This invention relates to a radiodiagnostic agent to image arterial and venous thrombi, pulmonary emboli and lesions of atherosclerosis. A composition for a thrombus imaging agent, a method and kit for preparing a thrombus imaging agent, and a radiolabeling reagent for preparing the thrombus imaging agent are provided. Methods of using the thrombus imaging agent to detect thrombi are also provided.

In 1993, in the United States alone, 378,000 patients were hospitalized for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and 103,000 for pulmonary embolism (PE) (Vital and Health Statistics. Series 13: Data from National Health Survey Ditts Publication No. (PHS) 95-1783, 1993). Autopsy data suggests that the incidence of DVT and PE may be as high as 30% to 60% in the general population. For high risk patients, such as those over forty years of age or those who have undergone a major surgical procedure, the incidence of thromboembolism may be as high as 80%. (Koblik, P. D. et al., "Current status of immunoscintigraphy in the detection of thrombosis and thromboembolism", Seminars in Nucl. Med. XIX: 221-231, 1989)
In surgical patients, the initial vessel damage exposes subendothelial structures to the blood stream and the blood platelets begin to adhere to the injury site. Coagulation proteins are then activated sequentially to generate the enzyme thrombin. Thrombin cleaves plasma fibrinogen into fibrin monomers, which in turn polymerize around the clumped platelets to form a clot. Blood clots are also formed during stasis in patients confined to bed, or in those with increased intra-abdominal pressure (e.g., during pregnancy, when blood flow slows in the leg veins). Under these hemodynamic conditions, especially near venous valves or bifurcations, the coagulation factors are more likely to be activated. Many of the clots formed under these conditions are likely to be large and frequently form lethal pulmonary emboli. Arterial clots are considered to be the leading cause in the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia or infarction and stroke.
A variety of diagnostic tests are currently available to detect DVT. These include contrast angiography (venography), radionuclide angiography, Doppler ultrasonography, thermography and impedance plethysmography. Most popular among them are the venography and ultrasonography. However, to be effective, venography and ultrasonography must be performed in the specific anatomic area of the suspected emboli. Notwithstanding this limitation, contrast venography is widely considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of thromboembolism. Additionally, venography is an invasive technique, and the procedure itself can induce venous thrombi in patients at risk. Anticoagulant therapy to prevent formation of such venous thrombi or to lyse the existing DVT is also associated with a significant morbidity. For these reasons, a more specific and non-invasive method for imaging thrombi in the body is highly desirable. An external scintigraphy technique, aided by the use of a radiopharmaceutical, would enable a clinician to quickly scan a patient without unreasonable inconvenience or added morbidity.
In recent years, a large number of radiopharmaceuticals have been investigated as potential agents to localize DVT or PE. In that thrombi are largely composed of fibrin, platelets and other entrapped cells in the fibrin network, attention has been focused on the use of radioiodine labeled fibrinogen and In-111 labeled platelets (Thakur, M. L. et al. Thrombosis Research 1976, 9, 345-354). Antibodies specific for the fibrin binding IIb/IIa glycoprotein complex on the platelet surface have also been investigated (Thakur, M. L. Thrombotic and Hematologic Disorders 1992, 5, 29-36; Thakur, M. L. "Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies for imaging and therapy", S. C. Srivastava (Ed.), Plenum Publishing Co., NATO ASI, series 152, 1988; Knight, L. C. Seminars in Nucl. Med. 1990, XX: 52-67. Success of these approaches has been limited due to a lack of specificity, unfavorable pharmacokinetics or cumbersome preparation of the agent.
In that platelets are a major component and a biologically active constituent of a thrombus, radiolabeling of platelets has also been considered as a diagnostic agent. However, the use of radiolabeled platelets has been less than desirable because of their long life span (roughly 8 days) that results in excessive background radioactivity well after their administration. The excessive background radioactivity causes a delay in diagnosis due to suboptimal lesion to background radioactivity ratios. Use of radiolabeled platelets is also limited by the need to prepare them in vitro by skilled personnel (Thakur, M. L., 1976, supra).
Prompted by advancements in molecular biology, radioactive agents for the non-invasive diagnosis of thromboembolism have been developed which include technetium (Tc-99m) labeled peptides specific for resting or activated platelets (Knight, L. C. et al. J. Nucl. Med. 1994, 35, 282-288; Pearson, D. A. J. Med. Chem. 1996, 39, 1372-1382; Line, B. R. et al. J. Nucl. Med. 1996, 37, 117P). Use of a peptide specifically binding to the platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor has also been reported for imaging thrombi (Dean, R. et al., WO/94/23758).
Peptides are particularly attractive for use as radioimaging agents because they are smaller in size and easier to produce than monoclonal antibodies. Radiolabeled peptides typically clear more rapidly from circulation than radiolabeled proteins, are less likely to induce an immunological reaction, yet have equal or higher receptor specificity and binding constants than monoclonal antibodies. While a variety of radioactive nuclides have been considered for radiolabeling peptides, including Tc-99m and In-111, Tc-99m is a preferred radiolabel because of its low cost, availability, excellent imaging properties (emits gamma radiation at 140 keV), and high specific activity. Its half-life of 6 hours is long enough to perform an examination before excessive radioactive decay has occurred, yet not so long as to persist in the body long after the examination has been completed or to impart an excessive radiation dose to the patient.
Radiopharmaceuticals comprised of radiolabeled peptides and proteins can be prepared by three routes. One such route includes the use of a chelating agent such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,525. A second method utilizes a bifunctional chelating agents, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,128. Typically, the third method, known as a direct labeling method, has been used for labeling antibodies and peptides and involves the generation of free sulfhydryl groups by the reduction of disulfide bridges to which the radionuclide, such as technetium, is chelated. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,917,878 and 5,011,676. The direct labeling method suffers from two prominent limitations, namely, the unstable complexes formed by technetium with the peptide or protein, and the poor control over the labeling site with the protein. It is not likely that direct labeling can be readily extended for use with small peptides because small peptides may not contain cysteine residues that are cyclized and the biological function of a small peptide may be more often altered by random addition of the radiolabel.
Bifunctional chelates have been developed which utilize high affinity chelates to bind a technetium radionuclide to specific sites on the peptide. In this latter method the chelating agent is covalently attached to the peptide prior to radiolabeling, which upon the addition of the radionuclide would result in a single radiolabeled product. This approach appears to overcome some of the limitations of the direct method of labeling in that the bioactivity and receptor-binding characteristics of the conjugate can be determined before and after labeling.
Thrombospondin (TSP), is a large (450 Kda), trimeric adhesive glycoprotein first identified as a thrombin sensitive protein more than a quarter of a century ago (Baenziger, N. L. et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 1971, 68, 240-243; Ganguly, P. J. Biol. Chem. 1971, 246, 4286-4290). TSP is predominantly found in platelet a-granules and comprises nearly 3% of the total amount of platelet protein. Many different cells produce TSP, including endothelial cells, fibroblasts, macrophages and monocytes, and tumor cells. It is known that most of TSP is bound to extracellular matrix or associated strongly with basement membrane. TSP promotes cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions of normal and malignant cells, as well as platelet aggregation, and mediates angiogenesis.
TSP is stored in resting platelets in .alpha.-granules alongside other multi-functional glycoproteins such as fibronectin, fibrinogen and von Willebrand's factor. Upon activation, platelets release .alpha.-granule proteins including TSP, which then binds to the surface of activated platelets. Receptors for TSP binding on platelet surface include CD36, a 88 kd glycoprotein, GPIV and GPIIIb. One theory proposes that TSP binds to CD36 as well as to fibrinogen that is already bound to GP IIb/IIIa complex. TSP is found in fibrin meshwork of whole blood clots and excised wounds. Early wounds stain intensely for TSP whereas healed wounds hardly stain.
The structure of human TSP was determined in 1986 (Lawler et al. Blood 1986, 67, 1197-1209). It was found that the sequence Trp Ser Pro Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly (SEQ ID NO: 1) was present in three homologous copies in TSP, and that the sequence is a functional component in the adhesive interactions of TSP that mediate cell adhesion, platelet aggregation and tumor cell metastasis (Tuszynski, G. P. et al. J. Cell Biol. 1992, 116, 209-217).
It has been reported that human dermal microvascular endothelial cells bind to immobilized TSP via an Arg Gly Asp Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly sequence (SEQ ID NO: 2) (Chen et al. J. Invt. Dermatol. 1996, 106, 215-220), and that a radioiodinated (I-125) Tyr Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly sequence (SEQ ID NO: 3) also binds strongly to CD36 transfected Jurkat cells (Asch et al. Biochem. Biophy. Res. Comm. 1992, 182, 1208-1217). It has also been demonstrated that antibodies against TSP receptor blocked the uptake of TSP as well as that of the sequence, Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly (SEQ ID NO: 4) (Wang et al. Am. J. Surg. 1995, 170, 502-505).
Derivatives of the sequence Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly (SEQ ID NO: 4), have also been shown to have biological activity. For example, a cyclic form in which two cysteine residues are cyclized to form a five membered ring structure, and a derivative in which the two cysteine residues are blocked by acetaminomethyl (Acm), promoted binding to four tumor cell lines, approximately to the same extent as the native sequence (SEQ ID NO: 4) (Tuszynski et al. J. Cell. Biol. 1992, 116, 209-217). The native sequence (SEQ ID NO: 4), as well as the cyclic and cysteine protected forms, inhibited ADP-induced platelet aggregation, while control peptides, Ala Asn Lys His Tyr Phe (SEQ ID NO: 5) and Val Cys Thr Gly Ser Cys (SEQ ID NO: 6) displayed no biological activity.
It has now been found that a modification of the peptide sequence, Cys Ser Val Thr Cys Gly (SEQ ID NO: 4) can be used to image arterial and venous thrombi, pulmonary embolisms, and lesions of atherosclerosis. Unlike other peptides currently being investigated for use in imaging thrombi, such as, snake venom factors (Knight, L. C. et al. J. Nucl. Med. 1994, 35, 282-288), anti-platelet factor IV (Pearson, D. A. et al. J. Med. Chem. 1996, 39, 1372-1382), and the DuPont peptide DMP444 (Line, B. R. et al. J. Nucl. Med. 1996, 37, 117P), the peptide, Cys-Ser-Val-Thr-Cys-Gly (SEQ ID NO: 4) is an integral part of a protein that exists naturally in the molecular domain of thrombospondin, and one which appears to play a role in the formation of thrombi via activated platelets.


A method and apparatus for deactivating a bad battery cell from a battery pack for an energy storage system of an electric vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus and methodology includes a clamshell member arranged at an end of the cells and a printed circuit board arranged adjacent to the clamshell member. A collector plate is arranged adjacent to the printed circuit board and a switch is arranged on the printed circuit board. A wire bond is arranged between the switch and one of the cells and a second wire bond is arranged between the switch and the collector plate. The plurality of switches will allow for the identification of the one individual cell having a weak short circuit within the battery pack. Upon identification of the cell with the weak short circuit that cell will have its switch placed in an open position thus electrically isolating the faulty or bad cell from the battery pack.

1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally relates to cells in a battery pack, and more particularly relates to a method of deactivating faulty or bad battery cells from a battery pack for use in an electric vehicle or other industrial equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Battery packs have been used for numerous years in electric vehicles, such as automobiles, boat, aerospace vehicles, and within other industrial equipment applications. Many of the electrical systems used in these prior art vehicles and equipment are designed to minimize the possibility of short circuiting and to reduce the potential of a voltage exposure to emergency responders and other people in the general public. Such precautions may help to reduce the possibility of an electrocution or other injury due to high voltage encounters and situations. There have been many different attempts at providing an electrical system that will disconnect electrical circuits due to a crash of a vehicle, high temperature situations or other short circuit that may occur in a vehicle or industrial equipment. Many of these prior art systems would disconnect the battery from the circuit thus creating an open circuit and protecting any responders and other people from dangerous high voltage situations. Generally, these prior art systems disconnect the battery pack when a predetermined force is applied to the vehicle or equipment or when a predetermined thermal event occurs within the circuitry of the battery and or electrical system.
One of the prior art methodologies for disconnecting battery cells would use a conductor wire that is either welded or bonded to a battery cell and is capable of being broke if a mechanical force is applied thereto. In the prior art, one problem with these prior art systems is that the mechanical strength of the breakable conductors may be excessive and not allow for the conductor to break unless it is subject to extreme forces or situations with relation to the vehicle or equipment. Therefore, the disconnecting of the power from the supply of the electric vehicle may not occur during all emergency situations as originally designed and would not occur for short circuits that may effect the storage capacity of the battery cells and the longevity and durability of the battery cells for holding a charge. Furthermore, many of the prior art methodologies of wire bonding conductors to cells did not provide a consistent connection. Current mechanisms such as high thermal events may not break the conductor thus leaving the equipment connected to the circuits power which may result in electrocution and injury to first responders at an accident scene. Some of these prior art methodologies may also have tried insulation displacement conductors to connect a battery cell to a bus bar or connector plate, mechanical crimping or pressure crimping may also have been used to connect battery cells to a bus bar. Furthermore many of these prior art systems would only disconnect during a vehicle accident or hard short circuit but would not disconnect battery cells suffering from internal weak shorts or problematic weak shorts during charging or use within a battery pack environment.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved methodology of deactivating a faulty or bad battery cell from a battery pack in an electrical vehicle or industrial equipment. Furthermore, there is a need in the art for a methodology that will be capable of detecting which individual cell has a weak short circuit, problematic weak short circuit and thus isolate or remove the bad cell from the electrical circuit. Also there is a need in the art for a low cost manufacture methodology and apparatus for deactivating faulty or bad cells from a battery pack in an electric vehicle.

Method and apparatus for identifying and disconnecting short-circuited battery cells within a battery pack


Hot plug modules comprising processors, memory, and/or I/O hubs may be added to and removed from a running computing device without rebooting the running computing device. The hot plug modules and computing device comprise hot plug interfaces that support hot plug addition and hot plug removal of the hot plug modules.

Advances in technology have opened up many opportunities for applications that go beyond the traditional ways of doing business. Electronic commerce over the Internet has become widely accepted, requiring many companies to either install one or more computing devices to host a web site and maintain accessible databases or to contract with data centers to provide such services. In addition to performance, important functional characteristics for these computing devices include reliability, availability and scalability.
One manner by which reliability, availability and scalability of computing devices has been increased is by allowing certain peripheral components to be added to and removed from a running computing device without rebooting. For example, the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Hot-Plug Specification, Revision 1.1, Jun. 20, 2001 describes a manner by which PCI add-in cards such as, for example, network cards, ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) controllers, SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) controllers, USB (Universal Serial Bus) controllers, and Firewire (a.k.a 1394) controllers may be added to and removed from a running computing device. However, PCI hot plug does not provide for adding and removing processors, memory, and I/O hubs to and/or from a running computing device. Accordingly, reliability, availability, and scalability of computing devices may be further enhanced by supporting hot plug addition and/or hot plug removal of processors, memory, and/or I/O hubs.
Composite FIGS. 9A-9H illustrates a method for hot plug addition and hot plug removal of hot plug modules to and from the computing device of FIG. 1.

Hot plug interface control method and apparatus


Methods for prophylactic and anti-transmissivity uses of an anti-microbial composition are disclosed. The methods comprise the step of administering to a mammal or a bird, an amount of a composition having a first ingredient obtainable from ginger; a second ingredient obtainable from green tea; an optional third ingredient obtainable from turmeric; and an acceptable carrier. When administered the composition is effective to reduce the incidence of contracting an illness or to prophylactically prevent transmission of an illness. Also disclosed are nasal and throat spray compositions for use in the methods of the invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates the prophylactic use of a composition to reduce the incidence of contraction of illnesses caused by microbial organisms. More particularly, the present invention relates to methods for treating, reducing or preventing one or more symptoms or adverse effects of a microbial infection and to methods for reducing the infectivity or transmission of microbial infections.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Viral pathogenesis is the method by which viruses produce disease in the host. The pathogenesis of viruses centers on the mechanisms of viral injury to discrete populations of cells in particular organs to produce signs and symptoms of disease in a particular host.
To initiate an infection the virus must gain entry to the host cell. Entry routes are dependent on the virus and include the skin, eyes, respiratory, GI and urogenital tracts as well as the circulatory system. Some viruses localize their tissue injury in close proximity to their site of entry, particularly the viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract such as influenza, parainfluenza, rhinoviruses and coronavirus. Once the viral particle has invaded the cell, viral coded proteins direct the cell to replicate the viral genome and produce viral specific proteins. These proteins are assembled into complete virions along with the viral genome and released. In the case of enveloped viruses, the virions acquire a lipid membrane and will insert through this lipid membrane, viral specific glycoproteins. The enveloped virus families include the Herpesviridae, Retroviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Flaviviridae, Togaviridae and Coronaviridae. The rhinoviruses are members of the Picornaviridae, which are not enveloped.
Viruses have evolved a number of mechanisms to enter a host cell and initiate infection. To fuse to the cell membrane, viruses have a membrane glycoprotein with membrane fusion activity. Many enveloped virus induce a receptor-mediated endocytosis after binding to the cell surface receptor, causing the cell to form an endosomal vesicle. Once inside the vesicle, the virus particle undergoes the uncoating process. This insures that the optimal pH for the viral genome is maintained and that the viral genome is protected from cellular nucleases.
Influenza viruses belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family of viruses and they are enveloped viruses containing negative-stranded RNA genomes with eight segments. The viral RNA encodes 10 viral specific proteins. Initiation of the infective cycle requires the binding of the viral envelop to the host cell-surface receptors, followed by receptor-mediated endocytosis and the fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes. The fusion process allows the release of the viral genome into the cytoplasm, where it can migrate to the nucleus where the viral genome initiates viral transcription and replication. The protein responsible for influenza receptor binding and membrane fusion is the hemagglutinin protein (HA or H antigen). For most strains, the HA protein is the most abundant glycoprotein on the surface of the virion. The HA protein is also the target for neutralizing antibodies. There are three serotypes of influenza viruses: A, B and C. Serotypes A and B cause the majority of clinical diseases. Influenza A occurs the most frequently, it is more virulent and it is responsible for the majority of epidemics and pandemics. Influenza A can be further subtyped based on the surface antigens HA and neuraminidase (N antigen) and the H and N antigens are the major antigenic determinants. Strains are also classified based on geographical location of the first isolate, serial number and year of isolation. Neuraminidase is an enzyme that facilitates the release of new viral particles from infected host cell. A third protein, M protein (matrix protein), is a membrane channel protein and is known as M2 in the A strains and NB in B strains. These surface viral membrane glycoproteins are the targets against which the immune system reacts.
Influenza viral particles attach to epithelial cells in the upper and lower respiratory track, where they invade the cell, release their genome and subjugate the host cell replication machinery to reproduce viral proteins and nucleic acid. Mature viral particles are released by lysis of the host cell. The resulting breaches in the respiratory epithelium results in an increase susceptibility to secondary infection. Influenza is transmitted primarily by respiratory secretions and these secretions are spread by coughing and sneezing. Influenza is also spread by direct contact when hands contaminated with the virus come in direct contact with the nasal passages or the eye. The incubation period is from 1 to 4 days and infected persons are generally infectious a day or two before symptoms appear and can remain infectious for 5 days after the onset of illness. Children and the immunocompromised shed virus for longer periods.
Influenza is prone to minor changes (i.e. point mutations) to one or both of the major surface antigens during replication. These changes are due in part to the lack of proofreading and error correction mechanisms in the virus transcriptional apparatus. The so-called antigenic drift is responsible for the seasonal epidemics because it can enable the virus to infect persons with only partial immunity from a prior exposure to the virus. Influenza A viruses are especially prone to antigenic drift. Major changes in the H and N antigens result in antigenic shift. Antigenic shift results in a new viral subtype and it can cause major epidemics and pandemics due to minimal populational immunity.
Influenza has been established as a serious human affliction that can cause localized epidemics and global pandemics of acute respiratory infections. Each year the influenza virus is responsible for 20,000 to 40,000 deaths and up to 300,000 hospitalization cases in the US. (Sandha and Mossad, Influenza in the Older Adult. Indications for the Use of Vaccine and Antiviral Therapy, Geriatrics 56:43-51, 2001, Oxford et al, In: Antigenic Variation, Ed. Craig & Scherf, Academic Press, London pp. 53-83, 2003). In the pandemic of 1918 it is widely believed that an excess of 40 million people died. Although children and younger adults experience more cases of infection, severe illness is more common in the elderly or immunocompromised individuals with chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, kidney failure and heart disease. The annual epidemics run from November to March in the Northern Hemisphere and from April to September in the Southern Hemisphere.
Avian influenza is caused by type A strains of influenza virus. Avian influenza occurs throughout the world. Infected birds may display a wide range of symptoms, from a mild illness to a highly contagious fatal disease. The highly contagious disease is caused by an especially virulent strain of influenza virus. Infection by this strain is associated with a sudden onset of severe symptoms, such as a lack of energy, decreased egg production, soft shelled eggs, a swelling of the head, eyelids, etc., nasal discharge, coughing or diarrhea, resulting in death (WHO, 2004). At present, 15 subtypes have been identified that can infect birds but only H7, H5 and H9 subtypes are associated with outbreaks. The current Asian and British Columbia outbreaks are caused by a H5N1 and H7N3 strains, respectively. As discussed above, influenza viruses are a public health concern because these viruses lack a mechanism for proofreading nucleic acid replication as well as a repair system for correcting such errors. Thus, influenza viruses are especially prone to a high mutation rate during transcription. Additionally, influenza viruses are able to exchange or swap genetic material from other subtypes from different species, thus allowing subtypes to cross the species barrier that normally prevents the cross infection of species specific viruses from one species to another unrelated species. This species barrier normally prevents avian influenza virus strains from infecting humans, but occasionally new strains may have genetic material from both avian and human influenza virus strains. This exchange of genetic material occurs when there is a close proximity between humans and domestic poultry and swine. Swine may act as a reservoir for both human and avian strains. Thus swine act as a natural incubator for the emergence of new strains that can infect humans as well as avian species.
There are four antiviral drugs available in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimatadine, zanamivir (Zanamivir (Relenza™) and Oseltamivir (Tamiflu™). Amantadine and rimatadine are effective only against influenza A. Amantadine, rimatadine and oseltamivir are approved for prophylaxis. Prophylaxis is indicated only for unvaccinated persons at high risk during an influenza outbreak. Antiviral agents have limited use due to poor tolerance and the occurrence of resistance. Presently, amantadine is the principal antiviral compound used against influenza infection, but its activity is restricted to influenza A viruses. The anti-neuraminidase inhibitors such as Zanamivir and Oseltamivir are a new class of antiviral agents licensed for use in the treatment of both influenza A and B infections (Carr et al., Influenza Virus Carrying Neuraminidase with Reduced Sensitivity to Oseltamiver Carboxylate has Altered Properties In Vitro and is Compromised for Infectivity and Replicative Ability In Vivo, Antiviral Res. 54:79-88, 2002). Therefore, the development of new and effective antiviral drugs against influenza A and B is of great clinical importance (Bamford, Neuraminidase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Influenza Drugs, J. of Enzyme Inhibition, Review 10:1-16, 1995).
Influenza vaccines are generally used before the onset of the influenza season and they are typically given to the segment of population that is considered to be at high risk. Vaccines come in several forms and they aim at preventing or at least lessening the symptoms of disease. Vaccines are given prior to exposure of the virus to generate neutralizing antibodies against the strain that is most likely to cause wide spread epidemics or pandemics. However, vaccinations can be costly and stocks of the vaccine can be depleted quickly. Also, vaccines may not contain the causative viral component. In other words, vaccine production depends upon estimating which strain will emerge as the dominant strain. Thus in any given year, there is only a limited protection against the various influenza strains. Furthermore, the typical method of providing a vaccine via injection is unpleasant to many. Prophylaxis treatments on the other hand, are used to prevent infection or lessen the severity of the disease post-exposure to the virus. Oseltamivir™ as well as zanamivir or Relenza™ (Glaxo Wellcome, second generation antiviral) are neuraminidase inhibitors that block the release of mature viral particles and thus prevent the infection of neighboring cells. Neuraminidase inhibitors lesson the symptoms of influenza infection and short the duration of the disease. Prophylaxis must be given within a 48-hour window of the onset of symptoms to be effective and there is a risk of resistant strains emerging.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first major new infectious disease of the 21 st century. The first cases appeared in November of 2002 in Guangdong, China but it was only recognized as a new disease in March of 2003. The spread of the disease was accelerated by international air travel such that cases were reported in 22 countries. However, with modern communication technologies and a global collaborative effort the disease was contained within four months of being identified. The disease caused high morbidity and high mortality rates, with symptoms including a high fever, headache, myalgia and a dry cough. The mortality rate exceeded 60% in the over 60 age group (Peiris J S et al., 2003). SARS was identified as being caused by a new virus through various laboratory techniques involving virus propagation in tissue culture and electron microscopy studies. This was confirmed just days later when the complete genome sequence was determined indicating that it was a new Coronavirus that was responsible. Therefore the development of antimicrobial drugs for use against this type of infectious disease is of great importance.
Other microorganisms that cause illness include the gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria such as Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Pseudomonas, and Haemophilus as well as fungal infections including the yeast, C albicans. While active infection with these microorganisms is primarily treated with antibiotics, some patients do not tolerate antibiotics well. Still others may wish to augment an antibiotic treatment with a treatment regiment that reduces or eliminates the symptoms of bacterial or fungal infection such as sore throat. Still others may want to prevent or lessen the severity of infections by one of these bacteria or fungi organisms by prophylactic treatment prior to, during or just after exposure.
Research interest has recently focused on various herbs, which contain potent antioxidant compounds that can provide significant protection against chronic diseases and have antimicrobial or anti-tumour activity. Antioxidant substances such as flavonoids can be found in a variety of herbs such as dandelion, ginger, green tea, and rosemary. It was recently reported that green-tea extract (GTE) inhibited the growth of influenza A and B viruses in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and in another study, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), one of the components of green tea, inhibited the replication of HIV-1 (111B) and Bal HIV strains in peripheral blood lymphocytes. These substances have proven useful in the field treating various illnesses; however there has not been any progress in the creation of a prophylactic method for use with antioxidant substances.
Therefore, there exists a need in the field to provide a prophylactic method for the reduction of the incidence of contracting an illness caused by a microbial organism.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Compositions and methods for treatment of rhinovirus


A bag arrangement for conversion to a flag or vice versa, the arrangement comprising: a bag incorporating a volume for holding goods; and a pole to be provided with the bag and attached or attachable thereto to convert the bag into a flag having a flag pole extending therefrom.

The present invention relates to a bag arrangement. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bag arrangement that may be converted into a flag or vice-versa. In addition the present invention relates to a flag pole configured for use in converting a bag into a flag.
Flags are a common way for showing allegiance to a particular country, location, sports team, person, political party or company. As such it is common to see flags being waved at various sporting, cultural, or political events. It is also common to see flags being statically displayed in various locations such as homes and offices.
Similarly, at such events, as well as trade shows and exhibitions it is usual for bags to be distributed with having indicia such as company, sports team, or other logos, either as promotional items, or containing food or merchandise that has been purchased.
Previously, it has not been recognised that a marketing opportunity exists by combining these two articles into one in a convenient manner to add value to merchandising, food and other products conventionally conveyed in bags. Furthermore it has not been recognised that natural resources may be saved by using a single product for two purposes.
The present invention seeks to overcome, or at least mitigate, the problems of the prior art.


A chain driven push arm advances a hay bale along a bed toward an opening including a pair of vertically aligned, spaced-apart idle wheels each including plural radiating blades. As the hay bale advances along the bed, the wheels rotate freely causing the blades to impinge on successive regions of the hay bale to separate a succession of flakes from the hay bale remainder. The bed is mounted on a wheeled truck or vehicle that is towable behind a tractor as the tractor driver remotely selectively operates the push arm to dispense flakes along the ground. An optional, towable conveyor can be used to load the bed with a succession of hay bales.

Conventionally, loaves or bales of hay (formed from "windrows" after the hay is cut) are dispersed by hand and shovel or pitchfork over a pasture as needed. The use even of a pitchfork incidentally damages the individual hay leaves/stems, often inadvertently knocking from the stem the hay's leaves, which contain most of the hay's protein and other nutrients, thereby reducing the nutritional content of the hay for livestock feed purposes. Semi-automatic or automatic means of dispersing hay for feed from un-strung bales for feed purposes heretofore have included devices that effectively pulverize the hay, which makes dispersing thereof quite simple but equally ineffective, since the nutritional value of the hay's leaves is greatly reduced by threshing or pulverizing the hay in the bale. Moreover, dispersing of hay for use as livestock feed conventionally is barely controlled if at all, since both the manual and the semi-automatic means described above rely on manual spreading and/or uncontrolled dispersing, both of which leave too little hay where livestock might be feeding or too much hay where livestock might not be feeding.

Hay bale flake-separating and flake-dispensing system and device


A testing system provides automated testing of one or more network infrastructures. The testing system may automatically reconfigure one or more devices within a network infrastructure and then conduct testing on the newly configured network infrastructure. Test results may be used to diagnose network anomalies and to compare performance or other characteristics of various network configurations. In one embodiment, the testing system tests a communication channel between a front-end and back-end mechanism where data traffic is encoded between the front-end and back-end mechanism.

Increasingly, business data processing systems, entertainment systems, and personal communications systems are implemented by computers across networks that are interconnected by internetworks (e.g., the Internet). The Internet is rapidly emerging as the preferred system for distributing and exchanging data. Data exchanges support applications including electronic commerce, broadcast and multicast messaging, videoconferencing, gaming, and the like.
The Internet is a collection of disparate computers and networks coupled together by a web of interconnections using standardized communications protocols. The Internet is characterized by its vast reach as a result of its wide and increasing availability and easy access protocols. Unfortunately, the heterogeneous nature of the Internet makes it difficult for the hardware and software that implement the Internet to add functionality.
The Open System Interconnection (OSI) network model usefully describes networked data communication, such as the Internet, as a series of logical layers or protocol layers. Each layer provides services to the layer above it, and shields the layer above it from details of lower layers. Each layer is configured to communicate with other similar level layers. In general, computers at network nodes (e.g., clients and servers) implement higher level processes including application layer, presentation layer, and session layer processes. Lower level processes, including network layer, data link layer and physical layer operate to place data in a form suitable for communication across a raw communication channel or physical link. Between the higher and lower level processes is a transport layer that typically executes on a machine at the network node, but is highly dependent on the lower level processes.
While standards exist for these layers, application designers have a high level of control and can implement semantics and functionality at the higher layers with a great deal of latitude. In contrast, lower layers are highly standardized. Implementing or modifying functionality in a lower layer protocol is very difficult as such changes can affect almost all users of the network. Devices such as routers that are typically associated with infrastructure operate exclusively at the lower protocol layers making it difficult or impossible to implement functionality such as real-time processing, data compression, encryption and error correction within a network infrastructure.
Although the term "Internet infrastructure" encompasses a variety of hardware and software mechanisms, the term primarily refers to routers, router software, and physical links between these routers that function to transport data packets from one network node to another.
Internet infrastructure components such as routers and switches are, by design, asynchronous. Also by design, it is difficult to accurately predict or control the route a particular packet will take through the Internet. This architecture is intended to make the Internet more robust in the event of failures, and to reduce the cost, complexity and management concerns associated with infrastructure components. As a result, however, a particular node or machine cannot predict the capabilities of the downstream mechanisms that it must rely on to deliver a packet to its destination. A sending node cannot expect all mechanisms in the infrastructure to support the functions and/or syntax necessary to implement such functions as real time processing, data compression, encryption, and error correction.
For example, it is difficult if not impossible to conduct synchronous or time-aware operations over the Internet. Such operations include, for example, real-time media delivery, access to financial markets, interactive events, and the like. While each IP packet includes information about the time it was sent, the time base is not synchronous between sender and receiver, making the time indication inaccurate. Packets are buffered at various locations through the Internet infrastructure, and there is no accurate way to ascertain the actual age or time of issue of the packet. Hence, critical packets may arrive too late.
Data compression is a well-known technique to improve the efficiency of data transport over a communication link. Typically, data compression is performed at nodes sending the data and decompression performed at a node receiving the data. Infrastructure components responsible for sending the information between the sending and receiving processes do not analyze whether effective compression has been performed, nor can the infrastructure implement compression on its own. Where either the sending or receiving process is incapable of effective compression, the data goes uncompressed. This creates undesirable burden that affects all users. While modems connecting a user over a phone line often apply compression to that link, there is no analogous function within the Internet infrastructure itself. A need exists for Internet infrastructure components that compress data between network nodes to improve transport within the Internet.
Similarly, encryption and other data security techniques are well known techniques to ensure only authorized users can read data. Like compression, however, encryption is typically performed by user-level and application-level processes. If either sending or receiving processes cannot perform compatible encryption, the data must be sent in the clear or by non-network processes. A need exists for Internet infrastructure components that apply encryption or other security processes transparently to users.
As another example, forward error correction (FEC) is a known technique to reduced traffic volume, reduce latency, and/or increase data transfer speed over lossy connections. FEC adds redundant information, also referred to as error correction code, to the original message, allowing the receiver to retrieve the message even if it contains erroneous bits. FEC coding can enhance decoded bit error rate values three orders of magnitude relative to systems not implementing any FEC techniques. When the error can be detected and corrected at the receiving end, there is less need to resend data. FEC is extensively used in many digital communication systems at some level and in mass storage technology to compensate for media and storage system errors.
However, FEC is not used within the Internet infrastructure. This stems in part from the additional complexity, cost and management tasks that such capability would impose on the system hardware and software. FEC requires that the sender and receiver both implement compatible FEC processes. Hence, most if not all infrastructure components would have to be replaced or modified to implement FEC in an effective manner. Efforts to implement FEC between sending and receiving nodes are outlined in IETF RFC 2733. This proposed standard applies to real time transport protocol (RTP) communications between a client and server. This FEC method affects endpoints to a data transfer, but does not affect servers and or other infrastructure components located between the endpoints. Hence, a need exists for systems and methods that implement FEC within the Internet infrastructure to offer the benefits of FEC technology seamlessly to network users.
In most cases these types of functionality are implemented in higher level processes (e.g., the OSI application layer, presentation layer, session layer and/or transport layer). However this requires that sending and receiving nodes implement a common syntax. For example, both sending and receiving nodes must implement complementary encryption/decryption processes, however once this is ensured, the communication will be encrypted through out transport. In practice there are multiple standards for real-time processing, encryption, compression, and error correction, and one or the other node may be unable to support the protocols of the other nodes. Hence, it is desirable to implement such functionality is a manner that is independent of the higher level processes so that otherwise incompatible or incapable application-level processes can benefit.
In other cases, for example real time processing and error correction, it is desirable to have the functionality implemented within the network infrastructure, not only between the nodes. For example, implementing error correction only between the sending and receiving nodes is only a partial solution, as the infrastructure components that operate at lower network layers (e.g., transport, network, data link and/or physical layer) cannot read error correction codes inserted at higher network layers. As another example, traffic prioritization within the network benefits from knowledge of when packets were actually sent so that they can be delivered in time for real-time processes.
A particular need exists in environments that involve multiple users accessing a network resource such as a web server. Web servers are typically implemented with rich functionality and are often extensible in that the functionality provided can be increased modularly to provide general-purpose and special-purpose functions. Examples include information services, broadcast, multicast and videoconference services, as well as most electronic commerce (e-commerce) applications. In these applications it is important that functionality provided by network-connected resources be provided in a dependable, timely and efficient manner.
Many e-commerce transactions are abandoned by the user because system performance degradations frustrate the purchaser before the transaction is consummated. While a transaction that is abandoned while a customer is merely browsing through a catalog may be tolerable, abandonment when the customer is just a few clicks away from a purchase is highly undesirable. However, existing Internet transport mechanisms and systems do not allow the e-commerce site owner any ability to distinguish between the "just browsing" and the "about to buy" customers as this information is represented at higher network layers that are not recognized by the infrastructure components. In fact, the vagaries of the Internet may lead to the casual browser receiving a higher quality of service while the about-to-buy customer becomes frustrated and abandons the transaction.
Additionally, there is a need to monitor network performance and determine failure conditions of a network resource and application within a fully functioning network infrastructure. Prior art systems have required troubleshooting of network performance issues and verification of network performance be performed manually by a network technician. This often requires many hours of manual labor to assess and diagnose network anomalies and network latencies often times changing a large number of network parameters during the test is required.
Further, such troubleshooting may require manual access to the network infrastructure and network appliance configuration to reconfigure each network resource for a particular test. This process may need to be repeated hundreds of times depending on the test sequence required.
Typically within the network environment there are other applications used in conjunction with the target network technology and appliances. Examples of such applications include:                Benchmarking applications used to perform the actual throughput testing of the given link.        WAN simulators used on one of the network resources to create the simulated Wide Area Network (WAN). This is how a link is created in a test network that resembles the desired network. For example, a T1 connection from location A in Mississippi to location B in New York.        Web server simulator used to produce the actual traffic over the test lane used to gage total throughput.        Any other network application required to test in the target network environment, such as Exchange, FTP, or a web application. These programs would reside on a content server. Client computer(s) may be used to access the application with and without an installed network appliance to measure performance gains.
Testing the network infrastructure, network appliances, and associated network applications result in very long and tedious testing efforts. For example, running and re-running the above applications for testing purposes result in very long and tedious testing efforts. Thus, there exists a need for a network product which integrates, within a network infrastructure, network appliances, network applications, or both to automatically test the targeted network technology and applications for anomalistic behavior, latency issues, and error conditions.

Automated network infrastructure test and diagnostic system and method therefor


An engine control device and method that prevents fuel injection quantity from becoming unstable due to a rapid change of a correction quantity even in a predetermined operation state such as acceleration time and thus stabilizes an air-fuel ratio. Under a predetermined operating state, even when feedback control of oxygen in exhaust gas is stopped, a correction quantity immediately before the predetermined operating state is held by a correction quantity storage part and the correction of the fuel injection time is performed based on the correction quantity.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an engine control device and method for controlling a ratio of air contained in fuel that is supplied to an engine (air-fuel ratio) based on a measurement result of oxygen density in an exhaust gas from the engine.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, to reduce harmful contents in exhaust gas and obtain an optimum combustion state, a feedback-control-type engine control device has been proposed that converges an air-fuel ratio inside the engine to a theoretical air-fuel ratio (stoichimetric control). The device detects the density of oxygen in exhaust gas using an oxygen sensor mounted on the exhaust system, and controls the supply quantity of fuel or air based on a correction quantity in response to the detected oxygen density, thus adjusting the air-fuel ratio of the intake air-fuel mixture to a proper air-fuel ratio.
Some such feedback-control-type devices adopt an oxygen feedback-control method such as that shown in FIG. 5. When the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture in the exhaust gas is shifted to a rich side, as in range "a", the oxygen feedback control reduces the correction quantity to approximate the air-fuel ratio to the theoretical air-fuel ratio. At the same time, when the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture in the exhaust gas is shifted to a lean side, as in range "b", the oxygen feedback control increases the correction quantity to approximate the air-fuel ratio to the theoretical air-fuel ratio.
In such a prior art engine control device, when oxygen feed back control is performed in a predetermined operation state, such as during acceleration time, engine output tends to be lowered. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5, at the time of acceleration, the oxygen feedback control is temporarily stopped by setting the correction quantity to zero, and only a usual control that uses a control map preliminarily stored in the engine control device is performed. However, in this prior art method of oxygen feedback control, there is a drawback in that, at the time of acceleration, the correction quantity is rapidly changed as shown in FIG. 5. This causes the fuel injection quantity to become unstable, which makes it difficult to approximate the intake air-fuel mixture to a target air-fuel ratio.

Engine control device and control method thereof


A drafting and spinning apparatus is disclosed that produces highly uniform yarns with improved mechanical properties. The apparatus comprises a plurality of pairs of drafting rolls for drawing a sliver formed of one or more types of staple fibers, each fiber type having a predetermined effective fiber length. The plurality of pairs of drafting rolls comprises at least two pairs of intermediate rolls, with the distances between the nips of adjacent intermediate roll pairs being no more than the effective fiber length of the longest fiber type in the sliver. The apparatus further includes device for spinning the sliver into yarn at a take-up speed of greater than 150 meters/minute.

One common method of forming single yarns has been the use of a spinning apparatus which drafts and twists prepared strands of fibers to form the desired yarn. One of the first yarn spinning apparatus was the mule spinning frame which was developed in 1782 and used for wool and cotton fibers. Many decades later, the ring spinning apparatus was developed to increase the spinning speed and quality of the spun yarn. Although good quality natural yarns may be produced by ring spinning, the rate of ring spinning remains relatively slow, e.g., less than about 15 meters/minute. In the last few decades, other various types of spinning apparatus which operate at higher speeds than ring spinning apparatus have been introduced. For example, rotor spinning, friction spinning and air-jet spinning methods are capable of spinning sliver into yarn at speeds greatly exceeding ring spinning speeds.
Prior to spinning sliver into yarn, the fibers are typically processed by carding and other various methods and then drawn to attenuate or increase the length per unit weight of the sliver. The sliver is generally drawn in a drafting zone comprising a series of drafting roll pairs with the speed of successive roll pairs increasing in the direction of sliver movement to draw the sliver down to the point where it approaches yarn width. Numerous parameters have traditionally been adjusted in the drafting zone to attempt to maximize the drafting and quality of the sliver including draft roll spacings, draft roll diameters, draft roll speeds (ratios), draft distribution, and fiber blending (e.g., drawframe and/or intimate blending).
One particular parameter, the draft roll spacing between adjacent roll pairs, is normally defined by the distance between the nip, i.e., the line or area of contact, between one pair of rolls and the nip of an adjacent pair of rolls.
The conventional wisdom for draft roll spacings, especially for higher speed spinning processes such as air jet spinning, has been to set the distance between adjacent nips at greater than the fiber length of the staple fibers in the sliver. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,016 to Watson et al. and 25 U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,476 to White. This particular roll spacing has been widely accepted as the industry standard based on the rationale that smaller roll spacing results in increased breakage of fibers. Specifically, when the roll spacing is less than the fiber length, individual fibers may extend from one nip to an adjacent nip or bridge adjacent nips. Because adjacent pairs of rollers operate at different speeds, the bridged fibers may become pulled apart thus resulting in breakage of the fibers. This fiber breakage can result in low yarn quality and even yarn breakage in subsequent processing equipment such as spinning apparatus which may require the processing equipment to be shut down. Thus, draft roll spacings of greater than the fiber length have been the standard in the textile industry. The standard draft roll spacings produce yarns having good uniformity and mechanical properties. Nevertheless, there is always a need in the art to improve the uniformity and the mechanical properties of the yarn. Several attempts have been made to the drafting and spinning process to improve certain aspects of the spun yarn. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,863 to Ota describes decreasing the distance between the nip of the front roll pair of drafting rolls and the nip of the delivery rolls (located after spinning) to less than the longest fiber length to reduce ballooning in the air nozzles of the spinning apparatus. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,745 to Baldwin describes decreasing the distances between the nips of the front pair and the adjacent intermediate pair of drafting rolls to less than the effective staple length of the fibers in ring spinning processes to reduce the formation of "crackers" caused by overlength staple fibers. Nevertheless, no drafting takes place between the narrowly spaced rolls described in these patents and thus the problem of fiber breakage is not a danger in decreasing the roll spacings in these patents.
Parent application Ser. No. 08/844,463 ("the '463 application" disclosed that the uniformity and mechanical properties of spun yarn, particularly air-jet spun yarn, could be greatly enhanced by drafting sliver through a four-roll drafting zone in which the distance between the back roll pair and the adjacent intermediate roll pair, were both no more than the effective fiber length of the longest fiber type in the sliver.
Applicants have now additionally discovered, however, that yarn uniformity and mechanical properties can be similarly enhanced by maintaining the distance between the nip of intermediate roll pairs at no more than the effective fiber length of the longest fiber type in the sliver while maintaining a distance at the effective fiber length between the nip of the back roll pair and the nip of the adjacent intermediate roll pair.

Drafting apparatus and method for producing yarns


Packing tray for protecting fragile and perishable food items, such as pears, which allows fruit items of varying dimensions and weights to be held securely in each pocket, and which allows a plurality of stacked trays and fruit to be packaged in boxes (e.g., standard carton sizes). The tray is a plastic foam sheet having a top wall and a plurality of recessed cell pockets, each cell pocket having a relatively thinner cell sidewall with expandable (accordion-like) flutes, and a relatively thicker bottom wall also with expandable flutes. This construction allows the cell bottoms in adjacent pockets and in adjacent trays of the stack to move relative to one another to accommodate various sizes and weights of fruit while still protecting the fruit from damage.

Packing trays having an array of cell pockets are commonly used to package fragile objects to enable their safe storage, transport and/or display. In particular, perishable food items such as fruit often are transported long distances in varying climates, e.g., from a relatively warm temperature (climate) where the fruit is harvested, to a relatively cool temperature (climate) where it will be consumed. Also, the perishable food item may be placed in or removed from cold storage at various times, following packing and before ultimate consumption. Exposure to such wide ranges of temperature and humidity may cause moisture and other condensation to form on the perishable item leading to bruising, spoilage and watermarks. The moisture and condensation may also deteriorate the prior art tray itself, leading to tearing which renders the tray difficult to handle such that the fruit may drop from the tray and become bruised and no longer acceptable to the customer. Still further, as fruit is a product of nature, each item differs in weight and dimensions. Despite a producer's/packager's best efforts at sorting, a tray needs to accept multiple fruit items with varying dimensions and weights without crushing the larger items or allowing undue movement of the smaller items.
Thus, there is need for a packing tray that provides sufficient protection from mechanical forces and from temperature and humidity variations encountered during packaging, shipment and/or storage so as to avoid damaging the fruit and avoid deterioration of the packaging, and which also allows fruit items with varying dimensions and weights to be packed in a uniform cell pocket tray without undue damage to either the larger or smaller items.

Packing tray having cell pockets with expandable sidewalls and floating base, and method of manufacture


The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-generation (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates beyond 4th-generation (4G) communication system such as a long term evolution (LTE). A method and apparatus for performing a relay communication are provided. A remote user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure is configured to acquire a first parameter related to relay load from each of a plurality of relay candidate UEs, to select a relay UE which will perform a relay communication with the remote UE from among the plurality of relay candidate UEs based on the first parameter acquired from each of the plurality of relay candidate UEs, and to perform the relay communication with the selected relay UE. The first parameter is generated based on cellular communication load between a base station (BS) connected to a corresponding relay candidate UE and the corresponding relay candidate UE.

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic, which has increased since deployment of 4th-generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5th-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'beyond 4G network' or a 'post long-term evolution (LTE) system'.
It is considered that the 5G communication system will be implemented in millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, e.g., 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. To reduce propagation loss of radio waves and increase a transmission distance, a beam forming technique, a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technique, a full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO) technique, an array antenna technique, an analog beam forming technique, and a large scale antenna technique are discussed in 5G communication systems.
In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, a device-to-device (D2D) communication, a wireless backhaul, a moving network, a cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellation, and the like.
In the 5G system, a hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) modulation (FQAM) and a sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM) scheme, and a filter bank multi carrier (FBMC) scheme, a non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme, and a sparse code multiple access (SCMA) scheme as an advanced access technology have been developed.
Meanwhile, in a public safety (PS) environment where a disaster such as an earthquake, a fire, and/or the like occurs, a specific base station (BS) may not normally operate, so a communication for a specific user equipment (UE) which exists within a communication coverage of the BS may be impossible. So, a relay scheme may be used, and the relay scheme uses a UE which exists within a communication coverage of another BS which normally operates, not the BS which may not normally operate.
The relay scheme is based on a D2D communication scheme. The specific UE for which the communication is impossible may transmit data to a relay UE providing a relay service according to a D2D communication scheme. After receiving the data transmitted by the specific UE, the relay UE may transmit the received data to a BS according to a cellular communication scheme.
If the number of remote UEs transmitting data using a relay UE increases, connections may converge on a specific relay UE. In this case, the relay UE on which the connections converge may not provide a normal service due to relay overload, so service delay may occur due to the relay overload.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

Apparatus and method for performing relay communication in wireless communication system


A method for removing noise from data in an electronic compass system which discounts noise values or outliers (extreme headings far from average) by displaying median headings in the absence of a clear trend in the direction of change of sampled headings. If a clear trend is detected, extreme headings are displayed. Compass jitter is reduced by requiring two consecutive differences be on the same side of the displayed heading before the displayed heading is changed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to electronic compasses and more specifically to a method for removing noise from data in an electronic compass system.
2. Discussion
Normally electronic compass systems employ a magnetic flux-gate sensor. An example of an electronic compass system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,843 to Hormel, issued Nov. 18, 1986, entitled "Simplified Calibration Technique and Auto-Ranging Circuit for an Electronic Compass Control Circuit." This reference is hereby incorporated by reference.
The operation of the flux-gate sensor is well documented. See, "Magnetic Field Sensor and its Application to Automobiles", SAE Paper 800123, pages 83-90, February, 1980, by Hisatsugu Itoh and "A Magnetic Heading Reference for the Electro Fluidic Autopilot", Sport Aviation by Doug Garner, Part I, pages 19-26, November, 1981 and Part II, pages 20-32, 51, December, 1981. The disclosures of these documents are hereby incorporated by reference.
A method for calculating headings is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,462 issued Feb. 28, 1989, to Al-Attar entitled "Method for Performing Automatic Calibration in an Electronic Compass." This patent is also hereby incorporated by reference.
Signals from flux-gate sensors are often less than clean. Compass accuracy is plagued by rapid changes in field strength. For example, a vehicle passing local magnetic anomalies at high speed causes noise signals. Transients and other time variant magnetic fields also create noise.
This noise manifests itself as Jitter in the compass reading. When compass data is displayed in degrees, the heading fluctuates in small degree increments. When compass data is displayed as a compass point, for example, "northwest", jitter can cause a display displaying such information to vary greatly in brightness.

Noise removal method for an electronic compass


A lighting device comprises a housing carrying a linear array of light radiation sources and one or more elongated diffusive screens arranged facing the array of light sources so as to be passed through by the light radiation. The screen or screens have a pattern of geometric features for producing a radiation pattern of the light radiation emitted by the lighting device as a result of passing through the diffusive screen or screens. By replacing the diffusive screen or screens with screens which have a different pattern of geometric features it is possible to vary the radiation pattern of the light radiation emitted by the lighting device.

In the constructional design of lighting devices using, as a light radiation source, linear modules or arrays, for example of the LED types, it is possible to use optical systems (lenses or mirrors, singly or in an array) which produce at the output of the device a fixed light beam.
In order to modify the features of the radiation beam emitted the optical component must be changed, which may take time and not always be possible, thereby making it necessary to replace the entire module.
In various solutions it is possible to move away from or towards the light radiation source an optical component such as a lens. This allows one to obtain light beams only of circular shape, unless more complex systems are used.


A coating composition which is excellent in water resistance, weatherability and durability and can maintain its appearance for a prolonged period of time can be provided. A coating composition comprising a coating component and a photocatalyst containing calcium phosphate and titanium oxide is disclosed. As the photocatalyst, use is made of titanium oxide particles partially covered thereon with calcium phosphate, or porous body coated thereon with a film of titanium oxide, the film of titanium oxide being further covered partially thereon with calcium phosphate. The crystal form of titanium oxide is preferably anatase. The organic coating includes vinyl-type synthetic resin emulsions, and the inorganic coating is e.g. a solution containing a metal alkoxide for forming a film by a sol-gel method.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic or inorganic coating composition containing a photocatalyst partially covered thereon with calcium phosphate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A coating though depending on its use yellows or deteriorated with time after application, due to the adhesion of oil in dirt from the hands, moisture in the air, oxidation, photodecomposition etc.
Accordingly, an anti-fungus agent is incorporated into a coating to improve the durability of its film and to maintain its appearance.
For example, JP 8-259891A (1996) discloses the art of incorporating a powder having photocatalytic functions into a silica coating. As the powder having photocatalytic functions, mention is made of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, strontium titanate, tin oxide, tungsten oxide, iron oxide and bismuth oxide, and it is described in the Examples therein that e.g. deodorization and antibacterial effects are achieved by incorporating titanium oxide into a film.
JP 5-305691A (1993) describes a hydrophilic film having a film containing silica and an inorganic material with an average particle diameter of 5 .mu.m or less selected from titanium dioxide, chromium oxide and iron oxide, said film further containing at least silica thereon.
WO 96/29375 discloses a photocatalytic hydrophilic film comprising silica and a photocatalytic material selected from TiO.sub.2, ZnO, SnO.sub.2, SrTiO.sub.3, WO.sub.3, Bi.sub.2 O.sub.3 and Fe.sub.2 O.sub.3.
JP 10-237357A (1998) (published after the priority date of the present patent application) describes a photocatalytic hydrophilic coating composition consisting of a solution containing crystalline titanium oxide particles, tungsten chloride and tetrahydrofuran.
Further, as a material for forming a hydrophobic surface, JP 10-237431A (1998) (published after the priority date of the present patent application) describes a water-repellent material containing photocatalyst oxide particles such as titanium oxide etc., silicone and a water-repellent fluorine resin.
However, even if the photocatalyst described in these publications is contained in a film, there are also cases where effects such as deodorization and antibacterial effects are inadequate, and it is desired to develop a coating having higher durability and appearance-retention performance for a prolonged period of time.
In addition, if an organic coating is used as a coating component, the organic coating component comes into direct contact with TiO.sub.2 etc., so there is also the problem of coating deterioration.


The sulfonamide derivative according to the present invention is expressed by a general formula: ##STR1## (where R.sub.11 represents an alkyl group having 5 or less carbon atoms; Each of L.sub.11, L.sub.12 and L.sub.13 represents an alkylene group; Each of M.sub.11 and M.sub.12 represents a hydrogen atom or a cation.). This compound is suitable for the applications such as photographic processing solution, for chelate titration or analytical reagent for medical treatment or for medical drugs as a metallic ion shielding agent.

The present invention relates to a new sulfonamide derivative useful as a metal ion shielding agent.
As a compound of this type, a sulfonamide derivative given by the following formula has been known in the past: ##STR2## (where R represents an aromatic group, and L an alkylene group.) However, none of them is known as a metal ion shielding agent.
When it is attempted to use the compound as a metal ion shielding agent, solubility to water is low, and deposition occurs when the compound is used or it is used as a chelate of metal. This causes problems, for example, when the compound is used as a metal ion shielding agent for photographic processing solution, for chelate titration or for analytical reagents for medical treatment or for medical drugs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new sulfonamide derivative useful as a metal ion shielding agent.


A method for mounting a thinned semiconductor wafer on a carrier substrate for further processing is disclosed. The method consists of a series of steps, which is based on providing a frame with a double-side tape to mount the thinned wafer on the carrier substrate. The frame is used to support the double-side tape and can be designed to fit the conventional production line for holding, picking and transferring wafers. The carrier substrate can be a sapphire substrate, a quartz substrate or other substrates that can sustain further processing, such as thermal treatments and/or chemical etchings. The method of the present invention not only prevents possible damages to the highly brittle chip after wafer thinning, but also fits the conventional production line for processing semiconductor wafers.

The state-of-the-art III-V semiconductor power devices, such as pHEMT (pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor) devices or HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor) devices, require not only sophisticated fabrication processes on the front-side of a semiconductor wafer, but also back-side wafer processing, such as via-hole etching and metal coating.
For back-side via-hole processing, the wafer has to be thinned to a desired thickness, which is typically less than 100 μm. An important step in back-side processing of GaAs wafers for power devices is the deposition of metal layer on the back-side surface and into through substrate via holes in order to meet thermal conduction requirements and provide low inductance ground connections. During the back-side wafer processing steps, the wafers front-sides were mounted onto flat carriers. To prevent possible damages to the front-side devices, the fabricated devices must be carefully protected or passivated. However, the processing steps will be further complicated if the front-side wafer requires bumping processes. Typical bumping processes will lead to a surface topological difference of about 50-100 μm. If the front-side bumping processes were proceeded before wafer thinning for back-side processing, it becomes very difficult to protect the surface bumps of such a large topological difference when attaching the wafer front side to the carrier substrate.
A possible approach is to perform back-side wafer processing steps prior to the surface bumping processes. However, the major technical challenge is that the wafer will become highly brittle after wafer thinning. Wafers were usually damaged, or even cracked during further processing steps for front side devices. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method for handling thinned wafer, which can sustain further processing, such as thermal treatments and/or chemical etchings.

Method for mounting a thinned semiconductor wafer on a carrier substrate


A method and apparatus for providing an explosion proof enclosure by providing expandable or extendible enclosure wall, side, top, or bottom sections which allow the explosion to be contained internally without the enclosure erupting or the enclosure bursting.

At a variety of commercial, industrial or other sites where flammable materials such as hydrocarbon vapor or grain or coal dust may enter electrical equipment, an explosion proof container, such as an explosion proof junction box, may be used to mitigate the problems associated with the ignition of such materials.
One particular example is during drilling, of a well into a subsurface formation. Mud is circulated down the hole to flow-up the drill bit cuttings. As a result the cuttings are liberated and produced hydrocarbons are flowed to the surface. When the mud and cuttings and hydrocarbons hit the shaker, the mud is cleaned from the cuttings and hydrocarbons are released at the first and the most active stage. The concentration of gas in the air may reach the range between the lower explosive limit (LEL) and the higher explosive limit (HEL), thus an explosive hazard may be created. Thus, an explosion proof enclosure is required for containing a possible explosion inside the enclosure to not let the spark or flame reach the outside environment and create a blow out (or bigger fire) or explosion hazard on the rig.
Present explosion proof enclosures are bulky, expensive, and require a long time for standards and/or regulatory approval. It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved explosion proof enclosure.


A solution to be evaporated is passed through one or several evaporation stages. In each evaporation stage, the solution is circulated between a heat exchanger and an evaporating vessel, and steam is withdrawn from the evaporating vessel. For removing crusts, the evaporation in the respective evaporation stage is interrupted, and a cleaning suspension containing at least 3 wt % granular solids is circulated through the heat exchanger and the evaporating vessel. The solids, which have an abrasive effect, remove the crusts. Preferably, the solution to be evaporated is circulated through the evaporation stage for removing the crusts, where the heat exchanger is heated and the cleaning solution is evaporated to such an extent that solids crystallize out and a cleaning suspension is formed.

This invention relates to a method of evaporating a solution in one or several evaporation stages, where in each evaporation stage solution is circulated between a heat exchanger and an evaporating vessel, and steam is withdrawn from the evaporating vessel, and where during the evaporation substances from the solution form crusts. These crusts frequently occur in the vicinity of the heating surfaces of a heat exchanger.
In evaporation plants, there must frequently be expected encrustations which impede the further operation or make it necessary to switch off or clean encrusted parts of the plant. When solutions are evaporated to crystallization, crusts as a result of impurities in the solution are frequently formed already in evaporation stages without crystallization through deposition of impurities.
During the removal of the crusts, there is usually required a time-consuming disassembly of the plant components. When cleaning is effected by means of a high-pressure water jet, this is expensive and not harmless. In some cases, a pre-treatment with special chemicals must be effected prior to the high-pressure cleaning, so as to render the crusts attackable for the high-pressure cleaning. In other cases, crusts are dissolved by means of chemicals. This involves the additional problem of the disposal of these chemicals.

Method of removing encrustations in evaporation plants


An ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus, which allows SLT to be performed by a laser source not having a Q-switch which emits a continuous wave laser beam, has a laser source capable of emitting a continuous wave visible laser beam to be absorbed into pigment cells of trabecular meshwork, an irradiation optical system for directing the laser beam to a patient's eye so as to irradiate the eye with the laser beam, a device for pulsing the laser beam by controlling a driving duration of the laser source or opening and closing durations of a shutter in the irradiation optical system, a device capable of setting an irradiation duration of the laser beam within a range of 0.1 msec to 5 msec in order to perform Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty, and a device capable of setting irradiation energy density of the laser beam within a range of 1 J/cm2 to 8.5 J/cm2.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic laser treatment apparatus for performing Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty by irradiating a patient's eye with a laser beam.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is known an apparatus for performing Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) in which an Nd:YAG laser source having a Q-switch and a wavelength conversion element is included, and reduction in intraocular pressure is induced by irradiating trabecular meshwork of a patient's eye with a visible laser beam having an extremely short pulse width of the order of nanoseconds which is generated by the Q-switch and emitted (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,596). Different from Argon Laser Trabeculoplasty which induces reduction in intraocular pressure by coagulating (photocoagulating) trabecular meshwork with a laser beam and constricting a part of the trabecular meshwork, SLT allows treatment by re-irradiation because SLT does not have an effect on a net-like structure of the trabecular meshwork.
However, the conventional apparatus for SLT uses the laser source having the Q-switch in order to emit the laser beam having the extremely short pulse width of the order of nanoseconds, but does not use a laser source capable of emitting a continuous wave laser beam. In addition, such an apparatus is dedicated only to SLT and cannot be used for other treatment.


A flexible sheet material for covering wounds, comprising at least two regions. The first region is in contact with the wound, and facilitates healing of the wound. The second region surrounds the first region and comprises an antimicrobial agent to inhibit or prevent the migration of microorganisms from the external environment to the first region.

Various materials are commonly used to cover a wound while the wound heals. These materials provide a protective layer over the wound, facilitating healing in a moist environment while acting as a barrier to liquids and microorganisms.
In typical wound dressings, an absorbant material is held in place over the wound by a piece of tape. The absorbant material may or may not comprise a medicament. A typical wound dressing in which the absorbant material comprises a medicament is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,323 (Matson). These antimicrobial wound dressings are prepared by vapor coating or sputter etching certain silver salts onto a variety of wound dressing substrates.
Alternatively, the wound dressing may comprise a film or tape wherein a substantial portion of the film or tape is covered by an adhesive with an antimicrobial agent dispersed throughout or complexed to the adhesive. Such wound dressings are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,509 (Berglund, et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,557 (Rosso, et al.), respectively.


A disposable training pant 1 includes a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core disposed therebetween. The liquid-permeable tophseet includes an upper layer sheet and a lower layer sheet. The upper layer sheet is formed with a wetness telling area and the lower layer sheet intermittently bonded to the absorbent core 13 and containing fibrous material adapted to shrink by 10% or more longitudinally of the training pant as it is wetted and intermittently bonded to the absorbent core and thereby intensify a feeling of wetness given to the infant.

This invention relates generally to disposable training pants and more particularly to such a pants that can be used when infants grow out of diapers and that include a wetness telling area.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei4-5961 discloses a topsheet of a disposable training pant partially formed with a wetness telling area having a hydrophilicity. In a disposable training pant described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. Hei5-59601, the topsheet is provided at least over a middle area thereof with a moistness holding sheet partially bonded thereto and partially rising from the topsheet.
In disposable training pants or diapers comprising a liquid-permeable topsheet, a liquid-impermeable backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core extending between these two sheets, it is well known to keep the topsheet in close contact with the absorbent core by intermittently bonding these two components to each other so that a quantity of discharged body fluids may be transferred to the absorbent core as rapidly as possible. However, if the topsheet is bonded to the absorbent core in this manner in the disposable training pants or diaper as disclosed in the above-identified Applications, transfer of body fluids can be accelerated but only a small quantity of body fluids can stay in the wetness telling area or the moistness holding sheet and a feeling of wetness given to the infant by such area or sheet is correspondingly weakened.


Disclosed are a method for scheduling bundling in a wireless access system and an apparatus for same. In particular, the method includes the steps of: transmitting bundled downlink control information (DCI), including a plurality of pieces of downlink control information, to a terminal through a single physical downlink control channel (PDCCH); and transmitting downlink data to the terminal through a plurality of physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) scheduled by the bundled DCI.

One of major requirements for a next-generation wireless access system is high data rate. To this end, research is being conducted on various technologies such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Cooperative Multiple Point Transmission (CoMP), relay, etc.
A legacy wireless access system mainly considers only one carrier even when downlink and uplink bandwidths are configured differently. For example, a wireless communication system having one carrier configured for each of downlink and uplink and forming symmetry between downlink and uplink bandwidths was provided based on a single carrier.
However, considering that frequency resources are currently full, in order to ensure a wide bandwidth capable of satisfying higher data rate, each of scattered bandwidths is designed to satisfy basic requirements for operating an independent system and carrier aggregation (CA)/multiple cells technology is adopted to aggregate a plurality of bandwidths with a single system.
Here, a bandwidth-based carrier capable of independently operating may be referred to as a component carrier (CC). In order to support increased transmission capacity, the latest 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution-Advanced (LTE-A) or 802.16m system continuously extends its bandwidth up to 20 MHz or above. In this case, one or more CCs are aggregated to support wideband. For example, if one CC supports a bandwidth of 5 MHz, 10 MHz or 20 MHz, up to 5 CCs are aggregated to support a system bandwidth of up to 100 MHz.
However, to achieve maximum performance of the above technology, downlink control channels for a legacy system may not be used.

Method for scheduling bundling in wireless access system and apparatus for same


Blade pairs for a paper shredder comprises two single blades with a flange rib on the surface of each blade, and the flange ribs of two single blades are against each other when shredding the paper. A hole is in the center of each blade. 2-8 corresponding blade points are arranged at the edge of each blade, which slant a certain degree beyond the plane of the blades, and the blade points of each blade pairs meet at a certain angle when assembled. Blade pairs is processed easily and it can save raw material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a blade, especially refers to blade pairs for paper shredder.
2. Description of the Related Art
People often need to destroy the file paper during their work and in their daily life, in order to prevent the files being disclosed, so shredder has been an important tool to get rid of files. Now there are two kinds of shedders, one is strip-cut shredder, the other is cross-cut shredder, they are either manual or electric. Cross-cut shredder is used to cut the waste paper into paper shreds. Normally a shredder blade includes two single blades which are against each other, the two single blades are fixed on the two parallel rotary shafts. When the shafts rotate, waste paper passes through the two single blades. In general, the thickness of two single blades equals to the width of shred, so the blade is too thick, and processing the blade needs more material.

Splendid Electronics (Shenzhen) Company Limited


A coaxial guide catheter to be passed through guide catheter having a first lumen, for use with interventional cardiology devices that are insertable into a branch artery that branches off from a main artery. The coaxial guide catheter is extended through the lumen of the guide catheter and beyond the distal end of the guide catheter and inserted into the branch artery. The device assists in resisting axial and shear forces exerted by an interventional cardiology device passed through the second lumen and beyond the flexible distal tip portion that would otherwise tend to dislodge the guide catheter from the branch artery.

Interventional cardiology procedures often include inserting guidewires or other instruments through catheters into coronary arteries that branch off from the aorta. For the purposes of this application, the term "interventional cardiology devices" is to be understood to include but not be limited to guidewires, balloon catheters, stents and stent catheters. In coronary artery disease the coronary arteries may be narrowed or occluded by atherosclerotic plaques or other lesions. These lesions may totally obstruct the lumen of the artery or may dramatically narrow the lumen of the artery. Narrowing is referred to as stenosis. In order to diagnose and treat obstructive coronary artery disease it is commonly necessary to pass a guidewire or other instruments through and beyond the occlusion or stenosis of the coronary artery.
In treating a stenosis, a guide catheter is inserted through the aorta and into the ostium of the coronary artery. This is sometimes accomplished with the aid of a guidewire. A guide catheter is typically seated into the opening or ostium of the artery to be treated and a guidewire or other instrument is passed through the lumen of the guide catheter and inserted into the artery beyond the occlusion or stenosis. Crossing tough lesions can create enough backward force to dislodge the guide catheter from the ostium of the artery being treated. This can make it difficult or impossible for the interventional cardiologist to treat certain forms of coronary artery disease.
Prior attempts to provide support to the guiding catheter to prevent backward dislodgement from the coronary ostium (referred to as "backup support") fall generally into four categories.
First are guiding catheters that, through a combination of shape and stiffness, are configured to draw backup support from engaging the wall of the aortic arch opposing the ostium of the coronary artery that is being accessed. Examples of this approach can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,195 issued to Voda and U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,263 issued to Dang et al. These guiding catheters all share the common limitation that a guide catheter stiff enough to provide adequate backup support is often too stiff to be safely inserted into the aorta without the possibility of causing damage to the aortic wall. In addition, attempts to deep seat the guide catheter have been made but the rigid nature of the guide catheter creates the risk that the guide catheter may damage the coronary artery wall or that the guide catheter may occlude the coronary artery and interfere with blood flow to the heart muscle.
Second are guiding catheters that include a retractable appendage. The appendage in these catheters can be extended to engage the opposing wall of the aortic arch to provide backup support or the appendage may be placed under tension to stiffen a bend in the catheter to provide backup support. Examples of this approach may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,930 issued to Elliot; U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,412 issued to Shiu; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,860,876 issued to Chen. These guiding catheters tend to be somewhat mechanically complex and have not been widely adopted by practitioners.
Third are guide catheters that have a portion that seeks to expand laterally to grip the interior wall of the ostium of the coronary artery to provide a force acting in opposition to the backward forces created when trying to maneuver a therapeutic device past a lesion or blockage in the coronary artery. These devices can include a balloon secured to a guidewire or a catheter or another device for expanding to grip the walls of the coronary artery from within. Examples of this approach may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,028 issued to Patel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,952 issued to Forsberg; and U.S. Published Application No. 2005/0182437 by Bonnette et al. Again, these devices tend to be mechanically complex and can completely occlude the coronary ostium thus stopping perfusion of the coronary artery.
A fourth technique includes the placement of a smaller guide catheter within a larger guide catheter in order to provide added support for the crossing of lesions or for the distal delivery of balloons and stents. This technique has been described in an article by Takahashi entitled "New Method to Increase a Backup Support of Six French Guiding Coronary Catheter," published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, 63:452-456 (2004). This technique is used in order to provide a method of deep seating the guide catheter within the ostium of the coronary artery. Deep seating refers to inserting the catheter more deeply into the ostium of the coronary artery than typically has been done before. Unfortunately, deep seating by this technique with a commonly available guide catheter creates the risk that the relatively stiff, fixed curve, guide catheter will damage the coronary artery. This damage may lead to dissection of the coronary artery when the catheter is advanced past the ostium.
Several other problems arise when using a standard guide catheter in this catheter-in-a-catheter fashion. First, the inner catheters must be substantially longer than the one hundred centimeter guide catheter. Second, a new hemostasis valve must be placed on the inner guide catheter which prevents the larger guide catheter from being used for contrast injections or pressure measurements. Third, the smaller guide catheter still must be inserted into the coronary vessel with great care since the smaller guide catheter has no tapered transition or dilator at its tip and does not run over a standard 0.014 inch guidewire.
Thus, the interventional cardiology art would benefit from the availability of a system that would be deliverable through standard guide catheters for providing backup support by providing the ability to effectively create deep seating in the ostium of the coronary artery.

Coaxial guide catheter for interventional cardiology procedures