Abstract: Less conventional sources of hydrocarbon feedstocks such as oil sands, tar sands and shale oils are being exploited. These feedstocks generate a larger amount of heavy oil, gas oil, asphaltene products and the like containing multiple fused aromatic ring compounds. These multiple fused aromatic ring compounds can be converted into feed for a hydrocarbon cracker by first hydrogenating at least one ring in the compounds and subjecting the resulting compound to a ring opening and cleavage reaction. The resulting product comprises lower paraffins suitable for feed to a cracker, higher paraffins suitable for example as a gasoline fraction and mono aromatic ring compounds (e.g. BTX) that may be further treated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing series-connected solar cells, wherein the method comprises the following steps: a substrate is introduced into at least one deposition chamber, at least one material layer is deposited on the substrate or a material layer which has already been applied in the deposition chamber, where in the substrate is applied to a bearing surface, which is curved in the direction of a depositing device, in the deposition chamber, wherein the substrate is flexible and is mechanically prestressed or is curved in a manner corresponding to the bearing surface and the applied layer is patterned using at least one tensioned wire which rests against the substrate, which has been applied to the curved bearing surface, with a defined force and shades the applied material layer or the substrate from the depositing device and thus patterns the material layer to be applied.

Abstract: A metamaterial having a negative refractive index is presented, which has a dielectric carrier material (12; 48), first electrically conductive sections (14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4) and second electrically conductive sections (16.1, 16.2). The metamaterial is distinguished by the fact that the dielectric carrier material (12; 48) is realized as a volume which consists of one piece and which has at least one inner area which is prestructured by positive or negative rib or mesa structures (52.1, 52.2) in the dielectric carrier material (48) and is covered with first sections (14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.4) and second sections (16.1, 16.2) in such a way that the first sections form capacitive series impedances upon illumination with an electromagnetic wave having a specific propagation direction and polarization, while the second sections are arranged in such a way that they form inductive shunt impedances upon the illumination.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an object-based processor architecture which allows exact pointer identification by strictly separating pointers and data from one another in the memory and in the processor registers. The access to the memory is performed exclusively via pointers which refer to objects. An object contains separate areas for pointers and data and an attribute field for describing the length of the two areas. Both the pointers in the pointer registers and also the pointers in the pointer areas of the objects directly contain the address of the objects to which they refer. The suggested processor architecture allows the integration of automatic garbage collection, which may be implemented completely or partially in hardware. A real-time capable garbage collection may be implemented especially efficiently through hardware support.

Abstract: A method for the biodegradation of nitroaromatic-containing wastewater, including: (a) providing activated sludge as biological matrix, (b) adding a nitroaromatic-degrading microorganism to the activated sludge, (c) adding nitroaromatic-containing wastewater to the material of step (b) and (d) adding at least one carbon source which is more readily utilizable than the nitroaromatic to be degraded to the material of step (c).

Abstract: The invention refers to a device (1) for decoding an optical multi-level DPSK signal (E), the device (1) comprising: means for receiving the multi-level DPSK signal (E); at least two means (3) for transforming optical multi-level DPSK signals (E) into corresponding analog electrical signals (i); means (2) for splitting up the received multi-level DPSK signal (E) into at least two optical multi-level DPSK signals (E0), one for each of the opto-electrical transforming means (3); means (8) for processing electrical signals (i, e); and at least two means (6) for transforming the analog electrical signals (i) into corresponding electrical logical binary signals (e). In order to provide multi-level DPSK receiver (1) with a reduced complexity, it is suggested that concerning the signal flow within the device (1) the analog-to-logical-binary transformation means (6) are disposed before the processing means (8) and that the processing means (8) process electrical logical binary signals (e).

Abstract: An interferometric confocal method and assembly for terabyte volume optical data memories couples two-beam spectral interferometry to chromatic confocal technology and permits a longitudinal splitting of foci in the memory volume, with the foci having limited diffraction. A spectrometer is located downstream of the interferometer with confocal discrimination in the beam path. A diffractive optical zone lens (DOZE) with a usage of the first diffraction order is introduced into the interferometric beam path to achieve longitudinal chromatic splitting. The interferometer can be a fibre-coupled interferometer with a retroreflector in the fibre-coupled reference arm and with wavelength-dependent optical path difference modification by dispersion or diffraction. The optical path difference in the interferometer is set so that easily detectable wavelets are formed from detectable interferograms by spectral analysis.

Abstract: The invention relates to functional elements that comprise, disposed on a support, microstructures containing biofunctionalized nanoparticles, methods for producing these functional elements and use of the same.

Abstract: The instant invention is directed to a rec-hydantoin-racemase from Arthrobacter aurescens DSM 3747. Furthermore, the gene encoding for the racemase and plasmids, vectors and microorganisms comprising this gene are to be protected. Use in a process for the production of amino carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof.

Abstract: A novel rec-L-N-carbamoylase from Arthrobacter aurescens and its method of use for producing L-amino acids. The recombinantly produced L-carbamoylase is unexpectedly stable, so that an industrial method of producing L-amino acids can be established with it, in contrast to previously known L-carbamoylases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to ionically and covalently cross-linked polymers and polymer membranes having recurrent units of the general formula (1), wherein Q is a link, oxygen, sulfur, (2) or (3) and the R radical is a divalent radical of an aromatic or heteroaromatic compound, and which are characterized in that a) R radical comprises at least partially substituents of general formula (4A), (4B), (4C), (4D), (4E), (4F), (4G) and/or (4H), b) R radical comprises at least partially substituents of the general formula (5A) and/or (5B) and/or the R radical is at least partially a group of the general formula (5C) and/or (5D) and c) the R radical comprises at least partially bridges of the general formula (6) linking at least to R radicals together, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, M, X, Y, Z and m having the herein-mentioned meanings.

Abstract: The present invention relates to polymer blends and polymer blend membranes which consist of a polymeric sulfonic acid and of a polymer which contains primary, secondary or tertiary amino groups, which are prepared via mixing of a salt of the polymeric sulfonic acid with the polymer which contains primary, secondary or tertiary amino groups. The invention further relates to the use of polymer blend membranes in membrane fuel cells, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM fuel cells) or direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC), in membrane electrolysis, in aqueous or non-aqueous electrodialysis, in diffusion dialysis, in the perstractive separation of alkenes from alkene/alkane mixtures (here the membranes are in the SO3Ag form, where the Ag+ forms a reversible complex with the alkene (→facilitated transport)), in pervaporative separation of water from water/organics mixtures, or in gas separation.

Abstract: A novel rec-L-N-carbamoylase from Arthrobacter aurescens and its method of use for producing L-amino acids. The recombinantly produced L-carbamoylase is unexpectedly stable, so that an industrial method of producing L-amino acids can be established with it, in contrast to previously known L-carbamoylases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to novel compatible binary and ternary cation-exchanger polymer and anion-exchanger polymer blend membranes.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fiber-reinforced ceramic body and a method for producing same. The ceramic body consists of a core and a boundary layer (93, 94) which is joined to the core and has at least one outer surface (96, 97) which can preferably be subjected to tribological stress. The core consists of one or more layers (92) of which at least one is reinforced with long fibers. The boundary layer (93, 94) is reinforced with short fibers. The fibers are preferably reaction-bonded in a matrix by melt infiltration and are made of high-temperature resistant fibers with covalent bonds on the basis of silicon, carbon, boron or nitrogen.

Abstract: A method is described for examining a solidifying and/or hardening material such as cement, concrete or the like, using ultrasound waves emitted by an ultrasound transmitter, which penetrate the solidifying and/or hardening material, are continuously measured and analyzed. During solidification and/or hardening of the material, the signal shapes of the ultrasound waves penetrating the material, are recorded. The change with time of the compression wave velocity and/or the relative energy of the ultrasound waves and/or the frequency spectra of the ultrasound waves is extracted from the ultrasound wave shapes during the entire course of solidification and/or hardening of the material. This change with time of the compression wave velocity and/or the relative energy of the ultrasound waves and/or the frequency spectra of the ultrasound waves is approximated through a compensating function, preferably the Boltzmann function.

Abstract: A diffuser for slowing down a fluid and a method for operating a diffuser is described. A channel of the diffusor has an inlet with a smaller flow cross section than a flow cross section of an outlet and at least one opening for receiving an energizing fluid to be transported selectively into the channel. Pulsations of the impact interface are suppressed effectively at all of the operating points by injecting the energization fluid. Pressures of the fluid moving in the diffusor are measured, and amplitudes and frequencies of the measured pressures are evaluated. Energizing fluid is fed into the diffusor if the amplitudes within a predetermined frequency band exceed a threshold value. The utilization ratio of the inventive diffuser is considerably improved as a result of such a measure.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel, economic processes for preparing nitrated and sulfonated polymers and aminated and sulfonated polymers. Also provided are the polymers prepared by these processes. The invention also provides for membranes comprising the polymers, methods for preparing the membranes and their use in electromembrane processes, particularly in fuel cells.

Abstract: A novel rec-L-N-carbamoylase from Arthrobacter aurescens and its method of use for producing L-amino acids. The recombinantly produced L-carbamoylase is unexpectedly stable, so that an industrial method of producing L-amino acids can be established with it, in contrast to previously known L-carbamoylases.

Abstract: The present invention provides a process for the preparation of ion-exchange membranes for use in electromembrane processes and ion-exchange membranes obtained from the process. The membranes are prepared from a solution, in a dipolar-aprotic solvent, containing (a) a polymeric sulfonic acid or a polymeric sulfonate salt of formula Polymer-SO3X, where X is H or a monovalent cation, and (b) a basic polymer containing primary, secondary or tertiary basic nitrogen. The dissolved polymer blend is spread in a thin layer onto a support, and the solvent is evaporated to form a polymeric film. The films produced by the process are particularly useful as ion-exchange membranes due to improved properties relative to the component polymers with regard to ionic conductivity, swelling permselectivity, and thermal resistance.