Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Aviation Industry in India

The goal of the paper is to assess early economics impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry as it is one of the hardest hit industries. Covid-19 has an unprecedented impact on the international passenger seat capacity and gross passenger operating revenues of airlines. In the first part, we look at the impact of the pandemic on the economy as a whole and subsequently look at the economic cost of airlines. Two main elements are driving this negative trend - travel restrictions and overall economic development. We are currently experiencing the tightest international travel restrictions in the modern era of flight transportation with the economies worldwide experiencing a greater decline in GDP than during the last 3 recessions. In the second part, we look at two out of many possible path scenarios which are likely to drive the trend: V-shaped path and U-shaped path. All pandemic outbreaks before followed V-shaped scenario but Covid-19 has paralyzed the society for longer with stricter governmental measures and so U-shaped scenario has to be taken into account as the most likely outcome for the aviation industry during this pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the Aviation Industry in India

The goal of the paper is to assess early economics impact of Covid-19 on the aviation industry as it is one of the hardest hit industries. Covid-19 has an unprecedented impact on the international passenger seat capacity and gross passenger operating revenues of airlines. In the first part, we look at the impact of the pandemic on the economy as a whole and subsequently look at the economic cost of airlines. Two main elements are driving this negative trend - travel restrictions and overall economic development. We are currently experiencing the tightest international travel restrictions in the modern era of flight transportation with the economies worldwide experiencing a greater decline in GDP than during the last 3 recessions. In the second part, we look at two out of many possible path scenarios which are likely to drive the trend: V-shaped path and U-shaped path. All pandemic outbreaks before followed V-shaped scenario but Covid-19 has paralyzed the society for longer with stricter governmental measures and so U-shaped scenario has to be taken into account as the most likely outcome for the aviation industry during this pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.

Er-Resident S1pr1 in Lung Endothelium Regulates Innate Immune Function and Mediates Inflammatory Lung Injury

Endothelial-cell surface localized sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) is known to promote anti-inflammatory and barrier enhancing niche upon ligating S1P. Recently we showed that S1P and TNFalpha, later being a well-known inflammatory agonist, phosphorylate S1PR1 at tyrosine143 (Y143 ) which functions as an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) import signal (Anwar et al, 2021). ER-retained S1PR1 instructs barrier disruptive signaling but the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we generated S1PR1 knock-in mice using CRISPR-Cas9 strategy to edit endogenous S1PR1 into Y143D-S1PR1 (phospho mimicking) or Y143F-S1PR1 (phosphodefective) to test the hypothesis that ER-localized S1PR1 subverts EC from anti-inflammatory to pro-inflammatory EC leading to vascular injury. Because EC constitutes about 50% of cells in the lungs, we assessed if knock-in of Y143 DS1PR1 impaired lung homeostasis. We show that editing of S1PR1 into Y143D- or Y143F-S1PR1 did not alter total S1PR1 expression. Interestingly, Y143D-S1PR1 knock-in mice showed marked vascular leak at homeostasis along with increased neutrophil influx and inflammatory cytokine generation including TNFalpha, IL1beta and MiP2 as compared to Y143F-S1PR1 or WT mice. We next challenge these mice with intratracheal LPS. LPS-induced non-resolvable vascular inflammatory injury in Y143D-S1PR1 mice. Surprisingly, Y143F-S1PR1 knock-in mice did not develop vascular inflammatory injury. Furthermore, NFkappaB activity, a predominant transcription factor inducing inflammatory EC phenotype, was increased in EC transducing Y143D-S1PR1 mutant as compared to WT. However, TNFalpha failed to induce NFkB activity in EC transducing Y143F-S1PR1 mutant. Together, these results show that ER-resident S1PR1 program endothelial niche into immune-active niche by activating NFkB pathway leading to irreparable lung injury. Further experiments are being done to assess epigenetic changes (ATACseq and ChIP-Seq) in EC to address the concept the ER- resident S1PR1 controls the fate of immune cells in the lungs. We believe that understanding how ER-resident S1PR1 programs EC into inflammatory phenotype would allow development of new targets for treating the inflammatory vascular diseases including lung injury, ARDS, and COVID-19 .

Predictors of Post-Operative Hypocalcemia after Thyroidectomy at an Apex Care Centre in North-Western India: A Prospective Cohort Study

Aim: Post operative hypocalcaemia is the most frequent complication following thyroidectomy. It can be permanent or transient hypoparathyroidism of which the incidence of permanent hypoparathyroidism is less than 3 %. This study aimed to evaluate and identify the predictors of postoperative hypocalcaemia in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. Methodology: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 52 patients at an apex care institute. Preoperative testing for serum calcium, Parathormone (PTH) and Vitamin D were done on the day of surgery. These patients were subjected to surgery as per standard protocol. Postoperative testing for PTH was done 24 hours after surgery and serum calcium on day 0 and 1. All patients were assessed clinically for signs and symptoms of hypocalcemia till 48 hours post operatively and they were correlated with biochemical parameters and season in which surgery was performed. Result(s): A total of 52 patients were operated in our institute over a period of 18 months in the midst of COVID 19 outbreaks. Both hemi thyroidectomy (40) and total thyroidectomy (12) patients were included in the study. One significant finding was the low levels of preoperative Vitamin D values among 90% of the subjects. Out of the 52 patients, 12 underwent total thyroidectomy and 40 underwent hemi thyroidectomy as per standard protocols. 54% of the patients of total thyroidectomy and 52% of the patients of hemi thyroidectomy developed clinical as well as biochemical hypocalcemia over a period of 48 hours and were managed as per standard protocol. 38% of the patients were having low calcium values preoperatively and a statistically significant correlation was found between preoperative low calcium value and development of postoperative clinical hypocalcemia (P value 0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation between Pre operative Vitamin D level and season of surgery with postoperative clinical hypocalcemia. Conclusion(s): All patients being planned for surgery, whether it is total or hemi thyroidectomy should undergo preoperative serum calcium evaluation and necessary correction if required, since preoperative low calcium is a clear predictor of post thyroidectomy clinical hypocalcemia. Further studies are required to correlate relation between Vit. D level and postoperative hypocalcemia.

Automated Exam Proctoring using Support Vector Machine and Histogram of Oriented Gradients

Online learning has grown exponentially since the Covid-19 outbreak. Educational organizations are forced to stop their regular curriculum. Using remote communication software, students are able to pursue their educational curriculums. This paper proposes a multimedia exam proctoring system based on face recognition and object capturing systems. System hardware includes a webcam only. Dlib is used for facial detection and face landmark detection. The OpenCV Caffe model is then utilised to appropriately locate and sketch the face. YOLOv3 is used to detect objects. Onfocus event is used for tab detection. By combining all these, an exam proctoring system is developed which can classify if the student is found cheating and is then informed to the examiner. © 2022 IEEE.

Climate change and COVID-19: An interplay

During the last decade, the world has been assessing the adverse effects of climate change on human life, animal life, and plant life. It has been accepted by all Governments and experts that even a 1.5°C-2°C rise in atmospheric temperature will be playing a havoc on our planet. The near unanimity of all countries, which matter, led to the historic Paris agreement for reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases' emission levels. Efforts by all stakeholders were on to control and contain the disruptive effects of climate change. Amidst these efforts, yet another disruptor, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus, COVID-19 struck. We are grappling with its ferocity since January 2020. Most countries have imposed restrictions on the movement of personnel and goods to contain the disease and to stop its spread to new areas. This has led to a large-scale suspension of industrial activities across sectors. Most severely hit are persons and organizations associated with transportation, tourism, and hospitality. Trade and commerce have also been adversely affected by the disruption of supply chains. The industrial production is down and a fall in GDPs more severe than the one caused by the recession of 2008 is feared. In a nutshell, the entire mankind is under economic and social stress due to the suspension of various human activities in its fight against the pandemic. But this suspension of activities has seen some pleasing returns too in the form of cleaner air in most cities across continents. A natural question that comes to one's mind is as to how would the effect of these two disruptors, the ongoing pandemic and man's fight against climate change, affect each other. In this chapter, the short-term and long-term effects of these disruptors are identified, the factors influencing the efforts by various stakeholders are discussed, and pitfalls that may come in the path are highlighted by looking at the similarities and differences in the two disruptors. Finally, a road map for the planners in the light of these discussions is suggested. © 2021 River Publishers. All rights reserved.

Operationalising the "One Health" approach in India: facilitators of and barriers to effective cross-sector convergence for zoonoses prevention and control.

BACKGROUND: There is a strong policy impetus for the One Health cross-sectoral approach to address the complex challenge of zoonotic diseases, particularly in low/lower middle income countries (LMICs). Yet the implementation of this approach in LMIC contexts such as India has proven challenging, due partly to the relatively limited practical guidance and understanding on how to foster and sustain cross-sector collaborations. This study addresses this gap by exploring the facilitators of and barriers to successful convergence between the human, animal and environmental health sectors in India. METHODS: A mixed methods study was conducted using a detailed content review of national policy documents and in-depth semi-structured interview data on zoonotic disease management in India. In total, 29 policy documents were reviewed and 15 key informant interviews were undertaken with national and state level policymakers, disease managers and experts operating within the human-animal-environment interface of zoonotic disease control. RESULTS: Our findings suggest that there is limited policy visibility of zoonotic diseases, although global zoonoses, especially those identified to be of pandemic potential by international organisations (e.g. CDC, WHO and OIE) rather than local, high burden endemic diseases, have high recognition in the existing policy agenda setting. Despite the widespread acknowledgement of the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration, a myriad of factors operated to either constrain or facilitate the success of cross-sectoral convergence at different stages (i.e. information-sharing, undertaking common activities and merging resources and infrastructure) of cross-sectoral action. Importantly, participants identified the lack of supportive policies, conflicting departmental priorities and limited institutional capacities as major barriers that hamper effective cross-sectoral collaboration on zoonotic disease control. Building on existing informal inter-personal relationships and collaboration platforms were suggested by participants as the way forward. CONCLUSION: Our findings point to the importance of strengthening existing national policy frameworks as a first step for leveraging cross-sectoral capacity for improved disease surveillance and interventions. This requires the contextual adaptation of the One Health approach in a manner that is sensitive to the underlying socio-political, institutional and cultural context that determines and shapes outcomes of cross-sector collaborative arrangements.

Clinical and demographic profile of mild covid-19 disease: The experience of a single center in India

Over the small period of time COVID-19 has become a global pandemic and affected hundreds of countries all over the world. The main objective of our study is to report clinical and demographic profile of mild cases of COVID-19 disease. It is a descriptive study of 105 COVID-19 positive patients whose diagnosis was confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The clinical, radiological and laboratory data were collected including age, sex, contact history, symptoms, duration of stay and swab conversion rate. The mean age of population was 39.75 years with a male preponderance. The most common symptom noted was sore throat (29.52%) followed by fever (26.67%). The vital and laboratory parameters were normal in all. All patients recovered with no residual symptoms. We used the innovative 40 step test to early identity deterioration. Eight cases were transferred to high dependency unit/intensive care in view of breathlessness & desaturation in oxygen level and recovered completely. We had no deaths. © 2020, Technogramma. All rights reserved.

Reactive urticaria and severe thrombocytosis in a child with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has made a significant impact around the world through COVID-19 and its related complications. Individuals with comorbid conditions and the elderly have been at risk of significant inflammatory complications, including the cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Children, on the other hand, have been less affected and have had less severe disease. However, reports from Europe and North America have described clusters of children and adolescents with paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Both adults and children have also exhibited a number of unusual disease manifestations. We present the case of a South African child, infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), presenting with reactive urticaria and thrombocytosis, further broadening the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 in children.