All The Claims

1. A speaker, comprising:
a pair of front-side and back-side vibration portions each having a dielectric layer having insulating properties and made of an elastomer or resin, a front-side electrode layer placed on a front side of the dielectric layer and having conductive properties, and a back-side electrode layer placed on a back side of the dielectric layer and having conductive properties;
an interposed member placed between the pair of vibration portions so that the front-side vibration portion protrudes toward a front side and the back-side vibration portion protrudes toward a back side; and
a circuit section that transmits signal waves based on sound to be reproduced to the pair of vibration portions so that the signal waves transmitted to the pair of vibration portions have opposite phases to each other, and drives the pair of vibration portions.
2. The speaker according to claim 1, wherein
the interposed member has a larger spring constant in a front-back direction than in a surface direction.
3. The speaker according to claim 1, wherein
the circuit section superimposes bias voltages of a same polarity on the signal waves with the opposite phases to each other, and apply the respective resultant voltages to the front-side electrode layer of the front-side vibration portion and the back-side electrode layer of the back-side vibration portion, and
the back-side electrode layer of the front-side vibration portion and the front-side electrode layer of the back-side vibration portion are grounded.
4. The speaker according to claim 1, wherein
the vibration portion has a front-side shield layer placed on a front side of the front-side electrode layer, having insulating properties, and made of an elastomer, and a back-side shield layer placed on a back side of the back-side electrode layer, having insulating properties, and made of an elastomer.
5. The speaker according to claim 4, wherein
the vibration portion is a film assembly in which the front-side shield layer, the front-side electrode layer, the dielectric layer, the back-side electrode layer, and the back-side shield layer are stacked from the front side toward the back side.
6. The speaker according to claim 5, further comprising:
a front-side frame member placed on a front side of the front-side film assembly, and a back-side frame member placed on a back side of the back-side film assembly, wherein
the front-side film assembly and the back-side film assembly are held and fixed in the front-back direction by the front-side frame member and the back-side frame member.
7. The speaker according to claim 6, wherein each of the front-side frame member and the back-side frame member has a pair of opposite sides facing each other in the surface direction.
8. The speaker according to claim 1, wherein
the interposed member has a plurality of interposed bodies stacked in the front-back direction, and
at least two of the plurality of interposed bodies have different spring constants from each other in the front-back direction.
9. The speaker according to claim 8, wherein
the plurality of interposed bodies are an inner interposed body, and a pair of outer interposed bodies stacked on both sides of the inner interposed body in the front-back direction and contacting the pair of front-side and back-side vibration portions, and
the inner interposed body has a larger spring constant in the front-back direction than the outer interposed bodies.
10. The speaker according to claim 8, wherein
the plurality of interposed bodies are an inner interposed body, and a pair of outer interposed bodies stacked on both sides of the inner interposed body in the front-back direction and contacting the pair of front-side and back-side vibration portions, and
the inner interposed body has a smaller spring constant in the front-back direction than the outer interposed bodies.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method of treating an off-gas stream comprising NH3 and H2S to provide a sulphate stream, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first off-gas stream comprising NH3, H2S, and CO2;
passing the first off-gas stream to an incinerator to oxidize NH3 and H2S to provide a second off-gas stream comprising N2, H2O, SO2, and CO2;
scrubbing the second off-gas stream with a first aqueous alkaline stream in a caustic scrubber to separate SO2 and a part of the CO2 from the second off-gas stream to provide a spent caustic stream comprising carbonate and one or both of sulphite and bisulphate and a caustic scrubber off-gas stream comprising N2 and CO2;
passing the spent caustic stream to an aerator comprising sulphur-oxidising bacteria in the presence of oxygen to biologically oxidize sulphite and bisulphite to sulphate to provide a sulphate stream.
2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first off-gas stream is an off-gas stream in a gasification apparatus.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least a part of the first off-gas stream is provided by the further steps comprising:
providing a slurry bleed stream comprising particulate solids, HCN, NH3, H2S, and CO2 and
passing the slurry bleed stream to a sour slurry stripper to separate particulate solids from the slurry bleed stream to provide a slurry stripper off-gas stream comprising HCN, NH3, H2S, and CO2 as at least a part of the first off-gas stream and a stripped slurry stream comprising particulate solids.
4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
providing a raw syngas stream comprising CO, H2, HCN, NH3, H2S, and CO2;
passing the raw syngas stream to a hydrolysis unit to hydrolyse HCN to provide a hydrolysed syngas stream comprising CO, H2, NH3, H2S, and CO2 and a condensed water stream comprising NH3, CO2, and H2S;
passing the hydrolysed syngas stream to an acid gas removal unit to separate H2S and a portion of CO2 from the hydrolysed syngas stream to provide a treated syngas stream comprising CO, H2, and CO2 and an acid off-gas stream comprising H2S and CO2;
passing the acid off-gas stream to a sulphur oxidation zone comprising sulphur-oxidising bacteria in the presence of oxygen to provide elemental sulphur by biological oxidation.
5. The method according to claim 4 wherein passing the acid off-gas stream to a sulphur oxidation zone comprising sulphur-oxidising bacteria in the presence of oxygen to provide elemental sulphur by biological oxidation comprises:
contacting the acid off-gas stream with a second aqueous alkaline stream in an H2S-removal zone of the sulphur oxidation zone to provide a first vent stream comprising CO2 and a hydrogen sulphide-comprising aqueous stream; and
passing the hydrogen sulphide-comprising aqueous stream to a bio-reactor comprising the sulphide-oxidising bacteria in the presence of oxygen to regenerate aqueous alkaline and provide elemental sulphur.
6. The method according to claim 5 further comprising the step of:
recycling at least a part of the regenerated aqueous alkaline as regenerated aqueous alkaline stream to one or both of the caustic scrubber as the first aqueous alkaline stream and the H2S-removal zone as the second aqueous alkaline stream.
7. The method according to claim 4 further comprising the steps of:
providing a condensed water stream comprising H2O, NH3, CO2, and H2S;
passing the condensed water stream to a sour water stripper to provide a sour water stripper off-gas stream comprising NH3, H2S, and CO2 and a sour water stripper water stream; and
passing at least a part of the sour water stripper off-gas stream to the incinerator as a or a part of the first off-gas stream.
8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of:
scrubbing at least a part of the sour water stripper off-gas stream with an aqueous acidic stream in an ammonia scrubber to provide an ammonia scrubber off-gas stream comprising H2S and CO2 and an ammonium-rich aqueous stream; and
passing the ammonia scrubber off-gas stream to the sulphur oxidation zone to provide elemental sulphur such that the sulphate stream further comprises elemental sulphur.

1. A method of producing a coating on the surface of a substrate, said method comprising the steps of:
(i) applying to said surface an aqueous composition comprising an anionically stabilized binder polymer;
(ii) applying to said surface an aqueous composition comprising a vinylamine polymer having from 20% to 100% by weight of amine functional units, based on total weight of said vinylamine polymer; and
(iii) drying said coating.
2. The method of claim 1,
wherein said aqueous composition comprising a vinylamine polymer further comprises an amount of volatile base sufficient to deprotonate 60% to 100% of the amine groups of said vinylamine polymer; and
wherein said method further comprises the step of evaporating said volatile base from said coating.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said amount of volatile base is sufficient to deprotonate essentially all of the amine groups of the said vinylarnine polymer.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A traffic collision and avoidance method for a host aircraft, the method comprising:
receiving traffic collision and avoidance information from one or more targets;
filtering the one or more targets based on a threshold value; and
displaying one or more objects that are associated with one or more target aircraft that remain after filtering,
wherein displaying includes displaying the object in one of two or more transparency levels based on angular information included in the traffic collision and avoidance information.
2. A traffic collision and avoidance method for a host aircraft, the method comprising:
receiving traffic collision and avoidance information from one or more targets;
filtering the one or more targets based on a threshold value; and
displaying one or more objects that are associated with one or more target aircraft that remain after filtering,
wherein displaying includes displaying the object in one of two or more color fade levels based on angular information included in the traffic collision and avoidance information.
3. A traffic collision and avoidance system for a host aircraft, the system comprising:
a receiver for receiving traffic information from one or more target aircraft;
a processor coupled to the receiver for determining threat levels of target aircraft associated with the received traffic information, filtering the one or more target aircraft based on a threshold value, and generating one or more objects based on the filtering; and
a display coupled to the processor for displaying the generated one or more objects that are associated with threat levels within the pre-defined threat level,
wherein the displayed objects are displayed in one of two or more transparency levels based on angular information included in the traffic collision and avoidance information.
4. A traffic collision and avoidance system for a host aircraft, the system comprising:
a receiver for receiving traffic information from one or more target aircraft;
a processor coupled to the receiver for determining threat levels of target aircraft associated with the received traffic information, filtering the one or more target aircraft based on a threshold value, and generating one or more objects based on the filtering; and
a display coupled to the processor for displaying the generated one or more objects that are associated with threat levels within the pre-defined threat level,
wherein the displayed objects are displayed in one of two or more color fade levels based on angular information included in the traffic collision and avoidance information.