Financial Contagion Between Crude Oil, Gold, and Equity Sectors in India During COVID

Purpose: This study examined the financial contagion between crude oil and gold prices with the equity prices of different sectors in the Indian equity market during the recent COVID crisis. Design/Methodology/Approach: Dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) GARCH model was employed to analyze the behavior of time-varying conditional correlation during the time of COVID-19. For examining the financial contagion, regression analysis was performed on the dynamic conditional correlation and the conditional volatilities of the different markets. Findings: The DCC model showed a sharp increase in correlations between markets during the COVID-19 wave. It also suggested the presence of financial contagion between the crude oil and gold markets and the different equity sectors. It also indicated that the COVID-19 effect on the conditional correlation between gold and equity sectors was temporary. In contrast, it increased the correlation between crude oil and the equity sectors. Practical Implications: The findings of this study have implications for portfolio diversification methods because higher correlations lower the benefits of diversification. Originality: This study examined the financial contagion during COVID-19 from crude oil and gold to equity sectors. Not all sectors react in the same way to changes in the prices of these commodities, and some may witness less impact compared to others during the crisis period, which makes it interesting for the study. © 2023, Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd.. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2: Molecular Biology and Therapeutic Targets

A century after the outbreak of the Spanish flu, the world is suffering from another pandemic because of the coronavirus. The virus took a toll on more than millions of lives worldwide and continues to affect the health and socio-economic infrastructure all over the world. This study explores the epidemiology, etiology, and transmission of the virus and its phylogenetic relationship with SARS and MERS coronavirus responsible for the 2002 and 2012 viral outbreak. Furthermore, this review highlights the key features of the viral genome and essential viral proteins responsible for the viral life cycle, evading host immune response, and viral immunopathology with therapeutics from "Recovery" and "Solidarity" trials. The review culminates with a discussion on different classes of prominent vaccines and their efficacy. An overall understanding of essential viral proteins and their role in pathogenesis, repurposed drugs, and vaccine development is the rationale of the present review.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

A systematic review on immunity functionalities and nutritional food recommendations to develop immunity against viral infection

Immunity plays a fundamental role in the maintenance and protection of the human body from infectious and pathogenic microorganisms. It requires regular intake of nutrients for proper functioning of the immune system. Due to an unbalanced lifestyle and consumption of ready-to-eat foods, immunity is being affected negatively. Inflammation and immunity are influenced by diet and nutrition. Simple sugars, trans fats, refined carbs, and processed meat, among other meals, may induce inflammation while simultaneously counteracting the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. As a result, unhealthy food intake may enhance systemic inflammation in individuals, boosting the generation of IL-6. Dietary nutrition is a well-known aspect of immune system maintenance, with the significance of micronutrients prominently featured in a variety of scientific literary works. Currently, global population is susceptible viral infection such as COVID-19. This viral strain is directly attacking the immunity of the individual and bringing it at risk. When a patient's immune system isn't operating correctly, COVID-19 is thought to raise the harshness of the infection or make it more vulnerable to contagious diseases. This review paper will help in understanding the immune responses mechanism along with diet balance and maintaining the sufficiency of vitamins and minerals to fight against COVID-19 infection.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme-2: A Doorway for SARS-CoV-2

The novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV--2) has become a pandemic, as declared by WHO in March 2020 producing deleterious effects on patients worldwide. The angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) has been recognized as the co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infections and may act as a therapeutic step in blocking the enzyme to re-duce SARS-CoV-2 expression and further cellular entry. Presently, the role of ACE-2 in coron-avirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection has been known and the experts have started working on the enzyme ACE-2 for the management and treatment of this pandemic disease. The binding of spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 to these receptors is the most important step and plays a key role in viral replication, thus this enzyme is becoming the doorway for the entry and spread in the human body causing asymptomatic pneumonia and severe of which is leading to death. As no specific method to prevent and treat this disease is available, the use of ACE-2 as a targeting ligand with COVID-19 virus spike protein could be helpful in the proper management of SARS-CoV-2 pneu-monia.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Role and Usage of Social Media in COVID-19 : An Analysis of Vaccination- Related Conspiracy Theories

There are various misconceptions related to COVID-19 and the vaccine. This study attempts to identify the role of social media in spreading the misinformation related to COVID-19 and vaccination. This study will help the agencies to identify the categories of misconceptions and the vaccination -related conspiracy theories dispersed in social media. In the analysis, seven clusters were found, and the concept map presents seven general misconceptions categories;similarly, six subcategories under vaccination-related conspiracy theories were found. This study concludes that vaccination -related misconception circulated in social media is a serious issue that could affect the vaccination rate severely. Hence, a multipronged tactic should be adopted having the components of counter -information strategy, sharing information from authentic sources, educating the general population to go for rigorous review of the information, and improving the health literacy level.

A Hospital Based Observational Study to Assess the Role of Hematological Biomarkers, Coagulation Profile and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) in Covid-19 Patients

Aim: In this study, the roles of biomarkers from a peripheral blood sample were used in the diagnosis of COVID-19 patients who have history of fever and have been admitted to hospital are examined. Method(s): The present study was conducted Department of Pathology, SKMCH, Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India where the patients having history of fever were admitted during the period of 3 months. A total of 100 patients were included who were suspected cases of corona. RTPCR was done for all the patients and were categorized into covid negative and covid positive patients. Result(s): Out of 100 patients included in the study that came with history of fever and was admitted in hospital, RTPCR was done and 65% patients were positive. Out of which 66.2% were male patients and 33.8% were female patients. Hematological parameters were recorded and presented in a tabular data as described in Table 1. Parameters included were total leukocyte count, neutrophils, hemoglobin, lymphocytes, NLR, PLR, SII, and Platelets. In patient with negative test results, it was found that total leukocyte count, neutrophils, platelet, NLR and SII values were higher. Whereas, haemoglobin, lymphocytes and PLR was found to be higher in patients with positive test results. Conclusion(s): In our study, low values of leukocytes, neutrophils, platelets and high values of hemoglobin, Lymphocytes were found with a CBC test which is easily available are found to be valuable in terms of the initial diagnosis of COVID 19. In addition, low values of NLR and SII and high value of PLR and CRP are also indicative of COVID-19. Copyright © 2022, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.

Governance response during COVID-19 and political affirmative action: Evidence from local governments in India

A great deal of work argues that the entry of women into public spaces can promote political and institutional change. The COVID-19 provides an opportunity to investigate whether and under what conditions women's political representation in rural local governments deliver effective local governance? Drawing from two rounds of data collected in 174 local governments and 1051 households in three Indian states, the paper shows that women Pradhans in the Gram Panchayats had no differential impact on the governance response to COVID-19 compared to the unreserved ones. Analyzing the heterogeneity in these responses suggests that institutional factors like the proportion of women in village council and local entrepreneurship diversity can enhance women Pradhan's capacity to respond to the pandemic. We explore two channels that enable women Pradhan to govern effectively during the pandemic: improving women's participation in the labor force and reducing household's vulnerability to poverty in the pre-COVID period. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dosimetric Study Comparing 3D Conformal Radiotherapy (3D-CRT), Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) in Hypofractionated One-Week Radiotherapy Regimen in Breast Cancer.

Introduction Recently, the one-week hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen (26 Gy in 5 fractions) for adjuvant breast radiotherapy has been shown to be non-inferior to other hypofractionated regimens (15-16 fractions). The aim of the present dosimetric study is to compare Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) and 3D Conformal Radiotherapy (3D-CRT) for a one-week hypofractionated radiotherapy regimen (26 Gy in 5 fractions) for adjuvant breast radiotherapy. Methods A total of 30 patients with histologically proven invasive carcinoma of the breast after breast conservation surgery (BCS) or modified radical mastectomy (MRM) were considered for in silico planning study. The dose prescription used was 26 Gy in 5 fractions as used in the FAST Forward protocol. Targets were contoured according to standard guidelines. The heart, ipsilateral lung, and contralateral breast were contoured as organs at risk. Results Planning Target Volume (PTV) coverage: For IMRT, VMAT and 3D-CRT, respectively, the volumes that received at least 95% of the prescription dose (V95) were 95.7 ± 2.12, 92.47 ± 3.83, 90.87 ± 5.13; mean PTV doses (Dmean) were 26.1 ± 0.6, 25.7 ± 0.7, and 28 ± 4.39 (3D-CRT has higher Dmean compared to other techniques). Maximum PTV doses (Dmax) were 28.23 ± 0.72, 28.73 ± 0.64, and 29.8 ± 1.03. IMRT had a better V95 coverage and conformity index.  Organs At Risk (OARs): The volumes that received at least 25% of the prescription dose (V25) of the heart were 3.41 ± 4.7, 1.8 ± 2.02 and 4.3 ± 6.98 in IMRT, VMAT and 3D-CRT, respectively. The volumetric (V25) comparison of heart dose in left-sided breast cancer was significantly different between VMAT and 3D-CRT (p=0.04, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The volume that received at least 5% of the prescription dose (V5 ) was less than 25% in the 3D-CRT plan (12.55). For the ipsilateral lung, the V25 parameters were 19.53 ± 10.96, 23.93 ± 13.58 and 20.5 ± 12.32 in IMRT, VMAT and 3D-CRT, respectively. Conclusion From this study, we can conclude that IMRT and VMAT techniques are feasible and can achieve better dosimetric goals for target and OARs though minimizing the area achieving low dose remains to be a dosimetric concern for VMAT.

Pattern dynamics in the epidemic model with diffusion network

It is well known that the outbreak of infectious diseases is affected by the diffusion of the infected. However, the diffusion network is seldom considered in the network-organized SIR model. In this work, we investigate the effect of the maximum eigenvalue on Turing instability and show the role of network parameters (the network connection rate, the network's infection, etc.) on the outbreak of infectious diseases. Meanwhile, stability of network-organized SIR is given by using the maximum eigenvalue of the network matrix which is proportional to the network connection rate and the networks infection rate. The bridge between the two rates and Turing instability was also revealed which can explain the spread mechanism of infectious diseases. In the end, some measures to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases are proposed and the feasible strategies for prevention and control can be provided in our paper, the data from COVID-19 validated the above results. © Copyright © 2022 EPLA.

Face Mask Detection Using Convolutional Neural Network

COVID-19 is one of the most dangerous forms of diseases which is caused by corona virus. It is a highly transmissible disease. WHO has already declared it as a pandemic.Therefore at the current scenario, due to outbreak of this pandemic (COVID-19), face masks has become the necessary tool of everyone to avoid spread of disease to some extent. There has been a great demand for the development of software which can easily recognize person who is wearing a mask. Therefore we are going to develop a system which will fulfill the need using Deep Learning. We will use convolutional neural network to train our model. Here two categories of dataset will be used. The one which contains set of images of faces with mask and the other without face masks We will train the program with this data set to learn to decide whether a person's face is masked or not. OpenCV, tensorflow and keras will be used for the real time face detection with live stream through web camera. After the successful deployment of the product, we will be able to design a software which can be installed at various places such as at the entry gate of colleges, railway stations , air ports , temples, hotels and shops etc. This will easily detect the persons who are entering without face masks by using cameras of the systems. Hence this product is the need of the hour for us to develop so as to work for the safety of humans. © 2021 IEEE.

Realization of an Interdependent Architecture for Sustainable Agro-Economic Industry 4.0 for Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Economic Era

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates the Industry 4.0 implementation in the various walk of business processes. The tightly and loosely coupled integration among machines and the processes through intelligent software systems and pervasive computing promises a higher level of automation based on real-time prediction-based control systems. Therefore, Industry 4.0 plays a vital role in maintaining a balance between social distancing compliance and production demand. The proposed system introduces a novel model where the agricultural process is considered automated in adherence to Industry 4.0 standards over rural areas complying with the situation of the COVID pandemic. The proposed model offers a sophisticated operation of sustainability and introduces a new analytical model for Industry 4.0. The simulated outcome shows that the proposed system offers a cost-effective solution towards achieving better sustainability in agricultural innovation. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Review of Recent Trends in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) emerged as a boon for the manufacturing systems, due to its capability of producing parts through deposition of materials in a layer-by-layer manner and its effects on the global supply chain by making the systems decentralized in nature. AM is also recognized with various names such as direct digital manufacturing, rapid manufacturing, solid-free fabrication process, and rapid prototyping. It has the potential to make complex and internal lattice structures without any need for prior processing tools as compared with the conventional manufacturing process. Currently, this emerging technology is fulfilling customer demand at a smaller scale. Currently, engineers and research institutes are working on AM-based systems to examine the machine capabilities and microstructural features of manufactured parts in order to fully utilize the potential of the AM process in various organization, research departments, and also at the academic level. This paper provides an overview of AM process, its latent application, combating in COVID-19, and discusses the challenges, which are slowing down its full implementation. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Covid-19 Outbreak Cases and Healthcare Database

Nowadays Internet has become the most prominent source of information for searching the data in health sector for medical purpose fulfillments. However, in this present time this task is like a herculean task by lack of implementation of the proper skill framework and complexities that lies in Computer science and Engineering era. This paper is to computerize the Management of Hospitals to upgrade the software system that is user friendly, cost effective, fast, and simple, and to store and register the patient details and the doctor details. The aim is to develop a processed hospital management system which will upgrade the potency of the service provided to patient's mistreatment and to ensure that the adequate information is available. The information may be retrieved simply as the data will be stored in the database. The information is fully protected for private use and completes the process in less time. © 2021 IEEE.

COVID-19: An update of current knowledge (Review)

There is a current public health issue threatening human health worldwide with the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The infection was reported to first originate in bats and subsequently spread to humans via yet unknown source animals in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December, 2019. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by extreme acute respiratory coronavirus-2 syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) is an unprecedented healthy global emergency. The outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 has once again revealed the vulnerabilities of global healthcare systems, the capacity of these systems to respond to an infectious threat, as well as the rate of infection and transmission across international borders. The present review article aimed to provide an update of the current knowledge regarding COVID-19 epidemiology, patho- genesis and transmission, as well as public health measures. The present review also emphasises the key learning points related to COVID-19 prevention and identifies the need to invest in healthcare systems, community-led defence systems, as well as the need for resilience and global health security. © 2021 World Academy of Sciences Journal. All rights reserved.

The Correlation analysis of COVID-19 result and stock market: Study of BSE-sensex

It has been observed that from the month of Nov, 2020 BSE Sensex is back in its mood and is going has made an all time high. Now the market is in a jubilant mood. During the COVID-19 period the market has behaved like a roller costa and every good and bad news about the Pandemic has equivalently affected the Sensex too, if not in absolute terms at least in terms of its direction. The initial days of the Covid-19 pandemic has created a huge losses to the investors in the financial market. Almost all the economic activity was stopped which has resulted in a huge loss to the business. After the removal of the lockdown in phased wise manner the market particularly the stock market has a frequent swing and in last couple of month it has been able to reach all time high mark of 50 K. The present article aims to analyse the journey of the BSE Sensex during the COVID-19 period from January second week of 2020 till date. © 2021 Karadeniz Technical University. All rights reserved.

Redesigning dentistry to a new reality in the era of COVID-19- A review article

The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to unprecedented outbreak in Wuhan, China;has become a major public health challenge for not only China but also countries around the world. The severe global quarantine efforts and social distancing were taken worldwide in response to this global outbreak. This has challenged the health professions and systems evoking heightened reactions around the globe as response to Covid-19. While most heavily impacted, the role of the dental professionals in preventing the transmission and responding to its long-term impacts on dentistry is crucially important. This review article, while outlining the essential knowledge about COVID-19 and nosocomial infection in dental settings, provides recommended strategies for dental practitioners to redesign dentistry to a new reality in a way to combat dental crisis to bridge the gaps in dental settings to overcome this emergency.

Effect of nation-wide lock-down due to Covid-19 over industrial pollution in Delhi, India.

In India, very first infection due to Covid-19 was reported by end of January 2020 and, the same has been increased with the span of time. In order to fight the increasing risk among the citizens of nation, the complete lock-down was declared on March 25, 2020 for initially 21 days and thereafter it has been subsequently increased up to its present 4th phase, which would be remain continue until May 31, 2020. First two phases of lock-down were imposed without any relaxation, however, there were gradual relaxation implemented in third and fourth lock-down phases. Air pollution depends on emission of the pollutants from vehicles and industries, as well as dust from construction activities. Due to lock-down, operations concerning these activities were completely shut down. The effect of lock-down on PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO and AQI level was studied and comparison of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO and AQI during lock-down with same dates of previous year was also considered.

PIN166 Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Outcomes and Potential Interventions in Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19

Objectives: To identify evidence on the Quality of life measures and potential interventions in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted based on a reproducible search strategy designed to identify HRQoL outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Evidence indexed in Embase/MEDLINE (until 30th June 2020) and clinical trials.gov (until 8th July 2020) was screened for inclusion per pre-defined criteria. Results: 621 abstracts were screened followed by an evaluation of 91 full text citations. 10 studies were finally included and analysed. Among included studies, a study conducted in China investigated the effect of respiratory rehabilitation on pulmonary function, functional status (6-minute walk distance), QoL (SF-36 scores), functional independence and mental status (Self-rating depression and anxiety scales) in elderly patients. The QoL scores showed statistically significant improvement in the patients receiving respiratory rehabilitation besides improvement in the anxiety associated with COVID-19 diagnosis and isolation. Another study investigated the effect of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) on anxiety and sleep quality and reported significant improvement in sleep quality and anxiety scores based on sleep state self-rating scale (SRSS) and Speilberger State-trait Anxiety scale (STAI). A case report examined the benefits of DBT (Dialectical behavior therapy) based psychological intervention on a pregnant patient and reported improvement in psychological features with reduction in HAMD-17 (Hamilton Depression scale 17), HAMA (Hamilton Anxiety scale) and MADRS (Montgomery-Asberg Depression rating scale) scores. Other ongoing studies Investigated interventions like pulmonary physiotherapy, pulmonary and motor rehabilitation, post discharge tele rehabilitation (resistive training, breathing and aerobic exercise) and behavioral interventions. A majority of these involved EuroQoL assessment. Conclusions: COVID-19 is unfolding as a complex illness affecting multiple organs with currently unknown long-term effects. Interventions aimed at managing physical and mental QOL measures are necessary particularly in hospitalized patients. These interventions need to be potentially combined with hospitalization and post discharge management protocols.