Traffic was studied upstream and downstream of a bottleneck that arose near a freeway lane drop near London, United Kingdom using archived high-resolution loop detector data. The bottleneck's location and mean discharge flows were reproducible from day to day. Further, it is shown that the bottleneck's discharge flow was about 10% lower than the prevailing flow observed prior to queue formation. Upon bottleneck activation, flow reductions occurring sequentially in time and space marked the passage of the backward-moving shock. Mean shock velocities ranged between 4.8 to 6.4 km/h (3 and 4 mph) as they traveled upstream from the bottleneck. During bottleneck discharge, oscillations arose in the queue and propagated upstream at nearly constant speeds of 17.6 to 19.2 km/h (11 to 12 mph). Flows measured at locations downstream of the bottleneck were not affected by these oscillations. These findings were corroborated using data from a freeway lane drop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The analysis tools used for this study were curves of cumulative vehicle count, time mean speed and occupancy versus time. These curves were constructed using data from neighboring freeway loop detectors and were transformed in order to provide the measurement resolution necessary to observe the transitions between freely-flowing and queued conditions and to identify important traffic features.

In this commentary, four Certified Health Education Specialists (CHESs) share their reasons for obtaining national certification as health education specialists, the value of national credentialing to their employers, and the career development benefits of National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification. CHESs play a vital role in diverse research and practice settings and increasingly contribute to changes in practice and policy that promote health equity. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing certification enhances our individual capacity as public health educators and also enhances our profession through systematic verification of responsibilities, competencies, and subcompetencies. This commentary is particularly timely in light of the Health Education Specialist Practice Analysis 2015, which updated, refined, and validated the model of health education practice.

Coalitions in Horizon City in El Paso County, Texas and the El Paso Community College (EPCC) had previously attempted to pass smoke-free policies in 2008 and 2016, respectively; however, both policies failed to pass at those times. The coalitions refocused their activities and were successful in passing policies in EPCC in 2020 and in Horizon City in 2021. We employed a participatory case study method to understand what factors changed between the first and second attempts at smoke-free policy adoption in Horizon City and EPCC. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework as a basis for analysis, we identified the role of coalitions, their beliefs, use of power resources, role of policy brokers, and external events. We identify best practices and make recommendations for coalitions seeking to adopt smoke-free policies in other locations.