Today Medtronic announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ended January 27, 2012. According to the report:

“CRDM third quarter revenue of $1.192 billion decreased 2 percent as reported or 3% on a constant currency basis. Third quarter revenue from ICDs was $674 million,  down 9 percent on a constant currency basis, while pacing revenue was $467 million, an increase of 3 percent on a constant currency basis. Weaker ICD sales, primarily due to declining procedure volumes in the U.S. market versus the prior year, were partially offset by continued growth of the AF Solutions and Pacing businesses.”

…

“Neuromodulation revenue of $419 million increased 4 percent as reported and on a constant currency basis. Growth continues to be driven by strong sales of InterStim® Therapy. The RestoreSensor™ spinal cord stimulator with its proprietary AdaptiveStim™ technology continues to perform well in Europe, and was approved in the U.S. and Japan in the third quarter. The U.S. launch of this product was delayed for most of the quarter due to a supply disruption resulting from the flooding in Thailand, which has subsequently been resolved.”

Image Credit: MicroCHIPS, Inc.

Last month I posted some background on MicroCHIPS, the MIT spinoff to develop implantable sensors and drug-delivery devices.  I concluded that post with the February 2011 announcement that MicroCHIPS started its clinical trial to assess the pharmacokinetics of long-term parathyroid hormone (hPTH 1-34) delivery in women with osteoporosis.

MicroCHIPS announced today the results of the first successful human clinical trial with an implantable, wirelessly controlled and programmable microchip-based drug delivery device. The MicroCHIPS study was published in today’s online edition of the journal Science Translational Medicine. Continue reading→

Today we received the first two copies of the book that I wrote with my 16-year-old daughter Shanni!  It is a do-it-yourself book on Experimental Quantum Physics, and was published by John Wiley & Sons.

From the back cover:

“Build an intuitive understanding of the principles behind quantum mechanics through practical construction and replication of original experiments.

With easy-to-acquire, low-cost materials and basic knowledge of algebra and trigonometry, Exploring Quantum Physics through Hands-on Projects takes readers step by step through the process of re-creating scientific experiments that played an essential role in the creation and development of quantum mechanics.

Presented in near chronological order—from discoveries of the early twentieth century to new material on entanglement—this book includes question- and experiment-filled chapters on:

• Light as a Wave
• Light as Particles
• Atoms and Radioactivity
• The Principle of Quantum Physics
• Wave/Particle Duality
• The Uncertainty Principle
• Schrödinger (and his Zombie Cat)
• Entanglement

From simple measurements of Planck’s constant to testing violations of Bell’s inequalities using entangled photons, Exploring Quantum Physics through Hands-on Projects not only immerses readers in the process of quantum mechanics, it gives them insight into the history of the field—how the theories and discoveries apply to our world not only today . . . but also tomorrow.

By immersing readers in groundbreaking experiments that can be performed at home, school, or in the lab, this first-ever, hands-on book successfully demystifies the world of quantum physics for all who seek to explore it—from science enthusiasts and undergrad physics students to practicing physicists and engineers.”

For more information, please visit our d.i.y.  Modern/Quantum Physics projects website at:  www.diyPhysics.com