The Attitude of Flexible Work Arrangement on Academics' Job Satisfaction: The Emerging Market Case

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of academics' attitudes toward flexible work arrangements (FWA). The study has attempted to broaden the scope of FWA methods in academia by integrating educators that perceive job satisfaction as an important feature of human resource management. A quantitative approach using a non-probability sampling technique was used to collect the data and examine the impact of FWA parameters on job satisfaction for instructors who worked under FWA norms during COVID-19 at Tribhuvan University, the largest university in Nepal. The FWA parameters could take place at work, either digitally or physically, by changing the shift or schedule as needed. The study used survey data from academics from different disciplines working at Tribhuvan University, and 418 respondents who directly observed FWA behaviors during the COVID-19 epidemic served as the basis for this study. This study was conducted to ascertain whether the psychological and work-life balance in FWAs impacted employees' work satisfaction. To test the study hypothesis, the partial least squares method was used. This paper provides empirical perspectives on how the adaptation of FWAs affects satisfaction. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated to be beneficial in maintaining contentment with the balance of work and personal life. That means the universities or institutes should assess their experiences with FWA practices during COVID-19 and, as a result, re-examine and observe the best flexible job pattern for further practice in the case of an emergency. This study contributes knowledge by addressing the challenges faced by instructors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the study adds to our understanding by revealing that a positive attitude toward work-life balance significantly impacts a flexible work schedule during a health crisis like COVID-19. © 2023, Success Culture Press. All rights reserved.

Covid Analysis using Recurrent Neural Network

The examination of medical images has benefited greatly from the use of artificial intelligence. In contrast to deep learning systems, which do feature extraction automatically and without human interaction, traditional computer vision methods rely on manually produced features that are particular to a certain domain. Having access to medical information for automated analysis is another major factor driving the trend towards deep learning. Chest x-ray pictures are processed in order to segment the lungs and identify diseases in this thesis. Due to its cheap cost, ease of capture, and non-invasive nature, chest x-ray is the most often used medical imaging technology. However, automatic diagnosis in chest x-rays is difficult due to (1) the presence of the rib-cage and clavicle bones, which can obscure abnormalities that are located beneath them, and (2) the fuzzy intensity transitions near the lung and heart, dense abnormalities, rib-cages, and clavicle bones, which make the identification of lung contours subtle. In x-ray image processing, the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is the most often used deep learning architecture. Because to the enormous number of parameters in deep CNN architectures, intensive computing resources are required to train these models. Additionally, chest x-ray datasets are often rather tiny, and there is always the risk of overfitting when developing a model. In this dissertation, we propose five convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to identify illness and segment the lungs in chest x-rays. New Line, New Line In the first research paper, an adaptive lightweight convolutional neural network (ALCNN) is created to detect pneumothorax with few parameters. The model readjusts the feature calibration channel-wise using the convolutional layer and attention mechanism. The suggested model outperformed state-of-the-art deep models trained using three different transfer learning methods. One notable aspect of the suggested model is that it requires ten times less parameters than the best deep models currently available. The second paper suggests the FocusCovid methodology for identifying COVID-19. © 2023 IEEE.

A Broadband Biosensor using Graphene-Metasurface Based Cross-Polarization Converter

We present the design and analysis of a graphene metasurface-based cross polarization converter operating within the terahertz gap for detecting biomolecules over a broad spectral range, taking the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a specific example. To the best of our knowledge, our design reports the widest band of operation in the THz region of a graphene-based metasensor. Each meta-atom comprises a graphene pattern on silicon dioxide atop a continuous gold layer and exhibits near-unity cross polarization conversion ratio (PCR) and a 90% PCR bandwidth of 0.926 THz within the desired band (1.88 THz-2.81 THz). The proposed device demonstrates additional benefits which include a thin configuration (λ/7.84) and compact lattice size (λ/10.66), which are significantly better than other recently reported graphene metasurface biosensors. The device provides a sensitivity up to 490 GHz/RIU and a figure of merit (FoM) of 0.377 over a wide span of 0.926 THz within the terahertz gap. The electromagnetic response of this device has been validated via rigorous numerical analyses of simulated outputs as well as by developing a detailed circuit model representation of the same. The device demonstrates angular stability of nearly 40°under oblique incidence of the incident wave. IEEE

Preference and perception of treatment choices between radiologists and urologists for treatment for urgent urinary obstruction – nephrostomy versus retrograde ureteric stent: European survey from YAU and ESUT Endourology groups

Introduction & Objectives: Urological emergencies related to urinary obstruction need Percutaneous Nephrostomy (PCN) or Retrograde Ureteric Stent (RUS). The choice of treatment is often debated between radiologists and urologists due to differences in perception for given scenarios and the skill set needed for these. We wanted to conduct a European survey to determine the preference of treatment in different clinical situations. Materials & Methods: A European survey was conducted via the EAU sections (YAU and ESUT) for preference and treatment choices between radiologists and urologists for using PCN or RUS or primary ureteroscopy (URS) in various clinical scenarios. Responders were asked to select urinary drainage for 3 clinical scenarios before and after reading evidence from literature on use of PCN or RUS. The scenarios were ureteric stone related – infected obstructed kidney (scenario 1), obese patient with pain and hydronephrosis (scenario 2) and solitary kidney with deranged renal function (scenario 3). Results: Of the responses (n=367), there were 15.4% (n=57) radiologists and 310 (84.5%) urologists. The choice of drainage for scenario 1,2 and 3 between urologists and radiologists pre- and post-evidence perusal are shown in Table 1. Regarding QoL, cost and radiation dose (Table 2), the perception was that Radiologists appear to consider JJ stents to provide a better QoL (p=0.0004) and more radiation exposure (p<0.0001) than Urologists. The perception in both groups was that stent was more expensive (p=0.652507). With COVID-19 pandemic, there was also a rise in the usage of local anaesthetic stent and URS procedures. (Table Presented) Conclusions: Choice of urinary drainage for urological emergencies is dependent on multiple factors, but prompt management is paramount. This survey has shown how urologists and radiologists both put patient safety at the forefront and their choice of treatment reflects their expertise in the given technique.

Heterologous Prime-boost Approach for COVID-19 Vaccine-A Light at the End of the Tunnel?

COVID-19 disease has emerged as a health crisis globally. The absence of specific antiviral treatment to cure COVID-19 has emphasized the importance of providing a safe and effective vaccine, they are the best bet to save millions of lives. The heterologous prime-boost approach for the COVID-19 vaccine is in the limelight as it can overcome issues with the shortage in the supply of vaccines and enhances the antibody response and potency of the prevailing COVID-19 vaccines, thus helping the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccine drive throughout the globe to achieve herd immunity among the population. This review aims to discuss the history, mechanism, and current scenario of the application of the heterologous prime-boost approach for the COVID-19 vaccine. From data inception to August 2021, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, WHO worldwide research on COVID-19, and the clinical trials registration "https://clinicaltrials.gov/" were used to conduct the systematic search by using keywords: "COVID-19,"heterologous," and "vaccine." The heterologous prime-boost vaccination approach seems to be a silver lining that has the potential to ensure the suitable vaccine is delivered to the right people during times of pandemic. © 2021, SILAE (Italo-Latin American Society of Ethnomedicine). All rights reserved.

The Potential Role of Vitamin B12 in the Prevention of COVID-19 Complications: A Narrative Review

The elderly are more prone to mortality from COVID-19 infection, as they are susceptible to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). For COVID-19 patients with ARDS caused by sepsis or septic shock, high-dose parenteral vitamin B12 appears to be a potential new treatment option. Vitamin B12 may play a substantial impact in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality reduction owing to its function in DNA synthesis, cellular control, improvement of anti-inflammatory immune responses, and decrease of pro-inflammatory responses. This review aims to assess the functional role of Vitamin B12 in COVID-19 in terms of its immunomodulatory effect, role in cellular and humoral immunity and maintaining the gut microbe homeostasis. From data inception to June 2021, accessible electronic databases were searched for research/review articles reporting on the function of Vitamin B12 in COVID-19. Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, WHO worldwide research on COVID-19 and the clinical trials registration "https://clinicaltrials.gov/" were used to conduct the systematic search by using keywords: "COVID-19 and "Vitamin B12". Also, based on these outcomes, it can be concluded that Vitamin B12 may have a potential role in preventing COVID-19 complications. Further, studies evaluating the role of Vitamin B12 in COVID-19 may open a new array of ideas on the optimal and the well-tolerated dose and timing of its administration in COVID-19 patients. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Pure & Applied Microbiology is the property of Dr. M. N. Khan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Blockchain Based Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery using Smart Contracts (preprint)

A blockchain is a continuously expanding list of documents known as blocks that are connected together via cryptography. A smart contract is a computer program that executes itself in accordance with the terms of a contract. In Traditional vaccine delivery systems, vaccine delivery information is not visible to all the supply chain entities, thereby prone to data tampering. Thus, transparency is the biggest concern in this system. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid launch of a vaccine and the implementation of a worldwide vaccination campaign is crucial, but their success depends on the availability of an operable and transparent distribution chain that all necessary stakeholders can assess. In the proposed work, we show how blockchain technology may be used to enable transparent tracing of COVID-19 vaccination registration, storage, and distribution and self-reporting of side effects by constructing a prototype using smart contracts.

Co-infection of COVID-19 and tuberculosis in a tertiary care hospital

Introduction: The burden of Tuberculosis (TB) has managed to remain an age old menace to our society, especially India. The potential impact of Corona Virus Disease-19 (COVID-19) on TB patients continues to be worrisome due to the disruption of the national program and its services. Aim: To compare the TB infection in COVID-19 vs non-COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: The study was undertaken at Department of Microbiology, ABVIMS, Dr. RML Hospital Delhi, India. The data was collected, retrospectively from 15th September 2020 to 15th January 2021 from admitted 1094 non-COVID-19 and 150 COVID-19 patients, >18 years of age, either sex. Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was done to diagnose COVID-19 and GeneXpert was used to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The data entry was done in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and the final analysis was done with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 21.0. Two by two contingency table was used for calculating the Odd’s ratio. results: During the study period, 1094 samples were received from non-COVID-19 ward and 150 from COVID-19 ward. Out of 150 COVID-19 positive patients, 30 (20%) were also positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (MTBC) and 120 (80%) were negative for MTBC. Out of 1094 COVID-19 negative patients, 98 (8.96%) were positive for MTBC and 996 (91.04%) were negative for MTBC. The Odd’s ratio/Risk Ratio (RR) of TB infection in COVID-19 infected patients was 3.08 {Confidence Interval (CI) 95%}. The mortality was 10% in the COVID-19 positive group. conclusion: It was observed that the chances of contracting TB are thrice in COVID-19 patients and thus TB diagnosis should be equally emphasised and further strengthened in this ongoing pandemic.