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The biggest issue before pulp and paper producers is availability of quality raw material. India is fiber deficit country, this message has become more intense after covid when price of different raw materials are increased by 20-25%, . Chemical pulp is produced by chemical delignification of wood and non-wood plants. After kraft pulping the remaining lignin is removed by oxygen delignification and bleaching to produce higher purity cellulosic pulp. The goal of delignification processes is to remove lignin from the raw material without a negative effect on the cellulose and strength of pulp. The economics of pulp and paper production is more related to the yield of unbleached and bleached pulp production. Marginal increment in pulp yield reflects into savings of crore of rupees on yearly basis. An overall vigilant concern on process conditions and variables is required during production of pulp. BAT technology for pulping along with utilization of various additives and pretreatment methods allow to fine tune these process to obtain pulp with desired yield and quality. The primary aim of this paper is to review different process variables in respect to the yield of the pulp. © 2022 Indian Pulp and Paper Technical Association. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: To statistically compare the trends of epidemiological indicators of COVID-19 in India with Italy, the UK, and the US. Methodology: In this descriptive analysis, epidemiological indicators were calculated and their trends were plotted and compared statistically. Regression analysis was done to predict the fatalities. Results: The trends of total and active cases per million populations are rising in India and US, while Italy has achieved the plateau in the total cases per million populations, and active cases have been sharply declining with time. The UK is about to achieve the same. India has remained far behind the other three countries in the number of tests per million populations (p < 0.05). In the initial phase, the test positivity rate of India was quite lower but has overtaken Italy and UK. India has always reported a higher recovery rate than US and lower than Italy. CFRs have achieved a plateau in Italy and UK, in US it is declining, while it remained almost constant in India throughout the pandemic. Testing was a significant covariate in predicting the fatalities. Conclusions: India was able to manage the initial phase of this pandemic due to early and strict government interventions and strong public health responses.
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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the world began a frantic search for possible prophylactic options. We conducted a study to assess the role of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 prophylaxis in health-care workers. The study was a prospective cohort with four arms (high, medium, low dose, and control) of HCQ prophylaxis. Participants were grouped as per their opting for any one arm on a voluntary basis as per institute policy. The outcomes studied were COVID-19 positivity by RT-PCR and its severity assessed by WHO COVID-19 severity scale. Total 486 participants were enrolled, of which 29 (6%) opted for low dose, 2 (<1%) medium dose, and none for high dose HCQ while 455 (93.6%) were in the control arm. Of the 164 participants who underwent RT-PCR, 96 (58.2%) tested positive. Out of these 96 positive cases, 79 [82.3%] were ambulatory and were managed conservatively at home. Only 17.7% participants, all from the control group, required hospitalization with the mild-moderate disease. None of the participants had severe disease, COVID-related complications, ICU stay, or death. The difference in the outcome was statistically insignificant (p value >0.05). This single-centre study demonstrated that HCQ prophylaxis in healthcare workers does not cause a significant reduction in COVID-19 as well as mitigating its severity in those infected. At present, most of the trials have not shown any benefit. Though COVID-19 vaccines have reduced the need for prophylaxis, the search for a safe and reasonable chemoprophylaxis should continue until a large population of individuals gets vaccinated, especially in underdeveloped countries.
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The efficacy and safety of heat-killed Mycobacterium w (Mw) in severe COVID-19 were evaluated. Twenty-five hospitalized patients (mean age, 52.9 +or- 13.1 years) with severe COVID-19 and having multiple comorbidities were intradermally injected with 0.3 mL of Mw daily for three consecutive days. Changes in leukocyte and platelet counts;C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), serum creatinine, and liver enzyme levels;and oxygen saturation were compared before and after treatment. An ordinal scale assessed the clinical response. There were significant improvements in the IL-6 level and oxygen saturation following treatment (p < 0.001). There were marked improvements in the platelet count, CRP level, serum aspartate transaminase level, and ordinal scale score. Eighty percent of patients who were on oxygen support were successfully shifted to room air within 5.6 days of treatment and discharged. No systemic adverse events were noted. Thus, Mw treatment could be a promising therapeutic modality in severe COVID-19.
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According to reports, the 2019 Corona-virus infection COVID-19 caused significant damage to world-wide demographic wellbeing. In South Africa, a new level severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCov- 2) variant, B.1.1.529, was found awhile back, resulting in a substantial increase in COVID-19 patients. Then On November 24, 2021, the World Health Organization outlined B.1.1.529, also known as omicron, as a variant under inspection. The Omicron variability must have been proclaimed as a variation of worry. This variant includes a huge number of modifications, particularly 15 inside the spike's receptorbinding region (RBD). The Omicron variant seems to be likewise similar to the preceding VOC Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants, generating issues regarding virus infectiousness, pathogenicity, and immunity resistance. In this paper, the identification and features of the Omicron variant were discussed, contrasting the spiking alterations inside the five VOCs and discussing prospective avoidance and mitigation measures. © 2022 Nova Science Publishers, Inc..
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Depression has always been one of the prominent concerns of mental health worldwide. In the worst-case scenario, someone suffering from depression may lead to drastic measures such as suicide. According to the World Health Organization, depression and anxiety affect one out of every five people worldwide, costing trillions of dollars each year. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation has worsened alarmingly as more people suffer from depression. It has become essential, more than ever, to maintain the mental health profiles of our people and to predict any unfortunate event. Depression can be prevented and treated at a very early stage and a low cost, given early detection and identification of the causes. With advancements in machine and deep learning models, it has become possible to identify such behaviour through social interactions such as posts, tweets, and comments. This paper aims to detect user behaviour that can conclude whether a person is suffering from depression and suicidal tendencies based on the user’s social media tweets. The research work proposes a classifier with a hybrid technique in preprocessing using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning techniques with an accuracy of 75% to identify such traits in a person through his/her tweets. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Introduction: To statistically compare the trends of epidemiological indicators of COVID-19 in India with Italy, the UK, and the US. Methodology: In this descriptive analysis, epidemiological indicators were calculated and their trends were plotted and compared statistically. Regression analysis was done to predict the fatalities. Results: The trends of total and active cases per million populations are rising in India and US, while Italy has achieved the plateau in the total cases per million populations, and active cases have been sharply declining with time. The UK is about to achieve the same. India has remained far behind the other three countries in the number of tests per million populations (p<0.05). In the initial phase, the test positivity rate of India was quite lower but has overtaken Italy and UK. India has always reported a higher recovery rate than US and lower than Italy. CFRs have achieved a plateau in Italy and UK, in US it is declining, while it remained almost constant in India throughout the pandemic. Testing was a significant covariate in predicting the fatalities. Conclusions: India was able to manage the initial phase of this pandemic due to early and strict government interventions and strong public health responses. @ 2022 The Journal retains the copyrights of this article.
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Power systems are designed to be operated under expected weather conditions. Unexpected weather conditions sometimes create widespread damage to the power system. The failure rate of equipment in power system along with redundancy and accuracy of forecasting decide the scope of damage. Eastern coast of Indian sub-continent experiences cyclones of varying intensity every year. These cyclones have severe impact on the infrastructure including the power infrastructure. The proactive operation strategy to counter each stage of uncertainty helps not only in managing the power system but also in early restoration. Amid the NCOVID-19 pandemic, Indian power system witnessed super cyclone named 'AMPHAN' which originated in the Bay of Bengal. The cyclone, after landfall passed through densely populated regions affecting the load centers. Cyclone of matching severity was last witnessed by India in the year 1999. The landfall of cyclone started during afternoon hours of 20th May 2020. The proactive action strategy based on past experience resulted in minimization of loss to electrical system and power supply outage. This paper presents the proactive measures taken by POSOCO and power utilities across all key sectors, viz., generation, transmission, distribution, during different phases of cyclone trajectory and the impact of cyclone on Indian power system. © 2021 IEEE.
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Background: Recent reports suggest the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the myocardium of patients who died from the COVID-19 disease. Cardiovascular injury in COVID-19 patients is an established extra-pulmonary manifestation of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection which may lead to induction of arrhythmia, acute heartfailure, thickening of ventricular wall, reduced ejection fraction and thromboembolism. Non-human primates (NHP) provide a useful model to study cardiovascular changes due to their homology to the ACE2 receptor in humans. Aim: The aim of this study is to characterize the pathological changes in the heart of SARS-CoV-2 infected NHPs. Methods: In the present study, SARS-CoV-2 infected primates via aerosol route (n=4), multi-routes (i.e., oral, nasal, intratracheal and conjunctival) (n=4), and a control group (n=5) were included. Heart tissue samples were collected and the left ventricular tissue was analyzed by hematoxylin and eosin, trichrome, and immunohistochemical staining specific to CD3, CD68 andSARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein.Results: Several pathological findings were observed in the heart, including cardiomyocyte disarray, mononuclear infiltrates of inflammatory cells as well as hypertrophy. Collagen specific staining showed development of cardiac fibrosis in the interstitial as well as in the perivascularregion in the hearts of infected primates. Moreover, the myocardial tissue samples displayed multiple foci of inflammatory cells positive for T lymphocytes and macrophages within the myocardium. Additionally, SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein staining detected the presence of virus particles in the myocardium. Conclusion: COVID19 infection is characterized by exaggerated inflammatory immune response in the heart which possibly contributes to myocardial remodeling and subsequent fibrosis. These findings suggest progression of disease which could lead to development of severe complications including heart failure.
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The deadly infectious disease Coronavirus, also known as Covid19, has had a profound impact on the global economy. This tragedy is also being staged in the education community, and this concern is likely to resonate in the global education community. The outbreak of the Covid19 pandemic forced several schools and universities to close quickly. Various elements on the earth are affected, and there are issues that may surface for a full semester, or other issues that will be lost in the future. Flexibility is another attractive aspect of online learning;students can arrange their own or arrange time to apply for courses online. Face-to-face meetings combine with technology to form a combined learning and recovery classroom;this learning environment will increase the learning potential of students. Students can learn anytime, anywhere, and develop new skills in the way they ultimately learn from the grave. Government also recognizes that online learning is increasingly essential in this dynamic world. The severe emergence of the new crown virus could create another argument for upgrading, as this altitude can be a problem in times of crisis.
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The NCOVID-19 pandemic has been an unforeseen calamity which affected almost all the countries in the world. On March 11, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) declared NCOVID-19 as a pandemic. The Government of India (GOI) took several actions to control the spread of the pandemic in the country and issued several guidelines for public and organizations. The adversity caused by pandemic required continuity of electric supply to consumers. The latter was achieved through proper planning and execution. The Indian Power System Operator, POSOCO through its National and Regional Load Dispatch Centers (NLDC and RLDCs) assessed the situation early and took all planned efforts for the Indian power system operation which is essential for keeping 'lights ON' during these hours of crisis. Strategic team at the top management level and tactical teams at the individual control center level were formed to handle any unforeseen circumstances. This paper has discussed the various actions taken by POSOCO during NCOVID-19 scenario and impact of it on Indian power system. Impact of exceptional events as faced during pandemic period, like, Janata Curfew, Lights-Off event, Super Cyclonic Storms 'Amphan', 'Nisarga', and Solar eclipse is also discussed in the paper. The insights gained during these events may enhance the capability to envisage and handle such multiple high impact low probability events in the future. © 2021 IEEE.
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Background: COVID-19 is one of the most unfortunate events seen in the 21st century due to its outrageous spread and ordeal effect on people. Cancer care providers (CCPs) are under immense mental burden due to the unpredictable pandemic and compromised cancer care amongst patients. Pandemic has taken a toll on the caregivers, be it physically, mentally, or psychosocially. Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted from May 2020 to September 2020 to assess the pandemic's impact on mental health amongst the CCP. DASS 21 & PCL5 instruments were used to identify the temporal change with pandemic evolution on mental health. An online survey was administered at three different periods with 6-week intervals through email. Collected data is analyzed using the SPSS 26. Independent variables are presented as categorical data and analyzed using chi-square. Temporal change in the mean scores analyzed using independent t-tests. Various demographic factors were correlated with the DASS 21 scores and PCL 5 scores using logistic regression. Results: The questionnaire was emailed to 240 CCP's;115 responses were valid. Mean age is 29.9 +/- 5.86, 62.6% were male and 27.4% were female respondents. 41.7% were nursing staff, and 58.3% were doctors;67% had less than five years of medical experience. Respondents who stayed with family had significant depression levels in the first and third surveys (OR: 0.37, CI- 0.15-0.91, P=0.03), (OR: 0.17, CI-0.026-1.1, P=0.04). Stress levels were significantly high in the caregivers staying with family in the first survey (OR: 4.38, CI: 1.2-15.7, P=0.02). On analyzing three surveys, 55 respondents in both the first and second survey 21,8,17 respondents persisted in having depression, stress, and anxiety. There was an increase in the stress levels in the third survey when compared to the second survey. Conclusions: In any disaster or an unnatural event, time helps the human mind to adapt to the new conditions;it is similar to our initial results that show improvement in the depression, stress, and anxiety levels with the second survey. It is essential to assess and address the mental health status-related problems to ensure HCW's personal well-being and deliver quality health care to the patients. Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors. Funding: Has not received any funding. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
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The COVID-19 in India is part of the global coronavirus pandemic (COVID- 19) caused by severe acute breathing syndrome 2 (SERS-CoV-2). The first case of COVID-19 in India, which originated from China, was reported on January 30, 2020. This study analyzes the effects of lockdown during COVID-19 on land surface temperature for the six categories of water, wetland, bare land, forest, cropland, and urban. It is essential to examine the mean LST differences for each land cover type. This study uses the SR data from Landset8. All Landsat level 1 and level 2 data is directly available to Google Earth Engine, including top of atmosphere (TOA) and surface reflectance (SR). The process is a comparative analysis, so data of the same periods are analyzed for 2019 before lockdown and 2020. There are significant changes that have been seen in land surface temperature. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate an investigation regarding LST differences for each land cover type in various anthropogenic levels. So our results show mean LST differences between during and before the emergence of COVID-19 for each land cover type regarding lockdown policy in Rajasthan, India. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Background: Coronavirus disease Pandemic has affected the health-care delivery at all institutions worldwide. Analysis of multi-institutional data would reflect the impact and challenges of this pandemic in managing pediatric surgical cases. To assess the impact of lockdown due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the pediatric surgical cases operated at four tertiary care institutions. Materials and Methods: Retrospective data of all patients operated at four tertiary care centers in North India in three different states during the imposition of lockdown due to COVID-19 were collected and compared to the immediate prelockdown period. The impact of following the guidelines for surgery during this period was studied. Results: All the institutions involved in the study showed a significant fall in the number and nature of patients treated during the lockdown period when compared to the prelockdown data. No elective cases were operated;100 children were operated during this period of which neonates (56%) formed the major group;most of them were cases of congenital anomalies which could not be deferred;solid tumours (3/100) were operated on semi-emergency basis;number of trauma patients fell down drastically (1/100);one patient had bronchoscopic foreign body removal;other patients were operated for different causes of acute abdomen. Several measures in the outpatient, intraoperative, and in-patient care were adopted to lessen the spread of virus to the patient and health-care team. Conclusion: Corona pandemic severely impacted both the number and types of patients operated. Strict adherence to the protocol delayed emergency treatment and increased the cost of definitive management.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new virus in the coronavirus family that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19), emerges as a big threat to the human race. To date, there is no medicine and vaccine available for COVID-19 treatment. While the development of medicines and vaccines are essentially and urgently required, what is also extremely important is the repurposing of smart materials to design effective systems for combating COVID-19. Graphene and graphene-related materials (GRMs) exhibit extraordinary physicochemical, electrical, optical, antiviral, antimicrobial, and other fascinating properties that warrant them as potential candidates for designing and development of high-performance components and devices required for COVID-19 pandemic and other futuristic calamities. In this article, we discuss the potential of graphene and GRMs for healthcare applications and how they may contribute to fighting against COVID-19.
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BACKGROUND: Duration of persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract of infected individuals has important clinical and epidemiological implications. AIM: We aimed to establish the duration and risk factors for persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract of asymptomatic infected individuals. METHODS: Data of repeat rRT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) test done for SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals at our institute at Jodhpur, India were analysed from 19 March to 21 May 2020. Duration of virus persistence was estimated with parametric regression models based on weibull, log-normal, log-logistic, gamma and generalized gamma distributions. Factors associated with prolonged viral persistence were analysed with the best-fitting model. RESULTS: Fifty-one SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals with repeat rRT-PCR test were identified with 44 asymptomatics. The asymptomatic individuals had median virus persistence duration of 8.87 days (95% CI: 7.65-10.27) and 95 percentile duration of 20.70 days (95% CI: 16.08-28.20). The overall median virus persistence including both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals was found to be 9.18 days (95% CI: 8.04-10.48). Around one-fourth asymptomatics (10/44) demonstrated SARS-CoV-2 persistence beyond 2 weeks. Age <60 years and local transmission were found to be significantly associated with longer virus persistence among asymptomatic individuals on univariate regression but not in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Recommended home isolation duration for SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals in India should be extended from 17 days to at least 3 weeks. Prolonged persistence of SARS-CoV-2 in a considerable proportion of asymptomatic individuals merits attention with regard to ensuring universal infection prevention precautions irrespective of symptomatic status.