Abstract: A server (3) includes a robot control unit (3j) that controls a motion of a robot; a user dynamic data recognition unit (3a1) that recognizes user dynamic data at a plurality of time points during guidance; an emotion estimation unit (3k) that estimates a current emotion of a user at the plurality of time points, based on the user dynamic data, and generates evaluation data being data in which the motion of the robot and the current emotion are associated with each other; and an evaluation data storage unit (3l) that stores the evaluation data in time series.

Abstract: The invention concerns a beverage preparation device (10), said device comprising:—a chamber (1) for receiving and agitating a liquid, said chamber comprising an opened top (11), an opened bottom (12) and a lateral side wall (13), said chamber presenting the shape of a solid of revolution, the axis of revolution (XX?) being oriented between the top and the bottom of the chamber, —a rotating unit (2) for spinning the chamber (1) around its axis of revolution (XX?), and wherein the chamber presents a shape such that when the chamber is spinning, liquid present in the chamber forms a ring of liquid along the lateral side wall (13) of the chamber above the opened bottom (12).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for brewing coffee of higher quality and better taste than any apparatus and method currently available, while also enabling users to utilize less coffee grounds per brewing cycle, thereby achieving significant cost savings for users. A basket that houses a packet of coffee grounds is housed within a carafe that stores water. The basket is fabricated so that water may enter therein and exit therefrom, and the packet of coffee grounds enables water and natural coffee oils to penetrate the packet, but does not allow coffee grounds to escape the packet. The carafe is filled with water that is gradually heated from at or around tap temperature to approximately boiling. While the water in the chamber is heated, the basket is agitated. This causes the gradually heating water to enter the basket and agitate the packet, thereby extracting natural coffee oil from the grounds stored within the packet, which creates brewed coffee.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for brewing coffee of higher quality and better taste than any apparatus and method currently available, while also enabling users to utilize less coffee grounds per brewing cycle, thereby achieving significant cost savings for users. A basket that houses a packet of coffee grounds is housed within a chamber that stores water. The basket is fabricated so that water may enter therein and exit therefrom, and the packet of coffee grounds enables water and natural coffee oils to penetrate the packet, but does not allow coffee grounds to escape the packet. The water chamber is filled with water that is gradually heated from at or around tap temperature to approximately boiling. While the water in the chamber is heated, the basket is agitated. This causes the gradually heating water to enter the basket and agitate the packet, thereby extracting natural coffee oil from the grounds stored within the packet, which creates brewed coffee.

Abstract: A cycle of operation for a laundry treating appliance having a rotatable treating chamber for receiving a laundry load including a washing phase having an application of a treating chemistry to the laundry load to separate soils from the laundry load, an extracting phase having a centrifugal extraction of at least some of the treating chemistry from the laundry load, and a rinsing phase having a spraying of an amount of rinse water onto the laundry load to evenly wet the laundry load to form a wetted laundry load and an applying of a bleach solution to the wetted laundry load.

Abstract: The presently disclosed subject matter demonstrates that ThnG and ThnQ enzymes encoded by the thienamycin gene cluster in Streptomyces cattleya oxidize the C-2 and C-6 moieties of carbapenems, respectively. ThnQ stereospecifically hydroxylates PS-5 giving N-acetyl thienamycin. ThnG catalyzes sequential desaturation and sulfoxidation of PS-5, giving PS-7 and its sulfoxide. The ThnG and ThnQ enzymes are relatively substrate selective, but give rise to the oxidative diversity of carbapenems produced by S. cattleya, and orthologues likely function similarly in allied streptomyces.

Abstract: Pressure filter for filtering pulp which pressure filter comprises a pulp container (1, 3) comprising a feed opening (12) of the pulp at its upper part, a cylindrical filtering surface (6) adjusted to the cylinder part of the container in which case the pulp, which has penetrated the mentioned surface, can be removed from the container through one removal aggregate or through several removal aggregates (13), (14) located at various altitudes, further the pulp container comprises a vertical rotor (8, 16, 17) which can be rotated in the pulp room of the container which rotor is equipped with wings (7) which clean the filtering surface (6) and comprises a feed pipe (11) of the dilution water for directing the dilution water into the pulp room of the container in order to avoid the thickening of the pulp and that the dilution water can be directed between the rotor and the filtering surface (6) to such height that beginning from the lower edge of the filtering surface (6) at least an essential part of the filteri

Abstract: A filter device including at least one filter chamber between a filter plate and a counter plate when the device is closed, into which chamber a suspension can be inducted on a cake side of a filter cloth through at least one filling shoe anchored in the filter plate and clamping the cloth with the filter plate in a sealing manner. The suspension permeates the cloth to the filtrate side, wherein the suspension solid content deposits on the cloth as a filter cake, and the filter and counter plates are offset from each other when the device is open, and the cake is removable from the chamber. In order to simplify the disassembly of the cloth, the shoe is movably anchored in the filter plate, and the shoe is automatically lifted off from the filter plate and the clamping of the filter cloth is released when the device is opened.

Abstract: A device for dewatering sewage sludge and a method for its use is provided. The device affords separation by causing a sludge concentrate to flow at sufficiently slow rates to cause the gel-like concentrate to fracture and release trapped water. Sewage sludge dewatered according to the method and utilizing the device can be directly burned or directly introduced into a landfill. Certain embodiments of the device can be transported to a site where the dewatering process is carried out and certain embodiments of the device can be further utilized to transport dewatered sludge from the dewatering site to a further disposal site.

Abstract: An aggregating agent injector (13) injects into raw water an aggregating agent for aggregating solids in raw water, a first aggregation aid injector (16) injects into raw water with the aggregating agent injected therein an aggregation aid for hardening or consolidating flocs formed by the aggregating agent, and a centrifugal separator (18) has a flocculator portion for causing raw water with the aggregation aid injected therein to whirl therein to flocculate solids in raw water, and a solid collector portion for causing raw water to swirl at higher speeds than in the flocculator portion to separate flocs from raw water.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for obtaining various components of a multi-component material. Generally, a component of a whole blood sample may be concentrated from a patient and re-introduced to the same patient. For example, a clotting component, such as thrombin, from a whole blood sample may be extracted and concentrated in an apparatus and collection to be reapplied or reintroduced into a patient.

Abstract: A slurry filtration system and apparatus with peripheral elements for conditioning a slurry prior to entry into a pressure filter (32) and the control of fluid and liquid introductions into the filter (32) to produce a desired filter cake or filtrate. The system includes a controller (16) for controlling the operation of the peripheral treatment for the introduction of coagulants, flocculants and polymers to treat or condition a slurry introduced into the filter (32) and the control of additional peripheral equipment for treatment of the slurry with liquid clearing or cake forming gas, steam, or drying or conditioning gas within the filter chamber (40) for the production of both filtrate and filter cake from the filter (32) to a form desired.

Abstract: Water represents an important resource in an aircraft. In modern aircraft, sufficient water reserves are carried along in designated tanks that are regularly refilled by ground personnel. One embodiment relates to a water treatment system for aircraft that may make it possible to treat a gray water/black water mixture accumulated on board of an aircraft during its operation in sufficient quantity and quality for use in a downstream reformer. This means that the water circuit within the aircraft is closed and costly water tanks are eliminated.

Abstract: [Problem to be Solved] To provide a method of treating a sealing compound that can efficiently separate and recover a used sealing compound into rubber latex and a liquid constituent, and also simplify the treatment of the rubber latex and liquid constituent separated from the used sealing compound.

Abstract: A filtering device, in particular for fish basins, has a housing (10) encompassing a filter chamber (20) and a filter drum (30), which is rotatably disposed in the filter chamber (20) and is loadable with water to be purified, about which a filter belt (40) is guided along part of its circumference from a dispensing roller (42) to a receiving roller (41) that is driven by a paddle wheel (5) disposed outside the filter chamber (20). The paddles (51) of the filter wheel are activated by unpurified water in such a way that the filter belt (40) is wound from the dispensing roller (42) onto the receiving roller (41). As the filter belt that loops around the filter drum becomes increasingly dirty and the water level in the filter chamber rises as a result, the unpurified water that is delivered by a pump flows over an overflow onto the paddle wheel as a mechanical drive means and places a receiving roller for the dirty filter belt into rotation.

Abstract: In a wastewater treatment plant, the liquid side of the plant has preferably four stages for nitrification and/or denitrification, prior to further treatment such as a clarifier. Energy requirements are reduced by reducing aeration requirements. Four or more tanks/zones comprise serial anoxic and aerobic stages, but in the anoxic stages simultaneous nitrification/denitrification takes place in accordance with the known process of U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,746. By this arrangement the system can achieve a volume ratio of about 20% aerobic tankage to the total tankage volume, as compared to a much higher ratio in a typical prior art system of serial aerobic/anoxic stages, and greatly reducing aeration requirements.

Abstract: A composition and the method for sustaining the biocidal activity of chlorinated polystyrene hydantoin beads. The method comprises supplying a continuous low level halogen concentration to the chlorinated polystyrene hydantoin beads in the water to be treated that flows in contact with the chlorinated polystyrene hydantoin beads, resulting in treated water suitable for drinking.

Abstract: A portable system for recovering oil-based fluids from sorbent articles containing oil-based fluids, the system including a motor vehicle and a self-balancing centrifuge having a housing and a foraminous rotatable basket removably attached to a spindle in the housing, the centrifuge being attached to the vehicle for transport to a remote site, the basket having a solid base having a mass sufficient to provide self-balancing rotation of the basket and the basket being configured for receiving a plurality of the sorbent articles therein, wherein rotation of the centrifuge basket applies sufficient centrifugal force to the sorbent articles to cause removal of oil-based fluids therefrom such that the fluids travel from the basket into an annular area between the basket and the housing and from the housing to a fluid recovery tank and the sorbent articles are essentially fluid free.

Abstract: A method and a device for separating a component, such as fibrin I from blood, by centrifugation. The method involves feeding of blood admixed an anticlotter to a first annular chamber in a device, where the annular chamber is defined by a cylindrical outer wall and a cylindrical inner wall, both walls extending coaxially about a common axis, as well as by a top wall and a bottom wall, where the top wall or the bottom wall is formed by a piston body displaceable within the first chamber. The method involves furthermore a centrifugation of the device about the said common axis followed by a resulting liquid fraction being transferred while influenced by the piston body to a second chamber defined by an outer cylindrical wall, which extends coaxially with said common axis.

Abstract: A mechanism for converting impurities or contaminants in a fluid to a non-hazardous or less hazardous condition by raising the fluid to a supercritical state. This is accomplished by a rotatable mechanism having a reaction chamber adapted to receive the fluid and by rotating the rotatable mechanism at a high speed to cause the temperature and pressure of the fluid in the reaction chamber to reach the supercritical state.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating waste liquid and solid material comprises an upwardly inclined passage containing an auger for conveying the solid waste material upwardly along the passage, with an inlet opening at a lower end of the passage for receiving a mixture of waste liquid and solid material into the auger, a drainage opening at the lower end of the cylindrical passage for draining liquid from the solid waste conveyed by the auger, and a compactor for receiving the solid material fed upwardly by the auger and compacting the solid waste material. An extruder receives and extrudes the compacted solid waste material from the compactor, and may be arranged to convert the compacted material into pellets.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating solids and liquids has an initial separator for removing coarse solid material from a mixture of solids and liquids, a first screen for separating further solid material from the liquid and a first auger extending axially through the first cylindrical screen for removing the separated further solid material from the first cylindrical screen. A second screen receives the liquid from the first screen and separates fine particles from the liquid, and a compactor between the first and second screens compacts the solid material removed from the first screen by the first auger. A second auger is provided in the second screen for mixing and removing the compacted solid material and the separated fine particles.

Abstract: A compost crib is provided for the on-site disposal of animal carcasses accumulated during commercial operations, in which passive solar energy is utilized to assist in the decomposition process. Aerobic, thermophilic bacteria multiply in the sunlight, solar heat and heat of decomposition and convert nitrogenous material in carcasses and manure, as well as the carboniferous cellulose additive to the compost, to a bacterial biomass. The crib is simple in construction, having a frame with mesh walls to allow for adequate exposure to air. Access doors are provided for loading carcasses and for unloading recycled compost material for rotation back onto the compost mass. Solar panels are provided in the roof for the generation of solar heat and to provide sunlight to aid in bacterial photosynthesis.

Abstract: A filter for continuous filtration of a liquid includes conventionally a vessel having a center shaft on which is arranged at least one rotating filter element defining an inner space for liquid obtained at filtration. Further there is provided a washing device for washing of material deposited on the filter element, a connection between said inner space and outlet means from said vessel and a separator connected to said outlet and adapted for separating filtrate and gas. Means is provided outside said vessel for generating an overpressure in the gas space of the vessel and a lower pressure in the interior of the filter element at least corresponding to the evaporating temperature of the filtrated liquid for evaporation of the liquid in the separator. The separator is provided with a cooling device for cooling the separated gas and an outlet for condensate obtained at cooling.

Abstract: The present invention is a centrifuge device which separates chips or shreds of containers from whatever liquid residue remains within the containers. The device is suitable for many applications, including the separation of the recyclable plastic of a motor oil container from the remaining re-usable motor oil within the container after the container has ostensibly been emptied. The device may be utilized as a compact, free-standing size reduction and reclaiming device at the location where the container is used, such as in automotive service stations, and the like, or production units may be used in plastic reclaiming plants where large quantities of a given plastic container are being centrally processed.

Abstract: There is described devices and a process for the separation of solids from a fluid. The devices contain a cylinder drum, the casing of which has at least one, and preferably two openings which are positioned diametrically opposite to one another. The cylinder drum is positioned with its circumference within the curve of a power driven jointed belt conveyor and a filter belt rotates between the jointed belt conveyor and the surface of the cylinder drum casing. The internal space of the cylinder drum accommodates the fluid which is to be processed and serves as the reaction and settling container. The cylinder drum is rotated either in stages or continuously during the process.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for washing pulp according to which method the pulp is supplied onto a movable liquid-pervious support surface to form a substantially continuous layer; and washing liquid is supplied to the pulp layer and passed in several successive washing phases through different areas of the layer in such a way that the washing liquid gradually flows in the opposite direction compared with the flow direction of the pulp layer. According to the invention the washing liquid is divided in two or more partial flows which pass alternately through different washing phases in such a way that the washing liquid which in one phase has passed through the pulp layer flows past at least the washing phase preceding it in the flow direction of the pulp layer. The apparatus of the invention preferably includes a rotating cylinder having a casing surface of which serves as the liquid-pervious support surface for the pulp.

Abstract: Apparatus for separating liquids and solids, comprising, separator screen means for receiving and separating the solids and liquids, conveyor means for feeding the separated solids upwardly from the separator screen means, and compactor means for compacting the solids, the conveyor means comprising a first conveyor extending at a first upward inclination through the separator screen means and a second conveyor extending further upwardly and at a greater inclination than the first conveyor means.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for washing pulp according to which method the pulp is supplied onto a movable liquid-pervious support surface (2) to form a substantially continuous layer (7); and washing liquid is supplied to the pulp layer and passed in several successive washing phases through different areas of the layer in such a way that the washing liquid gradually flows in the opposite direction compared with the flow direction of the pulp layer. According to the invention the washing liquid is divided in two or more partial flows which pass alternately through different washing phases in such a way that the washing liquid which in one phase has passed through the pulp layer flows past at least the washing phase preceding it in the flow direction of the pulp layer. The apparatus of the invention preferably comprises a rotating cylinder (1) the casting surface (2) of which serves as the liquid-pervious support surface for the pulp.

Abstract: A shower pipe for a rotary drum filter has a square cross-sectional shape defined by top, bottom and side walls. The sidewalls and a pair of lengthwise-extending continuous diffusion flanges depending from the bottom wall of the pipe stiffen the pipe against sag for placement at a 12 o'clock position spanning the filter drum. The pipe is formed of fiberglass reinforced plastic in two longitudinally-divided hollow sections in a pair of mirror image, trough-like molds. Each section has a pair of interconnection flanges for mating the sections together. The interconnection flanges extend normally to the sidewalls to stiffen the pipe when the bottom wall of the pipe is vertically-oriented for placing the pipe at at 9 o'clock position along one side of the filter drum. Glass rods are secured in the interior corners of the pipe to provide diagonal rigidity, for placing the pipe at, e.g., a 10-11 o'clock position between the top and side of the filter drum.

Abstract: A method and mechanism for dewatering fine coal or the like by a filtering operation including a horizontally disposed cylindrical housing defining a pressure chamber within, an intermittently movable filter belt wrapping support rolls for the belt at each end with the rolls having driving and braking devices, movable sealing devices positioned at openings to the chamber to seal the belt where it extends into and out of the chamber, a support for the belt with means for draining filtrate dewatered from the coal, and means to apply pressure to the chamber above the belt for dewatering the coal and for providing pressure beneath the support for the belt to balance forces within the housing.

Abstract: A system including an evacuator apparatus, an especially configured centrifugal mill, and a self cleaning screen is employed for treatment of aqueous sewage. The system expedites satisfaction of the biochemical oxygen demand and separates the solids from the sewage so that the treated water is suitable for uses such as irrigation, equipment cooling and the like, and the separated solids are suitable for use in fertilizers.