Comparative study of presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution versus traditional presurgical hand hygiene.

PubMed

López Martín, M Beatriz; Erice Calvo-Sotelo, Alejo

To compare presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution following the WHO protocol with traditional presurgical hand hygiene. Cultures of the hands of surgeons and surgical nurses were performed before and after presurgical hand hygiene and after removing gloves at the end of surgery. Cultures were done in 2different days: the first day after traditional presurgical hand hygiene, and the second day after presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution following the WHO protocol. The duration of the traditional hand hygiene was measured and compared with the duration (3min) of the WHO protocol. The cost of the products used in the traditional technique was compared with the cost of the hydroalcoholic solution used. The variability of the traditional technique was determined by observation. Following presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution, colony-forming units (CFU) were detected in 5 (7.3%) subjects, whereas after traditional presurgical hand hygiene CFU were detected in 14 subjects (20.5%) (p < 0.05). After glove removal, the numbers of CFU were similar. The time employed in hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution (3min) was inferior to the time employed in the traditional technique (p < 0.05), its cost was less than half, and there was no variability. Compared with other techniques, presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution significantly decreases CFU, has similar latency time, a lower cost, and saves time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Numerical study of water mitigation effects on blast wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, M.; Hung, K. C.; Chong, O. Y.

2005-11-01

The mitigating effect of a water wall on the generation and propagation of blast waves of a nearby explosive has been investigated using a numerical approach. A multimaterial Eulerian finite element technique is used to study the influence of the design parameters, such as the water-to-explosive weight ratio, the water wall thickness, the air-gap and the cover area ratio of water on the effectiveness of the water mitigation concept. In the computational model, the detonation gases are modelled with the standard Jones Wilkins Lee (JWL) equation of state. Water, on the other hand, is treated as a compressible fluid with the Mie Gruneisen equation of state model. The validity of the computational model is checked against a limited amount of available experimental data, and the influence of mesh sizes on the convergence of results is also discussed. From the results of the extensive numerical experiments, it is deduced that firstly, the presence of an air-gap reduces the effectiveness of the water mitigator. Secondly, the higher the water-to-explosive weight ratio, the more significant is the reduction in peak pressure of the explosion. Typically, water-to-explosive weight ratios in the range of 1 3 are found to be most practical.

A quasi-experimental study to determine the effects of a multifaceted educational intervention on hand hygiene compliance in a radiography unit.

PubMed

O'Donoghue, Margaret; Ng, Suk-Hing; Suen, Lorna Kp; Boost, Maureen

2016-01-01

Whilst numerous studies have investigated nurses' compliance with hand hygiene and use of alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), limited attention has been paid to these issues in allied health staff. Reports have linked infections to breaches in infection control in the radiography unit (RU). With advances in medical imaging, a higher proportion of patients come into contact with RU staff increasing the need for good hand hygiene compliance. This study aimed to evaluate effectiveness on compliance of an intervention to improve awareness of hand hygiene in the RU of a district hospital. A quasi-experimental study design including questionnaires assessing knowledge and attitudes of hand hygiene and direct observation of participants was used to evaluate an educational programme on hand hygiene of the RU of a large district hospital. All healthcare workers (HCW), comprising 76 radiographers, 17 nurses, and nine healthcare assistants (HCA), agreed to participate in the study. Of these, 85 completed the initial and 76 the post-test anonymous questionnaire. The hand hygiene compliance of all 102 HCW was observed over a 3-week period prior to and after the intervention. The 2-month intervention consisted of talks on hand hygiene and benefits of ABHR, provision of visual aids, wall-mounted ABHR dispensers, and personal bottles of ABHR. Before the intervention, overall hand hygiene compliance was low (28.9 %). Post-intervention, compliance with hand hygiene increased to 51.4 %. This improvement was significant for radiographers and HCA. Additionally, knowledge and attitudes improved in particular, understanding that ABHR can largely replace handwashing and there is a need to perform hand hygiene after environmental contact. The increased use of ABHR allowed HCW to feel they had enough time to perform hand hygiene. The educational intervention led to increased awareness of hand hygiene opportunities and better acceptance of ABHR use. The reduced time needed to perform hand

Hand preference, magical thinking and left-right confusion.

PubMed

Jaspers-Fayer, Fern; Peters, Michael

2005-03-01

Several reports suggest a significant correlation between hand preference quotients and Magical Ideation Scale (MIS) scores, such that individuals with mixed preferences have higher MIS scores. In a sample of 156 male and 257 female undergraduate university students no significant correlation was found between MIS scores and hand preference; hand preference being defined in numerous ways, and using short and long hand preference questionnaires to assess handedness. An index of left-right confusion was significantly related to MIS score, but only in females. We suggest that the role of subjects' response style and general approach to filling out questionnaires should be fully explored before "neurological" causes of links between hand preference and other questionnaire-assessed behavioural variables are invoked.

Systematic review of cost-of-illness studies in hand eczema.

PubMed

Politiek, Klaziena; Oosterhaven, Jart A F; Vermeulen, Karin M; Schuttelaar, Marie-Louise A

2016-08-01

The individual burden of disease in hand eczema patients is considerable. However, little is known about the socio-economic impact of this disease. The aims of this review were to evaluate the literature on cost-of-illness in hand eczema, and to compose a checklist for future use. The literature was retrieved from the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases up to October 2015. Quality evaluation was based on seven relevant items in cost-of-illness studies. Cost data (direct and indirect) were extracted and converted into euros (2014 price level) by use of the Dutch Consumer Price Index. Six articles were included. The mean annual total cost per patient ranged from €1311 [corrected] to €9792 (direct cost per patient, €521 to €3722; [corrected] and indirect cost per patient, €100 to €6846). Occupational hand eczema patients showed indirect costs up to 70% of total costs, mainly because of absenteeism. A large diversity in hand eczema severity was found between studies. The socio-economic burden of hand eczema is considerable, especially for more severe and/or occupational hand eczema. Absenteeism from paid work leads to a high total cost-of-illness, although disregard of presenteeism often leads to underestimation of indirect costs. Differences in included cost components, the occupational status of patients and hand eczema severity make international comparison difficult. A checklist was added to standardize the approach to cost-of-illness studies in hand eczema. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Case-Cohort Studies: Design and Applicability to Hand Surgery.

PubMed

Vojvodic, Miliana; Shafarenko, Mark; McCabe, Steven J

2018-04-24

Observational studies are common research strategies in hand surgery. The case-cohort design offers an efficient and resource-friendly method for risk assessment and outcomes analysis. Case-cohorts remain underrepresented in upper extremity research despite several practical and economic advantages over case-control studies. This report outlines the purpose, utility, and structure of the case-cohort design and offers a sample research question to demonstrate its value to risk estimation for adverse surgical outcomes. The application of well-designed case-cohort studies is advocated in an effort to improve the quality and quantity of observational research evidence in hand and upper extremity surgery. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Water-waves on linear shear currents. A comparison of experimental and numerical results.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Bruno; Seez, William; Touboul, Julien; Rey, Vincent; Abid, Malek; Kharif, Christian

2016-04-01

Propagation of water waves can be described for uniformly sheared current conditions. Indeed, some mathematical simplifications remain applicable in the study of waves whether there is no current or a linearly sheared current. However, the widespread use of mathematical wave theories including shear has rarely been backed by experimental studies of such flows. New experimental and numerical methods were both recently developed to study wave current interactions for constant vorticity. On one hand, the numerical code can simulate, in two dimensions, arbitrary non-linear waves. On the other hand, the experimental methods can be used to generate waves with various shear conditions. Taking advantage of the simplicity of the experimental protocol and versatility of the numerical code, comparisons between experimental and numerical data are discussed and compared with linear theory for validation of the methods. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement, France) is acknowledged for its financial support through the ANR grant N° ANR-13-ASTR-0007.

Mentor's hand hygiene practices influence student's hand hygiene rates.

PubMed

Snow, Michelle; White, George L; Alder, Stephen C; Stanford, Joseph B

2006-02-01

There were 3 objectives for this prospective quasiexperimental study. The first was to determine the effect of mentor's hand hygiene practices on student's hand hygiene rates during clinical rotations. The second was to assess the difference in hand hygiene rates for students with and without prior medical experience. The third was to assess the student's opinion and beliefs regarding hand hygiene. Sixty students enrolled in a certified nursing program were selected to participate in the study. Each study group was observed twice during the 30-day span. The first observational period was conducted on day 1 of clinical rotation. The second observational period was conducted on day 30 of clinical rotation. Students were observed for hand hygiene. Also assessed were medical experience, sex, gloving, age, and mentor's hand hygiene practices. After observational period 2, a brief questionnaire was given to students to determine their opinion and beliefs regarding hand hygiene. The questionnaire was divided into 5 sections: student's commitment to hand hygiene, their perception of hand hygiene inconvenience, the necessity of hand hygiene, the student's ability to perform hand hygiene, and their opinion on the frequency of medical staff's hand hygiene. The mentor's practice of hand hygiene was the strongest predictor of the student's rate of hand hygiene for both observational periods (P < .01). Furthermore, students without prior medical experience had a significant increase in hand hygiene rates when comparing observational period 1 to observational period 2 (P < .01). Glove usage was associated with increased hand hygiene rates by 50% during observational period 1 (P = .01) and 44% during observational period 2 (P < .01). Male students during observational period 1 practiced hand hygiene 30% less often than female students (P < .01); however, during observational period 2, there was no significant difference between hand hygiene rates for males and females (P = .82

Breath alcohol of anesthesiologists using alcohol hand gel and the "five moments for hand hygiene" in routine practice.

PubMed

Lindsay, Helen A; Hannam, Jacqueline A; Bradfield, Charles N; Mitchell, Simon J

2016-08-01

Appropriate hand hygiene reduces hospital-acquired infections. Anesthesiologists work in environments with numerous hand hygiene opportunities (HHOs). In a prospective observational study, we investigated the potential for an anesthesiologist to return a positive alcohol breath test during routine practice when using alcohol hand gel. We observed ten volunteer anesthesiologists over four hours while they implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) "five moments for hand hygiene" using our hospital's adopted standard 70% ethanol hand gel. We measured the expired alcohol concentration at shift start and every fifteen minutes thereafter with a fuel cell breathalyzer calibrated to measure the percentage of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Blood alcohol specimens (analyzed with gas chromatography) were collected at shift start and, when possible, immediately after a participant's first positive breathalyzer test. Of the 130 breathalyzer tests obtained, there were eight (6.2%) positive breath alcohol results from six of the ten participants, all within two minutes of a HHO. The highest value breathalyzer BAC recorded was 0.064%, with an overall mean (SD) of 0.023 (0.017)%. Five (62.5%) of the positive breathalyzer tests returned to zero in less than seven minutes. All of three blood specimens obtained immediately after a positive breathalyzer reading tested negative for alcohol. Anesthesia practitioners using alcohol hand gel in a manner that conforms with recommended hand hygiene can test positive for alcohol on a breathalyzer assay. Positive tests probably arose from inhalation of alcohol vapour into the respiratory dead space following gel application. If workplace breath testing for alcohol is implemented, it should be completed more than 15 min after applying alcohol hand gel. Positive results should be verified with a BAC test.

Driver hand activity analysis in naturalistic driving studies: challenges, algorithms, and experimental studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohn-Bar, Eshed; Martin, Sujitha; Trivedi, Mohan Manubhai

2013-10-01

We focus on vision-based hand activity analysis in the vehicular domain. The study is motivated by the overarching goal of understanding driver behavior, in particular as it relates to attentiveness and risk. First, the unique advantages and challenges for a nonintrusive, vision-based solution are reviewed. Next, two approaches for hand activity analysis, one relying on static (appearance only) cues and another on dynamic (motion) cues, are compared. The motion-cue-based hand detection uses temporally accumulated edges in order to maintain the most reliable and relevant motion information. The accumulated image is fitted with ellipses in order to produce the location of the hands. The method is used to identify three hand activity classes: (1) two hands on the wheel, (2) hand on the instrument panel, (3) hand on the gear shift. The static-cue-based method extracts features in each frame in order to learn a hand presence model for each of the three regions. A second-stage classifier (linear support vector machine) produces the final activity classification. Experimental evaluation with different users and environmental variations under real-world driving shows the promise of applying the proposed systems for both postanalysis of captured driving data as well as for real-time driver assistance.

Acoustothermometric study of the human hand under hyperthrmia and hypothermia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anosov, A. A.; Belyaev, R. V.; Vilkov, V. A.; Dvornikova, M. V.; Dvornikova, V. V.; Kazanskii, A. S.; Kuryatnikova, N. A.; Mansfel'd, A. D.

2013-01-01

The results of an acoustothermometric study of the human hand under local hyperthermia and hypothermia are presented. Individuals under testing plunged their hands in hot or cold water for several minutes. Thermal acoustic radiation was detected by two sensors placed near the palm and near the backside of the tested hand. The internal temperature profiles of the hand were reconstructed. The indirect estimate of the reconstruction error was 0.6°C, which is acceptable for medical applications. Hyperthermia was achieved by placing the hand in water with a maximal temperature of 44°C for 2 min. In this case, the internal temperature was 35.4 ± 0.6°C. Hypothermia was achieved by placing the hand in water with a temperature of 17.8°C for 15 min. In this case, the internal temperature decreased from 26 to 24°C. The use of a four-sensor planar receiving array allowed dynamic mapping of the acoustic brightness temperature of the hand.

A hospital-based observational cohort study exploring pain and biomarkers in patients with hand osteoarthritis in Norway: The Nor-Hand protocol

PubMed Central

Gløersen, Marthe; Mulrooney, Elisabeth; Hammer, Hilde Berner; Slatkowsky-Christensen, Barbara; Faraj, Karwan; Isaksen, Thore; Neogi, Tuhina; Kvien, Tore K; Magnusson, Karin; Haugen, Ida Kristin

2017-01-01

Introduction We have limited knowledge about the underlying disease mechanisms and causes of pain in hand osteoarthritis (OA). Consequently, no disease-modifying drug exists, and more knowledge about the pathogenesis of hand OA is needed, as well as a validation of different outcome measures. Our first aim of this study is to explore the validity of various imaging modalities for the assessment of hand OA. Second, we want to gain a better understanding of the disease processes, with a special focus on pain mechanisms. Methods and analysis The Nor-Hand study is a hospital-based observational study including 300 patients with evidence of hand OA by ultrasound and/or clinical examination. The baseline examination consists of functional tests and joint assessment of the hands, medical assessment, pain sensitisation tests, ultrasound (hands, acromioclavicular joint, hips, knees and feet), CT and MRI of the dominant hand, conventional radiographs of the hands and feet, fluorescence optical imaging of the hands, collection of blood and urine samples as well as self-reported demographic factors and OA-related questionnaires. Two follow-up examinations are planned. Cross-sectional analyses will be used to investigate agreements and associations between different relevant measures at the baseline examination, whereas the longitudinal data will be used for evaluation of predictors for clinical outcomes. Ethics and dissemination The protocol is approved by the Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (Ref. no: 2014/2057). The participants receive oral and written information about the project and sign a consent form before participation. They can, whenever they want, withdraw from the study, and all de-identified data will be safely stored on the research server at Diakonhjemmet Hospital. Results will be presented at international and national congresses and in peer-reviewed rheumatology journals. Trial registration number NCT03083548; Pre

Cortical Asymmetries during Hand Laterality Task Vary with Hand Laterality: A fMRI Study in 295 Participants

PubMed Central

Mellet, Emmanuel; Mazoyer, Bernard; Leroux, Gaelle; Joliot, Marc; Tzourio-Mazoyer, Nathalie

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to characterize, using fMRI, the functional asymmetries of hand laterality task (HLT) in a sample of 295 participants balanced for handedness. During HLT, participants have to decide whether the displayed picture of a hand represent a right or a left hand. Pictures of hands’ back view were presented for 150 ms in the right or left hemifield. At the whole hemisphere level, we evidenced that the laterality of the hand and of the hemifield in which the picture was displayed combined their effects on the hemispheric asymmetry in an additive way. We then identified a set of 17 functional homotopic regions of interest (hROIs) including premotor, motor, somatosensory and parietal regions, whose activity and asymmetry varied with the laterality of the presented hands. When the laterality of a right hand had to be evaluated, these areas showed stronger leftward asymmetry, the hROI located in the primary motor area showing a significant larger effect than all other hROIs. In addition a subset of six parietal regions involved in visuo-motor integration together with two postcentral areas showed a variation in asymmetry with hemifield of presentation. Finally, while handedness had no effect at the hemispheric level, two regions located in the parietal operculum and intraparietal sulcus exhibited larger leftward asymmetry with right handedness independently of the hand of presentation. The present results extend those of previous works in showing a shift of asymmetries during HLT according to the hand presented in sensorimotor areas including primary motor cortex. This shift was not affected by manual preference. They also demonstrate that the coordination of visual information and handedness identification of hands relied on the coexistence of contralateral motor and visual representations in the superior parietal lobe and the postcentral gyrus. PMID:27999536

An elicitation study of critical care nurses' salient hand hygiene beliefs.

PubMed

Piras, Susan E; Lauderdale, Jana; Minnick, Ann

2017-10-01

To describe critical care nurses' hand hygiene attitudinal, normative referent, and control beliefs. Hand hygiene is the primary strategy to prevent healthcare-associated infections. Social influence is an underdeveloped hand hygiene strategy. This qualitative descriptive study was conducted with 25 ICU nurses in the southeastern United States. Data were collected using the Nurses' Salient Belief Instrument. Thematic analysis generated four themes: Hand Hygiene is Protective; Nurses look to Nurses; Time-related Concerns; and Convenience is Essential. Nurses look to nurses as hand hygiene referents and believe hand hygiene is a protective behaviour that requires time and functional equipment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hand eczema in hairdressers: a Danish register-based study of the prevalence of hand eczema and its career consequences.

PubMed

Lysdal, Susan Hovmand; Søsted, Heidi; Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Johansen, Jeanne Duus

2011-09-01

Occupational hand eczema is common in hairdressers, owing to wet work and hairdressing chemicals. To estimate the prevalence of hand eczema and its career consequences among hairdressers in Denmark. A register-based study was conducted, comprising all graduates from hairdressing vocational schools from 1985 to 2007 (n = 7840). The participants received a self-administered postal questionnaire including questions on hand eczema, atopic dermatitis, and career change. A response rate of 67.9% (n = 5324) was obtained. Of the respondents, 44.3% no longer worked as hairdressers and had worked for an average of 8.4 years in the profession before leaving it. Hand eczema was more common among ex-hairdressers (48.4%) than among current hairdressers (37.6%) (p < 0.0001), and significantly more ex-hairdressers (26.8%) than current hairdressers (15.7%) had chronic hand eczema (p < 0.0001). Of the respondents with hand eczema, 75% were aged 15-24 years at onset, and 45.5% gave hand eczema as a reason for career change. In this group, logistic regression analysis showed that chronic hand eczema contributed the most to the decision to change career (odds ratio 50.12; 95% confidence interval 18.3-137). Hairdressers work an average of 8.4 years in the profession before leaving it, and hand eczema contributes significantly to this career change. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

[Epidemiological study of traumatic hand injuries in Toluca, State of Mexico].

PubMed

Osnaya-Moreno, Humberto; Romero-Espinosa, Jesús Fernando; Mondragón-Chimal, Marco Antonio; Ochoa-González, Gabriel; Escoto-Gómez, Jorge Armando

2014-01-01

Traumatic hand injuries are among the principal types of injuries. These injuries refer to any acute damage caused to the hand by an external agent. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of these injuries in our unit. To determine the characteristics of hand injuries at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Centro Médico "Licenciado Adolfo López Mateos" (CMLALM) and compare the results with those reported in other countriesMethods: Retrospective study of patients diagnosed with traumatic hand injury treated at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery service at CMLALM during the period from September 6, 2010 to September 5, 2011. One hundred five cases were treated. There was a predominance of males (82.9%). The most affected group was 20-29 years old (44.8%). The right hand was the most injured (46.7%). The most common mechanism of injury was due to abrasion (41%) followed by sharp objects (32.4%). The dominant hand was the most damaged (50.47%). The most common injuries were open type (88.6%) and single type (84.8%). Hand injuries were more common in men and were occupationally related; therefore, occupational safety programs must be improved. The characteristics of traumatic hand injuries in our unit were very similar to those seen worldwide.

A hospital-based observational cohort study exploring pain and biomarkers in patients with hand osteoarthritis in Norway: The Nor-Hand protocol.

PubMed

Gløersen, Marthe; Mulrooney, Elisabeth; Mathiessen, Alexander; Hammer, Hilde Berner; Slatkowsky-Christensen, Barbara; Faraj, Karwan; Isaksen, Thore; Neogi, Tuhina; Kvien, Tore K; Magnusson, Karin; Haugen, Ida Kristin

2017-09-24

We have limited knowledge about the underlying disease mechanisms and causes of pain in hand osteoarthritis (OA). Consequently, no disease-modifying drug exists, and more knowledge about the pathogenesis of hand OA is needed, as well as a validation of different outcome measures. Our first aim of this study is to explore the validity of various imaging modalities for the assessment of hand OA. Second, we want to gain a better understanding of the disease processes, with a special focus on pain mechanisms. The Nor-Hand study is a hospital-based observational study including 300 patients with evidence of hand OA by ultrasound and/or clinical examination. The baseline examination consists of functional tests and joint assessment of the hands, medical assessment, pain sensitisation tests, ultrasound (hands, acromioclavicular joint, hips, knees and feet), CT and MRI of the dominant hand, conventional radiographs of the hands and feet, fluorescence optical imaging of the hands, collection of blood and urine samples as well as self-reported demographic factors and OA-related questionnaires. Two follow-up examinations are planned. Cross-sectional analyses will be used to investigate agreements and associations between different relevant measures at the baseline examination, whereas the longitudinal data will be used for evaluation of predictors for clinical outcomes. The protocol is approved by the Norwegian Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics (Ref. no: 2014/2057). The participants receive oral and written information about the project and sign a consent form before participation. They can, whenever they want, withdraw from the study, and all de-identified data will be safely stored on the research server at Diakonhjemmet Hospital. Results will be presented at international and national congresses and in peer-reviewed rheumatology journals. NCT03083548; Pre-results. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the

Clinical assessment of hand strength using a microcomputer.

PubMed

Jain, A S; Hennedy, J A; Carus, D A

1985-10-01

A microcomputer based system has been designed for precise, objective quantification of hand strength. Pinch, grasp and shear strengths are measured using force transducers. The system, which is quick and easy to operate, not only measures these strengths accurately, but also collects, stores and displays this data numerically or in graphical form, at the touch of a button. The data can be manipulated to answer any type of statistical question related to any group of patients. The assessment of hand strength in ninety-six people, representing normal hand function, by means of this system, is reported.

The Hand Burn Severity (HABS) score: A simple tool for stratifying severity of hand burns.

PubMed

Bache, Sarah E; Fitzgerald O'Connor, Edmund; Theodorakopoulou, Evgenia; Frew, Quentin; Philp, Bruce; Dziewulski, Peter

2017-02-01

Hand burns represent a unique challenge to the burns team due to the intricate structure and unrivalled functional importance of the hand. The initial assessment and prognosis relies on consideration of the specific site involved as well as depth of the burn. We created a simple severity score that could be used by referring non-specialists and researchers alike. The Hand Burn Severity (HABS) score stratifies hand burns according to severity with a numerical value of between 0 (no burn) and 18 (most severe) per hand. Three independent assessors scored the photographs of 121 burned hands of 106 adult and paediatric patients, demonstrating excellent inter-rater reliability (r=0.91, p<0.0001 on testing with Lin's correlation coefficient). A significant relationship was shown between the HABS score and a reliable binary outcome of the requirement for surgical excision on Mann-Whitney U testing (U=152; Z=9.8; p=0.0001). A receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis found a cut off score of 5.5, indicating that those with a HABS score below 6 did not require an operation, whereas those with a score above 6 did. The HABS score was shown to be more sensitive and specific that assessment of burn depth alone. The HABS score is a simple to use tool to stratify severity at initial presentation of hand burns which will be useful when referring, and when reporting outcomes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Custom-made silicone hand prosthesis: A case study.

PubMed

Nayak, S; Lenka, P K; Equebal, A; Biswas, A

2016-09-01

Up to now, a cosmetic glove was the most common method for managing transmetacarpal (TMC) and carpometacarpal (CMC) amputations, but it is devoid of markings and body color. At this amputation level, it is very difficult to fit a functional prosthesis because of the short available length, unsightly shape, grafted skin, contracture and lack of functional prosthetic options. A 30-year-old male came to our clinic with amputation at the 1st to 4th carpometacarpal level and a 5th metacarpal that was projected laterally and fused with the carpal bone. The stump had grafted skin, redness, and an unhealed suture line. He complained of pain projected over the metacarpal and suture area. The clinical team members decided to fabricate a custom-made silicone hand prosthesis to accommodate the stump, protect the grafted skin, improve the hand's appearance and provide some passive function. The custom silicone hand prosthesis was fabricated with modified flexible wires to provide passive interphalangeal movement. Basic training, care and maintenance instructions for the prosthesis were given to the patient. The silicone hand prosthesis was able to restore the appearance of the lost digits and provide some passive function. His pain (VAS score) was reduced. Improvement in activities of daily living was found in the DASH questionnaire and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function test. A silicone glove is a good option for more distal amputations, as it can accommodate any deformity, protect the skin, enhance the appearance and provide functional assistance. This case study provides a simple method to get passively movable fingers after proximal hand amputation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Hand Washing

MedlinePlus

... study, only 58% of female and 48% of male middle- and high-school students washed their hands after using the bathroom. Yuck! How to Wash Your Hands Correctly There's a right way to wash your hands. Follow these simple ...

Adiposity and hand osteoarthritis: the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Obesity, usually characterized by the body mass index (BMI), is a risk factor for hand osteoarthritis (OA). We investigated whether adipose tissue and abdominal fat distribution are associated with hand OA. Methods The Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study is a population-based cohort aged 45 to 65 years, including 5315 participants (53% women, median BMI 29.9 kg/m2). Fat percentage and fat mass (FM) (kg) were estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. The waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was calculated. In 1721 participants, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) (cm2) were assessed using abdominal MR imaging. Hand OA was defined according to the ACR criteria. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for the association of fat percentage, FM, WHR, VAT and SAT with hand OA using logistic regression analyses per standard deviation, stratified by sex and adjusted for age. Results Hand OA was present in 8% of men and 20% of women. Fat percentage was associated with hand OA in men (OR 1.34 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.61)) and women (OR 1.26 (1.05 to 1.51)), as was FM. WHR was associated with hand OA in men (OR 1.45 (1.13 to 1.85)), and to a lesser extent in women (OR 1.17 (1.00 to 1.36)). Subgroup analysis revealed that VAT was associated with hand OA in men (OR1.33 (1.01 to 1.75)). This association increased after additional adjustment for FM (OR 1.51 (1.13 to 2.03)). Conclusions Fat percentage, FM and WHR were associated with hand OA. VAT was associated with hand OA in men, suggesting involvement of visceral fat in hand OA. PMID:24447395

Iterative co-creation for improved hand hygiene and aseptic techniques in the operating room: experiences from the safe hands study.

PubMed

Erichsen Andersson, Annette; Frödin, Maria; Dellenborg, Lisen; Wallin, Lars; Hök, Jesper; Gillespie, Brigid M; Wikström, Ewa

2018-01-04

Hand hygiene and aseptic techniques are essential preventives in combating hospital-acquired infections. However, implementation of these strategies in the operating room remains suboptimal. There is a paucity of intervention studies providing detailed information on effective methods for change. This study aimed to evaluate the process of implementing a theory-driven knowledge translation program for improved use of hand hygiene and aseptic techniques in the operating room. The study was set in an operating department of a university hospital. The intervention was underpinned by theories on organizational learning, culture and person centeredness. Qualitative process data were collected via participant observations and analyzed using a thematic approach. Doubts that hand-hygiene practices are effective in preventing hospital acquired infections, strong boundaries and distrust between professional groups and a lack of psychological safety were identified as barriers towards change. Facilitated interprofessional dialogue and learning in "safe spaces" worked as mechanisms for motivation and engagement. Allowing for the free expression of different opinions, doubts and viewing resistance as a natural part of any change was effective in engaging all professional categories in co-creation of clinical relevant solutions to improve hand hygiene. Enabling nurses and physicians to think and talk differently about hospital acquired infections and hand hygiene requires a shift from the concept of one-way directed compliance towards change and learning as the result of a participatory and meaning-making process. The present study is a part of the Safe Hands project, and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT02983136 ). Date of registration 2016/11/28, retrospectively registered.

The fragrance hand immersion study - an experimental model simulating real-life exposure for allergic contact dermatitis on the hands.

PubMed

Heydorn, S; Menné, T; Andersen, K E; Bruze, M; Svedman, C; Basketter, D; Johansen, J D

2003-06-01

Recently, we showed that 10 x 2% of consecutively patch-tested hand eczema patients had a positive patch test to a selection of fragrances containing fragrances relevant to hand exposure. In this study, we used repeated skin exposure to a patch test-positive fragrance allergen in patients previously diagnosed with hand eczema to explore whether immersion of fingers in a solution with or without the patch-test-positive fragrance allergen would cause or exacerbate hand eczema on the exposed finger. The study was double blinded and randomized. All participants had a positive patch test to either hydroxycitronellal or Lyral (hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde). Each participant immersed a finger from each hand, once a day, in a solution containing the fragrance allergen or placebo. During the first 2 weeks, the concentration of fragrance allergen in the solution was low (approximately 10 p.p.m.), whilst during the following 2 weeks, the concentration was relatively high (approximately 250 p.p.m.), imitating real-life exposure to a household product like dishwashing liquid diluted in water and the undiluted product, respectively. Evaluation was made using a clinical scale and laser Doppler flow meter. 3 of 15 hand eczema patients developed eczema on the finger immersed in the fragrance-containing solution, 3 of 15 on the placebo finger and 3 of 15 on both fingers. Using this experimental exposure model simulating real-life exposure, we found no association between immersion of a finger in a solution containing fragrance and development of clinically visible eczema on the finger in 15 participants previously diagnosed with hand eczema and with a positive patch test to the fragrance in question.

Numerical study on the Welander oscillatory natural circulation problem using high-order numerical methods

DOE PAGES

Zou, Ling; Zhao, Haihua; Kim, Seung Jun

2016-11-16

In this study, the classical Welander’s oscillatory natural circulation problem is investigated using high-order numerical methods. As originally studied by Welander, the fluid motion in a differentially heated fluid loop can exhibit stable, weakly instable, and strongly instable modes. A theoretical stability map has also been originally derived from the stability analysis. Numerical results obtained in this paper show very good agreement with Welander’s theoretical derivations. For stable cases, numerical results from both the high-order and low-order numerical methods agree well with the non-dimensional flow rate analytically derived. The high-order numerical methods give much less numerical errors compared to themore » low-order methods. For stability analysis, the high-order numerical methods could perfectly predict the stability map, while the low-order numerical methods failed to do so. For all theoretically unstable cases, the low-order methods predicted them to be stable. The result obtained in this paper is a strong evidence to show the benefits of using high-order numerical methods over the low-order ones, when they are applied to simulate natural circulation phenomenon that has already gain increasing interests in many future nuclear reactor designs.« less

Hand trauma: A prospective observational study reporting diagnostic concordance in emergency hand trauma which supports centralised service improvements.

PubMed

Miranda, B H; Spilsbury, Z P; Rosala-Hallas, A; Cerovac, S

2016-10-01

Hand injuries are common, contributing up to 30% of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances. The aim of this study was to prospectively analyse the pathological demographics of hand injuries in a level 1 trauma centre with a Hand Trauma Unit and direct A&E links, and compare clinical and intra-operative findings. The null hypothesis was that there would be no differences between clinical and intra-operative findings (100% diagnostic concordance). Data were prospectively collected for referrals during 2012. Referral diagnosis, additional pathologies found on clinical assessment and intra-operative findings were documented on a live database accessible from both the Hand Unit and associated operating theatres. Odds ratios were calculated using SAS. Injuries (1526) were identified in 1308 patients included in the study. Diagnostic concordance between Hand Unit clinical examination and intra-operative findings was 92.5% ± 2.85% (mean ± SEM); this was lower for flexor tendon injuries (56.3%) because a greater number of additional pathologies were found intra-operatively (2.25 ± 0.10). This 'trend' was noted across multiple referral pathologies including phalangeal fractures (1.28 ± 0.02; 82.9%), lacerations (1.33 ± 0.04; 79.1%), extensor tendon injuries (1.30 ± 0.05; 87.8%) and dislocations (1.18 ± 0.05; 87.8%). Odds ratio analysis indicated a relationship between primary referral diagnoses that were more or less likely to be associated with additional injuries (p < 0.05); referral diagnoses of flexor tendon injuries and lacerations were most likely to be associated with additional injuries. As hand injuries are a common presentation to A&E departments, greater emphasis should be placed on training clinicians in the management of hand trauma. Our findings, coupled with the presented relevant literature reports, lead us to advocate that A&E departments should move towards a system wherein links to specialist hand trauma services are in place; we

[Study on an Exoskeleton Hand Function Training Device].

PubMed

Hu, Xin; Zhang, Ying; Li, Jicai; Yi, Jinhua; Yu, Hongliu; He, Rongrong

2016-02-01

Based on the structure and motion bionic principle of the normal adult fingers, biological characteristics of human hands were analyzed, and a wearable exoskeleton hand function training device for the rehabilitation of stroke patients or patients with hand trauma was designed. This device includes the exoskeleton mechanical structure and the electromyography (EMG) control system. With adjustable mechanism, the device was capable to fit different finger lengths, and by capturing the EMG of the users' contralateral limb, the motion state of the exoskeleton hand was controlled. Then driven by the device, the user's fingers conducting adduction/abduction rehabilitation training was carried out. Finally, the mechanical properties and training effect of the exoskeleton hand were verified through mechanism simulation and the experiments on the experimental prototype of the wearable exoskeleton hand function training device.

Interleukin-11 binds specific EF-hand proteins via their conserved structural motifs.

PubMed

Kazakov, Alexei S; Sokolov, Andrei S; Vologzhannikova, Alisa A; Permyakova, Maria E; Khorn, Polina A; Ismailov, Ramis G; Denessiouk, Konstantin A; Denesyuk, Alexander I; Rastrygina, Victoria A; Baksheeva, Viktoriia E; Zernii, Evgeni Yu; Zinchenko, Dmitry V; Glazatov, Vladimir V; Uversky, Vladimir N; Mirzabekov, Tajib A; Permyakov, Eugene A; Permyakov, Sergei E

2017-01-01

Interleukin-11 (IL-11) is a hematopoietic cytokine engaged in numerous biological processes and validated as a target for treatment of various cancers. IL-11 contains intrinsically disordered regions that might recognize multiple targets. Recently we found that aside from IL-11RA and gp130 receptors, IL-11 interacts with calcium sensor protein S100P. Strict calcium dependence of this interaction suggests a possibility of IL-11 interaction with other calcium sensor proteins. Here we probed specificity of IL-11 to calcium-binding proteins of various types: calcium sensors of the EF-hand family (calmodulin, S100B and neuronal calcium sensors: recoverin, NCS-1, GCAP-1, GCAP-2), calcium buffers of the EF-hand family (S100G, oncomodulin), and a non-EF-hand calcium buffer (α-lactalbumin). A specific subset of the calcium sensor proteins (calmodulin, S100B, NCS-1, GCAP-1/2) exhibits metal-dependent binding of IL-11 with dissociation constants of 1-19 μM. These proteins share several amino acid residues belonging to conservative structural motifs of the EF-hand proteins, 'black' and 'gray' clusters. Replacements of the respective S100P residues by alanine drastically decrease its affinity to IL-11, suggesting their involvement into the association process. Secondary structure and accessibility of the hinge region of the EF-hand proteins studied are predicted to control specificity and selectivity of their binding to IL-11. The IL-11 interaction with the EF-hand proteins is expected to occur under numerous pathological conditions, accompanied by disintegration of plasma membrane and efflux of cellular components into the extracellular milieu.

Hand Robotic Therapy in Children with Hemiparesis: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Bishop, Lauri; Gordon, Andrew M; Kim, Heakyung

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of training with a hand robotic device on hand paresis and function in a population of children with hemiparesis. Twelve children with hemiparesis (mean age, 9 [SD, 3.64] years) completed participation in this prospective, experimental, pilot study. Participants underwent clinical assessments at baseline and again 6 weeks later with instructions to not initiate new therapies. After these assessments, participants received 6 weeks of training with a hand robotic device, consisting of 1-hour sessions, 3 times weekly. Assessments were repeated on completion of training. Results showed significant improvements after training on the Assisting Hand Assessment (mean difference, 2.0 Assisting Hand Assessment units; P = 0.011) and on the upper-extremity component of the Fugl-Meyer scale (raw score mean difference, 4.334; P = 0.001). No significant improvements between pretest and posttest were noted on the Jebsen-Taylor Test of Hand Function, the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test, or the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory after intervention. Total active mobility of digits and grip strength also failed to demonstrate significant changes after training. Participants tolerated training with the hand robotic device, and significant improvements in bimanual hand use, as well as impairment-based scales, were noted. Improvements were carried over into bimanual skills during play. Complete the self-assessment activity and evaluation online at http://www.physiatry.org/JournalCME CME OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this article, the reader should be able to: (1) Understand key components of neuroplasticity; (2) Discuss the benefits of robotic therapy in the recovery of hand function in pediatric patients with hemiplegia; and (3) Appropriately incorporate robotic therapy into the treatment plan of pediatric patients with hemiplegia. Advanced ACCREDITATION: The Association of Academic Physiatrists is accredited by the

Nonlinear effects contributing to hand-stopping tones in a horn.

PubMed

Ebihara, Takayasu; Yoshikawa, Shigeru

2013-05-01

Hand stopping is a technique for playing the French horn while closing the bell relatively tightly using the right hand. The resulting timbre is called "penetrating" and "metallic." The effect of hand stopping on the horn input impedance has been studied, but the tone quality has hardly ever been considered. In the present paper, the dominant physical cause of the stopped-tone quality is discussed in detail. Numerical calculations of the transmission function of the stopped-horn model and the measurements of both sound pressure and wall vibration in hand stopping are carried out. They strongly suggest that the metallicness of the stopped tone is characterized by the generation of higher harmonics extending over 10 kHz due to the rapidly corrugating waveform and that the associated wall vibration on the bell may be responsible for this higher harmonic generation. However, excitation experiments and immobilization experiments performed to elucidate the relationship between sound radiation and wall vibration deny their correlation. Instead, the measurement result of the mouthpiece pressure in hand stopping suggests that minute wave corrugations peculiar to the metallic stopped tones are probably formed by nonlinear sound propagation along the bore.

Can hand laterality be identified through lithic technology?

PubMed

Bargalló, Amèlia; Mosquera, Marina

2014-01-01

In this paper we present a new method for inferring handedness from lithic evidence. The study was conducted by means of an experimental programme in stone-knapping, after which the resulting lithic products (tools) were analysed. These lithic tools were produced by 15 inexpert knappers (8 right-handed and 7 left-handed), because we were not able to find a statistically significant number of left-handed expert knappers. We considered inexpert knappers to include individuals who had never struck two pebbles together, as well as individuals who were quite familiar with prehistoric tools and had had some degree of practice. The Mann-Whitney U test proved that all of them produced flakes with the same technical features, so within this sample expertise was not a factor that affected the presence or absence of the technical features analysed to determine hand laterality. The results of the experiment indicate that no single variable can be used to determine the laterality of the knapper, but rather the evidence of handedness lies in the combination of several variables. Furthermore, not all the flakes display the entire set of significant features. Therefore this study concludes that it is not possible to determine the handedness of a knapper through a single variable present on his or her flakes, but it may be possible to determine laterality by examining a combination of technical variables on a number of his or her pieces. Archaeologically, only well-preserved knapping events with numerous refitting products can be assigned to a left- or a right-handed knapper.

Hand preference and skilled hand performance among individuals with successful rightward conversions of the writing hand.

PubMed

Porac, Clare

2009-03-01

Searleman and Porac (2001) studied lateral preference patterns among successfully switched left-hand writers, left-hand writers with no switch pressure history, and left-hand writers who did not switch when pressured. They concluded that left-handers who successfully shift to right-hand writing are following an inherent right-sided lateralisation pattern that they already possess. Searleman and Porac suggested that the neural mechanisms that control lateralisation in the successfully switched individuals are systematically different from those of other groups of left-handers. I examined patterns of skilled and less-skilled hand preference and skilled hand performance in a sample of 394 adults (ages 18-94 years). The sample contained successfully switched left-hand writers, left-handers pressured to shift who remained left-hand writers, left-handers who did not experience shift pressures, and right-handers. Both skilled hand preference and skilled hand performance were shifted towards the right side in successfully switched left-hand writers. This group also displayed mixed patterns of hand preference and skilled hand performance in that they were not as right-sided as "natural" right-handers nor were they as left-sided as the two left-hand writing groups, which did not differ from each other. The experience of being pressured to switch to right-hand writing was not sufficient to shift lateralisation patterns; the pressures must be experienced in the context of an underlying neural control mechanism that is amenable to change as a result of these external influences.

Prevalence of hand osteoarthritis and its relationship to hand pain and grip strength in Japan: The third survey of the ROAD study.

PubMed

Kodama, Rie; Muraki, Shigeyuki; Oka, Hiroyuki; Iidaka, Toshiko; Teraguchi, Masatoshi; Kagotani, Ryohei; Asai, Yoshiki; Yoshida, Munehito; Morizaki, Yutaka; Tanaka, Sakae; Kawaguchi, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Kozo; Akune, Toru; Yoshimura, Noriko

2016-09-01

To examine the prevalence and pattern of hand osteoarthritis (HOA), and determine its relationship with grip strength and hand pain. Among the participants of the third survey of the Research on Osteoarthritis/Osteoporosis Against Disability (ROAD) study, 507 Japanese men and 1028 Japanese women were included. Radiographs of both hands were graded for osteoarthritis (OA) using the modified Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scale. HOA was defined as the presence of at least one affected joint. The absence or presence of subchondral erosion was also scored. The prevalence of HOA (KL grade ≥2) was 89.9% in men and 92.3% in women (p = 0.11), and it was significantly associated with age. OA in the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint was the highest overall. After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, and the residing area, both severity (KL grade ≥3) and erosion were significantly related to low grip strength and hand pain. With regard to the joint groups, severe OA in the DIP and first carpometacarpal joints were related to hand pain. This study showed a high prevalence of radiographic HOA and a significant relationship between hand pain and the severity of HOA, in addition to erosion.

Hand washing practices in two communities of two states of Eastern India: an intervention study.

PubMed

Ray, Sandip Kumar; Zaman, Forhad Akhtar; Laskar, Nasrin Banu

2010-01-01

Public health importance of hand washing as well as its importance in reduction of communicable diseases such as diarrhea and acute respiratory infections have been highlighted in many studies worldwide. This study was designed to study the hand washing practices followed in two urban slums as well as to assess and compare the status of different components of hand washing at the pre- and post-intervention phases. A community-based cross-sectional intervention study on hand washing practices was carried out at two urban slums situated in two states of Eastern India with similar sociocultural and linguistic background. The study was carried out by using an interview technique as well as observation of hand washing practices. Interpersonal communication for behavioural change was chosen as a method of intervention. The majority (>90%) practiced hand washing after defecation in both the study areas. However, hand washing following all six steps and for stipulated time period was seen to be poor before intervention. Significant improvement was observed in all the aspects of hand washing after intervention in both the areas. The poor practice of hand washing was observed in some situations and needed attention. Use of soap and clean material for drying hands after hand washing was poor initially followed by improvement after intervention. Based on the findings of the study, it could be suggested that Behaviour Change Communication program should be further planned with emphasis on different components of hand washing with a final objective to bring down the incidence of target diseases.

Numerical Hydrodynamic Study of Hypothetical Levee Setback Scenarios

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-01

ER D C /C HL T R- 18 -1 Flood and Coastal Systems Research and Development Program Numerical Hydrodynamic Study of Hypothetical Levee...default. Flood and Coastal Systems Research and Development Program ERDC/CHL TR-18-1 January 2018 Numerical Hydrodynamic Study of Hypothetical...Reduction” ERDC/CHL TR-18-1 ii Abstract A numerical hydrodynamic study was conducted to compare multiple levee setback alternatives to the base

Health promotion, wellness, and prevention in hand therapy: A survey study.

PubMed

Lucado, Ann M; Taylor, David W; Wendland, Deborah M; Connors, Brian

Descriptive study. Noncommunicable diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease are associated with increased complications and cost of health care. To describe beliefs and extent to which hand therapists include health promotion, wellness, and prevention (HPWP) in practice and to elucidate barriers to the incorporation of HPWP. A 38-question survey evaluating hand therapists' beliefs, practice of HPWP, and barriers was sent to American Society of Hand Therapists members. About 270 American Society of Hand Therapists members participated. Respondents believed they had a role in HPWP, including occupational (95%), physical (92%), emotional (87%), and psychological (84%) factors and instrumental activities of daily living management (98%). Physical activity is most frequently addressed (42%), whereas other health behaviors are rarely addressed. Time, patient interest, and resources were among identified barriers. The importance of health promotion and disease prevention practice is being recognized as critical to successful health outcomes. The study results suggest the need to develop HPWP educational programming for hand therapists and the need to consider expansion of understanding of HPWP initiatives and subsequent benefits to patients. 5. Copyright © 2016 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Moisturizing alcohol hand gels for surgical hand preparation.

PubMed

Jones, R D; Jampani, H; Mulberry, G; Rizer, R L

2000-03-01

With the use of novel formulary technology, unique moisturizing hand gels have been developed that offer significant advantages in perioperative and other health care settings. These advantages include the time-saving capabilities of a waterless formulation, the persistence and effectiveness of a surgical scrub, and the moisturization and protective properties of a lotion. Extensive laboratory and clinical studies, involving in vivo antimicrobial activity against resident and transient flora, skin moisturization on normal and dry skin, and compatibility with latex gloves, have supported these advantages. Nondrying alcohol hand gels can be used for antiseptic hand washing, hand scrubs between procedures (i.e., reentry scrubs), brushless surgical scrubs, moisturizers, and glove-donning aids.

[Does the hand solely belong in the hands of a qualified hand surgeon?

PubMed

Güven, Asim; Kols, Kerstin; Fischer, Klaus; Schönberger, Michael; Allert, Sixtus

2017-09-01

Background In Germany, Hand Surgery is an additional qualification that can only be obtained by a three-year training after a completed residency in General Surgery, Plastic Surgery or Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery. Nevertheless, injuries and diseases of the hand are also treated by physicians without this particular qualification. It is questionable whether these treatments more often lead to medical malpractice. Material and Methods 376 charges of medical malpractice in surgical treatments of the hand and forearm that were closed in 2014 and 2015 were collected by the Arbitration Board for Medical Liability Issues of the Medical Association of North Germany.Cases with proven medical malpractice were classified by the qualification of the physician in charge and analysed. A statistical analysis was performed with the use of the program SPSS (IBM). Results Medical malpractice was proven in 42 of 113 cases with an attending physician who held the additional qualification for Hand Surgery (37.2 %). For physicians without this qualification, the figures were 79 out of 155 (51.0 %) in the group of trauma and orthopaedic surgeons and 54 out of 108 (50.0 %) in the group of general surgeons. The differences between the hand surgeons and the trauma and orthopaedic surgeons (p = 0.017) and between hand surgeons and general surgeons were significant (p = 0.037). Conclusions It was shown that physicians with an additional qualification in hand surgery had signifcantly fewer proven medical malpratice cases than physicians without this qualification. The following trends were observed in the cases of the physicians without the additional qualification in hand surgery: underestimation of the severity of trauma to soft tissues and infections of the hand, errors in the surgical examination of the hand, including functional tests of tendons and nerves, as well as in diagnostic findings after X-ray studies of the hand. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Grasp with hand and mouth: a kinematic study on healthy subjects.

PubMed

Gentilucci, M; Benuzzi, F; Gangitano, M; Grimaldi, S

2001-10-01

Neurons involved in grasp preparation with hand and mouth were previously recorded in the premotor cortex of monkey. The aim of the present kinematic study was to determine whether a unique planning underlies the act of grasping with hand and mouth in humans as well. In a set of four experiments, healthy subjects reached and grasped with the hand an object of different size while opening the mouth (experiments 1 and 3), or extending the other forearm (experiment 4), or the fingers of the other hand (experiment 5). In a subsequent set of three experiments, subjects grasped an object of different size with the mouth, while opening the fingers of the right hand (experiments 6-8). The initial kinematics of mouth and finger opening, but not of forearm extension, was affected by the size of the grasped object congruently with the size effect on initial grasp kinematics. This effect was due neither to visual presentation of the object, without the successive grasp motor act (experiment 2) nor to synchronism between finger and mouth opening (experiments 3, 7, and 8). In experiment 9 subjects grasped with the right hand an object of different size while pronouncing a syllable printed on the target. Mouth opening and sound production were affected by the grasped object size. The results of the present study are discussed according to the notion that in an action each motor act is prepared before the beginning of the motor sequence. Double grasp preparation can be used for successive motor acts on the same object as, for example, grasping food with the hand and ingesting it after bringing it to the mouth. We speculate that the circuits involved in double grasp preparation might have been the neural substrate where hand motor patterns used as primitive communication signs were transferred to mouth articulation system. This is in accordance with the hypothesis that Broca's area derives phylogenetically from the monkey premotor area where hand movements are controlled.

Experimental and numerical research on forging with torsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrov, Mikhail A.; Subich, Vadim N.; Petrov, Pavel A.

2017-10-01

Increasing the efficiency of the technological operations of blank production is closely related to the computer-aided technologies (CAx). On the one hand, the practical result represents reality exactly. On the other hand, the development procedure of new process development demands unrestricted resources, which are limited on the SMEs. The tools of CAx were successfully applied for development of new process of forging with torsion and result analysis as well. It was shown, that the theoretical calculations find the confirmation both in praxis and during numerical simulation. The mostly used constructional materials were under study. The torque angles were stated. The simulated results were evaluated by experimental procedure.

Gasoline on hands: preliminary study on collection and persistence.

PubMed

Darrer, Melinda; Jacquemet-Papilloud, Joëlle; Delémont, Olivier

2008-03-05

The identification of an arsonist remains one of the most difficult challenges a fire investigation has to face. Seeking and detection of traces of gasoline could provide a valuable information to link a suspect with an arson scene where gasoline was used to set-up the fire. In this perspective, a first study was undertaken to evaluate a simple, fast and efficient method for collecting gasoline from hands, and to assess its persistence over time. Four collection means were tested: PVC, PE and Latex gloves, as well as humidified filter paper. A statistical assessment of the results indicates that Latex and PVC gloves worn for about 20 min, as well as paper filter rubbed on hands, allow an efficient collection of gasoline applied to hands. Due to ease of manipulation and to a reduced amount of volatile compounds detected from the matrix, PVC gloves were selected for the second set of experiments. The evaluation of the persistence of gasoline on hands was then carried out using two initial quantities (500 and 1000 microl). Collection was made with PVC gloves after 0, 30 min, 1, 2 and 4h, on different volunteers. The results show a common tendency of massive evaporation of gasoline during the first 30 min: a continued but non-linear decrease was observed along different time intervals. The results of this preliminary study are in agreement with other previous researches conducted on the detection of flammable liquid residues on clothes, shoes and skin.

Inspections of Hand Washing Supplies and Hand Sanitizer in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramos, Mary M.; Blea, Mary; Trujillo, Rebecca; Greenberg, Cynthia

2010-01-01

Hand washing and hand antisepsis are proven infection control measures in the school setting, yet barriers such as lack of soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer can hinder compliance. This pilot study measured the prevalence of hand cleaning supplies in public schools. Ten school districts (93 schools) participated in school nurse inspections. In…

Mid-infrared metasurface made of composite right/left-handed transmission-line

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Luo, Yi; Ying, Xiangxiao; Pu, Yang

2016-06-06

We report on the realization of a mid-infrared metasurface based on the concept of composite right/left-handed transmission-line. The metasurface consists of a three-layer metal-insulator-metal structure patterned into transmission-lines by electron-beam lithography. Angle-variable reflection spectroscopy measurements reveal resonant absorption features corresponding to both right- and left-handed propagations in the leaky-wave guided mode region. Material loss is shown to dominate the quality factor of the left-handed modes, while the radiative loss dominates the right-handed ones. The experimental results are in good agreement with full-wave numerical simulations and are explained with an equivalent circuit model.

Evaluation of validity and reliability of the Persian version of the functional index of hand osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Kordi Yoosefinejad, Amin; Motealleh, Alireza; Babakhani, Mohammad

2017-05-01

The Functional index of hand osteoarthritis (FIHOA) is a commonly used patient-reported outcome questionnaire designed to measure function in patients with hand osteoarthritis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the FIHOA. The Persian-translated version of FIHOA was administered to 72 native Persian-speaking patients in Iran with hand osteoarthritis. Thirty-six of the patients completed the questionnaire on two occasions 1 week apart. The physical component of the SF-36 and a numerical rating scale were used to evaluate the construct validity of the Persian version of FIHOA. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). Test-retest reliability for the total score was excellent (weighted kappa = 0.89, 95% CI 0.79-0.94). A significant positive correlation between total FIHOA score and numerical rating scale (r = 0.70) and a significant negative correlation between total FIHOA score and the physical component scale of the SF-36 (r = -0.76) were observed. The Persian version of the FIHOA showed adequate validity and reliability to evaluate functional disability in Persian-speaking patients with hand osteoarthritis.

Hand hygiene compliance in transplant and other special patient groups: an observational study.

PubMed

Graf, Karolin; Ott, Ella; Wolny, Michael; Tramp, Nadine; Vonberg, Ralf-Peter; Haverich, Axel; Chaberny, Iris Freya

2013-06-01

This study evaluates hand hygiene behavior of health care workers in a German university hospital stratified for treatment of special patient groups (eg, transplant patients). From 2008 to 2010, comprehensive education and training of all health care workers was implemented to improve hand hygiene compliance. Consumption rates of alcohol-based hand rub and gloves were collected and evaluated. Of the 5,647 opportunities of hand disinfection evaluated, 1,607 occurred during care for transplant patients. To our knowledge, this is the largest survey of hand hygiene compliance in special patient groups on intensive care units in a university hospital in Germany. Health care workers on surgical intensive care units showed lower hand hygiene compliance compared with health care workers on other types of intensive care units. Compliance toward hand hygiene was significantly higher on hemato-oncologic and pediatric wards. In general, hand disinfection was performed significantly more frequently after an intervention than before (P < .05, 95% confidence interval: 1.24-1.84). Overall, there was no significant difference in hand hygiene compliance when caring for transplant patients or other patients (odds ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval: 0.95-1.42). Nurse's and physician's hand hygiene compliance improved because of education. Hand hygiene compliance is not increased in the care for transplant patients (despite their predisposition for nosocomial infections) compared with other patients. Additional studies will be necessary to further investigate these findings. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grissom, William A.; Rafla, Nader I.

1992-04-01

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time.

Ground Robotic Hand Applications for the Space Program study (GRASP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grissom, William A.; Rafla, Nader I. (Editor)

1992-01-01

This document reports on a NASA-STDP effort to address research interests of the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) through a study entitled, Ground Robotic-Hand Applications for the Space Program (GRASP). The primary objective of the GRASP study was to identify beneficial applications of specialized end-effectors and robotic hand devices for automating any ground operations which are performed at the Kennedy Space Center. Thus, operations for expendable vehicles, the Space Shuttle and its components, and all payloads were included in the study. Typical benefits of automating operations, or augmenting human operators performing physical tasks, include: reduced costs; enhanced safety and reliability; and reduced processing turnaround time.

Assessment of the bacterial contamination of hand air dryer in washrooms.

PubMed

Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Salmen, Saleh Hussein; Chinnathambi, Arunachalam; Alharbi, Naiyf S; Zayed, M E; Al-Johny, Bassam O; Wainwright, Milton

2016-03-01

The present study was carried out, using standard techniques, to identify and count the bacterial contamination of hand air dryers, used in washrooms. Bacteria were isolated from the air flow, outlet nozzle of warm air dryers in fifteen air dryers used in these washrooms. Bacteria were found to be relatively numerous in the air flows. Bacterially contaminated air was found to be emitted whenever a warm air dryer was running, even when not being used for hand drying. Our investigation shows that Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Bacillus cereus and Brevundimonad diminuta/vesicularis were emitted from all of the dryers sampled, with 95% showing evidence of the presence of the potential pathogen S. haemolyticus. It is concluded that hot air dryers can deposit pathogenic bacteria onto the hands and body of users. Bacteria are distributed into the general environment whenever dryers are running and could be inhaled by users and none-users alike. The results provide an evidence base for the development and enhancement of hygienic hand drying practices.

Assessment of the bacterial contamination of hand air dryer in washrooms

PubMed Central

Alharbi, Sulaiman Ali; Salmen, Saleh Hussein; Chinnathambi, Arunachalam; Alharbi, Naiyf S.; Zayed, M.E.; Al-Johny, Bassam O.; Wainwright, Milton

2015-01-01

The present study was carried out, using standard techniques, to identify and count the bacterial contamination of hand air dryers, used in washrooms. Bacteria were isolated from the air flow, outlet nozzle of warm air dryers in fifteen air dryers used in these washrooms. Bacteria were found to be relatively numerous in the air flows. Bacterially contaminated air was found to be emitted whenever a warm air dryer was running, even when not being used for hand drying. Our investigation shows that Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Micrococcus luteus, Pseudomonas alcaligenes, Bacillus cereus and Brevundimonad diminuta/vesicularis were emitted from all of the dryers sampled, with 95% showing evidence of the presence of the potential pathogen S. haemolyticus. It is concluded that hot air dryers can deposit pathogenic bacteria onto the hands and body of users. Bacteria are distributed into the general environment whenever dryers are running and could be inhaled by users and none-users alike. The results provide an evidence base for the development and enhancement of hygienic hand drying practices. PMID:26981009

Inspections of hand washing supplies and hand sanitizer in public schools.

PubMed

Ramos, Mary M; Blea, Mary; Trujillo, Rebecca; Greenberg, Cynthia

2010-10-01

Hand washing and hand antisepsis are proven infection control measures in the school setting, yet barriers such as lack of soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer can hinder compliance. This pilot study measured the prevalence of hand cleaning supplies in public schools. Ten school districts (93 schools) participated in school nurse inspections. In November 2008, 90 schools (97%) reported their inspection results. Among 697 total bathrooms, 88.8% had soap and 91.7% had paper towels or hand dryers. Hand sanitizer was reported in 1.2% of bathrooms and 15.2% of cafeterias. No difference was observed between boys' and girls' bathrooms, or primary and secondary schools, in the prevalence of soap or paper towels/hand dryers. Hand washing supplies were generally available in public school bathrooms. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer in school bathrooms was reported occasionally and should be discouraged. Hand sanitizer in a supervised setting, the school cafeteria, was not often reported and should be promoted.

Thermographic Evaluation of the Hands of Pig Slaughterhouse Workers Exposed to Cold Temperatures.

PubMed

Tirloni, Adriana Seára; Reis, Diogo Cunha Dos; Ramos, Eliane; Moro, Antônio Renato Pereira

2017-07-26

Brazil was rated the fourth leading producer and exporter of pork meat in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the temperature of the hands of pig slaughterhouse workers and its relation to the thermal sensation of the hands and the use of a cutting tool. The study included 106 workers in a pig slaughterhouse. An infrared camera FlirThermaCAM E320 (Flir Systems, Wilsonville, OR, USA) was used to collect the images of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of both hands. A numerical scale was used to obtain the thermal sensation. Chi-square test, Pearson correlation and Student's t test or Wilcoxon were used ( p ≤ 0.05). The majority of workers felt cold in the hands (66%) and workers who used the knife felt the coldest. There was an association between the thermal sensation and the use of knife ( p = 0.001). Workers who used the tool showed correlation between the thermal sensation and the temperatures of the left fingers, with a difference between the temperatures of the right and left hands of those who used the knife ( p ≤ 0.05). The hands (left) that manipulated the products presented the lowest temperatures. Findings indicate that employers of pig slaughterhouses should provide gloves with adequate thermal insulation to preserve the health of workers' hands.

Thermographic Evaluation of the Hands of Pig Slaughterhouse Workers Exposed to Cold Temperatures

PubMed Central

Ramos, Eliane

2017-01-01

Brazil was rated the fourth leading producer and exporter of pork meat in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the temperature of the hands of pig slaughterhouse workers and its relation to the thermal sensation of the hands and the use of a cutting tool. The study included 106 workers in a pig slaughterhouse. An infrared camera FlirThermaCAM E320 (Flir Systems, Wilsonville, OR, USA) was used to collect the images of the dorsal and palmar surfaces of both hands. A numerical scale was used to obtain the thermal sensation. Chi-square test, Pearson correlation and Student’s t test or Wilcoxon were used (p ≤ 0.05). The majority of workers felt cold in the hands (66%) and workers who used the knife felt the coldest. There was an association between the thermal sensation and the use of knife (p = 0.001). Workers who used the tool showed correlation between the thermal sensation and the temperatures of the left fingers, with a difference between the temperatures of the right and left hands of those who used the knife (p ≤ 0.05). The hands (left) that manipulated the products presented the lowest temperatures. Findings indicate that employers of pig slaughterhouses should provide gloves with adequate thermal insulation to preserve the health of workers’ hands. PMID:28933764

The utility of hand transplantation in hand amputee patients.

PubMed

Alolabi, Noor; Chuback, Jennifer; Grad, Sharon; Thoma, Achilles

2015-01-01

To measure the desirable health outcome, termed utility, and the expected quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained with hand composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) using hand amputee patients and the general public. Using the standard gamble (SG) and time trade-off (TTO) techniques, utilities were obtained from 30 general public participants and 12 amputee patients. The health utility and net QALYs gained or lost with transplantation were computed. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to account for the effects of lifelong immunosuppression on the life expectancy of transplant recipients. Higher scores represent greater utility. Hand amputation mean health utility as measured by the SG and TTO methods, respectively, was 0.72 and 0.80 for the general public and 0.69 and 0.70 for hand amputees. In comparison, hand CTA mean health utility was 0.74 and 0.82 for the general public and 0.83 and 0.86 for amputees. Hand CTA imparted an expected gain of 0.9 QALYs (SG and TTO) in the general public and 7.0 (TTO) and 7.8 (SG) QALYs in hand amputees. A loss of at least 1.7 QALYs was demonstrated when decreasing the life expectancy in the sensitivity analysis in the hand amputee group. Hand amputee patients did not show a preference toward hand CTA with its inherent risks. With this procedure being increasingly adopted worldwide, the benefits must be carefully weighed against the risks of lifelong immunosuppressive therapy. This study does not show clear benefit to advocate hand CTA. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long term type 1 diabetes is associated with hand pain, disability and stiffness but not with structural hand osteoarthritis features – The Dialong hand study

PubMed Central

Magnusson, Karin; Bech Holte, Kristine; Juel, Niels Gunnar; Brox, Jens Ivar; Hagen, Kåre Birger; Haugen, Ida Kristin; Berg, Tore Julsrud

2017-01-01

Objective To explore whether having long-term type 1 diabetes (>45 years) is associated with a higher prevalence of radiographic hand OA, erosive hand OA and increased hand pain, disability and stiffness. Methods In total N = 96 persons with type 1 diabetes diagnosed before 1970 were included (mean [SD] age: 62.2 [7.4], mean [SD] HbA1c: 7.43 [0.80] and N = 49 [51%] men). Regular measurements of their HbA1c were obtained till 2015. We included N = 69 healthy controls without any diabetes (mean [SD] age: 63.0 [7.0], mean [SD] HbA1c: 5.41 [0.32], N = 29 [42%] men). The groups were compared for radiographic hand OA (Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≥2 in ≥1 joint) and erosive hand OA (central erosions in ≥1 joint), Australian/Canadian index (AUSCAN) for hand pain, disability and stiffness using regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, educational level and waist circumference. Results We found no associations between having long term type 1 diabetes and more prevalent radiographic hand OA (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.38–1.81). We found a trend towards higher prevalence of erosive hand OA in diabetes patients (OR = 2.96, 95% CI = 0.82–10.64). Strong and consistent associations were observed between long term type 1 diabetes and increased hand pain (B = 2.78, 95% CI = 1.65–3.91), disability (B = 5.30, 95% CI = 3.48–7.12) and stiffness (B = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.33–2.67). These associations were particularly strong for women and participants below the median age of 61 years. Conclusion Long-term type 1 diabetes was not associated with radiographic hand OA, but was strongly associated with hand pain, disability and stiffness. The association between diabetes and erosive hand OA warrants further investigation. PMID:28510594

The effect of hand hygiene on illness rate among students in university residence halls.

PubMed

White, Cindy; Kolble, Robin; Carlson, Rebecca; Lipson, Natasha; Dolan, Mike; Ali, Yusuf; Cline, Mojee

2003-10-01

Several studies have indicated a connection between hand sanitization and infection control in numerous settings such as extended care facilities, schools, and hospitals. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of both a hand-hygiene message campaign and the use of an alcohol gel hand sanitizer in decreasing the incidence of upper-respiratory illness among students living in university residence halls. This study involved a total of 430 students recruited from 4 residence halls during the fall semester at the University of Colorado at the Boulder campus. Dormitories were paired into control and product groups. In the product groups, alcohol gel hand-sanitizer dispensers were installed in every room, bathroom, and dining hall. The data were statistically analyzed for the differences between product and control groups in reported symptoms, illness rates, and absenteeism from classes. The overall increase in hand-hygiene behavior and reduction in symptoms, illness rates, and absenteeism between the product group and control group was statistically significant. Reductions in upper respiratory-illness symptoms ranged from 14.8% to 39.9%. Total improvement in illness rate was 20%. The product group had 43% less missed school/work days. Hand-hygiene practices were improved with increased frequency of handwashing through increasing awareness of the importance of hand hygiene, and the use of alcohol gel hand sanitizer in university dormitories. This resulted in fewer upper respiratory-illness symptoms, lower illness rates, and lower absenteeism.

Functional Assessment of the Vanderbilt Multigrasp Myoelectric Hand: A Continuing Case Study

PubMed Central

Dalley, Skyler A.; Bennett, Daniel A.; Goldfarb, Michael

2015-01-01

This paper presents a case study involving the functional assessment of the Vanderbilt Multigrasp (VMG) hand prosthesis on a single transradial amputee subject. In particular, a transradial amputee subject performed the Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) using the hand prosthesis and multigrasp myoelectric controller in a series of experimental sessions occurring over a multi-week time span. The subject’s index of function (IoF) improved with each session, although essentially plateaued after the fourth session, resulting in a IoF score of 87, which compares favorably to SHAP scores published in previous studies. PMID:25571412

Effect of hand sanitizer location on hand hygiene compliance.

PubMed

Cure, Laila; Van Enk, Richard

2015-09-01

Hand hygiene is the most important intervention to prevent infection in hospitals. Health care workers should clean their hands at least before and after contact with patients. Hand sanitizer dispensers are important to support hand hygiene because they can be made available throughout hospital units. The aim of this study was to determine whether the usability of sanitizer dispensers correlates with compliance of staff in using the sanitizer in a hospital. This study took place in a Midwest, 404-bed, private, nonprofit community hospital with 15 inpatient care units in addition to several ambulatory units. The usability and standardization of sanitizers in 12 participating inpatient units were evaluated. The hospital measured compliance of staff with hand hygiene as part of their quality improvement program. Data from 2010-2012 were analyzed to measure the relationship between compliance and usability using mixed-effects logistic regression models. The total usability score (P = .0046), visibility (P = .003), and accessibility of the sanitizer on entrance to the patient room (P = .00055) were statistically associated with higher observed compliance rates. Standardization alone showed no significant impact on observed compliance (P = .37). Hand hygiene compliance can be influenced by visibility and accessibility of dispensers. The sanitizer location should be part of multifaceted interventions to improve hand hygiene. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hand preference for sending mobile-phone text messages: associations with sex, writing hand, and throwing hand.

PubMed

Lambert, Anthony; Hallett, Charlene

2009-07-01

Hand preference for sending mobile-phone text messages ("texting") and its relationship with hand preference for other activities were investigated in a questionnaire study with 886 participants. Overall rates of both sinistrality and dextrality were reduced for texting, in comparison with other activities, due to the substantial number of individuals who use both hands simultaneously when performing this activity. Because they both involve verbal expression, it was hypothesised that the association between hand preferences for texting and writing might be stronger than the association between either of these tasks and more spatial activities, such as throwing. This prediction was not confirmed, either in the sample as a whole or in a sub-group of individuals who reported writing and throwing with opposite hands. Females were less likely than males to use their left hand when sending text messages. Implications of these findings are discussed, in relation to theoretical views of handedness and in relation to practical aspects of mobile-phone design.

Independent digit movements and precision grip patterns in 1-5-month-old human infants: hand-babbling, including vacuous then self-directed hand and digit movements, precedes targeted reaching.

PubMed

Wallace, Patricia S; Whishaw, Ian Q

2003-01-01

Previous work has described human reflexive grasp patterns in early infancy and visually guided reaching and grasping in late infancy. There has been no examination of hand movements in the intervening period. This was the purpose of the present study. We video recorded the spontaneous hand and digit movements made by alert infants over their first 5 months of age. Over this period, spontaneous hand and digit movements developed from fists to almost continuous, vacuous movements and then to self-directed grasping movements. Amongst the many hand and digit movements observed, four grasping patterns emerged during this period: fists, pre-precision grips associated with numerous digit postures, precision grips including the pincer grasp, and self-directed grasps. The finding that a wide range of independent digit movements and grasp patterns are displayed spontaneously by infants within their first 5 months of age is discussed in relation to the development of the motor system, including the suggestion that direct connections of the pyramidal tract are functional relatively early in infancy. It is also suggested that hand babbling, consisting of first vacuous and then self-directed movements, is preparatory to targeted reaching.

Body mass index and hand osteoarthritis susceptibility: an updated meta-analysis.

PubMed

Jiang, Liying; Xie, Xiaohua; Wang, Yidan; Wang, Yingchen; Lu, Yihua; Tian, Tian; Chu, Minjie; Shen, Yi

2016-12-01

Numerous epidemiologic studies have evaluated the association between overweight and hand osteoarthritis; However, the existing results are inconsistent. Systematic searches were performed and reference lists from the retrieved trials were searched. This meta-analysis and meta-regression was executed to identify all English-language articles that quantitatively assess the strength of associations between body mass index and hand osteoarthritis risk. Study-specific incremental estimates were standardized to determine the risk associated with a 5 kg/m 2 increase in body mass index. We conducted the study according to the guidelines for the meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology. Of the 21 studies included, 13 were cross-sectional studies, three were case control studies and five were cohort studies. The pooled summary estimates were 1.10 (95%CI: 0.98-1.24) with no significant difference (P = 0.09). Subgroup analysis shows that body mass index was positively associated with hand osteoarthritis in cross-sectional studies (1.05 [95%CI: 1.02-1.08] P < 0.01), while with no significant difference was found in case-control studies (1.28 [95%CI: 0.87-1.88]) and in cohort studies (1.06 [95%CI: 0.71-1.58]) (P = 0.21 and P = 0.77, respectively). A weak but significant effect on radiographic hand osteoarthritis risk was found. The summary estimates were 1.06 (95%CI: 1.02-1.10) in studies defined by radiography and 1.25 (95%CI: 1.06-1.49) by radiography and clinically (P < 0 .01 and P = 0.01, respectively). It appears that increased body mass index contributes to a positively moderate effect on susceptibility to hand osteoarthritis, as defined radiographically and/or radiographically and clinically. The effects vary by study design and osteoarthritis definition. © 2016 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

RAPID3 scores and hand outcome measurements in RA patients: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Qorolli, Merita; Hundozi-Hysenaj, Hajrije; Rexhepi, Sylejman; Rehxepi, Blerta; Grazio, Simeon

2017-06-01

The Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) is a patient-reported disease activity measure used to assess physical function, pain, and global health in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) without formal joint counts. Since hand involvement and its decreased function are hallmarks of RA, the aim of our study was to investigate the performance of RAPID3 scores with regard to hand function and to confirm previous findings that the RAPID3 score as a disease activity measure is strongly correlated with the DAS28 score. Sixty-eight consecutive patients with RA (85% female), aged 18-75 years, were included in the study and were recruited during their outpatient visit. Apart from demographic and clinical data, the obtained parameters of interest included RAPID3 scores and assessments of the function of the hand, namely, the signal of functional impairment (SOFI)-hand, grip strength, and pulp-to-palm distance, as well the Health Assessment Questionnaire- Disability Index (HAQ-DI) and DAS28 scores. Pearson's correlation coefficient, Student's t test and linear regression were used in the statistical analysis of the results. The significance was set to p < 0.05. A positive correlation was found between RAPID3 scores and HAQ-DI scores, SOFI-hand scores, and pulp-to-palm distance, and negative correlation was observed between RAPID3 scores and grip strength. The order regarding the strength of correlations between RAPID3 scores and other variables (from the strongest to the weakest) was as follows: HAQ-DI, grip strength, SOFI-hand and pulp-to-palm distance. The hand assessment variables had stronger correlations with RAPID3 scores than with DAS28 scores. Our preliminary study showed that RAPID3 scores were strongly correlated with measurements of the functional ability of the hand, demonstrating that RAPID3 can be used as a measure of disease activity in clinical practice and to characterize hand function. Further studies are needed to confirm this result.

Hand biometric recognition based on fused hand geometry and vascular patterns.

PubMed

Park, GiTae; Kim, Soowon

2013-02-28

A hand biometric authentication method based on measurements of the user's hand geometry and vascular pattern is proposed. To acquire the hand geometry, the thickness of the side view of the hand, the K-curvature with a hand-shaped chain code, the lengths and angles of the finger valleys, and the lengths and profiles of the fingers were used, and for the vascular pattern, the direction-based vascular-pattern extraction method was used, and thus, a new multimodal biometric approach is proposed. The proposed multimodal biometric system uses only one image to extract the feature points. This system can be configured for low-cost devices. Our multimodal biometric-approach hand-geometry (the side view of the hand and the back of hand) and vascular-pattern recognition method performs at the score level. The results of our study showed that the equal error rate of the proposed system was 0.06%.

Chubby hands or little fingers: sex differences in hand representation.

PubMed

Coelho, Lara A; Gonzalez, Claudia L R

2018-04-03

Disturbed body representation is a condition defined by the perception that one's body size is different from their anatomical size. While equal amounts of males and females suffer from disturbed body representation, there appear to be differences in the direction of this distortion. Females will typically overestimate, whereas males will typically underestimate body size. One part of the body that has been consistently misperceived is the hands. This misrepresentation consists of two distinct characteristics: an overestimation of hand width, and an underestimation of finger length. Many of these studies, however, have used predominately female participants, allowing for the possibility that women are driving this distortion. The aim of the present study was to examine possible sex differences in hand perception. To this end, participants estimated the location of ten landmarks on their hands when their hands were hidden from view. Our results indicate that females follow the characteristic distortion, whereas males only underestimate finger length (albeit more than females). These findings are surprising, because the hands are not an area of concern for weight gain/loss. We discuss these findings in relation to body dysmorphia literature.

Workplace screening for hand dermatitis: a pilot study.

PubMed

Nichol, K; Copes, R; Spielmann, S; Kersey, K; Eriksson, J; Holness, D L

2016-01-01

Health care workers (HCWs) are at increased risk for developing occupational skin disease (OSD) such as dermatitis primarily due to exposure to wet work. Identification of risk factors and workplace screening can help early detection of OSD to avoid the condition becoming chronic. To determine risk factors and clinical findings for hand dermatitis using a workplace screening tool. Employees at a large teaching hospital in Toronto, Canada, were invited to complete a two-part hand dermatitis screening tool. Part 1 inquired about hand hygiene practices and Part 2 comprised a visual assessment of participants' hands by a health professional and classification as (i) normal, (ii) mild dermatitis or (iii) moderate/severe dermatitis. Risk factors were determined using chi-square and Cochran-Armitage analysis on a dichotomous variable, where Yes represented either a mild or moderate/severe disease classification. There were 183 participants out of 643 eligible employees; response rate 28%. Mild or moderate/severe dermatitis was present in 72% of participants. These employees were more likely to work directly with patients, have worked longer in a health care setting, wash hands and change gloves more frequently, wear gloves for more hours per day, have a history of eczema or dermatitis and report a current rash on the hands or rash in the past 12 months. There was a high percentage of HCWs with dermatitis and risk factors for dermatitis. These findings argue for increased attention to prevention and early identification of hand dermatitis and support further testing of the workplace screening tool. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The psychosocial burden of hand eczema: Data from a European dermatological multicentre study.

PubMed

Marron, Servando E; Tomas-Aragones, Lucia; Navarro-Lopez, Jorge; Gieler, Uwe; Kupfer, Jörg; Dalgard, Florence J; Lien, Lars; Finlay, Andrew Y; Poot, Françoise; Linder, Dennis; Szepietowski, Jacek C; Misery, Laurent; Jemec, Gregor B E; Romanov, Dmitry; Sampogna, Francesca; Szabo, Csanad; Altunay, Ilknur K; Spillekom-van Koulil, Saskia; Balieva, Flora; Ali, Faraz M; Halvorsen, Jon A; Marijuan, Pedro C

2018-06-01

The essential physical role, visibility and social importance of the hands place a major psychological burden on patients with hand eczema. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological, social and clinical characteristics of patients with hand eczema, in particular the prevalences of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and comorbidities. Data on patients with hand eczema were analysed from a large European multicentre study conducted with dermatology outpatients from 13 countries. Groups of patients and controls were compared to analyse the psychological burden of hand eczema. Female patients with hand eczema had higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores for anxiety (n = 86, median = 7.0) than controls (n = 900, median = 5.0, P = .02), and for depression (median = 4.0) than controls (3.0, P < .001). Patients with high suicidal ideation, with low socioeconomic status and who were widowed or divorced were more likely to fulfil the HADS criteria for anxiety [odds ratio (OR) > 1, P = .038, P < .001, and P < .001, respectively]. The median Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 7.0 (n = 68). This study identifies a specific psychological burden experienced by hand eczema patients, highlighting the need for focused psychosocial interventions. Physicians in particular should be aware of the need to identify anxiety and depression in female patients. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Numerical studies of interacting vortices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, G. C.; Hsu, C. H.

1985-01-01

To get a basic understanding of the physics of flowfields modeled by vortex filaments with finite vortical cores, systematic numerical studies of the interactions of two dimensional vortices and pairs of coaxial axisymmetric circular vortex rings were made. Finite difference solutions of the unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations were carried out using vorticity and stream function as primary variables. Special emphasis was placed on the formulation of appropriate boundary conditions necessary for the calculations in a finite computational domain. Numerical results illustrate the interaction of vortex filaments, demonstrate when and how they merge with each other, and establish the region of validity for an asymptotic analysis.

Hand Biometric Recognition Based on Fused Hand Geometry and Vascular Patterns

PubMed Central

Park, GiTae; Kim, Soowon

2013-01-01

A hand biometric authentication method based on measurements of the user's hand geometry and vascular pattern is proposed. To acquire the hand geometry, the thickness of the side view of the hand, the K-curvature with a hand-shaped chain code, the lengths and angles of the finger valleys, and the lengths and profiles of the fingers were used, and for the vascular pattern, the direction-based vascular-pattern extraction method was used, and thus, a new multimodal biometric approach is proposed. The proposed multimodal biometric system uses only one image to extract the feature points. This system can be configured for low-cost devices. Our multimodal biometric-approach hand-geometry (the side view of the hand and the back of hand) and vascular-pattern recognition method performs at the score level. The results of our study showed that the equal error rate of the proposed system was 0.06%. PMID:23449119

Dextrous robot hands

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkataraman, Subramanian T. (Editor); Iberall, Thea (Editor)

1990-01-01

Recent studies of human hand function and their implications for the design of robot hands are discussed in reviews and reports. Topics addressed include human grasp choice and robotic grasp analysis, opposition space and human prehension, coordination in normal and prosthetic reaching, and intelligent exploration by the human hand. Consideration is given to a task-oriented dextrous manipulation architecture, the control architecture for the Belgrade/USC hand, the analysis of multifingered grasping and manipulation, and tactile sensing for shape interpretation. Diagrams, graphs, and photographs are provided.

The cortical activation pattern by a rehabilitation robotic hand: a functional NIRS study

PubMed Central

Chang, Pyung-Hun; Lee, Seung-Hee; Gu, Gwang Min; Lee, Seung-Hyun; Jin, Sang-Hyun; Yeo, Sang Seok; Seo, Jeong Pyo; Jang, Sung Ho

2014-01-01

Introduction: Clarification of the relationship between external stimuli and brain response has been an important topic in neuroscience and brain rehabilitation. In the current study, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we attempted to investigate cortical activation patterns generated during execution of a rehabilitation robotic hand. Methods: Ten normal subjects were recruited for this study. Passive movements of the right fingers were performed using a rehabilitation robotic hand at a frequency of 0.5 Hz. We measured values of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO), deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR) and total-hemoglobin (HbT) in five regions of interest: the primary sensory-motor cortex (SM1), hand somatotopy of the contralateral SM1, supplementary motor area (SMA), premotor cortex (PMC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: HbO and HbT values indicated significant activation in the left SM1, left SMA, left PMC, and left PFC during execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand (uncorrected, p < 0.01). By contrast, HbR value indicated significant activation only in the hand somatotopic area of the left SM1 (uncorrected, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our results appear to indicate that execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand could induce cortical activation. PMID:24570660

Demodicosis in red-handed tamarins (Saguinus midas).

PubMed

James, S B; Raphael, B L

2000-06-01

Two nonrelated but paired red-handed tamarins (Saguinus midas) presented with diffuse, multifocal, raised, nonpruritic, hyperkeratotic lesions on the appendages and face. Skin biopsies identified acarids and skin scrapings confirmed demodex-like mites. The animals were treated with ivermectin, at the endoparasite dose, which initially resulted in resolution of clinical signs; however, signs recurred after numerous treatments. After four treatments with amitraz dips, demodicosis lesions resolved.

Study on Surgical Management of Post Burn Hand Deformities

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Firdos; Jash, Prabir Kumar; Gupta, Madhumita; Suba, Santanu

2015-01-01

Context Functionality of the hands is the major determinants of the quality of life in burns survivors. If contractures or scarring affect the dominant hand, as they do on most occasions, the vocation and there by the economic status of the patient suffer. Aim The aim of this study is to evaluate the different surgical procedures for resurfacing after release of post-burn hand contractures in terms of functional recovery and aesthetic outcome. Settings and Design It’s a prospective, non-randomised study of 50 patients admitted and undergoing surgical reconstructive procedures for post burn hand contractures in our plastic surgery department. Materials and Methods Resurfacing procedures were done according to type of contracture with individualisation for each case. All cases were followed up with physiotherapy and splinting advices. Functional and aesthetic outcome and recurrence of contracture for each procedure was noted at 6 months. Results Forty seven percent of the cases were reconstructed with skin grafting, 30% cases with Z plasties and 23% with flap coverage. Split thickness skin grafts (STSG) and full thickness graft (FTSG) reconstructed cases had good recovery of joint mobility in 43% and 75% of cases respectively. Reconstructive procedures were aesthetically acceptable to the patients in 63%, 75% and 94% of STSG, FTSG and Z plasty cases respectively. Recurrence was seen in 17% of STSG done cases. Conclusion Most of the cases can be resurfaced with skin grafting and few cases have clear indication for flap coverage which needs to be planned and executed cautiously. Z plasties with proper planning gives maximum length gain with no donor morbidity as other procedures. Postoperative physiotherapy and splinting is must for better outcome in all cases. PMID:26435994

Comparative assessment of antimicrobial efficacy of different hand sanitizers: An in vitro study.

PubMed

Jain, Vardhaman Mulchand; Karibasappa, Gundabaktha Nagappa; Dodamani, Arun Suresh; Prashanth, Vishwakarma K; Mali, Gaurao Vasant

2016-09-01

To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of four different hand sanitizers against Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli , and Enterococcus faecalis as well as to assess and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness among four different hand sanitizers. The present study is an in vitro study to evaluate antimicrobial efficacy of Dettol, Lifebuoy, PureHands, and Sterillium hand sanitizers against clinical isolates of the aforementioned test organisms. The well variant of agar disk diffusion test using Mueller-Hinton agar was used for evaluating the antimicrobial efficacy of hand sanitizers. McFarland 0.5 turbidity standard was taken as reference to adjust the turbidity of bacterial suspensions. Fifty microliters of the hand sanitizer was introduced into each of the 4 wells while the 5 th well incorporated with sterile water served as a control. This was done for all the test organisms and plates were incubated in an incubator for 24 h at 37΀C. After incubation, antimicrobial effectiveness was determined using digital caliper (mm) by measuring the zone of inhibition. The mean diameters of zones of inhibition (in mm) observed in Group A (Sterillium), Group B (PureHands), Group C (Lifebuoy), and Group D (Dettol) were 22 ± 6, 7.5 ± 0.5, 9.5 ± 1.5, and 8 ± 1, respectively. Maximum inhibition was found with Group A against all the tested organisms. Data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, followed by post hoc test for group-wise comparisons. The difference in the values of different sanitizers was statistically significant at P < 0.001. Sterillium was the most effective hand sanitizer to maintain the hand hygiene.

Comparative assessment of antimicrobial efficacy of different hand sanitizers: An in vitro study

PubMed Central

Jain, Vardhaman Mulchand; Karibasappa, Gundabaktha Nagappa; Dodamani, Arun Suresh; Prashanth, Vishwakarma K.; Mali, Gaurao Vasant

2016-01-01

Background: To evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of four different hand sanitizers against Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecalis as well as to assess and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness among four different hand sanitizers. Materials and Methods: The present study is an in vitro study to evaluate antimicrobial efficacy of Dettol, Lifebuoy, PureHands, and Sterillium hand sanitizers against clinical isolates of the aforementioned test organisms. The well variant of agar disk diffusion test using Mueller-Hinton agar was used for evaluating the antimicrobial efficacy of hand sanitizers. McFarland 0.5 turbidity standard was taken as reference to adjust the turbidity of bacterial suspensions. Fifty microliters of the hand sanitizer was introduced into each of the 4 wells while the 5th well incorporated with sterile water served as a control. This was done for all the test organisms and plates were incubated in an incubator for 24 h at 37΀C. After incubation, antimicrobial effectiveness was determined using digital caliper (mm) by measuring the zone of inhibition. Results: The mean diameters of zones of inhibition (in mm) observed in Group A (Sterillium), Group B (PureHands), Group C (Lifebuoy), and Group D (Dettol) were 22 ± 6, 7.5 ± 0.5, 9.5 ± 1.5, and 8 ± 1, respectively. Maximum inhibition was found with Group A against all the tested organisms. Data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, followed by post hoc test for group-wise comparisons. The difference in the values of different sanitizers was statistically significant at P < 0.001. Conclusion: Sterillium was the most effective hand sanitizer to maintain the hand hygiene. PMID:27857768

Clinical Assessment and Diagnostics of Patients With Hand Disorders: A Case Study Approach.

PubMed

Leow, Mabel Qi He; Lim, Rebecca Qian Ru; Tay, Shian Chao

Clinical assessment of the hand is important for diagnosing underlying hand disorders. Using a case study approach, the clinical assessment for three disorders of the hands is presented: trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis), carpal tunnel syndrome, and ulnar-sided wrist injury (styloid impingement). We assess the annular one pulley and finger range of motion for patients with trigger finger. To diagnose for carpal tunnel syndrome, assessment for Tinel's sign, Phalen's sign, abductor pollicis brevis muscle bulk, two-point discrimination, and obtaining a nerve conduction study are performed. Assessment for ulnar-sided wrist injury includes wrist range of motion, assessment of distal radial ulnar joint stability, provocation tests, grip strength, x-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging. This article begins with a description of the hand and wrist anatomy. For each case study, the clinical history is described, followed by a discussion of the pathophysiology, clinical assessments, and diagnostic tests.

Numerical study of suspensions of deformable particles.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Luca; Rosti, Marco Edoardo

2017-11-01

We consider a model non-Newtonian fluid consisting of a suspension of deformable particles in a Newtonian solvent. Einstein showed in his pioneering work that the relative increase in effective viscosity is a linear function of the particle volume fraction for dilute suspensions of rigid particles. Inertia has been shown to introduce deviations from the behaviour predicted by the different empirical fits, an effect that can be related to an increase of the effective volume fraction. We here focus on the effect of elasticity, i.e. visco-elastic deformable particles. To tackle the problem at hand, we perform three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation of a plane Couette flow with a suspension of neutrally buoyant deformable viscous hyper-elastic particles. We show that elasticity produces a shear-thinning effect in elastic suspensions (in comparison to rigid ones) and that it can be understood in terms of a reduction of the effective volume fraction of the suspension. The deformation modifies the particle motion reducing the level of mutual interaction. Normal stress differences will also be considered. European Research Council, Grant No. ERC-2013-CoG- 616186, TRITOS; SNIC (the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing).

Open Fractures of the Hand: Review of Pathogenesis and Introduction of a New Classification System.

PubMed

Tulipan, Jacob E; Ilyas, Asif M

2018-02-01

Open fractures of the hand are a common and varied group of injuries. Although at increased risk for infection, open fractures of the hand are more resistant to infection than other open fractures. Numerous unique factors in the hand may play a role in the altered risk of postinjury infection. Current systems for the classification of open fractures fail to address the unique qualities of the hand. This article proposes a novel classification system for open fractures of the hand, taking into account the factors unique to the hand that affect its risk for developing infection after an open fracture. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Knowledge Retention for Computer Simulations: A study comparing virtual and hands-on laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croom, John R., III

The use of virtual laboratories has the potential to change physics education. These low-cost, interactive computer activities interest students, allow for easy setup, and give educators a way to teach laboratory based online classes. This study investigated whether virtual laboratories could replace traditional hands-on laboratories and whether students could retain the same long-term knowledge in virtual laboratories as compared to hands-on laboratories. This study is a quantitative quasi-experiment that used a multiple posttest design to determine if students using virtual laboratories would retain the same knowledge as students who performed hands-on laboratories after 9 weeks. The study was composed of 336 students from 14 school districts. Students had their performances on the laboratories and their retention of the laboratories compared to a series of factors that might have affected their retention using a pretest and two posttests, which were compared using a t test. The results showed no significant difference in short-term learning between the hands-on laboratory groups and virtual laboratory groups. There was, however, a significant difference (p = .005) between the groups in long-term retention; students in the hands-on laboratory groups retained more information than those in the virtual laboratory groups. These results suggest that long-term learning is enhanced when a laboratory contains a hands-on component. Finally, the results showed that both groups of students felt their particular laboratory style was superior to the alternative method. The findings of this study can be used to improve the integration of virtual laboratories into science curriculum.

Impact of Michelangelo prosthetic hand: Findings from a crossover longitudinal study.

PubMed

Luchetti, Martina; Cutti, Andrea G; Verni, Gennaro; Sacchetti, Rinaldo; Rossi, Nicolino

2015-01-01

This work explores the functional and psychosocial impact of the multigrip Michelangelo (M) prosthetic hand. Transradial myoelectric prosthesis users (6 men, median age: 47 y) participated in a crossover longitudinal study. A multifactorial assessment protocol was applied before the application of M and after 3 mo (functional assessment) and 6 mo (psychosocial assessment) of home use. Functional assessment included both practical tests (i.e., Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure [SHAP], Box and Blocks Test [BBT], and Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test [MMDT]) and self-report functional scales. Psychosocial assessment consisted of a clinical interview and a battery of self-report questionnaires concerning current anxious-depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life, body image concerns, adjustment and satisfaction with prosthesis, social support, coping style, and personality. Increased manual dexterity was observed after 3 mo based on improvements in the SHAP, BBT, and MMDT. Two important themes emerged from the clinical interviews at the 6 mo follow-up: (1) the enhanced functionality and (2) the "like a real hand" aspect of the M, which further increased prosthesis integration to the Self. A few patients expressed concerns about M dimension, noise, and weight. The M appeared to restore hand function and natural appearance. The present findings provide preliminary evidence, and additional studies are needed.

Faculty Workshops for Teaching Information Assurance through Hands-On Exercises and Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yuan, Xiaohong; Williams, Kenneth; Yu, Huiming; Rorrer, Audrey; Chu, Bei-Tseng; Yang, Li; Winters, Kathy; Kizza, Joseph

2017-01-01

Though many Information Assurance (IA) educators agree that hands-on exercises and case studies improve student learning, hands-on exercises and case studies are not widely adopted due to the time needed to develop them and integrate them into curricula. Under the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Scholarship for Service program, we…

Stable diffraction-management soliton in a periodic structure with alternating left-handed and right-handed media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jinggui

2017-09-01

In this paper, we first derive a modified two-dimensional non-linear Schrödinger equation including high-order diffraction (HOD) suitable for the propagation of optical beam near the low-diffraction regime in Kerr non-linear media with spatial dispersion. Then, we apply our derived physical model to a designed two-dimensional configuration filled with alternate layers of a left-handed material (LHM) and a right-handed media by employing the mean-field theory. It is found that the periodic structure including LHM may experience diminished, cancelled, and even reversed diffraction behaviours through engineering the relative thickness between both media. In particular, the variational method analytically predicts that close to the zero-diffraction regime, such periodic structure can support stable diffraction-management solitons whose beamwidth and peak amplitude evolve periodically with the help of HOD effect. Numerical simulation based on the split-step Fourier method confirms the analytical results.

Design of a force reflecting hand controller for space telemanipulation studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paines, J. D. B.

1987-01-01

The potential importance of space telemanipulator systems is reviewed, along with past studies of master-slave manipulation using a generalized force reflecting master arm. Problems concerning their dynamic interaction with the human operator have been revealed in the use of these systems, with marked differences between 1-g and simulated weightless conditions. A study is outlined to investigate the optimization of the man machine dynamics of master-slave manipulation, and a set of specifications is determined for the apparatus necessary to perform this investigation. This apparatus is a one degree of freedom force reflecting hand controller with closed loop servo control which enables it to simulate arbitrary dynamic properties to high bandwidth. Design of the complete system and its performance is discussed. Finally, the experimental adjustment of the hand controller dynamics for smooth manual control performance with good operator force perception is described, resulting in low inertia, viscously damped hand controller dynamics.

Hand safety for specialty crop production workers: a pilot study investigating frequencies of minor open-wound hand injuries and presence of pathogenic bacteria.

PubMed

Pate, M L; Nummer, B

2013-10-01

The purpose of this study was to quantify the presence of minor open-wound hand injuries in addition to Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, coliforms, and Escherichia coli on the hands of farm workers who hand-harvest fruit crops in Utah. Data collection was conducted on four farms without USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification and on two farms with GAP certification. This study identified essential safety issues that need to be addressed for improving the effectiveness of safety training for migrant farm workers. Farms that have a food safety audit program in place are less likely to have farm workers exposed to pathogenic bacteria and open-wound injuries to their hands. High frequency of S. aureus may indicate a potentially higher risk for wound infection within this worker population. This could lead to infections that are resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections, resulting in greater work loss time and medical expenses for these workers. Higher frequencies of bacterial presence on workers' hands on non-certified farms indicate a need to identify essential practices to improve worker hygiene habits and on-farm management practices to promote healthy hygiene. Open-wound injuries to migrant farm workers during hand-harvesting could create additional health problems with the possibility of infection and the spread of diseases. Continued research is needed to understand workers' acceptance of these injuries and barriers to personal protection.

[Bertha Röntgen or the transparency of the hand].

PubMed

Picard, J D

1996-01-01

It is to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the first elected "radiologist" of our Academy and the first Nobel Prize winner in physics, that we owe the transparency of the hand. We celebrate today the centenary of the great scientific discovery which was to revolutionize the diagnosis, and thereby the treatment, of a large number of illnesses the discovery of X-rays. It would be unjust not to link the name of this scientist with that of his wife, Bertha, who, ignorant of the dangers of all "novel medical inventions" volunteered her own hand for his research experiments: the hand which was to bring to the world tangible proof of this remarkable discovery. To a lesser degree, but nonetheless essential, we acknowledge, albeit not in exhaustive detail, all the progress made by the work of pioneers using this new investigative technique. So let us now return to the hand:--a body part which it was easy to immobilize, remembering that in those days a single radiographic exposure took up to an hour to obtain,--we will consider the immortalised hand of Bertha Röntgen,---to whom this address is dedicated,---and its radiographic exposures which allow us to appreciate the advances and to perceive the limitations of this technique. They also enable us better to envisage future investigative approaches whereby a deeper knowledge of the human body may be acquired. We note that compared with the histopathological sciences, imaging is not specific. Numerous microscopic structures, in particular neurological and vascular ones, are still insufficiently well visualised and the transmission pathways between the hand and the central nervous system deserve better characterisation. Current, research programmes are attempting to overcome these limitation of modern imaging. All the experience gained in studying the transparency of the hand, as we have discussed, is applicable to every part of the human anatomy. To credit: Röntgen's discovery with all its originality, we could say that the hand was

Watch-hand-like optical rogue waves in three-wave interactions.

PubMed

Chen, Shihua; Soto-Crespo, Jose M; Grelu, Philippe

2015-01-12

We investigate the resonant interaction of three optical pulses of different group velocity in quadratic media and report on the novel watch-hand-like super rogue wave patterns. In addition to having a giant wall-like hump, each rogue-wave hand involves a peak amplitude more than five times its background height. We attribute such peculiar structures to the nonlinear superposition of six Peregrine-type solitons. The robustness has been confirmed by numerical simulations. This stability along with the non-overlapping distribution property may facilitate the experimental diagnostics and observation of these super rogue waves.

Pain-related psychological issues in hand therapy.

PubMed

Hamasaki, Tokiko; Pelletier, René; Bourbonnais, Daniel; Harris, Patrick; Choinière, Manon

Literature review. Pain is a subjective experience that results from the modulation of nociception conveyed to the brain via the nervous system. Perception of pain takes place when potential or actual noxious stimuli are appraised as threats of injury. This appraisal is influenced by one's cognitions and emotions based on her/his pain-related experiences, which are processed in the forebrain and limbic areas of the brain. Unarguably, patients' psychological factors such as cognitions (eg, pain catastrophizing), emotions (eg, depression), and pain-related behaviors (eg, avoidance) can influence perceived pain intensity, disability, and treatment outcomes. Therefore, hand therapists should address the patient pain experience using a biopsychosocial approach. However, in hand therapy, a biomedical perspective predominates in pain management by focusing solely on tissue healing. This review aims to raise awareness among hand therapists of the impact of pain-related psychological factors. This literature review allowed to describe (1) how the neurophysiological mechanisms of pain can be influenced by various psychological factors, (2) several evidence-based interventions that can be integrated into hand therapy to address these psychological issues, and (3) some approaches of psychotherapy for patients with maladaptive pain experiences. Restoration of sensory and motor functions as well as alleviating pain is at the core of hand therapy. Numerous psychological factors including patients' beliefs, cognitions, and emotions alter their pain experience and may impact on their outcomes. Decoding the biopsychosocial components of the patients' pain is thus essential for hand therapists. Copyright © 2018 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Vapors on Evidential Breath Alcohol Test Results.

PubMed

Strawsine, Ellen; Lutmer, Brian

2017-11-16

This study was undertaken to determine if the application of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHSs) to the hands of a breath test operator will affect the results obtained on evidential breath alcohol instruments (EBTs). This study obtained breath samples on three different EBTs immediately after application of either gel or foam ABHS to the operator's hands. A small, but significant, number of initial analyses (13 of 130, 10%) resulted in positive breath alcohol concentrations, while 41 samples (31.5%) resulted in a status code. These status codes were caused by ethanol vapors either in the room air or their inhalation by the subject, thereby causing a mouth alcohol effect. Replicate subject samples did not yield any consecutive positive numeric results. As ABHS application can cause a transitory mouth alcohol effect via inhalation of ABHS vapors, EBT operators should forego the use of ABHS in the 15 min preceding subject testing. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Is the hand to speech what speech is to the hand?

PubMed

Mildner, V

2000-01-01

Interference between the manual and the verbal performance on two types of concurrent verbal-manual tasks was studied on a sample of 48 female right-handers. The more complex verbal task (storytelling) affected both hands significantly, the less complex (essentially phonemic) task affected only the right hand, with insignificant negative influence on the left-hand performance. No significant reciprocal effects of the motor task on verbalization were found.

Hand controller commonality evaluation process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stuart, Mark A.; Bierschwale, John M.; Wilmington, Robert P.; Adam, Susan C.; Diaz, Manuel F.; Jensen, Dean G.

1993-01-01

Hand controller selection for NASA's Orbiter and Space Station Freedom is an important area of human-telerobot interface design and evaluation. These input devices will control remotely operated systems that include large crane-like manipulators (e.g., Remote Manipulator System or RMS), smaller, more dexterous manipulators (e.g., Flight Telerobotic Servicer or FTS), and free flyers (e.g., Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle or OMV). Candidate hand controller configurations for these systems vary in many ways: shape, size, number of degrees-of-freedom (DOF), operating modes, provision of force reflection, range of movement, and 'naturalness' of use. Unresolved design implementation issues remain, including such topics as how the current Orbiter RMS rotational and translational rate hand controllers compare with the proposed Space Station Freedom hand controllers, the advantages that position hand controllers offer for these applications, and whether separate hand controller configurations are required for each application. Since previous studies contain little empirical hand controller task performance data, a controlled study is needed that tests Space Station Freedom candidate hand controllers during representative tasks. This study also needs to include anthropometric and biomechanical considerations.

Case study on the orientation of phaco hand pieces during steam sterilization processes.

PubMed

van Doornmalen Gomez Hoyos, J P C M; van Wezel, R A C; van Doornmalen, H W J M

2015-05-01

Steam sterilization is an essential part of infection prevention. The literature shows that sterilization of medical instruments containing channels is not trivial. Phaco hand pieces have a simple configuration: a device contains a channel with a constant radius. No literature was found indicating whether the sterilization conditions on the inner surface of a phaco hand piece are influenced by the orientation of the hand piece. To determine whether the orientation of a phaco hand piece influences the results of a sterilization process of this device. A qualitative case study, including experiments, is performed with a protocolled combination of steam sterilizer, process, phaco hand piece, orientation of the phaco hand piece, and wrapping. In this specific case, the orientation of the hand piece influenced the result of the steam sterilization process; in vertically (upright) oriented phaco hand pieces with free water drainage, sterilization conditions are reproducibly established. In the same process, in horizontally oriented or vertically oriented hand pieces without free drainage, these conditions are not established in a reproducible way. In the investigated combination of sterilizer, process, load, loading pattern and wrapping, phaco hand pieces have to be oriented vertically (upright) with free water drainage to obtain steam sterilization conditions on the inner surface. It is likely that instruments with comparable configuration and dimensions will yield comparable results. It is therefore recommended that this issue is considered during the development of medical instruments and during performance qualifications of such instruments. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inexpensive and Time-Efficient Hand Hygiene Interventions Increase Elementary School Children's Hand Hygiene Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Michelle; White, George L.; Kim, Han S.

2008-01-01

Routine hand hygiene has been cited by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a cost-effective and important hygiene measure in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Several studies have explored children's hand hygiene habits, effects of scheduled hand hygiene, hand hygiene environmental…

Hand-transmitted vibration and biodynamic response of the human hand-arm: a critical review.

PubMed

Dong, R G; Rakheja, S; Schopper, A W; Han, B; Smutz, W P

2001-01-01

Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) has been associated with prolonged exposure to vibration transmitted to the human hand-arm system from hand-held power tools, vibrating machines, or hand-held vibrating workpieces. The biodynamic response of the human hand and arm to hand transmitted vibration (HTV) forms an essential basis for effective evaluations of exposures, vibration-attenuation mechanisms, and potential injury mechanisms. The biodynamic response to HTV and its relationship to HAVS are critically reviewed and discussed to highlight the advances and the need for further research. In view of its strong dependence on the nature of HTV and the lack of general agreement on the characteristics of HTV, the reported studies are first reviewed to enhance an understanding of HTV and related issues. The characteristics of HTV and relevant unresolved issues are discussed on the basis of measured data, proposed standards, and measurement methods, while the need for further developments in measurement systems is emphasized. The studies on biodynamic response and their findings are grouped into four categories based on the methodology used and the objective. These include studies on (1) through-the-hand-arm response, expressed in terms of vibration transmissibility; (2) to-the-hand response, expressed in terms of the force-motion relationship of the hand-arm system; (3) to-the-hand biodynamic response function, expressed in terms of vibration energy absorption; and (4) computer modeling of the biodynamic response characteristics.

Hand Hygiene – Evaluation of Three Disinfectant Hand Sanitizers in a Community Setting

PubMed Central

Babeluk, Rita; Jutz, Sabrina; Mertlitz, Sarah; Matiasek, Johannes; Klaus, Christoph

2014-01-01

Hand hygiene is acknowledged as the single most important measure to prevent nosocomial infections in the healthcare setting. Similarly, in non-clinical settings, hand hygiene is recognised as a key element in helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three different disinfectant hand sanitizers in reducing the burden of bacterial hand contamination in 60 healthy volunteers in a community setting, both before and after education about the correct use of hand sanitizers. The study is the first to evaluate the efficacy and ease of use of different formulations of hand rubs used by the general population. The products tested were: Sterillium (perfumed, liquid), desderman pure gel (odorless, gel) and Lavit (perfumed, spray). Sterillium and desderman are EN1500 (hygienic hand rub) certified products (available in pharmacy) and Lavit is non EN1500 certified and available in supermarkets. The two EN1500 certified products were found to be significantly superior in terms of reducing bacterial load. desderman pure gel, Sterillium and Lavit reduced the bacterial count to 6.4%, 8.2% and 28.0% respectively. After education in the correct use of each hand rub, the bacterial load was reduced even further, demonstrating the value of education in improving hand hygiene. Information about the testers' perceptions of the three sanitizers, together with their expectations of a hand sanitizer was obtained through a questionnaire. Efficacy, followed by skin compatibility were found to be the two most important attributes of a hand disinfectant in our target group. PMID:25379773

Extended documentation for hand dermatitis patients: Pilot study on irritant exposures.

PubMed

Uter, Wolfgang; Bauer, Andrea; Bensefa-Colas, Lynda; Brans, Richard; Crépy, Marie-Noëlle; Giménez-Arnau, Ana; Larese Filon, Francesca; Ljubojević Hadžavdić, Suzana; Pesonen, Maria; Schuttelaar, Marie L; Wilkinson, Mark; Lidén, Carola

2018-05-30

Irritant exposure may be a contributory cause or the sole cause of (occupational) hand dermatitis. However, the documentation of irritant exposures in clinical practice is not standardized. To examine the feasibility and usefulness of a form with different items addressing both occupational and non-occupational irritant exposures in a semiquantitative way. Between May 2016 and May 2017, successive patients with work-related hand dermatitis, irrespective of aetiology, were examined in 9 specialized European departments. Department-specific investigation was supplemented with the above proforma. The results were recorded by use of an anonymized secured online documentation system in a pilot study. Altogether, 193 patients were included; 114 females and 79 males, with a mean age of 40 years (range 18-68 years). The most common occupational group comprised healthcare workers (n = 35); occupational exposure of the hands to gloves, dusts and water without detergents of >2 hours/day was seen in 54.5%, 24.4% and 24.3% of patients, respectively. Non-occupational exposures rarely exceeded 2 hours/day. It is hoped that the set of descriptors will offer a basis for (clinical) epidemiological studies assessing the role of irritant exposures in occupational hand dermatitis, and to support a high level of quality and consistency in daily patient care. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hand Hygiene Adherence Among Health Care Workers at Japanese Hospitals: A Multicenter Observational Study in Japan.

PubMed

Sakihama, Tomoko; Honda, Hitoshi; Saint, Sanjay; Fowler, Karen E; Shimizu, Taro; Kamiya, Toru; Sato, Yumiko; Arakawa, Soichi; Lee, Jong Ja; Iwata, Kentaro; Mihashi, Mutsuko; Tokuda, Yasuharu

2016-03-01

Although proper hand hygiene among health care workers is an important component of efforts to prevent health care-associated infection, there are few data available on adherence to hand hygiene practices in Japan. The aim of this study was to examine hand hygiene adherence at teaching hospitals in Japan. An observational study was conducted from July to November 2011 in 4 units (internal medicine, surgery, intensive care, and/or emergency department) in 4 geographically diverse hospitals (1 university hospital and 3 community teaching hospitals) in Japan. Hand hygiene practice before patient contact was assessed by an external observer. In a total of 3545 health care worker-patient observations, appropriate hand hygiene practice was performed in 677 (overall adherence, 19%; 95% confidence interval, 18%-20%). Subgroup rates of hand hygiene adherence were 15% among physicians and 23% among nurses. The ranges of adherence were 11% to 25% between hospitals and 11% to 31% between units. Adherence of the nurses and the physicians to hand hygiene was correlated within each hospital. There was a trend toward higher hand hygiene adherence in hospitals with infection control nurses, compared with hospitals without them (29% versus 16%). The hand hygiene adherence in Japanese teaching hospitals in our sample was low, even lower than reported mean values from other international studies. Greater adherence to hand hygiene should be encouraged in Japan.

In a demanding task, three-handed manipulation is preferred to two-handed manipulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdi, Elahe; Burdet, Etienne; Bouri, Mohamed; Himidan, Sharifa; Bleuler, Hannes

2016-02-01

Equipped with a third hand under their direct control, surgeons may be able to perform certain surgical interventions alone; this would reduce the need for a human assistant and related coordination difficulties. However, does human performance improve with three hands compared to two hands? To evaluate this possibility, we carried out a behavioural study on the performance of naive adults catching objects with three virtual hands controlled by their two hands and right foot. The subjects could successfully control the virtual hands in a few trials. With this control strategy, the workspace of the hands was inversely correlated with the task velocity. The comparison of performance between the three and two hands control revealed no significant difference of success in catching falling objects and in average effort during the tasks. Subjects preferred the three handed control strategy, found it easier, with less physical and mental burden. Although the coordination of the foot with the natural hands increased trial after trial, about two minutes of practice was not sufficient to develop a sense of ownership towards the third arm.

In a demanding task, three-handed manipulation is preferred to two-handed manipulation.

PubMed

Abdi, Elahe; Burdet, Etienne; Bouri, Mohamed; Himidan, Sharifa; Bleuler, Hannes

2016-02-25

Equipped with a third hand under their direct control, surgeons may be able to perform certain surgical interventions alone; this would reduce the need for a human assistant and related coordination difficulties. However, does human performance improve with three hands compared to two hands? To evaluate this possibility, we carried out a behavioural study on the performance of naive adults catching objects with three virtual hands controlled by their two hands and right foot. The subjects could successfully control the virtual hands in a few trials. With this control strategy, the workspace of the hands was inversely correlated with the task velocity. The comparison of performance between the three and two hands control revealed no significant difference of success in catching falling objects and in average effort during the tasks. Subjects preferred the three handed control strategy, found it easier, with less physical and mental burden. Although the coordination of the foot with the natural hands increased trial after trial, about two minutes of practice was not sufficient to develop a sense of ownership towards the third arm.

MRSA Incidence and Antibiotic Trends in Urban Hand Infections: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Kistler, Justin M; Thoder, Joseph J; Ilyas, Asif M

2018-01-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most reported pathogen in hand infections at urban medical centers throughout the country. Antibiotic sensitivity trends are not well known. The purposes of this study were to examine and determine the drug resistance trends for MRSA infections of the hand and to provide recommendations for empiric antibiotic treatment based on sensitivity profiles. A 10-year longitudinal, retrospective chart review was performed on all culture-positive hand infections encountered at a single urban medical center from 2005 to 2014. The proportions of all organisms were calculated for each year and collectively. MRSA infections were additionally subanalyzed for antibiotic sensitivity. A total of 815 culture-positive hand infections were identified. Overall, MRSA grew on culture in 46% of cases. A trend toward decreasing annual MRSA incidence was noted over the 10-year study period. There was a steady increase in polymicrobial infections during the same time. Resistance to clindamycin increased steadily during the 10-year study, starting at 4% in 2008 but growing to 31% by 2014. Similarly, levofloxacin resistance consistently increased throughout the study, reaching its peak at 56% in 2014. The annual incidence of MRSA in hand infections has declined overall but remains the most common pathogen. There has been an alternative increase in the number of polymicrobial infections. MRSA resistance to clindamycin and levofloxacin consistently increased during the study period. Empiric antibiotic therapy for hand infections should not only avoid penicillin and other beta-lactams but should also consider avoiding clindamycin and levofloxacin for empiric treatment.

The efficacy of peloid therapy in management of hand osteoarthritis: a pilot study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasapoğlu Aksoy, Meliha; Altan, Lale; Eröksüz, Rıza; Metin Ökmen, Burcu

2017-12-01

Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is associated with pain, reduced grip strength, loss of range of motion (ROM), and joint stiffness, leading to impaired hand function and difficulty in performance of daily living activities. Mud bath therapy has been reported to play a primary role in the prevention and management of OA. Thus, we planned to conduct a study aimed at investigating the effects of peloid therapy on pain, functional state, grip strength, and the quality of life and performing a comparative analysis of the outcomes of peloid therapy. In this randomized, controlled, single-blind, pilot study, patients ( n = 33) underwent peloid therapy over 2 weeks, 5 sessions a week, for a total of 10 sessions and home exercise program in group 1. Patients in group 2 (control, n = 30) received only the same home exercise program as in group 1. Patients were evaluated just before, and 2 and 6 weeks after the start of the study with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Australian/Canadian Hand Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), hand grip strength (HGS), and pinch strength (PS). Statistically significant improvements were observed in all parameters assessed at week 2 and week 6 in the group 1 ( p < 0.05). Statistically significant differences were observed in HGS scores in the group 2 at week 2 and in AUSCAN scores at week 6 ( p < 0.05). Intergroup comparisons of the scores revealed significant differences between the peloid therapy group and control group in VAS, HAQ, AUSCAN, HGS, and PS scores at week 2 and week 6 ( p < 0.05). This study demonstrates that peloid therapy might be an effective and confident treatment modality in the management of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hand and may provide effective pain control and improvements in the hand functions, quality of life, and grip strength.

A new numerical approach for uniquely solvable exterior Riemann-Hilbert problem on region with corners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamzamir, Zamzana; Murid, Ali H. M.; Ismail, Munira

2014-06-01

Numerical solution for uniquely solvable exterior Riemann-Hilbert problem on region with corners at offcorner points has been explored by discretizing the related integral equation using Picard iteration method without any modifications to the left-hand side (LHS) and right-hand side (RHS) of the integral equation. Numerical errors for all iterations are converge to the required solution. However, for certain problems, it gives lower accuracy. Hence, this paper presents a new numerical approach for the problem by treating the generalized Neumann kernel at LHS and the function at RHS of the integral equation. Due to the existence of the corner points, Gaussian quadrature is employed which avoids the corner points during numerical integration. Numerical example on a test region is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this formulation.

Back to basics: hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis.

PubMed

Spruce, Lisa

2013-11-01

Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are a significant issue in the United States and throughout the world, but following proper hand hygiene practices is the most effective and least expensive way to prevent HAIs. Hand hygiene is inexpensive and protects patients and health care personnel alike. The four general types of hand hygiene that should be performed in the perioperative environment are washing hands that are visibly soiled, hand hygiene using alcohol-based products, surgical hand scrubs, and surgical hand scrubs using an alcohol-based surgical hand rub product. Barriers to proper hand hygiene may include not thinking about it, forgetting, skin irritation, a lack of role models, or a lack of a safety culture. One strategy for improving hand hygiene practices is monitoring hand hygiene as part of a quality improvement project, but the most important aspect for perioperative team members is to set an example for other team members by following proper hand hygiene practices and reminding each other to perform hand hygiene. Copyright © 2013 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hand Eczema

PubMed Central

Agarwal, Uma Shankar; Besarwal, Raj Kumar; Gupta, Rahul; Agarwal, Puneet; Napalia, Sheetal

2014-01-01

Hand eczema is often a chronic, multifactorial disease. It is usually related to occupational or routine household activities. Exact etiology of the disease is difficult to determine. It may become severe enough and disabling to many of patients in course of time. An estimated 2-10% of population is likely to develop hand eczema at some point of time during life. It appears to be the most common occupational skin disease, comprising 9-35% of all occupational diseases and up to 80% or more of all occupational contact dermatitis. So, it becomes important to find the exact etiology and classification of the disease and to use the appropriate preventive and treatment measures. Despite its importance in the dermatological practice, very few Indian studies have been done till date to investigate the epidemiological trends, etiology, and treatment options for hand eczema. In this review, we tried to find the etiology, epidemiology, and available treatment modalities for chronic hand eczema patients. PMID:24891648

Motor planning and execution in left- and right-handed individuals during a bimanual grasping and placing task.

PubMed

Hughes, Charmayne M L; Reissig, Paola; Seegelke, Christian

2011-09-01

The issue of handedness has been the topic of great interest for researchers in a number of scientific domains. It is typically observed that the dominant hand yields numerous behavioral advantages over the non-dominant hand during unimanual tasks, which provides evidence of hemispheric specialization. In contrast to advantages for the dominant hand during motor execution, recent research has demonstrated that the right hand has advantages during motor planning (regardless of handedness), indicating that motor planning is a specialized function of the left hemisphere. In the present study we explored hemispheric advantages in motor planning and execution in left- and right-handed individuals during a bimanual grasping and placing task. Replicating previous findings, both motor planning and execution was influenced by object end-orientation congruency. In addition, although motor planning (i.e., end-state comfort) was not influenced by hand or handedness, motor execution differed between left and right hand, with shorter object transport times observed for the left hand, regardless of handedness. These results demonstrate that the hemispheric advantages often observed in unimanual tasks do not extend to discrete bimanual tasks. We propose that the differences in object transport time between the two hands arise from overt shifting visual fixation between the two hands/objects. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keep your hands crossed: the valence-by-left/right interaction is related to hand, not side, in an incongruent hand-response key assignment.

PubMed

de la Vega, Irmgard; Dudschig, Carolin; De Filippis, Mónica; Lachmair, Martin; Kaup, Barbara

2013-02-01

The body-specificity hypothesis (Casasanto, 2009) associates positive emotional valence and the space surrounding the dominant hand, and negative valence and the space surrounding the non-dominant hand. This effect has not only been found for manual responses, but also for the left and right side. In the present study, we investigated whether this compatibility effect still shows when hand and side carry incongruent information, and whether it is then related to hand or to side. We conducted two experiments which used an incongruent hand-response key assignment, that is, participants had their hands crossed. Participants were instructed to respond with their right vs. left hand (Experiment 1) or with the right vs. left key (Experiment 2). In both experiments, a compatibility effect related to hand emerged, indicating that the association between hand and valence overrides the one between side and valence when hand and side carry contradicting information. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hand hygiene instruction decreases illness-related absenteeism in elementary schools: a prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Illness-related absences have been shown to lead to negative educational and economic outcomes. Both hand washing and hand sanitizer interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing illness-related absences. However, while the importance of hand hygiene in schools is clear, the role of instruction in use is less obvious. The purpose of this study was to compare absenteeism rates among elementary students given access to hand hygiene facilities versus students given both access and short repetitive instruction in use, particularly during influenza season when illness-related absences are at a peak. Methods A hand hygiene intervention was implemented from October to May during the 2009/2010 academic year, including peak flu season, in two Chicago Public Elementary Schools among students grades pre-kindergarten to eighth grade (ages 4–14). Classrooms were systematically assigned to an intervention or control group by grade (cluster design). Hand hygiene facilities (sanitizer and soap) were made available to all students. Students in the intervention group also received short repetitive instruction in hand hygiene every 2 months. Only absences as a result of respiratory or gastrointestinal illness were used to establish illness-related absenteeism rates. Percent absent days were calculated and bivariate analyses were performed to compare percent absent days among students given access to hand hygiene facilities versus students given both access and instruction. Prior to the intervention, teachers’ perceptions of students’ hand hygiene were also evaluated. Teacher perceptions were analysed to describe attitudes and beliefs. Results Data were collected and analysed for 773 students reporting 1,886 absences during the study period (1.73% of total school days). Both the percent total absent days and percent illness-related absent days were significantly lower in the group receiving short instruction during flu season (P = 0.002, P < 0

Hand function in workers with hand-arm vibration syndrome.

PubMed

Cederlund, R; Isacsson, A; Lundborg, G

1999-01-01

Hand-arm vibration syndrome has been specially addressed in the Scandinavian countries in recent years, but the syndrome is still not sufficiently recognized in many countries. The object of this preliminary study was to describe the nature and character of vibration-induced impairment in the hands of exposed workers. Twenty symptomatic male workers (aged 28 to 65 years) subjected to vibration by hand-held tools were interviewed about subjective symptoms and activities of daily living and were assessed with a battery of objective tests for sensibility, dexterity, grip function, and grip strength. The test results were compared with normative data. The majority of patients complained of cold intolerance, numbness, pain, sensory impairment, and difficulties in handling manual tools and in handwriting. The various objective tests showed considerable variation in indications of pathologic outcome, revealing differences in sensitivity to detect impaired hand function. Semmes-Weinstein monofilament testing for perception of light touch-deep pressure sensation, the small-object shape identification test, and moving two-point discrimination testing for functional sensibility provided the most indications of pathologic outcomes. The authors conclude that vibration-exposed patients present considerable impairment in hand function.

Verbal Prompting, Hand-over-Hand Instruction, and Passive Observation in Teaching Children with Developmental Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biederman, G. B.; Fairhall, J. L.; Raven, K. A.; Davey, V. A.

1998-01-01

A study involving six children (ages 5-13) with mental retardation found that overall passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling in teaching skills, and that passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling with response-contingent verbal prompting. (Author/CR)

Hand Movements and Braille Reading Efficiency: Data from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Tessa; Wormsley, Diane P.; Kamei-Hannan, Cheryl

2009-01-01

Using a subset of data from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study, researchers analyzed the patterns and characteristics of hand movements as predictors of reading performance. Statistically significant differences were found between one- and two-handed readers and between patterns of hand movements and reading rates. (Contains 6…

Evidence for right-hand feeding biases in a left-handed population.

PubMed

Flindall, Jason W; Stone, Kayla D; Gonzalez, Claudia L R

2015-05-01

We have recently shown that actions with similar kinematic requirements, but different end-state goals may be supported by distinct neural networks. Specifically, we demonstrated that when right-handed individuals reach-to-grasp food items with intent to eat, they produce smaller maximum grip apertures (MGAs) than when they grasp the same item with intent to place it in a location near the mouth. This effect was restricted to right-handed movements; left-handed movements showed no difference between tasks. The current study investigates whether (and to which side) the effect may be lateralized in left-handed individuals. Twenty-one self-identified left-handed participants grasped food items of three different sizes while grasp kinematics were captured via an Optotrak Certus motion capture array. A main effect of task was identified wherein the grasp-to-eat action generated significantly smaller MGAs than did the grasp-to-place action. Further analysis revealed that similar to the findings in right-handed individuals, this effect was significant only during right-handed movements. Upon further inspection however, we found individual differences in the magnitude and direction of the observed lateralization. These results underscore the evolutionary significance of the grasp-to-eat movement in producing population-level right-handedness in humans as well as highlighting the heterogeneity of the left-handed population.

Wide Awake Hand Surgery.

PubMed

Lied, Line; Borchgrevink, Grethe E; Finsen, Vilhjalmur

2017-09-01

"Wide awake hand surgery", where surgery is performed in local anaesthesia with adrenaline, without sedation or a tourniquet, has become widespread in some countries. It has a number of potential advantages and we wished to evaluate it among our patients. All 122 patients treated by this method during one year were evaluated by the surgeons and the patients on a numerical scale from 0 (best/least) to 10 (worst/most). Theatre time was compared to that recorded for a year when regional or general anaesthesia had been used. The patients' mean score for the general care they had received was 0.1 (SD 0.6), for pain during lidocaine injection 2.4 (SD 2.2), for pain during surgery 0.9 (SD 1.5), and for other discomfort during surgery 0.5 (SD 1.4). Eight reported that they would want general anaesthesia if they were to be operated again. The surgeons' mean evaluation of bleeding during surgery was 1.6 (SD 1.8), oedema during surgery 0.4 (SD 1.1), general disadvantages with the method 1.0 (SD 1.6) and general advantages 6.5 (SD 4.3). The estimation of advantages was 9.9 (DS 0.5) for tendon suture. 28 patients needed intra-operative additional anaesthesia. The proportion was lower among trained hand surgeons and fell significantly during the study period. Non-surgical theatre time was 46 (SD 15) minutes during the study period and 55 (SD 22) minutes during the regional/general period (p < 0.001). This gain was cancelled out by a longer surgery time during the wide awake period. Wide awake surgery is fully acceptable to most patients. It has a number of advantages over general or regional anaesthesia, but we feel it is unlikely to improve the efficiency of the operating theatre.

Hand anthropometry of Indian women.

PubMed

Nag, Anjali; Nag, P K; Desai, Hina

2003-06-01

Data on the physical dimension of the hand of Indian women are scanty. This information is necessary to ascertain human-machine compatibility in the design of manual systems for the bare and gloved hand, such as design and sizing of hand tools, controls, knobs and other applications in different kinds of precision and power grips. The present study was undertaken to generate hand anthropometric data of 95 women, working in informal industries (beedi, agarbatti and garment making). Fifty one hand measurements of the right hand (lengths, breadths, circumferences, depths, spreads and clearances of hand and fingers) were taken, using anthropometric sliding and spreading calipers, measuring tape and handgrip strength dynamometer. The data were statistically analyzed to determine the normality of data and the percentile values of different hand dimensions, and simple and multiple regression analysis were done to determine better predictors of hand length and grip strength. The hand breadths, circumferences and depths were approximately normally distributed, with some deviation in case of the finger lengths. Hand length was significantly correlated with the fist, wrist and finger circumferences. The fist and wrist circumferences, in combination, were better predictors of hand length. The hand lengths, breadths and depths, including finger joints of the Indian women studied were smaller than those of American, British and West Indian women. The hand circumferences of the Indian women were also smaller than the American women. Grip strengths of Indian women (20.36 +/- 3.24 kg) were less than those of American, British and West Indian women. Grip strength was found to be statistically significant with hand dimensions, such as hand height perpendicular to wrist crease (digit 5), proximal interphalangeal joint breadth (digit 3) and hand spread across wedge 1. The women who are forced to frequently use cutters, strippers and other tools, which are not optimally designed to

The Geriatric Hand: Correlation of Hand-Muscle Function and Activity Restriction in Elderly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Incel, Nurgul Arinci; Sezgin, Melek; As, Ismet; Cimen, Ozlem Bolgen; Sahin, Gunsah

2009-01-01

On the basis of the importance of hand manipulation in activities of daily living (ADL), deterioration of hand function because of various factors reduces quality and independence of life of the geriatric population. The aim of this study was to identify age-induced changes in manual function and to quantify the correlations between hand-muscle…

Coordination of hand shape.

PubMed

Pesyna, Colin; Pundi, Krishna; Flanders, Martha

2011-03-09

The neural control of hand movement involves coordination of the sensory, motor, and memory systems. Recent studies have documented the motor coordinates for hand shape, but less is known about the corresponding patterns of somatosensory activity. To initiate this line of investigation, the present study characterized the sense of hand shape by evaluating the influence of differences in the amount of grasping or twisting force, and differences in forearm orientation. Human subjects were asked to use the left hand to report the perceived shape of the right hand. In the first experiment, six commonly grasped items were arranged on the table in front of the subject: bottle, doorknob, egg, notebook, carton, and pan. With eyes closed, subjects used the right hand to lightly touch, forcefully support, or imagine holding each object, while 15 joint angles were measured in each hand with a pair of wired gloves. The forces introduced by supporting or twisting did not influence the perceptual report of hand shape, but for most objects, the report was distorted in a consistent manner by differences in forearm orientation. Subjects appeared to adjust the intrinsic joint angles of the left hand, as well as the left wrist posture, so as to maintain the imagined object in its proper spatial orientation. In a second experiment, this result was largely replicated with unfamiliar objects. Thus, somatosensory and motor information appear to be coordinated in an object-based, spatial-coordinate system, sensitive to orientation relative to gravitational forces, but invariant to grasp forcefulness.

Numerical Study of Magnetic Damping During Unidirectional Solidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Ben Q.

1997-01-01

A fully 3-D numerical model is developed to represent magnetic damping of complex fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic field distributions in a melt cavity. The model is developed based on our in-house finite element code for the fluid flow, heat transfer and electromagnetic field calculations. The computer code has been tested against benchmark test problems that are solved by other commercial codes as well as analytical solutions whenever available. The numerical model is tested against numerical and experimental results for water reported in literature. With the model so tested, various numerical simulations are carried out for the Sn-35.5% Pb melt convection and temperature distribution in a cylindrical cavity with and without the presence of a transverse magnetic field. Numerical results show that magnetic damping can be effectively applied to reduce turbulence and flow levels in the melt undergoing solidification and over a certain threshold value a higher magnetic field resulted in a higher velocity reduction. It is found also that for a fully 3-D representation of the magnetic damping effects, the electric field induced in the melt by the applied DC magnetic field does not vanish, as some researchers suggested, and must be included even for molten metal and semiconductors. Also, for the study of the melt flow instability, a long enough time has to be applied to ensure the final fluid flow recirculation pattern. Moreover, our numerical results suggested that there seems to exist a threshold value of applied magnetic field, above which magnetic damping becomes possible and below which the convection in the melt is actually enhanced. Because of the limited financial resource allocated for the project, we are unable to carry out extensive study on this effect, which should warrant further theoretical and experimental study. In that endeavor, the developed numerical model should be very useful; and the model should serve as a useful tool for exploring

Flow of a Casson fluid through a locally-constricted porous channel: a numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amlimohamadi, Haleh; Akram, Maryammosadat; Sadeghy, Kayvan

2016-05-01

Flow of a Casson fluid through a two-dimensional porous channel containing a local constriction is numerically investigated assuming that the resistance offered by the porous medium obeys the Darcy's law. Treating the constriction as another porous medium which obeys the Darcy-Forcheimer model, the equations governing fluid flow in the main channel and the constriction itself are numerically solved using the finite-volume method (FVM) based on the pseudo-transient SIMPLE algorithm. It is shown that an increase in the porosity of the channel decreases the shear stress exerted on the constriction. On the other hand, an increase in the fluid's yield stress is predicted to increase the maximum shear stress experienced by the constriction near its crest. The porosity of the constriction itself is predicted to have a negligible effect on the plaque's shear stress. But, the momentum of the weak flow passing through the constriction is argued to lower the bulk fluid from separating downstream of the constriction.

Efficacy of alcohol-based hand sanitizer on hands soiled with dirt and cooking oil.

PubMed

Pickering, Amy J; Davis, Jennifer; Boehm, Alexandria B

2011-09-01

Handwashing education and promotion are well established as effective strategies to reduce diarrhea and respiratory illness in countries around the world. However, access to reliable water supplies has been identified as an important barrier to regular handwashing in low-income countries. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) is an effective hand hygiene method that does not require water, but its use is not currently recommended when hands are visibly soiled. This study evaluated the efficacy of ABHS on volunteers' hands artificially contaminated with Escherichia coli in the presence of dirt (soil from Tanzania) and cooking oil. ABHS reduced levels of E. coli by a mean of 2.33 log colony forming units (CFU) per clean hand, 2.32 log CFU per dirt-covered hand, and 2.13 log CFU per oil-coated hand. No significant difference in efficacy was detected between hands that were clean versus dirty or oily. ABHS may be an appropriate hand hygiene method for hands that are moderately soiled, and an attractive option for field settings in which access to water and soap is limited.

Spatially defined modulation of skin temperature and hand ownership of both hands in patients with unilateral complex regional pain syndrome.

PubMed

Moseley, G Lorimer; Gallace, Alberto; Iannetti, Gian Domenico

2012-12-01

Numerous clinical conditions, including complex regional pain syndrome, are characterized by autonomic dysfunctions (e.g. altered thermoregulation, sometimes confined to a single limb), and disrupted cortical representation of the body and the surrounding space. The presence, in patients with complex regional pain syndrome, of a disruption in spatial perception, bodily ownership and thermoregulation led us to hypothesize that impaired spatial perception might result in a spatial-dependent modulation of thermoregulation and bodily ownership over the affected limb. In five experiments involving a total of 23 patients with complex regional pain syndrome of one arm and 10 healthy control subjects, we measured skin temperature of the hand with infrared thermal imaging, before and after experimental periods of either 9 or 10 min each, during which the hand was held on one or the other side of the body midline. Tactile processing was assessed by temporal order judgements of pairs of vibrotactile stimuli, delivered one to each hand. Pain and sense of ownership over the hand were assessed by self-report scales. Across experiments, when kept on its usual side of the body midline, the affected hand was 0.5 ± 0.3°C cooler than the healthy hand (P < 0.02 for all, a common finding in cold-type complex regional pain syndrome), and tactile stimuli delivered to the healthy hand were prioritized over those delivered to the affected hand. Simply crossing both hands over the midline resulted in (i) warming of the affected hand (the affected hand became 0.4 ± 0.3°C warmer than when it was in the uncrossed position; P = 0.01); (ii) cooling of the healthy hand (by 0.3 ± 0.3°C; P = 0.02); and (iii) reversal of the prioritization of tactile processing. When only the affected hand was crossed over the midline, it became warmer (by 0.5 ± 0.3°C; P = 0.01). When only the healthy hand was crossed over the midline, it became cooler (by 0.3 ± 0.3°C; P = 0.01). The temperature change of

Antimicrobial efficacy of soap and water hand washing versus an alcohol-based hand cleanser.

PubMed

Holton, Ronald H; Huber, Michaell A; Terezhalmy, Geza T

2009-12-01

The emergence of alcohol-based hand cleansers may represent an alternative to soap and water in the clinical dental setting. In this study, the antimicrobial efficacy of traditional hand washing vs. a unique alcohol-based hand cleanser with persistence was evaluated. Two experienced dentists participated over a 10-day period. On days 1-5, each clinician used an antibacterial liquid soap (Dial, Dial Corporation, Scottsdale, AZ). Days 6-10, an alcohol-based hand cleanser (Triseptin Water Optional, Healthpoint Surgical, Fort Worth, TX) was used. Sampling was by modified glove juice technique. The results indicate that the alcohol-based hand cleanser dramatically outperforms the traditional hand washing agent in the general dental setting.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Swimmer's Hand Velocity, Orientation, and Shape: Contributions to Hydrodynamics

PubMed Central

Bilinauskaite, Milda; Mantha, Vishveshwar Rajendra; Rouboa, Abel Ilah; Ziliukas, Pranas; Silva, Antonio Jose

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper is to determine the hydrodynamic characteristics of swimmer's scanned hand models for various combinations of both the angle of attack and the sweepback angle and shape and velocity of swimmer's hand, simulating separate underwater arm stroke phases of freestyle (front crawl) swimming. Four realistic 3D models of swimmer's hand corresponding to different combinations of separated/closed fingers positions were used to simulate different underwater front crawl phases. The fluid flow was simulated using FLUENT (ANSYS, PA, USA). Drag force and drag coefficient were calculated using (computational fluid dynamics) CFD in steady state. Results showed that the drag force and coefficient varied at the different flow velocities on all shapes of the hand and variation was observed for different hand positions corresponding to different stroke phases. The models of the hand with thumb adducted and abducted generated the highest drag forces and drag coefficients. The current study suggests that the realistic variation of both the orientation angles influenced higher values of drag, lift, and resultant coefficients and forces. To augment resultant force, which affects swimmer's propulsion, the swimmer should concentrate in effectively optimising achievable hand areas during crucial propulsive phases. PMID:23691493

Feasibility study of a hand guided robotic drill for cochleostomy.

PubMed

Brett, Peter; Du, Xinli; Zoka-Assadi, Masoud; Coulson, Chris; Reid, Andrew; Proops, David

2014-01-01

The concept of a hand guided robotic drill has been inspired by an automated, arm supported robotic drill recently applied in clinical practice to produce cochleostomies without penetrating the endosteum ready for inserting cochlear electrodes. The smart tactile sensing scheme within the drill enables precise control of the state of interaction between tissues and tools in real-time. This paper reports development studies of the hand guided robotic drill where the same consistent outcomes, augmentation of surgeon control and skill, and similar reduction of induced disturbances on the hearing organ are achieved. The device operates with differing presentation of tissues resulting from variation in anatomy and demonstrates the ability to control or avoid penetration of tissue layers as required and to respond to intended rather than involuntary motion of the surgeon operator. The advantage of hand guided over an arm supported system is that it offers flexibility in adjusting the drilling trajectory. This can be important to initiate cutting on a hard convex tissue surface without slipping and then to proceed on the desired trajectory after cutting has commenced. The results for trials on phantoms show that drill unit compliance is an important factor in the design.

Nut-cracking behaviour in wild-born, rehabilitated bonobos (Pan paniscus): a comprehensive study of hand-preference, hand grips and efficiency.

PubMed

Neufuss, Johanna; Humle, Tatyana; Cremaschi, Andrea; Kivell, Tracy L

2017-02-01

There has been an enduring interest in primate tool-use and manipulative abilities, most often with the goal of providing insight into the evolution of human manual dexterity, right-hand preference, and what behaviours make humans unique. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are arguably the most well-studied tool-users amongst non-human primates, and are particularly well-known for their complex nut-cracking behaviour, which has been documented in several West African populations. However, their sister-taxon, the bonobos (Pan paniscus), rarely engage in even simple tool-use and are not known to nut-crack in the wild. Only a few studies have reported tool-use in captive bonobos, including their ability to crack nuts, but details of this complex tool-use behaviour have not been documented before. Here, we fill this gap with the first comprehensive analysis of bonobo nut-cracking in a natural environment at the Lola ya Bonobo sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Eighteen bonobos were studied as they cracked oil palm nuts using stone hammers. Individual bonobos showed exclusive laterality for using the hammerstone and there was a significant group-level right-hand bias. The study revealed 15 hand grips for holding differently sized and weighted hammerstones, 10 of which had not been previously described in the literature. Our findings also demonstrated that bonobos select the most effective hammerstones when nut-cracking. Bonobos are efficient nut-crackers and not that different from the renowned nut-cracking chimpanzees of Bossou, Guinea, which also crack oil palm nuts using stones. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Subjective scaling of hand-arm vibration.

PubMed

Maeda, Setsuo; Shibata, Nobuyuki

2008-04-01

The purpose of this research was to establish a scale for comfort with regard to hand-arm vibration using the category judgment method and to validate the frequency-weighting method of the ISO 5349-1 standard. Experiments were conducted using random signals as stimuli. These stimuli consisted of three types of signal, namely designated stimulus F, with flat power spectrum density (PSD) ranging from 1 to 1,000 Hz, stimulus H with PSD which became 20 dB higher at 1,000 Hz than at 1 Hz, and stimulus L that had a PSD 20 dB lower at 1,000 Hz. These stimuli were selected from the specific spectrum patterns of hand-held vibration tools. These signals were modified by the Wh frequency weighting in accordance with ISO 5349-1, and the R.M.S. values were adjusted to be equal. In addition, the signal levels were varied over a range of five steps to create 15 kinds of individual stimuli. The subjects sat in front of a vibrator and grasped the mounted handle which exposed them to vertical vibrations after which they were asked to choose a numerical category to best indicate their perceived level of comfort (or otherwise) during each stimulus. From the experimental results of the category judgment method, the relationship between the psychological values and the frequency-weighted R.M.S. acceleration according to the ISO 5349-1 standard was obtained. It was found that the subjective response scaling of hand-arm vibration can be used for design-objective values of hand-held tool vibration.

Fragrance allergy in patients with hand eczema - a clinical study.

PubMed

Heydorn, Siri; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Andersen, Klaus E; Bruze, Magnus; Svedman, Cecilia; White, Ian R; Basketter, David A; Menné, Torkil

2003-06-01

Fragrance allergy and hand eczema are both common among dermatological patients. Fragrance mix (FM) and its constituents have a recognized relevance to exposure to fine fragrances and cosmetic products. Based on extensive chemical analysis and database search, a new selection of fragrances was established, including 14 known fragrance allergens present in products to which hand exposure would occur. A non-irritating patch-test concentration for some fragrances was established in 212 consecutive patients. 658 consecutive patients presenting with hand eczema were patch tested with the European standard series and the developed selection of fragrances. 67 (10.2%) of the 658 patients had a positive reaction to 1 or more of our selection of fragrance chemicals present in the new selection. The most common reactions to fragrances not included in the FM were to citral, Lyral (hydroxyisohexyl-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde) and oxidized l-limonene. A concomitant reaction to the FM identified potential fragrance allergy in less than (1/2) of these patients. Exposure assessment and a statistically significant association between a positive patch test to our selected fragrances and patients' history support the relevance of this selection of fragrances. Those with a positive reaction to our selected fragrances were significantly more likely to have 1 or more positive patch tests in the standard series. This observation is the basis for the hypothesis concerning cross-reactivity and the effect of simultaneous exposure. The study found that fragrance allergy could be a common problem in patients with eczema on the hands.

A mechatronics platform to study prosthetic hand control using EMG signals.

PubMed

Geethanjali, P

2016-09-01

. This prototype facilitated the study of various issues of pattern recognition and identified an efficient classifier, along with a feature ensemble, in the implementation of EMG controlled prosthetic hands in a laboratory setting at low-cost. This platform may help to motivate and facilitate prosthetic hand research in developing countries.

Analytical solution for wave propagation through a graded index interface between a right-handed and a left-handed material.

PubMed

Dalarsson, Mariana; Tassin, Philippe

2009-04-13

We have investigated the transmission and reflection properties of structures incorporating left-handed materials with graded index of refraction. We present an exact analytical solution to Helmholtz' equation for a graded index profile changing according to a hyperbolic tangent function along the propagation direction. We derive expressions for the field intensity along the graded index structure, and we show excellent agreement between the analytical solution and the corresponding results obtained by accurate numerical simulations. Our model straightforwardly allows for arbitrary spectral dispersion.

Waterless Hand Rub Versus Traditional Hand Scrub Methods for Preventing the Surgical Site Infection in Orthopedic Surgery.

PubMed

Iwakiri, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Akio; Seki, Masahiko; Ando, Yoshiyuki; Tsujio, Tadao; Hoshino, Masatoshi; Nakamura, Hiroaki

2017-11-15

MINI: Fourteen hundred consecutive patients were investigated for evaluating the utility of waterless hand rub before orthopaedic surgery. The risk in the surgical site infection incidence was the same, but costs of liquids used for hand hygiene were cheaper and the hand hygiene time was shorter for waterless protocol, compared with traditional hand scrub. A retrospective cohort study with prospectively collected data. The aim of this study was to compare SSI incidences, the cost of hand hygiene agents, and hand hygiene time between the traditional hand scrub and the waterless hand rub protocols before orthopedic surgery. Surgical site infections (SSI) prolong hospitalization and are a leading nosocomial cause of morbidity and a source of excess cost. Recently, a waterless hand rub protocol comprising alcohol based chlorhexidine gluconate for use before surgery was developed, but no studies have yet examined its utility in orthopedic surgery. Fourteen hundred consecutive patients who underwent orthopedic surgery (spine, joint replacement, hand, and trauma surgeries) in our hospital since April 1, 2012 were included. A total of 712 cases underwent following traditional hand scrub between April 1, 2012 and April 30, 2013 and 688 cases underwent following waterless hand rub between June 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. We compared SSI incidences within all and each subcategory between two hand hygiene protocols. All patients were screened for SSI within 1 year after surgery. We compared the cost of hand hygiene agents and hand hygiene time between two groups. The SSI incidences were 1.3% (9 of 712) following the traditional protocol (2 deep and 7 superficial infections) and 1.1% (8 of 688) following the waterless protocol (all superficial infections). There were no significant differences between the two groups. The costs of liquids used for one hand hygiene were about $2 for traditional hand scrub and less than $1 for waterless hand rub. The mean hand hygiene time was 264

Exploring the gap between hand washing knowledge and practices in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional comparative study.

PubMed

Rabbi, Sifat E; Dey, Nepal C

2013-01-30

Hand washing is considered as one of the most effective hygiene promotion activities for public health in developing countries. This study compared hand washing knowledge and practices in BRAC's water; sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme areas over time. This study is a cross-sectional comparative study between baseline (2006), midline (2009) and end-line (2011) surveys in 50 sub-districts from the first phase of the programme. Thirty thousand households from 50 sub-districts were selected in two steps: i) 30 villages were selected from each sub-district by cluster sampling, and ii) 20 households were chosen systematically from each village. The matched households were considered (26,404 in each survey) for analysis. Data were collected from households through face-to-face interview using a pre-tested questionnaire. Respondents were the adult female members of the same households, who had knowledge of day-to-day household activities related to water, sanitation and hygiene. A gap between perception and practice of proper hand washing practices with soap was identified in the study areas. Hand washing practice with soap before eating was much lower than after defecation. In baseline data, 8% reported to wash their hands with soap which significantly increased to 22% in end line. Hand washing knowledge and practices before cooking food, before serving food and while handling babies is considerably limited than other critical times. A multivariate analysis shows that socio-economic factors including education of household head and respondent, water availability and access to media have strong positive association with hand washing with soap. Gap between knowledge and practice still persists in hand washing practices. Long term and extensive initiatives can aware people about the effectiveness of hand washing.

Human motion retrieval from hand-drawn sketch.

PubMed

Chao, Min-Wen; Lin, Chao-Hung; Assa, Jackie; Lee, Tong-Yee

2012-05-01

The rapid growth of motion capture data increases the importance of motion retrieval. The majority of the existing motion retrieval approaches are based on a labor-intensive step in which the user browses and selects a desired query motion clip from the large motion clip database. In this work, a novel sketching interface for defining the query is presented. This simple approach allows users to define the required motion by sketching several motion strokes over a drawn character, which requires less effort and extends the users’ expressiveness. To support the real-time interface, a specialized encoding of the motions and the hand-drawn query is required. Here, we introduce a novel hierarchical encoding scheme based on a set of orthonormal spherical harmonic (SH) basis functions, which provides a compact representation, and avoids the CPU/processing intensive stage of temporal alignment used by previous solutions. Experimental results show that the proposed approach can well retrieve the motions, and is capable of retrieve logically and numerically similar motions, which is superior to previous approaches. The user study shows that the proposed system can be a useful tool to input motion query if the users are familiar with it. Finally, an application of generating a 3D animation from a hand-drawn comics strip is demonstrated.

Programming of left hand exploits task set but that of right hand depends on recent history.

PubMed

Tang, Rixin; Zhu, Hong

2017-07-01

There are many differences between the left hand and the right hand. But it is not clear if there is a difference in programming between left hand and right hand when the hands perform the same movement. In current study, we carried out two experiments to investigate whether the programming of two hands was equivalent or they exploited different strategies. In the first experiment, participants were required to use one hand to grasp an object with visual feedback or to point to the center of one object without visual feedback on alternate trials, or to grasp an object without visual feedback and to point the center of one object with visual feedback on alternating trials. They then performed the tasks with the other hand. The result was that previous pointing task affected current grasping when it was performed by the left hand, but not the right hand. In experiment 2, we studied if the programming of the left (or right) hand would be affected by the pointing task performed on the previous trial not only by the same hand, but also by the right (or left) hand. Participants pointed and grasped the objects alternately with two hands. The result was similar with Experiment 1, i.e., left-hand grasping was affected by right-hand pointing, whereas right-hand grasping was immune from the interference from left hand. Taken together, the results suggest that when open- and closed-loop trials are interleaved, motor programming of grasping with the right hand was affected by the nature of the online feedback on the previous trial only if it was a grasping trial, suggesting that the trial-to-trial transfer depends on sensorimotor memory and not on task set. In contrast, motor programming of grasping with the left hand can use information about the nature of the online feedback on the previous trial to specify the parameters of the movement, even when the type of movement that occurred was quite different (i.e., pointing) and was performed with the right hand. This suggests that

Numerical FEM modeling in dental implantology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roateşi, Iulia; Roateşi, Simona

2016-06-01

This paper is devoted to a numerical approach of the stress and displacement calculation of a system made up of dental implant, ceramic crown and surrounding bone. This is the simulation of a clinical situation involving both biological - the bone tissue, and non-biological - the implant and the crown, materials. On the other hand this problem deals with quite fine technical structure details - the threads, tapers, etc with a great impact in masticatory force transmission. Modeling the contact between the implant and the bone tissue is important to a proper bone-implant interface model and implant design. The authors proposed a three-dimensional numerical model to assess the biomechanical behaviour of this complex structure in order to evaluate its stability by determining the risk zones. A comparison between this numerical analysis and clinical cases is performed and a good agreement is obtained.

A new method for recognizing hand configurations of Brazilian gesture language.

PubMed

Costa Filho, C F F; Dos Santos, B L; de Souza, R S; Dos Santos, J R; Costa, M G F

2016-08-01

This paper describes a new method for recognizing hand configurations of the Brazilian Gesture Language - LIBRAS - using depth maps obtained with a Kinect® camera. The proposed method comprised three phases: hand segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. The segmentation phase is independent from the background and depends only on pixel depth information. Using geometric operations and numerical normalization, the feature extraction process was done independent from rotation and translation. The features are extracted employing two techniques: (2D)2LDA and (2D)2PCA. The classification is made with a novelty classifier. A robust database was constructed for classifier evaluation, with 12,200 images of LIBRAS and 200 gestures of each hand configuration. The best accuracy obtained was 95.41%, which was greater than previous values obtained in the literature.

Perineal injury associated with hands on/hands poised and directed/undirected pushing: A retrospective cross-sectional study of non-operative vaginal births, 2011-2016.

PubMed

Lee, Nigel; Firmin, Meaghan; Gao, Yu; Kildea, Sue

2018-07-01

Clinicians hand position and advised pushing techniques may impact on rates of perineal injury. To assess the association of four techniques used in management of second stage with risk of moderate and severe perineal injury. Retrospective cross-sectional study. A metropolitan maternity hospital and a private maternity hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Term women with singleton, cephalic presentation experiencing a non-operative vaginal birth from January 2011 to December 2016. The research sites perinatal database recorded data on clinicians approach to instructing women during second stage and hand position at birth. Women were identified from matching the inclusion criteria (n = 26,393) then grouped based on combinations of hands-on, hand- poised, directed and undirected pushing. The associations with perineal injury were estimated using odds ratios obtained by multivariate analysis. Primary outcomes were the risk of moderate and severe perineal injury. The significance was set at 0.001. In Nulliparous women there was no difference in the risk of moderate or severe perineal injury between the different techniques. In multiparous women the use of a hands-on/directed approach was associated with a significant increase in the risk of moderate (AOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.10-1.27, p < 0.001) and severe perineal injury (AOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.20-1.88, p < 0.001) compared to hands-poised/undirected. A hands poised/undirected approach could be utilised in strategies for the prevention of moderate and severe perineal injury. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hand aperture patterns in prehension.

PubMed

Bongers, Raoul M; Zaal, Frank T J M; Jeannerod, Marc

2012-06-01

Although variations in the standard prehensile pattern can be found in the literature, these alternative patterns have never been studied systematically. This was the goal of the current paper. Ten participants picked up objects with a pincer grip. Objects (3, 5, or 7cm in diameter) were placed at 30, 60, 90, or 120cm from the hands' starting location. Usually the hand was opened gradually to a maximum immediately followed by hand closing, called the standard hand opening pattern. In the alternative opening patterns the hand opening was bumpy, or the hand aperture stayed at a plateau before closing started. Two participants in particular delayed the start of grasping with respect to start of reaching, with the delay time increasing with object distance. For larger object distances and smaller object sizes, the bumpy and plateau hand opening patterns were used more often. We tentatively concluded that the alternative hand opening patterns extended the hand opening phase, to arrive at the appropriate hand aperture at the appropriate time to close the hand for grasping the object. Variations in hand opening patterns deserve attention because this might lead to new insights into the coordination of reaching and grasping. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Satisfaction with medical treatment in patients with hand dermatitis - a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Herschel, Solveig; Schmitt, Jochen; Bauer, Andrea

2013-10-01

Despite the significant clinical and economic burden of hand dermatitis, data on patients' satisfaction with treatment and related determining factors are lacking. We performed a cross-sectional study using a standardized survey, including all patients with hand dermatitis treated between 12/2001 and 11/2008 at the Department of Dermatology, TU Dresden. Patients were asked about socio-demographic data, disease characteristics, occupational data, quality of life, treatment satisfaction and their treatment goals. Based on an a priori model, possible impact factors on treatment satisfaction were analyzed using regression modeling. Of 382 contacted patients, 215 agreed to participate in the study (133 [61.3%] female). The mean age was 42 years. 155 patients (72.1%) had had severe or very severe hand dermatitis in the past. The majority of the patients were satisfied with the medical treatment. Treatment satisfaction was determined by the impression of professional competence (p < 0.001), physicians' empathy (p < 0.001), sufficient information on course, prognosis, and treatment options (p < 0.001), the patients' self-treatment competency (p < 0.001), quality of life (p = 0.007), as well as on the severity of hand dermatitis (p < 0.001). The data point out that in the therapy of chronic hand dermatitis, along with professional competence, the physicians' empathy, provision of sufficient information about the disease, and teaching self-treatment competency play a prominent role in improving the treatment satisfaction of the patients. © The Authors | Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.

Relative effectiveness of dominant versus non-dominant hand position for rescuer's side of approach during chest compressions between right-handed and left-handed novice rescuers.

PubMed

You, Je Sung; Kim, Hoon; Park, Jung Soo; Baek, Kyung Min; Jang, Mun Sun; Lee, Hye Sun; Chung, Sung Phil; Kim, SeungWhan

2015-03-01

The major components affecting high quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) have been defined as the ability of the rescuer, hand position, position of the rescuer and victim, depth and rate of chest compressions, and fatigue. Until now, there have been no studies on dominant versus non-dominant hand position and the rescuer's side of approach. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of hand position and approach side on the quality of CPR between right-handed (RH) and left-handed (LH) novice rescuers. 44 health science university students with no previous experience of basic life support (BLS) volunteered for the study. We divided volunteers into two groups by handedness. Adult BLS was performed on a manikin for 2 min in each session. The sequences were randomly performed on the manikin's left side of approach (Lap) with the rescuer's left hand in contact with the sternum (Lst), Lap/Rst, Rap/Lst and Rap/Rst. We compared the quality of chest compressions between the RH and LH groups according to predetermined positions. A significant decrease in mean compression depth between the two groups was only observed when rescuers performed in the Rap/Lst scenario, regardless of hand dominance. The frequency of correct hand placement also significantly decreased in the Lap/Rst position for the LH group. The performance of novice rescuers during chest compressions is influenced by the position of the dominant hand and the rescuer's side of approach. In CPR training and real world situations, a novice rescuer, regardless of handedness, should consider hand positions for contacting the sternum identical to the side of approach after approaching from the nearest and most accessible side, for optimal CPR performance. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Results of telerobotic hand controller study using force information and rate control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willshire, Kelli F.; Harrison, F. W.; Hogge, Edward F.; Williams, Robert L.; Soloway, Donald

1992-01-01

To increase quantified information about the effectiveness and subjective workload of force information relayed through manipulator input control devices, a space related task was performed by eight subjects with kinesthetic force feedback and/or local force accommodation through three different input control devices (i.e., hand controllers) operating in rate control mode. Task completion time, manipulator work, and subjective responses were measured. Results indicated a difference among the hand controllers. For the Honeywell six degree-of-freedom hand controller, the overall task completion times were shortest, the amount of work exerted was the least, and was the most preferred by test subjects. Neither force accommodation with or without reflection resulted in shorter task completion times or reduced work although those conditions were better than no force information for some aspects. Comparisons of results from previous studies are discussed.

Using environmental engineering to increase hand hygiene compliance: a cross-over study protocol

PubMed Central

Schmidtke, Kelly Ann; Aujla, Navneet; Marshall, Tom; Hussain, Abid; Hodgkinson, Gerard P; Arheart, Kristopher; Marti, Joachim; Birnbach, David J; Vlaev, Ivo

2017-01-01

Introduction Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in hospital is typically less than 50%. Such low compliance inevitably contributes to hospital-acquired infections that negatively affect patients’ well-being and hospitals’ finances. The design of the present study is predicated on the assumption that most people who fail to clean their hands are not doing so intentionally, they just forget. The present study will test whether psychological priming can be used to increase the number of people who clean their hands on entering a ward. Here, we present the protocol for this study. Methods and analysis The study will use a randomised cross-over design. During the study, each of four wards will be observed during four conditions: olfactory prime, visual prime, both primes and neither prime. Each condition will be experienced for 42 days followed by a 7-day washout period (total duration of trial=189 days). We will record the number of people who enter each ward and whether they clean their hands during observation sessions, the amount of cleaning material used from the dispensers each week and the number of hospital-acquired infections that occur in each period. The outcomes will be compared using a regression analysis. Following the initial trail, the most effective priming condition will be rolled out for 3 months in all the wards. Ethics and dissemination Research ethics approval was obtained from the South Central—Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (16/SC/0554), the Health Regulatory Authority and the sponsor. Trial registration number ISRCTN (15397624); Edge ID 86357. PMID:28893752

Effectiveness of an electronic hand hygiene monitoring system on healthcare workers' compliance to guidelines.

PubMed

Al Salman, J M; Hani, S; de Marcellis-Warin, N; Isa, Sister Fatima

2015-01-01

Hand hygiene is a growing concern among populations and is a crucial element in ensuring patient safety in a healthcare environment. Numerous management efforts have been conducted in that regard, including education, awareness and observations. To better evaluate the possible impact of technology on a healthcare setting, we observed the impact of a particular niche technology developed as an answer to the growing hand hygiene concerns. A study was conducted at Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) in Bahrain on a total of 16 Coronary Care Unit (CCU) beds where the system was installed, and the hand hygiene activity of healthcare workers (HCWs) in this area was monitored for a total period of 28 days. Comments, remarks and suggestions were noted, and improvements were made to the technology during the course of the trial. While resistance to change was significant, overall results were satisfactory. Compliance with hand hygiene techniques went from 38-42% to 60% at the beginning of the trial and then increased to an average of 75% at the end of the 28-day trial. In some cases, compliance peaked at 85% or even at 100%. Our case study demonstrates that technology can be used effectively in promoting and improving hand hygiene compliance in hospitals, which is one way to prevent cross-infections, especially in critical care areas. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surveillance of nosocomial infections: a preliminary study on hand hygiene compliance of healthcare workers.

PubMed

Brunetti, L; Santoro, E; De Caro, F; Cavallo, P; Boccia, G; Capunzo, M; Motta, O

2006-06-01

The observance of hand hygiene compliance is important to reduce cross-infection by micro-organisms. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the level of hand hygiene in healthcare workers from different departments, with particular emphasis on transient flora. The study was conducted in three departments (Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology) of a hospital in Campania, southern Italy. Over a six-month period, 50 healthcare workers were randomly tested. Imprints of palms and fingertips were taken monthly during the morning shift. The number of colonies per plate was counted and transient pathogens were identified. Risk factors for hand contamination were determined. Total flora was found in the following CFU means per palm and per five fingertips (95% CI): Obstetrics and Gynecology [palms 130 CFUs (95% CI 85-180); fingertips 125 CFUs (95% CI 92-160)]; ICU [palms 80 CFUs (95% CI 58-99); fingertips 62 CFUs (95% CI 45-82)]; Surgery [palms 75 CFUs (95% CI 41-120); fingertips 70 CFUs (95% CI 52-90)] Transient flora was found on 39% of healthcare workers' hands. The only factor associated with hand contamination by transient flora was the absence of gloving during healthcare procedure (P = 0.02).

Reduction in finger blood flow induced by hand-transmitted vibration: effect of hand elevation.

PubMed

Ye, Ying; Mauro, Marcella; Bovenzi, Massimo; Griffin, Michael J

2015-10-01

This study investigated the effect of hand elevation on reductions in finger blood flow (FBF) induced by hand-transmitted vibration. Fourteen males attended six sessions on six separate days, with a control sessions and a vibration session (125-Hz vibration at 44 ms(-2) rms) with the right hand supported at each of three elevations: 20 cm below heart level (HL), at HL, and 20 cm above HL. Finger blood flow on the left and right hand was measured every 30 s during each 25-min session comprised of five periods: (1) no force and no vibration (5 min), (2) 2-N force and no vibration (5 min), (3) 2-N force and vibration (5 min), (4) 2-N force and no vibration (5 min), and (5) no force and no vibration (5 min). Without vibration, FBF decreased with increasing elevation of the hand. During vibration of the right hand, FBF reduced on both hands. With elevation of the right hand, the percentage reduction in FBF due to vibration (relative to FBF on the same finger at the same elevation before exposure to vibration) was similar on the middle and little fingers of both hands. After cessation of vibration, there was delayed return of FBF with all three hand heights. Vibration of one hand reduces FBF on both exposed and unexposed hands, with the reduction dependent on the elevation of the hand. The mechanisms responsible for vibration-induced reductions in FBF seem to reduce blood flow as a percentage of the blood flow without vibration. Tasks requiring the elevation of the hands will be associated with lower FBF, and the FBF will be reduced further if there is exposure to hand-transmitted vibration.

Replicating Human Hand Synergies Onto Robotic Hands: A Review on Software and Hardware Strategies.

PubMed

Salvietti, Gionata

2018-01-01

This review reports the principal solutions proposed in the literature to reduce the complexity of the control and of the design of robotic hands taking inspiration from the organization of the human brain. Several studies in neuroscience concerning the sensorimotor organization of the human hand proved that, despite the complexity of the hand, a few parameters can describe most of the variance in the patterns of configurations and movements. In other words, humans exploit a reduced set of parameters, known in the literature as synergies, to control their hands. In robotics, this dimensionality reduction can be achieved by coupling some of the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of the robotic hand, that results in a reduction of the needed inputs. Such coupling can be obtained at the software level, exploiting mapping algorithm to reproduce human hand organization, and at the hardware level, through either rigid or compliant physical couplings between the joints of the robotic hand. This paper reviews the main solutions proposed for both the approaches.

Evidence of common and separate eye and hand accumulators underlying flexible eye-hand coordination

PubMed Central

Jana, Sumitash; Gopal, Atul

2016-01-01

Eye and hand movements are initiated by anatomically separate regions in the brain, and yet these movements can be flexibly coupled and decoupled, depending on the need. The computational architecture that enables this flexible coupling of independent effectors is not understood. Here, we studied the computational architecture that enables flexible eye-hand coordination using a drift diffusion framework, which predicts that the variability of the reaction time (RT) distribution scales with its mean. We show that a common stochastic accumulator to threshold, followed by a noisy effector-dependent delay, explains eye-hand RT distributions and their correlation in a visual search task that required decision-making, while an interactive eye and hand accumulator model did not. In contrast, in an eye-hand dual task, an interactive model better predicted the observed correlations and RT distributions than a common accumulator model. Notably, these two models could only be distinguished on the basis of the variability and not the means of the predicted RT distributions. Additionally, signatures of separate initiation signals were also observed in a small fraction of trials in the visual search task, implying that these distinct computational architectures were not a manifestation of the task design per se. Taken together, our results suggest two unique computational architectures for eye-hand coordination, with task context biasing the brain toward instantiating one of the two architectures. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies on eye-hand coordination have considered mainly the means of eye and hand reaction time (RT) distributions. Here, we leverage the approximately linear relationship between the mean and standard deviation of RT distributions, as predicted by the drift-diffusion model, to propose the existence of two distinct computational architectures underlying coordinated eye-hand movements. These architectures, for the first time, provide a computational basis for

Numerical modeling of the tensile strength of a biological granular aggregate: Effect of the particle size distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinze, Karsta; Frank, Xavier; Lullien-Pellerin, Valérie; George, Matthieu; Radjai, Farhang; Delenne, Jean-Yves

2017-06-01

Wheat grains can be considered as a natural cemented granular material. They are milled under high forces to produce food products such as flour. The major part of the grain is the so-called starchy endosperm. It contains stiff starch granules, which show a multi-modal size distribution, and a softer protein matrix that surrounds the granules. Experimental milling studies and numerical simulations are going hand in hand to better understand the fragmentation behavior of this biological material and to improve milling performance. We present a numerical study of the effect of granule size distribution on the strength of such a cemented granular material. Samples of bi-modal starch granule size distribution were created and submitted to uniaxial tension, using a peridynamics method. We show that, when compared to the effects of starch-protein interface adhesion and voids, the granule size distribution has a limited effect on the samples' yield stress.

Ability of Hand Hygiene Interventions Using Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers and Soap To Reduce Microbial Load on Farmworker Hands Soiled during Harvest.

PubMed

de Aceituno, Anna Fabiszewski; Bartz, Faith E; Hodge, Domonique Watson; Shumaker, David J; Grubb, James E; Arbogast, James W; Dávila-Aviña, Jorgé; Venegas, Fabiola; Heredia, Norma; García, Santos; Leon, Juan S

2015-11-01

Effective hand hygiene is essential to prevent the spread of pathogens on produce farms and reduce foodborne illness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act Proposed Rule for Produce Safety recommends the use of soap and running water for hand hygiene of produce handlers. The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS) may be an effective alternative hygiene intervention where access to water is limited. There are no published data on the efficacy of either soap or ABHS-based interventions to reduce microbial contamination in agricultural settings. The goal of this study was to assess the ability of two soap-based (traditional or pumice) and two ABHS-based (label-use or two-step) hygiene interventions to reduce microbes (coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus spp.) and soil (absorbance of hand rinsate at 600 nm [A600]) on farmworker hands after harvesting produce, compared with the results for a no-hand-hygiene control. With no hand hygiene, farmworker hands were soiled (median A600, 0.48) and had high concentrations of coliforms (geometric mean, 3.4 log CFU per hand) and Enterococcus spp. (geometric mean, 5.3 log CFU per hand) after 1 to 2 h of harvesting tomatoes. Differences in microbial loads in comparison to the loads in the control group varied by indicator organism and hygiene intervention (0 to 2.3 log CFU per hand). All interventions yielded lower concentrations of Enterococcus spp. and E. coli (P < 0.05), but not of coliforms, than were found in the control group. The two-step ABHS intervention led to significantly lower concentrations of coliforms and Enterococcus spp. than the pumice soap and label-use ABHS interventions (P < 0.05) and was the only intervention to yield significantly fewer samples with E. coli than were found in the control group (P < 0.05). All interventions removed soil from hands (P < 0.05), soap-based interventions more so than ABHS-based interventions (P < 0.05). ABHS-based interventions were

Hand Matters: Left-Hand Gestures Enhance Metaphor Explanation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argyriou, Paraskevi; Mohr, Christine; Kita, Sotaro

2017-01-01

Research suggests that speech-accompanying gestures influence cognitive processes, but it is not clear whether the gestural benefit is specific to the gesturing hand. Two experiments tested the "(right/left) hand-specificity" hypothesis for self-oriented functions of gestures: gestures with a particular hand enhance cognitive processes…

Hand grip strength and dexterity function in children aged 6-12 years: A cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Omar, Mohammed T A; Alghadir, Ahmad H; Zafar, Hamayun; Al Baker, Shaheerah

Cross-sectional and clinical measurement. Assessment of hand function considers an essential part in clinical practice. To develop normative values of hand grip strength and dexterity function for 6-12-year-old children in Saudi Arabia. Grip strength and dexterity function was measured in 525 children using Grip Track hand dynamometer (JTECH Medical, Midvale, UT, USA) and 9-hole pegboard test respectively. The grip strength and dexterity function was improved as age progressed regardless of gender. Across all age groups, the hand grip strength of boys was significantly higher than girls for dominant hand (31.75 ± 10.33 vs 28.24 ± 9.35; P < .001) and nondominant hand (31.01 ± 10.27 vs 27.27 ± 9.30; P < .001). The girls performed slightly faster than boys for dominant hand (19.70 vs 20.68; P < .05) and nondominant hand (21.79 vs 23.46; P < .05). In general, girls completed a 9-HPT faster than boys in the 2 of 7 age groups: 11 years (9-HPT scores = 2.10 seconds; P < .01) and 12 years (9-HPT scores = 1.93 seconds; P < .01). The overall patterns of hand grip strength and dexterity function observed in the present study are similar to the previous studies that established acceleration of grip strength with advanced age, and faster performance scores in older children than younger children in both genders. Norms of hand grip strength and dexterity enable therapists to identify some developmental characteristics of hand function among Saudi children, determine the presence of impairment, and compare scores from children in different clinical settings. Not applicable. Copyright © 2017 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Hand osteoarthritis].

PubMed

Šenolt, Ladislav

Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic disorder causing pain and limitation of mobility of affected joints. The prevalence of hand OA increases with age and more often affects females. Clinical signs obviously do not correlate with radiographic findings - symptomatic hand OA affects approximately 26 % of adult subjects, but radiographic changes can be found in up to two thirds of females and half of males older than 55 years.Disease course differ among individual patients. Hand OA is a heterogeneous disease. Nodal hand OA is the most common subtype affecting interphalangeal joints, thumb base OA affects first carpometacarpal joint. Erosive OA represents a specific subtype of hand OA, which is associated with joint inflammation, more pain, functional limitation and erosive findings on radiographs.Treatment of OA is limited. Analgesics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the only agents reducing symptoms. New insights into the pathogenesis of disease should contribute to the development of novel effective treatment of hand OA.

Relationship between output from MIDI-keyboard playing and hand function assessments on affected hand after stroke.

PubMed

Chong, Hyun Ju; Han, Soo Jeong; Kim, Yong Jae; Park, Hye Young; Kim, Soo Ji

2014-01-01

While a number of studies have tested the therapeutic effectiveness of playing musical instruments, such as the electronic keyboard using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI), it is still unclear whether outcomes of electronic keyboard playing are related to hand function tests. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between MIDI-keyboard playing and hand function tests, including grip strength, Box and Block test (BBT), and Jensen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHF). A total of 66 stroke patients were recruited from medical centers and were classified into acute (n = 21), subacute (n = 28), and chronic (n = 17) recovery stages. The participants' mean age was 60.5 years. The MIDI-keyboard playing protocol based on sequential key pressing was implemented. All hand function tests were performed by certified occupational therapists. MIDI scores from participants at all three recovery stages were significantly correlated with BBT and grip strength. Overall, MIDI-keyboard playing scores demonstrated moderate to high correlations with hand function tests except for participants at the chronic stage and the JTHF, which showed no correlation. These findings suggest that MIDI-keyboard playing has great potential as an assessment tool of hand function, especially hand dexterity in acute and subacute stroke patients. Further studies are needed to refine the specific keyboard playing tasks that increase responsiveness to traditional hand function tests.

Stiff Hands

MedlinePlus

... Stiff Hands Find a hand surgeon near you. Videos Figures Figure 1: Hand splint to help straighten ... or "in." Also, avoid using media types like "video," "article," and "picture." Tip 4: Your results can ...

Hand Fractures

MedlinePlus

... Hand Fractures Find a hand surgeon near you. Videos Hand Fractures Close Popup Figures Figure 1 - Examples ... or "in." Also, avoid using media types like "video," "article," and "picture." Tip 4: Your results can ...

The effect of perineal control with hands-on and hand-poised methods on perineal trauma and delivery outcome

PubMed Central

Foroughipour, Azam; Firuzeh, Farah; Ghahiri, Ataolah; Norbakhsh, Vajihe; Heidari, Tayebeh

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the two methods of delivery, “hands-on” vs. “hands poised”, on perineal trauma and delivery outcome in primiparous women referred to Shariati Hospital of Isfahan during 2007-2008. METHODS: In a clinical trial study, 100 low risk primiparous pregnant women were randomly assigned to two hands-on and hand-poised (hands-off) groups. In the hands-on group, this method was used to control fetal head in the second stage of labor. It means that the fingers of one hand supported fetal occiput and the other hand applied slight pressure on the head to control the delivery of the head during the crowning process. In the hands-poised group, midwife observed the parturient woman and do not touch perineum during the second labor stage while fetal head was delivering. Then, the two groups were compared in terms of perineal trauma, as well as neonatal and delivery outcome. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics of all studied women were similar in two groups. The rate of episiotomy was higher in hands-on group (84% vs. 40%, p = 0.001). The rate of postpartum hemorrhage (4th stage) was higher in hands-on group (12% vs. 4%, p = 0.04). The rate of mild and moderate postpartum pain in hands-on group was higher than hands-off group (70% vs. 58% and 29% vs. 10%, p < 0.001) but sever pain was not different in two groups. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that hands-poised method is associated with less perineal trauma, particularly regarding the lower need for episiotomy and postpartum hemorrhage. PMID:22279480

Design, data, and theory regarding a digital hand inclinometer: a portable device for studying slant perception.

PubMed

Li, Zhi; Durgin, Frank H

2011-06-01

Palm boards are often used as a nonverbal measure in human slant perception studies. It was recently found that palm boards are biased and relatively insensitive measures, and that an unrestricted hand gesture provides a more sensitive response (Durgin, Hajnal, Li, Tonge, & Stigliani, Acta Psychologica, 134, 182-197, 2010a). In this article, we describe an original design for a portable lightweight digital device for measuring hand orientation. This device is microcontroller-based and uses a micro inclinometer chip as its inclination sensor. The parts are fairly inexpensive. This device, used to measure hand orientation, provides a sensitive nonverbal method for studying slant perception, which can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments. We present data comparing the use of a free hand to palm-board and verbal measures for surfaces within reach and explain how to interpret free-hand measures for outdoor hills.

Numerical model for thermodynamical behaviors of unsaturated soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyamoto, Yuji; Yamada, Mitsuhide; Sako, Kazunari; Araki, Kohei; Kitamura, Ryosuke

Kitamura et al. have proposed the numerical models to establish the unsaturated soil mechanics aided by probability theory and statistics, and to apply the unsaturated soil mechanics to the geo-simulator, where the numerical model for the thermodynamical behaviors of unsaturated soil are essential. In this paper the thermodynamics is introduced to investigate the heat transfer through unsaturated soil and the evaporation of pore water in soil based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, i.e., the conservation of energy, and increasing entropy. On the other hand the lysimeter equipment is used to obtain the data for the evaporation of pore water during fine days and seepage of rain water during rainy days. The numerical simulation is carried out by using the proposed numerical model and the results are compared with those obtained from the lysimeter test.

High-impact articles in hand surgery.

PubMed

Eberlin, Kyle R; Labow, Brian I; Upton, Joseph; Taghinia, Amir H

2012-06-01

There have been few attempts to identify classic papers within the hand surgery literature. This study used citation analysis to identify and characterize the top 50 highly cited hand surgery articles published in six peer-reviewed journals. The 50 most highly cited hand surgery articles were identified in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) American, JBJS British, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Journal of Hand Surgery (JHS) American, JHS British/European, and Hand. Articles were evaluated for citations per year, surgical/anatomical topic, and type of study. Clinical studies were further sub-categorized by level of evidence. The distribution of topics was compared with all indexed hand surgery articles. The educational relevance was assessed via comparison with lists of "classic" papers. The most common subjects were distal radius fracture, carpal tunnel syndrome, and flexor tendon repair. There was moderate correlation between the distribution of these topics and all indexed hand surgery articles (rho = 0.71). There were 31 clinical studies, of which 16 were therapeutic, ten were prognostic, and five were diagnostic. These articles assessed the outcomes of an intervention, described an anatomical/functional observation, introduced an innovation, presented a discovery/classification, or validated a questionnaire. There were only three randomized trials. Using citations per year to control for the influence of time since publication, 36 articles were consistently highly cited. Twenty-three articles were on Stern's Selected Readings in Hand Surgery, considered important in education. The top 50 highly cited articles in hand surgery reflect the most common clinical, scientific, and educational efforts of the field.

Hand therapist use of patient report outcome (PRO) in practice: a survey study.

PubMed

Valdes, Kristin; MacDermid, Joy; Algar, Lori; Connors, Brian; Cyr, Lisa M; Dickmann, Sharon; Lucado, Ann M; Naughton, Nancy

2014-01-01

The purpose of this survey was to gain greater insight into hand therapists' use of Patient Report Outcome (PRO) measures. An 11-question survey that evaluated therapists' perceptions, preferences, and patterns of use of patient report outcome measures was sent to members of ASHT. A total of 633 ASHT members participated in the survey study. A large majority of participants (92%) responded affirmatively to using a PRO measure in practice. The DASH was reported as the most frequently used measure (90%). The majority of therapists (84%) discuss the results of the outcome measurement score with their patients. Of the participants who use more than one outcome measure, 44% report that this allows them to better establish their patient's functional and physical limitations. The findings in this study suggest that a large percentage of hand therapists are currently including a PRO measure in their hand therapy practice. Copyright © 2014 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Kinematics of Trunk and Upper Extremities in One-Handed and Two-Handed Backhand Stroke

PubMed Central

Stępień, Adam; Bober, Tadeusz; Zawadzki, Jerzy

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to present kinematics of trunk and upper extremities in tennis players who perform one-handed and two-handed backhand strokes. The study aimed to address the question of whether one of those techniques has some important advantage over the other. If so, what makes it superior? The study included 10 tennis coaches with average coaching experience of 9 years. The coaches were asked to hit 15 one-handed and two-handed backhands. The tests were carried out in a laboratory. A sponge ball was used in order to protect the measurement equipment. Video motion analysis was carried out using BTS SMART system; images were recorded with 6 cameras with a rate of 120 frames per second. The analysis of both backhand strokes focused on the second phase of the stroke (acceleration). The use of an eight-element model of human body for description of upper body motion in both techniques revealed kinematic differences in how both backhands are performed. The two-handed backhand was performed in closed kinetic chain with 8 degrees of freedom, whereas the one-handed backhand involved an open kinetic chain with 7 degrees of freedom. Higher rigidity of upper extremities which are connected with trunk in the two-handed backhand, contributes to an elevated trunk effect in this stroke. This is confirmed by higher component velocities for racket handle, which result from trunk rotation in the two-handed backhand and a negative separation angle in the two-handed backhand at the moment of contact of the racket with the ball. The study does not provide a clear-cut answer to the question of advantages of one technique over the other; however, it reveals dissimilar patterns of driving the racket in both techniques, which suggests the need for extending the analysis of techniques of both backhands with additional kinematics of tennis racket in consideration of measurements of ball velocities. PMID:23486650

Hand eczema and atopic dermatitis in adolescents: a prospective cohort study from the BAMSE project.

PubMed

Grönhagen, C; Lidén, C; Wahlgren, C-F; Ballardini, N; Bergström, A; Kull, I; Meding, B

2015-11-01

There is a well-known association between atopic dermatitis (AD) and hand eczema but less is known about how age at onset, persistence and severity of AD influence the risk of developing hand eczema. To examine the role of AD in the occurrence of hand eczema in adolescence. In addition, associations between asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis, sensitization to common airborne and food allergens, and hand eczema were studied. From the population-based birth cohort BAMSE, 2927 adolescents who had been followed up repeatedly concerning allergy-related disease were included. Questionnaires identified adolescents with hand eczema at 16 years, and their blood was analysed for specific IgE. A total of 152 (5·2%) adolescents had hand eczema at the age of 16 years. Many of these adolescents had a history of AD (n = 111; 73·0%) and asthma and/or rhinitis (n = 83; 54·6%), respectively. Children with AD (aged 0-16 years) had more than threefold increased odds ratios (OR) for having hand eczema; those with persistent or severe AD had a crude OR of 6·1 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4·0-9·1] and 5·3 (95% CI 2·9-9·6), respectively. We confirm a strong association between AD during childhood and hand eczema in adolescence. Children with persistent or more severe AD are at greater risk of developing hand eczema. Asthma and/or rhinoconjunctivitis, positive specific IgE or age at onset of AD are not associated with hand eczema in adolescence. © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.

Foot and hand massage as an intervention for postoperative pain.

PubMed

Wang, Hsiao-Lan; Keck, Juanita F

2004-06-01

Physiological responses to pain create harmful effects that prolong the body's recovery after surgery. Patients routinely report mild to moderate pain even though pain medications have been administered. Complementary strategies based on sound research findings are needed to supplement postoperative pain relief using pharmacologic management. Foot and hand massage has the potential to assist in pain relief. Massaging the feet and hands stimulates the mechanoreceptors that activate the "nonpainful" nerve fibers, preventing pain transmission from reaching consciousness. The purpose of this pretest-posttest design study was to investigate whether a 20-minute foot and hand massage (5 minutes to each extremity), which was provided 1 to 4 hours after a dose of pain medication, would reduce pain perception and sympathetic responses among postoperative patients. A convenience sample of 18 patients rated pain intensity and pain distress using a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale. They reported decreases in pain intensity from 4.65 to 2.35 (t = 8.154, p <.001) and in pain distress from 4.00 to 1.88 (t = 5.683, p <.001). Statistically significant decreases in sympathetic responses to pain (i.e., heart rate and respiratory rate) were observed although blood pressure remained unchanged. The changes in heart rate and respiratory rate were not clinically significant. The patients experienced moderate pain after they received pain medications. This pain was reduced by the intervention, thus supporting the effectiveness of massage in postoperative pain management. Foot and hand massage appears to be an effective, inexpensive, low-risk, flexible, and easily applied strategy for postoperative pain management.

Using environmental engineering to increase hand hygiene compliance: a cross-over study protocol.

PubMed

Schmidtke, Kelly Ann; Aujla, Navneet; Marshall, Tom; Hussain, Abid; Hodgkinson, Gerard P; Arheart, Kristopher; Marti, Joachim; Birnbach, David J; Vlaev, Ivo

2017-09-11

Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in hospital is typically less than 50%. Such low compliance inevitably contributes to hospital-acquired infections that negatively affect patients' well-being and hospitals' finances. The design of the present study is predicated on the assumption that most people who fail to clean their hands are not doing so intentionally, they just forget. The present study will test whether psychological priming can be used to increase the number of people who clean their hands on entering a ward. Here, we present the protocol for this study. The study will use a randomised cross-over design. During the study, each of four wards will be observed during four conditions: olfactory prime, visual prime, both primes and neither prime. Each condition will be experienced for 42 days followed by a 7-day washout period (total duration of trial=189 days). We will record the number of people who enter each ward and whether they clean their hands during observation sessions, the amount of cleaning material used from the dispensers each week and the number of hospital-acquired infections that occur in each period. The outcomes will be compared using a regression analysis. Following the initial trail, the most effective priming condition will be rolled out for 3 months in all the wards. Research ethics approval was obtained from the South Central-Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (16/SC/0554), the Health Regulatory Authority and the sponsor. ISRCTN (15397624); Edge ID 86357. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Hand osteoarthritis: an epidemiological perspective.

PubMed

Kalichman, Leonid; Hernández-Molina, Gabriela

2010-06-01

Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. We review herein the prevalence, impact on hand function, and various risk factors related to hand OA. PubMed and MEDLINE databases (1950-2009) were searched for the keywords: "hand," "hand osteoarthritis," "distal interphalangeal," "proximal interphalangeal," "metacarpophalangeal," and "carpometacarpal." Published material emphasizing cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies regarding epidemiology, clinical features, functional impairment, and associated risk factors of hand OA were included. Hand OA is a heterogeneous, age- and gender-dependent disorder, occurring more frequently in women over 50 years of age. In the elderly population, the prevalence of radiographic hand OA can reach 80%. OA has a strong genetic predisposition, apparently gender- and phenotype-specific. A history of heavy manual labor or a repetitive use of the hand also has been linked to OA. Other variables such as weight, smoking, joint hyperlaxity, age of menarche, bone and cartilage mineralization factors, grip strength, and handedness may play a role. Symptomatic hand OA may cause functional impairment due to loss of strength, thus limiting the individual's ability to perform daily tasks. Several risk factors for hand OA have been identified; however, their interrelationship is not clearly understood. The development of preventive strategies and future research goals is needed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Numerical Calculation of Internal Human Body Resistances at Power Frequency, and Comparison of them with Experimental Ones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarao, Hiroo; Hayashi, Noriyuki; Hamamoto, Isao; Isaka, Katsuo

A numerical method, which is newly developed here, is used in order to calculate internal body resistances in a voxelized biological model. By using this method, the internal resistances of an anatomical human model were calculated for the two current paths: 1400 Ω for a hand to foot, and 1500 Ω for a hand to hand. They are compared with experimental ones (500 ∼ 600 Ω for the hand to foot and 500 ∼ 700 Ω for the hand to hand), resulting in the conclusion that the numerical values of the internal resistance are twice or three times higher than the experimental ones. While there is the discrepancy between the calculated and measured results in the absolute values, the profiles of their relative values along the current paths showed good agreement. This implies that the factors such as the anisotropy of muscle conductivity and the difference between in vivo and in vitro conductivities need to be considered. In fact, in consideration of those factors, the calculated results approached the experimental ones.

Do WiFi-based hand hygiene dispenser systems increase hand hygiene compliance?

PubMed

Scheithauer, Simone; Bickenbach, Johannes; Heisel, Hans; Fehling, Patrick; Marx, Gernot; Lemmen, Sebastian

2018-05-17

Innovative methods to ensure better compliance in hand hygiene are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to determine if WiFi-based hand hygiene dispenser-driven self-assessment systems (Wireless Fidelity, WiFi-dispenser) can support the work of infection control teams. Our results suggest that the continuous monitoring of dispenser usage can be a valuable addition to infection prevention and control programs, when used in a bundle in combination with conventional hand hygiene training. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relation between cigarette price and hand-rolling tobacco consumption in the UK: an ecological study.

PubMed

Rothwell, Lucas; Britton, John; Bogdanovica, Ilze

2015-06-15

Cigarette price increases reduce smoking prevalence but as a tobacco control policy are undermined by the availability of lower cost alternatives such as hand-rolling tobacco. The aim of this descriptive study is to explore time trends in the price of manufactured cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, and in the numbers of people who smoke these products, over recent years in the UK. UK. Trends in the most popular price category (MPPC) data for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco from 1983 to 2012 adjusted for inflation using the Retail Price Index, and trends in smoking prevalence and the proportion of smokers using hand-rolling tobacco from 1974 to 2010. After adjustment for inflation, there was an increase in prices of manufactured cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco between 1983 and 2012. Between 1974 and 2010, the prevalence of smoking fell from 45% to 20%, and the estimated total number of smokers from 25.3 to 12.4 million. However the number of people smoking hand-rolling tobacco increased from 1.4 to 3.2 million, and MPPC cigarette price was strongly correlated with number of people smoking hand-rolling tobacco. Although the ecological study design precludes conclusions on causality, the association between increases in manufactured cigarette price and the number of people smoking hand-rolling tobacco suggests that the lower cost of smoking hand-rolling tobacco encourages downtrading when cigarette prices rise. The magnitude of this association indicates that the lower cost of hand-rolling tobacco seriously undermines the use of price as a tobacco control measure. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Alitretinoin and acitretin in severe chronic hand eczema; results from a retrospective daily practice study.

PubMed

Politiek, Klaziena; Christoffers, Wietske Andrea; Coenraads, Pieter-Jan; Schuttelaar, Marie-Louise Anna

2016-09-01

Acitretin has been used off-label for years to treat chronic hand eczema, but acitretin is less often prescribed as alitretinoïne was approved. This study evaluates both retinoids in a daily practice cohort of patients with severe chronic hand eczema in terms of drug survival and reasons for discontinuation. Patients using alitretinoin or acitretin between 01-01-1994 and 01-08-2015 were included in this retrospective daily practice study and analyzed by Kaplan-Meier drug survival curves. Potential determinants were analyzed by Cox regression analyses. Ninety-five patients were treated with alitretinoin and 109 patients with acitretin. The main reasons for discontinuation were adverse events and cleared hand eczema, 29.5 and 27.4% in alitretinoin versus 43.1 and 23.9% in acitretin. Patients with hyperkeratotic hand eczema had most often a good effect of treatment: 68.3% in alitretinoin and 50.7% in acitretin treatment. The drug survival rates of alitretinoin and acitretin after 12, 24, 36, and 52 weeks were 69.3, 45.1, 19.6, 7.0% and 74.3, 45.5, 33.8, 23.2%, respectively. Alitretinoin and acitretin are effective treatment options for patients with hand eczema. However, both treatments were more effective in patients with hyperkeratotic hand eczema. Fewer patients discontinued alitretinoin compared with acitretin due to adverse events. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cued Dichotic Listening with Right-Handed, Left-Handed, Bilingual and Learning-Disabled Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obrzut, John E.; And Others

This study used cued dichotic listening to investigate differences in language lateralization among right-handed (control), left handed, bilingual, and learning disabled children. Subjects (N=60) ranging in age from 7-13 years were administered a consonant-vowel-consonant dichotic paradigm with three experimental conditions (free recall, directed…

Health care workers' hand decontamination practices: an Irish study.

PubMed

Creedon, Sile A

2006-02-01

The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental research is to observe health care workers' compliance with hand-hygiene guidelines during patient care in an intensive care unit in Ireland before (pretest) and after (posttest) implementation of a multifaceted hand-hygiene program. Health care workers' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge in relation to compliance with handwashing guidelines were also investigated. A convenience sample of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, and care assistants (n = 73 observational participants, n = 62 questionnaire respondents) was used. Data (N = 314 observations, 62 questionnaires) were analyzed descriptively and cross-tabulated using chi-square (Pearson's) and Mann-Whitney statistical tests. Results revealed that a significant shift (32%) occurred in health care workers' compliance with handwashing guidelines (pretest 51%, posttest 83%, p < .001) following the interventional hand-hygiene program. Significant changes were also found in relation to health care workers' attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge (p < .05).

Chronic hand eczema--self-management and prognosis: a study protocol for a randomised clinical trial.

PubMed

Mollerup, Annette; Veien, Niels Kren; Johansen, Jeanne Duus

2012-06-12

Hand eczema has a one-year prevalence of approximately 10 % in the general Danish population. Often the disease becomes chronic with numerous implications for the individual's daily life, occupation and quality of life. However, no guidelines of self-management recommendations beyond the acute stage are given. Self-management of the disease is pivotal and involves self-monitoring of the condition, medication adherence, and preventive behaviour. Interventions best to support the individual in this ongoing process need to be developed. This paper describes the design of a randomised clinical trial to test a newly developed intervention of individual counselling versus conventional information. 300 patients consecutively referred to dermatologic treatment at two different settings are individually randomised to either the intervention programme, named 'The Healthy Skin Clinic' or to the control group. Block-wise randomisation according to setting and gender is carried out.The intervention offers a tool for self-monitoring; basic and specific individual counselling; the possibility of asynchronous communication with the intervention team; and an electronic patient dialogue forum. Primary outcome variable is objective assessment of the hand eczema severity performed at baseline prior to randomisation, and repeated at six months follow-up. Secondary outcome variables are dermatology related life quality and perceived global burden of disease. The trial aims at evaluating a newly developed guidance programme which is expected to support self-management of patients referred to dermatology treatment due to chronic hand eczema. The design of the protocol is pragmatic with blinding of neither participants nor the investigator. Thus, in the interpretation of the results, the investigator takes into account effects that may be attributed to actors of the interventions rather than the intervention per se as well of potential observer bias. Inclusion criterions are wide in order

A numerical study of mixing in supersonic combustors with hypermixing injectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J.

1993-01-01

A numerical study was conducted to evaluate the performance of wall mounted fuel-injectors designed for potential Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRAM-jet) engine applications. The focus of this investigation was to numerically simulate existing combustor designs for the purpose of validating the numerical technique and the physical models developed. Three different injector designs of varying complexity were studied to fully understand the computational implications involved in accurate predictions. A dual transverse injection system and two streamwise injector designs were studied. The streamwise injectors were designed with swept ramps to enhance fuel-air mixing and combustion characteristics at supersonic speeds without the large flow blockage and drag contribution of the transverse injection system. For this study, the Mass-Average Navier-Stokes equations and the chemical species continuity equations were solved. The computations were performed using a finite-volume implicit numerical technique and multiple block structured grid system. The interfaces of the multiple block structured grid systems were numerically resolved using the flux-conservative technique. Detailed comparisons between the computations and existing experimental data are presented. These comparisons show that numerical predictions are in agreement with the experimental data. These comparisons also show that a number of turbulence model improvements are needed for accurate combustor flowfield predictions.

A numerical study of mixing in supersonic combustors with hypermixing injectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, J.

1992-01-01

A numerical study was conducted to evaluate the performance of wall mounted fuel-injectors designed for potential Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRAM-jet) engine applications. The focus of this investigation was to numerically simulate existing combustor designs for the purpose of validating the numerical technique and the physical models developed. Three different injector designs of varying complexity were studied to fully understand the computational implications involved in accurate predictions. A dual transverse injection system and two streamwise injector designs were studied. The streamwise injectors were designed with swept ramps to enhance fuel-air mixing and combustion characteristics at supersonic speeds without the large flow blockage and drag contribution of the transverse injection system. For this study, the Mass-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations and the chemical species continuity equations were solved. The computations were performed using a finite-volume implicit numerical technique and multiple block structured grid system. The interfaces of the multiple block structured grid systems were numerically resolved using the flux-conservative technique. Detailed comparisons between the computations and existing experimental data are presented. These comparisons show that numerical predictions are in agreement with the experimental data. These comparisons also show that a number of turbulence model improvements are needed for accurate combustor flowfield predictions.

Numerical study on exciton transport and light emission for organic light emitting diodes with an emission layer.

PubMed

Kim, K S; Hwang, Y W; Won, T Y

2013-12-01

This paper reports the results of a numerical study on carrier injection and exciton transport in an organic light emitting diode (OLED) structure based on tris (8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (Alq3). Because charge accumulation at the interfaces between the emission layer (EML) and transport layer are believed to increase the recombination rate, which also increases the exciton density, a numerical study was performed on the effect of inserting an EML in the bilayer structure. In the first case considered, the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the EML was aligned with the LUMO of the hole transport layer (HTL), whereas the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the EML was aligned with the HOMO of the electron transport layer (ETL). In the second case, the LUMO of the EML was aligned with the LUMO of the ETL and the HOMO of the EML was aligned with the HOMO of the HTL. In case of a charge-blocking device, most of the recombination appeared to occur at both edges of the EML because the electric field exhibited a peak in these areas. On the other hand, in the case of the charge-confining device, the electric field was confined at the interface between the EML and ETL. This paper also discussed the effect of the insertion of a doping layer as transport layer.

Thumb Reach of Indonesian Young Adult When Interacting with Touchscreen of Single-Handed Device: A Preliminary Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umami, M. K.

2018-01-01

This study is a preliminary survey on thumb reach of Indonesian population when interacting with single-handed device. This study was aimed to know the thumb reach envelope on the screen of mobile phone. The correlation between the thumb reach vs. the hand length and thumb length was also identified. Thirty young adults participated in the study. All participants had normal body stature and were right-handed person. In the observational phase, the participant was asked to colour the canvas area on the screen of the mobile phone by using his/her thumb. The participant had to complete the task by applying the single hand interaction. The participant should grab the mobile phone as he/she use it normally in his/her daily activities. The thumb reach envelope of participants was identified from the coloured area of the canvas. The results of this study found that participants with a large hand length and thumb length tend to have a large thumb reach. The results of this study also show the thumb reach area of the participants is forming an elliptical shape that runs from the northeast to southwest on the device screen.

Influencing factors on hand hygiene behavior of nursing students based on theory of planned behavior: A descriptive survey study.

PubMed

Jeong, Sun Young; Kim, Kyung Mi

2016-01-01

Hand hygiene is the single most important measure to prevent transmission of infection, but the compliance rate of healthcare workers is relatively low. This study was conducted to identify the knowledge, beliefs, behavior, and affecting factors about hand hygiene among nursing students. A descriptive survey study. The study was carried out in two South Korean nursing schools. A total 208 nursing students participated in this study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The percentage of correct answers in the survey section concerning hand hygiene knowledge was 68.1%. No significant difference in the knowledge, behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, or control beliefs data was found related to general characteristics. Behavioral beliefs correlated with normative beliefs (r=.25, p<.001) and hand hygiene behavior (r=.17, p=.017), and control beliefs correlated with hand hygiene behavior (r=.18, p=.010). The results suggest that knowledge is not enough to change the beliefs related to hand hygiene; positive behavioral beliefs and strong control beliefs are also needed to increase hand hygiene compliance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Hand Sanitizers with and without Organic Acids for Removal of Rhinovirus from Hands ▿

PubMed Central

Turner, Ronald B.; Fuls, Janice L.; Rodgers, Nancy D.

2010-01-01

These studies evaluated the effectiveness of ethanol hand sanitizers with or without organic acids to remove detectable rhinovirus from the hands and prevent experimental rhinovirus infection. Ethanol hand sanitizers were significantly more effective than hand washing with soap and water. The addition of organic acids to the ethanol provided residual virucidal activity that persisted for at least 4 h. Whether these treatments will reduce rhinovirus infection in the natural setting remains to be determined. PMID:20047916

Numerical methods for stochastic differential equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kloeden, Peter; Platen, Eckhard

1991-06-01

The numerical analysis of stochastic differential equations differs significantly from that of ordinary differential equations due to the peculiarities of stochastic calculus. This book provides an introduction to stochastic calculus and stochastic differential equations, both theory and applications. The main emphasise is placed on the numerical methods needed to solve such equations. It assumes an undergraduate background in mathematical methods typical of engineers and physicists, through many chapters begin with a descriptive summary which may be accessible to others who only require numerical recipes. To help the reader develop an intuitive understanding of the underlying mathematicals and hand-on numerical skills exercises and over 100 PC Exercises (PC-personal computer) are included. The stochastic Taylor expansion provides the key tool for the systematic derivation and investigation of discrete time numerical methods for stochastic differential equations. The book presents many new results on higher order methods for strong sample path approximations and for weak functional approximations, including implicit, predictor-corrector, extrapolation and variance-reduction methods. Besides serving as a basic text on such methods. the book offers the reader ready access to a large number of potential research problems in a field that is just beginning to expand rapidly and is widely applicable.

A qualitative analysis of the experience and impact of killing in hand-to-hand combat.

PubMed

Jensen, Peter R; Simpson, Duncan

2014-08-01

A growing body of research suggests that killing during military combat is closely associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as a number of other adverse mental health related conditions (e.g., dissociative experiences, violent behavior, functional impairment). This article provides first-person perspectives on the experiences and impact of killing by service members with the goal of expanding our understanding of the impact of taking a life during war. In audio-recorded phenomenological interviews, 9 service members described their experiences and the subsequent impact of killing during hand-to-hand combat. A description, supported by participant quotations, was constructed to represent the participants' experiences. Results suggest the experience and aftermath of taking a life in hand-to-hand combat was disturbing, psychologically stressful, and necessitated some form of coping after the event. Service members who killed in hand-to-hand combat viewed their actions as necessary to preserve their life and that killing in hand-to-hand combat was more emotionally taxing than killing by shooting. Our findings may help to improve providers' understanding of service members' first-person experiences of killing in hand-to-hand combat and thus provide the basis for the development of a connected and genuine relationship with such military clients. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

The relationships between hand coupling force and vibration biodynamic responses of the hand-arm system.

PubMed

Pan, Daniel; Xu, Xueyan S; Welcome, Daniel E; McDowell, Thomas W; Warren, Christopher; Wu, John; Dong, Ren G

2018-06-01

This study conducted two series of experiments to investigate the relationships between hand coupling force and biodynamic responses of the hand-arm system. In the first experiment, the vibration transmissibility on the system was measured as a continuous function of grip force while the hand was subjected to discrete sinusoidal excitations. In the second experiment, the biodynamic responses of the system subjected to a broadband random vibration were measured under five levels of grip forces and a combination of grip and push forces. This study found that the transmissibility at each given frequency increased with the increase in the grip force before reaching a maximum level. The transmissibility then tended to plateau or decrease when the grip force was further increased. This threshold force increased with an increase in the vibration frequency. These relationships remained the same for both types of vibrations. The implications of the experimental results are discussed. Practitioner Summary: Shocks and vibrations transmitted to the hand-arm system may cause injuries and disorders of the system. How to take hand coupling force into account in the risk assessment of vibration exposure remains an important issue for further studies. This study is designed and conducted to help resolve this issue.

Prevalence, incidence and predictive factors for hand eczema in young adults – a follow-up study

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Hand eczema is common in the general population and affects women twice as often as men. It is also the most frequent occupational skin disease. The economic consequences are considerable for society and for the affected individuals. Methods To investigate the prevalence and incidence of hand eczema and to evaluate risk factors for development of hand eczema in young adults. Subjects and methods; This is a prospective follow-up study of 2,403 young adults, 16 – 19 years old in 1995 and aged 29 – 32 years, 13 years later, in 2008. They completed a postal questionnaire that included questions regarding one-year prevalence of hand eczema, childhood eczema, asthma, rhino-conjunctivitis and factors considered to affect hand eczema such as hand-washing, washing and cleaning, cooking, taking care of small children and usage of moisturisers. These factors were evaluated with the multinominal logistic regression analysis. Results The one-year prevalence of hand eczema was 15.8% (females 20.3% and males 10.0%, p < 0.001). The incidence was 11.6 cases per 1000 person-years (females 14.3 and males 5.2, p < 0.001). Childhood eczema was the most important risk factor for hand eczema. The odds ratios were 13.17 when having hand eczema 1995 and 2008 compared to 5.17 in 2008 (p < 0.001). A high frequency of hand washing was important in predicting hand eczema only when having 1-year prevalence 2008, OR 1.02 (p = 0.038). Conclusions After 13 years an increased 1-year prevalence of hand eczema was found. The significant risk factors for hand eczema changed over time from endogenous to exogenous factors. PMID:24164871

On the Numerical Study of Heavy Rainfall in Taiwan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tao, Wei-Kuo; Chen, Ching-Sen; Chen, Yi-Leng; Jou, Ben Jong-Dao; Lin, Pay-Liam; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Heavy rainfall events are frequently observed over the western side of the CMR (central mountain range), which runs through Taiwan in a north-south orientation, in a southwesterly flow regime and over the northeastern side of the CMR in a northeasterly flow regime. Previous studies have revealed the mechanisms by which the heavy rainfall events are formed. Some of them have examined characteristics of the heavy rainfall via numerical simulations. In this paper, some of the previous numerical studies on heavy rainfall events around Taiwan during the Mei-Yu season (May and June), summer (non-typhoon cases) and autumn will be reviewed. Associated mechanisms proposed from observational studies will be reviewed first, and then characteristics of numerically simulated heavy rainfall events will be presented. The formation mechanisms of heavy rainfall from simulated results and from observational analysis are then compared and discussed. Based on these previous modeling studies, we will also discuss what are the major observations and modeling processes which will be needed for understanding the heavy precipitation in the future.

Individual left-hand and right-hand intra-digit representations in human primary somatosensory cortex.

PubMed

Schweisfurth, Meike A; Frahm, Jens; Schweizer, Renate

2015-09-01

Individual intra-digit somatotopy of all phalanges of the middle and little finger of the right and left hand was studied by functional magnetic resonance imaging in 12 healthy subjects. Phalanges were tactilely stimulated and activation in BA 3b of the human primary somatosensory cortex could be observed for each individual phalanx. Activation peaks were further analysed using the Direction/Order (DiOr) method, which identifies somatotopy, if a significantly high number of subjects exhibit ordered distal-to-proximal phalanx representions along a similar direction. Based on DiOr, ordered and similar-direction-aligned intra-digit maps across subjects were found at the left hand for the little and middle finger and at the right hand for the little finger. In these digits the proximal phalanges were represented more medially along the course of the central sulcus than the distal phalanges. This is contrasted by the intra-digit maps for the middle finger of the right hand, which showed larger inter-subject variations of phalanx alignments without a similar within-digit representation across subjects. As all subjects were right-handed and as the middle finger of the dominant hand probably plays a more individual role in everyday tactile performance than the little finger of the right hand and all left-hand digits, the observed variation might reflect a functional somatotopy based on individual use of that particular digit at the dominant hand. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Numerical study of fluid motion in bioreactor with two mixers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zheleva, I., E-mail: izheleva@uni-ruse.bg; Lecheva, A., E-mail: alecheva@uni-ruse.bg

2015-10-28

Numerical study of hydrodynamic laminar behavior of a viscous fluid in bioreactor with multiple mixers is provided in the present paper. The reactor is equipped with two disk impellers. The fluid motion is studied in stream function-vorticity formulation. The calculations are made by a computer program, written in MATLAB. The fluid structure is described and numerical results are graphically presented and commented.

Physical and numerical studies of a fracture system model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piggott, Andrew R.; Elsworth, Derek

1989-03-01

Physical and numerical studies of transient flow in a model of discretely fractured rock are presented. The physical model is a thermal analogue to fractured media flow consisting of idealized disc-shaped fractures. The numerical model is used to predict the behavior of the physical model. The use of different insulating materials to encase the physical model allows the effects of differing leakage magnitudes to be examined. A procedure for determining appropriate leakage parameters is documented. These parameters are used in forward analysis to predict the thermal response of the physical model. Knowledge of the leakage parameters and of the temporal variation of boundary conditions are shown to be essential to an accurate prediction. Favorable agreement is illustrated between numerical and physical results. The physical model provides a data source for the benchmarking of alternative numerical algorithms.

Hand sanitizer-dispensing door handles increase hand hygiene compliance: a pilot study.

PubMed

Babiarz, Lukasz S; Savoie, Brent; McGuire, Mark; McConnell, Lauren; Nagy, Paul

2014-04-01

Improving rates of hand hygiene compliance (HHC) has been shown to reduce nosocomial disease. We compared the HHC for a traditional wall-mounted unit and a novel sanitizer-dispensing door handle device in a hospital inpatient ultrasound area. HHC increased 24.5%-77.1% (P < .001) for the exam room with the sanitizer-dispensing door handle, whereas it remained unchanged for the other rooms. Technical improvements like a sanitizer-dispensing door handle can improve hospital HHC. Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of a biometric method to estimate age on hand radiographs.

PubMed

Remy, Floriane; Hossu, Gabriela; Cendre, Romain; Micard, Emilien; Mainard-Simard, Laurence; Felblinger, Jacques; Martrille, Laurent; Lalys, Loïc

2017-02-01

Age estimation of living individuals aged less than 13, 18 or 21 years, which are some relevant legal ages in most European countries, is currently problematic in the forensic context. Thus, numerous methods are available for legal authorities, although their efficiency can be discussed. For those reasons, we aimed to propose a new method, based on the biometric analysis of hand bones. 451 hand radiographs of French individuals under the age of 21 were retrospectively analyzed. This total sample was divided into three subgroups bounded by the relevant legal ages previously mentioned: 0-13, 13-18 and 18-21 years. On these radiographs, we numerically applied the osteometric board method used in anthropology, by including each metacarpal and proximal phalange of the five hand rays in the smallest rectangle possible. In that we can access their length and width information thanks to a measurement protocol developed precisely for our treatment with the ORS Visual ® software. Then, a statistical analysis was performed from these biometric data: a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) evaluated the probability for an individual to belong to one of the age group (0-13, 13-18 or 18-21); and several multivariate regression models were tested for the establishment of age estimation formulas for each of these age groups. The mean Correlation Coefficient between chronological age and both lengths and widths of hand bones is equal to 0.90 for the total sample. Repeatability and reproducibility were assessed. The LDA could more easily predict the belonging to the 0-13 age group. Age can be estimated with a mean standard error which never exceeds 1 year for the 95% confidence interval. Finally, compared to the literature, we can conclude that estimating an age from the biometric information of metacarpals and proximal phalanges is promising. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hand rehabilitation using MIDI keyboard playing in adolescents with brain damage: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Chong, Hyun Ju; Cho, Sung-Rae; Kim, Soo Ji

2014-01-01

As a sequential, programmed movement of fingers, keyboard playing is a promising technique for inducing execution and a high level of coordination during finger movements. Also, keyboard playing can be physically and emotionally rewarding for adolescents in rehabilitation settings and thereby motivate continued involvement in treatment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of keyboard playing using Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) on finger movement for adolescents with brain damage. Eight adolescents with brain damage, ages 9 to 18 years (M = 13 years, SD = 2.78), in physical rehabilitation settings participated in this study. Measurements included MIDI keyboard playing for pressing force of the fingers and hand function tests (Grip and Pinch Power Test, Box and Block Test of Manual Dexterity [BBT], and the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test). Results showed increased velocity of all fingers on the MIDI-based test, and statistical significance was found in the velocity of F2 (index finger), F3 (middle finger), and F5 (little finger) between pre- and post-training tests. Correlation analysis between the pressing force of the finger and hand function tests showed a strong positive correlation between the measure of grip power and the pressing force of F2 and F5 on the Grip and Pinch Strength Test. All fingers showed strong correlation between MIDI results and BBT. For the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test, only the moving light objects task at post-training yielded strong correlation with MIDI results of all fingers. The results support using keyboard playing for hand rehabilitation, especially in the pressing force of individual finger sequential movements. Further investigation is needed to define the feasibility of the MIDI program for valid hand rehabilitation for people with brain damage.

Factors associated with combined hand and foot eczema.

PubMed

Agner, T; Aalto-Korte, K; Andersen, K E; Foti, C; Gimenéz-Arnau, A; Goncalo, M; Goossens, A; Le Coz, C; Diepgen, T L

2017-05-01

As for hand eczema, the aetiology of foot eczema is multifactorial and not very well understood. The aim of the present study was to identify factors associated with foot eczema in a cohort of hand eczema patients being classified into different subgroups. Associations between foot and hand eczema were studied in a cross-sectional design in a cohort of hand eczema patients. Consecutive patients were recruited from nine different European Centres during the period October 2011-September 2012. Data on demographic factors, presence of foot eczema, hand eczema duration and severity, and whether the hand eczema was work-related or not were available, as well as patch-test results. Of a total of 427 hand eczema patients identified, information on foot eczema was available in 419 patients who were included in the present study. A total of 125 patients (29.8%) had concomitant foot and hand eczema. It was found more often in association with hyperkeratotic hand eczema (P = 0.007) and was less often associated with irritant hand eczema (P < 0.001). However, foot eczema was nevertheless found in 18% of patient with irritant hand eczema and in 25% of patients with occupational hand eczema. Combined foot and hand eczema was associated with more severe and long-standing hand eczema (P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Contact allergy was found in 51.8% with no difference between patients with combined foot and hand eczema and patients with hand eczema only. Occurrence of combined foot and hand eczema is a common finding and not restricted to endogenous hand eczema. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Sensitivity of a numerical wave model on wind re-analysis datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavidas, George; Venugopal, Vengatesan; Friedrich, Daniel

2017-03-01

Wind is the dominant process for wave generation. Detailed evaluation of metocean conditions strengthens our understanding of issues concerning potential offshore applications. However, the scarcity of buoys and high cost of monitoring systems pose a barrier to properly defining offshore conditions. Through use of numerical wave models, metocean conditions can be hindcasted and forecasted providing reliable characterisations. This study reports the sensitivity of wind inputs on a numerical wave model for the Scottish region. Two re-analysis wind datasets with different spatio-temporal characteristics are used, the ERA-Interim Re-Analysis and the CFSR-NCEP Re-Analysis dataset. Different wind products alter results, affecting the accuracy obtained. The scope of this study is to assess different available wind databases and provide information concerning the most appropriate wind dataset for the specific region, based on temporal, spatial and geographic terms for wave modelling and offshore applications. Both wind input datasets delivered results from the numerical wave model with good correlation. Wave results by the 1-h dataset have higher peaks and lower biases, in expense of a high scatter index. On the other hand, the 6-h dataset has lower scatter but higher biases. The study shows how wind dataset affects the numerical wave modelling performance, and that depending on location and study needs, different wind inputs should be considered.

A numerical study on piezoelectric energy harvesting by combining transverse galloping and parametric instability phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franzini, Guilherme Rosa; Santos, Rebeca Caramêz Saraiva; Pesce, Celso Pupo

2017-12-01

This paper aims to numerically investigate the effects of parametric instability on piezoelectric energy harvesting from the transverse galloping of a square prism. A two degrees-of-freedom reduced-order model for this problem is proposed and numerically integrated. A usual quasi-steady galloping model is applied, where the transverse force coefficient is adopted as a cubic polynomial function with respect to the angle of attack. Time-histories of nondimensional prism displacement, electric voltage and power dissipated at both the dashpot and the electrical resistance are obtained as functions of the reduced velocity. Both, oscillation amplitude and electric voltage, increased with the reduced velocity for all parametric excitation conditions tested. For low values of reduced velocity, 2:1 parametric excitation enhances the electric voltage. On the other hand, for higher reduced velocities, a 1:1 parametric excitation (i.e., the same as the natural frequency) enhances both oscillation amplitude and electric voltage. It has been also found that, depending on the parametric excitation frequency, the harvested electrical power can be amplified in 70% when compared to the case under no parametric excitation.

Feasibility study: Effect of hand resistance exercise on handwriting in Parkinson's disease and essential tremor.

PubMed

Bryant, Mon S; Workman, Craig D; Jamal, Fariha; Meng, Hao; Jackson, George R

A single group, repeated measures design was used. Tremor can lead to impaired hand function in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and essential tremor (ET). Difficulty with handwriting is a common complaint in these patients suffering from hand tremors. The effect of hand resistance exercise on handwriting is unknown. To explore the influence of 6 weeks of home-based hand resistance exercise on handwriting in individuals with PD and ET. Nine individuals with PD and 9 with ET participated in the study. The average age was 65.3 (6.0) years with an average disease duration of 7.8 years. Participants were instructed to perform a home-based, hand and arm resistance exercise program 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Samples of the area of handwriting and maximal grip strength were measured at baseline and after 6 weeks of exercise. The area of the handwriting sample and maximal grip strength measured before and after 6 weeks were compared. Mean grip strength of the participants with PD improved after 6 weeks of hand resistance exercise (P = .031), but grip strength did not change in ET (P = .091). The size of the handwriting samples (words and sentences) did not change after exercise in either participants with PD or ET. Micrographia in patients with PD and macrographia in patients with ET represent complex fine motor skills. More research is needed to understand what therapies could be effective in modifying the size and quality of handwriting. The purpose of this feasibility study was to explore the influence of home-based wrist resistance exercise on handwriting in individuals with PD and ET. Despite small gains in grip strength, the size of the handwriting samples (words and sentences) did not change for patients with PD or ET following a 6-week home-based hand resistance exercise program. Published by Elsevier Inc.

[Hand motor dysfunctions in computer users].

PubMed

Shavlovskaia, O A; Shvarkov, S B; Posokhov, S I

2010-01-01

It were studied 239 female typists aged from 16 to 62 years (mean age 20,1±7,8 years) using author's questionnaire for computer typists to assess hand function and develop preventive measures of disturbances revealed. Indirect signs of tunnel hand neuropathy (27,2%), focal hand dystonia (21,4%) and muscular-tonic syndromes of different localization (18%) have been found. Typists are a risk group of fine hand motor dysfunctions. As preventive measures, authors recommend to use computer auxiliary devices, to change a motor stereotype during the day, to make hand "motor holidays", to organize working place.

Hand skin reconstruction from skeletal landmarks.

PubMed

Lefèvre, P; Van Sint Jan, S; Beauthier, J P; Rooze, M

2007-11-01

Many studies related to three-dimensional facial reconstruction have been previously reported. On the other hand, no extensive work has been found in the literature about hand reconstruction as an identification method. In this paper, the feasibility of virtual reconstruction of hand skin based on (1) its skeleton and (2) another hand skin and skeleton used as template was assessed. One cadaver hand and one volunteer's hand have been used. For the two hands, computer models of the bones and skin were obtained from computerized tomography. A customized software allowed locating spatial coordinates of bony anatomical landmarks on the models. From these landmarks, the spatial relationships between the models were determined and used to interpolate the missing hand skin. The volume of the interpolated skin was compared to the real skin obtained from medical imaging for validation. Results seem to indicate that such a method is of interest to give forensic investigators morphological clues related to an individual hand skin based on its skeleton. Further work is in progress to finalize the method.

The Rubber Hand Illusion: Feeling of Ownership and Proprioceptive Drift Do Not Go Hand in Hand

PubMed Central

Rohde, Marieke; Di Luca, Massimiliano; Ernst, Marc O.

2011-01-01

In the Rubber Hand Illusion, the feeling of ownership of a rubber hand displaced from a participant's real occluded hand is evoked by synchronously stroking both hands with paintbrushes. A change of perceived finger location towards the rubber hand (proprioceptive drift) has been reported to correlate with this illusion. To measure the time course of proprioceptive drift during the Rubber Hand Illusion, we regularly interrupted stroking (performed by robot arms) to measure perceived finger location. Measurements were made by projecting a probe dot into the field of view (using a semi-transparent mirror) and asking participants if the dot is to the left or to the right of their invisible hand (Experiment 1) or to adjust the position of the dot to that of their invisible hand (Experiment 2). We varied both the measurement frequency (every 10 s, 40 s, 120 s) and the mode of stroking (synchronous, asynchronous, just vision). Surprisingly, with frequent measurements, proprioceptive drift occurs not only in the synchronous stroking condition but also in the two control conditions (asynchronous stroking, just vision). Proprioceptive drift in the synchronous stroking condition is never higher than in the just vision condition. Only continuous exposure to asynchronous stroking prevents proprioceptive drift and thus replicates the differences in drift reported in the literature. By contrast, complementary subjective ratings (questionnaire) show that the feeling of ownership requires synchronous stroking and is not present in the asynchronous stroking condition. Thus, subjective ratings and drift are dissociated. We conclude that different mechanisms of multisensory integration are responsible for proprioceptive drift and the feeling of ownership. Proprioceptive drift relies on visuoproprioceptive integration alone, a process that is inhibited by asynchronous stroking, the most common control condition in Rubber Hand Illusion experiments. This dissociation implies that

Epidemiology of bacterial hand infections.

PubMed

Houshian, Shirzad; Seyedipour, Sedigheh; Wedderkopp, Niels

2006-07-01

The aim of the study was to delineate and update the bacteriological spectrum, characterize patterns and sites of injury, evaluate laboratory tests and possible causes of complications in patients with bacterial hand infections. All hand infections operated on in the department of orthopedics at Odense University Hospital during the period 1992-2001 were reviewed retrospectively. A standard protocol was used to collect data for each patient. We also examined all laboratory reports and recorded the identity of the etiologic organism, if known, for all cases of bacterial hand infections. Four hundred and eighteen patients (296 men and 122 women) with hand infections were operated on between 1992 and 2001 in our department. The median age of the patients was 40 years (range 1-93). The average interval from primary injury to operation was 10 days (range 1-50). The etiology was laceration/puncture in 35%. The site of infection was subcutaneous in 45% followed by tendon, joint and bone in 27, 18 and 5%, respectively. The bacteria isolated from the patients showed that 184 cultures (44%) were pure Staphylococcus aureus followed by 49 cultures (11.7%) of mixed organisms. Body temperature and C-reactive protein (CRP) were normal in three quarters of all patients with hand infections in our series. However the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was elevated in 50% of the patients and was a significantly better test for infection in this study than CRP (p = 0.002). Neither the severity of infection nor the etiology of infection was related in any way to the initial temperature, CRP or ESR in this study. Complications were noted in 14.8% of all patients, and were especially related to diabetes, and mixed infection. Despite modern antibiotics, hand infections with a variety of organisms continue to be a source of morbidity and possible long-term disability. Most hand infections are the result of minor wounds that have been neglected. A complete history and physical

Body ownership and the four-hand illusion.

PubMed

Chen, Wen-Yeo; Huang, Hsu-Chia; Lee, Yen-Tung; Liang, Caleb

2018-02-01

Recent studies of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) have shown that the sense of body ownership is constrained by several factors and yet is still very flexible. However, exactly how flexible is our sense of body ownership? In this study, we address this issue by investigating the following question: is it possible that one may have the illusory experience of owning four hands? Under visual manipulation, the participant adopted the experimenter's first-person perspective (1PP) as if it was his/her own. Sitting face to face, the participant saw four hands-the experimenter's two hands from the adopted 1PP together with the subject's own two hands from the adopted third-person perspective (3PP). We found that: (1) the four-hand illusion did not occur in the passive four-hand condition. (2) In the active four-hand condition, the participants tapped their index fingers, imitated by the experimenter. When tactile stimulations were not provided, the key illusion was not induced, either. (3) Strikingly, once all four hands began to act with the same pattern and received synchronous tactile stimulations at the same time, many participants felt as if they had two more hands. These results show that the sense of body ownership is much more flexible than most researchers have suggested.

Individual differences in non-symbolic numerical abilities predict mathematical achievements but contradict ATOM.

PubMed

Agrillo, Christian; Piffer, Laura; Adriano, Andrea

2013-07-01

A significant debate surrounds the nature of the cognitive mechanisms involved in non-symbolic number estimation. Several studies have suggested the existence of the same cognitive system for estimation of time, space, and number, called "a theory of magnitude" (ATOM). In addition, researchers have proposed the theory that non-symbolic number abilities might support our mathematical skills. Despite the large number of studies carried out, no firm conclusions can be drawn on either topic. In the present study, we correlated the performance of adults on non-symbolic magnitude estimations and symbolic numerical tasks. Non-symbolic magnitude abilities were assessed by asking participants to estimate which auditory tone lasted longer (time), which line was longer (space), and which group of dots was more numerous (number). To assess symbolic numerical abilities, participants were required to perform mental calculations and mathematical reasoning. We found a positive correlation between non-symbolic and symbolic numerical abilities. On the other hand, no correlation was found among non-symbolic estimations of time, space, and number. Our study supports the idea that mathematical abilities rely on rudimentary numerical skills that predate verbal language. By contrast, the lack of correlation among non-symbolic estimations of time, space, and number is incompatible with the idea that these magnitudes are entirely processed by the same cognitive system.

Fitting a hand-glove prosthesis to enhance the reconstructed mutilated hand.

PubMed

Leow, M E; Kour, A K; Pereira, B P; Pho, R W

1998-03-01

Microsurgical reconstruction of the severely mutilated hand aimed at improving prehensile functions often does not address the esthetic aspects of the hand. The poor appearance of the reconstructed hand affects its active display and use. A hand-glove prosthesis may be prescribed in this instance to enhance the overall form and function of the mutilated hand. We reviewed 16 cases of mutilating hand injuries in which surgical reconstructions were performed and the patients were subsequently fitted with a hand-glove prosthesis to augment the outcome. An improved appearance was achieved in all patients fitted with the prosthesis. The patients' sense of confidence was also enhanced, which in turn promoted the active and open use of the reconstructed hands. While prescribed primarily to improve the appearance of the reconstructed hands, these prostheses were documented to enhance the physical hand functions in 11 cases by increasing the span of the hand and providing an opposable post and a palmar base for holding and for anchorage. The prosthesis enhanced assistive functions of the reconstructed hands and freed the contralateral normal hand for use in bimanual activities, such as holding a wallet and taking out money, supporting a note pad for writing, and holding a plate at buffet receptions. At the 18-month follow-up visit, 13 (87%) of the patients continued to use their prosthesis. Wear and tear were problems associated with the frequent use of the prosthesis. The expected life span of the prosthesis with daily use ranged from 2 to 3 years. All the patients acknowledged that the prosthesis played a role in their rehabilitation and that it helped them to overcome the initial psychological trauma and to come to terms with their physical loss.

Predictive factors of self-reported hand eczema in adult Danes: a population-based cohort study with 5-year follow-up.

PubMed

Heede, N G; Thyssen, J P; Thuesen, B H; Linneberg, A; Johansen, J D

2016-08-01

Information about predictive factors of hand eczema is crucial for primary prevention. To investigate predictive factors of hand eczema in adult Danes from the general population. Participants from a cross-sectional 5-year follow-up study in the general population, aged 18-72 years (n = 2270), completed questionnaires about skin health and were grouped into four hand eczema groups: 'never', 'incident', 'nonpersistent' and 'persistent'. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for age group and sex were used to evaluate associations with baseline variables. The participation rate for the follow-up study was 66·5% (29·7% of the participants originally invited to the baseline study). A history of atopic dermatitis (AD) was associated with both persistent and incident hand eczema [odds ratio (OR) 9·0, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 5·6-14·4 and OR 3·0, 95% CI 1·7-5·2, respectively]. Thus, even in adulthood, a history of AD should be considered as a predictor of incident hand eczema. While filaggrin gene (FLG) null mutations were not associated with incident hand eczema, a statistically significant association was observed with persistent hand eczema (OR 3·1, 95% CI 1·8-5·2). Finally, contact sensitization (23 allergens without nickel) was also associated with persistent hand eczema (OR 2·5, 95% CI 1·2-5·0), independently of a history of AD. This study confirms a history of AD as the strongest predictor of persistent hand eczema. We additionally found that a history of AD was associated with incident hand eczema in adults, in contrast to FLG mutations, which were associated only with persistent hand eczema in individuals with a history of AD, and not with incident hand eczema. Our study adds new knowledge to the interplay between AD, FLG mutations and hand eczema in the adult general population. © 2016 British Association of Dermatologists.

Guideline Implementation: Hand Hygiene.

PubMed

Goldberg, Judith L

2017-02-01

Performing proper hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis is essential to reducing the rates of health care-associated infections, including surgical site infections. The updated AORN "Guideline for hand hygiene" provides guidance on hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis, the wearing of fingernail polish and artificial nails, proper skin care to prevent dermatitis, the wearing of jewelry, hand hygiene product selection, and quality assurance and performance improvement considerations. This article focuses on key points of the guideline to help perioperative personnel make informed decisions about hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis. The key points address the necessity of keeping fingernails and skin healthy, not wearing jewelry on the hands or wrists in the perioperative area, properly performing hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis, and involving patients and visitors in hand hygiene initiatives. Perioperative RNs should review the complete guideline for additional information and for guidance when writing and updating policies and procedures. Copyright © 2017 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Left-handed skeletally mature baseball players have smaller humeral retroversion in the throwing arm than right-handed players.

PubMed

Takenaga, Tetsuya; Goto, Hideyuki; Sugimoto, Katsumasa; Tsuchiya, Atsushi; Fukuyoshi, Masaki; Nakagawa, Hiroki; Nozaki, Masahiro; Takeuchi, Satoshi; Otsuka, Takanobu

2017-12-01

It is known that the humeral retroversion of baseball players is greater in the throwing arm than in the nonthrowing arm. An investigation measuring dry bone specimens also showed that the right humerus had greater retroversion than the left. Considering these facts, it was hypothesized that humeral retroversion would differ between right- and left-handed players. This study aimed to compare the bilateral humeral retroversion between right- and left-handed skeletally mature baseball players. We investigated 260 (196 right-handed and 64 left-handed) male baseball players who belonged to a college or amateur team. Bilateral humeral retroversion was assessed using an ultrasound-assisted technique (humeral torsion angle [HTA]) as described by previous studies. Analysis of covariance, adjusted for handedness and baseball position, assessed the effect of throwing arm dominance on HTA. In comparison of the throwing arm, HTA was significantly smaller in left-handed (left humerus) than in right-handed (right humerus) players (77° vs. 81°; P < .001). In comparison of the nonthrowing arm, HTA was significantly greater in left-handed (right humerus) than in right-handed (left humerus) players (73° vs. 69°; P < .001). The mean side-to-side difference of HTA was significantly smaller in left-handed than in right-handed players (3° vs. 12°; P < .001). Humeral retroversion of left-handed skeletally mature baseball players was significantly smaller in the throwing arm, greater in the nonthrowing arm, and smaller in side-to-side differences than that of right-handed players. These findings may be key to understanding some of the biomechanical differences between right- and left-handed baseball players. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Toucan hand feeding and nestling growth.

PubMed

St Leger, Judy; Vince, Martin; Jennings, Jerry; McKerney, Erin; Nilson, Erika

2012-05-01

A retrospective analysis of hand-feeding records and growth data from 3 facilities was performed to determine the growth pattern for 8 toucan species raised in captivity. General philosophies of breeding and rearing were similar but approaches to hand-feeding varied. General hand-feeding and chick management records from hatch to fledging were reviewed for 2 of the 3 facilities. Effective hand-feeding formulas were commercially available and minimally modified. Growth curves were developed. Curves approximated typical expected patterns of nestling growth with no loss of weight at fledging. This study provides a basis for hand-feeding protocols and growth curves to assess development.

The Ways of the Hand: A Study of Hand Function among Blind, Visually Impaired and Visually Impaired Multi-Handicapped Children and Adolescents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogow, Sally M.

1987-01-01

The manual development of 148 blind, visually impaired, and visually impaired multi-handicapped students, aged 3-19, was studied. Results indicated a significant relationship between object manipulation and speech, and an inverse relationship between object manipulation and stereotypic hand mannerisms. Optimal development of manual functions and…

Symbolic, Nonsymbolic and Conceptual: An Across-Notation Study on the Space Mapping of Numerals.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; You, Xuqun; Zhu, Rongjuan

2016-07-01

Previous studies suggested that there are interconnections between two numeral modalities of symbolic notation and nonsymbolic notation (array of dots), differences and similarities of the processing, and representation of the two modalities have both been found in previous research. However, whether there are differences between the spatial representation and numeral-space mapping of the two numeral modalities of symbolic notation and nonsymbolic notation is still uninvestigated. The present study aims to examine whether there are differences between the spatial representation and numeral-space mapping of the two numeral modalities of symbolic notation and nonsymbolic notation; especially how zero, as both a symbolic magnitude numeral and a nonsymbolic conceptual numeral, mapping onto space; and if the mapping happens automatically at an early stage of the numeral information processing. Results of the two experiments demonstrate that the low-level processing of symbolic numerals including zero and nonsymbolic numerals except zero can mapping onto space, whereas the low-level processing of nonsymbolic zero as a semantic conceptual numeral cannot mapping onto space, which indicating the specialty of zero in the numeral domain. The present study indicates that the processing of non-semantic numerals can mapping onto space, whereas semantic conceptual numerals cannot mapping onto space. © The Author(s) 2016.

Numerical Model Studies of the Martian Mesoscale Circulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Segal, Moti; Arritt, Raymond W.

1997-01-01

The study objectives were to evaluate by numerical modeling various possible mesoscale circulation on Mars and related atmospheric boundary layer processes. The study was in collaboration with J. Tillman of the University of Washington (who supported the study observationally). Interaction has been made with J. Prusa of Iowa State University in numerical modeling investigation of dynamical effects of topographically-influenced flow. Modeling simulations included evaluations of surface physical characteristics on: (i) the Martian atmospheric boundary layer and (ii) their impact on thermally and dynamically forced mesoscale flows. Special model evaluations were made in support of selection of the Pathfinder landing sites. J. Tillman's finding of VL-2 inter-annual temperature difference was followed by model simulations attempting to point out the forcing for this feature. Publication of the results in the reviewed literature in pending upon completion of the manuscripts in preparation as indicated later.

Economic Evaluation of a Multifaceted Implementation Strategy for the Prevention of Hand Eczema Among Healthcare Workers in Comparison with a Control Group: The Hands4U Study.

PubMed

van der Meer, Esther W C; van Dongen, Johanna M; Boot, Cécile R L; van der Gulden, Joost W J; Bosmans, Judith E; Anema, Johannes R

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy for the prevention of hand eczema in comparison with a control group among healthcare workers. A total of 48 departments (n=1,649) were randomly allocated to the implementation strategy or the control group. Data on hand eczema and costs were collected at baseline and every 3 months. Cost-effectiveness analyses were performed using linear multilevel analyses. The probability of the implementation strategy being cost-effective gradually increased with an increasing willingness-to-pay, to 0.84 at a ceiling ratio of €590,000 per person with hand eczema prevented (societal perspective). The implementation strategy appeared to be not cost-effective in comparison with the control group (societal perspective), nor was it cost-beneficial to the employer. However, this study had some methodological problems which should be taken into account when interpreting the results.

Robotic hand with locking mechanism using TCP muscles for applications in prosthetic hand and humanoids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saharan, Lokesh; Tadesse, Yonas

2016-04-01

This paper presents a biomimetic, lightweight, 3D printed and customizable robotic hand with locking mechanism consisting of Twisted and Coiled Polymer (TCP) muscles based on nylon precursor fibers as artificial muscles. Previously, we have presented a small-sized biomimetic hand using nylon based artificial muscles and fishing line muscles as actuators. The current study focuses on an adult-sized prosthetic hand with improved design and a position/force locking system. Energy efficiency is always a matter of concern to make compact, lightweight, durable and cost effective devices. In natural human hand, if we keep holding objects for long time, we get tired because of continuous use of energy for keeping the fingers in certain positions. Similarly, in prosthetic hands we also need to provide energy continuously to artificial muscles to hold the object for a certain period of time, which is certainly not energy efficient. In this work we, describe the design of the robotic hand and locking mechanism along with the experimental results on the performance of the locking mechanism.

Hand preference for writing and associations with selected demographic and behavioral variables in 255,100 subjects: the BBC internet study.

PubMed

Peters, Michael; Reimers, Stian; Manning, John T

2006-11-01

In an Internet study unrelated to handedness, 134,317 female and 120,783 male participants answered a graded question as to which hand they preferred for writing. This allowed determination of hand preference patterns across 7 ethnic groups. Sex differences in left-handedness were found in 4 ethnic groups, favoring males, while no significant sex differences were found in three of the groups. Prevalence of left-handedness in the largest of the ethnic groups (self-labelled as "White") was comparable to contemporary hand preference data for this group [Gilbert, A. N., & Wysocki, C. J. (1992). Hand preference and age in the United states. Neuropsychologia, 30, 601-608] but the prevalence of left-handedness in individuals >70 years of age was considerably higher in the present study. Individuals who indicated "either" hand for writing preference had significantly lower spatial performance (mental rotation task) and significantly higher prevalence of hyperactivity, dyslexia, asthma than individuals who had clear left or right hand preferences, in support of Crow et al. [Crow, T., Crow, L., Done, D., & Leask, S. (1998). Relative hand skill predicts academic ability: global deficits at the point of hemispheric indecision. Neuropsychologia, 36, 1275-1282]. Similarly, an association of writing hand preference and non-heterosexual orientation was clearest for individuals with "either" writing hand responses. We conclude that contradictions in the literature as to whether or not these variables are linked to handedness stem largely from different definitions of hand preference. Due to a lack of statistical power in most studies in the literature, the "either" hand writing preference group that yielded the most salient results in this study is not normally available for analysis.

Pilot study of digital tools to support multimodal hand hygiene in a clinical setting.

PubMed

Thirkell, Gary; Chambers, Joanne; Gilbart, Wayne; Thornhill, Kerrill; Arbogast, James; Lacey, Gerard

2018-03-01

Digital tools for hand hygiene do not share data, limiting their potential to support multimodal programs. The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, United Kingdom, worked with GOJO (in the United States), MEG (in Ireland), and SureWash (in Ireland) to integrate their systems and pilot their combined use in a clinical setting. A 28-bed medical oncology unit piloted the system for 5 weeks. Live data from the tools were combined to create a novel combined risk status metric that was displayed publicly and via a management Web site. The combined risk status reduced over the pilot period. However, larger and longer duration studies are required to reach statistical significance. Staff and especially patient reaction was positive in that 70% of the hand hygiene training events were by patients. The digital tools did not negatively impact clinical workflow and received positive engagement from staff and patients. The combined risk status did not change significantly over the short pilot period because there was also no specific hand hygiene improvement campaign underway at the time of the pilot study. The results indicate that integrated digital tools can provide both rich data and novel tools that both measure impact and provide feedback to support the implementation of multimodal hand hygiene campaigns, reducing the need for significant additional personnel resources. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Role of Hand Dominance in Beginning Braille Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Tessa

2009-01-01

In this article, the author examines the role of "hand dominance" in beginning braille readers. "Hand dominance" refers to whether an individual is "right handed" or "left handed." The data for these analyses were taken from the Alphabetic Braille and Contracted Braille Study (ABC Braille Study). The ABC Braille Study was a five-year nonrandomized…

Agent Orange Exposure and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance: An Operation Ranch Hand Veteran Cohort Study.

PubMed

Landgren, Ola; Shim, Youn K; Michalek, Joel; Costello, Rene; Burton, Debra; Ketchum, Norma; Calvo, Katherine R; Caporaso, Neil; Raveche, Elizabeth; Middleton, Dan; Marti, Gerald; Vogt, Robert F

2015-11-01

Multiple myeloma has been classified as exhibiting "limited or suggestive evidence" of an association with exposure to herbicides in Vietnam War veterans. Occupational studies have shown that other pesticides (ie, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides) are associated with excess risk of multiple myeloma and its precursor state, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS); however, to our knowledge, no studies have uncovered such an association in Vietnam War veterans. To examine the relationship between MGUS and exposure to Agent Orange, including its contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), in Vietnam War veterans. This was a prospective cohort study conducted in 2013 to 2014, testing for MGUS in serum specimens collected and stored in 2002 by the Air Force Health Study (AFHS). The relevant exposure data collected by the AFHS was also used. We tested all specimens in 2013 without knowledge of the exposure status. The AFHS included former US Air Force personnel who participated in Operation Ranch Hand (Ranch Hand veterans) and other US Air Force personnel who had similar duties in Southeast Asia during the same time period (1962 to 1971) but were not involved in herbicide spray missions (comparison veterans). Agent Orange was used by the US Air Force personnel who conducted aerial spray missions of herbicides (Operation Ranch Hand) in Vietnam from 1962 to 1971. We included 479 Ranch Hand veterans and 479 comparison veterans who participated in the 2002 follow-up examination of AFHS. Agent Orange and TCDD. Serum TCDD levels were measured in 1987, 1992, 1997, and 2002. Risk of MGUS measured by prevalence, odds ratios (ORs), and 95% CIs. The 479 Ranch Hand veterans and 479 comparison veterans had similar demographic and lifestyle characteristics and medical histories. The crude prevalence of overall MGUS was 7.1% (34 of 479) in Ranch Hand veterans and 3.1% (15 of 479) in comparison veterans. This translated into a 2.4-fold increased risk

Numerical simulations of negative-index refraction in wedge-shaped metamaterials.

PubMed

Dong, Z G; Zhu, S N; Liu, H; Zhu, J; Cao, W

2005-07-01

A wedge-shaped structure made of split-ring resonators (SRR) and wires is numerically simulated to evaluate its refraction behavior. Four frequency bands, namely, the stop band, left-handed band, ultralow-index band, and positive-index band, are distinguished according to the refracted field distributions. Negative phase velocity inside the wedge is demonstrated in the left-handed band and the Snell's Law is conformed in terms of its refraction behaviors in different frequency bands. Our results confirmed that negative index of refraction indeed exists in such a composite metamaterial and also provided a convincing support to the results of previous Snell's Law experiments.

Hands of early primates.

PubMed

Boyer, Doug M; Yapuncich, Gabriel S; Chester, Stephen G B; Bloch, Jonathan I; Godinot, Marc

2013-12-01

Questions surrounding the origin and early evolution of primates continue to be the subject of debate. Though anatomy of the skull and inferred dietary shifts are often the focus, detailed studies of postcrania and inferred locomotor capabilities can also provide crucial data that advance understanding of transitions in early primate evolution. In particular, the hand skeleton includes characteristics thought to reflect foraging, locomotion, and posture. Here we review what is known about the early evolution of primate hands from a comparative perspective that incorporates data from the fossil record. Additionally, we provide new comparative data and documentation of skeletal morphology for Paleogene plesiadapiforms, notharctines, cercamoniines, adapines, and omomyiforms. Finally, we discuss implications of these data for understanding locomotor transitions during the origin and early evolutionary history of primates. Known plesiadapiform species cannot be differentiated from extant primates based on either intrinsic hand proportions or hand-to-body size proportions. Nonetheless, the presence of claws and a different metacarpophalangeal [corrected] joint form in plesiadapiforms indicate different grasping mechanics. Notharctines and cercamoniines have intrinsic hand proportions with extremely elongated proximal phalanges and digit rays relative to metacarpals, resembling tarsiers and galagos. But their hand-to-body size proportions are typical of many extant primates (unlike those of tarsiers, and possibly Teilhardina, which have extremely large hands). Non-adapine adapiforms and omomyids exhibit additional carpal features suggesting more limited dorsiflexion, greater ulnar deviation, and a more habitually divergent pollex than observed plesiadapiforms. Together, features differentiating adapiforms and omomyiforms from plesiadapiforms indicate increased reliance on vertical prehensile-clinging and grasp-leaping, possibly in combination with predatory behaviors in

Chronic hand eczema - self-management and prognosis: a study protocol for a randomised clinical trial

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Hand eczema has a one-year prevalence of approximately 10 % in the general Danish population. Often the disease becomes chronic with numerous implications for the individual’s daily life, occupation and quality of life. However, no guidelines of self-management recommendations beyond the acute stage are given. Self-management of the disease is pivotal and involves self-monitoring of the condition, medication adherence, and preventive behaviour. Interventions best to support the individual in this ongoing process need to be developed. Methods/design This paper describes the design of a randomised clinical trial to test a newly developed intervention of individual counselling versus conventional information. 300 patients consecutively referred to dermatologic treatment at two different settings are individually randomised to either the intervention programme, named ‘The Healthy Skin Clinic’ or to the control group. Block-wise randomisation according to setting and gender is carried out. The intervention offers a tool for self-monitoring; basic and specific individual counselling; the possibility of asynchronous communication with the intervention team; and an electronic patient dialogue forum. Primary outcome variable is objective assessment of the hand eczema severity performed at baseline prior to randomisation, and repeated at six months follow-up. Secondary outcome variables are dermatology related life quality and perceived global burden of disease. Discussion The trial aims at evaluating a newly developed guidance programme which is expected to support self-management of patients referred to dermatology treatment due to chronic hand eczema. The design of the protocol is pragmatic with blinding of neither participants nor the investigator. Thus, in the interpretation of the results, the investigator takes into account effects that may be attributed to actors of the interventions rather than the intervention per se as well of potential observer

Maturation of the Middle Phalanx of the Third Finger: A Comparative Study between Right and Left Hand.

PubMed

Gracco, Antonio; Bruno, Giovanni; De Stefani, Alberto; Siviero, Laura; Perri, Alessandro; Stellini, Edoardo

Recently a classification of patient's skeletal age based on the phalanx maturation, The Middle Phalanx Maturation of the third finger (MPM) method, was suggested. The aim of this study is to evaluate if there is a difference in MPM between the right and left hand. Two hundred fifty-four patients were obtained from the Complex Operating Unit of Orthodontics of Padua University Hospital. The total sample size has been selected by appropriate statistical calculations resulting in 130 patients. It was decided to further double the sample size of a previous study to ensure a robust statistical analysis. Radiographs of the right and left were obtained using the MPM method. Stages were compared using the right hand as a reference. The statistical analysis (Fisher exact test) was performed for the entire sample and related to gender in order to compare the right and the left hand stages. In MPS2, 6 out 49 (12.2%) males and 7 out 27 females (25.9%) showed MPS3 in the left hand (p-value < 0.05). In all other stages, a total agreement (100%) was found. The authors confirm the use of the right hand as reference. In patients with MPS2 an additional radiograph on the left hand can be taken in order to increase the diagnostic accuracy. In all other stages other radiographs are not needed as a total agreement between the right and left hand was found.

Numerical study of fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equations.

PubMed

Klein, Christian; Sparber, Christof; Markowich, Peter

2014-12-08

Using a Fourier spectral method, we provide a detailed numerical investigation of dispersive Schrödinger-type equations involving a fractional Laplacian in an one-dimensional case. By an appropriate choice of the dispersive exponent, both mass and energy sub- and supercritical regimes can be identified. This allows us to study the possibility of finite time blow-up versus global existence, the nature of the blow-up, the stability and instability of nonlinear ground states and the long-time dynamics of solutions. The latter is also studied in a semiclassical setting. Moreover, we numerically construct ground state solutions of the fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equation.

Numerical study of fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equations

PubMed Central

Klein, Christian; Sparber, Christof; Markowich, Peter

2014-01-01

Using a Fourier spectral method, we provide a detailed numerical investigation of dispersive Schrödinger-type equations involving a fractional Laplacian in an one-dimensional case. By an appropriate choice of the dispersive exponent, both mass and energy sub- and supercritical regimes can be identified. This allows us to study the possibility of finite time blow-up versus global existence, the nature of the blow-up, the stability and instability of nonlinear ground states and the long-time dynamics of solutions. The latter is also studied in a semiclassical setting. Moreover, we numerically construct ground state solutions of the fractional nonlinear Schrödinger equation. PMID:25484604

Numerical Study of Tip Vortex Flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dacles-Mariani, Jennifer; Hafez, Mohamed

1998-01-01

This paper presents an overview and summary of the many different research work related to tip vortex flows and wake/trailing vortices as applied to practical engineering problems. As a literature survey paper, it outlines relevant analytical, theoretical, experimental and computational study found in literature. It also discusses in brief some of the fundamental aspects of the physics and its complexities. An appendix is also included. The topics included in this paper are: 1) Analytical Vortices; 2) Experimental Studies; 3) Computational Studies; 4) Wake Vortex Control and Management; 5) Wake Modeling; 6) High-Lift Systems; 7) Issues in Numerical Studies; 8) Instabilities; 9) Related Topics; 10) Visualization Tools for Vertical Flows; 11) Further Work Needed; 12) Acknowledgements; 13) References; and 14) Appendix.

Distinctive laterality of neural networks supporting action understanding in left- and right-handed individuals: An EEG coherence study.

PubMed

Kelly, Rachel; Mizelle, J C; Wheaton, Lewis A

2015-08-01

Prior work has demonstrated that perspective and handedness of observed actions can affect action understanding differently in right and left-handed persons, suggesting potential differences in the neural networks underlying action understanding between right and left-handed individuals. We sought to evaluate potential differences in these neural networks using electroencephalography (EEG). Right- and left-handed participants observed images of tool-use actions from egocentric and allocentric perspectives, with right- and left-handed actors performing the actions. Participants judged the outcome of the observed actions, and response accuracy and latency were recorded. Behaviorally, the highest accuracy and shortest latency was found in the egocentric perspective for right- and left-handed observers. Handedness of subject showed an effect on accuracy and latency also, where right-handed observers were faster to respond than left-handed observers, but on average were less accurate. Mu band (8-10 Hz) cortico-cortical coherence analysis indicated that right-handed observers have coherence in the motor dominant left parietal-premotor networks when looking at an egocentric right or allocentric left hands. When looking in an egocentric perspective at a left hand or allocentric right hand, coherence was lateralized to right parietal-premotor areas. In left-handed observers, bilateral parietal-premotor coherence patterns were observed regardless of actor handedness. These findings suggest that the cortical networks involved in understanding action outcomes are dependent on hand dominance, and notably right handed participants seem to utilize motor systems based on the limb seen performing the action. The decreased accuracy for right-handed participants on allocentric images could be due to asymmetrical lateralization of encoding action and motoric dominance, which may interfere with translating allocentric limb action outcomes. Further neurophysiological studies will

A randomized control hands-on defibrillation study-Barrier use evaluation.

PubMed

Wampler, David; Kharod, Chetan; Bolleter, Scotty; Burkett, Alison; Gabehart, Caitlin; Manifold, Craig

2016-06-01

Chest compressions and defibrillation are the only therapies proven to increase survival in cardiac arrest. Historically, rescuers must remove hands to shock, thereby interrupting chest compressions. This hands-off time results in a zero blood flow state. Pauses have been associated with poorer neurological recovery. This was a blinded randomized control cadaver study evaluating the detection of defibrillation during manual chest compressions. An active defibrillator was connected to the cadaver in the sternum-apex configuration. The sham defibrillator was not connected to the cadaver. Subjects performed chest compressions using 6 barrier types: barehand, single and double layer nitrile gloves, firefighter gloves, neoprene pad, and a manual chest compression/decompression device. Randomized defibrillations (10 per barrier type) were delivered at 30 joules (J) for bare hand and 360J for all other barriers. After each shock, the subject indicated degree of sensation on a VAS scale. Ten subjects participated. All subjects detected 30j shocks during barehand compressions, with only 1 undetected real shock. All barriers combined totaled 500 shocks delivered. Five (1%) active shocks were detected, 1(0.2%) single layer of Nitrile, 3(0.6%) with double layer nitrile, and 1(0.2%) with the neoprene barrier. One sham shock was reported with the single layer nitrile glove. No shocks were detected with fire gloves or compression decompression device. All shocks detected barely perceptible (0.25(±0.05)cm on 10cm VAS scale). Nitrile gloves and neoprene pad prevent (99%) responder's detection of defibrillation of a cadaver. Fire gloves and compression decompression device prevented detection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hand Therapy

MedlinePlus

... a scar Find a hand surgeon near you. Videos Figures Figure 1: Examples of hand splints PDF ... or "in." Also, avoid using media types like "video," "article," and "picture." Tip 4: Your results can ...

Perceived ability to perform daily hand activities after stroke and associated factors: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Ekstrand, Elisabeth; Rylander, Lars; Lexell, Jan; Brogårdh, Christina

2016-11-02

Despite that disability of the upper extremity is common after stroke, there is limited knowledge how it influences self-perceived ability to perform daily hand activities. The aim of this study was to describe which daily hand activities that persons with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke perceive difficult to perform and to evaluate how several potential factors are associated with the self-perceived performance. Seventy-five persons (72 % male) with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke (4 to 116 months) participated. Self-perceived ability to perform daily hand activities was rated with the ABILHAND Questionnaire. The perceived ability to perform daily hand activities and the potentially associated factors (age, gender, social and vocational situation, affected hand, upper extremity pain, spasticity, grip strength, somatosensation of the hand, manual dexterity, perceived participation and life satisfaction) were evaluated by linear regression models. The activities that were perceived difficult or impossible for a majority of the participants were bimanual tasks that required fine manual dexterity of the more affected hand. The factor that had the strongest association with perceived ability to perform daily hand activities was dexterity (p < 0.001), which together with perceived participation (p = 0.002) explained 48 % of the variance in the final multivariate model. Persons with mild to moderate impairments of the upper extremity after stroke perceive that bimanual activities requiring fine manual dexterity are the most difficult to perform. Dexterity and perceived participation are factors specifically important to consider in the rehabilitation of the upper extremity after stroke in order to improve the ability to use the hands in daily life.

Switching handedness: fMRI study of hand motor control in right-handers, left-handers and converted left-handers.

PubMed

Grabowska, Anna; Gut, Malgorzata; Binder, Marek; Forsberg, Lars; Rymarczyk, Krystyna; Urbanik, Andrzej

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the brain organization of motor control in left- and right-handers and to study whether early left-to-right handwriting switch changes the cortical representation of finger movements in the left and right hemispheres. Echo-planar MR imaging was performed in 52 subjects: consistent right-handers (RH), consistent left-handers (LH), and subjects who had been forced at an early age to switch their left-hand preferences toward the right side. The scanning was performed during simple (flexion/extension of the index finger) and complex (successive finger-thumb opposition) tasks. Subjects performed the tasks using both the preferred and non-preferred hand. In right-handers, there was a general predominance of left-hemisphere activation relative to right hemisphere activation. In lefthanders this pattern was reversed. The switched subjects showed no such volumetric asymmetry. Increasing levels of complexity of motor activity resulted in an increase in the volume of consistently activated areas and the involvement of the ipsilateral in addition to contralateral activations. In both right- and left-handers, movements of the preferred hand activated mainly the contralateral hemisphere, whereas movements of the non-preferred hand resulted in a more balanced pattern of activation in the two hemispheres, indicating greater involvement of the ipsilateral activations. Overall, this study shows that in both left- and right-handed subjects, the preferred hand is controlled mainly by the hemisphere contralateral to that hand, whereas the non-preferred hand is controlled by both hemispheres. The switched individuals share features of both lefthanders and right-handers regarding their motor control architectures.

A numerical comparison of discrete Kalman filtering algorithms: An orbit determination case study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thornton, C. L.; Bierman, G. J.

1976-01-01

The numerical stability and accuracy of various Kalman filter algorithms are thoroughly studied. Numerical results and conclusions are based on a realistic planetary approach orbit determination study. The case study results of this report highlight the numerical instability of the conventional and stabilized Kalman algorithms. Numerical errors associated with these algorithms can be so large as to obscure important mismodeling effects and thus give misleading estimates of filter accuracy. The positive result of this study is that the Bierman-Thornton U-D covariance factorization algorithm is computationally efficient, with CPU costs that differ negligibly from the conventional Kalman costs. In addition, accuracy of the U-D filter using single-precision arithmetic consistently matches the double-precision reference results. Numerical stability of the U-D filter is further demonstrated by its insensitivity of variations in the a priori statistics.

Hand therapist management of the lateral epicondylosis: a survey of expert opinion and practice patterns.

PubMed

MacDermid, Joy C; Wojkowski, Sarah; Kargus, Cristin; Marley, Meghan; Stevenson, Emily

2010-01-01

Lateral epicondylosis (LE) is a common condition. Knowledge on practice patterns underlies identification of knowledge to practice gaps. The purpose was to determine the practice patterns and beliefs of hand therapists in managing LE. The study design used was a descriptive survey. A survey of Certified Hand Therapists and members of the American Society of Hand Therapists was conducted (n=693). Questions were framed around frequency and perceived effectiveness of interventions, examination techniques, outcome measures, and prognostic factors. More than 80% of therapists use education/activity modification, home exercise, LE orthoses, and stretching for both the acute and chronic LE. Therapists perceive education, orthoses and home exercise are the most effective for acute cases, whereas in chronic cases, orthoses dropped to ninth in ranked perceived effectiveness. Grip strength (80%) and numeric pain rating (71%) were the most commonly used outcome measures. Most (>70%) therapists perceived occupation and duration of symptoms are prognostic in terms of resolution of symptoms, whereas compliance with exercise (78%) and work factors are important for return to work. Therapists rely on impairment measures to evaluate hand therapy outcomes in patients with LE. Hand therapists are aligned with a number of recommendations from the available systematic reviews, although the use of outcome measures and optimal definition of education and exercise exhibit evidence to practice gaps. Level 5. Copyright (c) 2010 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Industrial Protective Gloves and Hand Skin Temperatures on Hand Grip Strength and Discomfort Rating

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Daily working activities and functions require a high contribution of hand and forearm muscles in executing grip force. To study the effects of wearing different gloves on grip strength, under a variety of hand skin temperatures, an assessment of the maximum grip strength was performed with 32 healthy male workers with a mean age (standard deviation) of 30.44 (5.35) years wearing five industrial gloves at three hand skin temperatures. Their ages and anthropometric characteristics including body mass index (BMI), hand length, hand width, hand depth, hand palm, and wrist circumference were measured. The hand was exposed to different bath temperatures (5 °C, 25 °C, and 45 °C) and hand grip strength was measured using a Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer with and without wearing the gloves (chemical protection glove, rubber insulating glove, anti-vibration impact glove, cotton yarn knitted glove, and RY-WG002 working glove). The data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, Pearson correlation coefficient, Tukey test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the within-subject design analysis. The results showed that wearing gloves significantly affected the maximum grip strength. Wearing the RY-WG002 working glove produced a greater reduction on the maximum grip when compared with the bare hand, while low temperatures (5 °C) had a significant influence on grip when compared to medium (25 °C) and high (45 °C) hand skin temperatures. In addition, participants felt more discomfort in both environmental extreme conditions. Furthermore, they reported more discomfort while wearing neoprene, rubber, and RY-WG002 working gloves. PMID:29207573

On the Other Hand: Overflow Movements of Infants’ Hands and Legs During Unimanual Object Exploration

PubMed Central

Soska, Kasey C.; Galeon, Margaret A.; Adolph, Karen E.

2011-01-01

Motor overflow is extraneous movement in a limb not involved in a motor action. Typically, overflow is observed in people with neurological impairments and in healthy children and adults during strenuous and attention-demanding tasks. In the current study, we found that young infants produce vast amounts of motor overflow, corroborating claims of symmetry being the default state of the motor system. While manipulating an object with one hand, all 27 of the typically-developing 4.5- to 7.5-month-old infants who we observed displayed overflow movements of the free hand (on 4/5 of unimanual actions). Mirror-image movements of the hands occurred on 1/8 of unimanual actions, and the hands and legs moved in synchrony on 1/3 of unimanual acts. Motor overflow was less frequent when infants were in a sitting posture and when infants watched their acting hand, suggesting that upright posture and visual examination may help to alleviate overflow and break obligatory symmetry in healthy infants. PMID:22487940

A numerical study on liquid charging inside electrostatic atomizers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashir, Babak; Perri, Anthony; Sankaran, Abhilash; Staszel, Christopher; Yarin, Alexander; Mashayek, Farzad

2016-11-01

The charging of the dielectric liquid inside an electrostatic atomizer is studied numerically by developing codes based on the OpenFOAM platform. Electrostatic atomization is an appealing technology in painting, fuel injection and oil coating systems due to improved particle-size distribution, enhanced controlability of droplets' trajectories and lower power consumption. The numerical study is conducted concurrently to an experimental investigation to facilitate the validation and deliver feedback for further development. The atomizer includes a pin electrode that is placed at the center of a converging chamber. The chamber orifice is located at a known distance from the electrode tip. The pin electrode is connected to a high voltage that leads to the charging of the liquid. In the present work, the theoretical foundations of separated treatment of the polarized layer and the electronuetral bulk flow are set by describing the governing equations, relevant boundary conditions and the matching condition between these two domains. The resulting split domains are solved numerically to find the distribution of velocity and electrostatic fields over the specified regions. National Science Foundation Award Number: 1505276.

Effectiveness of a nonrinse, alcohol-free antiseptic hand wash.

PubMed

Moadab, A; Rupley, K F; Wadhams, P

2001-06-01

This study evaluated the efficacy of a novel surfactant, allantoin, and benzalkonium chloride hand sanitizer using the US Food and Drug Administration's method for testing antiseptic hand washes that podiatric physicians and other health-care personnel use. The alcohol-free product, HandClens, was compared with an alcohol-based product, Purell. Independent researchers from the California College of Podiatric Medicine conducted the study using 40 volunteer students from the class of 2001. The results show that HandClens outperformed Purell and met the regulatory requirements for a hand sanitizer. Purell failed as an antimicrobial hand wash and was less effective than a control soap used in the study.

Randomized crossover study evaluating the effect of a hand sanitizer dispenser on the frequency of hand hygiene among anesthesiology staff in the operating room.

PubMed

Munoz-Price, L Silvia; Patel, Zalak; Banks, Shawn; Arheart, Kristopher; Eber, Scott; Lubarsky, David A; Birnbach, David J

2014-06-01

Forty anesthesia providers were evaluated with and without hand sanitizer dispensers present on the anesthesia machine. Having a dispenser increased the frequency of hand hygiene only from 0.5 to 0.8 events per hour (P = .01). Other concomitant interventions are needed to further increase hand hygiene frequency among anesthesia providers.

The evolution of functional hand replacement: From iron prostheses to hand transplantation

PubMed Central

Zuo, Kevin J; Olson, Jaret L

2014-01-01

The hand is an integral component of the human body, with an incredible spectrum of functionality. In addition to possessing gross and fine motor capabilities essential for physical survival, the hand is fundamental to social conventions, enabling greeting, grooming, artistic expression and syntactical communication. The loss of one or both hands is, thus, a devastating experience, requiring significant psychological support and physical rehabilitation. The majority of hand amputations occur in working-age males, most commonly as a result of work-related trauma or as casualties sustained during combat. For millennia, humans have used state-of-the-art technology to design clever devices to facilitate the reintegration of hand amputees into society. The present article provides a historical overview of the progress in replacing a missing hand, from early iron hands intended primarily for use in battle, to today’s standard body-powered and myoelectric prostheses, to revolutionary advancements in the restoration of sensorimotor control with targeted reinnervation and hand transplantation. PMID:25152647

Characteristics of hand involvement in a comparative study of two early RA cohorts from the UK and China.

PubMed

Su, Bowen; Ma, Qing; Edwards, Christopher J; Williams, Mark; Adams, Jo

2017-10-01

To compare the characteristics of early hand involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using two matched populations, from the UK and China. A cohort comparison study was conducted. Sixty Chinese patients recruited from Shanghai, China were matched on gender and age with 60 patients from a prospective early RA cohort from the UK (SARAH trial). The procedures of data collection in China followed the standard operating procedures employed in the SARAH trial. Outcome measures including Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), medication history and physical assessments were used to assess functional ability and hand impairment. UK patients reported significantly more hand pain (P = 0.015), less satisfaction with dominant hand performance (P  = 0.040), more swollen and tender joints (P = 0.016 and P = 0.001) and greater dexterity of both dominant and non-dominant hands (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), while Chinese patients had higher disease activity indicated by erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein, more rheumatoid factor, less satisfaction in both dominant and non-dominant hand appearances (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) and greater dominant hand deformity (P  = 0.003). No statistically significant differences were seen in range of movement and overall hand function as reported by the MHQ. The severity of RA is not milder in China than in the UK and the characteristics of hand involvement tend to be different. Clinicians should consider country-specific differences in managing pain and delivering treatment. It would be helpful for a future study to investigate the RA impact characteristics on a wider range of patients both from within China and from other populations. © 2015 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Up-Down Hand Position Switch May Delay the Fatigue of Non-Dominant Hand Position Rescuers and Improve Chest Compression Quality during Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Randomized Crossover Manikin Study

PubMed Central

Xu, Bing; Wang, Huang-Lei; Xiong, Dan; Sheng, Li-Pin; Yang, Qi-Sheng; Jiang, Shan; Xu, Peng; Chen, Zhi-Qiao; Zhao, Yan

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown improved external chest compression (ECC) quality and delayed rescuer fatigue when the dominant hand (DH) was in contact with the sternum. However, many rescuers prefer placing the non-dominant hand (NH) in contact with the sternum during ECC. We aimed to investigate the effects of up-down hand position switch on the quality of ECC and the fatigue of rescuers during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). After completion of a review of the standard adult basic life support (BLS) course, every candidate performed 10 cycles of single adult CPR twice on an adult manikin with either a constant hand position (CH) or a switched hand position (SH) in random order at 7-day intervals. The rescuers’ general characteristics, hand positions, physiological signs, fatigue appearance and ECC qualities were recorded. Our results showed no significant differences in chest compression quality for the DH position rescuers between the CH and SH sessions (p>0.05, resp.). And also no significant differences were found for Borg score (p = 0.437) or cycle number (p = 0.127) of fatigue appearance after chest compressions between the two sessions. However, for NH position rescuers, the appearance of fatigue was delayed (p = 0.046), with a lower Borg score in the SH session (12.67 ± 2.03) compared to the CH session (13.33 ± 1.95) (p = 0.011). Moreover, the compression depth was significantly greater in the SH session (39.3 ± 7.2 mm) compared to the CH session (36.3 ± 8.1 mm) (p = 0.015). Our data suggest that the up-down hand position switch during CPR may delay the fatigue of non-dominant hand position rescuers and improve the quality of chest compressions. PMID:26267353

Life-style factors and hand eczema.

PubMed

Anveden Berglind, I; Alderling, M; Meding, B

2011-09-01

Previous knowledge of the impact of certain life-style factors on hand eczema is scanty. To investigate a possible association between hand eczema and life-style factors such as obesity, physical exercise, stress, smoking and alcohol consumption. In a cross-sectional public health survey in Stockholm, Sweden, 27,994 (58%) randomly chosen individuals aged 18-64 years completed a postal questionnaire regarding physical and mental health, social relations, economic status and work. Of these, 27,793 individuals responded to the question regarding hand eczema and were included in the present study. The association between life-style factors and hand eczema was analysed by prevalence proportion ratios (PPR), using a generalized linear model. Hand eczema was more common among individuals who reported high stress levels, PPR 1·326 (95% CI 1·303-1·350). There was also a positive dose-response relationship between hand eczema and stress. Hand eczema was less common among individuals reporting high physical exercise, and most apparent in women, PPR 0·781 (95% CI 0·770-0·792). Men who reported high alcohol intake reported hand eczema less often, PPR 0·958 (95% CI 0·930-0·987). Obese individuals reported hand eczema more commonly, PPR 1·204 (95% CI 1·174-1·234). There was a slight increase of hand eczema among smokers, PPR 1·025 (95% CI 1·006-1·044). Hand eczema was more common in individuals who reported stress, obesity and smoking. In individuals who reported high physical exercise levels hand eczema was less common. As there appears to be an association between life-style factors and hand eczema it is important to consider life-style factors in clinical practice. © 2011 The Authors. BJD © 2011 British Association of Dermatologists.

Hand specific representations in language comprehension.

PubMed

Moody-Triantis, Claire; Humphreys, Gina F; Gennari, Silvia P

2014-01-01

Theories of embodied cognition argue that language comprehension involves sensory-motor re-enactments of the actions described. However, the degree of specificity of these re-enactments as well as the relationship between action and language remains a matter of debate. Here we investigate these issues by examining how hand-specific information (left or right hand) is recruited in language comprehension and action execution. An fMRI study tested self-reported right-handed participants in two separate tasks that were designed to be as similar as possible to increase sensitivity of the comparison across task: an action execution go/no-go task where participants performed right or left hand actions, and a language task where participants read sentences describing the same left or right handed actions as in the execution task. We found that language-induced activity did not match the hand-specific patterns of activity found for action execution in primary somatosensory and motor cortex, but it overlapped with pre-motor and parietal regions associated with action planning. Within these pre-motor regions, both right hand actions and sentences elicited stronger activity than left hand actions and sentences-a dominant hand effect. Importantly, both dorsal and ventral sections of the left pre-central gyrus were recruited by both tasks, suggesting different action features being recruited. These results suggest that (a) language comprehension elicits motor representations that are hand-specific and akin to multimodal action plans, rather than full action re-enactments; and (b) language comprehension and action execution share schematic hand-specific representations that are richer for the dominant hand, and thus linked to previous motor experience.

Functional study of hands among patients dialysed for more than 10 years.

PubMed

Chazot, C; Chazot, I; Charra, B; Terrat, J C; Vanel, T; Calemard, E; Ruffet, M; Laurent, G

1993-01-01

Sixty-six haemodialysed (HD) in centre patients (24 h/m2/week, acetate bath, cuprophane membrane), with a mean age of 59.2 years, treated for 16.7 +/- 4.5 years, underwent clinical examination of their hands to determine anatomical and functional alterations. For each hand a functional score was calculated from a medicolegal technique based on sensitivity and angulation amplitude (rating from 0 to 100). Dialysis-related arthropathy (DRA), including carpal-tunnel (CT) syndrome, was scored as well as hand muscle amyotrophia. Trigger fingers, abnormal synovial hypertrophy, and one or more non-functional tendons were found in 15, 26, and 33% of the patients respectively. Thirteen percent had pseudoporphyria. Amyotrophy was moderate or severe in 39%. The global functional score (mean of the two unilateral functional scores) decreased with time spent on haemodialysis and was correlated with the DRA score. The unilateral functional score was linked to tendinous lesions, amyotrophy, and presence of pulses, but not to CT surgery or presence of AV fistula. Hands with ulnar insult at the elbow shown by electromyography had significantly lower functional scores. Repercussions of hand functional alteration may have an important social and psychological impact in daily life. The responsibility of amyloidosis is evidenced by tendinous lesions and nervous entrapment. Ulnar palsy is also important because of the vital motor role of that nerve in hand function.

Design-validation of a hand exoskeleton using musculoskeletal modeling.

PubMed

Hansen, Clint; Gosselin, Florian; Ben Mansour, Khalil; Devos, Pierre; Marin, Frederic

2018-04-01

Exoskeletons are progressively reaching homes and workplaces, allowing interaction with virtual environments, remote control of robots, or assisting human operators in carrying heavy loads. Their design is however still a challenge as these robots, being mechanically linked to the operators who wear them, have to meet ergonomic constraints besides usual robotic requirements in terms of workspace, speed, or efforts. They have in particular to fit the anthropometry and mobility of their users. This traditionally results in numerous prototypes which are progressively fitted to each individual person. In this paper, we propose instead to validate the design of a hand exoskeleton in a fully digital environment, without the need for a physical prototype. The purpose of this study is thus to examine whether finger kinematics are altered when using a given hand exoskeleton. Therefore, user specific musculoskeletal models were created and driven by a motion capture system to evaluate the fingers' joint kinematics when performing two industrial related tasks. The kinematic chain of the exoskeleton was added to the musculoskeletal models and its compliance with the hand movements was evaluated. Our results show that the proposed exoskeleton design does not influence fingers' joints angles, the coefficient of determination between the model with and without exoskeleton being consistently high (R 2 ¯=0.93) and the nRMSE consistently low (nRMSE¯ = 5.42°). These results are promising and this approach combining musculoskeletal and robotic modeling driven by motion capture data could be a key factor in the ergonomics validation of the design of orthotic devices and exoskeletons prior to manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship between hand paraesthesia and occupational factors: results from a population study.

PubMed

Lacey, R J; Lewis, M; Sim, J

2005-10-01

To investigate the association of occupational factors, both physical and psychosocial, with hand paraesthesia, and whether any such associations differ according to the concurrent presence of neck and upper limb pain (NULP). A questionnaire was mailed to an age-stratified random sample of 9596 adults. All subjects were asked about hand paraesthesia in the past 4 weeks. Information was obtained on respondents' main job (the job held for the longest time), whether this job involved any of six neck or upper limb activities on most or all days of the working week, and questions on the psychosocial aspects of the work environment. The questionnaire also asked about NULP according to a preshaded manikin. A total of 5133 people replied to the survey (adjusted response 53.5%). Of these, 1592 reported abnormal feelings in the hands (prevalence of 31.9%). Prolonged gripping, prolonged bending of the neck forwards, working with arms at/above shoulder height, low job control, many changes in tasks and low job support were independently associated with hand paraesthesia. Among responders also reporting NULP, working with arms at/above shoulder height and many changes in tasks were independently associated with hand paraesthesia; prolonged gripping was linked to hand paraesthesia in the absence of NULP. Hand paraesthesia is associated with physical and psychosocial workplace factors, although different work-related factors were associated with hand paraesthesia according to the concurrent presence of NULP, suggesting that these symptoms may not always be mediated in the same way.

Numerical Study of Solar Storms from the Sun to Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xueshang; Jiang, Chaowei; Zhou, Yufen

2017-04-01

As solar storms are sweeping the Earth, adverse changes occur in geospace environment. How human can mitigate and avoid destructive damages caused by solar storms becomes an important frontier issue that we must face in the high-tech times. It is of both scientific significance to understand the dynamic process during solar storm's propagation in interplanetary space and realistic value to conduct physics-based numerical researches on the three-dimensional process of solar storms in interplanetary space with the aid of powerful computing capacity to predict the arrival times, intensities, and probable geoeffectiveness of solar storms at the Earth. So far, numerical studies based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) have gone through the transition from the initial qualitative principle researches to systematic quantitative studies on concrete events and numerical predictions. Numerical modeling community has a common goal to develop an end-to-end physics-based modeling system for forecasting the Sun-Earth relationship. It is hoped that the transition of these models to operational use depends on the availability of computational resources at reasonable cost and that the models' prediction capabilities may be improved by incorporating the observational findings and constraints into physics-based models, combining the observations, empirical models and MHD simulations in organic ways. In this talk, we briefly focus on our recent progress in using solar observations to produce realistic magnetic configurations of CMEs as they leave the Sun, and coupling data-driven simulations of CMEs to heliospheric simulations that then propagate the CME configuration to 1AU, and outlook the important numerical issues and their possible solutions in numerical space weather modeling from the Sun to Earth for future research.

Hand preferences in captive orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus).

PubMed

O'malley, Robert C; McGrew, W C

2006-07-01

The strength of the evidence for population-level handedness in the great apes is a topic of considerable debate, yet there have been few studies of handedness in orangutans. We conducted a study of manual lateralization in a captive group of eight orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) ranking the degrees of manual preference according to a defined framework. We analyzed five behavioral patterns: eat (one- and two-handed), make/modify tool, oral tool-use, and manual tool-use. Although some individuals showed significant manual preferences for one or more tasks, at the group-level both one-handed and two-handed eating, oral tool-use, and make/modify tool were ranked at level 1 (unlateralized). Manual tool-use was ranked at level 2, with four subjects demonstrating significant hand preferences, but no group-level bias to the right or left. Four subjects also showed hand specialization to the right or left across several tasks. These results are consistent with most previous studies of manual preference in orangutans. The emergence of manual lateralization in orangutans may relate to more complex manipulative tasks. We hypothesize that more challenging manual tasks elicit stronger hand preferences.

Transient risk factors for acute traumatic hand injuries: a case‐crossover study in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Chow, C Y; Lee, H; Lau, J; Yu, I T S

2007-01-01

Objectives To identify the remediable transient risk factors of occupational hand injuries in Hong Kong in order to guide the development of prevention strategies. Methods The case‐crossover study design was adopted. Study subjects were workers with acute hand injuries presenting to the government Occupational Medicine Unit for compensation claims within 90 days from the date of injury. Detailed information on exposures to specific transient factors during the 60 minutes prior to the occurrence of the injury, during the same time interval on the day prior to the injury, as well as the usual exposure during the past work‐month was obtained through telephone interviews. Both matched‐pair interval approach and usual frequency approach were adopted to assess the associations between transient exposures in the workplace and the short‐term risk of sustaining a hand injury. Results A total of 196 injured workers were interviewed. The results of the matched‐pair interval analysis matched well with the results obtained using the usual frequency analysis. Seven significant transient risk factors were identified: using malfunctioning equipment/materials, using a different work method, performing an unusual work task, working overtime, feeling ill, being distracted and rushing, with odds ratios ranging from 10.5 to 26.0 in the matched‐pair interval analysis and relative risks ranging between 8.0 and 28.3 with the usual frequency analysis. Wearing gloves was found to have an insignificant protective effect on the occurrence of hand injury in both analyses. Conclusions Using the case‐crossover study design for acute occupational hand injuries, seven transient risk factors that were mostly modifiable were identified. It is suggested that workers and their employers should increase their awareness of these risk factors, and efforts should be made to avoid exposures to these factors by means of engineering and administrative controls supplemented by safety

Experimental Hydromechanical Characterization and Numerical Modelling of a Fractured and Porous Sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souley, Mountaka; Lopez, Philippe; Boulon, Marc; Thoraval, Alain

2015-05-01

The experimental device previously used to study the hydromechanical behaviour of individual fractures on a laboratory scale, was adapted to make it possible to measure flow through porous rock mass samples in addition to fracture flows. A first series of tests was performed to characterize the hydromechanical behaviour of the fracture individually as well as the porous matrix (sandstone) comprising the fracture walls. A third test in this series was used to validate the experimental approach. These tests showed non-linear evolution of the contact area on the fracture walls with respect to effective normal stress. Consequently, a non-linear relationship was noted between the hydraulic aperture on the one hand, and the effective normal stress and mechanical opening on the other hand. The results of the three tests were then analysed by numerical modelling. The VIPLEF/HYDREF numerical codes used take into account the dual-porosity of the sample (fracture + rock matrix) and can be used to reproduce hydromechanical loading accurately. The analyses show that the relationship between the hydraulic aperture of the fracture and the mechanical closure has a significant effect on fracture flow rate predictions. By taking simultaneous measurements of flow in both fracture and rock matrix, we were able to carry out a global evaluation of the conceptual approach used.

The effect of smartphone addiction on hand joints in psoriatic patients: an ultrasound-based study.

PubMed

Megna, M; Gisonni, P; Napolitano, M; Orabona, G Dell'Aversano; Patruno, C; Ayala, F; Balato, N

2018-01-01

Distal interphalangeal (DIP) arthritis is a frequent form of psoriatic arthritis being often linked to nail psoriasis. Modern society is characterized by overuse of smartphones. Indeed, literature has recently focalized on research into smartphone addiction and health-related problems. As smartphone addiction is able to determine overuse and repeated movements of DIP joints and nails, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of smartphone use on hand joints of young psoriatic patients. An observational study involving four different groups such as non-smartphone-addicted (SA) psoriatic patients, SA psoriatic patients, non-SA controls and SA controls was performed. Each subject underwent an ultrasound examination of both hands by three independent and blinded to group assignment radiologists. A specific score was used to evaluate the inflammatory state of the analysed joints. The total ultrasound score was statistically significantly higher in SA controls respect to non-SA controls (3.4 vs. 1.4; P < 0.05) as well as in SA psoriasis patients compared to non-SA psoriatic subjects (15.2 vs. 6.7; P < 0.01). Higher mean of ultrasound score was found for left hand in controls (both SA or not) and for right hand in psoriatic subjects (both SA or not), however without reaching statistical significance. Smartphone overuse was found to be linked with higher signs of inflammation of musculoskeletal structures of hands joints in both psoriasis and controls through ultrasound examination. Therefore, smartphone overuse may be a factor which facilitate or speed up the possible development of psoriatic arthritis. © 2017 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Actin-based motility of Listeria: Right-handed helical trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangarajan, Murali

2012-06-01

Bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes recruit cellular machinery to move in and between cells. Understanding the mechanism of motility, including force and torque generation and the resultant displacements, holds keys to numerous applications in medicine and biosensing. In this work, a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation is presented to illustrate that a biomechanical model of actin-based motility of a rigid surface through persistently attached filaments propelled by affinity-modulated molecular motors can produce a right-handed helical trajectory consistent with experimental observations. The implications of the mechanism to bacterial motility are discussed.

Second-hand market as an alternative in reverse logistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pochampally, Kishore K.; Gupta, Surendra M.

2004-02-01

Collectors of discarded products seldom know when those products were bought and why they are discarded. Also, the products do not indicate their remaining life periods. So, it is difficult to decide if it is "sensible" to repair (if necessary) a particular product for subsequent sale on the second-hand market or to disassemble it partially or completely for subsequent remanufacture and/or recycle. To this end, we build an expert system using Bayesian updating process and fuzzy set theory, to aid such decision-making. A numerical example demonstrates the building approach.

Numerical-experimental study of internal fixation system "Dufoo" for vertebral fractures.

PubMed

Nieto-Miranda, J Jesús; Faraón-Carbajal Romero, Manuel; Sánchez-Aguilar, Jons

2012-01-01

We describe a numerical experimental study of the stress generated by the internal fixation system "Dufoo" used in the treatment of vertebral fractures with the purpose of validating the numerical model of human lumbar vertebrae under the main physiological loads that the human body is exposed to in this area. The objective is to model and numerically simulate the elements of the musculoskeletal system to collect the stresses generated and other parameters that are difficult to measure experimentally in the thoracic lumbar vertebrae. We used an internal fixator "Dufoo" and vertebrae L2-L3-L4 specimens from pig and human. The system uses a total L3 corpectomy. The fixator acts as a mechanical bridge implant from L2 to L4. Numerical analysis was performed using the finite element method (FEM). For the experimental study, reflective photoelasticity and extensometry were used. Torsion and combined loads generate the main displacements and stresses in the study system, determining that the internal fixation carries out part of the function of the damaged organ structure when absorbing the stresses presented by applied loads. Numerical analysis allows great freedom in the management of the variables involved in the developed models using radiological images. Geometric models are obtained and are entered into FEM programs that allow testing using parameters that, under actual conditions, may not be easily carried out, allowing to comprehensively determine the biomechanical behavior of the coupled system of study.

Hand luggage in the train toilet.

PubMed

Loth, M; Molenbroek, J F M; van Eijk, D J

2018-01-01

The train toilet can form a barrier for those wishing to travel by train as it is perceived as being dirty, and therefore its use as being unpleasant. In addition, Dutch train toilet users have the additional issue of storing their hand luggage in the toilet's confined spaceOBJECTIVE:In this article, we examine the issue of Dutch travelers with hand luggage in relation to their use of train toilets. We investigate the type of hand luggage train travelers have with them and lastly, we study what travelers do with their hand luggage when using the toilet. As part of an overarching study, we asked two specific questions on what travelers do with their hand luggage in a train toilet environment, followed by 22 observations from observational research. In the questionnaire, train travelers reported that bringing hand luggage into the train toilet is a problem because of the lack of storage space, and their fear of losing their seat. From the observational research, we noted that the participants mainly held their hand luggage on their bodies, and to a lesser extent, they placed it on the floor of the train toilet itself. None of the 22 participants used the hook to hang up their bag and/ or their coat. Travelers need a facility in the train toilet to store their hand luggage. Women have a stronger need for this than men, as they almost always carry an item with them. In addition, they use the toilet in hovering position or seated, with their backs to the wall, so they have limited space to store hand luggage on their backs or shoulders as men do. Most participants kept their hand luggage at a distance from the bowl, and the majority kept it off the floor (14 of the 22) because they were aware of the hygiene. The positioning of the coat/luggage hook at 1840 mm above the floor was considered to be too high, out of people's comfort area.

Hand luggage in the train toilet

PubMed Central

Loth, M.; Molenbroek, J.F.M.; van Eijk, D.J.

2018-01-01

BACKGROUND: The train toilet can form a barrier for those wishing to travel by train as it is perceived as being dirty, and therefore its use as being unpleasant. In addition, Dutch train toilet users have the additional issue of storing their hand luggage in the toilet’s confined space OBJECTIVE: In this article, we examine the issue of Dutch travelers with hand luggage in relation to their use of train toilets. We investigate the type of hand luggage train travelers have with them and lastly, we study what travelers do with their hand luggage when using the toilet. METHODS: As part of an overarching study, we asked two specific questions on what travelers do with their hand luggage in a train toilet environment, followed by 22 observations from observational research. RESULTS: In the questionnaire, train travelers reported that bringing hand luggage into the train toilet is a problem because of the lack of storage space, and their fear of losing their seat. From the observational research, we noted that the participants mainly held their hand luggage on their bodies, and to a lesser extent, they placed it on the floor of the train toilet itself. None of the 22 participants used the hook to hang up their bag and/ or their coat. CONCLUSIONS: Travelers need a facility in the train toilet to store their hand luggage. Women have a stronger need for this than men, as they almost always carry an item with them. In addition, they use the toilet in hovering position or seated, with their backs to the wall, so they have limited space to store hand luggage on their backs or shoulders as men do. Most participants kept their hand luggage at a distance from the bowl, and the majority kept it off the floor (14 of the 22) because they were aware of the hygiene. The positioning of the coat/luggage hook at 1840 mm above the floor was considered to be too high, out of people’s comfort area. PMID:29630580

Hand contamination during routine care in medical wards: the role of hand hygiene compliance.

PubMed

Monistrol, Olga; López, M Liboria; Riera, Montserrat; Font, Roser; Nicolás, Carme; Escobar, Miguel Angel; Freixas, Núria; Garau, Javier; Calbo, Esther

2013-04-01

The hands of healthcare workers (HCWs) are the most common vehicle for the transmission of micro-organisms from patient to patient and within the healthcare environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a multimodal campaign on the type and amount of resident and transient flora and the presence of potential risk factors for hand contamination during routine care. A before-after (PRE and POST periods) interventional study was carried out in medical wards of a tertiary care hospital. Eighty-nine samples were analysed. Samples were cultured immediately before patient contact using a glove-juice method. Data collected included socio-demographic and risk factors for hand contamination. Flora was measured as log10 c.f.u. ml(-1) and evaluated by comparing median values in the PRE and POST periods. Transient flora was isolated from the hands of 67.4 and 46.1 % of HCWs in the PRE and POST periods, respectively (P<0.001). Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp. and meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant contaminants. Resident flora was isolated from 92.1 % of HCWs in the PRE period and from 70.8 % in the POST period (P<0.001). The meticillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci log10 c.f.u. count ml(-1) decreased from 1.96 ± 1.2 to 0.89 ± 1.2 (mean ± s d; P<0.001), and the global flora count decreased from 2.77 ± 1.1 to 1.56 ± 1.4 (P<0.001). In the POST period, the wearing of fewer rings (P<0.001), shorter fingernail length (P = 0.008), a shorter time since recent hand hygiene (HH) (P = 0.007) and an increased use of alcohol-based hand rub instead of soap (P<0.001) were documented. The HH multimodal strategy reduced the number of risk factors and the level of HCW hand contamination.

Hand/Wrist Disorders among Sign Language Communicators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Susan M.; Kress, Tyler A.; Hart, William M.

2000-01-01

A study assessed the frequency of self-reported hand/wrist problems among 184 sign-language communicators. Fifty-nine percent reported experiencing hand/wrist problems, 26 percent reported experiencing hand/wrist problems severe enough to limit their ability to work, and 18 percent reported a medical diagnosis of wrist tendinitis, carpal tunnel…

HAND WIPE SUBSAMPLING METHOD FOR USE WITH BIOMARKER MEASUREMENTS IN THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY/PESTICIDE EXPOSURE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Dermal exposure studies incorporating urinary biomarker measurements are complicated because dermal sampling may intercept or remove the target chemical before it is absorbed. A hand wipe subsampling method has been developed using polyurethane foam-tipped (PUF) swabs to minim...

The hot hand belief and framing effects.

PubMed

MacMahon, Clare; Köppen, Jörn; Raab, Markus

2014-09-01

Recent evidence of the hot hand in sport-where success breeds success in a positive recency of successful shots, for instance-indicates that this pattern does not actually exist. Yet the belief persists. We used 2 studies to explore the effects of framing on the hot hand belief in sport. We looked at the effect of sport experience and task on the perception of baseball pitch behavior as well as the hot hand belief and free-throw behavior in basketball. Study 1 asked participants to designate outcomes with different alternation rates as the result of baseball pitches or coin tosses. Study 2 examined basketball free-throw behavior and measured predicted success before each shot as well as general belief in the hot hand pattern. The results of Study 1 illustrate that experience and stimulus alternation rates influence the perception of chance in human performance tasks. Study 2 shows that physically performing an act and making judgments are related. Specifically, beliefs were related to overall performance, with more successful shooters showing greater belief in the hot hand and greater predicted success for upcoming shots. Both of these studies highlight that the hot hand belief is influenced by framing, which leads to instability and situational contingencies. We show the specific effects of framing using accumulated experience of the individual with the sport and knowledge of its structure and specific experience with sport actions (basketball shots) prior to judgments.

Fifth graders' science inquiry abilities: A comparative study of students in hands-on and textbook curricula

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pine, Jerome; Aschbacher, Pamela; Roth, Ellen; Jones, Melanie; McPhee, Cameron; Martin, Catherine; Phelps, Scott; Kyle, Tara; Foley, Brian

2006-05-01

A large number of American elementary school students are now studying science using the hands-on inquiry curricula developed in the 1990s: Insights; Full Option Science System (FOSS); and Science and Technology for Children (STC). A goal of these programs, echoed in the National Science Education Standards, is that children should gain abilities to do scientific inquiry and understanding about scientific inquiry. We have studied the degree to which students can do inquiries by using four hands-on performance assessments, which required one or three class periods. To be fair, the assessments avoided content that is studied in depth in the hands-on programs. For a sample of about 1000 fifth grade students, we compared the performance of students in hands-on curricula with an equal number of students with textbook curricula. The students were from 41 classrooms in nine school districts. The results show little or no curricular effect. There was a strong dependence on students' cognitive ability, as measured with a standard multiple-choice instrument. There was no significant difference between boys and girls. Also, there was no difference on a multiple-choice test, which used items released from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). It is not completely clear whether the lack of difference on the performance assessments was a consequence of the assessments, the curricula, and/or the teaching.

"Like the palm of my hands": Motor imagery enhances implicit and explicit visual recognition of one's own hands.

PubMed

Conson, Massimiliano; Volpicella, Francesco; De Bellis, Francesco; Orefice, Agnese; Trojano, Luigi

2017-10-01

A key point in motor imagery literature is that judging hands in palm view recruits sensory-motor information to a higher extent than judging hands in back view, due to the greater biomechanical complexity implied in rotating hands depicted from palm than from back. We took advantage from this solid evidence to test the nature of a phenomenon known as self-advantage, i.e. the advantage in implicitly recognizing self vs. others' hand images. The self-advantage has been actually found when implicitly but not explicitly judging self-hands, likely due to dissociation between implicit and explicit body representations. However, such a finding might be related to the extent to which motor imagery is recruited during implicit and explicit processing of hand images. We tested this hypothesis in two behavioural experiments. In Experiment 1, right-handed participants judged laterality of either self or others' hands, whereas in Experiment 2, an explicit recognition of one's own hands was required. Crucially, in both experiments participants were randomly presented with hand images viewed from back or from palm. The main result of both experiments was the self-advantage when participants judged hands from palm view. This novel finding demonstrate that increasing the "motor imagery load" during processing of self vs. others' hands can elicit a self-advantage in explicit recognition tasks as well. Future studies testing the possible dissociation between implicit and explicit visual body representations should take into account the modulatory effect of motor imagery load on self-hand processing. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Differential involvement of cortical and cerebellar areas using dominant and nondominant hands: An FMRI study

PubMed Central

Pardini, Matteo; Samson, Rebecca S.; D'Angelo, Egidio; Friston, Karl J.; Toosy, Ahmed T.; Gandini Wheeler‐Kingshott, Claudia A.M.

2015-01-01

Abstract Motor fMRI studies, comparing dominant (DH) and nondominant (NDH) hand activations have reported mixed findings, especially for the extent of ipsilateral (IL) activations and their relationship with task complexity. To date, no study has directly compared DH and NDH activations using an event‐related visually guided dynamic power‐grip paradigm with parametric (three) forces (GF) in healthy right‐handed subjects. We implemented a hierarchical statistical approach aimed to: (i) identify the main effect networks engaged when using either hand; (ii) characterise DH/NDH responses at different GFs; (iii) assess contralateral (CL)/IL‐specific and hemisphere‐specific activations. Beyond confirming previously reported results, this study demonstrated that increasing GF has an effect on motor response that is contextualised also by the use of DH or NDH. Linear analysis revealed increased activations in sensorimotor areas, with additional increased recruitments of subcortical and cerebellar areas when using the NDH. When looking at CL/IL‐specific activations, CL sensorimotor areas and IL cerebellum were activated with both hands. When performing the task with the NDH, several areas were also recruited including the CL cerebellum. Finally, there were hand‐side‐independent activations of nonmotor‐specific areas in the right and left hemispheres, with the right hemisphere being involved more extensively in sensori‐motor integration through associative areas while the left hemisphere showing greater activation at higher GF. This study shows that the functional networks subtending DH/NDH power‐grip visuomotor functions are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and this should be taken into consideration when performing fMRI studies, particularly when planning interventions in patients with specific impairments. Hum Brain Mapp 36:5079–5100, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26415818

Analysis of a swimmer's hand and forearm in impulsive start from rest using computational fluid dynamics in unsteady flow conditions.

PubMed

Samson, M; Monnet, T; Bernard, A; Lacouture, P; David, L

2018-01-23

The propulsive forces generated by the hands and arms of swimmers have so far been determined essentially by quasi-steady approaches. This study aims to quantify the temporal dependence of the hydrodynamic forces for a simple translation movement: an impulsive start from rest. The study, carried out in unsteady numerical simulation, couples the calculation of the lift and the drag on an expert swimmer hand-forearm model with visualizations of the flow and flow vortex structure analysis. The results of these simulations show that the hand and forearm hydrodynamic forces should be studied from an unsteady approach because the quasi-steady model is inadequate. It also appears that the delayed stall effect generates higher circulatory forces during a short translation at high angle of attack than forces calculated under steady state conditions. During this phase the hand force coefficients are approximately twice as large as those of the forearm. The total force coefficients are highest for angles of attack between 40° and 60°. For the same angle of attack, the forces produced when the leading edge is the thumb side are slightly greater than those produced when the leading edge is the little finger side. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated joint space width quantification of hand and wrist joints: a proof of concept study.

PubMed

Huo, Yinghe; Veldhuizen, Renske D; van der Heijde, Desiree M; Besselink, Nick J; Jacobs, Johannes W G; van Laar, Jacob M; Viergever, Max A; Vincken, Koen L; Lafeber, Floris P; de Hair, Maria J H

2016-01-01

To compare as proof of concept the sensitivity to change of automated quantification of radiographic wrist and hand joint space width (JSW) with scoring JSW according to the Sharp/van der Heijde scoring method (SHS) in two strategy groups of a treat-to-target and tight-control early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) study. Digital radiographs were assessed for JSW changes of 134 patients of the 236 patients participating in the second Computer Assisted Management in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis trial, of whom both baseline and year 2 radiographs were available (year 1 radiographs n=125). Of those 134 patients, 70 started with methotrexate and prednisone (MTX+Pred) and 64 with MTX and placebo (MTX+Plac). JSW change over 1 and 2 years of the hands and wrists was assessed, applying both the joint space narrowing (JSN) subscore of the SHS by 2 readers and the automated assessment with the JSW quantification software 'JSQ'. For both methods, progression of JSW change of the hand and wrist was analysed using linear mixed modelling (dependent variable 'JSW', factor 'strategy group', covariate 'follow-up time in years', interaction term 'strategy group*follow-up time'; radiographs of baseline, year 1 and year 2 were used). For each method the standardised mean difference (SMD) for the change in JSW from baseline to year 2 between the treatment strategies was obtained using a non-parametric method. Patient characteristics of the current subpopulation were similar to those of the whole study population. JSN of the hand and wrist according to SHS at 2 years was present in 16 vs. 23% in the MTX+Pred group vs. the MTX+Plac group. The mean yearly progression rates of JSW change of the hands and wrists using JSQ were -0.00mm (95% confidence interval (CI) -0.01; 0.01) for MTX+Pred vs. -0.02mm (95%CI -0.03; -0.01) for MTX+Plac, p=0.045, and using SHS JSN they were 0.19 units (95%CI 0.09; 0.30) vs. 0.30 units (95%CI 0.14; 0.45) for MTX+Pred vs. MTX+Plac, p=0.271. The SMD for the change from

Evaluation of protective gloves and working techniques for reducing hand-arm vibration exposure in the workplace.

PubMed

Milosevic, Matija; McConville, Kristiina M Valter

2012-01-01

Operation of handheld power tools results in exposure to hand-arm vibrations, which over time lead to numerous health complications. The objective of this study was to evaluate protective equipment and working techniques for the reduction of vibration exposure. Vibration transmissions were recorded during different work techniques: with one- and two-handed grip, while wearing protective gloves (standard, air and anti-vibration gloves) and while holding a foam-covered tool handle. The effect was examined by analyzing the reduction of transmitted vibrations at the wrist. The vibration transmission was recorded with a portable device using a triaxial accelerometer. The results suggest large and significant reductions of vibration with appropriate safety equipment. Reductions of 85.6% were achieved when anti-vibration gloves were used. Our results indicated that transmitted vibrations were affected by several factors and could be measured and significantly reduced.

Division of Labor in Hand Usage Is Associated with Higher Hand Performance in Free-Ranging Bonnet Macaques, Macaca radiata

PubMed Central

Mangalam, Madhur; Desai, Nisarg; Singh, Mewa

2015-01-01

A practical approach to understanding lateral asymmetries in body, brain, and cognition would be to examine the performance advantages/disadvantages associated with the corresponding functions and behavior. In the present study, we examined whether the division of labor in hand usage, marked by the preferential usage of the two hands across manual operations requiring maneuvering in three-dimensional space (e.g., reaching for food, grooming, and hitting an opponent) and those requiring physical strength (e.g., climbing), is associated with higher hand performance in free-ranging bonnet macaques, Macaca radiata. We determined the extent to which the macaques exhibit laterality in hand usage in an experimental unimanual and a bimanual food-reaching task, and the extent to which manual laterality is associated with hand performance in an experimental hand-performance-differentiation task. We observed negative relationships between (a) the latency in food extraction by the preferred hand in the hand-performance-differentiation task (wherein, lower latency implies higher performance), the preferred hand determined using the bimanual food-reaching task, and the normalized difference between the performance of the two hands, and (b) the normalized difference between the performance of the two hands and the absolute difference between the laterality in hand usage in the unimanual and the bimanual food-reaching tasks (wherein, lesser difference implies higher manual specialization). Collectively, these observations demonstrate that the division of labor between the two hands is associated with higher hand performance. PMID:25806511

"Sharks in Your Hands"--A Case Study on Effects of Teaching Strategies to Change Knowledge and Attitudes towards Sharks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hung-Shan; Liu, Shiang-Yao; Yeh, Ting-Kuang

2016-01-01

This study was designed to exemplify how hands-on based teaching strategies enhanced students' knowledge and positive attitudes towards sharks. Hands-on activities for sharks' biological and morphological features were carried out. Eleven elementary school students from a remote area in Taiwan were recruited and assigned to the hands-on condition.…

Hand in Hand: Media Literacy and Internet Safety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Frank

2011-01-01

Internet safety cannot be effectively taught without also teaching media literacy. The two go hand in hand, and both are necessary, but neither is sufficient. To understand why, it is important to first appreciate what the real risks to children are. Many of the early Internet safety programs were based on a fear of predators. Predators turned out…

Hand tactile discrimination, social touch and frailty criteria in elderly people: A cross sectional observational study.

PubMed

Vieira, Ana Isabel; Nogueira, Dália; de Azevedo Reis, Elisabeth; da Lapa Rosado, Maria; Vânia Nunes, Maria; Castro-Caldas, Alexandre

2016-01-01

Frailty is a common syndrome among elderly and sensory decline may exacerbate functional decline. The hand function, the manual dexterity, the performance of the daily living skills and the social interactions are determined, in a large degree, by sensory integrity. However, hand tactile sensory deterioration has been little explored in frailty. We performed a cross sectional observational study with 181 of institutionalized elders. From the initial sample we selected 50 subjects (68-99 years) who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Our goals were (1) to analyse the relationship between tactile discrimination (TD) of the hand, avoidance behaviours and attitudes towards social touch (BATST) and phenotype frailty criteria (unintentional weight loss, self-perception of exhaustion, decrease grip strength - GS, slow walking speed, low level of physical activity), (2) to explore whether other variables can contribute to explain the differences between pre-frail and frail elders. The results showed that increasing age is related to decline of TD of the hand (p=0.021) and to decrease in GS (p=0.025); women have significantly lower level of GS (p=0.001); TD decrease is correlated with higher avoidance BATST (p=0.000) and with lower GS (p=0.000); Lower GS corresponds to more avoidance BATST (p=0.003). Hand TD also can differentiate frail and pre-frail elderly subjects in this sample (p=0.037). Decreased TD of the hand may have implications on the functionality and on interpersonal relationships. TD of the hand also explains frailty levels in this sample. Hand TD should be used in assessment and intervention protocols in pre-frail and frail elders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental and numerical studies of natural convection in a Hele-Shaw cell

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Viney, C.E.; Hickox, C.E.; Montoya, P.C.

1982-12-01

The results of an experimental study are reported in which a Hele-Shaw cell was used to simulate natural convection flow in a homogeneous porous region subjected to a horizonal temperature gradient. Measured velocities and photographs of streamline patterns are compared with numerical predictions produced with the finite element computer program, MARIAH. Results of numerical simulations are also reported for Rayleigh-Benard convection in a bottom-heated, horizontal, prous layer. The numerical results are compared with the experimental Hele-Shaw cell results of Hartline and Lister. The comparison between these experimental and numerical studies provides some support for the qualification of MARIAH as amore » general purpose code for the description of natural convection in porous media at low Rayleigh numbers.« less

Rubber Hand Illusion Affects Joint Angle Perception

PubMed Central

Butz, Martin V.; Kutter, Esther F.; Lorenz, Corinna

2014-01-01

The Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) is a well-established experimental paradigm. It has been shown that the RHI can affect hand location estimates, arm and hand motion towards goals, the subjective visual appearance of the own hand, and the feeling of body ownership. Several studies also indicate that the peri-hand space is partially remapped around the rubber hand. Nonetheless, the question remains if and to what extent the RHI can affect the perception of other body parts. In this study we ask if the RHI can alter the perception of the elbow joint. Participants had to adjust an angular representation on a screen according to their proprioceptive perception of their own elbow joint angle. The results show that the RHI does indeed alter the elbow joint estimation, increasing the agreement with the position and orientation of the artificial hand. Thus, the results show that the brain does not only adjust the perception of the hand in body-relative space, but it also modifies the perception of other body parts. In conclusion, we propose that the brain continuously strives to maintain a consistent internal body image and that this image can be influenced by the available sensory information sources, which are mediated and mapped onto each other by means of a postural, kinematic body model. PMID:24671172

The fraction of total hand surface area involved in young children's outdoor hand-to-object contacts.

PubMed

AuYeung, Willa; Canales, Robert A; Leckie, James O

2008-11-01

Information on the fraction of total hand surface area touching a contaminated object is necessary in accurately estimating contaminant (e.g., pesticides, pathogens) loadings onto the hands during hand-to-object contacts. While several existing physical-stochastic human exposure models require such surface area data to estimate dermal and non-dietary ingestion exposure, there are very limited data sets. This paper provides statistical distributions of fractional surface areas (FSAs) for children's outdoor hand contacts. These distributions were constructed by combining information collected from two distinct studies exploring children's activity patterns and quantifying hand contact surface area. Results show that for outdoor contacts with "All Objects", a range of 0.13-0.27 captured median FSAs, while a range of 0.12-0.24 captured time-weighted FSAs. Overall, an FSA of 0.31 captured 80-100% of FSAs involved in each child's outdoor hand contacts, depending upon the object of interest. These values are much lower than the often conservative assumptions of up to 1 (i.e., the entire hand) that researchers currently make regarding FSAs involved in indoor and outdoor contacts [USEPA, 1997. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for residential exposure assessments. Contract no. 68-W6-0030. http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/trac/science/trac6a05.pdf].

Gen-2 hand-held optical imager towards cancer imaging: reflectance and transillumination phantom studies.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Jean; Roman, Manuela; Hall, Michael; Godavarty, Anuradha

2012-01-01

Hand-held near-infrared (NIR) optical imagers are developed by various researchers towards non-invasive clinical breast imaging. Unlike these existing imagers that can perform only reflectance imaging, a generation-2 (Gen-2) hand-held optical imager has been recently developed to perform both reflectance and transillumination imaging. The unique forked design of the hand-held probe head(s) allows for reflectance imaging (as in ultrasound) and transillumination or compressed imaging (as in X-ray mammography). Phantom studies were performed to demonstrate two-dimensional (2D) target detection via reflectance and transillumination imaging at various target depths (1-5 cm deep) and using simultaneous multiple point illumination approach. It was observed that 0.45 cc targets were detected up to 5 cm deep during transillumination, but limited to 2.5 cm deep during reflectance imaging. Additionally, implementing appropriate data post-processing techniques along with a polynomial fitting approach, to plot 2D surface contours of the detected signal, yields distinct target detectability and localization. The ability of the gen-2 imager to perform both reflectance and transillumination imaging allows its direct comparison to ultrasound and X-ray mammography results, respectively, in future clinical breast imaging studies.

Hand-to-Hand Model for Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to Estimate Fat Free Mass in a Healthy Population

PubMed Central

Lu, Hsueh-Kuan; Chiang, Li-Ming; Chen, Yu-Yawn; Chuang, Chih-Lin; Chen, Kuen-Tsann; Dwyer, Gregory B.; Hsu, Ying-Lin; Chen, Chun-Hao; Hsieh, Kuen-Chang

2016-01-01

This study aimed to establish a hand-to-hand (HH) model for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) fat free mass (FFM) estimation by comparing with a standing position hand-to-foot (HF) BIA model and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); we also verified the reliability of the newly developed model. A total of 704 healthy Chinese individuals (403 men and 301 women) participated. FFM (FFMDXA) reference variables were measured using DXA and segmental BIA. Further, regression analysis, Bland–Altman plots, and cross-validation (2/3 participants as the modeling group, 1/3 as the validation group; three turns were repeated for validation grouping) were conducted to compare tests of agreement with FFMDXA reference variables. In male participants, the hand-to-hand BIA model estimation equation was calculated as follows: FFMmHH = 0.537 h2/ZHH − 0.126 year + 0.217 weight + 18.235 (r2 = 0.919, standard estimate of error (SEE) = 2.164 kg, n = 269). The mean validated correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LOAs) of the Bland–Altman analysis of the calculated values for FFMmHH and FFMDXA were 0.958 and −4.369–4.343 kg, respectively, for hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for men; the FFM (FFMmHF) and FFMDXA were 0.958 and −4.356–4.375 kg, respectively. The hand-to-hand BIA model estimating equation for female participants was FFMFHH = 0.615 h2/ZHH − 0.144 year + 0.132 weight + 16.507 (r2 = 0.870, SEE = 1.884 kg, n = 201); the three mean validated correlation coefficient and LOA for the hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for female participants (FFMFHH and FFMDXA) were 0.929 and −3.880–3.886 kg, respectively. The FFMHF and FFMDXA were 0.942 and −3.511–3.489 kg, respectively. The results of both hand-to-hand and hand-to-foot BIA models demonstrated similar reliability, and the hand-to-hand BIA models are practical for assessing FFM. PMID:27775642

Hand-to-Hand Model for Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis to Estimate Fat Free Mass in a Healthy Population.

PubMed

Lu, Hsueh-Kuan; Chiang, Li-Ming; Chen, Yu-Yawn; Chuang, Chih-Lin; Chen, Kuen-Tsann; Dwyer, Gregory B; Hsu, Ying-Lin; Chen, Chun-Hao; Hsieh, Kuen-Chang

2016-10-21

This study aimed to establish a hand-to-hand (HH) model for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) fat free mass (FFM) estimation by comparing with a standing position hand-to-foot (HF) BIA model and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); we also verified the reliability of the newly developed model. A total of 704 healthy Chinese individuals (403 men and 301 women) participated. FFM (FFM DXA ) reference variables were measured using DXA and segmental BIA. Further, regression analysis, Bland-Altman plots, and cross-validation (2/3 participants as the modeling group, 1/3 as the validation group; three turns were repeated for validation grouping) were conducted to compare tests of agreement with FFM DXA reference variables. In male participants, the hand-to-hand BIA model estimation equation was calculated as follows: FFM m HH = 0.537 h²/Z HH - 0.126 year + 0.217 weight + 18.235 ( r ² = 0.919, standard estimate of error (SEE) = 2.164 kg, n = 269). The mean validated correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LOAs) of the Bland-Altman analysis of the calculated values for FFM m HH and FFM DXA were 0.958 and -4.369-4.343 kg, respectively, for hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for men; the FFM (FFM m HF ) and FFM DXA were 0.958 and -4.356-4.375 kg, respectively. The hand-to-hand BIA model estimating equation for female participants was FFM F HH = 0.615 h²/Z HH - 0.144 year + 0.132 weight + 16.507 ( r ² = 0.870, SEE = 1.884 kg, n = 201); the three mean validated correlation coefficient and LOA for the hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for female participants (FFM F HH and FFM DXA ) were 0.929 and -3.880-3.886 kg, respectively. The FFM HF and FFM DXA were 0.942 and -3.511-3.489 kg, respectively. The results of both hand-to-hand and hand-to-foot BIA models demonstrated similar reliability, and the hand-to-hand BIA models are practical for assessing FFM.

The Plastic Surgery Hand Curriculum.

PubMed

Silvestre, Jason; Levin, L Scott; Serletti, Joseph M; Chang, Benjamin

2015-12-01

Designing an effective hand rotation for plastic surgery residents is difficult. The authors address this limitation by elucidating the critical components of the hand curriculum during plastic surgery residency. Hand questions on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Training Exam for six consecutive years (2008 to 2013) were characterized by presence of imaging, vignette setting, question taxonomy, answer domain, anatomy, and topic. Answer references were quantified by source and year of publication. Two hundred sixty-six questions were related to hand surgery (22.7 percent of all questions; 44.3 per year) and 61 were accompanied by an image (22.9 percent). Vignettes tended to be clinic- (50.0 percent) and emergency room-based (35.3 percent) (p < 0.001). Questions required decision-making (60.5 percent) over interpretation (25.9 percent) and recall skills (13.5 percent) (p < 0.001). Answers focused on interventions (57.5 percent) over anatomy/pathology (25.2 percent) and diagnoses (17.3 percent) (p < 0.001). Nearly half of the questions focused on the digits. The highest yield topics were trauma (35.3 percent), reconstruction (24.4 percent), and aesthetic and functional problems (14.2 percent). The Journal of Hand Surgery (American volume) (20.5 percent) and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (18.0 percent) were the most-cited journals, and the median publication lag was 7 years. Green's Operative Hand Surgery was the most-referenced textbook (41.8 percent). These results will enable trainees to study hand surgery topics with greater efficiency. Faculty can use these results to ensure that tested topics are covered during residency training. Thus, a benchmark is established to improve didactic, clinical, and operative experiences in hand surgery.

ECHOS: Early Childhood Hands-On Science Efficacy Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Judy A.; Greenfield, Daryl B.; Bell, Elizabeth; Juárez, Cheryl Lani; Myers, Ted; Nayfeld, Irena

2013-01-01

"ECHOS: Early Childhood Hands-On Science" was developed at the Miami Science Museum as a comprehensive set of science lessons sequenced to lead children toward a deeper understanding of science content and the use of science process skills. The purpose of the research is to determine whether use of the "ECHOS" model will…

Radiographic hand osteoarthritis: patterns and associations with hand pain and function in a community-dwelling sample.

PubMed

Marshall, M; van der Windt, D; Nicholls, E; Myers, H; Hay, E; Dziedzic, K

2009-11-01

Patterns of radiographic osteoarthritis (ROA) of the hand are often examined by row, with the four joints of the thumb studied inconsistently. The objectives of this study were to determine relationships of ROA at different hand joints, use the findings to define radiographic sub-groups and investigate their associations with pain and function. Sixteen joints in each hand were scored for the presence of ROA in a community-dwelling cohort of adults, 50-years-and-over, with self-reported hand pain or problems. Principal components analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation was used to study patterns of ROA in the hand joints and identify distinct sub-groups. Differences in pain and function between these sub-groups were assessed using Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Index (AUSCAN), Grip Ability Test (GAT) and grip and pinch strength. PCA was undertaken on data from 592 participants and identified four components: distal interphalangeal joints (DIPs), proximal interphalangeal joints (PIPs), metacarpophalangeal joints (MCPs), thumb joints. However, the left thumb interphalangeal (IP) joint cross-loaded with the PIP and thumb groups. On this basis, participants were categorised into four radiographic sub-groups: no osteoarthritis (OA), finger only OA, thumb only OA and combined thumb and finger OA. Statistically significant differences were found between the sub-groups for AUSCAN function, and in women alone for grip and pinch strength. Participants with combined thumb and finger OA had the worst scores. Individual thumb joints can be clustered together as a joint group in ROA. Four radiographic sub-groups of hand OA can be distinguished. Pain and functional difficulties were highest in participants with both thumb and finger OA.

Hand preferences in two unimanual and two bimanual coordinated tasks in the black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi).

PubMed

Motes Rodrigo, Alba; Ramirez Torres, Carlos Eduardo; Hernandez Salazar, Laura Teresa; Laska, Matthias

2018-05-01

Spider monkeys are interesting to study with regard to hand preferences, as they are one of the few primate species that lack a thumb and, thus, are unable to perform a precision grip. Further, being platyrrhine primates, they also largely lack independent motor control of the digits and, thus, have only limited manual dexterity. It was therefore the aim of the present study to assess hand preferences in black-handed spider monkeys ( Ateles geoffroyi ) in 4 tasks differing in task demand: simple unimanual reaching for food and 3 versions of the widely used tube task, including 2 bimanual versions that differ from each other in the degree of fine motor control needed and a unimanual version that does not require coordinated action of the hands. We found that black-handed spider monkeys display significant hand preferences at the individual, but not at the population, level. This was true both in the 2 bimanual coordinated tasks and in the 2 unimanual tasks. Further, our results show that the majority of animals were consistent in the hand they preferred in these 4 tasks. Our findings only partially support the notion that task demand positively correlates with strength of hand preference. Finally, we found that the index finger was the most frequently used digit in all 3 tube tasks, although the animals also used other digits and 2- and 3-finger combinations to extract food from a tube. We conclude that limited manual dexterity does not prevent spider monkeys from displaying strong and consistent hand preferences at the individual level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Home-based hand rehabilitation with a robotic glove in hemiplegic patients after stroke: a pilot feasibility study.

PubMed

Bernocchi, Palmira; Mulè, Chiara; Vanoglio, Fabio; Taveggia, Giovanni; Luisa, Alberto; Scalvini, Simonetta

2018-03-01

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of home rehabilitation of the hand using a robotic glove, and, in addition, its effectiveness, in hemiplegic patients after stroke. In this non-randomized pilot study, 21 hemiplegic stroke patients (Ashworth spasticity index ≤ 3) were prescribed, after in-hospital rehabilitation, a 2-month home-program of intensive hand training using the Gloreha Lite glove that provides computer-controlled passive mobilization of the fingers. Feasibility was measured by: number of patients who completed the home-program, minutes of exercise and number of sessions/patient performed. Safety was assessed by: hand pain with a visual analog scale (VAS), Ashworth spasticity index for finger flexors, opponents of the thumb and wrist flexors, and hand edema (circumference of forearm, wrist and fingers), measured at start (T0) and end (T1) of rehabilitation. Hand motor function (Motricity Index, MI), fine manual dexterity (Nine Hole Peg Test, NHPT) and strength (Grip test) were also measured at T0 and T1. Patients performed, over a mean period 56 (49-63) days, a total of 1699 (1353-2045) min/patient of exercise with Gloreha Lite, 5.1 (4.3-5.8) days/week. Seventeen patients (81%) completed the full program. The mean VAS score of hand pain, Ashworth spasticity index and hand edema did not change significantly at T1 compared to T0. The MI, NHPT and Grip test improved significantly (p = 0.0020, 0.0156 and 0.0024, respectively) compared to baseline. Gloreha Lite is feasible and safe for use in home rehabilitation. The efficacy data show a therapeutic effect which need to be confirmed by a randomized controlled study.

Does Personalized Water and Hand Quality Information Affect Attitudes, Behavior, and Health in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, J.; Pickering, A.; Horak, H.; Boehm, A.

2008-12-01

Tanzania (TZ) has one of the highest rates of child mortality due to enteric disease in the world. NGOs and local agencies have introduced numerous technologies (e.g., chlorine tablets, borewells) to increase the quantity and quality of water in Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, in hopes of reducing morbidity and mortality of waterborne disease. The objective of the present study is to determine if providing personalized information about water quality and hand surface quality, as determined by concentrations of enterococci and E. coli, results in improved health and water quality in households. A cohort study was completed in June-September 2008 in 3 communities ranging from urban to per-urban in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to achieve our objective. The study consisted of 4 cohorts that were visited 4 times over the 3 month study. One cohort received no information about water and hand quality until the end of the summer, while the other groups received either just information on hand surface quality, just information on water quality, and information on both hand surface and water quality after the first (baseline) household visit. We report concentrations of enterococci and E. coli in water sources (surface waters and bore wells), water stored in households, and environmental waters were children and adults swim and bathe. In addition, we report concentrations of enterococci and E. coli on hands of caregivers and children in households. Preliminary results of surveys on health and perceptions of water quality and illness from the households are provided. Ongoing work will integrate the microbiological and sociological data sets to determine if personalized information interventions resulted in changes in health, water quality in the household, or perceptions of water quality, quantity and relation to human health. Future work will analyze DNA samples from hands and water for human-specific Bacteroides bacteria which are only present in human feces. Our study

Comparison of pressure pain threshold, grip strength,dexterity and touch pressure of dominant and non-dominant hands within and between right-and left-handed subjects.

PubMed

Ozcan, Ayse; Tulum, Zeliha; Pinar, Lamia; Başkurt, Ferdi

2004-12-01

This study was done to evaluate differences in pressure pain threshold, grip strength, manual dexterity and touch pressure threshold in the dominant and non-dominant hands of right- and left-handed subjects, and to compare findings within and between these groups. Thirty-nine right-handed and twenty-one left-handed subjects participated in the study. Pressure pain threshold was assessed using a dolorimeter, grip strength was assessed with a hand-grip dynamometer, manual dexterity was evaluated using the VALPAR Component Work Sample-4 system, and touch pressure threshold was determined using Semmes Weinstein monofilaments. Results for the dominant and non-dominant hands were compared within and between the groups. In the right-handed subjects, the dominant hand was significantly faster with the VALPAR Component Work Sample-4, showed significantly greater grip strength, and had a significantly higher pressure pain threshold than the non-dominant hand. The corresponding results for the two hands were similar in the left-handed subjects. The study revealed asymmetrical manual performance in grip strength, manual dexterity and pressure pain threshold in right-handed subjects, but no such asymmetries in left-handed subjects.

Skin reactions related to hand hygiene and selection of hand hygiene products.

PubMed

Larson, Elaine; Girard, Raphaelle; Pessoa-Silva, Carmem Lucia; Boyce, John; Donaldson, Liam; Pittet, Didier

2006-12-01

In October 2004, The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the World Alliance for Patient Safety. Within the alliance, the first priority of the Global Patient Safety Challenge is to reduce health care-associated infection. A key action within the challenge is to promote hand hygiene in health care globally as well as at the country level through the campaign "Clean Care is Safer Care." As a result, the WHO is developing Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care, designed to be applicable throughout the world. This paper summarizes one component of the global WHO guidelines related to the impact of hand hygiene on the skin of health care personnel, including a discussion of types of skin reactions associated with hand hygiene, methods to reduce adverse reactions, and factors to consider when selecting hand hygiene products. Health care professionals have a higher prevalence of skin irritation than seen in the general population because of the necessity for frequent hand hygiene during patient care. Ways to minimize adverse effects of hand hygiene include selecting less irritating products, using skin moisturizers, and modifying certain hand hygiene practices such as unnecessary washing. Institutions need to consider several factors when selecting hand hygiene products: dermal tolerance and aesthetic preferences of users as well as practical considerations such as convenience, storage, and costs.

Preoperative Hand Decontamination in Ophthalmic Surgery: A Comparison of the Removal of Bacteria from Surgeons' Hands by Routine Antimicrobial Scrub versus an Alcoholic Hand Rub.

PubMed

Forer, Yaara; Block, Colin; Frenkel, Shahar

2017-09-01

The goal of this experiment was to evaluate and compare the antimicrobial efficacy of routine preoperative hand washing using commercial medicated sponge brushes versus an alcoholic hand rub, by comparing bacterial growth on ophthalmic surgeons' hands after application of each of these methods. Twenty ophthalmic surgeons were recruited at the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Samples were collected twice from the hands of each surgeon after hand decontamination using two different protocols during routine surgical practice. The routine preparation consisted of a 3-minute surgical scrub using commercial brush-sponges incorporating either 4% chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) or 1% povidone-iodine (PVP-I) formulations with detergent, followed by drying the hands with a sterile towel, while the 70% ethanol solution was applied for 60-seconds and allowed to air dry. Half of the group was randomly assigned to provide samples first after the routine method and the alcoholic solution a week later, and the other half of the group was sampled in the reverse order. Viable counts of bacteria were evaluated using a modified glove juice method. Bacterial colonies were enumerated after incubation for 24 hours and expressed as colony forming units (CFU)/mL for each pair of hands. Geometric mean counts were 1310 and 39 CFU/mL, in the routine and alcohol rub groups, respectively, representing a mean log 10 reduction in 1.53. The difference between the paired bacterial counts for the routine versus the alcohol rub was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). There was no statistically significant difference between log 10 reductions for CHG and PVP-I (p = 0.97). This study provides evidence that an alcohol rub protocol is more effective in reducing bacterial counts on hands than routine surgical hand preparation with PVP-I and CHG in a population of practicing ophthalmic surgeons in the operative clinical setting. Thus, it provides a safe alternative as a

Changes in arm-hand function and arm-hand skill performance in patients after stroke during and after rehabilitation.

PubMed

Franck, Johan Anton; Smeets, Rob Johannes Elise Marie; Seelen, Henk Alexander Maria

2017-01-01

Arm-hand rehabilitation programs applied in stroke rehabilitation frequently target specific populations and thus are less applicable in heterogeneous patient populations. Besides, changes in arm-hand function (AHF) and arm-hand skill performance (AHSP) during and after a specific and well-described rehabilitation treatment are often not well evaluated. This single-armed prospective cohort study featured three subgroups of stroke patients with either a severely, moderately or mildly impaired AHF. Rehabilitation treatment consisted of a Concise_Arm_and_hand_ Rehabilitation_Approach_in_Stroke (CARAS). Measurements at function and activity level were performed at admission, clinical discharge, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after clinical discharge. Eighty-nine stroke patients (M/F:63/23; mean age:57.6yr (+/-10.6); post-stroke time:29.8 days (+/-20.1)) participated. All patients improved on AHF and arm-hand capacity during and after rehabilitation, except on grip strength in the severely affected subgroup. Largest gains occurred in patients with a moderately affected AHF. As to self-perceived AHSP, on average, all subgroups improved over time. A small percentage of patients declined regarding self-perceived AHSP post-rehabilitation. A majority of stroke patients across the whole arm-hand impairment severity spectrum significantly improved on AHF, arm-hand capacity and self-perceived AHSP. These were maintained up to one year post-rehabilitation. Results may serve as a control condition in future studies.

Quantification of Hand Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease: A Proof-of-Principle Study Using Inertial and Force Sensors.

PubMed

van den Noort, Josien C; Verhagen, Rens; van Dijk, Kees J; Veltink, Peter H; Vos, Michelle C P M; de Bie, Rob M A; Bour, Lo J; Heida, Ciska T

2017-10-01

This proof-of-principle study describes the methodology and explores and demonstrates the applicability of a system, existing of miniature inertial sensors on the hand and a separate force sensor, to objectively quantify hand motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in a clinical setting (off- and on-medication condition). Four PD patients were measured in off- and on- dopaminergic medication condition. Finger tapping, rapid hand opening/closing, hand pro/supination, tremor during rest, mental task and kinetic task, and wrist rigidity movements were measured with the system (called the PowerGlove). To demonstrate applicability, various outcome parameters of measured hand motor symptoms of the patients in off- vs. on-medication condition are presented. The methodology described and results presented show applicability of the PowerGlove in a clinical research setting, to objectively quantify hand bradykinesia, tremor and rigidity in PD patients, using a single system. The PowerGlove measured a difference in off- vs. on-medication condition in all tasks in the presented patients with most of its outcome parameters. Further study into the validity and reliability of the outcome parameters is required in a larger cohort of patients, to arrive at an optimal set of parameters that can assist in clinical evaluation and decision-making.

Antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol-based hand gels.

PubMed

Guilhermetti, M; Marques Wiirzler, L A; Castanheira Facio, B; da Silva Furlan, M; Campo Meschial, W; Bronharo Tognim, M C; Botelho Garcia, L; Luiz Cardoso, C

2010-03-01

In recent years, several commercial alcohol-based hand gels have appeared on the market to improve the hand-cleansing compliance of healthcare workers. Although the antimicrobial efficacy of these products has been reported in different countries, few studies have investigated this subject in Brazil. In this study, we assessed the antimicrobial efficacy of 12 alcohol-based hand gels produced in Brazil, containing 70% w/w or v/v ethyl alcohol as the active ingredient, according to the European Standard EN 1500 (EN 1500). The following alcohol gels were tested: Hand Gel, Voga Gel, Solumax Solugel, Doctor Clean, Rio Gel, Clear Gel, Sevengel, Hand CHC, Gel Bac, WBL-50 Gel, Sanigel and Soft Care Gel. In addition, 70% w/w ethyl alcohol and three alcohol-based hand rubs (Sterillium, Sterillium Gel, and Spitaderm), commonly used in Europe and effective according to EN 1500, were also tested. All the products tested, except for two, were approved by the EN 1500 test protocol with a 60s application. The results confirmed the antimicrobial efficacy of the majority of the alcohol gels produced in Brazil for hand hygiene of healthcare workers. Copyright 2009 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do the hands talk on mind's behalf? Differences in language ability between left- and right-handed children.

PubMed

Natsopoulos, D; Kiosseoglou, G; Xeromeritou, A; Alevriadou, A

1998-09-01

Two hundred seventy children of school age, 135 of whom were left-handed and an equivalent number of whom were right-handed, have been examined in the present study using a test battery of nine language ability measures: Vocabulary, Similarities, Comprehension (WISC-R), Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Sentence Completion, Comprehension of Sentential Semantics, Comprehension of Syntax, and Text Processing. The data analysis has indicated that: (1) One-factor solution applies both to the right- and left-handed population according to Standard Error Scree Method (Zoski & Jurs, 1996) with regard to language ability measures. (2) Handedness discriminates between right-handers (superior) and left-handers (inferior) in language ability. (3) There have been subgroups of left-handed children who differ in language ability distribution compared with right-handed children according to Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. (4) Extreme versus mild bias to hand preference and hand skill do not differentiate performance subgroups neither within the left-handed nor within the right-handed main group. (5) Sex and familial sinistrality do not affect performance. The results are discussed in relation to (a) "human balanced polymorphism" theory advocated by Annett (mainly Annett, 1985, 1993a; Annett & Manning, 1989), (b) potential pathology (mainly Bishop, 1984, 1990a; Coren & Halpern, 1991; Satz, Orsini, Saslow & Henry, 1985) and "developmental instability" (Yeo, Gangestad & Daniel, 1993), and delay of left-hemisphere maturation in left-handed individuals (Geschwind & Galaburda, 1985a,b, 1987), by pointing out the strength and weaknesses of these theoretical approaches in accounting for the present data. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.

The Effect of Antibacterial Formula Hand Cleaners on the Elimination of Microbes on Hands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, J. R.

2002-05-01

: The purpose of this project is to find out which one of the antibacterial hand cleanser (antibacterial bar soap, antibacterial liquid hand soap, and liquid hand sanitizer) is more effective in eliminating microbes. If antibacterial- formula liquid hand soap is used on soiled hands, then it will be more effective in eliminating microbes. Germs are microorganisms that cause disease and can spread from person-to-person. Bacteria are a kind of microbe, an example of which is Transient Flora that is often found on hands. Hand washing prevents germs from spreading to others. During the procedure, swabs were used to take samples before and after the soiled hands had been washed with one of the antibacterial hand cleansers. Nutrient Easygel was poured into petri dishes to harden for 1 day, and then samples were swabbed on the gel. The Petri dishes were placed in an incubator for 24 hours, and then data was recorded accordingly. The antibacterial liquid hand soap was sufficient in eliminating the majority of bacteria. The hands had 65% of the bacteria on them, and after the liquid hand soap was used only 37% of the bacteria remained.

Biofouling in forward osmosis systems: An experimental and numerical study.

PubMed

Bucs, Szilárd S; Valladares Linares, Rodrigo; Vrouwenvelder, Johannes S; Picioreanu, Cristian

2016-12-01

This study evaluates with numerical simulations supported by experimental data the impact of biofouling on membrane performance in a cross-flow forward osmosis (FO) system. The two-dimensional numerical model couples liquid flow with solute transport in the FO feed and draw channels, in the FO membrane support layer and in the biofilm developed on one or both sides of the membrane. The developed model was tested against experimental measurements at various osmotic pressure differences and in batch operation without and with the presence of biofilm on the membrane active layer. Numerical studies explored the effect of biofilm properties (thickness, hydraulic permeability and porosity), biofilm membrane surface coverage, and biofilm location on salt external concentration polarization and on the permeation flux. The numerical simulations revealed that (i) when biofouling occurs, external concentration polarization became important, (ii) the biofilm hydraulic permeability and membrane surface coverage have the highest impact on water flux, and (iii) the biofilm formed in the draw channel impacts the process performance more than when formed in the feed channel. The proposed mathematical model helps to understand the impact of biofouling in FO membrane systems and to develop possible strategies to reduce and control biofouling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional Anatomy of Writing with the Dominant Hand

PubMed Central

Najee-ullah, Muslimah ‘Ali; Hallett, Mark

2013-01-01

While writing performed by any body part is similar in style, indicating a common program, writing with the dominant hand is particularly skilled. We hypothesized that this skill utilizes a special motor network supplementing the motor equivalence areas. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 13 normal subjects, we studied nine conditions: writing, zigzagging and tapping, each with the right hand, left hand and right foot. We identified brain regions activated with the right (dominant) hand writing task, exceeding the activation common to right-hand use and the writing program, both identified without right-hand writing itself. Right-hand writing significantly differed from the other tasks. First, we observed stronger activations in the left dorsal prefrontal cortex, left intraparietal sulcus and right cerebellum. Second, the left anterior putamen was required to initiate all the tested tasks, but only showed sustained activation during the right-hand writing condition. Lastly, an exploratory analysis showed clusters in the left ventral premotor cortex and inferior and superior parietal cortices were only significantly active for right-hand writing. The increased activation with right-hand writing cannot be ascribed to increased effort, since this is a well-practiced task much easier to perform than some of the other tasks studied. Because parietal-premotor connections code for particular skills, it would seem that the parietal and premotor regions, together with basal ganglia-sustained activation likely underlie the special skill of handwriting with the dominant hand. PMID:23844132

Functional anatomy of writing with the dominant hand.

PubMed

Horovitz, Silvina G; Gallea, Cecile; Najee-Ullah, Muslimah 'ali; Hallett, Mark

2013-01-01

While writing performed by any body part is similar in style, indicating a common program, writing with the dominant hand is particularly skilled. We hypothesized that this skill utilizes a special motor network supplementing the motor equivalence areas. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in 13 normal subjects, we studied nine conditions: writing, zigzagging and tapping, each with the right hand, left hand and right foot. We identified brain regions activated with the right (dominant) hand writing task, exceeding the activation common to right-hand use and the writing program, both identified without right-hand writing itself. Right-hand writing significantly differed from the other tasks. First, we observed stronger activations in the left dorsal prefrontal cortex, left intraparietal sulcus and right cerebellum. Second, the left anterior putamen was required to initiate all the tested tasks, but only showed sustained activation during the right-hand writing condition. Lastly, an exploratory analysis showed clusters in the left ventral premotor cortex and inferior and superior parietal cortices were only significantly active for right-hand writing. The increased activation with right-hand writing cannot be ascribed to increased effort, since this is a well-practiced task much easier to perform than some of the other tasks studied. Because parietal-premotor connections code for particular skills, it would seem that the parietal and premotor regions, together with basal ganglia-sustained activation likely underlie the special skill of handwriting with the dominant hand.

Structure design for a Two-DoF myoelectric prosthetic hand to realize basic hand functions in ADLs.

PubMed

Hoshigawa, Suguru; Jiang, Yinlai; Kato, Ryu; Morishita, Soichiro; Nakamura, Tatsuhiro; Yabuki, Yoshiko; Yokoi, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

Prosthetic hands are desired by those who have lost a hand or both hands not only for decoration but also for the functions to help them with their activities of daily living (ADL). Prosthetic robotic hands that are developed to fully realize the function of a human hand are usually too expensive to be economically available, difficult to operate and maintain, or over heavy for longtime wearing. The aim of this study is therefore to develop a simplified prosthetic hand (sim-PH), which is to be controlled by myoelectric signals from the user, to realize the most important grasp motions in ADL by trading off the cost and performance. This paper reports the structure design of a two-DoF sim-PH with two motors to drive the CM joint of the thumb and the interlocked MP joints of the other four fingers. In order to optimize the structure, the model of the sim-PH was proposed based on which 7 sim-PHs with different structural parameters were manufactured and tested in a pick-and-place experiment. Correspondence analysis of the experimental results clarified the relationship between the hand functions and the shapes of fingers.

Choosing between NSAID and arnica for topical treatment of hand osteoarthritis in a randomised, double-blind study.

PubMed

Widrig, Reto; Suter, Andy; Saller, Reinhard; Melzer, Jörg

2007-04-01

The use of topical preparations for symptom relief is common in osteoarthritis. The effects of ibuprofen (5%) and arnica (50 g tincture/100 g, DER 1:20), as gel preparations in patients with radiologically confirmed and symptomatically active osteoarthritis of interphalangeal joints of hands, were evaluated in a randomised, double-blind study in 204 patients, to ascertain differences in pain relief and hand function after 21 days' treatment. Diagnosis was according to established criteria; primary endpoints were pain intensity and hand function; statistical design was as per current regulatory guidelines for testing topical preparations. There were no differences between the two groups in pain and hand function improvements, or in any secondary end points evaluated. Adverse events were reported by six patients (6.1%) on ibuprofen and by five patients (4.8%) on arnica. Our results confirm that this preparation of arnica is not inferior to ibuprofen when treating osteoarthritis of hands.

Promoting a Hand Hygiene Program Using Social Media: An Observational Study.

PubMed

Pan, Sung-Ching; Sheng, Wang-Huei; Tien, Kuei-Lien; Chien, Kuang-Tse; Chen, Yee-Chun; Chang, Shawn-Chwen

2016-01-01

Hand hygiene is an important component in infection control to protect patient safety and reduce health care-associated infection. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of different social media on the promotion of a hand hygiene (HH) program. The observational study was conducted from May 5 to December 31, 2014, at a 2600-bed tertiary care hospital. A 3-minute video of an HH campaign in 8 languages was posted to YouTube. The Chinese version was promoted through three platforms: the hospital website, the hospital group email, and the Facebook site of a well-known Internet illustrator. The video traffic was analyzed via Google Analytics. HH compliance was measured in November 2013 and 2014. There were 5252 views of the video, mainly of the Chinese-language version (3509/5252, 66.81%). The NTUH website had 24,000 subscribers, and 151 of them viewed the video (connection rate was 151/24,000, 0.63%). There were 9967 users of the hospital email group and the connection rate was 0.91% (91/9967). The connection rate was 6.17% (807/13,080) from Facebook, significantly higher than the other 2 venues (both P<.001). HH compliance sustained from 83.7% (473/565) in 2013 to 86.7% (589/679) in 2014 (P=.13) among all HCWs. Facebook had the highest connection rate in the HH video campaign. The use of novel social media such as Facebook should be considered for future programs that promote hand hygiene and other healthy behaviors.

Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care.

PubMed

Gould, Dinah J; Moralejo, Donna; Drey, Nicholas; Chudleigh, Jane H

2010-09-08

Health care-associated infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Hand hygiene is regarded as an effective preventive measure. To update the review done in 2007, to assess the short and longer-term success of strategies to improve hand hygiene compliance and to determine whether a sustained increase in hand hygiene compliance can reduce rates of health care-associated infection. We conducted electronic searches of: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group specialised register of trials; MEDLINE; PubMed; EMBASE; CINAHL; and the BNI. Originally searched to July 2006, for the update databases were searched from August 2006 until November 2009. Randomised controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, controlled before and after studies, and interrupted time series analyses meeting explicit entry and quality criteria used by the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group were eligible for inclusion. Studies reporting indicators of hand hygiene compliance and proxy indicators such as product use were considered. Self-reported data were not considered a valid measure of compliance. Studies to promote hand hygiene compliance as part of a care bundle approach were included, providing data relating specifically to hand hygiene were presented separately. Studies were excluded if hand hygiene was assessed in simulations, non-clinical settings or the operating theatre setting. Two reviewers independently extracted data and assessed data quality. Four studies met the criteria for the review: two from the original review and two from the update. Two studies evaluated simple education initiatives, one using a randomized clinical trial design and the other a controlled before and after design. Both measured hand hygiene compliance by direct observation. The other two studies were both interrupted times series studies. One study presented three separate interventions within the

The tropical diabetic hand syndrome: a surgical perspective.

PubMed

Nthumba, Peter; Cavadas, Pedro C; Landin, Luis

2013-01-01

Tropical diabetic hand syndrome (TDHS) is an aggressive type of hand sepsis that results in significant morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes in the tropics. This study set out to establish a protocol for the holistic management of TDHS to improve digit/hand salvage and function at AIC Kijabe Hospital. This prospective study examined the following demographics of patients presenting to the authors institution between October 2009 and September 2010 with TDHS: their sex, age, comorbidities, length of in-hospital stay, surgical and medical treatment, total cost of treatment, and immediate postdischarge outcomes. A total of 10 patients (3 men and 7 women) were presented with TDHS during the study period. Surgical procedures included a thorough debridement of the hand at initial presentation, followed by procedures aimed at preserving length and hand function, with digit or hand amputation when there was no possibility of salvage. Three hands were salvaged, without the need for an amputation; 2 of these, however, developed severe stiffness with resultant poor function. Fifty percent of the patients developed considerable disability; 3 of these patients had disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand, (DASH) scores of >90 at 6 months after treatment. TDHS appears to be more aggressive in some patients than in others; a multidisciplinary approach, with early involvement of the surgical team, and a radical surgical debridement are essential to improved outcomes. Although the goal of medical treatment (ie, glycemic control) is simple and easily achieved, surgical goals (salvage of limb or life, preservation of hand function) are more complex, costly, and difficult to achieve. Educating health care workers, diabetic patients, and their relatives on hand care is an important preventive measure. Diligence in taking antidiabetic medicine, early presentation, and appropriate care of TDHS are required for meaningful improvement in outcomes of patients with

Interventions to improve patient hand hygiene: a systematic review.

PubMed

Srigley, J A; Furness, C D; Gardam, M

2016-09-01

Nosocomial pathogens may be acquired by patients via their own unclean hands, but there has been relatively little emphasis on patient hand hygiene as a tool for preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). The aim of this systematic review was to determine the efficacy of patient hand hygiene interventions in reducing HCAIs and improving patient hand hygiene rates compared to usual care. Electronic databases and grey literature were searched to August 2014. Experimental and quasi-experimental studies were included if they evaluated a patient hand hygiene intervention conducted in an acute or chronic healthcare facility and included HCAI incidence and/or patient hand hygiene rates as an outcome. All steps were performed independently by two investigators. Ten studies were included, most of which were uncontrolled before-after studies (N=8). The majority of interventions (N=7) were multi-modal, with components similar to healthcare worker hand hygiene programmes, including education, reminders, audit and feedback, and provision of hand hygiene products. Six studies reported HCAI outcomes and four studies assessed patient hand hygiene rates; all demonstrated improvements but were at moderate to high risk of bias. In conclusion, interventions to improve patient hand hygiene may reduce the incidence of HCAIs and improve hand hygiene rates, but the quality of evidence is low. Future studies should use stronger designs and be more selective in their choice of outcomes. Copyright © 2016 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydroxychloroquine effectiveness in reducing symptoms of hand osteoarthritis (HERO): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis, causing significant joint pain and disability. It is already a major cause of healthcare expenditure and its incidence will further increase with the ageing population. Current treatments for OA have major limitations and new analgesic treatments are needed. Synovitis is prevalent in OA and is associated with pain. Hydroxychloroquine is used in routine practice for treating synovitis in inflammatory arthritides, such as rheumatoid arthritis. We propose that treating patients with symptomatic hand OA with hydroxychloroquine will be a practical and safe treatment to reduce synovitis and pain. Methods/design HERO is an investigator-initiated, multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. A total of 252 subjects with symptomatic hand OA will be recruited across primary and secondary care sites in the UK and randomized on a 1:1 basis to active treatment or placebo for 12 months. Daily medication dose will range from 200 to 400 mg according to ideal body weight. The primary endpoint is change in average hand pain during the previous two weeks (measured on a numerical rating scale (NRS)) between baseline and six months. Secondary endpoints include other self-reported pain, function and quality-of-life measures and radiographic structural change at 12 months. A health economics analysis will also be performed. An ultrasound substudy will be conducted to examine baseline levels of synovitis. Linear and logistic regression will be used to compare changes between groups using univariable and multivariable modelling analyses. All analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. Discussion The HERO trial is designed to examine whether hydroxychloroquine is an effective analgesic treatment for OA and whether it provides any long-term structural benefit. The ultrasound substudy will address whether baseline synovitis is a predictor of therapeutic response. This will potentially

Compact Telerobot Hand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosheim, Mark; Trechsel, Hans

1993-01-01

Anthropomorphic telerobotic hand contains actuators, joints, sensors, and complex wiring harnesses. Glove protects interior components of hand from dirt and damage. Imitates motions of human fingers and wrist in lifelike and dexterous way. Incorporates pitch/yaw joints in wrist and head knuckles. Hand modular; so fingers removable, interchangeable units. Feature simplifies servicing and maintenance, which must be done frequently in such complex mechanism.

Right-handed fossil humans.

PubMed

Lozano, Marina; Estalrrich, Almudena; Bondioli, Luca; Fiore, Ivana; Bermúdez de Castro, José-Maria; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Carbonell, Eudald; Rosas, Antonio; Frayer, David W

2017-11-01

Fossil hominids often processed material held between their upper and lower teeth. Pulling with one hand and cutting with the other, they occasionally left impact cut marks on the lip (labial) surface of their incisors and canines. From these actions, it possible to determine the dominant hand used. The frequency of these oblique striations in an array of fossil hominins documents the typically modern pattern of 9 right- to 1 left-hander. This ratio among living Homo sapiens differs from that among chimpanzees and bonobos and more distant primate relatives. Together, all studies of living people affirm that dominant right-handedness is a uniquely modern human trait. The same pattern extends deep into our past. Thus far, the majority of inferred right-handed fossils come from Europe, but a single maxilla from a Homo habilis, OH-65, shows a predominance of right oblique scratches, thus extending right-handedness into the early Pleistocene of Africa. Other studies show right-handedness in more recent African, Chinese, and Levantine fossils, but the sample compiled for non-European fossil specimens remains small. Fossil specimens from Sima del los Huesos and a variety of European Neandertal sites are predominately right-handed. We argue the 9:1 handedness ratio in Neandertals and the earlier inhabitants of Europe constitutes evidence for a modern pattern of handedness well before the appearance of modern Homo sapiens. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Hand and Grasp Selection in a Preferential Reaching Task: The Effects of Object Location, Orientation, and Task Intention.

PubMed

Scharoun, Sara M; Scanlan, Kelly A; Bryden, Pamela J

2016-01-01

As numerous movement options are available in reaching and grasping, of particular interest are what factors influence an individual's choice of action. In the current study a preferential reaching task was used to assess the propensity for right handers to select their preferred hand and grasp a coffee mug by the handle in both independent and joint action object manipulation contexts. Mug location (right-space, midline, and left-space) and handle orientation (toward, away, to left, and to right of the participant) varied in four tasks that differed as a function of intention: (1) pick-up (unimanual, independent); (2) pick-up and pour (bimanual, independent); (3) pick-up and pass (unimanual, joint action); and (4) pick-up, pour and pass (bimanual, joint action). In line with previous reports, a right-hand preference for unimanual tasks was observed. Furthermore, extending existing literature to a preferential reaching task, role differentiation between the hands in bimanual tasks (i.e., preferred hand mobilizing, non-preferred hand stabilizing) was displayed. Finally, right-hand selection was greatest in right space, albeit lower in bimanual tasks compared to what is typically reported in unimanual tasks. Findings are attributed to the desire to maximize biomechanical efficiency in reaching. Grasp postures were also observed to reflect consideration of efficiency. More specifically, within independent object manipulation (pick-up; pick-up and pour) participants only grasped the mug by the handle when it afforded a comfortable posture. Furthermore, in joint action (pick-up and pass; pick-up, pour and pass), the confederate was only offered the handle if the intended action of the confederate was similar or required less effort than that of the participant. Together, findings from the current study add to our knowledge of hand and grasp selection in unimanual and bimanual object manipulation, within the context of both independent and joint action tasks.

Numerical study on 3D composite morphing actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oishi, Kazuma; Saito, Makoto; Anandan, Nishita; Kadooka, Kevin; Taya, Minoru

2015-04-01

There are a number of actuators using the deformation of electroactive polymer (EAP), where fewer papers seem to have focused on the performance of 3D morphing actuators based on the analytical approach, due mainly to their complexity. The present paper introduces a numerical analysis approach on the large scale deformation and motion of a 3D half dome shaped actuator composed of thin soft membrane (passive material) and EAP strip actuators (EAP active coupon with electrodes on both surfaces), where the locations of the active EAP strips is a key parameter. Simulia/Abaqus Static and Implicit analysis code, whose main feature is the high precision contact analysis capability among structures, are used focusing on the whole process of the membrane to touch and wrap around the object. The unidirectional properties of the EAP coupon actuator are used as input data set for the material properties for the simulation and the verification of our numerical model, where the verification is made as compared to the existing 2D solution. The numerical results can demonstrate the whole deformation process of the membrane to wrap around not only smooth shaped objects like a sphere or an egg, but also irregularly shaped objects. A parametric study reveals the proper placement of the EAP coupon actuators, with the modification of the dome shape to induce the relevant large scale deformation. The numerical simulation for the 3D soft actuators shown in this paper could be applied to a wider range of soft 3D morphing actuators.

Numerical Methods of Computational Electromagnetics for Complex Inhomogeneous Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cai, Wei

Understanding electromagnetic phenomena is the key in many scientific investigation and engineering designs such as solar cell designs, studying biological ion channels for diseases, and creating clean fusion energies, among other things. The objectives of the project are to develop high order numerical methods to simulate evanescent electromagnetic waves occurring in plasmon solar cells and biological ion-channels, where local field enhancement within random media in the former and long range electrostatic interactions in the latter are of major challenges for accurate and efficient numerical computations. We have accomplished these objectives by developing high order numerical methods for solving Maxwell equationsmore » such as high order finite element basis for discontinuous Galerkin methods, well-conditioned Nedelec edge element method, divergence free finite element basis for MHD, and fast integral equation methods for layered media. These methods can be used to model the complex local field enhancement in plasmon solar cells. On the other hand, to treat long range electrostatic interaction in ion channels, we have developed image charge based method for a hybrid model in combining atomistic electrostatics and continuum Poisson-Boltzmann electrostatics. Such a hybrid model will speed up the molecular dynamics simulation of transport in biological ion-channels.« less

Determination of the relationship between cognitive function and hand dexterity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Soysal Tomruk, Melda; Ozalevli, Sevgi; Dizdar, Gorkem; Narin, Selnur; Kilinc, Oguz

2015-07-01

Hand dexterity is important for daily living activities and can be related to cognitive functions in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and hand dexterity in patients with COPD. 35 COPD patients and 36 healthy individuals were assessed. The Minnesota Hand Dexterity Test and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) were used for assessment of cognitive function and hand dexterity. Hand dexterity test scores and cognitive function of COPD patients' were significantly lower than the healthy group (p < 0.01). The MMSE scores were negatively correlated with hand dexterity scores in the COPD group (p < 0.05). There was a relationship between cognitive function and hand dexterity in the patients with COPD; however, hand dexterity did not alter according to hypoxemia severity. Hand dexterity which is important in daily living activities should be evaluated in greater detail with further studies in COPD patients.

Exposure of the surgeon's hands to radiation during hand surgery procedures.

PubMed

Żyluk, Andrzej; Puchalski, Piotr; Szlosser, Zbigniew; Dec, Paweł; Chrąchol, Joanna

2014-01-01

The objective of the study was to assess the time of exposure of the surgeon's hands to radiation and calculate of the equivalent dose absorbed during surgery of hand and wrist fractures with C-arm fluoroscope guidance. The necessary data specified by the objective of the study were acquired from operations of 287 patients with fractures of fingers, metacarpals, wrist bones and distal radius. 218 operations (78%) were percutaneous procedures and 60 (22%) were performed by open method. Data on the time of exposure and dose of radiation were acquired from the display of the fluoroscope, where they were automatically generated. These data were assigned to the individual patient, type of fracture, method of surgery and the operating surgeon. Fixations of distal radial fractures required longer times of radiation exposure (mean 61 sec.) than fractures of the wrist/metacarpals and fingers (38 and 32 sec., respectively), which was associated with absorption of significantly higher equivalent doses. Fixations of distal radial fractures by open method were associated with statistically significantly higher equivalent doses (0.41 mSv) than percutaneous procedures (0.3 mSv). Fixations of wrist and metacarpal bone fractures by open method were associated with lower equivalent doses (0.34 mSv) than percutaneous procedures (0.37 mSv),but the difference was not significant. Fixations of finger fractures by open method were associated with lower equivalent doses (0.13 mSv) than percutaneous procedures (0.24 mSv), the difference being statistically non-significant. Statistically significant differences in exposure time and equivalent doses were noted between 4 surgeons participating in the study, but no definitive relationship was found between these parameters and surgeons' employment time. 1. Hand surgery procedures under fluoroscopic guidance are associated with mild exposure of the surgeons' hands to radiation. 2. The equivalent dose was related to the type of fracture

Hand sensibility measures used by therapists.

PubMed

Mielke, K; Novak, C B; Mackinnon, S E; Feely, C A

1996-03-01

Sensory evaluations are frequently used to assess patients with functional loss resulting from nerve injury. The results of these tests are routinely utilized by hand surgeons as an indication for conservative management or surgical intervention in the evaluation of surgical outcome and in the determination of disability ratings. Reports in the literature regarding specific tests for sensibility show variation in their application. The purpose of this study was to evaluate which tests are used to evaluate hand sensibility and the techniques of application currently used by hand therapists. Two hundred members of the American Society of Hand Therapists were randomly selected and a survey was sent to these members. The results of this study identify the need to develop standardized protocols for sensory evaluations and the need for therapists to follow the standardized methods for administration of moving and static two-point discrimination, and Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments, if comparisons of results between centers are to be meaningful.

Crossing the Hands Increases Illusory Self-Touch

PubMed Central

Pozeg, Polona; Rognini, Giulio; Salomon, Roy; Blanke, Olaf

2014-01-01

Manipulation of hand posture, such as crossing the hands, has been frequently used to study how the body and its immediately surrounding space are represented in the brain. Abundant data show that crossed arms posture impairs remapping of tactile stimuli from somatotopic to external space reference frame and deteriorates performance on several tactile processing tasks. Here we investigated how impaired tactile remapping affects the illusory self-touch, induced by the non-visual variant of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm. In this paradigm blindfolded participants (Experiment 1) had their hands either uncrossed or crossed over the body midline. The strength of illusory self-touch was measured with questionnaire ratings and proprioceptive drift. Our results showed that, during synchronous tactile stimulation, the strength of illusory self-touch increased when hands were crossed compared to the uncrossed posture. Follow-up experiments showed that the increase in illusion strength was not related to unfamiliar hand position (Experiment 2) and that it was equally strengthened regardless of where in the peripersonal space the hands were crossed (Experiment 3). However, while the boosting effect of crossing the hands was evident from subjective ratings, the proprioceptive drift was not modulated by crossed posture. Finally, in contrast to the illusion increase in the non-visual RHI, the crossed hand postures did not alter illusory ownership or proprioceptive drift in the classical, visuo-tactile version of RHI (Experiment 4). We argue that the increase in illusory self-touch is related to misalignment of somatotopic and external reference frames and consequently inadequate tactile-proprioceptive integration, leading to re-weighting of the tactile and proprioceptive signals.The present study not only shows that illusory self-touch can be induced by crossing the hands, but importantly, that this posture is associated with a stronger illusion. PMID:24699795

The fraction of total hand surface area involved in young children's outdoor hand-to-object contacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AuYeung, Willa; Canales, Robert A.; Leckie, James O.

2008-11-15

Information on the fraction of total hand surface area touching a contaminated object is necessary in accurately estimating contaminant (e.g., pesticides, pathogens) loadings onto the hands during hand-to-object contacts. While several existing physical-stochastic human exposure models require such surface area data to estimate dermal and non-dietary ingestion exposure, there are very limited data sets. This paper provides statistical distributions of fractional surface areas (FSAs) for children's outdoor hand contacts. These distributions were constructed by combining information collected from two distinct studies exploring children's activity patterns and quantifying hand contact surface area. Results show that for outdoor contacts with 'All Objects',more » a range of 0.13-0.27 captured median FSAs, while a range of 0.12-0.24 captured time-weighted FSAs. Overall, an FSA of 0.31 captured 80-100% of FSAs involved in each child's outdoor hand contacts, depending upon the object of interest. These values are much lower than the often conservative assumptions of up to 1 (i.e., the entire hand) that researchers currently make regarding FSAs involved in indoor and outdoor contacts [USEPA, 1997. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for residential exposure assessments. Contract no. 68-W6-0030. < (http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/trac/science/trac6a05.pdf)>].« less

Effects of Hand-over-Hand Physical Guidance and Tracing on Prewriting Skills of Preschool-Aged Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Josie; McLaughlin, T. F.; Derby, K. Mark; Conley, Diane

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to increase the formation of the pre-handwriting skill of imitating lines and circles with two 2-year-old preschool students using a hand-over-hand prompting procedure. Both students attended a preschool special education classroom in a rural school district. During baseline, line and circle imitation for both…

Numerical study on anaerobic digestion of fruit and vegetable waste: Biogas generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wardhani, Puteri Kusuma; Watanabe, Masaji

2016-02-01

The study provides experimental results and numerical results concerning anaerobic digestion of fruit and vegetable waste. Experiments were carried out by using batch floating drum type digester without mixing and temperature setting. The retention time was 30 days. Numerical results based on Monod type model with influence of temperature is introduced. Initial value problems were analyzed numerically, while kinetic parameters were analyzed by using trial error methods. The numerical results for the first five days seems appropriate in comparison with the experimental outcomes. However, numerical results shows that the model is inappropriate for 30 days of fermentation. This leads to the conclusion that Monod type model is not suitable for describe the mixture degradation of fruit and vegetable waste and horse dung.

Prevalence of, and work-related risk factors for, hand eczema in a Norwegian general population (The HUNT Study).

PubMed

Vindenes, Hilde K; Svanes, Cecilie; Lygre, Stein H L; Hollund, Bjørg-Eli; Langhammer, Arnulf; Bertelsen, Randi J

2017-10-01

Chemical exposures at work and at home may cause hand eczema. However, this has been scarcely described for Norway. To investigate the prevalence of, and occupational risk factors for, hand eczema in Norway. Among 50 805 respondents (aged ≥20 years) to the third Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT3), 5757 persons reported ever having hand eczema, and 4206 answered a hand eczema questionnaire. The lifetime prevalences of hand eczema were 8.4% in men and 13.8% in women (p < 0.001), with onset at age ≤10 years in 24% (men) and 20% (women), and onset at age ≥30 years in 37% (men) and 25% (women) (p < 0.001). Work-related hand eczema affected 4.8% of the population, and was most frequently associated with health/social work (29%) and occupational cleaning (20%) in women, and with farming (26%) and industrial occupations (27%) in men. Cleaning detergents (75%) and other chemicals (36%) were the most common exacerbating factors. The prevalence of hand eczema was 11.3%, and that of work-related hand eczema was 4.8%. Hand eczema was more common in women than in men, but with a later onset in men. Cleaning detergents were the most common aggravating factors. A large proportion of the Nord-Trøndelag population is employed in farming, providing the possibility to identify farming as an important risk factor for hand eczema. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Job Burnout Reduces Hand Hygiene Compliance Among Nursing Staff.

PubMed

Manomenidis, Georgios; Panagopoulou, Efharis; Montgomery, Anthony

2017-10-13

Health professional burnout has been associated with suboptimal care and reduced patient safety. However, the extent to which burnout influences hand hygiene compliance among health professionals has yet to be explored. The aim of the study was to examine whether job burnout reduces hand washing compliance among nursing staff. A diary study was conducted. Forty registered nurses working in a general city hospital in Thessaloniki, Greece, completed a questionnaire, while they were monitored for hand hygiene compliance following the World Health Organization protocol for hand hygiene assessment. Burnout was measured using validated items from the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Data were collected from September to October 2015. Multiple regression analysis showed that controlling for years in practice, burnout was negatively associated with hand hygiene compliance (R = 0.322, F(3,36) = 5.704, P < 0.01). Nurses reporting higher levels of burnout were less likely to comply with hand hygiene opportunities (b = - 3.72, 95% confidence interval = -5.94 to -1.51). This study showed that burnout contributes to suboptimal care by reducing compliance to hand hygiene among nurses. Given the crucial role of hand hygiene compliance for the prevention of in-hospital infections, this study highlights the need for interventions targeting the prevention of burnout among nursing staff.

Hand function with touch screen technology in children with normal hand formation, congenital differences, and neuromuscular disease.

PubMed

Shin, David H; Bohn, Deborah K; Agel, Julie; Lindstrom, Katy A; Cronquist, Sara M; Van Heest, Ann E

2015-05-01

To measure and compare hand function for children with normal hand development, congenital hand differences (CHD), and neuromuscular disease (NMD) using a function test with touch screen technology designed as an iPhone application. We measured touch screen hand function in 201 children including 113 with normal hand formation, 43 with CHD, and 45 with NMD. The touch screen test was developed on the iOS platform using an Apple iPhone 4. We measured 4 tasks: touching dots on a 3 × 4 grid, dragging shapes, use of the touch screen camera, and typing a line of text. The test takes 60 to 120 seconds and includes a pretest to familiarize the subject with the format. Each task is timed independently and the overall time is recorded. Children with normal hand development took less time to complete all 4 subtests with increasing age. When comparing children with normal hand development with those with CHD or NMD, in children aged less than 5 years we saw minimal differences; those aged 5 to 6 years with CHD took significantly longer total time; those aged 7 to 8 years with NMD took significantly longer total time; those aged 9 to 11 years with CHD took significantly longer total time; and those aged 12 years and older with NMD took significantly longer total time. Touch screen technology has becoming increasingly relevant to hand function in modern society. This study provides standardized age norms and shows that our test discriminates between normal hand development and that in children with CHD or NMD. Diagnostic III. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Left-handed and right-handed U(1) gauge symmetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, Takaaki; Okada, Hiroshi

2018-01-01

We propose a model with the left-handed and right-handed continuous Abelian gauge symmetry; U(1) L × U(1) R . Then three right-handed neutrinos are naturally required to achieve U(1) R anomaly cancellations, while several mirror fermions are also needed to do U(1) L anomaly cancellations. Then we formulate the model, and discuss its testability of the new gauge interactions at collider physics such as the large hadron collider (LHC) and the international linear collider (ILC). In particular, we can investigate chiral structure of the interactions by the analysis of forward-backward asymmetry based on polarized beam at the ILC.

[Hand fine motor skills and use of both hand and arm in subjects after a stroke: a systematic review].

PubMed

Ostolaza, M; Abudarham, J; Dilascio, S; Drault-Boedo, E; Gallo, S; Garcete, A; Kramer, M; Maiaru, M; Mendelevich, A; Modica, M; Peralta, F; Sanchez-Correa, C

2017-04-01

In clinical practice it is important to be able to assess the function of the upper limb of the patient who has suffered a stroke. There is currently no systemic review that could identify assessment tools for the 'fine use of the hand' and 'use of both hand and arm'. Primary, to identify observational tools which can assess the fine use of the hand and the use of both hand and arm in patients with stroke sequels. Secondary, to analyze the bias risk in the included articles, describing and categorizing the clinical utility, validity and reliability. A search was carried in Medline, LILACS, SciELO and Open Grey, which included articles published until October 2015. Studies that validate assessing tools of the upper limb in subjects with a stroke sequel which evaluate the fine use of the hand and the use of both hand and arm were included. Eleven tools in evaluate observational haven been selected, which assess the fine use of the hand and the use of hand and arm. In every case both validity and reliability have been reported, but clinical utility has been less considered for assessment. The studies that researched these tools showed a high risk of bias in their development. ARAT-19 showed a lower bias risk, but when it has to do with applicability and the reference trial is taken into account, the level of concern is high.

Numerical modelling of electrochemical polarization around charged metallic particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bücker, Matthias; Undorf, Sabine; Flores Orozco, Adrián; Kemna, Andreas

2017-04-01

We extend an existing analytical model and carry out numerical simulations to study the polarization process around charged metallic particles immersed in an electrolyte solution. Electro-migration and diffusion processes in the electrolyte are described by the Poisson-Nernst-Planck system of partial differential equations. To model the surface charge density, we consider a time- and frequency-invariant electric potential at the particle surface, which leads to the build-up of a static electrical double layer (EDL). Upon excitation by an external electric field at low frequencies, we observe the superposition of two polarization processes. On the one hand, the induced dipole moment on the metallic particle leads to the accumulation of opposite charges in the electrolyte. This charge polarization corresponds to the long-known response of uncharged metallic particles. On the other hand, the unequal cation and anion concentrations in the EDL give rise to a salinity gradient between the two opposite sides of the metallic particle. The resulting concentration polarization enhances the magnitude of the overall polarization response. Furthermore, we use our numerical model to study the effect of relevant model parameters such as surface charge density and ionic strength of the electrolyte on the resulting spectra of the effective conductivity of the composite model system. Our results do not only give interesting new insight into the time-harmonic variation of electric potential and ion concentrations around charged metallic particle. They are also able to reduce incongruities between earlier model predictions and geophysical field and laboratory measurements. Our model thereby improves the general understanding of IP signatures of metallic particles and represents the next step towards a quantitative interpretation of IP imaging results. Part of this research is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy under the Raw Materials Initiative.

Cs sorption to potential host rock of low-level radioactive waste repository in Taiwan: experiments and numerical fitting study.

PubMed

Wang, Tsing-Hai; Chen, Chin-Lung; Ou, Lu-Yen; Wei, Yuan-Yaw; Chang, Fu-Lin; Teng, Shi-Ping

2011-09-15

A reliable performance assessment of radioactive waste repository depends on better knowledge of interactions between nuclides and geological substances. Numerical fitting of acquired experimental results by the surface complexation model enables us to interpret sorption behavior at molecular scale and thus to build a solid basis for simulation study. A lack of consensus on a standard set of assessment criteria (such as determination of sorption site concentration, reaction formula) during numerical fitting, on the other hand, makes lower case comparison between various studies difficult. In this study we explored the sorption of cesium to argillite by conducting experiments under different pH and solid/liquid ratio (s/l) with two specific initial Cs concentrations (100mg/L, 7.5 × 10(-4)mol/L and 0.01 mg/L, 7.5 × 10(-8)mol/L). After this, numerical fitting was performed, focusing on assessment criteria and their consequences. It was found that both ion exchange and electrostatic interactions governed Cs sorption on argillite. At higher initial Cs concentration the Cs sorption showed an increasing dependence on pH as the solid/liquid ratio was lowered. In contrast at trace Cs levels, the Cs sorption was neither s/l dependent nor pH sensitive. It is therefore proposed that ion exchange mechanism dominates Cs sorption when the concentration of surface sorption site exceeds that of Cs, whereas surface complexation is attributed to Cs uptake under alkaline environments. Numerical fitting was conducted using two different strategies to determine concentration of surface sorption sites: the clay model (based on the cation exchange capacity plus surface titration results) and the iron oxide model (where the concentration of sorption sites is proportional to the surface area of argillite). It was found that the clay model led to better fitting than the iron oxide model, which is attributed to more amenable sorption sites (two specific sorption sites along with larger site

Changes in arm-hand function and arm-hand skill performance in patients after stroke during and after rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Smeets, Rob Johannes Elise Marie; Seelen, Henk Alexander Maria

2017-01-01

Background Arm-hand rehabilitation programs applied in stroke rehabilitation frequently target specific populations and thus are less applicable in heterogeneous patient populations. Besides, changes in arm-hand function (AHF) and arm-hand skill performance (AHSP) during and after a specific and well-described rehabilitation treatment are often not well evaluated. Method This single-armed prospective cohort study featured three subgroups of stroke patients with either a severely, moderately or mildly impaired AHF. Rehabilitation treatment consisted of a Concise_Arm_and_hand_ Rehabilitation_Approach_in_Stroke (CARAS). Measurements at function and activity level were performed at admission, clinical discharge, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months after clinical discharge. Results Eighty-nine stroke patients (M/F:63/23; mean age:57.6yr (+/-10.6); post-stroke time:29.8 days (+/-20.1)) participated. All patients improved on AHF and arm-hand capacity during and after rehabilitation, except on grip strength in the severely affected subgroup. Largest gains occurred in patients with a moderately affected AHF. As to self-perceived AHSP, on average, all subgroups improved over time. A small percentage of patients declined regarding self-perceived AHSP post-rehabilitation. Conclusions A majority of stroke patients across the whole arm-hand impairment severity spectrum significantly improved on AHF, arm-hand capacity and self-perceived AHSP. These were maintained up to one year post-rehabilitation. Results may serve as a control condition in future studies. PMID:28614403

Impaired hand size estimation in CRPS.

PubMed

Peltz, Elena; Seifert, Frank; Lanz, Stefan; Müller, Rüdiger; Maihöfner, Christian

2011-10-01

A triad of clinical symptoms, ie, autonomic, motor and sensory dysfunctions, characterizes complex regional pain syndromes (CRPS). Sensory dysfunction comprises sensory loss or spontaneous and stimulus-evoked pain. Furthermore, a disturbance in the body schema may occur. In the present study, patients with CRPS of the upper extremity and healthy controls estimated their hand sizes on the basis of expanded or compressed schematic drawings of hands. In patients with CRPS we found an impairment in accurate hand size estimation; patients estimated their own CRPS-affected hand to be larger than it actually was when measured objectively. Moreover, overestimation correlated significantly with disease duration, neglect score, and increase of two-point-discrimination-thresholds (TPDT) compared to the unaffected hand and to control subjects' estimations. In line with previous functional imaging studies in CRPS patients demonstrating changes in central somatotopic maps, we suggest an involvement of the central nervous system in this disruption of the body schema. Potential cortical areas may be the primary somatosensory and posterior parietal cortices, which have been proposed to play a critical role in integrating visuospatial information. CRPS patients perceive their affected hand to be bigger than it is. The magnitude of this overestimation correlates with disease duration, decreased tactile thresholds, and neglect-score. Suggesting a disrupted body schema as the source of this impairment, our findings corroborate the current assumption of a CNS involvement in CRPS. Copyright © 2011 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Back to the future with hands-on science: students' perceptions of learning anatomy and physiology.

PubMed

Johnston, Amy Nicole Burne; McAllister, Margaret

2008-09-01

This article examines student perceptions of learning related to anatomy and physiology in a bachelor of nursing program. One strategy to teach the sciences is simulated learning, a technology that offers exciting potential. Virtual environments for laboratory learning may offer numerous benefits: teachers can convey information to a larger group of students, reducing the need for small laboratory classes; less equipment is required, thus containing ongoing costs; and students can learn in their own time and place. However, simulated learning may also diminish access to the teacher-student relationship and the opportunity for guided practice and guided linking of theory with practice. Without this hands-on experience, there is a risk that students will not engage as effectively, and thus conceptual learning and the development of critical thinking skills are diminished. However, student perceptions of these learning experiences are largely unknown. Thus, this study examined students' perceptions of anatomy and physiology laboratory experiences and the importance they placed on hands-on experience in laboratory settings.

Hand hygiene monitoring technology: protocol for a systematic review.

PubMed

Srigley, Jocelyn A; Lightfoot, David; Fernie, Geoff; Gardam, Michael; Muller, Matthew P

2013-11-12

Healthcare worker hand hygiene is thought to be one of the most important strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections, but compliance is generally poor. Hand hygiene improvement interventions must include audits of compliance (almost always with feedback), which are most often done by direct observation - a method that is expensive, subjective, and prone to bias. New technologies, including electronic and video hand hygiene monitoring systems, have the potential to provide continuous and objective monitoring of hand hygiene, regular feedback, and for some systems, real-time reminders. We propose a systematic review of the evidence supporting the effectiveness of these systems. The primary objective is to determine whether hand hygiene monitoring systems yield sustainable improvements in hand hygiene compliance when compared to usual care. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and other relevant databases will be searched for randomized control studies and quasi-experimental studies evaluating a video or electronic hand hygiene monitoring system. A standard data collection form will be used to abstract relevant information from included studies. Bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Studies will be reviewed independently by two reviewers, with disputes resolved by a third reviewer. The primary outcome is directly observed hand hygiene compliance. Secondary outcomes include healthcare-associated infection incidence and improvements in hand hygiene compliance as measured by alternative metrics. Results will be qualitatively summarized with comparisons made between study quality, the measured outcome, and study-specific factors that may be expected to affect outcome (for example, study duration, frequency of feedback, use of real-time reminders). Meta-analysis will be performed if there is more than one study of similar systems with comparable outcome definitions. Electronic and video

A Numerical Study of Hypersonic Forebody/Inlet Integration Problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Ajay

1991-01-01

A numerical study of hypersonic forebody/inlet integration problem is presented in the form of the view-graphs. The following topics are covered: physical/chemical modeling; solution procedure; flow conditions; mass flow rate at inlet face; heating and skin friction loads; 3-D forebogy/inlet integration model; and sensitivity studies.

Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care.

PubMed

Gould, Dinah J; Moralejo, Donna; Drey, Nicholas; Chudleigh, Jane H; Taljaard, Monica

2017-09-01

Health care-associated infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Hand hygiene is regarded as an effective preventive measure. This is an update of a previously published review. To assess the short- and long-term success of strategies to improve compliance to recommendations for hand hygiene, and to determine whether an increase in hand hygiene compliance can reduce rates of health care-associated infection. We conducted electronic searches of the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL. We conducted the searches from November 2009 to October 2016. We included randomised trials, non-randomised trials, controlled before-after studies, and interrupted time series analyses (ITS) that evaluated any intervention to improve compliance with hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), or both. Two review authors independently screened citations for inclusion, extracted data, and assessed risks of bias for each included study. Meta-analysis was not possible, as there was substantial heterogeneity across studies. We assessed the certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach and present the results narratively in a 'Summary of findings' table. This review includes 26 studies: 14 randomised trials, two non-randomised trials and 10 ITS studies. Most studies were conducted in hospitals or long-term care facilities in different countries, and collected data from a variety of healthcare workers. Fourteen studies assessed the success of different combinations of strategies recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to improve hand hygiene compliance. Strategies consisted of the following: increasing the availability of ABHR, different types of education for staff, reminders (written and verbal), different types of performance feedback, administrative support, and staff involvement. Six studies assessed different types of performance feedback, two studies evaluated education, three studies evaluated cues such

Numerical cognition is resilient to dramatic changes in early sensory experience.

PubMed

Kanjlia, Shipra; Feigenson, Lisa; Bedny, Marina

2018-06-20

Humans and non-human animals can approximate large visual quantities without counting. The approximate number representations underlying this ability are noisy, with the amount of noise proportional to the quantity being represented. Numerate humans also have access to a separate system for representing exact quantities using number symbols and words; it is this second, exact system that supports most of formal mathematics. Although numerical approximation abilities and symbolic number abilities are distinct in representational format and in their phylogenetic and ontogenetic histories, they appear to be linked throughout development--individuals who can more precisely discriminate quantities without counting are better at math. The origins of this relationship are debated. On the one hand, symbolic number abilities may be directly linked to, perhaps even rooted in, numerical approximation abilities. On the other hand, the relationship between the two systems may simply reflect their independent relationships with visual abilities. To test this possibility, we asked whether approximate number and symbolic math abilities are linked in congenitally blind individuals who have never experienced visual sets or used visual strategies to learn math. Congenitally blind and blind-folded sighted participants completed an auditory numerical approximation task, as well as a symbolic arithmetic task and non-math control tasks. We found that the precision of approximate number representations was identical across congenitally blind and sighted groups, suggesting that the development of the Approximate Number System (ANS) does not depend on visual experience. Crucially, the relationship between numerical approximation and symbolic math abilities is preserved in congenitally blind individuals. These data support the idea that the Approximate Number System and symbolic number abilities are intrinsically linked, rather than indirectly linked through visual abilities. Copyright �

Video observation of hand hygiene practices during routine companion animal appointments and the effect of a poster intervention on hand hygiene compliance

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Hand hygiene is considered one of the most important infection control measures in human healthcare settings, but there is little information available regarding hand hygiene frequency and technique used in veterinary clinics. The objectives of this study were to describe hand hygiene practices associated with routine appointments in companion animal clinics in Ontario, and the effectiveness of a poster campaign to improve hand hygiene compliance. Results Observation of hand hygiene practices was performed in 51 clinics for approximately 3 weeks each using 2 small wireless surveillance cameras: one in an exam room, and one in the most likely location for hand hygiene to be performed outside the exam room following an appointment. Data from 38 clinics were included in the final analysis, including 449 individuals, 1139 appointments before and after the poster intervention, and 10894 hand hygiene opportunities. Overall hand hygiene compliance was 14% (1473/10894), while before and after patient contact compliance was 3% (123/4377) and 26% (1145/4377), respectively. Soap and water was used for 87% (1182/1353) of observed hand hygiene attempts with a mean contact time of 4 s (median 2 s, range 1-49 s), while alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) was used for 7% (98/1353) of attempts with a mean contact time of 8 s (median 7 s, range 1-30 s). The presence of the posters had no significant effect on compliance, although some staff reported that they felt the posters did increase their personal awareness of the need to perform hand hygiene, and the posters had some effect on product contact times. Conclusions Overall hand hygiene compliance in veterinary clinics in this study was low, and contact time with hand hygiene products was frequently below current recommendations. Use of ABHR was low despite its advantages over hand washing and availability in the majority of clinics. The poster campaign had a limited effect on its own, but could still be used as a

Video observation of hand hygiene practices during routine companion animal appointments and the effect of a poster intervention on hand hygiene compliance.

PubMed

Anderson, Maureen E C; Sargeant, Jan M; Weese, J Scott

2014-05-07

Hand hygiene is considered one of the most important infection control measures in human healthcare settings, but there is little information available regarding hand hygiene frequency and technique used in veterinary clinics. The objectives of this study were to describe hand hygiene practices associated with routine appointments in companion animal clinics in Ontario, and the effectiveness of a poster campaign to improve hand hygiene compliance. Observation of hand hygiene practices was performed in 51 clinics for approximately 3 weeks each using 2 small wireless surveillance cameras: one in an exam room, and one in the most likely location for hand hygiene to be performed outside the exam room following an appointment. Data from 38 clinics were included in the final analysis, including 449 individuals, 1139 appointments before and after the poster intervention, and 10894 hand hygiene opportunities. Overall hand hygiene compliance was 14% (1473/10894), while before and after patient contact compliance was 3% (123/4377) and 26% (1145/4377), respectively. Soap and water was used for 87% (1182/1353) of observed hand hygiene attempts with a mean contact time of 4 s (median 2 s, range 1-49 s), while alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) was used for 7% (98/1353) of attempts with a mean contact time of 8 s (median 7 s, range 1-30 s). The presence of the posters had no significant effect on compliance, although some staff reported that they felt the posters did increase their personal awareness of the need to perform hand hygiene, and the posters had some effect on product contact times. Overall hand hygiene compliance in veterinary clinics in this study was low, and contact time with hand hygiene products was frequently below current recommendations. Use of ABHR was low despite its advantages over hand washing and availability in the majority of clinics. The poster campaign had a limited effect on its own, but could still be used as a component of a multimodal hand

Effects of hand orientation on motor imagery--event related potentials suggest kinesthetic motor imagery to solve the hand laterality judgment task.

PubMed

Jongsma, Marijtje L A; Meulenbroek, Ruud G J; Okely, Judith; Baas, C Marjolein; van der Lubbe, Rob H J; Steenbergen, Bert

2013-01-01

Motor imagery (MI) refers to the process of imagining the execution of a specific motor action without actually producing an overt movement. Two forms of MI have been distinguished: visual MI and kinesthetic MI. To distinguish between these forms of MI we employed an event related potential (ERP) study to measure interference effects induced by hand orientation manipulations in a hand laterality judgement task. We hypothesized that this manipulation should only affect kinesthetic MI but not visual MI. The ERPs elicited by rotated hand stimuli contained the classic rotation related negativity (RRN) with respect to palm view stimuli. We observed that laterally rotated stimuli led to a more marked RRN than medially rotated stimuli. This RRN effect was observed when participants had their hands positioned in either a straight (control) or an inward rotated posture, but not when their hands were positioned in an outward rotated posture. Posture effects on the ERP-RRN have not previously been studied. Apparently, a congruent hand posture (hands positioned in an outward rotated fashion) facilitates the judgement of the otherwise more demanding laterally rotated hand stimuli. These ERP findings support a kinesthetic interpretation of MI involved in solving the hand laterality judgement task. The RRN may be used as a non-invasive marker for kinesthetic MI and seems useful in revealing the covert behavior of MI in e.g. rehabilitation programs.

Numerical parametric studies of spray combustion instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pindera, M. Z.

1993-01-01

A coupled numerical algorithm has been developed for studies of combustion instabilities in spray-driven liquid rocket engines. The model couples gas and liquid phase physics using the method of fractional steps. Also introduced is a novel, efficient methodology for accounting for spray formation through direct solution of liquid phase equations. Preliminary parametric studies show marked sensitivity of spray penetration and geometry to droplet diameter, considerations of liquid core, and acoustic interactions. Less sensitivity was shown to the combustion model type although more rigorous (multi-step) formulations may be needed for the differences to become apparent.

Mirror writing: a tachistoscopic study of a woman suffering from migraine when writing with the right hand.

PubMed

Nakano, Mitsuko; Tanaka, Shigeki; Izuno, Kenji; Ichihara, Shigeru

2012-01-01

An experimental study was conducted with a young woman who had suddenly developed mirror writing in the right hand, which she used for writing. She was not cured for eight years. The patient was ambidextrous and had no medical complaints except for migraine with perceptual and sensory abnormalities, and an enlarged cavity of the septum pellucidum. A previous study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), conducted when she imagined letters and wrote letters in the air with either hand, indicated that both her cerebral hemispheres were active. In the present study three experiments were conducted using a tachistoscope to explore the stage in the cognitive process when directional errors emerged. In the experiments, after independently being presented with Attneave's meaningless figures or letters to each hemisphere, participants were requested to do the following: (a) verbally respond whether the orientation of two consecutively shown figures were the same or different and the letters were standard or reversed; (b) distinguish the orientations with right and left hand movements other than by writing (by pushing a button); and (c) reproduce the stimuli (drawing) immediately after the presentation. Results showed a higher rate of incorrect directions only when drawings were reproduced by the right hand. Results also indicated that the woman's inaccurate judgment in direction emerged only when in writing and not at the perceptual level, or when responding with hand movements other than writing. Her migraine was cured after five years following the experiment. The mirror writing was cured 2-3 months later.

Digit ratio (2D:4D) and hand preference for writing in the BBC Internet Study.

PubMed

Manning, J T; Peters, M

2009-09-01

The ratio of the length of the second to the fourth digit (2D:4D) may be negatively correlated with prenatal testosterone. Hand preference has been linked with prenatal testosterone and 2D:4D. Here we show that 2D:4D is associated with hand preference for writing in a large internet sample (n>170,000) in which participants self-reported their finger lengths. We replicated a significant association between right 2D:4D and writing hand preference (low right 2D:4D associated with left hand preference) as well as a significant correlation between writing hand preference and the difference between left and right 2D:4D or Dr-l (low Dr-l associated with left hand preference). A new significant correlation between left 2D:4D and writing hand preference was also shown (high left 2D:4D associated with left hand preference). There was a clear interaction between writing hand preference and 2D:4D: The left 2D:4D was significantly larger than the right 2D:4D in male and female left-handed writers, and the right hand 2D:4D was significantly larger than the left hand 2D:4D in male and female right-handed writers.

The Stop-Only-While-Shocking algorithm reduces hands-off time by 17% during cardiopulmonary resuscitation - a simulation study.

PubMed

Koch Hansen, Lars; Mohammed, Anna; Pedersen, Magnus; Folkestad, Lars; Brodersen, Jacob; Hey, Thomas; Lyhne Christensen, Nicolaj; Carter-Storch, Rasmus; Bendix, Kristoffer; Hansen, Morten R; Brabrand, Mikkel

2016-12-01

Reducing hands-off time during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is believed to increase survival after cardiac arrests because of the sustaining of organ perfusion. The aim of our study was to investigate whether charging the defibrillator before rhythm analyses and shock delivery significantly reduced hands-off time compared with the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) 2010 CPR guideline algorithm in full-scale cardiac arrest scenarios. The study was designed as a full-scale cardiac arrest simulation study including administration of drugs. Participants were randomized into using the Stop-Only-While-Shocking (SOWS) algorithm or the ERC2010 algorithm. In SOWS, chest compressions were only interrupted for a post-charging rhythm analysis and immediate shock delivery. A Resusci Anne HLR-D manikin and a LIFEPACK 20 defibrillator were used. The manikin recorded time and chest compressions. Sample size was calculated with an α of 0.05 and 80% power showed that we should test four scenarios with each algorithm. Twenty-nine physicians participated in 11 scenarios. Hands-off time was significantly reduced 17% using the SOWS algorithm compared with ERC2010 [22.1% (SD 2.3) hands-off time vs. 26.6% (SD 4.8); P<0.05]. In full-scale cardiac arrest simulations, a minor change consisting of charging the defibrillator before rhythm check reduces hands-off time by 17% compared with ERC2010 guidelines.

Hand1 overexpression inhibits medulloblastoma metastasis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asuthkar, Swapna; Guda, Maheedhara R.; Martin, Sarah E.

2016-08-19

Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most frequent malignant pediatric brain tumor. Current treatment includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. However, ongoing treatment in patients is further classified according to the presence or absence of metastasis. Since metastatic medulloblastoma are refractory to current treatments, there is need to identify novel biomarkers that could be used to reduce metastatic potential, and more importantly be targeted therapeutically. Previously, we showed that ionizing radiation-induced uPAR overexpression is associated with increased accumulation of β-catenin in the nucleus. We further demonstrated that uPAR protein act as cytoplasmic sequestration factor for a novel basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, Hand1. Amongmore » the histological subtypes classical and desmoplastic subtypes account for the majority while large cell/anaplastic variant is most commonly associated with metastatic disease. In this present study using immunohistochemical approach and patient data mining for the first time, we demonstrated that Hand1 expression is observed to be downregulated in all the subtypes of medulloblastoma. Previously we showed that Hand1 overexpression regulated medulloblastoma angiogenesis and here we investigated the role of Hand1 in the context of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT). Moreover, UW228 and D283 cells overexpressing Hand1 demonstrated decreased-expression of mesenchymal markers (N-cadherin, β-catenin and SOX2); metastatic marker (SMA); and increased expression of epithelial marker (E-cadherin). Strikingly, human pluripotent stem cell antibody array showed that Hand1 overexpression resulted in substantial decrease in pluripotency markers (Nanog, Oct3/4, Otx2, Flk1) suggesting that Hand1 expression may be essential to attenuate the EMT and our findings underscore a novel role for Hand1 in medulloblastoma metastasis. - Highlights: • Hand1 expression is downregulated in Medulloblastoma. • Hand1 over

Eye-hand preference in schizophrenia: sex differences and significance for hand function.

PubMed

Liu, Yi-Chia; Yang, Yen Kuang; Lee, I Hui; Lin, Keh-Chung; Jeffries, Keith J; Lee, Li-Ching

2004-06-01

Hand preference and eye dominance were investigated in 73 (30 women, 43 men) schizophrenic patients and 71 (30 women, 41 men) healthy controls. There were significantly more schizophrenic patients and normal controls who were significantly right-hand dominant. However, schizophrenic patients showed a significant excess of left-eye dominance relative to controls (65.8% vs 29.6%; Odds Ratio= 4.75, p< .001). In addition, female schizophrenic patients showed a higher rate of nonright (either left or inconsistent) eye dominance (80%) than male schizophrenic patients (55.8%) and controls (33.3%). Analysis of hand performance on the Purdue Pegboard Test indicated that schizophrenic patients who showed crossed eye-hand dominance scored higher than did patients without crossed eye-hand dominance.

Hand Washing Induces a Clean Slate Effect in Moral Judgments: A Pupillometry and Eye-Tracking Study

PubMed Central

Kaspar, Kai; Krapp, Vanessa; König, Peter

2015-01-01

Physical cleansing is commonly understood to protect us against physical contamination. However, recent studies showed additional effects on moral judgments. Under the heading of the “Macbeth effect” direct links between bodily cleansing and one’s own moral purity have been demonstrated. Here we investigate (1) how moral judgments develop over time and how they are altered by hand washing, (2) whether changes in moral judgments can be explained by altered information sampling from the environment, and (3) whether hand washing affects emotional arousal. Using a pre-post control group design, we found that morality ratings of morally good and bad scenes acquired more extreme values in the control group over time, an effect that was fully counteracted by intermediate hand washing. This result supports the notion of a clean slate effect by hand washing. Thereby, eye-tracking data did not uncover differences in eye movement behavior that may explain differences in moral judgments. Thus, the clean slate effect is not due to altered information sampling from the environment. Finally, compared to the control group, pupil diameter decreased after hand washing, thus demonstrating a direct physiological effect. The results shed light on the physiological mechanisms behind this type of embodiment phenomenon. PMID:25994083

Surgical hand disinfection with a propanol-based hand rub: equivalence of shorter application times.

PubMed

Kampf, G; Ostermeyer, C; Heeg, P

2005-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a propanol-based hand rub at application times shorter than 3 min. The bacterial pre-value was obtained from the finger tips (prEN 12791). Subjects treated their hands with the reference procedure (n-propanol, 60%) for 3 min or the product (crossover design). Sterillium was applied for 3, 2, 1.5 and 1 min. Four other preparations were tested for 1 min. Post-values (immediate effect) were taken from one hand, and the other hand was gloved for 3h. After the gloves were removed, the second post-value was taken (sustained effect). Sterillium was more effective than the reference procedure at 3, 2 and 1.5 min (immediate and sustained effect). The immediate effect after 1 min was significantly lower [mean log(10) reduction factor (RF): 1.91+/-0.90 vs. 2.52+/-0.95; P=0.001], whereas the sustained effect was not (mean RF: 1.81+/-1.06 vs. 2.05+/-1.14; P=0.204). All other preparations failed the efficacy requirement at 1 min for both the immediate and sustained effect. Using 2 x 3 mL Sterillium for a total of 1.5 min for surgical hand disinfection was at least as effective as the 3-min reference disinfection.

The Numerical Studies Program for the Atmospheric General Circulation Experiment (AGCE) for Spacelab Flights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fowlis, W. W. (Editor); Davis, M. H. (Editor)

1981-01-01

The atmospheric general circulation experiment (AGCE) numerical design for Spacelab flights was studied. A spherical baroclinic flow experiment which models the large scale circulations of the Earth's atmosphere was proposed. Gravity is simulated by a radial dielectric body force. The major objective of the AGCE is to study nonlinear baroclinic wave flows in spherical geometry. Numerical models must be developed which accurately predict the basic axisymmetric states and the stability of nonlinear baroclinic wave flows. A three dimensional, fully nonlinear, numerical model and the AGCE based on the complete set of equations is required. Progress in the AGCE numerical design studies program is reported.

Do Comorbidities Play a Role in Hand Osteoarthritis Disease Burden? Data from the Hand Osteoarthritis in Secondary Care Cohort.

PubMed

Damman, Wendy; Liu, Rani; Kroon, Féline P B; Reijnierse, Monique; Huizinga, Tom W J; Rosendaal, Frits R; Kloppenburg, Margreet

2017-11-01

Because the association and its clinical relevance between comorbidities and primary hand osteoarthritis (OA) disease burden is unclear, we studied this in patients with hand OA from our Hand OSTeoArthritis in Secondary care (HOSTAS) cohort. Cross-sectional data from the HOSTAS study were used, including consecutive patients with primary hand OA. Nineteen comorbidities were assessed: 18 self-reported (modified Charlson index and osteoporosis) and obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ). Mean differences were estimated between patients with versus without comorbidities, adjusted for age and sex: for general disease burden [health-related quality of life (HRQOL), Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 physical component scale (0-100)] and disease-specific burden [self-reported hand function (0-36), pain (0-20; Australian/Canadian Hand OA Index), and tender joint count (TJC, 0-30)]. Differences above a minimal clinically important improvement/difference were considered clinically relevant. The study included 538 patients (mean age 61 yrs, 86% women, 88% fulfilled American College of Rheumatology classification criteria). Mean (SD) HRQOL, function, pain, and TJC were 44.7 (8), 15.6 (9), 9.3 (4), and 4.8 (5), respectively. Any comorbidity was present in 54% (287/531) of patients and this was unfavorable [adjusted mean difference presence/absence any comorbidity (95% CI): HRQOL -4.4 (-5.8 to -3.0), function 1.9 (0.4-3.3), pain 1.4 (0.6-2.1), TJC 1.3 (0.4-2.2)]. Number of comorbidities and both musculoskeletal (e.g., connective tissue disease) and nonmusculoskeletal comorbidities (e.g., pulmonary and cardiovascular disease) were associated with disease burden. Associations with HRQOL and function were clinically relevant. Comorbidities showed clinically relevant associations with disease burden. Therefore, the role of comorbidities in hand OA should be considered when interpreting disease outcomes and in patient management.

A numerical study of incompressible juncture flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwak, D.; Rogers, S. E.; Kaul, U. K.; Chang, J. L. C.

1986-01-01

The laminar, steady juncture flow around single or multiple posts mounted between two flat plates is simulated using the three dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes code, INS3D. The three dimensional separation of the boundary layer and subsequent formation and development of the horseshoe vortex is computed. The computed flow compares favorably with the experimental observation. The recent numerical study to understand and quantify the juncture flow relevant to the Space Shuttle main engine power head is summarized.

Within- and between-task consistency in hand use as a means of characterizing hand preferences in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Hopkins, William D; Gardner, Molly; Mingle, Morgan; Reamer, Lisa; Schapiro, Steven J

2013-11-01

There remain considerable questions regarding the evidence for population-level handedness in nonhuman primates when compared with humans. One challenge in comparing human and nonhuman primate handedness involves the procedures used to characterize individual handedness. Studies of human handedness use consistency in hand use within and between tasks as a basis for hand preference classification. In contrast, studies of handedness in nonhuman primates use statistical criteria for classifying handedness. In this study, we examined within- and between-task consistency in hand use as a means of characterizing individual handedness in a sample of 300 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Chimpanzees showed population-level right-handedness for both within- and between-tasks consistency, though the proportion of right-handed chimpanzees was lower than what has typically been reported for humans. We further found that there were small, but significant, associations in hand use between measures. There were no significant sex or colony effects on the distribution of handedness. The results are discussed in the context of theories on the evolution of handedness in nonhuman primates.

Within- and Between-Task Consistency in Hand Use as a Means of Characterizing Hand Preferences in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

PubMed Central

Hopkins, William D.; Gardner, Molly; Mingle, Morgan; Reamer, Lisa; Schapiro, Steven J.

2013-01-01

There remain considerable questions regarding the evidence for population-level handedness in nonhuman primates when compared with humans. One challenge in comparing human and nonhuman primate handedness involves the procedures used to characterize individual handedness. Studies of human handedness use consistency in hand use within and between tasks as a basis for hand preference classification. In contrast, studies of handedness in nonhuman primates use statistical criteria for classifying handedness. In this study, we examined within- and between-task consistency in hand use as a means of characterizing individual handedness in a sample of 300 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Chimpanzees showed population-level right-handedness for both within- and between-tasks consistency, though the proportion of right-handed chimpanzees was lower than what has typically been reported for humans. We further found that there were small, but significant, associations in hand use between measures. There were no significant sex or colony effects on the distribution of handedness. The results are discussed in the context of theories on the evolution of handedness in nonhuman primates. PMID:23356440

Hands-on Science: Does It Matter What Students' Hands Are On?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Triona, Lara M.; Klahr, David

2007-01-01

Hands-on science typically uses physical materials to give students first-hand experience in scientific methodologies, but the recent availability of virtual laboratories raises an important question about whether what students' hands are on matters to their learning. The overall findings of two articles that employed simple comparisons of…

Numerical modelling and experimental study of liquid evaporation during gel formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pokusaev, B. G.; Khramtsov, D. P.

2017-11-01

Gels are promising materials in biotechnology and medicine as a medium for storing cells for bioprinting applications. Gel is a two-phase system consisting of solid medium and liquid phase. Understanding of a gel structure evolution and gel aging during liquid evaporation is a crucial step in developing new additive bioprinting technologies. A numerical and experimental study of liquid evaporation was performed. In experimental study an evaporation process of an agarose gel layer located on Petri dish was observed and mass difference was detected using electronic scales. Numerical model was based on a smoothed particle hydrodynamics method. Gel in a model was represented as a solid-liquid system and liquid evaporation was modelled due to capillary forces and heat transfer. Comparison of experimental data and numerical results demonstrated that model can adequately represent evaporation process in agarose gel.

Does neuromuscular taping influence hand kinesiology? A pilot study on Down's Syndrome.

PubMed

Rigoldi, C; Galli, M; Celletti, C; Blow, D; Camerota, F; Albertini, G

2015-01-01

This paper is a first attempt analysis of hand and upper limb proprioception coordination induced by NeuroMuscular Taping (NMT): application in a group of 5 participants with Down syndrome. The participants underwent a drawing test with motion capture system acquisition before and after NMT application. Specific and descriptive parameters were computed and analysed in order to quantify the differences. Results showed statistical differences between pre and post treatment sessions: the 5 participants with Down syndrome evidenced more reliance on proprioceptive signals in the post treatment session during the execution of the specific writing tasks. Based on the hypothesis that modifications in proprioception should alter motor pathway mapping of the motor cortex, Neuromuscular taping may play a role in the treatment of dysgraphia and improving hand coordination following CNS impairment, even though a small treatment group was chosen for this pilot study the results lead to further discussions concerning the role of different afferent signals in a pathological context.

Numerical aerodynamic simulation facility feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

There were three major issues examined in the feasibility study. First, the ability of the proposed system architecture to support the anticipated workload was evaluated. Second, the throughput of the computational engine (the flow model processor) was studied using real application programs. Third, the availability reliability, and maintainability of the system were modeled. The evaluations were based on the baseline systems. The results show that the implementation of the Numerical Aerodynamic Simulation Facility, in the form considered, would indeed be a feasible project with an acceptable level of risk. The technology required (both hardware and software) either already exists or, in the case of a few parts, is expected to be announced this year. Facets of the work described include the hardware configuration, software, user language, and fault tolerance.

Use of a patient hand hygiene protocol to reduce hospital-acquired infections and improve nurses' hand washing.

PubMed

Fox, Cherie; Wavra, Teresa; Drake, Diane Ash; Mulligan, Debbie; Bennett, Yvonne Pacheco; Nelson, Carla; Kirkwood, Peggy; Jones, Louise; Bader, Mary Kay

2015-05-01

Critically ill patients are at marked risk of hospital-acquired infections, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Registered nurses are the main health care providers of physical care, including hygiene to reduce and prevent hospital-acquired infections, for hospitalized critically ill patients. To investigate a new patient hand hygiene protocol designed to reduce hospital-acquired infection rates and improve nurses' hand-washing compliance in an intensive care unit. A preexperimental study design was used to compare 12-month rates of 2 common hospital-acquired infections, central catheter-associated bloodstream infection and catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and nurses' hand-washing compliance measured before and during use of the protocol. Reductions in 12-month infection rates were reported for both types of infections, but neither reduction was statistically significant. Mean 12-month nurse hand-washing compliance also improved, but not significantly. A hand hygiene protocol for patients in the intensive care unit was associated with reductions in hospital-acquired infections and improvements in nurses' hand-washing compliance. Prevention of such infections requires continuous quality improvement efforts to monitor lasting effectiveness as well as investigation of strategies to eliminate these infections. ©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

Hand hygiene monitoring technology: protocol for a systematic review

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Healthcare worker hand hygiene is thought to be one of the most important strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections, but compliance is generally poor. Hand hygiene improvement interventions must include audits of compliance (almost always with feedback), which are most often done by direct observation - a method that is expensive, subjective, and prone to bias. New technologies, including electronic and video hand hygiene monitoring systems, have the potential to provide continuous and objective monitoring of hand hygiene, regular feedback, and for some systems, real-time reminders. We propose a systematic review of the evidence supporting the effectiveness of these systems. The primary objective is to determine whether hand hygiene monitoring systems yield sustainable improvements in hand hygiene compliance when compared to usual care. Methods/Design MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and other relevant databases will be searched for randomized control studies and quasi-experimental studies evaluating a video or electronic hand hygiene monitoring system. A standard data collection form will be used to abstract relevant information from included studies. Bias will be assessed using the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Group Risk of Bias Assessment Tool. Studies will be reviewed independently by two reviewers, with disputes resolved by a third reviewer. The primary outcome is directly observed hand hygiene compliance. Secondary outcomes include healthcare-associated infection incidence and improvements in hand hygiene compliance as measured by alternative metrics. Results will be qualitatively summarized with comparisons made between study quality, the measured outcome, and study-specific factors that may be expected to affect outcome (for example, study duration, frequency of feedback, use of real-time reminders). Meta-analysis will be performed if there is more than one study of similar systems with comparable outcome definitions

Prism adaptation in alternately exposed hands.

PubMed

Redding, Gordon M; Wallace, Benjamin

2013-08-01

We assessed intermanual transfer of the proprioceptive realignment aftereffects of prism adaptation in right-handers by examining alternate target pointing with the two hands for 40 successive trials, 20 with each hand. Adaptation for the right hand was not different as a function of exposure sequence order or postexposure test order, in contrast with adaptation for the left hand. Adaptation was greater for the left hand when the right hand started the alternate pointing than when the sequence of target-pointing movements started with the left hand. Also, the largest left-hand adaptation appeared when that hand was tested first after exposure. Terminal error during exposure varied in cycles for the two hands, converging on zero when the right hand led, but no difference appeared between the two hands when the left hand led. These results suggest that transfer of proprioceptive realignment occurs from the right to the left hand during both exposure and postexposure testing. Such transfer reflects the process of maintaining spatial alignment between the two hands. Normally, the left hand appears to be calibrated with the right-hand spatial map, and when the two hands are misaligned, the left-hand spatial map is realigned with the right-hand spatial map.

Learning "Hands On."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritter, Janice T.

2001-01-01

Discusses a computer teacher's incorporation of hand-held computer technology into her third- and fifth-grade students' study of acid rain. The project successfully brought two grade levels together for cross-grade research, provided an opportunity for classroom teachers and technology specialists to work collaboratively, and enhanced students'…

A numerical study of thermal stratification due to transient natural convection in densified liquid propellant tanks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manalo, Lawrence B.

-differencing technique. With the model at hand, the effects of variable fluid transport/thermo-physical properties, levels of initial sub-cooling, operating pressure, and initial liquid aspect ratio on the natural circulation patterns and thermal stratification are numerically investigated. Liquid oxygen (LOx) is the primary working fluid in the study. However, a simulation with liquid nitrogen (LN2) as the propellant is also carried out for comparison purposes.

Comparative study of state-of-the-art myoelectric controllers for multigrasp prosthetic hands.

PubMed

Segil, Jacob L; Controzzi, Marco; Weir, Richard F ff; Cipriani, Christian

2014-01-01

A myoelectric controller should provide an intuitive and effective human-machine interface that deciphers user intent in real-time and is robust enough to operate in daily life. Many myoelectric control architectures have been developed, including pattern recognition systems, finite state machines, and more recently, postural control schemes. Here, we present a comparative study of two types of finite state machines and a postural control scheme using both virtual and physical assessment procedures with seven nondisabled subjects. The Southampton Hand Assessment Procedure (SHAP) was used in order to compare the effectiveness of the controllers during activities of daily living using a multigrasp artificial hand. Also, a virtual hand posture matching task was used to compare the controllers when reproducing six target postures. The performance when using the postural control scheme was significantly better (p < 0.05) than the finite state machines during the physical assessment when comparing within-subject averages using the SHAP percent difference metric. The virtual assessment results described significantly greater completion rates (97% and 99%) for the finite state machines, but the movement time tended to be faster (2.7 s) for the postural control scheme. Our results substantiate that postural control schemes rival other state-of-the-art myoelectric controllers.

The SmartHand transradial prosthesis

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Prosthetic components and control interfaces for upper limb amputees have barely changed in the past 40 years. Many transradial prostheses have been developed in the past, nonetheless most of them would be inappropriate if/when a large bandwidth human-machine interface for control and perception would be available, due to either their limited (or inexistent) sensorization or limited dexterity. SmartHand tackles this issue as is meant to be clinically experimented in amputees employing different neuro-interfaces, in order to investigate their effectiveness. This paper presents the design and on bench evaluation of the SmartHand. Methods SmartHand design was bio-inspired in terms of its physical appearance, kinematics, sensorization, and its multilevel control system. Underactuated fingers and differential mechanisms were designed and exploited in order to fit all mechatronic components in the size and weight of a natural human hand. Its sensory system was designed with the aim of delivering significant afferent information to the user through adequate interfaces. Results SmartHand is a five fingered self-contained robotic hand, with 16 degrees of freedom, actuated by 4 motors. It integrates a bio-inspired sensory system composed of 40 proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors and a customized embedded controller both employed for implementing automatic grasp control and for potentially delivering sensory feedback to the amputee. It is able to perform everyday grasps, count and independently point the index. The weight (530 g) and speed (closing time: 1.5 seconds) are comparable to actual commercial prostheses. It is able to lift a 10 kg suitcase; slippage tests showed that within particular friction and geometric conditions the hand is able to stably grasp up to 3.6 kg cylindrical objects. Conclusions Due to its unique embedded features and human-size, the SmartHand holds the promise to be experimentally fitted on transradial amputees and employed as a bi

Numerical and experimental studies of hydrodynamics of flapping foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Kai; Liu, Jun-kao; Chen, Wei-shan

2018-04-01

The flapping foil based on bionics is a sort of simplified models which imitate the motion of wings or fins of fish or birds. In this paper, a universal kinematic model with three degrees of freedom is adopted and the motion parallel to the flow direction is considered. The force coefficients, the torque coefficient, and the flow field characteristics are extracted and analyzed. Then the propulsive efficiency is calculated. The influence of the motion parameters on the hydrodynamic performance of the bionic foil is studied. The results show that the motion parameters play important roles in the hydrodynamic performance of the flapping foil. To validate the reliability of the numerical method used in this paper, an experiment platform is designed and verification experiments are carried out. Through the comparison, it is found that the numerical results compare well with the experimental results, to show that the adopted numerical method is reliable. The results of this paper provide a theoretical reference for the design of underwater vehicles based on the flapping propulsion.

Quantification of mixing in vesicle suspensions using numerical simulations in two dimensions.

PubMed

Kabacaoğlu, G; Quaife, B; Biros, G

2017-02-01

We study mixing in Stokesian vesicle suspensions in two dimensions on a cylindrical Couette apparatus using numerical simulations. The vesicle flow simulation is done using a boundary integral method, and the advection-diffusion equation for the mixing of the solute is solved using a pseudo-spectral scheme. We study the effect of the area fraction, the viscosity contrast between the inside (the vesicles) and the outside (the bulk) fluid, the initial condition of the solute, and the mixing metric. We compare mixing in the suspension with mixing in the Couette apparatus without vesicles. On the one hand, the presence of vesicles in most cases slightly suppresses mixing. This is because the solute can be only diffused across the vesicle interface and not advected. On the other hand, there exist spatial distributions of the solute for which the unperturbed Couette flow completely fails to mix whereas the presence of vesicles enables mixing. We derive a simple condition that relates the velocity and solute and can be used to characterize the cases in which the presence of vesicles promotes mixing.

Quantification of mixing in vesicle suspensions using numerical simulations in two dimensions

PubMed Central

Quaife, B.; Biros, G.

2017-01-01

We study mixing in Stokesian vesicle suspensions in two dimensions on a cylindrical Couette apparatus using numerical simulations. The vesicle flow simulation is done using a boundary integral method, and the advection-diffusion equation for the mixing of the solute is solved using a pseudo-spectral scheme. We study the effect of the area fraction, the viscosity contrast between the inside (the vesicles) and the outside (the bulk) fluid, the initial condition of the solute, and the mixing metric. We compare mixing in the suspension with mixing in the Couette apparatus without vesicles. On the one hand, the presence of vesicles in most cases slightly suppresses mixing. This is because the solute can be only diffused across the vesicle interface and not advected. On the other hand, there exist spatial distributions of the solute for which the unperturbed Couette flow completely fails to mix whereas the presence of vesicles enables mixing. We derive a simple condition that relates the velocity and solute and can be used to characterize the cases in which the presence of vesicles promotes mixing. PMID:28344432

A numerical study of axisymmetric compressible non-isothermal and reactive swirling flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tavernetti, William E.; Hafez, Mohamed M.

2017-09-01

Non-linear dynamical phenomena in combustion processes is an active area of experimental and theoretical research. This is in large part due to increasingly strict environmental pressures to make gas turbine engines and industrial burners more efficient. Using numerical methods, for steady and unsteady confined and unconfined compressible flow, this study examines the modeling influence of compressibility for axisymmetric swirling flow. The compressible reactive Navier-Stokes equations in terms of stream function, vorticity, circulation are used. Results, details of the numerical algorithms, as well as numerical verification techniques and validation with sources from the literature will be presented. Understanding how vortex breakdown phenomena are affected by modeling reactant consumption with compressibility effect is the main goal of this study.

[Left- or right-handed: the effect of a preferential use of one hand or the other on dental hygiene].

PubMed

Eleveld, C A; Schuller, A A

2016-02-01

A research project investigated the extent to which a preferential use of one hand or the other has an effect on dental hygiene on the left or right side of the mouth. The study made use of epidemiological dental-care data from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and of data from a dental practice specifically collected for this project. The results revealed that among a population which is 85-90% right-handed, statistically significantly more dental plaque was found on the right side of the mouth than on the left. A separate study revealed the prevalence of statistically significantly more dental plaque on the right side than on the left among right-handed people and, among left-handed people, a non-statistically significant trend of more dental plaque on the left than the right. It is concluded that dental hygiene on the left side and the right side of the mouth is very likely to be dependent on the preferential use of one hand or the other. The differences between the left side of the mouth and right among left- and right-handed people are, however, so small that it is questionable whether these should be taken into consideration in giving instructions about dental hygiene.

Hand fracture - aftercare

MedlinePlus

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000552.htm Hand fracture - aftercare To use the sharing features on ... need to be repaired with surgery. Types of Hand Fractures Your fracture may be in one of ...

Self-reported hand eczema among dental workers in Japan - a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Minamoto, Keiko; Watanabe, Takeshi; Diepgen, Thomas L

2016-10-01

Dental workers are considered to have a high risk of developing occupational hand eczema. To estimate the prevalence of work-related hand eczema and associated risk factors in dental workers in Japan. A self-administered questionnaire was sent by mail to all dental clinics of Kumamoto City, Japan. In addition, patch testing with 24 dentistry-related allergens was offered. In total, 46.4% of dental workers (n = 528: response 31.4%, based on 97 clinics) reported a lifetime history of chronic hand eczema. The 1-year prevalence was 36.2%. According to logistic regression analysis, the most important risk factors for the 1-year prevalence were a personal history of atopic dermatitis [odds ratio (OR) 4.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.2-8.8], asthma and/or allergic rhinitis (OR 2.0, 95%CI: 1.3-3.0), dry skin (OR 1.7, 95%CI: 1.1-2.7), shorter duration of work (OR 2.0, 95%CI: 1.2-3.5 for up to 10 years versus >20 years), and washing hands >10 times per day (OR 1.6, 95%CI: 1.0-2.5). Fifty-four workers were patch tested. Rubber chemicals and acrylates were the most frequent occupationally relevant contact allergens. Dental workers in Japan have a high prevalence of hand eczema. Health education to prevent hand eczema and more frequent patch testing are needed. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reliability of a Malay-translated questionnaire for use in a hand-arm vibration syndrome study in Malaysia.

PubMed

Su, T A; Hoe, V C W

2008-12-01

Validity and reliability of the information relating to hand-transmitted vibration exposure and vibration-related health outcome are very important for case finding in hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) studies. In a local HAVS study among a group of construction workers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a questionnaire translated into Malay was created based on the Hand-transmitted Vibration Health Surveillance--Initial Questionnaire and Clinical Assessment, from Vibration Injury Network. This study was conducted to determine the reliability of standardised questions in the questionnaire used in the study. 15 subjects were selected randomly from the sampling frame of the HAVS study. Test-retest reliability was conducted on all items contained in parts 1-6 of the questionnaire and clinical assessment form, with an interval of 13-14 days between the first and second administration. Kappa coefficient and percentage agreement were calculated for all standardised questions. The kappa coefficient and percentage agreement for all standardised questions varied from -0.174 to 1.000 and 66.7 to 100.0 percent, respectively. The kappa coefficient for important questions related to current vibratory tool usage, tingling, numbness and hand grip weakness were 0.714, 0.432, -0.077 and -0.120, respectively, while the percentage agreement for current vibratory tool usage, finger colour change, tingling, numbness and hand grip weakness were 85.7 percent, 92.8 percent, 79.5 percent, 85.7 percent and 71.4 percent, respectively. Intra-rater reliability on the extent of vibration exposure was good, with the intra-class correlation coefficient (95 percent confidence interval) ranging from 0.786 (0.334-0.931) to 0.975 (0.923-0.992). Critical questions on vascular, neurological and musculoskeletal symptoms of HAVS were found to be reliable. The history on the extent of vibration exposure revealed good reliability when explored by the investigator alone. This questionnaire is considered reliable

Numerical study of droplet impact and rebound on superhydrophobic surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Xuan; Wu, Yanchen; Woerner, Martin; Frohnapfel, Bettina

2017-11-01

Droplet impact and rebound on superhydrophobic surface is an important process in many applications; among them are developing self-cleaning or anti-icing materials and limiting liquid film formation of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) in exhaust gas pipe. In the latter field, rebound of DEF droplet from wall is desired as an effective mean for avoiding or reducing unwanted solid deposition. Our goal is to numerically study influence of surface wettability on DEF droplet impact and rebound behavior. A phase-field method is chosen, which was implemented in OpenFOAM by us and validated for wetting-related interfacial flow problems. In the present contribution we first numerically reproduce relevant experimental studies in literature, to validate the code for droplet impact and rebound problem. There we study droplet-surface contact time, maximum/instantaneous spreading factor and droplet shape evolution. Our numerical results show good agreement with experimental data. Next we investigate for DEF droplets the effects of diameter, impact velocity and surface wettability on rebound behavior and jumping height. Based on Weber number and equilibrium contact angle, two regimes are identified. We show that surface wettability is a deciding factor for achieving rebound event. This work is supported by Foundation ``Friedrich-und-Elisabeth Boysen Stiftung fuer Forschung und Innovation'' (BOY-127-TP1).

Physical examination of the hand.

PubMed

Kenney, Raymond J; Hammert, Warren C

2014-11-01

Examination of the hand is an essential piece of a hand surgeon's skill set. This current concepts review presents a systematic process of performing a comprehensive physical examination of the hand including vascular, sensory, and motor assessments. Evaluations focused on specific hand diseases and injuries are also discussed. This information can be useful for any health care provider treating patients with hand conditions. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of hand soil loading, soil transfer, and particle size variations after hand-pressing and hand-mouthing activities

EPA Science Inventory

Hand-pressing trials and hand-to-mouth soil transfer experiments were conducted to better understand soil loadings, soil transfer ratios for three mouthing activities, and variations in particle size distributions under various conditions. Results indicated that sand caused highe...

Hospital hand hygiene opportunities: where and when (HOW2)? The HOW2 Benchmark Study.

PubMed

Steed, Connie; Kelly, J William; Blackhurst, Dawn; Boeker, Sue; Diller, Thomas; Alper, Paul; Larson, Elaine

2011-02-01

Measurement and monitoring of health care workers' hand hygiene compliance (i.e., actions/opportunities) is a key component of strategies to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. Little data exist on the expected number of hand hygiene opportunities (HHOs) in various hospital settings, however. The purpose of this study was to estimate HHOs in 2 types of hospitals--large teaching and small community--and 3 different clinical areas-medical-surgical intensive care units, general medical wards, and emergency departments. HHO data were collected through direct observations using the World Health Organization's monitoring methodology. Estimates of HHOs were developed for 12-hour AM/PM shifts and 24-hour time frames. During 436.7 hours of observation, 6,640 HHOs were identified. Estimates of HHOs ranged from 30 to 179 per patient-day on inpatient wards and from 1.84 to 5.03 per bed-hour in emergency departments. Significant differences in HHOs were found between the 2 hospital types and among the 3 clinical areas. This study is the first to use the World Health Organization's data collection methodology to estimate HHOs in general medical wards and emergency departments. These data can be used as denominator estimates to calculate hand hygiene compliance rates when product utilization data are available. Copyright © 2011 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Hand synergies: Integration of robotics and neuroscience for understanding the control of biological and artificial hands

PubMed Central

Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M.L.; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio

2017-01-01

The term ‘synergy’ – from the Greek synergia – means ‘working together’. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project “The Hand Embodied” (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies. PMID:26923030

Hand synergies: Integration of robotics and neuroscience for understanding the control of biological and artificial hands.

PubMed

Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M L; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio

2016-07-01

The term 'synergy' - from the Greek synergia - means 'working together'. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project "The Hand Embodied" (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hand synergies: Integration of robotics and neuroscience for understanding the control of biological and artificial hands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M. L.; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio

2016-07-01

The term 'synergy' - from the Greek synergia - means 'working together'. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project ;The Hand Embodied; (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies.

The most common deviations in the development of hand motoricity in children from birth to one year of age.

PubMed

Matijević, Valentina; Secić, Ana; Zivković, Tamara Kauzlarić; Borosak, Jesenka; Kolak, Zeljka; Dimić, Zdenka

2013-09-01

The early child development, from birth until the age of one year is, amongst other changes, characterized by intense motor learning. During that period, the voluntary learning patterns evolve from reflexive patterns to coordinated voluntary patterns. All of the child's voluntary movements present active forms in which the child communicates with the environment. In this communication, the hand plays an important role. Its brain representation covers one-third of the entire motor region, situated in the close proximity to the speech region. For this reason, some authors refer to hand as a "speech organ". According to numerous studies, each separate finger also has a relatively large representation in the cerebral cortex, which points to the importance of the fine motor skills development, or precise, highly differentiated movements of hand muscles following the principles of differentiation and hierarchical integration. Development of the fine motor skills in the hand is important for the overall child development, and it also serves as a predictor pointing to immaturity of the central nervous system. The aim of this paper is to present the development of hand motoricity from birth until the age of one year, as well as the most frequent deviations observed in children hospitalized at Children's Department of Rehabilitation, Clinical Department of Rheumatology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center.

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Strength of Aluminum Extrusion Welding.

PubMed

Bingöl, Sedat; Bozacı, Atilla

2015-07-17

The quality of extrusion welding in the extruded hollow shapes is influenced significantly by the pressure and effective stress under which the material is being joined inside the welding chamber. However, extrusion welding was not accounted for in the past by the developers of finite element software packages. In this study, the strength of hollow extrusion profile with seam weld produced at different ram speeds was investigated experimentally and numerically. The experiments were performed on an extruded hollow aluminum profile which was suitable to obtain the tensile tests specimens from its seam weld's region at both parallel to extrusion direction and perpendicular to extrusion direction. A new numerical modeling approach, which was recently proposed in literature, was used for numerical analyses of the study. The simulation results performed at different ram speeds were compared with the experimental results, and a good agreement was obtained.

Review and Evaluation of Hand-Arm Coordinate Systems for Measuring Vibration Exposure, Biodynamic Responses, and Hand Forces.

PubMed

Dong, Ren G; Sinsel, Erik W; Welcome, Daniel E; Warren, Christopher; Xu, Xueyan S; McDowell, Thomas W; Wu, John Z

2015-09-01

The hand coordinate systems for measuring vibration exposures and biodynamic responses have been standardized, but they are not actually used in many studies. This contradicts the purpose of the standardization. The objectives of this study were to identify the major sources of this problem, and to help define or identify better coordinate systems for the standardization. This study systematically reviewed the principles and definition methods, and evaluated typical hand coordinate systems. This study confirms that, as accelerometers remain the major technology for vibration measurement, it is reasonable to standardize two types of coordinate systems: a tool-based basicentric (BC) system and an anatomically based biodynamic (BD) system. However, these coordinate systems are not well defined in the current standard. Definition of the standard BC system is confusing, and it can be interpreted differently; as a result, it has been inconsistently applied in various standards and studies. The standard hand BD system is defined using the orientation of the third metacarpal bone. It is neither convenient nor defined based on important biological or biodynamic features. This explains why it is rarely used in practice. To resolve these inconsistencies and deficiencies, we proposed a revised method for defining the realistic handle BC system and an alternative method for defining the hand BD system. A fingertip-based BD system for measuring the principal grip force is also proposed based on an important feature of the grip force confirmed in this study.