High Cohesion Research Articles

In vitro study of the gel cohesivity and persistence to hyaluronidase degradation of a novel stabilized composition of 26 mg/mL of high molecular weight HA

Aim: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is extensively used in injectable skin quality products due to its documented role in skin rejuvenation. The rapid in vivo degradation of HA by the enzyme hyaluronidase necessitates the development of advanced formulations to ensure the efficacy and longevity of the treatments. In this context, a novel 2.6% high molecular weight HA (H-HA)/3.2% sorbitol composition has been introduced, featuring stabilization through hydrogen bonds rather than traditional crosslinking. Methods: The stabilized composition was evaluated through two in vitro enzymatic degradation tests. In the first test, the efficiency on the gel degradation was followed by rheology and compared with two crosslinked HA products available on the market. In the second test, the effect on the gel structure of a less diluted hyaluronidase dose was followed by rheological and cohesivity measurements. Results: In vitro study demonstrates that, before its complete degradation into a liquid-like state, the stabilized composition exhibits high elasticity and cohesivity during the enzymatic degradation process, surpassing traditional crosslinked HA products. Conclusion: The stabilization provided by the sorbitol in the stabilized composition effectively enhances product properties and protects them during gel degradation. These attributes indicate significant potential for improved clinical outcomes in skin quality treatments.

Short-term tank culture of Gracilariopsis heteroclada at high salinities improves agar quality

Abstract Agar, a phycocolloid naturally extracted from Gracilariopsis heteroclada is strongly influenced by salinity. Wild stocks of G. heteroclada were exposed to varying salinities (20, 30, 40, 50, 60) for 6 days, and subsequently processed for agar extraction using 5 % NaOH. The extracted agar was evaluated regarding yield, gel rheology, colour composition, chemical properties, and infrared spectra. Results highlighted that hypersaline conditions (salinity 50) could produce high agar yield (4.77 %) and viscosity (10.67 mPa s), while agar samples at salinity 40 exhibited gels with high cohesiveness (6.35 mm), gel breaking strength (3.01 N), and gel strength (390.61 g cm−2) while having a rather high 3,6-anhydrogalactose content (7.49 %). All samples exhibited FTIR signature peaks at 930 cm−1, confirming the identity of extracted agar from G. heteroclada. Exposure at increasing hypersalinity increased the sulphate levels of agar from G. heteroclada, which implies synthesis of sulphated polysaccharides. Moreover, high 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activities were obtained in acid hydrolysed agars at salinities of 40 (74.09 %) and 50 (75.57 %), suggesting that G. heteroclada agars from hypersaline conditions potentially offer antioxidative roles beyond its traditional food use.

Standing out while fitting in: An objective measure of visual branding cohesion across a product portfolio

This research develops a new metric (PBCM) that can identify products within a portfolio that are eroding visual branding cohesion. We show how this new measure gives results equivalent to consumer evaluations of cohesion, without costly and time intensive data collection. The sampling frame for this research is 10 portfolios from five categories (dry dog food, instant coffee, toothpaste, shower gel and chewing gum) in the United Kingdom. In addition, 626 consumers were surveyed to investigate how PBCM affects a consumer’s ability to match an individual product back to its portfolio and recall the brand name. We find that products from high cohesion portfolios have significantly higher (17%) correct brand recall than those from low cohesion portfolios and are matched back to their portfolio by more than twice as many respondents (79% v 35%), significantly faster (2.3 vs. 3.8 minutes).

Application of SAP to Improve the Handling Properties of Iron Ore Tailings of High Cohesiveness: Could a Reagent Help the Decommissioning Process of a Dam?

This work aims to evaluate the use of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) to provide improvements in the handling properties of iron ore tailings (IOT). The material studied came from the magnetic separation reprocessing of the material discarded at the Gelado Dam, located in Serra dos Carajás in the state of Pará, Brazil. While the concentrate presents reasonable handling conditions, the tailings, with 61.5% iron, 15% moisture, and 39% of the mass, have high cohesiveness and adhesiveness due to their fine nature and the climatic conditions of the Amazon rainforest. However, the tailings can still be considered a product as long as the handling and transportation logistics are feasible. Thus, studies with an SAP and IOT were carried out in a bench rotating drum to promote mixing between them, and the main variables studied were the SAP dosage and the required contact time. The improvement in the physical properties of the IOT were evaluated considering the Hausner ratio, Carr index, Jenike’s flow function index, Atterberg limits, and chute angle. The superabsorbent polymer promoted a significant improvement in the state of consistency of the material, and the best performance was obtained with a dosage of 1000 g t−1. As long as a suitable contact condition was promoted, a contact time of 1 min was enough to achieve the expected benefits. After dosing with the superabsorbent polymer, the material’s handling classification changed from ‘cohesive’ to ‘easy flow’, and the chute angle was reduced from 90° to levels below 60°. It was concluded that the application of the superabsorbent polymer has the potential to improve the fluidity of the material discarded in the magnetic concentration operation, allowing it to be handled throughout the production and transportation chain. The SAP appears to be an important additive for the full use of the material present in the dam (100% recovery), with both economic and socio-environmental benefits.

Good Friends and Good Neighbors: Social Capital and Food Insecurity in Families with Newborns

To examine the association between social capital and household food insecurity among US families with newborns. This cross-sectional analysis used enrollment data from 881 newborn-caregiver dyads at six geographically-diverse US academic sites enrolled in the Greenlight Plus Trial, a comparative effectiveness trial to prevent childhood obesity. Ordinal proportional-odds models were used to characterize the associations of two self-reported measures of social capital: 1) caregiver social support and 2) neighborhood social cohesion, with household food insecurity after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. Among 881 newborn-caregiver dyads (49% Hispanic, 23% non-Hispanic white, 17% non-Hispanic Black; 49% with annual household income <$50,000), food security was high for 75%, marginal for 9%, low for 11% and very low for 4%. In covariate-adjusted analyses, caregivers with a low social support score of 18 had five times the odds (aOR=5.03 95%CI=3.28-7.74) of greater food insecurity compared with caregivers with a high social support score of 30. Caregivers with a low neighborhood social cohesion score of 10 had nearly three times the odds (aOR=2.87 95%CI 1.61-5.11) of greater food insecurity compared with caregivers with a high neighborhood social cohesion score of 20. These associations remained robust when both social capital measures were included in one model. Caregiver social support and neighborhood social cohesion each appear to be inversely associated with food insecurity among US families with newborns. Longitudinal research is needed to determine the directionality of these relationships and whether improving social capital for families with young children reduces household food insecurity.

The possibility of the computer simulation-assisted IDDSI framework for the development of thickened brown rice paste

Increasing requests for thickened fluid food are demanded with population aging, while the limited information provided by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) is insufficient for food development. Recently, the introduction of computer simulation seems to be able to overcome this dilemma. Here, a thickened fluid system (xanthan gum and konjac glucomannan, XG and KGM) at different ratios was kept at the same IDDSI level 3. An obvious synergy was observed in the ratio of 1:9 (XG: KGM) with high surface tension, zero-shear viscosity, firmness and cohesion, and thus was used to prepare the brown rice paste. From computer simulation, the brown rice pastes (0.3 % and 0.5 % thickener) splashed and that with higher thickener content resulted in more residue. The thickener content of 0.7 % provided enough viscosity and cohesion to avoid splash, and most of the bolus flowed consistently, showing the best sensory quality and swallowing properties.

Chemical, Textural and Antioxidant Properties of Oat-Fermented Beverages with Different Starter Lactic Acid Bacteria and Pectin.

Currently, starter cultures for fermenting plant-based beverages are not widely available commercially, but producers can use starter cultures for dairy products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the physicochemical, rheological, antioxidant and sensory properties of oat beverages with/without pectin fermented by four different dairy starter cultures. The use of a mono-starter with Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Sreptococcus thermophilus allows for the efficient use of glucose, and more lactic acid is accumulated. The beverage with L. bulgaricus is characterised by high adhesion, syneresis and low cohesiveness, and it has high antioxidant activity and a low sensory profile. Using starter with L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus and some Lactococcus for fermentation yields a product with high sensory capacity, forming a high-viscosity beverage matrix with low syneresis, high water retention, chewy texture and stickiness. It has been observed that the absence of lactococci and the presence of Lactobacillus casei, L. Rhamnosus and L. paracasei in the starter yields a product with high antioxidant activity, especially in the presence of pectin. The use of pectin significantly improves the viscosity and textural properties of oat yoghurt, enhancing the drink's flavour and giving it body. For many reasons, the use of different commercial starters in the dairy industry results in different viscosities of oat fermented beverages, forming a matrix with different textural, sensory and antioxidant properties.

INNOVATIVE EXPERIMENTAL TESTING PROGRAM OF DIRECT SHEAR TEST IN SOIL MECHANICS

The research work aims at analyzing for the first time the data set obtained on cohesive soil samples following the publication of the Romanian Invention Patent RO 134239. The standard test method for the direct shear test provides the shear strength parameter – internal friction angle in consolidated drained condition - of either undisturbed or remolded soil samples forcing the shear plane at the midsection of the sample in the horizontal direction. The samples are provided in parallelepipedal shape (6 cm x 6 cm x 2 cm) and the displacement rate in horizontal direction is 0.1 mm/min. The new equipment patented in Romania changes the direction of shearing, from horizontal to vertical, and the soil samples are of cubic shape (6 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm). The experimental program involves testing both the parallelepipedal and cubic samples using the same motorized mechanism, with simultaneous readings from their respective micro-comparators. The UU test is performed without allowing consolidation and shearing at 1.0 mm/min. For the CD test, samples are consolidated under vertical loads for 24 hours before shearing at 0.1 mm/min. The shear stresses for cubic samples were higher than those for parallelepipedal samples, with residual stresses reflecting this trend. For cubic samples, both the peak and residual shear stresses trend lines indicated higher cohesion (c) and lower internal friction angle (𝜙) for UU tests and CD tests in contrast to parallelepipedal samples in both testing conditions. The innovative testing program allows for variability in shear strength parameters along the soil failure surface in both natural and compacted soil structures. This differentiation divides the soil condition into drained and undrained states at the initiation, emergence points, and the point of maximum depth along the failure surface. This approach is significant for accurately assessing soil shear resistance and potential failure mechanisms. The study's findings suggest a nuanced approach to parameter selection for slope stability analysis, ensuring accurate representation of both cohesion and internal friction in stability models.

An enhanced conventional neural network schema for structural class-based software fault prediction

ABSTRACT Malicious software detection is the most prominent process required by various industries to avoid server failure. It is required to detect malicious software accurately to avoid time and cost wastage. Various research works have been introduced earlier for the detection of malicious software. In the existing work Support Vector Machine (SVM) is introduced for malicious software detection. However, existing works cannot perform well where there are error modules in the software. It is addressed in this suggested study by developing Coupling and Cohesion Metrics-based Fault Detection (CCMFD). In this research work, structural measures are mainly examined which come under the cohesion measures and comprise deficient cohesion in approaches (LCOM), and Conceptual Coupling between Object Classes (CCBO). Failure situations and measures relating to information flow are used in other techniques. A high-quality service has a low coupling and a high cohesiveness. These extracted features will be given as input to the enhanced Conventional Neural Network (CNN) for software mistake forecasting. A complete study analysis is done in a Java simulator, indicating that the suggested approach tends to have superior fault prediction outcomes than the current method.

Profiles of community support and challenges associated with insomnia symptoms: Findings from the pilot Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio Health Study

Study objectivesWe investigated profiles of community support and challenges in relation to insomnia symptoms among the Bhutanese living in the United States. MethodsUsing data from the pilot Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio Health Study (N = 495; 51.5% men, 69.8% aged 18-44years), we used latent class analysis to identify distinct profiles of neighborhood social cohesion, social support, and community challenges (e.g., limited access to healthcare services and transportation, crime and safety issues, substance use, intimate partner violence) and their associations with insomnia symptoms. Insomnia symptoms were self-reported as difficulty falling and staying asleep and dichotomized as “not at all” vs. “some to always.” Identified classes/profiles were further differentiated by self-reported sociodemographic, socioeconomic, health, acculturative, and discrimination factors. ResultsLatent class analysis revealed four distinct classes/profiles. The High Cohesion (class 1) profile (30.1% of sample) had the lowest likelihood of insomnia symptoms at 6.5%, followed by class 2 or High Support (23.6%) with a 15.3% likelihood. Class 3 or High Challenges profile (11.5%) had a moderate likelihood of insomnia symptoms at 49%. Class 4 or the Low Cohesion/Support profile (34.7%) had a 100% likelihood of reporting insomnia symptoms. Class 4 when compared to class 1 was more likely to report cardiometabolic conditions, experiences of everyday discrimination, limited English linguistic proficiency, and not using telehealth. ConclusionCommunity social cohesion and support may play an important role in mitigating insomnia symptoms among Bhutanese refugees. Further investigations are warranted.

A new DEM calibration method for wet and stick materials based on the BP neural network

The assessment of flow characteristics and the Discrete Element Method (DEM) calibrations for Wet and Sticky Materials (WSMs) are significantly demanded by the mining and transportation industries. However, the angle of repose (AoR), as a common DEM calibration method, has been facing challenges in adopting for WSMs. Due to the relatively high adhesion and cohesion of WSMs, it is difficult to form repeatable material heaps, resulting in inaccurate measurements of the AoRs. Therefore, this study aims to calibrate DEM parameters for WSMs under various conditions, utilizing a modified AoR test method and the Back Propagation-Neural Network (BP-NN). In the modified AoR test method, WSMs are discharged from a funnel using a screw feeder and fall closely against a vertical baffle to form a heap in a constrained direction. The new method combines the features of the traditional AoR test and the slump plane test to accurately measure the AoRs for different WSMs, including wet white sand, bulk coal, and corn powders. Test results are analysed to show the advantage of the modified AoR test. Furthermore, an innovative DEM calibration method based on the BP-NN is developed. By training the BP-NN with the database established according to the relationship between the measured and simulated AoRs, the DEM calibration parameters can be predicted rapidly for WSMs with different particle sizes and moisture contents. Validation is conducted for the wet white sand, from which the deviations and relative mean deviations between the experiment AoRs (Ae) and the calibration AoRs (Ac) are less than 2°and 4 % respectively, indicating the capability of the developed method for WSMs DEM calibrations.

Optimising corn (Zea mays) cob powder as an effective sorbent for diverse gel matrices: exploring particle size and powder concentration effects

SummaryThis study aims to valorise a plant waste, corn cobs (Zea mays) enriched with fibres (cellulose of 19.09–19.18% and hemicellulose of 34.04–60.13%), to create gel‐like sorbents. Corn cobs (CB) were dried, grounded and sieved to obtain 500, 250 and 125 μm powder size fractions. Various CB powder concentrations (10–40% w/w) were mixed with distilled water and rice bran oil for 2 min at ambient temperature to form hydrogel‐like and oleogel‐like sorbents, respectively. Visual appearance indicated that selected gels formed by 250 and 125 μm CB powders were self‐sustained right after mixing, while the largest particles (500 μm) could not fabricate gels at the CB concentrations studied. FTIR results suggested that the gelation process was primarily attributed to physical absorption rather than chemical binding. Comprehensive analyses of microstructure, physicochemical properties and rheological behaviour indicated that gelation was due to fibre–fibre interaction (125 μm) and oil/water–fibre interaction (250 μm). An increase in CB powder concentration enhanced the microstructural density and hardness of gels. Thus, 250 μm particles and higher absorbent concentrations resulted in brittle sorbents characterised by high hardness but low cohesiveness. The 250 μm particles also exhibit a superior antioxidant profile and lower oil/water loss than the 125 μm CB particles due to effective intra‐particle trapping mechanisms.

Social cohesion as a modifier of joint air pollution exposure and incident dementia

Social cohesion can reduce stress, increase social interaction, and improve cognitive reserve. These social mechanisms may modify the effects of air pollution on dementia risk. This cohort study examines the potential moderating effect of social cohesion on associations between joint air pollution exposure and incident dementia leveraging data from 5112 community-dwelling adults ≥65 years of age enrolled in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Study participants were enrolled in 2011 and followed through 2018. We assigned 2010 residential census tract-level exposures to five air pollutants, particulate matter (PM) ≤ 10 μm in diameter, PM ≤ 2.5 μm in diameter, carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, and nitrogen dioxide, using the US Environmental Protection Agency's Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling System. Dementia status was determined based on self- or proxy-reported dementia diagnosis or “probable dementia” according to NHATS cognitive screening tools. Participants' self-rated neighborhood social cohesion was evaluated based on three questions: neighbors knowing each other, being helpful, and being trustworthy. Social cohesion was dichotomized at the median into high vs low social cohesion. Associations between air pollutants and incident dementia were assessed using quantile g-computation Cox proportional hazard models and stratified by high vs low social cohesion, adjusting for age, sex, education, partner status, urbanicity, annual income, race and ethnicity, years lived at current residence, neighborhood disadvantage index, and tract segregation. High social cohesion (HR = 1.20, 95 % CI = 0.98, 1.47) and air pollution (HR = 1.08, 95 % CI = 0.92, 1.28) were not associated with incident dementia alone. However, when stratified, greater joint air pollution exposure increased dementia risk among participants at low (HR = 1.34, 95 % CI = 1.04, 1.72), but not high (HR = 1.00, 95 % CI = 0.93, 1.06) social cohesion. Air pollution was a risk factor for dementia only when reported social cohesion was low, suggesting that social interaction may play a protective role, mitigating dementia risk via air pollution exposure.

Ultrafine-grained refractory high-entropy alloy with oxygen control and high mechanical performance

Grain boundary engineering plays a significant role in the improvement of strength and plasticity of alloys. However, in refractory high-entropy alloys, the susceptibility of grain boundaries to oxygen presents a bottleneck in achieving high mechanical performance. Creating a large number of clean grain boundaries in refractory high-entropy alloys is a challenge. In this study, an ultrafine-grained (UFG) NbMoTaW alloy with high grain-boundary cohesion was prepared by powder metallurgy, taking advantages of rapid hot-pressing sintering and full-process inert atmosphere protection from powder synthesis to sintering. By oxygen control and an increase in the proportion of grain boundaries, the segregation of oxygen and formation of oxides at grain boundaries were strongly mitigated, thus the intrinsic high cohesion of the interfaces was preserved. Compared to the coarse-grained alloys prepared by arc-melting and those sintered by traditional powder metallurgy methods, the UFG NbMoTaW alloy demonstrated simultaneously increased strength and plasticity at ambient temperature. The highly cohesive grain boundaries not only reduce brittle fractures effectively but also promote intragranular deformation. Consequently, the UFG NbMoTaW alloy achieved a high yield strength even at elevated temperatures, with a remarkable performance of 1117 MPa at 1200 °C. This work provides a feasible solution for producing refractory high-entropy alloys with low impurity content, refined microstructure, and excellent mechanical performance.

ESG peer effects and corporate financial distress: An executive social network perspective

AbstractBased on the data of listed firms in China from 2009 to 2020, this study investigates whether environmental, society and governance (ESG) peer effects reduce the risk of corporate financial distress from an executive social network perspective. Using two‐stage least squares method, our empirical results suggest that the ESG peer effects exist in executive social networks, and the ESG peer effects can alleviate corporate financial distress. ESG subcategory analysis shows that the governance peer effect has the most obvious alleviating effect on financial distress. The negative impact of ESG peer effects on corporate financial distress is stronger when firms have high network power, network cohesion and network control in executive social networks. Our conclusions still hold after a series of robustness tests. Our research expands the literature on peer effects from the perspective of social relations, and sheds additional light on the critical role of ESG peer effects in financial risk management.

ENSURING CRIMINOLOGICAL SECURITY OF THE FINANCIAL MARKET IN RUSSIA

With the introduction of the digital economy and new financial products in Russia, changes have taken place in the financial services market. Against this background, illegal financial activities have sharply increased. This was facilitated by the expansion of information and telecommunication technologies, their use in all spheres of activity, including the development of domestic digital platforms, which increased the implementation of financial transactions in the stock markets, securities market, insurance sector, etc. At the same time, the risks of negative manifestations in the economic sphere have increased, which has influenced the growth of economic crime, which has become more organized, professional and, given the development of digital transformation, transnational. We should not fail to note its corrupt nature. The process launched by the state to stabilize and increase the rate of development of the state economy causes only positive reactions from society, but when the rate of development increases, problems arise, which destructive forces use in their own interests, for personal enrichment, where, breaking the law, they do not consider public opinion, do not pay attention to the state structures responsible for the security of this sector of the economy. It is crimes in the financial market that distinguish criminals of a new format from the old mastodons of criminal activity, and such qualities as high cohesion, organization, and competence allow them to establish control over various systems of life of society and the state, entering not only the sector of business and commerce, but also the budget sector, where continuing to establish monopoly control, lobbying their interests in various spheres of economic activity. One of such spheres at the current stage of formation of the digital economy is the financial market of Russia, which is subject to protection from criminal threats and criminogenic risks. In the current situation we cannot do without mechanisms to ensure the criminological security of the financial market, which requires the definition of the conceptual apparatus, the system of ensuring such security, the creation and construction of its structure and the definition of measures aimed at improving the level of such security. In conclusion of the article the author comes to the conclusion that the financial market of the Russian state does not fully use preventive measures, there are gaps both at the legislative level and in the organization of the financial market, which contributes to the growth of crimes in this area.

Investigation of thermal damage in explosive bridgewire detonators via discrete element method simulations

AbstractExploding bridgewire (EBW) detonators are used to rapidly and reliably initiate energetic reactions by exploding a bridgewire via Joule heating. While the mechanisms of EBW detonators have been studied extensively in nominal conditions, comparatively few studies have addressed thermally damaged detonator operability. We present a mesoscale simulation study of thermal damage in a representative EBW detonator, using discrete element method (DEM) simulations that explicitly account for individual particles in the pressed explosive powder. We use a simplified model of melting, where solid spherical particles undergo uniform shrinking, and fluid dynamics are ignored. The subsequent settling of particles results in the formation of a gap between the solid powder and the bridgewire, which we study under different conditions. In particular, particle cohesion has a significant effect on gap formation and settling behavior, where sufficiently high cohesion leads to coalescence of particles into a free‐standing pellet. This behavior is qualitatively compared to experimental visualization data, and simulations are shown to capture several key changes in pellet shape. We derive a minimum and maximum limit on gap formation during melting using simple geometric arguments. In the absence of cohesion, results agree with the maximum gap size. With increasing cohesion, the gap size decreases, eventually saturating at the minimum limit. We present results for different combinations of interparticle cohesion and detonator orientations with respect to gravity, demonstrating the complex behavior of these systems and the potential for DEM simulations to capture a range of scenarios.

Comparative study on the quality characteristics of wheat‐based broken rice noodles from different rice varieties

SummaryMaking noodles based on broken rice (BR) is a green approach to promote the utilisation of rice byproducts (the underutilised bio‐materials with vast annual production). In this study, BR of Indica, Japonica and Glutinous varieties were semi‐dry milled to yield flour (BRI, BRJ and BRG). They were substituted for wheat flour at the level of 10% to prepare W‐BRI, W‐BRJ and W‐BRG noodles respectively. Among three varieties, BRG showed greatest whiteness, highest relative crystallinity and lowest pasting viscosities. Substitution of all BR flours decreased percentage of α‐helix but increased β‐sheet in fresh noodles. BRG substitution markedly enhanced the binding tightness of water to gluten or starch. Owing to the strongest swelling power and lowest pasting temperature (59.1 °C) of BRG, W‐BRG noodles showed shortest cooking time and highest cooking yield (190.64%). All noodles were sensorily acceptable, among which W‐BRG noodles had the greatest softness and least stickiness. W‐BRJ noodles presented more uniform and tightly packed microstructure, which might explain their lowest cooking loss (6.65%) and greater springiness. W‐BRI dough sheet had the most viscoelastic, and its noodles had the highest cohesiveness (0.65). Selective utilisation of rice variety is crucial for producing noodles with characteristic quality.

Comparative study on the compression characteristics of coal and biomass powder bed

Biomass substitution for fossil energy is desirable to achieve carbon emission reductions, and the storage and transportation process of biomass is governed by its compressibility. The compression characteristics of pulverized coal, rice husk and lignocellulose were compared under mechanical and gas pressurization, respectively. The experimental results showed that the descending order of relative packing density (RPD) was lignocellulose > rice husk > pulverized coal under mechanical pressurization, while an opposite trend was observed under gas pressurization. The cohesion properties were rationally correlated with the packing behavior of powder bed, and the differences in RPD order were discussed as the higher cohesion corresponding to a larger void fraction. For mechanical pressurization, biomass had higher void fraction, which was directly linked to larger RPD. On the contrary, gas permeated easily into the biomass powder bed, and the lower pressure drop decreased the compression capacity of gas pressurization. In addition, a model for predicting the RPD was proposed with an error of ± 5 %.

Neighbourhood characteristics, leisure-time walking, and mental health in older veterans

ABSTRACT This study examined the extent to which neighbourhood cohesion and safety are related to leisure-time walking, mental health, and the health-related perceptions of older veterans. Using data from the 2016 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we focused on 1,501 respondents who reported they were veterans 65 years of age and older. Results of a path analysis indicated that older veterans living in neighbourhoods characterized by high social cohesion and safety tended to report better mental health and more positive health perception compared to those residing in neighbourhoods with lower levels of social cohesion and safety. In addition, older veterans with higher levels of leisure-time walking were more likely to report better mental health and health perception compared to those who engaged in lower levels of leisure-time walking. These results add to the existing body of knowledge that describes how safe and socially cohesive neighbourhoods and leisure time physical activity play an important role in shaping mental health and health perception in older veterans. Practical implications for promoting health-related behaviours and health in the older veteran population are discussed.