Abstract: A surveillance camera has a positioning base, a mounting base, a globe and a camera assembly. The positioning base is attached to a ceiling or a wall or the like. The mounting base may latch to or detach from the positioning base and has a tapered sidewall, a panel recess formed in the sidewall and an illuminator mounted in the panel recess. The illuminator illuminates an area of interest and has multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) mounted on a substrate. The LEDs provide a wider field of illumination and more intense light. The camera assembly is attached pivotally to the mounting base. Therefore, the surveillance camera can get clearer and more complete images.

Abstract: A low calorie sweetener composition includes large sucrose crystals and agglomerated particles each containing a high intensity sweetener, a plurality of small sucrose crystals and a binder. The composition may have about one half the bulk density, and about one half the calories on a volume basis, of standard table sugar. The composition typically has a sparkling appearance that causes it to resemble common table sugar, and it may be used in such applications as baking and for sweetening drinks such as coffee, tea, and the like.

Abstract: A process for the extraction of sucralose from an aqueous solution containing at least sucralose, other chlorinated saccharides, sodium chloride and dimethylammonium chloride into an organic solvent for sucralose by contacting said organic solvent with said solution to extract sucralose into the organic solvent. The ratio of sodium chloride to dimethylammonium chloride in the aqueous solution is increased prior to or during contact so as to increase the partition coefficient of sucralose into said organic solvent.

Abstract: A process for the recovery of a carbohydrate selected from sucralose and sucralose-6-esters from an aqueous feed stream is disclosed. The process comprises extracting the feed stream with an organic solvent, such as ethyl acetate, back extracting the resulting carbohydrate-containing organic extract with an aqueous solvent, and either crystallizing the carbohydrate from the organic solvent or replacing the organic solvent with water and crystallizing the carbohydrate from water. The process results in an increased overall yield of the carbohydrate.

Abstract: A process for the purification of sucralose in sucralose-containing feed streams is disclosed. The process includes multiple liquid-liquid extraction steps; optionally, a concentration step; multiple crystallization steps; optionally, a chromatography step; and various recycle steps.

Abstract: A process for preparing saccharide oligomers uses an aqueous feed composition that comprises at least one monosaccharide or linear saccharide oligomer, and has a solids concentration of at least about 70% by weight. The feed composition is heated to a temperature of at least about 40° C., and is contacted with at least one catalyst that accelerates the rate of cleavage or formation of glucosyl bonds, such as enzyme or acid, for a time sufficient to cause formation of non-linear saccharide oligomers. A product composition is produced that contains a higher concentration of non-linear saccharide oligomers than linear saccharide oligomers.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing sucralose from a feed stream resulting from the chlorination of a sucrose-6-acylate in a reaction vehicle. The feed stream includes a sucralose-6-acylate, the reaction vehicle, water, and salts. The salts include one or more selected from the group consisting of alkali metal chlorides, alkaline earth metal chlorides and ammonium chloride. The method includes: (i) deacylation of the sucralose-6-acylate by treatment with a base to afford a product stream comprising sucralose; (ii) partial removal of water and, optionally, reaction vehicle from the product stream of (i) in order to cause precipitation of the salts from the product stream; (iii) removal of the precipitated salts from the product stream of (ii); and (iv) isolation of sucralose from the product stream of (iii).

Abstract: A process for the purification of sucralose containing aqueous feed streams is disclosed. The process comprises the step of extracting an aqueous feed stream comprising sucralose and impurities less polar than sucralose, such as tetrachloro saccharides, with an organic solvent that is immiscible with water, such as ethyl acetate. In this step, the mass ratio of organic solvent to aqueous feed stream is in the range of 0.4 to 0.9. Greater than 50% of the sucralose and greater than 95% of the tetrachloro saccharide impurities are extracted into the organic extract. The organic extract is back extracted with water and the resulting aqueous extract recycled to the initial extraction step.

Abstract: A method of removing a carboxylic acid from a liquid that contains a tertiary amide solvent includes a step of contacting the liquid with an extraction medium comprising an amine. The amine is immiscible with both water and the tertiary amide solvent, and the contacting step forms a de-acidified phase containing the tertiary amide solvent and a phase containing the extraction medium and the carboxylic acid. Both the liquid that contains the tertiary amide solvent and the de-acidified phase may also contain a sucrose-6-acylate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing sucralose from a feed stream including a sucrose-6-acylate in a reaction vehicle.

Abstract: Isolated microbial consortia capable of degrading chlorinated carbohydrates and a method to acclimatize microbes to degrade chlorinated carbohydrates under specific conditions of temperature and salt are described. Also described is a method for using microbial consortia to degrade chlorinated carbohydrates in a waste stream.

Abstract: The invention provides co-agglomerates of sucralose and a polyol, wherein the co-agglomerate comprises grains of polyol onto which sucralose has been dried, as well as methods for making such co-agglomerates. In general, the methods comprise contacting a dry powder of polyol with a liquid solution of sucralose in a food acceptable solvent under conditions which moisten, but not dissolve the polyol powder, to form a moist mixture, and drying the moist mixture to form a co-agglomerate comprising grains of agglomerated polyol onto which sucralose has been dried. Also provided are artificial sweetener carriers comprising bentonite which comprise sucralose. The invention features pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food compositions, especially chewing gum, comprising a co-agglomerate of the invention, comprising a bentonite carrier, or comprising both.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are processes for the recovery of 1,3-propanediol from an aqueous feed stream. The present invention involves contacting an aqueous feed stream that comprises water, 1,3-propanediol, and at least one contaminant with at least one solvent extractant to form a mixture. The mixture is separated into a first phase and a second phase. The second phase comprises a majority of the water from the aqueous feed stream. The first phase comprises solvent extractant and at least some of the 1,3-propanediol that was present in the aqueous feed stream. The weight ratio in the first phase of 1,3-propanediol to any one contaminant present is greater than the weight ratio of 1,3-propanediol to the same contaminant in the aqueous feed stream prior to the aqueous feed stream being contacted with the solvent extractant. The first phase can be removed from the separated second phase in order to recover the 1,3-propanediol.

Abstract: A process for preparing a hyperbranched polymer having a weight-average molar mass of at least 30,000, includes coupling a first prepolymer having at least three functional end groups with a second prepolymer having at least two functional end groups by a dehydration condensation reaction between the end groups in the prepolymers. The number of arms and/or molar mass of the functionalized prepolymers can accurately be adjusted, thus affecting the properties of the resulting hyperbranched polymer in a desired way. The polymer can be equipped e.g. with hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts. Also, the number of functional end groups, that optionally can be used for further chemical reactions, in the hyperbranched polymer can easily be adjusted to a desired level. The hyperbranched high molar mass polymer can be prepared in high yields without the use of organic solvents or linking compounds, which is advantageous from an environmental as well as an economical point of view.

Abstract: A method of freeze drying sucralose includes contacting a sucralose solution with a cold surface or a cold fluid to freeze the solution, and evaporating the solvent to dry the sucralose. The sucralose solution may include undissolved crystalline sucralose. Non-agglomerated sucralose spheres may be produced in some aspects of the invention.

Abstract: An access floor assembly is provided that comprises a plurality of abutting access floor panels that are attached to a plurality of pedestals. A resilient and flexible gasket is provided between the abutting floor panels to provide an effective seal between the panels. The effective seal allows a pre-determined pressure to be maintained in a plenum located between the access floor panels and a sub-floor. Air under pressure in the plenum may be delivered in a controlled and consistent manner from the plenum to a space above the access floor assembly.

Abstract: A method of producing an organic acid by staining a yeast population with a stain capable of internal pH (pHi)-dependent fluorescence, to yield a stained yeast population; determining a gate pH and a corresponding fluorescence parameter of the stained yeast population; and sorting the cells of the stained yeast population such that the cells having a pHi above the gate pH are retained and the cells having a pHi below the gate pH are discarded, to yield a yeast population for the production of the organic acid. Also, a method of producing an organic acid by performing the above steps, followed by isolating individual cells of the yeast population, to yield individual yeast cells for the production of an organic acid; culturing an individual yeast cell, to yield a cloned yeast population for the production of an organic acid; and incubating the cloned yeast population for the production of an organic acid in a medium containing an organic acid precursor, to produce the organic acid.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method for preparing an environmentally degradable polymeric compound as well as to such a compound per se and to its use. A compound of the present invention includes a polycondensated lactic acid containing polymer, having a molecular weight (Mw) of from 500 to 50,000 g/mol, to which a flexibilizing aliphatic polyester having a molecular weight of from 500 to 50,000 g/mol is coupled. The amount of lactic acid including groups in the polymeric compound ranges from 50 to 99% and the amount of flexibilizing polyester groups ranges from 1 to 50%.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are glucose tolerant C2 carbon source-independent (GCSI) yeast strains having no detectable amount of pyruvate decarboxylase activity, wherein wild type yeast strains for the glucose tolerant C2 carbon source-independent yeast strains are Crabtree positive. Also disclosed are methods of selecting glucose tolerant C2 carbon source-dependent yeast strains, and methods of producing pyruvic acid or salts thereof using glucose tolerant C2 carbon source-independent yeast strain. Further disclosed herein are GCSI yeast strains having a genome that comprises an exogenous lactate dehydrogenase gene.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are preservative compositions comprising 1,3-propanediol, wherein the 1,3-propanediol in said composition has a bio-based carbon content of about 1% to 100%. In addition, it is preferred that the 1,3-propanediol be biologically-derived, and wherein upon biodegradation, the biologically-derived 1,3-propanediol contributes no anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.