PLANEJAMENTO DE MISTURAS E VISUALIZAÇÃO DA REGIÃO ÓTIMA COM PLANILHAS NO EXCEL: UM TUTORIAL

MIXTURE DESIGN AND OPTIMUM REGION VISUALIZATION WITH SPREADSHEETS AT EXCEL: A TUTORIAL. This tutorial shows how to perform the data treatment for mixture design with two and multiple responses. Two data sets from the literature were used to exemplify the calculations. A template in Excel was proposed to prepare contour plot and response surface to visualize the optimum region of the mixture, which usually is made with commercial computational programs. The desirability function was used in example 2 (optimization of 5 responses simultaneously), and a code also available for download was proposed. Besides, 21 videos were prepared to show all the details for the readers and, it is available on YouTube. With this tutorial, it is possible to learn in a practical fashion how to handle the data from mixture design and, the authors hope to contribute with the researchers in this area

Optimization of processing parameters for vacuum fried oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacquin) P. kummer)

This study is aimed to optimize the processing parameters for the production of a vacuum fried product from oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacquin) P. kummer). A 33 factorial experiment was employed following the Central Composite Design (CCD) with fifteen experimental treatments. The treatments were subjected to proximate analysis, total phenolics content, DPPH assay and sensory evaluation. Contour plots of the results of various analyses were superimposed to identify the optimum process and formulation. Variables considered for optimization were maturity, salt concentration and frying time. Response surface regression analysis revealed that maturity significantly affected the crude protein, crude fiber, total phenolics content (TPC) and radical scavenging activity (RSA) while salt concentration significantly affected the ash, crude fat, crude fiber, TPC, aroma and crispiness of the vacuum fried product. On the other hand, frying time significantly affected the ash content. Interaction between variables also significantly affected ash, crude fat, crude fiber, TPC, RSA, crispiness and taste. Parameters considered in the identification of the optimum region were ash content, crude protein, crude fiber, radical scavenging activity and sensory attributes. Minimum values were set for each parameter as follows: ≥ 3% for ash, ≥ 11% for crude protein, ≥ 10% for crude fiber, and ≥ 6.75 for sensory attributes. Superimposed contour plots showed that the optimum region based on set of criteria is at treatment combination of 3 days fruiting body maturity, 3% salt concentration and 35 mins vacuum frying time. Verification test reveals that the optimum vacuum fried product was highly acceptable than the product found outside the optimum region.

Optimal Design of a 2-UPR-RPU Parallel Manipulator

This paper investigates dimensional optimization of a 2-UPR-RPU parallel manipulator (where U is a universal joint, P a prismatic pair, and R a revolute pair). First, the kinematics and screws of the mechanism are analyzed. Then, three indices developed from motion/force transmission are proposed to evaluate the performance of the 2-UPR-RPU parallel manipulator. Based on the performance atlases obtained, a set of optimal parameters are selected from the optimum region within the parameter design space. Finally, the optimized parameters are determined for practical applications.