Abstract: A roller for a control device includes a roller wheel having an outer portion formed of metal and a corrugated surface; a pivot arm configured to pivot in a first direction to contact the corrugated surface and to pivot in a second direction to move away from the corrugated surface; and energy driven means configured to pivot the pivot arm.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for determining the maximum supported degree of parallel sort operations in a multi-processor computing environment. An allocation module allocates a minimum number of sort files to a sort operation for each data source that participates in the parallel sort. The allocation module attempts to allocate sort files of one-half the sort operation data source file size, and iteratively reduces the sort file size requests in response to determinations that sort files of the requested size are not available. After allocation, a parallel operation module determines whether there is sufficient virtual storage to execute the sort operations in parallel. If there is not, the parallel operations module collapses the two smallest sort operations, thereby reducing the degree of parallelism by one, and repeats the request. The parallel operation module repeats the process until the sorts are executed or the process fails for lack of virtual storage.

Abstract: The inventive animal breeding plant comprises an animal stall area (1a-1f), means (11) for sharply flushing a cleaning fluid in said area in order to wash it and a channel which is used for recovering a mixture formed by said cleaning fluid and wastes flushed thereby and is arranged in front of said flushing means with respect to said area. The flushing means comprise at least one bucket (11) which is movably mounted between filling and flushing positions and whose shape is selected such that, when the filling level thereof with the cleaning fluid attains a predetermined threshold, the gravity center of the thus filled bucket (11) is shifted to such a point that the bucket (11) is tilted from said filling position to the flushing position in such a way that the fluid is sharply flushed in the area (1a-1f).

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for determining the maximum supported degree of parallel sort operations in a multi-processor computing environment. An allocation module allocates a minimum number of sort files to a sort operation for each data source that participates in the parallel sort. The allocation module attempts to allocate sort files of one-half the sort operation data source file size, and iteratively reduces the sort file size requests in response to determinations that sort files of the requested size are not available. After allocation, a parallel operation module determines whether there is sufficient virtual storage to execute the sort operations in parallel. If there is not, the parallel operations module collapses the two smallest sort operations, thereby reducing the degree of parallelism by one, and repeats the request. The parallel operation module repeats the process until the sorts are executed or the process fails for lack of virtual storage.

Abstract: A method for the physical and biological treatment of an organic effluent, which is decomposed by microorganisms in a biological treatment zone, includes recovering a fraction of the biomass derived from the biological treatment, filling a compression reservoir with the biomass fraction, isolating the compression reservoir, and subjecting the filled compression reservoir to a very high pressure so to destroy or damage the microorganisms in the biomass fraction. Thereafter, the compression reservoir is returned to atmospheric pressure and the treated biomass fraction is reinjected into the biological treatment zone or into another biological treatment zone.

Abstract: Detection of end of stroke for an electromagnetic pump is performed using, for example, a calculated first flux derivative.

Abstract: The invention relates to a soldered refrigerant condenser that consists of a heat exchange network with flat pipes and corrugated ribs, of collector pipes that fluidically communicate with the flat pipes, and of a collector (10) that is arranged in parallel to one of the collector pipes. Said collector accommodates a dryer and/or a filter (31) and fluidically communicates with the collector pipe via two overflow openings (13, 14). The dryer is configured by a chamber containing a drying agent (28) and limited by a section (18) of the collector (10, 11) and two endplates (23, 24) that extend through the cross-section of the collector (10, 11).

Abstract: Emission contamination data are collected in a shifted mock scan simultaneous with the collection of transmission data during a transmission scan of a patient with a collimated gamma point source, the transmission data are corrected with the emission contamination data, and the corrected transmission data are used for attenuation correction of emission data for reconstruction of an emission image of the patient. In a preferred implementation, when the point source is at a particular axial location and illuminates an axial beamwidth of “Fz” over the gamma detector, emission contamination data are collected from the gamma detector over an axial separated region “Fz?” having about the same axial extent but axially displaced by about half of the axial field of view (FOV).

Abstract: Fast reconstruction methods are provided for 3D time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET), based on 2D data re-binning. Starting from pre-corrected 3D TOF data, a re-binning algorithm estimates for each transaxial slice the 2D TOF sinogram. The re-binned sinograms can then be reconstructed using any algorithm for 2D TOF reconstruction. A TOF-FORE (Fourier re-binning of TOF data) algorithm is provided as an approximate re-binning algorithm obtained by extending the Fourier re-binning method for non-TOF data. In addition, two partial differential equations are identified that must be satisfied by consistent 3D TOF data, and are used to derive exact re-binning algorithms and to characterize the degree of the approximation in TOF-FORE.

Abstract: The invention relates to a propulsion device comprising a gas ejection nozzle and an injection chamber for injecting at least one propellant fluid. According to the invention, the device has an induction loop which surrounds a zone of the nozzle and also an electricity generator to feed said induction loop, in particular under drive from a heat engine whose heat source is a nuclear core and whose heat sink is a cryogenic liquid which is subsequently used for propulsion.

Abstract: A method of hydroprocessing a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock using a hydroprocessing catalyst having specific properties making it effective in the hydroconversion of at least a portion of the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to lighter hydrocarbons. The hydroprocessing catalyst comprises a Group VIB metal component (e.g., Cr, Mo, and W), a Group VIII metal component (e.g., Ni and Co) and, optionally, a potassium metal component that are supported on a support material comprising alumina. The alumina has novel physical properties that, in combination with the catalytic components, provide for the hydroprocessing catalyst. The hydroprocessing catalyst is particularly effective in the conversion of the heavy hydrocarbon feedstock. The alumina is characterized as having a high pore volume and a high surface area with a large proportion of the pore volume being present in the pores within a narrow pore diameter distribution about a narrowly defined range of median pore diameters.

Abstract: A diffusion-brazing filler powder for a part made of a nickel-, cobalt- or iron-based alloy A comprising particles of a defined alloy material B having specific functional properties tailored to the area of application of said part. The particles are substantially spherical and carry, on their surfaces, in the form of incrustations, add-ons comprising at least one fluxing element taken from the group: boron and silicon, these encrusted add-ons also being present in a free state in said powder.

Abstract: The invention concerns a fired refractory product based on refractory grains and binder, and process for the production thereof.The refractory product comprises a charge of refractory grains belonging to the group comprising carbonaceous products such as anthracite, natural graphite, artificial graphite, amorphous carbon, coke, refractory compounds known as RHM such as silicon carbide and refractory oxides such as alumina, corundum, magnesia, silica and chromium oxide, taken separately, in mixture or in combination; said grains are secured together by a cement based on a coked carbonaceous product and metal silicon in powder form; and the final proportion of metal silicon is from 1 to 15.8% and preferably from 3 to 10.5%.The product is intended for the manufacture of side linings for tanks for the production of aluminum by igneous electrolysis, and linings for blast furnaces and electric furnaces for electrometallurgy operations.