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.

Apparatus and installation methods for sampling ports are disclosed. Sampling ports include a port housing and a lid assembly. The lid assembly is configured to sealably close against the port housing. Additionally, the lid assembly can be secured, such as with a lock, to the port housing. In one aspect, the port housing includes a sample mount arrangement configured to receive a sampling assembly. The sample mount arrangement defines a sampling channel and the port housing defines a sampling opening and a first securing mount. The lid assembly includes a latch arrangement and defines a second securing mount.

Low or no disturbance sampling can be accomplished such as through a single-platform aquatic species and habitat sampling system with data integration and rapid processing capabilities that can address the need for sampling at variable depths over varied habitats, along with the simultaneous collection of linked physical and biological data. The platform may be based on a 24-36 foot boat, and may include a net mouth opener brace for an adjustable concentrator net and smaller drift net which may be attached to an adjustable sample chamber, perhaps containing variable mesh capture nets as well as cameras, water sampling equipment, and water quality sensors integrated with a fish finder, GPS, and other monitoring and data recording equipment. The depth of the net mouth opener brace and sample chamber may be adjustable using a depth control.

A sampling device having at least two inputs each configured to receive samples from a corresponding feedstock input line and a sample accumulator. The device also includes a mass flow controller associated with each feedstock input line, each mass flow controller having a sample output and being configured to receive a signal representative of the flow rate at each input, where each mass flow controller adjusts the flow rate of its respective sample from its respective sample output in response to receiving representative signals. Further the device includes at least a first and second sample output line respectively connected with a sample output of each mass flow controller, each sample output line being connected to an input of the sample accumulator for introduction to the sample accumulator of samples from the output of the mass flow controllers.

A system, apparatus, and method for sampling of liquid products. The system includes a portable, releaseably connected product sample receiving assembly and a plurality of product sampling and mixing assemblies. The product sample receiving assembly can be attached and detached from two or more the product sampling and mixing assemblies, so that a single product sample receiving assembly can be used to service multiple product sampling and mixing assembly locations at different times. The product sample receiving assembly may include a slip-stream configuration or in-line configuration. The product sampling and mixing assemblies may be unidirectional or bidirectional.

The present invention provides a method and a device for estimating a value to be estimated associated with a specimen, by performing machine learning of a relationship between a value of an estimation object and an output corresponding thereto, based on an output from a chemical sensor with regard to a plurality of specimens for which specific values to be estimated are known, and using the result of the mechanical learning to estimate a specific value to be estimated on the basis of an output from the chemical sensor with regard to a given unknown specimen.

Composite sampling of a fluid flowing through a conduit includes collecting, in a vessel coupled to the conduit through which the fluid is flowing, a first discrete sample of fluid from the conduit, the first discrete sample having a first selected volume, and collecting, in the vessel and at a first interval from the first sample, a second discrete sample of the fluid from the conduit, the second discrete sample having a second selected volume, thereby forming a composite sample in the vessel while the vessel is coupled to conduit. The composite sample includes the first discrete sample and the second discrete sample, and may include one or more additional discrete samples. An apparatus for collecting the composite sample includes a gas chromatograph, and is arranged such that the composite sample is provided to the gas chromatograph without removing the composite sample from the apparatus or transporting the composite sample.

A milking system includes a device to sample and analyse a milk sample, including a control unit, a sample supply line connected to the milk line, a pump to control the sample flow, an optical radiation source, and an optical sensor device to detect and analyse optical radiation coming from the reagent pad with said sample, to provide an indication of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move and unwind the tape from the tape reel, and a pump drive, external to the cassette, and releasably operably connected to the pump device for driving the pump device. The sampling and analysis device also includes a cassette with a sample receiving line, releasably connected to the sample supply line by a liquid connector, and arranged to receive the sample from the sample supply line, a tape reel with a tape that includes a base tape layer and a series of separate reagent pads, and a dosing device to provide a droplet of the sample onto a reagent pad. The dosing device includes a nozzle in fluid connection with the sample receiving line, and a nozzle mover arranged to move the nozzle in at least a longitudinal direction. The cassette is replaceably received in the milking system. Hereby, a large number of parts that are subject to wear and contamination by milk residues are exchanged regularly, which improves measurement reliability and accuracy.

A system, apparatus, and method for sampling of liquid products. The system includes a portable, releaseably connected product sample receiving assembly and a plurality of product sampling and mixing assemblies. The product sample receiving assembly can be attached and detached from two or more the product sampling and mixing assemblies, so that a single product sample receiving assembly can be used to service multiple product sampling and mixing assembly locations at different times. The product sample receiving assembly may include a slip-stream configuration or in-line configuration. The product sampling and mixing assemblies may be unidirectional or bidirectional.

A milking system includes a device to sample and analyse a milk sample, a sample supply line connected to the milk line, a pump to control the sample flow, an optical radiation source, and an optical sensor device to detect and analyse optical radiation coming from the reagent pad with said sample, to provide an indication of a substance in the sample, a tape mover to move and unwind the tape from the tape reel, and a pump drive releasably operably connected to the pump device for driving the pump device. The sampling and analysis device also includes a cassette with a sample receiving line to receive the sample from the sample supply line, a tape reel with a tape that includes a base tape layer and a series of separate reagent pads, and a dosing device to provide a droplet of the sample onto a reagent pad.