Herbal Immunomodulators and COVID-19

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) globally affects the people's health and social life, and it became a challenging task for pharma and research communities. Several medical research or scientific institutions are trying to develop potent antiviral vaccine/drugs against the coronavirus. There are urgent needs to explore all the possibilities against the pandemic disease, and, among that, it is well cited in many literature that Ayurveda has an important role since ancient time against many viral diseases. The Ayurvedic medicinal system is mainly based on herbal formulations, which boost the immune system or work synergistically to protect our body against invading harmfull micro-organisms. The herbal medicinal system has identified several herbs used in various home remedies. It is thought to effectively fight corona and improve health immunity;the current chapter describes the therapeutics of plants Phyllanthus emblica, Azadirachta indica, and Swertia chirata in the current scenario against COVID-19. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Automated flood inundation mapping over Ganga basin

The worldwide appearance of COVID-19 halted all activity and caused the longest statewide lockdown. These wreaked havoc on people's livelihoods. The July 2020 floods also caused severe challenges. It adds anguish to the lives of those seeking to regulate COVID-19. It reduces catastrophe risk in other industries. Real-time information from space-based sensors is needed for a quick response. Using a cloud-based platform like Google earth engine (GEE), SAR pictures are analyzed automatically. This research shows the possibilities of automated procedures and algorithms on cloud-based systems. The findings provide flood extent maps for the lower Ganga basin, in India. Severe floods affected a large population in Bihar and West Bengal. This research provides a rapid and exact estimate of flooded regions to aid in risk assessment, notably during COVID-19. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Covid-19 Vaccine-Induced Myositis

Background/Aims Through the COVID pandemic there have emerged reports of autoimmunity or new rheumatic diseases presenting in patients after they had COVID-19. This is thought to be caused by cross-reactivity of the COVID-19 spike protein to human antigens. Given the use of mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations which express the spike protein we might expect to see presentation of new rheumatic diseases following their use. We discuss a case where this appears to have occurred. Methods Our patient is a 24-year-old male with mixed phenotype acute leukaemia who had been treated with allogenic stem cell transplant and was currently in remission. He presented with fevers, palpitations, myalgia and bilateral arm and leg swelling. Symptoms began the day after receiving the first dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccination (Pfizer/BioNTech.) There were no other symptoms or recent change in medications. Physical examination revealed tender oedema in his forearms, biceps and thighs bilaterally with sparring of the hands. He had reduced power with shoulder (MRC 3/5), elbow (4), wrist (4+) and hip (4) movements. Observations revealed tachycardia and fevers up to 40C. Results Laboratory studies showed markedly elevated C-reactive protein (202), creatinine kinase (6697) and troponin (593) whilst investigations for infection were negative. An autoimmune panel was positive for anti- PM-SCL-75-Ab. An electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia. Echocardiogram was normal. Bilateral upper limb dopplers revealed no deep vein thrombus. An MRI of his thighs showed diffuse symmetrical oedema within the muscles, in keeping with an inflammatory myositis. A quadricep muscle biopsy showed evidence of MHC class 1 up-regulation, suggesting an inflammatory process. In addition, there were numerous macrophages evident in the endomysium. While this can be seen in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), they would usually be found in the perimysium. After discussion between haematology, rheumatology and neurology, this was felt to be a case of vaccine induced myositis and myocarditis. Autoimmune myositis was thought to be less likely due to the relative sparing of the hands and the absence of Raynaud's phenomenon. 1 gram of intravenous methylprednisolone was then given for 3 days. The patient had a marked response with defervescence, improving laboratory markers, improved myalgia and decreased limb swelling. The patient was stepped down to a reducing regime of prednisolone and discharged. Due to relapse whilst weaning he has started on mycophenalate mofetil and rituximab and now continues to improve. Conclusion There are case reports of myositis following COVID-19 vaccination but our patient's case is complicated by the differential diagnosis of GVHD and concurrent myocarditis. Ongoing work is needed to clarify the exact link between vaccination and the presentation of a new inflammatory myositis, but it is important to recognise and start treatment early in order to preserve muscle bulk and ensure recovery.

Empirical Analysis of Epidemic Deceases Model using the Effect of Social Distancing

An epidemic model is employed to examine the dynamics of infectious disease transmission. They make predictions about the rate at which an epidemic will spread, how severe the disease will be, and other factors. The Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (is also known as SIR) model, is a straightforward epidemic model [1]. SIR models codify the most straightforward method to conceptualize an epidemic. The Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered model (known as SEIR) just expands on the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered model by including a further equation of exposed individuals. Persons get contaminated but are not yet contagious throughout a long time of isolation for some serious contaminations. The person is in compartment E (for exposed) at this time[3]. The impact of social estrangement has been examined in the research. © 2022 IEEE.

Infectivity, Morbidity, Emerged Variants of SARS-CoV-2 and Vaccination in Indian Perspectives from First Wave to Second Wave of COVID-19

More than one year since coronavirus disease 2019 was declared a deadly disease by World Health Organization, the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 continues to disrupt public life worldwide. Several nations have seen a two-wave design in revealed instances of COVID 19 pandemic, with a first wave of infection during early 2K20 followed by the ongoing second wave. An investigation of the predominance of COVID-19 in India from the first wave to the second wave was utilized to characterize critical contrasts, infection patterns, lethality, and therapeutic measures through extensive vaccination pan-India free of cost. The quantitative transmission brought about COVID-19, including meteorological boundaries and topographical locale information, was gathered using web search tools and available literature and substantiated by factual advanced numerical tools. Experimental information showed that the qualities of the infection impacts do change between the two-time frames. The examination between the first wave and second wave, where COVID-19 flare-ups were now turning out to be scourged, was contemplated. Contrasts in age reach and seriousness of the infection have been accounted for, albeit the relative qualities of the two waves remain to a great extent obscure. The present investigation recommends that variability in environmental temperature and moisture contents may not be the significant components influencing the COVID-19 mortality during different waves of infection. The second wave of COVID-19 is influencing a large portion of the world, and especially the middle age group person relies on the principal top. © 2022 by the authors.

Lipid based nanocarriers: Production techniques, concepts, and commercialization aspect

Over the past decade, compared to all other macromolecules lipid-based nanocarriers have proven to be an excellent carrier and delivery system for various pharmaceutical drugs of poor bioavailability. In addition to that, they exhibit exceptional qualities such as minimal toxicity, economical scale-up production, great biocompatibility, and high drug loading efficiency. In this study, we have discussed the various types of lipid nanoparticles, such as liposomes, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, and lipid polymer hybrid nanoparticles. We have also conferred in detail, the composition, shape and size, methods of preparation, advantages, and certain limitations associated with these lipid-based nanocarriers. Additionally, we have exclusively accounted for several examples of lipid-based nanomedicines that have either been approved and commercialized or are under the different phases of clinical trials. The current review overall focuses on the up-to-date research that has recently been published in view of developing lipid-based nanocarriers for various biological applications, including gene therapy, breast cancer therapy, and vaccine development.Copyright © 2022

The impact of age and gender on mortality from COVID19 at A UK Hospital

Rationale: Age poses greater mortality risk to COVID-19 patients. This may be due to co-morbidities and age-related impairment of immunity. It has been shown that females are more likely to be infected however, severe disease is more often seen in males, which could be explained by greater levels of interferon-gamma promoter activity driven by oestrogen in females in addition to higher levels of IgG antibody providing more protection. We aim to investigate the effects of age and gender on the mortality rate in patients with COVID-19. Method(s): A retrospective study of all in-patients aged >= 18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 during the first and second waves of the pandemic. Admission CXRs were analysed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-Squared Test for independence. Result(s): 1759 COVID-19 patients were included in the study, of which 481 were aged <65 years and 982 were aged > 65 years. The study had 967 males and 792 females. We found a higher mortality rate in those aged > 65 (41%) compared to those aged <65 years (18%) (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in the mortality rates between both genders. However, interestingly males had a greater severity of pneumonitis (22%) on CXRs compared to females (13%) (P=0.01). Conclusion(s): Our study demonstrated a positive correlation between increasing age and mortality with males showing a greater disease severity. This data should be considered when stratifying at risk groups and prioritising them for early intervention.

To assess the diagnostic and prognostic ability of CXRs in COVID-19 pneumonitis

Rationale: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the deaths of millions with its ability to cause severe pneumonia. Diagnosis is based on PCR testing which has many limitations: lengthy turnaround times, lack of universal availability and variance in sensitivity. Imaging such as CXR could be a valuable and faster aid in diagnosing COVID-19 compared to PCR. It is widely available, cheap and can be performed at the bedside- enabling a rapid turnover of patients whilst minimising cross-link infection. However only a few studies have assessed its prognostic value. We aim to analyse the diagnostic accuracy of CXR in COVID-19 and to assess if severity of COVID pneumonitis on CXR correlated with mortality. Method(s): A retrospective study of all in-patients aged >= 18 years with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 during the first and second waves of the pandemic. Admission CXRs and in-patient CT Thorax scans were analysed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Chi-Squared Test for independence. Result(s): 999 COVID-19 patients were included in the study. Severity of COVID pneumonitis on CXR correlated with mortality when patients were grouped into the following categories: normal (n=161, mortality=42%), mild (n=220,mortality=33%) moderate, (n=328, mortality=42%) and severe (n=290, mortality=58%) (P<0.001). 251 patients had both CT and CXRs. CT scans were superior in diagnosing COVID pneumonitis (63%) compared to CXR (47%) (P<0.001). Conclusion(s): Our study showed a positive correlation between the severity of COVID pneumonitis on CXR and mortality, supporting the use of CXR in the ED to help rapidly identify and treat patients at high risk of death.

Non-invasive treatment of recalcitrant keloids with contact brachytherapy using Phosphorus 32 skin patch and its effectiveness: a pilot study

Aim/Introduction: The keloids are benign dermal fibroproliferative tumors. Recalcitrant keloids are those that are unresponsive or recurred multiple times on the standard routine treatment. We analyzed the effect of the 32P skin patch on recalcitrant keloids in the Indian population. Material(s) and Method(s): 32P skin patch was applied locally for 3 hours, so to deliver 30 Gy of total radiation dose to the patients. Then patients were follow-up at 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months intervals. On each follow-up, HR USG was done for assessing the change in the dimensions of the lesion (thickness, length, and breath). VAS scores of pain and pruritis were also noted in all patients. Result(s): We found that there is a reduction in the thickness of recalcitrant keloids after applying a 32P skin patch with 30 Gy of the total dose in this single-arm trial using RM Anova with the post hoc test. Friedman's test was used for analyzing the VAS for pain and pruritis. Because of missed follow-ups in COVID, we analyzed the patients as two datasets: one with 6 months followup (recalcitrant lesions, n=9) and another with 4 months follow-up (n=24). There was a significant difference in thickness of recalcitrant keloids over 6 months and 4 months(p<0.01). The percent change from baseline on first, second, and third follow-up was 21%,28%, and 43%, respectively, for 9 recalcitrant keloids. The percent change from baseline on first and second follow-up was 22.1 % and 31.1%, respectively, for 24 recalcitrant keloids. So upon 30 Gy of dose by P32 skin patch, it showed a 22- 43% reduction in recalcitrant keloid thickness. However, visually, all patients showed complete resolution. There is a decrease in pruritis upon patch application over 4 months. The pain was uncommentable because 20/27 lesions had no pain during the baseline (VAS score of 0/10). All the patients experienced subjective symptomatic relief in pain and pruritis after the patch therapy. Conclusion(s): The decrease in thickness implies the effect of the 32P skin patch on recalcitrant keloids. Hence there was an optimum change of thickness from baseline with 6 months follow-up. No recurrence up to 6 months was observed during the follow-up. All the patients experienced subjective symptomatic relief in pain and pruritis after the patch therapy. So 32P skin patch is a cheap, non-invasive, effective treatment for recalcitrant keloids.

Impact of Parent's Satisfaction on Children's Online Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of parent satisfaction on Children's online learning for Primary Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Independent variables are Child competency, Technical Problems, Duration of online learning, and several assignments. The research method is a quantitative approach with Primary data analysis using Google form. The population in this study was the parents of the Primary school students who are following the Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Primary Education at the Open University of Sri Lanka using a simple random sampling method. Respondents of 102 data analyses were done through descriptive statistics, Pearson Correlation, and Regression and were analyzed using SPSS. By using a structured questionnaire with five Likert scales from strongly disagree to strongly agree measured independent and dependent variables. The results of this study are independent variables had a significant impact on parents' satisfaction with online learning. But Technical Problem was not significant in parents' satisfaction with online learning. The moderation effect explains the association between the following three factors, the number of online assignments, the duration of online learning, and parents' satisfaction. According to the Child competency, Parents were more satisfied with their children's online learning. Researchers may use this article as literature or supplementary material for future research.

Epidemiological and clinical profile of Laboratory confirmed cases of COVID 19 admitted in Tertiary care Hospital Jammu, J&K

Background: Three or more waves of COVID 19 pandemic have hit the different parts of world including India very hard, taking toll on the lives of people both in terms of morbidity and mortality. Keeping this in mind, the present study was conducted with an aim to determine the socio-demographic and clinical profile of laboratory confirmed COVID 19 cases and to determine their association with oxygen requirement and outcome of disease at the time of discharge. Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted on lab confirmed COVID 19 cases admitted in tertiary care hospital in Jammu from June-July 2021.Data was collected using convenient sampling method. The self-designed questionnaire used for data collection obtained information regarding socio-demographic characteristics of patients as well as clinical features of the disease. Results: Out of total 161 patients studied, 60.8% were males and 39.2% were females. Mean age was 51.2 +/- 17.5 years. Comorbid conditions were present in 37.8% patients, with hypertension being the most common ( 36%). Cough, Fever, breathlessness and myalgia were the main presenting symptoms (90%, 81%, 57.7% and 56% respectively). The variables which were found to have statistically significant association with oxygen requirement and the outcome of disease at the time of discharge were age, gender and presence of co-morbidity (p <0.05). Conclusions: Advancing age, male gender and presence of underlying co-morbidity were found to be significant risk factors for the requirement of oxygen and poor outcome of the disease.

Comparison of Clinical Profile and in-Hospital Outcomes of Communityacquired Versus Hospital-Acquired Acute Kidney Injury in Hospitalized Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a clinical syndrome denoted by an abrupt decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) sufficient to decrease the elimination of nitrogenous waste products (urea and creatinine) and other uremic toxins. Based on the type of setting AKI can be Community Acquired (CA-AKI) or Hospital Acquired (HA-AKI). These two types have different epidemiological etiological and outcome profiles and these characteristics have remained inconclusive. As far as the etiological spectrum is concerned;previous studies have demonstrated a varied spectrum in both these groups. Very few studies comparing the outcome of CA-AKI and HA-AKI were found in the literature search. There is a paucity of relevant comparative Indian studies on these two types of AKI. Hence this prospective observational study was undertaken to compare the demographic and clinical spectrum and short-term in-hospital outcomes of patients belonging to both these groups who were admitted to the largest tertiary care government teaching hospital in the state of Uttarakhand. AIM OF THE STUDY: To compare the demographic and clinical spectrum and short-term in-hospital outcomes of community-acquired versus hospital-acquired Acute Kidney Injury in hospitalized patients METHODS: It is a prospective cohort study conducted from October 2020 to December 2021. The study was conducted in the In-Patient Department (IPD) areas of the Department of Nephrology and all those departments whose consultations for patients with suspected AKI were sent to the Department of Nephrology at AIIMS Rishikesh. Patients fulfilling the following inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study- Age -18 years and the patients diagnosed as having AKI as per KDIGO 2012 definition. Those aged <18 years of age and those with CKD or Acute on CKD were excluded from the study. CKD was defined as per the KDIGO 2012 definition. Each enrolled patient was classified as having Community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI) or Hospital-acquired AKI (HA-AKI). Those admitted to the hospital with AKI were denoted as having CA-AKI. In contrast, patients were identified as having HA-AKI when AKI was not apparent upon hospital admission but was diagnosed beyond 24 hours of hospitalization. The sample size of 65 in community-acquired AKI and 32 in the hospital-acquired AKI group was calculated. Study subjects underwent detailed history clinical examination and relevant investigations required in the management of AKI episodes. The stage of AKI at presentation was assessed as per KDIGO Clinical Practice Guidelines for Acute Kidney Injury 2012. Ethical clearance was obtained. RESULT(S): A total of 65 patients with CA-AKI and 32 patients with HA-AKI were enrolled. The mean age of patients in the CA-AKI group was 46.7 years and in the HA-AKI group was 45.5 years. The CA-AKI group had significantly higher-baseline serum creatinine (P < 0.001), serum creatinine at admission (P < 0.001), proportion of male patients (P = 0.09), proportion of patients requiring renal replacement therapy (P = 0.02), proportion of patients getting admitted to medical IPDs (P < 0.001), proportion of patients whose baseline creatinine was unknown (P < 0.001), proportion of patients presenting in Stage 3 of AKI (P = 0.001), proportion of patients having oligoanuria (P = 0.09) and hyperkalemia (P = 0.06) at presentation. The HA-AKI group, on the other hand, was found to have a significantly higher- proportion of patients getting admitted to surgical IPDs (P < 0.001), proportion of patients who underwent a prior surgical procedure (P < 0.001), proportion of patients having coexisting lung disease (P = 0.09), liver disease (P = 0.03), heart disease (P = 0.06) and COVID-19 (P = 0.04). Sepsis was found to be the most common cause (70.7%) in the CA-AKI group and was also one of the common causes (28.12%) in the HA-AKI group. Despite more patients in the CA-AKI group being in AKI-Stage 3 at presentation, in-hospital mortality was observed to be lower in this group (35.4% versus 62.5%, P = 0.04). The median survival time of patients was und to be more than double in the CA-AKI than in the HA-AKI group (59 days versus 23 days). However, on comparing the overall survival using the log-rank test, both groups were found to be comparable (chi-square value 1.82, p-value 0.18). Univariate analysis for predictors of mortality showed that the type of AKI (CA vs HA) (P = 0.01), type of admission (ward vs ICU) (P = 0.001), surgical procedure prior to AKI onset (P = 0.018), presence of comorbidities such as DM (P = 0.038), lung disease (P = 0.000), and COVID-19 (P = 0.018) and requirement of vasopressor support (P = 0.009) were significant predictors of mortality of patients with AKI admitted to our center. Also, the length of hospital stay (P = 0.037), serum creatinine at admission (P = 0.002) and serum creatinine at discharge/death (P = 0.003) have been found to predict the mortality of these patients. However, Cox proportional hazard regression analysis for finding out independent predictors of mortality showed that only two factors, i.e., the presence of lung disease (HR 2.65, 95% CI 1.03-6.79, P = 0.042) and the requirement of vasopressor support at presentation (HR 5.28, 95% CI 1.75- 15.97, P = 0.003) predicted the survival of AKI patients. Thus, the present study showed that type of AKI was not an independent predictor of mortality in AKI patients admitted to our center. CONCLUSION(S): The majority of patients in both groups of AKI presented in Stage 3. Sepsis was found to be the most common cause in the CA-AKI group and was also one of the common causes in the HA-AKI group. On comparing the inhospital outcomes of AKI episodes, it was observed that both recovery (complete or partial) and dialysis dependency were more common in the patients with CA-AKI while mortality was found to be more in the HA-AKI group. However, on Cox proportional hazard regression analysis it was found that only two factors, i.e., the presence of lung disease and the requirement of vasopressor support at presentation predicted the survival of AKI patients admitted to our center. Thus, the present study showed that type of AKI was not an independent predictor of mortality in such patients. Further, more long-term and larger multi-center studies are required to study the course and outcome of patients with AKI and to outline the regional variances in its patterns in the Indian population.

Epidemiology, transmission and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2

The severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), the worst pandemic of the 21st century. Globally, millions of lives have been lost due to COVID-19. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurs human-to-human through air droplets. SARS-CoV-2 is thought to originate from a bat Coronavirus, which might have reached human beings through intermediate hosts. SARS-CoV-2 causes a variable degree of illness in human beings, including patients being an asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe disease, which requires hospitalization. The common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, myalgia, dyspnea, sore throat, anosmia, ageusia, and diarrhea. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 involves the attachment, entry, and replication of the virus in the host cells. The gains entry into human cells through engagement of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor with its spike proteins. The overproduction of highly inflammatory cytokines results in a cytokine storm, leading to an increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome, coagulopathy, and multiorgan failure. This chapter provides insight into the epidemiology, transmission, and pulmonary and extrapulmonary pathogenesis of COVID-19. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Novel Convolutional Neural Network-Based Segmentation Model for Lung CT Scan Images Affected by COVID-19

In recent times, the detection of COVID by lung CT scan images has become an active field of research due to the increase in the number of COVID cases worldwide. COVID causes lesion-based damage in the lungs which can be easily analyzed by a CT scan image. The proposed methodology uses a publicly available database of lung computed tomography (CT) scan images collected from 297 subjects having 8739 scans and thereby apply a Covi-Net model for lesion-based segmentation and thereby COVID detection. The Covi-Net model is an extension of U-Net model used for biomedical image classification. The model outperformed related algorithms with a dice value of 0.886. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Disparity in Relation to Covid-19 Preventive Behaviour and Associated Myths among Rural and Urban Residents of Lucknow: A Community Based Study

Introduction: For curbing Covid-19 disease, adequate knowledge, attitude, and practices of both rural and urban population for Covid-19 disease prevention is required along with busting of the associated myths. Objectives: To assess the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of urban and rural residents of Lucknow district regarding covid-19 preventive behaviour and associated myths. Methodology: A community-based study was conducted among 420 rural and 421 urban residents of Lucknow. Multistage random sampling was done to select the study subjects. A pre-designed pretested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the information regarding the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of the residents for covid-19 disease causes, prevention, and treatment. Further, KAP scoring was done to compare the two groups. Results: The mean age of the rural and urban residents was 31.48 ± 12.05 and 30.93 ± 11.96 years respectively. Only 40.4 % urban and 25.5 % rural people had correct knowledge about social distancing (p<0.0001). Knowledge regarding quarantine for covid-19 disease prevention was less among the urban residents (64.6%) as compared to rural (70.5%) (p=0.035). More than one-third (37.6%) of the rural resident believed in the myth that alcohol can prevent the covid-19 disease (p=0.003). 68.8 and 70.5 percent rural and urban residents had positive attitude towards the Indian government’ efforts in curbing the disease. Majority of the urban (90%) and rural (87.6%) residents wore mask when they went out. Only one-fourth of the urban (24.7%) and rural (22.9%) had correct practices for the duration of hand washing. Conclusion: The knowledge was more among the urban people, attitude and practices were almost similar among both the rural and urban residents while myths were more observed among the rural residents. © 2022, Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine. All rights reserved.

Engineering Design, Implementation, and Sensing Mechanisms of Wearable Bioelectronic Sensors in Clinical Settings

Wearable sensing devices have transformed the hourly analysis of events such as body signals and environmental risks into real-time monitoring in minutes or seconds. Wearable sensors have facilitated the ability to obtain useful data by monitoring the physiological parameters and activities of an aided and a healthy individual. Wearable devices employ detectable biomarkers in the human body, such as in tears, saliva, interstitial fluid, sweat, and so on. These can deliver relevant information on human health, online activity monitoring, and therapeutic treatments. This section outlines the significance of sample types and associated biomarkers as indicators in the development and manufacturing of wearable biosensors. We have emphasized the most recent advances of wearables based on skin-like and textile, giving attention to personalized health monitoring to record signals of motion and physiological and body fluid investigation. Furthermore, this review categorizes wearable biosensors based on the sensing mechanism, electrochemical, optical, and mechanical. Additionally, the recent wearables related to the detection of the newly havoc-causing pandemic, COVID-19, and the future perspective for the development of much more advanced and potent wearable biosensors have been highlighted. The final section highlights unmet difficulties and gaps in wearable sensors in personalized therapy. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

ADAPTNESS ASSESSMENT OF PEDESTRIAN STREET DURING CRISES LIKE COVID-19

The modern urban planning is focused towards encouraging pedestrian movement by ensuring their safety and comfort during the walk. Further, COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly obstructed our normal way of life that includes of our local as well as global transport systems. There is greater need of making the public places more pedestrian friendly with the provision of appropriate walking and cycling networks, which can tackle the social distancing issues. This paper presents a novel approach to quantitatively analyze the efficiency of present urban pedestrian streets in maintaining social distances among pedestrians. The survey research techniques, GIS tool and technique;statistical techniques;and space syntax methods are implemented and tested for evaluating present scenario of the pedestrian movement in relation to the urban layout, in the case of Main-Market Street of Hamirpur town of Himachal Pradesh, India. The regression and correlation analysis is performed between outcomes of axial and segment analysis to establish the interrelation among spatial structure and behavioral phenomena. This paper is an attempt to generate the need of rethinking the pedestrian planning process with more holistic approaches to achieve sustainable urban environment. © 2021 Journal of Urban and Environmental Engineering (JUEE). All rights reserved.

A Machine Learning Model for Effective Consumer Behaviour Prediction

Effective consumer behavior prediction can play a crucial role in online marketing, especially in the COVID19 scenario. In this work, we have analyzed consumer behavior to understand consumer needs and predict future requirements. For the same, we have applied the machine learning models on an amazon dataset collected from Kaggle. The dataset consists of reviewers' comments, ratings, many other parameters for the product. The model's outcome indicates that the proposed Random Forest model performs exceptionally well, and its Accuracy is approx. 98.73%. A comparative study has been done to show the efficacy of the work, and it has been observed that the performance of the proposed model is quite remarkable, and it can be a competent model for effective consumer behavior prediction. © 2021 IEEE.

An Ensemble Approach for Short-Term Load Forecasting for DISCOMS of Delhi Across the COVID-19 Scenario

The Covid-19 has presented unforeseen challenges to the world that has never been experienced before in history. None of the sectors remained unaffected witnessed various changes in their day-To-day operations. The impact has also been observed in the power sector, which can easily be illustrated with load fluctuations. The balancing of load supply in the energy sector is itself one of the critical complex tasks which becomes more vulnerable to deviation in case of these unforeseen events. Despite using advanced systems like machine learning artificial intelligence for load forecasting, utilities found the task challenging. This paper covers the impact of lockdown on load patterns of the Discoms of Delhi in the year 2020-21. The effect of weather on load is also analysed to demonstrate the critical correlation between them. The performance of the ensemble technique that has been proven beneficial for better load forecasting has outperformed other existing models, even in the current pandemic situation, has also been analysed validated through a comparative analysis against popular benchmark models. © 2021 IEEE.

Role of Technology Business Incubator (TBI) in Sustaining Start-Ups: The Case of Startup Incubation and Business Innovation Lab (SIBIL)

This case study is about Startup Incubation and Business Innovation Lab (SIBIL), an incubation center working toward the implementation of startup policy in India. SIBIL provides support and guidance for the growth and business development of the new innovative start-ups located across India. It provides support for mobilizing seed funds, angel investors and firm spin-off apart from providing marketing expertise for commercialization of products and marketing research. This case has been written in the times when COVID-19 has brought various opportunities and threats to the start-ups and hence it is challenging for incubators to draw future action plans. The biggest challenge has been seen in terms of maintaining sustenance of start-ups. This case highlights two companies facing similar problems and draws future scenarios for them. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.