Consumer attitudes about health care-acquired infections and hand hygiene.
McGuckin, Maryanne; Waterman, Richard; Shubin, Arlene
2006-01-01
Mandatory reporting and disclosure of health care-acquired infections have resulted in controversy over the perceived notion that consumers will not understand how to interpret data and that such information may negatively influence utilization of hospitals. The objective was to determine consumers' attitudes about health care-acquired infections, hand hygiene practices, and patient empowerment. A telephone survey based on a random digit dialing sample of all households in the United States was conducted. Consumers were asked about choosing a hospital, hand hygiene practices, and health care-acquired infections. Some 94% of respondents rated environmental cleanliness as very important. Hospital infection rates would influence decision making for 93% of consumers. Four in 5 consumers said they would ask their health care worker to wash and sanitize his or her hands. Our findings strongly suggest that (1) consumers will use infection data in selecting and/or leaving a hospital system and (2) consumers are ready to be empowered with information to ensure a positive outcome.
Patients' Hand Washing and Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infection.
Haverstick, Stacy; Goodrich, Cara; Freeman, Regi; James, Shandra; Kullar, Rajkiran; Ahrens, Melissa
2017-06-01
Hand hygiene is important to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Patients' hand hygiene is just as important as hospital workers' hand hygiene. Hospital-acquired infection rates remain a concern across health centers. To improve patients' hand hygiene through the promotion and use of hand washing with soap and water, hand sanitizer, or both and improve patients' education to reduce hospital-acquired infections. In August 2013, patients in a cardiothoracic postsurgical step-down unit were provided with individual bottles of hand sanitizer. Nurses and nursing technicians provided hand hygiene education to each patient. Patients completed a 6-question survey before the intervention, at hospital discharge and 1, 2, and 3 months after the intervention. Hospital-acquired infection data were tracked monthly by infection prevention staff. Significant correlations were found between hand hygiene and rates of infection with vancomycin-resistant enterococci ( P = .003) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( P = .01) after the intervention. After the implementation of hand hygiene interventions, rates of both infections declined significantly and patients reported more staff offering opportunities for and encouraging hand hygiene. This quality improvement project demonstrates that increased hand hygiene compliance by patients can influence infection rates in an adult cardiothoracic step-down unit. The decreased infection rates and increased compliance with hand hygiene among the patients may be attributed to the implementation of patient education and the increased accessibility and use of hand sanitizer. ©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Fox, Cherie; Wavra, Teresa; Drake, Diane Ash; Mulligan, Debbie; Bennett, Yvonne Pacheco; Nelson, Carla; Kirkwood, Peggy; Jones, Louise; Bader, Mary Kay
2015-05-01
Critically ill patients are at marked risk of hospital-acquired infections, which increase patients' morbidity and mortality. Registered nurses are the main health care providers of physical care, including hygiene to reduce and prevent hospital-acquired infections, for hospitalized critically ill patients. To investigate a new patient hand hygiene protocol designed to reduce hospital-acquired infection rates and improve nurses' hand-washing compliance in an intensive care unit. A preexperimental study design was used to compare 12-month rates of 2 common hospital-acquired infections, central catheter-associated bloodstream infection and catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and nurses' hand-washing compliance measured before and during use of the protocol. Reductions in 12-month infection rates were reported for both types of infections, but neither reduction was statistically significant. Mean 12-month nurse hand-washing compliance also improved, but not significantly. A hand hygiene protocol for patients in the intensive care unit was associated with reductions in hospital-acquired infections and improvements in nurses' hand-washing compliance. Prevention of such infections requires continuous quality improvement efforts to monitor lasting effectiveness as well as investigation of strategies to eliminate these infections. ©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Hand sanitizer dispensers and associated hospital-acquired infections: friend or fomite?
Eiref, Simon D; Leitman, I Michael; Riley, William
2012-06-01
Waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizers are an increasingly popular method of hand hygiene and help prevent hospital-acquired infection (HAI). Whether hand sanitizer dispensers (HSDs) may themselves harbor pathogens or act as fomites has not been reported. All HSDs in the surgical intensive care unit of an urban teaching hospital were cultured at three sites: The dispenser lever, the rear underside, and the area surrounding the dispensing nozzle. All HSDs yielded one or more bacterial species, including commensal skin flora and enteric gram-negative bacilli. Colonization was greatest on the lever, where there is direct hand contact. Hand sanitizer dispensers can become contaminated with pathogens that cause HAI and thus are potential fomites.
Youssef, Yassar; Lee, Gyusung; Godinez, Carlos; Sutton, Erica; Klein, Rosemary V; George, Ivan M; Seagull, F Jacob; Park, Adrian
2011-07-01
This study compares surgical techniques and surgeon's standing position during laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC), investigating each with respect to surgeons' learning, performance, and ergonomics. Little homogeneity exists in LC performance and training. Variations in standing position (side-standing technique vs. between-standing technique) and hand technique (one-handed vs. two-handed) exist. Thirty-two LC procedures performed on a virtual reality simulator were video-recorded and analyzed. Each subject performed four different procedures: one-handed/side-standing, one-handed/between-standing, two-handed/side-standing, and two-handed/between-standing. Physical ergonomics were evaluated using Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA). Mental workload assessment was acquired with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX). Virtual reality (VR) simulator-generated performance evaluation and a subjective survey were analyzed. RULA scores were consistently lower (indicating better ergonomics) for the between-standing technique and higher (indicating worse ergonomics) for the side-standing technique, regardless of whether one- or two-handed. Anatomical scores overall showed side-standing to have a detrimental effect on the upper arms and trunk. The NASA-TLX showed significant association between the side-standing position and high physical demand, effort, and frustration (p<0.05). The two-handed technique in the side-standing position required more effort than the one-handed (p<0.05). No difference in operative time or complication rate was demonstrated among the four procedures. The two-handed/between-standing method was chosen as the best procedure to teach and standardize. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy poses a risk of physical injury to the surgeon. As LC is currently commonly performed in the United States, the left side-standing position may lead to increased physical demand and effort, resulting in ergonomically unsound conditions for
Position calibration of a 3-DOF hand-controller with hybrid structure
Zhu, Chengcheng; Song, Aiguo
2017-09-01
A hand-controller is a human-robot interactive device, which measures the 3-DOF (Degree of Freedom) position of the human hand and sends it as a command to control robot movement. The device also receives 3-DOF force feedback from the robot and applies it to the human hand. Thus, the precision of 3-DOF position measurements is a key performance factor for hand-controllers. However, when using a hybrid type 3-DOF hand controller, various errors occur and are considered originating from machining and assembly variations within the device. This paper presents a calibration method to improve the position tracking accuracy of hybrid type hand-controllers by determining the actual size of the hand-controller parts. By re-measuring and re-calibrating this kind of hand-controller, the actual size of the key parts that cause errors is determined. Modifying the formula parameters with the actual sizes, which are obtained in the calibrating process, improves the end position tracking accuracy of the device.
Real-Time Hand Position Sensing Technology Based on Human Body Electrostatics
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kai Tang
2018-05-01
Full Text Available Non-contact human-computer interactions (HCI based on hand gestures have been widely investigated. Here, we present a novel method to locate the real-time position of the hand using the electrostatics of the human body. This method has many advantages, including a delay of less than one millisecond, low cost, and does not require a camera or wearable devices. A formula is first created to sense array signals with five spherical electrodes. Next, a solving algorithm for the real-time measured hand position is introduced and solving equations for three-dimensional coordinates of hand position are obtained. A non-contact real-time hand position sensing system was established to perform verification experiments, and the principle error of the algorithm and the systematic noise were also analyzed. The results show that this novel technology can determine the dynamic parameters of hand movements with good robustness to meet the requirements of complicated HCI.
Dan, Luo; Ohya, Jun
2010-02-01
Recognizing hand gestures from the video sequence acquired by a dynamic camera could be a useful interface between humans and mobile robots. We develop a state based approach to extract and recognize hand gestures from moving camera images. We improved Human-Following Local Coordinate (HFLC) System, a very simple and stable method for extracting hand motion trajectories, which is obtained from the located human face, body part and hand blob changing factor. Condensation algorithm and PCA-based algorithm was performed to recognize extracted hand trajectories. In last research, this Condensation Algorithm based method only applied for one person's hand gestures. In this paper, we propose a principal component analysis (PCA) based approach to improve the recognition accuracy. For further improvement, temporal changes in the observed hand area changing factor are utilized as new image features to be stored in the database after being analyzed by PCA. Every hand gesture trajectory in the database is classified into either one hand gesture categories, two hand gesture categories, or temporal changes in hand blob changes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by conducting experiments on 45 kinds of sign language based Japanese and American Sign Language gestures obtained from 5 people. Our experimental recognition results show better performance is obtained by PCA based approach than the Condensation algorithm based method.
Time as a Measure: Elementary Students Positioning the Hands of an Analog Clock
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Darrell Earnest
2018-06-01
Full Text Available Elementary students have difficulty with the topic of time. The present study investigated students’ actions to position hour and minute hands on an analog clock to indicate particular times of the day. Using one-on-one interviews with students in Grades 2 and 4 (n = 48, we analyzed whether students were more accurate for one hand indicator (hour or minute versus the other as well as their solution approaches as they positioned each hand. We first present a quantitative analysis of student performance to document whether hour and minute hands posed differential challenges for students as they positioned hands to indicate particular times. Results indicate the hour hand is significantly more challenging to position accurately than the minute hand. Students’ solutions reflected varied approaches, including consideration of the quantitative hour-minute multiplicative relationship, attention to part-whole relations, and matching numbers from the provided time to numerals on the clock. We discuss implications for theory and instruction, including the relationship of time to length measure learning trajectories and the current treatment of time in K-12 mathematics standards for the United States.
Driver hand positions on the steering wheel while merging into motorway traffic
De Waard, D.; Van den Bold, T.G.M.P.R.; Lewis Evans, B.
2010-01-01
It has been suggested that a driver's hand position on the steering wheel can reflect the perceived risk of the road context (Walton, D., & Thomas, J. A. (2005). Naturalistic observations of driver hand positions. Transportation Research Part F, 8. 229-238, Thomas, J. A., & Walton, D. (2007).
The effect of hand position on perceived finger orientation in left- and right-handers.
Fraser, Lindsey E; Harris, Laurence R
2017-12-01
In the absence of visual feedback, the perceived orientation of the fingers is systematically biased. In right-handers these biases are asymmetrical between the left and right hands in the horizontal plane and may reflect common functional postures for the two hands. Here we compared finger orientation perception in right- and left-handed participants for both hands, across various hand positions in the horizontal plane. Participants rotated a white line on a screen optically superimposed over their hand to indicate the perceived position of the finger that was rotated to one of seven orientations with the hand either aligned with the body midline, aligned with the shoulder, or displaced by twice the shoulder-to-midline distance from the midline. We replicated the asymmetric pattern of biases previously reported in right-handed participants (left hand biased towards an orientation ~30° inward, right hand ~10° inward). However, no such asymmetry was found for left-handers, suggesting left-handers may use different strategies when mapping proprioception to body or space coordinates and/or have less specialization of function between the hands. Both groups' responses rotated further outward as distance of the hand from the body midline increased, consistent with other research showing spatial orientation estimates diverge outward in the periphery. Finally, for right-handers, precision of responses was best when the hand was aligned with the shoulder compared to the other two conditions. These results highlight the unique role of hand dominance and hand position in perception of finger orientation, and provide insight into the proprioceptive position sense of the upper limbs.
Lindsay, Helen A; Hannam, Jacqueline A; Bradfield, Charles N; Mitchell, Simon J
2016-08-01
Appropriate hand hygiene reduces hospital-acquired infections. Anesthesiologists work in environments with numerous hand hygiene opportunities (HHOs). In a prospective observational study, we investigated the potential for an anesthesiologist to return a positive alcohol breath test during routine practice when using alcohol hand gel. We observed ten volunteer anesthesiologists over four hours while they implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) "five moments for hand hygiene" using our hospital's adopted standard 70% ethanol hand gel. We measured the expired alcohol concentration at shift start and every fifteen minutes thereafter with a fuel cell breathalyzer calibrated to measure the percentage of blood alcohol concentration (BAC). Blood alcohol specimens (analyzed with gas chromatography) were collected at shift start and, when possible, immediately after a participant's first positive breathalyzer test. Of the 130 breathalyzer tests obtained, there were eight (6.2%) positive breath alcohol results from six of the ten participants, all within two minutes of a HHO. The highest value breathalyzer BAC recorded was 0.064%, with an overall mean (SD) of 0.023 (0.017)%. Five (62.5%) of the positive breathalyzer tests returned to zero in less than seven minutes. All of three blood specimens obtained immediately after a positive breathalyzer reading tested negative for alcohol. Anesthesia practitioners using alcohol hand gel in a manner that conforms with recommended hand hygiene can test positive for alcohol on a breathalyzer assay. Positive tests probably arose from inhalation of alcohol vapour into the respiratory dead space following gel application. If workplace breath testing for alcohol is implemented, it should be completed more than 15 min after applying alcohol hand gel. Positive results should be verified with a BAC test.
The availability of relatively cheap hand-held Global Positioning ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
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conditions, so the approach failed to produce results ... Hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers provide opportunities for detailed and rapid mapping of features ..... TICKELL, W. L. N. 1968 — The biology of the great albatrosses,.
Carboneau, Clark; Benge, Eddie; Jaco, Mary T; Robinson, Mary
2010-01-01
A low hand hygiene compliance rate by healthcare workers increases hospital-acquired infections to patients. At Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico a Lean Six Sigma team identified the reasons for noncompliance were multifaceted. The team followed the DMAIC process and completed the methodology in 12 months. They implemented multiple solutions in the three areas: Education, Culture, and Environment. Based on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) mortality research the team's results included an estimated 2.5 lives saved by reducing MRSA infections by 51%. Subsequently this 51% decrease in MRSA saved the hospital US$276,500. For those readers tasked with increasing hand hygiene compliance this article will provide the knowledge and insight needed to overcome multifaceted barriers to noncompliance.
Position statement on use of hand-held portable dental X-ray equipment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
2014-06-01
The position statement focuses on justification in the medical field, in particular on the use of hand-held portable dental x-ray equipment. It supplements another HERCA position paper, providing a general overview of the use of all hand-held portable X-ray equipment. Key Messages: - HERCA finds that the use of hand-held portable X-ray devices should be discouraged except in special circumstances. - As a general rule, these devices should only be used in scenarios where an intraoral radiograph is deemed necessary for a patient and the use of a fixed or semi-mobile x-ray unit is impractical, e.g.: - nursing homes, residential care facilities or homes for persons with disabilities; - forensic odontology, - military operations abroad without dental facilities
Deducing the reachable space from fingertip positions.
Hai-Trieu Pham; Pathirana, Pubudu N
2015-01-01
The reachable space of the hand has received significant interests in the past from relevant medical researchers and health professionals. The reachable space was often computed from the joint angles acquired from a motion capture system such as gloves or markers attached to each bone of the finger. However, the contact between the hand and device can cause difficulties particularly for hand with injuries, burns or experiencing certain dermatological conditions. This paper introduces an approach to find the reachable space of the hand in a non-contact measurement form utilizing the Leap Motion Controller. The approach is based on the analysis of each position in the motion path of the fingertip acquired by the Leap Motion Controller. For each position of the fingertip, the inverse kinematic problem was solved under the physiological multiple constraints of the human hand to find a set of all possible configurations of three finger joints. Subsequently, all the sets are unified to form a set of all possible configurations specific for that motion. Finally, a reachable space is computed from the configuration corresponding to the complete extension and the complete flexion of the finger joint angles in this set.
Molinos, Luis; Zalacain, Rafael; Menéndez, Rosario; Reyes, Soledad; Capelastegui, Alberto; Cillóniz, Catia; Rajas, Olga; Borderías, Luis; Martín-Villasclaras, Juan J; Bello, Salvador; Alfageme, Inmaculada; Rodríguez de Castro, Felipe; Rello, Jordi; Ruiz-Manzano, Juan; Gabarrús, Albert; Musher, Daniel M; Torres, Antoni
2015-10-01
Detection of the C-polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae in urine by an immune-chromatographic test is increasingly used to evaluate patients with community-acquired pneumonia. We assessed the sensitivity and specificity of this test in the largest series of cases to date and used logistic regression models to determine predictors of positivity in patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. We performed a multicenter, prospective, observational study of 4,374 patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. The urinary antigen test was done in 3,874 cases. Pneumococcal infection was diagnosed in 916 cases (21%); 653 (71%) of these cases were diagnosed exclusively by the urinary antigen test. Sensitivity and specificity were 60 and 99.7%, respectively. Predictors of urinary antigen positivity were female sex; heart rate≥125 bpm, systolic blood pressureantibiotic treatment; pleuritic chest pain; chills; pleural effusion; and blood urea nitrogen≥30 mg/dl. With at least six of all these predictors present, the probability of positivity was 52%. With only one factor present, the probability was only 12%. The urinary antigen test is a method with good sensitivity and excellent specificity in diagnosing pneumococcal pneumonia, and its use greatly increased the recognition of community-acquired pneumonia due to S. pneumoniae. With a specificity of 99.7%, this test could be used to direct simplified antibiotic therapy, thereby avoiding excess costs and risk for bacterial resistance that result from broad-spectrum antibiotics. We also identified predictors of positivity that could increase suspicion for pneumococcal infection or avoid the unnecessary use of this test.
Visual control improves the accuracy of hand positioning in Huntington’s disease
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emilia J. Sitek
2017-08-01
Full Text Available Background: The study aimed at demonstrating dependence of visual feedback during hand and finger positioning task performance among Huntington’s disease patients in comparison to patients with Parkinson’s disease and cervical dystonia. Material and methods: Eighty-nine patients participated in the study (23 with Huntington’s disease, 25 with Parkinson’s disease with dyskinesias, 21 with Parkinson’s disease without dyskinesias, and 20 with cervical dystonia, scoring ≥20 points on Mini-Mental State Examination in order to assure comprehension of task instructions. Neurological examination comprised of the motor section from the Unified Huntington’s Disease Rating Scale for Huntington’s disease, the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part II–IV for Parkinson’s disease and the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale for cervical dystonia. In order to compare hand position accuracy under visually controlled and blindfolded conditions, the patient imitated each of the 10 examiner’s hand postures twice, once under the visual control condition and once with no visual feedback provided. Results: Huntington’s disease patients imitated examiner’s hand positions less accurately under blindfolded condition in comparison to Parkinson’s disease without dyskinesias and cervical dystonia participants. Under visually controlled condition there were no significant inter-group differences. Conclusions: Huntington’s disease patients exhibit higher dependence on visual feedback while performing motor tasks than Parkinson’s disease and cervical dystonia patients. Possible improvement of movement precision in Huntington’s disease with the use of visual cues could be potentially useful in the patients’ rehabilitation.
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.
Zhang, Hongyu; Huang, Shurong; Guo, Xiaolan; Zhao, Ningning; Lu, Yujing; Chen, Min; Li, Yingxia; Wu, Junqin; Huang, Lihua; Ma, Fenglan; Yang, Yuhong; Zhang, Xiaoli; Zhou, Xiaoyu; Guo, Renfei; Cai, Wenzhi
2017-07-01
the supine position is the most frequently offered for birth delivery in China and many other countries, but the hands-and-knees position is now gaining prominence with doctors in China. This study aims to examine the differences in maternal and neonatal outcomes among low-risk women who gave birth either in the hands-and-knees position or the supine position. a randomised controlled trial was conducted in 11 hospitals in China from May to December in 2012. In total, 1400 women were recruited and randomly allocated to either the experimental group (n=700, 446 completed the protocol) who delivered in hands-and-knees position and the control group (n=700, 440 completed the protocol) who delivered in supine position. Women who could not maintain the randomised position during the second stage of labour were allowed to withdraw from the study. The primary maternal outcome measured was rate of episiotomy. Secondary outcomes included degree of perineum laceration, rate of emergency caesarean section, rate of shoulder dystocia, and duration of labour, postpartum bleeding, neonatal Apgar score, and the rate of neonatal asphyxia. Because outcome data were only collected for women who gave birth in the randomised position, per-protocol analyses were used to compare groups. The primary outcome, episiotomy, was also compared between groups using logistic regression adjusting for maternal age,gestational age at birth, whether the woman was primiparous, the process of second stage of labour and birthweight. as compared with the control group, the experimental group had lower rates of episiotomy and second-degree perineum laceration (including episiotomy), and higher rates of intact perineum and first-degree perineum laceration, with a longer duration of second stage of labour. No significant differences were found in the amount of postpartum bleeding, shoulder dystocia, neonatal asphyxia and neonatal Apgar scores at 1minute and 5minutes. Adjusted for maternal age, gestational
Good and bad in the hands of politicians: spontaneous gestures during positive and negative speech.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel Casasanto
2010-07-01
Full Text Available According to the body-specificity hypothesis, people with different bodily characteristics should form correspondingly different mental representations, even in highly abstract conceptual domains. In a previous test of this proposal, right- and left-handers were found to associate positive ideas like intelligence, attractiveness, and honesty with their dominant side and negative ideas with their non-dominant side. The goal of the present study was to determine whether 'body-specific' associations of space and valence can be observed beyond the laboratory in spontaneous behavior, and whether these implicit associations have visible consequences.We analyzed speech and gesture (3012 spoken clauses, 1747 gestures from the final debates of the 2004 and 2008 US presidential elections, which involved two right-handers (Kerry, Bush and two left-handers (Obama, McCain. Blind, independent coding of speech and gesture allowed objective hypothesis testing. Right- and left-handed candidates showed contrasting associations between gesture and speech. In both of the left-handed candidates, left-hand gestures were associated more strongly with positive-valence clauses and right-hand gestures with negative-valence clauses; the opposite pattern was found in both right-handed candidates.Speakers associate positive messages more strongly with dominant hand gestures and negative messages with non-dominant hand gestures, revealing a hidden link between action and emotion. This pattern cannot be explained by conventions in language or culture, which associate 'good' with 'right' but not with 'left'; rather, results support and extend the body-specificity hypothesis. Furthermore, results suggest that the hand speakers use to gesture may have unexpected (and probably unintended communicative value, providing the listener with a subtle index of how the speaker feels about the content of the co-occurring speech.
Low-cost design and fabrication of an anthropomorphic robotic hand.
Junaid, Ali Bin; Tahir, Sanan; Rasheed, Tahir; Ahmed, Sharjeel; Sohail, Mehreen; Afzal, Muhammad Raheel; Ali, Muzaffar; Kim, Yoonsoo
2014-10-01
Human hand signifies a magnificent and challenging example for scientists and engineers trying to replicate its complex structure and functionality. This paper proposes a bio-mechatronic approach for the design of an anthropomorphic artificial hand capable of performing basic human hand motions with fundamental gripping functionality. The dexterity of the artificial hand is exhibited by imitating the natural motion of the human fingers. Imitation is produced according to the data acquired from the flex sensors attached to the human fingers. In order to have proper gripping, closed-loop control is implemented using the tactile sensors. Feedback for the closed-loop control is provided by force sensing resistors (FSRs), attached on the fingertips of the robotic hand. These sensors also enable handling of fragile objects. The mathematical model is derived using forward kinematics and also simulated on MATLAB to ascertain the position of robotic fingers in 3D space.
Hong, Jon-Chao; Hwang, Ming-Yueh; Szeto, Elson; Tai, Kai-Hsin; Tsai, Chi-Ruei
2016-01-01
Hands-on making (e.g., "Maker") has become prevalent in current educational settings. To understand the role that students' epistemic curiosity plays in hands-on making contests, this study explored its correlation to students' positive affect and continuance intention to participate in a hands-on making contest called…
The impact of whole-hand vibration exposure on the sense of angular position about the wrist joint.
Radovanovic, Sasa; Day, Scott Jason; Johansson, Håkan
2006-02-01
The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of whole-hand vibration on the capacity of subjects to identify previously presented positions of the hand in both wrist flexion and extension. In each movement direction, targets of 15 or 30 degrees were presented with an imposed passive movement from the start position. During the second imposed movement, subjects were required to identify when the target position had been reached. For the vibration condition, 15 s of whole-hand vibration exposure was repeated immediately prior to each target position trial. Proprioceptive capacity was assessed by comparing the identified angular position with the reference position-angular distance expressed in terms of absolute error (AE), constant error (CE), and variable error (VE). For three of the four target positions (15 and 30 degrees flexion and 15 degrees extension), the absolute, constant, and VEs of target identification were insensitive to vibration, whereas for the 30 degrees extension target, both the absolute and CE were significantly different before and after the vibration application, showing the subjects overshooting previously presented target position. All three error measures were larger for the long targets than the short targets. Short-duration exposure to whole-hand vibration is insufficient to compromise post-vibration position sense in the wrist joint, except near the end range of joint movement in wrist extension. Complement contribution of different proprioceptive receptors (muscle, joint, and skin receptors) seems to be crucial for accuracy to reproduce passive movements, since the capacity of any individual class of receptor to deliver information about movement and position of the limbs is limited.
Hand biometric recognition based on fused hand geometry and vascular patterns.
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%.
Hand Biometric Recognition Based on Fused Hand Geometry and Vascular Patterns
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
An Efficient Solution for Hand Gesture Recognition from Video Sequence
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
PRODAN, R.-C.
2012-08-01
Full Text Available The paper describes a system of hand gesture recognition by image processing for human robot interaction. The recognition and interpretation of the hand postures acquired through a video camera allow the control of the robotic arm activity: motion - translation and rotation in 3D - and tightening/releasing the clamp. A gesture dictionary was defined and heuristic algorithms for recognition were developed and tested. The system can be used for academic and industrial purposes, especially for those activities where the movements of the robotic arm were not previously scheduled, for training the robot easier than using a remote control. Besides the gesture dictionary, the novelty of the paper consists in a new technique for detecting the relative positions of the fingers in order to recognize the various hand postures, and in the achievement of a robust system for controlling robots by postures of the hands.
Liakhovetskiĭ, V A; Bobrova, E V; Skopin, G N
2012-01-01
Transposition errors during the reproduction of a hand movement sequence make it possible to receive important information on the internal representation of this sequence in the motor working memory. Analysis of such errors showed that learning to reproduce sequences of the left-hand movements improves the system of positional coding (coding ofpositions), while learning of the right-hand movements improves the system of vector coding (coding of movements). Learning of the right-hand movements after the left-hand performance involved the system of positional coding "imposed" by the left hand. Learning of the left-hand movements after the right-hand performance activated the system of vector coding. Transposition errors during learning to reproduce movement sequences can be explained by neural network using either vector coding or both vector and positional coding.
When are the hands of healthcare workers positive for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus?
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
Creamer, E
2010-06-01
Hand hygiene is a key component in reducing infection. There are few reports on the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on healthcare workers\\' (HCWs\\') hands. The aim of this study was to establish whether HCWs\\' fingertips were contaminated with MRSA in a clinical hospital setting. The study was conducted in an acute tertiary referral hospital on four MRSA wards that were part of a larger research study on MRSA epidemiology and four other wards not included in the study. The fingertips from all categories of 523 HCWs were sampled on 822 occasions by the imprinting of fingertips on MRSA chromogenic agar plates. The type of hand hygiene agent used, if any, and the immediate prior activity of the HCW were recorded. Overall, 38\\/822 (5%) fingertips from 523 HCWs were MRSA-positive; 12\\/194 (6%) after clinical contact, 10\\/138 (10%) after contact with the patient\\'s environment and 15\\/346 (4%) after no specific contact. MRSA was recovered on 2\\/61 (3%) occasions after use of alcohol hand rub, 2\\/35 (6%) after 4% chlorhexidine detergent, 7\\/210 (3%) hand washing with soap and water, and 27\\/493 (5%) when no hand hygiene had been performed. MRSA was recovered from HCWs on seven of the eight wards. MRSA was more frequently present on fingertips on the four non-study wards vs the four MRSA study wards [18\\/250 (7%), 3\\/201 (1%), respectively; P
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yan Naing Aye
2013-10-01
Full Text Available The intelligent handheld instrument, ITrem2, enhances manual positioning accuracy by cancelling erroneous hand movements and, at the same time, provides automatic micromanipulation functions. Visual data is acquired from a high speed monovision camera attached to the optical surgical microscope and acceleration measurements are acquired from the inertial measurement unit (IMU on board ITrem2. Tremor estimation and canceling is implemented via Band-limited Multiple Fourier Linear Combiner (BMFLC filter. The piezoelectric actuated micromanipulator in ITrem2 generates the 3D motion to compensate erroneous hand motion. Preliminary bench-top 2-DOF experiments have been conducted. The error motions simulated by a motion stage is reduced by 67% for multiple frequency oscillatory motions and 56.16% for pre-conditioned recorded physiological tremor.
A new approach to hand-based authentication
Amayeh, G.; Bebis, G.; Erol, A.; Nicolescu, M.
2007-04-01
Hand-based authentication is a key biometric technology with a wide range of potential applications both in industry and government. Traditionally, hand-based authentication is performed by extracting information from the whole hand. To account for hand and finger motion, guidance pegs are employed to fix the position and orientation of the hand. In this paper, we consider a component-based approach to hand-based verification. Our objective is to investigate the discrimination power of different parts of the hand in order to develop a simpler, faster, and possibly more accurate and robust verification system. Specifically, we propose a new approach which decomposes the hand in different regions, corresponding to the fingers and the back of the palm, and performs verification using information from certain parts of the hand only. Our approach operates on 2D images acquired by placing the hand on a flat lighting table. Using a part-based representation of the hand allows the system to compensate for hand and finger motion without using any guidance pegs. To decompose the hand in different regions, we use a robust methodology based on morphological operators which does not require detecting any landmark points on the hand. To capture the geometry of the back of the palm and the fingers in suffcient detail, we employ high-order Zernike moments which are computed using an effcient methodology. The proposed approach has been evaluated on a database of 100 subjects with 10 images per subject, illustrating promising performance. Comparisons with related approaches using the whole hand for verification illustrate the superiority of the proposed approach. Moreover, qualitative comparisons with state-of-the-art approaches indicate that the proposed approach has comparable or better performance.
Ott, Lora K; Irani, Vida R
2015-05-01
Traditional hand hygiene teaching methods lack long-term effectiveness. A longitudinal, within-subject design explored the influence of real-time hand microbe feedback and a critical-thinking decision exercise on nursing student hand hygiene behaviors. In three community hospitals, the students' (n = 68) hand swabs were tested for normal flora, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus at three time points. Students completed the Partnering to Heal (PTH) online exercise on hospital-acquired infection prevention decisions. Normal flora colony counts decreased across the semester and MRSA-positive cultures increased in frequency and colony counts. MRSA-positive cultures were not associated with caring for patients in isolation precautions. Significantly higher colony counts were noted in the students who completed the PTH than those who did not complete the PTH. This study explores innovative pedagogy bringing the nonvisible microbial risk to the consciousness of nursing students in an attempt to change hand hygiene behaviors. Copyright 2015, SLACK Incorporated.
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.
A multifaceted hospital-wide intervention increases hand hygiene ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Hospital-acquired infections remain a global concern, with prevalence .... precautionary measures such as hand washing. A baseline audit in. 2014 on hand hygiene at GSH reflected an average performance of. 34% for the hospital. ..... hand hygiene intervention based on WHO and continuous improvement methodology.
Husic, Rusmir; Lackner, Angelika; Stradner, Martin H; Hermann, Josef; Dejaco, Christian
2017-08-01
Position of joints might influence the result of US examination in patients with RA. The purpose of this work was to compare grey-scale (GS) and power Doppler (PWD) findings obtained in neutral vs flat position of hands. A cross-sectional study of 42 RA patients with active disease. Two dimensional and 3D sonography of wrists and MCP joints were conducted in two different joint positions: neutral position, which is a slight flexion of the fingers with relaxed extensor muscles; and flat position, where all palm and volar sides of fingers touch the Table. Two dimensional GS synovitis (GSS) and PWD signals were scored semi-quantitatively (0-3). For 3D sonography, the percentage of PWD voxels within a region of interest was calculated. GSS was not quantified using 3D sonography. Compared with neutral position, 2D PWD signals disappeared in 28.3% of joints upon flattening. The median global 2D PWD score (sum of all PWD scores of an individual patient) decreased from 8 to 3 ( P < 0.001), and the global 3D PWD voxel score from 3.8 to 0.9 ( P < 0.001). The reduction of PWD scores was similar in all joints (2D: minus 50%, 3D: minus 66.4-80.1%). Inter- and intrareader agreement of PWD results was good (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.75-0.82). In RA, a neutral position of the hands is linked to a higher sensitivity of 2D and 3D sonography in detecting PWD signals at wrists and MCP joints, compared with a flat position. Standardization of the scanning procedure is essential for obtaining comparable US results in RA patients in trials and clinical routines. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Erichsen Andersson, Annette; Frödin, Maria; Dellenborg, Lisen; Wallin, Lars; Hök, Jesper; Gillespie, Brigid M; Wikström, Ewa
2018-01-04
Hand hygiene and aseptic techniques are essential preventives in combating hospital-acquired infections. However, implementation of these strategies in the operating room remains suboptimal. There is a paucity of intervention studies providing detailed information on effective methods for change. This study aimed to evaluate the process of implementing a theory-driven knowledge translation program for improved use of hand hygiene and aseptic techniques in the operating room. The study was set in an operating department of a university hospital. The intervention was underpinned by theories on organizational learning, culture and person centeredness. Qualitative process data were collected via participant observations and analyzed using a thematic approach. Doubts that hand-hygiene practices are effective in preventing hospital acquired infections, strong boundaries and distrust between professional groups and a lack of psychological safety were identified as barriers towards change. Facilitated interprofessional dialogue and learning in "safe spaces" worked as mechanisms for motivation and engagement. Allowing for the free expression of different opinions, doubts and viewing resistance as a natural part of any change was effective in engaging all professional categories in co-creation of clinical relevant solutions to improve hand hygiene. Enabling nurses and physicians to think and talk differently about hospital acquired infections and hand hygiene requires a shift from the concept of one-way directed compliance towards change and learning as the result of a participatory and meaning-making process. The present study is a part of the Safe Hands project, and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT02983136 ). Date of registration 2016/11/28, retrospectively registered.
Bobrova, E V; Liakhovetskiĭ, V A; Borshchevskaia, E R
2011-01-01
The dependence of errors during reproduction of a sequence of hand movements without visual feedback on the previous right- and left-hand performance ("prehistory") and on positions in space of sequence elements (random or ordered by the explicit rule) was analyzed. It was shown that the preceding information about the ordered positions of the sequence elements was used during right-hand movements, whereas left-hand movements were performed with involvement of the information about the random sequence. The data testify to a central mechanism of the analysis of spatial structure of sequence elements. This mechanism activates movement coding specific for the left hemisphere (vector coding) in case of an ordered sequence structure and positional coding specific for the right hemisphere in case of a random sequence structure.
Binocular Vision-Based Position and Pose of Hand Detection and Tracking in Space
Jun, Chen; Wenjun, Hou; Qing, Sheng
After the study of image segmentation, CamShift target tracking algorithm and stereo vision model of space, an improved algorithm based of Frames Difference and a new space point positioning model were proposed, a binocular visual motion tracking system was constructed to verify the improved algorithm and the new model. The problem of the spatial location and pose of the hand detection and tracking have been solved.
Evaluation of antibacterial efficacy of some alcohol-based Hand ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Hospital and community-acquired infections are a serious problem worldwide often leading to increased deaths, costs and other problems. Hand hygiene has been promoted as the most important way to prevent these infections. The use of hand sanitizers is one of the ways to address the barriers to effective hand hygiene.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Choi, D.H.; Song, Y.C.; Kim, J.H.; Kim, J.G.
2004-01-01
The inspection of steam-generator tubes in nuclear power plants needs to collect test signals in a highly radiated region that is not accessible by humans. In general, a robot equipped with a camera and a test probe is used to handle such a dangerous environment. The robot moves the probe to right below a tube to be inspected and then the probe is inserted into the tube. The inspection signals are acquired while the probe is pulling back. Currently, an operator in a control room controls all the process remotely. To make a fully automatic inspection system, first of all, a control mechanism is needed to position the probe to the proper location. This is so called a hand-eye coordination problem. In this paper, a hand-eye coordination method for a robot has been presented. The proposed method consists of the two consecutive control modes: rough positioning and fine-tuning. The rough positioning controller tries to position its probe near a target place using kinematics information and the known environments, and then the fine-tuning controller tries to adjust the probe to the target using the image acquired by the camera attached to the robot. The usefulness of the proposed method has been tested and verified through experiments. (orig.)
Hand Washing Practices and Compliance among Health Care ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Hand washing is the simplest, most inexpensive and most effective method of reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infections in the Intensive Care Unit. Several reports have shown a relationship between improved hand washing practices and reduced infection rates. We conducted a prospective, ...
Huis, A.M.P.; Schoonhoven, L.; Grol, R.P.T.M.; Borm, G.F.; Adang, E.M.M.; Hulscher, M.E.J.L.; Achterberg, T. van
2011-01-01
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Hand hygiene prescriptions are the most important measure in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. Yet, compliance rates are generally below 50% of all opportunities for hand hygiene. This study aims at evaluating the short- and long-term effects of two different
Contactless and pose invariant biometric identification using hand surface.
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.
Christensen, Rhonda; Knezek, Gerald; Tyler-Wood, Tandra
2015-01-01
This study examines positive dispositions reported by middle school and high school students participating in programs that feature STEM-related activities. Middle school students participating in school-to-home hands-on energy monitoring activities are compared to middle school and high school students in a different project taking part in…
Back to basics: hand hygiene and isolation
Lin Huang, G. Khai; Stewardson, Andrew J.; Lindsay Grayson, M.
2014-01-01
Purpose of review Hand hygiene and isolation are basic, but very effective, means of preventing the spread of pathogens in healthcare. Although the principle may be straightforward, this review highlights some of the controversies regarding the implementation and efficacy of these interventions. Recent findings Hand hygiene compliance is an accepted measure of quality and safety in many countries. The evidence for the efficacy of hand hygiene in directly reducing rates of hospital-acquired infections has strengthened in recent years, particularly in terms of reduced rates of staphylococcal sepsis. Defining the key components of effective implementation strategies and the ideal method(s) of assessing hand hygiene compliance are dependent on a range of factors associated with the healthcare system. Although patient isolation continues to be an important strategy, particularly in outbreaks, it also has some limitations and can be associated with negative effects. Recent detailed molecular epidemiology studies of key healthcare-acquired pathogens have questioned the true efficacy of isolation, alone as an effective method for the routine prevention of disease transmission. Summary Hand hygiene and isolation are key components of basic infection control. Recent insights into the benefits, limitations and even adverse effects of these interventions are important for their optimal implementation. PMID:24945613
Cummings, Keith L; Anderson, Deverick J; Kaye, Keith S
2010-04-01
Hand hygiene noncompliance is a major cause of nosocomial infection. Nosocomial infection cost data exist, but the effect of hand hygiene noncompliance is unknown. To estimate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-related cost of an incident of hand hygiene noncompliance by a healthcare worker during patient care. Two models were created to simulate sequential patient contacts by a hand hygiene-noncompliant healthcare worker. Model 1 involved encounters with patients of unknown MRSA status. Model 2 involved an encounter with an MRSA-colonized patient followed by an encounter with a patient of unknown MRSA status. The probability of new MRSA infection for the second patient was calculated using published data. A simulation of 1 million noncompliant events was performed. Total costs of resulting infections were aggregated and amortized over all events. Duke University Medical Center, a 750-bed tertiary medical center in Durham, North Carolina. Model 1 was associated with 42 MRSA infections (infection rate, 0.0042%). Mean infection cost was $47,092 (95% confidence interval [CI], $26,040-$68,146); mean cost per noncompliant event was $1.98 (95% CI, $0.91-$3.04). Model 2 was associated with 980 MRSA infections (0.098%). Mean infection cost was $53,598 (95% CI, $50,098-$57,097); mean cost per noncompliant event was $52.53 (95% CI, $47.73-$57.32). A 200-bed hospital incurs $1,779,283 in annual MRSA infection-related expenses attributable to hand hygiene noncompliance. A 1.0% increase in hand hygiene compliance resulted in annual savings of $39,650 to a 200-bed hospital. Hand hygiene noncompliance is associated with significant attributable hospital costs. Minimal improvements in compliance lead to substantial savings.
Karaçizmeli, Cengiz; Çakır, Gökçe; Tükel, Dilek
2014-01-01
In this work, the mechatronic based robotic hand is controlled by the position data taken from the glove which has flex sensors mounted to capture finger bending of the human hand. The angular movement of human hand’s fingers are perceived and processed by a microcontroller, and the robotic hand is controlled by actuating servo motors. It has seen that robotic hand can simulate the movement of the human hand that put on the glove, during tests have done. This robotic hand can be used not only...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jing Zhao
2015-03-01
Full Text Available This paper aimed to investigate the brain activity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV positive patients with normal cognition during unilateral hand movement and whether highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART could affect the brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI was performed for 60 HIV positive (HIV+ subjects and −42 healthy age-matched right-handed control subjects. Each subject was evaluated by the neuropsychological test and examined with fMRI during left and right hand movement tasks. HIV+ subjects showed greater activation in anterior cingulum, precuneus, occipital lobes, ipsilateral postcentral gyrus and contralateral cerebellum compared with control group during right hand movement task. However, during left hand movement no statistically significant difference was detected between these two groups. HAART medication for HIV+ subjects lowered the increased activity to normal level. Meanwhile patients receiving the regimen of zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz showed lower activity at bilateral caudate and ipsilateral inferior frontal gyrus in comparison with subjects receiving other HAART regimens. Therefore, HIV+ subjects demonstrated brain asymmetry in motor cortex, with increased activity present during right hand movement but absent during left hand movement. HAART proves effective in HIV+ subjects even with normal cognition and the specific regimen of HAART could prevent cerebral abnormal functions. Meanwhile, this study validates that during motor tasks, fMRI can detect the brain signal changes prior to the occurrences of other HIV- associated dysfunctions.
Arndt, Torsten; Grüner, Joachim; Schröfel, Stefanie; Stemmerich, Karsten
2012-11-30
Urine ethyl glucuronide (EtG) is considered as a specific marker of recent ethanol consumption. We describe false-positive DRI(®) EIA EtG enzyme immunoassay results caused by propyl glucuronides in urine after using a propanol-based hand sanitizer. EtG screening was done with the DRI(®) EIA EtG assay (Microgenics), using a cut-off of 0.5 mg/L as recommended by the manufacturer and of 0.1 mg/L as demanded by the German Regulations for Reissuing Drivers Licenses. Confirmatory EtG analysis was done with the ClinMass(®) EtG LC-MS/MS testkit (Recipe), extended by the mass transitions 235.1→75.1, 235.1→85.1, and 235.1→113.1 for the detection of the 1- and 2-propyl glucuronides. Self-experiments were done by staff members of our lab (n=7), using 3 mL Sterillium(®) Classic Pure (30 g/100 g 1-propanol and 45 g/100 g 2-propanol) for hand sanitation every quarter of an hour for 8 h according to DIN EN 1500:2011-05 with and without an exhauster and by passive inhalation of the sanitizer vapor. Spot urine samples were taken immediately before and up to 24 h after the first sanitizer use. False-positive immunoassay results of up to 4 mg/L or 2.3 mg/g creatinine were obtained after normal use of the sanitizer and also after passive inhalation of the sanitizer vapor (up to 0.89 mg/L or 0.61 mg/g). Immunoassay results were positive even after 4-fold use of the sanitizer (up to 0.14 mg/L or 0.38 mg/g) and up to 6 h after the last sanitizer contact (maximum 0.63 mg/L and 0.33 mg/g for sanitizer users and 0.25 mg/g after passive inhalation). Spiking of EtG-free urine with 1-propyl glucuronide (Athena Environmental Sciences) between 0.05 and 10 mg/L clearly demonstrated a cross reaction of the immunoassay of approx. 10% as compared to EtG. LC-MS/MS of urines with a positive immunoassay EtG result did not show EtG signals, but distinct signals of 1-propyl glucuronide (n-propyl glucuronide) and 2-propyl glucuronide (iso-propyl glucuronide). An exhauster effectively prevented
Arndt, Torsten; Schröfel, Stefanie; Güssregen, Brunhilde; Stemmerich, Karsten
2014-04-01
Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) in urine is considered a specific marker of recent ethanol consumption. There is an ongoing debate about whether inhalation or transdermal resorption of sanitizer ethanol is the underlying cause for positive EtG findings after hand disinfection. Desderman(®) pure (Schülke & Mayr GmbH, Norderstedt) with 78.2g 96% (v/v) ethanol/100g and approx. 10% 2-propanol was used for multiple hand disinfection without and under an exhauster. Simulating a common working day in a clinic, 5 co-workers of our lab used the sanitizer 32 fold within 8h and 2 persons were merely exposed to the sanitizer vapor but without any dermal sanitizer contact. Any additional ethanol intake or exposition was reliably excluded. Spot urine was collected at baseline, after 1, 2, 4, 6 … 14, and finally 24h after the first sanitizer use. A validated LC-MS/MS was used for MRM and MS(3) of EtG and qualitative analyses of ethyl sulfate and 2-propyl glucuronide. Multiple hand disinfection caused positive EtG findings of up to 2.1mg/L or 1.7mg/g creatinine in 4 out of 5 test persons and even of 0.6mg/L or 0.8mg/g for 2 controls which were merely exposed to the sanitizer vapor but without any sanitizer contact. EtG results between the clinical (0.5mg/g) and the forensic (0.1mg/g) cut-off were obtained even 6h after the last sanitizer exposition. An exhauster prevented the sanitizer vapor inhalation and reduced the EtG excretion to mostly below the detection limit of 0.02mg/g. The maximum value was 0.09mg/g. Ethyl sulfate and 2-propyl glucuronide (2-PpG) were detectable only in the EtG positive samples. 2-PpG is a metabolite of 2-propanol, which is quite frequently used in disinfectants. Thus, the detection of this substance can be used in cases of odd EtG results as an indicator of (unintended) sanitizer exposition. Ethanol from hand sanitizers is predominantly incorporated by the respiratory tract but not via the skin. It can cause a distinct ethyl glucuronide excretion and thus
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Naama eFriedmann
2015-07-01
Full Text Available We explored morphological decomposition in reading, the locus in the reading process in which it takes place and its nature, comparing different types of morphemes. We assessed these questions through the analysis of letter position errors in readers with letter position dyslexia(LPD. LPD is a selective impairment to letter position encoding in the early stage of word reading, which results in letter migrations (cloud-could. We used the fact that migrations in LPD occur mainly in word-interior letters, whereas exterior letters rarely migrate.The rationale was that if morphological decomposition occurs prior to letter position encoding and strips off affixes, word-interior letters adjacent to an affix (signs-signs would become exterior following affix-stripping and hence exhibit fewer migrations.We tested 11 Hebrew readers with developmental LPD and 1 with acquired LPD in 6 experiments of reading aloud, lexical decision, and comprehension, at the single word and sentence levels. We examined migrations next to inflectional,derivational,or bound function morphemes compared with exterior letters.Root letters adjacent to inflectional and derivational morphemes were treated like middle letters, and migrated frequently, whereas root letters adjacent to bound function morphemes patterned with exterior letters, and almost never migrated. Given that LPD is a pre-lexical deficit, these results indicate that morphological decomposition takes place in an early, pre-lexical stage. Morphologically complex nonwords showed the same pattern, indicating that this decomposition is structurally, rather than lexically, driven.We suggest that letter position encoding takes place before morphological analysis, but in some cases, as with bound function morphemes, the complex word is re-analyzed as two separate words. In this reanalysis, letter positions in each constituent word are encoded separately,and hence the exterior letters of the root are treated as exterior and
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 × 105 infectious particles/ml. Samples fr...
[Acquired disorders of color vision].
Lascu, Lidia; Balaş, Mihaela
2002-01-01
This article is a general view of acquired disorders of color vision. The revision of the best known methods and of the etiopathogenic classification is not very important in ophthalmology but on the other hand, the detection of the blue defect advertise and associated ocular pathology. There is a major interest in serious diseases as multiple sclerosis, AIDS, diabetes melitus, when the first ocular sign can be a defect in the color vision.
Hand-eye calibration using a target registration error model.
Chen, Elvis C S; Morgan, Isabella; Jayarathne, Uditha; Ma, Burton; Peters, Terry M
2017-10-01
Surgical cameras are prevalent in modern operating theatres and are often used as a surrogate for direct vision. Visualisation techniques (e.g. image fusion) made possible by tracking the camera require accurate hand-eye calibration between the camera and the tracking system. The authors introduce the concept of 'guided hand-eye calibration', where calibration measurements are facilitated by a target registration error (TRE) model. They formulate hand-eye calibration as a registration problem between homologous point-line pairs. For each measurement, the position of a monochromatic ball-tip stylus (a point) and its projection onto the image (a line) is recorded, and the TRE of the resulting calibration is predicted using a TRE model. The TRE model is then used to guide the placement of the calibration tool, so that the subsequent measurement minimises the predicted TRE. Assessing TRE after each measurement produces accurate calibration using a minimal number of measurements. As a proof of principle, they evaluated guided calibration using a webcam and an endoscopic camera. Their endoscopic camera results suggest that millimetre TRE is achievable when at least 15 measurements are acquired with the tracker sensor ∼80 cm away on the laparoscope handle for a target ∼20 cm away from the camera.
Salama, Mona F; Jamal, Wafaa Y; Mousa, Haifa Al; Al-Abdulghani, Khaled A; Rotimi, Vincent O
2013-02-01
Hand washing is widely accepted as the cornerstone of infection control in the intensive care unit (ICU). Nosocomial infections are frequently viewed as indicating poor compliance with hand washing guidelines. To determine the hand hygiene (HH) compliance rate among healthcare workers (HCWs) and its effect on the nosocomial infection rates in the ICU of our hospital, we conducted an interventional study. The study spanned a period of 7 months (February 2011-August 2011) and consisted of education about HH indications and techniques, workplace reminder posters, focused group sessions, and feedback on the HH compliance and infection rates. The WHO HH observation protocol was used both before and after a hospital-wide HH campaign directed at all staff members, particularly those in the ICU. Compliance was measured by direct observation of the HCWs, using observation record forms in a patient-directed manner, with no more than two patients observed simultaneously. The overall HH compliance rate was calculated by dividing the number of HH actions by the total number of HH opportunities. The nosocomial infection rates for the pre- and post-interventional periods were also compared to establish the effect of the intervention on rate of infections acquired within the unit. The overall rate of HH compliance by all the HCWs increased from 42.9% pre-intervention to 61.4% post-intervention, P<0.001. Individually, the compliance was highest among the nurses, 49.9 vs. 82.5%, respectively (P<0.001) and lowest among the doctors, 38.6 vs. 43.2%, respectively (P=0.24). The effect of the increase in the HH compliance rate on the nosocomial infection rate was remarkable. There were significant reductions in the following: the rate of overall health care-associated infections/1000 patient-days, which fell from 37.2 pre-intervention to 15.1 post-intervention (P<0.001); the rate of bloodstream infections, which fell from 18.6 to 3.4/1000 central-line-days (P<0.001); and the rate of lower
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Aija Marie Ladda
Full Text Available The gold standard to acquire motor skills is through intensive training and practicing. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral gains can also be acquired by mere exposure to repetitive sensory stimulation to drive the plasticity processes. Single application of repetitive electric stimulation (rES of the fingers has been shown to improve tactile perception in young adults as well as sensorimotor performance in healthy elderly individuals. The combination of repetitive motor training with a preceding rES has not been reported yet. In addition, the impact of such a training on somatosensory tactile and spatial sensitivity as well as on somatosensory cortical activation remains elusive. Therefore, we tested 15 right-handed participants who underwent repetitive electric stimulation of all finger tips of the left hand for 20 minutes prior to one hour of motor training of the left hand over the period of two weeks. Overall, participants substantially improved the motor performance of the left trained hand by 34%, but also showed a relevant transfer to the untrained right hand by 24%. Baseline ipsilateral activation fMRI-magnitude in BA 1 to sensory index finger stimulation predicted training outcome for somatosensory guided movements: those who showed higher ipsilateral activation were those who did profit less from training. Improvement of spatial tactile discrimination was positively associated with gains in pinch grip velocity. Overall, a combination of priming rES and repetitive motor training is capable to induce motor and somatosensory performance increase and representation changes in BA1 in healthy young subjects.
Primary position and listing's law in acquired and congenital trochlear nerve palsy.
Straumann, Dominik; Steffen, Heimo; Landau, Klara; Bergamin, Oliver; Mudgil, Ananth V; Walker, Mark F; Guyton, David L; Zee, David S
2003-10-01
In ocular kinematics, the primary position (PP) of the eye is defined by the position from which movements do not induce ocular rotations around the line of sight (Helmholtz). PP is mathematically linked to the orientation of Listing's plane. This study was conducted to determine whether PP is affected differently in patients with clinically diagnosed congenital (conTNP) and acquired (acqTNP) trochlear nerve palsy. Patients with unilateral conTNP (n = 25) and acqTNP (n = 9) performed a modified Hess screen test. Three-dimensional eye positions were recorded with dual search coils. PP in eyes with acqTNP was significantly more temporal (mean: 21.2 degrees ) than in eyes with conTNP (6.8 degrees ) or healthy eyes (7.2 degrees ). In the pooled data of all patients, the horizontal location of PP significantly correlated with vertical noncomitance with the paretic eye in adduction (R = 0.59). Using a computer model, PP in acqTNP could be reproduced by a neural lesion of the superior oblique (SO) muscle. An additional simulated overaction of the inferior oblique (IO) muscle moved PP back to normal, as in conTNP. Lengthening the SO and shortening the IO muscles could also simulate PP in conTNP. The temporal displacement of PP in acqTNP is a direct consequence of the reduced force of the SO muscle. The reversal of this temporal displacement of PP, which occurs in some patients with conTNP, can be explained by a secondary overaction of the IO muscle. Alternatively, length changes in the SO and IO muscles, or other anatomic anomalies within the orbit, without a neural lesion, may also explain the difference in location of PP between conTNP and acqTNP.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yannick eBleyenheuft
2014-06-01
Full Text Available Background: Patients with congenital and acquired hemiparesis incur long-term functional deficits, among which the loss of prehension that may impact their functional independence. Identifying, understanding and comparing the underlying mechanisms of prehension impairments represent an opportunity to better adapt neurorehabilitationObjective: The present review aims to provide a better understanding of precision grip deficits in congenital and acquired hemiparesis and to determine whether the severity and type of fine motor control impairments depend on whether or not the lesions are congenital or acquired in adulthood. Methods: Using combinations of the following key words: fingertip force, grip force, precision grip, cerebral palsy, stroke, pubmed and Scopus databases were used to search studies from 1984 to 2013. Results: Individuals with both congenital and acquired hemiparesis were able to some extent to use anticipatory motor control in precision grip tasks, even if this control was impaired in the paretic hand. In both congenital or acquired hemiparesis, the ability to plan efficient anticipatory motor control when the less-affected hand is used provides a possibility to remediate impairments in anticipatory motor control of the paretic hand. Conclusion: Surprisingly we observed very few differences between the results of studies in children with congenital hemiplegia and stroke patients. We suggest that the underlying specific strategies of neurorehabilitation developed for each one could benefit the other.
A hand-held 3D laser scanning with global positioning system of subvoxel precision
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Arias, Nestor; Meneses, Nestor; Meneses, Jaime; Gharbi, Tijani
2011-01-01
In this paper we propose a hand-held 3D laser scanner composed of an optical head device to extract 3D local surface information and a stereo vision system with subvoxel precision to measure the position and orientation of the 3D optical head. The optical head is manually scanned over the surface object by the operator. The orientation and position of the 3D optical head is determined by a phase-sensitive method using a 2D regular intensity pattern. This phase reference pattern is rigidly fixed to the optical head and allows their 3D location with subvoxel precision in the observation field of the stereo vision system. The 3D resolution achieved by the stereo vision system is about 33 microns at 1.8 m with an observation field of 60cm x 60cm.
Exploring field-of-view non-uniformities produced by a hand-held spectroradiometer
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tamir Caras
2011-01-01
Full Text Available The shape of a spectroradiometer’s field of view (FOV affects the way spectral measurements are acquired. Knowing this property is a prerequisite for the correct use of the spectrometer. If the substrate is heterogeneous, the ability to accurately know what is being measured depends on knowing the FOV location, shape, spectral and spatial sensitivity. The GER1500 is a hand-held spectrometer with a fixed lens light entry slit and has a laser guide that allows control over the target by positioning the entire unit. In the current study, the FOV of the GER1500 was mapped and analysed. The spectral and spatial non-uniformities of the FOV were examined and were found to be spectrally independent. The relationship between the FOV and the built-in laser guide was tested and found to have a linear displacement dependent on the distance to the target. This allows an accurate prediction of the actual FOV position. A correction method to improve the agreement between the expected and measured reflectance over heterogeneous targets was developed and validated. The methods described are applicable and may be of use with other hand-held spectroradiometers.
Ray, Sumit; Anand, Dimple; Purwar, Sankalp; Samanta, Arijit; Upadhye, Kaustubh V; Gupta, Prasoon; Dhar, Debashis
2018-04-01
Infections due to multidrug resistant organisms have become a serious health concern worldwide. The present study was conducted to investigate the spectrum of microbial resistance pattern in the community and their effects on mortality. A retrospective review and analysis of prospectively collected data was done of all patients admitted with diagnosis of sepsis in two tertiary care ICU's for a period of two years. Demographics, culture positivity, microbial spectrum, resistance pattern and outcome data were collected. Out of 5309 patients enrolled; 3822 had suspected clinical infection on admission with 1452 patients growing positive microbial cultures. Among these, 201 bacterial strains were isolated from patients who had community acquired infections. 73% were Gram negative bacilli, commonest being E. coli (63%). 63.4% E. coli and 60.7% Klebsiella isolates were ESBL producers. The mortality in ESBL positive infections was significantly higher as compared to ESBL negative infections (Odds ratio 2.756). Moreover, ESBL positive patients empirically treated with Beta Lactams+Beta Lactamase inhibitors (BL+BLI) had significantly higher mortality as compared to patients treated with carbapenems. More data from multiple centres need to be gathered to formulate appropriate antibiotic policy for critically ill patients admitted from the community. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Yoshida, Koki; Yamada, Hiroshi; Kato, Ryu; Seki, Tatsuya; Yokoi, Hiroshi; Mukai, Masaya
2016-08-01
This study aims to develop a robotic hand as a substitute for a surgeon's hand in hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery (HALS). We determined the requirements for the proposed hand from a surgeon's motions in HALS. We identified four basic behaviors: "power grasp," "precision grasp," "open hand for exclusion," and "peace sign for extending peritoneum." The proposed hand had the minimum necessary DOFs for performing these behaviors, five fingers as in a human's hand, a palm that can be folded when a surgeon inserts the hand into the abdomen, and an arm for adjusting the hand's position. We evaluated the proposed hand based on a performance test and a physician's opinions, and we confirmed that it can grasp organs.
The use of polyurethane foam as an antimicrobial dressing material in hand surgery
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nebil Yesiloglu
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Polyurethane foam is generally used in negative pressure-assisted wound closure therapy. It provides an antimicrobial environment around the wound, while reducing the rate of skin maceration. The authors used polyurethane foam in routine hand dressings after hand surgery operations that were performed for both congenital and acquired purposes. [Hand Microsurg 2015; 4(3.000: 91-92
Reiter's Syndrome associated with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome: a case report
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
J.B.N.S. Malta
Full Text Available The association of Reiter's Syndrome (RS with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS is seldom mentioned in the medical literature. This report illustrates this relationship in a 46 years old male patient suffering from AIDS (CD4+ = 240 cells/mm³, CD8+ = 1,301 cells/mm³ and viral load = 330,000 copies/ml, pulmonary tuberculosis (positive catarrhal bacilluscopy, and RS. The diagnosis of RS was based on the combination of dermatological and articular alterations. The patient's cutaneous lesions were characterized by exfoliation and the formation of crusts located on the face, scalp, genitals, hands, and feet; onychodystrophy with opacity; yellowish coloring; and hyperkeratosis of the nails. Articular lesions led to progressive deformity of phalangeal joints of the hands, and intensive arthralgia, mainly of the larger joints (shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. AIDS treatment was administered with anti-retroviral drugs (zidovudine and didanosine; for tuberculosis (isoniazid, rifampicine, and pyrazinamide; and (prednisone and inometacine for the RS. The patient recovered with the improvement of articular symptoms; however, on the eighth day of treatment, the patient showed significant hemoptysis and hypovolemic shock, and died. The association of RS and HIV infection is reviewed.
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.
A biometric authentication model using hand gesture images.
Fong, Simon; Zhuang, Yan; Fister, Iztok; Fister, Iztok
2013-10-30
A novel hand biometric authentication method based on measurements of the user's stationary hand gesture of hand sign language is proposed. The measurement of hand gestures could be sequentially acquired by a low-cost video camera. There could possibly be another level of contextual information, associated with these hand signs to be used in biometric authentication. As an analogue, instead of typing a password 'iloveu' in text which is relatively vulnerable over a communication network, a signer can encode a biometric password using a sequence of hand signs, 'i' , 'l' , 'o' , 'v' , 'e' , and 'u'. Subsequently the features from the hand gesture images are extracted which are integrally fuzzy in nature, to be recognized by a classification model for telling if this signer is who he claimed himself to be, by examining over his hand shape and the postures in doing those signs. It is believed that everybody has certain slight but unique behavioral characteristics in sign language, so are the different hand shape compositions. Simple and efficient image processing algorithms are used in hand sign recognition, including intensity profiling, color histogram and dimensionality analysis, coupled with several popular machine learning algorithms. Computer simulation is conducted for investigating the efficacy of this novel biometric authentication model which shows up to 93.75% recognition accuracy.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Silvina Fernández
2015-03-01
Full Text Available Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the first cause of skin and soft tissue infections, but can also produce severe diseases such as bacteremia, osteomyelitis and necrotizing pneumonia. Some S. aureus lineages have been described in cases of necrotizing pneumonia worldwide, usually in young, previously healthy patients. In this work, we describe a fatal case of necrotizing pneumonia due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus clone ST30-SCCmecIVc-spat019-PVL positive in an immunocompetent adult patient.
On the feasibility of interoperable schemes in hand biometrics.
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
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
Search for right-handed currents in muon decay
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Carr, J.
The experiment is motivated by the recent interest in left-right symmetric theories based on the gauge group SU(2)sub(R) x SU(2)sub(L) x U(1). Such theories are left-right symmetric at the Lagrangian level but account for the apparently maximal parity violation at present energies by assuming that the right-handed gauge boson Wsub(R) has acquired, through spontaneous symmetry breaking, a mass larger than its left-handed counterpart Wsub(L). A search is made for deviations from maximal parity violation by observing the muon decay rate when the decay positron is emitted with momentum close to the kinematic limit and opposite to the muon spin direction. This decay rate approaches zero at the kinematic limit for purely left-handed W's (V-A) but is large for right-handed W's (V+A). From the data, bounds on the right-handed gauge boson mass and also on non-(V or A) couplings can be set. (author)
HENDERSON, K. L.; M?LLER-PEBODY, B.; WADE, A.; SHARLAND, M.; MINAJI, M.; JOHNSON, A. P.; GILBERT, R
2014-01-01
SUMMARY Paediatricians recognize that using the time-dependent community-acquired vs. hospital-acquired bloodstream infection (BSI) dichotomy to guide empirical treatment no longer distinguishes between causative pathogens due to the emergence of healthcare-associated BSIs. However, paediatric epidemiological evidence of the aetiology of BSIs in relation to hospital admission in England is lacking. For 12 common BSI-causing pathogens in England, timing of laboratory reports of positive paedia...
Unsteady hydrodynamic forces acting on a hand and its flow field during sculling motion.
Takagi, Hideki; Shimada, Shohei; Miwa, Takahiro; Kudo, Shigetada; Sanders, Ross; Matsuuchi, Kazuo
2014-12-01
The goal of this research is to clarify the mechanism by which unsteady forces are generated during sculling by a skilled swimmer and thereby to contribute to improving propulsive techniques. We used particle image velocimetry (PIV) to acquire data on the kinematics of the hand during sculling, such as fluid forces and flow field. By investigating the correlations between these data, we expected to find a new propulsion mechanism. The experiment was performed in a flow-controlled water channel. The participant executed sculling motions to remain at a fixed position despite constant water flow. PIV was used to visualize the flow-field cross-section in the plane of hand motion. Moreover, the fluid forces acting on the hand were estimated from pressure distribution measurements performed on the hand and simultaneous three-dimensional motion analysis. By executing the sculling motion, a skilled swimmer produces large unsteady fluid forces when the leading-edge vortex occurs on the dorsal side of the hand and wake capture occurs on the palm side. By using a new approach, we observed interesting unsteady fluid phenomena similar to those of flying insects. The study indicates that it is essential for swimmers to fully exploit vortices. A better understanding of these phenomena might lead to an improvement in sculling techniques. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Hand Shape Affects Access to Memories
K. Dijkstra (Katinka); M.P. Kaschak; R.A. Zwaan (Rolf)
2008-01-01
textabstractThe present study examined the ways that body posture facilitated retrieval of autobiographical memories in more detail by focusing on two aspects of congruence in position of a specific body part: hand shape and hand orientation. Hand shape is important in the tactile perception and
An image-guided tool to prevent hospital acquired infections
Nagy, Melinda; Szilágyi, László; Lehotsky, Ákos; Haidegger, Tamás; Benyó, Balázs
2011-03-01
Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) represent the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually in the rest of the world. This paper presents a novel low-cost mobile device|called Stery-Hand|that helps to avoid HAI by improving hand hygiene control through providing an objective evaluation of the quality of hand washing. The use of the system is intuitive: having performed hand washing with a soap mixed with UV re ective powder, the skin appears brighter in UV illumination on the disinfected surfaces. Washed hands are inserted into the Stery-Hand box, where a digital image is taken under UV lighting. Automated image processing algorithms are employed in three steps to evaluate the quality of hand washing. First, the contour of the hand is extracted in order to distinguish the hand from the background. Next, a semi-supervised clustering algorithm classies the pixels of the hand into three groups, corresponding to clean, partially clean and dirty areas. The clustering algorithm is derived from the histogram-based quick fuzzy c-means approach, using a priori information extracted from reference images, evaluated by experts. Finally, the identied areas are adjusted to suppress shading eects, and quantied in order to give a verdict on hand disinfection quality. The proposed methodology was validated through tests using hundreds of images recorded in our laboratory. The proposed system was found robust and accurate, producing correct estimation for over 98% of the test cases. Stery-Hand may be employed in general practice, and it may also serve educational purposes.
T.P. Zomer (Tizza)
2015-01-01
markdownabstract__Abstract__ Children attending child day care centres are at increased risk of acquiring gastrointestinal and respiratory infections compared to children cared for at home. Hand hygiene is known to be an effective measure to prevent infections. However, compliance with hand
Infant Hand Preference and the Development of Cognitive Abilities
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
George Frederick Michel
2016-03-01
Full Text Available Hand preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent hand preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that children with consistent early hand preferences exhibit advanced patterns of cognitive development as compared to children who develop a hand preference later. Differences in the developmental trajectory of hand preference are predictive of developmental differences in language, object management skills, and tool-use skills. As predicted by Cassasanto’s body-specificity hypothesis, infants with different hand preferences proceed along different developmental pathways of cognitive functioning.
Heydorn, S; Menné, T; Andersen, K E; Bruze, M; Svedman, C; Basketter, D; Johansen, J D
2003-06-01
Recently, we showed that 10 x 2% of consecutively patch-tested hand eczema patients had a positive patch test to a selection of fragrances containing fragrances relevant to hand exposure. In this study, we used repeated skin exposure to a patch test-positive fragrance allergen in patients previously diagnosed with hand eczema to explore whether immersion of fingers in a solution with or without the patch-test-positive fragrance allergen would cause or exacerbate hand eczema on the exposed finger. The study was double blinded and randomized. All participants had a positive patch test to either hydroxycitronellal or Lyral (hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde). Each participant immersed a finger from each hand, once a day, in a solution containing the fragrance allergen or placebo. During the first 2 weeks, the concentration of fragrance allergen in the solution was low (approximately 10 p.p.m.), whilst during the following 2 weeks, the concentration was relatively high (approximately 250 p.p.m.), imitating real-life exposure to a household product like dishwashing liquid diluted in water and the undiluted product, respectively. Evaluation was made using a clinical scale and laser Doppler flow meter. 3 of 15 hand eczema patients developed eczema on the finger immersed in the fragrance-containing solution, 3 of 15 on the placebo finger and 3 of 15 on both fingers. Using this experimental exposure model simulating real-life exposure, we found no association between immersion of a finger in a solution containing fragrance and development of clinically visible eczema on the finger in 15 participants previously diagnosed with hand eczema and with a positive patch test to the fragrance in question.
Kammers, M.P.M.; Verhagen, L.; Dijkerman, H.C.; Hogendoorn, H.; Vignemont, F. de; Schutter, D.J.L.G.
2009-01-01
In the rubber hand illusion (RHI), participants incorporate a rubber hand into a mental representation of one's body. This deceptive feeling of ownership is accompanied by recalibration of the perceived position of the participant's real hand toward the rubber hand. Neuroimaging data suggest
Risk factors for hand-wrist disorders in repetitive work
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Thomsen, J. F.; Mikkelsen, S.; Andersen, JH
2007-01-01
OBJECTIVES: To identify the risk of hand-wrist disorders related to repetitive movements, use of hand force and wrist position in repetitive monotonous work. METHODS: Using questionnaires and physical examinations, the prevalence and incidence of hand-wrist pain and possible extensor tendonitis...... (wrist pain and palpation tenderness) were determined in 3123 employees in 19 industrial settings. With the use of questionnaires and video recordings of homogenous work tasks number of wrist movements, hand force requirements and wrist position were analysed as risk factors for hand-wrist disorders......, controlling for potential personal and psychosocial confounders. All participants were re-examined three times during a follow-up period of three years. RESULTS: Force but not repetition and position was related to hand-wrist pain and possible tendonitis in the baseline analyses showing an exposure...
Chun, Hee-Kyung; Kim, Kyung-Mi; Park, Ho-Ran
2015-12-01
This study was conducted to increase the frequency and level of thoroughness of hand hygiene practice by nurses, and to assess the influence of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquired incidence rate and the MRSA colonization pressure in a medical intensive care unit (MICU). A total of 24 MICU nurses received hand hygiene education and individual feedback of hand hygiene frequency and method after a session of education, and two posteducation evaluations were followed. The frequency of hand hygiene (P = 0.001) and the methodology score of hand hygiene increased significantly (P = 0.001). The MRSA acquisition rate decreased significantly, from 11.1% before the education to 0% after (P = 0.014). The MRSA colonization pressure decreased significantly from 39.5% to 8.6% after the education sessions (P = 0.001). This indicates that providing individual feedback after hand hygiene education was very effective in increasing nurses' hand hygiene frequency and improving hand hygiene method; furthermore, it was expected to decrease health care-associated infections. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.
Adherence to hand hygiene protocol by clinicians and medical ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Background: While communicable diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Malawi, the contribution of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) is unknown but could be substantial. The single most important method of preventing nosocomial infections is hand hygiene. We report a study which ...
Bacterial contamination of white coats and hands of healthcare ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Background: Transmission of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) may be associated with contamination of healthcare workers' (HCWs) hands and white coats. Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of HCWs' white coats in transmitting HAIs and to determine the association between bacterial ...
Surface EMG in advanced hand prosthetics.
Castellini, Claudio; van der Smagt, Patrick
2009-01-01
One of the major problems when dealing with highly dexterous, active hand prostheses is their control by the patient wearing them. With the advances in mechatronics, building prosthetic hands with multiple active degrees of freedom is realisable, but actively controlling the position and especially the exerted force of each finger cannot yet be done naturally. This paper deals with advanced robotic hand control via surface electromyography. Building upon recent results, we show that machine learning, together with a simple downsampling algorithm, can be effectively used to control on-line, in real time, finger position as well as finger force of a highly dexterous robotic hand. The system determines the type of grasp a human subject is willing to use, and the required amount of force involved, with a high degree of accuracy. This represents a remarkable improvement with respect to the state-of-the-art of feed-forward control of dexterous mechanical hands, and opens up a scenario in which amputees will be able to control hand prostheses in a much finer way than it has so far been possible.
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.
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.
On the Feasibility of Interoperable Schemes in Hand Biometrics
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Miguel A. Ferrer
2012-02-01
Full Text Available 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.
Natural-pose hand detection in low-resolution images
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nyan Bo Bo1
2009-07-01
Full Text Available Robust real-time hand detection and tracking in video sequences would enable many applications in areas as diverse ashuman-computer interaction, robotics, security and surveillance, and sign language-based systems. In this paper, we introducea new approach for detecting human hands that works on single, cluttered, low-resolution images. Our prototype system, whichis primarily intended for security applications in which the images are noisy and low-resolution, is able to detect hands as smallas 2424 pixels in cluttered scenes. The system uses grayscale appearance information to classify image sub-windows as eithercontaining or not containing a human hand very rapidly at the cost of a high false positive rate. To improve on the false positiverate of the main classifier without affecting its detection rate, we introduce a post-processor system that utilizes the geometricproperties of skin color blobs. When we test our detector on a test image set containing 106 hands, 92 of those hands aredetected (86.8% detection rate, with an average false positive rate of 1.19 false positive detections per image. The rapiddetection speed, the high detection rate of 86.8%, and the low false positive rate together ensure that our system is useable asthe main detector in a diverse variety of applications requiring robust hand detection and tracking in low-resolution, clutteredscenes.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND DOCTORS REGARDING HAND SCRUB
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rahul Sanjeev Chaudhary
2016-08-01
Full Text Available BACKGROUND Hand hygiene practices of health care workers has been shown to be an effective measure in preventing hospital acquired infections. This concept has been aptly used to improve understanding, training, monitoring, and reporting hand hygiene among healthcare workers. We conducted this study to assess the knowledge of doctors and health care workers regarding hand scrub. METHODS A study was conducted among doctors and health care workers in a tertiary care hospital. Knowledge was evaluated by using self-structured questionnaire based on the guidelines of hand hygiene prescribed by WHO. RESULTS The awareness and knowledge of preoperative surgical hand scrubbing was moderate in doctors, but unfortunately poor in HCWs. CONCLUSION Our study highlights the need for introducing measures in order to increase the knowledge of preoperative hand scrub in teaching hospital which may translate into good practices.
Spiers, Adam J; Liarokapis, Minas V; Calli, Berk; Dollar, Aaron M
2016-01-01
Classical robotic approaches to tactile object identification often involve rigid mechanical grippers, dense sensor arrays, and exploratory procedures (EPs). Though EPs are a natural method for humans to acquire object information, evidence also exists for meaningful tactile property inference from brief, non-exploratory motions (a 'haptic glance'). In this work, we implement tactile object identification and feature extraction techniques on data acquired during a single, unplanned grasp with a simple, underactuated robot hand equipped with inexpensive barometric pressure sensors. Our methodology utilizes two cooperating schemes based on an advanced machine learning technique (random forests) and parametric methods that estimate object properties. The available data is limited to actuator positions (one per two link finger) and force sensors values (eight per finger). The schemes are able to work both independently and collaboratively, depending on the task scenario. When collaborating, the results of each method contribute to the other, improving the overall result in a synergistic fashion. Unlike prior work, the proposed approach does not require object exploration, re-grasping, grasp-release, or force modulation and works for arbitrary object start positions and orientations. Due to these factors, the technique may be integrated into practical robotic grasping scenarios without adding time or manipulation overheads.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hansong Guo
2016-08-01
Full Text Available 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.
Jongsma, Marijtje L A; Meulenbroek, Ruud G J; Okely, Judith; Baas, C Marjolein; van der Lubbe, Rob H J; Steenbergen, Bert
2013-01-01
Motor imagery (MI) refers to the process of imagining the execution of a specific motor action without actually producing an overt movement. Two forms of MI have been distinguished: visual MI and kinesthetic MI. To distinguish between these forms of MI we employed an event related potential (ERP) study to measure interference effects induced by hand orientation manipulations in a hand laterality judgement task. We hypothesized that this manipulation should only affect kinesthetic MI but not visual MI. The ERPs elicited by rotated hand stimuli contained the classic rotation related negativity (RRN) with respect to palm view stimuli. We observed that laterally rotated stimuli led to a more marked RRN than medially rotated stimuli. This RRN effect was observed when participants had their hands positioned in either a straight (control) or an inward rotated posture, but not when their hands were positioned in an outward rotated posture. Posture effects on the ERP-RRN have not previously been studied. Apparently, a congruent hand posture (hands positioned in an outward rotated fashion) facilitates the judgement of the otherwise more demanding laterally rotated hand stimuli. These ERP findings support a kinesthetic interpretation of MI involved in solving the hand laterality judgement task. The RRN may be used as a non-invasive marker for kinesthetic MI and seems useful in revealing the covert behavior of MI in e.g. rehabilitation programs.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
LEVENT ÇITAK
2013-06-01
Full Text Available A merger can be defined as the economical and legal integration of two or more firms. On the other hand, an acquisiton is the transfer of all asssets and liabilities of the target firm to the acquiring firm. In the literature, merger and acquisition concepts can be used interchangeably. Firms tend to merge for the sake of creating snergy, competitive advantage, diversification, increasing firm value etc. Mergers and acquisitions are sometimes in favour of acquiring firms’ stock holders and sometimes target firms’ stock holders. Merger gains change, depending on the type of the merger and form of payment. In this study, mergers that occured through the permission of Capital Market Board have been used for the analyses. Of the mergers which have the permission, acquiring firms that are listed on Istanbul Stock Exchange have been considered and postacquisition buy and hold abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns have been calculated. It is concluded that postacquisition abnormal returns aren’t statistically significant. On the other hand, 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, 1 year and 2 year buy and hold abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns of the acquiring firms that use different payment methods are not statistically different from each other, on the basis of same return horizon. Two different methods of abnormal return calculation don’t make any difference in postacquisition abnormal returns, either.
An educational intervention to improve hand hygiene compliance in Vietnam.
Phan, Hang Thi; Tran, Hang Thi Thuy; Tran, Hanh Thi My; Dinh, Anh Pham Phuong; Ngo, Ha Thanh; Theorell-Haglow, Jenny; Gordon, Christopher J
2018-03-07
Hand hygiene compliance is the basis of infection control programs. In developing countries models to improve hand hygiene compliance to reduce healthcare acquired infections are required. The aim of this study was to determine hand hygiene compliance following an educational program in an obstetric and gynecological hospital in Vietnam. Health care workers from neonatal intensive care, delivery suite and a surgical ward from Hung Vuong Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam undertook a 4-h educational program targeting hand hygiene. Compliance was monitored monthly for six months following the intervention. Hand hygiene knowledge was assessed at baseline and after six months of the study. There were 7124 opportunities over 370 hand hygiene recording sessions with 1531 opportunities at baseline and 1620 at 6 months following the intervention. Hand hygiene compliance increased significantly from baseline across all sites (43.6% [95% Confidence interval CI: 41.1-46.1] to 63% [95% CI: 60.6-65.3]; p hygiene compliance increased significantly after intervention (p hygiene compliance for an extended period of time. Hand hygiene knowledge increased during the intervention. This hand hygiene model could be used in developing countries were resources are limited.
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
Electromyography data for non-invasive naturally-controlled robotic hand prostheses.
Atzori, Manfredo; Gijsberts, Arjan; Castellini, Claudio; Caputo, Barbara; Hager, Anne-Gabrielle Mittaz; Elsig, Simone; Giatsidis, Giorgio; Bassetto, Franco; Müller, Henning
2014-01-01
Recent advances in rehabilitation robotics suggest that it may be possible for hand-amputated subjects to recover at least a significant part of the lost hand functionality. The control of robotic prosthetic hands using non-invasive techniques is still a challenge in real life: myoelectric prostheses give limited control capabilities, the control is often unnatural and must be learned through long training times. Meanwhile, scientific literature results are promising but they are still far from fulfilling real-life needs. This work aims to close this gap by allowing worldwide research groups to develop and test movement recognition and force control algorithms on a benchmark scientific database. The database is targeted at studying the relationship between surface electromyography, hand kinematics and hand forces, with the final goal of developing non-invasive, naturally controlled, robotic hand prostheses. The validation section verifies that the data are similar to data acquired in real-life conditions, and that recognition of different hand tasks by applying state-of-the-art signal features and machine-learning algorithms is possible.
Fernandez, Silvina; Murzicato, Sofía; Sandoval, Orlando; Fernández-Canigia, Liliana; Mollerach, Marta
2015-01-01
Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is the first cause of skin and soft tissue infections, but can also produce severe diseases such as bacteremia, osteomyelitis and necrotizing pneumonia. Some S. aureus lineages have been described in cases of necrotizing pneumonia worldwide, usually in young, previously healthy patients. In this work, we describe a fatal case of necrotizing pneumonia due to community-acquired methicillin-resistant S. aureus clone ST30-SCCmecIVc-spat019-PVL positive in an immunocompetent adult patient. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Argentina de Microbiología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Hand hygiene in emergency medical services.
Teter, Jonathan; Millin, Michael G; Bissell, Rick
2015-01-01
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) affect millions of patients annually (World Health Organization. Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Healthcare. Geneva: WHO Press; 2009). Hand hygiene compliance of clinical staff has been identified by numerous studies as a major contributing factor to HAIs around the world. Infection control and hand hygiene in the prehospital environment can also contribute to patient harm and spread of infections. Emergency medical services (EMS) practitioners are not monitored as closely as hospital personnel in terms of hand hygiene training and compliance. Their ever-changing work environment is less favorable to traditional hospital-based aseptic techniques and education. This study aimed to determine the current state of hand hygiene practices among EMS providers and to provide recommendations for improving practices in the emergency health services environment. This study was a prospective, observational prevalence study and survey, conducted over a 2-month period. We selected participants from visits to three selected hospital emergency departments in the mid-Atlantic region. There were two data components to the study: a participant survey and hand swabs for pathogenic cultures. This study recruited a total sample of 62 participants. Overall, the study revealed that a significant number of EMS providers (77%) have a heavy bacterial load on their hands after patient care. All levels of providers had a similar distribution of bacterial load. Survey results revealed that few providers perform hand hygiene before (34%) or in between patients (24%), as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. This study demonstrates that EMS providers are potential vectors of microorganisms if proper hand hygiene is not performed properly. Since EMS providers treat a variety of patients and operate in a variety of environments, providers may be exposed to potentially pathogenic organisms, serving as vectors for the exposure of
Assessment of knowledge of hand washing among health care ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Introduction. Nosocomial infection is a global public health problem with an estimated 1.5 million suffering consequences at any given time [1, 2] noted that at least 25% of all hospital infections in the developing world are nosocomially acquired. The hands of health care providers are major agents of infection transmission ...
Hand dermatitis in beauticians in India
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Khanna Neena
1997-01-01
Full Text Available One hundred and sixty-one beauticians and hairdressers (146 women and 15 men were examined for the presence of hand dermatitis and those with hand eczema were patch tested with a battery of antigens standardised for beauticians. Forty-two (26.1% subjects were found to have hand dermatitis and of these, in 31 (69.3% the patch tests were positive; the following antigens elicited a positive response; paraphenylene diamine (35.5%, rubber antigens (22.6%, nickel (22.6%, shampoos (12.9%, ammonium thioglycollate (9.7%, ammonium persulphate (3.2%, henna mixture (3.2% and detergents (6.5%. In addition, irritant reaction was seen in 7; in 5 patients it was to shampoos and in 2 to ammonium persulphate. Of the 8 patients who, on questioning, had a history of atopy, 7 (87.5% had hand eczema, while 1 (12.5% did not, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001, suggesting that beauticians with a history of atopy were more likely to develop hand eczema.
Exploring quantum physics through hands-on projects
Prutchi, David
2012-01-01
Build an intuitive understanding of the principles behind quantum mechanics through practical construction and replication of original experiments With easy-to-acquire, low-cost materials and basic knowledge of algebra and trigonometry, Exploring Quantum Physics through Hands-on Projects takes readers step by step through the process of re-creating scientific experiments that played an essential role in the creation and development of quantum mechanics. From simple measurements of Planck's constant to testing violations of Bell's inequalities using entangled photons, Exploring Quantum Physics through Hands-on Projects not only immerses readers in the process of quantum mechanics, it provides insight into the history of the field--how the theories and discoveries apply to our world not only today, but also tomorrow. By immersing readers in groundbreaking experiments that can be performed at home, school, or in the lab, this first-ever, hands-on book successfully demystifies the world of quantum physics for...
Kingston, L M; Slevin, B L; O'Connell, N H; Dunne, C P
2017-09-01
Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of infection prevention and control practices, and reduces healthcare-associated infections significantly. However, international evidence suggests that medical doctors demonstrate poor compliance. To explore and compare practices and attitudes towards hand hygiene, particularly hand rubbing using alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR), among hospital-based physicians in Ireland between 2007 and 2015. In 2007, a random sample of doctors in a large teaching hospital was invited to complete a postal survey using a validated questionnaire. In 2015, the study was replicated among all doctors employed in a university hospital group, including the setting of the original study, using an online survey. Data were analysed using SPSS and Survey Monkey. Predominately positive and improving attitudes and practices were found, with 86% of doctors compliant with hand hygiene before patient contact in 2015, compared with 58% in 2007. Ninety-one percent of doctors were compliant after patient contact in 2015, compared with 76% in 2007. In 2015, only 39% of respondents reported that they 'almost always' used ABHR for hand hygiene. However, this represents 13.5% more than in 2007. Stated barriers to use of ABHR included dermatological issues, poor acceptance, tolerance and poor availability of ABHR products. Greater awareness of hand hygiene guidelines and greater governance appear to have had a positive impact on practice. However, despite this, practice remains suboptimal and there is scope for substantial improvement. Continued and sustained efforts are required in order to build on progress achieved since the World Health Organization hand hygiene guidelines were published in 2009. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia in non-ventilated adult patients: a narrative review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Leonor Pássaro
2016-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Pneumonia is one of the leading hospital-acquired infections worldwide and has an important impact. Although preventive measures for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP are well known, less is known about appropriate measures for prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP. Aim The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current standards for preventing HAP in non-ventilated adult patients. Methods A search of the literature up to May 2015 was conducted using Medline for guidelines published by national professional societies or professional medical associations. In addition, a comprehensive search for the following preventive measures was performed: hand hygiene, oral care, bed position, mobilization, diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, aspiration prevention, viral infections and stress bleeding prophylaxis. Findings Regarding international guidelines, several measures were recommended for VAP, whilst no specific recommendations for HAP prevention in non-ventilated patients are available. There is reasonable evidence available that oral care is associated with a reduction in HAP. Early mobilization interventions, swift diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, and multimodal programmes for the prevention of nosocomial influenza cross-infection, have a positive impact on HAP reduction. The impact of bed position and stress bleeding prophylaxis remains uncertain. Systematic antibiotic prophylaxis for HAP prevention should be avoided. Conclusion Scant literature and little guidance is available for the prevention of HAP among non-ventilated adult patients. In addition, the criteria used for the diagnosis of HAP and the populations targeted in the studies selected are heterogeneous. Oral care was the most studied measure and was commonly associated with a decrease in HAP rate, although a broad range of interventions are proposed. No robust evidence is available for other measures. Further high
Prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia in non-ventilated adult patients: a narrative review.
Pássaro, Leonor; Harbarth, Stephan; Landelle, Caroline
2016-01-01
Pneumonia is one of the leading hospital-acquired infections worldwide and has an important impact. Although preventive measures for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) are well known, less is known about appropriate measures for prevention of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). The purpose of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current standards for preventing HAP in non-ventilated adult patients. A search of the literature up to May 2015 was conducted using Medline for guidelines published by national professional societies or professional medical associations. In addition, a comprehensive search for the following preventive measures was performed: hand hygiene, oral care, bed position, mobilization, diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, aspiration prevention, viral infections and stress bleeding prophylaxis. Regarding international guidelines, several measures were recommended for VAP, whilst no specific recommendations for HAP prevention in non-ventilated patients are available. There is reasonable evidence available that oral care is associated with a reduction in HAP. Early mobilization interventions, swift diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia, and multimodal programmes for the prevention of nosocomial influenza cross-infection, have a positive impact on HAP reduction. The impact of bed position and stress bleeding prophylaxis remains uncertain. Systematic antibiotic prophylaxis for HAP prevention should be avoided. Scant literature and little guidance is available for the prevention of HAP among non-ventilated adult patients. In addition, the criteria used for the diagnosis of HAP and the populations targeted in the studies selected are heterogeneous. Oral care was the most studied measure and was commonly associated with a decrease in HAP rate, although a broad range of interventions are proposed. No robust evidence is available for other measures. Further high-quality studies are required to evaluate the impact of specific measures on
Attention affects visual perceptual processing near the hand.
Cosman, Joshua D; Vecera, Shaun P
2010-09-01
Specialized, bimodal neural systems integrate visual and tactile information in the space near the hand. Here, we show that visuo-tactile representations allow attention to influence early perceptual processing, namely, figure-ground assignment. Regions that were reached toward were more likely than other regions to be assigned as foreground figures, and hand position competed with image-based information to bias figure-ground assignment. Our findings suggest that hand position allows attention to influence visual perceptual processing and that visual processes typically viewed as unimodal can be influenced by bimodal visuo-tactile representations.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Magee, Derek; Tanner, Steven F; Jeavons, Alan P; Waller, Michael; Tan, Ai Lyn; McGonagle, Dennis
2010-01-01
Co-registration of clinical images acquired using different imaging modalities and equipment is finding increasing use in patient studies. Here we present a method for registering high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) data of the hand acquired using high-density avalanche chambers with magnetic resonance (MR) images of the finger obtained using a 'microscopy coil'. This allows the identification of the anatomical location of the PET radiotracer and thereby locates areas of active bone metabolism/'turnover'. Image fusion involving data acquired from the hand is demanding because rigid-body transformations cannot be employed to accurately register the images. The non-rigid registration technique that has been implemented in this study uses a variational approach to maximize the mutual information between images acquired using these different imaging modalities. A piecewise model of the fingers is employed to ensure that the methodology is robust and that it generates an accurate registration. Evaluation of the accuracy of the technique is tested using both synthetic data and PET and MR images acquired from patients with osteoarthritis. The method outperforms some established non-rigid registration techniques and results in a mean registration error that is less than approximately 1.5 mm in the vicinity of the finger joints.
Andrade, Leonardo N; Siqueira, Thiago E S; Martinez, Roberto; Darini, Ana Lucia C
2018-01-01
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is concern in healthcare-associated infections. On the other hand, bacterial tolerance to other antimicrobials, like heavy metals, has been neglected and underestimated in hospital pathogens. Silver has long been used as an antimicrobial agent and it seems to be an important indicator of heavy metal tolerance. To explore this perspective, we searched for the presence of acquired silver resistance genes ( sil operon: silE, silS, silR, silC, silF, silB, silA , and silP ) and acquired extended-spectrum cephalosporin and carbapenem resistance genes ( bla CTX-M and bla KPC ) in Enterobacter cloacae Complex (EcC) ( n = 27) and Enterobacter aerogenes ( n = 8) isolated from inpatients at a general hospital. Moreover, the genetic background of the silA (silver-efflux pump) and the presence of other acquired heavy metal tolerance genes, pcoD (copper-efflux pump), arsB (arsenite-efflux pump), terF (tellurite resistance protein), and merA (mercuric reductase) were also investigated. Outstandingly, 21/27 (78%) EcC isolates harbored silA gene located in the chromosome. Complete sil operon was found in 19/21 silA -positive EcC isolates. Interestingly, 8/20 (40%) E. hormaechei and 5/6 (83%) E. asburiae co-harbored silA/pcoD genes and bla CTX-M-(15,2,or9) and/or bla KPC-2 genes. Frequent occurrences of arsB, terF , and merA genes were detected, especially in silA/pcoD -positive, multidrug-resistant (MDR) and/or CTX-M-producing isolates. Our study showed co-presence of antibiotic and heavy metal tolerance genes in MDR EcC isolates. In our viewpoint, there are few studies regarding to bacterial heavy metal tolerance and we call attention for more investigations and discussion about this issue in different hospital pathogens.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Leonardo N. Andrade
2018-03-01
Full Text Available Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is concern in healthcare-associated infections. On the other hand, bacterial tolerance to other antimicrobials, like heavy metals, has been neglected and underestimated in hospital pathogens. Silver has long been used as an antimicrobial agent and it seems to be an important indicator of heavy metal tolerance. To explore this perspective, we searched for the presence of acquired silver resistance genes (sil operon: silE, silS, silR, silC, silF, silB, silA, and silP and acquired extended-spectrum cephalosporin and carbapenem resistance genes (blaCTX−M and blaKPC in Enterobacter cloacae Complex (EcC (n = 27 and Enterobacter aerogenes (n = 8 isolated from inpatients at a general hospital. Moreover, the genetic background of the silA (silver-efflux pump and the presence of other acquired heavy metal tolerance genes, pcoD (copper-efflux pump, arsB (arsenite-efflux pump, terF (tellurite resistance protein, and merA (mercuric reductase were also investigated. Outstandingly, 21/27 (78% EcC isolates harbored silA gene located in the chromosome. Complete sil operon was found in 19/21 silA-positive EcC isolates. Interestingly, 8/20 (40% E. hormaechei and 5/6 (83% E. asburiae co-harbored silA/pcoD genes and blaCTX−M−(15,2,or9 and/or blaKPC−2 genes. Frequent occurrences of arsB, terF, and merA genes were detected, especially in silA/pcoD-positive, multidrug-resistant (MDR and/or CTX-M-producing isolates. Our study showed co-presence of antibiotic and heavy metal tolerance genes in MDR EcC isolates. In our viewpoint, there are few studies regarding to bacterial heavy metal tolerance and we call attention for more investigations and discussion about this issue in different hospital pathogens.
The Rubber Hand Illusion Revisited: Visuotactile Integration and Self-Attribution
Tsakiris, Manos; Haggard, Patrick
2005-01-01
Watching a rubber hand being stroked, while one's own unseen hand is synchronously stroked, may cause the rubber hand to be attributed to one's own body, to "feel like it's my hand." A behavioral measure of the rubber hand illusion (RHI) is a drift of the perceived position of one's own hand toward the rubber hand. The authors investigated (a) the…
Nikandish, Reza; Shahbazi, Sharbanoo; Golabi, Sedigheh; Beygi, Najimeh
2008-02-01
Previous research has suggested improved quality of chest compressions when the dominant hand was in contact with the sternum. However, the study was in health care professionals and during conventional chest compression-ventilation CPR. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis, in null form, that the quality of external chest compressions (ECC) in novice rescuers during 5min of uninterrupted chest compression CPR (UCC-CPR) is independent of the hand in contact with the sternum. Confirmation of the hypothesis would allow the use of either hand by the novice rescuers during UCC-CPR. Fifty-nine first year public heath students participated in this randomised double-blind crossover study. After completion of a standard adult BLS course, they performed single rescuer adult UCC-CPR for 5 min on a recording Resusci Anne. One week later they changed the hand of contact with the sternum while performing ECC. The quality of ECC was recorded by the skill meter for the dominant and non-dominant hand during 5 min ECC. The total number of correct chest compressions in the dominant hand group (DH), mean 183+/-152, was not statistically different from the non-dominant hand group (NH), mean 152+/-135 (P=0.09). The number of ECC with inadequate depth in the DH group, mean 197+/-174 and NH group, mean 196+/-173 were comparable (P=0.1). The incidence of ECC exceeding the recommended depth in the DH group, mean 51+/-110 and NH group, mean 32+/-75 were comparable (P=0.1). Although there is a trend to increased incidence of correct chest compressions with positioning the dominant hand in contact with the sternum, it does not reach statistical significance during UCC-CPR by the novice rescuers for 5 min.
Interventions to improve patient hand hygiene: a systematic review.
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.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Heydorn, S; Menné, T; Andersen, K E
2003-01-01
previously diagnosed with hand eczema to explore whether immersion of fingers in a solution with or without the patch-test-positive fragrance allergen would cause or exacerbate hand eczema on the exposed finger. The study was double blinded and randomized. All participants had a positive patch test to either...... hydroxycitronellal or Lyral (hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde). Each participant immersed a finger from each hand, once a day, in a solution containing the fragrance allergen or placebo. During the first 2 weeks, the concentration of fragrance allergen in the solution was low (approximately 10 p...... meter. 3 of 15 hand eczema patients developed eczema on the finger immersed in the fragrance-containing solution, 3 of 15 on the placebo finger and 3 of 15 on both fingers. Using this experimental exposure model simulating real-life exposure, we found no association between immersion of a finger...
Avoiding unfavorable results in postburn contracture hand
Bhattacharya, Sameek
2013-01-01
Deformities of the hands are a fairly common sequel of burn especially in the developing world. This is because of high incidence of burns, limited access to standard treatment and rehabilitation. The best outcome of a burnt hand is when deformities are prevented from developing. A good functional result is possible when due consideration is paid to hands during resuscitation, excisional surgery, reconstructive surgery and physiotherapy. The post-burns deformities of hand develop due direct thermal damage or secondary to intrinsic minus position due to oedema or vascular insufficiency. During the acute phase the concerns are, maintenance circulation minimize oedema prevent unphysiological positioning and wound closure with autogenous tissue as soon as possible. The rehabilitation program during the acute phase starts from day one and goes on till the hand has healed and has regained full range of motion. Full blown hand contractures are challenging to correct and become more difficult as time passes. Long-standing cases often land up with attenuation of extensor apparatus leading to swan neck and boutonniere deformity, muscle shortening and bony ankylosis. The major and most common pitfall after contracture release is relapse. The treatment protocol of contracture is solely directed towards countering this tendency. This article aims to guide a surgeon in obtaining optimal hand function and avoid pit falls at different stages of management of hand burns. The reasons of an unfavourable outcome of a burnt hand are possible lack of optimal care in the acute phase, while planning and performing reconstructive procedure and during aftercare and rehabilitation. PMID:24501479
Nafi, Siti Norasikin Mohd; Generali, Daniele; Kramer-Marek, Gabriela; Gijsen, Merel; Strina, Carla; Cappelletti, Mariarosa; Andreis, Daniele; Haider, Syed; Li, Ji-Liang; Bridges, Esther; Capala, Jacek; Ioannis, Roxanis; Harris, Adrian L; Kong, Anthony
2014-01-01
The role of HER4 in breast cancer is controversial and its role in relation to trastuzumab resistance remains unclear. We showed that trastuzumab treatment and its acquired resistance induced HER4 upregulation, cleavage and nuclear translocation. However, knockdown of HER4 by specific siRNAs increased trastuzumab sensitivity and reversed its resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Preventing HER4 cleavage by a γ-secretase inhibitor and inhibiting HER4 tyrosine kinase activity by neratinib decreased trastuzumab-induced HER4 nuclear translocation and enhanced trastuzumab response. There was also increased nuclear HER4 staining in the tumours from BT474 xenograft mice and human patients treated with trastuzumab. Furthermore, nuclear HER4 predicted poor clinical response to trastuzumab monotherapy in patients undergoing a window study and was shown to be an independent poor prognostic factor in HER2 positive breast cancer. Our data suggest that HER4 plays a key role in relation to trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Therefore, our study provides novel findings that HER4 activation, cleavage and nuclear translocation influence trastuzumab sensitivity and resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. Nuclear HER4 could be a potential prognostic and predictive biomarker and understanding the role of HER4 may provide strategies to overcome trastuzumab resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer. PMID:25153719
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Shibley, Lee
2000-01-01
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) to the wrist and hand are common among workers, and are associated with working conditions that use forceful, repetitive and extreme wrist joint postures that including end range flexion...
Biddle, Chuck
2009-06-01
Hospital-acquired infections occur at an alarmingly high frequency, possibly affecting as many as 1 in 10 patients, resulting in a staggering morbidity and an annual mortality of many tens of thousands of patients. Appropriate hand hygiene is highly effective and represents the simplest approach that we have to preventing nosocomial infections. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has targeted hand-washing compliance as a top research agenda item for patient safety. Recent research has identified inadequate hand washing and contaminated anesthesia workstation issues as likely contributors to nosocomial infections, finding aseptic practices highly variable among providers. It is vital that all healthcare providers, including anesthesia providers, appreciate the role of inadequate hand hygiene in nosocomial infection and meticulously follow the mandates of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and other professional healthcare organizations.
Effects of Dexterity Level and Hand Anthropometric Dimensions on Smartphone Users’ Satisfaction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
N. Firat Ozkan
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The usage of smartphones instead of simple mobile phones increases sharply in our era, especially among young people, because they do multiple tasks with single equipment. This study mainly focuses on smartphone satisfaction by combining hand measurements, smartphone users’ survey results, and hand dexterity levels of corresponding users acquired from Minnesota Manual Dexterity Test (MMDT. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM is used as a statistical tool to discover the potential direct and indirect relations among user satisfaction, hand dimensions, and dexterity scores. Results indicates that thumb length, hand length, and dexterity level of the users have notable effects on users’ satisfaction with smartphones. Based on the results, a new approach that includes both gross motor skills and physical measurements is suggested to see hidden indirect relations with satisfaction.
Design of a 3-DOF Parallel Hand-Controller
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chengcheng Zhu
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Hand-controllers, as human-machine-interface (HMI devices, can transfer the position information of the operator’s hands into the virtual environment to control the target objects or a real robot directly. At the same time, the haptic information from the virtual environment or the sensors on the real robot can be displayed to the operator. It helps human perceive haptic information more truly with feedback force. A parallel hand-controller is designed in this paper. It is simplified from the traditional delta haptic device. The swing arms in conventional delta devices are replaced with the slider rail modules. The base consists of two hexagons and several links. For the use of the linear sliding modules instead of swing arms, the arc movement is replaced by linear movement. So that, the calculating amount of the position positive solution and the force inverse solution is reduced for the simplification of the motion. The kinematics, static mechanics, and dynamic mechanics are analyzed in this paper. What is more, two demonstration applications are developed to verify the performance of the designed hand-controller.
Unimanual SNARC Effect: Hand Matters
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marianna eRiello
2011-12-01
Full Text Available A structural representation of the hand embedding information about the identity and relative position of fingers is necessary to counting routines. It may also support associations between numbers and allocentric spatial codes that predictably interact with other known numerical spatial representations, such as the mental number line. In this study, 48 Western participants whose typical counting routine proceeded from thumb-to-little on both hands performed magnitude and parity binary judgments. Response keys were pressed either with the right index and middle fingers or with the left index and middle fingers in separate blocks. 24 participants responded with either hands in prone posture (i.e. palm down and 24 participants responded with either hands in supine (i.e. palm up posture. When hands were in prone posture, the counting direction of the left hand conflicted with the direction of the left-right mental number line, whereas the counting direction of the right hand was consistent with it. When hands were in supine posture, the opposite was true. If systematic associations existed between relative number magnitude and an allocentric spatial representation of the finger series within each hand, as predicted on the basis of counting habits, interactions would be expected between hand posture and a unimanual version of the Spatial-Numerical Association of Response Codes (SNARC effect. Data revealed that with hands in prone posture a unimanual SNARC effect was present for the right hand, and with hands in supine posture a unimanual SNARC effect was present for the left hand. We propose that a posture-invariant body structural representation of the finger series provides a relevant frame of reference, a within-hand directional vector, that is associated to simple number processing. Such frame of reference can significantly interact with stimulus-response correspondence effects that have been attributed to the mapping of numbers on a mental
Szél, Borbála; Nagy, Kamilla; Milassin, Márta; Tálosi, Gyula
2017-02-01
Contaminated hands can play pivotal role in the development and spread of healthcare-associated infections. Consequently hand hygiene practice performed with adequate technique and with adequate timing is an essential implement for patient safety. Inhibition of the practice of high level hand hygiene by the misconceptions or deficient knowledge of healthcare workers may lead to negative influence on the quality of patient care. Erroneous beliefs or "rumourous knowledge" acquired from colleagues can not only influence the attitude of healthcare workers, but can also give rise to insufficient hand hygiene compliance. Finding, interpreting and imparting the related evidence by delivering continuing education and lectures, highlighting the theoretical and practical know-how on hand hygiene could help to understand and imprint the evidence-based practice and adequate technique in the essential issue of hand hygiene. Orv. Hetil., 2017., 158(6), 212-219.
Occupationally Acquired American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis
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Maria Edileuza Felinto de Brito
2012-01-01
Full Text Available We report two occupationally acquired cases of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL: one accidental laboratory autoinoculation by contaminated needlestick while handling an ACL lesion sample, and one acquired during field studies on bird biology. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR assays of patient lesions were positive for Leishmania, subgenus Viannia. One isolate was obtained by culture (from patient 2 biopsy samples and characterized as Leishmania (Viannia naiffi through an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA with species-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs and by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE. Patients were successfully treated with N-methyl-glucamine. These two cases highlight the potential risks of laboratory and field work and the need to comply with strict biosafety procedures in daily routines. The swab collection method, coupled with PCR detection, has greatly improved ACL laboratory diagnosis.
Hyperthyroidism caused by acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Wang, J-J; Zhou, J-J; Yuan, X-L; Li, C-Y; Sheng, H; Su, B; Sheng, C-J; Qu, S; Li, H
2014-01-01
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is an immune deficiency disease. The etiology of hyperthyroidism, which can also be immune-related, is usually divided into six classical categories, including hypophyseal, hypothalamic, thyroid, neoplastic, autoimmune and inflammatory hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a rare complication of highly active antimicrobial therapy (HAART) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Hyperthyroidism caused directly by AIDS has not been previously reported. A 29-year-old man who complained of dyspnea and asthenia for 1 month, recurrent fever for more than 20 days, and breathlessness for 1 week was admitted to our hospital. The thyroid function test showed that the level of free thyroxine (FT4) was higher than normal and that the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was below normal. He was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. Additional investigations revealed a low serum albumin level and chest infection, along with diffuse lung fibrosis. Within 1 month, he experienced significant weight loss, no hand tremors, intolerance of heat, and perspiration proneness. We recommended an HIV examination; subsequently, AIDS was diagnosed based on the laboratory parameters. This is the first reported case of hyperthyroidism caused by AIDS. AIDS may cause hyperthyroidism by immunization regulation with complex, atypical, and easily ignored symptoms. Although hyperthyroidism is rare in patients with AIDS, clinicians should be aware of this potential interaction and should carefully monitor thyroid function in HIV-positive patients.
Improving hand hygiene in a paediatric hospital: a multimodal quality improvement approach.
Jamal, Ahmed; O'Grady, G; Harnett, E; Dalton, D; Andresen, D
2012-02-01
Effective hand hygiene has long been recognised as an important way to reduce the transmission of bacterial and viral pathogens in healthcare settings. However, many studies have shown that adherence to hand hygiene remains low, and improvement efforts have often not delivered sustainable results. The Children's Hospital at Westmead is the largest tertiary paediatric hospital in Sydney, Australia. The hospital participated in a state-wide 'Clean hands save lives' campaign which was initiated in 2006. Strong leadership, good stakeholder engagement, readily accessible alcohol-based hand rub at the point of patient care, a multifaceted education programme, monitoring of staff, adherence to recommended hand hygiene practices and contemporaneous feedback of performance data have significantly improved and maintained compliance with hand hygiene. Hand hygiene compliance has increased from 23% in 2006 to 87% in 2011 (phand hygiene has been evident in the last 4 years. A decline in a set of hospital-acquired infections (including rotavirus, multiresistant organism transmission, and nosocomial bacteraemia) has also been noted as hand hygiene rates have improved. Monthly usage of alcohol-based hand rub has increased from 16 litres/1000 bed days to 51 litres/1000 bed days during this same period. This project has delivered sustained improvement in hand hygiene compliance by establishing a framework of multimodal evidence-based strategies.
Park, Se Jeong; Chung, Moon Joo; Lee, Ju Hee; Kang, Hyun Joo; Lee, Jeong-a; Kim, Yong Kyun
2014-01-01
Background Hand hygiene compliance has improved significantly through hand hygiene promotion programs that have included poster campaign, monitoring and performance feedback, and education with special attentions to perceived subjective norms. We investigated factors associated with improved hand hygiene compliance, focusing on whether the improvement of hand hygiene compliance is associated with changed perception toward hand hygiene among medical personnel. Materials and Methods Hand hygiene compliance and perceptions toward hand hygiene among medical personnel were compared between the second quarter of 2009 (before the start of a hand hygiene promotion program) and the second quarter of 2012. We assessed adherence to hand hygiene among medical personnel quarterly according to the WHO recommended method for direct observation. Also, we used a modified self-report questionnaire to collect perception data. Results Hand hygiene compliance among physicians and nurses improved significantly from 19.0% in 2009 to 74.5% in 2012 (P Hand hygiene compliance among the medical personnel continued to improve, with a slight decline in 2013. Perceptions toward hand hygiene improved significantly between 2009 and 2012. Specifically, improvements were evident in intention to adhere to hand hygiene, knowledge about hand hygiene methods, knowledge about hand hygiene indications including care of a dirty and a clean body site on the same patient, perceived behavioral and subjective norms, positive attitude toward hand hygiene promotion campaign, perception of difficulty in adhering to hand hygiene, and motivation to improve adherence to hand hygiene. Conclusions The examined hand hygiene promotion program resulted in improved hand hygiene compliance and perception toward hand hygiene among medical personnel. The improved perception increased hand hygiene compliance. Especially, the perception of being a role model for other colleagues is very important to improve hand hygiene
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Khodada A
2004-09-01
Full Text Available Background: Many of hospital acquired infections that cause so much morbidity and mortality and have great economical burden are transmitted via contaminated hands of health care workers (HCW.Prevalence of these infections can decrease up to 30% with hygienic measures. In this study we assessed the prevalence of careers and microbial spectrum of HCW,s hand and relation between detergent used for washing and reduction of microbial load of HCW, s hand. Materials and Methods: This study was done in two part: Descriptive part (cross sectional and analytical part (before –after. Cases were Consist of all staff Working in wards of center of pediatrics hospital (Including attends, residents, interns, nurses and workers. In first part ,we assess hand microbial spectrum and contamination load of 72 staff and in second part, we assessed and compared hand microbial spectrum and load before and after of washing with four detergent : plain soap (60 staff , liquid soap (60 staff , betadin scrub in ward (60 staff and betadin scrub in operating room manner (26 staff. Results: %87.5 of personnel had positive cultures-.The most prevalent bacteria were staph. epidermidis (%79.4, staph. oreus (%42.9, klebsiella (%12.7, E-coli (%12.7. The rate of reduction or negative cultures in groups used betadin were greater than the first two group (P-value <0/05.Thirty staff (10 with plain soap,10 with liquid soap and 10 with operating room betadin scrub dried their hands after washing. Forty percent of first, fifty percent of second and ninety percent of third group have negative culture after drying. Also 11 samples were drawn from faucets that all of them were positive. Conclusion: Prevalence of careers is high among HCWS and drying of hands can an important role in hospital infection rate. Faucets have heavy contamination and can transmit bacteria to hands after washing. For theses reasons education and of staff to correct hand washing and drying before every contact
Political Left and Right: Our Hands-On Logic
Frits Bienfait; Walter E. A. van Beek
2014-01-01
The origins and immediate vitality of the left/right divide which emerged in French revolutionary politics from 1789 can only be understood against the background of a much older classification dynamic based on the primacy of the right hand, first described by Robert Hertz in 1909. This dynamic infused political thinking first in Versailles and since 1815 in democracies throughout the world. In the process, the classical left/right polarity acquired a new dimension: the complementary notions ...
Unimanual SNARC Effect: Hand Matters.
Riello, Marianna; Rusconi, Elena
2011-01-01
A structural representation of the hand embedding information about the identity and relative position of fingers is necessary to counting routines. It may also support associations between numbers and allocentric spatial codes that predictably interact with other known numerical spatial representations, such as the mental number line (MNL). In this study, 48 Western participants whose typical counting routine proceeded from thumb-to-little on both hands performed magnitude and parity binary judgments. Response keys were pressed either with the right index and middle fingers or with the left index and middle fingers in separate blocks. 24 participants responded with either hands in prone posture (i.e., palm down) and 24 participants responded with either hands in supine (i.e., palm up) posture. When hands were in prone posture, the counting direction of the left hand conflicted with the direction of the left-right MNL, whereas the counting direction of the right hand was consistent with it. When hands were in supine posture, the opposite was true. If systematic associations existed between relative number magnitude and an allocentric spatial representation of the finger series within each hand, as predicted on the basis of counting habits, interactions would be expected between hand posture and a unimanual version of the spatial-numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect. Data revealed that with hands in prone posture a unimanual SNARC effect was present for the right hand, and with hands in supine posture a unimanual SNARC effect was present for the left hand. We propose that a posture-invariant body structural representation of the finger series provides a relevant frame of reference, a within-hand directional vector, that is associated to simple number processing. Such frame of reference can significantly interact with stimulus-response correspondence effects, like the SNARC, that have been typically attributed to the mapping of numbers on a left
Senna, Irene; Maravita, Angelo; Bolognini, Nadia; Parise, Cesare V
2014-01-01
Our body is made of flesh and bones. We know it, and in our daily lives all the senses constantly provide converging information about this simple, factual truth. But is this always the case? Here we report a surprising bodily illusion demonstrating that humans rapidly update their assumptions about the material qualities of their body, based on their recent multisensory perceptual experience. To induce a misperception of the material properties of the hand, we repeatedly gently hit participants' hand with a small hammer, while progressively replacing the natural sound of the hammer against the skin with the sound of a hammer hitting a piece of marble. After five minutes, the hand started feeling stiffer, heavier, harder, less sensitive, unnatural, and showed enhanced Galvanic skin response (GSR) to threatening stimuli. Notably, such a change in skin conductivity positively correlated with changes in perceived hand stiffness. Conversely, when hammer hits and impact sounds were temporally uncorrelated, participants did not spontaneously report any changes in the perceived properties of the hand, nor did they show any modulation in GSR. In two further experiments, we ruled out that mere audio-tactile synchrony is the causal factor triggering the illusion, further demonstrating the key role of material information conveyed by impact sounds in modulating the perceived material properties of the hand. This novel bodily illusion, the 'Marble-Hand Illusion', demonstrates that the perceived material of our body, surely the most stable attribute of our bodily self, can be quickly updated through multisensory integration.
A mechatronics platform to study prosthetic hand control using EMG signals.
Geethanjali, P
2016-09-01
In this paper, a low-cost mechatronics platform for the design and development of robotic hands as well as a surface electromyogram (EMG) pattern recognition system is proposed. This paper also explores various EMG classification techniques using a low-cost electronics system in prosthetic hand applications. The proposed platform involves the development of a four channel EMG signal acquisition system; pattern recognition of acquired EMG signals; and development of a digital controller for a robotic hand. Four-channel surface EMG signals, acquired from ten healthy subjects for six different movements of the hand, were used to analyse pattern recognition in prosthetic hand control. Various time domain features were extracted and grouped into five ensembles to compare the influence of features in feature-selective classifiers (SLR) with widely considered non-feature-selective classifiers, such as neural networks (NN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and support vector machines (SVM) applied with different kernels. The results divulged that the average classification accuracy of the SVM, with a linear kernel function, outperforms other classifiers with feature ensembles, Hudgin's feature set and auto regression (AR) coefficients. However, the slight improvement in classification accuracy of SVM incurs more processing time and memory space in the low-level controller. The Kruskal-Wallis (KW) test also shows that there is no significant difference in the classification performance of SLR with Hudgin's feature set to that of SVM with Hudgin's features along with AR coefficients. In addition, the KW test shows that SLR was found to be better in respect to computation time and memory space, which is vital in a low-level controller. Similar to SVM, with a linear kernel function, other non-feature selective LDA and NN classifiers also show a slight improvement in performance using twice the features but with the drawback of increased memory space requirement and time
Sambo, C F; Liang, M; Cruccu, G; Iannetti, G D
2012-02-01
Electrical stimulation of the median nerve at the wrist may elicit a blink reflex [hand blink reflex (HBR)] mediated by a neural circuit at brain stem level. As, in a Sherringtonian sense, the blink reflex is a defensive response, in a series of experiments we tested, in healthy volunteers, whether and how the HBR is modulated by the proximity of the stimulated hand to the face. Electromyographic activity was recorded from the orbicularis oculi, bilaterally. We observed that the HBR is enhanced when the stimulated hand is inside the peripersonal space of the face, compared with when it is outside, irrespective of whether the proximity of the hand to the face is manipulated by changing the position of the arm (experiment 1) or by rotating the head while keeping the arm position constant (experiment 3). Experiment 2 showed that such HBR enhancement has similar magnitude when the participants have their eyes closed. Experiments 4 and 5 showed, respectively, that the blink reflex elicited by the electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve, as well as the N20 wave of the somatosensory evoked potentials elicited by the median nerve stimulation, are entirely unaffected by hand position. Taken together, our results provide compelling evidence that the brain stem circuits mediating the HBR in humans undergo tonic and selective top-down modulation from higher order cortical areas responsible for encoding the location of somatosensory stimuli in external space coordinates. These findings support the existence of a "defensive" peripersonal space, representing a safety margin advantageous for survival.
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Patil Rahul
2006-01-01
Full Text Available Background: Although prevalence of MRSA strains is reported to be increasing, there are no studies of their prevalence in community-acquired primary pyodermas in western India. Aims: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of MRSA infection in community-acquired primary pyodermas. Methods: Open, prospective survey carried out in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai. Materials and Methods: Eighty-six patients with primary pyoderma, visiting the dermatology outpatient, were studied clinically and microbiologically. Sensitivity testing was done for vancomycin, sisomycin, gentamicin, framycetin, erythromycin, methicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, penicillin G and ciprofloxacin. Phage typing was done for MRSA positive strains. Results : The culture positivity rate was 83.7%. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in all cases except two. Barring one, all strains of Staphylococcus were sensitive to methicillin. Conclusions: Methicillin resistance is uncommon in community-acquired primary pyodermas in Mumbai. Treatment with antibacterials active against MRSA is probably unwarranted for community-acquired primary pyodermas.
Johnson, Tricia; Kane, Jason M; Odwazny, Richard; McNutt, Robert
2014-11-01
Incentives to improve quality include paying less for adverse events, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' policy to not pay additionally for events classified as hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). This policy is controversial, as variable coding practices at hospitals may lead to differences in the inclusion and position of HACs in the list of codes used for Medicare Severity Diagnosis-Related Group (MS-DRG) assignment. Evaluate changes in MS-DRG assignment for patients with an HAC and test the association of the position of an HAC in the list of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) diagnosis codes with change in MS-DRG assignment. Retrospective analysis of patients discharged from hospital members of the University HealthSystem Consortium's Clinical Data Base between October 2007 and April 2008. Comparisons were made between the MS-DRG assigned when the HAC was not included in the list of ICD-9 diagnosis codes and the MS-DRG that would have been assigned had the HAC code been included in the assignment. Of the 7027 patients with an HAC, 13.8% changed MS-DRG assignment when the HAC was removed. An HAC in the second position versus third position or lower was associated with a 40-fold increase in the likelihood of MS-DRG change. The position of an HAC in the list of diagnosis codes, rather than the presence of an HAC, is associated with a change in MS-DRG assignment. HACs have little effect on reimbursement unless the HAC is in the second position and patients have minor severity of illness. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Eye-hand coupling during closed-loop drawing: evidence of shared motor planning?
Reina, G Anthony; Schwartz, Andrew B
2003-04-01
Previous paradigms have used reaching movements to study coupling of eye-hand kinematics. In the present study, we investigated eye-hand kinematics as curved trajectories were drawn at normal speeds. Eye and hand movements were tracked as a monkey traced ellipses and circles with the hand in free space while viewing the hand's position on a computer monitor. The results demonstrate that the movement of the hand was smooth and obeyed the 2/3 power law. Eye position, however, was restricted to 2-3 clusters along the hand's trajectory and fixed approximately 80% of the time in one of these clusters. The eye remained stationary as the hand moved away from the fixation for up to 200 ms and saccaded ahead of the hand position to the next fixation along the trajectory. The movement from one fixation cluster to another consistently occurred just after the tangential hand velocity had reached a local minimum, but before the next segment of the hand's trajectory began. The next fixation point was close to an area of high curvature along the hand's trajectory even though the hand had not reached that point along the path. A visuo-motor illusion of hand movement demonstrated that the eye movement was influenced by hand movement and not simply by visual input. During the task, neural activity of pre-motor cortex (area F4) was recorded using extracellular electrodes and used to construct a population vector of the hand's trajectory. The results suggest that the saccade onset is correlated in time with maximum curvature in the population vector trajectory for the hand movement. We hypothesize that eye and arm movements may have common, or shared, information in forming their motor plans.
Consistent-handed individuals are more authoritarian.
Lyle, Keith B; Grillo, Michael C
2014-01-01
Individuals differ in the consistency with which they use one hand over the other to perform everyday activities. Some individuals are very consistent, habitually using a single hand to perform most tasks. Others are relatively inconsistent, and hence make greater use of both hands. More- versus less-consistent individuals have been shown to differ in numerous aspects of personality and cognition. In several respects consistent-handed individuals resemble authoritarian individuals. For example, both consistent-handedness and authoritarianism have been linked to cognitive inflexibility. Therefore we hypothesised that consistent-handedness is an external marker for authoritarianism. Confirming our hypothesis, we found that consistent-handers scored higher than inconsistent-handers on a measure of submission to authority, were more likely to identify with a conservative political party (Republican), and expressed less-positive attitudes towards out-groups. We propose that authoritarianism may be influenced by the degree of interaction between the left and right brain hemispheres, which has been found to differ between consistent- and inconsistent-handed individuals.
The Hot Hand Belief and Framing Effects
MacMahon, Clare; Köppen, Jörn; Raab, Markus
2014-01-01
Purpose: Recent evidence of the hot hand in sport--where success breeds success in a positive recency of successful shots, for instance--indicates that this pattern does not actually exist. Yet the belief persists. We used 2 studies to explore the effects of framing on the hot hand belief in sport. We looked at the effect of sport experience and…
Hands of beauty, hands of horror: fear and Egyptian art at the Fin de Siècle.
Briefel, Aviva
2008-01-01
This essay examines the gothicization of Egyptian manual productions in late-Victorian mummy narratives. These narratives often isolate the mummy's hand as a signifier of craftsmanship, a troubling object for a culture that was mourning the figurative loss of its artisans' hands to mechanized production. Focusing on Bram Stoker's 1903 novel, The Jewel of Seven Stars, I contend that the horror of the mummy's hand emanates from its ambiguous position as an artifact that is itself a means of production. It displaces Friedrich Engels's conception of the Western hand as a self-creating appendage into the atavistic domain of a long-lost Egyptian tradition, and in doing so, it forces the English observer to recognize the irrecoverable nature of aesthetic craftsmanship. Brought into violent contact with the creative potential of the mummy's hand, the characters in Stoker's novel try to disassociate the mummy from manual production but only succeed in confirming their own status as products of a mechanized age.
Formation of social and household skills in children with hand defects.
Klimon, Nataly; Koryukov, Alexander; Loseva, Nina; Starobina, Elena
2015-08-01
The aim of this study was to consider the peculiarities of forming social and household skills, and the criteria for their evaluation, as well as an assessment of functional capacity, in children with hand defects both before and after surgical treatment and rehabilitation courses using a system of games. We elaborated and implemented a program of social rehabilitation of preschool children with congenital and acquired hand defects for the development of their functional capabilities and the formation of social and household skills after surgical treatment and prosthetics using play therapy methods. As part of this work, 140 preschool children aged 3-7 years underwent social rehabilitation. Most of the children had congenital hand defects-122 children (87 %): 96 children (79 %) with ectrodactylia, adactylia, hypoplasia, aplasia, hand splitting, club hand, or partial gigantism; 26 children (21 %) with congenital syndactylism and constricted bonds and 18 children (13 %) with acquired defects (burn deformity, amputation). 110 children (79 %) had reached the stage of surgical correction; 30 children (21 %) reached the stage of prosthetics. Most of the children participating in the experiment (78 children, 56 %) had defects of fingers on one hand. The program aimed at solving specific rehabilitation tasks: formation and improvement of all possible types of grip under the existing defect including those after surgery and prosthetics; development of tactile sensations in fingers; development of fine motor skills; increase in range of motion in all joints of the damaged hand; development of attention and concentration; formation of social and household skills appropriate to age; and development of the ability to achieve the set task. Analysis of the level of social and household skills of children with hand defects undergoing rehabilitation treatment at the hospital depending on the age prior to medical and social rehabilitation showed that preschool children with
Crundall, Elizabeth; Crundall, David; Stedmon, Alex W.
2012-01-01
Why do motorcyclists crash on bends? To address this question we examined the riding styles of three groups of motorcyclists on a motorcycle simulator. Novice, experienced and advanced motorcyclists navigated a series of combined left and right bends while their speed and lane position were recorded. Each rider encountered an unexpected hazard on both a left- and right-hand bend section. Upon seeing the hazards, all riders decreased their speed before steering to avoid the hazard. Experienced riders tended to follow more of a racing line through the bends, which resulted in them having to make the most severe changes to their position to avoid a collision. Advanced riders adopted the safest road positions, choosing a position which offered greater visibility through the bends. As a result, they did not need to alter their road position in response to the hazard. Novice riders adopted similar road positions to experienced riders on the left-hand bends, but their road positions were more similar to advanced riders on right-hand bends, suggesting that they were more aware of the risks associated with right bends. Novice riders also adopted a safer position on post-hazard bends whilst the experienced riders failed to alter their behaviour even though they had performed the greatest evasive manoeuvre in response to the hazards. Advanced riders did not need to alter their position as their approach to the bends was already optimal. The results suggest that non-advanced riders were more likely to choose an inappropriate lane position than an inappropriate speed when entering a bend. Furthermore, the findings support the theory that expertise is achieved as a result of relearning, with advanced training overriding ‘bad habits’ gained through experience alone. PMID:22253845
A synergy-driven approach to a myoelectric hand.
Godfrey, S B; Ajoudani, A; Catalano, M; Grioli, G; Bicchi, A
2013-06-01
In this paper, we present the Pisa/IIT SoftHand with myoelectric control as a synergy-driven approach for a prosthetic hand. Commercially available myoelectric hands are more expensive, heavier, and less robust than their body-powered counterparts; however, they can offer greater freedom of motion and a more aesthetically pleasing appearance. The Pisa/IIT SoftHand is built on the motor control principle of synergies through which the immense complexity of the hand is simplified into distinct motor patterns. As the SoftHand grasps, it follows a synergistic path with built-in flexibility to allow grasping of a wide variety of objects with a single motor. Here we test, as a proof-of-concept, 4 myoelectric controllers: a standard controller in which the EMG signal is used only as a position reference, an impedance controller that determines both position and stiffness references from the EMG input, a standard controller with vibrotactile force feedback, and finally a combined vibrotactile-impedance (VI) controller. Four healthy subjects tested the control algorithms by grasping various objects. All controllers were sufficient for basic grasping, however the impedance and vibrotactile controllers reduced the physical and cognitive load on the user, while the combined VI mode was the easiest to use of the four. While these results need to be validated with amputees, they suggest a low-cost, robust hand employing hardware-based synergies is a viable alternative to traditional myoelectric prostheses.
Real-Time Control of an Exoskeleton Hand Robot with Myoelectric Pattern Recognition.
Lu, Zhiyuan; Chen, Xiang; Zhang, Xu; Tong, Kay-Yu; Zhou, Ping
2017-08-01
Robot-assisted training provides an effective approach to neurological injury rehabilitation. To meet the challenge of hand rehabilitation after neurological injuries, this study presents an advanced myoelectric pattern recognition scheme for real-time intention-driven control of a hand exoskeleton. The developed scheme detects and recognizes user's intention of six different hand motions using four channels of surface electromyography (EMG) signals acquired from the forearm and hand muscles, and then drives the exoskeleton to assist the user accomplish the intended motion. The system was tested with eight neurologically intact subjects and two individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The overall control accuracy was [Formula: see text] for the neurologically intact subjects and [Formula: see text] for the SCI subjects. The total lag of the system was approximately 250[Formula: see text]ms including data acquisition, transmission and processing. One SCI subject also participated in training sessions in his second and third visits. Both the control accuracy and efficiency tended to improve. These results show great potential for applying the advanced myoelectric pattern recognition control of the wearable robotic hand system toward improving hand function after neurological injuries.
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Hulscher Marlies
2011-09-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Hand hygiene prescriptions are the most important measure in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections. Yet, compliance rates are generally below 50% of all opportunities for hand hygiene. This study aims at evaluating the short- and long-term effects of two different strategies for promoting hand hygiene in hospital nurses. Methods/design This study is a cluster randomised controlled trial with inpatient wards as the unit of randomisation. Guidelines for hand hygiene will be implemented in this study. Two strategies will be used to improve the adherence to guidelines for hand hygiene. The state-of-the-art strategy is derived from the literature and includes education, reminders, feedback, and targeting adequate products and facilities. The extended strategy also contains activities aimed at influencing social influence in groups and enhancing leadership. The unique contribution of the extended strategy is built upon relevant behavioural science theories. The extended strategy includes all elements of the state-of-the-art strategy supplemented with gaining active commitment and initiative of ward management, modelling by informal leaders at the ward, and setting norms and targets within the team. Data will be collected at four points in time, with six-month intervals. An average of 3,000 opportunities for hand hygiene in approximately 900 nurses will be observed at each time point. Discussion Performing and evaluating an implementation strategy that also targets the social context of teams may considerably add to the general body of knowledge in this field. Results from our study will allow us to draw conclusions on the effects of different strategies for the implementation of hand hygiene guidelines, and based on these results we will be able to define a preferred implementation strategy for hospital based nursing. Trial registration The study is registered as a Clinical Trial in ClinicalTrials.gov, dossier number: NCT
Analysis of Information Remaining on Hand Held Devices Offered for Sale on the Second Hand Market
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Andy Jones
2008-06-01
resellers.The study was carried out by the security research team at the BT IT Futures Centre in conjunction with Edith Cowan University in Australia and the University of Glamorgan in the UK. The basis of the research was to acquire a number of second hand held devices from a diverse range of sources and then determine whether they still contained information relating to a previous owner or whether the information had been effectively removed. The devices that were obtained for the research were supplied blind to the researchers through a third party. The ‘blind’ supply of the devices meant that the people undertaking the research were provided with no information about the device and that the source of the devices and any external markings were hidden from them. This process was put in place to ensure that any findings of the research were based solely on the information that could be recovered from the digital storage media that was contained within the device.The underlying methodology that was used in the research was based on the forensic imaging of the devices. A forensic image of a device is a copy of the digital media that has been created in a scientifically sound manner to a standard that is acceptable to the courts. This procedure was implemented to ensure that the evidential integrity of the devices was maintained, with the devices also then being stored in a secure manner. All subsequent research was then conducted on the image of the device. This was considered to be a sensible precaution against the possibility that information discovered on a device might indicate criminal activity and require the involvement of law enforcement. Following the forensic imaging of the devices, the images that were created were then analyzed to determine whether any information remained and whether it could be easily recovered using commonly available tools and techniques that anyone who had purchased the device could acquire.
Life-style factors and hand eczema.
Anveden Berglind, I; Alderling, M; Meding, B
2011-09-01
Previous knowledge of the impact of certain life-style factors on hand eczema is scanty. To investigate a possible association between hand eczema and life-style factors such as obesity, physical exercise, stress, smoking and alcohol consumption. In a cross-sectional public health survey in Stockholm, Sweden, 27,994 (58%) randomly chosen individuals aged 18-64 years completed a postal questionnaire regarding physical and mental health, social relations, economic status and work. Of these, 27,793 individuals responded to the question regarding hand eczema and were included in the present study. The association between life-style factors and hand eczema was analysed by prevalence proportion ratios (PPR), using a generalized linear model. Hand eczema was more common among individuals who reported high stress levels, PPR 1·326 (95% CI 1·303-1·350). There was also a positive dose-response relationship between hand eczema and stress. Hand eczema was less common among individuals reporting high physical exercise, and most apparent in women, PPR 0·781 (95% CI 0·770-0·792). Men who reported high alcohol intake reported hand eczema less often, PPR 0·958 (95% CI 0·930-0·987). Obese individuals reported hand eczema more commonly, PPR 1·204 (95% CI 1·174-1·234). There was a slight increase of hand eczema among smokers, PPR 1·025 (95% CI 1·006-1·044). Hand eczema was more common in individuals who reported stress, obesity and smoking. In individuals who reported high physical exercise levels hand eczema was less common. As there appears to be an association between life-style factors and hand eczema it is important to consider life-style factors in clinical practice. © 2011 The Authors. BJD © 2011 British Association of Dermatologists.
Levchenko, Alexander I; Boscart, Veronique M; Fernie, Geoff R
2014-08-01
Adequate hand hygiene is often considered as the most effective method of reducing the rates of hospital-acquired infections, which are one of the major causes of increased cost, morbidity, and mortality in healthcare. Electronic monitoring technologies provide a promising direction for achieving sustainable hand hygiene improvement by introducing the elements of automated feedback and creating the possibility to automatically collect individual hand hygiene performance data. The results of the multiphase testing of an automated hand hygiene reminding and monitoring system installed in a complex continuing care setting are presented. The study included a baseline Phase 1, with the system performing automated data collection only, a preintervention Phase 2 with hand hygiene status indicator enabled, two intervention Phases 3 and 4 with the system generating hand hygiene reminding signals and periodic performance feedback sessions provided, and a postintervention Phase 5 with only hand hygiene status indicator enabled and no feedback sessions provided. A significant increase in hand hygiene performance observed during the first intervention Phase 3 was sustained over the second intervention Phase 4, with the postintervention phase also indicating higher hand hygiene activity rates compared with the preintervention and baseline phases. The overall trends observed during the multiphase testing, the factors affecting acceptability of the automated hand hygiene monitoring system, and various strategies of technology deployment are discussed.
Patch test results of hand eczema patients : relation to clinical types
Boonstra, M B; Christoffers, W A; Coenraads, P J; Schuttelaar, M L A
BACKGROUND: Allergic contact dermatitis is a well-known cause of hand eczema, although the influence of contact allergens on different clinical types of hand eczema remains still unclear. OBJECTIVE: To identify most common positive tested allergens among hand eczema patients and to define the
Functionality predictors in acquired brain damage.
Huertas Hoyas, E; Pedrero Pérez, E J; Águila Maturana, A M; García López-Alberca, S; González Alted, C
2015-01-01
Most individuals who have survived an acquired brain injury present consequences affecting the sensorimotor, cognitive, affective or behavioural components. These deficits affect the proper performance of daily living activities. The aim of this study is to identify functional differences between individuals with unilateral acquired brain injury using functional independence, capacity, and performance of daily activities. Descriptive cross-sectional design with a sample of 58 people, with right-sided injury (n=14 TBI; n=15 stroke) or left-sided injury (n = 14 TBI, n = 15 stroke), right handed, and with a mean age of 47 years and time since onset of 4 ± 3.65 years. The functional assessment/functional independence measure (FIM/FAM) and the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) were used for the study. The data showed significant differences (P<.000), and a large size effect (dr=0.78) in the cross-sectional estimates, and point to fewer restrictions for patients with a lesion on their right side. The major differences were in the variables 'speaking' and 'receiving spoken messages' (ICF variables), and 'Expression', 'Writing' and 'intelligible speech' (FIM/FAM variables). In the linear regression analysis, the results showed that only 4 FIM/FAM variables, taken together, predict 44% of the ICF variance, which measures the ability of the individual, and up to 52% of the ICF, which measures the individual's performance. Gait alone predicts a 28% of the variance. It seems that individuals with acquired brain injury in the left hemisphere display important differences regarding functional and communication variables. The motor aspects are an important prognostic factor in functional rehabilitation. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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Rasmus Leistner
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The number of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL positive (+ Escherichia coli is increasing worldwide. In contrast with many other multidrug-resistant bacteria, it is suspected that they predominantly spread within the community. The objective of this study was to assess factors associated with community-acquired colonization of ESBL (+ E. coli. METHODS: We performed a matched case-control study at the Charité University Hospital Berlin between May 2011 and January 2012. Cases were defined as patients colonized with community-acquired ESBL (+ E. coli identified <72 h after hospital admission. Controls were patients that carried no ESBL-positive bacteria but an ESBL-negative E.coli identified <72 h after hospital admission. Two controls per case were chosen from potential controls according to admission date. Case and control patients completed a questionnaire assessing nutritional habits, travel habits, household situation and language most commonly spoken at home (mother tongue. An additional rectal swab was obtained together with the questionnaire to verify colonization status. Genotypes of ESBL (+ E. coli strains were determined by PCR and sequencing. Risk factors associated with ESBL (+ E. coli colonization were analyzed by a multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed 85 cases and 170 controls, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, speaking an Asian language most commonly at home (OR = 13.4, CI 95% 3.3-53.8; p<0.001 and frequently eating pork (≥ 3 meals per week showed to be independently associated with ESBL colonization (OR = 3.5, CI 95% 1.8-6.6; p<0.001. The most common ESBL genotypes were CTX-M-1 with 44% (n = 37, CTX-M-15 with 28% (n = 24 and CTX-M-14 with 13% (n = 11. CONCLUSION: An Asian mother tongue and frequently consuming certain types of meat like pork can be independently associated with the colonization of ESBL-positive bacteria. We found neither frequent consumption
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Poongodi Lakshmi Santhana Kumarasamy
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Background: An increase in the incidence of infections caused by community-associated-methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA has been reported. Hence, the knowledge of resistance pattern of these isolates is a precondition for alleviating emerging antibiotic resistance and devising better treatment strategies Aim: To find out the prevalence of community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains from nasal carriers. Materials and Methods: A total of 352 nasal swabs collected during routine health checkup were analyzed. Results: Of the 58 (16% staphylococci isolated, 32 (55% were S. aureus and 26 (45% were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS. Methicillin resistance was observed in 7 (22% of staphylococci aureus and 11 (42% of CoNS. "D test" was positive in 1 (14% MRSA, 2 (8% methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and 2 (8% methicillin resistant-CoNS. Conclusion: Effective implementation of the antibiotic policy along with measures like hand wash, isolation of patients will reduce the incidence of resistance.
Arai, Akie; Tanabe, Masaki; Nakamura, Akiko; Yamasaki, Daisuke; Muraki, Yuichi; Kaneko, Toshihiro; Kadowaki, Ayako; Ito, Masaaki
2016-12-01
Our objectives were to evaluate the utility of electronic hand hygiene counting devices in outpatient settings and the impact of results feedback on physicians' hand hygiene behaviors. We installed 130 electronic hand hygiene counting devices in our redesigned outpatient department. We remotely monitored physicians' hand hygiene practices during outpatient examinations and calculated the adherence rate as follows: number of hand hygiene counts divided by the number of outpatients examined multiplied by 100. Physician individual adherence rates were also classified into 4 categories. Two hundred and eighty physicians from 28 clinical departments were monitored for 3 months. The overall hand hygiene adherence rate was 10.7% at baseline, which improved significantly after feedback to 18.2% in the third month. Of the clinical departments, 78.6% demonstrated significant improvement in hand hygiene compliance. The change in the percentage of physicians in each category before and after feedback were as follows: very low (84.3% to 72.1%), low (8.6% to 14.3%), moderate (2.9% to 8.9%), and high (4.3% to 4.6%), from the first to third month, respectively. Based on category assessment, 17.1% of physicians were classified as responders. Physicians' adherence to hand hygiene practices during outpatient examinations was successfully monitored remotely using electronic counting devices. Audit and feedback of adherence data may have a positive impact on physicians' hand hygiene compliance. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Leistner, Rasmus; Meyer, Elisabeth; Gastmeier, Petra; Pfeifer, Yvonne; Eller, Christoph; Dem, Petra; Schwab, Frank
2013-01-01
The number of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) positive (+) Escherichia coli is increasing worldwide. In contrast with many other multidrug-resistant bacteria, it is suspected that they predominantly spread within the community. The objective of this study was to assess factors associated with community-acquired colonization of ESBL (+) E. coli. We performed a matched case-control study at the Charité University Hospital Berlin between May 2011 and January 2012. Cases were defined as patients colonized with community-acquired ESBL (+) E. coli identified language most commonly spoken at home (mother tongue). An additional rectal swab was obtained together with the questionnaire to verify colonization status. Genotypes of ESBL (+) E. coli strains were determined by PCR and sequencing. Risk factors associated with ESBL (+) E. coli colonization were analyzed by a multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis. We analyzed 85 cases and 170 controls, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, speaking an Asian language most commonly at home (OR = 13.4, CI 95% 3.3-53.8; p<0.001) and frequently eating pork (≥ 3 meals per week) showed to be independently associated with ESBL colonization (OR = 3.5, CI 95% 1.8-6.6; p<0.001). The most common ESBL genotypes were CTX-M-1 with 44% (n = 37), CTX-M-15 with 28% (n = 24) and CTX-M-14 with 13% (n = 11). An Asian mother tongue and frequently consuming certain types of meat like pork can be independently associated with the colonization of ESBL-positive bacteria. We found neither frequent consumption of poultry nor previous use of antibiotics to be associated with ESBL colonization.
Hand hygiene technique quality evaluation in nursing and medicine students of two academic courses
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Manuela Škodová
2015-08-01
Full Text Available AbstractObjective: because they are health professionals, nursing and medical students' hands during internships can function as a transmission vehicle for hospital-acquired infections.Method: a descriptive study with nursing and medical degree students on the quality of the hand hygiene technique, which was assessed via a visual test using a hydroalcoholic solution marked with fluorescence and an ultraviolet lamp.Results: 546 students were assessed, 73.8% from medicine and 26.2% from nursing. The area of the hand with a proper antiseptic distribution was the palm (92.9%; areas not properly scrubbed were the thumbs (55.1%. 24.7% was very good in both hands, 29.8% was good, 25.1% was fair, and 20.3% was poor. The worst assessed were the male, nursing and first year students. There were no significant differences in the age groups.Conclusions: hand hygiene technique is not applied efficiently. Education plays a key role in setting a good practice base in hand hygiene, theoretical knowledge, and in skill development, as well as good practice reinforcement.
Cardoso, Teresa; Ribeiro, Orquídea; Aragão, Irene; Costa-Pereira, Altamiro; Sarmento, António
2013-01-01
Microbiological profiles were analysed and compared for intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections according to place of acquisition: community-acquired, with a separate analysis of healthcare-associated, and hospital-acquired. Prospective cohort study performed at a university tertiary care hospital over 1 year. Inclusion criteria were meeting the Centers for Disease Control definition of intra-abdominal, urinary, respiratory and bloodstream infections. A total of 1035 patients were included in the study. More than 25% of intra-abdominal infections were polymicrobial; multi-drug resistant gram-negatives were 38% in community-acquired, 50% in healthcare-associated and 57% in hospital-acquired. E. coli was the most prevalent among urinary infections: 69% in community-acquired, 56% in healthcare-associated and 26% in hospital-acquired; ESBL producers' pathogens were 10% in healthcare-associated and 3% in community-acquired and hospital-acquired. In respiratory infections Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent in community-acquired (54%) and MRSA in healthcare-associated (24%) and hospital-acquired (24%). A significant association was found between MRSA respiratory infection and hospitalization in the previous year (adjusted OR = 6.3), previous instrumentation (adjusted OR = 4.3) and previous antibiotic therapy (adjusted OR = 5.7); no cases were documented among patients without risk factors. Hospital mortality rate was 10% in community-acquired, 14% in healthcare-associated and 19% in hospital-acquired infection. This study shows that healthcare-associated has a different microbiologic profile than those from community or hospital acquired for the four main focus of infection. Knowledge of this fact is important because the existing guidelines for community-acquired are not entirely applicable for this group of patients.
Use of CD25 as an immunohistochemical marker for acquired ocular toxoplasmosis
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Cristina Miyamoto
2010-10-01
Full Text Available PURPOSE: Toxoplasmosis is the most common cause of posterior infectious uveitis worldwide. It is often impossible to determine its congenital or acquired nature. Interleukin-2 (IL-2 in peripheral blood has been described as a possible marker for acquired toxoplasmosis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the histopathological characteristics of ocular toxoplasmosis cases using CD25 as a marker for the expression of interleukin-2. METHODS: Ten formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded enucleated globes from ten immunocompetent patients with clinical diagnosis of toxoplasmosis were evaluated. Four patients had the acquired form of ocular toxoplasmosis (positive IgM while six were IgM negative and IgG positive for toxoplasmosis. Histopathological slides were reviewed for the extension of the retinal necrosis, number of toxo cysts, the granulomatous inflammatory reaction, the presence of T and B cells within the choroid and the IL-2 expression. Immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies was performed to observe the expression of CD4, CD8, CD20, CD25, and CD68. RESULTS: The histopathological evaluation disclosed no differences between acquired and the other ocular toxoplasmosis cases regarding the characteristics studied. However, CD25 showed a higher expression of IL-2 on the 4 acquired cases of ocular toxoplasmosis compared to the remainders. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report showing that the use of CD25 as a marker for interleukin-2 could differentiate acquired ocular toxoplasmosis.
An Analysis of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Hand Muscle EMG for Improved Pattern Recognition Control.
Adewuyi, Adenike A; Hargrove, Levi J; Kuiken, Todd A
2016-04-01
Pattern recognition control combined with surface electromyography (EMG) from the extrinsic hand muscles has shown great promise for control of multiple prosthetic functions for transradial amputees. There is, however, a need to adapt this control method when implemented for partial-hand amputees, who possess both a functional wrist and information-rich residual intrinsic hand muscles. We demonstrate that combining EMG data from both intrinsic and extrinsic hand muscles to classify hand grasps and finger motions allows up to 19 classes of hand grasps and individual finger motions to be decoded, with an accuracy of 96% for non-amputees and 85% for partial-hand amputees. We evaluated real-time pattern recognition control of three hand motions in seven different wrist positions. We found that a system trained with both intrinsic and extrinsic muscle EMG data, collected while statically and dynamically varying wrist position increased completion rates from 73% to 96% for partial-hand amputees and from 88% to 100% for non-amputees when compared to a system trained with only extrinsic muscle EMG data collected in a neutral wrist position. Our study shows that incorporating intrinsic muscle EMG data and wrist motion can significantly improve the robustness of pattern recognition control for application to partial-hand prosthetic control.
2011-01-01
Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence was determined in 3333 sheep sera from 125 distinct sheep flocks in Scotland, with the majority of flocks being represented by 27 samples, which were collected between July 2006 and August 2008. The selected farms give a representative sample of 14 400 sheep holdings identified in the Scottish Government census data from 2004. Overall T. gondii seroprevalence, at individual sheep level, was determined to be 56.6%; each flock tested, had at least a single positive animal and in four flocks all ewes tested positive. The seroprevalence of sheep increased from 37.7% in one year old stock to 73.8% in ewes that were older than six years, showing that acquired infections during the life of the animals is frequent and that environmental contamination by T. gondii oocysts must be significant. The median within-flock seroprevalence varied significantly across Scotland, with the lowest seroprevalence of 42.3% in the South and the highest seroprevalence of 69.2% in the far North of Scotland and the Scottish Islands, while the central part of Scotland had a seroprevalence of 57.7%. This distribution disequilibrium may be due to the spread and survival of oocysts on pasture and lambing areas. A questionnaire accompanying sampling of flocks identified farms that used Toxovax®, a commercial vaccine that protects sheep from abortion due to T. gondii infection. Only 24.7% of farmers used the vaccine and the vaccine did not significantly affect the within flock seroprevalence for T. gondii. The implications for food safety and human infection are discussed. PMID:22189159
Robot hand tackles jobs in hazardous areas
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Simms, Mark; Crowder, Richard.
1989-01-01
A robot hand and arm designed to mimic the operation of its human counterpart, developed at the University of Southampton for use in a standard industrial glovebox, is described. It was specifically designed for use in a radioactive environment moving high dosage components around. As dosage limits go down, there is a legal requirement to remove people from that environment. The nine-axis arm is for use in a glove designed for a human hand. Drive for the motors used to power the hand is from three-phase MOSFET inventor cards, the switching pattern controlled by the Hall effect communication sensors integral to each motor. The computer software for the arm allows the hand to be positioned using a joystick on a control box, with three levels of command for grip, pinch and touch. (author)
Role of hand dominance in mapping preferences for emotional-valence words to keypress responses.
Song, Xiaolei; Chen, Jing; Proctor, Robert W
2017-10-01
When a crossed-hands placement (right hand presses left key; left hand presses right key) is used in a two-choice spatial reaction task, the mapping of left stimulus to left key and right stimulus to right key yields faster responses than the opposite mapping. In contrast, de la Vega, Dudschig, De Filippis, Lachmair, and Kaup (2013) reported that when right-handed individuals classified words as having positive or negative affect, there was a benefit for mapping positive affect to the right hand (left key) and negative affect to the left hand (right key). The goal of the present study was to replicate and extend this seemingly distinct finding. Experiment 1 duplicated the design of that study without including nonword "no-go" trials but including a condition in which participants performed with an uncrossed hand placement. Results corroborated the benefit for mapping positive to the right hand and negative to the left hand with the hands crossed, and this benefit was as large as that obtained with the hands uncrossed. Experiment 2 confirmed the importance of the dominant/subordinate hand distinction with left-handed participants, and Experiment 3 showed, with right-handed participants, that it does not depend on which limb is placed over the other. The results verify that the mapping advantage for positive→right/negative→left is indeed due to the distinction between dominant and subordinate hands. Possible reasons for the difference between these results and those obtained with spatial-location stimuli are considered. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Psychosis-proneness and the rubber hand illusion of body ownership.
Germine, Laura; Benson, Taylor Leigh; Cohen, Francesca; Hooker, Christine I'lee
2013-05-15
Psychosis and psychosis-proneness are associated with abnormalities in subjective experience of the self, including distortions in bodily experience that are difficult to study experimentally due to lack of structured methods. In 55 healthy adults, we assessed the relationship between self-reported psychosis-like characteristics and susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion of body ownership. In this illusion, a participant sees a rubber hand being stroked by a brush at the same time that they feel a brush stroking their own hand. In some individuals, this creates the bodily sense that the rubber hand is their own hand. Individual differences in positive (but not negative) psychosis-like characteristics predicted differences in susceptibility to experiencing the rubber hand illusion. This relationship was specific to the subjective experience of rubber hand ownership, and not other unusual experiences or sensations, and absent when a small delay was introduced between seeing and feeling the brush stroke. This indicates that individual differences in susceptibility are related to visual-tactile integration and cannot be explained by differences in the tendency to endorse unusual experiences. Our findings suggest that susceptibility to body representation distortion by sensory information may be related or contribute to the development of psychosis and positive psychosis-like characteristics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Complex Hand Dexterity: A Review of Biomechanical Methods for Measuring Musical Performance
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Cheryl Diane Metcalf
2014-05-01
Full Text Available Complex hand dexterity is fundamental to our interactions with the physical, social and cultural environment. Dexterity can be an expression of creativity and precision in a range of activities, including musical performance. Little is understood about complex hand dexterity or how virtuoso expertise is acquired, due to the versatility of movement combinations available to complete any given task. This has historically limited progress of the field because of difficulties in measuring movements of the hand. Recent developments in methods of motion capture and analysis mean it is now possible to explore the intricate movements of the hand and fingers. These methods allow us insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms underpinning complex hand dexterity and motor learning. They also allow investigation into the key factors that contribute to injury, recovery and functional compensation.The application of such analytical techniques within musical performance provides a multidisciplinary framework for purposeful investigation into the process of learning and skill acquisition in instrumental performance. These highly skilled manual and cognitive tasks present the ultimate achievement in complex hand dexterity. This paper will review methods of assessing instrumental performance in music, focusing specifically on biomechanical measurement and the associated technical challenges faced when measuring highly dexterous activities.
Faivre, Nathan; Dönz, Jonathan; Scandola, Michele; Dhanis, Herberto; Bello Ruiz, Javier; Bernasconi, Fosco; Salomon, Roy; Blanke, Olaf
2017-01-04
Vision is known to be shaped by context, defined by environmental and bodily signals. In the Taylor illusion, the size of an afterimage projected on one's hand changes according to proprioceptive signals conveying hand position. Here, we assessed whether the Taylor illusion does not just depend on the physical hand position, but also on bodily self-consciousness as quantified through illusory hand ownership. Relying on the somatic rubber hand illusion, we manipulated hand ownership, such that participants embodied a rubber hand placed next to their own hand. We found that an afterimage projected on the participant's hand drifted depending on illusory ownership between the participants' two hands, showing an implication of self-representation during the Taylor illusion. Oscillatory power analysis of electroencephalographic signals showed that illusory hand ownership was stronger in participants with stronger α suppression over left sensorimotor cortex, whereas the Taylor illusion correlated with higher β/γ power over frontotemporal regions. Higher γ connectivity between left sensorimotor and inferior parietal cortex was also found during illusory hand ownership. These data show that afterimage drifts in the Taylor illusion do not only depend on the physical hand position but also on subjective ownership, which itself is based on the synchrony of somatosensory signals from the two hands. The effect of ownership on afterimage drifts is associated with β/γ power and γ connectivity between frontoparietal regions and the visual cortex. Together, our results suggest that visual percepts are not only influenced by bodily context but are self-grounded, mapped on a self-referential frame. Vision is influenced by the body: in the Taylor illusion, the size of an afterimage projected on one's hand changes according to tactile and proprioceptive signals conveying hand position. Here, we report a new phenomenon revealing that the perception of afterimages depends not only
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hsueh-Kuan Lu
2016-10-01
Full Text Available This study aimed to establish a hand-to-hand (HH model for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA fat free mass (FFM estimation by comparing with a standing position hand-to-foot (HF BIA model and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA; we also verified the reliability of the newly developed model. A total of 704 healthy Chinese individuals (403 men and 301 women participated. FFM (FFMDXA reference variables were measured using DXA and segmental BIA. Further, regression analysis, Bland–Altman plots, and cross-validation (2/3 participants as the modeling group, 1/3 as the validation group; three turns were repeated for validation grouping were conducted to compare tests of agreement with FFMDXA reference variables. In male participants, the hand-to-hand BIA model estimation equation was calculated as follows: FFMmHH = 0.537 h2/ZHH − 0.126 year + 0.217 weight + 18.235 (r2 = 0.919, standard estimate of error (SEE = 2.164 kg, n = 269. The mean validated correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LOAs of the Bland–Altman analysis of the calculated values for FFMmHH and FFMDXA were 0.958 and −4.369–4.343 kg, respectively, for hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for men; the FFM (FFMmHF and FFMDXA were 0.958 and −4.356–4.375 kg, respectively. The hand-to-hand BIA model estimating equation for female participants was FFMFHH = 0.615 h2/ZHH − 0.144 year + 0.132 weight + 16.507 (r2 = 0.870, SEE = 1.884 kg, n = 201; the three mean validated correlation coefficient and LOA for the hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for female participants (FFMFHH and FFMDXA were 0.929 and −3.880–3.886 kg, respectively. The FFMHF and FFMDXA were 0.942 and −3.511–3.489 kg, respectively. The results of both hand-to-hand and hand-to-foot BIA models demonstrated similar reliability, and the hand-to-hand BIA models are practical for assessing FFM.
Lu, Hsueh-Kuan; Chiang, Li-Ming; Chen, Yu-Yawn; Chuang, Chih-Lin; Chen, Kuen-Tsann; Dwyer, Gregory B; Hsu, Ying-Lin; Chen, Chun-Hao; Hsieh, Kuen-Chang
2016-10-21
This study aimed to establish a hand-to-hand (HH) model for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) fat free mass (FFM) estimation by comparing with a standing position hand-to-foot (HF) BIA model and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); we also verified the reliability of the newly developed model. A total of 704 healthy Chinese individuals (403 men and 301 women) participated. FFM (FFM DXA ) reference variables were measured using DXA and segmental BIA. Further, regression analysis, Bland-Altman plots, and cross-validation (2/3 participants as the modeling group, 1/3 as the validation group; three turns were repeated for validation grouping) were conducted to compare tests of agreement with FFM DXA reference variables. In male participants, the hand-to-hand BIA model estimation equation was calculated as follows: FFM m HH = 0.537 h²/Z HH - 0.126 year + 0.217 weight + 18.235 ( r ² = 0.919, standard estimate of error (SEE) = 2.164 kg, n = 269). The mean validated correlation coefficients and limits of agreement (LOAs) of the Bland-Altman analysis of the calculated values for FFM m HH and FFM DXA were 0.958 and -4.369-4.343 kg, respectively, for hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for men; the FFM (FFM m HF ) and FFM DXA were 0.958 and -4.356-4.375 kg, respectively. The hand-to-hand BIA model estimating equation for female participants was FFM F HH = 0.615 h²/Z HH - 0.144 year + 0.132 weight + 16.507 ( r ² = 0.870, SEE = 1.884 kg, n = 201); the three mean validated correlation coefficient and LOA for the hand-to-foot BIA model measurements for female participants (FFM F HH and FFM DXA ) were 0.929 and -3.880-3.886 kg, respectively. The FFM HF and FFM DXA were 0.942 and -3.511-3.489 kg, respectively. The results of both hand-to-hand and hand-to-foot BIA models demonstrated similar reliability, and the hand-to-hand BIA models are practical for assessing FFM.
Political Left and Right: Our Hands-On Logic
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Frits Bienfait
2014-12-01
Full Text Available The origins and immediate vitality of the left/right divide which emerged in French revolutionary politics from 1789 can only be understood against the background of a much older classification dynamic based on the primacy of the right hand, first described by Robert Hertz in 1909. This dynamic infused political thinking first in Versailles and since 1815 in democracies throughout the world. In the process, the classical left/right polarity acquired a new dimension: the complementary notions of ‘accepting’ and ‘questioning’ the existing social order. An essential feature of both the age-old classical polarity and the ensuing political polarity is that they are intimately bound up with local and evolving social contexts: there is no single content-based definition of left and right. As long as the majority of us are predisposed to use our right hand when acting in the world, ‘left versus right’ will remain the most important political antithesis in western-type democracies.
Grip Strength Survey Based on Hand Tool Usage
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Erman ÇAKIT
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Hand grip strength is broadly used for performing tasks involving equipment in production and processing activities. Most professionals in this field rely on grip strength to perform their tasks. There were three main aims of this study: i determining various hand grip strength measurements for the group of hand tool users, ii investigating the effects of height, weight, age, hand dominance, body mass index, previous Cumulative Trauma Disorder (CTD diagnosis, and hand tool usage experience on hand grip strength, and iii comparing the obtained results with existing data for other populations. The study groups comprised 71 healthy male facility workers. The values of subjects’ ages was observed between 26 and 74 years. The data were statistically analyzed to assess the normality of data and the percentile values of grip strength. The results of this study demonstrate that there were no significance differences noted between dominant and non-dominant hands. However, there were highly significant differences between the CTD group and the other group. Hand grip strength for the dominant hand was positively correlated to height, weight, and body mass index, and negatively correlated to age and tool usage experience. Hand dominance, height, weight, body mass index, age and tool usage experience should be considered when establishing normal values for grip strength.
Tobacco smoking and hand eczema - is there an association?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sørensen, Jennifer A; Clemmensen, Kim K; Nixon, Rosemary L
2015-01-01
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. CONCLUSION: Overall, the data indicate that smoking may cause an increased...... eczema, as well as severity, may be important....
Using environmental engineering to increase hand hygiene compliance: a cross-over study protocol.
Schmidtke, Kelly Ann; Aujla, Navneet; Marshall, Tom; Hussain, Abid; Hodgkinson, Gerard P; Arheart, Kristopher; Marti, Joachim; Birnbach, David J; Vlaev, Ivo
2017-09-11
Compliance with hand hygiene recommendations in hospital is typically less than 50%. Such low compliance inevitably contributes to hospital-acquired infections that negatively affect patients' well-being and hospitals' finances. The design of the present study is predicated on the assumption that most people who fail to clean their hands are not doing so intentionally, they just forget. The present study will test whether psychological priming can be used to increase the number of people who clean their hands on entering a ward. Here, we present the protocol for this study. The study will use a randomised cross-over design. During the study, each of four wards will be observed during four conditions: olfactory prime, visual prime, both primes and neither prime. Each condition will be experienced for 42 days followed by a 7-day washout period (total duration of trial=189 days). We will record the number of people who enter each ward and whether they clean their hands during observation sessions, the amount of cleaning material used from the dispensers each week and the number of hospital-acquired infections that occur in each period. The outcomes will be compared using a regression analysis. Following the initial trail, the most effective priming condition will be rolled out for 3 months in all the wards. Research ethics approval was obtained from the South Central-Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (16/SC/0554), the Health Regulatory Authority and the sponsor. ISRCTN (15397624); Edge ID 86357. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.
Ababou, Abdessamad; Zaleska, Mariola
2015-12-01
Mutations of Gln41 and Lys75 with nonpolar residues in the N-terminal domain of calmodulin (N-Cam) revealed the importance of solvation energetics in conformational change of Ca(2+) sensor EF-hand domains. While in general these domains have polar residues at these corresponding positions yet the extent of their conformational response to Ca(2+) binding and their Ca(2+) binding affinity can be different from N-Cam. Consequently, here we address the charge state of the polar residues at these positions. The results show that the charge state of these polar residues can affect substantially the conformational change and the Ca(2+) binding affinity of our N-Cam variants. Since all the variants kept their conformational activity in the presence of Ca(2+) suggests that the differences observed among them mainly originate from the difference in their molecular dynamics. Hence we propose that the molecular dynamics of Ca(2+) sensor EF-hand domains is a key factor in the multifunctional aspect of EF-hand proteins. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Evaluating EMG Feature and Classifier Selection for Application to Partial-Hand Prosthesis Control
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Adenike A. Adewuyi
2016-10-01
Full Text Available Pattern recognition-based myoelectric control of upper limb prostheses has the potential to restore control of multiple degrees of freedom. Though this control method has been extensively studied in individuals with higher-level amputations, few studies have investigated its effectiveness for individuals with partial-hand amputations. Most partial-hand amputees retain a functional wrist and the ability of pattern recognition-based methods to correctly classify hand motions from different wrist positions is not well studied. In this study, focusing on partial-hand amputees, we evaluate (1 the performance of non-linear and linear pattern recognition algorithms and (2 the performance of optimal EMG feature subsets for classification of four hand motion classes in different wrist positions for 16 non-amputees and 4 amputees. Our results show that linear discriminant analysis and linear and non-linear artificial neural networks perform significantly better than the quadratic discriminant analysis for both non-amputees and partial-hand amputees. For amputees, including information from multiple wrist positions significantly decreased error (p<0.001 but no further significant decrease in error occurred when more than 4, 2, or 3 positions were included for the extrinsic (p=0.07, intrinsic (p=0.06, or combined extrinsic and intrinsic muscle EMG (p=0.08, respectively. Finally, we found that a feature set determined by selecting optimal features from each channel outperformed the commonly used time domain (p<0.001 and time domain/autoregressive feature sets (p<0.01. This method can be used as a screening filter to select the features from each channel that provide the best classification of hand postures across different wrist positions.
The Human Octopus: controlling supernumerary hands with the help of virtual reality
Aru, Jaan; Vasser, Madis; Zafra, Raul; Kulu, Sander
2016-01-01
We investigated the "human octopus" phenomenon where subjects controlled virtual supernumerary hands through hand tracking technology and virtual reality. Four experiments were developed to study how subjects (n=10) operate with different number and behaviour of supernumerary hands. The behaviours involved inserting movement delays to the virtual hands and adjusting their movement scale or position. It was found that having more hands to operate with does not necessarily mean higher success r...
Performance Comparison Between FEDERICA Hand and LARM Hand
Carbone, Giuseppe; Rossi, Cesare; Savino, Sergio
2015-01-01
This paper describes two robotic hands that have been\\ud developed at University Federico II of Naples and at the\\ud University of Cassino. FEDERICA Hand and LARM Hand\\ud are described in terms of design and operational features.\\ud In particular, careful attention is paid to the differences\\ud between the above-mentioned hands in terms of transmission\\ud systems. FEDERICA Hand uses tendons and pulleys\\ud to drive phalanxes, while LARM Hand uses cross four-bar\\ud linkages. Results of experime...
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ЕFFECTS OF THE APPLICATION OF THE CITIZENSHIP LAW IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jadranka Denkova
2016-04-01
Full Text Available The main focus of this paper is to identify and analyze the positive and negative effects that apply in practice from the provisions of the Citizenship Law in the Republic of Macedonia. The main purpose of this article is show various experiences of people who have went through the process of acquiring citizenship1 of The Republic Macedonia. Some practical examples show that the process of acquiring a Macedonian Citizenship can be bumpy and painful and as a result of that many people give up in the early beginning of the process, while others do not even want to apply. On the other hand, based on the explanations of representatives of the institutions, the procedure sounds quite simple and logical. As a result of these two contradictory comments on the basis of the procedures and legal provisions that regulate this issue, this paper aims to differentiate between the existing dilemmas in high academic circles regarding the positive and negative consequences of the application of the acquisition of citizenship of The Republic Macedonia. The conclusion will be based on practical examples and the results of the conducted panel survey.
Back to basics: hand hygiene and surgical hand antisepsis.
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.
White, Rebekah C; Aimola Davies, Anne M; Davies, Martin
2011-09-01
A simple experimental paradigm creates the powerful illusion that one is touching one's own hand even when the two hands are separated by 15 cm. The participant uses her right hand to administer stimulation to a prosthetic hand while the Examiner provides identical stimulation to the participant's receptive left hand. Change in felt position of the receptive hand toward the prosthetic hand has previously led to the interpretation that the participant experiences self-touch at the location of the prosthetic hand, and experiences a sense of ownership of the prosthetic hand. Our results argue against this interpretation. We assessed change in felt position of the participant's receptive hand but we also assessed change in felt position of the participant's administering hand. Change in felt position of the administering hand was significantly greater than change in felt position of the receptive hand. Implications for theories of ownership are discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Rubber hand illusion affects joint angle perception.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Martin V Butz
Full Text Available 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.
A demonstration of the transition from ready-to-hand to unready-to-hand.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dobromir G Dotov
Full Text Available The ideas of continental philosopher Martin Heidegger have been influential in cognitive science and artificial intelligence, despite the fact that there has been no effort to analyze these ideas empirically. The experiments reported here are designed to lend empirical support to Heidegger's phenomenology and more specifically his description of the transition between ready-to-hand and unready-to-hand modes in interactions with tools. In experiment 1, we found that a smoothly coping cognitive system exhibits type positively correlated noise and that its correlated character is reduced when the system is perturbed. This indicates that the participant and tool constitute a self-assembled, extended device during smooth coping and this device is disrupted by the perturbation. In experiment 2, we examine the re-organization of awareness that occurs when a smoothly coping, self-assembled, extended cognitive system is perturbed. We found that the disruption is accompanied by a change in attention which interferes with participants' performance on a simultaneous cognitive task. Together these experiments show that a smoothly coping participant-tool system can be temporarily disrupted and that this disruption causes a change in the participant's awareness. Since these two events follow as predictions from Heidegger's work, our study offers evidence for the hypothesized transition from readiness-to-hand to unreadiness-to-hand.
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is a Hand Surgeon? What is a Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy Stiff Hands Email to a friend * required fields ...
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is a Hand Surgeon? What is a Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy Hand Infections Email to a friend * required fields ...
[Bertha Röntgen or the transparency of the hand].
Picard, J D
1996-01-01
It is to Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the first elected "radiologist" of our Academy and the first Nobel Prize winner in physics, that we owe the transparency of the hand. We celebrate today the centenary of the great scientific discovery which was to revolutionize the diagnosis, and thereby the treatment, of a large number of illnesses the discovery of X-rays. It would be unjust not to link the name of this scientist with that of his wife, Bertha, who, ignorant of the dangers of all "novel medical inventions" volunteered her own hand for his research experiments: the hand which was to bring to the world tangible proof of this remarkable discovery. To a lesser degree, but nonetheless essential, we acknowledge, albeit not in exhaustive detail, all the progress made by the work of pioneers using this new investigative technique. So let us now return to the hand:--a body part which it was easy to immobilize, remembering that in those days a single radiographic exposure took up to an hour to obtain,--we will consider the immortalised hand of Bertha Röntgen,---to whom this address is dedicated,---and its radiographic exposures which allow us to appreciate the advances and to perceive the limitations of this technique. They also enable us better to envisage future investigative approaches whereby a deeper knowledge of the human body may be acquired. We note that compared with the histopathological sciences, imaging is not specific. Numerous microscopic structures, in particular neurological and vascular ones, are still insufficiently well visualised and the transmission pathways between the hand and the central nervous system deserve better characterisation. Current, research programmes are attempting to overcome these limitation of modern imaging. All the experience gained in studying the transparency of the hand, as we have discussed, is applicable to every part of the human anatomy. To credit: Röntgen's discovery with all its originality, we could say that the hand was
Bacteriological aspects of hand washing: A key for health promotion and infections control
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Ramezan Ali Ataee
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The aim of this review is to show the historical aspects of hands washing for healthy life and explains how can reduce the transmission of community-acquired infectious agents by healthcare workers and patients. This review article is prepared based on available database. The key words used were hands washing, risk assessment, hands hygiene, bacterial flora, contamination, infection, nosocomial, tap water, sanitizer, bacterial resistance, hands bacterial flora, washing methods, antiseptics, healthcare workers, healthcare personnel, from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Embase, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Google Scholar. Data were descriptively analyzed. The insistence on hand washing has a history of 1400 years. The research results indicate that the bacteria released from the female washed hands in wet and dry condition was lower than from the male′s hands with a significance level (3 CFU vs. 8 CFU; confidence interval 95%, P ≤ 0.001. The valuable results of the study indicated that released amount of bacterial flora from wet hands is more than 10 times in compared to dry hands. In addition, established monitoring systems for washing hands before and after patient′s manipulation as well as after toilet were dominant indices to prevent the transfer of infectious agents to the patients. Increasing awareness and belief of the healthcare workers have shown an important role by about 30% reduction in the transfection. Hand washing could reduce the episodes of transmission of infectious agents in both community and healthcare settings. However, hand washing is an important key factor to prevent transmission of infectious agents to patients. There is no standard method for measuring compliance. Thus, permanent monitoring of hand washing to reduce the transmission of infections is crucial. Finally, the personnel must believe that hand washing is an inevitable approach to infection control.
Research of a New 6-Dof Force Feedback Hand Controller System
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xin Gao
2014-01-01
Full Text Available The field of teleoperation with force telepresence has expanded its scope to include manipulation at different scales and in virtual worlds, and the key component of which is force feedback hand controller. This paper presents a novel force feedback hand controller system, including a 3-dof translational and 3-dof rotational hand controllers, respectively, to implement position and posture teleoperation of the robot end effector. The 3-dof translational hand controller adopts innovative three-axes decoupling structure based on the linear motor; the 3-dof rotational hand controller adopts serial mechanism based on three-axes intersecting at one point, improving its overall stiffness. Based on the kinematics, statics, and dynamics analyses for two platforms separately, the system applies big closed-loop force control method based on the zero force/torque, improving the feedback force/torque accuracy effectively. Experimental results show that self-developed 6-dof force feedback hand controller has good mechanical properties. The translational hand controller has the following advantages: simple kinematics solver, fast dynamic response, and better than 0.05 mm accuracy of three-axis end positioning, while the advantages of the rotational hand controller are wide turning space, larger than 1 Nm feedback, greater than 180 degrees of operating space of three axes, respectively, and high operation precision.
Influence of Action-Effect Associations Acquired by Ideomotor Learning on Imitation
Bunlon, Frédérique; Marshall, Peter J.; Quandt, Lorna C.; Bouquet, Cedric A.
2015-01-01
According to the ideomotor theory, actions are represented in terms of their perceptual effects, offering a solution for the correspondence problem of imitation (how to translate the observed action into a corresponding motor output). This effect-based coding of action is assumed to be acquired through action-effect learning. Accordingly, performing an action leads to the integration of the perceptual codes of the action effects with the motor commands that brought them about. While ideomotor theory is invoked to account for imitation, the influence of action-effect learning on imitative behavior remains unexplored. In two experiments, imitative performance was measured in a reaction time task following a phase of action-effect acquisition. During action-effect acquisition, participants freely executed a finger movement (index or little finger lifting), and then observed a similar (compatible learning) or a different (incompatible learning) movement. In Experiment 1, finger movements of left and right hands were presented as action-effects during acquisition. In Experiment 2, only right-hand finger movements were presented during action-effect acquisition and in the imitation task the observed hands were oriented orthogonally to participants’ hands in order to avoid spatial congruency effects. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that imitative performance was improved after compatible learning, compared to incompatible learning. In Experiment 2, although action-effect learning involved perception of finger movements of right hand only, imitative capabilities of right- and left-hand finger movements were equally affected. These results indicate that an observed movement stimulus processed as the effect of an action can later prime execution of that action, confirming the ideomotor approach to imitation. We further discuss these findings in relation to previous studies of action-effect learning and in the framework of current ideomotor approaches to imitation. PMID:25793755
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Gubbels, Sophie; Nielsen, Jens; Voldstedlund, Marianne
2017-01-01
BACKGROUND In 2015, Denmark launched an automated surveillance system for hospital-acquired infections, the Hospital-Acquired Infections Database (HAIBA). OBJECTIVE To describe the algorithm used in HAIBA, to determine its concordance with point prevalence surveys (PPSs), and to present trends...... advantages of automated surveillance, HAIBA allows monitoring of HA bacteremia across the healthcare system, supports prioritizing preventive measures, and holds promise for evaluating interventions. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;1-8....... for hospital-acquired bacteremia SETTING Private and public hospitals in Denmark METHODS A hospital-acquired bacteremia case was defined as at least 1 positive blood culture with at least 1 pathogen (bacterium or fungus) taken between 48 hours after admission and 48 hours after discharge, using the Danish...
Foliar application of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) inducers for ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
nbuensanteai
2013-08-14
Aug 14, 2013 ... induced by chitosan and BTH were involved in defense mechanism, reflecting the strong direct positive effect that chitosan ... to control plant diseases based on the systemic acquired resistance ... salicylic acid (SA) as a signal molecule and is associated ... treated plants for SAR relating chemical analyses.
Automated surveillance system for hospital-acquired urinary tract infections in Denmark
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Condell, Orla; Gubbels, Sophie; Nielsen, J
2016-01-01
BACKGROUND: The Danish Hospital-Acquired Infections Database (HAIBA) is an automated surveillance system using hospital administrative, microbiological, and antibiotic medication data. AIM: To define and evaluate the case definition for hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (HA-UTI) and to de......BACKGROUND: The Danish Hospital-Acquired Infections Database (HAIBA) is an automated surveillance system using hospital administrative, microbiological, and antibiotic medication data. AIM: To define and evaluate the case definition for hospital-acquired urinary tract infection (HA-UTI......) and to describe surveillance data from 2010 to 2014. METHODS: The HA-UTI algorithm defined a laboratory-diagnosed UTI as a urine culture positive for no more than two micro-organisms with at least one at ≥10(4)cfu/mL, and a probable UTI as a negative urine culture and a relevant diagnosis code or antibiotic...... treatment. UTI was considered hospital-acquired if a urine sample was collected ≥48h after admission and UTI was calculated per 10,000 risk-days. For validation, prevalence was calculated for each day and compared to point prevalence survey (PPS) data. FINDINGS: HAIBA...
Hands-on-Universe, Europe Bringing frontline interactive astronomy to the classroom
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.
Sopirala, Madhuri M.; Yahle-Dunbar, Lisa; Smyer, Justin; Wellington, Linda; Dickman, Jeanne; Zikri, Nancy; Martin, Jennifer; Kulich, Pat; Taylor, David; Mekhjian, Hagop; Nash, Mary; Mansfield, Jerry; Pancholi, Preeti; Howard, Mary; Chase, Linda; Brown, Susan; Kipp, Kristopher; Lefeld, Kristen; Myers, Amber; Pan, Xueliang; Mangino, Julie E.
2014-01-01
Background We describe a successful interdisciplinary liaison program that effectively reduced health care-acquired (HCA), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in a university hospital setting. Methods Baseline was from January 2006 to March 2008, and intervention period was April 2008 to September 2009. Staff nurses were trained to be liaisons (link nurses) to infection prevention (IP) personnel with clearly defined goals assigned and with ongoing monthly education. HCA-MRSA incidence per 1,000 patient-days (PD) was compared between baseline and intervention period along with total and non-HCA-MRSA, HCA and non-HCA-MRSA bacteremia, and hand soap/sanitizer usage. Hand hygiene compliance was assessed. Results A reduction in MRSA rates was as follows in intervention period compared with baseline: HCA-MRSA decreased by 28% from 0.92 to 0.67 cases per 1,000 PD (incidence rate ratio, 0.72; 95% confidence interval: 0.62–0.83, P Hand soap/sanitizer usage and compliance with hand hygiene also increased significantly during IP. Conclusion Link nurse program effectively reduced HCA-MRSA. Goal-defined metrics with ongoing reeducation for the nurses by IP personnel helped drive these results. PMID:24548456
Health care workers' compliance with hand hygiene regulations: Positive effects of a poster
Karreman, Joyce; Berendsen, Femke; Pol, Bert; Dorman, Hilde
2015-01-01
Health care workers in nursing homes do not always comply with hand hygiene regulations, such as not wearing jewelry. Non-compliance with these regulations is a threat to patients' safety. We did two studies to investigate if compliance could be improved by a poster that reminds health care workers
Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI): Inital Observations and Activities
Edgett, K. S.; Yingst, R. A.; Minitti, M. E.; Robinson, M. L.; Kennedy, M. R.; Lipkaman, L. J.; Jensen, E. H.; Anderson, R. C.; Bean, K. M.; Beegle, L. W.;
2013-01-01
MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager) is a 2-megapixel focusable macro lens color camera on the turret on Curiosity's robotic arm. The investigation centers on stratigraphy, grain-scale texture, structure, mineralogy, and morphology of geologic materials at Curiosity's Gale robotic field site. MAHLI acquires focused images at working distances of 2.1 cm to infinity; for reference, at 2.1 cm the scale is 14 microns/pixel; at 6.9 cm it is 31 microns/pixel, like the Spirit and Opportunity Microscopic Imager (MI) cameras.
Hand-actuated spring clip insertion tool
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cuba, G.W.
1993-01-01
A hand-actuated insertion tool includes a handle assembly, an elongated hollow tubular outer support tube, an elongated inner pull rod, and a coupling arrangement. The handle assembly has a first handle member and a second handle member pivoted to a member for movement between unactuated and actuated positions. The tube is attached in a fixed relation to a handle member. The rod is mounted within the tube for sliding movement relative thereto between home and retracted positions. The coupling arrangement pivotally connects the rod to the second handle member such that the rod will undergo sliding movement from the home position to the retracted positions relative to the tube as the second handle member is moved from the unactuated position to the actuated position adjacent to the first handle member. (author)
Klymenko, Iryna; Kampf, Günter
2015-01-01
Aim: Every year, millions of people around the world suffer from different infectious diseases, considerable part of which are hospital-acquired infections. WHO considers hand hygiene as a priority measure aimed to reduce the level of infection. We evaluated various aspects related to the situational behavior and prioritization regarding hand hygiene measures among the healthcare workers of Ukraine. Method: Identification of system mistakes in hand hygiene was carried out first of all by direct and indirect observation of the activities of medical and pharmaceutical personnel in their everyday practice as well as during their participation in trainings on routine hand hygiene. Questionnaires also were used to estimate the level of hand hygiene compliance of participants of the study. During this period 112 training courses, 315 master-classes and presentations on proper hand hygiene were realized. The target audience included health care workers of medical centers, clinics, maternity hospitals, health care organizations and staff of pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturing enterprises in all regions of Ukraine. 638 respondents took part in anonymous survey on hand hygiene practice. Results: The most common mistakes were to regard hand washing and hand disinfection equally, to wash hands before doing a hand disinfection, to neglect the five moments for hand hygiene and to ignore hand hygiene before and after wearing protective gloves. Practitioners, medical attendants, pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry workers highlighted the need for practical and understandable instructions of various hand hygiene procedures, including the clarification of the possible technical mistakes. This became a ground for us to create individual master classes on hand hygiene for each cluster of healthcare workers. Conclusions: Changing hand hygiene behavior and attitude is possible by beginning to observe clinical practice and by involving healthcare workers in teaching and training
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mahta eKarimpoor
2015-03-01
Full Text Available Neuropsychological tests - behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing - are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges. Previously, we developed an fMRI-compatible, computerized tablet system to address this issue. However, the tablet did not include visual feedback of hand position (VFHP, a human factors component that may be important for fMRI of certain patient populations. A real-time system was thus developed to provide VFHP and integrated with the tablet in an augmented reality display. The effectiveness of the system was initially tested in young healthy adults who performed various handwriting tasks in front of a computer display with and without VFHP. Pilot fMRI of writing tasks were performed by two representative individuals with and without VFHP. Quantitative analysis of the behavioral results indicated improved writing performance with VFHP. The pilot fMRI results suggest that writing with VFHP requires less neural resources compared to the without VFHP condition, to maintain similar behavior. Thus, the tablet system with VFHP is recommended for future fMRI studies involving patients with impaired brain function and where ecologically valid behavior is important.
Karimpoor, Mahta; Tam, Fred; Strother, Stephen C.; Fischer, Corinne E.; Schweizer, Tom A.; Graham, Simon J.
2015-01-01
Neuropsychological tests behavioral tasks that very commonly involve handwriting and drawing are widely used in the clinic to detect abnormal brain function. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may be useful in increasing the specificity of such tests. However, performing complex pen-and-paper tests during fMRI involves engineering challenges. Previously, we developed an fMRI-compatible, computerized tablet system to address this issue. However, the tablet did not include visual feedback of hand position (VFHP), a human factors component that may be important for fMRI of certain patient populations. A real-time system was thus developed to provide VFHP and integrated with the tablet in an augmented reality display. The effectiveness of the system was initially tested in young healthy adults who performed various handwriting tasks in front of a computer display with and without VFHP. Pilot fMRI of writing tasks were performed by two representative individuals with and without VFHP. Quantitative analysis of the behavioral results indicated improved writing performance with VFHP. The pilot fMRI results suggest that writing with VFHP requires less neural resources compared to the without VFHP condition, to maintain similar behavior. Thus, the tablet system with VFHP is recommended for future fMRI studies involving patients with impaired brain function and where ecologically valid behavior is important. PMID:25859201
Hand eczema: Correlation of morphologic patterns, atopy, contact sensitization and disease severity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sanjeev Handa
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Background: Hand eczema is a common distressing condition aggravated by a number of endogenous and exogenous factors. Various morphological forms of hand eczema have been described, but categorization into one of them is not always possible. Aims: To study the morphological patterns of hand eczema, relationship of atopy with hand eczema, and the implications of contact sensitization with respect to severity and diagnosis of hand eczema. Methods: Hundred consecutive patients of hand eczema attending the contact dermatitis clinic of the institute were recruited over a two year period from 2004-05. Objective assessment was done using hand eczema severity index (HECSI and all the patients were patch tested using Indian standard series. Results: Unspecified type of hand eczema with no definite morphologic picture was seen in 62% followed by pompholyx in 14%. Hand eczema severity was not found to be statistically associated with age, sex, and atopic status of the patient. Positive patch test to one or more allergen was present in 65% of patients. The most common allergens were potassium dichromate (25%, fragrance mix (16%, nickel sulphate (14%, and PPD (13%. There was no significant correlation between patch test positivity and hand eczema severity or atopic status of the patient. Among the morphological patterns pompholyx was strongly associated with an atopic status (P=0.004. Conclusions: Hand eczema was seen twice more commonly in men. Atopic and non-atopic patients of hand eczema had no difference in the severity of disease. Contact sensitivity to different allergens did not correlate with increased eczema severity.
Anti-bacterial efficacy of alcoholic hand rubs in the Kenyan market, 2015
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Missiani Ochwoto
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Hand hygiene is known to be effective in preventing hospital and community-acquired infections. The increasing number of hand sanitizer brands in Kenyan hospitals and consumer outlets is of concern. Thus the main aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-bacterial efficacy and organoleptic properties of these hand sanitizers in Kenya. Methods This was an experimental, laboratory-based study of 14 different brands of hand sanitizers (coded HS1-14 available in various retail outlets and hospitals in Kenya. Efficacy was evaluated using standard non-pathogenic Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853 as per the European Standard (EN. The logarithmic reduction factors (RF were assessed at baseline and after treatment, and log reduction then calculated. Ten and 25 healthy volunteers participated in the efficacy and organoleptic studies respectively. Results Four (28.6% hand sanitizers (HS12, HS9, HS13 and HS14 showed a 5.9 reduction factor on all the three bacteria strains. Seven (50% hand sanitizers had efficacies of <3 against all the three bacteria strains used. Efficacy on E. Coli was higher compared to the other pathogens. Three hand sanitizers were efficacious on one of the pathogens and not the other. In terms of organoleptic properties, gel-based formulations were rated far higher than the liquid based formulations brands. Conclusion Fifty percent (50% of the selected hand sanitizers in the Kenyan market have efficacy that falls below the World Health Organization (WHO and DIN EN 1500:2013. Of the 14 hand sanitizers found in the Kenyan market, only four showed efficacies that were comparable to the WHO-formulation. There is a need to evaluate how many of these products with <3 efficacy that have been incorporated into the health system for hand hygiene and the country’s policy on regulations on their usage.
EthoHand: A dexterous robotic hand with ball-joint thumb enables complex in-hand object manipulation
Konnaris, C; Gavriel, C; Thomik, AAC; Aldo Faisal, A
2016-01-01
Our dexterous hand is a fundmanetal human feature that distinguishes us from other animals by enabling us to go beyond grasping to support sophisticated in-hand object manipulation. Our aim was the design of a dexterous anthropomorphic robotic hand that matches the human hand's 24 degrees of freedom, under-actuated by seven motors. With the ability to replicate human hand movements in a naturalistic manner including in-hand object manipulation. Therefore, we focused on the development of a no...
Lee, Nigel; Firmin, Meaghan; Gao, Yu; Kildea, Sue
2018-07-01
Clinicians hand position and advised pushing techniques may impact on rates of perineal injury. To assess the association of four techniques used in management of second stage with risk of moderate and severe perineal injury. Retrospective cross-sectional study. A metropolitan maternity hospital and a private maternity hospital in Brisbane, Australia. Term women with singleton, cephalic presentation experiencing a non-operative vaginal birth from January 2011 to December 2016. The research sites perinatal database recorded data on clinicians approach to instructing women during second stage and hand position at birth. Women were identified from matching the inclusion criteria (n = 26,393) then grouped based on combinations of hands-on, hand- poised, directed and undirected pushing. The associations with perineal injury were estimated using odds ratios obtained by multivariate analysis. Primary outcomes were the risk of moderate and severe perineal injury. The significance was set at 0.001. In Nulliparous women there was no difference in the risk of moderate or severe perineal injury between the different techniques. In multiparous women the use of a hands-on/directed approach was associated with a significant increase in the risk of moderate (AOR 1.18, 95% CI 1.10-1.27, p < 0.001) and severe perineal injury (AOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.20-1.88, p < 0.001) compared to hands-poised/undirected. A hands poised/undirected approach could be utilised in strategies for the prevention of moderate and severe perineal injury. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hand-related physical function in rheumatic hand conditions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Klokker, Louise; Terwee, Caroline B; Wæhrens, Eva Ejlersen
2016-01-01
as well as those items from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) item bank that are relevant to patients with rheumatic hand conditions. Selection will be based on consensus among reviewers. Content validity of selected items will be established......INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus about what constitutes the most appropriate patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) instrument for measuring physical function in patients with rheumatic hand conditions. Existing instruments lack psychometric testing and vary in feasibility...... and their psychometric qualities. We aim to develop a PROM instrument to assess hand-related physical function in rheumatic hand conditions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will perform a systematic search to identify existing PROMs to rheumatic hand conditions, and select items relevant for hand-related physical function...
Hand-related physical function in rheumatic hand conditions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Klokker, Louise; Terwee, Caroline; Wæhrens, Eva Elisabet Ejlersen
2016-01-01
INTRODUCTION: There is no consensus about what constitutes the most appropriate patient-reported outcome measurement (PROM) instrument for measuring physical function in patients with rheumatic hand conditions. Existing instruments lack psychometric testing and vary in feasibility...... and their psychometric qualities. We aim to develop a PROM instrument to assess hand-related physical function in rheumatic hand conditions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will perform a systematic search to identify existing PROMs to rheumatic hand conditions, and select items relevant for hand-related physical function...... as well as those items from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) item bank that are relevant to patients with rheumatic hand conditions. Selection will be based on consensus among reviewers. Content validity of selected items will be established...
A mechanism to compensate undesired stiffness in joints of prosthetic hands
Smit, G.; Plettenbrug, D.H.; Van der Helm, F.C.T.
2014-01-01
Background: Cosmetic gloves that cover a prosthetic hand have a parasitic positive stiffness that counteracts the flexion of a finger joint. Objectives: Reducing the required input torque to move a finger of a prosthetic hand by compensating the parasitic stiffness of the cosmetic glove. Study
Reynolds, Gemma; Wasely, David; Dunne, Güler; Askew, Chris
2017-10-19
Research with children has demonstrated that both positive vicarious learning (modelling) and positive verbal information can reduce children's acquired fear responses for a particular stimulus. However, this fear reduction appears to be more effective when the intervention pathway matches the initial fear learning pathway. That is, positive verbal information is a more effective intervention than positive modelling when fear is originally acquired via negative verbal information. Research has yet to explore whether fear reduction pathways are also important for fears acquired via vicarious learning. To test this, an experiment compared the effectiveness of positive verbal information and positive vicarious learning interventions for reducing vicariously acquired fears in children (7-9 years). Both vicarious and informational fear reduction interventions were found to be equally effective at reducing vicariously acquired fears, suggesting that acquisition and intervention pathways do not need to match for successful fear reduction. This has significant implications for parents and those working with children because it suggests that providing children with positive information or positive vicarious learning immediately after a negative modelling event may prevent more serious fears developing.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Colombo, Massimo Gaetano; Moreira, Solon; Rabbiosi, Larissa
2016-01-01
In horizontal acquisitions, the post-acquisition integration of the R&D function often damages the inventive labor force and results in lower innovative productivity of acquired inventors. In this paper we study post-acquisition integration in terms of R&D team reorganization-i.e., the creation...... of new teams with both inventors of the acquiring and acquired firms-and assess the impact of this integration action in the period that immediately follows the acquisition. Drawing on social identity and self-categorization theories, we argue that R&D team reorganization increases the acquired inventors...
Hand Pose Estimation by Fusion of Inertial and Magnetic Sensing Aided by a Permanent Magnet.
Kortier, Henk G; Antonsson, Jacob; Schepers, H Martin; Gustafsson, Fredrik; Veltink, Peter H
2015-09-01
Tracking human body motions using inertial sensors has become a well-accepted method in ambulatory applications since the subject is not confined to a lab-bounded volume. However, a major drawback is the inability to estimate relative body positions over time because inertial sensor information only allows position tracking through strapdown integration, but does not provide any information about relative positions. In addition, strapdown integration inherently results in drift of the estimated position over time. We propose a novel method in which a permanent magnet combined with 3-D magnetometers and 3-D inertial sensors are used to estimate the global trunk orientation and relative pose of the hand with respect to the trunk. An Extended Kalman Filter is presented to fuse estimates obtained from inertial sensors with magnetic updates such that the position and orientation between the human hand and trunk as well as the global trunk orientation can be estimated robustly. This has been demonstrated in multiple experiments in which various hand tasks were performed. The most complex task in which simultaneous movements of both trunk and hand were performed resulted in an average rms position difference with an optical reference system of 19.7±2.2 mm whereas the relative trunk-hand and global trunk orientation error was 2.3±0.9 and 8.6±8.7 deg respectively.
Field, Zoë C; Field, Andy P
2013-06-01
Cognitive models of vulnerability to anxiety propose that information processing biases such as interpretation bias play a part in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. However, at present little is known about the role of memory in information processing accounts of child anxiety. The current study investigates the relationships between interpretation biases, memory and fear responses when learning about new stimuli. Children (aged 8-11 years) were presented with ambiguous information regarding a novel animal, and their fear, interpretation bias, and memory for the information was measured. The main findings were: (1) trait anxiety and interpretation bias significantly predicted acquired fear; (2) interpretation bias did not significantly mediate the relationship between trait anxiety and acquired fear; (3) interpretation bias appeared to be a more important predictor of acquired fear than trait anxiety per se; and (4) the relationship between interpretation bias and acquired fear was not mediated by the number of negative memories but was mediated by the number of positive and false-positive memories. The findings suggest that information processing models of child anxiety need to explain the role of positive memory in the formation of fear responses.
An EMG-Controlled Robotic Hand Exoskeleton for Bilateral Rehabilitation.
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.
[Community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia].
Bernasconi, E; Wüst, J; Speich, R; Flury, G; Krause, M
1993-08-21
We report the history of a 38-year-old male native of Sri Lanka admitted to the emergency ward because of chest pain and shortness of breath. On physical and radiographic examination a bilateral predominantly right-sided pneumonia was found. The patient was admitted to the medical ICU and an antibiotic regimen with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and erythromycin was initiated. Shortly afterwards septic shock developed. The patient was intubated and received high doses of catecholamines. He died 30 hours after admission to the hospital. Cultures from sputum, tracheal aspirate and blood grew Acinetobacter baumanni. Acinetobacter is an ubiquitous gram-negative rod with coccobacillary appearance in clinical specimens, that may appear gram-positive due to poor discoloration on Gram-stain. It is a well known causative agent of nosocomial infections, particularly in intensive care units. Community-acquired pneumonias, however, are quite rare. Sporadic cases have been reported from the US, Papua-New Guinea and Australia. Interestingly, these pneumonias are fulminant and have a high mortality. Chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes, and tobacco and alcohol consumption appear to be predisposing factors. Due to the rapid course and poor prognosis, prompt diagnosis and adequate antibiotic treatment are indicated. Antibiotics use for community-acquired pneumonias, such as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or macrolides, are not sufficient. Appropriate antibiotics for the initial treatment of suspected Acinetobacter infections include imipenem and carboxy- and ureidopenicillins combined with an aminoglycoside.
Fragrance allergy in patients with hand eczema - a clinical study.
Heydorn, Siri; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Andersen, Klaus E; Bruze, Magnus; Svedman, Cecilia; White, Ian R; Basketter, David A; Menné, Torkil
2003-06-01
Fragrance allergy and hand eczema are both common among dermatological patients. Fragrance mix (FM) and its constituents have a recognized relevance to exposure to fine fragrances and cosmetic products. Based on extensive chemical analysis and database search, a new selection of fragrances was established, including 14 known fragrance allergens present in products to which hand exposure would occur. A non-irritating patch-test concentration for some fragrances was established in 212 consecutive patients. 658 consecutive patients presenting with hand eczema were patch tested with the European standard series and the developed selection of fragrances. 67 (10.2%) of the 658 patients had a positive reaction to 1 or more of our selection of fragrance chemicals present in the new selection. The most common reactions to fragrances not included in the FM were to citral, Lyral (hydroxyisohexyl-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde) and oxidized l-limonene. A concomitant reaction to the FM identified potential fragrance allergy in less than (1/2) of these patients. Exposure assessment and a statistically significant association between a positive patch test to our selected fragrances and patients' history support the relevance of this selection of fragrances. Those with a positive reaction to our selected fragrances were significantly more likely to have 1 or more positive patch tests in the standard series. This observation is the basis for the hypothesis concerning cross-reactivity and the effect of simultaneous exposure. The study found that fragrance allergy could be a common problem in patients with eczema on the hands.
Kingston, Liz M; O'Connell, Nuala H; Dunne, Colum P
2018-04-01
In Ireland, the setting for this study, the national prevalence rate of health care-associated infection (HCAI) in acute-care facilities is 5.2%. Hand hygiene and in particular hand rubbing using alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) is highly efficacious in preventing HCAI transmission. Yet, compliance among healthcare professionals is sub-optimal. Less is known about the practices of nursing and medical students and no study comparing practices among these groups in Ireland was found. Hence, the aim of this study was to provide insight into the current hand hygiene and hand rubbing practices of nursing and medical students in Ireland and, by doing so, contribute to the broader understanding of this topic. This observational study employed a cross-sectional, self-reported design. An electronically administered questionnaire was sent to all nursing and medical students from one university. Data were analysed using appropriate software. The response rate was 37% (323/872). Higher compliance with the World Health Organisation 'my five moments for hand hygiene' model was reported among nursing students (NS) than medical students (MS), with scope for improvement in both disciplines identified. Hand hygiene compliance was highest after body fluid exposure (99.5% NS, 91% MS) and lowest after touching a patient's surroundings (61.5% NS, 57.5% MS). Attitudes towards hand rubbing were largely positive in both disciplines. 16% of NS were not aware of the clinical contraindications to ABHR use, compared to 45% of MS. 9% of NS did not know when to use soap and water and when to use ABHR, compared to 36% of MS. In contrast, more medical students (46%) than nursing students (22%) were routinely using alcohol-based hand rub for decontamination of hands as recommended. Results suggest scope to review current hand hygiene curricula focusing on the knowledge gaps, the practice deficits and the barriers to ABHR usage identified. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hand hygiene in the intensive care unit.
Tschudin-Sutter, Sarah; Pargger, Hans; Widmer, Andreas F
2010-08-01
Healthcare-associated infections affect 1.4 million patients at any time worldwide, as estimated by the World Health Organization. In intensive care units, the burden of healthcare-associated infections is greatly increased, causing additional morbidity and mortality. Multidrug-resistant pathogens are commonly involved in such infections and render effective treatment challenging. Proper hand hygiene is the single most important, simplest, and least expensive means of preventing healthcare-associated infections. In addition, it is equally important to stop transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization guidelines on hand hygiene in health care, alcohol-based handrub should be used as the preferred means for routine hand antisepsis. Alcohols have excellent in vitro activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant pathogens, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a variety of fungi, and most viruses. Some pathogens, however, such as Clostridium difficile, Bacillus anthracis, and noroviruses, may require special hand hygiene measures. Failure to provide user friendliness of hand hygiene equipment and shortage of staff are predictors for noncompliance, especially in the intensive care unit setting. Therefore, practical approaches to promote hand hygiene in the intensive care unit include provision of a minimal number of handrub dispensers per bed, monitoring of compliance, and choice of the most attractive product. Lack of knowledge of guidelines for hand hygiene, lack of recognition of hand hygiene opportunities during patient care, and lack of awareness of the risk of cross-transmission of pathogens are barriers to good hand hygiene practices. Multidisciplinary programs to promote increased use of alcoholic handrub lead to an increased compliance of healthcare
Compact Dexterous Robotic Hand
Lovchik, Christopher Scott (Inventor); Diftler, Myron A. (Inventor)
2001-01-01
A compact robotic hand includes a palm housing, a wrist section, and a forearm section. The palm housing supports a plurality of fingers and one or more movable palm members that cooperate with the fingers to grasp and/or release an object. Each flexible finger comprises a plurality of hingedly connected segments, including a proximal segment pivotally connected to the palm housing. The proximal finger segment includes at least one groove defining first and second cam surfaces for engagement with a cable. A plurality of lead screw assemblies each carried by the palm housing are supplied with power from a flexible shaft rotated by an actuator and output linear motion to a cable move a finger. The cable is secured within a respective groove and enables each finger to move between an opened and closed position. A decoupling assembly pivotally connected to a proximal finger segment enables a cable connected thereto to control movement of an intermediate and distal finger segment independent of movement of the proximal finger segment. The dexterous robotic hand closely resembles the function of a human hand yet is light weight and capable of grasping both heavy and light objects with a high degree of precision.
A framework for designing hand hygiene educational interventions in schools
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Appiah-Brempong, Emmanuel; Harris, Muriel J; Newton, Samuel
2018-01-01
OBJECTIVES: Hygiene education appears to be the commonest school-based intervention for preventing infectious diseases, especially in the developing world. Nevertheless, there remains a gap in literature regarding a school-specific theory-based framework for designing a hand hygiene educational...... (normative beliefs and motivation to comply). CONCLUSIONS: A framework underpinned by formalized psychosocial theories has relevance and could enhance the design of hand hygiene educational interventions, especially in schools....... of school-based hand hygiene educational interventions is summarized narratively. RESULTS: School-based hand hygiene educational interventions seeking to positively influence behavioural outcomes could consider enhancing psychosocial variables including behavioural capacity, attitudes and subjective norms...
Maheshwari, Veena; kaore, Navin Chandra M; Ramnani, Vijay Kumar; Gupta, Sanjay Kumar; Borle, Amod; Kaushal, Rituja
2014-01-01
Background: Infection due to hospital-acquired microbes is an evolving problem worldwide, and horizontal transmission of bacterial organism continues to cause a high nosocomial infection rate in health care settings. Most nosocomial infections are thought to be transmitted by the hands of health care workers.The application of hand hygiene is effective in reducing infection rates.
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is ... Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy ... DESCRIPTION The bones of the hand serve as a framework. This framework supports the muscles that make the wrist and fingers move. When ...
In Visible Hands: The Matter and Making of Music Therapy.
Gilbertson, Simon
2015-01-01
This study explores the topics of matter and making in music therapy through embodied reflexive retrospection with six music therapists. The participants were asked to re-enact a hand position from their memory of a significant moment in therapy. In individual research meetings, they shared their thoughts about this moment while the researcher made a body cast of their chosen hand pose. A thematic analysis of the participant narratives, the hand casts, and existing literature was used to generate the following themes: The biographic hand, The body, space, place, and time, The plural hand, Matter of the hand, and The method in hand. The research procedure facilitated an exploration of epistemological, ontological, and phenomenological perspectives in understanding music therapy practitioner experiences. The study highlights the inseparability and multiplicity of matter, making, and narrating music therapy that transcends context or therapeutic approach. © the American Music Therapy Association 2015. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Design and Development of a Hand Exoskeleton Robot for Active and Passive Rehabilitation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oscar Sandoval-Gonzalez
2016-04-01
Full Text Available The present work, which describes the mechatronic design and development of a novel rehabilitation robotic exoskeleton hand, aims to present a solution for neuromusculoskeletal rehabilitation. It presents a full range of motion for all hand phalanges and was specifically designed to carry out position and force-position control for passive and active rehabilitation routines. System integration and preliminary clinical tests are also presented.
Lozeron, Pierre; Trocello, Jean-Marc; Kubis, Nathalie
2013-09-01
Acquired neuropathies represent most of the neuropathies encountered in clinical practice. Hundreds of causes have been identified even though up to 41% of patients are still classified as idiopathic (Rajabally and Shah in J Neurol 258:1431-1436, 1). Routine evaluation relies on comprehensive medical history taking, clinical examination, nerve conduction studies and laboratory tests. Other investigations such as nerve biopsy or nerve or muscle imaging are performed in specific settings. This review focuses on recent advances in acquired neuropathies.
Hand dose distribution of workers at nuclear medicine department with PET
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fueloep, M.; Bacek, D.; Povinec, P.; Cesnakova, Z; Vlk, P.; Husak, V.; Ptacek, J.
2008-01-01
In this study radio-pharmacists and physician hands during manipulation with syringes were recorded by video camera. The videos were analyzed and several hand phantoms were constructed to simulate the exposure geometries at which hands are irradiated by the highest doses. The hand dose distribution and conversion coefficient of ring dosimeter response to maximum dose equivalent of hand irradiation were evaluated by hand phantom experiments. Hand phantoms were performed from soft tissue equivalent material. FDG is commonly administered to patient by shielded syringe, which is connected on infusion line. At about 15% patients it is necessary to administered FDG directly without infusion line. For mapping hand dose dosimeters (TLD 100H calibrated on H p (0.07)) were located on fingers and wrist of hand phantom simulating physician hand. By ratio of dosimeter response at hand localities with maximum irradiation and ring dosimeter response was obtain value of about 30. It was proved that only one hand phantom was necessary for simulation of all radio-pharmacist operations with FDG during syringe preparation to patient PET. For this purpose by Monte Carlo simulations an effective position of radioactive source with regard to radio-pharmacist hands was found. (authors)
Hand dose distribution of workers at nuclear medicine department with PET
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fueloep, M.; Bacek, D.; Povinec, P.; Cesnakova, Z; Vlk, P.; Husak, V.; Ptacek, J.
2009-01-01
In this study radio-pharmacists and physician hands during manipulation with syringes were recorded by video camera. The videos were analyzed and several hand phantoms were constructed to simulate the exposure geometries at which hands are irradiated by the highest doses. The hand dose distribution and conversion coefficient of ring dosimeter response to maximum dose equivalent of hand irradiation were evaluated by hand phantom experiments. Hand phantoms were performed from soft tissue equivalent material. FDG is commonly administered to patient by shielded syringe, which is connected on infusion line. At about 15% patients it is necessary to administered FDG directly without infusion line. For mapping hand dose dosimeters (TLD 100H calibrated on H p (0.07)) were located on fingers and wrist of hand phantom simulating physician hand. By ratio of dosimeter response at hand localities with maximum irradiation and ring dosimeter response was obtain value of about 30. It was proved that only one hand phantom was necessary for simulation of all radio-pharmacist operations with FDG during syringe preparation to patient PET. For this purpose by Monte Carlo simulations an effective position of radioactive source with regard to radio-pharmacist hands was found. (authors)
Body Context and Posture Affect Mental Imagery of Hands
Ionta, Silvio; Perruchoud, David; Draganski, Bogdan; Blanke, Olaf
2012-01-01
Different visual stimuli have been shown to recruit different mental imagery strategies. However the role of specific visual stimuli properties related to body context and posture in mental imagery is still under debate. Aiming to dissociate the behavioural correlates of mental processing of visual stimuli characterized by different body context, in the present study we investigated whether the mental rotation of stimuli showing either hands as attached to a body (hands-on-body) or not (hands-only), would be based on different mechanisms. We further examined the effects of postural changes on the mental rotation of both stimuli. Thirty healthy volunteers verbally judged the laterality of rotated hands-only and hands-on-body stimuli presented from the dorsum- or the palm-view, while positioning their hands on their knees (front postural condition) or behind their back (back postural condition). Mental rotation of hands-only, but not of hands-on-body, was modulated by the stimulus view and orientation. Additionally, only the hands-only stimuli were mentally rotated at different speeds according to the postural conditions. This indicates that different stimulus-related mechanisms are recruited in mental rotation by changing the bodily context in which a particular body part is presented. The present data suggest that, with respect to hands-only, mental rotation of hands-on-body is less dependent on biomechanical constraints and proprioceptive input. We interpret our results as evidence for preferential processing of visual- rather than kinesthetic-based mechanisms during mental transformation of hands-on-body and hands-only, respectively. PMID:22479618
Hand Matters: Left-Hand Gestures Enhance Metaphor Explanation
Argyriou, Paraskevi; Mohr, Christine; Kita, Sotaro
2017-01-01
Research suggests that speech-accompanying gestures influence cognitive processes, but it is not clear whether the gestural benefit is specific to the gesturing hand. Two experiments tested the "(right/left) hand-specificity" hypothesis for self-oriented functions of gestures: gestures with a particular hand enhance cognitive processes…
T.P. Zomer (Tizza); V. Erasmus (Vicky); N. Vlaar (Nico); E.F. van Beeck (Ed); A. Tjon-A-Tsien (Aimée); J.H. Richardus (Jan Hendrik); H.A.C.M. Voeten (Hélène)
2013-01-01
textabstractBackground: Day care center attendance has been recognized as a risk factor for acquiring gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, which can be prevented with adequate hand hygiene (HH). Based on previous studies on environmental and sociocognitive determinants of caregivers'
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.
3D printed simulation models based on real patient situations for hands-on practice.
Kröger, E; Dekiff, M; Dirksen, D
2017-11-01
During the last few years, the curriculum of many dentistry schools in Germany has been reorganised. Two key aspects of the applied changes are the integration of up-to-date teaching methods and the promotion of interdisciplinarity. To support these efforts, an approach to fabricating individualised simulation models for hands-on courses employing 3D printing is presented. The models are based on real patients, thus providing students a more realistic preparation for real clinical situations. As a wide variety of dental procedures can be implemented, the simulation models can also contribute to a more interdisciplinary dental education. The data used for the construction of the models were acquired by 3D surface scanning. The data were further processed with 3D modelling software. Afterwards, the models were fabricated by 3D printing with the PolyJet technique. Three models serve as examples: a prosthodontic model for training veneer preparation, a conservative model for practicing dental bonding and an interdisciplinary model featuring carious teeth and an insufficient crown. The third model was evaluated in a hands-on course with 22 fourth-year dental students. The students answered a questionnaire and gave their personal opinion. Whilst the concept of the model received very positive feedback, some aspects of the implementation were criticised. We discuss these observations and suggest ways for further improvement. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Aa, Lambrechts; Is, Human; Jh, Doughari; Jfr, Lues
2014-07-01
Hands of ready-to-eat food service employees have been shown to be vectors in the spread of foodborne disease, mainly because of poor personal hygiene and accounting for approximately 97% of food borne illnesses in food service establishments and homes. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of hand washing practices and sanitation before commencing work among food handlers in the convenient food industry in Gauteng, South Africa. A total of 230 samples were collected, involving 100% of the food handlers, in 8 selected convenient food outlets with their main focus on preparing ready-to-eat foods. The workers' cleaned and disinfected dominant hands were sampled for Total Plate Count (TPC), Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Bacteria were isolated and counted using standard methods. The highest bacterial count from the hand samples was 7.4 x 10(3) cfu.cm(-2) and the lowest showed no detectable growth. Although hands with a count of 0 cfu.cm(-2) were found in all of the plants, the results indicated that all the plants exceeded the legal limit for food surfaces or hands of food handlers had no bacteria detectable on their hands. One sample tested positive for E. coli and S. aureus could not be detected on the hands of any of the food handlers. The study revealed that hand hygiene is unsatisfactory and may have serious implications for public health due to contamination of food from food handlers' hands. This therefore underlined the importance of further training to improve food handlers' knowledge of good hand washing practices.
A Bias for the Natural? Children's Beliefs about Traits Acquired through Effort, Bribes, or Medicine
Lockhart, Kristi L.; Keil, Frank C.; Aw, Justine
2013-01-01
Three studies compared beliefs about natural and late blooming positive traits with those acquired through personal effort, extrinsic rewards or medicine. Young children (5-6 years), older children (8-13 years), and adults all showed a strong bias for natural and late blooming traits over acquired traits. All age groups, except 8- to 10-year-olds,…
Computed tomography in children with community-acquired pneumonia.
Andronikou, Savvas; Goussard, Pierre; Sorantin, Erich
2017-10-01
Diagnostic imaging plays a significant role in both the diagnosis and treatment of complications of pneumonia in children and chest radiography is the imaging modality of choice. Computed tomography (CT) on the other hand, is not currently a first-line imaging tool for children with suspected uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia and is largely reserved for when complications of pneumonia are suspected or there is difficulty in differentiating pneumonia from other pathology. This review outlines the situations where CT needs to be considered in children with pneumonia, describes the imaging features of the parenchymal and pleural complications of pneumonia, discusses how CT may have a wider role in developing countries where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis are prevalent, makes note of the role of CT scanning for identifying missed foreign body aspiration and, lastly, addresses radiation concerns.
Computed tomography in children with community-acquired pneumonia
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Andronikou, Savvas [Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and the University of Bristol, Department of Paediatric Radiology, Bristol (United Kingdom); University of Cape Town, Department of Radiology, Cape Town (South Africa); Goussard, Pierre [Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Cape Town (South Africa); Sorantin, Erich [Medical University Graz, Department of Radiology, Graz (Austria)
2017-10-15
Diagnostic imaging plays a significant role in both the diagnosis and treatment of complications of pneumonia in children and chest radiography is the imaging modality of choice. Computed tomography (CT) on the other hand, is not currently a first-line imaging tool for children with suspected uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia and is largely reserved for when complications of pneumonia are suspected or there is difficulty in differentiating pneumonia from other pathology. This review outlines the situations where CT needs to be considered in children with pneumonia, describes the imaging features of the parenchymal and pleural complications of pneumonia, discusses how CT may have a wider role in developing countries where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis are prevalent, makes note of the role of CT scanning for identifying missed foreign body aspiration and, lastly, addresses radiation concerns. (orig.)
Ostlie, Kristin; Franklin, Rosemary J; Skjeldal, Ola H; Skrondal, Anders; Magnus, Per
2011-10-01
To describe physical function in adult acquired major upper-limb amputees (ULAs) by combining self-assessed arm function and physical measures obtained by clinical examinations; to estimate associations between background factors and self-assessed arm function in ULAs; and to assess whether clinical examination findings may be used to detect reduced arm function in unilateral ULAs. postal questionnaires and clinical examinations. Norwegian ULA population. Clinical examinations performed at 3 clinics. Questionnaires: population-based sample (n=224; 57.4% response rate). Clinical examinations: combined referred sample and convenience sample of questionnaire responders (n=70; 83.3% of those invited). SURVEY inclusion criteria: adult acquired major upper-limb amputation, resident in Norway, mastering of spoken and written Norwegian. Not applicable. The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Outcome Questionnaire, and clinical examination of joint motion and muscle strength with and without prostheses. Mean DASH score was 22.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.3-25.0); in bilateral amputees, 35.7 (95% CI, 23.0-48.4); and in unilateral amputees, 22.1 (95% CI, 19.8-24.5). A lower unilateral DASH score (better function) was associated with paid employment (vs not in paid employment: adjusted regression coefficient [aB]=-5.40, P=.033; vs students: aB=-13.88, P=.022), increasing postamputation time (aB=-.27, P=.001), and Norwegian ethnicity (aB=-14.45, P<.001). At clinical examination, we found a high frequency of impaired neck mobility and varying frequencies of impaired joint motion and strength at the shoulder, elbow, and forearm level. Prosthesis wear was associated with impaired joint motion in all upper-limb joints (P<.006) and with reduced shoulder abduction strength (P=.002). Impaired without-prosthesis joint motion in shoulder flexion (ipsilateral: aB=12.19, P=.001) and shoulder abduction (ipsilateral: aB=12.01, P=.005; contralateral: aB=28.82, P=.004
Denmark: HAND in HAND Policy Questionnaire
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Laursen, Hilmar Dyrborg; Nielsen, Birgitte Lund
2018-01-01
Som del af det internationale EU finansierede projekt Hand in Hand, der fokuserer på de såkaldte SEI-kompetencer (Social, Emotional, Intercultural), er dansk policy i relation til elevernes sociale, emotionelle og interkulturelle læring kortlagt i denne rapport. Der refereres bl.a. til "elevernes...
Optimization of dose in computerized radiology exams of the hands
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pavan, Ana Luiza Menegatti; Alvarez, Matheus; Alves, Allan Felipe Fattori; Dela Rosa, Maria Eugenia; Miranda, Jose Ricardo de Arruda
2014-01-01
Fractures and dislocations of the hand are some of the most frequently encountered injuries of the musculoskeletal system traumas. To evaluate these lesions radiography is the investigation of choice, and is rarely needed the help of other images to establish the diagnosis and treatment. The image quality of the X-ray examination is therefore essential. In this study a homogeneous phantom hand was developed for use in the hand image optimization process. In this procedure were quantified for different tissue thicknesses which are an anthropomorphic hand phantom. To perform the classification and quantification of tissue was applied membership functions in histograms of CT scans. The same procedure was adopted for 30 retrospective examinations of patients in the Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of Botucatu UNESP (HCFMB-UNESP). The homogeneous phantom built was used to calibrate the techniques used in clinical routine (RC). Such calibrated techniques were used to acquire images of anthropomorphic phantom. These images were analyzed by Visual Grading Method (VFA) by experienced radiologists in the area. The image with better grade in AGV and lower dose was chosen as the Gold Standard. The results showed concordance between the tissue thicknesses which constitute the anthropomorphic phantom and the sample evaluated patients, with variations between 12.63% and 6.48% for soft tissue and bone, respectively. The Gold Technical Standard compared with the technique normally used in the CR reduces dose charge 41.28% and 33.18% in the tube
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is a Hand Surgeon? What is a Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy Hand Surgery Anesthesia Email to a friend * required ...
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is ... Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons Anatomy The upper extremity is ...
Multiple faces of contemporary hand knitting
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.
An evaluation of hospital hand hygiene practice and glove use in Hong Kong.
Chau, Janita P-C; Thompson, David R; Twinn, Sheila; Lee, Diana T F; Pang, Sharon W M
2011-05-01
To identify omissions in hand hygiene practice and glove use among hospital workers in Hong Kong. Hospital-acquired infection is the commonest complication affecting hospitalised patients. Even though research evidence suggests that hand hygiene and proper glove use are the most important ways to prevent the spread of disease and infection, compliance with both are reported to be unacceptably low. An observational study of hospital workers in one acute and two convalescence and rehabilitation hospitals in Hong Kong was conducted. The participating clinical areas included the medical and surgical wards, accident and emergency department and intensive care unit. Hand hygiene practice and glove use amongst 206 hospital health and support workers, stratified according to years of working experience, were observed. The number of observed episodes for hand hygiene was 1037 and for glove use 304. Compliance with hand hygiene was 74.7% and with glove use 72.4%. In approximately two-third of episodes, participants washed their hands after each patient contact; though, 78.5% failed to rub their hands together vigorously for at least 15 seconds. The major break in compliance with glove use was failure to change gloves between procedures on the same patient. In 28.6% of observed glove use episodes, participants did not wear gloves during procedures that exposed them to blood, body fluids, excretion, non-intact skin or mucous membranes. Significant differences in performance scores on antiseptic hand rub were found between the two types of hospital and on glove use between the three groups of work experience: ≤ 5, 6-10, >10 years. Education and reinforcement of proper hand hygiene practice and glove use among hospital health and support workers is needed. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
The hot hand belief and framing effects.
MacMahon, Clare; Köppen, Jörn; Raab, Markus
2014-09-01
Recent evidence of the hot hand in sport-where success breeds success in a positive recency of successful shots, for instance-indicates that this pattern does not actually exist. Yet the belief persists. We used 2 studies to explore the effects of framing on the hot hand belief in sport. We looked at the effect of sport experience and task on the perception of baseball pitch behavior as well as the hot hand belief and free-throw behavior in basketball. Study 1 asked participants to designate outcomes with different alternation rates as the result of baseball pitches or coin tosses. Study 2 examined basketball free-throw behavior and measured predicted success before each shot as well as general belief in the hot hand pattern. The results of Study 1 illustrate that experience and stimulus alternation rates influence the perception of chance in human performance tasks. Study 2 shows that physically performing an act and making judgments are related. Specifically, beliefs were related to overall performance, with more successful shooters showing greater belief in the hot hand and greater predicted success for upcoming shots. Both of these studies highlight that the hot hand belief is influenced by framing, which leads to instability and situational contingencies. We show the specific effects of framing using accumulated experience of the individual with the sport and knowledge of its structure and specific experience with sport actions (basketball shots) prior to judgments.
Kingston, Liz M; O'Connell, Nuala H; Dunne, Colum P
2017-05-01
Hand hygiene is widely recognised as the most important measure a healthcare worker can take in preventing the spread of healthcare associated infections. As a member of the healthcare team, nursing students have direct patient contact during clinical practice; hence, good hand hygiene practice among nursing students is essential. Low to moderate levels of hand hygiene knowledge and poor attitudes and practices are reported among nursing students. However, less is known about their attitudes and practices of handrubbing with ABHR, even though handrubbing is the recommended optimum practice in most situations. The aim of this study was to explore attitudes and practices of hand hygiene, in particular handrubbing with alcohol-based hand rub, among nursing students in Ireland. This survey employed a descriptive, self-report design using a questionnaire to gather data. It was administered electronically to all undergraduate nursing students (n=342) in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Limerick, Ireland in March and April 2015. Response rate was 66%. Attitudes towards hand hygiene were generally positive. Compliance with hand hygiene after contact with body fluid was high (99.5%) and before a clean or aseptic procedure (98.5%). However, suboptimal practices emerged, before touching a patient (85%), after touching a patient (87%) and after touching patients' surroundings (61%), with first year students more compliant than fourth year students. 16% of students were not aware of the clinical contraindications for using alcohol-based hand rub and 9% did not know when to use soap and water and when to use alcohol-based hand rub. Educators and practitioners play an important role in ensuring that nursing students develop appropriate attitudes towards hand hygiene and engage in optimal handrubbing practices. Raising awareness among nursing students of their responsibility in preventing the occurrence and reducing the transmission of HCAI as an on
Relationship of condylar position to disc position and morphology
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Incesu, L.; Taskaya-Yilmaz, N. E-mail: nergizy@omu.edu.tr; Oeguetcen-Toller, M.; Uzun, E
2004-09-01
Introduction/objective: The purpose of this study was to assess whether condylar position, as depicted by magnetic resonance imaging, was an indicator of disc morphology and position. Methods and material: One hundred and twenty two TMJs of 61 patients with temporomandibular joint disorder were examined. Condylar position, disc deformity and degree of anterior disc displacement were evaluated by using magnetic resonance imaging. Results and discussion: Posterior condyle position was found to be the main feature of temporomandibular joints with slight and moderate anterior disc displacement. No statistical significance was found between the condylar position, and reducing and nonreducing disc positions. On the other hand, superior disc position was found to be statistically significant for centric condylar position. Conclusion: It was concluded that posterior condyle position could indicate anterior disc displacement whereas there was no relation between the position of condyle and the disc deformity.
Strategy and your stronger hand.
Moore, Geoffrey A
2005-12-01
There are two kinds of businesses in the world, says the author. Knowing what they are--and which one your company is--will guide you to the right strategic moves. One kind includes businesses that compete on a complex-systems model. These companies have large enterprises as their primary customers. They seek to grow a customer base in the thousands, with no more than a handful of transactions per customer per year (indeed, in some years there may be none), and the average price per transaction ranges from six to seven figures. In this model, 1,000 enterprises each paying dollar 1 million per year would generate dollar 1 billion in annual revenue. The other kind of business competes on a volume-operations model. Here, vendors seek to acquire millions of customers, with tens or even hundreds of transactions per customer per year, at an average price of relatively few dollars per transaction. Under this model, it would take 10 million customers each spending dollar 8 per month to generate nearly dollar 1 billion in revenue. An examination of both models shows that they could not be further apart in their approach to every step along the classic value chain. The problem, though, is that companies in one camp often attempt to create new value by venturing into the other. In doing so, they fail to realize how their managerial habits have been shaped by the model they've grown up with. By analogy, they have a "handedness"--the equivalent of a person's right- or left-hand dominance--that makes them as adroit in one mode as they are awkward in the other. Unless you are in an industry whose structure forces you to attempt ambidexterity (in which case, special efforts are required to manage the inevitable dropped balls), you'll be far more successful making moves that favor your stronger hand.
Web-based interactive drone control using hand gesture
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.
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.
Patch and Prick Tests in Hand Eczema: Results of A Sixty Seven Patient Series
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bilge Fettahlıoğlu Karaman
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Objective: The patch and prick tests have a place in the management of patients with hand eczema. In this study, we investigated whether some of the clinical features patients with hand eczema could provide us with the predictability of skin test results. Methods: In Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, 67 consecutive patients with hand eczema; evaluated in terms of duration of disease, morphology and severity. All of the patients were undergoes patch tested with the European Standard Series, and needle testing with routine aeroallergens. Results: Patch test with at least one allergen was positive in 46.3% of the patients; wheras this rate was 23.9% for prick test. The likelihood of having a contact sensitivity of patients complaining of hand eczema for at least three years was statistically more significant [odds ratio (OR 0.9]. Although statistically not significant, it is less likely to be sensitized to patients with keratotic and/or licheniform hand eczema (OR 0.3. The severity of hand eczema was not predictive of patch test, there was no indicator of needle test positivity. Conclusion: We strongly recommend patch testing in all patients with prolonged hand eczema.
Kothavade, Rajendra J; Oberai, Chetan M; Valand, Arvind G; Panthaki, Mehroo H
2010-10-28
Disseminated cryptococcosis and recurrent oral candidiasis was presented in a-heterosexual AIDS patient. Candida tropicalis (C.tropicalis) was isolated from the oral pseudomembranous plaques and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) was isolated from maculopapular lesions on body parts (face, hands and chest) and body fluids (urine, expectorated sputum, and cerebrospinal fluid). In vitro drug susceptibility testing on the yeast isolates demonstrated resistance to fluconazole acquired by C. tropicalis which was a suggestive possible root cause of recurrent oral candidiasis in this patient.
Prosthetic hand sensor placement: Analysis of touch perception during the grasp
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mirković Bojana
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Humans rely on their hands to perform everyday tasks. The hand is used as a tool, but also as the interface to “sense” the world. Current prosthetic hands are based on sophisticated multi-fingered structures, and include many sensors which counterpart natural proprioceptors and exteroceptors. The sensory information is used for control, but not sent to the user of the hand (amputee. Grasping without sensing is not good enough. This research is part of the development of the sensing interface for amputees, specifically addressing the analysis of human perception while grasping. The goal is to determine the small number of preferred positions of sensors on the prosthetic hand. This task has previously been approached by trying to replicate a natural sensory system characteristic for healthy humans, resulting in a multitude of redundant sensors and basic inability to make the patient aware of the sensor readings on the subconscious level. We based our artificial perception system on the reported sensations of humans when grasping various objects without seeing the objects (obstructed visual feedback. Subjects, with no known sensory deficits, were asked to report on the touch sensation while grasping. The analysis included objects of various sizes, weights, textures and temperatures. Based on this data we formed a map of the preferred positions for the sensors that is appropriate for five finger human-like robotic hand. The final map was intentionally minimized in size (number of sensors.
Seeing mathematics: perceptual experience and brain activity in acquired synesthesia.
Brogaard, Berit; Vanni, Simo; Silvanto, Juha
2013-01-01
We studied the patient JP who has exceptional abilities to draw complex geometrical images by hand and a form of acquired synesthesia for mathematical formulas and objects, which he perceives as geometrical figures. JP sees all smooth curvatures as discrete lines, similarly regardless of scale. We carried out two preliminary investigations to establish the perceptual nature of synesthetic experience and to investigate the neural basis of this phenomenon. In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, image-inducing formulas produced larger fMRI responses than non-image inducing formulas in the left temporal, parietal and frontal lobes. Thus our main finding is that the activation associated with his experience of complex geometrical images emerging from mathematical formulas is restricted to the left hemisphere.
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.
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Interaction between gaze and visual and proprioceptive position judgements.
Fiehler, Katja; Rösler, Frank; Henriques, Denise Y P
2010-06-01
There is considerable evidence that targets for action are represented in a dynamic gaze-centered frame of reference, such that each gaze shift requires an internal updating of the target. Here, we investigated the effect of eye movements on the spatial representation of targets used for position judgements. Participants had their hand passively placed to a location, and then judged whether this location was left or right of a remembered visual or remembered proprioceptive target, while gaze direction was varied. Estimates of position of the remembered targets relative to the unseen position of the hand were assessed with an adaptive psychophysical procedure. These positional judgements significantly varied relative to gaze for both remembered visual and remembered proprioceptive targets. Our results suggest that relative target positions may also be represented in eye-centered coordinates. This implies similar spatial reference frames for action control and space perception when positions are coded relative to the hand.
Hand position-dependent modulation of errors in vibrotactile temporal order judgments
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ritterband-Rosenbaum, Anina; Hermosillo, Robert; Kroliczak, Gregory
2014-01-01
this confounded information is processed in the brain is poorly understood. In the present set of experiments, we addressed this knowledge gap by using singlepulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to disrupt processing in the right or left posterior parietal cortex (PPC) during a vibrotactile TOJ task...... with stimuli applied to the right and left index fingers. In the first experiment, participants held their hands in an uncrossed configuration, and we found that when the index finger contralateral to the site of TMS was stimulated first, there was a significant increase in TOJ errors. This increase did...... that these TMS-induced changes in TOJ errors were not due to a reduced ability to detect the timing of the vibrotactile stimuli. Taken together, these results demonstrate that both the right and left PPC contribute to the processing underlying vibrotactile TOJs by integrating vibrotactile information...
Acquiring Cultural Perceptions during Study Abroad: The Influence of Youthful Associates
Meredith, R. Alan
2010-01-01
The interdependence of language and culture highlights the need to find methods for second language students to acquire cultural information and practices. This article reviews definitions of culture posited by anthropologists and language educators and discusses problems related to the recent paradigm shift from "small "c" and big…
Onychomycosis by Fusarium oxysporum probably acquired in utero
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vania O. Carvalho
2014-10-01
Full Text Available Fusarium oxysporum has been described as a pathogen causing onychomycosis, its incidence has been increasing in immunocompetent and disseminated infection can occur in immunosuppressed individuals. We describe the first case of congenital onychomycosis in a child caused by Fusarium oxysporum. The infection being acquired in utero was proven by molecular methods with the identification of the fungus both in the nail and placenta, most probably as an ascending contamination/infection in a HIV-positive, immunosuppressed mother.
Systematic changes in position sense accompany normal aging across adulthood.
Herter, Troy M; Scott, Stephen H; Dukelow, Sean P
2014-03-25
Development of clinical neurological assessments aimed at separating normal from abnormal capabilities requires a comprehensive understanding of how basic neurological functions change (or do not change) with increasing age across adulthood. In the case of proprioception, the research literature has failed to conclusively determine whether or not position sense in the upper limb deteriorates in elderly individuals. The present study was conducted a) to quantify whether upper limb position sense deteriorates with increasing age, and b) to generate a set of normative data that can be used for future comparisons with clinical populations. We examined position sense in 209 healthy males and females between the ages of 18 and 90 using a robotic arm position-matching task that is both objective and reliable. In this task, the robot moved an arm to one of nine positions and subjects attempted to mirror-match that position with the opposite limb. Measures of position sense were recorded by the robotic apparatus in hand-and joint-based coordinates, and linear regressions were used to quantify age-related changes and percentile boundaries of normal behaviour. For clinical comparisons, we also examined influences of sex (male versus female) and test-hand (dominant versus non-dominant) on all measures of position sense. Analyses of hand-based parameters identified several measures of position sense (Variability, Shift, Spatial Contraction, Absolute Error) with significant effects of age, sex, and test-hand. Joint-based parameters at the shoulder (Absolute Error) and elbow (Variability, Shift, Absolute Error) also exhibited significant effects of age and test-hand. The present study provides strong evidence that several measures of upper extremity position sense exhibit declines with age. Furthermore, this data provides a basis for quantifying when changes in position sense are related to normal aging or alternatively, pathology.
Markerless Kinect-Based Hand Tracking for Robot Teleoperation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Guanglong Du
2012-07-01
Full Text Available This paper presents a real-time remote robot teleoperation method using markerless Kinect-based hand tracking. Using this tracking algorithm, the positions of index finger and thumb in 3D can be estimated by processing depth images from Kinect. The hand pose is used as a model to specify the pose of a real-time remote robot's end-effector. This method provides a way to send a whole task to a remote robot instead of sending limited motion commands like gesture-based approaches and this method has been tested in pick-and-place tasks.
Cruz, Jonas P; Bashtawi, Meshrif A
2016-01-01
Hand hygiene is an important component of infection control, which is critical to ensuring patients' safety in hospitals. Nursing students are regarded as healthcare workers in training and can also be vehicles of cross-contamination within the hospital. Thus, this study aimed to identify the predictors of hand hygiene practice among Saudi nursing students. A descriptive, cross-sectional, self-reported study was conducted among 198 Saudi nursing students. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of hand hygiene were assessed using the WHO Hand Hygiene Knowledge Questionnaire for Health-Care Workers and its adopted scales. A regression analysis was performed to identify the predictors of hand hygiene practice. The respondents demonstrated moderate knowledge of hand hygiene (mean 13.20±2.80). The majority displayed a moderate attitude toward hand hygiene (52.1%), while only a few reported a poor attitude (13.1%). Approximately 68.7%, 29.8%, and 1.5% of the respondents reported moderate, good, and poor practice of hand hygiene, respectively. Having a good attitude toward hand hygiene, being male, being aware that hand hygiene is an effective intervention in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), attendance at hand hygiene trainings and seminars, and being in the lower academic level of nursing education were identified as predictors of better hand hygiene practice. The importance of ensuring a positive attitude toward hand hygiene and improving awareness of hand hygiene is emphasized, as are educational interventions. Educational interventions should be implemented to reinforce knowledge and instill a positive attitude toward hand hygiene. Copyright © 2015 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Monitor for alpha beta contamination of hands; Moniteur de contamination alpha beta des mains
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Guitton, J
1958-07-01
The following specifications of hands alpha beta contamination monitor are presented: the position of the hands, the detection and separation of alpha and beta, the information processing, the programming, the results presentation and general characteristics. (A.L.B.)
Fossataro, Carlotta; Bruno, Valentina; Gindri, Patrizia; Pia, Lorenzo; Berti, Anna; Garbarini, Francesca
2017-06-23
The sense of body ownership, i.e., the belief that a specific body part belongs to us, can be selectively impaired in brain-damaged patients. Recently, a pathological form of embodiment has been described in patients who, when the examiner's hand is located in a body-congruent position, systematically claim that it is their own hand (E+ patients). This paradoxical behavior suggests that, in these patients, the altered sense of body ownership also affects their capacity of visually discriminating the body-identity details of the own and the alien hand, even when both hands are clearly visible on the table. Here, we investigated whether, in E+ patients with spared tactile sensibility, a coherent body ownership could be restored by introducing a multisensory conflict between what the patients feel on the own hand and what they see on the alien hand. To this aim, we asked the patients to rate their sense of body ownership over the alien hand, either after segregated tactile stimulations of the own hand (out of view) and of the alien hand (visible) or after synchronous and asynchronous tactile stimulations of both hands, as in the rubber hand illusion set-up. Our results show that, when the tactile sensation perceived on the patient's own hand was in conflict with visual stimuli observed on the examiner's hand, E+ patients noticed the conflict and spontaneously described visual details of the (visible) examiner's hand (e.g., the fingers length, the nails shape, the skin color…), to conclude that it was not their own hand. These data represent the first evidence that, in E+ patients, an incongruent visual-tactile stimulation of the own and of the alien hand reduces, at least transitorily, the delusional body ownership over the alien hand, by restoring the access to the perceptual self-identity system, where visual body identity details are stored. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Using virtual data for training deep model for hand gesture recognition
Nikolaev, E. I.; Dvoryaninov, P. V.; Lensky, Y. Y.; Drozdovsky, N. S.
2018-05-01
Deep learning has shown real promise for the classification efficiency for hand gesture recognition problems. In this paper, the authors present experimental results for a deeply-trained model for hand gesture recognition through the use of hand images. The authors have trained two deep convolutional neural networks. The first architecture produces the hand position as a 2D-vector by input hand image. The second one predicts the hand gesture class for the input image. The first proposed architecture produces state of the art results with an accuracy rate of 89% and the second architecture with split input produces accuracy rate of 85.2%. In this paper, the authors also propose using virtual data for training a supervised deep model. Such technique is aimed to avoid using original labelled images in the training process. The interest of this method in data preparation is motivated by the need to overcome one of the main challenges of deep supervised learning: using a copious amount of labelled data during training.
Hand washing promotion for preventing diarrhoea.
Ejemot-Nwadiaro, Regina I; Ehiri, John E; Arikpo, Dachi; Meremikwu, Martin M; Critchley, Julia A
2015-09-03
Diarrhoea accounts for 1.8 million deaths in children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). One of the identified strategies to prevent diarrhoea is hand washing. To assess the effects of hand washing promotion interventions on diarrhoeal episodes in children and adults. We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (27 May 2015); CENTRAL (published in the Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 5); MEDLINE (1966 to 27 May 2015); EMBASE (1974 to 27 May 2015); LILACS (1982 to 27 May 2015); PsycINFO (1967 to 27 May 2015); Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index (1981 to 27 May 2015); ERIC (1966 to 27 May 2015); SPECTR (2000 to 27 May 2015); Bibliomap (1990 to 27 May 2015); RoRe, The Grey Literature (2002 to 27 May 2015); World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP), metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT), and reference lists of articles up to 27 May 2015. We also contacted researchers and organizations in the field. Individually randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs that compared the effects of hand washing interventions on diarrhoea episodes in children and adults with no intervention. Three review authors independently assessed trial eligibility, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We stratified the analyses for child day-care centres or schools, community, and hospital-based settings. Where appropriate, incidence rate ratios (IRR) were pooled using the generic inverse variance method and random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence. We included 22 RCTs: 12 trials from child day-care centres or schools in mainly high-income countries (54,006 participants), nine community-based trials in LMICs (15,303 participants), and one hospital-based trial among people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (148 participants).Hand washing promotion (education activities, sometimes with
Community-acquired bacterial meningitis
van de Beek, Diederik; Brouwer, Matthijs; Hasbun, Rodrigo; Koedel, Uwe; Whitney, Cynthia G.; Wijdicks, Eelco
2016-01-01
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges and subarachnoid space that can also involve the brain cortex and parenchyma. It can be acquired spontaneously in the community - community-acquired bacterial meningitis - or in the hospital as a complication of invasive procedures or head trauma
Hand Hygiene With Alcohol-Based Hand Rub: How Long Is Long Enough?
Pires, Daniela; Soule, Hervé; Bellissimo-Rodrigues, Fernando; Gayet-Ageron, Angèle; Pittet, Didier
2017-05-01
BACKGROUND Hand hygiene is the core element of infection prevention and control. The optimal hand-hygiene gesture, however, remains poorly defined. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the influence of hand-rubbing duration on the reduction of bacterial counts on the hands of healthcare personnel (HCP). METHODS We performed an experimental study based on the European Norm 1500. Hand rubbing was performed for 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 seconds, according to the WHO technique using 3 mL alcohol-based hand rub. Hand contamination with E. coli ATCC 10536 was followed by hand rubbing and sampling. A generalized linear mixed model with a random effect on the subject adjusted for hand size and gender was used to analyze the reduction in bacterial counts after each hand-rubbing action. In addition, hand-rubbing durations of 15 and 30 seconds were compared to assert non-inferiority (0.6 log10). RESULTS In total, 32 HCP performed 123 trials. All durations of hand rubbing led to significant reductions in bacterial counts (Phand rubbing were not significantly different from those obtained after 30 seconds. The mean bacterial reduction after 15 seconds of hand rubbing was 0.11 log10 lower (95% CI, -0.46 to 0.24) than after 30 seconds, demonstrating non-inferiority. CONCLUSIONS Hand rubbing for 15 seconds was not inferior to 30 seconds in reducing bacterial counts on hands under the described experimental conditions. There was no gain in reducing bacterial counts from hand rubbing longer than 30 seconds. Further studies are needed to assess the clinical significance of our findings. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:547-552.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adil Al-Lawati
2012-05-01
Full Text Available Acquired methemoglobinaemia is a relatively rare condition and, therefore infrequently encountered in acute medical practice. Suspicion of the condition may be triggered when the measured PaO2 is ‘out of keeping’ with the oxygen saturations that are discovered with pulse oximetry. We describe two separate cases of acquired methemoglobinaemia secondary to the recreational use of alkyl nitrites (’poppers’. The patients presented at separate times to two different teaching hospitals in London, UK. The similarity of these cases has led the authors to conclude that a raised awareness of this potentially fatal condition, and its association with a widely-available recreational drug, is necessary to ensure a correct and timely diagnosis.
Allergens associated with severe symptoms of hand eczema and a poor prognosis
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hald, Marianne; Agner, Tove; Blands, Jette
2009-01-01
BACKGROUND: Contact allergy is frequent among persons with hand eczema and may be associated with a poor prognosis. OBJECTIVES: To identify allergens associated with the most severe initial clinical symptoms and the worst prognosis in a cohort of hand eczema patients followed for 6 months. METHODS......: The study population comprised 799 consecutive hand eczema patients enrolled during January 2006-February 2007. All patients were patch tested with the European baseline series. Severity assessment of the hand eczema was performed initially and at the 6-month follow-up using a validated scoring system...... (HECSI). With logistic regression analyses, associations of severe hand eczema or a poor prognosis with 15 individual allergens were analysed and adjusted for by sex, age, atopic dermatitis and other allergens. RESULTS: At baseline, greater severity of hand eczema was associated with a positive patch...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Reisinger, Clemens; Gluecker, Thomas; Jacob, Augustinus Ludwig; Bongartz, Georg; Bilecen, Deniz
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to compare the image quality of the intravascular contrast agent gadofosveset with the extracellular contrast agent gadoterate meglumine in time-resolved three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) angiography of the human arteries of the hand. The value of cuff compression technique for suppression of venous enhancement for both contrast agents was also investigated. Three-dimensional MR angiograms of both hands of 11 healthy volunteers were acquired for each contrast agent at 1.5-T, while subsystolic cuff compression was applied at one side. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation were performed and analyzed with Student's t-test. Visualization of vessels was superior in the images acquired with gadofosveset, especially in the late phases. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation showed significantly higher values for gadofosveset. The cuff compression at the lower arm proved to be an effective method to enhance arterial vessels. In conclusion the blood pool agent gadofosveset is superior for the dynamic imaging of the vessels of the hand when compared with the extracellular contrast agent gadoterate meglumine. To fully utilize the advantages of intravascular contrast agents, venous overlay has to be delayed or reduced, which can be achieved effectively by subsystolic lower arm cuff compression. (orig.)
Hand in Hand - SEI Programmes for School Staff
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nielsen, Birgitte Lund; Réol, Lise Andersen; Laursen, Hilmar Dyrborg
2017-01-01
This catalogue of research in the field of SEI programmes for the school staff’s and teachers’ SEI competencies is based on a review performed by the main researchers Birgitte Lund Nielsen, Lise Andersen Réol and Hilmar Dyrborg Laursen, VIA University College, Denmark, but discussed by the entire...... team of Hand in Hand partner countries and researchers. The aim was to identify the central aspects and elements concerning successful implementation, and school staff’s development of professional competencies in the specific field of supporting students’ social, emotional and intercultural (SEI......) competencies. Abstract: Framed by the EU-project Hand in Hand focusing on Social, Emotional and Intercultural (SEI) competencies among students and school staff, the paper discusses implementation and professional competencies based on a research review. The following five topics were identified: 1...
Laboratory-acquired brucellosis
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fabiansen, C.; Knudsen, J.D.; Lebech, A.M.
2008-01-01
Brucellosis is a rare disease in Denmark. We describe one case of laboratory-acquired brucellosis from an index patient to a laboratory technician following exposure to an infected blood culture in a clinical microbiology laboratory Udgivelsesdato: 2008/6/9......Brucellosis is a rare disease in Denmark. We describe one case of laboratory-acquired brucellosis from an index patient to a laboratory technician following exposure to an infected blood culture in a clinical microbiology laboratory Udgivelsesdato: 2008/6/9...
Fully embedded myoelectric control for a wearable robotic hand orthosis.
Ryser, Franziska; Butzer, Tobias; Held, Jeremia P; Lambercy, Olivier; Gassert, Roger
2017-07-01
To prevent learned non-use of the affected hand in chronic stroke survivors, rehabilitative training should be continued after discharge from the hospital. Robotic hand orthoses are a promising approach for home rehabilitation. When combined with intuitive control based on electromyography, the therapy outcome can be improved. However, such systems often require extensive cabling, experience in electrode placement and connection to external computers. This paper presents the framework for a stand-alone, fully wearable and real-time myoelectric intention detection system based on the Myo armband. The hard and software for real-time gesture classification were developed and combined with a routine to train and customize the classifier, leading to a unique ease of use. The system including training of the classifier can be set up within less than one minute. Results demonstrated that: (1) the proposed algorithm can classify five gestures with an accuracy of 98%, (2) the final system can online classify three gestures with an accuracy of 94.3% and, in a preliminary test, (3) classify three gestures from data acquired from mildly to severely impaired stroke survivors with an accuracy of over 78.8%. These results highlight the potential of the presented system for electromyography-based intention detection for stroke survivors and, with the integration of the system into a robotic hand orthosis, the potential for a wearable platform for all day robot-assisted home rehabilitation.
Linear and nonlinear subspace analysis of hand movements during grasping.
Cui, Phil Hengjun; Visell, Yon
2014-01-01
This study investigated nonlinear patterns of coordination, or synergies, underlying whole-hand grasping kinematics. Prior research has shed considerable light on roles played by such coordinated degrees-of-freedom (DOF), illuminating how motor control is facilitated by structural and functional specializations in the brain, peripheral nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. However, existing analyses suppose that the patterns of coordination can be captured by means of linear analyses, as linear combinations of nominally independent DOF. In contrast, hand kinematics is itself highly nonlinear in nature. To address this discrepancy, we sought to to determine whether nonlinear synergies might serve to more accurately and efficiently explain human grasping kinematics than is possible with linear analyses. We analyzed motion capture data acquired from the hands of individuals as they grasped an array of common objects, using four of the most widely used linear and nonlinear dimensionality reduction algorithms. We compared the results using a recently developed algorithm-agnostic quality measure, which enabled us to assess the quality of the dimensional reductions that resulted by assessing the extent to which local neighborhood information in the data was preserved. Although qualitative inspection of this data suggested that nonlinear correlations between kinematic variables were present, we found that linear modeling, in the form of Principle Components Analysis, could perform better than any of the nonlinear techniques we applied.
Comprehensive bactericidal activity of an ethanol-based hand gel in 15 seconds
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kampf Günter
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Some studies indicate that the commonly recommended 30 s application time for the post contamination treatment of hands may not be necessary as the same effect may be achieved with some formulations in a shorter application time such as 15 s. Method We evaluated the bactericidal activity of an ethanol-based hand gel (Sterillium® Comfort Gel within 15 s in a time-kill-test against 11 Gram-positive, 16 Gram-negative bacteria and 11 emerging bacterial pathogens. Each strain was evaluated in quadruplicate. Results The hand gel (85% ethanol, w/w was found to reduce all 11 Gram-positive and all 16 Gram-negative bacteria by more than 5 log10 steps within 15 s, not only against the ATCC test strains but also against corresponding clinical isolates. In addition, a log10 reduction > 5 was observed against all tested emerging bacterial pathogens. Conclusion The ethanol-based hand gel was found to have a broad spectrum of bactericidal activity in only 15 s which includes the most common species causing nosocomial infections and the relevant emerging pathogens. Future research will hopefully help to find out if a shorter application time for the post contamination treatment of hands provides more benefits or more risks.
Ultrasonography with a hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kameda, Toru; Takahashi, Isao
2009-01-01
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of ultrasonography (US) with a hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in the emergency room. US with a hand-held device was performed by the first author in 33 patients suspected of having appendicitis in the emergency room. From these 33 patients, 24 who subsequently underwent computed tomography (CT) or surgery were included in this study. The accuracy of US with the hand-held device for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was evaluated based on the findings of CT or surgery. CT and surgery were performed in 22 and 12 patients, respectively. Final diagnoses were acute appendicitis (n=18), terminal ileitis (n=2), pelvic inflammatory disease (n=2), diverticulitis (n=1), and ureterolithiasis (n=1). The US yielded a sensitivity of 78% and a positive predictive value of 100%. The shortest distance between the abdominal wall and the appendix measured on CT was less than 40 mm in 11 patients. In ten (91%) of the 11 patients US with the hand-held device showed the swollen appendix. US with a hand-held device is potentially useful in the positive identification of acute appendicitis, but further investigation is needed to prove its utility in the routine diagnosis of acute appendicitis. (author)
Hand washing promotion for preventing diarrhoea
Ejemot-Nwadiaro, Regina I; Ehiri, John E; Arikpo, Dachi; Meremikwu, Martin M; Critchley, Julia A
2015-01-01
Background Diarrhoea accounts for 1.8 million deaths in children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). One of the identified strategies to prevent diarrhoea is hand washing. Objectives To assess the effects of hand washing promotion interventions on diarrhoeal episodes in children and adults. Search methods We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group Specialized Register (27 May 2015); CENTRAL (published in the Cochrane Library 2015, Issue 5); MEDLINE (1966 to 27 May 2015); EMBASE (1974 to 27 May 2015); LILACS (1982 to 27 May 2015); PsycINFO (1967 to 27 May 2015); Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index (1981 to 27 May 2015); ERIC (1966 to 27 May 2015); SPECTR (2000 to 27 May 2015); Bibliomap (1990 to 27 May 2015); RoRe, The Grey Literature (2002 to 27 May 2015); World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP), metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT), and reference lists of articles up to 27 May 2015. We also contacted researchers and organizations in the field. Selection criteria Individually randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-RCTs that compared the effects of hand washing interventions on diarrhoea episodes in children and adults with no intervention. Data collection and analysis Three review authors independently assessed trial eligibility, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. We stratified the analyses for child day-care centres or schools, community, and hospital-based settings. Where appropriate, incidence rate ratios (IRR) were pooled using the generic inverse variance method and random-effects model with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of evidence. Main results We included 22 RCTs: 12 trials from child day-care centres or schools in mainly high-income countries (54,006 participants), nine community-based trials in LMICs (15,303 participants), and one hospital-based trial among people with acquired immune deficiency
Guideline Implementation: Hand Hygiene.
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.
Hand hygiene knowledge and perceptions among anesthesia providers.
Fernandez, Patrick G; Loftus, Randy W; Dodds, Thomas M; Koff, Matthew D; Reddy, Sundara; Heard, Stephen O; Beach, Michael L; Yeager, Mark P; Brown, Jeremiah R
2015-04-01
positively to washing their hands after contact with the environment (odds ratio [OR] 0.23, 0.14-0.37, P hygiene guidelines occur frequently and are often due to failure to recognize opportunities for hand hygiene after prior contact with contaminated patient and environmental reservoirs. Intraoperative hand hygiene improvement programs should address these knowledge deficits. Predictors for incomplete knowledge as identified in this study should be validated in future studies.
Shape-based hand recognition approach using the morphological pattern spectrum
Ramirez-Cortes, Juan Manuel; Gomez-Gil, Pilar; Sanchez-Perez, Gabriel; Prieto-Castro, Cesar
2009-01-01
We propose the use of the morphological pattern spectrum, or pecstrum, as the base of a biometric shape-based hand recognition system. The system receives an image of the right hand of a subject in an unconstrained pose, which is captured with a commercial flatbed scanner. According to pecstrum property of invariance to translation and rotation, the system does not require the use of pegs for a fixed hand position, which simplifies the image acquisition process. This novel feature-extraction method is tested using a Euclidean distance classifier for identification and verification cases, obtaining 97% correct identification, and an equal error rate (EER) of 0.0285 (2.85%) for the verification mode. The obtained results indicate that the pattern spectrum represents a good feature-extraction alternative for low- and medium-level hand-shape-based biometric applications.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wolf Alexander Karsten
2016-05-01
Full Text Available The health care sector is facing many aspects of transformation. One aspect amongst others herein is an alteration of qualification profiles. Universities have to focus on both aspects determining future qualification profiles and increasing permeability between educational systems in a sense of optimally intermeshing competences that have been acquired at universities and those that have been acquired outside of them. This leads to the question how to create university certificate programs that offers two aspects: academic qualification on the one hand and on the other hand a possibility to identify, evaluate and certify non-formally and informally acquired competences of participating students. The ultimate goal is to identify and evaluate a person´s overall competence in a clearly defined thematic context, whereat competences that have been acquired outside universities will play an important role. Competences that have been certified by these academic programs may be used later for crediting purposes. In this report an initial prototype is being presented. It defines itself mainly as additional novel way of discussing crediting concepts.
Hand hygiene of medical students and resident physicians: predictors of attitudes and behaviour.
Barroso, Violeta; Caceres, Wendy; Loftus, Pooja; Evans, Kambria H; Shieh, Lisa
2016-09-01
We measured medical students' and resident trainees' hand hygiene behaviour, knowledge and attitudes in order to identify important predictors of hand hygiene behaviour in this population. An anonymous, web-based questionnaire was distributed to medical students and residents at Stanford University School of Medicine in August of 2012. The questionnaire included questions regarding participants' behaviour, knowledge, attitude and experiences about hand hygiene. Behaviour, knowledge and attitude indices were scaled from 0 to 1, with 1 representing superior responses. Using multivariate regression, we identified positive and negative predictors of superior hand hygiene behaviour. We investigated effectiveness of interventions, barriers and comfort reminding others. 280 participants (111 students and 169 residents) completed the questionnaire (response rate 27.8%). Residents and medical students reported hand hygiene behaviour compliance of 0.45 and 0.55, respectively (p=0.02). Resident and medical student knowledge was 0.80 and 0.73, respectively (p=0.001). The attitude index for residents was 0.56 and 0.55 for medical students. Regression analysis identified experiences as predictors of hand hygiene behaviour (both positive and negative influence). Knowledge was not a significant predictor of behaviour, but a working gel dispenser and observing attending physicians with good hand hygiene practices were reported by both groups as the most effective strategy in influencing trainees. Medical students and residents have similar attitudes about hand hygiene, but differ in their level of knowledge and compliance. Concerns about hierarchy may have a significant negative impact on hand hygiene advocacy. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/
Inspections of Hand Washing Supplies and Hand Sanitizer in Public Schools
Ramos, Mary M.; Blea, Mary; Trujillo, Rebecca; Greenberg, Cynthia
2010-01-01
Hand washing and hand antisepsis are proven infection control measures in the school setting, yet barriers such as lack of soap, paper towels, and hand sanitizer can hinder compliance. This pilot study measured the prevalence of hand cleaning supplies in public schools. Ten school districts (93 schools) participated in school nurse inspections. In…
Visentin, Peter; Li, Shiming; Tardif, Guillaume; Shan, Gongbing
2015-01-01
Instrumental music performance ranks among the most complex of learned human behaviors, requiring development of highly nuanced powers of sensory and neural discrimination, intricate motor skills, and adaptive abilities in a temporal activity. Teaching, learning and performing on the violin generally occur within musico-cultural parameters most often transmitted through aural traditions that include both verbal instruction and performance modeling. In most parts of the world, violin is taught in a manner virtually indistinguishable from that used 200 years ago. The current study uses methods from movement science to examine the "how" and "what" of left-hand position changes (shifting), a movement skill essential during violin performance. In doing so, it begins a discussion of artistic individualization in terms of anthropometry, the performer-instrument interface, and the strategic use of motor behaviors. Results based on 540 shifting samples, a case series of 6 professional-level violinists, showed that some elements of the skill were individualized in surprising ways while others were explainable by anthropometry, ergonomics and entrainment. Remarkably, results demonstrated each violinist to have developed an individualized pacing for shifts, a feature that should influence timing effects and prove foundational to aesthetic outcomes during performance. Such results underpin the potential for scientific methodologies to unravel mysteries of performance that are associated with a performer's personal artistic style.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Visentin
2015-10-01
Full Text Available Instrumental music performance ranks among the most complex of learned human behaviors, requiring development of highly nuanced powers of sensory and neural discrimination, intricate motor skills, and adaptive abilities in a temporal activity. Teaching, learning and performing on the violin generally occur within musico-cultural parameters most often transmitted through aural traditions that include both verbal instruction and performance modeling. In most parts of the world, violin is taught in a manner virtually indistinguishable from that used 200 years ago. The current study uses methods from movement science to examine the “how” and “what” of left-hand position changes (shifting, a movement skill essential during violin performance. In doing so, it begins a discussion of artistic individualization in terms of anthropometry, the performer-instrument interface, and the strategic use of motor behaviors. Results based on 540 shifting samples, a case series of 6 professional-level violinists, showed that some elements of the skill were individualized in surprising ways while others were explainable by anthropometry, ergonomics and entrainment. Remarkably, results demonstrated each violinist to have developed an individualized pacing for shifts, a feature that should influence timing effects and prove foundational to aesthetic outcomes during performance. Such results underpin the potential for scientific methodologies to unravel mysteries of performance that are associated with a performer’s personal artistic style.
Shibuya, Satoshi; Unenaka, Satoshi; Ohki, Yukari
2017-01-01
Body ownership and agency are fundamental to self-consciousness. These bodily experiences have been intensively investigated using the rubber hand illusion, wherein participants perceive a fake hand as their own. After presentation of the illusion, the position of the participant's hand then shifts toward the location of the fake hand (proprioceptive drift). However, it remains controversial whether proprioceptive drift is able to provide an objective measurement of body ownership, and whether agency also affects drift. Using the virtual hand illusion (VHI), the current study examined the effects of body ownership and agency on proprioceptive drift, with three different visuo-motor tasks. Twenty healthy adults (29.6 ± 9.2 years old) completed VH manipulations using their right hand under a 2 × 2 factorial design (active vs. passive manipulation, and congruent vs. incongruent virtual hand). Prior to and after VH manipulation, three different tasks were performed to assess proprioceptive drift, in which participants were unable to see their real hands. The effects of the VHI on proprioceptive drift were task-dependent. When participants were required to judge the position of their right hand using a ruler, or by reaching toward a visual target, both body ownership and agency modulated proprioceptive drift. Comparatively, when participants aligned both hands, drift was influenced by ownership but not agency. These results suggest that body ownership and agency might differentially modulate various body representations in the brain.
Effect of hand sanitizer location on hand hygiene compliance.
Cure, Laila; Van Enk, Richard
2015-09-01
Hand hygiene is the most important intervention to prevent infection in hospitals. Health care workers should clean their hands at least before and after contact with patients. Hand sanitizer dispensers are important to support hand hygiene because they can be made available throughout hospital units. The aim of this study was to determine whether the usability of sanitizer dispensers correlates with compliance of staff in using the sanitizer in a hospital. This study took place in a Midwest, 404-bed, private, nonprofit community hospital with 15 inpatient care units in addition to several ambulatory units. The usability and standardization of sanitizers in 12 participating inpatient units were evaluated. The hospital measured compliance of staff with hand hygiene as part of their quality improvement program. Data from 2010-2012 were analyzed to measure the relationship between compliance and usability using mixed-effects logistic regression models. The total usability score (P = .0046), visibility (P = .003), and accessibility of the sanitizer on entrance to the patient room (P = .00055) were statistically associated with higher observed compliance rates. Standardization alone showed no significant impact on observed compliance (P = .37). Hand hygiene compliance can be influenced by visibility and accessibility of dispensers. The sanitizer location should be part of multifaceted interventions to improve hand hygiene. Copyright © 2015 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Hand-arm vibration disorder among grass-cutter workers in Malaysia.
Azmir, Nor Azali; Ghazali, Mohd Imran; Yahya, Musli Nizam; Ali, Mohamad Hanafi
2016-09-01
Prolonged exposure to hand-transmitted vibration from grass-cutting machines has been associated with increasing occurrences of symptoms and signs of occupational diseases related to hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). A cross-sectional study was carried out using an adopted HAVS questionnaire on hand-arm vibration exposure and symptoms distributed to 168 male workers from the grass and turf maintenance industry who use hand-held grass-cutting machines as part of their work. The prevalence ratio and symptom correlation to HAVS between high and low-moderate exposure risk groups were evaluated. There were positive HAVS symptoms relationships between the low-moderate exposure group and the high exposure group among hand-held grass-cutting workers. The prevalence ratio was considered high because there were indicators that fingers turned white and felt numb, 3.63, 95% CI [1.41, 9.39] and 4.24, 95% CI [2.18, 8.27], respectively. Less than 14.3% of workers stated that they were aware of the occupational hand-arm vibration, and it seemed to be related to the finger blanching and numbness. The results suggest that HAVS is under-diagnosed in Malaysia, especially in the agricultural sectors. More information related to safety and health awareness programmes for HAVS exposure is required among hand-held grass-cutting workers.
Miles, Barbara
This paper examines the importance of hands for the person who is deafblind, reviews hand development, and identifies specific teaching skills that facilitate hand development and expressiveness in persons who are deafblind. It notes that the hands of a deafblind individual serve not only as tools but also as sense organs (to compensate for their…
OARSI Clinical Trials Recommendations: Hand imaging in clinical trials in osteoarthritis.
Hunter, D J; Arden, N; Cicuttini, F; Crema, M D; Dardzinski, B; Duryea, J; Guermazi, A; Haugen, I K; Kloppenburg, M; Maheu, E; Miller, C G; Martel-Pelletier, J; Ochoa-Albíztegui, R E; Pelletier, J-P; Peterfy, C; Roemer, F; Gold, G E
2015-05-01
Tremendous advances have occurred in our understanding of the pathogenesis of hand osteoarthritis (OA) and these are beginning to be applied to trials targeted at modification of the disease course. The purpose of this expert opinion, consensus driven exercise is to provide detail on how one might use and apply hand imaging assessments in disease modifying clinical trials. It includes information on acquisition methods/techniques (including guidance on positioning for radiography, sequence/protocol recommendations/hardware for MRI); commonly encountered problems (including positioning, hardware and coil failures, sequences artifacts); quality assurance/control procedures; measurement methods; measurement performance (reliability, responsiveness, validity); recommendations for trials; and research recommendations. Copyright © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sung-Won Oh
2007-12-01
Full Text Available Objectives : Hand paresthesia is common syndrome and the cause is more unknown than known reason. The Purpose of this study were investigated the effects of Myofacial Pain Syndrome theory to make diagnosis and treatment by Pharmacopuncture for the patients of hand paresthesia. Method : This study was carried out to established the clinical criteria of hand parethesia. The patients who had past history of diabeics, neuropathy induced by alcohol or drug were excluded, and 86 patients who had hand paresthesia related with unknown-reason was selected by the interview process. And the effects of Pharmacopuncture theory were analyzed using VAS score before and after treatment. Results and conclusions : 56.9% of unknown-reason patients are positive at diagnosis by MPS theory. While positive group decrease from 62.81±14.27 to 25.28±15.97, negative group decrease from 55.88±10.92 to 48.28±14.01 by VAS scores. Positive group was accordingly more effective than negative group. So diagnosis and treatment for hand numbness patients by MPS theory was useful in clinical.
Human-inspired feedback synergies for environmental interaction with a dexterous robotic hand.
Kent, Benjamin A; Engeberg, Erik D
2014-11-07
Effortless control of the human hand is mediated by the physical and neural couplings inherent in the structure of the hand. This concept was explored for environmental interaction tasks with the human hand, and a novel human-inspired feedback synergy (HFS) controller was developed for a robotic hand which synchronized position and force feedback signals to mimic observed human hand motions. This was achieved by first recording the finger joint motion profiles of human test subjects, where it was observed that the subjects would extend their fingers to maintain a natural hand posture when interacting with different surfaces. The resulting human joint angle data were used as inspiration to develop the HFS controller for the anthropomorphic robotic hand, which incorporated finger abduction and force feedback in the control laws for finger extension. Experimental results showed that by projecting a broader view of the tasks at hand to each specific joint, the HFS controller produced hand motion profiles that closely mimic the observed human responses and allowed the robotic manipulator to interact with the surfaces while maintaining a natural hand posture. Additionally, the HFS controller enabled the robotic hand to autonomously traverse vertical step discontinuities without prior knowledge of the environment, visual feedback, or traditional trajectory planning techniques.
Human-inspired feedback synergies for environmental interaction with a dexterous robotic hand
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kent, Benjamin A; Engeberg, Erik D
2014-01-01
Effortless control of the human hand is mediated by the physical and neural couplings inherent in the structure of the hand. This concept was explored for environmental interaction tasks with the human hand, and a novel human-inspired feedback synergy (HFS) controller was developed for a robotic hand which synchronized position and force feedback signals to mimic observed human hand motions. This was achieved by first recording the finger joint motion profiles of human test subjects, where it was observed that the subjects would extend their fingers to maintain a natural hand posture when interacting with different surfaces. The resulting human joint angle data were used as inspiration to develop the HFS controller for the anthropomorphic robotic hand, which incorporated finger abduction and force feedback in the control laws for finger extension. Experimental results showed that by projecting a broader view of the tasks at hand to each specific joint, the HFS controller produced hand motion profiles that closely mimic the observed human responses and allowed the robotic manipulator to interact with the surfaces while maintaining a natural hand posture. Additionally, the HFS controller enabled the robotic hand to autonomously traverse vertical step discontinuities without prior knowledge of the environment, visual feedback, or traditional trajectory planning techniques. (paper)
Reynolds, Gemma; Wasely, David; Dunne, Guler; Askew, Chris
2017-01-01
Research with children has demonstrated that both positive vicarious learning (modelling) and positive verbal information can reduce children’s acquired fear responses for a particular stimulus. However, this fear reduction appears to be more effective when the intervention pathway matches the initial fear learning pathway. That is, positive verbal information is a more effective intervention than positive modelling when fear is originally acquired via negative verbal information. Research ha...
Acquiring 4D thoracic CT scans using a multislice helical method
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Keall, P J; Starkschall, G; Shukla, H; Forster, K M; Ortiz, V; Stevens, C W; Vedam, S S; George, R; Guerrero, T; Mohan, R
2004-01-01
Respiratory motion degrades anatomic position reproducibility during imaging, necessitates larger margins during radiotherapy planning and causes errors during radiation delivery. Computed tomography (CT) scans acquired synchronously with the respiratory signal can be used to reconstruct 4D CT scans, which can be employed for 4D treatment planning to explicitly account for respiratory motion. The aim of this research was to develop, test and clinically implement a method to acquire 4D thoracic CT scans using a multislice helical method. A commercial position-monitoring system used for respiratory-gated radiotherapy was interfaced with a third generation multislice scanner. 4D cardiac reconstruction methods were modified to allow 4D thoracic CT acquisition. The technique was tested on a phantom under different conditions: stationary, periodic motion and non-periodic motion. 4D CT was also implemented for a lung cancer patient with audio-visual breathing coaching. For all cases, 4D CT images were successfully acquired from eight discrete breathing phases, however, some limitations of the system in terms of respiration reproducibility and breathing period relative to scanner settings were evident. Lung mass for the 4D CT patient scan was reproducible to within 2.1% over the eight phases, though the lung volume changed by 20% between end inspiration and end expiration (870 cm 3 ). 4D CT can be used for 4D radiotherapy, respiration-gated radiotherapy, 'slow' CT acquisition and tumour motion studies
Yazaji, Eskandar Alex
2011-01-01
Hand hygiene is one of the major players in preventing healthcare associated infections. However, healthcare workers compliance with hand hygiene continues to be a challenge. This article will address strategies to help improving hand hygiene compliance. Keywords: hand hygiene; healthcare associated infections; multidisciplinary program; system change; accountability; education; feedback(Published: 18 July 2011)Citation: Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives 2011, 1: 72...
A framework for designing hand hygiene educational interventions in schools.
Appiah-Brempong, Emmanuel; Harris, Muriel J; Newton, Samuel; Gulis, Gabriel
2018-03-01
Hygiene education appears to be the commonest school-based intervention for preventing infectious diseases, especially in the developing world. Nevertheless, there remains a gap in literature regarding a school-specific theory-based framework for designing a hand hygiene educational intervention in schools. We sought to suggest a framework underpinned by psychosocial theories towards bridging this knowledge gap. Furthermore, we sought to propound a more comprehensive definition of hand hygiene which could guide the conceptualisation of hand hygiene interventions in varied settings. Literature search was guided by a standardized tool and literature was retrieved on the basis of a predetermined inclusion criteria. Databases consulted include PubMed, ERIC, and EBSCO host (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, etc.). Evidence bordering on a theoretical framework to aid the design of school-based hand hygiene educational interventions is summarized narratively. School-based hand hygiene educational interventions seeking to positively influence behavioural outcomes could consider enhancing psychosocial variables including behavioural capacity, attitudes and subjective norms (normative beliefs and motivation to comply). A framework underpinned by formalized psychosocial theories has relevance and could enhance the design of hand hygiene educational interventions, especially in schools.
Kalata, N L; Kamange, L; Muula, A S
2013-06-01
While communicable diseases are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Malawi, the contribution of nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) is unknown but could be substantial. The single most important method of preventing nosocomial infections is hand hygiene. We report a study which was conducted in 2011 to investigate adherence to hand hygiene protocols by clinicians and medical students working at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. There were two parts to the study: a single blinded arm in which participants were observed without their knowledge by trained nurses; and a second arm which included self-completion of questionnaire after participant consent was obtained. The 2009 World Health Organization hand hygiene technique and recommendations which were adopted by Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital were used to define an opportunity for hand washing and effectiveness of hand washing. Hand hygiene effectiveness was defined as adherence to at least 6 out of 7 steps (80%) of the hand hygiene technique when using alcohol-based formulation or at least 8 out of 10 steps (80%) of the hand hygiene technique when using water and soap formulation before and after having direct contact with patients or their immediate surroundings. Clinicians were found to have disinfected their hands more than medical students (phand sanitizer and hand hygiene practice (p=0.3). Adherence to hand hygiene was found to be 23%. Most of the participants mentioned infection transmission prevention as a reason for disinfecting their hands. Other reasons mentioned included: a routine personal hand hygiene behaviour and discomfort if not washing hands. The top three reasons why they did not disinfect hands were forgetfulness, unavailability of sanitizers and negligence. Adherence to hand hygiene practice was found to be low, with forgetfulness and negligence being the major contributing factors. A hospital-wide multifaceted program aiming at clinicians and
The human hand as an inspiration for robot hand development
Santos, Veronica
2014-01-01
“The Human Hand as an Inspiration for Robot Hand Development” presents an edited collection of authoritative contributions in the area of robot hands. The results described in the volume are expected to lead to more robust, dependable, and inexpensive distributed systems such as those endowed with complex and advanced sensing, actuation, computation, and communication capabilities. The twenty-four chapters discuss the field of robotic grasping and manipulation viewed in light of the human hand’s capabilities and push the state-of-the-art in robot hand design and control. Topics discussed include human hand biomechanics, neural control, sensory feedback and perception, and robotic grasp and manipulation. This book will be useful for researchers from diverse areas such as robotics, biomechanics, neuroscience, and anthropologists.
Constraint Study for a Hand Exoskeleton: Human Hand Kinematics and Dynamics
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Fai Chen Chen
2013-01-01
Full Text Available In the last few years, the number of projects studying the human hand from the robotic point of view has increased rapidly, due to the growing interest in academic and industrial applications. Nevertheless, the complexity of the human hand given its large number of degrees of freedom (DoF within a significantly reduced space requires an exhaustive analysis, before proposing any applications. The aim of this paper is to provide a complete summary of the kinematic and dynamic characteristics of the human hand as a preliminary step towards the development of hand devices such as prosthetic/robotic hands and exoskeletons imitating the human hand shape and functionality. A collection of data and constraints relevant to hand movements is presented, and the direct and inverse kinematics are solved for all the fingers as well as the dynamics; anthropometric data and dynamics equations allow performing simulations to understand the behavior of the finger.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hunjan, Sandeep; Starkschall, George; Prado, Karl; Dong Lei; Balter, Peter
2010-01-01
Purpose: For thoracic tumors, if four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) is unavailable, the internal margin can be estimated by use of breath-hold (BH) CT scans acquired at end inspiration (EI) and end expiration (EE). By use of external surrogates for tumor position, BH accuracy is estimated by minimizing the difference between respiratory extrema BH and mean equivalent-phase free breathing (FB) positions. We tested the assumption that an external surrogate for BH accuracy correlates with internal tumor positional accuracy during BH CT. Methods and Materials: In 16 lung cancer patients, 4DCT images, as well as BH CT images at EI and EE, were acquired. Absolute differences between BH and mean equivalent-phase (FB) positions were calculated for both external fiducials and gross tumor volume (GTV) centroids as metrics of external and internal BH accuracy, respectively, and the results were correlated. Results: At EI, the absolute difference between mean FB and BH fiducial displacement correlated poorly with the absolute difference between FB and BH GTV centroid positions on CT images (R 2 = 0.11). Similarly, at EE, the absolute difference between mean FB and BH fiducial displacements correlated poorly with the absolute difference between FB and BH GTV centroid positions on CT images (R 2 = 0.18). Conclusions: External surrogates for tumor position are not an accurate metric of BH accuracy for lung cancer patients. This implies that care should be taken when using such an approach because an incorrect internal margin could be generated.
HandTutor™ enhanced hand rehabilitation after stroke--a pilot study.
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 stroke hand function rehabilitation.
Chen, Jessie; Reitzen, Shari D; Kohlenstein, Jane B; Gardner, Esther P
2009-12-01
Studies of hand manipulation neurons in posterior parietal cortex of monkeys suggest that their spike trains represent objects by the hand postures needed for grasping or by the underlying patterns of muscle activation. To analyze the role of hand kinematics and object properties in a trained prehension task, we correlated the firing rates of neurons in anterior area 5 with hand behaviors as monkeys grasped and lifted knobs of different shapes and locations in the workspace. Trials were divided into four classes depending on the approach trajectory: forward, lateral, and local approaches, and regrasps. The task factors controlled by the animal-how and when he used the hand-appeared to play the principal roles in modulating firing rates of area 5 neurons. In all, 77% of neurons studied (58/75) showed significant effects of approach style on firing rates; 80% of the population responded at higher rates and for longer durations on forward or lateral approaches that included reaching, wrist rotation, and hand preshaping prior to contact, but only 13% distinguished the direction of reach. The higher firing rates in reach trials reflected not only the arm movements needed to direct the hand to the target before contact, but persisted through the contact, grasp, and lift stages. Moreover, the approach style exerted a stronger effect on firing rates than object features, such as shape and location, which were distinguished by half of the population. Forty-three percent of the neurons signaled both the object properties and the hand actions used to acquire them. However, the spread in firing rates evoked by each knob on reach and no-reach trials was greater than distinctions between different objects grasped with the same approach style. Our data provide clear evidence for synergies between reaching and grasping that may facilitate smooth, coordinated actions of the arm and hand.
Design and implementation of a dexterous anthropomorphic robotic typing (DART) hand
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thayer, Nicholas; Priya, Shashank
2011-01-01
This paper focuses on design and implementation of a biomimetic dexterous humanoid hand. Several design rules are proposed to retain human form and functionality in a robotic hand while overcoming the difficultly of actuation within a confined geometry. Size and weight have been optimized in order to achieve human-like performance with the prime objective of typing on a computer keyboard. Each finger has four joints and three degrees of freedom (DOF) while the thumb has an additional degree of freedom necessary for manipulating small objects. The hand consists of 16 servo motors dedicated to finger motion and three motors for wrist motion. A closed-loop kinematic control scheme utilizing the Denavit–Hartenberg convention for spatial joint positioning was implemented. Servo motors housed in the forearm act as an origin for wires to travel to their insertion points in the hand. The dexterity of the DART hand was measured by quantifying functionality and typing speed on a standard keyboard. The typing speed of a single DART hand was found to be 20 words min −1 . In comparison, the average human has a typing speed of 33 words min −1 with two hands
Selection of suitable hand gestures for reliable myoelectric human computer interface.
Castro, Maria Claudia F; Arjunan, Sridhar P; Kumar, Dinesh K
2015-04-09
Myoelectric controlled prosthetic hand requires machine based identification of hand gestures using surface electromyogram (sEMG) recorded from the forearm muscles. This study has observed that a sub-set of the hand gestures have to be selected for an accurate automated hand gesture recognition, and reports a method to select these gestures to maximize the sensitivity and specificity. Experiments were conducted where sEMG was recorded from the muscles of the forearm while subjects performed hand gestures and then was classified off-line. The performances of ten gestures were ranked using the proposed Positive-Negative Performance Measurement Index (PNM), generated by a series of confusion matrices. When using all the ten gestures, the sensitivity and specificity was 80.0% and 97.8%. After ranking the gestures using the PNM, six gestures were selected and these gave sensitivity and specificity greater than 95% (96.5% and 99.3%); Hand open, Hand close, Little finger flexion, Ring finger flexion, Middle finger flexion and Thumb flexion. This work has shown that reliable myoelectric based human computer interface systems require careful selection of the gestures that have to be recognized and without such selection, the reliability is poor.
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
Rahmani, G
2017-11-01
Accidental self-inflicted knife injuries to digits are a common cause of tendon and nerve injury requiring hand surgery. There has been an apparent increase in avocado related hand injuries. Classically, the patients hold the avocado in their non-dominant hand while using a knife to cut\\/peel the fruit with their dominant hand. The mechanism of injury is usually a stabbing injury to the non-dominant hand as the knife slips past the stone, through the soft avocado fruit. Despite their apparent increased incidence, we could not find any cases in the literature which describe the “avocado hand”. We present a case of a 32-year-old woman who sustained a significant hand injury while preparing an avocado. She required exploration and repair of a digital nerve under regional anaesthesia and has since made a full recovery.
Kashefinejad, Mohamad; Harandi, Azade; Eram, Saeed; Bijani, Ali
2016-01-01
Pain is an unpleasant outcome of endodontic treatment that can be unbearable to patients. Instrumentation techniques may affect the frequency and intensity of post-endodontic pain. This study aimed to compare single visit post endodontic pain using Mtwo (NiTi) rotary and hand K-file instruments. In this randomized controlled trial, 60 teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in 53 patients were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of 30 teeth. In group A, the root canals were prepared with Mtwo (NiTi) rotary instruments. In group B, the root canals were prepared with hand K-file instruments. Pain assessment was implemented using visual analog scale (VAS) at four, eight, 12 and 24 hours after treatment. The acquired data were analyzed using chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Student's t-test (Protary instruments experienced significantly less post-endodontic pain than those treated with hand instruments (Protary instruments in root canal preparation contributed to lower incidence of postoperative pain than hand K-files.
Ginn, T Adam; Smith, Adam M; Snyder, Jon R; Koman, L Andrew; Smith, Beth P; Rushing, Julia
2005-07-01
Repetitive trauma to the hand is a concern for baseball players. The present study investigated the effects of repetitive trauma and the prevalence of microvascular pathological changes in the hands of minor league professional baseball players. In contrast to previous investigators, we documented the presence of abnormalities in younger, asymptomatic individuals. Thirty-six baseball players on active minor league rosters underwent a history and physical examination of both hands as well as additional specialized tests, including Doppler ultrasound, a timed Allen test, determination of digital brachial pressure indices, and ring sizing of fingers. Data were compared between gloved hands and throwing hands, hitters and nonhitters, and players at four different positions (catcher [nine subjects], outfielder [seven subjects], infielder [five subjects], and pitcher [fifteen subjects]). Digital brachial indices in the ring fingers of the gloved (p healthy professional baseball players in all positions, with a significantly higher prevalence in catchers, prior to the development of clinically important ischemia. Repetitive trauma resulting from the impact of the baseball also leads to digital hypertrophy in the index finger of the gloved hand of catchers. Gloves currently used by professional catchers do not adequately protect the hand from repetitive trauma.
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 hands (P hand washing with soap at reducing indicator organisms on farmworker hands. Based on these results, ABHS is an efficacious hand hygiene solution for produce handlers, even on soiled hands.
... from conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow , as well as from chronic problems such as ... Tools Advice from a Certified Hand Therapist on Tennis Elbow Advice from a Certified Hand Therapist: Living with( ...
Hand activities in infantile masturbation: a video analysis of 13 cases.
Hansen, Jonas Kjeldbjerg; Balslev, Thomas
2009-11-01
Infantile masturbation is considered a variant of normal behaviour. The abrupt and spontaneous onset, altered sensorium and autonomic phenomena during episodes may suggest an epileptic fit. Therefore, children with infantile masturbation are often admitted to hospital and undergo unnecessary tests. The purpose of the present study was to provide a detailed description of hand activities in infantile masturbation. The authors reviewed video recordings of 2 boys and 11 girls with infantile masturbation. Position, movements and activities of hands and fingers during episodes were registered. Five patterns of hand activities were registered: Fisting (four infants), grasping of toys, furniture or clothing (ten infants), chorea-like "piano playing" hand movements (two infants), pressure over the diaper/genital region (one infant) and bimanual manipulation of items (four infants). Fisting was primarily observed in the younger infants, and bimanual manipulation was primarily seen in the older infants. Recognizing one or more of the five distinct patterns of hand activities in infantile masturbation may help establishing the diagnosis.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Y. S. Kalmykova
2014-09-01
Full Text Available Purpose : to make a program of physical rehabilitation for convalescents after community-acquired pneumonia, promotes normalization of respiratory function. The objectives of the study was to evaluate the dynamics spirographic indicators during convalescence community-acquired pneumonia. Material: the study involved 28 women aged 19 to 24 years with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia after convalescent. Results: the positive influence of physiotherapy based dance aerobics; morning hygienic gymnastics; therapeutic massage and physical therapy on indicators of lung volumes, ventilation and bronchial patency according spirographic research. Conclusion: in community-acquired pneumonia during the convalescence period recommended physical rehabilitation, which includes curative gymnastics based on dance aerobics, morning hygienic gymnastics, massage therapy, physiotherapy. It improves the functionality of the cardiorespiratory system, nonspecific immunity and overall physical performance level.
Creeping eruption of the hand in an Iranian patient: Cutaneous larva migrans
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Zabihollah Shahmoradi
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Cutaneous larva migrans (CLM, a serpiginous cutaneous eruption is the most commonly acquired tropical dermatosis. It is caused by infection with hookworm larvae in tropical and sub-tropical areas, and people who have a history of travel in these countries. The most frequent location of CLM is the distal lower extremities or buttocks. We describe a case of 57-year-old Iranian female patient with CLM of hand (unusual site without traveling to endemic countries that was successfully treated with oral albendazole. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CLM in Iran.
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.
Scott, Caitlin; Corbin, William R
2014-01-01
Previous research has identified several aspects of behavioral undercontrol that are associated with heavy drinking and problems. Further, research on the acquired preparedness model (Smith and Anderson, 2001) has identified biased learning as a potential mechanism of these effects. Traits like sensation seeking have been linked to stronger positive and weaker negative expectancies, which, in turn, contribute to increased risk for heavy drinking and problems. Although expectancies are thought to represent potentially biased expectations about drinking outcomes, they may also reflect individual differences in alcohol response. The present study examined the strength of associations between sensation seeking and both expectancies (response to placebo) and subjective response under alcohol. Using a between-subjects design, young adult social drinkers (N = 236) were randomly assigned to receive alcohol (target breath alcohol concentration of .08%) or placebo, after which they reported on subjective experiences of stimulation and sedation. Sensation seeking was significantly related to stimulant response, and the strength of this association did not differ by beverage condition (alcohol vs. placebo). The findings argue against a pharmacological explanation for results of prior studies of the acquired preparedness model and support a biased learning interpretation of relations between sensation seeking and positive expectancies. Results also extend the findings on the acquired preparedness model to an implicit measure of positive alcohol expectancies (subjective response to placebo). Future studies using additional measures of implicit expectancies (e.g., Implicit Association Test) would be helpful in determining the relative strength of implicit and explicit expectancies as mediators within the acquired preparedness model.
A Control Strategy with Tactile Perception Feedback for EMG Prosthetic Hand
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Changcheng Wu
2015-01-01
Full Text Available To improve the control effectiveness and make the prosthetic hand not only controllable but also perceivable, an EMG prosthetic hand control strategy was proposed in this paper. The control strategy consists of EMG self-learning motion recognition, backstepping controller with stiffness fuzzy observation, and force tactile representation. EMG self-learning motion recognition is used to reduce the influence on EMG signals caused by the uncertainty of the contacting position of the EMG sensors. Backstepping controller with stiffness fuzzy observation is used to realize the position control and grasp force control. Velocity proportional control in free space and grasp force tracking control in restricted space can be realized by the same controller. The force tactile representation helps the user perceive the states of the prosthetic hand. Several experiments were implemented to verify the effect of the proposed control strategy. The results indicate that the proposed strategy has effectiveness. During the experiments, the comments of the participants show that the proposed strategy is a better choice for amputees because of the improved controllability and perceptibility.
Computed tomography in soft-tissue lesions of the hand and forearm
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schmitt, R.; Warmuth-Metz, M.; Lucas, D.; Feyerabend, T.; Schindler, G.; Lanz, U.
1990-01-01
Computed tomography was carried out in 32 patients with clinically equivocal soft-tissue lesions of the hand (24 times) and forearm (8 times). The CT scans were performed with the patients in standard positions; thin slices and zoom technique were used. All soft-tissue tumors were correctly diagnosed with regard to localization, size and infiltration of the surrounding tissue. The histological diagnosis was correct in tendon-sheath proliferations, deposits caused by metabolic disorders, epithelial and ganglion cysts, hemangiomas, lipomas and in one schwannoma. A malignancy was suspected and was proven to be correct in two cases. False-positive diagnoses of a malignant soft-tissue tumor were made in one case of an aggressive fibromatosis, in a rapidly progressive, ossifying myositis, and three times in the presence of postoperative scar tissue following the resection of a sarcoma. Finally, a case of proliferative myositis regarded as semimalignant was underrated by CT. The hand surgeon considered CT diagnostics to be very helpful in planning operations in an anatomically complex organ such as the hand. (orig.) [de
Bimanual proprioception: are two hands better than one?
Wong, J.D.; Wilson, E.T.; Kistemaker, D.A.; Gribble, P.L.
2014-01-01
Information about the position of an object that is held in both hands, such as a golf club or a tennis racquet, is transmitted to the human central nervous system from peripheral sensors in both left and right arms. How does the brain combine these two sources of information? Using a robot to move
Daily exposure to hand arm vibration by different electric olive beaters
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Angela Calvo
2014-11-01
Full Text Available The electric hand held olive harvesters have a low weight (about 2 kg and cause the fruit pick up by means of impacts produced by their vibrational tools: for this reason they transmit elevated vibration doses to the operator’s hand arm system during the work. In this paper electric beaters of different manufacturers and different models were considered, to analyse their vibrational behaviour in field, during the olive harvesting campaign in a site located in Northern Italy. One operator did the tests, to avoid the operator’s uncertainty on the obtained results. All the five examined beaters gave high acceleration values (in a range from 10 to 26 ms–2, but the most restricting data were the daily vibration exposures, calculated considering the real working duration time acquired in field, almost ranged between 10 and 18 ms–2. Also the operator posture during the work (with the arms over the shoulders may set health problems, related to upper limb disorders, other than the already known musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular pathologies.
Cosmic ray runs acquired with ATLAS muon stations
Cerutti, F.
Starting in the fall 2005 several cosmic ray runs have been acquired in the ATLAS pit with six muon stations. These were three large outer and three large middle chambers of the feet sector (sector 13) that have been readout in the ATLAS cavern. In the first data taking period the trigger was based on two large scintillators (~300x30 cm2) positioned in sector 13 just below the large chambers. In this first run the precision chambers (the Monitored Drift Tubes) were operated in a close to final configuration. Typical trigger rates with this setup were of the order of 1 Hz. Several data sets of 10k events were acquired with final electronics up to the muon ROD and analysed with ATHENA-based software. These data allowed the first checks of the functionality and efficiency of the MDT stations in the ATLAS pit and the first measurement of the FE electronics noise in the ATLAS environment. A few event were also collected in a combined run with the TILE barrel calorimeter. An event display of a cosmic ray a...
Virtual Hand Feedback Reduces Reaction Time in an Interactive Finger Reaching Task.
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Johannes Brand
Full Text Available Computer interaction via visually guided hand or finger movements is a ubiquitous part of daily computer usage in work or gaming. Surprisingly, however, little is known about the performance effects of using virtual limb representations versus simpler cursors. In this study 26 healthy right-handed adults performed cued index finger flexion-extension movements towards an on-screen target while wearing a data glove. They received each of four different types of real-time visual feedback: a simple circular cursor, a point light pattern indicating finger joint positions, a cartoon hand and a fully shaded virtual hand. We found that participants initiated the movements faster when receiving feedback in the form of a hand than when receiving circular cursor or point light feedback. This overall difference was robust for three out of four hand versus circle pairwise comparisons. The faster movement initiation for hand feedback was accompanied by a larger movement amplitude and a larger movement error. We suggest that the observed effect may be related to priming of hand information during action perception and execution affecting motor planning and execution. The results may have applications in the use of body representations in virtual reality applications.
Kinematic and kinetic differences between left-and right-handed professional baseball pitchers.
Diffendaffer, Alek Z; Fleisig, Glenn S; Ivey, Brett; Aune, Kyle T
2018-03-21
While 10% of the general population is left-handed, 27% of professional baseball pitchers are left-handed. Biomechanical differences between left- and right-handed college pitchers have been previously reported, but these differences have yet to be examined at the professional level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare pitching biomechanics between left- and right-handed professional pitchers. It was hypothesised that there would be significant kinematic and kinetic differences between these two groups. Pitching biomechanics were collected on 96 left-handed pitchers and a group of 96 right-handed pitchers matched for age, height, mass and ball velocity. Student t-tests were used to identify kinematic and kinetic differences (p different between the groups. Landing position of the stride foot, trunk separation at foot contact, maximum shoulder external rotation and trunk forward tilt at ball release were all significantly greater in right-handed pitchers. The magnitude of the statistical differences found were small and not consistent with differences in the two previous, smaller studies. Thus, the differences found may be of minimal practical significance and mechanics can be taught the same to all pitchers, regardless of throwing hand.
Patient position matching between SPECT and CT
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Eubig, C.; Lodhi, L.M.; Trueblood, J.H.; Kingsbury, T.; Burke, G.; Flickenger, F.
1990-01-01
Since the authors had previously developed an ability for accurate repositioning of patients by means of video imaging of their external features, it was their purpose to determine if separate video systems placed in SPECT and CT rooms could be positioned and a calibration procedure for each modality developed to assure easy identification and acquisition of corresponding congruent axial image sections through the patient. A video frame grabber is used to acquire an image of the patient in one room and superimpose it on a similar image of the patient in the other room. A radioactive ruler visible at CT images obtained with a gamma camera computer, and a CT scout image are used to adjust the initial relative position of the video cameras and calibrate the acquisition parameters of both systems. The success of this alignment procedure was tested with a body phantom. The body phantom studies indicate that this method of positioning the patient and acquiring corresponding aligned CT and SPECT axial sections can be successful where internal organ shift between the acquisitions is minimal. This should lead to a reduction of the time and computer resources necessary to fuse or superimpose images of corresponding patient sections acquired with different modalities
Design of Piano -playing Robotic Hand
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Lin Jen-Chang
2013-09-01
Full Text Available Unlike the market slowdown of industrial robots, service & entertainment robots have been highly regarded by most robotics reseach and market research agencies. In this study we developed a music playing robot (which can also work as a service robot for public performance. The research is mainly focused on the mechanical and electrical control of piano-playing robot, the exploration of correlations among music theory, rhythm and piano keys, and eventually the research on playing skill of keyboard instrument. The piano-playing robot is capable of control linear motor, servo-motor and pneumatic devices in accordance with the notes and rhythm in order to drive the mechanical structure to proper positions for pressing the keys and generating music. The devices used for this robot are mainly crucial components produced by HIWIN Technology Corp. The design of robotic hand is based on the direction of anthropomorphic hand such that five fingers will be used for playing piano. The finger actuations include actions of finger rotation, finger pressing, and finger lifting; time required for these 3 stages must meet the requirement of rhythm. The purpose of entertainment robot can be achieved by playing electric piano with robotic hand, and we hope this research can contribute to the development of domestic entertainment music playing robots.
Maduako, V.; Ibeneme, G. C.; Ezuma, A.; Ettu, T. U.; Onyemelukwe, N. F.; Fortwengel, G.
2017-01-01
Background Hand hygiene practices (HHP), as a critical component of infection prevention/control, were investigated among physiotherapists in an Ebola endemic region. Method A standardized instrument was administered to 44 randomly selected physiotherapists (23 males and 21 females), from three tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. Fifteen participants (aged 22–59 years) participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) and comprised 19 participants in a subsequent laboratory study. After treatment, the palms/fingers of physiotherapists were swabbed and cultured, then incubated aerobically overnight at 37°C, and examined for microbial growths. An antibiogram of the bacterial isolates was obtained. Results The majority (34/77.3%) of physiotherapists were aware of the HHP protocol, yet only 15/44.1% rated self-compliance at 71–100%. FGDs identified forgetfulness/inadequate HHP materials/infrastructure as the major barriers to HHP. Staphylococcus aureus were the most prevalent organisms, prior to (8/53.33%) and after (4/26.67%) HPP, while Pseudomonas spp. were acquired thereafter. E. coli were the most antibiotic resistant microbes but were completely removed after HHP. Ciprofloxacin and streptomycin were the most effective antibiotics. Conclusion Poor implementation of HPP was observed due to inadequate materials/infrastructure/poor behavioral orientation. Possibly, some HPP materials were contaminated; hence, new microbes were acquired. Since HPP removed the most antibiotic resistant microbes, it might be more effective in infection control than antibiotic medication. PMID:28691027
Ibeneme, S; Maduako, V; Ibeneme, G C; Ezuma, A; Ettu, T U; Onyemelukwe, N F; Limaye, D; Fortwengel, G
2017-01-01
Hand hygiene practices (HHP), as a critical component of infection prevention/control, were investigated among physiotherapists in an Ebola endemic region. A standardized instrument was administered to 44 randomly selected physiotherapists (23 males and 21 females), from three tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. Fifteen participants (aged 22-59 years) participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) and comprised 19 participants in a subsequent laboratory study. After treatment, the palms/fingers of physiotherapists were swabbed and cultured, then incubated aerobically overnight at 37°C, and examined for microbial growths. An antibiogram of the bacterial isolates was obtained. The majority (34/77.3%) of physiotherapists were aware of the HHP protocol, yet only 15/44.1% rated self-compliance at 71-100%. FGDs identified forgetfulness/inadequate HHP materials/infrastructure as the major barriers to HHP. Staphylococcus aureus were the most prevalent organisms, prior to (8/53.33%) and after (4/26.67%) HPP, while Pseudomonas spp. were acquired thereafter. E. coli were the most antibiotic resistant microbes but were completely removed after HHP. Ciprofloxacin and streptomycin were the most effective antibiotics. Poor implementation of HPP was observed due to inadequate materials/infrastructure/poor behavioral orientation. Possibly, some HPP materials were contaminated; hence, new microbes were acquired. Since HPP removed the most antibiotic resistant microbes, it might be more effective in infection control than antibiotic medication.
Hand hygiene--evaluation of three disinfectant hand sanitizers in a community setting.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rita Babeluk
Full Text Available Hand hygiene is acknowledged as the single most important measure to prevent nosocomial infections in the healthcare setting. Similarly, in non-clinical settings, hand hygiene is recognised as a key element in helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three different disinfectant hand sanitizers in reducing the burden of bacterial hand contamination in 60 healthy volunteers in a community setting, both before and after education about the correct use of hand sanitizers. The study is the first to evaluate the efficacy and ease of use of different formulations of hand rubs used by the general population. The products tested were: Sterillium (perfumed, liquid, desderman pure gel (odorless, gel and Lavit (perfumed, spray. Sterillium and desderman are EN1500 (hygienic hand rub certified products (available in pharmacy and Lavit is non EN1500 certified and available in supermarkets. The two EN1500 certified products were found to be significantly superior in terms of reducing bacterial load. desderman pure gel, Sterillium and Lavit reduced the bacterial count to 6.4%, 8.2% and 28.0% respectively. After education in the correct use of each hand rub, the bacterial load was reduced even further, demonstrating the value of education in improving hand hygiene. Information about the testers' perceptions of the three sanitizers, together with their expectations of a hand sanitizer was obtained through a questionnaire. Efficacy, followed by skin compatibility were found to be the two most important attributes of a hand disinfectant in our target group.
The Personal Touch: A Guide to Acquiring Power within a College
Simplicio, Joseph
2010-01-01
There are two main avenues for acquiring power. The first is rooted in the job position. Being the boss means people have to listen to what you say, or pay the consequences. Unfortunately, becoming the boss can take years of hard work. There is also no guarantee that such hard work will be rewarded with promotions and career advancements. In…
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Seyed Ramin Radfar
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Background: Identifying factors, which influence health behaviors is critical to designing appropriate and effective preventive programs. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV transmission is highly related to people behaviors and understanding factors influencing healthy behaviors among Iranian people living with HIVs (PLHIVs/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS is very important to tailor an effective response to HIV/AIDS epidemic. Methods: This study was conducted as a qualitative study by methods of focus group discussion and in-depth interview in six provinces of Iran with 64 PLHIVs to determine factors influence engagement in positive prevention. Results: Knowledge and education, feelings of responsibility and positive prevention practices were identified as the primary domains of engagement. These domains were found to be influenced by feelings of ostracism and frustration, poverty, barriers to disclosure of HIV status, access to and utilization of drug abuse treatment services and antiretroviral therapy, adherence to treatment, age, religiousness, sex work, singleness, and incarceration. Conclusions: Designing new interventions and updating current interventions directed toward the aforementioned factors should be addressed by responsible Iranian authorities in order to have a national effective response on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
In a demanding task, three-handed manipulation is preferred to two-handed manipulation.
Abdi, Elahe; Burdet, Etienne; Bouri, Mohamed; Himidan, Sharifa; Bleuler, Hannes
2016-02-25
Equipped with a third hand under their direct control, surgeons may be able to perform certain surgical interventions alone; this would reduce the need for a human assistant and related coordination difficulties. However, does human performance improve with three hands compared to two hands? To evaluate this possibility, we carried out a behavioural study on the performance of naive adults catching objects with three virtual hands controlled by their two hands and right foot. The subjects could successfully control the virtual hands in a few trials. With this control strategy, the workspace of the hands was inversely correlated with the task velocity. The comparison of performance between the three and two hands control revealed no significant difference of success in catching falling objects and in average effort during the tasks. Subjects preferred the three handed control strategy, found it easier, with less physical and mental burden. Although the coordination of the foot with the natural hands increased trial after trial, about two minutes of practice was not sufficient to develop a sense of ownership towards the third arm.
Vision-Based Pose Estimation for Robot-Mediated Hand Telerehabilitation
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Giuseppe Airò Farulla
2016-02-01
Full Text Available 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.
Measurements by A LEAP-Based Virtual Glove for the Hand Rehabilitation
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Giuseppe Placidi
2018-03-01
Full Text Available Hand rehabilitation is fundamental after stroke or surgery. Traditional rehabilitation requires a therapist and implies high costs, stress for the patient, and subjective evaluation of the therapy effectiveness. Alternative approaches, based on mechanical and tracking-based gloves, can be really effective when used in virtual reality (VR environments. Mechanical devices are often expensive, cumbersome, patient specific and hand specific, while tracking-based devices are not affected by these limitations but, especially if based on a single tracking sensor, could suffer from occlusions. In this paper, the implementation of a multi-sensors approach, the Virtual Glove (VG, based on the simultaneous use of two orthogonal LEAP motion controllers, is described. The VG is calibrated and static positioning measurements are compared with those collected with an accurate spatial positioning system. The positioning error is lower than 6 mm in a cylindrical region of interest of radius 10 cm and height 21 cm. Real-time hand tracking measurements are also performed, analysed and reported. Hand tracking measurements show that VG operated in real-time (60 fps, reduced occlusions, and managed two LEAP sensors correctly, without any temporal and spatial discontinuity when skipping from one sensor to the other. A video demonstrating the good performance of VG is also collected and presented in the Supplementary Materials. Results are promising but further work must be done to allow the calculation of the forces exerted by each finger when constrained by mechanical tools (e.g., peg-boards and for reducing occlusions when grasping these tools. Although the VG is proposed for rehabilitation purposes, it could also be used for tele-operation of tools and robots, and for other VR applications.
Measurements by A LEAP-Based Virtual Glove for the Hand Rehabilitation.
Placidi, Giuseppe; Cinque, Luigi; Polsinelli, Matteo; Spezialetti, Matteo
2018-03-10
Hand rehabilitation is fundamental after stroke or surgery. Traditional rehabilitation requires a therapist and implies high costs, stress for the patient, and subjective evaluation of the therapy effectiveness. Alternative approaches, based on mechanical and tracking-based gloves, can be really effective when used in virtual reality (VR) environments. Mechanical devices are often expensive, cumbersome, patient specific and hand specific, while tracking-based devices are not affected by these limitations but, especially if based on a single tracking sensor, could suffer from occlusions. In this paper, the implementation of a multi-sensors approach, the Virtual Glove (VG), based on the simultaneous use of two orthogonal LEAP motion controllers, is described. The VG is calibrated and static positioning measurements are compared with those collected with an accurate spatial positioning system. The positioning error is lower than 6 mm in a cylindrical region of interest of radius 10 cm and height 21 cm. Real-time hand tracking measurements are also performed, analysed and reported. Hand tracking measurements show that VG operated in real-time (60 fps), reduced occlusions, and managed two LEAP sensors correctly, without any temporal and spatial discontinuity when skipping from one sensor to the other. A video demonstrating the good performance of VG is also collected and presented in the Supplementary Materials. Results are promising but further work must be done to allow the calculation of the forces exerted by each finger when constrained by mechanical tools (e.g., peg-boards) and for reducing occlusions when grasping these tools. Although the VG is proposed for rehabilitation purposes, it could also be used for tele-operation of tools and robots, and for other VR applications.
A novel system to tackle hospital acquired pressure ulcers.
Renganathan, B S; Preejith, S P; Nagaiyan, Sridhar; Joseph, Jayaraj; Sivaprakasam, Mohanasankar
2016-08-01
Hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) is a major problem that affects around one in twenty patients who are admitted in hospital with sudden illness. These ulcers often occur when patients have limited mobility and cannot change positions in bed on their own. Traditionally, the occurrence of HAPUs has been minimized by turning the patient every 2 hours to alternating lateral and supine positions, and by using pressure redistributing mattresses. In many healthcare facilities, such a patient repositioning schedule is not always maintained owing to low caregiver compliance to turning protocols. Difficulty in monitoring patient position continuously, lack of turn reminders/alerts and suboptimal caregiver staffing ratio increases the occurrence of HAPUs. A novel method to address the need for improved pressure ulcer prevention is presented. The proposed method consists of a wearable device which continuously monitors the patient's position and communicates wirelessly with a tablet which enables alerts to be sent to the caregiver when a patient turn is due in accordance with the protocol adopted by the hospital. The patient's position is continuously monitored and the turning procedure carried out is logged and updated on the hospital's cloud system, thereby enabling centralized monitoring. Under a controlled setting, system was able to continuously monitor patient's position and can accurately detect standard patient positions.
van der Meer, Esther W C; Boot, Cécile R L; van der Gulden, Joost W J; Knol, Dirk L; Jungbauer, Frank H W; Coenraads, Pieter Jan; Anema, Johannes R
2015-05-01
Healthcare workers have an increased risk of developing hand eczema. A multifaceted implementation strategy was developed to implement a guideline to prevent hand eczema among healthcare workers. To investigate the effects of the implementation strategy on self-reported hand eczema and preventive behaviour. A randomized controlled trial was performed. A total of 48 departments (n = 1649) were randomly allocated to the multifaceted implementation strategy or the control group. The strategy consisted of education, participatory working groups, and role models. Outcome measures were self-reported hand eczema and preventive behaviour. Data were collected at baseline, and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of follow-up. Participants in the intervention group were significantly more likely to report hand eczema [odds ratio (OR) 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03-2.04], and they reported significantly less hand washing (B, - 0.38; 95%CI: - 0.48 to - 0.27), reported significantly more frequent use of a moisturizer (B, 0.30; 95%CI: 0.22-0.39) and were more likely to report wearing cotton undergloves (OR 6.33; 95%CI: 3.23-12.41) than participants in the control group 12 months after baseline. The strategy implemented can be used in practice, as it showed positive effects on preventive behaviour. More research is needed to investigate the unexpected effects on hand eczema. © 2014 The Authors. Contact Dermatitis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
A Real-time Face/Hand Tracking Method for Chinese Sign Language Recognition
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
无
2002-01-01
This paper introduces a new Chinese Sign Language recognition (CSLR) system and a method of real-time tracking face and hand applied in the system. In the method, an improved agent algorithm is used to extract the region of face and hand and track them. Kalman filter is introduced to forecast the position and rectangle of search, and self-adapting of target color is designed to counteract the effect of illumination.
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Perfection of technical and tactical preparation of sportsmen of hand-to-hand fight
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Serebryak V.V.
2010-06-01
Full Text Available Essence of innovative hike is considered to upgrading preparation of sportsmen of hand-to-hand fight. 58 sportsmen of section of hand-to-hand fight took part in research. Age of sportsmen are from 17 to 22 years. Developed and approved the most effective technical and tactical charts of construction of duel with the opponents of different styles of single combats. It is well-proven that offered approach instrumental in development of operative thought and adaptation to sparring of hand-to-hand fight.
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Cowie, Dorothy; Sterling, Samantha; Bremner, Andrew J
2016-02-01
Recent research using the "rubber hand illusion" shows that the multisensory processes underlying body representations are markedly different in children of 4 to 9years and adults. In representing the position of their own hand in external space, children of this age rely more on the sight of the hand, and less on its proprioceptively felt position, than adults do. The current study investigated when during later childhood the balance between visual and proprioceptive inputs reaches an adult-like weighting. After inducing the rubber hand illusion in 10- to 13-year-olds, we asked participants to point, with eyes closed, to the perceived position of their hand. We found that pointing responses reached adult levels at 10 to 11years, showing that at this age children perceive hand location using an adult-like balance of sensory cues. We conclude that the multisensory foundations of the bodily self undergo a protracted period of development through early and mid-childhood, reaching an adult state by 10 to 11years. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
sEMG Signal Acquisition Strategy towards Hand FES Control
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Cinthya Lourdes Toledo-Peral
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Due to damage of the nervous system, patients experience impediments in their daily life: severe fatigue, tremor or impaired hand dexterity, hemiparesis, or hemiplegia. Surface electromyography (sEMG signal analysis is used to identify motion; however, standardization of electrode placement and classification of sEMG patterns are major challenges. This paper describes a technique used to acquire sEMG signals for five hand motion patterns from six able-bodied subjects using an array of recording and stimulation electrodes placed on the forearm and its effects over functional electrical stimulation (FES and volitional sEMG combinations, in order to eventually control a sEMG-driven FES neuroprosthesis for upper limb rehabilitation. A two-part protocol was performed. First, personalized templates to place eight sEMG bipolar channels were designed; with these data, a universal template, called forearm electrode set (FELT, was built. Second, volitional and evoked movements were recorded during FES application. 95% classification accuracy was achieved using two sessions per movement. With the FELT, it was possible to perform FES and sEMG recordings simultaneously. Also, it was possible to extract the volitional and evoked sEMG from the raw signal, which is highly important for closed-loop FES control.
The nonvisual illusion of self-touch: Misaligned hands and anatomical implausibility.
White, Rebekah C; Weinberg, Jennifer L; Aimola Davies, Anne M
2015-01-01
The self-touch illusion is elicited when the participant (with eyes closed) administers brushstrokes to a prosthetic hand while the examiner administers synchronous brushstrokes to the participant's other (receptive) hand. In three experiments we investigated the effects of misalignment on the self-touch illusion. In experiment 1 we manipulated alignment (0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 135 degrees, 180 degrees) of the prosthetic hand relative to the participant's receptive hand. The illusion was equally strong at 0 degrees and 45 degrees: the two conditions in which the prosthetic hand was in an anatomically plausible orientation. To investigate whether the illusion was diminished at 90 degrees (and beyond) by anatomical implausibility rather than by misalignment, in experiment 2 hand positioning was changed. The illusion was equally strong at 0 degrees, 45 degrees, and 90 degrees, but diminished at 135 degrees despite the prosthetic hand now being in an anatomically plausible orientation. Thus the illusion is diminished with misalignment of 135 degrees, irrespective of anatomical plausibility. Having demonstrated that the illusion was equally strong with the hands aligned (0 degrees) or misaligned by 45 degrees, in experiment 3 we demonstrated that participants did not detect a 45 degrees misalignment. Large degrees of misalignment prevent a compelling experience of the self-touch illusion, and the self-touch illusion prevents detection of small degrees of misalignment.
Boehm, Dana; Schmid-Ott, Gerhard; Finkeldey, Florence; John, Swen Malte; Dwinger, Christine; Werfel, Thomas; Diepgen, Thomas L; Breuer, Kristine
2012-10-01
Occupational hand eczema is one of the most frequent occupational diseases. Few data about the prevalence of mental comorbidities are available. Objectives. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety, depression symptoms, the impairment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and their correlates in patients with occupational hand eczema. A test battery consisting of the German versions of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) as a specific instrument and the Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36) as a generic instrument for HRQoL was applied in 122 patients. The severity of hand eczema was assessed with the Osnabrueck Hand Eczema Severity Index (OHSI). Twenty per cent of patients had a positive anxiety score, and 14% had a positive depression score. Higher anxiety levels, a greater impairment in the SF-36 mental component summary score and a higher DLQI category score for symptoms and feelings was detected in females than in males. The OHSI correlated with the impairment in HRQoL, and an association of severe hand eczema with symptoms of anxiety and depression was found in males. We found a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in our study population of patients with occupational hand eczema. Preventive measures should consider the psychosocial implications of occupational hand eczema. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ibler, K.S.; Jemec, G.B.E.; Flyvholm, M.-A.
2012-01-01
Background. Healthcare workers are at increased risk of developing hand eczema. Objectives. To investigate the prevalence and severity of self-reported hand eczema, and to relate the findings to demographic data, occupation, medical speciality, wards, shifts, and working hours. Patients/materials......Background. Healthcare workers are at increased risk of developing hand eczema. Objectives. To investigate the prevalence and severity of self-reported hand eczema, and to relate the findings to demographic data, occupation, medical speciality, wards, shifts, and working hours. Patients...... dermatitis, younger age, male sex (male doctors), and working hours. Eighty nine per cent of subjects reported mild/moderate lesions. Atopic dermatitis was the only factor significantly related to severity. Sick leave was reported by 8% of subjects, and notification to the authorities by 12%. Conclusions...... or severity, but cultural differences between professions with respect to coping with the eczema were significant. Atopic dermatitis was related to increased prevalence and severity, and preventive efforts should be made for healthcare workers with atopic dermatitis....
A multi-DOF robotic exoskeleton interface for hand motion assistance.
Iqbal, Jamshed; Tsagarakis, Nikos G; Caldwell, Darwin G
2011-01-01
This paper outlines the design and development of a robotic exoskeleton based rehabilitation system. A portable direct-driven optimized hand exoskeleton system has been proposed. The optimization procedure primarily based on matching the exoskeleton and finger workspaces guided the system design. The selection of actuators for the proposed system has emerged as a result of experiments with users of different hand sizes. Using commercial sensors, various hand parameters, e.g. maximum and average force levels have been measured. The results of these experiments have been mapped directly to the mechanical design of the system. An under-actuated optimum mechanism has been analysed followed by the design and realization of the first prototype. The system provides both position and force feedback sensory information which can improve the outcomes of a professional rehabilitation exercise.
Design and implementation of adaptive inverse control algorithm for a micro-hand control system
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Wan-Cheng Wang
2014-01-01
Full Text Available The Letter proposes an online tuned adaptive inverse position control algorithm for a micro-hand. First, the configuration of the micro-hand is discussed. Next, a kinematic analysis of the micro-hand is investigated and then the relationship between the rotor position of micro-permanent magnet synchronous motor and the tip of the micro-finger is derived. After that, an online tuned adaptive inverse control algorithm, which includes an adaptive inverse model and an adaptive inverse control, is designed. The online tuned adaptive inverse control algorithm has better performance than the proportional–integral control algorithm does. In addition, to avoid damaging the object during the grasping process, an online force control algorithm is proposed here as well. An embedded micro-computer, cRIO-9024, is used to realise the whole position control algorithm and the force control algorithm by using software. As a result, the hardware circuit is very simple. Experimental results show that the proposed system can provide fast transient responses, good load disturbance responses, good tracking responses and satisfactory grasping responses.
Falguera, M; Ramírez, M F
2015-11-01
This article not only reviews the essential aspects of community-acquired pneumonia for daily clinical practice, but also highlights the controversial issues and provides the newest available information. Community-acquired pneumonia is considered in a broad sense, without excluding certain variants that, in recent years, a number of authors have managed to delineate, such as healthcare-associated pneumonia. The latter form is nothing more than the same disease that affects more frail patients, with a greater number of risk factors, both sharing an overall common approach. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.
The Effect of Antibacterial Formula Hand Cleaners on the Elimination of Microbes on Hands
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.
Procedure-Oriented Torsional Anatomy of the Hand for Spasticity Injection.
John, Joslyn; Cianca, John; Chiou-Tan, Faye; Pandit, Sindhu; Furr-Stimming, Erin; Taber, Katherine H
To provide musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSKUS) images of hand anatomy in the position of hemiparetic flexion as a reference for spasticity injections. After a stroke, spasticity can result in anatomic distortion of the hand. Spasticity may require treatment with botulinum toxin or phenol injections. Anatomic distortion may decrease the accuracy of injections. Standard anatomic references are of limited utility because they are not in this spastic hemiparetic position. There presently is no anatomic reference in the literature for these spastic postures. This study is part three of a series examining torsional anatomy of the body. Ultrasound (US) images were obtained in a healthy subject. The muscles examined included the lumbricals and the flexor pollicis brevis. A marker dot was placed at each dorsal and palmar anatomic injection site for these muscles. The US probe was placed on these dots to obtain a cross-sectional view. A pair of US images was recorded with and without power Doppler imaging: the first in anatomic neutral and second in hemiparetic spastic positions. In addition, a video recording of the movement of the muscles during this rotation was made at each site. On the palmar view, the lumbricals rotated medially. On dorsal view, the lumbricals can be seen deep to the dorsal interossei muscles, with spastic position, and they become difficult to identify. The flexor pollicis brevis (FPB) muscle contracts with torsion, making abductor pollicis brevis (APB) predominately in view. The anatomic location of the lumbrical muscles makes them difficult to inject even with ultrasound guidance. However, recognizing the nearby digital vasculature allows for improved identification of the musculature for injection purposes. The FPB muscle also can be identified by its adjacent radial artery lateral to the flexor pollicus longus tendon. Normal anatomy of hand can become distorted in spastic hemiparesis. Diagnostic ultrasound is able to discern these anatomic
バスケットボールのディフェンス時における有効な跳躍方法に関するバイオメカニクス研究
勝原, 洋二; 小田, 伸午
2006-01-01
The purpose of this study was to acquire biomechanical data related to the physical act of jumping to intercept a high pass in the game of basketball. Six male basketball players volunteered to take part in this study. They performed two types of vertical squat jumps (SJ), from the starting positions, with the hands up (upSJ) and hands down (downSJ), and two types of vertical countermovement jumps (CMJ), from the staring positions, with their hands up (upCMJ) and hands down (downCMJ). They pe...
1993-01-01
The Omni-Hand was developed by Ross-Hime Designs, Inc. for Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. The multiple digit hand has an opposable thumb and a flexible wrist. Electric muscles called Minnacs power wrist joints and the interchangeable digits. Two hands have been delivered to NASA for evaluation for potential use on space missions and the unit is commercially available for applications like hazardous materials handling and manufacturing automation. Previous SBIR contracts resulted in the Omni-Wrist and Omni-Wrist II robotic systems, which are commercially available for spray painting, sealing, ultrasonic testing, as well as other uses.
Lam, Barbara C C; Lee, Josephine; Lau, Y L
2004-11-01
Health care-associated infections persist as a major problem in most neonatal intensive care units. Hand hygiene has been singled out as the most important measure in preventing hospital-acquired infection. However, hand hygiene compliance among health care workers (HCWs) remains low. The objective of this study was to assess the frequency and nature of patient contacts in neonatal intensive care units and observe the compliance and technique of hand hygiene among HCWs before and after the implementation of a multimodal intervention program. The nature and frequency of patient contacts, the hand hygiene compliance, and hand-washing techniques of HCWs were observed unobtrusively to reflect the baseline compliance and to investigate factors for noncompliance. The intervention consisted of problem-based and task-orientated hand hygiene education, enhancement of minimal handling protocol and clustering of nursing care, liberal provision of alcohol-based hand antiseptic, improvement in hand hygiene facilities, ongoing regular hand hygiene audit, and implementation of health care-associated infection surveillance. The observational study was repeated 6 months after the completion of the intervention program, which extended over 1-year period. Overall hand hygiene compliance increased from 40% to 53% before patient contact and 39% to 59% after patient contact. More marked improvement was observed for high-risk procedures (35%-60%). The average number of patient contacts also decreased from 2.8 to 1.8 per patient per hour. There was improvement in most aspects of hand-washing technique in the postintervention stage. The health care-associated infection rate decreased from 11.3 to 6.2 per 1000 patient-days. A problem-based and task-orientated education program can improve hand hygiene compliance. Enhancement of minimal handling and clustering of nursing procedures reduced the total patient contact episodes, which could help to overcome the major barrier of time constraints
Murdoch, David R.; Anderson, Trevor P.; Beynon, Kirsten A.; Chua, Alvin; Fleming, Angela M.; Laing, Richard T. R.; Town, G. Ian; Mills, Graham D.; Chambers, Stephen T.; Jennings, Lance C.
2003-01-01
Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia, but it is undoubtedly underdiagnosed. We used a nested PCR assay (targeting the pneumolysin gene) to detect S. pneumoniae DNA in multiple sample types from 474 adults with community-acquired pneumonia and 183 control patients who did not have pneumonia. Plasma or buffy coat samples were PCR positive in only 6 of the 21 patients with positive blood cultures for S. pneumoniae and in 12 other patients (4 of whom h...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fung Chang-Phone
2007-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Ertapenem is a once-a-day carbapenem and has excellent activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The susceptibility of isolates of community-acquired bacteremia to ertapenem has not been reported yet. The present study assesses the in vitro activity of ertapenem against aerobic and facultative bacterial pathogens isolated from patients with community-acquired bacteremia by determining and comparing the MICs of cefepime, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ertapenem, piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, amikacin and gentamicin. The prevalence of extended broad spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL producing strains of community-acquired bacteremia and their susceptibility to these antibiotics are investigated. Methods Aerobic and facultative bacteria isolated from blood obtained from hospitalized patients with community-acquired bacteremia within 48 hours of admission between August 1, 2004 and September 30, 2004 in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Keelung, Taiwan, were identified using standard procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated by Etest according to the standard guidelines provided by the manufacturer and document M100-S16 Performance Standards of the Clinical Laboratory of Standard Institute. Antimicrobial agents including cefepime, cefoxitin, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, ertapenem, piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, amikacin and gentamicin were used against the bacterial isolates to test their MICs as determined by Etest. For Staphylococcus aureus isolates, MICs of oxacillin were also tested by Etest to differentiate oxacillin-sensitive and oxacillin-resistant S. aureus. Results Ertapenem was highly active in vitro against many aerobic and facultative bacterial pathogens commonly recovered from patients with community-acquired bacteremia (128/159, 80.5 %. Ertapenem had more potent activity than ceftriaxone, piperacillin
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tjibbe Donker
2010-03-01
Full Text Available Rates of hospital-acquired infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, are increasingly used as quality indicators for hospital hygiene. Alternatively, these rates may vary between hospitals, because hospitals differ in admission and referral of potentially colonized patients. We assessed if different referral patterns between hospitals in health care networks can influence rates of hospital-acquired infections like MRSA. We used the Dutch medical registration of 2004 to measure the connectedness between hospitals. This allowed us to reconstruct the network of hospitals in the Netherlands. We used mathematical models to assess the effect of different patient referral patterns on the potential spread of hospital-acquired infections between hospitals, and between categories of hospitals (University medical centers, top clinical hospitals and general hospitals. University hospitals have a higher number of shared patients than teaching or general hospitals, and are therefore more likely to be among the first to receive colonized patients. Moreover, as the network is directional towards university hospitals, they have a higher prevalence, even when infection control measures are equally effective in all hospitals. Patient referral patterns have a profound effect on the spread of health care-associated infections like hospital-acquired MRSA. The MRSA prevalence therefore differs between hospitals with the position of each hospital within the health care network. Any comparison of MRSA rates between hospitals, as a benchmark for hospital hygiene, should therefore take the position of a hospital within the network into account.
Ahrens, Kym; DuBois, David Lane; Lozano, Paula; Richardson, Laura P.
2010-01-01
We evaluated whether having a naturally acquired mentor during adolescence was associated with improved adult outcomes among youth with learning disabilities (YLD). Mentored youth were more likely to have graduated from high school, reported a higher level of self-esteem, and reported a higher overall number of positive outcomes than nonmentored…
Frequency of discriminative sensory loss in the hand after stroke in a rehabilitation setting.
Carey, Leeanne M; Matyas, Thomas A
2011-02-01
Somatosensory loss following stroke is common, with negative consequences for functional outcome. However, existing studies typically do not include quantitative measures of discriminative sensibility. The aim of this study was to quantify the proportion of stroke patients presenting with discriminative sensory loss of the hand in the post-acute rehabilitation phase. Prospective cohort study of stroke survivors presenting for rehabilitation. Fifty-one consecutive patients admitted to a metropolitan rehabilitation centre over a continuous 12-month period who met selection criteria. Quantitative measures of touch discrimination and limb position sense, with high re-test reliability, good discriminative test properties and objective criteria of abnormality, were employed. Both upper limbs were tested, in counterbalanced order. Impaired touch discrimination was identified in the hand contralateral to the lesion in 47% of patients, and in the ipsilesional hand in 16%. Forty-nine percent showed impaired limb position sense in the contralesional limb and 20% in the ipsilesional limb. Sixty-seven percent demonstrated impairment of at least one modality in the contralesional limb. Ipsilesional impairment was less severe. Discriminative sensory impairment was quantified in the contralesional hand in approximately half of stroke patients presenting for rehabilitation. A clinically significant number also experienced impairment in the ipsilesional "unaffected" hand.
Non-invasive volumetric analysis of asymptomatic hands using a 3-D scanner.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hiroki Shinkai
Full Text Available Hand swelling is one of the symptoms often seen in practice, but none of the available morphometric methods can quickly and efficiently quantify hand volume in an objective manner, and the current gold-standard volume measurement requires immersion in water, which can be difficult to use. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the accuracy of using 3-dimensional (3-D scanning to measure hand volume. First, we compared the hand volume calculated using the 3-D scanner to that calculated from the conventional method among 109 volunteers to determine the reliability of 3-D measurements. We defined the beginning of the hand as the distal wrist crease, and 3-D forms of the hands were captured by the 3-D scanning system. Second, 238 volunteers (87 men, 151 women with no disease or history of hand surgery underwent 3-D scanning. Data collected included age, height, weight, and shoe size. The wrist circumference (WC and the distance between distal wrist crease and tip of middle finger (DDT were measured. Statistical analyses were performed using linear regression to investigate the relationship between the hand volume and these parameters. In the first study, a significantly strong positive correlation was observed [R = 0.98] between the hand volume calculated via 3-D scanning and that calculated via the conventional method. In the second study, no significant differences between the volumes, WC or DDT of right and left hands were found. The correlations of hand volume with weight, WC, and DDT were strong. We created a formula to predict the hand volume using these parameters; these variables explained approximately 80% of the predicted volume. We confirmed that the new 3-D scanning method, which is performed without touching the hand and can record the form of the hand, yields an accurate volumetric analysis of an asymptomatic hand.
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is ... Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy ... hands, being composed of many types of tissue, including blood vessels, nerves, skin and skin-related tissues, bones, and muscles/tendons/ligaments, may show changes that reflect a ...
Interactive topology optimization on hand-held devices
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Aage, Niels; Nobel-Jørgensen, Morten; Andreasen, Casper Schousboe
2013-01-01
This paper presents an interactive topology optimization application designed for hand-held devices running iOS or Android. The TopOpt app solves the 2D minimum compliance problem with interactive control of load and support positions as well as volume fraction. Thus, it is possible to change......OS devices from the Apple App Store, at Google Play for the Android platform, and a web-version can be run from www.topopt.dtu.dk....
Neurons in Primary Motor Cortex Encode Hand Orientation in a Reach-to-Grasp Task.
Ma, Chaolin; Ma, Xuan; Fan, Jing; He, Jiping
2017-08-01
It is disputed whether those neurons in the primary motor cortex (M1) that encode hand orientation constitute an independent channel for orientation control in reach-to-grasp behaviors. Here, we trained two monkeys to reach forward and grasp objects positioned in the frontal plane at different orientation angles, and simultaneously recorded the activity of M1 neurons. Among the 2235 neurons recorded in M1, we found that 18.7% had a high correlation exclusively with hand orientation, 15.9% with movement direction, and 29.5% with both movement direction and hand orientation. The distributions of neurons encoding hand orientation and those encoding movement direction were not uniform but coexisted in the same region. The trajectory of hand rotation was reproduced by the firing patterns of the orientation-related neurons independent of the hand reaching direction. These results suggest that hand orientation is an independent component for the control of reaching and grasping activity.
Hand Hygiene – Evaluation of Three Disinfectant Hand Sanitizers in a Community Setting
Babeluk, Rita; Jutz, Sabrina; Mertlitz, Sarah; Matiasek, Johannes; Klaus, Christoph
2014-01-01
Hand hygiene is acknowledged as the single most important measure to prevent nosocomial infections in the healthcare setting. Similarly, in non-clinical settings, hand hygiene is recognised as a key element in helping prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of three different disinfectant hand sanitizers in reducing the burden of bacterial hand contamination in 60 healthy volunteers in a community setting, both before and after education about the correct use of hand sanitizers. The study is the first to evaluate the efficacy and ease of use of different formulations of hand rubs used by the general population. The products tested were: Sterillium (perfumed, liquid), desderman pure gel (odorless, gel) and Lavit (perfumed, spray). Sterillium and desderman are EN1500 (hygienic hand rub) certified products (available in pharmacy) and Lavit is non EN1500 certified and available in supermarkets. The two EN1500 certified products were found to be significantly superior in terms of reducing bacterial load. desderman pure gel, Sterillium and Lavit reduced the bacterial count to 6.4%, 8.2% and 28.0% respectively. After education in the correct use of each hand rub, the bacterial load was reduced even further, demonstrating the value of education in improving hand hygiene. Information about the testers' perceptions of the three sanitizers, together with their expectations of a hand sanitizer was obtained through a questionnaire. Efficacy, followed by skin compatibility were found to be the two most important attributes of a hand disinfectant in our target group. PMID:25379773
Hu, Y Q; Chen, F P; Xie, Q Z
2001-10-28
To determine the occurrence of activated protein C resistance (APCR), to identify APCR is associated with thrombotic events (TEs), and acquired APCR is associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (APLAs) in 30 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Laboratory tests included dilute Russell's viper venom time assay for LA (dRVVT-LA), ELISA assay for ACL, APC sensitivity ratio, and factor V Leiden were detected by PCR-Mnl/I digestion. Acquired APCR was presented in 14(46.67%) of 30 patients. Factor V Leiden was not found in any patients. The incidence of TEs in the APCR-positive patients was significantly higher than that in the APCR-negative patients (42.85% vs 6.25%, P TEs in the LA-positive patients was also significantly higher than that in the LA-negative patients (50% vs 11.1%, P TEs (P TEs. Acquired APCR may not reflect the interference of LAs with the protein C pathway which may represent a mechanism of LA-associated TEs.
Efficacy of alcohol-based hand sanitizer on hands soiled with dirt and cooking oil.
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.
Comparative Geometrical Investigations of Hand-Held Scanning Systems
Kersten, T. P.; Przybilla, H.-J.; Lindstaedt, M.; Tschirschwitz, F.; Misgaiski-Hass, M.
2016-06-01
An increasing number of hand-held scanning systems by different manufacturers are becoming available on the market. However, their geometrical performance is little-known to many users. Therefore the Laboratory for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning of the HafenCity University Hamburg has carried out geometrical accuracy tests with the following systems in co-operation with the Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Laboratory for Photogrammetry) as well as the Humboldt University in Berlin (Institute for Computer Science): DOTProduct DPI-7, Artec Spider, Mantis Vision F5 SR, Kinect v1 + v2, Structure Sensor and Google's Project Tango. In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data were acquired by measurement with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M). The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.
Retrieval of 3D-Position af a Passive Object Using Infrared LED's and Photodiodes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Christensen, Henrik Vie
2005-01-01
A sensor using infrared emitter/receiver pairs to determine the position of a passive object is presented. An array with a small number of infrared emitter/receiver pairs are proposed as sensing part to acquire information on the object position. The emitters illuminates the object and the intens......A sensor using infrared emitter/receiver pairs to determine the position of a passive object is presented. An array with a small number of infrared emitter/receiver pairs are proposed as sensing part to acquire information on the object position. The emitters illuminates the object...
Chouk, Mickaël; Vidon, Claire; Deveza, Elise; Verhoeven, Frank; Pelletier, Fabien; Prati, Clément; Wendling, Daniel
2017-01-01
Intravenous drug addiction is responsible for many complications, especially cutaneous and infectious. There is a syndrome, rarely observed in rheumatology, resulting in "puffy hands": the puffy hand syndrome. We report two cases of this condition from our rheumatologic consultation. Our two patients had intravenous drug addiction. They presented with an edema of the hands, bilateral, painless, no pitting, occurring in one of our patient during heroin intoxication, and in the other 2 years after stopping injections. In our two patients, additional investigations (biological, radiological, ultrasound) were unremarkable, which helped us, in the context, to put the diagnosis of puffy hand syndrome. The pathophysiology, still unclear, is based in part on a lymphatic toxicity of drugs and their excipients. There is no etiological treatment but elastic compression by night has improved edema of the hands in one of our patients. Copyright © 2016 Société française de rhumatologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Diepgen, T L; Andersen, Klaus Ejner; Brandao, F M
2008-01-01
of the disease is rarely evidence based, and a classification system for different subdiagnoses of hand eczema is not agreed upon. Randomized controlled trials investigating the treatment of hand eczema are called for. For this, as well as for clinical purposes, a generally accepted classification system...... A classification system for hand eczema is proposed. Conclusions It is suggested that this classification be used in clinical work and in clinical trials....
Do right-handed monkeys use the right cheek pouch before the left?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Madhur Mangalam
Full Text Available There can be several factors that are likely to have played a role in the evolution of hand preference in humans and non-human primates, which the existing theories do not consider. There exists a possibility that hand preference in non-human primates evolved from the pre-existing lateralities in more elementary brain functions and behavior, or alternatively, the two coevolved. A basic example can be a hand-mouth command system that could have evolved in the context of ingestion. In the present study, we examined the relationship between lateralities in prehension and mastication processes, that is, hand and cheek pouch usage, in free-ranging bonnet macaques, Macaca radiata. The macaques preferentially used one hand-the 'preferred' hand, to pick up the bananas lying on the ground. Lateralities in hand and cheek pouch usage (for both filling and emptying were positively related with each other, that is, the macaques used the cheek pouch corresponding to the preferred hand predominantly and before the other. Moreover, when the macaques used the non-preferred hand to pick up the bananas, the frequency of contralateral cheek pouch usage was higher than the frequency of ipsilateral cheek pouch usage, that is, the combined structure of hand, mouth, and food did not influence the relationship between laterality in hand usage and laterality in cheek pouch usage. These findings demonstrate laterality in a relatively more involuntary function than those explored previously in any non-human primate species (e.g., facial expressions and manual gestures.
New frontiers in the rubber hand experiment: when a robotic hand becomes one's own.
Caspar, Emilie A; De Beir, Albert; Magalhaes De Saldanha Da Gama, Pedro A; Yernaux, Florence; Cleeremans, Axel; Vanderborght, Bram
2015-09-01
The rubber hand illusion is an experimental paradigm in which participants consider a fake hand to be part of their body. This paradigm has been used in many domains of psychology (i.e., research on pain, body ownership, agency) and is of clinical importance. The classic rubber hand paradigm nevertheless suffers from limitations, such as the absence of active motion or the reliance on approximate measurements, which makes strict experimental conditions difficult to obtain. Here, we report on the development of a novel technology-a robotic, user- and computer-controllable hand-that addresses many of the limitations associated with the classic rubber hand paradigm. Because participants can actively control the robotic hand, the device affords higher realism and authenticity. Our robotic hand has a comparatively low cost and opens up novel and innovative methods. In order to validate the robotic hand, we have carried out three experiments. The first two studies were based on previous research using the rubber hand, while the third was specific to the robotic hand. We measured both sense of agency and ownership. Overall, results show that participants experienced a "robotic hand illusion" in the baseline conditions. Furthermore, we also replicated previous results about agency and ownership.
Virtual hand illusion induced by visuomotor correlations.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maria V Sanchez-Vives
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Our body schema gives the subjective impression of being highly stable. However, a number of easily-evoked illusions illustrate its remarkable malleability. In the rubber-hand illusion, illusory ownership of a rubber-hand is evoked by synchronous visual and tactile stimulation on a visible rubber arm and on the hidden real arm. Ownership is concurrent with a proprioceptive illusion of displacement of the arm position towards the fake arm. We have previously shown that this illusion of ownership plus the proprioceptive displacement also occurs towards a virtual 3D projection of an arm when the appropriate synchronous visuotactile stimulation is provided. Our objective here was to explore whether these illusions (ownership and proprioceptive displacement can be induced by only synchronous visuomotor stimulation, in the absence of tactile stimulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To achieve this we used a data-glove that uses sensors transmitting the positions of fingers to a virtually projected hand in the synchronous but not in the asynchronous condition. The illusion of ownership was measured by means of questionnaires. Questions related to ownership gave significantly larger values for the synchronous than for the asynchronous condition. Proprioceptive displacement provided an objective measure of the illusion and had a median value of 3.5 cm difference between the synchronous and asynchronous conditions. In addition, the correlation between the feeling of ownership of the virtual arm and the size of the drift was significant. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We conclude that synchrony between visual and proprioceptive information along with motor activity is able to induce an illusion of ownership over a virtual arm. This has implications regarding the brain mechanisms underlying body ownership as well as the use of virtual bodies in therapies and rehabilitation.
Hand Hygiene When and How August 2009 How to handrub? How to handwash? RUB HANDS FOR HAND HYGIENE! WASH HANDS WHEN VISIBLY SOILED Duration of the ... its use. When? YOUR 5 MOMENTS FOR HAND HYGIENE 1 BEFORETOUCHINGA PATIENT 2 B P ECFLOER R ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
S. Ibeneme
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Background. Hand hygiene practices (HHP, as a critical component of infection prevention/control, were investigated among physiotherapists in an Ebola endemic region. Method. A standardized instrument was administered to 44 randomly selected physiotherapists (23 males and 21 females, from three tertiary hospitals in Enugu, Nigeria. Fifteen participants (aged 22–59 years participated in focus group discussions (FGDs and comprised 19 participants in a subsequent laboratory study. After treatment, the palms/fingers of physiotherapists were swabbed and cultured, then incubated aerobically overnight at 37°C, and examined for microbial growths. An antibiogram of the bacterial isolates was obtained. Results. The majority (34/77.3% of physiotherapists were aware of the HHP protocol, yet only 15/44.1% rated self-compliance at 71–100%. FGDs identified forgetfulness/inadequate HHP materials/infrastructure as the major barriers to HHP. Staphylococcus aureus were the most prevalent organisms, prior to (8/53.33% and after (4/26.67% HPP, while Pseudomonas spp. were acquired thereafter. E. coli were the most antibiotic resistant microbes but were completely removed after HHP. Ciprofloxacin and streptomycin were the most effective antibiotics. Conclusion. Poor implementation of HPP was observed due to inadequate materials/infrastructure/poor behavioral orientation. Possibly, some HPP materials were contaminated; hence, new microbes were acquired. Since HPP removed the most antibiotic resistant microbes, it might be more effective in infection control than antibiotic medication.
Konicki, Tara; Miller, Elaine
2016-10-01
Although hand hygiene remains an essential aspect of quality care, adherence to best patient safety practices continues to pose major challenges. The objectives of this study are to examine hand hygiene knowledge, beliefs, practices, perceived importance and behaviors using Social Cognitive Theory and simulation-based intervention. Participants were taken from a convenience sample of 131 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in a nursing fundamentals course at an urban university in the midwestern United States, and then randomly assigned to their respective groups. Using an experimental pretest-posttest design, control and intervention groups received the same lecture pertaining to hand hygiene and 3 data collection points where van de Mortel's Hand Hygiene Questionnaire (HHQ) was administered. In addition, the intervention group viewed a 6.5min video related to healthcare acquired infection and participated in 4 simulated situations requiring hand hygiene, based on World Health Organization guidelines. For all students, the hand hygiene technique was assessed through the use of Glo Germ, followed by handwashing and photography under ultraviolet light (posttest only). Image illumination was analyzed using image processing software. Microbiological sampling plates (pretest-posttest) were assessed quantitatively by colony counting. Study findings did not support differences in the intervention group for the 5 hypothesized relationships. Social desirability responding and negative item confusion were found to occur with the HHQ in the student population. There was a significant difference in the UV hand photographs, with students in the afternoon having lower values than students in the morning. Given the study results, there were no definitive educational recommendations to teach hand hygiene to nursing students. Future research should continue to further examine multi-focal modalities to enhance adherence to hand hygiene practices, as well as control for
Xia, Pinghui; Cao, Jinlin; Lv, Xiayi; Wang, Luming; Lv, Wang; Hu, Jian
2018-05-01
Multi-targeted agents represent the next generation of targeted therapies for solid tumors, and patients with acquired resistance to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) may also benefit from their combination with TKI therapy. Third-generation targeted drugs, such as osimertinib, are very expensive, thus a more economical solution is required. The aim of this study was to explore the use of apatinib combined with icotinib therapy for primary acquired resistance to icotinib in three patients with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutations. We achieved favorable oncologic outcomes in all three patients, with progression-free survival of four to six months. Unfortunately, the patients ultimately had to cease combination therapy because of intolerable adverse effects of hand and foot syndrome and oral ulcers. Combination therapy of apatinib with icotinib for primary acquired resistance to icotinib may be an option for patients with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma with EGFR mutations, but physicians must also be aware of the side effects caused by such therapy. © 2018 The Authors. Thoracic Cancer published by China Lung Oncology Group and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Research on direct calibration method of eye-to-hand system of robot
Hu, Xiaoping; Xie, Ke; Peng, Tao
2013-10-01
In the position-based visual servoing control for robot, the hand-eye calibration is very important because it can affect the control precision of the system. According to the robot with eye-to-hand stereovision system, this paper proposes a direct method of hand-eye calibration. The method utilizes the triangle measuring principle to solve the coordinates in the camera coordinate system of scene point. It calculates the estimated coordinates by the hand-eye calibration equation set which indicates the transformational relation from the robot to the camera coordinate system, and then uses the error of actual and estimated coordinates to establish the objective function. Finally the method substitutes the parameters into the function repeatedly until it converged to optimize the result. The related experiment compared the measured coordinates with the actual coordinates, shows the efficiency and the precision of it.
Massaro, Dominic W
2012-01-01
I review 2 seminal research reports published in this journal during its second decade more than a century ago. Given psychology's subdisciplines, they would not normally be reviewed together because one involves reading and the other speech perception. The small amount of interaction between these domains might have limited research and theoretical progress. In fact, the 2 early research reports revealed common processes involved in these 2 forms of language processing. Their illustration of the role of Wundt's apperceptive process in reading and speech perception anticipated descriptions of contemporary theories of pattern recognition, such as the fuzzy logical model of perception. Based on the commonalities between reading and listening, one can question why they have been viewed so differently. It is commonly believed that learning to read requires formal instruction and schooling, whereas spoken language is acquired from birth onward through natural interactions with people who talk. Most researchers and educators believe that spoken language is acquired naturally from birth onward and even prenatally. Learning to read, on the other hand, is not possible until the child has acquired spoken language, reaches school age, and receives formal instruction. If an appropriate form of written text is made available early in a child's life, however, the current hypothesis is that reading will also be learned inductively and emerge naturally, with no significant negative consequences. If this proposal is true, it should soon be possible to create an interactive system, Technology Assisted Reading Acquisition, to allow children to acquire literacy naturally.
Zulkifly, Nuranis-Raihan; Wahab, Roswanira Abd; Layang, Elizabeth; Ismail, Dzulkiflee; Desa, Wan Nur Syuhaila Mat; Hisham, Salina; Mahat, Naji A
2018-01-01
Handprints and dismembered hands are commonly found during crime scene investigations and disaster victim identifications, respectively. It has been indicated that the accuracy of handprint and hand measurements for estimating stature maybe population specific. Since Iban is the largest ethnic population in Sarawak, Malaysia and because the application of anthropometry of hand and handprint within this population as well as other populations within the Southeast Asian countries remain unreported, this present study that investigated the reliability and accuracy of these two anthropometric aspects acquires forensic significance. Upon measuring the height, 21 measurements were recorded on each hand and the corresponding handprint of 50 male and 52 female consented adult Iban subjects. Using univariate statistics as well as simple and multiple regression analyses, interpretation of the measurements examined here was attempted. Results revealed that lengths of hand and handprint are the more reliable traits for estimating stature in both the male and female Iban subjects (p Sarawak that may prove useful for crime scene investigations and disaster victim identifications in Malaysia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.
Is the hand to speech what speech is to the hand?
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.
48 CFR 1845.502-70 - Contractor-acquired property.
2010-10-01
... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Contractor-acquired... Possession of Contractors 1845.502-70 Contractor-acquired property. All contractor-acquired property must be... contractor-acquired. (2) Submission of DD Form 1419, DOD Industrial Plant Requisition, or equivalent format...
Acquiring taste in home economics?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Stenbak Larsen, Christian
Objective: To explore how home economics was taught in Denmark before the recent Danish school reform, which also revised the objectives and content of home economics, naming it Food Knowledge (Madkundskab) Methods: Participant observation was done in home economic lessons in two case schools...... appreciated by the group of boys, and others again learned to stick with their idiosyncrasies when pressured by the teacher. Conclusions: Children were acquiring taste in the home economic lessons, but not only the kind of tastes that the teacher had planned for. This leads to reflections on the very complex...... process of taste acquiring and to a call for further research into taste acquiring in complex real life contexts as home economics lessons....
African Journals Online (AJOL)
B one marrow aplasia ... Laboratory approach to a suspected acquired bleeding disorder. (LER = leuko- .... lymphocytic leukaemia, and lymphoma). ... cells), a bone marrow aspirate and trephine biopsy (BMAT) is not ..... transplantation.
Kapil, R; Bhavsar, H K; Madan, M
2015-01-01
Hand hygiene has now been recognised as one of the most effective intervention to control the transmission of infections in a hospital and education is an important tool to ensure its implementation. In order to convince the users and as a part of education, it is important to generate evidence on the role of hand hygiene in reducing the bacterial flora on their hands. The present study was undertaken in a tertiary care hospital to demonstrate the presence of bacterial flora on the hands of healthcare workers (HCW) in different categories, to teach them proper hand hygiene technique using alcohol-based hand rub and determine the outcome for reduction of bacteria. A total sample size of 60 subjects including resident doctors, medical students, nurses and hospital attendants were included in the study after obtaining informed consent. Each person was educated on the technique of hand hygiene with alcohol-based hand rub and hand impressions were cultured before and after hand hygiene. All the subjects were also given a questionnaire to assess their perception on hand hygiene. The WHO posters on proper hand hygiene were displayed in the appropriate areas of the hospital in addition, as an educational tool. Majority (42 out of 60) of the HCWs had bacterial count up to 100 colonies or more on both hands before the application of hand rub while working in the hospital. After use of alcohol hand rub with a proper hand hygiene technique, it was found that the percentage reduction was 95-99% among doctors and nurses, 70% among hospital attendants and 50% among sanitary attendants. Staphylococcus aureus was present on the hands of eight persons of which three were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The study demonstrates that transient bacteria are present on the hands of HCWs but majority could be removed by proper hand hygiene, which needs continuous education to be effective. It also shows that active education by demonstrating the proper hand hygiene technique
Hand aperture patterns in prehension.
Bongers, Raoul M; Zaal, Frank T J M; Jeannerod, Marc
2012-06-01
Although variations in the standard prehensile pattern can be found in the literature, these alternative patterns have never been studied systematically. This was the goal of the current paper. Ten participants picked up objects with a pincer grip. Objects (3, 5, or 7cm in diameter) were placed at 30, 60, 90, or 120cm from the hands' starting location. Usually the hand was opened gradually to a maximum immediately followed by hand closing, called the standard hand opening pattern. In the alternative opening patterns the hand opening was bumpy, or the hand aperture stayed at a plateau before closing started. Two participants in particular delayed the start of grasping with respect to start of reaching, with the delay time increasing with object distance. For larger object distances and smaller object sizes, the bumpy and plateau hand opening patterns were used more often. We tentatively concluded that the alternative hand opening patterns extended the hand opening phase, to arrive at the appropriate hand aperture at the appropriate time to close the hand for grasping the object. Variations in hand opening patterns deserve attention because this might lead to new insights into the coordination of reaching and grasping. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Occupational hand eczema caused by nickel and evaluated by quantitative exposure assessment.
Jensen, Peter; Thyssen, Jacob P; Johansen, Jeanne D; Skare, Lizbet; Menné, Torkil; Lidén, Carola
2011-01-01
EU legislation has reduced the epidemic of nickel contact allergy affecting the consumer, and shifted the focus towards occupational exposure. The acid wipe sampling technique was developed to quantitatively determine skin exposure to metals. To assess the clinical usefulness of the acid wipe sampling technique as part of the diagnostic investigation for occupational nickel allergy-associated hand dermatitis. Six patients with vesicular dermatitis on the hands were included. Acid wipe sampling of skin and patch testing with a nickel sulfate dilution series were performed. Nickel was detected in all samples from the hands. In all patients, the nickel content on the hands was higher than on the non-exposed control area. Occupational exposure to nickel-releasing items raised the nickel content on exposed skin as compared with a non-exposed control site. Nickel-reducing measures led to complete symptom relief in all cases. In cases of a positive nickel patch test reaction and hand eczema, patients should perform the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) test on metallic items at home and at work. The acid wipe sampling technique is useful for the diagnosis of occupational hand eczema following screening with the inexpensive DMG test. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Schefold Joerg C
2007-12-01
Full Text Available Abstract We report a case of fulminant multiple organ failure including the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS, haemodynamic, and renal failure due to community-acquired methicillin-sensitive Panton Valentine Leukocidin (PVL positive spa-type 284 (ST121 Staphylococcus aureus septic shock. The patient's first clinical symptom was necrotizing pneumonia. Despite organism-sensitive triple antibiotic therapy with linezolid, imipenem and clindamycin from the first day of treatment, progressive abscess formation in multiple skeletal muscles was observed. As a result, repeated surgical interventions became necessary. Due to progressive soft tissue infection, the anti-microbial therapy was changed to a combination of clindamycin and daptomycin. Continued surgical and antimicrobial therapy finally led to a stabilisation of the patients' condition. The clinical course of our patient underlines the existence of a "PVL-syndrome" which is independent of in vitro Staphylococcus aureus susceptibility. The PVL-syndrome should not only be considered in patients with soft tissue or bone infection, but also in patients with pneumonia. Such a condition, which may easily be mistaken for uncomplicated pneumonia, should be treated early, aggressively and over a long period of time in order to avoid relapsing infection.
Farmer Performance under Competitive Pressure in Agro-cluster Regions
Wardhana, D.; Ihle, R.; Heijman, W.J.M.
2017-01-01
Agro-clusters would allow farmers to acquire positive and negative externalities. On one hand, smallholder farmers in spatial proximity are likely to benefit from this concentration; on the other hand, they incur high competitive pressure from other neighboring farmers. We examine the link between
Prona positioning in patients submitted to myocardial perfusion scintigraphy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cunha, C.J.; Ferreira, F.C.L.; Dullius, M.A.; Souza, S.O.; Souza, D.N.
2011-01-01
The myocardium perfusion scintigraphy corresponds at the nuclear medicine to one of best diagnostic methods for myocardium diseases. However, artefacts generated by the diaphragmatic tissue can induce to false positive diagnostic when does not occurs association of the image in supine position with the prone position. Images acquired at the two positions were analysed and the evaluation of tomographic images were estimation and consequently, a more completed diagnostic
López Martín, M Beatriz; Erice Calvo-Sotelo, Alejo
To compare presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution following the WHO protocol with traditional presurgical hand hygiene. Cultures of the hands of surgeons and surgical nurses were performed before and after presurgical hand hygiene and after removing gloves at the end of surgery. Cultures were done in 2different days: the first day after traditional presurgical hand hygiene, and the second day after presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution following the WHO protocol. The duration of the traditional hand hygiene was measured and compared with the duration (3min) of the WHO protocol. The cost of the products used in the traditional technique was compared with the cost of the hydroalcoholic solution used. The variability of the traditional technique was determined by observation. Following presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution, colony-forming units (CFU) were detected in 5 (7.3%) subjects, whereas after traditional presurgical hand hygiene CFU were detected in 14 subjects (20.5%) (p < 0.05). After glove removal, the numbers of CFU were similar. The time employed in hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution (3min) was inferior to the time employed in the traditional technique (p < 0.05), its cost was less than half, and there was no variability. Compared with other techniques, presurgical hand hygiene with hydroalcoholic solution significantly decreases CFU, has similar latency time, a lower cost, and saves time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
Changes to online control and eye-hand coordination with healthy ageing.
O'Rielly, Jessica L; Ma-Wyatt, Anna
2018-06-01
Goal directed movements are typically accompanied by a saccade to the target location. Online control plays an important part in correction of a reach, especially if the target or goal of the reach moves during the reach. While there are notable changes to visual processing and motor control with healthy ageing, there is limited evidence about how eye-hand coordination during online updating changes with healthy ageing. We sought to quantify differences between older and younger people for eye-hand coordination during online updating. Participants completed a double step reaching task implemented under time pressure. The target perturbation could occur 200, 400 and 600 ms into a reach. We measured eye position and hand position throughout the trials to investigate changes to saccade latency, movement latency, movement time, reach characteristics and eye-hand latency and accuracy. Both groups were able to update their reach in response to a target perturbation that occurred at 200 or 400 ms into the reach. All participants demonstrated incomplete online updating for the 600 ms perturbation time. Saccade latencies, measured from the first target presentation, were generally longer for older participants. Older participants had significantly increased movement times but there was no significant difference between groups for touch accuracy. We speculate that the longer movement times enable the use of new visual information about the target location for online updating towards the end of the movement. Interestingly, older participants also produced a greater proportion of secondary saccades within the target perturbation condition and had generally shorter eye-hand latencies. This is perhaps a compensatory mechanism as there was no significant group effect on final saccade accuracy. Overall, the pattern of results suggests that online control of movements may be qualitatively different in older participants. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V. All
CONTEMPLATIVE POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: INTRODUCING MINDFULNESS INTO POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ausiàs Cebolla
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Although mindfulness is included in many positive psychology manuals as a “positive” technique, the implications of its use have scarcely been developed and the relationship between mindfulness and human well-being has barely been researched. Analyzing the main strengths of the two fields, the possibilities for their integration and the potential contradictions between their messages is essential in order to establish connections. Mindfulness is more than a meditation technique. It has implicit within it a set of values and ethical conditions that coincide to a great extent with the proposed assumptions from positive psychology, such as the development of kindness, compassion, and positive emotions. The aim of this paper is to present, on the one hand, the commonalities and similarities, and on the other, the differences between mindfulness and positive psychology. We also present the main studies that have investigated the role of mindfulness and contemplative practices on human well-being. Finally future research will be discussed and intervention suggested in order to bring the two proposals together.
Wide-Area Haptic Guidance: Taking the User by the Hand
Pérez Arias, Antonia; Hanebeck, Uwe D.
2010-01-01
In this paper, we present a novel use of haptic information in extended range telepresence, the wide-area haptic guidance. It consists of force and position signals applied to the user's hand in order to improve safety, accuracy, and speed in some telepresent tasks. Wide-area haptic guidance assists the user in reaching a desired position in a remote environment of arbitrary size without degrading the feeling of presence. Several methods for haptic guidance are analyzed. With active haptic gu...
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Robotically enhanced rubber hand illusion.
Arata, Jumpei; Hattori, Masashi; Ichikawa, Shohei; Sakaguchi, Masamichi
2014-01-01
The rubber hand illusion is a well-known multisensory illusion. In brief, watching a rubber hand being stroked by a paintbrush while one's own unseen hand is synchronously stroked causes the rubber hand to be attributed to one's own body and to "feel like it's my hand." The rubber hand illusion is thought to be triggered by the synchronized tactile stimulation of both the subject's hand and the fake hand. To extend the conventional rubber hand illusion, we introduce robotic technology in the form of a master-slave telemanipulator. The developed one degree-of-freedom master-slave system consists of an exoskeleton master equipped with an optical encoder that is worn on the subject's index finger and a motor-actuated index finger on the rubber hand, which allows the subject to perform unilateral telemanipulation. The moving rubber hand illusion has been studied by several researchers in the past with mechanically connected rigs between the subject's body and the fake limb. The robotic instruments let us investigate the moving rubber hand illusion with less constraints, thus behaving closer to the classic rubber hand illusion. In addition, the temporal delay between the body and the fake limb can be precisely manipulated. The experimental results revealed that the robotic instruments significantly enhance the rubber hand illusion. The time delay is significantly correlated with the effect of the multisensory illusion, and the effect significantly decreased at time delays over 100 ms. These findings can potentially contribute to the investigations of neural mechanisms in the field of neuroscience and of master-slave systems in the field of robotics.
Validation of a questionnaire on hand hygiene in the construction industry.
Timmerman, Johan G; Zilaout, Hicham; Heederik, Dick; Spee, Ton; Smit, Lidwien A M
2014-10-01
Construction workers are at risk of developing occupational contact dermatitis. Gloves, when used properly, may protect against chemicals and coarse materials. We investigated the prevalence and determinants of contact dermatitis in a population of Dutch construction workers and aimed at validating questionnaire items on hand hygiene. A cross-sectional study was conducted at 13 construction sites, yielding data of 177 subjects (95% response rate). A questionnaire covering questions on hand hygiene and contact dermatitis symptoms was used. Agreement between workplace observations and a number of questionnaire items was assessed by calculating Cohen's kappa. Log-binomial regression analysis was used to assess the association between contact dermatitis and various hand hygiene-related determinants. The 1-year prevalence of self-reported contact dermatitis in our study sample was 46.9%. Multiple regression analysis showed a positive association with difficulties with hand cleaning (prevalence ratio [PR]: 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-1.52), hand contamination at the end of the working day (PR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.14-4.65), and intensive hand cream use (PR: 2.07, 95% CI: 1.42-3.01). Observations of hand contamination, glove use, and glove types were found to agree well with the self-reported data from the questionnaire (Cohen's kappa's 0.75, 0.97, and 0.88). Self-reported contact dermatitis prevalence in construction workers was high and related to hand hygiene. A strong agreement was found between workplace observations and self-reported questionnaire data. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.
Kara, Býlge; Yildirim, Yücel; Karadýbak, Dýdem; Acar, Umýt
2006-06-01
A prospective study made into cervical disc hernias. To determine the kinesthetic sense and hand functions, which are important for the patients with cervical disc hernia to return to work life and daily activities that need skill. Neurosurgical department. Data Symptoms in cervical disc hernias and hand functions are affected depending on long-term pain. The evaluation of the hand is essential in assessing the patients' overall recovery and ability to return to daily activities and work life. Thirty-four patients with cervical disc hernia, who were operated on, were included in the study. Eight different test positions in the assessment of the hand's kinesthetic sense and hand function sort (HFS) in the evaluation of the hand function were applied. The disability levels of the patients were determined with The Neck Pain and Disability Scale, on the preoperative and postoperative discharge day and in the postoperative second month. Patients were divided into groups according to the side involved. In the evaluation of the kinesthetic test of the hand, only in the postoperative second month was a significant difference observed between the 1, 2, 3, and 4 test positions of the right side of the groups. On the other hand, no significant difference was found between the groups in the assessment of the hand function. In the measurement of hand functions and disability levels, strong and important correlations were determined. An early assessment of the hand's kinesthetic sense and function is instrumental in the patients' evaluation of recovery and resumption of work.
Pesyna, Colin; Pundi, Krishna; Flanders, Martha
2011-03-09
The neural control of hand movement involves coordination of the sensory, motor, and memory systems. Recent studies have documented the motor coordinates for hand shape, but less is known about the corresponding patterns of somatosensory activity. To initiate this line of investigation, the present study characterized the sense of hand shape by evaluating the influence of differences in the amount of grasping or twisting force, and differences in forearm orientation. Human subjects were asked to use the left hand to report the perceived shape of the right hand. In the first experiment, six commonly grasped items were arranged on the table in front of the subject: bottle, doorknob, egg, notebook, carton, and pan. With eyes closed, subjects used the right hand to lightly touch, forcefully support, or imagine holding each object, while 15 joint angles were measured in each hand with a pair of wired gloves. The forces introduced by supporting or twisting did not influence the perceptual report of hand shape, but for most objects, the report was distorted in a consistent manner by differences in forearm orientation. Subjects appeared to adjust the intrinsic joint angles of the left hand, as well as the left wrist posture, so as to maintain the imagined object in its proper spatial orientation. In a second experiment, this result was largely replicated with unfamiliar objects. Thus, somatosensory and motor information appear to be coordinated in an object-based, spatial-coordinate system, sensitive to orientation relative to gravitational forces, but invariant to grasp forcefulness.
Position Estimation and Local Mapping Using Omnidirectional Images and Global Appearance Descriptors
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yerai Berenguer
2015-10-01
Full Text Available This work presents some methods to create local maps and to estimate the position of a mobile robot, using the global appearance of omnidirectional images. We use a robot that carries an omnidirectional vision system on it. Every omnidirectional image acquired by the robot is described only with one global appearance descriptor, based on the Radon transform. In the work presented in this paper, two different possibilities have been considered. In the first one, we assume the existence of a map previously built composed of omnidirectional images that have been captured from previously-known positions. The purpose in this case consists of estimating the nearest position of the map to the current position of the robot, making use of the visual information acquired by the robot from its current (unknown position. In the second one, we assume that we have a model of the environment composed of omnidirectional images, but with no information about the location of where the images were acquired. The purpose in this case consists of building a local map and estimating the position of the robot within this map. Both methods are tested with different databases (including virtual and real images taking into consideration the changes of the position of different objects in the environment, different lighting conditions and occlusions. The results show the effectiveness and the robustness of both methods.
Retrieval of 3D-position of a Passive Object Using Infrared LED´s and Photodiodes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Christensen, Henrik Vie
A sensor using infrared emitter/receiver pairs to determine the position of a passive object is presented. An array with a small number of infrared emitter/receiver pairs are proposed as sensing part to acquire information on the object position. The emitters illuminates the object and the intens......A sensor using infrared emitter/receiver pairs to determine the position of a passive object is presented. An array with a small number of infrared emitter/receiver pairs are proposed as sensing part to acquire information on the object position. The emitters illuminates the object...
Snow, Michelle; White, George L.; Kim, Han S.
2008-01-01
Routine hand hygiene has been cited by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a cost-effective and important hygiene measure in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Several studies have explored children's hand hygiene habits, effects of scheduled hand hygiene, hand hygiene environmental…
Veschgini, M.; Gebert, F.; Khangai, N.; Ito, H.; Suzuki, R.; Holstein, T. W.; Mae, Y.; Arai, T.; Tanaka, M.
2016-03-01
Regeneration of a tissue fragment of freshwater polyp Hydra is accompanied by significant morphological fluctuations, suggesting the generation of active forces. In this study, we utilized a two fingered micro-robotic hand to gain insights into the mechanics of regenerating tissues. Taking advantage of a high force sensitivity (˜1 nN) of our micro-hand, we non-invasively acquired the bulk elastic modulus of tissues by keeping the strain levels low (ɛ < 0.15). Moreover, by keeping the strain at a constant level, we monitored the stress relaxation of the Hydra tissue and determined both viscous modulus and elastic modulus simultaneously, following a simple Maxwell model. We further investigated the correlation between the frequency of force fluctuation and that of morphological fluctuation by monitoring one "tweezed" tissue and the other "intact" tissue at the same time. The obtained results clearly indicated that the magnitude and periodicity of the changes in force and shape are directly correlated, confirming that our two fingered micro-hand can precisely quantify the mechanics of soft, dynamic tissue during the regeneration and development in a non-invasive manner.
Stifter, Janet; Yao, Yingwei; Lodhi, Muhammad Kamran; Lopez, Karen Dunn; Khokhar, Ashfaq; Wilkie, Diana J; Keenan, Gail M
2015-01-01
Little research demonstrating the association between nurse continuity and patient outcomes exists despite an intuitive belief that continuity makes a difference in care outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the association of nurse continuity with the prevention of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU). A secondary use of data from the Hands on Automated Nursing Data System (HANDS) was performed for this comparative study. The HANDS is a nursing plan of care data set containing 42,403 episodes documented by 787 nurses, on nine units, in four hospitals and includes nurse staffing and patient characteristics. The HANDS data set resides in a "big data" relational database consisting of 89 tables and 747 columns of data. Via data mining, we created an analytic data set of 840 care episodes, 210 with and 630 without HAPUs, matched by nursing unit, patient age, and patient characteristics. Logistic regression analysis determined the association of nurse continuity and additional nurse-staffing variables on HAPU occurrence. Poor nurse continuity (unit mean continuity index = .21-.42 [1.0 = optimal continuity]) was noted on all nine study units. Nutrition, mobility, perfusion, hydration, and skin problems on admission, as well as patient age, were associated with HAPUs (p data, showing that it offers rich potential for future study of nurse continuity and its effect on patient outcomes.
Lee, Hung-Shan; Liu, Shiang-Yao; Yeh, Ting-Kuang
2016-01-01
This study was designed to exemplify how hands-on based teaching strategies enhanced students' knowledge and positive attitudes towards sharks. Hands-on activities for sharks' biological and morphological features were carried out. Eleven elementary school students from a remote area in Taiwan were recruited and assigned to the hands-on condition.…
The Use of Industrial Robot Arms for High Precision Patient Positioning
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Katuin, J.E.; Schreuder, A.N.; Starks, W.M.; Doskow, J.
2003-01-01
The Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) is in the process of designing and building the Midwest Proton Radiation Institute (MPRI) [1]. The design process includes the development of several patient treatment systems. This paper discusses the use of two such systems that provide for the high precision positioning of a patient. They are the Patient Positioner System and the X-ray system. The Patient Positioner System positions an immobilized patient on a support device to a treatment position based on a prescribed Treatment Plan. The X-ray system uses an industrial robot arm to position a Digital Radiography Panel to acquire an X-ray image to verify the location of the prescribed treatment volume in a patient by comparing the acquired images with reference images obtained from the patient's Treatment plan
Community-acquired Clostridium difficile infection in children: A retrospective study.
Borali, Elena; Ortisi, Giuseppe; Moretti, Chiara; Stacul, Elisabetta Francesca; Lipreri, Rita; Gesu, Giovanni Pietro; De Giacomo, Costantino
2015-10-01
Community acquired-Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has increased also in children in the last years. To determine the incidence of community-acquired CDI and to understand whether Clostridium difficile could be considered a symptom-triggering pathogen in infants. A five-year retrospective analysis (January 2007-December 2011) of faecal specimens from 124 children hospitalized in the Niguarda Ca' Granda Hospital for prolonged or muco-haemorrhagic diarrhoea was carried out. Stool samples were evaluated for common infective causes of diarrhoea and for Clostridium difficile toxins. Patients with and without CDI were compared for clinical characteristics and known risk factors for infection. Twenty-two children with CDI were identified in 5 years. An increased incidence of community-acquired CDI was observed, ranging from 0.75 per 1000 hospitalizations in 2007 to 9.8 per 1000 hospitalizations in 2011. Antimicrobial treatment was successful in all 19 children in whom it was administered; 8/22 CDI-positive children were younger than 2 years. No statistically significant differences in clinical presentation were observed between patients with and without CDI, nor in patients with and without risk factors for CDI. Our study shows that Clostridium difficile infection is increasing and suggests a possible pathogenic role in the first 2 years of life. Copyright © 2015 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The hand-hold polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence and its applications
Liu, Hao; Gao, Wanrong
2017-08-01
The polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) has the advantages of being able to measure the polarization properties of samples, such as phase-retardation, diattenuation, depolarization, and optical axis orientation, providing a contrast to identify the diseased area and normal area in tissues in PSOCT images. Conventionally, the sample arm of PSOCT is fixed on the stage where biomedical tissues or models is placed, and the OCT images is acquired by scanning with a galvanometer-based mirror. To be applied in the practical diagnosis, a promising way is to design a hand-held device. To this end, it is required that probe is assembled with a small volume to allow for comprehensively imaging large tissues areas at a microscopic scale, and is available to move on different samples to be acquired quickly with negligible motion artifacts. Meanwhile, the probe should be manufactured wih well stability to avoid system jitter error while it is used to detect the biological tissues in vivo. In this work, a design of a hand-hold fiber-based PSOCT is described. The device is of the size of 10 cm (length) × 8 cm (width) × 6 cm (height). Both the axial resolution and the imaging depth of the system are measured and were approximately 7 μm and 2.5 mm in air, respectively, which are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions. The A-scan rate of the system is 70 kHz. The structure is compact and all the components are fixed on the shell to reduce the motion artifact, resulting in a great stability on measuring the tissues in vivo. The cross sectional images of ex vivo chicken breast, ex vivo pork cartilage and in vivo forearm skin of human wolunteer are presented to demonstrate the capability of the system.
Lan, Yiyun; Yao, Jun; Dewald, Julius P A
2011-01-01
Many stroke patients are subject to limited hand functions in the paretic arm due to a significant loss of Corticospinal Tract (CST) fibers. A possible solution for this problem is to classify surface Electromyography (EMG) signals generated by hand movements and uses that to implement Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). However, EMG usually presents an abnormal muscle coactivation pattern shown as increased coupling between muscles within and/or across joints after stroke. The resulting Abnormal Muscle Synergies (AMS) could make the classification more difficult in individuals with stroke, especially when attempting to use the hand together with other joints in the paretic arm. Therefore, this study is aimed at identifying the impact of AMS following stroke on EMG pattern recognition between two hand movements. In an effort to achieve this goal, 7 chronic hemiparetic chronic stroke subjects were recruited and asked to perform hand opening and closing movements at their paretic arm while being either fully supported by a virtual table or loaded with 25% of subject's maximum shoulder abduction force. During the execution of motor tasks EMG signals from the wrist flexors and extensors were simultaneously acquired. Our results showed that increased synergy-induced activity at elbow flexors, induced by increasing shoulder abduction loading, deteriorated the performance of EMG pattern recognition for hand opening for those with a weak grasp strength and EMG activity. However, no such impact on hand closing has yet been observed possibly because finger/wrist flexion is facilitated by the shoulder abduction-induced flexion synergy.
... intended to promote or encourage adherence to CDC hand hygiene recommendations. It is a component of the Clean ... also aims to address myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene and empower patients to play a role in ...
Indirect Positive Evidence in the Acquisition of a Subset Grammar
Schwartz, Misha; Goad, Heather
2017-01-01
This article proposes that second language learners can use indirect positive evidence (IPE) to acquire a phonological grammar that is a subset of their L1 grammar. IPE is evidence from errors in the learner's L1 made by native speakers of the learner's L2. It has been assumed that subset grammars may be acquired using direct or indirect negative…
COMPARATIVE GEOMETRICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF HAND-HELD SCANNING SYSTEMS
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T. P. Kersten
2016-06-01
Full Text Available An increasing number of hand-held scanning systems by different manufacturers are becoming available on the market. However, their geometrical performance is little-known to many users. Therefore the Laboratory for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning of the HafenCity University Hamburg has carried out geometrical accuracy tests with the following systems in co-operation with the Bochum University of Applied Sciences (Laboratory for Photogrammetry as well as the Humboldt University in Berlin (Institute for Computer Science: DOTProduct DPI-7, Artec Spider, Mantis Vision F5 SR, Kinect v1 + v2, Structure Sensor and Google’s Project Tango. In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data were acquired by measurement with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M. The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.
The Effect of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer Vapors on Evidential Breath Alcohol Test Results.
Strawsine, Ellen; Lutmer, Brian
2017-11-16
This study was undertaken to determine if the application of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHSs) to the hands of a breath test operator will affect the results obtained on evidential breath alcohol instruments (EBTs). This study obtained breath samples on three different EBTs immediately after application of either gel or foam ABHS to the operator's hands. A small, but significant, number of initial analyses (13 of 130, 10%) resulted in positive breath alcohol concentrations, while 41 samples (31.5%) resulted in a status code. These status codes were caused by ethanol vapors either in the room air or their inhalation by the subject, thereby causing a mouth alcohol effect. Replicate subject samples did not yield any consecutive positive numeric results. As ABHS application can cause a transitory mouth alcohol effect via inhalation of ABHS vapors, EBT operators should forego the use of ABHS in the 15 min preceding subject testing. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
DIAGNOSIS OF FINANCIAL POSITION STRUCTURE
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CĂRUNTU GENU ALEXANDRU
2017-02-01
Full Text Available The analysis of financial position structure aimed at issues that highlight on the one hand the economic relations between asset side and liability side and on the other hand the changes that are achieved as a result of internal and external factors. In order to establish the causes that led over time to changing the structure of financial position we analyze the structure of assets, liabilities and equity. The balance sheet is a summary representing only a snapshot at a certain time that changes continuously and through which are presented economic goods, rights and obligations of the company at year-end. The balance sheet is the universal working tool that contains information on the company's heritage and performance. To achieve its purpose, namely to generate profit in conditions of intense competition the firm constitutes a heritage structure, an economic fixed and circulating capital appropriate to future needs.
MRSA Incidence and Antibiotic Trends in Urban Hand Infections: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.
Kistler, Justin M; Thoder, Joseph J; Ilyas, Asif M
2018-01-01
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the most reported pathogen in hand infections at urban medical centers throughout the country. Antibiotic sensitivity trends are not well known. The purposes of this study were to examine and determine the drug resistance trends for MRSA infections of the hand and to provide recommendations for empiric antibiotic treatment based on sensitivity profiles. A 10-year longitudinal, retrospective chart review was performed on all culture-positive hand infections encountered at a single urban medical center from 2005 to 2014. The proportions of all organisms were calculated for each year and collectively. MRSA infections were additionally subanalyzed for antibiotic sensitivity. A total of 815 culture-positive hand infections were identified. Overall, MRSA grew on culture in 46% of cases. A trend toward decreasing annual MRSA incidence was noted over the 10-year study period. There was a steady increase in polymicrobial infections during the same time. Resistance to clindamycin increased steadily during the 10-year study, starting at 4% in 2008 but growing to 31% by 2014. Similarly, levofloxacin resistance consistently increased throughout the study, reaching its peak at 56% in 2014. The annual incidence of MRSA in hand infections has declined overall but remains the most common pathogen. There has been an alternative increase in the number of polymicrobial infections. MRSA resistance to clindamycin and levofloxacin consistently increased during the study period. Empiric antibiotic therapy for hand infections should not only avoid penicillin and other beta-lactams but should also consider avoiding clindamycin and levofloxacin for empiric treatment.
Programming of left hand exploits task set but that of right hand depends on recent history.
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
Full Text Available ... today; no cure tomorrow - Duration: 3:10. World Health Organization 75,362 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 412,404 views 5:46 Hand Washing Technique - ...
Full Text Available ... today; no cure tomorrow - Duration: 3:10. World Health Organization 74,478 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 411,292 views 5:46 Hand Washing Technique - ...
Full Text Available ... to promote or encourage adherence to CDC hand hygiene recommendations. It is a component of the Clean ... aims to address myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene and empower patients to play a role in ...
Radiodermatitis of the hands in a dental practitioner
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Warin, A.P.
1979-01-01
A man aged 43, presented with a 4 year history of a rash affecting his hands. He had been a dental practitioner for 20 years and admitted to lack of care with X-rays, especially in holding the X-ray film within the patient's mouth himself. He never withdrew behind a lead screen and so had been constantly exposed to X-rays over a prolonged period. Shortly prior to presentation, he had been using a cream containing amethocaine in an attempt to relieve the pain in his hands. On examination he had a weeping eczema of his hands but he was also noted to have atrophy and sclerosis of the skin of the fingers with telangiectasia and some erosions. A diagnosis of radiodermatitis was made, with superimposed contact eczema. Patch testing showed a positive reaction to amethocaine, and with the use of topical corticosteroids, the eczema settled quickly, leaving the typical signs of chronic radiodermatitis. Histopathology during the eczematous phase showed spongiosis with an eroded epidermis. The dermis showed telangiectasis and scarring of collagen. Although the epidermis showed some basal cell proliferation and acanthosis, there was no epidermal dysplasia. (author)
Radiodermatitis of the hands in a dental practitioner
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Warin, A P [Saint John' s Hospital for Diseases of the Skin, London (UK)
1979-03-01
A man aged 43, presented with a 4 year history of a rash affecting his hands. He had been a dental practitioner for 20 years and admitted to lack of care with X-rays, especially in holding the X-ray film within the patient's mouth himself. He never withdrew behind a lead screen and so had been constantly exposed to X-rays over a prolonged period. Shortly prior to presentation, he had been using a cream containing amethocaine in an attempt to relieve the pain in his hands. On examination he had a weeping eczema of his hands but he was also noted to have atrophy and sclerosis of the skin of the fingers with telangiectasia and some erosions. A diagnosis of radiodermatitis was made, with superimposed contact eczema. Patch testing showed a positive reaction to amethocaine, and with the use of topical corticosteroids, the eczema settled quickly, leaving the typical signs of chronic radiodermatitis. Histopathology during the eczematous phase showed spongiosis with an eroded epidermis. The dermis showed telangiectasis and scarring of collagen. Although the epidermis showed some basal cell proliferation and acanthosis, there was no epidermal dysplasia.
A-KAM, bracket positioning device
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anand Ambekar
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Bracket positioning is the heart of preadjusted edgewise appliance. Accuracy of bracket positioning directly affects the treatment outcome. A number of hand-held instruments are available for bracket positioning accuracy including Boon's gauge, MBT gauges, and various other modifications. However, the most commonly used MBT gauges come in a set of two or four jigs with gauges on each end of the instrument making it difficult to carry in the instrument tray for the orthodontists. Our new bracket positioning instrument, A-KAM, bracket positioning device surpasses these difficulties and can be used for reproducible bracket placement from 2.5 mm to 5.5 mm from the base of bracket.
iHand: an interactive bare-hand-based augmented reality interface on commercial mobile phones
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.
Full Text Available ... 5 Moments of Hand Hygiene - Duration: 1:53. Salem Health 13,972 views 1:53 Hand Hygiene ... Mode: Off History Help Loading... Loading... Loading... About Press Copyright Creators Advertise Developers +YouTube Terms Privacy Policy & ...
Somatically acquired structural genetic differences
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Magaard Koldby, Kristina; Nygaard, Marianne; Christensen, Kaare
2016-01-01
Structural genetic variants like copy number variants (CNVs) comprise a large part of human genetic variation and may be inherited as well as somatically acquired. Recent studies have reported the presence of somatically acquired structural variants in the human genome and it has been suggested t...... with age.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 20 April 2016; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2016.34....
Sassenrath, Claudia; Diefenbacher, Svenja; Siegel, André; Keller, Johannes
2016-01-01
Adopting a social-psychological approach, this research examines whether emotional empathy, an affective reaction regarding another's well-being, fosters hand hygiene as this affects other's health-related well-being extensively. Three studies tested this notion: (a) a cross-sectional study involving a sample of health care workers at a German hospital, (b) an experiment testing the causal effect of empathy on hand hygiene behaviour and (c) an 11-week prospective study testing whether an empathy induction affected disinfectant usage frequency in two different wards of a hospital. Self-reported hand hygiene behaviour based on day reconstruction method was measured in Study 1, actual hand sanitation behaviour was observed in Study 2 and disinfectant usage frequency in two different hospital wards was assessed in Study 3. Study 1 reveals an association of empathy with hand hygiene cross-sectionally, Study 2 documents the causal effect of empathy on increased hand sanitation. Study 3 shows an empathy induction increases hand sanitiser usage in the hospital. Increasing emotional empathy promotes hand hygiene behaviour, also in hospitals. Besides providing new impulses for the design of effective interventions, these findings bear theoretical significance as they document the explanatory power of empathy regarding a distal explanandum (hand hygiene).
Full Text Available ... intended to promote or encourage adherence to CDC hand hygiene recommendations. It is a component of the Clean ... also aims to address myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene and empower patients to play a role in ...
Full Text Available ... 585 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 412,760 ... 536,963 views 1:46 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 25,574 views ...
Full Text Available ... 585 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 413,097 ... 089,212 views 4:50 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 26,032 views ...
Full Text Available ... 029 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 412,404 ... 081,511 views 4:50 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 25,194 views ...
Full Text Available ... 585 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 413,097 ... 086,746 views 4:50 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 25,802 views ...
Full Text Available ... 453 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 413,702 ... 28,656 views 3:40 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 26,480 views ...
Full Text Available ... 024 views 2:58 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 412,404 ... 2,805 views 3:13 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 25,574 views ...
Full Text Available ... 362 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 412,404 ... 219,427 views 1:27 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 25,194 views ...
Full Text Available ... 585 views 3:10 Wash 'Em - Hand Hygiene Music Video - Duration: 5:46. Jefferson Health 413,097 ... 28,656 views 3:40 Hand hygiene FULL music video - Duration: 2:33. AlfredHealthTV 26,032 views ...
Marques, Rita; Gregório, João; Pinheiro, Fernando; Póvoa, Pedro; da Silva, Miguel Mira; Lapão, Luís Velez
2017-01-31
Hospital-acquired infections are still amongst the major problems health systems are facing. Their occurrence can lead to higher morbidity and mortality rates, increased length of hospital stay, and higher costs for both hospital and patients. Performing hand hygiene is a simple and inexpensive prevention measure, but healthcare workers' compliance with it is often far from ideal. To raise awareness regarding hand hygiene compliance, individual behaviour change and performance optimization, we aimed to develop a gamification solution that collects data and provides real-time feedback accurately in a fun and engaging way. A Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) was used to conduct this work. DSRM is useful to study the link between research and professional practices by designing, implementing and evaluating artifacts that address a specific need. It follows a development cycle (or iteration) composed by six activities. Two work iterations were performed applying gamification components, each using a different indoor location technology. Preliminary experiments, simulations and field studies were performed in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a Portuguese tertiary hospital. Nurses working on this ICU were in a focus group during the research, participating in several sessions across the implementation process. Nurses enjoyed the concept and considered that it allows for a unique opportunity to receive feedback regarding their performance. Tests performed on the indoor location technology applied in the first iteration regarding distances estimation presented an unacceptable lack of accuracy. Using a proximity-based technique, it was possible to identify the sequence of positions, but beacons presented an unstable behaviour. In the second work iteration, a different indoor location technology was explored but it did not work properly, so there was no chance of testing the solution as a whole (gamification application included). Combining automated monitoring
Arthritis of the hand - Rheumatoid
... All Topics A-Z Videos Infographics Symptom Picker Anatomy Bones Joints Muscles Nerves Vessels Tendons About Hand Surgery What is a Hand Surgeon? What is a Hand Therapist? Media Find a Hand Surgeon Home Anatomy Rheumatoid Arthritis Email to a friend * required fields ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
N. F. Fomin
2011-01-01
Full Text Available Thorough research has been done on the characteristics of surgical anatomy and mechanogenesis of the explosion-related hand injuries received during military campaigns and in non-military explosion-related accidents. This research consisted of clinical, statistical and experimental-anatomical parts. 241 patient data files of the wounded during the military campaign in Afghanistan have been analysed as well as 70 patient data files of the injured in non-military explosion-related accidents. The most common, according to the patient data analysis, morphological variations of the explosion-related hand injuries were simulated during 24 in-field experiments by exploding hands of cadavers. The characteristics of the explosion-related hand injuries were analysed using radiography and precision preparation of the extremities after the in-field experiments. The correlations between the hand damage levels, the types of explosive materials, their orientation and position in hand during explosion have been identified.
Healthcare personnel perceptions of hand hygiene monitoring technology.
Ellingson, Katherine; Polgreen, Philip M; Schneider, Amy; Shinkunas, Laura; Kaldjian, Lauris C; Wright, Donald; Thomas, Geb W; Segre, Alberto M; Herman, Ted; McDonald, L Clifford; Sinkowitz-Cochran, Ronda
2011-11-01
To assess healthcare personnel (HCP) perceptions regarding implementation of sensor-based electronic systems for automated hand hygiene adherence monitoring. Using a mixed-methods approach, structured focus groups were designed to elicit quantitative and qualitative responses on familiarity, comfort level, and perceived impact of sensor-based hand hygiene adherence monitoring. A university hospital, a Veterans Affairs hospital, and a community hospital in the Midwest. Focus groups were homogenous by HCP type, with separate groups held for leadership, midlevel management, and frontline personnel at each hospital. Overall, 89 HCP participated in 10 focus groups. Levels of familiarity and comfort with electronic oversight technology varied by HCP type; when compared with frontline HCP, those in leadership positions were significantly more familiar with ([Formula: see text]) and more comfortable with ([Formula: see text]) the technology. The most common concerns cited by participants across groups included lack of accuracy in the data produced, such as the inability of the technology to assess the situational context of hand hygiene opportunities, and the potential punitive use of data produced. Across groups, HCP had decreased tolerance for electronic collection of spatial-temporal data, describing such oversight as Big Brother. While substantial concerns were expressed by all types of HCP, participants' recommendations for effective implementation of electronic oversight technologies for hand hygiene monitoring included addressing accuracy issues before implementation and transparent communication with frontline HCP about the intended use of the data.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mohamad Kashefinejad
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Objectives: Pain is an unpleasant outcome of endodontic treatment that can be unbearable to patients. Instrumentation techniques may affect the frequency and intensity of post-endodontic pain. This study aimed to compare single visit post endodontic pain using Mtwo (NiTi rotary and hand K-file instruments.Materials and Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 60 teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in 53 patients were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of 30 teeth. In group A, the root canals were prepared with Mtwo (NiTi rotary instruments. In group B, the root canals were prepared with hand K-file instruments. Pain assessment was implemented using visual analog scale (VAS at four, eight, 12 and 24 hours after treatment. The acquired data were analyzed using chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Student’s t-test (P<0.05.Results: Patients treated with rotary instruments experienced significantly less post-endodontic pain than those treated with hand instruments (P<0.001.Conclusion: The use of Mtwo (NiTi rotary instruments in root canal preparation contributed to lower incidence of postoperative pain than hand K-files.
Kurup, Ravi Kumar; Kurup, Parameswara Achutha
2003-08-01
The isoprenoid pathway produces three key metabolites--endogenous digoxin (modulate tryptophan/tyrosine transport), dolichol (important in N -glycosylation of proteins), and ubiquinone (free radical scavenger). It was considered pertinent to assess the pathway in alcoholic addiction, alcoholic cirrhosis, and acquired hepatocerebral degeneration. Since endogenous digoxin can regulate neurotransmitter transport, the pathway was also assessed in individuals with differing hemispheric dominance to find out the role of hemispheric dominance in its pathogenesis. In the patient group there was elevated digoxin synthesis, increased dolichol and glycoconjugate levels, and low ubiquinone and elevated free radical levels. There was also an increase in tryptophan catabolites and a reduction in tyrosine catabolites as reduced endogenous morphine synthesis from tyrosine. There was an increase in cholesterol:phospholipid ratio and a reduction in glycoconjugate level of RBC membrane in these groups of patients. The same patterns were obtained in individuals with right hemispheric chemical dominance. Alcoholic cirrhosis, alcoholic addiction, and acquired hepatocerebral degeneration are associated with an upregulated isoprenoid pathway and elevated digoxin secretion from the hypothalamus. This can contribute to NMDA excitotoxicity and altered connective tissue/lipid metabolism important in its pathogenesis. Endogenous morphine deficiency plays a role in alcoholic addiction. Alcoholic cirrhosis, addiction, and acquired hepato -cerebral degeneration occur in right hemispheric chemically dominant individuals. Ninety percent of the patients with alcoholic addiction, alcoholic cirrhosis, and acquired hepatocerebral degeneration were right-handed and left hemispheric dominant by the dichotic listening test. However, their biochemical patterns were similar to those obtained in right hemispheric chemical dominance. Hemispheric chemical dominance is a different entity and has no correlation
Acquired ventricular septal defect due to infective endocarditis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Randi E Durden
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Acquired intracardiac left-to-right shunts are rare occurrences. Chest trauma and myocardial infection are well-known causes of acquired ventricular septal defect (VSD. There have been several case reports describing left ventricle to right atrium shunt after infective endocarditis (IE. We present here a patient found to have an acquired VSD secondary to IE of the aortic and tricuspid valves in the setting of a known bicuspid aortic valve. This is the first case reported of acquired VSD in a pediatric patient in the setting of IE along with literature review of acquired left-to-right shunts.
Acquired Long QT Syndrome and Torsade de Pointes Associated with HIV Infection
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alexander Shimabukuro-Vornhagen
2010-01-01
Full Text Available Here, we report the case of an HIV infected patient that was treated for pneumonia with a macrolid antibiotic. The patient experienced a prolongation of the already pathologic QTc interval resulting in repeated torsades de pointes necessitating CPR and implantation of an AICD. This case exemplifies that torsades de pointes due to acquired long QT syndrome is a serious and potentially fatal complication in HIV-positive patients.
Acquired Inventors’ Productivity after Horizontal Acquisition
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Colombo, Massimo G.; Moreira, Solon; Rabbiosi, Larissa
Effective integration of the R&D functions of the acquired and acquiring firms is essential for knowledge recombination after acquisition. However, prior research suggests that the post-acquisition integration process often damages the inventive labor force. We argue that an examination of the mu...
Pointing Hand Stimuli Induce Spatial Compatibility Effects and Effector Priming
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Akio eNishimura
2013-04-01
Full Text Available The present study investigated the automatic influence of perceiving a picture that indicates other’s action on one’s own task performance in terms of spatial compatibility and effector priming. Participants pressed left and right buttons with their left and right hands respectively, depending on the color of a central dot target. Preceding the target, a left or right hand stimulus (pointing either to the left or right with the index or little finger was presented. In Experiment 1, with brief presentation of the pointing hand, a spatial compatibility effect was observed: Responses were faster when the direction of the pointed finger and the response position were spatially congruent than when incongruent. The spatial compatibility effect was larger for the pointing index finger stimulus compared to the pointing little finger stimulus. Experiment 2 employed longer duration of the pointing hand stimuli. In addition to the spatial compatibility effect for the pointing index finger, the effector priming effect was observed: Responses were faster when the anatomical left/right identity of the pointing and response hands matched than when the pointing and response hands differed in left/right identity. The results indicate that with sufficient processing time, both spatial/symbolic and anatomical features of a static body part implying another’s action simultaneously influence different aspects of the perceiver’s own action. Hierarchical coding, according to which an anatomical code is used only when a spatial code is unavailable, may not be applicable if stimuli as well as responses contain anatomical features.
Kretsinger, R. H.; Nakayama, S.
1993-01-01
In the previous three reports in this series we demonstrated that the EF-hand family of proteins evolved by a complex pattern of gene duplication, transposition, and splicing. The dendrograms based on exon sequences are nearly identical to those based on protein sequences for troponin C, the essential light chain myosin, the regulatory light chain, and calpain. This validates both the computational methods and the dendrograms for these subfamilies. The proposal of congruence for calmodulin, troponin C, essential light chain, and regulatory light chain was confirmed. There are, however, significant differences in the calmodulin dendrograms computed from DNA and from protein sequences. In this study we find that introns are distributed throughout the EF-hand domain and the interdomain regions. Further, dendrograms based on intron type and distribution bear little resemblance to those based on protein or on DNA sequences. We conclude that introns are inserted, and probably deleted, with relatively high frequency. Further, in the EF-hand family exons do not correspond to structural domains and exon shuffling played little if any role in the evolution of this widely distributed homolog family. Calmodulin has had a turbulent evolution. Its dendrograms based on protein sequence, exon sequence, 3'-tail sequence, intron sequences, and intron positions all show significant differences.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jeevanisha Patmanathan
2015-06-01
Full Text Available Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that is resistance towards β-lactam antibiotics, and it seems to be one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections. Hands of the health care workers are said to be the main source for the nosocomial transmission. Thus, the study aims to determine methicillin-resistant S. aureus from the hands of Jatinangor Community Health Center’s health care workers. Methods: Samples were taken from the hands of 30 Jatinangor Community Health Center’s staffs, including medical and paramedical; from October 2012 to November 2012. Then, these samples underwent further laboratory examinations, starting from culture, identification and susceptibility test towards cefoxitin, in identifying methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Results: Out of the 30 samples taken, 6 samples (20% were positive for S. aureus isolates. In which, 4 (13.33% of the samples were positive for methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Conclusions: Since, health care workers are the main people in contact with patients and maintaining proper hand hygiene makes a huge difference; hand hygiene should be given adequate attention for the benefit of all.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Davidsen, Jacob; Christiansen, Ellen Tove
2014-01-01
Apart from touching the screen, what is the role of the hands for children collaborating around touchscreens? Based on embodied and multimodal interaction analysis of 8- and 9-year old pairs collaborating around touchscreens, we conclude that children use their hands to constrain and control acce...
Biederman, G. B.; Fairhall, J. L.; Raven, K. A.; Davey, V. A.
1998-01-01
A study involving six children (ages 5-13) with mental retardation found that overall passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling in teaching skills, and that passive modeling was significantly more effective than hand-over-hand modeling with response-contingent verbal prompting. (Author/CR)
Localization of Haemophilus ducreyi in naturally acquired chancroidal ulcers.
Bauer, Margaret E; Townsend, Carisa A; Ronald, Allan R; Spinola, Stanley M
2006-08-01
Haemophilus ducreyi causes the sexually transmitted genital ulcer disease chancroid. In human inoculation experiments, bacteria colocalize with neutrophils and macrophages but remain extracellular. The organism also colocalizes with collagen and fibrin but not with keratinocytes, fibroblasts, laminin, or fibronectin. These relationships are established by 48 h postinoculation and persist through the pustular stage of disease. To extend these observations to the ulcerative stage of disease, and to compare results in the human model with those of natural disease, we obtained biopsies from patients with naturally acquired chancroid. All ulcers were culture positive for H. ducreyi and histologically very similar to pustules from the human model. Staining with H. ducreyi-specific monoclonal antibodies demonstrated H. ducreyi within 5 biopsies. The organism was chiefly found within the granulocytic infiltrate of the ulcer. Dual staining for H. ducreyi and eukaryotic tissue components showed that H. ducreyi colocalized with neutrophils and fibrin at the ulcerative stage of disease. No bacteria were associated with keratinocytes, fibroblasts, or collagen. Overall, these findings are consistent with results from the human model. This is the first reported study to localize bacteria specifically identified as H. ducreyi within naturally acquired chancroid.
Hand placement near the visual stimulus improves orientation selectivity in V2 neurons
Sergio, Lauren E.; Crawford, J. Douglas; Fallah, Mazyar
2015-01-01
Often, the brain receives more sensory input than it can process simultaneously. Spatial attention helps overcome this limitation by preferentially processing input from a behaviorally-relevant location. Recent neuropsychological and psychophysical studies suggest that attention is deployed to near-hand space much like how the oculomotor system can deploy attention to an upcoming gaze position. Here we provide the first neuronal evidence that the presence of a nearby hand enhances orientation selectivity in early visual processing area V2. When the hand was placed outside the receptive field, responses to the preferred orientation were significantly enhanced without a corresponding significant increase at the orthogonal orientation. Consequently, there was also a significant sharpening of orientation tuning. In addition, the presence of the hand reduced neuronal response variability. These results indicate that attention is automatically deployed to the space around a hand, improving orientation selectivity. Importantly, this appears to be optimal for motor control of the hand, as opposed to oculomotor mechanisms which enhance responses without sharpening orientation selectivity. Effector-based mechanisms for visual enhancement thus support not only the spatiotemporal dissociation of gaze and reach, but also the optimization of vision for their separate requirements for guiding movements. PMID:25717165
The Quality of Life and Depressive Mood among Korean Patients with Hand Eczema.
Yu, Mi; Han, Tae Young; Lee, June Hyunkyung; Son, Sook-Ja
2012-11-01
Hand eczema is a disease frequently observed in dermatological practice. This condition has negative emotional, social, and psychological effects due to its impact on daily life and morphological appearance. Due to its considerable effect on the quality of life, this disease can lead to depression. However, not many studies have been performed on the quality of life and depression in hand eczema patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between the quality of life, depression, and disease severity in hand eczema patients in South Korea. A total of 138 patients with hand eczema participated in this study. The patients' quality of life was assessed by a self-administered questionnaire using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data on patients suffering from depression was obtained using the Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The disease severity was determined during the clinical examination, according to the Hand Eczema Severity Index (HECSI). We found positive associations between DLQI and HECSI scores (peczema negatively affected the quality of life and mood of patients relative to the disease severity. Therefore, we suggest that quality of life modification and emotional support should be included as a part of treatment for hand eczema.
Sequential Therapy of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Children
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I.A. Karimdzhanov
2014-04-01
Full Text Available Aim of the study — to examine the effectiveness of sequential therapy of injectable and oral forms cephalosporins of II generation, cefuroxime sodium and cefprozil, in children with acute community-acquired pneumonia. We examined 53 child patients aged 6 months — 14 years with acute community-acquired pneumonia. Patients were divided into 2 groups: 1st group — 26 patients who treated with cefuroxime sodium intramuscularly, and 2nd — 27 patients who treated with cefuroxime sodium in first 3 days and then from the 4th day — with cefprozil suspension orally. Both groups of patients were comparable by forms and course of pneumonia. In the clinic to all patients were conducted conventional clinical and laboratory investigations. Complex therapy was not different in both groups. Efficacy of treatment was assessed in dynamics. When comparing the effectiveness of two antibiotic regimens (cefuroxime sodium parenterally and sequential regimen with replacement by cefprozil orally there were no differences in the dynamics of clinical course, laboratory and radiological data. Finding of the conducted investigations before treatment showed that majority of patients had clinical and radiological evidence of pneumonia: fever, cough, shortness of breath, tachycardia, physical and radiological changes in the lungs. Evaluation of treatment efficacy showed that by the end of treatment in both groups of patients there was a positive clinical and radiological dynamics of the disease, the body temperature returned to normal, symptoms of intoxication, physical changes in the lungs disappeared, focal and infiltrative changes disappeared completely. Thus, sequential therapy with cephalosporins of II generation, cefuroxime and cefprozil, in the treatment of acute community-acquired pneumonia in children is a quite effective and safe method with good tolerability and no side effects.
Upper Limb-Hand 3D Display System for Biomimetic Myoelectric Hand Simulator
National Research Council Canada - National Science Library
Jimenez, Gonzalo
2001-01-01
A graphics system displaying both upper limb posture and opening-closing of a prosthetic hand was developed for realtime operation of our biomimetic myoelectric hand simulator, Posture of the upper...
Being Positive. Approaching Career Design from the Perspective of Positive Psychology
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Małgorzata Klimka
2015-09-01
Full Text Available Constructing a career path based upon positive personal potential and positive individual resources is a significant factor for professional development of employees and their success on today’s labour market. A satisfying career, an inherent element of personal well-being and good life, is linked with an ability to explore and reinforce signature strengths. In order to effectively design programmes which could support young people who are preparing to enter a job market, it is essential to acquire knowledge about values and character strengths and their perceptions among young people living in Poland and abroad. The article presents comparative analysis of signature strengths perceptions among young people in different cultures and discusses the significance of the most striking differences.
Acquired intrathoracic kidney in thoracic kyphosis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Murayama, Sadayuki; Kawashima, Akira; Ohuchida, Toshiyuki; Russell, W.J.
1986-12-01
Two cases of acquired intrathoracic kidney associated with thoracic kyphosis are reported, with emphasis on the radiographic manifestations. A search of the scientific literature disclosed that the acquired type of this abnormality is rare. The importance of recognizing this entity from a differential diagnostic standpoint is underscored. (author)
Glass Foreign Body Hand Radiograph
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Hamid Ehsani-Nia, DO
2018-04-01
Full Text Available History of present illness: A 27-year-old female sustained an injury to her left hand after she tripped and fell on a vase. She presented to the emergency department (ED complaining of pain over the laceration. Upon examination, patient presented with multiple small abrasions of the medial aspect of the left 5thdigit that are minimally tender. Additionally, she has one 0.5cm linear laceration of the medial aspect of the 5thmetacarpal with severe tenderness in the area and palpable underlying foreign body. Significant findings: Left hand plain radiography demonstrated a subcutaneous foreign body medial to the 5thmetacarpal that is radiopaque, trapezoidal in shape, and measures approximately 11mm x 3mm. Discussion: Laceration repairs are amongst the most common procedures in the emergency department; however, consideration for foreign body is often underdiagnosed. Imaging is performed in only about 11% of all traumatic wounds in the ED.1 Of those injuries relating to the hand that are subsequently imaged, about 15% are found to have a foreign body.2,3 Additionally, it is estimated that foreign bodies are present in 7% to 8.7% of all wounds caused by glass objects.4,5 Glass is among the most common foreign bodies in lacerations, and fortunately they are radiopaque and relatively well visualized radiographically. It has been demonstrated that 2mm glass foreign bodies have a 99% detection rate with radiography, and 1mm glass foreign bodies an 83% detection rate.6 Patient perception of foreign body has a positive predictive value of 31%, making it a poor source in influencing clinical decision-making to obtain wound radiographs.3 Clinicians should have a high suspicion for foreign body in lacerations, particularly those caused by glass, and utilize close physical examination and imaging for evaluation. Topics: Radiography, glass, foreign body, trauma
Stackelroth, Jenny; Sinnott, Michael; Shaban, Ramon Z
2015-09-01
Existing research has consistently demonstrated poor compliance by health care workers with hand hygiene standards. This study examined the extent to which incorrect hand hygiene occurred as a result of the inability to easily distinguish between different hand hygiene solutions placed at washbasins. A direct observational method was used using ceiling-mounted, motion-activated video camera surveillance in a tertiary referral emergency department in Australia. Data from a 24-hour period on day 10 of the recordings were collected into the Hand Hygiene-Technique Observation Tool based on Feldman's criteria as modified by Larson and Lusk. A total of 459 episodes of hand hygiene were recorded by 6 video cameras in the 24-hour period. The observed overall rate of error in this study was 6.2% (27 episodes). In addition an overall rate of hesitation was 5.8% (26 episodes). There was no statistically significant difference in error rates with the 2 hand washbasin configurations. The amelioration of causes of error and hesitation by standardization of the appearance and relative positioning of hand hygiene solutions at washbasins may translate in to improved hand hygiene behaviors. Placement of moisturizer at the washbasin may not be essential. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effects of hand grip exercise on shoulder joint internal rotation and external rotation peak torque.
Lee, Dong-Rour; Jong-Soon Kim, Laurentius
2016-08-10
The goal of this study is to analyze the effects of hand grip training on shoulder joint internal rotation (IR)/external rotation (ER) peak torque for healthy people. The research was conducted on 23 healthy adults in their 20 s-30 s who volunteered to participate in the experiment. Hand grip power test was performed on both hands of the research subjects before/after the test to study changes in hand grip power. Isokinetic machine was used to measure the concentric IRPT (internal rotation peak torque) and concentric ERPT (external rotation peak torque) at the velocity of 60°/sec, 90°/sec, and 180°/sec before/after the test. Hand grip training was performed daily on the subject's right hand only for four weeks according to exercise program. Finally, hand grip power of both hands and the maximum torque values of shoulder joint IR/ER were measured before/after the test and analyzed. There was a statistically significant difference in the hand grip power of the right hand, which was subject to hand grip training, after the experiment. Also, statistically significant difference for shoulder ERPT was found at 60°/sec. Hand grip training has a positive effect on shoulder joint IRPT/ERPT and therefore can help strengthen muscles around the shoulder without using weight on the shoulder. Consequently, hand grip training would help maintain strengthen the muscles around the shoulder in the early phase of rehabilitation process after shoulder surgery.
Full Text Available ... 03. R Mayer 371,490 views 4:03 The psychological trick behind getting people to say yes - Duration: 8:06. PBS NewsHour 606,671 views 8:06 Should You Really Wash Your Hands? - Duration: 4:51. Gross Science 57,828 views 4:51 Healthcare Worker Hand ...
Pickering, Amy J; Davis, Jennifer; Blum, Annalise G; Scalmanini, Jenna; Oyier, Beryl; Okoth, George; Breiman, Robert F; Ram, Pavani K
2013-09-01
Handwashing is difficult in settings with limited resources and water access. In primary schools within urban Kibera, Kenya, we investigated the impact of providing waterless hand sanitizer on student hand hygiene behavior. Two schools received a waterless hand sanitizer intervention, two schools received a handwashing with soap intervention, and two schools received no intervention. Hand cleaning behavior after toilet use was monitored for 2 months using structured observation. Hand cleaning after toileting was 82% at sanitizer schools (N = 2,507 toileting events), 38% at soap schools (N = 3,429), and 37% at control schools (N = 2,797). Students at sanitizer schools were 23% less likely to have observed rhinorrhea than control students (P = 0.02); reductions in student-reported gastrointestinal and respiratory illness symptoms were not statistically significant. Providing waterless hand sanitizer markedly increased student hand cleaning after toilet use, whereas the soap intervention did not. Waterless hand sanitizer may be a promising option to improve student hand cleansing behavior, particularly in schools with limited water access.
Salisbury, Curt Michael; Dullea, Kevin J.
2017-06-06
Technologies pertaining to a robotic hand are described herein. The robotic hand includes one or more fingers releasably attached to a robotic hand frame. The fingers can abduct and adduct as well as flex and tense. The fingers are releasably attached to the frame by magnets that allow for the fingers to detach from the frame when excess force is applied to the fingers.
Hayaki, Jumi; Herman, Debra S.; Hagerty, Claire E.; de Dios, Marcel A.; Anderson, Bradley J.; Stein, Michael D.
2010-01-01
This study tests the acquired preparedness model (APM) to explain associations among trait impulsivity, social learning principles, and marijuana use outcomes in a community sample of female marijuana users. The APM states that individuals with high-risk dispositions are more likely to acquire certain types of learning that, in turn, instigate problematic substance use behaviors. In this study, three domains of psychosocial learning were tested: positive and negative marijuana use expectancie...
Rai, Herleen; Knighton, Shanina; Zabarsky, Trina F; Donskey, Curtis J
2017-09-01
To facilitate patient hand hygiene, there is a need for easy-to-use products. In a survey of 100 patients, a single-use ethanol hand sanitizer packet took less time to access than a single-use moist towelette packet (3 vs 23 seconds) and was preferred by 74% of patients for mealtime hand hygiene. Performance of patient hand hygiene increased when a reminder was provided at the time of meal tray delivery. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Logan, Gordon D; Crump, Matthew J C
2009-10-01
Everyone knows that attention to the details disrupts skilled performance, but little empirical evidence documents this fact. We show that attention to the hands disrupts skilled typewriting. We had skilled typists type words preceded by cues that told them to type only the letters assigned to one hand or to type all of the letters. Cuing the hands disrupted performance markedly, slowing typing and increasing the error rate (Experiment 1); these deleterious effects were observed even when no keystrokes were actually inhibited (Experiment 3). However, cuing the same letters with colors was not disruptive (Experiment 2). We account for the disruption with a hierarchical control model, in which an inner loop controls the hands and an outer loop controls what is typed. Typing letters using only one hand requires the outer loop to monitor the inner loop's output; the outer loop slows inner-loop cycle time to increase the likelihood of inhibiting responses with the unwanted hand. This produces the disruption.
Iwakiri, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Akio; Seki, Masahiko; Ando, Yoshiyuki; Tsujio, Tadao; Hoshino, Masatoshi; Nakamura, Hiroaki
2017-11-15
MINI: Fourteen hundred consecutive patients were investigated for evaluating the utility of waterless hand rub before orthopaedic surgery. The risk in the surgical site infection incidence was the same, but costs of liquids used for hand hygiene were cheaper and the hand hygiene time was shorter for waterless protocol, compared with traditional hand scrub. A retrospective cohort study with prospectively collected data. The aim of this study was to compare SSI incidences, the cost of hand hygiene agents, and hand hygiene time between the traditional hand scrub and the waterless hand rub protocols before orthopedic surgery. Surgical site infections (SSI) prolong hospitalization and are a leading nosocomial cause of morbidity and a source of excess cost. Recently, a waterless hand rub protocol comprising alcohol based chlorhexidine gluconate for use before surgery was developed, but no studies have yet examined its utility in orthopedic surgery. Fourteen hundred consecutive patients who underwent orthopedic surgery (spine, joint replacement, hand, and trauma surgeries) in our hospital since April 1, 2012 were included. A total of 712 cases underwent following traditional hand scrub between April 1, 2012 and April 30, 2013 and 688 cases underwent following waterless hand rub between June 1, 2013 and April 30, 2014. We compared SSI incidences within all and each subcategory between two hand hygiene protocols. All patients were screened for SSI within 1 year after surgery. We compared the cost of hand hygiene agents and hand hygiene time between two groups. The SSI incidences were 1.3% (9 of 712) following the traditional protocol (2 deep and 7 superficial infections) and 1.1% (8 of 688) following the waterless protocol (all superficial infections). There were no significant differences between the two groups. The costs of liquids used for one hand hygiene were about $2 for traditional hand scrub and less than $1 for waterless hand rub. The mean hand hygiene time was 264
Body mass index and progressive hand osteoarthritis: data from the Oslo hand osteoarthritis cohort.
Magnusson, K; Slatkowsky-Christensen, B; van der Heijde, D; Kvien, T K; Hagen, K B; Haugen, I K
2015-01-01
Few longitudinal studies have studied the association between body mass index (BMI) and hand osteoarthritis (OA). We aimed to explore the association between BMI and progressive hand OA in a longitudinal study of the Oslo hand OA cohort. Participants with existing hand OA had hand radiographs and BMI data taken at baseline and 7-year follow-up (n = 103). The radiographs were read according to the Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) scale. First, we examined the association between baseline BMI and incident OA (KL grade ≥ 2) in joints without OA at baseline (adjusted for age and sex) using generalized estimating equation (GEE) analyses. Second, we examined whether changes in BMI from baseline to follow-up were associated with increasing KL sum score from baseline to follow-up using linear regression. We repeated the analyses using changes in number of joints with symptomatic OA and patient-reported pain and physical function as the outcome. The mean (SD) age at baseline was 61.6 (5.6) years and 91 (94%) of the cohort were women. The mean (SD) BMI was 25.7 (4.0) kg/m(2) at baseline and the mean (SD) BMI change was 1.1 (2.0) kg/m(2). There was no relationship between baseline BMI and development of more joints with OA during follow-up. Similarly, there was no association between change in BMI and hand OA progression, increasing hand pain or disability. In the Oslo hand OA cohort, higher BMI was not related to hand OA progression.
Chatfield, Sheryl L; Nolan, Rachael; Crawford, Hannah; Hallam, Jeffrey S
2017-06-01
Hand hygiene is promoted as an effective practice to counter health care-acquired infections; however, compliance is less than optimal. Nurses have many patient contact opportunities and therefore are frequent participants in intervention research. The optimal combination of efficient and effective intervention components has not been conclusively identified. A factorial survey research design offers an efficient method to assess multiple factors simultaneously by combining elements into vignettes. This article describes a process, grounded in the framework of Bandura's social cognitive theory, that explored environmental and individual factors that potentially influence nurses' hand hygiene behavior in acute care settings. Survey respondents consisted of nurses employed in patient care; respondents also could address an open response item. A total of 466 participants scored a total of 3,685 vignettes. Statistically significant parameters included goal, supervisor priority, electronic monitoring, and rewards. The most frequently mentioned open response item was the need to keep hand hygiene product dispensers refilled. Participants also suggested that culture and intrinsic motivation influenced hand hygiene behavior. Researchers might consider assessing promising factors, especially use of goal setting, as an intervention rather than as components of an intervention. Further research is indicated to better understand how nurses define and view hand hygiene culture. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
On the Other Hand : Nondominant Hand Use Increases Sense of Agency
Damen, Tom G. E.; Dijksterhuis, Ap; van Baaren, Rick B.
In two studies, we investigated the influence of hand dominance on the sense of self-causation or agency. Participants alternately used their dominant or nondominant hand to cause the occurrence of an effect (a tone) in a task in which agency was made ambiguous. Participants were subsequently asked
A Low-Cost Hand Trainer Device Based On Microcontroller Platform
Sabor, Muhammad Akmal Mohammad; Thamrin, Norashikin M.
2018-03-01
Conventionally, the rehabilitation equipment used in the hospital or recovery center to treat and train the muscle of the stroke patient is implementing the pneumatic or compressed air machine. The main problem caused by this equipment is that the arrangement of the machine is quite complex and the position of it has been locked and fixed, which can cause uncomfortable feeling to the patients throughout the recovery session. Furthermore, the harsh movement from the machine could harm the patient as it does not allow flexibility movement and the use of pneumatic actuator has increased the gripping force towards the patient which could hurt them. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to propose the development of the Bionic Hand Trainer based on Arduino platform, for a low-cost solution for rehabilitation machine as well as allows flexibility and smooth hand movement for the patients during the healing process. The scope of this work is to replicate the structure of the hand only at the fingers structure that is the phalanges part, which inclusive the proximal, intermediate and distal of the fingers. In order to do this, a hand glove is designed by equipping with flex sensors at every finger and connected them to the Arduino platform. The movement of the hand will motorize the movement of the dummy hand that has been controlled by the servo motors, which have been equipped along the phalanges part. As a result, the bending flex sensors due to the movement of the fingers has doubled up the rotation of the servo motors to mimic this movement at the dummy hand. The voltage output from the bending sensors are ranging from 0 volt to 5 volts, which are suitable for low-cost hand trainer device implementation. Through this system, the patient will have the power to control their gripping operation slowly without having a painful force from the external actuators throughout the rehabilitation process.
Pan, Sung-Ching; Tien, Kuei-Lien; Hung, I-Chen; Lin, Yu-Jiun; Yang, Ya-Ling; Yang, Ming-Chin; Wang, Ming-Jiuh; Chang, Shan-Chwen; Chen, Yee-Chun
2013-11-01
"Patient empowerment" is an important component of World Health Organization hand hygiene program, but little is known about the intentions and attitude of patients/families and health care workers (HCWs) regarding this. A cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted in a tertiary teaching hospital in Taiwan to assess hand hygiene knowledge and the attitudes and intentions regarding patient empowerment among patients/families and HCWs. Among patients/families, 95.4% (329/345) had positive attitudes regarding patient empowerment; however, only 67.2% (232/345) had the positive intention to remind HCWs about hand hygiene (P families in the pediatric department (OR, 1.86; 95% CI: 0.93-3.64). Among HCWs, the difference between positive attitude (81.1%; 714/880) and positive intention regarding being reminded about hand hygiene (62.8%; 553/880) was significant (P 25 years (OR, 3.20; 95% CI: 1.51-6.81) and a negative attitude toward patient empowerment (OR, 10.00; 95% CI: 5.88-16.67). There were significant gaps between attitude and intention regarding patient empowerment both among patients/families and HCWs. Special strategies targeting women, the pediatric population, or illiterate people may help improve patient/family participation. Additionally, hand hygiene education should be incorporated into early-stage medical/nursing education to create a facilitating environment. Patients/families and HCWs cooperation is needed to promote the hand hygiene program further. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Henkel, Joachim; Rønde, Thomas; Wagner, Marcus
value in case of success—that is, a more radical innovation. In the second stage, successful entrants bid to be acquired by the incumbent. We assume that entrants cannot survive on their own, so being acquired amounts to a ‘prize’ in a contest. We identify an equilibrium in which the incumbent chooses...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M. Farzan
2006-06-01
Full Text Available Background and Aim: Osteoblastoma is one of the rarest primary bone tumors. Although, small bones of the hands and feet are the third most common location for this tumor, the hand involvement is very rare and few case observations were published in the English-language literature. Materials and Methods: In this study, we report five cases of benign osteoblastoma of the hand, 3 in metacarpals and two in phalanxes. The clinical feature is not specific. The severe nocturnal, salicylate-responsive pain is not present in patients with osteoblastoma. The pain is dull, persistent and less localized. The clinical course is usually long and there is often symptoms for months before medical attention are sought. Swelling is a more persistent finding in osteoblastoma of the hand that we found in all of our patients. The radiologic findings are indistinctive, so preoperative diagnosis based on X-ray appearance is difficult. In all of our 5 cases, we fail to consider osteoblastoma as primary diagnosis. Pathologically, osteoblastoma consisting of a well-vascularized connective tissue stroma in which there is active production of osteoid and primitive woven bone. Treatment depends on the stage and localization of the tumor. Curettage and bone grafting is sufficient in stage 1 or stage 2, but in stage 3 wide resection is necessary for prevention of recurrence. Osteosarcoma is the most important differential diagnosis that may lead to inappropriate operation.
Kampf, G
2016-11-01
Chlorhexidine digluconate (CHG) is an antimicrobial agent used for different types of applications in hand hygiene, skin antisepsis, oral care, and patient washing. Increasing use raises concern regarding development of acquired bacterial resistance. Published data from clinical isolates with CHG minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were reviewed and compared to epidemiological cut-off values to determine resistance. CHG resistance is rarely found in Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci. In Enterobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., Providencia spp. and Enterococcus spp., however, isolates are more often CHG resistant. CHG resistance may be detected in multi-resistant isolates such as extremely drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Isolates with a higher MIC are often less susceptible to CHG for disinfection. Although cross-resistance to antibiotics remains controversial, some studies indicate that the overall exposure to CHG increases the risk for resistance to some antibiotic agents. Resistance to CHG has resulted in numerous outbreaks and healthcare-associated infections. On an average intensive care unit, most of the CHG exposure would be explained by hand hygiene agents when liquid soaps or alcohol-based hand rubs contain CHG. Exposure to sub-lethal CHG concentration may enhance resistance in Acinetobacter spp., K. pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas spp., all species well known for emerging antibiotic resistance. In order to reduce additional selection pressure in nosocomial pathogens it seems to make sense to restrict the valuable agent CHG to those indications with a clear patient benefit and to eliminate it from applications without any benefit or with a doubtful benefit. Copyright © 2016 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thakkar, Katharine N.; Nichols, Heathman S.; McIntosh, Lindsey G.; Park, Sohee
2011-01-01
Background A weakened sense of self may contribute to psychotic experiences. Body ownership, one component of self-awareness, can be studied with the rubber hand illusion (RHI). Watching a rubber hand being stroked while one's unseen hand is stroked synchronously can lead to a sense of ownership over the rubber hand, a shift in perceived position of the real hand, and a limb-specific drop in stimulated hand temperature. We aimed to assess the RHI in schizophrenia using quantifiable measures: ...
Zhang, Zonghua; Huang, Shujun; Xu, Yongjia; Chen, Chao; Zhao, Yan; Gao, Nan; Xiao, Yanjun
2013-09-01
Palmprint and hand shape, as two kinds of important biometric characteristics, have been widely studied and applied to human identity recognition. The existing research is based mainly on 2D images, which lose the third-dimensional information. The biological features extracted from 2D images are distorted by pressure and rolling, so the subsequent feature matching and recognition are inaccurate. This paper presents a method to acquire accurate 3D shapes of palmprint and hand by projecting full-field composite color sinusoidal fringe patterns and the corresponding color texture information. A 3D imaging system is designed to capture and process the full-field composite color fringe patterns on hand surface. Composite color fringe patterns having the optimum three fringe numbers are generated by software and projected onto the surface of human hand by a digital light processing projector. From another viewpoint, a color CCD camera captures the deformed fringe patterns and saves them for postprocessing. After compensating for the cross talk and chromatic aberration between color channels, three fringe patterns are extracted from three color channels of a captured composite color image. Wrapped phase information can be calculated from the sinusoidal fringe patterns with high precision. At the same time, the absolute phase of each pixel is determined by the optimum three-fringe selection method. After building up the relationship between absolute phase map and 3D shape data, the 3D palmprint and hand are obtained. Color texture information can be directly captured or demodulated from the captured composite fringe pattern images. Experimental results show that the proposed method and system can yield accurate 3D shape and color texture information of the palmprint and hand shape.
Tanaka, Ippei; Watanabe, Kiyoshi; Nakaminami, Hidemasa; Azuma, Chihiro; Noguchi, Norihisa
2014-01-01
Recently, the procedure for surgical hand hygiene has been switching to a two-stage method and hand-rubbing method from the traditional hand-scrubbing method. Both the two-stage and hand-rubbing methods use alcohol-based hand-rubbing after hand washing. The former requires 5 min of antiseptic hand washing, and the latter 1 min of nonantiseptic hand washing. For a prolonged bactericidal effect in terms of surgical hand hygiene, chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) has been noted due to its residual activity. However, no detailed study comparing the disinfection efficacy and prolonged effects according to different contents of CHG and the usage of alcohol-based hand-rubbing has been conducted. The glove juice method is able to evaluate disinfection efficacy and prolonged effects of the disinfectants more accurately because it can collect not only transitory bacteria but also normal inhabitants on hands. In the present study, we examined the disinfection efficacy and prolonged effects on alcohol-based hand-rubbing containing CHG by six hand-rubbing methods and three two-stage methods using the glove juice method. In both methods, 3 mL (one pump dispenser push volume) alcohol-based hand-rubbing solution containing 1% (w/v) CHG showed the highest disinfection efficacy and prolonged effects, and no significant difference was found between the hand-rubbing and two-stage methods. In the two methods of hand hygiene, the hand-rubbing method was able to save time and cost. Therefore, the data strongly suggest that the hand-rubbing method using a one pump dispenser push volume of alcohol-based hand-rubbing solution containing 1% (w/v) CHG is suitable for surgical hand hygiene.
Ruoff, Carl F. (Inventor); Salisbury, Kenneth, Jr. (Inventor)
1990-01-01
A robotic hand is presented having a plurality of fingers, each having a plurality of joints pivotally connected one to the other. Actuators are connected at one end to an actuating and control mechanism mounted remotely from the hand and at the other end to the joints of the fingers for manipulating the fingers and passing externally of the robot manipulating arm in between the hand and the actuating and control mechanism. The fingers include pulleys to route the actuators within the fingers. Cable tension sensing structure mounted on a portion of the hand are disclosed, as is covering of the tip of each finger with a resilient and pliable friction enhancing surface.
Hospital hand hygiene opportunities: where and when (HOW2)? The HOW2 Benchmark Study.
Steed, Connie; Kelly, J William; Blackhurst, Dawn; Boeker, Sue; Diller, Thomas; Alper, Paul; Larson, Elaine
2011-02-01
Measurement and monitoring of health care workers' hand hygiene compliance (i.e., actions/opportunities) is a key component of strategies to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. Little data exist on the expected number of hand hygiene opportunities (HHOs) in various hospital settings, however. The purpose of this study was to estimate HHOs in 2 types of hospitals--large teaching and small community--and 3 different clinical areas-medical-surgical intensive care units, general medical wards, and emergency departments. HHO data were collected through direct observations using the World Health Organization's monitoring methodology. Estimates of HHOs were developed for 12-hour AM/PM shifts and 24-hour time frames. During 436.7 hours of observation, 6,640 HHOs were identified. Estimates of HHOs ranged from 30 to 179 per patient-day on inpatient wards and from 1.84 to 5.03 per bed-hour in emergency departments. Significant differences in HHOs were found between the 2 hospital types and among the 3 clinical areas. This study is the first to use the World Health Organization's data collection methodology to estimate HHOs in general medical wards and emergency departments. These data can be used as denominator estimates to calculate hand hygiene compliance rates when product utilization data are available. Copyright © 2011 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lee, Seung Soon; Park, Se Jeong; Chung, Moon Joo; Lee, Ju Hee; Kang, Hyun Joo; Lee, Jeong-a; Kim, Yong Kyun
2014-01-01
Background Hand hygiene compliance has improved significantly through hand hygiene promotion programs that have included poster campaign, monitoring and performance feedback, and education with special attentions to perceived subjective norms. We investigated factors associated with improved hand hygiene compliance, focusing on whether the improvement of hand hygiene compliance is associated with changed perception toward hand hygiene among medical personnel. Materials and Methods Hand hygien...
Pickering, Amy J.; Davis, Jennifer; Blum, Annalise G.; Scalmanini, Jenna; Oyier, Beryl; Okoth, George; Breiman, Robert F.; Ram, Pavani K.
2013-01-01
Handwashing is difficult in settings with limited resources and water access. In primary schools within urban Kibera, Kenya, we investigated the impact of providing waterless hand sanitizer on student hand hygiene behavior. Two schools received a waterless hand sanitizer intervention, two schools received a handwashing with soap intervention, and two schools received no intervention. Hand cleaning behavior after toilet use was monitored for 2 months using structured observation. Hand cleaning after toileting was 82% at sanitizer schools (N = 2,507 toileting events), 38% at soap schools (N = 3,429), and 37% at control schools (N = 2,797). Students at sanitizer schools were 23% less likely to have observed rhinorrhea than control students (P = 0.02); reductions in student-reported gastrointestinal and respiratory illness symptoms were not statistically significant. Providing waterless hand sanitizer markedly increased student hand cleaning after toilet use, whereas the soap intervention did not. Waterless hand sanitizer may be a promising option to improve student hand cleansing behavior, particularly in schools with limited water access. PMID:23836575
Acquiring neural signals for developing a perception and cognition model
Li, Wei; Li, Yunyi; Chen, Genshe; Shen, Dan; Blasch, Erik; Pham, Khanh; Lynch, Robert
2012-06-01
The understanding of how humans process information, determine salience, and combine seemingly unrelated information is essential to automated processing of large amounts of information that is partially relevant, or of unknown relevance. Recent neurological science research in human perception, and in information science regarding contextbased modeling, provides us with a theoretical basis for using a bottom-up approach for automating the management of large amounts of information in ways directly useful for human operators. However, integration of human intelligence into a game theoretic framework for dynamic and adaptive decision support needs a perception and cognition model. For the purpose of cognitive modeling, we present a brain-computer-interface (BCI) based humanoid robot system to acquire brainwaves during human mental activities of imagining a humanoid robot-walking behavior. We use the neural signals to investigate relationships between complex humanoid robot behaviors and human mental activities for developing the perception and cognition model. The BCI system consists of a data acquisition unit with an electroencephalograph (EEG), a humanoid robot, and a charge couple CCD camera. An EEG electrode cup acquires brainwaves from the skin surface on scalp. The humanoid robot has 20 degrees of freedom (DOFs); 12 DOFs located on hips, knees, and ankles for humanoid robot walking, 6 DOFs on shoulders and arms for arms motion, and 2 DOFs for head yaw and pitch motion. The CCD camera takes video clips of the human subject's hand postures to identify mental activities that are correlated to the robot-walking behaviors. We use the neural signals to investigate relationships between complex humanoid robot behaviors and human mental activities for developing the perception and cognition model.
A simple design rule for 1st order form-closure of underactuated hands
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
S. Krut
2011-02-01
Full Text Available The property of form-closure of a grasp, as generally defined in the literature, is based on the assumption that contact points between the hand and the object are fixed in space. However, this assumption is false when considering a grasp exerted by an underactuated hand, since in this case, it is not possible to control the position of each phalanx independently. In spite of researchers' interest in studying form-closure, none of the available published work on this subject takes into consideration the particular kinematics of underactuated hands. Actually, there are few available tools to qualify or quantify the stability of a grasp exerted by an underactuated hand, thus the design of underactuated hands mostly results from an intuitive approach. This paper aims to reduce this gap.
A classification of underactuated hands is proposed, based on the expression of contact forces. This highlights the influence of non-backdrivable mechanisms introduced in the transmission of the closing motion of the hand on the stability of the grasp. The way to extend the original definition of form-closure to underactuated grasps is illustrated. A more general definition is formulated, which checks the stability of the set "object + hand". Using this new definition, a simple rule is proposed for designing a hand capable of achieving 1st order form-closed grasps.
This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010, 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.
Pickering, Amy J.; Davis, Jennifer; Blum, Annalise G.; Scalmanini, Jenna; Oyier, Beryl; Okoth, George; Breiman, Robert F.; Ram, Pavani K.
2013-01-01
Handwashing is difficult in settings with limited resources and water access. In primary schools within urban Kibera, Kenya, we investigated the impact of providing waterless hand sanitizer on student hand hygiene behavior. Two schools received a waterless hand sanitizer intervention, two schools received a handwashing with soap intervention, and two schools received no intervention. Hand cleaning behavior after toilet use was monitored for 2 months using structured observation. Hand cleaning...
Dynamic causal modeling of touch-evoked potentials in the rubber hand illusion.
Zeller, Daniel; Friston, Karl J; Classen, Joseph
2016-09-01
The neural substrate of bodily ownership can be disclosed by the rubber hand illusion (RHI); namely, the illusory self-attribution of an artificial hand that is induced by synchronous tactile stimulation of the subject's hand that is hidden from view. Previous studies have pointed to the premotor cortex (PMC) as a pivotal area in such illusions. To investigate the effective connectivity between - and within - sensory and premotor areas involved in bodily perceptions, we used dynamic causal modeling of touch-evoked responses in 13 healthy subjects. Each subject's right hand was stroked while viewing their own hand ("REAL"), or an artificial hand presented in an anatomically plausible ("CONGRUENT") or implausible ("INCONGRUENT") position. Bayesian model comparison revealed strong evidence for a differential involvement of the PMC in the generation of touch-evoked responses under the three conditions, confirming a crucial role of PMC in bodily self-attribution. In brief, the extrinsic (forward) connection from left occipital cortex to left PMC was stronger for CONGRUENT and INCONGRUENT as compared to REAL, reflecting the augmentation of bottom-up visual input when multisensory integration is challenged. Crucially, intrinsic connectivity in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) was attenuated in the CONGRUENT condition, during the illusory percept. These findings support predictive coding models of the functional architecture of multisensory integration (and attenuation) in bodily perceptual experience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Poor Hand-Pointing to Sounds in Right Brain-Damaged Patients: Not Just a Problem of Spatial-Hearing
Pavani, Francesco; Farne, Alessandro; Ladavas, Elisabetta
2005-01-01
We asked 22 right brain-damaged (RBD) patients and 11 elderly healthy controls to perform hand-pointing movements to free-field unseen sounds, while modulating two non-auditory variables: the initial position of the responding hand (left, centre or right) and the presence or absence of task-irrelevant ambient vision. RBD patients suffering from…
7 CFR 1779.90 - Disposition of acquired property.
2010-01-01
... Disposition of acquired property. (a) General. When the lender acquires title to the collateral and the final... 7 Agriculture 12 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Disposition of acquired property. 1779.90 Section... develop a plan to fully protect the collateral, and the lender must dispose of the collateral without...
Rôças, I N; Lima, K C; Siqueira, J F
2013-07-01
To compare the antibacterial efficacy of two instrumentation techniques, one using hand nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments and the other using rotary NiTi instruments, in root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis. Root canals from single-rooted teeth were instrumented using either hand NiTi instruments in the alternated rotation motion technique or rotary BioRaCe instruments. The irrigant used in both groups was 2.5% NaOCl. DNA extracts from samples taken before and after instrumentation were subjected to quantitative analysis by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Qualitative analysis was also performed using presence/absence data from culture and qPCR assays. Bacteria were detected in all S1 samples by both methods. In culture analysis, 45% and 35% of the canals were still positive for bacterial presence after hand and rotary NiTi instrumentation, respectively (P > 0.05). Rotary NiTi instrumentation resulted in significantly fewer qPCR-positive cases (60%) than hand NiTi instrumentation (95%) (P = 0.01). Intergroup comparison of quantitative data showed no significant difference between the two techniques. There was no significant difference in bacterial reduction in infected canals after instrumentation using hand or rotary NiTi instruments. In terms of incidence of positive results for bacteria, culture also showed no significant differences between the groups, but the rotary NiTi instrumentation resulted in more negative results in the more sensitive qPCR analysis. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Forrester, L A; Bryce, E A; Mediaa, A K
2010-03-01
A year-long multifaceted hand-hygiene campaign entitled Clean Hands for Life targeting individual, environmental and organisational factors that influence healthcare worker (HCW) hand-hygiene behaviour was implemented in 36 acute and long-term care facilities in Vancouver Coastal Health region. The campaign involved rotation of ten novel posters, two poster contests, and distribution of multiple promotional items. A social marketing approach was used to implement and monitor the effectiveness of the campaign. Evaluation included quality assurance surveys, staff surveys (baseline, mid- and post-campaign), and focus groups. A total of 141 poster contest submissions was received, 5452 staff surveys completed and 14 focus groups conducted. Overall knowledge of the importance of hand-hygiene and intention to clean hands was high at baseline. No significant differences were observed when mid- and post-campaign scores were compared to baseline. The majority (89.5%) of HCWs reported that they preferred soap and water over alcohol hand gel. A significant increase in the self-reported use of hand-hygiene products was observed particularly among HCWs not providing direct patient care. Barriers to hand-hygiene included inappropriate placement of sinks, traffic flow issues, inadequately stocked washrooms, workload and time constraints. Organisational support was visible throughout the campaign. The results showed that social marketing is an effective approach in engaging HCWs. Hand-hygiene campaigns that focus almost exclusively on increasing awareness among HCWs may not be as successful as multifaceted campaigns or campaigns that target identified barriers to hand-hygiene. Copyright 2009 The Hospital Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Brosseau, Lucie; Thevenot, Odette; MacKiddie, Olivia; Taki, Jade; Wells, George A; Guitard, Paulette; Léonard, Guillaume; Paquet, Nicole; Aydin, Sibel Z; Toupin-April, Karine; Cavallo, Sabrina; Moe, Rikke Helene; Shaikh, Kamran; Gifford, Wendy; Loew, Laurianne; De Angelis, Gino; Shallwani, Shirin Mehdi; Aburub, Ala' S; Mizusaki Imoto, Aline; Rahman, Prinon; Álvarez Gallardo, Inmaculada C; Cosic, Milkana Borges; Østerås, Nina; Lue, Sabrina; Hamasaki, Tokiko; Gaudreault, Nathaly; Towheed, Tanveer E; Koppikar, Sahil; Kjeken, Ingvild; Mahendira, Dharini; Kenny, Glen P; Paterson, Gail; Westby, Marie; Laferrière, Lucie; Longchamp, Guy
2018-06-01
To identify programmes involving therapeutic exercise that are effective for the management of hand osteoarthritis and to provide stakeholders with updated, moderate to high-quality recommendations supporting exercises for hand osteoarthritis. A systematic search and adapted selection criteria included comparable trials with exercise programmes for managing hand osteoarthritis. Based on the evaluated evidence, a panel of experts reached consensus through a Delphi approach endorsing the recommendations. A hierarchical alphabetical grading system (A, B, C+, C, C-, D-, D, D+, E, F) was based on clinical importance (≥15%) and statistical significance ( P 12 weeks) trials for physical function and pinch strength. Despite that many programmes involving exercise with positive recommendations for clinical outcomes are available to healthcare professionals and hand osteoarthritis patients that aid in the management of hand osteoarthritis, there is a need for further research to isolate the specific effect of exercise components.
Comparative Geometrical Accuracy Investigations of Hand-Held 3d Scanning Systems - AN Update
Kersten, T. P.; Lindstaedt, M.; Starosta, D.
2018-05-01
Hand-held 3D scanning systems are increasingly available on the market from several system manufacturers. These systems are deployed for 3D recording of objects with different size in diverse applications, such as industrial reverse engineering, and documentation of museum exhibits etc. Typical measurement distances range from 0.5 m to 4.5 m. Although they are often easy-to-use, the geometric performance of these systems, especially the precision and accuracy, are not well known to many users. First geometrical investigations of a variety of diverse hand-held 3D scanning systems were already carried out by the Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning Lab of the HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU Hamburg) in cooperation with two other universities in 2016. To obtain more information about the accuracy behaviour of the latest generation of hand-held 3D scanning systems, HCU Hamburg conducted further comparative geometrical investigations using structured light systems with speckle pattern (Artec Spider, Mantis Vision PocketScan 3D, Mantis Vision F5-SR, Mantis Vision F5-B, and Mantis Vision F6), and photogrammetric systems (Creaform HandySCAN 700 and Shining FreeScan X7). In the framework of these comparative investigations geometrically stable reference bodies were used. The appropriate reference data was acquired by measurements with two structured light projection systems (AICON smartSCAN and GOM ATOS I 2M). The comprehensive test results of the different test scenarios are presented and critically discussed in this contribution.
Mortality predictors in community-acquired pneumonia | Tanimowo ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
acquired pneumonia to themedicalwards of Ladoke Akintola University ofTeaching Hospital between Jan. 2003 andDec. 2005. The case notes of 65 patients admitted for community-acquired pneumoniawere studiedwith respect to their admission ...
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Isozaki, Hideko [Department of Clinical Pharmaceutics, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558 (Japan); Takigawa, Nagio, E-mail: ntakigaw@gmail.com [Department of General Internal Medicine 4, Kawasaki Medical School, Okayama 700-8505 (Japan); Kiura, Katsuyuki [Department of Allergy and Respiratory Medicine, Okayama University Hospital, Okayama 700-8558 (Japan)
2015-04-30
The discovery of an echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion gene led to improved clinical outcomes in patients with lung cancer after the development of the first ALK-targeting agent, crizotinib. Some second-generation ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which might be more potent than crizotinib or effective on crizotinib-resistant patients, have been developed. Although these ALK-TKIs show an excellent response initially, most patients eventually acquire resistance. Therefore, careful consideration of the resistance mechanisms might lead to superior therapeutic strategies. Here, we summarize the history of ALK-TKIs and their underlying resistance mechanisms in both the preclinical and clinical settings. In addition, we discuss potential future treatment strategies in ALK-TKI-naïve and -resistant patients with lung cancer harboring the EML4-ALK fusion gene.
Quality of life following surgery for congenital or acquired trigger finger
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sorg, Heiko
2015-03-01
Full Text Available Background: Evaluation of quality of life following surgical release of the first annular flexor tendon pulley in children suffering from pediatric trigger thumb in comparison to adult patients with trigger finger.Material and methods: All patients who underwent an A1 tendon pulley release between 2006 and 2010 at a hand surgery center were reviewed retrospectively. Chart review included operation type, length of hospital stay, and type of anesthesia. Patient satisfaction was assessed using two validated hand questionnaires, the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH Outcome Measure and the German Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ.Results: A total of 13 children and 147 adults were included in the study. No postoperative complications or recurrence were observed in the pediatric patient population. Postoperative DASH score in children was 0±0 and in adults 14±2. Postoperative German MHQ score was 97±3 in children and 84±2 in adults. Patient satisfaction was rated positive in all children and in 87% of adults; all children and 93% of the adults would undergo this procedure again. Conclusions: The surgical release of the A1 pulley in children and adults is a safe and low-risk procedure. Postoperative quality of life, especially in children, is high; patients and parents were highly satisfied. Therefore, the surgical approach should be recommended as a first-line treatment of the trigger finger in all age groups.
Predrag Zima
2007-01-01
In this paper, the author discusses the regulatory role of the state and legal norms, in market economy, especially in so-called transition countries. Legal policy, and other questions of the state and free market economy are here closely connected, because the state must ensure with legal norms that economic processes are not interrupted: only the state can establish the legal basis for a market economy. The free market’s invisible hand is acting in questions such as: what is to be produced,...
[Ceftaroline fosamil in community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia].
Calbo, Esther; Zaragoza, Rafael
2014-03-01
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common infection in developed countries and causes a large number of hospital admissions and deaths. In recent years, the incidence of this disease has increased, caused by progressive population aging. Following the introduction of the conjugate vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae, there have been significant epidemiological changes that require close monitoring because of the possible emergence of new patterns of resistance. This article aims to review the role of ceftaroline fosamil, a new parenteral cephalosporin with antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens, in the treatment of pneumonia. Several in vitro and in vivo studies have shown the efficacy of ceftaroline fosamil against penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Additionally, ceftaroline has shown similar efficacy and safety to ceftriaxone in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia with severe prognosis (prognostic severity index III and IV) in two phase III clinical trials. Although a non-inferiority design was used for these clinical trials, some data suggest a superior efficacy of ceftaroline, with earlier clinical response and higher cure rate in infections caused by S. pneumoniae, making this drug particularly interesting for critically-ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit. Ceftaroline may also be considered for empirical and directed treatment of MRSA pneumonia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maryam Soleimanpour
2016-12-01
Conclusion: Novice participants did Thenar Eminence (non-dominant hand - E-C (dominant hand technique better than the others. Therefore, it is recommended that training of this technique was placed in educational program of medical students.
Hervey, Nathan; Khan, Bilal; Shagman, Laura; Tian, Fenghua; Delgado, Mauricio R.; Tulchin-Francis, Kirsten; Shierk, Angela; Roberts, Heather; Smith, Linsley; Reid, Dahlia; Clegg, Nancy J.; Liu, Hanli; MacFarlane, Duncan; Alexandrakis, George
2014-01-01
Abstract. Recent studies have demonstrated functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to be a viable and sensitive method for imaging sensorimotor cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). However, during unilateral finger tapping, children with CP often exhibit unintended motions in the nontapping hand, known as mirror motions, which confuse the interpretation of resulting fNIRS images. This work presents a method for separating some of the mirror motion contributions to fNIRS images and demonstrates its application to fNIRS data from four children with CP performing a finger-tapping task with mirror motions. Finger motion and arm muscle activity were measured simultaneously with fNIRS signals using motion tracking and electromyography (EMG), respectively. Subsequently, subject-specific regressors were created from the motion capture or EMG data and independent component analysis was combined with a general linear model to create an fNIRS image representing activation due to the tapping hand and one image representing activation due to the mirror hand. The proposed method can provide information on how mirror motions contribute to fNIRS images, and in some cases, it helps remove mirror motion contamination from the tapping hand activation images. PMID:26157980
A soft robotic exomusculature glove with integrated sEMG sensing for hand rehabilitation.
Delph, Michael A; Fischer, Sarah A; Gauthier, Phillip W; Luna, Carlos H Martinez; Clancy, Edward A; Fischer, Gregory S
2013-06-01
Stroke affects 750,000 people annually, and 80% of stroke survivors are left with weakened limbs and hands. Repetitive hand movement is often used as a rehabilitation technique in order to regain hand movement and strength. In order to facilitate this rehabilitation, a robotic glove was designed to aid in the movement and coordination of gripping exercises. This glove utilizes a cable system to open and close a patients hand. The cables are actuated by servomotors, mounted in a backpack weighing 13.2 lbs including battery power sources. The glove can be controlled in terms of finger position and grip force through switch interface, software program, or surface myoelectric (sEMG) signal. The primary control modes of the system provide: active assistance, active resistance and a preprogrammed mode. This project developed a working prototype of the rehabilitative robotic glove which actuates the fingers over a full range of motion across one degree-of-freedom, and is capable of generating a maximum 15N grip force.
Jiang, Weiping; Ma, Jun; Li, Zhao; Zhou, Xiaohui; Zhou, Boye
2018-05-01
The analysis of the correlations between the noise in different components of GPS stations has positive significance to those trying to obtain more accurate uncertainty of velocity with respect to station motion. Previous research into noise in GPS position time series focused mainly on single component evaluation, which affects the acquisition of precise station positions, the velocity field, and its uncertainty. In this study, before and after removing the common-mode error (CME), we performed one-dimensional linear regression analysis of the noise amplitude vectors in different components of 126 GPS stations with a combination of white noise, flicker noise, and random walking noise in Southern California. The results show that, on the one hand, there are above-moderate degrees of correlation between the white noise amplitude vectors in all components of the stations before and after removal of the CME, while the correlations between flicker noise amplitude vectors in horizontal and vertical components are enhanced from un-correlated to moderately correlated by removing the CME. On the other hand, the significance tests show that, all of the obtained linear regression equations, which represent a unique function of the noise amplitude in any two components, are of practical value after removing the CME. According to the noise amplitude estimates in two components and the linear regression equations, more accurate noise amplitudes can be acquired in the two components.
Bimanual proprioception: are two hands better than one?
Wong, J.D.; Wilson, E.T.; Kistemaker, D.A.; Gribble, P.L.
2014-01-01
Information about the position of an object that is held in both hands, such as a golf club or a tennis racquet, is transmitted to the human central nervous system from peripheral sensors in both left and right arms. How does the brain combine these two sources of information? Using a robot to move participant's passive limbs, we performed psychophysical estimates of proprioceptive function for each limb independently and again when subjects grasped the robot handle with both arms. We compare...
SPONGE ROBOTIC HAND DESIGN FOR PROSTHESES
Mine Seçkin
2016-01-01
In this study robotic hands and fingers’ materials are investigated from past to present and a sponge robotic hand is designed for biomedical applications. Emergence and necessity of soft robotic technology are explained and description of soft robot is made. Because of the importance of hand in a person’s body, researchers have dealt with robotic hand prostheses for many centuries and developed many hand types. To mimic the best for the human limbs, softness of the hand is one of the importa...
Personal hand gel for improved hand hygiene compliance on the regional anesthesia team.
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.
Grayson, M Lindsay; Melvani, Sharmila; Druce, Julian; Barr, Ian G; Ballard, Susan A; Johnson, Paul D R; Mastorakos, Tasoula; Birch, Christopher
2009-02-01
Although pandemic and avian influenza are known to be transmitted via human hands, there are minimal data regarding the effectiveness of routine hand hygiene (HH) protocols against pandemic and avian influenza. Twenty vaccinated, antibody-positive health care workers had their hands contaminated with 1 mL of 10(7) tissue culture infectious dose (TCID)(50)/0.1 mL live human influenza A virus (H1N1; A/New Caledonia/20/99) before undertaking 1 of 5 HH protocols (no HH [control], soap and water hand washing [SW], or use of 1 of 3 alcohol-based hand rubs [61.5% ethanol gel, 70% ethanol plus 0.5% chlorhexidine solution, or 70% isopropanol plus 0.5% chlorhexidine solution]). H1N1 concentrations were assessed before and after each intervention by viral culture and real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The natural viability of H1N1 on hands for >60 min without HH was also assessed. There was an immediate reduction in culture-detectable and PCR-detectable H1N1 after brief cutaneous air drying--14 of 20 health care workers had H1N1 detected by means of culture (mean reduction, 10(3-4) TCID(50)/0.1 mL), whereas 6 of 20 had no viable H1N1 recovered; all 20 health care workers had similar changes in PCR test results. Marked antiviral efficacy was noted for all 4 HH protocols, on the basis of culture results (14 of 14 had no culturable H1N1; (P< .002) and PCR results (P< .001; cycle threshold value range, 33.3-39.4), with SW statistically superior (P< .001) to all 3 alcohol-based hand rubs, although the actual difference was only 1-100 virus copies/microL. There was minimal reduction in H1N1 after 60 min without HH. HH with SW or alcohol-based hand rub is highly effective in reducing influenza A virus on human hands, although SW is the most effective intervention. Appropriate HH may be an important public health initiative to reduce pandemic and avian influenza transmission.
Cheng, Vincent C C; Tai, Josepha W M; Li, W S; Chau, P H; So, Simon Y C; Wong, Lisa M W; Ching, Radley H C; Ng, Modissa M L; Ho, Sara K Y; Lee, Doris W Y; Lee, W M; Wong, Sally C Y; Yuen, K Y
2016-06-01
The importance of compliance with hand hygiene by patients is increasingly recognized to prevent health care-associated infections. This descriptive study observed the effects of an education campaign, targeted to increase patients' self-initiated hand hygiene, and a hand hygiene ambassador-initiated directly observed hand hygiene program on patients' hand hygiene compliance in a university-affiliated hospital. The overall audited compliance of patients' self-initiated hand hygiene was only 37.5%, with a rate of 26.9% (112/416 episodes) before meals and medications, 27.5% (19/69 episodes) after using a urinal or bedpan, and 89.7% (87/97 episodes) after attending toilet facilities. Patients referred from a residential care home for older adults had significantly lower hand hygiene compliance (P = .007). Comparatively, the overall audited compliance of ambassador-initiated directly observed hand hygiene was 97.3% (428/440 episodes), which was significantly higher than patients' self-initiated hand hygiene via a patient education program (37.5%, 218/582 episodes, P hand hygiene can play an important role in improving compliance with hand hygiene by hospitalized patients. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Ergonomics and comfort in lawn mower handle positioning: An evaluation of handle geometry.
Lowndes, Bethany R; Heald, Elizabeth A; Hallbeck, M Susan
2015-11-01
Hand operation accompanied with any combination of large forces, awkward positions and repetition may lead to upper limb injury or illness and may be exacerbated by vibration. Commercial lawn mowers expose operators to these factors during actuation of hand controls and therefore may be a health concern. A nontraditional lawn mower control system may decrease upper limb illnesses and injuries through more neutral hand and body positioning. This study compared maximum grip strength in twelve different orientations (3 grip spans and 4 positions) and evaluated self-described comfortable handle positions. The results displayed force differences between nontraditional (X) and both vertical (V) and pistol (P) positions (p < 0.0001) and among the different grip spans (p < 0.0001). Based on these results, recommended designs should incorporate a tilt between 45 and 70°, handle rotations between 48 and 78°, and reduced force requirements or decreased grip spans to improve user health and comfort. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
Recommendations to reduce hand exposure for standard nuclear medicine procedures
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sans-Merce, M.; Ruiz, N.; Barth, I.; Carnicer, A.; Donadille, L.; Ferrari, P.; Fulop, M.; Ginjaume, M.; Gualdrini, G.; Krim, S.; Mariotti, F.; Ortega, X.; Rimpler, A.; Vanhavere, F.; Baechler, S.
2011-01-01
The optimization of the extremity dosimetry of medical staff in nuclear medicine was the aim of the Work Package 4 (WP4) of the ORAMED project, a Collaborative Project (2008–2011) supported by the European Commission within its 7th Framework Programme. Hand doses and dose distributions across the hands of medical staff working in nuclear medicine departments were evaluated through an extensive measurement program involving 32 hospitals in Europe and 139 monitored workers. The study included the most frequently used radionuclides, 99m Tc- and 18 F-labelled radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic and 90 Y-labelled Zevalin ® and DOTATOC for therapy. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations were performed in different predefined scenarios to evaluate separately the efficacy of different radiation protection measures by comparing hand dose distributions according to various parameters. The present work gives recommendations based on results obtained with both measurements and simulations. This results in nine practical recommendations regarding the positioning of the dosemeters for an appropriate skin dose monitoring and the best protection means to reduce the personnel exposure.
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Davide G de Sousa
2016-10-01
Full Text Available Question: Does 4 weeks of active functional electrical stimulation (FES cycling in addition to usual care improve mobility and strength more than usual care alone in people with a sub-acute acquired brain injury caused by stroke or trauma? Design: Multi centre, randomised, controlled trial. Participants: Forty patients from three Sydney hospitals with recently acquired brain injury and a mean composite strength score in the affected lower limb of 7 (SD 5 out of 20 points. Intervention: Participants in the experimental group received an incremental, progressive, FES cycling program five times a week over a 4-week period. All participants received usual care. Outcome measures: Outcome measures were taken at baseline and at 4 weeks. Primary outcomes were mobility and strength of the knee extensors of the affected lower limb. Mobility was measured with three mobility items of the Functional Independence Measure and strength was measured with a hand-held dynamometer. Secondary outcomes were strength of the knee extensors of the unaffected lower limb, strength of key muscles of the affected lower limb and spasticity of the affected plantar flexors. Results: All but one participant completed the study. The mean between-group differences for mobility and strength of the knee extensors of the affected lower limb were –0.3/21 points (95% CI –3.2 to 2.7 and 7.5 Nm (95% CI –5.1 to 20.2, where positive values favoured the experimental group. The only secondary outcome that suggested a possible treatment effect was strength of key muscles of the affected lower limb with a mean between-group difference of 3.0/20 points (95% CI 1.3 to 4.8. Conclusion: Functional electrical stimulation cycling does not improve mobility in people with acquired brain injury and its effects on strength are unclear. Trial registration: ACTRN12612001163897. [de Sousa DG, Harvey LA, Dorsch S, Leung J, Harris W (2016 Functional electrical stimulation cycling does not improve
User interface for a tele-operated robotic hand system
Crawford, Anthony L
2015-03-24
Disclosed here is a user interface for a robotic hand. The user interface anchors a user's palm in a relatively stationary position and determines various angles of interest necessary for a user's finger to achieve a specific fingertip location. The user interface additionally conducts a calibration procedure to determine the user's applicable physiological dimensions. The user interface uses the applicable physiological dimensions and the specific fingertip location, and treats the user's finger as a two link three degree-of-freedom serial linkage in order to determine the angles of interest. The user interface communicates the angles of interest to a gripping-type end effector which closely mimics the range of motion and proportions of a human hand. The user interface requires minimal contact with the operator and provides distinct advantages in terms of available dexterity, work space flexibility, and adaptability to different users.
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Chembolli Lakshmi
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Eczema, the commonest disorders afflicting the hands, is also the commonest occupational skin disease (OSD. In the dermatology outpatient departments, only the severe cases are diagnosed since patients rarely report with early hand dermatitis. Mild forms are picked up only during occupational screening. Hand eczema (HE can evolve into a chronic condition with persistent disease even after avoiding contact with the incriminated allergen / irritant. The important risk factors for hand eczema are atopy (especially the presence of dermatitis, wet work, and contact allergy. The higher prevalence in women as compared to men in most studies is related to environmental factors and is mainly applicable to younger women in their twenties. Preventive measures play a very important role in therapy as they enable the affected individuals to retain their employment and livelihood. This article reviews established preventive and therapeutic options and newer drugs like alitretinoin in hand eczema with a mention on the etiology and morphology. Identifying the etiological factors is of paramount importance as avoiding or minimizing these factors play an important role in treatment.
... hands frequently can help limit the transfer of bacteria, viruses and other microbes. Always wash your hands before: Preparing food or eating Treating wounds or caring for a sick person Inserting or removing contact lenses Always wash your hands after: Preparing food Using ...
Janota, Jan; Šebková, Sylva; Višňovská, Magda; Kudláčková, Jana; Hamplová, Drahomíra; Zach, Jiří
2014-10-01
To assess the impact of a hand hygiene protocol, using hand washing, alcohol hand rub and gloves when caring for preterm infants born after 31 weeks of gestation, on the incidence of neonatal late onset sepsis (LOS). All babies delivered between 32 + 0 and 36 + 6 weeks gestation and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit during a 14-month period were included. We followed a hand hygiene protocol with hand washing and alcohol hand rub (hand rub period) for the first 7 months and a protocol of hand washing, alcohol hand rub and gloves (gloves period) for the second 7 months. The hand rub and gloves groups consisted of 111 and 89 patients, respectively. Five patients were diagnosed with a total of six episodes of LOS in the hand rub group, and the incidence of LOS during the hand rub period was 2.99/1000 hospital days and 54.1/1000 admissions. There were no patients diagnosed with LOS during the gloves period (significant decrease, p = 0.028). Using a hand hygiene protocol with hand washing, hand rub and gloves significantly reduced the incidence of LOS in preterm newborns, and the results suggest that it may produce a sustained improvement in the infection rate. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.