Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for identifying a biomedical condition of a subject includes apparatus for collecting blood flow sounds from the subject and a computing device that stores computer-executable instructions that are configured to: receive the collected blood flow sounds, extract acoustic heart pulses from the collected blood flow sounds, segment the acoustic heart pulses to obtain acoustic heart pulse segments, compute a continuous time wavelet transform-based feature for each acoustic heart pulse segment, and perform clustering on the computed continuous time wavelet transform-based features to determine whether or not the subject is experiencing the biomedical condition.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for determining physiological parameters from blood flow dynamics includes a catheter configured for insertion into a blood vessel of a subject through which blood flows, a flexible barrier associated with the catheter configured to oscillate in response to changes in pressure of the blood within the catheter, and a pressure field microphone configured to measure a pressure field induced by the oscillation of the flexible barrier and to generate a measured acoustic pressure signal that can be processed to determine the physiological parameters.

Abstract: A method for producing an interconnect from a first metal trace, through a dielectric, to a second metal trace. The method comprises the steps of heating a portion of the first metal trace to cause thermal expansion and at least partial melting thereof and heating a portion of the second metal trace to cause thermal expansion and at least partial melting thereof such that the thermal expansion of the traces causes at least one crack or fissure in the dielectric to be formed between the traces and such that the melting of the traces causes the metals to fuse together through the crack or fissure, thereby producing the interconnect from the first metal trace to the second metal trace. One of the metal traces may comprise a substantially square donut shape configuration having four interior edges portions, wherein the probability of a successful interconnection is increased due to the increased number of edges present on the tope layer from which a crack or fissure to the lower layer can form.

Abstract: A method for producing an interconnect from a first metal trace, through a dielectric, to a second metal trace. The method comprises the steps of heating a portion of the first metal trace to cause thermal expansion and at least partial melting thereof and heating a portion of the second metal trace to cause thermal expansion and at least partial melting thereof such that the thermal expansion of the traces causes at least one crack or fissure in the dielectric to be formed between the traces and such that the melting of the traces causes the metals to fuse together through the crack or fissure, thereby producing the interconnect from the first metal trace to the second metal trace. One of the metal traces may comprise a substantially square donut shape configuration having four interior edges portions, wherein the probability of a successful interconnection is increased due to the increased number of edges present on the top layer from which a crack or fissure to the lower layer can form.