Abstract: A supplemental oxygen delivery system is described in which Aerosol is delivered into a housing 10, 20, which sits in the circuit from the supplemental oxygen supply and optional humidifier. The supplemental oxygen passes through this chamber 10, 20 in which the aerosol is located, and collects the aerosol transporting it to a patient via a nasal cannula 3 or a face mask 4. An aerosol generator 9 is mounted to the housing 10, 20 and delivers aerosol into an oxygen stream 13 flowing between an inlet 14 and an outlet 15 of the housing 10. The housing 10 also has a removable plug 16 in the base 17 thereof for draining any liquid that accumulates in the housing 10. There is no disruption of oxygen delivery to patients using nasal cannulas who currently have to use a separate face-mask when receiving nebulized medication.

Abstract: A nebuliser 1 particularly for home use comprises a housing 2 having an aerosol generator 3 mounted therein. The housing is closed by a hinged cap 4 and has an outlet 5 through which aerosol generated by the generator 3 is delivered. A suitable connector such as a mouthpiece 6 may be connected to the outlet 5. The housing 2 has a receiver for receiving a nebule 8. The receiver comprises a slot 7 which is sized and/or shaped to accommodate only a nebule 8 of predetermined shape and/or size. The nebuliser cap 4 has a nebule opening means which may be in the form of a puncture pin 10 projecting therefrom to pierce the nebule 8 when the cap is moved to the closed position. The pin 10 is hollow or splined to regulate flow from the nebule. The nebuliser 1 also has a switch means for enabling operation of the aerosol generator 3 when the nebule 8 is opened. The switch means comprises a microswitch 12 on the housing which is engageable by a trigger 13 on the cap 4 when the cap is moved to the closed position.

Abstract: The Eph (erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma) receptors and their cell surface anchored ligands, the Ephrins, comprise the largest of the receptor tyrosine kinases families with 14 receptors and 8 ligands. The receptors are subdivided into Eph-A and Eph-B categories and have known actions in the development of the vascular and nervous system. The present invention relates to an isolated mesenchymal stem cell selected from the group consisting of an isolated mesenchymal stem cell that expresses Ephrin-B2, an isolated mesenchymal stem cell that over-expresses Ephrin-B2, and an isolated mesenchymal stem cell that is genetically modified to increase Ephrin-B2 expression. The invention further relates to the various applications of the isolated mesenchymal stem cells of the present invention.

Abstract: A cooker for use by troops on deployment comprises a container 10 for cooking fat sitting upon a heating chamber 12. The heating chamber 12 has a back wall 14 formed with an aperture 16 to receive a burner and a front wall 18 formed with an exhaust port 20 communicating with a chimney 22. The heating chamber has side walls extending between its front and back walls 18 and 14. The container has a hinged lid 28 which folds to present a rack 30 for food frying baskets (not shown). The cooker is configured and arranged so that flame from the burner does not contact the container 10 and heat is diffused over the container 10, whereby cooking fat therein is not locally overheated.

Abstract: A method for humidifying gas in a ventilator circuit 100, 101, 102, 105, 106 comprises aerosolising a humidifying agent such as water or saline using an aerosol generator 2 and delivering the aerosolised humidifying agent to the inspiration line 101 of the ventilator circuit coupled to the respiratory system of a patient. The aerosol generator 2 comprises a vibratable member 40 having a plurality of apertures extending between a first surface and a second surface. A controller 3 controls the operation of aerosol generator 2, for example in response to the flow of air in the inspiration line 101 as detected by a sensor 11.

Abstract: The invention provides a combination of a micro pump 27 or a micro valve with a vibrating mesh nebuliser 2. This is powered by a controller 3. The controller 3 may have modifications to provide the electrical drive mechanism for the pump 27 in addition to fulfilling the aerosol/nebuliser drive requirements. In one case the system is used for humidifying gas in a ventilator circuit. A humidifying agent (sterile water or sterile saline) is aerosolised and then delivered to a ventilator circuit 100 coupled to the respiratory system of a patient.

Abstract: Apparatus used in insufflation comprises an insufflator 12 for generating an insufflation gas such as carbon dioxide and an aerosol generator 2 for aerosolising a fluid and entraining the aerosol with the insufflation gas which is delivered during surgery. The aerosol generator 2 comprises a vibratable member 40 having a plurality of apertures extending between a first surface and a second surface. The fluid may comprise a therapeutic or prophylactic agent. A controller 3 is used to control the operation of the aerosol generator 2. The controller 3 controls operation of the aerosol generator 2 responsive to the flow of insufflation gas such as detected by a flow sensor 11. The pulse rate at a set frequency of vibration of the vibratable member 40 is controlled.

Abstract: A method for humidifying gas in a ventilator circuit 100, 101, 102, 105, 106 comprises aerosolising a humidifying agent such as water or saline using an aerosol generator 2 and delivering the aerosolised humidifying agent to the inspiration line 101 of the ventilator circuit coupled to the respiratory system of a patient. The aerosol generator 2 comprises a vibratable member 40 having a plurality of apertures extending between a first surface and a second surface. A controller 3 controls the operation of aerosol generator 2, for example in response to the flow of air in the inspiration line 101 as detected by a sensor 11.

Abstract: Provided is a multi-tiered cascading crawling system for finding on a network information related to one or more predetermined topics or subtopics of interest. In general, embodiments of the present invention provide a system that operates in multiple “tiers,” where at least some of the output of one tier is used to comprise the input of the next tier. Each tier generally analyzes collections of documents on the network using successively more restrictive criteria about the subject matter of each collection and/or about which collections may be related to the one or more topics or subtopics. In general, only the final tier performs an exhaustive crawl of all of the documents of the collections that are identified by the system as being relevant to the topic or subtopic of interest.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for handling a base transceiver station that has become orphaned as a result of a loss of a base station controller. The method includes determining that contact has been lost between a base transceiver station and a primary base station controller that normally controls the base transceiver station, identifying a secondary base station controller to adopt the base transceiver station, and effecting a handover of the base transceiver station from the primary base station controller to the secondary base station controller. The invention ensures that an operator can maintain some level of service to its customers even if it has lost a base station controller, including the ability to handle emergency calls.

Abstract: A pair of substantially identical integrated circuit elements, in the form of microprocessors, are operated in response to the same instruction and data signals that are accessed from a memory by one of the integrated circuits. The accessed instruction and data signal are supplied, via a synchronous interface, to the second integrated circuit, which operates thinking that the supplied data and instruction signals were accessed by it in response to address and control signals. The states of the two integrated circuits are applied to comparator circuitry, both via buffered paths. The comparator circuitry is operated in response to control signals produced by the first integrated circuit to effect comparison on only those signals that are valid at any particular moment in time. Clock-synchronizing circuitry is included to ensure that predetermined state transitions of the clocks used to operate the first and second integrated circuit occur within a prescribed time period.

Abstract: A clock synchronization system includes a clock generator for producing first and second system clock signals that are each received by corresponding ones of a pair of integrated circuits from which the integrated circuits each produce secondary clock signals. The clock system includes synchronizing circuitry that receives the secondary clock signals to determine the phase difference between them, and delaying one of the system clock signals, relative to the other, in a manner that results in the state transitions of the secondary clock signals occur within a period of time of each other.