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To determine the effect of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on the respiratory system and on cardiac function.

Background: Previous studies have documented the negative influence of pneumoperitoneum on cardiac and renal function during laparoscopy. In this respect, regard there is a lack of data regarding the use of an appropriate management of fluid therapy to decrease these side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiac and renal responses to the administration of different amounts of crystalloid solution, alone or in association with dopamine during laparoscopy. Methods: Sixty ASA I patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery for endometriosis were randomly assigned to three groups. Group A was given saline solution at 5 ml/kg/h; group B received saline solution at 5 ml/kg/h and dopamine 3 mg/kg/min, and group C received saline solution at 10 ml/kg/h. Patients received A, B or C peri-operatively. Renal function was evaluated by assessing total intraoperative diuresis and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Vasopressin plasmatic levels before and after surgery were measured. Trans-thoracic echocardiography was performed to estimate left ventricular filling pressure by using Tissue Doppler Imaging and registering the E/Ea ratio every hour after pneumoperitoneum. Results: Total intraoperative diuresis was impaired in group A and significantly increased in group C (p<0.001). In group A estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly decreased after the end of surgery (p<0.003) and vasopressin significantly increased (p<0.001). The E/Ea ratio was significantly increased in group C (p<0.001). The infusion of saline solutions with the addition of dopamine slightly affected this parameter. Conclusion: A low rate of saline infusion could lead to an impaired renal function during laparoscopic surgery. This could be prevented by increasing the amount of saline solutions infused per hour or by adding a dopamine infusion.

Neurohumoral, immunologic and metabolic alteration characterize surgical procedures in relation with the intensity of injury, the total operating time and the anesthetic technique. We, therefore, compared the effects of desflurane versus sevoflurane anesthesia on intra and postoperative release of the stress hormones and inflammatory cytokines.

The objective of the Ph.D. Thesis is about the evolution of the relationship between producers and retailers in the FMCG sector. The firs chapter analyses the italian and international literature from the birth and the changes in the relationship producers - retailers. The second chapter shows a new configuration of the relationship: from producers - retailers to retailers - producers. The focus is on the causes that generate this new configuration. In the third chapter there is the analysis of power, conflict, trust and commitment in the competitive and collaborative relationship between the two actors in the market with the proposition of a model with all the linkage. The analysis focus also on the brand, time and space as the most important factors that impact on the retailers-producers relationship. At the end of each chapter there is a part regarding the discount retailing and the specify impact of the topic on it.

On occasion, one can observe a whole orchestra section moving and playing in unison. In such an instance, all violinists play the melody using the same type of bowing movements and lean forward in unison at a given time during a specific passage in the music. Thus, not only do the musicians use very similar movements to produce the same notes but they sometimes also coordinate bodily sways or other movements with the other players. The musical gesture seems to manifest itself in both sound and movement. Whether we are watching as audience, or participating and interacting in the actual performance itself, we receive a considerable amount of gestural information. The aim of this chapter is to give examples of gestures that may be observed during performance, and to consider the kind of information they might convey, either to other performers or to the audience., Part of book: ISBN 9781135183639, QC 20220921

QC 20120110. tmh_import_11_12_14

A cost-effective method was developed for the estimation of the bow velocity in violin playing, using an accelerometer on the bow in combination with point tracking using a standard video camera. The video data are used to detect the moments of bow direction changes. This information is used for piece-wise integration of the accelerometer signal, resulting in a drift-free reconstructed velocity signal with a high temporal resolution. The method was evaluated using a 3D motion capturing system, providing a reliable reference of the actual bow velocity. The method showed good results when the accelerometer and video stream are synchronized. Additional latency and jitter of the camera stream can importantly decrease the performance of the method, depending on the bow stroke type., tmh_import_11_12_14. QC 20111219

Absorption (mu (a)) and reduced scattering (mu (s)') spectra of turbid media were quanti fied with a noncontact imaging approach based on a Fourier-transform interferometric imaging system (FTIIS). The FTIIS was used to collect hyperspectral images of the steady-state diffuse reflectance from turbid media. Spatially resolved reflectance data from Monte Carlo simulations were fitted to the recorded hyperspectral images to quantify mu (a) and mu (s)' spectra in the 550-850-nm region. A simple and effective calibration approach was introduced to account for the instrument response. With reflectance data that were close to and far from the source (0.5-6.5 mm), mu (a) and mu (')(s) of homogeneous, semi-infinite turbid phantoms with optical property ranges comparable with those of tissues were determined with an accuracy of +/-7% and +/-3%, respectively. Prediction accuracy for mu (a) and mu (s)' degraded to +/-12% and +/-4%, respectively, when only reflectance data close to the source (0.5-2.5 mm) were used. Results indicate that reflectance data close to and far hom the source are necessary for optimal quantification of mu (a) and mu (s)'. The spectral properties of mu (a) and mu (s)' values were used to determine the concentrations of absorbers and scatterers, respectively. Absorber and scatterer concentrations of two-chromophore turbid media were determined with an accuracy of +/-5% and +/-3%, respectively. (C) 2000 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 170.0110, 170.7050, 170.6510, 070.2590, 120.3180.