Quantitative Guidelines Research Articles

Good news! Sampling intensity needed for accurate assessments of dung beetle diversity may be lower in the Neotropics

Ecological studies with Scarabaeinae dung beetles have increased exponentially over the past 30 years, using lethal pitfall traps baited with mammal feces or carrion as the preferred sampling method. Different studies have determined the distance between pitfall traps for effective sampling, but the number of traps is often subjective, leading to excessive or poor sampling. This study provides quantitative guidelines for establishing the sample size for optimal completeness of dung beetle diversity by systematically reviewing the relationship between sampling intensity and sampling coverage, habitat type, and the journal impact factor in peer-reviewed research. We gathered 94 studies covering a range from México to Argentina. Sampling was conducted mainly in forested habitats, followed by treeless agriculture and agroforestry systems, with a median value of 50 pitfall traps per sampled habitat. Sampling completeness was above 0.9 in 95% of the studies. Oversampling ranged from 1 to more than 96,000 individuals, and sampling deficit varied between 2 and 3,300 specimens. Sampling intensity and the journal impact factor were significantly and positively correlated with oversampling, but these variables did not explain the sampling deficit. The positive correlation between journal impact factor and oversampling may reflect a publication bias where high-impact journals and researchers seek more generalizable information obtained with a higher sampling intensity. Dung beetle oversampling was not homogeneous between habitats, being highest in old-growth forests and lowest in disturbed habitats such as pastures and forest edges. Our results show that the collection intensity used in dung beetle studies should be reconsidered carefully. By incorporating ethical principles used in animal science, we suggest sampling guidelines for a robust sampling scheme of dung beetle diversity, which would also prevent oversampling. Consciously reducing sampling intensity will make resource use more cost-effective. We suggest increasing the number of independent sampling units rather than intensifying subsampling, thereby increasing the predictive power of statistical models to obtain more robust evidence of the phenomena under study.

A Study on Scattering Performance of Reflectarray Element Covered by Dielectric Superstrate

In this article, effect of a dielectric superstrate on scattering performance of reflectarray elements is clarified. At first, analytical electric field expressions of an infinite line current backed by a ground plane with the dielectric superstrate and so-called resonance conditions derived by Sugio et al., are reviewed. According to the electric field expressions and reciprocity, enhancement of the scattering field strength by the dielectric superstrate under the resonance conditions is expressed analytically. Since the scatterers are illuminated by the incident wave arriving from outside of the scatterers, the effect of its incident angle <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\theta _{i}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> on the scattering field strength is also studied. Based on inequalities that are derived from the electric field expressions, range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\theta _{i}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for enhancing the scattering field strength by the dielectric superstrate under the resonance conditions is found. As a result, it is found that the range of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\theta _{i}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is independent of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> when <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r} \gg 1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> , where <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\varepsilon _{r}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is relative permittivity of the dielectric superstrate. Numerical simulation is performed, and it is demonstrated that the analytical formulae derived here are useful for predicting the effect of the dielectric superstrate on practical reflect array elements such as dipole, patch, and loop elements. Results and theories demonstrated in this article give quantitative guidelines on designing the reflectarray elements covered by the superstrate from the viewpoints of angle dependence, geometry, and permittivity of the superstrate.

Improving the Effect of English Classroom Teaching Based on the Real-Time Supervision of College Students

This paper proposes a method to improve the effect of English classroom teaching based on the real-time monitoring of college students’ status. Education informatization reinsert teaching evaluation and teaching management methods, use the new generation of information technology to track the entire process of monitoring and teaching, and carry out academic analysis and learning diagnosis, to pay attention to knowledge teaching to more emphasis on the cultivation of ability quality. Behavior analysis can identify students’ classroom behavior in real time to track changes in the state of students. We herein count the classroom status of students and formulate quantitative guidelines and analyze the sequence diagram of each classmate’s class behavior state and statistics from the time and duration of various classroom behaviors in classmates. Each student’s listening quality is scored, and the visual methods such as sequential maps and distributed cake maps are used in class behavior to enable students to understand their own quality of the lesson. By analyzing the laws of student class behavior status distribution, we provide a data-driven mechanism for teacher classroom teaching quality evaluation and teaching method improvement.

Precision and convergence speed of the ensemble Kalman filter-based parameter estimation: setting parameter uncertainty for reliable and efficient estimation

Determining physical process parameters in atmospheric models is critical to obtaining accurate weather and climate simulations; estimating optimal parameters is essential for reducing model error. Recently, automatic parameter estimation using the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) has been tested instead of conventional manual parameter tuning. To maintain uncertainty for the parameters to be estimated and avoid filter divergence in EnKF-based methods, some inflation techniques should be applied to parameter ensemble spread (ES). When ES is kept constant through the estimation using an inflation technique, the precision and convergence speed of the estimation vary depending on the ES assigned to estimated parameters. However, there is debate over how to determine an appropriate constant ES for estimated parameters in terms of precision and convergence speed. This study examined the dependence of precision and convergence speed of an estimated parameter on the ES to establish a reliable and efficient method for EnKF-based parameter estimation. This was carried out by conducting idealized experiments targeting a parameter in a cloud microphysics scheme. In the experiments, there was a threshold value for ES where any smaller values did not result in any further improvements to the estimation precision, which enabled the determination of the optimal ES in terms of precision. On the other hand, the convergence speed accelerates monotonically as ES increases. To generalize the precision and convergence speed, we approximated the time series of parameter estimation with a first-order autoregression (AR(1)) model. We demonstrated that the precision and convergence speed may be quantified by two parameters from the AR(1) model: the autoregressive parameter and the amplitude of random perturbation. As the ES increases, the autoregressive parameter decreases, while the random perturbation amplitude increases. The estimation precision was determined based on the balance between the two values. The AR(1) approximation provides quantitative guidelines to determine the optimal ES for the precision and convergence speed of the EnKF-based parameter estimation.

The Third Dimension of Ferroelectric Domain Walls.

Ferroelectric domain walls are quasi-2D systems that show great promise for the development of nonvolatile memory, memristor technology, and electronic components with ultrasmall feature size. Electric fields, for example, can change the domain wall orientation relative to the spontaneous polarization and switch between resistive and conductive states, controlling the electrical current. Being embedded in a 3Dmaterial, however, the domain walls are not perfectly flat and can form networks, which leads to complex physical structures. In this work, the importance of the nanoscale structure for the emergent transport properties is demonstrated, studying electronic conduction in the 3D network of neutral and charged domain walls in ErMnO3 . By combining tomographic microscopy techniques and finite element modeling, the contribution of domain walls within the bulk is clarified and the significance of curvature effects for the local conduction is shown down to the nanoscale. The findings provide insights into the propagation of electrical currents in domain wall networks, reveal additional degrees of freedom for their control, and provide quantitative guidelines for the design of domain-wall-based technology.

Investigation of multiple-ion-source neutral beam operation conditions compatible with motional Stark effect diagnostics.

The motional Stark effect (MSE) diagnostic system at KSTAR (Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) often suffers from the drawback of possible systematic uncertainties in measurements due to overlap of the MSE spectra generated from three different ion sources that constitute a single neutral beam injection system. In particular, one ion source injected in the most tangential direction always causes strong spectral overlaps which, therefore, imposes regulations and constraints on the energy combination among the ion sources. A Stokes-vector analysis has been performed to produce operation windows for the energy combination between the ion source used in the MSE measurement and the ion source with the largest tangential injection angle. The analysis includes various practical factors, such as the distortion of the transmission function of bandpass filters and pitch angle profiles collected from a vast amount of KSTAR discharges. The two-dimensional parameter space, or the contour plot, on the expected systematic offsets in the measured pitch angle has been generated from this analysis, which can serve as a quantitative guideline for operating the multiple-ion-source neutral beam heating system.

Going further with smaller EVs: System-level battery range, emissions and charging infrastructure analysis

Electric vehicles are a necessary part of a zero-carbon future. However, one in five motorists worldwide depend on small petrol motorcycles for their transport needs — vehicles for which no satisfactory low-carbon substitute exists. Meanwhile, the rise in electric car ownership is not reducing GHG emissions as much as often thought, due to the significant emissions from producing ever-larger batteries. Both problems can be solved by uncovering the mechanisms of long distance EV travel, beyond battery range, where the interaction with recharging infrastructure governs vehicle performance.This study develops a new model for journeys involving multiple run-recharge cycles and introduces a novel metric for EV performance — Day Range. Not only does this allow a direct comparison between a wide variety of vehicle and infrastructure options but, by further manipulating the formulae, high level trends can be observed and specific quantitative guidelines extracted.In vehicle design, a strong emphasis on efficiency and recharge rates can drastically reduce both in-use and embodied energy while matching the touring performance of a conventional, resource intensive, heavy battery car. Meanwhile, the recharging network can be developed to better support this lower energy use. Taking the example of the UK motorway network, charge rates up to only 100kW should be installed with the focus instead falling on reliably reducing chargepoint intervals at least as far as the existing target of 28 miles, and ideally much further. In doing so, required battery capacity can be reduced from the 60kWh+ currently seen as necessary to as little as 25kWh.The resulting vehicles not only consume less energy in motion but emit far less greenhouse gases during manufacture and will cost less to produce, allowing a much wider uptake of electric vehicles than possible under the existing, energy intensive battery vehicle touring paradigm.

Field Applicability of Earthwork Volume Calculations Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The earthwork volume must be calculated as accurately as possible for economical construction and cost savings. In particular, when calculating the areas and volumes of irregular curved terrains such as mountains, reservoirs, lakes, and coasts, the vertical assumptions for the boundary equation must be rationally and systematically established. This study focuses on earthwork volume calculation technology using UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). UAV can be used for various types of work, including checking the progress of construction at construction sites and calculating the earthwork volume for large areas. However, earthwork volume calculation technology using UAV is inefficient in terms of information production, management, and reuse because the quantitative guidelines for UAV operations are insufficient, and the output quality, analysis method, and analysis results differ. To solve these problems, the authors investigated an earthwork volume calculation method for construction sites that use UAV to automate the on-site calculation of construction errors and support an on-site monitoring system using building information modeling (BIM). To calculate the earthwork volume of the target site, a chain method with a planned plane map based on the average end-area method was used as a representative earthwork volume calculation method. The digital surface model method was applied to review the optimization of the earthwork volume calculation using UAV. This study is a process of analyzing construction data, and aims to strengthen the linkage of 3D data and provide construction management information specialized in excavation work. Through this earthwork analysis using UAV, it is possible to intuitively review the progress of earthwork in 3D by linking the current site with the planned plane.

On the adhesion between thin sheets and randomly rough surfaces

Thin, elastic sheets are well known to adapt to rough counterfaces, whereby adhesive interactions and pull-off stresses σp can be significant, yet no generally applicable, quantitative guideline has been suggested hitherto as to when a sheet should be considered thin enough to be sticky. Using computer simulations, we find that the dependence of σp on surface energy γ has a high and a low-pull-off-stress regime. For randomly rough surfaces, we locate the dividing line at the point, where γ is approximately half the elastic energy per unit area needed to make conformal contact, which is the same ratio as for semi-infinite elastic solids. This rule of thumb also applies to a certain degree for single-wavelength roughness, in which case the transition from low to high stickiness occurs when at the moment of maximum tension contact is not only broken at the height maxima but also at the saddle points.

Orthotic Prescription for Pediatric Flexible Flat Feet using Convolutional Neural Networks.

Pediatric flexible flat foot (PFFF) is known to in-crease the foot structure's load, causing potential disability. Foot orthoses are one of the most common non-surgical methods to improve the medial longitudinal arch of the foot for improving PFFF. However, orthoses are not routinely prescribed due to their high cost, and discomfort caused by a restriction of foot movement. Furthermore, there are no quantitative standards or guidelines for an orthotic prescription, which makes the decision-making process of less experienced podiatrists chal-lenging. In this study, the authors investigated convolutional neural networks to classify the needs of orthotic prescription. Using image augmentation techniques and training a VGG-16 model, we achieved high precision and recall, 1 and 0.969 accordingly, to classify orthotic prescription needs.

(Keynote) Selective Transport of Ionic Species in Membranes - Effects of Specific Interactions and Nano-Morphology

Selective transport of specific ions is not only key to certain chemical and electrochemical applications, it also raises a number of interesting fundamental questions. For example, in a redox-flow battery, a membrane has to efficiently separate the electrochemically active ionic species (e.g. the different vanadium species present in anolyte and catholyte of a VRFB) while conducting other ionic species for mediating the electrochemical reactions. Fundamentally, selective transport is related to issues of ion uptake and ion mobility. There may be preferred uptake of certain ionic species while others may dominate ionic transport; under certain conditions, an anion exchange membrane (AEM) may even turn into a proton conductor.This presentation provides insight into the effects membrane morphology and chemical interactions have on selective ion transport. Common thermodynamic considerations have been modified by including effects of ion solvation and the influence acid/base properties of the fixed ions have on counter-ion condensation. In addition, insights into the membrane’s nano-morphology allowed to identify sterical effects on ionic transport (ion-sieving).With these sophistications, transport data are described in a quantitative way and guidelines are provided which may help to select or tailor membranes for particular applications requiring selective ion transport.

Novel Passive Vector-Sum Amplitude-Variable Phase Shifter With Integrated Reconfigurable Filtering Function

In this article, a novel passive vector-sum amplitude-variable phase shifter with integrated reconfigurable filtering function is proposed for the first time. It is constructed using conventional trisection filtering topology, with all the couplings between adjacent resonators being implemented with controllable mixed electric&#x2013;magnetic couplings. This not only achieves a reconfigurable filtering response but also forms an intrinsic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I/Q$ </tex-math></inline-formula> signal generator inside the filter, which can be directly utilized to achieve continuous phase control based on the vector-sum mechanism. In such a manner, an integrated filtering phase shifter (FPS) without the need for an extra <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$I/Q$ </tex-math></inline-formula> generation network and individual filtering device is obtained. By properly choosing the coupling types and coupling strengths between adjacent resonators, a continuous phase control from 0&#x00B0; to 360&#x00B0;, covering the full four quadrants, is successfully realized. Closed-form equations associating the circuit parameters and insertion phase at center frequency are deduced, providing a quantitative theoretical guideline for determining the parameters of the FPS. Subsequently, a novel tuning mechanism for independent <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$Q$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-factor and resonant frequency control of the resonator is proposed and applied in the circuit to further exploit the amplitude control ability of the phase shifter. Measured results show that the proposed amplitude-variable FPS is capable of achieving a continuous phase control range of 360&#x00B0; and an amplitude control range of 10 dB within a center frequency tuning range of 0.75&#x2013;0.95 GHz. The measured root-mean-square (rms) amplitude error and the rms phase error are less than 2.58 dB and 8.45&#x00B0;, respectively.

Квантитативні характеристики лексичного складу підручників з китайської мови початкового рівня

Despite the fact that textbooks are central in Chinese language learning, only limited research has explored to what extent textbooks’ content is relevant from a vocabulary perspective. In recent years much work on the potential of quantitative database of Chinese elementary textbooks has been carried out in modern Chinese linguistics; however there is still considerable disagreement with regard to practical objective data on vocabulary used in Chinese language textbooks at different levels. This paper focuses specifically on the quantitative analysis and aims to introduce the quantitative characteristics of vocabulary in four Chinese elementary textbooks: “Practical Chinese Reader” “新实用汉语课本”, “Developing Chinese. Comprehensive course. Beginner level” “发展汉语初级综合”, “Boya Chinese. Elementary” “博雅汉语初级”, “Chinese course” “汉语教程”. In order to identify quantitative database the corpus has been constructed based on the words in the textbooks. The main stages of building text corpus of Chinese elementary textbooks are outlined. Statistical significance was analyzed through the use of linguistic Internet program “Chinese Corpus online”. The research results are presented. Based on the database, statistical analyses, such as the index of vocabulary diversity, the index of exclusivity, the average repetition of the word in the text, etc., are conducted. This work has proved that there is great variation in the number and selection of words across the books indicating that there does not seem to be a common thought behind word selection in textbooks used to teach Chinese as a foreign language. The present findings have important implications for future textbook development and may be used for writing Chinese textbook for Ukrainian students. Future studies on the current topic are therefore required in order to establish a frequency dictionary and a quantitative proficiency guideline for material development.

Biomechanical Analysis of the Use of Stems in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Adequate fixation is fundamental in revision total knee arthroplasty; consequently, surgeons must determine the correct set-up for each patient, choosing from numerous stem solutions. Several designs are currently available on the market, but there are no evidence-based quantitative biomechanical guideline yet. Therefore, several stems were designed and analyzed using a previously-validated finite-element model. The following parameters were studied: stem design characteristics (length and shape), added features (straight/bowed stem), fixation technique, and effect of slots/flutes. Bone stress and Risk of Fracture (RF) were analyzed in different regions of interest during a squat (up to 120°). For the femoral stem, the results indicated that all parameters influenced the bone stress distribution. The maximum von Mises stress and RF were always located near the tip of the stem. The long stems generated stress-shielding in the distal bone. Regarding the tibial stem, cemented stems showed lower micromotions at the bone-tibial tray interface and at the stem tip compared to press-fit stems, reducing the risk of implant loosening. The results demonstrated that anatomical shapes and slots reduce bone stress and risk of fracture, whereas flutes have the opposite effect; no relevant differences were found in this regard when alternating cemented and press-fit stem configurations. Cemented tibial stems reduce antero-posterior micromotions, preventing implant loosening.

A kinetic theory model of human crowds accounting for visual attention

The visual attention of pedestrians has been rarely considered in studies of congestion prevention in long-distance passages. This paper proposes a kinetic theory model of human crowds accounting for visual attention to study congestion in long-distance passages. The population is divided into visual attention-shifting pedestrians (VAS pedestrians) and nonvisual attention-shifting pedestrians (non-VAS pedestrians). First, the movement characteristics of all pedestrians are analyzed based on observations and measurements obtained through controlled experiments. Moreover, a pedestrian flow model accounting for visual attention is built to transform the characteristics of pedestrian movement into a mathematical model. Finally, validation is done, and the density and the proportion of VAS pedestrians are selected as congestion warning parameters. Simulations are performed for a subway passage connected to stairs, and the effect of visual attention, the critical thresholds of congestion warning parameters, and the effects of implementing mitigation measures immediately after congestion occurs are assessed. The experimental results show that the movement characteristics of VAS pedestrians and non-VAS pedestrians are different. Simulation results show that the model is effective. Notably, visual attention has an impact on pedestrian movement, and using the density and the proportion of VAS pedestrians as early warning indicators is effective for preventing the occurrence of congestion, as demonstrated by the negative correlation between the two critical thresholds. This description of human groups provides quantitative guidelines for crowd management.

Wind Environment Simulation and Optimisation Strategies for Block Spatial Forms in Cold Low Mountainous Areas—A Case Study of Changchun, China

Low mountainous areas provide high-quality ecological environments, offering a high urban development value globally. However, cold low mountainous areas are greatly affected by wind environments. Therefore, this study investigates a simulated block wind environment in a typical city in a cold low mountainous area. As opposed to previous work, we put forward the block spatial modes quantitatively for cold low mountainous areas. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology is used to simulate the wind environment of building blocks, including point-type high-rise buildings and row-type multi-story buildings. We propose a new targeted wind environment measurement system developed using PHOENICS 2018 and a spatial combination model using urban information sensing for sustainable development. By comparing the average wind speed (WAS) and calm wind area ratio (SCA) under different simulation conditions, we were able find that when the building form, slope direction, and slope were constant, WAS was inversely proportional to SCA, following the order of south slope &gt; west slope &gt; southwest slope &gt; southeast slope. Second, proper selection of 1:2 and 1:3 ratios for point-type high-rise buildings (HPT) can provide good ventilation for cold low mountainous areas. In addition, continuous high-rise buildings should be avoided. These strategies have been applied in practice in the spatial design of the Lianhuashan tourist resort in Changchun. Possible optimization strategies for planners and governments could include promoting pedestrian spatial environments in these special areas. Moreover, this research is significant for the collection and mining of data-based wind information in cold low mountainous areas, thereby providing scientific quantitative evaluation methods and spatial organisation optimisation guidelines.

Localized anisotropic stress in the sodiation of antimony anode

Although electrode degradation and failure in secondary batteries are hypothesized to stem from the localized chemo-electro-mechanical stress buildup during the charge-discharge process, the exact mechanism of stress generation is poorly understood. We quantitively resolve the stress accumulation in the Sb thin film anode during its gradual phase transitions in the sodiation/desodiation process by combining real-time electro-mechanical and electrochemical measurements with structural information further confirmed by spectroscopic methodologies. In the Sb thin films with (012) planes nearly normal to the surface, ~63% of the total interfacial stress (43.1 N m−1) is accumulated within the first 1/6 of the sodiation process of Na0.5Sb formation with Na-ions inserted between (012) planes. Only a small stress of 4.3 N m−1 is observed in the second 1/6 of the sodiation process due to preferential amorphization and solid solution formation. The last 2/3 of the sodiation process, where NaSb is converted into Na3Sb, generates only 1/3 of total stress (21.2 N m−1) because of the limited in-plane expansion. We also demonstrate that creating buffering voids can greatly reduce stress accumulation, especially during the early stage of the sodiation. The chemo-electro-mechanical insights from this work could serve as quantitative guidelines for the design and optimization of long-lasting Sb anode.

Evaluation of cerebral cortex viscoelastic property estimation with nonlinear inversion magnetic resonance elastography

Objective. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) of the brain has shown promise as a sensitive neuroimaging biomarker for neurodegenerative disorders; however, the accuracy of performing MRE of the cerebral cortex warrants investigation due to the unique challenges of studying thinner and more complex geometries. Approach. A series of realistic, whole-brain simulation experiments are performed to examine the accuracy of MRE to measure the viscoelasticity (shear stiffness, μ, and damping ratio, ξ) of cortical structures predominantly effected in aging and neurodegeneration. Variations to MRE spatial resolution and the regularization of a nonlinear inversion (NLI) approach are examined. Main results. Higher-resolution MRE displacement data (1.25 mm isotropic resolution) and NLI with a low soft prior regularization weighting provided minimal measurement error compared to other studied protocols. With the optimized protocol, an average error in μ and ξ was 3% and 11%, respectively, when compared with the known ground truth. Mid-line structures, as opposed to those on the cortical surface, generally display greater error. Varying model boundary conditions and reducing the thickness of the cortex by up to 0.67 mm (which is a realistic portrayal of neurodegenerative pathology) results in no loss in reconstruction accuracy. Significance. These experiments establish quantitative guidelines for the accuracy expected of in vivo MRE of the cortex, with the proposed method providing valid MRE measures for future investigations into cortical viscoelasticity and relationships with health, cognition, and behavior.

Road safety of older drivers and the nursing profession: A scoping review

AbstractBackgroundPopulation ageing will lead to an increase in the number of older drivers. The ageing process can affect older adults’ driving ability. Nurses can play a major role in identifying potentially at‐risk drivers and providing guidance about driving safety and cessation, but their role remains somewhat unknown.ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to present the scientific literature in relation to the nursing profession in the field of road safety.DesignCINAHL and PubMed databases were used to identify quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods or clinical practice guideline articles that referred to the role of nurses in older people's road safety and were published in English or French languages between January 1990 and August 2020. Ten (10) articles met the inclusion criteria and were analysed.ResultsAnalysis of included articles revealed one main theme: Nurses’ and NPs’ roles in the mobility continuum. Results showed that nurses and nurse practitioners (NPs) often see older drivers in their clinical practice and that they have the competencies to screen and assess their fitness to drive. They are well positioned to discuss age‐related changes, fitness to drive and a driving retirement plan with their older patients, but they are not confident when addressing this issue. Few older adults have discussed their driving abilities with healthcare professionals, but they would be willing to discuss this if the subject were brought up.ConclusionsThis scoping review highlighted the paucity of research addressing the role of the nurse in road safety. More research is needed to adequately document this role.

World Health Organization global air quality guideline recommendations: Executive summary.

Air pollution is a leading cause of death globally and has resulted in the loss of millions of healthy years of life. Moreover, the health burden has fallen disproportionately upon people in many low- and middle-income countries, where air quality continues to deteriorate. To assist authorities and civil society in improving air quality, World Health Organization has published the first global update to its 2005 air quality guidelines based on a significantly improved body of evidence. To facilitate the implementation of the World Health Organization Global Air Quality Guideline recommendations, this article summarizes the purpose and rationale of the quantitative air quality guidelines and interim target levels for six key pollutants: particulate matter 2.5, particulate matter 10, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide. In addition, good practice statements are established for the management of pollutants of concern that lack sufficient evidence to substantiate numerical targets.