Abstract: A method for determination of the potentially available activity of cathepsin B in a biological sample, including the activity of the active form of cathepsin B, the form of cathepsin B which can be activated from the pro-form procathepsin B being present in the sample, and the form of cathepsin B which can be activated and which is inhibited in the sample in its activity by protease inhibitor, whereby the procathepsin B being present in the sample is converted into the active form of cathepsin B, the free protease inhibitor for cathepsin B being present in the sample is depleted from the sample or its inhibitor function is suppressed, and the protease inhibitor is withdrawn from the inhibited form of cathepsin B, and subsequently the activity of the active cathepsin B in the sample is determined.

Abstract: The invention relates to a compressed air supply system (11, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 41) for operating a pneumatic system (90, 901, 902), in particular a pneumatic suspension of a vehicle, comprising: a compressed air supply (1); a first pneumatic connection between the compressed air supply (1) and the pneumatic system (90, 901, 902), comprising an air desiccator (61), throttle means (62) and at least one controllable separation valve (63, 63?, 63?, 63??, 63IV, 163); a second pneumatic connection which is pneumatically connected to the first pneumatic connection and to a ventilation connection (3) for connecting to the surroundings and which has at least one controllable ventilation valve (73, 73?, 73?, 73??, 73IV, 173).

Abstract: Air suspension installation (110) for a vehicle (100) comprising a pneumatic installation (200) which is adapted such that it can be operated in conjunction with a compressed air supply installation (2) and comprises: a pneumatic line (3) having a port connecting it to the compressed air supply installation (2), a plurality of air bellows (43, 45, 47, 49), each serving as a pressure chamber for an air spring, one air bellows being connected to the pneumatic line (3) via a controllable directional valve in the form of a solenoid valve, and the air bellows being fillable or bleedable depending on a switching state of the controllable directional valve, a first directional valve (11, 18) and a second directional valve (13,19) forming a controllable solenoid valve system (120, 130) which has a pneumatic part that can be actuated by a magnetic part, the first directional valve (11, 18) forming a primary valve and the second directional valve (13, 19) forming a secondary valve of the solenoid valve system (120, 130

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient within the scope of the diagnosis and/or the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders includes an electronic signal processing device for generating a pressure control signal on the basis of indicative signals relating to the breathing activity and/or the physiological state of a person. The signal processing device comprises a signal inputting device and an extraction device for generating data field entries according to predefined signal analysis procedures. A pressure signal generator is provided for generating the pressure control signal, taking into account determined data field entries which are at least selected by the extraction device.

Abstract: A compressed air supply assembly for operating a pneumatic assembly includes a compressed air supply; a compressed air connection to the pneumatic assembly; a purge connection to the environment; a pneumatic main line between the compressed air supply and the compressed air connection comprising an air dryer; a purge line between the compressed air connection and the purge connection; and a solenoid valve arrangement with a control valve to control a purge valve. The control valve is connected to a control valve connection in a pneumatic control line connected to a pressure control connection of the purge valve; and the purge valve is connected to a purge valve connection in the purge line. A pressure-maintaining device is connected to the pneumatic control line and maintains control pressure at the pressure control connection when the purge valve connection is open, independently of pressure in the purge line and/or the main line.

Abstract: A method for controlling the pressure in a compressed-air accumulator of a level-control system of a motor vehicle utilizing a pressure-control apparatus constructed and arranged to adjust the accumulator pressure according to a predetermined index pressure value. The index pressure value is automatically determined by a computing device based on the relative level and/or the load of the vehicle.

Abstract: A device and a method for evaluating a signal that can indicate the respiration of a person, particularly suitable for examining a patient with respect to the occurrence of sleep-related breathing disturbances. In one example, a device for evaluating a signal indicative of the temporal course of the respiration of a patient, in particular a respiratory flow signal, includes an electronic evaluation program or circuitry which is configured in such a manner that it evaluates the signal by continuously generating intermediate evaluation results for short signal periods and for longer signal periods being parallel thereto, and performs an identification of respiratory patterns in the time signal or in specific time periods on the basis of the position of the intermediate evaluation results of the short signal periods relative to the intermediate evaluation results of the longer signal periods.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient within the scope of the diagnosis and/or the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders includes an electronic signal processing device for generating a pressure control signal on the basis of indicative signals relating to the breathing activity and/or the physiological state of a person. The signal processing device comprises a signal inputting device and an extraction device for generating data field entries according to predefined signal analysis procedures. A pressure signal generator is provided for generating the pressure control signal, taking into account determined data field entries which are at least selected by the extraction device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for measuring the activity of enzymes in a sample which contains at least one enzyme and at least one enzyme inhibitor corresponding to said enzyme, whereby after de-inhibition the activity of the released enzyme is measured in such a way that a substrate is added to the sample and the time course of the concentration of at least one reaction product (cleavage product) is recorded and the enzyme specific substrate has a fluorogenic part which is cleaved in the enzymatic reaction and the fluorescence (measuring parameter) of which can be detected in a wavelength range where the measuring parameter can be assigned unambiguously to the enzyme activity to be measured, whereby the de-inhibition is carried out by immersing a rigid carrier, to which the inhibitor binding substance is bound, into the sample. The present invention relates also to a corresponding device for measuring the activity on enzymes in a sample.

Abstract: A filter insert insertable seal-tightly into a filter housing has a filter element having end faces. At least one of the end faces of the filter element is engaged by a reinforcement clamp provided with a sealing element. The reinforcement clamp and the sealing element together form a single integral component. The sealing element has an outer sealing section that is connected to the reinforcement clamp so as to be movable relative to the reinforcement clamp.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient within the scope of the diagnosis and/or the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders includes an electronic signal processing device for generating a pressure control signal on the basis of indicative signals relating to the breathing activity and/or the physiological state of a person. The signal processing device includes a signal inputting device and an extraction device for generating data field entries according to predefined signal analysis procedures. A pressure signal generator is provided for generating the pressure control signal, taking into account determined data field entries which are at least selected by the extraction device.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas includes a conveyor device for conveying the respiratory gas, a conduit for feeding the respiratory gas conveyed by the conveyor device to a person, and a humidification device for humidifying the respiratory gas. A sensor device is configured to generate a signal indicative of the respiratory gas humidity and a control device is configured to control the humidification device with regard to the signal which is generated by the sensor device. A method of supplying a respiratory gas to a patient, in which the respiratory gas is introduced by means of a conveyor device into the conduit leading to the patient and is humidified, includes operating the conveyor device so that a respiratory gas pressure which is above ambient pressure is provided in the conduit, and adjusting the humidity on the basis of signals indicative of the relative and/or absolute humidity of the respiratory gas generated by the sensor device.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas includes a conveyor device for conveying the respiratory gas, a conduit for feeding the respiratory gas conveyed by the conveyor device to a person, and a humidification device for humidifying the respiratory gas. A sensor device is configured to generate a signal indicative of the respiratory gas humidity and a control device is configured to control the humidification device with regard to the signal which is generated by the sensor device. A method of supplying a respiratory gas to a patient, in which the respiratory gas is introduced by means of a conveyor device into the conduit leading to the patient and is humidified, includes operating the conveyor device so that a respiratory gas pressure which is above ambient pressure is provided in the conduit, and adjusting the humidity on the basis of signals indicative of the relative and/or absolute humidity of the respiratory gas generated by the sensor device.

Abstract: A method and apparatuses for determining the total content of proteases by means of measuring their enzyme activity after previous deinhibition is disclosed. In biological samples, lysosomal proteases are completely (e.g. in blood serum) or partly (e.g. in tissue homogenates) inhibited. A method proposed for the deinhibition entails immersing a solid support material (e.g. nylon or nitrocellulose) as plastic strip to which is linked, covalently or by adsorption, an inhibitor-binding substance which binds the inhibitor corresponding to the protease more strongly than the protease in the sample for measurement. After the deinhibition has taken place, the plastic strip is removed from the liquid sample for measurement, and the sample for measurement is passed on for measurement of the enzyme activity. Fluorogenic substrates from which the fluorogen 7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin is eliminated proved to be particularly advantageous for the activity measurement.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for carrying out a signal-processing viewing of a measurement signal that is correlated with the respiratory activity of an individual, for example, of a measurement signal that is correlated with the respiratory gas. The aim of the invention is to provide solutions with which an improved electronic analysis of the signals that are representative with regard to respiratory activity can be achieved. To this end, the invention provides that viewing results are obtained within the scope of a signal-processing viewing of said measurement signal and make a differentiation between obstructive and central respiratory disorders possible. The viewing results are determined, in particular, while taking into account changes of selected breathing characteristics such as, for example, the change in the ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient within the scope of the diagnosis and/or the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders includes an electronic signal processing device for generating a pressure control signal on the basis of indicative signals relating to the breathing activity and/or the physiological state of a person. The signal processing device comprises a signal inputting device and an extraction device for generating data field entries according to predefined signal analysis procedures. A pressure signal generator is provided for generating the pressure control signal, taking into account determined data field entries which are at least selected by the extraction device.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for carrying out a signal-processing viewing of a measurement signal that is correlated with the respiratory activity of an individual, for example, of a measurement signal that is correlated with the respiratory gas. The aim of the invention is to provide solutions with which an improved electronic analysis of the signals that are representative with regard to respiratory activity can be achieved. To this end, the invention provides that viewing results are obtained within the scope of a signal-processing viewing of said measurement signal and make a differentiation between obstructive and central respiratory disorders possible. The viewing results are determined, in particular, while taking into account changes of selected breathing characteristics such as, for example, the change in the ratio of inhalation time to exhalation time.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for supplying a respiratory gas to a patient within the scope of the diagnosis and/or the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders. The invention especially relates to a CPAP appliance comprising self-optimising dual level pressure regulation. According to the invention, the device for supplying a respiratory gas comprises an electronic signal processing device for generating a pressure control signal (p) on the basis of indicative signals (5) relating to the breathing activity and/or the physiological state of a person. The signal processing device (1) comprises a signal inputting device and an extraction device (2) for generating data field entries (3) according to predefined signal analysis procedures. A pressure signal generator (4) is provided for generating the pressure control signal (p), taking into account determined data field entries (3) which are at least selected by the extraction device (2).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for optimizing the optical power in an optical network that has a plurality of network nodes each having a transmitter and a receiver. The method comprising generating an optical signal at a first network node, receiving the optical signal at a second network node, detecting the optical power of the optical signal at the second network node, determining whether the optical power detected is outside a defined range, and in this case, generating, for the first network node, a control signal for increasing or decreasing the optical power, sending the control signal to the first network node, and increasing or decreasing the optical power of the optical signal emitted at the first network node. The invention further relates to an optical network having network nodes which are operable to implement this method.

Abstract: A vehicle air-suspension system, especially an air-suspension system designed as a partly closed system, and a method for operating the system are provided. The air-suspension system includes at least one compressed-air delivery device, a plurality of air-suspension bellows and valves constructed and arranged for control of the filling of one, several or all air-suspension bellows with compressed air discharged by the compressed-air delivery device. The method avoids an undesirably large pressure rise on the pressure-outlet side of the compressed-air delivery device as the effective delivery capacity of the compressed-air delivery device is automatically controlled as a function of the state defined by the arrangement of the valves.