Abstract: A method of producing a reagent tape, that includes a base tape layer and a series of consecutive and separate reagent pads of a reagent, is provided for use in a milk sampling device. The milk sampling device is arranged to supply a droplet of a milk sample onto one of the reagent pads on the tape in order to produce a response in the reagent to detect a presence or concentration of a substance in the milk sample. The method includes providing the base tape layer of the reagent tape, applying onto the base tape layer a continuous layer of the reagent, dividing the supplied continuous reagent layer into separate reagent pads by providing a hydrophobic barrier line between said pads. This may be done by laser ablating thin lines of reagent material, or by providing additional hydrophobic material into the layer. Thus, a simple and fast way of providing a tape with pads is obtained, in which a narrow spacing between pads is possible.

Abstract: A milking system including a milking means, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device, that includes an analysis tape, with a carrier layer and a reagent tape layer with a reagent that provides a detectable response in the presence of a substance in the sample, a dosing device, an optical radiation source, and an optical sensor device to detect optical response radiation emitted by the reagent tape layer and to analyse the detected optical response radiation to provide an indication of a presence or concentration of the substance in the droplet. The reagent tape layer includes, or is, a material with an asymmetrical porosity, having the largest pore size at a first side where the sample is provided, and the smallest pore size at the opposite side.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line for carrying milk, and a sampling unit arranged to take a sample from the milk line and test the sample for the presence or concentration of at least one substance. The sampling unit is provided with a housing. The housing includes a supply reel with a tape that carries reagent, and a sample supplier. The sampling unit includes a tape displacer displacing the tape, a sample analyser, and a used tape collector device collecting tape with reagent to which a sample has been supplied. The supply reel at a surface thereof includes a desiccant, or is completely made of a desiccant material. This provides such a large volume of desiccant that the correspondingly high moisture absorption capacity ensures an uninterrupted useful life of the sampling unit, and thus of the milking system.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for the milk that includes a control unit, a tape mover to move and unwind a tape wound on a tape reel and with a base material with reagent pads, that detect a substance in the sample, and a dosing device to provide the sample onto a reagent pad, and a sensor to detect radiation from said reagent pad, and to analyse the detected radiation to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The reagent pad is facing downward during provision of the sample. In this way, the chance of excess liquid falling from the reagent, and possibly onto a camera, is reduced. Smaller reagent pads may be used, it reduces the chance of supplied liquid spilling over to a neighbouring reagent pad, the measures preventing this spilling may be limited, and it is easier to suck away excess fluid.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device with a milking control, a milk line, and a sampling/analysis device. The milking control controls the milking based on said analysis. The sampling/analysis device includes a reagent carrier, including a tape with a first side with a reagent pad that detects the presence of a substance in the milk sample and a second side, a dosing device to provide a droplet of said sample onto the reagent pad, a source for emitting source radiation onto the reagent pad, and a sensor to detect response radiation emitted by the reagent pad, and to analyse the detected response radiation to indicate the presence or concentration of said substance. The first side faces away from the sensor during analysing by the sensor. By viewing “from below”, the observed reaction in the reagent is cleaner, and suffers less from artefacts, and the camera will stay cleaner.

Abstract: A process for producing an aldehyde is disclosed. The process comprises: hydroformylating an olefin to form the aldehyde using a hydroformylation catalyst; recovering an effluent stream comprising the aldehyde, hydrogen and the hydroformylation catalyst; passing the effluent stream to a stripper; contacting the effluent stream with a strip gas in the stripper to produce a stripped effluent stream having a lower hydrogen concentration than the effluent stream; and recovering the stripped effluent stream.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a chimeric costimulatory antigen receptor (CoStAR) useful in adoptive cell therapy (ACT), and cells comprising the CoStAR. The CoStAR can act as a modulator of cellular activity enhancing responses to defined antigens. The present invention also provides CoStAR proteins, nucleic acids encoding the CoStAR and therapeutic uses thereof.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line for carrying milk from the milking device, and a sampling unit that is arranged to take a sample from the milk line and to test the sample for the presence or concentration of at least one substance. The sampling unit is provided with a control unit and a housing. The housing includes therein a supply reel with a tape that carries reagent, and a sample supplier to supply, under control of the control unit, a part of the sample to the reagent on the tape. The sampling unit further includes a tape displacer displacing the tape under control of the control unit, a sample analyser, and a used tape collector device collecting tape with reagent to which a sample has been supplied. The supply reel at a surface thereof includes a desiccant, or is completely made of a desiccant material.

Abstract: A method of producing a reagent tape, that includes a base tape layer and a series of consecutive and separate reagent pads of a reagent, is provided for use in a milk sampling device. The milk sampling device is arranged to supply a droplet of a milk sample onto one of the reagent pads on the tape in order to produce a response in the reagent to detect a presence or concentration of a substance in the milk sample. The method includes providing the base tape layer of the reagent tape, applying onto the base tape layer a continuous layer of the reagent, dividing the supplied continuous reagent layer into separate reagent pads by providing a hydrophobic barrier line between said pads. This may be done by laser ablating thin lines of reagent material, or by providing additional hydrophobic material into the layer. Thus, a simple and fast way of providing a tape with pads is obtained, in which a narrow spacing between pads is possible.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device with a milking control, a milk line, and a sampling/analysis device. The milking control controls the milking based on said analysis. The sampling/analysis device includes a reagent carrier, including a tape with a first side with a reagent pad that detects the presence of a substance in the milk sample and a second side, a dosing device to provide a droplet of said sample onto the reagent pad, a source for emitting source radiation onto the reagent pad, and a sensor to detect response radiation emitted by the reagent pad, and to analyse the detected response radiation to indicate the presence or concentration of said substance. The first side faces away from the sensor during analysing by the sensor. By viewing “from below”, the observed reaction in the reagent is cleaner, and suffers less from artefacts, and the camera will stay cleaner.

Abstract: A milking system includes a milking device, a milk line, and a sampling and analysis device for the milk that includes a control unit, a tape mover to move and unwind a tape wound on a tape reel and with a base material with reagent pads, that detect a substance in the sample, and a dosing device to provide the sample onto a reagent pad, and a sensor to detect radiation from said reagent pad, and to analyse the detected radiation to indicate a presence or concentration of said substance. The reagent pad is facing downward during provision of the sample. In this way, the chance of excess liquid falling from the reagent, and possibly onto a camera, is reduced. Smaller reagent pads may be used, it reduces the chance of supplied liquid spilling over to a neighbouring reagent pad, the measures preventing this spilling may be limited, and it is easier to suck away excess fluid.

Abstract: A process for carrying out a reaction in a reaction column, said process comprising: providing a first reactant to the reaction column in the liquid phase; contacting said first reactant with an excess of a second reactant such that reaction takes place within the reaction column to form a low boiling product and a high boiling product, at least a portion of said second reactant being provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase; recovering an overhead stream from at, or near, the top of the reaction column, said overhead stream comprising unreacted second reactant and the low boiling product; and recovering a bottoms stream from at, or near, the bottom of the reaction column comprising the high boiling product; wherein at least a portion of the heat required to vaporise the second reactant provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase is provided by heat exchange in a heat exchanger with a hot stream generated within the process other than a hot stream generated within the reaction column.

Abstract: A process for carrying out a reaction in a reaction column, said process comprising: providing a first reactant to the reaction column in the liquid phase; contacting said first reactant with an excess of a second reactant such that reaction takes place within the reaction column to form a low boiling product and a high boiling product, at least a portion of said second reactant being provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase; recovering an overhead stream from at, or near, the top of the reaction column, said overhead stream comprising unreacted second reactant and the low boiling product; and recovering a bottoms stream from at, or near, the bottom of the reaction column comprising the high boiling product; wherein at least a portion of the heat required to vaporise the second reactant provided to the reaction column in the vapour phase is provided by heat exchange in a heat exchanger with a hot stream generated within the process other than a hot stream generated within the reaction column.

Abstract: In a process and apparatus for the production of carboxylic acid esters, a liquid carboxylic acid stream is fed to an upper section of a reaction zone maintained under esterification conditions. An alcohol vapour stream is fed to a lower section of the reaction zone; allowing the carboxylic acid stream to pass in countercurrent to the alcohol stream to form a liquid product stream of product ester. A refiner stream is withdrawn from at or near the top of the reaction zone and includes unreacted alcohol, water and ether by-product. The refiner stream is passed to a refining zone and treated to reduce the water content thereof to form an ether-containing stream having a water content that is lower than that of the upper stream removed from the reaction zone. This ether-containing stream is recycled to the reaction zone.

Abstract: Capillary electrophoresis methods for determining the relative amount of protein in a sample comprising a population of proteins are provided. The methods comprise charge and/or size separation of a target protein or a plurality of target proteins present in a sample, for example a biological sample, by capillary electrophoresis in a separation matrix comprising a haloalkane compound, and downstream detection and quantification of the total amount of protein in the sample. Optionally, the method further comprises detection and quantification of one or more specific target proteins in the sample. Systems for carrying out the methods are also provided.

Abstract: The invention provides an exhaust gas cleaning oxidation catalyst and in particular to an oxidation catalyst for cleaning the exhaust gas discharged from internal combustion engines of compression ignition type (particularly diesel engines). The invention further relates to a catalysed substrate monolith comprising an oxidising catalyst on a substrate monolith for use in treating exhaust gas emitted from a lean-burn internal combustion engine. In particular, the invention relates to a catalysed substrate monolith comprising a first washcoat coating and a second washcoat coating, wherein the second washcoat coating is disposed in a layer above the first washcoat coating.

Abstract: The invention provides an exhaust gas cleaning oxidation catalyst and in particular to an oxidation catalyst for cleaning the exhaust gas discharged from internal combustion engines of compression ignition type (particularly diesel engines). The invention further relates to a catalysed substrate monolith comprising an oxidizing catalyst on a substrate monolith for use in treating exhaust gas emitted from a lean-burn internal combustion engine. In particular, the invention relates to a catalysed substrate monolith comprising a first washcoat coating and a second washcoat coating, wherein the second washcoat coating is disposed in a layer above the first washcoat coating.

Abstract: A fiber is manufactured from thermosetting binder compounds by fiberizing an aqueous dispersion of thermoset compounds having a high solids content of at least 35%, 40% or 50% solids and/or a high viscosity of at least about 30 cps, 50 cps or 100 cps at room temperature. The fibers may be rotary fiberized or otherwise extruded. They may be co-fiberized with base fibers, including other polymeric fibers and/or inorganic fibers like glass fibers, or they may be intermingled post fabrication by other means, such as fluid dispersion processes or carding. The thermoset fibers are useful for binding together base fibers in fibrous products like glass fiber insulation.

Abstract: A method for retaining data during switchover from an active processor to a standby processor in a system having redundant processors. The method comprises the steps of performing periodic data collection as a first independent task executing on the active processor, and performing memory operations as a second independent task executing on the active processor. The method may further include the step of performing data transfer operations as part of the second independent task. Performing memory operations may further include writing collected data elements to both a first memory partition associated with the active processor, and a second memory partition associated with the standby processor. Performing data transfer operations may comprise transmitting collected data elements to the standby processor over a dedicated communication link.

Abstract: A volume-control receptacle has a reservoir with a bottom. The reservoir is adapted for receiving a fluid. The receptacle has a plurality of capillaries opening on the reservoir at a specific height above the bottom; the capillaries draw off the excess fluid from the receptacle, thereby leaving a specific amount of fluid in the reservoir. In a preferred embodiment, the volume-control receptacle is adapted for use with a disposable cuvette. The reservoir of the receptacle has a drain at the bottom connected to the cuvette for delivering the fluid to a testing instrument or other final application point. The volume-control receptacle has a lip projecting upward from a promontory of the receptacle. A rib extends downward from the lip to the bottom of the reservoir for guiding the fluid into the reservoir.