Intercomparison of spectroradiometers and Sun photometers for the determination of the aerosol optical depth during the VELETA-2002 field campaign

[ 1] In July 2002 the VELETA-2002 field campaign was held in Sierra Nevada ( Granada) in the south of Spain. The main objectives of this field campaign were the study of the influence of elevation and atmospheric aerosols on measured UV radiation. In the first stage of the field campaign, a common calibration and intercomparison between Licor-1800 spectroradiometers and Cimel-318 Sun photometers was performed in order to assess the quality of the measurements from the whole campaign. The intercomparison of the Licor spectroradiometers showed, for both direct and global irradiances, that when the comparisons were restricted to the visible part of the spectrum the deviations were within the instruments' nominal accuracies which allows us to rely on these instruments for measuring physical properties of aerosols at the different measurement stations. A simultaneous calibration on AOD data was performed for the Cimel-318 Sun photometers. When a common calibration and methodology was applied, the deviation was lowered to much less than 0.01 for AOD. At the same time an intercomparison has been made between the AOD values given by the spectroradiometers and the Sun photometers, with deviations obtained from 0.01 to 0.03 for the AOD in the visible range, depending on the channel. In the UVA range, the AOD uncertainty was estimated to be around 0.02 and 0.05 for Cimel and Licor respectively. In general the experimental differences were in agreement with this uncertainty estimation. In the UVB range the AOD measurements should not be used due to maximum instrumental uncertainties

Professional Liability in Oral Surgery e526 Journal section: Oral Surgery Publication Types

Abstract Objectives: Dentistry, like all other health care professions, has in recent years been subjected to an increase in legal pressure by patients. Nevertheless, there are areas of activity in dentistry in which, whether because of their frequency or due to the importance of the damage and sequelae claimed, this legal pressure is greater. Amongst these areas of activity is that of oral surgery. Study design: To be meticulously analyzed in this report are 63 sentences issued by courts of second instance or higher levels regarding lawsuits involving oral surgery. The data collection file includes 13 variables. The descriptive and comparative statistical study by cross-referencing certain variables provides us with a clear and accurate picture of the lawsuit profile. Results and conclusions: Implantological surgery was the practice subject to the most claims due to surgery (55.6 percent: 35 sentences), and it drew our attention that in 71.4% of all cases (45 sentences) there was a ruling against the professional. The most frequent range of damage payments was between €18,001 and €60,000 (40.9%: 18 sentences), the highest amount having been €24,000, an important factor to take into account when contracting professional civil liability insurance

Intercomparison of spectroradiometers and Sun photometers for the determination of the aerosol optical depth during the VELETA-2002 field campaign

[ 1] In July 2002 the VELETA-2002 field campaign was held in Sierra Nevada ( Granada) in the south of Spain. The main objectives of this field campaign were the study of the influence of elevation and atmospheric aerosols on measured UV radiation. In the first stage of the field campaign, a common calibration and intercomparison between Licor-1800 spectroradiometers and Cimel-318 Sun photometers was performed in order to assess the quality of the measurements from the whole campaign. The intercomparison of the Licor spectroradiometers showed, for both direct and global irradiances, that when the comparisons were restricted to the visible part of the spectrum the deviations were within the instruments' nominal accuracies which allows us to rely on these instruments for measuring physical properties of aerosols at the different measurement stations. A simultaneous calibration on AOD data was performed for the Cimel-318 Sun photometers. When a common calibration and methodology was applied, the deviation was lowered to much less than 0.01 for AOD. At the same time an intercomparison has been made between the AOD values given by the spectroradiometers and the Sun photometers, with deviations obtained from 0.01 to 0.03 for the AOD in the visible range, depending on the channel. In the UVA range, the AOD uncertainty was estimated to be around 0.02 and 0.05 for Cimel and Licor respectively. In general the experimental differences were in agreement with this uncertainty estimation. In the UVB range the AOD measurements should not be used due to maximum instrumental uncertainties

Ceres Scales Ground Validation Campaigns for Gerb. Assessment of the Valencia Anchor Station Capabilities

Proceedings del 3rd MSG RAO Workshop, celebrado el 15 de junio de 2006 en Helsinki, Finlandia.The Valencia Anchor Station (VAS) was set up by the University of Valencia at the natural region of UtielRequena Plateau in 2001. The plateau is a large and reasonably homogeneous area suitable for validation of low spatial resolution satellite data and products such as GERB's. In the framework of the EUMETSAT/ESA MSG-RAO Project no. 138 GIST Proposal for Calibration/Validation of SEVIRI and GERB, and of the Spanish Research Programme on Space Project SCALES (SEVIRI & GERB Cal/Val Area for Largescale Field ExperimentS), three GERB ground validation campaigns have so far been carried out at the VAS under different land surface conditions. CERES instruments onboard NASA EOS Aqua and Terra satellites, operating in PAPS (Programmable Azimuth Plane Scanning) mode, have generously provided additional SW and LW radiance measurements to support validation efforts. These have shown to be most valuable as intermediate validation step between ground measurements and the large GERB pixel size

Validation of OMI-TOMS and OMI-DOAS total ozone column using five Brewer spectroradiometers at the Iberian peninsula

This article focuses on the comparison of the total ozone column data from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) flying aboard the NASA EOS-Aura satellite platform with ground-based measurement recorded by Brewer spectroradiometers located at five Spanish remote sensing ground stations between January 2005 and December 2007. The satellite data are derived from two algorithms: OMI Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (OMI-TOMS) and OMI Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (OMI-DOAS). The largest relative differences between these OMI total ozone column estimates reach 5% with a significant seasonal dependence. The agreement between OMI ozone data and Brewer measurements is excellent. Total ozone columns from OMI-TOMS are on average a mere 2.0% lower than Brewer data. For OMI-DOAS data the bias is a mere 1.4%. However, the relative difference between OMI-TOMS and Brewer measurements shows a notably lower seasonal dependence and variability than the differences between OMI-DOAS and ground-based data. For both OMI ozone data products these relative differences show significant dependence on the satellite ground pixel solar zenith angle for cloud-free cases as well as for cloudy conditions. However, the OMI ozone data products are shown to reveal opposite behavior with respect to the two antagonistic sky conditions. No significant dependency of the ground-based to satellite-based differences with respect to the satellite cross-track position is seen for either OMI retrieval algorithm.This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia under Project CGL2005-05693-C03-03/CLI and by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under project CGL2008-05939-C03-02/CLI

Aerosol radiative forcing efficiency in the UV region over southeastern Mediterranean: VELETA2002 campaign

Atmospheric aerosol effects on spectral global UV irradiance were evaluated during the VELETA2002 field campaign between 8 and 19 July 2002 in southeast Spain. In the first stage, seven UV spectroradiometer and six CIMEL Sun photometer measurements were carried out simultaneously, allowing them to be calibrated and intercompared. The mean ratio obtained for the global irradiance between the spectroradiometers, with regards to a reference instrument, ranges from 0.98 up to 1.04 with standard deviations that oscillate between ±0.01 and ±0.17. In particular, the two spectroradiometers used to obtain the aerosol forcing efficiencies have a ratio of 1.000 ± 0.001. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained with the CIMEL Sun photometers has a standard deviation of lower than ±0.01 for all the channels. Under clear sky conditions, the diurnal aerosol forcing efficiency (DDFe) and fractional diurnal forcing efficiency (DFDFe) was calculated for two Mediterranean stations: Armilla (691 m.a.s.l.) within the boundary layer and Sabinas (2200 m.a.s.l) on the lower limit of the free troposphere and 25 km away from the first station. The DDFe values obtained at Armilla range between _2.72 ± 0.45 W m_2/t380 and _2.88 ± 0.45 W m_2/t440 and between _3.22 ± 0.61 W m_2/t380 and _3.40 ± 0.62 W m_2/t440 at Sabinas station; the DFDFe values range from _8.0 ± 1.4%/t380 to _8.6 ± 1.3%/t440 and _12.0 ± 2.3%/t380 to _12.6 ± 2.3%/t440 at the two stations, respectively. Also, an experimental aerosol transmittance factor, CT, used to obtain UV satellite derived products was found as a result of the dependence of the global irradiance with the AOD, under cloudless conditions. The average aerosol attenuation factor, h, obtained from the CT, is 6 ± 2% under weakly absorbing aerosols, with a negligible spectral dependence.This work was supported by CICYT–MCYT through the coordinated projects CGL2004-05984-C07-05 and CGL2005-03428-C04-02

Surgical treatment for colorectal cancer: Analysis of the influence of an enhanced recovery programme on long-term oncological outcomes-a study protocol for a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction The evidence currently available from enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes concerns their benefits in the immediate postoperative period, but there is still very little evidence as to whether their correct implementation benefits patients in the long term. The working hypothesis here is that, due to the lower response to surgical aggression and lower rates of postoperative complications, ERAS protocols can reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality. The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of an ERAS programme for colorectal cancer on 5-year survival. As secondary objectives, we propose to analyse the weight of each of the predefined items in the oncological results as well as the quality of life. Methods and analysis A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted in patients older than 18 years of age who are scheduled to undergo surgery for colorectal cancer. The study involved 12 hospitals with an implemented enhanced recovery protocol according to the guidelines published by the Spanish National Health Service. The intervention group includes patients with a minimum implementation level of 70%, and the control group includes those who fail to reach this level. Compliance will be studied using 18 key performance indicators, and the results will be analysed using cancer survival indicators, including overall survival, cancer-specific survival and relapse-free survival. The time to recurrence, perioperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay and quality of life will also be studied, the latter using the validated EuroQol Five questionnaire. The propensity index method will be used to create comparable treatment and control groups, and a multivariate regression will be used to study each variable. The Kaplan-Meier estimator will be used to estimate survival and the log-rank test to make comparisons. A p value of less than 0.05 (two-tailed) will be considered to be significant. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Aragon Ethical Committee (C.P.-C.I. PI20/086) on 4 March 2020. The findings of this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals (BMJ Open, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery). Abstracts will be submitted to relevant national and international meetings. Trial registration number NCT04305314

Hospital emergency department utilisation rates among the immigrant population in Barcelona, Spain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The recent increase in the number of immigrants of Barcelona represents a challenge for the public healthcare system, the emergency department being the most used healthcare service by this group. However, utilisation rates in our environment have not yet been studied. We aimed to compare emergency department utilisation rates between Spanish-born and foreign-born residents in a public hospital of Barcelona.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The <it>s</it>tudy population included all adults residing in the area of study and visiting the emergency department of Hospital del Mar in 2004. The emergency care episodes were selected from the Emergency Department register, and the population figures from the Statistics Department of Barcelona. Emergency care episodes were classified into five large clinical categories. Adjusted rate ratios (RR) of utilisation among foreign-born vs. Spanish-born residents were assessed through negative binomial regression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall utilisation rate was 382 emergency contacts per 1,000 persons-years. The RR for foreign-born versus Spanish-born residents was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.52; 0.74%). The RR was also significantly below one in surgery (0.51, 95% CI: 0.42; 0.63), traumatology (0.47, 95% CI: 0.38; 0.59), medicine (0.48, 95% CI: 0.38; 0.59) and psychiatry (0.42, 95% CI: 0.18; 0.97). No differences were found in utilisation of gynaecology and minor emergency services.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The overall lower utilisation rates obtained for foreign-born residents is consistent with previous studies and is probably due to the "healthy immigrant effect". Thus, the population increase due to immigration does not translate directly into a corresponding increase in the number of emergency contacts. The lack of differences in minor and gynaecological emergency care supports the hypothesis that immigrants overcome certain barriers by using the emergency department to access to health services. The issue of healthcare barriers should therefore be addressed, especially among immigrants.</p

Surgical treatment for colorectal cancer: Analysis of the influence of an enhanced recovery programme on long-term oncological outcomes-a study protocol for a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction The evidence currently available from enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programmes concerns their benefits in the immediate postoperative period, but there is still very little evidence as to whether their correct implementation benefits patients in the long term. The working hypothesis here is that, due to the lower response to surgical aggression and lower rates of postoperative complications, ERAS protocols can reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality. The main objective of this study is to analyse the impact of an ERAS programme for colorectal cancer on 5-year survival. As secondary objectives, we propose to analyse the weight of each of the predefined items in the oncological results as well as the quality of life. Methods and analysis A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted in patients older than 18 years of age who are scheduled to undergo surgery for colorectal cancer. The study involved 12 hospitals with an implemented enhanced recovery protocol according to the guidelines published by the Spanish National Health Service. The intervention group includes patients with a minimum implementation level of 70%, and the control group includes those who fail to reach this level. Compliance will be studied using 18 key performance indicators, and the results will be analysed using cancer survival indicators, including overall survival, cancer-specific survival and relapse-free survival. The time to recurrence, perioperative morbidity and mortality, hospital stay and quality of life will also be studied, the latter using the validated EuroQol Five questionnaire. The propensity index method will be used to create comparable treatment and control groups, and a multivariate regression will be used to study each variable. The Kaplan-Meier estimator will be used to estimate survival and the log-rank test to make comparisons. A p value of less than 0.05 (two-tailed) will be considered to be significant. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Aragon Ethical Committee (C.P.-C.I. PI20/086) on 4 March 2020. The findings of this study will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals (BMJ Open, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery). Abstracts will be submitted to relevant national and international meetings.The present research study was awarded a Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación health research project grant (PI19/00291) from the Carlos III Institute of the Spanish National Health Service as part of the 2019 call for Strategic Action in Health