Measuring quality of life in the speaker with dysarthria: reliability and validity of the european portuguese version of the QoL-DyS

Background: The impact of acquired dysarthria on the person’s life and social participation is well recognized and is the key to the process of rehabilitation. Evaluation of the effectiveness of an intervention that addresses this impact is a challenge for clinicians and researchers. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the European Portuguese version of the Quality of Life in the Speaker with Dysarthria (QoL-DyS). Methods: This research was conducted in three phases: (i) cultural and linguistic adaptation; (ii) feasibility and reliability; and (iii) validity. The sample was composed of 105 subjects with dysarthria and 103 healthy subjects. The QAD (Quick Assessment for Dysarthria), PEAT10 (Portuguese Eating Assessment Tool), and EQ-5D (EuroQol five-dimension scale) were used for validity and reliability. Results and Conclusion: The QoL-DyS correlated positively with the QAD, PEAT-10, and EQ5D. Cronbach’s ? was 0.973, and it remained excellent when any item was deleted. The QoL-DyS score mean difference between the non-dysarthric cohort and the dysarthric cohort was also significant. Confirmatory factor analysis did not validate the original 40-item scale but a 33-item scale maintaining the four domains of the original version. A significantly higher perception of QoL was found in the non-dysarthric group. The results indicate that the European Portuguese version of the QoL-DyS is a reliable and valid tool to assess QoL in patients with dysarthria and may be used for screening in clinical practice and in research.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Dimensional Reduction applied to QCD at three loops

Dimensional Reduction is applied to \qcd{} in order to compute various renormalization constants in the \drbar{} scheme at higher orders in perturbation theory. In particular, the $\beta$ function and the anomalous dimension of the quark masses are derived to three-loop order. Special emphasis is put on the proper treatment of the so-called $\epsilon$-scalars and the additional couplings which have to be considered.Comment: 13 pages, minor changes, references adde

Nursing home residents: the dimension of frailty

Background: Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability with multisystem loss of physiologic reserves and decreased response to stressors, predicting adverse health outcomes. The phenotype of frailty is characterized by unintentional weight loss, self-reported exhaustion, weakness (low grip strength), slow walking speed, and low physical activity. This study aimed at assessing the prevalence and characteristics of frailty in a sample of institutionalized older people to identify a target intervention group. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional and correlational study. Participants were 226 men and women living in nursing home facilities. Frailty was assessed using the phenotype of frailty. Sociodemographic, health status, physical and cognitive function, and depression data were collected. Relations between variables were analyzed using parametric (t test, Pearson coefficient) and nonparametric (chi-square and Spearman coefficient) tests. A multiple linear regression model was applied to assess the relationship between the frailty criteria and a set of predictor variables. Results: Assessment of frailty was possible in 35.3% of the subjects and 41.5% were found frail, 52.1% prefrail, and 6.4% nonfrail. Three frailty criteria had higher prevalence: weakness (76.6%), low physical activity (61.7%), and low walking speed (52.1%). The number of frailty criteria per subject was significantly correlated with cognitive status and depressive symptoms, and there was weak, though significant, correlation with the Barthel Index. Participants in frailty tests had a better functional and cognitive state than those unable to participate. No significant difference in depressive symptoms was found between these 2 groups. The multiple regression model explained only 21.6% of the variation of frailty. Conclusions: Subjects revealed low social status, advanced age comorbidity, and multifactorial incapacity. In a nursing home setting, frail and prefrail elderly stand out as a subset in the sample with higher functional status, as opposed to the usual findings in community-dwelling older adults. These facts should help recognize them as a target intervention group, as frail elderly are vulnerable and their needs might be underestimated in a setting where highly dependent people represent a huge burden for caretakers. Targeted interventions may improve their condition, prevent adverse health events, and preserve quality of life.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Fidelity Between Partial States as Signature of Quantum Phase Transitions

We introduce a partial state fidelity approach to quantum phase transitions. We consider a superconducting lattice with a magnetic impurity inserted at its centre, and look at the fidelity between partial (either one-site or two-site) quantum states. In the vicinity of the point of the quantum phase transition, we observe a sudden drop of the fidelity between two one-site partial states corresponding to the impurity location and its close vicinity. In the case of two-site states, the fidelity reveals the transition point as long as one of the two electron sites is located at the impurity, while the other lies elsewhere in the lattice. We also determine the Uhlmann mixed state geometric phase, recently introduced in the study of the structural change of the system state eigenvectors in the vicinity of the lines of thermal phase transitions, and find it to be trivial, both for one- and two-site partial states, except when an electron site is at the impurity. This means that the system partial state eigenvectors do not contribute significantly to the enhanced state distinguishability around the point of this quantum phase transition. Finally, we use the fidelity to analyze the total amount of correlations contained within a composite system, showing that, even for the smallest two-site states, it features an abrupt quantitative change in the vicinity of the point of the quantum phase transition.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Substratos renováveis na produção de mudas de Eucalyptus benthamii.

A necessidade premente de aumento no número de mudas plantadas anualmente, bem como a menor disponibilidade de matérias-primas tradicionais para composição de substratos têm levado à necessidade de desenvolvimento de estudos que visem à avaliação e disponibilização de novos materiais para composição de substratos, técnica e economicamente eficientes. Com base nisso, o presente estudo objetivou avaliar a viabilidade técnica da utilização de componentes renováveis a base de fibra de coco (FC), casca de arroz carbonizada (CAC) em diferentes granulometrias, biossólido (BIO) e casca de pinus semidecomposta na composição de substratos para a produção de mudas de Eucalyptus benthamii, bem como, avaliar a correlação entre as propriedades físicas e químicas dos substratos formulados com a qualidade das mudas produzidas. Para tanto, foram formulados 41 tratamentos, os quais tiveram suas propriedades físicas e químicas avaliadas, sendo a semeadura realizada em tubetes de 55 cm³. Foram avaliadas a altura da parte aérea e o diâmetro de colo a cada 30 dias, bem como, a biomassa seca da parte aérea e radicial, a facilidade de retirada do tubete e a agregação das raízes ao substrato aos 90 dias. Verificou-se que todos os materiais renováveis analisados foram adequados para a produção de mudas, no entanto o peneiramento da CAC não se justifica, quando comparado com a CAC na sua forma íntegra. Mensurações de altura e diâmetro anteriores à avaliação final não são confiáveis para predição do resultado final. O BIO e as diferentes granulometrias de CAC apresentaram baixa agregação das raízes ao substrato. Os altos níveis de salinidade, condutividade elétrica e pH não prejudicaram o crescimento das mudas. Quanto às propriedades físicas, observou-se que os substratos com maiores densidades e microporosidade proporcionaram menor agregação das raízes ao substrato e os com maior macroporosidade proporcionaram maior crescimento da parte aérea e radicial

Joint evolution of multiple social traits: a kin selection analysis

General models of the evolution of cooperation, altruism and other social behaviours have focused almost entirely on single traits, whereas it is clear that social traits commonly interact. We develop a general kin-selection framework for the evolution of social behaviours in multiple dimensions. We show that whenever there are interactions among social traits new behaviours can emerge that are not predicted by one-dimensional analyses. For example, a prohibitively costly cooperative trait can ultimately be favoured owing to initial evolution in other (cheaper) social traits that in turn change the cost-benefit ratio of the original trait. To understand these behaviours, we use a two-dimensional stability criterion that can be viewed as an extension of Hamilton's rule. Our principal example is the social dilemma posed by, first, the construction and, second, the exploitation of a shared public good. We find that, contrary to the separate one-dimensional analyses, evolutionary feedback between the two traits can cause an increase in the equilibrium level of selfish exploitation with increasing relatedness, while both social (production plus exploitation) and asocial (neither) strategies can be locally stable. Our results demonstrate the importance of emergent stability properties of multidimensional social dilemmas, as one-dimensional stability in all component dimensions can conceal multidimensional instability

Modelo matemático para estudo da dinâmica de transmissão da AIE via mutuca.

A Anemia Infecciosa Equina (AIE) é uma doença incurável e de grande prevalência no Pantanal Brasileiro, acometendo cerca de 50% dos animais de serviço (SILVA et al., 2004), causada por um vírus pertencente ao gênero do vírus da AIDS (Lentivirus, da família Retroviridae). O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver um modelo matemático compartimental determinístico para representar a dinâmica temporal da transmissão da AIE por seu inseto vetor, a mutuca, que desempenha o papel mais importante na cadeia natural da doença. Partindo do modelo desenvolvido por Marquesone (2011), o modelo aqui apresentado considera também a variação populacional do vetor definida por cenário, unifica os compartimentos de cavalos infectados e assintomáticos e define criteriosamente os parâmetros biológicos envolvidos. Tal modelo é então analisado do ponto de vista de equilíbrio e estabilidade e simulações de cenários são realizadas em condições compatíveis com a realidade do Pantanal.CIIC 2012. No 12601