Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating obese or other patients with compulsive overeating disorder includes unilaterally or bilaterally stimulating one or both of the left and right branches of a patient's vagus nerve directly or indirectly with an electrical pulse signal generated by an implantable neurostimulator with at least one operatively coupled nerve electrode to apply the pulse signal to the selected nerve branch at a location below the patient's diaphragm. The implantable neurostimulator is programmable to enable physician programming of electrical and timing parameters of the pulse signal, to induce weight loss of the patient.

Abstract: A crucible melting furnace has a feature it has a high thermal efficiency and that differences in temperature does not substantially occur in a molten metal within a crucible and can provide products of uniform quality. Moreover, the crucible melting furnace has a feature it does not substantially damage the crucible, and can prolong the life (serviceable life) of the crucible. The furnace has the crucible 1, and the thermal flow guide 10, defined around the crucible 1, which guides the thermal flow heating the crucible 1. The thermal flow guide 10 has the guide (protruded streak) 3 which guides the thermal flow along the spiral path around the crucible 1.

Abstract: A new control method is used to regulate the reactive power consumption of an electric arc furnace. Active and reactive power values are used space vector variables and serve as control parameter of the power source, which consists of a furnace transformer with current controllers and a booster transformer. This method helps maintain constant reactive power consumption, reduce flicker at the point of common coupling and minimize the disturbances in the power system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for determining a volume of tumor mass destroyed. The present invention includes a temperature probe and a laser probe having a temperature sensor. The laser probe and temperature probe are inserted to measure a temperature of the tumor mass and a temperature of tissue mass surrounding the tumor mass. By determining the volume of tumor mass destroyed, a graphical representation of the volume of tumor mass destroyed is provided whereby real-time visual monitoring of the destruction of the tumor mass is achieved.

Abstract: A power control system for an AC electric arc furnace. The control system includes variable reactors located intermediate a furnace power supply and arc electrodes that are height adjustable. The control system monitors operating characteristics of the furnace that are indicative of the active power consumption of the furnace and adjusts the variable reactors and the electrode height so as to minimize variations in the active power consumption. Loss of electrode arc can be predicted and countered by lowering the electrodes and decreasing the reactance of the variable reactors.

Abstract: An implantable nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer for measuring the chemical composition of a fluid or for measuring the flow rate of the fluid. The spectrometer includes a housing and a catheter traversing across the housing so that a fluid external to the housing may flow through the catheter within the housing. A permanent magnet is disposed within the housing and generates an intense homogenous magnetic field in the vicinity of the catheter. An electronic circuit is disposed within the housing for detecting and formatting a nuclear magnetic resonance excitation signal. An excitation coil is connected to the electronic circuit and is disposed about the catheter to expose the fluid within the catheter to the excitation signal and to collect the nuclear magnetic resonance excitation signal.

Abstract: An induction melting furnace comprises a melt chamber for heating a melt either directly by magnetic induction, or indirectly by magnetic induction heating of the melt chamber, or a combination of the two, and a meter chamber connected to the melt chamber for providing a metered discharge of the melt from the furnace. A gas can be injected into the furnace to provide a blanket over the surface of the melt in the melt chamber and a pressurized flush of the metered discharge of the melt from the meter chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for manufacturing a preform, wherein a carrier tube is collapsed to a preform, which device comprises a heating element forming a cylindrical envelope, which envelope defines an annular inlet opening and an annular outlet opening at opposite ends of the envelope, a carrier tube being present within the cylindrical envelope, between said openings, the heating element being movable in axial direction with respect to the carrier tube, and means for supplying a non-oxidizing gas to the space between the carrier tube and the envelope.

Abstract: The present invention provides an arc-melting apparatus, which attains extremely high efficiency by preheating scraps using exhaust gas from the melting chamber. The arc-melting apparatus needs for no device to carry and supply an iron source to a melting chamber, which makes it possible to preheat the next charge. The arc-melting apparatus has a melting furnace which melts scraps, a preheating shaft connected directly to an upper part of one side of the melting furnace, an arc electrode for melting scraps in the melting furnace, a bucket for supplying scraps to the preheat shaft so as to continuously maintain scraps in the melting furnace and in the preheating shaft, a tapping portion having a tapping hole, being projected outward from the melting furnace and a tilting device for tilting the melting furnace on a side of the tapping portion. The tapping portion is arranged at an orthogonal direction to the direction of the supplied cold iron source.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling epilepsy and other neurological disorders by providing electrical stimulation to a patient's brain in response to detected neurological conditions. An implantable device includes a stimulation subsystem coupled to a stimulation electrode to provide responsive electrical brain stimulation in response to an event detected via an on-board processor's analysis of data received from a detection subsystem coupled to a detection electrode located in a different portion of the patient's brain.

Abstract: A defibrillator which contains a device for producing alternating voltage, a power factor controller for converting the alternating voltage to a direct voltage, and a device for converting the direct voltage into a biphasic waveform voltage. The defibrillator also contains a device for sensing the electrical activity of a human heart and for allowing one to hear an audio signal corresponding to such activity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a self-baking electrode for use in low electric reduction furnaces, and refers particularly to a container (1) for the formation of self-baking electrodes to be used in low electric reduction furnaces, allowing the manufacture of silicon alloys with iron content as low as 0.35%, the container comprising a cylindrical casing (11) split in two parts containing therein a plurality of ribs (12) uniformly attached perpendicularly along the inner surface of the casing (11) lengthwise along the cylindrical casing wherein the cylindrical casing (11) and ribs (12) are made of stainless steel plates.

Abstract: An endoscope system with an endoscope, a TV monitor, and a peripheral device separate from the endoscope and the TV monitor is provided. The endoscope includes an objective optical system and an image pickup device that converts an image formed by the objective optical system into a video signal which can be indicated in the TV monitor. The endoscope also includes a signal generator that generates a control signal to be supplied to the peripheral device so as to control the peripheral device. Additionally, the endoscope includes a transmitter that transmits the video signal to the TV monitor while no control signal is generated by the signal generator. The transmitter also transmits, as a radio signal, both the video signal and the control signal to the TV monitor and the peripheral device upon the control signal being generated by the signal generator.

Abstract: An improved control for the heater element of a motor vehicle engine exhaust gas oxygen sensor determines the temperature of the heater element and adjusts the heater element current by closed-loop control to minimize deviation of the heater element temperature from a desired heater temperature determined in relation to the desired oxygen sensor temperature. The heater temperature is calculated based on the heater element resistance, and the heater resistance is adaptively adjusted to account for sensor-to-sensor variation. The adaptive adjustment is updated based on a deviation of the measured heater element resistance from an expected value under predetermined calibration conditions at engine start-up.

Abstract: A container for microwave heating of a food product, and a method of fabricating such a container, wherein the container includes a tub assembly having a moisture-impervious floor and one or more sidewalls. A quantity of food product, such as popcorn, is placed in a pocket formed in a sheet of barrier material, and a continuous heat seal is formed between the floor of the tub and the sheet of barrier material. A microwave susceptor can be disposed to the floor for heating the food product.

Abstract: A neural stimulation system allows the magnitude of electrical stimuli generated by the system to be programmed to a desired level greater than or equal to a minimum perceived threshold and less than or equal to a maximum tolerable perceived threshold. The electrical stimuli are applied through selected groupings of individual electrode contacts of a multi-electrode-contact electrode array attached to pulse generation circuitry as either cathodes or anodes. The electrode array is implanted so that the individual electrode contacts are in contact with the body tissue to be stimulated. Stimulating electrical current pulses, defined by a prescribed set of stimulus parameters are generated and applied to the selected electrode contacts so as to flow from the anode electrodes to the cathode electrodes. The perceived magnitude of the applied stimuli is equalized in order to enable quick, automated, and/or interactive programming of the values of the stimulation parameters.

Abstract: A method for determining illness, progression to death, and timing of death of a biological entity, in which whole body measurements of electrical impedance and composition of the biological entity are taken and recorded at predetermined intervals of time for providing initially measured values and serially measured values, and then the initially measured values are compared to normal values and to the serially measured values to determine hallmarks or characteristics of illness, progression to death and timing to death of the biological entity.

Abstract: A method of making steel in an electric arc furnace is provided. The method comprises the steps of measuring electrical current in at least two phases of electrical power supplied to electrodes in the furnace during a campaign, establishing a setpoint current level and an input time interval, and switching between modes of inputting exothermic energy into the steel melt when at least two phases have measured current levels below the setpoint for the input time interval.

Abstract: A stave cooler used for cooling a furnace wall of a metallurgical furnace such as a blast furnace, having a structure in which cooling pipes to cool a metal base are cast on the side opposite the furnace interior side of the metal base and a heat resistant steel plate having openings or a lamination of heat resistant steel plates having openings is cast, in a prescribed thickness, in the furnace interior side surface of the metal base. It is acceptable to form the lamination suitably into a rectangular parallelepiped and cast it, in a plurality, in the furnace interior side of the metal base. The wear rate of the furnace interior side surface of the stave cooler is small, and its structure prevents the heat resistant steel plate(s) from falling out by thermal expansion of the stave cooler proper or wearing locally.

Abstract: Feed device (100) for a shaft furnace (101), with a revolving chute (107, 111) comprising a cylindrical basic body (107) that can be driven so as to rotate about a first, substantially vertically oriented axis of rotation (A1) with a first drive mechanism (119) and a feed chute (111) that is fixedly attached to an outlet (107a) of the basic body and can be rotated therewith, in which the feed chute is composed of an upper part (113), which is adjacent to the outlet of the basic body and extends longitudinally at an angle to the first axis of rotation, and a lower part (115), which is rotatably connected to the upper part and comprises a second drive mechanism (127) for rotation about a second, substantially vertical axis of rotation (A2) spaced apart from the first axis of rotation.