Using Object Detection Technology to Identify Defects in Clothing for Blind People.

Blind people often encounter challenges in managing their clothing, specifically in identifying defects such as stains or holes. With the progress of the computer vision field, it is crucial to minimize these limitations as much as possible to assist blind people with selecting appropriate clothing. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to use object detection technology to categorize and detect stains on garments. The defect detection system proposed in this study relies on the You Only Look Once (YOLO) architecture, which is a single-stage object detector that is well-suited for automated inspection tasks. The authors collected a dataset of clothing with defects and used it to train and evaluate the proposed system. The methodology used for the optimization of the defect detection system was based on three main components: (i) increasing the dataset with new defects, illumination conditions, and backgrounds, (ii) introducing data augmentation, and (iii) introducing defect classification. The authors compared and evaluated three different YOLOv5 models. The results of this study demonstrate that the proposed approach is effective and suitable for different challenging defect detection conditions, showing high average precision (AP) values, and paving the way for a mobile application to be accessible for the blind community.

Skeleton Driven Action Recognition Using an Image-Based Spatial-Temporal Representation and Convolution Neural Network.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) typically present difficulties in engaging and interacting with their peers. Thus, researchers have been developing different technological solutions as support tools for children with ASD. Social robots, one example of these technological solutions, are often unaware of their game partners, preventing the automatic adaptation of their behavior to the user. Information that can be used to enrich this interaction and, consequently, adapt the system behavior is the recognition of different actions of the user by using RGB cameras or/and depth sensors. The present work proposes a method to automatically detect in real-time typical and stereotypical actions of children with ASD by using the Intel RealSense and the Nuitrack SDK to detect and extract the user joint coordinates. The pipeline starts by mapping the temporal and spatial joints dynamics onto a color image-based representation. Usually, the position of the joints in the final image is clustered into groups. In order to verify if the sequence of the joints in the final image representation can influence the model's performance, two main experiments were conducted where in the first, the order of the grouped joints in the sequence was changed, and in the second, the joints were randomly ordered. In each experiment, statistical methods were used in the analysis. Based on the experiments conducted, it was found statistically significant differences concerning the joints sequence in the image, indicating that the order of the joints might impact the model's performance. The final model, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), trained on the different actions (typical and stereotypical), was used to classify the different patterns of behavior, achieving a mean accuracy of 92.4% ± 0.0% on the test data. The entire pipeline ran on average at 31 FPS.

Bath-Ambience-A Mechatronic System for Assisting the Caregivers of Bedridden People.

The health of older people is receiving special attention and dedication nowadays, with the aim of increasing their general wellbeing and quality of life. Studies into different aspects of the care of the elderly have found that emphasis should be given to solving problems related to bathing in different situations and environments. In particular, it is important to develop new assistive technologies to streamline and ease the burden of a caregiver's daily tasks. Generally-speaking, in the case of bedridden patients, bathing is typically carried out manually by a caregiver, using towels, sponges, and a water basin. Nevertheless, this apparently simple task needs some precautions in order to avoid the risk of microbial infections, falls and other injuries. With that in mind, this paper presents the design of a portable washing system, called Bath-Ambience, which enables bedridden patients to be bathed efficiently without having to be moved from their position. This portable system can be installed in different situations, both in a domestic setting, and in specialized institutions, and allows the caregiver to perform the bathing tasks without compromising health and safety, thereby making it possible to offer a comfortable and hygienic procedure to patients, improving their quality of life. This paper presents the design of the portable Bath-Ambience washing system, which provides efficient assistance for bathing bedridden patients without moving them to another place. This system is mainly dedicated for integration a smart home application in to allow bathing everywhere.

Online yarn hairiness- Loop & protruding fibers dataset.

This paper introduces an online dataset focused on detecting hairiness in yarn, including loop and protruding fibers. The dataset is designed for use in assessing artificial intelligence algorithms. The dataset consists of 684 original images. Through augmentation, this number increases to 1644, with 11,037 annotations derived from videos featuring 56.4tex purple cotton yarn. The videos were captured during the winding and unwinding processes of the purple yarn coil. An image acquisition system capable of capturing high-resolution images while the yarn is in motion was used, reaching speeds of up to 4.2 m/s and producing images with a resolution of 1.6M pixels. This dataset containing 100m of purple cotton yarn images was recorded and is available for download in various formats, including, among others, YOLOv8, YOLOv5, YOLOv7, MT-YOLOv6, COCO JSON, YOLO Darknet, Pascal VOC XML, TFRecord, CreateML JSON. Within an interface developed for a designed mechatronic prototype, users can choose to gather images or videos of yarn. Various characteristics of the yarn, such us: diameter, linear mass, volume, twist orientation, twist step, number of cables, hairiness index, number of loose fibers, thin places, thick places, neps (mass parameters) and U, CV and sH (statistical parameters) can be obtained. Recently, this online yarn spinning dataset was employed to validate artificial neural network models for real-time detection of hairiness in yarns, including loop fibers and protruding fibers. The dataset presented, with its clear annotations and wide array of augmentation techniques, serves as a foundational resource for prospective studies in textile engineering, enabling progress in the analysis and comprehension of yarn analysis.

Prevalence, risk factors and genetic diversity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus carried by humans and animals across livestock production sectors.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in animals and humans on veal, dairy, beef and broiler farms and to compare the risk for human MRSA carriage with that of strictly horticulture farmers. The genetic background, resistance phenotypes and genotypes and toxin gene content of the isolated MRSA strains were compared with MRSA collected on MRSA clonal complex (CC)398-positive pig farms. METHODS: MRSA carriage isolates were genotyped (spa, SCCmec and multilocus sequence typing), resistance to 16 antimicrobials was determined and resistance and toxin genes were detected. RESULTS: MRSA carriage rates were higher (P<0.01) on veal farms (calves, 64%; farmers, 72%) compared with on dairy (cows, 1%), beef (cows, 5%; farmers, 11%), broiler (pooled broths, 5%; farmers, 3%) and horticulture (farmers, 3%) farms. The intensity of animal contact was identified as a risk factor for human MRSA carriage. The vast majority of MRSA (n=344), including those from pigs, were CC398 (98%). SCCmec V(5C2), V(5C2&5)c, IV(2B) and IV(2B&5) predominated. MRSA CC130 and CC599 carrying mecC were detected in beef and dairy cattle. MRSA from veal calves were significantly more resistant than MRSA from pigs (P<0.01). A few isolates, including mecC-carrying MRSA, harboured pyrogenic superantigen toxins. Human- and animal-derived MRSA from individual farms showed similar characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic cross-sector survey revealed a high prevalence of multiresistant livestock-associated MRSA on Belgian veal calf farms as compared with other farm types. MRSA harbouring mecC was detected at a low frequency in beef and dairy cows, but not in humans.

Pocket-Sized Portable Labs: Control Engineering Practice Made Easy in Covid-19 Pandemic Times.

New pocket-sized laboratories are proving to be an excellent tool as complementary equipment that students and lecturers can deploy to test control engineering design techniques. Here, the description and outcome results of an IFAC activity funded project entitled as Pocket-Sized Portable Labs: Control Engineering Practice Made Easy are presented. The project was executed in Portugal, from January 2021 to the end of June 2021, during the SARS-CoV2 pandemic. The global aim of this project was to motivate pre-university students to enroll in control engineering courses by showing and demonstrating that simple practical experiments may be easily accomplished using portable pocket-size laboratories.

Inflammatory parameters as predictive factors for complicated appendicitis: A retrospective cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: Acute appendicitis is a major cause of acute abdomen. Although its diagnosis is clinical, it is often supported by complementary diagnostic tests. Sometimes, delay in diagnosis can lead to worsening of the clinical picture, resulting in a complicated acute appendicitis. Some series have studied some clinical and analytical parameters as possible predictors of complicated acute appendicitis. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of patients admitted for acute appendicitis and undergoing appendectomy between January 2014 and December 2017 was performed in order to assess the possible existence of preoperative analytical predictive factors for complicated acute appendicitis (such as leukocytosis, C-reactive protein and ratio between neutrophils and lymphocytes). RESULTS: 841 patients underwent emergency appendectomy during the analysed period. This initial sample was divided into two groups: Group 1 with patients with uncomplicated acute appendicitis and Group 2 with patients with complicated acute appendicitis. Group 2's presentation age, duration of symptoms and hospital stay was significantly higher than Group 1. Regarding analytical parameters, the measurement of leukocytes, C-reactive protein and ratio between neutrophils and lymphocytes was significantly higher in patients with complicated acute appendicitis. After a multivariate analysis, it was found that only C-reactive protein was a good predictor of complicated acute appendicitis. CONCLUSION: Several publications have studied and demonstrated the possible use of certain analytical parameters as predictors of complicated acute appendicitis. In our study, C-reactive protein proved to be a good independent predictor of complicated acute appendicitis and, therefore, when an assay of this protein exceeds 63.3 mg/L, faster surgical approach should be considered due to the high probability of the presence of a complicated picture of this clinical entity.

Perianal Paget Disease: Different Entities With the Same Name.

Extramammary Paget disease (EMPD) is a rare form of cancer that involves skin areas rich in apocrine glands. The common sites of occurrence include the vulva, perianal region, perineum, and axilla. Perianal Paget disease (PPD) is a subset of EMPD, which arises in the perianal skin. The disease commonly presents with a thickened plaque-like lesion with erythema or white scaly appearance. It is generally classified into two categories based on the origin of the tumor cells: (1) primary PPD if the tumor arises from intraepidermal cells and (2) secondary PPD if cancer originates from the underlying colorectal or urinary tract neoplasm. Due to its rarity, only a few sporadic case reports have been published in the literature, and treatment methods are yet to be standardized. In light of this, we report two PPD cases with different etiopathogenesis and staging: one involved only the perianal skin without regional or metastatic disease, and was not accompanied by visceral adenocarcinomas although there was a previous history of sigmoid adenocarcinoma; the other was probably secondary to an anal canal tumor spreading with disseminated disease involving the perianal and perineum area with bilateral inguinal, pelvic lymph node, and liver metastasis. The treatment plans and the outcomes of both cases were necessarily different from each other.

Small bowel obstruction due to intraluminal metastasis from malignant melanoma.

The most common form of presentation of malignant melanoma is cutaneous. However, it is important to notice that it can occur in any part of the body, mostly from metastatic route. Gastrointestinal forms of symptomatic metastasis are rare, making it sometimes difficult to diagnose. We present a rare case of an 84-year-old female with a small bowel obstruction due to melanoma metastasis. She was treated with an enterectomy, with no surgical or post-operative complications. Although surgery should be reserved from symptomatic patients, some authors refer to it as a palliative treatment with improvement in long-term survival.

A New Methodology for Use by a Single Caregiver to Bathe Bedridden Elderly Persons Using Advanced Mechatronic Systems.

In the framework of this paper, we aimed to propose a methodology for giving baths to elderly, bedridden persons, when this task is performed by a single caregiver. Usually, two caregivers are required for nursing a bedridden patient, especially when certain important tasks are needed (e.g., bathing the patient), but this is not always possible. The entire study considers the primary user's perspective-the caregiver-who is responsible for a wide range of tasks; thus, suffering physical and psychological exhaustion over time. A physical prototype has been developed for allowing caregivers to perform tests in a life-like environment, by means of the device and the methodology. This technology, therefore, will represent an important contribution to the quality of life of caregivers. Considering an increase in the share of the elderly population and the related problems that arise in daily care, this project intends to be beneficial contemporarily. The presented methodology has been successfully tested and validated.

Caracterización clínica y epidemiológica de pacientes con infecciones respiratorias agudas en Timor Leste

RESUMEN Introducción: Las infecciones respiratorias agudas son una de las primeras causas de morbilidad y mortalidad en Timor Leste y el mundo. Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de pacientes con infecciones respiratorias agudas en Timor Leste. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal realizado en el Hospital Nacional Guido Valadares de Timor Leste entre enero y abril de 2021. La población de estudio estuvo integrada por todos los pacientes atendidos por dicha causa en el período y lugar antes mencionado. La muestra estuvo integrada por 108 pacientes atendidos por esta afección en servicios de otorrinolaringología, medicina interna y emergencia del hospital durante el período estudiado. El dato primario se recogió de las historias clínicas utilizando una planilla de recolección de datos. El análisis de la información incluyó la distribución de frecuencias absolutas y relativas de todas las variables estudiadas. Resultados: Predominaron el sexo femenino con 51,9 % y el grupo de edad de 19 a 29 años con 38,0 %. Los más afectados fueron los estudiantes con 36,1 % y las amas de casa con 27,8 %. Las infecciones que más se diagnosticaron fueron la neumonía y la otitis con 32,4 y 18,5 %, respectivamente. La manifestación clínica más referida fue la tos (23,7 %). Conclusiones: La enfermedad afectó fundamentalmente a estudiantes y amas de casa, ambos jóvenes, independientemente de su nivel educacional y sexo, en los que la neumonía fue la infección respiratoria más diagnosticada, sin síntomas y signos atípicos.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Acute respiratory infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Timor Leste and the world. Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with acute respiratory infections in Timor Leste. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at Guido Valadares National Hospital in Timor Leste from January to April 2021. The study population was made up of all the patients treated due to this cause in the aforementioned period and place. The sample consisted of 108 patients treated for this condition in otorhinolaryngology, internal medicine and hospital emergency services during the period studied. Primary data was collected from medical records using a data collection form. The analysis of the information included the distribution of absolute and relative frequencies of all the variables studied. Results: The female sex prevailed in 51.9% and the age group from 19 to 29 years in 38.0%. The most affected were students in 36.1% and housewives in 27.8%. The most diagnosed infections were pneumonia and otitis in 32.4% and 18.5% respectively. The most reported clinical manifestation was cough (23.7%). Conclusions: The disease mainly affected students and housewives, both young, regardless of their educational level and sex, in whom pneumonia was the most diagnosed respiratory infection, without atypical symptoms and signs.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor presenting as ileocecal intussusception-A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMFT) is an uncommon mesenchymal solid tumor commonly documented in children and young adults. It is usually located in lungs however, extrapulmonary involvement has also been reported. Here we report a case of IMFT presenting as an ileocecal intussusception. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 55-year-old man presented with a two months history of colicky abdominal pain, more intense at the right inferior abdominal quadrant, and unintentional weight loss of 8kg in the previous four months. Computer tomography showed an image of intussusception at the cecum. Colonoscopy demonstrated a pediculated tubular lesion, with the base near ileocecal valve. We performed a right hemicolectomy. Histopathological examination of the tumor revealed an IMFT. DISCUSSION: IMFT usually affects lungs with rare gastrointestinal involvement. Clinical presentation is related with location of the neoplasm. Intussusception in adults presents with non-specific symptoms and classical image signs facilitate preoperative diagnosis. IMFT diagnosis is histopathological which usually implies surgical resection. Complete surgical excision, with microscopically clear margins, is the mainstain of treatment, with virtually no local recurrence or metastasis. CONCLUSION: Gastrointestinal IMFT are rare in the adult population and clinical features depend on its location. Surgical approach with total excision of the neoplasm confirms the diagnosis. Prognosis is good with the main prognostic indicator being the adequacy of the primary excision.

Legionnaires' disease: overview of the situation concerning notification in Wallonia (Belgium) in 2012, a retrospective descriptive study based on a capture-recapture method.

BACKGROUND: Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia, and although public health medical inspectors must be notified, it is often under-reported. The objectives of this study were to determine the completeness rate of notification of Legionnaires' disease and to estimate the incidence of this disease in Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium, in 2012. METHOD: This retrospective, transversal descriptive study was based on a capture-recapture method using two sources. An estimation of the total number of Legionnaires' disease cases was calculated using Chapman and Seber's estimators for small numbers, thereby allowing us to estimate the real incidence of this disease in Wallonia as well as the completeness rate of notification. RESULTS: The total number of estimated Legionella cases for 2012 was 45 (IC 95%:41-48) and the completeness rate was 65% (IC 95%:61-70%). The estimated incidence of Legionnaires' disease in Wallonia was 1.27/100,000 inhabitants. CONCLUSIONS: The notification rate of Legionella must be improved in Wallonia. Doctors should be made aware of the importance of diagnosing and reporting Legionnaires' disease.

INTRODUCTION: Malgré une mortalité et morbidité non négligeables, la maladie du légionnaire est une maladie à déclaration obligatoire auprès des médecins inspecteurs qui est fréquemment sous rapportée. Les objectifs de cette étude furent le calcul de l'exhaustivité de la déclaration obligatoire de la maladie du légionnaire et l'estimation de son incidence en Wallonie, la partie sud de la Belgique, pour l'année 2012. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Cette étude descriptive transversale rétrospective s'est basée sur une méthode capture-recapture à 2 sources. Une estimation du nombre total de cas de maladie du légionnaire a été réalisée en utilisant les estimateurs de Chapman et Seber pour effectifs faibles. Ensuite, l'incidence réelle de la maladie du légionnaire en Wallonie ainsi que l'exhaustivité de la déclaration ont pu être calculées. RÉSULTATS: Le nombre total de cas estimés de maladie du légionnaire pour l'année 2012 est de 45 (IC 95% : 41­48) et le taux d'exhaustivité de la déclaration obligatoire est de 65% (IC 95% : 61-70%). L'incidence estimée de maladie du légionnaire en région wallonne est de 1,27/100.000 habitants. CONCLUSION: Le taux de notification de la maladie du légionnaire doit être amélioré en Wallonie. Les médecins devraient être mieux sensibilisés à la déclaration et au diagnostic de la maladie du légionnaire.

A systemic approach to quality improvement in public health services.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of the first four years of implementation of a quality program called "Quality Contest" (QC). This program was implemented from 2007 onward to improve the quality of hospital services by the Moroccan Ministry of Health. The peculiarity of this intervention, held every 18 months, is that it combines several approaches (self-evaluation, external audits with feedback, hospital ranking, awards and performance disclosure) and focuses on the quality of management. Design/methodology/approach - The assessment tool used to evaluate the quality of hospital management consists of 80 items. In each contest, a score is attributed to each item based on the score given for self-evaluation and the score given by external auditors. The sum of these scores allows the global performance score of the hospital to be obtained. To compare the performances over time and among hospitals, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests were used. Findings - The results of the QC organized between 2007 and 2010 revealed that the hospitals participating in all the three contests had significantly improved their performance levels in terms of the quality of management. There was also a significant association between the number of times hospitals participated in the QC and the performance scores attained. Originality/value - The paper reports an original quality improvement approach in a developing country that succeeded in triggering sustainable improvement dynamics by combining support (feedback) with reward (prizes) and pressure measures (ranking, performance disclosure).

Preliminary study on determining stereotypical motor movements.

Stereotypical motor movements are one of the most common and least understood behaviors occurring in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To overcome problems with traditional methods for measuring stereotypical motor movements in persons with ASD, the Kinect sensor from Microsoft and gesture recognition algorithms were used to automatically detect hand flapping. This study provides a valuable tool to monitor stereotypes in order to understand and to cope with this problem. At the end it facilitates to identify behavioral patterns especially relevant when studying interaction skills in children with ASD.

Automatic continuous ECG monitoring system for over-drug detection in Brugada Syndrome.

This paper is concerned with the automatic control of drug administration in patients suffering from Brugada Syndrome (BS). Drugs such as flecainide, procainamide, ajmaline and pilsicainide should be administrated under carefully controlled electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring given that the treatment must be stopped if some ECG disturbing conditions appear. These conditions are, among others the development of premature ventricular contraction (PVC), atrial fibrillation (AF) and the widening of the QRS wave. The proposed system can detect these abnormalities by using a pattern recognition approach based on Hidden Markov Models (HMM) with features extracted from three scales of the Wavelet Transform (WT). Performances higher than 98% were reached regarding the classification of normal and abnormal pulses. The system was trained and tested mainly in data from the standard MIT-BIH arrhythmia database.

ECG Data-Acquisition and classification system by using wavelet-domain Hidden Markov Models.

This article is concerned with the classification of ECG pulses by using state of the art Continuous Density Hidden Markov Models (CDHMM's). The ECG signal is simultaneously observed at three different level of focus by means of the Wavelet Transform (WT). The types of beat being selected are normal (N), premature ventricular contraction (V) which is often precursor of ventricular arrhythmia, two of the most common class of supra-ventricular arrhythmia (S), named atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), and normal rhythm (N). Both MLII and V1 derivations are used. Run time classification errors can be detected at the decoding stage if the classification of each derivation is different. These pulses are selected for a posterior physician analysis. Experimental results were obtained in real data from MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and also in data acquired from a developed low-cost Data-Acquisition System.

Promoting interaction amongst autistic adolescents using robots.

Most autistic people present some difficulties in developing social behavior, living in their own world. The intent of this study is to improve the social life of adolescents with both autism and mental impairment, with a main focus on promoting their social interaction and communication. An experiment designed to call for the adolescents' attention and enforce their collaboration is described; in it a LEGO MindStorm robot behaves as a mediator/promotor of this interaction. Further, sensory motor coordination and accuracy skills of the adolescents are also slightly explored. Four scenarios were envisaged. Results are described showing the outcomes of the experiment.

A collaborative biomedical engineering undergraduate work: an automatic system for blood glucose regulation.

This paper is focused on the design of an automatic system to regulate blood glucose concentration. A model is developed to simulate the process. The model was based on approximating an electrochemical biosensor, for measuring the blood glucose concentration, to electrical circuits for readout, data processing and control. It was implemented using an electronics simulation software package: S-Edit and T-Spice from Tanner Tools EDA. The work was developed by a group of ten students from the fourth year of the integrated master of Biomedical Engineering course of the University of Minho in a collaborative way.

Cardiac arrhythmia classification using wavelets and Hidden Markov Models - a comparative approach.

This paper reports a comparative study of feature extraction methods regarding cardiac arrhythmia classification, using state of the art Hidden Markov Models. The types of beat being selected are normal (N), premature ventricular contraction (V) which is often precursor of ventricular arrhythmia, two of the most common class of supra-ventricular arrhythmia (S), named atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter (AFL), and normal rhythm (N). The considered feature extraction methods are the standard linear segmentation and wavelet based feature extraction. The followed approach regarding wavelets was to observe simultaneously the signal at different scales, which means with different level of focus. Experimental results are obtained in real data from MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and show that wavelet transform outperforms the conventional standard linear segmentation.