An Analysis of the Lifestyle and Mental Health Status of Adult People Living in Dhaka City: A Cross-Sectional Study in Post COVID-19 Era

Introduction: The Novel Coronavirus or COVID-19 affected all the megacities of the world and made the mental health and lifestyle of people paralyzed. According to different studies, such difficulties were different in scale in different cities depending on the demographic attributes of the people. This phenomenon has created the essence of the current study to examine the health conditions in terms of their mental health, lifestyle, and demographic attributes during and immediate past of the COVID-19 era. Method: It was a cross-sectional study covering the people of Dhaka City Corporation. For this purpose, a multistage sampling method was applied, under which the respondents were selected randomly and a self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire was developed based on the DASS 21, as it was suitable to measure the components of mental health in the form of depression, anxiety, and stress. Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulation were applied to find out the association between dependent and independent variables, whereas, a chi-square test was performed to examine the hypothesis. Finally, multivariate analysis was done to find out the risk factors. Three logistic regression models were developed for three dependent variables. Result: The findings of the analysis revealed that the lifestyle of people had severely influenced the components of their mental health conditions during and immediate past of COVID-19 in the Dhaka City Corporation, which varies to some extent depending on the demographic attributes of those. Conclusion: The above findings are statistically significant enough to conclude about the essence of taking preventive measures regarding mental health issues in the future. However, the limitations of this study-keeping it within the urban areas and the educated people, have also created the venue for future researchers to move with their research endeavors in the rural areas nationwide and thus generalize the results.

Planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area(city of over 5 million people):Contributions of China’s geologists and urban geology

China established Xiong’an New Area in Hebei Province in 2017,which is planned to accommodate about 5 million people,aiming to relieve Beijing City of the functions non-essential to its role as China’s capital and to expedite the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.From 2017 to 2021,the China Geological Survey(CGS)took the lead in multi-factor urban geological surveys involving space,resources,environments,and disasters according to the general requirements of“global vision,international standards,distinctive Chinese features,and future-oriented goals”in Xiong’an New Area,identifying the engineering geologic conditions and geologic environmental challenges of this area.The achievements also include a 3D engineering geological structure model for the whole area,along with“one city proper and five clusters”,insights into the ecology and the background endowment of natural resources like land,geothermal resources,groundwater,and wetland of the area before engineering construction,a comprehensive monitoring network of resources and environments in the area,and the“Transparent Xiong’an”geological information platform that is open,shared,dynamically updated,and three-dimensionally visualized.China’s geologists and urban geology have played a significant role in the urban planning and construction of Xiong’an New Area,providing whole-process geological solutions for urban planning,construction,operation and management.The future urban construction of Xiong’an New Area will necessitate the theoretical and technical support of earth system science(ESS)from various aspects,and the purpose is to enhance the resilience of the new type of city and to provide support for the green,low-carbon,and sustainable development of this area.

Mercury concentration in hair samples from Chinese people in coastal cities

This investigation was made to estimate current normal concentrations of total mercury in the hair of Chinese coastal people. Hair samples were collected from 659 healthy inhabitants in the areas along the coast and the rivers (such as Shanghai, Ningbo, Dalian, Xiamen, and Zhoushan) of China from Feb. 2005 to June 2006. Total mercury concentrations in the samples were analyzed by the cold vapor atomic adsorption spectrometry method (CVAAS). The results showed the geometric mean concentration of total mercur...

Strengthening Active Aging through Older People’s Association and Economic Activity of the Older People in Nepal

Aging is a natural lifelong process ending in death. Many older people are living in poverty. Older people are generally considered dependent on others as they grow older. The purpose of this article is to explore the entrepreneurship activities of Nepalese older adults. Data for this study were collected from the project Help Age International (HAI) implemented in Nepal. Qualitative data observations and interviews were used to collect data. The findings of this study show the formation of the Older People’s Association (OPA) has supported many older people to participate outside the home in various social activities. Moreover, regular deposits through OPAs offer little help. OPAs support older people in their need of financial support to implement minor entrepreneurship. Older people who received support were pleased and were actively involved in their activities and also regularly deposited money in them. Subsequently, older people’s participation in social activities has increased and also helped to lower elderly abuse, loneliness, and depression. Local governments should promote such activities which will help with healthy aging.

Alcohol and illicit drugs:prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use and their predictors in young people from Argentina,Bulgaria,Chile and Romania

Background:Alcohol and illicit drugs(AID)continue to be a major global health concern.Although preventable,AID is linked to millions of deaths annually worldwide.The situation is particularly grave for young people,with AID being a major direct risk factor for disability-adjusted youth life-years lost and death.It further contributes to assaults,road crashes,accidental poisoning,and suicide,leading to long-term issues and public health concerns.Objective:This study aimed at disclosing current AID prevalence data for Argentinian,Bulgarian,Chilean and Romanian youth.It shed light on the predictors of AID in young people from those countries.Method:The study used an online survey to gather data from people aged 18 to 25(n=1,297).The survey was underpinned by the theory of planned behaviour(TPB).Predictors were investigated separately for drinking alcohol and using illicit drugs.Results:Our data revealed that across the four target countries,49%to 90%of the participants drank alcohol,and 8%to 35%used illicit drugs in the past three months.Between 20%and 91%of them intended to drink,and between 8%and 31%intended to use illicit drugs in the following three months.Our TPB model predicted statistically significant(P<0.001)amounts of variance in drinking alcohol(between 61%and 72%)and using illicit drugs(between 20.3%and 74.4%).Intention was consistent in significantly predicting both behaviours.Evidence around the predictive validity of self-efficacy,age and gender was mixed across the investigated countries.Conclusion:This research provided an update on the scarce AID epidemiological data.It also supplied evidence about what theoretically-informed measures might be useful targets of interventions in the case of Argentina,Bulgaria,Chile and Romania.This new knowledge of understanding substance abuse determinants and prevalence may help researchers and practitioners better meet young people's health prevention needs.

Practice of Barrier Measures against COVID-19 Among Diabetic People Followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021

Introduction: COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-COV2 appeared in China in 2019. The aim of the study was to evaluate the practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 and to identify associated factors among diabetics followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June to August 2021, including diabetics aged 18 and over, hospitalized or received for medical visits in the department of medicine at the target hospital. Data were collected during an interview with each participant thanks to a questionnaire. “Good practice” was defined as regular practice of at least two of three barrier measures: hand washing, physical distancing and mask-wearing. Results: A total of 110 diabetics were included with a female predominance (55.5%) and a mean age of 57 ± 11.3 years. Among them, 89.1% washed their hands, 41.8% respected physical distancing and 12.7% wore a mask. The proportion of good practice was 47.3%. Only 5 practiced the three barrier measures. Only age group was associated with good practice. Conclusion: The study showed a low proportion of good practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 among diabetic people surveyed. It is important to continue the action for COVID-19 prevention among diabetic people in the targeted hospital and in other hospitals in Benin.

Assessing Barriers to Mental Healthcare Interventions for Deaf People in Ghana

While mental health issues are increasingly gaining attention in Ghana, little is known about the situation among deaf people. This study assessed the mental health care needs of deaf people in Ghana. A descriptive design, consisting of interviews and focus group discussions, was used to collect data from 97 participants. Findings indicated that participants had limited knowledge on mental health issues. Mental health stigma, inaccessible mental health information and exclusion from mental health programmes were the major barriers hindering access to mental health care services. This study bridges the knowledge gap and provides evidence for the implementation of deaf-friendly services.

Understanding Behavioral Manifestations of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in People with Intellectual Disabilities—A Qualitative Study

Background: There is limited knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in people with intellectual disabilities (IDs). This paper describes the manifestation of compulsive behaviors associated with OCD at the behavioral level in people with ID in institutionalized settings. The aim was to gain nuanced insight into appropriate understanding and classification in this specific context, and derive implications for research and practice. Methods: Individual cases of people with ID (n = 7) were studied to assess compulsive symptoms through two days of on-site observation of the person with ID within the institution, guided group discussions (n = 28), and semi-structured interviews with key informants and caregivers of the person with ID (n = 20). Caregiver ratings of the compulsive behavior checklist were compiled. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results: All forms of OCD were present. Characteristics of compulsive behaviors in people with ID at the behavioral level included less complex and more obvious compulsive acts, immediate responses, signs of tension, motor restlessness, facial expression changes, repetition, need for predictability, time-consuming behaviors, and aggressive reactions when these acts were interrupted. Some of the compulsive behaviors corresponded to the ICD-11 OCD code 6B20, and others to compulsions as a psychological symptom (MB23.4). Conclusions: OCD may manifest atypically at the behavioral level in people with ID, posing significant challenges for accurate classification due to symptom ambiguity. Follow-up differential diagnostic studies are needed to more accurately identify and differentiate OCD symptoms in people with ID. Further, disorder-specific guidelines for recognizing OCD in people with ID are needed for institutionalized settings without psychiatric-psychotherapeutic expertise.

Towards complex scenes: A deep learning-based camouflaged people detection method for snapshot multispectral images

Camouflaged people are extremely expert in actively concealing themselves by effectively utilizing cover and the surrounding environment. Despite advancements in optical detection capabilities through imaging systems, including spectral, polarization, and infrared technologies, there is still a lack of effective real-time method for accurately detecting small-size and high-efficient camouflaged people in complex real-world scenes. Here, this study proposes a snapshot multispectral image-based camouflaged detection model, multispectral YOLO(MS-YOLO), which utilizes the SPD-Conv and Sim AM modules to effectively represent targets and suppress background interference by exploiting the spatial-spectral target information. Besides, the study constructs the first real-shot multispectral camouflaged people dataset(MSCPD), which encompasses diverse scenes, target scales, and attitudes. To minimize information redundancy, MS-YOLO selects an optimal subset of 12 bands with strong feature representation and minimal inter-band correlation as input. Through experiments on the MSCPD, MS-YOLO achieves a mean Average Precision of 94.31% and real-time detection at 65 frames per second, which confirms the effectiveness and efficiency of our method in detecting camouflaged people in various typical desert and forest scenes. Our approach offers valuable support to improve the perception capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles in detecting enemy forces and rescuing personnel in battlefield.

Attitudes Toward People Who Stutter in the Chinese Context: An Exploratory Study on the Impact of Knowledge Sources

The public’s attitudes can affect the experience of stuttering of people who stutter.This study investigated the attitudes held by the public about people who stutter in China.A web-based written survey with closed and open-ended questions was implemented to develop a rich understanding.One hundred and two respondents in 26 provinces and 3 municipalities provided comments on people who stutter in their life aspects such as personality,speech,social life,work,life participation,education,dating and marriage,capability,and communication skills.The predominantly negative attitudes towards the overall domains were identified.Attitudes to people who stutter varied according to the different sources of knowledge.Familiarity with people who stutter might reduce stereotypes.However,knowledge from the media might aggravate stereotypes.Implications and future research orientation were also discussed.

Efficient People Detection with Infrared Images

This work focuses on the problem of monitoring the coastline, which in Portugal’s case means monitoring 3007 kilometers, including 1793 maritime borders with the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. The human burden on the coast becomes a problem, both because erosion makes the cliffs unstable and because pollution increases, making the fragile dune ecosystem difficult to preserve. It is becoming necessary to increase the control of access to beaches, even if it is not a popular measure for internal and external tourism. The methodology described can also be used to monitor maritime borders. The use of images acquired in the infrared range guarantees active surveillance both day and night, the main objective being to mimic the infrared cameras already installed in some critical areas along the coastline. Using a series of infrared photographs taken at low angles with a modified camera and appropriate filter, a recent deep learning algorithm with the right training can simultaneously detect and count whole people at close range and people almost completely submerged in the water, including partially visible targets, achieving a performance with F1 score of 0.945, with 97% of targets correctly identified. This implementation is possible with ordinary laptop computers and could contribute to more frequent and more extensive coverage in beach/border surveillance, using infrared cameras at regular intervals. It can be partially automated to send alerts to the authorities and/or the nearest lifeguards, thus increasing monitoring without relying on human resources.

Associations of PNPLA3 and LEP genetic polymorphisms with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease in Thai people living with human immunodeficiency virus

BACKGROUND The prevalence of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)is a growing public health issue in people living with human immunodeficiency virus(PLWH).However,the pathophysiology of MAFLD is still unknown,and the role of genetic variables is only now becoming evident.AIM To evaluate the associations of gene-polymorphism-related MAFLD in PLWH.METHODS The study employed transient elastography with a controlled attenuation parameter≥248 dB/m to identify MAFLD in patients from a Super Tertiary Hospital in central Thailand.Candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)were genotyped using TaqMan®MGB probe 5'nuclease assays for seven MAFLD-related genes.Statistical analyses included SNP frequency analysis,Fisher's Exact and Chi-square tests,odds ratio calculations,and multivariable logistic regression.RESULTS The G-allele carriers of PNPLA3(rs738409)exhibited a two-fold rise in MAFLD,increasing by 2.5 times in MAFLD with human immunodeficiency virus infection.The clinical features and genetic patterns imply that LEP rs7799039 A-allele carriers had a nine times(P=0.001)more significant chance of developing aberrant triglyceride among PLWH.CONCLUSION The current study shows an association between PNPLA3 rs738409 and LEP rs7799039 with MAFLD in PLWH.

From“Car Priority”to“People Priority”: Exploring New Ideas for Refined Road Space Design

Roads are crucial public spaces in cities and serve as a window to showcase the city’s characteristics.They serve not only as a means of urban transportation but also as a crucial spatial carrier for urban communication activities and a significant location for meeting the increasing demands of people for a better quality of life.The current road infrastructure prioritizes the right of way for cars,neglecting the design of sidewalks and green belts within the road’s boundaries,and extension spaces between buildings and boundary lines of roads.There is a pressing need to improve street space in response to the demand for development transformation and the creation of a warmer city.This paper summarizes common problems in current road spaces,draws on the experience of excellent urban road spaces in foreign countries,discusses new ideas for the refined design of road spaces based on the transformation of road planning concepts,and suggests a reference standard for guiding detailed design.Simultaneously,the review of road construction will incorporate the detailed design of road space to enhance the role of planning in guiding and controlling the construction of road works.

Narrative Empathy and Patriotism--An Analysis of the Chinese“Main-Melody”Film My People,My Country

Narrative empathy is a relatively new theory and it can guide researchers in the studies of main-melody films so as to promote the communication of the core values of the society.The rhetorical mechanism of narrative empathy can be illustrated from five rhetorical elements,including rhetor,rhetorical goal,rhetorical situation,rhetorical strategy and audience.The theory of narrative empathy can be applied to the case study of the film My People,My Country.In the production of this film,the directors are the rhetors.The rhetors uphold the tenet of closeness,choose the right rhetorical situation as the 70th birthday of the People’s Republic of China,and use appropriate rhetorical strategies in order to realize the rhetorical goals of evoking empathy and inspiring patriotic feelings in the audience’s minds.An exploration and application of narrative empathy can be conducive to the empathic communication of Chinese main-melody films in order to achieve better communication effect.

Hepatitis C virus eradication in people living with human immunodeficiency virus:Where are we now?

Hepatitis C virus(HCV)/human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)co-infection still involves 2.3 million patients worldwide of the estimated 37.7 million living with HIV,according to World Health Organization.People living with HIV(PLWH)are six times greater affected by HCV,compared to HIV negative ones;the greater prevalence is encountered among people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men:the risk of HCV transmission through sexual contact in this setting can be increased by HIV infection.These patients experience a high rate of chronic hepatitis,which if left untreated progresses to end-stage liver disease and hepato-cellular carcinoma(HCC)HIV infection increases the risk of mother to child vertical transmission of HCV.No vaccination against both infections is still available.There is an interplay between HIV and HCV infections.Treatment of HCV is nowadays based on direct acting antivirals(DAAs),HCV treatment plays a key role in limiting the progression of liver disease and reducing the risk of HCC development in mono-and coinfected individuals,especially when used at an early stage of fibrosis,reducing liver disease mortality and morbidity.Since the sustained virological response at week 12 rates were observed in PLWH after HCV eradication,the AASLD has revised its simplified HCV treatment algorithm to also include individuals living with HIV.HCV eradication can determine dyslipidemia,since HCV promotes changes in serum lipid profiles and may influence lipid metabolism.In addition to these apparent detrimental effects on the lipid profile,the efficacy of DAA in HCV/HIV patients needs to be considered in light of its effects on glucose metabolism mediated by improvements in liver function.The aim of the present editorial is to describe the advancement in HCV treatment among PLWH.

Improving wellbeing of community-dwelling people with mild cognitive impairment: the SENIOR (SystEm of Nudge theory based ICT applications for OldeR citizens) project

Population aging with longer life expectancy represents one of the most relevant challenges of the next future,also because of a significant proportion of older adult people may present with dementia.Motivating senior citizens with mild cognitive impairment to maintain their independence and functional abilities,improve health status and quality of life as well as social interactions,constitutes the main target of preventive medicine.According to a nudge theoretical approach,the SENIOR(SystEm of Nudge theory based ICT applications for OldeR citizens)project–developed thanks to the collaboration among Catholic University of the Sacred Heart,Bicocca University and IRCCS Auxiologico Institute in Milan(Italy)–has been designed to adopt an advanced information and communication technology coaching system able to collect and integrate physiological,psychological and behavioral data,with the final aim of interacting with community-dwelling elderly people suffering from mild cognitive impairment and of providing them personalized feedback on lifestyle management.The SENIOR project proposes to use a smart-watch app for alerting family doctors,sharing information with family members in specific cases and monitoring patients at higher risk in hospital Units,in order to ameliorate health of senior citizens with mild cognitive impairment.

Impact of coupling coordination development of port and city environments on urban economic competitiveness:Evidence from the coastal port cities in eastern China

Promoting the coupling coordination development of port and its hinterland city environments is an important way to improve urban economic competitiveness.Based on relevant data of 13 coastal port cities in eastern China from 2000 to 2018,this study explores the coupling coordination development of port and city environments and its impact on urban economic competitiveness by constructing the coupling coordination degree model and the panel threshold model.The research results show that:(1)In terms of the coupling coordination development of port and city environments,most coastal ports and their hinterland cities are in a state of moderate or serious disorder.Overall,the degree of coupling coordination of port and city environments needs to be further improved;(2)The coupling coordination degree of port and city environments has a significant impact on urban economic competitiveness,and this effect gradually increases with the development of the ports and the urban economy.Among the variables that impact the urban economic competitiveness,fixed assets investment and foreign trade are significant factors that can enhance urban economic competitiveness.(3)At present,there is a“U-shaped”relationship between the coupling coordination degree of port-city environments and the urban economic competitiveness.This relationship lies on the right side of the inflection point of the“U-shaped”curve.Therefore,following the concept of assigning priority to ecological development,expanding fixed assets investment and actively developing foreign trade can further enhance the urban economic competitiveness.

The Value and Realization Strategy of Teacher Ethics Construction in Colleges and Universities under the Perspective of“Cultivating People by Virtue”

“Cultivating people by virtue”has become the foundation of China’s education,and is the top priority of college education.“Only the learned can become teachers,and only those who behave properly can become role models”.The construction of teachers’ethics in colleges and universities is the premise of realizing the fundamental task of moral education,the need of teachers,the key to realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,and it is also the way to correct the bad atmosphere in colleges and universities.In the construction of teachers’ethics,teachers should understand their roles and improve their professional ethics,schools should improve the guarantee system of teachers’ethics construction,meanwhile,improve the status of teachers and create a social environment of respecting teachers and valuing teachers.

Application Strategies of Spatial Refinement Design in Ancient Cities Supported by Digital Te-Zhaoyu Ancient City in Qixian County as an Example

Digital technology provides a method of quantitative investigation and data analysis for contemporary landscape spatial analysis,and related research is moving from image recognition to digital algorithmic analysis,providing a more scientific and macroscopic way of research.The key to refinement design is to refine the spatial design process and the spatial improvement strategy system.Taking the ancient city of Zhaoyu in Qixian County,Shanxi Province as an example,(1)based on obtaining the integrated data of the ancient city through the drone tilt photography,the style and landscape of the ancient city are modeled;(2)the point cloud data with spatial information is imported into the point cloud analysis platform and the data analysis is carried out from the overall macroscopic style of the ancient city to the refinement level,which results in the formation of a more intuitive landscape design scheme,thus improving the precision and practicability of the landscape design;(3)Based on spatial big data,it starts from the spatial aggregation level,spatial distribution characteristics and other evaluation index system to achieve the refinement analysis of the site.Digital technology and methods are used throughout the process to explore the refined design path.

Current research on alexithymia in elderly people in nursing institutions: a scoping review

To describe and analyze the research status of alexithymia in elderly people in nursing institutions,and summarizes the existing research results and shortcomings.The literature in PubMed,CochraneLibrary,Web of Science,EBSCO,Proquest,Scopus,Sinomed,CNKI,WanFang,VIP was computer searched,and the time frame was build to October 30,2023.A total of 15 articles were included,comprising 10 in Chinese and 5 in English.Among them,14 articles were cross-sectional studies reporting the prevalence and influencing factors of communication disorders in elderly people residing in nursing homes.A total of three assessment tools were used.Additionally,three articles described preventive or intervention measures targeting alexithymia.Alexithymia has a high incidence and severity among elderly individuals in nursing institutions.Currently,there are only a few assessment tools available,and experimental studies are notably scarce.Future research should focus on enhancing the understanding of alexithymia in this population by developing and validating more comprehensive assessment tools,diversifying research methodologies,and conducting intervention studies that consider the various influencing factors.