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This study examines an action research project that included four kindergarten teachers who taught in the first year of the Ontario’s mandated full day kindergarten (FDK) program, which began in September 2016. This action research project focused on the teachers’ concerns about the constant unsafe violence, bullying and disruptive behaviour that characterized their FDK classrooms, which led them to explore self-regulation skills. According to the FDK program developers and school administrators, self-regulation was the key to eliminating such difficult behaviours and actions. However, the findings of the action research study revealed there were many challenges in sustaining and having students understand self-regulation, and there was a disconnect between the theoretical understanding of self-regulation and the practical reality of how self-regulation was used in the classroom. The findings of this action research study bring forth an interesting argument: the practical use of self-regulation in FDK classrooms (un)consciously gives permission to the reach and subsequent impact of neoliberalism in schools.

The industrialization, growing population, and human activities (e.g., liquid waste of households, industrial units, and agricultural lands) are the main causes to contaminate fresh water sources. To overcome this issue, many techniques have been applied for water purification and chemical oxidation is one of the effective ways to treat the wastewater called as advanced oxidation process (AOPs). In the present study, synthesized silver phosphate nanoparticles were employed as catalysts in the photocatalytic advanced oxidation process for the degradation of various dyes (RhB, MB, MO, and OG) and drug (SMZ). The photocatalyst was characterized through different analytical tools, e.g., PXRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS, DLS, FESEM, and HRTEM. The chemical behavior or interaction of dye molecule with catalyst surface has also been explored to understand the mechanism of photodegradation reaction. All the organic dyes and drugs showed pseudo first-order rate kinetics and it was found that RhB dye and SMZ drug degraded so fast by the photocatalyst. The maximum observed photodegradation rate was 0.0744 min−1 for SMZ drug and 0.0532 min−1 for RhB dye, respectively. The minimum dye degradation was observed ~ 0.0036 min−1 for OG, which is ~ 15 times lesser than the degradation rate of RhB dye. From the comparative dye degradation study, it was found that the photodegradation efficiency of organic pollutants depends on the surface charge of the photocatalyst. The role of photogenerated reactive species (holes, superoxides, and hydroxyl free radicals) was also studied using different types of scavengers which helped to understand the photochemical reactions and mechanism by photocatalyst. The real sample analysis of textile effluent was also performed using the best photocatalyst in the presence of light.

The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are at least 13 distinct progressive neurodegenerative disorders unified by the accumulation of lysosomal auto-fluorescent material called lipofuscin. The only form that occurs via autosomal-dominant inheritance exhibits adult onset and is sometimes referred to as Parry type NCL. The manifestations may include behavioral symptoms followed by seizures, ataxia, dementia, and early death. Mutations in the gene DNAJC5 that codes for the presynaptic co-chaperone cysteine string protein-α (CSPα) were recently reported in sporadic adult-onset cases and in families with dominant inheritance. The mutant CSPα protein may lead to disease progression by both loss and gain of function mechanisms. Iron chelation therapy may be considered as a possible pharmaceutical intervention based on our recent mechanism-based proposal of CSPα oligomerization via ectopic Fe-S cluster-binding, summarized in this review.

Fenarimol (FNL), an organic chlorinated fungicide, is widely used in agriculture for protection from fungal spores and fungi. Despite being an endocrine disruptor, no toxicokinetic data is reported for this fungicide. In the present work, we determined the plasma protein binding, metabolic pathways and toxicokinetics of FNL in rats.

There is a critical limit of thrust force during drilling operation in a composite laminate below which no delamination takes place, which is known as the “critical thrust force”. In this paper, various critical thrust force models have been discussed in detail for circular- and elliptical-shaped delaminations around the drilled hole. Critical thrust force models for circular-shaped delamination for isotropic composite laminates and anisotropic composite laminates for different loadings like point load, uniformly distributed load, triangular load, and their combinations using different drill geometries have been discussed. With elliptical-shaped delamination, critical thrust force models for anisotropic composite laminates are discussed for: point load, uniformly distributed load, combined point plus distributed load, and point load for antisymmetric composite laminates. At several locations, graphs have been created to illustrate the dependence of various parameters on the critical thrust force. These graphs will be of use for practising engineers while selecting tool or/and machining parameters during drilling of polymer matrix composites. A tool designer can get good insight from these graphs while designing an optimal drilling tool. The paper highlights the importance of load distribution across the drill causing deflection leading to damage due to delamination in composite laminates. Special drill geometries help in better distribution of thrust forces towards periphery and improve the critical thrust force for the prevention of damage due to delamination during drilling in composite laminates.

The aim of this article is to recognize the key critical success factors (CSFs) that determine the performance of agritourism clusters using combined analytical hierarchy process (AHP)-the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. The operational performance of agritourism clusters was determined using integrated approach, and 11 CSFs were initially identified through systematic literature review. Furthermore, experts validated and finalized nine CSFs that can determine the sustainable performance of agritourism network. Totally 15 experts (including practitioners and agritourism supply chain partners), were engaged in data collection process. The AHP application exhibits that destination attractiveness (D5) has the highest priority (0.156) among all the dimensions followed by local community contribution and sustainable livelihoods (D9). Furthermore, TOPSIS demonstrates that Pithoragarh (C7) has the ideal best value (0.7705) indicating that this cluster is performing the best among all the clusters followed by Almora (0.7209). The identification of CSFs to evaluate the performance of clusters in Uttarakhand, India can serve as guiding tool for the agritourism practitioners. The examination of pertinent issues with the focus on major support required, bottlenecks in adoption, key benefits of sustainable agritourism activities and most common sustainable practices are expected to provide new understanding about the sustainable agritourism business-based issues in India. The only limitation of this study is the geographic coverage and limited demography of the respondents. This study is one of the first efforts on assessing agritourism supply chain practices in India, with the special reference to Uttarakhand state.

This study describes a process of extraction of high purity sodium nitrate from corrosive chemical industry effluents. Here, we have designed a process to convert highly corrosive effluents of ceramic industries having pH ~13.1 into sodium nitrate nanoparticles. The extraction of sodium nitrate has been carried out via neutralization of industrial effluent by nitric acid. We have also studied the effect of low boiling point co-solvent during recrystallization of sodium nitrate. TEM studies of sodium nitrate extracted from the filtrate in the absence of co-solvent show the formation of nanoparticle of ~70 nm. Further, a drastic decrease in particle size to 10 nm has been observed when co-solvents (methanol, ethanol, and acetone) were used in combination with filtrate during the recrystallization process of sodium nitrate. Thermal properties of sodium nitrate extracted from filtrate have been investigated. Our result indicates that the nanoparticles extracted from filtrate having very high heat storage density (453 J/g) without hampering the melting point and boiling point of the materials. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The new chemical process has been developed to treat the industrial effluent Extraction of nanostructured sodium nitrate has been carried from industrial effluent The particle size of sodium nitrate drastically influenced by the used co-solvent for recrystallization The highest heat storage density is 453 J/g, which was obtained from the recrystallization of the filtrate.

A simple and economical method was developed for the extraction and isolation of pentacyclic triterpenoid lantadene A from the leaves of Lantana camara. The lantadene A displays significant anti-in...

This article examines the relationship of the Dow Jones Asia Select Dividend 30 Index (DJASD) with six Asian market indices, namely the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the Jakarta Stock Exchange (JKSE) Index, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the Nikkei (Japan), the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE), and the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation (TSEC). It involves the calculation of coefficient of correlation and coefficient of determination to explain the pattern of variance of the DJASD Index with the aforesaid six independent indices. As a first step, data reduction is performed on these indices to extract a principal component that best describes the variance in the dataset. This is followed by performing an analysis for robustness using two methods. Both the methods give approximately the same results, authenticating the reliability of the analysis. The results show that the DJASD Index has a low positively correlation with the principal component (that represents BSE, JKSE, KOSPI, Nikkei, SSE, and TSEC). TOPICS:Wealth management, exchanges/markets/clearinghouses, information providers/credit ratings Key Findings • The performance of the DJASD has weak correlation with the performance of the financial markets. • The dividend payout is largely related to the performance of the companies included in the index. • The investors cannot expect higher dividends when financial markets are performing well.

This article describes a analytic-hierarchy-process (AHP) application to identify and evaluate the best online advertising analytics software. This technique is multi-criteria and used in this study by comparing the top four web advertising analytics software. AHP uses pair-wise comparison of matrices. There are six criteria identified for evaluation: Ad scheduling, ad targeting, creative banner rotation, features, performance, cost and for each criterion, a matrix of pair-wise comparison with web-analytics software i.e. Google analytics, Accenture Analytics, Funnel and, Moat Analytics were evaluated. AHP is an effective method for multi-objective decision-making, and optimization. Thus, it helps web advertisers to evaluate the existing web advertising analytics software for posting their web advertisements.

Point mutations in cysteine string protein-α (CSPα) cause dominantly inherited adult-onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (ANCL), a rapidly progressing and lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment. ANCL mutations are proposed to trigger CSPα aggregation/oligomerization, but the mechanism of oligomer formation remains unclear. Here we use purified proteins, mouse primary neurons and patient-derived induced neurons to show that the normally palmitoylated cysteine string region of CSPα loses palmitoylation in ANCL mutants. This allows oligomerization of mutant CSPα via ectopic binding of iron–sulfur (Fe–S) clusters. The resulting oligomerization of mutant CSPα causes its mislocalization and consequent loss of its synaptic SNARE-chaperoning function. We then find that pharmacological iron chelation mitigates the oligomerization of mutant CSPα, accompanied by partial rescue of the downstream SNARE defects and the pathological hallmark of lipofuscin accumulation. Thus, the iron chelators deferiprone (L1) and deferoxamine (Dfx), which are already used to treat iron overload in humans, offer a new approach for treating ANCL. Mutations in cysteine string protein-α (CSPα) cause its aggregation and adult-onset neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Abnormal binding of Fe–S clusters to CSPα mutants is now implicated in driving aggregation, which can be reversed in neurons by clinically approved iron chelators.

Intensive use of organophosphate chlorpyrifos pesticides in farming has become a serious issue due to their harmful effects on living beings. Most fruits, vegetables and soil contain chlorpyrifos, and it cannot be rinsed out completely by water washing. Therefore, a selective and sensitive detection of chlorpyrifos is significant. In the present study, the intriguing oxidase-mimicking activity of Ag3PO4 nanoparticles (NPs) is explored for the fast and selective detection of chlorpyrifos pesticides. Ag3PO4 NPs exhibit several advantages, such as great catalytic efficiency, high stability, monodispersity and reusability, over other expensive nanozymes via a facile one-step sensing. The size, shape, crystal planes and diffraction patterns of the Ag3PO4 NPs were observed via FESEM and HR-TEM. The surface properties and oxidation states were analyzed via XPS technique. Ag3PO4 NPs possess intrinsic excellent oxidase-mimicking properties against 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbezidyne (TMB). When chlorpyrifos and Ag3PO4 NP nanozymes come in proper orientation proximity, chlorpyrifos is oxidized. The oxidized chlorpyrifos produces sulfide ions and chlorpyrifos oxon. The produced sulfide ions in the reaction system interact with Ag3PO4 NPs and inhibit their catalytic activity by feedback inhibition. Indeed, neither any catalytic site is left to oxidize TMB nor any blue colour appears. Thus, this feedback inhibition phenomenon senses chlorpyrifos pesticides. The calculated limit of detection (LOD) for the standard chlorpyrifos is ∼9.97 ppm, and the efficacy of the Ag3PO4 NPs calculated in terms of the Km value was found to be 0.15 mM. A real sample analysis was carried out by the standard addition method with two soil samples collected from Pethapur and Chiloda villages.

After fifteen years of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Parkinson's disease (PD), what have we learned? Addressing this question will help catalogue the progress made towards elucidating disease mechanisms, improving the clinical utility of the identified loci, and envisioning how we can harness the strides to develop translational GWAS strategies. Here we review the advances of PD GWAS made to date while critically addressing the challenges and opportunities for next-generation GWAS. Thus, deciphering the missing heritability in underrepresented populations is currently at the reach of hand for a truly comprehensive understanding of the genetics of PD across the different ethnicities. Moreover, state-of-the-art GWAS designs hold a true potential for enhancing the clinical applicability of genetic findings, for instance, by improving disease prediction (PD risk and progression). Lastly, advanced PD GWAS findings, alone or in combination with clinical and environmental parameters, are expected to have the capacity for defining patient enriched cohorts stratified by genetic risk profiles and readily available for neuroprotective clinical trials. Overall, envisioning future strategies for advanced GWAS is currently timely and can be instrumental in providing novel genetic readouts essential for a true clinical translatability of PD genetic findings.

Aim: Profitable companies that used data analytics have a double gain in cost reduction, demand prediction, and decision-making. However, using data analysis in non-profit organisations (NPOs) can help understand and identify more patterns of donors, volunteers, and anticipated future cash, gifts, and grants. This article presents a bibliometric study of 2673 to discover the use of data analytics in different NPOs and understand its contribution. Methods: We characterise the associations between data analysis techniques and NPOs using, Bibliometrics R tool, a co-term analysis and scientific evolutionary pathways analysis, as well as identify the research topic changes in this field throughout time. Results: The findings revealed three key conclusions may be drawn from the findings: (1) In the sphere of NPOs, robust and conventional statistical methods-based data analysis procedures are dominantly common at all times; (2) Healthcare and public affairs are two crucial sectors that involve data analytics to support decision-making and problem-solving; (3) Artificial Intelligence (AI) based data analytics is a recently emerging trending, especially in the healthcare-related sector; however, it is still at an immature stage, and more efforts are needed to nourish its development. Conclusion: The research findings can leverage future research and add value to the existing literature on the subject of data analytics.

PURPOSE The decision for subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) relies on clinical predictors. Whether genetic variables could predict favourable or unfavourable decisions is under investigation. OBJECTIVE First, we aimed to reproduce the previous observation that SNCA rs356220 was associated with favourable STN-DBS motor response. In additional exploratory analyses, we studied if other PD risk and progression variants from the latest GWAS are associated with therapeutic outcome. Further, we evaluated the predictive value of polygenic risk scores. METHODS We comprehensively genotyped patients from the EarlyStim cohort using NeuroChip, and assessed the clinico-genetic associations with longitudinal outcome parameters. RESULTS The SNCA rs356220 variant did not predict UPDRS III outcomes. However, it was associated with quality of life improvement in secondary analyses. Several polymorphisms from previously identified GWAS hits predicted motor or quality of life outcomes in DBS patients. Polygenic risk scores did not predict any outcome parameter. CONCLUSIONS Our findings support the hypothesis that different common genetic markers are associated with favourable quality of life outcomes of STN-DBS in PD. These findings can be the basis for further validation in larger and independent cohorts.

The overall ratio of non-performing assets (NPAs) to total advances (the NPA ratio) extended to self-help groups (SHGs) has historically remained below 8 per cent in India. However, in the central, northern, and north-eastern regions of India, this ratio is relatively high and has remained above 15 per cent since 2015–2016. Using state-level data, the study identifies SHG-specific and state-specific factors that might be responsible for higher NPAs ratios. It also examines whether higher NPAs constrain access to future credit. Spatial analysis confirms the existence of geographical clustering of NPAs in the northern and central regions of the country. SHGs with lower outstanding loans and lower savings are more likely to default, the relationship being stronger in states with higher NPAs. The article finds that states with higher SHGs densities, per capita incomes, and road and railway connectivity, and lower infant mortality rates have lower NPAs in their SHGs. SHGs with lower savings and higher NPAs operating in states with lower per capita incomes and banking penetration face difficulties accessing fresh credits. JEL Codes: G21, O18, R51

The pandemic has created a restrictive working system including remote working, and flexible hours for the firms and employees all around the globe, thus transforming into a platform economy may reduce unemployment and enhance job opportunities. Therefore, firms are now trying to identify the ways for enhancing survivability of Sustainable Supply Chains (SSCs). This study has made an effort to develop a framework for enhancing survivability of SSCs to survive in and post-COVID-19 pandemic. This study has utilised Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) method for identifying the significant factors for enhancing survivability of SSCs to be focused in pandemic situation. The study revealed that ‘Supply Chain Network Viability (SCV)’ is the main criterion for managing buyer–supplier relationship and enhancing survivability of SSCs during and post-COVID-19 situation. This study is helpful for firms, suppliers, and other stakeholders to focus on the identified factors for healthier future.

Background: To better understand the psychiatric disorders and cognition in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its impact on quality of life (QoL), patients need to be studied soon after diagnosis, before initiation of dopamine replacement therapy. Aim: This study aims to compare the nature and frequency of psychiatric morbidity, cognitive dysfunction, and quality of life in drug-naive patients with PD and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional, comparative study was conducted in tertiary care center. Fifty drug-naive PD patients and fifty healthy controls were included and assessed on Modified Hoehn and Yahr scale, PD Questionnaire 8, Kolkata cognitive screening battery, General Health Questionnaire-12, and Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Rating Scale (HAM-A and HAM-D). Results: The mean scores of HAM-A and HAM-D of patients with PD were significantly higher than that of the comparison group. The patients with PD had statistically significant impairment in verbal fluency, Mini-Mental State Examination, calculation, memory immediate recall, visuoconstructional ability, and memory (delayed recall and recognition) in comparison to patients without PD. No statistically significant difference was observed with respect to object naming between the two groups. Conclusion: QoL of a PD patient is adversely affected by both the motor and nonmotor symptoms of the disease such as depression, anxiety, apathy, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairment. The link between nonmotor symptoms and reduced QoL has important implications for the management of PD because the nonmotor symptoms often appear before patients are given anti-parkinsonian therapy. Screening of nonmotor symptoms in early stage of disease will decrease the morbidity and mortality and improve the QoL.

The present study analyzes the asymmetric association of exchange rate and world income with inbound tourism demand in India using a recently developed nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model. For this purpose, the study uses monthly data from January 2003 to December 2020 for inbound tourism demand, real effective exchange rate, and world income as the variables of the model. The study used an asymmetric causality test on the lines of Hatemi-J. The findings confirm the existence of a nonlinear association between exchange rate and tourism demand in the long run. Furthermore, the increases in the world income have a positive and significant effect on tourist arrivals in India. In addition, the findings indicate that exchange rate shocks play a vital role in the long run. The cointegration test is supplemented with nonlinear causality analysis. The causal result depicted positive shocks in the exchange rate and world income sharing a unidirectional causal relationship with tourist arrivals. The result of this research can significantly facilitate the policymakers for devising short-run as well as long-run policies to consolidate the macroeconomic fundamentals such that tourism demand can be enhanced in India.

Vitiligo is an acquired hypomelanotic disorder of the skin resulting from loss of functional melanoctyes and it affects approximately 0.5-1% of individuals. 25% of vitiligo in children are diagnosed before 10 years of age. The age of onset of vitiligo in children ranges between 4 to 8 years. Depigmentation in oral cavity can be easily noted and awareness about the condition can be created if they are not aware about vitiligo elsewhere in their body and can be guided for the treatment. RESUMEN: El vitíligo es un trastorno hipomelanótico en la piel que resulta de la pérdida de melanocitos funcionales y afecta aproximadamente al 0,5-1% de los individuos. El 25% de los casos de vitiligo en niños se diagnostican antes de los 10 años. La edad de aparición del vitiligo en los niños oscila entre los 4 y los 8 años. La despigmentación en la cavidad oral se puede notar fácilmente y se puede crear conciencia sobre la afección, si no son conscientes del vitiligo en otras partes de su cuerpo, y pueden ser guiados para el tratamiento.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, industry 4.0 technologies (I4TEs) and digital supply chains (DSCs) are reinforcing businesses to gain economic stability and agility to enrich their sustainable performance (S.P.). Survey methods have been deployed based on the constructs obtained from the literature. Data collection through a survey resulted in 202 valid responses. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirms the constructs and the mediating effect of the DSCs through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study is among the few studies that examine the I4TE impact on DSCs and S.P. The results show that industry 4.0 technologies enhance the sustainable performance of firms. Results also show a complete mediation of DSCs on the inter-relationship between I4TEs and S.P. Those DSCs with I4TE inclusion can transform an organization’s strategic decision-making. For the authors, this study is the first of its kind. Although some of the literature explored different aspects of the concept of industry 4.0 and digitalizing supply chains, studies have yet to specifically evaluate the potential impacts of digital supply chains on sustainable performance. The novelty of DSCs is their support of firms in improving their preparedness, agility, and transparency to strengthen their sustainable performance. These DSCs will provide agile, collaboration, responsiveness, end-to-end visibility, and resilient supply chains to diminish supply risk and enrich preparedness and responsiveness to recuperate quickly from uncertainty amidst the pandemic. The study will help managers re-designing their strategic planning, resulting in new cost reduction and resilience models for supply chains. The study calls for firms to employ multiple DSCs once they have set clear strategic priorities. The overall findings of the work fill the literature gaps of studies in the digitalization of supply chains.

Background The impact of COVID-19 on physical and mental health and employment after hospitalisation with acute disease is not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of COVID-19-related hospitalisation on health and employment, to identify factors associated with recovery, and to describe recovery phenotypes. Methods The Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) is a multicentre, long-term follow-up study of adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital in the UK with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19, involving an assessment between 2 and 7 months after discharge, including detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical testing. Multivariable logistic regression was done for the primary outcome of patient-perceived recovery, with age, sex, ethnicity, body-mass index, comorbidities, and severity of acute illness as covariates. A post-hoc cluster analysis of outcomes for breathlessness, fatigue, mental health, cognitive impairment, and physical performance was done using the clustering large applications k-medoids approach. The study is registered on the ISRCTN Registry (ISRCTN10980107). Findings We report findings for 1077 patients discharged from hospital between March 5 and Nov 30, 2020, who underwent assessment at a median of 5·9 months (IQR 4·9–6·5) after discharge. Participants had a mean age of 58 years (SD 13); 384 (36%) were female, 710 (69%) were of white ethnicity, 288 (27%) had received mechanical ventilation, and 540 (50%) had at least two comorbidities. At follow-up, only 239 (29%) of 830 participants felt fully recovered, 158 (20%) of 806 had a new disability (assessed by the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning), and 124 (19%) of 641 experienced a health-related change in occupation. Factors associated with not recovering were female sex, middle age (40–59 years), two or more comorbidities, and more severe acute illness. The magnitude of the persistent health burden was substantial but only weakly associated with the severity of acute illness. Four clusters were identified with different severities of mental and physical health impairment (n=767): very severe (131 patients, 17%), severe (159, 21%), moderate along with cognitive impairment (127, 17%), and mild (350, 46%). Of the outcomes used in the cluster analysis, all were closely related except for cognitive impairment. Three (3%) of 113 patients in the very severe cluster, nine (7%) of 129 in the severe cluster, 36 (36%) of 99 in the moderate cluster, and 114 (43%) of 267 in the mild cluster reported feeling fully recovered. Persistently elevated serum C-reactive protein was positively associated with cluster severity. Interpretation We identified factors related to not recovering after hospital admission with COVID-19 at 6 months after discharge (eg, female sex, middle age, two or more comorbidities, and more acute severe illness), and four different recovery phenotypes. The severity of physical and mental health impairments were closely related, whereas cognitive health impairments were independent. In clinical care, a proactive approach is needed across the acute severity spectrum, with interdisciplinary working, wide access to COVID-19 holistic clinical services, and the potential to stratify care. Funding UK Research and Innovation and National Institute for Health Research.

It has been established that smell and taste loss are frequent symptoms during COVID-19 onset. Most evidence stems from medical exams or self-reports. The latter is particularly confounded by the common confusion of smell and taste. Here, we tested whether practical smelling and tasting with household items can be used to assess smell and taste loss. We conducted an online survey and asked participants to use common household items to perform a smell and taste test. We also acquired generic information on demographics, health issues including COVID-19 diagnosis, and current symptoms. We developed several machine learning models to predict COVID-19 diagnosis. We found that the random forest classifier consistently performed better than other models like support vector machines or logistic regression. The smell and taste perception of self-administered household items were statistically different for COVID-19 positive and negative participants. The most frequently selected items that also discriminated between COVID-19 positive and negative participants were clove, coriander seeds, and coffee for smell and salt, lemon juice, and chillies for taste. Our study shows that the results of smelling and tasting household items can be used to predict COVID-19 illness and highlight the potential of a simple home-test to help identify the infection and prevent the spread.

This study work is among the few attempts to understand the significance of AI and its implementation barriers in the healthcare systems in developing countries. Moreover, it examines the breadth of applications of AI in healthcare and medicine. AI is a promising solution for the healthcare industry, but due to a lack of research, the understanding and potential of this technology is unexplored. This study aims to determine the crucial AI implementation barriers in public healthcare from the viewpoint of the society, the economy, and the infrastructure. The study used MCDM techniques to structure the multiple-level analysis of the AI implementation. The research outcomes contribute to the understanding of the various implementation barriers and provide insights for the decision makers for their future actions. The results show that there are a few critical implementation barriers at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. The findings contribute to the understanding of the various implementation issues related to the governance, scalability, and privacy of AI and provide insights for decision makers for their future actions. These AI implementation barriers are encountered due to the wider range of system-oriented, legal, technical, and operational implementations and the scale of the usage of AI for public healthcare.

Bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation (B-DUMP) is a paraneoplastic disorder that may be seen in patients with a known malignancy but more commonly is seen in those without any history of cancer. It leads to multiple uveal tumors with exudative retinal detachment along with thickening of the choroid and generally carries a poor prognosis. Its etio-pathogenesis is poorly understood but is said to involve factors secreted by the systemic malignancy that lead to proliferation of melanocytes in the uvea.We report the presentation and management of a female with history of treated frontal lobe meningioma who presented with neovascular glaucoma along with B-DUMP and was found to have recurrence of the meningioma on neuro-imaging.Central nervous system meningiomas can cause B-DUMP and management of the malignancy may lead to partial resolution of posterior segment manifestations of B-DUMP.

The rapid consumption of advanced e-products has intensified problems for the linear economy; constantly diminishing natural resources employed in production processes have created a need of recycle and reuse. Although the transition to a circular economy proposes to end the loop of e-products, it needs the application of processes such as urban mining to recover resources as secondary raw material. The present study intends to examine the issues and challenges of electronic waste urban mining (EWUM) in India that need to be assessed for the development of a sustainable economy. To accomplish this, the current study employs integrated Multi-Criteria-Decision making methods (MCDM). Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) is used to prioritize issues and their possible solutions with Weighted Assessment Sum Product Assessment (WASPAS) methods introduced to explore these challenges and provide solutions for managing EWUM. There is an immediate need to acknowledge the issues confronted by stakeholders in urban mining processes for successful transition to a circular economy. A better understanding of the issues will help policy makers and decision makers to implement best practices to enhance the urban mining process in India. This study has shown that socio-economic (SE) issues are the most critical issues in EWUM in India. The possible solutions that would have most impact are to enhance awareness campaigns for people to educate themselves regarding e-waste, train staff to handle safe disposal of e-waste and produce eco-friendly electronic products.

Stamp technique is new and novel method for restoring mainly class I and sometimes class II with accurate occlusal topography with near perfection. Since proprioceptors of stomatognatic system react sensibly under pressure as such occlusal discrepancy after direct restorations, even if it is minor, leads to discomfort to the patients. Eventually patients compensate by adapting to new habitual occlusal position, which causes serious long term craniomandibular disturbances. The restoration of Class I cavities and erosively damaged teeth was the main consideration for Stamp technique but can be utilized for class II cavity restorations where marginal ridge is intact. This technique is possible in teeth where preoperative anatomy of the tooth is intact and not destructed by carious lesion. The stamp technique is perfomed in order to get a precise tooth‑like restoration with an accurate functional occlusion. This case report presents a case of stamp technique for simple class I composite restoration. The intent was to replicate occlusal anatomy by making a copy of the original unprepared tooth structure to get absolute anatomy in few minutes.

Phacolytic glaucoma is one of the varieties of various lens induced glaucoma, also known as lens protein glaucoma is a sequelae of hypermature cataract. In our case 60 years old male presented with lid edema, pain, redness, loss of vision of right eye with exudates or fluffy deposits in the anterior chamber mimicking endophthalmitis. Endophthalmitis is infection of eye involv ing aqueous and vitreous humors with exudates in vitreous cavity. Here we report a cytology proven case of lens induced glaucoma managed with phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation followed by good visual outcome. This case highlights the importance of right and early diagnosis. Keywords: Phacolytic glaucoma, Cataract, Endophthalmitis.

Purpose This study aims to identify the dominant brand attributes based on the survey conducted among 100 young consumers to know their perceptions toward sustainable brands, using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques, arithmetic hierarchical process (AHP) and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Design/methodology/approach In total, 100 young consumers (18 to 24 age group) were asked to provide the pairwise comparisons for the 10 brands. MCDM methods were applied on triple bottom line dimensions to identify the best alternative. AHP is applied to compute weights for the brands’ attributes necessary for brand’s sustainability, further analyzed by TOPSIS method to rank Forbes’ top 10 brands as per young consumers’ intentions to buy. Findings Apple is the most sustainable brand perceived by young consumers followed by Google and Samsung. Being the top brand in Forbes list Apple also fulfills its responsibility toward the environment and recognizes young consumers’ perception accurately. Google is also contending with the same strategy and succeed in achieving a sustainable brand image. Samsung despite at number seven and second-highest revenues after Apple has managed excellently in building sustainable brand image. Research limitations/implications Findings have shown that the top global brands do not show the same order as they exhibit in their top ranking (Forbes, 2019), and thus, create a research gap to be fulfilled by identifying the causes for the same. The results show that brand consistency and performance can be achieved through implementing sustainable and green practices such as acting social responsibility, high-quality green products, environment protection, etc., and transforming these into capabilities. Practical implications The study is an attempt to further validate Forbes’s top brands based on their perception among young customers. The study may help practitioners and policymakers to understand and get familiar with a new methodology to evaluate brands and also how to develop a positioning strategy for targeting young consumers. The paper will be a useful source of information for marketers to know how young consumers from developing countries perceive top brands on the basis of sustainability. Social implications The social benefits of brand sustainability are related to improvements in the quality of environment, health and well-being. To link these, an enabling environment must be created that optimizes resource use, allocation and distribution. Originality/value The study is a unique attempt to use AHP and TOPSIS to evaluate the best – performing green brand from the perception of young customers in developing counties. Besides, the study provides brands attributes’ framework for sustainability and is significant for developing a model as per the choices of the young consumers.

Atorvastatin, a favored option for hyperlipidemia exhibits the problem of poor gastric solubility and low absolute bioavailability (12%) along with higher pre-systemic clearance (>80%). Therefore, to circumvent these limitations, atorvastatin nanocrystals were prepared using poloxamer-188 as stabilizer via high pressure homogenization technique followed by lyophilization. Various variables like drug to poloxamer-188 ratio, homogenization cycle, homogenization pressure, type and concentration of cryoprotectant were optimized to achieve uniform nanosized crystals with good dispersibility. Solid state characterization by ATR-FTIR and DSC revealed no incompatible physicochemical interaction between drug and excipients in formulation while DSC and PXRD collectively corroborated the reduced crystallinity of drug in nanocrystals. Size analysis and SEM confirmed nanometric size range of nanocrystals (225.43 ± 24.36 nm). Substantial improvement in gastric solubility (~40 folds) and dissolution rate of drug in nanocrystals was observed. Pharmacokinetic study in wistar rats revealed significant improvement in oral bioavailability (~2.66 folds) with atorvastatin nanocrystals compared to pure drug. Furthermore, reduction in serum total lipid cholesterol, LDL and triglyceride content justified the effectiveness of formulation at 50% less dose of atorvastatin along with improved plasma safety profile in comparison of pure drug. In conclusion, atorvastatin nanocrystals are safe and efficacious drug delivery system confirming potent competence in treatment of hyperlipidemic conditions with ease of scalability for commercialization.

Purpose The purpose of the study is twofold. The first objective is to identify adoption barriers (AdoBs) in engaging young consumers in the Omni-channel retailing (OCR). The second objective is to develop interrelationship among identified AdoBs. Design/methodology/approach The study used interpretative structural modeling–fuzzy ( Matriced’ Impacts Croisés Multiplication Appliquée a UN Classement) methods on 18 AdoBs identified from the existing literature and validated from 10 experts and 137 young consumers through pairwise comparison using the arithmetic hierarchical process method. The resulting ten barriers were further investigated for identifying the strength of relationships among them. Findings The study has identified price inconsistency as the dominant AdoB that restricts young consumers in engaging with OCR. The other critical AdoBs include lack of coordination among the channels, and information sharing and inconsistent price discount are the main barriers that affect all the other barriers among the 10 AdoBs identified in this study. The data also revealed that the young consumers exhibit the research-online purchase-offline effect in the purchase process. Research limitations/implications The research study has undertaken ten barriers only. The interrelationship among the barriers may be tested further with advanced techniques. The data have been collected from young consumers of emerging markets only which may be further extended for other markets. Practical implications This study helps practitioners and decision-makers understand about AdoBs faced by the young consumers influencing the purchase-intention process. Retailers or marketers are encouraged to focus on price consistency, advanced shared information system, proper coordination and developing trust of consumers in sharing their data to enhance the acceptability of Omni channels. Moreover, the identification of barriers and their strength offer marketers or retailers an opportunity to engage them in an effective manner and thus create value using communication channels. Social implications Social benefits of understanding barriers are helpful for transforming the existing retail channel into a fully integrated Omni-channel ecosystem. For this, AdoBs identified and their inter-relationships explored in this study could be used for engaging young consumers in OCR. Originality/value To date, the research on Omni-channel barriers in the present context is scant. The research provides insides on identified dimensions on young consumer engagement in OCR.

This research analysis establishes a relationship between historical gold prices and two independent variables: the supply and the demand for gold. It goes on to determine the robustness of this relationship, and to explain the extent and degree of variance in the relationship by computing the coefficient of correlation and the coefficient of determination using two different methods. The results show a correlation between gold prices and gold supply, but a lower correlation between gold prices and gold demand. TOPICS:Commodities, performance measurement Key Findings • How demand influences price of gold. • How supply influences price of gold. • Regression coefficients of supply and demand for pricing.

Agro-waste-extracted cellulose-supported CuInS2 nanocomposites were hydrothermally synthesized with significant photocatalytic activity under the influence of cellulose as a polymeric natural suppo...

Under ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ numerous IEC campaigns have launched with multiple media vehicles to achieve an aim of maximizing the awareness level and triggering the mass to adapt behavioral change. Media optimization is a challenging process due to budgetary constraints and multiple media vehicles, but it leads to radical shift in the expenditures as well as in the outcomes. This research study follows two-phase procedure to identify the optimal media mix for IEC Campaigns under ‘Swachh Bharat by applying AHP (Analytical hierarchical process) followed by Fuzzy linguistic genetic algorithms to identify the top 5 media vehicle for IEC campaigns further followed by Fuzzy linguistic genetic algorithms in second phase find the best fit of media insertions with least cost. Both the methods are used in order to find a best fit of cost effective media for promoting the National cleanliness drive ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. This study is helpful for the stakeholders and decision-makers to plan the IEC campaigns effectively and efficiently.

Finite element (FE) model of a square cantilevered plate instrumented with a piezoelectric sensor and an actuator is created using Hamilton’s principle. Rotational degrees of freedom (dofs)...

Background Increasing evidence supports an extensive and complex genetic contribution to PD. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have shed light on the genetic basis of risk for this disease. However, the genetic determinants of PD age at onset are largely unknown. Objectives To identify the genetic determinants of PD age at onset. Methods Using genetic data of 28,568 PD cases, we performed a genome-wide association study based on PD age at onset. Results We estimated that the heritability of PD age at onset attributed to common genetic variation was similar to 0.11, lower than the overall heritability of risk for PD (similar to 0.27), likely, in part, because of the subjective nature of this measure. We found two genome-wide significant association signals, one at SNCA and the other a protein-coding variant in TMEM175, both of which are known PD risk loci and a Bonferroni-corrected significant effect at other known PD risk loci, GBA, INPP5F/BAG3, FAM47E/SCARB2, and MCCC1. Notably, SNCA, TMEM175, SCARB2, BAG3, and GBA have all been shown to be implicated in alpha-synuclein aggregation pathways. Remarkably, other well-established PD risk loci, such as GCH1 and MAPT, did not show a significant effect on age at onset of PD. Conclusions Overall, we have performed the largest age at onset of PD genome-wide association studies to date, and our results show that not all PD risk loci influence age at onset with significant differences between risk alleles for age at onset. This provides a compelling picture, both within the context of functional characterization of disease-linked genetic variability and in defining differences between risk alleles for age at onset, or frank risk for disease. (c) 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Active vibration control (AVC) of a cantilevered beam using a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/epoxy nanocomposite strain sensor and piezoelectric actuator at elevated temperature has been performed. The resistance of the nanocomposite strain sensor varies nonlinearly with the change in temperature. To use a carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite strain sensor in AVC applications, the temperature variation of the sensor must be taken into account. A control law for AVC of the first mode of vibration of the cantilevered beam was derived using a negative velocity feedback control law. AVC of the first mode of the smart cantilevered beam instrumented with a collocated CNT nanocomposite strain sensor and piezoelectric actuator was performed at temperatures in the range of 40°C to 60°C under two cases, viz. without and with consideration of the temperature dependence of the CNT strain sensor in the control law, revealing that AVC performance was only maintained at elevated temperature in the latter case. These results suggest a strategy for AVC of a structure using a MWCNT/epoxy strain sensor and PZT-5H actuator that is robust to variations in temperature.