Ozone LIDAR as an Analytical Tool in Effective Air Pollution Management: The Geneva 96 Campaign

The LIDAR (LIght Detection And Ranging) technique has developed into one of the practical high performance techniques for conducting air quality and meteorological measurements. DIfferential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) is used for measuring trace gases, including pollutants like ozone at low concentrations. Multiple wavelengths backscatter and depolarization measurements give information about particles in the atmosphere, and single wavelength lidar can be used for meteorological measurements like wind velocity and temperature. Range resolved in situ data obtained by lidar can play a significant role in our understanding of the air quality in the planetary boundary layer, particularly when applied in conjunction with air quality models. This is because DIAL can be used to measure concentrations in three dimensions in real time with a spatial resolution that corresponds well to that used in the model calculations. Thus one obtains an advantage when comparing with point measurements at or near ground level which are often perturbed by local emissions. A summary of the lidar principle is presented here, followed by different examples of vertical ozone profiles and time series obtained with a new optical layout of the EPFL-LPAS DIAL system using dual telescope detection. These data were obtained during the summer 96 field campaign in the Geneva area. Results are then compared with the mesoscale Eulerian model calculations performed in our laboratory. The overall results provide new insight into air pollution dynamics in the Geneva area and calculations are under way, using the model adjusted by the measurements, to optimize air pollution abatement strategies under certain atmospheric conditions in this part of Switzerland

Ozone LIDAR as an analytical tool in effective air pollution management. The Geneva 96 campaign

The LIDAR principle for air quality and meteorol. measurements is presented, followed by different examples of vertical O3 profiles and time series obtained with a new optical layout of the EPFL-LPAS DIAL system using dual telescope detection. These data were obtained during the summer 96 field campaign in the Geneva area. Results are compared with the meso-scale Eulerian model calcns. The results provide new insight into air pollution dynamics in the Geneva area and calcns. are under way, using the model adjusted by the measurements, to optimize air pollution abatement strategies under certain atm. conditions in this part of Switzerland

Impact of COVID-19 crisis on medical care of patients with metastasized uro-oncologic disease under systemic cancer therapy: a multicenter study in German university hospitals

Purpose!#!To date, over 4.2 million Germans and over 235 million people worldwide have been infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Uro-oncology (UO) patients are particularly vulnerable but in urgent need of life-saving systemic treatments. Our multicentric study examined the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the medical care of UO patients in German university hospitals receiving ongoing systemic anti-cancer treatment and to detect the delay of medical care, defined as deferred medical treatment or deviation of the pre-defined follow-up assessment.!##!Methods!#!Data of 162 UO patients with metastatic disease undergoing systemic cancer treatment at five university hospitals in Germany were included in our analyses. The focus of interest was any delay or change in treatment between February 2020 and May 2020 (first wave of the COVID-19 crisis in Germany). Statistical analysis of contingency tables were performed using Pearson's chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests, respectively. Effect size was determined using Cramér's V (V).!##!Results!#!Twenty-four of the 162 patients (14.8%) experienced a delay in systemic treatment of more than 2 weeks. Most of these received immuno-oncologic (IO) treatments (13/24, 54.2%, p = 0.746). Blood tests were delayed or canceled significantly more often in IO patients but with a small effect size (21.1%, p = 0.042, V = 0.230). Treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma (12/73, 16.4%) and urothelial carcinoma (7/32, 21.9%) was affected the most.!##!Conclusions!#!Our data show that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the medical care of UO patients, but deferment remained modest. There was a tendency towards delays in IO and ADT treatments in particular