ABSTRACT
This case study examines the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) campus's monthly energy consumption profile in detail to understand how it varies according to academic calendar, seasonal variability, and the recent COVID 19 pandemic. In addition, a detailed assessment of the electricity bill and its sub-component calculations are intended to understand how the energy consumption pattern affects the overall monthly electricity bill. From this study, it is observed that the energy consumption of academic areas, hostel areas, and chiller plants account for 80-90% of total energy consumption. The on-site solar PV energy generation at IITGN campus accounts for 1014% of total monthly energy consumption, which varies greatly by season. The analyses performed in this paper were inferred by three years of historical data of actual energy consumption and monthly electricity bills. Based on the analysis presented in this paper some recommendations towards the energy conservation measures are also given. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
In this paper, a non-singular SIR model with the Mittag-Leffler law is proposed. The nonlinear Beddington-DeAngelis infection rate and Holling type II treatment rate are used. The qualitative properties of the SIR model are discussed in detail. The local and global stability of the model are analyzed. Moreover, some conditions are developed to guarantee local and global asymptotic stability. Finally, numerical simulations are provided to support the theoretical results and used to analyze the impact of face masks, social distancing, quarantine, lockdown, immigration, treatment rate of the disease, and limitation in treatment resources on COVID-19. The graphical results show that face masks, social distancing, quarantine, lockdown, immigration, and effective treatment rates significantly reduce the infected population over time. In contrast, limitation in the availability of treatment raises the infected population. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
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The paper aims to analyse the impact of the COVID outbreak on the currency market. The study considers spot rates of seven major currencies (i.e., EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF, and CHF/JPY). To capture the impact of the outbreak on returns and the volatility of returns of seven currencies during pandemic, the study has segregated in two window periods (i.e., pre- [1st Jan 2019 to 31st Dec, 2019] and post-outbreak of COVID-19 [1st Jan, 2020 to 22nd Dec, 2020]). The study has applied various methods and models (i.e., econometric-based compounded annual growth rate [CAGR], dummy variable regression, and generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity [GARCH]). The result of the study captures the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on three currencies-USD/JPY, AUD/USD, and USD/CHF-and positive significant impact on EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, and CHF/JPY. Investors can take short position in these while having long position in other currencies. The inferences drawn from the analysis are providing insight to investors and hedgers. Copyright © 2022, IGI Global.
ABSTRACT
The huge number of fatalities due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has imposed an unprecedented pressure on existing burial facilities. Thus, mass burial is being used in different parts of the world to cope with this unusual situation. As a dead body might be contagious for at least hours, if not days, there is a need to manage/design/construct the mass burial considering the safe handling of coffins and other environmental, social, economical and ethical/dignity aspects. However, the guidelines of the World Health Organization do not thoroughly address the potential risk associated with groundwater pollution due to mass burial construction. Hence, the present study discusses the potential risk of groundwater pollution in mass burial sites and sheds light on the factors that control the survival/retention of bacteria and viruses in porous media. Furthermore, using the available knowledge on designing/monitoring of municipal/industrial waste disposal sites, a cost-effective and simple construction method of mass burial is proposed to mitigate its potential environmental impact. © 2021 ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has posed severe threats to humans and the geoenvironment. The findings of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (Sars-CoV-2) traces in waste water and the practice of disinfecting outdoor spaces in several cities in the world, which can result into the entry of disinfectants and their by-products into storm drainage systems and their subsequent discharge into rivers and coastal waters, raise the issue of environmental, ecological and public health effects. The aims of the current paper are to investigate the potential of water and waste water to operate as transmission routes for Sars-CoV-2 and the risks of this to public health and the geoenvironment. Additionally, several developing countries are characterised by low water-related disaster resilience and low household water security, with measures for protection of water resources and technologies for clean water and sanitation being substandard or not in place. To mitigate the impact of the pandemic in such cases, practical recommendations are provided herein. The paper calls for the enhancement of research into the migration mechanisms of viruses in various media, as well as in the formation of trihalomethanes and other disinfectant by-products in the geoenvironment, in order to develop robust solutions to combat the effects of the current and future pandemics. © 2021 ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic not only has created a health crisis across the world but is also expected to impact negatively the global economy and societies at a scale that is maybe larger than that of the 2008 financial crisis. Simultaneously, it has inevitably exerted many negative consequences on the geoenvironment on which human beings depend. The current paper articulates the role of environmental geotechnics in elucidating and mitigating the effects of the current pandemic. It is the belief of all authors that the Covid-19 pandemic presents not only significant challenges but also opportunities for the development of the environmental geotechnics field. This discipline should make full use of geoenvironmental researchers' and engineers' professional skills and expertise to look for development opportunities from this crisis, to highlight the irreplaceable position of the discipline in the global fight against pandemics and to contribute to the health and prosperity of communities, to serve humankind better. In order to reach this goal while taking into account the specificity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the uncertainty of its environmental effects, it is believed that more emphasis should be placed on the following research directions: pathogen-soil interactions;isolation and remediation technologies for pathogen-contaminated sites;new materials for pathogen-contaminated soil;recycling and safe disposal of medical wastes;quantification of uncertainty in geoenvironmental and epidemiological problems;emerging technologies and adaptation strategies in civil, geotechnical and geoenvironmental infrastructures;pandemic-induced environmental risk management;and modelling of pathogen transport and fate in geoenvironment, among others. Moreover, Covid-19 has made it clear to the environmental geotechnics community the importance of urgent international co-operation and of multidisciplinary research actions that must extend to a broad range of scientific fields, including medical and public health disciplines, in order to meet the complexities posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. © 2021 ICE Publishing: All rights reserved.
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Aims & Objectives: To evaluate role of hematological parameters in prediction of disease severity and also analyze the trends of NLR and D-Dimer during its course. Patients/Materials & Methods: A retrospective analysis of 83 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 by RT-PCR at Medanta-the Medicity hospital in June 2020 was done. The data included neutrophil- to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), D-Dimer, PT/APTT and platelet count. The patients were divided into 20 critical patients and 63 Noncritical patients group, based on disease severity. The parameters were compared and trends analyzed. Results: The COVID positive cases had a mean age of 56.7 years (Range: 7-84 years) with a male:female ratio of 2.6:1. The critical group had mean age of 64.7 years (Range: 42-76), versus 54.1 years (Range: 7-84) in non-critical group. At admission, the mean NLR in the critical and non-critical group was 12.26 and 5.7. Further, the critical and non-critical group had NLR>3.13 in 19 cases (95%) and 49 cases (77.8%), respectively. On receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, predictive ability of NLR for detection of critical patients was significant(p value = 0.0001;AUC:0.779) with optimal cut-off value of 6.01, having 85% sensitivity, 68.9% specificity and ∼ 93.5% negative predictable value (NPV). The mean D-Dimer value in critical and non-critical group on Day-4 of admission was 18.89 mg/L and 2.48 mg/L. Moreover, the D-Dimer>0.55 mg/L were seen in 17 critical cases (85%) in contrast with 35 non-critical cases (55.5%). On ROC analysis, the ability of D-Dimer in predicting disease severity was significant( p value = 0.0001;AUC:0.896) with optimal cut-off value of 2.27 mg/L, having 85% sensitivity, 76.2% specificity and NPV ∼ 94.1%. On trend analysis, it was observed that the D-Dimer and NLR showed a progressive upward trend in critical patients, whereas there were more of plateau/declining values in non-critical patients. PT was mildly prolonged in 14 critical patients (70%) and 13 non- critical patients (40.6%). The mean platelet counts were similar in both the groups. Discussion & Conclusion: The study shows that the severity of the disease is more in elderly (Mean age: 64.7 years). Also, at admission NLR>6.05 and Day-4 D-Dimer>2.27 mg/L are significantly predictive of disease severity and such patients should receive prompt treatment to minimize further sequel and morbidities.