Augmented and Virtual Reality techniques for footwear

The use of 3D imaging techniques has been early adopted in the footwear industry. In particular, 3D imaging could be used to aid commerce and improve the quality and sales of shoes. Footwear customization is an added value aimed not only to improve product quality, but also consumer comfort. Moreover, customisation implies a new business model that avoids the competition of mass production coming from new manufacturers settled mainly in Asian countries. However, footwear customisation implies a significant effort at different levels. In manufacturing, rapid and virtual prototyping is required; indeed the prototype is intended to become the final product. The whole design procedure must be validated using exclusively virtual techniques to ensure the feasibility of this process, since physical prototypes should be avoided. With regard to commerce, it would be desirable for the consumer to choose any model of shoes from a large 3D database and be able to try them on looking at a magic mirror. This would probably reduce costs and increase sales, since shops would not require storing every shoe model and the process of trying several models on would be easier and faster for the consumer. In this paper, new advances in 3D techniques coming from experience in cinema, TV and games are successfully applied to footwear. Firstly, the characteristics of a high-quality stereoscopic vision system for footwear are presented. Secondly, a system for the interaction with virtual footwear models based on 3D gloves is detailed. Finally, an augmented reality system (magic mirror) is presented, which is implemented with low-cost computational elements that allow a hypothetical customer to check in real time the goodness of a given virtual footwear model from an aesthetical point of view.

Catheter-related bloodstream infection: burden of disease in a tertiary hospital

Background: Surveillance programmes have become the most effective tool for controlling catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI). However, few studies have investigated programmes covering all hospital settings. Aim: To describe the results of a control and prevention programme for CRBSI based on compliance with recommendations for insertion and maintenance, using annual burden of disease in a tertiary level hospital. Methods: A CRBSI control and prevention programme involving all hospital settings was implemented. The programme consisted of CRBSI surveillance, direct observation of insertion and maintenance of catheters to determine performance, and education for healthcare workers. Findings: In total, 2043 short-term catheters were inserted in 1546 patients for 18,570 catheter-days, and 279 long-term catheters were inserted in 243 patients for 40,440 catheter-days. The annual incidence density was 5.98 (first semester 6.40, second semester 5.64) CRBSI per 1000 catheter-days for short-term catheters, and 0.57 (first semester 0.66, second semester 0.43) CRBSI per 1000 catheter-days for long-term catheters. One hundred and forty insertion procedures were observed, with an average insertion time of 13 (standard deviation 7) min. Compliance with recommendations was as follows: hand hygiene, 86.8%; use of alcoholic chlorhexidine solution for skin disinfection, 35.5%; use of mask, 93.4%; use of gloves, 98.7%; use of gown, 75.0%; use of sterile cloth, 93.8%; use of cap, 92.2%; bandage application, 62.7%; and use of aseptic technique, 89.5%. Forty-five maintenance procedures were observed, and compliance rates were as follows: hand hygiene, 42.1%; use of gloves, 78.1%; and port disinfection with alcoholic chlorhexidine solution, 32.5%. Conclusion: The CRBSI control and prevention programme implemented at the study hospital has decreased the rate of CRBSI, provided important information about the total burden of disease, and revealed possible ways to improve interventions in the future.