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BACKGROUND: Several monitors have been developed that measure stroke volume (SV) in a beat-to-beat manner. Accordingly, Stroke volume variation (SVV) induced by positive pressure ventilation is widely used to predict fluid responsiveness. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of two different methods to predict fluid responsiveness using SVV, stroke volume variation by esCCO (esSVV) and stroke volume variation by FloTrac/VigileoTM (flSVV). METHODS: esSVV, flSVV, and stroke volume index (SVI) by both monitoring devices of 37 adult patients who underwent laparotomy surgery, were measured. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed. RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of esSVV was significantly higher than that of flSVV (p = 0.030). esSVV and flSVV showed cutoff values of 6.1% and 10% respectively, to predict an increase of more than 10% in SVI after fluid challenge. The Youden index for esSVV was higher than flSVV, even with a cutoff value between 6% and 8%. CONCLUSION: Since esSVV and flSVV showed significant differences in AUC and cutoff values, the two systems were not comparable in predicting fluid responsiveness. Furthermore, it seems that SVV needs to be personalized to accurately predict fluid responsiveness for each patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this prospective, observational study was to respiratory variation of stroke volume (stroke volume variation, SVV) against central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery diastolic pressure (PADP) as an estimate of right and left ventricular preload. Methods With IRB approval and informed consent, 31 patients undergoing living related renal transplantation were analyzed. Under general anesthesia with positive pressure ventilation, stroke volume index and SVV were continuously monitored with FloTrac/Vigileo monitor. Right ventricular end-diastolic volume index (RVEDVI) as well as CVP and PADP were continuously monitored with volumetric pulmonary artery catheter. Data of every 30 min interval were used for analysis. The relationship between RVEDVI and CVP, PADP, SVV was analyzed with non-linear regression and the goodness-of-fit was assessed with coefficient of determination ([R.sup.2]) of each regression curve. The ability of CVP, PADP and SVV to correctly differentiate RVEDVI 138 ml/ [m.sup.2], which were used to guide fluid administration, was also assessed with ROC analysis. Results Three hundred forty-eight data sets were obtained and analyzed. The goodness of fit between RVEDVI and SVV ([R.sup.2] = 0.48) was better than that between RVEDVI and CVP or PADP ([R.sup.2] = 0.19 and 0.33, respectively). The area under the ROC curve of SVV was significantly high compared to CVP or PADP. Conclusions This study confirmed the theoretical framework of right ventricular preload and ventricular filling pressure and respiratory variation of stroke volume. The result also suggests that SVV can correctly predict preload status compared to pressure-based indices. Keywords Preload responsiveness * Dynamic parameter * Static parameter * Right ventricular end-diastolic volume * Renal transplantation, Introduction Conventionally, pressure-based static parameter such as central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) has been used to guide fluid therapy. However, the validity of CVP and [...]

The Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC) was established in 1968 through the initiatives taken by the Japanese and Australian business leaders. This article focuses on the ideas and activities of the Japanese and Australian business leaders in the establishment of PBEC, especially those of Nagano Shigeo and W.R.C. Anderson, both of whom devoted themselves to the establishment of PBEC, while cooperating with each other. The central questions posed are: how and why Nagano and Anderson came to consider it desirable to establish an economic institution in the Asia Pacific region in the mid-1960s; how and why those ideas were refined and transformed into the establishment of PBEC; what approaches business leaders in other countries took towards Pacific cooperation and how the Japanese and Australians adjusted different interests of people in other countries in organising PBEC. Finally, the article assesses the role played by PBEC in the development of economic cooperation in Asia and the Pacific and insists that it should help set up foundations for the subsequent organisations of regional economic institutions such as the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

A 3.2-MP four-directional polarization image sensor with air-gap wire-grid polarizer is described. The image sensor was fabricated using a wafer process and incorporates back-illumination and an antireflection layer to minimize optical flaring and ghosting problems. In testing, the sensor achieved a polarization transmittance of 63.3% and an extinction ratio of 85 at 550 nm, thereby outperforming conventional polarization sensors. The proposed sensor also exhibited good oblique-incidence characteristics, even with small polarization pixels of $2.5~\mu \text{m}$. Based on these results, the proposed image sensor is suitable for various megapixel fusion-imaging applications, such as reducing surface reflections, highly accurate depth mapping, and condition-robust surveillance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]