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The impact of air pollution is one of the hotspots attracting continuous scholarly attention, but the comprehensive statistical and visual analysis reviews are few. Employing the method of bibliometric analysis, this paper took the relevant literature from 1996 to April 2022 on the Web of Science as the research object. Through the methods of keyword co-occurrence analysis and burst analysis, the spatiotemporal evolution trend, cooperation network, outstanding scholars, knowledge base, and research focus of air pollution impact research are visually presented. Via constructing a common word matrix of high-frequency words, clustering analysis is used to aggregate high-frequency keywords into 24 clusters. By the strategic coordinate analysis method, the relationships within and between clusters were revealed. The main findings include (1) research on the impact of air pollution mainly focusing on human health; (2) the six keywords with the highest centrality are California, hydrocarbons, dioxide, generation, Asia, and diesel; (3) these 11 clusters may be developed into future research hotspots: particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, mortality, ozone, pollution, air quality, asthma, children, epidemiology, aerosols, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and (4) seven topics are research hot: daily mortality, long-term exposure, coronary heart disease, concentration, North China plain, traffic-related air pollution, and air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to propose a compaction control method that facilitates the use of expansive soil, as embankment material for highways in humid climates. Three types of expansive soils, utilised as general embankment fill in Southern China, were selected for investigating the physical, compaction, and shear strength properties. The compaction-control method was proposed based on the compaction curve revealed by the dry preparation method, associated with the corresponding soaked California bearing ratio. The site test and long-term monitoring were conducted in an embankment in Ningming, which was filled with compacted expansive soil controlled by the suggested method. The laboratory test results showed that the maximum dry unit weight obtained from the dry preparation method was less than that generated from the moist preparation method, while the optimum moisture content acquired from the dry preparation method was greater and closer to its natural moisture content. The moisture content corresponding to maximum CBR was 2% larger than the optimum moisture content. The in-situ monitoring results presented that the moisture content of the constructed embankment was close to its natural moisture content or plastic limit, the maximum settlement was 70.6 mm, and the maximum horizontal displacement was 20 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning standards have become a prominent feature for schools and school systems worldwide. Our paper describes the development of recent English teaching standards in California, China, and Mexico, as well as analyzing them for their theoretical orientations. We begin with an overview and critique of the standards movement. Our analysis of the standards in California, China, and Mexico reveals a substantial shift from a grammatical accuracy focused approach towards a communicative approach to language instruction. While this turn may be welcomed by professional educators, there are practical policy questions to be answered. We end our paper by noting additional challenges to implementing the new standards. Our general assessment is that the authors of the standards firmly believe that the new guidelines will improve instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning standards have become a prominent feature for schools and school systems worldwide. Our paper describes the development of recent English teaching standards in California, China, and Mexico, as well as analyzing them for their theoretical orientations. We begin with an overview and critique of the standards movement. Our analysis of the standards in California, China, and Mexico reveals a substantial shift from a grammatical accuracy focused approach towards a communicative approach to language instruction. While this turn may be welcomed by professional educators, there are practical policy questions to be answered. We end our paper by noting additional challenges to implementing the new standards. Our general assessment is that the authors of the standards firmly believe that the new guidelines will improve instruction.

Background: Global research hotspots and future research trends in the neurobiological mechanisms of late-life depression (LLD) as well as its diagnosis and treatment are not yet clear. Objectives: This study profiled the current state of global research on LLD and predicted future research trends in the field. Methods: Literature with the subject term LLD was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, and CiteSpace software was used to perform econometric and co-occurrence analyses. The results were visualized using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and other software packages. Results: In total, 10,570 publications were included in the analysis. Publications on LLD have shown an increasing trend since 2004. The United States and the University of California had the highest number of publications, followed consecutively by China and England, making these countries and institutions the most influential in the field. Reynolds, Charles F. was the author with the most publications. The International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry was the journal with the most articles and citations. According to the co-occurrence analysis and keyword/citation burst analysis, cognitive impairment, brain network dysfunction, vascular disease, and treatment of LLD were research hotspots. Conclusion: Late-life depression has attracted increasing attention from researchers, with the number of publications increasing annually. However, many questions remain unaddressed in this field, such as the relationship between LLD and cognitive impairment and dementia, or the impact of vascular factors and brain network dysfunction on LLD. Additionally, the treatment of patients with LLD is currently a clinical challenge. The results of this study will help researchers find suitable research partners and journals, as well as predict future hotspots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The merits and drawbacks of moral relevance models of addiction have predominantly been discussed theoretically, without empirical evidence of these potential effects. This study develops and evaluates a novel survey measure for assessing moral evaluations of patient substance misuse (ME-PSM). Methods: This measure was tested on 524 health professionals (i.e., physicians, nurses, and other health professionals) in California (n = 173), urban France (n = 102), and urban China (n = 249). Demographic factors associated with ME-PSM were investigated using analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and t-tests, with results suggesting that ME-PSM is higher among younger health professionals, nurses (when compared with physicians and other health professionals), and Chinese health professionals (when compared with French and American health professionals). Results: Results provide preliminary support for the psychometric quality of the survey measure introduced in this study, including the existence of a single latent structure and partial invariance of collected data across countries. Conclusion: The survey measure for ME-PSM which was developed and tested in the current study appears to hold potential utility for use as a measure of moral views of patient substance misuse. With development, this measure may be used to examine moral evaluations, both as factors of stigma and of other clinical factors associated with the treatment of patients with substance use disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benevolent gender prejudice, which is often implicit and might even seem goodwilled, has been attributed to perceived gender-based differences in rational thinking ability. Specifically, men have been perceived as having stronger rational thinking ability than women. Critical thinking, which is strongly associated with both creative thinking and creative research ability, is a significant aspect of rational thinking. Using the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), the present study measured a random sample of 1075 male and female undergraduates in China. The results indicated that females' critical thinking disposition was slightly higher than that of males. It follows, then, that benevolent gender prejudice in education is based on ill-founded judgments about gender difference. These findings provide support for eradicating stereotypes about the relationship between gender and rational thinking, which can help to reduce gender prejudice in education and thereby promote healthy personal and professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Strength and stiffness of calcareous sand is enhanced by using PFA for chemical stabilization. • The influence of PFA on calcareous sand characteristics are different for varying particle gradation. • The shear strength as well as CBR of calcareous sand is greatly improved when stabilized by PFA. • The test results are useful in determining the optimum content of PFA to be used in a particular calcareous sand with specific particle gradation. The calcareous sand existing at the South China sea is characterized by low shear strength with high compressibility. Associated with particle breakage, foundations built on such problematic soil initiates undrained failure with uneven foundation settlement, unless adequate ground improvement technique is adopted. In this paper, chemical soil stabilization is carried out by applying Polyurethane Foam Adhesive (PFA) to the virgin soil. Improvement of strength and stiffness of the treated soil have been investigated in detail by a series of triaxial consolidation and drainage tests followed by California bearing ratio tests. The effect of particle gradation on the stress–strain curve and CBR values of the stabilized calcareous sand as well as the influence on peak shear stress and shear strength index has been studied. The test results show that the PFA is effective in improving the mechanical properties of calcareous sand. The particle gradation has significant effects on the stress–strain response of the stabilized calcareous sand under different PFA contents. Optimal PFA content for each grading of calcareous sand was proposed. The test results of this work would be beneficial for engineering practice in dealing with the bearing capacity and settlement of foundations involving calcareous sand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 lockdowns reduced nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) emissions in many countries. We aim to quantify the changes in these pollutants and to assess the attributable changes in mortality in Jiangsu, China; California, U.S.; Central-southern Italy; and Germany during COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020. Accounting for meteorological impacts and air pollution time trends, we use a machine learning-based meteorological normalization technique and the difference-in-differences approach to quantify the changes in NO 2 and PM 2.5 concentrations due to lockdowns. Using region-specific estimates of the association between air pollution and mortality derived from a causal modeling approach using data from 2015 to 2019, we assess the changes in mortality attributable to the air pollution changes caused by the lockdowns in early 2020. During the lockdowns, NO 2 reductions avoided 1.41 (95% empirical confidence interval [eCI]: 0.94, 1.88), 0.44 (95% eCI: 0.17, 0.71), and 4.66 (95% eCI: 2.03, 7.44) deaths per 100,000 people in Jiangsu, China; California, U.S.; and Central-southern Italy, respectively. Mortality benefits attributable to PM 2.5 reductions were also significant, albeit of a smaller magnitude. For Germany, the mortality benefits attributable to NO 2 changes were not significant (0.11; 95% eCI: -0.03, 0.25), and an increase in PM 2.5 concentrations was associated with an increase in mortality of 0.35 (95% eCI: 0.22, 0.48) deaths per 100,000 people during the lockdown. COVID-19 lockdowns overall improved air quality and brought attributable health benefits, especially associated with NO 2 improvements, with notable heterogeneity across regions. This study underscores the importance of accounting for local characteristics when policymakers adapt successful emission control strategies from other regions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Epidemiological studies show strong associations between fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) air pollution and adverse pulmonary effects. In the present study, wintertime PM 2.5 samples were collected from three geographically similar regions-Sacramento, California, USA; Jinan, Shandong, China; and Taiyuan, Shanxi, China-and extracted to form PM CA , PM SD , and PM SX , respectively, for comparison in a BALB/c mouse model. Each of four groups was oropharyngeally administered Milli-Q water vehicle control (50 μL) or one type of PM extract (20 μg/50 μL) five times over two weeks. Mice were necropsied on post-exposure days 1, 2, and 4 and examined using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), histopathology, and assessments of cytokine/chemokine mRNA and protein expression. Chemical analysis demonstrated all three extracts contained black carbon, but PM SX contained more sulfates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with significantly greater neutrophil numbers and greater alveolar/bronchiolar inflammation on post-exposure days 1 and 4. On day 4, PM SX -exposed mice also exhibited significant increases in interleukin-1 beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and chemokine C-X-C motif ligands-3 and -5 mRNA, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 protein. These combined findings suggest greater sulfate and PAH content contributed to a more intense and progressive inflammatory response with repeated PM SX compared to PM CA or PM SD exposure., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)