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Over the past few decades, the oceans have stored the majority of the excess heat in the climate system resulting from anthropogenic emissions. An accurate, long-term sea surface temperature (SST) dataset is essential for monitoring and researching the changes to the global oceans. A variety of SST datasets have been produced by various institutes over the years, and here, we present a new SST data record produced originally within the Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (which is therefore named CMEMS v2.0) and assess: (1) its accuracy compared to independent observations; (2) how it compares with the previous version (named CMEMS v1.2); and (3) its performance during two major volcanic eruptions. By comparing both versions of the CMEMS datasets using independent in situ observations, we show that both datasets are within the target accuracy of 0.1 K, but that CMEMS v2.0 is closer to the ground truth. The uncertainty fields generated by the two analyses were also compared, and CMEMS v2.0 was found to provide a more accurate estimate of its own uncertainties. Frequency and vector analysis of the SST fields determined that CMEMS v2.0 feature resolution and horizontal gradients were also superior, indicating that it resolved oceanic features with greater clarity. The behavior of the two analyses during two volcanic eruption events (Mt. Pinatubo and El Chichón) was examined. A comparison with the HadSST4 gridded in situ dataset suggested a cool bias in the CMEMS v2.0 dataset versus the v1.2 dataset following the Pinatubo eruption, although a comparison with sparser buoy-only observations yielded less clear results. No clear impact of the El Chichón eruption (which was a smaller event than Mt. Pinatubo) on CMEMS v2.0 was found. Overall, with the exception of a few specific and extreme events early in the time series, CMEMS v2.0 possesses high accuracy, resolution, and stability and is recommended to users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To enhance your awareness of the potential benefits of music therapy for people with dementia • To learn about how a music therapy intervention was implemented in a dementia inpatient unit • To understand the experiences of people with dementia attending individual and group music therapy sessions. There is a growing evidence base to suggest that music therapy is an effective clinical intervention for people with dementia, having positive effects on mood, emotion, communication and memory, and reducing agitation, anxiety and apathy. However, the evidence to support this is predominantly from community settings such as residential care homes or people's own homes. This article captures the authors' experiences and reflections regarding their implementation of a music therapy intervention in a dementia inpatient unit. It explores some of the considerations and learning points gained from their experience, including the practicalities around engaging individuals and staff, the use of space, the timing of sessions, available resources and the potential benefits for patients, family members and the unit as a whole. The authors' experiences suggest that the benefits of music therapy appear to be transferable to the dementia inpatient setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a case study at an organization that created MADIC, an innovative approach to developing mobile applications developed by third party independent developer. Presents MMO2's, a conceptual wireless reference model used to define the various system constituents required to create effective mobile applications. (Author/AEF)

This paper outlines progress of the Copernicus Climate Change Service's (C3S) Global Land and Marine Observations Database service in securing data sources and introduces the data upload component. We present details of land and marine data holdings inventoried, highlighting priority needs in terms of periods, regions and Essential Climate Variables (ECVs) where additional data could bring most benefit. These holdings are being iteratively merged and integrated to best meet user needs and are served to the user via the Copernicus Climate Data Store (CDS). The secure Data Upload Server enables any data provider to share additional data and metadata with the service. We outline the process for registering as a data provider and how data sets are prioritized for integration. We encourage all data owners to share their data with the C3S service via our Data Upload Server. All unique and relevant data acquired or submitted will be also archived at the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information World Data Center for Meteorology, Asheville, North Carolina, USA and used in their database curation efforts which are being jointly developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global mean near surface temperature change is the key metric by which our warming climate is monitored and for which international climate policy is set. At the end of each year the Met Office issues a global mean temperature forecast for the coming year. Following on from the new record in 2023, we predict that 2024 will likely (76% chance) be a new record year with a 1‐in‐3 chance of exceeding 1.5°C above pre‐industrial. Whilst a one‐year temporary exceedance of 1.5°C would not constitute a breach of the Paris Agreement target, our forecast highlights how close we are now to this. Our 2024 forecast is primarily driven by the strong warming trend of +0.2°C/decade (1981–2023) and secondly by the lagged warming effect of a strong tropical Pacific El Niño event. We highlight that 2023 itself was significantly warmer than the Met Office DePreSys3 forecast, with much of this additional observed warming coming from the southern hemisphere, the cause of which requires further understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Yasser Yacoub, Chris Atkinson The concept of defining a regulatory standard for the maximum allowable emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from a heavy-duty diesel engine on an instantaneous basis is presented. The significance of this concept from a regulatory point of view is the possibility to realise a steady brake specific NOx emissions result independent of the test schedule used. The emissions of oxides of nitrogen from a state-of-the-art direct injection diesel engine have been examined on an integral as well as on an instantaneous basis over the Federal Test Procedure as well as over several other arbitrary transient cycles generated for this study. Three candidate standards of specific NOx emissions have been evaluated on a real-time, continuous basis. These include brake power specific, fuel mass specific, and carbon dioxide mass specific NOx emissions. Retaining the stock engine control module, the carbon dioxide specific emissions of NOx have been shown to be the most uniform, varying only by about 30% of its mean value regardless of the test schedule or engine operation. The instantaneous fuel specific NOx emissions are shown to be relatively less invariant and the least steady are the brake power specific emissions with a coefficient of variation of up to 200%. Advancing injection timing has been shown to have a wide range of authority over the specific emissions of oxides of nitrogen regardless of the units used, when operating at full load in the vicinity of peak torque speeds. The carbon dioxide specific NOx emissions have shown a linear dependence on the power specific emissions, independent of the examined operating conditions. The trade-off between better brake thermal efficiency, lower exhaust gas temperature at advanced timing and lower NOx emissions has also been shown to be independent of the units of the specific standard used.