Pro-choice rally at NYC federal courthouse. Demonstrator holds hangers to hand out to women attending rally

General note: Title and date provided by Bettye Lane.

Hand somatosensory sub-cortical sources arehypoactive in migraine interictally: a functionalsource separation analysis

Background: Recent morpho-functional evidences pointed out that abnormalities in the thalamus could play a major role in the expression of migraine neurophysiological and clinical correlates. Whether this phenomenon is primary or secondary to its functional disconnection from the brain stem remains to be determined.Aim: We used a Functional Source Separation algorithmof EEG signal to extract the activity of the different neuronal pools recruited at different latencies along the somatosensory pathway in interictal migraine without aura(MO) patients. Method: Twenty MO patients and 20 healthy volunteers(HV) underwent EEG recording. Four ad-hoc functional constraints, two sub-cortical (FS14 at brain stem andFS16 at thalamic level) and two cortical (FS20 radial andFS22 tangential parietal sources), were used to extract the activity of successive stages of somatosensory information processing in response to the separate left and right median nerve electric stimulation. A band-pass digital filter (450–750 Hz) was applied offline in order to extract high-frequency oscillatory (HFO) activity from the broadband EEG signal. Results: In both stimulated sides, significant reduced subcortical brain stem (FS14) and thalamic (FS16) HFO activations characterized MO patients when compared with HV. No difference emerged in the two cortical HFO activations between two groups. Conclusion: Present results are the first neurophysiological evidence supporting the hypothesis that a functional disconnection of the thalamus from the subcortical monoaminergicsystem may underline the interictal cortical abnormal information processing in migraine. Further studiesare needed to investigate the precise directional connectivity across the entire primary subcortical and cortical somatosensory pathway in interictal MO.

A cognitive study of polysemy in Chinese 手 shǒu and Spanish mano ‘hand’

When studying polysemy in Chinese and Spanish, a cognitive approach shows what is common in the polysemous patterns of both languages, so that we can make generalizations applicable to other languages and other semantic phenomena of language. The paper’s hypothesis is that there are universal mechanisms of semantic extension that can be highlighted and can be used in teaching and learning languages.

Hand pose detection for vision-based gesture interfaces

[EN]Vision-based applications designed for humanmachine interaction require fast and accurate hand detection. However, previous works on this field assume different constraints, like a limitation in the number of detected gestures, because hands are highly complex objects to locate. This paper presents an approach which changes the detection target without limiting the number of detected gestures. Using a cascade classifier we detect hands based on their wrists. With this approach, we introduce two main contributions: (1) a reliable segmentation, independently of the gesture being made and (2) a training phase faster than previous cascade classifier based methods. The paper includes experimental evaluations with different video streams that illustrate the efficiency and suitability for perceptual interfaces.

Fast and accurate hand pose detection for human-robot interaction

[EN]Enabling natural human-robot interaction using computer vision based applications requires fast and accurate hand detection. However, previous works in this field assume different constraints, like a limitation in the number of detected gestures, because hands are highly complex objects difficult to locate. This paper presents an approach which integrates temporal coherence cues and hand detection based on wrists using a cascade classifier. With this approach, we introduce three main contributions: (1) a transparent initialization mechanism without user participation for segmenting hands independently of their gesture, (2) a larger number of detected gestures as well as a faster training phase than previous cascade classifier based methods and (3) near real-time performance for hand pose detection in video streams.

Clickers versus hand-raising in the physics college classroom : do clickers make a difference?

Abstract: Students who are actively involved in the learning process tend to develop deeper knowledge than those in traditional lecture classrooms (Beatty, 2007; Crouch & Mazur, 2001; Hake, 1998; Richardson, 2003). An instructional strategy that promotes active involvement is Peer Instruction. This strategy encourages student engagement by asking them to respond to conceptual multiple-choice questions intermittently throughout the lecture. These questions can be responded to by using an electronic hand-held device commonly known as a clicker that enables students’ responses to be displayed on a screen. When clickers are not available, a show of hands or other means can be used. The literature suggests that the impact on student learning is the same, whether the teacher uses clickers or simply asks students to raise their hand or use flashcards when responding to the questions (Lasry, 2007). This critical analysis argues that using clickers to respond to these in-class conceptual multiple-choice questions as opposed to using a show of hands leads to deeper conceptual understanding, better performance on tests, and greater overall enjoyment during class.||Résumé: Les étudiants qui sont activement impliqués dans le processus d'apprentissage ont tendance à développer des connaissances plus approfondies que lors de cours traditionnels (Beatty, 2007; Crouch & Mazur, 2001; Hake, 1998; Richardson, 2003). Une stratégie d'enseignement qui favorise la participation active est l’apprentissage par les pairs. Cette stratégie d’enseignement encourage l'engagement des élèves en leur demandant de répondre à des questions à choix multiples conceptuelles à plusieurs reprises durant le déroulement du cours. Ces questions peuvent être répondues à l'aide d'un appareil portatif électronique (un « clicker ») qui permet d’afficher de façon anonyme les réponses des élèves sur un écran. Si les clickers ne sont pas disponibles, les étudiants peuvent aussi répondre aux questions en levant la main. La littérature suggère que la méthode utilisée n’a pas d’impact sur l'apprentissage des élèves, que l'enseignant utilise des clickers, des flashcards ou qu’il demande simplement aux élèves de lever la main pour répondre aux questions (Lasry, 2007). Cette analyse critique fait valoir que l'utilisation de clickers pour répondre à ces questions à choix multiples conceptuelles en classe, plutôt que de faire lever la main aux étudiants, résulte en une compréhension conceptuelle plus approfondie, une meilleure performance aux examens et plus de plaisir pendant les cours.

Multicentric osteolytic lesion of the middle finger of the hand. Case report

Giant cell-rich osteolytic lesions may have overlapping clinical, radiologic, and histopathologic features, with an important degree of difficulty of diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of double osteolytic lesion at the middle-finger in a young man without previous history of hand trauma. He underwent en-bloc resection of the bone lesions and reconstruction by graft of hydroxyapatite, resulting in a good morpho-functional result. Histological diagnosis was giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG), although several features were considered atypical, including the appearance of the giant cells and the areas of the stroma that more closely resembled a giant cell tumor. GCRG is a benign rare intraosseous lesion and the true nature is controversial and unknown. The theories are that it could be a reactive lesion, a developmental anomaly or a benign neoplasm. It appears as an osteolytic lesion that must be considered in the differential diagnosis of other “critical” bone lesions similar in clinical, as well as radiologic and pathological appearance. Further characterization studies are helpful and necessary for the proper management.