Warner Robins, GA ? Robins Federal Credit Union recently made a $500 monetary donation to HODAC. This donation will extend a helping hand, to make a difference in the lives touched through education, advocacy, prevention, and intervention services.
Robins Federal Credit Union is a local non-profit financial cooperative with nineteen branches in central Georgia. Robins Federal currently provides financial services to over 145,000 members, with assets exceeding $1.8 billion. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in the 16 counties Robins Federal serves.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Brent futures held steady above $109 as investors judged the previous session's fall in prices to their lowest in nearly three weeks as an opportunity to buy, with simmering tensions in the Middle East providing additional support.
Asian shares, the euro and base metals all recovered on renewed interest for riskier assets as better data from the United States and Europe revived hopes the global economy is not worsening further.
For oil, intensifying violence in Lebanon linked to the conflict in Syria escalated worries about supply disruption from the region.
Brent crude rose 36 cents to as much as $109.80 a barrel and traded at $109.42 by 0405 GMT, after declining for five days to the lowest since October 4. U.S. oil rose 24 cents to $88.89.
"We are seeing a moderate risk-on mood in the Asia Pacific," said Ric Spooner, chief market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. "Equities were up and looked like that was flowing through to the oil market. We are seeing a bit of anticipatory confidence about China basing out and on the green shoots in the United States."
At least seven people were killed and dozens wounded in gunbattles in the Lebanese capital Beirut and coastal Tripoli on Monday. The clashes have heightened fears that Syria's civil war with its sectarian dimensions is now spreading into Lebanon, and may spread further across the region.
Yet, oil is poised to fall in the coming weeks as markets are well supplied while the outlook for global economic growth remains weak, Spooner said. Spooner expects Brent to slide to $105 a barrel in the next few weeks, with U.S. oil trading between $80-$85.
Prices are also under pressure from expectations U.S. oil inventories likely rose for the third straight week as imports recovered, a preliminary Reuters poll of analysts showed.
Crude inventories were expected to have risen 1.7 million barrels for the week ended October 19. All seven analysts saw a build in stockpiles. In the previous week, domestic oil stocks rose 2.9 million barrels to 369.2 million barrels, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed.
Brent may revisit its October 3 low of $107.67 as it has cleared support at $109.68, while U.S. oil is expected to retest support at $88.19, with a good chance of breaking it and falling more to $86.69, Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao.
Chronic electrical stimulation at acupressure points may relieve stomach woes for diabeticsPublic release date: 22-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin jgaulin@gi.org 301-263-9000 American College of Gastroenterology
Study suggests home-based, non-invasive therapy is effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms
Las Vegas, NV (October 22, 2012) Diabetic patients who suffer from a common complication of diabetes called gastroparesis may find that chronic electrical stimulation (ES) at specific acupuncture points could relieve gastroparesis symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, abdominal fullness, upper abdominal pain and bloating, according to study results unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.
The study, "Chronic Electrical Stimulation at Acupuncture Points Improves Dyspeptic Symptoms," used a watch-sized digital microstimulator that was specially developed for this project to assess the effects of ongoing electrical stimulation at acupuncture points on gastroparesis symptoms in diabetic patients with refractory gastroparesis. Despite medical therapy, these patients have not found relief for their symptoms and experience frequent physician and emergency room visits or hospitalizations because often they are unable to eat or keep food down and maintain proper nutrition, according to lead investigator Jiande Chen, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch. "These are very severe symptoms and could be life-threatening as the treatment options for these patients are very limited and there are no effective medications," said Dr. Chen who noted that the device looks and works like the microstimualtors used to alleviate motion sickness that are already on the market.
Diabetes is a lifelong disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Gastroparesis is a type of nerve damage affecting the vagus nerve which controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. Ten to fifteen percent of the 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes have gastroparesis. This condition can worsen diabetes by making it more difficult to manage blood glucose levels because a delay in gastric emptying can cause a spike in glucose levels when the food finally enters the small intestine, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The device used for this blind cross-over design study on 26 diabetic patients with gastroparesis (18 completed the study) was worn either on the wrist or the leg with four-week ES and four-week sham ES in a randomized order. Electrical stimulation was performed via surface ECG electrodes placed at acupoints PC6 and ST36 using pulse trains. Sham-ES was performed using same parameters via non-acupoints. The PC6 acupuncture point is located on the wrist about 2 1/2 fingers up from the wrist
crease on the inside of the forearm, while ST36 is located on the front of the leg, one hand width (four fingers) below the kneecap, on the outside, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle.
Patients were asked to self-apply ES/Sham ES for two hours after each lunch and dinner and the electrogastrogram (EGG) and ECG were recorded at the beginning and end of each 4-week treatment.
According to investigators, 4-week ES not sham-ES "significantly improved" 5 of 9 gastroparesis symptoms: nausea by 29.7 percent; vomiting by 39.3 percent; abdominal fullness by 21.4 percent, bloating by 20.6 percent and retching by 31.1 percent. ES also resulted in a trend of increased vagal activity after eating.
"With all five symptoms significantly improving between 20 and 40 percent, this home-based, non-invasive electrostimulation therapy is feasible and effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms and possible mechanisms involving central, gastric and autonomic functions require further study, " said Dr. Chen. "Although this is a small study, the results are noteworthy because the side-effects and the cost are low." Dr. Chen added that the device is not yet on the market.
###
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. www.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://gi.org/media/press-releases-for-acg-annual-scientific-meeting/
Follow ACG on Twitter Tweet, Follow #ACG2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Chronic electrical stimulation at acupressure points may relieve stomach woes for diabeticsPublic release date: 22-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jacqueline Gaulin jgaulin@gi.org 301-263-9000 American College of Gastroenterology
Study suggests home-based, non-invasive therapy is effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms
Las Vegas, NV (October 22, 2012) Diabetic patients who suffer from a common complication of diabetes called gastroparesis may find that chronic electrical stimulation (ES) at specific acupuncture points could relieve gastroparesis symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, early satiety, abdominal fullness, upper abdominal pain and bloating, according to study results unveiled today at the American College of Gastroenterology's (ACG) 77th Annual Scientific meeting in Las Vegas.
The study, "Chronic Electrical Stimulation at Acupuncture Points Improves Dyspeptic Symptoms," used a watch-sized digital microstimulator that was specially developed for this project to assess the effects of ongoing electrical stimulation at acupuncture points on gastroparesis symptoms in diabetic patients with refractory gastroparesis. Despite medical therapy, these patients have not found relief for their symptoms and experience frequent physician and emergency room visits or hospitalizations because often they are unable to eat or keep food down and maintain proper nutrition, according to lead investigator Jiande Chen, Ph.D., of the University of Texas Medical Branch. "These are very severe symptoms and could be life-threatening as the treatment options for these patients are very limited and there are no effective medications," said Dr. Chen who noted that the device looks and works like the microstimualtors used to alleviate motion sickness that are already on the market.
Diabetes is a lifelong disease in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood. High blood glucose causes chemical changes in nerves and damages the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Gastroparesis is a type of nerve damage affecting the vagus nerve which controls the movement of food through the digestive tract. Ten to fifteen percent of the 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes have gastroparesis. This condition can worsen diabetes by making it more difficult to manage blood glucose levels because a delay in gastric emptying can cause a spike in glucose levels when the food finally enters the small intestine, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The device used for this blind cross-over design study on 26 diabetic patients with gastroparesis (18 completed the study) was worn either on the wrist or the leg with four-week ES and four-week sham ES in a randomized order. Electrical stimulation was performed via surface ECG electrodes placed at acupoints PC6 and ST36 using pulse trains. Sham-ES was performed using same parameters via non-acupoints. The PC6 acupuncture point is located on the wrist about 2 1/2 fingers up from the wrist
crease on the inside of the forearm, while ST36 is located on the front of the leg, one hand width (four fingers) below the kneecap, on the outside, in the depression between the shinbone and the leg muscle.
Patients were asked to self-apply ES/Sham ES for two hours after each lunch and dinner and the electrogastrogram (EGG) and ECG were recorded at the beginning and end of each 4-week treatment.
According to investigators, 4-week ES not sham-ES "significantly improved" 5 of 9 gastroparesis symptoms: nausea by 29.7 percent; vomiting by 39.3 percent; abdominal fullness by 21.4 percent, bloating by 20.6 percent and retching by 31.1 percent. ES also resulted in a trend of increased vagal activity after eating.
"With all five symptoms significantly improving between 20 and 40 percent, this home-based, non-invasive electrostimulation therapy is feasible and effective in treating gastroparesis symptoms and possible mechanisms involving central, gastric and autonomic functions require further study, " said Dr. Chen. "Although this is a small study, the results are noteworthy because the side-effects and the cost are low." Dr. Chen added that the device is not yet on the market.
###
About the American College of Gastroenterology
Founded in 1932, the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) is an organization with an international membership of more than 12,000 individuals from 80 countries. The College is committed to serving the clinically oriented digestive disease specialist through its emphasis on scholarly practice, teaching and research. The mission of the College is to serve the evolving needs of physicians in the delivery of high quality, scientifically sound, humanistic, ethical, and cost-effective health care to gastroenterology patients. www.gi.org View releases on other research breaking at the ACG meeting at http://gi.org/media/press-releases-for-acg-annual-scientific-meeting/
Follow ACG on Twitter Tweet, Follow #ACG2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Website design is subjective. It?s a matter of taste and can go in lots of different directions. Add in a group of highly opinionated stakeholders and you are likely to end up with a website that resembles a Jackson Pollack painting.
Some stakeholders are drawn to warm colors like reds and oranges. Others may prefer blues and greens. Some might like a minimalist look while others want a site that is rich with detail.
You could have a CEO who paints or shoots photographs and has a great eye for art and design. But here?s the thing, she is not your target audience.
Your IT Director might have some strong opinions about user interface but he is not your target user. Maybe your Marketing Director is a fan of polka dots? OK, I?ll stop. You get the picture.
Website design also has a lot of ?rules.? The problem with rules and the internet is that the rules of today might be completely meaningless in tomorrow?s web.
I Googled the phrase ?website design rules? and got 314,000,000 results (h/t Rebel?s Guide to Email Marketing). That?s a lot of rules. Think they all apply? Probably not.
I?ve said this before: your website is for your target audience. Stop and read that sentence again.
While you might find many design ideas and website best practices (73,300,000 results for that phrase), the only hard and fast rule that applies is? do what works for your target audience.
It is much easier to design for conversion than it is to satisfy personal tastes. Take away the hassle of trying to choose a color palette, font or background texture that will please everyone in your office. Whew! What a relief. So what?s left? Your goals!
Who is your target audience and what do you want them to do?
How can your site?s design help with that?
Let?s look through the elements of design and see how they might relate to your goals?
Website Design Elements: Color
Color can be used in many different ways. It should not be used simply because it is someone?s favorite (unless that someone is every potential client).
Instead, use color as signal, indicator or tone setting device. Color can be used to draw attention to something, like a brightly colored button or graphic.
Color can also be used to show strength, stability or calm. And of course you can use dark and foreboding colors to show the user you are dealing with something scary.
The use of color should be aligned with the goals of the website and not simply with someone?s personal tastes. The colors used should help the target user get to where they need to go and where you want them to end up.
Website Design Elements: Layout
Here we also run into a lot of opinions about what looks best. But, again, we should really focus on what works best? for the user.
The arrangement of information on a page makes a difference when it comes to usability and achieving conversion goals. Users are driven by layout and visual clues to focus on a particular piece of the design.
Based on most studies, the typical user will scan a page in a capital ?F? pattern. Your layout can take advantage of this by placing the most important calls to action in the two horizontal lines within the ?F?.
In other words, overlay a big F on your design. Is the important stuff on those two lines?
Extra Credit: A/B Split Testing
Of course, nothing is a given when it comes to the web. The best way to see what works is to test. You can try some A/B split testing with your landing pages?
Basically, create two versions of the same page with different layouts. Then, use those two pages intermittently for a couple of weeks. Then check your web stats to see which layout performed better. From there, you simply implement the winning layout and trash the loser.
Website Design Elements: Images
Last, I want to talk about images (and a little about video). Images are obviously very powerful and can be incredibly effective marketing tools. Instagram and Pinterest (sites built on images) are wildly successful.
Including images in your design can certainly help. A picture is worth a 1,000 words. Make sure those 1,000 words are good ones.
An image, like color, should support a theme or act as a visual cue. Sometimes the images can be part of a call to action or worked into the design as a way to draw the eye to something important.
Whether you are using stock photos or original images, you want to make sure that these tie into your goals. Simply using images to add color or fill space is not always the way to go.
Video is a similar animal. Video marketing is on the rise. Video works. However, it can be distracting, and sometimes downright annoying, if not implemented properly. Make sure you are not detracting from your message or pulling attention from your goals with the use of video.
When dealing with images, remember that speed is the key. Optimize your images and videos for slow connections. You want these to promote your message, not be a barrier to it.
Your Mantra: Does it make sense for the target user?
Sometimes what seems like a great idea in design can deliver disastrous results. If you spend your time trying to be cute or bleeding edge and forget about your target audience, you might not achieve the goals you?ve set for your website.
I?m not saying that cute or bleeding edge is always bad. In fact, if it will drive positive action on the part of the target user, these design methods could prove to be very effective. Just make sure that what you use in your design is tied to your overall objective?
For film tech nerds the world over, this documentary about the advent of digital filmmaking and what it means for the old school film purists is an engaging must-see. Keanu Reeves narrates and interviews an impressive roster of directors, cinematographers, editors, actors, and execs through this highly technical history and many of the subjects are truly game. I think their candidness is largely due to Reeves being there. Most seem to feel really comfortable around him, which is essential to getting some of the gold that comes out of the likes of Steven Soderbergh and David Fincher in particular. Editor Anne Coates, the 86-year-old editor of such classics as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962) and OUT OF SIGHT (1998) brings a refreshing and surprising perspective. Just when you expect the film vs. digital argument to have lines drawn depending on age, Ms. Coates shows a delightful openness to the new technology. This is an astounding time capsule piece which demonstrates how truly far we've come in digital image quality, particularly just in the past few years. There are times where you'll go back and forth about how you feel, because ultimately, both sides make great points. I couldn't believe how terrible some of the earlier digital films looked (TADPOLE or CHUCK AND BUCK anyone?). This may feel really too inside baseball for the layperson, but if you have any interest in how we experience filmed stories, this is essential viewing.
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Public release date: 22-Oct-2012
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