Abstract: Mayonnaise and dressing products, including reduced-calorie low-fat mayonnaise and reduced-calorie, low-fat, spoonable or pourable dressing compositions, having as a preservative system glucono-delta-lactone and, optionally, acetic acid in sufficient quantity to lower the pH to about 3.5 or less, preferably about 3.3 or less. The compositions have an increased resistance to microbial spoilage and, therefore, extended shelf life compared with currently marketed products, yet do not have the sharp acidic "bite" common to currently available products.

Abstract: An attitude control apparatus, for a vehicle having a body and a plurality of wheels, has an actuator operated by a fluid for expanding each suspension of the vehicle to control the stroke of each wheel. A first detecting device detects a variation of incline of the body of the vehicle when the body inclines from a horizontal position. A second detecting device detects the vertical position of each wheel relative to the body. A third detecting device detects the load applied to each wheel. A first control device controls the volume and direction of the fluid to be supplied to the actuator. A calculating device calculates the vertical displacement of each wheel, the current average height of the body, and the variation of the load on the wheel based on the variation of the inclined angle of the body, the vertical position of each wheel, and the load on each wheel. A setting device sets a target value for the average height.

Abstract: A drive shaft having a body section and a yoke section formed with at least one end of the body section. A hole is formed in the yoke section. The body section and yoke section are integrally made of a fiber reinforced composite material including a filament and a plastic adhered to the filament. The shaft comprises a plurality of shaft fiber layers forming the body section. Each shaft fiber layer includes a plurality of shaft fiber elements being arranged at predetermined intervals. A plurality of yoke fiber layers form the yoke section. Each yoke fiber layer includes a plurality of yoke fiber elements. Each yoke fiber element has ends connected to each shaft fiber element. Each yoke fiber element has either a closed loop arrangement (CLA) or an open loop arrangement (OLA). The CLA is defined by the yoke fiber elements forming closed loops around the hole. The OLA is defined by the yoke fiber elements forming open loops around the hole.

Abstract: A compressor has a swash plate tiltable between a maximum and minimum inclining angles with respect to an axis of the drive shaft according to a difference between pressures in a crank chamber and a suction chamber. An electromagnetic valve is disposed in a pressure passage, and opens or closes the pressure passage according to instruction of an external computer. This instruction is based on an operation status of the compressor so that the electromagnetic valve adjusts the pressure in the crank chamber. The pressure passage connects the crank chamber and the suction chamber. The swash plate is inclined toward the maximum inclining angle when the pressure passage is open to release the pressure in the crank chamber to the suction chamber. The swash plate is inclined toward the minimum inclining angle when the pressure passage is closed to increase the pressure in the crank chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing a feed mixture, advantageously suitable to an anaerobic bioreactor and containing liquid and solid materials, for the further treatment of waste materials. The method of the invention includes at least the following steps:a) into a feed mixture reactor (1), there is first fed liquid so that the free liquid surface (5) is located essentially above the solid material feed point (6) provided in the reactor (1),b) the solid waste material fed into the feed mixture reactor (1) is fed to below the free liquid surface (5) of the reactor (1), and from the solid waste material there is separated (10, 14) both light and heavy rejectable materials by utilizing an agitator (7) installed in the feed mixture reactor (1), and countercurrent washing (14) directed towards the bottom part of the reactor (1).

Abstract: An optical telecommunication system includes at least two sources of optical signals modulated at different wavelengths, having respective coherence times; a multiplexer for multiplexing said signals in a single common optical fibre; an optical-fibre line connected at one end to the common optical fibre of the multiplexer; a receiver for receiving said signals; an element for reducing the four wave mixing (FWM) between the signals, optically connected in series along the optical-fibre line. The FWM-reducing element includes an optical circuit including at least two-wavelength-selective filters, each relative to a wavelength band including one of the optical signals. The filters are optically connected in series with each other over an optical path, and the length of at least one section of the optical path included between two consecutive filters is greater than the length corresponding to the coherence time of at least one of the sources of optical signals.

Abstract: A composite thermal insulation structure particularly suited for gas turbine engine applications is disclosed. An aspect of the present invention includes a composite thermal insulation structure having a backing, a ceramic pile woven substantially perpendicular into the backing, and a ceramic matrix material infiltrated in the ceramic fiber pile.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding reaction gas and solids into a suspension smelting furnace, which apparatus comprises at least conduits for receiving reaction gas and solids and for further conducting them into a suspension smelting furnace, and in which apparatus at least the major part of the reaction gas is fed into the suspension smelting furnace through a reaction gas channel surrounding the solids feeding channel. According to the invention, in the reaction gas channel, essentially near to its end on the side of the suspension smelting furnace, there are installed adjusting members whereby the flow rate of the reaction gas fed into the suspension smelting furnace can be adjusted essentially steplessly.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method of producing polyisobutenes from a feedstock comprising a mixture of C4 hydrocarbons and containing isobutene and at least 5% by weight of 1-butene using a cationic polymerisation catalyst, characterised in that prior to polymerisation, the feedstock is subjected to a pre-treatment step in order to reduce the 1-butene content thereof to a level which is at least 20% lower than that of the 1-butene content in the initial mixed C4 hydrocarbon feedstock prior to the pre-treatment thereof and the polyisobutene so formed is (a) very high in its vinylidene group content and (b) substantially free of halogen.

Abstract: A process for the production of acetic acid by carbonylation of methanol or a reactive derivative thereof by contacting the methanol or derivative with carbon monoxide in a liquid reaction composition comprising (a) acetic acid, (b) an iridium catalyst, (c) methyl iodide, (d) at least a finite quantity of water and (e) methyl acetate is improved by the use as promoter of at least one of ruthenium and osmium.

Abstract: The container for housing optical components (at least one active fibre, a plurality of passive optical components, a plurality of welds and optionally other special components) within a shell of an active fibre optical amplifier comprises a first box element for reception of the passive optical components, a second box element for reception of the active fibre and a third box element for reception of the welds. The three box elements are constrained in a removable manner one against the other so as to form a monolithic container structure.

Abstract: An apparatus for use during Magnetic Resonance imaging of a patient's breast region including a positioning device and an elongated radio frequency conductor. The breast positioning device contains a permanent cavity. The elongated conductor has a portion disposed within the cavity and a second portion extending around the torso region of the patient.

Abstract: The invention consists of a method of redirecting light to improve the transmission efficiency of wedged multibeam interferometers, either individually or in cascade with other interferometers. Optical fibers are placed to direct reflected light into such positions which enable iterated transmission of this otherwise wasted light through the interferometer. The increased light coupling efficiency provided by the method makes it well suited for applications to fiber optic communication links, fiber optic Bragg sensors, ladars and lidars.

Abstract: A method of fixing an adjusting bolt of a veneer peeling knife which is usually performed after adjusting the knife in a knife setting gauge to position its cutting edge at a desired height. The adjusting bolt is fixed by forcing the adjusting bolt by a fixing member in such a direction that the advancing side flank of the external thread of the adjusting bolt is kept in pressed contact with the lower side flank of the internal thread of a threaded hole formed in the knife bottom and receiving therein the adjusting bolt by thread engagement. The fixing member may be provided by a rigid member disposed below the knife bottom surface and formed with a threaded hole through which the adjusting bolt is inserted by thread engagement so that forcing the fixing member upward by a pressing member such as a bolt in a direction that effects the pressed contact between the above two flanks fixes the adjusting bolt securely to place. The fixing member is provided by any suitable resilient material such as silicon rubber.

Abstract: In a process for purifying a carboxylic acid fraction obtained by liquid phase carbonylation of an alkyl alcohol and/or its reactive derivative in which volatile iridium- and/or volatile co-promoter contaminants are converted to involatile forms by contacting with an iodide in the absence of carbon monoxide or at a partial pressure less than that of the carbonylation reaction. The involatile contaminants are then separated from the carboxylic acid.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for extracting metals from large solution flows in liquid--liquid solvent extraction and to an apparatus for realizing the same. By employing the method and apparatus of the invention, it is possible to choose which phase is maintained continuous at the dispersion stage, while the other phase remains as drops, to prevent the aeration of the organic phase and to pump the phases further at a low circumferential speed in order to prevent emulsification. Another object of the invention is to make the dispersion removed from the settler unit spread in the settler unit over the whole transversal area thereof. The method and apparatus of the invention are particularly well suited to large copper extraction plants.

Abstract: This invention relates to novel azo-dicarbonylo derivatives of a C3-C4 olefin polymers of the formula ##STR1## These can be prepared by reacting an ene compound such as a polypropylene or a polybutene, especially those with a vinylidene group, with an enophile such as X--CO--N.dbd.N--CO--Y. The resultant products can be used either as such or after further functionalization with eg polyamines as an additive for fuels and lubricants.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for encapsulating a substance in a biocapsule comprising passing a solution into the biocapsule, then effecting a change in the biocapsule/solution system such that the substance remains encapsulated while a solvent escapes.

Abstract: In a process for removing iodide compounds from a liquid composition comprising carboxylic acids having 2 to 6 carbon atoms or anhydrides thereof, by passing the liquid composition through a silver, mercury, palladium and/or rhodium-exchanged strong acid cation exchange resin, prior to contacting with the metal-exchanged resin the composition is contacted with a cation exchanger in the acid form to remove at least a portion of the metal ion contaminants in the liquid composition which have been found to displace the silver, mercury, palladium and/or rhodium from the metal-exchanged resin.