Aluminum alloys are provided that have improved fluidity and elongation, as well as freedom of die soldering. The aluminum alloys are particularly suitable for die-casting of structural components. The aluminum alloy includes silicon at from about 8 weight % to about 11 weight %, manganese at from about 0.8 weight % to about 1.9 weight %, iron at from about 0.1 weight % to about 0.5 weight %, magnesium at from about 0.2 weight % to about 0.7 weight %, boron at from about 0.002 weight % to about 0.15 weight %, strontium at from about 0.006 weight % to about 0.017 weight %, less than about 0.25 weight % copper, less than about 0.35 weight % zinc, less than about 0.25 weight % titanium, and a balance of aluminum. Methods related to the aluminum alloys are also provided.

A die casting method and apparatus are provided, thereby making it possible to produce a thin diecast product that has hitherto been considered impossible to realize, and a diecast product is also provided. A semi-solidified metallic material is formed having particles in solid phase of a particle size less than 30 μm, and is thereupon injected into a die. A die casting machine has a sleeve into which a melt of metallic material is poured, and the semi-solidifying material there when it has a certain proportion of solid phase reached is injected into the die with a plunger to which pressure is applied. The melt of metallic material is poured into the sleeve so that the material occupies inside the sleeve at a proportion in vertical cross-sectional area of 30% or less. The particle size in this semi-solid material is held unvaried in a product as diecast.

A method of forming a cast product (30) by providing a core (52) having a plurality of sections (54) and one or more gaps (55) there-between. The core further includes an insert member (60) spanning the gap (55) between adjacent sections (54). The core (52) is located within a mold (68) and a liquid phase material is introduced into gap (55) between the core sections. The liquid phase material is solidified in the gap so as to form a cast feature of a resulting solid product and the core sections (54) are removed from the solid product (30) such that the insert member (60) remains securely held within the feature (74).

A method of producing a trailing arm of a torsion beam axle in which an integrated drive unit of a wheel-adjacent electric drive has an electric machine and a transmission. By using the method, the trailing arm is produced in the form of a casting with a box profile. The contours for producing the area that accommodates the transmission, the connection point to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member which connects the two trailing arms to one another, the U-profile of the trailing arm, the box profile and the area that accommodates the electric machine, are modeled by cores such that the contours for producing the connection point of the trailing arm to the vehicle body, the bore that receives the cross-member and the U-profile of the trailing arm are modeled by one core.

A foundry mixture for making molds used for molding cast metal parts includes foundry sand, a non-aqueous binder, and a cleaning agent that includes calcium oxide. Residual foundry mixture remaining on the cast part after removal from the mold is removed by electrolytic cleaning of the cast part.

Various embodiments provide systems and methods for casting amorphous alloys. Exemplary casting system may include an insertable and rotatable vessel configured in a non-movable induction heating structure for melting amorphous alloys to form molten materials in the vessel. While the molten materials remain heated, the vessel may be rotated to pour the molten materials into a casting device for casting them into articles.

An inline bitumen froth steam heater system including steam injection and static mixing devices is provided. The system heats and de-aerates input bitumen froth without creating downstream processing problems with the bitumen froth such as emulsification or live steam entrainment. The system is a multistage unit that injects and thoroughly mixes steam with bitumen resulting in output bitumen material having temperature of about 190° F. The system conditions a superheated steam supply to obtain saturated steam at about 300° F. The saturated steam is contacted with bitumen froth flow and mixed in a static mixer stage. The static mixers provide surface area and rotating action that allows the injected steam to condense and transfer its heat to the bitumen froth. The mixing action and increase in temperature of the bitumen froth results in reduction in bitumen viscosity and allows the release of entrapped air from the bitumen froth.

The invention is a process and apparatus for removing a contaminant from an aromatic selective solvent. A feed stream comprising an aromatic hydrocarbon and a non-aromatic hydrocarbon is contacted with the aromatic selective solvent in an extractive distillation zone to produce a raffinate stream comprising the non-aromatic hydrocarbon, and a rich solvent stream comprising the aromatic hydrocarbon and the solvent. The rich solvent stream is separated in a second distillation zone to produce an extract stream comprising the aromatic hydrocarbon, and a lean solvent stream comprising the contaminant and the aromatic selective solvent. At least a portion of the lean solvent stream is washed with a non-aromatic hydrocarbon to produce a clean solvent stream, at least a portion of which is passed to at least one of the extractive distillation zone and the second distillation zone.

An improved system for removing bitumen from tar sands comprises a pre-treatment system utilizing a vibratory load hopper for classifying and sizing said tar sand particles communicating with a dryer for heating and drying said tar sand particles to a predetermined temperature thereby controlling the moisture content of said tar sands. An extraction system is also included for accepting said tar sands from the dryer comprising a plurality of extraction vessels arranged in series for transporting said tar sands from a first extraction vessel to a final extraction vessel. Furthermore, a solvent system for supplying a predetermined volume of solvent flow through said extraction vessels is employed, whereby solvent is supplied to the last extraction vessel and a solvent and bitumen mixture is withdrawn from the first extraction vessel.

A tailings solvent recovery vessel substantially without conventional internals utilizes nozzles for forming very fine solvent-containing hydrocarbon droplets from a solvent-containing tailings feedstream. The hydrocarbon droplets are discrete from water droplets. The hydrocarbon droplets are small enough to result in a large surface area and a desired fall residence time but sufficiently large that they are not entrained with the rising vapor in the vessel. The feedstream is introduced to the vessel with a pressure drop to result in an initial flashing of the solvent from the solvent-containing droplets. Heat from the vessel atmosphere or from steam flowing countercurrent to the falling hydrocarbon droplets is transferred to the falling hydrocarbon droplets resulting in vaporization of any residual solvent therefrom. A substantially solvent-depleted pool is collected in the bottom of the vessel and retained only so long as is required to pump the underflow stream from the vessel.

The process and apparatus are for removing a solute from a solute-bearing solid product by means of a solvent which remains in liquid state throughout the entire oil extraction process. In one embodiment, the solvent is normally in gaseous state at ambient temperature and pressure values, but is used mainly in liquid state within the method and apparatus of the present invention by maintaining such pressure and temperature values within the apparatus so that the solvent will remain in this liquid state.

In one aspect, the present techniques include a heat exchange apparatus including: a) a body comprising an interior cavity, the body including: a first surface and a second surface defining at least a portion of the body and the first surface positioned exterior with respect to the second surface and the interior cavity, and the second surface positioned exterior with respect to the interior cavity and interior with respect to the first surface; b) a first conduit for conveying a fluid to the body; c) a second conduit in fluid communication with the first conduit wherein the second conduit is positioned at least partially within the interior cavity of the body; and d) a joint between the first conduit and the second conduit, wherein the joint moves between a first location and a second location based on the temperature within the interior cavity, wherein at least one of said first location and said second location is positioned intermediate the first surface and the second surface.

The invention relates to improved bitumen recovery processes and systems. One process provides for operation of a bitumen froth treatment plant at optimum shear rates in the feed pipe carrying the bitumen froth to the froth settling unit. Another process provides for optimizing the design of a bitumen froth treatment plant by optimizing the diameter of the feed pipe to impart an optimum shear rate to the bitumen froth mixture and further optimizing the volume of the feed pipe to impart an optimum residence time for the bitumen froth stream in the feed pipe. An optimal plant design is also disclosed, the plant including optimal diameter and volume of the feed pipe.

Processing scheme and arrangement for increasing the relative yield of light olefins involves integration of the cracking a heavy hydrocarbon feedstock to produce an effluent comprising a range of hydrocarbon products including C4-C7 olefins and the subsequent cracking at least a portion of the C4-C7 olefins to produce additional light olefins.

A tube coil for a double fired coker heater wherein the tube coil has at least two independent flow passes in an intertwined serpentine pattern. The tubes are located in a common plane and plumbed in parallel with one another. These tube coils can be used in a number of configurations within the radiant section of a coker heater.

A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also a spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container, and a radio frequency (RF) circuit coupled to the spirally wound electrical conductor and configured to supply RF power to the hydrocarbon resource while tracking a load resonance of the RF circuit. The RF circuit may be configured to generate magnetic fields within the hydrocarbon processing container parallel with an axis thereof.

A method is provided for producing vacuum in a vacuum oil-stock distillation column and includes pumping a gas-vapor medium out of a column by an ejector into a condenser; feeding a gas mixture and a high-pressure gas into a second gas-gas ejector from which the vapor-gas mixture is fed into a second condenser. A condensate is directed from the condensers into a separator in which the condensate is separated into a water-containing condensate and a hydrocarbon-containing condensate. The hydrocarbon-containing condensate is removed while the water-containing condensate is fed into a steam generator in which heat is supplied to the water-containing condensate from a hot distillate removed from the vacuum column and steam is produced from the water-containing condensate, the steam is fed as a high-pressure gas into the gas-gas ejectors. A plant for carrying out the method is also provided.

The invention relates to a process for the purification of crude and apparatus for its implementation. This process comprises a separation into gas and degassed emulsion and separation of the degassed emulsion into water and oil. The invention also relates to a process of separating a hydrocarbon emulsion and apparatus for implementing this. This process comprises washing of the emulsion at an oil/water interface.

Embodiments of extraction unit and an analysis method are provided. In one embodiment, the analysis method includes the steps of providing a feed stream and a species-selective solvent to the distillation column, drawing a vapor sample from the distillation column, condensing the vapor sample, and analyzing at least a portion of the condensed vapor sample.

A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also include a radio frequency (RF) source, and a first spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container and coupled to the RF source. The device may further include a second spirally wound electrical conductor carried within the hydrocarbon processing container. The first spirally wound electrical conductor may be configured to generate magnetic fields with the hydrocarbon processing container that are parallel with an axis thereof.

Provided is a dividing wall distillation column. The dividing wall distillation column includes a main column having a dividing wall. The main column includes a pressure equalization unit for pressure equalization between a preliminary divisional section and a main divisional section which are divided by the dividing wall. The dividing wall distillation column has an effect of enabling easier operations due to the uniform pressure drop between the two divisional sections divided by the dividing wall.

An improved apparatus strips HPNA's from hydroprocessed streams in a fractionation column having a split shell configuration. Only one vapor stripping feed is required to the split shell of the fractionation column. The resulting reduction in steam requirement provides a superior fractionation in the column.

A dual-mode dividing wall column capable of mode switching between a dividing wall column operating mode and a conventional column operating mode, and a distillation method using the dual-mode dividing wall column, wherein when compared to the existing conventional column, the invention can reduce device costs and energy and improve productivity is described. Furthermore, since a mutual conversion between a dividing wall column operating mode and a conventional column operating mode is enabled without shutting down a process, an economic loss which can occur during shutdown caused by the malfunction of a device can be prevented.

A device for processing a hydrocarbon resource may include a hydrocarbon processing container configured to receive the hydrocarbon resource therein and having a pair of opposing ends with an enlarged width medial portion therebetween. The device may also include a radio frequency (RF) source, and a spirally wound electrical conductor surrounding the hydrocarbon processing container and coupled to the RF source. The spirally wound electrical conductor may be configured to generate magnetic fields within the hydrocarbon processing container that are parallel with an axis thereof.

Systems and processes for improving quality and yield of one or more distillate products generated in a distillation column are disclosed. The system comprises a feed inlet distributor that reduces the amount of liquid entrained in vapor rising from the feed zone of the distillation column, a wash zone collection apparatus having an improved design for collecting slop wax falling from a liquid/vapor contacting structure provided in the wash zone, a recirculation subsystem for recirculating at least a portion of the collected slop wax to the top of the wash zone for distribution as wash oil, and a control subsystem. The feed inlet distributor ensures a horizontal fluid flow path free of transverse surfaces thereby minimizing atomization of liquid droplets entrained in vapor in the feed stream.

Split-shell fractionation columns and associated processes for separating aromatic hydrocarbons. A split-shell fractionation column includes a housing shell having a first height and a partition having a second height and disposed within the housing shell. The partition includes first and second vertically oriented baffles separated by a gap region, a seal plate connecting top ends of the baffles, a first input port formed to extend through the partition for the introduction of a gas into the gap region, and a first output port formed to extend outwardly from a bottom of the gap region and through the housing shell. The partition defines a first distillation zone and a second distillation zone within the housing shell.

The invention relates to an ethylene cracking furnace having a multi-pass radiant coil, comprising at least one radiant section. In the radiant section there are provided with bottom burners and/or sidewall burners, and at least one set of multi-pass radiant coil longitudinally arranged in the radiant section. The multi-pass radiant coil is a four- to ten-pass type radiant coil. At least one tube of the multi-pass radiant coil is arranged to be spatially adjacent to a tube which is not consecutive to said at least one tube. With this arrangement, the thermal radiation influence between tubes with high temperature can be reduced, so that the tubes with low temperature can absorb the radiation heat from the tubes with high temperature. Therefore, the surface temperature of the tubes with high temperature can be reduced, thus extending the lifetime of the radiant coil and the operational cycle of the cracking furnace.

Two-stage hydroprocessing uses a common dividing wall fractionator. Hydroprocessed effluents from both stages of hydroprocessing are fed to opposite sides of the dividing wall.

A method of extracting hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from a hydrocarbon-containing material includes the steps of providing a first liquid comprising a turpentine liquid; contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material with the turpentine liquid to form an extraction mixture; extracting the hydrocarbon material into the turpentine liquid; and separating the extracted hydrocarbon material from a residual material not extracted.

The present invention relates to a system and a method for the extraction of hydrocarbons from drill cuttings in drilling mud. The system for extracting hydrocarbons from drill cuttings includes at least one extraction tank, a carbon dioxide tank fluidly connected to the at least one extraction tank, and at least one separation tank in fluid communication with the at least one extraction tank. The method for extracting hydrocarbons from drill cuttings consists of exposing the drill cuttings to liquid carbon dioxide, solubilizing hydrocarbons from the drill cuttings with the liquid carbon dioxide, heating the liquid carbon dioxide and the soluble hydrocarbons to convert liquid carbon dioxide to carbon dioxide vapor, separating the hydrocarbons from the carbon dioxide vapor, and collecting the separated hydrocarbons.

A system and process for the preparation of high quality gasoline through recombination of catalytic hydrocarbon includes fractionator and extractor. The upper part of the fractionator is equipped with light petrol pipeline, the lower part of the fractionator is equipped with heavy petrol pipeline, the middle part of the fractionator is equipped with medium petrol pipeline. The medium petrol pipeline is connected with a medium petrol extractor, the upper part of the medium petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol raffinate oil hydrogenation unit through the pipeline, the lower part of the medium petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit through the pipeline. The medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit is then connected with the light petrol pipeline in the upper part of the fractionator through the pipeline, the lower part of the heavy petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol aromatic hydrocarbon hydrogenation unit through the pipeline, the upper part of the heavy petrol extractor is connected with the medium petrol raffinate oil hydrogenation unit through the pipeline.

A water recovery process for a steam assisted gravity drainage system for a heavy oil recovery facility, the process comprising a flash drum and a flash drum heat exchanger/condenser, wherein the water recovery process receives hot water produced by a facility at a temperature above the water atmospheric boiling point and cools it to a temperature below the water atmospheric boiling point before transferring it to the remaining section of the water recovery process.

The invention relates to a method producing a portioned column by forming a first segment and a third segment into arcuate segments, and attaching these arcuate segments to a second z-shaped segment to from two contiguous volumes with approximately semi-circular cross-sections that combine to form a partitioned, approximately cylindrical segment.

The present invention provides a method of converting coal to a petroleum product. The method includes the steps of mixing the coal and water to form a mixture, and heating the mixture to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The method further includes separating the mixture in a first separator into a liquid stream of a water bearing minerals and a solid stream of coal, and transferring the coal from the first separator to a coking reactor wherein the temperature is raised to approximately 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit to drive off lighter fractions of the coal as a gas. The method also includes transferring the gas to a fourth separator to separate water and liquid petroleum product from the gas.

A system and process for integrated desulfurizing, desalting and deasphalting of hydrocarbon feedstocks is provided. A hydrocarbon feedstock, a water soluble oxidant, and a water soluble catalyst can be introduced in a oxidation zone and retained for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired degree of desulfurization, or introduced directly into the desalting zone along with wash water. Catalyst and dissolved salt are discharged along with the wastewater effluent from the desalting zone. A hydrocarbon stream including converted hydrocarbons and oxidation by-products is passed to a deasphalting zone. In the deasphalting zone, phase separation occurs, whereby a light phase including desulfurized hydrocarbons are produced, and a heavy phase including asphaltenes and oxidation by-products are discharged, e.g., passed to an asphalt pool.

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for recovery of spent lubricating oil. The evaporation of hydrocarbon fractions from spent lubricating oil is carried out in three steps. The first step is at approximately 150-1030 mbar and between 70-240° C. in which is greater than 99% water, greater than 99% of ethylene glycol and greater than 50% of hydrocarbon molecules with normal boiling point up to 310° C. are evaporated from spent oil. The second step is operated at 6-30 mbar and 200-2900 C in which predominantly gasoil and light vacuum gasoil fractions are evaporated. The third step is operated at 250-320° C. and 0.5-15 mbar in which mainly heavy vacuum gasoil (boiling range of 425 to 570° C. on ASTM D-1160 test) is evaporated from spent oil.

A crude oil feedstream is treated to remove or reduce the content of known undesired heteroatomic and polynuclear aromatic compounds containing nitrogen and sulfur by contacting the feedstream with one or more solid adsorbent materials selected from attapulgus clay, alumina, silica gel and activated carbon in a mixing vessel for a time that is sufficient to optimize the adsorption of the undesired compounds from the crude oil, subjecting the mixture to atmospheric flash distillation and then to vacuum flash distillation to recover presorbed boiling ranges of products having a lowered content of the undesired compounds, and preferably regenerating at least a portion of the solid adsorbent material for reuse in the process.

A knit apparel is made using a decorating pattern that is generated to give the apparel the appearance of tie dyed apparel. The decorating pattern includes a main element, a secondary element and intermediate zones have the same color but gradually lighter shades as the main element.

Described are methods, implants, insertion tools, and related systems and kits, for placing an implant to treat urinary incontinence; the implants include soft tissue anchors that are capable of engaging needles of the insertion tools, and the implants are designed to place a central support portion at a location to support a urethra with extension portions and soft tissue anchors extending to tissue at regions of an obturator foramen.

A biocompatible surgical silk mesh prosthetic device employs a knit pattern that substantially prevents unraveling and preserves the stability of the mesh device, especially when the mesh device is cut. An example prosthetic device employs a knitted mesh including at least two yarns laid in a knit direction and engaging each other to define a plurality of nodes. The at least two yarns include a first yarn and a second yarn extending between and forming loops about two nodes. The second yarn has a higher tension at the two nodes than the first yarn. the second yarn substantially prevents the first yarn from moving at the two nodes and substantially prevents the knitted mesh from unraveling at the nodes.

A method for manufacturing a fluid-filled chamber may include obtaining a spacer textile material a stabilization structure. A tensile member is removed from an area of the spacer textile material where the stabilizing structure is absent. The tensile member is located between a first polymer element and a second polymer element. Additionally, (a) the first layer is bonded to the first polymer element, (b) the second layer is bonded to the second polymer element, and (c) the first polymer element and the second polymer element are bonded together around a periphery of the tensile member.

A dial of a circular hosiery knitting machine of the type with a cylinder and dial with yarn cutting device. The dial comprises a dial body which is substantially disk-shaped. The dial is provided with a cutting device, which comprises a plurality of cutting sectors which are distributed around the axis of the dial body and have cutting edges. The cutting sectors are arranged at sectors of the dial body which are intended to be free from needles. The cutting device comprises a cutter which is adapted to abut against the cutting edges of the cutting sectors to cut at least one yarn engaged by one of the cutting sectors in its rotary motion about the axis of the dial body with respect to the cutter.

An orthopedic padding including an elongate spacer fabric having spaced faces interconnected and separated by an intermediate spacer area, the spaced faces having a knitted construction different from a knitted construction of the intermediate spacer area, and the elongate fabric constructed at least in part of hydrophobic monofilament yarn knitted in an open construction for breathability.

A rotary sinker enabling stitch formation by a knitting machine using a rotor for forming a stitch, a knitting machine including the rotary sinker, and a stitch forming method are provided. The ring sinkers as rotating bodies are capable of rotating about a rotation axis independently of each other. The rotation times of the ring sinkers are set to be different from each other. Thus, the rotation times are adjusted to be different between the ring sinker that holds an old loop and the ring sinker that holds a new loop. Adjustment of the rotation times prevents application of a large tension to the knitting yarn made of low stretch fiber, and a stitch can be formed even with a knitting yarn made of non-stretch or low-stretch fiber.

The present invention provides a method for producing thread using nonwoven, which discloses that nonwoven having different materials is slit first to get a plurality of nonwoven threads and then the nonwoven threads are used for performing a twisting process to get a plurality of nonwoven yarns. In the twisting process, each of the nonwoven threads has different materials, so that the nonwoven yarns have good mechanical characteristic and can be added for producing textiles with various functionalities.

A reversible garment with a warming side and a cooling side is comprised of a double knit fabric including a first face and a second face. The garment is reversible such that either face may be worn on the exterior of the garment. When the first side of the garment is worn against the body, the garment provides a heating effect by trapping air and body heat while wicking moisture to the outside of the fabric. When the second side of the garment is worn against the body, the garment provides a cooling garment by accelerating moisture movement across the fabric. Indicia are provided on the garment to indicate whether heating or cooling effects will be provided in the first-side-out configuration and the second-side-out configuration.

A double-cylinder circular machine, particularly for knitting hosiery items, with simplified actuation mechanism, comprising a supporting structure which comprises a footing, which supports a lower needle cylinder, and a column which extends substantially vertically, protrudes upwardly from the footing and supports an upper needle cylinder, which is arranged above and coaxially with respect to the lower needle cylinder, and further comprising elements for the actuation of the lower needle cylinder and of the upper needle cylinder with a rotary motion about a common axis, the actuation elements comprising an electric motor which is connected kinematically to the lower needle cylinder and to the upper needle cylinder and is accommodated inside the column.

A method of weaving a spiral-shaped textile includes inserting in the vicinity of the fell of the textile a finger adjacent to a first intermediate warp fiber between a first edge and a second edge; forming a loop around the finger with the weft fiber; wrapping weft fiber around the first intermediate warp fiber between the first edge and the second edge of the textile to secure the weft fiber in a radial direction between the first edge and the second edge of the textile; extending the weft fiber to the first edge of the textile; securing the weft fiber using a knitting system on the first edge of the textile; and removing the finger from the textile.

A knitting machine comprising a needle holder, which supports a plurality of needles which can be actuated with an alternating motion along their axis and means for guiding the needles on the needle holder which comprise channels for forming knitting which are defined proximate to the end of the needle holder and sliding channels which are defined on the needle holder in a region that is spaced from the end of the needle holder, each one of the channels for forming knitting being engageable by a needle and defining with its inlet, which is directed toward the outside of the needle holder, resting contact regions for the knitting during the retracting motion of the needles, the number of the sliding channels being smaller than the number of the channels for forming knitting.

A knitting head of a knitting machine for manufacturing flexible hoses (1) with a knitted reinforcement layer, which comprises a guide body (14) with a central tubular conduit (15) for the passage of the bearing layer (2) and having a outlet end portion (16) with a first outer peripheral surface (17) having a first predetermined radius (r1), a plurality of knitting needles (18) arranged along the periphery of said end portion (16) of said conduit (15) and having first longitudinal end sections (18') arranged along the circumference of said outer peripheral surface (17) and second longitudinal end sections (18″) arranged over a second cylindrical surface (19) having a second radius (r2) greater than said first radius (r1), at least one disk-shaped cam element (22), which is adapted to rotate at a first rotation speed and has a third predetermined radius (r3). The third radius (r3) is greater than said second radius (r2), connection means (23) being provided for connecting said disk-shaped element (22) to said second end sections (18″) of said needles (18), said connection means (23) having at least one longitudinal portion (24) with a radial dimension decreasing from said third radius (r3) to said second radius (r2).