Capital equipment

BACKGROUND: The provision of high-quality hospital care requires adequate space, buildings, and equipment, although redundant infrastructure could also drive service overprovision. OBJECTIVE: To explore the distribution of physical hospital resources-that is, capital assets-in the United States; its correlation with indicators of community health and nonhealth factors; and the association between hospital capital density and regional hospital utilization and costs...

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) bears the vital task of driving the growth of China's equipment manufacturing industry (EMI) intelligence as an advanced region. Fostering the transformation and upgrading of the EMI in the YRD and constructing a modern production mode is vital to developing and reforming China's manufacturing industry. This paper uses industrial robot data to assess the level of intelligence (LoI) in the EMI from 2016 to 2019. The OLS (ordinary least squares) model is used for the measurements, and the MQ (the modified contribution index) is used to estimate the degree of contribution from a host of variables...

Sleep is essential for optimal functioning and health. Interconnected to multiple biological, psychological and socio-environmental factors (i.e., biopsychosocial factors), the multidimensional nature of sleep is rarely capitalized on in research. Here, we deployed a data-driven approach to identify sleep-biopsychosocial profiles that linked self-reported sleep patterns to inter-individual variability in health, cognition, and lifestyle factors in 770 healthy young adults. We uncovered five profiles, including two profiles reflecting general psychopathology associated with either reports of general poor sleep or an absence of sleep complaints (i...

The mental health of healthcare workers, especially the nursing staff in intensive care units, is crucial for the optimal functioning of healthcare systems during medical emergencies. This study implements a cross-sectional design to investigate the associations between nurses' personal characteristics, workplace challenges, and job satisfaction with the increased perception of tension, stress, and pressure at the workplace (TSPW) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, we surveyed 4210 nurses from 19 intensive healthcare facilities in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, and, at that time, collected data about their perceived TSPW before and during the COVID-19 pandemic...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) transmission in livestock, community, and healthcare settings poses a significant public health concern both locally and globally. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence, molecular detection, and antibiogram of the MRSA strain in fresh beef, contact surfaces, and butchers' knives from the four major abattoirs (Karu, Gwagwalada, Deidei, and Kubwa) located in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to collect 400 swab samples from butchers' knives (132), fresh beef (136), and contact surfaces (132)...

OBJECTIVE: The necessary training and certification of providers performing venous ablation has become a topic of debate in recent years. As venous interventions have shifted away from the hospital, the diversity of provider backgrounds has increased. We aimed to characterize superficial venous ablation practice patterns associated with different provider types. METHODS: We analyzed Medicare fee-for-service data from 2010 through 2018. Procedures were identified by their Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code and included radiofrequency ablation, endovenous laser ablation, chemical adhesive ablation (i...

PURPOSE: YouTube is one of the most popular media sharing platforms that facilitates both professionals and lay people to participate in dissemination of knowledge and opinions. Its wide-reaching impact allows both top-down and bottom-up flow of information between experts and lay audience. With a vast proportion of Americans obtaining health-related information digitally, the purpose of this study was to describe the content of 100 most viewed YouTube videos in the English language, specific to genetically modified foods (GMFs)...

BACKGROUND: The electronic National Immunization Information System (NIIS) was introduced nationwide in Vietnam in 2017. Health workers were expected to use the NIIS alongside the legacy paper-based system. Starting in 2018, Hanoi and Son La provinces transitioned to paperless reporting. Interventions to support this transition included data guidelines and training, internet-based data review meetings, and additional supportive supervision visits. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess (1) changes in NIIS data quality and use, (2) changes in immunization program outcomes, and (3) the economic costs of using the NIIS versus the traditional paper system...

INTRODUCTION: Is Paris a 15-min city, where inhabitants can access essential amenities such as schools and shops with a 15-min walk or bike ride? The concept of a 15-min (more generally, X-minute) city was launched in the French capital and was part of the current mayor's plan in her latest re-election campaign. Yet, its fit with the existing urban structure had not been previously assessed. METHODS: This article combines open map data from a large participatory project and geo-localized socio-economic data from official statistics to fill this gap...

In Nigeria, 86 million people lack electricity access, the highest number worldwide, predominantly in rural areas. Despite government efforts, constrained budgets necessitate private investors, who, without adequate incentives, are hesitant to commit capital due to perceived high risks. This study identifies three existing incentive policies-concessionary loans, capital subsidy, and financing productive use equipment-aimed at promoting rural electrification in Nigeria. Employing geospatial and regulatory analyses, we evaluate their impact on electrification planning across 22,696 population clusters...

OBJECTIVES: The health sector contributes to climate disruption through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It accounts for 8% to 10% of France's GHG emissions. Although the medical community has been alerted to the problem, more data are needed. This study aimed to determine the carbon footprint of a surgical pathology laboratory. METHODS: The study was conducted in the surgical pathology laboratory at Saint Vincent hospital (Lille) in 2021. It represented 17,242 patient cases corresponding to 54,124 paraffin blocks...

BACKGROUND: Naloxone is an effective and safe opioid reversal medication now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with or without a prescription. Despite this, naloxone dissemination lags at a time when U.S. opioid-related mortality expands. The authors proposed distributing naloxone to all U.S. medical students using established statewide standing prescription orders for naloxone, eliminating the financial burden of over-the-counter costs on students and streamlining workflow for the pharmacy...

Activated carbon (AC), renowned for its versatile applications in water treatment, air purification, and industrial processes, is a critical component in environmental remediation and resource recovery strategies. This study encompasses the process modeling of AC production using anthracite coal as a precursor, involving multiple activation stages at different operating conditions, coupled with a detailed techno-economic analysis aimed at assessing the operational feasibility and financial viability of the plant...

The Sleman Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) is a longitudinal survey held routinely since 2014 to collect demographic, social, and health changes in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, we needed to adjust our method of conducting data collection from in-person to telephone interviews. We describe the Sleman HDSS data collection strategy used and the opportunities it presented. First, the Sleman HDSS team completed a feasibility study and adjusted the standard operational procedures to conduct telephone interviews...

Auger-emitting radionuclides, exemplified by Pd-103, exhibit considerable therapeutic potential in cancer treatment due to their high cytotoxicity and localized biological impact. Despite these advantages, the separation of such radionuclides presents a complicated challenge, requiring intricate and time-intensive "wet chemistry" methods attributed to the exceptional chemical inertness of the associated metals. This study proposes an innovative solution to this separation challenge through the design and implementation of a piece of radionuclide separation equipment (RSE)...

INTRODUCTION: Mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mPCNL) has been described as an alternative to standard nephrolithotomy (sPCNL) for select stones. Studies suggest that mPCNL has comparable stone-free rates, with potential for decreased complications and shorter hospital stay. Costs associated with both procedures present a challenge to Canadian institutions due to capital acquisitions of equipment and ongoing disposables. The objective of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of both procedures at our institution...

Existing evidence on the cost of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programs has focused on pilot and demonstration projects or initial introductions, which resulted in a perceived high cost. We aimed to study the ongoing cost and operational context of an established HPV vaccination program in Sri Lanka. We conducted a retrospective operational research and microcosting study focusing on 2019. We collected data from 30 divisional health units, 10 districts, and the central level. We then evaluated financial and economic costs, reported by level of the health system, program activity, cost types, and per dose delivered...

Natural gas and condensate are exposed to hydrates formation at high pressure and low temperature in the presence of traces of water. Hydrates formation results in blockage of pipelines and equipment leading to plant shutdown and production losses. This study intends to find a novel hydrate prevention process for high pressure refrigerated condensate (HPRC) lines. HPRC is utilised as lean oil for enhanced liquified petroleum gas recovery in absorption process. This research was conducted by performing fifteen tests in which various processed natural gas (PNG) samples were injected into different HPRC samples using Aspen HYSYS software...

The fast-growing microbe Vibrio natriegens is capable of natural transformation where it draws DNA in from media via an active process under physiological conditions. Using an engineered strain with a genomic copy of the master competence regulator tfoX from Vibrio cholerae in combination with a new minimal competence media (MCM) that uses acetate as an energy source, we demonstrate naturally competent cells which are created, transformed, and recovered entirely in the same media, without exchange or addition of fresh media...

This Article analyzes the 2021 judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the case of Mst. Safia Bano v. Home Department, Government of Punjab. The case has garnered significant local and international attention due to the Court's ruling that a death sentence may not be carried out on a defendant who has a mental illness. Setting the case against the backdrop of Pakistan's Islamic and colonial contexts, this article argues that the Supreme Court has reshaped the insanity defense in Pakistani law by placing the determination of a defendant's mental state mainly in the hands of medical professionals...