scholarly journals A Review of Bin Filling Technologies for Apple Harvest and Postharvest Handling

2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Zhang ◽  
Anand Kumar Pothula ◽  
Renfu Lu

Abstract. Bin fillers play a critical role in transporting and distributing fruit evenly and without bruising into individual bins or containers from harvest platforms infield or sorting lines in the packinghouse. Over the years, a large variety of bin fillers have been developed for infield use and postharvest handling. This article reviews different bin filling technologies in terms of major design features, performance, and throughput, as well as automatic control and safety features. For infield use, bin filler designs have evolved from the early use of conveyors and reciprocating plates to recent adoption of soft pads and foam rollers, to reduce bruising and improve fruit distributions. For postharvest use, tilted bins and conveyors commonly used with early bin fillers have been replaced with hinged trays and vacuum suction cups for fruit transport and cylinder brushes and swingable dividers for bruise prevention. While many types of bin fillers have been developed, few are suitable for infield use because it imposes more constraints than postharvest use. Despite the use of automatic sensing and control in most bin fillers, human assistance is still needed during their operation. There are still major issues with the current bin fillers, such as large size, complexity in design, uneven fruit distributions, and low throughput. Further effort should, therefore, be directed towards the development of high throughput, simple yet reliable, compact and fully automated, or even intelligent bin fillers for infield and postharvest use. Keywords: Apple, Automation, Bin filler, Harvest, Infield, Postharvest handling.

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Paliy ◽  
A. Zavgorodniy ◽  
B. Stegniy ◽  
A. Gerilovych

Due to the absence of elaborated effi cient means for specifi c prevention of bovine tuberculosis, it is ex- tremely important to detect and eliminate the source of infection and to take veterinary and sanitary preven- tive measures. Here the critical role is attributed to disinfection, which breaks the epizootic chain due to the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms in the environment and involves the application of disinfectants of different chemical groups. Aim. To study the tuberculocidal properties of new disinfectants DZPT-2 and FAG against atypical mycobacteria Mycobacterium fortitum and a TB agent Mycobacterium bovis. Methods. The bacteriological and molecular-genetic methods were used. Results. It was determined that DZPT-2 prepara- tion has bactericidal effect on M. fortuitum when used in the concentration of 2.0 % of the active ingredient (AI) when exposed for 5–24 h, while disinfectant FAG has a bactericidal effect in the concentration of 2.0 % when exposed for 24 h. Disinfectant DZPT-2 in the concentration of 2.0 % of the AI, when exposed for 5–24 h, and FAG preparation in the concentration of 2.0 %, when exposed for 24 h, and with the norm of consump- tion rate of 1 cubic decimeter per 1 square meter disinfect the test-objects (batiste, wood, glazed tile, metal, glass), contaminated with the TB agent M. bovis. Conclusions. Disinfecting preparations of DZPT-2 in the concentration of 2.0 % of AI when exposed for 5 h and FAG in the concentration of 2.0 % when exposed for 24 h may be used in the complex of veterinary and sanitary measures to prevent and control TB of farm ani- mals. The possibility of using the polymerase chain reaction as an additional method of estimating tuberculo- cide activity of disinfectants was proven.


2019 ◽  
pp. 37-47
Author(s):  
Yao Yueqin ◽  
Oleksiy Kozlov ◽  
Oleksandr Gerasin ◽  
Galyna Kondratenko

Analysis and formalization of the monitoring and automatic control tasks of the MR for the movement and execution of various types of technological operations on inclined and vertical ferromagnetic surfaces are obtained. Generalized structure of mobile robotic complex is shown with main subsystems consideration. Critical analysis of the current state of the problem of development of universal structures of mobile robots (MRs) for the various types of technological operations execution and elaborations of computerized systems for monitoring and control of MR movement is done. In particular, wheeled, walked and crawler type MRs with pneumatic, vacuum-propeller, magnetic and magnetically operated clamping devices to grip with vertical and ceiling surfaces are reviewed. The constructive features of the crawler MR with magnetic clamping devices capable of moving along sloping ferromagnetic surfaces are considered. The basic technical parameters of the MR are shown for the further synthesis of computerized monitoring and automatic control systems. Formalization of the tasks of monitoring and control of the MR positioning at the processing of large area ferromagnetic surfaces is considered from the point of view of control theory.


Respiration ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Xiao Tang ◽  
Ying-Mei Feng ◽  
Ji-Xiang Ni ◽  
Jia-Ying Zhang ◽  
Li-Min Liu ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> There is still no clinical evidence available to support or to oppose corticosteroid treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To investigate the efficacy and safety of corticosteroid given to the hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This was a prospective, multicenter, single-blind, randomized control trial. Adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were admitted to the general ward were randomly assigned to either receive methylprednisolone or not for 7 days. The primary end point was the incidence of clinical deterioration 14 days after randomization. <b><i>Results:</i></b> We terminated this trial early because the number of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in all the centers decreased in late March. Finally, a total of 86 COVID-19 patients underwent randomization. There was no difference of the incidence of clinical deterioration between the methylprednisolone group and control group (4.8 vs. 4.8%, <i>p</i> = 1.000). The duration of throat viral RNA detectability in the methylprednisolone group was 11 days (interquartile range, 6–16 days), which was significantly longer than that in the control group (8 days [2–12 days], <i>p</i> = 0.030). There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in other secondary outcomes. Mass cytometry discovered CD3<sup>+</sup> T cells, CD8<sup>+</sup> T cells, and NK cells in the methylprednisolone group which were significantly lower than those in the control group after randomization (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> From this prematurely closed trial, we found that the short-term early use of corticosteroid could suppress the immune cells, which may prolong severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 shedding in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. <b><i>Trial Registration:</i></b> ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04273321.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0920203X2110128
Author(s):  
Zhenjie Yang ◽  
Guilan Zhu ◽  
Linda Chelan Li ◽  
Yilong Sheng

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a lockdown of Wuhan, and strict control was imposed in many major Chinese cities, including the national capital of Beijing. Residents’ committee workers at the grass-roots level have played a critical role in the enforcement of the government’s pandemic prevention and control measures, through their day-to-day service and surveillance as local community managers. This article examines their work in Wuhan and Beijing neighbourhoods during the most critical periods of the outbreak, from late January to June 2020, and the challenges the workers faced as executors of the government’s community-based prevention policy. The two cities have developed different community strategies because of very different epidemiological situations and city functions.


2013 ◽  
Vol 464 ◽  
pp. 253-257
Author(s):  
Hui Fang Chen

This paper takes the automatic control system of controllable pitch propeller in a multipurpose ocean tug as an example to describe the application of the S7-200 series PLC in the control system of 4500 horse power controllable pitch propeller in detail. The principle of control system is addressed, as well as the hardware configuration, the design idea of the main software and control process. The system shows high reliability, accuracy and good control performance in practical in practical running.


2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 820-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura H. Okagaki ◽  
Kirsten Nielsen

ABSTRACTThe human fungal pathogenCryptococcus neoformansproduces an enlarged “titan” cell morphology when exposed to the host pulmonary environment. Titan cells exhibit traits that promote survival in the host. Previous studies showed that titan cells are not phagocytosed and that increased titan cell production in the lungs results in reduced phagocytosis of cryptococcal cells by host immune cells. Here, the effect of titan cell production on host-pathogen interactions during early stages of pulmonary cryptococcosis was explored. The relationship between titan cell production and phagocytosis was found to be nonlinear; moderate increases in titan cell production resulted in profound decreases in phagocytosis, with significant differences occurring within the first 24 h of the infection. Not only were titan cells themselves protected from phagocytosis, but titan cell formation also conferred protection from phagocytosis to normal-size cryptococcal cells. Large particles introduced into the lungs were not phagocytosed, suggesting the large size of titan cells protects against phagocytosis. The presence of large particles was unable to protect smaller particles from phagocytosis, revealing that titan cell size alone is not sufficient to provide the observed cross-protection of normal-size cryptococcal cells. These data suggest that titan cells play a critical role in establishment of the pulmonary infection by promoting the survival of the entire population of cryptococcal cells.


1972 ◽  
Vol 16 (03) ◽  
pp. 205-218
Author(s):  
Haruzo Eda

The stability and oscillatory motions of ships (automatically steered and unsteered) in the horizontal plane were examined on a digital computer for the case of regular following seas. Available hydrodynamic data for Series 60 hull forms were used. Analysis of directional stability was made for the case of zero encounter frequency (i.e., the ship runs at high speeds equal to the wave celerity). The ship (which is hydrodynamically stable without automatic control in calm water) is directionally unstable in following seas except for the small region near the ascending node of the waves. Addition of automatic control can give the ship directional stability when it is located on the wave trough, but not when it is located on the wave crest. At relatively high frequency (i.e., at low speeds in following seas), the rudder and control system are almost incapable of reducing oscillatory motion. Violent rudder activity in following seas can be decreased by reducing the yaw-rate-gain control constant and by increasing the rudder-response-time constant.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 3044-3054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Wirschell ◽  
Chun Yang ◽  
Pinfen Yang ◽  
Laura Fox ◽  
Haru-aki Yanagisawa ◽  
...  

Our goal is to understand the assembly and regulation of flagellar dyneins, particularly the Chlamydomonas inner arm dynein called I1 dynein. Here, we focus on the uncharacterized I1-dynein IC IC97. The IC97 gene encodes a novel IC without notable structural domains. IC97 shares homology with the murine lung adenoma susceptibility 1 (Las1) protein—a candidate tumor suppressor gene implicated in lung tumorigenesis. Multiple, independent biochemical assays determined that IC97 interacts with both α- and β-tubulin subunits within the axoneme. I1-dynein assembly mutants suggest that IC97 interacts with both the IC138 and IC140 subunits within the I1-dynein motor complex and that IC97 is part of a regulatory complex that contains IC138. Microtubule sliding assays, using axonemes containing I1 dynein but devoid of IC97, show reduced microtubule sliding velocities that are not rescued by kinase inhibitors, revealing a critical role for IC97 in I1-dynein function and control of dynein-driven motility.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301-303 ◽  
pp. 1714-1718
Author(s):  
Ji Meng Zhang ◽  
Hong Shuo Wang ◽  
Ben De Gan

In the automatic control system of industrial field, the production process monitoring and control process is dependent on Mutual coordination of various automation instrument, computer and corresponding actuators. The coordination is accurate or not, the key is signal transmission quality among those agencies. The application and selection of isolation device directly affect signal transmission. This paper discusses the application and choose of industrial site isolator from isolation principle, the principle and choose for isolator, commissioning and parameter selection based on practical application.


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