Real-time inspection by submarine images

A real-time application of computer vision concerning tracking and inspection of a submarine pipeline is described. The objective is to develop automatic procedures for supporting human operators in the real-time analysis of images acquired by means of cameras mounted on underwater remotely operated vehicles (ROV). Implementation of such procedures gives rise to a human-machine system for underwater pipeline inspection that can automatically detect and signal the presence of the pipe, of its structural or accessory elements, and of dangerous or alien objects in its neighborhood. The possibility of modifying the image acquisition rate in the simulations performed on video-recorded images is used to prove that the system performs all necessary processing with an acceptable robustness working in real-time up to a speed of about 2.5 kn, widely greater than that the actual ROVs and the security features allow

Appearance-Based Robot Navigation

The paper presents a robot navigation vision-system based on an appearancebased image-matching process and a stochastic position evaluator. In particular, the use of colour sets, weighted walkthroughs and POMDPs are the main peculiarities

Optimising the Colour Image Segmentation

Abstract. The paper describes an image segmentation method based on a genetic algorithm which optimises a pipelined image thresholding module. The process evolves in a sequence of steps; at eac

VRML Autonomous Robot

IOS Pres

Population pharmacokinetics of daptomycin in patients affected by severe Gram-positive infections

A population pharmacokinetic analysis of daptomycin was performed based on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data from 58 patients receiving doses of 4-12mg/kg for the treatment of severe Gram-positive infections. At a daily dose of 8mg/kg, daptomycin plasma concentrations (mean±S.D.) were 76.9±9.8mg/L at the end of infusion and 52.7±15.4mg/L and 11.4±5.4mg/L at 0.5h and 23h after drug administration, respectively. The final model was a one-compartmental model with first-order elimination, with estimated clearance (CL) of 0.80±0.14L/h and a volume of distribution (Vd) of 0.19±0.05L/kg. Creatinine clearance (CLCr) was identified as having a significant influence on daptomycin CL, and a decrease in CLCr of 30mL/min from the median value (80mL/min) was associated with a reduction of daptomycin CL from 0.80L/h to 0.73L/h. These results confirm that the presence of severe infection may be associated with an altered disposition of daptomycin, with an increased Vd. MICs were available in 41 patients and results showed that 38 and 31 subjects achieved AUC/MIC values associated with bacteriostatic (>400) and bactericidal effects (>800), respectively. Of note, 31 of these 41 subjects experienced a clinical improvement or were cured. Although daptomycin pharmacokinetics may be influenced by infections, effective AUC/MIC values were achieved in the majority of patients. The present model may be applied in clinical settings for a TDM routine on the basis of a sparse blood sampling protocol

Clinical Management of Adult Patients with COVID-19 Outside Intensive Care Units: Guidelines from the Italian Society of Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Society of Pulmonology (SIP)

Introduction The Italian Society of Anti-Infective Therapy (SITA) and the Italian Society of Pulmonology (SIP) constituted an expert panel for developing evidence-based guidance for the clinical management of adult patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside intensive care units. Methods Ten systematic literature searches were performed to answer ten different key questions. The retrieved evidence was graded according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation methodology (GRADE). Results and Conclusion The literature searches mostly assessed the available evidence on the management of COVID-19 patients in terms of antiviral, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)/non-invasive ventilation (NIV) treatment. Most evidence was deemed as of low certainty, and in some cases, recommendations could not be developed according to the GRADE system (best practice recommendations were provided in similar situations). The use of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies may be considered for outpatients at risk of disease progression. For inpatients, favorable recommendations were provided for anticoagulant prophylaxis and systemic steroids administration, although with low certainty of evidence. Favorable recommendations, with very low/low certainty of evidence, were also provided for, in specific situations, remdesivir, alone or in combination with baricitinib, and tocilizumab. The presence of many best practice recommendations testified to the need for further investigations by means of randomized controlled trials, whenever possible, with some possible future research directions stemming from the results of the ten systematic reviews

Use of colistin in adult patients: a cross-sectional study

The objective of this study was to assess the use of colistin in a country endemic for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB).Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess colistin use in a country endemic for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB). Methods: Colistin prescription patterns were evaluated in 22 Italian centres. Factors associated with use of colistin in combination with other anti-MDR-GNB agents were also assessed. Results: A total of 221 adults receiving colistin were included in the study. Their median age was 64 years (interquartile range 52\u201373 years) and 134 (61%) were male. Colistin was mostly administered intravenously (203/221; 92%) and mainly for targeted therapy (168/221; 76%). The most frequent indications for colistin therapy were bloodstream infection and lower respiratory tract infection. Intravenous colistin was administered in combination with at least another anti-MDR-GNB agent in 80% of cases (163/203). A loading dose of 9 MU of colistimethate was administered in 79% of patients receiving i.v. colistin and adequate maintenance doses in 85%. In multivariable analysis, empirical therapy [odds ratio (OR) = 3.25, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24\u20138.53;P = 0.017] and targeted therapy for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales infection (OR = 4.76, 95% CI 1.69\u201313.43; P = 0.003) were associated with use of colistin in combination with other agents, whilst chronic renal failure (OR = 0.39, 95% CI 0.17\u20130.88; P = 0.024) was associated with use of colistin monotherapy. Conclusion: Colistin remains an important option for severe MDR-GNB infections when other treatments are not available. Despite inherent difficulties in optimising its use owing to peculiar pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic characteristics, colistin was mostly used appropriately in a country endemic for MDR-GNB