Recovering from a COVID-19 Shutdown: Tips and Tricks for Starting Up, Part I

Aside from evaporation of water from buffer solutions, precipitation of buffer salts can also easily occur when a buffer solution comes into contact with a pure organic solvent. [...]one should avoid- at all costs-a situation where a LC system component containing an aqueous buffer is flushed immediately with a pure organic solvent. Solvents and Buffers Figure 1 shows a picture of a buffer bottle I observed in an LC laboratory about a year ago. Many of the aqueous buffer solutions used in LC (and even high-performance liquid chromatography [HPLC] grade water, if given enough time and exposure to aboratory dust) are environments quite favorable to microbes, particularly those in the middle of the pH range.

Ensuring self-sustainability in decentralized communities through solar cookers combined with food dryers

In the background of the COVID 2019 pandemic, the importance of developing realistic and efficient decentralized energy solutions is one of the essential requirements. This paper presents the performance of a small-scale solar box cooker cum dryer (SBCD) for decentralized communities and domestic scale applications. The drying process in SBCD uses a simple and effective method for moisture removal. It enables de-moisturization of the cooker interior, allowing efficient use of SBCD for the simultaneous dual-mode operation of cooking and drying. Cooker Opto-thermal Ratio (COR) as a thermal performance parameter and glycerin as a test load enable cooking process analysis. COR-based objective parameters (OPs) realistically comment on the cooker performance in the dual-mode operation. Drying kinetic studies describe the drying performance of the device. The levelized cost of cooking meals (LCCM) allows understating of the economics of SBCD. The mean value of COR for the cooker is 0.104 ± 0.0028 (m2·°C)/W with a percentage standard deviation of 2.69%. The experimental values of OPs, reference cooking time, and maximum achievable load temperature varies between 74 and 86 min and 103–111 °C, respectively. Thus, SBCD cooks in approximately 80–90 min and dries ∼ 100 g of food products simultaneously with 70–80 % moisture removal. The LCCM for SBCD is $ 0.0174 per meal. Thus, SBCD depicts a realistic solution for ensuring self-sustainability in decentralized communities.

Teaching without PANTS! (Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms): How affordable learning solutions enabled rapid response instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closures of in-person interactions required colleges and universities on a worldwide scale to rapidly establish alternative modalities of instructional delivery. Educators quickly converted courses to a digital format, and their efforts were often met with PANTS (i.e., Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms). As faculty and students are burdened with PANTS, students' learning experiences may be compromised with the addition of home, health, financial, and technological stressors. Data assessing concerns pertaining to the "virtual university" transition were collected from 1,038 students at one public university in southern California. Findings indicate that students are predominantly concerned with experiencing a disconnection with their instructors, disengagement with the course material, and an increase in workload due to the online transition. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner U, Morris PA, The bioecological model of human development. In Damon W, Lerner RM (eds) Handbook of child psychology, 6th edn. Volume one: theoretical models of human development. Wiley, pp 793-823, 2006) and Koehler and Mishra's (2009) TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) Framework, this chapter proposes strategies instructors can utilize, such as the implementation of open educational resources (OER) to reduce the strains associated with PANTS. Faculty are encouraged to "teach without PANTS," which requires recognizing the unique learning needs of a diverse body of students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Project transition to the digital Middle Ages via COVID-19 pattern

The analysis of current trends in the implementation of effective socio-economic solutions and their development under the influence of COVID-19 is made. The prospects of using innovative and telecommunication technologies, robotics, big data processing methods and knowledge management methods in the formation and management of global economic clusters were noted. The clustering of delivery robots under pandemic conditions by methods of machine learning was carried out. The peculiarities of COVID-19 assessment as the main formative factor influencing socio-economic decision-making on a global scale are disclosed. The necessity and possible consequences of adopting and implementing new decisions designed to minimize the negative effects of COVID-19 on Russian and global economies are discussed. It is noted that the design and development of innovations in the system of management and transfer of knowledge is an indispensable condition for the successful development of future socio-economic relations. On the basis of the obtained results conclusions are made about the background of the applied solutions, about the vector of their direction and makes it clear what should be paid special attention to when assessing the current situation in society and determine which solutions are most effective and how the social order should be transformed to successfully withstand the new challenges. © 2023 SPIE.

Face Mask detection using Mask R-CNN to control the spread of Covid-19

Business executives are developing cutting-edge digital solutions as the virus outbreak spreads. A face mask detection system is one of them, and it can be used to spot people wearing them. Face mask identification software and applications have already been released by a few businesses, and others have promised to do the same for the service. The proposed work examines face mask detection accuracy using CNN networks. Mask wear is now required in many developed and developing countries worldwide when leaving the house or entering public spaces. It will be difficult to maintain touchless access control in buildings while recognising faces wearing masks on any surveillance systems. Masks covering faces has made face detection algorithms and performance difficult. The proposed work detect face mask labeled no mask or mask with detection accuracy. The work train the system to click images of a face and provide labeled data. The work is classified using Convolution Neural Network (CNN), a Deep learning technique, to classify the input image with the help of the classification algorithm MobileNetV2. The trained system shows whether a person in the video frame is wearing a mask or not. © 2023 IEEE.

Evaluation of the Cross-Platform Framework Flutter Using the Example of a Cancer Counselling App

The advance of digitalization is constantly bringing new solutions to various areas of life in our society. The COVID-19 pandemic, among other things, brought increased attention to the application and support of treatments through digital solutions in the healthcare sector due to contact restrictions. However, the development of digital solutions comes at a high cost in terms of time and expenses. Mobile app development requires the development of two separate apps for the two respective market-leading mobile operating systems iOS and Android. Cross-platform frameworks make it possible to develop apps for both operating systems on a single code base, thus saving the development and maintenance of two separate codes. Flutter is currently the most popular cross-platform framework for the development of mobile apps. This paper has evaluated Flutter based on an existing criteria catalogue. As a usage context for the evaluation, a prototype for Cancer Counselling App of the University Medical Center Freiburg was implemented. According to the gained own prototyping experience with Flutter and a thorough literature analysis in this area, the criteria catalogue was filled out and the result was compared with other mobile App development paradigms. Copyright © 2023 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. Under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

A Low-Cost Wireless Body Area Network for Human Activity Recognition in Healthy Life and Medical Applications

Moved by the necessity, also related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, of the design of innovative solutions in the context of digital health, and digital medicine, Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) are more and more emerging as a central system for the implementation of solutions for well-being and healthcare. In fact, by elaborating the data collected by a WBAN, advanced classification models can accurately extract health-related parameters, thus allowing, as examples, the implementations of applications for fitness tracking, monitoring of vital signs, diagnosis, and analysis of the evolution of diseases, and, in general, monitoring of human activities and behaviours. Unfortunately, commercially available WBANs present some technological and economic drawbacks from the point of view, respectively, of data fusion and labelling, and cost of the adopted devices. To overcome existing issues, in this paper, we present the architecture of a low-cost WBAN, which is built upon accessible off-the-shelf wearable devices and an Android application. Then, we report its technical evaluation concerning resource consumption. Finally, we demonstrate its versatility and accuracy in both medical and well-being application scenarios. Author

COVID-19 in Zimbabwe: Trends, Dynamics and Implications in the Agricultural, Environmental and Water Sectors

This contributed volume, based on papers presented at a conference held in Zimbabwe in mid-2021, interrogates solutions to COVID-19-related problems and issues across agricultural, environmental and water sectors in Zimbabwe and assesses their scientific, economic and practical validity. Across 19 chapters, this volume unpacks the science, economics and politics of the pandemic with a focus on understanding its secondary and tertiary impact on Zimbabwe's population. The volume is also dedicated to understanding the practical and policy-oriented approaches in tackling the pandemic and confronting the "new normal” of COVID-19. It brings together researchers, development practitioners and policy makers from various disciplines in an endeavour to understand COVID-19 trends and analyse the scientific options for mitigation, containment, innovation and ultimately pre-empt the possible emergence and impacts of other pandemics in the future. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023.

Blockchain in Dubai: Toward a Sustainable Digital Future

As governments across the world examine blockchain technology, there are growing concerns about how to implement, enforce and maximize the benefits of the technology. Many countries have to do extensive research and analysis before coming up with proposals. The future of the Emirates Economy is getting less foggy as COVID-19 pushes many government sectors to dip their toes in digital blockchains. It is just a matter of time until blockchain technology is fully implemented in both the public and private sectors. This chapter's purpose is to first understand what is blockchain? Second, to explore blockchain technology in Dubai and third, to describe the sustainable aspects generated by blockchain by looking at different projects implemented in Dubai. The paper summarizes several measures for implementing, promoting and regulating the advancement of blockchain technology taking the example of Dubai. Finance, supply chain, digital identity, energy, healthcare, real estate, transportation and crowdfunding are only a few industries that have well-embraced blockchain technology. This chapter uses an exploratory approach by reviewing past studies and literature reviews on the topic of blockchain in Dubai. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Failed Tech Deployment Initiatives: Is Poor IT Governance to Blame?

Information Technology (IT) solutions have become a critical enabling tool in businesses and communities. As a result, organisations invest heavily in technology solutions to transform businesses. Motivated by rapid technological advancements, there have been radical changes in IT infrastructure management, IT applications, and IT services delivery. The recent COVID-19 pandemic also encouraged the rapid adoption of technology solutions. However, despite numerous prescriptive models and 'best practice frameworks' available in the field, and an increased uptake of ITG in organisations, achieving key ITG outcomes is consistently ranked as one of the top concerns of management. After establishing a theoretical foundation for effective ITG practices (via literature review), this study begins a pilot examination to determine if tech deployment failure can be attributed to poor ITG. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.

Impact of Pandemic SARS COVID-19 on Different Construction Project Management: Problems and Solutions.

This study discusses risk management strategies caused by pandemic-related (Covid-19) suspensions in thirty-six engineering projects of different types and sizes selected from countries in the middle east and especially Iraq. The primary data collection method was a survey and questionnaire completed by selected project crew and laborers. Data were processed using Microsoft Excel to construct models to help decision-makers find solutions to the scheduling problems that may be expected to occur during a pandemic. A theoretical and practical concept for project risk management that addresses a range of global and local issues that affect schedule and cost is presented and results indicate that the most significant delays are due to a lack of good project risk management skills and remote project management capability which is exacerbated by shortfalls in technical development and information technology.

The Artificial Intelligence in Teledermatology: A Narrative Review on Opportunities, Perspectives, and Bottlenecks.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is recently seeing significant advances in teledermatology (TD), also thanks to the developments that have taken place during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last two years, there was an important development of studies that focused on opportunities, perspectives, and problems in this field. The topic is very important because the telemedicine and AI applied to dermatology have the opportunity to improve both the quality of healthcare for citizens and the workflow of healthcare professionals. This study conducted an overview on the opportunities, the perspectives, and the problems related to the integration of TD with AI. The methodology of this review, following a standardized checklist, was based on: (I) a search of PubMed and Scopus and (II) an eligibility assessment, using parameters with five levels of score. The outcome highlighted that applications of this integration have been identified in various skin pathologies and in quality control, both in eHealth and mHealth. Many of these applications are based on Apps used by citizens in mHealth for self-care with new opportunities but also open questions. A generalized enthusiasm has been registered regarding the opportunities and general perspectives on improving the quality of care, optimizing the healthcare processes, minimizing costs, reducing the stress in the healthcare facilities, and in making citizens, now at the center, more satisfied. However, critical issues have emerged related to: (a) the need to improve the process of diffusion of the Apps in the hands of citizens, with better design, validation, standardization, and cybersecurity; (b) the need for better attention paid to medico-legal and ethical issues; and (c) the need for the stabilization of international and national regulations. Targeted agreement initiatives, such as position statements, guidelines, and/or consensus initiatives, are needed to ensure a better result for all, along with the design of both specific plans and shared workflows.

Identify Type of Lung Infection from Lung Patients X-RAY Image LIVERAGING Computer Vision

This research proposes a computer vision-based solutions to identify whether a patient is covid19/normal/Pneumonia infected with comparable or better state-of-The-Art accuracy. Proposed solution is based on deep learning technique CNN (Convolutional Neural networks) with multiple approaches to cover all open issues. First approach is based on CNN models based on pre-Trained models;second approach is to create CNN model from scratch. Experimentation and evaluation of multiple approaches helps in covering all open points and gaps left unattended in related work performed to solve this problem. Based on the experimentation results of both the approaches and study of related work done by other researchers, Both the approaches are equally effective can be recommended for multi-class classification of lung disease. © 2023 IEEE.

Fast track to differential equations: Applications-Oriented-Comprehensible-Compact

The second edition of this successful textbook includes a significantly extended chapter on Climate Change with an analysis of the CO2 budget. It also contains a completely new part on Epidemiology, treating the SEIR-model which describes the behavior and dynamics of epidemics. In particular, COVID-19 with actual data is discussed. This compact introduction to ordinary differential equations and their applications is aimed at anyone who in their studies is confronted voluntarily or involuntarily with this versatile subject. Numerous applications from physics, technology, biomathematics, cosmology, economy and optimization theory are given. proofs and unnecessary formalism are avoided as far as possible. The focus is on modelling ordinary differential equations of the first and second orders as well as their analytical and numerical solution methods, in which the theory is dealt with briefly before moving on to application examples. In addition, program codes show exemplarily how even more challenging questions can be tackled and represented meaningfully with the help of a computer algebra system. The first chapter deals with the necessary prior knowledge of integral and differential calculus. 103 motivating exercises together with their solutions round off the work. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

RESEARCH OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DURING THE PANDEMIC: DIGITAL SOLUTIONS IN THE LOCKDOWN ERA

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been one of the most important and devastating events in the past two years. Scientists from various fields have studied the consequences of this crisis using comparative and analytical research methods. Based on their findings, it can be concluded that digital transformation is now a prerequisite for any company's activities. Social media has been important in society prior to the pandemic, but is now gaining even more momentum. Companies from various industries can develop an advantageous interaction and promotional channel on social networks. For small businesses, utilizing social media to sell groceries for home delivery is an effective way to embark on a digital transformation process. For larger organizations, digital social media can assist in building societies around their brands, particularly during times of uncertainty and high user traffic. In addition, organizations need to consider ways to minimize consumer risks, which can be divided into two main types: risks of infection and risks of fraud and data abuse in e-commerce transactions. The risk of infection is expected to decrease as a result of massive vaccination campaigns. To address the risk of fraud in online transactions, businesses can eliminate probable fraud risks through security protocols, integrations, and a blend of communications, technologies, and promotion through licensed operators. © 2022, Procedia Environmental Science, Engineering and Management. All Rights Reserved.

Integrating indigenous knowledge and state-of-the-art Earth observation solutions for the Sendai framework implementation

PurposeIndigenous peoples represent one of the most vulnerable groups and need access as well as hands-on experience in the use of emerging Earth observations (EO)-based DRR solutions at the community level, while balancing this learning with traditional indigenous knowledge (IK). However, complicating any engagement between EO and IK is the reality that IKs are diverse and dynamic, with location-specific relevance and accuracy. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic caused complex risks and cascading effects for which the world was not prepared. Thus, there is a need to examine the lessons learned and motivate emerging EO-based innovations and demonstrations related to DRR and climate change adaptation.Design/methodology/approachHence, this study aims to undertake an in-depth assessment of IK related to DRR covering relevant UN instruments and provides state-of-the-art of opportunities presented by EO-based tools and solutions.FindingsThe overall research strategy was designed to integrate key components of IK for DRR in a coherent and logical way, with those offered by the EO technology developers and providers. There are several EO tools accessible that are relevant to integrate IK and complement DRR. The study examined and identified challenges and barriers to implement workable and replicable EO solutions in pursuit of resilience.Originality/valueThe key findings of this study will help create a balanced approach by acknowledging the importance of IK for DRR with co-development, co-creation and use of culturally relevant EO data and tools for sustainable innovation, capacity building and youth empowerment. The technological inequalities appear to be growing, and it would be challenging to meet the Sendai Framework indicators.

What matters to us: Bridging research and accurate information through dialogue (BRAID) to build community trust and cultivate vaccine confidence.

Despite higher rates of SARS-CoV-2 infections and mortality, vaccine uptake in Black and Latinx populations remained disproportionately low, including in the Bronx, New York. In response, we used the Bridging Research, Accurate Information, and Dialogue (BRAID) model to elicit community members' COViD-19 vaccine-related perspectives and informational needs and inform strategies to improve vaccine acceptance. We conducted a longitudinal qualitative study over 13 months (May 2021-June 2022), with 25 community experts from the Bronx including community health workers, and representatives from community-based organizations. Each expert participated in 1-5 of the 12 conversation circles conducted via Zoom. Clinicians and scientists, attended circles to provide additional information in content areas identified by the experts. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the conversations. Five overarching themes, related to trust, emerged: (1) disparate and unjust treatment from institutions; (2) the impact of rapidly changing COVID messages in the lay press (a different story every day); (3) influencers of vaccine intention; (4) strategies to build community trust; and (5) what matters to community experts [us]. Our findings highlighted the influence of factors, such as health communication, on trust (or lack thereof) and vaccine intention. They also reinforce that creating safe spaces for dialogue and listening and responding to community concerns in real time are effective trust-building strategies. The BRAID model fostered open discussion about the factors that influence vaccine uptake and empowered participants to share accurate information with their community. Our experience suggests that the model can be adapted to address many public health issues.

A Comprehensive Review on Access Control Systems amid Global Pandemic

In the contemporary time of technology, security is the utmost concern for every building automation system. Access Control Systems are the backbone of any security system being employed in any intelligent building, and can be operated in a biometric or non-biometric manner. There are various types of recognition systems available, depending upon the required level of safety and security. The ongoing pandemic has challenged and tested Access Control System in many aspects.This paper aims to review the various forms of access control systems and their viability in the context of COVID-19. It is found that some access control solutions fail to provide the required security during this global epidemic due to their contact-based operations. So, in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, a realistic integrated electronic access control system can be designed to meet the requirements of users. © 2022 IEEE.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYTICAL SOLUTION OF THE ADVECTION-DIFFUSION EQUATION FOR AIR POLLUTION DISPERSION

We develop a new analytical solution of a three-dimensional atmospheric pollutant dispersion. The main idea is to subdivide vertically the planetary boundary layer into sub-layers, where the wind speed and eddy diffusivity assume average values for each sub-layer. Basically, the model is assessed and validated using data obtained from the Copenhagen diffusion and Prairie Grass experiments. Our findings show that there is a good agreement between the predicted and observed crosswind-integrated concentrations. Moreover, the calculated statistical indices are within the range of acceptable model performance.