TerrANTALife 1.0 Biodiversity data checklist of known Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater life forms.

Background: Incomplete species inventories for Antarctica represent a key challenge for comprehensive ecological research and conservation in the region. Additionally, data required to understand population dynamics, rates of evolution, spatial ranges, functional traits, physiological tolerances and species interactions, all of which are fundamental to disentangle the different functional elements of Antarctic biodiversity, are mostly missing. However, much of the fauna, flora and microbiota in the emerged ice-free land of the continent have an uncertain presence and/or unresolved status, with entire biodiversity compendia of prokaryotic groups (e.g. bacteria) being missing. All the available biodiversity information requires consolidation, cross-validation, re-assessment and steady systematic inclusion in order to create a robust catalogue of biodiversity for the continent. New information: We compiled, completed and revised eukaryotic species inventories present in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in Antarctica in a new living database: terrANTALife (version 1.0). The database includes the first integration in a compendium for many groups of eukaryotic microorganisms. We also introduce a first catalogue of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of prokaryotic biodiversity. Available compendia and literature to date were searched for Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater species, integrated, taxonomically harmonised and curated by experts to create comprehensive checklists of Antarctic organisms. The final inventories comprises 470 animal species (including vertebrates, free-living invertebrates and parasites), 306 plants (including all Viridiplantae: embryophytes and green algae), 997 fungal species and 434 protists (sensu lato). We also provide a first account for many groups of microorganisms, including non-lichenised fungi and multiple groups of eukaryotic unicellular species (Stramenophila, Alveolata and Rhizaria (SAR), Chromists and Amoeba), jointly referred to as "protists". In addition, we identify 1753 bacterial (obtained from 348117 ASVs) and 34 archaeal genera (from 1848 ASVs), as well as, at least, 14 virus families. We formulate a basic tree of life in Antarctica with the main lineages listed in the region and their "known-accepted-species" numbers.

Methods for Spatial Extrapolation of Methane Measurements in Constructing Regional Estimates from Sample Populations.

Methane emission estimates for oil and gas facilities are typically based on estimates at a subpopulation of facilities, and these emission estimates are then extrapolated to a larger region or basin. Basin-level emission estimates are then frequently compared with basin-level observations. Methane emissions from oil and gas systems are inherently variable and intermittent, which make it difficult to determine whether a sample population is sufficiently large to be representative of a larger region. This work develops a framework for extrapolation of emission estimates using the case study of an operator in the Green River Basin. This work also identifies a new metric, the capture ratio, which quantifies the extent to which sources are represented in the sample population, based on the skewness of emissions for each source. There is a strong correlation between the capture ratio and extrapolation error, which suggests that understanding source-level emissions distributions can mitigate error when sample populations are selected and extrapolating measurements. The framework and results from this work can inform the selection and extrapolation of site measurements when developing methane emission inventories and establishing uncertainty bounds to assess whether inventory estimates are consistent with independent large spatial-scale observations.

Dioxins emissions from bio-medical waste incineration: A systematic review on emission factors, inventories, trends and health risk studies.

COVID-19 has aggravated the biomedical waste generation all over the world and the concern for its safe disposal is on the rise. The vast majority of healthcare systems employ incineration as their treatment method considering its agility to reduce the waste volume by up to 95-96% and high-temperature inactivation of infectious biological materials. However, incinerator emission is a significant contributor of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) according to various national inventories across the globe. Bio-Medical Waste Incinerators (BMWIs) are the dominant form of incinerator plants in developing nations and hence BMWI emissions were found to contribute lion's share of national dioxins inventories in most of these countries. The Stockholm Convention on POPs played a key role in imbibing significant urge on the dl-POPs monitoring studies of incinerators internationally and on controlling the average incinerator emission levels. Though many national/international agencies endorse a stringent incinerator stack emission standard of 0.1 ngTEQ/Nm3, there are some differences observed in nation-to-nation regulatory scenarios. This paper reviews and reports on the dioxins emission and health risk studies associated with bio-medical waste incineration over the last three decades (1990-2020) with a comprehensive spatial and temporal emission trend analysis. An overview of important national and international regulations, national inventories and emission factors for the biomedical waste incineration sector is also reviewed in detail. The study observes that continuous regulatory monitoring and logical relaxations can enhance the performance of the existing facilities ensuring low emissions and minimal risk.

Chemical Space Covered by Applicability Domains of Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships and Semiempirical Relationships in Chemical Assessments.

A significant number of chemicals registered in national and regional chemical inventories require assessments of their potential "hazard" concerns posed to humans and ecological receptors. This warrants knowledge of their partitioning and reactivity properties, which are often predicted by quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPRs) and other semiempirical relationships. It is imperative to evaluate the applicability domain (AD) of these tools to ensure their suitability for assessment purpose. Here, we investigate the extent to which the ADs of commonly used QSPRs and semiempirical relationships cover seven partitioning and reactivity properties of a chemical "space" comprising 81,000+ organic chemicals registered in regulatory and academic chemical inventories. Our findings show that around or more than half of the chemicals studied are covered by at least one of the commonly used QSPRs. The investigated QSPRs demonstrate adequate AD coverage for organochlorides and organobromines but limited AD coverage for chemicals containing fluorine and phosphorus. These QSPRs exhibit limited AD coverage for atmospheric reactivity, biodegradation, and octanol-air partitioning, particularly for ionizable organic chemicals compared to nonionizable ones, challenging assessments of environmental persistence, bioaccumulation capability, and long-range transport potential. We also find that a predictive tool's AD coverage of chemicals depends on how the AD is defined, for example, by the distance of a predicted chemical from the centroid of the training chemicals or by the presence or absence of structural features.

An overview of malingering and deception in neuropsychiatric cases.

Forensic practitioners must shoulder special responsibilities when evaluating over-stated pathology (e.g., malingering) as well as simulated adjustment. Such determinations may modify or even override other clinical findings. As a result, practitioners must be alert to their own misassumptions that may unintentionally bias their conclusions about response styles. Detection strategies for malingering-based on unlikely or markedly amplified presentations-are highlighted in this article. Given page constraints, assessment methods for feigning are succinctly presented with their applications to administrative, civil, and criminal referrals.

Acromegaly increases depressive symptoms and reduces quality of life of cohabitants.

PURPOSE: To assess how living with patients with acromegaly affects people's psychology and quality of life (QoL). METHODS: Acromegaly patients and their cohabitants included in this study. Patients were administered Acromegaly Quality of Life Questionnaire (AcroQoL), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Cohabitants were administered quality of life questionnaire (SF-36), BAI, BDI, and Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI). RESULTS: This study included 84 patients with acromegaly and 84 cohabitants. Sixty-nine patients (n = 84, 82.1%) had an acromegalic appearance. Cohabitants who were affected by the acromegalic appearance had higher BAI, BDI, and ZBI scores than those who were not affected (p < 0.001 for all). Cohabitants who were affected by the acromegalic appearance had a significantly lower SF-36 score (p = 0.015). The BAI (r=-0.535, p < 0.001), BDI (r=-0.592, p < 0.001), and ZBI (r=-0.465, p < 0.001) scores of the cohabitants showed a negative correlation with AcroQoL. SF-36 scores showed correlation with AcroQoL (r = 0.387, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The chronic process of acromegaly and the external appearance of patients with this disease can negatively affect both the patients and the people living with them. Physicians being aware of this effect and taking counteractive measures may contribute positively to the course of acromegaly.

Response of trace elements in urban deposition to emissions in a northwestern river valley type city: 2010-2021.

Anthropogenic activities release significant quantities of trace elements into the atmosphere, which can infiltrate ecosystems through both wet and dry deposition, resulting in ecological harm. Although the current study focuses on the emission inventory and deposition of trace elements, their complex interactions remain insufficiently explored. In this study, we employ emission inventories and deposition data for eight TEs (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb) in Lanzhou City to unveil the relationship between these two aspects. Emissions in Lanzhou can be roughly divided into two periods centered around 2017. Preceding 2017, industrial production constituted the primary source of TEs emissions except for As; coal combustion was the primary contributor to Cr, Mn, and As emissions; waste incineration played a significant role in As, Zn, and Cd emissions; biomass combustion influenced Cr and Cd emissions; and transportation sources were the predominant contributors to Pb and Cu emissions. With the establishment of waste-to-energy plants and the implementation of ultra-low emission retrofits, emissions from these sources decreased substantially after 2017. Consequently, emissions from industrial production emerged as the main source of TEs. The deposition concentrations of Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, and Pb followed a similar trend to the emissions. However, Cd and As exhibited lower emissions and a less pronounced response relationship. Moreover, Zn concentrations fluctuated within a narrow range and showed a weaker response to emissions. The consistent changes in emissions and TEs deposition concentrations signify a shift in deposition pollution in Lanzhou city from Coal-fired pollution to that driven by transportation and industrial activities. Within this transition, the industrial production process offers significant potential for emission reduction. This insight provides a crucial foundation for managing TEs pollution and implementing strategies to prevent ecological risks.

Application of the Microbiology Concept Inventory to improve programmatic curriculum.

The Microbiology Concept Inventory is an assessment tool derived from the fundamental statements created by the American Society for Microbiology. This two-tier, multiple-choice question inventory requires students to choose the most correct answer for each question and provide a brief justification of their reasoning. Educators can utilize this tool to identify common misconceptions held by students and adjust curriculum to address and prevent the persistence of student misconceptions. Over the course of 5 years, the Microbiology Concept Inventory was annually administered to undergraduate students enrolled in entry-level, mid-level, and senior capstone microbiology courses at a mid-western rural university. Analysis was completed to compare course, year, majors and minors, gender, ethnicity, and cumulative GPA. Results of this study showed a significant difference in Microbiology Concept Inventory scores between students with high cumulative GPAs (3.5-4.0) and students with comparatively lower cumulative GPAs (2.5-2.99, 3.0-3.49). Results between the other demographic categories revealed statistically different scores in favor of white students, but no differences in scores between genders. The results suggest evidence of ethnic bias, but no gender bias as measured by the Microbiology Concept Inventory. Additionally, significant differences in scores across cohorts are indicative of improvements in the curricula due to prior targeted changes. Analysis of concept inventory results can guide curriculum changes for course instructors. Implementation of curriculum changes can enrich students' academic success.

Mind the gap: reconciling tropical forest carbon flux estimates from earth observation and national reporting requires transparency.

BACKGROUND: The application of different approaches calculating the anthropogenic carbon net flux from land, leads to estimates that vary considerably. One reason for these variations is the extent to which approaches consider forest land to be "managed" by humans, and thus contributing to the net anthropogenic flux. Global Earth Observation (EO) datasets characterising spatio-temporal changes in land cover and carbon stocks provide an independent and consistent approach to estimate forest carbon fluxes. These can be compared against results reported in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (NGHGIs) to support accurate and timely measuring, reporting and verification (MRV). Using Brazil as a primary case study, with additional analysis in Indonesia and Malaysia, we compare a Global EO-based dataset of forest carbon fluxes to results reported in NGHGIs. RESULTS: Between 2001 and 2020, the EO-derived estimates of all forest-related emissions and removals indicate that Brazil was a net sink of carbon (- 0.2 GtCO2yr-1), while Brazil's NGHGI reported a net carbon source (+ 0.8 GtCO2yr-1). After adjusting the EO estimate to use the Brazilian NGHGI definition of managed forest and other assumptions used in the inventory's methodology, the EO net flux became a source of + 0.6 GtCO2yr-1, comparable to the NGHGI. Remaining discrepancies are due largely to differing carbon removal factors and forest types applied in the two datasets. In Indonesia, the EO and NGHGI net flux estimates were similar (+ 0.6 GtCO2 yr-1), but in Malaysia, they differed in both magnitude and sign (NGHGI: -0.2 GtCO2 yr-1; Global EO: + 0.2 GtCO2 yr-1). Spatially explicit datasets on forest types were not publicly available for analysis from either NGHGI, limiting the possibility of detailed adjustments. CONCLUSIONS: By adjusting the EO dataset to improve comparability with carbon fluxes estimated for managed forests in the Brazilian NGHGI, initially diverging estimates were largely reconciled and remaining differences can be explained. Despite limited spatial data available for Indonesia and Malaysia, our comparison indicated specific aspects where differing approaches may explain divergence, including uncertainties and inaccuracies. Our study highlights the importance of enhanced transparency, as set out by the Paris Agreement, to enable alignment between different approaches for independent measuring and verification.

Quantification of - And determining factors affecting - Methane emissions from composting plants.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Reliable data for methane emissions from the waste management sector are paramount in terms of providing national methane budgets and developing climate mitigation efforts. This study quantified total methane emissions and characterised temporal as well as operational emission patterns at five commercial composting plants in Denmark. Methane emissions were measured over a one-year period, using the tracer gas dispersion method. The results show that methane emission rates ranged from 8.0 ± 0.1 to 42.5 ± 1.5 kg CH4 h-1 and were significantly affected by factors including the type of feedstock and composting technology, treated feedstock mass, operational patterns and season. The results indicate that the highest methane emission factors were obtained at the combined anaerobic digestion and open windrow composting plant (4.51-5.21 kg CH4 Mg-1 wet garden/park waste (GPW) and food waste), followed by open windrow plants co-composting GPW, sewage sludge and straw (3.49-3.76 kg CH4 Mg-1 wet feedstock). The lowest methane emission factors were found at open windrow composting plants treating GPW (1.56-3.24 kg CH4 Mg-1 wet feedstock). Emissions tended to be higher when measurements were performed during working hours, in comparison to when they were measured after the plant closed for the day. At one plant, emissions were measured monthly over one year, and emissions were about 50% higher in spring and summer in comparison to autumn and winter.

Informing Methane Emissions Inventories Using Facility Aerial Measurements at Midstream Natural Gas Facilities.

Increased interest in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including recent legislative action and voluntary programs, has increased attention on quantifying and ultimately reducing methane emissions from the natural gas supply chain. While inventories used for public or corporate GHG policies have traditionally utilized bottom-up (BU) methods to estimate emissions, the validity of such inventories has been questioned. Therefore, there is attention on utilizing full-facility measurements using airborne, satellite, or drone (top-down (TD)) techniques to inform, improve, or validate inventories. This study utilized full-facility estimates from two independent TD methods at 15 midstream natural gas facilities in the U.S.A., which were compared with a contemporaneous daily inventory assembled by the facility operator, employing comprehensive inventory methods. Estimates from the two TD methods statistically agreed in 2 of 28 paired measurements. Operator inventories, which included extensions to capture sources beyond regular inventory requirements and integration of local measurements, estimated significantly lower emissions than the TD estimates for 40 of 43 paired comparisons. Significant disagreement was observed at most facilities, both between the two TD methods and between the TD estimates and operator inventory. These findings have two implications. First, improving inventory estimates will require additional on-site or ground-based diagnostic screening and measurement of all sources. Second, the TD full-facility measurement methods need to undergo further testing, characterization, and potential improvement specifically tailored for complex midstream facilities.

What kind of information do early parental report instruments provide on language ability at 3;6 when used at 2;0? A longitudinal comparison study.

Introduction: Various parental report instruments are available for assessing children's language skills at the end of the second year. However, comparison studies on their usability are lacking, and it is also open to question what kind of information the instruments provide when used in a parallel manner. This longitudinal study investigated which of the available three parental report instruments, when used at 2;0 (year;month), provides the most representative information on language development at 3;6. In addition, since most of the parental report instruments available focus specifically on expressive language, the role of receptive language ability was also investigated when analyzing the explanatory value of parental report instruments. Methods: The participants were 68 typically developing children. At 2;0, language skills were measured using the following measures: the Infant-Toddler Checklist of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (ITC), the Short Form and Long Form versions of the Finnish Communicative Development Inventories (FinCDI-SF, FinCDI-LF), and the Reynell Developmental Language Scales III (RDLS). The outcome measures were receptive/expressive/ general language ability at 3;6 measured using RDLS. Results: The results of parental report instruments were significantly and positively associated with language ability at 3;6. The correlation between the combined value of ITC and FinCDI-SF and later language ability was stronger than correlations for each measure separately. The regression models with the results of parental report instruments as predictors explained 18-22% (p < 0.00) of the variability in the total RDLS score. However, when receptive language ability at 2;0 was included in the models as a predictor, R2 increased considerably (46-48%, p < 0.00). Discussion: The results adduce the usability of parental report measures along with the importance of measuring receptive language skills at 2 years of age. In summary, this study provides important insights into the clinical evaluation of early language ability.

Parental reports on language development in toddlers and preschoolers based on the Croatian version of Communicative Development Inventories III.

Introduction: Previous studies have focused on understanding parental attempts to record language development in children, across many typologically different languages. However, many of these studies restricted their assessment to children up to the age of 3 years. The aim of this paper was to move this boundary by examining language development in typically language developed children older than 3 years. Methods: Using the Croatian version of the Communicative Development Inventories III (CDI-III-HR), we investigated the contribution of parental reports of a child's lexical, grammatical, and metalinguistic awareness abilities to general language abilities assessed by clinicians. Participants included the parents of 151 children between the ages of 30 to 48 months, who completed the CDI-III-HR and reported on their child's language abilities. Results: Our results show that age is significantly associated with the lexical, grammatical, and metalinguistic awareness abilities of a child's language development. These findings confirm that all three abilities increase with age and that parents can perceive changes in a child's language development. The subsections of CDI-III-HR were moderately to strongly associated with each other, with the strongest association being between lexicon and grammar, suggesting that they remain closely related after the age of 30 months. Parental assessments of a child's language development are a better predictor of language production than language comprehension, with grammar making the most consistent and significant contribution. Discussion: This study confirms that the development of grammatical abilities is the most prominent skill between the ages of 30 to 48 months and that parents can observe the transition in the child's language development through their usage of grammar in words to grammar in sentences. Based on the selected sample of children, we discovered different patterns of parental success in assessing the child's language ability. These findings indicate that parents can act as valuable sources of information regarding the child's language abilities, but clinical assessments of early language development should consider many other formal sources of information in addition to parental reports.

Toward Multiscale Measurement-Informed Methane Inventories: Reconciling Bottom-Up Site-Level Inventories with Top-Down Measurements Using Continuous Monitoring Systems.

Government policies and corporate strategies aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector increasingly rely on measurement-informed, site-level emission inventories, as conventional bottom-up inventories poorly capture temporal variability and the heavy-tailed nature of methane emissions. This work is based on an 11-month methane measurement campaign at oil and gas production sites. We find that operator-level top-down methane measurements are lower during the end-of-project phase than during the baseline phase. However, gaps persist between end-of-project top-down measurements and bottom-up site-level inventories, which we reconcile with high-frequency data from continuous monitoring systems (CMS). Specifically, we use CMS to (i) validate specific snapshot measurements and determine how they relate to the temporal emission profile of a given site and (ii) create a measurement-informed, site-level inventory that can be validated with top-down measurements to update conventional bottom-up inventories. This work presents a real-world demonstration of how to reconcile CMS rate estimates and top-down snapshot measurements jointly with bottom-up inventories at the site level. More broadly, it demonstrates the importance of multiscale measurements when creating measurement-informed, site-level emission inventories, which is a critical aspect of recent regulatory requirements in the Inflation Reduction Act, voluntary methane initiatives such as the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0, and corporate strategies.

Deriving emission factors for mangrove blue carbon ecosystem in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Using 'higher-tier' emission factors in National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is essential to improve quality and accuracy when reporting carbon emissions and removals. Here we systematically reviewed 736 data across 249 sites (published 2003-2020) to derive emission factors associated with land-use change in Indonesian mangroves blue carbon ecosystems. RESULTS: Four management regimes-aquaculture, degraded mangrove, regenerated mangrove and undisturbed mangrove-gave mean total ecosystem carbon stocks of 579, 717, 890, and 1061 Mg C ha-1 respectively. The largest biomass carbon stocks were found in undisturbed mangrove; followed by regenerated mangrove, degraded mangrove, and aquaculture. Top 100-cm soil carbon stocks were similar across regimes, ranging between 216 and 296 Mg C ha-1. Carbon stocks between 0 and 300 cm varied significantly; the highest values were found in undisturbed mangrove (916 Mg C ha-1), followed by regenerated mangrove (803 Mg C ha-1), degraded mangrove 666 Mg C ha-1), and aquaculture (562 Mg C ha-1). CONCLUSIONS: Using deep layer (e.g., 300 cm) soil carbon stocks would compensate for the underestimation of surface soil carbon removed from areas where aquaculture is widely practised. From a project perspective, deep layer data could secure permanence or buffer potential leakages. From a national GHG accounting perspective, it also provides a safeguard in the MRV system.

Alternative scenarios for urban tree surveys: Investigating the species, structures, and diversities of street trees using street view imagery.

Grasping information about street trees can assist urban environmental managers in quantifying and evaluating their costs and ecological benefits. Street view imagery has the potential for urban street tree surveys. However, few studies have been conducted on the inventory of street tree species, size structures and diversity based on street view imagery at the urban scale. In this study, we tried to conduct a survey of street trees in urban areas of Hangzhou using street view images. First, we constructed a size reference items system and determined that using it for street view measurements of street trees was comparable to field measurements results (R2 = 0.913-0.987). On this basis, we investigated the distribution characteristics and differences of street trees in Hangzhou using Baidu Street View and found that Cinnamomum camphora was the dominant tree species in Hangzhou (46.58 %), and the high proportion made urban street trees susceptible to ecological hazards. In addition, surveys conducted separately in various urban districts revealed that the diversity of street trees in new urban areas was smaller and less uniform. Additionally, as the gradient got further away from the city center, the street trees are smaller, the diversity first increased and then decreased, and the evenness gradually decreased. This study analyzes the use of Street View to investigate the distribution of species, size structure, and diversity of urban street trees. The use of street view imagery will simplify the collection of data on urban street trees and provide urban environmental managers with a foundation for strategy development.

How Many Chemicals in Commerce Have Been Analyzed in Environmental Media? A 50 Year Bibliometric Analysis.

Over the past 50 years, there has been a tremendous expansion in the measurement of chemical contaminants in environmental media. But how many chemicals have actually been determined, and do they represent a significant fraction of substances in commerce or of chemicals of concern? To address these questions, we conducted a bibliometric survey to identify what individual chemicals have been determined in environmental media and their trends over the past 50 years. The CAplus database of CAS, a Division of the American Chemical Society, was searched for indexing roles "analytical study" and "pollutant" yielding a final list of 19,776 CAS Registry Numbers (CASRNs). That list was then used to link the CASRNs to biological studies, yielding a data set of 9.251 × 106 total counts of the CASRNs over a 55 year period. About 14,150 CASRNs were substances on various priority lists or their close analogs and transformation products. The top 100 most reported CASRNs accounted for 34% of the data set, confirming previous studies showing a significant bias toward repeated measurements of the same substances due to regulatory needs and the challenges of determining new, previously unmeasured, compounds. Substances listed in the industrial chemical inventories of Europe, China, and the United States accounted for only about 5% of measured substances. However, pharmaceuticals and current use pesticides were widely measured accounting for 50-60% of total CASRN counts for the period 2000-2015.

The legacy of metallurgical atmospheric contamination in a mountainous catchment: A delayed response of Pb contamination.

Metal-rich fumes emitted during ore smelting contribute to widespread anthropogenic contamination. Environmental archives (such as lake sediments) record fallouts deposited on lake and terrestrial surfaces during ancient mining and smelting activities. However, very few is known about the potential buffering effect of soils upon which metal falls out, prior to be released through runoff and or/erosion, hence leading to pervasive contamination fluxes long after the ceasing of metallurgical activities. Here we aim at assessing this long-term remobilisation in a mountainous catchment area. Lake sediments and soils were collected 7 km upward a 200-year-old historic mine. The PbAg mine of Peisey-Nancroix was operated between the 17th and the 19th centuries with a documented smelting period of 80 years. In lake sediments, the total Pb content varies from 29 mg.kg-1 prior smelting to 148 mg.kg-1 during ore smelting. Pb isotopes in lake sediments and soils provide evidence of anthropogenic Pb from the local ore (206Pb/207Pb = 1.173; 208Pb/206Pb = 2.094) during and after smelting, suggesting anthropogenic Pb remobilisation for 200 years. The accumulation rates of anthropogenic Pb calculated in lake sediments after the smelting period confirm such a remobilisation. Despite a decrease in this accumulation rate through time, soils still contain significant stocks of anthropogenic Pb (54-89 % of PbANTH). The distribution of present-day anthropogenic Pb in the catchment area depends mainly on topographic characteristics. Coupling lake sediments and soils investigations is thus necessary to constrain the long-term persistence and remobilisation of a diffuse contamination related to mining activities.

Understanding the problem of digital medication inventory visibility in health systems.

PURPOSE: This project describes and quantifies the perceived degree of digital visibility to medication inventory throughout 6 large health systems. METHODS: In this project, 6 large health systems evaluated their physical medication inventory for digital visibility, or the degree to which physical medication inventory information is viewable in electronic systems, during a 2-year period (2019-2020). Inventory reports included medication items with either a National Drug Code (NDC) or a unique institutional identifier. Physical inventory reports contained the medication item name and a corresponding NDC or identifier, the quantity on hand, and the physical locations and the storage environments of the inventory items at the time of the audit. Investigators independently reviewed physical inventory reports and categorized medication line items by degree of digital visibility: (1) no digital visibility, (2) partial digital visibility without accurate quantities, (3) partial digital visibility with accurate quantities, or (4) full digital visibility. Data were anonymized, aggregated, and analyzed to characterize the degree of digital visibility across the health systems and to identify locations and storage environments where the greatest improvement is needed. RESULTS: Overall, less than 1% of medication inventory was judged to have full digital visibility. The majority of the evaluated inventory items were categorized as having partial digital visibility, with or without accurate quantities. Analysis by both units of inventory and inventory valuation indicated that only 30% to 35% of inventory had full digital visibility or partial digital visibility with accurate quantities. CONCLUSION: Most of the medication inventory within 6 large academic centers is either not digitally visible or partially digitally visible but without accurate quantities. Full digital visibility of inventory is rare. Better digital visibility can minimize disruption from recalls and decrease waste. Technology vendors and health systems must collaborate to develop improved automation and systems to make medications on hand more digitally visible.

Anthropogenic emission inventory and spatial analysis of greenhouse gases and primary pollutants for the Galapagos Islands.

Climate change and air pollution are critical challenges that humanity is currently facing. Understanding the sources of emissions released into the atmosphere is of great importance to evaluate the local footprint, the impacts of human activities, and the opportunities to develop and implement solutions to mitigate emissions and adapt to climate change particularly in vulnerable places like the Galapagos Islands. In this study, we present an anthropogenic emissions inventory for Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Isabela Islands in which emissions were spatially mapped for greenhouse gasses (GHGs) and primary pollutants (PP). Emissions were estimated for the energy stationary sources, energy mobile sources, waste, and other sectors, and emissions for 2019 were spatially distributed along with an uncertainty assessment. Results demonstrated that energy mobile sources which are aerial, terrestrial, and maritime transportation generated the most significant emissions in the Galapagos Islands in terms of PP and GHGs. In fact, maritime transportation was the highest one in 2019, at 41% of total CO2 emissions for Galapagos, with the most predominant PP being NOx and CO. The aerial transportation made up 36% of emissions, and the electricity generation contributed 15%. Emissions from waste and other sectors comprise a smaller percentage relative to the rest of the emission sectors. These results highlight the strong dependency of the islands on fossil fuels for transportation and electricity generation. Alternatives to mitigate and reduce emissions from the islands are discussed. This spatially mapped emissions inventory for the Galapagos Islands represents a powerful tool to make informed decisions to contribute to the long-term sustainability of the archipelago.