Abstract: A blower includes a housing including an inlet and an outlet, a bearing-housing structure provided to the housing and adapted to rotatably support a rotor, a motor provided to the bearing-housing structure and adapted to drive the rotor, and an impeller provided to the rotor. The bearing-housing structure includes a bearing shaft having a bearing surface that rotatably supports the rotor. The bearing shaft provides only a single bearing of the non-ball bearing type for the rotor.

Abstract: In a system and method for controlled user tracking, a mobile device is provided for transmitting an identification signal, and a reader unit, which is statically located at a location, is provided for receiving the identification signal and transmitting to a surveillance control unit, in response to receipt of the identification signal, either the received identification signal or another signal that identifies the mobile device, for logging by the surveillance control unit of a presence of the mobile device at the location, where the mobile device and/or the reader unit is configured to transmit at least one surveillance control message for control of surveillance at the location.

Abstract: User interface systems and methods are described below that allow vehicle operators to control systems, devices, and/or functions of a vehicle by tapping on surfaces of vehicle components. The “tap-controlled vehicle interfaces (“TCVI”)” use sensors like accelerometers to sense arid recognize parameters of operator tapping. The parameters may include the location, strength, repetition, and rhythm of the tapping for example. The TCVI translates the parameters to specific commands that are then used to control corresponding vehicle systems of the host vehicle.

Abstract: Information exchange systems and methods (“IES”) are described that allow users of portable devices to initiate exchanges of information with a simple gesture. Detection of this gesture causes the host device to perform a number of actions including one or more of selecting data for an exchange transaction, identifying one or more destination devices to receive the selected data, transferring the selected data to the destination devices, and receiving complementary or corresponding data from the destination devices. The IES thus avoids the requirement for users to perform time consuming and error prone interactions involving complex operations with a device interface in order to initiate data exchanges.

Abstract: A transmurality evaluation apparatus or probe, method for manufacturing a transmurality evaluation apparatus of probe, and method for assessing the transmurality of a lesion. In one aspect, the transmurality evaluation apparatus or probe generally includes a handheld elongate housing (30), wiring (20) having a first end and a second end, at least one tissue contact (26) electrically coupled to the wiring first end, and a terminal connector (28) electrically coupled to the wiring second end. In another aspect, the method for assessing the transmurality of a lesion generally includes establishing a first electrogram of the first region of tissue, ablating a second region of tissue to form an ablated lesion, establishing a second electrogram of the first region of tissue, and comparing the first and second electrograms to assess transmurality of the ablated lesion.