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.

The Evaluation of the Dietary Habits Influence on the Microhardness of Gingiva-Coloured Composite and Acrylic Denture Base Materials

Purpose: The study investigated the impact of dietary habits, specifically soda, milk kefir, water kefir, almond milk, and distilled water (control) consumption, on the microhardness of gingiva-coloured composite and acrylic denture bases. Methods: Materials included gingiva-coloured composite (Fusion Universal G1), acrylic (Imicryl), and subdivided Procryla group. Subgroups comprised 15 and 30-minute heat polymerized (Pro15, Pro30), and 1 wt% (Pro1Z) and 3 wt% (Pro3Z) zirconium added groups. Immersed in beverages for 1, 7, and 14 days, pH and microhardness were assessed. SEM examined random samples. Statistical analysis used repeated measures ANOVA, and post hoc tests (p Results: The gingiva-coloured composites displayed noteworthy time-associated microhardness changes (p 0.05). Despite variable pH levels in beverages, no substantial group interaction effects were observed (p > 0.05). Initial microhardness rankings shifted after a 14-day immersion. Conclusions: Gingiva-coloured composite exhibited the highest microhardness pre- and post-immersion, followed by Procryla30 and Imicryl groups. .

Role of micro-Ca/In alloying in tailoring the microstructural characteristics and discharge performance of dilute Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloys as anodes for Mg-air batteries

The influence of micro-Ca/In alloying on the microstructural charac teristics,electrochemical behaviors and discharge properties of extruded dilute Mg-0.5Bi-0.5Sn-based(wt.%)alloys as anodes for Mg-air batteries are evaluated.The grain size and texture intensity of the Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloys are significantly decreased after the Ca/In alloying,particularly for the In-containing alloy.Note that,in addition to nanoscale Mg_(3)Bi_(2)phase,a new microscale Mg_(2)Bi_(2)Ca phase forms in the Ca-containing alloy.The electrochemical test results demonstrate that Ca/In micro-alloying can enhance the electrochemical activity.Using In to alloy the Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloy is effective in restricting the cathodic hydrogen evolution(CHE)kinetics,leading to a low self-corrosion rate,while severe CHE occurred after Ca alloying.The micro-alloying of Ca/In to Mg-Bi-Sn-based alloy strongly deteriorates the compactness of discharge products film and mitigates the"chunk effect"(CE),hence the cell voltage,anodic efficiency as well as discharge capacity are greatly improved.The In-containing alloy exhibits outstanding discharge performance under the combined effect of the modified microstructure and discharge products,thus making it a potential anode material for primary Mg-air battery.

Solid-state NMR of the retinal protonated Schiff base in microbial rhodopsins

Rhodopsin is a seven-helical transmembrane protein with a retinal chromophore covalently bound to a conserved lysine in helix G via a retinal protonated Schiff base(RPSB).Microbial rhodopsins absorb light through chromophore and play a fundamental role in optogenetics.Numerous microbial rhodopsins have been discovered,contributing to diverse functions and colors.Solid-state NMR spectroscopy has been instrumental in elucidating the conformation of chromophores and the three-dimensional structure of microbial rhodopsins.This review focuses on the 15N chemical shift values of RPSB and summarizes recent progress in the field.We displayed the correlation between the 15N isotropic chemical shift values of RPSB and the maximum absorption wavelength of rhodopsin using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

The effect of salt anion in ether‐based electrolyte for electrochemical performance of sodium‐ion batteries:A case study of hard carbon

Compared with the extensively used ester‐based electrolyte,the hard carbon(HC)electrode is more compatible with the ether‐based counterpart in sodium‐ion batteries,which can lead to improved cycling stability and robust rate capability.However,the impact of salt anion on the electrochemical performance of HC electrodes has yet to be fully understood.In this study,the anionic chemistry in regulating the stability of electrolytes and the performance of sodium‐ion batteries have been systematically investigated.This work shows discrepancies in the reductive stability of the anionic group,redox kinetics,and component/structure of solid electrolyte interface(SEI)with different salts(NaBF_(4),NaPF_(6),and NaSO_(3)CF_(3))in the typical ether solvent(diglyme).Particularly,the density functional theory calculation manifests the preferred decomposition of PF_(6)−due to the reduced reductive stability of anions in the solvation structure,thus leading to the formation of NaF‐rich SEI.Further investigation on redox kinetics reveals that the NaPF_(6)/diglyme can induce the fast ionic diffusion dynamic and low charge transfer barrier for HC electrode,thus resulting in superior sodium storage performance in terms of rate capability and cycling life,which outperforms those of NaBF_(4)/diglyme and NaSO_(3)CF_(3)/diglyme.Importantly,this work offers valuable insights for optimizing the electrochemical behaviors of electrode materials by regulating the anionic group in the electrolyte.

Buckling Optimization of Curved Grid Stiffeners through the Level Set Based Density Method

Stiffened structures have great potential for improvingmechanical performance,and the study of their stability is of great interest.In this paper,the optimization of the critical buckling load factor for curved grid stiffeners is solved by using the level set based density method,where the shape and cross section(including thickness and width)of the stiffeners can be optimized simultaneously.The grid stiffeners are a combination ofmany single stiffenerswhich are projected by the corresponding level set functions.The thickness and width of each stiffener are designed to be independent variables in the projection applied to each level set function.Besides,the path of each single stiffener is described by the zero iso-contour of the level set function.All the single stiffeners are combined together by using the p-norm method to obtain the stiffener grid.The proposed method is validated by several numerical examples to optimize the critical buckling load factor.

Are case reports valuable?Exploring their role in evidence based medicine and patient care

Case reports,often overlooked in evidence-based medicine(EBM),play a pivotal role in healthcare research.They provide unique insights into rare conditions,novel treatments,and adverse effects,serving as valuable educational tools and generating new hypothesis.Despite their limitations in generalizability,case reports contribute significantly to evidence-based practice by offering detailed clinical information and fostering critical thinking among healthcare professionals.By acknowledging their limitations and adhering to reporting guidelines,case reports can contribute significantly to medical knowledge and patient care within the evolving landscape of EBM.This editorial explores the intrinsic value of case reports in EBM and patient care.

The Impact of Model Based Offset Scaling Technique on the Amplitude Variation with Offset Responses from 3D Seismic Data Acquired from the Tano Basin, Offshore Ghana

Amplitudes have been found to be a function of incident angle and offset. Hence data required to test for amplitude variation with angle or offset needs to have its amplitudes for all offsets preserved and not stacked. Amplitude Variation with Offset (AVO)/Amplitude Variation with Angle (AVA) is necessary to account for information in the offset/angle parameter (mode converted S-wave and P-wave velocities). Since amplitudes are a function of the converted S- and P-waves, it is important to investigate the dependence of amplitudes on the elastic (P- and S-waves) parameters from the seismic data. By modelling these effects for different reservoir fluids via fluid substitution, various AVO geobody classes present along the well and in the entire seismic cube can be observed. AVO analysis was performed on one test well (Well_1) and 3D pre-stack angle gathers from the Tano Basin. The analysis involves creating a synthetic model to infer the effect of offset scaling techniques on amplitude responses in the Tano basin as compared to the effect of unscaled seismic data. The spectral balance process was performed to match the amplitude spectra of all angle stacks to that of the mid (26°) stack on the test lines. The process had an effect primarily on the far (34° - 40°) stacks. The frequency content of these stacks slightly increased to match that of the near and mid stacks. In offset scaling process, the root mean square (RMS) amplitude comparison between the synthetic and seismic suggests that the amplitude of the far traces should be reduced relative to the nears by up to 16%. However, the exact scaler values depend on the time window considered. This suggests that the amplitude scaling with offset delivered from seismic processing is only approximately correct and needs to be checked with well synthetics and adjusted accordingly prior to use for AVO studies. The AVO attribute volumes generated were better at resolving anomalies on spectrally balanced and offset scaled data than data delivered from conventional processing. A typical class II AVO anomaly is seen along the test well from the cross-plot analysis and AVO attribute cube which indicates an oil filled reservoir.

Exploration of the Impact Mechanism of Government Credibility Based on Variable Screening Method

Government credibility is an important asset of contemporary national governance, an important criterion for evaluating government legitimacy, and a key factor in measuring the effectiveness of government governance. In recent years, researchers’ research on government credibility has mostly focused on exploring theories and mechanisms, with little empirical research on this topic. This article intends to apply variable selection models in the field of social statistics to the issue of government credibility, in order to achieve empirical research on government credibility and explore its core influencing factors from a statistical perspective. Specifically, this article intends to use four regression-analysis-based methods and three random-forest-based methods to study the influencing factors of government credibility in various provinces in China, and compare the performance of these seven variable selection methods in different dimensions. The research results show that there are certain differences in simplicity, accuracy, and variable importance ranking among different variable selection methods, which present different importance in the study of government credibility issues. This study provides a methodological reference for variable selection models in the field of social science research, and also offers a multidimensional comparative perspective for analyzing the influencing factors of government credibility.

Influences of Skin and Base Types on the Soothing Assessment of Cosmetic Products

In order to assess the responses of different skin types stimulated by tape stripping,after which two kinds of brand cosmetics of cream and hydrogel,were separately applied to evaluate the individual soothing effect of the product on different skin types.A total of 30 volunteers aged 18~65 years were recruited,which were divided into four groups(oily,dry,normal and combined)according to the self-oiling ability of facial and T zones.Four 3 cm×3 cm of skins on inner forearm of each volunteer were chosen and randomly marked as blank,negative control,soothing cream and soothing gel.The blank area was kept untreated,and the remaining areas were tape-stripped by 10 times(Transparent universal 1527C-1,3M China Co.,Ltd.,)to disrupt the skin corneum and induce erythema.Images,erythema index(EI)and transcutaneous water loss rate(TEWL)of the marked skin areas before and 5 min after tape-stripping were taken to assess the distinct responses of different skin type to the taping treatment;Ten minutes after tape-stripping,The soothing products were applied to the test area,the skin images,EI and TEWL at 20 min and 50 min(corresponding to 30 min and 60 min after tape-stripping,respectively)were measured after cosmetics application to compare and evaluate the soothing effects of cream and hydrogel on different skin types.Results showed that different skin displayed diverse reactions to the tape-stripping,and the oily skin was more sensitive with longer duration of erythema than other skin types.After the application of soothing products,both cream and hydrogel could relieve skin erythema,while the soothing effects are dependent both on skin types and the cosmetic base materials:Hydrogel has a better efficacy in alleviating erythema and TEWL of dry skin,while the cream was more effective on normal,oily and combined skin types.The results suggest that the modelling method for soothing evaluation should consider the skin types of the volunteers,and the cosmetics of different base materials might have the target skin types.

Investigating the Impact of Base Heating and External Electric Field on PV Cell Performance under Intense Illumination

The characterization of the performances of a PV cell is linked to intrinsic factors of this cell. It is therefore important for us to identify the favorable or unfavorable conditions that affect the performance of PV cells. It is from this perspective that it seems judicious to us to study the simultaneous influence of the heating of the base and an external electric field on the performance of a PV cell under intense illumination of 50 suns. Two phenomena contribute to the heating of the base of a PV cell which is heating due to the transfer by conduction of solar radiation energy received by the surface of the PV cell and the heat generated inside the PV cell by various phenomena linked to the movement of photogenerated charged carriers. In this study, we take into account the heating linked to the movement of the charged carriers in the base. After a mathematical modeling of the PV cell considered, some hypotheses are formulated and the expressions of the electrical parameters are established as a function of the electric field and base temperature. Subsequently, we use numerical simulation to highlight the behavior of theses parameters as a function of temperature and of the intensity of the electric field. The results show that for any given temperature, the orientation of the electric field as considered in our work improves the performance of the PV cell while high temperatures degrade these performances. Furthermore, the analysis of the curves shows that the harmful effect of temperature on the performance of a PV cell is more accentuated at large values of electric field.

A Study on the Explainability of Thyroid Cancer Prediction:SHAP Values and Association-Rule Based Feature Integration Framework

In the era of advanced machine learning techniques,the development of accurate predictive models for complex medical conditions,such as thyroid cancer,has shown remarkable progress.Accurate predictivemodels for thyroid cancer enhance early detection,improve resource allocation,and reduce overtreatment.However,the widespread adoption of these models in clinical practice demands predictive performance along with interpretability and transparency.This paper proposes a novel association-rule based feature-integratedmachine learning model which shows better classification and prediction accuracy than present state-of-the-artmodels.Our study also focuses on the application of SHapley Additive exPlanations(SHAP)values as a powerful tool for explaining thyroid cancer prediction models.In the proposed method,the association-rule based feature integration framework identifies frequently occurring attribute combinations in the dataset.The original dataset is used in trainingmachine learning models,and further used in generating SHAP values fromthesemodels.In the next phase,the dataset is integrated with the dominant feature sets identified through association-rule based analysis.This new integrated dataset is used in re-training the machine learning models.The new SHAP values generated from these models help in validating the contributions of feature sets in predicting malignancy.The conventional machine learning models lack interpretability,which can hinder their integration into clinical decision-making systems.In this study,the SHAP values are introduced along with association-rule based feature integration as a comprehensive framework for understanding the contributions of feature sets inmodelling the predictions.The study discusses the importance of reliable predictive models for early diagnosis of thyroid cancer,and a validation framework of explainability.The proposed model shows an accuracy of 93.48%.Performance metrics such as precision,recall,F1-score,and the area under the receiver operating characteristic(AUROC)are also higher than the baseline models.The results of the proposed model help us identify the dominant feature sets that impact thyroid cancer classification and prediction.The features{calcification}and{shape}consistently emerged as the top-ranked features associated with thyroid malignancy,in both association-rule based interestingnessmetric values and SHAPmethods.The paper highlights the potential of the rule-based integrated models with SHAP in bridging the gap between the machine learning predictions and the interpretability of this prediction which is required for real-world medical applications.

Modelling of the variation of granular base materials resilient modulus with material characteristics and humidity conditions

This study aims to quantify the susceptibility of granular materials used in pavements to changes in moisture content and propose a correlation model to incorporate this susceptibility into seasonal analyses.The fines content and the percentage of fractured coarse aggregates were identified as direct indicators of the resilient modulus susceptibility to changes in water content.The results showed that the percentage of fractured coarse aggregates particles(FR)has a more significant impact on the resilient modulus(Er)of crushed granular materials used in pavement construction than the combined indicator of the fines content and sample volumetrics(nf).Crushed granular materials with a higher percentage of fractured coarse aggregates are relatively insensitive to changes in the degree of saturation,but become more sensitive as the fine fraction porosity decreases.An adjusted model was proposed based on the existing formulation,but considers a complex parameter to describe and adjust the sensitivity of base granular materials to variations in moisture content with respect to fabrication charac-teristics,fines content and volumetric properties.The model shows that the variation of Er values is below10%for fully crushed granular materials.However,it reaches approximately±12%for materials with 75%of crushed coarse aggregates andþ40%and-25%for materials with FR=50%.This model could help select good ag-gregates characteristics and adjust grain-size distribution for environments where significant moisture content variations can occur in the pavement system,such as in the Province of Quebec(Canada).As it is based on pa-rameters that can be easily determined or estimated,it also represents a valuable tool for detailed design and analysis that can consider material characteristics.

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Schiff Base for Enhanced Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell Photo-Response Mechanism

The efficient photo-response mechanism is one of the key factors in the commercialization of dye-sensitized solar cells in a bid to satisfy renewable energy demands. Progress in green technology has put solar energy on the front burner as a provider of clean and affordable energy for a sustainable society. We report the synthesis of a novel Schiff base with optical transparency in the visible and near IR region of the solar spectrum that can find application in the DSSCs photo-response mechanism. The synthesized crystal exhibited features that could handle some of the shortcomings of dye-sensitized solar cells which include wide band solar spectrum absorption and capability for swift charge transfer within the photoelectrodes. The synthesized Schiff base was characterized using x-ray diffractometer, UV/Visible spectrometer, Frontier transmission infrared spectrometer and conductometer. XRD data revealed the grown crystal to have an average crystallite size of 2.08 nm with average microstrain value of about 269.43. The FT-IR recorded transmission wave ѵ (CO) at 1207.7 cm−1 while dominant wave occurred at ѵ1654.9 and ѵ1592.3 cm−1 relating to ѵ (CN) stretching and ѵ (NH) bending respectively were observed. The IR spectrum revealed the bonding species and a probable molecular structure of 2,6-bis(benzyloxy)pyridine. The UV/Visible spectra convoluted to maximum peak within the near IR region suggesting that 2,6-bis(benzyloxy)pyridine can absorb both the visible and near IR region while its electrical conductivity was determined to be 4.58 µS/cm. The obtained result of the present study revealed promising characteristics of a photosensitizer that can find application in the photo-response mechanism of DSSCs.

Effective Utilization of Government-Provided CTI by Small Businesses within the Defense Industrial Base

There are two broad objectives of the research reported in this paper. First, we assess whether government-provided cyber threat intelligence (CTI) is helpful in preventing, or responding to, cyber-attacks among small businesses within the U.S. Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Second, we identify ways of improving the effectiveness of government-provided CTI to small businesses within the DIB. Based on a questionnaire-based survey, our findings suggest that government-provided CTI helps businesses within the DIB in preventing, or responding to, cyber-attacks providing a firm is familiar with the CTI. Unfortunately, a large percentage of small firms are not familiar with the government-provided CTI feeds and consequently are not utilizing the CTI. This latter situation is largely due to financial constraints confronting small businesses that prevent firms from having the wherewithal necessary to effectively utilize the government-provided CTI. However, we found a significant positive association between a firm’s familiarity with the government-provided CTI and whether a firm is being periodically reviewed by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) or is compliant with the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) program. The findings from our study also show that the participating firms believe that external cyber threats are more likely to be the cause of a future cybersecurity breach than internal cybersecurity threats. Finally, our study found that the portion of the IT budget that small businesses within the DIB spend on cybersecurity-related activities is dependent on the perception that a firm would be the target of an external cyber-attack.

Application of horticulture therapy as a health intervention for elderly people in nursing homes:a scoping review

Objective:To review the scope of interventional studies on horticultural therapy(HT)applied to elderly people in nursing institutions to support the efficient implementation of HT among this target group.Methods:In accordance with the scoping review framework proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute(JBI),the Pub Med,JSTOR,Web of Science,CNKI,and Wanfang databases were searched.Data from the retrieved literature were summarized and analyzed.Results:In all,18 studies were included in this review.The target population groups of interventions included self-supporting elderly people,cognitively impaired elderly people,elderly people with negative emotions,and elderly people with frailty living in nursing institutions.HT interventions,including planting,craft activities,derivative activities,and outdoor viewing activities,are implemented indoors,outdoors,or in mixed settings.The most common duration of the intervention was 8 weeks,the most common frequency was once per week,and the most common session duration was 60 min.Conclusions:The measurements used in HT interventions included assessments of physical,psycho-mental,and social health;quality of life;and activity effects.Future studies should include partially dependent groups and completely dependent groups of elderly individuals,interventions that last at least 6 months,scientifically designed activity intensity and safety-guarantee plans,and outcomeevaluation indicators such as compliance and intervention benefits.

Homogenization Construction of Three-Level Teaching Bases for General Practice Medicine Under the Internet+Model

With the continuous expansion of medical student enrollment,the number of clinical teaching bases is gradually increasing.However,there are significant differences in clinical teaching management models and teaching levels among different bases.Most clinical teaching bases have incomplete teaching management systems,inadequate teaching management institutions,insufficient teaching personnel,and inadequate implementation of teaching rules and regulations.This article combines the construction practice of three-level clinical teaching base of the General Medicine College and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Medical University.We establish a standardized management system for the three-level clinical teaching base;implement a teaching supervision system and strengthen the monitoring of teaching quality;adopt multiple evaluations to test the effectiveness of clinical teaching implementation;explore the path of homogenization construction of teaching bases in terms of unified teacher training,promoting the development of teacher teaching abilities with equal quality and excellence,and providing a reference for improving the quality of medical talent training.

Short Communication: Enhancing the Drying Process of Microbial-Based Products with a Dehumidifier

The development of microbial-based products requires certain criteria for them to be successfully commercialized. The product must meet the following desirable criteria: effectiveness, contamination free, stability, cost-effectiveness, and a prolonged shelf life. Controlling the drying process is crucial for ensuring the stability and durability of the product. The traditional approach, which involved mechanical and natural drying, led to decreased productivity and quality. The objective of this research endeavour was to achieve a dry process enhancement while preserving the microbial quality of Trichoderma asperellum (M103). The temperature and relative humidity during the drying period were monitored under two conditions: with and without a dehumidifier. The results demonstrate that the dehumidifier increases drying period efficiency by up to 63%.

Frequency and Factors Associated with Gender-Based Violence in the Northern Region of Benin from 2016 to 2022

Introduction: Gender-based violence constitutes a public health problem. The objective of this study is to determine the frequency and factors associated with gender-based violence. Study Framework and Method: This was a retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study with an analytical aim over the period from January 2016 to December 2022. The study took place in the Integrated Support Center for Victims and Survivors of Gender-Based Violence located in the Departmental University Hospital Center of Borgou and Alibori. The study population consisted of people who were victims of gender-based violence in the northern region of Benin, regardless of their age and gender. Results: The study population consisted of 1198 subjects. The average age of the victims was 21.76 ± 10.02;female victims represented 96.4%, with a sex ratio equal to 0.037 (43/1155). Sexual violence was the most represented (50.25%), followed by psychological (29.30%), physical (24.37%), economic (13.77%) and property (2%). The factors associated with violence were married people and monthly income (physical violence), minors, female gender and single people (sexual violence), polygamous households and monthly income (economic violence), the absence of children burden, married people and monthly income (psychological violence), married people (property violence). Conclusion: Gender-based violence is frequent in the North of Benin and is dominated by sexual violence. The victims are mainly female.

Smart Shoes Safety System for the Blind People Based on (IoT) Technology

People’s lives have become easier and simpler as technology has proliferated.This is especially true with the Internet of Things(IoT).The biggest problem for blind people is figuring out how to get where they want to go.People with good eyesight need to help these people.Smart shoes are a technique that helps blind people find their way when they walk.So,a special shoe has been made to help blind people walk safely without worrying about running into other people or solid objects.In this research,we are making a new safety system and a smart shoe for blind people.The system is based on Internet of Things(IoT)technology and uses three ultrasonic sensors to allow users to hear and react to barriers.It has ultrasonic sensors and a microprocessor that can tell how far away something is and if there are any obstacles.Water and flame sensors were used,and a sound was used to let the person know if an obstacle was near him.The sensors use Global Positioning System(GPS)technology to detect motion from almost every side to keep an eye on them and ensure they are safe.To test our proposal,we gave a questionnaire to 100 people.The questionnaire has eleven questions,and 99.1%of the people who filled it out said that the product meets their needs.