International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Athey, G.F.; McKenna, T.J.
1993-05-01
The Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis, Version 2.0 (RASCAL 2.0) has been developed for use by the NRC personnel who respond to radiological emergencies. This workbook is intended to complement the RASCAL 2.0 User's Guide (NUREG/CR-5247, Vol. 1). The workbook contains exercises designed to familiarize the user with the computer based tools of RASCAL through hands-on problem solving. The workbook is composed of four major sections. The first part is a RASCAL familiarization exercise to acquaint the user with the operation of the forms, menus, on-line help, and documentation. The latter three parts contain exercises in using the three tools of RASCAL Version 2.0: DECAY, FM-DOSE, and ST-DOSE. Each section of exercises is followed by discussion on how the tools could be used to solve the problem
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Franta, G.; Baylin, F.; Crowther, R.; Dubin, F.; Grace, A., Griffith, J.W.; Holtz, M.; Kutscher, C.; Nordham, D.; Selkowitz, S.; Villecco, M.
1981-06-01
This Solar Design Workbook presents solar building design applications for commercial buildir^s. The book is divided into four sections. The first section describes the variety of solar applications in buildings including conservation aspects, solar fundamentals, passive systems, active systems, daylighting, and other solar options. Solar system design evaluation techniques including considerations for building energy requirements, passive systems, active systems, and economics are presented in Section II. The third section attempts to assist the designer in the building design process for energy conservation and solar applications including options and considerations for pre-design, design, and post-design phases. The information required for the solar design proee^ has not been fully developed at this time. Therefore, Section III is incomplete, but an overview of the considerations with some of the design proces elements is presented. Section IV illustrates ease studies that utilize solar applications in the building design.
RASCAL Version 2.1 workbook. Volume 2, Revision 2
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Athey, G.F.; Sjoreen, A.L.; McKenna, T.J.
1994-12-01
The Radiological Assessment System for Consequence Analysis, Version 2.1 (RASCAL 2.1) was developed for use by the NRC personnel who respond to radiological emergencies. This workbook complements the RASCAL 2.1 User's guide (NUREG/CR-5247, Vol. 1, Rev. 2). The workbook contains exercises designed to familiarize the user with the computer-based tools of RASCAL through hands-on problem solving. The workbook contains four major sections. The first is a RASCAL familiarization exercise to acquaint the user with the operation of the forms, menus, online help, and documentation. The latter three sections contain exercises in using the three tools of RASCAL Version 2.1: DECAY, FM-DOSE, and ST-DOSE. A discussion section describing how the tools could be used to solve the problems follows each set of exercises
STEM-based workbook: Enhancing students' STEM competencies on lever system
Sejati, Binar Kasih; Firman, Harry; Kaniawati, Ida
2017-05-01
Twenty-first century is a century of technology, a rapid development of scientific studies and technology make them relied heavily on each other. This research investigated about the effect of STEM-based workbook in enhancing students' STEM competencies in terms of knowledge understanding, problem solving skill, innovative abilities, and responsibility. The workbook was tried on 24 students that applied engineering design processes together with mathematics and science knowledge to design and create an egg cracker. The result showed that the implementation of STEM-based workbook on lever system in human body is effective to improve students' STEM competencies, it can be proven by students' result on their knowledge understanding improvement which can be seen from normalized gain () score is 0.41 and categorized as medium improvement, students' problem solving skill is also improving where it obtained a medium improvement with normalized gain as much as 0.45. Innovative abilities also encountered an the improvement, the workbook analysis obtained a higher score which means students can be more innovative after finishing their workbook. Last, students' responsibility is keep improving day by day, students' effort gain the highest score it means that the students become more responsible after implementation of STEM-based workbook. All of the results are supported with the response of students towards STEM-based workbook implementation which showed positive response in all indicators.
Anoka-Hennepin Technical Coll., Minneapolis, MN.
This workbook is intended for students taking a course in basic computer numerical control (CNC) operation that was developed during a project to retrain defense industry workers at risk of job loss or dislocation because of conversion of the defense industry. The workbook contains daily training guides for each of the course's 13 sessions. Among…
English Grammar Workbook For Dummies
O'Sullivan, Nuala
2010-01-01
English Grammar Workbook For Dummies, UK Edition is grammar First Aid for anyone wanting to perfect their English and develop the practical skills needed to write and speak correctly. Each chapter focuses on key grammatical principles, with easy-to-follow theory and examples as well as practice questions and explanations. From verbs, prepositions and tenses, to style, expressions and tricky word traps, this hands-on workbook is essential for both beginners looking to learn and practise the basics of English grammar, and those who want to brush up skills they already have - quickly, easily, and
Webb, Sandra M.
This student workbook is designed to assist advanced medical-surgical nursing students in understanding and making electrocardiographic (EKG) interpretations. Addressed in the seven units of the workbook are the following topics: EKG indicators, EKG ruled paper divisions, the normal cardiac cycle and pathophysiology, abnormal cardiac waves, atrial…
Pre-calculus workbook for dummies
Kuang, Yang
2011-01-01
Get the confidence and math skills you need to get started with calculus Are you preparing for calculus? This hands-on workbook helps you master basic pre-calculus concepts and practice the types of problems you'll encounter in the course. You'll get hundreds of valuable exercises, problem-solving shortcuts, plenty of workspace, and step-by-step solutions to every problem. You'll also memorize the most frequently used equations, see how to avoid common mistakes, understand tricky trig proofs, and much more. Pre-Calculus Workbook For Dummies is the perfect tool for anyone who wa
Thoughts & Views on the Gulf War. Facilitators Notes and Workbook.
Hollings, Rick; Berghoff, Beth K.
This document presents a workbook and facilitator's notes designed for use with small groups or with individual students in secondary schools to help them cope with troubling events related to the Gulf War. The material contained in the workbook is designed to help students deal with each of seven stages that the mastery model sees individuals…
Independent Study Workbooks for Proofs in Group Theory
Alcock, Lara; Brown, Gavin; Dunning, Clare
2015-01-01
This paper describes a small-scale research project based on workbooks designed to support independent study of proofs in a first course on abstract algebra. We discuss the lecturers' aims in designing the workbooks, and set these against a background of research on students' learning of group theory and on epistemological beliefs and study habits…
First Course in Japanese: Character Workbook.
Niwa, Tamako
This character workbook is an introduction to Japanese writing designed to be used in conjunction with Parts One and Two of this introductory course in Japanese. All the "hiragana", several "katakana", and 88 Japanese characters are introduced in this text. The workbook, consisting of 30 lessons, is divided into three parts.…
CERCLA site assessment workbook, Volume 1
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1994-08-01
This workbook provides instructions for planning, implementing, and reporting site assessments under CERCLA, commonly referred to as Superfund. Site assessment consists of two information-gathering steps: the remedial preliminary assessment (PA) and the site inspection (SI). The information obtained is then used to estimate, or score, a site's relative risk to public health and the environment. The score is derived via the hazard ranking system (HRS). Although the workbook and its exercises can be adapted to group study, it is designed primarily for use by an individual
Pre-calculus workbook for dummies
Gilman, Michelle Rose; Neal, Karina
2009-01-01
Get the confidence and the math skills you need to get started with calculus! Are you preparing for calculus? This easy-to-follow, hands-on workbook helps you master basic pre-calculus concepts and practice the types of problems you'll encounter in your cour sework. You get valuable exercises, problem-solving shortcuts, plenty of workspace, and step-by-step solutions to every problem. You'll also memorize the most frequently used equations, see how to avoid common mistakes, understand tricky trig proofs, and much more. 100s of Problems! Detailed, fully worked-out solutions to problem
Santana, Altagracia A.; Bottino, Patti M.
This early intervention kit includes a Comprehensive Early Stimulation Program for Infants (CESPI) instruction manual, an early interventionist workbook, and ten parent/caregiver workbooks. The CESPI early intervention program is designed to provide therapists, teachers, other health professionals, and parents with a common-sense, practical guide…
Concrete. Course in Carpentry. Workbook and Tests.
California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Bureau of Publications.
This workbook is one of a series of individually bound units of instruction for carpentry apprenticeship classes in a four-year apprenticeship program. It consists of two sections--the workbook section and a test section. The workbook section provides instructional materials on 10 topics: introduction to cement and concrete, specifications for…
Oracle PLSQL Programming A Developer's Workbook
Feuerstein, Steven
2008-01-01
However excellent they are, most computer books are inherently passive--readers simply take in text without having any opportunity to react to it. The Oracle PL/SQL Developer's Workbook is a different kind of animal! It's designed to engage you actively, to get you solving programming problems immediately, and to help you apply what you've learned about PL/SQL--and in the process deepen your knowledge of the language. By tackling the exercises in this workbook, you'll find yourself moving more rapidly along the learning curve to join the growing ranks of PL/SQL experts. The Oracle PL/SQL
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thurber, J.A.; Olson, J.; Osborn, R.N.; Sommers, P.; Widrig, R.D.
1985-08-01
Purpose of the Workbook is to guide the NRC reviewer through a systematic review and assessment of a proposed organization and administration. The Workbook outlines criteria for evaluating a written organization/administration plan and ensures consistent and comprehensive review of organization plans and site visit materials. The Workbook is designed to assist the NRC reviewer in assembling and analyzing objective information deemed necessary for judging acceptability of the plan, but it does not itself make the judgment
Fermilab Research Program Workbook
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rubinstein, R.
1984-05-01
The Fermilab Research Program Workbook has been published annually for the past several years to assist the Physics Advisory Committee in the yearly program review conducted during its summer meeting. While this is still a major aim, it is hoped that the Workbook will also prove useful to others seeking information on the current status of Fermilab experiments and the properties of beams at the Laboratory. In addition, short summaries of approved experiments are also included
Homemaking. A Reading & Language Workbook.
Mankoski, Linda C.
Developed for use in the academic communication classroom of a middle school for the deaf, this student workbook is designed to reinforce the vocabulary and skills presented by the pre-vocational teacher in three areas of home economics: basic cooking, home care, and basic sewing. Each section contains new word lists, short stories, comprehension…
Fermilab research program workbook
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rubinstein, R.
1983-05-01
The Fermilab Research Program Workbook has been produced annually for the past several years, with the original motivation of assisting the Physics Advisory Committee in its yearly program review conducted during its summer meeting. While this is still the primary goal, the Workbook is increasingly used by others needing information on the current status of Fermilab experiments, properties of beams, and short summaries of approved experiments. At the present time, considerable changes are taking place in the facilities at Fermilab. We have come to the end of the physics program using the 400 GeV Main Ring, which is now relegated to be just an injector for the soon-to-be commissioned Tevatron. In addition, the experimental areas are in the midst of a several-year program of upgrading to 1000 GeV capability. Several new beam lines will be built in the next few years; some indications can be given of their properties, although with the caveat that designs for some are by no means final. Already there is considerable activity leading to experiments studying anti p p collisions at √s = 2000 GeV
Penerapan Workbook Matematika Berbasis Kontekstual
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tri Candra Wulandari
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Mathematics in primary schools still rely on textbooks and workbooks students were also issued by the government. In general, it seems simpler both from the teachers and students, because students only carry one book that contains a variety of subjects. Weak concept is very pronounced in mathematics. In integrated math into the thematic lessons, however, mathematics remains one of the subjects tested on a final school examinations. Teachers are preparing for the final exam had to work hard to repeat concepts ranging from grade 1 to grade 5. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers of proven strategies so that the material presented can be accepted students well. This research purposed to describe the application of contextual learning using math workbook. This study uses qualitative research with 30 research subjects third grade elementary school students in SDN Gandang I Malang. Data collection technique used documentation techniques and tests. Data analysis technique used qualitative descriptive analysis. After implementing the learning using the workbook, the average repeat is 86.96, the lowest score and the highest score each are 70 and 100. Based on the results obtained, contextual workbook that directly relate to the theme 7 that the energy source can be applied to the study of mathematics the third class at SDN Gadang I Malang.
Asphalt and Wood Shingling. Roofing Workbook and Tests.
Brown, Arthur
This combination workbook and set of tests contains materials on asphalt and wood shingling that have been designed to be used by those studying to enter the roofing and waterproofing trade. It consists of seven instructional units and seven accompanying objective tests. Covered in the individual units are the following topics: shingling…
Roofing: Workbook and Tests. First-Aid Training.
California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento. Bureau of Publications.
This workbook on first aid is one of a series of nine individual units of instruction for roofing apprenticeship classes in California. The workbook covers 12 topics: introduction to first-aid practices; burns; skeletal injuries; spinal injuries; wounds, bleeding, and bruises; emergencies of the heart and blood circulation system; breathing and…
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bureau of Resource Sciences, Canberra, ACT (Australia)
1994-12-31
This workbook details a methodology for estimating methane emissions from Australian livestock. The workbook is designed to be consistent with international guidelines and takes into account special Australian conditions. While regarded as a significant source of anthropogenic methane emissions, it is also acknowledged in this document that livestock do not provide sinks for methane or any other greenhouse gas. Methane can originate from both fermentation processes in the digestive tracts of all livestock and from manure under certain management conditions. Methane emissions were estimated from beef cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry, goats, horses, deer, buffalo, camels, emus and ostriches, alpacas and donkeys and mules. Two methodologies were used to estimate emissions. One is the standard Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1 methodology that is needed to provide inter-country comparisons of emissions. The other has been developed by the Inventory Methodology Working Group. It represents the best current Australian method for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from Australian livestock. (author). 6 tabs., 22 refs.
Pre-feasibility workbook for bioenergy projects in eastern Ontario : executive summary
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rees, C.; Bradley, D.; DeYoe, D.
2007-03-01
This summary provided details of a pre-feasibility workbook designed to assist communities and developers in better understanding bioenergy challenges and opportunities in Ontario. The workbook examined issues related to the conversion of biomass through thermal conversion technologies and focused on combined heat and power projects that used forest and agricultural biomass in order to produce up to 10 MW of electricity under the Ontario Renewable Standard Offer Program. As part of the program, new generators of no more than 10 MW are paid a base rate of 11 cents per kWh and an additional 3.52 cents per kWh for on-peak production. The workbook was comprised of a review of biomass supply in the eastern Ontario region and included both forested and abandoned farm lands. A base-line financial analysis was included to assess the feasibility of projects using combustion, pyrolysis, and gasification technologies. Biomass sources in the region included mill residue, harvest waste, biomass mortality from natural events, stand management, and standing timber. Key elements required for parties interested in considering a bioenergy business initiative were also included
Sketching user experiences the workbook
Greenberg, Saul; Marquardt, Nicolai; Buxton, Bill
2012-01-01
In Sketching User Experiences: The Workbook, you will learn, through step-by-step instructions and exercises, various sketching methods that will let you express your design ideas about user experiences across time. Collectively, these methods will be your sketching repertoire: a toolkit where you can choose the method most appropriate for developing your ideas, which will help you cultivate a culture of experience-based design and critique in your workplace. Features standalone modules detailing methods and exercises for practitioners who want to learn and develop their sketching skills E
Financing Your Small Business: A Workbook for Financing Small Business.
Compton, Clark W.
Designed to assist established businesspeople with the development of a loan proposal, this workbook offers information on sources of financing and step-by-step guidance on applying for a loan. After chapter I discusses borrowers' and lenders' attitudes towards money, chapter II offers suggestions for determining financial needs. Chapter III lists…
The educational theory underpinning a clinical workbook for VERT
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nisbet, Heather; Matthews, Sara
2011-01-01
The introduction of VERT (Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training) into radiotherapy departments across England was in response to the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group's (NRAG) recommendation to the Department of Health that it may assist in enhancing the clinical learning experience of student radiotherapy radiographers. It was suggested that this may help to reduce the high attrition rate of students currently experienced, particularly in the first year of training. This paper investigates how VERT may be used in the clinical setting to develop the skills of students, in order to meet this vision. We argue that using an epistemological approach, i.e. using the theory of knowledge, to support the design of the learning resource, is key to enabling the educator to fulfil these expectations. We describe the design of a generic VERT workbook for use in the clinical departments that train students for the University of Hertfordshire. The use of educational theory to underpin the aims and inform the development of the workbook is examined. We then discuss the alignment of the workbook with the curriculum in order to enhance the students' learning experience and nurture their clinical competence. Finally, we will consider the teaching strategies used during the delivered sessions and discuss how we believe they will allow us to achieve these aims.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hopke, P.K.
2000-01-01
As a consequence of various IAEA programmes to sample airborne particulate matter and determine its elemental composition, the participating research groups are accumulating data on the composition of the atmospheric aerosol. It is necessary to consider ways in which these data can be utilized in order to be certain that the data obtained are correct and that the information then being transmitted to others who may make decisions based on such information is as representative and correct as possible. In order to both examine the validity of those data and extract appropriate information from them, it is necessary to utilize a variety of data analysis methods. The objective of this workbook is to provide a guide with examples of utilizing data analysis on airborne particle composition data using a spreadsheet program (EXCEL) and a personal computer based statistical package (StatGraphics)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hopke, P K [Department of Chemistry, Clarkson Univ., Potsdam, NY (United States)
2000-07-01
As a consequence of various IAEA programmes to sample airborne particulate matter and determine its elemental composition, the participating research groups are accumulating data on the composition of the atmospheric aerosol. It is necessary to consider ways in which these data can be utilized in order to be certain that the data obtained are correct and that the information then being transmitted to others who may make decisions based on such information is as representative and correct as possible. In order to both examine the validity of those data and extract appropriate information from them, it is necessary to utilize a variety of data analysis methods. The objective of this workbook is to provide a guide with examples of utilizing data analysis on airborne particle composition data using a spreadsheet program (EXCEL) and a personal computer based statistical package (StatGraphics)
The Oxford Picture Dictionary. Beginning Workbook.
Fuchs, Marjorie
The beginning workbook of the Oxford Picture Dictionary is in full color and offers vocabulary reinforcement activities that correspond page for page with the dictionary. Clear and simple instructions with examples make it suitable for independent use in the classroom or at home. The workbook has up-to-date art and graphics, explaining over 3700…
The educational theory underpinning a clinical workbook for VERT
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Nisbet, Heather, E-mail: heather.nisbet@orh.nhs.u [Department of Clinical Oncology, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxon OX3 7LJ (United Kingdom); Matthews, Sara [Department of Clinical Oncology, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington, Oxford, Oxon OX3 7LJ (United Kingdom)
2011-02-15
The introduction of VERT (Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training) into radiotherapy departments across England was in response to the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group's (NRAG) recommendation to the Department of Health that it may assist in enhancing the clinical learning experience of student radiotherapy radiographers. It was suggested that this may help to reduce the high attrition rate of students currently experienced, particularly in the first year of training. This paper investigates how VERT may be used in the clinical setting to develop the skills of students, in order to meet this vision. We argue that using an epistemological approach, i.e. using the theory of knowledge, to support the design of the learning resource, is key to enabling the educator to fulfil these expectations. We describe the design of a generic VERT workbook for use in the clinical departments that train students for the University of Hertfordshire. The use of educational theory to underpin the aims and inform the development of the workbook is examined. We then discuss the alignment of the workbook with the curriculum in order to enhance the students' learning experience and nurture their clinical competence. Finally, we will consider the teaching strategies used during the delivered sessions and discuss how we believe they will allow us to achieve these aims.
Learning Perl Student Workbook
foy, brian
2012-01-01
This is an ebook-only workbook to accompany the 6th Edition of Learning Perl ("the Llama"). If you're just getting started with Perl, this is the book you want-whether you're a programmer, system administrator, or web hacker. This 6th edition of Learning Perl covers recent changes to the language up to version 5.14. Exercises are presented in the first half of the workbook, with the answers in the second. Topics include: Scalar DataLists and ArraysSubroutinesInput and OutputHashesIn the World of Regular ExpressionsMatching with Regular ExpressionsProcessing Text with Regular Expressions10.
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge Workbook Summary
Montag, Jessica M.; Stinchfield, Holly M.
2009-01-01
The Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Maine is currently developing a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) that will guide Refuge management over the next 15 years. Workbooks were provided to local residents as part of the scoping process in order to get feedback on current and future management issues from the public. The workbooks asked questions regarding residents' use of the Refuge, conservation problems and issues in the region, the acceptability of Refuge management actions, and the importance of, satisfaction with, and acceptability of various activities allowed on the Refuge. The focus of this report is to present the results of the completed workbooks. Because of the small number of returned workbooks, it is not possible to generalize these findings to the broader public, nor is it possible to determine if respondents represent the average user. However, the results do provide an idea of possible conflicts and important issues that the Refuge may have to address in the future. The permitted uses of the Refuge are one possible conflict area. Many respondents were supportive of consumptive recreation (hunting, fishing, and trapping), but a few were adamantly opposed to these sorts of activities on the Refuge. Another issue that received several comments was motorized recreation. While some people felt strongly that ATVs and snowmobiles should be allowed, others felt just as strongly that motorized recreation of any type should not be allowed in the Refuge. Many in the sample were also very concerned about Refuge development and its effects on the human and natural environments. Issues mentioned include the loss of access to private land for consumptive recreation, concern about fish and wildlife habitat degradation, and water quality.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zunaibi B. Abdullah
2011-06-01
Full Text Available This qualitative study provides an in-depth perspective of hands-on learning through the observation and analysis of architectural students' views in a design-build program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln during the fall semester of 2008. Qualitative data was gathered from 14 participants involved in the construction of a low energy double-storey house in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The study inventoried the requisite characteristics of a design-build course. Participants' views and activities were studied to ascribe the qualitative benefits of hands-on learning. In addition, students' motivation towards hands-on activities were evaluated in reference to student confidence and independence levels towards their future career as architects, designers or other design-build professionals. The findings showed the design-build course could offer a specific knowledge that link between theoretical subjects and the practical expect of building contractions.
Sound. Physical Science in Action. Teacher's Manual and Workbook.
Chan, Janis Fisher; Friedland, Mary
The Science in Action series is designed to teach practical science concepts to special-needs students. It is intended to develop students' problem-solving skills by teaching them to observe, record, analyze, conclude, and predict. This document contains a student workbook which deals with basic principles of physical science. Six separate units…
Developing Critical Thinking Skills: Assessing the Effectiveness of Workbook Exercises
Wallace, Elise D.; Jefferson, Renee N.
2015-01-01
To address the challenge of developing critical thinking skills in college students, this empirical study examines the effectiveness of cognitive exercises in developing those skills. The study uses Critical Thinking: Building the Basics by Walter, Knudsvig, and Smith (2003). This workbook is specifically designed to exercise and develop critical…
A comparison of online versus workbook delivery of a self-help positive parenting program.
Sanders, Matthew R; Dittman, Cassandra K; Farruggia, Susan P; Keown, Louise J
2014-06-01
A noninferiority randomized trial design compared the efficacy of two self-help variants of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: an online version and a self-help workbook. We randomly assigned families of 193 children displaying early onset disruptive behavior difficulties to the online (N = 97) or workbook (N = 96) interventions. Parents completed questionnaire measures of child behavior, parenting, child maltreatment risk, personal adjustment and relationship quality at pre- and post-intervention and again at 6-month follow up. The short-term intervention effects of the Triple P Online program were not inferior to the workbook on the primary outcomes of disruptive child behavior and dysfunctional parenting as reported by both mothers and fathers. Both interventions were associated with significant and clinically meaningful declines from pre- to post-intervention in levels of disruptive child behavior, dysfunctional parenting styles, risk of child maltreatment, and inter-parental conflict on both mother and father report measures. Intervention effects were largely maintained at 6-month follow up, thus supporting the use of self-help parenting programs within a comprehensive population-based system of parenting support to reduce child maltreatment and behavioral problems in children.
Arasmith, E. E.
This lesson is the second of a two-part series on anaerobic digestion. Topics discussed include classification of digester by function, roof design, and temperature range, mixing systems, gas system components, operational control basics, and general safety considerations. The lesson includes an instructor's guide and student workbook. The…
Word Function and Dictionary Use; A Work-Book for Advanced Learners of English.
Osman, Neile
The present volume is designed as a workbook for advanced learners of English as a second or foreign language which will train them through instruction and exercises to use an all-English dictionary. The contents are based on the second edition of Hornby, Gatenby, and Wakefield's "The Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English," 1963, Oxford…
Metherell, Phil
1989-01-01
AutoCAD Workbook helps new users learn the basics of AutoCad, providing guidance on most of the commonly used functions in which the program operates.This book discusses loading AutoCad and starting a drawing; drawing and erasing lines, circles, and arcs; and setting up the drawing environment. The topics on drawing and editing polylines; entering text and text styles; and layers, linetype, and color are also considered. This publication likewise covers creating and using blocks, hatching and extracting information, dimensioning drawings, 3D visualization, and plotting a drawing. Other
Business partners a lower intermediate business English course : workbook
Brown, Pearson
1993-01-01
This is the workbook in a stimulating course which integrates presentation of language with exercises and activities. There are 15 ten-age unies, each incorporating wide grammar coverage, systematic vocabulary presentation, listening and reading skills, and pair-work role plays. The workbook is a self-study practice book with 15 varied units of supplementary material for class use, homework and private study.
Wendell, Kristen Bethke; Lee, Hee-Sun
2010-12-01
Materials science, which entails the practices of selecting, testing, and characterizing materials, is an important discipline within the study of matter. This paper examines how third grade students' materials science performance changes over the course of instruction based on an engineering design challenge. We conducted a case study of nine students who participated in engineering design-based science instruction with the goal of constructing a stable, quiet, thermally comfortable model house. The learning outcome of materials science practices was assessed by clinical interviews conducted before and after the instruction, and the learning process was assessed by students' workbooks completed during the instruction. The interviews included two materials selection tasks for designing a sturdy stepstool and an insulated pet habitat. Results indicate that: (1) students significantly improved on both materials selection tasks, (2) their gains were significantly positively associated with the degree of completion of their workbooks, and (3) students who were highly engaged with the workbook's reflective record-keeping tasks showed the greatest improvement on the interviews. These findings suggest the important role workbooks can play in facilitating elementary students' learning of science through authentic activity such as engineering design.
Alvarez, Elizabeth; Lavis, John N; Brouwers, Melissa; Schwartz, Lisa
2018-03-02
Global guidance can help countries strengthen their health systems to deliver effective interventions to their populations. However, to have an impact, guidance needs to be contextualised or adapted to local settings; this process includes consideration of health system arrangements and political system factors. To date, methods to support contextualisation do not exist. In response, a workbook was designed to provide specific methods and strategies to enable the contextualisation of WHO's 'Optimizing health worker roles to improve maternal and newborn health' (OptimizeMNH) guidance at the national or subnational level. The objective of this study was to describe the process of developing the workbook and identify key steps of the development process, barriers that arose and facilitators that helped overcome some of these barriers. A qualitative single case study design was carried out. Interviews, documents and a reflexive journal were used. Constant comparison and an edit-style of organisation were used during data analysis to develop concepts, themes, subthemes and relationships among them. Thirteen interviews were conducted and 52 documents were reviewed. Three main steps were identified in the process of developing the workbook for health systems guidance contextualisation, namely (1) determining the need for and gaining approval to develop the workbook, (2) developing the workbook (taking on the task, creating the structure of the workbook, operationalising its components, undergoing approval processes and editing it), and (3) implementing the workbook both at the WHO level and at the national/subnational level. Five barriers and/or facilitators emerged relevant to each step, namely (1) having well-placed and credible champions, (2) creating and capitalising on opportunities, (3) finding the right language to engage various actors and obtain buy-in, (4) obtaining and maintaining meaningful buy-in, and (5) ensuring access to resources. Understanding the key
Standard Chinese: A Modular Approach. Student Workbook. Module 3: Money; Module 4: Directions.
Defense Language Inst., Monterey, CA.
Texts in spoken Standard Chinese were developed to improve and update Chinese materials and to reflect current usage in Beijing and Taipei. The focus is on communicating in Chinese in practical situations. The overall course is organized into 10 situational modules, student workbooks, and resource modules. This workbook covers the money and…
Applying a workbook at Aikido lessons when teaching younger pupils
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Vlasova O. P.
2016-07-01
Full Text Available the article is devoted to creating the structure and the contents of a workbook for the first year children learning Aikido. The results prove the effectiveness of using the workbook: children learn the material successfully, younger pupils get enough theoretical and practical Aikido skills during the course of this martial art.
Interaction devices for hands-on desktop design
Ju, Wendy; Madsen, Sally; Fiene, Jonathan; Bolas, Mark T.; McDowall, Ian E.; Faste, Rolf
2003-05-01
Starting with a list of typical hand actions - such as touching or twisting - a collection of physical input device prototypes was created to study better ways of engaging the body and mind in the computer aided design process. These devices were interchangeably coupled with a graphics system to allow for rapid exploration of the interplay between the designer's intent, body motions, and the resulting on-screen design. User testing showed that a number of key considerations should influence the future development of such devices: coupling between the physical and virtual worlds, tactile feedback, and scale. It is hoped that these explorations contribute to the greater goal of creating user interface devices that increase the fluency, productivity and joy of computer-augmented design.
Defense Language Inst., Monterey, CA.
Texts in spoken Standard Chinese were developed to improve and update Chinese materials to reflect current usage in Beijing and Taipei. The focus is on communicating in Chinese in practical situations. The overall course is organized into 10 modules, student workbooks, and resource modules. This workbook covers the orientation and biographic…
Basic Cake Decorating Workbook.
Bogdany, Mel
Included in this student workbook for basic cake decorating are the following: (1) Drawings of steps in a basic way to ice a layer cake, how to make a paper cone, various sizes of flower nails, various sizes and types of tin pastry tubes, and special rose tubes; (2) recipes for basic decorating icings (buttercream, rose paste, and royal icing);…
Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.
Designed for bilingual Spanish-English supplemental reading instruction for second grade students, this workbook is intended to be used with the reader of the same title. There is also a teacher's guide. The workbook provides about five pages of reinforcing exercises for each of the eight stories in the reader. The exercises are in the form of…
FINANCIAL WORKBOOK Quick Reference -Budget Preparation 1 ...
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)
Alexandra Eustache
FINANCIAL WORKBOOK. Quick Reference -Budget Preparation. 6. Enter detailed budget notes for each line item. Use the “add new row “ button if more rows are needed. (Refer to page 7 on user guider for more information on budget notes). 7. On the “indirect cost” sheet, enter a fixed percentage or amount(s) a. For fixed ...
The design of hands and feet contamination monitor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Song Jiangxue; Shen Yang; Deng Changming; Zhang Jia; Hou Lei; Meng Dan
2011-01-01
In order to protect the hands and feet of personnel engaged in nuclear, draw on advanced hands and feet contamination monitor, we design a new radiation protection instrumentation. It describes the composition of the hands and feet contamination monitor, and software program design. It describes the hardware monitor software, firmware and computer programming techniques. If device found your hand and foot surface is contamination, it will prompt you to decontamination, to protect your hands and feet of safety. (authors)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thurber, J.A.; Olson, J.; Osborn, R.N.; Sommers, P.; Widrig, R.D.
1986-09-01
This report is a partial response to the requirements of Item I.B.1.1 of the ''NRC Action Plan Developed as a Result of the TMI-2 Accident,'' NUREG-0660, and is designed to serve as a basis for replacing the earlier NUREG-0731, ''Guidelines for Utility Management Structure and Technical Resources.'' The Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to the user in preparing a written plan for a proposed nuclear organization and administration. The purpose of the Workbook is to guide the NRC reviewer through a systematic review and assessment of a proposed organization and administration. It is the NRC's intention to incorporate these Guidelines and Workbook into a future revision of the Standard Review Plan (SRP), NUREG-0800. However, at this time the report is being published so that the material may be used on a voluntary basis by industry to systematically prepare or evaluate their organization or administration plans. Use of the report by the NRC would not occur until after it has been incorporated in the SRP
Que bonito es leer! III. Cuaderno de ejercicios (How Nice It Is to Read! III. Workbook).
Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.
This is the third and last unit in a series designed to provide the Spanish-speaking child with a complete language arts and reading program for grades 1-3. It focuses on the development of decoding, encoding, comprehension, and interpretation skills. This third grade workbook, one component of the language arts unit, contains 22 chapters with…
Kinesiology Workbook and Laboratory Manual.
Harris, Ruth W.
This manual is written for students in anatomy, kinesiology, or introductory biomechanics courses. The book is divided into two sections, a kinesiology workbook and a laboratory manual. The two sections parallel each other in content and format. Each is divided into three corresponding sections: (1) Anatomical bases for movement description; (2)…
Otros amigos, otras culturas: Libro de actividades, 2 (Other Friends, Other Cultures: Workbook 2).
Martinez, Emiliano; And Others
This workbook was designed for use with the textbook of the same name. It contains exercises for the recognition of sounds and letters, reading comprehension, oral expression, and the use of diphthongs, compound words, idioms, synonyms and antonyms, word families, and dictionaries. The presentation includes drawings, puzzles, and games with color…
Reilly, Patrick M.; Shopshire, Michael S.; Durazzo, Timothy C.; Campbell, Torri A.
This manual and workbook set focuses on anger management. The manual was designed for use by qualified substance abuse and mental health clinicians who work with substance abuse and mental health clients with concurrent anger programs. The manual describes a 12-week cognitive behavioral anger management group treatment. Each of the 12 90-minute…
Fundamentals of Library Automation and Technology. Participant Workbook.
Bridge, Frank; Walton, Robert
This workbook presents outlines of topics to be covered during a two-day workshop on the fundamentals for library automation. Topics for the first day include: (1) Introduction; (2) Computer Technology--A Historical Overview; (3) Evolution of Library Automation; (4) Computer Hardware Technology--An Introduction; (5) Computer Software…
Workbook for prioritizing petroleum industry exploration and production sites for remediation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
White, G.J.
1998-01-01
The purpose of this Workbook is to provide a screening-level method for prioritizing petroleum exploration and production sites for remediation that is based on readily available information, but which does not require a full characterization of the sites being evaluated. The process draws heavily from the Canadian National Classification System for Contaminated Sites, and fits into the framework for ecological risk assessment provided in guidance from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Using this approach, scoring guidelines are provided for a number of Evaluation Factors relating to: (1) the contaminants present at the site; (2) the potential exposure pathways for these contaminants; and (3) the potential receptors of those contaminants. The process therefore incorporates a risk-based corrective action (RBCA) framework to estimate the relative threat posed by a site to human health and to ecological systems. Physical (non-toxic) disturbance factors have also been incorporated into the process. It should also be noted that the process described in this Workbook has not yet been field tested at petroleum E and P sites. The first logical step in the field testing of this process is to apply the method at a small number of sites to assess the availability of the information that is needed to score each evaluation factor. Following this evaluation, the Workbook process should be applied at a series of sites to determine the effectiveness of the process at ranking sites according to their relative need for remediation. Upon completion of these tests, the Workbook should be revised to reflect the findings of the field tests
Carlson, Kieth A.; Winquist, Jennifer R.
2011-01-01
The study evaluates a semester-long workbook curriculum approach to teaching a college level introductory statistics course. The workbook curriculum required students to read content before and during class and then work in groups to complete problems and answer conceptual questions pertaining to the material they read. Instructors spent class…
Towards the design of a prosthetic underactuated hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
T. Laliberté
2010-12-01
Full Text Available This paper presents recent advances in the design of an underactuated hand for applications in prosthetics. First, the design of the fingers is addressed. Based on previous experiments with prototypes developed in the past, new tendon routings are proposed that lead to a more effective transmission of the forces. A novel elastic tendon routing is also proposed for the passive opening of the hand. A simplified static analysis of the fingers is proposed to support the results. Then, a new kinematic design of the thumb is presented. The thumb is designed to perform out-of-the-plane motions in order to broaden the variety of possible grasps. A mechanism for the implementation of underactuation between the fingers is proposed that alleviates the friction problems encountered in earlier hand designs. Finally, a prototype of the hand is briefly described and typical grasps are shown.
This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010, 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.
Minian, Nadia; Noormohamed, Aliya; Zawertailo, Laurie; Baliunas, Dolly; Giesbrecht, Norman; Le Foll, Bernard; Rehm, Jürgen; Samokhvalov, Andriy; Selby, Peter L
2018-01-01
The purpose of this paper is to describe a patient engagement event designed to create an educational workbook with smokers who drink alcohol at harmful levels. The goal was to create a workbook that combined scientific evidence with patients' values, preferences, and needs. Fourteen adult smokers who drink alcohol were invited to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to take part in a four-hour event to help design the workbook with the CAMH research team. Participants provided their opinions and ideas to create an outline for the workbook, including activities, images, and titles. The workbook - called Self-Awareness - is currently being offered in a smoking cessation program in 221 primary care clinics across Ontario to help smokers quit or reduce their harmful alcohol use. The patient engagement event was a useful way to co-create educational materials that incorporate both scientific research and patient needs. Background Evidence-based medicine is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. There are few methodologies on how to design evidence-based programs and resources to include patient values. The latter is an important aspect of patient-centered care, and is essential for patients to trust the recommendations and empower them as consumers to make informed choices. This manuscript describes a participatory research approach to design patient-facing educational materials that incorporate both evidence-based and community-sensitive principles. These materials are intended to support smokers to reduce or stop harmful alcohol consumption. Methods Adult smokers who report consuming alcohol were invited to a co-creation meeting at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health's Nicotine Dependence Service to guide the adaptation of evidence-based materials. The four-hour event consisted of individual reflections, group discussions, and consensus-building interactions. Detailed notes were taken and then
Algebra II workbook for dummies
Sterling, Mary Jane
2014-01-01
To succeed in Algebra II, start practicing now Algebra II builds on your Algebra I skills to prepare you for trigonometry, calculus, and a of myriad STEM topics. Working through practice problems helps students better ingest and retain lesson content, creating a solid foundation to build on for future success. Algebra II Workbook For Dummies, 2nd Edition helps you learn Algebra II by doing Algebra II. Author and math professor Mary Jane Sterling walks you through the entire course, showing you how to approach and solve the problems you encounter in class. You'll begin by refreshing your Algebr
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...
Colbert-White, Erin; Simpson, Elizabeth
2017-01-01
Research mentors strive to ensure that undergraduates gain research skills and develop professionally during mentored research experiences in the sciences. We created the SURE (Specialized Undergraduate Research Experience) Workbook, a freely-available, interactive guide to scaffold student learning during this process. The Workbook: (1)…
PLAY HANDS PROTECTIVE GLOVES: TECHNICAL NOTE ON DESIGN AND CONCEPT.
Houston-Hicks, Michele; Lura, Derek J; Highsmith, M Jason
2016-09-01
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the leading cause of childhood motor disability, with a global incidence of 1.6 to 2.5/1,000 live births. Approximately 23% of children with CP are dependent upon assistive technologies. Some children with developmental disabilities have self-injurious behaviors such as finger biting but also have therapeutic needs. The purpose of this technical note is to describe design considerations for a protective glove and finger covering that maintains finger dexterity for children who exhibit finger and hand chewing (dermatophagia) and require therapeutic range of motion and may benefit from sensory stimulation resulting from constant contact between glove and skin. Protecting Little and Adolescent Youth (PLAY) Hands are protective gloves for children with developmental disorders such as CP who injure themselves by biting their hands due to pain or sensory issues. PLAY Hands will be cosmetically appealing gloves that provide therapeutic warmth, tactile sensory feedback, range of motion for donning/ doffing, and protection to maximize function and quality of life for families of children with developmental disorders. The technology is either a per-finger protective orthosis or an entire glove solution designed from durable 3D-printed biodegradable/bioabsorbable materials such as thermoplastics. PLAY Hands represent a series of protective hand wear interventions in the areas of self-mutilating behavior, kinematics, and sensation. They will be made available in a range of protective iterations from single- or multi-digit finger orthoses to a basic glove design to a more structurally robust and protective iteration. To improve the quality of life for patients and caregivers, they are conceptualized to be cosmetically appealing, protective, and therapeutic.
Bourque, Claude Julie; Bourdon, Sylvain
2017-01-01
Drawing on the experience of training graduate students and researchers in qualitative and mixed-methods analysis since the mid-1990s, the authors reflect on the evolution of a multidisciplinary graduate course developed in a Canadian university since 2007. The hands-on/hands-off course design based on the use of NVivo was developed in parallel…
Classic articles and workbook: EPRI monographs on simulation of electric power production
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Stremel, J.P.
1991-12-01
This monograph republishes several articles including a seminal one on probabilistic production costing for electric power generation. That article is given in the original French along with a English translation. Another article, written by R. Booth, gives a popular explanation of the theory, and a workbook by B. Manhire is included that carries through a simple example step by step. The classical analysis of non-probabilistic generator dispatch by L.K. Kirchmayer is republished along with an introductory essay by J.P. Stremel that puts in perspective the monograph material. The article in French was written by H. Baleriaux, E. Jamoulle, and Fr. Linard de Guertechin and first published in Brussels in 1967. It derived a method for calculating the expected value of production costs by modifying a load duration curve through the use of probability factors that account for unplanned random generator outages. Although the paper showed how pump storage plants could be included and how linear programming could be applied, the convolution technique used in the probabilistic calculations is the part most widely applied. The tutorial paper by Booth was written in a light style, and its lucidity helped popularize the method. The workbook by Manhire also shows how the calculation can be shortened significantly using cumulants to approximate the load duration curve
Mechanical design and performance specifications of anthropomorphic prosthetic hands: a review.
Belter, Joseph T; Segil, Jacob L; Dollar, Aaron M; Weir, Richard F
2013-01-01
In this article, we set forth a detailed analysis of the mechanical characteristics of anthropomorphic prosthetic hands. We report on an empirical study concerning the performance of several commercially available myoelectric prosthetic hands, including the Vincent, iLimb, iLimb Pulse, Bebionic, Bebionic v2, and Michelangelo hands. We investigated the finger design and kinematics, mechanical joint coupling, and actuation methods of these commercial prosthetic hands. The empirical findings are supplemented with a compilation of published data on both commercial and prototype research prosthetic hands. We discuss numerous mechanical design parameters by referencing examples in the literature. Crucial design trade-offs are highlighted, including number of actuators and hand complexity, hand weight, and grasp force. Finally, we offer a set of rules of thumb regarding the mechanical design of anthropomorphic prosthetic hands.
Ciencias 3. Caderno de Exercicios. (Science 3. Workbook).
Raposo, Lucilia
This workbook contains 47 activities and exercises which reinforce lesson topics found in the grade 3 science textbook. These lesson topics, presented in nine sections in the textbook, focus on such areas as: (1) solar energy, electricity, and light; (2) solar system, planets, earth motions, and phases of the moon; (3) gravity, rocks, and erosion;…
The Physics Workbook: A Needed Instructional Device.
Brekke, Stewart E.
2003-01-01
Points out the importance of problem solving as a fundamental skill and how students struggle with problem solving in physics courses. Describes a workbook developed as a solution to students' struggles that features simple exercises and advanced problem solving. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/YDS)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
1977-12-01
This workbook is based upon information gathered during the design phase of the Minimum Energy Dwelling. The objective of the project, sponsored by the Southern California Gas Co., Department of Energy, and Mission Viejo is to substantially reduce energy use by the incorporation of energy conservation and solar techniques in a single-family detached dwelling. The Project will demonstrate to builders, as well as to the general public, a number of technological innovations that can, at reasonable cost, be included in a dwelling design. The problem facing Southern California Gas Co., along with most other gas utilities, is ever-decreasing amounts of gas at increasing prices. The dwelling designed has approximately 1,150 ft/sup 2/, consistent with current home-building trends. Through the optimum use of energy-conserving appliances, insulation, window and wall shading, exterior coloring, and thermal mass, the yearly energy usage has been reduced by over 50%. Of the remaining 50% of the energy required for heating, cooling, and domestic hot water, the majority is supplied by the solar-energy system. Three hundred twenty square feet (270 effective) of evacuated tube collector are incorporated into the building structure. The hot water provided by the collectors is used to run an absorption chiller for cooling, the domestic hot water, and the heating system. The remaining energy requirements are met by an auxiliary natural gas energy system and a cool-air-economizer cycle.
Ellsbury, Susan H.; And Others
A two-part text, "Science Resources: A Self-Paced Instructional Workbook," was designed to provide science students at Mississippi State University with: (1) instruction on basic library usage and reference tools common to most scientific disciplines; (2) materials adapted to specific disciplines; and (3) services available to them from the…
Micronesian Mathematics Program, Level 1, Children's Workbook.
Gring, Carolyn
This workbook for children was prepared especially to accompany the level 1 Micronesian Mathematics Program Teacher's Guide. It is to be used to check whether children have learned concepts taught by activities and activity cards. Work is provided for such concepts as color recognition, categorizing, counting, ordering, numeration, contrasting,…
Conducting Sanitary Surveys of Water Supply Systems. Student Workbook.
1976
This workbook is utilized in connection with a 40-hour course on sanitary surveys of water supply systems for biologists, chemists, and engineers with experience as a water supply evaluator. Practical training is provided in each of the 21 self-contained modules. Each module outlines the purpose, objectives and content for that section. The course…
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bauer, R. G.
1999-01-01
The purpose of this data quality objective workbook is to present the rationale for selecting the sampling and characterization strategy that supports the assessment of the chemical vulnerabilities of the five tanks. Since characterization of the tanks' contents is likely to be expensive, a secondary goal was established to characterize the tank contents for proper waste designation and disposal at the same time the tanks are characterized for chemical vulnerability
Bryon, Mike
2011-01-01
One of the most common types of psychometric test used in assessment and selection procedures, The Numeracy Test Workbook provides practice questions and mock tests designed to build confidence and improve performance.
Controller design for Robotic hand through Electroencephalogram
Pandelidis P.; Kiriazis N.; Orgianelis K.; Koulios N.
2016-01-01
- This paper deals with the designing, the construction and the control of a robotic hand via an electroencephalogram sensor. First a robotic device that is able to mimic a real human hand is constructed. A PID controller is designed in order to improve the performance of the robotic arm for grabbing objects. Furthermore, a novel design approach is presented for controlling the motion of the robotic arm using signals produced from an innovative electroencephalogram sensor that detects the con...
Campbell, Ann; Hoag, John, Ed.
This packet--a teacher's manual, student workbook, and color poster--was designed to accompany a 2-part videotape program. The teacher's manual provides a script of the videotape, and is organized in 2 sections. Part 1, "Kings, Glyphs, Temples and Ball Courts", looks at the written glyph language and the Solar and Ritual calendars of the…
Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans
This workbook is a guide for environmental professionals to construct a climate change adaptation plan based on identifying risks and their consequences. It incorporates watershed management, vulnerability assessments and action planning.
Controller design for Robotic hand through Electroencephalogram
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pandelidis P.
2016-01-01
Full Text Available - This paper deals with the designing, the construction and the control of a robotic hand via an electroencephalogram sensor. First a robotic device that is able to mimic a real human hand is constructed. A PID controller is designed in order to improve the performance of the robotic arm for grabbing objects. Furthermore, a novel design approach is presented for controlling the motion of the robotic arm using signals produced from an innovative electroencephalogram sensor that detects the concentration of the brain
Gray (Naomi) Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA.
The workbook is designed to accompany a textbook, "The Story of California," a Spanish-English bilingual history and geography of the state intended for classroom use by limited-English-proficient, native Spanish-speaking students in California's urban middle schools. The teacher's edition, presented here, consists of reproductions of 51…
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.
Hudson River Center for Program Development, Glenmont, NY.
This workbook was developed to help adult literacy students learn about exercise and physical fitness. It contains information sheets and student worksheets, coordinated with an audiotape that is available. Some of the topics covered in the workbook are the following: benefits of exercise; stress; aerobic versus anaerobic exercise; exercise…
Design and control of five fingered under-actuated robotic hand
Sahoo, Biswojit; Parida, Pramod Kumar
2018-04-01
Now a day's research regarding humanoid robots and its application in different fields (industry, household, rehabilitation and exploratory) is going on entire the globe. Among which a challenging topic is to design a dexterous robotic hand which not only can perform as a hand of a robot but also can be used in re habilitation. The basic key concern is a dexterous robot hand which can be able to mimic the function of biological hand to perform different operations. This thesis work is regarding design and control of a under-actuated robotic hand consisting of four under actuated fingers (index finger, middle finger, little finger and ring finger ) , a thumb and a dexterous palm which can copy the motions and grasp type of human hand which having 21degrees of freedom instead of 25Degree Of Freedom.
Hand Rehabilitation Robotics on Poststroke Motor Recovery
2017-01-01
The recovery of hand function is one of the most challenging topics in stroke rehabilitation. Although the robot-assisted therapy has got some good results in the latest decades, the development of hand rehabilitation robotics is left behind. Existing reviews of hand rehabilitation robotics focus either on the mechanical design on designers' view or on the training paradigms on the clinicians' view, while these two parts are interconnected and both important for designers and clinicians. In this review, we explore the current literature surrounding hand rehabilitation robots, to help designers make better choices among varied components and thus promoting the application of hand rehabilitation robots. An overview of hand rehabilitation robotics is provided in this paper firstly, to give a general view of the relationship between subjects, rehabilitation theories, hand rehabilitation robots, and its evaluation. Secondly, the state of the art hand rehabilitation robotics is introduced in detail according to the classification of the hardware system and the training paradigm. As a result, the discussion gives available arguments behind the classification and comprehensive overview of hand rehabilitation robotics. PMID:29230081
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.
Geothermal Small Business Workbook [Geothermal Outreach and Project Financing
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Elizabeth Battocletti
2003-05-01
Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy. Over 22 million small businesses account for approximately 99% of employers, employ about half of the private sector workforce, and are responsible for about two-thirds of net new jobs. Many small businesses fared better than the Fortune 500 in 2001. Non-farm proprietors income rose 2.4% in 2001 while corporate profits declined 7.2%. Yet not all is rosy for small businesses, particularly new ones. One-third close within two years of opening. From 1989 to 1992, almost half closed within four years; only 39.5% were still open after six years. Why do some new businesses thrive and some fail? What helps a new business succeed? Industry knowledge, business and financial planning, and good management. Small geothermal businesses are no different. Low- and medium-temperature geothermal resources exist throughout the western United States, the majority not yet tapped. A recent survey of ten western states identified more than 9,000 thermal wells and springs, over 900 low- to moderate-temperature geothermal resource areas, and hundreds of direct-use sites. Many opportunities exist for geothermal entrepreneurs to develop many of these sites into thriving small businesses. The ''Geothermal Small Business Workbook'' (''Workbook'') was written to give geothermal entrepreneurs, small businesses, and developers the tools they need to understand geothermal applications--both direct use and small-scale power generation--and to write a business and financing plan. The Workbook will: Provide background, market, and regulatory data for direct use and small-scale (< 1 megawatt) power generation geothermal projects; Refer you to several sources of useful information including owners of existing geothermal businesses, trade associations, and other organizations; Break down the complicated and sometimes tedious process of writing a business plan into five easy steps; Lead you
Park, Sangwoo; Weber, Lynne; Bishop, Lauri; Stein, Joel; Ciocarlie, Matei
2018-01-01
Tendon-driven hand orthoses have advantages over exoskeletons with respect to wearability and safety because of their low-profile design and ability to fit a range of patients without requiring custom joint alignment. However, no existing study on a wearable tendon-driven hand orthosis for stroke patients presents evidence that such devices can overcome spasticity given repeated use and fatigue, or discusses transmission efficiency. In this study, we propose two designs that provide effective...
Hong, Jon-Chao; Chen, Mei-Yung; Wong, Ashley; Hsu, Tsui-Fang; Peng, Chih-Chi
2012-01-01
In a contest featuring hands-on projects, college students were required to design a simple crawling worm using planning, self-monitoring and self-evaluation processes to solve contradictive problems. To enhance the efficiency of problem solving, one needs to practice meta-cognition based on an application of related scientific concepts. The…
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
Preventing violence : a workbook for service station employers and workers
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
NONE
2007-07-01
This workbook can be used as a tool for training workers in violence prevention procedures for the workplace. It is intended to help employers and workers identify appropriate procedures and information for workers to follow specific to their worksite. According to British Columbia's Workers Compensation Act, employers must ensure the health and safety of their employees and any other workers present at their worksite. Workers are also have responsible for following established safe work procedures and protecting their own health and safety. This workbook describes general duties of supervisors, owners and suppliers and includes the forms needed to fill out, notably an inspection list; an action plan for travelling to and from work; an action plan for dealing with angry or abusive members of the public; a record of theft and robberies; and, a checklist for working alone. Regulations that relate to young and new worker orientation and training were also provided.
Design of Piano -playing Robotic Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
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.
A Methodology for the Design of Robotic Hands with Multiple Fingers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jorge Eduardo Parada Puig
2008-11-01
Full Text Available This paper presents a methodology that has been applied for a design process of anthropomorphic hands with multiple fingers. Biomechanical characteristics of human hand have been analysed so that ergonomic and anthropometric aspects have been used as fundamental references for obtaining grasping mechanisms. A kinematic analysis has been proposed to define the requirements for designing grasping functions. Selection of materials and actuators has been discussed too. This topic has been based on previous experiences with prototypes that have been developed at the Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM of the University of Cassino. An example of the application of the proposed method has been presented for the design of a first prototype of LARM Hand.
Mojo Hand, a TALEN design tool for genome editing applications.
Neff, Kevin L; Argue, David P; Ma, Alvin C; Lee, Han B; Clark, Karl J; Ekker, Stephen C
2013-01-16
Recent studies of transcription activator-like (TAL) effector domains fused to nucleases (TALENs) demonstrate enormous potential for genome editing. Effective design of TALENs requires a combination of selecting appropriate genetic features, finding pairs of binding sites based on a consensus sequence, and, in some cases, identifying endogenous restriction sites for downstream molecular genetic applications. We present the web-based program Mojo Hand for designing TAL and TALEN constructs for genome editing applications (http://www.talendesign.org). We describe the algorithm and its implementation. The features of Mojo Hand include (1) automatic download of genomic data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, (2) analysis of any DNA sequence to reveal pairs of binding sites based on a user-defined template, (3) selection of restriction-enzyme recognition sites in the spacer between the TAL monomer binding sites including options for the selection of restriction enzyme suppliers, and (4) output files designed for subsequent TALEN construction using the Golden Gate assembly method. Mojo Hand enables the rapid identification of TAL binding sites for use in TALEN design. The assembly of TALEN constructs, is also simplified by using the TAL-site prediction program in conjunction with a spreadsheet management aid of reagent concentrations and TALEN formulation. Mojo Hand enables scientists to more rapidly deploy TALENs for genome editing applications.
Mojo Hand, a TALEN design tool for genome editing applications
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Neff Kevin L
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent studies of transcription activator-like (TAL effector domains fused to nucleases (TALENs demonstrate enormous potential for genome editing. Effective design of TALENs requires a combination of selecting appropriate genetic features, finding pairs of binding sites based on a consensus sequence, and, in some cases, identifying endogenous restriction sites for downstream molecular genetic applications. Results We present the web-based program Mojo Hand for designing TAL and TALEN constructs for genome editing applications (http://www.talendesign.org. We describe the algorithm and its implementation. The features of Mojo Hand include (1 automatic download of genomic data from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, (2 analysis of any DNA sequence to reveal pairs of binding sites based on a user-defined template, (3 selection of restriction-enzyme recognition sites in the spacer between the TAL monomer binding sites including options for the selection of restriction enzyme suppliers, and (4 output files designed for subsequent TALEN construction using the Golden Gate assembly method. Conclusions Mojo Hand enables the rapid identification of TAL binding sites for use in TALEN design. The assembly of TALEN constructs, is also simplified by using the TAL-site prediction program in conjunction with a spreadsheet management aid of reagent concentrations and TALEN formulation. Mojo Hand enables scientists to more rapidly deploy TALENs for genome editing applications.
Design and Development of a Bilateral Therapeutic Hand Device for Stroke Rehabilitation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Akhlaquor Rahman
2013-12-01
Full Text Available The major cause of disability is stroke. It is the second highest cause of death after coronary heart disease in Australia. In this paper, a post stroke therapeutic device has been designed and developed for hand motor function rehabilitation that a stroke survivor can use for bilateral movement practice. A prototype of the device was fabricated that can fully flex and extend metacarpophalangeal (MCP, proximal interphalangeal (PIP and distal interphalangeal (DIP joints of the fingers, and interphalangeal (IP, metacarpophalangeal (MCP and trapeziometacarpal (IM joints of the thumb of the left hand (impaired hand, based on movements of the right hand's (healthy hand fingers. Out of 21 degrees of freedom (DOFs of hand fingers, the prototype of the hand exoskeleton allowed fifteen degrees of freedom (DOFs, with three degrees of freedom (DOFs for each finger and three degrees of freedom (DOFs for the thumb. In addition, testing of the device on a healthy subject was conducted to validate the design requirements.
Comfort in using hand tools : theory, design and evaluation
Kuijt-Evers, L.F.M.
2007-01-01
Everyone uses hand tools in their daily life, like knife and fork. Moreover, many people use hand tools in their profession as well as during leisure time. It is important that they can work with hand tools that provide comfort. Until now, the avoidance of discomfort was emphasized during the design process of hand tools, like screwdrivers, hand saws and paint brushes. In the near future, the focus will shift towards providing comfort. However, some questions need to be answered to make this ...
Case-Cohort Studies: Design and Applicability to Hand Surgery.
Vojvodic, Miliana; Shafarenko, Mark; McCabe, Steven J
2018-04-24
Observational studies are common research strategies in hand surgery. The case-cohort design offers an efficient and resource-friendly method for risk assessment and outcomes analysis. Case-cohorts remain underrepresented in upper extremity research despite several practical and economic advantages over case-control studies. This report outlines the purpose, utility, and structure of the case-cohort design and offers a sample research question to demonstrate its value to risk estimation for adverse surgical outcomes. The application of well-designed case-cohort studies is advocated in an effort to improve the quality and quantity of observational research evidence in hand and upper extremity surgery. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Designing a hands-on brain computer interface laboratory course.
Khalighinejad, Bahar; Long, Laura Kathleen; Mesgarani, Nima
2016-08-01
Devices and systems that interact with the brain have become a growing field of research and development in recent years. Engineering students are well positioned to contribute to both hardware development and signal analysis techniques in this field. However, this area has been left out of most engineering curricula. We developed an electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interface (BCI) laboratory course to educate students through hands-on experiments. The course is offered jointly by the Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Computer Science Departments of Columbia University in the City of New York and is open to senior undergraduate and graduate students. The course provides an effective introduction to the experimental design, neuroscience concepts, data analysis techniques, and technical skills required in the field of BCI.
Mechanical design of a shape memory alloy actuated prosthetic hand.
De Laurentis, Kathryn J; Mavroidis, Constantinos
2002-01-01
This paper presents the mechanical design for a new five fingered, twenty degree-of-freedom dexterous hand patterned after human anatomy and actuated by Shape Memory Alloy artificial muscles. Two experimental prototypes of a finger, one fabricated by traditional means and another fabricated by rapid prototyping techniques, are described and used to evaluate the design. An important aspect of the Rapid Prototype technique used here is that this multi-articulated hand will be fabricated in one step, without requiring assembly, while maintaining its desired mobility. The use of Shape Memory Alloy actuators combined with the rapid fabrication of the non-assembly type hand, reduce considerably its weight and fabrication time. Therefore, the focus of this paper is the mechanical design of a dexterous hand that combines Rapid Prototype techniques and smart actuators. The type of robotic hand described in this paper can be utilized for applications requiring low weight, compactness, and dexterity such as prosthetic devices, space and planetary exploration.
Amirazodi, S.; Griffin, R.; Bugbee, K.; Ramachandran, R.; Weigel, A. M.
2016-12-01
This project created a workbook which teaches Earth Science education undergraduate and graduate students through guided in-class activities and take-home assignments organized around climate topics which use GIS to teach key geospatial analysis techniques and cartography skills. The workbook is structured to the White House's Data.gov climate change themes, which include Coastal Flooding, Ecosystem Vulnerability, Energy Infrastructure, Arctic, Food Resilience, Human Health, Transportation, Tribal Nations, Water. Each theme provides access to framing questions, associated data, interactive tools, and further reading (e.g. the US Climate Resilience Toolkit and National Climate Assessment). Lessons make use of the respective theme's available resources. The structured thematic approach is designed to encourage independent exploration. The goal is to teach climate concepts and concerns, GIS techniques and approaches, and effective cartographic representation and communication of results; and foster a greater awareness of publically available resources and datasets. To reach more audiences more effectively, a two level approach was used. Level 1 serves as an introductory study and relies on only freely available interactive tools to reach audiences with fewer resources and less familiarity. Level 2 presents a more advanced case study, and focuses on supporting common commercially available tool use and real-world analysis techniques.
Amirazodi, Sara; Griffin, Robert; Bugbee, Kaylin; Ramachandran, Rahul; Weigel, Amanda
2016-01-01
This project created a workbook which teaches Earth Science to undergraduate and graduate students through guided in-class activities and take-home assignments organized around climate topics which use GIS to teach key geospatial analysis techniques and cartography skills. The workbook is structured to the White House's Data.gov climate change themes, which include Coastal Flooding, Ecosystem Vulnerability, Energy Infrastructure, Arctic, Food Resilience, Human Health, Transportation, Tribal Nations, and Water. Each theme provides access to framing questions, associated data, interactive tools, and further reading (e.g. The US Climate Resilience Toolkit and National Climate Assessment). Lessons make use of the respective theme's available resources. The structured thematic approach is designed to encourage independent exploration. The goal is to teach climate concepts and concerns, GIS techniques and approaches, and effective cartographic representation and communication results; and foster a greater awareness of publicly available resources and datasets. To reach more audiences more effectively, a two level approach was used. Level 1 serves as an introductory study and relies on only freely available interactive tools to reach audiences with fewer resources and less familiarity. Level 2 presents a more advanced case study, and focuses on supporting common commercially available tool use and real-world analysis techniques.
Design and preliminary assessment of Vanderbilt hand exoskeleton.
Gasser, Benjamin W; Bennett, Daniel A; Durrough, Christina M; Goldfarb, Michael
2017-07-01
This paper presents the design of a hand exoskeleton intended to enable or facilitate bimanual activities of daily living (ADLs) for individuals with chronic upper extremity hemiparesis resulting from stroke. The paper describes design of the battery-powered, self-contained exoskeleton and presents the results of initial testing with a single subject with hemiparesis from stroke. Specifically, an experiment was conducted requiring the subject to repeatedly remove the lid from a water bottle both with and without the hand exoskeleton. The relative times required to remove the lid from the bottles was considerably lower when using the exoskeleton. Specifically, the average amount of time required to grasp the bottle with the paretic hand without the exoskeleton was 25.9 s, with a standard deviation of 33.5 s, while the corresponding average amount of time required to grasp the bottle with the exoskeleton was 5.1 s, with a standard deviation of 1.9 s. Thus, the task time involving the paretic hand was reduced by a factor of five, while the standard deviation was reduced by a factor of 16.
Nuclear power reactor security personnel training and qualification plan reviewer workbook
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1979-06-01
The Training and Qualification Plan Reviewer Workbook has been developed to provide the information required for evaluating the adequacy of the Training and Qualification (T and Q) Plans developed to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 73.55(b)(4) and 10 CFR 73, Appendix B
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...
Instruction Workbook for Tracheostomy Suctioning and Misting in a School Setting.
Wolf, Karen McKinney; Roach, Antionette Andolfatto
The handbook presents California guidelines for training school personnel to provide skilled nursing procedures such as tracheostomy suctioning and misting for students with special health needs. The workbook begins with an overview of the anatomy and function of the respiratory system, specifically breathing mechanics. Part 2 considers the…
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.
TEACHING "MATH-LITE" CONSERVATION (BOOK REVIEW OF CONSERVATION BIOLOGY WITH RAMAS ECOLAB)
This book is designed to serve as a laboratory workbook for an undergraduate course in conservation biology, environmental science, or natural resource management. By integrating with RAMAS EcoLab software, the book provides instructors with hands-on computer exercises that can ...
Kerlínová, Věra
2017-01-01
Within the long-term pedagogical research ongoing since the school year 2008/2009 to 2015/2016 at the secondary vocational school in Bohumín was through of Entrance test of physics, which included curriculum of the sixth to ninth year of elementary school, regularly finding out, in which parts of Entrance test - Unit conversions, International System of Units, Properties of matter, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, Atoms and Universe - pupils of the 1st years of secondary vocational school, technical and non-technical, reach a higher number of correct answers, in which dominates the wrong answers and which parts of the test pupils are better left out completely. It turned out that the results of these tests are very informative not only for theoretical and practical teaching, but also technical and other science subjects. The results of the Entrance tests are also a valuable source of information for continuous innovation Workbook of Physics - Mechanics for the 1st year of secondary vocational schools [1] - whose the first version began during the school year 2007/2008 and which was tested within pre-research in school years 2008/2009, 2009/2010 and within research in school year 2010/2011. On the basis of feedbacks getting from research the Workbook is regularly expanded, innovated and updated. The Workbook consists of parts dedicated to physical concepts, physical tasks, proposals to physical experiments, pupils comments from viewed video projection and documentary films, examples from the world of science and technology, examples from practice and real life, physical terminology in English, quizzes, competitions, interesting things and links related to discussed curriculum. The Workbook is divided into thematic sections, chapters and subchapters similar as physics textbooks for pupils of the 1st years of Secondary Schools in the Czech Republic. In the Workbook there are included tasks on fill in the words, polynomial tasks with
Sargent, Dennis J.; Chambers, Maynard N.
Designed as an aid for those investigating the possibility of opening their first business, as well as business owners with many years experience who have never prepared a written business plan, this workbook guides the reader through the steps involved in the preparation of a business plan or feasibility study. After a general discussion of the…
Innovative hand exoskeleton design for extravehicular activities in space
Freni, Pierluigi; Randazzo, Luca; Ariano, Paolo
2014-01-01
Environmental conditions and pressurized spacesuits expose astronauts to problems of fatigue during lengthy extravehicular activities, with adverse impacts especially on the dexterity, force and endurance of the hands and arms. A state-of-the-art exploration in the field of hand exoskeletons revealed that available products are unsuitable for space applications because of their bulkiness and mass. This book proposes a novel approach to the development of hand exoskeletons, based on an innovative soft robotics concept that relies on the exploitation of electroactive polymers operating as sensors and actuators, on a combination of electromyography and mechanomyography for detection of the user’s will and on neural networks for control. The result is a design that should enhance astronauts’ performance during extravehicular activities. In summary, the advantages of the described approach are a low-weight, high-flexibility exoskeleton that allows for dexterity and compliance with the user’s will.
Arasmith, E. E.
This lesson is the first of a two-part series on anaerobic digestion. Topics discussed include the five basic functions of an anaerobic digester, basic theory of the biological processes involved, basic equipment necessary for digestion, and the products of digestion. The lesson includes an instructor's guide and student workbook. The instructor's…
Ayfer ŞAHİN
2008-01-01
In this study, the Turkish coursebook, student's workbook and the teacher's book that is delivered unpaid by the Ministry of Education to the teachers and students in primary education, first classes in 2007-2008 educational year; It is assessed depending on the teachers' opinions, the scale developed according to the criterias that has to be in the coursebooks which are determined in the instruction relating to the study and evaluation of Ministry of Education coursebooks and educational mea...
Knapp, John; Harper, Eddie
This Oklahoma curriculum guide, which includes a teacher edition, a student edition, and a student workbook, provides three units for a course on oxyacetylene welding, oxyfuel cutting, and cutting done with alternative fuels such as MAPP, propane, and natural gas. The three units are: "Oxyacetylene Welding"; "Oxyfuel Cutting";…
Leach, Ronald
2014-01-01
Object-Oriented Design and Programming with C++: Your Hands-On Guide to C++ Programming, with Special Emphasis on Design, Testing, and Reuse provides a list of software engineering principles to guide the software development process. This book presents the fundamentals of the C++ language.Organized into two parts encompassing 10 chapters, this book begins with an overview of C++ and describes object-oriented programming and the history of C++. This text then introduces classes, polymorphism, inheritance, and overloading. Other chapters consider the C++ preprocessor and organization of class l
Sibanda, Jabulani; Sibanda, Lucy
2016-01-01
This study extends research on manifestations of gender insensitivity in learners' reading materials by shifting attention to the linguistic strategies that authors of current texts employ for the realisation of gender sensitivity. We analysed the content of 12 current (2014) English workbooks (Grade 4-6) used in South African government and…
Hand-held spectrophotometer design for textile fabrics
Böcekçi, Veysel Gökhan; Yıldız, Kazım
2017-09-01
In this study, a hand-held spectrophotometer was designed by taking advantage of the developments in modern optoelectronic technology. Spectrophotometer devices are used to determine the color information from the optic properties of the materials. As an alternative to a desktop spectrophotometer device we have implemented, it is the first prototype, low cost and portable. The prototype model designed for the textile industry can detect the color tone of any fabric. The prototype model consists of optic sensor, processor, display floors. According to the color applied on the optic sensor, it produces special frequency information on its output at that color value. In Arduino type processor, the frequency information is evaluated by the program we have written and the color tone information between 0-255 ton is decided and displayed on the screen.
Prosthetic design directives: Low-cost hands within reach.
Jones, G K; Rosendo, A; Stopforth, R
2017-07-01
Although three million people around the world suffer from the lack of one or both upper limbs 80% of this number is located within developing countries. While prosthetic prices soar with technology 3D printing and low cost electronics present a sensible solution for those that cannot afford expensive prosthetics. The electronic and control design of a low-cost prosthetic hand, the Touch Hand II, is discussed. This paper shows that sensorless techniques can be used to reduce design complexities, costs, and provide easier access to the electronics. A closing and opening finite state machine (COFSM) was developed to handle the actuated digit joint control state and a supervisory switching control scheme, used for speed and grip strength control. Three torque and speed settings were created to be preset for specific grasps. The hand was able to replicate ten frequently used grasps and grip some common objects. Future work is necessary to enable a user to control it with myoelectric signals (MESs) and to solve operational problems related to electromagnetic interference (EMI).
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.
Design of hand held RID's monitoring system based on embedded system
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wang Hongwei; Wei Yixiang
2008-01-01
In this paper we introduce the design of monitoring system for the hand held radionuclide identification device (RID), constructed under the embedded operating system of WinCE. At first, we introduce the design of hardware and software platform, and following is the major part of technical view of the software system, including the driver development, P/Invoke mechanism to call the C/C++ subroutines, multi-thread technology. In the experimental hardware platform, we have developed a front-end monitoring system for portable device targeted nuclide identification and orientation. It's a full-featured and flexible system, with the functions of data acquisition, radioactivity locating, data import and export, etc. (authors)
Fundamentals of passive nondestructive assay of fissionable material: laboratory workbook
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Reilly, T.D.; Augustson, R.H.; Parker, J.L.; Walton, R.B.; Atwell, T.L.; Umbarger, C.J.; Burns, C.E.
1975-02-01
This workbook is a supplement to LA-5651-M, ''Fundamentals of Passive Nondestructive Assay of Fissionable Material'' which is the text used during the Nondestructive Assay Training Session given by Group A-1 of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. It contains the writeups used during the six laboratory sessions covering basic gamma-ray principles, quantitative gamma-ray measurements, uranium enrichment measurements, equipment holdup measurements, basic neutron principles, and quantitative neutron assay
Talking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine with Health Care Providers: A Workbook and Tips
A workbook to help patients and doctors talk about the use of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) during and after cancer care. Worksheets, tips, and resources are provided for patients and doctors to help track CAM use.
Talking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine with Health Care Provider: A Workbook and Tips
A workbook to help patients and doctors talk about the use of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) during and after cancer care. Worksheets, tips, and resources are provided for patients and doctors to help track CAM use.
Klopping, Paul H.
This lesson is a basic description of aerobic digestion. Topics presented include a general process overview discussion of a typical digester's components, factors influencing performance, operational controls, and biological considerations for successful operation. The lesson includes an instructor's guide and student workbook. The instructor's…
Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.
The exercises in the Spanish language workbook are intended to teach comprehension, interpretation, vocabulary, pronunciation, and study skills. The workbook provides one to five pages of reinforcement and follow-up work for each of the stories in the reader of the same title. Exercises stress sentence completion and construction, phonology,…
Force-directed design of a voluntary closing hand prosthesis
De Visser, H.; Herder, J.L.
2000-01-01
This paper presents the design of a body-powered voluntary closing prosthetic hand. It is argued that the movement of the fingers before establishing a grip is much less relevant for good control of the object held than the distribution of forces once the object has been contacted. Based on this
Design and Development of Hand and Foot Contamination Monitor
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
F. Akter
2014-08-01
Full Text Available A hand and foot contamination monitor is a health physics instrument to provide detection and measurement of beta-gamma contamination on the palm of each hand and on the bottom surface of both feet/shoes. There are four channels of detection for two hands and two feet. Four G-M detectors have been used in a single unit to cover the whole area of hand and feet. A regulated high voltage DC power supply (900 V has been designed using the PIC12F675 microcontroller to operate the pancake Geiger-Müller detectors. The reading is displayed on a linearly scaled 0-100 Bq/cm2 analog panel meter. The monitor detects beta–gamma radiation emitted by radioactive materials, and if the detected value exceeds a preset level, the monitor sounds an alarm and displays a reading in the respective panel meter. Indicator lamps are used to show the status of contamination. The performance of the system has been tested by using pulse generator and by flat surface radioactive calibration sources. Electronic linearity, detection efficiency, response to the contamination, calibration factor and percentage of error has been measured. Test results were satisfactory and the present system can be used instead of similar imported instruments.
Fundamentals of passive nondestructive assay of fissionable material: laboratory workbook
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Reilly, T.D.; Augustson, R.H.; Parker, J.L. Walton, R.B.; Atwell, T.L.; Umbarger, C.J.; Burns, C.E.
1975-02-01
This workbook is a supplement to LA-5651-M, ''Fundamentals of Passive Nondestructive Assay of Fissionable Material'' which is the text used during the Nondestructive Assay Training Session given by Group A-1 of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory. It contains the writeups used during the six laboratory sessions covering basic gamma-ray principles, quantitative gamma-ray measurements, uranium enrichment measurements, equipment holdup measurements, basic neutron principles, and quantitative neutron assay.
Thompson, Andrew; Sullivan, Sarah; Barley, Maddi; Moore, Laurence; Rogers, Paul; Sipos, Attila; Harrison, Glynn
2010-06-01
Educational workbooks have been used in psychiatry to influence patient but not clinician behaviour. Targeted education interventions to change prescribing practice in other areas of medicine have only looked at changes in prescribing and not attitudes or beliefs related to the prescribing. We aimed to examine whether clinicians' beliefs about a common prescribing issue in psychiatry (antipsychotic polypharmacy prescription) changed alongside behaviour as a result of a complex intervention. Medical and nursing staff were recruited from 19 general adult psychiatry units in the south-west of the UK as part of a cluster randomized controlled trial. A questionnaire was used to assess beliefs on the prescribing of antipsychotic polypharmacy as a secondary outcome before and after completion of a cognitive behavioural 'self-help' style workbook (one part of a complex intervention). A factor analysis suggested three dimensions of the questionnaire that corresponded to predetermined themes. The data were analysed using a random-effects regression model (adjusting for clustering) controlling for possible confounders. There was a significant change in beliefs on both of the factors: antipsychotic polypharmacy (coefficient = -0.89, P change in antipsychotic polypharmacy prescribing (odds ratio 0.43, 95% confidence intervals 0.21-0.90). The workbook appeared to change staff beliefs about antipsychotic polypharmacy, but achieving substantial changes in clinician behaviour may require further exploration of other factors important in complex prescribing issues.
Mechanical design and control of a new myoelectric hand prosthesis
Peerdeman, B.; Stramigioli, Stefano; Hekman, Edsko E.G.; Brouwer, Dannis Michel; Misra, Sarthak
2011-01-01
The development of modern, myoelectrically controlled hand prostheses can be difficult, due to the many requirements its mechanical design and control system need to fulfill [1]. The hand should be controllable with few input signals, while being able to perform a wide range of motions. It should be
Robinson, June K; Gaber, Rikki; Hultgren, Brittney; Eilers, Steven; Blatt, Hanz; Stapleton, Jerod; Mallett, Kimberly; Turrisi, Rob; Duffecy, Jenna; Begale, Mark; Martini, Mary; Bilimoria, Karl; Wayne, Jeffrey
2014-01-13
Early detection of melanoma improves survival. Since many melanoma patients and their spouses seek the care of a physician after discovering their melanoma, an ongoing study will determine the efficacy of teaching at-risk melanoma patients and their skin check partner how to conduct skin self-examinations (SSEs). Internet-based health behavior interventions have proven efficacious in creating behavior change in patients to better prevent, detect, or cope with their health issues. The efficacy of electronic interactive SSE educational intervention provided on a tablet device has not previously been determined. The electronic interactive educational intervention was created to develop a scalable, effective intervention to enhance performance and accuracy of SSE among those at-risk to develop melanoma. The intervention in the office was conducted using one of the following three methods: (1) in-person through a facilitator, (2) with a paper workbook, or (3) with a tablet device used in the clinical office. Differences related to method of delivery were elucidated by having the melanoma patient and their skin check partner provide a self-report of their confidence in performing SSE and take a knowledge-based test immediately after receiving the intervention. The three interventions used 9 of the 26 behavioral change techniques defined by Abraham and Michie to promote planning of monthly SSE, encourage performing SSE, and reinforce self-efficacy by praising correct responses to knowledge-based decision making and offering helpful suggestions to improve performance. In creating the electronic interactive SSE educational intervention, the educational content was taken directly from both the scripted in-person presentation delivered with Microsoft PowerPoint by a trained facilitator and the paper workbook training arms of the study. Enrollment totaled 500 pairs (melanoma patient and their SSE partner) with randomization of 165 pairs to the in-person, 165 pairs to the
Fortney, Clarence; Gregory, Mike; New, Larry
Teacher and student editions and a student workbook for fundamentals of welding comprise the first of six in a series of competency-based instructional materials for welding programs. Introductory pages in the teacher edition are training and competency profile, instructional/task analysis, basic skills icons and classifications, basic skills…
Bio-inspired mechanical design of a tendon-driven dexterous prosthetic hand.
Controzzi, Marco; Cipriani, Christian; Jehenne, Beryl; Donati, Marco; Carrozza, Maria Chiara
2010-01-01
This paper presents the preliminary design of a new dexterous upper-limb prosthesis provided with a novel anthropomorphic hand, a compact wrist based on bevel gears and a modular forearm able to cover different levels of upper-limb amputations. The hand has 20 DoFs and 11 motors, with a dexterous three fingered subsystem composed by a fully actuated thumb, and an hybrid index and middle fingers to enable dexterous manipulation and enhance grasp performance.
Design of a wearable hand exoskeleton for exercising flexion/extension of the fingers.
Jo, Inseong; Lee, Jeongsoo; Park, Yeongyu; Bae, Joonbum
2017-07-01
In this paper, design of a wearable hand exoskeleton system for exercising flexion/extension of the fingers, is proposed. The exoskeleton was designed with a simple and wearable structure to aid finger motions in 1 degree of freedom (DOF). A hand grasping experiment by fully-abled people was performed to investigate general hand flexion/extension motions and the polynomial curve of general hand motions was obtained. To customize the hand exoskeleton for the user, the polynomial curve was adjusted to the joint range of motion (ROM) of the user and the optimal design of the exoskeleton structure was obtained using the optimization algorithm. A prototype divided into two parts (one part for the thumb, the other for rest fingers) was actuated by only two linear motors for compact size and light weight.
Luce, Ann Campbell
This resource, containing a teacher's manual, reproducible student workbook, and a color teaching poster, is designed to accompany a 21-minute videotape program, but may be adapted for independent use. Part 1 of the program, "Greek Architecture," looks at elements of architectural construction as applied to Greek structures, and…
Sharman, Ronald M.
This lesson is an introduction to disposal of sludge by landfill. A brief explanation of the complete process is provided, including discussions of sludge suitability, site selection, method selection and operation, site closure, and ultimate reuse. The lesson includes an instructor's guide and student workbook. The instructor's guide contains a…
A bio-inspired design of a hand robotic exoskeleton for rehabilitation
Ong, Aira Patrice R.; Bugtai, Nilo T.
2018-02-01
This paper presents the methodology for the design of a five-degree of freedom wearable robotic exoskeleton for hand rehabilitation. The design is inspired by the biological structure and mechanism of the human hand. One of the distinct features of the device is the cable-driven actuation, which provides the flexion and extension motion. A prototype of the orthotic device has been developed to prove the model of the system and has been tested in a 3D printed mechanical hand. The result showed that the proposed device was consistent with the requirements of bionics and was able to demonstrate the flexion and extension of the system.
A workbook to help patients and doctors talk about the use of complementary and alternative medicine(CAM) during and after cancer care. Worksheets, tips, and resources are provided for patients and doctors to help track CAM use.
Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.
This workbook is intended to be used in connection with the reader of the same title, for bilingual Spanish-English reading instruction in the second grade. It is further supplemented by a teacher's manual. As a follow-up to the stories contained in the reader, the workbook provides drawing games, word games, punctuation exercises, and other…
Grasp specific and user friendly interface design for myoelectric hand prostheses.
Mohammadi, Alireza; Lavranos, Jim; Howe, Rob; Choong, Peter; Oetomo, Denny
2017-07-01
This paper presents the design and characterisation of a hand prosthesis and its user interface, focusing on performing the most commonly used grasps in activities of daily living (ADLs). Since the operation of a multi-articulated powered hand prosthesis is difficult to learn and master, there is a significant rate of abandonment by amputees in preference for simpler devices. In choosing so, amputees chose to live with fewer features in their prosthesis that would more reliably perform the basic operations. In this paper, we look simultaneously at a hand prosthesis design method that aims for a small number of grasps, a low complexity user interface and an alternative method to the current use of EMG as a preshape selection method through the use of a simple button; to enable amputees to get to and execute the intended hand movements intuitively, quickly and reliably. An experiment is reported at the end of the paper comparing the speed and accuracy with which able-bodied naive subjects are able to select the intended preshapes through the use of a simplified EMG method and a simple button. It is shown that the button was significantly superior in the speed of successful task completion and marginally superior in accuracy (success of first attempt).
Implementation of Programs for the Gifted/Talented: A Workbook for Educators and Parents.
California Association for the Gifted.
Intended for use by educators and parents, the workbook is intended to help in the development or expansion of programs for the gifted and talented as required by the California Education Code's AB 1040, effective from 1980 to 1985. After introductory material, the first section provides a detailed interpretive analysis of AB 1040 noting the…
Segil, Jacob L; Weir, Richard F ff
2014-03-01
An ideal myoelectric prosthetic hand should have the ability to continuously morph between any posture like an anatomical hand. This paper describes the design and validation of a morphing myoelectric hand controller based on principal component analysis of human grasping. The controller commands continuously morphing hand postures including functional grasps using between two and four surface electromyography (EMG) electrodes pairs. Four unique maps were developed to transform the EMG control signals in the principal component domain. A preliminary validation experiment was performed by 10 nonamputee subjects to determine the map with highest performance. The subjects used the myoelectric controller to morph a virtual hand between functional grasps in a series of randomized trials. The number of joints controlled accurately was evaluated to characterize the performance of each map. Additional metrics were studied including completion rate, time to completion, and path efficiency. The highest performing map controlled over 13 out of 15 joints accurately.
Luce, Ann Campbell
This resource contains a teaching manual, reproducible student workbook, and color teaching poster, which were designed to accompany a 2-part, 34-minute videotape, but may be adapted for independent use. Part 1 of the program, "The Old Kingdom," explains Egyptian beliefs concerning life after death as evidenced in art, architecture and…
Early Childhood Math: Make It Manipulative!
Stone, Janet I.
1987-01-01
Maintains that early childhood teachers should provide young children with creative, stimulating, and manipulative (hands-on) experiences rather than workbook pages in early mathematics programs. Presents reasons and corresponding counterpositions for using workbooks and suggests sample activities which teachers can use to make mathematics more…
Design-validation of a hand exoskeleton using musculoskeletal modeling.
Hansen, Clint; Gosselin, Florian; Ben Mansour, Khalil; Devos, Pierre; Marin, Frederic
2018-04-01
Exoskeletons are progressively reaching homes and workplaces, allowing interaction with virtual environments, remote control of robots, or assisting human operators in carrying heavy loads. Their design is however still a challenge as these robots, being mechanically linked to the operators who wear them, have to meet ergonomic constraints besides usual robotic requirements in terms of workspace, speed, or efforts. They have in particular to fit the anthropometry and mobility of their users. This traditionally results in numerous prototypes which are progressively fitted to each individual person. In this paper, we propose instead to validate the design of a hand exoskeleton in a fully digital environment, without the need for a physical prototype. The purpose of this study is thus to examine whether finger kinematics are altered when using a given hand exoskeleton. Therefore, user specific musculoskeletal models were created and driven by a motion capture system to evaluate the fingers' joint kinematics when performing two industrial related tasks. The kinematic chain of the exoskeleton was added to the musculoskeletal models and its compliance with the hand movements was evaluated. Our results show that the proposed exoskeleton design does not influence fingers' joints angles, the coefficient of determination between the model with and without exoskeleton being consistently high (R 2 ¯=0.93) and the nRMSE consistently low (nRMSE¯ = 5.42°). These results are promising and this approach combining musculoskeletal and robotic modeling driven by motion capture data could be a key factor in the ergonomics validation of the design of orthotic devices and exoskeletons prior to manufacturing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Thurber, J.A.; Olson, J.; Osborn, R.N.; Sommers, P.; Widrig, R.D.
1986-09-01
Volumes 1 and 2 of this report are a partial response to the requirements of Item I.B.1.1 of the ''NRC Action Plan Developed as a Result of the TMI-2 Accident,'' NUREG-0660, and are designed to serve as a basis for replacing the earlier NUREG-0731, ''Guidelines for Utility Management Structure and Technical Resources.'' These Guidelines are intended to provide guidance to the user in preparing a written plan for a proposed nuclear organization and administration. The purpose of the Workbook (Vol. 2) is to guide the NRC reviewer through a systematic review and assessment of a proposed organization and administration. It is the NRC's intention to incorporate these Guidelines and Workbook into a future revision of the Standard Review Plan (SRP), NUREG-0800. However, at this time the report is being published so that the material may be used on a voluntary basis by industry to systematically prepare or evaluate their organization or administration plans. Use of the report by the NRC would not occur until after it has been incorpoarted in the SRP
Design and implementation of a contactless multiple hand feature acquisition system
Zhao, Qiushi; Bu, Wei; Wu, Xiangqian; Zhang, David
2012-06-01
In this work, an integrated contactless multiple hand feature acquisition system is designed. The system can capture palmprint, palm vein, and palm dorsal vein images simultaneously. Moreover, the images are captured in a contactless manner, that is, users need not to touch any part of the device when capturing. Palmprint is imaged under visible illumination while palm vein and palm dorsal vein are imaged under near infrared (NIR) illumination. The capturing is controlled by computer and the whole process is less than 1 second, which is sufficient for online biometric systems. Based on this device, this paper also implements a contactless hand-based multimodal biometric system. Palmprint, palm vein, palm dorsal vein, finger vein, and hand geometry features are extracted from the captured images. After similarity measure, the matching scores are fused using weighted sum fusion rule. Experimental results show that although the verification accuracy of each uni-modality is not as high as that of state-of-the-art, the fusion result is superior to most of the existing hand-based biometric systems. This result indicates that the proposed device is competent in the application of contactless multimodal hand-based biometrics.
[Study on an Exoskeleton Hand Function Training Device].
Hu, Xin; Zhang, Ying; Li, Jicai; Yi, Jinhua; Yu, Hongliu; He, Rongrong
2016-02-01
Based on the structure and motion bionic principle of the normal adult fingers, biological characteristics of human hands were analyzed, and a wearable exoskeleton hand function training device for the rehabilitation of stroke patients or patients with hand trauma was designed. This device includes the exoskeleton mechanical structure and the electromyography (EMG) control system. With adjustable mechanism, the device was capable to fit different finger lengths, and by capturing the EMG of the users' contralateral limb, the motion state of the exoskeleton hand was controlled. Then driven by the device, the user's fingers conducting adduction/abduction rehabilitation training was carried out. Finally, the mechanical properties and training effect of the exoskeleton hand were verified through mechanism simulation and the experiments on the experimental prototype of the wearable exoskeleton hand function training device.
A Quality Function Deployment (QFD) approach to designing a prosthetic myoelectric hand
Erika Sofía Olaya Escobar; Carlos Julio Cortés Rodríguez; Óscar Germán Duarte Velasco
2005-01-01
This paper presents a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) model based on computing with words. It is specifically used in the House of Quality (HOQ) construction phase. It illustrates the methodology employed in designing a prosthetic myoelectric hand.
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...
A Quality Function Deployment (QFD approach to designing a prosthetic myoelectric hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Erika Sofía Olaya Escobar
2005-05-01
Full Text Available This paper presents a Quality Function Deployment (QFD model based on computing with words. It is specifically used in the House of Quality (HOQ construction phase. It illustrates the methodology employed in designing a prosthetic myoelectric hand.
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.
Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools.
Parvez, M S; Shahriar, M M
2018-01-01
Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale). The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.
Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
M. S. Parvez
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale. The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Carroll, T.O.; Nathans, R.; Palmedo, P.F.; Stern, R.
1977-06-01
It has been clear that the magnitude and character of a region's energy requirements are intimately related to the spatial configuration and mix of land use activities. To the degree to which they can shape the future configurations of residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation activities, local governments and their planners must give serious consideration to the energy implications of those configurations in the light of future social goals and requirements. This Planner's Energy Workbook describes a set of procedures that can be used to carry out community and regional energy analyses. The choice of land use activity parameters and their relation to energy use characteristics are associated with the normal planning concepts of land use density, type of residential development, commercial floorspace, industrial sales and employment, and shopping and work trip lengths. At the same time these energy related intensity coefficients are expressed in a form that permits the analysis of short-term conservation strategies such as the retrofit of insulation and the introduction of new technologies such as solar energy. An integrating framework is provided to construct total community or area energy consumption profiles and future needs; to examine compatibility between area requirements and the energy supply-distribution system serving the area; and to evaluate the implications for energy use of the physical configuration of urban, suburban and rural areas. Two cases illustrate the application of this Workbook. The Long Island area is representative of major suburban regions throughout the U.S. which have undergone major growth and development. A community redevelopment design in Tuscon, Arizona is typical of rapid and major land use development within the environs of an existing city.
Instrumentation and control upgrade evaluation methodology: Final report. Volume 2: Workbook
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bliss, M.; Brown, E.; Florio, F.; Stofko, M.
1996-07-01
This workbook accompanies the methodology manual (EPRI TR-104963-V1) which describes how to develop an Upgrade Evaluation Report (UER). A UER is an evaluation that is performed by a nuclear power plant to decide the most cost-effective upgrade to perform (if any) for a previously identified Upgrade Candidate System. A UER defines the utility`s mission and objectives in regards to upgrade candidates, as well as the systems initial costs, benefits to each upgrade, and an initial upgrade schedule to cost-effectively implement system upgrades.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sather, Nichole K. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Borde, Amy B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Diefenderfer, Heida L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Serkowski, John A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Coleman, Andre M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Gary E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
2013-12-01
This Handbook of Data Reduction Procedures, Workbooks, and Exchange Templates is designed to support the Oncor geodatabase for the Columbia Estuary Ecosystem Restoration Program (CEERP). The following data categories are covered: water-surface elevation and temperature, sediment accretion rate, photo points, herbaceous wetland vegetation cover, tree plots and site summaries, fish catch and density, fish size, fish diet, fish prey, and Chinook salmon genetic stock identification. The handbook is intended for use by scientists collecting monitoring and research data for the CEERP. The ultimate goal of Oncor is to provide quality, easily accessible, geospatial data for synthesis and evaluation of the collective performance of CEERP ecosystem restoration actions at a program scale.
Hadley, Wendy; Brown, L K; Barker, D; Warren, J; Weddington, P; Fortune, T; Juzang, I
2016-09-01
The purpose of the current study was to test an interactive DVD and workbook specifically designed for African-American parents and adolescents (ages 13-18), based on an efficacious face-to-face intervention, to address key factors associated with risk. A total of 170 parent-adolescent dyads were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either the "Work It Out Together" DVD or a General Health Promotion DVD (HP). Parents and adolescents completed measures of HIV knowledge, self-efficacy, and parenting behaviors. Immediately after receiving the Work It Out Together intervention, parents and adolescents demonstrated higher HIV knowledge and greater HIV prevention self-efficacy. Three months after receiving the Work It Out Together intervention, parents and adolescents reported higher levels of parental monitoring and sexually active adolescents reported higher levels of condom use self-efficacy and a lower rate of recent sex. These outcomes provide preliminary evidence that the "Work It Out Together" DVD impacted individual attitudes and protective parenting behaviors.
Boyle, Timothy J.; Sears, Jeremiah M.; Hernandez-Sanchez, Bernadette A.; Casillas, Maddison R.; Nguyen, Thao H.
2017-01-01
The Chemistry Science Investigation: Dognapping Workshop was designed to (i) target and inspire fourth grade students to view themselves as "Junior Scientists" before their career decisions are solidified; (ii) enable hands-on experience in fundamental scientific concepts; (iii) increase public interaction with science, technology,…
Design Of A Low Cost Anthropomorphic Robot Hand For Industrial Applications
Allen, P.; Raleigh, B.
2009-11-01
Autonomous grasping systems using anthropomorphic robotic end effectors have many applications, and the potential of such devices has inspired researchers to develop many types of grasping systems over the past 30 years. Their research has yielded significant advances in end effector dexterity and functionality. However, due to the cost and complexity associated with such devices, their role has been largely confined to that of being research tools in laboratories. Industry, by contrast, has largely opted for simple, single task, devices. This paper presents a novel low cost anthropomorphic robotic end effector, and in particular the design characteristics that make it more applicable to industrial application. The design brief was (i) to be broadly similar to the human hand in terms of size and performance (ii) be low cost (less than €5000 for the system) and (iii) to provide sufficient performance to allow use in industrial applications. Consisting of three fingers and an opposing thumb, the robotic hand developed has a total of 12 automated degrees of freedom. Another 4 degrees of freedom can be set manually. The specific design of the fingers and thumb, together with the drive arrangement utilizing synchronous belts, yields a simplified kinematics solution for the control of movement. The modular nature of the design is extended also to the palm, which can be easily modified to produce different overall work envelopes for the hand. The drive system and grasping strategies are also detailed.
Design and analysis of doped left-handed materials
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang Hongxin; Bao Yongfang; Chen Tianming; Lü Yinghua; Wang Haixia
2008-01-01
We devise three sorts of doped left-handed materials (DLHMs) by introducing inductors and capacitors into the traditional left-handed material (LHM) as heterogeneous elements. Some new properties are presented through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. On the one hand, the resonance in the traditional LHM is weakened and the original pass band is narrowed by introducing inductors. On the other hand, the original pass band of the LHM can be shifted and a new pass band can be generated by introducing capacitors. When capacitors and inductors are introduced simultaneously, the resonance of traditional LHM is somewhat weakened and the number of original pass bands as well as its bandwidth can be changed
Çerçi, Arif
2016-01-01
The purpose of this study is to analyze writing activities in the student workbooks of a secondary-level Turkish language course (grades 5 to 8) according to the principles of progressive writing. The study is descriptive and employs content analysis as a qualitative research paradigm. The writing activities of the books in this study all…
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Agner, Tove; Hansen, Jane L.
2010-01-01
. The experimental group undergoes patch and prick testing; classification of the hand eczema; demonstration of hand washing and appliance of emollients; individual counselling, and a skin-care programme. The control group receives no intervention. All participants are reassessed after six months. The primary...... strategies are needed to reduce occupational hand eczema. METHODS/DESIGN: We describe the design of a randomised clinical trial to investigate the effects of classification of hand eczema plus individual counselling versus no intervention. The trial includes health-care workers with hand eczema identified...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Agner, Tove; Hansen, Jane L.
2010-01-01
strategies are needed to reduce occupational hand eczema. METHODS/DESIGN: We describe the design of a randomised clinical trial to investigate the effects of classification of hand eczema plus individual counselling versus no intervention. The trial includes health-care workers with hand eczema identified...... from a self-administered questionnaire delivered to 3181 health-care workers in three Danish hospitals. The questionnaire identifies the prevalence of hand eczema, knowledge of skin-protection, and exposures that can lead to hand eczema. At entry, all participants are assessed regarding: disease...
Interactive methods to involve users into workspace design process
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Souza da Conceição, Carolina; Broberg, Ole; Banke, Palle
2013-01-01
This paper addresses the question of whether the use of a combination of interactive methods involving workers can lead to a useful input to the (re)design of their workspace. The workbook and the layout design game methods were tested, and a comparison between their use and the ergonomic analysi...
Ramadan, Mohamed Z
2017-12-04
Daily working activities and functions require a high contribution of hand and forearm muscles in executing grip force. To study the effects of wearing different gloves on grip strength, under a variety of hand skin temperatures, an assessment of the maximum grip strength was performed with 32 healthy male workers with a mean age (standard deviation) of 30.44 (5.35) years wearing five industrial gloves at three hand skin temperatures. Their ages and anthropometric characteristics including body mass index (BMI), hand length, hand width, hand depth, hand palm, and wrist circumference were measured. The hand was exposed to different bath temperatures (5 °C, 25 °C, and 45 °C) and hand grip strength was measured using a Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer with and without wearing the gloves (chemical protection glove, rubber insulating glove, anti-vibration impact glove, cotton yarn knitted glove, and RY-WG002 working glove). The data were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Pearson correlation coefficient, Tukey test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the within-subject design analysis. The results showed that wearing gloves significantly affected the maximum grip strength. Wearing the RY-WG002 working glove produced a greater reduction on the maximum grip when compared with the bare hand, while low temperatures (5 °C) had a significant influence on grip when compared to medium (25 °C) and high (45 °C) hand skin temperatures. In addition, participants felt more discomfort in both environmental extreme conditions. Furthermore, they reported more discomfort while wearing neoprene, rubber, and RY-WG002 working gloves.
Mirrors in the PDB: left-handed alpha-turns guide design with D-amino acids.
Annavarapu, Srinivas; Nanda, Vikas
2009-09-22
Incorporating variable amino acid stereochemistry in molecular design has the potential to improve existing protein stability and create new topologies inaccessible to homochiral molecules. The Protein Data Bank has been a reliable, rich source of information on molecular interactions and their role in protein stability and structure. D-amino acids rarely occur naturally, making it difficult to infer general rules for how they would be tolerated in proteins through an analysis of existing protein structures. However, protein elements containing short left-handed turns and helices turn out to contain useful information. Molecular mechanisms used in proteins to stabilize left-handed elements by L-amino acids are structurally enantiomeric to potential synthetic strategies for stabilizing right-handed elements with D-amino acids. Propensities for amino acids to occur in contiguous alpha(L) helices correlate with published thermodynamic scales for incorporation of D-amino acids into alpha(R) helices. Two backbone rules for terminating a left-handed helix are found: an alpha(R) conformation is disfavored at the amino terminus, and a beta(R) conformation is disfavored at the carboxy terminus. Helix capping sidechain-backbone interactions are found which are unique to alpha(L) helices including an elevated propensity for L-Asn, and L-Thr at the amino terminus and L-Gln, L-Thr and L-Ser at the carboxy terminus. By examining left-handed alpha-turns containing L-amino acids, new interaction motifs for incorporating D-amino acids into right-handed alpha-helices are identified. These will provide a basis for de novo design of novel heterochiral protein folds.
Pressure Sensor: State of the Art, Design, and Application for Robotic Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ahmed M. Almassri
2015-01-01
Full Text Available We survey the state of the art in a variety of force sensors for designing and application of robotic hand. Most of the force sensors are examined based on tactile sensing. For a decade, many papers have widely discussed various sensor technologies and transducer methods which are based on microelectromechanical system (MEMS and silicon used for improving the accuracy and performance measurement of tactile sensing capabilities especially for robotic hand applications. We found that transducers and materials such as piezoresistive and polymer, respectively, are used in order to improve the sensing sensitivity for grasping mechanisms in future. This predicted growth in such applications will explode into high risk tasks which requires very precise purposes. It shows considerable potential and significant levels of research attention.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mohamed Z. Ramadan
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Daily working activities and functions require a high contribution of hand and forearm muscles in executing grip force. To study the effects of wearing different gloves on grip strength, under a variety of hand skin temperatures, an assessment of the maximum grip strength was performed with 32 healthy male workers with a mean age (standard deviation of 30.44 (5.35 years wearing five industrial gloves at three hand skin temperatures. Their ages and anthropometric characteristics including body mass index (BMI, hand length, hand width, hand depth, hand palm, and wrist circumference were measured. The hand was exposed to different bath temperatures (5 °C, 25 °C, and 45 °C and hand grip strength was measured using a Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer with and without wearing the gloves (chemical protection glove, rubber insulating glove, anti-vibration impact glove, cotton yarn knitted glove, and RY-WG002 working glove. The data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test, Pearson correlation coefficient, Tukey test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA of the within-subject design analysis. The results showed that wearing gloves significantly affected the maximum grip strength. Wearing the RY-WG002 working glove produced a greater reduction on the maximum grip when compared with the bare hand, while low temperatures (5 °C had a significant influence on grip when compared to medium (25 °C and high (45 °C hand skin temperatures. In addition, participants felt more discomfort in both environmental extreme conditions. Furthermore, they reported more discomfort while wearing neoprene, rubber, and RY-WG002 working gloves.
Use of Design Patterns According to Hand Dominance in a Mobile User Interface
Al-Samarraie, Hosam; Ahmad, Yusof
2016-01-01
User interface (UI) design patterns for mobile applications provide a solution to design problems and can improve the usage experience for users. However, there is a lack of research categorizing the uses of design patterns according to users' hand dominance in a learning-based mobile UI. We classified the main design patterns for mobile…
Sunscreen Use on the Dorsal Hands at the Beach
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Warren, D. B.; Hobbs, J. B.; Jr, R. F. W.; Riahi, R. R.
2013-01-01
Since skin of the dorsal hands is a known site for the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, an epidemiologic investigation was needed to determine if beachgoers apply sunscreen to the dorsal aspect of their hands as frequently as they apply it to other skin sites. Aim. The aim of the current study was to compare the use of sunscreen on the dorsal hands to other areas of the body during subtropical late spring and summer sunlight exposure at the beach. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional survey from a convenience sample of beachgoers was designed to evaluate responded understanding and protective measures concerning skin cancer on the dorsal hands in an environment with high natural UVR exposure. Results. A total of 214 surveys were completed and analyzed. Less than half of subjects (105, 49%) applied sunscreen to their dorsal hands. Women applied sunscreen to the dorsal hands more than men (55% women versus 40% men, ρ=0.04 ). Higher Fitzpatrick Skin Type respondents were less likely to protect their dorsal hands from ultraviolet radiation (ρ=0.001 ). Conclusions. More public education focused on dorsal hand protection from ultraviolet radiation damage is necessary to reduce the risk for squamous cell carcinomas of the hands.
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.
Engineering graphic modelling a workbook for design engineers
Tjalve, E; Frackmann Schmidt, F
2013-01-01
Engineering Graphic Modelling: A Practical Guide to Drawing and Design covers how engineering drawing relates to the design activity. The book describes modeled properties, such as the function, structure, form, material, dimension, and surface, as well as the coordinates, symbols, and types of projection of the drawing code. The text provides drawing techniques, such as freehand sketching, bold freehand drawing, drawing with a straightedge, a draughting machine or a plotter, and use of templates, and then describes the types of drawing. Graphic designers, design engineers, mechanical engine
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...
Design and Evaluation of a Soft and Wearable Robotic Glove for Hand Rehabilitation.
Biggar, Stuart; Yao, Wei
2016-10-01
In the modern world, due to an increased aging population, hand disability is becoming increasingly common. The prevalence of conditions such as stroke is placing an ever-growing burden on the limited fiscal resources of health care providers and the capacity of their physical therapy staff. As a solution, this paper presents a novel design for a wearable and adaptive glove for patients so that they can practice rehabilitative activities at home, reducing the workload for therapists and increasing the patient's independence. As an initial evaluation of the design's feasibility the prototype was subjected to motion analysis to compare its performance with the hand in an assessment of grasping patterns of a selection of blocks and spheres. The outcomes of this paper suggest that the theory of design has validity and may lead to a system that could be successful in the treatment of stroke patients to guide them through finger flexion and extension, which could enable them to gain more control and confidence in interacting with the world around them.
Mirrors in the PDB: left-handed α-turns guide design with D-amino acids
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nanda Vikas
2009-09-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Incorporating variable amino acid stereochemistry in molecular design has the potential to improve existing protein stability and create new topologies inaccessible to homochiral molecules. The Protein Data Bank has been a reliable, rich source of information on molecular interactions and their role in protein stability and structure. D-amino acids rarely occur naturally, making it difficult to infer general rules for how they would be tolerated in proteins through an analysis of existing protein structures. However, protein elements containing short left-handed turns and helices turn out to contain useful information. Molecular mechanisms used in proteins to stabilize left-handed elements by L-amino acids are structurally enantiomeric to potential synthetic strategies for stabilizing right-handed elements with D-amino acids. Results Propensities for amino acids to occur in contiguous αL helices correlate with published thermodynamic scales for incorporation of D-amino acids into αR helices. Two backbone rules for terminating a left-handed helix are found: an αR conformation is disfavored at the amino terminus, and a βR conformation is disfavored at the carboxy terminus. Helix capping sidechain-backbone interactions are found which are unique to αL helices including an elevated propensity for L-Asn, and L-Thr at the amino terminus and L-Gln, L-Thr and L-Ser at the carboxy terminus. Conclusion By examining left-handed α-turns containing L-amino acids, new interaction motifs for incorporating D-amino acids into right-handed α-helices are identified. These will provide a basis for de novo design of novel heterochiral protein folds.
Kloppenburg, M; Maheu, E; Kraus, V B; Cicuttini, F; Doherty, M; Dreiser, R-L; Henrotin, Y; Jiang, G-L; Mandl, L; Martel-Pelletier, J; Nelson, A E; Neogi, T; Pelletier, J-P; Punzi, L; Ramonda, R; Simon, L S; Wang, S
2015-05-01
Hand osteoarthritis (OA) is a very frequent disease, but yet understudied. However, a lot of works have been published in the past 10 years, and much has been done to better understand its clinical course and structural progression. Despite this new knowledge, few therapeutic trials have been conducted in hand OA. The last OARSI recommendations for the conduct of clinical trials in hand OA dates back to 2006. The present recommendations aimed at updating previous recommendations, by incorporating new data. The purpose of this expert opinion, consensus driven exercise is to provide evidence-based guidance on the design, execution and analysis of clinical trials in hand OA, where published evidence is available, supplemented by expert opinion, where evidence is lacking, to perform clinical trials in hand OA, both for symptom and for structure-modification. They indicate core outcome measurement sets for studies in hand OA, and list the methods and instruments that should be used to measure symptoms or structure. For both symptom- and structure-modification, at least pain, physical function, patient global assessment, HR-QoL, joint activity and hand strength should be assessed. In addition, for structure-modification trials, structural progression should be measured by radiographic changes. We also provide a research agenda listing many unsolved issues that seem to most urgently need to be addressed from the perspective of performing "good" clinical trials in hand OA. These updated OARSI recommendations should allow for better standardizing the conduct of clinical trials in hand OA in the next future. Copyright © 2015 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Kinematic design of a finger abduction mechanism for an anthropomorphic robotic hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
L.-A. A. Demers
2011-02-01
Full Text Available This paper presents the kinematic design of an abduction mechanism for the fingers of an underactuated anthropomorphic robotic hand. This mechanism will enhance the range of feasible grasps of the underactuated hand without significantly increasing its complexity. The analysis of the link between the index finger and the third finger is first assessed, where the parameters are studied in order to follow the amplitude constraint and to minimize the coordination error. Then, the study of the mechanism joining the third finger and the little finger is summarized. Finally, a prototype of the finger's abduction system is presented.
This paper was presented at the IFToMM/ASME International Workshop on Underactuated Grasping (UG2010, 19 August 2010, Montréal, Canada.
The Influence of Hand Immersion Duration on Manual Performance.
Ray, Matthew; Sanli, Elizabeth; Brown, Robert; Ennis, Kerri Ann; Carnahan, Heather
2017-08-01
To investigate the effect of hand immersion duration on manipulative ability and tactile sensitivity. Individuals in maritime settings often work with hands that have been immersed in water. Although research has shown that hand immersion duration differentially impacts skin adhesion and tactile sensitivity, the effect of hand immersion on manipulative ability has not been directly tested. Given how critical manipulative ability is for the safety and performance of those working at sea, the effect of hand immersion duration on manual performance was investigated. Tests of manipulative ability (Purdue Pegboard, Grooved Pegboard, reef knot untying) and tactile sensitivity (Touch-Test) were completed following no-exposure, short-exposure, and long-exposure hand immersions in thermoneutral water. Compared to the no immersion condition, the Purdue Pegboard performance was reduced in both immersion conditions (short exposure, -11%; long exposure, -8%). A performance decrement was only observed in the short exposure condition (+15% in time to complete task) for the reef knot untying task. There were no statistical differences in the Grooved Pegboard or Touch-Test scores between exposure conditions. Immersing the hands in water decreases manipulative ability except for when object properties reduce the slipperiness between the hand and object. Manual performance in a wet environment may be conserved by designing tools and objects with edges and textures that can offset the slipperiness of wet hands. To maintain safety, the time requirements for working with wet hands needs to be considered.
Getting Your Foot in the Door. III. Skills for Job-Getting.
New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Office of Occupational and Career Education.
This workbook is the third in a series of four student workbooks designed to prepare youth with the employability skills needed for the world of work. The four student workbooks contain all phases of employability skills in seven individual packages. This workbook on skills for job getting includes one learning package, which is divided into three…
Designing sequence to control protein function in an EF-hand protein.
Bunick, Christopher G; Nelson, Melanie R; Mangahas, Sheryll; Hunter, Michael J; Sheehan, Jonathan H; Mizoue, Laura S; Bunick, Gerard J; Chazin, Walter J
2004-05-19
The extent of conformational change that calcium binding induces in EF-hand proteins is a key biochemical property specifying Ca(2+) sensor versus signal modulator function. To understand how differences in amino acid sequence lead to differences in the response to Ca(2+) binding, comparative analyses of sequence and structures, combined with model building, were used to develop hypotheses about which amino acid residues control Ca(2+)-induced conformational changes. These results were used to generate a first design of calbindomodulin (CBM-1), a calbindin D(9k) re-engineered with 15 mutations to respond to Ca(2+) binding with a conformational change similar to that of calmodulin. The gene for CBM-1 was synthesized, and the protein was expressed and purified. Remarkably, this protein did not exhibit any non-native-like molten globule properties despite the large number of mutations and the nonconservative nature of some of them. Ca(2+)-induced changes in CD intensity and in the binding of the hydrophobic probe, ANS, implied that CBM-1 does undergo Ca(2+) sensorlike conformational changes. The X-ray crystal structure of Ca(2+)-CBM-1 determined at 1.44 A resolution reveals the anticipated increase in hydrophobic surface area relative to the wild-type protein. A nascent calmodulin-like hydrophobic docking surface was also found, though it is occluded by the inter-EF-hand loop. The results from this first calbindomodulin design are discussed in terms of progress toward understanding the relationships between amino acid sequence, protein structure, and protein function for EF-hand CaBPs, as well as the additional mutations for the next CBM design.
Analysis and optimal design of an underactuated finger mechanism for LARM hand
Yao, Shuangji; Ceccarelli, Marco; Carbone, Giuseppe; Zhan, Qiang; Lu, Zhen
2011-09-01
This paper aims to present general design considerations and optimality criteria for underactuated mechanisms in finger designs. Design issues related to grasping task of robotic fingers are discussed. Performance characteristics are outlined as referring to several aspects of finger mechanisms. Optimality criteria of the finger performances are formulated after careful analysis. A general design algorithm is summarized and formulated as a suitable multi-objective optimization problem. A numerical case of an underactuated robot finger design for Laboratory of Robotics and Mechatronics (LARM) hand is illustrated with the aim to show the practical feasibility of the proposed concepts and computations.
Kuijt-Evers, L F M; Morel, K P N; Eikelenberg, N L W; Vink, P
2009-05-01
Quality Function Deployment is proposed as an effective design method to integrate ergonomics needs and comfort into hand tool design because it explicitly addresses the translation of customer needs into engineering characteristics. A crucial step during QFD concerns the linking of engineering characteristics to customer needs in the House of Quality by the design team. It is generally assumed (looking at all the QFD success stories) that design teams can accurately predict the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics (also referred to as "Whats"/"Hows" correlations). This paper explicitly tests this assumption by comparing the "Whats"/"Hows" correlations estimated by a design team with those observed in a systematic user evaluation study, which has not been done before. Testing the assumption is important, because inaccurate estimates may lead to ergonomically ineffective (re)design of hand tools and a waste of company resources. Results revealed that the design team's correlation estimates were not as accurate as is generally assumed. Twenty-five percent of the estimates differed significantly with those observed in the user evaluation study. Thus, QFD is a useful method to assist design teams in designing ergonomically more comfortable hand tools, but only on the condition that the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics are validated, preferably by means of a systematic user evaluation study.
Student Content Knowledge Increases after Participation in a Hands-on Biotechnology Intervention
Bigler, Amber M.; Hanegan, Nikki L.
2011-01-01
Implementing biotechnology education through hands-on teaching methods should be considered by secondary biology teachers. This study is an experimental research design to examine increased student content knowledge in biotechnology after a hands-on biotechnology intervention. The teachers from both school groups participated in, Project Crawfish,…
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.
Shaqura, Mohammad
2017-08-29
A robotic multi tool gripper design and implementation is presented in this paper. The proposed design targets applications where an actuation task is performed using a wide selection of standard hand tools. The manipulation motion is assumed to be rotational which requires a firm grip to account for external torque on the grasped tool. The setup is assumed to be a conventional workshop panel with hand tools being hanged close to each other, which constraints lateral clearance around the target, and near the wall of the panel, which constraints the depth clearance. Off the shelf grippers are mostly heavy and bulky which make them unsuitable for these requirements. Moreover, they are not optimized in terms of power consumption, simplicity and compactness. These generic grippers are mostly designed for pick and place tasks where no external torques other than those caused by the object weight affects the gripper. The design challenge involves building a gripper that is capable of operating in limited clearance space, firmly grip a variety of standard hand tools with different sizes and shapes. The proposed design is optimized for these objectives and offers a low cost and power consumption solution. The design has been validated in lab and outdoor experiments and has been deployed in real operating platform used in an international robotics competition.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adams Jo
2012-11-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA commonly affects the hands and wrists with inflammation, deformity, pain, weakness and restricted mobility leading to reduced function. The effectiveness of exercise for RA hands is uncertain, although evidence from small scale studies is promising. The Strengthening And Stretching for Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hand (SARAH trial is a pragmatic, multi-centre randomised controlled trial evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of adding an optimised exercise programme for hands and upper limbs to best practice usual care for patients with RA. Methods/design 480 participants with problematic RA hands will be recruited through 17 NHS trusts. Treatments will be provided by physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Participants will be individually randomised to receive either best practice usual care (joint protection advice, general exercise advice, functional splinting and assistive devices or best practice usual care supplemented with an individualised exercise programme of strengthening and stretching exercises. The study assessors will be blinded to treatment allocation and will follow participants up at four and 12 months. The primary outcome measure is the Hand function subscale of the Michigan Hand Outcome Questionnaire, and secondary outcomes include hand and wrist impairment measures, quality of life, and resource use. Economic and qualitative studies will also be carried out in parallel. Discussion This paper describes the design and development of a trial protocol of a complex intervention study based in therapy out-patient departments. The findings will provide evidence to support or refute the use of an optimised exercise programme for RA of the hand in addition to best practice usual care. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN89936343
Hands On, Hearts On, Minds On: Design Thinking within an Education Context
Cassim, Fatima
2013-01-01
Today the changing nature of design practice and the role of design within a widening domain indicate that the survival of design as a profession may depend less on traditional design education and more on responding strategically to contemporary changes, influenced by ethical and environmental issues as well as technological advancements. As a…
Promoting Female Students' Learning Motivation towards Science by Exercising Hands-On Activities
Wen-jin, Kuo; Chia-ju, Liu; Shi-an, Leou
2012-01-01
The purpose of this study is to design different hands-on science activities and investigate which activities could better promote female students' learning motivation towards science. This study conducted three types of science activities which contains nine hands-on activities, an experience scale and a learning motivation scale for data…
Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, New York, NY.
This workbook provides an instrument to objectively analyze a school's current climate with regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people and the steps needed to move that school toward a more inclusive environment. It provides a detailed assessment survey (to be completed by key school stakeholders), descriptive data, and…
Hand and foot contamination monitor
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jakati, R.K.; Kaptral, R.S.; Ananthkrishnan, T.S.; Pansare, M.G.
1989-01-01
In order to make quick measurements of beta and gamma contaminations on hands and feet of personnel working in radioactive environments, hand and foot contamination monitors are widely used. This paper describes such a monitor system designed with Intel 8085 based microcomputer. The monitoring and warning system is designed to perform measurement of activity spread over surface of hands and soles of shoes or feet. Even though the system has many features to aid testing and maintainance operation, it is easy to use for unskilled persons. In order to check the contamination, the person stands on platform and inserts both his hands into detector assemblies thereby actuating the sensing switches. After a preset interval, annunciation of clean or contaminated status is declared by the system. (author)
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.
LaRue, Charles
Each of these three separately-published textbook/workbook editions on the topic of recycling presents key vocabulary words relating to this topic for English as a Second Language students in six languages. These books are designed to increase students' understanding of what the most typical local recycling rules are, why complying with them is…
Saharan, Lokesh; Tadesse, Yonas
2016-04-01
This paper presents a biomimetic, lightweight, 3D printed and customizable robotic hand with locking mechanism consisting of Twisted and Coiled Polymer (TCP) muscles based on nylon precursor fibers as artificial muscles. Previously, we have presented a small-sized biomimetic hand using nylon based artificial muscles and fishing line muscles as actuators. The current study focuses on an adult-sized prosthetic hand with improved design and a position/force locking system. Energy efficiency is always a matter of concern to make compact, lightweight, durable and cost effective devices. In natural human hand, if we keep holding objects for long time, we get tired because of continuous use of energy for keeping the fingers in certain positions. Similarly, in prosthetic hands we also need to provide energy continuously to artificial muscles to hold the object for a certain period of time, which is certainly not energy efficient. In this work we, describe the design of the robotic hand and locking mechanism along with the experimental results on the performance of the locking mechanism.
Hand 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%.
Control System Design of the YWZ Multi-Fingered Dexterous Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wenzhen Yang
2012-07-01
Full Text Available The manipulation abilities of a multi-fingered dexterous hand, such as motion in real-time, flexibility, grasp stability etc., are largely dependent on its control system. This paper developed a control system for the YWZ dexterous hand, which had five fingers and twenty degrees of freedom (DOFs. All of the finger joints of the YWZ dexterous handwere active joints driven by twenty micro-stepper motors respectively. The main contribution of this paper was that we were able to use stepper motor control to actuate the hand's fingers, thus, increasing the hands feasibility. Based the actuators of the YWZ dexterous hand, we firstly developed an integrated circuit board (ICB, which was the communication hardware between the personal computer (PC and the YWZ dexterous hand. The ICB included a centre controller, twenty driver chips, a USB port and other electrical parts. Then, a communication procedure between the PC and the ICB was developed to send the control commands to actuate the YWZ dexterous hand. Experiment results showed that under this control system, the motion of the YWZ dexterous hand was real-time; both the motion accuracy and the motion stability of the YWZ dexterous hand were reliable. Compared with other types of actuators related to dexterous hands, such as pneumatic servo cylinder, DC servo motor, shape memory alloy etc., experiment results verified that the stepper motors as actuators for the dexterous handswere effective, economical, controllable and stable.
Saharan, Lokesh; Sharma, Ashvath; Jung de Andrade, Monica; Baughman, Ray H.; Tadesse, Yonas
2017-04-01
Partial or total upper extremity impairment affects the quality of life of a vast number of people due to stroke, neuromuscular disease, or trauma. Many researchers have presented hand orthosis to address the needs of rehabilitation or assistance on upper extremity function. Most of the devices available commercially and in literature are powered by conventional actuators such as DC motors, servomotors or pneumatic actuators. Some prototypes are developed based on shape memory alloy (SMA) and dielectric elastomers (DE). This study presents a customizable, 3D printed, a lightweight exoskeleton (iGrab) based on recently reported Twisted and Coiled Polymer (TCP) muscles, which are lightweight, provide high power to weight ratio and large stroke. We used silver coated nylon 6, 6 threads to make the TCP muscles, which can be easily actuated electrothermally. We reviewed briefly hand orthosis created with various actuation technologies and present our design of tendon-driven exoskeleton with the muscles confined in the forearm area. A single muscle is used to facilitate the motion of all three joints namely DIP (Distal interphalangeal), PIP (Proximal Interphalangeal) and MCP (Metacarpophalangeal) using passive tendons though circular rings. The grasping capabilities, along with TCP muscle properties utilized in the design such as life cycle, actuation under load and power inputs are discussed.
Hand in Hand: A Journey toward Readiness for Profoundly At-Risk Preschoolers.
Parke, Beverly N.; Agness, Phyllis
2002-01-01
Discusses the seven principles of the Hand in Hand early childhood program for at-risk preschoolers designed to furnish the children with the tools they need to lessen their risk for failure on entry to kindergarten. Notes risk factors under which the students live, including violence, abandonment, homelessness, starvation, and abuse. (Author/SD)
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
Robotic Hand Controlling Based on Flexible Sensor
Bilgin, Süleyman; Üser, Yavuz; Mercan, Muhammet
2016-01-01
Today's technology has increased the interest in robotic systems andincrease the number of studies realized in this area. There are many studies on robotic systems inseveral fields to facilitate human life in the literature. In this study, arobot hand is designed to repeat finger movements depending upon flexiblesensors mounted on any wearable glove. In the literature, various sensors thatdetect the finger movement are used. The sensor that detects the angle of thefingers has b...
Underactuated hands : Fundamentals, performance analysis and design
Kragten, G.A.
2011-01-01
There is an emerging need to apply adaptive robotic hands to substitute humans in dangerous, laborious, or monotonous work. The state-of-the-art robotic hands cannot fulfill this need, because they are expensive, hard to control and they consist of many vulnerable motors and sensors. It is aimed to
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.
Calculator-Controlled Robots: Hands-On Mathematics and Science Discovery
Tuchscherer, Tyson
2010-01-01
The Calculator Controlled Robots activities are designed to engage students in hands-on inquiry-based missions. These activities address National science and technology standards, as well as specifically focusing on mathematics content and process standards. There are ten missions and three exploration extensions that provide activities for up to…
Can Constraint Induced Movement Therapy Improve In-Hand Manipulation Skills: A Single Subject Design
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Somaye Kavousipor
2012-04-01
Full Text Available Objectives: This study describes a single subject design (ABA that shows the effective use of constraint induced movement therapy in improvement of quality and performance of in-hand manipulation skills for a 10 year old boy and a 9 years old girl with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, as Dickerson (2007 showed it in arm movement and function. Methods: To determine the effectiveness of CIMT by the use of C-statistic analysis and visual analysis. Approach: The first step was to design a child friendly group activity and home based intervention program through occupation. The possible effectiveness of CIMT was evaluated by daily measurements and video recording of 6 sub skills of in-hand manipulation according to Pont category (2009 in defined activity. Results: For making the treatment more cost effective, families can produce a simple clinical setting at home and participate in their child treatment plan actively. Discussion: A client center intervention will facilitate the use and quality of fingers and hand motion. Also a group activity can motivate participants to participate more and better.
Structure of a designed, right-handed coiled-coil tetramer containing all biological amino acids.
Sales, Mark; Plecs, Joseph J; Holton, James M; Alber, Tom
2007-10-01
The previous design of an unprecedented family of two-, three-, and four-helical, right-handed coiled coils utilized nonbiological amino acids to efficiently pack spaces in the oligomer cores. Here we show that a stable, right-handed parallel tetrameric coiled coil, called RH4B, can be designed entirely using biological amino acids. The X-ray crystal structure of RH4B was determined to 1.1 Angstrom resolution using a designed metal binding site to coordinate a single Yb(2+) ion per 33-amino acid polypeptide chain. The resulting experimental phases were particularly accurate, and the experimental electron density map provided an especially clear, unbiased view of the molecule. The RH4B structure closely matched the design, with equivalent core rotamers and an overall root-mean-square deviation for the N-terminal repeat of the tetramer of 0.24 Angstrom. The clarity and resolution of the electron density map, however, revealed alternate rotamers and structural differences between the three sequence repeats in the molecule. These results suggest that the RH4B structure populates an unanticipated variety of structures.
Combined effects of myofeedback and isokinetic training on hand ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Combined effects of myofeedback and isokinetic training on hand function in spastic hemiplegic children. ... Both groups received a designed physical therapy program with isokinetic training for the triceps brachii muscle for 60 min, in addition group B received myofeedback training. Results: The post treatment results ...
The SmartHand transradial prosthesis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carrozza Maria Chiara
2011-05-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Prosthetic components and control interfaces for upper limb amputees have barely changed in the past 40 years. Many transradial prostheses have been developed in the past, nonetheless most of them would be inappropriate if/when a large bandwidth human-machine interface for control and perception would be available, due to either their limited (or inexistent sensorization or limited dexterity. SmartHand tackles this issue as is meant to be clinically experimented in amputees employing different neuro-interfaces, in order to investigate their effectiveness. This paper presents the design and on bench evaluation of the SmartHand. Methods SmartHand design was bio-inspired in terms of its physical appearance, kinematics, sensorization, and its multilevel control system. Underactuated fingers and differential mechanisms were designed and exploited in order to fit all mechatronic components in the size and weight of a natural human hand. Its sensory system was designed with the aim of delivering significant afferent information to the user through adequate interfaces. Results SmartHand is a five fingered self-contained robotic hand, with 16 degrees of freedom, actuated by 4 motors. It integrates a bio-inspired sensory system composed of 40 proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensors and a customized embedded controller both employed for implementing automatic grasp control and for potentially delivering sensory feedback to the amputee. It is able to perform everyday grasps, count and independently point the index. The weight (530 g and speed (closing time: 1.5 seconds are comparable to actual commercial prostheses. It is able to lift a 10 kg suitcase; slippage tests showed that within particular friction and geometric conditions the hand is able to stably grasp up to 3.6 kg cylindrical objects. Conclusions Due to its unique embedded features and human-size, the SmartHand holds the promise to be experimentally fitted on transradial
Mallette, Claire; Duff, Margaret; McPhee, Carolyn; Pollex, Heather; Wood, Anya
2011-01-01
Nurses frequently experience horizontal violence in their interactions with nursing colleagues within the workplace. By definition, horizontal violence includes such disrespectful behaviours as intimidation, coercion, bullying, criticism, exclusion or belittling. Educational programs addressing horizontal violence have been developed, but few have been evaluated with respect to knowledge acquisition and transfer. The purpose of this paper is to describe an experimental effectiveness study, using a pre/post design with a control group (total N=164). The research evaluated an innovative educational program in which nurses, using avatars, role-played strategies to address horizontal violence within a virtual nursing unit developed on the Second Life platform. The results of participating in this program were compared with more traditional educational methodologies, such as a workbook and a self-directed e-learning module. While all strategies were perceived by participants as beneficial, the findings from this study suggest that learning through the self-directed e-learning module followed with practice in a virtual world is an effective way of acquiring knowledge, skills and abilities to better address horizontal violence.
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
Klahr, David; Triona, Lara M.; Williams, Cameron
2007-01-01
Hands-on activities play an important, but controversial, role in early science education. In this study we attempt to clarify some of the issues surrounding the controversy by calling attention to distinctions between: (a) type of instruction (direct or discovery); (b) type of knowledge to be acquired (domain-general or domain-specific); and (c) type of materials that are used (physical or virtual). We then describe an empirical study that investigates the relative effectiveness of the physical-virtual dimension. In the present study, seventh and eighth grade students assembled and tested mousetrap cars with the goal of designing a car that would go the farthest. Children were assigned to four different conditions, depending on whether they manipulated physical or virtual materials, and whether they had a fixed number of cars they could construct or a fixed amount of time in which to construct them. All four conditions were equally effective in producing significant gains in learners' knowledge about causal factors, in their ability to design optimal cars, and in their confidence in their knowledge. Girls' performance, knowledge, and effort were equal to boys' in all conditions, but girls' confidence remained below boys' throughout. Given the fact that, on several different measures, children were able to learn as well with virtual as with physical materials, the inherent pragmatic advantages of virtual materials in science may make them the preferred instructional medium in many hands-on contexts.
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.
Barth, Ruud; Hemming, Jochen; Henten, van E.J.
2016-01-01
A modular software framework design that allows flexible implementation of eye-in-hand sensing and motion control for agricultural robotics in dense vegetation is reported. Harvesting robots in cultivars with dense vegetation require multiple viewpoints and on-line trajectory adjustments in order
Thurlow, W R
1980-01-01
Experiments with keyboard arrangements of letters show that simple alphabetic letter-key sequences with 4 to 5 letters in a row lead to most rapid visual search performance. Such arrangements can be used on keyboards operated by the index finger of one hand. Arrangement of letters in words offers a promising alternative because these arrangements can be readily memorized and can result in small interletter distances on the keyboard for frequently occurring letter sequences. Experiments on operation of keyboards show that a space or shift key operated by the left hand (which also holds the communication device) results in faster keyboard operation than when space or shift keys on the front of the keyboard (operated by right hand) are used. Special problems of the deaf-blind are discussed. Keyboard arrangements are investigated, and matching tactual codes are suggested.
Pezent, Evan; Rose, Chad G; Deshpande, Ashish D; O'Malley, Marcia K
2017-07-01
Robotic devices have been clinically verified for use in long duration and high intensity rehabilitation needed for motor recovery after neurological injury. Targeted and coordinated hand and wrist therapy, often overlooked in rehabilitation robotics, is required to regain the ability to perform activities of daily living. To this end, a new coupled hand-wrist exoskeleton has been designed. This paper details the design of the wrist module and several human-related considerations made to maximize its potential as a coordinated hand-wrist device. The serial wrist mechanism has been engineered to facilitate donning and doffing for impaired subjects and to insure compatibility with the hand module in virtual and assisted grasping tasks. Several other practical requirements have also been addressed, including device ergonomics, clinician-friendliness, and ambidextrous reconfigurability. The wrist module's capabilities as a rehabilitation device are quantified experimentally in terms of functional workspace and dynamic properties. Specifically, the device possesses favorable performance in terms of range of motion, torque output, friction, and closed-loop position bandwidth when compared with existing devices. The presented wrist module's performance and operational considerations support its use in a wide range of future clinical investigations.
Kogan, Deborah; Koller, Vinz; Kozumplik, Richalene; Lawrence, Mary Ann
This document is part of a five-module training package to help employment and training service providers comply with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 and develop a one-stop training and employment services system. It contains the participant workbook, trainer manual, and activity worksheets for a module on collecting and using customer…
Design and fabrication of a three-finger prosthetic hand using SMA muscle wires
Simone, Filomena; York, Alexander; Seelecke, Stefan
2015-03-01
Bio-inspired hand-like gripper systems based on shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuation have the potential to enable a number of useful applications in, e.g., the biomedical field or industrial assembly systems. The inherent high energy density makes SMA solutions a natural choice for systems with lightweight, low noise and high force requirements, such as hand prostheses or robotic systems in a human/machine environment. The focus of this research is the development, design and realization of a SMA-actuated prosthetic hand prototype with three fingers. The use of thin wires (100 μm diameter) allows for high cooling rates and therefore fast movement of each finger. Grouping several small wires mechanically in parallel allows for high force actuation. To save space and to allow for a direct transmission of the motion to each finger, the SMA wires are attached directly within each finger, across each phalanx. In this way, the contraction of the wires will allow the movement of the fingers without the use of any additional gears. Within each finger, two different bundles of wires are mounted: protagonist ones that create bending movement and the antagonist ones that enable stretching of each phalanx. The resistance change in the SMA wires is measured during actuation, which allows for monitoring of the wire stroke and potentially the gripping force without the use of additional sensors. The hand is built with modern 3D-printing technologies and its performance while grasping objects of different size and shape is experimentally investigated illustrating the usefulness of the actuator concept.
1974-01-01
A collection of blank worksheets for use on each BRAVO problem to be analyzed is supplied, for the purposes of recording the inputs for the BRAVO analysis, working out the definition of mission equipment, recording inputs to the satellite synthesis computer program, estimating satellite earth station costs, costing terrestrial systems, and cost effectiveness calculations. The group of analysts working BRAVO will normally use a set of worksheets on each problem, however, the workbook pages are of sufficiently good quality that the user can duplicate them, if more worksheet blanks are required than supplied. For Vol. 1, see N74-12493; for Vol. 2, see N74-14530.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hsueh Ya-Seng
2011-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Loss of hand function is one of the most devastating consequences of spinal cord injury. Intensive hand training provided on an instrumented exercise workstation in conjunction with functional electrical stimulation may enhance neural recovery and hand function. The aim of this trial is to compare usual care with an 8-week program of intensive hand training and functional electrical stimulation. Methods/design A multicentre randomised controlled trial will be undertaken. Seventy-eight participants with recent tetraplegia (C2 to T1 motor complete or incomplete undergoing inpatient rehabilitation will be recruited from seven spinal cord injury units in Australia and New Zealand and will be randomised to a control or experimental group. Control participants will receive usual care. Experimental participants will receive usual care and an 8-week program of intensive unilateral hand training using an instrumented exercise workstation and functional electrical stimulation. Participants will drive the functional electrical stimulation of their target hands via a behind-the-ear bluetooth device, which is sensitive to tooth clicks. The bluetooth device will enable the use of various manipulanda to practice functional activities embedded within computer-based games and activities. Training will be provided for one hour, 5 days per week, during the 8-week intervention period. The primary outcome is the Action Research Arm Test. Secondary outcomes include measurements of strength, sensation, function, quality of life and cost effectiveness. All outcomes will be taken at baseline, 8 weeks, 6 months and 12 months by assessors blinded to group allocation. Recruitment commenced in December 2009. Discussion The results of this trial will determine the effectiveness of an 8-week program of intensive hand training with functional electrical stimulation. Trial registration NCT01086930 (12th March 2010 ACTRN12609000695202 (12th August 2009
Li, Zhi; Durgin, Frank H
2011-06-01
Palm boards are often used as a nonverbal measure in human slant perception studies. It was recently found that palm boards are biased and relatively insensitive measures, and that an unrestricted hand gesture provides a more sensitive response (Durgin, Hajnal, Li, Tonge, & Stigliani, Acta Psychologica, 134, 182-197, 2010a). In this article, we describe an original design for a portable lightweight digital device for measuring hand orientation. This device is microcontroller-based and uses a micro inclinometer chip as its inclination sensor. The parts are fairly inexpensive. This device, used to measure hand orientation, provides a sensitive nonverbal method for studying slant perception, which can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments. We present data comparing the use of a free hand to palm-board and verbal measures for surfaces within reach and explain how to interpret free-hand measures for outdoor hills.
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
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.
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)
Thompson-Bean, E; Das, R; McDaid, A
2016-10-31
We present a novel methodology for the design and manufacture of complex biologically inspired soft robotic fluidic actuators. The methodology is applied to the design and manufacture of a prosthetic for the hand. Real human hands are scanned to produce a 3D model of a finger, and pneumatic networks are implemented within it to produce a biomimetic bending motion. The finger is then partitioned into material sections, and a genetic algorithm based optimization, using finite element analysis, is employed to discover the optimal material for each section. This is based on two biomimetic performance criteria. Two sets of optimizations using two material sets are performed. Promising optimized material arrangements are fabricated using two techniques to validate the optimization routine, and the fabricated and simulated results are compared. We find that the optimization is successful in producing biomimetic soft robotic fingers and that fabrication of the fingers is possible. Limitations and paths for development are discussed. This methodology can be applied for other fluidic soft robotic devices.
Hands-on physics displays for undergraduates
Akerlof, Carl W.
2014-07-01
Initiated by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the Exploratorium in San Francisco has been the model for hands-on science museums throughout the world. The key idea has been to bring people with all levels of scientific background in contact with interesting and attractive exhibits that require the active participation of the visitor. Unfortunately, many science museums are now forced to cater primarily to very young audiences, often 8 years old or less, with predictable constraints on the intellectual depth of their exhibits. To counter this trend, the author has constructed several hands-on displays for the University of Michigan Physics Department that demonstrate: (1) magnetic levitation of pyrolytic graphite, (2) the varied magnetic induction effects in aluminum, copper and air, (3) chaotic motion of a double pendulum, (4) conservation of energy and momentum in a steel ball magnetic accelerator, (5) the diffraction pattern of red and green laser pointer beams created by CDs and DVDs, (6) a magnetic analog of the refraction of light at a dielectric boundary and (7) optical rotation of light in an aqueous fructose solution. Each of these exhibits can be constructed for something like $1000 or less and are robust enough to withstand unsupervised public use. The dynamic behavior of these exhibits will be shown in accompanying video sequences. The following story has a history that goes back quite a few years. In the late 70's, I was spending time at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center accompanied by my family that included our two grade school children. Needless to say, we much enjoyed weekend excursions to all sorts of interesting sites in the Bay Area, especially the Exploratorium, an unusual science museum created by Frank Oppenheimer that opened in 1969. The notion that exhibits would be designed specifically for "hands-on" interactions was at that time quite revolutionary. This idea captivated a number of people everywhere including a friend in Ann Arbor, Cynthia
Hands-on Summer Camp to Attract K-12 Students to Engineering Fields
Yilmaz, Muhittin; Ren, Jianhong; Custer, Sheryl; Coleman, Joyce
2010-01-01
This paper explains the organization and execution of a summer engineering outreach camp designed to attract and motivate high school students as well as increase their awareness of various engineering fields. The camp curriculum included hands-on, competitive design-oriented engineering projects from several disciplines: the electrical,…
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).
Shaqura, Mohammad; Shamma, Jeff S.
2017-01-01
A robotic multi tool gripper design and implementation is presented in this paper. The proposed design targets applications where an actuation task is performed using a wide selection of standard hand tools. The manipulation motion is assumed
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.
Baronio, Gabriele; Volonghi, Paola; Signoroni, Alberto
2017-01-01
In the rehabilitation field, the use of additive manufacturing techniques to realize customized orthoses is increasingly widespread. Obtaining a 3D model for the 3D printing phase can be done following different methodologies. We consider the creation of personalized upper limb orthoses, also including fingers, starting from the acquisition of the hand geometry through accurate 3D scanning. However, hand scanning procedure presents differences between healthy subjects and patients affected by pathologies that compromise upper limb functionality. In this work, we present the concept and design of a 3D printed support to assist hand scanning of such patients. The device, realized with FDM additive manufacturing techniques in ABS material, allows palmar acquisitions, and its design and test are motivated by the following needs: (1) immobilizing the hand of patients during the palmar scanning to reduce involuntary movements affecting the scanning quality and (2) keeping hands open and in a correct position, especially to contrast the high degree of hypertonicity of spastic subjects. The resulting device can be used indifferently for the right and the left hand; it is provided in four-dimensional sizes and may be also suitable as a palmar support for the acquisition of the dorsal side of the hand.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gabriele Baronio
2017-01-01
Full Text Available In the rehabilitation field, the use of additive manufacturing techniques to realize customized orthoses is increasingly widespread. Obtaining a 3D model for the 3D printing phase can be done following different methodologies. We consider the creation of personalized upper limb orthoses, also including fingers, starting from the acquisition of the hand geometry through accurate 3D scanning. However, hand scanning procedure presents differences between healthy subjects and patients affected by pathologies that compromise upper limb functionality. In this work, we present the concept and design of a 3D printed support to assist hand scanning of such patients. The device, realized with FDM additive manufacturing techniques in ABS material, allows palmar acquisitions, and its design and test are motivated by the following needs: (1 immobilizing the hand of patients during the palmar scanning to reduce involuntary movements affecting the scanning quality and (2 keeping hands open and in a correct position, especially to contrast the high degree of hypertonicity of spastic subjects. The resulting device can be used indifferently for the right and the left hand; it is provided in four-dimensional sizes and may be also suitable as a palmar support for the acquisition of the dorsal side of the hand.
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
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.
User Interface Aspects of a Human-Hand Simulation System
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Beifang Yi
2005-10-01
Full Text Available This paper describes the user interface design for a human-hand simulation system, a virtual environment that produces ground truth data (life-like human hand gestures and animations and provides visualization support for experiments on computer vision-based hand pose estimation and tracking. The system allows users to save time in data generation and easily create any hand gestures. We have designed and implemented this user interface with the consideration of usability goals and software engineering issues.
Technology transfer - insider protection workshop (Safeguards Evaluation Method - Insider Threat)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Strait, R.S.; Renis, T.A.
1986-01-01
The Safeguards Evaluation Method - Insider Threat, developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a field-applicable tool to evaluate facility safeguards against theft or diversion of special nuclear material (SNM) by nonviolent insiders. To ensure successful transfer of this technology from the laboratory to DOE field offices and contractors, LLNL developed a three-part package. The package includes a workbook, user-friendly microcomputer software, and a three-day training program. The workbook guides an evaluation team through the Safeguards Evaluation Method and provides forms for gathering data. The microcomputer software assists in the evaluation of safeguards effectiveness. The software is designed for safeguards analysts with no previous computer experience. It runs on an IBM Personal Computer or any compatible machine. The three-day training program is called the Insider Protection Workshop. The workshop students learn how to use the workbook and the computer software to assess insider vulnerabilities and to evaluate the benefits and costs of potential improvements. These activities increase the students' appreciation of the insider threat. The workshop format is informal and interactive, employing four different instruction modes: classroom presentations, small-group sessions, a practical exercise, and ''hands-on'' analysis using microcomputers. This approach to technology transfer has been successful: over 100 safeguards planners and analysts have been trained in the method, and it is being used at facilities through the DOE complex
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.
At-risk children's use of reflection and revision in hands-on experimental activities
Petrosino, Anthony J., Jr.
The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of incorporating opportunities for reflection and revision in hands-on science instruction which emphasized experimentation using model rockets. The participants were low achieving sixth grade summer school students (n = 23) designated as at-risk for school failure by their district. The group was asked a series of interview questions based on work by Schauble et al. (1995) relating to experimentation. The interviews took place over three distinct time points corresponding to a "hands-on only" condition, a "hands-on with reflection and revision" condition and a "hands-on with repeated reflection and revision" condition. A Friedman's Two-Way Analysis of Variance by Ranks indicate students score low at first with traditional hands-on instruction but improve significantly with opportunities to reflect and revise their experiments. In addition, a sociocultural analysis was conducted during the summer school session to assess the model rocket activity as an apprenticeship, as guided participation and as participatory appropriation using a framework established by Rogoff (1994). Finally, a survey (the Classroom Environment Survey) was administered to the students measuring five constructs consistent with a constructivist classroom: participation, autonomy, relevance, commitment to learning and disruptions to learning. Analysis indicate students in the summer school model rocket intervention experienced a greater sense of constructivist principles during the activity than a similar comparison group utilizing reform minded instruction but not including opportunities for reflection and revision cycles. This research provides important evidence that, like scientists, students in school can learn effectively from extended practice in a varied context. Importantly, the data indicate that hands-on instruction is best utilized when opportunities for reflection and revision are made explicit. Implications are discussed related
Pankiewicz, Philip R.
1992-01-01
Presents five hands-on activities that allow students to detect, measure, reduce, and eliminate moisture. Students make a humidity detector and a hygrometer, examine the effects of moisture on different substances, calculate the percent of water in a given food, and examine the absorption potential of different desiccants. (MDH)
Hensler, Stefanie; Herren, Daniel B; Marks, Miriam
2015-09-01
Opening packaged food is a complex daily activity carried out worldwide. Peelable packaging, as used for cheese or meat, causes real problems for many consumers, especially elderly people and those with hand disorders. Our aim was to investigate the possibility of producing meat packaging that is easier for patients with hand disorders to open. One hundred patients with hand osteoarthritis were asked to open a meat package currently available in supermarkets (Type A) and a modified, newly designed version (Type B), and rate their experiences with a consumer satisfaction index (CSI). The mean CSI of the Type B packs was 68.9%, compared with 41.9% for Type A (p food packages that afford greater consumer satisfaction. Such future packaging would benefit not only people with hand disorders but also the population as a whole. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
Solar Collector Design Optimization: A Hands-on Project Case Study
Birnie, Dunbar P., III; Kaz, David M.; Berman, Elena A.
2012-01-01
A solar power collector optimization design project has been developed for use in undergraduate classrooms and/or laboratories. The design optimization depends on understanding the current-voltage characteristics of the starting photovoltaic cells as well as how the cell's electrical response changes with increased light illumination. Students…
Saffari, Mohsen; Ghanizadeh, Ghader; Fattahipour, Rasoul; Khalaji, Kazem; Pakpour, Amir H; Koenig, Harold G
2016-12-01
We assessed the effectiveness of the Intelligent Health Messenger Box in promoting hand hygiene using a quasiexperimental design. Knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices related to hand hygiene as well as hand bacteria counts and amount of liquid soap used were measured. The intervention involved broadcasting preventive audio messages. All outcomes showed significant change after the intervention compared with before. The Intelligent Health Messenger Box can serve as a practical way to improve hand hygiene. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Pizarro, Yaritzmar Rosario; Schuler, Jason M.; Lippitt, Thomas C.
2013-01-01
Dexterous robotic hands are changing the way robots and humans interact and use common tools. Unfortunately, the complexity of the joints and actuations drive up the manufacturing cost. Some cutting edge and commercially available rapid prototyping machines now have the ability to print multiple materials and even combine these materials in the same job. A 3D model of a robotic hand was designed using Creo Parametric 2.0. Combining "hard" and "soft" materials, the model was printed on the Object Connex350 3D printer with the purpose of resembling as much as possible the human appearance and mobility of a real hand while needing no assembly. After printing the prototype, strings where installed as actuators to test mobility. Based on printing materials, the manufacturing cost of the hand was $167, significantly lower than other robotic hands without the actuators since they have more complex assembly processes.
design and fabrication of a multipurpose railroad hand truck
African Journals Online (AJOL)
user
the guide rail was constructed using 50mm by 50mm mild steel angle bar. The hand truck is ... material handling management, a company's operational performance may ... pose a health risk especially where the hand truck has to be used ...
Variation-Aware Design of Custom Integrated Circuits A Hands-on Field Guide A Hands-on Field Guide
McConaghy, Trent; Dyck, Jeffrey; Gupta, Amit
2013-01-01
This book targets custom IC designers who are encountering variation issues in their designs, especially for modern process nodes at 45nm and below, such as statistical process variations, environmental variations, and layout effects. The authors have created a field guide to show how to handle variation proactively, and to understand the benefits of doing so. Readers facing variation challenges in their memory, standard cell, analog/RF, and custom digital designs will find easy-to-read, pragmatic solutions. Reviews the most important concepts in variation-aware design, including types of variables and variation, useful variation-aware design terminology, and an overview and comparison of high-level design flows. Describes and compares a suite of approaches and flows for PVT corner-driven design and verification. Presents Fast PVT, a novel, confidence-driven global optimization technique for PVT corner extraction and verification that is both rapid and reliable. Presents a visually-oriented overview of ...
Kuijt-Evers, L.F.M.; Morel, K.P.N.; Eikelenberg, N.L.W.; Vink, P.
2009-01-01
Quality Function Deployment is proposed as an effective design method to integrate ergonomics needs and comfort into hand tool design because it explicitly addresses the translation of customer needs into engineering characteristics. A crucial step during QFD concerns the linking of engineering
Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M. L.; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio
2016-07-01
The term 'synergy' - from the Greek synergia - means 'working together'. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project ;The Hand Embodied; (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies.
Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M.L.; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio
2017-01-01
The term ‘synergy’ – from the Greek synergia – means ‘working together’. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project “The Hand Embodied” (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies. PMID:26923030
Santello, Marco; Bianchi, Matteo; Gabiccini, Marco; Ricciardi, Emiliano; Salvietti, Gionata; Prattichizzo, Domenico; Ernst, Marc; Moscatelli, Alessandro; Jörntell, Henrik; Kappers, Astrid M L; Kyriakopoulos, Kostas; Albu-Schäffer, Alin; Castellini, Claudio; Bicchi, Antonio
2016-07-01
The term 'synergy' - from the Greek synergia - means 'working together'. The concept of multiple elements working together towards a common goal has been extensively used in neuroscience to develop theoretical frameworks, experimental approaches, and analytical techniques to understand neural control of movement, and for applications for neuro-rehabilitation. In the past decade, roboticists have successfully applied the framework of synergies to create novel design and control concepts for artificial hands, i.e., robotic hands and prostheses. At the same time, robotic research on the sensorimotor integration underlying the control and sensing of artificial hands has inspired new research approaches in neuroscience, and has provided useful instruments for novel experiments. The ambitious goal of integrating expertise and research approaches in robotics and neuroscience to study the properties and applications of the concept of synergies is generating a number of multidisciplinary cooperative projects, among which the recently finished 4-year European project "The Hand Embodied" (THE). This paper reviews the main insights provided by this framework. Specifically, we provide an overview of neuroscientific bases of hand synergies and introduce how robotics has leveraged the insights from neuroscience for innovative design in hardware and controllers for biomedical engineering applications, including myoelectric hand prostheses, devices for haptics research, and wearable sensing of human hand kinematics. The review also emphasizes how this multidisciplinary collaboration has generated new ways to conceptualize a synergy-based approach for robotics, and provides guidelines and principles for analyzing human behavior and synthesizing artificial robotic systems based on a theory of synergies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Satya Darmayani; Askrening Askrening; Apita Ariyani
2017-01-01
Hands are the principal carriers of bacterial diseases, therefore very important to know that washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer is highly effective healthy behaviors to reduce bacteria in the palm. This study aimed to determine the total number of bacteria between washing hands with soap and hand sanitizer, also applying the results of these studies as a learning resource in bacteriology. The research design was the true experiment with pretest-posttest control group research design a...
Establishing CAD/CAM in Preclinical Dental Education: Evaluation of a Hands-On Module.
Schwindling, Franz Sebastian; Deisenhofer, Ulrich Karl; Porsche, Monika; Rammelsberg, Peter; Kappel, Stefanie; Stober, Thomas
2015-10-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate a hands-on computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) module in a preclinical dental course in restorative dentistry. A controlled trial was conducted by dividing a class of 56 third-year dental students in Germany into study and control groups; allocation to the two groups depended on student schedules. Prior information about CAD/CAM-based restorations was provided for all students by means of lectures, preparation exercises, and production of gypsum casts of prepared resin teeth. The study group (32 students) then participated in a hands-on CAD/CAM module in small groups, digitizing their casts and designing zirconia frameworks for single crowns. The digitization process was introduced to the control group (24 students) solely by means of a video-supported lecture. To assess the knowledge gained, a 20-question written examination was administered; 48 students took the exam. The results were analyzed with Student's t-tests at a significance level of 0.05. The results on the examination showed a significant difference between the two groups: the mean scores were 16.8 (SD 1.7, range 13-19) for the study group and 12.5 (SD 3, range 4-18) for the control group. After the control group had also experienced the hands-on module, a total of 48 students from both groups completed a questionnaire with 13 rating-scale and three open-ended questions evaluating the module. Those results showed that the module was highly regarded by the students. This study supports the idea that small-group hands-on courses are helpful for instruction in digital restoration design. These students' knowledge gained and satisfaction seemed to justify the time, effort, and equipment needed.
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.…
Math in Action. Hands-On, Minds-On Math.
Waite-Stupiansky, Sandra; Stupiansky, Nicholas G.
1998-01-01
Hands-on math must also involve students' minds in creative thinking. Math manipulatives must be used for uncovering, not just discovering. This paper presents guidelines for planning hands-on, minds-on math for elementary students. Suggestions include dialoging, questioning, integrating manipulatives and other tools, writing, and evaluating. (SM)
Mathews, Catherine E.; Monroe, Louise Nelson
2004-01-01
A professional school and university collaboration enables elementary students and their teachers to explore hydrology concepts and realize the beneficial functions of wetlands. Hands-on experiences involve young students in determining water quality at field sites after laying the groundwork with activities related to the hydrologic cycle,…
One-Handed Thumb Use on Smart Phones by Semi-literate and Illiterate Users in India
Katre, Dinesh
There is a tremendous potential for developing mobile-based productivity tools and occupation specific applications for the semi-literate and illiterate users in India. One-handed thumb use on the touchscreen of smart phone or touch phone is considered as an effective alternative than the use of stylus or index finger, to free the other hand for supporting the occupational activity. In this context, usability research and experimental tests are conducted to understand the role of fine motor control, usability of thumb as the interaction apparatus and the ergonomic needs of users. The paper also touches upon cultural, racial and anthropometric aspects, which need due consideration while designing the mobile interface. Design recommendations are evolved to enhance the effectiveness of one-handed thumb use on smart phone, especially for the benefit of semi-literate and illiterate users.
Hand hygiene posters: motivators or mixed messages?
Jenner, E A; Jones, F; Fletcher, B C; Miller, L; Scott, G M
2005-07-01
Poster campaigns regarding hand hygiene are commonly used by infection control teams to improve practice, yet little is known of the extent to which they are based on established theory or research. This study reports on the content analysis of hand hygiene posters (N=69) and their messages (N=75) using message-framing theory. The results showed that posters seldom drew on knowledge about effective ways to frame messages. Frequently, they simply conveyed information 'telling' rather than 'selling' and some of this was confusing. Most posters were not designed to motivate, and some conveyed mixed messages. Few used fear appeals. Hand hygiene posters could have a greater impact if principles of message framing were utilized in their design. Suggestions for gain-framed messages are offered, but these need to be tested empirically.
Design and implementation of adaptive inverse control algorithm for a micro-hand control system
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
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.
Guarani I and Work Book (For Peace Corps Volunteers).
Peace Corps (Paraguay).
This workbook is designed for the Guarani language training of Peace Corps volunteers in Paraguay, and the content focuses on daily communication needs in that context. The workbook contains nine thematic instructional units based on performance objectives. A brief introduction gives an overview of Guarani's origins, distribution, and phonology.…
Modular finger and hand motion capturing system based on inertial and magnetic sensors
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Valtin Markus
2017-03-01
Full Text Available The assessment of hand posture and kinematics is increasingly important in various fields. This includes the rehabilitation of stroke survivors with restricted hand function. This paper presents a modular, ambulatory measurement system for the assement of the remaining hand function and for closed-loop controlled therapy. The device is based on inertial sensors and utilizes up to five interchangeable sensor strips to achieve modularity and to simplify the sensor attachment. We introduce the modular hardware design and describe algorithms used to calculate the joint angles. Measurements with two experimental setups demonstrate the feasibility and the potential of such a tracking device.
Ibler, Kristina Sophie; Agner, Tove; Hansen, Jane Lindschou; Gluud, Christian
2010-08-31
Hand eczema is the most frequently recognized occupational disease in Denmark with an incidence of approximately 0.32 per 1000 person-years. Consequences of hand eczema include chronic severe eczema, prolonged sick leave, unemployment, and impaired quality of life. New preventive strategies are needed to reduce occupational hand eczema. We describe the design of a randomised clinical trial to investigate the effects of classification of hand eczema plus individual counselling versus no intervention. The trial includes health-care workers with hand eczema identified from a self-administered questionnaire delivered to 3181 health-care workers in three Danish hospitals. The questionnaire identifies the prevalence of hand eczema, knowledge of skin-protection, and exposures that can lead to hand eczema. At entry, all participants are assessed regarding: disease severity (Hand Eczema Severity Index); self-evaluated disease severity; number of eruptions; quality of life; skin protective behaviour, and knowledge of skin protection. The patients are centrally randomised to intervention versus no intervention 1:1 stratified for hospital, profession, and severity score. The experimental group undergoes patch and prick testing; classification of the hand eczema; demonstration of hand washing and appliance of emollients; individual counselling, and a skin-care programme. The control group receives no intervention. All participants are reassessed after six months. The primary outcome is observer-blinded assessment of disease severity and the secondary outcomes are unblinded assessments of disease severity; number of eruptions; knowledge of skin protection; skin-protective behaviour, and quality of life. The trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.Gov, NCT01012453.
Zhou, Ninger; Pereira, Nielsen L.; George, Tarun Thomas; Alperovich, Jeffrey; Booth, Joran; Chandrasegaran, Senthil; Tew, Jeffrey David; Kulkarni, Devadatta M.; Ramani, Karthik
2017-10-01
The societal demand for inspiring and engaging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students and preparing our workforce for the emerging creative economy has necessitated developing students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes from as early as elementary school levels. Hands-on engineering design activities have shown the potential to promote middle school students' self-efficacy and understanding of engineering design processes. However, traditional classrooms often lack hands-on engineering design experiences, leaving students unprepared to solve real-world design problems. In this study, we introduce the framework of a toy design workshop and investigate the influence of the workshop activities on students' understanding of and self-efficacy beliefs in engineering design. Using a mixed method approach, we conducted quantitative analyses to show changes in students' engineering design self-efficacy and qualitative analyses to identify students' understanding of the engineering design processes. Findings show that among the 24 participants, there is a significant increase in students' self-efficacy beliefs after attending the workshop. We also identified major themes such as design goals and prototyping in students' understanding of engineering design processes. This research provides insights into the key elements of middle school students' engineering design learning and the benefits of engaging middle school students in hands-on toy design workshops.
RISK COMMUNICATION IN ACTION: THE TOOLS OF MESSAGE MAPPING
Risk Communication in Action: The Tools of Message Mapping, is a workbook designed to guide risk communicators in crisis situations. The first part of this workbook will review general guidelines for risk communication. The second part will focus on one of the most robust tools o...
Dissemination and Assessment Center for Bilingual Education, Austin, TX.
The lessons, games and exercises in the workbook are follow-up work for the units in the reader of the same title. There are many vocabulary, punctuation, and grammar exercises, and spelling games and drills. Additionally, there is an incomplete story for the child to finish by using appropriate words to complete each sentence. These exercises are…
Kilic, Abdurrahman
2012-01-01
In this study, the relationship of values in elementary school 4th grade Social Studies textbook with the attainments and their level of being included in student workbook are tried to be determined. Case study, which is a qualitative research method, was applied for this research. To collect data, document analysis technique, which is among the…
Finger functionality and joystick design for complex hand control
Grinten, M.P. van der; Krause, F.
2006-01-01
Joysticks and similar multi-directional controls are increasingly applied in machines, instruments and consumer goods. Operational complexity rises through miniaturization and additional control functions on the joystick. With this the effort for the finger, hand and arm, and for the perceptive and
Sutherland, Melissa
2006-01-01
In this paper we discuss manipulatives and hands-on investigations for Calculus involving volume, arc length, and surface area to motivate and develop formulae which can then be verified using techniques of integration. Pre-service teachers in calculus courses using these activities experience a classroom in which active learning is encouraged and…
Sarkisian, B A; Azarov, P A
2014-01-01
The objective of the present work was to study the morphological features of skin wounds inflicted by joinery hand saws designed for longitudinal, transverse, and mixed sawing. A total of 60 injuries to the thigh skin inflicted by the recurring and reciprocating saw movements were simulated. The hand saws had 5 mm high "sharp" and "blunt"-tipped teeth. The analysis of the morphological features of the wounds revealed differences in their length and depth, shape of edge cuts and defects, and the relief of the walls depending on the sawtooth sharpness and the mode of sawing. It is concluded that morphological features of the wounds may be used to determine the type of the saw, the sharpness of its teeth, the direction and frequency of its movements.
Practicing universal design to actual hand tool design process.
Lin, Kai-Chieh; Wu, Chih-Fu
2015-09-01
UD evaluation principles are difficult to implement in product design. This study proposes a methodology for implementing UD in the design process through user participation. The original UD principles and user experience are used to develop the evaluation items. Difference of product types was considered. Factor analysis and Quantification theory type I were used to eliminate considered inappropriate evaluation items and to examine the relationship between evaluation items and product design factors. Product design specifications were established for verification. The results showed that converting user evaluation into crucial design verification factors by the generalized evaluation scale based on product attributes as well as the design factors applications in product design can improve users' UD evaluation. The design process of this study is expected to contribute to user-centered UD application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
Held, Philip; Owens, Gina P
2015-06-01
The present pilot study examined the effects of a 4-week-long self-administered self-compassion training on trauma-related guilt and compared it to a stress inoculation control group. A total of 47 homeless male veterans who were living in transitional housing facilities volunteered to participate in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to either a self-compassion (N = 13) or a stress inoculation (N = 14) group and were asked to complete pre-, mid-, and postintervention assessments measuring changes in self-compassion, trauma-related guilt, and posttraumatic stress disorder severity. Participants in both interventions reported increased levels of self-compassion and equal reductions in trauma-related guilt. No other significant changes were noted. The results from this pilot study provide preliminary evidence for the use of self-compassion and stress inoculation trainings as effective interventions for trauma-related guilt. The findings also suggest that self-administered trainings in the form of workbooks may be a viable, cost-effective form of intervention for disadvantaged populations, such as homeless veterans in transitional housing, who may lack resources or access to professionals or paraprofessionals. The effects of both self-compassion training and stress inoculation training on the study variables and directions for future research on self-compassion and trauma-related guilt are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Design for a three-fingered hand. [robotic and prosthetic applications
Crossley, F. R. E.
1977-01-01
This paper describes the construction of a prototype mechanical hand or 'end effector' for use on a remotely controlled robot, but with possible application as a prosthetic device. An analysis of hand motions is reported, from which it is concluded that the two most important manipulations (apart from grasps) are to be able to pick up a tool and draw it into a nested grip against the palm, and to be able to hold a pistol-grip tool such as an electric drill and pull the trigger. One of our models was tested and found capable of both these operations.
Hand-Geometry Recognition Based on Contour Parameters
Veldhuis, Raymond N.J.; Bazen, A.M.; Booij, W.D.T.; Hendrikse, A.J.; Jain, A.K.; Ratha, N.K.
This paper demonstrates the feasibility of a new method of hand-geometry recognition based on parameters derived from the contour of the hand. The contour is completely determined by the black-and-white image of the hand and can be derived from it by means of simple image-processing techniques. It
A Low Cost Implementation of an Existing Hands-on Laboratory Experiment in Electronic Engineering
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Clement Onime
2014-10-01
Full Text Available In engineering the pedagogical content of most formative programmes includes a significant amount of practical laboratory hands-on activity designed to deliver knowledge acquisition from actual experience alongside traditional face-to-face classroom based lectures and tutorials; this hands-on aspect is not always adequately addressed by current e-learning platforms. An innovative approach to e-learning in engineering, named computer aided engineering education (CAEE is about the use of computer aids for the enhanced, interactive delivery of educational materials in different fields of engineering through two separate but related components; one for classroom and another for practical hands-on laboratory work. The component for hands-on laboratory practical work focuses on the use of mixed reality (video-based augmented reality tools on mobile devices/platforms. This paper presents the computer aided engineering education (CAEE implementation of a laboratory experiment in micro-electronics that highlights some features such as the ability to closely implement an existing laboratory based hands-on experiment with lower associated costs and the ability to conduct the experiment off-line while maintaining existing pedagogical contents and standards.
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.
Chidananda, H.; Reddy, T. Hanumantha
2017-06-01
This paper presents a natural representation of numerical digit(s) using hand activity analysis based on number of fingers out stretched for each numerical digit in sequence extracted from a video. The analysis is based on determining a set of six features from a hand image. The most important features used from each frame in a video are the first fingertip from top, palm-line, palm-center, valley points between the fingers exists above the palm-line. Using this work user can convey any number of numerical digits using right or left or both the hands naturally in a video. Each numerical digit ranges from 0 to9. Hands (right/left/both) used to convey digits can be recognized accurately using the valley points and with this recognition whether the user is a right / left handed person in practice can be analyzed. In this work, first the hand(s) and face parts are detected by using YCbCr color space and face part is removed by using ellipse based method. Then, the hand(s) are analyzed to recognize the activity that represents a series of numerical digits in a video. This work uses pixel continuity algorithm using 2D coordinate geometry system and does not use regular use of calculus, contours, convex hull and datasets.
1st Hands-on Science Science Fair
Costa, Manuel F. M.; Esteves. Z.
2017-01-01
In school learning of science through investigative hands-on experiments is in the core of the Hands-on Science Network vision. However informal and non-formal contexts may also provide valuable paths for implementing this strategy aiming a better e!ective science education. In May 2011, a "rst country wide “Hands-on Science’ Science Fair” was organized in Portugal with the participation of 131 students that presented 38 projects in all "elds of Science. In this communication we will pr...
Effect of Hand Mixing on the Compressive Strength of Concrete
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
James Isiwu AGUWA
2010-12-01
Full Text Available This paper presents the effect of hand mixing on the compressive strength of concrete. Before designing the concrete mix, sieve analysis of sharp sand and chippings was carried out and their fineness moduli were determined. Also the dry weight of chippings and the specific gravities of both sand and chippings were determined. A designed concrete mix of 1:2:4 was used and the number of turnings of the mixture over from one end to another by hand mixing was varying from one time up to and including seven times. The strengths were measured at the curing ages of 7, 14, 21 and 28 days respectively using 150mm concrete cubes cast, cured and crushed. The results revealed that the compressive strengths of concrete cubes appreciably increased with increase in number of turnings from one to four times but remained almost constant beyond four times of turning for all the ages tested. For example, at 1, 2, and 3 times turning; the compressive strengths at 28 days were 4.67, 13.37 and 20.28N/mm2 respectively while at 4, 5 and 6 times turning; the compressive strengths at 28 days were 21.15, 21.34 and 21.69N/mm2. From the data, adequate strengths were not developed at turnings below three times of hand mixing, concluding that a minimum of three times turning is required to produce concrete with satisfactory strength.
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....
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.
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.
Grip Strength Survey Based on Hand Tool Usage
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
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.
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.
The effectiveness of origami on overall hand function after injury: A pilot controlled trial
Wilson, L; Roden, P; Taylor, Y; Marston, L
2008-01-01
This pilot study measured the effectiveness of using origami to improve the overall hand function of outpatients attending an NHS hand injury unit. The initiative came from one of the authors who had used origami informally in the clinical setting and observed beneficial effects. These observed effects were tested experimentally. The design was a pilot non-randomised controlled trial with 13 participants. Allocation of the seven control group members was based on patient preference. The exper...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adriane Orenha-Ottaiano
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Esta pesquisa defende que a seleção de colocações para o ensino de língua estrangeira deve ser inicialmente realizada com o propósito de atender aprendizes de uma L1 específica e, desse modo, sustenta que materiais de ensino devam ser elaborados a começar por uma seleção cuidadosa de colocações que retratem as dificuldades específicas desses aprendizes (MACKIN, 1978. Nesse sentido, este artigo visa tratar da compilação de um workbook on-line de colocações na língua inglesa, baseado em corpus, no intuito de permitir que professores de inglês como LE trabalhem com as colocações em sala de aula de modo mais eficiente e auxiliem seus alunos a empregá-las de modo mais preciso e produtivo. Temos também como público-alvo tradutores aprendizes e profissionais, principalmente aqueles cuja L1 é o português. As atividades estão sendo desenvolvidas com base nas dificuldades dos alunos brasileiros no uso de colocações, segundo dados observados em traduções produzidas por alunos universitários, na direção português-inglês, que compõem um corpus paralelo, o Corpus de Aprendizes de Tradução, bem como de redações, escritas por alunos universitários, que compõem o Corpus de Aprendizes de Língua Estrangeira. Para extrair os dados, utilizamos o programa WordSmith Tools (SCOTT, 2008, possibilitando-nos levantar os padrões colocacionais mais frequentemente empregados pelos alunos. O Corpus of Contemporary American English (DAVIES, 1990-2012 também é utilizado, para verificar a frequência e recorrência dos padrões colocacionais extraídos, assim como levantar outras colocações para serem incluídas nos DOI: 10.17851/2237-2083.23.3.833-881 RELIN, v. 834 23, Edição Especial, 2015. exercícios que irão compor o workbook. A proposta objetiva contribuir para a conscientização do aspecto colocacional e, principalmente, o desenvolvimento da fluência na língua inglesa.
Weisgarber, Sherry L.; Van Doren, Lisa; Hackathorn, Merrianne; Hannibal, Joseph T.; Hansgen, Richard
This publication is a collection of 13 hands-on activities that focus on earth science-related activities and involve students in learning about growing crystals, tectonics, fossils, rock and minerals, modeling Ohio geology, geologic time, determining true north, and constructing scale-models of the Earth-moon system. Each activity contains…
Regular use of a hand cream can attenuate skin dryness and roughness caused by frequent hand washing
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kampf Günter
2006-02-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Aim of the study was to determine the effect of the regular use of a hand cream after washing hands on skin hydration and skin roughness. Methods Twenty-five subjects washed hands and forearms with a neutral soap four times per day, for 2 minutes each time, for a total of two weeks. One part of them used a hand cream after each hand wash, the others did not (cross over design after a wash out period of two weeks. Skin roughness and skin hydration were determined on the forearms on days 2, 7, 9 and 14. For skin roughness, twelve silicon imprint per subject and time point were taken from the stratum corneum and assessed with a 3D skin analyzer for depth of the skin relief. For skin hydration, five measurements per subject and time point were taken with a corneometer. Results Washing hands lead to a gradual increase of skin roughness from 100 (baseline to a maximum of 108.5 after 9 days. Use of a hand cream after each hand wash entailed a decrease of skin roughness which the lowest means after 2 (94.5 and 14 days (94.8. Skin hydration was gradually decreased after washing hands from 79 (baseline to 65.5 after 14 days. The hand wash, followed by use of a hand cream, still decreased skin hydration after 2 days (76.1. Over the next 12 days, however, skin hydration did not change significantly (75.6 after 14 days. Conclusion Repetitive and frequent hand washing increases skin dryness and roughness. Use of a hand cream immediately after each hand wash can confine both skin dryness and skin roughness. Regular use of skin care preparations should therefore help to prevent both dry and rough skin among healthcare workers in clinical practice.
Safari, Mohammad Reza; Rowe, Philip; McFadyen, Angus; Buis, Arjan
2013-01-01
Residual limb shape capturing (Casting) consistency has a great influence on the quality of socket fit. Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used to establish a reliable reference grid for intercast and intracast shape and volume consistency of two common casting methods, Hands-off and Hands-on. Residual limbs were cast for twelve people with a unilateral below knee amputation and scanned twice for each casting concept. Subsequently, all four volume images of each amputee were semiautomatically segmented and registered to a common coordinate system using the tibia and then the shape and volume differences were calculated. The results show that both casting methods have intra cast volume consistency and there is no significant volume difference between the two methods. Inter- and intracast mean volume differences were not clinically significant based on the volume of one sock criteria. Neither the Hands-off nor the Hands-on method resulted in a consistent residual limb shape as the coefficient of variation of shape differences was high. The resultant shape of the residual limb in the Hands-off casting was variable but the differences were not clinically significant. For the Hands-on casting, shape differences were equal to the maximum acceptable limit for a poor socket fit.
White Lies in Hand: Are Other-Oriented Lies Modified by Hand Gestures? Possibly Not.
Cantarero, Katarzyna; Parzuchowski, Michal; Dukala, Karolina
2017-01-01
Previous studies have shown that the hand-over-heart gesture is related to being more honest as opposed to using self-centered dishonesty. We assumed that the hand-over-heart gesture would also relate to other-oriented dishonesty, though the latter differs highly from self-centered lying. In Study 1 ( N = 79), we showed that performing a hand-over-heart gesture diminished the tendency to use other-oriented white lies and that the fingers crossed behind one's back gesture was not related to higher dishonesty. We then pre-registered and conducted Study 2 ( N = 88), which was designed following higher methodological standards than Study 1. Contrary, to the findings of Study 1, we found that using the hand-over-heart gesture did not result in refraining from using other-oriented white lies. We discuss the findings of this failed replication indicating the importance of strict methodological guidelines in conducting research and also reflect on relatively small effect sizes related to some findings in embodied cognition.
THE STERN PROJECT–HANDS ON ROCKETS SCIENCE FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENT
Schüttauf, Katharina; Stamminger, Andreas; Lappöhn, Karsten
2017-01-01
In April 2012, the German Aerospace Center DLR initiated a sponsorship program for university students to develop, build and launch their own rockets over a period of three years. The program designation STERN was abbreviated from the German “STudentische Experimental-RaketeN”, which translates to Student- Experimental-Rockets. The primary goal of the STERN program is to inspire students in the subject of space transportation through hands-on activities within a pro...
A Study on Immersion and Presence of a Portable Hand Haptic System for Immersive Virtual Reality
Kim, Mingyu; Jeon, Changyu; Kim, Jinmo
2017-01-01
This paper proposes a portable hand haptic system using Leap Motion as a haptic interface that can be used in various virtual reality (VR) applications. The proposed hand haptic system was designed as an Arduino-based sensor architecture to enable a variety of tactile senses at low cost, and is also equipped with a portable wristband. As a haptic system designed for tactile feedback, the proposed system first identifies the left and right hands and then sends tactile senses (vibration and hea...
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
Amirabdollahian, F; Ates, Sedar; Basteris, A.; Cesario, A.; Buurke, Jaap; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Hofs, D.; Johansson, E.; Mountain, G.; Nasr, N.; Nijenhuis, S.M.; Prange, Grada Berendina; Rahman, N.; Sale, P.; Schätzlein, F.
2014-01-01
Objective: this manuscript introduces the Supervised Care and Rehabilitation Involving Personal Tele-robotics (SCRIPT) project. The main goal is to demonstrate design and development steps involved in a complex intervention, while examining feasibility of using an instrumented orthotic device for home-based rehabilitation after stroke. Methods: the project uses a user-centred design methodology to develop a hand/wrist rehabilitation device for home-based therapy after stroke. The patient bene...
Factors associated with combined hand and foot eczema
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Agner, T; Aalto-Korte, K; Andersen, K E
2017-01-01
BACKGROUND: As for hand eczema, the aetiology of foot eczema is multifactorial and not very well understood. The aim of the present study was to identify factors associated with foot eczema in a cohort of hand eczema patients being classified into different subgroups. METHODS: Associations between...... foot and hand eczema were studied in a cross-sectional design in a cohort of hand eczema patients. Consecutive patients were recruited from nine different European Centres during the period October 2011-September 2012. Data on demographic factors, presence of foot eczema, hand eczema duration...... and severity, and whether the hand eczema was work-related or not were available, as well as patch-test results. RESULTS: Of a total of 427 hand eczema patients identified, information on foot eczema was available in 419 patients who were included in the present study. A total of 125 patients (29.8%) had...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Feil Yvonne
2008-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent data indicate that full efficacy of a hand rub preparation for hygienic hand disinfection can be achieved within 15 seconds (s. However, the efficacy test used for the European Norm (EN 1500 samples only the fingertips. Therefore, we investigated hand coverage using sixteen different application variations. The hand rub was supplemented with a fluorescent dye, and hands were assessed under UV light by a blind test, before and after application. Fifteen non-healthcare workers were used as subjects for each application variation apart from one test which was done with a group of twenty healthcare workers. All tests apart from the reference procedure were performed using 3 mL of hand rub. The EN 1500 reference procedure, which consists of 6 specific rub-in steps performed twice with an aliquot of 3 ml each time, served as a control. In one part of this study, each of the six steps was performed from one to five times before proceeding to the next step. In another part of the study, the entire sequence of six steps was performed from one to five times. Finally, all subjects were instructed to cover both hands completely, irrespective of any specific steps ("responsible application". Each rub-in technique was evaluated for untreated skin areas. Results The reference procedure lasted on average 75 s and resulted in 53% of subjects with at least one untreated area on the hands. Five repetitions of the rub-in steps lasted on average 37 s with 67% of subjects having incompletely treated hands. One repetition lasted on average 17 s, and all subjects had at least one untreated area. Repeating the sequence of steps lasted longer, but did not yield a better result. "Responsible application" was quite fast, lasting 25 s among non-healthcare worker subjects and 28 s among healthcare workers. It was also effective, with 53% and 55% of hands being incompletely treated. New techniques were as fast and effective as "responsible
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Boot Cécile RL
2009-12-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background The individual and societal burden of hand eczema is high. Literature indicates that moderate to severe hand eczema is a disease with a poor prognosis. Many patients are hampered in their daily activities, including work. High costs are related to high medical consumption, productivity loss and sick leave. Usual care is suboptimal, due to a lack of optimal instruction and coordination of care, and communication with the general practitioner/occupational physician and people involved at the workplace. Therefore, an integrated, multidisciplinary intervention involving a dermatologist, a care manager, a specialized nurse and a clinical occupational physician was developed. This paper describes the design of a study to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of integrated care for hand eczema by a multidisciplinary team, coordinated by a care manager, consisting of instruction on avoiding relevant contact factors, both in the occupational and in the private environment, optimal skin care and treatment, compared to usual, dermatologist-led care. Methods The study is a multicentre, randomized, controlled trial with an economic evaluation alongside. The study population consists of patients with chronic, moderate to severe hand eczema, who visit an outpatient clinic of one of the participating 5 (three university and two general hospitals. Integrated, multidisciplinary care, coordinated by a care manager, including allergo-dermatological evaluation by a dermatologist, occupational intervention by a clinical occupational physician, and counselling by a specialized nurse on optimizing topical treatment and skin care will be compared with usual care by a dermatologist. The primary outcome measure is the cumulative difference in reduction of the clinical severity score HECSI between the groups. Secondary outcome measures are the patient's global assessment, specific quality of life with regard to the hands, generic quality
The Plastic Surgery Hand Curriculum.
Silvestre, Jason; Levin, L Scott; Serletti, Joseph M; Chang, Benjamin
2015-12-01
Designing an effective hand rotation for plastic surgery residents is difficult. The authors address this limitation by elucidating the critical components of the hand curriculum during plastic surgery residency. Hand questions on the Plastic Surgery In-Service Training Exam for six consecutive years (2008 to 2013) were characterized by presence of imaging, vignette setting, question taxonomy, answer domain, anatomy, and topic. Answer references were quantified by source and year of publication. Two hundred sixty-six questions were related to hand surgery (22.7 percent of all questions; 44.3 per year) and 61 were accompanied by an image (22.9 percent). Vignettes tended to be clinic- (50.0 percent) and emergency room-based (35.3 percent) (p < 0.001). Questions required decision-making (60.5 percent) over interpretation (25.9 percent) and recall skills (13.5 percent) (p < 0.001). Answers focused on interventions (57.5 percent) over anatomy/pathology (25.2 percent) and diagnoses (17.3 percent) (p < 0.001). Nearly half of the questions focused on the digits. The highest yield topics were trauma (35.3 percent), reconstruction (24.4 percent), and aesthetic and functional problems (14.2 percent). The Journal of Hand Surgery (American volume) (20.5 percent) and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (18.0 percent) were the most-cited journals, and the median publication lag was 7 years. Green's Operative Hand Surgery was the most-referenced textbook (41.8 percent). These results will enable trainees to study hand surgery topics with greater efficiency. Faculty can use these results to ensure that tested topics are covered during residency training. Thus, a benchmark is established to improve didactic, clinical, and operative experiences in hand surgery.
Matsumoto, Toshihiko; Imamura, Fumie; Kobayashi, Ohji; Wada, Kiyoshi; Ozaki, Shiro; Takeuchi, Yoshio; Hasegawa, Masahiko; Imamura, Yoko; Tania, Yuko; Adachi, Yasumori
2011-04-01
In Japan, methamphetamine (MAP) abuse has been a serious problem for 60 years, and many of MAP abusers have been incarcerated in prisons as a violator of the Stimulant Control Law in Japan. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate effectiveness of the relapse prevention guidance for drug-dependent inmates using a self-teaching workbook for drug-abusing adolescents and group therapy, conducted in the Harima Rehabilitation Program Center, one of the new prisons which the Ministry of Justice founded cooperating private enterprises as a "Private Finance Initiative" project. We provided for 89 male drug-dependent inmates, incarcerated in the Harima Rehabilitation Program Center, with the relapse prevention guidance consisting of a self-teaching workbook and group therapy, and implement pre-and post-evaluations by the Self-efficacy Scale for Drug Dependence (SES) and the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale, 8th version for Drug Dependence (SOCRATES-8D). After a waiting term, the participants were provided with a self-teaching program, subsequently with a group program. At the point of completing the waiting term, no significant changes were observed in the SES and SOCRATES-8D scores. However, at the point of completing the self-teaching program, the SES scores significantly fell, while the total SOCRATES-8D score and the scores of the two subscales, the "Recognition" and "Ambivalence," significantly rose. Further, at the point of completing the group program, the total scores of the SES and SOCRATES-8D, and the score of the two SOCRATES-8D subscales, the "Recognition" and "Taking Steps," significantly rose. The relapse prevention guidance consisting of a self-teaching workbook and group therapy, conducted in the Harima Rehabilitation Program Center, were supposed to bring same internal changes as the "Stage of Changes" model, proposed by Prochaska and DiClemente, to drug-dependent inmates.
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.
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
Full Text Available The ownership and use of mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants and other hand held devices is now ubiquitous both for home and business use. The majority of these devices have a high initial cost, a relatively short period before they become obsolescent and a relatively low second hand value. As a result of this, when the devices are replaced, there are indications that they tend to be discarded. As technology has continued to develop, it has led to an increasing diversity in the number and type of devices that are available, and the processing power and the storage capacity of the digital storage in the device. All organisations, whether in the public or private sector increasingly use hand held devices that contain digital media for the storage of information relating to their business, their employees or their customers. Similarly, individual private users increasingly use hand held devices containing digital media for the storage of information relating to their private lives.The research revealed that a significant number of organisations and private users are ignorant or misinformed about the volume and type of information that is stored on the hand held devices and the media on which it is stored. It is apparent that they have either not considered, or are unaware of, the potential impact of this information becoming available to their competitors or those with criminal intent.This main purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the volume and type of information that may remain on hand held devices that are offered for sale on the second hand market. A second aim of the research was to determine the level of damage that could, potentially be caused, if the information that remains on the devices fell into the wrong hands. The study examined a number of hand held devices that had been obtained from sources in the UK and Australia that ranged from internet auction sites, to private sales and commercial
A Study on Immersion and Presence of a Portable Hand Haptic System for Immersive Virtual Reality.
Kim, Mingyu; Jeon, Changyu; Kim, Jinmo
2017-05-17
This paper proposes a portable hand haptic system using Leap Motion as a haptic interface that can be used in various virtual reality (VR) applications. The proposed hand haptic system was designed as an Arduino-based sensor architecture to enable a variety of tactile senses at low cost, and is also equipped with a portable wristband. As a haptic system designed for tactile feedback, the proposed system first identifies the left and right hands and then sends tactile senses (vibration and heat) to each fingertip (thumb and index finger). It is incorporated into a wearable band-type system, making its use easy and convenient. Next, hand motion is accurately captured using the sensor of the hand tracking system and is used for virtual object control, thus achieving interaction that enhances immersion. A VR application was designed with the purpose of testing the immersion and presence aspects of the proposed system. Lastly, technical and statistical tests were carried out to assess whether the proposed haptic system can provide a new immersive presence to users. According to the results of the presence questionnaire and the simulator sickness questionnaire, we confirmed that the proposed hand haptic system, in comparison to the existing interaction that uses only the hand tracking system, provided greater presence and a more immersive environment in the virtual reality.
A Study on Immersion and Presence of a Portable Hand Haptic System for Immersive Virtual Reality
Kim, Mingyu; Jeon, Changyu; Kim, Jinmo
2017-01-01
This paper proposes a portable hand haptic system using Leap Motion as a haptic interface that can be used in various virtual reality (VR) applications. The proposed hand haptic system was designed as an Arduino-based sensor architecture to enable a variety of tactile senses at low cost, and is also equipped with a portable wristband. As a haptic system designed for tactile feedback, the proposed system first identifies the left and right hands and then sends tactile senses (vibration and heat) to each fingertip (thumb and index finger). It is incorporated into a wearable band-type system, making its use easy and convenient. Next, hand motion is accurately captured using the sensor of the hand tracking system and is used for virtual object control, thus achieving interaction that enhances immersion. A VR application was designed with the purpose of testing the immersion and presence aspects of the proposed system. Lastly, technical and statistical tests were carried out to assess whether the proposed haptic system can provide a new immersive presence to users. According to the results of the presence questionnaire and the simulator sickness questionnaire, we confirmed that the proposed hand haptic system, in comparison to the existing interaction that uses only the hand tracking system, provided greater presence and a more immersive environment in the virtual reality. PMID:28513545
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Satya Darmayani
2017-11-01
Full Text Available Hands are the principal carriers of bacterial diseases, therefore very important to know that washing hands with soap or hand sanitizer is highly effective healthy behaviors to reduce bacteria in the palm. This study aimed to determine the total number of bacteria between washing hands with soap and hand sanitizer, also applying the results of these studies as a learning resource in bacteriology. The research design was the true experiment with pretest-posttest control group research design and laboratory examination. Analysis of data using paired t-test and independent sample t-test with α = 0.05. The result using paired t-test obtained t count= 2.48921> t 0.05 (14 = 2.14479 (with liquid soap, obtained t count= 2.32937> t 0.05 (14 = 2.14479 (with hand sanitizer. As for the comparison of the total number of bacteria include washing hands with soap and hand sanitizer using independent samples t-test obtained results there were differences in the total number of bacteria include washing hands with liquid soap and hand sanitizer with t count= 2.23755> t 0.05 ( 13 = 2.16037. That results showed hand sanitizer more effective to reduce the number of bacteria than the liquid soap, that was hand sanitizer 96% and liquid soap by 95%.
Burgher, J. K.; Finkel, D.; Adesope, O. O.; Van Wie, B. J.
2015-01-01
This study used a within-subjects experimental design to compare the effects of learning with lecture and hands-on desktop learning modules (DLMs) in a fluid mechanics and heat transfer class. The hands-on DLM implementation included the use of worksheets and one of two heat exchangers: an evaporative cooling device and a shell and tube heat…
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
Ettinger, Blanche; Perfetto, Edda
Using a developmental, hands-on approach, this text/workbook helps students master the basic English skills that are essential to write effective business correspondence, to recognize language errors, and to develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. Its step-by-step focus and industry-specific format encourages students to review,…
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.
Durable Tactile Glove for Human or Robot Hand
Butzer, Melissa; Diftler, Myron A.; Huber, Eric
2010-01-01
A glove containing force sensors has been built as a prototype of tactile sensor arrays to be worn on human hands and anthropomorphic robot hands. The force sensors of this glove are mounted inside, in protective pockets; as a result of this and other design features, the present glove is more durable than earlier models.
Jensen, Dane A; Danyluk, Michelle D; Harris, Linda J; Schaffner, Donald W
2015-04-01
Hand washing is recognized as a crucial step in preventing foodborne disease transmission by mitigating crosscontamination among hands, surfaces, and foods. This research was undertaken to establish the importance of several keys factors (soap, soil, time, and drying method) in reducing microorganisms during hand washing. A nonpathogenic nalidixic acid-resistant Enterobacter aerogenes surrogate for Salmonella was used to assess the efficacy of using soap or no soap for 5 or 20 s on hands with or without ground beef debris and drying with paper towel or air. Each experiment consisted of 20 replicates, each from a different individual with ∼ 6 log CFU/ml E. aerogenes on their hands. A reduction of 1.0 ± 0.4 and 1.7 ± 0.8 log CFU of E. aerogenes was observed for a 5-s wash with no soap and a 20-s wash with soap, respectively. When there was no debris on the hands, there was no significant difference between washing with and without soap for 20 s (P > 0.05). Likewise, there was no significant difference in the reductions achieved when washing without soap, whether or not debris was on the hands (P > 0.05). A significantly greater reduction (P soap when there was ground beef debris on the hands. The greatest difference (1.1 log CFU greater average reduction) in effectiveness occurred when ground beef debris was on the hands and a 20-s wash with water was compared with a 20-s wash with soap. Significantly greater (P 4.0 log CFU per towel) when hands are highly contaminated. Our results support future quantitative microbial risk assessments needed to effectively manage risks of foodborne illness in which food workers' hands are a primary cause.
Rubenstein, Charles
2014-01-01
Having a clear, attractive, and easy-to-navigate website that allows users to quickly find what they want is essential for any organization-including a library. This workbook makes website creation easy-no HTML required.
Instituto Nacional para la Educacion de los Adultos, Mexico City (Mexico).
These workbooks are part of a Mexican series of instructional materials designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process of becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. The workbooks are designed to teach skills needed to manage ordinary financial transactions and daily tasks requiring a knowledge of…
Instituto Nacional para la Educacion de los Adultos, Mexico City (Mexico).
These workbooks are part of a Mexican series of instructional materials designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process of becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. The workbooks, divided in two volumes, are designed to teach skills required in managing ordinary financial transactions and daily tasks…
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.
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.
Approaching human performance the functionality-driven Awiwi robot hand
Grebenstein, Markus
2014-01-01
Humanoid robotics have made remarkable progress since the dawn of robotics. So why don't we have humanoid robot assistants in day-to-day life yet? This book analyzes the keys to building a successful humanoid robot for field robotics, where collisions become an unavoidable part of the game. The author argues that the design goal should be real anthropomorphism, as opposed to mere human-like appearance. He deduces three major characteristics to aim for when designing a humanoid robot, particularly robot hands: _ Robustness against impacts _ Fast dynamics _ Human-like grasping and manipulation performance Instead of blindly copying human anatomy, this book opts for a holistic design me-tho-do-lo-gy. It analyzes human hands and existing robot hands to elucidate the important functionalities that are the building blocks toward these necessary characteristics.They are the keys to designing an anthropomorphic robot hand, as illustrated in the high performance anthropomorphic Awiwi Hand presented in this book. ...
Abu-Marasa, Mahmoud O Mahmoud; El-Khozondar, Hala Jarallah
2015-01-01
The composite right/left-handed (CRLH) transmission line (TL) is presented as a general TL possessing both left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) natures. RH materials have both positive permittivity and positive permeability, and LH materials have both negative permittivity and negative permeability. This paper aims to design and analyze nonlinear CRLH-TL transmission line loaded with resonant tunneling diode (RTD). The main application of this design is a very wideband and compact filter that amplifies the travelling signal. We used OrCAD and ADS software to analyze the proposed circuit. CRLH-TL consists of a microstrip line which is loaded with complementary split-rings resonators (CSRRs), series gaps, and shunt inductor connected parallel to the RTD. The designed structure possess a wide band that ranges from 5 to 10.5 GHz and amplifies signal up to 50 %. The proposed design is of interest to microwave compact component designers.
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.
Robotic devices and brain-machine interfaces for hand rehabilitation post-stroke.
McConnell, Alistair C; Moioli, Renan C; Brasil, Fabricio L; Vallejo, Marta; Corne, David W; Vargas, Patricia A; Stokes, Adam A
2017-06-28
To review the state of the art of robotic-aided hand physiotherapy for post-stroke rehabilitation, including the use of brain-machine interfaces. Each patient has a unique clinical history and, in response to personalized treatment needs, research into individualized and at-home treatment options has expanded rapidly in recent years. This has resulted in the development of many devices and design strategies for use in stroke rehabilitation. The development progression of robotic-aided hand physiotherapy devices and brain-machine interface systems is outlined, focussing on those with mechanisms and control strategies designed to improve recovery outcomes of the hand post-stroke. A total of 110 commercial and non-commercial hand and wrist devices, spanning the 2 major core designs: end-effector and exoskeleton are reviewed. The growing body of evidence on the efficacy and relevance of incorporating brain-machine interfaces in stroke rehabilitation is summarized. The challenges involved in integrating robotic rehabilitation into the healthcare system are discussed. This review provides novel insights into the use of robotics in physiotherapy practice, and may help system designers to develop new devices.
Whittaker, Jeff
2013-01-01
Nuclear science is an important topic in terms of its application to power generation, medical diagnostics and treatment, and national defense. Unfortunately, the subatomic domain is far removed from daily experience, and few learning aids are available to teachers. What follows describes a low-tech, hands-on method to teach important concepts in…
Ursum, J.; Horsten, N.C.; Hoeksma, A.F.; Dijkmans, B.A.; Knol, D.L.; Schaardenburg, D. van; Dekker, J.; Roorda, L.D.
2011-01-01
Objectives: To identify early predictors of stenosing tenosynovitis in the hand and hand-related activity limitations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Design: A longitudinal study of an inception cohort. Setting: A large outpatient clinic. Participants: Consecutive patients who attended
White Lies in Hand: Are Other-Oriented Lies Modified by Hand Gestures? Possibly Not
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Katarzyna Cantarero
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that the hand-over-heart gesture is related to being more honest as opposed to using self-centered dishonesty. We assumed that the hand-over-heart gesture would also relate to other-oriented dishonesty, though the latter differs highly from self-centered lying. In Study 1 (N = 79, we showed that performing a hand-over-heart gesture diminished the tendency to use other-oriented white lies and that the fingers crossed behind one’s back gesture was not related to higher dishonesty. We then pre-registered and conducted Study 2 (N = 88, which was designed following higher methodological standards than Study 1. Contrary, to the findings of Study 1, we found that using the hand-over-heart gesture did not result in refraining from using other-oriented white lies. We discuss the findings of this failed replication indicating the importance of strict methodological guidelines in conducting research and also reflect on relatively small effect sizes related to some findings in embodied cognition.
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.
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.
Yap, Hong Kai; Lim, Jeong Hoon; Nasrallah, Fatima; Yeow, Chen-Hua
2017-01-01
Various robotic exoskeletons have been proposed for hand function assistance during activities of daily living (ADL) of stroke survivors. However, traditional exoskeletons involve the use of complex rigid systems that impede the natural movement of joints, and thus reduce the wearability and cause discomfort to the user. The objective of this paper is to design and evaluate a soft robotic glove that is able to provide hand function assistance using fabric-reinforced soft pneumatic actuators. These actuators are made of silicone rubber which has an elastic modulus similar to human tissues. Thus, they are intrinsically soft and compliant. Upon air pressurization, they are able to support finger range of motion (ROM) and generate the desired actuation of the finger joints. In this work, the soft actuators were characterized in terms of their blocked tip force, normal and frictional grip force outputs. Combining the soft actuators and flexible textile materials, a soft robotic glove was developed for grasping assistance during ADL for stroke survivors. The glove was evaluated on five healthy participants for its assisted ROM and grip strength. Pilot test was performed in two stroke survivors to evaluate the efficacy of the glove in assisting functional grasping activities. Our results demonstrated that the actuators designed in this study could generate desired force output at a low air pressure. The glove had a high kinematic transparency and did not affect the active ROM of the finger joints when it was being worn by the participants. With the assistance of the glove, the participants were able to perform grasping actions with sufficient assisted ROM and grip strength, without any voluntary effort. Additionally, pilot test on stroke survivors demonstrated that the patient's grasping performance improved with the presence and assistance of the glove. Patient feedback questionnaires also showed high level of patient satisfaction and comfort. In conclusion, this paper
Ho, N S K; Tong, K Y; Hu, X L; Fung, K L; Wei, X J; Rong, W; Susanto, E A
2011-01-01
An exoskeleton hand robotic training device is specially designed for persons after stroke to provide training on their impaired hand by using an exoskeleton robotic hand which is actively driven by their own muscle signals. It detects the stroke person's intention using his/her surface electromyography (EMG) signals from the hemiplegic side and assists in hand opening or hand closing functional tasks. The robotic system is made up of an embedded controller and a robotic hand module which can be adjusted to fit for different finger length. Eight chronic stroke subjects had been recruited to evaluate the effects of this device. The preliminary results showed significant improvement in hand functions (ARAT) and upper limb functions (FMA) after 20 sessions of robot-assisted hand functions task training. With the use of this light and portable robotic device, stroke patients can now practice more easily for the opening and closing of their hands at their own will, and handle functional daily living tasks at ease. A video is included together with this paper to give a demonstration of the hand robotic system on chronic stroke subjects and it will be presented in the conference. © 2011 IEEE
Hands-On Skills for Caregivers
... A + A You are here Home Hands-On Skills for Caregivers Printer-friendly version When you’re ... therapist who can help you develop your transferring skills. Allow for their reality Remember to accept your ...
ModGrasp: An open-source rapid-prototyping framework for designing low-cost sensorised modular hands
Sanfilippo, Filippo; Zhang, Houxiang; Pettersen, Kristin Ytterstad; Salvietti, G.; Prattichizzo, Domenico
2014-01-01
This paper introduces ModGrasp, an open-source virtual and physical rapid-prototyping framework that allows for the design, simulation and control of low-cost sensorised modular hands. By combining the rapid-prototyping approach with the modular concept, different manipulator configurations can be modelled. A real-time one-to-one correspondence between virtual and physical prototypes is established. Different control algorithms can be implemented for the models. By using a low-cost sensing ap...
Shin, David H; Bohn, Deborah K; Agel, Julie; Lindstrom, Katy A; Cronquist, Sara M; Van Heest, Ann E
2015-05-01
To measure and compare hand function for children with normal hand development, congenital hand differences (CHD), and neuromuscular disease (NMD) using a function test with touch screen technology designed as an iPhone application. We measured touch screen hand function in 201 children including 113 with normal hand formation, 43 with CHD, and 45 with NMD. The touch screen test was developed on the iOS platform using an Apple iPhone 4. We measured 4 tasks: touching dots on a 3 × 4 grid, dragging shapes, use of the touch screen camera, and typing a line of text. The test takes 60 to 120 seconds and includes a pretest to familiarize the subject with the format. Each task is timed independently and the overall time is recorded. Children with normal hand development took less time to complete all 4 subtests with increasing age. When comparing children with normal hand development with those with CHD or NMD, in children aged less than 5 years we saw minimal differences; those aged 5 to 6 years with CHD took significantly longer total time; those aged 7 to 8 years with NMD took significantly longer total time; those aged 9 to 11 years with CHD took significantly longer total time; and those aged 12 years and older with NMD took significantly longer total time. Touch screen technology has becoming increasingly relevant to hand function in modern society. This study provides standardized age norms and shows that our test discriminates between normal hand development and that in children with CHD or NMD. Diagnostic III. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Design of an exercise glove for hand rehabilitation using spring mechanism
Serbest, K.; Ates, Sedar; Stienen, Arno; Isler, Y.
2017-01-01
Hand muscles do not perform their functions because of different reasons such as disease, injury and trauma. It is implemented some treatments for the hand therapy at hospitals and rehabilitation centers. One of these is using orthotic or robotic devices for rehabilitation. One of the important
Alter ego méthode de français : A2
Berthet, Annie; Kizirian, Véronique; Sampsonis, Béatrix; Waendendries, Monique
2006-01-01
ALTER ego 2 workbook serves as a complement to the student's book and is based on the same structure. It reinforces students' skills through a wide range of activities on: - vocabulary, - grammar, - communication skills, - written comprehension ans expression. The students can carry out the activities in the classroom or on their own. The portfolio at the end of the workbook is designed to help students reflect on and improve their language learning.
7 CFR 2902.18 - Hand cleaners and sanitizers.
2010-01-01
..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNATING BIOBASED PRODUCTS FOR FEDERAL PROCUREMENT Designated... the purposes of this rule. (b) Minimum biobased content. The minimum biobased content requirement for all hand cleaners and/or sanitizers shall be based on the amount of qualifying biobased carbon in the...
Effect of hand paddles and parachute on butterfly coordination.
Telles, Thiago; Barroso, Renato; Barbosa, Augusto Carvalho; Salgueiro, Diego Fortes de Souza; Colantonio, Emilson; Andries Júnior, Orival
2015-01-01
This study investigated the effects of hand paddles, parachute and hand paddles plus parachute on the inter-limb coordination of butterfly swimming. Thirteen male swimmers were evaluated in four random maximal intensity conditions: without equipment, with hand paddles, with parachute and with hand paddles + parachute. Arm and leg stroke phases were identified by 2D video analysis to calculate the total time gap (T1: time between hands' entry in the water and high break-even point of the first undulation; T2: time between the beginning of the hand's backward movement and low break-even point of the first undulation; T3: time between the hand's arrival in a vertical plane to the shoulders and high break-even point of the second undulation; T4: time between the hand's release from the water and low break-even point of the second undulation). The swimming velocity was reduced and T1, T2 and T3 increased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. No changes were observed in T4. Total time gap decreased in parachute and hand paddles + parachute. It is concluded that hand paddles do not influence the arm-to-leg coordination in butterfly, while parachute and hand paddles + parachute do change it, providing a greater propulsive continuity.
Novel Approach to Control of Robotic Hand Using Flex Sensors
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sandesh R.S
2014-05-01
Full Text Available This paper discuss about novel design approach to control of a robotic hand using flex sensors which indicates a biomechatronic multi fingered robotic hand. This robotic hand consists of base unit, upper arm, lower arm, palm and five fingers. The aim is to develop an anthropomorphic five fingered robotic hand. The proposed design illustrates the use of 5 micro DC motors with 9 Degrees of Freedom (DOF.Each finger is controlled independently. Further three extra motors were used for the control of wrist elbow and base movement. The study of the DC motor is being carried out using the transfer function model for constant excitation. The micro DC motor performance was analyzed using MATLAB simulation environment. The whole system is implemented using flex sensors. The flex sensors placed on the human hand gloves appear as if they look like real human hand. 89v51 microcontroller was used for all the controlling actions along with RF transmitter/receiver .The performance of the system has been conducted experimentally and studied.
Hu, Ying Kai; Xie, Qian Yang; Yang, Chi; Xu, Guang Zhou
2017-01-01
Abstract The aim of this study was to introduce a novel method of mesiodens extraction using a vascularized pedicled bone flap by piezosurgery and to compare the differences between a computer-aided design surgical guide template and free-hand operation. A total of 8 patients with mesiodens, 4 with a surgical guide (group I), and 4 without it (group II) were included in the study. The surgical design was to construct a trapdoor pedicle on the superior mucoperiosteal attachment with application of piezosurgery. The bone lid was repositioned after mesiodens extraction. Group I patients underwent surgeries based on the preoperative planning with surgical guide templates, while group II patients underwent free-hand operation. The outcome variables were success rate, intraoperative time, anterior nasal spine (ANS) position, changes of nasolabial angle (NLA), and major complications. Data from the 2 groups were compared by SPSS 17.0, using Wilcoxon test. The operative time was significantly shorter in group I patients. All the mesiodentes were extracted successfully and no obvious differences of preoperative and postoperative ANS position and NLA value were found in both groups. The patients were all recovered uneventfully. Surgical guide templates can enhance clinical accuracy and reduce operative time by facilitating accurate osteotomies. PMID:28658139
CONTRAST : gamification of arm-hand training for stroke survivors
Jacobs, A.; Timmermans, A.A.A.; Michielsen, M.; Vander Plaetse, M.; Markopoulos, P.
2011-01-01
This paper describes the design of a serious game that supports arm-hand training for stroke survivors aiming to render rehabilitation training enjoyable and sustainable. The design of this game was based on combining well-known game-design principles and principles of task-oriented training. Most
Çakirer, H. Serdar
2014-01-01
The aim of the present study is to compare the values in the songs of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade primary education music classes students? workbooks according to the value categorizations proposed by Rockeach and Akbas and which values among the categories mentioned are taught to the students in the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade primary education…
Sensing human hand motions for controlling dexterous robots
Marcus, Beth A.; Churchill, Philip J.; Little, Arthur D.
1988-01-01
The Dexterous Hand Master (DHM) system is designed to control dexterous robot hands such as the UTAH/MIT and Stanford/JPL hands. It is the first commercially available device which makes it possible to accurately and confortably track the complex motion of the human finger joints. The DHM is adaptable to a wide variety of human hand sizes and shapes, throughout their full range of motion.
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...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yee-Chun Chen
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Limited data describe the sustained impact of hand hygiene programs (HHPs implemented in teaching hospitals, where the burden of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs is high. We use a quasi-experimental, before and after, study design with prospective hospital-wide surveillance of HAIs to assess the cost effectiveness of HHPs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A 4-year hospital-wide HHP, with particular emphasis on using an alcohol-based hand rub, was implemented in April 2004 at a 2,200-bed teaching hospital in Taiwan. Compliance was measured by direct observation and the use of hand rub products. Poisson regression analyses were employed to evaluate the densities and trends of HAIs during the preintervention (January 1999 to March 2004 and intervention (April 2004 to December 2007 periods. The economic impact was estimated based on a case-control study in Taiwan. We observed 8,420 opportunities for hand hygiene during the study period. Compliance improved from 43.3% in April 2004 to 95.6% in 2007 (p<.001, and was closely correlated with increased consumption of the alcohol-based hand rub (r = 0.9399. The disease severity score (Charlson comorbidity index increased (p = .002 during the intervention period. Nevertheless, we observed an 8.9% decrease in HAIs and a decline in the occurrence of bloodstream, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, and intensive care unit infections. The intervention had no discernable impact on HAI rates in the hematology/oncology wards. The net benefit of the HHP was US$5,289,364, and the benefit-cost ratio was 23.7 with a 3% discount rate. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a HHP reduces preventable HAIs and is cost effective.
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.
Kulhavy, David L.; Unger, Daniel R.; Hung, I-Kuai; Douglass, David
2015-01-01
A senior within a spatial science Ecological Planning capstone course designed an undergraduate research project to increase his spatial science expertise and to assess the hands-on instruction methodology employed within the Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science program at Stephen F Austin State University. The height of 30 building features…
Eleveld, C A; Schuller, A A
2016-02-01
A research project investigated the extent to which a preferential use of one hand or the other has an effect on dental hygiene on the left or right side of the mouth. The study made use of epidemiological dental-care data from the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research and of data from a dental practice specifically collected for this project. The results revealed that among a population which is 85-90% right-handed, statistically significantly more dental plaque was found on the right side of the mouth than on the left. A separate study revealed the prevalence of statistically significantly more dental plaque on the right side than on the left among right-handed people and, among left-handed people, a non-statistically significant trend of more dental plaque on the left than the right. It is concluded that dental hygiene on the left side and the right side of the mouth is very likely to be dependent on the preferential use of one hand or the other. The differences between the left side of the mouth and right among left- and right-handed people are, however, so small that it is questionable whether these should be taken into consideration in giving instructions about dental hygiene.
Mapping Sensory Spots for Moderate Temperatures on the Back of Hand.
Yang, Fan; Chen, Guixu; Zhou, Sikai; Han, Danhong; Xu, Jingjing; Xu, Shengyong
2017-12-04
Thermosensation with thermoreceptors plays an important role in maintaining body temperature at an optimal state and avoiding potential damage caused by harmful hot or cold environmental temperatures. In this work, the locations of sensory spots for sensing moderate temperatures of 40-50 °C on the back of the hands of young Chinese people were mapped in a blind-test manner with a thermal probe of 1.0 mm spatial resolution. The number of sensory spots increased along with the testing temperature; however, the surface density of sensory spots was remarkably lower than those reported previously. The locations of the spots were irregularly distributed and subject-dependent. Even for the same subject, the number and location of sensory spots were unbalanced and asymmetric between the left and right hands. The results may offer valuable information for designing artificial electronic skin and wearable devices, as well as for clinical applications.
fMRI-compatible rehabilitation hand device
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tzika Aria
2006-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI has been widely used in studying human brain functions and neurorehabilitation. In order to develop complex and well-controlled fMRI paradigms, interfaces that can precisely control and measure output force and kinematics of the movements in human subjects are needed. Optimized state-of-the-art fMRI methods, combined with magnetic resonance (MR compatible robotic devices for rehabilitation, can assist therapists to quantify, monitor, and improve physical rehabilitation. To achieve this goal, robotic or mechatronic devices with actuators and sensors need to be introduced into an MR environment. The common standard mechanical parts can not be used in MR environment and MR compatibility has been a tough hurdle for device developers. Methods This paper presents the design, fabrication and preliminary testing of a novel, one degree of freedom, MR compatible, computer controlled, variable resistance hand device that may be used in brain MR imaging during hand grip rehabilitation. We named the device MR_CHIROD (Magnetic Resonance Compatible Smart Hand Interfaced Rehabilitation Device. A novel feature of the device is the use of Electro-Rheological Fluids (ERFs to achieve tunable and controllable resistive force generation. ERFs are fluids that experience dramatic changes in rheological properties, such as viscosity or yield stress, in the presence of an electric field. The device consists of four major subsystems: a an ERF based resistive element; b a gearbox; c two handles and d two sensors, one optical encoder and one force sensor, to measure the patient induced motion and force. The smart hand device is designed to resist up to 50% of the maximum level of gripping force of a human hand and be controlled in real time. Results Laboratory tests of the device indicate that it was able to meet its design objective to resist up to approximately 50% of the maximum handgrip force. The detailed
Freeman, Joshua; Dawson, Louise; Jowitt, Deborah; White, Margo; Callard, Hayley; Sieczkowski, Christine; Kuriyan, Ron; Roberts, Sally
2016-10-14
To detail the progress made by Hand Hygiene New Zealand (HHNZ) since 2011 and also describe the challenges experienced along the way and the factors required for delivery of a successful hand hygiene programme at a national level. HHNZ is a multimodal culture-change programme based on the WHO '5 moments for hand hygiene' approach. The key components of the programme include clinical leadership, auditing of hand hygiene compliance with thrice yearly reporting of improvement in hand hygiene practice, biannual reporting of the outcome marker, healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (HA-SAB), effective communication with key stakeholders and the use of the front-line ownership (FLO) principles for quality improvement. The nationally aggregated hand hygiene compliance has increased from 62% in June 2012 to 81% in March 2016. There has been improvement across all 'moments', all healthcare worker groups and a range of different clinical specialties. The rate of HA-SAB has remained stable. The HHNZ programme has led to significant improvements in hand hygiene practice in DHBs throughout New Zealand. The principles of FLO are now widely used to drive hand hygiene improvement in New Zealand DHBs.
Design, implementation, and outcome of a hands-on arthrocentesis workshop.
Barilla-Labarca, Maria-Louise; Tsang, James C; Goldsmith, Melissa; Furie, Richard
2009-09-01
During a 4-week rheumatology elective at our institution, opportunities for internal medicine residents to perform arthrocentesis were limited, particularly for sites other than the knee. Consequently, residents were inadequately prepared and had less self-confidence to perform such procedures. To overcome these educational deficiencies, an arthrocentesis workshop was developed. We report our quality improvement data that was collected during the first year of workshop implementation. We devised a structured half-day arthrocentesis workshop for rheumatology fellows as well as rotating internal medicine residents. This program consisted of a one hour lecture immediately followed by a hands-on workshop that used mannequin models for 5 anatomic sites. A self-assessment questionnaire and medical knowledge test were administered before and after each session. The accuracy of the self-assessment questionnaire was analyzed by comparing responses to an external objective measure of knowledge in the same content area. Finally, an optional postworkshop survey addressed resident satisfaction. Thirty-eight trainees participated in the workshop between July 2006 and June 2007. There were statistically significant improvements in self-confidence in 9 content areas (P knowledge test during the preworkshop analysis. In contrast, the postworkshop analysis displayed modestly higher concordance. All residents completing a postworkshop survey believed that it was a useful exercise, and 96% stated that they would change their practice habits. The arthrocentesis workshop provided a solid foundation from which trainees can learn key concepts of joint injection, increase their self-confidence and refine their motor skills. The accuracy of resident self-reported confidence is poor and should therefore be used only to complement other means of competency assessment and medical knowledge acquisition.
Communicate science: an example of food related hands-on laboratory approach
D'Addezio, Giuliana; Marsili, Antonella; Vallocchia, Massimiliano
2014-05-01
The Laboratorio Didattica e Divulgazione Scientifica of the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV's Educational and Outreach Laboratory) organized activity with kids to convey scientific knowledge and to promote research on Earth Science, focusing on volcanic and seismic hazard. The combination of games and learning in educational activity can be a valuable tool for study of complex phenomena. Hands-on activity may help in engage kids in a learning process through direct participation that significantly improves the learning performance of children. Making learning fun motivate audience to pay attention on and stay focused on the subject. We present the experience of the hand-on laboratory "Laboratorio goloso per bambini curiosi di scienza (a delicious hands-on laboratory for kids curious about science)", performed in Frascati during the 2013 European Researchers' Night, promoted by the European Commission, as part of the program organized by the Laboratorio Didattica e Divulgazione Scientifica in the framework of Associazione Frascati Scienza (http://www.frascatiscienza.it/). The hand-on activity were designed for primary schools to create enjoyable and unusual tools for learning Earth Science. During this activity kids are involved with something related to everyday life, such as food, through manipulation, construction and implementation of simple experiments related to Earth dynamics. Children become familiar with scientific concepts such as composition of the Earth, plates tectonic, earthquakes and seismic waves propagation and experience the effect of earthquakes on buildings, exploring their important implications for seismic hazard. During the activity, composed of several steps, participants were able to learn about Earth inner structure, fragile lithosphere, waves propagations, impact of waves on building ecc.., dealing with eggs, cookies, honey, sugar, polenta, flour, chocolate, candies, liquorice sticks, bread, pudding and sweets. The
Gasoline on hands: preliminary study on collection and persistence.
Darrer, Melinda; Jacquemet-Papilloud, Joëlle; Delémont, Olivier
2008-03-05
The identification of an arsonist remains one of the most difficult challenges a fire investigation has to face. Seeking and detection of traces of gasoline could provide a valuable information to link a suspect with an arson scene where gasoline was used to set-up the fire. In this perspective, a first study was undertaken to evaluate a simple, fast and efficient method for collecting gasoline from hands, and to assess its persistence over time. Four collection means were tested: PVC, PE and Latex gloves, as well as humidified filter paper. A statistical assessment of the results indicates that Latex and PVC gloves worn for about 20 min, as well as paper filter rubbed on hands, allow an efficient collection of gasoline applied to hands. Due to ease of manipulation and to a reduced amount of volatile compounds detected from the matrix, PVC gloves were selected for the second set of experiments. The evaluation of the persistence of gasoline on hands was then carried out using two initial quantities (500 and 1000 microl). Collection was made with PVC gloves after 0, 30 min, 1, 2 and 4h, on different volunteers. The results show a common tendency of massive evaporation of gasoline during the first 30 min: a continued but non-linear decrease was observed along different time intervals. The results of this preliminary study are in agreement with other previous researches conducted on the detection of flammable liquid residues on clothes, shoes and skin.
The Disposal Systems Evaluation Framework for DOE-NE
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Blink, J.A.; Greenberg, H.R.; Halsey, W.G.; Jove-Colon, C.; Nutt, W.M.; Sutton, M.
2010-01-01
The Used Fuel Disposition (UFD) Campaign within DOE-NE is evaluating storage and disposal options for a range of waste forms and a range of geologic environments. For each waste form and geologic environment combination, there are multiple options for repository conceptual design. The Disposal Systems Evaluation Framework (DSEF) is being developed to formalize the development and documentation of options for each waste form and environment combination. The DSEF is being implemented in two parts. One part is an Excel workbook with multiple sheets. This workbook is designed to be user friendly, such that anyone within the UFD Campaign can use it as a guide to develop and document repository conceptual designs that respect thermal, geometric, and other constraints. The other part is an Access relational database file that will be centrally maintained to document the ensemble of conceptual designs developed with individual implementations of the Excel workbook. The DSEF Excel workbook includes sheets for waste form, environment, geometric constraints, engineered barrier system (EBS) design, thermal, performance assessment (PA), materials, cost, and fuel cycle system impacts. Each of these sheets guides the user through the process of developing internally consistent design options, and documenting the thought process. The sheets interact with each other to transfer information and identify inconsistencies to the user. In some cases, the sheets are stand-alone, and in other cases (such as PA), the sheets refer the user to another tool, with the user being responsible to transfer summary results into the DSEF sheet. Finally, the DSEF includes three top-level sheets: inputs and results, interface parameters, and knowledge management (references). These sheets enable users and reviewers to see the overall picture on only a few summary sheets, while developing the design option systematically using the detailed sheets. The DSEF Access relational database file collects the
Compact and low-cost humanoid hand powered by nylon artificial muscles.
Wu, Lianjun; Jung de Andrade, Monica; Saharan, Lokesh Kumar; Rome, Richard Steven; Baughman, Ray H; Tadesse, Yonas
2017-02-03
This paper focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of a biomimetic, compact, low-cost and lightweight 3D printed humanoid hand (TCP Hand) that is actuated by twisted and coiled polymeric (TCP) artificial muscles. The TCP muscles were recently introduced and provided unprecedented strain, mechanical work, and lifecycle (Haines et al 2014 Science 343 868-72). The five-fingered humanoid hand is under-actuated and has 16 degrees of freedom (DOF) in total (15 for fingers and 1 at the palm). In the under-actuated hand designs, a single actuator provides coupled motions at the phalanges of each finger. Two different designs are presented along with the essential elements consisting of actuators, springs, tendons and guide systems. Experiments were conducted to investigate the performance of the TCP muscles in response to the power input (power magnitude, type of wave form such as pulsed or square wave, and pulse duration) and the resulting actuation stroke and force generation. A kinematic model of the flexor tendons was developed to simulate the flexion motion and compare with experimental results. For fast finger movements, short high-power pulses were employed. Finally, we demonstrated the grasping of various objects using the humanoid TCP hand showing an array of functions similar to a natural hand.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hong Kai Yap
2017-10-01
Full Text Available Various robotic exoskeletons have been proposed for hand function assistance during activities of daily living (ADL of stroke survivors. However, traditional exoskeletons involve the use of complex rigid systems that impede the natural movement of joints, and thus reduce the wearability and cause discomfort to the user. The objective of this paper is to design and evaluate a soft robotic glove that is able to provide hand function assistance using fabric-reinforced soft pneumatic actuators. These actuators are made of silicone rubber which has an elastic modulus similar to human tissues. Thus, they are intrinsically soft and compliant. Upon air pressurization, they are able to support finger range of motion (ROM and generate the desired actuation of the finger joints. In this work, the soft actuators were characterized in terms of their blocked tip force, normal and frictional grip force outputs. Combining the soft actuators and flexible textile materials, a soft robotic glove was developed for grasping assistance during ADL for stroke survivors. The glove was evaluated on five healthy participants for its assisted ROM and grip strength. Pilot test was performed in two stroke survivors to evaluate the efficacy of the glove in assisting functional grasping activities. Our results demonstrated that the actuators designed in this study could generate desired force output at a low air pressure. The glove had a high kinematic transparency and did not affect the active ROM of the finger joints when it was being worn by the participants. With the assistance of the glove, the participants were able to perform grasping actions with sufficient assisted ROM and grip strength, without any voluntary effort. Additionally, pilot test on stroke survivors demonstrated that the patient's grasping performance improved with the presence and assistance of the glove. Patient feedback questionnaires also showed high level of patient satisfaction and comfort. In
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...
Integrated multi-sensory control of space robot hand
Bejczy, A. K.; Kan, E. P.; Killion, R. R.
1985-01-01
Dexterous manipulation of a robot hand requires the use of multiple sensors integrated into the mechanical hand under distributed microcomputer control. Where space applications such as construction, assembly, servicing and repair tasks are desired of smart robot arms and robot hands, several critical drives influence the design, engineering and integration of such an electromechanical hand. This paper describes a smart robot hand developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for experimental use and evaluation with the Protoflight Manipulator Arm (PFMA) at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).
3D Visual Sensing of the Human Hand for the Remote Operation of a Robotic Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pablo Gil
2014-02-01
Full Text Available New low cost sensors and open free libraries for 3D image processing are making important advances in robot vision applications possible, such as three-dimensional object recognition, semantic mapping, navigation and localization of robots, human detection and/or gesture recognition for human-machine interaction. In this paper, a novel method for recognizing and tracking the fingers of a human hand is presented. This method is based on point clouds from range images captured by a RGBD sensor. It works in real time and it does not require visual marks, camera calibration or previous knowledge of the environment. Moreover, it works successfully even when multiple objects appear in the scene or when the ambient light is changed. Furthermore, this method was designed to develop a human interface to control domestic or industrial devices, remotely. In this paper, the method was tested by operating a robotic hand. Firstly, the human hand was recognized and the fingers were detected. Secondly, the movement of the fingers was analysed and mapped to be imitated by a robotic hand.
46 CFR 154.1170 - Hand hose line: General.
2010-10-01
... STANDARDS FOR SELF-PROPELLED VESSELS CARRYING BULK LIQUEFIED GASES Design, Construction and Equipment Firefighting System: Dry Chemical § 154.1170 Hand hose line: General. Each dry chemical hand hose line must: (a...
A compliant underactuated hand with suction flow for underwater mobile manipulation
Stuart, Hannah S.
2014-05-01
© 2014 IEEE. Fingertip suction is investigated using a compliant, underactuated, tendon-driven hand designed for underwater mobile manipulation. Tendon routing and joint stiffnesses are designed to provide ease of closure while maintaining finger rigidity, allowing the hand to pinch small objects, as well as secure large objects, without diminishing strength. While the hand is designed to grasp a range of objects, the addition of light suction flow to the fingertips is especially effective for small, low-friction (slippery) objects. Numerical simulations confirm that changing suction parameters can increase the object acquisition region, providing guidelines for future versions of the hand.
A compliant underactuated hand with suction flow for underwater mobile manipulation
Stuart, Hannah S.; Wang, Shiquan; Gardineer, Bayard; Christensen, David L.; Aukes, Daniel M.; Cutkosky, Mark
2014-01-01
© 2014 IEEE. Fingertip suction is investigated using a compliant, underactuated, tendon-driven hand designed for underwater mobile manipulation. Tendon routing and joint stiffnesses are designed to provide ease of closure while maintaining finger rigidity, allowing the hand to pinch small objects, as well as secure large objects, without diminishing strength. While the hand is designed to grasp a range of objects, the addition of light suction flow to the fingertips is especially effective for small, low-friction (slippery) objects. Numerical simulations confirm that changing suction parameters can increase the object acquisition region, providing guidelines for future versions of the hand.
Rayegani, S M; Raeissadat, S A; Sedighipour, L; Rezazadeh, I Mohammad; Bahrami, M H; Eliaspour, D; Khosrawi, S
2014-01-01
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of applying electroencephalogram (EEG) biofeedback (neurobiofeedback) or electromyographic (EMG) biofeedback to conventional occupational therapy (OT) on improving hand function in stroke patients. This study was designed as a preliminary clinical trial. Thirty patients with stroke were entered the study. Hand function was evaluated by Jebsen Hand Function Test pre and post intervention. Patients were allocated to 3 intervention cohorts: (1) OT, (2) OT plus EMG-biofeedback therapy, and (3) OT plus neurofeedback therapy. All patients received 10 sessions of conventional OT. Patients in cohorts 2 and 3 also received EMG-biofeedback and neurofeedback therapy, respectively. EMG-biofeedback therapy was performed to strengthen the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle. Neurofeedback training was aimed at enhancing sensorimotor rhythm after mental motor imagery. Hand function was improved significantly in the 3 groups. The spectral power density of the sensorimotor rhythm band in the neurofeedback group increased after mental motor imagery. Maximum and mean contraction values of electrical activities of the APB muscle during voluntary contraction increased significantly after EMG-biofeedback training. Patients in the neurofeedback and EMG-biofeedback groups showed hand improvement similar to conventional OT. Further studies are suggested to assign the best protocol for neurofeedback and EMG-biofeedback therapy.
Design Research between Design and Research
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Steinø, Nicolai; Markussen, Thomas
2011-01-01
The discourse on architecture and design research in Denmark in the past thirty years has been stuck in a unproductive dichotomy between research through design on the one hand and a phantom image of academic and theoretical, word-based research on the other. Advocates of the research through...... design strand have argued, that architecture and design research must follow an architecture and design methodology – designing – and be communicated by means of architecture and design media – images and artefacts. Essentially, this view sees no difference between architecture and design research...... and practice, as expressed in the notion of research as ‘artistic innovation work’. On the other hand, the pressure to expand research in architecture and design has seen a movement towards adopting traditional research paradigms from the technical and social sciences and humanities. For many architects...
GaussStudio: designing seamless tangible interactions on portable displays
Liang, R.-H.; Kuo, H.-C.; Bruns Alonso, M.; Chen, B.-Y.
2016-01-01
The analog Hall-sensor grid, GaussSense, is a thin-form magnetic-field camera technology for designing expressive occlusion-free, near-surface tangible interactions on conventional portable displays. The studio will provide hands-on experiences that combine physical designs and the GaussSense
An Excel Workbook for Identifying Redox Processes in Ground Water
Jurgens, Bryant C.; McMahon, Peter B.; Chapelle, Francis H.; Eberts, Sandra M.
2009-01-01
The reduction/oxidation (redox) condition of ground water affects the concentration, transport, and fate of many anthropogenic and natural contaminants. The redox state of a ground-water sample is defined by the dominant type of reduction/oxidation reaction, or redox process, occurring in the sample, as inferred from water-quality data. However, because of the difficulty in defining and applying a systematic redox framework to samples from diverse hydrogeologic settings, many regional water-quality investigations do not attempt to determine the predominant redox process in ground water. Recently, McMahon and Chapelle (2008) devised a redox framework that was applied to a large number of samples from 15 principal aquifer systems in the United States to examine the effect of redox processes on water quality. This framework was expanded by Chapelle and others (in press) to use measured sulfide data to differentiate between iron(III)- and sulfate-reducing conditions. These investigations showed that a systematic approach to characterize redox conditions in ground water could be applied to datasets from diverse hydrogeologic settings using water-quality data routinely collected in regional water-quality investigations. This report describes the Microsoft Excel workbook, RedoxAssignment_McMahon&Chapelle.xls, that assigns the predominant redox process to samples using the framework created by McMahon and Chapelle (2008) and expanded by Chapelle and others (in press). Assignment of redox conditions is based on concentrations of dissolved oxygen (O2), nitrate (NO3-), manganese (Mn2+), iron (Fe2+), sulfate (SO42-), and sulfide (sum of dihydrogen sulfide [aqueous H2S], hydrogen sulfide [HS-], and sulfide [S2-]). The logical arguments for assigning the predominant redox process to each sample are performed by a program written in Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). The program is called from buttons on the main worksheet. The number of samples that can be analyzed
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE DESIGN OF NOISE BARRIERS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arkadiusz BOCZKOWSKI
2013-04-01
Full Text Available The issue connected with effectiveness of noise barriers has been the subject of numerous considerations among acousticians. On the one hand, noise barriers are still the most popular and the most frequently used protection against traffic noise, on the other hand, however, the excessive number of noise barriers and the results of research focusing on effectiveness of the existing barriers make us reflect whether it is reasonable to use them. Very often low effectiveness of noise barriers is related to a badly conducted designing process. This article presents the basic mistakes made by noise barriers’ designers and the consequences thereof. Next, the paper describes the appropriate approach to the process of the noise barriers’ design which consists in the use of computer methods and conducting of a detailed analysis of the acoustic field’s distribution both behind the barrier and on the facades of the acoustically protected buildings.
A two DoF finger for a biomechatronic artificial hand.
Carrozza, M C; Massa, B; Dario, P; Zecca, M; Micera, S; Pastacaldi, P
2002-01-01
Current prosthetic hands are basically simple grippers with one or two degrees of freedom, which barely restore the capability of the thumb-index pinch. Although most amputees consider this performance as acceptable for usual tasks, there is ample room for improvement by exploiting recent progresses in mechatronics design and technology. We are developing a novel prosthetic hand featured by multiple degrees of freedom, tactile sensing capabilities, and distributed control. Our main goal is to pursue an integrated design approach in order to fulfill critical requirements such as cosmetics, controllability, low weight, low energy consumption and noiselessness. This approach can be synthesized by the definition "biomechatronic design", which means developing mechatronic systems inspired by living beings and able to work harmoniously with them. This paper describes the first implementation of one single finger of a future biomechatronic hand. The finger has a modular design, which allows to obtain hands with different degrees of freedom and grasping capabilities. Current developments include the implementation of a hand comprising three fingers (opposing thumb, index and middle) and an embedded controller.
Sulistiani, E.; Waluya, S. B.; Masrukan
2018-03-01
This study aims to determine (1) the effectiveness of Discovery Learning model by using Hand on Activity toward critical thinking abilities, and (2) to describe students’ critical thinking abilities in Discovery Learning by Hand on Activity based on curiosity. This study is mixed method research with concurrent embedded design. Sample of this study are students of VII A and VII B of SMP Daarul Qur’an Ungaran. While the subject in this study is based on the curiosity of the students groups are classified Epistemic Curiosity (EC) and Perceptual Curiosity (PC). The results showed that the learning of Discovery Learning by using Hand on Activity is effective toward mathematics critical thinking abilities. Students of the EC type are able to complete six indicators of mathematics critical thinking abilities, although there are still two indicators that the result is less than the maximum. While students of PC type have not fully been able to complete the indicator of mathematics critical thinking abilities. They are only strong on indicators formulating questions, while on the other five indicators they are still weak. The critical thinking abilities of EC’s students is better than the critical thinking abilities of the PC’s students.
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.
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...
Full Text Available ... has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on May ... 34 How The Clean Hands - Safe Hands System Works - Duration: 3:38. Clean Hands-Safe Hands 5, ...
A Hands-On Approach To Teaching Microcontroller
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Che Fai Yeong
2013-02-01
Full Text Available Practice and application-oriented approach in education is important, and some research on active learning and cooperative problem-solving have shown that a student will learn faster and develop communication skill, leadership and team work through these methods. This paper presents a study of student preference and performance while learning the microcontroller subject with a 2-day curriculum that emphasized on hands-on approach. The curriculum uses the PIC16F877A microcontroller and participants learned to develop basic circuits and several other applications. Programming was completed on the MPLAB platform. Results show that participants had better understanding in this subject after attending the hands-on course.
Shlyonsky, Vadim; Dupuis, Freddy; Gall, David
2014-01-01
Understanding the electrical biophysical properties of the cell membrane can be difficult for neuroscience students as it relies solely on lectures of theoretical models without practical hands on experiments. To address this issue, we developed an open-source lipid bilayer amplifier, the OpenPicoAmp, which is appropriate for use in introductory courses in biophysics or neurosciences at the undergraduate level, dealing with the electrical properties of the cell membrane. The amplifier is designed using the common lithographic printed circuit board fabrication process and off-the-shelf electronic components. In addition, we propose a specific design for experimental chambers allowing the insertion of a commercially available polytetrafluoroethylene film. We provide a complete documentation allowing to build the amplifier and the experimental chamber. The students hand-out giving step-by step instructions to perform a recording is also included. Our experimental setup can be used in basic experiments in which students monitor the bilayer formation by capacitance measurement and record unitary currents produced by ionic channels like gramicidin A dimers. Used in combination with a low-cost data acquisition board this system provides a complete solution for hands-on lessons, therefore improving the effectiveness in teaching basic neurosciences or biophysics.
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.
Young, Justin G; Lin, Jia-Hua; Chang, Chien-Chi; McGorry, Raymond W
2013-01-01
The purpose of this experiment was to quantify the natural angle between the hand and a handle, and to investigate three design factors: handle rotation, handle tilt and between-handle width on the natural angle as well as resultant wrist radial/ulnar deviation ('RUD') for pushing tasks. Photographs taken of the right upper limb of 31 participants (14 women and 17 men) performing maximal seated push exertions on different handles were analysed. Natural hand/handle angle and RUD were assessed. It was found that all of the three design factors significantly affected natural handle angle and wrist RUD, but participant gender did not. The natural angle between the hand and the cylindrical handle was 65 ± 7°. Wrist deviation was reduced for handles that were rotated 0° (horizontal) and at the narrow width (31 cm). Handles that were tilted forward 15° reduced radial deviation consistently (12-13°) across handle conditions. Manual materials handling (MMH) tasks involving pushing have been related to increased risk of musculoskeletal injury. This study shows that handle orientation influences hand and wrist posture during pushing, and suggests that the design of push handles on carts and other MMH aids can be improved by adjusting their orientation to fit the natural interface between the hand and handle.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marshall Michelle
2007-08-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Pain in the hand affects an estimated 12–21% of the population, and at older ages the hand is one of the most common sites of pain and osteoarthritis. The association between symptomatic hand osteoarthritis and disability in everyday life has not been studied in detail, although there is evidence that older people with hand problems suffer significant pain and disability. Despite the high prevalence of hand problems and the limitations they cause in older adults, little attention has been paid to the hand by health planners and policy makers. We plan to conduct a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study designed in parallel with our previously reported cohort study of knee pain, to describe the course of musculoskeletal hand problems in older adults and investigate the relative merits of different approaches to classification and defining prognosis. Methods/Design All adults aged 50 years and over registered with two general practices in North Staffordshire will be invited to take part in a two-stage postal survey. Respondents to the survey who indicate that they have experienced hand pain or problems within the previous 12 months will be invited to attend a research clinic for a detailed assessment. This will consist of clinical interview, hand assessment, screening test of lower limb function, digital photography, plain x-rays, anthropometric measurement and brief self-complete questionnaire. All consenting clinic attenders will be followed up by (i general practice medical record review, (ii repeat postal questionnaire at 18-months, and (iii repeat postal questionnaire at 3 years. Discussion This paper describes the protocol for the Clinical Assessment Study of the Hand (CAS-HA, a prospective, population-based, observational cohort study of community-dwelling older adults with hand pain and hand problems based in North Staffordshire.
Hand Washing Practices Among Emergency Medical Services Providers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Joshua Bucher
2015-10-01
Full Text Available Introduction: Hand hygiene is an important component of infection control efforts. Our primary and secondary goals were to determine the reported rates of hand washing and stethoscope cleaning in emergency medical services (EMS workers, respectively. Methods: We designed a survey about hand hygiene practices. The survey was distributed to various national EMS organizations through e-mail. Descriptive statistics were calculated for survey items (responses on a Likert scale and subpopulations of survey respondents to identify relationships between variables. We used analysis of variance to test differences in means between the subgroups. Results: There were 1,494 responses. Overall, reported hand hygiene practices were poor among pre-hospital providers in all clinical situations. Women reported that they washed their hands more frequently than men overall, although the differences were unlikely to be clinically significant. Hygiene after invasive procedures was reported to be poor. The presence of available hand sanitizer in the ambulance did not improve reported hygiene rates but improved reported rates of cleaning the stethoscope (absolute difference 0.4, p=0.0003. Providers who brought their own sanitizer were more likely to clean their hands. Conclusion: Reported hand hygiene is poor amongst pre-hospital providers. There is a need for future intervention to improve reported performance in pre-hospital provider hand washing.
Hand Washing Practices Among Emergency Medical Services Providers.
Bucher, Joshua; Donovan, Colleen; Ohman-Strickland, Pamela; McCoy, Jonathan
2015-09-01
Hand hygiene is an important component of infection control efforts. Our primary and secondary goals were to determine the reported rates of hand washing and stethoscope cleaning in emergency medical services (EMS) workers, respectively. We designed a survey about hand hygiene practices. The survey was distributed to various national EMS organizations through e-mail. Descriptive statistics were calculated for survey items (responses on a Likert scale) and subpopulations of survey respondents to identify relationships between variables. We used analysis of variance to test differences in means between the subgroups. There were 1,494 responses. Overall, reported hand hygiene practices were poor among pre-hospital providers in all clinical situations. Women reported that they washed their hands more frequently than men overall, although the differences were unlikely to be clinically significant. Hygiene after invasive procedures was reported to be poor. The presence of available hand sanitizer in the ambulance did not improve reported hygiene rates but improved reported rates of cleaning the stethoscope (absolute difference 0.4, p=0.0003). Providers who brought their own sanitizer were more likely to clean their hands. Reported hand hygiene is poor amongst pre-hospital providers. There is a need for future intervention to improve reported performance in pre-hospital provider hand washing.
An automated hand hygiene compliance system is associated with improved monitoring of hand hygiene.
McCalla, Saungi; Reilly, Maggie; Thomas, Rowena; McSpedon-Rai, Dawn
2017-05-01
Consistent hand hygiene is key to reducing health care-associated infections (HAIs) and assessing compliance with hand hygiene protocols is vital for hospital infection control staff. A new automated hand hygiene compliance system (HHCS) was trialed as an alternative to human observers in an intensive care unit and an intensive care stepdown unit at a hospital facility in the northeastern United States. Using a retrospective cohort design, researchers investigated whether implementation of the HHCS resulted in improved hand hygiene compliance and a reduction in common HAI rates. Pearson χ 2 tests were used to assess changes in compliance, and incidence rate ratios were used to test for significant differences in infection rates. During the study period, the HHCS collected many more hand hygiene events compared with human observers (632,404 vs 480) and ensured that the hospital met its compliance goals (95%+). Although decreases in multidrug-resistant organisms, central line-associated bloodstream infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infection rates were observed, they represented nonsignificant differences. Human hand hygiene observers may not report accurate measures of compliance. The HHCS is a promising new tool for fine-grained assessment of hand hygiene compliance. Further study is needed to examine the association between the HHCS and HAI rate reduction. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Usable Translational Hand Controllers for NASA's Habitability Design Center
Westbrook, Kimberly
2016-01-01
This summer I was given the opportunity to work at the Habitability Design Center (HDC). NASA Johnson Space Center's HDC is currently developing Cislunar and Mars spacecraft mockups. I contributed to this effort by designing from scratch low cost, functional translational hand controllers (THCs) that will be used in spacecraft mission simulation in low to medium fidelity exploration spacecraft mockups. This project fell under the category of mechatronics, a combination of mechanical, electrical, and computer engineering. Being an aerospace engineering student, I was out of my comfort zone. And that was a wonderful thing. The autonomy that my mentor, Dr. Robert Howard, allowed me gave me the opportunity to learn by trying, failing, and trying again. This project was not only a professional success for me, but a significant learning experience. I appreciated the freedom that I had to take the time to learn new things for myself rather than blindly follow instructions. I was the sole person working on this project, and was required to work independently to solve the many hardware and software challenges that the project entailed. I researched THCs that have been used on the ISS, the Space Shuttle, and the Orion MPVC and based my design off of these. I worked through many redesigns before finding an optimal configuration of the necessary mechanisms and electrical components for the THC. Once I had a functional hardware design, I dove into the challenge of getting an Arduino Uno, an extremely low cost and easily programmable microcontroller, to behave as a human interface device. The THCs I built needed to be able to integrate to a mission simulation designed by NASA's Graphics and Visualization Lab. This proved to be the most challenging aspect of the project. To accomplish this I learned how to change the firmware of the USB serial converter microcontroller. The process was very complicated as it involved multiple software programs and manual flashing of pins on the
Wang, Zhangqi; Lapinski, Maria; Quilliam, Elizabeth; Jaykus, Lee-Ann; Fraser, Angela
2017-06-01
Hand-hygiene interventions are widely used in schools but their effect on reducing absenteeism is not well known. The aim of our literature review was to determine whether implementation of a hand-hygiene intervention reduced infectious disease-associated absenteeism in elementary schools. The eligible studies (N = 19), published between 1996 and 2014, were summarized and the methodologic quality of each was assessed. Our review indicated evidence is available to show hand-hygiene interventions had an effect on reducing acute gastrointestinal illness-associated absenteeism but inadequate evidence is available to show an effect on respiratory illness-associated absenteeism. The methodologic quality assessment of eligible studies revealed common design flaws, such as lack of randomization, blinding, and attrition, which must be addressed in future studies to strengthen the evidence base on the effect of hand-hygiene interventions on school absenteeism. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of the Human Centered Design concept when designing ergonomic NPP control rooms
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Skrehot, Petr A.; Houser, Frantisek; Riha, Radek; Tuma, Zdenek
2015-01-01
Human-Centered Design is a concept aimed at reconciling human needs on the one hand and limitations posed by the design disposition of the room being designed on the other hand. This paper describes the main aspects of application of the Human-Centered Design concept to the design of nuclear power plant control rooms. (orig.)
Alessandro, Cristiano; Oliveira Barroso, Filipe; Tresch, Matthew
2016-07-01
The paper ;Hand synergies: Integration of robotics and neuroscience for understanding the control of biological and artificial hands; [1] presents a comprehensive review of the work carried out as part of the EU funded project ;The Hand Embodied;. The work uses the concept of ;synergy; to study the neuromuscular control of the human hand and to design novel robotics systems. The project has been very productive and has made important contributions. We are therefore confident that it will lead to further advancements and experiments in the future.
Air Muscle Actuated Low Cost Humanoid Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Scarfe
2008-11-01
Full Text Available The control of humanoid robot hands has historically been expensive due to the cost of precision actuators. This paper presents the design and implementation of a low-cost air muscle actuated humanoid hand developed at Curtin University of Technology. This hand offers 10 individually controllable degrees of freedom ranging from the elbow to the fingers, with overall control handled through a computer GUI. The hand is actuated through 20 McKibben-style air muscles, each supplied by a pneumatic pressure-balancing valve that allows for proportional control to be achieved with simple and inexpensive components. The hand was successfully able to perform a number of human-equivalent tasks, such as grasping and relocating objects.
Air Muscle Actuated Low Cost Humanoid Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Scarfe
2006-06-01
Full Text Available The control of humanoid robot hands has historically been expensive due to the cost of precision actuators. This paper presents the design and implementation of a low-cost air muscle actuated humanoid hand developed at Curtin University of Technology. This hand offers 10 individually controllable degrees of freedom ranging from the elbow to the fingers, with overall control handled through a computer GUI. The hand is actuated through 20 McKibben-style air muscles, each supplied by a pneumatic pressure-balancing valve that allows for proportional control to be achieved with simple and inexpensive components. The hand was successfully able to perform a number of human-equivalent tasks, such as grasping and relocating objects.
Diagnostic imaging of the hand
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Schmitt, Rainer [Hospital for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bad Neustadt an der Saale (Germany). Dept. of Radiology; Lanz, Ulrich [Perlach Hospital, Munich (Germany). Dept. of Hand Surgery
2008-07-01
With its complex anatomy and specialized biomechanics, the human hand has always presented physicians with a unique challenge when it comes to diagnosing and treating the diseases that afflict it. And while recent decades have seen a rapid increase in the number of therapeutic options, many diseases and injuries of the hand are still commonly misinterpreted. In diagnostic imaging of the hand, an interdisciplinary team, comprisingspecialists in radiology, surgery, and rheumatology, presents a comprehensive,reliable guide to this topographically intricate area. Highlights include: - More than 1000 high-quality illustrations - All state-of-the-art imaging modalities-including multidetector CT, with 2D displays and 3D reconstructions, and contrast-enhanced MRI with multi-channel, phased-array coils - An overview of all currently used methods of examination - A detailed presentation of the anatomic and functional foundations necessary for diagnosis - Full coverage of all disorders of the hand - Systematic treatment of each disease's definition, pathogenesis, and clinical symptoms, according to a graduated diagnostic plan - Easy-to-use format, featuring crisp images and line drawings seamlessly integrated with concise text, summary tables, and handy checklists - A heavily cross-referenced appendix of differential diagnosis tables - Emphasis on interdisciplinary consultation throughout designed to help both radiologists and clinicians develop the most efficient and effective strategies for evaluating and treating patients, Diagnostic imaging of the hand will leave specialists of all levels with a fresh appreciation for - and a richer understanding of - the expanding array of cutting-edge alternatives for diagnosing and treating disorders of the hand. (orig.)
Diagnostic imaging of the hand
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schmitt, Rainer; Lanz, Ulrich
2008-01-01
With its complex anatomy and specialized biomechanics, the human hand has always presented physicians with a unique challenge when it comes to diagnosing and treating the diseases that afflict it. And while recent decades have seen a rapid increase in the number of therapeutic options, many diseases and injuries of the hand are still commonly misinterpreted. In diagnostic imaging of the hand, an interdisciplinary team, comprisingspecialists in radiology, surgery, and rheumatology, presents a comprehensive,reliable guide to this topographically intricate area. Highlights include: - More than 1000 high-quality illustrations - All state-of-the-art imaging modalities-including multidetector CT, with 2D displays and 3D reconstructions, and contrast-enhanced MRI with multi-channel, phased-array coils - An overview of all currently used methods of examination - A detailed presentation of the anatomic and functional foundations necessary for diagnosis - Full coverage of all disorders of the hand - Systematic treatment of each disease's definition, pathogenesis, and clinical symptoms, according to a graduated diagnostic plan - Easy-to-use format, featuring crisp images and line drawings seamlessly integrated with concise text, summary tables, and handy checklists - A heavily cross-referenced appendix of differential diagnosis tables - Emphasis on interdisciplinary consultation throughout designed to help both radiologists and clinicians develop the most efficient and effective strategies for evaluating and treating patients, Diagnostic imaging of the hand will leave specialists of all levels with a fresh appreciation for - and a richer understanding of - the expanding array of cutting-edge alternatives for diagnosing and treating disorders of the hand. (orig.)
Biomimetic actuator and sensor for robot hand
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kim, Baekchul; Chung, Jinah; Cho, Hanjoung; Shin, Seunghoon; Lee, Hyoungsuk; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Jachoon
2012-01-01
To manufacture a robot hand that essentially mimics the functions of a human hand, it is necessary to develop flexible actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose the design, manufacture, and performance verification of flexible actuators and sensors based on Electro Active Polymer (EAP). EAP is fabricated as a type of film, and it moves with changes in the voltage because of contraction and expansion in the polymer film. Furthermore, if a force is applied to an EAP film, its thickness and effective area change, and therefore, the capacitance also changes. By using this mechanism, we produce capacitive actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose an EAP based capacitive sensor and evaluate its use as a robot hand sensor
Biomimetic actuator and sensor for robot hand
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kim, Baekchul; Chung, Jinah; Cho, Hanjoung; Shin, Seunghoon; Lee, Hyoungsuk; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Jachoon [Sungkyunkwan Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)
2012-12-15
To manufacture a robot hand that essentially mimics the functions of a human hand, it is necessary to develop flexible actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose the design, manufacture, and performance verification of flexible actuators and sensors based on Electro Active Polymer (EAP). EAP is fabricated as a type of film, and it moves with changes in the voltage because of contraction and expansion in the polymer film. Furthermore, if a force is applied to an EAP film, its thickness and effective area change, and therefore, the capacitance also changes. By using this mechanism, we produce capacitive actuators and sensors. In this study, we propose an EAP based capacitive sensor and evaluate its use as a robot hand sensor.
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.
Augmented robotic device for EVA hand manoeuvres
Matheson, Eloise; Brooker, Graham
2012-12-01
During extravehicular activities (EVAs), pressurised space suits can lead to difficulties in performing hand manoeuvres and fatigue. This is often the cause of EVAs being terminated early, or taking longer to complete. Assistive robotic gloves can be used to augment the natural motion of a human hand, meaning work can be carried out more efficiently with less stress to the astronaut. Lightweight and low profile solutions must be found in order for the assistive robotic glove to be easily integrated with a space suit pressure garment. Pneumatic muscle actuators combined with force sensors are one such solution. These actuators are extremely light, yet can output high forces using pressurised gases as the actuation drive. Their movement is omnidirectional, so when combined with a flexible exoskeleton that itself provides a degree of freedom of movement, individual fingers can be controlled during flexion and extension. This setup allows actuators and other hardware to be stored remotely on the user's body, resulting in the least possible mass being supported by the hand. Two prototype gloves have been developed at the University of Sydney; prototype I using a fibreglass exoskeleton to provide flexion force, and prototype II using torsion springs to achieve the same result. The gloves have been designed to increase the ease of human movements, rather than to add unnatural ability to the hand. A state space control algorithm has been developed to ensure that human initiated movements are recognised, and calibration methods have been implemented to accommodate the different characteristics of each wearer's hands. For this calibration technique, it was necessary to take into account the natural tremors of the human hand which may have otherwise initiated unexpected control signals. Prototype I was able to actuate the user's hand in 1 degree of freedom (DOF) from full flexion to partial extension, and prototype II actuated a user's finger in 2 DOF with forces achieved
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.
Implement of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators in a Robotic Hand
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Daniel Amariei
2006-10-01
Full Text Available This paper was conceived to present the ideology of utilizing advanced actuators to design and develop innovative, lightweight, powerful, compact, and as much as possible dexterous robotic hands. The key to satisfying these objectives is the use of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs to power the joints of the robotic hand. The mechanical design of a dexterous robotic hand, which utilizes non-classical types of actuation and information obtained from the study of biological systems, is presented in this paper. The type of robotic hand described in this paper will be utilized for applications requiring low weight, power, compactness, and dexterity.
Modeling and evaluation of hand-eye coordination of surgical robotic system on task performance.
Gao, Yuanqian; Wang, Shuxin; Li, Jianmin; Li, Aimin; Liu, Hongbin; Xing, Yuan
2017-12-01
Robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery changes the direct hand and eye coordination in traditional surgery to indirect instrument and camera coordination, which affects the ergonomics, operation performance, and safety. A camera, two instruments, and a target, as the descriptors, are used to construct the workspace correspondence and geometrical relationships in a surgical operation. A parametric model with a set of parameters is proposed to describe the hand-eye coordination of the surgical robot. From the results, optimal values and acceptable ranges of these parameters are identified from two tasks. A 90° viewing angle had the longest completion time; 60° instrument elevation angle and 0° deflection angle had better performance; there is no significant difference among manipulation angles and observing distances on task performance. This hand-eye coordination model provides evidence for robotic design, surgeon training, and robotic initialization to achieve dexterous and safe manipulation in surgery. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developing a method for quantification of Ascaris eggs on hands
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jeandron, Aurelie; Ensink, Jeroen J. H.; Thamsborg, Stig Milan
In transmission of soil transmitted helminths, especially with Ascaris and Trichuris infections, the importance of hands is unclear and very limited literature exists. This is partly because of the absence of a reliable method to quantify the number of helminth eggs on hands. The aim of this study...... was to develop a method to assess the number of Ascaris eggs on hands and determine the egg recovery rate of the method. Under laboratory conditions, hands were contaminated with app. 1000 Ascaris eggs, air dried and washed in a plastic bag retaining the washing water, in order to determine recovery rates...... of eggs for two different detergents (cationic [benzethonium chloride 0.1%], anionic [7X 1% - quadrafos, glycol ether, and dioctyl sulfoccinate sodium salt]) and de-ionized water used as control. The highest recovery rate (95.6%) was achieved with a hand rinse performed with 7X 1%. Washing hands...
The influence of speed and grade on wheelchair propulsion hand pattern.
Slowik, Jonathan S; Requejo, Philip S; Mulroy, Sara J; Neptune, Richard R
2015-11-01
The hand pattern used during manual wheelchair propulsion (i.e., full-cycle hand path) can provide insight into an individual's propulsion technique. However, previous analyses of hand patterns have been limited by their focus on a single propulsion condition and reliance on subjective qualitative characterization methods. The purpose of this study was to develop a set of objective quantitative parameters to characterize hand patterns and determine the influence of propulsion speed and grade of incline on the patterns preferred by manual wheelchair users. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected from 170 experienced manual wheelchair users on an ergometer during three conditions: level propulsion at their self-selected speed, level propulsion at their fastest comfortable speed and graded propulsion (8%) at their level self-selected speed. Hand patterns were quantified using a set of objective parameters, and differences across conditions were identified. Increased propulsion speed resulted in a shift away from under-rim hand patterns. Increased grade of incline resulted in the hand remaining near the handrim throughout the cycle. Manual wheelchair users change their hand pattern based on task-specific constraints and goals. Further work is needed to investigate how differences between hand patterns influence upper extremity demand and potentially lead to the development of overuse injuries and pain. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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.
Effect of hand sanitizer on the performance of fingermark detection techniques.
Chadwick, Scott; Neskoski, Melissa; Spindler, Xanthe; Lennard, Chris; Roux, Claude
2017-04-01
Hand sanitizers have seen a rapid increase in popularity amongst the general population and this increased use has led to the belief that hand sanitizers may have an effect on subsequent fingermark detection. Based on this hypothesis, three alcoholic and two non-alcoholic hand sanitizers were evaluated to determine the effect they had on the detection of fingermarks deposited after their use. The following fingermark detection methods were applied: 1,2-indanedione-zinc, ninhydrin, physical developer (porous substrate); and cyanoacrylate, rhodamine 6G, magnetic powder (non-porous substrate). Comparison between hand sanitized fingermarks and non-hand sanitized fingermarks showed that the alcohol-based hand sanitizers did not result in any visible differences in fingermark quality. The non-alcoholic hand sanitizers, however, improved the quality of fingermarks developed with 1,2-indanedione-zinc and ninhydrin, and marginally improved those developed with magnetic powder. Different parameters, including time since hand sanitizer application prior to fingermark deposition and age of deposited mark, were tested to determine the longevity of increased development quality. The non-alcoholic hand sanitized marks showed no decrease in quality when aged for up to two weeks. The time since sanitizer application was determined to be an important factor that affected the quality of non-alcoholic hand sanitized fingermarks. It was hypothesized that the active ingredient in non-alcoholic hand sanitizers, benzalkonium chloride, is responsible for the increase in fingermark development quality observed with amino acid reagents, while the increased moisture content present on the ridges resulted in better powdered fingermarks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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...
Ekmekci, Adem; Gulacar, Ozcan
2015-01-01
Science education reform emphasizes innovative and constructivist views of science teaching and learning that promotes active learning environments, dynamic instructions, and authentic science experiments. Technology-based and hands-on instructional designs are among innovative science teaching and learning methods. Research shows that these two…
Robotic Hand with Flexible Fingers for Grasping Cylindrical Objects
柴田, 瑞穂
2015-01-01
In this manuscript, a robotic hand for grasping a cylindrical object is proposed. This robotic hand has flexible fingers that can hold a cylindrical object during moving. We introduce a grasping strategy for a cylindrical object in terms of state transition graph. In this strategy the robotic hand picks up the cylindrical object utilizing a suction device before the hand grasp the object. We also design the flexible fingers; then, we investigate the validity of this robotic hand via several e...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kühl Matthias
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Focused emergency echocardiography performed by non-cardiologists has been shown to be feasible and effective in emergency situations. During resuscitation a short focused emergency echocardiography has been shown to narrow down potential differential diagnoses and to improve patient survival. Quite a large proportion of physicians are eligible to learn focused emergency echocardiography. Training in focused emergency echocardiography usually comprises a lecture, hands-on trainings in very small groups, and a practice phase. There is a shortage of experienced echocardiographers who can supervise the second step, the hands-on training. We thus investigated whether student tutors can perform the hands-on training for focused emergency echocardiography. Methods A total of 30 volunteer 4th and 5th year students were randomly assigned to a twelve-hour basic echocardiography course comprising a lecture followed by a hands-on training in small groups taught either by an expert cardiographer (EC or by a student tutor (ST. Using a pre-post-design, the students were evaluated by an OSCE. The students had to generate two still frames with the apical five-chamber view and the parasternal long axis in five minutes and to correctly mark twelve anatomical cardiac structures. Two blinded expert cardiographers rated the students’ performance using a standardized checklist. Students could achieve a maximum of 25 points. Results Both groups showed significant improvement after the training (p Conclusions Hands-on training by student tutors led to a significant gain in echocardiography skills, although inferior to teaching by an expert cardiographer.
Sung, Peng-Cheng
2014-01-01
This study examined the effects of glovebox gloves for 11 females on maximum grip and key pinch strength and on contact forces generated from simulated tasks of a roller, a pair of tweezers and a crescent wrench. The independent variables were gloves fabricated of butyl, CSM/hypalon and neoprene materials; two glove thicknesses; and layers of gloves worn including single, double and triple gloving. CSM/hypalon and butyl gloves produced greater grip strength than the neoprene gloves. CSM/hypalon gloves also lowered contact forces for roller and wrench tasks. Single gloving and thin gloves improved hand strength performances. However, triple layers lowered contact forces for all tasks. Based on the evaluating results, selection and design recommendations of gloves for three hand tools were provided to minimise the effects on hand strength and optimise protection of the palmar hand in glovebox environments. To improve safety and health in the glovebox environments where gloves usage is a necessity, this study provides recommendations for selection and design of glovebox gloves for three hand tools including a roller, a pair of tweezers and a crescent wrench based on the results discovered in the experiments.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Harold Jan R. Terano, ECE, MET
2015-11-01
Full Text Available – Instructional material is a very important tool in the teaching-learning process in a classroom situation. This is in a form of textbooks, reference texts, the chalk and blackboard, computer aided presentations and other materials that are important and useful during discussions and teachings. This study focused on the development and evaluation of an instructional material in Differential Equations for engineering programs. The simplified text with workbook in differential equations for engineering was developed for the purpose of giving the students quality material for their learning processes. The developed material was based in accordance with the minimum requirements of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED for engineering programs in the course Differential Equations. The acceptability of the material was evaluated in terms of its contents and structure and format. It was evaluated by two categories of evaluators namely, engineering professors and engineering students. The average weighted means are 4.85 in terms of the contents and 4.83 in terms of the structure and format. Based on these results, the researcher found out that the developed material is highly acceptable for use in engineering programs and responsive of the high requirement for engineering curriculum.
Development of Advanced Robotic Hand System for space application
Machida, Kazuo; Akita, Kenzo; Mikami, Tatsuo; Komada, Satoru
1994-01-01
The Advanced Robotic Hand System (ARH) is a precise telerobotics system with a semi dexterous hand for future space application. The ARH will be tested in space as one of the missions of the Engineering Tests Satellite 7 (ETS-7) which will be launched in 1997. The objectives of the ARH development are to evaluate the capability of a possible robot hand for precise and delicate tasks and to validate the related technologies implemented in the system. The ARH is designed to be controlled both from ground as a teleoperation and by locally autonomous control. This paper presents the overall system design and the functional capabilities of the ARH as well as its mission outline as the preliminary design has been completed.
Quantitative impact of direct, personal feedback on hand hygiene technique.
Lehotsky, Á; Szilágyi, L; Ferenci, T; Kovács, L; Pethes, R; Wéber, G; Haidegger, T
2015-09-01
This study investigated the effectiveness of targeting hand hygiene technique using a new training device that provides objective, personal and quantitative feedback. One hundred and thirty-six healthcare workers in three Hungarian hospitals participated in a repetitive hand hygiene technique assessment study. Ultraviolet (UV)-labelled hand rub was used at each event, and digital images of the hands were subsequently taken under UV light. Immediate objective visual feedback was given to participants, showing missed areas on their hands. The rate of inadequate hand rubbing reduced from 50% to 15% (P < 0.001). However, maintenance of this reduced rate is likely to require continuous use of the electronic equipment. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
49 CFR 236.207 - Electric lock on hand-operated switch; control.
2010-10-01
..., AND APPLIANCES Automatic Block Signal Systems Standards § 236.207 Electric lock on hand-operated switch; control. Electric lock on hand-operated switch shall be controlled so that it cannot be unlocked... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Electric lock on hand-operated switch; control...
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...
HANDS-ON MATERIALS AS INVITATION TO A FANTASY WORLD
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ejersbo, Lisser Rye
In this article I wish to introduce an innovative use of hands-on-materials, developed by Peter Müller, a Danish elementary school teacher. The hands-on material itself consists of a collection of small plastic bears in different colors and sizes, which can be used for many different purposes among...
The effect of hand dominance on martial arts strikes.
Neto, Osmar Pinto; Silva, Jansen Henrique; Marzullo, Ana Carolina de Miranda; Bolander, Richard P; Bir, Cynthia A
2012-08-01
The main goal of this study was to compare dominant and non-dominant martial arts palm strikes under different circumstances that usually happen during martial arts and combative sports applications. Seven highly experienced (10±5 years) right hand dominant Kung Fu practitioners performed strikes with both hands, stances with left or right lead legs, and with the possibility or not of stepping towards the target (moving stance). Peak force was greater for the dominant hand strikes (1593.76±703.45 N vs. 1042.28±374.16 N; p<.001), whereas no difference was found in accuracy between the hands (p=.141). Additionally, peak force was greater for the strikes with moving stance (1448.75±686.01 N vs. 1201.80±547.98 N; p=.002) and left lead leg stance (1378.06±705.48 N vs. 1269.96±547.08 N). Furthermore, the difference in peak force between strikes with moving and stationary stances was statistically significant only for the strikes performed with a left lead leg stance (p=.007). Hand speed was higher for the dominant hand strikes (5.82±1.08 m/s vs. 5.24±0.78 m/s; p=.001) and for the strikes with moving stance (5.79±1.01 m/s vs. 5.29±0.90 m/s; p<.001). The difference in hand speed between right and left hand strikes was only significant for strikes with moving stance. In summary, our results suggest that the stronger palm strike for a right-handed practitioner is a right hand strike on a left lead leg stance moving towards the target. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A Biomechanical Model for the Development of Myoelectric Hand Prosthesis Control Systems
Peerdeman, B.; van Baal, D.W.; Boere, Daphne; Kallenberg, L.A.C.; Stramigioli, Stefano; Misra, Sarthak
2010-01-01
Advanced myoelectric hand prostheses aim to reproduce as much of the human hand's functionality as possible. Development of the control system of such a prosthesis is strongly connected to its mechanical design; the control system requires accurate information on the prosthesis' structure and the
Broadband microwave frequency doubler based on left-handed nonlinear transmission lines
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Huang Jie; Gu Wenwen; Zhao Qian
2017-01-01
A bandwidth microwave second harmonic generator is successfully designed using composite right/left-handed nonlinear transmission lines (CRLH NLTLs) in a GaAs monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology. The structure parameters of CRLH NLTLs, e.g. host transmission line, rectangular spiral inductor, and nonlinear capacitor, have a great impact on the second harmonic performance enhancement in terms of second harmonic frequency, output power, and conversion efficiency. It has been experimentally demonstrated that the second harmonic frequency is determined by the anomalous dispersion of CRLH NLTLs and can be significantly improved by effectively adjusting these structure parameters. A good agreement between the measured and simulated second harmonic performances of Ka-band CRLH NLTLs frequency multipliers is successfully achieved, which further validates the design approach of frequency multipliers on CRLH NLTLs and indicates the potentials of CRLH NLTLs in terms of the generation of microwave and millimeter-wave signal source. (paper)
Network attacks and defenses a hands-on approach
Trabelsi, Zouheir; Al Braiki, Arwa; Mathew, Sujith Samuel
2012-01-01
The attacks on computers and business networks are growing daily, and the need for security professionals who understand how malfeasants perform attacks and compromise networks is a growing requirement to counter the threat. Network security education generally lacks appropriate textbooks with detailed, hands-on exercises that include both offensive and defensive techniques. Using step-by-step processes to build and generate attacks using offensive techniques, Network Attacks and Defenses: A Hands-on Approach enables students to implement appropriate network security solutions within a laborat
Farag, Mohannad; Zainul Azlan, Norsinnira; Hayyan Alsibai, Mohammed
2018-04-01
This paper presents the design and fabrication of a three-fingered anthropomorphic robotic hand. The fingers are driven by tendons and actuated by human muscle-like actuators known as Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM). The proposed design allows the actuators to be mounted outside the hand where each finger can be driven by one PAM actuator and six indirectly interlinked tendons. With this design, the three-fingered hand has a compact size and a lightweight with a mass of 150.25 grams imitating the human being hand in terms of size and weight. The hand also successfully grasped objects with different shapes and weights up to 500 g. Even though the number of PAM actuators equals the number of Degrees of Freedom (DOF), the design guarantees driving of three joints by only one actuator reducing the number of required actuators from 3 to 1. Therefore, this hand is suitable for researches of robotic applications in terms of design, cost and ability to be equipped with several types of sensors.
The effect of improved hand hygiene on nosocomial MRSA control.
Marimuthu, Kalisvar; Pittet, Didier; Harbarth, Stephan
2014-01-01
The purpose of this review is to examine studies that have assessed the association between hand hygiene enhancement and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates and to explore controversies surrounding this association. Many studies have been published confirming the link between improved hand hygiene compliance and reduction in MRSA acquisition and infections, including bacteremia. These studies have also shown the cost-beneficial nature of these programmes. Despite considerable research some issues remain unanswered still, including the temporal relationship between hand hygiene enhancement strategies and decrease in MRSA rates, association between hand hygiene enhancement and MRSA-related surgical site infections, diminishing effect of hand hygiene compliance on MRSA rates after reaching a threshold and the role of instituting contact precautions in the setting of low MRSA rates and sufficient hand hygiene compliance. In conclusion, enhancement of hand hygiene compliance has been shown to reduce MRSA rates; however, some open issues warrant further investigation.
Frohlich, Lauren; Wesley, Alison; Wallen, Margaret; Bundy, Anita
2012-01-01
Purpose: Pain associated with hypermobility of wrist and hand joints can contribute to decreased handwriting output. This study examined the effectiveness of a neoprene wrist/hand splint in reducing pain and increasing handwriting speed and endurance for students with joint hypermobility syndrome. Methods: Multiple baseline, single system design…
A study of cladding technology on tube wall surface by a hand-held laser torch
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Terada, Takaya; Nishimura, Akihiko; Oka, Kiyoshi; Moriyama, Taku; Matsuda, Hiroyasu
2015-01-01
New maintenance technique was proposed using a hand-held laser torch for aging chemical plants and power plants. The hand-held laser torch was specially designed to be able to access limited tubular space in various cases. A composite-type optical fiberscope was composed of a center fiber for beam delivery and surrounded fibers for visible image delivery. Laser irradiation on a work pieces with the best accuracy of filler wire was carried out. And, we found that the optimized wire-feed speed was 2 mm/s in laser cladding. We succeeded to make a line clad on the inner wall of 23 mm tube. This technique was discussed to be applied to the maintenance for cracks or corrosions of tubes in various harsh environments. (author)
A Prosthetic Hand Body Area Controller Based on Efficient Pattern Recognition Control Strategies.
Benatti, Simone; Milosevic, Bojan; Farella, Elisabetta; Gruppioni, Emanuele; Benini, Luca
2017-04-15
Poliarticulated prosthetic hands represent a powerful tool to restore functionality and improve quality of life for upper limb amputees. Such devices offer, on the same wearable node, sensing and actuation capabilities, which are not equally supported by natural interaction and control strategies. The control in state-of-the-art solutions is still performed mainly through complex encoding of gestures in bursts of contractions of the residual forearm muscles, resulting in a non-intuitive Human-Machine Interface (HMI). Recent research efforts explore the use of myoelectric gesture recognition for innovative interaction solutions, however there persists a considerable gap between research evaluation and implementation into successful complete systems. In this paper, we present the design of a wearable prosthetic hand controller, based on intuitive gesture recognition and a custom control strategy. The wearable node directly actuates a poliarticulated hand and wirelessly interacts with a personal gateway (i.e., a smartphone) for the training and personalization of the recognition algorithm. Through the whole system development, we address the challenge of integrating an efficient embedded gesture classifier with a control strategy tailored for an intuitive interaction between the user and the prosthesis. We demonstrate that this combined approach outperforms systems based on mere pattern recognition, since they target the accuracy of a classification algorithm rather than the control of a gesture. The system was fully implemented, tested on healthy and amputee subjects and compared against benchmark repositories. The proposed approach achieves an error rate of 1.6% in the end-to-end real time control of commonly used hand gestures, while complying with the power and performance budget of a low-cost microcontroller.
A community sharing hands-on centers in engineer's training
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
jean-pierre jpt Taboy
2006-02-01
Full Text Available As teachers in Technical Universities, we must think about the engineer's training. We need good applicants, up to date hardware and software for hand-on. Each university don't have enough money and technical people to cover the new needs. A community sharing remote hand-on centers could be a solution.
Personal Choices, Personal Power. Career Survival Kit for Teen Education and Employment.
Lindner, A. Frances
This workbook is one component of the Career Survival Kit prepared for teenage parents in Wisconsin. The workbook is designed to help teen parents identify their choices in preventing another pregnancy. It presents some thoughts about sexual decisions and responsibility. Birth control methods are described to help teens decide the best method for…
No pain relief with the rubber hand illusion.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rahul Mohan
Full Text Available The sense of body ownership can be easily disrupted during illusions and the most common illusion is the rubber hand illusion. An idea that is rapidly gaining popularity in clinical pain medicine is that body ownership illusions can be used to modify pathological pain sensations and induce analgesia. However, this idea has not been empirically evaluated. Two separate research laboratories undertook independent randomized repeated measures experiments, both designed to detect an effect of the rubber hand illusion on experimentally induced hand pain. In Experiment 1, 16 healthy volunteers rated the pain evoked by noxious heat stimuli (5 s duration; interstimulus interval 25 s of set temperatures (47°, 48° and 49°C during the rubber hand illusion or during a control condition. There was a main effect of stimulus temperature on pain ratings, but no main effect of condition (p = 0.32, nor a condition x temperature interaction (p = 0.31. In Experiment 2, 20 healthy volunteers underwent quantitative sensory testing to determine heat and cold pain thresholds during the rubber hand illusion or during a control condition. Secondary analyses involved heat and cold detection thresholds and paradoxical heat sensations. Again, there was no main effect of condition on heat pain threshold (p = 0.17, nor on cold pain threshold (p = 0.65, nor on any of the secondary measures (p<0.56 for all. We conclude that the rubber hand illusion does not induce analgesia.
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.
A quantitative assessment method for Ascaris eggs on hands
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jeandron, Aurelie; Ensink, Jeroen H. J.; Thamsborg, Stig Milan
2014-01-01
The importance of hands in the transmission of soil transmitted helminths, especially Ascaris and Trichuris infections, is under-researched. This is partly because of the absence of a reliable method to quantify the number of eggs on hands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a method...... to assess the number of Ascaris eggs on hands and determine the egg recovery rate of the method. Under laboratory conditions, hands were seeded with a known number of Ascaris eggs, air dried and washed in a plastic bag retaining the washing water, in order to determine recovery rates of eggs for four...... different detergents (cationic [benzethonium chloride 0.1% and cetylpyridinium chloride CPC 0.1%], anionic [7X 1% - quadrafos, glycol ether, and dioctyl sulfoccinate sodium salt] and non-ionic [Tween80 0.1% -polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate]) and two egg detection methods (McMaster technique...
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.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jakob Hohwy
2010-02-01
Full Text Available In rubber hand illusions and full body illusions, touch sensations are projected to non-body objects such as rubber hands, dolls or virtual bodies. The robustness, limits and further perceptual consequences of such illusions are not yet fully explored or understood. A number of experiments are reported that test the limits of a variant of the rubber hand illusion.A variant of the rubber hand illusion is explored, in which the real and foreign hands are aligned in personal space. The presence of the illusion is ascertained with participants' scores and temperature changes of the real arm. This generates a basic illusion of touch projected to a foreign arm. Participants are presented with further, unusual visuotactile stimuli subsequent to onset of the basic illusion. Such further visuotactile stimulation is found to generate very unusual experiences of supernatural touch and touch on a non-hand object. The finding of touch on a non-hand object conflicts with prior findings, and to resolve this conflict a further hypothesis is successfully tested: that without prior onset of the basic illusion this unusual experience does not occur.A rubber hand illusion is found that can arise when the real and the foreign arm are aligned in personal space. This illusion persists through periods of no tactile stimulation and is strong enough to allow very unusual experiences of touch felt on a cardboard box and experiences of touch produced at a distance, as if by supernatural causation. These findings suggest that one's visual body image is explained away during experience of the illusion and they may be of further importance to understanding the role of experience in delusion formation. The findings of touch on non-hand objects may help reconcile conflicting results in this area of research. In addition, new evidence is provided that relates to the recently discovered psychologically induced temperature changes that occur during the illusion.
Telescope Construction: A Hands-On Approach to Astronomy Education
Sarrazine, Angela R.; Albin, E.
2009-01-01
We report on a popular semester-long telescope making course offered at Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, GA. The program is tailored for junior / senior level high school students and incorporates the current educational performance standards for the state of Georgia. This course steps out of the traditional classroom environment and allows students to explore optics and astronomical concepts by constructing their own telescopes. Student telescopes follow the classic six-inch f/8 Newtonian reflector design, which has proven to be a good compromise between portability and aperture. Participants meet for a few hours, twice weekly, to build their telescopes. Over the course of the semester, raw one-inch thick Pyrex mirror blanks are ground, polished, and figured by hand into precision telescope objectives. Along the way, students are introduced to the Ronchi and Foucault methods for testing optics and once figured, completed mirrors are then chemically silvered. A plywood Dobsonian-style base is built and eventually mated with an optical tube made from a standard eight-inch concrete form tube or sonotube. An evening of star testing the optics and observation is planned at the end of the semester to insure the proper operation of each telescope. In summary, we believe that a hands-on approach to the understanding and use of optical telescopes is a great way not only to instill enthusiasm among students for the night sky, but may perhaps inspire the next generation of professional telescope makers.
Hand Specific Representations in Language Comprehension
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Claire eMoody-Triantis
2014-06-01
Full Text Available Theories of embodied cognition argue that language comprehension involves sensory-motor re-enactments of the actions described. However, the degree of specificity of these re-enactments as well as the relationship between action and language remains a matter of debate. Here we investigate these issues by examining how hand-specific information (left or right hand is recruited in language comprehension and action execution. An fMRI study tested right-handed participants in two separate tasks that were designed to be as similar as possible to increase sensitivity of the comparison across task: an action execution go/no-go task where participants performed right or left hand actions, and a language task where participants read sentences describing the same left or right handed actions as in the execution task. We found that language-induced activity did not match the hand-specific patterns of activity found for action execution in primary somatosensory and motor cortex, but it overlapped with pre-motor and parietal regions associated with action planning. Within these pre-motor regions, both right hand actions and sentences elicited stronger activity than left hand actions and sentences - a dominant hand effect -. Importantly, both dorsal and ventral sections of the left pre-central gyrus were recruited by both tasks, suggesting different action features being recruited. These results suggest that (a language comprehension elicits motor representations that are hand-specific and akin to multimodal action plans, rather than full action re-enactments; and (b language comprehension and action execution share schematic hand-specific representations that are richer for the dominant hand, and thus linked to previous motor experience.
Hand specific representations in language comprehension.
Moody-Triantis, Claire; Humphreys, Gina F; Gennari, Silvia P
2014-01-01
Theories of embodied cognition argue that language comprehension involves sensory-motor re-enactments of the actions described. However, the degree of specificity of these re-enactments as well as the relationship between action and language remains a matter of debate. Here we investigate these issues by examining how hand-specific information (left or right hand) is recruited in language comprehension and action execution. An fMRI study tested self-reported right-handed participants in two separate tasks that were designed to be as similar as possible to increase sensitivity of the comparison across task: an action execution go/no-go task where participants performed right or left hand actions, and a language task where participants read sentences describing the same left or right handed actions as in the execution task. We found that language-induced activity did not match the hand-specific patterns of activity found for action execution in primary somatosensory and motor cortex, but it overlapped with pre-motor and parietal regions associated with action planning. Within these pre-motor regions, both right hand actions and sentences elicited stronger activity than left hand actions and sentences-a dominant hand effect. Importantly, both dorsal and ventral sections of the left pre-central gyrus were recruited by both tasks, suggesting different action features being recruited. These results suggest that (a) language comprehension elicits motor representations that are hand-specific and akin to multimodal action plans, rather than full action re-enactments; and (b) language comprehension and action execution share schematic hand-specific representations that are richer for the dominant hand, and thus linked to previous motor experience.
The International Registry on Hand and Composite Tissue Transplantation.
Petruzzo, Palmina; Lanzetta, Marco; Dubernard, Jean-Michel; Landin, Luis; Cavadas, Pedro; Margreiter, Raimund; Schneeberger, Stephan; Breidenbach, Warren; Kaufman, Christina; Jablecki, Jerzy; Schuind, Frédéric; Dumontier, Christian
2010-12-27
The International Registry on Hand and Composite Tissue Transplantation was founded in May 2002, and the analysis of all cases with follow-up information up to July 2010 is presented here. From September 1998 to July 2010, 49 hands (17 unilateral and 16 bilateral hand transplantations, including 1 case of bilateral arm transplantation) have been reported, for a total of 33 patients. They were 31 men and 2 women (median age 32 years). Time since hand loss ranged from 2 months to 34 years, and in 46% of cases, the level of amputation was at wrist. Immunosuppressive therapy included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, sirolimus, and steroids; polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies were used for induction. Topical immunosuppression was also used in several cases. Follow-up ranges from 1 month to 11 years. One patient died on day 65. Three patients transplanted in the Western countries have lost their graft, whereas until September 2009, seven hand grafts were removed for noncompliance to the immunosuppressive therapy in China. Eighty-five percent of recipients experienced at least one episode of acute rejection within the first year, and they were reversible when promptly treated. Side effects included opportunistic infections, metabolic complications, and malignancies. All patients developed protective sensibility, 90% of them developed tactile sensibility, and 82.3% also developed a discriminative sensibility. Motor recovery enabled patients to perform most daily activities. Hand transplantation is a complex procedure, and its success is based on patient's compliance and his or her careful evaluation before and after transplantation.
Structural Integration and Control of Peerless Human-like Prosthetic Hand
Dave, Ankit; Muthu, P.; Karthikraj, V.; Latha, S.
2018-04-01
Limb damage can create severe disturbance in movement and operative abilities wherein the prosthetic rehabilitation has the potential to replace function and enhance the quality of life. This paper presents a humanlike prosthetic hand using such unique design concept of hand model using artificial bones, ligaments, and tendons controlled using Arduino. Amongst various platforms available, Arduino is known for its adaptability, adoration and low cost. The design of prosthetic hand has a unique structure with all carpal, metacarpal, and phalanges which are bones of the hand. These bones are attached to each other following the pattern of human hand using the polymeric rubber as a functioning ligament. Furthermore, this structure of finger is driven by tendons attached to all fingers and passes through the ligaments working as pulley resulting in more degrees of freedom. The motor can twitch the tendons to achieve the action of fingers. Thus the servos, controlled by an Arduino, are used to regulate the movement mechanism of the prosthetic hand.
2014-01-01
Background Hand hygiene is considered one of the most important infection control measures in human healthcare settings, but there is little information available regarding hand hygiene frequency and technique used in veterinary clinics. The objectives of this study were to describe hand hygiene practices associated with routine appointments in companion animal clinics in Ontario, and the effectiveness of a poster campaign to improve hand hygiene compliance. Results Observation of hand hygiene practices was performed in 51 clinics for approximately 3 weeks each using 2 small wireless surveillance cameras: one in an exam room, and one in the most likely location for hand hygiene to be performed outside the exam room following an appointment. Data from 38 clinics were included in the final analysis, including 449 individuals, 1139 appointments before and after the poster intervention, and 10894 hand hygiene opportunities. Overall hand hygiene compliance was 14% (1473/10894), while before and after patient contact compliance was 3% (123/4377) and 26% (1145/4377), respectively. Soap and water was used for 87% (1182/1353) of observed hand hygiene attempts with a mean contact time of 4 s (median 2 s, range 1-49 s), while alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) was used for 7% (98/1353) of attempts with a mean contact time of 8 s (median 7 s, range 1-30 s). The presence of the posters had no significant effect on compliance, although some staff reported that they felt the posters did increase their personal awareness of the need to perform hand hygiene, and the posters had some effect on product contact times. Conclusions Overall hand hygiene compliance in veterinary clinics in this study was low, and contact time with hand hygiene products was frequently below current recommendations. Use of ABHR was low despite its advantages over hand washing and availability in the majority of clinics. The poster campaign had a limited effect on its own, but could still be used as a
... 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( ...
Al-Tawfiq, Jaffar A; Pittet, Didier
2013-01-01
Although hand hygiene is the most effective method for preventing healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene practice falls short in many healthcare facilities. The compliance rate is mostly linked to system design and easily accessible hand hygiene products. System change, healthcare worker motivation, and complex behavioral considerations seem to play a significant role. This article discusses the application of behavioral theories in hand hygiene promotion in a theoretical manner. The program relies on the transtheoretical model (TTM) of health behavior change, John Keller's (ARCS) Model of Motivational Design, and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Thus, the program links attitudes and behavior to hand hygiene promotion. The TTM of health behavior change helps to tailor interventions to predict and motivate individual movement across the pathway to change. A program could be based on this theory with multiple intercalations with John Keller's ARCS and the TPB. Such a program could be strengthened by linking attitudes and behavior to promote hand hygiene. The program could utilize different strategies such as organization cultural change that may increase the attention as well as fostering the movement in the ARCS stages. In addition, modeling TPB by creating peer pressure, ability to overcome obstacles, and increasing knowledge of the role of hand hygiene may lead to the desired outcome. The understanding and application of behavior change theories may result in an effective program to improve awareness and raise intention and thus may increase the potential for success of hand hygiene promotion programs.
Saturday Subway Ride: A Report on the Initial Tryout.
Quilling, Mary R.; And Others
"Saturday Subway Ride," a program designed to teach pupils creative thinking techniques and positive attitudes toward creative ideas, is a 92-page workbook in a story-exercise format. Secondary objectives for the product include improving verbal fluency and creative writing. Three classrooms 61 sixth graders and 34 fifth graders at two…
Optimizing pattern recognition-based control for partial-hand prosthesis application.
Earley, Eric J; Adewuyi, Adenike A; Hargrove, Levi J
2014-01-01
Partial-hand amputees often retain good residual wrist motion, which is essential for functional activities involving use of the hand. Thus, a crucial design criterion for a myoelectric, partial-hand prosthesis control scheme is that it allows the user to retain residual wrist motion. Pattern recognition (PR) of electromyographic (EMG) signals is a well-studied method of controlling myoelectric prostheses. However, wrist motion degrades a PR system's ability to correctly predict hand-grasp patterns. We studied the effects of (1) window length and number of hand-grasps, (2) static and dynamic wrist motion, and (3) EMG muscle source on the ability of a PR-based control scheme to classify functional hand-grasp patterns. Our results show that training PR classifiers with both extrinsic and intrinsic muscle EMG yields a lower error rate than training with either group by itself (pgrasps available to the classifier significantly decrease classification error (pgrasp.
Choices of Pre-Service Science Teachers Laboratory Environments: Hands-on or Hands-off?
Kapici, Hasan Ozgur; Akcay, Hakan
2018-01-01
Learning in laboratories for students is not only crucial for conceptual understanding, but also contributes to gaining scientific reasoning skills. Following fast developments in technology, online laboratory environments have been improved considerably and nowadays form an attractive alternative for hands-on laboratories. The study was done in…
Soft robotic devices for hand rehabilitation and assistance: a narrative review.
Chu, Chia-Ye; Patterson, Rita M
2018-02-17
The debilitating effects on hand function from a number of a neurologic disorders has given rise to the development of rehabilitative robotic devices aimed at restoring hand function in these patients. To combat the shortcomings of previous traditional robotics, soft robotics are rapidly emerging as an alternative due to their inherent safety, less complex designs, and increased potential for portability and efficacy. While several groups have begun designing devices, there are few devices that have progressed enough to provide clinical evidence of their design's therapeutic abilities. Therefore, a global review of devices that have been previously attempted could facilitate the development of new and improved devices in the next step towards obtaining clinical proof of the rehabilitative effects of soft robotics in hand dysfunction. A literature search was performed in SportDiscus, Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science for articles related to the design of soft robotic devices for hand rehabilitation. A framework of the key design elements of the devices was developed to ease the comparison of the various approaches to building them. This framework includes an analysis of the trends in portability, safety features, user intent detection methods, actuation systems, total DOF, number of independent actuators, device weight, evaluation metrics, and modes of rehabilitation. In this study, a total of 62 articles representing 44 unique devices were identified and summarized according to the framework we developed to compare different design aspects. By far, the most common type of device was that which used a pneumatic actuator to guide finger flexion/extension. However, the remainder of our framework elements yielded more heterogeneous results. Consequently, those results are summarized and the advantages and disadvantages of many design choices as well as their rationales were highlighted. The past 3 years has seen a rapid increase in the development of soft robotic
Workbook on Identification of Aedes Aegypti Larvae.
Pratt, Harry D.; And Others
This self-instructional booklet is designed to enable yellow fever control workers to identify the larvae of "Aedes aegypti." The morphological features of mosquito larvae are illustrated in this partially programed text, and the distinguishing features of "A. aegypti" indicated. A glossary is included. (AL)
Impact of a hospital-wide hand hygiene promotion strategy on healthcare-associated infections.
Ling, Moi Lin; How, Kue Bien
2012-03-23
During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, high compliance in healthcare workers to hand hygiene was primarily driven by fear. However, the post-SARS period confirmed that this practice was not sustainable. At the Singapore General Hospital, a 1,600-bedded acute tertiary care hospital, the hand hygiene program was revised in early 2007 following Singapore's signing of the pledge to the World Health Organization (WHO) "Clean Care is Safer Care" program. A multi-prong approach was used in designing the hand hygiene program. This included system change; training and education; evaluation and feedback; reminders in the workplace; and institutional safety climate. Hand hygiene compliance rate improved from 20% (in January 2007) to 61% (2010). Improvement was also seen annually in the compliance to each of the 5 moments as well as in all staff categories. Healthcare-associated MRSA infections were reduced from 0.6 (2007) to 0.3 (2010) per 1000 patient-days. Leadership's support of the program evidenced through visible leadership presence, messaging and release of resources is the key factor in helping to make the program a true success. The hospital was recognised as a Global Hand Hygiene Expert Centre in January 2011. The WHO multi-prong interventions work in improving compliance and reducing healthcare associated infections.
Effects of Age and Gender on Hand Motion Tasks
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wing Lok Au
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Objective. Wearable and wireless motion sensor devices have facilitated the automated computation of speed, amplitude, and rhythm of hand motion tasks. The aim of this study is to determine if there are any biological influences on these kinematic parameters. Methods. 80 healthy subjects performed hand motion tasks twice for each hand, with movements measured using a wireless motion sensor device (Kinesia, Cleveland Medical Devices Inc., Cleveland, OH. Multivariate analyses were performed with age, gender, and height added into the model. Results. Older subjects performed poorer in finger tapping (FT speed (r=0.593, p<0.001, hand-grasp (HG speed (r=0.517, p<0.001, and pronation-supination (PS speed (r=0.485, p<0.001. Men performed better in FT rhythm p<0.02, HG speed p<0.02, HG amplitude p<0.02, and HG rhythm p<0.05. Taller subjects performed better in the speed and amplitude components of FT p<0.02 and HG tasks p<0.02. After multivariate analyses, only age and gender emerged as significant independent factors influencing the speed but not the amplitude and rhythm components of hand motion tasks. Gender exerted an independent influence only on HG speed, with better performance in men p<0.05. Conclusions. Age, gender, and height are not independent factors influencing the amplitude and rhythm components of hand motion tasks. The speed component is affected by age and gender differences.
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.
Teachers' Perspectives on Online Virtual Labs vs. Hands-On Labs in High School Science
Bohr, Teresa M.
This study of online science teachers' opinions addressed the use of virtual labs in online courses. A growing number of schools use virtual labs that must meet mandated laboratory standards to ensure they provide learning experiences comparable to hands-on labs, which are an integral part of science curricula. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs. The theoretical foundation was constructivism, as labs provide student-centered activities for problem solving, inquiry, and exploration of phenomena. The research questions focused on experienced teachers' perceptions of the quality of virtual vs. hands-on labs. Data were collected through survey questions derived from the lab objectives of The Next Generation Science Standards . Eighteen teachers rated the degree of importance of each objective and also rated how they felt virtual labs met these objectives; these ratings were reported using descriptive statistics. Responses to open-ended questions were few and served to illustrate the numerical results. Many teachers stated that virtual labs are valuable supplements but could not completely replace hands-on experiences. Studies on the quality and effectiveness of high school virtual labs are limited despite widespread use. Comprehensive studies will ensure that online students have equal access to quality labs. School districts need to define lab requirements, and colleges need to specify the lab experience they require. This study has potential to inspire positive social change by assisting science educators, including those in the local school district, in evaluating and selecting courseware designed to promote higher order thinking skills, real-world problem solving, and development of strong inquiry skills, thereby improving science instruction for all high school students.
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.
Harvey, Lisa A; Dunlop, Sarah A; Churilov, Leonid; Hsueh, Ya-Seng Arthur; Galea, Mary P
2011-01-17
Loss of hand function is one of the most devastating consequences of spinal cord injury. Intensive hand training provided on an instrumented exercise workstation in conjunction with functional electrical stimulation may enhance neural recovery and hand function. The aim of this trial is to compare usual care with an 8-week program of intensive hand training and functional electrical stimulation. A multicentre randomised controlled trial will be undertaken. Seventy-eight participants with recent tetraplegia (C2 to T1 motor complete or incomplete) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation will be recruited from seven spinal cord injury units in Australia and New Zealand and will be randomised to a control or experimental group. Control participants will receive usual care. Experimental participants will receive usual care and an 8-week program of intensive unilateral hand training using an instrumented exercise workstation and functional electrical stimulation. Participants will drive the functional electrical stimulation of their target hands via a behind-the-ear bluetooth device, which is sensitive to tooth clicks. The bluetooth device will enable the use of various manipulanda to practice functional activities embedded within computer-based games and activities. Training will be provided for one hour, 5 days per week, during the 8-week intervention period. The primary outcome is the Action Research Arm Test. Secondary outcomes include measurements of strength, sensation, function, quality of life and cost effectiveness. All outcomes will be taken at baseline, 8 weeks, 6 months and 12 months by assessors blinded to group allocation. Recruitment commenced in December 2009. The results of this trial will determine the effectiveness of an 8-week program of intensive hand training with functional electrical stimulation. NCT01086930 (12th March 2010)ACTRN12609000695202 (12th August 2009).
Security enhancement of hand geometry scanners using optical blood flow detection
Crihalmeanu, Musat C.; Jerabek, Mark A.; Meehan, Kathleen
2004-08-01
In today's security conscious society the efficiency of biometric systems has an increasing tendency to replace the classic but less effective keys and passwords. Hand geometry readers are popular biometrics used for acces control and time and attendance applications. One of their weaknesses is vulnerability to spoofing using fake hands (latex, play-doh or dead-hands). The object of this paper is to design a feature to be added to the hand geometry scanner in order to detect vitality in the hand, reducing the possibilities for spoofing. This paper demonstrates how the hand reader was successfully spoofed and shows the implementation of the vitality detection feature through an inexpensive but efficient electronic design. The method used for detection is photo-plethysmography. The Reflectance Sensor built is of original conception. After amplifying, filtering and processing the sensor's signal, a message is shown via an LCD display, concerning the liveness of the hand and the pulse rate.
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.
Modeling and control of an anthropomorphic robotic hand
Bensalah, Choukri
2016-01-01
Mención Europea en el título de doctor This thesis presents methods and tools for enabling the successful use of robotic hands. For highly dexterous and/or anthropomorphic robotic hands, these methods have to share some common goals, such as overcoming the potential complexity of the mechanical design and the ability of performing accurate tasks with low and efficient computational cost. A prerequisite for dexterity is to increase the workspace of the robotic hand. For th...
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.
Information booklet on personal protective equipment: arm and hand protection
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1992-01-01
Fire, heat, cold, electro-magnetic and ionising radiation, electricity, chemicals, impacts, cuts, abrasion, etc. are the common hazards for arms and hands at work. The gloves chosen for protection of the arm and hand should cover those parts adequately and the material of the gloves should be capable of offering protection against the specific hazard involved. Criteria for choosing arm and hand protection equipment will be based on their shape and part of the arm and hand protected. Guide lines for choosing such personal protection equipment for nuclear facilities are given. (M.K.V.). 3 annexures, 1 appendix
Fallahi, Ali Asghar; Jadidian, Ali Akbar
2011-01-01
It has been suggested that athletes with longer fingers and larger hand surfaces enjoy stronger grip power. Therefore, some researchers have examined a number of factors and anthropometric variables that explain this issue. To our knowledge, the data is scarce. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hand dimensions, hand shape and some anthropometric characteristics on handgrip strength in male grip athletes and non-athletes. 80 subjects aged between 19 and 29 participated in this study in two groups including: national and collegian grip athletes (n=40), and non-athletes (n=40). Body height and mass were measured to calculate body mass index. The shape of the dominant hand was drawn on a piece of paper with a thin marker so that finger spans, finger lengths, and perimeters of the hand could be measured. The hand shape was estimated as the ratio of the hand width to hand length. Handgrip strength was measured in the dominant and non-dominant hand using a standard dynamometer. Descriptive statistics were used for each variable and independent t test was used to analyze the differences between the two groups. The Pearson correlation coefficient test was used to evaluate the correlation between studied variables. Also, to predict important variables in handgrip strength, the linear trend was assessed using a linear regression analysis. There was a significant difference between the two groups in absolute handgrip strength (p0.05) were significantly different between the groups (ptalent identification in handgrip-related sports and in clinical settings as well. PMID:23486361
Rai, Herleen; Knighton, Shanina; Zabarsky, Trina F; Donskey, Curtis J
2017-05-01
We conducted a randomized trial of a simple educational intervention encouraging patients to perform hand hygiene at 5 specific moments, including on entry of health care personnel into their room as a reminder of the importance of hand hygiene. The intervention resulted in a significant increase in patient hand hygiene. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Using mockups for hands-on training
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Morris, A.R.
1991-01-01
The presentation of Using Mockups for Hands-on Training will be a slide presentation showing slides of mockups that are used by the Westinghouse Hanford Company in Maintenance Training activities. This presentation will compare mockups to actual plant equipment. It will explain the advantages and disadvantages of using mockups. The presentation will show students using the mockups in the classroom environment and slides of the actual plant equipment. The presentation will discuss performance-based training. This part of the presentation will show slides of students doing hands-on training on aerial lifts, fork trucks, and crane and rigging applications. Also shown are mockups that are used for basic hydraulics; hydraulic torquing; refrigeration and air conditioning; valve seat repair; safety relief valve training; and others. The presentation will discuss functional duplicate equipment and simulated nonfunctional equipment. The presentation will discuss the acquisition of mockups from spare parts inventory or from excess parts inventory. The presentation will show attendees how the mockups are used to enhance the training of the Hanford Site employees and how similar mockups could be used throughout the nuclear industry
Design and Characterization of Hand Module for Whole-Arm Rehabilitation Following Stroke
Masia, L.; Krebs, Hermano Igo; Cappa, P.; Hogan, N.
2009-01-01
In 1991, a novel robot named MIT-MANUS was introduced as a test bed to study the potential of using robots to assist in and quantify the neurorehabilitation of motor function. It introduced a new modality of therapy, offering a highly backdrivable experience with a soft and stable feel for the user. MIT-MANUS proved an excellent fit for shoulder and elbow rehabilitation in stroke patients, showing a reduction of impairment in clinical trials with well over 300 stroke patients. The greatest impairment reduction was observed in the group of muscles exercised. This suggests a need for additional robots to rehabilitate other target areas of the body. Previous work has expanded the planar MIT-MANUS to include an antigravity robot for shoulder and elbow, and a wrist robot. In this paper we present the “missing link”: a hand robot. It consists of a single-degree-of-freedom (DOF) mechanism in a novel statorless configuration, which enables rehabilitation of grasping. The system uses the kinematic configuration of a double crank and slider where the members are linked to stator and rotor; a free base motor, i.e., a motor having two rotors that are free to rotate instead of a fixed stator and a single rotatable rotor (dual-rotor statorless motor). A cylindrical structure, made of six panels and driven by the relative rotation of the rotors, is able to increase its radius linearly, moving or guiding the hand of the patients during grasping. This module completes our development of robots for the upper extremity, yielding for the first time a whole-arm rehabilitation experience. In this paper, we will discuss in detail the design and characterization of the device. PMID:20228969
Hand posture effects on handedness recognition as revealed by the Simon effect
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Allan P Lameira
2009-11-01
Full Text Available We investigated the influence of hand posture in handedness recognition, while varying the spatial correspondence between stimulus and response in a modified Simon task. Drawings of the left and right hands were displayed either in a back or palm view while participants discriminated stimulus handedness by pressing left/right keys with their hands resting either in a prone or supine posture. As a control, subjects performed a regular Simon task using simple geometric shapes as stimuli. Results showed that when hands were in a prone posture, the spatially corresponding trials (i.e., stimulus and response located on the same side were faster than the non-corresponding trials (i.e., stimulus and response on opposite sides. In contrast, for the supine posture, there was no difference between corresponding and non-corresponding trials. The control experiment with the regular Simon task showed that the posture of the responding hand had no influence on performance. When the stimulus is the drawing of a hand, however, the posture of the responding hand affects the spatial correspondence effect because response location is coded based on multiple reference points, including the body of the hand.
Effects of hyperthyroidism on hand grip strength and function.
Erkol İnal, Esra; Çarlı, Alparslan Bayram; Çanak, Sultan; Aksu, Oğuzhan; Köroğlu, Banu Kale; Savaş, Serpil
2015-01-01
Hyperthyroidism is a pathologic condition in which the body is exposed to excessive amounts of circulating thyroid hormones. Skeletal muscle is one of the major target organs of thyroid hormones. We evaluated hand grip strength and function in patients with overt hyperthyroidism. Fifty-one patients newly diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and 44 healthy controls participated in this study. Age, height, weight, and dominant hand of all participants were recorded. The diagnosis of hyperthyroidism was confirmed by clinical examination and laboratory tests. Hand grip strength was tested at the dominant hand with a Jamar hand dynamometer. The grooved pegboard test (PGT) was used to evaluate hand dexterity. The Duruöz Hand Index (DHI) was used to assess hand function. No significant differences were found in terms of clinical and demographic findings between the patients with hyperthyroidism and healthy controls (p > 0.05). Significant differences were found between the patients with hyperthyroidism and healthy controls regarding PGT and DHI scores (p Hyperthyroidism seemed to affect hand dexterity and function more than hand grip strength and seemed to be associated with reduced physical function more than muscle strength. This may also indicate that patients with hyperthyroidism should be evaluated by multidisplinary modalities.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
I. Badawi
2016-12-01
Full Text Available The goal of this study was to develop an innovative and creative hands-on project based on Lean Six Sigma experiments for engineering education at the College of Engineering at the University of Hail. The exercises were designed using junction box assembly to meet the following learning outcomes: 1-to provide students with solid experience on waste elimination and variation reduction and 2-to engage students in exercises related to assembly line mass production and motion study. To achieve these objectives, students were introduced to the principles of Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma through various pedagogical activities such as classroom instruction, laboratory experiments, hands-on exercises, and interactive group work. In addition, Minitab 17 statistical package and Quality Companion 3 software were used to facilitate The Lean Six Sigma exercises. The software application and hands-on manufacturing assembly were found to be extremely valuable in giving students the chance to identify which variables to control in order to minimize variation and eliminate waste. This research was funded by a grant from the Deanship of Academic Research at University of Hail for project number E-26-IC, and under the umbrella of Ministry of Education within the framework of the National Initiative on Creativity and Innovation in Saudi Universities at University of Hail.
... 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 ...
Edmonds, Sarah L; Mann, James; McCormack, Robert R; Macinga, David R; Fricker, Christopher M; Arbogast, James W; Dolan, Michael J
2010-12-01
The risk of inadequate hand hygiene in food handling settings is exacerbated when water is limited or unavailable, thereby making washing with soap and water difficult. The SaniTwice method involves application of excess alcohol-based hand sanitizer (ABHS), hand "washing" for 15 s, and thorough cleaning with paper towels while hands are still wet, followed by a standard application of ABHS. This study investigated the effectiveness of the SaniTwice methodology as an alternative to hand washing for cleaning and removal of microorganisms. On hands moderately soiled with beef broth containing Escherichia coli (ATCC 11229), washing with a nonantimicrobial hand washing product achieved a 2.86 (±0.64)-log reduction in microbial contamination compared with the baseline, whereas the SaniTwice method with 62 % ethanol (EtOH) gel, 62 % EtOH foam, and 70 % EtOH advanced formula gel achieved reductions of 2.64 ± 0.89, 3.64 ± 0.57, and 4.61 ± 0.33 log units, respectively. When hands were heavily soiled from handling raw hamburger containing E. coli, washing with nonantimicrobial hand washing product and antimicrobial hand washing product achieved reductions of 2.65 ± 0.33 and 2.69 ± 0.32 log units, respectively, whereas SaniTwice with 62 % EtOH foam, 70 % EtOH gel, and 70 % EtOH advanced formula gel achieved reductions of 2.87 ± 0.42, 2.99 ± 0.51, and 3.92 ± 0.65 log units, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that the in vivo antibacterial efficacy of the SaniTwice regimen with various ABHS is equivalent to or exceeds that of the standard hand washing approach as specified in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Code. Implementation of the SaniTwice regimen in food handling settings with limited water availability should significantly reduce the risk of foodborne infections resulting from inadequate hand hygiene.
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.
Sunkesula, Venkata C K; Kundrapu, Sirisha; Knighton, Shanina; Cadnum, Jennifer L; Donskey, Curtis J
2017-05-01
We conducted a non-blinded randomized trial to determine the impact of a patient hand-hygiene intervention on contamination of hospitalized patients' hands with healthcare-associated pathogens. Among patients with negative hand cultures on admission, recovery of pathogens from hands was significantly reduced in those receiving the intervention versus those receiving standard care. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:595-597.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anatolie Coșciug
2017-12-01
Full Text Available Certain features of imported second-hand cars (e.g., age, degree of wear and tear, technical design can increase their likelihood for traffic crashes. Three official datasets which cover an eight year period (2008–2015 are used to test the connection between importation of second-hand cars and different types of traffic crashes. The traffic crashes database was provided by the Traffic Department of the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (GIRPTD. The car registration database was provided by Driving-License and Vehicles-Registration Direction (DLVRD. Right-hand driving (RHD cars database was provided by the Romanian Automotive Registry (RAR. A spatio-temporal visualization of data was performed using Geographic Information System (GIS while for the statistical analysis we use regression models and Pearson-Correlation-coefficient. The analysis suggests that a significant part of the variation in the volume of traffic accidents can be explained by the volume of imported second-hand cars at the county level. Moreover, an even stronger direct relation exists between the number of imported second-hand cars and Severe Traffic Accidents but also in the case of RHD imported second-hand cars. The overall impact of imported second-hand cars on the traffic safety in Romania is significant but small in comparison to other types of car registration. Study results belong to the category of empirical evidence production which can improve the quality of existing traffic regulations focused both on organizing and ensuring traffic safety, and on the policy of sustainable transport infrastructure development.
White, Cindy; Kolble, Robin; Carlson, Rebecca; Lipson, Natasha
2005-01-01
Hand hygiene is a key element in preventing the transmission of cold and flu viruses. The authors conducted an experimental-control design study in 4 campus residence halls to determine whether a message campaign about hand hygiene and the availability of gel hand sanitizer could decrease cold and flu illness and school and work absenteeism. Their…
Development and pilot testing of HEXORR: Hand EXOskeleton Rehabilitation Robot
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Godfrey Sasha B
2010-07-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Following acute therapeutic interventions, the majority of stroke survivors are left with a poorly functioning hemiparetic hand. Rehabilitation robotics has shown promise in providing patients with intensive therapy leading to functional gains. Because of the hand's crucial role in performing activities of daily living, attention to hand therapy has recently increased. Methods This paper introduces a newly developed Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot (HEXORR. This device has been designed to provide full range of motion (ROM for all of the hand's digits. The thumb actuator allows for variable thumb plane of motion to incorporate different degrees of extension/flexion and abduction/adduction. Compensation algorithms have been developed to improve the exoskeleton's backdrivability by counteracting gravity, stiction and kinetic friction. We have also designed a force assistance mode that provides extension assistance based on each individual's needs. A pilot study was conducted on 9 unimpaired and 5 chronic stroke subjects to investigate the device's ability to allow physiologically accurate hand movements throughout the full ROM. The study also tested the efficacy of the force assistance mode with the goal of increasing stroke subjects' active ROM while still requiring active extension torque on the part of the subject. Results For 12 of the hand digits'15 joints in neurologically normal subjects, there were no significant ROM differences (P > 0.05 between active movements performed inside and outside of HEXORR. Interjoint coordination was examined in the 1st and 3rd digits, and no differences were found between inside and outside of the device (P > 0.05. Stroke subjects were capable of performing free hand movements inside of the exoskeleton and the force assistance mode was successful in increasing active ROM by 43 ± 5% (P Conclusions Our pilot study shows that this device is capable of moving the hand's digits through
Development and pilot testing of HEXORR: Hand EXOskeleton Rehabilitation Robot
2010-01-01
Background Following acute therapeutic interventions, the majority of stroke survivors are left with a poorly functioning hemiparetic hand. Rehabilitation robotics has shown promise in providing patients with intensive therapy leading to functional gains. Because of the hand's crucial role in performing activities of daily living, attention to hand therapy has recently increased. Methods This paper introduces a newly developed Hand Exoskeleton Rehabilitation Robot (HEXORR). This device has been designed to provide full range of motion (ROM) for all of the hand's digits. The thumb actuator allows for variable thumb plane of motion to incorporate different degrees of extension/flexion and abduction/adduction. Compensation algorithms have been developed to improve the exoskeleton's backdrivability by counteracting gravity, stiction and kinetic friction. We have also designed a force assistance mode that provides extension assistance based on each individual's needs. A pilot study was conducted on 9 unimpaired and 5 chronic stroke subjects to investigate the device's ability to allow physiologically accurate hand movements throughout the full ROM. The study also tested the efficacy of the force assistance mode with the goal of increasing stroke subjects' active ROM while still requiring active extension torque on the part of the subject. Results For 12 of the hand digits'15 joints in neurologically normal subjects, there were no significant ROM differences (P > 0.05) between active movements performed inside and outside of HEXORR. Interjoint coordination was examined in the 1st and 3rd digits, and no differences were found between inside and outside of the device (P > 0.05). Stroke subjects were capable of performing free hand movements inside of the exoskeleton and the force assistance mode was successful in increasing active ROM by 43 ± 5% (P < 0.001) and 24 ± 6% (P = 0.041) for the fingers and thumb, respectively. Conclusions Our pilot study shows that this device
Impact of a hospital-wide hand hygiene promotion strategy on healthcare-associated infections
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ling Moi Lin
2012-03-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS outbreak, high compliance in healthcare workers to hand hygiene was primarily driven by fear. However, the post-SARS period confirmed that this practice was not sustainable. At the Singapore General Hospital, a 1,600-bedded acute tertiary care hospital, the hand hygiene program was revised in early 2007 following Singapore's signing of the pledge to the World Health Organization (WHO "Clean Care is Safer Care" program. Findings A multi-prong approach was used in designing the hand hygiene program. This included system change; training and education; evaluation and feedback; reminders in the workplace; and institutional safety climate. Hand hygiene compliance rate improved from 20% (in January 2007 to 61% (2010. Improvement was also seen annually in the compliance to each of the 5 moments as well as in all staff categories. Healthcare-associated MRSA infections were reduced from 0.6 (2007 to 0.3 (2010 per 1000 patient-days. Conclusions Leadership's support of the program evidenced through visible leadership presence, messaging and release of resources is the key factor in helping to make the program a true success. The hospital was recognised as a Global Hand Hygiene Expert Centre in January 2011. The WHO multi-prong interventions work in improving compliance and reducing healthcare associated infections.
Template security analysis of multimodal biometric frameworks based on fingerprint and hand geometry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arvind Selwal
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Biometric systems are automatic tools used to provide authentication during various applications of modern computing. In this work, three different design frameworks for multimodal biometric systems based on fingerprint and hand geometry modalities are proposed. An analysis is also presented to diagnose various types of template security issues in the proposed system. Fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP is applied with five decision parameters on all the designs and framework 1 is found to be better in terms of template data security, templates fusion and computational efficiency. It is noticed that template data security before storage in database is a challenging task. An important observation is that a template may be secured at feature fusion level and an indexing technique may be used to improve the size of secured templates.
Simulation of X-ray irradiation on human hand
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Amaya, Fabiola; Montoya, Modesto
2001-01-01
Using the Monte Carlo code MCNP we simulate a human hand X-rays irradiation with radiodiagnostic energies to find the better range energy to make radiographs with the lowest dose and an optimal contrast. We calculate bone doses by considering a soft tissue - water - and calcium bone hand, which is irradiated with a million of X-rays photons from a punctual source. These photons are directed inside a conic angle on the hand. Afterwards, we simulate elements which normally compose bones (C, H, O, N, Mg, P, Ca, and S). We estimate bone dose considering: a) bone material (water, calcium and bone tissue); b) bone thickness (0.01; 0.1; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5 and 3.0 cm); and c) source-hand distance (30, 50, 70 and 90 cm). We calculate photon transmission percent through soft tissue and bone tissue and the statistics from the number of photons that reach the radiographic film after passing through soft tissue or bone tissue for our geometric configuration. We found that we can obtain a good image contrast by using X-rays with energies in the range of 20 to 40 keV. (author)
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.
No Pain Relief with the Rubber Hand Illusion
Petkova, Valeria I.; Dey, Abishikta; Barnsley, Nadia; Ingvar, Martin; McAuley, James H.; Moseley, G. Lorimer; Ehrsson, Henrik H.
2012-01-01
The sense of body ownership can be easily disrupted during illusions and the most common illusion is the rubber hand illusion. An idea that is rapidly gaining popularity in clinical pain medicine is that body ownership illusions can be used to modify pathological pain sensations and induce analgesia. However, this idea has not been empirically evaluated. Two separate research laboratories undertook independent randomized repeated measures experiments, both designed to detect an effect of the rubber hand illusion on experimentally induced hand pain. In Experiment 1, 16 healthy volunteers rated the pain evoked by noxious heat stimuli (5 s duration; interstimulus interval 25 s) of set temperatures (47°, 48° and 49°C) during the rubber hand illusion or during a control condition. There was a main effect of stimulus temperature on pain ratings, but no main effect of condition (p = 0.32), nor a condition x temperature interaction (p = 0.31). In Experiment 2, 20 healthy volunteers underwent quantitative sensory testing to determine heat and cold pain thresholds during the rubber hand illusion or during a control condition. Secondary analyses involved heat and cold detection thresholds and paradoxical heat sensations. Again, there was no main effect of condition on heat pain threshold (p = 0.17), nor on cold pain threshold (p = 0.65), nor on any of the secondary measures (pillusion does not induce analgesia. PMID:23285026
Rong, Wei; Tong, Kai Yu; Hu, Xiao Ling; Ho, Sze Kit
2015-03-01
An electromyography-driven robot system integrated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was developed to investigate its effectiveness on post-stroke rehabilitation. The performance of this system in assisting finger flexion/extension with different assistance combinations was evaluated in five stroke subjects. Then, a pilot study with 20-sessions training was conducted to evaluate the training's effectiveness. The results showed that combined assistance from the NMES-robot could improve finger movement accuracy, encourage muscle activation of the finger muscles and suppress excessive muscular activities in the elbow joint. When assistances from both NMES and the robot were 50% of their maximum assistances, finger-tracking performance had the best results, with the lowest root mean square error, greater range of motion, higher voluntary muscle activations of the finger joints and lower muscle co-contraction in the finger and elbow joints. Upper limb function improved after the 20-session training, indicated by the increased clinical scores of Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Action Research Arm Test and Wolf Motor Function Test. Muscle co-contraction was reduced in the finger and elbow joints reflected by the Modified Ashworth Scale. The findings demonstrated that an electromyography-driven NMES-robot used for chronic stroke improved hand function and tracking performance. Further research is warranted to validate the method on a larger scale. Implications for Rehabilitation The hand robotics and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) techniques are still separate systems in current post-stroke hand rehabilitation. This is the first study to investigate the combined effects of the NMES and robot on hand rehabilitation. The finger tracking performance was improved with the combined assistance from the EMG-driven NMES-robot hand system. The assistance from the robot could improve the finger movement accuracy and the assistance from the NMES could reduce the
Rube Goldbergineering: Lessons In Teaching Engineering Design To Future Engineers
Jordan, Shawn; Pereira, Nielsen
2009-01-01
Hands-on learning experiences and interactive learning environments can be effective in teaching K-12 students. Design, in essence, is an interactive, hands-on experience. Engineering design can be taught in the classroom using innovative hands-on projects, such as designing and building serve to teach design, promote creativity, and provide opportunities for hands-on problem solving, in addition to giving students experience working in cooperative teams. In turn, these experiences could enco...
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.
Lachance, Chantelle C; Korall, Alexandra M B; Russell, Colin M; Feldman, Fabio; Robinovitch, Stephen N; Mackey, Dawn C
2018-09-01
Purpose-designed compliant flooring and carpeting have been promoted as a means for reducing fall-related injuries in high-risk environments, such as long-term care. However, it is not known whether these surfaces influence the forces that long-term care staff exert when pushing residents in wheelchairs. We studied 14 direct-care staff who pushed a loaded wheelchair instrumented with a triaxial load cell to test the effects on hand force of flooring overlay (vinyl versus carpet) and flooring subfloor (concrete versus compliant rubber [brand: SmartCells]). During straight-line pushing, carpet overlay increased initial and sustained hand forces compared to vinyl overlay by 22-49% over a concrete subfloor and by 8-20% over a compliant subfloor. Compliant subflooring increased initial and sustained hand forces compared to concrete subflooring by 18-31% when under a vinyl overlay. In contrast, compliant flooring caused no change in initial or sustained hand forces compared to concrete subflooring when under a carpet overlay. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Causes And Pattern Of Unilateral Hand Injuries | Kaisha | East ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Objective: To assess the causes and pattern of hand injuries in patients with isolated unilateral acute hand injuries managed at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Design: A prospective cross-sectional descriptive study. Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya, between May and August 2006. Subjects: All ...
Hands-on Activities Designed to Familiarize Users with Data from ABI on GOES-R and AHI on Himawari-8
Lindstrom, S. S.; Schmit, T.; Gerth, J.; Gunshor, M. M.; Mooney, M. E.; Whittaker, T. M.
2016-12-01
Recent and ongoing launches of next-generation geostationary satellites offer a challenge to familiarize National Weather Service (and other) forecasters with the new capabilities of different spectral channels sensed by the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on GOES-R and the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) on Himawari-8. Hands on HTML5-based applets developed at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies allow for quick comparisons of reflectance in the visible (0.4 to 0.7 um) and near-infrared channels (0.86 to 2.2 um) and brightness temperatures in the infrared (3.9 to 13.3 um). The web apps to explore the different channels on ABI and AHI are at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/webapps/bandapp/; those that offer guidance on how to produce Red/Green/Blue composites are at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/webapps/satrgb/overview.html. This talk will briefly discuss highlights from both websites, and suggest ways the applications can be used to educate forecasters and the general public.
Design of a variable-stiffness robotic hand using pneumatic soft rubber actuators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nagase, Jun-ya; Saga, Norihiko; Wakimoto, Shuichi; Satoh, Toshiyuki; Suzumori, Koichi
2011-01-01
In recent years, Japanese society has been ageing, engendering a labor shortage of young workers. Robots are therefore expected to be useful in performing tasks such as day-to-day support for elderly people. In particular, robots that are intended for use in the field of medical care and welfare are expected to be safe when operating in a human environment because they often come into contact with people. Furthermore, robots must perform various tasks such as regrasping, grasping of soft objects, and tasks using frictional force. Given these demands and circumstances, a tendon-driven robot hand with a stiffness changing finger has been developed. The finger surface stiffness can be altered by adjusting the input pressure depending on the task. Additionally, the coefficient of static friction can be altered by changing the surface stiffness merely by adjusting the input air pressure. This report describes the basic structure, driving mechanism, and basic properties of the proposed robot hand
The effect of an instant hand sanitizer on blood glucose monitoring results.
Mahoney, John J; Ellison, John M; Glaeser, Danielle; Price, David
2011-11-01
People with diabetes mellitus are instructed to clean their skin prior to self-monitoring of blood glucose to remove any dirt or food residue that might affect the reading. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers have become popular when soap and water are not available. The aim of this study was to determine whether a hand sanitizer is compatible with glucose meter testing and effective for the removal of exogenous glucose. We enrolled 34 nonfasting subjects [14 male/20 female, mean ages 45 (standard deviation, 9.4)] years, 2 with diagnosed diabetes/32 without known diabetes]. Laboratory personnel prepared four separate fingers on one hand of each subject by (1) cleaning the second finger with soap and water and towel drying (i.e., control finger), (2) cleaning the third finger with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, (3) coating the fourth finger with cola and allowing it to air dry, and (4) coating the fifth finger with cola and then cleaning it with the instant hand sanitizer after the cola had dried. Finger sticks were performed on each prepared finger and blood glucose was measured. Several in vitro studies were also performed to investigate the effectiveness of the hand sanitizer for removal of exogenous glucose.z Mean blood glucose values from fingers cleaned with instant hand sanitizer did not differ significantly from the control finger (p = .07 and .08, respectively) and resulted in 100% accurate results. Blood glucose data from the fourth (cola-coated) finger were substantially higher on average compared with the other finger conditions, but glucose data from the fifth finger (cola-coated then cleaned with hand sanitizer) was similar to the control finger. The data from in vitro experiments showed that the hand sanitizer did not adversely affect glucose meter results, but when an exogenous glucose interference was present, the effectiveness of the hand sanitizer on glucose bias (range: 6% to 212%) depended on the surface area and degree of dilution. In our study
Pre-Service Physics Teachers’ Perception toward Hands-on Lab Activity and 21st Century Skills
Putri, D. H.; Risdianto, E.; Sutarno, S.
2017-09-01
This study aimed to describe the hands-on lab activities and 21st century skills of pre-service physics teachers at a university in Bengkulu. The respondents of this study were 113 students who have been finished and were following the laboratory course. The research instrument was questionnaire. The explored aspects of laboratory activities were motivation, the importance of laboratory activities, equipment, laboratory activities process, suitability of curriculum, assessment, laboratory design, and the 21st century skills training. The 21st century skills explored consist of learning and innovation skills, life and careers skills, and media, information and technology skills. The data obtained will be analyzed descriptively. Based on the results of data analysis was obtained that they have a good perception toward the aspect of motivation, the importance of hands-on lab activities, and laboratory activities process; and the perception was fair for other aspects. The lowest perception score was obtained in the aspects of the 21st century skills training. This result was in accordance with the 21st century skills of pre-service physics teachers which were still in moderate category. So it is necessary to develop a model of laboratory activities design that can training and enhancing the 21st century skills for pre-service physics teachers.
Nathan, Dominic E; Johnson, Michelle J; McGuire, John R
2009-01-01
Hand and arm impairment is common after stroke. Robotic stroke therapy will be more effective if hand and upper-arm training is integrated to help users practice reaching and grasping tasks. This article presents the design, development, and validation of a low-cost, functional electrical stimulation grasp-assistive glove for use with task-oriented robotic stroke therapy. Our glove measures grasp aperture while a user completes simple-to-complex real-life activities, and when combined with an integrated functional electrical stimulator, it assists in hand opening and closing. A key function is a new grasp-aperture prediction model, which uses the position of the end-effectors of two planar robots to define the distance between the thumb and index finger. We validated the accuracy and repeatability of the glove and its capability to assist in grasping. Results from five nondisabled subjects indicated that the glove is accurate and repeatable for both static hand-open and -closed tasks when compared with goniometric measures and for dynamic reach-to-grasp tasks when compared with motion analysis measures. Results from five subjects with stroke showed that with the glove, they could open their hands but without it could not. We present a glove that is a low-cost solution for in vivo grasp measurement and assistance.
Detection of pathogenic micro-organisms on children's hands and toys during play.
Martínez-Bastidas, T; Castro-del Campo, N; Mena, K D; Castro-del Campo, N; León-Félix, J; Gerba, C P; Chaidez, C
2014-06-01
This study aimed to determine if the children's leisure activities impact the presence of pathogens on their hands and toys. To assess the microbiological hazard in playground areas, a pilot study that included 12 children was conducted. We then conducted an intervention study; children's hands and toys were washed before playing. Faecal coliforms, pathogenic bacteria and Giardia lamblia were quantified by membrane filtration, selective media and flotation techniques, respectively; rotavirus, hepatitis A and rhinovirus by RT-PCR. Pilot study results revealed faecal contamination on children's hands and toys after playing on sidewalks and in public parks. Pathogenic bacteria, hepatitis A and G. lamblia on children's hands were also found. In the intervention study, Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae were found on children's hands at concentrations up to 2·5 × 10(4) and 1 × 10(4) CFU hands(-1), respectively. E. coli and Kl. pneumoniae were detected on toys (2·4 × 10(3) and 2·7 × 10(4) CFU toy(-1), respectively). Salmonella spp, Serratia spp and G. lamblia cysts were also present on toys. Children's play activities influence microbial presence on hands and toys; the transfer seems to occur in both ways. Control strategy needs to be implemented to protect children from infectious diseases. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.
Bare-Hand Volume Cracker for Raw Volume Data Analysis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bireswar Laha
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Analysis of raw volume data generated from different scanning technologies faces a variety of challenges, related to search, pattern recognition, spatial understanding, quantitative estimation, and shape description. In a previous study, we found that the Volume Cracker (VC 3D interaction (3DI technique mitigated some of these problems, but this result was from a tethered glove-based system with users analyzing simulated data. Here, we redesigned the VC by using untethered bare-hand interaction with real volume datasets, with a broader aim of adoption of this technique in research labs. We developed symmetric and asymmetric interfaces for the Bare-Hand Volume Cracker (BHVC through design iterations with a biomechanics scientist. We evaluated our asymmetric BHVC technique against standard 2D and widely used 3D interaction techniques with experts analyzing scanned beetle datasets. We found that our BHVC design significantly outperformed the other two techniques. This study contributes a practical 3DI design for scientists, documents lessons learned while redesigning for bare-hand trackers, and provides evidence suggesting that 3D interaction could improve volume data analysis for a variety of visual analysis tasks. Our contribution is in the realm of 3D user interfaces tightly integrated with visualization, for improving the effectiveness of visual analysis of volume datasets. Based on our experience, we also provide some insights into hardware-agnostic principles for design of effective interaction techniques.
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
Unsteady hydrodynamic forces acting on a robotic hand and its flow field.
Takagi, Hideki; Nakashima, Motomu; Ozaki, Takashi; Matsuuchi, Kazuo
2013-07-26
This study aims to clarify the mechanism of generating unsteady hydrodynamic forces acting on a hand during swimming in order to directly measure the forces, pressure distribution, and flow field around the hand by using a robotic arm and particle image velocimetry (PIV). The robotic arm consisted of the trunk, shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and hand, and it was independently computer controllable in five degrees of freedom. The elbow-joint angle of the robotic arm was fixed at 90°, and the arm was moved in semicircles around the shoulder joint in a plane perpendicular to the water surface. Two-component PIV was used for flow visualization around the hand. The data of the forces and pressure acting on the hand were sampled at 200Hz and stored on a PC. When the maximum resultant force acting on the hand was observed, a pair of counter-rotating vortices appeared on the dorsal surface of the hand. A vortex attached to the hand increased the flow velocity, which led to decreased surface pressure, increasing the hydrodynamic forces. This phenomenon is known as the unsteady mechanism of force generation. We found that the drag force was 72% greater and the lift force was 4.8 times greater than the values estimated under steady flow conditions. Therefore, it is presumable that swimmers receive the benefits of this unsteady hydrodynamic force. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Molecular Biology for the Environment: an EC-US hands-on Course in Environmental Biotechnology
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Victor de Lorenzo; Juan Luis Ramos; Jerome Kukor; Gerben J. Zylstra
2004-02-15
One of the central goals of this activity is to bring together young scientists (at the late Ph.D. or early postdoctoral stages of their careers) in a forum that should result in future collaborations. The course is designed to give scientists hands-on experience in modern, up-to-date biotechnological methods at the interface between molecular biology and environmental biotechnology for the analysis of microorganisms and their activities with regard to the remediation of pollutants in the environment.
Hand hygiene-related clinical trials reported since 2010: a systematic review.
Kingston, L; O'Connell, N H; Dunne, C P
2016-04-01
Considerable emphasis is currently placed on reducing healthcare-associated infection through improving hand hygiene compliance among healthcare professionals. There is also increasing discussion in the lay media of perceived poor hand hygiene compliance among healthcare staff. Our aim was to report the outcomes of a systematic search for peer-reviewed, published studies - especially clinical trials - that focused on hand hygiene compliance among healthcare professionals. Literature published between December 2009, after publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) hand hygiene guidelines, and February 2014, which was indexed in PubMed and CINAHL on the topic of hand hygiene compliance, was searched. Following examination of relevance and methodology of the 57 publications initially retrieved, 16 clinical trials were finally included in the review. The majority of studies were conducted in the USA and Europe. The intensive care unit emerged as the predominant focus of studies followed by facilities for care of the elderly. The category of healthcare worker most often the focus of the research was the nurse, followed by the healthcare assistant and the doctor. The unit of analysis reported for hand hygiene compliance was 'hand hygiene opportunity'; four studies adopted the 'my five moments for hand hygiene' framework, as set out in the WHO guidelines, whereas other papers focused on unique multimodal strategies of varying design. We concluded that adopting a multimodal approach to hand hygiene improvement intervention strategies, whether guided by the WHO framework or by another tested multimodal framework, results in moderate improvements in hand hygiene compliance. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Conson, Massimiliano; Errico, Domenico; Mazzarella, Elisabetta; De Bellis, Francesco; Grossi, Dario; Trojano, Luigi
2015-04-01
Judgments on laterality of hand stimuli are faster and more accurate when dealing with one's own than others' hand, i.e. the self-advantage. This advantage seems to be related to activation of a sensorimotor mechanism while implicitly processing one's own hands, but not during explicit one's own hand recognition. Here, we specifically tested the influence of proprioceptive information on the self-hand advantage by manipulating participants' body posture during self and others' hand processing. In Experiment 1, right-handed healthy participants judged laterality of either self or others' hands, whereas in Experiment 2, an explicit recognition of one's own hands was required. In both experiments, the participants performed the task while holding their left or right arm flexed with their hand in direct contact with their chest ("flexed self-touch posture") or with their hand placed on a wooden smooth surface in correspondence with their chest ("flexed proprioceptive-only posture"). In an "extended control posture", both arms were extended and in contact with thighs. In Experiment 1 (hand laterality judgment), we confirmed the self-advantage and demonstrated that it was enhanced when the subjects judged left-hand stimuli at 270° orientation while keeping their left arm in the flexed proprioceptive-only posture. In Experiment 2 (explicit self-hand recognition), instead, we found an advantage for others' hand ("self-disadvantage") independently from posture manipulation. Thus, position-related proprioceptive information from left non-dominant arm can enhance sensorimotor one's own body representation selectively favouring implicit self-hands processing.
2D Hand Tracking Based on Flocking with Obstacle Avoidance
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zihong Chen
2014-02-01
Full Text Available Hand gesture-based interaction provides a natural and powerful means for human-computer interaction. It is also a good interface for human-robot interaction. However, most of the existing proposals are likely to fail when they meet some skin-coloured objects, especially the face region. In this paper, we present a novel hand tracking method which can track the features of the hand based on the obstacle avoidance flocking behaviour model to overcome skin-coloured distractions. It allows features to be split into two groups under severe distractions and merge later. The experiment results show that our method can track the hand in a cluttered background or when passing the face, while the Flocking of Features (FoF and the Mean Shift Embedded Particle Filter (MSEPF methods may fail. These results suggest that our method has better performance in comparison with the previous methods. It may therefore be helpful to promote the use of the hand gesture-based human-robot interaction method.
van der Meer, Esther W C; Boot, Cécile R L; Twisk, Jos W R; Coenraads, Pieter Jan; Jungbauer, Frank H W; van der Gulden, Joost W J; Anema, Johannes R
2014-07-01
To investigate the effects of a multifaceted implementation strategy on behaviour, behavioural determinants, knowledge and awareness of healthcare workers regarding the use of recommendations to prevent hand eczema. The Hands4U study is a randomised controlled trial. A total of 48 departments (n=1649 workers) were randomly allocated to the multifaceted implementation strategy or the control group (minimal implementation strategy). Within the departments designated to the multifaceted implementation strategy, participatory working groups were set up to enhance the implementation of the recommendations for hand eczema. In addition, working group members were trained to become role models, and an education session was given within the department. Outcome measures were awareness, knowledge, receiving information, behaviour and behavioural determinants. Data were collected at baseline, with a 3- and 6-month follow-up. Statistically significant effects were found after 6 months for awareness (OR 6.30; 95% CI 3.41 to 11.63), knowledge (B 0.74; 95% CI 0.54 to 0.95), receiving information (OR 9.81; 95% CI 5.60 to 17.18), washing hands (B -0.40; 95% -0.51 to -0.29), use of moisturiser (B 0.29; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.38), cotton under gloves (OR 3.94; 95% CI 2.04 to 7.60) and the overall compliance measure (B 0.14; 95% CI 0.02 to 0.26), as a result of the multifaceted implementation strategy. No effects were found for behavioural determinants. The multifaceted implementation strategy can be used in healthcare settings to enhance the implementation of recommendations for the prevention of hand eczema. NTR2812. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
K Vipin Jain
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Background: Human skin is a reservoir of numerous microorganisms. Even though hand washing with soap and water alone reduces the microbial load, the complementary uses of hand antiseptics enhance the antimicrobial effect. Aim: To compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of two commercially available hand antiseptics, routinely used in dental practice, after hand washing with antiseptic soap. Method: A clinical trial with cross over design was carried out on 12 health care workers (HCWs. The antibacterial effectiveness of two hand antiseptics (Alcohol based -Sterillium and Herbal Based-Himalaya′s ′Pure Hands′ compared using fingerprint contact sampling on blood agar. Bacterial samples were obtained before and after hand washing (with antiseptic soap and after hand disinfection. The data was tabulated and analyzed using one way ANOVA and Tukey′s post hoc test for pair-wise comparison. Result: There was a slight decrease in the Colony forming units (CFUs count following use of antiseptic soap when compared to the baseline values. A statistically significant reduction (p<0.000 in the CFUs count was seen following use of both hand antiseptics but the mean number of CFUs reduction was more in case of alcohol based hand antiseptic(sterillium than herbal based hand antiseptic(Himalaya′s ′PureHands". Conclusion: Using alcohol based antiseptic soap before hygienic hand disinfection will provide maximum benefit in reducing the microbial count.
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.
Wells Construction. Hand Dug and Hand Drilled. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Manual M-9.
Brush, Richard E.
This manual is intended for use by development workers involved in the construction of wells to supply water to a local population for personal consumption. Discussed first are the basic points to consider when planning a well. Various aspects of constructing hand-dug wells are explained, including well design, supplies, the lowering and raising…
Ho, Vinh-Thang; Nakamori, Yoshiteru; Ho, Tu-Bao; Lim, Cher Ping
2016-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a blended learning model on hands-on approach for in-service secondary school teachers using a quasi-experimental design. A 24-h teacher-training course using the blended learning model was administered to 117 teachers, while face-to-face instruction was given to 60 teachers. The…
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Schmidt, Kjeld
1998-01-01
In the contemporary world, engineers and designers face huge challenges as they shift towards novel organizational concepts such as ‘concurrent engineering’ in order to manage increasing product diversity so as to satisfy customer demands while trying to accelerate the design process to deal...... they are facing. On one hand, designers need highly flexible ‘coordination mecha-nisms’ that can support horizontal coordination of large-scale distributed design projects, and on the other hand design organizations require versatile and ubiquitous infrastructures to be able to manage their ‘common informa...... with the competitive realities of a global market and decreasing product life cycles. In this environment, the coordination and integration of the myriads of interdependent and yet distributed and concurrent design activities becomes enormously complex. It thus seems as if CSCW technologies may be indispensable...
Gupta, Anju; Hill, Nicole; Valenzuela, Patricia; Johnson, Eric
2017-01-01
Recruiting students in STEM majors to fill the gap in STEM workforce is a continued challenge, which can be addressed by introducing scientific principles through hand-on activities to the students at an early stage. This paper presents the design, implementation and assessment of a chemistry-related workshop for sixth grade students that were…
Hand grips strength effect on motor function in human brain using fMRI: a pilot study
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ismail, S S; Mohamad, M; Syazarina, S O; Nafisah, W Y
2014-01-01
Several methods of motor tasks for fMRI scanning have been evolving from simple to more complex tasks. Motor tasks on upper extremity were applied in order to excite the increscent of motor activation on contralesional and ipsilateral hemispheres in brain. The main objective of this study is to study the different conditions for motor tasks on upper extremity that affected the brain activation. Ten healthy right handed with normal vision (3 male and 7 female, age range=20-30 years, mean=24.6 years, SD=2.21) participated in this study. Prior to the scanning, participants were trained on hand grip tasks using rubber ball and pressure gauge tool outside the scanner. During fMRI session, a block design with 30-s task blocks and alternating 30-s rest periods was employed while participants viewed a computer screen via a back projection-mirror system and instructed to follow the instruction by gripping their hand with normal and strong grips using a rubber ball. Statistical Parametric mapping (SPM8) software was used to determine the brain activation. Both tasks activated the primary motor (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), dorsal and ventral of premotor cortex area (PMA) in left hemisphere while in right hemisphere the area of primary motor (M1) somatosensory was activated. However, the comparison between both tasks revealed that the strong hand grip showed the higher activation at M1, PMA and SMA on left hemisphere and also the area of SMA on right hemisphere. Both conditions of motor tasks could provide insights the functional organization on human brain
Hand grips strength effect on motor function in human brain using fMRI: a pilot study
Ismail, S. S.; Mohamad, M.; Syazarina, S. O.; Nafisah, W. Y.
2014-11-01
Several methods of motor tasks for fMRI scanning have been evolving from simple to more complex tasks. Motor tasks on upper extremity were applied in order to excite the increscent of motor activation on contralesional and ipsilateral hemispheres in brain. The main objective of this study is to study the different conditions for motor tasks on upper extremity that affected the brain activation. Ten healthy right handed with normal vision (3 male and 7 female, age range=20-30 years, mean=24.6 years, SD=2.21) participated in this study. Prior to the scanning, participants were trained on hand grip tasks using rubber ball and pressure gauge tool outside the scanner. During fMRI session, a block design with 30-s task blocks and alternating 30-s rest periods was employed while participants viewed a computer screen via a back projection-mirror system and instructed to follow the instruction by gripping their hand with normal and strong grips using a rubber ball. Statistical Parametric mapping (SPM8) software was used to determine the brain activation. Both tasks activated the primary motor (M1), supplementary motor area (SMA), dorsal and ventral of premotor cortex area (PMA) in left hemisphere while in right hemisphere the area of primary motor (M1) somatosensory was activated. However, the comparison between both tasks revealed that the strong hand grip showed the higher activation at M1, PMA and SMA on left hemisphere and also the area of SMA on right hemisphere. Both conditions of motor tasks could provide insights the functional organization on human brain.
Hand and goods judgment algorithm based on depth information
Li, Mingzhu; Zhang, Jinsong; Yan, Dan; Wang, Qin; Zhang, Ruiqi; Han, Jing
2016-03-01
A tablet computer with a depth camera and a color camera is loaded on a traditional shopping cart. The inside information of the shopping cart is obtained by two cameras. In the shopping cart monitoring field, it is very important for us to determine whether the customer with goods in or out of the shopping cart. This paper establishes a basic framework for judging empty hand, it includes the hand extraction process based on the depth information, process of skin color model building based on WPCA (Weighted Principal Component Analysis), an algorithm for judging handheld products based on motion and skin color information, statistical process. Through this framework, the first step can ensure the integrity of the hand information, and effectively avoids the influence of sleeve and other debris, the second step can accurately extract skin color and eliminate the similar color interference, light has little effect on its results, it has the advantages of fast computation speed and high efficiency, and the third step has the advantage of greatly reducing the noise interference and improving the accuracy.
Hand Gesture Recognition Using Ultrasonic Waves
AlSharif, Mohammed Hussain
2016-04-01
Gesturing is a natural way of communication between people and is used in our everyday conversations. Hand gesture recognition systems are used in many applications in a wide variety of fields, such as mobile phone applications, smart TVs, video gaming, etc. With the advances in human-computer interaction technology, gesture recognition is becoming an active research area. There are two types of devices to detect gestures; contact based devices and contactless devices. Using ultrasonic waves for determining gestures is one of the ways that is employed in contactless devices. Hand gesture recognition utilizing ultrasonic waves will be the focus of this thesis work. This thesis presents a new method for detecting and classifying a predefined set of hand gestures using a single ultrasonic transmitter and a single ultrasonic receiver. This method uses a linear frequency modulated ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal is designed to meet the project requirements such as the update rate, the range of detection, etc. Also, it needs to overcome hardware limitations such as the limited output power, transmitter, and receiver bandwidth, etc. The method can be adapted to other hardware setups. Gestures are identified based on two main features; range estimation of the moving hand and received signal strength (RSS). These two factors are estimated using two simple methods; channel impulse response (CIR) and cross correlation (CC) of the reflected ultrasonic signal from the gesturing hand. A customized simple hardware setup was used to classify a set of hand gestures with high accuracy. The detection and classification were done using methods of low computational cost. This makes the proposed method to have a great potential for the implementation in many devices including laptops and mobile phones. The predefined set of gestures can be used for many control applications.
Hand eczema guidelines based on the Danish guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hand eczema
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Menné, Torkil; Johansen, Jeanne D; Sommerlund, Mette
2011-01-01
Background. Classification of hand eczema has traditionally been based both on aetiology and clinical appearance. For 20% of cases, the aetiology is unknown. Objectives. To suggest a classification based on well-defined aetiology as well as on predefined clinical patterns and on the dynamics of h...
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.
Development of a humanoid robot hand with coupling four-bar linkage
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xinhua Liu
2017-01-01
Full Text Available To improve the operating performance of robots’ end-effector, a humanoid robot hand based on coupling four-bar linkage was designed. An improved transmission system was proposed for the base joint of the thumb. Thus, a far greater motion range and more reasonable layout of the palm were obtained. Moreover, the mathematical model for kinematics simulation was presented based on the Assur linkage group theory to verify and optimize the proposed structure. To research the motion relationships between the fingers and the object in the process of grasping object, the grasping analysis of multi-finger manipulation was presented based on contact kinematics. Finally, a prototype of the humanoid robot hand was produced by a three-dimensional printer, and a kinematics simulation example and the workspace solving of the humanoid robot hand were carried out. The results showed that the velocities of finger joints approximately met the proportion relationship 1:1:1, which accorded with the grasping law of the human hand. In addition, the large workspace, reasonable layout, and good manipulability of the humanoid robot hand were verified.
Construct validity-Current issues and recommendations for future hand hygiene research.
Neo, Jun Rong Jeffrey
2017-05-01
Health care-associated infection is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Hand hygiene is widely regarded as an effective prevention strategy. Often, hand hygiene research is designed and conducted by health care practitioners who may lack formal training in research methods, particularly in the area of social science. In a research context, a construct is a concept that can be measured or observed in some way. A construct can be directly or indirectly measured. For example, height can be directly measured by centimeters, whereas depression can be indirectly measured by a scale of 20 items. Every construct needs to be operationalized by measure(s) to make it a variable. Hence, construct validity refers to the degree of fit between the construct of interest and its operational measure. However, issues with construct validity often weaken the translation from construct to measure(s). This article will (1) describe the common threats to construct validity pertaining to hand hygiene research, (2) identify practical limitations in current research design, and (3) provide recommendations to improve construct validity in future hand hygiene research. By understanding how construct validity may affect hand hygiene research design, there is great potential to improve the validity of future hand hygiene research findings. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
... 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 ...
Li, Lin; Dai, Jia-Xi; Xu, Le; Huang, Zhen-Xia; Pan, Qiong; Zhang, Xi; Jiang, Mei-Yun; Chen, Zhao-Hong
2017-06-01
To observe the effect of a rehabilitation intervention on the comprehensive health status of patients with hand burns. Most studies of hand-burn patients have focused on functional recovery. There have been no studies involving a biological-psychological-social rehabilitation model of hand-burn patients. A randomized controlled design was used. Patients with hand burns were recruited to the study, and sixty patients participated. Participants were separated into two groups: (1) The rehabilitation intervention model group (n=30) completed the rehabilitation intervention model, which included the following measures: enhanced social support, intensive health education, comprehensive psychological intervention, and graded exercise. (2) The control group (n=30) completed routine treatment. Intervention lasted 5 weeks. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's t test were conducted. The rehabilitation intervention group had significantly better scores than the control group for comprehensive health, physical function, psychological function, social function, and general health. The differences between the index scores of the two groups were statistically significant. The rehabilitation intervention improved the comprehensive health status of patients with hand burns and has favorable clinical application. The comprehensive rehabilitation intervention model used here provides scientific guidance for medical staff aiming to improve the integrated health status of hand-burn patients and accelerate their recovery. What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community? Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.