Control Package Research Articles

Characterization of forms of management control in Beninese local governments: the case of Benin’s municipalities

The purpose of this study is to characterize the forms and hierarchy of management control in Beninese local authorities. It is thus positioned at the heart of reflections on the strong demands being made of local public bodies (Meyssonnier, 2019). Drawing on Malmi and Brown's (2008) framework, each dimension of the management control package is operationalized so as to consider the existence, importance and degree of use of management control tools and mechanisms. The results show that the dimensions of the management control package follow a "top-down" configuration. This generates practical managerial implications that provide a framework for reflection on "tailor-made management control" (Alcouffe et al., 2013), regarding both its configuration and its contribution to managerial action in the African setting (Livian, 2020).

Encapsulation of polyethylene glycol as a phase change material using alginate microbeads to prevent temperature fluctuation- Case study: Fish packaging

Encapsulated PCM (phase change materials) has been developed to provide a thermal buffering system for food packaging. In this study, polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG) as a PCM was encapsulated in alginate in concentrations of 30, 40 and 50% (W/V) using calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) in concentrations of 0.5, 1, 1.5%. Crystallization temperature, melting temperature and melting enthalpy of PCM decreased after encapsulation. The optimum encapsulated PEG (50% of PEG and 0.5% CaCl 2 ) had a diameter of 2.21 ± 0.54 μm. FTIR analysis of encapsulated microcapsules indicated characteristic peaks of alginate and pure PEG. TGA analysis showed more thermal stability for encapsulated PCM than pure PCM. After 100 thermal cyclic test microencapsulated beads showed some decrease in melting enthalpy, while other features of encapsulated PCM were almost intact. Encapsulated PCM was used for fish packaging to determine its effectiveness in controlling temperature fluctuation. When the packages were removed from the freezer, fish samples with the package containing encapsulated PCM and control package reached to 0 °C after 6500s and 3000s, 5 °C after 9030s and 4040s, 10 °C after 11520s and 5053s, and 25 °C after 19000s and 8200s, respectively. The data showed that using encapsulated PEG in fish packaging had a positive effect on preserving pH, water holding capacity, total volatile basic nitrogen, and thiobarbituric acid value. The results demonstrated that alginate could effectively encapsulate PEG, and the produced encapsulated PCM can be used for increasing of shelf life of perishable food during temperature fluctuations. • Novel food packaging materials were developed using alginate based PCM microcapsules. • The efficiency to maintain the cold temperature in packaged fish increased. • The shelf-life of product emproved by application of encapsulated PEG in packages.

Geometric Design of Hypersonic Vehicles for Optimal Mission Performance with High-Fidelity Aerodynamic Models

Recent advances in efficient optimization algorithms and high-performance computing allow the construction of integrated design frameworks wherein the traditionally segregated disciplines such as airframe design, aerodynamics, and trajectory analysis can be coupled together in order to undertake the design and optimization of vehicles as integrated systems in a larger design space. The particular interest of this paper is a potential approach to incorporating high-fidelity aerodynamic models and trajectory optimization techniques in hypersonic vehicle designs by incrementally varying the geometric parameters of the vehicle to observe induced performance variations and optimize these parameters for specific mission profiles using data-driven optimization. First, the exigency of creating integrated design frameworks considering high-fidelity disciplinary models such as aerodynamics and trajectory modeling is justified. Then, an energy-based problem formulation for hypersonic trajectory optimization is introduced. A panel method based on the modified Newtonian flow theory and Eckert’s reference model is used to produce high-fidelity aerodynamic force and heating coefficients, based on which a pseudospectral optimal control package is used to solve for optimal trajectories. Finally, a novel, iterative, data-driven framework employing Bayesian optimization and machine learning is established to integrate these disciplinary models and successively search for the geometry that enables the optimal mission performance. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and performance of the developed approach.

Vital_sqi: A Python package for physiological signal quality control.

Electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) are commonly used to determine the vital signs of heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation in patient monitoring. In addition to simple observation of those summarized indexes, waveform signals can be analyzed to provide deeper insights into disease pathophysiology and support clinical decisions. Such data, generated from continuous patient monitoring from both conventional bedside and low-cost wearable monitors, are increasingly accessible. However, the recorded waveforms suffer from considerable noise and artifacts and, hence, are not necessarily used prior to certain quality control (QC) measures, especially by those with limited programming experience. Various signal quality indices (SQIs) have been proposed to indicate signal quality. To facilitate and harmonize a wider usage of SQIs in practice, we present a Python package, named vital_sqi, which provides a unified interface to the state-of-the-art SQIs for ECG and PPG signals. The vital_sqi package provides with seven different peak detectors and access to more than 70 SQIs by using different settings. The vital_sqi package is designed with pipelines and graphical user interfaces to enable users of various programming fluency to use the package. Multiple SQI extraction pipelines can take the PPG and ECG waveforms and generate a bespoke SQI table. As these SQI scores represent the signal features, they can be input in any quality classifier. The package provides functions to build simple rule-based decision systems for signal segment quality classification using user-defined SQI thresholds. An experiment with a carefully annotated PPG dataset suggests thresholds for relevant PPG SQIs.

Building the health-economic case for scaling up the WHO-HEARTS hypertension control package in low- and middle-income countries

ABSTRACTGenerally, hypertension control programs are cost-effective, including in low- and middle-income countries, but country governments and civil society are not likely to support hypertension control programs unless value is demonstrated in terms of public health benefits, budget impact, and value-for-investment for the individual country context. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) established a standard, simplified Global HEARTS approach to hypertension control, including preferred antihypertensive medicines and blood pressure measurement devices. The objective of this study is to report on health economic studies of HEARTS hypertension control package cost (especially medication costs), cost-effectiveness, and budget impact and describe mathematical models designed to translate hypertension control program data into the optimal approach to hypertension care service delivery and financing, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Early results suggest that HEARTS hypertension control interventions are either cost-saving or cost-effective, that the HEARTS package is affordable at between US$ 18-44 per person treated per year, and that antihypertensive medicines could be priced low enough to reach a global standard of an average <US$ 5 per patient per year in the public sector. This health economic evidence will make a compelling case for government ownership and financial support for national scale hypertension control programs.

Packaging of milk and dairy products: Approaches to sustainable packaging

Packaging materials and techniques for dairy products and liquid milk kept evolving with the advancements in materials engineering and technologies along with the user aspirations and behavior. This paper presents a general overview about the various approaches leading to sustainable packaging of dairy products. A brief description about the novel dairy packaging systems and technologies that are used for packaging of dairy products are also included. Active packaging of dairy products helps to reduce material permeability which in turn extends their shelf life. Active packaging techniques relevant to dairy products make use of carbon dioxide absorbers, moisture/flavor/odor absorbers, releasing compounds, oxygen scavengers or by maintaining temperature control and antimicrobial packaging. Antimicrobial packaging gains interest due to their ability to deliver quality and safe food products. Biodegradable packaging answers the ecological viewpoint while the durability of low waste materials has a correlation with product shelf life which needs to be addressed.

Epoxy resin-hydrated halt shaped composite thermal control packaging material for thermal management of electronic components

With the rapid increase of the thermal power of electronic devices, phase change material(PCM) have shown great application prospects in the field of electronic thermal management . However, due to the irregular surface of the electronic device, PCM can only act on the back of the component or the outside of the package, which leads to the occurrence of heat transfer hysteresis . In order to reduce the heat transfer distance between the heat source and PCM, a new type of ER/SAT/DSP composite functional material with thermal control function was prepared in this paper to solve the key technical problem of fluid seamless packaging thermal control. The composite material is encapsulated in a fluid state and will no longer melt after solidification. Through thermophysical experiments and morphological characterization, the results show that when the mass fraction of PCM is 35%, the composite material has the best physical properties and application performance. And after 200 thermal cycles, the leakage rate is only 3.7%. Through the PTC thermal control experiment, the results show that the maximum temperature at different positions of the device for pouring the new composite was reduced by 7.4 °C and 8.1 °C, respectively, and the operation time corresponding to different temperatures was increased by 5.76 times, 5.80 times and 6.98 times, respectively. Therefore, the composite material shows a good thermal control ability for electronic components of any surface shape.

Diagnosis, Management, and Future Control of Cholera.

Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae, persists in developing countries due to inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. There are approximately 4 million cases and 143,000 deaths each year due to cholera. The disease is transmitted fecally-orally via contaminated food or water. Severe dehydrating cholera can progress to hypovolemic shock due to the rapid loss of fluids and electrolytes, which requires a rapid infusion of intravenous (i.v.) fluids. The case fatality rate exceeds 50% without proper clinical management but can be less than 1% with prompt rehydration and antibiotics. Oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) serve as a major component of an integrated control package during outbreaks or within zones of endemicity. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH); health education; and prophylactic antibiotic treatment are additional components of the prevention and control of cholera. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) have set an ambitious goal of eliminating cholera by 2030 in high-risk areas.

Abstract 5004: Integrative quality control of cancer somatic mutations with CaMutQC

Abstract The quality control of cancer somatic mutations is an essential step for eliminating false positive mutations from technical bias, and selecting key mutation candidates plays a crucial role in both downstream translation research and personal medical decisions. Existing tools, with complicated parameters and changeable filtering standards, may not be suitable specifically for cancer somatic mutations. In addition, previous genomic studies usually adopted different filtering criteria for processing raw sequencing datasets, which greatly restricts the efficiency of integrative exploration for cancer genomics. In this study, we presented CaMutQC, a heuristic cancer somatic mutations (CAMs) quality control and filtration package for cancer genomic studies. CaMutQC provides two schemes, including filtration of false positive mutations generated by technical issues, and the screening of candidate cancer somatic mutations from single or multiple VEP-annotated files in VCF format. Specifically, for quality control, instead of directly discarding CAMs that failed to meet the thresholds of parameters collected from classic studies, CaMutQC labels them with customized tags to represent the filtering type, enabling portable subsequent analyses. And a vivid and well-structured filter report is generated after filtration or selection. In addition, we proved by applying an updated mutation QC strategy, which takes the union of CaMutQC-filtered cancer variants from multiple variant callers (eg. MuTect, MuSE and VarScan2) on published datasets that, CaMutQC can not only reduce the false positive CAMS, but also greatly rescue the false negative CAMS from each single caller or the overlap of multiple tools. In summary, in this study, for the first time, we systematically implemented the parameters and criteria of CAMs quality control from published studies into the CaMutQC package, which we believe it would be a valuable tool for cancer genomic research. CaMutQC is implemented in R and is available at https://github.com/likelet/CaMutQC under the GPL-v3 license. Citation Format: Xin Wang, Jian Ren, Qi Zhao. Integrative quality control of cancer somatic mutations with CaMutQC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5004.

The effect of packaging and storage time on quality of clustered fresh pistachio.

Pistachio is one of the valuable, very nutritious, and high-energy fruits that is mainly dried and used as a snack due to problems with storage. Therefore, to investigate on how to extend clustered fresh pistachios' shelf-life, the effects of various packaging and storage conditions on the pistachios are presented in this study. Thus, clustered in-hull fresh pistachios were packaged in: (a) Polyethylene film, 45µm in thickness; (b) polypropylene/polyethylene/polyamide/polyethylene/aluminum foil multilayer film, 90µm in thickness; (c) both films with alcoholic paper; in air, and under two gas mixtures of 88%N2 + 10%CO2 + 2%O2 and 83%N2 + 15%CO2 + 2%O2 . Samples were refrigerated at 5 ± 1°Cfor 3 months. Quality factors such as moisture content, weight loss, respiration rate, pH, texture, and appearance of the samples were monitored for fresh pistachio kernels and clustered pistachios. Data were analyzed in a completely randomized design using one-way analysis of variance. The results showed that the shelf-life of MAP samples drastically increased compared to the control (packages without gaseous and alcoholic paper). A comparison of means among the groups suggests that the multilayer bags of fresh clustered pistachios with a mixture of 83%N2 + 15%CO2 + 2%O2 for a 3-month storage period is a particularly effective treatment. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: It is the first time that fresh pistachio is packaged in clusters (bundle). It seems that the packaging of fresh pistachio clusters, in addition to the benefits mentioned in this paper has a psychological effect on the consumer in terms of the naturalness of this product and has added value due to being considered an organic, luxurious, and delicacy food product. Therefore, in this study, the active MAP method that includes the technique of injecting carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen into the packaging was used to investigate its effects on the properties and shelf-life of raw clustered pistachios for fresh consumption.

떡국 떡의 품질유지에 미치는 변형기체포장(MAP) 효과

Packages of different atmospheres (air (control), 100% CO2, vacuum, and vacuum + O2 absorber) were prepared for 0.4 kg rice cake (ddukgukdduk) using gas-barrier plastic film and stored at 10oC for 11 days. The stored products were evaluated in their packages atmosphere, total aerobic bacteria, yeast and molds, texture and sensory quality during storage period. In the air package, the O2 concentration decreased from initial 21% to 16% on storage 4 days and the CO2 concentration increased to 23% on storage of 11 days, which resulted from the growth of microorganisms. CO2 concentration decreased from initial 98% to 36% on storage 11 days in the 100% CO2 package. It is reasoned that CO2 was dissolved into the product reducing the volume of the package. Vacuum and vacuum +O2 absorber package maintained shrunk vacuum condition until 11 days of storage. Total aerobic bacteria count increased significantly in the control package (6.41 log (cfu/g) after 11 days) compared to the 100% CO2 package (4.96 log (cfu/ g) after 11 days). Yeast and molds were 6.66 in control package, 3.43 in 100% CO2 package, 4.66 in vacuum package, and 3.78 in vacuum + O2 absorber package after 11 days. There was no significant difference between control and the other treatments for the texture of the stored products. Sensory quality was the worst in control package on the storage of 8 days. All treatment groups except control improved the quality preservation, but vacuum and vacuum + O2 absorber packages suffered from cracking of the product. Thus 100% CO2 flushing is suggested as a desired packaging condition.

Effects of the equilibrium atmosphere on Taleggio cheese storage in micro perforated packaging

Taleggio is an Italian smear-ripened cheese, whose complex microbiota demands the optimisation of the packaging system to avoid excessive changes during storage. Metabolic processes of the cheese rind microbiota can be usefully exploited in equilibrium modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) by balancing microbiota respiration and film permeation. Here, we present the application of three different micro perforated EMAPs as models for smear-ripened cheese compared to two control packaging configurations. Analyses of the main microbial groups, headspace gas, textural profile, and sensory properties were performed to find the best packaging for storage. Results showed that two of the alternative micro perforated packaging systems were able to control the excessive changes during storage, thus limiting fungal overgrowth and allowing the typical development of smear microbiota with minor changes to hardness and cohesiveness. Finally, the sensory evaluation positively favoured one of the alternatively packed cheeses based on its compactness, typical dairy traits, and minor off-flavours. These findings showed that EMAP can be a valid alternative solution to control the storage of Taleggio cheese. Further studies could be conducted to evaluate this system on other smear cheeses.

Introducing the Sustainability Framework of ‘External Control’ in Interfirm Control

This study addresses the phenomenon of interfirm control in the context of sustainability. The research question is how is it possible to develop interfirm control in the field of sustainability and with the associated stakeholder focus needed so that stakeholder views are taken as explicit goals. The study is connected to theories on interfirm control, control package and sustainability. The research uses an intensive case methodology and semi-structured interviews focusing on a case company in the building industry and its stakeholders. The major theme of control in the company studied is sustainability. The article shows how the company establishes interfirm control and even attempts to control its customers, which may be perceived as a relatively rare practice. However, it is shown that the control approach to sustainability can result in the theme being defined on the basis of the perspective of the industry, the company and control itself, not on the basis of stakeholder needs. Alternative ideas, such as wider societal and planet-related needs, contradictions within sustainability and the risk of simplification to economic concerns, are considered less. The study then presents a novel framework, ‘external control’, that considers stakeholder expectations as explicit goals. This framework of external control contributes to the interfirm control literature and ties missing perspectives to controls, thereby also contributing to the sustainability and control package literature.

Hybridity in a hotel chain: designing a package of controls to sustain a hybrid mission

PurposeWhile prior control studies typically focus on organizations with an instrumental approach to corporate sustainability, this study concentrates on organizations with an integrative approach, as the latter is needed to address the grand challenge of sustainable development. As such organizations do not single out the financial objective as the dominant one, they pursue a hybrid mission. This study investigates how a control package can be designed that ensures the persistence of such a hybrid mission.Design/methodology/approachA case study is undertaken at a luxury hotel chain in which a financial and an environmental objective are continuously balanced. Self-determination theory is used to substantiate insights into how psychological need-supportive controls can be designed at all organizational levels.FindingsThis study highlights how controls are not only needed to direct staff behaviour towards the environmental objective but also to ensure that staff at all organizational levels prioritize the objectives in such way that the hybrid mission can be sustained. Besides structural differentiation and centralization of decision-making, the case organization designed need-supportive controls to foster staff's internalization of the environmental objective and value as well as of the integrative approach.Social implicationsAs the need-supportive socialization process fostered staff's integration of the environmental value, this study highlights the transformational potential of controls.Originality/valueThis study provides a unique account of a control package directing staff behaviour towards the balancing of multiple objectives.

Efficacy of modified active packaging with oxygen scavengers for the preservation of sliced Iberian dry-cured shoulder.

The effectiveness of commercial oxygen scavengers was investigated in order to increase the shelf-life of sliced dry-cured Iberian shoulder in MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) for up to 150 days. Five dry-cured shoulders from Iberian pigs were used. Slices of these dry-cured shoulders were randomly packaged in MAP conditions. An active packaging (AP) with oxygen scavengers was evaluated to reduce the level of oxygen within the headspace as close to 0% as possible. AP was compared to a Control Treatment (C) (without scavenger). Sliced dry-cured Iberian shoulder in AP showed lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values (TBARS) than control packages after 150 days of storage, and in general, volatile compounds derived from lipid oxidation, increased in C packages, whereas these remained steady in AP. Therefore, AP was effective to decrease the development of lipid oxidation during storage. In contrast, AP was not effective in preserving color changes, although no sensory differences between treatments were appreciated by the panelists.

Analytic Filter-Function Derivatives for Quantum Optimal Control

Autocorrelated noise appears in many solid-state qubit systems and hence needs to be taken into account when developing gate operations for quantum information processing. However, explicitly simulating this kind of noise is often less efficient than approximate methods. Here, we focus on the filter function formalism, which allows the computation of gate fidelities in the presence of autocorrelated classical noise. Hence, this formalism can be combined with optimal control algorithms to design control pulses, which optimally implement quantum gates. To enable the use of gradient-based algorithms with fast convergence, we present analytically derived filter function gradients with respect to control pulse amplitudes, and analyze the computational complexity of our results. When comparing pulse optimization using our derivatives to a gradient-free approach, we find that the gradient-based method is roughly 2 orders of magnitude faster for our test cases. We also provide a modular computational implementation compatible with quantum optimal control packages.

Optimising the deployment of vector control tools against malaria: a data-informed modelling study

Concern that insecticide resistant mosquitoes are threatening malaria control has driven the development of new types of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) of insecticide. Malaria control programmes have a choice of vector control interventions although it is unclear which controls should be used to combat the disease. The study aimed at producing a framework to easily compare the public health impact and cost-effectiveness of different malaria prevention measures currently in widespread use. We used published data from experimental hut trials conducted across Africa to characterise the entomological effect of pyrethroid-only ITNs versus ITNs combining a pyrethroid insecticide with the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO). We use these estimates to parameterise a dynamic mathematical model of Plasmodium falciparum malaria which is validated for two sites by comparing simulated results to empirical data from randomised control trials (RCTs) in Tanzania and Uganda. We extrapolated model simulations for a series of potential scenarios likely across the sub-Saharan African region and include results in an online tool (Malaria INtervention Tool [MINT]) that aims to identify optimum vector control intervention packages for scenarios with varying budget, price, entomological and epidemiological factors. Our model indicates that switching from pyrethroid-only to pyrethroid-PBO ITNs could averted up to twice as many cases, although the additional benefit is highly variable and depends on the setting conditions. We project that annual delivery of long-lasting, non-pyrethroid IRS would prevent substantially more cases over 3-years, while pyrethroid-PBO ITNs tend to be the most cost-effective intervention per case averted. The model was able to predict prevalence and efficacy against prevalence in both RCTs for the intervention types tested. MINT is applicable to regions of sub-Saharan Africa with endemic malaria and provides users with a method of designing intervention packages given their setting and budget. The most cost-effective vector control package will vary locally. Models able to recreate results of RCTs can be used to extrapolate outcomes elsewhere to support evidence-based decision making for investment in vector control. Medical Research Council, IVCC, Wellcome Trust. For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Optimal Control Strategies for Systems with Input Delay using the PIE Framework

The Partial Integral Equation (PIE) framework provides a unified algebraic representation for use in analysis, control, and estimation of infinite-dimensional systems. However, the presence of input delays results in a PIE representation with dependence on the derivative of the control input, u˙. This dependence complicates the problem of optimal state-feedback control for systems with input delay – resulting in a bilinear optimization problem. In this paper, we present two strategies for convexification of the H∞-optimal state-feedback control problem for systems with input delay. In the first strategy, we use a generalization of Young's inequality to formulate a convex optimization problem, albeit with some conservatism. In the second strategy, we filter the actuator signal – introducing additional dynamics, but resulting in a convex optimization problem without conservatism. We compare these two optimal control strategies on four example problems, solving the optimization problem using the latest release of the PIETOOLS software package for analysis, control and simulation of PIEs.

Thermal Control Design and Packaging for Surface Acoustic Wave Devices in Acoustofluidics.

This article presents a thermal control design method for a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device. We designed a heat-dissipation structure and packaging scheme to solve three key issues observed in SAW devices using anisotropic crystals as piezoelectric substrates in acoustofluidics (e.g., lithium niobate): SAW chip cracking caused by thermal stress, SAW chip cracking caused by mismatched thermal expansion coefficients of the packaging materials, and enhancement of the structural strength and stability of the SAW chip. This study establishes the physical model of the designed structure and the relationship between the steady-state working temperature and the physical properties of the material. By comparing these physical properties and numerical calculations, we identified nanosilver adhesive as the most effective bonding material between the SAW chip and the heat sink. In addition to designing and fabricating, we also evaluated our SAW devices experimentally. The results not only confirmed that the abovementioned three key problems were solved but also demonstrated the significant enhancement of the stability of the SAW device.

A Theory of Management Control Packages and Organizational Identity

A Theory of Management Control Packages and Organizational Identity