Abstract: Apparatus comprising a process belt includes a woven rectangular planar structure with opposed longitudinal ends that are joined together to form an endless belt. The exemplary woven planar structure includes metal and glass warp fibers that extend in the longitudinal direction, and metal and/or glass weft fibers which extend transversely of the warp fibers. The diameter of the glass warp fibers is substantially greater than the diameter of the metal warp fibers which causes the outer surfaces of the glass fibers to extend outwardly of the metal warp fibers on the outer surface. This configuration causes items engaged with the outer surface to be operatively engaged with only the glass warp fibers. In exemplary arrangements a coating comprised of fluoropolymer extends on the fiber surfaces which comprise the entire outer surface of the planar structure and the belt.

Abstract: Apparatus comprising a process belt includes a woven rectangular planar structure with opposed longitudinal ends that are joined together to form an endless belt. The exemplary woven planar structure includes metal and glass warp fibers that extend in the longitudinal direction, and metal and/or glass weft fibers which extend transversely of the warp fibers. The diameter of the glass warp fibers is substantially greater than the diameter of the metal warp fibers which causes the outer surfaces of the glass fibers to extend outwardly of the metal warp fibers on the outer surface. This configuration causes items engaged with the outer surface to be operatively engaged with only the glass warp fibers. In exemplary arrangements a coating comprised of fluoropolymer extends on the fiber surfaces which comprise the entire outer surface of the planar structure and the belt.

Abstract: Processes are disclosed for preparing carboxylic acids from organic esters, the processes comprising contacting an ester with water in the presence of an acid catalyst and a homogenizing solvent at conditions effective to form a carboxylic acid. The homogenizing solvent is present in an amount sufficient to form a single-phase reaction mixture comprising the ester, water, and homogenizing solvent. The homogenizing solvent may be selected from acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, and 1,4-dioxane.

Abstract: In a special safety switch mechanism several processing units are arranged in pairs and form an original processing channel and a synchronously operated complementary processing channel which are operated dynamically and alternately in positive and negative logic, in successive processing steps, while using rectangular signal voltages of a given frequency at 180.degree. phase shift for the two logical values ZERO and ONE of the switching variables. During an operation, the signal anti-valency applied to the processing channels is continuously examined. In each processing channel, two-read-only memories are provided for storing fixed values in the form of original and complementary information which are alternately and in successive processing steps connected with the safety switch mechanism for information output.