241 research outputs found
First record of phoresy on the genus Oreodera Audinet-Serville, 1835 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) by the pseudoscorpion Cordylochernes scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1758) (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones)
The phoretic association of the pseudoscorpion Cordylochernes scorpioides (Linnaeus, 1758) (Chernetidae) on the long-horn beetle Oreodera rufofasciata Bates, 1861 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is
reported for the first time
MANTICORE II: IP Network as a Service Pilots at HEAnet, NORDUnet and RedIRIS
MANTICORE II follows the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) paradigm to enable National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) and other e-infrastructure providers to enhance their service portfolio by building and piloting the deployment of tools to provide infrastructure resources and IP networks as a service to virtual research communities. MANTICORE II is carrying out the following activities:
* Robust and modular implementation of IaaS management tools.
* Pilot software deployment and evaluation at HEAnet, NORDUnet and RedIRIS.
* Design and implement a simple yet powerful graphical interface for the IP Network Service.
* Study and simulate mechanisms to implement an infrastructure marketplace.
* Study business models and use cases for commercial services based on MANTICORE II principles.Postprint (published version
Tendencias de la investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental
Esta obra incluye las memorias del Simposio “Tendencias de la Investigación en Ingeniería Ambiental”, organizado por el Grupo de Investigaciones y Mediciones Ambientales (GEMA), realizado en la Universidad de Medellín en agosto de 2007. El texto está conformado por 14 capítulos agrupados en cuatro partes. En la primera se agrupan los trabajos relacionados con la calidad y alternativas de tratamiento del agua e hidráulica ambiental (capítulos 1 al 4). La segunda trata temas relacionados con la contaminación atmosférica y calidad del aire (capítulos 5 al 6). La tercera está relacionada con las tecnologías ambientales para la recuperación y conservación de suelos (capítulos 7 al 10) y la cuarta y última comprende las temáticas asociadas con la sostenibilidad ambiental del territorio (capítulos 11 al 14). En este sentido, estamos convencidos del valioso aporte que el libro dará a la comunidad científica, por ser este un documento de divulgación de resultados de investigación en ingeniería ambiental.PRÓLOGO............13
PRESENTACIÓN.............15
PRIMERA PARTE
CALIDAD Y ALTERNATIVAS DE TRATAMIENTO DEL AGUA HIDRÁULICA AMBIENTAL
Capítulo 1
PRETRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES INDUSTRIALES MEDIANTE FOTO-FENTON SOLAR A ESCALA INDUSTRIAL ACOPLADO A BIOTRATAMIENTO CON FANGOS ACTIVOS INMOVILIZADOS
Manuel Ignacio Maldonado, Isabel Oller, Wolfgang Gernjak, Sixto Malato
1.1 INTRODUCCIÓN............19
1.2 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS.............21
1.2.1 Reactivos............21
1.2.2 Determinaciones analíticas.............22
1.2.3 Dispositivo experimental.............23
1.3 R ESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN............ 27
1.3.1 Tratamiento foto-Fenton solar............27
1.3.2 Biotratamiento mediante fangos activos inmovilizados.............33
1.3.3 Sistema combinado foto-Fenton solar-biológico aeróbico............35
1.4 CONCLUSIONES............. 42
Capítulo 2
DEGRADACIÓN DE LA ATRAZINA EN SOLUCIÓN ACUOSA USANDO RADIACIÓN UV Y PROCESOS DE OXIDACIÓN AVANZADA
Margarita Hincapié, Gustavo Peñuela, Manuel I. Maldonado, Sixto Malato
2.1 INTRODUCCIÓN..............47
2.2 SECCIÓN EXPERIMENTAL..............53
2.2.1 Materiales.............53
2.2.2 Metodología...............53
2.2.3 Determinación analítica..............55
2.2.4 Determinación de la toxicidad...............55
2.3 R ESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN...............56
2.3.1 Hidrólisis..............56
2.3.2 Fotólisis y fotocatálisis con TiO2 Degussa P25.............56
2.3.3 Efecto de los agentes oxidantes peróxido de hidrógeno y persulfato de sodio en la fotocatálisis..............59
2.3.4 Proceso foto Fenton..............63
2.3.5 Evaluación de los aniones inorgánicos durante los dos tratamientos.............66
2.3.6 Cuantificación e identificación de los productos de degradación...............68
2.3.7 Evaluación de la toxicidad...............71
2.4 CONCLUSIONES...............74
Capítulo 3
HUMEDALES ARTIFICIALES PARA EL TRATAMIENTO DE AGUAS RESIDUALES
Nazly E. Sánchez P., Gustavo A. Peñuela M., Juan C. Casas Z.
3.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............81
3.2 MARCO TEÓRICO...............83
3.2.1 Humedales construidos para el tratamiento de aguas residuales..............84
3.2.2 Clasificación de los humedales.............85
3.2.3 Ventajas y desventajas de los humedales subsuperficiales..............87
3.2.4 Aspectos a considerar en los humedales subsuperficiales..............88
3.3 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS.................89
3.3.1 Diseño y construcción de los humedales a escala piloto..............89
3.3.2 Componentes del agua residual sintética................90
3.3.3 Siembra y aclimatación de plantas............... 90
3.3.4 Muestreos............91
3.4 R ESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN..............91
3.4.1 pH..............91
3.4.2 Demanda bioquímica de oxígeno (DBO5)..............92
3.4.3 Carbono orgánico total (COT)................94
3.5 CONCLUSIONES................95
Capítulo 4
DESCRIPCIÓN DE LA DINÁMICA OCEANOGRÁFICA DEL GOLFO DE URABÁ UTILIZANDO MEDICIONES DE CAMPO
Luis Javier Montoya Jaramillo, Francisco Mauricio Toro Botero
4.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............103
4.2 DATOS Y MÉTODOS................107
4.3 DISCUSIÓN..............118
4.4 CONCLUSIONES............. 120
SEGUNDA PARTE
CONTAMINACIÓN ATMOSFÉRICA Y CALIDAD DEL AIRE
Capítulo 5
IMPACTO DE LAS MOTOCICLETAS EN LA CALIDAD DEL AIRE. ESTUDIO DE CASO: MONTERÍA
Carlos Alberto Echeverri Londoño
5.1 INTRODUCCIÓN.................127
5.2 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS...............131
5.2.1 S elección de los sitios de medición...............131
5.2.2 Período de medición................131
5.2.3 Parámetros seleccionados...............132
5.2.4 Equipos y materiales utilizados..............132
5.2.5 Índices de calidad del aire..............133
5.2.6 Legislación.............. 138
5.2.7 Inventario de emisiones..............141
5.3 RESULTADOS...............142
5.3.1 Calidad del aire y calidad acústica................142
5.3.2 Emisiones vehiculares.............150
5.3.3 Inventario de emisiones.............155
5.4 CONCLUSIONES.............. 158
5.5 RECOMENDACIONES............. 160
Capítulo 6
ROMPIMIENTO DE LA INVERSIÓN TÉRMICA EN EL VALLE DE ABURRÁ
Ángela M. Rendón, José F. Jiménez, Carlos Palacio
6.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............163
6.2 MEDICIÓN DE VARIABLES ATMOSFÉRICAS..............164
6.3 CAMPAÑAS DE MEDICIÓN.............165
6.4 RESULTADOS..............166
6.5 CONCLUSIONES................170
TERCERA PARTE
TECNOLOGÍAS AMBIENTALES
PARA LA RECUPERACIÓN Y CONSERVACIÓN DE SUELOS
Capítulo 7
ESTRUCTURA MODELO DE LA PARTÍCULA FUNDAMENTAL DEL COMPOST
Carlos E. Arroyave M., Carlos A. Peláez J.
7.1 INTRODUCCIÓN..............177
7.2 MATERIALES Y EQUIPOS.............178
7.2.1 Materias primas y planta de compostaje............178
7.2.2 Obtención de fracciones............. 182
7.2.3 Análisis estadístico.............184
7.3 RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN.............184
7.3.1 Caracterización fisicoquímica del material de RSUsf...........184
7.3.2 Tamaño de partícula.............185
7.3.3 Análisis instrumental................187
7.3.4 Modelo de partícula..............194
7.4 CONCLUSIONES..............195
Capítulo 8
DEGRADACIÓN DE HEXACLOROCICLOHEXANO (HCH) CON HONGOS DE PODREDUMBRE DE LA MADERA
Juan Carlos Quintero Díaz, Gumersindo Feijoo, Juan Manuel Lema
8.1 INTRODUCCIÓN..............199
8.2 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS..............204
8.2.1 Microorganismos.............204
8.2.2 Ensayos de selección de los hongos de podredumbre de la madera.............204
8.2.3 Ensayos de degradación de HCH en medio líquido.............205
8.2.4 Ensayos de degradación de HCH en sobre suelo contaminado.............205
8.2.5 Extracción y análisis de los isómeros de HCH.............208
8.3 RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN..............209
8.3.1 Selección de los microorganismos.............209
8.3.2 Degradación de HCH en medio líquido.............210
8.3.3 Degradación de HCH en fase sólida.............212
8.4 CONCLUSIONES.............. 220
Capítulo 9
AVANCES EN LA PROPAGACIÓN ASIMBIÓTICA IN VITRO DE ORQUÍDEAS CON ESPECIAL ÉNFASIS EN EL GÉNERO CATTLEYA
Liliana R. Botero, María A. Jaramillo, Óscar O. Ossa R., Tatiana Saldarriaga F., Estefanía Ortiz R.
9.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............227
9.2 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS...............231
9.2.1 Evaluación de la metodología de desinfección de cápsulas de orquídeas.............231
9.2.2 Evaluación del efecto de un abono comercial y un suplemento comercial de banano............239
9.3 R ESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN..............242
9.3.1 Ensayos de desinfección...............242
9.3.2 Resultados del efecto de un abono comercial y un suplemento de banano comercial....246
9.4 CONCLUSIONES..............254
Capítulo 10
MOVILIDAD DEL BRAVONIL 720 (CLOROTALONILO) A TRAVÉS DE LA ZONA NO SATURADA Y SATURADA DE UN ACUÍFERO LIBRE SIMULADO
Idalia Jacqueline López Sánchez, Gustavo Antonio Peñuela Mesa
10.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............259
10.2 MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS...............261
10.3 RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIÓN..............269
10.4 CONCLUSIONES..............292
CUARTA PARTE
SOSTENIBILIDAD AMBIENTAL DEL TERRITORIO
Capítulo 11
LA RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL COMO COMPONENTE DE SOSTENIBILIDAD AMBIENTAL
John Fredy López Pérez
11.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............299
11.2 UNA LECTURA DE LA SOSTENIBILIDAD AMBIENTAL DESDE UN PUNTO DE VISTA SOCIAL..............300
11.3 EL CONCEPTO DE LA RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL EMPRESARIAL...............303
11.4 LA RESPONSABILIDAD SOCIAL COMO ESPACIO PARA L A SOSTENIBILIDAD AMBIENTAL.............309
11.5 ESBOZOS DE UN CASO: EL SECTOR ELÉCTRICO COLOMBIANO..............311
11.6 CONCLUSIONES..............319
Capítulo 12
DETERMINACIÓN ESPACIAL DE ÁREAS DE IMPORTANCIA ESTRATÉGICA
El caso de microcuencas abastecedoras de acueductos veredales del municipio de Medellín
Joaquín Hincapié, Álvaro Lema
12.1 INTRODUCCIÓN................323
12.2 LA NOCIÓN DE ÁREA DE IMPORTANCIA ESTRATÉGICA...............325
12.3 LA IDEA DE LOS SERV ICIOS AMBIENTALES..............328
12.4 ESTRATEGIA METODOLÓGICA EN LA IDENTIFICACIÓN Y DETERMINACIÓN DE LAS ÁREAS DE IMPORTANCIA ESTRATÉGICA............332
12.5 L OS RESULTADOS DEL MODELO...............359
12.6 CONCLUSIONES............. 361
Capítulo 13
LA EDUCACIÓN AMBIENTAL EN LA TRANSFORMACIÓN DE LA CULTURA
Luz Ángela Peña Marín, Alba Miriam Vergara Vargas
13.1 INTRODUCCIÓN..............369
13.2 APROXIMACIÓN CONCEPTUAL...............370
13.2.1 La reflexividad...............372
13.2.2 La construcción del otro...............374
13.2.3 El discurso.............. 372
13.2.4 La autonomía y la participación..............375
13.2.5 La educación ambiental y el desarrollo humano..............378
13.2.6 Base conceptual de la educación ambiental..............380
13.2.7 Contexto sociocultural..............382
13.2.8 Diagnóstico de la educación ambiental y la administración de los recursos naturales..............392
13.2.9 Criterios corporativos de educación ambiental.............394
13.3 CONCLUSIONES...............398
Capítulo 14
ENFOQUE CONCEPTUAL DE UN SISTEMA DE INDICADORES AMBIENTALES PARA LA EVALUACIÓN DE LOS POT: municipios del Valle de San Nicolás Oriente Antioqueño
Carolina Arias Muñoz, Diana Elizabeth Valencia Londoño, Boris Puerto López
14.1 INTRODUCCIÓN...............401
14.2 ENFOQUE CONCEPTUAL DEL SISTEMA DE INDICADORES..............406
14.2.1 Primera aproximación: el enfoque de impacto ambiental..............406
14.2.2 Enfoque sistémico: de la sostenibilidad ambiental..............408
14.3 PROPUESTA FINAL DE INDICADORES E ÌNDICE DE SOSTENIBILIDAD AMBIENTAL DEL POT ISAPOT.............424
14.4 R EFLEXIONES FINALES..............42
Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017
Background
Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout.
Methods
The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function.
Findings
Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function.
Interpretation
Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI
Inside Post-Socialist Courts: The Determinants of Adjudicatory Outcomes in Slovenian Commercial Disputes
Despite the judiciary's central role in the capitalist market system, micro-level empirical analyses of courts in post-socialist countries are remarkably rare. This paper draws on a unique hand-collected dataset of commercial claims filed at Slovenian courts to examine the determinants of two salient adjudicatory outcomes: whether a case was resolved via trial or settlement and if the case was tried, whether the plaintiff was awarded the initial claim. Consistent with the divergent expectations theory of litigation, we find that trial-based resolution is more likely when the case is complex and less likely when parties use mediation. Addressing sample selection and endogeneity concerns, we show that defendant's legal representation, plaintiff's profitability, and, importantly, court identity are robust predictors of plaintiff victory at trial. Thus, more than two decades after the start of transition in Slovenia, the judicial system is still a source of legal inconsistency and uncertainty
Semaglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with obesity and prevalent heart failure: a prespecified analysis of the SELECT trial
Background: Semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist, reduces the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in people with overweight or obesity, but the effects of this drug on outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and heart failure are unknown. We report a prespecified analysis of the effect of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2·4 mg on ischaemic and heart failure cardiovascular outcomes. We aimed to investigate if semaglutide was beneficial in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with a history of heart failure compared with placebo; if there was a difference in outcome in patients designated as having heart failure with preserved ejection fraction compared with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; and if the efficacy and safety of semaglutide in patients with heart failure was related to baseline characteristics or subtype of heart failure. Methods: The SELECT trial was a randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled, event-driven phase 3 trial in 41 countries. Adults aged 45 years and older, with a BMI of 27 kg/m2 or greater and established cardiovascular disease were eligible for the study. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) with a block size of four using an interactive web response system in a double-blind manner to escalating doses of once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide over 16 weeks to a target dose of 2·4 mg, or placebo. In a prespecified analysis, we examined the effect of semaglutide compared with placebo in patients with and without a history of heart failure at enrolment, subclassified as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or unclassified heart failure. Endpoints comprised MACE (a composite of non-fatal myocardial infarction, non-fatal stroke, and cardiovascular death); a composite heart failure outcome (cardiovascular death or hospitalisation or urgent hospital visit for heart failure); cardiovascular death; and all-cause death. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03574597. Findings: Between Oct 31, 2018, and March 31, 2021, 17 604 patients with a mean age of 61·6 years (SD 8·9) and a mean BMI of 33·4 kg/m2 (5·0) were randomly assigned to receive semaglutide (8803 [50·0%] patients) or placebo (8801 [50·0%] patients). 4286 (24·3%) of 17 604 patients had a history of investigator-defined heart failure at enrolment: 2273 (53·0%) of 4286 patients had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, 1347 (31·4%) had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and 666 (15·5%) had unclassified heart failure. Baseline characteristics were similar between patients with and without heart failure. Patients with heart failure had a higher incidence of clinical events. Semaglutide improved all outcome measures in patients with heart failure at random assignment compared with those without heart failure (hazard ratio [HR] 0·72, 95% CI 0·60-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·64-0·98 for the heart failure composite endpoint; 0·76, 0·59-0·97 for cardiovascular death; and 0·81, 0·66-1·00 for all-cause death; all pinteraction>0·19). Treatment with semaglutide resulted in improved outcomes in both the heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HR 0·65, 95% CI 0·49-0·87 for MACE; 0·79, 0·58-1·08 for the composite heart failure endpoint) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction groups (0·69, 0·51-0·91 for MACE; 0·75, 0·52-1·07 for the composite heart failure endpoint), although patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had higher absolute event rates than those with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. For MACE and the heart failure composite, there were no significant differences in benefits across baseline age, sex, BMI, New York Heart Association status, and diuretic use. Serious adverse events were less frequent with semaglutide versus placebo, regardless of heart failure subtype. Interpretation: In patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diease and overweight or obesity, treatment with semaglutide 2·4 mg reduced MACE and composite heart failure endpoints compared with placebo in those with and without clinical heart failure, regardless of heart failure subtype. Our findings could facilitate prescribing and result in improved clinical outcomes for this patient group. Funding: Novo Nordisk
Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial
Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials.
Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure.
Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen.
Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049
Assessing performance of the Healthcare Access and Quality Index, overall and by select age groups, for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
Background: Health-care needs change throughout the life course. It is thus crucial to assess whether health systems provide access to quality health care for all ages. Drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019), we measured the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index overall and for select age groups in 204 locations from 1990 to 2019. Methods: We distinguished the overall HAQ Index (ages 0–74 years) from scores for select age groups: the young (ages 0–14 years), working (ages 15–64 years), and post-working (ages 65–74 years) groups. For GBD 2019, HAQ Index construction methods were updated to use the arithmetic mean of scaled mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) and risk-standardised death rates (RSDRs) for 32 causes of death that should not occur in the presence of timely, quality health care. Across locations and years, MIRs and RSDRs were scaled from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) separately, putting the HAQ Index on a different relative scale for each age group. We estimated absolute convergence for each group on the basis of whether the HAQ Index grew faster in absolute terms between 1990 and 2019 in countries with lower 1990 HAQ Index scores than countries with higher 1990 HAQ Index scores and by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile. SDI is a summary metric of overall development. Findings: Between 1990 and 2019, the HAQ Index increased overall (by 19·6 points, 95% uncertainty interval 17·9–21·3), as well as among the young (22·5, 19·9–24·7), working (17·2, 15·2–19·1), and post-working (15·1, 13·2–17·0) age groups. Large differences in HAQ Index scores were present across SDI levels in 2019, with the overall index ranging from 30·7 (28·6–33·0) on average in low-SDI countries to 83·4 (82·4–84·3) on average in high-SDI countries. Similarly large ranges between low-SDI and high-SDI countries, respectively, were estimated in the HAQ Index for the young (40·4–89·0), working (33·8–82·8), and post-working (30·4–79·1) groups. Absolute convergence in HAQ Index was estimated in the young group only. In contrast, divergence was estimated among the working and post-working groups, driven by slow progress in low-SDI countries. Interpretation: Although major gaps remain across levels of social and economic development, convergence in the young group is an encouraging sign of reduced disparities in health-care access and quality. However, divergence in the working and post-working groups indicates that health-care access and quality is lagging at lower levels of social and economic development. To meet the needs of ageing populations, health systems need to improve health-care access and quality for working-age adults and older populations while continuing to realise gains among the young. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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