Abstract: Provided among other things is a thermal noise imaging device with (a) thermal noise source; (b) amplifier of thermal noise; (c) antennas adapted to transmit the amplified noise to a perfused body and receive perfused body noise; (d) reference circuit adapted to receive the amplified thermal noise and produce a reference signal; (e) perfused body docking interface adapted to interface with one or more surfaces of the perfused body and (i) support a reflection set of one or more antennas in close proximity with a surface of the perfused body or (ii) support separate transmission sets of one or more antennas on opposing surfaces of the perfused body; and (f) analytical module for the perfused body noise and the reference signal and determining a reflected power from the reflection set or a transmitted power from the transmission sets.

Abstract: Provided among other things is a thermal noise imaging device comprising: (a) a source of thermal noise; (b) an amplifier for amplifying the thermal noise; (c) one or more antennas adapted to transmit the amplified thermal noise to a perfused body and receive perfused body noise, which is the amplified thermal noise after reflection from or transmission through the perfused body; (d) a reference circuit adapted to receive the amplified thermal noise and produce a reference signal; (e) a perfused body docking interface adapted to interface with one or more surfaces of the perfused body and (i) support a reflection set of one or more antennas in close proximity with a surface of the perfused body or (ii) support separate transmission sets of one or more antennas on opposing surfaces of the perfused body; and (f) an analytical module for receiving the perfused body noise and the reference signal and determining one or more of a reflected power from the reflection set and a transmitted power from the transmission

Abstract: 2N?1 four-terminal phase-reversing switches are arranged in one or more columns of cascaded switches, wherein a frequency having a given relative phase ? is applied as an input of the top switch in a cascade. A particular configuration of 2N?1 different reference-values, determined by a preselected N-Bit binary code, is applied to the respective 2N?1 switches so that (1) whenever the amplitude value of an applied analog signal reaches a value equal to the reference value applied to any switch, that switch will switch to reverse the phase at its output from the phase at its input, and (2) cause the switching of the phase at the output at each switch ordinally situated in a column below that switch. The respective output phases from a certain subset of N switches of the 2N?1 switches define the binary values of the preselected N-Bit binary code output from the A/D converter.

Abstract: Each of various modifications of an integrated-structure inflatable balloon catheter design includes a longitudinal structure having a sharply-pointed insertion needle at a distal end of the longitudinal structure and an inflatable balloon situated intermediate a proximate end and the distal end of the longitudinal structure which is attached to said longitudinal structure. With the inflatable balloon in a deflated state, the insertion needle may be used to puncture the patient's skin and underlying sub-cutaneous tissue and place the deflated balloon in proximity to the diseased sub-cutaneous tissue, The balloon is then inflated to press against and thereby spatially deform the diseased sub-cutaneous tissue, after which the deformed diseased sub-cutaneous tissue may be therapeutically heated. This heating may be sufficient to cause the creation of a permanent cavity in the deformed diseased sub-cutaneous tissue which persists after the catheter is withdrawn.

Abstract: An active RF or microwave bandage, that incorporates any of various disclosed configurations of pliable planar microstrip or slotline antenna structures, is conformable to a selected area of the skin of a patient for use in therapeutically treating soft tissue of the patient underlying the selected area with pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) energy of a given frequency radiated from the planar antenna structure. The PEMF energy is supplied to the planar antenna structure by means including a PEMF generator (which generator may be a miniaturized portable generator employing a battery power supply that permits the patient being treated to be ambulatory).

Abstract: Disclosed are a plurality of different circuits employing a field effect transistor (FET), that preferably is a pseudomorphic high-electron-mobility transistor (PHEMT) that may be fabricated on a large-size monolithic chip, wherein the PHEMT is operated as a variable resistance in response to a first operating signal voltage applied to its gate and a second operating signal voltage having at least a first of two opposite polarities applied to its drain-source path, at least one of first and second operating signal voltages includes a multigigahertz frequency signal component having a certain phase; and the respective amplitudes of the first and second operating signal voltages are sufficiently low that the maximum power dissipation by the circuit is in the order of microwatts or less.

Abstract: Disclosed are three embodiments of a method for determining the formation of a "biological stent" for permanently maintaining the widened bore portion of the urethra of a male patient undergoing treatment for a disease of the prostate. In this treatment, the bore portion is first temporarily widened by squeezing pressure on urethral tissue thereof applied by an inflated balloon of a microwave balloon catheter inserted in the urethera and then microwave energy sufficient to form the "biological stent" is applied to the urethral tissue. The first embodiment involves noting an observable drop in the measured value of the inflation pressure inflating the balloon when the urethral tissue has been sufficiently heated to effect a noticeable drop in the elasticity of the irradiated urethral tissue.

Abstract: Disclosed are four improvements in temperature-measuring radiometric equipment. The first improvement is directed to increasing the sensitivity of a radiometer by employing microwave noise power derived from a reference noise source in an amount that corresponds to a temperature higher than that of the specimen, and applying the reference-noise-source-derived microwave noise power as an input to the radiometer for a shorter time than is microwave noise power derived from a specimen. The second improvement is directed to reducing emissivity error by employing open-loop means comprising a microwave circulator for applying microwave noise power generated by at least one resistor thermostatically heated to a temperature in the neighborhood of the temperature of a patient's body tissue back to the body tissue.

Abstract: Disclosed are four improvements in temperature-measuring radiometric equipment. The first improvement is directed to increasing the sensitivity of a radiometer by employing microwave noise power derived from a reference noise source in an amount that corresponds to a temperature higher than that of the specimen, and applying the reference-noise-source-derived microwave noise power as an input to the radiometer for a shorter time than is microwave noise power derived from a specimen. The second improvement is directed to reducing emissivity error by employing open-loop means comprising a microwave circulator for applying microwave noise power generated by at least one resistor thermostatically heated to a temperature in the neighborhood of the temperature of a patient's body tissue back to the body tissue.

Abstract: Any one of several improved devices capable of implementing microwave phase logic (MPL) operating at gigabits per second rates comprises either at least one of means performing the function of a multigate microwave-monolithic-integrated-circuit (MMIC) field-effect transistor (FET), or a pair of doubly-balanced mixers, in which each of the mixers includes an RF port, a local-oscillator (LO) port and an IF port, and the IF port of a first of the doubly-balanced mixers is directly connected to the IF port of a second of the doubly-balanced mixers.

Abstract: Pulse shocks of high-frequency wave energy (e.g. RF, microwave, high-energy infra-red or laser electromagnetic wave energy or ultrasonic acoustic wave energy), rather than DC electric pulses, are employed to non-invasively produce force fields of an intensity sufficient to create transient pores in the plasma membranes of targeted cells, such as tumor cells or other diseased cells, through which either locally or systemically applied drug or chemotherapeutic agents can easily enter and be taken up by the targeted cells, even for (1) the cells of a deep-seated tumor, (2) non-localized metastasized tumor cells within a patient's body, or (3) cells (e.g., blood cells) temporarily removed to outside of a patient's body.

Abstract: The use of one or more multi-gate (e.g., dual-gate) FETs are employed in an RF or microwave delay line. The carrier drift velocity in each multi-gate FET is controlled in accordance with the variable magnitude of a delay-control voltage applied between its drain and source, thereby controlling the time delay experienced by an RF or microwave signal traveling between spaced first and second gates of a multi-gate FET. The gates of a plurality of multi-gate FETs may be serially-coupled through amplifying circuits to produce a delay chain in which the total delay is the sum of the delays of all the multi-gate FETs in the chain. A single delay-control voltage, which can be continuously variable, may be used to control the total delay provided by all multi-gate FETs in the chain. Alternatively, a separate delay-control voltage, which can be independently continuously variable, may be used for independently controlling the delay provided by each individual multi-gate FET in the chain.

Abstract: A miniaturized microwave applicator comprises a thin-wall metal dielectric-filled waveguide having a thermocouple preferably disposed in a groove in the surface of the dielectric radiating aperture of the waveguide when the aperture is placed in contact with a spot on the outer surface of the conjunctiva or sclera overlying the type of given internal tissue of the eye, such as the ciliary body or chorioretinal tissue, which has a relatively high water content compared to conjunctival or scleral eye tissue. This permits cyclodestruction of the ciliary body, as a treatment for glaucoma, by heat generated by absorbed microwave energy radiated thereto during a given time. It also permits microwave heating to repair a detached retina by chorioretinal scar formation.

Abstract: A difference-in-time-of-arrival direction finder includes auto-correlation means that includes means for substantially reducing, at the output of the auto-correlation means, the unwanted noise power of all uncorrelated unselected incoming radio-waves received at two spaced antennas that arrive from any direction other than a certain direction with respect to the wanted signal correlated power of that selected one incoming radio-wave arriving from the certain direction with respect to the line connecting the antennas specified by a given signal time delay provided by a delay line associated with one of the antennas.

Abstract: Disclosed are the following three improvements to apparatus employing a microwave radiometer to measure the temperature of a specimen: By situating a low-loss, high-temperature dielectric microwave antenna, which may be composed of low-loss alumina ceramic, within a high-loss-high-temperature antenna sheath, which may be a ceramic composed of an alumina-graphite mixture, a microwave radiometer may be employed to continuously measure the temperature of a material at high temperature, such as molten steel.

Abstract: Disclosed are three forms of an angioplastic instrument employing a ferrite material inductively-heated from outside a patient's body to soften plaque occluding a lumen of a vas of the patient. In a first form, the angioplastic instrument is comprised solely of a thin guide wire having a ferrite-coated tip at its distal end. Each of the other two forms of the angioplastic instrument heats the liquid filling the balloon of an angioplastic balloon catheter with the inductively-heated ferrite material. By utilizing ferrite materials having different Curie temperatures, the amount of heating can be adjusted for a particular treatment protocol. Also, by limiting the value of the Curie temperature of the ferrite material to a safe value, the tissue underlying the vas is inherently protected from undue injury due to overheating.

Abstract: A radar probe including several individual scanning antennas is mounted in the wall of the furnace above the loading surface and performs a two-dimensional scanning of the entire loading surface.

Abstract: Applying squeezing pressure to a diseased prostate, by means of a urethral and/or rectal catheter incorporating an inflatable prostate balloon, to compress the prostate while it is being irradiated from a microwave antenna, increases the therapeutic temperature to which the prostate tissue more distal to the microwave antenna can be heated without heating any non-prostate tissue beyond a maximum safe temperature, and reduces the temperature differential between the heated more distal and more proximate prostate tissue from the microwave antenna.

Abstract: A microwave carrier signal is transmitted into certain tissue (such as the thorax) of a patient from an outer one of three linearly-arranged independent elements of an antenna assembly. Back-scatter portions of the carrier signal are received by both the middle and the other outer ones of the elements of the antenna assembly. The back-scatter portion received by the middle element is phase-modulated by a modulation frequency and retransmitted into the tissue of the patient, and the other outer element also receives a back-scatter portion of this retransmitted phase-modulated signal. The total signal received by this other outer element is beat against the original microwave signal in a mixer and the output of the mixer is applied as an input to a bandpass filter, which passes only the phase-modulated signal. The envelope of the bandpass filter output is indicative of motion (e.g., breathing rate) of the patient.

Abstract: A carrier-frequency signal transmitted through the individual's thorax from a first module to a second module, is modulated at the second module and retransmitted back through the individual's thorax to the first module. An attribute (e.g., doppler frequency shift or amplitude variation) of solely the modulation component of the signal received by the first module is employed to monitor the waveform of cyclic movement (e.g., breathing rate) within the individual's thorax.