Oscillatory behaviour of isomers of hydroxybenzoic acid with and without catalyst

The present work establishes and compares the oscillatory behaviour of mono-, di- and trihydroxybenzoic acids as organic substrates in acidic bromate (1.0 mol L-1 H2SO4) without catalyst and in the presence of Mn2+ ion as the main catalyst. The oscillations are also affected by other catalyst such as Fe2+ ion. Further, the oscillations start diminishing in mixed catalyst systems. The experimental parameters were obtained potentiometrically and the results have been interpreted on the basis of FKN mechanism

Diagnostic accuracy for different strategies of image-guided breast intervention in cases of nonpalpable breast lesions

To find out whether ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and ultrasound and stereotactic-guided large core needle biopsy (LCNB) are reliable alternatives to needle-localised open breast biopsy (NLBB) in daily practice, we performed a retrospective study and evaluated the validity of these methods. In all, 718 women with 749 nonpalpable breast lesions from three Dutch Hospitals were included, and the validity of the various methods for diagnosis was assessed. This was carried out according to a method described by Burbank and Parker for evaluating the quality of an image-guided breast intervention. We compared our results with the outcome of the COBRA study. Overall, all diagnostic strategies (NLBB, FNA, LCNB ultrasound and stereotactic guided) show comparable agreement rates. However, the miss rates differ: 2% for NLBB, 3% for COBRA (LCNB in study setting), 5% for FNA and 8-12% for LCNB in practice. Fine-needle aspiration was nonconclusive in 29%, and shows an overestimation for DCIS in 9%. The DCIS underestimate rate in NLBB was 8%. For the assessment of lesions consisting of microcalcifications only and to exclude malignancy in all other lesions, a 14-gauge needle should be used. Ultrasound-guided intervention can be performed in a large percentage of nonpalpable lesions. Lesions consisting only of microcalcifications on mammography need special attention

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Background: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97\ub71 (95% UI 95\ub78-98\ub71) in Iceland, followed by 96\ub76 (94\ub79-97\ub79) in Norway and 96\ub71 (94\ub75-97\ub73) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18\ub76 (13\ub71-24\ub74) in the Central African Republic, 19\ub70 (14\ub73-23\ub77) in Somalia, and 23\ub74 (20\ub72-26\ub78) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91\ub75 (89\ub71-93\ub76) in Beijing to 48\ub70 (43\ub74-53\ub72) in Tibet (a 43\ub75-point difference), while India saw a 30\ub78-point disparity, from 64\ub78 (59\ub76-68\ub78) in Goa to 34\ub70 (30\ub73-38\ub71) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4\ub78-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20\ub79-point to 17\ub70-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17\ub72-point to 20\ub74-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle- SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage hinges upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view-and subsequent provision-of quality health care for all populations

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: A systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. Background A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. Methods Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita. Findings In 2016, HAQ Index performance spanned from a high of 97·1 (95% UI 95·8-98·1) in Iceland, followed by 96·6 (94·9-97·9) in Norway and 96·1 (94·5-97·3) in the Netherlands, to values as low as 18·6 (13·1-24·4) in the Central African Republic, 19·0 (14·3-23·7) in Somalia, and 23·4 (20·2-26·8) in Guinea-Bissau. The pace of progress achieved between 1990 and 2016 varied, with markedly faster improvements occurring between 2000 and 2016 for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, whereas several countries in Latin America and elsewhere saw progress stagnate after experiencing considerable advances in the HAQ Index between 1990 and 2000. Striking subnational disparities emerged in personal health-care access and quality, with China and India having particularly large gaps between locations with the highest and lowest scores in 2016. In China, performance ranged from 91·5 (89·1-93·6) in Beijing to 48·0 (43·4-53·2) in Tibet (a 43·5-point difference), while India saw a 30·8-point disparity, from 64·8 (59·6-68·8) in Goa to 34·0 (30·3-38·1) in Assam. Japan recorded the smallest range in subnational HAQ performance in 2016 (a 4·8-point difference), whereas differences between subnational locations with the highest and lowest HAQ Index values were more than two times as high for the USA and three times as high for England. State-level gaps in the HAQ Index in Mexico somewhat narrowed from 1990 to 2016 (from a 20·9-point to 17·0-point difference), whereas in Brazil, disparities slightly increased across states during this time (a 17·2-point to 20·4-point difference). Performance on the HAQ Index showed strong linkages to overall development, with high and high-middle SDI countries generally having higher scores and faster gains for non-communicable diseases. Nonetheless, countries across the development spectrum saw substantial gains in some key health service areas from 2000 to 2016, most notably vaccine-preventable diseases. Overall, national performance on the HAQ Index was positively associated with higher levels of total health spending per capita, as well as health systems inputs, but these relationships were quite heterogeneous, particularly among low-to-middle SDI countries. Interpretation GBD 2016 provides a more detailed understanding of past success and current challenges in improving personal health-care access and quality worldwide. Despite substantial gains since 2000, many low-SDI and middle- SDI countries face considerable challenges unless heightened policy action and investments focus on advancing access to and quality of health care across key health services, especially non-communicable diseases. Stagnating or minimal improvements experienced by several low-middle to high-middle SDI countries could reflect the complexities of re-orienting both primary and secondary health-care services beyond the more limited foci of the Millennium Development Goals. Alongside initiatives to strengthen public health programmes, the pursuit of universal health coverage hinges upon improving both access and quality worldwide, and thus requires adopting a more comprehensive view - and subsequent provision - of quality health care for all populations

Measuring performance on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational locations: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016.

BACKGROUND: A key component of achieving universal health coverage is ensuring that all populations have access to quality health care. Examining where gains have occurred or progress has faltered across and within countries is crucial to guiding decisions and strategies for future improvement. We used the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) to assess personal health-care access and quality with the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index for 195 countries and territories, as well as subnational locations in seven countries, from 1990 to 2016. METHODS: Drawing from established methods and updated estimates from GBD 2016, we used 32 causes from which death should not occur in the presence of effective care to approximate personal health-care access and quality by location and over time. To better isolate potential effects of personal health-care access and quality from underlying risk factor patterns, we risk-standardised cause-specific deaths due to non-cancers by location-year, replacing the local joint exposure of environmental and behavioural risks with the global level of exposure. Supported by the expansion of cancer registry data in GBD 2016, we used mortality-to-incidence ratios for cancers instead of risk-standardised death rates to provide a stronger signal of the effects of personal health care and access on cancer survival. We transformed each cause to a scale of 0-100, with 0 as the first percentile (worst) observed between 1990 and 2016, and 100 as the 99th percentile (best); we set these thresholds at the country level, and then applied them to subnational locations. We applied a principal components analysis to construct the HAQ Index using all scaled cause values, providing an overall score of 0-100 of personal health-care access and quality by location over time. We then compared HAQ Index levels and trends by quintiles on the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary measure of overall development. As derived from the broader GBD study and other data sources, we examined relationships between national HAQ Index scores and potential correlates of performance, such as total health spending per capita

Improved optical properties in nanocrystalline Ce:YGG garnets via normal and reverse strike co-precipitation method

There is a difference in the growth of nanoparticles based on the environment in which nucleation occurs as is observed by changing the order of reactant being added to the precipitant present in excess called the normal strike and reverse strike method. The effect of particle size on optical properties of Ce:YGG (Ce doped yttrium gallium garnet) obtained via normal and reverse strike synthesis has been investigated. The normal strike route led to smaller particle size, good chemical homogeneity as well as significant improvement in photoluminescence properties compared to the reverse strike route. A comparative study of Ce:YGG nanoparticles, synthesized via the two different methods and their optical properties are discussed. There is an enhancement in the photoluminescence efficiency in nanoparticles obtained by the normal strike method mainly due to homogeneous distribution of active ions in the host which is essential to avoid quenching

A comparative study on the oscillatory behaviour of isomers of hydroxybenzoic acid with and without methyl ketones

211-214The oscillatory behaviour of isomers of hydroxybenzoic acid has been studied in 1.0 M H₂SO₄ with and without methyl ketones as mixed substrates. The presence of Br⁻ and the critical bromide ion concentration have been found to have a key role in the present study. Moreover, the effect of ketones such as acetone, butanone and pentanone has also been found to affect the oscillatory characteristics such as induction period, time period, frequency and number of oscillations. The oscillations arise in such systems provided the inhibitory reaction and autocatalysis balance each other

Oscillating behaviour of gallic acid – methyl ketone system catalysed by metal ions

705-707Studies on oscillatory behaviour of gallic acid with potassium bromate in presence of methyl ketones as co-substrates and various metal-ions as catalysts in aqueous acid medium are reported here. The investigations establish the order of reactivity of single and mixed organic substrate systems and also explore the relative efficiency of metal ions as catalysts in the reaction systems. The Mn²⁺/Fe²⁺ couple has been examined for co-catalyst effect on both single and mixed organic substrate systems

Effect of Position and Number of Hydroxyl Groups on the Oscillatory Behaviour of Isomers of Hydroxybenzoic Acid

In the present communication, the effect of isomers of hydroxybenzoic acids with respect to their oscillatory behaviour as organic substrates with inorganic bromate and manganese(II) ion as catalyst in aqueous acid medium (1.0 M H2SO4) have been studied. The number and the relative position of hydroxyl groups (-OH) in the aromatic ring is found to influence the oscillatory behaviour. Besides, the role of bromination reaction and the formation of corresponding bromoderivative is found to be an important step. The experimental findings are within the purview of Field, Koros and Noyes (FKN) mechanism

Effect of Temperature on Oscillatory Behaviour of the System Containing Isomers of Hydroxybenzoic Acid in Batch Reactor

In the present paper a thorough study of temperature dependence on oscillatory behaviour of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) system containing the isomers of hydroxybenzoic acids + BrO3-+ Mn(II) in aqueous acid medium (1.0 M H2SO4) at a fixed concentration of reacting species has been reported. On varying temperature, the oscillatory parameters like induction time, time period and number of oscillations show marked changes. These changes arise due to the position and number of hydroxyl groups in these isomers which affect the oscillations. Experimental observations have satisfactorily been explained by FKN mechanism and kinetic parameters. The oscillatory characteristics depend on the temperature dependence of the rate constant of the reaction controlling the inhibitory reaction steps (negative feedback