Effect of temperature on raw whole milk density and its potential impact on milk payment in the dairy industry

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of temperature on whole milk density measured at four different temperatures: 5, 10, 15, and 20 °C. A total of ninety-three individual milk samples were collected from morning milking of thirty-two Holstein Friesian dairy cows, of national average genetic merit, once every two weeks over a period of 4 weeks and were assessed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for milk composition analysis. Density of the milk was evaluated using two different analytical methods: a portable density meter DMA35 and a standard desktop model DMA4500M (Anton Paar GmbH, UK). Milk density was analysed with a linear mixed model with the fixed effects of sampling period, temperature and analysis method; triple interaction of sampling period x analysis method x temperature; and the random effect of cow to account for repeated measures. The effect of temperature on milk density (ρ) was also evaluated including temperature (t) as covariate with linear and quadratic effects within each analytic method. The regression equation describing the curvature and density–temperature relationship for the DMA35 instrument was ρ = 1.0338−0.00017T−0.0000122T² (R² = 0.64), while it was ρ = 1.0334 + 0.000057T−0.00001T² (R² = 0.61) for DMA4500 instrument. The mean density determined with DMA4500 at 5 °C was 1.0334 g cm⁻³, with corresponding figures of 1.0330, 1.0320 and 1.0305 g cm⁻³ at 10, 15 and 20 °C, respectively. The milk density values obtained in this study at specific temperatures will help to address any bias in weight–volume calculations and thus may also improve the financial and operational control for the dairy processors in Ireland and internationally.     

Preparation and characterization of proton‐exchange hybrid membranes

Two types of composite were prepared, based on a thermoplastic polymer, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), and an elastomer, ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer (EPDM), respectively. We obtained both series by addition of an inorganic proton‐conducting antimonic acid derivative (HSb) and polystyrene crosslinked with a small percentage of divinylbenzene (PS‐co‐DVB). From these composites, membranes were obtained and subjected to a heterogeneous‐phase sulfonation reaction with chlorosulfonic acid. All experimental materials were characterized from a morphological and electrical point of view, by means of techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), non‐isothermal crystallization and complex impedance analysis. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Knowledge-based diagnosis of drill conditions

One major bottleneck in the automation of the drilling process by robots in the aerospace industry is drill condition monitoring. This paper describes a system approach to solve this problem through the advancement of new machine design, sensor instrumentation, metal-cutting research, and intelligent software development. All drill failures can be detected and distinguished: chisel edge wear, flank wear, crater wear, margin wear, corner wear, breakage, asymmetry, lip height difference, and chipping at lips. However, in the real manufacturing environment, different workpiece materials, drill size, drill geometry, drill material, cutting speed, feed rate, etc. will change the criteria for judging the drill condition. The knowledge base used for diagnosing the drill failures requires a huge data bank and prior exhaustive testing. A self-learning scheme is therefore introduced to the machine in order to acquire the threshold history needed for automatic diagnosis by using the same new tool under the same drilling conditions.     

Ionomer composites based on sepiolite/hydrogenated poly(styrene butadiene) block copolymer systems

Ionomeric composites based on sepiolite and hydrogenated poly(styrene butadiene) block copolymer were obtained and characterized from a microstructural and electrical point of view. Before blending, because of the high silanol group concentration in the sepiolite, the latter could be organophilized with suitable coupling agents. The resulting materials were easily processed into thin films or membranes 0.2–0.4 mm thick, their conductivity in some cases approaching 10^?1 S/cm. Their suitability for film formation and good electrical properties indicate potential applications as electrolytes in polymer fuel cells. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 3512–3519, 2002     

An expert PID controller uses refined ziegler and nichols rules and fuzzy logic ideas

This article proposes a scheme for the on-line adjustment of three mode controller settings based on experimental measurements of closed-loop performance. It uses a recently developed heuristic tuning procedure to identify estimated process parameters. This method may give rise to conflicting estimates. Fuzzy Set theory is applied to manage the situation in terms of a fuzzy conjunction to combine the various estimates. PID control was chosen because of its wide use in the industrial environment due to driving simplicity and robustness. The article shows design, development, and computer simulation aspects.     

Total Energy Shaping Control of Mechanical Systems: Simplifying the Matching Equations Via Coordinate Changes

Total energy shaping is a controller design methodology that achieves (asymptotic) stabilization of mechanical systems endowing the closed-loop system with a Lagrangian or Hamiltonian structure with a desired energy function - that qualifies as Lyapunov function for the desired equilibrium. The success of the method relies on the possibility of solving two PDEs which identify the kinetic and potential energy functions that can be assigned to the closed loop. Particularly troublesome is the partial differential equation (PDE) associated to the kinetic energy which is nonlinear and inhomogeneous and the solution, that defines the desired inertia matrix, must be positive-definite. In this note, we prove that we can eliminate or simplify the forcing term in this PDE by modifying the target dynamics and introducing a change of coordinates in the original system. Furthermore, it is shown that, in the particular case of transformation to the Lagrangian coordinates, the possibility of simplifying the PDEs is determined by the interaction between the Coriolis and centrifugal forces and the actuation structure. The examples of pendulum on a cart and Furuta's pendulum are used to illustrate the results.     

Thermodynamic compatibility of sepiolite-filled poly(vinylidene fluoride)-polystyrene blends

Summary Inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to investigate the effect produced by sepiolite on the thermodynamical compatibility of poly(vinylidene fluoride)-polystyrene blends. Polymer-polymer interaction parameters were calculated from the retention data, for various polar and non-polar probes in pure and mixed stationary phases of these polymers, using sepiolite as solid support, as well as from melting point depression analysis of the sepiolite filled blends. Both techniques give us positive values of the interaction parameters, in accordance with the non-compatibility of these blends; However negative values of the interaction parameters were obtained for polystyrene-rich blends (_PS 85 wt%) and high sepiolite loadings, indicating that sepiolite acts as a compatibilizing agent for the system PVF₂/PS.