Monitoring functional capacity in heart failure.

This document reflects the key points of a consensus meeting of the Heart Failure Association of European Society of Cardiology (ESC) held to provide an overview the role of physiological monitoring in the complex multimorbid heart failure (HF) patient. This article reviews assessments of the functional ability of patients with HF. The gold standard measurement of cardiovascular functional capacity is peak oxygen consumption obtained from a cardiopulmonary exercise test. The 6-min walk test provides an indirect measure of cardiovascular functional capacity. Muscular functional capacity is assessed using either a 1-repetition maximum test of the upper and lower body or other methods, such as handgrip measurement. The short physical performance battery may provide a helpful, indirect indication of muscular functional capacity

Capacity Theorems for the AWGN Multi-Way Relay Channel

The L-user additive white Gaussian noise multi-way relay channel is considered, where multiple users exchange information through a single relay at a common rate. Existing coding strategies, i.e., complete-decode-forward and compress-forward are shown to be bounded away from the cut-set upper bound at high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). It is known that the gap between the compress-forward rate and the capacity upper bound is a constant at high SNR, and that between the complete-decode-forward rate and the upper bound increases with SNR at high SNR. In this paper, a functional-decode-forward coding strategy is proposed. It is shown that for L >= 3, complete-decode-forward achieves the capacity when SNR <= 0 dB, and functional-decode-forward achieves the capacity when SNR >= 0 dB. For L=$, functional-decode-forward achieves the capacity asymptotically as SNR increases.Comment: accepted and to be presented at ISIT 201

Thermodynamic Potential for Superfluid 3He in Aerogel

We present a free energy functional for superfluid 3He in the presence of homogeneously distributed impurity disorder which extends the Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional to all temperatures. We use the new free energy functional to calculate the thermodynamic potential, entropy, heat capacity and density of states for the B-phase of superfluid 3He in homogeneous, isotropic aerogel.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

A Civic Republican Analysis of Mental Capacity Law

This article draws upon the civic republican tradition to offer new conceptual resources for the normative assessment of mental capacity law. The republican conception of liberty as non-domination is used to identify ways in which such laws generate arbitrary power that can underpin relationships of servility and insecurity. It also shows how non-domination provides a basis for critiquing legal tests of decision-making that rely upon ‘diagnostic’ rather than ‘functional’ criteria. In response, two main civic republican strategies are recommended for securing freedom in the context of the legal regulation of psychological disability: self-authorisation techniques and participatory shaping of power. The result is a series of proposals for the reform of decisional capacity law, including a transition towards purely functional assessment of decisional capacity, surer legal footing for advanced care planning, and greater control over the design and administration of decision-making capacity laws by those with psychological disabilities

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN OLDER PEOPLE

Gerontological research has shown that there is a marked decline in health with age and an associated demand for expensive medical services (Shepard, 1993). Some previous studies underline sedentary lifestyle as main responsible factor for hypokinetic diseases and reduction in quality of life (Rejeski et al, 1996). By contrast, among the elderly evidences show a positive relationship between regular physical activity and a high physical fitness on reduction of anxiety and depression levels, improving older peopleʼs quality of life (ACSM, 1998, 2000; Blair et al, 1995). Otherwise, the acquisition and maintenance of motor skills are critical to the preservation of an independent lifestyle and quality of life in the elderly (Rikli and Edwards, 1991). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between physical activity levels, physical fitness and quality of life among institutionalized and non-institutionalized older people. • Older people with institutional community dwelling had lower physical activity levels than non-institutionalized similar individuals. • Physical activity influences older people's functional capacity especially aerobic capacity, and quality of life in several domains. • The above results suggest that caring elderly in their own homes seems to provide higher activity patterns, functional capacities and quality of life

Propofol Induction Reduces the Capacity for Neural Information Integration: Implications for the Mechanism of Consciousness and General Anesthesia

The cognitive unbinding paradigm suggests that the synthesis of cognitive information is attenuated by general anesthesia. Here, we investigated the functional organization of brain activities in the conscious and anesthetized states, based on characteristic functional segregation and integration of electroencephalography (EEG). EEG recordings were obtained from 14 subjects undergoing induction of general anesthesia with propofol. We quantified changes in mean information integration capacity in each band of the EEG. After induction with propofol, mean information integration capacity was reduced most prominently in the gamma band of the EEG (p=0.0001). Furthermore, we demonstrate that loss of consciousness is reflected by the breakdown of the spatiotemporal organization of gamma waves. Induction of general anesthesia with propofol reduces the capacity for information integration in the brain. These data directly support the information integration theory of consciousness and the cognitive unbinding paradigm of general anesthesia

The quest for a balanced manpower capacity: different flexibility strategies examined

To cope with permanent fluctuations in demand, organizations are challenged to organize their manpower capacity in a flexible way. Different strategies of manpower planning are being used for this purpose. Using data from the 2002 Panel Survey of Organisations Flanders, we first verify to what extent temporal, contractual and functional flexibility strategies are applied in Flemish organizations. Subsequently, logistic regression is used to analyse the link between these flexible work strategies and a ‘fitting manpower capacity’. While the results show a negative association between the use of temporal or contractual flexibility measures and a balanced manpower capacity, functional flexibility seems to be positively related. The different logics in which numerical and functional flexibility proceed can be labeled as ‘curative’ versus ‘preventive’ strategies of flexibility. Further analyses discern between various interpretations of functional flexibility and assess whether different team types make a contribution to a fitting manpower capacity.Knowledge Society; work; Foresight