The influence of printing, lamination and high pressure processing on spot color characterisation

The food industry has recognized the important role that multi-layered, flexible packaging materials play and it uses them extensively within the packaging processes. Trends within food processing and packaging continuously encourage manufacturers to develop new technologies which extend a product’s shelf-life. The samples that were the subject of research described in this paper are retort stand-up pouches made of multi-layered flexible material, the layers of which have been bonded with a laminating process that aims to both extend a product’s shelf-life and stability, permitting the final processing of the finished product under aggressive regimes. It is intended that packaging, when subjected to graphic reproduction and high pressure processing, shall remain unchanged in all aspects, in particular the visual aspect that is the subject of the research. The samples were printed on polyester film (PET) using a rotogravure printing technique and laminated on aluminum (Al), oriented polyamide (OPA) and finally on inner polypropylene (PP) layers. The sample was monitored for the Vegeta Blue spot colorimetric difference in the CIE L*a*b* space throughout the individual graphic reproduction phases and the final high pressure processing (HPP) of the finished product. The goal is to determine the size of the spot color colorimetric difference (ΔE*) in relation to the defined formula and the established standard. On the basis of measured results, guidelines and recommendations for the correction and quality assessment of spot color reproduction throughout the entire process were defined, with the goal to minimize any deviation to the lowest possible level

Influence of the Polymer Plate Thickness on the Plate Distortion Factor in Flexography

Flexographic printing plate is used for the transfer of image onto a printing substrate. The surface of printing plate is stretched lengthwise when the plate is mounted on plate cylinder. As a result, the print length on the impression is always longer than the actual length of the plate. Prepress must compensate for this difference in length. The result of wrong plate distortion is different print length in flexography compared to the processes that follow printing. The aim of this paper is to research the influence of repeat length in printing and polymer plate thickness on the factor distortion. The distortion factor values were calculated using the derived formulas. Regardless of the repeat length in printing, the value of the thickness factor for a particular printing plate is constant. However, the values of the distortion factor decrease with the increasing thickness of the polymer plate and the decreasing of the total plate cylinder circumference

SEM analysis of ovine patellar enthesis

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2012.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. [55-56]).In tendon injury repair, the insertion of the tendon into the bone or enthesis often determines the quality of healing and poor enthesis often leads to treatment failure. However, natural enthesis is not very well understood and it is believed that the preparation methods of previous enthesis studies corrupted the observed mineral phases present. In order to address this controversy, this research prepared two sets of samples from where the patellar tendon joins the tibia in an ovine model. One set of samples was prepared for study via SEM using aqueous solvents whereas the other set was prepared using anhydrous solvents with the intention of comparing the mineral phases present between the two sets of samples. The fibrous material observed in the set of samples prepared using aqueous solvents was determined to be a membrane sheath and not tendon and thus the results could not be compared with the anhydrously prepared samples. The electron micrographs generated from the anhydrously prepared samples are ambiguous with some of them showing the physiologically incorrect scenario of the tendon connecting directly to the trabecular bone. Due to failure in experimental setup and ambiguous data no conclusions about the effect of sample preparation on mineralization phases could be drawn. Nevertheless, this work contributed to the field of research by producing electron micrographs of the patellar enthesis region in samples used prepared using anhydrous solvents.by Bethany M. Tomerlin.S.B

BIO-ENERGY FROM PIG\u27S MANURE

U uzorku svinjskog gnoja prije i nakon fermentacije stajanjem odvajaju se različiti slojevi: pjena, fini koloidi, plivajuće čestice-koloidi i talog-grube čestice. Za anaerobnu obradu ispitano je koji je od slojeva najpogodniji za održanje mikroorganizama u biomasi anaerobne mješovite kulture. Kao najbolje pokazalo se cjepivo uzeto iz sloja koji sadrži talog-grube čestice. Anaerobnom obradom tekući svinjski gnoj se stabilizira čime se poboljšavaju njegova svojstva kao gnojiva, a proizvedeni bioplin sadrži više od 88 vol.% metana. Tijekom anaerobne fermentacije organska se tvar razgradi do 50 % tijekom 7 dana, pri početnoj pH-vrijednosti 6,5 i temperaturi od 35 ºC.After settling, in the sample of pig’s manure, before and after anaerobic fermentation different layers appear: foam, fine colloids, floating particle-colloids and sediment-rude particles. During the anaerobic treatment it being favourable for maintaining the anaerobic fermentation was examined. It was shown that the layer from the bottom, sediment-rude particles, achieved the best results. During the anaerobic fermentation pig’s manure was stabilized and its quality improved. Produced biogas contained more than 88 vol.% of methane. The degradation of organic matter was 50 % at pH value 6.5 and temperature 35 ºC during the anaerobic fermentation that lasted 7 days

Design of an Architectural Engineering Building for WPI\u27s Campus

This project consists of an architectural, structural, and mechanical design for a proposed Architectural Engineering building on Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s campus. The goal of the building design was to promote group collaboration amongst students to align with the university’s project-based curriculum. This project also incorporated a fire protection system, energy analysis, cost estimate and construction schedule. The team emphasized the importance of building code and proper coordination between disciplines to intuitively understand the integrative process of designing a building

Sustainability in the Worcester Arts Workshop

The Worcester Arts Workshop has served the community since 1974, but like other arts organizations struggles to maintain funding and support. The goal of this project was to assess how to Workshop could improve its social, economic, and environmental sustainability, especially by enhancing revenues and reducing expenditures. We solicited a wide range of stakeholder perspectives, assessed the current use of the building, and conducted an energy audit. We recommend several short term improvements, such as changing light bulbs, insulating lofts, streamlining the website, and increasing marketing and outreach, as well as long term improvements, such as replacing the boiler, increasing class offerings, adding new types of events, extending opening times, and diversifying its audience

Deviations of Spot Colorimetric Values on Multi-layered Flexible Packaging during the Graphic Reproduction and Sterilisation Process

The main goal of the packaging production process is to ensure quality reproduction of color and design in general, so that the quality of the final product meets all requirements necessary for food packaging. Colors are one of the key components of brand recognition and the creation of an emotional connection with consumers which is the basis of this paper. Aside from conventional packaging materials, more and more food products are marketed in multi-layered flexible packaging. The samples that form the basis of this paper are printed on polyester film (PET) using a rotogravure printing technique. During the finishing phase, the PET layer are laminated on layer of aluminium (Al), oriented polyamide (OPA) and polypropylene (PP) and then, after cross linking, they are die-cut and formed into stand-up pouch. During the graphic reproduction, graphic preparation, printing and finishing processes, colors show various deviations. The main goal of this paper is to examine the influence of the individual phases of these processes on the manner in which red spot color reacts to and determines deviations (ΔE*) in relation to a defined formula and color standard. Color deviations may also occur during the finishing and sterilisation process. In order that colorimetric spot colors may be monitored, it is necessary to define a formula and standard and conduct measuring after each stage of the graphical process in the CIE L*a*b* color space. Based on the measured results, guidelines and recommendations were produced for the correction and control of color reproduction throughout the defined process which aim to reduce deviation to an acceptable level

The Red Queen and the seed bank: pathogen resistance of ex situ and in situ conserved barley

Plant geneticists have proposed that the dynamic conservation of crop plants in farm environments (in situ conservation) is complementary to static conservation in seed banks (ex situ conservation) because it may help to ensure adaptation to changing conditions. Here, we test whether collections of a traditional variety of Moroccan barley (Hordeum vulgare ssp. vulgare) conserved ex situ showed differences in qualitative and quantitative resistance to the endemic fungal pathogen, Blumeria graminis f.sp. hordei, compared to collections that were continuously cultivated in situ. In detached-leaf assays for qualitative resistance, there were some significant differences between in situ and ex situ conserved collections from the same localities. Some ex situ conserved collections showed lower resistance levels, while others showed higher resistance levels than their in situ conserved counterparts. In field trials for quantitative resistance, similar results were observed, with the highest resistance observed in situ. Overall, this study identifies some cases where the Red Queen appears to drive the evolution of increased resistance in situ. However, in situ conservation does not always result in improved adaptation to pathogen virulence, suggesting a more complex evolutionary scenario, consistent with several published examples of plant–pathogen co-evolution in wild systems