Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) is one regulatory approach to alcohol pricing in regions around the world. Broadly, MUP establishes a lowest price threshold for retail per a standardized unit of ethanol in a beverage alcohol product. Illicit drinkers are people whose drinking is often criminalized (i.e., people who drink in public and are subject to harassment or sanctions from law enforcement) and/or people who consume non-beverage alcohol (e.g., hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, mouthwash). The provincial government of British Columbia, Canada has proposed reforms to the existing framework for MUP, which is likely to disproportionately impact illicit drinkers. These reforms to MUP would increase the price of the lowest cost, high alcohol-level drinks. We draw from a community dialogue facilitated by the local Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education (EIDGE) to critically examine these proposed reforms. Through a narrative review of recent international research, we describe some projected negative impacts of BC's proposed reforms, which intend to reduce access to low-cost alcohol beverages. We outline how this is likely to - paradoxically and systematically - push some drinkers, particularly those most disenfranchised by the intersecting social relations of racial capitalism and settler colonization, toward more harmful modes of alcohol consumption, including the use of unregulated alcohol and/or non-beverage alcohol. Likewise, the reforms are likely to unevenly target local Indigenous populations, who experience disproportionate criminalization; and for whom accessing consumable alcohol, healthcare services, and places to drink safely is more fraught than for non-Indigenous drinkers. Ultimately, our essay provides critical considerations for the implementation of MUP in BC that could inform alternative models/options in place of blanket increases in unit pricing.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), a subset of air toxics, pose severe health risks even at low concentrations due to their carcinogenic and reproductive effects. Despite their significance, spatial distribution studies of PAHs remain limited, largely due to the absence of real-time, chemically specific methods. This study applies high-resolution aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) for quantification and spatial analysis of particle-phase PAHs. Laboratory experiments were conducted with four PAH standards (anthracene, pyrene, 9-methyl anthracene, and acenaphthylene) to determine their mass spectra and ionization efficiency. AMS mass spectra of the PAH standards were highly correlated with NIST reference spectra (R2 > 0.95), though the aerosol mass spectra exhibited greater fragmentation than the reference spectra. Subsequently, field sampling was carried out in the city of Pittsburgh. A mobile laboratory was driven over defined routes in areas of varying source activities (e.g., the downtown core, residential areas, and industrial areas). These measurements revealed significant spatial variability. The median neighborhood-scale total particle-phase PAH concentrations ranged from 70 ng/m3 to 150 ng/m3 indicating a 2.1-fold difference, with the downtown neighborhood exhibiting the highest intra-neighborhood variability (Q3/Q1 = 3.4). Compared to Black Carbon (BC), particle-phase PAHs showed greater spatial variability. Most of the detected particle-phase PAHs had low background concentrations and the time series of concentration was punctuated by high concentration spikes. These spikes occurred most frequently in high-traffic zones such as Downtown and on major highways, suggesting contributions from vehicle traffic. Additional spikes in industrial areas suggest contributions from industrial sources. Ratio-ratio plots (e.g., PAH/BC) and comparison of particle-phase PAH concentrations with the concentrations of hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), an indicator of vehicle emissions, further indicate the importance of vehicle emissions on ambient particle-phase PAH concentrations. However, vehicle emissions cannot fully explain particle-phase PAH concentrations in the mobile sampling data. Other sources including metallurgical coke emissions and asphalt paving emissions may also be important. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44408-026-00109-2.
The nighttime Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) phenomenon in the metropolis of Tehran poses severe risks to urban climate and sustainability, representing a potential crisis for the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. A critical research gap persists in long-term predictive modeling for rapidly urbanizing arid regions like Tehran, particularly using advanced hybrid artificial intelligence (AI) architectures that integrate spatial and temporal learning. This study addresses this gap by developing and benchmarking a novel ensemble of six hybrid models, including three machine learning (ML) and three deep learning (DL) models to forecast nocturnal SUHI in Tehran through 2030. The methodology leverages a 22-year MODIS Aqua LST time series, processed with a rigorous spatiotemporal gap-filling process, to train models including innovative combinations such as U-Net with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks. The primary objective is to provide a robust, actionable forecasting framework aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Key findings indicate that parametric normal distribution models suggest temporal land surface temperature (LST) will rise by more than 2°C across four study areas (Tehran, Tehran Downtown, the suburbs, and the combined Tehran–suburbs), a trend further supported by non-parametric approaches, which also show that Tehran Downtown has the highest spatial LST. R-squared (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) were used to assess and compare the three ML and three DL models. The optimal model (U-Net + LSTM) projects a sustained annual SUHI intensity (SUHII) increase of 0.08 °C, potentially reaching a mean of 5.96 °C by 2030—a rise of 0.11–0.39 °C above historical levels. Spatial analyses of SUHI, supported by longitudinal and latitudinal profiles, reveal that Tehran is transitioning toward a “super-nighttime SUHI” state. Moreover, statistical and practical analyses confirm that warming is accelerating and will be disproportionately concentrated in the extreme upper percentiles, significantly amplifying the frequency and severity of hot nights. The broader significance of this work lies in its proof-of-concept for an AI-driven urban climate forecasting framework, which provides urban planners and policymakers with evidence-based insights for targeted mitigation and climate adaptation strategies, thereby supporting the development of resilient urban systems in Tehran and similar metropolitan areas worldwide.
High suicide rates remain a critical public health challenge in the United States. Using census block group-level data, we examine spatial clustering of suicidal behavior in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah, and identify key environmental and socioeconomic determinants. We find that green space and walkability are associated with lower suicidal behavior, likely by promoting stress relief, physical activity, and social interaction. In contrast, greater access to hotels is linked to higher risk, as these spaces may offer privacy that limits timely intervention. Neighborhoods with higher incomes and larger families showed greater resilience, consistent with reduced financial strain and stronger emotional support. Areas with higher labor force participation face increased risk, possibly reflecting pressures from job competition and wage stagnation. Contextual factors further moderate these effects. The protective effect of green space is weaker in neighborhoods with larger shares of non-Hispanic African American residents and in higher-income or larger-family areas, but stronger where the jobs-housing mix is higher. Spatial heterogeneity analyses reveal that mixed land use near downtown is associated with higher risk, likely because of traffic noise, waste, and crime. Meanwhile, higher proportions of non-Hispanic African American residents are associated with lower risk in eastern SLC, where these populations tend to live in higher-income neighborhoods with better living conditions. Overall, this study highlights the interplay of environmental, socioeconomic, and contextual factors underlying suicidal behavior and offers a comprehensive understanding of how physical settings and neighborhood characteristics shape vulnerability. These insights inform the development of more targeted and effective suicide prevention strategies. This study examines the spatial clustering and determinants of suicidal behavior in Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah. The results indicate that green space and walkability are associated with lower levels of suicidal behavior, whereas greater access to hotels corresponds to higher levels. Moreover, neighborhoods with higher incomes and larger families exhibit greater resilience to suicide risk, while those with larger proportions of labor force participants experience greater vulnerability. Also, the relationships between green space, hotel access, and suicidal behavior are further shaped by local contexts. The protective effect of green space is weaker in neighborhoods with higher proportions of non‐Hispanic African American residents or with higher income and larger family size, but stronger in neighborhoods with a high degree of jobs‐housing mix. Spatial heterogeneity analyses additionally reveal that jobs‐housing mix near downtown is associated with increased suicide risk, while higher proportions of non‐Hispanic African American residents correspond to lower levels of suicidal behavior in eastern SLC.
While the drug-related risks and harms associated with being unhoused have been previously identified, little is known about the drug-related impacts of displacement from housing. This qualitative and community-based participatory research study explores drug use patterns and risks among people living with HIV (PLHIV) displaced from housing in the West End and the Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods of Vancouver, British Columbia. Between May 2023 and June 2024, semi-structured interviews (n = 29) and participant observations (n = 6) were conducted with PLHIV who use drugs displaced within the last six months from housing in the West End and/or the Downtown Eastside. Data were analyzed thematically and interpreted by drawing on the intersectional risk environment framework. Two illustrative cases that exemplified broader themes across the data were selected to better contextualize participants' experiences of displacement and drug use. Participants positioned drug use as critical to managing their health and survival needs, which were amplified by displacement. Coupled with increased drug use, participants experienced reduced access to safer environments for drug use and changes to their risk environment in ways that exacerbated their post-displacement overdose risk. Cases rendered visible how this was particularly true for participants experiencing intersecting oppressions based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and class. This study advances our understanding of displacement and its impacts on drug use patterns and risks across and within diverse communities of PLHIV. Our findings underscore the urgent need for housing and urban policies to complement harm reduction efforts. We call for participatory planning approaches that foster genuine collaboration between policymakers and marginalized communities to co-create housing and urban policies that are responsive to the needs of those most affected.
Housing instability contributes to poor health outcomes among people who inject drugs (PWID). Housing affordability in Montreal has declined since 2020. We described changes in the prevalence and spatial distribution of unstable housing among PWID. We analyzed data from the HEPatitis COhort (HEPCO) of PWID in Montreal across three time frames: 2011-2014, 2015-2019, and 2020-2024. Housing was categorized as stable, precariously housed, or unsheltered based on the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness definition. Postal codes of primary residence over the past month were geocoded using the ggmap package in R. A threshold (median+2*median absolute deviation) was used to identify boroughs with increasing concentration of unstably housed PWID in 2020-2024 compared to 2015-2019. Among 1607 study visits (2011-2014: 552, 2015-2019: 547, and 2020-2024: 508), the proportion of unsheltered PWID increased to 41.3% in 2020-2024, vs. 26.1% in 2015-2019 and 27.4% in 2011-2014. In 2020-2024, 43.5% of PWID were stably housed vs. 51.4% in 2015-2019 and 53.8% in 2011-2014. Unsheltered PWID were mostly centralized in the downtown area, but precariously housed participants were more dispersed in their locations. We identified six boroughs with increasing concentrations of unstably housed (including precariously housed and unsheltered) PWID, mainly in downtown and adjacent boroughs. In the context of declining housing affordability, an increased proportion of PWID are reporting being unsheltered. Further work is needed to examine transitions from stable and precarious housing to being unsheltered. Services supporting precariously housed people may need to diversify their geographic locations, given this population's more dispersed residential profile.
In the basement of Nyayo House, a government office tower in downtown Nairobi, hide abandoned torture chambers, built during the Moi Era to imprison political dissidents and enforce his authoritarian regime. Despite decades of memorial advocacy since the end of the Moi Era in 2002, these former torture chambers remain derelict and the recommendations of the Kenyan Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission (2008-2013) to memorialise the site continue to go unrealised. In 2024, youth-led protests against the current government erupted across Kenya, facing extreme state violence that echoed the 'dark days' of the Moi Era. From this, it is clear that transitional justice has been ineffective in Kenya; continuities between past and present injustices dominate the political landscape and manifest in both the youth calls for justice and the government's response. In this context, how might Nyayo House, as a site of violence and memory, function towards justice? This article argues that the absence of official memorialization turns Nyayo House into a discursive symbol for a lack of justice. As such, the site is untethered from its specificity, becoming an 'unbound symbol' that mnemonically organises intergenerational and intersectional forms of resistance to state violence today. Drawing on Achille Mbembe's concept of 'disenclosure' alongside qualitative interviews with survivors and young social justice advocates, this article proposes that this 'unbinding' capacity of an unmemorialised site of atrocity under a regime of ongoing state violence makes it a powerful force for claims for justice beyond a transitional justice paradigm.
The objective of this study is to investigate parental utilization of smartphones, engagement with social media, and adoption of artificial intelligence tools in child-rearing practices, alongside analyzing their children's technology consumption habits. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the downtown area of an eastern Turkish city. Data collection utilized various forms, including a demographic findings form, the parents' smartphone attitudes form, parents' use of social media and knowledge of artificial intelligence form, parents' use of digital tools in childcare form, children's smartphone use form, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale. The study revealed that smartphone usage led to insomnia at night, as well as neck and hand-wrist pain. Parents utilizing artificial intelligence applications such as Google Bard/Gemini and ChatGPT demonstrated a higher potential for addiction. Those who allowed their infants to watch content on their smartphones between the first and sixth months of life showed a greater potential for addiction, with such content often utilized to soothe the baby during feeding. It was determined that parents who did not pay attention to the use of smartphones in the presence of their children and parents of children who reacted violently when the phone was taken away had higher phone addiction scores. The results suggest that parents who extensively utilize social media and artificial intelligence applications tend to integrate these tools into childcare practices.
IQOS is a heated tobacco product from Philip Morris International (PMI) with modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The commercial relaunch of IQOS featured experiential marketing centered in Austin, Texas, and began in October 2024. Invitation-only events were offered to adults aged ≥21 years who resided near Austin/Travis County and confirmed they were tobacco users when they joined the 'IQOS Circle'. Events were free-of-charge and included live music concerts, movie premieres, and seasonally and locally themed parties. Events offered free food, drinks, and giveaways, and usually included PMI representatives who invited discussion and questions about IQOS, where customers could hold devices with the promise that opportunities to try IQOS were coming soon. A two-day downtown block party marked IQOS' commercial release in March 2025, offering 'guided experiences' to customers who could then initiate a 14-day trial. The IQOS device and charging case with ten packs of HEETS sticks cost $1.00, plus a non-refundable $40 'trial fee'. Within the trial window, customers could return the product free of charge or pay an additional $60.00 to keep the device. In April 2025, IQOS products were made available for purchase online to Austin-area zip codes, and on 2 September 2025, shipping expanded to 'selected major cities' in Texas, including Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Events in Austin, TX and subsequent pilots in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Jackson, MS will inform PMI's launch of ILUMA, their most advanced IQOS model currently awaiting FDA authorization. It remains to be seen whether IQOS will provide health benefits to individuals who switch completely to IQOS from cigarettes, or whether those initiating IQOS are cigarette-naïve and/or otherwise not using nicotine products. Continued monitoring of the use and appeal of IQOS will be essential to tobacco control and public health efforts.
Integrated Youth Services (IYS) are increasingly implemented across Canada to address the intersecting mental, physical and social needs of young people, yet the integration of primary care within IYS remains under-documented. This article presents a qualitative, practice-based case study of Aire ouverte Montréal-Métro Berri, an urban IYS site where family physicians have been embedded as permanent members of a multidisciplinary team since 2022. Serving diverse youth aged 12-25 in a downtown context, this site offers an exemplar of integrating family medicine within a publicly funded youth service model. Drawing on an ongoing evaluation, the paper describes the implementation model, roles of family physicians and enabling organizational conditions, based on document analysis and perspectives from clinicians, managers and team members. Findings highlight how co-location, collaborative practices, shared care planning and flexible administrative arrangements supported the integration of family physicians. Reported impacts include timely access to primary and mental healthcare, improved care coordination, enhanced team capacity to manage risk and earlier engagement of youth who might otherwise not access services or access care through crisis-driven pathways. This case offers transferable insights into integrating family physicians within IYS, at a time of rapid national scaling and persistent challenges in youths' access to primary care.
Prehospital whole blood (PHWB) transfusion improves outcomes in trauma patients, but blood products are a scarce and costly resource. We hypothesized that massive transfusion protocol (MTP) activation could be an indicator for trauma patients who might benefit from PHWB, and we used geo-mapping to identify high need zones. We retrospectively analyzed trauma registry data from 5 trauma centers in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, including all patients who had MTP activated in the trauma bay from June 1, 2019, to March 31, 2025. Assault and motor vehicle crash data were collected from the Nebraska Department of Transportation and local police databases. Incidence of MTP, assaults, and motor vehicle crashs was mapped to identify the highest need zones. Chi-square tests of independence and Pearson's and Spearman's correlations compared MTP incidence by ZIP code Tabulated Areas with known trauma events. A total of 338 MTP patients from Omaha and 89 from Lincoln were included. Geo-mapping revealed a greater need for PHWB in the downtown centers of both cities. Tests of independence showed significant associations between MTP incidence (Omaha: χ 2 = 741.22, df = 28, p < 0.001; Lincoln: χ 2 = 43.75, df = 13, p < 0.001). Spearman's and Pearson's correlations showed a positive linear correlation between MTP incidence and trauma incidence. Geo-mapping MTP data strongly correlated with known traumas, supporting MTP activation as a surrogate marker for PHWB need. This offers a novel method for cities to plan PHWB programs by determining high need zones and ensuring equitable and cost-effective distribution of scarce resources.
River monitoring plays a pivotal role in evaluating urban water quality status, detecting pollution events and their potential sources, and guiding the development of effective intervention strategies. In complex river networks, water quality degradation can stem from urban factors, such as inadequate sewer system management or runoff from contaminated surfaces during rainfall, as well as from external inputs linked to agricultural or industrial activities in surrounding areas. Accurately identifying the primary drivers of water quality deterioration is essential for designing targeted action plans and predicting their effectiveness. Although sporadic water sampling or visible indicators, such as foul odors during low-flow periods, can reveal quality impairment, more detailed information is required to differentiate pollution sources, thus, to implement appropriate restoration and mitigation measures. This study presents a monitoring system designed and tested to distinguish pollutants originating from urbanized areas from those associated with external activities (e.g., agriculture, industry), addressing the common challenge of prioritizing interventions for urban river improvement. The Sile River and the city of Treviso (Italy) were selected as a case study to validate the system and monitoring approach. Developed between 2021 and 2023, the system is characterized by six stations equipped with radar sensors for continuous water level and velocity measurements, three of which also feature multiparametric probes and refrigerated samplers. Two additional portable samplers allow for flexible sampling at other relevant locations. Both high-frequency (grab samples) and low-frequency (daily composite samples) monitoring strategies were implemented. Since 2023, the system collects data on the urban area's impact during both dry and wet weather conditions and identifies temporal behaviour of physical and chemical species, providing a comprehensive overview of the Sile River's current status. Data analysis developed through correlation, multilinear regression, principal component analysis, and load balance methods reveals which water quality parameters serve as indicators of specific pollution origins, ultimately supporting targeted improvement actions. Escherichia coli and Ptot resulted to be primarily associated with urban activities and indicative of sewer system contributions in both downtown and surrounding areas, whereas NO₃-N reflected agricultural inputs. Insights gained during the first two years of monitoring confirm the system's effectiveness in assessing urban river quality and distinguishing between urban and agricultural contributions. Furthermore, the findings inform the design of monitoring programs for similar urban river contexts. After two years of operation, the study summarizes the strengths and limitations of the implemented system and evaluates its applicability to other case studies.
The annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) combines the principles of multidisciplinary management, with the basic science underlying pathobiological processes in breast cancer. The 48th meeting was held at the Henry B Gonzales Convention Center in downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States of America on 9-12 December 2025. The symposium delivers a range of presentations covering basic, translational, and clinical sciences with input from patient advocates and an increasingly patient-centric approach and focus on standards of clinical care and survivorship issues. Important trials that are potentially practice changing are often presented as late-breaking news and published concurrently or shortly thereafter. This second of a two-part report covers a range of topics related to indications for pre-operative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), benefits of acupuncture on cognitive function, age as a prognostic factor in younger patients, primary irradiation, antibody-drug conjugates for advanced human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive/negative disease, and selective estrogen receptor down-regulators for early-stage breast cancer.
Autonomous vehicles, such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), have the potential to completely reshape various industries such as parcel delivery, agriculture, surveillance, monitoring, and search-and-rescue missions. Consequently, the demand for safe, cost-effective, and intelligent navigation systems is crucial to ensure reliable performance in complex and dynamic environments. In this study, we propose a novel vision-based UAV navigation method that integrates depthmap estimation with a Vision-Language Model (VLM) for efficient obstacle avoidance and path planning. The system processes RGB images captured by the UAV, transforming them into depth maps using DepthAnything-V2, a powerful zero-shot depth estimator. These depth maps are then analyzed by the VLM, which detects nearby obstacles and plans avoidance maneuvers. We have explored the Gemini-flash and GPT-4o models as VLM in our study. A fully connected network integrates the VLM output with the UAV's relative heading angle to predict the optimal course of action, enabling the UAV to dynamically navigate complex environments toward its target. The system's effectiveness is validated through simulations in AirSim using Blocks and the Downtown West environment. The UAV consistently reaches its destination, avoiding obstacles and achieving a near-perfect task completion rate of 0.98. By eliminating the need for costly sensors such as LiDAR and operating without pre-existing maps, our solution provides a cost-efficient, generalizable approach to real-time UAV navigation, especially in unfamiliar or dynamic settings, and highlights emerging trends in autonomous systems research that utilize VLMs.
The Green Oasis (GRO) Project is a targeted urban greening intervention designed to evaluate the environmental and health impacts of compact, high-density plantings in dense built environments. Initiated in downtown Louisville, the project transformed Founders Square, a 0.64-acre sparsely planted park, into a microforest ("Trager Microforest"), a multilayered planting of 119 trees and more than 200 shrubs. The impact of this intervention is being assessed through a randomized crossover study in which participants walk in the microforest and a nearby impervious parking lot. Physiological outcomes include heart rate, heart rate variability, arterial stiffness, and stress biomarkers measured in saliva, urine, and sweat. Environmental conditions are continuously monitored by fixed and mobile weather stations, air pollution sensors, and biodiversity surveys. Baseline assessments were conducted in 2023 and 2024, with post-planting evaluations now underway (2025-). Power calculations indicate adequate sensitivity (n ≈ 40-50) to detect changes in cardiovascular stress responses in participants. Complementary ecological measurements include soil microbiome composition, greenhouse gas fluxes, and avian diversity. This study addresses critical gaps in understanding how small-scale, high-density greening interventions affect cardiovascular resilience, stress physiology, and microclimatic regulation. By integrating environmental, biological, and human health data, GRO establishes a comprehensive framework for evaluating the efficacy of urban microforests as nature-based solutions. The results are expected to inform urban planning, public health strategies, and climate adaptation policies, demonstrating how compact greening interventions can simultaneously mitigate heat, reduce pollution, enhance biodiversity, and promote human wellbeing in dense urban cores.
Sidewalk high-definition (HD) maps require centimetre-level representation of pedestrian barriers to support mobility assistance and barrier-free infrastructure management. This study evaluates six mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) platforms for sidewalk HD mapping: terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), a push-cart mobile mapping system (MMS), two backpack systems (GNSS/INS (Global Navigation Satellite System/Inertial Navigation System)-aided and SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping)-based), and two handheld systems (GNSS/INS-aided and SLAM-based). Surveys were conducted at two sites with contrasting occlusion and GNSS conditions (park and dense downtown corridors). Point clouds were transformed to a common control network, with independent checkpoints for absolute accuracy. The reference dataset achieved a planimetric root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.017-0.049 m and vertical RMSE of 0.009-0.014 m across sites. Platforms were compared for positional accuracy, point density, and extractability of key accessibility attributes (effective width, step height, and longitudinal slope). Cart-mounted MMS provided stable geometry under occlusion, while SLAM-based handheld mapping improved robustness in GNSS-degraded areas; backpack SLAM performance depended on loop-closure opportunities and scene dynamics. We provide guidance on selecting pedestrian-scale LiDAR platforms for sidewalk HD mapping under different survey conditions.
Urban trees and their phyllosphere-associated microbiota constitute a promising nature-based solution for mitigating urban air pollution. In this study, we characterized the taxonomic composition, diversity patterns, and functional potential of bacterial communities inhabiting the phyllosphere of Mangifera indica in two urban sites of Medellín, Colombia, with contrasting pollution levels and across two time points, analyzing a total of 12 samples. We integrated 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, performed on the Illumina MiSeq platform, with shotgun metagenomic sequencing generated on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform to assess community structure and the presence of genes involved in the degradation of airborne organic pollutants. Bacterial assemblages were dominated by Pseudomonadota (Proteobacteria), Actinomycetota, and Bacteroidota, with genera such as Methylobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Serratia consistently prevalent. Alpha diversity was higher in the highly polluted downtown, while beta diversity was shaped primarily by temporal variation. Functional annotation of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) uncovered genes encoding complete aromatic hydrocarbon degradation pathways, including naphthalene, toluene, xylenes, and benzoate. Both ortho- and meta-cleavage routes for catechol degradation were detected, with temporal shifts in pathway dominance linked to changes in the abundance of key degraders taxa. These results reflect genetic potential for xenobiotic degradation within the M. indica phyllosphere microbiota, modulated by environmental conditions. Our findings highlight the ecological role of phyllosphere bacteria as contributors of inferred functional capacity relevant to atmospheric bioremediation and supports their integration into microbiome-informed green infrastructure strategies.
Bicycle infrastructure preferences vary by rider experience and comfort, yet both bicyclists and motorists perceive separated bicycle lanes as safer than shared lane markings (sharrows). Despite widespread adoption, evidence on the real-world behavioral impacts of sharrows remains limited. This study evaluates a natural experiment in Santa Ana, California, where sharrows were installed in a downtown commercial corridor when separated bicycle lanes were not feasible. Researchers collected baseline data in September 2015 and follow-up data in February 2016 and early 2017, totaling 54 hours of direct bicycle observation across two target areas. Results revealed a mixed and cautionary pattern of change. West-to-East mean bicycle counts increased significantly from 0.986 (2015) to 1.734 (2016; p = 0.045) but declined to 1.500 by 2017. East-to-West counts showed modest, non-significant year-over-year growth. Critically, sidewalk riding increased significantly from 2015 to 2016 (p = 0.002) and remained elevated through 2017 (p = 0.009), and wrong-way riding increased significantly from 2015 to 2016 (p = 0.003). Female ridership declined from 2015 to 2016 (p = 0.036) but recovered by 2017. Ridership among adults over 65 declined post-installation without meaningful recovery. Overall, sharrow installation was not associated with lasting ridership gains or improved safe bicycling behavior. Declines among women and older adults suggest sharrows may not adequately meet the needs of all roadway users. Drawing on the present data and prior literature, policymakers should consider pairing sharrows with education programs, driver awareness campaigns, and enhanced infrastructure to support safety, equity, and sustained bicycling engagement.
The sensitive nature of mortality has hindered the death education. However, post-pandemic existential anxiety has drawn significant attention, offering a critical opportunity for disciplinary advancement. Despite this momentum, the field's interdisciplinary nature lacks a unified theoretical framework, urgently necessitating clear development directions. Furthermore, given the profound cultural divergences between Chinese and Western death education paradigms, analyzing these two contexts both independently and comparatively is essential to comprehensively guide the field's future development. Comparative bibliometric analysis. 2,311 publications were included. This study aims to analyze and compare the evolutionary trajectories, thematic distributions, and emerging frontiers of death education research in international and Chinese contexts. By synthesizing their characteristic data, it delineates the developmental trends in the post-pandemic era and the cultural divergences between Eastern and Western paradigms, thereby providing reference and guidance for the field's future directions from a bibliometric perspective. Literature was retrieved from international databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus; timspan: 1971-2025), and a Chinese database (China National Knowledge Infrastructure; timespan: 1980-2025). Utilizing CiteSpace with one-year time slices, we performed co-occurrence, cluster, timeline, burst detection analyses across each bibliometric data fields. Node selection parameters were individually configured based on data density to ensure optimal network visualization. Finally, the meaningful resulting characteristic data were compared and synthesized. Analysis of 2,311 publications identifies 2020 as a pivotal turning point for significant growth in both international and Chinese death education research. Post-2023, international publication volume continues to accelerate, whereas Chinese research exhibits a downtown trend. Bibliometric results show that the highest betweenness centrality in international research remains anchored in early foundation literature. In contrast, Chinese research displays a marked preference regarding research subjects and reveals that "life education" has superseded "death education" as the primary thematic cluster. Following a post-2020 surge, international research has maintained sustained growth, whereas Chinese publications experienced a decline post-2023. Distinctively, Chinese studies show a preference for convenience sampling, while international co-citation networks reveal a persistent reliance on early foundational research. To ensure sustainable development, the field must refine theoretical frameworks globally. Furthermore, reversing the decline in China requires leveraging culturally positive semantics and policy directives to position death education as a systemic public health intervention. Research intensity of death education in both regions exhibited high synchrony with major public emergencies. International research showed sustained post-pandemic growth but a paucity of theoretical innovation, while Chinese research faced significant localization bottlenecks, characterized by reliance on convenience sampling and a tendency to reframe death discourse through the indirect lens of "life education."
Gasoline evaporation is a significant source of urban volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this study, we selected Nanjing, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta of China, and developed a high-resolution (1 km × 1 km) gridded VOC species emission inventory for gas stations based on measured VOC emission characteristics and statistical data on gasoline and diesel sales. The results show that VOC emissions from gas stations were correlated with population density and road networks, and were mainly concentrated in the downtown area. The emitted VOCs were dominated by alkanes (58%) and oxygenated VOCs (19%), with i-pentane, n-butane, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as the major components. C4-C5 alkenes were identified as the key contributors to ozone (O3) formation, while aromatics contributed most to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. Health risk assessment indicates that, for gas station workers, both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks associated with gasoline and diesel VOC evaporation exceed acceptable thresholds. Benzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, and 1,2-dibromoethane posed the highest carcinogenic risks, whereas acrolein, benzene, and 1,3-butadiene contributed most to non-carcinogenic risks. For urban residents, the health risks from gas station VOC emissions were generally within acceptable levels; however, under unfavorable meteorological conditions, residents living near gas stations may still face elevated health risks. This study highlights the significant impacts of gas station-related VOC emissions on air quality and human health, and informs targeted control and mitigation strategies for gasoline evaporation.