Hybrid electric powertrains use electric power to reduce the power demands from the combustion engine. Electric batteries are discharged and charged during the operation based on power requirements.This paper presents an aircraft design method that includes optimized power management in the design loop. Power management determines battery discharging and charging throughout the design mission to reduce overall fuel consumption. Power management optimization provides the necessary feedback on battery and fuel performance to design battery pack size. This method is applied to regional aircraft, which typically fly the shortest routes of a commercial airline fleet. These short routes have proportionally longer climb and descent segments. These characteristics of regional aircraft routes lead to wider variations in power during operation, where hybrid electric powertrains are the most beneficial.The proposed hybrid electric aircraft design method finds that a serial hybrid electric regional aircraft could achieve significant fuel efficiency improvements to current regional aircraft. This result is in contrast of the current literature, which requires significant improvements to battery energy density, power distribution efficiency and electric motor efficiency to achieve similar fuel performance results. The hybrid electric regional aircraft does not outperform a traditional turboprop aircraft designed with identical objectives. The turboprop aircraft design improves even greater fuel efficiency improvements over current regional turboprop aircraft. This suggests two pathways are possible; the propulsion system of the next generation of regional aircraft could still be non-electric and achieve improved fuel burn improvements considering current technology or serial hybrid-electric powertrains configurations could be adopted in an expanded time horizon if optimistic technology development is done on battery power density to match the possible improvements of the proposed turboprop aircraft.

Leftover of Amoxicillin Suspension After Use by Children in the Netherlands.

In clinical practice, a discrepancy may exist between the prescribed amount of a drug and the commercially available pack sizes in the pharmacy, potentially contributing to drug waste. This study aimed-as an example of this phenomena-to quantify leftover of amoxicillin suspension prescribed to children, due to discrepancies between physician-prescribed and pharmacy-dispensed amounts. We performed a retrospective cohort study including amoxicillin suspension dispensations for patients aged 0-12 years between 2017 and 2019 utilizing the Dutch PHARMO database. Leftover amount of amoxicillin was estimated by assessing the discrepancy between the prescribed and dispensed amounts. Extrapolated amoxicillin weight and economic spillage estimates for the Netherlands were determined. The impact of two theoretical interventions on leftover amount was assessed: (1) introducing vials with half the volume of the current 100 and 30 mL vials and (2) a combination of the first intervention with a maximum of 10% round-down by the dispensing pharmacy of the prescribed dose. We included 79 512 amoxicillin suspension dispensations for 62 252 patients. The mean leftover amount of amoxicillin suspension per dispensing was 27%. The yearly amount of amoxicillin leftover was 49.8 kg in the study cohort, equivalent to yearly 633 kg and €621 000 when extrapolated to the Netherlands. Employing the first theoretical intervention reduced the mean leftover per dispensing to 20%, reducing the yearly leftover to 31.6 kg amoxicillin in the study cohort, and to 400 kg and €400 000 extrapolated. The second theoretical intervention further reduced leftover to 17%, reducing the yearly leftover to 24.3 kg amoxicillin in the study cohort, and to 300 kg and €300 000 extrapolated. Approximately a quarter of amoxicillin suspension remains as leftover per dispensing. Applying different theoretical intervention shows the potential for a significant reduction of amoxicillin leftover.

S29 - Cigarillo Purchasing and Pack Sizes by Their Use as Blunts

S29 - Cigarillo Purchasing and Pack Sizes by Their Use as Blunts

Accordance of Registered Drug Packages with Guideline-Recommended Treatment Durations for Community-Acquired Pneumonia-A New Antibiotic Stewardship Target?

In most countries, antibiotics for oral administration are put on the market in fixed packages. When there is no exact unit dispensing of antimicrobials, drug pack size may influence prescribers' choice of treatment duration. The aim of this study was to investigate the accordance of approved antibiotic packages with national guidelines for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). For the purpose of this study, criteria were developed to determine the accordance of approved antibiotic packages for treating CAP (criteria), which are based on recommendations from national guidelines for treating CAP. Subsequently, the accordance of approved antibiotic packages with the number of antibiotic doses resulting from the specified criteria was determined. Of 39 identified therapeutic option-package size combinations, 11 were found to be matched (28.2%), meaning there were no leftover medication units after completing therapy, and 28 were mismatched combinations (71.8%), indicating that there were excess doses of antibiotics remaining at the end of therapy. The results of this research showed a significant non-accordance of the approved antibiotic packages with the national guidelines for the treatment of CAP and, consequently, the creation of a large amount of residues of unit doses of antibiotics in the community.

Impact of Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations on cigarette consumption and youth smoking in England: interrupted time-series analysis

BackgroundIn the UK in May 2016, standardised packaging of tobacco products was implemented, including minimum pack sizes of 20 sticks or 30 g loose tobacco. The change was intended to...

Optimization using central composite design for continuous absorption of CO2 gas with green sodium silicate in a packed bed column

If absolutely nothing is taken to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide will rise to 550 parts per million by 2050, which will have disastrous effects on the world's climate and food production. An apparatus has been designed and setup to convert CO2 into a useful and vital product which was silica. The effect of different experimental factors on the compositions by weight percent of SiO2 and Na2CO3 were studied including the CO2 gas flow rate (1.037, 1.648 and 2.26 L/min), initial concentration of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) solution (5, 7.5 and 10 %wt) and the packing size (15.95, 20.175, and 24.4 mm). An optimization process was performed using the Design Expert software program to achieve the optimum experimental conditions at which the maximum weight percent of SiO2 (main product), the minimum weight percent of (Na2CO3) (side product) and the minimum reaction time were determined. From the optimization process, the maximum weight percent of SiO2 (25.63 %), the minimum weight percent of (Na2CO3) (9.62 %) and the minimum reaction time (7.59 min) were achieved at the following optimum experimental conditions of CO2 gas flow rate = 1.648 L/min, packing size = 24.4 mm and initial concentration of sodium silicate solution = 10 %wt.

Trends in dispensing errors reported in Finnish community pharmacies in 2015–2020: a national retrospective register-based study

BackgroundCommunity pharmacies are responsible for dispensing of medicines and related counselling in outpatient care. Dispensing practices have remarkably changed over time, but little is known about how the changes have influenced medication safety. This national study investigated trends in dispensing errors (DEs) related to prescribed medicines, which were reported in Finnish community pharmacies within a 6-year period.MethodsThis national retrospective register study included all DEs reported to a nationally coordinated voluntary DE reporting system by Finnish community pharmacies during 2015–2020. DE rates, DE types, prescription types, individuals who detected DEs and contributing factors to DEs were quantified as frequencies and percentages. Poisson regression was used to assess the statistical significance of the changes in annual DE rates by type.ResultsDuring the study period, altogether 19 550 DEs were reported, and the annual number of error reports showed a decreasing trend (n = 3 913 in 2015 vs. n = 2 117 in 2020, RR 0.54, p < 0.001). The greatest decrease in reported DEs occurred in 2019 after the national implementation of the Medicines Verification System (MVS) and the additional safety feature integrated into the MVS process. The most common error type was wrong dispensed strength (50% of all DEs), followed by wrong quantity or pack size (13%). The annual number of almost all DE types decreased, of which wrong strength errors decreased the most (n = 2121 in 2015 vs. n = 926 in 2020). Throughout the study period, DEs were most commonly detected by patients (50% of all DEs) and pharmacy personnel (30%). The most reported contributing factors were factors related to employees (36% of all DEs), similar packaging (26%) and similar names (21%) of medicinal products.ConclusionsAn overall decreasing trend was identified in the reported DEs and almost all DE types. These changes seem to be associated with digitalisation and new technologies implemented in the dispensing process in Finnish community pharmacies, particularly, the implementation of the MVS and the safety feature integrated into the MVS process. The role of patients and pharmacy personnel in detecting DEs has remained central regardless of changes in dispensing practices.

Cost analyses for malaria molecular diagnosis for research planners in India and beyond

ABSTRACT Background Malaria elimination mandates early and accurate diagnosis of infection. Although malaria diagnosis is programmatically dependent on microscopy/RDTs, molecular diagnosis has much better diagnostic accuracy. Higher cost of molecular diagnoses is a recognized challenge for use at the point of care. Because funding is always a recognized constraint, we performed financial cost-analyses of available molecular platforms for better utilization of available budget. Methods Two strategies were applied to deduce the cost per sample. Strategy 1 included recurring components (RC) in minimum pack size, and biologist’s time whereas strategy 2 included only RC and non-recurring components and costs are calculated for sample sizes (1–1,000,000) to infer the sample size effect. Results Spin column-based manual DNA extraction (US$ 3.93 per sample) is the lowest-cost method, followed by magnetic bead-based automated, semi-automated, and PCI-based manual method. Further, DNA extraction cost per sample via spin column-based manual method and semi-automated method decreases with an increase in sample size up to 10,000. Real-time PCRs are ~ 2-fold more economical than conventional PCR, regardless of sample size. Conclusions This study is the first for malaria to estimate systematic molecular diagnosis financial costs. Kit-based and automated methods may replace conventional DNA extraction and amplification methods for a frugal high-throughput diagnosis.

Numerical and experimental analysis of battery thermal management of 21700 Nickel Manganese Cobalt lithium-ion battery

High discharge rates in 21700 NMC Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIBs) leads to elevated temperatures, negatively impacting battery performance and longevity. This study examines the integration of phase change materials to address this issue. Phase change materials absorb heat through sensible and latent heat mechanisms, effectively reducing battery temperature. At discharge rates of 0.5 C, 1 C, and 1.5 C, phase change materials decreased battery temperature by 4.12 %, 7.32 %, and 8.16 %, respectively, ensuring optimal operating conditions. Incorporating phase change materials within battery modules minimizes cell spacing, leading to a smaller battery pack size and reduced costs. This compact design is achieved by exploiting phase change materials ability to store and release large amounts of heat while maintaining a nearly constant temperature. Furthermore, analyzing temperature variations across diverse surfaces within battery modules provides valuable insights for cooling technology development. The integration of Phase Change Materials effectively regulates temperatures, particularly under high discharge rates, offering significant implications for battery performance and longevity. This study highlights the potential of phase change materials in improving LIBs thermal management, which is crucial for electric vehicle applications and other high-power-demand scenarios. By addressing temperature-related challenges, phase change materials integration contribute to the advancement of more efficient, reliable, and safer LIBs.

Prevalence of vestibular disease in France: analysis of prescription data from a national health insurance database

Vestibular problems are frequent reasons for primary care consultations. However, there is considerable uncertainty about the prevalence and cost of vestibular disorders. Despite ambiguous effectiveness data, the histamine analogue betahistine is widely and almost exclusively used for treatment of vertigo. Prescription of betahistine can, therefore, be used as a proxy estimate for prevalence. We used openly available claims data from the French health insurance data warehouse, defining annual prevalence of vestibular disease as the number of people who received at least one betahistine prescription that year. Dosage and pack size of each prescribed formulation were extracted to calculate the sum of betahistine in mg and the Defined Daily Dose (DDD) for age and sex strata and in total. To estimate the relative impact of one landmark trial, the BEMED study, we compared prescriptions from the years 2014/2015 to prescriptions in 2019/2022. A total of 735,121 (2014), 694,705 (2015), 614,431 (2019), and 562,476 (2022) persons filled in a prescription of betahistine. Patients were predominantly older and female. Average amount dispensed per year and per person increased from 4422.54 mg during the pre-BEMED period to 4736.90 mg during the post-BEMED period. DDD decreased from 130 Mio per year in 2014/2015 to 116 Mio per year in 2019/2022. Total costs for betahistine decreased by 42% from 21,615,037 Euro in 2014 to 12,894,249 Euro in 2022. Vestibular disease is frequent in France and has a relevant impact on population health. Despite conflicting clinical evidence, betahistine continues to be prescribed widely in medical practice.