Real-time portable system for fabric defect detection using an ARM processor

Modern textile industry seeks to produce textiles as little defective as possible since the presence of defects can decrease the final price of products from 45% to 65%. Automated visual inspection (AVI) systems, based on image analysis, have become an important alternative for replacing traditional inspections methods that involve human tasks. An AVI system gives the advantage of repeatability when implemented within defined constrains, offering more objective and reliable results for particular tasks than human inspection. Costs of automated inspection systems development can be reduced using modular solutions with embedded systems, in which an important advantage is the low energy consumption. Among the possibilities for developing embedded systems, the ARM processor has been explored for acquisition, monitoring and simple signal processing tasks. In a recent approach we have explored the use of the ARM processor for defects detection by implementing the wavelet transform. However, the computation speed of the preprocessing was not yet sufficient for real time applications. In this approach we significantly improve the preprocessing speed of the algorithm, by optimizing matrix operations, such that it is adequate for a real time application. The system was tested for defect detection using different defect types. The paper is focused in giving a detailed description of the basis of the algorithm implementation, such that other algorithms may use of the ARM operations for fast implementations

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Use of RGB Vegetation Indexes in Assessing Early Effects of Verticillium Wilt of Olive in Asymptomatic Plants in High and Low Fertility Scenarios

Verticillium Wilt of Olive, a disease caused by the hemibiotrophic vascular fungus Verticillium dahliae Kleb. presents one of the most important constraints to olive production in the world, with an especially notable impact in Mediterranean agriculture. This study evaluates the use of RGB vegetation indexes in assessing the effects of this disease during the biotrophic phase of host-pathogen interaction, in which symptoms of wilt are not yet evident. While no differences were detected by measuring stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence, results obtained from RGB indexes showed significant differences between control and inoculated plants for indexes Saturation, a*, b*, green Area (GA), normalized green-red difference index (NGRDI) and triangular greenness index (TGI), presenting a reduction in plant growth as well as in green and yellow color components as an effect of inoculation. These results were contrasted across two scenarios of mineral fertilization in soil and soil amended with two different olive mill waste composts, presenting a clear interaction between the host-pathogen relationship and plant nutrition and suggesting the effect of V. dahliae infection during the biotrophic phase was not related to plant water status

Appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy for primary and secondary cardio- and cerebrovascular prevention in acutely hospitalized older people

Aims: Antiplatelet therapy is recommended for the secondary prevention of cardio- and cerebrovascular disease, but for primary prevention it is advised only in patients at very high risk. With this background, this study aims to assess the appropriateness of antiplatelet therapy in acutely hospitalized older people according to their risk profile. Methods: Data were obtained from the REPOSI register held in Italian and Spanish internal medicine and geriatric wards in 2012 and 2014. Hospitalized patients aged ≥65 assessable at discharge were selected. Appropriateness of the antiplatelet therapy was evaluated according to their primary or secondary cardiovascular prevention profiles. Results: Of 2535 enrolled patients, 2199 were assessable at discharge. Overall 959 (43.6%, 95% CI 41.5–45.7) were prescribed an antiplatelet drug, aspirin being the most frequently chosen. Among patients prescribed for primary prevention, just over half were inappropriately prescribed (52.1%), being mainly overprescribed (155/209 patients, 74.2%). On the other hand, there was also a high rate of inappropriate underprescription in the context of secondary prevention (222/726 patients, 30.6%, 95% CI 27.3–34.0%). Conclusions: This study carried out in acutely hospitalized older people shows a high degree of inappropriate prescription among patients prescribed with antiplatelets for primary prevention, mainly due to overprescription. Further, a large proportion of patients who had had overt cardio- or cerebrovascular disease were underprescribed, in spite of the established benefits of antiplatelet drugs in the context of secondary prevention

Prognostic value of degree and types of anaemia on clinical outcomes for hospitalised older patients

Study objective This study investigated in a large sample of in-patients the impact of mild-moderate-severe anaemia on clinical outcomes such as in-hospital mortality, re-admission, and death within three months after discharge. Methods A prospective multicentre observational study, involving older people admitted to 87 internal medicine and geriatric wards, was done in Italy between 2010 and 2012. The main clinical/laboratory data were obtained on admission and discharge. Based on haemoglobin (Hb), subjects were classified in three groups: group 1 with normal Hb, (reference group), group 2 with mildly reduced Hb (10.0–11.9 g/dL in women; 10.0–12.9 g/dL in men) and group 3 with moderately-severely reduced Hb (<10 g/dL in women and men). Results Patients (2678; mean age 79.2 ± 7.4 y) with anaemia (54.7%) were older, with greater functional impairment and more comorbidity. Multivariable analysis showed that mild but not moderate-severe anaemia was associated with a higher risk of hospital re-admission within three months (group 2: OR = 1.62; 95%CI 1.21–2.17). Anaemia failed to predict in-hospital mortality, while a higher risk of dying within three months was associated with the degree of Hb reduction on admission (group 2: OR = 1.82;95%CI 1.25–2.67; group 3: OR = 2.78;95%CI 1.82–4.26) and discharge (group 2: OR = 2.37;95%CI 1.48–3.93; group 3: OR = 3.70;95%CI 2.14–6.52). Normocytic and macrocytic, but not microcytic anaemia, were associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Conclusions Mild anaemia predicted hospital re-admission of older in-patients, while three-month mortality risk increased proportionally with anaemia severity. Type and severity of anaemia affected hospital re-admission and mortality, the worst prognosis being associated with normocytic and macrocytic anaemia

Risk factors for three-month mortality after discharge in a cohort of non-oncologic hospitalized elderly patients: Results from the REPOSI study

Background: Short-term prognosis, e.g. mortality at three months, has many important implications in planning the overall management of patients, particularly non-oncologic patients in order to avoid futile practices. The aims of this study were: i) to investigate the risk of three-month mortality after discharge from internal medicine and geriatric wards of non-oncologic patients with at least one of the following conditions: permanent bedridden status during the hospital stay; severely reduced kidney function; hypoalbuminemia; hospital admissions in the previous six months; severe dementia; ii) to establish the absolute risk difference of three-month mortality of bedridden compared to non-bedridden patients. Methods: This prospective cohort study was run in 102 Italian internal medicine and geriatric hospital wards. The sample included all patients with three-months follow-up data. Bedridden condition was defined as the inability to walk or stand upright during the whole hospital stay. The following parameters were also recorded: estimated GFR <= 29 mL/min/1.73 m(2); severe dementia; albuminemia << 2.5 g/dL; hospital admissions in the six months before the index admission. Results: Of 3915 patients eligible for the analysis, three-month follow-up were available for 2058, who were included in the study. Bedridden patients were 112 and the absolute risk difference of mortality at three months was 0.13 (CI 95% 0.08-0.19, p << 0.0001). Logistic regression analysis also adjusted for age, sex, number of drugs and comorbidity index found that bedridden condition (OR 2.10, CI 95% 1.12-3.94), severely reduced kidney function (OR 2.27, CI 95% 1.22-4.21), hospital admission in the previous six months (OR 1.96, CI 95% 1.22-3.14), severe dementia (with total or severe physical dependence) (OR 4.16, CI 95% 2.39-7.25) and hypoalbuminemia (OR 2.47, CI 95% 1.12-5.44) were significantly associated with higher risk of three-month mortality. Conclusions: Bedridden status, severely reduced kidney function, recent hospital admissions, severe dementia and hypoalbuminemia were associated with higher risk of three-month mortality in non-oncologic patients after discharge from internal medicine and geriatric hospital wards

Antibiotic use and associated factors in a large sample of hospitalised older people.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to assess (i) the prevalence of antibiotic use, (ii) factors associated with their use and (iii) the association with in-hospital mortality in a large sample of hospitalised older people in Italy. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2010-2017 REPOSI register held in more than 100 internal medicine and geriatric wards in Italy. Patients aged ≥65 years with at least one antibiotic prescription during their hospitalisation were selected. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with antibiotic use. RESULTS: A total of 5442 older patients were included in the analysis, of whom 2786 (51.2%) were prescribed antibiotics during their hospitalisation. The most frequently prescribed antibiotic class was β- lactams, accounting for 50% of the total prescriptions. Poor physical independence, corticosteroid use and being hospitalised in Northern Italy were factors associated with a higher likelihood of being prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotic use was associated with an increased risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio=2.52, 95% confidence interval 1.82-3.48) also when accounting for factors associated with their use. CONCLUSION: Hospitalised older people are often prescribed antibiotics. Factors related to poor physical independence and corticosteroid use are associated with increased antibiotic use. Being prescribed antibiotics is also associated with an increased risk of in-hospital death. These results demand the implementation of specific stewardship programmes to improve the correct use of antibiotics in hospital settings and to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance