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GHOST (Globally Harmonised Observations in Space and Time) represents one of the biggest collections of harmonised measurements of atmospheric composition at the surface. In total, 7 275 148 646 measurements from 1970 to 2023, of 227 different components from 38 reporting networks, are compiled, parsed, and standardised. The components processed include gaseous species, total and speciated particulate matter, and aerosol optical properties. The main goal of GHOST is to provide a dataset that can serve as a basis for the reproducibility of model evaluation efforts across the community. Exhaustive efforts have been made towards standardising almost every facet of the information provided by major public reporting networks, which is saved in 21 data variables and 163 metadata variables. Extensive effort in particular is made towards the standardisation of measurement process information and station classifications. Extra complementary information is also associated with measurements, such as metadata from various popular gridded datasets (e.g. land use) and temporal classifications per measurement (e.g. day or night). A range of standardised network quality assurance flags is associated with each individual measurement. GHOST's own quality assurance is also performed and associated with measurements. Measurements pre-filtered by the default GHOST quality assurance are also provided. In this paper, we outline all steps undertaken to create the GHOST dataset and give insights and recommendations for data providers based on the experiences gleaned through our efforts. The GHOST dataset is made freely available via the following repository: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10637449 (Bowdalo, 2024a).

Abstract Background The Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration in Emergency Medicine (TAAAC-EM) is a bi-institutional partnership between the University of Toronto (UofT) and Addis Ababa University (AAU) focused on addressing the need for emergency medicine (EM) postgraduate training and care in Ethiopia. Toxicology is a key competency in EM. EM physicians are often the first and sole clinicians to identify and treat patients presenting with a wide range of intoxications. The goal of this project was to conduct an educational needs assessment to inform the development of a context-specific toxicology curriculum for the AAU EM training program. Methods Our needs assessment employed a survey (available electronically and in paper format) and face-to-face interviews conducted with Ethiopian EM faculty (all graduates of the AAU EM residency training program) and current AAU EM residents. The survey was distributed in October 2018 and the interviews were conducted in November 2018. Results Of the 63 surveys distributed, we received 17 complete responses and completed 11 interviews with AAU EM faculty and residents. The survey conducted on toxicology training highlighted overall satisfaction with current training, with thematic analysis revealing key areas for growth. System-related themes focused on resource availability, healthcare access, and public health education. Provider-related themes emphasized the need for context-specific training, including common local toxins, and for advanced toxicology training such as poison center rotations. Patient-related themes centered on specific toxicological presentations in Ethiopia, highlighting the importance of public health advocacy, education on safe handling, and governmental regulation of toxic substances. Both survey and interview data highlighted challenges stemming from inconsistent availability of resources and underscored the need for tailored education to manage poisoned patients with locally available resources. Conclusions Our findings indicate the need to focus on the most prevalent local toxicological presentations and practical management challenges in local contexts, including resource limitations and delayed presentations. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of public health initiatives such as regulation of the sale and promotion of safe handling of toxic substances to mitigate toxicological risks. These findings are likely relevant to other resource-constrained settings outside of Ethiopia.

Data-driven diagnostic methods allow to obtain a statistical model of time series and to identify deviations of recorded data from the pattern of the monitored system. Statistical analysis of time series of mechanical vibrations creates a new quality in the monitoring of rotating machines. Most real vibration signals exhibit nonlinear properties well described by scaling exponents. Multifractal analysis, which relies mainly on assessing local singularity exponents, has become a popular tool for statistical analysis of empirical data. There are many methods to study time series in terms of their fractality. Comparing computational complexity, a wavelet leaders algorithm was chosen. Using Wavelet Leaders Multifractal Formalism, multifractal parameters were estimated, taking them as diagnostic features in the pattern recognition procedure, using machine learning methods. The classification was performed using neural network, k-nearest neighbours’ algorithm and support vector machine. The article presents the results of vibration acceleration tests in a demonstration transmission system that allows simulations of assembly errors and teeth wear.

Introducción: Para prevenir la estenosis vaginal se recomienda el uso de un dilatador vaginal. Objetivo: Analizar datos sociodemográficos, condiciones ginecológicas y el uso de dilatadores vaginales después de la braquiterapia pélvica. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio transversal, retrospectivo, período 2016-2020, recolectado entre octubre/2020 y febrero /2021, en historias clínicas de mujeres con cáncer ginecológico tratadas con braquiterapia en el Centro de Investigaciones Oncológicas (Brasil). Las variables cubrieron datos sociodemográficos y condiciones ginecológicas posteriores al tratamiento. En el análisis se aplicó estadística descriptiva, prueba de chi-cuadrado, prueba exacta de Fisher y prueba de Mann-Whitney. Resultados: Se incluyeron en la investigación 519 historias clínicas; los análisis mostraron asociaciones significativas entre topografía y puesta en escena (p

Young children with visual impairment and their families often require specialized assistance through early intervention to develop adaptive routines, cues, and environmental settings during mealtimes and other daily tasks. There is little empirical data in the area of mealtime routines available to support families of young children with visual impairment, and the need for research-based interventions is great. The purpose of this initial needs assessment survey was to gather information as little is already known about what teachers of students with visual impairment trained in early intervention (TSVI-EIs) and other early interventionists who work with infants and toddlers with visual impairment already know about the development of independent mealtime skills. The results of this survey indicate that early intervention professionals would like additional opportunities to learn about mealtime routine strategies for young children with visual impairment, confirm their current experiences and knowledge, and identify additional training and resources.

It is known that social support is one of the main protective factors in the postpartum period. In addition, studies report the association between biological rhythm disruption and its consequences on health, especially mental, but little is known about the possible causes of this disruption. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the perception of social support and the biological rhythm in women at three months postpartum in the city of Pelotas, Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study nested within a population-based cohort study, using data from an assessment performed 90 to 120 days postpartum. The mother's perception of social support was assessed by the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Scale (MOS-SSS), while biological rhythm was measured by the Biological Rhythms Interview of Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (BRIAN). Sample composition was based on data from 755 women. After adjusting by linear regression for the potential confounders of schooling and economic class, all domains of social support (material support, affective support, emotional support, informational support and positive social interaction) remained negatively associated with biological rhythm (p < .001). Thus, regression analysis shows for each increment of one point in the domains of social support, there was a decrease between 0,160 and 0,189 points in the maternal biological rhythm. All domains of social support were associated with disruption of the biological rhythm, which reinforces the need for adequate support, especially in a period of many demands, for good maternal health.

Der vorliegende Beitrag ist dem Drama Heldenplatz von Thomas Bernhard gewidmet, seinem wohl bekanntesten Theaterstück, dessen Premiere im Wiener Burgtheater 1988 einen großen Skandal auslöste. Er entzündete sich an den auf der Bühne fallenden abfälligen Worten über Österreich und die Österreicher, die man entweder als eine unzulässige Zumutung oder als eine längst überfällige Abrechnung mit der verdrängten nationalsozialistischen Vergangenheit des Landes interpretierte. Die Analyse des Textes führt zum Ergebnis, dass es Bernhard gar nicht um die vordergründige plakative Österreichkritik ging. Sein eigentliches Anliegen lag vielmehr in der hier benutzten Sprache, deren menschenverachtende Rhetorik auf die ideologischen Raster der NS-Propaganda rekurrierte. Die öffentliche Erregung nach der Premiere zeigte, dass man eine solche Sprache der österreichischen Öffentlichkeit immer noch zumuten konnte. Der Schriftsteller stellte damit eine durchaus beängstigende Diagnose, die die österreichischen Medien und die Diskurskultur des ganzen Landes betraf.

This article presents a study carried out on a 2 kN·m torque transducer at the Central Office of Measures (GUM) and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB). The weighted least squares method was used to generate the linear regression equations for this torque transducer. The Monte Carlo method and the law of uncertainty propagation were used to calculate the expanded uncertainty. In addition, a creep study was carried out at eight measurement points ranging from 200 N·m to 2000 N·m. The investigations showed that the highest readings of the torque transducer, expressed in electrical units as mV/V, occur within the initial few seconds of the test after the removal of the maximum reference torque.

Os estudos sobre fenologia reprodutiva das espécies arbóreas geram conhecimentos que são necessários para definição de estratégias de conservação e manejo florestal. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo a caracterização da fenologia reprodutiva de espécies para produção de madeira ou lenha em formações secundárias da Floresta Ombrófila Densa. Entre junho de 1998 e julho de 1999, foram avaliados os períodos de floração e frutificação de no mínimo 5 até 41 plantas arbóreas reprodutivas, pertencentes a 19 espécies, em uma área localizada no município de São Pedro de Alcântara, Santa Catarina. As observações fenológicas (floração e frutificação) foram realizadas a cada 15 dias. A proporção de plantas que floresceu e frutificou variou de 5,5 a 80,0% (média de 28,4%), dependendo da espécie. Também, existem diferenças entre espécies em relação ao DAP mínimo para floração, que variou de 5,6 a 21,5 cm. A floração da maior parte das espécies ocorreu no período de outubro a janeiro. A frutificação concentrou-se nos meses de janeiro a março. Além destes fatores, as fenofases reprodutivas também são dependentes do ambiente onde se desenvolvem, razão pela qual muitas espécies estudadas apresentaram períodos reprodutivos diferentes daqueles mencionados para outras regiões. Os resultados deste trabalho reforçam a necessidade de estudos específicos para elaboração de planos de manejo florestal com espécies madeireiras nativas, bem como para definir estratégias de coleta de sementes.

ABSTRACT Objectives: to identify the repercussions of financial toxicity on the lives of adult cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: an integrative review was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases, as well as the Virtual Health Library portal, in March 2023. Results: out of 62 studies found, 13 were included for analysis. The primary repercussions of financial toxicity included difficulties in covering basic expenses such as food, housing, medication, transportation, and internet access; increased anxiety and concerns related to health and financial situations; reduction or absence of income; challenges in obtaining treatment or accessing healthcare services; rising expenses; and telemedicine as a less burdensome alternative. Conclusions: the pandemic has exacerbated financial toxicity; therefore, healthcare teams must recognize it as an adverse event of oncological treatment and understand its potential to affect various aspects of patients’ lives.

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation is a complex treatment, aimed at curing malignant and benign diseases, which directly affects the quality of life of patients and caregivers. Studies prior to the pandemic period presented aspects of caregiver burden and quality of life for both; this current research contributes to this gap on the topic during the pandemic. To evaluate and correlate the quality of life of hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with the quality of life and caregiver burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Case series with 16 dyads, carried out in a public hospital in Brazil, a reference in Latin America. The quality of life of transplant recipients was assessed with the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-Bone Marrow Transplantation, caregivers with the Medical Outcomes Studt 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, burden with the Zarit Burden Interview. There was a lower perception of the functional well-being of transplant recipients and a worse general health status of caregivers; the caregiver's mental health interfered in different domains of quality of life; there was a negative correlation between quality of life and caregiver burden. The pandemic impacted the dyads’ quality of life; there is a need for additional support for both the patient and the caregiver.

The author of the article discusses selected academic and popular publications on the history of libraries and librarianship in Poland which were issued between 1945 and 2015. In that period, information about the most important historical resources of various Polish libraries and early book collections was made available. In addition, the period was marked by progress in the study of materials originating before the end of the 18th century. Scholars published a range of methodological works and works about sources, contributing to the development of scholarship. At the same time, there were too few editions of source materials. After 1989, scholars intensified their efforts to find sources in foreign collections, especially in Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Germany. Polish collections kept abroad are yet to be fully researched and to have their inventories and catalogues published. The vast body of literature is uneven when it comes to its focus on individual historical periods, regions, subregions and local centres. It comprises publications on the history of libraries, their function and role in culture with regard to the history of publications focused on the types of libraries or individual libraries — of different traditions, sizes and the book, and stature. Scholars also explored the history of private book collections, reading rooms and libraries, as well as biographies of librarians and collectors. The quality of the publications varies. There are gaps in, for example, the history of libraries in the former Polish eastern borderlands and ‘blank pages’ in the historiography of Polish librarianship after the Second World War. There is a visible shortage of quantification of phenomena from the past of libraries, despite the fact that there are some possibilities in this respect. What is also needed is development in comparative studies, including from an international perspective, although this would require Polish historians to become more interested than before in the history of librarianship in other countries.

Machine learning generative models have opened up a new perspective for automated machine diagnostics. These methods improve decision-making by extracting features, classifying, and creating new observations using deep neural networks. Generative modeling aims to determine the joint distribution of input data. This contrasts traditional methods used in diagnostics based on discriminative models and the conditional probability distribution of the target variable at known feature values. In the variational autoencoder (VAE) algorithms trained by the authors, the parameters of diagnostic features are random variables, the distributions of which can be approximated based on data, and the identification of probability distributions is based on variational inference. Variational inference is a tool that deals with difficult statistical problems and is usually faster than classical methods. VAEs can detect anomalies, predict failures, and optimize processes. This paper proposes an unsupervised approach to fault diagnosis using only healthy data with automatic feature extraction from the continuous probabilistic latent subspace of the VAE encoder and reduction in PCA or t-SNE. The solution, verified in the example of simulation data, is a response to a common problem related to the lack or difficulty of obtaining marked data in defected states of devices and mechanical structures.

This was a cross-sectional study that aimed to evaluate the association between breastfeeding and motor development of infants at 3-4 months of age in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. The outcome, infant motor development, was evaluated through the Bayley Scale of Infant Development (Bayley III). The prevalence of infants that stopped breastfeeding before reaching 3-4 months of age was 16.6%. The most prevalent reason for early weaning was 'insufficient milk flow' (50.4%). The general mean of motor development was 104.9 (±13.2) points, and the lowest means were attributed to babies who never breastfed (101.5; SD ±14.6), followed by those stopped breastfeeding (102.5; SD ±14.1). The results revealed that infants who never breastfed and those who had stopped at 3-4 months of age presented -1.9 (CI 95% -3.8;-0.2) points in the motor development scale means when compared with infants who were still breastfeeding.

A esperança é um constructo multidimensional e multifacetado imbricado no processo de cuidar das pessoas com câncer, trata-se de estado emocional dinâmico, adaptativo e essencial para transcendência. O objetivo deste estudo é refletir sobre a esperança da pessoa com câncer avançado em cuidados paliativos. A esperança é multideterminada por diferentes fatores intrínsecos, funcionais, socioafetivos, psicoemocionais, terapêuticos; entre outros, ela é ancorada e potencializada pela espiritualidade, que propulsiona a transposição da adversidade imposta pela doença progressiva e busca de sentido da vida. Existe relação positiva entre a esperança e a qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde, além de ser parte de uma “engrenagem” dinâmica, intimamente associada ao bem-estar biopsicossocioespiritual. Faz-se importante a reflexão do impacto da esperança no cuidado da pessoa com câncer avançado para um planejamento holístico e fundamentado na avaliação e promoção da esperança no intuito de auxiliar na busca de equilíbrio.

Enquadramento: O constructo religiosidade/espiritualidade e apoio social sugere melhoria na qualidade de vida nos doentes com cancro avançado em terapêutica paliativa ou cuidado paliativo. Objetivo: Verificar se as pessoas com cancro avançado que estão a receber terapêutica paliativa e/ou cuidado paliativo, utilizam a religiosidade/espiritualidade e apoio social para o enfrentamento da doença, e comparar o seu uso na melhoria da qualidade de vida. Metodologia: Estudo observacional, transversal e analítico, realizado num hospital no sul do Brasil, de janeiro a julho de 2018. Dados recolhidos através de um questionário sociodemográfico/clínico e do Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 15-Palliative. O teste não paramétrico de Mann Whitney foi utilizado para análise comparativa. Resultados: Participaram 107 doentes na terapêutica paliativa e 19 no cuidado paliativo. O uso da religiosidade/espiritualidade e apoio social foi unanimemente utilizado. A presença de um familiar como cuidador principal teve significância (p = 0,014), predizendo melhor qualidade de vida. Conclusão: Cabe ao enfermeiro promover o cuidado humano e viabilizar o uso do constructo religioso/espiritual e social, em especial a presença do cuidador familiar, para melhorar a qualidade de vida da pessoa com cancro avançado.

With a few exceptions, most studies on tropospheric ozone (O3) variability during and following the COrona VIrus Disease (COVID-19) economic downturn focused on high-emission regions or urban environments. In this work, we investigated the impact of the societal restriction measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on surface O3 at several high-elevation sites across North America and western Europe. Monthly O3 anomalies were calculated for 2020 and 2021, with respect to the baseline period 2000–2019, to explore the impact of the economic downturn initiated in 2020 and its recovery in 2021. In total, 41 high-elevation sites were analyzed: 5 rural or mountaintop stations in western Europe, 19 rural sites in the western US, 4 sites in the western US downwind of highly polluted source regions, and 4 rural sites in the eastern US, plus 9 mountaintop or high-elevation sites outside Europe and the United States to provide a “global” reference. In 2020, the European high-elevation sites showed persistent negative surface O3 anomalies during spring (March–May, i.e., MAM) and summer (June–August, i.e., JJA), except for April. The pattern was similar in 2021, except for June. The rural sites in the western US showed similar behavior, with negative anomalies in MAM and JJA 2020 (except for August) and MAM 2021. The JJA 2021 seasonal mean was influenced by strong positive anomalies in July due to large and widespread wildfires across the western US. The polluted sites in the western US showed negative O3 anomalies during MAM 2020 and a slight recovery in 2021, resulting in a positive mean anomaly for MAM 2021 and a pronounced month-to-month variability in JJA 2021 anomalies. The eastern US sites were also characterized by below-mean O3 for both MAM and JJA 2020, while in 2021 the negative values exhibited an opposite structure compared to the western US sites, which were influenced by wildfires. Concerning the rest of the world, a global picture could not be drawn, as the sites, spanning a range of different environments, did not show consistent anomalies, with a few sites not experiencing any notable variation. Moreover, we also compared our surface anomalies to the variability of mid-tropospheric O3 detected by the IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) satellite instrument. Negative anomalies were observed by IASI, consistent with published satellite and modeling studies, suggesting that the anomalies can be largely attributed to the reduction of O3 precursor emissions in 2020.

Abstract Objective To assess the economic and professional impact (including teaching and training) during the covid-19 pandemic, as well as the prevalence of major depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder, on shoulder and elbow surgeons in Brazil. Methods Cross-sectional study carried out with surgeons who are members of the Brazilian Society of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (SBCOC). Sampling was non-probabilistic for convenience. The information was obtained through a self-administered online questionnaire, through the SBCOC members' registered e-mails, using structured questions and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) instruments to screening for major depressive episode and generalized anxiety disorder, respectively. Results 119 participants were evaluated. The commitment in teaching was affirmed by 87.7% of the surgeons, there was a reduction above 50% of the surgical volume for about 4 out of 10 surgeons and reduction of the income above 50% for about 17.3%, due to the fact that 55.5% of professionals did not have professional stability. The major depressive episode had a prevalence of 26.7% in the sample, and generalized anxiety disorder was presented by 20% of the surgeons. Conclusion The combination of the negative impact on professional and financial factorsmay have affected shoulder and elbow surgeons in Brazil, generating high rates of anxiety and depression.

Ammonia (NH3) is a key precursor to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and a primary form of reactive nitrogen. The limited number of NH3 observations hinders the further understanding of its impacts on air quality, climate, and biodiversity. Currently, NH3 ground monitoring networks are few and sparse across most of the globe, and even in the most established networks, large spatial gaps exist between sites and only a few sites have records that span longer than a decade. Satellite NH3 observations can be used to discern trends and fill spatial gaps in networks, but many factors influence the syntheses of the vastly different spatiotemporal scales between surface network and satellite measurements. To this end, we intercompared surface NH3 data from the Ammonia Monitoring Network (AMoN) and satellite NH3 total columns from the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) in the contiguous United States (CONUS) and then performed trend analyses using both datasets. We explored the sensitivity of correlations between the two datasets to factors such as satellite data availability and distribution over the surface measurement period, as well as agreement within selected spatial and temporal windows. Given the short lifetime of atmospheric ammonia and consequently sharp gradients, smaller spatial windows show better agreement than larger ones except in areas of relatively uniform, low concentrations where large windows and more satellite measurements improve the signal-to-noise ratio. A critical factor in the comparison is having satellite measurements across most of the measurement period of the monitoring site. When IASI data are available for at least 80 % of the days of AMoN's 2-week sampling period within a 25 km spatial window of a given site, IASI NH3 column concentrations and the AMoN NH3 surface concentrations have a correlation of 0.74, demonstrating the feasibility of using satellite NH3 columns to bridge the spatial gaps existing in the surface network NH3 concentrations. Both IASI and AMoN show increasing NH3 concentrations across the CONUS (median: 6.8 % yr−1 versus 6.7 % yr−1) in the last decade (2008–2018), suggesting the NH3 will become a greater contributor to nitrogen deposition. NH3 trends at AMoN sites are correlated with IASI NH3 trends (r = 0.66) and show similar spatial patterns, with the highest increases in the Midwest and eastern US. In spring and summer, increases in NH3 were larger than 10 % yr−1 in the eastern US and Midwest (cropland dominated) and the western US (pastureland dominated), respectively. NH3 hotspots are defined as regions where the IASI NH3 column is larger than the 95th percentile of the 11-year CONUS map (6.7 × 1015 molec.cm-2), they also experience increasing concentrations over time, with a median of NH3 trend of 4.7 % yr−1. IASI data show large NH3 increases in urban areas (8.1 % yr−1), including 8 of the top 10 most populous regions in the CONUS, where AMoN sites are sparse. A comparison between IASI NH3 concentration trends and state-level NH3 emission trends is then performed to reveal that positive correlations exist in states with strong agricultural NH3 emissions, while there are negative correlations in states with low NH3 emissions and large NOx emissions, suggesting the different roles of emission and partitioning in NH3 increases. The increases in NH3 could have detrimental effects on nearby eco-sensitive regions through nitrogen deposition and on aerosol chemistry in the densely populated urban areas, and therefore they should be carefully monitored and studied.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using residues from cooking oil production to produce alternative biochar fuels along with optimizing the pyrolysis process. The work consisted of carrying out the pyrolysis process at varying temperatures and holding times at the final temperature, and then evaluating the energy potential of the materials studied. Taking into account aspects of environmental emissions, the content of selected oxides in the flue gases generated during the combustion of cakes and the biochar obtained from them was evaluated. Plant biomass derived from a variety of oilseeds, i.e., fennel flower (Nigella sativa L.), rapeseed (Brassica napus L. var. Napus), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.), evening primrose (Oenothera biennis L.), milk thistle (Silybum marianum L. Gaertn.) and hemp (Cannabis sativa L.), was used to produce biochar. The experimental data have shown that the obtained biochar can have a calorific value of nearly 27 MJ kg−1. The use of pyrolysis allowed for a maximum increase in the calorific value of nearly 41% compared to non-thermally processed cakes and a several-fold decrease in carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions. According to these results, it can be concluded that the pyrolysis process can be an attractive method for using residues from the production of various cooking oils to produce alternative biofuels, developing the potential of the circular economy.