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Despite better accessibility and flexibility, peer-to-peer (P2P) lending has suffered from excessive credit risks, which may cause significant losses to the lenders and even lead to the collapse of P2P platforms. The purpose of this research is to construct a hybrid predictive framework that integrates classification, feature selection, and data balance algorithms to cope with the high-dimensional and imbalanced nature of P2P credit data.

An improved synthetic minority over-sampling technique (IMSMOTE) is developed to incorporate the randomness and probability into the traditional synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) to enhance the quality of synthetic samples and the controllability of synthetic processes. IMSMOTE is then implemented along with the grey relational clustering (GRC) and the support vector machine (SVM) to facilitate a comprehensive assessment of the P2P credit risks. To enhance the associativity and functionality of the algorithm, a dynamic selection approach is integrated with GRC and then fed in the SVM's process of parameter adaptive adjustment to select the optimal critical value. A quantitative model is constructed to recognize key criteria via multidimensional representativeness.

A series of experiments based on real-world P2P data from Prosper Funding LLC demonstrates that our proposed model outperforms other existing approaches. It is also confirmed that the grey-based GRC approach with dynamic selection succeeds in reducing data dimensions, selecting a critical value, identifying key criteria, and IMSMOTE can efficiently handle the imbalanced data.

The grey-based machine-learning framework proposed in this work can be practically implemented by P2P platforms in predicting the borrowers' credit risks. The dynamic selection approach makes the first attempt in the literature to select a critical value and indicate key criteria in a dynamic, visual and quantitative manner.

That ice‐creams prepared with dirty materials and under dirty conditions will themselves be dirty is a proposition which, to the merely ordinary mind, appears to be sufficiently obvious without the institution of a series of elaborate and highly “scientific” experiments to attempt to prove it. But, to the mind of the bacteriological medicine‐man, it is by microbic culture alone that anything that is dirty can be scientifically proved to be so. Not long ago, it having been observed that the itinerant vendor of ice‐creams was in the habit of rinsing his glasses, and, some say, of washing himself—although this is doubtful—in a pail of water attached to his barrow, samples of the liquor contained by such pails were duly obtained, and were solemnly submitted to a well‐known bacteriologist for bacteriological examination. After the interval necessary for the carrying out of the bacterial rites required, the eminent expert's report was published, and it may be admitted that after a cautious study of the same the conclusion seems justifiable that the pail waters were dirty, although it may well be doubted that an allegation to this effect, based on the report, would have stood the test of cross‐examination. It is true that our old and valued friend the Bacillus coli communis was reported as present, but his reputation as an awful example and as a producer of evil has been so much damaged that no one but a dangerous bacteriologist would think of hanging a dog—or even an ice‐cream vendor—on the evidence afforded by his presence. A further illustration of bacteriological trop de zèle is afforded by the recent prosecutions of some vendors of ice‐cream, whose commodities were reported to contain “millions of microbes,” including, of course, the in‐evitable and ubiquitous Bacillus coli very “communis.” To institute a prosecution under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act upon the evidence yielded by a bacteriological examination of ice‐cream is a proceeding which is foredoomed, and rightly foredoomed, to failure. The only conceivable ground upon which such a prosecution could be undertaken is the allegation that the “millions of microbes ” make the ice‐cream injurious to health. Inas‐much as not one of these millions can be proved beyond the possibility of doubt to be injurious, in the present state of knowledge; and as millions of microbes exist in everything everywhere, the breakdown of such a case must be a foregone conclusion. Moreover, a glance at the Act will show that, under existing circumstances at any rate, samples cannot be submitted to public analysts for bacteriological examination—with which, in fact, the Act has nothing to do—even if such examinations yielded results upon which it would be possible to found action. In order to prevent the sale of foul and unwholesome or actual disease‐creating ice‐cream, the proper course is to control the premises where such articles are prepared; while, at the same time, the sale of such materials should also be checked by the methods employed under the Public Health Act in dealing with decomposed and polluted articles of food. In this, no doubt, the aid of the public analyst may sometimes be sought as one of the scientific advisers of the authority taking action, but not officially in his capacity as public analyst under the Adulteration Act. And in those cases in which such advice is sought it may be hoped that it will be based, as indeed it can be based, upon something more practical, tangible and certain than the nebulous results of a bacteriological test.

In a previous article we have called attention to the danger of eating tinned and bottled vegetables which have been coloured by the addition of salts of copper and we have urged upon the public that no such preparations should be purchased without an adequate guarantee that they are free from copper compounds. Copper poisoning, however, is not the only danger to which consumers of preserved foods are liable. Judging from the reports of cases of irritant poisoning which appear with somewhat alarming frequency in the daily press, and from the information which we have been at pains to obtain, there can be no question that the occurrence of a large number of these cases is to be attributed to the ingestion of tinned foods which has been improperly prepared or kept. It is not to be supposed that the numerous cases of illness which have been ascribed to the use of tinned foods were all cases of metallic poisoning brought about by the action of the contents of the tins upon the metal and solder of the latter. The evidence available does not show that a majority of the cases could be put down to this cause alone; but it must be admitted that the evidence is in most instances of an unsatisfactory and inconclusive character. It has become a somewhat too common custom to put forward the view that so‐called “ptomaine” poisoning is the cause of the mischief; and this upon very insufficient evidence. While there is no doubt that the presence in tinned goods of some poisonous products of decomposition or organic change very frequently gives rise to dangerous illness, so little is known of the chemical nature and of the physiological effects of “ptomaines” that to obtain conclusive evidence is in all cases most difficult, and in many, if not in most, quite impossible. A study of the subject leads to the conclusion that both ptomaine poisoning and metallic poisoning—also of an obscure kind—have, either separately or in conjunction, produced the effects from time to time reported. In view of the many outbreaks of illness, and especially, of course, of the deaths which have been attributed to the eating of bad tinned foods it is of the utmost importance that some more stringent control than that which can be said to exist at present should be exercised over the preparation and sale of tinned goods. In Holland some two or three years ago, in consequence partly of the fact that, after eating tinned food, about seventy soldiers were attacked by severe illness at the Dutch manœuvres, the attention of the Government was drawn to the matter by Drs. VAN HAMEL ROOS and HARMENS, who advocated the use of enamel for coating tins. It appears that an enamel of special manufacture is now extensively used in Holland by the manfacturers of the better qualities of tinned food, and that the use of such enamelled tins is insisted upon for naval and military stores. This is a course which might with great advantage be followed in this country. While absolute safety may not be attainable, adequate steps should be taken to prevent the use of damaged, inferior or improper materials, to enforce cleanliness, and to ensure the adoption of some better system of canning.

Given Bali's prominence in Indonesia's hospitality industry, tourist hypermobility regarding food preferences following the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a source of contention. As such, this chapter will investigate extreme mobility by examining how ‘the flashpackers’ construct their nomadic lifestyles. This chapter focuses on the ‘freedom to eat’ in a variety of different types of restaurants throughout the destination – creating a pattern of hypermobility. Flashpacker's hypermobility data come from a network analysis of TripAdvisor reviews – with Bali (Indonesia) serving as the case study location. According to the analysis's findings, there are eight distinct preference groups for food and beverage products in Bali. It was discovered that at least five ‘star factors’ contributed to preferences across the eight groups, including (1) ratings, (2) popularity, (3) ownership, (4) social media and (5) price. In light of these factors, the chapter concludes that research into hypermobility in small island destinations is still in its infancy. It is critical to promote thorough research into the influence and impact of hypermobility on all facets of the tourism industry, including local communities and to demonstrate the industry's economic contribution.

Malnutrition is a serious public health problem, which occurs because of an inadequate supply of nutrients and therefore affects many children and women (especially pregnant and lactating women of low economic class) worldwide. There is a great need to develop cost-effective fortified food supplements to overcome this problem. Therefore, this study aims to examine the factors that should be considered in the development of low-cost supplementary foods for breastfeeding women.

A wide variety of relevant publications were identified through search in electronic databases (ScienceDirect, PubMed, SciELO, Google Scholar, SpringerLink and ResearchGate) based on different keywords such as malnutrition, specific considerations, supplementary foods and breastfeeding women, which were published before 2020. After looking for adequate literature, 71 articles were examined, which provided an overview of these aspects.

Various food supplements and food products already available in the market are generally expensive and go beyond the purchasing power of lower- or middle-class families. Traditionally, efforts have been made to prepare such supplements at home, but the composition of these products varies based on the economic status of consumers. Therefore, the nutritional status is clearly compromised because of the low standard of living, which requires a great need to develop low-cost nutritious food products, accessible to all and that meet the appropriate nutritional, sensory and economic attributes without ignoring the regulatory guidelines.

This review is majorly focused on the specific considerations, alternative sources, ensuring nutritional and sensorial attributes and economic aspects for the development of supplementary low-cost food products for breastfeeding women with the goal of eliminating malnutrition.

The preservation and disappearance of indigenous people’s traditional knowledge system, under mainstream social culture immersion and fusion, have presented a dynamic and changing acculturation interactive relationship impacting Truku women’s health concepts. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore how the traditional Gaya knowledge system and mainstream culture confinement care model affect the beliefs and behaviours of postpartum self-care amongst contemporary Truku women.

An ethnographic semi-structured method, based on cultural care factors and the Leininger Sunrise Model, was conducted to interview 17 Truku women with childbearning experience in eastern Taiwan. As data were collected, UDIST Vivo 11.0 software was applied for analysis.

Amongst the three knowledge system categories, namely, traditional, mainstream and reconstruction, the traditional knowledge system, including Gaya norms, provides the overall cultural value of a Truku family. While taboo is inherited through the experience of the elders, the mainstream knowledge system favours the Han. However, the reconstruction knowledge system highlights the “functional” response strategies based on Truku women’s comfort and conveniences.

Limited relevant studies have focused on the health and postpartum self-care knowledge of ethnic Truku women in Taiwan. The results are expected to provide clinical medical personnel with a reference and strengthen cultural sensitivity and the ability to implement the cultural congruency care of postpartum indigenous women in Taiwan.

The purpose of this study is to improve the stability and dyeing properties of natural curcumin by adsorption packaging technology, and promote the clean dyeing technology of wool fabrics.

The response surface method was used to optimize the dyeing process of wool fabrics. The color fastnesses and the K/S value of the dyed wool fabrics were tested and analyzed, as well as the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of wool fibers.

The mordant dyeing method was optimized using the response surface method under pH 3.5 and a 1:50 dye bath ratio. The results showed that the mordant dyeing method was one-bath, two-step post-mordant and the optimized dyeing process was as follows: dyeing time 70 min, dyeing temperature 70°C and the dosage of mordant was 2% and yielding a K/S value of 35.22. The dyed wool had excellent rub and wash fastness (grade 4+), but inadequate light fastness, to be improved later. The results of SEM demonstrated that the optimized dyeing processes had no adverse effects on wool fibers.

No comprehensive and systematic study reports have been conducted on the dyeing process of wool fabric using natural curcumin pigment, which is adsorbed and packaged by ZIF-8, and researchers have not used statistical analysis to optimize the dyeing process using response surface methodology.

The lack of food-based dietary guidelines for managing cancer among hospitalized patients has led to an increasing economic burden on the government and families in low- and middle-economy countries. There have been increasing medical costs due to delayed recovery, readmission and mortality. The purpose of this study is to contribute in reducing these effects by developing context-specific food-based dietary guidelines to assist health-care professionals and caregivers in planning diets for cancer patients.

For seven days, the dietary intakes of 100 cancer patients in the hospital were recorded using weighed food records. Data on the costs of commonly consumed foods during hospitalization were obtained from hospital requisition books as well as nearby markets and shops. The information gathered was used to create optimal food-based dietary guidelines for cancer patients.

Most patients did not meet the recommended food group and micronutrient intake according to their weighed food records. Sugar intake from processed foods was (51 ± 19.8 g), (13% ± 2%), and calories (2585 ± 544 g) exceeded recommendations. Optimized models generated three menus that met the World Cancer Research Fund 2018 cancer prevention recommendation at a minimum cost of 2,700 Tanzanian Shillings (TSH), 3500TSH, and 4550TSH per day. The optimal dietary pattern includes nutrient-dense foods from all food groups in recommended portions and within calorie limits.

Findings show that optimal dietary guidelines that are context-specific for managing cancer in hospitalized patients can be formulated using culturally acceptable food ingredients at minimum cost.

The purpose of this paper was to explore the possibility of utilization of Ocimum sanctum Linn (Tulsi) leaf extract as a natural preservative in muscle foods. The products incorporated with Ocimum sanctum leaf extract were assessed for various oxidative stability and storage quality parameters.

The Ocimum sanctum leaf extract was incorporated at 300 mg/kg level in the formulation. Chicken sausages incorporated with Ocimum sanctum leaf extract along with control samples were aerobically packaged in low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for lipid oxidation, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions.

Ocimum sanctum leaf extract showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the lipid stability, as the treated products exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (mg malonaldehyde/kg) and free fatty acid (% oleic acid) values in comparison to control. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as the treated products showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count, psychrophilic count and yeast and mould count. Significantly, (p < 0.05) higher scores were also observed for various sensory parameters of the treated products.

The paper has demonstrated the use of Ocimum sanctum leaf extract as a potential natural preservative, as it successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of the products during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage and may be commercially exploited as a natural preservative in muscle foods.