Abstract: A process for preparing a crosslinked gel of at least one polymer or one of its salts, including a) providing an aqueous medium containing at least one polymer, b) forming a homogenous gel from the medium from step a), c) bringing the gel obtained in step b) into contact with an effective amount of at least one crosslinking agent; d) crossliking the mixture formed in step c); and e) recovering the crosslinked hydrogel, wherein at least steps a) to d) are carried out within a hermetic cavity delimited at least partially by a deformable wall, the mixture present in the cavity being exposed, in step d), to conditions conducive to crosslinking.

Abstract: One or more embodiments include a speech recognition learning system for improved speech recognition. The learning system may include a speech optimizing system. The optimizing system may receive a first stimulus data package including spoken utterances having at least one phoneme, and contextual information. A number of result data packages may be retrieved which include stored spoken utterances and contextual information. A determination may be made as to whether the first stimulus data package requires improvement. A second stimulus data package may be generated based on the determination. A number of speech recognition implementation rules for implementing the second stimulus data package may be received. The rules may be associated with the contextual information. A determination may be made as to whether the second stimulus data package requires further improvement.

Abstract: A control interface for the bit rate of digital data to be recorded as well as a control interface for the bit rate of digital data emanating from a reading device, particularly when the digital data constitutes a high bit rate uninterrupted data stream such as a video data stream in the MPEG II format. Each control interface comprises a memory circuit for storing the data to be recorded or to be read and a device for storing the data to be recorded or read in the memory circuit so as to fill the memory circuit to a predetermined level. The storing device includes a gauge for generating an information item giving the fill level of the memory.

Abstract: An interface apparatus includes first and second devices, each having a series of ports for connection to a common packet transfer bus associated with a controller. The devices operate in parallel and are configured so that when one is in an active mode the other is in a warm stand-by mode ready to become active in the event of failure of the active device. The ports of the device in the active mode communicate normally with the controller to initiate transfer of the packets over the packet transfer bus. The ports of the device in the standby mode are inoperative to communicate with the controller to initiate packet transfer, but otherwise operate normally so as to be ready for immediate activation in the event of failure of the device in the active mode.

Abstract: The coder makes it possible to convert a succession of video and/or audio blocks, consisting of binary combinations of N bits, into a succession of binary data blocks consisting of combinations of N bits, each binary data block corresponding to one video and/or audio block. The coder codes each end binary combination 0 or 2N−1 of each video and/or audio block in the form of a coded binary combination consisting of a nature information item In and a position information item Ip. The nature information item In gives the nature, 0 or 2N−1, of the end binary combination, and the position information item Ip gives the position which the end combination occupies in the video block.