Small Package Research Articles

Assessing the Sorting Efficiency of Plastic Packaging Waste in an Italian Material Recovery Facility: Current and Upgraded Configuration

The first step in reintroducing plastic waste into the recycling cycle is to use material recovery facilities (MRFs). However, while the composition and types of plastic waste are changing over time, the layout of MRFs does not always adapt to this change. In this paper, an existing MRF in Southern Italy was chosen as a reference to evaluate its current performance and to estimate possible improvements in sorting through a specific upgrade. First, an analysis of the amount, composition, and sources (in terms of type of waste and distance from the MRF) of the input waste was conducted. The composition of the input waste was then compared with the amount of selected output waste streams in order to calculate the current sorting efficiency of each stream and compare it with the values obtained from the upgrade. Lastly, the current performance of the plant was compared with a previous assessment of the same MRF in order to highlight possible variation. Results showed how the incoming waste was mainly composed of packaging plastic waste, and that some plastic waste not yet selected by the plant ended up in specific output streams. Therefore, the current performance of the MRF resulted high for PET and PE bottles (80.2% and 92.8%, respectively), in contrast to mixed or flexible packaging, where the efficiency achieved lower values (55–50%). These values were caused by a weakness in the 2D flow sorting line, which the upgrade mostly addressed. The upgraded configuration increased the production of recyclable waste from 34.32% to 50.39%, especially due to the recovery of small flexible packaging films in PE and biopolymers.

MiRNAs in Herpesvirus Infection: Powerful Regulators in Small Packages.

microRNAs are a class of small, single-stranded, noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression. They can be significantly dysregulated upon exposure to any infection, serving as important biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Numerous human DNA viruses, along with several herpesviruses, have been found to encode and express functional viral microRNAs known as vmiRNAs, which can play a vital role in host-pathogen interactions by controlling the viral life cycle and altering host biological pathways. Viruses have also adopted a variety of strategies to prevent being targeted by cellular miRNAs. Cellular miRNAs can act as anti- or proviral components, and their dysregulation occurs during a wide range of infections, including herpesvirus infection. This demonstrates the significance of miRNAs in host herpesvirus infection. The current state of knowledge regarding microRNAs and their role in the different stages of herpes virus infection are discussed in this review. It also delineates the therapeutic and biomarker potential of these microRNAs in future research directions.

LIGHT PAYLOAD QUADCOPTER DESIGN FOR THE TRANSPORTATION OF ESSENTIAL GOODS TO PEOPLE IN SELF-ISOLATION

A quadcopter, also called a quadrotor helicopter or quadrotor is a multirotor helicopter that is lifted and propelled by four rotors. In case of lockdown or self-isolation, companies as well as governments can make use of unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with obstacle detection and collision avoidance technology. It is paramount to understand the importance of flight safety with unmanned aerial vehicles. If rules and restrictions are not followed because the user with the controller made an error or was unconscious, a sophisticated system will detect possible conflict and save the drone before collision. In this paper, a digital model was created using MatLab software, in order to analyze and understand how a quadcopter works in its environment. Using the trajectory tools, a well-defined trajectory is defined for a quadcopter in order to better represent its behavior during a light parcel transport assignment. The results obtained can be used to design a drone for the delivery of small packages containing essential goods for people in self-isolation.

Big Things, Small Packages: An Update on Microalgae as Sustainable Sources of Nutraceutical Peptides for Promoting Cardiovascular Health.

In 2017, a review of microalgae protein-derived bioactive peptides relevant in cardiovascular disease (CVD) managementwaspublished. Given the rapid evolution of the field, an update is needed to illumininate recent developments and proffer future suggestions. In this review, the scientific literature (2018-2022) is mined for that purpose and the relevant properties of the identified peptides related to CVD are discussed. The challenges and prospects for microalgae peptides are similarly discussed. Since 2018, several publications have independently confirmed the potential to produce microalgae protein-derived nutraceutical peptides. Peptides that reduce hypertension (by inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme and endothelial nitric oxide synthase), modulate dyslipidemia and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties have been reported, and characterized. Taken together, future research and development investments in nutraceutical peptides from microalgae proteins need to focus on the challenges of large-scale biomass production, improvement in techniques for protein extraction, peptide release and processing, and the need for clinical trials to validate the claimed health benefits as well as formulation of various consumer products with the novel bioactive ingredients.

Optimal design of a single-point electromechanical cable subsurface mooring

ABSTRACT Single-point electromechanical (EM) cable subsurface mooring (EMC-SSM) is an innovative subsea structure used to measure several ocean parameters throughout a water column in real time. However, designing an EMC-SSM that can adapt to rough sea conditions is challenging owing to the relative fragility of EM cables. In this study, an optimisation design method based on parameter sensitivity analysis was proposed to improve the responses of EMC-SSM. The unreasonable design and optimisation value were determined by evaluating the slopes of the sensitivity curves of four response parameters: the minimum and maximum tensions, maximum declination angle, and maximum curvature to the net buoyancy of the main float and big sensor package (BSP); drag; added mass coefficient of the BSP; and net weight and hydrodynamic coefficient of small sensor packages. We found that the proposed optimisation design method is effective in identifying and optimising the unreasonable configurations of mooring similar to the EMC-SSM.

Eight Modes Selective Elliptic-Core Photonic Lantern in MIMO-Free Mode Division Multiplexing Systems at S+C+L Bands

We propose an elliptical-core mode selective photonic lantern (EC-MSPL), which can be well matched to mode division multiplexing (MDM) systems without multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). The taper region of the small package satisfying the adiabatic condition is obtained through two-stage taper related parameter optimization, which can reduce the length of the taper region without affecting the PL performance. Finally, we simulated the results for step-index EC-MSPL and graded-index EC-MSPL at taper lengths of 10 cm and 5 cm, respectively, using the beam propagation method. Both types of PL can achieve low-loss mode conversion and crosstalk below −15.6 dB at 1550 nm wavelength. At the same time, the coupling efficiencies of the two PL modes in the S+C+L bands are higher than 85% and 71%.

Prophage-Derived Regions in Curtobacterium Genomes: Good Things, Small Packages.

Curtobacterium is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria within the order Actinomycetales. Some Curtobacterium species (C. flaccumfaciens, C. plantarum) are harmful pathogens of agricultural crops such as soybean, dry beans, peas, sugar beet and beetroot, which occur throughout the world. Bacteriophages (bacterial viruses) are considered to be potential curative agents to control the spread of harmful bacteria. Temperate bacteriophages integrate their genomes into bacterial chromosomes (prophages), sometimes substantially influencing bacterial lifestyle and pathogenicity. About 200 publicly available genomes of Curtobacterium species, including environmental metagenomic sequences, were inspected for the presence of sequences of possible prophage origin using bioinformatic methods. The comparison of the search results with several ubiquitous bacterial groups showed the relatively low level of the presence of prophage traces in Curtobacterium genomes. Genomic and phylogenetic analyses were undertaken for the evaluation of the evolutionary and taxonomic positioning of predicted prophages. The analyses indicated the relatedness of Curtobacterium prophage-derived sequences with temperate actinophages of siphoviral morphology. In most cases, the predicted prophages can represent novel phage taxa not described previously. One of the predicted temperate phages was induced from the Curtobacterium genome. Bioinformatic analysis of the modelled proteins encoded in prophage-derived regions led to the discovery of some 100 putative glycopolymer-degrading enzymes that contained enzymatic domains with predicted cell-wall- and cell-envelope-degrading activity; these included glycosidases and peptidases. These proteins can be considered for the experimental design of new antibacterials against Curtobacterium phytopathogens.

Cultural Resource Management: A Collaborative Primer for Archaeologists

Cultural Resource Management: A Collaborative Primer for Archaeologists

Full-color eye-box expansion via holographic volume gratings recorded in photo-thermo-refractive glass.

Conventional head-up displays (HUDs) suffer from a limited exit pupil and a lack of compactness mainly due to the use of bulky optics. HUDs need a high-quality image with a large field of view (FOV) in small packaging to gain commercial acceptability. Holographic HUDs are phase-only devices that allow vision correction and focus adjustment while having a wide FOV. However, the limited bandwidth of a spatial light modulator (SLM) imposes a trade-off between the FOV and eye-box size. Combining a holographic system with an image-replicating element eliminates such a tradeoff. For image replication, we designed and fabricated a compact 2D diffractive beam splitter formed from two perpendicular volume gratings operating in the Raman-Nath regime. The gratings were recorded holographically in photo-thermo-refractive (PTR) glass, with optimized index modulation, thickness, and period to provide uniform intensity distribution across all desired orders for the fundamental red, green and blue (RGB) colors. We demonstrated a full-color holographic projection with an eye-box expanded by the designed 2D diffractive beam splitters.

Sub-1-mm2 GaN Doherty Power Amplifier With Compact Source and Load Networks for a Small Form-Factor Package

In this letter, a gallium nitride (GaN) Doherty power amplifier (DPA) occupying a sub-1-mm2 die area is presented. This small die with compact source network (CSN) and compact load network (CLN) can be fully packaged in a small form factor. Previous solutions have integrated all components into the die with complicated matching and bias networks, resulting in a large and expensive die area. Innovative component merging and compact bond-wire matching in the CSN and CLN have substantially reduced the die size for future massive multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) small cells. This proposed DPA was designed and fabricated using a commercial 150-nm GaN/silicon carbide (SiC) high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) process to validate architecture and design methodologies. Experimental results demonstrate that this sub-1-mm2 DPA can deliver saturated powers (Psat) of 38-39 dBm from 4.2 to 4.6 GHz. Measured drain efficiencies (DEs) of the proposed DPA are more than 45 %, from the 6-dB back off power to Psat, over the entire frequency band.

Indonesian Logistics Preferences during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to identify the critical factors of shipping success and courier services in Indonesia. The study uses a survey questionnaire in Indonesia on the consumer preferences of logistics service consumers, using the location of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) as the locational preferences. The critical factors consist of ease of use of delivery services; estimated shipments; package delivery location; delivery operational time; availability of packaging services; pricing methods; package guarantee; payment method for shipping costs; ease of use serving tracking; tracking maps; delivery location; delivery operational time; availability of delivery information packages; delivery failed compensation; service scape, corporate image, user image, product image, and price. A total of 150 respondents participated in this study. In conclusion, most consumers use the logistics service for small package delivery. The consumer also did not believe the service provider needed to be available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Nevertheless, they prefer it if the provider provides the shipping day estimation. The results of the rate preference survey, the consumer study reveals that for the safety of the shipping process, providers must charge an additional fee for standard packaging. Also, the consumers are willing to pay more for the warranty of the package protection during the shipping process. Thus, the providers service includes extra packaging based on the package type. Moreover, they need access to track the package in real-time using the provider's application or website. Hence, the courier and all the staff must update the package position during the shipping process.

Analysis and Prediction of Universities’ Buildings’ Renovation Costs Using a Regression Model

The aim of this article is to create a model, based on regression analysis, that will calculate the predicted annual renovation costs in educational buildings. To find the correlation between different variables and the renovation costs, two phases of analysis were distinguished. The aim of the first phase was to find the correlations with different variables and the renovation costs on a selected, small package of data. The second phase was more detailed, the final database was wider, and the variables’ correlations based on the findings achieved in the first phase were used. In the second phase, 55 buildings, located in Cracow (Poland) and Lodz (Poland), have been analyzed and the costs of renovation were compared. The results of the research showed that maintenance costs for educational buildings can be predicted in the coming years by knowing the usable area and the period since the last major renovation until today, which needs to be expressed in years. To predict future cost expenditure, a cumulative year-on-year bivariate linear regression model was calculated. The trend line equation has been determined, which allows to predict the renovation costs in the accurate short term. The developed model can be used by owners and managers of public buildings in the proper planning of expenses related to the maintenance of facilities.

Ionospheric measurement using a linearly polarized tri-band small satellite beacon

Radio waves propagating the ionosphere are subject to a number of unpredictable and corrupting effects, the most significant of which are phase path reduction, Faraday rotation, and scintillation. A method of measuring these effects is necessary in order to study and understand the solar-terrestrial connections, as well as to anticipate their impact on radio systems. However, limitations in current measurement solutions, most notably the lack of direct ionospheric Faraday rotation measurement capability, restricts the ability to characterize the ionosphere to a sufficient degree for applications such as the detection of coronal mass ejections. The rise in popularity of small satellites presents a new cost-effective opportunity to study and observe the ionosphere in detail, however the challenge of realizing a beacon within the constraints of a small satellite system must be overcome. In this paper, we introduce a measurement technique that builds on past multi-frequency beacons, incorporating the well established differential phase technique, as well as introducing a new differential polarization technique. We achieve this by employing linearly polarized beacon signals, which enables us to separate phase path reduction and Faraday rotation into a phase and polarization error respectively. The introduction of linear polarization overcomes a key limitations in current ionospheric measurement techniques: eliminating errors associated with indirect Faraday rotation measurement. The additional polarization data also enables absolute unambiguous measurement of both parameters with fewer and lower frequencies than conventional solutions, as well as without the need for precise satellite clock, phase biases and positioning data. These characteristics correspond with a reduction in the size, power and complexity of the satellite payload, and as a result, our technique better suited to small satellite applications. To validate the capability of measuring the ionosphere within the constraints of a small satellite package, we establish the influence of system noise, weak scattering, clock errors and antenna characteristics on the measurement technique. We then use this to inform a starting point for a CubeSat beacon and receiver design solution which achieves unambiguous and high-resolution measurement of ionospheric parameters with practicable system requirements and constraints. This starting point demonstrates that a resolution of 12mTECU and 0.03rad/m2 for the electron density and Faraday rotation estimates respectively, as well as useful scintillation measurements dominated by scintillation noise may be achieved utilizing a tri-band 3U CubeSat beacon with frequencies 144.2MHz, 432.6MHz, and 1297.8MHz, a transmitter power of no more than 4watts, and antenna requirements consistent with a dipole type antenna.

Radioactive waste repackaging simulation based on MATLAB/Simulink

This study implemented a packaging and drum generation process for radioactive waste using Matlab/Simulink. The simulation was based on the regulations of field work, and aimed to derive the optimal repackaging method by adjusting the constraints. We analyzed the radioactive waste nuclide concentration, weight, and small package amount as constraints and also analyzed the number of drums for each radioactive level generated according to the scenarios. The radioactive waste repackaging process simulation was designed to analyze cases according to the confidence interval, and the optimization algorithm to reduce the number of radioactive waste drums was analyzed while checking the change in the number of drums according to the repackaging scenario. Simulation analysis can be used for radioactive waste management and analysis, decision-making, and generation prediction, and through systematic management, the safety and economic efficiency of radioactive waste management can be expected.

Rents for Pills: Financial incentives and physician behavior

We study the impact of financial incentives on the prescription behavior of physicians based on a recent reform in two large Swiss cities. The reform opened up an additional income channel for physician by allowing them to earn a markup on drugs they prescribe to their patients. We find that the reform leads to an increase in drug costs by about 4%–5% per patient translating to significantly higher physician earnings. The revenue increase can be decomposed into a substitution and rent-seeking component. Our analysis indicates that physicians engage in rent-seeking by substituting larger with smaller packages and by cherry-picking more profitable brands. Although patient health is not sacrificed, the rent-seeking behavior results in unnecessary costs for society.

Extracellular Vesicles in Preeclampsia: Can Small Packages Carry a Big Punch?

(Anesth Analg. 2022;134:710–712) Globally, 9%, 5%, and 1.2% of pregnancies are complicated by preeclampsia, developing preeclampsia, and eclampsia, respectively. These complicated pregnancies represent 8% to 16% of maternal pregnancy deaths in high-income countries. In addition, these medical conditions often result in persistent vascular dysfunction after delivery, increased risk of lifelong hypertension and cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, renal failure, and a 40% increase in premature mortality for the mother. In the child, hypertensive disorders often result in preterm delivery and subsequent severe complications of prematurity. This article analyzes two primary possible causes for preeclampsia and their corresponding studies.

Options for Methane Fuel Processing in PEMFC System with Potential Maritime Applications

Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are low-temperature fuel cells that have excellent starting performance due to their low operating temperature, can respond quickly to frequent load fluctuations, and can be manufactured in small packages. Unlike existing studies that mainly used hydrogen as fuel for PEMFCs, in this study, methane is used as fuel for PEMFCs to investigate its performance and economy. Methane is a major component of natural gas, which is more economically competitive than hydrogen. In this study, methane gas is reformed by the steam reforming method and is applied to the following five gas post-treatment systems: (a) Case 1—water–gas shift only (WGS), (b) Case 2—partial oxidation reforming only (PROX), (c) Case 3—methanation only, (d) Case 4—WGS + methanation, (e) Case 5—WGS + PROX. In the evaluation, the carbon monoxide concentration in the gas did not exceed 10 ppm, and the methane component, which has a very large greenhouse effect, was not regenerated in the post-treated exhaust gas. As a result, Case 5 (WGS and PROX) is the only case that satisfied both criteria. Therefore, we propose Case 5 as an optimized post-treatment system for methane reforming gas in ship PEMFCs.

A wearable shear force transducer based on color spectrum analysis

The need for miniaturized shear force sensors is expanding, particularly for biomedical applications. Examples include measuring interfacial shear stresses between a human and an external device (e.g. footwear or a prosthesis). However, there are considerable challenges in designing a shear sensor for these applications due to the need for a small package, low power requirements, and resistance to interference from motion artifact and electromagnetic fields. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization sensor that measures two-axis shear force by detecting displacement between a color panel and a red, green, and blue light-sensing photodiode. The sensor response to applied displacements and forces was characterized under benchtop testing conditions. We also present the design of a prototype wireless version of the sensor for integration into footwear. The sensor exhibited strong agreement with gold standard measurements for two-axis shear displacements (R 2 > 0.99, RMSE ⩽ 5.0 µm) and forces (R 2 > 0.99, RMSE ⩽ 0.94 N). This performance, along with the sensor’s scalability, miniaturized form, and low power requirements make it well-suited a variety of biomedical applications.

Co-transduction of dual-adeno-associated virus vectors in the neonatal and adult mouse utricles.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene transfer is an efficient method of gene over-expression in the vestibular end organs. However, AAV has limited usefulness for delivering a large gene, or multiple genes, due to its small packaging capacity (< 5 kb). Co-transduction of dual-AAV vectors can be used to increase the packaging capacity for gene delivery to various organs and tissues. However, its usefulness has not been well validated in the vestibular sensory epithelium. In the present study, we characterized the co-transduction of dual-AAV vectors in mouse utricles following inoculation of two AAV-serotype inner ear (AAV-ie) vectors via canalostomy. Firstly, co-transduction efficiencies were compared between dual-AAV-ie vectors using two different promoters: cytomegalovirus (CMV) and CMV early enhancer/chicken β-actin (CAG). In the group of dual AAV-ie-CAG vectors, the co-transduction rates for striolar hair cells (HCs), extrastriolar HCs, striolar supporting cells (SCs), and extrastriolar SCs were 23.14 ± 2.25%, 27.05 ± 2.10%, 57.65 ± 7.21%, and 60.33 ± 5.69%, respectively. The co-transduction rates in the group of dual AAV-ie-CMV vectors were comparable to those in the dual AAV-ie-CAG group. Next, we examined the co-transduction of dual-AAV-ie-CAG vectors in the utricles of neonatal mice and damaged adult mice. In the neonatal mice, co-transduction rates were 52.88 ± 3.11% and 44.93 ± 2.06% in the striolar and extrastriolar HCs, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in adult mice. In the Pou4f3+/DTR mice, following diphtheria toxin administration, which eliminated most HCs and spared the SCs, the co-transduction rate of SCs was not significantly different to that of normal utricles. Transgene expression persisted for up to 3 months in the adult mice. Furthermore, sequential administration of two AAV-ie-CAG vectors at an interval of 1 week resulted in a higher co-transduction rate in HCs than concurrent delivery. The auditory brainstem responses and swim tests did not reveal any disruption of auditory or vestibular function after co-transduction with dual-AAV-ie vectors. In conclusion, dual-AAV-ie vectors allow efficient co-transduction in the vestibular sensory epithelium and facilitate the delivery of large or multiple genes for vestibular gene therapy.

Tripeptide Leu-Ser-Trp Regulates the Vascular Endothelial Cells Phenotype Switching by Mediating the Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Packaging of miR-145.

Tripeptide LSW, initially identified as a potent ACE inhibitory peptide from soybean protein, was recently reported to exert a protective effect against angiotensin II-induced endothelial dysfunction via extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, the molecular mechanisms, especially in lipid accumulation-induced atherosclerosis, still remain unclear. The study aimed to investigate whether the protective effects of LSW against endothelial dysfunction on vascular endothelial cells (VECs) was via vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs)-derived miRNA-145 packaged in EVs. The miRNA-145 was concentrated in EVs from LSW-treated VSMCs (LEVs), internalized into the HVUECs, and targeted the programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) expression of HUVECs. Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) was applied to induce endothelial dysfunction in HUVECs; oxLDL-induced endothelial dysfunction in HUVECs was attenuated by PDCD4 knockout or LEVs incubation. The results of this study suggested a novel function of LSW as a regulator on the functional EVs from vascular cells in the oxLDL-induced atherosclerotic model.