A review of remote sensing for the assessment and management of tropical coastal resources

This article reviews applications of remote sensing to the assessment of tropical coastal resources. These applications are discussed in the context of specific management objectives and sensors used. Remote sensing remains the only way to obtain synoptic data for large coastal areas uniformly in time and space, repeatedly and nonintrusively. Routine applications to tropical coastal management include the mapping of littoral and shallow marine habitats, change detection, bathymetry mapping, and the study of suspended sediment plumes and coastal currents. The case studies reviewed suggest that wider use of remote sensing in tropical coastal zone management is limited by (1) factors that affect data availability, such as cloud cover and sensor specification; and (2) the problems that decision makers face in selecting a remote sensing technique suitable to their project objectives. These problems arise from the difficulty in comparing the capabilities of different sensors and the limited amount of published information available on practical considerations, such as cost‐effectiveness and accuracy assessments. The latter are essential if management decisions are to be based upon the results

Clinical characteristics and outcomes for 7,995 patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ObjectiveSevere acute respiratory syndrome virus (SARS-CoV-2) has infected millions of people worldwide. Our goal was to identify risk factors associated with admission and disease severity in patients with SARS-CoV-2.DesignThis was an observational, retrospective study based on real-world data for 7,995 patients with SARS-CoV-2 from a clinical data repository.SettingYale New Haven Health (YNHH) is a five-hospital academic health system serving a diverse patient population with community and teaching facilities in both urban and suburban areas.PopulationsThe study included adult patients who had SARS-CoV-2 testing at YNHH between March 1 and April 30, 2020.Main outcome and performance measuresPrimary outcomes were admission and in-hospital mortality for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection as determined by RT-PCR testing. We also assessed features associated with the need for respiratory support.ResultsOf the 28605 patients tested for SARS-CoV-2, 7995 patients (27.9%) had an infection (median age 52.3 years) and 2154 (26.9%) of these had an associated admission (median age 66.2 years). Of admitted patients, 2152 (99.9%) had a discharge disposition at the end of the study period. Of these, 329 (15.3%) required invasive mechanical ventilation and 305 (14.2%) expired. Increased age and male sex were positively associated with admission and in-hospital mortality (median age 80.7 years), while comorbidities had a much weaker association with the risk of admission or mortality. Black race (OR 1.43, 95%CI 1.14-1.78) and Hispanic ethnicity (OR 1.81, 95%CI 1.50-2.18) were identified as risk factors for admission, but, among discharged patients, age-adjusted in-hospital mortality was not significantly different among racial and ethnic groups.ConclusionsThis observational study identified, among people testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection, older age and male sex as the most strongly associated risks for admission and in-hospital mortality in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. While minority racial and ethnic groups had increased burden of disease and risk of admission, age-adjusted in-hospital mortality for discharged patients was not significantly different among racial and ethnic groups. Ongoing studies will be needed to continue to evaluate these risks, particularly in the setting of evolving treatment guidelines