Barriers faced by nursing students during COVID- 19 pandemic and its impact on their attitude toward E-learning

COVID-19 pandemic forced the people to social distancing across the world. This pandemic disrupted various aspects of life including educational activities which resulted in implementation of online teaching and learning strategies for schools, colleges and universities' students. About 1500 million students suffered due to closure of the educational institutions. The overall effects of this closure of educational institutes on students' learning, including nursing students, have been negative. This study was aimed to investigate the impact of barriers to learning, faced by undergraduate nursing students on their attitudes towards e learning during COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. A Descriptive, analytical study was conducted on a sample of 250 undergraduate nursing students from four nursing colleges in Pakistan. A standardized questionnaire consisted of a total of 53 questions for the collection of information related to e- learning barriers and their effects on the attitudes of undergraduate nursing students towards e-learning was used for data collection. The results of this research study showed that (82.8%) of the undergraduate nursing students were facing certain barriers with regard to e-learning. The most dominant barriers faced by undergraduate nursing students were the infrastructure and technology dimension (88.8%) technical and management support dimension (83.2%), and curriculum content dimension (82%). The results of the current study demonstrated that a high percentage of the respondents (64.8%) has a negative attitude towards e-learning. the undergraduate nursing students faced various types of barriers towards e-learning during COVID-19 Pandemic. The majority of the learners had negative attitudes toward e-learning. However, there was no significant association present between barriers to e-learning and students' attitude towards e-learning.

Review of e-learning service framework based on cloud computing

The impact of Covid-19 on education is the result of online learning from home as part of the Work from Home (WFH) protocol. There are at least three essential roles in WFH, namely Institutions, Teachers and Students, each of which uses personal resources. This literature begins with a review of the primary literature with the theme of e-learning frameworks and cloud computing. It is found that two crucial things are Integration and measuring the level of success. On that basis, in this literature review research, keywords are taken from the theme, including the word equation by using AND OR operators on the research database site over a span of the last five years. Each literature will be explored in stages focusing on the problem of Integration and or Measurement Level measurement. These results become material for systematic discussion so that an overview is obtained for the development of an E-learning Service Framework based on Cloud Computing using a six-layer model with the Business Process layer being the layer used in system integration, both with other service systems and similar systems in the education ecosystem. © 2023 Author(s).

Economic Policy Uncertainty and Emerging Stock Market Volatility

This research examines the effect of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) indices on Pakistan's stock market volatility. Particularly, we examine the impact of the economic policy uncertainty index for Pakistan and bilateral global trading partner countries, the US, China, and the UK. We employ the GARCH-MIDAS model and combination forecast approach to evaluate the performance of economic uncertainty indices. The empirical findings show that the US economic policy uncertainty index is a more powerful predictor of Pakistan stock market volatility. In addition, the EPU index for the UK also provides valuable information for equity market volatility prediction. Surprisingly, Pakistan and China EPU indices have no significant predictive information for volatility forecasting during the sample period. Lastly, we find evidence of all uncertainty indices during economic upheaval from the COVID-19 pandemic. We obtained identical results even during the Covid-19. Our findings are robust in various evaluation methods, like MCS tests and other forecasting windows.

Sustaining Competitive Advantage During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Aerospace Manufacturing Industry in Malaysia

This study is one of the very few studies investigating the aerospace manufacturing industries hit severely by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, focusing on one of Malaysia's aerospace players. In addition, this study emphasises how an action is engaged to minimise or overcome the impact and effectiveness of strategic moves. PLS-SEM method is used to analyse data gathered from a survey. 30 leadership and executives have been chosen in this survey. Through a comprehensive literature study and survey, this paper presents a guide that illustrates general concepts and processes execution, allowing strategic management personnel to comprehend their market position and identify their long-term objectives. It is an approach to sustained competitive advantages by deliberate internal and external influences towards the change that scribe the marketplace competitive advantage landscape. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The IOMT-Based Risk-Free Approach to Lung Disorders Detection from Exhaled Breath Examination

The lungs are the main fundamental part of the human respiratory system and are among the major organs of the human body. Lung disorders, including Coronavirus (Covid-19), are among the world's deadliest and most life-threatening diseases. Early and social distance-based detection and treatment can save lives as well as protect the rest of humanity. Even though X-rays or Computed Tomography (CT) scans are the imaging techniques to analyze lung-related disorders, medical practitioners still find it challenging to analyze and identify lung cancer from scanned images. unless COVID-19 reaches the lungs, it is unable to be diagnosed. through these modalities. So, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and machine learning-based computer-assisted approaches have been developed and applied to automate these diagnostic procedures. This study also aims at investigating an automated approach for the detection of COVID-19 and lung disorders other than COVID-19 infection in a non-invasive manner at their early stages through the analysis of human breath. Human breath contains several volatile organic compounds, i.e., water vapor (5.0%–6.3%), nitrogen (79%), oxygen (13.6%–16.0%), carbon dioxide (4.0%–5.3%), argon (1%), hydrogen (1 ppm) (parts per million), carbon monoxide (1%), proteins (1%), isoprene (1%), acetone (1%), and ammonia (1%). Beyond these limits, the presence of a certain volatile organic compound (VOC) may indicate a disease. The proposed research not only aims to increase the accuracy of lung disorder detection from breath analysis but also to deploy the model in a real-time environment as a home appliance. Different sensors detect VOC;microcontrollers and machine learning models have been used to detect these lung disorders. Overall, the suggested methodology is accurate, efficient, and non-invasive. The proposed method obtained an accuracy of 93.59%, a sensitivity of 89.59%, a specificity of 94.87%, and an AUC-Value of 0.96. © 2023, Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.

Forecasting the Asian stock market volatility: Evidence from WTI and INE oil futures

This study investigates whether China's crude oil futures (INE) and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) markets hold valuable information for estimating the realized volatility of seven Asian stock markets. This study has several notable findings. First, China's oil futures can trigger forecast accuracy for three equity indices (Nikkei 225, NSEI, and FT Straits Times), whereas WTI helps forecast the volatility of the two indices (KSE 100 and KOSPI). Second, comparing China's crude oil futures with WTI's crude oil futures, we find that the former could be an effective indicator for all seven Asian stock markets during a high-volatility period, while WTI information is helpful in forecasting the volatility of the KSE 100, NSEI, and FT Strait Times during the low-volatility period. Further, information of both oil futures is ineffective for the Hang Seng and SSEC equity indices. Our results are robust in several robustness checks, including alternative evaluation methods, recursive window approach, and alternative realized measures, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistive Telexistence System Using Motion Blending

Robotic avatar and telexistence systems have risen in prominence after the covid-19 pandemic, where current telecommunication methods are limited in terms of physical interaction abilities. Most existing systems focus on manual control of the remote robot, where the robot's arms and head movements follow the user's movements. Despite the effectiveness of such controls in conveying high levels of embodiment, such control methods jeopardize the efficiency of controls, especially for complex physical manipulation tasks, unclear environments, or unstable communication. Therefore, we propose an assistive-manipulation method to augment users' control of a telexistence robot during physical manipulation tasks. Machine Learning (ML) was used in the remote environment to localize target objects. This information is sent to the local environment where an inverse kinematic (IK) solution to hold the intended object is generated. The generated IK solution is fused with the one generated by the user's arm movements. The system enables generating various levels of IK fusion. However, an essential aspect of telexistence is to maintain high levels of embodiment and body ownership over the remote robot. Therefore, the evaluation in this paper focuses on investigating the effect of haptic feedback and the level of IK fusion on body ownership. The results indicate that haptic feedback induced a sense of assurance of task completion and enabling assistance from the system improved the user's sense of control over the robotic arm. © 2022 IEEE.

Psychological Challenges and Coping Strategies Adopted by ICU Nurses during COVID-19 Pandemic in Lahore, Pakistan

Objectives: To explore the psychological challenges faced by Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses during COVID-19 pandemic and to determine the coping strategies which were used by ICU nurses to combat psychological and emotional stress during the health crisis. Study Design: Qualitative phenomenological approach was used to explore the insights of ICU nurses. Study Subjects: Data were collected from 12 ICU nurses till data saturation. Place and Duration: This study was completed in between August 02, 2021 to January 01, 2022 and was conducted at University of Health Sciences Lahore in collaboration with four tertiary care hospitals of Lahore. Result(s): Results of this study revealed that the situation was very chaotic. ICU nurses were prone to stress, fear and anxiety because they were more exposed to coronavirus than any other health care professional. The responses of the COVID-19 ICU nurses were categorized into three main themes. Psychological impact of the pandemic in the early stages, social effects of the pandemic and coping strategies. Conclusion(s): This study concluded that COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the psychological well-being of ICU nurses. Despite of adverse conditions, nurses had adopted certain strategies such as family support, religious support and infection prevention protocols which helped them to reduce their stress and fear during the COVID-19 outbreak. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Design and Fabrication of a Vaccine Refrigeration Box

Lately, vaccination has been a widespread action to fight the pandemic, requiring the vaccines to be sent out to various places at various distances while staying at optimal quality, usually using cooler boxes. However, today's cooler boxes use ice instead of having a continuous refrigeration system. Thus, this paper presents a vaccine refrigeration box design and fabrication that uses a modified thermoelectric system as the refrigeration system, a conventional and solar charging system as its charging system, and a Bluetooth temperature sensor. From the result of the experiment, the box maintained full functionality for 210 minutes after being charged using a solar charging system. In terms of fully charging the power source, the conventional charging system takes 4 hours and 8 hours using the solar charging system. © 2022 IEEE.

Immune Response among Different Types of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines in Iraq

Introduction: COVID-19 vaccine have been indicated to successfully decrease the hazard for symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection furthermore associated hospitalisations. Objective: To study the immune response among different types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Methods: This study includes 100 vaccinated individuals (43 Sinopharm, 30 AstraZeneca and 27 Pfizer) with one or two doses from different health centres in Baghdad. During the period from April 2021 to the end of May 2021, SARS-CoV-2 IgG and SARS-CoV-2 IgM levels were detected using AFIAS-6 device depending on FIA (Fluorescence Immunoassay) technique. Results: 93% of the cases were positive for IgG levels, and negative in 7% cases. Coronavirus IgM concentrations for all individuals were negative. The highest IgG mean level was seen in vaccinated persons with Pfizer than AstraZeneca (34.41, 26.29 respectively) and the lowest mean value was detected in Sinopharm (23.76). There was a significant elevation in IgG levels in the previously infected group in comparison with non-infected individuals. IgG levels decrease in antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 in older individuals compared to younger participants. Also, results reported that SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels increased in males who were vaccinated with Pfizer and AstraZeneca more than females, while there is a significant decrease in IgG levels in vaccinated males with Sinopharm as compared to females. Conclusion: Different vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 produce different levels of IgG. Copyright (c) 2022: Author(s).

Enhancement To The Patient's Health Care Image Encryption System, Using Several Layers Of Dna Computing And Aes (Mlaesdna)

Keeping Patient Health Data Private Has Been A Big Issue For Decades, And This Issue Will Not Go Away Anytime Soon. As An Integral Part Of Many Developing Technologies, Cryptographic Internet Communications Ics (E.G. Fog Computing And Cloud Computing) Are A Main Focus Of Iot Research. Just Keep Trying All The Potential Keys Until You Find The Correct One. New And Future Technologies Must Have A Model Of Dna Cryptography In Order To Assure The Efficient Flow Of These Technologies. Public-Key Cryptography Is Also Required To Make Dna Sequence Testing Devices For The Internet Of Things Interoperable. This Method Employs Dna Layers And Aes In Such A Way That It May Be Easier To Design A Trustworthy Hybrid Encryption Algorithm That Uses Dna Layers And Aes. In Order To Guard Against Brute-Force Decryption Attacks, Dna Sequences Are Encrypted Using Three Keys: (I) The Main Key, Which Is The Key To The Aes Encryption Algorithm;(Ii) The Rule 1 Key, Which Is The Base Dna Structure;And (Iii) The Rule 2 Key, Which Is The Dna Helical Structure Binding Probability. This Key Was Created With Increased Security In Mind. Multi-Layered Aes Encryption And Dna Computing Were Applied To "Covid 19" Images In This Research (Mlaesdna). With Cloud Computing, The Mlaesdna Team Was Able To Show That Iot Signals Could Be Enhanced With Encrypted Data. © The Author 2021. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) that allows others to share and adapt the material for any purpose (even commercially), in any medium with an acknowledgement of the works authorship and initial publication in this journal.

The learning effect on organizational performance during a crisis: a serial mediation analysis with knowledge creation, storage and sharing

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the serially mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) practices (namely, knowledge creation, storage and sharing) on the organizational learning (OL) and organizational performance (OP) relationships during a crisis. Design/methodology/approach: Based on theories-of-action, knowledge-based and resource-based theories, this study proposed a sequential mediation model where OL underlying mechanisms through which KM practices have facilitated OP during the crisis. The sample dataset contains 440 responses collected from the managers of the software development companies in Pakistan. The authors used Hayes Process macro with SPSS to test the study hypotheses. Findings: The results of the study reveal that knowledge creation, storage and sharing serially mediate the relationships between OL and OP. These findings strengthen the argument suggesting that OL plays the key role in KM that helps software companies to mend their performance in times of crisis. Originality/value: This study contributes to the KM literature in two ways: (1) grounded on the study's proposed framework, organizations can improve and manage their businesses in times of crisis and (2) learn how to generate new knowledge in response to business crises. © 2021, Usman Ahmad Qadri, Mazuri Binti abd Ghani, Shumaila Bibi, Abdul Haseeb Tahir, Muhammad Imran Farooq and Abdul Rauf Kashif.

Challenges and Expectations of Online Arabic Language Teaching In The Covid-19 Pandemic Era

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the educational landscape around the world. In this era, higher education institutes offer fully online teaching and learning delivery as an alternative implementation. During the transition period, faculty and students experimented extensively to adapt to the new norms of education. This paper aims to reveal the positive academic experiences of Arabic language teachers during the past semester and their challenges. Belief in one's ability and readiness to face the coming day is essential for the following action plan by those in charge. It becomes an indicator for individuals to equip themselves and not be adequate with existing skills. Data were obtained through a questionnaire instrument to 12 respondents of Arabic language instructors and then analyzed based on the Fuzzy Delphi method. The study lists five (5) positive experiences and three (3) most fundamental challenges of online teaching. Belief in the readiness of implementing online teaching for the coming semester was also expressed. The actual situation of the teaching staff is an essential indicator in evaluating the effectiveness and quality of delivery during the Covid-19 pandemic. The educational landscape is far from changing and will never return to how it was before.

Association of Surgery Delay Related to SARS-CoV-2 with Complications among Pediatric Patients with Inguinal Hernia

Introduction: During the peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, several elective surgical procedures were strategically delayed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether delays in elective pediatric inguinal hernia repair were associated with complications. Methods: We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study at 14 children’s hospitals in the US comparing patients 18 years and younger undergoing inguinal hernia repair during a 6-month period before and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic elective surgical procedure restriction. Patient demographics, interval healthcare utilization, incarceration rates, and operative characteristics were collected. Fisher exact, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and chi-square statistical tests were used for comparison. Results: Of 1,598 patients included in the study, 772 (48.3%) received their operation after elective surgical restrictions, 1,248 (78.1%) were male, and 716 (44.8%) were diagnosed at younger than 1 year. After initiation of restrictions, patients had significantly more days between diagnosis and operation (Fig. 1), but no significant difference in the rate of incarceration (pre 7.64% vs post 5.81%;p = 0.14). There was no significant difference in the median number of days from diagnosis to incarceration (pre 17.5;interquartile range 9 to 64 vs post 24;interquartile range 5 to 71;p = 0.83). After restrictions, diagnosis was more frequently performed via telehealth (pre 0.12% vs post 6.09%) and in the emergency department (pre 9.7% vs post 13.9%;overall p < 0.01). Conclusion: Delays in elective surgery due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were not associated with inguinal hernia complications, but were associated with an increase in diagnosis through telemedicine and emergency department encounters. [Formula presented]

Infection control practices in orthodontics during COVID-19

Aim: To find out infection control practices among orthodontists in Punjab, Pakistan during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross sectional study was conceived from 1.6.2020 to 1.1.2021. A pre-designed proforma was used to find out the infection control practices in orthodontics. Each pre-designed proforma consisted of 10 questions about infection control. The pre-designed proforma was distributed among 50 orthodontists. The response rate was 100%. Results: The results showed that most of the orthodontists were up-dated and in practice of using proper infection control measures while COVID-19. Gloves, PPE, Protective eye wears and face shields were worn by most of the respondents. Most of them were using proper disinfection and sterilization measures. Conclusion: The knowledge and practices of infection control in orthodontics was appropriate and up to standards during COVID-19.

Small-scale fishing families and their daily multiple-stressor on climate change and COVID-19: Preliminary findings

The COVID-19 pandemic situation is still ongoing in many countries in the world, including Indonesia. The positive case continues to increase every day and impacts our life, including the fisheries’ family. The fishery is a vulnerable sector to climate change, and this day worsened by a pandemic situation. This paper aims to understand the resources attached to fishing families facing various pressures and risks, forms of response, and adaptation within the fishing families. During COVID-19 pandemic situation, we have to carried out an online ethnographic approach by online-focused group discussion (FGD) to fisherman group and fisherman wives. Purworejo village was selected as a research site because it is the one with the largest number of small-scale fishing families in Java’s northern coastal area. The results show that various pressures and risks faced by fishery families, not only related to climate change and COVID-19 such as fishing season, limited resources, capital, and access, but also a risk on their internal family. In the context of fishery family resilience, each family member has a role in dealing with stressors, especially economic stressors. Fathers look for fish in the sea almost eight hours a day;children also go to sea when economic conditions continue to deteriorate;even a fisherman’s wife has the same responsibilities as her husband.

The effect of perceived stress on life satisfaction of general population in the time of COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To examine the effect of perceived stress on life satisfaction of general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: This study included 300 individuals (150 women and 150 men) from general population of Islamabad from May to July 2020. The mean age was 30.96 +/- 11.496 years. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used to investigate the variable of interest. Data analysis were computed on SPSS version 23. Results: There was high level of perceived stress and low level of life satisfaction among general population. It also found that perceived stress is a significant negative predictor of life satisfaction, higher the level of perceived stress lower the level of life satisfaction (p<0.001). There were significant gender difference on the level of perceived stress and life satisfaction. (p<0.001) Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic increased stress among general public as a result they have low satisfaction with life.

SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOMEDIASTINUM IN PATIENTS WITH SARS-COV-2 VIRUS (COVID-19)

SESSION TITLE: Medical Student/Resident Disorders of the Mediastinum Posters SESSION TYPE: Med Student/Res Case Rep Postr PRESENTED ON: October 18-21, 2020 INTRODUCTION: In March, 2020 the World Health Organization (“WHO”) declared SARS-CoV-2 as a global pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 viral infection has been noted to present a variety of symptoms including anosmia (loss of sense of smell), dyspnea, cough, fever, diarrhea and acute respiratory failure. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare complication with viral pneumonia. We here present one of the two cases with this finding. CASE PRESENTATION: 63-years-old male presented with fever, chills, and progressive shortness of breath over the past week. Patient was previously diagnosed with corona virus disease with reverse transcriptase RNA PCR test. Past medical history was significant for diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. On presentation, patient was hypoxic (SaO2 84%). Physical examination revealed reduced breath sounds bilaterally and soft-tissue crepitus in bilateral clavicle area. Laboratory test results showed elevated C-reactive protein concentration, leukocytosis, and lymphopenia. Chest Computed Tomography (CT) showed diffuse lower neck/chest wall subcutaneous emphysema with associated diffuse pneumomediastinum and bilateral ground-glass airspace infiltrates (Figure 1,2,3). Patient was started on anti-infective therapy with vancomycin, piperacillin/tazobactam, and azithromycin, and placed on nasal cannula at 4 liter/minute. On day four of admission, patient developed multi-organ failure requiring mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support. Later on day twelve, patient expired due to cardiopulmonary arrest. DISCUSSION: Pneumomediastinum is defined as the presence of free air in the mediastinum with an incidence of 1 in every 25,000 cases in ages between 5-34 years, predominantly found in males. It may be spontaneous from a predisposing factor or due to secondary causes. SARS-CoV-2 is a new addition to secondary pulmonary causes, being reported recently in literature. The pathophysiology of spontaneous pneumomediastinum is explained due to pressure gradient difference between alveoli and lung interstitial tissue. SARS-CoV-2 infects type I and II pneumocytes, disrupting alveolar membrane integrity leading to alveolar rupture and leakage of air into interstitial tissue, as well as severe hypoxemia increasing respiratory effort. Associated clinical symptoms of pneumomediastinum are varying, including dyspnea, although a portion of patient are asymptomatic. Pneumomediastinum is typically identified through chest x-ray with management being primary conservative. CONCLUSIONS: Spontaneous pneumomediastinum in association with SARS-CoV-2 is a serious condition and merits early recognition. Despite early diagnosis and optimal management, the mortality was 100% in our two patients of Covid-19 associated mediastinum. Reference #1: Wang J, Su X, Zhang T, Zheng C. Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum: A Probable Unusual Complication of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pneumonia. Korean J Radiol. 2020;21(5):627-628. doi:10.3348/kjr.2020.0281 Reference #2: Dionísio P, Martins L, Moreira S, et al. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum: experience in 18 patients during the last 12 years. J Bras Pneumol. 2017;43(2):101-105. doi:10.1590/S1806-37562016000000052 Reference #3: Kolani S, Nawfal H, Haloua M, et al. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum occurring in the SARS-COV-2 infection [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 11]. IDCases. 2020;21:e00806. doi:10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00806 DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Darakhshan Ahmad, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Marium Ghani, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Parvez Mir, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Judy Pham, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Yariana Rodriguez-Ortiz, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Phanthira Tamsukhin, source=Web Response