Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in young adolescents aged 12-15 years: data from 68 low-income and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Xi, Bo; Liang, Yajun; Liu, Yunxia; Yan, Yinkun; Zhao, Min; Ma, Chuanwei; Bovet, Pascal

2016-11-01

Tobacco use is an important risk factor for non-communicable diseases worldwide. However, the global extent and prevalence of tobacco use in adolescents is poorly described. Using previously collected survey data, we aimed to assess tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in young adolescents aged 12-15 years in 68 low-income and middle-income countries. We used data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (2006-13) and the China Global Tobacco Youth Survey (2013), which are school-based surveys of young adolescents aged 12-15 years that assess health behaviours using a standardised, anonymous, self-reported questionnaire. We calculated the prevalence of current tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke in young adolescents from 68 low-income and middle-income countries that collected these data in the surveys. We used a multilevel model to estimate the association between parental tobacco use, second-hand smoke, and adolescent tobacco use, adjusting for sex, age, school, school class, country's purchasing power parity, smoking initiation age, national prevalence of tobacco use among adults, year the WHO FCTC was ratified for each country, proxy of socioeconomic status, and survey year. The mean prevalence of current tobacco use was 13·6%, ranging from 2·8% in Tajikistan to 44·7% in Samoa. In most countries, the prevalence of tobacco use was higher for boys than girls, and higher for adolescents aged 14-15 years than for those aged 12-13 years. The overall prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure was 55·9%, ranging from 16·4% in Tajikistan to 85·4% in Indonesia. Parental tobacco use (as reported by the young adolescents), especially maternal use, was associated with tobacco use in young adolescents (odds ratio 2·06, 95% CI 1·93-2·19, for maternal and 1·29, 1·23-1·35 for paternal use). Second-hand smoke exposure was also a risk factor for young adolescents' tobacco use (2·56, 2·43-2·69). However, the prevalence of tobacco use was not

Earlier and greater hand pre-shaping in the elderly: a study based on kinematic analysis of reaching movements to grasp objects.

PubMed

Tamaru, Yoshiki; Naito, Yasuo; Nishikawa, Takashi

2017-11-01

Elderly people are less able to manipulate objects skilfully than young adults. Although previous studies have examined age-related deterioration of hand movements with a focus on the phase after grasping objects, the changes in the reaching phase have not been studied thus far. We aimed to examine whether changes in hand shape patterns during the reaching phase of grasping movements differ between young adults and the elderly. Ten healthy elderly adults and 10 healthy young adults were examined using the Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Functions and kinetic analysis of hand pre-shaping reach-to-grasp tasks. The results were then compared between the two groups. For kinetic analysis, we measured the time of peak tangential velocity of the wrist and the inter-fingertip distance (the distance between the tips of the thumb and index finger) at different time points. The results showed that the elderly group's performance on the Simple Test for Evaluating Hand Functions was significantly lower than that of the young adult group, irrespective of whether the dominant or non-dominant hand was used, indicating deterioration of hand movement in the elderly. The peak tangential velocity of the wrist in either hand appeared significantly earlier in the elderly group than in the young adult group. The elderly group also showed larger inter-fingertip distances with arch-like fingertip trajectories compared to the young adult group for all object sizes. To perform accurate prehension, elderly people have an earlier peak tangential velocity point than young adults. This allows for a longer adjustment time for reaching and grasping movements and for reducing errors in object prehension by opening the hand and fingers wider. Elderly individuals gradually modify their strategy based on previous successes and failures during daily living to compensate for their decline in dexterity and operational capabilities. © 2017 Japanese Psychogeriatric Society.

HandTutor™ enhanced hand rehabilitation after stroke--a pilot study.

PubMed

Carmeli, Eli; Peleg, Sara; Bartur, Gadi; Elbo, Enbal; Vatine, Jean-Jacques

2011-12-01

This study assessed the potential therapeutic benefi t of using HandTutor™ in combination with traditional rehabilitation in a post-stroke sub-acute population. The study compares an experimental group receiving traditional therapy combined with HandTutorTM treatment, against a control group receiving only traditional therapy. An assessor-blinded, randomized controlled pilot trial, was conducted in the Reuth rehabilitation unit in Israel. Thirty-one stroke patients in the sub-acute phase, were randomly assigned to one of the two groups (experimental or control) in sets of three. The experimental group (n = 16) underwent a hand rehabilitation programme using the HandTutorTM combined with traditional therapy. The control group (n = 15) received only traditional therapy. The treatment schedules for both groups were of similar duration and frequency. Improvements were evaluated using three indicators: 1) The Brunnström-Fugl-Meyer (FM) test, 2) the Box and Blocks (B&B) test and 3) improvement parameters as determined by the HandTutorTM software. Following 15 consecutive treatment sessions, a signifi cant improvement was observed within the experimental group (95% confi dence intervals) compared with the control group: B&B p = 0.015; FM p = 0.041, HandTutor™ performance accuracy on x axis and performance accuracy on y axis p < 0.0003. The results from this pilot study support further investigation of the use of the HandTutorTM in combination with traditional occupational therapy and physiotherapy during post stroke hand function rehabilitation.

Hand and digital ischemia due to arteriosclerosis and thromboembolization in young adults: pathologic features with clinical correlations.

PubMed

Guarda, L A; Borrero, J L

1990-11-01

Twenty young adult patients with hand and digital ischemia were found to have obstructive arterial disease. All patients were surgically explored, and the occluded vessels were resected and by-passed. Eighteen patients had obstruction at the level of the distal ulnar artery and palmar arch, and 12 had obstruction of the common digital and digital proper arteries. Occlusive arteriosclerotic lesions were found in all patients; these lesions were characterized by prominent fibromuscular intimal plaques with superimposed thrombosis. Six patients had also thromboembolism to distal digital vessels. Vasculitis, calcifications, cholesterol deposits, and atheromatous emboli were not observed. Five patients had transmural neovascularization of the lesions in a similar manner to that described in coronary artery lesions. Obstructive lesions due to fibromuscular intimal proliferation with associated thrombosis and/or distal thromboembolization affecting arteries of hands and digits appear to be an important lesion that can affect young patients.

Facemasks, Hand Hygiene, and Influenza among Young Adults: A Randomized Intervention Trial

PubMed Central

Aiello, Allison E.; Perez, Vanessa; Coulborn, Rebecca M.; Davis, Brian M.; Uddin, Monica; Monto, Arnold S.

2012-01-01

Limited vaccine availability and the potential for resistance to antiviral medications have led to calls for establishing the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical measures for mitigating pandemic influenza. Our objective was to examine if the use of face masks and hand hygiene reduced rates of influenza-like illness (ILI) and laboratory-confirmed influenza in the natural setting. A cluster-randomized intervention trial was designed involving 1,178 young adults living in 37 residence houses in 5 university residence halls during the 2007–2008 influenza season. Participants were assigned to face mask and hand hygiene, face mask only, or control group during the study. Discrete-time survival models using generalized estimating equations to estimate intervention effects on ILI and confirmed influenza A/B infection over a 6-week study period were examined. A significant reduction in the rate of ILI was observed in weeks 3 through 6 of the study, with a maximum reduction of 75% during the final study week (rate ratio [RR] = 0.25, [95% CI, 0.07 to 0.87]). Both intervention groups compared to the control showed cumulative reductions in rates of influenza over the study period, although results did not reach statistical significance. Generalizability limited to similar settings and age groups. Face masks and hand hygiene combined may reduce the rate of ILI and confirmed influenza in community settings. These non-pharmaceutical measures should be recommended in crowded settings at the start of an influenza pandemic. Trail Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00490633 PMID:22295066

[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.

Free-hand ultrasound guidance permits safe and efficient minimally invasive intrathymic injections in both young and aged mice

PubMed Central

Tuckett, Andrea Z.; Zakrzewski, Johannes L.; Li, Duan; van den Brink, Marcel R.M.; Thornton, Raymond H.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate whether using an aseptic free-hand approach for ultrasound-guided injection facilitates injection into the thymic gland in mice. We used this interventional radiology technique in young, aged, and immunodeficient mice and found that the thymus was visible in all cases. The mean injection period was 8 s in young mice and 19 s in aged or immunodeficient mice. Injection accuracy was confirmed by intrathymic location of an injected dye, or by in vivo bioluminescence imaging of injected luciferase-expressing cells. Accurate intrathymic injection was confirmed in 97% of cases. No major complications were observed. We conclude that an aseptic free-hand technique for ultrasound-guided intrathymic injection is safe, accurate, and reduces the time required for intrathymic injections. This method facilitates large-scale experiments, injection of individual thymic lobes, and is clinically relevant. PMID:25701534

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

Use of a Proximity Sensor Switch for "Hands Free" Operation of Computer-Based Video Prompting by Young Adults with Moderate Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ivey, Alexandria N.; Mechling, Linda C.; Spencer, Galen P.

2015-01-01

In this study, the effectiveness of a "hands free" approach for operating video prompts to complete multi-step tasks was measured. Students advanced the video prompts by using a motion (hand wave) over a proximity sensor switch. Three young adult females with a diagnosis of moderate intellectual disability participated in the study.…

Give me a hand: Differential effects of gesture type in guiding young children's problem-solving.

PubMed

Vallotton, Claire; Fusaro, Maria; Hayden, Julia; Decker, Kalli; Gutowski, Elizabeth

2015-11-01

Adults' gestures support children's learning in problem-solving tasks, but gestures may be differentially useful to children of different ages, and different features of gestures may make them more or less useful to children. The current study investigated parents' use of gestures to support their young children (1.5 - 6 years) in a block puzzle task (N = 126 parent-child dyads), and identified patterns in parents' gesture use indicating different gestural strategies. Further, we examined the effect of child age on both the frequency and types of gestures parents used, and on their usefulness to support children's learning. Children attempted to solve the puzzle independently before and after receiving help from their parent; half of the parents were instructed to sit on their hands while they helped. Parents who could use their hands appear to use gestures in three strategies: orienting the child to the task, providing abstract information, and providing embodied information; further, they adapted their gesturing to their child's age and skill level. Younger children elicited more frequent and more proximal gestures from parents. Despite the greater use of gestures with younger children, it was the oldest group (4.5-6.0 years) who were most affected by parents' gestures. The oldest group was positively affected by the total frequency of parents' gestures, and in particular, parents' use of embodying gestures (indexes that touched their referents, representational demonstrations with object in hand, and physically guiding child's hands). Though parents rarely used the embodying strategy with older children, it was this strategy which most enhanced the problem-solving of children 4.5 - 6 years.

Give me a hand: Differential effects of gesture type in guiding young children's problem-solving

PubMed Central

Vallotton, Claire; Fusaro, Maria; Hayden, Julia; Decker, Kalli; Gutowski, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Adults’ gestures support children's learning in problem-solving tasks, but gestures may be differentially useful to children of different ages, and different features of gestures may make them more or less useful to children. The current study investigated parents’ use of gestures to support their young children (1.5 – 6 years) in a block puzzle task (N = 126 parent-child dyads), and identified patterns in parents’ gesture use indicating different gestural strategies. Further, we examined the effect of child age on both the frequency and types of gestures parents used, and on their usefulness to support children's learning. Children attempted to solve the puzzle independently before and after receiving help from their parent; half of the parents were instructed to sit on their hands while they helped. Parents who could use their hands appear to use gestures in three strategies: orienting the child to the task, providing abstract information, and providing embodied information; further, they adapted their gesturing to their child's age and skill level. Younger children elicited more frequent and more proximal gestures from parents. Despite the greater use of gestures with younger children, it was the oldest group (4.5-6.0 years) who were most affected by parents’ gestures. The oldest group was positively affected by the total frequency of parents’ gestures, and in particular, parents’ use of embodying gestures (indexes that touched their referents, representational demonstrations with object in hand, and physically guiding child's hands). Though parents rarely used the embodying strategy with older children, it was this strategy which most enhanced the problem-solving of children 4.5 – 6 years. PMID:26848192

Right- and left-handed three-helix proteins. I. Experimental and simulation analysis of differences in folding and structure.

PubMed

Glyakina, Anna V; Pereyaslavets, Leonid B; Galzitskaya, Oxana V

2013-09-01

Despite the large number of publications on three-helix protein folding, there is no study devoted to the influence of handedness on the rate of three-helix protein folding. From the experimental studies, we make a conclusion that the left-handed three-helix proteins fold faster than the right-handed ones. What may explain this difference? An important question arising in this paper is whether the modeling of protein folding can catch the difference between the protein folding rates of proteins with similar structures but with different folding mechanisms. To answer this question, the folding of eight three-helix proteins (four right-handed and four left-handed), which are similar in size, was modeled using the Monte Carlo and dynamic programming methods. The studies allowed us to determine the orders of folding of the secondary-structure elements in these domains and amino acid residues which are important for the folding. The obtained data are in good correlation with each other and with the experimental data. Structural analysis of these proteins demonstrated that the left-handed domains have a lesser number of contacts per residue and a smaller radius of cross section than the right-handed domains. This may be one of the explanations of the observed fact. The same tendency is observed for the large dataset consisting of 332 three-helix proteins (238 right- and 94 left-handed). From our analysis, we found that the left-handed three-helix proteins have some less-dense packing that should result in faster folding for some proteins as compared to the case of right-handed proteins. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effectiveness of Hands-on and Minds-on Activities on Students' Achievement and Attitudes towards Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ates, Ozlem; Eryilmaz, Ali

2011-01-01

This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of hands-on and minds-on activities on ninth grade students' achievement in and attitudes towards simple electric circuits. The study was conducted with 130 students, 70 of which were assigned as experimental group and instructed by hands-on/minds-on activities, while the 60 were assigned as…

Teaching radio astrophysics the hand-on way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Bhal Chandra

Astronomy and space sciences have always been instrumental in attracting young students to physical sciences. While the lectures/demonstrations and exhibitions pertaining to space sci-ences capture the imagination of young students, these alone are not sufficient to induce them to join scientific research. In countries like India, where a large number of students take to physical sciences for under-graduate education, complex sociological factors are key issues in translating this large body of students to potential researchers. While lectures and exhibition lead to an increase in scientific awareness for these students, these do not give a feel for scien-tific research and bridge the gap between high school/college science education and high end research. In this context, a hands-on approach to astronomy education, in science research environments or closely connected to scientific institutions, offers a promising alternative. This approach has been used in optical astronomy, where inexpensive small telescopes are available, often coupling a vast network of amateur astronomy clubs to leading astronomy institutes. The non-visual and relatively more technical nature of radio astronomy has limited a similar approach in past for connecting students to space sciences using radio waveband. The tech-nological explosion in communication industry and radio connectivity in the last decade along with an expansion in engineering education makes this possible now using a hands-on approach in teaching radio astrophysics. In this presentation, the sociological factors affecting the student choice are discussed followed by a review of the efforts to bridge the above mentioned gap by various groups in the world in the last decade with a view to enumerate the best practices in a hands-on approach. A program using this approach at National Center for Radio Astrophysics is described, where the students are exposed to simple hands-on radio astronomy experiments such as spectral line

Brain activation associated with practiced left hand mirror writing.

PubMed

Kushnir, T; Arzouan, Y; Karni, A; Manor, D

2013-04-01

Mirror writing occurs in healthy children, in various pathologies and occasionally in healthy adults. There are only scant experimental data on the underlying brain processes. Eight, right-handed, healthy young adults were scanned (BOLD-fMRI) before and after practicing left-hand mirror-writing (lh-MW) over seven sessions. They wrote dictated words, using either the right hand with regularly oriented writing or lh-MW. An MRI compatible stylus-point recording system was used and online visual feedback was provided. Practice resulted in increased speed and readability of lh-MW but the number of movement segments was unchanged. Post-training signal increases occurred in visual, right lateral and medial premotor areas, and in right anterior and posterior peri-sylvian areas corresponding to language areas. These results suggest that lh-MW may constitute a latent ability that can be reinstated by a relatively brief practice experience. Concurrently, right hemisphere language processing areas may emerge, reflecting perhaps a reduction in trans-hemispheric suppression. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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].

Young People's Cognitive Achievement as Fostered by Hands-on-Centred Environmental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dieser, Olivia; Bogner, Franz X.

2016-01-01

In line with previous studies, where outdoor nature experience was shown to support adolescents' environmental knowledge, our study monitored the influence of a hands-on environmental programme within a National Park on cognitive knowledge achievement. A sample of 4th and 5th graders (n = 289) completed a week-long outreach conservation programme…

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 aroma hand massage on pain, state anxiety and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer].

PubMed

Chang, So Young

2008-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of aroma hand massage on pain, state anxiety and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer. This study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The subjects were 58 hospice patients with terminal cancer who were hospitalized. Twenty eight hospice patients with terminal cancer were assigned to the experimental group (aroma hand massage), and 30 hospice patients with terminal cancer were assigned to the control group (general oil hand massage). As for the experimental treatment, the experimental group went through aroma hand massage on each hand for 5 min for 7 days with blended oil-a mixture of Bergamot, Lavender, and Frankincense in the ratio of 1:1:1, which was diluted 1.5% with sweet almond carrier oil 50 ml. The control group went through general oil hand massage by only sweet almond carrier oil-on each hand for 5 min for 7 days. The aroma hand massage experimental group showed more significant differences in the changes of pain score (t=-3.52, p=.001) and depression (t=-8.99, p=.000) than the control group. Aroma hand massage had a positive effect on pain and depression in hospice patients with terminal cancer.

Student Content Knowledge Increases after Participation in a Hands-on Biotechnology Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigler, Amber M.; Hanegan, Nikki L.

2011-01-01

Implementing biotechnology education through hands-on teaching methods should be considered by secondary biology teachers. This study is an experimental research design to examine increased student content knowledge in biotechnology after a hands-on biotechnology intervention. The teachers from both school groups participated in, Project Crawfish,…

The Impact of Musical Training on Hand Biomechanics in String Musicians.

PubMed

Gorniak, Stacey L; Collins, Evan D; Goldie Staines, Kimberly; Brooks, Forrest A; Young, Ricardo V

2018-04-01

The effects of musical training on the body in professional musicians remain an understudied area, particularly in reference to understanding and managing orthopedic/neuromuscular deviations and injuries in this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate hand/finger fine motor function in musicians via physical examination as well as laboratory-based evaluations. Thirteen healthy noninjured young elite string musicians participated in this study. Performance of musicians was compared with healthy age-matched, sex-matched, and handedness-matched nonmusician controls. Musicians exhibited decreased intrinsic muscle strength compared with controls; however, no change in extrinsic muscle strength was found between groups. No between-group differences in overall force control were found; however, Group × Hand (right vs left) interactions were found in force control. These data suggest that musicians are a unique population with respect to: (1) fine motor control of the hand; and (2) exhibit changes in differential hand use. This suggests cortical reorganization of string musicians, such that this population should be studied separately from typical healthy controls with respect to hand function.

Early intensive hand rehabilitation after spinal cord injury ("Hands On"): a protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Harvey, Lisa A; Dunlop, Sarah A; Churilov, Leonid; Hsueh, Ya-Seng Arthur; Galea, Mary P

2011-01-17

Loss of hand function is one of the most devastating consequences of spinal cord injury. Intensive hand training provided on an instrumented exercise workstation in conjunction with functional electrical stimulation may enhance neural recovery and hand function. The aim of this trial is to compare usual care with an 8-week program of intensive hand training and functional electrical stimulation. A multicentre randomised controlled trial will be undertaken. Seventy-eight participants with recent tetraplegia (C2 to T1 motor complete or incomplete) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation will be recruited from seven spinal cord injury units in Australia and New Zealand and will be randomised to a control or experimental group. Control participants will receive usual care. Experimental participants will receive usual care and an 8-week program of intensive unilateral hand training using an instrumented exercise workstation and functional electrical stimulation. Participants will drive the functional electrical stimulation of their target hands via a behind-the-ear bluetooth device, which is sensitive to tooth clicks. The bluetooth device will enable the use of various manipulanda to practice functional activities embedded within computer-based games and activities. Training will be provided for one hour, 5 days per week, during the 8-week intervention period. The primary outcome is the Action Research Arm Test. Secondary outcomes include measurements of strength, sensation, function, quality of life and cost effectiveness. All outcomes will be taken at baseline, 8 weeks, 6 months and 12 months by assessors blinded to group allocation. Recruitment commenced in December 2009. The results of this trial will determine the effectiveness of an 8-week program of intensive hand training with functional electrical stimulation. NCT01086930 (12th March 2010)ACTRN12609000695202 (12th August 2009).

Effects of plain packaging, warning labels, and taxes on young people's predicted sugar-sweetened beverage preferences: an experimental study.

PubMed

Bollard, Tessa; Maubach, Ninya; Walker, Natalie; Ni Mhurchu, Cliona

2016-09-01

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and dental caries. Our aim was to assess the effects of plain packaging, warning labels, and a 20 % tax on predicted SSB preferences, beliefs and purchase probabilities amongst young people. A 2 × 3 × 2 between-group experimental study was conducted over a one-week period in August 2014. Intervention scenarios were delivered, and outcome data collected, via an anonymous online survey. Participants were 604 New Zealand young people aged 13-24 years who consumed soft drinks regularly. Participants were randomly allocated using a computer-generated algorithm to view one of 12 experimental conditions, specifically images of branded versus plain packaged SSBs, with either no warning, a text warning, or a graphic warning, and with or without a 20 % tax. Participant perceptions of the allocated SSB product and of those who might consume the product were measured using seven-point Likert scales. Purchase probabilities were measured using 11-point Juster scales. Six hundred and four young people completed the survey (51 % female, mean age 18 (SD 3.4) years). All three intervention scenarios had a significant negative effect on preferences for SSBs (plain packaging: F (6, 587) = 54.4, p <0.001; warning label: F (6, 588) = 19.8, p <0.001; 20 % tax: F (6, 587) = 11.3, p <0.001). Plain packaging and warning labels also had a significant negative impact on reported likelihood of purchasing SSB's (p = <0.001). A 20 % tax reduced participants' purchase probability but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.2). Plain packaging and warning labels significantly reduce young people's predicted preferences for, and reported probability of purchasing, SSBs.

Vitamin D status predicts hand-grip strength in young adult women living in Auckland, New Zealand.

PubMed

von Hurst, P R; Conlon, C; Foskett, A

2013-07-01

The identification of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in skeletal muscle tissue and research in muscle strength and development in VDR-null mice confirms a role for vitamin D in muscle function. The relationship between muscle strength and vitamin D status has been explored to some degree in older populations with regard to fall prevention, but there has been very little research in younger adults. This cross-sectional study considered the predictors of muscle strength in 137 young women (19-29 years) living in New Zealand. The following measurements were taken in the latter months of winter: plasma 25OHD, dominant (HGD) and non-dominant hand-grip (HGND) strength (hand-grip dynamometer), counter measure jump, and recreational physical activity (RPA) assessed from a recent physical activity questionnaire (RPAQ). Dietary intake was measured with a four-day food diary, and body composition using air displacement plethysmography. This was a relatively inactive group of women; total RPA ranged from 0 to 3.93h per week, mean (SD) 0.86(0.74) h, approximately 50% comprised outdoor activities. Mean 25OHD was 54(28)nmol/l, HGD and HGND were significantly different (t=6.049, p<0.001) at 27.3(5.8) and 25.6(5.7)kg respectively. Total RPA and 25OHD were entered into a linear regression model with handgrip strength as the dependent variable (Model R(2)=0.11, p=0.001 non-dominant, R(2)=0.13, p<0.001 dominant). Serum 25OHD was significantly associated with HGD (B(SE)=0.05(0.02), p=0.016) and HGND (B(SE)=0.04(0.02), p=0.019), independent of recreational physical activity. Recreational activity had an association with both hand-grip strength and serum 25OHD, and when each were adjusted to remove this association, 25OHD accounted for 4.3% of HGND and 4.5% of HGD. These results suggest that vitamin D status does have a small but significant association with hand-grip strength in this group of young women. Further investigation in this age group with a randomised controlled trial is

Hands-on-Universe, Europe Bringing frontline interactive astronomy to the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferlet, R.

Hands-on-Universe, Europe (EU-HOU) aims at re-awakening the interest for science in the young generations through astronomy and new technologies. It relies on real observations acquired through a worldwide internet-based network of automatic telescopes or with didactical tools (webcam, radiotelescope). Pupils manipulate images in the classroom environment, using specific software within pedagogical resources constructed in close collaboration between researchers and teachers. EU-HOU is freely available on the web, and trains european teachers.

Hands-on physics displays for undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akerlof, Carl W.

2014-07-01

Initiated by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the Exploratorium in San Francisco has been the model for hands-on science museums throughout the world. The key idea has been to bring people with all levels of scientific background in contact with interesting and attractive exhibits that require the active participation of the visitor. Unfortunately, many science museums are now forced to cater primarily to very young audiences, often 8 years old or less, with predictable constraints on the intellectual depth of their exhibits. To counter this trend, the author has constructed several hands-on displays for the University of Michigan Physics Department that demonstrate: (1) magnetic levitation of pyrolytic graphite, (2) the varied magnetic induction effects in aluminum, copper and air, (3) chaotic motion of a double pendulum, (4) conservation of energy and momentum in a steel ball magnetic accelerator, (5) the diffraction pattern of red and green laser pointer beams created by CDs and DVDs, (6) a magnetic analog of the refraction of light at a dielectric boundary and (7) optical rotation of light in an aqueous fructose solution. Each of these exhibits can be constructed for something like $1000 or less and are robust enough to withstand unsupervised public use. The dynamic behavior of these exhibits will be shown in accompanying video sequences. The following story has a history that goes back quite a few years. In the late 70's, I was spending time at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center accompanied by my family that included our two grade school children. Needless to say, we much enjoyed weekend excursions to all sorts of interesting sites in the Bay Area, especially the Exploratorium, an unusual science museum created by Frank Oppenheimer that opened in 1969. The notion that exhibits would be designed specifically for "hands-on" interactions was at that time quite revolutionary. This idea captivated a number of people everywhere including a friend in Ann Arbor, Cynthia

On reducing hand impact force in forward falls: results of a brief intervention in young males.

PubMed

Lo, J; McCabe, G N; DeGoede, K M; Okuizumi, H; Ashton-Miller, J A

2003-10-01

To test the working hypotheses that after a brief (10 min) intervention, (a) young adults can volitionally reduce fall-related wrist impact forces, and (b) no difference in impact force would exist between intervention and control groups at 3-weeks or 3-months follow-up. The wrist is the most commonly fractured site in the body at any age, most often as a result of impact with the ground while arresting a forward fall.Methods. Twenty-nine healthy young male volunteers participated. A 3-month intervention group (n=10) performed five standardized forward falls before and after a 10-min instructional intervention aimed at reducing wrist impact forces during the baseline visit. They, along with a 3-month control group (n=11) who did not receive the intervention, were remeasured in five trials at 3-weeks and 3-months follow-up, without intervening practice. A baseline control group (n=8) performed the five trials, then repeated them at the baseline visit without receiving the intervention. Unilateral body segment kinematics and bilateral hand-ground impact forces were measured and the hypotheses were tested using repeated measures analysis of variance. At the baseline visit, a significant group-by-trial-block interaction was found (P=0.02): the 3-month intervention group reduced their average maximum impact forces by 18% from initial values (P=0.002); the baseline control group did not do so (0.5% increase, P=0.91). The 3-month intervention (20 falls) and control (15 falls) groups did not differ at the 3-month follow-up (P=0.62); however, when the groups were combined their maximum impact force had decreased significantly (8.9%, P=0.04) over that time. Healthy young males learned in 10 min to significantly reduce wrist impact forces in forward falls, but retention was poor at 3-weeks follow-up. Irrespective of group, however, after the 5 falls at 3-weeks subjects had taught themselves to reduce their impact forces at the 3-months follow-up. A brief educational

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.

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…

Recruitment and derecruitment characteristics of motor units in a hand muscle of young and old adults.

PubMed

Jesunathadas, Mark; Marmon, Adam R; Gibb, James M; Enoka, Roger M

2010-06-01

The significant decline in motor neuron number after approximately 60 yr of age is accompanied by a remodeling of the neuromuscular system so that average motor unit force increases and the ability of old adults to produce an intended force declines. One possible explanation for the loss of movement precision is that the remodeling increases the difference in recruitment forces between successively recruited motor units in old adults and this augments force variability at motor unit recruitment. The purpose of the study was to compare the forces and discharge characteristics of motor units in a hand muscle of young and old adults at motor unit recruitment and derecruitment. The difference in recruitment force between pairs of motor units did not differ between young (n=54) and old adults (n=56; P=0.702). However, old adults had a greater proportion of contractions in which motor units discharged action potentials transiently before discharging continuously during the ramp increase in force (young: 0.32; old: 0.41; P=0.045). Force variability at motor unit recruitment was greater for old adults compared with young adults (Por=0.729). These results suggest that the difference in force between the recruitment of successive motor units does not differ between age groups, but that motor unit recruitment may be more transient and could contribute to the greater variability in force observed in old adults during graded ramp contractions.

Water Uptake Behavior and Young Modulus Prediction of Composites Based on Treated Sisal Fibers and Poly(Lactic Acid)

PubMed Central

Orue, Ander; Eceiza, Arantxa; Peña-Rodriguez, Cristina; Arbelaiz, Aitor

2016-01-01

The main aim of this work was to study the effect of sisal fiber surface treatments on water uptake behavior of composites based on untreated and treated fibers. For this purpose, sisal fibers were treated with different chemical treatments. All surface treatments delayed the water absorption of fibers only for a short time of period. No significant differences were observed in water uptake profiles of composites based on fibers with different surface treatments. After water uptake period, tensile strength and Young modulus values of sisal fiber/poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites were decreased. On the other hand, composites based on NaOH + silane treated fibers showed the lowest diffusion coefficient values, suggesting that this treatment seemed to be the most effective treatment to reduce water diffusion rate into the composites. Finally, Young modulus values of composites, before water uptake period, were predicted using different micromechanical models and were compared with experimental data. PMID:28773524

Planar covariance of upper and lower limb elevation angles during hand-foot crawling in healthy young adults.

PubMed

MacLellan, M J; Catavitello, G; Ivanenko, Y P; Lacquaniti, F

2017-11-01

Habitual quadrupeds have been shown to display a planar covariance of segment elevation angle waveforms in the fore and hind limbs during many forms of locomotion. The purpose of the current study was to determine if humans generate similar patterns in the upper and lower limbs during hand-foot crawling. Nine healthy young adults performed hand-foot crawling on a treadmill at speeds of 1, 2, and 3 km/h. A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the segment elevation angle waveforms for the upper (upper arm, lower arm, and hand) and lower (thigh, shank, and foot) limbs separately. The planarity of the elevation angle waveforms was determined using the sum of the variance explained by the first two PCs and the orientation of the covariance plane was quantified using the direction cosines of the eigenvector orthogonal to the plane, projected upon each of the segmental semi-axes. Results showed that planarity of segment elevation angles was maintained in the upper and lower limbs (explained variance >97%), although a slight decrease was present in the upper limb when crawling at 3 km/h. The orientation of the covariance plane was highly limb-specific, consistent with animal studies and possibly related to the functional neural control differences between the upper and lower limbs. These results may suggest that the motor patterns stored in the central nervous system for quadrupedal locomotion may be retained through evolution and may still be exploited when humans perform such tasks.

Effects of Combined Hands-on Laboratory and Computer Modeling on Student Learning of Gas Laws: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xiufeng

2006-01-01

Based on current theories of chemistry learning, this study intends to test a hypothesis that computer modeling enhanced hands-on chemistry laboratories are more effective than hands-on laboratories or computer modeling laboratories alone in facilitating high school students' understanding of chemistry concepts. Thirty-three high school chemistry…

Effect of surgical hand scrub time on subsequent bacterial growth.

PubMed

Wheelock, S M; Lookinland, S

1997-06-01

In this experimental study, the researchers evaluated the effect of surgical hand scrub time on subsequent bacterial growth and assessed the effectiveness of the glove juice technique in a clinical setting. In a randomized crossover design, 25 perioperative staff members scrubbed for two or three minutes in the first trial and vice versa in the second trial, after which the wore sterile surgical gloves for one hour under clinical conditions. The researchers then sampled the subjects' nondominant hands for bacterial growth, cultured aliquots from the sampling solution, and counted microorganisms. Scrubbing for three minutes produced lower mean log bacterial counts than scrubbing for two minutes. Although the mean bacterial count differed significantly (P = .02) between the two-minute and three-minute surgical hand scrub times, it fell below 0.5 log, which is the threshold for practical and clinical significance. This finding suggests that a two-minute surgical hand scrub is clinically as effective as a three-minute surgical had scrub. The glove juice technique demonstrated sensitivity and reliability in enumerating bacteria on the hands of perioperative staff members in a clinical setting.

Intimacy revealed: sexual experimentation and the construction of risk among young people in Mozambique.

PubMed

Karlyn, A S

2005-05-01

The expanding AIDS epidemic in Mozambique is fuelled principally by heterosexual transmission, with young people identified as a key group for prevention efforts. However, little is known about the sexual behaviour of young people in Mozambique and the protective practices they adopt. This paper seeks to identify the contexts and rules governing sexual risk-taking among young people in Maputo. In doing so, the paper affirms the importance of context in understanding risk practices, but highlights the fluidity of practice as an important limitation for the use of contextual analysis in prevention interventions. By focusing on one innovation, the saca cena one-night stand, this paper shows how a subgroup of young people in Maputo has redefined a "risky" sexual practice to include exclusive condom use. As a risk context, the saca cena dictates a set of implicit rules emphasizing anonymity, discretion, verbal and non-verbal cues, and for a set of select innovators, condom use. The saca cena challenges the hegemonic gender roles found among many young people in Maputo of male dominance through sexual conquest and female acquiescence. Instead, the practice allows young people to be both adventurous and responsible. The discourse demonstrates how sexual identities have been redefined to combine risk reduction with sexual experimentation and the satiation of desire.

Predictors of the Transition from Experimental to Daily Smoking in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Sunhee; Weaver, Terri E.; Romer, Daniel

2010-01-01

Although smoking initiation is rare in young adulthood, the progression to a higher level of smoking still occurs at this developmental stage. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring predictors of the transition from experimental to daily smoking in late teens and young adults using the 2nd and 3rd waves from the National Longitudinal Study of…

Eye-in-Hand Manipulation for Remote Handling: Experimental Setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Longchuan; Suominen, Olli; Aref, Mohammad M.; Mattila, Jouni; Ruiz, Emilio; Esque, Salvador

2018-03-01

A prototype for eye-in-hand manipulation in the context of remote handling in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER)1 is presented in this paper. The setup consists of an industrial robot manipulator with a modified open control architecture and equipped with a pair of stereoscopic cameras, a force/torque sensor, and pneumatic tools. It is controlled through a haptic device in a mock-up environment. The industrial robot controller has been replaced by a single industrial PC running Xenomai that has a real-time connection to both the robot controller and another Linux PC running as the controller for the haptic device. The new remote handling control environment enables further development of advanced control schemes for autonomous and semi-autonomous manipulation tasks. This setup benefits from a stereovision system for accurate tracking of the target objects with irregular shapes. The overall environmental setup successfully demonstrates the required robustness and precision that remote handling tasks need.

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.

The effects of music genre on young people's alcohol consumption: an experimental observational study.

PubMed

Engels, Rutger C M E; Poelen, Evelien A P; Spijkerman, Renske; Ter Bogt, Tom

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to test whether exposure to specific music genres in a social drinking setting leads to differences in drinking levels. An observational experimental design was used in which we invited peer groups of young adults into a bar lab, a lab which is furnished like an ordinary, small pub. Between two tasks, people had a break of 50 minutes in which they could order nonalcoholic and alcoholic beverages. During the break, participants were exposed to a specific music genre: popular, hard rock, rap, or classical music. Those groups who were exposed to classical music drank significantly more alcohol than those who were exposed to other music genres. This pattern is quite robust and does not depend on participants' sex or age, drinking habits, own music preference, and relative importance of music in participant's lives. The study's limitations are mentioned.

Free-hand ultrasound guidance permits safe and efficient minimally invasive intrathymic injections in both young and aged mice.

PubMed

Tuckett, Andrea Z; Zakrzewski, Johannes L; Li, Duan; van den Brink, Marcel R M; Thornton, Raymond H

2015-04-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate whether use of an aseptic free-hand approach to ultrasound-guided injection facilitates injection into the thymic gland in mice. We used this interventional radiology technique in young, aged and immunodeficient mice and found that the thymus was visible in all cases. The mean injection period was 8 seconds in young mice and 19 seconds in aged or immunodeficient mice. Injection accuracy was confirmed by intrathymic location of an injected dye or by in vivo bioluminescence imaging of injected luciferase-expressing cells. Accurate intrathymic injection was confirmed in 97% of cases. No major complications were observed. We conclude that an aseptic freehand technique for ultrasound-guided intrathymic injection is safe and accurate and reduces the time required for intrathymic injections. This method facilitates large-scale experiments and injection of individual thymic lobes and is clinically relevant. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Where are my hands? Influence of limb posture on tactile extinction.

PubMed

Auclair, Laurent; Barra, Julien; Raibaut, Patrick

2012-05-01

Tactile localization on the skin involves both a somatotopic and a postural schema (body-schema) representation. The present study determines the extent to which body posture influences tactile perception in right-brain-damaged patients. In a first set of experiments, patients were asked to detect single tactile stimulation delivered to their left or right hands or to both hands simultaneously (double stimulation) in different arm postures. Only patients who had no difficulty localizing single and double tactile stimulations when their hands were placed in anatomic position were tested. Participant's hands were crossed, one over the other, and the tactile stimuli were delivered either to the hand (beyond the crossing point, Experiment 1) or to the forearm (before the crossing point, Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, the left hand was placed in the right hemispace and the right hand in the left hemispace without crossing over (opposite condition). In a second set of experiments, patients were asked to detect stimulation delivered to the forefinger. The fingers were crossed, one over the other at the level of the middle phalanx, and stimuli were delivered either beyond or before the crossing point. In all experimental conditions, control participants performed at ceiling. We observed a left-hand tactile extinction on double stimulation in the crossed condition. These results suggest that tactile stimuli can be encoded based on multiple specific body-part representations rather than on an integrated body-schema representation.

Cardiovascular reactivity to stressors in Indian young adults with normotensive parents.

PubMed

Verma, Anjali; Kumar, Manoj; Saxena, Indu; Kumar, Jayballabh

2013-10-01

Stress-induced increase in heart-rate and blood pressure is termed cardiovascular reactivity (CVR). Various studies are designed to monitor the CVR and use different types of experimental stressors. We have compared the CVR to three different stressors used in CVR based studies (cold pressor task, hand grip test, and video game) to identify the best suited stressor for any study design. The study was conducted on 82 (38 female) young Indian adults with normal resting basal parameters and normotensive parents. Each volunteer was subjected to three stressors: cold pressor task (CPT), hand grip test (HGT), and video game (VG). The CVR to the three stressors was compared amongst female subjects and amongst male subjects by ANOVA, and between female and male subjects by unpaired Student's t-test. Maximum CVR was obtained to HGT, while maximum gender difference in CVR was obtained in case of CPT. Heart rate and blood pressure changes obtained on playing VG were not statistically significant. When the purpose of research is to generate maximum possible CVR, we suggest the use of HGT; while if the purpose of the research is to study gender related differences, the use of CPT would be more appropriate. Unlike young adults of Western countries, VG is not perceived as a challenging task or stressor by young Indian adults and produces little change in heart rate and blood pressure.

Task-related enhancement in corticomotor excitability during haptic sensing with the contra- or ipsilateral hand in young and senior adults.

PubMed

Master, Sabah; Tremblay, François

2012-03-14

Haptic sensing with the fingers represents a unique class of manipulative actions, engaging motor, somatosensory and associative areas of the cortex while requiring only minimal forces and relatively simple movement patterns. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we investigated task-related changes in motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude associated with unimanual haptic sensing in two related experiments. In Experiment I, we contrasted changes in the excitability of the hemisphere controlling the task hand in young and old adults under two trial conditions, i.e. when participants either touched a fine grating (smooth trials) or touched a coarse grating to detect its groove orientation (grating trials). In Experiment II, the same contrast between tasks was performed but with TMS applied over the hemisphere controlling the resting hand, while also addressing hemispheric (right vs. left) and age differences. In Experiment I, a main effect of trial type on MEP amplitude was detected (p = 0.001), MEPs in the task hand being ~50% larger during grating than smooth trials. No interaction with age was detected. Similar results were found for Experiment II, trial type having a large effect on MEP amplitude in the resting hand (p < 0.001) owing to selective increase in MEP size (~2.6 times greater) for grating trials. No interactions with age or side (right vs. left) were detected. Collectively, these results indicate that adding a haptic component to a simple unilateral finger action can elicit robust corticomotor facilitation not only in the working hemisphere but also in the opposite hemisphere. The fact that this facilitation seems well preserved with age, when task difficulty is adjusted, has some potential clinical implications.

How Science Texts and Hands-on Explorations Facilitate Meaning Making: Learning from Latina/o Third Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varelas, Maria; Pieper, Lynne; Arsenault, Amy; Pappas, Christine C.; Keblawe-Shamah, Neveen

2014-01-01

In this study, we examined opportunities for reasoning and meaning making that read-alouds of children's literature science information books and related hands-on explorations offered to young Latina/o students in an urban public school. Using a qualitative, interpretative framework, we analyzed classroom discourse and children's writing…

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%.

The Transmission and Evolution of Experimental Microcultures in Groups of Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiten, Andrew; Flynn, Emma

2010-01-01

A new experimental microculture approach was developed to investigate the creation and transmission of differing traditions in small communities of young children. Four playgroups, with a total of 88 children, participated. In each of 2 playgroups, a single child was shown how to use 1 of 2 alternative methods of tool use, "lift" or "poke," to…

Mapping Sensory Spots for Moderate Temperatures on the Back of Hand.

PubMed

Yang, Fan; Chen, Guixu; Zhou, Sikai; Han, Danhong; Xu, Jingjing; Xu, Shengyong

2017-12-04

Thermosensation with thermoreceptors plays an important role in maintaining body temperature at an optimal state and avoiding potential damage caused by harmful hot or cold environmental temperatures. In this work, the locations of sensory spots for sensing moderate temperatures of 40-50 °C on the back of the hands of young Chinese people were mapped in a blind-test manner with a thermal probe of 1.0 mm spatial resolution. The number of sensory spots increased along with the testing temperature; however, the surface density of sensory spots was remarkably lower than those reported previously. The locations of the spots were irregularly distributed and subject-dependent. Even for the same subject, the number and location of sensory spots were unbalanced and asymmetric between the left and right hands. The results may offer valuable information for designing artificial electronic skin and wearable devices, as well as for clinical applications.

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

Effects of atmospheric ammonia on young pigs experimentally infected with Bordetella bronchiseptica

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

Drummond, J.G.; Curtis, S.E.; Meyer, R.C.

1981-06-01

Effects of atmospheric ammonia on performance and respiratory tract health of young pigs experimentally infected with Bordetella bronchiseptica were studied. Treatments were: (1) control, (2) Bordetella inoculation (approx 10(9) bacteria/naris) alone, (3) Bordetella inoculation plus exposure to atmospheric ammonia at 34.7 mg/m3 (50 ppm), and (4) Bordetella inoculation plus exposure to atmospheric ammonia at 69.4 mg/m3 (100 ppm). Pigs weighted 8.01 kg (av) at start of treatment. Body weight and feed disappearance were measured weekly. After 4 weeks, all pigs were killed and examined grossly, and appropriate specimens were obtained for histopathologic examination. Regression models were fitted to growth, feedmore » disappearance, and gain-to-feed data. The growth model indicated that Bordetella-inoculated pigs gained 26% less body weight than did controls, regardless of atmospheric ammonia concentration. Bordetella inoculation, regardless of ammonia exposure, reduced feed disappearance 12% below the control rate. Treatment difference was not noted in gain/feed data. Shrunken turbinates were observed in Bordetella-inoculated pigs. Shrinkage also appeared to be related directly to ammonia concentration. Rhinitis was confirmed histopathologically, and its severity was related with atmospheric ammonia concentration, but no difference was seen in the osseous core of the turbinates.« less

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.

Past Examination Questions in Senior Secondary Chemistry: From Written Practice to Hands-On Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chow, Cheuk-Fai; So, Wing-Mui Winnie; Cheung, Tsz-Yan

2016-01-01

This study applied an unconventional use of past examination papers by converting questions into hands-on experiments for students. Students in an experimental group were engaged in use of those experiments while the remainder attended conventional lectures with written practice. The results reflect that the experimental group positively improved…

Becoming Familiar with other Disciplines Through Hands-on Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bremner, P. M.

2014-12-01

Transitioning to a new discipline can be challenging because of the need to quickly assimilate new skills and knowledge that others brought up in the field took years to develop. While reading and taking classes help to add knowledge, hands-on experience is key to developing your new skill set. Fieldwork is one obvious way to gain experience. Fieldwork provides intimate knowledge of your new found discipline, which is one component of your skill set. However, fieldwork is normally for a short period of time and very focused, which does not quickly provide the second component of your skill set, that is, insight into how your discipline fits in the big picture of solving problems. Academic workshops and internships can help provide the additional experience to bring any young researcher into this higher level of understanding. As a specific example, I'll talk about a summer workshop I recently attended called CIDER (Cooperative Institute for Dynamic Earth Research), which is open for students to apply for every year. This workshop provided the opportunity to learn a working knowledge of other disciplines in geology, and helped to expand my view of geophysics' place in solving real problems. The workshop is a month long, the first two weeks of which were lectures and tutorials of every discipline represented. The second two weeks consisted of new research on projects that were proposed by the attendees. The attendees select which of those projects to participate in, and join a team to work vigorously for two weeks. Teams may continue work after the CIDER workshop for presentations at AGU (as in my case) and has potential for publication later. Why this workshop succeeds in advancing young researchers' understanding is that different disciplines work side by side on their research project. Students need to be made aware of this workshop, and other workshops and internships like it, to provide this added hands-on experience.

Cognitive vision system for control of dexterous prosthetic hands: Experimental evaluation

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Dexterous prosthetic hands that were developed recently, such as SmartHand and i-LIMB, are highly sophisticated; they have individually controllable fingers and the thumb that is able to abduct/adduct. This flexibility allows implementation of many different grasping strategies, but also requires new control algorithms that can exploit the many degrees of freedom available. The current study presents and tests the operation of a new control method for dexterous prosthetic hands. Methods The central component of the proposed method is an autonomous controller comprising a vision system with rule-based reasoning mounted on a dexterous hand (CyberHand). The controller, termed cognitive vision system (CVS), mimics biological control and generates commands for prehension. The CVS was integrated into a hierarchical control structure: 1) the user triggers the system and controls the orientation of the hand; 2) a high-level controller automatically selects the grasp type and size; and 3) an embedded hand controller implements the selected grasp using closed-loop position/force control. The operation of the control system was tested in 13 healthy subjects who used Cyberhand, attached to the forearm, to grasp and transport 18 objects placed at two different distances. Results The system correctly estimated grasp type and size (nine commands in total) in about 84% of the trials. In an additional 6% of the trials, the grasp type and/or size were different from the optimal ones, but they were still good enough for the grasp to be successful. If the control task was simplified by decreasing the number of possible commands, the classification accuracy increased (e.g., 93% for guessing the grasp type only). Conclusions The original outcome of this research is a novel controller empowered by vision and reasoning and capable of high-level analysis (i.e., determining object properties) and autonomous decision making (i.e., selecting the grasp type and size). The automatic

Group Theory, Computational Thinking, and Young Mathematicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadanidis, George; Clements, Erin; Yiu, Chris

2018-01-01

In this article, we investigate the artistic puzzle of designing mathematics experiences (MEs) to engage young children with ideas of group theory, using a combination of hands-on and computational thinking (CT) tools. We elaborate on: (1) group theory and why we chose it as a context for young mathematicians' experiences with symmetry and…

Moving On: Transitions out of Care for Young People with Learning Disabilities in England and Sweden

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Helen; Ingold, Anne; Liabo, Kristin; Manzotti, Grazia; Reeves, David; Bradby, Hannah

2018-01-01

Background: Young people with learning disabilities are frequently underrepresented in research accounts. This study describes the experiences of young people moving from the care system. Methods: We scoped the English and Swedish literature for first-hand accounts and interviewed four young people with learning disabilities leaving the English…

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.

Quantitative microbial risk assessment of antibacterial hand hygiene products on risk of shigellosis.

PubMed

Schaffner, Donald W; Bowman, James P; English, Donald J; Fischler, George E; Fuls, Janice L; Krowka, John F; Kruszewski, Francis H

2014-04-01

There are conflicting reports on whether antibacterial hand hygiene products are more effective than nonantibacterial products in reducing bacteria on hands and preventing disease. This research used new laboratory data, together with simulation techniques, to compare the ability of nonantibacterial and antibacterial products to reduce shigellosis risk. One hundred sixtythree subjects were used to compare five different hand treatments: two nonantibacterial products and three antibacterial products, i.e., 0.46% triclosan, 4% chlorhexidine gluconate, or 62% ethyl alcohol. Hands were inoculated with 5.5 to 6 log CFU Shigella; the simulated food handlers then washed their hands with one of the five products before handling melon balls. Each simulation scenario represented an event in which 100 people would be exposed to Shigella from melon balls that had been handled by food workers with Shigella on their hands. Analysis of experimental data showed that the two nonantibacterial treatments produced about a 2-log reduction on hands. The three antibacterial treatments showed log reductions greater than 3 but less than 4 on hands. All three antibacterial treatments resulted in statistically significantly lower concentration on the melon balls relative to the nonantibacterial treatments. A simulation that assumed 1 million Shigella bacteria on the hands and the use of a nonantibacterial treatment predicted that 50 to 60 cases of shigellosis would result (of 100 exposed). Each of the antibacterial treatments was predicted to result in an appreciable number of simulations for which the number of illness cases would be 0, with the most common number of illness cases being 5 (of 100 exposed). These effects maintained statistical significance from 10(6) Shigella per hand down to as low as 100 Shigella per hand, with some evidence to support lower levels. This quantitative microbial risk assessment shows that antibacterial hand treatments can significantly reduce Shigella risk.

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…

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

The Economic Education of Young People

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prutchenkov, A.; Teriukova, T.

2010-01-01

Under the economic conditions that are new to Russia, young people are subjected to the influence of many factors. On the one hand, they are compelled to put up opposition to the economic system, while on the other hand they are compelled to be actively involved in it. In either case they have to solve the problem of how to survive in the system.…

Reported Adverse Health Effects in Children from Ingestion of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers - United States, 2011-2014.

PubMed

Santos, Cynthia; Kieszak, Stephanie; Wang, Alice; Law, Royal; Schier, Joshua; Wolkin, Amy

2017-03-03

Hand sanitizers are effective and inexpensive products that can reduce microorganisms on the skin, but ingestion or improper use can be associated with health risks. Many hand sanitizers contain up to 60%-95% ethanol or isopropyl alcohol by volume, and are often combined with scents that might be appealing to young children. Recent reports have identified serious consequences, including apnea, acidosis, and coma in young children who swallowed alcohol-based (alcohol) hand sanitizer (1-3). Poison control centers collect data on intentional and unintentional exposures to hand sanitizer solutions resulting from various routes of exposure, including ingestion, inhalation, and dermal and ocular exposures. To characterize exposures of children aged ≤12 years to alcohol hand sanitizers, CDC analyzed data reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS).* The major route of exposure to both alcohol and nonalcohol-based (nonalcohol) hand sanitizers was ingestion. The majority of intentional exposures to alcohol hand sanitizers occurred in children aged 6-12 years. Alcohol hand sanitizer exposures were associated with worse outcomes than were nonalcohol hand sanitizer exposures. Caregivers and health care providers should be aware of the potential dangers associated with hand sanitizer ingestion. Children using alcohol hand sanitizers should be supervised and these products should be kept out of reach from children when not in use.

Molecular Biology for the Environment: an EC-US hands-on Course in Environmental Biotechnology

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

Victor de Lorenzo; Juan Luis Ramos; Jerome Kukor

One of the central goals of this activity is to bring together young scientists (at the late Ph.D. or early postdoctoral stages of their careers) in a forum that should result in future collaborations. The course is designed to give scientists hands-on experience in modern, up-to-date biotechnological methods at the interface between molecular biology and environmental biotechnology for the analysis of microorganisms and their activities with regard to the remediation of pollutants in the environment.

[The effects of hand acupuncture therapy on pain, ROM, ADL and depression among elders with low back pain and knee joint pain].

PubMed

Yang, Jin-Hyang

2009-02-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of hand acupuncture therapy on pain, ROM, ADL, and depression among older people with low back pain and knee joint pain. The research was a quasi-experimental design using a non-equivalent control group pre-post test. The participants were 40 patients, 18 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. A pretest and 2 posttest were conducted to measure the main variables. For the experimental group, hand acupuncture therapy, consisting of hand acupuncture and press-pellets based on corresponding points, was given. There were statistically significant differences in pain, ROM in knee joint, and ADL in the experimental group but not in depression compared to the control group over two different times. The hand acupuncture therapy was effective for low back pain, knee joint pain, ROM in knee joint and ADL among the elders in this study. Therefore, the hand acupuncture therapy can be utilized in the field of geriatric nursing as a nursing intervention for older people with low back pain and knee joint pain.

Trypanosoma cruzi infection in the opossum Didelphis marsupialis: absence of neonatal transmission and protection by maternal antibodies in experimental infections.

PubMed

Jansen, A M; Madeira, F B; Deane, M P

1994-01-01

The high rate of natural Trypanosoma cruzi infection found in opossums does not always correlate with appreciable densities of local triatomid populations. One alternative method which might bypass the invertebrate vector is direct transmission from mother to offspring. This possibility was investigated in five T. cruzi infected females and their litters (24 young). The influence of maternal antibodies transferred via lactation, on the course of experimental infection, was also examined. Our results show that neonatal transmission is probably not responsible for the high rate of natural T. cruzi infection among opossums. In addition antibodies of maternal origin confer a partial protection to the young. This was demonstrated by the finding of a double prepatency period and 4, 5 fold lower levels of circulating parasites, in experimentally infected pouch young from infected as compared to control uninfected mothers. On the other hand, the duration of patent parasitemia was twice as long as that observed in the control group.

Quantum chemical determination of young?s modulus of lignin. Calculations on ß-O-4' model compound

Treesearch

Thomas Elder

2007-01-01

The calculation of Young?s modulus of lignin has been examined by subjecting a dimeric model compound to strain, coupled with the determination of energy and stress. The computational results, derived from quantum chemical calculations, are in agreement with available experimental results. Changes in geometry indicate that modifications in dihedral angles occur in...

Effect of hand hygiene on infectious diseases in the office workplace: A systematic review.

PubMed

Zivich, Paul N; Gancz, Abigail S; Aiello, Allison E

2018-04-01

Extensive data suggests that hand hygiene is a critical intervention for reducing infectious disease transmission in the clinical setting. However, it is unclear whether hand hygiene is effective at cutting down on infectious illnesses in non-clinical workplaces. The aim of this review is to assess the current literature concerning the effects of hand-washing interventions on infectious disease prevention among employees in nonclinical, office-based workplaces. In compiling this review, PubMed, Scopus, and Business Source Premier were examined for studies published from 1960 through 2016. Eleven studies (eight experimental, two observational, one a simulation) were identified as eligible for inclusion. Hand-hygiene interventions at various levels of rigor were shown to reduce self-reported illness symptoms. Hand hygiene is thought to be more effective against gastrointestinal illness than it is against respiratory illness, but no clear consensus has been reached on this point. Minimal hand-hygiene interventions seem to be effective at reducing the incidence of employee illness. Along with reducing infections among employees, hand-hygiene programs in the workplace may provide additional benefits to employers by reducing the number of employee health insurance claims and improving employee morale. Future research should use objective measures of hand hygiene and illness, and explore economic impacts on employers more fully. Copyright © 2018 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Partnership with informal education learning centers to develop hands-on activities for research outreach efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Courville, Z.; Haynes, R.; DeFrancis, G.; Koh, S.; Ringelberg, D.

2012-12-01

Outreach informed by scientific research plays an important role in fostering interest in science by making science and scientists accessible, fun, and interesting. Developing an interest in science in young, elementary-aged students through outreach is a rewarding endeavor for researchers, in that audiences are usually receptive, requirements for broader impacts are met, and bonds are formed between researchers and members of their local and surrounding communities. Promoting such interest among young students is imperative not only for an individual researcher's own self interest, but also for the strength of American science and innovation moving forward, and is the responsibility of the current generation of scientists. Developing genuine and successful inquiry-based, hands-on activities for elementary-aged students is outside the expertise of many researchers. Partnering with an informal education learning center (i.e. science museum or after-school program) provides researchers with the expertise they might be lacking in such endeavors. Here, we present a series of polar-, engineering- and microbiology-themed hands-on activities that have been developed by researchers at a government lab in partnership with a local science museum. Through a series of workshops, the science education staff at the museum provided researchers with background and instruction on inquiry and hands-on activities, and then collaborated with the researchers to develop activities which were later demonstrated at the museum to museum-goers. Education staff provided feedback about the presentation of the activities for further refinement. The program provided an opportunity for researchers to develop fun, on-target and age-appropriate science activities for elementary-aged students, an audience for outreach, and enabled general public audiences the chance to interact with researchers and scientists in an informal setting.

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

iHand: an interactive bare-hand-based augmented reality interface on commercial mobile phones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Junyeong; Park, Jungsik; Park, Hanhoon; Park, Jong-Il

2013-02-01

The performance of mobile phones has rapidly improved, and they are emerging as a powerful platform. In many vision-based applications, human hands play a key role in natural interaction. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the interaction between human hands and the mobile phone. Thus, we propose a vision- and hand gesture-based interface in which the user holds a mobile phone in one hand but sees the other hand's palm through a built-in camera. The virtual contents are faithfully rendered on the user's palm through palm pose estimation, and reaction with hand and finger movements is achieved that is recognized by hand shape recognition. Since the proposed interface is based on hand gestures familiar to humans and does not require any additional sensors or markers, the user can freely interact with virtual contents anytime and anywhere without any training. We demonstrate that the proposed interface works at over 15 fps on a commercial mobile phone with a 1.2-GHz dual core processor and 1 GB RAM.

Hand Rehabilitation Robotics on Poststroke Motor Recovery

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The recovery of hand function is one of the most challenging topics in stroke rehabilitation. Although the robot-assisted therapy has got some good results in the latest decades, the development of hand rehabilitation robotics is left behind. Existing reviews of hand rehabilitation robotics focus either on the mechanical design on designers' view or on the training paradigms on the clinicians' view, while these two parts are interconnected and both important for designers and clinicians. In this review, we explore the current literature surrounding hand rehabilitation robots, to help designers make better choices among varied components and thus promoting the application of hand rehabilitation robots. An overview of hand rehabilitation robotics is provided in this paper firstly, to give a general view of the relationship between subjects, rehabilitation theories, hand rehabilitation robots, and its evaluation. Secondly, the state of the art hand rehabilitation robotics is introduced in detail according to the classification of the hardware system and the training paradigm. As a result, the discussion gives available arguments behind the classification and comprehensive overview of hand rehabilitation robotics. PMID:29230081

Shifting Gears. Hands-on Activities for Learning Workplace Skills and English as a Second Language. A Teacher's Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

World Education, Inc., New York, NY.

This curriculum handbook uses a hands-on approach to teaching basic skills and language for the U.S. workplace to students who are not familiar with many common tools and procedures. Although designed for Southeast Asian refugees, the curriculum can be adapted for use with other groups, including older adults or young people. The handbook consists…

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

iHandRehab: an interactive hand exoskeleton for active and passive rehabilitation.

PubMed

Li, Jiting; Zheng, Ruoyin; Zhang, Yuru; Yao, Jianchu

2011-01-01

This paper presents an interactive exoskeleton device for hand rehabilitation, iHandRehab, which aims to satisfy the essential requirements for both active and passive rehabilitation motions. iHandRehab is comprised of exoskeletons for the thumb and index finger. These exoskeletons are driven by distant actuation modules through a cable/sheath transmission mechanism. The exoskeleton for each finger has 4 degrees of freedom (DOF), providing independent control for all finger joints. The joint motion is accomplished by a parallelogram mechanism so that the joints of the device and their corresponding finger joints have the same angular displacement when they rotate. Thanks to this design, the joint angles can be measured by sensors real time and high level motion control is therefore made very simple without the need of complicated kinematics. The paper also discusses important issues when the device is used by different patients, including its adjustable joint range of motion (ROM) and adjustable range of phalanx length (ROPL). Experimentally collected data show that the achieved ROM is close to that of a healthy hand and the ROPL covers the size of a typical hand, satisfying the size need of regular hand rehabilitation. In order to evaluate the performance when it works as a haptic device in active mode, the equivalent moment of inertia (MOI) of the device is calculated. The results prove that the device has low inertia which is critical in order to obtain good backdrivability. Experimental analysis shows that the influence of friction accounts for a large portion of the driving torque and warrants future investigation. © 2011 IEEE

Bare Bones Young Adult Services: Tips for Public Library Generalists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaillancourt, Renee J.

This book is a hands-on guide to the philosophy and practice of young adult services in the public libraries. The following chapters are included: (1) "Young Adult Services Philosophy," including reasons to serve teens, why teens are the way they are, who serves young adults, and how to interact with teens; (2) "Youth Participation," including…

The association between hand eczema and nickel allergy has weakened among young women in the general population following the Danish nickel regulation: results from two cross-sectional studies.

PubMed

Thyssen, Jacob Pontoppidan; Linneberg, Allan; Menné, Torkil; Nielsen, Niels Henrik; Johansen, Jeanne Duus

2009-12-01

An association between nickel contact allergy and hand eczema has previously been demonstrated. In 1990, Denmark regulated the extent of nickel release in the ear-piercing process as well as nickel release from consumer products. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the Danish nickel regulation by comparing the prevalence of concomitant nickel allergy and hand eczema observed in two repeated cross-sectional studies performed in the same general population in Copenhagen. In 1990 and 2006, 3881 18-69 year olds completed a postal questionnaire and were patch tested with nickel. Data were analysed by logistic regression analyses and associations were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The prevalence of concomitant nickel contact allergy and a history of hand eczema decreased among 18-35-year-old women from 9.0% in 1990 to 2.1% in 2006 (P < 0.01). The association between nickel contact allergy and a history of hand eczema decreased in this age group between 1990 (OR = 3.63; CI = 1.33-9.96) and 2006 (OR = 0.65; CI = 0.29-1.46). Among older women, no significant changes were observed in the association between nickel contact allergy and hand eczema. Regulatory control of nickel exposure may have reduced the effect of nickel on hand eczema in the young female population.

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

Mentorship for operational research capacity building: hands-on or hands-off?

PubMed

Harries, A D; Marais, B; Kool, B; Ram, S; Kumar, A M V; Gounder, S; Viney, K; Brostrom, R; Roseveare, C; Bissell, K; Reid, A J; Zachariah, R; Hill, P C

2014-06-21

Mentorship is a key feature of operational research training courses run by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Médecins Sans Frontières. During the recent South Pacific paper writing module, the faculty discussed 'hands-on' mentorship (direct technical assistance) vs. 'hands-off' mentorship (technical advice). This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Our collective experience indicates that 'hands-on' mentorship is a valuable learning experience for the participant and a rewarding experience for the mentor. This approach increases the likelihood of successful course completion, including publishing a well written paper. However, mentors must allow participants to lead and take ownership of the paper, in keeping with a first author position.

The OpenPicoAmp: an open-source planar lipid bilayer amplifier for hands-on learning of neuroscience.

PubMed

Shlyonsky, Vadim; Dupuis, Freddy; Gall, David

2014-01-01

Understanding the electrical biophysical properties of the cell membrane can be difficult for neuroscience students as it relies solely on lectures of theoretical models without practical hands on experiments. To address this issue, we developed an open-source lipid bilayer amplifier, the OpenPicoAmp, which is appropriate for use in introductory courses in biophysics or neurosciences at the undergraduate level, dealing with the electrical properties of the cell membrane. The amplifier is designed using the common lithographic printed circuit board fabrication process and off-the-shelf electronic components. In addition, we propose a specific design for experimental chambers allowing the insertion of a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene film. We provide a complete documentation allowing to build the amplifier and the experimental chamber. The students hand-out giving step-by step instructions to perform a recording is also included. Our experimental setup can be used in basic experiments in which students monitor the bilayer formation by capacitance measurement and record unitary currents produced by ionic channels like gramicidin A dimers. Used in combination with a low-cost data acquisition board this system provides a complete solution for hands-on lessons, therefore improving the effectiveness in teaching basic neurosciences or biophysics.

Both hands at work: the effect of aging on upper-limb kinematics in a multi-step activity of daily living.

PubMed

Gulde, Philipp; Hermsdörfer, Joachim

2017-05-01

The kinematic performance of basic motor tasks shows a clear decrease with advancing age. This study examined if the rules known from such tasks can be generalized to activities of daily living. We examined the end-effector kinematics of 13 young and 13 elderly participants in the multi-step activity of daily living of tea-making. Furthermore, we analyzed bimanual behavior and hand dominance in the task using different conditions of execution. The elderly sample took substantially longer to complete the activity (almost 50%) with longer trajectories compared with the young sample. Models of multiple linear regression revealed that the longer trajectories prolonged the trial duration in both groups, and while movement speed influenced the trial duration of young participants, phases of inactivity negatively affected how long the activity took the elderly subjects. No differences were found regarding bimanual performance or hand dominance. We assume that in self-paced activities of daily living, the age-dependent differences in the kinematics are more likely to be based on the higher cognitive demands of the task rather than on pure motor capability. Furthermore, it seems that not all of the rules known from basic motor tasks can be generalized to activities of daily living.

The Application of Surface Potential Test on Hand-making Insulation for Generator Stator End-winding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhu-mao; Liu, Qing; Wang, Tian-zheng; Bai, Lu; Li, Yan-peng

2017-05-01

This paper presents the advantage of surface potential test on hand-making insulation for generator stator end-winding insulation detection, compared with DC or AC withstand voltage test, also details the test principle, connection method and test notes. And through the case, surface potential test on hand-making insulation proved effective for insulation quality detection after generator stator end-winding maintenance, and the experimental data is useful and reliable for the electrical equipment operation and maintenance in the power plant.

Contactless and pose invariant biometric identification using hand surface.

PubMed

Kanhangad, Vivek; Kumar, Ajay; Zhang, David

2011-05-01

This paper presents a novel approach for hand matching that achieves significantly improved performance even in the presence of large hand pose variations. The proposed method utilizes a 3-D digitizer to simultaneously acquire intensity and range images of the user's hand presented to the system in an arbitrary pose. The approach involves determination of the orientation of the hand in 3-D space followed by pose normalization of the acquired 3-D and 2-D hand images. Multimodal (2-D as well as 3-D) palmprint and hand geometry features, which are simultaneously extracted from the user's pose normalized textured 3-D hand, are used for matching. Individual matching scores are then combined using a new dynamic fusion strategy. Our experimental results on the database of 114 subjects with significant pose variations yielded encouraging results. Consistent (across various hand features considered) performance improvement achieved with the pose correction demonstrates the usefulness of the proposed approach for hand based biometric systems with unconstrained and contact-free imaging. The experimental results also suggest that the dynamic fusion approach employed in this work helps to achieve performance improvement of 60% (in terms of EER) over the case when matching scores are combined using the weighted sum rule.

Welfare Policies and Very Young Children: Experimental Data on Stage-Environment Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Heather D.; Morris, Pamela

2008-01-01

The authors examined the effects of welfare programs that increased maternal employment and family income on the development of very young children using data from 5 random-assignment experiments. The children were 6 months to 3 years old when their mothers entered the programs; cognitive and behavioral outcomes were measured 2-5 years later.…

Implementation of a Modular Hands-on Learning Pedagogy: Student Attitudes in a Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burgher, J. K.; Finkel, D.; Adesope, O. O.; Van Wie, B. J.

2015-01-01

This study used a within-subjects experimental design to compare the effects of learning with lecture and hands-on desktop learning modules (DLMs) in a fluid mechanics and heat transfer class. The hands-on DLM implementation included the use of worksheets and one of two heat exchangers: an evaporative cooling device and a shell and tube heat…

Personal hand gel for improved hand hygiene compliance on the regional anesthesia team.

PubMed

Parks, Colby L; Schroeder, Kristopher M; Galgon, Richard E

2015-12-01

Hand hygiene reduces healthcare-associated infections, and several recent publications have examined hand hygiene in the perioperative period. Our institution's policy is to perform hand hygiene before and after patient contact. However, observation suggests poor compliance. This is a retrospective review of a quality improvement database showing the effect of personal gel dispensers on perioperative hand hygiene compliance on a regional anesthesia team. Healthcare providers assigned to the Acute Pain Service were observed for compliance with hand hygiene policy during a quality improvement initiative. Provider type and compliance were prospectively recorded in a database. Team members were then given a personal gel dispensing device and again observed for compliance. We have retrospectively reviewed this database to determine the effects of this intervention. Of the 307 encounters observed, 146 were prior to implementing personal gel dispensers. Compliance was 34%. Pre- and post-patient contact compliances were 23 and 43%, respectively. For 161 encounters after individual gel dispensers were provided, compliance was 63%. Pre- and post-patient contact compliances were 53 and 72%, respectively. Improvement in overall compliance from 34 to 63% was significant. On the Acute Pain Service, compliance with hand hygiene policy improves when individual sanitation gel dispensing devices are worn on the person.

Hands-on Science. Exploring Magnification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kepler, Lynne

1993-01-01

Presents hands-on science activities using inexpensive, hand-held microscopes and slides made from simple, readily available materials. The article describes how to introduce students to microscopes and presents directions for using the microscopes and making slides. A student page investigates fingerprints with microscopes. (SM)

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

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.

MEASURING DIETARY EXPOSURE OF YOUNG CHILDREN

EPA Science Inventory

Young children do not consume foods in a structured manner. Their foods contact surfaces (hands, floors, eating surfaces, etc.) that may be contaminated while they are eating them. Thus, dietary exposures of young children are difficult to accurately assess or measure. A recen...

Hands-on Humidity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pankiewicz, Philip R.

1992-01-01

Presents five hands-on activities that allow students to detect, measure, reduce, and eliminate moisture. Students make a humidity detector and a hygrometer, examine the effects of moisture on different substances, calculate the percent of water in a given food, and examine the absorption potential of different desiccants. (MDH)

Promoting action control and coping planning to improve hand hygiene.

PubMed

Reyes Fernández, Benjamín; Lippke, Sonia; Knoll, Nina; Blanca Moya, Emanuel; Schwarzer, Ralf

2015-09-25

We examined a brief educational intervention addressing hand hygiene self-regulatory mechanisms, and evaluated which psychological mechanisms may lead to hand hygiene behaviours. Two hundred forty two students (mean age = 21 years, SD = 3.9) received either an experimental (n = 149) or a control condition on action control and planning (n = 93). Hand hygiene, coping planning, and action control were measured at baseline and six weeks later. By applying repeated measures ANOVA, we compared the experimental condition addressing planning to perform hand hygiene with a control condition. Additionally, working mechanisms were evaluated by means of mediation analysis. The intervention had an effect on action control, as reflected by a time by treatment interaction. The direct effect of the intervention on behaviour was, however, non-significant. Changes in action control led to changes in coping planning. These social-cognitive changes mediated the effect of intervention on behaviour, after controlling for gender, baseline behaviour, and classroom membership. In spite of the associations between the intervention and self-regulatory strategies, no direct effect was found of the intervention on behaviour. Further research on how to increase hand sanitizing, involving enviromental characteristics, is required. The intervention led only indirectly to an improvement of hand hygiene via changes in self-regulatory factors. Results indicate the importance of promoting action control and coping planning to initiate changes in hand hygienic behaviours.

Hands-on Herps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Science Activities, 1987

1987-01-01

Presents a hands-on activity to help primary, intermediate, and advanced students learn about and compare the general characteristics of reptiles and amphibians. Suggests "herp stations" to provide experiences. Details materials, background and procedures necessary for using this activity. (CW)

Cost per case or total cost? The potential of prevention of hand injuries in young children – Retrospective and prospective studies

PubMed Central

Ljungberg, Elinor M; Carlsson, Katarina Steen; Dahlin, Lars B

2008-01-01

Background Health-care costs for hand and forearm injuries in young children are poorly documented. We examined costs in 533 children injured years 1996–2003. Methods Health-care costs and costs for lost productivity were retrospectively calculated in children from three catchment areas in Sweden. Seven case categories corresponding to alternative prevention strategies were constructed. Results Over time, diminishing number of ward days reduced the health-care cost per case. Among children, the cost of lost productivity due to parental leave was 14 percent of total cost. Fingertip injuries had low median costs but high total costs due to their frequency. Complex injuries by machine or rifle had high costs per case, and despite a low number of cases, total cost was high. Type of injury, surgery and physiotherapy sessions were associated with variations in health-care cost. Low age and ethnic background had a significant effect on number of ward days. Conclusion The costs per hand injury for children were lower compared to adults due to both lower health-care costs and to the fact that parents had comparatively short periods of absence from work. Frequent simple fingertip injuries and rare complex injuries induce high costs for society. Such costs should be related to costs for prevention of these injuries. PMID:18606018

Sweating responses to isometric hand-grip exercise and forearm muscle metaboreflex in prepubertal children and elderly.

PubMed

Amano, Tatsuro; Kai, Seiko; Nakajima, Michi; Ichinose-Kuwahara, Tomoko; Gerrett, Nicola; Kondo, Narihiko; Inoue, Yoshimitsu

2017-02-01

What is the central question of this study? Non-thermal factors (e.g. muscle metaboreflex) contribute to the sweating response during exercise. Although it is well recognized that the sweating responses caused by core temperature elevation in prepubertal children and the elderly are attenuated compared with young adults, it is unknown whether non-thermal sweating is also attenuated in these populations. What is the main finding and its importance? The non-thermal sweating response during isometric hand-grip exercise and isolated muscle metaboreflex were attenuated in prepubertal children compared with young adults in a non-uniform manner over the body, but only during the muscle metaboreflex in the elderly. This may explain the maturation- and ageing-related decline of sweating during exercise. The purpose of the present study was to investigate sweating responses to isometric hand-grip (IH) exercise and muscle metaboreflex in prepubertal children and the elderly. In hot conditions (ambient temperature, 35°C; relative humidity, 45%), 13 healthy young adults, 10 prepubertal children and 10 elderly subjects (aged 20.4 ± 1.2, 11.4 ± 0.5 and 63.5 ± 3.1 years, respectively) repeated a three hand-grip exercise protocol that consisted of 1 min IH exercise at 15, 30 or 45% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) followed by 2 min postexercise forearm occlusion. Local sweat rates (SRs) on the forehead, chest, forearm, thigh and palm were continuously measured (ventilated capsule method). The forehead SR in prepubertal children during IH exercise at 45% MVC was significantly lower than that of young adults (0.26 ± 0.22 and 0.08 ± 0.15 mg cm -2  min -1 for young adults and children, respectively; P < 0.05) but not of the elderly at any exercise intensities. The SR on the chest (0.22 ± 0.22 and -0.01 ± 0.05 mg cm -2  min -1 for young adults and children, respectively), forearm (0.14 ± 0.12 and 0.03 ± 0.04 mg cm -2  min -1 ) and thigh (0

A Qualitative Evaluation of Hand Drying Practices among Kenyans

PubMed Central

Person, Bobbie; Schilling, Katharine; Owuor, Mercy; Ogange, Lorraine; Quick, Rob

2013-01-01

Background Recommended disease prevention behaviors of hand washing, hygienic hand drying, and covering one’s mouth and nose in a hygienic manner when coughing and sneezing appear to be simple behaviors but continue to be a challenge to successfully promote and sustain worldwide. We conducted a qualitative inquiry to better understand current hand drying behaviors associated with activities of daily living, and mouth and nose covering practices, among Kenyans. Methods and Findings We conducted 7 focus group discussions; 30 in-depth interviews; 10 structured household observations; and 75 structured observations in public venues in the urban area of Kisumu; rural communities surrounding Kisumu; and a peri-urban area outside Nairobi, Kenya. Using a grounded theory approach, we transcribed and coded the narrative data followed by thematic analysis of the emergent themes. Hand drying, specifically on a clean towel, was not a common practice among our participants. Most women dried their hands on their waist cloth, called a leso, or their clothes whether they were cooking, eating or cleaning the nose of a young child. If men dried their hands, they used their trousers or a handkerchief. Children rarely dried their hands; they usually just wiped them on their clothes, shook them, or left them wet as they continued with their activities. Many people sneezed into their hands and wiped them on their clothes. Men and women used a handkerchief fairly often when they had a runny nose, cold, or the flu. Most people coughed into the air or their hand. Conclusions Drying hands on dirty clothes, rags and lesos can compromise the benefits of handwashing. Coughing and sneezing in to an open hand can contribute to spread of disease as well. Understanding these practices can inform health promotion activities and campaigns for the prevention and control of diarrheal disease and influenza. PMID:24069302

A qualitative evaluation of hand drying practices among Kenyans.

PubMed

Person, Bobbie; Schilling, Katharine; Owuor, Mercy; Ogange, Lorraine; Quick, Rob

2013-01-01

Recommended disease prevention behaviors of hand washing, hygienic hand drying, and covering one's mouth and nose in a hygienic manner when coughing and sneezing appear to be simple behaviors but continue to be a challenge to successfully promote and sustain worldwide. We conducted a qualitative inquiry to better understand current hand drying behaviors associated with activities of daily living, and mouth and nose covering practices, among Kenyans. We conducted 7 focus group discussions; 30 in-depth interviews; 10 structured household observations; and 75 structured observations in public venues in the urban area of Kisumu; rural communities surrounding Kisumu; and a peri-urban area outside Nairobi, Kenya. Using a grounded theory approach, we transcribed and coded the narrative data followed by thematic analysis of the emergent themes. Hand drying, specifically on a clean towel, was not a common practice among our participants. Most women dried their hands on their waist cloth, called a leso, or their clothes whether they were cooking, eating or cleaning the nose of a young child. If men dried their hands, they used their trousers or a handkerchief. Children rarely dried their hands; they usually just wiped them on their clothes, shook them, or left them wet as they continued with their activities. Many people sneezed into their hands and wiped them on their clothes. Men and women used a handkerchief fairly often when they had a runny nose, cold, or the flu. Most people coughed into the air or their hand. Drying hands on dirty clothes, rags and lesos can compromise the benefits of handwashing. Coughing and sneezing in to an open hand can contribute to spread of disease as well. Understanding these practices can inform health promotion activities and campaigns for the prevention and control of diarrheal disease and influenza.

A multidimensional intergenerational model of young males' driving styles.

PubMed

Gil, Shani; Taubman-Ben-Ari, Orit; Toledo, Tomer

2016-12-01

This study examines the associations between fathers' driving styles, the family's general and driving-related atmosphere, and the young drivers' motivations, on one hand, and young males' driving styles, on the other. The 242 father and son pairs that participated in the study independently completed several self-report questionnaires at different points in time within the first year after licensure of the young drivers. A structural equation model (SEM) was developed, in which the contribution of fathers' driving style and their sons' perceptions of the general family relations, the family climate for road safety (FCRS), and costs and benefits of driving, to the driving styles of the young male drivers was examined. The SEM estimation results show direct as well as indirect significant effects between the various dimensions. The FCRS factors of non-commitment and messages, and the cost of thrill, were found to be the strongest mediators between the fathers' driving style and the family cohesion, on one hand, and the driving style of the young driver, on the other. These results may be useful in pointing out directions for the development of interventions that could assist in reducing the involvement of youngsters in risky driving and car crashes, and encourage safe and considerate driving. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimenter Effects on Cardiovascular Reactivity and Task Performance during Mental Stress Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegwarth, Nicole; Larkin, Kevin T.; Kemmner, Christine

2012-01-01

Experimenter effects have long been hypothesized to influence participants' responses to mental stress testing. To explore the influence of experimenter warmth on responses to two mental stress tasks (mental arithmetic, mirror tracing), 32 young women participated in a single 45-min experimental session. Participants were randomized into warm…

Young Travellers and the Children's Fund: Some Practical Notes on an Experimental Image-Based Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Charlotte

2007-01-01

The paper reflects on how photography was used during a small piece of mixed methods qualitative research with some young Travellers and their families. The context for the study was "Every Child Matters" and the accompanying push aimed to include groups considered as marginalised, such as young Travellers, in mainstream educational provision, as…

Abnormal experimentally- and behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity in focal hand dystonia.

PubMed

Belvisi, Daniele; Suppa, Antonio; Marsili, Luca; Di Stasio, Flavio; Parvez, Ahmad Khandker; Agostino, Rocco; Fabbrini, Giovanni; Berardelli, Alfredo

2013-02-01

Idiopathic focal hand dystonia (FHD) arises from abnormal plasticity in the primary motor cortex (M1) possibly reflecting abnormal sensori-motor integration processes. In this transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study in FHD, we evaluated changes in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) after intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and paired associative stimulation (PAS), techniques that elicit different forms of experimentally-induced long-term potentiation (LTP)-like plasticity in M1. We also examined behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity as reflected by early motor learning of a simple motor task. We studied 14 patients with FHD and 14 healthy subjects. MEPs were recorded before and after iTBS and PAS at the 25 ms interstimulus interval (PAS(25)) in separate sessions. Subjects did a simple motor task entailing repetitive index finger abductions. To measure early motor learning we tested practice-related improvement in peak velocity and peak acceleration. In FHD patients iTBS failed to elicit the expected MEP changes and PAS(25) induced abnormally increased MEPs in target and non-target muscles. In the experiment testing early motor learning, patients lacked the expected practice-related changes in kinematic variables. In FHD, the degree of early motor learning correlated with patients' clinical features. We conclude that experimentally-induced (iTBS and PAS) and behaviorally-induced LTP-like plasticity are both altered in FHD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Talking Story Books on Saudi Young EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alsamadani, Hashem Ahmed

2017-01-01

The current research study investigated the effects of talking story books on Saudi young EFL learners' reading comprehension skills. A sample of Saudi-young-EFL learners were randomly selected and divided into two groups: an experimental group (40 students) and a control group (39 students). Students of both groups took a pre reading…

A Show of Hands: Using Puppets with Young Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crepeau, Ingrid M.; Richards, M. Ann

Discrediting the notion that puppets are strictly for play, this book presents innovative ways for teachers of young children to use puppets as valuable and developmentally appropriate teaching tools. Chapter 1 of the book details the educational benefits of puppets and relates puppetry to play theory, developmentally appropriate practice, and…

Ventricular-subcutaneous shunt for the treatment of experimental hydrocephalus in young rats: technical note.

PubMed

Santos, Marcelo Volpon; Garcia, Camila Araujo Bernardino; Jardini, Evelise Oliveira; Romeiro, Thais Helena; da Silva Lopes, Luiza; Machado, Hélio Rubens; de Oliveira, Ricardo Santos

2016-08-01

Hydrocephalus is a complex disease that affects cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and is very common in children. To this date, CSF shunting is still the standard treatment for childhood hydrocephalus, but, nevertheless, the effects of such an operation on the developing brain are widely unknown. To help overcome this, experimental models of CSF shunts are surely very useful tools. The objective of this study was to describe a feasible and reliable technique of an adapted ventricular-subcutaneous shunt for the treatment of kaolin-induced hydrocephalus in young rats. We developed a ventricular-subcutaneous shunt (VSCS) technique which was used in 31 Wistar young rats with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus. Hydrocephalus was induced at 7 days of age, and shunt implantation was performed 7 days later. Our technique used a 0.7-mm gauge polypropylene catheter tunneled to a subcutaneous pocket created over the animal's back and inserted into the right lateral ventricle. All animals were sacrificed 14 days after shunt insertion. Twenty-four rats survived and remained well until the study was ended. No major complications were seen. Their weight gain went back to normal. They all underwent ambulatory behavioral testing prior and after VSCS, which showed improvement in their motor skills. We have also obtained magnetic resonance (MR) scans of 16 pups confirming reduction of ventricular size after shunting and indicating effective treatment. Histopathological analysis of brain samples before and after shunting showed reversion of ependymal and corpus callosum disruption, as well as fewer reactive astrocytes in shunted animals. An experimental CSF shunt technique was devised. Excessive CSF of hydrocephalic rats is diverted into the subcutaneous space where it can be resorbed. This technique has a low complication rate and is effective. It might be applied to various types of experimental studies involving induction and treatment of hydrocephalus.

Does tree species richness attenuate the effect of experimental irrigation and drought on decomposition rate in young plantation forests?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masudur Rahman, Md; Verheyen, Kris; Castagneyrol, Bastien; Jactel, Hervé; Carnol, Monique

2017-04-01

Expected changes in precipitation in Europe due to climate change are likely to affect soil organic matter (OM) transformation. In forests, increasing tree species diversity might modulate the effect of changed precipitation. We evaluated the effect of tree species richness on the decomposition and stabilization rate in combination with reduced precipitation (FORBIO, Belgium) and irrigation treatment (ORPHEE, southern France) in young (6-8 yr.) experimental plantations. The species richness were one to four in FORBIO and one to five in ORPHEE. Twenty four rainout shelters of 3 m × 3 m were built around oak and beech trees in FORBIO plantation to impose a reduced precipitation treatment, whereas four of the eight blocks (175 m×100 m) in ORPHEE plantation was subjected to irrigation treatment. These treatments resulted in about 4% less soil moisture in FORBIO and about 7% higher soil moisture in ORPHEE compared to control. Commercially available green and rooibos tea bags were buried in the soil at 5-7 cm depth to measure two decomposition indices, known as 'tea bag index' (TBI). These TBI are (i) decomposition rate (k) and (ii) stabilization rate (S). The results showed no species richness effect on TBI indices in both reduced precipitation and irrigation treatment. In FORBIO, reduced precipitation resulted in decreased k and increased S compared to control around the beech trees only. In ORPHEE, both k and S were higher in the irrigation treatment compared to control. Overall, TBI indices were higher in FORBIO than ORPHEE and this might be explained by the sandy soils and poor nutrient content at the ORPHEE site. These results suggest that OM decomposition rate may be slower in drier condition and OM stabilization rate may be slower or faster in drier condition, depending on the site quality. The absence of tree species effects on OM transformation indicates that tree species richness would not be able to modulate the effects of changed precipitation patterns in

The OpenPicoAmp: An Open-Source Planar Lipid Bilayer Amplifier for Hands-On Learning of Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Shlyonsky, Vadim; Dupuis, Freddy; Gall, David

2014-01-01

Understanding the electrical biophysical properties of the cell membrane can be difficult for neuroscience students as it relies solely on lectures of theoretical models without practical hands on experiments. To address this issue, we developed an open-source lipid bilayer amplifier, the OpenPicoAmp, which is appropriate for use in introductory courses in biophysics or neurosciences at the undergraduate level, dealing with the electrical properties of the cell membrane. The amplifier is designed using the common lithographic printed circuit board fabrication process and off-the-shelf electronic components. In addition, we propose a specific design for experimental chambers allowing the insertion of a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene film. We provide a complete documentation allowing to build the amplifier and the experimental chamber. The students hand-out giving step-by step instructions to perform a recording is also included. Our experimental setup can be used in basic experiments in which students monitor the bilayer formation by capacitance measurement and record unitary currents produced by ionic channels like gramicidin A dimers. Used in combination with a low-cost data acquisition board this system provides a complete solution for hands-on lessons, therefore improving the effectiveness in teaching basic neurosciences or biophysics. PMID:25251830

Effect of ambient temperature on the thermal profile of the human forearm, hand, and fingers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Montgomery, L. D.; Williams, B. A.

1976-01-01

Forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures were measured on the right and left sides of seven resting men. The purpose was to determine the bilateral symmetry of these segmental temperature profiles at ambient temperatures from 10 to 45 C. Thermistors placed on the right and left forearms, hands, and index fingers were used to monitor the subjects until equilibration was reached at each ambient temperature. Additionally, thermal profiles of both hands were measured with copper-constantan thermocouples. During one experimental condition (23 C ambient), rectal, ear canal, and 24 skin temperatures were measured on each subject. Average body and average skin temperatures are given for each subject at the 23 C ambient condition. Detailed thermal profiles are also presented for the dorsal, ventral, and circumferential left forearm, hand, and finger skin temperatures at 23 C ambient. No significant differences were found between the mean skin temperatures of the right and left contralateral segments at any of the selected ambient temperatures.

Alexander Scriabin: his chronic right-hand pain and Its impact on his piano compositions.

PubMed

Altenmüller, Eckart

2015-01-01

Alexander Scriabin was an outstanding pianist and an avant-garde composer who influenced later generations with his innovative "multimedia" conceptions of aesthetic experience. As an adolescent, he was systematically trained as a concert pianist and received lessons from Vassily Safonoff, one of the founders of the legendary Russian Piano School. At age 20, Scriabin suffered an overuse injury of his right hand when attempting to improve the sound quality of his piano touch. This injury caused a deep crisis and influenced his later composition style in his piano works. From this time on, his works were frequently dominated by unusual virtuosic use and wide spans of his left hand. Rest, restricted repertoire, and an increased focus on composition contributed to recovery; however, he always remained anxious concerning the stamina of his right hand. The case report impressively demonstrates the stressors an aspiring young pianist had to cope with at the end of the nineteenth century. Furthermore, it is a convincing example of how resource-oriented behavior and intuition lead to the improvement of health status. Differential diagnoses and the modern concept of multimodal pain therapy in chronic overuse injury will be discussed from a historical perspective. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tactile sensitivity of gloved hands in the cold operation.

PubMed

Geng, Q; Kuklane, K; Holmér, I

1997-11-01

In this study, tactile sensitivity of gloved hand in the cold operation has been investigated. The relations among physical properties of protective gloves and hand tactile sensitivity and cold protection were also analysed both objectively and subjectively. Subjects with various gloves participated in the experimental study during cold exposure at different ambient temperatures of -12 degrees C and -25 degrees C. Tactual performance was measured using an identification task with various sizes of objects over the percentage of misjudgment. Forearm, hand and finger skin temperatures were also recorded throughout. The experimental data were analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) model and the Tukey's multiple range test. The results obtained indicated that the tactual performance was affected both by gloves and by hands/fingers cooling. Effect of object size on the tactile discrimination was significant and the misjudgment increased when similar sizes of objects were identified, especially at -25 degrees C.

Different immunological mechanisms govern protection from experimental stroke in young and older mice with recombinant TCR ligand therapy

PubMed Central

Dotson, Abby L.; Zhu, Wenbin; Libal, Nicole; Alkayed, Nabil J.; Offner, Halina

2014-01-01

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. The lack of clinical success in stroke therapies can be attributed, in part, to inadequate basic research on aging rodents. The current study demonstrates that recombinant TCR ligand therapy uses different immunological mechanisms to protect young and older mice from experimental stroke. In young mice, RTL1000 therapy inhibited splenocyte efflux while reducing frequency of T cells and macrophages in the spleen. Older mice treated with RTL1000 exhibited a significant reduction in inflammatory cells in the brain and inhibition of splenic atrophy. Our data suggest age specific differences in immune response to stroke that allow unique targeting of stroke immunotherapies. PMID:25309326

A feasibility study to develop a diabetes prevention program for young adults with prediabetes using digital platforms and a hand held device

PubMed Central

Cha, EunSeok; Kim, Kevin H.; Umpierrez, Guillermo; Dawkins, Colleen R.; Bello, Morenike K.; Lerner, Hannah; Narayan, K.M. Venkat; Dunbar, Sandra B.

2014-01-01

Purpose The purpose of the pilot study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an age-specific diabetes prevention program in young adults with prediabetes. Methods One group pretest-posttest design was conducted. The inclusion criteria were young adults age 18–29 years with prediabetes [either Impaird fasting glucose [IFG] (100–125 mg/dL), or an A1C of 5.7%–6.4%]. Fifteen participants were enrolled in this study. A technology based lifestyle coaching program focused on diet and physical activity and incorporating a hand-held device and digital platforms was developed and tested. Psychosocial factors (health literacy, illness perception, self-efficacy, therapeutic efficacy) based on social cognitive theory, changes in diet and physical activity, and cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed at baseline and week 12 after intervention. A paired-samples t-test was performed to examine changes between baseline and post-intervention on each psychosocial and physical variable. Results Participants (n= 13 completers) were mean age 24.4 yrs [SD: 2.2], 23.1% male, and 53.8% were African American. Overall, the participants were satisfied with the intervention (M = 4.15 on a 5-point Likert scale). Between pre and post testing, BMI and A1C decreased from 41.0 ±7.3 to 40.1±7.0 and 6.0% ± .5 to 5.6% ± .5, respectively, while fasting glucose did not significantly change (92.6±11 mg/dl to 97.6 ±14.3 mg/dl). Conclusion The intervention resulted in reduced A1C and a trend for decreased BMI in obese sedentary young adults with prediabetes after 12 weeks of intervention. Further study through a randomized clinical trial with a longer intervention period is warranted. PMID:24950683

Personal recognition using hand shape and texture.

PubMed

Kumar, Ajay; Zhang, David

2006-08-01

This paper proposes a new bimodal biometric system using feature-level fusion of hand shape and palm texture. The proposed combination is of significance since both the palmprint and hand-shape images are proposed to be extracted from the single hand image acquired from a digital camera. Several new hand-shape features that can be used to represent the hand shape and improve the performance are investigated. The new approach for palmprint recognition using discrete cosine transform coefficients, which can be directly obtained from the camera hardware, is demonstrated. None of the prior work on hand-shape or palmprint recognition has given any attention on the critical issue of feature selection. Our experimental results demonstrate that while majority of palmprint or hand-shape features are useful in predicting the subjects identity, only a small subset of these features are necessary in practice for building an accurate model for identification. The comparison and combination of proposed features is evaluated on the diverse classification schemes; naive Bayes (normal, estimated, multinomial), decision trees (C4.5, LMT), k-NN, SVM, and FFN. Although more work remains to be done, our results to date indicate that the combination of selected hand-shape and palmprint features constitutes a promising addition to the biometrics-based personal recognition systems.

Conspicuous vs customary location of hand hygiene agent dispensers on alcohol-based hand hygiene product usage in an intensive care unit.

PubMed

Thomas, Bruce W; Berg-Copas, Gina M; Vasquez, Donald G; Jackson, Brandy L; Wetta-Hall, Ruth

2009-05-01

Hand washing is considered the single most important nosocomial infection-control strategy, yet compliance rarely meets levels recommended by infection control authorities. To determine whether placement of hand hygiene foam dispensers in more conspicuous positions and closer proximity to patients would increase use of infection control agents as measured by volume of product used. Further, to ascertain the influence of dispenser placement vs the number of dispensers available on usage by volume. This prospective, observational study conducted in an intensive care unit was composed of three observation periods. A control period with standard agent dispenser location (8 dispensers) was followed by two experimental periods: (1) "conspicuous and immediate proximity to patient" placement (16 dispensers) and (2) standard locations with a dramatic increase in the number of dispensers (36 dispensers). Volume of use for alcohol-based hand hygiene agent during the three observation periods revealed a statistically significant increase in daily consumption after conspicuous and proximate positioning of dispensers (P<.001). However, increasing the number of dispensers did not increase agent use (P=.196). More conspicuous placement of dispensers containing alcohol-based hand hygiene agent (ie, immediate proximity to patients) resulted in statistically and clinically significant increases in product usage. An increase in the number of dispensers did not increase usage. The impact of dispenser positioning on usage by volume for these highly effective products should be considered when planning and implementing intensive care unit infection-control policies.

Passive hand movements disrupt adults' counting strategies.

PubMed

Imbo, Ineke; Vandierendonck, André; Fias, Wim

2011-01-01

In the present study, we experimentally tested the role of hand motor circuits in simple-arithmetic strategies. Educated adults solved simple additions (e.g., 8 + 3) or simple subtractions (e.g., 11 - 3) while they were required to retrieve the answer from long-term memory (e.g., knowing that 8 + 3 = 11), to transform the problem by making an intermediate step (e.g., 8 + 3 = 8 + 2 + 1 = 10 + 1 = 11) or to count one-by-one (e.g., 8 + 3 = 8…9…10…11). During the process of solving the arithmetic problems, the experimenter did or did not move the participants' hand on a four-point matrix. The results show that passive hand movements disrupted the counting strategy while leaving the other strategies unaffected. This pattern of results is in agreement with a procedural account, showing that the involvement of hand motor circuits in adults' mathematical abilities is reminiscent of finger counting during childhood.

VI European Summer School on Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The European Summer School on Experimental Nuclear Astrophysics has reached the sixth edition, marking the tenth year's anniversary. The spirit of the school is to provide a very important occasion for a deep education of young researchers about the main topics of experimental nuclear astrophysics. Moreover, it should be regarded as a forum for the discussion of the last-decade research activity. Lectures are focused on various aspects of primordial and stellar nucleosynthesis, including novel experimental approaches and detectors, indirect methods and radioactive ion beams. Moreover, in order to give a wide educational offer, some lectures cover complementary subjects of nuclear astrophysics such as gamma ray astronomy, neutron-induced reactions, short-lived radionuclides, weak interaction and cutting-edge facilities used to investigate nuclear reactions of interest for astrophysics. Large room is also given to young researcher oral contributions. Traditionally, particular attention is devoted to the participation of students from less-favoured countries, especially from the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The school is organised by the Catania Nuclear Astrophysics research group with the collaboration of Dipartimento di Fisica e Astromomia - Università di Catania and Laboratori Nazionali del Sud - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare.

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.

Tracking and Classification of In-Air Hand Gesture Based on Thermal Guided Joint Filter.

PubMed

Kim, Seongwan; Ban, Yuseok; Lee, Sangyoun

2017-01-17

The research on hand gestures has attracted many image processing-related studies, as it intuitively conveys the intention of a human as it pertains to motional meaning. Various sensors have been used to exploit the advantages of different modalities for the extraction of important information conveyed by the hand gesture of a user. Although many works have focused on learning the benefits of thermal information from thermal cameras, most have focused on face recognition or human body detection, rather than hand gesture recognition. Additionally, the majority of the works that take advantage of multiple modalities (e.g., the combination of a thermal sensor and a visual sensor), usually adopting simple fusion approaches between the two modalities. As both thermal sensors and visual sensors have their own shortcomings and strengths, we propose a novel joint filter-based hand gesture recognition method to simultaneously exploit the strengths and compensate the shortcomings of each. Our study is motivated by the investigation of the mutual supplementation between thermal and visual information in low feature level for the consistent representation of a hand in the presence of varying lighting conditions. Accordingly, our proposed method leverages the thermal sensor's stability against luminance and the visual sensors textural detail, while complementing the low resolution and halo effect of thermal sensors and the weakness against illumination of visual sensors. A conventional region tracking method and a deep convolutional neural network have been leveraged to track the trajectory of a hand gesture and to recognize the hand gesture, respectively. Our experimental results show stability in recognizing a hand gesture against varying lighting conditions based on the contribution of the joint kernels of spatial adjacency and thermal range similarity.

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.

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.

Astronaut John Young on rim of Plum crater gathering lunar rock samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

Astronaut John W. Young, commander of the Apollo 16 lunar landing mission, stands on the rim of Plum crater while collecting lunar rock samples at Station No.1 during the first Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA-1) at the Descartes landing site. This scene, looking eastward, was photographed by Astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot. The small boulder in the center foreground was chip sampled by the crewmen. Plum crater is 40 meters in diameter and 10 meters deep. The Lunar Roving Vehicle is parked on the far rim of the crater. The gnomon, which is used as a photographic reference to establish local vertical sun angle, scale, and lunar color, is deployed in the center of the picture. Young holds a geological hammer in his right hand.

Effects of Computer Course on Computer Self-Efficacy, Computer Attitudes and Achievements of Young Individuals in Siirt, Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Halil Coskun

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of computer courses on young individuals' computer self-efficacy, attitudes and achievement. The study group of this research included 60 unemployed young individuals (18-25 ages) in total; 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. An experimental research model with pretest…

Impact of experimental hypothyroidism on monoamines level in discrete brain regions and other peripheral tissues of young and adult male rats.

PubMed

Hassan, Wafaa A; Aly, Mona S; Rahman, Taghride Abdel; Shahat, Asmaa S

2013-06-01

The levels of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) in different brain regions as well as in blood plasma, cardiac muscle and adrenal gland of young and adult male albino rats were measured following experimentally induced hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism induced by daily oral administration of propylthiouracil (PTU, 5mg/kg body wt) caused a significant reduction in DA levels in most of the tissues examined of both young and adult rats after 21 and 28 days, in NE levels after all the time intervals studied in young rats, and after 21 and 28 days in adult rats. 5-HT exhibited a significant reduction in the selected brain regions and blood plasma after 21 and 28 days and in cardiac muscle after all the time intervals in the two age groups of animals. It may be suggested that the changes in monoamine levels induced by hypothyroidism may be due to disturbance in the synthesis and release of these amines through the neurons impairment or may be due to an alteration pattern of their synthesizing and/or degradative enzymes. Copyright © 2013 ISDN. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Young Children and Tablets: A Systematic Review of Effects on Learning and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herodotou, C.

2018-01-01

Mobile applications are popular among young children, yet there is a dearth of studies examining their impact on learning and development. A systematic review identified 19 studies reporting learning effects on children 2 to 5 years old. The number of children participating in experimental, quasi-experimental, or mixed-method studies was 862 and…

Hands-On Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutherland, Melissa

2006-01-01

In this paper we discuss manipulatives and hands-on investigations for Calculus involving volume, arc length, and surface area to motivate and develop formulae which can then be verified using techniques of integration. Pre-service teachers in calculus courses using these activities experience a classroom in which active learning is encouraged and…

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.

Propagation of rotating elliptical Gaussian beams from right-handed material to left-handed material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Xi; Chen, Chi-Dao; Chen, Bo; Deng, Dong-Mei

2015-12-01

By applying the ABCD matrix method, we report the propagating properties of the rotating elliptical Gaussian beams (REGBs) from the right-handed material (RHM) to the left-handed material (LHM). Based on the propagation equation, we obtain the intensity distributions of the REGBs during the propagation. It is found that the rotating direction of the REGBs is opposite in the RHM and the LHM, and the rotation angles tend to be π/2 as the propagation distance is long enough. Then we analyze the relationship between the refractive index and the rotating velocity. Furthermore, the energy flow and the angular momentum (AM) of the REGBs which can rotate are also obtained. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11374108 and 10904041), the Foundation for the Author of Guangdong Provincial Excellent Doctoral Dissertation (Grant No. SYBZZXM201227), the Foundation of Cultivating Outstanding Young Scholars (“Thousand, Hundred, Ten” Program) of Guangdong Province in China, and the Fund from the CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, University of Science and Technology of China.

Reasons for Electronic Cigarette Experimentation and Discontinuation Among Adolescents and Young Adults.

PubMed

Kong, Grace; Morean, Meghan E; Cavallo, Dana A; Camenga, Deepa R; Krishnan-Sarin, Suchitra

2015-07-01

Understanding why young people try and stop electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is critical to inform e-cigarette regulatory efforts. We conducted 18 focus groups (N = 127) in 1 middle school (MS), 2 high schools (HSs), and 2 colleges in Connecticut to assess themes related to e-cigarette experimentation and discontinuation. We then conducted surveys to evaluate these identified themes in 2 MSs, 4 HSs, and 1 college (N = 1,175) to explore whether reasons for e-cigarette experimentation and/or discontinuation differed by school level or cigarette smoking status. From the focus groups, we identified experimentation themes (i.e., curiosity, flavors, family/peer influence, easy access, and perceptions of e-cigarettes as "cool" and as a healthier/better alternative to cigarettes) and discontinuation themes (i.e., health concerns, loss of interest, high cost, bad taste, and view of e-cigarettes as less satisfying than cigarettes). The survey data showed that the top reasons for experimentation were curiosity (54.4%), appealing flavors (43.8%), and peer influences (31.6%), and the top reasons for discontinuation were responses related to losing interest (23.6%), perceiving e-cigarettes as "uncool" (16.3%), and health concerns (12.1%). Cigarette smokers tried e-cigarettes because of the perceptions that they can be used anywhere and to quit smoking and discontinued because they were not as satisfying as cigarettes. School level differences were detected. E-cigarette prevention efforts toward youth should include limiting e-cigarette flavors, communicating messages emphasizing the health risks of use, and changing social norms surrounding the use of e-cigarettes. The results should be interpreted in light of the limitations of this study. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Center-Based Teaching and Children's Learning: The Effects of Learning Centers on Young Children's Growth and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bottini, Michael; Grossman, Sue

2005-01-01

Many early childhood professionals recommend the use of learning centers in classrooms for young children (Kostelnik, Soderman, & Whiren, 2004). Centers provide children with opportunities for making choices, working with others, being involved in hands-on activities, and becoming fully engaged in learning. In contrast, traditional classroom…

Children and guns: The detection of recent contact with firearms on children's hands by the PDT reagent.

PubMed

Bar-Or, Karni L; Almog, Joseph

2015-08-01

Throughout the world, young children are worryingly found to be involved in both unintentional and intentional gun violence, rendering the forensic investigation of gun handling by children a highly important matter. The effectiveness of the PDT reaction for mapping iron traces on hands of children has been tested and compared to its application on adults. Counter-intuitively, children were found to produce considerably more intense PDT impressions than adults. A plausible explanation which is based on physiological differences between children and adolescents is suggested. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracking and Classification of In-Air Hand Gesture Based on Thermal Guided Joint Filter

PubMed Central

Kim, Seongwan; Ban, Yuseok; Lee, Sangyoun

2017-01-01

The research on hand gestures has attracted many image processing-related studies, as it intuitively conveys the intention of a human as it pertains to motional meaning. Various sensors have been used to exploit the advantages of different modalities for the extraction of important information conveyed by the hand gesture of a user. Although many works have focused on learning the benefits of thermal information from thermal cameras, most have focused on face recognition or human body detection, rather than hand gesture recognition. Additionally, the majority of the works that take advantage of multiple modalities (e.g., the combination of a thermal sensor and a visual sensor), usually adopting simple fusion approaches between the two modalities. As both thermal sensors and visual sensors have their own shortcomings and strengths, we propose a novel joint filter-based hand gesture recognition method to simultaneously exploit the strengths and compensate the shortcomings of each. Our study is motivated by the investigation of the mutual supplementation between thermal and visual information in low feature level for the consistent representation of a hand in the presence of varying lighting conditions. Accordingly, our proposed method leverages the thermal sensor’s stability against luminance and the visual sensors textural detail, while complementing the low resolution and halo effect of thermal sensors and the weakness against illumination of visual sensors. A conventional region tracking method and a deep convolutional neural network have been leveraged to track the trajectory of a hand gesture and to recognize the hand gesture, respectively. Our experimental results show stability in recognizing a hand gesture against varying lighting conditions based on the contribution of the joint kernels of spatial adjacency and thermal range similarity. PMID:28106716

Recognizing the Operating Hand and the Hand-Changing Process for User Interface Adjustment on Smartphones.

PubMed

Guo, Hansong; Huang, He; Huang, Liusheng; Sun, Yu-E

2016-08-20

As the size of smartphone touchscreens has become larger and larger in recent years, operability with a single hand is getting worse, especially for female users. We envision that user experience can be significantly improved if smartphones are able to recognize the current operating hand, detect the hand-changing process and then adjust the user interfaces subsequently. In this paper, we proposed, implemented and evaluated two novel systems. The first one leverages the user-generated touchscreen traces to recognize the current operating hand, and the second one utilizes the accelerometer and gyroscope data of all kinds of activities in the user's daily life to detect the hand-changing process. These two systems are based on two supervised classifiers constructed from a series of refined touchscreen trace, accelerometer and gyroscope features. As opposed to existing solutions that all require users to select the current operating hand or confirm the hand-changing process manually, our systems follow much more convenient and practical methods and allow users to change the operating hand frequently without any harm to the user experience. We conduct extensive experiments on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the evaluation results demonstrate that our proposed systems can recognize the current operating hand and detect the hand-changing process with 94.1% and 93.9% precision and 94.1% and 93.7% True Positive Rates (TPR) respectively, when deciding with a single touchscreen trace or accelerometer-gyroscope data segment, and the False Positive Rates (FPR) are as low as 2.6% and 0.7% accordingly. These two systems can either work completely independently and achieve pretty high accuracies or work jointly to further improve the recognition accuracy.

A natural approach to convey numerical digits using hand activity recognition based on hand shape features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidananda, H.; Reddy, T. Hanumantha

2017-06-01

This paper presents a natural representation of numerical digit(s) using hand activity analysis based on number of fingers out stretched for each numerical digit in sequence extracted from a video. The analysis is based on determining a set of six features from a hand image. The most important features used from each frame in a video are the first fingertip from top, palm-line, palm-center, valley points between the fingers exists above the palm-line. Using this work user can convey any number of numerical digits using right or left or both the hands naturally in a video. Each numerical digit ranges from 0 to9. Hands (right/left/both) used to convey digits can be recognized accurately using the valley points and with this recognition whether the user is a right / left handed person in practice can be analyzed. In this work, first the hand(s) and face parts are detected by using YCbCr color space and face part is removed by using ellipse based method. Then, the hand(s) are analyzed to recognize the activity that represents a series of numerical digits in a video. This work uses pixel continuity algorithm using 2D coordinate geometry system and does not use regular use of calculus, contours, convex hull and datasets.

One-Handed Thumb Use on Smart Phones by Semi-literate and Illiterate Users in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katre, Dinesh

There is a tremendous potential for developing mobile-based productivity tools and occupation specific applications for the semi-literate and illiterate users in India. One-handed thumb use on the touchscreen of smart phone or touch phone is considered as an effective alternative than the use of stylus or index finger, to free the other hand for supporting the occupational activity. In this context, usability research and experimental tests are conducted to understand the role of fine motor control, usability of thumb as the interaction apparatus and the ergonomic needs of users. The paper also touches upon cultural, racial and anthropometric aspects, which need due consideration while designing the mobile interface. Design recommendations are evolved to enhance the effectiveness of one-handed thumb use on smart phone, especially for the benefit of semi-literate and illiterate users.

Control of a Supernumerary Robotic Hand by Foot: An Experimental Study in Virtual Reality

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

In the operational theater, the surgical team could highly benefit from a robotic supplementary hand under the surgeon’s full control. The surgeon may so become more autonomous; this may reduce communication errors with the assistants and take over difficult tasks such as holding tools without tremor. In this paper, we therefore examine the possibility to control a third robotic hand with one foot’s movements. Three experiments in virtual reality were designed to assess the feasibility of this control strategy, the learning curve of the subjects in different tasks and the coordination of foot movements with the two natural hands. Results show that the limbs are moved simultaneously, in parallel rather than serially. Participants’ performance improved within a few minutes of practice without any specific difficulty to complete the tasks. Subjective assessment by the subjects indicated that controlling a third hand by foot has been easy and required only negligible physical and mental efforts. The sense of ownership was reported to improve through the experiments. The mental burden was not directly related to the level of motion required by a task, but depended on the type of activity and practice. The most difficult task was moving two hands and foot in opposite directions. These results suggest that a combination of practice and appropriate tasks can enhance the learning process for controlling a robotic hand by foot. PMID:26225938

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

Hand gesture guided robot-assisted surgery based on a direct augmented reality interface.

PubMed

Wen, Rong; Tay, Wei-Liang; Nguyen, Binh P; Chng, Chin-Boon; Chui, Chee-Kong

2014-09-01

Radiofrequency (RF) ablation is a good alternative to hepatic resection for treatment of liver tumors. However, accurate needle insertion requires precise hand-eye coordination and is also affected by the difficulty of RF needle navigation. This paper proposes a cooperative surgical robot system, guided by hand gestures and supported by an augmented reality (AR)-based surgical field, for robot-assisted percutaneous treatment. It establishes a robot-assisted natural AR guidance mechanism that incorporates the advantages of the following three aspects: AR visual guidance information, surgeon's experiences and accuracy of robotic surgery. A projector-based AR environment is directly overlaid on a patient to display preoperative and intraoperative information, while a mobile surgical robot system implements specified RF needle insertion plans. Natural hand gestures are used as an intuitive and robust method to interact with both the AR system and surgical robot. The proposed system was evaluated on a mannequin model. Experimental results demonstrated that hand gesture guidance was able to effectively guide the surgical robot, and the robot-assisted implementation was found to improve the accuracy of needle insertion. This human-robot cooperative mechanism is a promising approach for precise transcutaneous ablation therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hand Rehabilitation Learning System With an Exoskeleton Robotic Glove.

PubMed

Ma, Zhou; Ben-Tzvi, Pinhas; Danoff, Jerome

2016-12-01

This paper presents a hand rehabilitation learning system, the SAFE Glove, a device that can be utilized to enhance the rehabilitation of subjects with disabilities. This system is able to learn fingertip motion and force for grasping different objects and then record and analyze the common movements of hand function including grip and release patterns. The glove is then able to reproduce these movement patterns in playback fashion to assist a weakened hand to accomplish these movements, or to modulate the assistive level based on the user's or therapist's intent for the purpose of hand rehabilitation therapy. Preliminary data have been collected from healthy hands. To demonstrate the glove's ability to manipulate the hand, the glove has been fitted on a wooden hand and the grasping of various objects was performed. To further prove that hands can be safely driven by this haptic mechanism, force sensor readings placed between each finger and the mechanism are plotted. These experimental results demonstrate the potential of the proposed system in rehabilitation therapy.

The Effect of Rap/Hip-Hop Music on Young Adult Smoking: An Experimental Study.

PubMed

Harakeh, Zeena; Bogt, Tom F M Ter

2018-02-16

Music may influence young people's behavior through its lyrics. Substance use references occur more frequently in rap/hip-hop than in other music genres. The aim was to examine whether the exposure to rap/hip-hop lyrics referring to substance use affected cigarette smoking. An experiment with a 3-group between subject design was conducted among 74 daily-smoking young adults ranging in age from 17 to 25 years old. Three conditions were tested in a mobile lab (camper vehicle) from May to December 2011, i.e., regular chart pop music (N = 28), rap/hip-hop with non-frequent references to substance use (N = 24), and rap/hip-hop with frequent references to substance use (N = 22). One-way ANOVA showed that participants listening to substance use infused rap/hip-hop songs felt significantly less pleasant, liked the songs less, and comprehended the songs less compared to participants listening to pop songs. Poisson loglinear analyses revealed that compared to the pop music condition, none of the two rap/hip-hop music conditions had a significant effect on acute smoking. Thus, contrary to expectations, the two different rap/hip-hop conditions did not have a significantly different effect on acute smoking. Listening to rap/hip-hop, even rap hip/hop with frequent referrals to substance use (primarily alcohol and drug use, and general smoking referrals), does not seem to encourage cigarette smoking among Dutch daily-smoking young adults, at least short term.

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.

[Impact of internet on poisoning with psychoactive substances in young people].

PubMed

Radoniewicz-Chagowska, Anna; Tchórz, Michał; Kujawa, Anna; Szponar, Jarosław; Drelich, Grzegorz

2012-01-01

These days young people use internet as a source of information. Internet offers knowledge that can be used not only for school education but also to obtain information about usage and effects of psychoactive substances. Recent research shows that young people more often use internet websites and chat rooms to exchange knowledge and experience with chemicals and everyday products used as intoxicants, for example: nutmeg, nonprescription medications, metal cleaning liquid or feminine hygiene products. This article shows the extend of knowledge young people can gain from popular internet websites. Information on the web is presented as appealing, attractive and encouraging. From a toxicologist point of view it is extremely important to be familiar with those new threats because more and more often we have to treat young patients with a serious poisoning from usage of experimental intoxicating substances.

Everyday representations of young people about peripheral areas.

PubMed

Oliveira, Elda de; Soares, Cassia Baldini; Batista, Leandro Leonardo

2016-01-01

to understand everyday representations of young people about the peripheral areas, with the purpose of establishing topics to drug education media programs. Marxist approach, with emancipatory action research and the participation in workshops of 13 youngsters from a public school of the peripheral area of São Paulo. there are contradictory everyday representations about the State's role, which, on the one hand, does not guarantee social rights and exert social control over the peripheral areas and, on the other hand, is considered the privileged interlocutor for the improvement of life and work conditions. the action research discussed mainly topics related to social rights context, claim of the young participants. It is necessary to expand the discussion beyond the citizenship rights sphere, which is only part of the debate about social inequalities inherent in capitalist exploitation and the necessary transformations to build equality policies.

Precision manipulation with a dextrous robot hand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michelman, Paul

1994-01-01

In this thesis, we discuss a framework for describing and synthesizing precision manipulation tasks with a robot hand. Precision manipulations are those in which the motions of grasped objects are caused by finger motions alone (as distinct from arm or wrist motion). Experiments demonstrating the capabilities of the Utah-MIT hand are presented. This work begins by examining current research on biological motor control to raise a number of questions. For example, is the control centralized and organized by a central processor? Or is the control distributed throughout the nervous system? Motor control research on manipulation has focused on developing classifications of hand motions, concentrating solely on finger motions, while neglecting grasp stability and interaction forces that occur in manipulation. In addition, these taxonomies have not been explicitly functional. This thesis defines and analyzes a basic set of manipulation strategies that includes both position and force trajectories. The fundamental purposes of the manipulations are: (1) rectilinear and rotational motion of grasped objects of different geometries; and (2) the application of forces and moments against the environment by the grasped objects. First, task partitioning is described to allocate the fingers their roles in the task. Second, for each strategy, the mechanics and workspace of the tasks are analyzed geometrically to determine the gross finger trajectories required to achieve the tasks. Techniques illustrating the combination of simple manipulations into complex, multiple degree-of-freedom tasks are presented. There is a discussion of several tasks that use multiple elementary strategies. The tasks described are removing the top of a childproof medicine bottle, putting the top back on, rotating and regrasping a block and a cylinder within the grasp. Finally, experimental results are presented. The experimental setup at Columbia University's Center for Research in Intelligent Systems and

Right-handed neutrinos and T-violating, P-conserving interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Menoufi, Basem Kamal; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.; Seng, Chien-Yeah

2017-02-01

We show that experimental probes of the P-conserving, T-violating triple correlation in polarized neutron or nuclear β-decay provide a unique probe of possible T-violation at the TeV scale in the presence of right-handed neutrinos. In contrast to other possible sources of semileptonic T-violation involving only left-handed neutrinos, those involving right-handed neutrinos are relatively unconstrained by present limits on the permanent electric dipole moments of the electron, neutral atoms, and the neutron. On the other hand, LHC results for pp → e + missing transverse energy imply that an order of magnitude of improvement in D-coefficient sensitivity would be needed for discovery. Finally, we discuss the interplay with the scale of neutrino mass and naturalness considerations.

Eye-Hand Coordination during Visuomotor Adaptation with Different Rotation Angles

PubMed Central

Rentsch, Sebastian; Rand, Miya K.

2014-01-01

This study examined adaptive changes of eye-hand coordination during a visuomotor rotation task. Young adults made aiming movements to targets on a horizontal plane, while looking at the rotated feedback (cursor) of hand movements on a monitor. To vary the task difficulty, three rotation angles (30°, 75°, and 150°) were tested in three groups. All groups shortened hand movement time and trajectory length with practice. However, control strategies used were different among groups. The 30° group used proportionately more implicit adjustments of hand movements than other groups. The 75° group used more on-line feedback control, whereas the 150° group used explicit strategic adjustments. Regarding eye-hand coordination, timing of gaze shift to the target was gradually changed with practice from the late to early phase of hand movements in all groups, indicating an emerging gaze-anchoring behavior. Gaze locations prior to the gaze anchoring were also modified with practice from the cursor vicinity to an area between the starting position and the target. Reflecting various task difficulties, these changes occurred fastest in the 30° group, followed by the 75° group. The 150° group persisted in gazing at the cursor vicinity. These results suggest that the function of gaze control during visuomotor adaptation changes from a reactive control for exploring the relation between cursor and hand movements to a predictive control for guiding the hand to the task goal. That gaze-anchoring behavior emerged in all groups despite various control strategies indicates a generality of this adaptive pattern for eye-hand coordination in goal-directed actions. PMID:25333942

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.

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.

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

From self-observation to imitation: visuomotor association on a robotic hand.

PubMed

Chaminade, Thierry; Oztop, Erhan; Cheng, Gordon; Kawato, Mitsuo

2008-04-15

Being at the crux of human cognition and behaviour, imitation has become the target of investigations ranging from experimental psychology and neurophysiology to computational sciences and robotics. It is often assumed that the imitation is innate, but it has more recently been argued, both theoretically and experimentally, that basic forms of imitation could emerge as a result of self-observation. Here, we tested this proposal on a realistic experimental platform, comprising an associative network linking a 16 degrees of freedom robotic hand and a simple visual system. We report that this minimal visuomotor association is sufficient to bootstrap basic imitation. Our results indicate that crucial features of human imitation, such as generalization to new actions, may emerge from a connectionist associative network. Therefore, we suggest that a behaviour as complex as imitation could be, at the neuronal level, founded on basic mechanisms of associative learning, a notion supported by a recent proposal on the developmental origin of mirror neurons. Our approach can be applied to the development of realistic cognitive architectures for humanoid robots as well as to shed new light on the cognitive processes at play in early human cognitive development.

Hands On Earth Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisgarber, Sherry L.; Van Doren, Lisa; Hackathorn, Merrianne; Hannibal, Joseph T.; Hansgen, Richard

This publication is a collection of 13 hands-on activities that focus on earth science-related activities and involve students in learning about growing crystals, tectonics, fossils, rock and minerals, modeling Ohio geology, geologic time, determining true north, and constructing scale-models of the Earth-moon system. Each activity contains…

The impact of funding through the RF President's grants for young scientists (the field--medicine) on research productivity: a quasi-experimental study and a brief systematic review.

PubMed

Saygitov, Ruslan T

2014-01-01

The impact of grants on research productivity has been investigated by a number of retrospective studies. The results of these studies vary considerably. The objective of my study was to investigate the impact of funding through the RF President's grants for young scientists on the research productivity of awarded applicants. The study compared the number of total articles and citations for awarded and rejected applicants who in 2007 took part in competitions for young candidates of science (CoS's) and doctors of science (DoS's) in the scientific field of medicine. The bibliometric analysis was conducted for the period from 2003 to 2012 (five years before and after the competition). The source of bibliometric data is the eLIBRARY.RU database. The impact of grants on the research productivity of Russian young scientists was assessed using the meta-analytical approach based on data from quasi-experimental studies conducted in other countries. The competition featured 149 CoS's and 41 DoS's, out of which 24 (16%) and 22 (54%) applicants, respectively, obtained funding. No difference in the number of total articles and citations at baseline, as well as in 2008-2012, for awarded and rejected applicants was found. The combination of data from the Russian study and other quasi-experimental studies (6 studies, 10 competitions) revealed a small treatment effect--an increase in the total number of publications over a 4-5-year period after the competition by 1.23 (95% CI 0.48-1.97). However, the relationship between the number of total publications published by applicants before and after the competition revealed that this treatment effect is an effect of the "maturation" of scientists with a high baseline publication activity--not of grant funding.

Hands-Off and Hands-On Casting Consistency of Amputee below Knee Sockets Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging

PubMed Central

Rowe, Philip

2013-01-01

Residual limb shape capturing (Casting) consistency has a great influence on the quality of socket fit. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to establish a reliable reference grid for intercast and intracast shape and volume consistency of two common casting methods, Hands-off and Hands-on. Residual limbs were cast for twelve people with a unilateral below knee amputation and scanned twice for each casting concept. Subsequently, all four volume images of each amputee were semiautomatically segmented and registered to a common coordinate system using the tibia and then the shape and volume differences were calculated. The results show that both casting methods have intra cast volume consistency and there is no significant volume difference between the two methods. Inter- and intracast mean volume differences were not clinically significant based on the volume of one sock criteria. Neither the Hands-off nor the Hands-on method resulted in a consistent residual limb shape as the coefficient of variation of shape differences was high. The resultant shape of the residual limb in the Hands-off casting was variable but the differences were not clinically significant. For the Hands-on casting, shape differences were equal to the maximum acceptable limit for a poor socket fit. PMID:24348164

Hands-off and hands-on casting consistency of amputee below knee sockets using magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Safari, Mohammad Reza; Rowe, Philip; McFadyen, Angus; Buis, Arjan

2013-01-01

Residual limb shape capturing (Casting) consistency has a great influence on the quality of socket fit. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to establish a reliable reference grid for intercast and intracast shape and volume consistency of two common casting methods, Hands-off and Hands-on. Residual limbs were cast for twelve people with a unilateral below knee amputation and scanned twice for each casting concept. Subsequently, all four volume images of each amputee were semiautomatically segmented and registered to a common coordinate system using the tibia and then the shape and volume differences were calculated. The results show that both casting methods have intra cast volume consistency and there is no significant volume difference between the two methods. Inter- and intracast mean volume differences were not clinically significant based on the volume of one sock criteria. Neither the Hands-off nor the Hands-on method resulted in a consistent residual limb shape as the coefficient of variation of shape differences was high. The resultant shape of the residual limb in the Hands-off casting was variable but the differences were not clinically significant. For the Hands-on casting, shape differences were equal to the maximum acceptable limit for a poor socket fit.

Permafrost Young Researchers Get Their Hands Dirty: The PYRN-Thermal State of Permafrost IPY Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansson, M.; Lantuit, H.

2009-04-01

The Permafrost Young Researchers Network (PYRN) (www.pyrn.org) is a unique resource for students and young scientists and engineers studying permafrost. It is an international organization fostering innovative collaboration, seeking to recruit, retain, and promote future generations of permafrost scientists and engineers. Initiated for and during IPY, PYRN directs the multi-disciplinary talents of its membership toward global awareness, knowledge, and response to permafrost-related challenges in a changing climate. Created as an education and outreach component of the International Permafrost Association (IPA), PYRN is a central database of permafrost information and science for more than 500 young researchers from over 40 countries. PYRN distributes a newsletter, recognizes outstanding permafrost research by its members through an annual awards program, organizes training workshops (2007 in Abisko, Sweden and St. Petersburg, Russia, 2008 in Fairbanks, Alaska and St. Petersburg, Russia), and contributes to the growth and future of the permafrost community. While networking forms the basis of PYRN's activities, the organization also seeks to establish itself as a driver of permafrost research for the IPY and beyond. We recently launched a series of initiatives on several continents aimed at providing young scientists and engineers with the means to conduct ground temperature monitoring in under investigated permafrost regions. Focusing on sites not currently covered by the IPA's "Thermal State of Permafrost" project, the young investigators of PYRN successfully launched and funded the PYRN-TSP project. They use lightweight drills and temperature sensors to instrument shallow boreholes in those regions. The first phase of the project was started in the spring of 2008 at Scandinavian sites. The data and results will be incorporated in the global database on permafrost temperatures and made freely available to the scientific community, thereby contributing to the

Recognizing the Operating Hand and the Hand-Changing Process for User Interface Adjustment on Smartphones †

PubMed Central

Guo, Hansong; Huang, He; Huang, Liusheng; Sun, Yu-E

2016-01-01

As the size of smartphone touchscreens has become larger and larger in recent years, operability with a single hand is getting worse, especially for female users. We envision that user experience can be significantly improved if smartphones are able to recognize the current operating hand, detect the hand-changing process and then adjust the user interfaces subsequently. In this paper, we proposed, implemented and evaluated two novel systems. The first one leverages the user-generated touchscreen traces to recognize the current operating hand, and the second one utilizes the accelerometer and gyroscope data of all kinds of activities in the user’s daily life to detect the hand-changing process. These two systems are based on two supervised classifiers constructed from a series of refined touchscreen trace, accelerometer and gyroscope features. As opposed to existing solutions that all require users to select the current operating hand or confirm the hand-changing process manually, our systems follow much more convenient and practical methods and allow users to change the operating hand frequently without any harm to the user experience. We conduct extensive experiments on Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphones, and the evaluation results demonstrate that our proposed systems can recognize the current operating hand and detect the hand-changing process with 94.1% and 93.9% precision and 94.1% and 93.7% True Positive Rates (TPR) respectively, when deciding with a single touchscreen trace or accelerometer-gyroscope data segment, and the False Positive Rates (FPR) are as low as 2.6% and 0.7% accordingly. These two systems can either work completely independently and achieve pretty high accuracies or work jointly to further improve the recognition accuracy. PMID:27556461

Experimentally induced central sensitization in the cervical spine evokes postural stiffening strategies in healthy young adults.

PubMed

Huntley, Andrew H; Srbely, John Z; Zettel, John L

2015-02-01

Dysequilibrium of cervicogenic origin can result from pain and injury to cervical paraspinal tissues post-whiplash; however, the specific physiological mechanisms still remain unclear. Central sensitization is a neuradaptive process which has been clinically associated with conditions of chronic pain and hypersensitivity. Strong links have been demonstrated between pain hypersensitivity and postural deficits post-whiplash; however, the precise mechanisms are still poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore the mechanisms of cervicogenic disequilibrium by investigating the effect of experimentally induced central sensitization in the cervical spine on postural stability in young healthy adults. Sixteen healthy young adults (7 males (22.6±1.13 years) and 9 females (22±2.69 years)) performed 30-s full-tandem stance trials on an AMTI force plate under normal and centrally sensitized conditions. The primary outcome variables included the standard deviation of the center of pressure (COP) position in medio-lateral (M-L) and antero-posterior (A-P) directions; sway range of the COP in M-L and A-P directions and the mean power frequency (MPF) of the COP and horizontal ground shear forces. Variability and sway range of the COP decreased with experimental induction of central sensitization, accompanied by an increase in MPF of COP displacement in both M-L and A-P directions, suggesting an increase in postural stiffening post-sensitization versus non-sensitized controls. Future studies need to further explore this relationship in clinical (whiplash, chronic pain) populations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Wheelchair Propulsion Hand Pattern on Upper Extremity Muscle Power and Stress

PubMed Central

Slowik, Jonathan S.; Requejo, Philip S.; Mulroy, Sara J.; Neptune, Richard R.

2016-01-01

The hand pattern (i.e., full-cycle hand path) used during manual wheelchair propulsion is frequently classified as one of four distinct hand pattern types: arc, single loop, double loop and semicircular. Current clinical guidelines recommend the use of the semicircular pattern, which is based on advantageous levels of broad biomechanical metrics implicitly related to the demand placed on the upper extremity (e.g., lower cadence). However, an understanding of the influence of hand pattern on specific measures of upper extremity muscle demand (e.g., muscle power and stress) is needed to help make such recommendations, but these quantities are difficult and impractical to measure experimentally. The purpose of this study was to use musculoskeletal modeling and forward dynamics simulations to investigate the influence of the hand pattern used on specific measures of upper extremity muscle demand. The simulation results suggest that the double loop and semicircular patterns produce the most favorable levels of overall muscle stress and total muscle power. The double loop pattern had the lowest full-cycle and recovery-phase upper extremity demand but required high levels of muscle power during the relatively short contact phase. The semicircular pattern had the second-lowest full-cycle levels of overall muscle stress and total muscle power, and demand was more evenly distributed between the contact and recovery phases. These results suggest that in order to decrease upper extremity demand, manual wheelchair users should use either the double loop or semicircular pattern when propelling their wheelchairs at a self-selected speed on level ground. PMID:27062591

Effect of Participation in a Cup Stacking Unit on Hand-Eye Coordination of Elementary Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Melanie A.; Smith, Lori A.; DeChant-Bruennig, Ann

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to empirically examine the influence of a cup stacking instructional unit on the hand-eye coordination of children. Participants (N = 104) consisted of three grade level groups (first/second, third and fourth). Within each grade level participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group.…

Do Predators Always Win? Starfish versus Limpets: A Hands-On Activity Examining Predator-Prey Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faria, Claudia; Boaventura, Diana; Galvao, Cecilia; Chagas, Isabel

2011-01-01

In this article we propose a hands-on experimental activity about predator-prey interactions that can be performed both in a research laboratory and in the classroom. The activity, which engages students in a real scientific experiment, can be explored not only to improve students' understanding about the diversity of anti-predator behaviors but…

Right-handed neutrinos and T-violating, P-conserving interactions

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

El-Menoufi, Basem Kamal; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.; Seng, Chien -Yeah

We show that experimental probes of the P-conserving, T-violating triple correlation in polarized neutron or nuclear β-decay provide a unique probe of possible T-violation at the TeV scale in the presence of right-handed neutrinos. In contrast to other possible sources of semileptonic T-violation involving only left-handed neutrinos, those involving right-handed neutrinos are relatively unconstrained by present limits on the permanent electric dipole moments of the electron, neutral atoms, and the neutron. On the other hand, LHC results for pp→e+ missing transverse energy imply that an order of magnitude of improvement in D-coefficient sensitivity would be needed for discovery. Lastly, wemore » discuss the interplay with the scale of neutrino mass and naturalness considerations.« less

Right-handed neutrinos and T-violating, P-conserving interactions

DOE PAGES

El-Menoufi, Basem Kamal; Ramsey-Musolf, Michael J.; Seng, Chien -Yeah

2016-12-02

We show that experimental probes of the P-conserving, T-violating triple correlation in polarized neutron or nuclear β-decay provide a unique probe of possible T-violation at the TeV scale in the presence of right-handed neutrinos. In contrast to other possible sources of semileptonic T-violation involving only left-handed neutrinos, those involving right-handed neutrinos are relatively unconstrained by present limits on the permanent electric dipole moments of the electron, neutral atoms, and the neutron. On the other hand, LHC results for pp→e+ missing transverse energy imply that an order of magnitude of improvement in D-coefficient sensitivity would be needed for discovery. Lastly, wemore » discuss the interplay with the scale of neutrino mass and naturalness considerations.« less

Current guidelines for management of severe hand injuries.

PubMed

Stępień, Robert; Szczęsny, Grzegorz

2014-06-18

Severe, multitissue hand injuries constitute a serious problem of the modern world. Despite investing significant funds in their management these injuries often exclude young people from professional life. It is often due to improper management conducted by untrained personnel lacking appropriate instruments. The goal of this work is to review the literature on the problem and attempt to organize this information. A review of available literature on mutilating hand trauma, amputations in the hand region, replantation and scales used for assessment of the severity of injury and hand function, both in Poland and internationally. Hand injuries may be managed through three approaches: concomitant definitive, delayed and secondary. The best results are achieved through the first approach. However sometimes, due to the character of injury or lack of trained personnel, the team is forced to apply temporary dressing and, subsequently, initiate complex further management. HISS scale is a useful tool allowing for precise determination of the severity of injury and, used together with DASH questionnaire, prediction of long-term treatment outcome. Necessary changes need to be implemented in the healthcare system in order to achieve better results of treatment of severe hand injuries. Proper guidelines for everyday practice should be also introduced. Changes should encompass precise determination of competences of individual centers as well as the mode and indications for patient transport between them. Training of doctors should be modified in such way to ensure that at least one person in each center would be capable of performing proper immediate management of such injuries, making further treatment possible. At the same time, financing, as a strong motivator, should promote appropriate management.

Young children's hand contact activities: an observational study via videotaping in primarily outdoor residential settings.

PubMed

Auyeung, Willa; Canales, Robert A; Beamer, Paloma; Ferguson, Alesia C; Leckie, James O

2006-09-01

Microlevel activity time series (MLATS) data were gathered on hand contact activities of 38 children (1-6 years old) by videotaping in primarily outdoor residential environments. The videotape recordings were then translated into text files using a specialized software called VirtualTimingDevicetrade mark. Contact frequency (contacts/h), duration per contact (s/contact), and hourly contact duration (min/h) were summarized for outdoor hand contacts with 15 distinct object/surface categories ("Animal", "Body", "Clothes/Towels", "Fabric", "Floor", "Food", "Footwear", "Metal", "Non-dietary Water", "Paper/Wrapper", "Plastic", "Rock/Brick", "Toys", "Vegetation/Grass", and "Wood") and two aggregate object/surface categories ("Non-dietary objects/surfaces" and "Total objects/surfaces"). For outdoor both hand contacts with "Total objects/surfaces", contact frequencies ranged from 229.9 to 1517.7 contacts/h, median durations/contact ranged from < 1 to 5 s, and hourly contact durations ranged from 42.6 to 102.2 m/h. The data were analyzed for significant differences in hand contact activities as a function of (1) age, (2) location, (3) gender, and (4) hand. Significant differences (P < or = 0.05) were found for all four factors analyzed. Hourly contact durations with "Non-dietary objects/surfaces" and "Total objects/surfaces" increased with age (P = 0.01, rs = 0.42 and P = 0.005, rs = 0.46, respectively), while contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Wood" decreased with age (P = 0.02, rs = -0.38 and P = 0.05, rs = -0.32, respectively). Location was found to affect contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with certain objects/surfaces. For example, contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Fabric" were higher indoors (P = 0.02 for both), while contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Vegetation/Grass" were higher outdoors (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively). Girls had longer hourly contact durations with "Footwear" (P = 0

[Optimization of end-tool parameters based on robot hand-eye calibration].

PubMed

Zhang, Lilong; Cao, Tong; Liu, Da

2017-04-01

A new one-time registration method was developed in this research for hand-eye calibration of a surgical robot to simplify the operation process and reduce the preparation time. And a new and practical method is introduced in this research to optimize the end-tool parameters of the surgical robot based on analysis of the error sources in this registration method. In the process with one-time registration method, firstly a marker on the end-tool of the robot was recognized by a fixed binocular camera, and then the orientation and position of the marker were calculated based on the joint parameters of the robot. Secondly the relationship between the camera coordinate system and the robot base coordinate system could be established to complete the hand-eye calibration. Because of manufacturing and assembly errors of robot end-tool, an error equation was established with the transformation matrix between the robot end coordinate system and the robot end-tool coordinate system as the variable. Numerical optimization was employed to optimize end-tool parameters of the robot. The experimental results showed that the one-time registration method could significantly improve the efficiency of the robot hand-eye calibration compared with the existing methods. The parameter optimization method could significantly improve the absolute positioning accuracy of the one-time registration method. The absolute positioning accuracy of the one-time registration method can meet the requirements of the clinical surgery.

The effectiveness of a promotion programme on hand hygiene compliance and nosocomial infections in a neonatal intensive care unit.

PubMed

Picheansathian, Wilawan; Pearson, Alan; Suchaxaya, Prakin

2008-08-01

This quasi-experimental study aimed to identify the impact of a promotion programme on hand hygiene practices and its effect on nosocomial infection rates in a neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital in Thailand. The study populations were 26 nursing personnel. After implementing a hand hygiene promotion programme, compliance with hand hygiene among nursing personnel improved significantly from 6.3% before the programme to 81.2% 7 months after the programme. Compliance rate did not correlate with the intensity of patient care. Nosocomial infection rate did not decrease after the intervention, probably because of the multifactorial nature of infections. All participants agreed that promotion programme implemented in this project motivated them to practise better hand hygiene. This study indicated that multiple approaches and persistent encouragement are key factors leading to a sustained high level of appropriate hand hygiene practices among nursing personnel.

ACCEPTABILITY OF A FUNCTIONAL-COSMETIC ARTIFICIAL HAND FOR YOUNG CHILDREN.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

FISHMAN, SIDNEY; KAY, HECTOR W.

SEVENTY-SEVEN CHILDREN, AGED 4 YEARS TO 12 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AND EXEMPLIFYING ALL LEVELS OF UPPER EXTREMITY AMPUTATION (PROSTHETIC TYPE) FROM WRIST-DISARTICULATION TO SHOULDER-DISARTICULATION, WORE THE APRL-SIERRA CHILD SIZE MODEL NUMBER 1 HAND FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 MONTHS. CHILD AND PARENTS MADE FOUR CLINIC VISITS FOR INITIAL SCREENING, FITTING, 2…

Mueller matrix polarimetry on a Young's double-slit experiment analog.

PubMed

Arteaga, Oriol; Ossikovski, Razvigor; Kuntman, Ertan; Kuntman, Mehmet A; Canillas, Adolf; Garcia-Caurel, Enric

2017-10-01

In this Letter we describe an experiment in which coherent light is sent through a calcite crystal that separates the photons by their polarization. The two beams are then let to superpose, and this recombined beam is used to measure the Mueller matrix of the system. Results are interpreted according to our recent formalism of coherent superposition in material media. This is the first experimental implementation of a Young's experiment with complete polarimetry, and it is demonstrated that our method can be used for the experimental synthesis of optical devices with on-demand optical properties.

Dynamical characteristics of surface EMG signals of hand grasps via recurrence plot.

PubMed

Ouyang, Gaoxiang; Zhu, Xiangyang; Ju, Zhaojie; Liu, Honghai

2014-01-01

Recognizing human hand grasp movements through surface electromyogram (sEMG) is a challenging task. In this paper, we investigated nonlinear measures based on recurrence plot, as a tool to evaluate the hidden dynamical characteristics of sEMG during four different hand movements. A series of experimental tests in this study show that the dynamical characteristics of sEMG data with recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) can distinguish different hand grasp movements. Meanwhile, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) is applied to evaluate the performance of the aforementioned measures to identify the grasp movements. The experimental results show that the recognition rate (99.1%) based on the combination of linear and nonlinear measures is much higher than those with only linear measures (93.4%) or nonlinear measures (88.1%). These results suggest that the RQA measures might be a potential tool to reveal the sEMG hidden characteristics of hand grasp movements and an effective supplement for the traditional linear grasp recognition methods.

It's More Fun than It Sounds--Enhancing Science Concepts through Hands-on Activities for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guha, Smita

2012-01-01

To teach young children, teachers choose topics in science that children are curious about. Children's inquisitive nature is reflected through the activities as they make repetitive sounds to find the cause and effect relationship. Teachers can make best use of those invaluable moments by incorporating those activities into science lessons on…

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.

On the feasibility of interoperable schemes in hand biometrics.

PubMed

Morales, Aythami; González, Ester; Ferrer, Miguel A

2012-01-01

Personal recognition through hand-based biometrics has attracted the interest of many researchers in the last twenty years. A significant number of proposals based on different procedures and acquisition devices have been published in the literature. However, comparisons between devices and their interoperability have not been thoroughly studied. This paper tries to fill this gap by proposing procedures to improve the interoperability among different hand biometric schemes. The experiments were conducted on a database made up of 8,320 hand images acquired from six different hand biometric schemes, including a flat scanner, webcams at different wavelengths, high quality cameras, and contactless devices. Acquisitions on both sides of the hand were included. Our experiment includes four feature extraction methods which determine the best performance among the different scenarios for two of the most popular hand biometrics: hand shape and palm print. We propose smoothing techniques at the image and feature levels to reduce interdevice variability. Results suggest that comparative hand shape offers better performance in terms of interoperability than palm prints, but palm prints can be more effective when using similar sensors.

On the Feasibility of Interoperable Schemes in Hand Biometrics

PubMed Central

Morales, Aythami; González, Ester; Ferrer, Miguel A.

2012-01-01

Personal recognition through hand-based biometrics has attracted the interest of many researchers in the last twenty years. A significant number of proposals based on different procedures and acquisition devices have been published in the literature. However, comparisons between devices and their interoperability have not been thoroughly studied. This paper tries to fill this gap by proposing procedures to improve the interoperability among different hand biometric schemes. The experiments were conducted on a database made up of 8,320 hand images acquired from six different hand biometric schemes, including a flat scanner, webcams at different wavelengths, high quality cameras, and contactless devices. Acquisitions on both sides of the hand were included. Our experiment includes four feature extraction methods which determine the best performance among the different scenarios for two of the most popular hand biometrics: hand shape and palm print. We propose smoothing techniques at the image and feature levels to reduce interdevice variability. Results suggest that comparative hand shape offers better performance in terms of interoperability than palm prints, but palm prints can be more effective when using similar sensors. PMID:22438714

Tobacco smoking and hand eczema - is there an association?

PubMed

Sørensen, Jennifer A; Clemmensen, Kim K; Nixon, Rosemary L; Diepgen, Thomas L; Agner, Tove

2015-12-01

Numerous risk factors have been suggested for hand eczema. This systematic review evaluates the association between tobacco smoking and hand eczema. To review the literature systematically on the association between smoking and hand eczema. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched up to 27 January 2015 for articles on the association between tobacco smoking and hand eczema, including human studies in English and German only. Experimental studies, studies on tobacco allergy, case reports, reviews and studies on second-hand smoking were excluded. Twenty articles were included. Among studies in occupational settings, three of seven found a statistically significant positive association between tobacco smoking and hand eczema prevalence rate, as did four of eight population-based studies. The association was stronger for studies in occupational settings than for population-based studies. No studies reported tobacco to be a clear protective factor for hand eczema. Two of five studies regarding severity found a positive association between smoking and hand eczema severity. Overall, the data indicate that smoking may cause an increased frequency of hand eczema, particularly in high-risk occupations. However, data from studies controlling for other risk factors are conflicting, and few prospective studies are available. Studies controlling for other risk factors are needed, and information regarding the diagnosis of subclasses of hand eczema, as well as severity, may be important. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bimanual proprioceptive performance differs for right- and left-handed individuals.

PubMed

Han, Jia; Waddington, Gordon; Adams, Roger; Anson, Judith

2013-05-10

It has been proposed that asymmetry between the upper limbs in the utilization of proprioceptive feedback arises from functional differences in the roles of the preferred and non-preferred hands during bimanual tasks. The present study investigated unimanual and bimanual proprioceptive performance in right- and left-handed young adults with an active finger pinch movement discrimination task. With visual information removed, participants were required to make absolute judgments about the extent of pinch movements made to physical stops, either by one hand, or by both hands concurrently, with the sequence of presented movement extents varied randomly. Discrimination accuracy scores were derived from participants' responses using non-parametric signal detection analysis. Consistent with previous findings, a non-dominant hand/hemisphere superiority effect was observed, where the non-dominant hands of right- and left-handed individuals performed overall significantly better than their dominant hands. For all participants, bimanual movement discrimination scores were significantly lower than scores obtained in the unimanual task. However, the magnitude of the performance reduction, from the unimanual to the bimanual task, was significantly greater for left-handed individuals. The effect whereby bimanual proprioception was disproportionately affected in left-handed individuals could be due to enhanced neural communication between hemispheres in left-handed individuals leading to less distinctive separation of information obtained from the two hands in the cerebral cortex. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

Hands on the sun: Teaching SEC science through hands on inquiery and direct observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, L.; Cline, T.; Lewis, E.

2003-04-01

Hands on the Sun is a model partnership between the NASA Sun Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF), Coronado Instruments, Space Science Institute, NOAO/Kitt Peak, Flandrau Planetarium, Astronomical League, and professional astronomers. This joint venture uses experiential learning, provocative talks, and direct observation in both formal and informal education venues to teach participants (K-12 educators, amateur astronomers, and the general public) about the sun, its impact on the Earth, and the importance of understanding the sun-Earth system. The program consists of three days of workshops and activities including tours and observing sessions on Kitt Peak including the National Solar Observatory, planetarium shows, exhibits on space weather, and professional development workshops targeted primarily at Hispanic public school science teachers which are intended to provide hands on activities demonstrating solar and SEC science that can be integrated into the classroom science curriculum. This talk will describe the many facets of this program and discuss our plans for future events.

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

Prehensile control of a hand prosthesis by a microcontroller.

PubMed

Chappell, P H; Kyberd, P J

1991-09-01

The functional replacement of a natural hand and wrist is usually achieved by a split hook or an electrically powered and myoelectrically controlled artificial hand with one degree of freedom. In contrast to the commercial devices, this paper describes an experimental hand with four electric motors, nineteen sensors, and control algorithms which are written for a microcontroller. The hand significantly improves the prehension capabilities of an artificial device and leads to a design which is easily controlled by a user as it mimics the control system of the natural hand.

Designing a Hands-On Brain Computer Interface Laboratory Course

PubMed Central

Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima

2017-01-01

Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI. PMID:28268946

Designing a hands-on brain computer interface laboratory course.

PubMed

Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima

2016-08-01

Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI.

Sunscreen Use on the Dorsal Hands at the Beach

PubMed Central

Warren, Donald B.; Riahi, Ryan R.; Hobbs, Jason B.; Wagner, Richard F.

2013-01-01

Background. Since skin of the dorsal hands is a known site for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, an epidemiologic investigation was needed to determine if beachgoers apply sunscreen to the dorsal aspect of their hands as frequently as they apply it to other skin sites. Aim. The aim of the current study was to compare the use of sunscreen on the dorsal hands to other areas of the body during subtropical late spring and summer sunlight exposure at the beach. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey from a convenience sample of beachgoers was designed to evaluate respondent understanding and protective measures concerning skin cancer on the dorsal hands in an environment with high natural UVR exposure. Results. A total of 214 surveys were completed and analyzed. Less than half of subjects (105, 49%) applied sunscreen to their dorsal hands. Women applied sunscreen to the dorsal hands more than men (55% women versus 40% men, P = 0.04). Higher Fitzpatrick Skin Type respondents were less likely to protect their dorsal hands from ultraviolet radiation (P = 0.001). Conclusions. More public education focused on dorsal hand protection from ultraviolet radiation damage is necessary to reduce the risk for squamous cell carcinomas of the hands. PMID:23840956

Brain Morphometry on Congenital Hand Deformities based on Teichmüller Space Theory.

PubMed

Peng, Hao; Wang, Xu; Duan, Ye; Frey, Scott H; Gu, Xianfeng

2015-01-01

Congenital Hand Deformities (CHD) are usually occurred between fourth and eighth week after the embryo is formed. Failure of the transformation from arm bud cells to upper limb can lead to an abnormal appearing/functioning upper extremity which is presented at birth. Some causes are linked to genetics while others are affected by the environment, and the rest have remained unknown. CHD patients develop prehension through the use of their hands, which affect the brain as time passes. In recent years, CHD have gain increasing attention and researches have been conducted on CHD, both surgically and psychologically. However, the impacts of CHD on brain structure are not well-understood so far. Here, we propose a novel approach to apply Teichmüller space theory and conformal welding method to study brain morphometry in CHD patients. Conformal welding signature reflects the geometric relations among different functional areas on the cortex surface, which is intrinsic to the Riemannian metric, invariant under conformal deformation, and encodes complete information of the functional area boundaries. The computational algorithm is based on discrete surface Ricci flow, which has theoretic guarantees for the existence and uniqueness of the solutions. In practice, discrete Ricci flow is equivalent to a convex optimization problem, therefore has high numerically stability. In this paper, we compute the signatures of contours on general 3D surfaces with surface Ricci flow method, which encodes both global and local surface contour information. Then we evaluated the signatures of pre-central and post-central gyrus on healthy control and CHD subjects for analyzing brain cortical morphometry. Preliminary experimental results from 3D MRI data of CHD/control data demonstrate the effectiveness of our method. The statistical comparison between left and right brain gives us a better understanding on brain morphometry of subjects with Congenital Hand Deformities, in particular, missing

Web-based interactive drone control using hand gesture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Zhenfei; Luo, Hao; Song, Guang-Hua; Chen, Zhou; Lu, Zhe-Ming; Wu, Xiaofeng

2018-01-01

This paper develops a drone control prototype based on web technology with the aid of hand gesture. The uplink control command and downlink data (e.g., video) are transmitted by WiFi communication, and all the information exchange is realized on web. The control command is translated from various predetermined hand gestures. Specifically, the hardware of this friendly interactive control system is composed by a quadrotor drone, a computer vision-based hand gesture sensor, and a cost-effective computer. The software is simplified as a web-based user interface program. Aided by natural hand gestures, this system significantly reduces the complexity of traditional human-computer interaction, making remote drone operation more intuitive. Meanwhile, a web-based automatic control mode is provided in addition to the hand gesture control mode. For both operation modes, no extra application program is needed to be installed on the computer. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed system, including control accuracy, operation latency, etc. This system can be used in many applications such as controlling a drone in global positioning system denied environment or by handlers without professional drone control knowledge since it is easy to get started.

Web-based interactive drone control using hand gesture.

PubMed

Zhao, Zhenfei; Luo, Hao; Song, Guang-Hua; Chen, Zhou; Lu, Zhe-Ming; Wu, Xiaofeng

2018-01-01

This paper develops a drone control prototype based on web technology with the aid of hand gesture. The uplink control command and downlink data (e.g., video) are transmitted by WiFi communication, and all the information exchange is realized on web. The control command is translated from various predetermined hand gestures. Specifically, the hardware of this friendly interactive control system is composed by a quadrotor drone, a computer vision-based hand gesture sensor, and a cost-effective computer. The software is simplified as a web-based user interface program. Aided by natural hand gestures, this system significantly reduces the complexity of traditional human-computer interaction, making remote drone operation more intuitive. Meanwhile, a web-based automatic control mode is provided in addition to the hand gesture control mode. For both operation modes, no extra application program is needed to be installed on the computer. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed system, including control accuracy, operation latency, etc. This system can be used in many applications such as controlling a drone in global positioning system denied environment or by handlers without professional drone control knowledge since it is easy to get started.

Hands-On Nuclear Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whittaker, Jeff

2013-01-01

Nuclear science is an important topic in terms of its application to power generation, medical diagnostics and treatment, and national defense. Unfortunately, the subatomic domain is far removed from daily experience, and few learning aids are available to teachers. What follows describes a low-tech, hands-on method to teach important concepts in…

The effect of inquiry-based, hands-on labs on achievement in middle school science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, Donna Kaye Green

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to measure the difference in science achievement between students who had been taught with an inquiry-based, hands-on pedagogical approach and those who had not. Improving student academic achievement and standardized test scores is the major objective of teachers, parents, school administrators, government entities, and students themselves. One major barrier to this academic success in Georgia, and the entire United States, has been the paucity of success in middle level science classes. Many studies have been conducted to determine the learning approaches that will best enable students to not only acquire a deeper understanding of science concepts, but to equip them to apply that new knowledge in their daily activities. Inquiry-based, hands-on learning involves students participating in activities that reflect methods of scientific investigation. The effective utilization of the inquiry-based learning approach demands inclusion of learners in a self-directed learning environment, the ability to think critically, and an understanding of how to reflect and reason scientifically. The treatment group using an inquiry-based, hands-on program did score slightly higher on the CRCT. However, the results revealed that there was not a significant difference in student achievement. This study showed that the traditionally instructed control group had slightly higher interest in science than the inquiry-based treatment group. The findings of this research study indicated that the NCLB mandates might need to be altered if there are no significant academic gains that result from the use of inquiry-based strategies.

A clinical and SEM evaluation of the efficiency of sofscale gel and hand scaling and hand scaling alone.

PubMed

Thomas, K; Vandana, K L; Reddy, V Ramesh

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compose between hand scaling with abd without the calculus solvent gel (sofscale) and ultrasonic instrumentation at clinical and SEM level. 30 patients belonging to the age group of 17-50 year were selected. Patients selected were subjected to three different scaling modalities namely hand scaling (control), hand scaling using sofscale (Experimental quadrant A) and ultrasonic scaling (Experimental quadrant B), in three different quadrants. Case report forms were used to document the tooth sensitivity, soft tissue pain after scaling, patient preference of instrumentation, ease of calculus removal, patient comfort, soft tissue irritation, time taken for scaling, Bleeding while scaling, pre and post operative sulcus bleeding index. In addition to the clinical criteria, the teeth treated were extracted and evaluated using the scanning electron microscope to show potential effects on cemntal surfaces. No difference in tooth sensitivity was appreciated between control and experimental quadrant A. There was a higher degree of tooth sensitivity when treated with ultrasonic. Patients in control group appreciated a higher degree of soft tissue pain. Hand scaling using softscale produced a lesser amount of pain and treatment with ultrasoincs was the least painful. Most of the patients preferred ultrasonic scaling (70%) Calculus removal was easier. Hand scaling using sofscale gel results in more patient comfort when compared to hand scaling alone. There was no significant difference in patient comfort between handscaling using sofscale and ultrasonic scaling. The percentage of reduction of sulcus bleeding index showed no difference between the 3 scaling modalities SEM evaluation revealed that there was no significant difference the 3 scaling modalities in relation to residual calculus, cleaning efficiency and damage to the root surface. This study concluded that treatment with sofscale gel appears to be safe and effective method for removal

Hands-on Science. Why Do Mittens Work?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kepler, Lynne

1996-01-01

This article presents hands-on, experiential science activities that use mittens to teach elementary students about classification and insulation. The first involves children sorting mittens. The second has them find out for themselves why mittens keep their hands warm. Across-the-curriculum activities are also described. (SM)

Effects of lunar phases on short-term, explosive physical performance among young trained athletes.

PubMed

Yousfi, Narimen; Mejri, Mohamed Arbi; Rouissi, Mehdi; Hammami, Amri; Tabben, Montassar; Chaouachi, Anis; Haddad, Monoem; Chamari, Karim

2018-04-01

Beliefs that lunar phases affect human physiology started in ancient times. Research has recently revealed that a physical fitness index increased in sedentary students at the new moon (NM) and full moon (FM) compared to other moon phases. However, the effect of lunar cycle (moon illumination and gravitational pull) on physical performance in athletes was not examined. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate whether short-term explosive performance can be influenced by the different phases of the lunar cycle. Fourteen young male Taekwondo athletes (age: 16.9 ± 0.7 years, height: 159.7 ± 50.6 cm, body mass: 62.85 ± 7.84 kg) performed the following tests to assess the explosive physical performance during the different phases of the lunar cycle (NM, FQ (first quarter), FM, and LQ (last quarter)): maximal isometric manual contraction (dominant hand (MIMCD) and non-dominant hand (MIMCND)), maximal back isometric contraction (MBIC), squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and 10-m sprint (10 m). The testing sessions during the different moon phases were performed in a counterbalanced order. The order of tests remained the same (MIMCD, MIMCND, MBIC, SJ, CMJ, and 10 m), and all sessions were performed in the evening (6:00 to 8:00 p.m.) on the first day of each evaluated lunar phase. Each parameter was measured over two consecutive lunar months in the calendar. Analysis of variance tests showed that there was no significant effect of lunar cycle on all explosive test measures, p > 0.05. Our results failed to identify any effect of lunar phase on evening explosive performance (mainly involving phosphagen pathway-based efforts) among young trained athletes. Therefore, it appears that moon phase/illumination does not affect short-term physical performance in young trained adolescents.

'Learn Young, Learn Fair', a stress management program for fifth and sixth graders: longitudinal results from an experimental study.

PubMed

Kraag, Gerda; Van Breukelen, Gerard J P; Kok, Gerjo; Hosman, Clemens

2009-09-01

This study examined the effects of a universal stress management program (Learn Young, Learn Fair) on stress, coping, anxiety and depression in fifth and sixth grade children. Fifty-two schools (1467 children) participated in a clustered randomized controlled trial. Data was collected in the fall of 2002, the spring of 2003, and the winter of 2004. Given the nested structure of the design mixed (multilevel) regression analyses were applied. Positive effects were found for emotion-focused coping at posttest (p < .01) and increased stress awareness at both time points. At posttest a decrease in problem solving was found (p < .01). After correcting for mediation by stress awareness the results showed that the program significantly reduced stress symptoms (p = .05) and anxiety (p = .01) at posttest. Effect sizes varied from small to large. Universal prevention programs that address stress and coping in children are warranted given the high prevalence of stress in children and the relationship between stress, on the one hand, and health complaints and pathology, on the other. Such programs are expected to be particularly salient for children with an increased sensitivity to stress and inadequate coping styles (e.g., diathesis-stress model). The results indicate that the school-based program 'Learn Young, Learn Fair' may be a valuable program for reducing stress in children.

Cytomegalovirus Survival and Transferability and the Effectiveness of Common Hand-Washing Agents against Cytomegalovirus on Live Human Hands

PubMed Central

Stowell, Jennifer D.; Forlin-Passoni, Daniela; Radford, Kay; Bate, Sheri L.; Dollard, Sheila C.; Bialek, Stephanie R.; Cannon, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission can occur when women acquire CMV while pregnant. Infection control guidelines may reduce risk for transmission. We studied the duration of CMV survival after application of bacteria to the hands and after transfer from the hands to surfaces and the effectiveness of cleansing with water, regular and antibacterial soaps, sanitizer, and diaper wipes. Experiments used CMV AD169 in saliva at initial titers of 1 × 105 infectious particles/ml. Samples from hands or surfaces (points between 0 and 15 min) were placed in culture and observed for at least 2 weeks. Samples were also tested using CMV real-time PCR. After application of bacteria to the hands, viable CMV was recovered from 17/20 swabs at 0 min, 18/20 swabs at 1 min, 5/20 swabs at 5 min, and 4/20 swabs at 15 min. After transfer, duration of survival was at least 15 min on plastic (1/2 swabs), 5 min on crackers and glass (3/4 swabs), and 1 min or less on metal and cloth (3/4 swabs); no viable virus was collected from wood, rubber, or hands. After cleansing, no viable virus was recovered using water (0/22), plain soap (0/20), antibacterial soap (0/20), or sanitizer (0/22). Viable CMV was recovered from 4/20 hands 10 min after diaper wipe cleansing. CMV remains viable on hands for sufficient times to allow transmission. CMV may be transferred to surfaces with reduced viability. Hand-cleansing methods were effective at eliminating viable CMV from hands. PMID:24185855

Cytomegalovirus survival and transferability and the effectiveness of common hand-washing agents against cytomegalovirus on live human hands.

PubMed

Stowell, Jennifer D; Forlin-Passoni, Daniela; Radford, Kay; Bate, Sheri L; Dollard, Sheila C; Bialek, Stephanie R; Cannon, Michael J; Schmid, D Scott

2014-01-01

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) transmission can occur when women acquire CMV while pregnant. Infection control guidelines may reduce risk for transmission. We studied the duration of CMV survival after application of bacteria to the hands and after transfer from the hands to surfaces and the effectiveness of cleansing with water, regular and antibacterial soaps, sanitizer, and diaper wipes. Experiments used CMV AD169 in saliva at initial titers of 1 × 10(5) infectious particles/ml. Samples from hands or surfaces (points between 0 and 15 min) were placed in culture and observed for at least 2 weeks. Samples were also tested using CMV real-time PCR. After application of bacteria to the hands, viable CMV was recovered from 17/20 swabs at 0 min, 18/20 swabs at 1 min, 5/20 swabs at 5 min, and 4/20 swabs at 15 min. After transfer, duration of survival was at least 15 min on plastic (1/2 swabs), 5 min on crackers and glass (3/4 swabs), and 1 min or less on metal and cloth (3/4 swabs); no viable virus was collected from wood, rubber, or hands. After cleansing, no viable virus was recovered using water (0/22), plain soap (0/20), antibacterial soap (0/20), or sanitizer (0/22). Viable CMV was recovered from 4/20 hands 10 min after diaper wipe cleansing. CMV remains viable on hands for sufficient times to allow transmission. CMV may be transferred to surfaces with reduced viability. Hand-cleansing methods were effective at eliminating viable CMV from hands.

A novel cluster-tube self-adaptive robot hand.

PubMed

Fu, Hong; Yang, Haokun; Song, Weishu; Zhang, Wenzeng

2017-01-01

This paper proposes a novel cluster-tube self-adaptive robot hand (CTSA Hand). The CTSA Hand consists of a base, a motor, a transmission mechanism, multiple elastic tendons, and a group of sliding-tube assemblies. Each sliding-tube assembly is composed of a sliding tube, a guide rod, two springs and a hinge. When the hand grasping an object, the object pushes some sliding tubes to different positions according to the surface shape of the object, the motor pulls the tendons tight to cluster tubes. The CTSA Hand can realize self-adaptive grasping of objects of different sizes and shapes. The CTSA Hand can grasp multiple objects simultaneously because the grasping of the hand acts as many grippers in different directions and heights. The grasping forces of the hand are adjusted by a closed-loop control system with potentiometer. Experimental results show that the CTSA Hand has the features of highly self-adaption and large grasping forces when grasping various objects.

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.

Personal authentication through dorsal hand vein patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Chih-Bin; Hao, Shu-Sheng; Lee, Jen-Chun

2011-08-01

Biometric identification is an emerging technology that can solve security problems in our networked society. A reliable and robust personal verification approach using dorsal hand vein patterns is proposed in this paper. The characteristic of the approach needs less computational and memory requirements and has a higher recognition accuracy. In our work, the near-infrared charge-coupled device (CCD) camera is adopted as an input device for capturing dorsal hand vein images, it has the advantages of the low-cost and noncontact imaging. In the proposed approach, two finger-peaks are automatically selected as the datum points to define the region of interest (ROI) in the dorsal hand vein images. The modified two-directional two-dimensional principal component analysis, which performs an alternate two-dimensional PCA (2DPCA) in the column direction of images in the 2DPCA subspace, is proposed to exploit the correlation of vein features inside the ROI between images. The major advantage of the proposed method is that it requires fewer coefficients for efficient dorsal hand vein image representation and recognition. The experimental results on our large dorsal hand vein database show that the presented schema achieves promising performance (false reject rate: 0.97% and false acceptance rate: 0.05%) and is feasible for dorsal hand vein recognition.

Quantifying the effect of hand wash duration, soap use, ground beef debris, and drying methods on the removal of Enterobacter aerogenes on hands.

PubMed

Jensen, Dane A; Danyluk, Michelle D; Harris, Linda J; Schaffner, Donald W

2015-04-01

Hand washing is recognized as a crucial step in preventing foodborne disease transmission by mitigating crosscontamination among hands, surfaces, and foods. This research was undertaken to establish the importance of several keys factors (soap, soil, time, and drying method) in reducing microorganisms during hand washing. A nonpathogenic nalidixic acid-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes surrogate for Salmonella was used to assess the efficacy of using soap or no soap for 5 or 20 s on hands with or without ground beef debris and drying with paper towel or air. Each experiment consisted of 20 replicates, each from a different individual with ∼ 6 log CFU/ml E. aerogenes on their hands. A reduction of 1.0 ± 0.4 and 1.7 ± 0.8 log CFU of E. aerogenes was observed for a 5-s wash with no soap and a 20-s wash with soap, respectively. When there was no debris on the hands, there was no significant difference between washing with and without soap for 20 s (P > 0.05). Likewise, there was no significant difference in the reductions achieved when washing without soap, whether or not debris was on the hands (P > 0.05). A significantly greater reduction (P < 0.05) in E. aerogenes (0.5 log CFU greater reduction) was observed with soap when there was ground beef debris on the hands. The greatest difference (1.1 log CFU greater average reduction) in effectiveness occurred when ground beef debris was on the hands and a 20-s wash with water was compared with a 20-s wash with soap. Significantly greater (P < 0.05) reductions were observed with paper towel drying compared with air (0.5 log CFU greater reductions). Used paper towels may contain high bacterial levels (>4.0 log CFU per towel) when hands are highly contaminated. Our results support future quantitative microbial risk assessments needed to effectively manage risks of foodborne illness in which food workers' hands are a primary cause.

European Hands-on Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doran, Rosa; Ferlet, Roger; Gómez de Castro, Ana I.; Hill, Robert; Horellou, Cathy; Mankiewicz, Lech; Melchior, Anne-Laure; Metaxa, Margarita; Zanazzi, Alessandra

2007-08-01

Hands-on Universe is a project born at UC@Berkeley. A project devoted to enrich the teaching of Astronomy within the classroom environment with a different approach, more connected to the new technologies. Its main goals are not only to promote the use of such technologies but also to reawaken on students the taste for STEM (Science, technologies, engineering and math) related issues and also to increase their scientific culture. Eight countries in Europe decided to adopt the method and, funded by MINERVA, formed the European Hands-on Universe. Several resources were produced and a data reduction software developed http://www.euhou.net/.Other European countries are interested and should join this coordinated effort in the near future. At an international level there are 20 countries using this approach. There are plans to develop scientific cooperation among these countries. Pilot scientific research projects in schools are being tested in EU-HOU schools, Russia and USA. There is also a game being developed to be used as a new tool for teaching scientific content in the classroom environment. An effort to develop an international network of scientific / educational collaboration is the next step.

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.

Multiple faces of contemporary hand knitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavko-Čuden, A.

2017-10-01

Knitting and crocheting are traditional textile techniques with great significance both in history and modern times. Similar to other textile techniques, knitting has developed into a diversified industrial sector, comprising the production of knitted fabrics, knitwear, hosiery and fashion accessories. At the same time, contemporary knitting and crocheting became hobbies as well as arts-and-crafts activities, extending to various areas of work and leisure. Historical and traditional ethnic knitting and crocheting patterns keep inspiring designers’ collections and also other industrial products. Not so long ago, knitting was seen as an ordinary and unchanging indoor activity and, in its domestic history, it was the preserve of older women making products of dainty work and taste. Today, knitting deals with urban population of all classes. The popularity of leisure hand knitting is increasing; moreover, hand knitting is becoming more and more widespread among young people. With the emergence of artistic and handicraft markets, hand-knitting and crocheting developed into a profitable market activity. Positive effects of hand knitting have become increasingly important - from generating creativity and innovativeness, through knitting and socializing in groups, to medical and therapeutic effects as well as social and global connections. Yarn bombing, yarn storming or graffiti knitting has been used to describe urban social practices of knitted objects placed, or tagged, in public spaces. Knitting became means of communication, artistic and social expression and statement. The advantage of hand knitting is its mobility. One can knit almost everywhere, and for hand knitting, only a ball of yarn and knitting needles are required. Handknitted products have nice touch, they are custom-made and therefore personalized.

Development of a Hands-On Survey Course in the Physics of Living Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, Megan; Goldman, Daniel I.

Due to the widespread availability and technological capabilities of modern smartphones, many biophysical systems can be investigated using easily accessible, low-cost, and/or ``homemade'' equipment. Our survey course is structured to provide students with an overview of research in the physics of living systems, emphasizing the interplay between measurement, mechanism, and modeling required to understand principles at the intersection of physics and biology. The course proceeds through seven modules each consisting of one week of lectures and one week of hands-on experiments, called ``microlabs''. Using smartphones, Arduinos, and 3D printed materials students create their own laboratory equipment, including a 150X van Leeuwenhoek microscope, a shaking incubator, and an oscilloscope, and then use them to study biological systems ranging in length scales from nanometers to meters. These systems include population dynamics of rotifer/algae cultures, experimental evolution of multicellularity in budding yeast, and the bio- & neuromechanics involved in animal locomotion, among others. In each module, students are introduced to fundamental biological and physical concepts as well as theoretical and computational tools (nonlinear dynamics, molecular dynamics simulation, and statistical mechanics). At the end of the course, students apply these concepts and tools to the creation of their own microlab that integrates hands-on experimentation and modeling in the study of their chosen biophysical system.

The Impact of a Health Campaign on Hand Hygiene and Upper Respiratory Illness among College Students Living in Residence Halls.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Cindy; Kolble, Robin; Carlson, Rebecca; Lipson, Natasha

2005-01-01

Hand hygiene is a key element in preventing the transmission of cold and flu viruses. The authors conducted an experimental-control design study in 4 campus residence halls to determine whether a message campaign about hand hygiene and the availability of gel hand sanitizer could decrease cold and flu illness and school and work absenteeism. Their…

Social-cognitive antecedents of hand washing: Action control bridges the planning-behaviour gap.

PubMed

Reyes Fernández, Benjamín; Knoll, Nina; Hamilton, Kyra; Schwarzer, Ralf

2016-08-01

To examine motivational and volitional factors for hand washing in young adults, using the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) as a theoretical framework. In a longitudinal design with two measurement points, six weeks apart, university students (N = 440) completed paper-based questionnaires. Prior hand washing frequency, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, intention and action planning were measured at baseline, and coping planning, action control and hand washing frequency were measured at follow-up. A theory-based structural equation model was specified. In line with the HAPA, the motivational factors of self-efficacy and outcome expectancies predicted intention, whereas the volitional factors of planning and action control mediated between intention and changes in hand washing frequency. Action control was confirmed as the most proximal factor on hand washing behaviour, thus representing a bridge of the planning-behaviour gap. Both motivational and volitional processes are important to consider in the improvement of hand hygiene practices. Moreover, the statistically significant effects for planning and action control illustrate the importance of these key self-regulatory factors in the prediction of hand hygiene. The current study highlights the importance of adopting models that account for motivational and volitional factors to better understand hand washing behaviour.

Welfare policies and very young children: experimental data on stage-environment fit.

PubMed

Hill, Heather D; Morris, Pamela

2008-11-01

The authors examined the effects of welfare programs that increased maternal employment and family income on the development of very young children using data from 5 random-assignment experiments. The children were 6 months to 3 years old when their mothers entered the programs; cognitive and behavioral outcomes were measured 2-5 years later. While there were no overall program impacts, positive or negative, on the development of children in this age group, there was a pair of domain- and age-specific effects: The programs decreased positive social behavior among 1-year-olds and increased school achievement among 2-year-olds. After exploring several explanations for these results, the authors suggest that the contextual changes engendered by the programs, including children's exposure to center-based child care, interacted differentially with specific developmental transitions.

Implicit and Explicit Representations of Hand Position in Tool Use

PubMed Central

Rand, Miya K.; Heuer, Herbert

2013-01-01

Understanding the interactions of visual and proprioceptive information in tool use is important as it is the basis for learning of the tool's kinematic transformation and thus skilled performance. This study investigated how the CNS combines seen cursor positions and felt hand positions under a visuo-motor rotation paradigm. Young and older adult participants performed aiming movements on a digitizer while looking at rotated visual feedback on a monitor. After each movement, they judged either the proprioceptively sensed hand direction or the visually sensed cursor direction. We identified asymmetric mutual biases with a strong visual dominance. Furthermore, we found a number of differences between explicit and implicit judgments of hand directions. The explicit judgments had considerably larger variability than the implicit judgments. The bias toward the cursor direction for the explicit judgments was about twice as strong as for the implicit judgments. The individual biases of explicit and implicit judgments were uncorrelated. Biases of these judgments exhibited opposite sequential effects. Moreover, age-related changes were also different between these judgments. The judgment variability was decreased and the bias toward the cursor direction was increased with increasing age only for the explicit judgments. These results indicate distinct explicit and implicit neural representations of hand direction, similar to the notion of distinct visual systems. PMID:23894307

Young physicians and the Finnish welfare state.

PubMed

Saarinen, Arttu

2009-01-01

This article aims to focus on how young physicians in general and different subpopulations, in particular, see the role of the welfare state. The author seeks to compare young physicians' opinions with those of older physicians, a similar age group in the general population and all physicians. A random sample was picked from the Finnish Medical Association register (n = 1,092). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results show that young physicians--when compared with an overall population of the same age, with physicians overall, or with older physicians--are more critical of the degree of social security currently offered. Young physicians also want to give more responsibility to the private sector than do older physicians. On the other hand, young physicians are not very critical of healthcare system functionality. All in all, young physicians' opinions about the welfare state are not particularly radical. Results indicate that physicians' opinions about the welfare state will not change dramatically in the near future. Views on social security, healthcare system functionality and the role of the private sector correlate best with political orientation. There are some studies about physicians' attitudes towards the welfare state, but the opinions of young physicians have not been studied in countries with large social security systems. The paper addresses this gap because it is important to study young physicians' opinions because future services will be structured on them.

The Impact of Funding through the RF President’s Grants for Young Scientists (the field – Medicine) on Research Productivity: A Quasi-Experimental Study and a Brief Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Saygitov, Ruslan T.

2014-01-01

The impact of grants on research productivity has been investigated by a number of retrospective studies. The results of these studies vary considerably. The objective of my study was to investigate the impact of funding through the RF President’s grants for young scientists on the research productivity of awarded applicants. The study compared the number of total articles and citations for awarded and rejected applicants who in 2007 took part in competitions for young candidates of science (CoS’s) and doctors of science (DoS’s) in the scientific field of medicine. The bibliometric analysis was conducted for the period from 2003 to 2012 (five years before and after the competition). The source of bibliometric data is the eLIBRARY.RU database. The impact of grants on the research productivity of Russian young scientists was assessed using the meta-analytical approach based on data from quasi-experimental studies conducted in other countries. The competition featured 149 CoS’s and 41 DoS’s, out of which 24 (16%) and 22 (54%) applicants, respectively, obtained funding. No difference in the number of total articles and citations at baseline, as well as in 2008–2012, for awarded and rejected applicants was found. The combination of data from the Russian study and other quasi-experimental studies (6 studies, 10 competitions) revealed a small treatment effect – an increase in the total number of publications over a 4–5-year period after the competition by 1.23 (95% CI 0.48–1.97). However, the relationship between the number of total publications published by applicants before and after the competition revealed that this treatment effect is an effect of the “maturation” of scientists with a high baseline publication activity – not of grant funding. PMID:24475203

Hand-arm Vibration Effects on Performance, Tactile Acuity, and Temperature of Hand

PubMed Central

Forouharmajd, Farhad; Yadegari, Mehrdad; Ahmadvand, Masoumeh; Forouharmajd, Farshad; Pourabdian, Siamak

2017-01-01

Effects of vibration appear as mechanical and psychological disorders, including stress reactions, cognitive and movement disorders, problem in concentration and paying attention to the assigned duties. The common signs and symptoms of hand-arm vibration (HAV) in the fingers and hands may appear as pins and needles feeling, tingling, numbness, and also the loss of finger sensation and dexterity. Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench programming software designed for occupational vibrations measurement was used to calculate HAV acceleration. Hole steadiness test is designed to measure involuntary movement of people. V-Pieron test is designed for one of the other aspects of the psycho motor phenomena of steadiness by moving the stylus across a V-form ruler. The two points test was an experiment of touch acuity, which used a caliper by placing the two styli very close on the pad of finger knuckles. The temperature of finger skin is also measured simultaneous to the above tests. Wilcoxon test indicated that a significant decrement in hand steadiness occurred after gripping a vibrating handle for 2 min (P ≤ 0.003). Wilcoxon test also represented a significant change in errors after gripping a grinder vibratory handle (P ≤ 0.003). The differences at all of the knuckles were significant with a confidence interval percentage of 99%. There was a significant reduction in finger skin temperature before and after exposure to vibration (mean = 0.45°C, based on paired sample test). The obtained results considerably demonstrated the relation between hand performance and vibrations due to gripping a grinder. It can be concluded that an injury or accident may happen after exposure to vibrations for the fine duties, in fast actions. PMID:29204383

Hand-arm Vibration Effects on Performance, Tactile Acuity, and Temperature of Hand.

PubMed

Forouharmajd, Farhad; Yadegari, Mehrdad; Ahmadvand, Masoumeh; Forouharmajd, Farshad; Pourabdian, Siamak

2017-01-01

Effects of vibration appear as mechanical and psychological disorders, including stress reactions, cognitive and movement disorders, problem in concentration and paying attention to the assigned duties. The common signs and symptoms of hand-arm vibration (HAV) in the fingers and hands may appear as pins and needles feeling, tingling, numbness, and also the loss of finger sensation and dexterity. Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench programming software designed for occupational vibrations measurement was used to calculate HAV acceleration. Hole steadiness test is designed to measure involuntary movement of people. V-Pieron test is designed for one of the other aspects of the psycho motor phenomena of steadiness by moving the stylus across a V-form ruler. The two points test was an experiment of touch acuity, which used a caliper by placing the two styli very close on the pad of finger knuckles. The temperature of finger skin is also measured simultaneous to the above tests. Wilcoxon test indicated that a significant decrement in hand steadiness occurred after gripping a vibrating handle for 2 min ( P ≤ 0.003). Wilcoxon test also represented a significant change in errors after gripping a grinder vibratory handle ( P ≤ 0.003). The differences at all of the knuckles were significant with a confidence interval percentage of 99%. There was a significant reduction in finger skin temperature before and after exposure to vibration (mean = 0.45°C, based on paired sample test). The obtained results considerably demonstrated the relation between hand performance and vibrations due to gripping a grinder. It can be concluded that an injury or accident may happen after exposure to vibrations for the fine duties, in fast actions.

Hand rearing affects emotional responses but not basic cognitive performance in European starlings☆

PubMed Central

Feenders, Gesa; Bateson, Melissa

2013-01-01

Hand rearing is a common procedure in behavioural research on birds. While likely to produce tamer experimental animals, there is a risk that it could induce pathological changes in brain and behaviour similar to those seen in mammals that have experienced maternal separation. We explored the effects of hand rearing on the cognitive and behavioural development of European starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, to assess the generality of results obtained from hand-reared animals. Two groups of age-matched birds were created from the same wild population: one hand-reared from 10 days posthatch and one brought into the laboratory as independent juveniles. These groups were compared on a battery of neuropsychological tasks designed to probe different aspects of cognitive function including learning, perseverative cognition, interval timing, neophobia and impulsivity. There was no evidence for cognitive impairment in the hand-reared birds. They did not have reduced learning speed, impairments in accuracy or precision of interval timing or pathological perseverative cognition compared to the wild-caught birds. Additionally, there was no evidence that birds that developed stereotypies in laboratory cages (predominantly the wild-caught birds) had any cognitive impairments, although this may be because no birds had severe, crystallized stereotypies. There was some evidence that hand-reared birds were less neophobic and less impulsive than wild-caught birds, suggesting that hand rearing might alter emotionally mediated decision making in a direction usually associated with reduced developmental stress in mammals. This study therefore supports the use of hand rearing as an experimental procedure in behavioural research on passerine birds. PMID:23888084

Hands-On Science, 680 Hands at a Time: Shrinking the Large Lecture with a Collapsing Can Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shipman, Harry L.

2001-01-01

Explains how hands-on science activities can be done in a class designed as a lecture setting. Uses the collapsing can activity to demonstrate the birth of a black hole. Evaluates student responses to the hands-on approach. (YDS)

Synergistic effect of estradiol and fluoxetine in young adult and middle-aged female rats in two models of experimental depression.

PubMed

Récamier-Carballo, Soledad; Estrada-Camarena, Erika; Reyes, Rebeca; Fernández-Guasti, Alonso

2012-08-01

The antidepressant effect of estrogens combined with antidepressants is controversial: some preclinical data showed that estrogens facilitate the effect of antidepressants in the forced swimming test (FST) in young adult rats, while others failed to find such effect in middle-aged rats in the chronic mild stress (CMS) model. In clinics similar differences were reported and may be due to the compounds, the depression model or type of depression, the experimental design, and the age of the subjects or the women's menopause stage. The objective of this study was to analyze the antidepressant-like effect of the combination of 17β-estradiol (E(2)) and fluoxetine (FLX) in young adults (2-4 months) and middle-aged (12-14 months) ovariectomized (OVX) rats in two experimental models: FST and CMS. E(2) (5 and 10 μg/rat) and FLX (2.5 and 10 mg/kg) per se dose-dependently reduced immobility in both age groups and, in young adults both compounds increased swimming, whereas in middle-aged rats they increased swimming and climbing. Analysis of the antidepressant-like effect of the combination of suboptimal doses of FLX (1.25 mg/kg) and E(2) (2.5 μg/rat) showed a decrease in immobility and an increase in swimming in both age groups. In the CMS, chronic E(2) (2.5 μg/rat) with FLX (1.25 mg/kg) augmented relative sucrose intake, but middle-aged rats responded 2 weeks earlier than young adults. These results show that the antidepressant-like effect of the combination of E(2) and FLX in young adult and middle-aged female rats is evidenced in the two animal models of depression: FST and CMS. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Method for the Control of Multigrasp Myoelectric Prosthetic Hands

PubMed Central

Dalley, Skyler Ashton; Varol, Huseyin Atakan; Goldfarb, Michael

2012-01-01

This paper presents the design and preliminary experimental validation of a multigrasp myoelectric controller. The described method enables direct and proportional control of multigrasp prosthetic hand motion among nine characteristic postures using two surface electromyography electrodes. To assess the efficacy of the control method, five nonamputee subjects utilized the multigrasp myoelectric controller to command the motion of a virtual prosthesis between random sequences of target hand postures in a series of experimental trials. For comparison, the same subjects also utilized a data glove, worn on their native hand, to command the motion of the virtual prosthesis for similar sequences of target postures during each trial. The time required to transition from posture to posture and the percentage of correctly completed transitions were evaluated to characterize the ability to control the virtual prosthesis using each method. The average overall transition times across all subjects were found to be 1.49 and 0.81 s for the multigrasp myoelectric controller and the native hand, respectively. The average transition completion rates for both were found to be the same (99.2%). Supplemental videos demonstrate the virtual prosthesis experiments, as well as a preliminary hardware implementation. PMID:22180515

Effect of hand paddles and parachute on butterfly coordination.

PubMed

Telles, Thiago; Barroso, Renato; Barbosa, Augusto Carvalho; Salgueiro, Diego Fortes de Souza; Colantonio, Emilson; Andries Júnior, Orival

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effects of hand paddles, parachute and hand paddles plus parachute on the inter-limb coordination of butterfly swimming. Thirteen male swimmers were evaluated in four random maximal intensity conditions: without equipment, with hand paddles, with parachute and with hand paddles + parachute. Arm and leg stroke phases were identified by 2D video analysis to calculate the total time gap (T1: time between hands' entry in the water and high break-even point of the first undulation; T2: time between the beginning of the hand's backward movement and low break-even point of the first undulation; T3: time between the hand's arrival in a vertical plane to the shoulders and high break-even point of the second undulation; T4: time between the hand's release from the water and low break-even point of the second undulation). The swimming velocity was reduced and T1, T2 and T3 increased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. No changes were observed in T4. Total time gap decreased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. It is concluded that hand paddles do not influence the arm-to-leg coordination in butterfly, while parachute and hand paddles + parachute do change it, providing a greater propulsive continuity.

Mentorship for operational research capacity building: hands-on or hands-off?

PubMed Central

Marais, B.; Kool, B.; Ram, S.; Kumar, A. M. V.; Gounder, S.; Viney, K.; Brostrom, R.; Roseveare, C.; Bissell, K.; Reid, A. J.; Zachariah, R.; Hill, P. C.

2014-01-01

Mentorship is a key feature of operational research training courses run by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Médecins Sans Frontières. During the recent South Pacific paper writing module, the faculty discussed ‘hands-on’ mentorship (direct technical assistance) vs. ‘hands-off’ mentorship (technical advice). This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Our collective experience indicates that ‘hands-on’ mentorship is a valuable learning experience for the participant and a rewarding experience for the mentor. This approach increases the likelihood of successful course completion, including publishing a well written paper. However, mentors must allow participants to lead and take ownership of the paper, in keeping with a first author position. PMID:26477290

Enteric pathogens in stored drinking water and on caregiver's hands in Tanzanian households with and without reported cases of child diarrhea.

PubMed

Mattioli, Mia Catharine; Boehm, Alexandria B; Davis, Jennifer; Harris, Angela R; Mrisho, Mwifadhi; Pickering, Amy J

2014-01-01

Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality in young children. Diarrheal pathogens are transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and for children the majority of this transmission is thought to occur within the home. However, very few studies have documented enteric pathogens within households of low-income countries. The presence of molecular markers for three enteric viruses (enterovirus, adenovirus, and rotavirus), seven Escherichia coli virulence genes (ECVG), and human-specific Bacteroidales was assessed in hand rinses and household stored drinking water in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Using a matched case-control study design, we examined the relationship between contamination of hands and water with these markers and child diarrhea. We found that the presence of ECVG in household stored water was associated with a significant decrease in the odds of a child within the home having diarrhea (OR = 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.27-0.93). We also evaluated water management and hygiene behaviors. Recent hand contact with water or food was positively associated with detection of enteric pathogen markers on hands, as was relatively lower volumes of water reportedly used for daily hand washing. Enteropathogen markers in stored drinking water were more likely found among households in which the markers were also detected on hands, as well as in households with unimproved water supply and sanitation infrastructure. The prevalence of enteric pathogen genes and the human-specific Bacteroidales fecal marker in stored water and on hands suggests extensive environmental contamination within homes both with and without reported child diarrhea. Better stored water quality among households with diarrhea indicates caregivers with sick children may be more likely to ensure safe drinking water in the home. Interventions to increase the quantity of water available for hand washing, and to improve food hygiene, may reduce exposure to enteric pathogens in the domestic environment.

Influences on use of hand moisturizers in nurses.

PubMed

Burke, K M; Wright, A J; Parsons, V; Madan, I

2018-05-07

Nurses are at high risk of hand dermatitis. Regular hand moisturizing can prevent dermatitis, but nurses' use of hand moisturizers is suboptimal. To establish (i) what beliefs about hand dermatitis and hand moisturizer use are associated with hand moisturizer use by nurses at home and at work and (ii) if hand moisturizer use behaviours in nurses are associated with the prevalence of hand dermatitis. We used a questionnaire to investigate nurses' knowledge, beliefs and behaviours regarding hand dermatitis and use of hand moisturizers. The response rate was 55/65 (85%). Forty-two (76%) participants agreed that applying hand moisturizers reduced the risk of dermatitis, and 53 (96%) agreed that dermatitis increased the risk of skin carrying pathogenic organisms. Frequent moisturizer application was associated with beliefs that it was part of the nurse's role to apply hand creams, a belief that they had had training in the use of moisturizers and believing that patients approved of them moisturizing their hands. Hand moisturizer use by nurses can be improved by enhancing their beliefs that it is part of their professional role to apply hand cream regularly.

Effects of Positive Affect on Risk Perceptions in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haase, Claudia M.; Silbereisen, Rainer K.

2011-01-01

Affective influences may play a key role in adolescent risk taking, but have rarely been studied. Using an audiovisual method of affect induction, two experimental studies examined the effect of positive affect on risk perceptions in adolescence and young adulthood. Outcomes were risk perceptions regarding drinking alcohol, smoking a cigarette,…

What experimental experience affects dogs' comprehension of human communicative actions?

PubMed

Hauser, Marc D; Comins, Jordan A; Pytka, Lisa M; Cahill, Donal P; Velez-Calderon, Sofia

2011-01-01

Studies of dogs report that individuals reliably respond to the goal-directed communicative actions (e.g., pointing) of human experimenters. All of these studies use some version of a multi-trial approach, thereby allowing for the possibility of rapid learning within an experimental session. The experiments reported here ask whether dogs can respond correctly to a communicative action based on only a single presentation, thereby eliminating the possibility of learning within the experimental context. We tested 173 dogs. For each dog reaching our test criteria, we used a single presentation of six different goal-directed actions within a session, asking whether they correctly follow to a target goal (container with concealed food) a (1) distal hand point, (2) step toward one container, (3) hand point to one container followed by step toward the other, (4) step toward one container and point to the other, (5) distal foot point with the experimenter's hands free, and (6) distal foot point with the experimenter's hands occupied. Given only a single presentation, dogs selected the correct container when the experimenter hand pointed, foot pointed with hands occupied, or stepped closer to the target container, but failed on the other actions, despite using the same method. The fact that dogs correctly followed foot pointing with hands occupied, but not hands free, suggests that they are sensitive to environmental constraints, and use this information to infer rational, goal-directed action. We discuss these results in light of the role of experience in recognizing communicative gestures, as well as the significance of coding criteria for studies of canine competence. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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.

World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Young Investigator Workshops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, Meg

2004-01-01

The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) Young Investigator Workshops goals and objectives are: a) to familiarize Young Investigators with WOCE models, datasets and estimation procedures; b) to offer intensive hands-on exposure to these models ard methods; c) to build collaborations among junior scientists and more senior WOCE investigators; and finally, d) to generate ideas and projects leading to fundable WOCE synthesis projects. To achieve these goals and objectives, the Workshop will offer a mixture of tutorial lectures on numerical models and estimation procedures, advanced seminars on current WOCE synthesis activities and related projects, and the opportunity to conduct small projects which put into practice the techniques advanced in the lectures.

Hand preference consistency and simple rhythmic bimanual coordination in preschool children.

PubMed

Mori, Shiro; Iteya, Misaki; Gabbard, Carl

2007-06-01

This study examined whether strength of hand preference is associated with rhythmic bimanual coordination. 27 preschool children ages 4 to 6 years, identified as 10 right-, 8 left-, and 9 mixed-handed, were evaluated on accuracy and stability with a bimanual tapping task requiring intermodal matching. The primary hypothesis was that consistent right- and left-handers would have an advantage over mixed-handers given higher hemispheric maturation, possibly the corpus callosum, which may be the main interhemispheric communication conduit. A significant difference was noted among the three groups, with right-handers having higher accuracy and stability. This finding suggests that bimanual coordination in young children may be influenced by handedness, which may also be related to the development of interhemispheric communication.

Investigation of the relationship between anthropometric measurements and maximal handgrip strength in young adults.

PubMed

Eidson, Christopher A; Jenkins, Gavin R; Yuen, Hon K; Abernathy, Anne M; Brannon, Mary Beth; Pung, Anna R; Ward, Kiara D; Weaver, Tara E

2017-01-01

To identify physical measures that predict maximal handgrip strength (MHGS) and provide evidence for identifying lack of sincerity of effort when assessing upper extremity weakness. This study investigated anthropometric measurements associated with MHGS of healthy young adults. A convenience sample of 150 healthy adults ages 19 to 34 years old completed the MHGS assessment, which was measured using a Jamar dynamometer according to the protocol of the American Society of Hand Therapists, for both dominant and non-dominant hands. Several anthropometric data were collected, which included height, body weight, forearm length, forearm circumference, hand length, and hand width. Multivariable linear regression analysis indicated gender and hand width were uniquely and significantly associated with participants' MHGS for dominant and non-dominant hand and accounted for more than 60% of the variance, with R2 = 0.60, P < 0.001 for the dominant hand model and R2 = 0.64, P < 0.001 for the non-dominant hand model. Among the forearm and hand anthropometric measures, hand width is the best predictor of MHGS in both the non-dominant and dominant hands for healthy young adults.

Story telling and social action: engaging young people to act on climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cordero, E.

2014-12-01

The realization that well designed graphs and clearly worded summaries were not enough to spur the public and policy makers towards an appropriate understanding of our planet encouraged me to search for other ways to share climate stories with the general public. After co-authoring a popular book on food and climate change and giving many talks to the general public, it struck me that young people were largely missing from the dialogue, and little meaningful progress was being made to design effective solutions. I then started working with faculty and students from the Film and Animation Departments at San Jose State University to develop stories about climate change that would be engaging to younger audiences. The result was the Green Ninja Project, based around the Green Ninja, a superhero who focuses on solutions to climate change using humor and silliness to soften what can be a somewhat challenging topic. The Project includes a) The Green Ninja Show - a series of YouTube videos (over 1,000,000 views) highlighting actions young people can take to reduce climate change, b) The Green Ninja Film Festival where students tell their own climate solutions stories, and c) a collection of educational resources that help teachers bring climate science topics into their classroom using hands-on activities. A key component to this work is promoting social action experiences, so that young people can understand how their actions can make a difference. Based on these experiences, I will provide my own reflections on the challenges and opportunities of communicating climate change with young people.

Popular Culture in Transglossic Language Practices of Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sultana, Shaila; Dovchin, Sender

2017-01-01

Based on virtual conversations drawn from two separate intensive ethnographic studies in Bangladesh and Mongolia, we show that popular cultural texts play a significant role in young adults' heteroglossic language practices. On the one hand, they borrow voices from cultural texts and cross the boundaries of language, i.e., codes, modes, and…

An Interactive Image Segmentation Method in Hand Gesture Recognition

PubMed Central

Chen, Disi; Li, Gongfa; Sun, Ying; Kong, Jianyi; Jiang, Guozhang; Tang, Heng; Ju, Zhaojie; Yu, Hui; Liu, Honghai

2017-01-01

In order to improve the recognition rate of hand gestures a new interactive image segmentation method for hand gesture recognition is presented, and popular methods, e.g., Graph cut, Random walker, Interactive image segmentation using geodesic star convexity, are studied in this article. The Gaussian Mixture Model was employed for image modelling and the iteration of Expectation Maximum algorithm learns the parameters of Gaussian Mixture Model. We apply a Gibbs random field to the image segmentation and minimize the Gibbs Energy using Min-cut theorem to find the optimal segmentation. The segmentation result of our method is tested on an image dataset and compared with other methods by estimating the region accuracy and boundary accuracy. Finally five kinds of hand gestures in different backgrounds are tested on our experimental platform, and the sparse representation algorithm is used, proving that the segmentation of hand gesture images helps to improve the recognition accuracy. PMID:28134818

Hypomanic Experience in Young Adults Confers Vulnerability to Intrusive Imagery After Experimental Trauma

PubMed Central

Malik, Aiysha; Goodwin, Guy M.; Hoppitt, Laura

2014-01-01

Emotional mental imagery occurs across anxiety disorders, yet is neglected in bipolar disorder despite high anxiety comorbidity. Furthermore, a heightened susceptibility to developing intrusive mental images of stressful events in bipolar disorder and people vulnerable to it (with hypomanic experience) has been suggested. The current study assessed, prospectively, whether significant hypomanic experience (contrasting groups scoring high vs. low on the Mood Disorder Questionnaire, MDQ) places individuals at increased risk of visual reexperiencing after experimental stress. A total of 110 young adults watched a trauma film and recorded film-related intrusive images for 6 days. Compared to the low MDQ group, the high MDQ group experienced approximately twice as many intrusive images, substantiated by convergent measures. Findings suggest hypomanic experience is associated with developing more frequent intrusive imagery of a stressor. Because mental imagery powerfully affects emotion, such imagery may contribute to bipolar mood instability and offer a cognitive treatment target. PMID:25419498

On the road to a neuroprosthetic hand: a novel hand grasp orthosis based on functional electrical stimulation.

PubMed

Leeb, Robert; Gubler, Miguel; Tavella, Michele; Miller, Heather; Del Millan, Jose R

2010-01-01

To patients who have lost the functionality of their hands as a result of a severe spinal cord injury or brain stroke, the development of new techniques for grasping is indispensable for reintegration and independency in daily life. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) of residual muscles can reproduce the most dominant grasping tasks and can be initialized by brain signals. However, due to the very complex hand anatomy and current limitations in FES-technology with surface electrodes, these grasp patterns cannot be smoothly executed. In this paper, we present an adaptable passive hand orthosis which is capable of producing natural and smooth movements when coupled with FES. It evenly synchronizes the grasping movements and applied forces on all fingers, allowing for naturalistic gestures and functional grasps of everyday objects. The orthosis is also equipped with a lock, which allows it to remain in the desired position without the need for long-term stimulation. Furthermore, we quantify improvements offered by the orthosis compare them with natural grasps on healthy subjects.

[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.

Relationship between directionality and orientation in drawings by young children and adults.

PubMed

Taguchi, Masanori; Noma, Yutaka

2005-08-01

The present study examined the relationship between directionality of drawing movements and the orientation of drawn products in right-handed adults and young children for 27 Japanese kindergartners and 29 Japanese university students who were asked to draw with each hand fishes in side view and circles from several starting points. Significant values of chi2 for distributions of frequencies of orientation of the fish drawings and the direction of circular drawing movement indicated that adult right-handers drawing the fish facing to the left tended to draw a circle clock-wise when they drew with the dominant hand, while there was no such significant relationship in young children's drawings. This result may suggest that the reading and writing habits may be implicated in the direction of drawing movements with the dominant hand, and this directional bias of drawing movement in the dominant hand can appear in the orientation of finished drawings.

Blended Learning Model on Hands-On Approach for In-Service Secondary School Teachers: Combination of E-Learning and Face-to-Face Discussion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ho, Vinh-Thang; Nakamori, Yoshiteru; Ho, Tu-Bao; Lim, Cher Ping

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a blended learning model on hands-on approach for in-service secondary school teachers using a quasi-experimental design. A 24-h teacher-training course using the blended learning model was administered to 117 teachers, while face-to-face instruction was given to 60 teachers. The…

A possible anatomical and biomechanical explanation of the 10% rule used in the clinical assessment of prehensile hand movements and handed dominance.

PubMed

Yielder, P; Gutnik, B; Kobrin, V; Hudson, G

2009-12-01

A current doctrine in the dynamometric approach to determine lateralization of hand function states that in 10% of cases, the non-dominant hand will be stronger than the dominant hand. In this study, a novel MRI based modelling approach was applied to the first dorsal introsseus muscle (FDI), to determine whether the 10% rule may be applied to the FDI and may be partially explained by the arrangement of the anatomical components of the FDI. Initially the force generated by the thumb segment during an isometric pushing task in the horizontal plane was measured from 25 strongly right-handed young males. Nine of these participants then had structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) of the thumb and index osseous compartment. A modelling technique was developed to extract the muscle data and quantify the muscle line of action onto to the first metacarpal bone segment in order to quantify the muscle force at the point of momentary rotation--equilibrium. Eight of 25 subjects exhibited stronger force from the left hand. Six out of nine subjects from the MRI possessed significantly greater angles of attachment of the index osseous compartment on the left (non-dominant) hand. These six subjects also generated greater maximal isometric forces from the FDI of the left side. There was a significantly greater muscle volume for the right FDI muscle as compared to the left as measured from the reconstructed MRI slice data. The calculated force produced by the muscle is related to the angle of attachment of the muscle to bone in the index osseous compartment. The MRI findings indicate that the 10% rule may be anatomically and biomechanically explained.

The facts of life on video for young Mexicans.

PubMed

Lopez Juarez, A

1988-01-01

Mexico,s family planning programs have been directed towards women of childbearing age. However, Mexico's family planning movement is now mature enough to set more ambitious goals. This paper deals exclusively with the programs for young people. MEXFAM's basic strategy has been to create, not a separate structure, but rather a movement that infiltrates all the other youth organizations. In general terms, the objectives of MEXFAM's young people's movement are to promote knowledgeable participants among those who do not have sexual relations yet, obtain active users of birth control among those who already have sexual relations, and retard the 1st pregnancy until after the woman is 20 years old. For a better chance to reach these goals, the young people's movement is using a series of untraditional methods so as to avoid the authoritarian options dictated by adult criteria. One of these educational mediums that awaken the consciousness and sense of responsibility in the youth is the video. MEXFAM's youth films are directed to different aspects of sexuality. "Dream of Reality" and "With Hands in the Pockets," deal with adolescent pregnancy; "Like Buddies" with parent-child relationships; "Escape," with drug addiction and sexual responsibility, and "The Last Train" with myths and taboos that go with 1st sexual relations. 4 of these films were produced with the help of JOICFP. 5 films planned for this year are on: the adolescent mother and communication with her own mother, communication in the adolescent couple, prostitution, the media and sexuality, and contagious sexual illness.

Transient impact of prolonged versus repetitive stretch on hand motor control in chronic stroke.

PubMed

Triandafilou, Kristen M; Ochoa, Jose; Kang, Xuan; Fischer, Heidi C; Stoykov, Mary Ellen; Kamper, Derek G

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of prolonged and repetitive passive range of motion (PROM) stretching of the fingers on hand function in stroke survivors. Fifteen chronic stroke survivors with moderate to severe hand impairment took part in the study. Participants underwent 3 experimental sessions consisting of 30 minutes of rest, prolonged, or repetitive stretching of the finger flexor muscles by a powered glove orthosis (X-Glove). Outcome measures, comprised of 3 selected tasks from the Graded Wolf Motor Function Test (GWMFT), grip strength, lateral pinch strength, and grip relaxation time, were recorded at the start and end of each session. Change in outcome score for each session was used for analysis. Data suggested a trend for improvement following stretching, especially for the repetitive PROM case. For one GWMFT task (lift washcloth), the effect of stretching condition on performance time approached a statistical significance (P = .015), with repetitive PROM stretching producing the greatest mean reduction. Similarly, repetitive stretching led to a 12% ± 16% increase in grip strength, although this change was not statistically different across groups (P = .356); and grip termination time was reduced, albeit non-significantly, by 66% ± 133%. Repetitive PROM stretching exhibited trends to be more effective than prolonged stretching for improving hand motor control. Although the results were highly variable and the effects are undoubtedly transient, an extended period of repetitive PROM stretching may prove advantageous prior to hand therapy sessions to maximize treatment.

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.

Continuous involuntary hand movements and schizencephaly: epilepsia partialis continua or dystonia?

PubMed

Marinelli, Lucio; Bonzano, Laura; Saitta, Laura; Trompetto, Carlo; Abbruzzese, Giovanni

2012-04-01

Schizencephaly is regarded as a malformation of cortical development (due to abnormal neuronal organization) and may be associated with continuous involuntary hand movements. The mechanisms underlying these movements are not clear and both dystonia and epilepsia partialis continua have been considered in previously reported cases. We describe a young patient affected by schizencephaly and continuous involuntary movements of the contralateral hand. Functional MRI showed bilateral cerebral activation, while the subject performed tapping movements with the affected hand and no significant difference in the activation pattern after diazepam infusion. Standard and back-averaged EEG showed no alterations. The results obtained from these investigations and the clinical features of the involuntary movements are not in favor of an epileptic genesis, while support the diagnosis of secondary dystonia.

A hand tracking algorithm with particle filter and improved GVF snake model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yi-qi; Wu, Ai-guo; Dong, Na; Shao, Yi-zhe

2017-07-01

To solve the problem that the accurate information of hand cannot be obtained by particle filter, a hand tracking algorithm based on particle filter combined with skin-color adaptive gradient vector flow (GVF) snake model is proposed. Adaptive GVF and skin color adaptive external guidance force are introduced to the traditional GVF snake model, guiding the curve to quickly converge to the deep concave region of hand contour and obtaining the complex hand contour accurately. This algorithm realizes a real-time correction of the particle filter parameters, avoiding the particle drift phenomenon. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can reduce the root mean square error of the hand tracking by 53%, and improve the accuracy of hand tracking in the case of complex and moving background, even with a large range of occlusion.

On the equivalence between Young's double-slit and crystal double-refraction interference experiments.

PubMed

Ossikovski, Razvigor; Arteaga, Oriol; Vizet, Jérémy; Garcia-Caurel, Enric

2017-08-01

We show, both analytically and experimentally, that under common experimental conditions the interference pattern produced in a classic Young's double-slit experiment is indistinguishable from that generated by means of a doubly refracting uniaxial crystal whose optic axis makes a skew angle with the light propagation direction. The equivalence between diffraction and crystal optics interference experiments, taken for granted by Arago and Fresnel in their pioneering research on the interference of polarized light beams, is thus rigorously proven.

The impact of active and passive peer influence on young adult smoking: an experimental study.

PubMed

Harakeh, Zeena; Vollebergh, Wilma A M

2012-03-01

Peers influence adolescent and young adult smoking, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms. It is necessary to understand whether the current assumption of peer pressure is valid, or whether an alternative explanation as imitation is more appropriate. We examined whether passive (imitation) and/or active (pressure) peer influence affects young adult smoking. An experiment was conducted among 68 daily-smoking students aged 16-24. The actual study aim was masked. Participants had to do a 30-min music task with a confederate. The experiment consisted of a 2 (smoking condition: confederate smokes or not) by 2 (pressure condition: confederate offers the participant a cigarette or not) factorial design, resulting in four conditions: (1) no smoking and no pressure (N=15); (2) smoking but no pressure (N=16); (3) pressure but no smoking (N=20); and (4) smoking and pressure (N=17). The primary outcome tested was the total number of cigarettes smoked during this music assignment. Peer smoking significantly predicted the total number of cigarettes smoked by young adults while peer pressure did not. The interaction effect of peer pressure and peer smoking was not significant. Peer pressure did not have a significant additional contribution, over and above smoking of the peer. Passive (imitation) peer influence affected young adult smoking rather than active (pressure) peer influence. Thus, smoking cessation efforts should aim at preventing interaction with smoking peers and raising awareness about its impact. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Multigrasp Hand Prosthesis for Providing Precision and Conformal Grasps

PubMed Central

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

2015-01-01

This paper presents the design of an anthropomorphic prosthetic hand that incorporates four motor units in a unique configuration to explicitly provide both precision and conformal grasp capability. The paper describes the design of the hand prosthesis, and additionally describes the design of an embedded control system located in the palm of the hand that enables self-contained control of hand movement. Following the design description, the paper provides experimental characterizations of hand performance, including digit force capability, bandwidth of digit movement, physical properties such as size and mass, and electrical power measurements during activities of daily living. PMID:26167111

Efficacy of Instant Hand Sanitizers against Foodborne Pathogens Compared with Hand Washing with Soap and Water in Food Preparation Settings: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Foddai, Antonio C G; Grant, Irene R; Dean, Moira

2016-06-01

Hands can be a vector for transmitting pathogenic microorganisms to foodstuffs and drinks, and to the mouths of susceptible hosts. Hand washing is the primary barrier to prevent transmission of enteric pathogens via cross-contamination from infected persons. Conventional hand washing involves the use of water, soap, and friction to remove dirt and microorganisms. The availability of hand sanitizing products for use when water and soap are unavailable has increased in recent years. The aim of this systematic review was to collate scientific information on the efficacy of hand sanitizers compared with washing hands with soap and water for the removal of foodborne pathogens from the hands of food handlers. An extensive literature search was carried out using three electronic databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. Twenty-eight scientific publications were ultimately included in the review. Analysis of this literature revealed various limitations in the scientific information owing to the absence of a standardized protocol for evaluating the efficacy of hand products and variation in experimental conditions. However, despite conflicting results, scientific evidence seems to support the historical skepticism about the use of waterless hand sanitizers in food preparation settings. Water and soap appear to be more effective than waterless products for removal of soil and microorganisms from hands. Alcohol-based products achieve rapid and effective inactivation of various bacteria, but their efficacy is generally lower against nonenveloped viruses. The presence of food debris significantly affects the microbial inactivation rate of hand sanitizers.

DIETARY EXPOSURES OF YOUNG CHILDREN, PART 1: MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND STUDY DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

Young children contact surfaces (hands, floors, etc.) that may be contaminated with pesticides. Thus, dietary exposures of young children are difficult to measure, but are needed to support the aggregate exposure assessments. Evaluation of dietary field protocols and a total die...

Enteric Pathogens in Stored Drinking Water and on Caregiver’s Hands in Tanzanian Households with and without Reported Cases of Child Diarrhea

PubMed Central

Mattioli, Mia Catharine; Boehm, Alexandria B.; Davis, Jennifer; Harris, Angela R.; Mrisho, Mwifadhi; Pickering, Amy J.

2014-01-01

Background Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of mortality in young children. Diarrheal pathogens are transmitted via the fecal-oral route, and for children the majority of this transmission is thought to occur within the home. However, very few studies have documented enteric pathogens within households of low-income countries. Methods and Findings The presence of molecular markers for three enteric viruses (enterovirus, adenovirus, and rotavirus), seven Escherichia coli virulence genes (ECVG), and human-specific Bacteroidales was assessed in hand rinses and household stored drinking water in Bagamoyo, Tanzania. Using a matched case-control study design, we examined the relationship between contamination of hands and water with these markers and child diarrhea. We found that the presence of ECVG in household stored water was associated with a significant decrease in the odds of a child within the home having diarrhea (OR = 0.51; 95% confidence interval 0.27–0.93). We also evaluated water management and hygiene behaviors. Recent hand contact with water or food was positively associated with detection of enteric pathogen markers on hands, as was relatively lower volumes of water reportedly used for daily hand washing. Enteropathogen markers in stored drinking water were more likely found among households in which the markers were also detected on hands, as well as in households with unimproved water supply and sanitation infrastructure. Conclusions The prevalence of enteric pathogen genes and the human-specific Bacteroidales fecal marker in stored water and on hands suggests extensive environmental contamination within homes both with and without reported child diarrhea. Better stored water quality among households with diarrhea indicates caregivers with sick children may be more likely to ensure safe drinking water in the home. Interventions to increase the quantity of water available for hand washing, and to improve food hygiene, may reduce exposure to

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'…

Visual, motor and attentional influences on proprioceptive contributions to perception of hand path rectilinearity during reaching

PubMed Central

Scheidt, Robert A.; Lillis, Kyle P.; Emerson, Scott J.

2010-01-01

We examined how proprioceptive contributions to perception of hand path straightness are influenced by visual, motor and attentional sources of performance variability during horizontal planar reaching. Subjects held the handle of a robot that constrained goal-directed movements of the hand to paths of controlled curvature. Subjects attempted to detect the presence of hand path curvature during both active (subject-driven) and passive (robot-driven) movements that either required active muscle force production or not. Subjects were less able to discriminate curved from straight paths when actively reaching for a target vs. when the robot moved their hand through the same curved paths. This effect was especially evident during robot-driven movements requiring concurrent activation of lengthening but not shortening muscles. Subjects were less likely to report curvature and were more variable in reporting when movements appeared straight in a novel “visual channel” condition previously shown to block adaptive updating of motor commands in response to deviations from a straight-line hand path. Similarly compromised performance was obtained when subjects simultaneously performed a distracting secondary task (key pressing with the contralateral hand). The effects compounded when these last two treatments were combined. It is concluded that environmental, intrinsic and attentional factors all impact the ability to detect deviations from a rectilinear hand path during goal-directed movement by decreasing proprioceptive contributions to limb state estimation. In contrast, response variability increased only in experimental conditions thought to impose additional attentional demands on the observer. Implications of these results for perception and other sensorimotor behaviors are discussed. PMID:20532489

Effects of conventional neurological treatment and a virtual reality training program on eye-hand coordination in children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Shin, Ji-Won; Song, Gui-Bin; Hwangbo, Gak

2015-07-01

[Purpose] The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of conventional neurological treatment and a virtual reality training program on eye-hand coordination in children with cerebral palsy. [Subjects] Sixteen children (9 males, 7 females) with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were recruited and randomly assigned to the conventional neurological physical therapy group (CG) and virtual reality training group (VRG). [Methods] Eight children in the control group performed 45 minutes of therapeutic exercise twice a week for eight weeks. In the experimental group, the other eight children performed 30 minutes of therapeutic exercise and 15 minutes of a training program using virtual reality twice a week during the experimental period. [Results] After eight weeks of the training program, there were significant differences in eye-hand coordination and visual motor speed in the comparison of the virtual reality training group with the conventional neurological physical therapy group. [Conclusion] We conclude that a well-designed training program using virtual reality can improve eye-hand coordination in children with cerebral palsy.

Do Right- and Left-Handed Monkeys Differ on Cognitive Measures?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopkins, William D.; Washburn, David A.

1994-01-01

Twelve left- and 14 right-handed monkeys were compared on 6 measures of cognitive performance (2 maze-solving tasks, matching-to-sample, delayed matching-to-sample, delayed response using spatial cues, and delayed response using form cues). The dependent variable was trials-to-training criterion for each of the 6 tasks. Significant differences were found between left- and right-handed monkeys on the 2 versions of the delayed response task. Right-handed monkeys reached criterion significantly faster on the form cue version of the task, whereas left-handed monkeys reached criterion significantly faster on delayed response for spatial position (p less than .05). The results suggest that sensitive hand preference measures of laterality can reveal differences in cognitive performance, which in turn may reflect underlying laterality in functional organization of the nervous system.

Changes in antidepressant use by young people and suicidal behavior after FDA warnings and media coverage: quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Lu, Christine Y; Zhang, Fang; Lakoma, Matthew D; Madden, Jeanne M; Rusinak, Donna; Penfold, Robert B; Simon, Gregory; Ahmedani, Brian K; Clarke, Gregory; Hunkeler, Enid M; Waitzfelder, Beth; Owen-Smith, Ashli; Raebel, Marsha A; Rossom, Rebecca; Coleman, Karen J; Copeland, Laurel A; Soumerai, Stephen B

2014-06-18

To investigate if the widely publicized warnings in 2003 from the US Food and Drug Administration about a possible increased risk of suicidality with antidepressant use in young people were associated with changes in antidepressant use, suicide attempts, and completed suicides among young people. Quasi-experimental study assessing changes in outcomes after the warnings, controlling for pre-existing trends. Automated healthcare claims data (2000-10) derived from the virtual data warehouse of 11 health plans in the US Mental Health Research Network. Study cohorts included adolescents (around 1.1 million), young adults (around 1.4 million), and adults (around 5 million). Rates of antidepressant dispensings, psychotropic drug poisonings (a validated proxy for suicide attempts), and completed suicides. Trends in antidepressant use and poisonings changed abruptly after the warnings. In the second year after the warnings, relative changes in antidepressant use were -31.0% (95% confidence interval -33.0% to -29.0%) among adolescents, -24.3% (-25.4% to -23.2%) among young adults, and -14.5% (-16.0% to -12.9%) among adults. These reflected absolute reductions of 696, 1216, and 1621 dispensings per 100,000 people among adolescents, young adults, and adults, respectively. Simultaneously, there were significant, relative increases in psychotropic drug poisonings in adolescents (21.7%, 95% confidence interval 4.9% to 38.5%) and young adults (33.7%, 26.9% to 40.4%) but not among adults (5.2%, -6.5% to 16.9%). These reflected absolute increases of 2 and 4 poisonings per 100,000 people among adolescents and young adults, respectively (approximately 77 additional poisonings in our cohort of 2.5 million young people). Completed suicides did not change for any age group. Safety warnings about antidepressants and widespread media coverage decreased antidepressant use, and there were simultaneous increases in suicide attempts among young people. It is essential to monitor and reduce

Enhancement of figural creativity by motor activation: effects of unilateral hand contractions on creativity are moderated by positive schizotypy.

PubMed

Rominger, Christian; Papousek, Ilona; Fink, Andreas; Weiss, Elisabeth M

2014-01-01

Creativity is an important trait necessary to achieve innovations in science, economy, arts and daily life. Therefore, the enhancement of creative performance is a significant field of investigation. A recent experiment showed enhanced verbal creativity after unilateral left-hand contractions, which was attributed to elevated activation of the right hemisphere. The present study aimed to extend these findings to the domain of figural creativity. Furthermore, as creativity and positive schizotypy may share some neurobiological underpinnings associated with the right hemisphere, we studied the potential moderating effect of positive schizotypy on the effects of the experimental modification of relative hemispheric activation on creativity. In a gender-balanced sample (20 men and 20 women), squeezing a hand gripper with the left hand enhanced figural creativity on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking compared to squeezing the gripper with the right hand. However, this was only true when positive schizotypy was low. The moderating effect of schizotypy may be produced by relatively greater activity of certain parts of the right hemisphere being a shared neuronal correlate of creativity and positive schizotypy.

An Analogue Assessment of Repetitive Hand Behaviours in Girls and Young Women with Rett Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wales, L.; Charman, T.; Mount, R. H.

2004-01-01

Rett syndrome is a neuro-developmental disorder that almost exclusively affects females. In addition to neuro-developmental regression and loss of hand skills, apraxia, deceleration of head growth, and increasing spasticity and scoliosis, a number of behavioural features are also seen, including stereotypic hand movements, hyperventilation and…

Computer Use and Its Effect on the Memory Process in Young and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliprandini, Paula Mariza Zedu; Straub, Sandra Luzia Wrobel; Brugnera, Elisangela; de Oliveira, Tânia Pitombo; Souza, Isabela Augusta Andrade

2013-01-01

This work investigates the effect of computer use in the memory process in young and adults under the Perceptual and Memory experimental conditions. The memory condition involved the phases acquisition of information and recovery, on time intervals (2 min, 24 hours and 1 week) on situations of pre and post-test (before and after the participants…

Hippocampal participation in navigational map learning in young homing pigeons is dependent on training experience.

PubMed

Ioalè, P; Gagliardo, A; Bingman, V P

2000-02-01

The homing pigeon navigational map is perhaps one of the most striking examples of a naturally occurring spatial representation of the environment used to guide navigation. In a previous study, it was found that hippocampal lesions thoroughly disrupt the ability of young homing pigeons held in an outdoor aviary to learn a navigational map. However, since that study an accumulation of anecdotal data has hinted that hippocampal-lesioned young pigeons allowed to fly during their first summer could learn a navigational map. In the present study, young control and hippocampal-lesioned homing pigeons were either held in an outdoor aviary or allowed to fly during the time of navigational map learning. At the end of their first summer, the birds were experimentally released to test for navigational map learning. Independent of training experience, control pigeons oriented homeward during the experimental releases demonstrating that they learned a navigational map. Surprisingly, while the aviary-held hippocampal-lesioned pigeons failed to learn a navigational map as reported previously, hippocampal-lesioned birds allowed flight experience learned a navigational map indistinguishable from the two control groups. A subsequent experiment revealed that the navigational map learned by the three groups was based on atmospheric odours. The results demonstrate that hippocampal participation in navigational map learning depends on the type of experience a young bird pigeon has, and presumably, the type of navigational map learned.

Effects of dietary selenium on host response to necrotic enteritis in young broilers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effects of dietary supplementation of young broiler chickens with a new organic selenium (Se) formulation, B-Traxim Se, on the host response to experimental necrotic enteritis (NE) were studied. Broiler chickens treated with three Se doses (0.25, 0.50, 1.00 mg/kg) from hatch were orally challeng...

Epidemiology of isolated hand injuries in the United Arab Emirates

PubMed Central

Grivna, Michal; Eid, Hani O; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M

2016-01-01

AIM To provide suggestions for hand injury prevention by study the demography and risk factors of casualties suffering from isolated hand injuries. METHODS All trauma patients with isolated hand injuries who were admitted to Al Ain Hospital for more than 24 h during a period of 3 years were studied. Patient demographics, location, mechanism/time of injury, and length of hospital stay were all analyzed. RESULTS Two hundred and ten patients were studied. Their mean age was 29.7 years. Males constituted 92%. Sixty-five point one percent of all cases were from the Indian subcontinent. The workplace was the most common location of injury (67.1%), followed by the home (17.1%) and road (6.2%). Machinery caused 36.2% of all injuries, followed by heavy object (20.5%) and fall (11%). Cases injured at home were young (P < 0.0001) with an associated higher incidence of females (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Male workers in Al Ain city are at greater risk of sustaining hand injuries, predominantly from machinery. Safety education, personal protection, and the enforcement of safety standards are essential to the prevention and avoidance of hand injury. PMID:27672570

Are You Suggesting That's My Hand? The Relation Between Hypnotic Suggestibility and the Rubber Hand Illusion.

PubMed

Walsh, E; Guilmette, D N; Longo, M R; Moore, J W; Oakley, D A; Halligan, P W; Mehta, M A; Deeley, Q

2015-01-01

Hypnotic suggestibility (HS) is the ability to respond automatically to suggestions and to experience alterations in perception and behavior. Hypnotically suggestible participants are also better able to focus and sustain their attention on an experimental stimulus. The present study explores the relation between HS and susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI). Based on previous research with visual illusions, it was predicted that higher HS would lead to a stronger RHI. Two behavioral output measures of the RHI, an implicit (proprioceptive drift) and an explicit (RHI questionnaire) measure, were correlated against HS scores. Hypnotic suggestibility correlated positively with the implicit RHI measure contributing to 30% of the variation. However, there was no relation between HS and the explicit RHI questionnaire measure, or with compliance control items. High hypnotic suggestibility may facilitate, via attentional mechanisms, the multisensory integration of visuoproprioceptive inputs that leads to greater perceptual mislocalization of a participant's hand. These results may provide insight into the multisensory brain mechanisms involved in our sense of embodiment.

Hands-on optics and photonics outreach in Riga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lesina, Natalija; Spigulis, Janis

2014-07-01

A long-term exposition focused on optics and photonics was created in Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy at University of Latvia in 2010. Considering unpopularity of science in Latvia and lack of broadly accessible hands-on outreach activities for school children, as well as rapid development of advanced photonic technologies, this exposition was meant to involve more students to the natural sciences and modern technologies. Exposition covers 10 topics of optics - colors, diffraction, interference, polarization, reflection, liquid crystals, gas discharge, lasers, fluorescence, infrared and ultraviolet radiation. Students' visits are organized as an exciting adventure, which differs from ordinary school lessons. The visit mainly includes own actions with hands-on exhibits, lecturer's explanations about the most difficult topics and some demonstrations shown by the lecturer. The main accent is made on hands-on experiments due to the fact that students, who had performed hands-on experiments, will be emboldened to choose their career in the field of science and technologies. The exposition now is running and is part of Riga Photonics Center. Nearly 300 students from the 8th till 12th grades visited it during academic years 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 and their generally positive feedback has been analyzed.

The Influence of Speed and Grade on Wheelchair Propulsion Hand Pattern

PubMed Central

Slowik, Jonathan S.; Requejo, Philip S.; Mulroy, Sara J.; Neptune, Richard R.

2015-01-01

Background The hand pattern used during manual wheelchair propulsion (i.e., full-cycle hand path) can provide insight into an individual's propulsion technique. However, previous analyses of hand patterns have been limited by their focus on a single propulsion condition and reliance on subjective qualitative characterization methods. The purpose of this study was to develop a set of objective quantitative parameters to characterize hand patterns and determine the influence of propulsion speed and grade of incline on the patterns preferred by manual wheelchair users. Methods Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from 170 experienced manual wheelchair users on an ergometer during three conditions: level propulsion at their self-selected speed, level propulsion at their fastest comfortable speed, and graded propulsion (8%) at their level self-selected speed. Hand patterns were quantified using a set of objective parameters and differences across conditions were identified. Findings Increased propulsion speed resulted in a shift away from under-rim hand patterns. Increased grade of incline resulted in the hand remaining near the handrim throughout the cycle. Interpretation Manual wheelchair users change their hand pattern based on task-specific constraints and goals. Further work is needed to investigate how differences between hand patterns influence upper extremity demand and potentially lead to the development of overuse injuries and pain. PMID:26228706

LIB LAB the Library Laboratory: hands-on multimedia science communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fillo, Aaron; Niemeyer, Kyle

2017-11-01

Teaching scientific research topics to K-12 audiences in an engaging and meaningful way does not need to be hard; with the right insight and techniques it can be fun to encourage self-guided STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) exploration. LIB LAB, short for Library Laboratory, is an educational video series produced by Aaron J. Fillo at Oregon State University in partnership with the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library targeted at K-12 students. Each episode explores a variety of scientific fundamentals with playful experiments and demonstrations. The video lessons are developed using evidence-based practices such as dispelling misconceptions, and language immersion. Each video includes directions for a related experiment that young viewers can conduct at home. In addition, science kits for these at-home experiments are distributed for free to students through the public library network in Benton County, Oregon. This talk will focus on the development of multimedia science education tools and several techniques that scientists can use to engage with a broad audience more effectively. Using examples from the LIB LAB YouTube Channel and collection of hands-on science demonstrations and take-home kits, this talk will present STEAM education in action. Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Switching to the Rubber Hand

PubMed Central

Yeh, Su-Ling; Lane, Timothy Joseph; Chang, An-Yi; Chien, Sung-En

2017-01-01

Inducing the rubber hand illusion (RHI) requires that participants look at an imitation hand while it is stroked in synchrony with their occluded biological hand. Previous explanations of the RHI have emphasized multisensory integration, and excluded higher cognitive functions. We investigated the relationship between the RHI and higher cognitive functions by experimentally testing task switch (as measured by switch cost) and mind wandering (as measured by SART score); we also included a questionnaire for attentional control that comprises two subscales, attention-shift and attention-focus. To assess experience of RHI, the Botvinick and Cohen (1998) questionnaire was used and illusion onset time was recorded. Our results indicate that rapidity of onset reliably indicates illusion strength. Regression analysis revealed that participants evincing less switch cost and higher attention-shift scores had faster RHI onset times, and that those with higher attention-shift scores experienced the RHI more vividly. These results suggest that the multi-sensory hypothesis is not sufficient to explain the illusion: higher cognitive functions should be taken into account when explaining variation in the experience of ownership for the rubber hand. PMID:29312048

Hand effects on mentally simulated reaching.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Ammar, Diala; Rodrigues, Luis

2005-08-01

Within the area of simulated (imagined) versus actual movement research, investigators have discovered that mentally simulated movements, like real actions, are controlled primarily by the hemispheres contralateral to the simulated limb. Furthermore, evidence points to a left-brain advantage for accuracy of simulated movements. With this information it could be suggested that, compared to left-handers, most right-handers would have an advantage. To test this hypothesis, strong right- and left-handers were compared on judgments of perceived reachability to visual targets lasting 150 ms in multiple locations of midline, right- and left-visual field (RVF/LVF). In reference to within group responses, we found no hemispheric or hand use advantage for right-handers. Although left-handers revealed no hemispheric advantage, there was a significant hand effect, favoring the non-dominant limb, most notably in LVF. This finding is explained in regard to a possible interference effect for left-handers, not shown for right-handers. Overall, left-handers displayed significantly more errors across hemispace. Therefore, it appears that when comparing hand groups, a left-hemisphere advantage favoring right-handers is plausible.

Hybrid force-velocity sliding mode control of a prosthetic hand.

PubMed

Engeberg, Erik D; Meek, Sanford G; Minor, Mark A

2008-05-01

Four different methods of hand prosthesis control are developed and examined experimentally. Open-loop control is shown to offer the least sensitivity when manipulating objects. Force feedback substantially improves upon open-loop control. However, it is shown that the inclusion of velocity and/or position feedback in a hybrid force-velocity control scheme can further improve the functionality of hand prostheses. Experimental results indicate that the sliding mode controller with force, position, and velocity feedback is less prone to unwanted force overshoot when initially grasping objects than the other controllers.

Hand pose estimation in depth image using CNN and random forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xi; Cao, Zhiguo; Xiao, Yang; Fang, Zhiwen

2018-03-01

Thanks to the availability of low cost depth cameras, like Microsoft Kinect, 3D hand pose estimation attracted special research attention in these years. Due to the large variations in hand`s viewpoint and the high dimension of hand motion, 3D hand pose estimation is still challenging. In this paper we propose a two-stage framework which joint with CNN and Random Forest to boost the performance of hand pose estimation. First, we use a standard Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to regress the hand joints` locations. Second, using a Random Forest to refine the joints from the first stage. In the second stage, we propose a pyramid feature which merges the information flow of the CNN. Specifically, we get the rough joints` location from first stage, then rotate the convolutional feature maps (and image). After this, for each joint, we map its location to each feature map (and image) firstly, then crop features at each feature map (and image) around its location, put extracted features to Random Forest to refine at last. Experimentally, we evaluate our proposed method on ICVL dataset and get the mean error about 11mm, our method is also real-time on a desktop.

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.

The Effect of Hands-On Activities on Children's Knowledge and Disgust for Animals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prokop, Pavol; Fancovicová, Jana

2017-01-01

Research has shown that hands-on activities in biology/science education tend to improve children's attitudes towards science. These hands-on activities can influence children's interest in various ways, perhaps because they invoke varying emotions. We used a sample of 10-12-year-old children (n = 142) to examine the effect of hands-on activities…

[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.

Hand grip strength and anthropometric characteristics in Italian female national basketball teams.

PubMed

Pizzigalli, Luisa; Micheletti Cremasco, Margherita; LA Torre, Antonio; Rainoldi, Alberto; Benis, Roberto

2017-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of hand and body dimensions on hand grip strength and to define a reference scale for talent identification in basketball players. Body and hand anthropometric data and the maximal handgrip strength of 109 female Italian basketball National players (Under14-Seniores) were measured. Handgrip strength and arm length trend increased, raising the statistical significant differences only for players from the age of 19 (U20, Seniores) with respect to sub-elite groups (U14, U15) (P<0.05). Handgrip strength showed low positive correlations with height and Body Mass Index but a positive relationships with arm length (r=0.5; P<0.001). Findings underline training and years of practice have effects on increasing handgrip strength. Data show that to select female basketball players by arm length means selecting by handgrip strength. Thus it is possible to suggest that in addition to height, arm length could also be considered a useful parameter in young female talent identification.

Sleeping on the rubber-hand illusion: Memory reactivation during sleep facilitates multisensory recalibration.

PubMed

Honma, Motoyasu; Plass, John; Brang, David; Florczak, Susan M; Grabowecky, Marcia; Paller, Ken A

2016-01-01

Plasticity is essential in body perception so that physical changes in the body can be accommodated and assimilated. Multisensory integration of visual, auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive signals contributes both to conscious perception of the body's current state and to associated learning. However, much is unknown about how novel information is assimilated into body perception networks in the brain. Sleep-based consolidation can facilitate various types of learning via the reactivation of networks involved in prior encoding or through synaptic down-scaling. Sleep may likewise contribute to perceptual learning of bodily information by providing an optimal time for multisensory recalibration. Here we used methods for targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during slow-wave sleep to examine the influence of sleep-based reactivation of experimentally induced alterations in body perception. The rubber-hand illusion was induced with concomitant auditory stimulation in 24 healthy participants on 3 consecutive days. While each participant was sleeping in his or her own bed during intervening nights, electrophysiological detection of slow-wave sleep prompted covert stimulation with either the sound heard during illusion induction, a counterbalanced novel sound, or neither. TMR systematically enhanced feelings of bodily ownership after subsequent inductions of the rubber-hand illusion. TMR also enhanced spatial recalibration of perceived hand location in the direction of the rubber hand. This evidence for a sleep-based facilitation of a body-perception illusion demonstrates that the spatial recalibration of multisensory signals can be altered overnight to stabilize new learning of bodily representations. Sleep-based memory processing may thus constitute a fundamental component of body-image plasticity.

Astronaut John Young collecting samples at North Ray crater during EVA

NASA Image and Video Library

1972-04-23

AS16-117-18826 (23 April 1972) --- Astronaut John W. Young collects samples at the North Ray Crater geological site during the mission's third and final Apollo 16 extravehicular activity (EVA). He has a rake in his hand, and the gnomon is near his foot. Note how soiled Young's Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is. While astronauts Young, commander; and Charles M. Duke Jr., lunar module pilot; descended in the Apollo 16 Lunar Module (LM) "Orion" to explore the Descartes highlands landing site on the moon, astronaut Thomas K. Mattingly II, command module pilot, remained with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) "Casper" in lunar orbit.

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

Effects of fast food branding on young children's taste preferences.

PubMed

Robinson, Thomas N; Borzekowski, Dina L G; Matheson, Donna M; Kraemer, Helena C

2007-08-01

To examine the effects of cumulative, real-world marketing and brand exposures on young children by testing the influence of branding from a heavily marketed source on taste preferences. Experimental study. Children tasted 5 pairs of identical foods and beverages in packaging from McDonald's and matched but unbranded packaging and were asked to indicate if they tasted the same or if one tasted better. Preschools for low-income children. Sixty-three children (mean +/- SD age, 4.6 +/- 0.5 years; range, 3.5-5.4 years). Branding of fast foods. A summary total taste preference score (ranging from -1 for the unbranded samples to 0 for no preference and +1 for McDonald's branded samples) was used to test the null hypothesis that children would express no preference. The mean +/- SD total taste preference score across all food comparisons was 0.37 +/- 0.45 (median, 0.20; interquartile range, 0.00-0.80) and significantly greater than zero (P<.001), indicating that children preferred the tastes of foods and drinks if they thought they were from McDonald's. Moderator analysis found significantly greater effects of branding among children with more television sets in their homes and children who ate food from McDonald's more often. Branding of foods and beverages influences young children's taste perceptions. The findings are consistent with recommendations to regulate marketing to young children and also suggest that branding may be a useful strategy for improving young children's eating behaviors.

The influence of speed and grade on wheelchair propulsion hand pattern.

PubMed

Slowik, Jonathan S; Requejo, Philip S; Mulroy, Sara J; Neptune, Richard R

2015-11-01

The hand pattern used during manual wheelchair propulsion (i.e., full-cycle hand path) can provide insight into an individual's propulsion technique. However, previous analyses of hand patterns have been limited by their focus on a single propulsion condition and reliance on subjective qualitative characterization methods. The purpose of this study was to develop a set of objective quantitative parameters to characterize hand patterns and determine the influence of propulsion speed and grade of incline on the patterns preferred by manual wheelchair users. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from 170 experienced manual wheelchair users on an ergometer during three conditions: level propulsion at their self-selected speed, level propulsion at their fastest comfortable speed and graded propulsion (8%) at their level self-selected speed. Hand patterns were quantified using a set of objective parameters, and differences across conditions were identified. Increased propulsion speed resulted in a shift away from under-rim hand patterns. Increased grade of incline resulted in the hand remaining near the handrim throughout the cycle. Manual wheelchair users change their hand pattern based on task-specific constraints and goals. Further work is needed to investigate how differences between hand patterns influence upper extremity demand and potentially lead to the development of overuse injuries and pain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neural Bases of Peri-Hand Space Plasticity through Tool-Use: Insights from a Combined Computational-Experimental Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magosso, Elisa; Ursino, Mauro; di Pellegrino, Giuseppe; Ladavas, Elisabetta; Serino, Andrea

2010-01-01

Visual peripersonal space (i.e., the space immediately surrounding the body) is represented by multimodal neurons integrating tactile stimuli applied on a body part with visual stimuli delivered near the same body part, e.g., the hand. Tool use may modify the boundaries of the peri-hand area, where vision and touch are integrated. The neural…

The Classroom Manager. Hands-on Multimedia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaplan, Nancy; And Others

1992-01-01

Four teachers discuss how they help students create hands-on, multimedia reports and presentations. Ideas include using hypertext programs on classroom computers to make computerized notecards of data on study topics, using CD-ROM disks for research, creating storyboards of videotaped reports, and setting up schedules for videotaping. (SM)

Balancing "hands-on" with "hands-off" physical therapy interventions for the treatment of central sensitization pain in osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Lluch Girbés, E; Meeus, M; Baert, I; Nijs, J

2015-04-01

Traditional understanding of osteoarthritis-related pain has recently been challenged in light of evidence supporting a key role of central sensitization in a subgroup of this population. This fact may erroneously lead musculoskeletal therapists to conclude that hands-on interventions have no place in OA management, and that hands-off interventions must be applied exclusively. The aim of this paper is to encourage clinicians in finding an equilibrium between hands-on and hands-off interventions in patients with osteoarthritis-related pain dominated by central sensitization. The theoretical rationale for simultaneous application of manual therapy and pain neuroscience education is presented. Practical problems when combining these interventions are also addressed. Future studies should explore the combined effects of these treatment strategies to examine whether they increase therapeutic outcomes against current approaches for chronic osteoarthritis-related pain. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of hand sanitizer on the performance of fingermark detection techniques.

PubMed

Chadwick, Scott; Neskoski, Melissa; Spindler, Xanthe; Lennard, Chris; Roux, Claude

2017-04-01

Hand sanitizers have seen a rapid increase in popularity amongst the general population and this increased use has led to the belief that hand sanitizers may have an effect on subsequent fingermark detection. Based on this hypothesis, three alcoholic and two non-alcoholic hand sanitizers were evaluated to determine the effect they had on the detection of fingermarks deposited after their use. The following fingermark detection methods were applied: 1,2-indanedione-zinc, ninhydrin, physical developer (porous substrate); and cyanoacrylate, rhodamine 6G, magnetic powder (non-porous substrate). Comparison between hand sanitized fingermarks and non-hand sanitized fingermarks showed that the alcohol-based hand sanitizers did not result in any visible differences in fingermark quality. The non-alcoholic hand sanitizers, however, improved the quality of fingermarks developed with 1,2-indanedione-zinc and ninhydrin, and marginally improved those developed with magnetic powder. Different parameters, including time since hand sanitizer application prior to fingermark deposition and age of deposited mark, were tested to determine the longevity of increased development quality. The non-alcoholic hand sanitized marks showed no decrease in quality when aged for up to two weeks. The time since sanitizer application was determined to be an important factor that affected the quality of non-alcoholic hand sanitized fingermarks. It was hypothesized that the active ingredient in non-alcoholic hand sanitizers, benzalkonium chloride, is responsible for the increase in fingermark development quality observed with amino acid reagents, while the increased moisture content present on the ridges resulted in better powdered fingermarks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Young Craters on Smooth Plains

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-01-15

This image, from NASA Mariner 10 spacecraft which launched in 1974, shows young craters superposed on smooth plains. Larger young craters have central peaks, flat floors, terraced walls, and radial ejecta deposits.

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.

THE EFFECT OF HAND DOMINANCE ON MARTIAL ARTS STRIKES

PubMed Central

Neto, Osmar Pinto; Silva, Jansen Henrique; de Miranda Marzullo, Ana Carolina; Bolander, Richard P.; Bir, Cynthia A.

2011-01-01

The main goal of this study was to compare dominant and non-dominant martial arts palm strikes under different circumstances that usually happen during martial arts and combative sports applications. Seven highly experienced (10 ± 5 years) right hand dominant Kung Fu practitioners performed strikes with both hands, stances with left or right lead legs, and with the possibility or not of stepping towards the target (moving stance). Peak force was greater for the dominant hand strikes (1593.76 ± 703.45 N vs. 1042.28 ± 374.16 N; p < .001), whereas no difference was found in accuracy between the hands (p = .141). Additionally, peak force was greater for the strikes with moving stance (1448.75 ± 686.01 N vs. 1201.80 ± 547.98 N; p = .002) and left lead leg stance (1378.06 ± 705.48 N vs.1269.96 ± 547.08 N). Furthermore, the difference in peak force between strikes with moving and stationary stances was statistically significant only for the strikes performed with a left lead leg stance (p = .007). Hand speed was higher for the dominant hand strikes (5.82 ± 1.08 m/s vs. 5.24 ± 0.78 m/s; p = 0.001) and for the strikes with moving stance (5.79 ± 1.01 m/s vs. 5.29 ± 0.90 m/s; p < .001). The difference in hand speed between right and left hand strikes was only significant for strikes with moving stance. In summary, our results suggest that the stronger palm strike for a right-handed practitioner is a right hand strike on a left lead leg stance moving towards the target. PMID:22047701

Extending a Hands-On Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Mestre, Neville

2004-01-01

This paper describes a "hands-on task" called Number Tiles, which is Task 43 in the collection constructed for the Mathematics Task Centre Project, and available at www.blackdouglas.com.au or www.curriculum.edu.au. This task is rich in possibilities and directions. It should be used as a planned curriculum experience at several year levels to…

Comparison of hand hygiene procedures for removing Bacillus cereus spores.

PubMed

Sasahara, Teppei; Hayashi, Shunji; Hosoda, Kouichi; Morisawa, Yuji; Hirai, Yoshikazu

2014-01-01

Bacillus cereus is a spore-forming bacterium. B. cereus occasionally causes nosocomial infections, in which hand contamination with the spores plays an important role. Therefore, hand hygiene is the most important practice for controlling nosocomial B. cereus infections. This study aimed to determine the appropriate hand hygiene procedure for removing B. cereus spores. Thirty volunteers' hands were experimentally contaminated with B. cereus spores, after which they performed 6 different hand hygiene procedures. We compared the efficacy of the procedures in removing the spores from hands. The alcohol-based hand-rubbing procedures scarcely removed them. The soap washing procedures reduced the number of spores by more than 2 log10. Extending the washing time increased the spore-removing efficacy of the washing procedures. There was no significant difference in efficacy between the use of plain soap and antiseptic soap. Handwashing with soap is appropriate for removing B. cereus spores from hands. Alcohol-based hand-rubbing is not effective.

Exposure to digital marketing enhances young adults’ interest in energy drinks: An exploratory investigation

PubMed Central

Buchanan, Limin; Kelly, Bridget; Yeatman, Heather

2017-01-01

Young adults experience faster weight gain and consume more unhealthy food than any other age groups. The impact of online food marketing on “digital native” young adults is unclear. This study examined the effects of online marketing on young adults’ consumption behaviours, using energy drinks as a case example. The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion was used as the theoretical basis. A pre-test post-test experimental research design was adopted using mixed-methods. Participants (aged 18–24) were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups (N = 30 each). Experimental group participants’ attitudes towards and intended purchase and consumption of energy drinks were examined via surveys and semi-structured interviews after their exposure to two popular energy drink brands’ websites and social media sites (exposure time 8 minutes). Exposure to digital marketing contents of energy drinks improved the experimental group participants’ attitudes towards and purchase and consumption intention of energy drinks. This study indicates the influential power of unhealthy online marketing on cognitively mature young adults. This study draws public health attentions to young adults, who to date have been less of a focus of researchers but are influenced by online food advertising. PMID:28152016

Exposure to digital marketing enhances young adults' interest in energy drinks: An exploratory investigation.

PubMed

Buchanan, Limin; Kelly, Bridget; Yeatman, Heather

2017-01-01

Young adults experience faster weight gain and consume more unhealthy food than any other age groups. The impact of online food marketing on "digital native" young adults is unclear. This study examined the effects of online marketing on young adults' consumption behaviours, using energy drinks as a case example. The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion was used as the theoretical basis. A pre-test post-test experimental research design was adopted using mixed-methods. Participants (aged 18-24) were randomly assigned to control or experimental groups (N = 30 each). Experimental group participants' attitudes towards and intended purchase and consumption of energy drinks were examined via surveys and semi-structured interviews after their exposure to two popular energy drink brands' websites and social media sites (exposure time 8 minutes). Exposure to digital marketing contents of energy drinks improved the experimental group participants' attitudes towards and purchase and consumption intention of energy drinks. This study indicates the influential power of unhealthy online marketing on cognitively mature young adults. This study draws public health attentions to young adults, who to date have been less of a focus of researchers but are influenced by online food advertising.

Do young toddlers act on their social preferences?

PubMed

Dahl, Audun; Schuck, Rachel K; Campos, Joseph J

2013-10-01

From preschool age to adulthood, most humans prefer to help someone who has treated others well over helping someone who has treated others badly. Researchers have recently made opposing predictions about whether such observation-based preferential helping is present when children begin to help in the second year of life. In the present study, 84 toddlers (16-27 months) observed 1 experimenter (antisocial) take a ball from, and 1 experimenter (prosocial) return a ball to, a neutral experimenter. In subsequent tests, children could help either the antisocial or the prosocial experimenter. Only the oldest children showed a significant preference for helping the prosocial agent first. Most children in all age groups were willing to help both experimenters when given multiple opportunities to help. Across age groups, children who looked longer at the continuation of the antisocial interaction were more likely to help the prosocial agent. These findings suggest that social evaluations do affect toddlers' helping behavior but that interactions between human agents may be difficult to evaluate for very young children.

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

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.

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.

Evolution of the human hand: approaches to acquiring, analysing and interpreting the anatomical evidence

PubMed Central

MARZKE, MARY W.; MARZKE, R. F.

2000-01-01

The discovery of fossil hand bones from an early human ancestor at Olduvai Gorge in 1960, at the same level as primitive stone tools, generated a debate about the role of tools in the evolution of the human hand that has raged to the present day. Could the Olduvai hand have made the tools? Did the human hand evolve as an adaptation to tool making and tool use? The debate has been fueled by anatomical studies comparing living and fossil human and nonhuman primate hands, and by experimental observations. These have assessed the relative abilities of apes and humans to manufacture the Oldowan tools, but consensus has been hampered by disagreements about how to translate experimental data from living species into quantitative models for predicting the performance of fossil hands. Such models are now beginning to take shape as new techniques are applied to the capture, management and analysis of data on kinetic and kinematic variables ranging from hand joint structure, muscle mechanics, and the distribution and density of bone to joint movements and muscle recruitment during manipulative behaviour. The systematic comparative studies are highlighting a functional complex of features in the human hand facilitating a distinctive repertoire of grips that are apparently more effective for stone tool making than grips characterising various nonhuman primate species. The new techniques are identifying skeletal variables whose form may provide clues to the potential of fossil hominid hands for one-handed firm precision grips and fine precision manoeuvering movements, both of which are essential for habitual and effective tool making and tool use. PMID:10999274

Results of Experimental Study on Flexitime and Family Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winett, Richard A.; Neale, Michael S.

1980-01-01

According to two small experimental studies of flexible working hours, federal workers with young children choose to arrive at and depart from work earlier, allowing them to increase the time spent with their families and to engage in recreational, educational, and household activities. (Author/SK)

Quantitative impact of direct, personal feedback on hand hygiene technique.

PubMed

Lehotsky, Á; Szilágyi, L; Ferenci, T; Kovács, L; Pethes, R; Wéber, G; Haidegger, T

2015-09-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of targeting hand hygiene technique using a new training device that provides objective, personal and quantitative feedback. One hundred and thirty-six healthcare workers in three Hungarian hospitals participated in a repetitive hand hygiene technique assessment study. Ultraviolet (UV)-labelled hand rub was used at each event, and digital images of the hands were subsequently taken under UV light. Immediate objective visual feedback was given to participants, showing missed areas on their hands. The rate of inadequate hand rubbing reduced from 50% to 15% (P < 0.001). However, maintenance of this reduced rate is likely to require continuous use of the electronic equipment. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

FREQUENCY OF MOUTHING BEHAVIOR IN YOUNG CHILDREN

EPA Science Inventory

Young children may be more likely than adults to be exposed to pesticides following a residential application as a result of hand- and object-to-mouth contacts in contaminated areas. However, relatively few studies have specifically evaluated mouthing behavior in children less ...

FREQUENCY OF MOUTHING BEHAVIOR IN YOUNG CHILDREN

EPA Science Inventory

Young children, as compared to adults, are more likely to be exposed after a pesticide application due to potential hand- and object-to-mouth contacts in contaminated areas. However, relatively few studies have specifically evaluated mouthing behavior in children <60 months of...

Impedance hand controllers for increasing efficiency in teleoperations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carignan, C.; Tarrant, J.

1989-01-01

An impedance hand controller with direct force feedback is examined as an alternative to bilateral force reflection in teleoperations involving force contact. Experimentation revealed an operator preference for direct force feedback which provided a better feel of contact with the environment. The advantages of variable arm impedance were also made clear in tracking tests where subjects preferred the larger hand controller inertias made possible by the acceleration feedback loop in the master arm. The ability to decouple the hand controller impedance from the slave arm dynamics is expected to be even more significant when the inertial properties of various payloads in the slave arm are considered.

Young Migrants and Discourses on Young Migrants in the Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerritsen, Debby; Maier, Robert

2012-01-01

This article compares the perspectives of young migrants in the Netherlands with the dominant discourse on "migrants" at present. The integration of young "migrants" have been studied in the European research projects TRESEGY and PROFACITY with the help of a number of ethnographic studies and a questionnaire in the Netherlands.…

The effect of hand dominance on martial arts strikes.

PubMed

Neto, Osmar Pinto; Silva, Jansen Henrique; Marzullo, Ana Carolina de Miranda; Bolander, Richard P; Bir, Cynthia A

2012-08-01

The main goal of this study was to compare dominant and non-dominant martial arts palm strikes under different circumstances that usually happen during martial arts and combative sports applications. Seven highly experienced (10±5 years) right hand dominant Kung Fu practitioners performed strikes with both hands, stances with left or right lead legs, and with the possibility or not of stepping towards the target (moving stance). Peak force was greater for the dominant hand strikes (1593.76±703.45 N vs. 1042.28±374.16 N; p<.001), whereas no difference was found in accuracy between the hands (p=.141). Additionally, peak force was greater for the strikes with moving stance (1448.75±686.01 N vs. 1201.80±547.98 N; p=.002) and left lead leg stance (1378.06±705.48 N vs. 1269.96±547.08 N). Furthermore, the difference in peak force between strikes with moving and stationary stances was statistically significant only for the strikes performed with a left lead leg stance (p=.007). Hand speed was higher for the dominant hand strikes (5.82±1.08 m/s vs. 5.24±0.78 m/s; p=.001) and for the strikes with moving stance (5.79±1.01 m/s vs. 5.29±0.90 m/s; p<.001). The difference in hand speed between right and left hand strikes was only significant for strikes with moving stance. In summary, our results suggest that the stronger palm strike for a right-handed practitioner is a right hand strike on a left lead leg stance moving towards the target. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Control of Prosthetic Hands via the Peripheral Nervous System

PubMed Central

Ciancio, Anna Lisa; Cordella, Francesca; Barone, Roberto; Romeo, Rocco Antonio; Bellingegni, Alberto Dellacasa; Sacchetti, Rinaldo; Davalli, Angelo; Di Pino, Giovanni; Ranieri, Federico; Di Lazzaro, Vincenzo; Guglielmelli, Eugenio; Zollo, Loredana

2016-01-01

This paper intends to provide a critical review of the literature on the technological issues on control and sensorization of hand prostheses interfacing with the Peripheral Nervous System (i.e., PNS), and their experimental validation on amputees. The study opens with an in-depth analysis of control solutions and sensorization features of research and commercially available prosthetic hands. Pros and cons of adopted technologies, signal processing techniques and motion control solutions are investigated. Special emphasis is then dedicated to the recent studies on the restoration of tactile perception in amputees through neural interfaces. The paper finally proposes a number of suggestions for designing the prosthetic system able to re-establish a bidirectional communication with the PNS and foster the prosthesis natural control. PMID:27092041

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Missouri High School Students Get Hands-On

Science.gov Websites

Training With Biodiesel Missouri High School Students Get Hands-On Training With Biodiesel to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Missouri High School Students Get Hands-On Training Hands-On Training With Biodiesel on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Missouri High School

Hand hygiene using a new hand-cleansing formulation without sanitizers: Effect on Staphylococcus aureus removal and recovery of properties against skin damage.

PubMed

Asaoka, Kentaro; Endo, Shiro; Suzuki, Yuki; Komuro, Satoru; Nemoto, Tadanobu; Kaku, Mitsuo

2016-08-01

Staphylococcus aureus is known to form a biofilm and colonize on damaged skin of the hands. We investigated changes in the quantity of S aureus on the hands and changes in skin damage when using a hand-cleansing formulation with potassium oleate but without a sanitizer (formulation A), which is highly effective in removing S aureus biofilm and causes minimal skin damage. The participants (14 medical staff members) used 2 types of hand-cleansing formulations (formulations A and B), each for 4 weeks. S aureus of the hands was cultured from swab samples on agar plates. Surface of hands was measured using an ultraviolet light microscope. The quantity of S aureus after using formulation A for 4 weeks was 10(1.08 ± 0.05) CFU/mL, a statistically significant decrease from the quantity of S aureus (10(1.59 ± 0.19) CFU/mL) just before use (P = .029). Also, dryness of hand surfaces decreased. With formulation B, the quantity of S aureus did not significantly change from before to after use (P > .05). This presumably occurs because formulation A gently removes S aureus biofilm. Formulation A removed S aureus from the hands of participants, and skin damage on the hands improved. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thomas Young's contributions to geometrical optics.

PubMed

Atchison, David A; Charman, W Neil

2011-07-01

In addition to his work on physical optics, Thomas Young (1773-1829) made several contributions to geometrical optics, most of which received little recognition in his time or since. We describe and assess some of these contributions: Young's construction (the basis for much of his geometric work), paraxial refraction equations, oblique astigmatism and field curvature, and gradient-index optics. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2011 Optometrists Association Australia.

Impact of mobile phone use on car-following behaviour of young drivers.

PubMed

Saifuzzaman, Mohammad; Haque, Md Mazharul; Zheng, Zuduo; Washington, Simon

2015-09-01

Multitasking, such as the concurrent use of a mobile phone and operating a motor vehicle, is a significant distraction that impairs driving performance and is becoming a leading cause of motor vehicle crashes. This study investigates the impact of mobile phone conversations on car-following behaviour. The CARRS-Q Advanced Driving Simulator was used to test a group of young Australian drivers aged 18-26 years on a car-following task in three randomised phone conditions: baseline (no phone conversation), hands-free and handheld. Repeated measure ANOVA was applied to examine the effect of mobile phone distraction on selected car-following variables such as driving speed, spacing, and time headway. Overall, drivers tended to select slower driving speeds, larger vehicle spacings, and longer time headways when they were engaged in either hands-free or handheld phone conversations, suggesting possible risk compensatory behaviour. In addition, phone conversations while driving influenced car-following behaviour such that variability was increased in driving speeds, vehicle spacings, and acceleration and decelerations. To further investigate car-following behaviour of distracted drivers, driver time headways were modelled using Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE). After controlling for various exogenous factors, the model predicts an increase of 0.33s in time headway when a driver is engaged in hands-free phone conversation and a 0.75s increase for handheld phone conversation. The findings will improve the collective understanding of distraction on driving performance, in particular car following behaviour which is most critical in the determination of rear-end crashes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-development of visual space perception by learning from the hand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Jae-Moon; Ohnishi, Noboru

1998-10-01

Animals have been considered to develop ability for interpreting images captured on their retina by themselves gradually from their birth. For this they do not need external supervisor. We think that the visual function is obtained together with the development of hand reaching and grasping operations which are executed by active interaction with environment. On the viewpoint of hand teaches eye, this paper shows how visual space perception is developed in a simulated robot. The robot has simplified human-like structure used for hand-eye coordination. From the experimental results it may be possible to validate the method to describe how visual space perception of biological systems is developed. In addition the description gives a way to self-calibrate the vision of intelligent robot based on learn by doing manner without external supervision.

Skin hamartoma on the hand of a newborn infant.

PubMed

Kaga, Akimune; Itabashi, Chieko; Kanda, Susumu; Suzuki, Yutaka; Tanabu, Muneyuki; Kure, Shigeo

2013-06-01

Skin hamartoma is an extremely rare disease on the hand in newborn infants. Reported herein is the case of a newborn infant who presented with a skin hamartoma on the hand. The patient was a girl born at 37 weeks of gestational age. The mass was seen on her proximal left thumb at birth. The mass had a spherical diameter of 4 cm and was pedunculated. One the day after birth, the stalk on the mass was ligated in the neonatal intensive care unit. The mass was diagnosed as skin hamartoma on histopathology. At 1 year of age, the child had good hand function, and no recurrence of the neoplasia was evident. © 2013 The Authors. Pediatrics International © 2013 Japan Pediatric Society.

Vision-Based Pose Estimation for Robot-Mediated Hand Telerehabilitation.

PubMed

Airò Farulla, Giuseppe; Pianu, Daniele; Cempini, Marco; Cortese, Mario; Russo, Ludovico O; Indaco, Marco; Nerino, Roberto; Chimienti, Antonio; Oddo, Calogero M; Vitiello, Nicola

2016-02-05

Vision-based Pose Estimation (VPE) represents a non-invasive solution to allow a smooth and natural interaction between a human user and a robotic system, without requiring complex calibration procedures. Moreover, VPE interfaces are gaining momentum as they are highly intuitive, such that they can be used from untrained personnel (e.g., a generic caregiver) even in delicate tasks as rehabilitation exercises. In this paper, we present a novel master-slave setup for hand telerehabilitation with an intuitive and simple interface for remote control of a wearable hand exoskeleton, named HX. While performing rehabilitative exercises, the master unit evaluates the 3D position of a human operator's hand joints in real-time using only a RGB-D camera, and commands remotely the slave exoskeleton. Within the slave unit, the exoskeleton replicates hand movements and an external grip sensor records interaction forces, that are fed back to the operator-therapist, allowing a direct real-time assessment of the rehabilitative task. Experimental data collected with an operator and six volunteers are provided to show the feasibility of the proposed system and its performances. The results demonstrate that, leveraging on our system, the operator was able to directly control volunteers' hands movements.

The effect of improved hand hygiene on nosocomial MRSA control.

PubMed

Marimuthu, Kalisvar; Pittet, Didier; Harbarth, Stephan

2014-01-01

The purpose of this review is to examine studies that have assessed the association between hand hygiene enhancement and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates and to explore controversies surrounding this association. Many studies have been published confirming the link between improved hand hygiene compliance and reduction in MRSA acquisition and infections, including bacteremia. These studies have also shown the cost-beneficial nature of these programmes. Despite considerable research some issues remain unanswered still, including the temporal relationship between hand hygiene enhancement strategies and decrease in MRSA rates, association between hand hygiene enhancement and MRSA-related surgical site infections, diminishing effect of hand hygiene compliance on MRSA rates after reaching a threshold and the role of instituting contact precautions in the setting of low MRSA rates and sufficient hand hygiene compliance. In conclusion, enhancement of hand hygiene compliance has been shown to reduce MRSA rates; however, some open issues warrant further investigation.

Effect of hand-arm exercise on venous blood constituents during leg exercise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, N.; Silver, J. E.; Greenawalt, S.; Kravik, S. E.; Geelen, G.

1985-01-01

Contributions by ancillary hand and arm actions to the changes in blood constituents effected by leg exercises on cycle ergometer were assessed. Static or dynamic hand-arm exercises were added to the leg exercise (50 percent VO2 peak)-only control regimens for the subjects (19-27 yr old men) in the two experimental groups. Antecubital venous blood was analyzed at times 0, 15, and 30 min (T0, T15, and T30) for serum Na(+), K(+), osmolality, albumin, total CA(2+), and glucose; blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, and lactic acid; and change in plasma volume. Only glucose and lactate values were affected by additional arm exercise. Glucose decreased 4 percent at T15 and T30 after static exercise, and by 2 percent at T15 (with no change at T30) after dynamic arm exercise. Conversely, lactic acid increased by 20 percent at T30 after static exercise, and by 14 percent by T15 and 6 percent at T30 after dynamic arm exercise. It is concluded that additional arm movements, performed usually when gripping the handle-bar on the cycle ergometer, could introduce significant errors in measured venous concentrations of glucose and lactate in the leg-exercised subjects.

An ϵ' improvement from right-handed currents

DOE PAGES

Cirigliano, Vincenzo; Dekens, Wouter Gerard; de Vries, Jordy; ...

2017-01-23

Recent lattice QCD calculations of direct CP violation in K L → ππ decays indicate tension with the experimental results. Assuming this tension to be real, we investigate a possible beyond-the-Standard Model explanation via right-handed charged currents. By using chiral perturbation theory in combination with lattice QCD results, we accurately calculate the modification of ϵ'/ϵ induced by right-handed charged currents and extract values of the couplings that are necessary to explain the discrepancy, pointing to a scale around 10–100 TeV. We find that couplings of this size are not in conflict with constraints from other precision experiments, but next-generation hadronicmore » electric dipole moment searches (such as neutron and 225Ra) can falsify this scenario. As a result, we work out in detail a direct link, based on chiral perturbation theory, between CP violation in the kaon sector and electric dipole moments induced by right-handed currents which can be used in future analyses of left-right symmetric models.« less

Cognitive Achievement and Motivation in Hands-on and Teacher-Centred Science Classes: Does an additional hands-on consolidation phase (concept mapping) optimise cognitive learning at work stations?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerstner, Sabine; Bogner, Franz X.

2010-05-01

Our study monitored the cognitive and motivational effects within different educational instruction schemes: On the one hand, teacher-centred versus hands-on instruction; on the other hand, hands-on instruction with and without a knowledge consolidation phase (concept mapping). All the instructions dealt with the same content. For all participants, the hands-on approach as well as the concept mapping adaptation were totally new. Our hands-on approach followed instruction based on "learning at work stations". A total of 397 high-achieving fifth graders participated in our study. We used a pre-test, post-test, retention test design both to detect students' short-term learning success and long-term learning success, and to document their decrease rates of newly acquired knowledge. Additionally, we monitored intrinsic motivation. Although the teacher-centred approach provided higher short-term learning success, hands-on instruction resulted in relatively lower decrease rates. However, after six weeks, all students reached similar levels of newly acquired knowledge. Nevertheless, concept mapping as a knowledge consolidation phase positively affected short-term increase in knowledge. Regularly placed in instruction, it might increase long-term retention rates. Scores of interest, perceived competence and perceived choice were very high in all the instructional schemes.

Experimental pretesting of hand-washing interventions in a natural setting.

PubMed

Judah, Gaby; Aunger, Robert; Schmidt, Wolf-Peter; Michie, Susan; Granger, Stewart; Curtis, Val

2009-10-01

We pretested interventions derived from different domains of behavior change theory to determine their effectiveness at increasing hand washing with soap in a natural setting. We installed wireless devices in highway service station restrooms to record entry and soap use. Two text-only messages for each of 7 psychological domains were compared for their effect on soap-use rates. We collected data on nearly 200 000 restroom uses. The knowledge activation domain was most effective for women, with a relative increase in soap use of 9.4% compared with the control condition (P = .001). For men, disgust was the most effective, increasing soap use by 9.8% (P = .001). Disgust was not significantly better than the control condition for women, nor was knowledge activation for men. Messages based on social norms and social status were effective for both genders. Our data show that unobtrusive observation of behavior in a natural setting can help identify the most effective interventions for changing behaviors of public health importance. The gender differences we found suggest that public health interventions should target men and women differently.

Can theoretical intervention improve hand hygiene behavior among nurses?

PubMed

Baghaei, Rahim; Sharifian, Elham; Kamran, Aziz

2016-01-01

Hand washing is the best strategy to prevent known nosocomial infections but the nurses' hand hygiene is estimated to be poor in Iran. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of BASNEF (Behavior, Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Enabling Factors) model on hand hygiene adherence education. This controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted on 70 hemodialysis unit nurses (35 case and 35 control) in the health and educational centers of the University of Medical Sciences of Urmia, Iran. To collect the data, a six-part validated and reliable questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed using SPSS version18, using Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests. The significance level was considered P<0.05. The mean age was 38.4±8.1 years for the intervention group and 40.2±8.0 years for the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups for any demographic variables. Also, before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups for any components of the BASNEF model. Post-intervention, the attitude, subjective norms, enabling factors, and intention improved significantly in the intervention group (P<0.001), but hand hygiene behavior did not show any significant change in the intervention group (P=0.16). Despite the improving attitudes and intention, the intervention had no significant effect on hand hygiene behavior among the studied nurses.

Medical student hand preference, perceived dexterity, and impact of handedness on training.

PubMed

Callahan, Devon; de Virgilio, Christian; Tillou, Areti; DeUgarte, Daniel A

2016-07-01

The ubiquity of right-handed instruments and a predominance of right-handed surgical faculty present a challenge to left-handed trainees. Little is known about hand preference and its impact on specialty selection. We sought to evaluate hand preference, perceived dexterity, and impact of handedness on training among medical students. A survey was distributed to third and fourth year medical students. Hand preference was queried for various activities. A Likert scale was used to assess perceived dexterity and impact of handedness on training. Fisher's exact test was used to compare groups. Of those queried, 131 (37%) responded. Handedness was defined by writing preference: right (80%), left (18%), other (2%). Left-handed students were more likely to perceive themselves to be ambidextrous (50% versus 15%; P < 0.001) and prefer their contralateral hand for at least one other activity (50% versus 4%; P < 0.001). Left-handed students were significantly more likely to report that handedness affected their specialty selection (33% versus 10%; P < 0.01) and training (58% versus 6%; P < 0.001). In addition, they reported that they would benefit from additional training with right-handed instruments (61% versus 31%; P < 0.01), availability of left-handed instruments (63% versus 8%; P < 0.001), and trainers who adapted to their handedness (70% versus 14%; P < 0.001). Left-handed medical students reported greater ambidexterity and adverse impact of handedness on training. These results provide a contemporary snapshot of hand preference in medical students and an argument for improving and adapting surgical training for left-handed individuals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alcohol-free instant hand sanitizer reduces elementary school illness absenteeism.

PubMed

Dyer, D L; Shinder, A; Shinder, F

2000-10-01

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES: A substantial percentage of school absenteeism among children is related to transmissible infection. Rates of transmission can be reduced by hand washing with soap and water, but such washing occurs infrequently. This study tested whether an alcohol-free instant hand sanitizer (CleanHands) could reduce illness absenteeism in school-age children. A 10-week, open-label, crossover study was performed on 420 elementary school-age children (ages 5-12). Students were given a brief orientation immediately prior to the start of the study on the relationship of germs, illness, and hand washing. Each student in the treatment group then received the test product in individual bottles, with instructions to apply one to two sprays to the hands after coming into the classroom, before eating, and after using the restroom, in addition to their normal hand washing with soap and water. The control group was instructed to continue hand washing as normal with non-medicated soap. After 4 weeks of treatment and a 2-week wash-out period, the control and experimental groups were reversed. Data gathered on absenteeism were classified as gastrointestinal or respiratory related and normalized for nonillness-related absenteeism and school holidays. Compared to the hand washing-only control group, students using CleanHands were found to have 41.9% fewer illness-related absence days, representing a 28.9% and a 49.7% drop in gastrointestinal- and respiratory-related illnesses, respectively. Likewise, absence incidence decreased by 31.7%, consisting of a 44.2% and 50.2% decrease in incidence of gastrointestinal- and respiratory-related illnesses, respectively. No adverse events were reported during the study. Daily use of the instant hand sanitizer was associated with significantly lower rates of illness-related absenteeism.

Explaining Away the Body: Experiences of Supernaturally Caused Touch and Touch on Non-Hand Objects within the Rubber Hand Illusion

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background In rubber hand illusions and full body illusions, touch sensations are projected to non-body objects such as rubber hands, dolls or virtual bodies. The robustness, limits and further perceptual consequences of such illusions are not yet fully explored or understood. A number of experiments are reported that test the limits of a variant of the rubber hand illusion. Methodology/Principal Findings A variant of the rubber hand illusion is explored, in which the real and foreign hands are aligned in personal space. The presence of the illusion is ascertained with participants' scores and temperature changes of the real arm. This generates a basic illusion of touch projected to a foreign arm. Participants are presented with further, unusual visuotactile stimuli subsequent to onset of the basic illusion. Such further visuotactile stimulation is found to generate very unusual experiences of supernatural touch and touch on a non-hand object. The finding of touch on a non-hand object conflicts with prior findings, and to resolve this conflict a further hypothesis is successfully tested: that without prior onset of the basic illusion this unusual experience does not occur. Conclusions/Significance A rubber hand illusion is found that can arise when the real and the foreign arm are aligned in personal space. This illusion persists through periods of no tactile stimulation and is strong enough to allow very unusual experiences of touch felt on a cardboard box and experiences of touch produced at a distance, as if by supernatural causation. These findings suggest that one's visual body image is explained away during experience of the illusion and they may be of further importance to understanding the role of experience in delusion formation. The findings of touch on non-hand objects may help reconcile conflicting results in this area of research. In addition, new evidence is provided that relates to the recently discovered psychologically induced temperature changes

Impact of hand eczema severity on quality of life

PubMed Central

Charan, Ujwala Priya; Peter, C. V. Dincy; Pulimood, Susanne A.

2013-01-01

Background: Hand eczema is a common disease seen in dermatological practice comprising of a spectrum ranging from mild disease to a severe distressing and chronic course with a negative impact on the quality of life. Aim: To assess the impact of hand eczema severity on quality of life. Materials and Methods: Patients with hand eczema were enrolled in a prospective study. Disease severity was assessed by hand eczema severity index (HECSI) score and quality of life by dermatology life quality index (DLQI) questionnaire. Results: Forty-six patients participated of which 22 (47.8%) were males and 24 (52.2%) females. The commonest age group affected among men and women was 50-59 years (31.8%) and 40-49 years (41.7%) respectively. History of atopy was found in 23.9% and 63% had persistent disease. In 28 (60.9%), the trigger was washing soaps and detergents of which 21 (87.5%) were housewives. Of those employed, 27.7% reported loss of work days. The mean HECSI score was 14.46 (S.D = 20.98) and mean DLQI score was 9.54 (S.D = 5.62). Gender, age, occupation and duration of disease did not significantly affect the quality of life or disease severity. Increased episodes of eczema (>4 episodes/year) showed a statistically significant correlation with DLQI (P value = 0.021). There was no significant correlation between HECSI score and DLQI in this study. Conclusion: Majority of the patients with hand eczema had a significant impairment of their quality of life. The impairment of quality of life in this study was mainly dependent on increased frequency of the eruptions and not on hand eczema severity. PMID:23741665

The International Registry on Hand and Composite Tissue Transplantation.

PubMed

Petruzzo, Palmina; Lanzetta, Marco; Dubernard, Jean-Michel; Landin, Luis; Cavadas, Pedro; Margreiter, Raimund; Schneeberger, Stephan; Breidenbach, Warren; Kaufman, Christina; Jablecki, Jerzy; Schuind, Frédéric; Dumontier, Christian

2010-12-27

The International Registry on Hand and Composite Tissue Transplantation was founded in May 2002, and the analysis of all cases with follow-up information up to July 2010 is presented here. From September 1998 to July 2010, 49 hands (17 unilateral and 16 bilateral hand transplantations, including 1 case of bilateral arm transplantation) have been reported, for a total of 33 patients. They were 31 men and 2 women (median age 32 years). Time since hand loss ranged from 2 months to 34 years, and in 46% of cases, the level of amputation was at wrist. Immunosuppressive therapy included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, sirolimus, and steroids; polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies were used for induction. Topical immunosuppression was also used in several cases. Follow-up ranges from 1 month to 11 years. One patient died on day 65. Three patients transplanted in the Western countries have lost their graft, whereas until September 2009, seven hand grafts were removed for noncompliance to the immunosuppressive therapy in China. Eighty-five percent of recipients experienced at least one episode of acute rejection within the first year, and they were reversible when promptly treated. Side effects included opportunistic infections, metabolic complications, and malignancies. All patients developed protective sensibility, 90% of them developed tactile sensibility, and 82.3% also developed a discriminative sensibility. Motor recovery enabled patients to perform most daily activities. Hand transplantation is a complex procedure, and its success is based on patient's compliance and his or her careful evaluation before and after transplantation.

The role of vision on hand preshaping during reach to grasp.

PubMed

Winges, Sara A; Weber, Douglas J; Santello, Marco

2003-10-01

During reaching to grasp objects with different shapes hand posture is molded gradually to the object's contours. The present study examined the extent to which the temporal evolution of hand posture depends on continuous visual feedback. We asked subjects to reach and grasp objects with different shapes under five vision conditions (VCs). Subjects wore liquid crystal spectacles that occluded vision at four different latencies from onset of the reach. As a control, full-vision trials (VC5) were interspersed among the blocked vision trials. Object shapes and all VCs were presented to the subjects in random order. Hand posture was measured by 15 sensors embedded in a glove. Linear regression analysis, discriminant analysis, and information theory were used to assess the effect of removing vision on the temporal evolution of hand shape. We found that reach duration increased when vision was occluded early in the reach. This was caused primarily by a slower approach of the hand toward the object near the end of the reach. However, vision condition did not have a significant effect on the covariation patterns of joint rotations, indicating that the gradual evolution of hand posture occurs in a similar fashion regardless of vision. Discriminant analysis further supported this interpretation, as the extent to which hand posture resembled object shape and the rate at which hand posture discrimination occurred throughout the movement were similar across vision conditions. These results extend previous observations on memory-guided reaches by showing that continuous visual feedback of the hand and/or object is not necessary to allow the hand to gradually conform to object contours.

Mechanical properties of the human hand digits: Age-related differences

PubMed Central

Park, Jaebum; Pazin, Nemanja; Friedman, Jason; Zatsiorsky, Vladimir M.; Latash, Mark L.

2014-01-01

Background Mechanical properties of human digits may have significant implications for the hand function. We quantified several mechanical characteristics of individual digits in young and older adults. Methods Digit tip friction was measured at several normal force values using a method of induced relative motion between the digit tip and the object surface. A modified quick-release paradigm was used to estimate digit apparent stiffness, damping, and inertial parameters. The subjects grasped a vertical handle instrumented with force/moment sensors using a prismatic grasp with four digits; the handle was fixed to the table. Unexpectedly, one of the sensors yielded leading to a quick displacement of the corresponding digit. A second-order, linear model was used to fit the force/displacement data. Findings Friction of the digit pads was significantly lower in older adults. The apparent stiffness coefficient values were higher while the damping coefficients were lower in older adults leading to lower damping ratio. The damping ratio was above unity for most data in young adults and below unity for older adults. Quick release of a digit led to force changes in other digits of the hand, likely due to inertial hand properties. These phenomena of “mechanical enslaving” were smaller in older adults although no significant difference was found in the inertial parameter in the two groups. Interpretations The decreased friction and damping ratio present challenges for the control of everyday prehensile tasks. They may lead to excessive digit forces and low stability of the grasped object. PMID:24355703

Surgical Videos with Synchronised Vertical 2-Split Screens Recording the Surgeons' Hand Movement.

PubMed

Kaneko, Hiroki; Ra, Eimei; Kawano, Kenichi; Yasukawa, Tsutomu; Takayama, Kei; Iwase, Takeshi; Terasaki, Hiroko

2015-01-01

To improve the state-of-the-art teaching system by creating surgical videos with synchronised vertical 2-split screens. An ultra-compact, wide-angle point-of-view camcorder (HX-A1, Panasonic) was mounted on the surgical microscope focusing mostly on the surgeons' hand movements. In combination with the regular surgical videos obtained from the CCD camera in the surgical microscope, synchronised vertical 2-split-screen surgical videos were generated with the video-editing software. Using synchronised vertical 2-split-screen videos, residents of the ophthalmology department could watch and learn how assistant surgeons controlled the eyeball, while the main surgeons performed scleral buckling surgery. In vitrectomy, the synchronised vertical 2-split-screen videos showed the surgeons' hands holding the instruments and moving roughly and boldly, in contrast to the very delicate movements of the vitrectomy instruments inside the eye. Synchronised vertical 2-split-screen surgical videos are beneficial for the education of young surgical trainees when learning surgical skills including the surgeons' hand movements. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

RNA Isolation from Plant Tissues: A Hands-On Laboratory Experimental Experience for Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Nianhui; Yu, Dong; Zhu, Xiaofeng

2018-01-01

The practice of RNA isolation in undergraduate experimental courses is rare because of the existence of robust, ubiquitous and stable ribonucleases. We reported here modifications to our original protocol for RNA isolation from plant tissues, including the recovery of nucleic acids by ethanol precipitation at 0 degrees C for 10 min and the…

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

Young People Smokers' Reactions on Peer Influence Not to Smoke.

PubMed

Harakeh, Zeena; van Nijnatten, Carolus H C J

2016-11-09

Peers exert influence not to smoke but little is yet known on how this affects young people's behavior and cognitions. This experimental study investigates the impact of two types of peer influence not to smoke on the verbalized attitudes and responses of daily-smoking young people. Two conditions were conducted: 1) a peer confederate stating three times that s/he had quit smoking and was glad to have done so (covert peer influence); 2) a peer confederate making similar statements, but urging to quit smoking (overt peer influence). The participant performed a music task with the peer in order to disguise the true nature of the experiment. Thirty-one daily-smoking young people (16-24 years) participated; 44 responses in the overt and 34 responses in the covert condition were analyzed in a discourse analysis. The participants in the covert condition were more elaborative about smoking, i.e., taking an active role in a dialogue about the experiences of the peer or the participant in quitting smoking while in the overt condition participants showed more passive resistance, i.e., not showing an intention to follow the advice but avoid causing the peer embarrassment or discomfort. Open resistance, i.e., demonstration of being well-informed and indicating the redundancy of the advice, does not significantly differ in these two conditions but occurs, for both, primarily at the third discouragement. Overt and frequent discouragement seems to be less effective in stimulating young people to take an active role in the dialogue with their peers about smoking.

Measuring true Young's modulus of a cantilevered nanowire: effect of clamping on resonance frequency.

PubMed

Qin, Qingquan; Xu, Feng; Cao, Yongqing; Ro, Paul I; Zhu, Yong

2012-08-20

The effect of clamping on resonance frequency and thus measured Young's modulus of nanowires (NWs) is systematically investigated via a combined experimental and simulation approach. ZnO NWs are used in this work as an example. The resonance tests are performed in situ inside a scanning electron microscope and the NWs are cantilevered on a tungsten probe by electron-beam-induced deposition (EBID) of hydrocarbon. EBID is repeated several times to deposit more hydrocarbons at the same location. The resonance frequency increases with the increasing clamp size until approaching that under the "fixed" boundary condition. The critical clamp size is identified as a function of NW diameter and NW Young's modulus. This work: 1) exemplifies the importance of considering the effect of clamping in measurements of Young's modulus using the resonance method, and 2) demonstrates that the true Young's modulus can be measured if the critical clamp size is reached. Design guidelines on the critical clamp size are provided. Such design guidelines can be extended to other one-dimensional nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Choices of Pre-Service Science Teachers Laboratory Environments: Hands-on or Hands-off?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapici, Hasan Ozgur; Akcay, Hakan

2018-01-01

Learning in laboratories for students is not only crucial for conceptual understanding, but also contributes to gaining scientific reasoning skills. Following fast developments in technology, online laboratory environments have been improved considerably and nowadays form an attractive alternative for hands-on laboratories. The study was done in…

[Blast injuries of the hands in precarious health situation].

PubMed

Allah, K C; Kossoko, H; Assi Djè Bi Djè, V; Yéo, S; Bonny, R; Richard Kadio, M

2014-06-01

The hands of "blast" resulting from the handling of unstable explosives. Their repercussion is functional and vital in trauma patients. The authors report their experience of care from the hands of blast in precarious health situation. Between 2001 and 2012, 33 hand blasts were supported in 30 injured civilians and military, received emergency, during and after armed conflict. Two women (6.7%) and 28 men (93.3%) were received, including four teenagers (13.3%) and 26 adults (86.7%). During the war, 15 officers weapon (50%) and three civilians (10%) underwent surgery, or 60% of hand injuries. In peacetime, civilians were mostly operated in 33.3% of cases, against 6.7% of cases of agents' weapon. Nineteen hands blast (57.6%) were observed during the war and 14 in peacetime, or 42.4% of cases. The average age was 25.2 years, with extremes of 12 and 50 years. Thirteen left hands (39.4%) and 20 right hands (60.6%) were operated. The lesion concerned all the anatomical structures of the hand. It was unilateral in 27 cases (81.9%) and bilateral in three cases (9.1%). Three types of hand trauma were observed and were as follows: trauma patients with injuries of the hand (18.2%), trauma of severe and isolated proximal hand or finger amputations (75.7%), and trauma of the hand without apparent seriousness (6.1%). The associated lesion was eye (one case), chest (one case), abdominal (five cases). Debridement was performed immediate emergency (93.9%) and delayed (6.1%). The treatment was surgical hemostasis, made mainly of amputations (69.7%) and regularization of digital stumps (12.1%). The repair was performed in 18.2% of cases. One death has been reported in a polytrauma patient with chest blast. Blast injuries of the hand are common in times of war in armed agents. The young people, manual workers and children are paying a heavy price in peacetime. As land mines which affect feet, instable hand grenades are left exposed in nature. In precarious health situation, instead of

Experimental new automatic tools for robotic stereotactic neurosurgery: towards "no hands" procedure of leads implantation into a brain target.

PubMed

Mazzone, P; Arena, P; Cantelli, L; Spampinato, G; Sposato, S; Cozzolino, S; Demarinis, P; Muscato, G

2016-07-01

The use of robotics in neurosurgery and, particularly, in stereotactic neurosurgery, is becoming more and more adopted because of the great advantages that it offers. Robotic manipulators easily allow to achieve great precision, reliability, and rapidity in the positioning of surgical instruments or devices in the brain. The aim of this work was to experimentally verify a fully automatic "no hands" surgical procedure. The integration of neuroimaging to data for planning the surgery, followed by application of new specific surgical tools, permitted the realization of a fully automated robotic implantation of leads in brain targets. An anthropomorphic commercial manipulator was utilized. In a preliminary phase, a software to plan surgery was developed, and the surgical tools were tested first during a simulation and then on a skull mock-up. In such a way, several tools were developed and tested, and the basis for an innovative surgical procedure arose. The final experimentation was carried out on anesthetized "large white" pigs. The determination of stereotactic parameters for the correct planning to reach the intended target was performed with the same technique currently employed in human stereotactic neurosurgery, and the robotic system revealed to be reliable and precise in reaching the target. The results of this work strengthen the possibility that a neurosurgeon may be substituted by a machine, and may represent the beginning of a new approach in the current clinical practice. Moreover, this possibility may have a great impact not only on stereotactic functional procedures but also on the entire domain of neurosurgery.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR CATEGORIZING YOUNG CHILDREN'S EATING BEHAVIORS

EPA Science Inventory

Recent studies of total dietary ingestion of common indoor contaminants have demonstrated that young children's behaviors while eating can lead to a significant source of food contamination. The difference between children eating their food items with or without their hands wh...

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.

Effects of Fluid-Structure Interaction on Dynamic Response of Composite Structures: Experimental and Numerical Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

STRUCTURES: EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES by Young W. Kwon August 1, 2013 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Prepared...failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE...AND SUBTITLE Effects of Fluid-Structure Interaction on Dynamic Responses of Composite Structures: Experimental and Numerical Studies 5a. CONTRACT

An on-line BCI for control of hand grasp sequence and holding using adaptive probabilistic neural network.

PubMed

Hazrati, Mehrnaz Kh; Erfanian, Abbas

2008-01-01

This paper presents a new EEG-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) for on-line controlling the sequence of hand grasping and holding in a virtual reality environment. The goal of this research is to develop an interaction technique that will allow the BCI to be effective in real-world scenarios for hand grasp control. Moreover, for consistency of man-machine interface, it is desirable the intended movement to be what the subject imagines. For this purpose, we developed an on-line BCI which was based on the classification of EEG associated with imagination of the movement of hand grasping and resting state. A classifier based on probabilistic neural network (PNN) was introduced for classifying the EEG. The PNN is a feedforward neural network that realizes the Bayes decision discriminant function by estimating probability density function using mixtures of Gaussian kernels. Two types of classification schemes were considered here for on-line hand control: adaptive and static. In contrast to static classification, the adaptive classifier was continuously updated on-line during recording. The experimental evaluation on six subjects on different days demonstrated that by using the static scheme, a classification accuracy as high as the rate obtained by the adaptive scheme can be achieved. At the best case, an average classification accuracy of 93.0% and 85.8% was obtained using adaptive and static scheme, respectively. The results obtained from more than 1500 trials on six subjects showed that interactive virtual reality environment can be used as an effective tool for subject training in BCI.

Arousing "Gentle Passions" in Young Adolescents: Sustained Experimental Effects of Value Affirmations on Prosocial Feelings and Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomaes, Sander; Bushman, Brad J.; de Castro, Bram Orobio; Reijntjes, Albert

2012-01-01

When people reflect on their important values, they may become more attuned to the needs of others. Two longitudinal field experiments examined whether a subtle value-affirmation manipulation can initiate relatively enduring increases in young adolescents' prosocial feelings (Study 1; M [subscript age] = 12.9) and prosocial behaviors (Study 2; M…

Compound effects of aging and experimental FSGS on glomerular epithelial cells.

PubMed

Schneider, Remington R S; Eng, Diana G; Kutz, J Nathan; Sweetwyne, Mariya T; Pippin, Jeffrey W; Shankland, Stuart J

2017-02-17

Advanced age portends a poorer prognosis in FSGS. To understand the impact of age on glomerular podocytes and parietal epithelial cells (PECs), experimental FSGS was induced in 3m-old mice (20-year old human age) and 27m-old mice (78-year old human age) by abruptly depleting podocytes with a cytopathic anti-podocyte antibody. Despite similar binding of the disease-inducing antibody, podocyte density was lower in aged FSGS mice compared to young FSGS mice. Activated PEC density was higher in aged versus young FSGS mice, as was the percentage of total activated PECs. Additionally, the percentage of glomeruli containing PECs with evidence of phosphorylated ERK and EMT was higher in aged FSGS mice. Extracellular matrix, measured by collagen IV and silver staining, was higher in aged FSGS mice along Bowman's capsule. However, collagen IV accumulation in the glomerular tufts alone and in glomeruli with both tuft and Bowman's capsule accumulation were similar in young FSGS and aged FSGS mice. Thus, the major difference in collagen IV staining in FSGS was along Bowman's capsule in aged mice. The significant differences in podocytes, PECs and extracellular matrix accumulation between young mice and old mice with FSGS might explain the differences in outcomes in FSGS based on age.

Compound effects of aging and experimental FSGS on glomerular epithelial cells

PubMed Central

Kutz, J. Nathan; Sweetwyne, Mariya T.; Pippin, Jeffrey W.; Shankland, Stuart J.

2017-01-01

Advanced age portends a poorer prognosis in FSGS. To understand the impact of age on glomerular podocytes and parietal epithelial cells (PECs), experimental FSGS was induced in 3m-old mice (20-year old human age) and 27m-old mice (78-year old human age) by abruptly depleting podocytes with a cytopathic anti-podocyte antibody. Despite similar binding of the disease-inducing antibody, podocyte density was lower in aged FSGS mice compared to young FSGS mice. Activated PEC density was higher in aged versus young FSGS mice, as was the percentage of total activated PECs. Additionally, the percentage of glomeruli containing PECs with evidence of phosphorylated ERK and EMT was higher in aged FSGS mice. Extracellular matrix, measured by collagen IV and silver staining, was higher in aged FSGS mice along Bowman's capsule. However, collagen IV accumulation in the glomerular tufts alone and in glomeruli with both tuft and Bowman's capsule accumulation were similar in young FSGS and aged FSGS mice. Thus, the major difference in collagen IV staining in FSGS was along Bowman's capsule in aged mice. The significant differences in podocytes, PECs and extracellular matrixaccumulation between young mice and old mice with FSGS might explain the differences in outcomes in FSGS based on age. PMID:28222042

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.

An EMG-Controlled Robotic Hand Exoskeleton for Bilateral Rehabilitation.

PubMed

Leonardis, Daniele; Barsotti, Michele; Loconsole, Claudio; Solazzi, Massimiliano; Troncossi, Marco; Mazzotti, Claudio; Castelli, Vincenzo Parenti; Procopio, Caterina; Lamola, Giuseppe; Chisari, Carmelo; Bergamasco, Massimo; Frisoli, Antonio

2015-01-01

This paper presents a novel electromyography (EMG)-driven hand exoskeleton for bilateral rehabilitation of grasping in stroke. The developed hand exoskeleton was designed with two distinctive features: (a) kinematics with intrinsic adaptability to patient's hand size, and (b) free-palm and free-fingertip design, preserving the residual sensory perceptual capability of touch during assistance in grasping of real objects. In the envisaged bilateral training strategy, the patient's non paretic hand acted as guidance for the paretic hand in grasping tasks. Grasping force exerted by the non paretic hand was estimated in real-time from EMG signals, and then replicated as robotic assistance for the paretic hand by means of the hand-exoskeleton. Estimation of the grasping force through EMG allowed to perform rehabilitation exercises with any, non sensorized, graspable objects. This paper presents the system design, development, and experimental evaluation. Experiments were performed within a group of six healthy subjects and two chronic stroke patients, executing robotic-assisted grasping tasks. Results related to performance in estimation and modulation of the robotic assistance, and to the outcomes of the pilot rehabilitation sessions with stroke patients, positively support validity of the proposed approach for application in stroke rehabilitation.

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.

Workshop on Physics of Accretion Disks Around Compact and Young Stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liang, E (Editor); Stepinski, T. F. (Editor)

1995-01-01

The purpose of the two-day Workshop on Physics of Accretion Disks Around Compact and Young Stars was to bring together workers on accretion disks in the western Gulf region (Texas and Louisiana). Part 2 presents the workshop program, a list of poster presentations, and a list of workshop participants. Accretion disks are believed to surround many stars. Some of these disks form around compact stars, such as white dwarfs, neutron stars, or black holes that are members of binary systems and reveal themselves as a power source, especially in the x-ray and gamma regions of the spectrum. On the other hand, protostellar disks are believed to be accretion disks associated with young, pre-main-sequence stars and manifest themselves mostly in infrared and radio observations. These disks are considered to be a natural outcome of the star formation process. The focus of this workshop included theory and observations relevant to accretion disks around compact objects and newly forming stars, with the primary purpose of bringing the two communities together for intellectual cross-fertilization. The nature of the workshop was exploratory, to see how much interaction is possible between distinct communities and to better realize the local potential in this subject. A critical workshop activity was identification and documentation of key issues that are of mutual interest to both communities.

Effects of High-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Task-Oriented Mirror Therapy Training on Hand Rehabilitation of Acute Stroke Patients.

PubMed

Kim, Jinhong; Yim, Jongeun

2018-02-06

BACKGROUND Impairments of hand function make it difficult to perform daily life activities and to return to work. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) combined with task-oriented mirror therapy (TOMT) on hand rehabilitation in acute stroke patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty subacute stroke patients in the initial stages (<3 months) participated in the study. Subjects were allocated to 2 groups: the experimental group received HF-rTMS + TOMT and the control group received HF-rTMS. TOMT training was conducted in 10 sessions over 2 weeks for 30 min. rTMS was applied at a 20 Hz frequency over the hand motor area in the cortex of the affected hemisphere for 15 min. Outcomes, including motor-evoked potential (MEP), pinch grip, hand grip, and box and block test, were measured before and after training. RESULTS Significant improvements in the MEP and hand function variables were observed in both groups (p<0.05). In particular, hand functions (pinch grip and box and block test) were significantly different between the 2 groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS HF-rTMS combined with TOMT had a positive effect on hand function and can be used for the rehabilitation of precise hand movements in acute stroke patients.

Less and less-influence of volume on hand coverage and bactericidal efficacy in hand disinfection.

PubMed

Kampf, Günter; Ruselack, Sigunde; Eggerstedt, Sven; Nowak, Nicolas; Bashir, Muhammad

2013-10-10

Some manufacturers recommend using 1.1 mL per application of alcohol-based handrubs for effective hand disinfection. However, whether this volume is sufficient to cover both hands, as recommended by the World Health Organization, and fulfills current efficacy standards is unknown. This study aimed to determine hand coverage for three handrubs (two gels based on 70% v/v and 85% w/w ethanol and a foam based on 70% v/v ethanol) applied at various volumes. Products were tested at product volumes of 1.1 mL, 2 mL, 2.4 mL as well as 1 and 2 pump dispenser pushes; the foam product was tested in addition at foam volumes of 1.1 mL, 2 mL, and 2.4 mL. Products were supplemented with a fluorescent dye and 15 participants applied products using responsible application techniques without any specific steps but the aim of completely covering both hands. Coverage quality was determined under ultraviolet light by two blinded investigators. Efficacy of the three handrubs was determined according to ASTM E 1174-06 and ASTM E 2755-10. For each experiment, the hands of 12 participants were contaminated with Serratia marcescens and the products applied as recommended (1.1 mL for 70% v/v ethanol products; 2 mL for the 85% w/w ethanol product). Log10-reduction was calculated. Volumes < 2 mL yielded high rates of incomplete coverage (67%-87%) whereas volumes ≥ 2 mL gave lower rates (13%-53%). Differences in coverage were significant between the five volumes tested for all handrubs (p < 0.001; two-way ANOVA) but not between the three handrubs themselves (p = 0.796). Application of 1.1 mL of 70% v/v ethanol rubs reduced contamination by 1.85 log10 or 1.60 log10 (ASTM E 1174-06); this failed the US FDA efficacy requirement of at least 2 log10. Application of 2 mL of the 85% w/w ethanol rub reduced contamination by 2.06 log10 (ASTM E 1174-06), fulfilling the US FDA efficacy requirement. Similar results were obtained according to ASTM E 2755-10. Our data indicated that

Less and less–influence of volume on hand coverage and bactericidal efficacy in hand disinfection

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Some manufacturers recommend using 1.1 mL per application of alcohol-based handrubs for effective hand disinfection. However, whether this volume is sufficient to cover both hands, as recommended by the World Health Organization, and fulfills current efficacy standards is unknown. This study aimed to determine hand coverage for three handrubs (two gels based on 70% v/v and 85% w/w ethanol and a foam based on 70% v/v ethanol) applied at various volumes. Methods Products were tested at product volumes of 1.1 mL, 2 mL, 2.4 mL as well as 1 and 2 pump dispenser pushes; the foam product was tested in addition at foam volumes of 1.1 mL, 2 mL, and 2.4 mL. Products were supplemented with a fluorescent dye and 15 participants applied products using responsible application techniques without any specific steps but the aim of completely covering both hands. Coverage quality was determined under ultraviolet light by two blinded investigators. Efficacy of the three handrubs was determined according to ASTM E 1174-06 and ASTM E 2755-10. For each experiment, the hands of 12 participants were contaminated with Serratia marcescens and the products applied as recommended (1.1 mL for 70% v/v ethanol products; 2 mL for the 85% w/w ethanol product). Log10-reduction was calculated. Results Volumes < 2 mL yielded high rates of incomplete coverage (67%–87%) whereas volumes ≥ 2 mL gave lower rates (13%–53%). Differences in coverage were significant between the five volumes tested for all handrubs (p < 0.001; two-way ANOVA) but not between the three handrubs themselves (p = 0.796). Application of 1.1 mL of 70% v/v ethanol rubs reduced contamination by 1.85 log10 or 1.60 log10 (ASTM E 1174-06); this failed the US FDA efficacy requirement of at least 2 log10. Application of 2 mL of the 85% w/w ethanol rub reduced contamination by 2.06 log10 (ASTM E 1174-06), fulfilling the US FDA efficacy requirement. Similar results were obtained according to ASTM E 2755

Carroll County hands-on elementary science

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

Herlocker, H.G.; Dunkleberger, G.L.

1994-12-31

Carroll County Hands-on Elementary Science is a nationally recognized Elementary Science Curriculum which has been disseminated in forty states, Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands, Saipan, and Samoa. The curriculum is a non-textbook, process-based, constructivist approach to teaching science. Unique features of this curriculum include its teacher-written daily lesson plan format, its complete kit of science supplies, and its complete set of Spanish materials. In order to be included by the National Diffusion Network, Hands-on Elementary Science collected data to support the following claims: the program enhances teacher and student attitudes toward science; the program changes both the amount and themore » type of science instruction; the program is adaptable and transportable; the teacher training component is effective. The poster display will feature sample activities, data which demonstrates the effectiveness of the staff development plan, and samples which show the degree to which the program supports selected state curriculum frameworks.« less

Adverse effects of social pressure to be thin on young women: an experimental investigation of the effects of "fat talk".

PubMed

Stice, Eric; Maxfield, Jennifer; Wells, Tony

2003-07-01

Experiments have found that pressure to be thin from the media promotes body dissatisfaction and negative affect, but the effects of social pressure to be thin have not been examined experimentally. Thus, this study tested whether social pressure to be thin fosters body dissatisfaction and negative affect. Young women (N = 120) were randomly assigned to a condition wherein an ultra-thin confederate complained about how fat she felt and voiced intentions to lose weight or a control condition wherein she discussed a neutral topic. Exposure to social pressure to be thin resulted in increased body dissatisfaction but not negative affect. The effects were not moderated by initial thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, or social support. Results support the assertion that peer pressure to be thin promotes body dissatisfaction but suggest that this factor may not contribute to negative affect. Copyright 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exercise x BCAA Supplementation in Young Trained Rats: What are their Effects on Body Growth?

PubMed

de Campos-Ferraz, Patricia Lopes; Ribeiro, Sandra Maria Lima; Luz, Silmara Dos Santos; Lancha, Antonio Herbert; Tirapegui, Julio

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) supplementation had any beneficial effects on growth and metabolic parameters of young rats submitted to chronic aerobic exercise. Thirty-two young rats (age: 21-d) were randomly assigned to four experimental groups (n = 8): Supplemented Trained (Sup/Ex), Control Trained (Ctrl/Ex), Supplemented Sedentary (Sup/Sed) and Control Sedentary (Ctrl/Sed). The trained groups underwent a five-week swimming protocol and received supplemented (45 mg BCAA/body weight/day) or control ration. Trained animals presented a lower body length and a higher cartilage weight, regardless of supplementation. Physical activity was responsible for a substantial reduction in proteoglycan synthesis in cartilage tissue, and BCAA supplementation was able to attenuate this reduction and also to improve glycogen stores in the liver, although no major differences were found in body growth associated to this supplementation. Key pointsCartilage proteoglycan synthesis was dramatically reduced in trained animals as a whole.BCAA supplementation augmented liver glycogen stores and reduced proteolysis in our experimental conditionsTrained animals receiving BCAA supplementation featured increased proteoglycan synthesis compared to sedentary ones, probably because BCAA may have attenuated the negative effects of exercise on cartilage development.BCAA supplementation was not capable of neutralizing directly the negative effects of long-term physical training and lower food intake in young male rats on body growth.

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.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanism Underlying the Production of a High Quantity of Chlorogenic Acid in Young Leaves of Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz

PubMed Central

Chen, Zexiong; Tang, Ning; You, Yuming; Lan, Jianbin; Liu, Yiqing; Li, Zhengguo

2015-01-01

Lonicera macranthoides Hand.-Mazz (L. macranthoides) is a medicinal herb that is widely distributed in southern China. The biosynthetic and metabolic pathways for a core secondary metabolite in L. macranthoides, chlorogenic acid (CGA), have been elucidated in many species. However, the mechanisms of CGA biosynthesis and the related gene regulatory network in L. macranthoides are still not well understood. In this study, CGA content was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and CGA levels differed significantly among three tissues; specifically, the CGA content in young leaves (YL) was greater than that in young stems (YS), which was greater than that in mature flowers (MF). Transcriptome analysis of L. macranthoides yielded a total of 53,533,014 clean reads (average length 90 bp) and 76,453 unigenes (average length 703 bp). A total of 3,767 unigenes were involved in biosynthesis pathways of secondary metabolites. Of these unigenes, 80 were possibly related to CGA biosynthesis. Furthermore, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in different tissues including YL, MF and YS. In these tissues, 24 DEGs were found to be associated with CGA biosynthesis, including six phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) genes, six 4-coumarate coenzyme A ligase (4CL) genes, four cinnamate 4-Hydroxylase (C4H) genes, seven hydroxycinnamoyl transferase/hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA quinate transferase HCT/HQT genes and one coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H) gene.These results further the understanding of CGA biosynthesis and the related regulatory network in L. macranthoides. PMID:26381882

Focus on Young Adult Programming.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Union, Bunni; Williams, Sheila

1996-01-01

Presents three library youth service programs which focus on "Pizza and Politicians," a public library pizza party which gave high school students and college-aged young adults a chance to meet and question politicians; a young adult "Reading to Seniors" program; "Making Books," a public library journal-making project…

The study on hand-arm vibration syndrome in China.

PubMed

Lin, Wang; Chunzhi, Zhang; Qiang, Zhang; Kai, Zhang; Xiaoli, Zeng

2005-07-01

To review the main achievement and problems of study on hand-arm vibration syndrome in China. The epidemiological and clinical study indicate that HAVS was reported from almost provinces in China, the prevalence of VWF ranges from 2.5% to 82.8% in the workers with vibrating tool use. The exposure-response relationship between prevalence of VWF and intensity and duration of exposed to hand-transmitted vibration has confirmed. Diagnostic criteria of HAVS has been established and performed by Chinese government in 1985, and it was revised by government as a national standard for occupational health in 2002. The "hygienic standard for hand-transmitted vibration in workplace" as a national standard and the "methods of measurement and assessment for hand-transmitted vibration" as a recommend standard were published by government also. The limited value of exposed to hand-arm vibration was 5.0 m/s2 that is energy equivalent frequency-weighted acceleration for a period of 4 h (ahw(4)). There are some problems in this field of China need to further study in the future.

Preventing Smoking Progression in Young Adults: the Concept of Prevescalation.

PubMed

Villanti, Andrea C; Niaura, Raymond S; Abrams, David B; Mermelstein, Robin

2018-03-10

As adolescents cross the threshold to young adulthood, they encounter more opportunities to engage in or accelerate previously discouraged or prohibited behaviors. Young adults, therefore, are more apt to initiate cigarette smoking and, more importantly, to accelerate their use if they tried and experimented as an adolescent. Preventing the escalation and entrenchment of smoking in the young adult years is critically important to reducing tobacco's long-term health toll. However, traditional interventions for youth have focused on preventing smoking initiation, and interventions for adults have focused on smoking cessation; both have failed to address the needs of young adults. We introduce the concept of "prevescalation" to capture the need and opportunity to prevent the escalation of risk behaviors that typically occur during young adulthood, with a focus on the example of cigarette smoking. Prevescalation negates the notion that prevention has failed if tobacco experimentation occurs during adolescence and focuses on understanding and interrupting transitions between experimentation with tobacco products and established tobacco use that largely occur during young adulthood. However, since risk behaviors often co-occur in young people, the core concept of prevescalation may apply to other behaviors that co-occur and become harder to change in later adulthood. We present a new framework for conceptualizing, developing, and evaluating interventions that better fit the unique behavioral, psychosocial, and socio-environmental characteristics of the young adult years. We discuss the need to target this transitional phase, what we know about behavioral pathways and predictors of cigarette smoking, potential intervention considerations, and research challenges.

On the local standard of rest. [comoving with young objects in gravitational field of spiral galaxies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yuan, C.

1983-01-01

Under the influence of a spiral gravitational field, there should be differences among the mean motions of different types of objects with different dispersion velocities in a spiral galaxy. The old stars with high dispersion velocity should have essentially no mean motion normal to the galactic rotation. On the other hand, young objects and interstellar gas may be moving relative to the old stars at a velocity of a few kilometer per second in both the radial (galacto-centric), and circular directions, depending on the spiral model adopted. Such a velocity is usually referred as the systematic motion or the streaming motion. The conventionally adopted local standard of rest is indeed co-moving with the young objects of the solar vicinity. Therefore, it has a net systematic motion with respect to the circular motion of an equilibrium galactic model, defined by the old stars. Previously announced in STAR as N83-24443

A Five-Year Review of Tag Rugby Hand Injuries.

PubMed

Joyce, C W; Woods, J F C; Murphy, S; Bollard, S; Kelly, J L; Carroll, S M; O'Shaughnessy, M

2016-10-01

Tag rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in Ireland. It is a soft-contact team game that is loosely based on the rugby league format except players try to remove Velcro tags from their opponents' shorts rather than engage in a typical rugby tackle. The purpose of this study was to examine all tag rugby associated hand injuries over a five-year period in three large tertiary referral hospitals in Ireland. Using the patient corresponding system, 228 patients with hand injury related tag rugby injuries were observed from 2010 to 2015. There were 138 males and 90 females in the study and over 40% of patients required surgery. Most of the patients were young professionals with an average age of 30. Twenty-five patients worked in the financial services whilst there were 23 teachers. Fractures accounted for 124 of the 228 injuries and mallet injuries accounted for 53. Eighty percent of all injuries occurred during the tackle. The mean number of days missed from work was 9.1±13.8 days. These injuries resulted in an average of seven hospital appointments per patient. Considering it is a soft-contact sport, it is surprising the number of hand injuries that we have observed. Although safety measures have been introduced to decrease the number of hand injuries in recent years, there is a need for further improvements. Better player education about seeking prompt medical attention once an injury occurs, coupled with longer shorts worn by players may improve measures for the sport. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Technique, muscle activity and kinematic differences in young adults texting on mobile phones.

PubMed

Gustafsson, Ewa; Johnson, Peter W; Lindegård, Agneta; Hagberg, Mats

2011-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there are differences in technique between young adults with and without musculoskeletal symptoms when using a mobile phone for texting and whether there are differences in muscle activity and kinematics between different texting techniques. A total of 56 young adults performed a standardised texting task on a mobile phone. Their texting techniques were registered using an observation protocol. The muscular activity in six muscles in the right forearm/hand and both shoulders were registered by surface electromyography and the thumb abduction/adduction and flexion/extension were registered using a biaxial electrogoniometer. Differences in texting techniques were found between the symptomatic and the asymptomatic group, with a higher proportion of sitting with back support and forearm support and with a neutral head position in the asymptomatic group. Differences in muscle activity and kinematics were also found between different texting techniques. The differences in texting technique between symptomatic and asymptomatic subjects cannot be explained by them having symptoms but may be a possible contribution to their symptoms. STATEMENT OF RELEVANCE: There has been a dramatically increased use of mobile phones for texting especially among young people during the last years. A better understanding of the physical exposure associated with the intensive use is important in order to prevent the development of musculoskeletal disorders and decreased work ability related to this use.

When does tool use become distinctively human?: Hammering in young children

PubMed Central

Kahrs, Björn; Lockman, Jeffrey J.; Jung, Wendy

2013-01-01

This study examines the development of hammering within an ontogenetic and evolutionary framework using motion-capture technology. Twenty-four right-handed toddlers (19–35 months) wore reflective markers while hammering a peg into a peg-board. The study focuses on the motor characteristics that make tool use uniquely human: wrist involvement, lateralization, and handle use. Older children showed more distally controlled movements, characterized by relatively more reliance on the wrist, but only when hammering with their right hand. Greater age, use of the right hand, and more wrist involvement were associated with higher accuracy; handle use did not systematically change with age. Collectively, the results provide new insights about the emergence of hammering in young children and when hammering begins to manifest distinctively human characteristics. PMID:24128178

Rwandan young people's perceptions on sexuality and relationships: results from a qualitative study using the 'mailbox technique'.

PubMed

Michielsen, Kristien; Remes, Pieter; Rugabo, John; Van Rossem, Ronan; Temmerman, Marleen

2014-01-01

This study aimed to gain more insight into young Rwandans' perceptions on sex and relationships, which is essential for formulating effective sexual and reproductive health (SRH) promotion interventions. Using a 'mailbox technique', this paper studies the spontaneous thoughts of Rwandan young people on sexuality. Mailboxes were installed in five secondary schools in the Bugesera district and students were invited to write about their ideas, secrets, wishes, desires and fears on sexuality and relationships. Of the 186 letters collected, 154 addressed SRH topics. The letters were analysed in NVivo 9 using a theoretical model on vulnerability. Two stereotypical sexual interactions co-exist: experimental sex, taking place unprepared, driven by desire among young people of the same age, and transactional sex, occurring after negotiation between older men/women and younger girls/boys in exchange for money or goods. Both types expose young people to poor, though different, SRH outcomes. Young people have little capacity to manage their vulnerability in these relationships: they have limited knowledge on SRH topics, lack adult guidance or support and have difficult access to condoms. They apply seemingly contradictory norms and behaviours concerning sexuality. In conclusion, we have formulated several recommendations for SRH interventions.

Support for hands-on optics immersions (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spalding, Gabriel C.; McCann, Lowell I.

2016-09-01

The Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) is an official affiliate organization of the AAPT, supporting upper-level undergraduate instructional lab education in physics. The ALPhA Immersions program is intended to be an efficient use of an instructor's time: with expert colleague-mentors on hand they spend 2.5 days learning a key new instructional experiment (of their choice) well enough to confidently teach it to the students at their home institutions. At an ALPhA Immersion, participants work in groups of no more than three per experimental setup. Our follow-up surveys support the notion that this individualized, concentrated focus directly results in significant updating and improvement of undergraduate laboratory instruction in physics across the country. Such programs have the effect of encouraging investment, on the part of individual institutions. For example, we have disseminated ideas, training, and equipment for contemporary single-photon-based instructional labs dealing with core, contemporary issues in Quantum Mechanics. By the time this paper is presented, ALPhA will have delivered at least 420 single-photon detectors to a wide variety of educational institutions. We have also partnered with the non-profit Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation to support equipment acquisition by institutions participating in our wide variety of training programs.

Can theoretical intervention improve hand hygiene behavior among nurses?

PubMed Central

Baghaei, Rahim; Sharifian, Elham; Kamran, Aziz

2016-01-01

Background Hand washing is the best strategy to prevent known nosocomial infections but the nurses’ hand hygiene is estimated to be poor in Iran. Objective This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of BASNEF (Behavior, Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Enabling Factors) model on hand hygiene adherence education. Methods This controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted on 70 hemodialysis unit nurses (35 case and 35 control) in the health and educational centers of the University of Medical Sciences of Urmia, Iran. To collect the data, a six-part validated and reliable questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed using SPSS version18, using Wilcoxon, Mann–Whitney, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. The significance level was considered P<0.05. Results The mean age was 38.4±8.1 years for the intervention group and 40.2±8.0 years for the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups for any demographic variables. Also, before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups for any components of the BASNEF model. Post-intervention, the attitude, subjective norms, enabling factors, and intention improved significantly in the intervention group (P<0.001), but hand hygiene behavior did not show any significant change in the intervention group (P=0.16). Conclusion Despite the improving attitudes and intention, the intervention had no significant effect on hand hygiene behavior among the studied nurses. PMID:27366106

Multidisciplinary Graduate Training in Social Research Methodology and Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis: A Hands-On/Hands-Off Course Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bourque, Claude Julie; Bourdon, Sylvain

2017-01-01

Drawing on the experience of training graduate students and researchers in qualitative and mixed-methods analysis since the mid-1990s, the authors reflect on the evolution of a multidisciplinary graduate course developed in a Canadian university since 2007. The hands-on/hands-off course design based on the use of NVivo was developed in parallel…

SaniTwice: a novel approach to hand hygiene for reducing bacterial contamination on hands when soap and water are unavailable.

PubMed

Edmonds, Sarah L; Mann, James; McCormack, Robert R; Macinga, David R; Fricker, Christopher M; Arbogast, James W; Dolan, Michael J

2010-12-01

The risk of inadequate hand hygiene in food handling settings is exacerbated when water is limited or unavailable, thereby making washing with soap and water difficult. The SaniTwice method involves application of excess alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS), hand "washing" for 15 s, and thorough cleaning with paper towels while hands are still wet, followed by a standard application of ABHS. This study investigated the effectiveness of the SaniTwice methodology as an alternative to hand washing for cleaning and removal of microorganisms. On hands moderately soiled with beef broth containing Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229), washing with a nonantimicrobial hand washing product achieved a 2.86 (±0.64)-log reduction in microbial contamination compared with the baseline, whereas the SaniTwice method with 62 % ethanol (EtOH) gel, 62 % EtOH foam, and 70 % EtOH advanced formula gel achieved reductions of 2.64 ± 0.89, 3.64 ± 0.57, and 4.61 ± 0.33 log units, respectively. When hands were heavily soiled from handling raw hamburger containing E. coli, washing with nonantimicrobial hand washing product and antimicrobial hand washing product achieved reductions of 2.65 ± 0.33 and 2.69 ± 0.32 log units, respectively, whereas SaniTwice with 62 % EtOH foam, 70 % EtOH gel, and 70 % EtOH advanced formula gel achieved reductions of 2.87 ± 0.42, 2.99 ± 0.51, and 3.92 ± 0.65 log units, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the in vivo antibacterial efficacy of the SaniTwice regimen with various ABHS is equivalent to or exceeds that of the standard hand washing approach as specified in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code. Implementation of the SaniTwice regimen in food handling settings with limited water availability should significantly reduce the risk of foodborne infections resulting from inadequate hand hygiene.

Vision-Based Pose Estimation for Robot-Mediated Hand Telerehabilitation

PubMed Central

Airò Farulla, Giuseppe; Pianu, Daniele; Cempini, Marco; Cortese, Mario; Russo, Ludovico O.; Indaco, Marco; Nerino, Roberto; Chimienti, Antonio; Oddo, Calogero M.; Vitiello, Nicola

2016-01-01

Vision-based Pose Estimation (VPE) represents a non-invasive solution to allow a smooth and natural interaction between a human user and a robotic system, without requiring complex calibration procedures. Moreover, VPE interfaces are gaining momentum as they are highly intuitive, such that they can be used from untrained personnel (e.g., a generic caregiver) even in delicate tasks as rehabilitation exercises. In this paper, we present a novel master–slave setup for hand telerehabilitation with an intuitive and simple interface for remote control of a wearable hand exoskeleton, named HX. While performing rehabilitative exercises, the master unit evaluates the 3D position of a human operator’s hand joints in real-time using only a RGB-D camera, and commands remotely the slave exoskeleton. Within the slave unit, the exoskeleton replicates hand movements and an external grip sensor records interaction forces, that are fed back to the operator-therapist, allowing a direct real-time assessment of the rehabilitative task. Experimental data collected with an operator and six volunteers are provided to show the feasibility of the proposed system and its performances. The results demonstrate that, leveraging on our system, the operator was able to directly control volunteers’ hands movements. PMID:26861333

Hands-on workshops as an effective means of learning advanced technologies including genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics.

PubMed

Reisdorph, Nichole; Stearman, Robert; Kechris, Katerina; Phang, Tzu Lip; Reisdorph, Richard; Prenni, Jessica; Erle, David J; Coldren, Christopher; Schey, Kevin; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Geraci, Mark

2013-12-01

Genomics and proteomics have emerged as key technologies in biomedical research, resulting in a surge of interest in training by investigators keen to incorporate these technologies into their research. At least two types of training can be envisioned in order to produce meaningful results, quality publications and successful grant applications: (1) immediate short-term training workshops and (2) long-term graduate education or visiting scientist programs. We aimed to fill the former need by providing a comprehensive hands-on training course in genomics, proteomics and informatics in a coherent, experimentally-based framework. This was accomplished through a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-sponsored 10-day Genomics and Proteomics Hands-on Workshop held at National Jewish Health (NJH) and the University of Colorado School of Medicine (UCD). The course content included comprehensive lectures and laboratories in mass spectrometry and genomics technologies, extensive hands-on experience with instrumentation and software, video demonstrations, optional workshops, online sessions, invited keynote speakers, and local and national guest faculty. Here we describe the detailed curriculum and present the results of short- and long-term evaluations from course attendees. Our educational program consistently received positive reviews from participants and had a substantial impact on grant writing and review, manuscript submissions and publications. Copyright © 2013. Production and hosting by Elsevier Ltd.

[Application of hand-use ProTaper instruments in endodontic treatment of molar canals].

PubMed

Ma, Sui-qi; Xie, Qian; Zhou, Yin-feng

2010-07-01

To evaluate the application of hand-use ProTaper instruments in endodontic treatment of molar canals. A total of 203 permanent molars were randomly divided into the experimental group (99 molars) and control group (104 molars) prepared by hand-use ProTaper instruments and standard stainless steel K-file, respectively. The molars in the two groups were obturated by cold lateral condensation technique. The root canal preparation and obturation were evaluated by radiograph, and the working time of preparation and post-operative emergencies were analyzed. The preparation time in the experimental group was obviously shorter than that in the control group (P<0.01). The rate of satisfactory effect was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P<0.01), and the rate of post-operative emergencies was significantly lower in the experimental group (P<0.01). The application of hand-use ProTaper instruments may improve the effect of root canal treatment of the molars and shorten the working time and reduce the post-operative emergencies.

Estimation of stature using hand and foot dimensions in Slovak adults.

PubMed

Uhrová, Petra; Beňuš, Radoslav; Masnicová, Soňa; Obertová, Zuzana; Kramárová, Daniela; Kyselicová, Klaudia; Dörnhöferová, Michaela; Bodoriková, Silvia; Neščáková, Eva

2015-03-01

Hand and foot dimensions used for stature estimation help to formulate a biological profile in the process of personal identification. Morphological variability of hands and feet shows the importance of generating population-specific equations to estimate stature. The stature, hand length, hand breadth, foot length and foot breadth of 250 young Slovak males and females, aged 18-24 years, were measured according to standard anthropometric procedures. The data were statistically analyzed using independent t-test for sex and bilateral differences. Pearson correlation coefficient was used for assessing relationship between stature and hand/foot parameters, and subsequently linear regression analysis was used to estimate stature. The results revealed significant sex differences in hand and foot dimensions as well as in stature (p<0.05). There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between stature and all measurements in both sexes (p<0.01). The highest correlation coefficient was found for foot length in males (r=0.71) as well as in females (r=0.63). Regression equations were computed separately for each sex. The accuracy of stature prediction ranged from ±4.6 to ±6.1cm. The results of this study indicate that hand and foot dimension can be used to estimate stature for Slovak for the purpose of forensic field. The regression equations can be of use for stature estimation particularly in cases of dismembered bodies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Kinesthesis can make an invisible hand visible

PubMed Central

Dieter, Kevin C.; Hu, Bo; Knill, David C.; Blake, Randolph; Tadin, Duje

2014-01-01

Self-generated body movements have reliable visual consequences. This predictive association between vision and action likely underlies modulatory effects of action on visual processing. However, it is unknown if our own actions can have generative effects on visual perception. We asked whether, in total darkness, self-generated body movements are sufficient to evoke normally concomitant visual perceptions. Using a deceptive experimental design, we discovered that waving one’s own hand in front of one’s covered eyes can cause visual sensations of motion. Conjecturing that these visual sensations arise from multisensory connectivity, we showed that individuals with synesthesia experience substantially stronger kinesthesis-induced visual sensations. Finally, we found that the perceived vividness of kinesthesis-induced visual sensations predicted participants’ ability to smoothly eye-track self-generated hand movements in darkness, indicating that these sensations function like typical retinally-driven visual sensations. Evidently, even in the complete absence of external visual input, our brains predict visual consequences of our actions. PMID:24171930

Building a Community of Literacy Practice with Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moni, Karen B.

This paper describes the activities and outcomes of LATCH-ON (Literacy and Technology-Hands On), a literacy program for young adults with Down Syndrome based at the University of Queensland in Australia. The program's aims are to support literacy as a desirable and valued aspect in the students' quality of life through developing communication in…

Interventions to Improve Hand Hygiene Compliance in the ICU: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Lydon, Sinéad; Power, Michael; McSharry, Jennifer; Byrne, Molly; Madden, Caoimhe; Squires, Janet Elaine; O'Connor, Paul

2017-11-01

To synthesize the literature describing interventions to improve hand hygiene in ICUs, to evaluate the quality of the extant research, and to outline the type, and efficacy, of interventions described. Systematic searches were conducted in November 2016 using five electronic databases: Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Embase, and Web of Science. Additionally, the reference lists of included studies and existing review papers were screened. English language, peer-reviewed studies that evaluated an intervention to improve hand hygiene in an adult ICU setting, and reported hand hygiene compliance rates collected via observation, were included. Data were extracted on the setting, participant characteristics, experimental design, hand hygiene measurement, intervention characteristics, and outcomes. Interventional components were categorized using the Behavior Change Wheel. Methodological quality was examined using the Downs and Black Checklist. Thirty-eight studies were included. The methodological quality of studies was poor, with studies scoring a mean of 8.6 of 24 (SD= 2.7). Over 90% of studies implemented a bundled intervention. The most frequently employed interventional strategies were education (78.9%), enablement (71.1%), training (68.4%), environmental restructuring (65.8%), and persuasion (65.8%). Intervention outcomes were variable, with a mean relative percentage change of 94.7% (SD= 195.7; range, 4.3-1155.4%) from pre to post intervention. This review demonstrates that best practice for improving hand hygiene in ICUs remains unestablished. Future research employing rigorous experimental designs, careful statistical analysis, and clearly described interventions is important.

Body schema and corporeal self-recognition in the alien hand syndrome.

PubMed

Olgiati, Elena; Maravita, Angelo; Spandri, Viviana; Casati, Roberta; Ferraro, Francesco; Tedesco, Lucia; Agostoni, Elio Clemente; Bolognini, Nadia

2017-07-01

The alien hand syndrome (AHS) is a rare neuropsychological disorder characterized by involuntary, yet purposeful, hand movements. Patients with the AHS typically complain about a loss of agency associated with a feeling of estrangement for actions performed by the affected limb. The present study explores the integrity of the body representation in AHS, focusing on 2 main processes: multisensory integration and visual self-recognition of body parts. Three patients affected by AHS following a right-hemisphere stroke, with clinical symptoms akin to the posterior variant of AHS, were tested and their performance was compared with that of 18 age-matched healthy controls. AHS patients and controls underwent 2 experimental tasks: a same-different visual matching task for body postures, which assessed the ability of using your own body schema for encoding others' body postural changes (Experiment 1), and an explicit self-hand recognition task, which assessed the ability to visually recognize your own hands (Experiment 2). As compared to controls, all AHS patients were unable to access a reliable multisensory representation of their alien hand and use it for decoding others' postural changes; however, they could rely on an efficient multisensory representation of their intact (ipsilesional) hand. Two AHS patients also presented with a specific impairment in the visual self-recognition of their alien hand, but normal recognition of their intact hand. This evidence suggests that the AHS following a right-hemisphere stroke may involve a disruption of the multisensory representation of the alien limb; instead, self-hand recognition mechanisms may be spared. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

"Hand-it-on": an innovative simulation on the relation of non-technical skills to healthcare.

PubMed

Dieckmann, Peter; Zeltner, Louise Graae; Helsø, Anne-Mette

2016-01-01

Non-technical skills (NTS) are an integral part of the abilities healthcare professionals need to optimally care for patients. Integrating NTS into the already complex tasks of healthcare can be a challenge for clinicians. Integrating NTS into simulation-based training increases the demands for simulation instructors with regard to scenario design, conduct, and debriefing. We introduce a simulation game, Hand-it-on , that can trigger discussions on how NTS can influence work processes. Hand-it-on aims to help clinicians and simulation instructors alike to improve their understanding of NTS concepts and where they can apply them in their work. It complements existing approaches to teaching NTS by limiting the complexity of the game and by removing medical content, allowing learners to concentrate on NTS. Hand-it-on is relevant for groups and teams working across the range of different healthcare contexts. During Hand-it-on, participants stand in a circle and hand on everyday objects to each other according to simple rules, resulting in many events that can be debriefed in relation to safe patient care. We describe both the conduct of Hand-it-on and ideas on how to debrief participants. We provide variations that can be used in different contexts, focusing the exercise on different learning goals. We also offer the theoretical rationale for using an out-of-context simulation in combination with other forms of teaching. Although we did not evaluate Hand-it-on formally, oral feedback from participants and the replication of Hand-it-on by many simulation teams support its value.

An Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis Study of Simple Motor Movements in Older and Young Adults

PubMed Central

Turesky, Ted K.; Turkeltaub, Peter E.; Eden, Guinevere F.

2016-01-01

The functional neuroanatomy of finger movements has been characterized with neuroimaging in young adults. However, less is known about the aging motor system. Several studies have contrasted movement-related activity in older versus young adults, but there is inconsistency among their findings. To address this, we conducted an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis on within-group data from older adults and young adults performing regularly paced right-hand finger movement tasks in response to external stimuli. We hypothesized that older adults would show a greater likelihood of activation in right cortical motor areas (i.e., ipsilateral to the side of movement) compared to young adults. ALE maps were examined for conjunction and between-group differences. Older adults showed overlapping likelihoods of activation with young adults in left primary sensorimotor cortex (SM1), bilateral supplementary motor area, bilateral insula, left thalamus, and right anterior cerebellum. Their ALE map differed from that of the young adults in right SM1 (extending into dorsal premotor cortex), right supramarginal gyrus, medial premotor cortex, and right posterior cerebellum. The finding that older adults uniquely use ipsilateral regions for right-hand finger movements and show age-dependent modulations in regions recruited by both age groups provides a foundation by which to understand age-related motor decline and motor disorders. PMID:27799910

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…

The perspectives of children and young people living with cleft lip and palate: a review of qualitative literature.

PubMed

Sharif, Mohammad Owaise; Callery, Peter; Tierney, Stephanie

2013-05-01

Objective :  To explore the experiences of children and young people with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) in relation to being treated for and living with this condition. Design :  A systematic review of qualitative research. Electronic databases and hand-searching were employed to identify relevant studies. The review centered on studies examining the views or experiences of young patients first-hand. Any study using a qualitative/mixed method design was eligible for inclusion. Results :  From 184 potential references, 38 papers were read in full, from which only two studies of young people met all the review's inclusion criteria. Common reasons for exclusion were not being a qualitative study, not focusing on CL/P, or data coming from parents only. A further two papers provided a retrospective account of childhood with CL/P from interviews with adults. Their suitability for the review's aims was limited, but they were discussed. Conclusions :  This review demonstrates that there is a paucity of evidence about the experiences of young people living with CL/P. No studies of children and only two studies of young people met all inclusion criteria. Identified papers implied that more attention is needed within families and services to help young people manage everyday difficulties such as bullying and self-consciousness due to facial difference.

The effect of bracing availability on one-hand isometric force exertion capability.

PubMed

Jones, Monica L H; Reed, Matthew P; Chaffin, Don B

2013-01-01

Environmental obstructions that workers encounter can kinematically limit the postures that they can achieve. However, such obstructions can also provide an opportunity for additional support by bracing with the hand, thigh or other body part. The reaction forces on bracing surfaces, which are in addition to those acting at the feet and task hand, are hypothesised to improve force exertion capability, and become required inputs to biomechanical analysis of tasks with bracing. The effects of kinematic constraints and associated bracing opportunities on isometric hand force were quantified in a laboratory study of 22 men and women. Analyses of one-hand maximal push, pull and lift tasks demonstrated that bracing surfaces available at the thighs and non-task hand enabled participants to exert an average of 43% more force at the task hand. Task hand force direction deviated significantly from the nominal direction for exertions performed with bracing at both medium and low task hand locations. This study quantifies the effect of bracing on kinematically constrained force exertions. Knowledge that appropriate bracing surfaces can substantially increase hand force is critical to the evaluation of task-oriented strength capability. Force estimates may also involve large off-axis components, which have clear implications for ergonomic analyses of manual tasks.

ADHD in context: Young adults’ reports of the impact of occupational environment on the manifestation of ADHD

PubMed Central

Lasky, Arielle K.; Weisner, Thomas S.; Jensen, Peter S.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.; Hechtman, Lily; Arnold, L. Eugene; Murray, Desiree; Swanson, James M.

2016-01-01

Does changing context play a role in the decline in ADHD symptoms in adulthood? Insufficient research has explored the functioning of adults with ADHD. As adults, individuals with ADHD have significantly more latitude to control aspects of their day-to-day environments. Do the new contexts young adults find themselves in alter their experience of ADHD? Are there particular occupational or educational contexts in which young adults report functioning better than others? To examine this issue, we conducted semi-structured interviews at four North American sites in 2010-11 with 125 young adults, originally diagnosed with ADHD as children, regarding their work and post-secondary educational environments. Many subjects describe their symptoms as context-dependent. In some contexts, participants report feeling better able to focus; in others, their symptoms—such as high energy levels—become strengths rather than liabilities. Modal descriptions included tasks that were stressful and challenging, novel and required multitasking, busy and fast-paced, physically demanding or hands-on, and/or intrinsically interesting. Consistent with a developmental psychopathology framework, ADHD is experienced as arising from an interaction between our subjects and their environments. These findings demonstrate the need to account for the role of context in our understanding of ADHD as a psychiatric disorder, especially as it manifests in young adulthood. PMID:27299978

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.

Hands-On Optics science camps and clubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Constance E.; Sparks, Robert T.; Pompea, Stephen M.

2007-06-01

Hands-On Optics (HOO) is a National Science Foundation funded program to bring optics education to traditionally underserved middle school students. We have developed six modules that teach students optics concepts through hands-on, inquiry-based activities. The modules have been used extensively in after-school and non-school settings such as in the Boys and Girls Clubs in South Tucson, Arizona and the Boys and Girls Club in Sells, Arizona on the Tohono O'odham reservation. We will describe these programs and the lessons learned in these settings. These modules also form the basis for a week-long optics camp that provides students with approximately 40 hours of instruction time in optics. We will provide an outline of the activities and concepts covered in the camp. These camps provide an ideal way to encourage interest in optics before career choices are developed.

Hands-On Sports Medicine Training for Residents.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanji, Jeffrey L.

1989-01-01

Describes the development of a hands-on sports medicine training program for residents at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center. Education strategies include clinical teaching, on-the-field education, experiential learning, and didactic instruction. Programs focusing exclusively on sports medicine are needed because the number of…

Effects of hyperthyroidism on hand grip strength and function.

PubMed

Erkol İnal, Esra; Çarlı, Alparslan Bayram; Çanak, Sultan; Aksu, Oğuzhan; Köroğlu, Banu Kale; Savaş, Serpil

2015-01-01

Hyperthyroidism is a pathologic condition in which the body is exposed to excessive amounts of circulating thyroid hormones. Skeletal muscle is one of the major target organs of thyroid hormones. We evaluated hand grip strength and function in patients with overt hyperthyroidism. Fifty-one patients newly diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and 44 healthy controls participated in this study. Age, height, weight, and dominant hand of all participants were recorded. The diagnosis of hyperthyroidism was confirmed by clinical examination and laboratory tests. Hand grip strength was tested at the dominant hand with a Jamar hand dynamometer. The grooved pegboard test (PGT) was used to evaluate hand dexterity. The Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) was used to assess hand function. No significant differences were found in terms of clinical and demographic findings between the patients with hyperthyroidism and healthy controls (p > 0.05). Significant differences were found between the patients with hyperthyroidism and healthy controls regarding PGT and DHI scores (p < 0.05). Hyperthyroidism seemed to affect hand dexterity and function more than hand grip strength and seemed to be associated with reduced physical function more than muscle strength. This may also indicate that patients with hyperthyroidism should be evaluated by multidisplinary modalities.

Perspectives on hand function in girls and women with Rett syndrome.

PubMed

Downs, Jenny; Parkinson, Stephanie; Ranelli, Sonia; Leonard, Helen; Diener, Pamela; Lotan, Meir

2014-06-01

Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that is usually associated with a mutation on the X-linked MECP2 gene. Hand function is particularly affected and we discuss theoretical and practical perspectives for optimising hand function in Rett syndrome. We reviewed the literature pertaining to hand function and stereotypies in Rett syndrome and developed a toolkit for their assessment and treatment. There is little published information on management of hand function in Rett syndrome. We suggest assessment and treatment strategies based on available literature, clinical experience and grounded in theories of motor control and motor learning. Additional studies are needed to determine the best treatments for hand function in Rett syndrome. Meanwhile, clinical needs can be addressed by supplementing the evidence base with an understanding of the complexities of Rett syndrome, clinical experience, environmental enrichment animal studies and theories of motor control and motor learning.