A lithium secondary battery having improved output characteristics is provided. In particular, the technique involves enabling a first converter to provide a first soft start power signal to the operating circuitry and a second converter to provide a second soft start power signal to the operation circuitry. The sensor is configured and arranged for implantation into the body of a mammal for contact with body fluids of the mammal. The feeding arrangement in one embodiment includes cooperating feed rollers, at least one of which is a rotary cutting die having a plurality of cutting blades on its surface for cutting slits in the material at spaced locations along the length of the material to allow an operator to manually rip a desired length of cushioning product from the material being dispensed from the apparatus. A user profile can be compiled for utilization during the retrieval of the negotiable economic credit.