Covid Protocols Research Articles

Analisis Tingkat Kepentingan dan Kepuasan Konsumen Terhadap Penerapan Keamanan Pangan di Toko Brownies Cinta

<em>This study aimed to determine the level of interest and consumer satisfaction with implementing food safety in Brownies Cinta Mojosongo Urban Village, Surakarta. This quantitative descriptive study uses a sample of 100 Brownies Cinta customers who have visited Brownies Cinta twice. Data collection uses the survey method, and data analysis uses two analytical techniques: the CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) method and the IPA (Importance Performance Analysis) method. The results showed that the order of importance of food safety indicators from the most important were buildings and facilities, production equipment, storage, production location/environment, process control, employee health and hygiene, water supply, hygiene facilities (hand washing), employee training, facilities hygiene (COVID protocol). The analysis results on the CSI method obtained a value of 84.54%, which means that consumers are satisfied with the food safety implementation carried out by Brownies Cinta Mojosongo. The analysis using the IPA method shows that the food safety indicator that needs to be improved is the production location/environment.</em>

Trading in harms: COVID-19 and sexual and reproductive health disparities during the first surge in New York state

In March 2020, New York City was the national epicenter of the novel coronavirus in the United States. This article draws on rapid qualitative research from July to October of 2020 with sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRH) providers who served low-income people from racial and ethnic minority groups in New York State to examine their perceptions of the effects of COVID-related adaptations to care on healthcare access and quality. We found that care delivery protocols during the early months of the pandemic compromised healthcare interactions and clinical experiences by limiting support persons, separating newborns from parents, and restricting care time in hospitals. Additionally, closures of in-person SRH services and prohibitions on prenatal support persons increased obstacles to access and utilization of care. Our intersectional analysis underscores how COVID protocols interacted with other axes of inequality to compound disparities in SRH access and quality of care. Early COVID policies prioritized controlling the risk of viral exposure over the risk of harm from the policies themselves, reflecting zero-sum approaches that we describe as “trading in harms.” Our research thus raises crucial questions about how institutions and governing bodies conceive of, and organize, emergency preparedness. We argue that emergency preparedness must center concerns around racial, class, and gender equity, among others, to foreground the risks and benefits of emergency responses for different groups.

Five-year follow-up of an interdisciplinary oral health education program: Clinical practice behaviors in working pediatric nurse practitioners.

Many interdisciplinary oral health education programs have been implemented for pediatric primary care providers (e.g., pediatric nurse practitioner [PNP]) to raise awareness and gain skills related to the prevention of early childhood caries (ECC). However, no studies have evaluated if these educational programs provided to PNPs during their training resulted in clinical practice behavior changes. A 33-item survey was designed on a web-based platform (Survey Monkey) and distributed to 71 PNP graduates. The survey included demographics, current clinical practice, clinical practice behaviors, and perceived barriers to practice. Descriptive statistics were used to assess the survey items and thematic analyses on the open-ended questions. The survey response rate was 70% (50/71 PNPs). Most practicing PNPs were in acute care or specialty clinics (n = 33; 66%) where oral health was not part of the focused visit. Majority used knowledge learned in assessment and anticipatory guidance skills. However, only 14% of primary care providers were applying fluoride varnish with 10% billing for this procedure. Barriers to application were time, available supplies, COVID protocols, lack of support staff, or not billing due to minimal reimbursement. Many primary care-trained PNPs were practicing in acute or subspecialty areas where prevention of ECC is not viewed as part of their focused visit. Pediatric nurse practitioners working in primary care demonstrated some clinical practice changes. However, areas for improvement are time to perform a risk assessment and application of fluoride varnish, access to these supplies, and standard billing and insurance reimbursement for these preventable services.

REVERSIBLE LUNG FIBROSIS FOLLOWING SEVERE COVID-19 INFECTIONA CASE REPORT

After wide spread of COVID-19 pneumonia with thousands of cases complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) of which high percentage fully recovered and resumed their normal life without any disability. It was known that those patients will have residual fibrosis which may affect their daily activity on the long run.There was always paramount question about the reversibility of such fibrosis especially with well-known concept about absence of any radical treatment for such etiology.We present a case of 54 years old male patient, non-smoker with irrelevant medical history apart from well controlled hypertension. He was referred to our facility with fever, productive cough, and shortness of breath. An initial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening for SARS-COV2 was positive. A high-resolution CT (HRCT) chest revealed Multi-focal patchy air-space ground glass density with peripheral and basal predominance more affecting the left side, suggestive of viral pneumonia. The patient was commenced on low flow oxygen therapy and symptomatic treatment. Four days later the symptoms aggravated and oxygen requirement increased to non-rebreathing oxygen mask (NRM). We treated him according to COVID protocol withtherapeutic anticoagulation, corticosteroids and oxygen therapy which was adjusted to maintain saturation 92%, but his condition deteriorated and was shifted to intensive care unit. Later patient improved andwas shifted back to the medical ward. We were able to wean him off oxygen and he was discharged home oncorticosteroidsand scheduled for a follow up visit in the pulmonology clinic. Repeated HRCT chest showed regressive course concerning both the airway space disease and the fibrotic changes. The patient returned to his normal life activity with no residual limitation of his physical activity or development of shortness of breath with exertion. Latest HRCT was completely normal.

Ring the alarm: modifications to higher education negatively impacting full-time faculty

Purpose Higher education has experienced some significant changes over the past few years including a highly competitive landscape, use of new technology, managing COVID protocols and guiding students to resources that ensure their success. With prior research highlighting the changes in the workforce and poor working conditions of part-time faculty, this study aims to explore full-time perceptions of several employment-related variables to determine how these significant workplace changes have impacted them. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach is used. This includes a questionnaire being sent out via e-mail to faculty at a medium-sized, public, regional university located in the USA. This was sent through two separate listservs: full-time faculty listserv and part-time faculty listserv. The questionnaire included quantitative and qualitative questions. A one-way ANOVA was used to detect significant differences between the two groups of interest for the quantitative components. The qualitative portions of the questionnaire provided deeper insights into employee perceptions of their workplace. Findings This research uncovers some alarming trends for full-time faculty within higher education. Across several different employment variables, full-time faculty perceptions are significantly worse than part-time faculty. This includes work–family conflict, pay perceptions, compensation opportunities, online teaching experiences, overwhelming work activities, technology provided, travel funding provided, perceived satisfaction of a faculty advocate and perceived benefits of a faculty advocate. Qualitative and quantitative results support these findings and provide additional clarification as to why they have these negative workplace perceptions. Research limitations/implications A convenience sample was used, where data was only gathered from one university. Future research could replicate finding with more universities varying in their make-up and location to determine if these results hold across the USA and internationally. Some measures did not use established scales in the literature, and some were single-item measures. Future research could replicate findings using established scales with multi-item measures to provide more confidence the results produced that are reliable and valid. Practical implications These results suggest alarming concerns for higher education institutions regarding their full-time faculty. Human resource managers and administrators at universities should respond to “the alarm” from this research and internal employee satisfaction surveys they have conducted with their employees. Changes should be made at higher education institutions to improve employee workplace perceptions in hopes of retaining valuable employees and improving worker morale to increase productivity. The recent workplace changes and challenges for full-time faculty are negatively impacting their workplace perceptions. Social implications As a result of full-time faculty having significantly worse perceptions across all measured employment variables than their part-time colleagues, who already had poor perceptions, the authors may see more “good” employees leaving the industry for other more lucrative options. Others may become “dead wood” in the university and engage in “quite quitting” resulting in less productivity. With the tenure process protecting professors, this may result in universities being “stuck” with many unmotivated professors and hurt the quality of educational services provided. Some professors may even act out negatively toward the university. This could damage the quality of education provided at universities and perceptions of higher education by society. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study comparing full-time and part-time faculty workplace perceptions across several variables. After previous study has highlighted the poor work conditions and perceptions of part-time faculty, this study adds to the discussion showing that significant changes in the workplace have resulted in full-time faculty now perceiving their employment to be significantly worse than their part-time colleagues. This can have significant short-term and long-term ramifications for the industry that will make it more difficult for universities to attract talented individuals to choose a career in education and retaining their best workers based on current employment perceptions.

Integrated and Deep Learning Based Social Surveillance System: A Novel Approach

In industry and research, big data applications are gaining a lot of traction and space. Surveillance videos contribute significantly to big unlabelled data. The aim of visual surveillance is to understand and determine object behaviour. It includes static and moving object detection, as well as video tracking to comprehend scene events. Object detection algorithms may be used to identify items in any video scene. Any video surveillance system faces a significant challenge in detecting moving objects and differentiating between objects with the same shapes or features. The primary goal of this work is to provide an integrated framework for a quick overview of video analysis utilizing deep learning algorithms to detect suspicious activity. In greater applications, the detection method is utilized to determine the region where items are available and the form of objects in each frame. This video analysis also aids in the attainment of security. Security may be characterized in a variety of ways, such as identifying theft or violation of covid protocols. The obtained results are encouraging and superior to existing solutions with 97% accuracy.

COVID-19 reinfection among health care workers in a tertiary care center in north Kerala: a descriptive study

Background: Reinfection rates due to Covid-19 is on a rise. Prevention, identification, and management of these patients will be essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. Objective of this study was to determine the proportion of SARS COV-2 reinfection among health care workers, to determine the meantime interval between primary infection and reinfection and to compare the symptomatology during Primary infection and reinfection. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted among healthcare workers who tested positive for COVID-19 from 1st July 2020 to 31st October 2021 which accounted for 704, of which 36 met the criteria for reinfection. Details of the health care workers who tested positive for COVID-19 was collected from regional PEID cell data base. Data was collected from study subjects using telephonic interviews. Data was analyzed using SPPSS Version 21. Results: Out of the 704 study subjects, 36 (5.11%) met the criteria for reinfection. Mean age was 29.6±9.7 years. Of the 36 cases of reinfection, 36.1% were asymptomatic during the primary infection compared to 2.8% during the second one. Cough and fever were present in 41.7% and 83.3% respectively during reinfection compared to 11.1% and 33.3% in primary infection. Mean time interval between primary infection and reinfection was 244.6±75.6 days. During the time period between primary infection and reinfection 4 (11.1%) had symptoms. Conclusions: Reinfection is possible in individuals who had primary infection with COVID-19. Reinfection can be symptomatically more severe. So regardless of history of infection with COVID-19 all individuals must strictly adhere to Covid protocol.

#3347 COVID VACCINE RESPONSES DURING SIBEPRENLIMAB TREATMENT OF IGA NEPHROPATHY (IGAN): AN INTERIM ANALYSIS

Abstract Background and Aims ENVISION, an ongoing global P2 trial of sibeprenlimab, a mAb that neutralizes A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL) for the treatment of IgAN, previously reported an interim 43% placebo (pbo)-adjusted reduction from baseline in 24-hour uPCR at 9 months. The trial has been conducted through the ongoing COVID pandemic. To assess the effect of sibeprenlimab on COVID-risk, infection and vaccination (vac) data were recorded for all subjects. For consenting substudy subjects (SS) (n = 72), serologic responses to SARS-CoV2 proteins were measured monthly. Method Serum IgG antibodies specific for SARS-CoV-2 antigens were quantified using Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) V-PLEX SARS-CoV-2 Panel 24, a validated multiplexed assay. IgG levels were reported in WHO binding antibody units (BAU)/mL. Peak Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) IgG antibody titers were evaluated for SS following primary (2-dose) mRNA vaccination. Slopes of IgG RBD decline were utilized to generate preliminary estimates of time above protective threshold. A Welch two-sample t-test was applied to the log-transformed peak RBD titer values for significance testing. Results Among 155 IgAN patients enrolled and followed for 16 months (with 12 monthly sibeprenlimab or pbo infusions) between August 2020 and the present, COVID infection was reported in 55 overall. Two patients were hospitalized in accordance with standard local COVID protocols; none were admitted to ICU or mechanically ventilated and there were no fatalities. All other episodes of COVID infection were considered to be of mild or moderate severity (treatment status remains blinded for AE evaluation). COVID vaccination was administered to 46 SS; including 34 recipients of mRNA vaccines only (1, 2, 3 or 4 doses). There were no identified IgAN disease flares following vaccinations. Parameters characterizing IgG RBD titer were obtained from subjects receiving a 2-dose mRNA primary vaccination with sufficient data, excluding subjects with confounding COVID infection at the time of vaccination (n = 22). All subjects achieved a peak titer of >935 BAU/mL, with similar kinetics between arms. Geometric mean peak RBD IgG antibody level (Fig. 1) following vaccination was higher in pbo recipients (5600 BAU/mL) vs Sibeprenlimab (2410 BAU/mL) (p = 0.033). RBD IgG decline post mRNA vaccination (in any patient with at least one mRNA dose without confounding subsequent vac or infection) was evaluable in 28 SS. Rates of decline were similar between groups (Fig. 2), with comparable modeled time above an arbitrary protective threshold of 300 BAU/mL (∼ 5-6 months, data not shown). In addition, there was no evidence that sibeprenlimab impeded robust humoral immune responses to actual infection. Conclusion Sibeprenlimab is a promising immunomodulatory therapy for treatment of IgAN. COVID-specific vaccine and infection-induced humoral immune responses were preserved during Sibeprenlimab therapy.

Safety Profile of Molnupiravir with Significant Effect on COVID-19: A Review

Background: As the COVID era unfolds, researchers reveal that rapid changes in viral genetic material allow viruses to circumvent challenges triggered by the host immune system and resist anti-viral drugs, potentially leading to persistent viral manifestations in host cells. Molnupiravir (RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor) is a novel anti-viral medicine promising a vital role in coming setbacks. Objectives:: This review aims to clarify the safety and efficacy of the molnupiravir molecule in light of existing case studies. As a result, it is intended to explore and discuss the molecular structure, mechanism of action, discovery and development process, preclinical research, clinical investigations, and other subtopics. Methods: A total of 75 publications were searched using multiple engines, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, and others, with a constraint applied to exclude publications published over 11 years ago. Molnupiravir, safety, efficacy, COVID- 19, RdRp, PK-PD, and clinical study were utilized as keywords. Result: Clinical results on molnupiravir are supported by investigations that were recently disclosed in a study on both sex volunteers (male and female) with an age restriction of 19 to 60 years, followed by a Phase-3 Clinical Trial (NCT04575584) with 775 randomly assigned participants and no fatalities reported due to treatment. Conclusion: Molnupiravir proved a high level of safety, allowing it to be tested further. This review supports the safety and efficacy of this molecule based on the established evidence, which claims the most anticipated employment of molnupiravir in COVID protocol.

Unmasking racial avoidance: Experimental evidence on parental school choice and public health policies during the Covid-19 pandemic

BackgroundCOVID-19 drastically changed the school choice landscape as families considered schools with varying public health protocols as well as academic and demographic characteristics. Our understanding of families’ preferences during the pandemic is limited, however, because it primarily derives from surveys asking parents about a single school characteristic. ObjectiveWe aimed to understand how families' preferences for schools’ racial composition and public health policies may interdepend. MethodsWe conducted an original school choice survey experiment with U.S. White parents in August 2021. Parents indicated their willingness to enroll their student in hypothetical schools with experimentally randomized school quality ratings, racial and socioeconomic demographics, and COVID mitigation strategies (i.e. instructional modalities, mask and vaccination mandates). ResultsWe find novel causal evidence that White parents' preferences for schools’ racial demographics and public health policies are interdependent. Among otherwise similar schools, parents expressed stronger preferences to avoid Black, Latinx, and Asian schools when there were fewer COVID mitigation policies. Relatedly, parents required more stringent COVID protocols for their children to attend predominantly Black, Latinx, and Asian schools while showing no preferences for COVID policies among predominantly White schools. The interdependence of preferred racial demographics and public health polices was amplified among White parents who held stigmatizing beliefs about Asian populations carrying the COVID virus and pro-White sentiments. Although Democrats expressed stronger preferences for schools with more COVID mitigation strategies than Republicans, for White parents across the political spectrum school racial composition and COVID mitigation preferences interdepended. ConclusionsThis study suggests families may leverage flexible student assignment policies and schools of choice to enroll in or avoid schools based on both preferred public health policies and racial demographics. Districts should consider how adopting strong public health policies during infectious disease outbreaks may help mitigate hardened racial avoidance and school racial segregation.

CAREGIVING AND CARE RECEIVING AMONG ASIAN INDIAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE USA DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ABSTRACT This study examines the intersection of wellbeing and care experienced by first-generation Asian Indian high-skilled immigrants in the USA in spaces varying from the home to the neighborhood, city, and state in sending and receiving countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. The spread of COVID-19 resulted in new stressors that affected the physical, mental, and emotional health of interviewees, but many found ways to mitigate the effects of the pandemic through reconfigured care giving and receiving practices. Findings indicate that wellbeing of self and immediate family members, and transnational care for aging relatives, along with state and self-imposed social isolation, meant that spaces of care had to be transformed. Along with local community networks, social media connections played a crucial role in managing and receiving transnational care. However inconsistent policies around masking, COVID protocols, vaccine and booster regulations and distributions created additional stress on immigrants tasked with managing care across nations.

Psychological correlates of COVID safety protocol adherence among university students.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a global concern. Reports of insidious asymptomatic variants of the virus raise concerns about the safety of huge numbers of students on university campuses. The study aimed to delineate psychological correlates for students' adherence to safety protocols for appropriate context-specific coping intervention designs. 751 students from the various colleges of the KNUST were conveniently sampled for this cross-sectional survey. Psychological instruments with good psychometric properties (DASS-21; Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Perceived Control Scales) were used in addition to demographics and questions on COVID safety protocol adherence. Self-esteem positively correlated with perceived control (r = 0.40, p<0.001) and COVID adherence (r = 0.16, p<0.001); but negatively correlated with psychological distress (r = -0.44 p<0.001). Greater perceived control was associated with lower psychological distress (r = -0.20 p<0.001) and greater adherence to safety protocols (r = 0.24 p<0.001). Protocol adherence was regressed on psychological distress, self-esteem, and perceived control to determine any significant prediction. All the variables accounted for 7% of the variance in COVID protocol adherence (R2 = 0.07, F (3, 661) =17.29, p<0.001) with perceived control significantly predicting adherence to COVID safety protocol (B = 0.11, β=0.23, t=5.54 p<0.001). Results indicated that perceived control over important life events and healthy self-esteem would likely facilitate adherence to COVID safety protocols and attenuate psychological distress. Implications for further research and design of appropriate COVID coping response interventions are discussed. Internally generated.

Covid-19 Pandemic Strategy for Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis with Antibiotics- Risk Categorization and Shared Decision-Making

BackgroundDuring the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a protocol was adopted by our department on antibiotics treatment for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis (AUA). Our study aimed to determine the feasibility and safety of non-operative treatment (NOT), compared to upfront laparoscopic appendectomy (LA), for AUA in children during the pandemic. MethodOur prospective comparative study was conducted from May 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. Patient selection criteria included: age ≥5 years, abdominal pain duration ≤48 h, ultrasound (US)/Computered Tomography scan confirmation of AUA, US appendiceal diameter 6–11 mm with no features of perforation/abscess collection and no faecolith. For NOT patients, intravenous antibiotics were administered for 24–48 h followed by oral for 10-day course. Comparison was performed between patients whose parents preferred NOT to those who opted for up-front appendectomy. Primary outcomes were NOT success at index admission, early and late NOT failure rates till 27 months. Secondary outcomes were differences in complication rate, hospital length of stay (LOS) and cost between groups. Results77 patients were recruited: 43 (55.8%) underwent NOT while 34 (44.2%) patients opted for LA. Success of NOT at index admission was 90.7% (39/43). Overall, NOT failure rate at 27 months’ follow-up was 37.2% (16/43). Of the NOT failures, 1 appendix was normal on histology while only 1 was perforated. There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes between both groups except for LOS of late NOT failure. Cost for upfront LA was nearly thrice that of NOT. ConclusionOur stringent COVID protocol together with shared decision-making with parents is a safe and feasible treatment option during a crisis situation. Level of EvidenceTreatment study, Level II.

Abstract WP23: Stroke Survivors Experience During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Investigation

Background and Purpose: Stroke occurs suddenly and can be a life-changing experience. Nearly 800,000 people in the United States each year suffer a stroke leading to major disability. Support of treatment of acute and follow-up care involves complex, evidence-based interventions to reduce death, stroke recurrence, post stroke disability and risk factors management. In 2019, American Heart Association released a policy guiding implementation of stroke systems of care. However, COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns changed public perceptions of when to seek stroke care. Little is known about care transformation due to pandemic. This study describes stroke survivors lived experience and challenges faced while seeking post-stroke care during pandemic across. Methods and Analysis: A qualitative phenomenological methodology was used to conduct the study. We enrolled 15 participants who had telemedicine follow-up visits and conducted in-depth interviews using study guide. Two independent reviewers used Giorgi descriptive method to search for essence of lived experience of surviving stroke and themes related to follow-up care using telemedicine. Results: Lived experience included variety of reactions due to an acute event such as life uncertainly, confusion and frustration, loneliness and worries. Unexpected challenges of care access and quality due to special COVID protocols and limited or no family support during hospital stay, emerged as additional themes. Themes related to follow-up care included post-stroke care coordination challenges, pros and cons of telemedicine encounters and practical aspects of using technology. Conclusions: Having a stroke during pandemic, created unexpected challenges that transformed post-stroke care. Individual approach was most important in dealing with challenges. Positive changes occurred while using telemedicine except in cases where full medical exam was needed. Patients recommended using hybrid approach for post-pandemic visits (in-person and telemedicine). Knowledge gained from this study can be used in a wider context of limitations imposed by other civilization-related epidemics.

Technical expertise and behavior of the doctor- a major determinant of waiting time of OPD patients

Background: The study was conducted to understand various factors affecting waiting time spent by the patients in outpatient department (OPD) and to provide recommendations for reducing the waiting time in OPD of the selected hospital. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional pretested questionnaire-based study involving all new 100 consenting patients at OPD recruited into the study using a systematic sampling technique after calculating the sampling interval. Results: The study indicates that 70% of patients were satisfied and only 30% were dissatisfied with the attention given by the OPD staff, cleanliness, attentiveness of doctor but shows great dissatisfaction regarding the waiting time spent by them in the outpatient department. Most of the subjects gave the reason for their satisfaction despite more time because of expertise of the doctor, behavior of the doctor, association of hospital with non-government organizations and insurance companies for free medicine and surgery. The dissatisfaction was not because of lack of administration but because of low level of awareness amongst patients attending the OPD about internet booking of appointment, COVID protocols, priorities given to recommendations given by other doctors/VIPs and walk in OPDs attended without prior appointment. Conclusions: A very important observation which evolved from the study was the version of patients that waiting time does not matter because they want to be treated from same doctor due to his/her expertise. Second important observation was that the addressing and greeting of patient by his/her name gave a great satisfaction and level of comfort to patients and affects the waiting time.

Cutaneous Manifestations Associated with COVID-19 Infection in a COVID-Designated Hospital in North Chennai - A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects different organ systems, including the skin. There are reports on cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 available in the literature. In this study, we have tried to describe the dermatological signs of COVID-19 in different categories of patients. A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted to describe various cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 in different categories of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-positive COVID-19 patients in a COVID-designated tertiary care hospital. Approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee, and 5460 RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19-positive patients were included under five categories. Investigators following a strict COVID protocol examined and documented the findings. Investigations and treatment were carried out as per the protocol, and the study was conducted for a period of 6 months. Out of the 5460 patients studied, 1.9% patients had cutaneous manifestations. Vasculitis (24%) and maculo papular rash (19%) were the common findings. The incidence of vasculitis was 44.4%, 61%, and 6.6% in categories A, B, and C, respectively. Maculopapular rash and urticaria were the common findings in categories D and E, respectively. COVID digit was seen in only one case. Other manifestations such as acne, adverse drug reaction, erythroderma, and bullous disorders were also noted. Cutaneous manifestations because of vascular pathology were the most common association in severe COVID-19, which indicates that the presence of vasculitic skin signs correlated with disease severity and elevated d-dimer values. Urticaria and maculo-papular rash were transient and did not give any clue to the diagnosis or severity of the disease.

Something Beautiful and Powerful: Politics, Art, and Bread and Puppet Theater

Something Beautiful and Powerful: Politics, Art, and Bread and Puppet Theater

Optimised distributed sensor system for covid protocol monitoring using multiprocessor architecture

Covid Protocol Monitoring with Multiprocessor Architecture (CPMMA) is proposed in this study as an approach for implementing a Distributed Sensor System (DSS) for covid protocol monitoring utilising multiprocessor architecture. OpenMP and MPI were used to implement the distributed system's parallel programmes, with the OpenMP code working best when used with 60–100 threads in use. CPMMA distributed sensor data was efficiently processed by a multiprocessor with 16 cores. According to the results, using a multithreaded-multiprocessing architecture and optimised Support Vector Machine classifier, the proposed design greatly enhances computing efficiency. The results of our experiments suggest that our approach may significantly enhance computing performance while also delivering adequate outcomes in a short period of time.

COVID-19 related stringencies and financial market volatility: sectoral evidence from India

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of the stringency of COVID-19 protocols on the volatility of sectoral indices during the period 03:2020–05:2021. Specifically, this study investigates the role of economic disturbances on sectoral volatility by applying a range of conditional volatility techniques.Design/methodology/approachFor this analysis, two approaches were adopted. The first approach considers COVID stringency as a factor in the conditional variance equation of sectoral indices. In contrast, the second approach considers the stringency indicator as a possible determinant of their estimated conditional volatility.FindingsResults show that the stringency of the protocols throughout the pandemic phase led to an instantaneous spike followed by a gradual decrease in estimated volatility of all the sectoral indices except pharma and health care. Specific sectors such as bank, FMCG, consumer durables, financial services, IT, media and private banks respond to protocols expeditiously compared to other sectors.Originality/valueThe key contribution of this study to the existing literature is the innovative approach. The inclusion of the COVID stringency index as a regressor in the variance equation of the conditional volatility techniques was a distinctive approach for assessing the volatility dynamics with the stringency of COVID protocols. Furthermore, this study also adopts an alternative approach that estimates the conditional volatility of the indices and then tests the effect of the stringencies on estimated volatility in a regression framework.

Compliance with the Covid-19 Protocol for the Overseas Madurese Community in Terms of the Direct and Indirect Effects of Locus of Control, Belief in the Covid Conspiracy Theory, and Anti-Vaccine Attitudes

Statistically, Indonesia was recorded as having the highest number of active COVID-19 cases in Asia in 2021. Several clusters of activities and crowds increased confirmed cases in several areas, including Madura, where the number of cases continues to rise. One of the reasons for the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Madura is a lack of discipline in health protocols, such as wearing masks, keeping a safe distance, and washing hands. The increase in Covid-19 cases in Bangkalan, Madura, was also due to poor health protocol adherence (prokes). The government has issued several policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a vaccination policy. The vaccination policy is inextricably linked to community debates over efficacy, halal certification, independent vaccines, and red and white vaccines. The vaccination debate has resulted in a societal anti-vaccination attitude. The Madurese community has a distinct collective culture that includes hard, religious, and high conformity. Even when traveling abroad, this rich cultural value does not fade. Even though, in a pandemic situation, various joint activities lead to behavior that violates health protocols, changing collective behavior is extremely difficult. Aside from the strong and distinct cultural background in obedient behavior to health protocols, the value of religiosity psychologically encourages the Madurese community to form a locus of control in dealing with pandemic situations. The purpose of this study is to put the Covid-19 protocol compliance model to the test using locus of control and anti-vaccine attitudes. Based on a study of 245 people with characteristics of an overseas Madurese community. The study's findings indicate that the theoretical model of Covid protocol compliance for the overseas Madurese community was built through direct and indirect influences between the beliefs of the Covid conspiracy theory, locus of control, and anti-vaccine attitudes.