An efficient approach to noise analysis through multidimensional physics-based models

IEEE TRANS. EL. DEV

Virtuality Supports Reality for e-Health Applications

Strictly speaking the word “virtuality” or the expression “virtual reality” refers to an application for things simulated or created by the computer, which not really exist. More and more often such things are becoming equally referred with the adjective “virtual” or “digital” or mentioned with the prefixes “e-” or “cyber-”. So we know, for instance, of virtual or digital or e- or cyber- community, cash, business, greetings, books .. till even pets. The virtuality offers interesting advantages with respect to the “simple” reality, since it can reproduce, augment and even overcome the reality. The reproduction is not intended as it has been so far that a camera films a scenario from a fixed point of view and a player shows it, but today it is possible to reproduce the scene dynamically moving the point of view in practically any directions, and “real” becomes “realistic”. The virtuality can augment the reality in the sense that graphics are pulled out from a television screen (or computer/laptop/palm display) and integrated with the real world environments. In this way useful, and often in somehow essentials, information are added for the user. As an example new apps are now available even for iphone users who can obtain graphical information overlapped on camera played real scene surroundings, so directly reading the height of mountains, names of streets, lined up of satellites .., directly over the real mountains, the real streets, the real sky. But the virtuality can even overcome reality, since it can produce and make visible the hidden or inaccessible or old reality and even provide an alternative not real world. So we can virtually see deeply into the matter till atomic dimensions, realize a virtual tour in a past century or give visibility to hypothetical lands otherwise difficult or impossible to simple describe. These are the fundamental reasons for a naturally growing interest in “producing” virtuality. So here we will discuss about some of the different available methods to “produce” virtuality, in particular pointing out some steps necessary for “crossing” reality “towards” virtuality. But between these two parallel worlds, as the “real” and the “virtual” ones are, interactions can exist and this can lead to some further advantages. We will treat about the “production” and the “interaction” with the aim to focus the attention on how the virtuality can be applied in biomedical fields, since it has been demonstrated that virtual reality can furnish important and relevant benefits in e-health applications. As an example virtual tomography joins together 3D imaging anatomical features from several CT (Computerized axial Tomography) or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) images overlapped with a computer-generated kinesthetic interface so to obtain a useful tool in diagnosis and healing. With the new endovascular simulation possibilities, a head mounted display superimposes 3D images on the patient’s skin so to furnish a direction for implantable devices inside blood vessels. Among all, we chose to investigate the fields where we believe the virtual applications can furnish the meaningful advantages, i.e. in surgery simulation, in cognitive and neurological rehabilitation, in postural and motor training, in brain computer interface. We will furnish to the reader a necessary partial but at the same time fundamental view on what the virtual reality can do to improve possible medical treatment and so, at the end, resulting a better quality of our life

Hypotensive anesthesia and recovery of cognitive function in long-term craniofacial surgery.

The aim of our study was to compare three different anesthesiological techniques with regard to hemodynamics, recovery, and postoperative morbidity, for craniofacial surgery. One hundred twenty patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of I or II patients, 18 to 32 years old, and undergoing maxillary and mandibular osteotomies were randomly assigned to receive anesthesia with propofol-remifentanil (group P), desflurane-remifentanil (group D), or sevoflurane-remifentanil (group S). All patients were given premedication: midazolam 0.03 mg/kg, atropine 0.007 mg/kg, desametasone 0.1 mg/kg, NaCl 0.9% 100 mL + 2 mg/kg ketoprofene + 1.5 mg/kg ranitidine + 1 µg/kg clonidine. Anesthesia was induced by O2/air (FiO2 0.5), remifentanil 0.5 µg/kg/min, propofol 2 mg/kg, rocuronium 0.6 mg/kg. Maintenance group P received O2/air (FiO2 0.5), remifentanil 0.25 to 1.5 µg/kg/min, propofol 6 to 10 mg/kg/h; groups D and S received O2/air (FiO2 0.5), remifentanil 0.25 to 1.5 µg/kg/min, and respectively, sevoflurane or desflurane 0.5 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration. The dosage of propofol, desflurane, and sevoflurane, obtained with a value of bispectral index (BIS) 40, was kept unchanged throughout the course, and remifentanil was titrated to maintain controlled hypotension: systolic arterial blood pressure 70 to 90 mmHg and mean arterial blood pressure 50 to 65 mmHg. A 24-hour elastomeric infusion system (ketoprofene 320 mg) was started 60 minutes before induction and cloridrat ondansetron 0.1 mg/kg was administered 30 minutes before the end of surgery. Hypotension was successfully obtained in all three groups with a bloodless surgical field, and there was no need for additional use of a potent hypotensive agent. Early and late recovery were faster and more complete in the D group; P 0.05. Postoperative morbidity (nausea, vomiting, shivering, pain, and edema) was slight and did not significantly differ among the groups

A Systematic Literature Review on Innovative Technologies Adopted in Logistics Management

Many innovative technologies have been successfully adopted in logistics and supply chain management processes to increase efficiency, reduce costs or enhance communication. In recent years, considerable attention from both practitioners and academics has been focused on evaluating the impacts of innovative technologies adoption. However, the current body of literature on technology adoption, implementation and evaluation in logistics is quite fragmented; thus, an updated and structured overview of the scientific literature in this field might be useful. To this end, this work presents a systematic literature review (SLR) that aims to increase the understanding of the trend toward new technologies in logistics and identify the main research trends and gaps. The principal research trends that emerged from the SLR involve the technologies, their evolution over time and their relationships with the research methodologies. The main literature gaps concern integration and communication, technology-adoption processes and differences between inbound and outbound logistics

Ripensare l’orientamento nei Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti

The contribution is intended to reflect on the need to rethink orientation inProvincial Centers for Adult Education. The recognition of lifelong guidanceas a fundamental dimension of continuous learning invites the CPIA to beconfigured as a privileged place for the interpretation of adult skills needsand for the use of guidance services throughout their life. The practice ofpromoting orientation only at the beginning of the school year representsthe antechamber of educational failure and early school leaving. Hence thehypothesis of conceiving the orientation as a constant “system measure” relatedto the teacher’s working time and not only to the number of hours establishedin the student’s training agreement. This pedagogical strategywould allow to guarantee the right to lifelong learning legitimized by Law92/2012.Il contributo intende far riflettere sull’esigenza di ripensare l’orientamentonei Centri Provinciali per l’Istruzione degli Adulti. Il riconoscimento dell’orientamentopermanente come dimensione fondamentale dell’apprendimentocontinuo, invita i CPIA a configurarsi come luogo privilegiato perl’interpretazione dei bisogni di competenze degli adulti e per la fruizione diservizi di orientamento lungo tutto il corso della vita. La prassi di promuoverel’orientamento solo all’inizio dell’anno scolastico, rappresenta l’anticameradell’insuccesso formativo e della dispersione scolastica. Da qui l’ipotesidi concepire l’orientamento una “misura di sistema” costante correlata all’orariodi servizio del docente e non solo al monte ore stabilito nel pattoformativo del corsista. Tale strategia pedagogica consentirebbe di garantireil diritto all’apprendimento permanente legittimato dalla L. 92/2012

A Systematic Review of Innovative Technologies adopted in Logistics Management

Logistics and supply chain management have always been at the forefront of industrial innovations, and numerous technologies have been tested and applied with success to increase efficiency of processes, reduce costs, or improve the relationships among different actors, such as buyers, sellers, retailers and carriers. In recent times, there is a great debate in both practitioners and academic’ worlds about the impacts of these new technologies on the traditional logistic operations. The perspective of extant literature on technology adoption in logistics is quite fragmented: in fact, a stream of literature studies how a technology might provide improvements in logistics processes (e.g. warehouse management, goods distribution) and/or logistics management objectives (e.g. warehouse efficiency), while other research works focus on the impact of technology adoption in terms of overall business performance. Moreover, despite the amount of articles, reports and news regarding innovations in logistics, one of the last literature review about existing technologies applied in logistics has been published almost ten years ago and it is limited only to ICT technologies. Therefore, we reckon the need for an updated view on the literature in this field. Through a systematic literature review, we try to give an answer to the following research questions: i) how the interest in this topic changed in the last ten years from the point of view of scientific literature; ii) what are the main approaches and methodologies used in addressing this issue; iii) what are the most applied innovative technologies in the logistics field

Laryngeal mask perforation: complication of jugular vein cannulation in a newborn

This case report describes the perforation of a laryngeal mask during central venous cannulation of the internal jugular vein in a 2000 g, formerly preterm infant. The procedure was undertaken with the patient under general anaesthesia with a laryngeal mask and spontaneous breathing. As a result of the infant's clinical status, multiple needle insertions were required to obtain venous access. The needle was inadvertently advanced to the retropharynx and perforated the air-filled part of the laryngeal mask. Ventilation parameters remained stable. The laryngeal mask causes anatomical alterations of cervical structures in the newborn and therefore its use for the airway management during jugular vein cannulation appears to be limite