text:
I can't help but laugh over some of the silliest things that cause LO to throw a tantrum or get upset. I know I shouldn't but like today for instance, Tues is my day to go to a 5:30 class at the gym but I don't want to stick DH with him and trying to get dinner ready since we usually tag team dinner and watching LO so on Tues I pick up LO from DC, take him to the childcare at the Y, take my class and then we go home and DH has dinner ready. I take a snack when I first pick him up since dinner will be later then usual. Anyways, back to the story, I went to give him a granola bar and he was all talking and happy and as soon as I opened it for him, he started crying like I'd taken away his favorite stuffy. There was no way he would have been able to open it on his own but he sure as hell didn't want me opening it for him. I couldn't help but to just start laughing over how silly it was that such a little thing set him off like that and he was so serious about it. What are some of the things that get your LO going that you wouldn't have thought would?
Can't help but laugh
My LO has been doing crap like this daily lately.
Example: I fill his sippy and set it on the counter and tell him to come get his drink. I hand it to him..... "NOOOOOOOO" whine whine whine. He takes the sippy out of my hand and sets it back on the counter and then *RE*grabs it. He wanted to get it off the counter himself.
I ask him if he wants to hold my hand up the stairs, "NOOOOOOO" BLAAAAH mini meltdown.
DD will flip her wig if I open the refrigerator. SHE must do it.
Heaven forbid I cut the leaves off the strawberries too. That is her 'hando"... handle.
a.k.a. Jäger Spice. Cuz that's what every mom deserves at the end of the day.
Me + Him = Silly Boy 8/07 & Pretty Girl 12/10
Putting her in the carseat instead of her climbing in herself. It was 15 degrees... I couldn't wait all day!
Sabrina (43) DH (38) married 7/1/07
"No way this is a viable pregnancy. Hope you m/c naturally" - RE... Result? DD born 12/7/10, 5 lbs, 3 oz.
Thank goodness, I'm not feeling like such a bad mommy now laughing at my kid's meltdowns.
ANything involving dressing, brushing teeth, bathing, strapping into booster...ANYTHING. Get it??? Lol.
Susan - Wife to Paul 7/12/08
Mommy to Ryan 4/9/09, Monica 12/13/10, and Ethan 10/15/12
Me- 29 DH -30
Married June 2005?
Logan born 12/28/10
My DS is the same way, he will see me open the cabinet to get a sippy out and he will throw a fit if it's not one he wants. He also wants to do everything on his own now. It is very hard not to laugh sometimes, I don't there is anyone more melodramatic than a toddler. :-)
Married to Pete 5/31/2008, DS Evan born 12/27/2010
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text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Apr 12, 2011
|Filing date
|Aug 22, 2006
|Priority date
|Aug 22, 2006
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Paul Roller Michaelis
|Original Assignee
|Avaya Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (101), Non-Patent Citations (63), Referenced by (9), Classifications (15), Legal Events (8)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
Cross reference is made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/508,442 filed concurrently herewith, entitled "DYNAMIC USER INTERFACE FOR THE TEMPORARILY IMPAIRED BASED ON AUTOMATIC ANALYSIS FOR SPEECH PATTERNS", to Coughlan, et al., which is incorporated herein by this reference.
The invention relates generally to speech analysis and particularly to analysis of speech to identify a selected physical condition or state of a user.
Diabetics must monitor their blood sugar levels directly to ensure that these levels remain within an acceptable range. When blood sugar levels drop below a first threshold, the diabetic suffers from a physical condition known as hypoglycemia and, when blood sugar levels rise above a second threshold, the diabetic suffers from a physical condition known as hyperglycemia.
Although mild hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia are common among diabetics, and generally regarded as manageable, moderate or extreme hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia can be life-threatening. When in either condition, the diabetic is often unable to think clearly, and may therefore be unaware that a dangerous condition exists. Failure to take prompt corrective action, such as consuming sugar when the diabetic is hypoglycemic or receiving an insulin injection when the diabetic is hyperglycemic, can result in serious medical complications. As either condition worsens, the diabetic can enter into a diabetic coma, which may result in death.
To avoid either condition, the diabetic must maintain his or her blood sugar level within an acceptable range. This is preferentially done by frequent, regular monitoring of his or her blood sugar level. This is typically done by pricking the finger in order to obtain a sample of blood, placing the blood on a disposable test strip, and then relying on a machine to perform chemical or optical analyses of the blood to determine the sugar level. Many diabetics find this procedure to be bothersome, if not painful, and are not diligent about checking blood sugar levels. Even more problematical, the test strips, which are typically not reusable, are commonly quite expensive. Because of the inconvenience, discomfort and cost, many diabetics do not test their blood appropriately, and therefore fail to discover the presence of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. Among diabetics who do not monitor their blood sugar levels diligently, the progression of mild conditions to conditions requiring medical attention is an all-too-frequent occurrence.
There is a need for a noninvasive, unobtrusive technique to detect the possible onset of hypo- or hyperglycemia.
These and other needs are addressed by the various embodiments and configurations of the present invention. The present invention is generally directed to the use of speech uttered in the course of a multi-person communication, such as a telephone call, to evaluate the physical state of the speaker.
In a first embodiment, a method for determining a physical state of a user includes the steps of:
(a) a communication device receiving a voice utterance from a speaker;
(b) analyzing the voice utterance to determine whether the speaker likely has an involuntary target physical condition (e.g., hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and/or seizure); and
(c) when the speaker likely has the target physical condition, sending to the user a notification associated with the target physical condition and/or to a third party a notification associated with the target physical condition.
The analysis can be acoustic-phonetic analysis of the voice utterance to determine the likelihood that the speaker has the target physical condition and/or a likely severity of the target physical condition. The acoustic-phonetic analysis analyzes, with reference to a baseline utterance of the speaker, one or more of a formant of the utterance, a pitch of the utterance, a speech and/or articulation rate of the utterance, a vocal intensity of the utterance, a number of speech errors in the utterance, a response time, a nonfluency level associated with the utterance, and a speech quality of the utterance.
In one configuration, the analysis is performed by comparing speech units in the utterance with corresponding baseline speech units obtained from the same speaker when that speaker did not have the target physical condition, and, based on the comparative results of the prior steps, determining a level of confidence that the speaker has and/or does not have the target physical condition.
In one configuration, the method determines both the likelihood that the speaker has the target physical condition and likely severity of the target physical condition. When the likelihood and likely severity are at least a first set of thresholds, a third party (e.g., primary caregiver, emergency personnel, etc.) (in addition to the speaker) is notified of the potential physical condition of the user, and, when the likelihood and likely severity is less than the first set of thresholds but more than a second set of thresholds, the speaker only is notified of his or her potential physical condition.
The present invention can provide a number of advantages depending on the particular configuration. For example, it can provide a noninvasive way of detecting potentially serious medical conditions of a speaker. The analysis is performed whenever the speaker contacts a telecommunication device of another party, whether the speaker engages in a conversation with the other party or simply leaves a voice message on the other party's voice messaging system. The utterances are compared to baseline utterances that were recorded when the speaker was known to have a normal physical condition (e.g., a normal blood sugar level).
These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s) contained herein.
As used herein, "at least one", "one or more", and "and/or" are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, and C", "one or more of A, B, or C" and "A, B, and/or C" means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.
The above-described embodiments and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, other embodiments of the invention are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.
The internal communication devices 124 a-n have extensions within the premises that are directly serviced by the switch. More particularly, these extensions correspond to conventional terminal endpoints serviced by the switch/server 108, and the switch/server 108 can direct incoming calls to and receive outgoing calls from these extensions in a conventional manner. The second and third communication devices 120 and 128 are referred to as "external" in that they are not directly supported as terminal endpoints by the switch/server 108.
The emergency service provider and/or primary caregiver 104 is associated with one or more packet-switched and/or circuit switched wireless or wired communication devices and is notified when the user diagnostic functionality 144 in the switch/server 108 detects an alarm condition. The alarm condition is typically indicative of the physical state or condition of a subscriber.
The telephony switch/media server 108 can be any architecture for directing contacts to one or more communication devices. Illustratively, the switch/server 108 of
The packet-switched network 112 can be any data and/or distributed processing network, such as the Internet. The network 112 typically includes proxies, registrars, and routers for managing packet flows.
The set of first subscriber communication devices 124 a-n and second and third communication devices 120 and 128, respectively, can be any communication device suitable for the network to which they are connected. The first set of communication devices 124 a-n are packet-switched and/or circuit-switched and can include, for example, IP hardphones, IP softphones, Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs, Personal Computers or PCs, and laptops. The second and third communication devices 120 and 128 are commonly circuit-switched and can include, for example, wired and wireless telephones, PDAs, pagers, facsimile machines, and modems.
The presence server 132 collects published presence information about a communication device and/or user thereof and stores the collected information in the presence information database 136. The database 136 further includes permissible personal information about the subscriber, such as name, home and business addresses, and medical information. The presence server typically retrieves presence information by querying against the user's identity as opposed to the device address. In the presence information database all presence information is indexed by a user's identity rather than device address. The presence server 132 provides the collected information to other network entities in response to queries. The presence server 132 can collect only information respecting the user's interaction with the various entities of
It is well known that changes in speech patterns are common among people who are suffering from hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. For example, hypoglycemia—which is often accompanied by feelings of anxiety—commonly causes people to speak more rapidly and with greater urgency. By contrast, hyperglycemia is often accompanied by feelings of lethargy, thereby causing speech patterns that may be slow or slurred. Although these effects tend to vary considerably among different individuals, a key point is that the speech patterns of individuals with hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia can be expected to deviate in a measurable way from patterns obtained when that individual's blood chemistry was in a normal range.
Included in the memory 140 is the user diagnostic functionality, which monitors and analyzes selected subscriber's voice streams to detect a corresponding physical state of the subscriber. The voice stream can be received when the subscriber is using any of the internal and external communication devices as part of a contact or call. The term "contact" or "call" as used herein is intended to include not only telephone calls but also non-telephonic communications, such as data transmissions such as electronic mail, voice-over-IP, facsimile, etc., whether circuit switched or packet switched. When a selected (target) physical state is detected, the functionality 144 takes appropriate actions, including, in increasing order of importance, visually and/or auditorally notifying the user of the determination (e.g., "you may be suffering from hypoglycemia", "you may be suffering from hyperglycemia", etc.), suggesting to the user a recommended course of action (e.g., checking blood sugar levels immediately, contacting a primary caregiver, etc.), notifying a nearby employee or primary caregiver to check on the condition of the subscriber, and notifying emergency personnel that the subscriber may be suffering from extreme hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. As part of the third party notification, the functionality 144 can query the presence server 132 for presence information associated with the user and include the information to the third party notification. The presence information could include, for example, contact information respecting a communication device at which the user is currently available and/or a current physical location of the user. The functionality can determine the degree of severity of the physical condition by analysis of the degree or extent of deviation of the subscriber's speech from a baseline condition.
The analysis is typically performed using selected units of speech. Human speech is affected by the unique interaction of the lungs, trachea (windpipe), larynx, pharyngeal cavity (throat), oral cavity (mouth), and nasal cavity. The pharyngeal and oral cavities are known as the vocal tract. The vocal folds (cords), soft palate or velum, tongue, teeth, and lips move to different positions to produce various speech sounds and are known as articulators. Any part of the original pitch that is near a resonance frequency of the vocal tract are amplified while any part that is not near the resonance frequency is attenuated. As the relative positions of the articulators are altered, the vocal tract resonance frequency is changed. The vocal tract resonances thus become variable points of amplification of the original excitation signal and are referred to as formants.
Depending on the type of excitation by the larynx and lungs, two types of sounds can be produced, namely voiced and unvoiced sounds or utterances. As used herein, an "utterance" refers to any speech component that is uttered or audibly expressed by a person, including sentences, phrases, words, portions of words, and letters. Voiced speech sounds (for example, the "V" sound in "voice") are produced by tensing the vocal cords while exhaling. The tensed vocal cords briefly interrupt the flow of air, releasing it in short periodic bursts. The greater the frequency with which the bursts are released, the higher the fundamental pitch. Unvoiced sounds (for example, the final "S" sound in "voice") are produced when air is forced past relaxed vocal cords. The relaxed cords do not interrupt the air flow; the sound is instead generated by audible turbulence in the vocal tract. A simple demonstration of the role of the vocal cords in producing voice and unvoiced sounds can be had by placing one's fingers lightly on the larynx, or voice box, while slowly saying the word "voice." The vocal cords will be felt to vibrate for the "V" sound and for the double vowel (or diphthong) "oi" but not for the final "S" sound.
Except when whispering, all vowel and nasal sounds in spoken English are voiced. Plosive sounds—also known as stops—may be voiced or unvoiced. Examples of voiced plosives include the sounds associated with "B" and "D". Examples of unvoiced plosives include the sounds associated with "P" and "T." Fricative sounds may also be voiced or unvoiced. Examples of voiced fricatives include the sounds associated with "V" and "Z." Examples of unvoiced fricatives include the sounds associated with "F" and "S."
The movement and location of the tongue, jaw, and lips are identical for the "B" and "P" sounds, the only difference being whether the sounds are voiced. The same is true of the "D" and "T" pair, the "V" and "F" pair, and the "Z" and "S" pair.
When a person suffers from certain physical conditions, the speech units deviate, sometimes substantially, from the baseline speech unit for the same person. For example, when a diabetic is hypoglycemic, he or she can become nervous or agitated. This can cause the person to speak more rapidly. Illustratively, one way that this could be detected automatically with minimal effort is to measure the number of acoustic transitions—e.g., transitions between voiced and unvoiced speech sounds—that occur within a specific unit of time. When the diabetic is hyperglycemic, he or she can have slurred speech and delayed responses, as if intoxicated. Illustratively, one way slurring could be detected automatically is to determine whether the spectral content of what are supposed to be "S" sounds has shifted downward toward what is commonly seen with "SH" sounds; delayed responsiveness could be detected by measuring the duration of silences at points in a conversation where the user would be expected to speak. By comparing a set of characteristics of speech units against a baseline set of characteristics for the same speech units, the functionality 144 can detect not only that the subscriber is likely suffering from a deviant or target physical condition but also the type and severity of the target physical condition.
The set of characteristics can be any measure or set of auditory and/or acoustic-phonetic measures, such as fundamental frequency (pitch or F0), formant or F-pattern, speech or articulation rate, vocal intensity (loudness), speech errors, response time, nonfluency level, and aspects of speech quality. A hypoglycemic speaker may, for example, have (relative to baseline characteristics under normal conditions) a pronounced increase in pitch, vocal intensity, and speech or articulation rate. When the diabetic is suffering from hyperglycemia, there may be (relative to baseline characteristics under normal conditions) a decrease in speech or articulation rate, misarticulation of specific difficult voiced and unvoiced sounds, such as fricatives and plosives (e.g., "r" to "1", "s" to "sh", "ez" to "es"), an increase in the fundamental frequency, and an increase in the number of speech errors or nonfluencies per unit time. Speech and articulation rates are both durational measurements in terms of the number of syllables per second. Speech rate is calculated by dividing the duration of the entire utterance, including any pauses, by the total number of syllables in the'utterance. Articulation rate is calculated in a similar way, except that the silent pauses within the utterance are not included in the calculation.
Different speech sounds are typically articulated with different time frames; that is, some speech sounds take longer to articulate than others. To maintain comparability when calculating articulation rates over relatively small quantities of data, such as short utterances, it is preferable to calculate articulation rate over a linguistically equivalent utterance. For example, a linguistically equivalent utterance would have the same set of words, such as "Hello, this is Mike", "How are you doing today?", "How can I help you?", etc.
As illustrated, the speech processing system 100 includes: an analog to digital (A/D) converter 208 to convert the received audio signal into a digital audio signal, a speech detector 212 to determine when a received audio signal includes speech, a pre-filter unit 216 to effect front-end signal processing such as pre-emphasis, blocking and windowing (or frame separation), spectral analysis, feature extraction/enhancement, normalization, banding, and/or reduction of information rate and feature dimension, a frame analysis unit 220 to effect comparison and matching against baseline speech samples and recognition of the speech signal, an audio and/or video user interface 224 to interact with the user, a library 228 containing matching rules (such as pronunciation and inflection rules, grammar rules, words and corresponding phonetic parameters) and/or other acoustic characterizations (such as phonemes, diphones, triphones, tetraphones, or actual recorded speech samples) and optionally exceptions thereto, and a system clock 240 to provide timing information to the frame analyzer 220 and the other system components. It should be appreciated that the blocks illustrated in
With continuing reference to
The pre-filter unit 216 performs any of a number of possible operations depending on the particular system configuration. In pre-emphasis, the unit 216 pre-emphasizes the waveform in a manner determined by the speech production model. The spectrum of the waveform is normally flattened by the unit 216. In blocking and windowing, the unit 216 extracts the short-time features of the waveform by blocking the speech waveform into short segments called frames. The duration of each frame normally ranges from about 10 to about 30 ms and may contain one or more utterance components. The speech belonging to each frame is assumed to be stationary. To reduce the edge effect of each frame, a smoothing window (e.g., a Hammering window) is applied to each frame. Generally, each successive frame overlaps the next to generate a smoother feature set over time. Each frame has a corresponding timestamp indicating when the utterance in the frame was received by the functionality. In temporal feature extraction, features of speech are extracted from each frame in the time domain. The temporal features include short-time average energy and amplitude, short-time zero-crossing rate, short-time autocorrelation, pitch periods, root mean square (rms), maximum of amplitude, voicing quality, difference between maximum and minimum values in the positive and negative halves of the signal, sound or utterance component type, and autocorrelation peaks. In spectral analysis, the waveforms in each frame are spectrally analyzed to extract spectral information of speech. Spectral analysis can be performed using any suitable algorithm such as a mel scale FFT filter-bank, perceptual linear predictive front-end, and auditory models. In extraction and enhancement of features, the obtained spectral information is processed by extracting useful features. The features in the frequency domain may include the difference between peak and valley, the energy in a particular frequency region, the spectral gradient and spectral variation contour, and the like. In reduction of information rate and feature dimension, the rate of generation of the feature vectors is reduced.
The frame analyzer 220 receives the frames from the pre-filter 216 and compares and matches the waveform (which includes a set of speech units) in each frame against baseline library entries.
Once the corresponding baseline speech units are identified, the frame analyzer 220 can perform one or different types of analysis. In a first type of analysis, the frame analyzer 220 attempts to match the speech units in each frame with baseline speech units in the library 228 and thereby recognizes the corresponding baseline speech waveform, or component speech units, for each frame. As will be appreciated, the frame analyzer 220 may use any comparison and/or matching algorithm, whether performing discrete or isolated, continuous, or spontaneous word recognition. Examples of such algorithms include Hidden Markov Models (HMM), frequency analysis, differential analysis, linear algebra techniques/shortcuts, spectral distortion, and time distortion methods.
Matching is typically done by mapping speech units in the utterance assuming first that the user is in a normal physical state and second that the user is in an altered physical state. In the first case, the match is performed assuming that the speech units were properly spoken. In the second case, the match is performed assuming that certain types of speech units were not properly spoken. The results of applying each of the two cases is compared with a controlling speech model to determine which set of possible speech units conforms with the speech model. For example, the speech unit resembling "l" would first be matched with "l" and then matched with "r", "sh" with "sh" and then with "s", and "ez" with "ez" and then with "es". Based on the comparison and degree of conformance of the two cases with the speech model, the frame analyzer 220 generates a probability that each case is correct and selects the case having the highest probability as being correct. The frame analyzer 220 can then apply selected linguistic measures, such as speech errors and nonfluency level, and aspects of speech quality.
In another configuration, the frame analyzer 220 performs frame-by-frame acoustic analysis for fundamental frequency (pitch or F0), formant or F-pattern, speech and/or articulation rate, vocal intensity (loudness), and response time assuming that the subscriber is correctly speaking the speech units. As will be appreciated, each frame has a corresponding selected timestamp. This permits the analyzer 120 to apply time-based measures, such as speech and/or acoustic rate.
An operation of the functionality 144 will now be described with reference to
In step 300, the input port 204 receives an utterance from the user.
In step 304, the utterance is converted by the A/D converter 208 from analog to digital form.
In step 308, the prefilter 216 prefilters the digitized utterance and forms the utterance into frames.
In step 312, the frame analyzer 220 receives a (next) frame and corresponding timestamp from the pre-filter. The analyzer 220 may additionally receive an utterance component identifier indicating a type of utterance component (or speech unit) in the frame. The frame analyzer 220 determines a set of levels of confidence that the speaker has a specified type of physical condition (e.g., hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and/or normal) and, if the level of confidence is above a selected value, a likely degree of severity, or level, of the physical condition. In one configuration, the analyzer 220 outputs a first level of confidence that the user has hypoglycemia and a second level of confidence that the user has hyperglycemia.
In decision diamond 316, the analyzer 220 determines whether the set of level(s) of confidence that the user has a target condition is/are greater than a first set of selected threshold(s). The first set of selected threshold(s) indicate(s) a compelling likelihood that the user has a target medical condition.
If so, the functionality 144, in step 320, performs a first set of actions. In selecting the action to be taken, the analyzer 220 considers the likely degree of severity, or level, of the target physical condition. If the degree of severity or level is high, the functionality 144 notifies a nearby employee or primary caregiver to check on the condition of the subscriber and/or notifies emergency personnel that the subscriber may be suffering from extreme hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. If the degree of severity or level is lower, the analyzer 220 suggests to the user a recommended course of action (e.g., checking blood sugar levels immediately, contacting a primary caregiver, etc.).
In decision diamond 324, the analyzer 220 determines if the set of level(s) of confidence, though less than the first set of selected threshold(s), is more than a second set of selected threshold(s). If the set of levels of confidence is/are more than the second set of selected threshold(s), the functionality 144, in step 328 performs a second set of actions. Because the second set of threshold(s) indicate(s) that there is a substantial, but not compelling, likelihood that the user may have a target physical condition, the action performed is generally one of visually and/or auditorally notifying the user of the determination (e.g., "Your blood sugar may be low", "Your blood sugar may be high", or simply, "Please check your blood sugar.").
If the set of levels of confidence is/are less than the second set of selected threshold(s) or after performing one of steps 320 and 328, the functionality 144 proceeds to step 332 and returns to step 300 to await the next speech segment.
A number of variations and modifications of the invention can be used. It would be possible to provide for some features of the invention without providing others.
For example in one alternative embodiment, the user diagnostic functionality 144 is included in an adjunct to the switch/server 108.
In another alternative embodiment, the user diagnostic functionality 144 is included in the communication device itself, such as in any of the communication devices 120, 124, and 128.
In yet another embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, Application Specific Integrated Circuits or ASICs, programmable logic arrays, and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement the methods described herein. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the methods described herein.
It should also be stated that the software implementations of the present invention are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as a magnetic medium like a disk or tape, a magneto-optical or optical medium like a disk, or a solid state medium like a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the software implementations of the present invention are stored.
Although the present invention describes components and functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be included in the present invention. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same functions are considered equivalents included in the present invention.
The present invention, in various embodiments, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations, and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how to make and use the present invention after understanding the present disclosure. The present invention, in various embodiments, includes providing devices and processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described herein or in various embodiments hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of implementation.
The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various features of the invention are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodiment of the invention.
Moreover, though the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.
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|International Classification
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|Sep 13, 2006
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Heartburn/GERD Health Center
When Heartburn Gets Serious
Ignoring heartburn -- just putting up with it, popping a few pills day after day -- isn't necessarily the best plan. There are complications that can result from letting the problem linger.
"When heartburn is not appropriately treated, acid reflux can cause erosion and ulcers in the lining of the esophagus," says William C. Orr, PhD, a clinical professor of medicine and specialist in gastrointestinal disorders at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Recommended Related to Heartburn/GERD
By Lisa Collier New Treatments, from Easy At-Home Tricks to an Amazing 20-Minute Hospital Fix
Read the No More Heartburn article > >
"It's extremely painful and greatly affects the patient's lifestyle," he tells WebMD. "It really alters very significantly the quality of life."
Long-term acid reflux can cause scarring and narrowing in the esophagus, which can also lead to swallowing difficulties, Radhika Srinivasan, MD, a gastrointestinal specialist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, tells WebMD.
This condition, called esophageal strictures, can interfere with eating and drinking by preventing food and liquid from reaching the stomach. Strictures are treated by dilation, in which an instrument gently stretches the strictures and expands the opening in the esophagus.
In fairly rare cases, chronic acid reflux can also cause a pre-cancerous condition called "Barrett's esophagus," she adds. Barrett's esophagus is a result of the chronic acid reflux into the esophagus (swallowing tube) causing dangerous changes in the cells that line the esophagus -- these cells can become cancerous.
The odds: If 100 people have heartburn on a regular basis for many years, ten would have Barrett's esophagus; one out of those ten would develop esophageal cancer.
Whether you are at risk depends on long you have had symptoms and their frequency, Srinivasansays.
Thus, Barrett's esophagus is not a condition to be taken lightly. The goal of treatment is to prevent further damage by stopping any acid reflux from the stomach. For acid reflux, doctors may start with medications such as Pepcid, Zantac, or Tagamet which are known as H2 blockers. These medications, which are available over the counter and by prescription, inhibit the release of acid in the stomach. Lifestyle changes also help with symptoms.
For persistent or worsening symptoms or cases of Barrett's esophagus, doctors usually give patients proton pump inhibitor medications that block acid production like Aciphex, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid, and Prilosec. If these medications do not limit the effects of reflux, surgery to tighten the sphincter, or valve between the esophagus and stomach, may be necessary. Doctors can also use a technique called ablation to destroy the abnormal tissue.


text: WTB Elite Envy [Archive] - ArcheryTalk Forum: Archery Target, Bowhunting, Classifieds, Chat ArcheryTalk Forum: Archery Target, Bowhunting, Classifieds, Chat > ArcheryTalk Forums > Classified Ads > Accessories and General Hunting Items > Misc. Items Only Want to buy or trade? WTB or WTT. Please use new item specific forums > WTB Elite Envy PDA : WTB Elite Envy bponbJanuary 4th, 2008, 10:21 PMAnyone have one for sale? 60-70# RH Send bare bow price. Thanks Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.3 Copyright © 2016 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.


text:
Books and Reading
Here are a few suggestions for other funny, touching, books:
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Siddalee Walker needs her mother's help with a play she's writing about
women's friendships, so Vivi sends her the letters, photos, journals,
and souvenirs from the Ya-Ya sisterhood. This group of girlfriends was
wild and clever--and stuck in a small town where they were expected to
raise babies not Cain. (catalog summary)
A web resource for the scoop on good works of horror is the
list of Bram Stoker Award winners (and nominees) from the Horror Writers
Association. The lists go back to 1987, so there's plenty of choice!
Their website: http://www.horror.org/stokerwinnom.htm#2003
I enjoyed the Harry Potter series and have found these other titles enjoyable because of the characters' relationships and adventures:
"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan (Book 1 of the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series)
If you liked "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger, you might enjoy the following:
Ahern, Cecelia PS, I Love You
"Holly has always depended on her husband's practical advice to keep her going and despairs when she loses him to brain cancer, until a package arrives filled with advice for carrying on with her life without her beloved husband." (summary from Novelist)
Children's Book Week is a time to celebrate books and reading in classrooms, libraries, bookstores, and homes. How will you and your family mark the occasion?
Most library programs for preschoolers take place on weekday mornings. But if you or your spouse is at work then, how can you bring your child to storytimes?
Poetry books are well represented on library shelves and eagerly checked out by readers raised on Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss. Fans of their humor and wordplay will love Adam Rex's two monstrous poetry collections, "Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich" and the brand-new "Frankenstein Takes the Cake." Each book features poems about famous monsters – Dracula, the Phantom of the Opera, Bigfoot – and their trials and tribulations.
Although Jane Austen lived and wrote 200 years ago, she is as popular as ever. Popular culture has kept her books and her life alive through new movie adaptations of her books, continuances of her stories, biographies of her life, and fictional accounts with Austen or her works as a source of inspiration.
Free Comic Book Day is a single day - the first Saturday in May - when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their stores. Several Fredericksburg-area stores generously donate comic books to the Central Rappahannock Regional Library so that we can give them away at the library, too.
For years I tried to keep a reading journal next to my bed, ready to record my reading adventures. I'd start one, lose it, and begin another. Last Christmas I purchased Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Journal with high hopes of chronicling my 2008 book list. I haven't seen it for a while now, but I seem to remember the two-year-old running away with it, Sharpie in hand.
Obviously, this mom of four needs a different solution--something that a toddler can't deface with indelible ink and is not easily absconded with. So I looked for an online solution. It turns out that there are several rich social networking and personal-library-recording Web sites out there. I am going to talk about my two favorites: LibraryThing and GoodReads.


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Skip to comments.Great Vagina Man shouts down pro-life speaker at U. Waterloo (Canada)
Posted on 03/18/2013 3:57:27 AM PDT by lowbridge
Last Wednesday night, a pro-life student club at the University of Waterloo invited a local MP to speak.
Within minutes, a small group of other students stormed the front of the room, screaming abuse at the guest speaker, taking over the podium and grinding the event to a halt.
All under the watchful eyes of campus police.
They just stood there.
Actually, thats not quite right, they did intervene. They told the speaker Stephen Woodworth that for his own safety hed better leave.
They didnt take steps to protect his safety. They didnt remove the screaming trespassers, or even just ask them politely and quietly to stop. They just stood there, as a campus club was physically barred from holding a peaceful event
Giant Vagina Man was screaming in Woodworths face, saying, Who do you think you are, trying to impose your views, your bigotry?
They teach sexual studies at Waterloo, but they obviously dont teach irony anymore.
Giant Vagina Man was a screaming interrupter who refused to let a contrary view be heard yet he said Woodworth was the one imposing his views.
An extra layer of irony is that Giant Vagina Man probably doesnt even know what Woodworths ideas are, since he didnt allow the MP to speak them. Thats pretty much the dictionary definition of bigotry hating someone, abusing them, screaming at them, silencing them based on an ignorant prejudice.
Hopefully there will be another level of irony: This rude freak will probably never again get that close to a vagina in the rest of his college career, if the gods of dating are just.
University of Waterloo is starting to earn a reputation for closed-mindedness.
(Excerpt) Read more at collegeinsurrection.com ...
University of * is starting to earn a reputation for closed-mindedness.
Fixed it with the wild card character.
Virtually all secular Western "Universities" have become close-minded.
it's like this: According to these freaks, it is perfectly OK, actually good to kill babies with surgical instruments, just not with bullets
I blame parents for raising these nitwits and sending them out to be indoctrinated by the scum that teaches in these colleges.
More and more ,Community colleges are looking like the way to go.
You are absolutely correct. The concept of intellectual freedom and exchange of ideas has become a joke. I am sad beyond words about what we've allowed to happen. I hate to say it, but only when people like 'Giant Vagina Man' get their a**es kicked for this behavior will they stop. This whole thing stinks of totalitarianism, and the only way to deal with dictators is to take away their soapbox and whatever power they may have.
Sounds to me like the campus pro-lifers need to start arranging for their own, private security at these events. I'm sure there are lots of guys who would be willing to contribute their services.
Good job by the campus police.
> the only way to deal with dictators is to take away their
> soapbox and whatever power they may have.
Because of the nature of totalitarian statists, the only way to do this is with overwhelming superior force.
Freedom of speech is allowed ONLY if it is approved by the left.
He's a pu**y!
These cretins don't realize that the Muslims in Canada will not limit their reproduction and Canada will be Muslim in the future. The imams don't tolerate
different opinions either, and there will be no more foolishness such as Giant Vagina Man.
Yep.. "intellectual freedom," only extending to the freedom to ridicule any stance countering the prevailing progressive tilt in this country. Ditto for the purported "exchange of ideas." Only ideas that are grounded firmly in the hard-left range of the political sphere are acceptable.
I have a rather powerful voice that carries well. I would've delighted in the opportunity to shout those ****s down right back.
Apparently the petty fascists in Canada haven't heard of the other persuasive, leftist method for shutting down speech they don't like...throwing pies. Doesn't Canada have bakeries? But whatever...physically preventing people with opposing views from speaking by storming the podium or by throwing objects at them, the leftists have managed win the title of petty fascists.
> its like this: According to these freaks, it is perfectly OK, actually good to kill babies with surgical instruments, just not with bullets
Probably one of the best analogies I've heard in a while...lol
When I was growing up, a man dressed as a vagina and shouting at people would have a kicked ass in short order.
Never heard of the place but for others as ignorant as I was, the University of Waterloo is in Canada.
Prior to this, the only Waterloo I knew about was in Iowa.
Well, what do you expect with a name like "Waterloo"? Nothing good can come an institution or location named Waterloo. Just as Mr. Bonaparte.
Remember that the college students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow and the ones in charge of protecting your rights. Obviously they see no problem using intimidation to physically prevent presentations by those they disagree with. In a decade or so, giant vag man could be Canada's equivalent of Attorney General.
You gotta watch out for those Virginians. especially the giant ones.
Giant Vagina Man is probably a real pussy when confronted without his friends.
"Hes a pu**y!"
It's obvious from his design of the costume, he's never seen a real one up close.
No evidence of that.
Leftist male porn perverts speaking for the freedom and openness of vaginas now... We have so progressed with the "smart" people in charge!
" Prior to this, the only Waterloo I knew about was in Iowa."
Napoleon tried to invade Iowa?
It would have been the line of the century had the speaker thought of it himself. Followed by a wrestling-style chair slammed to the, er, top of said pu**y.
This is my area.
I live in the the twin cities of Kitchener/Waterloo.
I wish I'd have known about this event.
I've looked them up...
...and asked to get on their email list.
Guiding Principles:
- We believe that all human life begins at conception and ends at natural death.
- We believe in promoting positive life affirming action.
- We are open to, and respect all people regardless of cultural perspectives or faith background.
- We respect every individuals right to uphold their own opinion.
- We do not condone, under any circumstance, the use of violence to achieve anything
There's a pretty famous one in Belgium, too :-)
Yep, I'd already admitted I'd forgotten about the one in Belgium. What's worse is there is a Waterloo in the state where I live and I'd never heard of that one either. Waterloo, Illinois. I think Napoleon was born there or somethin'.
Speaking as an alumnus (class of '97), I miss "classic Waterloo."
Student apathy used to be a campus characteristic, and the school paper was somewhat libertarian.
Thanks lowbridge.
Fire extinguishers make a good impromptu tool. First, spray the interlopers in the faces — and the fake police if they intervene — then use the tank to smash in the skulls of the proabortion bigots.
High risk of death or debilitating injury, once carried out often enough, constructs a nice threshold of restraint in the minds of society's a-holes, or rather, those who survive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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Arsenal Message Board
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Le Pruneau Le Pruneau Apr 26, 2013 09:32 Flag
On The Dutch Persona Non Grata...
Great post Mar, and you make a great point about Cesc.
When you consider all the players that have left in their prime (even Vieira and Henry were 28), or in Cesc, Nasri's et al case, well before their prime, its pretty obvious why RVP, 'the last man standing', is getting the brunt of it...
Its the FINAL nail in the coffin, confirmation....its OVER.
I dont blame people for being upset he joined United. Its a reminder of how far you've fallen, forget being our rivals, even clueless Spurs smell blood now. Look how happy he is at United, its the perfect club for him, players on his level, with his winning mentality. Fergie is already calling him our modern day Cantona, and the fans are not just reciprocating the sentiment, but its helping to ease their (and Fergie's) misguided view on the fat, slow and overpaid Rooney, who we finally now see getting dropped and subbed more.
At United we were all starting to like Wenger, my mum even commented on how she 'felt sorry for him these days because he is a good coach, just not great'.....but he deserves a trophy outside Old Trafford for giving us RVP!Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
I like Wenger and I feel bad for Wenger. He should have been protected against himself. If he had left 5 years ago when the game started to pass him by, he would have left a great legacy. In stead he has been kept around and as a result has destroyed his legacy. This is a shame.
He now resorts to terribly poor attempts of manipulation of the dumb fans like Flabongras. This morning I had to laugh out-loud when I read he said he was worried about Chelsea's summer plans. As if we compete with Chelsea!!! That's what he wants fans to think. But the truth is our highest paid player probably earns less than half of Chelsea's highest paid player. We don't compete with Chelsea for players it is as simple as that and for him to try to suggest that is a joke. If he wants to pretend to compete with Chelsea for players he should start paying 250k a week and this won't happen anytime soon.
- 2 Replies to Govinda
Le Pruneau Le Pruneau Apr 26, 2013 10:50 Flag
Yes, Wenger is a bit like Roy Jones Jr in that respect.....one of the greatest at his peak, but now in his 40's he's getting beat by bums, tarnishing the memory of his greatness!
People are saying you need 3 or 4 quality players to challenge United, they must be joking! Look at where Citeh are in the table with their wealth of talent!
This latest £70m war chest he's being handed wont buy jack #$%$!
I think we will only experience the Wenger legacy once he has retired myself. There is no doubt in my mind he loves the club and is trying to do everything he can to look after it. For that reason hes making himself a scape goat during the hard times only to be replaced and have the new manager reap the benefits of his hard work. We have to wait and see what happens I guess, but Wenger is not a stupid man. Im pretty sure he can see the problems at Arsenal but is willing to gamble spending less now for a future benefit. II dont think Wenger is 100% to blame, nor do i believe the board are 100%, they are both in it for the long haul. Fans dont have such patience.


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Obamacare Ads Emphasize How Easy the Website Is to Use
Define "easy."
The disastrous state of the Obamacare health-insurance-exchange website has been a major news story for weeks now. But don't believe the so-called "media" "reports." Don't even listen to President Obama, who has acknowledged that the website "has had way more glitches than I think are acceptable" and "isn't working as well as it should." Because according to Average Americans like Deborah and Daniel, the stars of two new Obamacare web videos, the website is "very easy to use" and makes it "pretty easy" to compare plans. Someone should tell President Oblivious over here that his website is fine.


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I've a problem.
When I want to go on my feed post : http://site.com/MyPost1/feed/ i'm redirected to http://site.com/MyPost1/
I want to disable these redirection but I don't know how.
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Students evacuated. No injuries reported.
Students were evacuated from a school bus in Goldens Bridge after a fire broke out Thursday morning, state police said.
No one was injured on the bus near Routes 22 and 138, police said.
Details about the bus fire, which occurred around 7 a.m., were not immediately available, nor was information on where the bus was headed.


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Cult at the Capri
Shine 20th Anniversary Screening
Jason Bourne | NOW SHOWING
Star Trek Beyond | NOW SHOWING
The Capri is an independent not-for-profit cinema run by a network of generous volunteers. Built in 1941, it is heritage listed and houses the Theatre Organ Society's unique world class theatre pipe organ.
The profit from every ticket you buy goes back in to the restoration of this iconic South Australian building and the WurliTzer organ.
Why not come along for a bit of old world atmosphere and see the organ rise out of the stage and play in the evening session on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings, 15 minutes before the scheduled screening time.
Next time you're planning to see a movie, why not look on the Fundraisers page of our website and see which charity you can support just by seeing a movie? Sometimes you'll get a cheaper ticket. Sometimes you'll pay a little more and it will include a little extra, like a glass of wine and some nibbles.
Why not book your own event or fundraiser? Find out more on our Hire page.
When you join our Capri Club you receive discounted admittance to public screenings of movies for $8.00 per head, a considerable saving on the full Adult price and on the Concession price.
Some events at the Capri are for Private Hires, so your Movie Club card is NOT valid.
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Body's Defender Goes on the Attack
Published: January 22, 2002
(Page 2 of 2)
Studies have shown that statin drugs, prescribed to lower cholesterol, can also lower C.R.P. This research raises the tantalizing possibility that statins may be used to prevent heart attacks even in people whose cholesterol levels are normal. But Dr. Ridker cautioned that the evidence was still too preliminary to warrant such use of statins.
He said he hoped soon to launch a nationwide study of statins in people with low cholesterol but high C-reactive protein levels.
Inflammation may also be important in diabetes. Dr. Ridker and others have found that elevated C.R.P. levels are associated with a higher-than-average risk of developing Type 2 diabetes -- the kind that occurs in adults.
In diabetes, excess body fat -- a major risk factor for the disease -- may be part of the inflammatory picture. Fat cells produce cytokines, the proteins that promote inflammation. Studies have shown that people who develop Type 2 diabetes have relatively high levels of these cytokines. Researchers think the cytokines may interfere with the body's ability to use its own insulin, thus bringing on diabetes.
In osteoporosis, the same cytokines seem to accelerate the rate at which bone is broken down. The disease often arises in women after menopause, when estrogen levels drop. Dr. Sundeep Khosla, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said estrogen protected against bone loss by decreasing the production of cytokines. When estrogen declines, cytokine levels rise, and bone is lost.
In Alzheimer's disease, inflammation happens in and around the protein deposits -- known as amyloid plaques -- that accumulate in the brain. For many years, doctors thought that this inflammation was caused by the plaques. But studies have shown that cytokines help create the plaques in the first place.
''Inflammation is directly damaging neurons,'' said Dr. Paul Aisen, a professor of neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Asthma, too, is an inflammatory disease. Doctors have known this for more than a decade, and commonly prescribe anti-inflammatory steroids to help prevent asthma attacks. Still, as is true for Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and diabetes, the exact ways in which inflammation promotes asthma have yet to be worked out.
Inflammation is even believed to be a player in cancer. Tumors spread by commandeering the body's inflammatory mechanisms. Cancer cells dig into neighboring tissue in essentially the same way that inflammatory cells invade the lining of arteries, Dr. Libby said. Inflammation is also involved in angiogenesis, the growth of small blood vessels that support tumors.
Researchers say it is important to find out what causes inflammation to begin with. In asthma, it appears to be airborne allergens like dust mites and cat dander. But in other diseases, the trigger is harder to discern.
In atherosclerosis, many scientists believe that oxidized fat droplets, circulating in the bloodstream, irritate the artery wall. Some suspect certain viruses or bacteria.
Many studies have suggested that some common viral and bacterial infections increase the risk of heart disease. The suspect bugs include Herpes Simplex 1, a virus that causes cold sores; cytomegalovirus, which typically causes no symptoms; the bacteria involved in gum disease; H. pylori, which causes stomach ulcers; and Chlamydia pneumoniae, which causes bronchitis and pneumonia. Chlamydia has been found in many arterial plaques.
Yet it is not clear that any of these infections directly irritate the artery walls. Dr. Tracy and other experts speculate that infections may play only an indirect role, by heightening the body's inflammatory response.
In the same way, Dr. Tracy said, smoking, obesity and arthritis can also crank up inflammation. Obesity promotes inflammation because fat cells produce cytokines. In a recent Italian study, a group of obese women were able to significantly lower their cytokine levels by losing 10 percent of their body fat.
The idea that bacteria are not directly involved in atherosclerosis may explain why studies so far have failed to show that taking antibiotics can reduce a person's risk of heart attacks. But some anti-inflammatory drugs do seem to make a difference.
ACE inhibitors, drugs commonly used to treat high blood pressure, also appear to reduce inflammation. The drugs help prevent heart attacks, strokes and the complications of diabetes, possibly because they block the action of angiotensin, a protein that not only constricts blood vessels but also seems to promote inflammation.
Many other anti-inflammatory drugs exist. The most familiar is aspirin, already taken daily by many people to help prevent second heart attacks. Dr. Ridker's studies show that aspirin works best at preventing heart attacks in people with high C-reactive protein levels.
Scientists are searching for new anti-inflammatory drugs, and also hope to learn why some people seem more susceptible to inflammation than others. Lifestyle almost certainly plays a role, but genes may, too.
''Inflammation in general may provide us with a whole series of new targets for therapy that will treat and prevent diseases in ways we previously had not thought of,'' Dr. Ridker said. ''That makes medical research awfully exciting right now.''
Photos: ''The blood vessel is a living, breathing organ,'' said Dr. Peter Libby, left, chief of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Dr. Paul M. Ridker, director of Brigham's Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, said, ''Inflammation in general may provide us with a whole series of new targets for therapy that will treat and prevent diseases.'' (Photographs by Rick Friedman for The New York Times)(pg. F9) Drawings (Juan Velasco/The New York Times)(pg. F1) Chart: ''Inflammation and Disease'' Inflammation, a normal response of the body to infection or disease, can also cause problems. Scientists now consider that inflammation may have a major role in many diseases not previously associated with it. ONE PROCESS, MANY DISEASES Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis have long been linked with inflammation. But a wide range of chronic diseases that come with aging may have inflammatory components as well. Proteins that promote inflammation, called cytokines, may play a significant role. AN EXAMPLE: ATHEROSCLEROSIS Cytokines, which were thought to be produced only by white blood cells, can be produced inside artery walls. They are a major operator in diseases like atherosclerosis, which may lead to coronary artery disease, the single largest killer of Americans today. THE PROCESS 1) Droplets of fat in the bloodstream are absorbed by artery walls, inducing the release of cytokines. 2) Cytokines may cause the smooth wall of the artery to become sticky, attracting inflammatory cells called monocytes. 3) The monocytes squeeze between the lining cells. Once inside the artery walls they turn into scavenger cells called macrophages, which start gobbling up fat. 4) These fat-filled cells accumulate, forming a plaque. 5) This plaque might not be not be a major health risk. But inflammation thins the plaque's cap. 6) Eventually, the cap ruptures, spilling its contents into the bloodstream along with cytokines, which are a powerful clottingagent. A resulting clot of red blood cells might be large enough to block the artery and cause a heart attack or a stroke. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Cytokines contribute to protein deposits that accumulate in the brain. PSORIASIS Cytokines accelerate the rate at which bone is broken down OSTEOPOROSIS Cytokines may interfere with the body's ability to use its own insulin (Sources: Peter Libby, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital; American Heart Association.) (pg. F1)


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Join us in Chat. Click link in menu bar to join. Unofficial chat day is every Friday night (US time).
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is there any way i could reduce the voltage reliably with a simple circuit.
i was looking at using an lm317
but i'm a bit confused about how to find the resistor values. for r1 i was going to use a 2k and a 22k resistor. will i need an outrageous input voltage or will 19v work?


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April 30th, 2015, 09:49 PM
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Thank you! And I really appreciate that you love...
Thank you! And I really appreciate that you love Frederick and Lyra together. Sibling sets are important to me and I worried that they sounded weird together. But I just couldn't NOT use them. I love...
April 30th, 2015, 09:41 PM
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Lyra Mae is here!
So I haven't posted here in forever, but I just had a baby girl named Lyra Mae and wanted to share the happy news with my favorite namers. :)
I've had the name Lyra picked out since 2007...before...
March 9th, 2012, 06:25 PM
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Girls: Emilia Annabelle Miriam Claire Megan...
March 9th, 2012, 06:16 PM
Thread: You named your baby THAT?by jennie
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I had an experience recently when the cutest...
I had an experience recently when the cutest little boy walked into the store where I work. I finally asked his father what his name was, and he said, "Phoenix." I had to stop from scrunching my...
October 7th, 2011, 01:41 PM
Thread: Ever heard of Auryette (or a variation)?by jennie
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Ever heard of Auryette (or a variation)?
I met someone the other day named Auryette. I've never heard of it before, but she said it was from an old Disney movie. Google and Imdb are no help, so I thought Nameberry might save the day.
September 1st, 2011, 08:17 PM
Thread: Name For A Red Betta Fishby jennie
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My husband told me that I'm not allowed to use...
My husband told me that I'm not allowed to use titles for any of our pets, except for fish. We've come up with some doozies. We're actually getting a betta tonight, and deciding on a name.
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