Abstract: Methods and systems are directed to detecting atrial tachyarrhythmia. A plurality of A-A intervals is detected. The detected A-A intervals are selected and used to detect atrial tachyarrhythmia. Selecting A-A intervals may be based on determining that A-A intervals are qualified. Qualified A-A intervals may be determined if a duration of the particular A-A interval falls outside a predetermined duration range, for example. Qualified A-A intervals may also be determined based on events occurring between consecutively sensed atrial events of the particular A-A interval, and whether the duration of the particular A-A interval falls within the predetermined duration range, for example.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a discrete track magnetic recording media. A base layer is provided onto which repeating and alternating magnetic layer and non-magnetic layers are deposited. The thickness of the magnetic layer corresponds to the width of the track of the recording media. A cylindrical rod can be used as the base layer, such that the alternating magnetic and non-magnetic layers spiraling or concentric layers around the rod. The resulting media layer can be cut or sliced into individual magnetic media or used to imprint other media discs with the discrete pattern of the media layer.

Abstract: System and methods provide pacing therapy that modulates the atrioventricular (AV) delay to control ventricular interval variability. A base AV delay is determined as a function of heart rate. For each cardiac cycle, the base AV delay is modulated to reduce beat-to-beat variability of successive ventricular beats. The modulated AV delay compensates for variability of successive atrial beats. For example, modulation of the base AV delay may involve varying the AV delay inversely with a change in atrial interval.

Abstract: A system and method of mapping underground utilities and other subsurface objects involves one or more of acquiring utility location data using a number of different detectors and sensors, processing the multiple detector/sensor output data to produce mapping data, storing the mapping data in a database, and providing access to and use of the stored mapping data by subscribing users on a usage fee basis.

Abstract: A perpendicular recording medium having a perpendicular magnetic recording layer and a magnetically soft underlayer structure disposed beneath the recording layer. The soft underlayer structure includes at least first and second soft magnetic layers having different magnetic permeabilities to create a magnetic permeability gradient in the soft underlayer structure. One or more of the soft magnetic layers can be anti-parallel coupled. The soft underlayer structure of the present invention having a magnetic permeability gradient advantageously leads to reduced adjacent track erasure (ATE) while maintaining good overwrite (OW) properties.

Abstract: Assessing decongestive therapy delivered to a heart failure patient involves use of an implantable sensor configured to sense a physiologic parameter indicative of the patient's diuresis status and a processor coupled to the implantable sensor. The sensor may comprise a thoracic fluid sensor, a heart sounds sensor, a cardiac chamber or arterial pressure sensor, a respiration sensor, or a blood chemistry sensor, for example. The processor is configured to determine if a target level of patient diuresis has been achieved based on a relationship between the sensed physiologic parameter and a threshold developed for the patient, and to produce an output in response to determining that the target level of patient diuresis has been achieved. The processor may be disposed in an implantable housing, in a patient-external housing, or in a network server system.

Abstract: Sensors can be used to obtain encoded sensing results from objects that have nonuniform relative motion. A photosensor or impedance-based sensor, for example, can obtain sensing results from objects that have relative motion within a sensing region relative to the sensor, with the relative motion being, for example, periodically varying, randomly varying, chirp-varying, or modulated relative motion that completes at least one modulation cycle within the sensing region. Relative motion can be caused by varying objects' speed and/or direction or by controlling flow of fluid carrying objects, movement of a channel, movement of a support structure, movement of a sensor, and/or pattern movement. A fluidic implementation can include shaped channel wall parts and/or a displacement component causing time-varying lateral displacement.

Abstract: Various embodiments concern a method which may include communicating medical information between a PIMD and an interface module via a first channel in compliance with a predetermined medical information regulatory standard, preventing access to the PIMD via the interface module other than through the first channel, detecting a communication protocol used by an available generic network access device, selecting a communication protocol rule set from a plurality of communication protocol rule sets to effect communication between the interface device and an available generic network access device of a plurality of generic network access devices, and transferring at least some of the medical information to the remote network via a second channel established between the interface module and the available generic network access device using the selected communication protocol rule set.

Abstract: Methods and devices for reducing phrenic nerve stimulation of cardiac pacing systems involve delivering a pacing pulse to a ventricle of a heart. A transthoracic impedance signal is sensed, and a deviation in the signal resulting from the pacing pulse may be used to determine phrenic nerve stimulation. Methods may further involve detecting the phrenic nerve stimulation from the pacing pulse by delivering two or more pacing pulse to the ventricle of the heart, and determining a temporal relationship. A pacing vector may be selected from the two or more vectors that effects cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation. A pacing voltage and/or pulse width may be selected that provides cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation. In other embodiments, a pacing pulse width and a pacing voltage may be selected from a patient's strength-duration curve that effects cardiac capture and reduces the phrenic nerve stimulation.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods for managing message communications in systems employing frequency hopping. One method according to the invention involves transmitting a message via a frequency of a frequency hopping sequence, and determining when the same frequency will reoccur in the frequency hopping sequence. Relevant portions of the device enter a sleep mode, and the device emerges from the sleep mode when the frequency at which the message was transmitted reoccurs in the frequency hopping sequence. The device monitors for a response to the message via the frequency at which the message was transmitted when the frequency reoccurs in the frequency hopping sequence.

Abstract: In transistor structures such as thin film transistors (TFTs) in an array of cells, a layer of semiconducting oxide material that includes a channel is protected by a protective layer that includes low-temperature encapsulant material. The semiconducting oxide material can be a transition metal oxide material such as zinc oxide, and can be in an active layered substructure that also includes channel end electrodes. The low-temperature encapsulant can, for example, be an organic polymer such as poly(methyl methacrylate) or parylene, deposited on an exposed region of the oxide layer such as by spinning, spin-casting, evaporation, or vacuum deposition or an inorganic polymer deposited such as by spinning or liquid deposition. The protective layer can include a lower sublayer of low-temperature encapsulant on the exposed region and an upper sublayer of inorganic material on the lower sublayer. For roll-to-roll processing, a mechanically flexible, low-temperature substrate can be used.

Abstract: Multiple logical pages are jointly encoded into a single code word and are stored in the same physical page of a solid state non-volatile memory (NVM) device having multi-level memory cells. A first logical page of the multiple logical pages is stored in the memory device as first bits of the multi-level memory cells while a second logical page of the multiple logical pages is temporarily cached. After the first logical page is stored as the first bits of the memory cell, the second logical page is stored as second bits of the memory cells.

Abstract: An integrated heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) device comprises a slider that has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a trailing end. A waveguide is carried on the trailing end and a near field transducer is positioned to receive energy from the waveguide and produce plasmons for heating a region of a magnetic medium. A write pole is carried by the slider adjacent to the near field transducer. A laser is mounted on the top surface of the slider and produces a laser beam that passes through a beam shaper mounted on the top surface of the slider that collimates or focuses the laser beam. A mirror is mounted on the slider for directing the collimated or focused light beam into the waveguide.

Abstract: A gas therapy system involves sensing the blood gas concentration of the patient and adapting a gas therapy based on the sensed gas concentration. Disordered breathing may be detected bases on blood gas concentration, and gas or cardiac electrical therapy may be adapted to treat the detected disordered breathing. One or more of sensing the blood gas concentration, detecting disordered breathing, or adapting the therapy may be performed at least in part implantably. The gas therapy is delivered to the patient through an external respiratory device, such as a positive airway pressure device.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a waveguide shaped to direct light to a focal point, and a near-field transducer positioned adjacent to the focal point, wherein the near-field transducer includes a dielectric component and a metallic component positioned adjacent to at least a portion of the dielectric component. An apparatus includes a waveguide shaped to direct light to a focal point, and a near-field transducer positioned adjacent to the focal point, wherein the near-field transducer includes a first metallic component, a first dielectric layer positioned adjacent to at least a portion of the first metallic component, and a second metallic component positioned adjacent to at least a portion of the first dielectric component.

Abstract: The read channel of a solid state non-volatile memory may be configured to compensate for shifts in the threshold voltages of memory cells of the memory. A log of write time information and write temperature information from one or more write operations is stored in a data unit header. The read channel configuration, which may include reference voltages used for the read operation, is determined using the write time information and the write temperature information. Memory cells of the data unit are read using the configured read channel. A historical profile spanning multiple write operations may also be developed and used to configure the read channel.

Abstract: An optoelectronic pickup for a musical instrument includes at least one light source which directs light to impinge a string of the musical instrument in at least one photoreceiver located to detect the reflected light, so as to generate an electrical signal that is responsive to string vibrations. A number of different filter approaches are disclosed that can control undesired effects of spurious light. The filter approaches may be structure-based, signal processing-based, and/or optics-based.

Abstract: A nominal reference read operation compares analog voltages of the memory cells to at least one nominal reference voltage. A shifted reference read operation compares the analog voltages of the memory cells to at least one shifted reference voltage that is shifted from the nominal reference voltage to compensate for an expected change in the analog voltages of the memory cells. Data stored in the memory cells is decoded by a first decoding process that uses the information from either the nominal reference read operation or the shifted reference read operation. The data stored in the memory cells is decoded by a second decoding process that uses the information from both the nominal reference read operation and the shifted reference read operation.

Abstract: A recording media design having discrete track recording structure where the trenches between tracks are filled with a soft magnetic material is provided. The soft magnetic material provides a low magnetic impedance path to the soft underlayer such that fringe fields from the write head are conducted to the soft underlayer without having a negative effect such as adjacent track erasure. A method of manufacturing the media includes a nano-imprint step and ion milling out the data layer to create the trenches. A B2O3 material allows the data layer to be ion milled out without redeposition bridging the B2O3 layer thus preventing lift off of the mask. The trenches are then filled by ion deposition with the layers of ferromagnetic material separated by an anti-ferromagnetic coupling that causes the flux to be conducted to the soft underlayer and remnant flux to rotate within the island and not into adjacent tracks.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of bilayer structures positioned adjacent to each other, each of the bilayer structures including a first layer of magnetic material having a first Curie temperature and a second layer of magnetic material positioned adjacent to the first layer, wherein the second layer has a second Curie temperature that is lower than the first Curie temperature, and magnetic grains of the first layer are unstable when the second layer of magnetic material is heated above the second Curie temperature. The recording temperature is reduced due to the smaller switching volume achieved by using vertically decoupled laminations at elevated temperatures.