980results about How to "Long-term stability" patented technology

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for optimizing the performance and minimizing complications related to implanted sensors, such as pressure sensors, for the purposes of detecting, diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease in a medical patient. Systems and methods for anchoring implanted sensors to various body structures are also provided.

Methods of stabilizing the sacroiliac joint by placing an expandable device in the joint to generate laterally opposing forces against the iliac and sacral surfaces of the SI joint to securely seat the device in a plane generally parallel to the SI joint. The expandable device is coated with or otherwise contains a bone material to promote fusion of the joint. The expandable device used in methods of the present invention can be, for example, an expandable cage, a balloon, a balloon-expandable stent or a self-expanding stent.

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for optimizing the performance and minimizing complications related to implanted sensors, such as pressure sensors, for the purposes of detecting, diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease in a medical patient. Systems and methods for anchoring implanted sensors to various body structures is also provided.

This invention relates generally to systems and methods for optimizing the performance and minimizing complications related to implanted sensors, such as pressure sensors, for the purposes of detecting, diagnosing and treating cardiovascular disease in a medical patient. Systems and methods for anchoring implanted sensors to various body structures is also provided.

Manufacturing all-silicon force sensors, such as capacitive pressure sensors (100, 200) that have long term stability and good linear sensitivity, and can be built into of a pneumatic tire. The sensors include buried electrical feedthrough (112b) to provide an electrical connection into a sealed silicon cavity (108). The buried feedthrough consists of a conductor (112b) in a shallow groove (106) in a substrate (102), communicating between the sensing cavity (108) and an external contact area (110). The sensor designs also feature a method for forming a silicon-to-silicon fusion bond (SFB) wherein at least one of the two surfaces (152, 252) to be has a tough silicon surface unsuitable for good SFB joints because it was bonded heavily boron-doped by means of diffusion. The method of this invention includes preparing each doped surface (152, 252) for SFB by polishing the surface with a Chemical-Mechanical Polishing (CMP) process. The sensor designs can also include optional reference capacitors (141, 241) on the same chip (100, 200) as the sensing capacitor (140, 240). The reference capacitors (141, 241) are insensitive to pressure (force), but respond to ambient temperature changes in the same way as the sensing capacitor. Suitable external interface circuits can utilize the reference capacitors (141, 241) to pull out the majority of ambient temperature effects.

A process is described for continuous production of anhydrosugar alcohol by continuous introducing of sugar alcohols and / or monoanhydrosugar alcohols into a reaction vessel and dehydration in the presence of an acid catalyst and solvent in which the resultant reaction product is soluble. Water and the solvent having the dissolved reaction product are each cointinuously removed from the reaction vessel. The reaction product is separated from the removed solvent and the product is optionally purified to a purity of 99.0% the solvent is recycled in the reaction vessel.

Absorbable polyester fibers, braids, and surgical meshes with prolonged strength retention have been developed. These devices are preferably derived from biocompatible copolymers or homopolymers of 4-hydroxybutyrate. These devices provide a wider range of in vivo strength retention properties than are currently available, and could offer additional benefits such as anti-adhesion properties, reduced risks of infection or other post-operative problems resulting from absorption and eventual elimination of the device, and competitive cost. The devices may also be particularly suitable for use in pediatric populations where their absorption should not hinder growth, and provide in all patient populations wound healing with long-term mechanical stability. The devices may additionally be combined with autologous, allogenic and / or xenogenic tissues to provide implants with improved mechanical, biological and handling properties.

A method, system and device for securing a repair, such as a rotator cuff repair and includes an anchor placed within a hole formed in bone and a cannulated screw inserted into the hole after the anchor has been inserted to effectuate a firm and secure connection of tissue to bone, particularly when the quality of the bone does not permit optimal fixation. The method, system and device allows superior tissue fixation to bone with the ease of knotless suture anchor application.

A gas sensing device (nanosensor) includes a substrate with at least a pair of conductive electrodes spaced apart by a gap, and an electrochemically functionalized semiconductive nanomaterial bridging the gap between the electrodes to form a nanostructure network. The nanomaterial may be single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) functionalized by the deposition of nanoparticles selected from the group consisting of an elemental metal (e.g., gold or palladium), a doped polymer (e.g., camphor-sulfonic acid doped polyaniline), and a metal oxide (e.g. tin oxide). Depending on the nanoparticles employed in the functionalization, the nanosensor may be used to detect a selected gas, such as hydrogen, mercury vapor, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, methane, water vapor, and / or ammonia, in a gaseous environment.

A composition for removing resists and etching residue from substrates containing at least one nucleophilic amine compound having oxidation and reduction potentials, at least one organic solvent, water and, optionally, a chelating agent is described. The chelating agent is preferred to be included since it provides added stability and activity to the cleaning composition so that the composition has long term effectiveness. If a chelating agent is not present, the composition, while providing for adequate stripping and cleaning upon initial use of the composition following mixing, has only short term stability. In this latter instance, the nucleophilic amine compound and organic solvent components of the composition preferably are maintained separate from each other until it is desired to use the composition. Thereafter, the components are combined. Following use of the composition, the non-used portion of the composition can be disposed of or be reactivated by the addition of a chelating agent.

A pressure capsule embedded in a pacemaker lead to monitor intracardiac chamber pressure is described. This pressure monitor capsule provides highly accurate pressure readings while insuring a high integrity seal against bodily fluids and tissue growth. The capsule is intended to be embedded into a pacemaker cardiac lead or a catheter with the distal (Tip) isolation diaphragm sensing pressure, coupling the pressure through an air column to a protected sensing MEMS device and providing a secure fluid seal to the lead walls. The proximal (Back) end of the capsule provides the electrical interface through the lead to the pacemaker pulse generator.

The invention provides a channeling preventing and plugging agent and a construction method for controlling plugging and sealing channeling by utilizing the channeling preventing and plugging agent. The channeling preventing and plugging agent comprises a high-temperature-resistance pre-plugging agent serving as a pre-posed pre-plugging plug, an enhanced gel plugging agent serving as an intermediate enhanced plug and a high-strength resin plugging agent serving as a postposed sealing plug. The channeling preventing and plugging agent has the characteristics of high temperature resistance, long-term stability, good plugging performance and the like. The invention further provides a construction method for controlling plugging and sealing channeling by utilizing the channeling preventing and plugging agent. The method has a simple constructing process, and can be used for constructing after the channeling preventing and plugging agent is directly prepared on the spot. The channeling preventing and plugging agent can be used for effectively solving the adverse impact of the steam / air channeling phenomenon of a heavy oil thermal production well on production, and has an important effect on prolonging the production cycle of a heavy oil well and improving the recovery efficiency.

The invention discloses an ultra-hydrophobic conductive macromolecular nanometer fiber, which is characterized by the following: the fiber possesses coaxial nanometer fiber of core case structure; the core is 80-300 nanometer diameter polymerization fiber, whose coaxial case is 80-200 nanometer conductive macromolecular layer of 20-40 nanometer conductive macromolecular grain; the polymerization is polyacrylonitile, ethane polyepoxide, polythene pyrrolidone, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose acetate, polycarbonate; the conductive macromolecular is polyaniline, polythiofuran or polypyrrole. The invention utilizes electrostatic spinning and original position chemical oxidized polymeric method, which possesses reversible conversion property of ultra-hydrophobic and ultra-hydrophilic pH value respond in the intelligent microfluid switch, controllable separating technology, electromagnetic screen and sensor.

A composition for removing resists and etching residue from substrates containing at least one nucleophilic amine compound having oxidation and reduction potentials, at least one organic solvent, water and, optionally, a chelating agent is described. The chelating agent is preferred to be included since it provides added stability and activity to the cleaning composition so that the composition has long term effectiveness. If a chelating agent is not present, the composition, while providing for adequate stripping and cleaning upon initial use of the composition following mixing, has only short term stability. In this latter instance, the nucleophilic amine compound and organic solvent components of the composition preferably are maintained separate from each other until it is desired to use the composition. Thereafter, the components are combined. Following use of the composition, the non-used portion of the composition can be disposed of or be reactivated by the addition of a chelating agent.

The present invention describes reagents and methods for storing and / or processing of biological samples for direct use in PCR and other DNA applications. After storage, the preserved DNA in the samples may then be processed and analyzed by known methods, e.g., PCR. the present invention provides in one aspect, a method for simple and rapid storage and / or processing of nucleic acids, such as DNA, from various sources, including but not limited to body fluids, various solutions, cells, plants, tissues, bacterial cell lysates containing plasmids, etc. The present invention further comprises reagents and methods employing glycols at alkaline pH to process biological samples and make DNA usable in PCR without further sample purification. Accordingly, the present invention provides in one aspect, a method for simple and rapid processing of nucleic acids, such as DNA, from various sources, including but not limited to body fluids, various solutions, cells, plants, tissues, bacterial cell lysates containing plasmids, etc.

A gas generating composition having an improved thermal stability of a fuel is obtained.A gas generating compostion comprising a gas generating agent containing a non-sodium azide compound fuel and an oxidizing agent, and an adsorbent. Since substances accelerating decomposition of a fuel, such as radicals generating by decomposition of the fuel are adsorbed and kept on the adsorbent, further decomposition of the fuel is inhabited, so that the thermal stability is increased.

A composite gas separation module includes a porous substrate; an intermediate layer at the porous substrate that includes particles and a binder metal, wherein the binder metal is uniformly distributed throughout the intermediate layer; and a dense gas-selective membrane, wherein the dense gas-selective membrane overlies the intermediate layer. In one embodiment, the intermediate layer includes a gradient of particle size from a surface of the intermediate layer proximate to the porous substrate to a surface of the intermediate layer distal to the porous substrate. The particles of the intermediate layer can include particles selected from the group consisting of metal particles, metal oxide particles, ceramic particles, zeolite particles, and combinations thereof.

Nanomaterials have been used as a supplement or replacement of traditional polymer-based viscosity modifiers for lubricants and other related fluids. Compared with traditional polymer-based viscosity modifiers, nanomaterials possess better viscosity-index modification functions, i.e., more even viscosity increase across the whole temperature range. Meanwhile, a cost-effective way of making nanomaterials have been developed based on commercially available graphite materials, and the resulting nanoparticles of graphite are nanodisks (nanoplates). Furthermore, it provides a viscosity modifier which exhibits temporary shear loss, which can contribute to fuel economy, but no permanent shear loss.

Interposition and augmentation devices for tendon and ligament repair, including rotator cuff repair, have been developed as well as methods for their delivery using arthroscopic methods. The devices are preferably derived from biocompatible polyhydroxyalkanoates, and preferably from copolymers or homopolymers of 4-hydroxybutyrate. The devices may be delivered arthroscopically, and offer additional benefits such as support for the surgical repair, high initial strength, prolonged strength retention in vivo, flexibility, anti-adhesion properties, improved biocompatibility, an ability to remodel in vivo to healthy tissue, minimal risk for disease transmission or to potentiate infection, options for fixation including sufficiently high strength to prevent suture pull out or other detachment of the implanted device, eventual absorption eliminating future risk of foreign body reactions or interference with subsequent procedures, competitive cost, and long-term mechanical stability. The devices are also particularly suitable for use in pediatric populations where their eventual absorption should not hinder growth.

The present invention is directed to resist and etching residue removing compositions containing at least one nucleophilic amine compound possessing reduction and oxidation potentials, a two-carbon atom linkage alkanolamine compound, and optionally water and / or one or more corrosion inhibitors. The compositions may be substantially free of hydroxylamine, polar organic solvents, water, corrosion inhibitors, or a combination thereof. The compositions are useful in processes for removing resists and etching residue from metal or metal alloy substrates or substrate layers used in micro-circuitry fabrication.

Methods of stabilizing the sacroiliac joint by placing an expandable device in the joint to generate laterally opposing forces against the iliac and sacral surfaces of the SI joint to securely seat the device in a plane generally parallel to the SI joint. The expandable device is coated with or otherwise contains a bone material to promote fusion of the joint. The expandable device used in methods of the present invention can be, for example, an expandable cage, a balloon, a balloon-expandable stent or a self-expanding stent.

A spectrophotometer includes a plurality of LEDs arranged in a circular array, each having a calibrated power input determined by the use of pulse width modulation and each having a unique wavelength band determined by the utilization of a unique fluorescent phosphor coating or lens. At least one of the LEDs comprising a phosphor-free high energy UV LED. Light reflected to the spectrophotometer is divided into predetermined wavelength ranges through the utilization of a linear variable filter and photo detectors wherein the analog signal from a photo detector is converted to a digital value through the use of auto-ranging gain technique.

A fluid media such as oil or water, and a selected effective amount of carbon nanomaterials necessary to enhance the thermal conductivity of the fluid. One of the preferred carbon nanomaterials is a high thermal conductivity graphite, exceeding that of the neat fluid to be dispersed therein in thermal conductivity, and ground, milled, or naturally prepared with mean particle size less than 500 nm, and preferably less than 200 nm, and most preferably less than 100 nm. The graphite is dispersed in the fluid by one or more of various methods, including ultrasonication, milling, and chemical dispersion. Carbon nanotubes with graphitic structure is another preferred source of carbon nanomaterial, although other carbon nanomaterials are acceptable. To confer long term stability, the use of one or more chemical dispersants is preferred. The thermal conductivity enhancement, compared to the fluid without carbon nanomaterial, is proportional to the amount of carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes and / or graphite) added.

A preformed mandible splint and a method of aligning and stabilizing a fractured mandible with such a splint is disclosed. The splint is configured to approximate the curvature of the lower teeth or the gingiva of the lower jaw. The curvature of an eight inch diameter sphere approaches the geometric curvature of the human teeth and gum, therefore, the similarly configured splint of the present invention is usable for almost any child or adult. The splint is approximately U-shaped, follows the human dental arcade, and has rows of holes or slots along its outer and inner perimeter. The splint is placed on the teeth or gingiva and wired through the holes or slots to the mandible thus correctly aligning the mandible. Fractures can then be screwed into place according to the curvature of the splint. This eliminates the need of wiring the patient's jaw shut as is presently done in current interdigitation techniques where even minute errors in mandibular repair results in flagrant morbidities in the patient. The U-shape allows the patient's tongue to freely move. Because the splint uniformly fits the population it can be preformed. The gumline follows the same curvature as the teeth, therefore the splint may be used on those without teeth by being placed directly on the gingiva.

PEG-free, cold-preparable, prolonged-stability, low-viscosity, fine oil-in-water emulsions, their preparation from preferably clear oil phases or via preferably clear to transparent microemulsion-like concentrates, the corresponding oil phases or microemulsion-like concentrates and the use of the inventive emulsions for producing cosmetic, dermatological, pharmaceutical or industrial formulations, especially for the production of impregnating emulsions for wet wipes or for sprayable care emulsions are provided.

The present invention relates to active bactericidal, antibacterial, anti-infective, antimicrobial, sporicidal, disinfectant, antifungal and antiviral compounds and compositions and to new uses of these compositions in therapy. This specification also describes methods of use for the new compounds and compositions. The specification further describes methods for preparing these compounds.

The present invention provides a copper oxide-containing composition that includes copper oxide nanoparticles and one or more heteroatom donor ligands bonded to the surface of the nanoparticles, where x and y are numbers having a ratio that is equal to the ratio of the average number of M atoms to the average number of 0 atoms in the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are stabilized by the one or more heteroatom donor ligands which act as a protective layer that cap the surface of the nanoparticles. The present invention also provides a solution of the copper oxide nanoparticles that may be applied to a substrate and then subsequently reduced to copper metal. Finally, the invention provides a method of preparing the copper oxide nanoparticles.

Dental bleaching compositions include a dental bleaching agent, a generally linear high molecular weight (i.e., greater than about 500,000) polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and / or polyethylene oxide (PEO) tissue adhesion agent included in amount that imparts a high level of adhesiveness, a rheology-modifying agent such as fumed silica or fumed alumina that reduces or eliminates stringiness otherwise caused by the high molecular weight PVP and / or PEO, and a solvent or carrier. Dental bleaching compositions may include carboxypolymethylene instead of or in addition to PVP and / or PEO, wherein the fumed silica or fumed alumina increases long-term rheological stability even in the presence of a high concentration of dental bleaching agent. Dental treatment devices including a barrier layer and a quantity of the dental bleaching composition positioned adjacent to the barrier layer.