Combination Of Software Research Articles

Research of the polyethylene packaging layer structure change in contact with a food product at exposure to ultraviolet radiation

The sanitary and hygienic safety of modern packaging is determined by the layer of packaging material in direct contact with the food product. This layer in most cases is a synthetic polymer of the polyolefin class — low density polyethylene. This material is used as a stand-alone packaging and in multilayer and combined packaging materials. During thermal and photooxidation, compounds can form in it that negatively affect the safety of the package, which can migrate into the product. Food technologies use methods of disinfecting packaging materials and packaging before filling or bottling products. These methods include ultraviolet irradiation of the surface, which has a bactericidal effect. Using spectral methods of analysis, researches have been carried out on changes in the polyethylene layers structure in the film’s composition, multilayer films and combined packaging materials when exposed to pulsed ultraviolet radiation in a wide spectral range (irradiation with a pulsed xenon lamp). Deformations of polyethylene macromolecules chemical bonds on the surface and boundary layers under the influence of pulsed UV-irradiation have been revealed. The IR spectra of ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection) were obtained, the analysis of which showed that the monofilm is subject to the greatest destructive effect, as evidenced by the appearance of characteristic absorption bands responsible for the formation of aldehyde, ketone groups, as well as for the polymer chain termination. It is shown that the use of food soot in the composition of multilayer packaging films blocks their photo destruction. Upon irradiation of a combined material based on cardboard intended for bottling milk, an absorption band was found in the spectra, which is responsible for the onset of the destruction process with the formation of aldehyde and carboxylate groups with the formation of aldehyde and carboxylate groups.Comparison of changes in structure in three different packaging objects containing a polyethylene layer shows the feasibility and necessity of using combined and multilayer materials for food products packaging, in which, even under extreme UV-irradiation, there are practically no photo destruction processes, which is confirmed by spectral researches.

An All-Silicon Process Platform for Wafer-Level Vacuum Packaged MEMS Devices

Thispaper introduces a novel, inherently simple, and all-silicon wafer-level fabrication and hermetic packaging method developed for MEMS devices. The proposed method uses two separate SOI wafers to form highly-doped through-silicon vias (TSVs) and suspended MEMS structures, respectively. These SOI wafers are then bonded by Au-Si eutectic bonding at 400 °C, achieving hermetic sealing and signal transfer without requiring any complex via or trench refill process steps. The package vacuum is measured using encapsulated MEMS resonators to be as low as 15 mTorr with the help of successfully activated thin-film getters. The combined fabrication and packaging yield is around %89 and chips still maintain a package pressure below 100 mTorr after more than 6 years. The packages show an extremely high strong bonding strength (>40 MPa) and are proved to remain hermetic after temperature cycling (25 °C-85 °C) and harsh temperature shock (5 min@300 °C) tests. The all-silicon MEMS resonators fabricated and packaged using the proposed method project up to a 2.3× enhancement in the bias instability and ~ 4× in the temperature sensitivity of frequency output compared to an identical MEMS resonator fabricated using the silicon-on-glass (SOG) technology.

Project ACCLAIM: Intervention Effect on Community Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs of Maternal and Child Health and HIV/AIDS in Eswatini, Uganda and Zimbabwe

The ACCLAIM Study aimed to assess the effect of a package of community interventions on the demand for, uptake of, and retention of HIV-positive pregnant/postpartum women in maternal and child health (MCH) and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services. The study occurred from 2013 to 2015 in Eswatini, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The three interventions were: (1) a social learning and action component for community leaders, (2) community days, and (3) peer discussion groups. Household cross-sectional surveys on community members’ MCH and PMTCT knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs were analyzed pre- and post-intervention, using MCH, HIV stigma, and gender-equitable men (GEM) indicators. We used t-tests to measure the significance of mean pre- vs. post-intervention score changes stratified by gender within each intervention arm and generalized linear models to compare mean score changes of the cumulative intervention arms with the community leaders-only intervention. Response rates were over 85% for both surveys for men and women, with a total of 3337 pre-intervention and 3162 post-intervention responses. The combined package of three interventions demonstrated a significantly greater increase in MCH scores for both women (diff = 1.34, p ≤ 0.001) and men (diff = 2.03, p < 0.001). The arms that included interventions for both community leader engagement and community days (arms 2 and 3)led to a greater increase in mean GEM scores compared to the community leader engagement intervention alone (arm 1), for both women (diff = 1.32, p = 0.002) and men (diff = 1.37, p = 0.004). Our findings suggest that a package of community interventions may be most effective in increasing community MCH/HIV knowledge and improving gender-equitable norms.

The combined impact of calcium lactate with cysteine pretreatment and perforation-mediated modified atmosphere packaging on quality preservation of fresh-cut 'Romaine' lettuce.

The effect of perforation-mediated modified atmosphere packaging (PM-MAP) in combination with calcium lactate (1.5% CaL) and cysteine (0.1, 0.5% Cys) immersion pretreatments on the quality preservation of fresh-cut 'Romaine' lettuce was assessed for 12 days, at 5 and 10 °C. The shredded lettuce was packed in low-density polyethylene films (LDPE, 62µm thickness), including different perforation numbers of 0 (N-MAP), 20 (20-PM-MAP, Diameter = 64µm), and 40 (40-PM-MAP, Diameter = 64µm)per in square meter. Indices of quality maintenance were investigated. The total microbial counts were below the specified limits for ready-to-eat vegetables (< 6 log CFU/g) considering both pretreated 20-PM-MAP and N-MAP samples on day 12. After 8 days, a significant difference (P <0.05) was observed in the browning index (BI), the total color difference (ΔE), and the chlorophyll content between N-MAP and 20-PM-MAP samples with better results in 20-PM-MA packages. At 10 °C, the BI in pretreated 20-PM-MAP samples was 32.44% to 58.35% less than N-MAP samples, on the last day of storage. The 20-PM-MAP samples pretreated with 1.5% CaL/0.5% Cys had the highest (P <0.05) crispness coefficient and water content values. It seems that packaging the pretreated lettuce in 20-PM-MA packages is more effective for maintaining the visual properties (green fresh appearance) of this product, from the 8th to the 12th day of storage. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The medium to high respiration rate of fresh-cut lettuce causes O2 level drops below its tolerance limit (<1% to 3%) inside the modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). It results in severe browning, off-odors, off-flavor, and growth of anaerobiosis. Perforated-mediated modified atmosphere packaging (PM-MAP) technology can be introduced as an alternative to a nonperforated MAP system (conventional MAP) for fresh-cut lettuce. The application of the PM-MAP system in combination with calcium lactate and cysteine immersion pretreatment (CaL/Cys) may lead to better maintenance of the physicochemical properties of this product.

Stimulating E-Mobility Diffusion in Germany (EMOSIM): An Agent-Based Simulation Approach

The German Climate Action Plan targets an electric vehicle fleet of 6 million by 2030. However, from today’s perspective, we are far away from a path that is steep enough to reach this goal. In order to identify how different policy instruments can stimulate e-mobility diffusion in Germany, we build and calibrate an agent-based simulation model (ABM). The model allows for the consideration of the rich dynamics of social influence as well as the heterogeneity of actors and is flexible enough to be applied with other technologies. We simulate different policy scenarios against a business as usual (BAU) scenario. We show that with the currently implemented set of policies (BAU scenario), it is very unlikely that the envisaged goals in terms of e-mobility diffusion can be reached. Moreover, we suggest additional measures such as a carbon tax on fuel, more charging points, and higher direct subsidies, which are as a combined package likely to have a significantly positive effect on the diffusion of electric cars.

Mechanical properties of dried fruit packaging materials

One of the important mechanical properties of packaging materials is its tensile strength. The good tensile strength is essential for materials and their mobility, packaging and for correctness when forming packing units. In this paper, stability of mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation) was tested, for five types of plastics used as packaging material. The tested materials are made of single and combined packaging materials: PE 95 μm, OPP 20 μm, PE/OPP 20/50 μm, OPPmet 20 μm and PET/PE/OPP 12/38/30 μm. Testing of tensile strength and elongation of the material during tearing of the packaging material was performed with the following dynamics: 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 days. The packed contents were dried apples. All materials showed good insulating properties and stability of the welding site. The quality of packaged dried apples, based on the test results, was assessed as good for the technology and product characteristics. In terms of strength PET/OPPmet/PE, OPPmet and OPP proved to be the best materials. In case of exposure of the package to mechanical loads it is recommended to use some of these three materials.

Identifying interventions with Gypsies, Roma and Travellers to promote immunisation uptake: methodological approach and findings

BackgroundIn the UK, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities are generally considered to be at risk of low or variable immunisation uptake. Many strategies to increase uptake for the general population are relevant for GRT communities, however additional approaches may also be required, and importantly one cannot assume that “one size fits all”. Robust methods are needed to identify content and methods of delivery that are likely to be acceptable, feasible, effective and cost effective. In this paper, we describe the approach taken to identify potential interventions to increase uptake of immunisations in six GRT communities in four UK cities; and present the list of prioritised interventions that emerged.MethodsThis work was conducted in three stages: (1) a modified intervention mapping process to identify ideas for potential interventions; (2) a two-step prioritisation activity at workshops with 51 GRTs and 25 Service Providers to agree a prioritised list of potentially feasible and acceptable interventions for each community; (3) cross-community synthesis to produce a final list of interventions. The theoretical framework underpinning the study was the Social Ecological Model.ResultsFive priority interventions were agreed across communities and Service Providers to improve the uptake of immunisation amongst GRTs who are housed or settled on an authorised site. These interventions are all at the Institutional (e.g. cultural competence training) and Policy (e.g. protected funding) levels of the Social Ecological Model.ConclusionsThe “upstream” nature of the five interventions reinforces the key role of GP practices, frontline workers and wider NHS systems on improving immunisation uptake. All five interventions have potentially broader applicability than GRTs. We believe that their impact would be enhanced if delivered as a combined package. The robust intervention development and co-production methods described could usefully be applied to other communities where poor uptake of immunisation is a concern.Study registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN20019630, Date of registration 01-08-2013, Prospectively registered.

Enhancing mixed accountability for state-society synergy: South Korea’s responses to COVID-19 with ambidexterity governance

ABSTRACT This essay is undertaken to analyze South Korea’s successful strategies in tracing promptly and dealing properly with the corona pandemic. The “K-Quarantine” model can be identified as a combined total package of state-society synergy, equipped with a series of critical factors, such as institutionalized learning effects from MERS, the government leadership inherited from Korea’s development state in the past, civic engagements with voluntary and transparent channels, high level of medical and ICT technology, and mixed accountability between coercive governance and adaptive governance. The Korean model, despite its successful achievements, can neither be exported nor imitated by the Global South, since it is uniquely home-grown within Korea’s specific contexts and domestic multi-stakeholders involved in mixed accountability.

Denmark

Denmark’s insurance sector is highly developed with a particularly high penetration and density in the life sector. Traditionally, work-related life insurance and pension savings are offered as a combined package, and life insurance companies dominate the market for mandatory pension schemes for employees. The high penetration explains the overall size of the insurance sector, which exceeds those of peers from other Nordic countries and various other EU member states. Assets managed by the insurance industry amounted to 146 percent of the GDP at end-2018, compared to 72 percent for the EU average.

Modelling subject variability in the spatial and temporal characteristics of functional modes

Recent work has highlighted the scale and ubiquity of subject variability in observations from functional MRI data (fMRI). Furthermore, it is highly likely that errors in the estimation of either the spatial presentation of, or the coupling between, functional regions can confound cross-subject analyses, making accurate and unbiased representations of functional data essential for interpreting any downstream analyses. Here, we extend the framework of probabilistic functional modes (PFMs) (Harrison et al., 2015) to capture cross-subject variability not only in the mode spatial maps, but also in the functional coupling between modes and in mode amplitudes. A new implementation of the inference now also allows for the analysis of modern, large-scale data sets, and the combined inference and analysis package, PROFUMO, is available from git.fmrib.ox.ac.uk/samh/profumo. A new implementation of the inference now also allows for the analysis of modern, large-scale data sets. Using simulated data, resting-state data from 1000 subjects collected as part of the Human Connectome Project (Van Essen et al., 2013), and an analysis of 14 subjects in a variety of continuous task-states (Kieliba et al., 2019), we demonstrate how PFMs are able to capture, within a single model, a rich description of how the spatio-temporal structure of resting-state fMRI activity varies across subjects.We also compare the new PFM model to the well established independent component analysis with dual regression (ICA-DR) pipeline. This reveals that, under PFM assumptions, much more of the (behaviorally relevant) cross-subject variability in fMRI activity should be attributed to the variability in spatial maps, and that, after accounting for this, functional coupling between modes primarily reflects current cognitive state. This has fundamental implications for the interpretation of cross-sectional studies of functional connectivity that do not capture cross-subject variability to the same extent as PFMs.

High-CO2 Modified Atmosphere Packaging with Superchilling (-1.3 °C) Inhibit Biochemical and Flavor Changes in Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) during Storage.

The effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) in combination with superchilling (−1.3 °C) on the physicochemical properties, flavor retention, and organoleptic evaluation of turbot samples were investigated during 27 days storage. Results showed that high-CO2 packaging (70% or 60% CO2) combined with superchilling could reduce the productions of off-flavor compounds, including total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and ATP-related compounds. Twenty-four volatile organic compounds were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) during storage, including eight alcohols, 11 aldehydes, and five ketones. The relative content of off-odor volatiles, such as 1-octen-3-ol, 1-penten-3-ol, (E)-2-octenal, octanal, and 2,3-octanedione, was also reduced by high-CO2 packaging during superchilling storage. Further, 60% CO2/10% O2/30% N2 with superchilling (−1.3 °C) could retard the water migration on the basis of the water holding capacity, low field NMR, and MRI results, and maintain the quality of turbot according to organoleptic evaluation results during storage

Auditing and design evaluation of building automation and control systems based on eu.bac system audit – Danish case study

Abstract Improving the energy performance of buildings will prove vital for countries worldwide to reduce their energy consumption and emissions. A key player in reaching this goal is building automation and control, as having well-designed and operated building automation and control systems (BACS) provide large capabilities in optimizing the energy performance of different systems. In this regard, building owners and planners must be able to assess and evaluate the current status of their BACS and identify potential improvements. While there has been a large block of work done in Denmark along with regulations aiming to audit the overall building performance and individual systems characteristics, very little has been done in the field of auditing the building automation and control system and evaluating its structure and operation patterns. This lack of systematic BACS auditing and evaluation in Danish buildings is addressed in this work with the first implementation and evaluation of the eu.bac System methodology in a university office building. The building was found to comply with the lowest automation and control class E. Two BACS retrofit packages were proposed and evaluated, and energy savings up to 28.5% are reported. The preliminary assessment results reported demonstrate the potential of building automation and control retrofit measures in a combined holistic improvement package alongside building envelope upgrade. In addition, the impact of the eu.bac System improvements and labeling on the building's classification based on the recent Danish building regulation BR18 is evaluated. The study discusses the feasibility of eu.bac System tool implementation in Danish buildings and suggests improvements. It also correlates and compares the eu.bac System audit to the upcoming European SRI instrument. In light of the huge efforts to digitalize the Danish energy sector, ensuring proper design and operation of BACS is of great importance. Thus, a systematic and methodical BACS auditing and evaluation methodology will be a crucial part of buildings’ initial and retro-commissioning platforms.

Industrial Service Engineering - Training Requirements for Systematic Service Development

Increasing digitization and rising customer requirements represent an opportunity for companies in the machine- and plant engineering industry. For long-term success, combined packages of product and service must be offered, to gain additional revenues and a unique selling proposition. Basically, the advantages of these bundles are slowly establishing themselves in industrial companies. The problem is, that the development and improvement of these bundles run often unsystematically, without a strategy. In Austria, companies are facing the issue, that they are not able to develop new services, due to a shortage of specially skilled employees. This derives out of a lack of clear definition of educational requirements. In order to identify those gaps, an empirical investigation based on expert interviews was conducted and the current status of training requirements was defined. As a result, future service job profiles and potential trends for education and training in the service area of industrial companies were derived thus machine- and plant engineering companies can innovate their employee education strategy.

FORECASTING THE MORPHOLOGICAL COMPOSITION OF MUNICIPAL WASTE IN THE DESIGN THE CITY SANITARY SCHEME

The article substantiates the importance of predicting the morphological composition of solid waste. For the forecasting study, initial data were collected by surveying the residents of Vinnytsia. This study made it possible to predict the impact on the morphological composition of MSW of a number of factors: seasonality factors, external influences, socio-behavioral factors, consumer behavior and personal preferences, living conditions, organizational factors. A correlation was found between the factors and the target variables of forecasting allows to predict the change in the morphological composition of municipal solid waste depending on the socio-domestic changes in the lives of urban citizens.A model for predicting the morphological composition of municipal solid waste was proposed. This prediction model is based on the artificial neural network method. It makes it possible to analyze the ratio of fractions of municipal solid waste produced in a particular household. The choice of an artificial neural network is due to its ability to predict several indicators. The fractions that were predicted are glass, paper and cardboard, plastic of various markings, the fraction of combined packaging, metal and the fraction of non-recyclable waste.The practical implementation of forecasting the morphological composition of solid waste is performed on the example of Vinnytsia. Based on the information obtained by predicting the morphological composition of solid waste, the prospects for the formation of different fractions of solid waste in the city are practically calculated.Developed forecasting can be an effective tool for management decisions on the location of sanitation facilities, by estimating data on the volumes of different fractions produced in different areas.

Slip-and-slide technique for combined small-incision artificial iris and IOL implantation.

A surgical technique is described for reducing surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) during combined implantation of IOL and artificial iris. The CUSTOMFLEX ARTIFICIALIRIS was implanted in 2 patients who suffered from aphakia and complete traumatic aniridia. Implantation of the prosthesis was accompanied by insertion of an IOL that was fixed at the iris implant. Although prosthesis and IOL can be implanted through small incisions individually, the combined package usually requires a larger incision causing greater SIA. The new technique minimizes the SIA because both components are fixed together but can be inserted separately. Final assembling of the iris-IOL package is performed after separate implantation. The technique to implant the artificial iris combined with a nontoric or a toric IOL is described. The slip-and-slide technique was a safe and an effective way to implant an iris-IOL package while keeping the SIA small and reducing the incision size.

Influence of high CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; modified atmosphere packaging on some quality characteristics of fresh farmed pufferfish (Takifugu obscurus) during refrigerated storage

The effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) in combination with cold storage on physicochemical and microbiological changes of farmed pufferfish was studied during 14 days of storage. Results showed that samples with MAP3 (gas composition of 60% CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, 5% O&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, 35% N&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;) treatment had the significantly lower total volatile basic nitrogen, K value, and total viable counts. The water holding capacity, low field NMR analysis and MRI indicated that MAP3 was more effective in maintaining the water content and water migration. Analyses of free amino acids (FAAs) also indicated that MAP3 treatment had a positive effect on preventing the degradation of proteins and retained better flavour quality.

Quality Improvement of Combined Packaging Materials by Ultrasonic Processing

Promising areas of research in the field of the structure of combined packaging polymeric materials consisting of low density polyethylene and paper, surface modification of the paper and methods for influencing the polyethylene melt are examined, the purpose of which is to improve the adhesive interaction between paper and polyethylene. It is shown that the use of ultrasonic processing of polyethylene melt allows for relatively low energy costs to improve the quality of the finished product.

Power Plant Optimisation—Effective Use of the Nelder-Mead Approach

This paper demonstrates the use of a combined software package including IPSEpro and MATLAB in the optimisation of a modern thermal cycle. A 900 MW power plant unit (operating at ultra-supercritical conditions) was considered as the study object. The Nelder-Mead simplex-based, direct search method was used to increase power plant efficiency and to find the optimal thermal cycle configuration. As the literature reveals, the Nelder-Mead approach is very sensitive to the simplex size and to the choice of method coefficients, i.e., reflection, expansion and contraction. When these coefficients are improperly chosen, the finding of the optimal solution cannot be guaranteed, particularly in such complex systems as thermal cycles. Hence, the main goal of the present work was to demonstrate the capability of an integrated software package including IPSEpro, MATLAB and MS Excel in the optimisation process of a complex thermal cycle, as well as to examine the effectiveness of the most popular sets of Nelder-Mead coefficients previously proposed by other researchers. For the investigation purposes, the bleed and outlet pressures from the turbines were considered as decision variables, and the power plant efficiency was used as an objective function.

Determinants of the choice of combined modes for foreign market entry: the case of Korean firms entering into Uzbekistan

The choice of an entry mode is one of the most critical decisions for firms expanding abroad. There are a variety of foreign market entry modes such as exporting, licensing, and foreign direct investment. While many firms use only one single mode, others frequently employ multiple different combined modes for a foreign entry in a package. Mode combination can be an effective way to achieve better performance in foreign operations because of the different modes in a combination package complement each other. The topic of mode combination, however, has not yet been extensively studied theoretically and empirically. In this paper, we examine factors affecting firms’ choice between a single-mode and a combined mode by establishing hypotheses and testing them using questionnaire survey data on Korean manufacturing firms’ recent entry into Uzbekistan.

Rapid and Simple Species Identification of Cicada Exuviae Using COI-Based SCAR Assay.

Cicadidae periostracum (CP), the medicinal name of cicada exuviae, is well-known insect-derived traditional medicine with various pharmacological effects, e.g., anticonvulsive, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, and anticancer effects; it is also beneficial for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. For appropriate CP application, accurate species identification is essential. The Korean pharmacopoeia and the pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China define Cryptotympana atrata as the only authentic source of CP. Species identification of commercially distributed CP based on morphological features, however, is difficult because of the combined packaging of many cicada exuviae in markets, damage during distribution, and processing into powder form. DNA-based molecular markers are an excellent alternative to morphological detection. In this study, the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences of C. atrata, Meimuna opalifera, Platypleura kaempferi, and Hyalessa maculaticollis were analyzed. On the basis of sequence alignments, we developed sequence-characterized amplified-region (SCAR) markers for efficient species identification. These markers successfully discriminated C. atrata from the three other cicada species, and detected the adulteration of market CP samples. This SCAR assay is a rapid, simple, cheap, reliable, and reproducible method for species identification, regardless of sample form and status, and contributes to CP quality control.