Abstract:
A meat processing device comprises a meat processing unit and an external X-ray meat analyzer provided with a housing formed with an inlet connectable with an outlet of the processing unit. The housing provides complete shielding of personnel from X-rays except towards the inlet and is movable relative to the processing unit to a first position for analysis at which the unit outlet is collocated with the inlet and at which the processing unit completes the shielding of personnel from X-rays towards the inlet.
Abstract:
A method of controlling a production process including a process step for the morphological modification of a bio-material matrix comprises obtaining digital input data acquired during each of a plurality of production runs of the process, which input data includes information from radiation within a portion of the electromagnetic or acoustic spectrum having interacted with the matrix at one or more locations within the process together with a process control parameter and production event data for the associated production run; generating in a computer a prediction model from a multivariate analysis of the digital input data, which model links the information directly with one or more of process control parameters, production run events and process control settings; and applying in the computer the prediction model to interacted information obtained from a new production run to generate as an output one or more of a process control parameter a process control event and a predicted production run event for the new production run for use in controlling the production process.
Abstract:
Compensating for frequency drift of a reference energy source in an FT interferometer based spectrometer instrument may include obtaining data representing a reference interferogram collected in response to a trigger signal having been generated in dependence on the emission frequency of the reference energy source, and subsequently obtaining data representing a target interferogram recorded by the FT interferometer in response to a trigger signal also having been generated in dependence on the emission frequency of the reference energy source in the same manner. The method may further include comparing the obtained data to determine a phase shift between the interferograms in a window in at least one region away from center-burst, and generating a mathematical transform dependent on the determined shift to be subsequently applied to generate data representing a frequency stabilized interferogram of an unknown sample recorded by the FT interferometer.
Abstract:
Compensating for amplitude drift in a spectrometer may include making successive performances of a standardization process to generate, at each performance, a mathematical transform to compensate for amplitude drift for application by an arithmetic unit to a spectrum obtained by the spectrometer in an interval between the performances. The compensating may include modifying the mathematical transform with a function dependent on spectral data from a zero material measured in association with the standardization process and the single beam zero spectrum measured in an interval between performances. The compensating may include applying the modified mathematical transform to a spectrum from an unknown sample.
Abstract:
A spectrometric instrument (38) comprising: a scanning interferometer (40,42,44) having a beamsplitter (40) for dividing incident optical radiation into a reflected beam, following a reflected beam path and a transmitted beam following a transmitted beam path; a monochromatic optical radiation source (52) for launching a reference beam into the interferometer (40,42,44) along a first propagation path (62) to be initially incident on a first face (40') of the beamsplitter (40); an observation optical radiation source (46) for launching a divergent observation beam (64) into the interferometer (4,6,8) along a second propagation path (66) to be initially incident on the first face (40') of beamsplitter (40) and overlap the reference beam at the first face (40'); wherein the radiation sources (52;46) cooperate to generate a first angle (θ) between the directions of propagation of the two beams along respective first (62) and second (66) propagation paths when initially and simultaneously incident at the first face (40') which is larger than a divergence half-angle (α) of the observation beam 64.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for manipulation of particles (30) in a sample liquid (32) said device comprising a source of ultrasound (16) capable of emitting ultrasound with a given wavelength, an inlet for a sample liquid (2), one or more outlets (4, 5, 6) and a compartment (14), being dimensioned to support a standing ultrasonic wave (40) of said wavelength, characterised in that the device further comprises an inlet for sheath liquid (1, 3) configured to direct a sheath liquid (34) to extend substantially in parallel to an anti-node plane (46) of the ultrasonic standing wave (40) proximate to a sheathed compartment wall. Specifically the device may be used in combination with a particle enumeration device for enumeration of somatic cells in milk.
Abstract:
A method of formulating a feedstuff is provided which comprises the steps of: analysing the effect on one or both chemical and biological properties of the feedstuff of varying feedstuff ingredients and analysing the effect on the ingredient cost of the feedstuff of varying the feedstuff ingredients. The method further comprises a step of analysing the effect on a predicted production cost of the feedstuff of varying the feedstuff ingredients and a step of determining a desired formulation of a feedstuff for production on the basis of at least the analysed effects on the properties, on the ingredient cost and on the predicted production cost of varying the feedstuff ingredients.
Abstract:
A method for correcting the settings of a flow cytometer, designed for fast sample handling and counting, allowing about 500 samples per hour to be counted. The couting is based on the provision of data representing a PHA diagram (Pulse Height Analysis) of registered pulses, each indicating a passed cell or particle. To check the settings the user measures a standard sample of uniform microbeads (161) on the flow cytometer, and insert information on a disk (162) in a computer arranged to process the measurement data and to calculate: a plurality of particle counts on the same sample, a mean count, a standard deviation (s) and/or Coefficient of Variation (CV), a signal mean value (SM), a signal width (width of the bell-curve in the PHA-diagram). The parameters are compared to preset limits (165, 166, 167, 168) and the PHAS curve is compared to an ideal curve PHA0. A user help program for adjusting the flow cytometer is arranged to display typical symptoms on a computer screen, to indicate the possible defects and to recommend actions to remedy the problems, based on information in a library stored in the computer. Thereby a visit by a service engineer can often be avoided.
Abstract:
Processing instrumentation comprises a processing element (2) for performing a substantially same processing operation on each of a plurality of substantially identical items (6) and a control element (4) configured to control the processing element (2) to operate at a first cadency selected to make available a predetermined maximum number of processing operations of the processing element (2) in a predetermined operating period. The control element (4) is further configured to selectably control the processing element (2) to operate at a second, different cadency whilst maintaining the number of processing operations available in the predetermined operating period at the predetermined maximum number.
Abstract:
An optical analyser (2) is provided comprising a fluorescence detector (12) for detecting optical fluorescence from a sample usable in the generation of representative fluorescence data (14) and an optical spectrophotometer (16) for detecting optical absorption by a sample, preferably the same sample, usable in the generation of representative absorption data (20). A data processor (24) is configured to receive the data (14; 20) and operates to correlate the data (14; 20) with one or both of a qualitative and a quantitative indication of a property of interest of the material using a predictive model established from a combination of both fluorescence and absorption data.