Zeeman effect of nuclear quadrupole resonance in 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene

The Zeeman effect of NQR was studied in 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene. A low value of the asymmetry parameter (0.10) was obtained. Four physically inequivalent field gradients were located and their orientations in the crystallographic abc system were determined using symmetry considerations. From these data the orientations of the molecules in the unit cell were determined. The results agree well with the two-dimensional x-ray structural data. The bond characters of the C[Single Bond]Cl bond were calculated, and the values compare well with those generally obtained for C[Single Bond]Cl bonds in chlorine derivatives of benzene. ©1973 The American Institute of Physics.

Pressure dependence of chlorine nuclear quadrupole resonance in sodium chlorate

The pressure dependence of the chlorine NQR frequency in NaClo3 has been investigated up to 20 k bar hydrostatic pressure. A distinct break in slope in the pressure dependence of the resonance frequency is observed near 11 k bar. This is attributed to a phase transition reported earlier by Bridgman in this pressure region.

Influence of phosphate precursors on the structures of sodium aluminophosphate sols, gels and glasses

Transparent and homogeneous aluminophosphate gels and glasses have been widely synthesized through an aqueous sol-gel route, extending significantly the glass-forming range compared to that accessible via the melt-cooling route. Different phosphorus precursors, sodium polyphosphate (NaPO3) and orthophosphate species (NaH2PO4 and/or H3PO4) were compared with regard to the macroscopic properties and the microscopic structure of the resultant gels and glasses as characterized by extensive high-resolution liquid- and solid-state NMR. Sodium polyphosphate solution results in a substantially wider composition range of homogenous gel formation than orthophosphate solutions, and the two routes produce significant structural differences in the sol and xerogel states. Nevertheless, the structures of the glasses obtained upon gel annealing above 400 degrees C are independent of the P-precursors used. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Depicting the interplay between organisational tiers in the use of a national quality registry to develop quality of care in Sweden

BACKGROUND: With a pending need to identify potential means to improved quality of care, national quality registries (NQRs) are identified as a promising route. Yet, there is limited evidence with regards to what hinders and facilitates the NQR innovation, what signifies the contexts in which NQRs are applied and drive quality improvement. Supposedly, barriers and facilitators to NQR-driven quality improvement may be found in the healthcare context, in the politico-administrative context, as well as with an NQR itself. In this study, we investigated the potential variation with regards to if and how an NQR was applied by decision-makers and users in regions and clinical settings. The aim was to depict the interplay between the clinical and the politico-administrative tiers in the use of NQRs to develop quality of care, examining an established registry on stroke care as a case study. METHODS: We interviewed 44 individuals representing the clinical and the politico-administrative settings of 4 out of 21 regions strategically chosen for including stroke units representing a variety of outcomes in the NQR on stroke (Riksstroke) and a variety of settings. The transcribed interviews were analysed by applying The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). RESULTS: In two regions, decision-makers and/or administrators had initiated healthcare process projects for stroke, engaging the health professionals in the local stroke units who contributed with, for example, local data from Riksstroke. The Riksstroke data was used for identifying improvement issues, for setting goals, and asserting that the stroke units achieved an equivalent standard of care and a certain level of quality of stroke care. Meanwhile, one region had more recently initiated such a project and the fourth region had no similar collaboration across tiers. Apart from these projects, there was limited joint communication across tiers and none that included all individuals and functions engaged in quality improvement with regards to stroke care. CONCLUSIONS: If NQRs are to provide for quality improvement and learning opportunities, advances must be made in the links between the structures and processes across all organisational tiers, including decision-makers, administrators and health professionals engaged in a particular healthcare process.

Facilitators and barriers to applying a national quality registry for quality improvement in stroke care

BACKGROUND: National quality registries (NQRs) purportedly facilitate quality improvement, while neither the extent nor the mechanisms of such a relationship are fully known. The aim of this case study is to describe the experiences of local stakeholders to determine those elements that facilitate and hinder clinical quality improvement in relation to participation in a well-known and established NQR on stroke in Sweden. METHODS: A strategic sample was drawn of 8 hospitals in 4 county councils, representing a variety of settings and outcomes according to the NQR's criteria. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 25 managers, physicians in charge of the Riks-Stroke, and registered nurses registering local data at the hospitals. Interviews, including aspects of barriers and facilitators within the NQR and the local context, were analysed with content analysis. RESULTS: An NQR can provide vital aspects for facilitating evidence-based practice, for example, local data drawn from national guidelines which can be used for comparisons over time within the organisation or with other hospitals. Major effort is required to ensure that data entries are accurate and valid, and thus the trustworthiness of local data output competes with resources needed for everyday clinical stroke care and quality improvement initiatives. Local stakeholders with knowledge of and interest in both the medical area (in this case stroke) and quality improvement can apply the NQR data to effectively initiate, carry out, and evaluate quality improvement, if supported by managers and co-workers, a common stroke care process and an operational management system that embraces and engages with the NQR data. CONCLUSION: While quality registries are assumed to support adherence to evidence-based guidelines around the world, this study proposes that a NQR can facilitate improvement of care but neither the registry itself nor the reporting of data initiates quality improvement. Rather, the local and general evidence provided by the NQR must be considered relevant and must be applied in the local context. Further, the quality improvement process needs to be facilitated by stakeholders collaborating within and outside the context, who know how to initiate, perform, and evaluate quality improvement, and who have the resources to do so.

Local politico-administrative perspectives on quality improvement based on national registry data in Sweden : a qualitative study using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Background. Through a national policy agreement, over 167 million Euros will be invested in the Swedish National Quality Registries (NQRs) between 2012 and 2016. One of the policy agreement¿s intentions is to increase the use of NQR data for quality improvement (QI). However, the evidence is fragmented as to how the use of medical registries and the like lead to quality improvement, and little is known about non-clinical use. The aim was therefore to investigate the perspectives of Swedish politicians and administrators on quality improvement based on national registry data. Methods. Politicians and administrators from four county councils were interviewed. A qualitative content analysis guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was performed. Results. The politicians and administrators perspectives on the use of NQR data for quality improvement were mainly assigned to three of the five CFIR domains. In the domain of intervention characteristics, data reliability and access in reasonable time were not considered entirely satisfactory, making it difficult for the politico-administrative leaderships to initiate, monitor, and support timely QI efforts. Still, politicians and administrators trusted the idea of using the NQRs as a base for quality improvement. In the domain of inner setting, the organizational structures were not sufficiently developed to utilize the advantages of the NQRs, and readiness for implementation appeared to be inadequate for two reasons. Firstly, the resources for data analysis and quality improvement were not considered sufficient at politico-administrative or clinical level. Secondly, deficiencies in leadership engagement at multiple levels were described and there was a lack of consensus on the politicians¿ role and level of involvement. Regarding the domain of outer setting, there was a lack of communication and cooperation between the county councils and the national NQR organizations. Conclusions. The Swedish experiences show that a government-supported national system of well-funded, well-managed, and reputable national quality registries needs favorable local politico-administrative conditions to be used for quality improvement; such conditions are not yet in place according to local politicians and administrators.

Magnetic resonance study of the crystallization behavior of InF3-based glasses doped with Cu2+, Mn2+ and Gd3+

The crystallization of fluoroindate glasses doped with Gd3+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ heat treated at different temperatures, ranging from the glass transition temperature (Tg) to the crystallization temperature (Tc), are investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The EPR spectra indicate that the Cu2+ ions in the glass are located in axially distorted octahedral sites. In the crystallized glass, the g-values agreed with those reported for Ba2ZnF6, which correspond to Cu2+ in a tetragonal compressed F- octahedron and to Cu2+ on interstitial sites with a square-planar F- co-ordination. The EPR spectra of the Mn2+ doped glasses exhibit a sextet structure due to the Mn2+ hyperfine interaction. These spectra suggest a highly ordered environment for the Mn2+ ions (close to octahedral symmetry) in the glass. The EPR spectra of the recrystallized sample exhibit resonances at the same position, suggesting that the Mn2+ ions are located in sites of highly symmetric crystalline field. The increase of the line intensity of the sextet and the decrease of the background line in the thermal treated samples suggest that the Mn2+ ions move to the highly ordered sites which contribute to the sextet structure. The EPR spectra of the Gd3+ doped glasses exhibit the typical U-spectrum of a s-state ion in a low symmetry site in disordered systems. The EPR of the crystallized glasses, in contrast, have shown a strong resonance in g ≈ 2.0, suggesting Gd3+ ions in environment close to cubic symmetry. The 19F NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates were also strongly influenced by the crystallization process that takes over in samples annealed above Tc. For the glass samples (doped or undoped) the 19F magnetization recoveries were found to be adjusted by an exponential function and the spin-lattice relaxation was characterized by a single relaxation time. In contrast, for the samples treated above Tc, the 19F magnetization-recovery becomes non-exponential. A remarkable feature of our results is that the changes in the Cu2+, Mn2+, Gd3+ EPR spectra and NMR relaxation, are always observed for the samples annealed above Tc. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors facilitating a national quality registry to aid clinical quality improvement : findings of a national survey

Objectives: While national quality registries (NQRs) are suggested to provide opportunities for systematic follow-up and learning opportunities, and thus clinical improvements, features in registries and contexts triggering such processes are not fully known. This study focuses on one of the world's largest stroke registries, the Swedish NQR Riksstroke, investigating what aspects of the registry and healthcare organisations facilitate or hinder the use of registry data in clinical quality improvement. Methods: Following particular qualitative studies, we performed a quantitative survey in an exploratory sequential design. The survey, including 50 items on context, processes and the registry, was sent to managers, physicians and nurses engaged in Riksstroke in all 72 Swedish stroke units. Altogether, 242 individuals were presented with the survey; 163 responded, representing all but two units. Data were analysed descriptively and through multiple linear regression. Results: A majority (88%) considered Riksstroke data to facilitate detection of stroke care improvement needs and acknowledged that their data motivated quality improvements (78%). The use of Riksstroke for quality improvement initiatives was associated (R2=0.76) with ‘Colleagues’ call for local results’ (p=<0.001), ‘Management Request of Registry data’ (p=<0.001), and it was said to be ‘Simple to explain the results to colleagues’ (p=0.02). Using stepwise regression, ‘Colleagues’ call for local results’ was identified as the most influential factor. Yet, while 73% reported that managers request registry data, only 39% reported that their colleagues call for the unit's Riksstroke results. Conclusions: While an NQR like Riksstroke demonstrates improvement needs and motivates stakeholders to make progress, local stroke care staff and managers need to engage to keep the momentum going in terms of applying registry data when planning, performing and evaluating quality initiatives.