Software Cost Research Articles

Comparative Study On Shade Drying, Sun Drying And Direct Solar Drying Of Mint Leaves

Aromatic herbs are in high demand in food processing industries, Cosmetics, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. Mint leaves can be used as a flavoring agent in food; they are also valued for their antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Mints (Mentha spp.) are a well-known medicinal and aromatic plant. The mint leaves are used as fresh due to high moisture content. Drying helps to inhibit bacterial growth and decrease water activity. The purpose of this study was to enhance their shelf life and save packaging and shipping costs. A comparative study on the drying process of mint leaves was conducted under shade drying, sun drying and direct solar dryer. Fresh mint leaves were collected from the medicinal block of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Vaishali, Bihar, India. They were washed and the excess amount of water was removed from the surface of the leaves. The various parameters recorded hourly in the experiments were temperature and relative humidity inside and outside the direct solar dryer; the weight of the mint leaves was recorded hourly. Temperature plays a great impact in the drying process. The maximum temperature reached in solar drying up to 560 C as compared to 420 C in sun drying. The minimum relative humidity reached in the direct solar dryer was 17 percent as compared to 28 percent in sun drying.The drying curve data suggest that the drying displays a falling rate period. Henderson pabis model was fitted for drying processes in shade drying, sun drying and direct solar drying. The highest sensory score is reached with color (8.7), flavor (8.5), appearance (9) and overall acceptability (8.7) when dried in a Solar dryer. To fabricate a low -cost environment friendly solar dryer is quite a challenging task. The solar dryer was built by locally available ply-wood and low- cost materials. The dryer consists of transparent glass, exhaust fan, wire mesh screen, solar cell. Another challenge is to use the maximum solar radiation inside the solar dryer. Inclination angle of the Transparent glass was made 15o to get maximum radiation. Future scope: World is suffering from harmful gases originated from burning of fossil fuels. Solar energy is a safer and cleaner energy source. Solar dryer can also reduce up to 34 % CO2 emission. This study aims to maintain best sensory quality of dehydrated herbs and spices.it is also aiming for low -cost clean drying technology and sustainable development.

Systematic literature review on global software development based software cost estimation models and cost drivers

<p>Global software development (GSD) is a well - established discipline of software engineering that focuses on the advantage of a global environment. Effective cost estimation is critical for the success of GSD projects. Cost estimation in a GSD environment is a challenging task. As a re sult, GSD must emphasize cost estimation. Findings show that a number of researchers over the past few decades have emphasized GSD - based cost estimation in GSD; to the best of our knowledge, however, existing cost estimation have not taken into account man y GSD - based cost drivers that must be considered when estimating costs. Motivated by all this, the purpose of this study is to review the existing GSD - based cost estimation models/techniques and cost drivers that influence the accuracy of cost estimation. To identify and compile relevant research papers, a systematic literature review was carried out. From twenty - seven selected studies, initially, 86 GSD - based cost drivers and 12 GSD - based cost estimation models/techniques were extracted. After filtration, 26 cost drivers were identified as significant and to be considered in GSD - based cost estimation. This study significantly identifies GSD - based cost drivers and existing cost estimation techniques.</p>

Thermo-compression Bonding Assembly Technology

With the slowing of Moore’s law heterogeneous integration and assembly became important drivers of the performance of semiconductor packaging. This “More than Moore” approach enables higher functional density and higher bandwidth packages. At the same time, heterogeneous integration drives an aggressive interconnect pitch roadmap, pushing the limits of Advanced Packaging technologies. Flip chip with mass reflow has been the main assembly technology for fine pitch interconnect. However, the need for even finer pitch and higher packaging density was not compatible with the limitations imposed by the mass reflow process, therefore requiring new interconnect technologies. Local reflow flip chip via thermocompression bonding (TCB) overcomes limitations due to CTE-mismatch and warpage. Meanwhile, TCB based on solder micro-bumps became a well-established and cost effective fine-pitch interconnect process and Cu to Cu Hybrid Bonding is emerging as a technology for the future. Normal TCB typically requires the application of flux and post-bond flux cleaning as any flux residue can result in post mold package reliability issues, even for ‘no-clean’ flux materials. Post-bond flux cleaning, however, becomes more and more difficult for increasing die size and with bump pitch and stand-off height shrinking even further. K&S has developed and demonstrated a flux-less TCB process for large and high-density interconnect die that utilizes in-situ Formic Acid (FA) vapor application for copper and solder oxide reduction. This process eliminates the need for flux and, therefore, there is no need for the tedious and time-consuming cleaning of the post bond flux residue. The FA process delivers nearly the same productivity as a conventional flux based TCB process. The FA delivery system can be integrated on our high-accuracy C2S and C2W TCB tools, leveraging the existing HVM TCB infrastructure and extending its application space from ~35µm towards ultra-fine pitch applications around 10µm. Hybrid bonding created a lot of attention over the last years as this bump-less technology allows for long-term pitch scalability, possibly even down to 1µm. Hybrid bonding, however, requires a more complex process flow which relies on pristine die and target wafer surfaces as well as front-end level cleanliness conditions. Accordingly, the advantages and cost of Flux-less TCB as compared to Hybrid bonding should be explored in more detail. TCB can be viewed as an extension of flip chip. Using the existing assembly and metrology infrastructure as well as the existing die and substrate design layouts will be attractive to subcons. As a result, the overall cost and time to market should be much lower. An activity-based cost model has been developed along with SavanSys comparing flux-less TCB and Hybrid bonding. We present results on the process cost as well as the overall package cost as a function of die size and yield. In summary, flux-less thermo-compression bonding should be considered for ultra-fine pitch applications. We have demonstrated pitch capability below 30µm and believe that a pitch of 10µm may be possible. Other applications that formic acid vapor TCB enables are large module bonding (50 X 50 mm, 70 X 70 mm) and Cu to Cu interconnects.

Use of a hybrid digital training approach for hormonal IUD providers in Nigeria: results from a mixed method study

BackgroundIn Nigeria, in-service trainings for new family planning (FP) methods have typically been conducted using a combination of classroom-based learning, skills labs, and supervised practicums. This mixed-methods study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, provider competency, and costs associated with a hybrid digital and in-person training model for the hormonal intrauterine device (IUD).MethodsThe study was conducted in Enugu, Kano, and Oyo states, Nigeria, and enrolled FP providers previously trained on non-hormonal IUDs. Participants completed a digital didactic training, an in-person model-based practicum with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), followed by supervised provision of service to clients. Provider knowledge gains and clinical competency were assessed and described descriptively. Data on the feasibility, acceptability, and scalability of the approach were gathered from participating providers, clinical supervisors, and key stakeholders. Training costs were captured using an activity-based approach and used to calculate a cost per provider trained. All analyses were descriptive.ResultsSixty-two providers took the hybrid digital training, of whom 60 (91%) were included in the study (n = 36 from public sector, n = 15 from private sector, and n = 9 both public/private). The average knowledge score increased from 62 to 86% pre- and post-training. Clinical competency was overall very high (mean: 94%), and all providers achieved certification. Providers liked that the digital training could be done at the time/place of their choosing (84%), was self-paced (79%), and reduced risk of COVID-19 exposure (75%). Clinical supervisors and Ministry of Health stakeholders also had positive impressions of the training and its scalability. The hybrid training package cost $316 per provider trained.ConclusionsWe found that a hybrid digital training approach to hormonal IUD service provision in Nigeria was acceptable and feasible. Providers demonstrated increases in knowledge following the training and achieved high levels of clinical competency. Both providers and clinical supervisors felt that the digital training content was of high quality and an acceptable (sometimes preferable) alternative to classroom-based, in-person training. This study provided insights into a hybrid digital training model for a long-acting contraceptive, relevant to scale-up in Nigeria and similar settings.

Software Dalam Tinjauan Akuntansi Berdasarkan SAP No.14

The development of Government Accounting in Indonesia is lacking in responding to the demands of current developments. The output produced by government accounting in Indonesia cannot be said to be accurate and does not match what it should be, so it cannot be used for decision making. The issuance of Government Regulation no. 71 of 2010 concerning Government Accounting Standards replacing Government Regulation no. 24 of 2005 where this new regulation requires central and regional governments to use accrual-based accounting. Based on this Government Regulation, central and regional governments must use fully accrual-based accounting and not use cash-based accounting that leads to accruals. The aim of this research is to identify how accounting is treated for software at the One-Stop Integrated Services and Manpower Investment Service (PM PTSP and NAKER) based on SAP No. 14 regarding intangible assets. The research method is to use a qualitative method using a descriptive approach by collecting data in the form of observations, interviews and documentation. The results of the research prove that the accounting treatment of software in the Department of Investment, One-Stop Integrated Services and Labor located in Tanah Datar Regency where there is one software, namely SIPINTAR (Taland Datar Licensing Information System), for this SIPINTAR can be identified as an asset. In the form of the service and the acquisition costs for the SIPINTAR software, it meets the provisions of Government Accounting Standards.

Cost Analysis of Fan-out Processes for Chiplet Packaging

When building a design around chiplets, there are many factors to consider: industry standards, availability of chiplets within the supply chain, size requirements, and cost, to name a few. The cost of chiplet packaging is a particularly important factor that must be understood, because even if all design requirements can be met, the chiplet package will not come to fruition if the total cost is too high. The basic tradeoff between a monolithic die and a series of chiplets is a reduction in silicon costs countered by an increase in packaging costs. This analysis will compare a monolithic die flip chip package to two fan-out processes that support chiplet packaging. In the first scenario, a two-chiplet chip-last fan-out on substrate package will be compared to a standard flip chip package. For the second comparison, a monolithic flip chip package will be compared to a four-chiplet fan-out package that utilizes embedded silicon for additional interconnect. For both scenarios, a detailed cost comparison will be provided. Activity based cost modeling will be used for this analysis. In addition to looking at the direct costs of the substrate and assembly processes, yield considerations and the price of the incoming silicon (which varies by node) will be included. The goal of this analysis is to evaluate the cost of a monolithic flip chip package versus a chiplet scenario for two designs, and to highlight the cost drivers of the fan-out chiplet packaging processes.

Evaluation of Responsive With Big Data Technologies

The volume of produced digital data & everyday usage is increasing as a result of rising man-machine interaction, process automation, and falling hardware and software costs.
 The vast amount of digital information produced per second worldwide in unstructured, structured, and semi-structured formats is referred to as big data in this context.
 Big data analytics is a new topic that has inspired researchers all over the world to create, develop, and implement a variety of mechanisms, technologies, architectures, and areas for evaluating the enormous amount of data created every day. Traditional database management systems struggle to make sense of the massive amounts of data that make up "big data." The paper describes a few analyses, including word count, sentiment analysis, and responsive analysis.
 Responsiveness is crucial for improving the system, identifying vulnerabilities, and ensuring that tasks are distributed fairly. Responsive is important data that can be used for making wise decisions.
 Responsive is significant for both strengths and weaknesses, not just when it identifies flaws. If the responsive analysis is performed incorrectly, the analysis's conclusion will likewise be incorrect. As a result, the system as a whole will be inaccurate because the pattern that was discovered will also be incorrect. We will utilize the Map-Reduce framework to create this suggested system for responsive analysis, and Hadoop will be used for storage.

Assessing the Impact of Oil Price Volatility on Food Prices in Saudi Arabia: Insights From Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lags (NARDL) Analysis

Abstract This research investigates the impact of oil price fluctuations on food prices in Saudi Arabia between 1979 and 2020 using Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lags (NARDL) methodology. The study employs Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Phillips Perron (PP) tests to determine the integration order of the variables and Bounds testing to confirm the existence of long run cointegration relationships between each variable. The results indicate that oil shocks influence food prices through several mechanisms. Firstly, the cost of energy increases due to the rise in oil prices, affecting the agricultural commodity market, including farm equipment, food processing, packaging, and distribution costs. Secondly, the demand for agricultural commodities to produce biofuels affects food availability and thus food prices. Thirdly, as an oil-based economy, the oil price shock affects food prices through its impact on government spending, which affects aggregate demand and liquidity. Therefore, Saudi Arabia should adopt appropriate policies to mitigate the impact of oil price shocks on food prices, including investing in renewable energy sources, diversifying its economy, and improving food production and supply chain efficiency. Additionally, implementing appropriate fiscal policies to ensure sufficient budget allocation for food support programs is crucial. However, Investing in groundwater exploration can contribute significantly to the development of Saudi agriculture and to gradually achieving food self-sufficiency.

Direct Write Extreme Environment Packaging

There is growing interest in extreme temperature electronics to support instrumentation for sensors at temperatures beyond the normal range of electronics. Reliable packaging in the temperature range of more than 300°C has been demonstrated using ceramic multi-chip modules using conventional hybrid circuit technology. This approach typically requires high NRE costs and lead time. Additive manufacturing processes of metals, ceramics, conductors, and dielectrics provides a digital transformation of hybrid circuit manufacturing technology that reduces time and cost for packaging with the added benefits of novel 3D structures and embedded features. Silicon carbide devices have been demonstrated to operate above 300C which requires capable interconnects. This report presents the results of testing to characterize important electrical and mechanical properties of additively manufactured packaging materials (substrates, conductor, dielectrics) and die interconnect methods capable for operation above 300 °C. Characterization of thick film materials were tested for resistance, SIR, and adhesion stability on 96% alumina, 98.4% additively printed alumina, and Corning alumina ribbon ceramic at 300, 500, and 750°C. Methods for direct write interconnects were developed and tested at 300 and 500C for resistance stability and thermal shock. The methods are direct write surface interconnects, embedded interconnects using additive alumina substrates, and flip chip. Reliability testing results, a test method for insitu measurement, and demonstrations using the materials are presented.

Esthetic Clinic Management Software—Can we improve patient safety?

To evaluate the features of esthetic-specific Clinic Management Softwares (CMS) and scrutinize these against the General Medical Council (GMC) and Joint Commission (JC) guidance, an indicative CMS framework with GMC and JC compliant features is developed, to improve patient outcomes, service quality, and work toward a centralized database for complications to enable research analysis. A systematic search was performed to evaluate the CMS on the market tailored to esthetic clinics. An analysis was made of the GMC guidance for record keeping and the JC standards for Patient Safety Systems. The CMS features were each scrutinized against the GMC and JC guidance including complication capturing. Eighteen esthetic-specific CMS were identified and analyzed. None of the included CMSs were 100% compliant with both GMC and JC guidance. In 2022, the mean monthly cost of the basic packages for each of the CMS was £106.4, with a standard deviation of £83.3. The main users of the CMSs were doctors and nurses. CMS are a potentially powerful tool to form a centralized database that will allow for increased transparency on the number of procedures performed as well as complications.

The optimization of an EV decommissioned battery recycling network: A third-party approach

In this paper, we solve the urgent problem to construct a recycling network of decommissioned batteries of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and clarify the recycling entities that will be responsible for its reverse logistics (RL) process. We consider the third-party recycling entities to develop a recycling network and conduct a case-study of Xi'an, a key industry of EVs in China to provide a reference for the government and enterprises to develop recycling plans. We scientifically optimize our recycling network, which will have a significant impact on the environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) in Xi'an in the future. Specifically, we consider the costs of transportation, construction, operation, recycling, packaging, and emission, as well as the profits achieved through sales revenue and subsidy offerings. We collect the actual data of potential facility locations in Xi'an, predict the quantity of decommissioned batteries in the future, and develop a fuzzy-based model to solve the optimal results of battery traveling path and distribution in the recycling process network. Our results show that with the rapid growth of the number of decommissioned batteries, third-party revenues will reach about 53.08 billion by 2035. When the facilities split the recycling process load appropriately, the network has increase in revenue while the utilization rate of facilities will decrease. We expect that splitting will be a major trend in the future development of recycling network in Xi'an. Finally, a sensitivity analysis finds that with the environmentally conscious and safe operation of recycling, the negative impact on the third-party enterprises' revenue will be small. Our proposed methodology can serve as a critical framework for other cities and governments to plan their recycling networks and formulate regulations, reflecting on the realistic projection of the scale of decommissioned batteries of EVs and the potential siting and sizing of the recycling facilities.

AGILE ESTIMATIONS: EMPIRICAL STUDY USING WEIGHTED COMPLEXITY FACTORS

Software time and cost estimates are always challenging due to the quickly changing software process. Especially Agile project estimations are complex, and the story points differ from person to person. Due to the person-to-person variations, project managers have difficulty arriving at the project cost for development projects with different sizes or complexity of systems/software. This paper proposes a new estimation model named the WEighted COmplexity Factor Estimation (WECOFE) Model to reduce the complexities of Agile story point estimations. Weighted complexities factors identify Low, Moderate, and High Project Level Factors and Story Level Factors. For each level, multiple factors were defined. Derived Weighted complexity based on Project, Requirement, and Resource Level factors. Each story's point estimation is explained based on weighted complexity defined and assigned factors values. Conducted study on various industry projects, showing that the WECOFE approach is promising by observing the Magnitude of Relative Error (MRE) and Mean Magnitude of Relative Error (MMRE). Also, performed a t-test for one sprint project with 51 stories, and paired sample means are equal for WECOFE with actual story points spent by the team.

Calculating the Costs of Implementing Integrated Packages of Community Health Services: Methods, Experiences, and Results From 6 sub-Saharan African Countries.

Ensuring access to a package of integrated primary health care services is essential for achieving universal health coverage. In many countries, community health programs are necessary for primary health care service provision, but they are generally underfunded, and countries often lack the necessary evidence on costs and resource requirements. We conducted prospective cost analyses of community health programs in 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa using the Community Health Planning and Costing Tool. The Community Health Planning and Costing Tool is a spreadsheet-based tool designed to cost key programmatic elements of community health services packages, including training, equipment, incentives, supervision, and management. In each country, stakeholders defined a package of community health services and corresponding standard treatment guidelines to estimate normative costs, which were applied to program scale-up targets. The data were entered into the tool, and cost models were prepared for different geographical and service utilization scenarios. The results were reviewed and validated with the governments, implementing partners, and expert panels. Additional scale-up scenarios were modeled, taking into account probable constraints to increasing community health service provision and potential funding limitations. The services and scope of community health service packages varied by country, depending on contextual factors and determined health priorities. The package costs also varied significantly depending on the size and contents of the service package, the service delivery approach, the remuneration of the community health workers, and the cost of medicines and supplies. Community health programs and service packages are different in every country and change over time as they evolve. They should be routinely costed as an integral part of the planning and budgeting process and to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated for their effective and efficient implementation.

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ПОЛИМЕРНЫЕ ПЛЕНОЧНЫЕ МАТЕРИАЛЫ С БАРЬЕРНЫМИ СВОЙСТВАМИ

The paper considers the prospects of creating barrier polymer film materials with nanocomposite coatings based on layered aluminosilicates. The use of nanocomposite coatings has prospects for obtaining multilayer packaging materials characterized by high barrier properties, recyclability, and also reduces the cost of packaging by incorporating economically available polymeric materials and fillers. The application of gas-discharge treatment of polymer films prior to coating leads to increased adhesion of the films to the functional nanocomposite coatings, which can be used to create multilayer film materials with improved performance characteristics.

Toward Carbon-Aware Networking

Data transmission tends to be neglected when considering the carbon efficiency of systems, even though the electricity usage of data networks as a whole is as large, or larger, than that of data centers. Accounting for carbon cost of the movement of data is hard, and is often assumed to be the responsibility of the receiver or an intermediate provider. To be able to account for the carbon footprint of networks, mutually agreed metrics are required, covering the end-to-end environmental cost of data transmission and up-the-stack network software costs of data processing, rather than merely the independent network devices. Beyond discussing the considerations for defining these metrics, this paper suggests building upon existing practices, such as network telemetry, programmable network elements and cost-aware routing to enable carbon-intelligent networking, a concept that goes beyond network energy efficiency and considers the impact of energy decarbonization on the routing and scheduling of data transmission.

ANALISIS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (SCM) BUAH JERUK DI DESA PONCOKUSUMO, KABUPATEN MALANG

<p>Citrus fruit commodities cultivated by farmers have supply chain management problems at distribution agents and citrus fruit enthusiasts on a local scale. This study aimed to analyze the supply chain management (SCM) channel, the smoothness of SCM, and the efficiency of SCM in citrus fruits. The research was conducted in Poncokusumo Village, Malang Regency. Collecting data using interviews with respondents farmers and traders of oranges. Measurement of data using a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. The descriptive analysis method is used to describe the SCM phenomenon of citrus fruits, including information flow, commodity flow, and financial flow. The results showed 2 channel citrus fruits ended up in small traders. The smoothness analysis of SCM shows that the financial flow from small traders to middlemen is less smooth than the flow of commodities from small traders to large traders. The efficiency index and farmer share results indicate that channel two is efficient. It is recommended that middlemen apply a pre-order system so that packaging costs and transportation costs do not increase and wholesalers should communicate intensely with farmers so that sales information is conveyed directly to wholesalers.</p>

Methodology of CAD design and CAM production of transtibial prosthetic sockets

The digitization of the design process of lower limb prosthetic sockets seems to be necessary. Using modern CAD procedures and CAM technologies, it is possible to produce functional, individual prosthetic aids that bring many benefits compared to commonly used methods. However, the disadvantage of using CAD/CAM procedures can be the input costs for production technology and software. The aim of this research is to propose a low-cost solution for individual transtibial socket design and production. Modern methods and technologies like 3D scanning, CAD design and additive manufacturing have been applied. As a result, a transtibial stump positive and custom socket design methodology is proposed. In conclusions a total value of a custom transtibial socket design and production was calculated.

Problems of wood-based supply chain management in the context of resilience - a case study

This paper outlines the main challenges faced by the supply chain in the wood-based materials sector in the context of building resilience. The research work carried out made it possible to identify the main problems in the selected supply chain from the wood-based industry. They are associated with the occurrence of negative effects, including the destruction of the pallet, aging of goods in the warehouse, high packaging costs, and inefficient transport processes realization, including the processes of handling pallet units. In the context of external risks, a particular challenge is the shortage of raw materials on the market. The analyzed case study is based on the supply chain resilience assessment with regard to resilience potentials evaluation.

Processing of electrical resistivity tomography data using convolutional neural network in ERT-NET architectures

Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) inversion has emerged as an effective method for predicting resistivity in complex geological structures. In most cases, traditional ERT inversion problems are posed as nonlinear optimization problems. Solving distribution resistivity inversion can be computationally challenging for two reasons: one is the significant cost of software and the other is the issue of local minima. The ERT-NET architecture was developed in this study to learn the parameter regression relationship between geophysical ERT datasets and subsurface models. We developed a novel convolutional neural network (CNN) technique that comprised of a fully connected network (ERT-INET) and a fully convolutional network (ERT-UNET); both train ambiguity information of the inverted resistivity based on processing ERT datasets. We also output our network segmentation of pixel-wise prediction for ERT-INET and structured prediction segmentation. The noise assessments of our network inversion were managed by employing depth of investigation (DOI) and statistical analysis for evaluation performance. The DOI appeared to be effective in conveying the breadth of possibility within our networks. Moreover, the performances are either the synthetic resistivity model or the field resistivity data, both of which have an average of greater than 95%. The inversion results of both architectures are precisely and accurately expressed, containing approximately the ground truth models and thereby also the field observation models. We conclude that these ERT-NET architectures could be one approach to ERT interpretation handling, and we strongly suggest alternatives that promote the geoelectrical method of interpretation.

Problem Faced by the Farmers in Using Information Communication Technology Tools for receiving Rice Production Information

The facilitation of technology transfer to farmers plays a crucial role in enhancing agricultural productivity within the context of Bangladesh. In relation to this matter, a study was undertaken to evaluate the extent of problems faced by the farmers in utilizing Information Communication Technology (ICT) technologies for accessing rice production information. Data were collected from randomly selected 340 ICT tool using rice farmers of four selected districts of Bangladesh. The results indicated that majority (66.2%) of the rice farmers faced severe problem, compared to 27.9% and 5.9% of them faced moderate and low problem respectively in using ICT tools for receiving rice production technologies. Based on Standardized Problem Faced Index, top five severe problems were lack of ICT knowledge of farmers, high cost of internet packages, lack of training in using of ICT tools, high cost of ICT tools and required more time to learn using ICT tools. These problems may be minimized by providing necessary training to the farmers on using ICT tools for receiving rice production information, cost reduction of internet package and ICT tools, providing better internet connectivity, uninterrupted power supply as perceived by the farmers.