Introduction, purpose of the study: In Central Europe, in Hungary, the state guarantees access to health care and basic health services partly through the Semmelweis Plan adopted in 2011. The Health Plan aims to optimize and transform the health system. The objectives of hospital integration, as set out in the Plan, started with the state ownership of municipal hospitals in 2012, continued with the launch of integration processes in 2012–2013 and culminated today. The transformation of a health system can have an impact on health services and thus on meeting the needs of the population. We aim to study the effectiveness of integration through access to CT diagnostic testing. Our hypothesis is that integration has resulted in increased access to modern diagnostic services. The specialty under study is computed tomography (CT) diagnostic care. Our research shows that the number of people receiving CT diagnostic care has increased significantly because of integration, which has also brought a number of positive benefits, such as reduced health inequalities, reduced travel time, costs and waiting lists. Test material and method: Our quantitative retrospective research was carried out in the hospital of Kalocsa through document analysis. The research material was comparing two time periods in the Kalocsa site of Bács-Kiskun County, Southern Hungary. The number of patients attending CT examinations by area of duty of care according to postal codes was collected: Pre-integration period 2014.01.01–2017.11.30. (Kalocsa did not have CT equipment, so patients who appeared in Kecskemét Hospital but were under the care of Kalocsa), post-integration period 2017.12.01–2019.12.31. (period after the installation of CT in Kalocsa). The target group of the study consisted of women and men together, aged 0–99 years, who appeared for a CT diagnostic examination. The study sample size was 6721 persons. Linear regression statistics were used to evaluate the results. Based on empirical experience, a SWOT analysis was carried out to further investigate the effectiveness of integration. Results: As a result of the integration, the CT scan machine purchased in the Kalocsa District Hospital has enabled an average of 129.7 patients per month to receive CT scans on site without travelling. The model used is significant, explaining 86% of the change in the number of patients served (F = 43.535; p < 0.001, adjusted R2 = 0.860). The variable of integration in the model is significant, with an average increase in the number of patients served of 129.7 per month (t = 22.686; p < 0.001) following the introduction of CT due to integration. None of the month variables representing seasonal effects were found to be significant, with no seasonal effect on care. The SWOT analysis has clearly identified the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the integration, the main outcome of which is the acquisition of a CT diagnostic tool. Conclusions: Although we only looked at one segment of the evidence for the effectiveness of hospital integration, integration in the study area has had a positive impact on CT availability, reducing disparities in care.
In Costa Rica, there is no explicit recommendation from the competent authorities for the use of a specific phantom, so experts must explore what suppliers offer, among which the Normi Mam Digital phantom from PTW stands out. This article presents the results of the dosimetry and image quality control applied to the Normi Mam Digital phantom to validate it as equipment that complies with the recommendations of the Human Health Series No. 17. The results obtained were satisfactory, proving that the equipment complies with the tolerances recommended by international health bodies.
As an important ecosystem type in the coastal zone, mangroves have important ecological functions, such as maintaining coastal biodiversity, preventing wind and consolidating the coast, promoting silt and building land. It is of great significance to understand the protected status of mangroves in the context of climate change and rapid urbanization. Based on the mangrove classification data from remote sensing interpretation, through vacancy analysis, the in-situ protection status of mangroves in China is analyzed. The results show that the total area of mangroves distributed in China is 264 km2 (excluding the statistical data of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), of which 61.4% are protected in natural reserves. In terms of the main provinces where mangroves are distributed, the mangrove area distributed in Hainan Province is small but the protection proportion is high, while the mangrove area distributed in Guangxi and Guangdong Province is large but the proportion of protected areas is relatively low. Among the three mangrove types, Rhizophora apiculate-Xylocarpus granatum and Rhizophora stylosa-Bruguiera gymnorrhiza had high proportions (>90%) covered by reserves, but relatively small areas. In contrast, Kandelia candel-Aegiceras corniculatum-Avicennia marina had relatively low reserve coverage (52.6%), but a large area. The study puts forward the key areas of mangrove distribution outside the nature reserve, and suggests that they should be protected by delimiting ecological protection red lines.
The importance of improving industrial transformation processes for more efficient ones is part of the current challenges. Specifically, the development of more efficient processes in the production of biofuels, where the reaction and separation processes can be intensified, is of great interest to reduce the energy consumption associated with the process. In the case of Biodiesel, the process is defined by a chemical reaction and by the components associated to the process, where the thermochemical study seeks to develop calculations for the subsequent understanding of the reaction and purification process. Thus, the analysis of the mixture of the components using the process simulator Aspen Plus V9® unravels the thermochemical study. The UNIFAC-DMD thermodynamic method was used to estimate the binary equilibrium parameters of the reagents using the simulator. The analyzed aspects present the behavior of the components in different temperature conditions, the azeotropic behavior and the determined thermochemical conditions.
The contradiction between the ability of forestry that provides high-quality and abundant forestry products and good ecological services, and the demand for high-quality and diversified forestry products and service in order to meet the people’s rapid growing, has become the main contradiction faced by forestry development in new era. Since the area of forest resources in China is restricted by the expansion space, expanding the effective supply of forestry must mainly depends on the improvement of the quality and structure of forestry resources. Therefore, the focus of promoting forestry development is to comprehensively improve the level of forest management in the new era. Based on the analysis of the causes for the low level of forest management, it is proposed that forestry development in the new era should focus on the positively stimulating and strengthening the human capital development, etc., which come from the current following aspects: innovating forest management theory and model, clarifying the relationship between government and market.
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