Metal-doped rare earth oxide catalysts for condensations to ketones

Metal-doped supported rare earth oxide catalysts were examined to determine their suitability for the decarboxylative condensation of two carboxylic acids to produce ketones. The catalysts were characterized based on chemisorption tests, coke analysis using thermo-gravimetric analysis and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Effect of catalyst particle size on rate of reaction was studied for various supported cerium oxide catalysts. Catalysts were tested for activity, selectivity, and stability using isothermal fixed bed reactors. Optimal operating conditions for the production of diisopropyl ketone and methyl nonyl ketone were determined. It was found that supported cerium oxide catalysts effectively catalyzed the condensation of isobutyric acid to diisopropyl ketone for up to 12 hours of operation at weight hourly space velocities of ~4-5. On most occasions these catalysts showed no sign of deactivation at the end of 12 hours. Reactivation with air at 540 °C was sufficient to maintain long-term activity. The optimal temperature range was 470-480 °C. Activity could by improved by using catalyst particle sizes \u3c 1 mm. Doping (0.1 - 2.4 wt.%) a supported cerium oxide catalyst with a transition metal such as Mn or Pd deactivated the catalyst but the addition of 0.8 wt.% Co increased the molar yield to diisopropyl ketone. For methylnonyl ketone production from acetic acid and decanoic acid the optimal operating conditions using supported cerium oxide catalysts were 400-420 °C at weight hourly space velocities of ~4-6. Buildup of coke on the catalyst was observed. However, yield loss due to this coke formation was negligible, and the coke was easily removed by reactivation with air at 520 °C. Doping a supported cerium oxide catalyst with a transition metal such as Co or Pd increased both the activity and selectivity. Reaction results indicate a ketene-like surface intermediate is involved in the mechanism. The role of the transition metal dopants may be to facilitate the recombination of atomic hydrogen, produced during the formation of a ketene-like intermediate, with surface -OH groups, thereby increasing the reaction rate of ketone formation

Efficacy and safety of a combination therapy of atorvastatin and krill oil versus atorvastatin and niacin in dyslipidemia: a randomized, open, and comparator study

Background: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a major health problem, with CAD being the leading cause of mortality. Epidemiologic data strongly associate high CAD risk to elevated total and LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol. Combination therapy is often required to achieve multiple lipid treatment goals, and ≥50% reduction in low-density lipoprotein. Niacin/statin combination therapy may promote the cost-effective achievement of OLVs in several at-risk patient populations. Krill oil is extracted from Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, a zooplankton crustacean rich in phospholipids. Krill oil significantly reduces total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides, and increase HDL levels and has been found to be effective in the management of hyperlipidemia and long-term regulation of blood lipids. The aim of this study is to compare the Efficacy and Safety of a combination therapy of statin and krill oil versus Statin and Niacin in dyslipidemia.Methods: 30 eligible patients were randomized in a 12 week, open-label, comparative (2-arm, 1:1), prospective study into 2 arms, the first receiving atorvastatin 10mg od and krill oil 500mg bid and the second receiving atorvastatin 10mg od and niacin 375mg od. The primary endpoint of the study was a comparative assessment of change in lipid profile (LDL, TG, HDL) from baseline and after 12 weeks. The secondary endpoint involved recording all the adverse effects during the study.Results: Analysis of the baseline and post 12 week lipid levels by non-parametric unpaired ‘t’ test (Mann-Whitney test) showed a statistically significant change in two of the lipid levels (i.e. LDL – p=0.0037 in favour of statin and niacin and HDL – p=0.0003 in favour of statin and niacin). However the triglyceride levels showed no significant change in the two groups (p=0.2452).Conclusions: In our study the conventional combination therapy of statin and niacin is found to be more efficacious than the newer statin and krill oil combination in lowering LDL levels and increasing HDL levels in dyslipidemic patients. A further study with a higher sample size could confirm the findings of this study

Woman-centered research on access to safe abortion services and implications for behavioral change communication interventions: a cross-sectional study of women in Bihar and Jharkhand, India

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Unsafe abortion in India leads to significant morbidity and mortality. Abortion has been legal in India since 1971, and the availability of safe abortion services has increased. However, service availability has not led to a significant reduction in unsafe abortion. This study aimed to understand the gap between safe abortion availability and use of services in Bihar and Jharkhand, India by examining accessibility from the perspective of rural, Indian women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Two-stage stratified random sampling was used to identify and enroll 1411 married women of reproductive age in four rural districts in Bihar and Jharkhand, India. Data were collected on women's socio-demographic characteristics; exposure to mass media and other information sources; and abortion-related knowledge, perceptions and practices. Multiple linear regression models were used to explore the association between knowledge and perceptions about abortion.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most women were poor, had never attended school, and had limited exposure to mass media. Instead, they relied on community health workers, family and friends for health information. Women who had knowledge about abortion, such as knowing an abortion method, were more likely to perceive that services are available (β = 0.079; p < 0.05) and have positive attitudes toward abortion (β = 0.070; p < 0.05). In addition, women who reported exposure to abortion messages were more likely to have favorable attitudes toward abortion (β = 0.182; p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Behavior change communication (BCC) interventions, which address negative perceptions by improving community knowledge about abortion and support local availability of safe abortion services, are needed to increase enabling resources for women and improve potential access to services. Implementing BCC interventions is challenging in settings such as Bihar and Jharkhand where women may be difficult to reach directly, but interventions can target individuals in the community to transfer information to the women who need this information most. Interpersonal approaches that engage community leaders and influencers may also counteract negative social norms regarding abortion and associated stigma. Collaborative actions of government, NGOs and private partners should capitalize on this potential power of communities to reduce the impact of unsafe abortion on rural women.</p

PARALLEL PROGRAMMING USING THREAD-LEVEL SPECULATION

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Item analysis of multiple choice questions of undergraduate pharmacology examinations in an International Medical School in India

Background: Item analysis is widely used to improve test quality by observing the characteristics of a particular item and this can hence be used to ensure that questions are of an appropriate standard for inclusion in a test. Hence, this study to evaluate the multiple choice questions of an undergraduate pharmacology program. Materials and Methods: A total of 488 items were randomly selected and subjected to item analysis. Facility value (FV) and discrimination index (DI) were calculated by applying the appropriate formulae with the help of MS Excel. Results: The overall mean FV (difficulty index) and DI was 56.64% (±2.36) (mean range: 23.89-71.25%) and 0.22 (±0.84) (mean range: 0.16-0.44), respectively. 71.09% of the items analyzed were found to be “good/optimal” items based on the FV (14.13% — optimal, 56.96% — good) and 36.26% of the items analyzed were found be “very/reasonably” good items based on the DI (20.49% — very good, 15.77% — reasonably good). The number of “poor” items was 22.95% based on the FV and 18.23% based on the DI. When both the parameters were considered together, only 23% of the items were found to be “good” and 17.11% were found to be “poor.” Pearson correlation between the two indices showed a negative correlation (but statistically insignificant) between these two indices (r = −0.001379, P= 0.9774). Conclusion: Item analysis when regularly incorporated can help to develop a very useful, valid and a reliable question bank