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BACKGROUND: Deinking is an important part of paper recycling that involves the removal of ink particles from the paper fibres. This industrial process is important so that the fibres can be recirculated back into paper production, which enables better sustainability as fewer fresh fibres are needed. In this study, we examined five different alternative fibre materials from different agricultural residues and industrial processes for the pilot production of papers. Papers containing fibres from invasive plants (Japanese knotweed), dedicated crops (miscanthus, acacia), agricultural residues (tomato stems), and industrial waste (jute - fibres from coffee bags) were printed with water-based flexo inks and deinked with two separate processes (chemical and enzymes). Mechanical (break and tensile index, breaking length) and optical properties (ISO whiteness, brightness and CIE L*a*b* values) were measured and ink elimination IR700 and deinking efficiency was calculated for the two deinking processes. RESULTS: Enzymatic treatment improved the mechanical properties of deinked pulp in comparison with the classic chemical treatment. Mechanical strength for almost all papers increased slightly (breaking length up to 20% in tomato and jute), and the optical result (brightness) increased similarly for both processes due to the bleaching action of the colour-shaded samples, whereas the deinking efficiency showed mixed results between chemical- and enzyme-type deinking (with chemical achieving better elimination measured at 700 nm) in the typical range of ink elimination values (15-35%) for flexographic inks. This indicates further optimization of the deinking with enzymes is needed due to different alternative fibre compositions and variations of residues in the delignification processes. CONCLUSION: Using a combination of adjusted enzymatic treatment as a precursor for deinking of paper-based packaging materials sourced from alternative fibres showed promising results regarding mechanical properties, whereas the optical properties need to be improved with cellulase optimization or by using mixes of different enzymes. These kinds of paper materials printed with flexo inks were found to be successfully deinkable with the chemical ISO-based deinking protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately assessing the color quality of printed products becomes intricate when optical brightening agents (OBAs) are introduced in papers, as diverse interactions occur among different ink pigments and papers containing OBAs due to variations in ink formulation chemistries. Specifically, alkali‐based pigments, commonly used as spot colors, are carefully formulated to ensure consistency across production batches. The presence of OBAs, which absorb ultraviolet light and emit it in the visible spectrum, significantly affects color perception and accuracy on paper when interacting with these inks. This research marks an initial investigation into how OBAs in paper influence the color accuracy of five distinct alkali‐based spot color paste inks using a Little Joe ink proofer. The research examines the physical, optical, and colorimetric characteristics of two paper samples‐one with OBA and one without‐ and analyzes the colorimetric changes occurring during the ink drying process. The results indicate that reflex blue, purple, and violet spot colors achieved acceptable delta E (ΔE00) value of below 3 on non‐OBA paper, with rubine red being on the borderline at 3.1 after 48 h. In contrast, purple, rhodamine red and violet achieved acceptable ΔE00 below 3 on high OBA paper. The distinct behavior exhibited by certain inks led to the conclusion that achieving a consistent proofing procedure across diverse alkali‐based ink formulations is impractical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the needs of augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR), smart contact lenses (SCL) have become an important platform as a display source in the future consumer market. Accordingly, this paper demonstrates a display device based on contact lenses. This device integrates a 3 × 3 Mini‐LED display array, a micro antenna, and a driver and transmission chip and is packaged in a smart contact lens made of hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). It is note that in order to simultaneously meet the goals of wearing comfort, biocompatibility, wireless energy transmission and adjustable display functions, the final package thickness needs to be less than 200 μm. Here, we use heterogeneous packaging technology to connect the driver and transmission chip and the Mini‐LED display array with metal wires on the flexible substrate, and use metal wires on the same conductive layer to design the antenna required for wireless energy transmission. In order to complete the above functions, we use 920 MHz RFID technology as the energy source for wireless energy transmission. When the antenna of the RFID reader is 2 cm away from the smart contact lens, the designed receiving chip can receive 100 μW of energy. After converting this energy to DC 3 V, it can drive Mini‐LED with a current of about 30 μA, and the mini‐LED display array can be instantly controlled to display different contents by transmitting display commands through the RFID protocol. © 2024 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high gain D‐band hybrid integrated on‐chip antenna (OCA) based on a low‐cost printed circuit board (PCB) packaging technology is analyzed and designed in a standard 40‐nm CMOS process in this paper. The proposed OCA is a hybrid structure of a slotted patch OCA with off‐chip PCB ground and off‐chip dielectric resonator (DR). The proposed OCA exhibits a simulated gain of 3.5 dBi and 53% radiation efficiency at 150 GHz. The simulated impedance bandwidth is 20 GHz. The radiation performance and impedance bandwidth of the OCA are observably improved with the proposed techniques. The proposed OCA occupies 0.52 × 0.56 mm2, and addresses the highly desirable yet challenging overall design of future low‐cost integrated millimeter‐wave (mm‐Wave) and terahertz (THz) systems, which hit the mark on cost and compatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pectin and sodium alginate (SA) composite films were prepared by adding various concentrations of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) via solvent casting using glycerol as a plasticizer. Herein, elephant egesta was turned into cellulose fibers from which MFC was extracted. This paper aims to examine the reinforcing property of MFC on the pectin/SA matrix. Fibrous morphology, qualitative analysis, crystallinity, and thermal stability of MFC were confirmed through SEM, FT‐IR, XRD, and TGA‐DTA analysis, respectively. The impact of various compositions of MFC (0.5%, 1%, 2%, and 5%) on the biopolymeric blend was analyzed based on mechanical and optical properties, hygroscopicity, and hydrophilicity. The outcomes revealed that adding MFC to 5% enhances the film's tensile strength by 51%. The produced film also served as a successful barrier against UV–visible light. Moreover, it exhibits a tremendous increase in contact angle and a decrease in properties such as elongation at break, moisture content (MC) and water solubility (WS). Therefore, MFC can be an excellent reinforcing agent in biodegradable polymer composites, which finds application in the food packaging industry. Highlights: Microfibrillated cellulose was successfully extracted from elephant egesta and characterized.Energy efficient method of extraction.Pectin/SA films were incorporated with the extracted MFC via solvent casting.Prepared films show enhanced tensile strength and UV–visible barrier property which makes them suitable for packaging purposes.Bio‐based polymers reduce environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Flexible packaging has become indispensable in the food industry due to its numerous advantages. However, it has certain drawbacks, such as limited recyclability and environmental contamination. While efforts are underway to develop more sustainable and eco‐friendly packaging options, the food industry's reliance on flexible packaging made from unsustainable petro‐based plastics is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. Therefore, more sustainable alternatives that do not sacrifice performance are required. One such option is to use nanocellulose, especially cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), which can be reinforced into biopolymer to enhance mechanical and barrier properties. The present study aims to isolate kudzu CNCs by depolymerisation, bleaching, acid hydrolysis with 51% sulfuric acid, and mechanical dispersion. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to assess the thermal stability of kudzu fibres. Further, the FTIR spectra were measured at wave number ranged 4000–500 cm−1, which showed changes in the structure after treatments and confirmed the removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the cellulose. The isolated CNCs were found to have lengths and diameters of 285.01 ± 150.33 nm and 42.78 ± 13.26 nm, respectively, with an aspect ratio of 6.43 ± 1.78. This study showed that kudzu CNCs are a suitable reinforcing material for nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Packaging is fundamental for food preservation and transportation but generates an environmental burden from its production and end‐of‐life management. This review evaluates packaging contribution to the environmental performance of seafood products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies were evaluated by both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis assessed how direct (e.g., packaging material) and indirect impacts (e.g., influence on seafood loss and waste) have been considered, while the quantitative analysis evaluated packaging contribution to products' weight and climate change impact. Qualitative analysis revealed that seafood LCAs focus mainly on direct environmental impacts arising from packaging materials, for which some articles conducted sensitivity analysis to assess materials substitution. Recycling was found to be the most common recommendation to diminish direct potential environmental impacts arising from packaging end‐of‐life. However, standardized recovery rates and other end‐of‐life options (e.g., reuse), should be considered. Quantitative analysis revealed that cans' production contributes significantly to the overall climate change impact for canned products. On average, it contributes to 42% of a product's climate change impact and 27% of a product's weight. Packaging has a lower contribution when considering freezing, chilling, and other post‐harvesting processing. It represents on average less than 5% of a product's climate change impact (less than 1 kg CO2 eq/kg) and 6% of a product's weight. Packaging material production is more relevant to aluminum, tinplate, and glass than for plastic and paper. Therefore, it is essential to accurately include these materials and their associated processes in inventories to improve the environmental assessment of seafood products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomimetic actuators are promising candidates for smart soft robotics. The applications of state‐of‐the‐art actuators require the combination of programmable stimuli‐responsiveness, excellent robustness, and efficient self‐healing ability in a wide‐range of working conditions. However, these properties may be mutually exclusive. Inspired by biological tissues, two kinds of polyelectrolytes including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) are exploited as the fillers of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) for the fabrication of the CNF/PVA/PSS (CAS) film via the assembly of the physically‐crosslinked network through multiple H‐bonding and electrostatic interactions. Achieved by a casting‐evaporation strategy, internal stress is stored within the polymer matrix and transforms into reversible anisotropic bending deformations in response to a humidity gradient. The speed, direction, and pitch of the bending can be programmed by tailoring the internal stresses and geometry of the samples. Moreover, the H‐bonded network also contributes to the effective energy dissipation toward high toughness during tensile stretching, as well as self‐healing ability during moisture saturation of the CAS films. This enables the fabrication of a humidity‐sensitive flower‐shaped actuator and self‐healable packaging paper. This study presents a biomimetic strategy for the fabrication of multi‐functional soft robotics, which holds great promise for applications in the fields of biosensors and smart packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The installation of quantum chemistry software packages is commonly done manually and can be a time‐consuming and complicated process. An update of the underlying Linux system requires a reinstallation in many cases and can quietly break software installed on the system. In this paper, we present an approach that allows for an easy installation of quantum chemistry software packages, which is also independent of operating system updates. The use of the Nix package manager allows building software in a reproducible manner, which allows for a reconstruction of the software for later reproduction of scientific results. The build recipes that are provided can be readily used by anyone to avoid complex installation procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even in these challenging times, cardboard packaging industry is increasing its revenue with stable annual increase prediction, but customers are increasing demands on the packaging with respect to environmental protection, attractiveness, and branding. This article aims to determine the influence of image processing in terms of gray component replacement and overprint varnishing on the color reproduction on a cardboard packaging material. A test chart with tertiary colors was defined and modified by different gray component replacement levels. It was printed in accordance with ISO norm on coated and uncoated cardboard and finished by overprinting water based, offset, and UV varnish. The prepared samples were evaluated by measuring surface coverage, tone value increase (dot gain) of primary colors and calculating ΔE00 of defined tertiary colors. The results showed that gray component replacement application reduces ink consumption. Higher gray component replacement applied results in lower ink surface coverage, but the decrease is also dependent on the image content. The TVI (dot gain) is significantly influenced only by applying UV varnish, resulting with higher TVI. The color differences of the tertiary colors showed that increased level of the gray component replacement applied did not cause significant color differences, even decreased color difference in some cases. Additionally, applying gray component replacement decreased color differences in "reddish" part of the gamut. This research proved that lowering the ink consumption due to the gray component replacement will not cause significant differences in the color reproduction. Furthermore, varnishing with commercial offset or water‐based varnish will not cause higher deviations in color reproduction, but use of the UV varnish would. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a deep‐ultraviolet LED (deep‐UV‐LED) package based on silicon MEMS process technology (Si‐PKG). The package consists of a cavity formed by silicon crystalline anisotropic etching, through‐silicon vias (TSVs) filled with electroplated Cu, bonding metals made of electroplated Ni/AuSn and a quartz lid for hermetic sealing. A deep‐UV LED die is directly mounted in the Si‐PKG by AuSn eutectic bonding without a submount. It has advantages in terms of size, heat dissipation, light utilization efficiency, productivity and cost over conventional AlN ceramic packages. We confirmed a light output of 30 mW and effective reflection on Si (111) cavity slopes in the Si‐PKG. Based on simulation, further improvement of the optical output is expected by optimizing DUV‐LED die mount condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A better performance and consequently the widespread use of polymeric insulators in different parts of the power grid can increase their role in the grid reliability. The accumulation of contamination and housing‐erosion are the two most effective factors in undermining the performance of this type of insulators. Therefore, electric utilities need to identify contaminated insulators for washing and cracks in polymeric housing to replace them with healthy specimens. This paper discusses the impact of contamination layer and housing‐erosion of polymeric insulators on the partial discharges (PD) at the insulator surface, through RF‐PRPD (phase resolved partial discharge) patterns. The existence of different sources of PDs in a real environment (transmission line or station) makes it difficult to use the PRPD patterns to distinguish them from each other. Therefore, using a conical monopole antenna, the simultaneous PD signals and the related RF‐PRPD pattern of samples under test are captured. The grayscale image was obtained using the time‐frequency matrix of the PD signals transform, by wavelet. Then, features are extracted and selected from grayscale image. By clustering of the PD signals, the resulted RF‐PRPD sub‐patterns are well separated and provided the necessary means to distinguish among the status of different samples under test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multiple micronutrient supplement (MMS) based on the United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation (UNIMMAP) formula provides women and their offspring with a healthy start to life in an efficacious, safe, and cost‐effective way. To date, however, no precise and transparent specifications exist to support the manufacturing and distribution of UNIMMAP–MMS globally. To palliate for this need, the MMS Technical Advisory Group at the New York Academy of Sciences and the Micronutrient Forum convened a technical consultation to develop an open access UNIMMAP–MMS Product Specification for the manufacturing of this product. The specifications offered in this paper cover: ingredients, excipients, and processing aids used in the manufacturing of UNIMMAP–MMS; stability studies recommended under different testing conditions and climatic zones; packaging considerations; manufacturing standards, including pharmacopeia standards, manufacturing practices, certificates of analysis, change control, and quality agreement; finished product specifications, including tablet characterization and purity, potency assay; analytical test methods; and storage and transportation requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, bacterial cellulose (BC) based films incorporated with beeswax (BW) are investigated to study their potential application as packaging material. The films are prepared from 200 g BC suspension, which has a dry weight of about 1 g. Different concentrations (10–40 wt% based on dry weight of BC suspension) of BW are added to enhance hydrophobicity and elasticity of BC‐based films. Carboxymethyl cellulose at 20 wt% and Tween 80 at 30 wt% based on dry weight of BC suspension are also added as the homogenizer and the surfactant, respectively. All components are mixed, degassed, casted, and dried in oven at 45 °C for 16–20 h. Contact angle measurements confirm significant enhancement of hydrophobicity of BC films from 53° without BW to 124° for addition of 40 wt% BW. Tensile testing reveals that elasticity of the films also increases according to percentage of elongation at break for about 38% by addition of 40 wt% BW, whereas tensile strength decreases for about a quarter. Scanning electron microscopy images show that BW covers the surface of BC network and penetrates the membrane pores. Moreover, addition of BW has no significant changes in total color difference and whiteness index of the films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The main aim of this review paper was to focus on current and potential future sources and food applications of natural hydrocolloids in the food industry. The emerging research trends, problems, new methods and alternative approaches in production, environmental concerns, market trends and newly discovered health benefits have been discussed for natural hydrocolloids of commercial relevance. The rheological and surface active properties, interactions, functional properties, films and coatings, encapsulation applications and nanotechnology uses of natural hydrocolloids have been discussed in the light of recent developments. This review also reflected the most up‐to‐date concepts of applying natural hydrocolloids to meet consumer's and food sector's sophisticated demands related to food products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present V.PhyloMaker, a freely available package for R designed to generate phylogenies for vascular plants. The mega‐tree implemented in V.PhyloMaker (i.e. GBOTB.extended.tre), which was derived from two recently published mega‐trees and includes 74 533 species and all families of extant vascular plants, is the largest dated phylogeny for vascular plants. V.PhyloMaker can generate phylogenies for very large species lists (the largest species list that we tested included 314 686 species). V.PhyloMaker generates phylogenies at a fast speed, much faster than other phylogeny‐generating packages. Our tests of V.PhyloMaker show that generating a phylogeny for 60 000 species requires less than six hours. V.PhyloMaker includes an approach to attach genera or species to their close relatives in a phylogeny. We provide a simple example in this paper to show how to use V.PhyloMaker to generate phylogenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Beverage producers in the United States choose packaging based on cost and consumer preference. Monolayer high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) and gable‐top carton containers have long dominated the U.S. fluid milk market, but pressure for more sustainable packaging is increasing. We present a broad discussion on environmental sustainability of 18 fluid milk containers through life cycle assessment. Because different container types require unique milk processing, distribution, and disposal and incur or avoid milk losses, fluid milk delivery systems (FMDSs) are evaluated, rather than containers in isolation. By assessing FMDSs, a complete measure of containers’ environmental sustainability was obtained. Despite conservative assumptions about milk losses, differences in container size, milk processing, distribution, and container recycling, pair‐wise cradle‐to‐grave comparisons of FMDSs show there are no superior FMDSs. But, 500‐ to 1,000‐milliliter FMDSs are potentially superior to ≥half gallon if they prevent milk losses. Thus, the future of FMDSs in the United States depends on the industry's ability to prevent distribution (12%) and consumption milk losses (20% to 35%). Farm‐gate‐to‐grave comparisons showed that chilled HDPE FMDSs are superior to other plastic and chilled paperboard FMDSs for climate‐change impact, but the result is inconclusive for chilled HDPE to ambient (unrefrigerated) paperboard or plastic pouch FMDS comparisons. Plastic pouch FMDSs show potential to reduce nonrenewable fossil energy, but need to be recyclable. Ambient FMDSs are superior to chilled FMDSs for water depletion. Eight‐ounce paperboard FMDSs are superior to 8‐ounce plastic FMDSs. Thus, alternative FMDSs may improve environmental sustainability of the U.S. postfarm fluid milk supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims The alcohol beverage industry has been expanding its corporate social responsibility and other business activities in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of these activities on the physical, economic, psychological and social availability of alcohol in the region. Methods Narrative review. Source materials came from the business press, industry sources (websites, annual reports, press releases, conference proceedings) and the scientific literature published since 2000. Results The alcohol industry has intensified its activities in the African region, through their funding of social aspect organizations, technical publications, policy workshops and other corporate social responsibility activities. Marketing campaigns, new product designs and the development of industry-civil society partnerships have increased. There is evidence that the alcohol industry also engages in lobbying, information dissemination and legal action to thwart effective public health measures. Conclusions The corporate social responsibility activities of the global alcohol industry have provided a vehicle to promote industry-favorable policies and increase the physical, economic, social and psychological availability of alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the available modeling strategy available for description of the packaging behavior, which often takes place in the foams. The packaging process is modeled by means of approaches, which are used in the phase transformation theory. The constitutive model is based on the double-well elastic potential, which is defined for small strains. Two principal approaches are used for the research: discrete method based on the Voronoi tessellation and phase-field method. Discrete modeling approach is required for the estimations of the critical stresses in foams, which leads to the initiation of the packaging process. The phase-field approach is the continual approach, which is required for description of the packaging propagation in the foam. (© 2014 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The usage of natural polysaccharides is attractive to researchers around the world. At the same time, non‐/low‐toxic crosslinkers prepared by polysaccharides are expected to fabricate protein‐based films in many fields. Herein, different dialdehyde polysaccharides (DPs) were successfully synthesized and applied to prepare gliadin‐films under alkaline conditions. The functional properties and formation mechanisms of the films were fully investigated. RESULTS: The results showed that the mechanical properties, water‐resistant properties, thermal stability, and antibacterial properties of the gliadin‐films were improved by DPs and alkali treatment. Particularly dialdehyde dextrin (DAD) crosslinked gliadin‐films showed the highest tensile strength, but no additional effect on their elongation, or advancement on the other functional properties. The film‐forming mechanisms indicated that Schiff base bonds, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, and hydrogen bonds were the main forces in the films, supporting their improvement in functional properties. CONCLUSION: DPs, especially DAD, can be a promising crosslinker in fabricating gliadin‐films. These findings have shown great promise to seek an effective crosslinker for fabricating gliadin/protein‐based packaging. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possibility of manufacturing edible packaging materials with tailored properties and low cost has attracted much interest. This work presents a new material for edible packaging made from flaxseed gum (FSG) and chitosan (Ch) loaded with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO‐NPs). ZnO‐NPs are synthesized in situ during the preparation of the edible film. The Ch/FSG/ZnO‐NPs films are prepared by casting Ch in different ratios of FSG (12.5%, 25%, 37.5%, and 50%). The resulting films are evaluated for their physicochemical, mechanical, and barrier properties to determine their suitability for coating or packaging food or bioproducts. By studying the antimicrobial activities of the ZnO‐NPs loaded films, we can see that ZnO‐NP's concentration highly affects these activities. In addition, the FSG improves mechanical properties. Films developed by incorporating ZnO‐NPs are proposed to be appropriate for low‐moisture food and pharmaceutical products, which can reduce environmental problems associated with synthetic packaging. Consequently, Ch/FSG composite films have the potential to replace conventional packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]