Analysis of finger movement coordination during the Variable Dexterity Test and comparative activities of daily living

Background/Aims: This study aimed to analyse and compare finger coordination patterns during the performance of the Variable Dexterity Test (VDT) and comparative daily tasks. Methods: An optoelectronic system was used to record the joint angles of 10 healthy participants performing the VDT and daily tasks. Joint angles from digits 1 to 5 were cross-correlated across the tasks, providing a measure of the degree of finger movement coordination. Results: Correlation coefficients showed identifiable coordination patterns among the finger movements under analysis. Low correlation coefficients suggested the presence of independent finger movements during the performance of the selected tasks. Conclusions: Finger movement coordination patterns observed during activities of daily living are comparable with the patterns observed during performance of the Variable Dexterity Test for the three grasping patterns analysed in the stud

Outbreak of West Nile virus causing severe neurological involvement in children, Nuba Mountains, Sudan, 2002.

An atypical outbreak of West Nile virus (WNV) occurred in Ngorban County, South Kordophan, Sudan, from May to August 2002. We investigated the epidemic and conducted a case-control study in the village of Limon. Blood samples were obtained for cases and controls. Patients with obvious sequelae underwent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling as well. We used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and neutralization tests for laboratory diagnosis and identified 31 cases with encephalitis, four of whom died. Median age was 36 months. Bivariate analysis did not reveal any significant association with the risk factors investigated. Laboratory analysis confirmed presence of IgM antibodies caused by WNV in eight of 13 cases, indicative of recent viral infection. The unique aspects of the WNW outbreak in Sudan, i.e. disease occurrence solely among children and the clinical domination of encephalitis, involving severe neurological sequelae, demonstrate the continuing evolution of WNV virulence. The spread of such a virus to other countries or continents cannot be excluded

The influence of the atmospheric boundary layer on nocturnal layers of noctuids and other moths migrating over southern Britain

Insects migrating at high altitude over southern Britain have been continuously monitored by automatically-operating, vertical-looking radars over a period of several years. During some occasions in the summer months, the migrants were observed to form well-defined layer concentrations, typically at heights of 200-400 m, in the stable night-time atmosphere. Under these conditions, insects are likely to have control over their vertical movements and are selecting flight heights which are favourable for long-range migration. We therefore investigated the factors influencing the formation of these insect layers by comparing radar measurements of the vertical distribution of insect density with meteorological profiles generated by the UK Met. Office’s Unified Model (UM). Radar-derived measurements of mass and displacement speed, along with data from Rothamsted Insect Survey light traps provided information on the identity of the migrants. We present here three case studies where noctuid and pyralid moths contributed substantially to the observed layers. The major meteorological factors influencing the layer concentrations appeared to be: (a) the altitude of the warmest air, (b) heights corresponding to temperature preferences or thresholds for sustained migration and (c), on nights when air temperatures are relatively high, wind-speed maxima associated with the nocturnal jet. Back-trajectories indicated that layer duration may have been determined by the distance to the coast. Overall, the unique combination of meteorological data from the UM and insect data from entomological radar described here show considerable promise for systematic studies of high-altitude insect layering

Development of the Variable Dexterity Test: construction, reliability and validity

Background/Aims: This article introduces a dexterity test designed to assess individual types of dexterity used to carry out activities of daily living (ADL). The Variable Dexterity Test (VDT) was developed as part of a wider study, the broader aim being to fully understand dexterity and its effect on human-product interaction during ADL. This was done with a view to improve occupational therapy methods when assessing dexterity and general hand function. Methods: The control group consisted of 24 healthy participants. Estimates of reliability and validity were evaluated in this pilot study. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed using a one-way ANOVA. The validity of the test was estimated by correlating participants’ VDT scores with their proficiency to complete four ADL task actions and a standardised dexterity test (Purdue Pegboard Test). Results: The test produced consistent results among the control group with both a single assessor (test‑retest reliability) and multiple assessors (inter‑rater reliability). High correlations between participants’ VDT scores and proficiency to perform ADL were found for most of the subtests. There was also a high correlation between participants’ scores from the Purdue Pegboard Test and the VDT. Conclusions: The VDT proved to be a flexible, reliable and valid tool that assesses dexterity based on ability to carry out ADL. Validity and reliability estimates show encouraging values, which recognises that the VDT can be used as an accurate method to assess more than one type of dexterity.</p

Which doctors and with what problems contact a specialist service for doctors? A cross sectional investigation

Background: In the United Kingdom, specialist treatment and intervention services for doctors are underdeveloped. The MedNet programme, created in 1997 and funded by the London Deanery, aims to fill this gap by providing a self-referral, face-to-face, psychotherapeutic assessment service for doctors in London and South-East England. MedNet was designed to be a low-threshold service, targeting doctors without formal psychiatric problems. The aim of this study was to delineate the characteristics of doctors utilising the service, to describe their psychological morbidity, and to determine if early intervention is achieved. Methods: A cross-sectional study including all consecutive self-referred doctors (n = 121, 50% male) presenting in 2002–2004 was conducted. Measures included standardised and bespoke questionnaires both self-report and clinician completed. The multi-dimensional evaluation included: demographics, CORE (CORE-OM, CORE-Workplace and CORE-A) an instrument designed to evaluate the psychological difficulties of patients referred to outpatient services, Brief Symptom Inventory to quantify caseness and formal psychiatric illness, and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results: The most prevalent presenting problems included depression, anxiety, interpersonal, self-esteem and work-related issues. However, only 9% of the cohort were identified as severely distressed psychiatrically using this measure. In approximately 50% of the sample, problems first presented in the preceding year. About 25% were on sick leave at the time of consultation, while 50% took little or no leave in the prior 12 months. A total of 42% were considered to be at some risk of suicide, with more than 25% considered to have a moderate to severe risk. There were no significant gender differences in type of morbidity, severity or days off sick. Conclusion: Doctors displayed high levels of distress as reflected in the significant proportion of those who were at some risk of suicide; however, low rates of severe psychiatric illness were detected. These findings suggest that MedNet clients represent both ends of the spectrum of severity, enabling early clinical engagement for a significant proportion of cases that is of importance both in terms of personal health and protecting patient care, and providing a timely intervention for those who are at risk, a group for whom rapid intervention services are in need and an area that requires further investigation in the UK

Comprehensive Analysis of Market Conditions in the Foreign Exchange Market: Fluctuation Scaling and Variance-Covariance Matrix

We investigate quotation and transaction activities in the foreign exchange market for every week during the period of June 2007 to December 2010. A scaling relationship between the mean values of number of quotations (or number of transactions) for various currency pairs and the corresponding standard deviations holds for a majority of the weeks. However, the scaling breaks in some time intervals, which is related to the emergence of market shocks. There is a monotonous relationship between values of scaling indices and global averages of currency pair cross-correlations when both quantities are observed for various window lengths $\Delta t$.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure

Garden and landscape-scale correlates of moths of differing conservation status: significant effects of urbanization and habitat diversity

Moths are abundant and ubiquitous in vegetated terrestrial environments and are pollinators, important herbivores of wild plants, and food for birds, bats and rodents. In recent years, many once abundant and widespread species have shown sharp declines that have been cited by some as indicative of a widespread insect biodiversity crisis. Likely causes of these declines include agricultural intensification, light pollution, climate change, and urbanization; however, the real underlying cause(s) is still open to conjecture. We used data collected from the citizen science Garden Moth Scheme (GMS) to explore the spatial association between the abundance of 195 widespread British species of moth, and garden habitat and landscape features, to see if spatial habitat and landscape associations varied for species of differing conservation status. We found that associations with habitat and landscape composition were species-specific, but that there were consistent trends in species richness and total moth abundance. Gardens with more diverse and extensive microhabitats were associated with higher species richness and moth abundance; gardens near to the coast were associated with higher richness and moth abundance; and gardens in more urbanized locations were associated with lower species richness and moth abundance. The same trends were also found for species classified as increasing, declining and vulnerable under IUCN (World Conservation Union) criteria

Association studies of up to 1.2 million individuals yield new insights into the genetic etiology of tobacco and alcohol use.

Tobacco and alcohol use are leading causes of mortality that influence risk for many complex diseases and disorders1. They are heritable2,3 and etiologically related4,5 behaviors that have been resistant to gene discovery efforts6-11. In sample sizes up to 1.2 million individuals, we discovered 566 genetic variants in 406 loci associated with multiple stages of tobacco use (initiation, cessation, and heaviness) as well as alcohol use, with 150 loci evidencing pleiotropic association. Smoking phenotypes were positively genetically correlated with many health conditions, whereas alcohol use was negatively correlated with these conditions, such that increased genetic risk for alcohol use is associated with lower disease risk. We report evidence for the involvement of many systems in tobacco and alcohol use, including genes involved in nicotinic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. The results provide a solid starting point to evaluate the effects of these loci in model organisms and more precise substance use measures

A simulation study on the effects of neuronal ensemble properties on decoding algorithms for intracortical brain-machine interfaces

Background: Intracortical brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) harness movement information by sensing neuronal activities using chronic microelectrode implants to restore lost functions to patients with paralysis. However, neuronal signals often vary over time, even within a day, forcing one to rebuild a BMI every time they operate it. The term &quot;rebuild&quot; means overall procedures for operating a BMI, such as decoder selection, decoder training, and decoder testing. It gives rise to a practical issue of what decoder should be built for a given neuronal ensemble. This study aims to address it by exploring how decoders&apos; performance varies with the neuronal properties. To extensively explore a range of neuronal properties, we conduct a simulation study. Methods: Focusing on movement direction, we examine several basic neuronal properties, including the signal-to-noise ratio of neurons, the proportion of well-tuned neurons, the uniformity of their preferred directions (PDs), and the non-stationarity of PDs. We investigate the performance of three popular BMI decoders: Kalman filter, optimal linear estimator, and population vector algorithm. Results: Our simulation results showed that decoding performance of all the decoders was affected more by the proportion of well-tuned neurons that their uniformity. Conclusions: Our study suggests a simulated scenario of how to choose a decoder for intracortical BMIs in various neuronal conditions