ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 epidemic has strained healthcare systems, causing stress among personnel and facing significant economic and social issues. COVID-19 patients have significant symptoms, necessitating prompt treatment. It is a global urgency to develop effective vaccinations against COVID-19. Quick immunization of the whole world population against an ever-changing, extremely deadly virus is alarming, and various vaccine techniques are being researched. Bacteriophages are helpful in the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. But, their clinical efficacy may go far beyond. One of the most significant bioproducts in medicine is thought to be vaccines. Vaccines for a variety of diseases have been made. However, certain vaccinations have disadvantages, such as high prices and immunological responses. In this regard, the use of bacteriophages has been suggested as an exciting alternative for making more inexpensive vaccines. Bacteriophage-displayed vaccines are based on the antigens being expressed on the phage surface. This tactic uses the inherent advantages of these particles, including their high stability, inexpensive production, and adjuvant capacity. Phage-displayed, phages DNA and hybrid phage-DNA vaccines are the three phage-based vaccines that are currently offered. The traditional method for finding novel barrier protection epitopes, antigens, and mimotopes is phage display. In this frame of reference, phage particles serve as a versatile, effective, and promising strategy for making vaccine delivery systems that are more effective and should be widely applied in the future. The phage-vaccine technique can potentially address the growing demand for innovative vaccinations against emerging diseases. This short communication addresses bacteriophage uses in vaccine development and discusses recent developments in bacteriophage-based vaccinations. It also focuses on and describes bacteriophages as a novel vaccine candidate for COVID-19. © Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: Marketing is all about understanding your consumers and giving them what they want. However, this process becomes more complicated in times of economic crisis and national slowdown. Consumers can become scattered and unpredictable in their behaviour, making it hard to understand what they want or need. At times like these, it is more important than ever to rely on qualitative market research to understand the views of consumers and managers. Thus, this study aims to look at the significant consumer challenges that arise during times of crisis and the marketing strategies that managers prefer to counter the crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The data collected for this study involves an extensive literature review followed by personal interviews with industry experts. This study presents two separate models, indicating hierarchical relationships among consumer challenges during crisis and marketing strategies using the total interpretive structural modelling approach. Further MICMAC analysis (popularly known as cross-impact matrix multiplication) was also performed to assess each variable's driving and dependence power. Findings: "Price sensitiveness” and "adaptive buying” result as driving factors with the highest driving and lowest dependence power, which further gives rise to other consumer behaviour challenges. Likewise, the most critical strategies are "information systems” and the formation of "crisis management teams” during a crisis. At the same time, other strategies have resulted as linkage and dependent factors and none as the autonomous factor. Originality/value: This paper provides a systematic understanding of how a manager can understand the challenges consumers face during a crisis and suggests a powerful summary of strategies companies can implement to sail through a crisis. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the viability of the extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Model 3 (UTAUT3) model among the teachers especially during COVID-19 towards the use of technology. Design/methodology/approach: An extensive primary survey has been conducted through a well-structured tool under UTAUT3 model. The survey is conducted among 450 teachers from various institutions taken for the study. The data was collected from the Northern India. The data analysis will be done through the SmartPLS software with application of structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings: The results are strong for educators and policy makers. It was found that performance expectancy is positively related to the behavioural intentions among teachers. Teachers consider that usage of technology will boost their job and task performance. Practical implications: This study has a very strong implications in the field of education in case or replacement of traditional teaching patterns with modern one during pandemic times. It will be effective if teachers would prioritize their work. There will be more effective teaching and learning system in future. Originality/value: The study validates the constructs of UTAUT3 model in understanding teachers' behaviour and attitude towards technology acceptance. Furthermore, the study invites research from different viewpoint to investigate the role of UTAUT3 model in an individuals' behaviour and attitude towards technology acceptance. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: There are several methods developed in the recent past to predict the spread of COVID-19 in different countries. However, due to changing scenarios in terms of interaction among people, none could predict the case close to the actual figures. An attempt to simulate people's interaction due to economic reopening concerning the confirmed cases at various places as per changing situation has been made. The scenario development method's base lies in the hypothesis that if there were no inter-state transportation during India's lockdown after May 24th, the number of infection cases would have started lowering down in a normalized progression. Design/methodology/approach: This study has developed three scenarios from the worst to the business-as-usual to the best in order to project the COVID-19 infections in India concerning infections observed from January 30th till May 24th, 2020, since the domestic flights became operational from May 25th, 2020, in India. Findings: Based on the observed cases till May 24th, the rise of cases is projected further in a random progression and superimposed to the normal progression. The results obtained in the three scenarios present that worst case needs complete lockdown, business-as-usual case needs regulatory lockdown and best case assures complete lockdown release by the second week of September 2020. This study suggests the preparedness and mitigation strategy for a threefold lockdown management scheme in all-inclusive. Originality/value: The work has been done on a hypothesis which is solely original. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.