LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Vincent Chase and his entourage are jumping from the small screen to the big-screen.
Warner Bros. confirmed Wednesday that a film version of HBO's hit series "Entourage" is in the works.
Series creator Doug Ellin is writing and directing the film, which does not yet have a production start date or release date. The studio also has not finalized the cast.
"Entourage" ran for eight seasons and followed the Hollywood exploits of hot young actor Vince (Adrian Grenier) and his inner circle, including Kevin Connolly as his manager, Kevin Dillon as his half brother, Jerry Ferrara as an old neighborhood friend and Jeremy Piven as his slick super-agent.
Marketing is endlessly important in real estate. No industry imposes the same marketing demands on professionals who seek to be successful, and in order to solidify your place in the market you are going to need to refine your strategies. As we come through a serious economic recession, the only way to realize your full potential as a real estate professional is to make the most of your marketing efforts. General purpose advertising is not enough. Start analyzing your marketing strategies today and make the most of your endeavors in the exciting world of real estate.
Every real estate agent needs a well developed marketing plan in order to be successful. Think about your goals in the real estate market and ask yourself what could be the best ways to achieve those goals. Come up with specific milestones for yourself that are realistic and measurable. Once you have a set of goals in place, you will be able to focus your energy in the right direction and take action to make your dreams into a reality.
What market are you targeting? Are your real estate endeavors largely residential, or are you more involved in the commercial and industrial sectors? As a real estate agent, you need to figure out what kind of people can benefit the most from the services that you offer?those people are your ideal demographic. If you aren?t targeting a specific market, your marketing efforts will be weak and non-specific, so start refining your efforts by targeting one group of people.
As you begin to refine your prospects in the real estate market, ask yourself what you can offer to your clients that they cannot get from your competitors. Your strengths, your specialized knowledge, and your experience are all assets that combine to make you who you are?the unique real estate agent who offers an unmatched service. This should factor heavily into your marketing efforts. Tell your audience why they should do business with you. You need to persuade your clients to make the right choice in a chaotic real estate market. What is unique and desirable about your skills as a real estate agent? Why should clients choose you?
Always stay in touch with your past clients and collaborators. Networking is extremely important in real estate, especially in the form of referrals. Your relationships with these people do not end after you?ve closed a deal or provided a service. Think about past clients with whom you?ve closed sales, or professionals with whom you?ve worked on a roofing annex or renovation project. Referrals from these people are endlessly valuable in building your reputation. If you can maximize your referrals, you will be on your way to solidifying a strong network of connections and refining your marketing efforts significantly.
Never underestimate the value of internet marketing. Social media networks are particularly promising for real estate marketing, as they allow you to connect with potential clients and business partners on a personal level. Use networks like Facebook and Pinterest to advertise your latest developments. Start a profile on Yelp to allow your clients to submit testimonials. These small steps will go a long way in refining your market efforts and making you an attractive choice for customers in your target audience.
Tags: building your reputation, internet marketing, Marketing, real estate office, real estate professional
Email was a big deal when it first came to prominence.
Electronic message delivery had been around for decades in various forms, but email messaging across the Internet gained widespread acceptance around the mid 1990s.
Since this time people have been able to send and receive messages with personal inboxes with just a connection to the Internet.
Today, email remains as popular as ever with around?90% of all Internet users active with email.
It?s a powerful channel and because of email?s wide acceptance email has been a key component of marketing since its inception.
In this post we?ll cover how email changed marketing forever and how you can use email marketing to achieve your business goals.
A History of Marketing
Before the Internet there were a few basic mediums for communicating marketing messages with consumers.
Television was a big medium and remains one of the biggest today. People watch television programs and see advertising in the form of commercials and product placement.
There was the in-person salesperson. You could walk into a store and deal directly with someone that was tasked with selling you a product. Some salespeople would even go door-to-door to sell their wares.
Direct mail is another large medium. Up until the early 2000s the catalog industry was a booming industry. Companies could send various pieces of marketing information in the mail enticing consumers to make purchases. Direct mail remains a big area of focus today for many companies even with growing concern surrounding the USPS.
When email took off in the ?90s it was a game changer.
The Original Marketing Email
Email changed marketing in a few ways.
Sending a marketing message to consumers became nearly instant. Lead-time to design and print and send a catalog was trimmed down to designing the message and hitting send from the email provider.
Consumers used to see an ad on TV and become interested in a product. They would have to visit the store. With email the consumer could click on an item and immediately make a purchase on an ecommerce site.
Even with the change in timing, email marketing most closely emulated direct marketing. Email would take on the look of a page in the catalog page. The copy would tell a story and sell the recipient on the product being featured.
Even today email is used in this way, but the methods are continuing to evolve and get more interest in terms of marketing.
The Ongoing Evolution of Email
Email continues to evolve today. Perhaps the most significant change recently is the increase in email use on mobile devices.
You can?t walk down the street today without seeing people looking at their phones checking their emails.
Everyone is constantly connected to the Internet and to the inbox.
The mobile trend has already had a few major impacts on email marketing.
First, the screen is smaller (obviously) so there is less room for a design to capture the interest of the consumer. Marketers and designers have to get creative with a marketing email design. Scale matters. Only the most important call-to-action may be included in an email design.
Second, there are more outside distractions for mobile users. Marketers used to know that when a consumer checked their email they were sitting at a desk in a home or office. There aren?t too many distractions in that setting.
When consumers are on the move with their phone there are more distractions. People are around and life is taking place everywhere. There is a higher premium on having an email that grabs attention.
But these are opportunities for the best marketers. Mobile presents a great opportunity for email to become an even larger part of the marketing mix. You can reach consumers no matter where they are and you have more access to their time than ever before.
By building an email list you get permission to market to your target consumers. Those that build their email lists today will benefit in the long run.
The Future of Email Marketing
Email changed the changed marketing forever. Messaging from business to consumer (or business to business) became more of an instant gratification. There was no longer a wait for a catalog to arrive in the mail.
Email continues to evolve itself today with the increase in mobile use?amungst?consumers. There is more demand to be interesting and to stand out.
Presently, email is as important as ever but what will the?email marketing of the future?look like?
About the Author:?Scott Hardigree is Founder of?Indiemark?and Co-founder of?BrightSpeed. You can connect with him everywhere,?here.
As I prepare to graduate from high school, I would like to take a moment to say a sincere and infinitely grateful, "Thank you."
As a feminist activist, I have heard plenty of critiques of your music. You slut-shame other girls in your song "Better Than Revenge." You promote the virgin-whore dichotomy in your music video for "You Belong With Me." You write about boys too much for someone who professes to be independent and pure. I will be the first to admit that much of this criticism has a point.
However, my connection with your music goes much, much deeper. You were the soundtrack to my bildungsroman. You empathized with me when no one else did. You inspired me to grow and to share.
I'll never forget first watching your "Teardrops on My Guitar" music video when I was 11 or 12, in 7th grade, and had my very first crush. I didn't understand why he didn't like me just because he was a football player and I was a nerd. I didn't understand why he ended up dating a popular girl who hung out with the skaters. But Taylor Swift, you understood. You sang it, "He's the reason for the teardrops on my guitar/the only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star." And so my 12-year-old self wished on stars for that one blonde, blue-eyed football player to return my affections.
As embarrassing as it is to admit now, I felt it. I felt the unrequited crush heavy on my adolescent shoulders. I can't deny those feelings. I can't deny the sadness, the pain that my 12-year-old self felt. Taylor Swift sang those feelings, and I sat at my computer mooning over some popular middle school crush and wondering at life's unfairness. Do you remember those days? Taylor, thank you for being the soundtrack to my adolescence.
But it didn't end when I was twelve. There's this tendency in our society to disparage the very real feelings of teenage girls, writing them off as "hysterical" or "hormonal." Teenage girls are perhaps the most hated of all social groups -- the instant we love something, whether it's "Twilight" or "The Hunger Games," the value of that franchise decreases in the eyes of the majority of the population. We're portrayed as this hysterical mob as a collective, and as individuals, desired by hormonal teenage boys. It's such a paradox that in order to be considered "attractive," a teenage girl must never seek out the affections of a boy. The very act of desiring someone's affections -- that act of agency -- renders us pathetic and undesirable.
So Taylor, thank you for empathizing with my feelings, and more importantly, for showing me that it's okay to feel at all. There's nothing wrong with being a teen girl, and there's nothing wrong with the experience of being crazy and emotional when you're a teen girl. There's nothing shallow or insubstantial about the feelings you have when you're a teenager.
It's certainly important for girls to develop self-esteem and be able to have self-worth outside of boys, but that's a gradual process of self-discovery. As fans, we know that you're going through it as well. Whether the listener is male or female, love is a human need that all teenagers struggle with. I'm glad that you're sharing it with us.
No matter what critics say about the slut-shaming and male-objectifying of "You Belong with Me," the song's story spoke to my real experience. I have felt that I was not attractive enough or popular enough or cool enough to attain the object of my affection. When you're young, that's what you do. You don't imagine people in a complex way. I'm picturing myself at 14 and focused on the boy I have great conversations with who doesn't seem to be into me because he only goes for popular girls. I'm sitting in the afternoon sunlight streaming in the lobby windows as he talks about AP Bio. I'm thinking, "You belong with me."
I'm graduating from high school this year, but I don't foresee your influence on my life ending. As your music matures and grows more nuanced, and as I gain in life experiences to match, I'm starting to know what you mean by "I've found time can heal most anything, and you just might find who you're supposed to be," in the song "Fifteen." I'm starting to understand what you mean by, "And we know it's never simple, never easy/Never a clean break, no one here to save me," from "Breathe."
I'm 16 now, and sometimes at twilight, I ride the train, look out into the sunset and think about the boy that I sometimes still remember all too well. I play your song. "And I know it's long gone, and that magic's not here no more/it might be okay, but I'm not fine at all." And I look out the train window, and for a minute or two, it's okay to rip my heart open and let myself feel.
You've comforted me in the lowest of moments, which usually are boy-related, and you've celebrated with me in my moments of ecstasy. Critics say that you write too much about love and boyfriends, but let me tell you, so do I. To be honest, although I've devoted a large portion of my life to feminism and social justice, and despite never having had a serious/real boyfriend, love causes the most immediate despair and the most exuberant happiness in my life. And Taylor, you've been there.
It's a part of me, and it's a part of all of us at this age to seek that ideal of romantic love and to be disappointed by that ideal. We also get back up and to chase it again. I think it's so courageous of you to share your growing process through your songs.
There's an instrumental after the three minute mark in your new song, "All Too Well," and a few poignant lines that strike a chord in me every time. "You called me up again just to break me like a promise/so casually cruel in the name of being honest/I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here/'Cause I remember it all too well." That's so vivid -- it tells your story. But it also tells mine. About teenage despair, about longing, about being alive and feeling so intensely both the ups and downs of love.
Thank you for being there. Thank you for sharing your stories. Thank you for helping me grow to a place where I can share mine.
Yours, YingYing
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Follow YingYing Shang on Twitter: www.twitter.com/yingyingsmiles
DOUENTZA, Mali/PARIS | Wed Jan 30, 2013 6:21pm EST
DOUENTZA, Mali/PARIS (Reuters) - French troops seized the airport in Mali's northern town of Kidal, the last urban stronghold held by Islamist insurgents, as they moved to wrap up the first phase of a military operation to wrest northern Mali from rebel hands.
France has deployed some 4,500 troops in a three-week ground and air offensive to break the Islamist rebels' 10-month grip on major northern towns. The mission is aimed at heading off the risk of Mali being used as a springboard for jihadist attacks in the wider region or Europe.
The French military plans to gradually hand over to a larger African force, tasked with rooting out insurgents in their mountain redoubts near Algeria's border.
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said French forces using planes and helicopters defied a sandstorm late on Tuesday to capture the airport but had been prevented by the bad weather from entering the town itself.
"The terrorist forces are pulling back to the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains which are difficult to access," Le Drian told a news conference. "There is support from Chadian and Nigerian troops coming from the south."
The deployment of French troops to remote Kidal puts them in direct contact with pro-autonomy Tuareg MNLA rebels, whose rebellion last year was hijacked by the Islamist radicals. Le Drian said France had established good relations with local Tuareg chieftains before sending in troops.
MNLA leaders say they are ready to fight al Qaeda but many Malians, including the powerful military top brass in the capital Bamako, blame them for the division of the country. They view Paris' liaisons with the Tuaregs with suspicion.
French and Malian troops retook the major Saharan trading towns of Gao and Timbuktu at the weekend.
There were fears that many thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts held in Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, might have been lost during the rebel occupation, but experts said the bulk of the texts were safe.
The United States and European governments strongly support the Mali intervention and are providing logistical and surveillance backing but do not intend to send combat troops.
The MNLA rebels, who want greater autonomy for the desert north, said they had moved fighters into Kidal after Islamists left the town earlier this week.
"For the moment, there is a coordination with the French troops," said Moussa Ag Assarid, the MNLA spokesman in Paris.
A spokesman for the Malian army said its soldiers were securing Gao and Timbuktu and were not heading to Kidal.
The MNLA took up arms against the Bamako government a year ago, seeking to carve out a new independent desert state.
After initially fighting alongside the Islamists, by June they had been forced out by their better armed and financed former allies, who include al Qaeda North Africa's wing, AQIM, a splinter wing called MUJWA and Ansar Dine, a Malian group.
RISK OF ATTACKS, KIDNAPPINGS
As the French wind up the first phase of their offensive, doubts remain about just how quickly the U.N.-backed African intervention force can be fully deployed in Mali to hunt down the retreating al Qaeda-allied insurgents. Known as AFISMA, the force is now expected to exceed 8,000 troops.
Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said France's military operation, codenamed Serval (Wildcat), was planned as a lightning mission lasting a few weeks.
"Liberating Gao and Timbuktu very quickly was part of the plan. Now it's up to the African countries to take over," he told the Le Parisien daily. "We decided to put in the means and the necessary number of soldiers to strike hard. But the French contingent will not stay like this. We will leave very quickly."
One French soldier has been killed in the mission, and Fabius warned that things could now get more difficult, as the offensive seeks to flush out insurgents with experience of fighting in the desert from their wilderness hideouts.
"We have to be careful. We are entering a complicated phase where the risks of attacks or kidnappings are extremely high. French interests are threatened throughout the entire Sahel."
An attack on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria earlier this month by Islamist fighters opposing the French intervention in Mali led to the deaths of dozens of foreign hostages and raised fears of similar reprisal strikes across North and West Africa.
NEED FOR RECONCILIATION
The French operation has destroyed the Islamists' training camps and logistics bases but analysts say a long term solution for Mali hinges on finding a political settlement between the northern communities and the southern capital Bamako.
Interim President Dioncounda Traore said on Tuesday his government would aim to hold national elections on July 31. Paris is pushing strongly for Traore's government to hold talks with the MNLA, which has dropped its claims for independence.
"The Malian authorities must begin without delay talks with the legitimate representatives of the northern population and non-terrorist armed groups that recognize Mali's integrity," French Foreign ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said.
After months of being kept on the political sidelines, the MNLA said they were in contact with West African mediators who are trying to forge a national settlement to reunite Mali.
"We reiterate that we are ready to talk with Bamako and to find a political solution. We want self-determination, but all that will be up to negotiations which will determine at what level both parties can go," Ag Assarid said.
There have been cases in Gao and Timbuktu and other recaptured towns of reprisal attacks and looting of shops and residences belonging to Malian Tuaregs and Arabs suspected of sympathizing with the MNLA and the Islamist rebels.
(Additional reporting John Irish and Emmanuel Jarry in Paris, David Lewis and Pascal Fletcher in Dakar; Writing by David Lewis and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Rosalind Russell)
It wouldn?t be a BlackBerry press event without something totally unexpected and semi-weird thrown in the mix. Today, at BlackBerry?s media conference revealing BlackBerry 10, the company appointed Alicia Keys as the new Global Creative Director.
Her first act as GCD was to talk about how much she loves BlackBerry 10 at today?s media conference. Her other responsibilities are somewhat unclear ? just like will.i.am?s role at Intel.
According to Keys, she?ll be working with app creators, designers, carriers, and more to make sure BlackBerry is the most efficient, cool and simple platform to be on. She proved just how ?BlackBerry? she can be by wearing a tuxedo-type outfit, complete with black pants, black jacket, and white button down.
Keys was a long time BlackBerry user in the past, but jumped ship for ?something sexier.? The way she explains it, she was carrying two phones for a while, ?playing the field,? but now she?s exclusive in her relationship with BlackBerry.
If so, that exclusivity began today, as she was Instagramming photos from either an Android device or iPhone just yesterday. And she has been tweeting from Twitter for iPhone in the past week as well.
TechCrunch asked Alicia Keys directly which phone she used during her rough patch with BlackBerry and she declined to answer. ?I don?t think it?s necessary to disclose which phone I used,? she said. ?It was another phone.? It was clearly an iPhone.
For now, she seems pretty focused on combining your work phone with your play phone, which is something BB10 does very well. However, it?s unclear just how much Keys will bring to the company other than celeb status.
Hopefully, she?ll be able to refrain from Instagramming until the Facebook-owned app makes its way to BlackBerry. We?ll be keeping an eye on it in case she falters.
?
BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion) is a Canadian designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless devices and solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. The company is best known as the developer of the BlackBerry smart phone. Blackberry technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. Blackberry was founded in 1984. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific....
Jan. 28, 2013 ? Autonomous, driverless vehicles look set to hit the streets in the near future and become increasingly common, so UK researchers have investigated algorithms that could help developers include escape manoeuvres to allow such vehicles to quickly and safely switch lanes to avoid collisions with other road users.
Writing in the aptly named International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, Matthew Best of the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University, in Leicestershire, discusses the optimisation of a vehicle's standard brake, acceleration and steering control inputs in the context of avoiding collisions. He has devised a computer simulation that allows all those parameters to be optimised concurrently during a safety manoeuvre and to show how speed reduction and swapping lanes might be carried out by an autonomous vehicle.
The optimal rapid lane-change would inevitably be an aggressive, high "g" manoeuvre that would destabilise the vehicle, and additional computing power would be needed to act quickly to correct under steer and other issues that arise during and after such a vehicle movement. The high-speed lane switch would likely be rarely used in a real-world autonomous drive, but could, in exceptional circumstances, allow driverless or robot vehicles to be safer on roads that which they share with other such vehicles and vehicles with human drivers.
Best points out that simulations at 70 mph (the UK national speed limit on motorways) reveal that braking alone would not lead to a safe outcome in many situations, so a lane swap would almost certainly be needed, assuming there were an empty lane for a vehicle to move into. A lane-change would in the best circumstances move the vehicle to safety in half the distance as braking at that speed.
The researchers concede that at present the limitations of on-board computing power in autonomous vehicles and the need for high-speed data streams measuring real tyre friction coefficients and more means that his algorithm is limited to the simulation at present. However, it paves the way for developing more powerful, safety aware driving systems for such vehicles.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Inderscience, via AlphaGalileo.
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Journal Reference:
Matthew C. Best. Optimisation of high-speed crash avoidance in autonomous vehicles. International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, 2012; 10 (4): 337 DOI: 10.1504/IJVAS.2012.051269
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
My mom (who I live with) thinks I am falling in love, but I am not so sure. Being the scientist that I am, I constantly deliberate on what exactly love is. Love is such a general term that people use to describe so many feelings?I find the application of the word ?love? to particular relationships to be very subjective?for example, although she may think I am in love, I actually might just be infatuated.
Given my mother?s unshakable opinion, I reflected on a recent weekend get-away with The Consultant, a man I have been dating for several months, to think about whether this is love or infatuation. He had a work project in California, so he arranged to fly me out to meet him there for a wine-country excursion after his meetings were finished. When he met me at the airport dressed in a sexy suit and holding a bouquet of flowers, my heart skipped a beat. We embraced and his kiss made my knees weak. In the rental car, he handed me a basket of fresh bread and local cheeses to snack on during our drive to the hotel we would be staying at over the weekend. We stopped all along the way at local wineries and had dinner at a fantastic restaurant. We could not keep our hands off each other, which explains why we skipped dessert and went right back to the hotel for?well?dessert. I can best characterize the next day as being lost in the moment: driving over beautiful countryside in the sunshine, listening to a music playlist that he threw together for the trip, and even sharing a couple?s massage and spa in the afternoon. Not only did my body melt, but my heart did as well.
Can I really label the feelings that I have for The Consultant as ?love?? Passionate love, which is that ?can?t get enough of you in every way? feeling (which is pretty awesome and scary at the same time),1 is definitely something I am experiencing right now. But am I just feeling hot and heavy towards him because of our passionate time together in a new, romantic place? Our own ScienceOfRelationships contributor, Amy Muise, wrote a while back about why vacation sex is so hot, with one reason being that experiencing new and exciting experiences together leads couples to self-expand and grow. This growth then leads to?intimacy. And I do feel intimate with The Consultant, as we have gotten to know each other quite well the last few months?and I must admit even more so on our trip together. Researchers have shown that when people are more intimate, sex is more passionate,2which I would say is true after overcoming our ?failure to launch? sexual experience early on together.?
One popular typology of love proposes that romantic love is a combination of passion and intimacy.1 Evolutionary psychologists have argued that love (specifically romantic love) leads to commitment, which is designed to ensure that romantic partners invest in each other for extended periods of time (e.g., moving in together, marriage).3 Investments can include tangible things like money and flowers, or intangible things such as time. So, the more money, time, and thoughtful gifts that The Consultant has invested in me (at home and on our romantic get-away), the greater commitment he demonstrates towards our relationship. But do the receivers of that investment also increase commitment? Is that why I am developing feelings for him? Researchers have shown that one partner?s investments can increase the commitment of the receiving partner.4 People want to feel secure in their relationships, so signs of investment lead to feelings of trust and commitment to the relationship from the receiver.
So maybe my mom is right (as she typically is)?it may not be just infatuation. I may be falling in love with him because his investments are starting to make me feel secure. This is a tall order to fill given that I am avoidant of relationships and uncertain about my readiness to have a committed relationship with anyone at this point in my life. For now, I will just enjoy the feelings I am experiencing and ride it out. If it is meant to develop into a more committed relationship, then that will just happen in its own time.
Interested in learning more about relationships? Click?here for?other topics?on?Science of Relationships.?Like us on?Facebook?or follow us on?Twitter?to get our articles delivered directly to your NewsFeed.
1Sternberg, R. J. (1986) A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93, 119-135.
2Baumeister, R. F., & Bratslavsky, E. (1999). Passion, intimacy, and time: Passionate love as a function of change in intimacy. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 49-67.
3Gonzaga, G. C., & Haselton, M. G. (2008). The evolution of love and long-term bonds. In J. P. Forgas & J. Fitness (Eds.), Social relationships:Cognitive, affective, and motivational processes (pp. 39?54). Hove, England: Psychology Press.
4Ellis, B. J. (1998). The partner-specific investment inventory: An evolutionary approach to individual differences in investment. Journal of Personality, 66, 383-442.
Dr. Jennifer Harman -?Adventures in Dating...?|?Science of Relationships?articles?|?Website/CV Dr. ?Harman's research examines relationship behaviors that put people at-risk for physical and psychological health problems, such as how feelings and beliefs about risk (e.g., sexual risk taking) can be biased when in a relationship. She also studies the role of power on relationship commitment.
Before I married Simon, I thought I was being savvy by identifying which land mines would most likely contribute to our potential divorce.
Money was a big one. He came from a family that could buy a Lexus with straight cash and I came from a family that went into credit card debt so I could go to UC Berkeley. Religion was another. When Simon told his father he intended to propose, he got a big talk about the importance of raising our non-existent children to be secular Jews (I'm Christian). When we got engaged, my parents asked their pastor whether Jews go to heaven (they do, because they have their own deal with God, so phew...). There was also the race factor -- which is actually not a big deal in minority-majority California and has so far produced only playful mock-fights over whether I can name any of my future sons Jose, Andres or Emilio after the fathers of the Filipino revolution.
But after almost three years of marriage, coming from different economic backgrounds and being a mixed-race, mixed-faith couple isn't what is producing the majority of our fights.
Instead, it's a subject that no one prepared us for: my weight.
It's a relief to know that other mixed-weight couples are going through the same things we are. Last week, Al Roker wrote about his own mixed-weight marriage and included just one direction for the skinny person in the relationship: "Shut up."
I read his post and identified immediately with his frustration, but I did think his advice was a little extreme. Shut up? The key to marriage is communication -- even about tough subjects. But before I could get all the way up on my high horse, Simon reminded me that I had laid down the exact same rules just a few months ago when it came to his comments about my weight, diet or exercise. Whoops.
Like many people who struggle with their weight, I've been dieting, losing weight and gaining weight since my early teens. I was 14 when I spotted my first stretch marks -- angry red lines where my arms met my back -- and throughout high school and college my weight would swing up and down depending on what was happening that semester. Before our wedding I managed to get down to 144 pounds, which was still overweight for my frame, but I had a waist and I was glowing, so I was happy that day.
Photo by Mark Kuroda, taken May 2010
Now, at five-foot-one and 175 pounds, I am obese, according to the BMI chart. I'm short and stocky and apple-bodied and endomorphic and always will be. Simon, at 6 feet, struggles to maintain 165 pounds. He has the body of a runway model: jutting hip bones, long, elegant legs and the slenderest ankles and wrists. Absolutely anything can make him accidentally lose 10 pounds: a long cold, the month he started using a standing desk, the time he tried to take up jogging.
Simon bit his lip for a long time when my weight started exploding in 2011. We were both working long hours and getting takeout for dinner a lot. On the weekends, we met up with friends at restaurants and enjoyed big Buca di Beppo dinners with his family. Of course, nothing about our lifestyle was showing on Simon's body, but it was wreaking havoc on mine. I got stretch marks on my stomach and I'd never even been pregnant. The clothes I had bought during a triumphant shopping spree before the wedding no longer fit. The honeymoon was definitely over and so was my strict diet and exercise regimen. Two and a half years post-wedding, I was the largest I'd ever been -- and it was starting to get to Simon.
For a while, our fights went something like this: we'd go out to a nice dinner, enjoy food and wine, and then we would read the dessert menu.
Simon: Do you feel like dessert?
Me: Sure!
Simon: You know, not every meal has to be a special meal.
Me: What the f***?!
I'm probably being unfair here. In fact, I know I'm being unfair. Because for every time Simon has accidentally made me feel like shit about what I eat in public, there is another time I've convinced him that spending money on Weight Watchers or a gym membership or NutriSystem or a personal trainer or an Atkins book or a spinning class package would put an end to my complaints about my weight. For every time Simon has nagged about carb counts, I've seized draconian control over our grocery list and what we put in our mouths. Farmer's market vegetables every week! Every meal must be 40 percent protein! No more supermarket sushi!
Sometimes he teased me about the "enormous sacrifice" he was making because we didn't have any junk food or chocolate in the house because of whatever diet I was on at the time. I'd roll my eyes at his theatrics.
But little did he know that for a while last year, I would go to Target on the days I knew he wouldn't be home until late. I'd buy a pint of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food, finish it before he came home and then throw the trash in the dumpster. It felt like cheating -- especially when I would act astonished, just astonished! -- when another week of dieting would result in a net gain. He was carrying my pain with me when I hit roadblock after roadblock, but I was never completely truthful with him about the steps I was (and wasn't) taking to reach my goal.
Eventually the half-truths and disappointment were too much to bear, and in late 2012 I decided that enough was enough. Now, I didn't have the kind of breakthrough Al Roker had (he described his point of no return as "it clicked for me"). Instead, I decided I was over all the dieting and bingeing drama, that I loved our life together, I loved my job and myself and I was happy. If I lost weight, great. If I stayed heavy, so be it. That led to our worst fight ever over my weight.
"That's not acceptable," he said. "You have to try."
"Why?" I asked. "Why do I have to try?" Because. Because my doctor wants me to lose weight. Because obesity is linked to a lot of diseases. Because my Dad is pre-diabetic. Because being fat makes future conception and pregnancy difficult. Because he loves me and he doesn't want to see me unhappy anymore.
I knew all these things, but I still flew into a sobbing rage and walked out of the apartment -- an alarming escalation of our usually quiet and weepy fights.
"If you can't accept me for who I am, then you'd better get yourself a mistress," I spat at him before I left. I drove to the nearby Pavilions and cried in the parking lot. I called my mom and she prayed with me over the phone, asking God to strengthen my marriage. Looking back, I was a real drama queen!
We ended the fight by "compromising," (ha) which for now means I forbid him to ever mention my weight, dieting or exercise again.
It seems extreme, but just like in Al Roker's relationship, Simon's silence is helping to heal this sore spot in our marriage. I no longer turn to him for understanding on this subject. Why should I? He has no idea what it's like to feel like a failure on the scale or to feel hungry at night because all your calories are used up for the day.
For empathy, I turn to the Reddit.com LoseIt community, which is a forum for people of all sizes who are in the process of shedding pounds (and posting very motivating before-and-after pictures, to boot).
For his part, Simon's learned that even his sweetest, gentlest words about my health are infuriating to me, and that his actions are what counts. I feel really happy when he goes on hikes with me on the weekends, or when he makes a healthy dinner once a week. He knows to no longer comment on what I'm eating in public or when we're with friends, and I've stopped acting like less of a drug addict when it comes to food. That means no more secret eating. I write everything down, even when I have a bad day, and I try to view my healthy eating as the new normal, not a temporary phase that I can just burn through and put behind me once I reach my goal weight.
I'm not sure how long I'll last on my latest health run. I've had, after all, about a dozen. I feel pretty strong right now, but then again it's only one month into the new year. The only thing I know for sure in my race to lose weight is that I need to start seeing Simon for who he really is: someone on the sidelines, holding a big handmade sign above his head and screaming my name at the top of his lungs.
Photo by Raymond Liu, taken Jan. 2013
Below, tips from people who know how to lose weight.
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/09/weight-loss-success-ken-carlyle_n_1181246.html">Ken Carlyle</a></strong>: "In the fall of 2008, I saw photos of myself taken at a football tailgate. I had known I was overweight, but these pictures finally bothered me enough to change. My New Year's resolution in 2009 was to lose weight." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "Stick with it. Anyone can keep a New Year's Resolution. It's a promise to yourself, and you just have to decide that you are worthy of keeping that promise because you don't want to let yourself down."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/10/weight-loss-success-giuseppe-mangiafico_n_1268654.html">Giuseppe Mangiafico</a>:</strong> "On January 1, 2011, I decided to make a 'New You Resolution' instead of a New Year's resolution. I decided to stop with the excuses and make a life change." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "Know what you put in your body. Read the ingredients in whatever you're eating. If you can't recognize the ingredients, it's probably not good for you. Time in the gym isn't where you're going to be the most successful. It's what you do in your free time that is the key to your success."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/13/weight-loss-success-justin-smith_n_1194084.html">Justin Smith</a>:</strong> "In January of 2010 at nearly 300 pounds, I made yet another resolution to lose weight and get fit. I'd tried enough fad diets and pills to know that they're not successful in the long-term. I had to make a decision to make a lifestyle change." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "I chose to think of it as an ongoing process instead of a quick fix. I recognized that I wasn't going to be fit or athletic on January 1. I wouldn't be running a marathon on January 2. But I made a goal to try to take the steps necessary to make a healthy lifestyle possible. It was not a total change on that first day. Instead, it was small changes that would lead me to my overall goal. Keep at it. It's not easy, and some days you'll feel like throwing in the towel, but remember why you started and what you're gaining by making positive changes in your life. It is worth it."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/weight-loss-success-anthony-masiello_n_1183352.html">Anthony Masiello</a>:</strong> "I started at the beginning of 2006, like many others, with a New Year's resolution. I vowed to give up soda and sweets and set a goal to lose 50 pounds by the end of the year. After almost three months of sticking to the plan and not having a sip of soda or a taste of sweets, I still had not lost a single pound. I was frustrated and becoming depressed, but I was determined to find something that would work." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "In order to be successful, a resolution should be realistic, measurable and permanent. Set yourself up for success. Be realistic about what you want to achieve and make a resolution that you will be able to stick with long-term. A year's worth of small, committed steps forward will add up to be much more beneficial than one week of temporary success with an overly ambitious goal that you can't maintain."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/i-lost-weight-stacy-langston_n_1683655.html">Stacy Langston</a>:</strong> "When New Year's came along, I set a resolution to finally become healthy." <strong>Her advice for making it stick:</strong> "Just keep moving forward. If you fall off the wagon, don't beat yourself up, just keep going. Also, keep a shirt or pants that you no longer can wear that is too large. It will remind you of all your hard work to get out of that outfit, and that you don't want to go back to wearing it!"
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/i-lost-weight-tom-dioguardi_n_1951248.html">Tom Dioguardi</a>:</strong> "I have made the same New Year's resolution over and over and failed over and over because I thought I could do it alone. I've now realized that I can't do it without guidance." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "Preparation. Being prepared every day with your meals. When talking to people about how I did it, the phrase 'watching what you eat' always comes up. And I tell people, "I didn't <em>watch</em> what I ate, I <em>decided</em> what I ate.' If you lock it into your head that this is the one thing I want to achieve and not let anything stop you, then you will be successful. I tell people it's 90 percent above the neck."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/i-lost-weight-rebekah-courtney_n_2045680.html">Rebekah Courtney</a>:</strong> "My New Year's resolution would be to lose weight every year, and I would quit by February." <strong>Her advice for making it stick:</strong> "Have one cheat day a week, where you eat whatever you want. If you are always depriving yourself, you will never stick to it. And if you slip up one day, do not quit. Wake up and start again the next."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/23/i-lost-weight-derek-lavigne_n_1679861.html">Derek Lavigne</a>:</strong> "For the longest time I kept telling myself that I was young, and that I had time to take this weight off. There came a day when I said to myself enough is enough, it is time to make a serious life change. This was about three days prior to the new year, so I decided to make my resolution for the year to lose 20 pounds." <strong>His advice for making it stick:</strong> "Don't keep putting things off until next week/month/year. I would often say to myself that I would lose weight eventually and that I shouldn't be too concerned. But I didn't want to find myself 10 years older, wishing I would have done something when I was younger, when it was easier to make a change."
<strong><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/i-lost-weight-jenny-reyes-marsillo_n_1737534.html">Jenny Reyes-Marsillo</a>:</strong> "I ? vowed that my New Year's resolution was to take the weight off. Later on in the week, getting ready for Christmas dinner, I put on a skirt that had fit just one month ago when I bought it, and now it was too tight and I looked awful. I looked in the mirror and didn't even recognize myself. That night I told myself I wouldn't wait until New Year's Eve, I would start today." <strong>Her advice for making it stick:</strong> "The reason why my diet worked was probably mostly because it <em>wasn't</em> a New Year's resolution! I didn't want to commit to this one day to change my life, I realized I wanted to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Because it was a pre-New Year's Resolution was one of the factors as to why I was able to do it."
Jan. 28, 2013 ? A team of materials scientists at Harvard University and the University of Exeter, UK, have invented a new fiber that changes color when stretched. Inspired by nature, the researchers identified and replicated the unique structural elements that create the bright iridescent blue color of a tropical plant's fruit.
The multilayered fiber, described January 28 in the journal Advanced Materials, could lend itself to the creation of smart fabrics that visibly react to heat or pressure.
"Our new fiber is based on a structure we found in nature, and through clever engineering we've taken its capabilities a step further," says lead author Mathias Kolle, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS). "The plant, of course, cannot change color. By combining its structure with an elastic material, however, we've created an artificial version that passes through a full rainbow of colors as it's stretched."
Since the evolution of the first eye on Earth more than 500 million years ago, the success of many organisms has relied upon the way they interact with light and color, making them useful models for the creation of new materials. For seeds and fruit in particular, bright color is thought to have evolved to attract the agents of seed dispersal, especially birds.
The fruit of the South American tropical plant, Margaritaria nobilis, commonly called "bastard hogberry," is an intriguing example of this adaptation. The ultra-bright blue fruit, which is low in nutritious content, mimics a more fleshy and nutritious competitor. Deceived birds eat the fruit and ultimately release its seeds over a wide geographic area.
"The fruit of this bastard hogberry plant was scientifically delightful to pick," says principal investigator Peter Vukusic, Associate Professor in Natural Photonics at the University of Exeter. "The light-manipulating architecture its surface layer presents, which has evolved to serve a specific biological function, has inspired an extremely useful and interesting technological design."
Vukusic and his collaborators at Harvard studied the structural origin of the seed's vibrant color. They discovered that the upper cells in the seed's skin contain a curved, repeating pattern, which creates color through the interference of light waves. (A similar mechanism is responsible for the bright colors of soap bubbles.) The team's analysis revealed that multiple layers of cells in the seed coat are each made up of a cylindrically layered architecture with high regularity on the nano- scale.
The team replicated the key structural elements of the fruit to create flexible, stretchable and color-changing photonic fibers using an innovative roll-up mechanism perfected in the Harvard laboratories.
"For our artificial structure, we cut down the complexity of the fruit to just its key elements," explains Kolle. "We use very thin fibers and wrap a polymer bilayer around them. That gives us the refractive index contrast, the right number of layers, and the curved, cylindrical cross-section that we need to produce these vivid colors."
The researchers say that the process could be scaled up and developed to suit industrial production.
"Our fiber-rolling technique allows the use of a wide range of materials, especially elastic ones, with the color-tuning range exceeding by an order of magnitude anything that has been reported for thermally drawn fibers," says coauthor Joanna Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at Harvard SEAS, and Kolle's adviser. Aizenberg is also Director of the Kavli Institute for Bionano Science and Technology at Harvard and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
The fibers' superior mechanical properties, combined with their demonstrated color brilliance and tunability, make them very versatile. For instance, the fibers can be wound to coat complex shapes. Because the fibers change color under strain, the technology could lend itself to smart sports textiles that change color in areas of muscle tension, or that sense when an object is placed under strain as a result of heat.
Additional coauthors included Alfred Lethbridge at the University of Exeter, Moritz Kreysing at Ludwig Maximilians University (Germany), and Jeremy B. Baumberg, Professor of Nanophotonics at the University of Cambridge (UK).
This research was supported by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and through a postdoctoral research fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The researchers also benefited from facilities at the Harvard Center for Nanoscale Systems, which is part of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation. The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard also contributed to this research.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Harvard University.
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Journal Reference:
Mathias Kolle, Alfred Lethbridge, Moritz Kreysing, Jeremy J. Baumberg, Joanna Aizenberg, Peter Vukusic. Bio-Inspired Band-Gap Tunable Elastic Optical Multilayer Fibers. Advanced Materials, 2013; DOI: 10.1002/adma.201203529
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Artificial pancreas: The way of the future for treating type 1 diabetesPublic release date: 28-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Langelier julie.langelier@ircm.qc.ca 514-987-5555 Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
IRCM researchers take an important step in making this promising approach a reality
Montral, January 28, 2013 IRCM researchers, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret, were the first to conduct a trial comparing a dual-hormone artificial pancreas with conventional diabetes treatment using an insulin pump and showed improved glucose levels and lower risks of hypoglycemia. Their results, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), can have a great impact on the treatment of type 1 diabetes by accelerating the development of the external artificial pancreas.
The artificial pancreas is an automated system that simulates the normal pancreas by continuously adapting insulin delivery based on changes in glucose levels. The dual-hormone artificial pancreas tested at the IRCM controls glucose levels by automatically delivering insulin and glucagon, if necessary, based on continuous glucose monitor (CGM) readings and guided by an advanced algorithm.
"We found that the artificial pancreas improved glucose control by 15% and significantly reduced the risk of hypoglycemia as compared with conventional insulin pump therapy," explains engineer Ahmad Haidar, first author of the study and doctoral student in Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret's research unit at the IRCM and at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University. "The artificial pancreas also resulted in an 8-fold reduction of the overall risk of hypoglycemia, and a 20-fold reduction of the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia."
People living with type 1 diabetes must carefully manage their blood glucose levels to ensure they remain within a target range. Blood glucose control is the key to preventing serious long-term complications related to high glucose levels (such as blindness or kidney failure) and reduces the risk of hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood glucose that can lead to confusion, disorientation and, if severe, loss of consciousness).
"Approximately two-thirds of patients don't achieve their target range with current treatments," says Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret, Director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Diabetes research clinic at the IRCM. "The artificial pancreas could help them reach these targets and reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, which is feared by most patients and remains the most common adverse effect of insulin therapy. In fact, nocturnal hypoglycemia is the main barrier to reaching glycemic targets."
"Infusion pumps and glucose sensors are already commercially-available, but patients must frequently check the sensor and adjust the pump's output," says Mr. Haidar. "To liberate them from this sizable challenge, we needed to find a way for the sensor to talk to the pump directly. So we developed an intelligent dosing algorithm, which is the brain of the system. It can constantly recalculate insulin dosing based on changing glucose levels, in a similar way to the GPS system in a car, which recalculates directions according to traffic or an itinerary change."
The researchers' algorithm, which could eventually be integrated as software into a smart phone, receives data from the CGM, calculates the required insulin (and glucagon, if needed) and wirelessly controls the pump to automatically administer the proper doses without intervention by the patient.
"The system we tested more closely mimics a normal pancreas by secreting both insulin and glucagon," adds Dr. Laurent Legault, peadiatric endocrinologist and outgoing Director of the Insulin Pump Centre at the Montreal Children's Hospital, and co-author of the study. "While insulin lowers blood glucose levels, glucagon has the opposite effect and raises glucose levels. Glucagon can protect against hypoglycemia if a patient with diabetes miscalculates the necessary insulin dose."
"Our work is exciting because the artificial pancreas has the potential to substantially improve the management of diabetes and reduce daily frustrations for patients," concludes Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret. "We are pursuing our clinical trials to test the system for longer periods and with different age groups. It will then probably be introduced gradually to clinical practice, using insulin alone, with early generations focusing on overnight glucose controls."
###
About the study
This study was conducted with 15 adult patients with type 1 diabetes, who had been using an insulin pump for at least three months. Patients were admitted twice to the IRCM's clinical research facility and received, in random order, both treatments: the dual-hormone artificial pancreas and the conventional insulin pump therapy. During each 15-hour visit, their blood glucose levels were monitored as they exercised on a stationary bike, received an evening meal and a bedtime snack, and slept at the facility overnight.
Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret's research is funded by Diabetes Qubec, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and the IRCM's J.A. De Sve Chair in clinical research. IRCM collaborators who contributed to study published in CMAJ include Maryse Dallaire, Ammar Alkhateeb, Adle Coriati, Virginie Messier and Maude Millette. For more information on the study, please refer to the article summary published online by CMAJ: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2013/01/28/cmaj.121265.abstract.
About diabetes
Type-1 diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease that occurs when the body doesn't produce enough or any insulin, leading to an excess of sugar in the blood. It occurs most often in children, adolescents or young adults. People with type-1 diabetes depend on insulin to live, either through daily injections or with a pump. Diabetes is a major cause of vision loss, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, an estimated 285 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes, approximately 10 per cent of which have type 1 diabetes. With a further 7 million people developing diabetes each year, this number is expected to hit 438 million by 2030, making it a global epidemic. Today, more than 9 million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes.
About Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret
Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret completed his doctoral degree (MD) with a specialization in endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at the Universit Montpellier in France. He then obtained a PhD in food sciences, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in physiology and molecular biology. At the IRCM, Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is Director of the Metabolic Diseases research unit, Director of the Diabetes, Metabolism and Obesity clinic, and Director of the research platform on obesity, metabolism and diabetes. He is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Universit de Montral. He is also adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Experimental Medicine) at McGill University. Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is a Clinical Research Scholar from the Fonds de recherche du Qubec Sant and holds the J.A. DeSve Chair in clinical research. For more information, visit www.ircm.qc.ca/rabasa.
About the IRCM
Founded in 1967, the IRCM is currently comprised of 37 research units in various fields, namely immunity and viral infections, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, neurobiology and development, systems biology and medicinal chemistry. It also houses three specialized research clinics, eight core facilities and three research platforms with state-of-the-art equipment. The IRCM employs 425 people and is an independent institution affiliated with the Universit de Montral. The IRCM Clinic is associated to the Centre hospitalier de l'Universit de Montral (CHUM). The IRCM also maintains a long-standing association with McGill University.
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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.
Artificial pancreas: The way of the future for treating type 1 diabetesPublic release date: 28-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Julie Langelier julie.langelier@ircm.qc.ca 514-987-5555 Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
IRCM researchers take an important step in making this promising approach a reality
Montral, January 28, 2013 IRCM researchers, led by endocrinologist Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret, were the first to conduct a trial comparing a dual-hormone artificial pancreas with conventional diabetes treatment using an insulin pump and showed improved glucose levels and lower risks of hypoglycemia. Their results, published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), can have a great impact on the treatment of type 1 diabetes by accelerating the development of the external artificial pancreas.
The artificial pancreas is an automated system that simulates the normal pancreas by continuously adapting insulin delivery based on changes in glucose levels. The dual-hormone artificial pancreas tested at the IRCM controls glucose levels by automatically delivering insulin and glucagon, if necessary, based on continuous glucose monitor (CGM) readings and guided by an advanced algorithm.
"We found that the artificial pancreas improved glucose control by 15% and significantly reduced the risk of hypoglycemia as compared with conventional insulin pump therapy," explains engineer Ahmad Haidar, first author of the study and doctoral student in Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret's research unit at the IRCM and at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University. "The artificial pancreas also resulted in an 8-fold reduction of the overall risk of hypoglycemia, and a 20-fold reduction of the risk of nocturnal hypoglycemia."
People living with type 1 diabetes must carefully manage their blood glucose levels to ensure they remain within a target range. Blood glucose control is the key to preventing serious long-term complications related to high glucose levels (such as blindness or kidney failure) and reduces the risk of hypoglycemia (dangerously low blood glucose that can lead to confusion, disorientation and, if severe, loss of consciousness).
"Approximately two-thirds of patients don't achieve their target range with current treatments," says Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret, Director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Diabetes research clinic at the IRCM. "The artificial pancreas could help them reach these targets and reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, which is feared by most patients and remains the most common adverse effect of insulin therapy. In fact, nocturnal hypoglycemia is the main barrier to reaching glycemic targets."
"Infusion pumps and glucose sensors are already commercially-available, but patients must frequently check the sensor and adjust the pump's output," says Mr. Haidar. "To liberate them from this sizable challenge, we needed to find a way for the sensor to talk to the pump directly. So we developed an intelligent dosing algorithm, which is the brain of the system. It can constantly recalculate insulin dosing based on changing glucose levels, in a similar way to the GPS system in a car, which recalculates directions according to traffic or an itinerary change."
The researchers' algorithm, which could eventually be integrated as software into a smart phone, receives data from the CGM, calculates the required insulin (and glucagon, if needed) and wirelessly controls the pump to automatically administer the proper doses without intervention by the patient.
"The system we tested more closely mimics a normal pancreas by secreting both insulin and glucagon," adds Dr. Laurent Legault, peadiatric endocrinologist and outgoing Director of the Insulin Pump Centre at the Montreal Children's Hospital, and co-author of the study. "While insulin lowers blood glucose levels, glucagon has the opposite effect and raises glucose levels. Glucagon can protect against hypoglycemia if a patient with diabetes miscalculates the necessary insulin dose."
"Our work is exciting because the artificial pancreas has the potential to substantially improve the management of diabetes and reduce daily frustrations for patients," concludes Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret. "We are pursuing our clinical trials to test the system for longer periods and with different age groups. It will then probably be introduced gradually to clinical practice, using insulin alone, with early generations focusing on overnight glucose controls."
###
About the study
This study was conducted with 15 adult patients with type 1 diabetes, who had been using an insulin pump for at least three months. Patients were admitted twice to the IRCM's clinical research facility and received, in random order, both treatments: the dual-hormone artificial pancreas and the conventional insulin pump therapy. During each 15-hour visit, their blood glucose levels were monitored as they exercised on a stationary bike, received an evening meal and a bedtime snack, and slept at the facility overnight.
Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret's research is funded by Diabetes Qubec, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and the IRCM's J.A. De Sve Chair in clinical research. IRCM collaborators who contributed to study published in CMAJ include Maryse Dallaire, Ammar Alkhateeb, Adle Coriati, Virginie Messier and Maude Millette. For more information on the study, please refer to the article summary published online by CMAJ: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2013/01/28/cmaj.121265.abstract.
About diabetes
Type-1 diabetes is a chronic, incurable disease that occurs when the body doesn't produce enough or any insulin, leading to an excess of sugar in the blood. It occurs most often in children, adolescents or young adults. People with type-1 diabetes depend on insulin to live, either through daily injections or with a pump. Diabetes is a major cause of vision loss, kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, an estimated 285 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes, approximately 10 per cent of which have type 1 diabetes. With a further 7 million people developing diabetes each year, this number is expected to hit 438 million by 2030, making it a global epidemic. Today, more than 9 million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes.
About Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret
Dr. Rmi Rabasa-Lhoret completed his doctoral degree (MD) with a specialization in endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at the Universit Montpellier in France. He then obtained a PhD in food sciences, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in physiology and molecular biology. At the IRCM, Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is Director of the Metabolic Diseases research unit, Director of the Diabetes, Metabolism and Obesity clinic, and Director of the research platform on obesity, metabolism and diabetes. He is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Universit de Montral. He is also adjunct professor in the Department of Medicine (Division of Experimental Medicine) at McGill University. Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret is a Clinical Research Scholar from the Fonds de recherche du Qubec Sant and holds the J.A. DeSve Chair in clinical research. For more information, visit www.ircm.qc.ca/rabasa.
About the IRCM
Founded in 1967, the IRCM is currently comprised of 37 research units in various fields, namely immunity and viral infections, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer, neurobiology and development, systems biology and medicinal chemistry. It also houses three specialized research clinics, eight core facilities and three research platforms with state-of-the-art equipment. The IRCM employs 425 people and is an independent institution affiliated with the Universit de Montral. The IRCM Clinic is associated to the Centre hospitalier de l'Universit de Montral (CHUM). The IRCM also maintains a long-standing association with McGill University.
[ | 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.
(Reuters) - Rapper Rick Ross crashed a Rolls-Royce into an apartment building in Florida on Monday after he lost control while trying to avoid gunfire aimed at the car, police said.
Ross, whose real name is William L. Roberts, and a female passenger reported hearing multiple gunshots being fired in their direction as they drove in Fort Lauderdale early in the morning, according to police.
The rapper lost control of the car and hit the apartment building as he tried to get away from the shots, police said. Neither of the car's occupants were hurt, and the shooting suspects fled before police arrived.
Fort Lauderdale police said they are investigating the shooting.
Ross, who lives in nearby Davie, Florida, turned 37 on Monday and had been out celebrating his birthday at a local diner, according to the Miami Herald. The newspaper reported that one of the bullets fired at the car pierced the diner's front window.
Ross is the founder of the Maybach Music Group. His latest album, "God Forgives, I Don't," is nominated for a Grammy Award this year for Best Rap Album.
(Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and Alden Bentley)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) ? Gregg Williams may be a step closer to returning to the NFL after being suspended indefinitely for his role in the Saints' bounty program.
Titans coach Mike Munchak has talked with Williams and is interested in adding him to his Tennessee staff, said a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke Sunday to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Titans do not discuss personnel moves until they are finalized.
Before the Titans could hire Williams, he must be reinstated by the league. Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him indefinitely for his role in the New Orleans Saints bounty program, and NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday the league has not yet addressed Williams' potential reinstatement.
Munchak did not immediately answer a message left by the AP on Sunday. The Titans coach has not talked with the media about his team since the day after the season ended.
How quickly the league considers reinstating Williams may take at least a week with the San Francisco 49ers arriving in New Orleans on Sunday to kick off festivities leading up to the Feb. 3 Super Bowl.
Williams is the only coach or player who has yet to return to the NFL in the wake of the bounty scandal.
Goodell just lifted the suspension for New Orleans coach Sean Payton on Tuesday, nearly two weeks earlier than expected. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was suspended for eight games and assistant head coach Joe Vitt for six. Four current or former Saints players were also suspended after an investigation found the club had a performance pool offering cash rewards for key plays, including big hits. The player suspensions eventually were overturned.
Williams was the Saints defensive coordinator from 2009-11 and was hired by St. Louis in January 2012 by former Titans coach Jeff Fisher before being suspended indefinitely in March 20112. Williams' son, Blake, also was on Fisher's staff as the Rams' linebacker coach ? but his contract was not renewed earlier this month.
Munchak has known Williams since 1990. Munchak was playing for the then-Houston Oilers when Williams became an assistant coach with the team. They also coached together with the Oilers; Munchak oversaw the offensive line starting in 1994 and Williams rose from defensive assistant to coaching special teams, then linebackers and finally defensive coordinator.
Williams left the Titans to become head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2001 before becoming defensive coordinator with the Washington Redskins from 2004-07. He also was defensive coordinator in Jacksonville in 2008 before being hired by the Saints in 2009.
Williams also has a relationship with Munchak's current defensive coordinator, Jerry Gray. When Williams left for Buffalo, Gray went with him and served as Williams' defensive coordinator with the Bills.
Even though Gray currently has the job, the Titans' defense needs help and Munchak will be coaching for his job in 2013 after going 6-10 in his second season as head coach. One reason for the losing record was Tennessee's inability to stop anyone; the Titans set a franchise record allowing 471 points in 2012. The only change Munchak has made to his defensive staff was letting linebackers coach Frank Bush go and moving Chet Paralavecchio into the job from assisting with special teams.
In Williams' last season with the Titans, Tennessee ranked first in the NFL in fewest yards allowed, first in passing yards allowed and third in rushing defense. The Titans also set a franchise-record for fewest points allowed with 191 with an aggressive defense.
Anything I say is a complete lie, I do not do any of the following activities that I say I do. All Pictures, are stolen from people who posted them many, many years ago.
Tmethyl
Beauty in the dissonance
?
Registered: 07/16/12 Posts: 4,617 Loc: Unknown
Last seen: 18 minutes, 6 seconds
As long as she is screaming or loudly moaning I'm happy.
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Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.
apeboy
Hunch back
Registered: 09/13/06 Posts: 237 Last seen: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Quote: ArtieFartie said: Depends, sometimes I like to slam some cooch, sometimes I let the cooch take a long ride.
That is me as well. Sometimes I bang it out sometimes she slaps me around a little.
Quote: Tmethyl said: As long as she is screaming or loudly moaning I'm happy.
i like switching, and i love being submissive. for some reason though, i tend to most attract submissive women.
-------------------- It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.- Philip K. Dick
Tmethyl
Beauty in the dissonance
?
Registered: 07/16/12 Posts: 4,617 Loc: Unknown
Last seen: 18 minutes, 6 seconds
Quote: apeboy said:
Quote: Tmethyl said: As long as she is screaming or loudly moaning I'm happy.
They are faking!
Even if so, it still sounds hot.
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?|?|?Randomoutdoorpicturethread?|?|?Cultivationlog?|?|?Tmethyl'sArtStudio?|?|?MyBackgroundPaintings?|?|?
Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.
apeboy
Hunch back
Registered: 09/13/06 Posts: 237 Last seen: 1 hour, 33 minutes
Fuck yeah it does!!! And good to see someone on here taking a joke and keep going on the same subject. Kudos!
Just depends on the girl and my mood at the time - sexual aggression isn't always so calculated.
Tmethyl
Beauty in the dissonance
?
Registered: 07/16/12 Posts: 4,617 Loc: Unknown
Last seen: 18 minutes, 6 seconds
Quote: apeboy said: Fuck yeah it does!!! And good to see someone on here taking a joke and keep going on the same subject. Kudos!
There are people who can't take a joke on the Shroomery? Wtf is this blasphemy?
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?|?|?Randomoutdoorpicturethread?|?|?Cultivationlog?|?|?Tmethyl'sArtStudio?|?|?MyBackgroundPaintings?|?|?
Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.
wire5
Hippie Born too Late ?
Registered: 04/05/11 Posts: 978 Loc: Rollin' on the River
Last seen: 51 seconds
Quote: Tmethyl said:
Quote: apeboy said: Fuck yeah it does!!! And good to see someone on here taking a joke and keep going on the same subject. Kudos!
There are people who can't take a joke on the Shroomery? Wtf is this blasphemy?
smack
Sedentary Pilgrim
Registered: 08/05/09 Posts: 3,258 Loc: North Last seen: 9 hours, 10 minutes
Hmm... neat feedback. Maybe it's just my insecurity.
This girl I'm seeing also prefers being submissive. So there is an awkward period during foreplay which it seems that one of us is waiting to dominate the other.
Fuck it, I'll dominate.
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14:31
Tmethyl
Beauty in the dissonance
?
Registered: 07/16/12 Posts: 4,617 Loc: Unknown
Last seen: 18 minutes, 6 seconds
There is no reason to rush foreplay or sex. Dominate her, let her dominate you, switch around. Use some fuckin' team work on that domination.
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?|?|?Randomoutdoorpicturethread?|?|?Cultivationlog?|?|?Tmethyl'sArtStudio?|?|?MyBackgroundPaintings?|?|?
Embrace this moment. Remember. We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.
i've found that when the chemistry is right, switching comes really easy for a lot of people. but i say that as someone who enjoys playing both roles. one of my best fairly recent sexual arrangements was with someone who was a total sub. we were so great together that she discovered that she loved to top me, to the point of that's what we did most of the time. it was super hot. too bad she was emotionally unstable. i really would've loved to have kept her around for something real. /sigh
-------------------- It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.- Philip K. Dick
question for the ladies: do you enjoy being in control sometimes?
-------------------- It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.- Philip K. Dick
SARAtonin
Raving LUNAtic ?
Registered: 09/28/11 Posts: 1,099 Loc: Vanilla Valley, CO
Most times
Anonymous #1
I lost my virginity to a very aggressive girl, so I guess I've kinda been chasing that high.
My fiancee likes me to be borderline violent with her, and I enjoy it too, but it's a new thing for me. I'm not used to being so rough.
It really just depends, though, I am not sure which one I like more. They're very unique acts. I've been forced to lick my ex GF's boots (nude) while she verbally humiliated me and hit me, and it was amazing.
Then when I have sex with my fiancee she wants me to put one hand on her throat and hold her arms above her head.
I will admit while most girls prefer something much more vanilla, most of them want a dominant man. That means that it's most convenient if you enjoy both, but I totally get you on being submissive. Even my super sub fiancee, I'll throw her on top of me and kinda force her to take the lead sometimes. It's difficult to find a girl that wants to take control like that.
Her first act as GCD was to talk about how much she loves BlackBerry 10 at today?s media conference. Her other responsibilities are somewhat unclear ? just like will.i.am?s role at Intel.
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Public release date: 28-Jan-2013
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