Strategic framework of using drone in cities disaster response

Drone technology has been around the world more than a decade and the application has becomes more vital, especially, during the disaster event such as COVID-19 pandemic. However, some of the countries were not ready in implementating the technology due to various reasons. Thus, this study intended to identify the technological and legislative aspects of drone application for disaster response in cities environment and to propose strategic framework on optimization of drone capabilities in cities disaster response. The literature search has been conducted in order to explore the applicability of drone technology in disaster management and disaster response. Later, further investigations were carried out using the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach. In the PAR method, the data were collected in two phases;1) observation and discussions and 2) interview sessions. The observation and discussions were conducted to obtain the implementation process of using the drone during the disaster event by the rescue team via recorded video. To triangulate the information gathered from the discussion, a series of interview had been made. Where, six selected stakeholders from end-user, regulatory agency and supplier were interviewed. It is found that the implementation of drone technology framework in disaster consists of six perspectives, namely;actions, internal organization, external environment, needs specification and feasibility analysis. To make the framework works, stakeholders are required to function in a cohesive and collaborative manner as illustrated in the Harmonization Triangle. The strength of cohesion and collaboration has also opened up future study for a full scope disaster management cycle phases, known as response, recovery, mitigation and preparedness.

Extending the Occupational Safety and Health Management System as a Knowledge Management System Through the Mixed-Reality Remote Audit

Auditing is one of the most important stages in evaluating the effectiveness of an Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS), which is also recognized as a Knowledge Management System (KMS). According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the audit process is part of the evaluation element, where the auditor must evaluate the OSH performance. The traditional audit might not be able to be conducted due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Movement Control Order (MCO) scenario, therefore the remote audit is being viewed as a viable solution to ensuring the audit process continues. The solution could also be utilized beyond the pandemic period as it may become one of the effective method for the audit process. The paper describes how the OSHMS can be remotely audited utilizing Mixed Reality (MR) applications in a design thinking manner. To test the approach, preliminary data was collected in an OSH office. The findings of this paper will aid stakeholders in the relevant context in making investment decisions for digitising their OSH audit process in order to create a future-ready ecosystem. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Review of Remote Audit in Occupational Safety and Health Management System through the Mixed-Reality Spectrum

The Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS) is a collection of interconnected or interacting elements that work together to define and implement Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) policies and objectives. Employers must guarantee that this system is effectively implemented to safeguard employees from hazards in order to attain those goals and eliminating work-related injuries, illnesses, diseases, incidents and deaths by using the guideline given by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as well as the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) of Malaysia. Auditing is among the vital process in analyzing the performance of OSHMS. The audit process is part of the evaluation element, as described by ILO where the auditor needs to evaluate the OSH performance. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic situation, the traditional audit could not be conducted, thus the remote audit is considered to be a viable option to ensure the audit process continues. Therefore, this paper intends to understand how the OSHMS especially in the university context can be remotely audited using Mixed Reality (MR) applications through a review of the literature. The findings indicate appropriate contexts of discussion for the study and also identified MR technology namely the 360-degree panoramic view technology that could be further studiedThe paper's contribution is a better knowledge of the OSHMS remote audit process through the usage of MR applications in a specialized setting. The findings of this study would be beneficial to the stakeholders in the relevant context particularly in the university in their investment decision-making for a future-ready ecosystem by digitising their enterprises. © 2021 IEEE.

How did COVID 19 preventive measurements impact cardiovascular emergencies rates?

Background During the COVID19 pandemic, Tunisia adopted a preventive health policy, consisting of containment, self-quarantine, and social distancing to reduce viral contamination. Many health care workers noticed a decrease in urgent admissions in different medical wards and intensive care units. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID19 preventive measurements on the number of patients’ admissions in a Tunisian intensive cardiac care unit. Methods We collected the number of admissions in the ICCU of Charles Nicolle's Hospital of Tunis for acute myocardial infarction and acute heart failure during February, March, and April of the years 2018, 2019, and 2020 and compared the number of admissions between those periods. In Tunisia, containment has already started on March, 22nd. We also compared the mean number of admissions per day between the pre-containment period (40 days before) and the containment period (40 days after), and the mean number of admissions per week during the 6 weeks after March, 22nd. Results During the three months, the overall number of admissions declined respectively from 103, 100 in 2018, 2019 to 75 in 2020 showing a 25% drop in overall admissions. The mean number of admissions dropped significantly from1 ± 0.93 patient/day (pre-containment period) to 0.6 ± 0.81 patient/day during the containment period (Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test;P = 0,024). The mean number of admissions per week during the 6 weeks after March, 22nd dropped respectively from 7.66 ± 1.75 and 7.66 ± 3.2 in 2018 and 2019 to 4.16 ± 3.25 patients per week in 2020. (Kruskal–Wallis test, P = 0.13) (Fig. 1). Conclusion Many reasons could explain this slight drop in ICU admissions during containment such as the lack of public transport, the business of our emergency hotlines with the COVID 19 calls, and even patient's fear of being infected by the virus in hospitals. This can lead to an increase in sudden cardiac deaths, heart failures due to this lack of medical care.

Chest CT imaging characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in surviving and non-surviving hospitalized patients: a retrospective study in a referral center in Tehran, Iran

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has several chest computed tomography (CT) characteristics, which are important for the early management of this disease, because viral detection via RT-PCR can be time-consuming, resulting in a delayed pneumonia diagnosis. The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) proposed a reporting language for CT findings related to COVID-19 and defined four CT categories: typical, indeterminate, atypical, and negative. Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate the chest CT characteristics of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients and Methods: A total of 115 hospitalized laboratory-verified COVID-19 cases, underdoing chest CT scan, were included in this study from April 30 to May 15, 2020. Of 115 cases, 53 were discharged from the hospital, and 62 expired. The initial clinical features and chest CT scans were assessed for the type, pattern, distribution, and frequency of lesions. Moreover, the findings were compared between ward-hospitalized, intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted, and non-surviving (expired) patients.

The effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease on 28-day mortality of COVID-19.

We compared the prognosis of inpatients with a known diagnosis of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease who have COVID-19 infection with other hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our cohort study started in October 2020 and ended in May 2021 and included inpatients with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to hospitals. From a total of 67,871 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, a sample of 3732 individuals were selected of which 363 had Alzheimer's, and 259 had Parkinson's disease. All patients had both positive RT-PCR test and positive chest CT for COVID-19. The outcome was dead within 28 days of admission and the predictors were a large number of demographic and clinical features, and comorbidities recorded at patients' bedside. Mortality were 37.5%, 35.1%, and 29.5% in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease; and in other patients, respectively. The hazard ratio for Alzheimer's disease was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.06-1.53, p=0.010) and for Parkinson's disease was 1.17 (95% CI, 0.94-1.46, p=0.171). Age was a predictor of mortality, hazard ratio=1.04 (95% CI, 1.03-1.05, p<0.001). Patients with Alzheimer's disease and COVID-19 infection were older and more likely to have a loss of consciousness on admission (both p≤0.001). We concluded that inpatients with Alzheimer's disease have an increased risk for 28-day mortality from COVID-19 and healthcare settings should be ready to provide critical care for them such as early intubation and immediate O2 therapy. However, Parkinson's disease does not significantly predict higher mortality of COVID-19.

COVID-19-related spontaneous pneumomediastinum: An atypical manifestation

COVID-19 is has been an emerging healthcare challenge during the last months. Herein we explain two cases with spontaneous pneumomediastinum as an atypical manifestation of COVID-19 disease;these two patients had confirmed COVID-19, leading to spontaneous pneumodeiastimun as an atypical manifestation during the course of hospital stay, presenting by abrupt deterioration in O2 saturation and symptoms. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum should be considered as a potential reason for the disease exacerbation in patients without previous history of mechanical ventilation.

Gamma irradiation-mediated inactivation of enveloped viruses with conservation of genome integrity: Potential application for SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine development.

Radiation inactivation of enveloped viruses occurs as the result of damages at the molecular level of their genome. The rapidly emerging and ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia pandemic prompted by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is now a global health crisis and an economic devastation. The readiness of an active and safe vaccine against the COVID-19 has become a race against time in this unqualified global panic caused by this pandemic. In this review, which we hope will be helpful in the current situation of COVID-19, we analyze the potential use of γ-irradiation to inactivate this virus by damaging at the molecular level its genetic material. This inactivation is a vital step towards the design and development of an urgently needed, effective vaccine against this disease.

The Crystallography of SARS-CoV-2 Suggests Its Deactivation

Background: The materials science may come to assist pharmacists to fabricate new drugs for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objectives: The geometrical structure of elements on the surface of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is analyzed to illustrate some hints about the possible choosing the factors captivating the surface of SARS-CoV-2. Methods: The crystallographic classes and their sub-structures can be indicative of practical selection of macromolecules in drug pharmacy. Results: The macromolecular structures with hexagonal and its sub-structures are suggested for pharmacists to probe a novel drug for COVID-19. Conclusions: Any progress in the field of fabricating macromolecular drugs for COVID-19 is strongly dependent on finding the hexagonal and its sub-structures such as triangular and rhombus geometries.

2019 novel coronavirus infection in children and infants: Where we are and what we know?

Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in Wuhan, China, there were more than 10,021,401 confirmed infected cases. This infection has spread to almost all countries around the world with reported high mortality and morbidity. Infections in children and infants have been reported as well. The condition of the infected children was mostly mild. To date, there have been reported deaths in pediatrics testing positive for COVID-19 in countries such as China, Italy and America. The therapy strategy for the children who suffer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been based on the adult experience. The present review summarizes current knowledge of the etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of COVID-19 infection in children and infants.