Wearable Technology Helps Victims of Brain Injury, Stroke
Victims suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) or TBI caused by a stroke-induced brain injury were recently introduced to new technology enabling improvements of motor and physical skills among victims. Several companies have made advances in technology allowing victims to learn to reuse limbs paralyzed by TBI and stroke-induced TBI as well as to assist in stimulating nerves and muscles.
According to Bioness, manufacturers of the technology units known as NESS, the wearable technology can be worn in areas where extreme damage has been done to the muscles and nerves due to TBI. The technology uses mild electronic shocks to stimulate the muscles and nerves of the afflicted area, thus allowing movement.
The products have been implemented in several hospitals, including Sierra Providence Physical Rehabilitation Hospital in El Paso, Texas, for individuals suffering from brain injuries that may need short- and long-term assistance from their TBI injury.
Some of the technology in existence available to aid victims includes hand and foot rehabilitation devices. The hand rehabilitation technology is a plastic cuff molded around the hand, wrist and forearm and consists of six electrodes that transmit electronic impulses to stimulate nerves and muscles. The stimulation causes the muscles to become less stiff while also increasing circulation and strength of the injured area.
The hand rehabilitation device is attached to a small computer that, according to news reports, is similar to a handheld gaming gadget. The gadget is used to control electric shocks.
The foot cuff wraps around the leg and knee and is ideal for victims of TBI who suffer from what is known as foot drop, otherwise described as when an individual cannot walk correctly or lift their foot. The cuff, also attached to a game-like gadget uses sensors that detect the range of motion for a foot and heel to hitting the ground. Through nerve stimulation, the cuff allows a victim to control their foot mobility.
Additionally, the Journal of Biological Engineering recently published a study from researchers at Purdue University who found that patients being treated with an injectable simple polymer, polyethylene glycol (PEG), into the blood stream immediately following a head trauma had comparative less damage than compared to those that were delayed in receiving the polymer or who did not receive the polymer at all.
Technology Assists TBI Victims
As TBI becomes an ever-increasing technology among Americans, the technology has grown to encompass or assist the wide-range of TBI side effects. Not only are manufacturers looking at developing technology to assist victims of TBI, but scientists also continue to work on alternative treatments including the most recent technology that is being led by Nicholas Schiff of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. Weill and his colleagues are studying the effects of electrically stimulating parts of the brain to improve TBI after-effects.
The study found that patients of TBI who have seriously debilitating side effects have a surprising level of brain activity and that if the victim’s neural circuits are left intact, the brain can benefit and become active with stimulation.
Scientists used a procedure known as deep brain stimulation, in which electrodes are surgically implanted into the effected area of the brain. These electrodes are also connected to a pacemaker implanted in the chest. The device can be turned on or off, but once the device was turned on in many of their patients, arousal of cells occurred, and, with time, a patient’s behaviors and abilities improved gradually.
Causes of TBI
While researchers, scientists and manufacturers continue to make strides with technological devices to assist brain injury victims there are still approximately 1.4 million victims of TBI a year, with 235,000 of those affected with TBI being hospitalized, 1.1 million individuals being treated and released, and approximately 50,000 TBI-related deaths per year. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 5.3 million Americans suffer from long-term TBI after affects and that the medical costs associated with TBI range have been speculated to be around $60 billion.
There are numerous ways in which an individual can sustain a brain injury including but there are four accidents that make up most of these injuries:
* Falls, accounting for 28 percent of TBI accidents
* Automobile and traffic accidents are responsible for 20 percent of brain injury accidents.
* Nineteen percent are caused by being stuck by or against something
* Assaults account for 11 percent of brain injuries among individuals.
Those who have been injured in a TBI accident should not only seek medical attention immediately but should also consider developing brain injury litigation. Often times, expenses of medical bills associated with treating a brain injury can be far too costly for an average individual to pay for, which is why it is a necessity to speak with a TBI lawyer. Learning about developing a lawsuit to receive monetary compensation for the pain and suffering caused through a TBI.
Other Common TBI Treatments
There is an array of TBI treatments already available for TBI victims, and there are additional treatments being researched worldwide as well. Some of the most common treatments including surgery, medications or decompression of the brain, although counseling and therapy, both physical and mental, are most often outcomes from TBI as surgeries and experimental treatments are costly.
To learn more on protection yourself from a TBI injury or how to find protection while suffering from TBI, locate an experienced brain injury attorney who can provide insight into bettering the situation.
For more information on traumatic brain injuries visit http://brain-injury.legalview.com/. Also use the LegalView homepage at http://www.LegalView.com to learn more about the recently revamped Avandia practice area or learn about the latest research on the Levaquin risks.
Tips for the Beginning Investor
Would you like to start building an investment portfolio, but are not sure where to begin? Beginner investing is not as difficult as you might think. With the internet, researching any subject is relatively easy and investing is no different. There are wealth of sites and gurus, just waiting to advise you on your next best financial move.
Investing is something that essential to your financial stability. You are going to need to have investments to be able to retire, but it can also be interesting to see how things changed depending on what is going on in today’s economy. But whether you find investing interesting or not, there is something for everyone. There are investments that are almost considered a sure thing. You may not make as much from them, but you do not have to worry that you will lose everything. And if you are a risk taker or a trend watcher, there are stocks out there that fit into that category.
If you are just starting out you will want to follow some simple steps. Investing can be quite complicated depending on what you are investing in:
* Set a budget and do not exceed it. This is pretty much like everything else in life. It is best if you start out small until you get your feet wet and know what to expect.
* Start out with a single type of investment to you become familiar with how that investment vehicle works and then broaden your horizons and start to diversify your portfolio.
* Diversify-become familiar with the many types of investments that are available today. With a diversified portfolio you minimize your risk. You are better able to manage what the economy dishes out.
* Read, read, read. Find out what the experts are doing. There are an endless number of publications available with an infinite amount of information on building a portfolio.
* Get started. Many people put off starting something that is unknown to them. You will be a novice until you get some experience and you cannot do that until you get started.
Today, learning to invest is essential. Unless you win the lottery, your investments will be what you are living on after you retire. Learning to invest is investing in your future and there is no time like the present to get started. Start building for tomorrow, today. You never to young to start investing and a person never gets to old to make changes in there portfolio.
Get more information on beginner investing and how to pick stocks. There is no time like the present to begin preparing for your future. Get free stock picks at http://stockpicks4today.com.
Myspace Online Graphic Madness
Since Myspace launched in 2003 by L.A programmers E-Universe it has since then been booming, now in the year 2008 there is well over 200 million users around the globe in well over 20 international territories like US, UK, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. According to the Myspace press release, Myspace is one of the fastest growing websites of all time boasting huge amounts of stats like over 14 billion comments, 1.5 billion images, and 8 million Artists!
Since Myspace established many sites have been launched as myspace “tool boxes” for users. These sites come in handy for users looking to spice up their profiles with flash mp3 players, comment graphics, profile editors, games, layouts and much more. Most of these sites offer a multitude of user options and applications. One of the really popular areas is the Myspace Graphic sites. it seems like theres a new one popping up every second. These Myspace graphic sites offer many different Myspace Graphics, ranging from glitter images to funny animated pictures to occasion graphics, to popular icons.
Anything you want to find, you will find, and with just a few clicks of your mouse. According to Google search there is well over 80 pages and 15,500,000 results for the keyword “myspace graphics” alone. And over 50 pages and 10,600,000 results for the keyword “myspace graphic comments”. Ive got to say it, if you cant find what your looking for with over 26,100,000 results, then you don’t need it!
Myspace graphic sites also offer other things like the ability to upload your own picture on to their server and turn it into a myspace ‘piece de resistance’, video clips, codes to change your mouse cursor, day of the week comments, contact table graphics etc. I could go on but I wont.
These sites are considered the mecca of all sites and with over 200 million users in ages ranging from fourteen to eighty years old theres no wonder there is so many sites available, each one of them offering something different, something more appealing, something cooler than the next site. I’m not one to comment graphics in particular my bag is more in the online gaming area! Although I will admit to being one of the 200 million users.
If your looking for a funny, witty, extraordinary comment to send your best friend, girlfriend, mom sister or anyone else under the sun these Myspace Graphic sites are the place to be. Check some of them out on your next trip to Google or Yahoo! Search.
This author is the proud owner of http://www.searchenginemarketingpro.biz.
5 Ways To Speed A Computer
In my work I run across a lot of people that have severely neglected their computer for years. Here is a list of the top five tips as a computer tech that I would recommend for any user to help maintain their computer and keep it running great.
There is a lot you can do yourself to boost your computers performance but we are going to discuss the basics today.
1. First, Free Up Disk Space - One of the primary ways to make a computer run faster is by freeing up disk space. This will give you more space on your hard disk. Certain utilities used identify certain files that can be safely deleted without making any serious changes and then it lets you choose whether you want to delete some or all of the files it identifies.
2. Second, Arrange Files in Proper Order - When you install a file or program to your computer, the hard drive is mostly empty so new data is saved in one whole block. Then when you call for that information, the computer can usually find quickly because it is all in one spot. As time goes by your computer will return the file but it will be in a different order and in different locations so the necessity to arrange the files is necessary. There are lots of programs you can buy to do this but some are great and others are not.
3. Three, Get Rid of Spyware - Spyware is a program that will do bad things to your computer by design; many times it gets installed with your consent. They can take advantage of the fact that people will click “I Agree” to software agreements without reading them. The best method to rid yourself of this sort of spyware programs is to scan your computer like an anti-virus program. Be careful if you do this yourself as lot of the spyware programs out there are of themselves malicious and will put the viruses into your PC in order to create a problem they can solve after you buy something.
4. Forth, Find and Repair Disk Errors - Another computer issue that needs precaution are disk errors. Your computer or your hard drive as it gets older may encounter errors that need to be repaired. There are certain ways we scan the disk and repair those errors but most people are a little afraid of doing this because they imagine working on the drive itself. Most repair businesses are able to do this with little or no risk involved.
5. Fifth, Buy a External Hard Drive - When you add a external hard drive to your PC you can clean out most files that should not really be on your main hard drive. Like pictures and music files that are not used a lot yet they can occupy a lot of space. These files are exactly what you want to move onto your new hard drive because they are clogging up the hard drive and making it difficult to use. Many other kinds of files also qualify for being stored on an external hard drive too.
Most repair companies offer an option to obtain extra hardware and they will install it too for a price. If you take these precautions ahead of time you will find your repair needs are minimized and reduced over time.
Copyright Detro Canaro (2008) Detro Canaro is a husband, a father, a writer, computer tech and a co-owner of several websites that support he and his family. One of those websites is http://computerrepairlasvegas.blogspot.com/
A Guide to Social Networking Platforms
If you want to build your own social networking website but lack the technical knowledge to code one from scratch as most of us do, chances are you have looked in to using a social networking platform. Many companies have developed social networking platforms that allow customers to build social networks easily and that are customized to their needs.
Often referred to as “white label,” these platforms become invisible and allow the creator’s brand to take center stage. The social network creator can customize the platform any way they like for a variety of effects and features. There are two basic types of social network platforms within this classification; ones that are hosted remotely and the easiest to use and ones that you download onto your server and run as an independent program which you are responsible for managing.
Remotely hosted social network platforms allow you to set up your very own social network with the least amount of work and technical knowledge. You can basically point and click to choose the features and design you want without having to worry about the technical details.
There are many companies that offer this type of social network platform, with Ning, CrowdVine, KickApps, GoingOn, and People Aggregator being just a few for you to consider. If you have the desire to create a social networking website for your business, group, or just for fun, these types of platforms are the easiest to use and are the best solution for those without much technical skill.
If you have some technical experience then a social network platform that you download to your server and configure yourself may be the best option for you. This type of platform offers the most flexibility and custom features, but you must know how to implement them yourself. PHPFox is a popular platform you can download and configure yourself.
You can also have a social network built for you using a platform you download on your server if you have the money to pay a developer and want the most personalized social network you can get. One Sit is a company that offers such services to web developers without the technical knowledge to make their own social network from scratch but want the most customized application possible.
No matter if you choose a remotely hosted platform or on that you download and configure yourself, make sure you compare the features of the major platform solutions to ensure that you are getting the features and customization you need.
Ron Subs works with Mega Star Media as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.megastarmedia.com/
A Guide to Choosing Small Business Web Hosting
With so many options in web hosting and the fierce competition that takes place between hosting companies, it is easy for small businesses to find reliable and affordable web hosting. There are many things to consider when choosing a when host for your website, and you should compare the services of at least a few hosting companies before choosing one.
Before you start looking at hosting companies, decide what your business needs. Will your small business website require dedicated hosting because it will require large amounts of bandwidth, storage space, and get a lot, 10,000 or more, visitors per day? Or, will shared hosting fit your needs if your website does not require as much space?
You should also consider what type of features your website needs, it is purely informational or will you need to integrate order forms, shopping carts, and payment options? Some hosts make it easy for you to set up an ecommerce website and others do not, the type of hosting you will need is be determined by the features your website will possess.
If you are not a web designer by trade and cannot afford to hire one for your website you will also need to consider how easy it will be to set up your website and how much knowledge of scripting, HTML, and file transfer you will need to set up your website. Some hosts offer website building packages with their hosting which makes it relatively easy to create a website without too much technical knowledge but you will end up paying a little more and loose some functionality.
It is possible to find hosting for your small business for as little as a few dollars a month for shared server hosting or as much as a few thousand dollars a month for a dedicated server. Once you know how much bandwidth, storage, and space you need and determine which hosting solution, shared or dedicated is best for your small business, you can then evaluate the different features of various hosting companies, including price, to determine which is best for you.
You will want to look at factors such as uptime, technical support, cancellation, upgrade and transfer policies, as well as how long the host has been in business and any complaints or awards they may have in the community.
Uptime is related to reliability and will tell you how often you can expect your website to be unavailable to web surfers due to hosting technical issues. Most hosting companies that have good uptimes will advertise this; some of the major hosting companies advertise 99% uptime however no matter how reliable a host is if you run a website for long enough you will encounter at least a few technical glitches from your hosts end.
You should also consider the amount of technical support you will receive from a host and make sure you choose one that will fit your level of expertise. If you know you will need help make sure you pick a host with good tech support. Take a good look at their policies as well to make sure you will be happy if you decide to cancel, transfer your site, or upgrade your hosting plan.
Ron Subs works with Mega Star Media as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.megastarmedia.com/
How to Create a Popular Online Community
An online community can be as simple as a small message board attached to a website or it can be very large networking community such as My Space. Any technology that allows people to communicate with each other and share information, ideas, and content can be made into an online community. If you are thinking about adding some type of online community to your website or starting your own freestanding community, there are a few things you should know in order to be successful.
You will need to give people a reason to join your community if you want to attract users. Depending on the purpose of your community this can be achieved by giving your community useful information that will be of interest to your community’s target audience or you can offer giveaways, contests, or other bonuses. Providing an aspect of fun through contests and such or giving valuable information are some of the best ways to attract new users to your community and to keep old ones coming back.
You can also offer an ezine or other type of mailing that is for members only. If you include important and relevant information that interests your audience, this alone will be a reason for people to join and will remind them to participate in your community every time they receive your mailing.
You will also want to make it known to visitors to your website that there are benefits to joining your online community. Tell visitors why they should join and what benefits there are for them. You should also keep a close eye on your community and participate regularly. Make sure you either have a moderator or remove any spam or offensive posts regularly yourself. Keep your community a place that is easy to enjoy without the distractions that can drive users away.
Try to keep ads to a minimum, or better yet don’t have any ads at all. A clean looking interface that is not littered with commercial promotions is the most attractive to users. If you do have a few well placed ads, make sure they are targeted to your audience and relevant to your site so they at least offer some usefulness to users and they will make you the most profit.
If you design your online community to be attractive and easy to use you will have much easier time attracting users. Likewise, the more relevant content and fun promotions you have in connection with your community the more su
Ron Subs works with Mega Star Media as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.megastarmedia.com/
Building an Online Community, Focus on People not Technology
Building any type of website takes technical knowledge and when things aren’t going well most people are quick to jump on technology as the issue. If you are trying to create an online community whether it is a simple forum or an intricate social networking site, you may be tempted to blame the technologic aspect of your site if it is not as successful as you would like.
The truth is that all the HTML, CSS, Java, PHP, and scripting knowledge in the world will not make your online community successful if you do not focus on the driving force behind your community, the people.
The best way to make an online community successful is to give users a reason to join, and a reason to come back. Static websites, ones that only offer information not a way to interact, are great if you only want to inform your visitors, however, an effective community needs much more.
Adding features that promote interactivity such as forums, chat rooms, blogs, profiles, and ways to share information, pictures, and videos between users are some of the things you can do to help promote your online community.
You will also need to give your community a purpose, and this can be very targeted such as a small niche or very generalized such as meeting new people and communicating with friends. Generally small communities are more successful if they have a focused and targeted audience, say stamp collectors or other type of niche, but then again some of the largest online communities have no real purpose other than networking, meeting people, and connecting with friends.
Other ways to promote growth and membership in your online community is to allow members to submit content, have periodic contests, and to give prominent members moderator status or other special privileges. Giving members who post a lot or reach a certain number of posts a special title is a simple way to encourage members to be more active in the community. You may also want to provide a members only area for certain members that meet requirements which will also encourage more involvement in the community.
Allowing members to add to the community or website with their own content is also a good way to foster growth and make members feel at home. Holding contests is one of the best ways to generate interest as members will be eager to participate and if the prizes are of value it will also draw new members.
The most important thing to remember if you want to create a successful online community is to focus on what people want and give them things that will attract them and keep them coming back.
Ron Subs works with Mega Star Media as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.megastarmedia.com/
Does Your Website Need a Dedicated Server?
Most websites are hosted on a shared server which means that many websites, from a handful to hundreds, all use the same server and occupy the same space. For a small to mid-sized website with a reliable web host this is not usually a problem. However, for a large website with thousands of visitors and large bandwidth requirements, using a shared server can cause many problems.
If you have a website that is very popular; it has and has high traffic, large amounts of file uploads, or other large amounts of bandwidth usage, using a shared server can become an issue. Even if your web host offers what seems like a generous amount of bandwidth and storage space, and has good advertised speeds, if your website uses more than its allotted share you may be charged overage fees or even worse your host may limit the number of visitors you can have or even disable your site to protect other customers on the same server. If your website faces any of these problems by exceeding or routinely meeting your bandwidth allocation, you should consider a dedicated server.
Deciding when to make the switch can be hard because of cost differences between shared and dedicated servers. However, if your hosting needs are exceeding the limit of your shared server it is important to switch to a dedicated server to avoid paying overages or having your traffic impacted. Having a dedicated server, either a virtual dedicated server or a truly dedicated server will give your visitors a more reliable experience when visiting your site and will ensure that your site continues to run smoothly.
Virtual dedicated servers are not truly dedicated, but they do give a website their own IP address, root access, and full control over the server and what applications you can run. There will be other websites using the same server, but it will usually be partitioned so that you have more space, privacy, and a much larger bandwidth allowance.
You will also be able to offer file downloads and accept file uploads without the problems that are commonly encountered with shared hosting. A virtual dedicated server is more costly than a shared server but not as expensive as s truly dedicated server.
A truly dedicated server that you do not have to share in any way with other websites is the most expensive type of server but it is worth it if you have a large website that has high bandwidth requirements, such as a social network site, gaming site, or your website has large amounts of data and downloads.
Ron Subs works with Mega Star Media as a public relations consultant, more information about Ron Subs can be found at http://www.megastarmedia.com/
Getting An Understanding Between 2D And 3D Animation
Do you remember when computers first came out? It was truly a momentous occasion that will be hard to top. If you are old enough to remember the early days of computers, then you are probably pretty impressed with all of the technological advances that have been made within the industry. One of the biggest advances is in the form of animation; computer animation to be specific. The improvements made within a relatively short span of time are incredibly awesome.
Animation actually refers to any kind of animated graphic, not just the 3D animations. Animation has historically been produced in two ways. The first is by artists creating a succession of cartoon animations frames, which are then combined into a film. A second method is using physical models, such as in King Kong.
The model is positioned, the image is recorded, then the model is moved, the next image is recorded, and the process continues. At times a simple rendering machine is used to produce successive frames to create animations, where the image is slightly changed in each one. It is hard to believe that it all started as basic cartoon figures in a book and flipping the pages over.
All types of animations, including computer animation, depend heavily on motion control. Naturally, many of the earlier animators were actually scientists rather than artists and as such, scripting systems were developed and this resulted in the animator actually writing a program, or script to control the animation. Most of the earlier systems did not have the computer power needed for optimum results.
In the early days of animations cartoons, expert animators such as Walt Disney, would design (choreograph) an animation by drawing certain intermediate frames called keyframes. Then the other, less experienced animators would draw the in-between frames. The sequence of steps to produce a full design computer animation would include developing a story (or script), and laying it out on what is known as a storyboard.
This is a sequence of drawings showing the form, structure and story of the animation. Once a detailed layout of the action scenes is produced, it is correlated with a soundtrack. They would then transfer the frames to sheets of acetate film, called “cels”. The cels were then assembled into a sequence and filmed.
You have more than likely dealt with animations and may not have even known it. For example, if you have ever created a project using PowerPoint or a similar application, then you have created a project using 2D animations. Using the computer to create these animations is a much faster method than the original method of hand-painting cels.
Considering the fact that it is close to impossible to produce the thousands of drawings that would be needed for creating the animation by hand, the superiority of computer animation can be seen when creating 3D animation versus hand-drawn methods, as most people are pretty inefficient at drawing three-dimensional objects.
A whole world of information about computer animation awaits you from Mike Selvon portal at http://computeranimation.2dayinfotips.info/. We appreciate your feedback at our blog at http://www.mynicheportal.com/computer-electronics/.
