Abstract: The method permits the animation of a synthesised model of a human face in relation to an audio signal. The method is not language dependent and provides a very natural animated synthetic model, being based on the simultaneous analysis of voice and facial movements, tracked on real speakers, and on the extraction of suitable visemes. The subsequent animation consists in transforming the sequence of visemes corresponding to the phonemes of the driving text into the sequence of movements applied to the model of the human face.

Abstract: A method of assessing traffic and performance characteristics of a mobile telecommunications network in terms of the level of service has inputs as to performance requirements for voice traffic and voice loss, data traffic or data loss, information with respect to the voice traffic offered and the data traffic offered and average length of an individual message. The determination is made on the basis of the number of radio slots which are allocable to data traffic and on the basis of an exponential distribution of the average call waiting time in the queue.

Abstract: A balance training apparatus for supporting an individual with a limited liability to maintain his or her on balance has a pair of vertical support rods connected to a base by joints which include lower elastic parts tending to bias the user into an upright position. The two support rods are connected by a brace for supporting the pelvis of the user and knee supports are provided between the two support rods for yieldably pressing the knees of the user.

Abstract: A coke oven has a coke-oven chamber adapted to hold a mass of coke, defining above the mass of coke a gas-collecting chamber, and having a door opening. A door closes the door opening. A peripheral gas channel extends around the opening between the door and coke-oven chamber and has at least one outer and at least one inner door seal defining an annular space. The inner door seal is formed in both the coke-oven chamber and the gas-collecting chamber with a plurality of throughgoing holes forming fluid-communicating connections between the coke-oven chamber, the gas-collecting chamber, and the annular space at different heights of the coke-oven chamber and of the gas-collecting chamber. Thus regions of the coke-oven chamber with different gas pressures communicate with each other and with the annular space via the connections on the inner door seal to equalize pressure between the regions and the gas-collecting chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for sorting identical flat-bottomed objects has a vibratory conveyor defining a generally horizontal support surface. A plurality of the objects are supplied to an upstream end of the surface standing on their flat bottoms and the objects travel along the surface while standing on their bottoms. A sorting drum rotatable about a horizontal axis at a downstream end of the conveyor is formed with at least one row of radially outwardly open seats generally complementary to the objects and each having a flat floor. The drum is rotated between a pickup position in which the flat floors of the one row of seats are aligned and generally coplanar with the support surface and closely juxtaposed with the downstream end and a handoff position with the one row of seats raised up above the support surface. The objects are taken out of the seats in the takeoff position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the recovery of poxviruses, in particular modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA), from infected cells. According to the present invention the virus-infected cells are subjected to a high-pressure homogenization to obtain a virus containing homogenate. The virus containing homogenate can be subjected to at least one purification step to obtain apoxvirus-enriched fraction. The invention further relates to the virus containing fraction and the virus containing homogenate obtained by the method according to the present invention.

Abstract: The invention relates to new 2,3-benzodiazepine derivatives of general Formula (I), (wherein R1 stands for methyl, formyl, carboxy, cyano, —CH?NOH, —CH?NNHCONH2 or —NR5R6, wherein R5 and R6 independently from each other represent hydrogen or lower alkyl or together with the nitrogen atom, they are attached to, form a 5- or 6-membered, saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring optionally containing one or more further nitrogen, sulfur and/or oxygen atom(s); R2 is nitro or amino; R3 stands for hydrogen, lower alkanoyl or CO—NR7R8, wherein R7 and R8 independently from each other stand for hydrogen, lower alkoxy, lower alkyl or lower cycloalkyl or together with the nitrogen atom, they are attached to, form a 5- or 6-membered, saturated or unsaturated heterocyclic ring optionally containing one or more further nitrogen, sulfur and/or oxygen atom(s); R4 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; the dotted lines have the following meaning: if R3 and R4 are not present, the bond between positions C8 and C9 is a single bond and th

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for detecting electrical potentials on a patient. The device comprises an electrode device that is applied in the area of the forehead, this electrode device being located on a forehead support element (6) which is connected to a breathing mask (1). The electrode device preferably comprises at least two electrode elements (9, 10, 11). According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, these electrode elements are connected to a signal processing device which is located in the direct proximity of the electrode elements. The output of said signal processing device is preferably potential-free and communicates directly with a data transmission device, so that the processed signals can be transmitted to a data processing device in a cordless manner, especially by radio transmission. The invention can be used in a patient monitoring system of a sleep laboratory or in a CPAP device.

Abstract: A liquid distributor for packed or filled columns having a multiplicity of horizontal layers involved in heat transfer or mass transfer. At least one layer of the column has an increased density by comparison with the other layers and is designed specifically for flooding. The specific surface can be greater than the specific surface of the underlying layers by a factor of 1.5 to 10.

Abstract: A printed-circuit board is formed at a front edge with a cutout. A plug has a base body adapted to fit in the cutout and formed with a pair of shoulders bearing flatly on the board at edges of the cutout. A pair of wing-shaped connecting elements project oppositely from the body and lie flatly on the board adjacent the edges of the cutout so that the elements can be soldered to the board to fix the base body in the cutout.

Abstract: A sleeve heater has an electrical and generally cylindrical heater coil centered on an axis and shaped to fit over a part to be heated, a radially compressible and generally cylindrical inner sleeve snugly coaxially surrounding the heater coil, and a radially generally inextensible and generally cylindrical outer sleeve fitted coaxially over the inner sleeve. The outer sleeve has an inner surface bearing tightly radially inward on the inner sleeve and radially compressing the inner sleeve and the coil inward. The inner sleeve is formed with two or more axially extending and axially oppositely open slots that are angularly equispaced, with alternate slots open axially in opposite directions.

Abstract: A protected conduit for use in a downhole environment, e.g. in a well, which has first and second metallic impermeable layers and an extrudate layer between the impermeable layers. A conductor extends between the two metal impermeable layers and serves for the transmission of power or telemetry data. A flow path is also present for a fluid through the first impermeable metal layer.

Abstract: A controlled area (A) is configured as a telecommunications cellular system location area, connection of cellular system mobile terminals (T) to such location area (A) is checked. A detected connection indicates that the bearer of the terminal (T) accessed the controlled area, which information can thus be used both to prevent unauthorized access and to certify and document authorized access also by interrogation through the system. The fact that terminal (T) has been kept switched on inside the controlled area despite this being interdicted can also be detected and such behavior can be debited to the terminal (T) involved and/or the terminal can be inhibited by means of temporary deactivation of the terminal (T).

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for cutting pastry, with limbs (3, 4), connected to each other by means of a hinge point and a large opening angle between the limbs (3, 4). According to the invention the pastry should also be cut with little application of force, whereby each limb (3, 4) has a cutting region (5) with an upper blade (6) on the upper limb (3) and a counter blade (7) on a lower limb (4) and a handle (17) for guiding and operating the device (1, 1a). The limbs (3, 4) are angled between the cutting region (5) and the handle (17), whereby the hinge point (2) is arranged on the end (20) of the handle (17) facing away from the cutting region (5).

Abstract: A hardenable steel workpiece having two regions is first hardened so that both regions are of generally the same low ductility. Then only one of the regions is hot coated so as to increase the ductility of the one region while not heating and changing the ductility of the other region. The workpiece can be hardened by hot working or tempering. The hot coating can be done by dipping the one region in molten zinc.

Abstract: A supply holds a flattened box blank above a conveyor passing having a succession of box seats, and a planet carrier is rotated by its own drive about a sun axis between the supply and the conveyor. A single planetary element on the carrier offset from the sun axis is rotatable about a planet axis parallel to and offset from the sun axis. A grab on the planetary element is engageable with the blank in the supply and in the conveyor seats. A planet drive wheel is fixed to the planetary element, a sun wheel is rotatable about the sun axis, and the wheels are coupled together for joint synchronous rotation. A separate planetary drive connected to the sun wheel rotates the planetary element independently of the carrier such that the grab moves while orbiting about the sun axis through a closed asymmetric path having only two outer points.

Abstract: This invention refers to an imaging method and apparatus capable of performing non-destructive, in situ analysis of art-objects. The invention relays on the comparison of diffuse reflectance and/or fluorescence spectra (intensity vs. wavelength), of painting material models of known composition, with the intensities emitted and captured at the same wavelengths and for any spatial point of the art-object of unknown composition. This composition, performed for any spatial point of the area of interest, improves notably the diagnostic information and enables the analysis of heterogeneous art-objects.

Abstract: A supranational and inter-PLMN physical private mobile telecommunications network includes at least one first (1) and one second (2) physical node that can cooperate with the respective different public mobile networks (PLMN1, PLMN2), , , ) referably located in different countries.