The Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy of Micro-Entrepreneurs: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Today, the world is witnessing a massive transformation in all spheres of activity as a result of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognising opportunities is more crucial than ever. The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of social capital (SC) on the opportunity recognition (OR) of micro-entrepreneurs through entrepreneurial self-efficacy. The study is in line with the social cognitive theory. Furthermore, the study analyses the influence of gender and type of business on SC, entrepreneurial self-efficacy and OR. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey among micro-entrepreneurs in Kerala, India. Independent sample Z-test and structural equation modeling were used to analyse the data. The results reveal that entrepreneurial self-efficacy mediates the relationship between SC and OR. Sobel test was used to reaffirm the mediation effect. This study provides suggestions for enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy to better identify opportunities in today's ever-changing global business environment. © 2023 The Association for Social Economics.

Influence of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Migrant Workers' Quality of Life in Trichirappalli, Tamilnadu

A pandemic is an epidemic that spreads widely beyond national lines and has an impact on the entire planet. It produces a lot of illnesses that can be fatal. For instance, although though cancer claims many lives, the disease is not considered a pandemic because it cannot be spread readily or even be infectious. Pandemics, which meaning 'everyone' in Greek, are where the word 'pandemic' originates. The term 'demo' refers to the populace. All people are Pan. Therefore, the idea of a 'pan demo' assumes that the entire world's population will be exposed to this illness and that some of them will get sick. Sadly, an unforeseen cause has struck the world with the corona virus's growth in India in 2020 and other nations throughout the time of 2019. A research study on migrant workers is required because they have significantly impacted the socioeconomic sector. The goal of this study is to ascertain how the Covid-19epidemic has affected migrant workers' quality of life in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. Due to the fact that this is an empirical study, the field survey method and personal interview techniques were used to collect the necessary data from the respondents. The researcher interacted with each visitor at the job site and collected the necessary data through interviews and scheduling. A total of 487 persons were included in the sample size for the investigation. Statistics were employed for this inquiry, including frequency analysis, regression, and correlation analysis. The interpretation's output is the findings and observations of the analytical study. © 2022 IEEE.

INDIA AND THE QUAD: OPPORTUNE GEOPOLITICS OR INCONSEQUENTIAL COOPERATION?

The tragic death of Shinzo Abe and the inception of the Maiden West Asian QUAD, the recent rollout of the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), and the 'Quad Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in the Indo-Pacific' and the QUAD's recent announcement of an extension of 50 Billion USD to bridge infrastructural lacunae and debt obligations in the Indo-Pacific have all pummelled the diplomatic alliance under the limelight and back into the microscopic scrutiny of scholars, political thinkers and strategists. Having displayed exceptional collaborative results in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the QUAD is seen reorganising itself, with more structure, a concrete goal, defined ambitions and convergent interests. The alliance, growing in determination, resources and effectiveness has been criticised by being equated to an Asian NATO by a disgruntled China, whose Belt and Road Initiative is being systematically undone and countered by the QUAD and their strategic policies, be it Indo-Pacific monitoring or a competitive module of vaccine diplomacy. However, despite diligent and extensive contribution in the QUAD's undertakings, India has been termed ‘the weakest link' in the QUAD. The purpose of this paper is to understand and analyse whether the QUAD is the future or past of regional geopolitics—whether it has the will, resources, and strength to spearhead international action and cooperation in the pursuit of its agendas—and where the balance of interest lies in India's membership in the QUAD. © 2022, Supporting Academic Initiatives Foundation. All rights reserved.

Utility of urinary biomarkers for diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19

Introduction: Incidence of AKI reported varies from 0.5% to 37%.These incidence cannot be extrapolated in our patients as the severity of COVID-19 infection, the ethnicity of the patients l, the clinical profile and the healthcare delivery system is different.The aim of this study was to explore whether urinary cell cycle arrest markers and other renal biomarkers have a role in predicting AKI in critically ill patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory disease Methods: This prospective, longitudinal cohort study included critically ill COVID-19 patients without AKI at study entry. Patients aged more than 18 years with moderate or severe respiratory disease as defined by Berlin criteria were subsequently recruited from November 2020 to May 2021. Urine samples were collected on admission to critical care areas for determination of KIM1, NGAL, IL-18,IGF-BP-7, TIMP -2 at the time point of study inclusion, 12h, 24h, 48h, after inclusion. The demographic information, comorbidities, clinical, and laboratory data were recorded. The study outcomes were the development of AKI and mortality during hospitalization. Result(s): [Formula presented] ROC analysis was done to determine the diagnostic performance of the various urinary biomarkers;AUC was 0.655 for normalised IL-18, 0.685 for normalised NGAL, 0.658 for normalised TIM-1, and so on Conclusion(s): AKI was common in critically ill COVID-19 patients. Raised values of urinary biomarkers with clinical information, are useful for the identification of AKI in critically ill COVID-19 patients. No conflict of interestCopyright © 2023

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation - A bridge to life in COVID-19 complicated pregnancy

The utility of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has gained significant attention over the past 25 years. ECMO has revolutionized the management of patients with refractory cardiac and respiratory complications in critically ill patients. We herewith present a case of a 26-year-old pregnant female patient with coronavirus disease-2019 and refractory hypoxemia, who was managed successfully on ECMO.

Role of NOX4 in Modulating Alveolar Type II (AT2) Epithelial Cell Phenotype and Mitochondrial Dynamics in Hyperoxic Acute Lung Injury

Introduction: Management of acute respiratory distress including COVID-19 pneumonia involves O2 supplementation, which is lifesaving, but causes severe hyperoxic acute lung injury (HALI). AT2 cells are the most affected cell type in hyperoxia (HO). NADPH oxidase (NOX) is a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HO. NOX4, the only functionally active NOX present in mitochondria, and primarily produces H2O2 as well as mtROS has been shown to be involved in several human pathologies. Not much is known about NOX4-induced mitochondrial injury in HALI. The current study aims to determine the role of AT2 epithelial cell NOX4 in HALI and the impact of HO on the modulation of mtROS and mitochondrial dynamics in HALI. Methods: Nox4-/-Spc-Cre animals were generated using tamoxifen induction and the knockdown was validated. The Nox4- /-Spc-Cre knockout (KO) and wild type (WT) mice were exposed to room air (NO) or 95% O2 (HO) for 66h to study the structural and functional changes in the lung. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) was used to study the HO-induced changes in mitochondria. Isolated primary AT2 and/ mouse lung epithelial (MLE) cell line was investigated for mtROS, mt dynamics and apoptosis. Mitochondrial injury was assessed in Nox4 WT and Nox4 silenced cells. Results: C57BL/6J WT animals subjected to HO for 66h showed increased expression of NOX4, determining the role of NOX4 in HALI. The H&E staining demonstrated significant HALI in Nox4 WT animals exposed to HO compared to Nox4 KO as determined by increased infiltration of neutrophils, alveolar wall thickening and presence of proteinaceous debris in the alveolar space. Further, increased BAL cell count and protein levels, increased AT2 cell death and elevation of the proinflammatory cytokine IL- 6 and the chemokine KC was seen in WT animals compared to Nox4 KO. Analysis of lung tissues by TEM showed mitochondrial swelling, cristae damage and mitophagy in AT2 cells due to HO. Changes in mt injury markers were also observed. HO-induced NOX4 increase in primary AT2/ MLE-12 cells resulted in increased mtROS production and apoptosis, which was reduced with Nox4 siRNA silencing. Conclusion: This study suggests that the HO induced NOX4 expression in mouse lung, and deletion of Nox4 gene in AT2 cells reduced mtROS production and apoptosis and protected the lungs from severe hyperoxic lung injury. These results suggest NOX4 as a potential target for the treatment of HALI.

Synthesis, Spectral, Crystal structure, Hirshfeld surface, Computational analysis, and Antimicrobial studies of Ethyl-(E)-4-(2-(2arylidenehydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazine-1-carboxylat es

A new series of ethyl-(E)-4-(2-(2-arylidenehydrazinyl)-2-oxoethyl)piperazine-1-carboxylates (hydrazones) 4a-4e and 5a-5c were designed and synthesized from 1-ethoxycarbonylpiperazine. The hydrazones structure interpretations were achieved by spectroscopic analysis using FT-IR, 1D and 2D NMR and mass. Among the aforementioned hydrazones 4a-4e and 5a-5c, single crystal XRD structure was reported for hydrazone 4a. Both NMR and single crystal XRD analysis are clearly indicated the existence of E configuration of the azomethine group (-C=N-) and cis conformation of the amide group. Hirshfeld surface analysis and 2D fingerprint plot were employed to get a better understanding of non-covalent interactions (NCIs), which showed that the N-H center dot center dot center dot O and C-H center dot center dot center dot O intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions are the key contributor to stabilize the molecular solids. Density functional theory (DFT) study was carried out to explore the geometrical parameters and electronic properties of frontiers molecular orbitals (FMO), global chemical reactivity descriptor parameter (GCRD), natural bond orbital (NBO), and non-linear optical (NLO) properties for 4a at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. The molecular docking study was performed for hydrazone 4a with nCoV-SARS-2 main protease for COVID-19. Finally, the hydrazones in this synthetic series were screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities using selected strains. Antimicrobial studies revealed that 4a and 5b against A. niger, 4c and 5c against K. pneumonia, 4e against B. subtilis, 5a, 5b, and 5c against A. flavus, A.niger and C. neoformans, respectively exhibits remarkable antibacterial and antifungal activity at a minimum concentration of 6.25 mu g/mL. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Covid-19 vaccination and possible link to Herpes zoster.

PURPOSE: To report 3 otherwise healthy patients with Herpes zoster reactivation shortly after administration of a mRNA vaccine against the novel COVID-19 virus. OBSERVATIONS: Patient 1 is a 54 year old who presented with Herpes zoster meningitis complicated by enhancing nodular leptomeningeal lesions of the spinal cord. The subsequent two patients had Herpes zoster ophthalmicus of the cornea (Case 2) and eyelid (Case 3). All three presented within 2 weeks of receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: Herpes zoster may be a side effect of m RNA vaccination against the Sars-CoV2 vaccine and requires further investigation.

Diagnosis Prediction Model for COVID-19

In worldwide COVID-19 makes a threat against humans. The new strain of the COVID-19 virus has not been previously identified in humans.The first case in Wuhan, China and now it has spread over the world. In India, 11.2 million people were infected and 158k people dead. In this situation, we need fact and accurate methods and techniques which can identify or predict the disease at the earliest. Machine learning techniques can greatly contribute to this. This model using Machine learning techniques like SVM-RFE and XGBoost for the prediction of COVID-19 disease.Experimentation results show that this method can fastly predict disease with better accuracy. © 2021 IEEE.

Evaluation of teleophthalmology during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single outpatient clinical practice

Purpose : The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated a global paradigm shift regarding healthcare delivery, replacing the traditional in-office visit with a virtual platform, in order to limit viral exposure and spread. The purpose of this study is to evaluate agreement between the diagnosis and management of common eye diseases seen in virtual eye care visits versus traditional in-office visits. Methods : This is a retrospective chart review of patients who presented to a single center for a video televisit between March and June 2020. Agreement was based on a qualitative comparison between the documented primary diagnosis and treatment plan at the first synchronous video visit and first subsequent in-office visit. Results : During the NY State Lockdown, a single-center practice saw 779 distinct patients virtually. The most common diagnostic categories were Lids/Adnexa (29%), Cornea (18%), and Glaucoma (16%). Of these, 425 (55%) were subsequently seen at an in-office visit. When comparing the primary diagnosis at the two visits, a similar diagnostic code was maintained for 354 patients (83%). There were no known significant adverse outcomes for any patient seen virtually. Medication changes were made at 268 (34%) video visits. These were guided by symptoms and external exams, although a minority were prophylactic or part of post-operative care. The new treatment plan was maintained for the same diagnosis at 50% of the subsequent in-office visits. Overall, there was an escalation of care for 131 patients (31%), a deescalation of care for 32 patients (7.5%), and no change in management for 257 patients (60.1%) at the follow-up traditional office visit. Glaucoma patients were the most likely to require additional management (either drops or procedural intervention) when seen in the office. Conclusions : Based on the results of this study, teleophthalmology provides a safe, feasible, and fairly accurate means of providing routine outpatient eye care.[1] There was an agreement in diagnoses between the virtual and traditional visit in 83% of patients and management plans remained unchanged for at least 60% of patients. Particularly given the importance of the ophthalmic exam, there are limitations to this model of care resulting in missed diagnoses or escalations of care. Addressing these limitations will require further investigation.

Statistical comparison of covid-19 infections based upon the food habits/diets in countries using RStudio

On December 2019, the COVID-19 deadly virus emerged and affected a large population in the world which led to the increase in the death rate of infected patients. Changes in dietary habits and way of living leading from the implementation of lockdown during this pandemic had been detrimental on the nutritional health of individuals. A statistical study was conducted to determine the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on dietary habits, food consumption, and weight in different countries. The primary aim of this study bas been to conduct a statistical research to measure the impact of the pandemic on dietary habits of the humans. Retrospective study was made by the data collected from a data repository Kaggle with attributes of food status, nutrients and calories. By statistically analyzing the data using RStudio, it was possible to infer on the changes in dietary habits between countries of similarities. Based on the statistical analysis, it was found that the consumption of fat varies depending on the availability of meat or vegetables during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to vulnerability of human population with weaker consumption-based immunity against the disease. © 2021 IEEE

Emergency surgery in the prone position in a COVID-19 suspect: A challenge to the anesthesiologist

Covid-19 has officially declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Various societies around the world have given their recommendation for the safe conduct of anesthesia and surgery during the pandemic, but little has been discussed regarding the various positions of surgery and their implications. We report our experience of managing a COVID suspect patient in an emergency operation theater in a prone position. © 2020 Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Anesthesiology Research Center. All right reserved.

Pragmatic approach toward nephrology practice in the COVID-19 era: Shared learnings and experiences toward consensus through a virtual educational platform involving 404 nephrologists

Background: COVID19 rapidly spread globally, imposing the need for change in nephrology practices guided by the recommendations, issued by scientific associations Methods: We conducted a nationwide virtual educational initiative with an inbuilt technological platform to enable live sharing of experiences of new modes for nephrology practice during COVID 19 pandemic, based on the adoption of current recommendations and evidences to enable indigenous, adaptive experiences of 404 nephrologists with approximately 8,000-man hours of cumulative clinical experience. The four zones across the country were represented by an individual educational task force member Results: There was a uniform consensus that suspected patients need to be treated similar to a COVID 19 positive patient, with dialysis facility provided in isolation area, to mitigate direct risk to both healthcare providers and patients and indirect risk of contamination of the hospital system. Multiple screening procedures and prohibition of eatables in dialysis area is the new mandate. Role and importance of CRRT, PIRRT and peritoneal dialysis was highlighted. Femoral catheterization is the preferred route. The experience of Tenckhoff catheter technique in peritoneal dialysis in 38 patients was discussed. Higher dose of anticoagulants is being utilised for extracorporeal procedures to reduce risk of enhanced risk of thrombus formation in COVID 19. The varied, emerging clinical presentation, including asymptomatic cases has made COVID 19 testing compulsory at most of the institutions. The nephrologists were informed about the emerging evidence for the need to continue the ongoing ARBs or ACE inhibitors. Renal transplantation with careful precautionary practice is being performed with modulation of dose of immunosuppressive agents in COVID 19 positive patients Conclusions: Safe and efficient delivery of nephrology care practices needs a uniform acceptance. Even minor liberties and deviations from established safe practice protocols could compromise the safety of the health care workers.