Исследование психометрических качеств опросников Minnesota LHF Q, MacNew Heart Disease HRQL и MOS SF-36 у больных с хронической сердечной недостаточностью ишемического происхождения

Department of Chronic Heart Failure, Institute of Cardiology, State University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Nicolae Testemitanu”, Chisinau, Republic of MoldovaUntil now there have not been validated instruments that assess the quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease in the Republic of Moldova. The 6 stages of Minnesota LHF Q, MacNew Heart Disease HRQL and MOS SF-36 questionnaires were validated, followed by a pilot study – 337 patients with ischemic chronic heart failure in II-III NYHA functional classes. To determine the psychometric qualities of the questionnaires we performed a test-retest method looking at correlations between the components of the questionnaires and quality of life indices, which were analyzed according to the age, sex, living environment, and studies. Our results demonstrated the questionnaires’ reliability and validity through the indication of linguistic validation that had been carried out successfully. Thus, it can be a methodological basis for future clinical trials in the Republic of Moldova.В настоящее время в Республике Молдова инструменты для оценки качества жизни пациентов с сердечно-сосудистой патологией не валидированы. Нами были выполнены все 6 этапов валидации трёх опросников (Minnesota LHF Q, MacNew Heart Disease HRQL и MOS SF36), с последующим проведением пилотного исследования – 337 пациентов с сердечной недостаточностью (ФК II-III NYHA) ишемического происхождения. Чтобы определить психометрические качества опросников было проведено двойное тестирование пациентов, корреляции между компонентами опросников, были проанализированы параметры качества жизни в зависимости от возраста, пола, условий жизни, наличия высшего образования. Полученные результаты продемонстрировали надежность и валидность опросников. Таким образом, проведение данной валидации составит методологическую основу для последующего проведения в нашей стране сравнимых клинических исследований в области кардиологии

Masonry dams : analysis of the historical profiles of Sazilly, Delocre and Rankine

The significant advances in masonry dam design that took place in the second half of the 19th century are analyzed and discussed within the context of the historical development of dam construction. Particular reference is made to the gravity dam profiles proposed by Sazilly, Delocre and Rankine, who pioneered the application of engineering concepts to dam design, basing the dam profile on the allowable stresses for the conditions of empty and full reservoir. These historical profiles are analyzed taking into consideration the present safety assessment procedures, by means of a numerical application developed for this purpose, based on limit analysis equilibrium methods, which considers the sliding failure mechanisms, the most critical for these structures. The study underlines the key role of uplift pressures, which was only addressed by Lévy after the accident of Bouzey dam, and provides a critical understanding of the original design concepts, which is essential for the rehabilitation of these historical structures.This work has been funded by FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/43585/2008, for which the first author is grateful

Dynamic response of Dam-Reservoir systems : review and a semi-analytical proposal

This paper presents a review of current techniques employed for dynamic analysis of concrete gravity dams under seismic action. Traditional procedures applied in design bureaus, such as the Pseudo-Static method, often neglect structural dynamic properties, as well as ground amplification effects. A practical alternative arises with the Pseudo-Dynamic method, which considers a simplified spectrum response in the fundamental mode. The authors propose a self-contained development and detailed examples of this latter method, including a comparison with finite element models using transient response of fluid-structure systems. It is verified that application of the traditional procedure should be done carefully and limited to extremely rigid dams. On the other hand, the proposed development is straightforward and in agreement with finite element results for general cases where dam flexibility plays an important role

A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous “Ocean”

An active microbial assemblage cycles sulfur in a sulfate-rich, ancient marine brine beneath Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, with Fe(III) serving as the terminal electron acceptor. Isotopic measurements of sulfate, water, carbonate, and ferrous iron and functional gene analyses of adenosine 5′-phosphosulfate reductase imply that a microbial consortium facilitates a catalytic sulfur cycle. These metabolic pathways result from a limited organic carbon supply because of the absence of contemporary photosynthesis, yielding a subglacial ferrous brine that is anoxic but not sulfidic. Coupled biogeochemical processes below the glacier enable subglacial microbes to grow in extended isolation, demonstrating how analogous organic-starved systems, such as Neoproterozoic oceans, accumulated Fe(II) despite the presence of an active sulfur cycle.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog