Abstract: An aircraft propelled by at least one turbojet engine on which power can be bled or injected via a high-pressure and/or low-pressure turbine shaft and including at least one gas turbine to provide power transients, having a system for converting and transporting electrical energy wherein each of the high-pressure and/or low-pressure turbine shafts is connected to a first doubly-fed asynchronous machine delivering, a first three-phase AC voltage over an AC distribution grid and a second polyphase AC voltage for a first AC/DC bidirectional converter supplying a DC voltage over a DC distribution grid, at least one second DC/AC bidirectional converter connected to the DC distribution grid converting this DC voltage into a third polyphase AC voltage supplying at least one second doubly-fed asynchronous machine engaged with a rotation shaft of the gas turbine, the second doubly-fed asynchronous machine further delivering a fourth polyphase AC voltage over the AC distribution grid.

Abstract: A facility that includes a means for forming meat fragments, and a movable support for the meat fragments, which is to convey said meat fragments in a longitudinal direction, through a means for cohesively compacting meat fragments to form a block of compacted meat fragments. The cohesive compaction means includes two movable compaction shoes for compacting the meat fragments between the movable support and said shoes. The shoes are mutually transversely offset relative to the longitudinal direction of conveyance. The shoes are each driven in a vertical alternating movement, such that the pads move relative to one another and out of phase with each other.

Abstract: A facility that includes a means for forming meat fragments, and a movable support for the meat fragments, which is to convey said meat fragments in a longitudinal direction, through a means for cohesively compacting meat fragments to form a block of compacted meat fragments. The cohesive compaction means includes two movable compaction shoes for compacting the meat fragments between the movable support and said shoes. The shoes are mutually transversely offset relative to the longitudinal direction of conveyance. The shoes are each driven in a vertical alternating movement, such that the pads move relative to one another and out of phase with each other.

Abstract: A method for segmenting an image comprising: determining an initial estimation of a boundary between at least two components in a region of an image to be segmented; providing image data from the region of the image to be segmented, the image data representing gray level values of a plurality of image elements of the components; modelling the image data on a mixture of at least two statistical distributions, each statistical distribution having more than one parameter, and each component being associated with certain weights of the statistical distributions in the mixture; estimating the parameters of the statistical distributions in the mixture; for each component, estimating the weights of the statistical distributions in the mixture based on the estimated parameters and the image data of each image element; and optimizing the initial estimation of the boundary between the components based on the estimated parameters and estimated weights.

Abstract: In the process, at least one piece of meat is destructured by fragmenting it, and the meat fragments are transformed into a restructured meat article. The fragments are transformed into a restructured meat article by: forming a block of meat fragments by cohesive compaction of the meat fragments; removing at least a portion of the block, termed a preform; and compressing the preform between complementary surfaces for molding the preform. The meat fragment compacting device comprises two conveyor belts for cohesive compaction of the meat fragments, the belts converging from upstream to downstream relative to a direction of movement of the meat fragments. The device for compressing a preform for a meat article comprises pistons having surfaces for molding the preform, which surfaces vary from one piston to another.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) image segmentation methods, and is more specifically concerned with an intravascular ultrasound image segmentation method for characterizing blood vessel vascular layers. The proposed image segmentation method for estimating boundaries of layers in a multi-layered vessel provides image data which represent a plurality of image elements of the multi-layered vessel. The method also determines a plurality of initial interfaces corresponding to regions of the image data to segment and further concurrently propagates the initial interfaces corresponding to the regions to segment. The method thereby allows to estimate the boundaries of the layers of the multi-layered vessel by propagating the initial interfaces using a fast marching model based on a probability function which describes at least one characteristic of the image elements.

Abstract: A method for segmenting an image comprising: determining an initial estimation of a boundary between at least two components in a region of an image to be segmented; providing image data from the region of the image to be segmented, the image data representing gray level values of a plurality of image elements of the components; modelling the image data on a mixture of at least two statistical distributions, each statistical distribution having more than one parameter, and each component being associated with certain weights of the statistical distributions in the mixture; estimating the parameters of the statistical distributions in the mixture; for each component, estimating the weights of the statistical distributions in the mixture based on the estimated parameters and the image data of each image element; and optimizing the initial estimation of the boundary between the components based on the estimated parameters and estimated weights.

Abstract: In the process, at least one piece of meat is destructured by fragmenting it, and the meat fragments are transformed into a restructured meat article. The fragments are transformed into a restructured meat article by: forming a block of meat fragments by cohesive compaction of the meat fragments; removing at least a portion of the block, termed a preform; and compressing the preform between complementary surfaces for molding the preform. The meat fragment compacting device comprises two conveyor belts for cohesive compaction of the meat fragments, the belts converging from upstream to downstream relative to a direction of movement of the meat fragments. The device for compressing a preform for a meat article comprises pistons having surfaces for molding the preform, which surfaces vary from one piston to another.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) image segmentation methods, and is more specifically concerned with an intravascular ultrasound image segmentation method for characterizing blood vessel vascular layers. The proposed image segmentation method for estimating boundaries of layers in a multi-layered vessel provides image data which represent a plurality of image elements of the multi-layered vessel. The method also determines a plurality of initial interfaces corresponding to regions of the image data to segment and further concurrently propagates the initial interfaces corresponding to the regions to segment. The method thereby allows to estimate the boundaries of the layers of the multi-layered vessel by propagating the initial interfaces using a fast marching model based on a probability function which describes at least one characteristic of the image elements.

Abstract: A water-cooled plasma torch specially designed to drill into a refractory material is used in a method for opening a tap hole closed by a plug in a wall of a furnace. This method which is particularly well adapted for robotization, includes the step of melting and breaking up the plug closing the tap hole by means of a jet of swirling gas of high speed and high temperature, generated by the plasma torch. The main advantage of this method is that the stream of plasma gas leaving the torch has a well defined outline ensuring precise and reproducible tapping of the plug and, as a result, efficient closing of the tap hole with a new plug after the furnace has been emptied.

Abstract: This invention relates to internal combustion engine liners having a base of aluminum-silicon alloys and of silicon grains and processes for obtaining them.It is characterized in that these grains are carefully graded in size and dispersed in the alloy matrix. These liners can also contain at least an intermetallic compound such as Ni.sub.3 Sn, for example.These liners are obtained by extrusion or sintering of a mixture of powders.The invention has its application particularly in the automobile industry and in any type of industry where it is desired to have liner-piston units from aluminum alloys having a good compatability.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for obtaining extruded semifinished products from high resistance aluminum alloy powder.It is characterized in that there is used particularly a powder of an aluminum-lithium alloy obtained by atomization in a neutral gas. This powder is loaded in a jacket of aluminum alloy of the 5000 type, then hot degassed under a pressure less than the atmospheric pressure; after sealing of the jacket, the unit is subjected to hot inverted extrusion and heat treated in the ambient air.The plated composite semifinished product thus obtained exhibits a very high resistance and finds its application particularly in the aeronautical industry.

Abstract: The invention relates to cylinder liners for internal combustion engines comprising a matrix based on aluminum alloys of high mechanical strength, obtained by powder metallurgy, and methods of producing them. The liners comprise a dispersion of grains of an added intermetallic compound, apart from the dispersion of such intermetallic compounds as may exist in the alloy, the added compound having a melting temperature of over 700.degree. C. The liners are obtained by extruding or sintering a mixture of powders. The liners of the invention may be used particularly in the automobile industry and in any kind of industry where liner-piston units of good compatibility must be obtained from aluminum alloys.

Abstract: This invention relates to inserts for pistons of diesel engines of aluminum-silicon alloys obtained by powder metallurgy.These inserts are characterized in that they contain elements such as iron and zirconium.They find their application in the manufacture of pistons intended to work at high temperatures for long periods and exhibit a good friction capacity.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for sintering aluminum alloy powders under pressure.It consists in placing the powder in a capsule, in coating the capsule with an easily melted, stable vitreous material with a viscosity between 10.sup.2 and 10.sup.5 poises at the sintering temperature and in pressing it in a unidirectional press.It applies, in powder metallurgy, to the obtaining of castings that exhibit homogeneous mechanical properties, these castings being able to be roughcasts or finished castings.