Electrical Storm in a patient with Brugada Syndrome and COVID-19 infection (preprint)

Brugada syndrome is an inherited arrythmia syndrome characterized by a right bundle branch block and dynamic ST-segment changes in precordial leads V1-V3. In patients with Brugada syndrome, fever is a known trigger that may induce arrythmia. For patients with Brugada syndrome who contract COVID-19, the inflammatory response poses risk of causing ventricular arrythmias. The following case discusses management of a patient with Brugada syndrome presenting with electrical storm after contracting COVID-19. Treatment should be focused on aggressive antipyretic management along with concomitant pharmacological therapy.

Modeling the significance of dynamic capability on the performance of microfinance institutions.

According to strategic management theory, dynamic capability plays a significant role in enhancing organizational performance. Using a cross-sectional research design, the current study quantitatively assesses the mediating effect of dynamic capability on the relationships of total quality management, customer intellectual capital, and human resource management practice with the performance of microfinance institutions. An online survey involving 120 members of Induk Koperasi Kredit, a credit union association in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, is conducted. All the data are subjected to variance-based partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis. The obtained results demonstrate the significant and positive influence of total quality management and human resource management practice on dynamic capability. Furthermore, dynamic capability is found to mediate the relationship between total quality management and human resource management practice on the performance of microfinance institutions. However, this study is unable to conclude that total quality management and human resource management practice have any significant impact on the performance of microfinance institutions. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates the crucial need for microfinance institutions to enhance their management activities via dynamic capability to enhance performance. This is one of the earliest studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine the capabilities and performance of microfinance institutions in Indonesia. Notably, the performance of microfinance institutions can be further sustained by improving customers' intellectual and dynamic capabilities.

The Virtual Face of Colon and Rectal Surgery Training in the USA: An In-Depth Evaluation and Analysis of Fellowship Programs Website Content.

BACKGROUND: With an ever-evolving digital and virtual world hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic, prospective colon and rectal surgery fellowship applicants must rely on online sources of information, such as websites, rather than in-person visits to fellowship programs. This study analyzes and evaluates the content and accuracy of colon and rectal surgery fellowship program websites. METHODS: The Fellowship and Residency Electronic and Interactive Database website provides a complete collection of colon and rectal surgery fellowship websites based in the USA. The accessibility of the websites was verified via Google search, and relevant content for the applicants was evaluated based on 50-point criteria. RESULTS: Analysis of 60 fellowship program websites was conducted, out of which only a fifth (20%) were kept up to date. Twenty-seven (45%) websites fulfilled 50% of the 50-point criteria. The most and least included data points were program overview (69%) and residential/housing information (24%). Most websites contained basic information relevant to international applicants but lacked crucial information such as visa sponsorship (12%) and city information (23%). CONCLUSION: An informative and easily accessible website is essential for prospective applicants to choose the best program for their career goals and academic needs. This study highlighted multiple areas for potential improvement in the colon and rectal surgery program websites. Individual colon and rectal surgery programs may benefit and attract more candidates to their programs through a fully optimized website design and content.

Social isolation & toxic behavior of students in e-learning: Evidence during the time of the covid-19 pandemic

The global COVID-19 pandemic has led educational institutions to shut down and adopt e-learning practices through computer-mediated communication. An unanticipated switch of online classes from face-to-face classes isolates students from social groups and teachers, causing online disinhibition. Therefore, this paper investigates factors influencing university students' toxic disinhibition behavior in online classrooms, WhatsApp groups, and Telegram groups. Also, social isolation has been used as a moderating variable to identify whether social isolation strengthens or weakens the proposed association. The research holds the basis of "Social Cognitive Theory" and "Theory of Planned Behavior." The data from 506 university students have been collected for analysis. The proposed framework and research hypotheses have been assessed via PLS-SEM using Smart PLS software. Findings from the study show that toxic behavior victimization, attitude, subjective norms, and behavioral control are factors that positively & significantly affect toxic disinhibition online. Furthermore, motives and self-efficacy showed an insignificant influence on toxic disinhibition. Additionally, toxic disinhibition significantly & positively affects toxic behavior. At last, social isolation is likely to have a moderation effect on the variables. Hence, the research yields guidance on reducing toxic disinhibition online. Further, implications and recommendations are discussed at the end of the study. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Face Mask Use among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated daily use of face masks was at its highest, thereby creating huge public health and environmental challenges associated with the indiscriminate disposal of used ones. The present study assessed Abu Dhabi University students' handling and disposal of single-use face masks during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study using an online survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 255 students from the target group. Face mask type was found to be significantly influenced by both the student's gender and age, while the participant's habit of hand washing after handling a used face mask was found to be significantly influenced by the student's age. The student's educational level significantly influenced group decisions regarding the most appropriate face mask to use, as well as environmental and health consequences awareness of indiscriminate face mask disposal. While the students are adequately aware of COVID-19's impact and had good knowledge of face mask use, a high proportion professed to the unsafe disposal of used face masks in public areas, thereby adding to microplastic pollution in the environment and its associated impacts. The study alluded to the need for strengthening the participant's knowledge, attitude, and practices as precautionary measures that mitigate the environmental effect of the indiscriminate disposal of used face masks. The findings also call for a collaborative partnership among stakeholders toward designing effective educational campaigns to minimize the environmental impacts posed by face mask disposal. © 2023 by the authors.

Religious coping, care burden and psychological distress among informal caregivers of COVID-19 patients: Results of a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: There is a complex relationship between health and religiosity. People may use religion to cope with difficulties and uncertainties in their life - such as induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. AIMS: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between religious coping, care burden and psychological distress among caregivers during COVID-19 in Pakistan. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in Pakistan. We used the Religious Coping Scale (RCOPE), Care Burden Scale (CB), and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to measure psychological stress from 303 caregivers. Data were analyzed using a hierarchical linear regression model for each of the three outcome variables, which are depression, anxiety, and stress. This analysis allows to investigate whether adding variables significantly improves a model's ability to predict the criterion variable. RESULTS: The findings reveal that emotional care burden, physical care burden, negative religious coping, and social care burden explain a significant amount of the variance of three components of psychological distress among caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: Health experts, psychologists, and policymakers can make better strategies to combat pandemics like COVID-19 by incorporating religious coping methods.

A Novel Approach to Repair of Tracheal Occlusion Secondary to Percutaneous Tracheostomy Creation.

The number of endotracheal intubations increased in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic with an associated rise in laryngotracheal injury. Our patient had a complete laryngeal occlusion just proximal to the first tracheal ring. The Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd-YAG) laser is often used to resolve sub-laryngeal occlusions, and without access to the Nd-YAG laser, we had to find an alternative solution. Few centers have the access to an Nd-YAG laser, the optimal choice for sub-laryngeal occlusion and our novel approach allowed us to reestablish tracheal continuity and the patient's ability to speak.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Face Mask Use among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated daily use of face masks was at its highest, thereby creating huge public health and environmental challenges associated with the indiscriminate disposal of used ones. The present study assessed Abu Dhabi University students' handling and disposal of single-use face masks during the pandemic. A cross-sectional study using an online survey questionnaire was used to gather data from 255 students from the target group. Face mask type was found to be significantly influenced by both the student's gender and age, while the participant's habit of hand washing after handling a used face mask was found to be significantly influenced by the student's age. The student's educational level significantly influenced group decisions regarding the most appropriate face mask to use, as well as environmental and health consequences awareness of indiscriminate face mask disposal. While the students are adequately aware of COVID-19's impact and had good knowledge of face mask use, a high proportion professed to the unsafe disposal of used face masks in public areas, thereby adding to microplastic pollution in the environment and its associated impacts. The study alluded to the need for strengthening the participant's knowledge, attitude, and practices as precautionary measures that mitigate the environmental effect of the indiscriminate disposal of used face masks. The findings also call for a collaborative partnership among stakeholders toward designing effective educational campaigns to minimize the environmental impacts posed by face mask disposal.

E-learning in higher education during COVID-19: evidence from blackboard learning system

Purpose>The blackboard learning system is an online platform designed for e-learning employed by higher education institutes like universities that facilities students to continue learning and educational activities. This study explores the determinants that affect students' acceptance and use of Blackboard learning system (BLS) in Pakistan utilizing the modified UTAUT framework with social isolation as an additional variable.Design/methodology/approach>A questionnaire survey was conducted, and the study gathered 494 university students' responses in Pakistan as participants. The collected data were interpreted applying PLS-SEM version 3.2.3 software.Findings>The study's findings exhibited that PE, EE, FC and SI are the prime determinants influencing the intention and use of BLS in Pakistani universities. Hedonic motivation and social isolation interact differently between UTAUT variables and use intention. The results verify the suitability of the applied theory in the background of the study.Research limitations/implications>However, the findings highlight the present understanding of BLS use from the learners' aspect, but the study's limitation cannot be evaded. The study respondents belonged to a specific region of Pakistan (Karachi) that might influence the usefulness of the outcomes. Other factors categorized as the environmental, system and organizational elements were not part of the study that may also differentiate the BLS acceptance. The model was extended by including the social isolation, but the effect is insignificant yet positive;therefore, it is required to evaluate the model differently, such as the organizational aspect, for future research. Moreover, the ethnic factors that vary in emerging and developed economies may provide different explanations;therefore, they can be incorporated in future studies. Likewise, the variables such as hedonic motivation need to be emphasized more by examining and evaluating its effect on students' education performance in the future.Practical implications>The outcome of the study suggests some implications. At first, being the modified framework UTAUT2 application makes the collaboration appropriate according to the current phenomena of the COVID-19 pandemic and its contribution to the higher education region to analyze the acceptance of e-learning systems. Educational institutions within Pakistan would emphasize enhancing students' accomplishment by improving the interface and the blackboard learning system workability. Hence, learners' effectiveness in learning would be escalated;they would be encouraged to accomplish study objectives using BLS, particularly when they consider it easy to use and a useful platform for e-learning during the pandemic. Furthermore, enhancing the e-learning system in the context of the effort demands to be required to utilize BLS should be the foremost objective as learners would be motivated to accept the technology if they consider it simple, convenient, and user-friendly to adopt. Thus, the benefits of using BLS during this situation when universities are not operational will make students adaptable to change in the prospect. Learners will accept the model of online education, even if the universities become operational. However, it can increase the rate of earnings and revenue for universities as they can enroll in online and regular classes. Therefore, it is suggested that higher education management should create a resilient online platform by which facilitators can communicate with learners without any obstacles.Social implications>Hence, it is recommended to introduce the online short course, qualification, certified courses and integrated coursework with international ventures and ongoing classes. Numerous learners continue their studies along with the job. Therefore, it is suggested to introduce online programs for those learners. Another benefit would be that it offers an integrated platform for sharing knowledge. BLS offers to maintain the complete information in one place, and learners can see them as per their conve ience based on their availability. This reduces the burden on administration related to keeping the educational material and resource in various files. Thus, it also reduces the expense of universities. It is suggested to emphasize encouraging the use of BLS through an effective plan that can assist in execution and help learners identify the technology features rather than to face difficultly to accept the change. Moreover, the acceptance of BLS for educational purposes verifies that other learning events can occur on the online platform. Thus, it is recommended to promote the origin of the online atmosphere and the initiation of other events. Globally, dynamics are changing frequently and continuously and are moving towards artificial intelligence systems;the circumstances are suitable for promoting online educational platforms' acceptance by incorporating it with the current educational arrangement.Originality/value>The study provides recommendations for the research to be conducted to explore the modified framework in different regions and boundaries to evaluate the effect of other factors on adopting e-learning platforms.

Predicting the Willingness and Purchase of Travel Insurance During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study explored the willingness and purchase of travel insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst working adults to ensure their safety and welfare through the lens of the theory of planned behavior. Primary data were gathered from 1,118 working adults across Malaysia and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study outcomes revealed that attitude toward travel insurance was significantly influenced by insurance literacy, perceived health risk, and health consciousness. The willingness of working adults to purchase travel insurance was highly influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls but unaffected by perceived product risks. The purchase of travel insurance was positively influenced by the willingness to purchase travel insurance. In fact, travel insurance literacy and perceived health risk should be emphasized amongst working adults to encourage them to purchase travel insurance policies for traveling abroad.

Efficacy of bariatric surgery in COVID-19 patients: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Obesity is linked with poor outcomes in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. In patients with BMI > 35 kg/m2, increased rates of hospital and subsequently ICU admissions have been noted. Bariatric surgery resulting in sustained weight loss is hypothesized to decrease the morbid outcomes associated with COVID. In this review, we update the evidence on the topic. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted of electronic databases. Screening of the articles based on the eligibility criteria was followed by relevant data extraction. In addition to articles used in a previous meta-analysis, relevant databases were searched to filter for any new articles. Initially, two independent reviewers screened Pubmed and the Cochrane database followed by a thorough search of additional databases such as Google scholar and Medrxiv. Articles were first screened using title and abstract, followed by a full text read. Duplicates, meta-analysis, letter to the editors, and commentaries were excluded. No language restrictions were applied. Results: A total of nine articles with a population of 1,130,341 were entered into RevMan. Patients with bariatric surgery displayed significantly decreased hospitalization (OR: 0.52, 95% CI [0.45, 0.61]), were less likely to be admitted to the ICU (OR: 0.44, 95% CI [0.29, 0.67]), and had reduced overall mortality (OR: 0.42, 95% CI [0.25, 0.70]). Conclusion: Surgically induced weight loss is beneficial in reducing morbidity and mortality of COVID-19.

Profiling of phthalates, brominated, and organophosphate flame retardants in COVID-19 lockdown house dust; implication on the human health.

In this study, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), phthalates, and organophosphate flame retardants (PFRs) were analyzed in indoor household dust collected during the COVID-19 related strict lockdown (April-July 2020) period. Floor dust samples were collected from 40 households in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The levels of most of the analyzed chemicals were visibly high and for certain chemicals multifold high in analyzed samples compared to earlier studies on indoor dust from Jeddah. Bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the primary chemical in these dust samples, with a median concentration of 769,500 ng/g of dust. Tris (2-butoxy ethyl) phosphate (TBEP) and Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209) contributed the highest among PFRs and BFRs with median levels of 5990 and 940 ng/g of dust, respectively. The estimated daily exposure in the worst case scenario (23,700 ng/kg bw/day) for Saudi children was above the reference dose (20,000 ng/kg bw/day) for DEHP, and the hazardous index (HI) was also >1. The long-term carcinogenic risk was above the 1 × 10-5, indicating a risk to the health of Saudi young children from getting exposed to DEHP from indoor dust. This study draws attention to the increased indoor pollution during the lockdown period when all of the daily activities by adults and children were performed indoors, which negatively impacted human health, as suggested by the calculated risk. However, the current study has limitations and warrants more monitoring studies from different parts of the world to understand the phenomenon. At the same time, this study also highlights another side of COVID-19 related to our lives.

Entrepreneurial Competency, Financial Literacy, and Sustainable Performance-Examining the Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Resilience among Saudi Entrepreneurs

This paper investigated the influence of entrepreneurial competency and financial literacy on sustainable small enterprise performance. We simultaneously investigated the mediating role of entrepreneurial resilience on the association between competence and financial literacy with sustainable business performance. We used a quantitative method for collecting data from 220 small business entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. The collected data were analysed with the help of PLS-SEM. The results reveal that financial literacy significantly positively affects entrepreneurial competency and resilience. Entrepreneurial competency has a significant positive effect on Saudi SMEs' entrepreneurial resilience and sustainable performance. Finally, entrepreneurial resilience was simultaneously found to have a considerable impact on sustainable performance while mediating the effect of financial literacy and competency on sustainable performance across Saudi SMEs. In line with Saudi Vision 2030, with its profound focus on entrepreneurship and developing a financially independent entrepreneurial community, this research contributes to creating economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs managing small enterprises. Apart from extending the body of knowledge, this research can support policymakers in formulating relevant strategies to encourage SMEs that have been worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic to perform sustainably. Several other implications for financial institutions and entrepreneurs have also been drawn.

Assessing the influence of news indicator on volatility of precious metals prices through GARCH-MIDAS model: A comparative study of pre and during COVID-19 period

The research aims to discover the influence of news indicator on the volatility of precious metals prices. It highlights an essential aspect by focusing on comparing pre and during COVID-19 period. For this purpose, an advanced econometric technique, i.e., Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity variant of Mixed Data Sampling (GARCH MIDAS), has been employed. The full sample results demonstrate that news relating to any of the precious metals is likely to affect their volatilities, except palladium. In the case of during the COVID-19 sample, the outcomes reveal that fear-induced news raises the return volatilities of gold and palladium;thereby, both are highly sensitive to the recent pandemic. In contrast, silver and platinum are found to have less impact.

Framework for the analysis of renewable energy grid policies in the context of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a severe global pandemic that has caught the whole world unprepared. In the absence of a clear timeline for this pandemic to end, it is need of the hour to investigate the effect of this pandemic on both previous and anticipated investments. Global economic unrest has hindered the ramping deployment of Renewable energy projects. The most quick actions that may be taken to mitigate the effects and to up-rise the investment portfolio policies are a very critical tool in hands of government for a very immediate effect have also been made without keeping the context of COVID-19 into account. New variants of diff rent nature are being discovered and every now and then new lock downs are happening. In this context different policies have to be evaluated under the pandemic scenario. A case study of a large scale renewable energy project for a higher education institute in Pakistan is being used to measure the difference during COVID and pre COVID times. This paper provides a framework to investigate the impact of COVID on renewable energy system projects under current net-metering, net-billing and self-consumption policies. A recent investment in a photovoltaic system is assessed based on previously projected financial benefits versus the pandemic effected ones. This research concludes that investing in photovoltaic systems are still a viable option even in an extreme pandemic situation with less than 0.5 years increase in payback period, and the government can still provide a stimulus for investing in green energy by implementing net-metering policies on a larger scale.

How COVID-19 influences prices of oil and precious metals: Comparison between data extracted from online searching trends and actual events

The investigation explores whether COVID-19 influences oil and precious metals prices by comparing data extracted from online searching trends and actual events. The study utilizes the Linear Granger causality test & non-parametric causality-in-quantiles method and uses data from January (2020) to March (2021). We have incorporated four mostly trading metals (i.e., Gold, Palladium, Silver, & Platinum) & Crude oil. Although outcomes of Linear Granger causality test show no causal relation between COVID-19 & oil and precious metal prices for both cases (i.e., online searching trends and actual events), the outcomes of the non-parametric test revealed the existence of non-linear association among constructs. Non-parametric test results revealed that COVID-19 significantly influences the prices of oil and precious metals. Therefore, we conclude that policymakers need to contemplate pandemic risk as most critical risk factor for stability of market when developing policies for the market and economy. Furthermore, through this study, investors and policymakers will get noteworthy awareness for thinking out of the box during the crisis.

COVID-19 Tweets Classification during Lockdown Period Using Machine Learning Classifiers

In recent years, COVID-19 has been regarded as the most dangerous pandemic for several countries. On various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, a variety of rumours, hypes, and news are published. This might have a detrimental impact on people’s life. As a result, social media platforms have always had a difficult time authenticating this fake information. Different machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) classifiers were used in this work to categorize the continuing impacts of tweets and forecast their after-effects. Support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) were used for classification, while AdaBoost and convolutional neural network (CNN) were utilized for future effects. The tweets dataset from Kaggle was used to train the SVM, RF, KNN, and DT models, which were then assessed on multiple evaluation criteria such as accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score, using a 70 : 30 ratio. The CNN and AdaBoost, on the other hand, have been taught to detect the mean square error, root mean square error, and mean absolute error. With 0.74 and 0.73 percent score out of 1, respectively, RF and SVM exhibit the best accuracy in impact when classifying the outcomes on the obtained dataset. In terms of a regression problem, CNN beat the ADA Regressor across the board.

Predicting the Willingness and Purchase of Travel Insurance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the willingness and purchase of travel insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst working adults to ensure their safety and welfare through the lens of the theory of planned behavior. Primary data were gathered from 1,118 working adults across Malaysia and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study outcomes revealed that attitude toward travel insurance was significantly influenced by insurance literacy, perceived health risk, and health consciousness. The willingness of working adults to purchase travel insurance was highly influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls but unaffected by perceived product risks. The purchase of travel insurance was positively influenced by the willingness to purchase travel insurance. In fact, travel insurance literacy and perceived health risk should be emphasized amongst working adults to encourage them to purchase travel insurance policies for traveling abroad.