Abstract: Gas-tight seal assemblies for us during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the groove to easily collapse but resist the groove widening. The support ribs also prevent the sealing portion from inverting. An instrument insertion guide is positioned over the sealing portion and moves laterally with the sealing portion. A latch piece removably secures the seal assembly to a cannula. An anti-inversion piece prevents the wiper seal from inverting when an instrument is withdrawn. An assembly may include device. The seal assembly may rotate within a cannula.

Abstract: A cannula may include a cannula bowl having an opening to receive an instrument configured to be advanced through the cannula, and a cannula tube extending distally from the cannula bowl. The cannula tube may have a proximal end opening, a distal end opening disposed at an opposite end of the cannula from the proximal end opening, and lateral wall defining a passage extending from the proximal end opening to the distal end opening. The lateral wall can have outer dimensions defining a waisted portion with smaller outer dimensions than a region disposed proximally or distally to the waisted portion along a length of the cannula tube.

Abstract: Gas-tight seal assemblies for use during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the groove to easily collapse but resist the groove widening. The support ribs also prevent the sealing portion from inverting. An instrument insertion guide is positioned over the sealing portion and moves laterally with the sealing portion. A latch piece removably secures the seal assembly to a cannula. An anti-inversion piece prevents the wiper seal from inverting when an instrument is withdrawn.

Abstract: A seal for sealing against a surgical instrument shaft includes a plurality of seal layers and a plurality of overlapping seal openings formed in the seal layers. The plurality of seal openings together can create an effective seal opening that is smaller than any of the individual overlapping seal openings. The effective seal opening is sized and shaped to seal against an instrument shaft when an instrument shaft is inserted through the effective seal opening.

Abstract: A cannula may include a bowl portion comprising a first opening and a second opening, and an insertion tube extending from the bowl portion. The insertion tube defines a passage extending from the second opening and terminating in a distal end opening. The passage is configured to receive an instrument to be advanced through the cannula. The insertion tube has a transparent portion extending proximally from the distal end opening, and a strengthened portion extending proximally from the transparent portion.

Abstract: A cannula may include a cannula bowl having an opening to receive an instrument configured to be advanced through the cannula, and a cannula tube extending distally from the cannula bowl. The cannula tube may have a proximal end opening, a distal end opening disposed at an opposite end of the cannula from the proximal end opening, and lateral wall defining a passage extending from the proximal end opening to the distal end opening. The lateral wall can have outer dimensions defining a waisted portion with smaller outer dimensions than a region disposed proximally or distally to the waisted portion along a length of the cannula tube.

Abstract: A medical device can include a housing, a first seal structure, and a seal expander. The first seal structure can have a proximal end and a distal end, and a side wall surrounding and defining an interior chamber. A seal wall can be connected to the side wall and include an expandable opening. A seal expander can be coupled to the housing, and can be at least partially in the interior chamber of the first seal structure. The seal expander can include an expandable neck portion and a seal interface portion, the seal interface portion being near an intersection of the side wall and the seal wall.

Abstract: Gas-tight seal assemblies for use during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the groove to easily collapse but resist the groove widening. The support ribs also prevent the sealing portion from inverting. An instrument insertion guide is positioned over the sealing portion and moves laterally with the sealing portion. A latch piece removably secures the seal assembly to a cannula. An anti-inversion piece prevents the wiper seal from inverting when an instrument is withdrawn.

Abstract: Heterocyclic compounds that modulate C3a receptors and their use in the treatment or prevention of inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, cancers, metabolic disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and associated cardiovascular diseases are described. The use of the compounds in stimulating or suppressing an immune response is also described together with pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.

Abstract: Heterocyclic compounds that modulate C3a receptors and their use in the treatment or prevention of inflammatory diseases, infectious diseases, cancers, metabolic disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and associated cardiovascular diseases are described. The use of the compounds in stimulating or suppressing an immune response is also described together with pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.

Abstract: A system for oxidizing contaminants on both the cathode and anode electrodes in a fuel cell stack by applying a suitable voltage potential across the electrodes that causes the oxidation. The system includes a battery and an electrical converter electrically coupled to the battery. The electrical converter is configured to assist in providing an oxidation potential to the fuel cell stack by converting electrical power from the battery at a time effective to oxidize contaminants on the cathode or anode electrodes in the stack. The electrical converter provides a positive potential to the fuel cell stack to oxidize contaminants on the cathode electrodes and provides a negative potential to the fuel cell stack to oxidize contaminants on the anode electrodes. If the battery is a high voltage battery, then the converter is a power converter and if the battery is a low voltage battery, then the converter is boost converter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fuel cell stack and a method of operating the same that allows for removal of liquid water and minimizes the impact of liquid water on the performance of the fuel cells. By selectively blocking the cathode reactant flow from exiting the fuel cell stack improved water management can be achieved. The selective blocking of the cathode reactant from exiting the fuel cell stack also helps to increase the partial pressure of the oxygen toward the exit side of the fuel cell stack which improves the chemical kinetics and the voltage produced by the fuel cells.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to amino acid derivatives and to methods of making the same. In particular, the invention relates to compounds bearing a stereochemical identity, that is, the same stereochemistry, with the chiral ?-carbon of D-?-amino acids and their use in methods of therapy, including the treatment of inflammatory diseases, and to compositions and enantiomeric mixtures containing them.

Abstract: A bracket is adapted for connection to a vehicle body part in order to mount a striker cooperating with a door lock mechanism of a motor vehicle. The striker is to be rigidly secured by bolts to the vehicle body part. The bracket includes a striker mount portion, with holes defined therein adapted to receive the bolts, and a weld portion, by which the bracket can be welded to the back surface of the vehicle body part. A pair of deformable limbs interconnects the striker mount portion and the weld portion. By way of these deformable limbs, a position of the striker mount portion relative to the weld portion is adjustable to change the positions of the holes and accommodate repositioning of the bolts. The limbs have offset portions which are laterally displaced with respect to the striker mount portion and the weld portion such that the offset portions include side surfaces parallel to but not co-planar with side surfaces of the striker mount and weld portions.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to amino acid derivatives and to methods of making the same. In particular, the invention relates to compounds bearing a stereochemical identity, that is, the same stereochemistry, with the chiral &agr;-carbon of D-&agr;-amino acids and their use in methods of therapy, including the treatment of inflammatory diseases, and to compositions and enantiomeric mixtures containing them.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to carbon black pellets containing 10 to less than 48 weight % organic compound, formed by agglomerating a carbon black with an organic compound having specified characteristics. Also disclosed is the use of such pellets as a masterbatch or a concentrate.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a process for preparing co-pelletized submicron pigment powder/polymer pellets in a dry drum pelletizing process using a thermoplastic polymer as seed pellets. Also disclosed is a process for using the co-pelletized product either for formation of masterbatch or for directly introducing at least one pigment into thermoplastic media.

Abstract: A concrete floor system includes undulating sheet metal formwork for forming concrete slabs with one or more concrete ribs. The system also provides a unique type of bar chair which allows reinforcement in the form of steel rods, for example, to be dropped in place, thereby minimizing the labor required in installing the formwork.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a variety of dispersible doped multi-component BaTiO.sub.3 based powder compositions. The primary particles of each of the products are substantially spherical, have sizes in the range of 0.05 to 0.4 microns and have narrow size distributions. Further, the compositions of the primary particles, forming each powder, are comparable. The amount of dopant oxide or oxides contained in the powder composition ranges from between greater than 1 to 10 mole percent. Regardless of the dopant or dopants utilzied, all the powder compositions of the present invention are identified by the same unique morphological characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention involves a method for producing a variety of barium titanate based powder products consisting of submicron, dispersible primary particles having narrow size distributions. The method, in its broadest aspects, involves heating an aqueous slurry of PbO, or Pb(OH).sub.2, and Ca(OH).sub.2 with a stoichiometric excess of the hydrous oxides of Ti(IV), Sn(IV), Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) to a temperature not exceeding 200.degree. C. Thereafter, the resulting slurry temperature is adjusted to between 50.degree. and 200.degree. C. and a solution of Ba(OH).sub.2 and Sr(OH).sub.2, having a temperature of 70.degree. to 100.degree. C. is added within a period of five minutes or less to the slurry. About 10 minutes after the addition of the Ba(OH).sub.2 and Sr(OH).sub.2 solution is completed, the slurry is heated to a temperature not exceeding 225.degree. C. to ensure formation of a stoichiometric perovskite product. Thereafter, the slurry is cooled and the solid product is recovered.