The optimization of container ship and depot operations embeds the k-shift problem, in which containers must be stowed in stacks such that at most k containers must be removed in order to reach containers below them. We first solve an open problem introduced by Avriel et al. (2000) by showing that changing from uncapacitated to capacitated stacks reduces the complexity of this problem from NP-c...

Operating System-level virtualization, also known as a container, is an increasingly popular approach to isolating applications that use the same underlying OS kernel [2, 5–7]. Containers have recently gained popularity as the default back-end for Docker, an application packaging and distribution system used by companies including Google [3]. The purported reason to use containers over a hardwa...

Despite limitations of glass packaging for vaccines, the industry has been slow to implement alternative formats. Polymer containers may address many of these limitations, such as breakage and delamination. However, the ability of polymer containers to achieve cost of goods sold (COGS) and total cost of delivery (TCOD) competitive with that of glass containers is unclear, especially for cost-se...

The ACP guidelines state that ‘Containers must drain well with no internal recesses which could trap the product’ yet a number of containers do not meet this standard. The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)’s basic requirements state that containers ‘should drain well and facilitate easy and effective rinsing to maximize product residue removal’. This falls short of the ‘must’ in our o...

more, syringes cannot be sterilized assembled or lubricated, and the syringe containers, whether multiple or single, must be so constructed that steam can freely penetrate to all surfaces of the syringe (Stewart, 1957; Darmady and Hughes, 1955). After sterilization a separate process is necessary to seal the containers before distribution to the user. Although syringes in their containers can b...

In this communication we describe a new chemical encapsulation and release platform using 3D microfabricated nanoliter scale containers with controlled porosity. The containers can be fabricated of magnetic materials that allow them to be remotely guided using magnetic fields. The favorable attributes of the containers that include a versatile highly parallel fabrication process, precisely engi...