Abstract: A membrane for re-establishing the continuity of injured biological tissues includes a non-woven fabric of fibres of a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) containing 3-hydroxybutyrate monomer units, wherein the fibers have an average diameter between 800 nm to 3500 nm. Preferably, the PHA is a poly-3-hydroxybutyrate homopolymer and at least one active ingredient is associated with the fibers of the non-woven fabric. The membrane has the advantages of promoting the healing of injured biological tissues relatively quickly, without inducing excessive inflammatory or rejection reactions, thus demonstrating a high biocompatibility, thereby providing a valid support in the healing process of biological tissue injuries and preventing the formation of dehiscences and incisional hernias.

Abstract: A high pressure homogenizer provided with head for the treatment of products with solids and fibers comprises a block defining a passage for the product from an intake area to a delivery area, a piston movable axially with reciprocating motion in the block to pump the product in said passage, intake and delivery valves positioned internally to the block and operatively active on said passage to open it/close as a function of a motion of the products in the passage. The passage is positioned in the block in position of non-interference with the motion of the piston and the intake and delivery valves have no springs and are operatively inserted in said passage in intermediate position between said intake and delivery areas, to favor the sliding of the products and to prevent the accumulation of substances that are sensitive to shear effects contained in the products themselves.

Abstract: A homogeniser (1) for the continuous treatment of fluids at very high pressure comprises at least one reciprocating plunger (5) in a compression chamber (6) and a guide chamber (11) from a fluid intake position to a delivery position. Said compression chamber (6) opens into a manifold (27), inside a block (26) from which a delivery pipe (32) and an intake pipe (31) branch off. A first seal unit (21) is housed in the guide chamber (11), a second seal unit (24) is located close to the intersection between the compression chamber (6) and the guide chamber (11) and a third seal unit (35) is positioned upstream and downstream of each valve (28, 29) and the intersection between the manifold (27) and the compression chamber (6).

Abstract: A high pressure homogenizer provided with head (1) for the treatment of products with solids and fibres comprises a block (2) defining a passage (3) for the product from an intake area (4) to a delivery area (5), a piston movable axially with reciprocating motion in the block (2) to pump the product in said passage (3), from the intake area (4) to the delivery area (5), intake (7) and delivery (8) valves positioned internally to the block (2) and operatively active on said passage (3) to open it/close as a function of a motion of the products in the passage.

Abstract: A homogeniser (1) for the continuous treatment of fluids at very high pressure comprises at least one reciprocating plunger (5) in a compression chamber (6) and a guide chamber (11) from a fluid intake position to a delivery position. Said compression chamber (6) opens into a manifold (27), inside a block (26) from which a delivery pipe (32) and an intake pipe (31) branch off. A first seal unit (21) is housed in the guide chamber (11), a second seal unit (24) is located close to the intersection between the compression chamber (6) and the guide chamber (11) and a third seal unit (35) is positioned upstream and downstream of each valve (28, 29) and the intersection between the manifold (27) and the compression chamber (6).

Abstract: Method for disrupting S. Cerevisiae yeast cells in an aqueous solution, by means of a continuous process under high pressure (up to 4000 bar), using a homogenizer. The suspension to be processed passes through a homogenizing valve with a “sharp edge” or “knife edge” passage head in order to achieve a 100% cell disruption rate with a single passage, at a dynamic pressure equal to or above 2000 bar. The “sharp edge” or “knife edge” profile of the passage head (4) is characterized by an inside diameter (9) of 10.9-14 mm and an outside diameter (10) of 11.9 mm-15 mm, and operates at a flow rate of 100-500 liters/hour and a dynamic pressure of more than 2000 bar.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a retraction instrument (1, 100) comprising an elongated tubular body (3, 103) to which are associated a rod (2, 102, 122) and at least one deployable/orientable formation (5, 105, 155) in the distal position with regard to the principal body (3, 103) and to the rod (2, 102, 122) where the formation (5, 105, 155) can move from a retracted position of alignment with the principal body (3, 103) towards at least one deployed position in which the formation (5, 105, 155) extends inclined with regard to the principal body (3, 103).

Abstract: A homogenization valve comprises an outer case, a homogenization mechanism contained in the outer case and having at least one homogenization device. The homogenization device comprises a high pressure chamber, in communication with a chamber for feeding the high pressure fluid to be homogenized, a low pressure chamber in communication with a channel for discharging the low pressure homogenized fluid. The high pressure chamber is connected to the low pressure chamber by means of a fluid blow-by port. The valve comprises at least two distinct homogenization devices connected in parallel with a same feeding channel and with a same discharge channel.

Abstract: Method for disrupting S. Cerevisiae yeast cells in an aqueous solution, by means of a continuous process under high pressure (up to 4000 bar), using a homogenizer. The suspension to be processed passes through a homogenizing valve with a “sharp edge” or “knife edge” passage head in order to achieve a 100% cell disruption rate with a single passage, at a dynamic pressure equal to or above 2000 bar. The “sharp edge” or “knife edge” profile of the passage head (4) is characterized by an inside diameter (9) of 10.9-14 mm and an outside diameter (10) of 11.9 mm-15 mm, and operates at a flow rate of 100-500 liters/hour and a dynamic pressure of more than 2000 bar.

Abstract: A homogenization valve comprises an outer case, a homogenization mechanism contained in the outer case and having at least one homogenization device. The homogenization device comprises a high pressure chamber, in communication with a chamber for feeding the high pressure fluid to be homogenized, a low pressure chamber in communication with a channel for discharging the low pressure homogenized fluid. The high pressure chamber is connected to the low pressure chamber by means of a fluid blow-by port. The valve comprises at least two distinct homogenization devices connected in parallel with a same feeding channel and with a same discharge channel.

Abstract: A CAM memory is supplied targeted at storing data words whose bits can take on an indifferent logical value besides two complementary logical values. it includes a matrix (MA) of memory cells in which a pair of cells is assigned to each bit that can take on a ternary configuration. circuits (CT1 . . . CT3, WR, SR; CT11 . . . SR1, CT21 . . . SR2) for memory (MA) matrix access control give access for performing comparisons during operation in the CAM mode or for writing/reading data by means of direct RAM mode addressing (FIG. 1).

Abstract: The circuit for motion estimation in digitised video sequence encoders comprises at least an integrated circuit component (IM, IM1 . . . IMn) which is arranged to perform either the function of determining motion vectors and associated costs for different prediction modes, or the function of vector refinement, possibly in addition to prediction mode selection. The circuit (IM) is based on the use of two operating units (M1, M2) which are arranged to concurrently process in different ways different pixel groups according to a MIMD technique. Preferably, when the circuit performs motion vector determination, the operating units (M1, M2) are programmed to execute a genetic algorithm exploiting an initial vector population taking into account the temporal and spatial correlations in the picture.

Abstract: An integrated circuit for manipulating digitized video sequences is provided, for use in a system for transmission and reception of compressed video sequences to perform, possibly with the aid of an external memory, reordering, format conversion, prediction and motion compensation on the pictures in a sequence. The device has memory for temporarily storing sequences to be manipulated and data read from the external memory; a circuit for decoding information about the manipulations to be performed; address circuitry for transferring the data between the device and the external memory; circuitry for configuring the device by means of a remote processing unit; circuitry for processing the data read from the external memory; and circuitry for arranging the output sequences in the format required by the function to be performed. A controller may control, supervise and set up the functions to be performed.

Abstract: In a homogenization unit, a homogenizing valve comprises an impact head which, with a lower valve body, forms an annular high-pressure chamber (64) supplied by a high pressure channel (24). An annular surface of the impact head cooperates with an opposite face of a passage head (22) accommodated in the lower valve body to define a radial passage gap, with an impact ring facing it; the gap leads into a low-pressure annular chamber (54) from which a low pressure channel (34) leads off. The impact head comprises two spaced out guide areas to guide the head in the valve body.

Abstract: A device for transmitting and decoding audio-visual streams arranged in accordance with standard ISO/IEC 11172 is provided. The device (DEC) comprises: interfaces (CSC, IA, CIS) for connection to a local storage device (MEL) or to a telecommunications network (2, 3), for receiving streams from remote sources or send streams to remote receivers; demultiplexing and synchronisation means (DES) for splitting the audio-visual streams into constituent audio, video and private data streams and extracting synchronisation information from the streams, and means (DA, DV, UA, UV) for decoding audio and video streams and present audio and video signals in analog form at the output. A controller (CNT) is to control and supervise demultiplexing and decoding operations.

Abstract: A high speed digital signal transceiver in CMOS technology, in which the receiver has a clock signal extraction circuit, which is capable of self-aligning on incoming data with no spurious locks. Utilizing the PLL technique, the circuit generates a clock signal locked to the incoming signal utilizing a local oscillator, voltage-controlled by two feedback loops, a main one for frequency and phase corrections and a secondary one for phase correction. Moreover, original circuit solutions for the phase detectors and the low-pass filters are also envisaged.

Abstract: The switching element allows building up of ATM exchanges capable of processing cell flows at bit rates higher than 700 Mbit/s. It uses an architecture with output queues, implemented through a unique shared memory, suitably controlled in order to obtain spatial cell switching towards the outputs. ATM cells are converted into a highly parallel format by a structure named rotation memory, where through the cells are then transferred into the master memory. The rotation memory is used also for the inverse operations of format restoration towards the output. The element control circuit is entrusted with the generation of writing and reading addresses of the master memory, in order to carry out the switching proper.

Abstract: An electronic circuit for generating error detection codes in digital sigs organized into serial data blocks, which derives the error code from the coefficients of a remainder polynomial obtained from the division of a dividend polynomial, whose coefficients are the bits of each serial block, and a convenient divisor polynomial. The circuit has a shift register wherein at the beginning of each serial data block the reset and the first datum load are performed in a single clock interval.

Abstract: A multimedia protocol interface for 64K Kbit/s data flow, organized accorg to the frame structure specified in CCITT Recommendation H221 and transmitted and received according to the standard 64 kbit/s protocol or 256 kbit/s 10 M protocol, adapted to operate autonomously or aided by an external microprocessor and has a receiver, a transmitter, a control block and circuitry for the local test of the operation of the interface itself. The external microprocessor can read both the received data and the information relevant to the receiver conditions, and can also send data to be transmitted or can read information relevant to the transmitter conditions. The receiver receives the data and clock and synchronism signals and emits at the output the received data, associated with timing signals useful for the external devices connected to the interface for data recovery. Analogously, the transmitter emits the data, receives clock an synchronism signals and supplies data and timings to the external devices.

Abstract: An integrated circuit selectively programmable to form an active filter without external circuit components, the integrated circuit having 2.sup.m amplifying modules where m is an integer between 2 and 4, inclusive, p resistive matrices where p is 1 when m is other than 4 and is 2 when m=4, and a bias circuit, r of the amplifying modules being positioned in a first column separated from a second column of r amplifying modules by a respective one of the resistive matrices, where r=4 when m is other than 2 and r=2 when m=2, the second column of amplifying modules being separated from a third column of 4 amplifying modules when m=4 by a second of the resistive matrices.