Abstract: A voice encoding method includes the steps of encoding a first frame that contains a plurality of voice data into encoded parameters, locally decoding the encoded parameters of the first frame into a second frame, performing a plurality of interpolation recovery processes that generate respective frames approximating to the first frame by using a frame or frames other than the first frame, comparing the second frame with the frames approximating to the first frame generated by the plurality of interpolation recovery processes, calculating a signal to noise ratio of each of the frames approximating to the first frame by treating the second frame as the signal, determining an index number that indicates an interpolation recovery process which provides a highest signal to noise ratio, and multiplexing and transmitting the index number with the encoded parameters.

Abstract: Disclosed is a speech recognition method in a speech recognition apparatus to applying speech recognition to a voice signal applied thereto. The input voice signal is converted from an analog to a digital signal and sequences of feature vectors are extracted based upon the digital signal (S12). A search space is defined by the sequences of feature vectors and an HMM (16) prepared beforehand for each unit of speech. The search space allows a transition between HMMs only in specific feature-vector sequences. A search is conducted in this space to find an optimum path for which the largest acoustic likelihood regarding the voice signal is obtained to find the result of recognition (S14), and this result is output (S15).

Abstract: An improved supported catalyst containing mixed strontium and other alkaline earth oxides deposited on a sintered low surface area porous catalyst carrier (or support) precoated with mixed lanthanum and other rare earth oxides, represented by the formula:A.sub.a SrO.sub.b (x) /R.sub.c LaO.sub.d (y) /S,wherein, A is alkaline earth element selected from Be, Mg, Ca, Ba or a mixture thereof; Sr is strontium, O is oxygen; R is rare earth element selected from Ce, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu or a mixture thereof; La is lanthanum; S is catalyst support selected from sintered low surface area porous refractory inert solids comprising of alumina, silica, silica-alumina, silicon carbide, zirconia, hafnia or a mixture thereof; a is A/Sr mole ratio in the range of about 0.01 to about 10; b is number of oxygen atoms needed to fulfill the valence requirement of alkaline earth elements (A.sub.a Sr); c is R/La mole ratio in the range of about 0.

Abstract: A method for reducing gaseous nitrogen oxides present in a gas stream by reaction with a reductant species is practiced by flowing the gas stream under lean NO.sub.X -reducing conditions in contact with a catalytic material containing a catalytically effective amount of a catalytic species, e.g., a platinum group metal, and a reductant storage material, e.g., a zeolite, effective for storing reductant species for reaction with NO.sub.X, and providing an intermittent supply of the reductant to the gas stream. The catalytic material may be prepared in any manner, but one method is to incorporate a catalytically effective amount of the platinum into a template-bearing molecular sieve material, preferably ZSM-5 zeolite, to hinder the platinum from being incorporated into the pores of the molecular sieve material, and then calcining the molecular sieve material, whereby the template is removed from the molecular sieve material after the platinum is incorporated therein.

Abstract: A method of producing soot containing high amounts of fullerenes comprising: providing a primary concentrator capable of impingement of a concentrated beam of sunlight onto a carbon source to cause vaporization of carbon and subsequent formation of fullerenes, or providing a solar furnace having a primary concentrator with a focal point that concentrates a solar beam of sunlight; providing a reflective secondary concentrator having an entrance aperture and an exit aperture at the focal point of the solar furnace; providing a carbon source at the exit aperture of the secondary concentrator; supplying an inert gas over the carbon source to keep the secondary concentrator free from vaporized carbon; and impinging a concentrated beam of sunlight from the secondary concentrator on the carbon source to vaporize the carbon source into a soot containing high amounts of fullerenes.

Abstract: Filamentous substrates are coated with diamond by a chemical vapor deposition process. The substrate may then be etched away to form a diamond filament, such as a diamond tube or a diamond fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the substrate is copper-coated graphite. The copper initially passivates the graphite, permitting diamond nucleation thereon. As deposition continues, the copper-coated graphite is etched away by the active hydrogen used in the deposition process. As a result a substrate-less diamond fiber is formed. Diamond-coated and diamond filaments are useful as reinforcement materials for composites, is filtration media in chemical and purification processes, in biomedical applications as probes and medicinal dispensers, and in such esoteric areas as chaff media for jamming RF frequencies.

Abstract: There are disclosed a method for removing CO.sub.2 from a combustion exhaust gas which comprises the step of bringing the combustion exhaust gas under atmospheric pressure into contact with an aqueous solution of a hindered amine selected from the group consisting of 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, 2-methylaminoethanol, 2-ethylaminoethanol and 2-piperidineethanol; and another method for removing carbon dioxide from a combustion exhaust gas which comprises the step of bringing the combustion exhaust gas under atmospheric pressure into contact with a mixed aqueous solution of 100 parts by weight of an amine compound (X) selected from the group consisting of 2-amino-2-methyl-1,3-propanediol, 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol, 2-amino-2-ethyl-1,3-propanediol, t-butyldiethanolamine and 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol; and 1-25 parts by weight of an amine compound (Y) selected from the group consisting of piperazine, piperidine, morpholine, glycine, 2-methylaminoethanol, 2-piperidineethanol and 2-ethylaminoethanol.

Abstract: According to this invention, an amorphous or pseudo-boehmite-type hydrated alumina gel and an alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate as starting materials are reacted in an aqueous medium to give a method of producing a process for producing an alkali aluminum complex hydroxide carbonate salt which is industrially low-cost and has high productivity. Furthermore, by using a gibbsite-type hydrated alumina, a lithium aluminum complex hydroxide carbonate salt can be synthesized by a migration method.The lithium aluminum complex hydroxide carbonate salt and the sodium aluminum complex hydroxide carbonate salt obtained by the processes of the present invention have excellent compoundability in pigments and resins.In addition, these complex salts have no foaming hazards at the time of processing the resins and are useful as resin fillers for halogen capturing property, infrared ray absorbing property and excellent transparency.

Abstract: In a method for decomposition of hydrocarbons for the production of hydrogen and carbon black, the feed stock is passed through a plasma torch, which causes a pyrolytic decomposition of the feed stock. The feed stock is transported through the plasma torch (A) in a cooled lead-in tube (1) and undergoes a first heating in an area in the immediate vicinity of the plasma flame. The material thereby produced is passed on to one or more subsequent stages where the final and complete decomposition of the hydrocarbons to carbon black and hydrogen occurs. In this area further raw material may be added which causes quenching and reacts with the already produced carbon black. An increase is thereby caused in particle size, density and amount produced without further energy supply, whereafter the products produced are expelled and separated and hot gas may be transported in a return pipe to the torch, in order to further increase the energy yield.

Abstract: A pitch-type fiber convertible to an activated carbon fiber is infusiblized with an infusiblizing gas and the infusiblized fiber is activated with an activating gas, such as steam, to produce an activated carbon fiber. The waste gas from the infusiblizing step is utilized in a combusting step. The combustible component of the waste gas from the activating step is separated out of the waste gas from the activating step and combusted in the combusting step along with the waste gas from the infusiblizing step. The resulting heat from the combusting step is utilized to preheat the infusiblizing gas and the activating gas and the preheated gases are utilized in the infusiblizing step and the activating step, respectively. This arrangement allows the infusiblizing temperature and the activating temperature to be accurately controlled. Thus, an activated carbon fiber is manufactured continuously without being negatively affected by waste gases from the infusiblizing and activating steps.

Abstract: Salts of tetrathiocarbonic acid are produced by a process in which a hydroxide, sulfur, carbon disulfide and hydrogen sulfide are reacted continuously. The salts are produced as aqueous solutions having concentrations of about 15 to about 55 percent by weight.

Abstract: A photocatalyst compound comprising: (i) a photocatalyst selected from the group consisting of TiO.sub.2, WO.sub.3 and mixtures thereof, the photocatalyst being substantially free of sharp, narrow band X-ray reflections at angles corresponding those of crystalline TiO.sub.2, WO.sub.3 and mixtures thereof, and (ii) a porous, crystalline, adsorbent support material. A process for producing the photocatalyst compound is also disclosed. The process comprises: (i) hydrolysing a non-ionic titanium compound to produce a colloidal suspension having an average particle size of less than about 250 .ANG.; (ii) contacting a porous, crystalline, adsorbent support material with the colloidal suspension to produce an impregnated support; and (iii) calcining the impregnated support to produce the photocatalyst compound. The photocatalyst compound is useful, in the treatment of a fluid containing an organic pollutant.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process for recovering sodium bicarbonate and forming ammonium sulfate from a source containing sodium sulfate. The method involves contacting the sodium sulfate in solution with carbon dioxide and a compound containing ammonia. Sodium bicarbonate is precipitated in high purity form from the solution. It is important to maintain the temperature of the source solution at or above 32.degree. C. This provision eliminates contamination of hydrates or ammonium bicarbonate components. The filtrate of the sodium bicarbonate reaction can be further processed to yield an ammonium sulfate product in the concentrated liquid or precipitated form in high purity. The basic process can be expanded to be combined with a conventional Claus process for sulfur recovery as a Tail Gas Unit, or can be further employed in a wet and dry scrubbing process for FGD schemes.

Abstract: The present invention is a catalyst in the form of a plurality of porous particles wherein each particle is a support having nickel metal catalytic phase or reduced nickel deposited thereon in a first dispersed phase and an additional metal deposited onto the support in a second dispersed phase. The additional metal is effective in retarding or reducing agglomeration or sintering of the nickel metal catalytic phase without substantially affecting the catalytic activity, thereby increasing the life time of the catalyst.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula I(A).sub.n --B (I)in which A is the radical of a strained cycloolefin, B is a direct bond or an n-valent bridging group and n is an integer from 2 to 8, with the exception of 1,2-bisnorbornenyl-ethane and norbornenecarboxylic acid norbornenemethyl ester. The compounds of the formula I can be polymerized with one-component catalysts (ring-opening metathesis polymerization).

Abstract: A hydrogen storage composition is provided which defines a physical sol-gel matrix having an average pore size of less than 3.5 angstroms which effectively excludes gaseous metal hydride poisons while permitting hydrogen gas to enter. The composition is useful for separating hydrogen gas from diverse gas streams which may have contaminants that would otherwise render the hydrogen absorbing material inactive.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for recovering chlorine-containing species from the outlet gas of a hydrocarbon conversion process with a cyclic regeneration operation. The outlet gas from an off-stream catalyst bed in which regeneration is occurring is passed to another off-stream catalyst bed which contains spent catalyst and which is maintained at sorption conditions. The spent catalyst particles sorb the chlorine-containing species from the outlet gas. This method captures and retains within the hydrocarbon conversion process chlorine-containing species that would otherwise be scrubbed and lost from the process and that would need to be replaced by the injection of make-up chlorine-containing species. This method results in significant savings in operating costs of a cyclic regeneration process. This method is adaptable to many processes for the catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons in which deactivated catalyst are regenerated by a cyclic regeneration operation.

Abstract: Catalyst systems with a content of a platinum-group-metal catalyst, a co-catalyst, a quaternary salt and a base for the oxidative carbonylation of aromatic hydroxy compounds to the corresponding diaryl carbonates are according to the invention obtained as a mother liquor by suspension crystallization and can be returned into the carbonylation reaction or worked up to valuable materials. The crystallizate, which consists predominantly of diaryl carbonate and the parent aromatic hydroxy compound, is worked up to pure diaryl carbonate and pure hydroxy compound.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for producing carbon black and an apparatus therefor, in which a gasification furnace is separated into a lower gasification section and an upper pyrolysis section via a distribution plate, waste tire chips are supplied to the pyrolysis section of the gasification furnace and pyrolytically decomposed to separate it into pyrolysis gas and fixed carbon, fine fixed carbon is separated from a mixed gas discharged from the gasification furnace and supplied to the gasification section of the gasification furnace to generate gasification gas, the gasification gas is supplied to the pyrolysis section through the distribution plate, a mixed gas of pyrolysis gas and gasification gas is introduced after fine fixed carbon is separated, so that carbon black is yielded.

Abstract: A process for removing contaminants from the surface of a substrate comprises contacting the substrate with a cleaning composition comprising at least one mono-, di-, or trialkoxy-substituted perfluoroalkane, perfluorocycloalkane, perfluorocycloalkyl-containing perfluoroalkane, or perfluorocycloalkylene-containing perfluoroalkane compound, the compound optionally containing additional catenary heteroatoms. The compounds exhibit good solvency properties while being environmentally acceptable.