Abstract: The invention relates to a plurality of at least 1000 plant pots for use in cultivating plants. Each plant pot has a side wall and bottom which delimit an interior space for substrate which is open at the top, in which the bottom has a bottom side which is turned away from the interior space. Each plant pot is provided with a tag which has an optically readable code. The tag is arranged on the bottom side of the bottom, and the optically readable code is turned away from the bottom so that it can read from below when the plant pot is upright. The invention furthermore relates to an assembly with these plant pots as well as to a method for cultivating plants.

Abstract: A system permanently monitoring the insulation of a frame from its neighbors, comprising: a) an IMD (100); b)) a first portion of measuring circuit (103) connecting said frame (70) to a first terminal of said IMD; c) a second portion (104, 201, 108, 109) of measuring circuit used to connect the second terminal (102) of said IMD to each of said adjacent frames (80, 90), said second portion of measuring circuit including at least one relay (201) that makes it possible to connect said IMD alternately to a portion (104, 201, 108; 104, 201, 109 respectively) of measuring circuit connected to said adjacent frame (80, 90 respectively); Said IMD injects alternately, on each switching, a current into the measuring circuit in order to measure the resistance of said circuit. Said system is used to regularly monitor the insulation of the various parts of a servicing unit designed for work on an electrolytic cell, the measuring circuits being designed preferably so that only a single IMD is used.

Abstract: A process for forming an electronic device includes forming a first layer over a substrate, wherein the first layer includes an organic layer, and depositing a second layer over the substrate after forming the first layer, wherein depositing the second layer is performed using ion beam sputtering. In another embodiment, a process for forming an electronic device includes placing a workpiece within a depositing chamber of a depositing apparatus, wherein the workpiece includes a substrate and an organic layer overlying the workpiece. The process includes generating a plasma within a plasma-generating chamber of the depositing apparatus, wherein the plasma is not in direct contact with the workpiece. The process also includes sending an ion beam from the plasma-generating chamber towards a target within the depositing chamber, wherein the target includes a material, and depositing a layer of the material over the organic layer.

Abstract: A device and method to feed bars which picks-up and removes selectively from a bundle one bar in order to dispose the bar for use in an operating machine. The device including first magnetic members, which separate from the bundle an end segment of a plurality of bars and dispose the end segments of the plurality of bars on a plane distanced with respect to the bundle, and second magnetic members, which cooperate with the first magnetic members so as to pick-up at least one bar at a time from the plurality of bars and to prepare the bar for sending to the operating machine. The device also includes third magnetic members, which temporarily hold the bar or bars picked-up by the first magnetic members, forming substantially a pick-up plane, in an intermediate step, from which the second magnetic members selectively pick-up the bars to be sent to the machine.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a homogeneous solid matrix composition containing vegetable proteins, lecithin and at least one ingestible bioactive compound which is at least partially insoluble in an aqueous medium.

Abstract: A waveguide-integrated photodiode for high bandwidths with a semi-insulating monomode supply waveguide monolithically integrated on a substrate, together with an overlying photodiode mesa structure having an electroconducting n-contact layer, an absorption layer, a p+-contact layer and a metallic p-contact, the refraction index of the n-contact layer being greater than the refraction index of the semi-insulating waveguide layer. Lengthening the n-contact layer by a predetermined length L in the direction of the supply waveguide in relation to the overlying layers correspondingly increases at least one factor of the product of quantum efficiency and bandwidth.

Abstract: A process is provided to improve the specific activity of an enzyme catalyst having nitrilase activity when converting glycolonitrile to glycolic acid under aqueous reaction conditions. Inclusion of an effective amount of at least one amine protectant improves the specific activity and catalytic productivity of the enzyme catalyst.

Abstract: A control device for converting a control movement along a control path into a control signal has the control path corresponding to different control stages or control types. The control device has two measuring tracks with a linearly changing resistance associated with each track. In one embodiment, these measuring tracks are positioned concentric to each other in a semicircle. A voltage U, which is tapped via two opposite interconnected sliders, is applied to both measuring tracks at a junction point while the other junction point is connected to ground. If the detected values of the tapped voltages deviate from a corresponding stored value or pairs of values, there must be a fault, due to, for example a broken slider. This makes it possible to perform a test for determining the fault or a malfunctioning control device.

Abstract: A process is provided to improve the specific activity of an enzyme catalyst having nitrilase activity when converting glycolonitrile to glycolic acid under aqueous reaction conditions. Inclusion of an effective amount of at least one amine protectant improves the specific activity and catalytic productivity of the enzyme catalyst.

Abstract: A process for recycling composite materials includes the steps of feeding a quantity of composite material composed of at least one polymer and aluminum into at least one first reactor; heating the composite material in a non-oxidizing environment at a temperature sufficient to volatilize the at least one polymer and form a hydrocarbon by-product and aluminum in the at least one first reactor; feeding the aluminum free of the at least one polymer into a second reactor; and heating the aluminum in a non-oxidizing environment at a temperature sufficient to melt the aluminum in the second reactor.

Abstract: A sensor chip assembly for use in a sensor capable of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and gravimetric sensing. The assembly comprising a transparent piezoelectric substrate (1) having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The assembly also comprising first and second thin film metal electrodes (2,3) respectively provided on the first and second surfaces of the substrate (1). The second thin film metal electrode (3) being position on the second surface of the substrate (1) such that a light beam is capable of being transmitted through the second surface of the substrate and reflected from the first thin film metal electrode. The assembly also comprising an attenuated total reflection (ATR) coupler (11) disposed adjacent to the second thin film metal electrode (3).

Abstract: The present invention relates to small molecule protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors, especially Shp-2 inhibitors, of formula (I) and/or (II), and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them. The invention is also directed to the use of said compounds for the treatment of phosphatase-mediated diseases, especially cancer and metastasis. The invention further concerns a method for treating a proliferative disease, a genetic disorder, an autoimmune disease, an angiogenic disorder or cancer in a patient in need of such treatment, comprising administering to said patient a therapeutically effective amount of at least one compound of formula (I) and/or (II).

Abstract: This invention relates to a method for forming a multi-layer coating on a vehicle body, comprised of applying primer coating, base coating, and clear coat layers in a wet-on-wet-on-wet manner, and simultaneously curing the applied three layers together in a single baking step. The primer layer comprises a film-forming binder comprising two acrylic polymers, the first being a caprolactone-modified branched acrylic polymer and the second being a caprolactone-modified linear acrylic polymer; and a crosslinking agent selected from aminoplast resin, blocked polyisocyanates, or mixtures thereof, wherein the composition is, essentially free of crosslinked nonaqueous dispersion resin particles or crosslinked microgel resin particles or both. The resulting multi-layered coating has excellent aesthetic appearance, strike-in resistance, chipping resistance, sag resistance, and film build even when formed in a three wet layered application method.

Abstract: Disclosed is a compact heat pump using water as refrigerant, including a casing having a first and second end sections and an intermediate section located therebetween, with an evaporator located at the first end section, configured for containing said water and allowing evaporation of at least a part of the water to produce vapor and remove heat from the remainder of the water. At least one agitator scoop is located within said evaporator, with one or more demisters installed between the evaporator and the compressor. The one or more compressors induce evaporation by maintaining vacuum at least at an intake conduit, and are configured for receiving the vapor through the intake conduit after passing through a heated demister. The condenser is configured for receiving the compressed vapor from the compressor, lowering the vapor temperature and condensing it back into a liquid state.

Abstract: Processes are provided for removing metal-based catalyst residues from carbon nanotubes by contacting the carbon nanotubes with an active metal agent and carbon monoxide.

Abstract: Compositions and methods for suppressing the shade-avoidance response of plants and improving plant yield are provided. Compositions of the invention include an early flowering 3 (ELF3) maize gene, the promoter for this gene, an Arabidopsis basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor (bHLH-041), and fragments and variants thereof. The ELF3 promoter sequence is useful for driving expression of polynucleotides of interest in a plant. The ELF3 and bHLH-041 sequences of the invention, or variants and fragments thereof, are provided in expression cassettes for use in manipulating expression of the ELF3 and bHLH-041 genes. By increasing expression of ELF3 and/or suppressing expression of bHLH-041, the methods of the invention provide for altered response of a plant to light quality and suppression of the high-density-invoked survival mode of development. The invention thus provides methods for growing crop plants at high population densities for yield enhancement.

Abstract: A mechanism for matching Electronic Program Guide (EPG) advertisements to subscribers or groups of subscribers and delivering those advertisements within the EPG. The subscribers are initially characterized in different groups by using commercially available data, such as demographic data. Furthermore, the groups of subscribers may be formed according to their characteristics. These characteristics may be derived from, but are not limited to, demographic data, geographic information or individual subscriber selection data. Subsequent to the formation of the groups, suitable advertisements to be placed in the EPG avails are selected, based on the matching of the advertisement characteristics to the characteristics of the groups, wherein the EPG avails are the advertising opportunities available within the EPG. Different versions of the EPG having targeted advertisements may be created, and the different versions may be placed on a download server for transmission over an access system to the subscriber.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a melamine containing coating composition curable at ambient temperatures and suitable for coating plastic substrates. The present invention is also directed to a process for coating plastic substrates with a melamine containing coating composition curable at ambient temperatures.

Abstract: A process is provided to improve the specific activity of an enzyme catalyst having nitrilase activity when converting glycolonitrile to glycolic acid under aqueous reaction conditions. Inclusion of an effective amount of at least one amine protectant improves the specific activity and catalytic productivity of the enzyme catalyst.

Abstract: A variable delivery vane pump, in particular for oil, is provided with a stator (10) eccentrically mounted about a rotor (9), which is adapted to turn about one own longitudinal axis (6), and presents a plurality of grooves (15) radially outwardly opened and slidingly engaged, each, by a respective vane (17) the vanes (17) being arranged essentially in contact with the stator (10) by interposing at least one sliding element (19; 27) extending about the axis (6) according to an angle smaller than 360°.