2,3,3′,4′-Biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester is predominantly produced by a process in which a phthalic acid diester is subjected to oxidative-coupling reaction in the presence of molecular oxygen and a catalyst comprising a rhodium-containing compound.

A biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester can be converted to a biphenyltetracarboxylic acid dianhydride which is favorably employed to prepare heat-resistant aromatic polyimide. The biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester can be generally classified into 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester (i.e., s-BPTT) and 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester (i.e., a-BPTT). The s-BPTT is favorably employable for preparing highly heat-resistant polyimide, while the a-BPTT is favorably employable for preparing thermoplastic polyimide.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication 55-141417 describes a process for preparing a biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester from phthalic diester in the presence of molecular oxygen and a catalyst comprising an organic palladium compound and a copper compound. The resulting biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester mainly comprises s-BPTT (3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester).
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication 61-106541 describes a process for preparing a biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester mainly comprising a-BPTT (i.e., 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester) from phthalic diester in the presence of molecular oxygen and a catalyst comprising an organic palladium compound and a copper compound and under such condition that a β-diketone is continuously or intermittently supplied into the reaction mixture.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication 2003-113143 describes a process for preparing a biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester mainly comprising a-BPTT from phthalic diester in the presence of molecular oxygen and a catalyst comprising a palladium complex compound having a ligand molecule containing nitrogen and oxygen.
Japanese Patent Provisional Publication 2000-302700 describes an oxidative-coupling reaction between olefin and an aromatic compound in the presence of rhodium acetylacetonato catalyst and a copper(II) redox reagent.

Preparation of 2,3,3′,4′ -biphenyltetracarboxylic acid tetraester


A system and a method are disclosed for enforcing a predetermined mapping of addresses in a physical address space to addresses in a virtual address space in a data processing system including a processor in the virtual address space and a memory in a physical address space. During the compilation and linking of an application to be run on the data processing system, in at least one embodiment, the mapping table is generated linking the virtual addresses to physical addresses. This mapping table is kept secret. A second mapping table is generated using a cryptographic function of the physical address with the virtual address as a key to link virtual addresses to intermediate addresses. The second mapping table is loaded into the memory management unit. The data processing system further includes cryptographic hardware to convert the intermediate address to the physical address using the inverse of the cryptographic function which was used to calculate the intermediate address.

A data processing system may include hardware resources such as a processing unit (CPU), volatile memory (RAM) and non-volatile memory (ROM). The data processing system may operate under the control of at least one operating system and may perform routines according to one or several software resources or applications. Modern data processing systems generally include a memory management unit (MMU) in order to be able to map addresses from a virtual address space to a physical address space. The physical address space is generally smaller than the virtual address space and it is with the judicial use of such a memory management unit that several processes may be run concurrently on the data processing system.
With the advent of multiple connectivity options for data processing systems, including wireless connectivity, and with the huge growth in the use of mobile data processing systems, the need to protect these systems from malicious attacks has become increasingly important. Malicious attacks can be aimed at interfering with system booting, modifying the operating system, intercepting and/or modifying data produced by or utilized by some application.
Indeed, it has now become a necessary requirement to protect data processing systems against fraudulent manipulations and attacks on their integrity. Such malicious attacks may come in the form of software designed to take over a data processing system's operating system or otherwise interfere with the normal processing sequence of the data processing system without the user's knowledge or approval. Such software is generally known as malware. The presence of malware in a data processing system is generally difficult to remedy and can lead to complete system failure or even to irreparable damage to the system.
Computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware etc. are all different types of malware. The different types of malware can attack the processing system in various ways such as by intercepting data which was meant for another application or by monitoring key strokes in order to steal passwords or other information which is meant to be kept secret, modifying or otherwise altering data or corrupting files, modifying a program in order to cause it to crash or to execute some function which was not originally intended by the user.
One of many ways in which the security of a data processing system may be compromised is via the system's memory management unit. A typical memory management unit maps addresses in a virtual address space to addresses in a physical address space. In some cases the mapping can be predictable. In other cases a user may be able to obtain the mapping from the MMU. In this way a potential hacker can use this information to store some previously written malicious code at a certain location in an appropriate place in the physical address space and cause the data processing system to jump to the location where the malicious code resides thereby disrupting the system in some way. Another possible way to modify the operation of a data processing system is to modify the mapping directly, such that the virtual address maps to a new physical address where the malicious software resides. It is the aim of the present invention to circumvent the possibility of a potential hacker being able to properly predict the mapping of the virtual address space to the physical address space.

Method and apparatus for enforcing a predetermined memory mapping


A system, method and computer program product are disclosed. The method includes, during printing of a print data stream by a print engine, determining whether a graphical user interface has received an instruction representing an operator interrupt and, responsive to determining that the graphical user interface has received the instruction representing the operator interrupt, determining whether a command for a test print operation has been received from the graphical user interface. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the command for the test print operation has been received from the graphical user interface, performing a print of operator test samples and, responsive to determining that the command for the test print operation has been received from the graphical user interface, invoking a non-process runout function to suspend printing of the print data stream by the print engine.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to data processing systems and in particular to software installation. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method and computer program product for performing pre-installation conflict identification and prevention for an application for an installation on a data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printers are very common. Many people have small printers connected to their computers, or have larger office printers on a network that can be used by many people. Typically, these printers use "cut-sheet" paper, which is paper that has been previously cut into individual sheets (e.g., 8.5 inch×11 inch letter-size paper). Beside these cut sheet printers, there are very large and fast printers responsible that print on continuous form paper. This continuous form paper is supplied in large rolls. These printers may print millions of financial statements or utility bills per month.
In certain circumstances, printer operators or service personnel need to print "test samples" to verify the proper operation of a printer. It is preferable to print test samples rather than print routine print jobs from the host computer, because print samples can be designed to show print quality problems that occur only rarely in the normal flow of print jobs. Print samples can also perform other functions (such as ink jet cleaning).
It is not uncommon for printers to have built-in test sample functions and patterns. For example, low-cost ink jet printers may have special ink jet cleaning test patterns or alignment test patterns that may be activated from the operator panel either with a push button or by pressing buttons when power is applied to the printer. Many of these are capable of being activated via a graphical user interface, which interacts with the host system, as it is also common for special print drivers to be shipped with printers that allow these special print samples to be sent from a host computer.
In the prior art, it is typically uncommon for printers to be able to print these test samples while in the middle of a print job. The prior art does not provide adequate solutions to enable the sending to the printer of a one-hundred-page print job, followed by, before the print job has finished printing, commencement of printing of a set of print samples, which would be followed by finishing the one-hundred-page print job.
For larger printers, many of which print on continuous roll paper, operators or service personnel should check the print quality every few hours of continuous running. These samples may show scratches or other print quality defects that have developed during the day's printing and escaped notice. Under the prior art, the operator of these larger printers is not easily able to use the operator interface to stop the printer, immediately run the print quality sample checks, then start the printer again.
The prior art provides no acceptable solution for the mid-job printing of print samples by the operator or by service personnel. Typically, the printer is running very large print jobs, which may run for several hours or even days. The ability to allow an operator or service person to stop a printer, print a test sample, and then restart the printer without any disruption in the print job is highly desired.

Method and system for on-the-fly diagnostic print methodology


A machine including: a housing; a cylindrical-shaped processing tub that extends into the housing; cooling means adapted to cool the processing tub; a mixing member rotatably mounted within the processing tub, with the mixing member being structured so as to mix ingredients in the processing tub and so as to scrape at least the inner side surface of the processing tub to prevent the ingredients from adhering to the side wall of the tub; and a containing collar which is dimensioned so as to be fitted in a releasable manner in the processing tub above the mixing member.

As is known, batch freezers currently used for producing handmade ice-cream comprise a substantially parallelepiped-shape outer boxlike housing; a cylindrical-shaped processing tub extending into the boxlike housing, from the front face of the housing, while remaining coaxial to a substantially horizontal reference axis; and a porthole-shaped closing door, which is hinged onto the front face of the boxlike housing so as to be able to rotate about a vertical axis, and being positionable at closing of the inlet of the processing tub.
The presently known batch freezers further comprise an inner cooling circuit which is able to bring and hold the processing tub and its content at a temperature lower than 0° C.; a mixing member which is rotably mounted within the processing tub so as to be able to uniformly mix the various ingredients during the ice-cream creaming process; and finally an electric motor able to drive into rotation the mixing member within the processing tub.
The mixing member is further designed so as to be able to scrape the inner cylindrical surface of the processing tub, and possibly also the bottom of the same tub, so as to prevent, during the creaming process, the high viscosity mixture formed within the processing tub from stably adhering to the side wall and to the bottom of the tub, thus compromising the quality of the produced handmade ice-cream.
Obviously, the closing door of the batch freezer must be designed so as to fluid-tightly close the inlet of the processing tub, and to successfully retain the mixture within the processing tub during the final steps of the creaming process, when viscosity and consistency of the mixture reach particularly high values.
In order to meet this purpose, in nearly all the currently marketed batch freezers, the closing door consists of a substantially discoidal-shaped plate made of metal material, which is hinged onto the front face of the housing as a porthole, and at the lower part is provided with a draining opening with a guillotine-like fluid-tight shutter, through which the ice-cream comes out at the end of the creaming process. A hopper for loading the ingredients is further realized on the upper part of the metal plate, which hopper directly communicates with the inside of the processing tub so as to be able to pour the ingredients into the processing tub when the plate abuts on the inlet of the tub and closes the latter.
Unfortunately the weight of the closing door of the currently marketed batch freezers is so high to make economically unfeasible the production of a machine in which the processing tub is arranged in a vertical position, on the top of the boxlike housing. In fact, in this configuration the closing door should rotate about a horizontally oriented articulation axis, thus forcing the user to apply a considerable physical effort whenever he wants to open and close the door.
Furthermore, the machine safety standards would make it necessary to equip the batch freezer with a series of safety systems capable of preventing, during opening or closing, the door from violently falling on the user's fingers causing potentially very severe physical injuries. The safety systems would lead to a considerable increase in the production costs of the machine.


A method for hydrogen storage includes providing water and hydrogen gas to a containment volume, reducing the temperature of the water and hydrogen gas to form a hydrogen clathrate at a first cryogenic temperature and a first pressure and maintaining the hydrogen clathrate at second cryogenic temperature within a temperature range of up to 250 K to effect hydrogen storage. The low-pressure hydrogen hydrate includes H2O molecules, H2 molecules and a unit cell including polyhedron cages of hydrogen-bonded frameworks of the H2O molecules built around the H2 molecules.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hydrogen storage and, more particularly, to a composition and method for hydrogen storage.
2. Description of Related Art
Hydrogen has long been regarded as a promising source of fuel, both as a replacement for conventional hydrocarbon fuels and as a fuel for alternative energy technologies, such as fuel cells. The lightest element, hydrogen has a very high energy-to-weight ratio, and can be combusted cleanly, without carbon monoxide or dioxide byproducts. Unfortunately, storing and transporting useable quantities of hydrogen present difficult problems that are significant barriers to the commercial use of hydrogen as a fuel.
A common technique for storing large quantities of hydrogen is a liquefaction process by compressing and cooling hydrogen from a gas phase into a liquid phase. At ambient pressure, hydrogen gas liquefies at 20 K (i.e., xe2x88x92253 C), and approximately 70 g/L of the hydrogen gas can be stored in the liquid phase. However, the liquefaction process is very energy intensive. For example, the energy used to compress hydrogen gas into a liquid may be as much as 40% of the energy that is within the gas itself. In other words, an additional amount of energy equivalent to about 40% of the energy capable of being expended from the hydrogen gas is needed to liquefy the hydrogen. Further, liquid hydrogen should be maintained at 20 K to prevent the liquefied hydrogen gas from boiling off and causing problems due to the increased gas pressure. Maintaining the liquid hydrogen at 20 K requires specially designed insulated containers and very careful handling.
Another common technique for storing hydrogen is to compress the gas into a suitable vessel. For example, a gas tank pressurized to 35 MPa can store 15 g/L of hydrogen. However, a pressurized-gas tank is heavy and cumbersome. In addition, the circumstances for the transport and use should be carefully controlled to address all of the safety issues for a highly-compressed volatile gas.
Other techniques for hydrogen storage involve chemically bonding hydrogen molecules to a host material. This type of hydrogen storage is being actively investigated, and various materials have been shown to be suitable storage hosts for hydrogen. For example, metals and carbon nanotubes have both been reported as suitable host materials. However, there are still many remaining technical problems, such as the high temperatures required for releasing hydrogen from a metal hydride, to be overcome before the realization of commercial realization of hydrogen storage.
Gas hydrates are solid compounds with xe2x80x9cguestxe2x80x9d gas molecules trapped in H2O frameworks that are formed at low temperature while at either a high or ambient pressure. In one set of gas hydrates, water molecules form hydrogen-bonded xe2x80x9ccagesxe2x80x9d around xe2x80x9cguestxe2x80x9d gas molecules to form a clathrate in which the cage structures are either sI, sII or sH type. In other gas hydrates, the xe2x80x9cguestxe2x80x9d gas molecules fill in the structural cavities of specific phases of ice, and are commonly called xe2x80x9cfilled icexe2x80x9d. Two types of gas hydrates, denoted as C1 and C2, have been reported at high pressures as discussed in Vos et al., xe2x80x9cNovel H2xe2x80x94H2O Clathrates at High Pressures,xe2x80x9d Physical Review Letters, 71, pp. 3150-3153, 1993, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Although the C1 and C2 types of gas hydrates store significant amounts of hydrogen, such as approximately 23 g/L for C1 and approximately 110 g/L for C2, the extremely high pressures, such as greater than 700 MPa for C1 and greater than 2250 MPa for C2, required to form and store the compounds makes them commercially unsuitable, as well as a safety risk.
One of the present inventors is a co-author of the Vos et al. article, in which C1 and C2 are described as xe2x80x9cnovel clathratesxe2x80x9d because, for example, they do not have the classical sI, sII or sH clathrate cage structure. Although this article refers to C1 and C2 as xe2x80x9cclathrates,xe2x80x9d it has since been confirmed that C1 and C2 are not in fact classical xe2x80x9cclathratesxe2x80x9d under at least some commonly-used definitions. Thus, to avoid any confusion, and for purposes of this application, the term xe2x80x9cclathratexe2x80x9d as used herein shall be as defined below in the detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
The hydrogen storage mechanism remains a key challenge for practical usage of hydrogen as a general fuel.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a composition and method for hydrogen storage that substantially obviates on or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composition and method for hydrogen storage at or near-ambient pressure and at a moderate cryogenic temperature.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.
An exemplary embodiment of a method for hydrogen storage in accordance with the present invention includes providing water and hydrogen gas to a containment volume, reducing the temperature of the water and hydrogen gas to form a hydrogen clathrate at a first cryogenic temperature and a first pressure, and maintaining the hydrogen clathrate at second cryogenic temperature within a temperature range of up to 250 K to effect hydrogen storage.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method for hydrogen storage includes providing a containment volume having a specified volume, partially filling the containment volume with water, providing hydrogen gas to the specified volume, cooling the containment to a first cryogenic temperature in a cryogenic temperature range of up to 250 K to form a hydrogen hydrate and maintaining the hydrogen hydrate within pressure range of 35 MPa to 0.01 MPa to effect hydrogen storage.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method for hydrogen storage includes providing a containment volume having a specified volume, partially filling the containment volume with water, providing hydrogen gas to the containment volume, pressurizing the containment volume to a first pressure within a pressure range of 100-600 MPa, cooling the containment volume to a first cryogenic temperature within a moderate cryogenic temperature range of 77 K to 250 K to form a hydrogen hydrate, quenching the first pressure in the containment volume to a quenched pressure within a pressure range of 35 MPa to 0.01 MPa and maintaining the hydrogen hydrate within the moderate cryogenic temperature range to effect hydrogen storage.
In another exemplary embodiment, a low-pressure hydrogen clathrate includes H2O molecules, H2 molecules and a unit cell including polyhedron cages of hydrogen-bonded frameworks of the H2O molecules built around the H2 molecules.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Composition and method for hydrogen storage


The present invention relates to a quinic acid derivative, preparation process of the same and pharmaceutical uses thereof. The quinic acid derivative has a quinic acid-like structure which binds to CD28, blocks T-cell signal 2 pathway via CD28, and suppresses T-cell activation. The C-1 carboxyl group, the C-3 hydroxyl group and the C-4 hydroxyl group of quinic acid are modified to attenuate the cytotoxicity of the quinic acid derivative. The preparation process of the quinic acid derivative comprises 2 steps of: treating quinic acid with the first reagent in the presence of the acid catalyst to form an immediate; and treating the immediate with the second reagent to from the quinic acid derivative. With the ability to suppress T-cell activation, the quinic acid derivative is used to treats an autoimmune disease, an allergy, transplant rejection or other related immune disorder.

1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quinic acid derivative, particularly to a cynarin-analogous quinic acid derivative which binds to CD28, preparation process of the same from a quinic acid and pharmaceutical uses via suppressing T-cell activation thereof.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
T-cells play a pivotal role in the initiation and regulation of immune responses to antigens. The activation of T-cells is tightly controlled by many positive and negative regulatory processes to prevent pathologically over-active or under-active immune responses. Optimal T-cell activation requires both signal 1 and signal 2 pathways while T-cells are stimulated by specific external stimuli. Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) such as dendritic cells express major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules on their cell surfaces and present antigen fragments with the MHC molecules. The signal 1 pathway is initiated by a binding interaction between the T-cell receptor (TCR) of T-cells and the antigen-MHC complex of APCs. The signal 2 is induced by a binding between a co-stimulatory molecule such as CD80 (also known as B7-1) or CD86 (also known as B7-2) of APCs and CD28 of T-cells, providing a co-stimulatory pathway. TCR engagement in the absence of the signal 2 leads to T-cell anergy which is a hyporesponsive state of T-cells.
The complete immune activation of T-cells is not desirable in response to self-antigens or allergens. The over-activations of T-cells against self-antigens or allergens cause autoimmune diseases or allergic conditions. Thus, declining the signal 2 pathway to promote T-cell anergy represents a strategy for the treatment of an autoimmune disease or an allergy. Because of the overlapping among intercellular signal transduction pathways, interfering signal pathways inside cell may cause a sever side effect (e.g., both signal 1 and signal 2 are simultaneously blocked). Thus, blocking signal pathways (e.g., either signal 1 or signal 2 can only be blocked) from outside provides a milder way to suppress signal transduction. For example, a non-mitogenic anti-CD28 antibody can be considered as a T-cell blocker to block the signal 2 pathway outside the T-cell. However, due to the fragile nature and the poor stability of antibodies, using them as drugs has many drawbacks. Acid and luminal proteases in the gastrointestinal tract limit oral availability of antibodies, and antibodies loss their 3D structures and functions easily. Otherwise, immune responses may be induced by antibody drugs and therefore lower the therapeutic utility of antibody drugs.
Using small compounds which mimic metabolites as drugs to block target pathways can overcome the drawbacks described above. To develop an ideal T-cell blocker, the inventor establishes a screening method named "after flowing through immobilized receptor (AFTIR) method" which refers to Taiwanese patent publication no. 1355493 and uses it to isolate a targeting component which specifically binds to CD28 from western purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) extracts. The targeting component is identified as cynarin, which having the formula as shown in FIG. 1. Due to the cytotoxicity of cynarin, the inventor delivers a cynarin analogue which is effective to block CD28 but less cytotoxic than cynarin. The inventor finds out that the key blocking factor (KBF) of cynarin binding to CD28 is a quinic acid-like section by molecular dynamic simulating 3D structures of cynarin and CD28. Thus, the inventor derives a cynarin-analogous quinic acid derivative with modifications for attenuating the cytotoxicity.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a cynarin-analogous quinic acid derivative, process for preparation the same from a quinic acid and pharmaceutical uses via suppressing CD28-dependent T-cell activation thereof. According to the present invention, the drawbacks according to the prior art such as anti-CD28 antibodies or cynarin as described above can be improved; the oral stability can be increased; and the cytotoxicity can be attenuated.

Quinic acid derivative, process for preparation and uses thereof


Brackets (30, 40) are mounted to respective sides of a hinged step ladder by spaced apart divergent channel forming means (31, 32) on each bracket fitting onto respective swing apart limbs (14, 16) of the erect ladder. The brackets (30, 40) each include a support portion (36), extending beyond one of the channel forming means (32), both to the same side of the ladder, onto which a tray or the like (50) is secured by fastening means (41) so as to provide a stable platform for tool and materials at a convenient height for a user of the ladder. One of the channel forming means (32) may be pivotally adjustable.. In an alternative embodiment (FIGS. 13 to 15) one of the channel forming means of each bracket is adjustable in position relative to the other so that the channels may be selectively disposed substantially parallel to each other to fit to a single limb of a ladder or divergent from each other for engagement around opened limbs of a hinged ladder.

This invention relates to an attachment for a hinged ladder, although some embodiments are optionally also mountable to a conventional straight ladder.
In this specification the term "hinged ladder" is to be understood as meaning a free-standing ladder consisting of either a flight of steps and a hinged support, or two flights of steps hinged together.
An object of the invention is to be able to provide a holder or support surface for tools or material which a user of the ladder may require at a convenient position above the level of a top step or top platform of the ladder, or indeed at any convenient position along the length of the ladder. A further object is to be able to provide a holder or support surface which is not liable to upsetting or de-stabilizing the ladder itself.
A ladder attachment comprising a pair of brackets, each adapted for engaging a single limb of a ladder, and a storage compartment which is hingedly connected thereto is described in EP-A-O 173 385.
According to one aspect of the present invention a hinged ladder attachment comprises a pair of brackets each having engagement provisions for sides of both limbs of the hinged ladder below but close to hinging of those limbs, and a platform which is carried or to be carried by the brackets.
More specifically, the invention provides a hinged ladder attachment assembly comprising a pair of brackets, each having spaced apart divergent first and second channel means adapted for engagement around opened limbs of a hinged ladder at respective sides thereof and each having a support portion extending beyond the first channel means in a direction away from the second channel means, a platform capable of being supported by the brackets by being dimensioned to extend across the support portions of both of the brackets, when the latter are mounted on the ladder, and means for securing the platform to both said support portions.
The channel means may be provided as fixed lateral projections from a plate, such projections being of angled cross-section.
In advantageous embodiments of the invention one of the channel means is provided as a fixed lateral projection from a plate while the other is provided as a separate elongate angled profile which is mounted on the plate for pivoted adjustment thereon so that its angle relative to the fixed channel can be varied. In this way, the angle of divergence between the channel means can be matched to the angle adopted between fully opened limbs of any particular hinged step ladder.
In other advantageous embodiments of the invention the bracket is also formed in two parts, the first part comprising a plate having a pair of channel-forming means projecting from respective surfaces thereof and disposed symmetrically back to back, and the second part consisting of a separate channel-forming element which is attachable to either surface of the plate in spaced, divergent relationship with either one of the first mentioned channel forming means. In this way, a single configuration of bracket can be adapted to fit to either side of a hinged ladder, with its support portion for support of the platform always projecting in the same direction. This will avoid the need for production of two different, right and left sided brackets, thus simplifying the manufacturing process and/or enabling use of only a single moulding tool where the bracket is moulded of plastics material.
The invention also provides a ladder attachment assembly comprising a pair of brackets each having spaced apart first and second channel means adapted for engagement around limbs of a ladder at respective sides thereof and each having a support portion extending beyond the first channel means in a direction away from the second channel means, a platform capable of being supported by the brackets, and means for securing the platform to both said support portions, characterised in that the first or second channel means of each bracket is adjustable in position relative to the other channel means of the bracket so that the channel means may selectively be disposed substantially parallel to each other for fitting to parallel limbs of a ladder or divergent from each other for engagement around opened limbs of a hinged ladder.
The other advantageous features of pivotal adjustment of the position of one of the channel means of each bracket and of provision of a third channel means back to back with the fixed channel means, and other general constructional features are all equally possible with this latter type of attachment assembly which can optionally be used on a straight ladder.


A computer for simultaneously executing plural instructions decides the kind of operation and the possibility of simultaneous execution for the plural instructions as the instructions are read out from a main memory to a cache memory. The plural instructions and a corresponding decision result are stored in the cache memory. The decision process is performed for several groups of the plural instructions read out from the main memory to the cache memory in order. Then, the plural instructions are respectively assigned to a corresponding operation unit according to the decision result, and are subsequently executed by the corresponding operation unit. As a result of this arrangement, the repeated decision process for the plural instructions is not necessary when they are later read out from the cache memory to the operation unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer having a plurality of types of operation units, where the plurality of operation units can execute instructions simultaneously.
2. Description of the Background
In conventional computer systems, the computer reads out instructions one by one from a main memory and executes the instructions in order. Even though a conventional computer has a plurality of types of operation units, only one operation unit executes one instruction during any one clock cycle. Thus, the processing speed for conventional computers is low.
Recently, the plurality of types of operation units in the computer have been put to practical use. The computer reads out plural instructions from the main memory and executes the plurality of instructions simultaneously. A representative method is called "Super Scalar." In this method, the computer includes a cache memory. First, a subset of instructions stored in main memory are read out from the main memory to the cache memory. The number of the instructions to be executed simultaneously is fixed in advance. Then, the subset of the instructions are read out from the cache memory. The instructions are examined to determine the type of the operation unit required by each instruction, and the possibility of simultaneous execution. Ones of the subset of instructions are respectively supplied to corresponding operation units according to the decision result, and the operation units execute the corresponding instructions. The decision process is performed for several subsets of instructions read out from the cache memory in order.
However, in the "Super Scalar" method, a decision is made for the subsets of instructions when the instructions are read out from the cache memory to the operation unit. The cache memory stores instructions that are used repeatedly. Therefore, the system repeatedly performs the deciding step whenever the instructions are read out from the cache memory. In short, the cycle time for executing the instruction increases because of the repeated decision process.

Computer for simultaneously executing instructions temporarily stored in a cache memory with a corresponding decision result


A mechanism is provided for recirculating transactions within a pipeline while reordering outputs. A set of transactions associated with a block of data is received and each transaction in the set of transactions is processed via the pipeline. For each transaction processed via the pipeline, responsive to the transaction exiting the pipeline, a determination is made as to whether the transaction needs further processing. Responsive to the transaction needing further processing, the transaction is re-circulated via the pipeline forming a recirculated transaction.

The present application relates generally to an improved data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to mechanisms for reordering the output of recirculated transactions within a pipeline.
A high-bandwidth decompressor must decompress multiple symbols of a transaction in one computational cycle. In order to accomplish such decompression, data processing systems utilize pipelining. However, symbols vary in length. In particular, there is a wide variation between the minimum and maximum number of symbols contained in a transaction. For example, 8 bytes of input could contain as many as 64 or as few as 3 Huffman codes. While the maximum of 64 symbols would be a very unusual and pathological case, building a pipeline deep enough to decode this worst case would be a waste of resources. Moreover, the latency required to process such a transaction through such a deep pipeline would require hundreds of computational cycles.

Reordering the output of recirculated transactions within a pipeline

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and system for selecting ring paths in service provisioning on optical networks including a plurality of interconnected rings. The method includes: receiving a request to provision a service between a first end point and a second end point in the optical network; identifying a plurality of possible ring paths between the first and second end points; validating a bandwidth of each ring path, including validating bandwidths of bandwidth bottlenecks in each ring path; selecting a path from the validated ring paths; and provisioning the service on the selected path. The system utilizes a path engine on a network management server that knows about the bandwidth allocation in the entire network and implements the method. The resources of the optical network used by the provisioned service is thus minimized.

FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional optical network. The network includes a plurality of interconnected optical rings 101-103. Each ring includes a plurality of nodes 104, also known as shelves. Two rings may be interconnected through a common node, such as node 105, also known as an internal interconnect. Two rings may also be connected through an external interconnect between nodes on each ring.
Occasionally, services must be provisioned on the network. During the provisioning process, a path between two end points, through nodes, rings and interconnects, must be determined. The selection of the path is based upon the available resources necessary for the service and the service parameters. One important resource is bandwidth. As the multiplexing of different services on an optical network becomes more popular, the effectiveness of bandwidth management in service provisioning becomes more important. If the service provisioning is inefficient, then bandwidth can be wasted, costing money.
An example of inefficient provisioning is not routing each service over the shortest available path between its endpoints. This causes fewer services to fit in a given network than could be possible.
As another example, some service have higher priority than others. In provisioning high priority services on conventional optical networks, bandwidth is guaranteed by using dedicated connections, even though the full bandwidth of the dedicated connection is not always in use. This utilizes available bandwidth inefficiently.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method and system for selecting ring paths in service provisioning on optical networks. The method and system should minimize the resources utilized by a service. The present invention addresses such a need.


A saddle riding vehicle includes a body frame, an engine supported by the body frame, an exhaust sensor that detects exhaust air of the engine, and a radiator for the engine. The engine is supported by an engine hanger portion disposed in the body frame. The exhaust sensor is disposed on an exhaust pipe of the engine at a position on a front with respect to the engine hanger portion and is positioned underneath the radiator. At least a part of the exhaust sensor overlaps the engine hanger portion as viewed in a front view of a vehicle.

Conventionally, there is known a saddle riding vehicle that includes an engine supported by a body frame, an exhaust sensor that detects exhaust air of the engine, and a radiator. The engine is supported by an engine hanger portion disposed in the body frame. The exhaust sensor is disposed underneath the radiator and on a front side with respect to the engine hanger portion (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In Patent Literature 1, while the exhaust sensor is disposed in an exhaust outlet of the engine and is positioned on the front side with respect to the engine hanger portion, the exhaust sensor is displaced inward in a vehicle width direction from the engine hanger portion.


A processing device and method are provided for visualizing changes to dynamic content. Dynamic content may be obtained from a content source and a state of the content may be saved. The saved state of the content may be compared with a previously saved state of the content to produce difference data, indicating differences between the saved state of the content and the previously saved state of the content. The obtained content may be presented to a user and may include visual indications pointing out added portions of the content, deleted portions of the content, and/or unchanged portions of the content. In some embodiments, a scheduler may be configured to obtain content and save a state of the content at particular times or upon occurrences of particular events. In various embodiments, aged states of the content may be degraded.

Information from sources, such as, for example, the Internet, or other sources, may be very dynamic over time. For example, a news source may add and update articles. A search using a set of query terms may return different results over time because new Web pages may be added, changed, and deleted, and changes to algorithms for computing relevancy of search query results may be modified. Articles on sites, which rely on solicited contributions or corrections, such as, for example, Wikipedia, or similar sites, may change over time.
Users frequently request and view the same content. Users may view the content weekly, daily, or multiple times per day. Generally, users are most interested in changes to the content. For example, when viewing a news site, users are interested in most recent news articles. When visiting an auction site, users wish to determine whether a high bids changed on items of interest. If the content has not been viewed for a long period of time, changes to the content since a last viewing may be pervasive making it difficult for users to determine exactly what changed and what remained unchanged.

Visualizing changes to content over time


A method of manufacturing an implantable medical lead is disclosed herein. The method may include: providing a lead body including a proximal end, a distal end, and an electrode near the distal end; provide a conductor extending between the proximal and distal ends; providing a crimp including a ribbon-like member and extending the ribbon-like member around the conductor; and mechanically and electrically connecting the ribbon-like member to the electrode.

Implantable pulse generators, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, implantable cardioverter defibrillators ("ICD") and neurostimulators, provide electrotherapy via implantable medical leads to nerves, such as those nerves found in cardiac tissue, the spinal column, the brain, etc. Electrotherapy is provided in the form of electrical signals, which are generated in the pulse generator and travel via the lead's conductors to the electrotherapy treatment site.
Patients may benefit from electrotherapy treatments to be proposed in the future. However, current conventional lead manufacturing technology has generally limited the extent to which leads can be reduced in size and the elements or features that can be carried on leads.
There is a need in the art for a lead having a configuration that allows the lead to have a reduced size and which is capable of supporting elements or features in a variety of configurations. There is also a need in the art for a method of manufacturing such a lead.

Crimp terminations for conductors in implantable medical lead and method of making same


A positioning mechanism, used for positioning a material being transported, includes a loading assembly and a positioning assembly. The loading assembly includes a fixing member and a loading member movably fixed to the fixing member for loading the material. The positioning assembly includes a first engaging member mounted on the loading member, and a second engaging member engaged with the first engaging member. The second engaging member includes a mounting plate and a locking rod mounted on the mounting plate. The mounting plate is located beside a predetermined position. The first engaging member defines a connecting portion. The second engaging member includes a locking rod. The locking rod forms a latching end, and the latching end is tapered outwardly along the axis of the locking rod. The latching end engages with the connecting portion to position the loading member to the predetermined position.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to positioning mechanisms, particularly to a positioning mechanism for positioning materials after the materials are transported.
2. Description of Related Art
Carrier vehicles are usually used to transport materials, for example, the automated guided vehicle (AVG) is a carrier vehicle. When the materials are transported to a predetermined position at a particular location, the materials are usually clamped and taken away ready for a next procedure. However, the carrier vehicle often cannot position the materials precisely, and this result in the failure of clamping of the materials during transport.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY (ShenZhen) CO., LTD.


The novelty hat of the present invention includes a hat shell formed in the shape of a three-dimensional object, such as an automobile, a boat, or a motorcycle. Within the hat shell is a hatband which is detachably connected by interlocking hooks and eyes mounted on the hatband and on the interior walls of the hat shell. The headband is adjustable in size so as to accommodate various head sizes.

This invention relates to a novelty hat.
Many sporting events for vehicles, such as car races, boat races, and motorcycle races, are performed outdoors, often in the hot sun. It is therefore desirable to have a hat which provides satisfactory shade for the spectators.
Also, at many sporting events, spectators desire to identify with their preferred participant in the sporting events. For example, at car races, the spectators often desire to identify with the particular model of race car being driven by their favorite race driver.
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a new invention for a novelty hat.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novelty hat which will provide shade to the wearer from the sun, while at the same time permitting the wearer to identify with a particular model or brand of vehicle.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novelty hat which includes means for fitting the hat on the wearer in a plurality of positions, any one of which may be chosen to meet the wearer's desires.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a novelty hat which is economical to manufacture, durable in use, and attractive in appearance.


Among other things, techniques are described for controlling power of electronic devices of a vehicle. For example, a vehicle includes a power source, a power distribution unit configured to control power to at least one electronic device from the power source, a first processor configured for communicating power commands to the power distribution unit. The power distribution unit comprises a second processor configured to execute computer executable instructions stored in computer-readable medium for carrying out operations including adjusting a power distribution from the vehicle power source to the at least one electronic device based on a power command received from the first processor.

Vehicles, such as autonomous vehicles, typically include electronic devices powered by one or more central power sources, such as a battery. Some of the devices may be powered on while the vehicle is in operation, and some of the devices may be powered on, powered off, or power-cycled during operation.

Controlling power of electronic devices on a vehicle


An electromagnetic actuator driver apparatus having a bobbin with an electrical coil wound around the central portion thereof and positioned within a permanent magnetic generated flux field structure. A drive arm is engaged by bobbin fingers at the input end of the drive arm to deflect the output end of the drive arm by a predetermined amount in response to a control signal which is applied to the electrical coil.

The present invention relates broadly to actuator apparatus, and in particular to an electromagnetic actuator driver apparatus.
The state of the art of control actuator apparatus is well represented and alleviated to some degree by the prior art apparatus and approaches which are contained in the following U.S. Patents:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,560 issued to Glomb, Jr. on Apr. 7, 1987;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,563 issued to Plante et al on Apr. 7, 1987; and
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,873 issued to Carr, Jr. et al on Jan. 5, 1988.
The Glomb, Jr. patent describes a demagnetization compensated deformable magnetostrictive mirror comprising an array of magnetostrictive actuators that are positioned between a continuous low magnetic reluctance yoke. A faceplate having a reflective surface and a substrate are both fabricated to receive the magnetic yoke's outer surface and are affixed thereto to be approximately perpendicular to the mirror's deformation axis.
The Plante et al patent discusses a lightweight deformable mirror suitable for space applications in which a plurality of electrically-operated electrodistortive actuators may be used to selectively deform the mirror's reflecting surface. The actuators are sandwiched between a pair of thin sheets of glass with the surface of one sheet finished to form the mirrors reflecting surface.
The Carr Jr. et al patent discloses a magnetic displacement transducer system having a magnet that is movable in a tube whose interior is exposed to a fluid and having at least one magnetometer outside the tube.
In the prior art, mirrors with deformable surfaces are well known in the art, and have found extensive use in advanced high energy laser systems. The coherent light from a laser has surfaces of instant phase which are distorted while propagating through the atmosphere. In addition to reflecting the beam, the deformable mirrors provide a correction for this environmentally generated wavefront distortion. Deformable mirrors are characterized by a reflective surface behind which is positioned an array of externally controllable piezoelectric or magnetostrictive actuators. Upon receipt of an external signal, the actuators will exert a force upon the reflective surface and deform the originally planar surface into a surface whose geometry will provide the reflected wave with coherent phase.
The present invention is directed to an electromagnetic actuator driver apparatus which advances the art of deformable mirrors and which overcomes the problems and limitation of such prior art devices.

Electromagnetic actuator driver apparatus with pivot axis

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force


Vehicle tank pressure is controlled by adsorbing air from the tank in a zeolite bed, and passing fuel vapor back to the tank. The zeolite is later regenerated by application of heat and vacuum.

Vehicle fuel system storage tanks inevitably develop elevated tank pressures as liquid fuel vaporizes into the space between the surface of the fuel and the top of the tank. The vapor so formed is actually a mixture of air and fuel vapors, which forms mainly due to fuel heating. When the tank pressure rises above what is considered a safe threshold, it must be vented somehow. Old systems simply had a vent pipe to atmosphere that was always open. Currently, in order to reduce the emission of raw hydrocarbons into the air, vehicles vent the tank instead to an activated charcoal storage canister. The fuel vapor component of the mixture is adsorbed on the surface of the charcoal granules, so that only the air is expelled to atmosphere. Later, manifold vacuum from the engine is used to draw air from atmosphere back through the canister, purging the fuel vapor to be burned in the engine. Such systems have worked well, but more stringent emission regulations in the future may require even larger canisters to store even more fuel vapor. The prospect of having to burn even more purged fuel vapor has raised concerns about potentially raising exhaust emissions.

Vehicle fuel tank pressure control method


This invention relates to a catheter (1) and accompanying system for diagnosis of the cardio-vascular system of a patient. The catheter (1) flexible tube body (2), having at least one channel (3) therethrough leading from the extracorporal proximal end to the distal area having a fluid discharge opening (6) is introduced into preformed vessels (31) of the body to extend into the heart for measuring physical parameters representative of the cardiac condition of the patient. A temperature sensor (8) is disposed on the catheter toward the proximal end with respect to the opening (6) at the distal end to allow for diagnostic and interventional measures to be taken in the left heart. Between the opening (6) and the sensor (8) may be disposed a dilatation balloon (7) inflatable from the outside. Also, it is advantageous to provide a second temperature sensor (17) in the area of the distal openings (6) as well as a further opening (21) in the area of the first temperature sensor. An external instrument (34) is used to evaluate and display the physical values determined from the catheter sensors for determination of the cardiac condition of the patient. This single catheter located in the left heart thus provides all the data necessary for analysis of the cardiac performance that heretofore required two separate insertions of a catheter.

Catheters to be introduced into the human body have been known for many years. The first description of such a catheter for probing the heart is from W. Forssmann and appeared in Klinische Wochenschrift 8, 1929, pp. 2085 ff. A great variety of experience has been gathered with such catheters in the area of diagnostics. A survey of the catheters used and the diagnostic measures to be performed therewith can be found in the company publication Hewlett-Packard Application Note 762 "A Guide to Hemodynamic Monitoring using the Swan-Ganz Catheter", 1978. As of the seventies, catheters with so-called dilatation balloons have also been used. Such balloons are inflatable from the outside and serve to widen congenital or acquired narrowings (stenoses) in the human vascular system. See for example A. Cribier et al., "Percutaneous Transluminal Balloon Valvuloplasty of Adult Aortic Stenosis": Report of 92 cases, published in JACC Vol., No. 2, Feb. 1987, pp. 381 ff.
One diagnostic measure, for example, is to take hydrostatic pressure measurements with one catheter having a plurality of separate channels and a plurality of lumina, a so-called multilumen catheter. The individual channels are directed toward the exatracorporal proximal end of the catheter and may be connected via standardized connections to pressure sensors for measuring the hydrostatic pressures at the lumen openings of the individual channels and the pressure difference or pressure gradient. Such a catheter may also be provided additionally with a temperature sensor, e.g. a small thermistor, for taking measurements of the cardiac pumping behavior, i.e. measurements of the cardiac output, by a so-called thermodilution method. By this method, according to the prior art, a cryogen solution is injected from the proximal end of the catheter via a channel into the blood vessel, e.g. the right ventricle of the heart, which solution after a certain time flows past the temperature sensor located toward the distal end. The temperature drop at the temperature sensor location as a function of the flow time of the cryogen solution in the blood circulation can then be used to determine the cardiac output, as set forth for example in U. S. Pat. Nos. 4,502,488 and 4,105,022. The connections of the temperature sensor are directed in the catheter tube to the proximal end and are connected there via standardized connections with a microcomputer, which directly states the required measured values, such as the cardiac output in liters per minute. Such measurements up to now have been taken primarily only in the right heart, with the catheter being pushed through a vein into the right heart or the pulmonary circulation.
A typical case of routine application of such a right heart and pulmonary cardiac output measuring catheter is with a patient having a previous myocardial infarction or some type of cardiomyopathy and therefore reduced pumping function of the heart. In such a patient a typical procedure is to apply a left ventricular angiography catheter and to inject dye into the left ventricle and by means of X rays to determine the contraction pattern of this left ventricle. It is described as ejection fraction indicating how much of the percentage of the ventricular volume is ejected by one heart beat. In addition to this indicator of the overall ventricular function, routinely now a second catheter is put into the venous and right heart system of the patient in order to measure cardiac output by the conventional way described above to thereby determine the overall pumping function of the heart in liters of blood pumped per minute. Of special interest also is the knowledge of cardiac output in diagnosing the degree of severeness of valvular stenosis or regurgitation. The prior art required the use of two catheters, one in the right heart to measure cardiac output and one in the left heart to measure pressure and ejection fraction.
One condition for the measurement of heart output in the left heart by the thermal dilution effect is that the direction of blood flow and the direction of the injected cryogenic solution is opposite. This has been identified as a problem in U.S. Pat. No. 3,726,269 W. Webster, Jr. Apr. 10, 1973 to be solved by providing two different temperature sensors placed respectively in the blood flow and the cryogenic solution flow paths for measuring coolant and dilution temperatures separately, This technique requires one temperature sensor to be located within the catheter and the other to be located outside the catheter in the blood flow path being diluted by the cryogenic solution. Thus the design and placement of the two required temperature sensors critically restricts the location and construction of the catheter. In particular, for each temperature measurement this technique requires placement of separate wires to multiple temperature sensors, and special construction for extending wires through the catheter walls. Also determination of the significant temperature from which cardiac output may be determined with two such sensors is limited to the temperature at a single point in the blood flow path, namely the position of the sensor located outside the catheter. Accordingly even though there are two temperature sensors, the catheter would have to be moved about to determine the blood temperature at two significantly different positions in the cardiovascular system of the patient. This prior art temperature system is limited to the determination of the cardiac output and the ventricular volume. The latter critically relates to peak thermal amplitudes, a function of the injection rate of the cryogenic solution, which is usually manually controlled and thus not subject to precise rate control.
Also the prior art thermodilution technique presents problems in the detection of cardiac output from the temperature measurements with two thermal sensors, in that the measurements are critical to a fixed rate of injection of the cryogenic solution to provide steady state temperatures for analysis. This problem is recognized for example in an article of R. B. Dew entitled "Personal Computer System for Automatic Coronary Venous Flow Measurement" on pp 41-44 of the Proceedings, The Ninth Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care, Nov. 10-13, 1985. Such a fixed injection rate is not readily attained in conventional catheters with cryogenic solutions administered manually in impulse fashion.
Introducible catheters are used not only for diagnostic data gathering, but also increasingly for performing therapeutic measures in the circulatory system. These invasive but nonoperative measures shall be explained with reference to the dilatation of a cardiac valve stenosis also described in the above-mentioned essay by Cribier et al. First a dilation catheter with a dilatation balloon is pushed beyond the narrowing, e.g. a stenosis of an aortic valve, the uninflated balloon being located in the stenosis area. With the aid of a channel leading to the proximal end within the catheter tube having a lumen before the dilatation balloon, the pressure before the stenosis, the prestenotic pressure, is now measured hydrostatically. Then, according to prior art, the blood pressure after the stenosis, the poststenotic pressure, is measured in the same way with the aid of a second arterial catheter.
Finally, a thermodilution catheter is introduced into the pulmonary artery, i.e., right heart and pulmonary circulation, via a vein. A predefined amount of a cryogen solution is then injected, as described above, into a proximal opening of this thermodilution catheter, which also has a distal temperature sensor, and the temperature gradient in time at the distal location of the temperature sensor is measured. The cardiac output is determined therefrom. The measured values determined with the individual catheters are fed separately to a computer. According to Gorlin's formula, the area KOF of a cardiac valve opening is directly proportional to the volume of blood V.sub.eff flowing through the valve per unit of time and inversely proportional to the root of the pressure gradient .sub.-- P.sub.m across the constricted valve: ##EQU1##
To calculate the extent of a stenosis or ascertain the success of distending the stenosis with the aid of so-called balloon dilatation, one must therefore not only determine the pre- and post stenotic pressure and thus the pressure gradient, but also the time intervals in which the blood flows through the narrowing as well as the amount of blood flowing through. This then can be used to determine the actual cardiac valve area. It does not suffice merely to measure the pressure gradient, since manipulations of arteries when introducing the catheter and the pressure on the blood vessel at the point of introduction often bring about a vegetatively induced change in the cardiac pumping amount, the heart rate and thus the cardiac output. Even with the same stenosis, different pressure gradients arise in accordance with the flowing amount of blood, so that as a rule several measurements must be taken to determine the cardiac output, generally two to three, in particular when the patient has a fluctuating cardiac output.
Only when reliable measured values are obtained is the dilatation balloon inflated in order to distend the stenosis.
The described process is time consuming. In particular when the measured values are being fed to the evaluating computer and during the evaluation time, all further activities are blocked. Evaluation generally takes two to four minutes. In particular the time factor is a risk for the patient. Thus, the inserted catheter may move out of its position or even fall out. There is also a danger of thrombo-embolism. Dysrhythmia can also occur which may be triggered, for example, directly by the mechanical contact of the catheter with the heart muscle. The necessary long dwell time of the catheter may also lead to a loss of blood at the point of introduction of the catheter, which again alters the cardiac pumping behavior. The introduction of a plurality of catheters is also very unpleasant for the patient. When the measured values are finally available, a measurement must be taken once again after dilatation of the stenosis in order to verify whether the stenosis has actually been distended to the desired extent.

For the thermodilution method of determining cardiac output


An absorbent article is disclosed for absorbing and retaining human exudate. The article includes an absorbent having a first surface facing the body of a user and a second surface aligned approximately opposite to the first surface. A liquid-impermeable baffle is positioned adjacent to at least the second surface of the absorbent while a fluid-permeable cover is positioned adjacent to at least the first surface of the absorbent. A deodorizing mixture is positioned within the article and is positioned to remain dry for a substantial period of time. The mixture is an anhydrous, non-buffer blend of at least basic and pH neutral odor absorbing particles.

Absorbent articles designed to be worn by humans to absorb a quantity of fluid, for example: urine, menstrual fluid, perspiration, etc., are known to acquire a variety of malodorous compounds including amines and fatty acids. The emanation of odors from these absorbent articles can cause the user to feel self-conscious. Furthermore, an absorbent article may emit an odor immediately after receiving the initial flow of body fluid, which is well before the absorbent article has retained a significant amount of fluid for which it has capacity. In such a situation, the user may not prefer to change the product due to its cost, time of occurrence or other consideration, yet would like to eliminate the malodor.
A number of prior art devices have attempted to mask the malodor or to camouflage it with an artificial scent, such as perfume. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,547,195, 4,545,080, 4,186,743 and 3,939,838 are examples of such prior art. In addition, there are patents which teach specific deodorant compositions for controlling malodors in feminine napkins and wound dressings. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,024,145, 3,871,993 and 3,995,636 and Australia patent 109,904 are examples of different types of deodorants.
For absorbent articles designed for absorbing urine and menstrual fluid, it is known that such body fluids contain acidic, basic and pH neutral odors which can best be controlled by providing a deodorant which has an acidic, basic and pH neutral odor absorbing properties. However, until now manufacturers have concentrated on formulating deodorants with acid and base buffers which are activated when wetted by body fluid. World patent 81/01643 is one such patent which teaches the use of ion exchange materials for the deodorant. Other references, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,372,309, 4,583,980, 4,055,184 and 3,340,875, describe controlling volatile nitrogen compounds, using citric acid or acetyl citric acid to control basic odors, and using hydrolyzed starch polyacrylonitrile graft copolymers in acidic form. However, in the above references the deodorant has to be wetted before the buffer compound starts to control the malodor.
Still other U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,304,675; 4,534,962 and 4,826,497, teach deodorizing compositions for rugs and catamenial devices. The compositions vary, but the use of sodium or potassium bicarbonate and natural and synthetic zeolites are disclosed.
While the above-identified teachings attempt to alleviate malodors emanating from absorbent articles, there is still a need for a deodorant which can handle various types of malodors while in the dry state.

Absorbent article containing an anhydrous deodorant


2-aryl and 2-heteroaryl 4h-1-benzopyran-4-one-6-amidino derivatives formula (I)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive degenerative joint disease which affects a large part of the elderly population seriously impacting the quality of life. OA is characterised by pathological changes that occur in the articular cartilage, synovium and subchondral bone leading to pain and loss of articular function. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory disease characterised by articular synovitis leading to cartilage degradation, bone erosion and pain. Although arthritis (OA and RA) are defined as a diseases affecting the joints, the primary feature is chronic pain. Accordingly, the most of the currently used pharmacological treatment for arthritis is largely confined to analgesics, steroidal and especially non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These agents impact the symptoms of the disease (mainly pain) rather than the underlying process, in addition, though these drugs have provided an important mean of controlling inflammation and pain in arthritis, their application has been overshadowed by the gastrointestinal tract side-effects, when considering classical NSAIDs drugs (By Sweet et al., Am. J. Health Syst. Pharm., 61, 18, 1917-21, 2004) and other side-effects when considering COX-2 inhibitors (Mamdani M. et al., Lancet, 363, 1751-6, 2004). Therefore, the development of new therapeutic agents able to prevent or counteract cartilage degradation in arthritis along with the related pain is essential, since OA and RA affect million people all over the world and its incidence is expected to increase with the increase of the population average age.
The degradation of cartilage that occurs in these diseases is the result of enzymatic cleavage of its structural components. Cartilage is constituted of chondrocytes and an extra-cellular matrix that consists of proteoglycans (mainly aggrecan), collagen and water. The interaction between proteoglycans and collagen provides unique structural and physiological properties for cartilage to function in weight bearing and joint motion. Cartilage proteoglycans consist of a protein core with glycosaminoglycan (GAG) side chains; GAG components absorb water and provide to the cartilage its characteristic resistance to mechanical stress and constitute a protective layer essential to the joint function. Healthy cartilage maintains a dynamic equilibrium between processes that produce and processes that degrade the matrix components; in pathological conditions this equilibrium is altered leading to the prevalence of the degenerative process, which causes matrix degradation, and hence cartilage roughening and fissuring which at the end could result in erosion of the subchondral bone and synovial inflammation.
The large aggregating proteoglycan, called aggrecan, forms aggregates that bind hyaluronic acid (HA) and together with type II collagen is responsible for the biomechanical properties of cartilage. Thus aggrecan interacting in a complex network with HA and type II collagen, enables the tissue to bear load resisting to mechanical compression and endows the cartilage with those biomechanical characteristics necessary to joint functionality. Aggrecan protein consists of three globular regions termed G1, G2 and G3 (P. J. Roughley, European Cells & Material, 2006, 12, 92-101). The G1 and G2 regions are separated by a short interglobular domain (IGD) while the G2 and G3 regions are separated by a long GAG attachment region. The G1 domain is at the amino-terminus of the protein and through an ancillary protein it constitutes the binding region of aggrecan to HA. Aggrecan molecules are not isolated within the extra-cellular matrix but form aggregates composed of a central HA filament with up to 100 aggrecan molecules radiating from it. The GAG-attachment region of aggrecan provides the high anionic charge density needed for binding water and conferring to the cartilage the unique osmotic properties necessary to guarantee its functionality.
Loss of cartilage integrity in arthritis is associated with impaired aggrecan integrity due to proteolytic cleavage of the protein. Two sites located in the IGD of aggrecan have been identified as the major targets of proteolytic aggrecan attack the Asn341-Phe342 bond has been shown to be mainly cleaved by several Matrix Metalloproteases (MMPs) and the Glu373-Ala374 bond which is the site of cleavage in pathological conditions as resulted by analysis of synovial fluids of patients (L. S. Lohmander et al., Arthritis & Rheum., 1993, 36, 1214-1222; J. D. Sandy, J. Clin. Invest. 1992, 89, 1412. B) or in widely reported laboratory studies, where this site resulted the major aggrecan cleavage site in chondrocytes cultures stimulated by cytokines (the cytokines: IL-1, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 stimulate the chondrocytes to produce an increased amount of matrix degrading enzymes, while IL-4 inhibits this process). Two enzymes, Aggrecanase 1 and 2, which cleave aggrecan at Glu373-Ala374 bond but not at the MMP site, have been identified and cloned. Both these enzymes belong to the ADAMTS (a disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase domain with thrombospondin type 1 motifs) family of proteases and are named ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 respectively. ADAMTS family represents a group of zinc metalloproteases belonging to reprolysin subfamily (related to the snake venom toxin reprolysin; C. G. Jones et al., Arthritis Res. Ther, 2005, 7, 160-69; C. G. Jones et al., Biochem J., 2005, 386, 15-27).
While enzymes in ADAMTS family are usually involved in protein turnover and tissue remodelling, ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 are considered to be largely responsible for the cartilage aggrecan catabolism observed during the development of OA and RA, therefore inhibition of these enzymes may represent a therapeutic strategy for these diseases (S. S. Glasson, Current Drug Targets, 2007, 8, 2, 367-376). Though synthetic MMPs inhibitors have been clinically investigated as a means to block tissue destruction in arthritis and have been proved unsuccessful, it should be pointed out that these inhibitors were directed against MMPs which cleaves mainly collagen and interact for a minor extent with aggrecan. Conversely, aggrecanases which cleaves with high efficiency aggrecan within the IGD site, give rise to the removal of a large part of the protein from its binding site to HA thus leading to the breakage of that complex network of interactions fundamental to cartilage integrity and functions.
In addition, several members of the ADAMTS family including ADAMTS-4 and ADAMTS-5 have been found over-expressed in tumour cell lines. It should be pointed out that a prerequisite for invasiveness in cancer is cell migration based on increased expression of proteases digesting the extra-cellular matrix, the same process of extra-cellular matrix remodelling mediated by metalloproteases is also essential in angiogenesis, the process by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing vasculature. Angiogenesis has also been identified as a contributing factor in cancer where it is a rate-limiting step during tumour progression. Accordingly, in addition to arthritis ADAMT-4/-5 inhibitors could be useful therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer.
The 2-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one nucleus is well known in nature, since flavonoids form a class of benzopyran-4-one derivatives which are ubiquitous in plants as secondary metabolites. Flavonoids such as flavones and flavonols are present in a great variety of food, and especially in fruits and vegetables. Among them, Quercetin [2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-hydroxy-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one)] is the main flavonoid occurring in the food and is present at an average level of 10 mg/Kg (in onion its concentration is 300 mg/kg). Quercetin is a very effective antioxidant and appeared to be active in treating several disease such as cardiovascular, neurodegenerative and cancer. Further investigations highlighted how the proprieties of the 4H-1-benzopyran-4-one scaffold also known as chromenone, are not confined to Quercetin only but can be efficiently used as structural scaffolds for drug design.
Several 6-amino-2-aryl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one derivatives are known in literature: 6-amino-2-phenyl-4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one (RN: 4613-53-0) has been reported along with other 26 flavonoids as anti-proliferative agents acting on cell cycle (Haddad, A. Q.; Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2006), 9(1), 68-76), antispasmodic and antihistaminic activity has been reported for another group of 2-aryl-6-amino-chromen-4-one derivatives (P. K. Jesthi et al., Journal of the Institution of Chemists (India) (1981), 53(5), 234-6), inhibition of several protein kinases was reported for a group of aminoflavones (M. Cushman et al, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (1994), 37(20), 3353-62), as well as inhibition of CDK kinase for a wide group of flavonoids including amino derivatives (PCT Int. Appl. (2000), WO 2000012496 A1 20000309). N-carbamoylderivatives of a group of aminoflavones have been reported as acetylcholine esterase inhibitors (PCT Int. Appl. (2002), WO 2002024677 A1 20020328). Though an amidine of a flavanone derivative has been reported as furamidine analogue (RN: 849368-08-7,2-[4-[amino[(1-methylethyl)imino]methyl]phenyl]-N-(1-methylethyl)-4H-1-Benzopyran-4-oxo-6-carboximidamide, H Goeker et al., Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 2005, 13(5), 1707-1714), exhibiting antimicrobial activity, none of these flavanone amino or amidinoderivatives has never been reported neither as aggrecanase inhibitor nor as analgesic.

2-aryl and 2-heteroaryl 4H-1-benzopyran-4-one-6-amidino derivatives, new pharmacological agents for the treatment of arthritis, cancer and related pain

Abstract: useful as pharmacological agents for the treatment of arthritis, cancer and related pain.


An assembly of air heaters and reciprocally movable air driven staking tools is provided for use in the assembly of pieces using thermally softenable and pressure deformable studs. The air heaters and air driven staking tools are assembled in a supporting structure through which air is circulated to cool the staking tools to limit adhesion of hot softened material to the working face of each staking tool. The air heaters and air driven staking tools are individually selectable and controllable to meet the requirement of each workpiece to be hnot staked. The method of operating the hot staking assembly is also disclosed.

The use of a hot staking technique for joining pieces of material together is well known in the art. In the hot staking process, a first piece is formed with a plurality of spaced apertures along the edge to which a second piece of plastic is to be joined. The second piece has a plurality of spaced studs which project from the surface of the piece and in assembly are inserted in the apertures in the first piece. Each individual stud is then heated and shaped by a suitable metal tool to form a rivet-like end on the stud to lock the two pieces together. While this sounds like a relatively simple process to carry out, great care must be exercised in the heating of the stud in order to properly form a strong joint between the two parts. Too much heat tends to cause the stud to begin to flow and shaping the stud will not remove enough of the heat quickly enough to cause the stud to lock the parts together, resulting in a loose joint. If the stud is not heated enough before being shaped, the stud will tend to develop stress and the plastic base will show stress weakness as discoloration and multiple rings surrounding the stud.
The method of applying heat to the stud is also important. In the past, it has been common for the shaping tool to be heated and then applied to the stud where it transfers heat to the stud, softening the stud as the stud is being shaped. This technique results in stress in the stud as the stud is not heated properly before pressure is applied and also the heated staking tool tends to soften the plastic resulting in plastic being withdrawn from the shaped stud by the tool. When the shaping tool is withdrawn, thin hair-like strands of plastic can be drawn away from the stud which, in a proper operation, should be cleaned from the staking tool before the next staking operation is carried out or else a very poor quality product will result.
In another technique, heat is applied directly to the stud in the form of hot air and after the stud is warm, a first tool in the form of a clamp comes down camming the heat duct out of the way before a second shaping tool comes down to stake or shape the softened stud. The overall result of this technique is a very complex machine.
Through the experimentation leading to the development of the present invention, the inventors determined that the key to the hot staking process is the proper preparation of the stud before shaping and the proper application of pressure to the stud by a cool staking tool. If the stud is heated to just below the temperature where it will begin to undergo flow, and if this heating process is carried out very quickly, then the staking tool will be able to shape the part without inducing stress into the part and/or the underlying plastic material being joined. The inventors also found that pressure cannot be traded off for heat. If an attempt is made to speed up the process by shortening the heating time and increasing the pressure, a very poor joint is formed which is subject to stress fatigue and discoloration in the parts being joined together.


A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes: a plurality of power lines extending in a first direction; and a plurality of cells arrayed along the first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction and having a cell height of an integer multiple of a distance between the power lines adjacent to each other in the second direction, the cell height being a dimension in the second direction, wherein the plurality of cells include: a functional cell that contributes to a function of the semiconductor device; and a capacitance cell including a diffusion region of a first conductivity type and a gate electrode stacked above the diffusion region, and functioning as a decoupling capacitor, the capacitance cell is configured as a multi-height cell having a cell height of two or more times the distance, the capacitance cell includes a plurality of overlapping regions that are regions of the gate electrode overlapping the diffusion region in a stacking direction, the overlapping regions being aligned in the second direction, and the plurality of overlapping regions are arranged in one continuous well of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type.

A semiconductor device may take a configuration in which a plurality of cells are arrayed in a direction in which power lines extend and a direction intersecting it. The cell dimension in the direction intersecting the power lines is referred to as a cell height, for example. In such a semiconductor device, the cell height of each cell is standardized by a method referred to as a standard cell method to be an integer multiple of the distance between adjacent power lines.
However, when capacitance cells that functions as a decoupling capacitor is incorporated in a semiconductor device using the standard cell method, the capacitance cells also need to be structured according to the standards of the standard cell method, and it is difficult to provide a large capacitance region, which is a region in which gate electrodes of the capacitance cells overlap diffusion regions.

TOSHIBA ELECTRONIC DEVICES & STORAGE CORPORATION


Cleaned metal surfaces are coated with an aqueous anti-corrosion treatment. The anti-corrosion treatment includes an organofunctional silsesquioxane and a fluoro metallic acid such as H2TiF6, H2ZrF6, as well as others and blends. The metal surface can be rinsed immediately after coating, making this anti-corrosion treatment suitable for preparing a metal surface for electrocoating.

Unprotected metal surfaces can suffer severe corrosion when exposed to the environment. To protect metal surfaces from corrosion, the surfaces are often treated with compositions, such as zirconium or chromium compounds, as well as phosphates such as iron phosphate and zinc phosphate. Zirconium, iron phosphate and zinc phosphate provide corrosion protection by barrier action. Iron phosphate, zinc phosphate and chromate treatments are also conversion coatings. Silsesquioxanes also provide corrosion protection, but not corrosion inhibition. Each of these treatments has disadvantages such as inadequate protection of the metal surface from the environment, expense, toxicity, and not being environmentally friendly.
Prior to painting, metal surfaces need to be pretreated chemically to improve paint adhesion as well as enhanced corrosion resistance. Conventional methods such as chromate and phosphate-based pretreatments provide these properties to metal substrates, yet they also pose human safety and environmental concerns.
Silsesquioxane-based pretreatment can provide satisfactory performance on multiple metals under various paints except electrocoat paints. This is due to the fact that a freshly deposited silsesquioxane film or not fully dried silsesquioxane film is not water-rinsable. It has to be cured first by drying. If not cured, it washes off.
This curing aspect of the silsesquioxanes limits their use in many important applications, in particular, electrocoating. Electrocoating involves coating metal with a cathodic or anodic electrocoat system. Such systems are widespread and used in the automotive industry, the appliance industry and consumer electronics industry. Electrocoating paint applications require that the metal entering the tanks cannot contain any water-soluble species as that would contaminate the e-coat bath. Therefore, the metal has to be thoroughly rinsed immediately after leaving the metal pretreatment tanks. For that reason, silsesquioxanes are not used in industry as a pretreatment prior to electrocoating. The time available between metal pretreatment and e-coating on industrial lines typically is not more than two minutes.

Process for depositing rinsable silsesquioxane films on metals


A method of processing digital video information in real time involves reading-in digital data representing pixels of successive video frames, e.g., from a digitizer. The pixel frame data is initially stored and subjected to an idealization treatment to choose and pre-select representative values for pixel characteristics which are then adopted in the further processing. The idealized frame data can then be subjected to compression by deriving further data representing blocks of pixels (mini-blocks) and blocks of mini-blocks (super-blocks) and by generating code words to describe the changes in the pixel data of successive frames. The compressed data is finally stored and/or transmitted.

In WO95/16325 we described a method of processing digital video information and the present invention seeks to provide improvements of the method and techniques described in this publication.
WO94/14139 describes a method of reducing noise in digital video information which involves a frame-by-frame comparison of pixel values to find a key frame which is maintained until more than predetermined portion of the pixels have changed whereupon another frame becomes the key frame.

Video processing for storage or transmission


A medical apparatus of embodiments includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to input third projection data to a first trained model to generate fourth projection data, the first trained model being generated through learning using first projection data collected by a first X-ray detector included in a first scanner and relatively greatly affected by scattered rays as learning data of an input side and using second projection data relatively less affected by scattered rays as learning data of an output side, the first trained model being configured to generate, on the basis of the third projection data collected by a second X-ray detector included in a second scanner, the fourth projection data in which the influence of scattered rays in the third projection data has been reduced. The first projection data is collected by the first X-ray detector in a case where a collimator provided in a first X-ray source included in the first scanner has a first opening width. The second projection data is collected by the first X-ray detector in a case where the collimator has an opening width smaller than the first opening width.

X-ray CT apparatuses which obtain tomographic images by radiating X rays to an examination subject and scanning the examination subject have been known. There is an X-ray CT apparatus which radiates X rays having an expanse (cone angle) in a body axis direction and includes a detector including elements arranged in the body axis direction and a channel direction. Particularly, this type of X-ray CT apparatus has a problem that the definition of CT images deteriorates due to the influence of scattered rays.


A method and apparatus for controlling pollution and flue gases from a boiler using municipal solid waste as a fuel. The flue gases pass through internal and external economizers before entering a reactor in which the gases are treated with lime or other reactant in slurry form to neutralize the acid components of the flue gases. The heat of the flue gases dries the products of the reaction and the excess reactants so that they may be separated from the flue gas in subsequent separator, which is a baghouse filter. The feed of the reactant to the reactor is modified in accordance with the concentration of acid constituents in the flue gas, and concurrently the operation of the economizers is modified to raise the temperature of the flue gas exiting the economizers when the feed of reactant is increased and vice versa. The temperature of the flue gas is increased by causing the feed water to bypass the external economizer in direct relation to the quantity of reactant fed to the reactor.

In conventional boilers, the flue gases are normally treated to maintain the pollutant content of the flue gases exhausted to the atmosphere below the environmental standards of the community. In industrial operation, the characteristics of the operation of the boiler are relatively uniform and the operating parameters of the boiler are established to assure that the pollutant level in the effluent flue gas meets or surpasses the community standard.
For efficient operation, the feed water to the boiler is normally preheated by the exhausted flue gases in order to economize by retrieval of the heat energy in the flue gases before they are discharged through the stack. There is a critical stack temperature which must be maintained for efficient operation. The stack temperature is normally about the saturation temperature or acid dew point temperature of the flue gas, typically below 270.degree. F. (130.degree. C.).
Preferably, the feed water in one or more economizers or heat exchangers reduces the temperature of the flue gases preferably close to their saturation temperature before they are discharged.
The acid content of the flue gases is reduced by directing the gases to a scrubber or other apparatus which serves as a reactor in which a lime slurry or other reactant in a liquid carrier is introduced into the gas stream to remove the acid pollutants in the flue gas. In the reactor, the gas flow evaporates the moisture from the slurry as the reactant reacts with the acid pollutants, is dried and is separated out of the gas flow. Any residual reactant which is not separated out of the gas flow is entrained in the gas flow which carries the entrained material to a separator which separates out the particulate material from the gases. A typical separator consists of a baghouse filter in which fabric bags serve as the filter medium in which the effluent gas is caused to flow through the bags and deposit the entrained material on the bag surface. In order to avoid premature blockage of the bag surfaces, the entrained material should be free from moisture so as to avoid caking of the material on the bag surfaces.
When burning standard fuels, the boiler, the economizers, the reactor and the filter may be set to accommodate their operation to the particular characteristics of the fuel and the effluent generated in the boiler by the fuel. For example, in the reactor, the composition of the slurry is selected to assure a stochiometric ratio above 1.0 between the reactant and the acid components of the particular flue gas, and to assure the proper quantity of liquid carrier to afford complete evaporation of the carrier by the flue gas which should be discharged at the desired stack temperature. During start-up and shutdown, the boiler conditions depart from the optimum and there is a substantial loss in efficiency, but such losses are tolerated because of the infrequency of their occurrence.
When burning municipal solid waste in a boiler, however, the composition of the fuel may vary considerably with the source of the waste material being burned, and the efficiency of the facility may be substantially less than the maximum in order to accommodate the variations in the characteristics of the material which is burned in the boiler. For example, pollutant concentration in the flue gas at the boiler may be as high as 250 ppm SO.sub.2, 500 ppm HCl and 50 ppm HF. 80% to 90% of these pollutants must be removed to meet community standards.


The disclosure relates to a device for supporting functions of a heart valve and methods for making and using the same. The device includes a flow optimizer configured to be located in the valve and having a cross sectional area that reduces a regurgitation orifice of the valve during systole. The device includes an anchoring mechanism coupled to the flow optimizer and configured to fix a position of the flow optimizer relative to the valve. The flow optimizer allows hemodynamic flow during diastole, minimizing risk of inducing atrioventricular pressure gradient and thrombogenesis, and seals or minimizes the regurgitation orifice during systole and reinstates efficacy of the valve. The anchoring system requires no traumatic interaction with the valve, atrium and ventricle. Implantation of the device can be achieved without invasive surgery. The device permits intra-procedural optimization of the positioning of the flow optimizer.

A tricuspid valve (TV) is an atrioventricular valve located in the right side of the human heart, between the right atrium (RA) and the right ventricle (RV). Anatomy of the TV is constituted of three asymmetrical leaflets, septal, anterior, and posterior, supported by a complex sub-valvular apparatus constituted by the chordae tendineae and the papillary muscles. The TV is also in proximity of the tendon of Todaro, where the heart's delicate atrioventricular node is located.
Regurgitant flow occurs during the systolic phases of the cardiac cycle when the tricuspid valve becomes incompetent. The incompetence is mainly caused by the pathology-induced progressive enlargement of the valve's annulus, which prevents the leaflets from reaching full coaptation during systole (or during the systole phase of the cardiac cycle). The lack of leaflets coaptation causes the development of a regurgitant orifice within the valve through which blood can reenter the right atrium instead of exiting the right ventricle via the pulmonary valve. This condition induces a cardiac overload with subsequent enlargement of the right ventricle and the right atrium, reduction of the right ventricular stroke volume, and increase in systemic vein congestion and other symptoms of congestive heart failure. Tricuspid valve regurgitation can be isolated from or associated to other valvulopathies, and leads to congestive heart failure, with reduced functional cardiovascular capacity and ultimately increased risks of mortality.
Surgical repair or replacement are the most commonly used techniques for treating this pathology, but the clinical results (e.g. mortality and recurrence) are suboptimal. Also, due to the common presence of several comorbidities in most patients affected by tricuspid regurgitation, the majority is ineligible for surgical repair or replacement because of the high risk correlated with those procedures.
Transcatheter therapy doesn't require open-heart surgery and could be a viable safer alternative. The unique anatomical feature of the tricuspid valve is the main challenge for developing a safe and effective implant. The anchoring possibly requires burdening of the adjacent cardiac structure (e.g. superior or inferior vena cava, the atrioventricular node, the coronary sinus, the right coronary artery, the ventricular myocardium). Also, the low pressure and output of the hemodynamic flow in the right side of the heart increases the risks of inducing atrioventricular pressure gradient and thrombogenesis.
It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

Heart valve support device and methods for making and using the same